Batman belongs to Bob Kane and Bill Finger
All related characters belong to DC Comics
Well ladies and gentlemen, fanboys and fangirls, the time has finally come! I am now going to create my very own Batman series! :D
The story will follow an episodic format like Heroes of Mobius and will have some minor changes to the source material to give it its own identity. But regardless, what you can expect is a great series that'll do Batman justice and I hope you all enjoy! :D
Let us begin…
Prologue: A Night To Remember
It was just another night in Gotham City.
That was what so many people walking around the dark, dimly-lit streets of the infamous metropolis thought. Tonight was just like any other night that went on in this city: people walking around, flashing neon lights that lit up the dark streets and advertised the buildings that owned them, various activities going on and for some unlucky citizen roaming around at this time of night, a crime being committed. Gotham was infamous for its high crime rate, something that caused a lot of people who lived in the city to despise the night. Night was when crime got worse for reasons nobody could quite understand. Crime was going to strike again, but this particular crime that was about to happen would become more than just a mere criminal act committed on an average Gotham night. This crime was going to change Gotham forever and it would all start with a young boy.
A boy whose name was Bruce Wayne.
Bruce Wayne had no idea of this. He and his wealthy parents were just exiting the Monarch Theatre and heading off home. The Wayne Family had just been to the theatre to see a movie, particularly a movie about the famed fictional Spanish vigilante Zorro. Bruce had been engrossed in the film by its fascinating concepts and sword-fighting action. He was still reeling with excitement as he walked with his parents away from the theatre. He was punching the air constantly, pretending to be brandishing his own sword.
"That movie was so cool mom!" he cried happily, "Zorro was so awesome the way he fought off all those bad guys and clashed swords with them! When I grow up, I wanna be just like him!"
"Ha, ha, ha, OK Bruce, settle down now." his mother, whose name was Martha Wayne, said gently.
"Let's keep up kiddo, we don't wanna be late for Alfred." the father, Thomas Wayne, said.
"I'll keep up daddy." Bruce chipped.
Bruce was not just an average kid that one saw on the street every day. He was quite possibly the richest eight year old boy in Gotham City. His father was the CEO of the billionaire company WayneTech, one of the many branches for the business corporation Wayne Enterprises. Founded as far back as the 1800s, the company had grown to be one of the most profitable businesses in the city. Thomas had been next in line to the fortune after the previous owner, his own father, had passed away. His estimated networth was said to be about 6.8 billion, maybe more. This made him not only one of the richest men in Gotham City, but one of the richest men in the world.
Thomas was also seen as a city hero due to his profession as a surgeon. He had saved many lives due to his skills and had become quite beloved among the public. His wife, Martha, had become equally as beloved due to sharing her husband's charitable nature and even hosting many lavish charity balls at their home, Wayne Manor to provide for the destitute people of Gotham. Bruce would become the next CEO of Wayne Enterprises when he came of age but that was something his parents had decided they would tell him about when he was older. No need to put pressure on such a young boy.
As the billionaire family walked, Thomas eyed a dingy looking alley-way that seemed to snake off into the darkness. It was like a long trail to a dark, empty void. This area was infamously known as "Crime Alley". Crime Alley was where most of Gotham's atrocities were committed, hence the nickname and many people knew better than to roam down that particular alley-way at night. Going through Crime Alley was considered an act of suicide by many.
"Hey, let's go down there." Thomas suggested.
"Down there?" Martha asked, doubtful, "I dunno Tom, that place gives me the creeps…don't you know that that's where the criminals like to hang out?"
"You really believe in that Martha?" the billionaire surgeon scoffed, "It's just a rumour people spread to scare people. Come on, we can cut through here."
"But it's so dark…don't you think Bruce might get a little scared around here?" his wife asked.
"Can we just wait for Alfred here dad?" Bruce asked, looking a little nervous. The dark alley-way didn't look inviting to him at all.
"Come on, let's go, we'll get to him sooner if we walk through here." Thomas ushered his family, his voice soft and gentle as if trying to reassure his wife and child everything was alright.
Shrugging, Martha decided to go along. Thomas had never let her down yet so why not trust him again? Bruce stayed close to his mother's side as the family entered the feared alley. The loud sounds of the busy city seemed to quieten as they walked in, almost as if the city itself was too afraid to follow them. The only sounds that were loudly audible were the echoes of their footsteps. Thomas and Bruce's smart shoes and Martha's high heels rapped in unison, almost making some kind of tune as they walked. Bruce grew ever more fearful as he allowed his eyes to wander. The heavy shadows blanketing the walls that towered over him were as black as night, foreboding and sinister. He wondered if there were monsters hiding in the shadows, waiting to attack.
Martha saw that her son was looking nervous and patted him on the shoulder to ease his nerves.
"It'll be alright darling, don't be afraid. We'll be out soon." she said kindly.
But then came the critical moment, the moment where Bruce's life would change forever, and in the most horrifying and unexpected way possible. One of the shadows seemed to detach itself from the others and came up towards the opulent family. Bruce clutched his mother tighter. A monster, just as he'd feared!
But it wasn't a monster at all, it was a man. The man had an unpleasant edge to him. The way he walked didn't seem quite normal and he had a rather serious expression on his face. He was shrouded in shadows, almost appearing to wear a cloak of darkness, so it was hard to make out any features he had. Thomas stopped and stared at the man, walking heavily towards them.
"Y-yes? Can we help you?" he asked curiously.
The answer he got was not what he had expected. The man pulled out something grey and black seemingly from nowhere and pointed it straight at the Waynes. It was a gun! The gun was small, ridiculously undersized in the man's huge hand, but that didn't make it any less terrifying. Thomas froze and Martha fought off the urge to scream. Bruce stared straight at the man, unable to believe what was happening. Tonight had been so wonderful, why was it turning so horrible all of a sudden?!
"Yes, ya can actually." the man snarled, "Your dame over there can hand over them pretty pearls of hers!"
He pulled back on the hammer, ready to pull the trigger. His hand trembled slightly, suggesting he was nervous. The Waynes couldn't see thanks to the shadows on his face but he was sweating. Martha put a hand over her pearl necklace, afraid to give them away. Thomas hoped that this man could be reasoned with. He held his hands up, showing he meant no harm.
"Now, now sir, we-we don't h-have to do this." he stammered, "Let's keep it civil, we don't need any of this…"
"The pearls, now!" the man barked, "Don't make me have ta shoot ya!"
"Mom, dad, what's happening? Why is that man threatening us?" Bruce whimpered.
"Stay calm Bruce, we can handle this, please don't fret…" Martha reassured, her voice shaky and betraying any attempts to soothe her son's worry.
"Listen sir, we're not looking for any trouble, just please put the gun down! You don't need to threaten us like this!" Thomas begged, "We just wanna get home and shut in for the night, please let us go."
"Just hand over the damn necklace!" the crook shouted, his hand shaking even more, "Hand them over nice and easy and nobody gets hurt!"
"We can't give you those pearls sir, they're too valuable." Thomas protested, "Come on, please, put the gun down…"
He took a step forward, prompting the man to point straight at the surgeon's heart with the gun. He held it with two hands now to keep it steady but the muzzle still twitched nervously in his grip.
"Stay where you are!" he demanded, "Don't make me shoot!"
"Tom, Tom, don't provoke him!" Martha begged.
"Easy Martha, I can handle this…" Thomas reassured, "Sir, come on now, there's no need for this, just put the gun down and we can…"
"SHUT UP!" the man exploded.
In his rage, his finger suddenly tightened on the trigger. A loud bang split the air and a flash lit up from the barrel of the gun as it spat out a single bullet straight into Thomas's chest. The billionaire stumbled backwards, taken aback by what had happened. Blood poured out of the single wound, staining his shirt. He tried to speak but no words would come out. Blood began to dribble out of his mouth. He let out one final cough as the air depleted in his lungs and then he collapsed, eyes still open and staring up into the sky as if trying to admire it one last time. Martha broke down into hysterics as her husband fell. Bruce staggered back, unable to believe what he'd just seen. Tears, hot and heavy, began to pour down his cheeks.
"DAD!" he screamed.
"TOM! OH GOD, OH GOD TOM!" Martha wailed.
The man looked as if he was regretting the fact he'd just had to do that to the poor man. But he quickly regained his composure and stormed up to the horrified woman.
"Shut up lady! Hand over the pearls!" he demanded, aiming the gun at her.
"N-n-no!" wailed Martha, "Stay back, stay away from me you, you…murderer!"
That last act of defiance was enough to provoke the killer again. Losing the ability to control himself, he squeezed the trigger once more and fired another bullet, straight between Martha's eyes. The wealthy woman didn't even cry out as she was hit. Blood exploded out of her head and splattered onto the ground. She collapsed, falling beside her husband. Her eyes were still open too, staring helplessly at the killer. Bruce began to shake all over, unable to take this horror any longer. He fell down onto his knees, breaking down hysterically into floods of tears.
"MOMMY!" he cried.
The killer stepped back, clearly looking ashamed of himself. This wasn't how it was meant to go! He was supposed to have just made off with the pearls and that was it, no bloodshed! And now there was a traumatized kid on his plate! He raised the gun, contemplating about shouting the grief-stricken boy who was kneeling over his beloved parents. Bruce didn't notice this. He was hyperventilating, his mind totally blank except for what was going on before him. His tears and sobs seemed to have melted the man's black heart for he found himself unable to shoot. No…not even he could stoop to such a low. There would be no child-death on his hands.
The man tucked the gun back into his holster and retreated back into the shadows, disappearing like a bad nightmare. Bruce didn't even hear his footsteps as he ran away, leaving him to do nothing more than to grieve for his parents. He was so shocked and shaken that he didn't even hear the oncoming sound of a police siren as a police cruiser approached the alley to investigate the sound of the gunshots…
Much later that night, Bruce had found himself sitting outside an office in the GCPD Headquarters. He had been whisked away in a police car and driven there by one of the commanding officers on the force. The police had seen the bodies of Thomas and Martha Wayne and had been horrified at what they'd seen. The murder of the two billionaires was enough to declare the capture of their killer a number one case. The Gotham City Police Department would stop at nothing to make sure that whoever had done this to the two famed adults would pay for his crime.
Bruce wasn't alone in the GCPD. His butler, Alfred Pennyworth, had come into the building to give him some comfort. It was always recommended to have an adult beside a grief-stricken child to help them get through it all. Alfred was an Englishman, a former MI6 agent who had long since retired and now worked as a butler for the Wayne family. He dressed in a black suit and grey trousers with a faux red flower in his breast pocket. He had a moustache and a small patch of hair behind his head. His cranium was bald. Alfred had the sort of face that could comfort any child during his worst moments, kind and sympathetic. Alfred sat beside the boy who had now become an orphan and put an arm around him.
"I cannot tell you how much the deaths of your parents disturb me Master Bruce." the butler spoke, more to fill the silence than anything, "Such senseless violence and such needless bloodshed. It begs the question on why anybody would ever go so far as to commit such atrocities."
Bruce didn't respond. He hadn't spoken a word since the murder had happened. Alfred nodded understandingly.
"I can only imagine how bad this is for you Master Bruce." he said solemnly, "You needn't worry though, I will take good care of you. Your father would've wanted this."
"…why Alfred?" Bruce suddenly snivelled, "Why did he do it?"
Alfred took a moment to ponder on the question. Why did the man do it? The criminal mind was among the most complex in the world, something he knew all too well due to his days as an MI6 agent. He shook his head sadly.
"That is something I don't believe I can answer…" he replied, "Criminals often act in mysterious ways. I doubt we'll ever know why he did it."
"I want them back…" Bruce mumbled sadly.
Alfred looked down at the young boy, feeling nothing but sorrow for him. What a terrible thing to happen to a boy, and so young too. He would never get over this tragedy, never in a million years. The happy-go-lucky billionaire son was gone forever. What would be become when he got older? Would he ever be psychologically healthy again? The questions were daunting and Alfred dreaded finding out the answers.
Then suddenly, a door opened up and a thirty-something old man walked out to greet Bruce and Alfred. He was one of the commanding officers but despite his occupation, he looked very friendly and gentle. He had a bushy moustache and he wore thick glasses with blue lenses. He wore a police uniform, though it didn't really suit him at all.
"Hello Bruce." he said kindly, "Please, come into my office. I would like to ask you a few questions."
"May I sit and wait out here for him sir?" Alfred asked.
"Of course." the policeman said, "You can wait there Alfred. Bruce, please come with me."
"Yes officer." Bruce said grimly.
"Please, call me Jim." he replied, "Jim Gordon."
"Yes Jim." the child responded.
He got up from his chair and followed Jim Gordon back into his office. No doubt he would be questioned about the murder and asked to provide a witness statement to hopefully give the police any clues about the killer.
But as the young boy entered Gordon's office, he had no idea how much his life was about to change. Jim Gordon himself had no idea how much this boy's life was going to change. And little did he know was that boy would change many lives in Gotham, including his own. And in the end it all boiled down to one simple fact…it had all started with tonight's tragic murder and the deaths of Thomas and Martha Wayne…
And so it begins. The legendary saga of The Dark Knight himself has started. And it'll only continue to grow as the Batman rises up from the tragedy that has befallen Bruce Wayne...
Tune in next time was Batman: I Am The Night truly begins with its first episode...
