Batman:
Warzone
The TV flipped from channel to channel rapidly. "In other news-" the channel changed again.
"Presidential polls show Presidential Candidate Lex Luthor has won the Iowa primary.-" channel changed.
Alfred Pennyworth stepped forward and turned off the TV. "Master Damian, isn't it time for bed?"
Damian Wayne groaned. "It's not even eleven!" he protested.
"Master Damian, an eight year old boy must have plenty of sleep for productivity. And besides, it is a school night. Off to bed, now." Alfred replied.
Damian slid of the leather couch and walked into the broad doorway out of his father's study. Damian turned back to Alfred.
"What does my dad even do?" he asked.
Alfred sighed. "Your father; Master Damian," he said. "has probably the most important job in all of Gotham City."
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The tall, dark figure perched atop a roof scanned the streets below. Nothing, absolutely nothing was happening. A nagging feeling gnawed at Batman as he looked left and right. Four hours of sitting at this very spot, waiting for something to happen.
Soft raindrops landed on his cowl. As if the poly-tech alloy it was made of wasn't frigid enough. Suddenly, he heard it. The scream, his toned ears perked as he pinpointed the location of the noise.
When he located it, he launched himself from his perch and glided swiftly across the street and into a dark alley. There, he saw a woman being grabbed by a man in a mask and coveralls, in his hand was a broad knife.
Batman landed in front of them with a thud, the woman; paralyzed in fear stopped screaming and instead stared at the hulk of black fabric that landed in front of her and her attacker.
Batman stood up to his full six foot height, a full foot taller than the woman and half a foot taller than the man. Batman advanced slowly, his gauntleted hands and forearms tucked neatly away under his long flowing cape. The man grabbed the woman again. This time, her scream was shrill but was promptly silenced by the knife reaching her throat.
"Shut it, bitch." he hissed in her ear. "Go way, Bats! This ain't your business!" he shouted at Batman.
Batman scowled. "Big mistake." he said.
The man's eyebrows raised. "What?"
In the blink of an eye, Batman had surveyed the entire scene.
"I said, 'big mistake.'" Batman said again. "You are an amateur, you're more focused on making the cutting of the girl's throat clean. You want to appear like you know what you're doing but in reality, you really have no idea."
The man looked around nervously. "What are you talking about!?" he demanded.
Batman studied the assailant's chest. "Your heart rate has increased to 140 beats per minute. You are nervous. Do I frighten you?" he asked calmly.
The man began to tremble. "Yeah." he said nervously.
Batman gave him a small smile. "Good." he said.
The air around them filled with smoke. The man released his grip on the woman and focused on waving the knife around in the dense smoke. The dark figure of the Dark Knight lashed out towards him. The man screamed as he felt himself being lifted up several feet in the air.
When he finally opened his eyes, he was dangling upside down and staring at the very alley he once stood in.
The man screamed as he realized his predicament.
Batman suddenly dropped and then caught him again. "Quiet! Or I'll break every bone in your legs."
"What do you want!?" the man asked panicked.
"I've taken down twelve assailants dressed exactly the same as you, either you are in a gang or something else is going on, what is it!?" Batman asked in a raised voice.
"I don't know!" the man shouted back.
Batman dropped him onto the fire escape. He landed on his shoulder with a groan.
Batman stepped over him and picked him up by the straps of his overalls. "Who is behind the organized attacks?"
Batman heard the slight sound of urine running down the man's pant leg. Batman let out a shallow groan in disgust.
"It was Tetch! That's his name, right? Jervis Tetch!" the man said finally.
Batman let out a sigh. "Thank you." he said.
"S-so, you gonna let me go?"
"Yes."
The man screamed again as he was dropped off the fire escape, he was a mere five feet from hitting the cement alleyway ground when a strong bungee cable broke his fall.
Batman was long gone.
/
Bruce Wayne arrived back in his underground compound late after midnight. After he slipped from his gruff Batman persona and into his Bruce Wayne personality, he felt groggy and overall tired. Alfred was waiting by the elevator back into Wayne Manor, he too looked very tired.
"How did it go, Master Bruce?" Alfred asked.
Bruce yawned. "Mad Hatter is brainwashing street thugs to make then kidnap more 'Alice's' for him. Thing is, they act as if they haven't been brainwashed at all."
Alfred yawned too. "Mr. Tetch was always good at making people do what he wanted but make them think it's what they wanted."
Bruce waved one hand in the air. "Either way, I don't care right now. All I care about is one certain bed on the fourth floor."
Alfred nodded. "Right you are, sir."
