DC Redux Presents: Batman - Distinct Similarity
By Ivan Krolo
"Be careful with those canisters!"
"I am! Stop repeating yourself like some fool!" Kaito snaps at Ryo, his face forming a scowl at his long time partner as he hands him another canister of chemicals after accidentally scraping it against the side of the roof window.
"I wouldn't repeat myself if you were more careful!." Ryo snaps back at him while placing the canister carefully into one of the three briefcases placed mere paces away from the window. "This stuff could kill us if it got out! What's the matter with you?!"
"Alright, alright! I'm sorry!" Kaito yells back from inside the lab as he grabs another canister and begins climbing back up the ladder. "I just want to get out of here, okay? I don't like being out here, especially not in this city."
"What," He kneels next to the opened window and smirks at his paranoid partner-in-crime. "You're afraid of this... 'Bat-Man' they're talking about? Is your grandmother's superstition rubbing off on you?"
"I'm not scared of turning into a pig after lunch if that's what you mean," Kaito climbs back up, handing another canister with more care this time. "But you must've heard the rumors, right? This guy's been going attacking everyone lately. The Irish, the Russians, the Mexican Cartels, hell, just thinking about what he did to the Italian's makes my skin crawl."
"Please," He takes the canister and places it into the second briefcase, sealing it. "Its just a bullshit scare tactic, everyone one, us included uses them. This 'Bat-Man's' just another one of those, not some demon from another world who's gonna eat your soul. Next time Arata tries to freak you out with that crap, smack him in the face."
"Wise advice," An older, sterner voice, belonging to their kyodai or 'big brother' Juro. "One I suggest you both heed, you're wasting precious time running your mouths instead of doing your job. The master abhors having his time wasted, do you wish to anger him?"
"N-no sir!" Both of them stammer in unison and begin to pick up the pace when Jino, another one of shatei or 'little brothers' assigned to form a perimeter on the nearby rooftops screams into his microphone. A blood chilling cry followed by nothing but a few moments of awkward silence for everyone there. Until another one cries out. Then another, and another. Gunshots follow suite, their noise ringing in the ears of both Kaito and Ryo as they observe split second flashes of the weapons go off all around them before falling silent, along with their bearers.
"Ryo... " Kaito whispers to his bewildered friend as frantically climbs up the ladder, and grabs his frozen friend by the shoulders. "Ryo! Snap out of it! We've gotta get the hell out of here before we're next!"
"B-but... the canisters... "He stammers barely registering the shake as he looks around the silent rooftops of the city, once inhabited by guards meant to protect them, now seemingly empty. "The boss will..."
"Won't be getting them anyhow," A new voice speaks to both of them over the frequency thought only available to Yakuza members. A low, growly voice, almost at the pitch of a whisper. "Don't bother running either, you can't escape me."
Despite every instinct in their bodies telling them to run as fast and as hard as they possibly can, the two instead find themselves drawn to a massive, looming shadow cast over them and onto the ground at their feet. They spin around to find him soaring across the sky toward them with the billboard and nightlife of Tokyo casting the aforementioned shadow of his figure on them.
Clad in a black, wing-shaped cape spread, covering everything but the protruding ears on his head, his white eyes and the Yakuza member ensnared in his choke hold. The Bat-Man throws an unconscious and beaten Juro at their feet. The two can only scream in terror as he finally comes for them.
"Fancy a spot of tea with the sandwich, Master Bruce?" Inquires Alfred as he stands at the kitchen counter of the 26-year-old corporate heir, and infamous vigilantes, Tokyo penthouse. A safe haven recently purchased by the said heir for when he has some business, in both of his personas, in the capital of the land of the rising sun.
From the shadows, the owner appears, sitting down at one of the counter chairs with a smile on his face as he slides off the bat-shaped cowl off it.
"If you ever want a change of career Alfred, teaching some thugs how to know when I'm skulking around would pay pretty well these days." He takes off the dirty, purple gloves off his hands and washes them in the sink. His voice somewhat hoarse.
"And miss all the fun of fixing you up after a nights job well done? Never, here," He hands the salami sandwich to Bruce before turning his attention to the whistling tea cooker next to him. "Eat, you need to keep your strength up."
"I don't suppose you could make me some-"
"Coffee?" He interjects, putting the steaming liquid into a cup. "At nearly 5 AM? Not a chance. Besides, tea is quite helpful for throat aches, help you could certainly use Master Bruce."
"Don't remind me," Bruce rubs the body part in question after a somewhat painful swallow. "The voice gets the job done but you won't hear me complain when Lucius finally gets that voice modifier complete."
"And how fortuitous was your latest escapade?" Alfred hands him the cup just as he finishes the sandwich. "Given by your lack of wear and tear, I'd wager it went quite well."
"They still don't believe I exist, which is fine by me," He takes a sip of the tea. "The stupider they stay, the better it is for me. The downside of them being stupid is that... Well, let's just say they aren't great sources of information. Especially the low-level grunts I stopped tonight."
"Never underestimate small beginnings, Master Wayne, great things tend come from them."
"Black Mask would agree with you," Bruce finishes his cup and rises from the chair, heading to his office with Alfred following closely behind. "At least, if the rumors about him are true. Not that I have much reason to doubt the convincing ones. He's not the first or last guy to claw his way to power from the streets."
They reach the office with Bruce halting at a painting of his parents decorating the wall. Hidden behind it, an eye scanner emits a faint light and with a clicking noise, identifies him as the genuine Bruce Wayne. The wall slides open with a click, revealing a stand for his bat suit.
"He's shrewd one," Bruce takes off the cape and cowl first. "Stealing Lambert Chemicals hidden military project to get a hold over Lamber Junior is clever. If one of those canisters got used and people found out who made it, the PR nightmare would ruin them in a matter of weeks."
"Better to have you destroy them than let the fall into the wrong hands, sir."
"No argument here," He un-holsters his yellow belt and places it at one of the stands to the side. "I might not be able to control what other companies make, but I can keep weapons like these off the market, at least."
"Something I'm sure a great many are grateful to you for, sir, even if they don't know it yet." He immediately notices the smell coming from the young master's feet as he removes his boots. "And on that, I shall get the bath ready, for all our sakes. It should give you plenty of time pick your next target once this Black Mask business is dealt with."
"I'm partial to the Bratva for now," Bruce smirks as he takes the chest piece off. "But I hear the Cartels would love to have me visit again."
"Oh I've no doubt of that Master Bruce," Alfred sarcastically quips from the office door. "After all, who doesn't love an uninvited guest who costs you hundreds of millions in illegal drugs."
"Alfred," Bruce calls out to him just before he vanishes behind the door. "Could you get a movie for me ready? Something to help me relax."
The butler gives him an even look. "You're not watching Grey Ghost or Independence Day."
"Alfred-"
"No, I believe something more... contemplative will suffice, something to soothe you to sleep, Diamonds Are Forever perhaps?"
Bruce looks his dearest and oldest friend in the eye as if he just punched him in the stomach. "That's just cruel Alfred."
His butler takes another whiff of the horrid smell spreading throughout the room and tells him one last thing before leaving it. "So is that stench, Master Wayne."
Well accustomed to his butler's witty retorts, Bruce takes no offense but merely laughs as he discards the final pieces of his elaborate suit off, delicately placing them in the small storage vault built inside the wall. Just before closing it, he glances at a copy of the newspaper article on Gotham's day of triumph, the day his alliance with James Gordon and Harvey Dent brought down organized crime in Gotham after two years of hard work.
Two years of gathering evidence, interrogation, sneaking and jumping off of rooftops all finally culminating in a healthy Gotham. One where real progress could happen without the corrupt officials and their mob bosses dragging the good people down into the gutter to die. A better future dreamed by Martha and Thomas Wayne finally taking shape on the foundations of this success. Crime still exists there, but the Gotham that made men such as Joe Chill is gone.
But there are more places like Gotham still, more Joe Chill's being made every day in every country and in every city. The mission is greater than the 8-year-old boy who wore revenge on all criminals could've possible comprehended, greater than Gotham, but that's fine. Bruce Wayne and Batman both are ready to take it on, together and on both fronts.
If you wish to know the origins of DC Redux' globe-trotting, Diamonds Are Forever loathing Batman, then stay tuned for his upcoming on-going series titled Knight Errant! The first arc of which will show the origins of this new, different Dark Knight and pits him against his first, major adversary!