Do you remember Johnny and Lord Pyre's epic story? Here's
Part 1,
Part 2, and
Part 3!
Now we have more!
GOTHAM CITY
1:06 AM EDT | 8/15/12
A flash of light shatters the sky. A low rumble and torrential rain soon follow. The citizens on the streets below scramble to shelter, as if fire falls in droplets overhead. Only one man remains unfazed, gazing downward at the people scurrying below. They have nothing to fear from the rain, he thinks. But there is plenty to fear tonight for one man.
Batman taps his earpiece, scanning all phone lines for a voice match on serial killer Victor Zsasz. He kidnapped a woman, Sandra Rauston (23, department store manager, 5'6", blonde hair, brown eyes). The psychopath has been playing a game of cat and mouse with his hunters, goading them on with each victim. He almost feels sorry for the killer; Batman knows how the psychopaths of this city work, and with police fast approaching, the woman need not worry. Zsasz however, should.
The recent rift seemed to bring a slew of Arkham inmates, and with even more escaping in the chaos, Batman and his allies have been up to their necks bringing them back to the asylum. Firefly was caught burning through Blüdhaven, a den of criminals since Nightwing's disappearance. But Grayson will return soon enough - the rifts, if smaller, seem more regular now. And Firefly is nothing to worry about - Daredevil stalks the streets, on the hunt for inmates, and the coming rain should dampen on the arsonist's flames.
"...atman...? ...ear this? I know you're listening in, hehehehe."
The shadowed sentinel's eyes narrow. Zsasz.
"I’ll give you 10 minutes to figure out where I am, then
SLICE! SLICE! hahahahahaha!"
A crackle over the line. "All units, we've intercepted Zsasz's call," barks a gruff but honest voice. "Stand by for deployment to his location."
Batman’s police scanner is a useful tool to know how well the GCPD are doing with the case, but he knows they will be too slow. "Alfred, did you get the trace on the call?"
"Yes sir," a mild British accent responds, "it seems to be coming from an apartment building two blocks north of your location. I cannot pinpoint the exact room."
"Don’t worry, I’ll take care of it."
"Be careful, sir."
"I said not to worry."
As he jumps to the next building, his mind retraces the past few months. Alfred has always been protective, but recently even more so. As much as the Caped Crusader hates to admit it... he has reason to. Even as Batman bursts through the window of the apartment, tackling Zsasz before he has time to react, a thousand shards of glass refracting a single strike of lightning, his mind is nowhere near the fight. Crime has been worse than ever. Even with Azrael and the other Vigilantes here as help, he can barely stand against the League of Shadows, never mind the inmates, nor the fact that the one person who could put all these people away is now gone.
Batman unchains Sandra, and tells her to walk outside. She runs out, tears streaming down her face as the police sirens quickly become louder. Zsasz is no longer a concern. Robin's voice crackles through his earpiece. "Hey Bats, Clayface just broke the bank. Literally. Jean-Paul and I are working on Freeze now, so we already have our hands full. You got this?"
"Yes, Robin," he says without weary, "I’ll handle it."
Suddenly, a dull throb in his back. Not pain, not really; just a memory. The last time he fought so long and so hard, he was broken. Worn down, exhausted, and finally destroyed by the man known as Bane. This time however, there's another reason. Batman grapples through the window moments before the police burst through the door. There’s just no point in fighting anymore. No hope in stopping the violence. More come every month, like clockwork, and it's only a matter of time until he's broken again.
How can there be hope? Superman is dead.
UNKNOWN LOCATION
4:13 AM EDT | 8/15/12
"Have you been successful so far?"
"It is going... smoothly, yes."
"And he suspects nothing?"
"Of course not! Do you have no faith in me? I've beaten him before. I can do it again."
"Good. Make sure Batman and his vigilantes out of our way. Keep in mind, you have yet to earn your place, Bane. If you serve us well, you will have your reward."
"Heh. 'If.' I'm insulted... but don't worry. I'll do it. It's not often you get to fight with a god."
GOTHAM CITY
4:49 AM EDT | 8/15/12
On the roof of Gotham Central Bank, a lone figure perches on a gargoyle. The city is quiet - but it's only a matter of time, and he knows it. This is simply the calm before the storm. The Joker's still out there, and he has new tricks... but it's not him. It's not Ultron. It's not even Brainiac. But it's coming, and he knows it. In the rain-spattered night, he feels a shiver of fear.
In his ear he hears a crackle. "Robin?" he asks, as dead air responds.
The voice on the other end is almost unsettlingly calm, even snide. It is all but unfamiliar. "Hello, Bruce," it says. He rises to his feet. "I'm here to call in a favor."