Hello, I've been on a bit on a nostalgic trip with all "The Batman" Clips on Youtube. I just saw the episode where Joker Kidnaps Ethan and subjects him to torment before accidentally turning him into Clayface. I thought it was a cool reference to "The Killing Joke" Story, and I've always liked the way Clayface was the Two Face of this show. but then I got to wondering "What if Yin was captured instead of Ethan?" Here's my take on that concept.
Disclaimer: I don't own "The Batman"
A lot can change in a year can't it?
A year ago the crime rate in Gotham was sufficiently lower than previous years. A year ago Ethan Bennett could relax by shooting hoops with his best friend. A year ago Ellen Yin thought bringing down Gotham"s biggest crooks meant something. A year ago Chief Rojas thought the Batman was a threat to the City.
That year seems decades ago.
It all started when the Joker was using his "Joker Putty" to commit crimes across Gotham. The GCPD already had their hands full with him, but Rojas also wanted the Batman found and unmasked. This drew some skepticism from Ethan, who thought working with the Batman would be better than fighting with him. Of course that got him a lot of mouth from Rojas who almost threatened to take away his badge. This all came to ahead that at the Gotham statue.
It was Joker up to his antics again and Batman there to stop him again. Joker was using his homemade Joker putty to remake the Gotham statue in his own image. The Batman man was on scene dealing with the deluded clowns cronies when Bennett and Yin arrived on scene.
" You take Joker The Batman's mine." Ethan said running towards the fight.
"Bennett what are you trying to prove?" Yin asked bewildered by her partners sudden urge to confront the bat. Truth be told she was right to ask Bennett got closer to the chaos he was still conflicted on capturing Batman, but he shrugged his doubt off to focus on the job.
"Hold it Bats!" shouted the detective as he held his gun at the caped crusader.
"Detective we're on the same side" Said the bat in response.
"Tell it to the chief." said Bennett but before he could say anything else Joker came down to protest this encounter. The clown wasn't too pleased to see Batman center stage when he was the clown prince of crime. Yin came from behind and grabbed the clown, but that proved to be her biggest mistake.
"Oh so at least someone around here appreciates my talents." said the clown joyfully before continuing with:
"Well since you're my number one fan I think I'll give you the V.I.P treatment my dear detective."
In a flash Joker maneuvered out of Yin's hold and gave her a hard kick to the gut. Yin was about to reach for her gun, but joker deployed a spray of knockout gas hidden under his sleeve that quickly put Yin out cold. The Batman and Bennett made a dash for the mad Clown but he used a spray of Joker Putty to soften the floor causing both to fall through it and onto the floor below.
"Joker Putty never leave home without extra canisters for all you're problems. But don't worry boys me and Yinny over here are just gonna get better acquainted. Perhaps maybe then we'll see eye to eye." The Joker said before making his escape with Yin, his henchmen in tow. The clown laughing manically as he got farther and farther away.
"Yin!" Ethan yelled before quickly fleeing down to his police car, forgetting the Bat completely. Luckily for him he could track her GPS unit, and he wasn't gonna let the madman hurt her. The Batman followed behind knowing his friend was gonna need backup.
An hour later Yin was confined to a chair watching the mad clown jump with glee.
"Oh detective awake are we? Good now we can get down to business." he said
"What do you want Joker the chief won't pay a ransom for me." she retorted.
"Quite the contrary detective, I intend to prove a point to your chief by breaking you, not physically but mentally. When I'm done with you, you won't know which ways up and which ways down." Joker said as his goons placed an odd wheel in front of them.
"Uh oh mental torture, I didn't think this freak was that sick, but don't worry Ethan should be here any moment." Yin thought to herself
An hour later Ethan made it to the rundown amusement park where Yin was taken. He saw Joker's goons guarding the entrance to a fun house and decided that was where Yin was being held. He had to think quickly knowing time wasn't on his side, and the odds where definitely.
"These 2 are big, but they're probably aren't built for speed." he thought before going to test his theory.
"Hey big and and ugly let me through." he shouted to them. Taking the bait they ran towards him and he ran them around the run down merry go round. The two thought they could split up on opposite sides and sandwich him, but anticipating this he ducked outta the way and the henchmen ran into each out head first knocking themselves out. With no time to celebrate Ethan ran inside the fun house followed closely behind by the bat.
Inside Joker was getting a bit impatient. He had begun his "therapy" on Yin an hour ago and the girl had not broken yet. Not even a crack or whiff of losing her sanity.
"Come on detective show me your wild side, don't you wanna get crazy."
Suddenly Yin burst out laughing.
"Finally are we seeing eye to eye Yinny" he said smugly.
"No, hahaha I'm just laughing cause you're finished clown." Yin said stopping he mock laughter as Joker turned around to meet Bennett hold his gun.
"Its over Clown" Ethan said. But that didn't stop the Joker from smiling.
"Hold up..." he said before pulling out his putty filled blaster.
"Drop the Gun or I shoot the girl, and trust me detective you don't know what this stuff does to humans" he said
Seeing no other way Bennett dropped his gun
"Hmm for that matter neither do I let's find out." Joker said
"Noooooo" Bennett shouted before a grappling hook shot across the room grabbing the Gun. Everyone turned around to see The Batman holding the putty in his hands.
"And now we'll never know Joker." said Batman as Joker started to flee. The Bat quickly followed while Bennett tended to Yin.
"Glad you're here" she said thankfully.
"Glad you're alive" he said in return as he freed his partner from the chair.
"Now lets nab Joker she said running towards the Bat and Joker.
"Never takes her mind off the case" he said quipping behind her.
They ran into the hall of mirrors to see Joker layed out with Batman standing over him. Yin ran to detain Joker while Bennett was stopped with his thoughts:
"He saved Yin's life."
"The chief wants him caught."
"Gotham needs him"
"The chief will eat us alive for this we need to end this tonight."
"But, ugh screw it." he came to a decision in the form of tackling the Batman to the floor and cuffing him.
"Detective..." Batman started
"Not this time Bats the chief has a zero tolerance policy for freaks like you, its over."The detective said.
"Ethan come on.."
"No Yin I radioed backup on the way over here, we've got two for the price of one."
"He saved my life"
"Hes' saved a lot of lives but that won't matter to the chief. He'll eat us alive if we don't have Bats, and he'll take away our badge's if he found out we let him escape."
"But Eth..."
"I know Yin, I know this is dirty, but we've got a job to do."
Everyone was silent time backup arrived. Both Yin and Ethan felt sick, and the next day they felt truly ill coming into work. Rojas had called for a press conference at city hall to unmask Batman there. All of the press, every news station and household in Gotham was tuned in to see who was the man behind the Bat.
"Ladies and gentlemen for 3 years Gotham has been ransacked with criminals, creeps' and crazies threatening our fair city. And who's to blame for it all? The Batman, this insane individual who took it upon himself to dress as a bat and fight crime is the cause of it all. But don't worry, thanks to the effort's of Gotham's finest' today the Batman will be unmasked and placed in Arkham where he can get the help he needs. So without further ado, any last words freak?" the chief said with glee oozing from his voice.
"Just do it." said Batman defeated. With that Rojas unmasked the Bat before gasping with the rest of the crowd.
"How why, why you, it can't be." he said shocked as Batman, no Bruce Wayne was displayed for the rest of the world to see.
"Bruce Wayne, it all makes sense now, as most of us know Bruce Wayne's parents we're murdered when he was young, and that trauma must have drove him insane enough to dress as a Bat and fight crime." said Hugo Strange who had walked onto the stage during the gasping. "Don't worry we'll take good care of him at Arkham."
"Arkham huh, so that's it, 3 years of protecting the city and I get locked up ar Arkham?"
"Rest assured Mr. Wayne we'll cure you there."
"So I'm the crazy one, but the chief who swears to protect Gotham prioritizes capturing me over stopping someone like Joker isn't?"
"Enough of this Rich boy, take him away!" Rojas cut in.
You would think this is where life would get better for Rojas. He had finally captured the Batman, and had him locked away. The press had praised the GCPD and for about a week crime had calmed down...
But that was a week, the rest of the year Gotham was filled with misery. Joker gas bombings Monday, Penguin crime sprees Tuesday, Riddler tricks Wednesday, Catwoman heists Thursday, freeze filled Friday's. Every week for the next year was filled with misery as a supervillian would pick Gotham clean or endanger civilians. The police just couldn't keep up, for some is was a struggle just to survive encounters with the villains. Rojas was pulling his hair out, Yin was exhausted and, Ethan was depressed. Had he not tackled Bruce down, had he not let his fear of losing the badge motivate him, things would be different. Sometimes he wishes he was the one Joker kidnapped instead Yin, then maybe then they might have let Bruce go. As for Bruce, the year went by fast. Strange had probed his mind and in some ways even helped him accept his parents loss. At least to the point where he was given a clean bill of heath and allowed to leave the Asylum.
Now of course the headlines "Bruce Wayne released from Arkham" would warrant the interest of more than the paparazzi. That's why the GCPD's finest of Bennett and Yin where there to monitor for activity. Rojas was there too on a different matter though. And as the world awaited comments, the gates of Arkham where open and Bruce Wayne walked out.
"Mr Wayne Mr. Wayne are you..."
"How was your stay..." countless questions flung at the playboy from all sides.
"Ahem.." Bruce began silencing the crowd.
"Over a year ago I was admitted to Arkham Asylum for being The Batman. At first I thought I was being unfairly locked up for protecting the city, but after staying here things have become clear. Professor Strange has shown me that dressing as a bat and fighting crime is is not the correct outlet for my parents death, and since Wayne industries has been overseen by my butler Alfred and I'm still a muti billionaire, its time to start loving life. Ladies the Night doesn't belong to Batman anymore, it belongs to Bruce Wayne!" with that everyone was shocked but Bruce brushed it off and walked to his limo where Alfred, Yin and Ethan were.
"Bruce, listen I..."
"Ethan its ok, I was wrong but that doesn't matter now, let's shoot some hoops this week man, and detective Yin if Ethan here hasn't made a move yet, then I'd love to take you out for coffee, but that will have to wait, I need a nice long nap on a quality bed if you know what I mean."
Alfred said nothing, but his stunned face told the story. Rojas said nothing as Bruce left the area but he turned around to face professor strange.
"Are you not pleased Chief Rojas?"
"What did you do to him?"
"Cured him, Bruce Wayne will never be Batman again and will live out his life as the rich playboy everyone thought he was."
"But we need him, we need the Batman haven't you seen the news these crazies are destroying the city."
"Alas Chief a phrase comes to mind for this occasion, Be careful what you wish for."
And there you have it, I wanted to base "Cured Bruce Wayne" off the way he acted in the episode when he lost his memory.