I don't own the rights to Batman, but love the comic. This is the first Batman story I ever tried to write. I don't know if it's any good, but hey, you tell me.
Rain slowly came down from the sky, covering the city of Gotham in a misty haze. Steam slowly rose up from manhole covers and sewer grates. The occasional car slowly moved through the dark city streets. Building rose high into the sky, the graffiti on the walls occasionally illuminated by a flash of lightning. A figure stood on the ledge of one of the buildings, hidden in the shadows, his dark eyes scanning the city around him. The mask over his face showed no expression as the water ran over it and dripped off.
Three figures slowly walked out of an alley and slowly made their way down the street, two staying behind the one in front. All three wore dark trench coats and wide brim hats. A truck slowly rumbled out of the alley behind them and closely followed. The figure in front came to a stop and stared at the building they stood in front of. The Double Deuce Diamond Exchange. The figure reached into his overcoat, pulling something out, rubbing it in his hand. The figure finally flipped the object into the air. It glittered in the streetlight overhead as it spun in the air before falling back into the man's hand. Two Face opened his palm, revealing the scratched up coin lying in it's center.
"Do it."
The two figure behind him ran forward, dropping a small case at the front door to the diamond exchange. The two men ran as Two Face slowly stepped back. The explosion shook the ground, it's billow of flame lighting up the night sky, debris showering up into the air.
The figure on the ledge spun his head and watched as the flames peaked up over the buildings. It was close. Instantly the figure leapt off the ledge catching onto the railing of a fire escape and flipping backward down into the alley below, then sprinted, running to the explosion.
The truck screeched it's wheels as it roared forward, then slid to a stop, it's rear to the front of the now demolished entrance of the building. The back of the truck opened and out jumped two more men, each carrying duffel bags. They joined the two other henchmen running through the flaming debris into the exchange. Two Face turned to the driver.
"Keep an eye out, Gibbs. Especially for any trouble of the pointy-eared kind."
The driver shook his head and lifted the sawed off shotgun from his lap, holding it at the ready. Two Face reached into either side of his jacket, pulling two pistols, then slowly stepped through the massive hole in the wall and watched as his men smashed into glass cases, removing the diamonds and jewelry from inside.
Gibbs slowly shifted in his seat, gripping the shotgun with white knuckles. Nervously he looked up and down the street, glancing at the rooftops, hoping not to find a dark, shadowy figure in a cape staring back at him. The truck suddenly rocked, a thud echoing into the cab. Someone had jumped onto the truck. Panicked, Gibbs aimed the shotgun up and fired both shells, blowing a gaping hole through the roof of the cab. Staring out into the night above him, he shakily popped open the chamber to the shotgun, grabbing two spare shells and started to load them, but the passenger's side window suddenly shattered inward as a dark figure exploded through the glass, slamming into him, knocking the wind out of him. Gibbs tried to say something, but an incredibly strong pair of hand suddenly grabbed his head and spun it, snapping his neck like a twig. The last think Gibbs saw was a pair of dark eyes staring back at him.
Two Face spun around at the sound of the shotgun going off. Spinning to the men around him, he yelled.
"Time to go…NOW!"
The four men closed up the duffel bags and pulled pistols of their own, running back out of the building. Two Face ran to the cab of the truck.
"Gibbs, what in the--"
Two Face stopped in mid-sentence staring at the body of a now very dead Gibbs slumped over the steering wheel of the truck. Two Face stared at the eyes of the men around him went wide.
"That's definitely new."
Two Face pulled the hammers on his guns back. His men slowly started looking around the rooftops,.
"Is it the Bat?"
"Go ask Gibbs if you want, but we doubt he'll be able to tell you."
Two Face turned and started to yell into the darkness.
"Is that you out there, Batman? Killing's not quite your style, but hey, who are we to judge?"
A grin slowly began to creep into the scarred and deformed side of Two Face's face.
"C'mon out. It's clear you're ready to take this to a whole new level. WELL, SO ARE WE!"
Two Face fired shot into the darkness, aiming at everything and nothing.
"Where are you, you pointy eared freak? C'mon, Batman, let's finish this!"
"Whoever said anything about a bat?"
The voice caused the five men to spin and looked down the street. A figure stood dressed totally in black. A leather trench coat flapped carelessly in the wind, opening to reveal two pistols strapped into shoulder holsters under each arm. At each of his sides, strapped in thigh holsters, were what looked like two pieces of six inch pipe. He face was cover in a black ski mask, only his dark eyes showing. Two Face looked at him up and down.
"Not quite who we were expecting. So what, are you new competition?"
"I'm nothing like you, freak."
Two Face smiled widely.
"You definitely have the lingo down, I'll give you that."
Two Face turned to his men.
"Somebody please do us a favor and kill him."
The four henchmen raised their guns. In a flash, the figure reached under his coat, pulling the two pistols and fired as the henchmen opened up. Two men immediately went down, bullets impacting into their foreheads. Two Face started firing as the figured dropped down and rolled behind an old parked car. Bullets slammed into the car, bullet holes popped open all over the car. Two Face slowly backed up, putting his men between him and the man in black.
The night suddenly went silent again, their guns clicking empty. Quickly dropping their empty clips, Two Face's men started to reload, but the man in black leapt out from behind the car, pulling the two tubes from his thigh holsters. Whipping them, the batons extended to their full length. One of the henchmen ran forward, swinging his pistol, but the figure easily blocked the blow with one of his batons, then swung the other one up, slamming the butt of it into the man's stomach. Bring the baton straight up under the henchman's neck, the figure spun him around just as the other henchman fired. The bullets slammed into the now human shield. Throwing the dead body forward into the last remaining henchman, the figured slid around, knocking his feet out from under him. The henchman landed hard on his back, the weight of the dead body coming down on him. The figure brought a baton down hard, slamming it into the throat of the downed henchman, crushing his throat.
Standing up slowly, the figured turned to Two Face who stood by the cab of the van staring at him. The two just stared at each other, the only noise a gurgling sound coming from the quickly dying man on the ground. Reaching into the cab of the van, Two Face quickly pulled out a machine gun, aiming it at the figure. The figure didn't move an inch.
"You lose."
Two Face grinned as he pulled the trigger, but the gun made no sound. Yanking the trigger again and again, Two Face began to curse.
"No, freak…you lose."
Two Face threw the useless gun down and ran at the figure. The figure stepped forward, clicking a hidden button on one of his batons and hitting Two Face in the chest with it. The electricity flowed down out of the baton and into Two Face, who immediately dropped to the ground shaking from the massive jolt, but still breathing. Standing over him, the figure spun his head as the flashing red and blue lights slid around the corner a few blocks away. Reaching down, the figure effortlessly lifted Two Face up onto his shoulder.
Commissioner Gordon around the dead bodies, his paper cup of coffee long ago turned cold. Evidence techs moved around him circling the dead bodies in chalk and lifting up anything that looked like evidence. He heard the flutter land behind him.
"Commissioner."
"So where have you been?"
"Scarecrow had taken hostages in the University Chemical Lab."
Gordon turned to look at Batman.
"I hope he wasn't too hard, cause by the looks of it, you're not done for the night."
"Far from it. These are Two Face's men."
"We know, but where the devil is Two Face?"
Gordon turned back to the crime scene.
"If a rival gang did this, I doubt that they would leave him breathing."
"I'll see what I can find."
"Good. And if you need any--"
Gordon turned back around, but Batman was gone. Gordon just shook his head and sipped his cold coffee.
Two Face awoke, his head throbbing. He tried to move his arms, but found the were tied to his sides. Opening his eyes, Two Face looked directly across at the upside down image of the figure that had attacked him. He quickly realized that he was hanging from a antenna tower on the roof of some building. He looked up and saw he was slowly swinging back and forth over a twelve story drop.
"Who are you? What have we done to you?"
"My name is irrelevant to you. And you have done more than enough to warrant what is about to happen. You are about to become the first example to all the killers, rapists, and freaks in Gotham city. The Bat you all feared so much is nothing compared to the wave of violence that is going to sweep through this city and clean it of it's infection."
Reaching into his jacket the figure pulled a knife out, bringing it down to the taut rope keeping Two Face suspended. The whiz of the Batarang cut through the air, knocking the knife out of the figures hand.
"Enough."
The figure stood and slowly turned to face the other dark figure, the cape slowly flapping in the breeze.
"Ah, the Bat. I wondered if I would see you tonight. I was rather hoping you would simply sit back and enjoy the show."
"Murder is not a show."
"No…not murder…justice."
"Who are you?"
"You know, it took me a long time to figure out a name. I thought maybe, Gravedigger, but that just sounded stupid. Retribution sounded a little better, but still…then it came to me…Lethal. Simple and to the point."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Because no one else will."
Lethal stared at Batman, his eyes beginning to show fire.
"The police are inept and corrupt. And you…you simply won't do what needs to be done. Something that could be done so easily. But no, you refuse to do what has to be done. You believe in reform. That these freaks and scum can be turned back into normal, regular Joe's and Jane's. But they can't. The only way to protect those who are innocent is to end those who aren't. Gotham's tolerance for injustice has been filled. And I'm the one who is going to show these people that there is someone who is willing to help them."
"You're insane."
Lethal laughed.
"No…not quite. And look who's talking. I'm not the one dressed as a giant bat."
"I am going to stop you."
Batman could almost see Lethal grin behind his mask.
"Oh, really?"
Both men instantly moved. Batman pulled a batarang out and flung it as Lethal pulled a pistol and one of his batons. Swinging up, Lethal knocked the batarang away, then spun and fired his pistol. But not at Batman. The bullet flew through the air, slicing the rope holding Two Face over the edge of the building. The rope immediately zipped forward, gravity sending Two Face head first towards the ground below.
Batman sprinted forward, diving off of the edge of the building, following after the rope. Lethal stared calmly as he watched Batman disappeared over the side, then slowly slid the pistol and baton back in their holsters. Batman soared downward, reaching out, trying to grab the rope as he reached to his belt, grapping the grappler, spinning and firing. Five floors to go. Lethal looked over the edge at the grapple soared over the edge, catching onto the side of the building next to him.
Batman grabbed the rope, twisting it around his wrist as the grappler went taut. Groaning at the strain, Batman grit his teeth as the rope dug into his forearm and wrist. Two Face slowly wavered back and forth, mere feet above the concrete below. Clapping slowly echoed down to Batman. Looking up to the roof, Batman stared as Lethal clapped his hands together.
"Not bad, Batman. But this is your one and only warning. Stay out of my way, or next time, I won't aim at the rope."
Disappearing back from the edge of the roof. Batman stared up, gritting his teeth harder. We'll see.