This is my retelling of Batman's origins but I am taking some ideas from the comics, films, TV series etc. It took me awhile to write it. Hope you enjoy.
Chronicles of A Dark Knight.
1
Memories of An Orphan Child.
The night was cold and wet. I heard over the police radio that a murder had taken place outside a movie theatre, a young child's parents shot point blank in front of them by a mugger. I stood a top on a roof opposite the crime scene feeling the rain beating against my suit. Tonight Gotham City cries for this child.
...
I remember it being late as we exited the movie theatre. It was so dark when we got outside
"Well Bruce did you enjoy the film?" My father asks as he carries out of the movie theatre on his shoulders. He is so tall I feel as if I am on top of a building.
"Great…" I yawn struggling to keep my eyes opens.
"Looks like somebody needs to get to bed. We better get home quick Thomas." My mother says in her silk laden voice. How I miss her voice.
"OK Martha. We better call a cab." My father replies.
"But I don't want to go to bed!" I protest.
"No buts about it mister we are going home right away." My mother told me. Those were the last words she spoke to me.
Even though I could hardly keep my eyes open I saw my father wave his hand as I taxi cab drove into view. It slowed down to ward us. My mother reached her arm out to open the passenger's door when the driver grabbed her wrist trying to pull off her pearl bracelet. My father then shouted at the man and tried to pull him off her.
That was when two shots rang out my father and mother both fell to the ground. As my father fell I came off his shoulders and hit the pavement hard. I got up to my knees and saw my parents both lying on the ground motion less. The cab sped off into the darkness of the night.
I held their hands in mine and then my father turned his head slightly and looked at me and uttered the words, "Goodbye Bruce… and be…. Be brave…Son." His eyes then closed. My head fell and I began to cry. It was then the clouds opened and it began to rain and I knew Gotham would mourn my loss.
...
As I stood on the roof top observing the crime scene I took note of the badge numbers and names of the police at the scene. I would run them on my database later to see if any of them were on the mobs payroll.
The rain dripped off the nose of my mask as I stood there silently waiting to make my move down to the crime scene to carry out my own investigation. This crime had gotten under my skin as soon as I heard it over the radio. I would bring this murderer to justice unlike my parents' killer. That scum may still room the streets.
The rain got heavier and the police began to leave the scene while only leaving one squad car to watch over the scene until they carried out their investigation the next morning. I then took out a walkie-talkie and tuned it to the squad car's frequency and gave the officer reason to leave. I sent him on a false robbery call a few streets away and hoped it would keep him busy for a little while whilst I investigated. After all the police didn't like me so much since I been deemed a vigilantly who should be shot on sight.
I moved on down to the crime scene. I took out a touch as it was too dark. I shined it over the garbage cans but nothing out of the ordinary stood out in them. Then I noticed that there was a group of cigarette butts just a few feet away from where the victims' bodies had laid before being taken to the morgue for examination even though it was clear they died of a case of gun fire. I didn't notice that any of the officers at the scene had been smoking. They may have been from the killer and if so he must have been waiting for the victims to come out.
Had he known them?
I bagged one of the butts so I could run a DNA test back at the cave. I wonder if the selected few of Gotham's finest had notice these… I suspected not. Then I realised that there was something beside the butts. It was a ticket stub from 'The Joker's Comedy Club.' I wonder if our killer had a sense of humour.
Then I saw the headlights of the squad return to the scene I thought I best leave as I had gotten all I could. I took out a grapple from my belt and shot it to the roof tops and quickly made my escape.
...
It was a few hours later and I was in the 'Bat Cave' as Alfred called it. I was going over my findings from the crime scene. I searched the badges of the police on site and they all checked out clean and the DNA on the cigarette butts didn't match any of them. In fact there was no match on the DNA database so I had an unknown killer out on the streets without a lead.
I even hacked the Gotham Police's computer network and the autopsy's of the victims showed that they were shot by a 9mm Pistol. This didn't give me much more to go on.
"Master Bruce I made you some chicken soup." Alfred interrupted with his very posh British accent.
"Thank you Alfred. Sit it there at the side and I'll get to it if I have the time." I replied back to him.
"Very well, Sir." I heard him sit down the tray. "That is sure to make the time I spent making it for you worth every second." He retorted sharply.
I realised he wasn't going to leave until he say me have some and enjoy it. I turned to were he had sat the soup. "Fine then I'll have some now."
"Well if you must insist Sir."
Luckily I wasn't wearing my mask at the time or else I would look stupid sitting there eating soup.
"Any luck with the case yet Master Bruce?" Alfred inquired while looking at the monitor at my research.
"Not much. I haven't got a single lead on who the shooter is." I replied before taking the first spoonful of soup and it wasn't that bad even though I thought it was from a tin. I couldn't see Alfred put in that much effort for soup.
"If you don't mind my saying so Sir but I believe that this case is to close to your past and you may be looking at it the wrong way."
Alfred's comment intrigued me. "Tell me, how so?"
"Well these people who were shot may not be innocent as your… parents were." He hesitated to talk about my parents as he always did.
I thought over what he had said over in my head for a few seconds. Alfred may have a very good point.
I turned back to my monitor to run a background check on the victims. "Thank you for the soup Alfred. You may be right."
"Indeed Sir. Don't forget 'The Butler Did It'. Murder is in the job description so we know a thing or two."
I couldn't help but smile slightly to this remark. "That will do Alfred."
I heard Alfred's footsteps fade away into the darkness of the Bat Cave.
No matter what it seems he is always there with a solution. He was the person who raised me as I grew up after my parents had been murdered.
...
It was only a few hours or so after my parents had been murdered. I sat alone in the police corridor wearing a police hat that was given to me to cheer me up…. Nothing could have cheered me up. I looked down at the floor and all I could see were the feet of the Officers hurrying pass me. Then I saw a pair of shoes that I could have noticed in a line up of a million shoes. Alfred always polished his shoes to the highest shine.
"Hello Master Bruce." A very solemn Alfred said.
A Police Officer who had been watching me for the past hour informed Alfred, "He hasn't spoken a word since we brought him in. We believe he is in shock."
"Oh. Dear. Are you alright Master Bruce? You aren't hurt are you?"
I just sat there and continued to look at the floor. I distanced myself from anyone around me. I just repeatedly played the event over and over again in my head.
"It is going to be alright Master Bruce. I shall take care of everything." Alfred reassured me.
The Police Officer who had been watching me began to ask Alfred questions. "I am Officer Gordon. I was wondering if I could ask you a question or two."
"Yes, of course Officer." Alfred replied.
"Does Bruce have any next of kin?" Officer Gordon asked.
"No. His parents were both the only children in their families so he has no aunts, uncles or cousins. And his grandparents are dead." Alfred answered.
Officer Gordon wrote every word Alfred said in a little black notebook.
"Would you know anyone who would want to hurt either Mr. or Mrs. Wayne?"
"I cannot think of anyone who had a personal vendetta against them if that is what you mean. They were wealthy as I'm sure you know so maybe the theft saw them and thought it as his big break." Alfred explained.
Officer Gordon again wrote down every word. "That should do for now. We can't do much more until Bruce is able to give us a detailed description on the thief and of the event itself."
"Very well does that mean I can take him home?" Alfred inquired.
"Yes we have your phone number and you have the number direct to the station so whenever he is ready to talk give us a call."
Alfred picked me up and carried me out of the front door of the Police Station. I remember there being a lot of flashing lights as the photographers took pictures of Gotham's favourite orphan son.
Alfred walked through them straight to the car and sat me in and then he walked to the drivers side and got in. as he started his engine and drove away he turned to me and said , "Don't worry Master Bruce I will take care of you."
And he kept that promise.
...
As I began to follow up on Alfred's idea I found out that the father was involved with the mob. He was a well qualified Accountant. And my guess was he handled their money and he may have taken some of their money and they got wise and ordered a hit on him.
I delved in deeper to see which gang he dealt with. I then found out that he had been working for Rupert Thorne. Thorne had been acting as if he was a legitimate business man but everyone in the city knew other wise but he was to powerful to get at and not to mention most of the police in Gotham were under his payroll. I made sure that Wayne Corp. never dealt with him but he always tried to get me to do business with him.
I got up from the computer and began to walk over to the Bat-Mobile. One of Alfred's other nicknames. I believe it was time I finally went to that business meeting Thorne has been wanting me to go to for some time.
...
A few hours later I stood across from Thorne's office in Gotham's skyline. I waited until he was alone as it was a personal call.
After his secretary left I took out my grapple and shot it a few dozen feet above Thorne's office I had become quite good at judging the angles of my swings. Then I out one of my explosive Batarangs hopefully it would break the reinforced glass on impact so I can enter without any trouble. I took in a deep breathe as I leaped off the building, then halfway across I threw the Batarang at the window and thankfully the glass shattered and I was able to get in.
Once in I saw Thorne lying on the floor with his hands on the back of his head. I pushed his old oak wood desk towards the door. It wasn't easy and hopefully that meant it would be harder for anyone to get in.
I then grabbed Thorne and brought him to the open window and held him by the collar of his shirt whilst his feet were barely on the edge.
"D….. DON'T YOU KNOW WHO I AM?" Thorne yelled.
"I know you scum. I know you hired somebody to kill your accountant because he stole money from you. You better tell who you hired!" I lowered him slightly to increase his fear of me letting him fall.
"I don't know what you are talking about you freak!" He retorted.
"Yes you do! You are going to tell me or I will let go and you will fall 89 stories to the pavement and you aren't walking away from that!"
"I've heard of you. You're the Batman aren't you? You're a weirdo who likes to dress up and beat up bad guys. What must your parents think?"
"If you won't tell me what I want to know, there is no point holding on."
I let go of his shirt and he began to yell. I let him fall a few stories before I caught him with my grapple and pulled him back up. Once I got him I held him over the edge by his neck. Luckily I had trained my body over years to get it to the peak of physical fitness as Thorne was quite heavy and not easy to hold.
"That was a warning. Now tell me what I want to know or next time I won't catch you."
Thorne began to confess, "Fine, I'll tell you. I hired this guy called 'The Joker' to carry out the hit."
"The Joker? What is his real name?"
"I don't know. No one does. He only goes by Joker. I think he goes by its because he likes to tell jokes and he dresses in a goofy purple suit."
"Where is he now?"
"I sent him on another job. He is at the chemical factory to the East of Gotham. I want him to scare the owner to selling the place to me."
"You better hope he is still there or I'm coming back for you."
I threw Thorne into the centre of the office there was no point in me bringing him in. With the people under his payroll he would be out within a matter minutes.
I jumped out of the window and glided down into an alley were I left the Bat-Mobile.
...
When I arrived at the chemical factory the chain to the gate had been cut.
I entered cautiously. It was dark with barely any lights on I walked slowly not wanting anyone there to know I was there.
But then I heard the cock of a gun and I dropped to the ground just as the bullet was fired. It hit just were I was standing and if I hadn't have dropped it would have hit me.
I then heard my shooter runaway from me so I got up and began to chase them. As I caught up with him I realised this must be the so called Joker as he was wearing a purple suit like Thorne had said.
The Joker turned round in mid run and aimed the gun at me to take another shot but then he lost his footing and tripped. He fell over the railing and his gun fell into a large tub of chemicals below. He caught the edge of the walk way and was bareoy able to hold on.
"HELP! PLEASE HELP ME!" He yelled in despair.
I ran over to him and as I went to grab his hand he lost his grip and fell into the chemicals. I looked on in horror waiting for him to resurface but he didn't. Then I could the police cars nearing in. So I left. There was nothing I could do for him now…. He was dead.
...
Later I was sitting in the Bat Cave. Alfred came in with a tray of tea.
"Here Master Bruce maybe this would make you feel better." He said in a reassuring voice.
"Thank you Alfred. But how am I meant to feel better because of me a man died today."
"Don't be hard on yourself Sir. He was a murderer after all and he did try to kill you. And from what you told me it was his own undoing as he turned to shoot you again."
"Thank you Alfred that will be all."
"Very well Sir." Alfred replied as he walked away into the darkness of the cave.
What Alfred said did make sense and made me feel slightly better. But I could not but help feel as if I would not be able to ever forget this. And that the Joker's punch line had yet to be told.
Thank you for reading and hope you enjoyed and please leave me any feed back you want.