ISSUE 1

The day had been slow and the night had rapidly dawned on the large city that was Gotham. The rain slowly came down onto the streets as Detective Ryan Connolly clocked off and exited the Gotham Central Police Department Head Quarters. The door swung shut behind him and he turned the collar up on his long brown trench coat, his navy blue tie flapping in the wind.

It had been one of the longest days he had experienced on the force. It wasn't that he'd been doing nothing all day, it was that it was the same mundane thing. Someone stabbed someone else and they always left a trail of blood behind them, it was far too easy.

He strutted down the stairs and onto the streets. Rain washed over his sandy brown hair as he turned around and made his way down the pavement. When he had signed up to the Gotham PD he hadn't expected it would be this mundane, although at least he wasn't sitting in his office everyday being overly bored.

Gotham wasn't exactly a nice place. It wasn't as shiny and new as Metropolis but it wasn't completely scummy. Sadly crime was rife and people were killed every day. His job was to clean up the mess, put the scumbag behind bars until he's released through corruption of the Police and then finish off the useless paperwork which wasn't really necessary but yet still mandatory.

Detective Connolly walked down the street and into a darker street which was right by his apartment building. He moved swiftly as he saw a group of teenagers standing in a huddle in the shadows. He saw smoke and a few bottles lying about, they were clearly drunk or high on some narcotics, in another city he would have called in for back up and arrested them but this was Gotham, he would have to let them go in a few hours after he had actually arrested them.

The boys turned their heads and started sneering. Ryan said nothing. All he did was part his jacket to show his large standard Police firearm in his shoulder holster and shiny golden Police badge attached to his black leather belt.

Instantly the boys turned away and he smiled. They were just kids pretending to be their criminal fathers but unlike their fathers, the badge actually intimidated them. Ryan did up his jacket and just continued onwards towards his apartment block door.

He opened it, feeling the cold metal of the wet door handle, and walked towards the set of concrete stairs. He walked up them, his legs starting to feel like lead after spending half the day on his feet and the other half sitting at his desk writing up paper work.

That was another thing he didn't expect when he signed up all those years ago, all the written work he had to do. But work wasn't the only thing he enjoyed, he also enjoyed the conspiracy side of being part of the GCPD, particularly the conspiracy of the Bat.

He whipped out his keys and quickly undid his wooden front door. He breezed into his apartment, closed the door and made sure every single lock was in place. Ryan's apartment wasn't big or lavish like the Wayne Manor, the largest Estate in Gotham, but it was enough to live in.

He kicked off his leather 'office' shoes at the door and his long brown trench coat on the hooks hanging alongside the door. The carpet felt fuzzy under his black sock covered toes as he walked down the corridor and towards the kitchen.

It was 10pm, late enough for a drink, after all he deserved it. He walked into the dull white kitchen and produced a small bottle of whiskey and a glass. He then turned and walked towards the small wooden table which sat by the only window it the kitchen. He liked this place, not because it was an actual seat without work but because of the window's view.

As soon as he slid the security shutters away he could look out of the glass panes and out onto the city. Up ahead was Wayne Tower, right in the centre of Gotham City and around that were large towering skyscrapers. From his window he could see the centre of Gotham, with the bright lights and the overly wealthy customers.

He did feel jealous for those people but what he mainly felt was pride. In all this grime, filth, crime and murder; they had managed to create a small patch of greatness unto which the rich of the planet could dine, dance and live in.

He looked out onto this view, feeling a bit more optimistic as he slowly poured whiskey into the glass and downed it in one. With Lieutenant Gordon taking the reins on Major Crimes Unit, things were looking more positive and were definitely showing in the success they were having with local cases.

He poured another into the glass when he heard someone cry out in the streets below. Acting out of instinct, Ryan un holstered his gun from his shoulder holster and opened his kitchen window. He looked down into the alley below to see the group of boys from earlier getting closer to two innocent women, looking very threatening.

Time for Action, he grinned to himself. In one fluid movement, he vaulted the window and touched down on the metal fire escape. He was as silent as possible as he made his way towards the ladder which lead to the ground, just behind the group of teens.

His feet hit the concrete and he held his gun out as he stealthily made his way up to the boys who were sneering and trapping the two women. One of the boys did something Ryan couldn't see, the woman screamed and Ryan decided to act.

"GCPD hands in the air!" he shouted as loud as he could.

The group of boys turned to see the Detective, one man on his own, holding a gun. That's when he saw them produce their small silver revolvers that glinted in the dim overhead lights.

"Come on then shit head cop!" one of the boys dressed in an bandana shouted, Ryan guessed he was the leader.

"I'm a Detective actually and you're under arrest for possession of an illegal firearm and assault," Ryan barked back. "Now put your hands in the air."

"No way mate!" another kid shouted.

The kid raised his gun and Ryan dived behind a large bin. The boy fired a bullet which imbedded itself in the brick wall.

That's it! he thought. In one fluid movement, Ryan cocked the gun and aimed it at the boy who fired at him. He shot him in the foot, the boy cried out and dropped to the floor. He then dove behind the bin and shouted again, "Anyone else want to fire at an officer of the law?"

Suddenly he heard the sound of shuffling and the sound of at least five hammers being pulled back; ready to knocked out a bullet at over 100 miles per hour.

Shit! Ryan turned around to see that three boys were in a line ready to fire directly at him while two others held the women hostage. I need back-up but there's no time.

He swallowed his fear and resisted the adrenaline and spun around the bin. He fired two bullets at the boys before they opened fire. Two of the front boys fell down in pain, he'd shot them in non-lethal areas; at least his name was still good. The boys were bad shots, bullets had gone everywhere but one had made it's make.

A single bullet had hit him in the shoulder and imbedded itself there. He cried out and collapsed against the bin, the warm crimson blood gushed from the wound and poured down his clothes.

He was bleeding and still the two women were being held hostage. "Let the women go!" he shouted, straining due to the gaping wound in his shoulder. "We can sort this out between us."

That was when he heard the sound of shrieking and grunting. He slowly looked around the heavy metal object and saw the final boy collapse in pain and the women scream at the great big beast that had freed them.

Ryan's face lit up as he saw what he had wanted to see for years. The Bat!

The great beast stood right in front of; finally!

The great beast had a cowl covering his face with short pointy ears and connected to that was a long billowing cape that looked like a living shadow and under that was a large Egyptian type collar with a large black emblem on it. His body was toned, muscular, and covered in what looked like black body armour. But his eyes, they were truly terrifying, they were blank and shining white.

The monster grunted and flicked his wrist, retracting the massive claws on the sides of his arms. He turned to the women, who shrieked and ran off. Ryan's eyes were glued to the massive creature who stared right back at him.

That was when the world starting blurring out. He was losing a lot of blood and it was painful. The world slowly turned back, the last thing he saw was the Bat running towards him.