The following is a non-profit, fan work based off the respective works of Rei Hiroe and Christopher Nolan
All rights belong to the original creators, Warner Bros. Entertainment Inc., and Madhouse Inc.
The Bluefire Phoenix presents...
A File from Operation Dusk Hour...
Chapter VII: The Dark Knight Returns
Gotham's Narrows district was very similar to Roanapur. The smell of death and despair lingered in the air. Even the distant sound gunfire out in the distance seemed mundane and familiar. The cracks and peeling paint of the decaying buildings wouldn't be out-of-place. Thick smog wrapped around the buildings set of a pang of nostalgia in my gut.
The average mooks on the street eyed everyone with suspicion. Save for the ladies in fishnet stockings and halter tops that patrolled the street corners with guys in trench coats and thick gloves, both offering some sort of deal with passersby. Not a police officer in sight.
But for all the similarities, this was definitely not Roanapur. Sure the area was impoverished, crime was happening all over, and morality was just an illusion for the elite. These people though, they were not the walking dead as Revy called the denizens of Roanapur.
Unlike back home, these people had some sort of hope. They could find an honest day's work when the opportunity arose. They weren't surrounded by the world's worst criminals. They were just people trying to live the best they could.
Roanapur had some people like that, but Roanapur got to you eventually. I had to see that every morning in the mirror.
Revy and I were standing along the shore, each enjoying a cigarette. The sun was setting behind the city. It had been a day since we kidnapped Wayne's butler. Revy made sure to leave a calling card.
Thus far the billionaire had yet to file a missing persons report. He had probably gotten the message. I knew who he was, and that I had the resources to hurt him. Wayne was probably trying to figure out what happened. He'd know soon enough.
Now was the calm before the storm as they say. Revy was watching a ship leave the harbor. I was facing the city, taking in the decrepit view.
"So are you going to win?" Revy asked. She took a drag from her cigarette. Her words from the other day would have scared me to death a year ago. That day I knew that they had come from a place of fear. Deep down she cared and I had turned her away.
I wasn't going to hurt her more than I had to. She was never going to accept that which I had become. I was still her friend and she knew it, but right now I needed her for a much more personal reason.
"I am. Thanks for doing this," I replied.
"Don't be fucking stupid. I'm doing this because I want to beat up a rich asshole," Revy growled. What was I expecting from her? She was hiding her true feelings underneath a mask of gruff nihilism. The problem was she had been doing that for, what I imagine was, her whole life. Did she know the difference between the woman and the mask?
The mask…
The mask…
The mask…
It was the mask after all that fascinated me about Batman in the first place. It wasn't just the cowl that hid his face. The mask was the intricate web of interconnected events, layers of misdirection, and the psychology behind it that intrigued me.
Here was a man who donned a symbol to strike fear into his enemies. He had harnessed something so classic, so primal and he turned it into a weapon. His very shadow was enough to terrify those who didn't understand. Namely, his totem: the bat.
Whatever happened that made him become like the bat, I do not know more than it was an interesting decision. The bat is a fascinating creature. Seen as a caring guide in the dark but also as demonic monster in the distance. It was a creature banished from the light to forever wander the night searching for meaning within it, just as Mr. Wayne must have felt in the alleyway after his parents were shot.
But for all the terror and wisdom a bat could muster, it was still a feeble and very breakable creature. Bring it into the light, cripple its wings and there was nothing left but a pitiful rat desperately trying to flee. That was what I planed to do to Wayne. I wanted to prove that I was smarter than him, that he could not hide in the twilight, and that I could win.
A light laugh escaped my lips. The twilight was where Revy told me I was drifting so many times. Maybe the real reason I was so fascinated by the Batman was that I saw a kindred spirit. Maybe I was jealous of the fact that as we sank into the darkness he was able to do good and save people, while I only failed.
Now there was little in my way. All that was left was to set out the final trap. "You ready, Revy?" I finally asked. She nodded. I pulled out the phone we found on the butler and handed it to her. "It's all yours."
She smirked. "Been waiting all day for this," she growled. She found Wayne's number and punched it.
Her hands drummed against the railing as the call went out. An evil smile crawled on to her face.
"Hello Batsy, this is the little bitch that had the balls to take your Limey nursemaid. I'm at the end of the Narrows, if you're interested," she menacingly said. She added a flare of flirty to the end.
Revy hung up the phone and gave it back. She immediately checked her pistols.
"Balalaika has set up a few drop boxes around the fire zone. If you two get to close to her perimeter, snipers and troops will turn you back in," I instructed. She rolled her eyes. "And if you are done find a box and fire the flare inside it. If they lose sight of you they will assume the worst and drive the Batman back to the ship."
"Just shut up Rock," Revy dryly said. She cocked her weapons then holstered them. "I know what I'm doing. But do tell Sis that I appreciate the toys."
I nodded. "Please come back," I sincerely added.
"Quit worrying and get ready to watch the show," she requested.
A smirk came to my lips. I gave passing wave as I walked towards the docks. She was the last critical step in the plan. The Batman had to go twelve rounds with her. All the while she would lead him to the dark heart of the plan, wearing him down to make his capture that much easier.
I walked up the gangplank to Balalaika ship. Several of her troops were waiting up top, patrolling. They paid me no mind as I went up to the bridge.
Balalaika, Boris, and Mikhail were there already. Much like her office, the bridge was choked in thick smoky haze. Though, it lacked the simple comforts of her office. They were replaced with the cold effects of military decorum.
The blonde woman intently watched a series of monitors set up by the window. The monitors gave a glimpse at the various drop boxes set up throughout the district.
Nearby snipers and gunmen kept the locals from getting too curious. The only one not show a box site was the one watching Revy. She was enjoying one last cigarette.
"You really think this is going to work?" Mikhail asked. He crossed his arms in contempt. I honestly didn't have an answer. If Wayne broke expectation, then it was back to the drawing board.
"Rock is playing to win, Mikhail. He isn't going to make a mistake now," Balalaika said between drags of her cigar. Having her confidence was a huge double edged sword. If I'm right, I have a powerful ally in my pocket. Wrong and I most likely will be getting very familiar with the bottom of Gotham's harbor.
It was a tense hour of numb inducing waiting. The sun was setting when a large figure finally came into the frame before Revy. That was it! Checkmate in two, Mr. Wayne. A bold statement perhaps but there he was, striding up to Revy like some…dark knight returning to the field of battle.
Revy put out her cigarette. She then started to laugh at something he said. Damn it, don't lose focus now!
They quickly dropped into a brief verbal spat before Revy caved in and charged him. Her opening salvo must have caught him off guard as he didn't even raise a defense.
The fight should have been one-sided. Batman had superior training and equipment. Revy just had her Cutlasses and what Balalaika had given her, mixed with years of experience and deadly anger.
She wasn't sparing him anything. Each shot, each punch aimed for the Batman's head. At least she was paying attention to my briefings and avoiding the armor. Or she was going for a kill shot; that was very much in the realm of possibility.
Revy started her job by drawing him towards us. She grabbed a grenade launcher from the first box she came across. The Batman hunched down and drew up his cape over his body. The cape absorbed the blows, sending smoke plums and shrapnel shards all over.
Wayne Enterprises spared no expense. Revy grimaced at the sight and dropped the launcher. Her legs pumped into a good run. She led him across the street.
"Captain, this is Bravo-two. The dancers are at the edge of the floor. Repeat: dancers are at the edge of the floor," one of the sniper positions reported over the radio.
"Give them a warning shot," Balalaika ordered.
"Yes, captain."
Revy reappeared at another drop site. Batman engaged her in close quarters. The two entered a deep frenzy. I watched a flash pop on the wall near the Batman's head. The two broke off, Revy flipping off the sniper.
She ran back the way she came. The Batman didn't pursue. A sniper round hit him in the chest. He brushed it off, leaving only a dent ringed with black powder in the armor. He was quickly peppered by nine millimeter rounds from behind. Revy was probably verbally goading him on as well.
He took bit it with gusto, releasing a flurry of blows against Revy. The girl dodged what she could and absorbed those that made contact. It was truly remarkable watching those two fight. I had never seen someone fight like Batman. Even in his armor he moved with dexterity and precision.
Mikhail chuckled. "I have to admit it but I thought the bat-freak was going to wipe the floor with that little bitch of yours," he said. "Care for a job here once this quiets down?"
"Sorry Mr. Mikhail, this is just a side job. I'm not for regular hire," I coldly retorted.
"Too bad, with a guy like you at my side I could be running the whole damn city in a matter of weeks," Mikhail mused. I doubt I could work for him. He was on his best behavior now but he seemed like a twisted fucker. I returned to the screens.
I wasn't going to be subject to the whims of someone like that. Balalaika may have been a cold hearted bitch on the best of day, but at least she'd have a reason for killing you. Well a reason beyond the pleasure of ending your life.
Revy and Batman were closing in on each other once again. I noticed something about the caped crusader. It was small but vital. He was favoring his left leg! It wasn't slowing him down much, but if I saw it from here then Revy will figure it out. Armor or not, pain was pain.
The girl grabbed something out of the box and then disappeared into a nearby warehouse. I took a close look inside the drop box. The machine gun inside was still there! I turned to Balalaika. "We need eyes on them, now!" I shouted.
Balalaika nodded. "We've lost sight of the dancers. I want eyes at point twelve on the double," she ordered.
"Yes, captain," a soldier responded.
The blonde glanced at me. An easy frown fell across her face. "You look worried," she commented.
"I think Revy took the flare gun in the box," I said. If Balalaika was nervous or scared I couldn't tell. Unlike Revy or Batman, she had long since been consumed by her mask.
What's your plan, Revy?
To Be Continued...
A/N: For the record I am firmly against animal abuse. Please don't go out and harass bats over this.
Interesting chapter here. Rock muses over his opinion and relationship to Batman. We also get the set up for Revy's possibly fiery plan. Seeing as we are in an action scene, there isn't much more I could do with Rock.
If you're looking for one of my favorite interpretations of Batman and his mythos, check out Neil Gaiman's "Whatever Happened to the Caped Crusader?". It highlights both the greatest strengths and weakness of Batman, and asks if we would really want to be Batman.
Seeing as Warner Bros. has been fairly quiet as of late I thought I'd ask an important question: why does anyone think Superman vs. Batman is a good idea? I've never been given a good philosophical argument as to why they shouldn't get along. I've always seen them as two sides of the same coin. Batman is the local defender, using fear and darkness to stop villains. Superman is the world's champion, using his incredible powers to do as much good as he can while also stopping villains. Bottom line: they're both heroes just on a different scale and using different methods. Why do people think those are so irreconcilable?
If you have an answer, leave it with a review of the chapter.
Until next time, I tried to start a Church of Superman once {But the Catholic Church sued me for Copyright infringement}
