This is my first fan fiction story - please comment and let me know what you like and what you don't like. My goal is to improve with every story.
Gotham…
One part shining example of a progressive, modern city – the other part a cesspool of violence and crime.
Perched upon one of the many edifices that adorned Gotham's tallest building, Wayne Tower, Batman overlooked the city below. Although spring had arrived, the evenings were still cool and a slick dew covered all the city surfaces that were exposed to the elements. He recognized numerous scents rising from the streets below, many unpleasant. Whatever happened to all the trees that used to grow in Gotham he wondered? Maybe that should be something for the Wayne Foundation to consider at its next charity benefit.
For a change, the current state in Gotham was calm. The Joker was in Arkham Asylum, though him remaining there was never a sure thing these days. The Penguin was free, but he appeared to be focusing his time with the running of the Iceberg Lounge. Batman knew it was only a matter of time before he turned his attention back to taking his piece of the proverbial Gotham pie. For the time being though, he was not an imminent threat. The whereabouts of Bane still concerned Batman. Recent reports exclaimed that he was out of Gotham and back in Santa Prisca. Batman knew that even if Bane was out of Gotham, he remained a threat. Until he could get more concrete information, Batman would continue to monitor any potential news related to Bane.
Batman had a particular goal for tonight – finding out more about the recent spree of high value burglaries that had occurred across Gotham the past few months. There were six break-ins so far and there was only one connection between them – they were targeting the wealthy of Gotham. Jewellery, sculptures, paintings and other expensive pieces were stolen from Gotham's richest families.
Whoever committed these burglaries is good…really good. No alarms were tripped during any of the break-ins and no evidence of a crime was left at the scene. In fact, no one would have known a crime was committed except that something was actually missing. What worries me is the last theft occurred in spite of the Waynetech security system in place. Granted, it was civilian-grade system (not as good as the military-grade system Lucius developed), but it was the best on the market. And this burglar walked out with a multi-million dollar Monet like it was sitting on the side of the road.
Batman thoughts were interrupted by a series of electronic beeps in his ear. He touched the side of his armoured cowl and replied:
"Yes Alfred?"
"Master Bruce", Alfred replied, "I wanted to inform you about a signal on the Waynetech Security network that an alarm was tripped at the Gotham Museum. It appears that the motion sensors are picking up movement in the Ancient Egypt exhibit. Do you think this could be your burglar?"
"Unless they are getting sloppy, this doesn't fit the profile", Batman answered. "They never tripped any alarms before and the Gotham Museum seems like a much larger target than someone's personal art collection. That being said, is there a special exhibit currently on display?"
"Checking sir", Alfred responded as checked for information. "Yes, there is a collection on loan from Egyptian Museum of Antiquities that honours the God Bastet."
"Bastet…God of cats", Batman grumbled.
"Correct sir, your knowledge of ancient Egypt remains as astute as ever", Alfred replied with a slight hint of cheek.
"Benefits of a classical education Alfred…you should know since you forced me to read all those books" was Batman's retort. "I'm going to the museum to check this out. It's probably some rookie crew trying to make a score. I'll be sure to encourage them to find a new line of work."
"Very good sir, I will be available if you need anything else. Good luck master Bruce."
With that, Batman stood up and dove off Wayne Tower. As he gained speed, he threw out his arms and the air rushing past him caught his cape and pulled him up into a controlled glide. He listed to the left and headed towards the museum. Batman glanced at the small screen on his left arm and studied the data listed: speed, telemetry, distance to target. He would be at the museum in under five minutes. Through the night-vision in his cowl, the museum's roof started to get closer and closer. As the ledge of the roof approached, Batman pulled up and landed softly on the rough shingles that covered the roof.
For a moment, he stood perfectly still and started to observe his surroundings. Listening closely, the only sounds Batman heard was the soft whistle of the wind and low humming of the heating generator located on the roof. Through his night-vision, he scanned the roof looking for signs of the break-in. As he looked across the roof, he came upon the main access doorway which was wide open.
OK, this crew is really sloppy…or maybe something else is at play? The tripped alarm, wide open door…I've been through enough traps to get this bad a feeling. I need to change my approach.
"Well, well, well. If it isn't the big bad Bat. I was hoping you would accept my invitation tonight."
Batman spun around to confront the female voice that startled him.
How the Hell did she sneak up on me like that? She was as quiet as a cat.
As he locked in on the source of voice, Batman ever-so-slightly let out a gasp at what he saw. Standing before him was the silhouette of a stunning woman. He could not help but gaze over her from head to toe. She was wearing a cowl that had small, cat-like ears and extended to a mask that wrapped around her eyes, but left the rest of her face exposed. Long, curly hair escaped from the back of the cowl and nestled behind her shoulders. As he continued downwards, Batman could feel a knot forming in his stomach as he looked at her gorgeous physique that was contained in a purple, skin-tight suit. It almost appeared to be spray painted on and left little doubt as to the dangerous curves she possessed. As he struggled to move past her waist, he could see the handle of what looked to be a bullwhip popping out of the top of her thigh-high boots.
"What's the matter…cat got your tongue? Or are you just enjoying the view?" the mysterious woman asked with mischievous grin.
Batman, realizing that he must have been staring a little too long, tried to regain his composure.
"What are you doing here", he growled. "Museum hours ended a while ago and you don't look like museum security."
"You got that right handsome", she teased, "I'm guessing I don't look like anyone you're used to."
Batman took a step closer to her and forced himself to be even sterner.
"I'm guessing you're responsible for the recent run of break-ins in Gotham. Considering you got away clean at the others, why did you trip the alarms here?"
"Well, I can see why they call you the great detective", she replied as she also stepped closer to Batman, "and is that a voice modulator you're using? Makes you sound dark and authoritative and moody…mmm, I like it. Goes well with the whole Bat ensemble. Hearing all the stories about you, I just had to meet you in the flesh so-to-speak – well, considering how little flesh you actually show. I figured a tripped alarm would do the trick".
Batman took another step closer towards her – they were about arms length apart now. He tapped the side of his cowl to turn off his night-vision. As the green hue left his lenses and the halogen lights of the museum roof provided the lighting, he could see her eyes more clearly. They were a stunning green that made her eyes look like two polished emeralds. The dark eyeshadow she wore accentuated her eyes even more and Batman could almost feel himself being pulled into them. Even with the mask obscuring some of her face, she was beautiful.
"So Bats, I'm sure you know what the say about staring….then again, I can't blame you….and truthfully, I don't think I mind", she purred as she playfully extended her arm and started to trace the bat symbol on Batman's chest plate with her finger. There was a dull screeching sound as the sharp, metallic nail at the end of her finger dragged across the boron-carbide plate that protected Batman's chest.
What is happening to me? I've dealt with the worst villains in Gotham and put fear into the hearts of criminals everywhere. But somehow, I am fixated on this woman and I am struggling to control my composure. I need to take back control….now!
Batman grabbed her wrist and held it in front of her.
"Enough", he snarled, "it's time for me to put an end to your little crime spree. How about you make it easy on yourself and tell me who you are and where you stashed all the items you stole".
"Oh, I never like to do things the easy way Bats", she replied as her eyes narrowed, "and I am about as ready to reveal my identity as I'm sure you are to reveal yours. As for those lovely trinkets, I'm afraid they're long gone. You see, a girl has to survive and the rent doesn't pay for itself".
"You broke the law and I'm going to bring you in".
"Oh come on, when you talk like that, you sound like a dumb cop. Don't lower yourself to that level, it's not attractive". As she spoke, her free hand moved towards Batman and started down his side, gently caressing the edge of his armour. "Besides", she continued, "the only so-called victims here are the richest snobs of Gotham who can easily afford to buy a replacement and will be cashing in their massive insurance policies. Forgive me if I don't shed a tear for their plight".
"What about the museum tonight? Are public exhibits now part of your crusade against the 1%"?
"Well, let's just say I have a thing for cats. Besides, I didn't take anything tonight. I just felt like playing a little bit". Her dark lips widened into a seductive smile as her free hand continued to probe along Batman's side and found the section where the armour ended. She gently stroked this area where only thin fabric separated her from Batman's skin. "Mmm, there you are"!
Batman found himself in a position he had never experienced before. He was at a loss for words with this woman and struggled to maintain his composure. His difficulty for words was not being helped by her caressing hand that was sending small sparks throughout his body. As he looked into her eyes, Batman saw that she knew exactly what kind of reaction she was causing. His enjoyment of the situation was matched with equal anger at how easily she had taken control.
The growing sounds of sirens from the streets below shook Batman out of his daze. The police were finally responding to the alarms tripped at the museum. His resolve immediately steeled and his focus returned.
Time to put an end to this encounter.
"Play time is over kitty-cat", he ordered, "I'm taking you down and you and police can get acquainted".
Her smile turned into an petulant frown. "How disappointing, just as the evening was starting to get interesting. Well, you can socialize with your flat-foot friends, but I have to get home and feed my cats. Hopefully you will be less boring when we meet again".
As the words left her lips, a blinding pain shot through Batman's side as she dug four nails into his unprotected flesh. As he recoiled and took a defensive step back away from her, he barely saw the outside of her leg sweeping along the ground. And in an instant, he felt his legs swept away and then felt the hard roof as he landed flat on his back.
She is faster than I thought and caught me completely flat-footed. I will not make that mistake again.
Batman jumped up and saw that she had already moved to the edge of the roof and was about to flee.
How did she get across the roof so fast?
As he started towards her, there was a load crack as she unleashed her bullwhip and flung it at Batman to keep him away. He stopped in his tracks as the tip of whip smacked the top of his cowl.
"Sorry Bats, but that's all the action you're getting tonight…better luck next time". With that, she teasingly blew him a kiss and flung her whip onto a gargoyle on the adjacent building. As she prepared to swing away, she looked back at Batman and said, "by the way, you can call me Catwoman".
With that, she swung off the roof and into the darkness. Batman ran over to the edge and reached to his utility belt to grab his grapple-gun. As he grasped the gun, he could see drops of blood. He touched the area where she…Catwoman…had scratched him and his glove was covered in even more blood. The scratches were quite deep and would require stitches. Batman grudgingly accepted that tonight's patrol was going to end earlier than expected.
To be continued in chapter 2...