One dark stormy night

Gotham City laid still in the cool cool night, all the bustling clatter, chatter life gone from the streets. Children slept in their soft cozy beds, elders read newspapers in their own living rooms, every once in a while you could hear some night owl strolling on the sidewalk. He'll talk of nonsense for a moment or two then realizing he's not receiving positive nor negative attention, he'll retire into his home and speak his own nonsense to himself til sleep slaps him in the face. Restaurants and businesses close for the day while other night time services businesses make themselves discrete yet known. And watching all of that was the dark night himself: Batman.

Though it was quite unusual for Gotham to have a night like this, it was one of the nights that signaled one thing to Batman; something-someone-was awaiting for the right opportunity to strike. He learned the hard way that it was almost impossible for a city to experience a uneventful night. The last time the night was as quiet as this, trouble enveloped the population of the Joker- Batman's sworn enemy. It turned out the Joker was planning his trap for months using the city as a large mousetrap- no really; he actually created an giant mousetrap that was big enough to close all around the city, little chance of escape. Batman did not figure out what was going on until the last minute when the mousetrap thundered a ear-smashing SNAP! And trapped everyone- even Batman- into Gotham.

Of all the nights the Joker chosen to strike, it was a night very similar to this one. The sadistic clown captured twenty innocent people,- half of them were police officers along with Commissioner Gordon- held them for ransom and awaited Batman's famous entrances just like he always does. The Dark Knight figured out a way to stop him but he felt terribly guilty afterwards.

He is Batman, the Dark Knight, the official- unofficial according to some people- protector of Gotham and he almost let twenty lives leave his strong hand. This is why. This is why Batman cannot let his guard down for a second. These people need a strong authoritative figure who will gladly risk his life to ensure they could keep living their lives in complete and utter safety. Complete and utter safety. That was a joke. Even the Joker would say that was a scam. No person on the planet could ever be in that amount of safety; something is sure to penetrate that solid wall of comfort and that person is no longer in complete and utter safety. They are in danger. Batman himself for instance always felt safe with his parents around-particularly his dad. He was in complete and utter safety then and his parents ensured that. Ever since the murderer broke the wall of safety, Batman no longer believes in complete and utter safety; he believes that any person, no matter who, wants something from him and they will hurt him in whatever way they can just to get that from him; any woman who kisses him just uses him for their own personal gain; even other heroes from the Justice League Batman doesn't trust, they all seem suspicious in their own way. They all want something from him but at the same time they do not know hoe to obtain it from him so they keep him in the team until they can figure out a plan.

However only two people don't want anything from him: Alfred and his sidekick Robin. But that is it. He trusts no one. In order to maintain his reputation, Batman must keep to himself, conceal any sort of emotion that could reveal any happiness for he could find none. None at all. In Batman's world there are no such things as leisure time or happiness; just work and law.

Sighing Batman threw his cape over his shoulder and ran off into the night, on his way to patrol another part of the city. Now Batman must isolate himself with a thought running through his mind over and over again: Complete and utter safety. That has never happened. Not even when Batman was a kid. Complete and utter safety.