Double Jeopardy
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How our story begins: A small gang has been around the past few weeks. They
always torched one of Rupert Thorne's business
buildings every few days. The gang was good at it, too.
The police had never been able to catch them. But one
night on Batman's evening patrol, the Dark Knight spots
two suspicious looking men run down the street and get
into a black van. From what Batman has heard about the
gang, that's the type of vehicle they use. Seconds
after the van drives off, a nearby Thorne building
explodes and erupts into flames. That's all the proof
Batman needs. He quickly follows the black van as it
turns onto Gotham River's main bridge...
Batman swung across the night sky swiftly with his grappling hook, eyes
intent on the van. He was certain that those inside were the ones responsible
for the recent arsons. After swinging after them for a few seconds, Batman
reached into his yellow utility belt and retrieved several spiked balls. When
the moment was right, he aimed and flung them at the van's wheels. The balls
hit their target. The two back tires popped and wheezed out air. Batman
watched as the van slowed down and finally stopped. Then he swooped down and
landed a few feet behind the vehicle. Two men that were about Batman's height
came out of the van's doors. They both wore suits. One had a blue suit with
thin, black stripes. The other had a plain, brown suit. The man in the brown
suit examined the popped tires and said to his partner, " Man, I wonder what
popped the tires. " Then the man in the blue suit spotted Batman standing
near them and said, " Uh-oh. " He approached the Caped Crusader and said to
him, " Step aside, Bats...unless you want trouble. " Batman replied, " I
don't think so. " A small growl of fury escaped the man's lips as he swung a
punch. Batman easily ducked it and thought, " Now it's my turn. " He struck
back with a strong kick to the man's head. The blow knocked Batman's opponent
to the ground and then he was still. Batman looked at him and thought, " That
takes care of him. He looks unconsious. Now for the other one... " Just as
Batman finished that thought, the man in the brown suit called out, " Hey,
Bats! You want me? Come over here and get me! " Batman grabbed one of his
batarangs and threw it at the man. When he did, he said, " No need. " The
batarang struck the man hard and he went down unconsious. Behind Batman, the
man in the blue suit awoke. He shook his head and moaned softly. Then he sat
up and thought to himself, " Man, he knocked he so...hey...what's that? " The
man spotted a lead pipe on the ground near him. He went over to it and as he
picked it up, he thought, " A lead pipe. Hmm...Batman still thinks I'm
unconsious. This could come in very handy. " He stood up and crept silently
towards Batman, who was standing over the other man's body. The man in the
blue suit thought, " This is perfect. He has his back to me... " Then when he
was right behind Batman, he drew the pipe back and swung down hard. The lead
pipe whacked against the back of Batman's head and Batman uttered, " Ahh! "
Dazed, he stumbled forward a few feet and held his head with one hand. The
man grinned and tossed the pipe aside. Batman softly moaned, " Uhhh... " The
the man grabbed Batman's arm harshly and said, " Come 'ere! " Then he picked
Batman up and held him over his head with two hands. The man carried Batman
to the bridge's edge. When they were there, he said, " Your luck just ran
out, Batman! You're finished! " Then he hurled Batman over the edge and
watched as he fell downward to the waters below. After falling for a few
seconds, Batman's body splashed into the water. Then it started to float
downstream. Batman managed to pull himself up onto the riverbank after about
two minutes. Then he got out his grappling hook and made his way back up to
the bridge. When he was at the top, he saw that the van and the two men were
gone.
Alfred was busy sweeping up the dusty floor of the batcave when he heard
a side door on the wall open. He turned his head and saw Batman walk through
the doorway. His entire costume was dripping wet. Alfred said, " I think I'll
get the mop. Might I ask what happened, sir? " Batman replied to his kind
butler, " I ran into two of the recent arson suspects on Gotham River's main
bridge. Then I took an unexpected swim. " Alfred nodded his head to show that
he understood. He then took off Batman's soaked cape and hung it up. Batman
walked over to his main computer station and sat down on the chair in front
of it. He turned the computers and screens on, then accessed a human
description file. Alfred asked, " What are you doing, sir? " Batman said as
he typed, " I got a good look at the man that threw me off the bridge. I'm
trying to identify him. It just might lead me to the arsonists. " Then Batman
punched in the man's description: About 6 feet and 1 inch tall, short black
hair, well-built body structure, etc. The computer searched for a few
minutes, then stopped on a name. Lou Braxton. Batman hit the return key and
the computer brought up a picture of the man. Batman smiled. That was him all
right. Below the picture gave Lou's last known address.
It was the next night at around 11:00. Batman was on a rooftop, looking
through a pair of binoculars. The address that the computer gave was an
apartment building. The entrance of it was what Batman was watching. There
was a breeze that night and Batman's cape was billowing in the wind as he
kept his eye out for Lou Braxton. Then he came. Batman saw Lou exit the
building and start walking towards the streets. Then the Caped Crusader swung
down to the ground and started to follow him. He trailed Lou for about five
minutes. Then Lou went into a dark alley, walked through it, and turned right
when it ended. Batman started down the alley and thought, " If I'm lucky,
he's going to meet with the arsonists gang right now. He'll lead me right to
them. " Then he went through the alley and came out of it the other end. As
soon as he did, Lou Braxton's fist came from the right and knocked Batman
hard in the head. Ahh! He stumbled to the left and Lou approached him again.
Before Batman had a chance to recover, Lou clutched his hands together and
swung them down. The blow slammed down on the back of Batman's head and he fell
to the ground. Lou said, " I caught a glimpse of you as I was leaving my
apartment, Batman. I'm not suprised that you followed me. " He gave the
grounded hero a strong kick in the stomach. " Uggnh... " Batman softly
groaned as the pain went through his body. Lou grabbed the front of Batman's
shirt and pulled him up by it. He said, " I guess throwing you off the bridge
wasn't enough. I'll have to teach you a real lesson. " Batman slowly drew his
hand to his utility belt and weakly removed a small, acid capsule. Lou gave
a grin so evil that it made Batman's blood boil. " Now is the time. " Batman
thought. He tossed the capsule at Lou's face and it snapped open. Lou
screamed as the acid tore at his skin and he blindly stumbled away from
Batman. Batman got up and came up to Lou. When he was close enough, he
grabbed the back of Lou's head and slammed it into the wall of a building.
Lou dropped unconsious and Batman knelt over his body and examined him. He
was really unconsious. " Probably won't wake up for a very long time. I
could've gotten the arsonists location out of him, but not now. Hmm...wait a
minute... " Batman thought. He saw lots of pockets on the coat that Lou was
wearing. One of them might contain a clue or something. Batman took Lou's
coat off and rummaged through it's pockets. There wasn't much. Some
cigarettes, a lighter, a pocket knife, and a few candy wrappers. Batman
sighed and stuck his hand into the last one. He felt a small piece of paper
and pulled it out. On it, it said: 3rd and Main, downtown. Batman smiled as
he put the paper in his belt. It was an address that was a very good lead. He
walked back to the apartment building, where the batmobile was nearby. After
getting into its seat and putting on the safety belt, Batman closed the top
hatch and drove off.
The roaring engine of the batmobile came to a halt at the corner of 3rd
and Main. Batman peered out the batmobile's window to look at the buildings.
The one place that did catch his attention was an old, abandoned restaurant.
It was the only place that could possibly be a hideout. A sign above it said
on it: The Double Suns Cafe. " Pretty weird name. I guess I better check it
out. " Batman thought. He slowly crept up to the cafe's wall and up to a
window. There was a very dim light inside. Batman saw about five people, all
wearing suits, talking. He thought he heard them say something about fire,
but he wasn't sure. Then his suspicions were confirmed when he recognized one
of the men. It was the guy who was with Lou Braxton the other night. The man
in the plain, brown suit. It was now official. These guys were the arsonists
gang. Batman thought, " Well, that's it. This gang and all these fires are
going to be shut down. Tonight. " He took a few steps back, waited for about
two seconds, and dove through the window. Glass shattered and went
everywhere as all the men in the room jerked their heads to see what
happened. They all saw the crouched, caped figure stand up to reveal himself.
All five men gasped and then one of them yelled, " It's Batman! Get him! "
Two of them ran at Batman, but he was ready. He jumped into the air with a
whirling kick that sent both men unconsious to the ground. Then another
approached him, wildly swinging a knife. Batman fiercely grabbed the man's
wrist, forcing him to drop the blade. Then he punched him in the face with
his other fist. And after that, he picked the man up and hurled him into the
last two. Batman went over to the crumpled heap of men and checked them all
out. Yep, they were all unconsious. Then he heard a footstep from behind him.
Batman spun around to see a man standing in the shadows. He couldn't see who
he was. Batman yelled, " Come out! Show yourself! " The man waited a few
seconds and then stepped into the light. Batman looked at him and softly
said, " Two-Face. " Two-Face smiled and said back, " That's right, Batman.
I've been the one in charge of the recent Thorne arsons. " Batman said to
him, " Of course. It makes perfect sense. Rupert Thorne was responsible for
the accident that brought out your other personality completely. Destroying
his business would be a great revenge. " Two-Face replied evily, " Oh, yes.
And it's going to continue. As soon as you're out of the way. When you first
came in here, I flipped my coin and guess what? You lost. " Then Two-Face
whipped out a handgun and aimed it at Batman. But Batman had been expecting
a move like that and had a batarang ready. He flung it and it knocked the gun
out of Two-Face's hand cleanly. Then Two-Face charged at Batman, fists
swinging. The Dark Knight ducked the punches and struck back with a uppercut
to the chin. Then he crouched low and did a foot sweep. The move knocked Two-
Face to the floor and Batman quickly took advantage of the moment. He grabbed
Two-Face's shirt, lifted him off the ground, and held him up against the
wall. Then Batman said, " Okay, Harvey. Now I'm going to...oof! " Two-Face
brought his knee up quickly and knocked it into Batman's stomach. Batman
dropped him and Two-Face watched as the Caped Crusader bent over his aching
gut. The villain then gave Batman a punch that sent him down. After that,
Two-Face started to run away. But from the floor, Batman grabbed his ankle
and caused him to fall next to him. Then the two were wrestling and rolling
around on the ground, each of them trying to gain the upper hand. That went
on for about a minute or so. Then Two-Face managed to get on top of Batman,
which was an immediate disadvantage to the hero. Two-Face grabbed Batman's
throat with both hands and squeezed with all his might. Batman choked for air
and moved his arms around wildly. As he did, he felt a glass plate on the
floor next to him. He grabbed it and brought it up to Two-Face's head as fast
as he could. CRASH! Two-Face fell off Batman and laid still on the floor.
Batman rubbed his hurt neck with his fingers and stood up. Thank goodness
that Harvey was only unconsious. He handcuffed him and started to take him to
Arkham. On the way, Batman said, " I didn't forget the promise I made when
the accident happened, Harvey. It still stands. No matter what happens, I
will save you. "
THE END