Gothic Batman
Prologue
It was nearly dawn at this point, the sun was beginning to rise over the horizon and slight slithers of sunlight began to pour in through the blinds. Dust and fluff swirled and danced in the beams of light like a constellation.
The young man seated at the desk began to relax at this sight: his shoulders lowered and his face uncontorted itself. He still shivered as he sipped his steaming hot coffee.
Another man stood in the room, over in the corner. A polar opposite to the other; he was totally relaxed, leaning against the wall with a cigarette almost completely burnt to the butt. He brought the coffee to his face and blew into the mug as his glasses steamed up. He took a single sip and his face creased in disgust. With one hand, he placed the mug down on the table beside him, with the other he wiped his moustache.
He took one last drag of his cigarette, before dropping it inside the mug and pulling another from a box he took out of his pocket. Before lighting another, he stepped over to the young man.
Holding the box out, he silently offered a cigarette to the boy, who was still shivering. A silent wave of the hand was the decline from the boy.
"Detective... is my friend okay?" The young man asked tentatively. The detective lit his cigarette and took a deep drag and exhaled before answering.
"He should be. You two are lucky..."
About as lucky as any two young boys could be in your situation, he thought to himself.
"Your safe in here now. It's day time, he won't get you now - he won't dare come through the bullpen to get you. Now why don't you tell me what happened son?" The officer asked with genuine kindness. The boy looked back slightly confused.
"...it was... the Bat. Except there... there was two of 'em!"
"Two?"
Chapter one
The sun had set on another day of poor leads. The Gotham Police Department were now not only being shown up by one nocturnal creature, but two. The news of two young muggers attacking a family exiting a cinema, then being set upon by another predator had hit the news papers fast. It was official: Gotham was getting an infestation of bats and not the regular sized kind.
Obviously, the news papers spun it that the 'Batman' turned vigilante had finally gotten a taste for blood. But one detective knew better - or hoped for better.
A building a few blocks away and within eyeshot of the police station was broadcasting the evening news on a huge public TV billboard - reporting on the attack the previous night. The detective making his way to the roof had no need to pay attention to their conjecture; he had been at the scene, spoken to the witnesses, victims and seen the body - or what was left of it. Again smoking his cigarette, he carefully made his way up the rain soaked steps to the floodlights atop the the prescient. After switching the light on and aiming it at the night sky, he extinguished his cigarette and lit yet another. Taking a few nervous drags of his self prescribed anxiety relief, he wondered if what he was about to do was a good idea. Though being a latterly thinking man, he thought the sooner he tried, the sooner he could get in from the pouring rain.
The detective then pulled a bat shaped metallic totem from his pocket and placed it over the fog light in an attempt to create a signal in the sky. With nothing more to do but wait, he leaned on the railing and tried to admire the lights and splender coming from the Gotham City skyline. Moments later, the detective looked up surprised by how quickly the rain had subsided.
"You know smoking kills?" A deep, ominous almost artificial voice asked from behind the detective. Slightly startled, he pulled for his gun and pointed at the figure stood behind him.
What appeared to be a tall half man, half bat creature stood completely composed in an almost statuesque stance before him, with broad shoulders of an unnatural physique. Long and harsh pointy protrusions came from the 'mans' head - weather they were ears or horns were unclear. Serious brooding eyes stared at the detective. It was unclear where his forehead started and his nose began, but his nose was as pointed as his apparent horns. A shiny bat symbol glistend on his chest in the same manner as his head. Finally, a long ominous cloak flapped in the wind to complete his ensemble, complete with a stiff and metallic collar behind his neck. The only natural part of his person was his exposed mouth that implied he was at least partly human.
"Damnit!" The startled detective exclaimed angrily and then slowly began to laugh as he holstered his weapon.
"You know, I could have shot you?"
"It would have taken more than one shot to take me down..." The figure said taking one step forward out of the shadows. The officer took a cautious step back and placed his hand over his weapon.
"I see you've found another use for the tracker I gave you, Detective Gordon." The Bat said as he looked up, admiring the signal in the sky, then back down at the fog light.
"I figured if you had a way of contacting me, it would only be fair I could contact you..."
"What is it you wanted detective?"
"What I wanted was to know why I have half a man downstairs in my morgue, one in the hospital and another in holding saying he was attacked by two Bat monsters in the night!" Gordon shouted with the anger of a confused man who was used to having all the answers.
"I'm handling it..."
"I don't give a fuck what you're handling, I want answers! Where you there last night?" Gordon interrupted.
"What do you think?"
"What do I think?" Gordon laughed to himself and turned away to look at the city.
"I think I have six mutilated bodies, an eye witness who says he saw two bat like creatures fight and a suspect who fits the description who's stood with me. Tell me what I should be thinking here..." Gordon was seeming tired now.
"Do you think it was me?"
"I don't know what to think... that's why I called you here. Look, I know you told me never to ask you how you get your information, how you catch the bad guys but... I need to know now..." The two stood in silence. The Bat creature seemed to look down as if he were listening to someone else.
"For the past two weeks I've been tracking a giant bat across Gotham..." Gordon let out a sigh of relief and turned to face the Bat.
"A copycat?" Gordon asked.
"Not likely. He seemed to always be one step ahead of me. The only way I knew it existed was because more bodies kept appearing. It felt less like I was hunting... and more like I was prey. Until I finally saw it eating another victim. I tried to sneak up on it but somehow, it heard me coming. But last night, I got it. It attacked the family before I could get there. Luckily one of the muggers attacked it, probably saved the mother a daughter's life. I got there just before he killed him two. We fought, it over powered me, but not before I managed to get a sample of its blood..."
"You're kidding! Of course you're not... can I have it?" Gordon asked.
"Here's a sample." The Bat held out its clawed hand and passed a small vial of blood to the detective.
"It will take awhile to test..." Gordon started.
"I already did my own. It's of a human male, but it shows signs extensive modification to its Y chromosome and alterations to... Basically it's been crossed with a bat. My guess is a vampire bat."
"Who could have done something like this?" Gordon asked with bewilderment.
"We'll find out soon. I've been trying to reconstruct what's left of the human DNA. It should be ready for analysis soon."
"Then you can find out who he is, or was?" Gordon asked, trying to be involved in the mostly one sided conversation.
"Exactly! But I'm not going to wait any longer. I'm searching for him. I found a body inside one of the sewer outflows... Also I found one of your missing persons. It's the body of a Teresa May, I left her body in the pipe outside of Falcone's shipping docks. What was left of her body matched the damage delt to the other victims. I'm heading into the sewers."
"Good. Saves us going down there. I'll take a team to the that outflow to fish for the dodg. Let me know if you find anything else." Gordon exclaimed now more relaxed.
"I take it you trust me now?" The Bat asked, Gordon chuckled in response.
"I'll never trust you as long as you where that mask. I don't even know your name..." Gordon turned, leaned on the railing and watched the news on the billboard.
"You know what the news papers have taken to calling you?" Gordon waited for a reply, then turned to see he was now alone.
"...made a deal with the devil..." Gordon said as he lit yet another cigarette. He continued to watch the news.
We have confirmed reports that the bat creature that has been killing residents of Gotham is not in fact the Batman, but yet another man sized bat creature. Find out more in the morning issue of the Gotham Gazette entitled 'Man-Bat'...
"How the hell did they find that out before us? Shit the reporters are better informed than us..."