Seto Kaiba, The Dark Knight
Summary: Batman, Lt. Mutou, and DA Marik Ishtar form an alliance in an effort to rid Domino of crime. The trio's progress, however, is strained by the arrival of a new criminal who calls himself the Joker. A canonized sequel of Batman Begins: Enter Seto Kaiba.
Chapter 10: Batman Dead?
It is now sometime during the morning in Domino, Japan. Lying unconscious on the doorsteps of the Domino Police Department is a handcuffed Mr. Lau; a piece of paper is duct taped on the knocked out businessman which reads "Please deliver to Lt. Mutou". About a half a dozen cops outside, including Lieutenant himself, find this scene humorous before Yugi silently orders his unit to bring the man inside the MCU.
Within the confines of the interrogation room are three people: Assistant DA, Téa Gardner; Mr. Lau; and Lau's mob attorney, Johnson. Observing the room from the outside are Lt. Mutou and DA Marik Ishtar.
"Look, give us the money, and we'll talk about making a deal," said Gardner.
"The money is the only reason why I'm still alive," replied Lau.
Téa stood before the corrupt banker and replied, "Oh... you mean, when they discover that you helped us, they're going to kill you?"
Johnson retorted, "Are you threatening my client?"
"No, I'm just assuming your client's cooperation with this investigation," answered Téa as she sat herself down on a chair, "as with everyone."
She stared at Lau's somewhat exhausted face and stated, "No? Fine, then enjoy your stay at county, Mr. Lau." Gardner momentarily proceeded to leave the room, however, Lau gave in (presumably because his lawyer's advice), "Wait!"
The Chinese economist continued, "I won't give you the money. Instead, I will give you my clients. All of them, I promise."
"You're a glorified accountant. What could you possibly have on all of them that we could charge?" asked the Assistant DA.
"I'm good with calculation. I handled all of their investments: one giant pot."
Once he heard what he needed, Ishtar stopped the recording device outside. "Got it."
"Be back in one minute," said Téa as she departed for the outside for consultation.
"RICO," remarked the DA. Mutou turned to him and asked, "RICO?"
"If they pool their money, we can charge them all as one criminal conspiracy."
Confused, the Lt. inquired, "Charge them, why?"
"Because in a RICO case, if you can charge one of the conspirators with a felony, you can-"
"Charge them all with it," added Gardner as she returned back to the interrogation chamber, "Sugoi! (Great)"
When she came back, Téa said, "Mr. Lau, what kind of details do you possess regarding this conjoint fund? Account books- "
"Community, Protection, and a charlatan plane back to Hong Kong," interrupted Lau.
"After you testify in open court," continued Gardner, "However, I'm a bit curious, with all your clients behind bars, what's going to happen to all that money?"
"Like I said earlier: I'm good with calculation," quipped the Chinese man.
Mutou said, "No. He can't go to county. I'll keep him here in the holding cell."
"What is this, Mutou?" asked Ishtar, "Your self-appointed fortress?"
"Do you trust them over at county?" argued the lieutenant.
Marik countered, "No. I just don't trust them back here."
"Lau stays," finalized Yugi on the matter.
On the Domino City Network, a couple of unknown reporters interview Marik Ishtar. It is currently being broadcast on an overhead TV in a local restaurant.
"Well, I don't know about Mr. Lau's travel arrangements. However, I'm sure glad that he's back anyway."
"I sent word out and hired the clown," said Boss Lam, who talked with his mouth full. His rival, Gansley Maroni, was a bit surprised upon hearing this announcement
The Triad leader continued, "He was right. You have to fix the real problem: Batman."
A few moments later, a familiar cop casually walks inside said restaurant, with cuffs in tow. He turns his head and looks at the television set.
"I'm not aware of any participation by the vigilante known as Batman..."
The lieutenant remarked, "Well, that boy looks good on the tube, doesn't he?"
"You sure that you don't want to embarrass me in front of my friends, Mutou?" questioned Maroni as he tossed aside his napkin.
"Oh, don't worry," replied Mutou, "They're coming for you."
A second later, several officers unexpectedly make their way into the eatery. Much to the crime lords' surprise, they are placed under arrest by the dozen or so cops that arrived without due warning. Back on the streets, various arrests are made, while the crowded traffic worsened due to the unprecedented number of police units in one area.
In a packed courtroom (presumably the same day), an honest judge announced the number of felonies committed by the mob. "Seven hundred and twelve counts of extortion, eight hundred and forty-nine counts of racketeering, two hundred and forty-six counts of fraud, eighty-seven counts of conspiracy murders..." read aloud the judge, as he removed a supposed misplaced joker playing card(...), "and five hundred and twenty-seven counts of obstruction of justice. So, how do the defendants plead?"
Scores of criminal bosses exclaim simultaneously, making it extremely difficult for the record keeper to keep track. Amongst the crowd include two of the biggest mob bosses, Maroni and Lam, who can only feel thoroughly defeated. The legal powerhouse that is Marik and Téa found themselves deeply satisfied at this reaction.
"Order in the court!" demanded the judge as he struck his gavel.
In the mayor's office, a handful of influential individuals find themselves at a gathering. They are Mayor Devlin, Commissioner Sheppard, Lt. Mutou, and of course, DA Marik Ishtar.
"Five hundred and forty-nine criminals at once. Just how did you convince Judge (Mako) Tsunami to hear this case?" asked Devlin.
"He does share my enthusiasm for justice," quipped Ishtar, "After all, he is a judge."
The mayor replied, "Well, even if you blow enough smoke to get convictions out of Tsunami, you're going to set a new record for appeals for 'quickest kick in the ass'."
"It won't matter. The top guys will most likely make bail. But the mid-level guys? They sure as hell can't. They can't afford to be off the streets long enough for trial and appeal; they'll cut deals that'll include some jail time. Just think of the possibilities of crime-free streets for eighteen months," maintained Marik. Meanwhile, Duke is taken aback by this response.
Commissioner Sheppard said, "Mr. Mayor, you can't-" only to be interrupted by Devlin. "Can the two of you give us a moment, Commissioner? Lieutenant?"
Once the two law enforcers are outside the office, the mayor offered his DA a chair. "Please, sit down."
Conversely, the political figure stood upright. "The people like you. That's the only reason why this stunt might work. Which means it's on you. They're all going to come after you now, not just the mob: politicians, journalists, cops. Anyone who's wallets are about to get lighter. Are you up to the challenge, my friend? Because, you better be."
As he turned towards the window, Devlin continued, "Because if they get any dirt on you, then those criminals are back on the streets, followed swiftly by you and me-"
Suddenly, a 'Batman' corpse, fastened via noose, is swung from seemingly out of nowhere right outside the mayor's window.
"Jesus!" cried Devlin.
Marik, a bit perturbed, runs up to the glass window, realizing that it can't be the real vigilante. "Christ..."
Within several minutes, various cops, medics, and civilians stare in horror as the lifeless body is lowered to the ground. Once the cadaver finally reached the pavement, Mutou walked slowly towards it, noticing that the hapless victim's lower face is covered in the Joker's white make-up, complete with the hideous red (blood?) smear across his lips. A joker playing card is seen pinned, with a knife, on the makeshift armor. Both Mutou and Ishtar know that this is an imposter, having met the real vigilante a few days ago.
At Kaiba's penthouse, several workers are finishing up the touches of the fundraiser party held in the DA's sake. While his master (who wore a white collared shirt) walked down the spiral stairway, Hobson remarked, "I believe that your fundraiser will certainly be a great success, Seto-sama."
"Why do you think that I'm hosting a party for Marik Ishtar?"
"Well, I assume that it was your usual reason for socializing for beyond myself and the scum of Domino's criminal underworld. However, it's your attempt to impress Ms. Gardner."
"You know what, Hobson? You're very droll, but you're very wrong. Actually, it really is for Ishtar."
Having overheard the nearby TV's news, Kaiba turns his head and notices the title, "Batman Dead?". Curious, he cranks up the volume a few notches. In the screen, reporter Gerard Engel warned, "Attached to the body was a tape left by the Joker... Just be aware, the following video is quite disturbing and should be viewed by mature viewers only."
"Tell them your name," ordered a creepy voice behind the camera. One of the copy-bats is shown tied up on a chair. From the looks of things, this snuff film took place in a meat locker.
The poor man answered, "Brian Douglas."
After he chuckled in a devious manner, the Joker asked, "Are you the real Batman?"
"No."
"No?"
"No."
"No? Hee, hee..Then why do you dress up like him?" questioned the psychopath while he forcibly removed his captive's rubber mask. The imitator is revealed to be a middle-aged, slightly obese man.
As he played with his 'toy', the freak laughed malevolently. "He-he. He-hoo-hoo-hoo! He-he..."
The impersonator righteously stated, "He's a symbol that we don't have to be afraid of criminal scum like you."
"Yeah... you do, Brian," replied the maniac as he mockingly fondled his prisoner, who whimpered frantically, "You really do! Huh? Yeah... Oh, shush, shush, shush!"
Joker slapped Brian and asked him, "So, you think that Batman's made Domino a better place? Look at me."
His captive, however, tries to resist the madman's order. "LOOK AT ME!" exclaimed the Joker.
"You see, this is how crazy Batman's made Domino!" asserted the clown, who turned the camera to his face, "You want order in Domino? Well, Batman must take off his mask and turn himself in! Oooh, and everyday he doesn't, people will die! Starting tonight. I'm a man of my word."
Now, he turned to Brian, and began to stab the man viciously with knives. All that that was left on the screen afterward was static, screams, and a diabolical laughter.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Next chapter – Chapter 11: A Man of His Word
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