Five years ago the unthinkable happened. The whole damned city was evacuated turned in to a ghost town all by the hand on one man, one mad man the Scarecrow. He had found a way to make his fear toxin stronger than ever. We had to make the choice to get everyone out get them as far away as we could. We played into his hand it was all part of his plan that maniac wasn't looking to just infect the city it was the whole east coast he was looking to get. It took one man to stop it all and in the fight he himself got exposed. The way things went down I'm still not sure how he was able to keep from going crazy himself.
But then again there isn't many people like him. The Batman, he was the only one that could stop this whole mess in the process he got caught his identity exposed to the whole city everyone knew he was Bruce Wayne now. Even still he did what he had to and stopped Scarecrow, he tied up loose ends and what happened next I still can't explain. With the press and just about everyone else that made it back to the city gathered like vultures outside his home, Batman or well Bruce walked in the front door then an explosion nothing left but ashes I guess he did it to protect those he cared for. I looked all over the place but never found a body, his or his butlers maybe the explosion was so powerful it left nothing but those ashes smoldering remains of Wayne Manor I just wish he could have told me what the plan was, if that explosion was his cause or if someone got to him with out anyone knowing. I'm not sure who could have if it was that everyone that could have wanted him dead after finding out who he was got locked up so maybe it was just some plan he had if his identity ever got exposed.
But still even after all that 5 years later we still get lower common thugs that get brought in claiming it was Batman who got them I don't know if its true or not you usually get wild stories when certain thugs get brought in, but still the way things were handled or in their cases wrapped up the rope even the bat at the end of the rope all point to him, of course it could just be some copy cat that's wanting to get a name for himself but either way its just the lower level kind criminals that's out now seems like all the big guns have packed it up since Batman's been gone which is good for me finally we get some peace on the streets with only small crimes, hell I'll take the small ones over the big elaborate ones.
"But why am I telling you what you already know" Jim Gordon couldn't help but smirk to himself a little while talking to the two heroes in front of him, Dick Grayson who now goes by the name Nightwing had came back to Gotham once he got word of what was going on and the strange sightings that had been reported. The other one Tim Drake, who happened to be married to the commissioner's daughter had in recent time dropped the Robin name for something a little different to Red Robin he really didn't feel that he should take up the Batman name even though he would have been well qualified to do so, besides in his mind he figured that if anyone should take that job it would have to be Dick he spent more time with Batman so he would have been even more ready for the job.
The two former sidekicks looked at each other with a knowing gaze and as they turned back to the Commissioner Nightwing spoke "So how about telling us something new then, what's all this talk I've heard about Batman running around being rougher than sandpaper to some of the people you brought in?" Jim shook his head and rubbed his eyes "Well not all of them have been just beat and left alive for us to take in." He took a moment to let it sink in for both of them the magnitude of what he just said. "Wait a minute your telling me you have found bodies out on the street, how exactly do you know that it would be someone running around in a bat suit? Couldn't it be some random person who is doing it?" Nightwing asked puzzled by what he was hearing all of them knew that it couldn't be him but what if it was it wasn't till recent that Tim had told Dick about what the whole titan thing with the Joker and how it had some effect on those who got the infected blood like Bruce, in the back of Dicks mind he couldn't help but wonder what if something had happened and maybe in his attempt to cover up all the cave and everything in it that maybe if Bruce did survive could there have been a bit of the Joker was left and if that was the case what were they going to do?
11:00pm
Run, run, run. His footsteps echo all through the ally, his heart races almost pounding out of his chest. Thoughts running through his mind knowing he heard the rumors, the rumors that "he" had returned or never left. But no it can't be him I saw it on the news when it happened the bastards home blew up he can't still be alive after that. Stopping leaning up against a dumpster the glow of the full moon casting shadows reflecting off the puddles on the wet concrete, breath ragged, sharp almost shallow. Maybe it was just a trick of the light a shadow nothing more but if that's all it was then why am I running why am I full of fear, sure its easy to get spooked by a shadow or something you think you saw out the corner of your eye but damn it, if its just a shadow then why has it been following me. "Oh yeah, in and out Joe, it'll be a quick job he said." The lone figure scoffs at his own words. Yeah I had to just believe it would be that simple, that quick, that easy "No Batman, no problem no one will miss the necklace." Joe nothing more than a low level thug, his main thing was breaking and entering that's it nothing more, regardless of what he was feeling his contact was right it was easy but yeah that shadow thing can't really plan for that. Joe looks down at the string of pearls in his hand what he was sent to take, nothing more than just pearls pretty ironic he though to himself he knew what the irony was in it, they belonged to a mother though no one was hurt, the house was empty, but yet this shadow if it really is him...well Its got to be just the shadows Joe kept thinking.
Lost in his thoughts all of a sudden a shadowy figure comes before him. Frozen the figures eyes glow an unearthly red. Joe feels his pulse quicken, his whole body stiff unable to move the only thought in his head, the only thing through all the madness of the situation screams it can't be him, it just can't. "P-Please I-I'm sorry." Panic fills his voice if the stories he has heard recently was true then this wont end well for him. He drops the pearls at the shrouded figures feet hoping that will smooth the situation over.
"T-There, the-that's all I-I took nothing more, h-honest I didn't hurt anyone I was just..." The shrouded figures hand clamps over his mouth only thing heard is nothing more than just the muffled cry's and pleas of forgiveness for something as small as a break in. He claws at the figures chest trying to get away somehow someway, but all he can see are those eyes those red glowing eyes, and the unmistakable outline of bat both in the points on the head and the emblem on the chest. "Oh god, it is him." the thoughts running through his head, a head now clouded from the lack of oxygen "No, no, he wont kill me that's not what he does, why wont he let go." The muffled screams get louder and louder but no one could hear him even if they were right there. This gloved hand is clamped so tight even if someone was right next to him no matter how loud he screams no one would hear it through the hand over his mouth. Soon the struggle starts to slow, and then nothing Joes body slumps down to the ground and this bat creature looks down eyes glowing red, smirking at the body for a moment slowly turns and vanishes as quick as he got there as the sound of sirens start to fill the air.