Batman: Loose Ends
CHAPTER TWO: Courthouse Chaos
Bruce walked down the passage of Wayne Manor, until he stopped by an old grandfather clock. He turned to it and ran his hand down the side. A mechanical voice responded to the action:
"Figure-print scan: positive identification: Bruce Wayne."
The clock slid sideways and revealed a stone stairway leading into darkness. Bruce stepped inside, the clock sliding shut after him. He looked across the expanses of the Bat Cave. Bats flittered across the huge cavern. The billionaire sighed, jugging down the staircase, passing a bulky shape under a tarpaulin. He stopped by a glass display cabinet and stared in at his black body armoured costume: the costume of The Batman.
Moments later, the fully costumed Batman strode across the cave, strapping shuriken, a grappling cable and various other devices onto his utility harness. He reached the hidden shape and cast off the tarpaulin. The Tumbler, his trusty so- called "Batmobile", a high speeds tank from Wayne Enterprise's R&D Division, was parked before him. The Dark Knight seemed to smile as he ran his hand along the car's side and the armoured doors slid open. He slipped into the cockpit, the door sliding shut automatically, and looked down the runway towards seemingly solid rock.
"Alfred. Open Standard Door A1," He grunted into the Tumbler's communications system.
"Certainly, sir," Came Alfred's voice through the speakers. The supposedly solid rock at the end of the runway slid aside to reveal a waterfall. Bruce stepped on the Tumble's accelerator. At speeds nearing one hundred and fifty, the Batmobile rocketed ahead and off the runway, splashing through the waterfall onto a country track. He raced down various lanes and over a massive hill, dropping onto the Gotham Express Way, leading directly to and from the city. The Tumbler raced down the bustling road, swerving to avoid cars.
"Alfred, patch me through to police frequency," Commanded the Dark Knight, steering his vehicle narrowly between a lorry and some kind of old Ford.
"Yes, Master Wayne," Responded the butler in his cockney accent, "Police scanner coming right on, sir."
There was an unhealthy crackling from the speakers and police news came through.
"Requesting back-up at the Courthouse! Some psychos just showed up tryin' to kill Anatoli Knyazev! I repeat, we need back…"
The request was cut short by sounds of gunfire. Batman bit his lip and drove faster, one thought on his mind: Rachel was at the courthouse… if he didn't get there in time, he'd have to suffer through the death of another loved one. That wasn't an option!
The courthouse was in chaos. The main chamber was burning, strewn with bullets. Policemen, jurors and onlookers lay dead everywhere, alongside various gangsters. Victor Zsasz and two masked men with automatic shotguns stood in the chamber. As Batman perched on the roof, looking through a skylight, he recognised the weapons with dread. They were the lethal tools the psychotic racist cult leader, Aaron Bunch, alias White Eyes, had equipped his men with. The Dark Knight looked closely at the chaos, among the survivors, who were now huddled in a corner. Thank God. He allowed himself a brief smile: Rachel Dawes was alive, comforting two sobbing women… but there was no sign of Anatoli Knyazev, the Russian that he had beaten at the docks.
Batman took two shuriken from his utility harness, aiming carefully. He'd have to release two perfect shots. He took a deep breath and hurled the shuriken through the skylight! Glass hailed down on the hostage takers, the shuriken burying themselves in either gunman's kneecaps. They collapsed, howling in pain.
Victor Zsasz, in a vest to show off his scarred arms- knife wounds in a tally to record the scores of innocents he'd murdered- looked up at the glaring spectre above him, teeth gritted, fists clenched. The serial killer raised his knives purposefully.
"Zsasz," Growled The Batman.
"Batman," Came the reply, "I'll enjoy killing you."
The Dark Knight Detective dived through the frame where once the skylight was held. He dropped, headfirst, loosing a shuriken. Zsasz stepped aside coolly to avoid the projectile and Batman landed on the palms of his hands, cart-wheeling into a standing position.
"You're going back to Arkham for good this time, you maniac," Spat the vigilante, "No more killing!"
Zsasz ran at Batman, stabbing forwards. Batman ducked so the blade merely nicked his shoulder, then rammed his knee into Zsasz's groin, punching him across the face, the killer's nose breaking on impact!
Zsasz staggered back… and hurled the knife from his left hand. Batman somehow caught it by the hilt and rammed the blade into a wall, trapping it. Then Zsasz ran at him, laughing manically. The Caped Crusader somersaulted to avoid his attack and struck the back of Zsasz's head with his heel, cracking his jaw against the trapped knife's handle.
"Your mine, Victor!"
Batman caught Zsasz's right wrist, slamming his arm into a wall until the psychopath dropped his second knife, then punched him to the floor.
Zsasz lay on the ground, grunting, blood pouring down his face, choking. Batman stood for a moment over his semi-conscious opponent and turned to face the whimpering hostages.
"Everyone, please stay calm. There are more gunmen out at the front," He growled, "You'll have to stay here for a few minutes, but…"
Suddenly, they heard a barrage of forceful, rapid gunfire. Four men with automatic shotguns, lead by Jervis Tetch, a top hat- wearing sociopath with two of the high tech guns strapped to his shoulders, were striding down the corridor. Batman remembered his first fight with Tetch… it had been bad, but this… this was a worse situation.
"O.K, people. Stay calm. On my signal, run for the windows… try to climb out. I'll hold Tetch off as long as I can! Move… NOW!"
The Dark Knight sprinted into the corridor as the hostages hurried for the windows, guided bravely by Rachel. He darted at his opponents and dodged moments before the men released a stream of shells, smashing holes through walls.
Batman's foot slammed into the wall and he propelled himself up and down, kicking Tetch across the corridor. The two thugs fired at the speeding vigilante, blasting holes through the ceiling. Batman dodged and weaved, denying them a clear target, but soon he was tiring. He looked back and saw… at least fifteen hostages were still in the court room… he needed to buy more time!
The vigilante somersaulted and released a handful of smoke pellets, blinding the three gunmen in a swarm of smoke. Batman was like a wraith among his enemies, emerging only to knock them down! Soon, both henchmen lay defeated. As the smoke cleared, Batman was facing Jervis Tetch. Tetch aimed his gun precisely at the hero.
"Don't move," He said slowly.
"Give up, Tetch. Knyazev isn't in there," Batman growled.
"True," Grinned the maniac, "But he isn't the only man that Maroni's paying me to kill!"
Tetch fired rapidly into Batman's chest, tearing through the Kevlar enforced armour, blasting the Dark Knight into the courtroom. Rachel, now alone, stared at the wounded hero.
"Bruce…" She whispered. The Batman lay unconscious in a pool of his own blood. Tetch strode into the room, stirring Zsasz from his unconsciousness as hurried footsteps and shoots came from nearby.
"Vic! The cops're onto us! Come on!" Shouted Tetch. The two men glanced at Rachel, sobbing over Batman's corpse, and fled through an opposite window.
Rachel sobbed, as the fallen vigilante stirred weakly. He coughed up blood, staring through weak eyes at her.
"Rachel… get out of here…" He mumbled. A squad of police ran into the room, guns raised, led by Lieutenant James Gordon. They slowly lowered their firearms.
"Miss Dawes?" Gordon spoke quietly, "Is he alive?"
"Yes," She muttered, "Only just."
"Don't worry, miss. The action's over, and we'll make sure he gets proper medical attention," Said Gordon, "Paramedics are waiting out the front."
Moments later, two paramedics arrived and hurried Batman to an ambulance. The ambulance raced away, seemingly bound for Mercy General Hospital: it was minutes later, as the true Mercy General paramedics arrived, that Gordon realised the hospital was in the opposite direction to that which the ambulance had come and departed from…