DISCLAIMER: Don't own anything associated with the show or DC Comics… I just like playing with the characters in it from time to time. Dance Monkeys! Dance!
RATING: T – For Teen (for mature subject matter)
PAIRINGS: Hints at BM/WW, but only in an angsty capacity
SUMMARY: Batman patrols the night of Gotham from his usual roost, but tonight something catches his attention just outside of the East End. Whether it's goos or bad, he'll save judgement until after further investigation.
A/N: This is my first foray into Superhero fan fic, so please be gentle. I've done sci-fi and crime drama, and I was told Batman was a natural extension of those skills. To separate my superhero stuff from the other work, I've created this less that spectacular alter-ego... And much like Superman, it's a rather obvious disguise, but it's what I'm working with right now. It won't take much for you to break the code. ;) Part 2 of this 2-parter should be up within a week. I have to get it done before my annual geek pilgrimage to Atlanta (where my beta will begin to pick my brains for the Clois fic we're supposed to be writing together).
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS: I have the two most amazing people for my regualr betas. One of which is specifically responsible for making me write this story. She's also directly responsible for making me addicted to CSI Smut Fics, Batman Begins, Wonder Woman Comics, Batman Comics, Justice League Cartoons, Clois Fics and Hanson's Diet Black Cherry Natural Soda... But I suppose some of it is payback for the hangovers I've given her, and the costumes I have aided in overtaking her brains, not to mention making her hoeplessly addicted to visiting me in Colorado (she's even toyed with the idea of moving here :D ), so I guess we're almost even. LOL
REVIEWS: Reviews are the way I know if people are enjoying the work or not. So, if you leave one, THANKS! And if not, I hope you found at least a little something to brighten your day, and thanks for taking the time to read.
A chilled and heavy wind whipped over the rooftops of Gotham with the same polluted air it carried every night.
Crossing from one ledge to another, one fire escape to another, a barely visible silhouette went in search of its desired vantage point: a crumbling cathedral. A guide-wire shot out from the center of his dark attire, attaching itself just above the ornamental ledge of the looming steeple, and the shadowy figure silently drifted out over the city, on a direct path with the dilapidated stone building. He quickly slipped in behind the row of gargoyles adorning the last remnants of the once beautiful spires of St. Michael's Cathedral.
As the Dark Knight settled himself in to keep a solemn vigil over his city, he was reminded of a conversation with Alfred regarding the book of the bible detailing the apocalypse. The aging butler likened his ascension to the heights of Gotham to the appearance of Saint Michael the Archangel.
Alfred slowly nodded his head and began to explain. "Ah, but Master Bruce, it was the Anti-Christ who explained that, 'At that time shall Michael rise up, the great prince, who standeth for the children of thy people; and a time shall come, such as never was from the time that nations began, even until that time. And at that time shall thy people be saved…' Daniel, Chapter Twelve, Verse One."
"I'm not usually one for biblical verse, Alfred," he tried to placate the venerable man while still making his point, "But I am not looking to save anyone. Only to put an end to the criminals of Gotham."
Upon reaching the elevator, Alfred paused, closed his eyes, and said softly, "But I know what is in your true heart, Master Bruce."
Thinking about those words, Batman understood that the man charged with his care since boyhood may have known him better than he knew himself.
In the beginning, it was about revenge. Or better put, to avenge the deaths of his parents, and to make those responsible pay for their crimes. However, over time, it became something else, something more, and before he knew it, the safety of Gotham was the only thing that occupied his mind. With addition of the Justice League in his life, his scope began to include more than just the city of his birth, but he always put Gotham first.
The Justice League was a strange development in his world, and it gave him a chance to put his theories and practices to work on a grander scale, allowing him to hand down even more of his own brand of justice. He often butted heads with the other members of the League over his tactics, but the one thing they never questioned were his dealings in Gotham City. That was off-limits; Gotham City was his business, and no one else's.
That was exactly why his blood began to roll at a slow boil when his scan of the outer perimeter of the East End revealed the presence of one of the Justice League members. His jaw clenched involuntarily as he watched the taxi deposit the interloper in front of one of the historic hotels of Gotham City. He was about to crush his binoculars within his gloved hands when someone exited the hotel to greet the unwanted invader to his beloved city.
His focus was transfixed on the two figures as he tried to make out what was happening in his presence. When he saw the figure from the hotel stop and bow in an unusual manner before the unwelcome guest, he noticed that there was something vaguely familiar about the gesture and he began to search his mind for the connection. But before he was able to place it, a flash of silver from the beneath the sleeve of the second woman caught his attention.
Gritting his teeth, he spat out the words as though they were a curse, "Another Amazon."
Before he could allow his anger over the uninvited visitor to his city to take over his brain, sounds of trouble on the streets below interrupted his rage, and he returned to the life he knew so well. It was time to take out some of that aggression over the heads of a few of the city's less savory denizens. He would deal with the princess later.
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Returning to the vantage of St. Michael's Cathedral, the Dark Knight was slower than before, stiffer. Batman was beginning to feel the after effects of his latest bid to rid Gotham of one more slithering miscreant. His left shoulder dropped almost imperceptibly as he reached out for the first gargoyle in the line. When he felt the familiar pull of bruised muscles, he immediately recognized the outline of the lead pipe that the behemoth used to take a swing at his back. He would be feeling that one for some time to come, but it was simply added to the roster of other aches and pains he chose to ignore.
Once he was somewhat comfortably secured between the gargoyles, Batman returned to his vigilant watch of the city. There was something nagging at the back of his mind, but it felt much like the other irritations to his thoughts, and he tried to stay focused on the task at hand; the safety of Gotham.
When it seemed as though the streets of his city were finally at rest, he was about to retreat from his post, but something caught his eye on the final sweep of the perimeter with his binoculars. There was a light in the window on the top floor of the Astor Hotel. That was the Presidential Suite, and visitors to that part of the hotel were few and far between any longer. In its hey-day, the Astor was home to many visiting dignitaries in Gotham, but that was no longer the case. Its proximity to the East End detracted from the grandeur it once possessed, and now the hotel was nothing more than an historical relic to a different time in the city. But not tonight.
Tonight, the Astor was hosting a visiting dignitary of the highest proportions; the emissary of Themyscira, her Highness Princess Diana. His blood began to roil once more. "Why the devil does she think she has the right to be here?" he snarled with great disdain.
There was still plenty of night left, and he had every intention of getting some answers.
