Disclamer:
Batman created by Bob Kain and is the property of DC Comics
Neon Genesis Evangelion is the property of Gainax.
We do not clame to own either property we're just using them for the hell of it. Although if any one wants to publish what we write in comic format we'd be more than willing to help.
Now to the good stuff.
Crusade: Legend of the Dark Knight
PROLOGUE …
(-V-)
A blond headed woman led a cameraman through the crowded street full of squad cars. Spotlights where being turned on and shined up to the old brick warehouse in the center of the mass. "This is Brianna Shen of Channel Twelve News, reporting live in downtown Tokyo-3!" the woman said, as she approached where Police Lieutenant Misato Katsuragi hid behind a squad car glancing up at the building. "Lt. Katsuragi, is it true you have the entire Black Cross gang pinned up in there?" the woman asked, earning a glare from the purple haired former NERV officer.
"No, those are their weapons firing on us on their own," she snapped in reply ducking as the gang fired on them again. "Don't be a dumbass, Brianna!"
"Do you think we'll get another Bat sighting tonight, Ma'am?" Brianna asked looking up at the warehouse.
"There's no such thing as the Bat, Shen," Masato sighed, checking her gun while the younger woman watched the rooftop.
"Ok then what's that," She asked when she spotted a cloaked, pointy-eared figure appear from behind one of the warehouse chimneys.
"What's what?" Misato asked, glancing up where the girl was pointing and saw nothing but a chimney.
"He was right there!" Brianna pointed again, "Kira, did you get that on film?"
"Get what?" her cameraman asked dumbly causing the girl to groan.
"Ok, you two stay here and OUT of trouble," Misato ordered before looking at her SWAT team. "Ok we're going in, in five … four … three …" she was cut off by a scream from inside the building, "TWO-ONE-GO!"
Inside the building the gang leader kept his group close as he tried to raise the other members throughout the warehouse. "Hello? RESPOND DAMN IT! SOMEONE ANSWER!" He called into the radio, but only got static.
"Claw?" an unfamiliar voice spoke darkly through the radio.
"Yeah, who the hell is this?" the gang leader asked frantically.
"I'm coming for you." The voice responded before the signal dropped again.
"WHO THE HELL WAS THAT! ANSWER GOD DAMN IT! WHERE ARE YOU?" he screamed before glancing around at his four men…. "Wait … where'd the other two go?"
"What's wrong, guys?" a sinister voice spoke from the shadows in the corner of the room as two demonic white eyes opened. "Are you afraid of the dark?"
"GET A GODDAMN LIGHT!" Claw yelled as he drew his handgun and jerked a flashlight from one of his thugs belt and shown a light where the eyes were, only to find his missing two thugs; both hanging upside down.
"Oh shit … man it's the Bat … it's the Bat!" one of Claw's remaining thugs panicked, "Let's just go to the cops; man, let's just go to the cops …"
"SHUT UP!" He yelled at the two thugs, 'blink' "COWARDS!" He yelled thinking his men ran.
"You don't have to be afraid of the dark, Claw," the voice spoke again, this time behind him. He spun around and fired his gun only to hit nothing but the wall. "The dark won't hurt you."
"Don't worry guys, there's just one of him and …" Claw drifted off when he turned and found himself alone with his flashlight. "Guys?" He looked around, the light from his flashlight starting to tremble in his shaking hand. "Guys, this isn't funny … THIS ISN'T FUNNY!"
"Don't like being alone in the dark, Claw." the voice asked with no humor in its tone. "You're not alone, Claw. I'm right here with you …"
"STOP HIDING!" Claw screamed backing up and shining his light all around.
"Hiding, Claw, I'm not hiding …" the voice humphed, "I'm all around you … I'm always with you … the darkness in the shadows… I'm right there, always waiting … always watching …"
"DAMN YOU! DAMN YOU! SHOW YOURSELF! WHERE ARE YOU?" Claw screamed, backing toward the corner of the room, but froze when he felt warm breath on his ear.
"I'm here …" the voice whispered before Claw saw the shadows close in around him.
(-V-)
Misato pressed her back to the side of the door in the last room of the warehouse before she spun in holding her sidearm and flashlight before her. "NO BODY MOVE, KEEP YOUR HANDS WHERE I CAN SEE THEM!" Misato ordered as she slowly entered the room, and heard quite sobbing in the far corner. She shined her light and saw the gang lord known as Claw curled in a ball crying.
"Claw?" She asked, as the big thug looked up with horrified eyes.
"Oh thank god!" He said crawling toward the woman as a frightened child, "Thank god, help me! Don't let it near me … please, oh please!"
Misato blinked in confusion as the murderer and rapist hugged her leg desperately. "What happened to you?"
"It … it was a demon … in the shadows … don't … lights… gotta have lots of lights …" Claw whimpered closing his eyes tight.
She glanced around the room and gasped when she saw the light from the window on the floor and the pointy eared shadow from whatever was before it. Misato turned quickly but discovered she was only pointing the gun at the broken window. "That's it, no more drinking before work."
(-V-)
Misato drove into the mountains surrounding Tokyo-3. She drove at a sedate pace. For her anyway. Being one of the T3PD's top cops does have its advantages after all. She was driving to see some old friends. At one point she considered these two family but now they seemed little more than acquaintances. This was something the former operations director of NERV disliked, a lot. It was not of her own choice. No. It was his choice. Shinji's choice. Again and again since his return from his travels 3 years ago she tried to build back the relationship with the boy she once considered a son. Each time he brushed her off, and Rei just followed along. Rei. Now that was interesting. Ever since the "2015 incident" as it came to be known she seemed to ever so slightly to open up. She moved into her home and became the peacekeeper that Shinji tired to be. Then Asuka left back to Germany. Then the discovery of Shinji's fortune and everything changed. With the loss of NERV when it was disbanded left the city with out the lynchpin of its economy. It seemed that everything went to shit right then. For 2 long years the city fell into a downward spiral. Shinji began to brood. Then he did something that shocked the surrogate mother. He left. Disappeared for 6 years.
Six.
Damn.
Years.
With no word at all during all that time. Then Rei received a message. She never shared what it was but then it was her turn to leave the home. If wasn't for her new career in the Police Department she wouldn't know what she'd do. Now Det. Lt. Katsuragi saw it. Her destination. Ikari Manor. It was a large foreboding place. Not the sort of place she'd have let him live. It didn't suit him. It suited his father though. It looked down over the city much the way Gendo Ikari did to people. His disappearance was one thing she was definitely glad for coming out of that bizarre day. She drove up to the gate and was buzzed in. She drove into a garage loaded with exotic cars. One of which was her old car. She started at it, still surprised at how well restored it was. She got out of her car and standing right there was Rei Ayanami. She bowed. "Greetings Det. Lt. Katsuragi."
Misato sighed. "You can still call me Misato you know Rei."
Rei merely straitened. "Yes Lieutenant. Shinji-san is in the library."
(-V-)
Shinji was sitting in a plush leather chair with it's back to the door when Misato entered the library. "Hello Misato."
"Hello Shinji. It's been awhile."
"Yes it has. I saw you made a critical bust last night on the news."
Misato walked around the room and sat in a chair to face Shinji. "Yeah we broke the B.C.s with that one. The thing is I had some unexpected help."
Rei silently stepped into the room producing two cups of tea and left without a word. Misato waited until the door was closed. "Well at least you're well taken care of. She makes the perfect servant."
Shinji sipped his tea. "You know it's not like that Misato. She just does it to keep herself occupied. I've tried to get her to be less formal around here. At least it's better than her calling me Shinji-sama. In any case what brings you by?"
Misato drank her tea wishing not for the first time that she hadn't stopped drinking alcohol. "I just wanted to check on my boy. See how you were doing. If you had any plans."
Shinji merely nodded as he placed his glass down. "Sorry I'm busy. I have an appointment to keep." He stood up and walked towards the window.
Misato finished her tea quickly. "Shinji... You're going to have to get over losing her. It's been years since that night."
Shinji sighed. "I have Misato. If you haven't noticed I have had a rather active social calendar."
Misato stood up. "That's bullshit! I know you Shinji. You've just been parading around with airheads. I know what kind of girl you like. None of those girls you've been seen with have been anything like her." Misato stomped up to her former ward and spun him around. "Damn it Shinji. I know you. You can't keep beating yourself up over how she died." It was then she noticed his eyes. For a moment she thought she saw something. She couldn't call it hard nor soft. In a flash it was gone.
"Misato. I'm not the same little kid anymore." He turned back around. "I do what I can. I run the company. I socialize and you know the hell Kensuke and I have raised on occasion. Tonight though… Tonight I have plans. Rei might be interested in going out tonight."
She sighed in defeat. "Alright. I just want you to know its not your fault ok Shinji. You've done more than enough for this world though. I just wish it could have cut you more of a break you know." With that the Police lieutenant left the library to the former third child.
"You're wrong Misato. I haven't done enough. My crusade it's nowhere near done."
(-V-)
After making sure Misato had left, Shinji crossed to the far wall of the study, moving the hands of the seemingly-ancient grandfather clock in a precise sequence, which caused the clock to open up to reveal a yawning mouth of pure darkness.
Where most people would feel hesitant about stepping into a seeming abyss, Shinji strode through with no hesitation, having made the journey many times before. He descended purposefully, but not quickly, down the staircase, the opening behind him sealing shut, the hands of the clock resetting to the correct time. As he descended, he shifted, undergoing a subtle metamorphosis.
His shoulders straightened, and his posture turned erect. The half bemused look slid off his face to be replaced with something harder, not quite emotionless, but definitely colder. The further down he went, the more the mask of Shinji Ikari was swept away to reveal what waited underneath.
The Batman.
As far as Batman was concerned, there was no Shinji Ikari. Shinji Ikari had been tossed into the crucible that had been Evangelion, being worn away until there was nothing left but a hollow shell. Even that had shattered that day nine years ago, making way for The Batman. Shinji Ikari was a useful mask, nothing more.
Shinji Ikari would have been horrified to realize just how much like his father he'd become in his quest for justice. Batman just considered it a bitter irony.
Batman reached the bottom step, and surveyed his lair. The Ikari Manor too, was a mask, a front for what lurked here, beneath the surface. Ikari Manor was opulent and beautiful. This, The Batcave, was a monument to functionality. The only thing the two had in common was expense. Everything down here served a purpose. Computer, laboratory, medical facility, car, equipment vault. No expense was spared, but nothing wasteful was present either.
It was to this last he headed, not even pausing from the bottom of the steps. As he strode in, he set off motion detectors, which began moving pieces of equipment directly in front of him, stopping when the pieces were arranged in an anatomically correct fashion, revealing the suit.
In a deliberate pace Batman placed on the suit. The leggings first then the armored torso and arms, light and flexible but strong. Then as his ceremony called for he placed on the utility belt loaded with all the tools he knew he might need as the night went on. There were only two parts left and the mask would be fully ripped away and Batman would stand truly ready for the night. First the gloves then quickly but surely he wrapped the cape around himself, the addition he added hanging behind his head.
He reached back and began to pull the mask over his face when he heard a soft voice behind him. "Shinji-san did you really have to upset her so. She was just trying to rebuild her connection to you."
Batman pulled the mask on, it's special eyepieces hiding his dark blue eyes behind a blank white, and turned around to face Rei. "I don't have time to rebuild one of Ikari's old bridges. There's too much work to be done without worrying about that."
Rei walked down the steps to stand before him. "Would it hurt your crusade against injustice so much for Shinji Ikari to learn to live again?"
At that Batman merely turned and walked away to the massive Batmoblie. Pressing a button on his belt the urban assault vehicle revved up and opened up for him. He hopped in and sped away.
Rei turned around and headed back upstairs. "I miss you brother."
(-V-)
The Batmobile pulled to halt, and Batman leapt out, none of his inner turmoil showing on his face, or in his profile as he approached the alley in question. The cloak fell down around him, concealing most of him from view as he walked into the alley.
He removed a long, thin package from within the cloak as he stopped, kneeling, placing the two roses, one yellow, the other red, onto the ground.
As he knelt, the events of that night slowly replayed in his mind.
The triple date.
The late movie.
The alley.
Two shots.
Two bodies hit the ground.
Screams of loss and rage.
Retreating footsteps.
He stood, turned around, and exited the alley, returning to his waiting car. He could not afford to tarry long.
The night was not over, and there was work yet to be done...
(-V-)
An Author's note: Well that was fun. This is a fic co-writen by myself (Fusion Blaster), Classic Cowboy, and Neverwhere: Chaos Mode. All 3 of us worked on this prologue and we have plans to have many of the Rogues Gallery,easily the best villians in comics, appear. Some with twists of our own. So the first chapter is coming next month on the 15th of June. The Legend has only begun.