The skies have opened and pour their laments onto the city below. Flashes of lightning illuminate a caped figure perched on the overhang of an old factory. The bright lights of the stores lining the streets and the flow of people have captivated the figure's attention. Or rather, one person has.
'Tch.'
The caped man jumps from his perch and runs across the rooftops, keeping pace with a man below who is pushing against the crowds. The man looks around wildly and catches sight of the caped crusader. His fear is evident and he races from the populated streets toward the alley. The backstreets of Gotham are a maze; the man is far more likely to escape detection in the grime than out in the open.
Thump. Someone lands behind the frenzied man.
A hand grabs the back of the man's collar and pulls him back so that he is face to face with the embodiment of darkness itself: The Batman.
'Where is he.' It was more than a statement than an actual question.
'I-I don't k-k-know…. please…. I-' The man pleaded desperately with the dark enigma.
'Where is he?' Batman repeated his question and yanked the man closer to his face. 'I won't ask again.'
'I've never met him before! I-I'm sorry sir! He told me to meet him at the old docking warehouses. Y-you know the ones? I mean, of course you do, you're the Batman. That's where I got the package. I don't know anything else!' The man babbled on, his eyes wide with fear.
Batman released the man, who landed with an ungraceful thump. A siren filled the air and flashing lights could be seen along the alley wall.
'Huh?' Disgruntled, the man turned toward Batman for guidance, but Gotham's defender had disappeared. Two policemen rounded the corner.
'Put your hands in the air and surrender your weapons!'
After having left the man in the hands of the police, Batman headed toward the waterfront district. The man was obviously nothing more than a pawn in the grand scheme of things.
BEEP BEEP
Batman's comm went off, ceasing its alarm as he answered.
'Master Bruce? Is everything alright? Reports of bombs have been broadcasted across the telly.'
'It's fine, Alfred. I'm tracking the Riddler down as we speak.'
'Ah, I see. Shall I send the Bat Mobile?'
'No need. I'm almost there.'
'*sigh* Then I will take the liberty of writing a check to the city's construction committee. Honestly, Master Bruce, have you no shame in desecrating the buildings you gallivant around and leap off of?'
Batman growled before shutting off his comm. The waterfront district was nearly in front of him. As he leaped over a narrow alley, he noticed one of the Riddler's henchmen.
After nabbing the man and a few well-placed punches, the unfortunate bloke spilled his boss' location. Batman circled the building that Riddler was supposedly in. Along one side of the roof, there were sky lights; almost all were broken or completely missing from their frames. Slipping in, Batman crept along the small ledge and positioned himself near the corner of the building. Peering from the shadows, he observed a commotion taking place.
It was a little hard to make out the exact words, but Batman was able to catch the gist of it: there had been a delay with the delivery (thanks to him) and the plan that Riddler had worked on was in shambles. The police were looking for him and the media had been alerted. While the Riddler usually enjoyed putting his puzzles out into the open, this one was supposed to be a surprise.
So he was throwing something akin to a fit.
'NO NO NO. That's WRONG! What do I pay you for? Why do I pay you? That's a good question. Very good. I'll kill you, then.' Bang. 'Now. Nownownownow what to do, what to do? Ah, I see! Of course!' Spurred on by sudden inspiration, the Riddler began feverishly working on…something. His body was positioned so Batman couldn't quite see what contraption his enemy was fiddling with. But enough was enough. The Riddler had been placing bombs around Gotham and needed to be stopped. Before he destroyed everything.
'Ah, the Batman! I was wondering when you would join us.' Riddler spun around and leered at Batman, who had dropped from his post. 'Do you have some time? I have a fanTAStic riddle I'd love to try out on you. Er, with you. That's what I meant.'
'No. This has gone on long enough. Your time is up. You will not succeed in harming this city or the people who live here. Not while I still live.' With that, Batman rushed the Riddler, who jumped out of the way and tossed some specialty ?s at him.
'Answer me THIS, Batman!' He cackled.
With a roar, Batman dodged the Riddler's attack and tossed a bat-a-rang. The Riddler blocked the projectile and danced away from the Caped Crusader all the while throwing out ?s.
It was a fierce battle. The Riddler had the upper hand; he knew the layout of the building better than his opponent and had weapons stashed everywhere. But Batman refused to give up, fighting back with all of his strength.
'Ah, lookit! It's almost time for the bombs to go off. What a shame. We were making such progress.' The Riddler had paused to look at a mounted clock that had begun to count down. With a shrug, Riddler suddenly lunged at Batman. 'Let's finish THISSS!'
10
Searching for a way to constrain the Riddler, Batman searched his surroundings and came up with something close to an actual plan.
9
While dodging the Riddler's attacks and attempts to coerce him, Batman raced back through the warehouse, tossing bat-a-rangs at the Riddler, who was slowed by injuries. Batman himself was beginning to feel the fatigue set in; he had not been able to dodge all of the Riddler's attacks.
8
As he raced by some crates with wires and hardware in them, he grabbed some cords and ducked into the shadows. The Riddler, who had not been far behind, cautiously peered into the shadows, holding his cane as he would a bat.
7
'Come out come out wherever you are' The Riddler sang, eyeing his surroundings.
6
Quickly, Batman stripped the cords of their rubber coat and strung the bare wires across two supporting poles that held up a banged up elevator shaft.
5
Batman moved between two towers of crates, where he was sure that Riddler would see him and follow. And follow he did. With the Riddler right on his tail, Batman leapt over debris and circled back to where he had strung the wires.
4
'You can't run forever!' Riddler screeched. Batman reached into his utility belt for one of his experimental electro-bat-a-rangs.
3
Batman headed straight for the supports he had rigged with wire and activated his bat-a-rang, hooking it onto the wires, dodged underneath at the last second, barely avoiding getting electrocuted. Riddler was not so lucky. The shadows had hidden the wires from him until it was too late.
GYAAAAAAHAAAAA!
2
A quick glance at the Riddler showed that he was out cold, at least for now. Batman threw one of his last bat-a-rangs at what could only be a control panel. With a droopy beeping, the numbers on the clock faded.
Batman let out a breath he didn't know he had been holding. Once again, Gotham was safe. He'd done what he'd had to do.
Sighing, Dr. Rheiddler pushed up his glasses and rubbed his eyes, sighing.
"How'd he do today?"
Looking up, Dr. Rheiddler saw Dr. Carr leaning against the door frame.
"It was…. interesting. As always. His imagination… it's… it's amazing really." Dr. Rheiddler stood up, grabbing the session notes. "I'll have the final report on your desk tomorrow."
"…I heard yelling."
"I guess some of my questions hit a nerve or two. I wish I could get more out of him, but after he retreats… it's hard." Dr. Rheiddler shook his head. Carr motioned for Rheiddler to walk with him.
"Ah, I forget you just joined us recently." Dr. Carr shook his head and laughed. "Bruce is pretty special. He completely lives in his head now. Gotham. He's the entity sworn to protect Gotham: Batman. And we doctors make cameos, of course."
"Why exactly is he here? I mean, this is a mental facility, but…"
"No, I understand. Bruce was fine until an accident occurred. You'll learn more when you get his patient file. Sorry 'bout that, by the way. There was a leak in the records room so everyone is kind of having to work around it. Our main objective is to get Bruce to understand that Gotham, that Batman is a figment of his imagination. We're trying to ground him back into this world. The real world. Of course, he'll fight us with everything he has. But this is for his own good. If he can't realize the truth, he'll keep retreating into himself until he is unable to even eat. According to some projections."
"That's going to take a gentle hand." Dr. Rheiddler mused to himself.
"Yes. We're not trying to hurt him, even if he thinks so. My assistant and I are the primary doctors for Bruce, but he'll be seeing you every week as well."
"Alright. I'll definitely read through his file when I get it."
"I'll warn you, it's pretty big." Dr. Carr paused as the two came to a split in the hall. "I have to get back to Eyve's office. She wants to go over reports. We'll talk later."
Rheiddler nods and watches Carr begin to walk off. "Ah, actually…"
Carr paused "Hm?"
"Who are you?" Rheiddler asked. "In Bruce's mind, I mean."
"Oh, me?" Carr laughed, though it lacked any humor. "You'll probably hear him mention me a lot in your sessions.
To him, I am the Joker."
