Hah hah! You thought The Symbol of Hope would start the DC Universe?! I was secretly going to start with Batman this whole time! I've been mapping out the whole timeline from the start of The Caped Crusader, all the way to Batman Beyond. So, without further ado, I present to you as a gift for Christmas (Although I think it's a bit late): The Caped Crusader!
Disclaimer: I do not own Batman
In the darkest, blackest pits of Gotham, villainy in all forms is born. But that all changed one fateful night, the night of a double-murder. The survivor has sworn justice, through darkness, vengeance, and the night itself.
Although the darkness has spawned many terrors, for Gotham, it gave them a hero.
The dark, dark alleyway.
An exquisite pearl necklace.
An unsuspecting family of three, Father, Mother, and Son.
Two gunshots, two dead.
And the third? Left to sit in the dark, alone and afraid.
But it was he who would have the last laugh.
Yes...
That's what he would do. He would swear upon the death of his parents, to dedicate his life to the pursuit of justice. To spend the rest of his time on Earth warring upon all criminals. He would wear a mask, to bring out the terror in the hearts of all the monsters. He reasoned crime hadn't gone down because the criminals had nothing to fear, no Symbol of Vengeance to keep them in line. But he would become that symbol, even if it would become the death of him.
And so began the story of The Caped Crusader.
It was eerily dark and misty in the nighttime streets of Gotham that evening.
The night one man changed the history of the city for the future to come.
And it all started with a single robbery.
A group of thieves. A truck. Hostages. It was time, time to show the criminal underworld what true fear looked like.
"Hey! Hurry up! We ain't got all night!" Said the gang leader. The night guard of the facility was tied up, held like a captive audience. "'Kay, Eggs, we're done shopping. Any unwanted customers?"
"All clear here, said "Eggs." The lookout spied the streets, keeping watch was his specialty. "Time to blow this Popsicle stand, boys!" Said the leader. Eggs turned back to rejoin his gang. This was too easy, the cops had no idea, and there was no one who could stop them!
Except, save one.
And it was how that the small-time gang ended up serving big-time prison.
Eggs had regrouped, the gang was ready to go. Suddenly, a figure leapt from the roof of a building, shouting as he landed in the direct center of attention. The figure wore a ski-mask, a leather jacket, a gray belt, comfy black pants, and combat boots. Everyone took a moment to get a clear sight of him.
"On your stomachs! Arms spread!" Said the stranger, trying to intimidate his assumed foes. He then quickly took a fighting stance. "Who's this guy? Anybody know this clown?" Said the leader, none of the others answered, but instead, some were trying to not break down and laugh at the newcomer. "You heard me!" Said the stranger, failing to achieve the intended result.
The gang leader, overconfident and smiling, said, "Yeah, boys. You heard Mr. Kung-fu!" The gang began to surround the stranger.
One man tried to pull a gun on the stranger, but the stranger was faster. The figure pulled out a ninja-star, throwing it at the brigand, the star cut the thug's hand, making him drop the gun and writhe over his injury.
The figure then threw more ninja-stars, until one had the idea of rushing him with a crowbar. He delivered a gut-punch, but the thief recovered, he swung the crowbar again and again, but ended up getting the crowbar caught by the figure, who used the opening to slug the brigand in the head. Another thief came from behind, and put the stranger in a headlock. Another raced up to get his licks in on the stranger. The brigand got two hits in before the stranger broke out of the headlock and retaliated. He tripped up the final brigand by delivering a palm strike, and finally delivering a devastating kick to the neck, knocking the brigand out for good.
The strangers relaxed, and rested on his victory. But the captive cried muffled calls to him, signaling him. The stranger heard the sound of someone cocking a shotgun, and quickly whipped his head to the front of the truck, only to find a gunman, weapon in hand and ready, aiming right for him.
The gunman fired, and fired angrily. The stranger evaded his onslaught, snatching the captive night guard, he ducked to safety. He placed the guard on the ground before cutting off the bonds that held him captive. "Call the police, tell them what happened." The stranger ordered, the guard ran off and did as he was told.
Meanwhile, the gunman had escaped to the cabin of the truck, and quickly started the engine. He began to drive away, the loot his gang had stolen began to fall out of the truck's open doors. The stranger gave chase, and managed to catch up to the truck as it needed to build up its speed. He snatched one of the open doors, and began to hold on for dear life. The gunman drove clumsily, not caring whether he was driving safe or properly. This quickly made the stranger's ability to hold on very challenged.
A police patrol car was driving on the highway, doing routine monitoring duties. A truck began to speed past them, nothing out of the ordinary. The truck had gotten ahead of the patrol car when the officer in the passenger seat took notice of a masked man hanging on the back of the truck's open doors. "Jules, look!" He cried as he switched on the car's siren, and proceeded to give chase.
The gunman looked in his rear-view mirror, only to find a cop car and the stranger from before both right behind him. The man hit the gas as he fought harder to get away. The police car swerved and came up next to the truck cabin from the right side. The car quickly pulled out in front of the truck, trying to get the driver to slow down. The driver pushed harder on the gas, and began to ram the car. The driver repeatedly hit the cop car until it swerved out of control and crashed into the side of the highway. The stranger looked back, only to find the car was mostly intact, and concluded the officers were most likely intact as well.
The stranger then began to climb over the top of the truck, ready to finish this dangerous joyride. He carefully and quietly placed himself on top of the cabin, pulling out a baton from his belt. He then began to smash his baton up against the windshield, causing the glass to crack and break. The driver began to lose control of the truck, and swerved uncontrollably. He then pressed down on the brakes, causing the stranger to fall off the truck's roof...and in front of the truck's path.
With not a second to spare, the stranger snatched the top of the grill, narrowly and nimbly holding on with one arm. "Time to finish this." He said as he shifted into an upright position, and reaching into his belt one last time. He pulled out explosive pellets, and knew what he had to do.
The stranger then dropped the pellets in front of the truck's tires. As the truck quickly rolled over them, they exploded and broke the truck's wheels.
The driver couldn't keep control of the truck, and wound up caught in the cabin as the truck began to fall on its side. The truck crashed and slid down an exit rap, heading straight for a wall. The stranger clung to the grill with all his might, hoping the truck would stop before it crashed into the wall. His luck prevailed, the truck stopped inches away from the wall, leaving the stranger unharmed.
The stranger let out a sigh in relief, exhaustion, and stress. He really needed to get better at this.
He climbed up on top of the truck's cabin, searching for his quarry. He found the driver unconscious, and sprawled out. The stranger could hear the wailing of police sirens as he then ran off into the night.
And no one was the wiser.
The Next Morning
Alfred had read the morning paper, and was quite impressed. "I must say, sir. You did quite well in your little adventure last night. But are you sure you won't reconsider Rugby?"
Bruce was currently practicing his martial arts in the lawn. "I had the edge! I could feel it too! There's only one thing that went wrong." He said as he stopped to iterate, "They weren't afraid of me! I gotta strike fear in them at the start!"
The afternoon
"Father." Said Bruce. "I now know what I have to do. But I need to know how to do it right. They weren't afraid of me, I didn't strike fear into them! Why weren't they afraid of me?" He pondered.
He sat in the hall, with only a chair. He had nothing but himself, and the portrait of his parents hanging from the wall facing him. How could he make criminals fear him? It was clear that he alone couldn't strike fear into anything. What were people most afraid of, the dark? Or the things that lurk within it?
He then remembered what scared him as a child.
Bruce opened his eyes, concluded.
"Yes Father," Said Bruce, knowing exactly what would be occupying him for the rest of the day, "I shall become a bat."
A/N: Merry Christmas! Happy Non-descriptive Winter Holiday! I had this idea for the DC universe I just began writing. Besides, it only fits that Batman starts a little before Superman. But don't fret! The Symbol of Hope will come soon! I hope to get more chapters out before New Year's eve. The Marvel universe I promised will also come soon enough, starting with Captain America! This'll be my gift to you! I hope you all like it!
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