Disclaimer:

This isn't a proper story of sorts told in the first or third person, think of it as more of something that would appear in a Gotham City newspaper or magazine. I chose to do it out of boredom and for some fun. I've always liked the idea of Batman being a more mysterious character who's actions, sanity and even existence is heavily in question and controversial, as opposed to the idea of Batman as a crime fighting superhero that everyone loves, who comes flying in to save the day and gets cheered like other super heroes (i.e. Superman).
I don't own Batman or DC or any of those rights. This is fan fiction, just for fun.
I hope you enjoy it.

More Man Than Bat

More sightings of "The Batman" continue to plague the streets of Gotham City late at night. Since first reports of its appearances three months ago, frequency of Bat sightings has risen steadily.

Reports range from being strange and vague to completely outlandish and ridiculous as another sighting was reported last night.

Three men believed to be working for the Falcone crime family were found tied up and unconscious in an abandoned apartment complex in The Narrows. A number of armed weapons with their fingerprints on them were found at the scene, as well as a briefcase lined with twenty-thousand dollars in cash and traces of contraband. One of the assailants, whom will go unnamed, claimed that a "giant bat" had crashed through the window to the apartment complex and assaulted them: "it was some kind of giant bat, it could fly but it could walk as well. When it walked it walked like a person. It moved so fast, we didn't have time to defend ourselves."

Carmine Falcone was unavailable to comment on this Bat sighting or of he legality of these activities his associates were conducting.

Many other rumours have spread, causing more speculation about The Batman. Some independent investigators and reporters have theorized that The Batman is working with the police and that he may even be on the police payroll. Some witnesses have indicated Batman having a partnership with new lieutenant Jim Gordon, however, there is no solid evidence to support this theory.

"The Batman is merely some modern folklore that a few over imaginative citizens or journalists have hatched to stir up some stories with the superstitious crowd. As far as I'm concerned, he is no more real than the Easter Bunny and the Tooth Fairy," stated Police Commissioner Gillian Loeb whom was available to comment briefly yesterday afternoon, "Batman does not exist, and even if he did, there are laws against vigilantes and citizens taking the law into their own hands, so an arrest warrant would be put out against him."

Despite the many witness accounts, there is still no serious evidence that Batman is real. There have been no photos or video footage surfaced as yet. However, witness reports continue to raise much speculation over two questions – Is The Batman real and is he human?

One eye witness last Tuesday, claims to have seen The Batman get into a large black foreign vehicle and drive away in the direction of The Palisades at extremely high speeds.

Reports of The Batman's appearance also vary greatly. Curt Jennings, 43, from Robinson Park, claims to have seen a large creature flying over his house three weeks ago. He claimed it to be at least 7'2, with expansive wings and completely black with giant pointy ears and claws.

Michelle Harrison, 26, saw The Batman on a rooftop in Trinity Place last month, claiming him to be more human than bat, stating his appearance looked more like a black costume and at least had the mouth and chin of a human. She claimed that he looked to be no taller than six-feet. Regardless of his more human appearance, he still put a fright into her before escaping into the darkness.

"If the Batman is real, and he is a human, then he probably isn't the most emotionally stable human being," Dr. Jonathan Crane, a long time criminal psychologist working at Arkham Asylum, told us in an interview this morning regarding the Batman's existence and potential psychological profile, "any man, or woman for that matter, that puts on a bat costume and runs around rooftops trying to scare criminals definitely has some serious issues that should be dealt with. Most of his witnesses seem terrified of him because of his appearance and actions. One would assume that The Batman has some fears of his own that he is trying to overcome. Much in the way that a boy with low self esteem will go to school and bully other children, lowering their self esteem to make himself feel better, The Batman is afraid of something, and he's going out and trying to inflict fear on other people as a way for him to get over his own fears. This is clearly a disturbed and tormented mind that is plaguing Gotham, but keep in mind, this is purely relative to whether or not he actually exists."

While Batman may be doing good by scaring criminals, and even a slight decrease in crime has been noted over the last three months, his intentions are still mostly unknown. So, in the interests of your safety, if you see what you believe to be The Batman, keep your distance and notify the authorities immediately. It is in this journalist's opinion that you stay in your homes at night and make no attempt to search for The Batman.

However, his existence and his stance with criminals and the police is still in question until some more solid evidence comes into view of the public eye.

- Vicki Vale