"Ay Tony, whaddya gonna do with yer share o' da loot?" Sal "The Raptor" Malone glances over his shoulder into the vault of the Gotham City First National Bank, where Anthony "Gravedigger" Graves was stuffing stacks of bills into a stereotypical sack as fast as he could.
"I dunno, boss…maybe get myself a new place, or one of them fancy qBox thingies Queen Industries is showin' today at that gaming convention." Anthony continues to fill the bag with cash, gruff voice reverberating through the vault. Sal lets out a harsh barking laugh. "You? Wit' one o' dem gamin' systems? You ain't serious."
"Yeh, what of it?" No sooner than the words had left his mouth than the room began to fill with smoke. Anthony yells out. "It's da Bat! Get ready fer 'im." Sal draws his SMG and prepares to fire at the first thing that moves. He spots a dark blur moving in an alcove near the roof. Firing blindly, he lets out a wild yell as if that would speed his bullets to their target. Sal empties his clip into the alcove, his heart racing as he took a step outside of the vault to see if he hit his mark.
Large demon-like wings swoop down and grab Sal, lifting him into the air as he screams in terror. He feels himself being spun around, staring into the cold eyeslits of the Batman. Without another word, his head is struck by Batman's elbow, knocking him out immediately.
Anthony draws his pistol, shaking, and steps out of the vault. "Lookit, Bat, I don't want no trouble, I'll leave the money and just go. Just...don't do nuttin' to me!" He swings the pistol around, backing towards the door slowly, before bumping into something. He spins around, firing several times towards the target, eyes shut tight, then hears his pistol click as the magazine is empty. One blow to the gut, as well as a sweeping kick that knocks him off his feet, and Anthony finds himself on the ground, looking up at the dark figure of Hollow.
"I don't want any trouble, either." Batman pulls out his Bat-Tazer and zaps Anthony into a state of unconsciousness. As police sirens start to wail, Batman makes his way to the broken in front door. A cold winter wind whips his cape around him as red and blue lights start to reflect against building windows, a sure sign the cops were arriving. Swiftly, he reaches into his utility belt and draws his grapple gun, firing it at a stone gargoyle on the roof of the bank, and zipping away just as the cops arrive.
Once on the roof, Batman presses a finger to his ear. "Alfred, the bank is secure. The police are arriving now."
"Master Aaron, I do hate to ruin your plans for the evening, but there's a new broadcast on the police scanner…It seems there's been an abduction. By the Mad Hatter." Alfred's posh clipped accent came through the communicator, causing Batman to grimace.
"Tetch."
END CHAPTER ONE