The Beginning
Bruce stood barefoot in the pool area of the mansion. He watched as the water rippled the stars above him. In his hand a small cup of tomato soup steamed around his face as he sipped it. Still looking at the water, he noticed the signal. Looking up into the sky, the Bat signal reflected off some misty clouds, he closed his eyes, and spoke to himself under his breath. "Again, again, maybe he was right, maybe this is an addiction, there are times I need this, need to feel the rooftops under my boots, and other times its horrible." Bruce padded towards the mansion placing the cup awkwardly on a table. He glanced at the soup as it spilled, it reminded him of a blood pattern. He thought as he ran to the glass patio door. "I am addicted, I am."
Batman was now in a run, dodging objects in the cave. A huge penny, a bin of multicolor titanium wire used by the Joker, he ran harder and harder. Alfred stepped aside as the Batman approached. "I take it your in a unusual mood?" Batman skidded to a stop at the butler. "I am angry, I hate when someone points out my faults, especially a nutcase." Alfred smiled slightly and crooked his head. Master Bruce, we all have faults, even you, remember you still cant ride a bicycle!" Batman stopped suddenly and spun to look at his friend. Then, a broad smile stretched across his face. He was now calm, or at least calmer. "Yes I remember, and thank you for reminding me." A black gloved hand reached and selected a switch on a large control panel. Piercing screams of metal echoed in the cave as hundreds of Bats flew in all directions. One car after another rolled past Batman on chain tracks. He waited till his oldest and favorite car stopped at his feet.
"Hello old friend he whispered to the car." Alfred placed a small parcel in the passenger seat. "A small meal, you need food, no fast food, even if the restaurants give it to you free." Batman buckled the seat belt and moved the bag to the floor. "I don't eat at fast food…well not often." Alfred smirked as the cars jet turbines whined and the car launched out the tunnel.
Inspector Oran looked closely at the sleeping bear in the cage. He was told to meet the Batman here and again, he felt the creeps. The bear licked its mouth as it narrowed its gaze on the Detective. Oran made a face at the bear as Batman appeared from the darkness. Oran screamed seeing the figure approach. "OH SHIT, you scared the crap out of me, good jeez make a noise or something!" Batman smiled but didn't say anything since it was dark Oran could not see his grin. Oran dug through his pocket and produced a small cell phone in a zip lock bag he held it towards Batman as he spoke. "This was found in the front seat of a patrol car. The boys had stopped to investigate a body found in an alley and when they got back to the unit, this was there."
Batman took the phone and looked closer at it. Oran moved into the light and away from the bears cage. "Its been dusted and they didn't find jack, and we didn't activate it, I thought you might be able to get more information from it than we can."
Batman saw the jigsaw symbol on the bag written in red paint. He removed the phone from its bag and located the power button. "Thank you Oran, I am going to turn it on when your gone, if it's a bomb, I wouldn't want you hurt." Oran looked confused at first then a chill ran up his spine. He knew Batman dealt with the serious crazy's and a bomb wouldn't be to far fetched. Oran moved quickly towards the zoo exit. "Thanks, um, I will be in touch." Batman watched as the Detective walked quickly, then run to his car. When he was out of site, Batman activated the phone. The device began to glow blue, then a text message appeared.
"Hello Batman, somewhere in the city a man sits looking at his addiction, and has a simple choice, refuse the urge, or die. If he can beat his addiction, you will receive no more messages on this phone, if he succumbs to it, you will receive directions to reach him and stop his death. Remember Batman, nothing is as easy as it appears, you choose the path you take, and the consequences that occur, again you can stop yourself and end your own addiction, the choice is yours."
With a growl of frustration Batman ran to the car and jumped in, his foot landing on the ignition trigger. The massive black automobile screamed to life. But…he had no where to go, just sit and hope, he stared at the phone and waited with a grim foreboding feeling.
Barry Potter awoke in a sitting position, his head swam as he shook it to clear his sight. He sat before a Sigma standard slot machine, its lights winked at him, also around him where buckets and buckets of quarters. The last thing he remembered was drinking his rum and coke and thinking he could get back the money he had lost in Black Jack. Then…this bewildering situation. He was locked into a seat by metal bands and a collar was around his neck. It was quiet, except for the light chimes of the slot machine but something echoed to his right. He turned as best he could and watched as a small doll on a tricycle rolled out from the shadows. Its puppet mouth moved as a recording played.
"Hello Barry, you have spent most of your life gambling. Gambling your savings, gambling your health. Everything is a bet. Now you have the chance to end this, end the addiction. Before you set's a slot machine, and around you the coins to feed it. All you need to do is not play the machine for one hour. One hour and you will be free."
Barry grabbed at the metal colored and bindings that held him in place. Above the slot machine a small television sparked to life. On the screen, his wife and seven year old son sat tied up in the back seat of a car. The camera panned back, the car was wedged in a auto crusher. He yelled "Let me go you damn freak, I wont gamble, you will lose." The puppet continued.
"If you play, every time you lose, your collar constricts, every time you win the crusher closes on your family. If you pull the lever and get three cherries, you will be released, but your family dies. Win or lose, you decide."
Barry laughed out loud, and picked up a coin. "I aint playing, you loser, I can beat this and you." He watched his family struggle and with out knowing why or how, he casually dropped the quarter in the slot. "Oh no, no." He sat a moment and refused to pull the lever. Suddenly the lever yanked downward by itself, and the tumblers spun. A cherry, a lemon, and a grape landed. The collar clicked tighter and Barry began to sweat.
Batman sat looking upward into the night sky. He repeated the word "addiction" over and over in his head. He closed his eyes just a moment to relax when the phone chirped loudly causing him to jump. He flipped the device open and read the text message.
"Proceed down Wilson Parkway and turn right on Medford, follow Medford one mile East."
The massive black auto's tires squealed as Batman floored the accelerator. He knew Gotham better then anyone, and made a sharp left down an alley, a short cut to Medford avenue. Garbage cans and debris flew in all directions as Batman held the car to within inches of the alley walls. In moments, he was on Medford avenue heading East when the phone sparked to life again.
"Follow Medford Avenue to Bruceville avenue, go right on Pill Street."
Batman slipped his right foot upward and slammed it down. The small panel on the top of the accelerator engaged the auxiliary jet and the car screamed faster. As he approached Pill Street, Batman had to hit the drift just right or he would slide into the bay. The car groaned and rubber yelled as it tried to grip cobble stones. Rocks and garbage shot into the bay as the car slid into a controlled right drift.
"Follow Pill Street to Amsterdam Auto Wrecking yard."
As the car roared down Pill Street as people ran out of the way of the black automobile. Batman remembered Amsterdam Auto had gone bankrupt many years ago, it was a perfect location for what Jigsaw did. The gates loomed ahead, locked with a massive lock and chain. Batman aimed the massive car at the gateway and crashed into the gates hurling them to the side.
The sound of gravel crunching under the cars tires echoed off rows and rows of flattened autos. Batman didn't have time to search everywhere and had already planned what to do. Reaching across the ornate dash, he flipped a small panel up. Beneath it a round green screen popped to life. Twisting a small dial, Batman scanned for heat signatures. A white line spun on the screen as the auto searched for heat sources. Three blips appeared with a chime. "One in front of me in the building, two on the other side of the yard." Climbing out of the auto, he glanced around and saw fresh tire tracks. He made a mental note to look at them later.
In the dark far to his right, someone watched his every move.
Batman walked to the building looking at the boarded windows then stopped. He thought to himself. "All new wood, seems someone wants me to use the door and not a window. OK, I'm game." The doorway was open and a long hallway stood in front of the Dark Knight. It was dimly lit but Batman could make out a door at the end. He started to step into the building and remembered something Jigsaw had said.
"you choose the path you take, and the consequences that occur, again you can stop yourself and end your own addiction, the choice is yours"
Carefully, Batman reached behind to the small of his back and retrieved a tether cannon. With a flip of a small button he deactivated the charge and pulled several yards of monofilament line out. He gripped the metal grappling hook and tossed it down the length of the hall. Slowly, the line settled to the floor, except where it landed on trip wires. The Dark Knight smiled slightly and yanked the cord. The bronze hook slid across the floor pulling the wires as shotgun blasts ripped up the floor and walls.
"Nice try…old school, but nice try." The Dark Knight walked in slowly still cautious of his surroundings. A sound caught his attention, the sound of a…slot machine. He checked the door and found no traps and with a kick sent it flying open. A man strapped into a chair turned his head and screamed. "Holy shit help me, this nutcase is gonna kill my family, I cant stop playing!"
Batman moved around Potter and examined the death device. Gears where everywhere, some moved some spun, others just sat there. Batman realized most where for show, they served no purpose. He ran a finger down from Potter's neck to his back and under the chair. The main control ran under the chair and into the slot machine. As he discovered this, Potter gagged as the neck vice closed tighter and Batman heard another sound, a sound of a woman and child screaming. Reaching into a holster on his boot, Batman pulled out a "Leatherman" tool and popped open a screwdriver.
Potter screamed as the tumblers stopped on three lemons. He watched as the crusher close a little more on his family. "Dear god do something!" He yelled at Batman. The Dark Knight gripped the panel as began to pry it open when he stopped. He glanced inside as saw the small hair like trip wire. "Son of a bitch, tricky little nut case." With care, Batman unhooked the wire and removed the panel. Again many gears and dials spun, lights blinked but Batman was now on to Jigsaw.
The machines wheels spun and landed on an odd trio, and again Potter gagged. Batman glanced up and saw he had maybe three more pulls of the lever and he would choke to death. Concentrating on the slot machine, the Dark Knight was stunned to see a package of plastic explosives which would have detonated if the trip wire had been pulled. Wires also ran from the bomb all over the inside of the machine.
Another pull of the lever and Potters screamed as he heard the rear window of the car burst, his family crying. "Dear god kill me but save them!" The lever pulled on its own and Potter lost, a click and the collar closed tighter. Now Potter was gasping for air. The lever dropped and Batman watched as the wheels stopped on one cherry, then two, then…
