Hey, my name is Colin, also known as the Iron Maniac, and I wrote this story in october of 2017. I never intended for it to be public, but my friends have been pushing me to put it up ever since. So here it is, guys. Enjoy
The cave was musky and dark, seemingly pure blackness. Then a small TV flickered on, flowing a small amount of white light into this pit. A shadowy figure approached the television, steadily moving towards the appliance. This dark figure brushed cobwebs and dust off of the set, adjusting channels until the news came on.
The television clearly showed the mayor, James Gordon Jr., aligning papers at a podium for a speech. Gordon's usual attempts at speeches were quite petty during his usual attempts to restore hope to the hellbound city that was Gotham. He enjoyed constantly throwing around words that truly meant something to people, once upon a time. Superman. The Flash. Wonder Woman. All names of heroes who had lived and died. Nobody mentioned these heroes anymore, as there were few left. Sure, there was still the Green Arrow. The king of atlantis still roamed. James stroked his graying hair and straightened his tie, as he began to speak.
"Citizens of Gotham City, I have come here today to address a few rumors and speculations going around." The mayor coughed, clearly faked to delay what was to come next. "Groups have organized and proclaimed that they have seen a black-clad vigilante. This cannot be true, and I apologize. There is no such thing as a-" Gordon straightened his tie, once again, which was one of his most famous delay strategies. "Ahem. There is no such thing as a… Bat-man." Silence filled Gotham city. The only people who spoke were the wind, and a mugger, most likely working for Bane. "And even if there was a bat-man, no credible reports have been given to us in the last twenty years. I understand that all the people want is a symbol; a beacon of hope. But all hope died with Superman." James sniffled, adjusting his glasses.
The figure drew closer to the screen, face illuminated by the light pouring out of the small box. It was Bruce Wayne, billionaire thought to be dead on the same day as the batman. His face had changed over the years. Though his jaw was still chiseled, he had a short beard of gray. His face had become wrinkled, though the billionaire looked young as ever, and hadn't changed apart from his eye. His eye was drawn shut, the scar of a blade running across his face. Bruce had missed having full vision, though he had gotten used to fighting with what he had. His attention became drawn back to the television when the mayor started with a 'but'.
"But if there is nobody who may be this symbol, we have built a statue to bring the people hope." The mayor drew a curtain and revealed a statue that was supposed to be the batman, though it showed near nothing to his likeness. "Let this give you hope. One day we will have a knight in shining armor come and save our city, free us. When that day comes, we won't need this anymore." Gordon paused. "Thank you."
Before the small amount of applause could even start, Bruce shut off the television. It had been twenty years since anyone had seen the Batman, but today would be the day that that changed. The day that the Batman returned. Bruce shook his head. Why would he have such insane thoughts? He was replaced by a cheap statue, that's why. He thought about all the people who needed help from men much stronger, younger than him. So it was time for an emergency operation.
As Bruce flicked on the light switch, the cave became full of light. There were suits of armor, cars, even drawings. Every suit the batman had ever worn was in one safe spot. He walked over to a button, dusted it off, and pounded the familiar looking logo.
In an alleyway, deep in Gotham city, a masked hero bearing two kendo sticks and a blue-and-black suit watched carefully from atop a building, as two men wearing the masks of the black mask clan met in alley far below. The two exchanged briefcases, then bowed, as they began to walk their separate ways. Dick Grayson, the vigilante atop the building, sighed at this sight. He remembered when there were police to stop this type of thing. Before the war the tore Gotham to pieces. Bane and Black Mask ran this city, and no one dared to interfere.
Except for the Nightwing.
Grayson beautifully flipped off of the building, making a whirring sound as he fell. He did a perfect landing, like a bow, directly in front of the first man. Before the masked criminal even had time to assess the situation, Nightwing flicked his weapon at the man, hitting him directly in the chin and knocking him unconscious. Dick somersaulted to the briefcase and opened it, using a key from the man's belt. What he found inside amazed him.
Nothing. There was nothing in the briefcase. There had to be something in it, right? Dick tried short-circuiting any security systems that were inside, but there were none. Then he saw it. A fingerprint reader. Grayson pushed the masked man's finger onto it with no prevail; only the true Black Mask could open it.
At that moment, Grayson's phone rang. "Dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding, dingdingdingdingdingdingdingding, ding, diiiiing!" His eyes opened wide as he reached into his pocket, pulling out the ancient device. He cringed every time he looked at this "iPhone 11", due to pure age, but not this time. A message on his device read, "Batcave." Dick smiled humongously as another text gave him the coordinates of this secret hideout. He had forgotten about the second man, lost him, so he simply took the briefcase he had.
At arkham asylum, the mental institution that was closed twenty years ago, there was a fuss among Bane's men. They had failed yet another delivery to the Black Mask thanks to the Nightwing. As an innocent elderly man was forced to give Bane the news, Bane wheezed. "You mean to tell me that a single man-" Bane broke into a coughing fit. "Working alone-" His men couldn't tell if he was laughing or coughing again. "Managed to stop nine deliveries in a single week?" Bane was definitely laughing this time. He lifted up the old man by his throat, and threw him like a ragdoll. "Would anyone else care to disappoint me?" All of bane's men, wearing identical masks to him, were silent. "Good." He grinned.
Bane shut the door behind him as he took out his breathing tubes. They helped him, but he believed that they made him weaker. As he approached the opposite wall of the small room, he began wheezing, but smiled. He slowly picked up a massive steel beam, then broke it in half over his leg, smashing it with the force of a dozen eighteen wheelers. Bane then picked up the beams, and decided to use them as trophy stands. Over one he hung Superman's cape, and tied Wonder Woman's lasso. And on the other, he put the cowl of Batman, who Bane thought long dead. Nightwing was the last thorn in Bane's leg that had anything to do with Batman. Once he was eliminated, Batman would truly be dead.
Bane kicked down the door of the room, all of his men staring at him. Bane glared at every last one. "I want all of you in the streets." He ordered. "Whoever brings me the Nightwing, alive, will be rewarded graciously. Now move." The minions stirred, tackling each other to get to the streets first. The Nightwing would die tonight, Bane thought maniacally.
Dick Grayson had been a lone, crime fighting vigilante for ten years. Only at the peak of the Gotham war did he re-emerge. But never during that time had he managed to find the Batman, until today. Grayson removed his gray hoodie as he walked towards a manhole. After he managed the climb down, he removed his jacket and tied it around his waist, trekking farther through the sewage. Although Nightwing had understood Batman's sense of identity, he didn't know why such complex directions were necessary. First left, turn right, right again, straight until you see the ladder. Turn right there, then go down the hatch. Dick followed the instructions, and finally, amazingly, found the hatch.
Dick eased it open, crawling through the hatch and going down the hole. He emerged in a chamber built of quartz, with brilliant lighting and furnishing. As Grayson made his way farther, he saw the suits of Batman. The batmobile. Every bat gadget ever. It was all here. Grayson stared in awe at these symbols of hope, as he reached a small table with three picture frames on it.
He knew all of the people in the photos. Alfred Pennyworth, former butler of Bruce Wayne. Selina Kyle, renowned thief. Finally, the largest photo, framed on the wall, a picture of the Wayne family. Grayson observed all of the pictures. Suddenly, Dick heard footsteps moving toward him. He turned to see Bruce Wayne, who looked no older than forty apart from his eye, handing him a keycard. "I-" Mumbled Dick, before getting cut off by Bruce, who shushed him. Bruce put the card in his hand and whispered, "Swipe it. Right there."
Dick inserted the card into the reader, and a metal case opened. He had unlocked the Batman suits. Bruce stepped forward, pushing a yellow button near the middle of a panel. This now opened one of the most amazing bat suits- The Dark Knight. A slim built suit with heavy armor, but moved loosely.
Bruce fitted himself with the final gauntlet of his suit. Before he did so, Dick noticed a tattoo going down his arm that read, "In darkest knight." Grayson slipped on his suit, and was ready for the night he had waited twenty years for. "So what's our plan?" Nightwing asked. Bruce smiled and looked at him. "I have learned that silence is the best companion." Dick was confused at this and responded with his own plan. "We need to take down black mask. After that, we use his territory to take down Bane once and for all."
"Or we try my plan." Batman responded. The protector of Gotham city had returned.
Sitting behind a pure gold desk, a man with the whitest suit and the blackest mask sat. He had his elbows on the table, fingers crossed. None of the man's facial features were visible behind his mask. The door to the long office opened, the whole wall made of windows. "Black Mask. Bane has failed to give us his last nine required packages. Would you like us to send out the order for his head?" The minion asked. Black Mask spun in his chair, snickering. "No." Black Mask replied. "I understand that the 'nightwing' vigilante has been obstructing his payments." He inhaled audibly, "And I am one to understand obstacles." Black mask finished, staring at the bloody Joker card on his desk. He shivered. "Understood, sir." Said the minion.
In the shadows of Gotham city, the Batman and Nightwing lurked, acrobatically making their way across rooftops toward the Arkham Asylum. Gliding and leaping through the Arkham district, they eventually realized the sheer amount of Bane's croneys after them. "They're definitely after me." Nightwing whispered. Batman nodded and dropped into the middle of a four way intersection. "WHAT ARE YOU DOING?!" Dick yelled, but it was too late. All of the thugs surrounded Batman, who had wrapped himself in his cape, and began firing their automatic weapons.
After the gunfire stopped, smoke cleared, and the men lowered their guns, the Batman could be seen in the center of the commotion. The group was in shock, but before they could fire, Batman struck. He kicked one thug in the chin, and another he punched in the face before doing a backflip and knocking out the two behind him. He threw a batarang at one man, which ricocheted and hit another, as Batman gathered all of the guns. Finally, Bruce spun and kicked the final thug in the chest before smacking him into the ground. As more men approached, Batman threw a batarang at a telephone pole, and released a smoke grenade before disappearing into the darkness. The batarang hit six different men before dropping to the ground, when one picked it up. "Was that Batman?" he asked. The second man nodded.
Bane was immediately enraged when he was alerted of his men's failure. "There are hundreds of you-", he choked. "HUNDREDS!" Bane sat down in a chair as he calmed himself. He lifted up one of his men by the neck- "I want you…" Bane laughed maniacally, going into a hacking fit. "To call in the big guns." The minion was released from the death grip of Bane, making his way to a large control panel where the warden's office used to be. He slammed three buttons as hard as he could- one with a large red crosshair, another with a sort of… ice astronaut? The final had a half orange, half black skull with only one eye.
The gates of Arkham Asylum were wide open due to the sudden rush of men earlier in the night. Batman and Nightwing made their way sneakily past armed guards, traps, and locked doors. But when they entered the asylum, Bane was expecting them. "Why hello there Nightwing and-" Bane paused, and stared at Batman. "Impossible." Bane grunted. "IMPOSSIBLE!" He coughed. "You- you were dead! I-" He breathed in, then pointed towards them. "You know what to do." Out of the shadows, Deadshot, Mr. Freeze, and Deathstroke all had their weapons pointed towards the two. Deadshot rolled his neck. Freeze revved up his freeze ray. Deathstroke spun his swords. "Oh, and leave Batman for me." Bane laughed, as he walked away. Batman spoke up. "Bane, we came here to make an alliance." The venom pumped monster laughed. "And why would I ally with you? That's right. I wouldn't." Bane nodded, then commanded, "Kill them."
Batman swung from the ceiling with his grappling hook, kicking Mr. Freeze in the face. Nightwing was in a one-on-one against Deathstroke, and the odds were not in his favor. The orange-masked villain swung his swords with precision and grace, surprising even the likes of Dick Grayson a few times. As Grayson hit Deathstroke across the face with his trusty sticks, he retaliated by slashing open Dick's leg. Batman blocked hits from Mr. Freeze and Deadshot at the same time, though he had been hit a few times. Deadshot backed out, as Mr. Freeze took the beating and the gung-ho aimed his weapons. It was a direct hit to the Batman's least armored spot; his face. It had hit his cheek, and hurt horribly. Batman began to move slower, fight less, until Mr. Freeze froze his legs to the ground. Batman was stuck.
Dick felt the blood running down his side as he became enraged, and attacked back swiftly, moving even faster than before. Deathstroke smiled at his pride. But soon enough, Deathstroke pulled out his kendo stick and bashed Grayson to the ground. "Any final wishes?" Slade asked, pulling out his favorite pistol. "Yes." Nightwing replied. "Let me speak to bane." Deathstroke laughed, and pulled Dick by the legs towards Bane's room.
Batman and Nightwing were tied together with chains in the center of the concrete room, as Bane laughed at them. "Your final wish was to plead with me? You should have 'wished' for it to be short and painless." Bane attempted an evil laugh, but was cut off once again by his venom-induced coughing. "This ought to be good." He smiled. "Weh waht… tah make an allianthe with you…" Batman peeped. "Again, may I ask why?" Bane asked once more. Batman barely shoved out, "Black mask." He panted. "We cahn help you defeat… Black Masthk." Bane thought for a moment. Black mask wouldn't know he was working with them, he'd never suspect it. And finally, so long after the war over Gotham, Bane would have control over the city.
"It's a deal." Bane chuckled. "But I know you Batman. You'll cross me and attempt to take my territory. So if we plan on working together, I get to keep my territory in the Arkham district, and the rest of the city belongs to the people once more." Dick was skeptical. "Just like that? You agree?" He smiled. "You expect me to believe that you aren't going to take over the city as soon as we finish?" Bane huffed. "I may not like you." Bane coughed. "But I will no longer tolerate being told what to do by a degenerate masked man who refuses to meet me face-to-face. I keep Arkham, and that's good enough for me." He adjusted his gloves. "Release them, Freeze."
Batman and Nightwing came out of the medical bay, stitched back up to their former selves. Bane, Mr. Freeze, and Deadshot all seemed happy with overthrowing black mask, but Deathstroke was not pleased. He had worked for Bane all of this time simply because he intended to assassinate him one day, so he could be the king of Gotham. Bruce and Dick stood face to face with the villains, when Deadshot handed Dick a briefcase. "You'll need this." He said. Grayson opened the case, labeled 'C. Falcone', and found two small blades that were extendable. Also in the case, there were two metal sticks, but when Dick pressed a button on the side they shot out an electric jolt. He smiled.
"Where's Slade?" Bane asked. "Has he abandoned us in our time of triumph?" Everyone looked for Deathstroke with no prevail. He was gone. "How sad." He said. "We must go on without the unloyal scum anyhow." Everyone had suited up, and Bane packed a full tank of venom. They set out into the early morning sunrise to the lair of Black Mask; the Wayne Enterprises tower.
A dark, agile figure snuck his way into the office of Black Mask. Black Mask snickered. "I know you're here. State your reasoning." Deathstroke stepped out of the shadows, holstering his swords. "I've come to alert you that Bane and his emergency men, along with the Nightwing and the Batman, are all on their way now to overthrow your empire." Deathstroke walked to the desk and planted his hand. "Don't believe me? Look at the bloody street cameras." The masked man loaded street camera feed from around Gotham, and sure enough, Deathstroke had been telling the truth. Black Mask turned in his chair. "And what do you intend to obtain by giving me this message?" He played with his fingers. "I intend to destroy Bane." Slade responded. "And why don't you seem confused by the fact that the bloody batman is still alive?!" He puffed. "Because, I already knew." Black Mask slowly uncovered his face. "I'm his worst enemy. We share a connection. If he was dead, I would most definitely know it!" He said, slamming his mask onto the table. Deathstroke was in shock. "You're not as dead as I thought." He said, as the black mask laughed like a madman.
The group crossed the street, approaching the Wayne enterprises building. But as they drew closer, they were surrounded by men wearing red hoods. Hundreds of them. "Why are they-" Batman said, but was cut off by Bane. "They are red hoods, followers of the joker. But the red hoods were disbanded fifteen years ago." Mr. Freeze cut in. "No time for chat. Time to cool these guys off." He revved his freeze gun. Deadshot loaded his pistols. Nightwing flung out his swords. Bane turned a valve in his suit and began pumping himself with venom, as he grew larger and bulkier. Nightwing butted in when the men began loading machine guns. "On three, one, two-" He was cut off by gunfire.
Deadshot began taking out the men, occasionally taking out more than one with a single bullet. Batman kicked a red hood in the face, turning and punching another, then doing a backflip kick to take out two more. Bane grabbed the men and threw them into other red hoods, and smacked a few into the ground. Nightwing was zapping away with his new toys, taking out up to four different people at a time. And freezing away was Mr. Freeze- who would smash the red hoods into tiny shards after they turned into ice. As the group kept fighting, more hoods kept coming. But finally, after a long battle, the alliance came out victorious. As they walked away from the battlefield, a frozen man fell over and shattered.
Taking out everyone who opposed them, the villain-hero alliance made their way up the long, treacherous staircase. When they finally made it to the highest room, the door was labeled 'J. Napier'. The exhausted Batman kicked the door open, revealing a huge room, paneled with glass, where someone sat behind a desk. As they walked in, Bane stated, "Your days are over Black Mask. Stand up before us and remove your mask if you'd like any mercy." Black Mask turned in his chair, as ordered, but shocked everyone in the room when he took his mask off. "What? Happy to see me?" The Joker asked.
The group readied all of their weapons. "This must be some kind of trick." Mr. Freeze piped up. "I knew the Joker, and if you're him, he would never be unprepared." Joker laughed, and pointed at Mr. Freeze. "Ding ding ding! The award for an IQ over 60 goes to… this guy! Of course I came prepared." At that moment, Deathstroke came from behind the group and attacked. Deadshot shot him with a full magazine, but Deathstroke still stood. Deadshot took out more and more guns but it was no use. Slade's cutlass had done its work. Batman fought Deathstroke with motivation, but ended up being thrown through a nearby wall. Deathstroke was easily defending himself from the final three, until Bane managed to grab slade by the legs and smashing him into the ground. He got up immediately, and retaliated by kicking two swords in mid-air into Bane's midsection. Mr. Freeze froze Deathstroke by his legs, and made his way upward, as slade pulled out his gun and shot Freeze's cryo-tank. As Nightwing bravely fought the evildoer, Joker happily made his way through the hole in the wall that Batman had been thrown into.
As Batman opened his eyes, the first thing he saw was the Joker. "Peek-a-boo!" He laughed. "Rise and shine, Batsy. Or should I say, Bruce Wayne? Which do you prefer?" Bruce came to the shocking realization that the Joker had taken his cowl, and was putting it on a shelf. "I should have figured it out. As soon as Bruce Wayne dies, so does the Batman." Joker took out a revolver and spun it in his hand. "It was obvious, but I don't like coming to conclusions without evidence. And now that I've finally got you here-" Joker paused, and pushed the barrel of the revolver to Bruce's skull. "What to do?" He laughed.
Dick fought against Deathstroke with motivation, flipping and attacking from all directions. Deathstroke was pleased with an even match, though he knew he would win. With a swift strike of his fist, he had Nightwing on the floor. But he had made a mistake of not checking his surroundings, as Bane lifted up Deathstroke over his head, then smacked him down onto his knee with a 'KRAK!' Bane threw Slade into the wall and brushed his hands off. "I may be old." He said to Dick. "But I can still take, and deliver a beating." Grayson nodded, as he heard Joker say, "What to do?" The two smashed through the wall and saw the Joker with a gun pointed at- Bruce Wayne's cranium. When Bane and Nightwing reared to attack, Joker lifted a switch. "Don't try it. I've got C4 planted in every civilian area in gotham, and at the mayor's office. I press this switch, everyone goes KABOOM! Understood?" Nightwing stepped forward but Bane held him back. "It's not worth it." he said. "It's either him, or the whole city Nightwing. And when Joker's gone, I still want a city to rule over." Joker had tied Batman up, and began pulling him up a ladder. "Wise choice." Joker sneered.
Joker pulled Bruce Wayne across the roof, approaching the building's edge. He threw the Batman beside the ledge. "What a nice view." Joker smiled. "Can't believe it will be my last." Bruce was confused, until he realized Joker's plan. "If you go out, I'm coming with you." He said. Joker lifted Bruce, and leaned him over the edge. "Tonight is the night that Gotham falls." Batman squirmed to escape but he couldn't. Joker slowly, carefully, slipped Batman over the edge, but didn't let go. "You need to stop, Joker!" Bruce screamed. It was too late. The two fell off of the top of the highest point in Gotham.
Batman's bounds kept him from being able to use his tools as he struggled, but it was no use. The last thing Bruce Wayne saw was the Joker, smiling madly in his face. "I win." He said, as the city went up in explosions. Flames engulfed gotham until there was no city left.
A day after the end of the world, Dick Grayson found the body of Bruce Wayne, and cried over it. He kneeled, as he took off his own costume, and replaced it with the suit of the Batman. He slipped on every last piece until he was no different from Wayne himself.
Batman had returned.