Batman slumped into his chair in the cave and looked at the dark screen in front of him. He rubbed his head thoughtfully and started to type some words on the keyboard. The computer interface in the gloves provided the operating system and the hard drive for the screen in front of him. This ensured that even if someone managed to break into the cave then they could not access his computer. No computer will run without an operating system or sufficient hardware and without Batman at the helm, this computer had none.

He typed fast as he search the Gotham on-line library archives for the details he looked for. It only took the powerful Cray computers seconds to search thousands of cold cases until the newspaper headline expanded to fill his view:

"Is anyone safe? Wealthy philanthropist and wife gunned down"

The haunted eyes of Bruce Wayne seemed to fill the entire picture. Batman's fingers froze as the pictures hit home. The computers laboured hard over the night sorting out Bruce Wayne's moves since that fateful night. Tickets were tracked all over the world and his movements monitored over the next decade and more. Where there was no proof of his location then Batman's filed it away and moved on. Then at age 25 Bruce Wayne moved back to Gotham with a beautiful European model on his arm. With a wry smile and a twinkle in his eyes he caught the media's attention and from there he was always headline grabbing material. Tragedy seemed to nip at his heels and his inner turmoil seemed always to boil below the surface. The flying Graysons were a trapeze act that was doomed from the minute it set foot in Gotham. John and Mary Grayson died on their last night as Gotham crime, and specifically a protection racket that was denied took its grisly revenge.

Dick Grayson became Bruce Wayne's ward and even though the millionaire playboy was known as irresponsible, the court granted his request. Dick Grayson was only 10 years old, the same age as Bruce Wayne when his parents were callously gunned down. Dick Grayson moved to Bludhaven (a nearby suburb) and out of Bruce Waynes shelter whilst in his early 20s. There were rumors of a split over the death of Bruce's newest ward, Jason Todd who was tragically killed at a Red Cross food distribution shelter in Ethiopia. Bruce Wayne disappeared for a few years after this and his profile seemed in decline.

Batman sank back in his chair and pondered what he read. He swiveled round in his chair and looked at the dead body on the Batcave floor. An elderly gent dressed in the stereotypical butlers uniform, a still smoking shotgun lying next to him and Batmans side still ached from where the blast hit him before he could take the gun wielder down. He regretted the use of such force but he had a job to do and very little time to do it. Batman gently crossed the mans arms over his chest and whispered a small prayer to let the ancestors watch over him.

He noticed his hands were twitching as he crossed the victims arms and looked hard at his fingers twitching as he fought consciously to control them

"Damnit!"

He tore his mask off and stared at the reflection that stared back at him in the 72' Cray monitor. The tousled sandy blond short hair, brown eyes and the scar that etched a thin straight line from his lower eyelid to the middle of his nose. It looked almost like a tear

"Who am I? Why was I drawn here? What do I have to do?"

He walked purposely towards the glistening black modified car that was parked on the turntable that faced the dark hole that was the exit

Thirty minutes later...

The man flew through the air as if he had wings. Colliding with the alley wall, teh sound of broken bones echoed as the gravelly voice reverberated everywhere, it seemed

"Where..."

A second man was tossed over the alley wall 15feet up and over 20 feet away.

"...Is"

The third man was hoisted up against the opposing wall as the mans voice subsided to a quiet calm

"Bruce Wayne"

The man backpedaled uselessly as his legs dangled helplessly. The masked face of the Bat peered close to the mans grizzled appearance. This mask was different it covered his head with no eye holes or evident jawline or mouth visible.

"Ay kant tell ya, he'll cull me"

Batman lowered the mans face to his

"...and what do you think I will do to you. There are worse things in life than death"

"He's deid"

The muscles in Batman's arm twitched visibly, he gripped the mans shirtfront.

"How do you know this?"

"We buried 'im oursel's"

Batman lowered the man until his face was close enough to whisper in the mans ear.

"If your 'friend' behind me with the shotgun takes his shot, I will survive, you wont"

"Karl, dont!"

The sound of the safety being clicked reached Batman. He dropped the man to the floor of the alley and shouted

"Listen to me, everyone! Today is a dark day for Gotham. Keep your children indoors, keep your elderly safe and keep your criminals and scum out of my way because today there is no reprieve. If jails and asylums cant keep you safe, then i certainly wont but i warn you of this. Stay out of my way because anyone, and i mean anyone who sticks their nose in my business...!"

Batman left the last section unsaid as he seemed to bite back his tongue at the next words. He took a deep breath as he voiced the blessing. The language was old when man took his first mammalian steps on land

"Ah Shali ach shalim"

Batman quietly walked to his waiting Batmobile. The sleek black car had a swoop hood on the front of the car which swept its edges back protecting the wheels and ending past the gullwing doors which blended seamlessly into the main body. As Batman walked up to the car, the winged edges seemed to fold back upon themselves allowing access to the doors and the car itself

"Those men are fine, by the way"

Batman's hand stopped at the hatch to the driver side door as he looked round to the owner of the voice to see Superman helping one of the thugs to their feet.

He shrugged, "I wasn't asking"

Superman walked slowly and deliberately up to Batman

"We need to talk"

So saying, he grabbed Batman's shoulder and flew him up to the rooftop

"What is wrong with you, Bruce?", the voice was kept to a whisper but Superman noticed the lack of recognition in his body language and the on edge awareness of his stance. Superman took a step back and trained his X-ray vision on the mask of Batman. The figure seemed to explode in a bright light, Superman fell to his knees blinded as the high frequency light seemed to torch his retinas.

Batman walked over and grabbing him by the top of his cape, slammed him against the chimney stack that he was leaning against not a moment prior.

"High frequency strobe, normal people cant see the light, its outside their visual spectrum but you went and tried to x-ray me, didn't you? Thermal, X-ray, Ultra-Violet or any sort of high spectrum sensory device will trigger it. Not nice huh?"

Superman brushed Batman's hands away from him and fell to the ground.

"You...aren't...him?"

Batman chuckled "Nope, don't know who i am, woke up in a deep, dank cave with a dead body nearby. I was dressed in this suit so i used what i knew and am trying to find out who i am and how i got here"

"You lie!"

Batman's voice took on a more guarded tone, "Maybe"

Superman's eyes were still closed from the discharge, but he lunged forward and grabbed Batman and reversed their positions as he held Batman high against the chimney stack.

"I wont let you hurt these people, regardless of who they are or what they have done. Their punishment isn't up to you, that is what the courts are for"

"Didn't you hear what i said? I warned everyone to stay away from me and told them i wasn't going to hold their hands anymore, that isn't my job"

Superman felt a growl coming into his voice. "Protecting Gotham is Batman's job"

"But, as you said, i am not Batman"