Chapter 2 - One by one

Batman :



One by one







Everyone has something to hide, but some more then others, I probably the most.

My name is Bruce Wayne. I live in a huge mansion and own an industrial empire that I inherited from my parents. You'd think I was the most fortunate man in the world. But I'm not, Bruce Wayne is. I, however, am not alone. There's somebody, my best friend, my worst enemy: the Batman. He's been with me for a long time. At first he was just a haze, fog, a shapeless cloud. I saw that cloud for the first time when I was going home from the theatre with my parents. I was only a couple of years old. I had an ice cream. It was strawberry flavored. I didn't have a care in the world. But then he showed up: a mugger. He was carrying a Magnum thirty-six, I remember very well. He snatched my mother's purse. My father attacked him. BANG. My mother screamed. BANG. I just sat there, my face smeared with my parent's blood. No bang. He just ran away, with the cash. He left his gun behind. I picked it up and put it in my mouth. I pulled the trigger. CLICK. No bullets left. That's why he didn't blow my brains out too. If only…

I wake up. I have that same dream, those same thoughts every night. Every night. I get up and look out the window. It's getting dark already. I have a busy life, so I sleep at irregular times. If I have time to sleep at all. All of the sudden, I see it: the batsign!

“Alfred!”, I yell, “have breakfast ready by the time I come back!”. I run down the stairs. Dick jumps up out of the armchair, where he was sleeping. By the time I'm in the library, he's already opened the secret passage. Dick's my partner in crime…solving. He's been through a lot too. He's entire family was killed by Two-face, an old “friend” of mine. I tried to keep him from becoming like me: a vengeful wreck. I hate to admit it, but I failed. He's become just like me, only younger. He seems to be able to endure a lot more then me. He's less weary. But eventually he'll end up washed up like me. I know this, but I can't bring myself to stopping him. First of all, he'd go on without me too, second of all, I enjoy not being all by myself, just me and the bat.

We rush through the batcave, my eyes flash by the “souvenirs” I've gathered over the years. There it is, the very first piece of my morbid collection: the gun that created the bat. I only glance at it for about a second, like every time I pass through the cave. No time to lose. We jump in the batmobile and drive away into Gotham's night.



I arrive. Robin waits in the car while I ascend the building. I enter through the door, which isn't exactly my habit, but seemed to be a welcome change. Commissioner Gordon was standing there, looking at the sky, waiting…for me. “What's up, doc?” I said, realizing to late that maybe I did need a little more sleep. He didn't expect me coming from that direction. Neither did I. “Batman!”, The Commissioner seemed surprised to see me, “Haven't they got to you yet?”. I had no idea what the man was talking about. Perhaps I WAS getting old. Gordon must have seen the surprised look on my face( which must be difficult because I'm wearing a mask). “They've escaped”

“Who?” I asked. I was getting on more trusted territory here, Arkham might be built like a safe, but there are always a couple of them that manage to get out.

“All of them, Batman!”

“Glups”. One single phrase, four words, that was all that was needed to get me miles away from trusted territory again. I might be getting old, but not deaf. I'm sure he said: “All of them”. When one of these men escaped, all hell broke loose. The body count could go up to thousands. I'd only been presented with a situation where they all broke loose once. I ended up with a shattered spine.

“I see” I responded, and I leaped down into the darkness.

This time I would do it structured. I wouldn't go chasing those nutballs like a dog chases his own tail. No, I'd find whoever was responsible for this, before they find me, and make them pay. Last time this occurred the man who was responsible was a giant who went by the name of “Bane”. So it might be worth paying him a visit…



Bane wasn't too hard to find: he left a wake of destruction behind. I simply had to follow the demolished cars to get to him. It seemed he was celebrating tonight. Even Bane wouldn't be this careless in general. He was wandering in the streets. Alone. This was quite odd for someone of his importance. Usually the big players in town would have their own private escort of thugs too scared to defy “the Batman” alone. As I stalked him over the rooftops with Robin, I noticed he was indeed in a very cheery mood today. He even laughed while he pulverized people with a lantern pole.

Bane sure would be a handful right now if he wouldn't be too stupid to notice us. His only weak spot lies in the source of his strength: Venom. You didn't get as strong as he was by “working out”. While Bane was in jail (he was born there, doomed to serve his father's punishment), they experimented on him to make him a super soldier. Unfortunately for them their experiments worked and Bane used his newfound strength to crush them and escape prison. Bane himself is quite a scrawny guy: a true weakling, but the venom turns him into much more. Huh, what's that: Bane turned around.

“Take this, bats!!!” shouted Bane, and he hurled a car at us. I might have slightly underestimated him, I thought as was catapulted into the air by the impact. I quickly folded out my cape and glided to street level. Robin was nowhere to be seen. Bane saw me and tossed another car at me. I dodged this one without much trouble, feeling the wind blow past my face. “I will crush you!!!” Bane yelled, and he pulled one of Gotham's few trees out of the ground. I shot a batarang at him, which he smashed to smithereens with the tree, as if he was a baseball player. I ran towards him and thrusted at him with my fists. He swiftly stepped aside and hit me in the back with the tree. “No, not again!” I thought. I landed in the earth where the tree used to be. I was covered with mud. “Mwuhahahah”, Bane thundered, “You haven't got a bit better, have you!!!”. I knew there was no point in trying to make a last stand, but I couldn't just give up either. I gathered my last ounce of strength and… I heard Bane scream as I turned around. I saw the huge pile of muscles falling down, in my direction!!! I swiftly rolled out of the way and I heard him thud to the ground. I felt a cool liquid splashing on my face. I looked up and saw Robin. Standing there. With a piece of thin, transparent tube in his hands. I realized what happened: taking advantage of Bane being distracted by me, Robin had sneaked up to him and slid the tubes that fed the giant with venom. I got up and saw the once so huge Bane shrinking to his actual proportions. He even looked kind of sad. I didn't have the least bit of compassion with him though. After all, he was a mass-murderer. I checked his pulse. His hart had practically stopped beating. The sudden lack of venom was too much for his worn body. I put him over my shoulder and said to Robin “I'm bringing this pile of misery back to Arkham, I bet his cell is still available. Bring this to the batcave”, while tossing him the construction that had fed Bane's veins with venom.

Robin took that batmobile. I went by foot, over the rooftops. I had some things to think about.



I almost got killed there. If it wasn't for Robin I'd be three feet under the ground by now. I have that a lot. Almost dying. It's become a habit for me. But this time it was different. I cared. Until now I never did. From the day I put that gun in my mouth until now, I never cared. Perhaps I'm starting to lose my edge. Forty-five years is a long time for vengeance. Perhaps I'm done. Perhaps I should let Robin take over. No, I can't quit. I vowed to keep Gotham's streets safe. I can't quit while there are so many psychos out on the streets. I can stop when I've solved this whole mess. Last time I faced Bane I almost HAD to quit. That bastard BROKE my spine. I came back though. I put him behind bars!

…

Bane couldn't have been responsible for this. He was locked up in Arkham. That was why he was so cheery: he'd just been freed from Arkham. He did deserve this. But someone else needs to be punished for the escape. Maybe I can find a lead in Arkham. And if I don't, I'll take them down… One by one.

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