The Doll Of Evil

by Windrises

Batman and Detective Bullock's conflicting methods of justice become a problem, when they both want to stop Rag Doll, who has become Gotham's top jewel thief.

Notes: Batman is owned by DC Comics and was created by writer Bill Finger and artist Bob Kane. Rag Doll was created by Gardner Fox and Lou Ferstadt.

Batman saw the Bat Signal, so he reported to the police station's rooftop. A few days ago, Rag Doll had broken out of Arkham Asylum, so Batman correctly assumed, that Rag Doll was the villain Gordon wanted to talk to him about. He snuck behind Gordon and said, "Greetings, Mr. Gordon. What's going on?"

Commissioner Gordon turned around and replied, "Rag Doll has robbed another jewelry store. He poisoned ten more guards."

Batman responded, "I see." He paused and said, "Allow me, to ask you something. Does anybody know of Rag Doll's origins? He must have a reason, for all the robberies he does, beyond petty theft."

Commissioner Gordon replied, "As far as I know, he has no other motivation. He just seems interested in getting rich and from what I've heard, it sounds like he'll do anything, to make his wallets filled with cash."

Batman used to have a more cynical viewpoint, when it came to the forces of evil. He used to think there were several kinds of criminals, who were pure evil and had no real motivation, for their horrible actions, aside from getting rich. However, as Batman's crimefighting career went on, he met several villains, who had a sad origin. Mr. Freeze just wanted to cure his wife, Poison Ivy just wanted to protect plants, Penguin wanted to be accepted by society, and there were several other villains, who had redeeming qualities. Batman had never found anything redeemable, when it came to Rag Doll, but that didn't make Batman want to give up.

Detective Harvey Bullock walked by, while carrying a dozen boxes of donuts. He had never been fond of Batman, so he wasn't glad, that Commissioner Gordon was having a meeting with him. Bullock frowned at Gordon and asked, "What's going on?"

Commissioner Gordon calmly answered, "Batman and I were having a friendly chat, about how to deal with Rag Doll."

Detective Bullock shook his arms around and said, "Hold on. Batman's a corrupt vigilante and Rag Doll's an evil freak, so there's nothing friendly or pleasant, that could be going on."

Batman replied, "I'm just trying to find out more information, when it comes to Rag Doll. I think he might have some kind of hidden motivation or tragic past, that's been hidden." Batman didn't usually seek advice from Bullock, since he was a rude, immature guy, but since he was also a detective, Batman thought he might be helpful. He turned to Bullock and said, "Actually, I could use your help."

Detective Bullock looked amused, while replying, "You need a lot more help, than mine. You need the help, of an entire team of therapists."

Batman responded, "The insults aren't needed. Although you're a quick-tempered slob, you're a good detective, so I want you to do some research on Rag Doll. Try to find out more info and see if he has any secrets."

Detective Bullock was already angry, that Batman was trusted and respected by the police. Having Batman tell him what to do was something, that was driving Bullock crazy. He had an offended look on his face, while saying, "Listen up, you batty weirdo. You're not allowed, to give me orders. In fact, I should be giving you orders and I should have you thrown into a cell. If you weren't the Commissioner's pet, I'd throw you into the slammer. You have no idea how lucky you are, you troublemaker." He looked around and saw that Batman had left.

Commissioner Gordon looked at Bullock and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Detective Bullock smugly said, "If I may be so bold, I'd like to think I'm pretty perfect."

Commissioner Gordon sternly replied, "You need to stop giving Batman a hard time. I know Batman is eccentric and nosy, but he's been an amazing hero, so you need to respect him."

Detective Bullock stubbornly responded, "Batman's as respectable, as the people he beats up."

The next day, Bruce Wayne was at Wayne Manor. He had his butler, Alfred Pennyworth, come to the living room, so he could make an announcement. Bruce looked at Alfred, while saying, "I've been having a lot of trouble, thanks to Rag Doll. That guy has robbed every jewelry store, that he could find. Since he has since an interest in that fancy stuff, I know how to lure him."

Alfred asked, "What are we going to do?"

Bruce said, "At tomorrow night's party, I'm going to have my family's jewel collection on display. That way, Rag Doll will break into my house and I'll be able to find him."

Alfred wasn't fond of Bruce's plan, since the party would have hundreds of guests and even though he knew Bruce was a great hero, he doubted he could protect every single one. Alfred said, "I'm not sure, if the party's a good idea."

Bruce calmly replied, "You don't need to worry about that, Alfred. The police are on my guest list, so if Rag Doll tries anything, the guests will be protected."

Alfred asked, "Are you sure, that Gotham's police are up to the task? After all, you often have to do the work, that they should be taking care of."

Bruce replied, "I know Gotham's police is far from perfect, but I think they can be great heroes."

A few hours later, Rag Doll snuck into a jewelry store, that he had already robbed before. After his robbery, the store got a new shipment of jewels, which Rag Doll was excited about. After attacking all of the guards, he pranced to the jewels, while saying, "This store should of known better. In fact, this entire city should of known better. When Rag Doll wants a value item of beauty, he's going to be getting it."

Batman stepped out of the shadows, while saying, "I disagree with that."

Rag Doll waved to him. He was such a confident villain, that he was hardly afraid of Batman. He said, "Greetings, Batman. I must say, that it's good to see you."

Batman raised an eyebrow, while saying, "You think it's good, that I've arrived? Do you have any idea, what you're talking about?"

Rag Doll replied, "Come on, Batman. Lose the serious, tough-guy gimmick. This crimefighting thing is supposed to be fun." He put his hand on his chin, while saying, "Actually, it's the villains, who have the fun, isn't it? After all, the villains get to break into any location they want and steal whatever they want. Overly-serious heroes, such as yourself, have to follow the rules and you don't get any rewards."

Batman responded, "My reward is justice."

Rag Doll replied, "Sounds like a worthless, petty reward, in my opinion."

Batman started walking closer, while saying, "You're the petty one. Stealing jewels? Don't you have any stronger ambitions? Don't you have any desires, that are more meaningful? What's your backstory? Why did you become a villain? What's your true goal?"

Rag Doll had an amused look on his face, while saying, "Hold on there, Mr. Batman. I've heard you were a mostly silent hero, but frankly, you seem like quite the chatterbox." Rag Doll did a bunch of gymnastics moves, while slithering to the jewels. He said, "Your questions weren't very captivating, so I wasn't paying the highest amount of attention. However, it seemed like you want to know, why I became a jewel thief."

Although Rag Doll acted like a goofy criminal, Batman still suspected he had a more complex reason, for doing his crimes. Because of that, he wanted to know more about Rag Doll. Batman said, "Please tell me your origin. If you have some good left in you, I can help you."

Rag Doll pretended to be serious, while saying, "It's about time, that you knew my real story. You see, ever since I was a little kid, I've always had an interest in helping cats, but I've also had an interest in taking whatever I want. Because of that, I combined my love of cats and my love of stealing, to become the world's most villainous cat-lover."

Batman frowned at Rag Doll and replied, "That's Catwoman's motivation. Stop being a goofball and start spilling the truth."

Rag Doll used his quick moves and amazing agility, to kick Batman around, while saying, "Wow, you're truly crazy. Think about it. You're a bat-dressed weirdo, who thinks every gimmick-loving freak has a compelling, world-changing motivation. You've lost your marbles. When I was a kid, I used to steal marbles. My classmates whined so hard. I felt like something special. Pretty childish, isn't it?"

Batman replied, "I still think you have potential, even though you're being stubborn pain."

Rag Doll kicked Batman into a wall, while saying, "Stealing some marbles is nothing compared, to what I now steal. I've robbed every jewelry store, that Gotham has. Tomorrow, I'm going to rob something even better. You're considered one of the world's best detectives, but from what I've seen, you don't seem so clever. Because of that, you probably won't find out my next scheme." He punched Batman to the ground. He ran out, while doing an evil laugh.

After leaving the jewelry store, Batman went to the police station's file room. He started opening the cabinets, while hoping he could find Rag Doll's file. Rag Doll was a mysterious, sneaky person, so not much was known about him. Despite that, Batman thought Rag Doll's file would have some useful information, that could help him defeat the villain.

Detective Bullock went into the file room. He had an angry look on his face, while approaching Batman and saying, "Despite how much Commissioner Gordon trusts you, I doubt he'd like you roaming around here."

Batman replied, "Ease off."

Detective Bullock looked offended, while asking, "Are you trying to boss me around, once again. That's one of the worst mistakes, that you could ever make." He got out a par of handcuffs and said, "Put your hands up, so I can put these cuffs on you."

Batman replied, "You gotta be kidding me."

Detective Bullock responded, "I don't joke around. I'm a very serious detective and frankly, you've been giving detectives a bad name. Detectives are supposed to be sharply-dressed, professional guys, not weirdos, that wear bat-related costumes. Do you have any idea, how silly you look?"

Batman could tell Bullock wasn't taking his job seriously, so he grabbed him and said, "This isn't about looking dignified or any other petty nonsense, that you can think of. Gotham's one of the craziest and most dangerous cities, that the world has to offer. Instead of siding against one another, we should be giving each other a hand, so we can protect this city."

Detective Bullock sighed and said, "I won't put the cuffs on you, but you need to go."

Batman asked, "Can I find Rag Doll's file, before I go?"

Detective Bullock answered, "Unlike you, I thought ahead. I've already read Rag Doll's file. There was no useful information in it, so I used it, as a napkin."

Batman frowned at him and asked, "What's wrong with you?"

Detective Bullock defensively answered, "I just spilt a dozen donuts on Officer Montoya's desk, so I had to use the file as a napkin, so I could get rid of the mess." He looked around and saw that Batman had left.

Meanwhile, Rag Doll returned to his lair. His lair was a run-down building, that was in bad shape, but was decorated with tons of jewels and other merchandise, that Rag Doll had stolen. Rag Doll looked at the newest newspaper. He sipped on some juice, while saying, "I heard Bruce Wayne, Gotham's most spoiled playboy, is having a very special party. I love parties, but the thing, that I'm most excited about, is his jewel collection." He read an article, to learn more about the party. He read, that the jewels would be kept in a separate room, which Rag Doll thought would make his robbery easier. He did an evil laugh.

The next night, Bruce was at Wayne Manor, for his party. He was wearing a fancy tuxedo. Bruce was getting bored, so he started reading the guest list. He walked up to Alfred and said, "I noticed we invited more men, than women. We should of invited more women."

Alfred jokingly asked, "How many girlfriends do you need?"

Bruce frowned at Alfred and said, "I'm interested in equality, not in being a playboy."

Alfred replied, "I know, Master Wayne. However, because of your spoiled-playboy reputation, a lot of women think you're going to be a shallow doofus. Because of that, they stopped coming and we've given up on inviting most of them."

Bruce responded, "I see. As hard as being Batman is, being Bruce Wayne is my more bothersome job."

A few minutes later, guests started arriving. The police showed up, including Commissioner Gordon and Detective Bullock. Bruce shook Gordon's hand and said, "It's good to see you."

Commissioner Gordon replied, "Thank you. I feel like I don't see you, that often."

Bruce responded, "That's because I'm a busy guy."

Commissioner Gordon asked, "What do you do?"

Bruce answered, "I'm one of the main people, at Wayne Industries."

Detective Bullock said, "I doubt Bruce does much of anything. He probably shows up to the meetings, takes naps, and collects paychecks."

Bruce replied, "I think I do more than that."

Detective Bullock responded, "Whatever." Bullock walked to the food table and started stuffing donuts into his mouth.

Bruce saw a fancily-dressed woman walk in. He straightened his tie, walked closer to him, and said, "Greetings, Madame. It's nice to see you."

The woman replied, "Stick out your tongue, Mr. Wayne."

Bruce responded, "If you say so." Bruce opened his mouth, while the woman started pouring hot sauce down his throat. Bruce asked, "Why did you do that?!"

The woman frowned at him and said, "You had that coming, you worthless playboy."

Bruce was in a lot of pain, because of how warm the sauce was. Detective Bullock laughed at him. He was laughing so hard, that he started choking on some donuts. Bruce noticed that, so he helped him spit out the donuts. Detective Bullock breathed a sigh of relief, while saying, "Thank you."

Bruce replied, "No problem."

Bruce's mouth still felt super warm, so Alfred handed him a soda and said, "You'll probably be needing this."

Bruce replied, "Thank you."

Bruce and some of the guests heard a few sounds, which were coming from the jewelry room. Bruce knew Rag Doll had arrived. He snuck into a restroom and started putting on his Batman costume.

Before Batman could get to Rag Doll, Detective Bullock went into the jewelry store. He heard the noises, so he wanted to investigate. He looked around and saw Rag Doll trying to open the jewel cases, without making too much noise. Detective Bullock pointed a gun at him, while saying, "You better surrender."

Rag Doll looked amused, while asking, "You think I'd be scared of a cop? I'm a super-villain, not a mundane punk."

Detective Bullock replied, "I have a gun, so you should be scared."

Rag Doll used his agility, to jump into the air, and kick Bullock in the stomach. While Bullock recovered from the kick, Rag Doll took his gun away. He said, "I could use this, to shoot you. However, that seems so intense, as well as overdone." He opened a window and threw the gun out. He started walking closer to Bullock, while saying, "Don't worry, you donut-loving loser. I'll let you keep your life, but that doesn't mean you won't get in trouble." Rag Doll kept kicking Bullock, while throwing in a few punches. Bullock tried to fight back, but he never exercised and and he ate too much junk food, so he was a lousy fighter. After a few minutes of fighting, Bullock fell to the ground.

Rag Doll opened a jewel case. He admired the jewels, while saying, "These beauties are going to shine brightly, after I throw them into my collection."

Batman approached him, while replying, "You're going to be collecting dust, after I have you locked up."

Rag Doll confidently responded, "That's not going to be happening, you fun-free vigilante." Rag Doll started punching and kicking Batman. Batman gave Rag Doll a few punches, but Rag Doll used his agility, to jump in the air and fling Batman around.

Batman said, "You don't have to be so petty, Rag Doll. You could so something meaningful. There must of been a time, where you had a more ambitious and worthwhile goal."

Rag Doll continued flinging Batman around, while replying, "I don't think so, you batty philosopher. You see, not everybody's a crazy conspiracy-lover, who'll say any theory, that pops into their mind."

Batman responded, "To be honest, I do have theories about you."

Rag Doll replied, "As much as I'd love to hear you say them, so I have something to poke fun at, it's time you get your daily knock-out pill." Rag Doll kicked Batman across the room. Batman crashed into a wall and fell to the ground. Rag Doll did an evil laugh.

Rag Doll continued opening the jewel cases. He grabbed the jewels and stared packing them into his backpack. After bagging up a bunch of jewels, he came across the pearls, that Martha Wayne wore, before Joe Chill took her and Thomas Wayne's lives. Rag Doll started getting a little nervous, while asking, "Are these the pearls, that Mother Wayne wore, on that sad night?"

Batman tried to stand up, while answering, "Yes."

Rag Doll started getting memories of his mom. Although his dad was busy with work and often acted a bit grumpy, his mom was a lighthearted, loving mother, who always knew how to show her son, how to have fun. Some sentimental feelings, that Rag Doll had tried to ignore, started coming back to him. He put the pearls back into the case. However, he was still planning on stealing the rest. He tried to go back to his immature self, while saying, "I've bagged all the jewels, that I want to take, so I better hit the road."

Batman got up and replied, "I don't think so." During the time Rag Doll was distracted by his past, Batman started getting his strength and determination back. He started punching and kicking Rag Doll. Despite how loose and fast Rag Doll was, he struggled to beat Batman's powerfully heroic nature. Batman grabbed Rag Doll and flung him to the ground. Detective Bullock got up and put handcuffs on Rag Doll, while Batman started putting the jewels away.

Detective Bullock looked at Batman said, "You did a good job. I used to think you were a problem, but if it wasn't for you, Rag Doll would of won and I would of looked like a complete loser."

Batman replied, "I'm glad you feel that way."

Rag Doll tried to slip out of his handcuffs, but Batman punched him in the face. Rag Doll said, "That was harsh, but your brutality makes things more amusing." He did a crazy-sounding laugh.

Detective Bullock said, "Rag Doll's a completely evil, nutty wacko, isn't it?"

Batman replied, "I don't know. When he was looking at Martha Wayne's pearls, he seemed distracted by something. He decided to leave those pearls behind, which means he might have some good in him, deep down."

Detective Bullock responded, "I guess there is no hopeless case, as long as you have optimism." Batman nodded, while Detective Bullock took Rag Doll away.

After Bullock and Rag Doll left, Batman whispered, "A parent's love is one of life's eternal gifts. It'll never fade away and neither will justice." Batman blew a kiss, at a picture of his parents, and started walking out of the room, while feeling his parents' love in his heart.