Hi everyone! This is the first part of the The Batman: Season One! This story will consist of episodes split into several parts, I hope you enjoy it and please review!
Disclaimer: I own none of the characters except for any OC's, the rest belong to DC Comics.
The snow had begun to fall heavily as the weary mountaineers made their descent. The looming figure of Everest stood behind them, their climb to the summit had been a failure due to the snowstorm that had come in suddenly and they had been forced to return to base camp.
Sarah sighed as she spotted of the tents in the distance and the thought of being able to get warm again raised her spirits, while the disappointment of not reaching the summit began to numb.
"Don't feel too disheartened, I'll get you to the summit when this storm passes," Nev, her guide said.
"I'll hold you to that!" Sarah replied with a smile.
Nev smiled in return, but then stopped when he noticed his Sherpa had come to a halt and was now staring off into the distance. Nev and Sarah followed his gaze, and both gasped in surprise when they saw a figure walking out of the snow towards them.
"What the hell," whispered Sarah as she watched the figure in amazement.
The person was not dressed in normal mountaineering clothing, but instead was wrapped tightly in woollen robes. Nobody said a word as the figure stumbled towards them, even the sound of the wind seemed to silence as the person came to a stop in front of them.
They gently removed the scarf that had been wrapped around their face and the face of a man stared back at them. He was young, in his late twenties at least and he had also been wounded. Sarah spotted a large bruise on the side of his face, while blood ran down his face from a cut on his forehead.
"H...H…Help," he croaked, before his body finally gave in and he collapsed into snow.
Nev and the Sherpa moved towards him and rolled him over. He was struggling to keep his eyes open, and the early stages of frostbite had begun to set in his fingers.
"Who is he?" Sarah asked.
"I don't know, but we need to move him into the camp and get him warm quickly," Nev said as he prepared to start dragging the man.
However, the Sherpa looked up from helping the man and took a few steps in the direction he had come in and stared through the snow into the distance.
"Da Liga," The Sherpa said as he made an outward gesture with his hand.
Sarah looked up at his words and saw what he was looking at. Standing in the distance, were a group of people, who all seemed to be dressed in the same sort of clothes as the man on the ground and all were watching them.
Sarah suddenly felt cold, and it wasn't due to the mountain wind. The Sherpa gave a bow of his head towards the figures, before he turned back to the man and began helping Nev move him into the camp.
Sarah continued to watch the figures, who remained frozen where they were. Then the snow seemed to increase around her and soon the figures had disappeared from her sight and Sarah turned her attention back to the man that Nev and the Sherpa were carrying and wondered who the hell he was.
One Week Later
The car drove through the streets of Kathmandu, the little flag of the United States blew in the wind from its position on the hood. It came to a stop outside a small hospital and the rear door opened to reveal a man dressed in military uniform.
He looked up at the hospital with a frown as his aide joined him and readied the files that were in her hand. Together they then made their way into the building, their uniforms attracting many glances.
The officers didn't pay them any attention as they reached the reception desk, where the young woman looked up at them with wide eyes.
"Where is the American that was brought in?" The man asked, his voice firm.
The woman didn't reply, instead she just continued to stare at him, which caused him to look at her with frustration as he let out a long sigh. He looked back to his aide and gave her a nod of his head, to which she walked forward and faced the receptionist.
"Ameriki, Kaham?"
Still wearing the bemused expression, the receptionist pointed to the nearest hallway. Both the officers instantly moved down there, once again ignoring the stares they received. They came to the end of the corridor and were greeted by a Doctor coming towards them.
"You must be Colonel Kane," She stated with an American accent as she stopped in front of them and extended her hand.
"Yes, and this is Captain Moore," the Colonel said gesturing to his aide, who also shook the doctor's hand. "Are you the Doctor that the Embassy sent?"
"Doctor Amina Franklin, I was sent once it became known who the patient was, although nobody knows how the hell he ended up on that mountain," she explained as she turned and began leading them to the room.
"Has he said anything?" Colonel Kane asked.
"Nothing about why he was there or how he came to have those injuries, maybe you will have better luck,"
"I doubt it, I haven't seen him since his parents died," the Colonel said softly as they came to a stop outside of a room and Kane silently prepared himself.
With a nod to his aid, he pushed open the door and entered. The hospital bed was empty, instead the patient was stood in front of the grime covered window, his eyes fixed upon the mountains that were visible in the distance.
"Bruce?" Colonel Kane said quietly as he stood by the bed, he saw his shoulder's tense, but he did not turn around. "Bruce, it's me. It's Uncle Jacob,"
At those words Bruce finally turned around and Jacob saw the same eyes looking back at him, that once belonged to his sister and he felt his heart lurch at the sudden memory of her.
"Uncle Jacob?"
"Yes Bruce, do you remember me?" he asked in reply as Bruce looked at him with slight confusion.
"You had two daughters," He stated.
"Yes, twin girls, Beth and Kate. Your cousins Bruce," Jacob answered as he tried to block the image of his daughters, running after Bruce in the grounds of Wayne Manor, back when everything was simple.
Bruce gave a small smile, almost as if he could see the memory too, before he turned back to the window. Jacob didn't know what was wrong with Bruce, his behaviour was raising alarm bells and Jacob was determined to understand how his nephew and ended up beaten and lost in the Himalayas.
"I was in Kisecik, when I heard the news that Bruce Wayne had been found wandering into the base camp of Mount Everest, badly beaten and that nobody knew what had happened to him," Jacob explained, though Bruce continued to look out the window.
"I haven't seen you since my parent's funeral, you promised to keep in touch, but you didn't," Bruce suddenly said, his tone changing.
Jacob looked at the back of his head with guilt as another memory broke down the walls he had placed in his mind, the image of a young boy standing before two graves, looking completely lost.
"I made sure to keep tabs on you Bruce, I was continuously informed of your wellbeing," Jacob replied as he looked to the door and gestured to his aide, who was watching through the window of the door, to step into the room.
She silently handed him a file, while her eyes flicked over to Bruce. He turned his head and met her eyes, almost as if he suddenly sensed her presence and she quickly looked away from the intensity that shone within them.
"Before you are released Bruce, we have some questions about how you ended up in the mountains, there's also some rumours about the other locations you visited that we wanted to address," Jacob informed as his aide hurried out of the room, with Bruce watching her retreating form, before finally turning back to his Uncle.
"Am I under arrest?"
Jacob looked up from the file at that question and saw the power behind that stare and he saw that this man was no longer the nephew he once knew, the innocence that once shined within him, had been extinguished.
"No Bruce, you're not under arrest," Jacob replied as their eyes locked together. "Have you committed a crime?"
"No more than you have," Bruce shot back, which caused a surprised look from Jacob. "Release me, I have nothing more to say,"
Jacob slowly nodded as he closed the file and placed his arms behind his back, watching Bruce with even more interest. He remembered his sister Martha could be demanding and now seeing her son display similar personality traits, brought an unexpected smile to his lips.
"And where may I ask, will you go once I've secured your release?"
Bruce slowly turned back to the window, where he put his arms behind his back, almost imitating his Uncle, before closing his eyes and letting out a deep sigh.
"I've been away from home for a long time, but now Gotham calls to me,"
Jacob watched him with a puzzled look, but he again slowly nodded. Maybe Gotham was the place where Bruce would finally let his guard down and answers would finally come.
"Gotham? Very well,"
Jacob was tempted to put a comforting hand on his shoulder, but he couldn't bring himself to move. Instead, he turned and headed out of the room, leaving Bruce standing by the window, a smile now gracing his lips, for his mission had now begun.
Night had fallen over the city as the police cordoned off the alleyway where the body laid, a pool of blood around it as the torso had been riddled with bullets. The flashes from the media's cameras were all over the place as Arnold Flass looked down on the body with a grim expression.
"Why does this always happen when my shift is about to end," He grumbled as he placed a cigarette in his mouth and quickly lit it.
"Well, Flass, come to pay your respects to a fallen brother," a voice quipped behind him and he turned to see two other Detectives making their way towards him, with mocking expressions.
"Montoya and Allen, the best detectives GCPD have to offer!" Flass shot back as he gave a mocking bow, before taking a drag of his cigarette.
"Coming from you Flass, I take that as a compliment," Montoya fired back as they came to a stop in front of the body.
"What are Major Crimes doing here anyway, the shooting of one low life scumbag is a bit above your pay grade isn't it?" Quipped Flass.
Montoya and Allen looked down at the body, before turning back to Flass who was watching their movements with suspicion.
"We heard the victim is a low-level enforcer, working for Carmine Falcone, who from what we understand, is also your boss," Allen said with a smirk as Flass's face flushed with anger.
"Seriously, we're doing this again?" "Didn't you guys learn when your last accusation didn't stick?"
"Oh, don't worry Flass, we'll find something on you, that we promise," Montoya said, her smile infuriating him even more.
"And when we do, we will personally lock you up in Blackgate, in a cell right next to Falcone," Allen added.
However, Flass began laughing at that statement, which caused Montoya and Allen to narrow their eyes. A few other officers glanced their way, but none of them said a word, for it had become custom for GCPD officers to simply mind their own business.
"You're going after Falcone?" "Well, you are brave, I remember when the last cop went after Falcone, it took weeks for us to find his body!"
Allen practically growled at that and lunged forward, quickly being held back by Montoya, while Flass looked at him amused.
"Cool off Crispus, this isn't the place," Montoya said softly as Allen shook her off and dismissed Flass with a wave of his hand as he stormed away.
Montoya watched her partner go, before she turned her attention back to Flass, who was watching Allen's retreating form with a mischievous smirk as he took another drag of the cigarette.
"This isn't over Flass, I will bring you down," Montoya vowed, which earned a dark look from Flass as she turned and followed her partner.
Flass watched her go as he threw his cigarette onto the ground and angrily stomped the life out of it. The other officers gave him awkward looks, to which he answered by giving them each a challenging look as he invited anyone to say something, but nobody did.
He then looked around at the officers again and realised one was missing and he quickly scanned every face he could see to confirm it.
"God damn it, where the hell is Gordon?
The bartender poured another glass of whiskey and passed it to the man, who gulped down in one go, causing the bartender to look at him with worry. A holstered gun and police badge had been placed on the bar in front of him, along with a cell phone.
"Rough day Detective?" The bartender asked.
Jim Gordon put the glass down on the bar and gave a small laugh at the man's words, which gained him a confused look in return.
"I guess you can say that, but then again this is Gotham, every day is a rough day!" Gordon declared.
The barman chuckled and nodded as he began cleaning glasses. Gordon's phone then lit up on the bar and Gordon glanced at the phone to see BARBRA flashing on the screen. Both him and the barman watched the phone ring off before Gordon ordered another drink.
"Shouldn't you have gotten that?" The barman asked as he poured fresh Whiskey into Gordon's glass.
"I like to pick my battles, that one can wait," Gordon replied, causing the barman to smirk.
The door to the bar then opened and the barman quickly looked up to see Flass standing in the doorway and the smile vanished from his face.
"I already paid this month," the barman said instantly as he looked at Flass nervously.
"Relax, I'm not here for you," Flass replied as he made his way over to Gordon, who didn't even acknowledge his fellow officer.
The barman nodded and retreated to the far side of the bar, hoping to make himself invisible as Flass stopped in front of Gordon and looked down at him.
"Hey partner, I expected to see you at the scene downtown," Flass said as he watched Gordon take a large gulp of whiskey.
"I had a better offer," Gordon replied with sarcasm as he held up his glass, which caused Flass to narrow his eyes.
"Hey, listen Jimbo, this whole drinking thing is starting to get noticed, Clarkson is already planning to read you the riot act when you get back to the precinct, I think it's time you let me help you,"
Gordon finally looked at Flass and burst out in laughter, which gained a dark look from Flass and a nervous glance from the bartender.
"Detective Flass wants to help me out, just like he's helped out so many people over the years," Gordon announced to the empty bar.
"Watch yourself Gordon, you know what happens to cops who don't play by the rules," Flass threatened as he took a step closer to the bar.
"Relax Flass, I don't give a shit about you or any of the bad cops in this town, I'm done," Gordon admitted as he downed the rest of his whiskey.
He picked up his gun and badge, placing them in their respective places on his belt, before picking up his phone. He then turned and barged Flass out of his way as he stumbled towards the exit.
"Be careful Gordon, we're watching you," Flass warned as he watched him head to the exit.
Gordon stopped as he placed a hand on the door, while the barman held his breath, not knowing what was going to happen next.
"I know," Gordon answered as he pushed the door open and left the bar and Flass behind.
The phones were ringing non-stop in the newsroom as Vicki Vale sat at her desk, typing furiously on her computer, stopping only to run a frustrated hand through her red hair. She was so focused on her work, that she wasn't paying attention to what was happening around her and nearly jumped out of her seat as a copy of the Gotham Gazette landed in the centre of the desk.
She then smiled when she saw the familiar photo of the front page, for it belonged to the story she had written. It was a large photo of City Hall, with the headline CITY HALL: CONFUSED OR CORRUPT?
"Nice story Vale, apparently its ruffled a few feathers downtown," A voice said, which caused Vicki to look up and see the smiling face of Jack Ryder.
"Thanks Jack, I also received an angry voicemail from Vesper Fairchild today, I apparently ruined the Mayor's appearance on her show by giving him time to prepare a response," she informed as Jack laughed.
"Fairchild has always been jealous of you Vale, she doesn't know the first thing about journalism, that's why Mayor Hall is doing her show and nobody else," Ryder said, which caused Vale to nod.
That's when she began to see several of the other reporters hurrying around and she looked puzzled as to what the excitement was.
"What's going on around here?" She asked.
"What, didn't you hear?" "Seriously Vale, for a reporter you can be quite unobservant!" Ryder proclaimed as he let out a soft chuckle.
"Shut up!" "What's going on?"
"It came over the wire, about an hour ago. Bruce Wayne is back,"
The flash of cameras was what Alfred noticed first as he pulled the Bentley onto the tarmac. He gave the reporters who had gathered a dismissive look as he got out of the car and watched as the military plane landed and came to a stop.
Several military personnel were around, but they paid no attention to Alfred, their focus was also on the plane. The door to the aircraft opened and Alfred spotted him immediately, he out a relieved sigh he didn't realise he was holding and straightened up as Bruce and Colonel Kane approached the car.
Bruce's face lit up as he laid eyes on Alfred and it was only the flashes of the media's cameras that stopped him from throwing his arms around the older man. Alfred matched the smile and took a step forward to grasp Bruce's hand.
"It's so good to see you again Master Wayne," Alfred said, his excitement fighting to be released.
"Good to see you too Alfred, it's been too long," Bruce replied as Jacob cleared his throat and caused both men to turn to him.
"Colonel Kane, a pleasure to see you again sir," Alfred said quickly, remembering his manners.
"Yes, nice to see you again Alfred," the Colonel replied with a smile, which Bruce could see was not genuine.
More flashes hit them from off to the side and Bruce grimaced at the fan fair that had been caused by his return. Alfred saw the look on Bruce's face and instantly stepped into his role, by opening the rear door of the Bentley and gesturing Bruce inside.
Bruce smiled his thanks as Alfred the closed the door and made his way to the driver's door, where Colonel Kane was waiting for him.
"Colonel, will you be coming back to Wayne Manor with us?" asked Alfred.
"No thank you, I've been requested at the Pentagon, but I will make sure to drop in soon," He replied.
Alfred smiled at his words, remembering the last time he had said them after the funeral of Bruce's parents. He didn't expect him to keep to that promise either.
"Delightful sir," Alfred replied as he opened the driver's door to the Bentley but was surprised when Jacob placed his hand on it.
"I need you to do me a favour Alfred, if Bruce starts to display any unusual behaviour, please give me a call, I'm worried his experiences might have an effect on him," Jacob whispered as he looked the older man in the eyes.
The two men looked at one another, before Alfred gave him a smile, but even Jacob could see that the old butler's eyes were hard as steel.
"Certainly, sir,"
With that, Alfred got into the car and sped off from the tarmac, leaving Jacob watching them go.
Bruce sat in silence as he was driven through the city. He looked out at the familiar sites and a small smile came to his lips, for this city was his home and no matter how far he travelled, this is where he belonged.
Alfred then drove them out of the city and soon the surroundings turned to trees and farmers fields. Bruce unwound the window and closed his eyes as the breeze kissed his face and Alfred couldn't help but smile as he looked at Bruce's face in the rear-view mirror.
Wayne Manor then appeared in front of them as Alfred turned the Bentley into the driveway, scattering several stones as the car came to a stop. Bruce's smile had now vanished as he stared out at the mansion apprehensively.
Alfred exited the car first and opened the door for him and watched as Bruce slowly got out and looked at the house, he had grown up in. Its towers stretched into the heavens and it didn't seem as welcoming as it had the last time Bruce had seen it. The memories then came thick and fast, both good and bad and it wasn't long for the first tears to drop onto his cheeks as they threatened to overwhelm him.
"She has not been altered with sir, she's just as she was when you left her," Alfred informed with a smile as Bruce took a hesitant step to the front door.
However, he suddenly stopped and turned to look at the grounds, which caused a slight look of confusion from Alfred before Bruce took off, with Alfred quickly following. It wasn't until he moved towards the fenced off graveyard that Alfred realised where Bruce was going and kept a respectful distance.
The two graves looked almost as they had the first time Bruce had stood in front of them, which showed that Alfred had maintained them well, to which Bruce was grateful. But as he stood there, the tears returned, and Bruce finally allowed them to spill as he collapsed to his knees.
Bruce was excited as he sat in between his parents, while Alfred drove the car downtown. When he came out this evening, he believed they were going to the party to celebrate the opening of the new Clinic his father had organised. However, he had been surprised when his father revealed that he wanted to blow off the party to attend an old movie.
His face lit up when Alfred pulled up to the theatre and Bruce saw the large, illuminated sign that displayed the name of the movie they were going to see, CLASSIC MOVIE NIGHT PRESENTS: THE MARK OF ZORRO!
"Would you like me to wait here sir?" Alfred asked, catching Thomas Wayne's attention.
"The car might attract the press attention Alfred and I would prefer a quiet night," Thomas replied as Alfred nodded and smiled as Thomas pointed towards the alley next to the theatre. "If you park behind the theatre, we'll cut through there once the movie is done,"
"Very well sir," Alfred said nodding as he pulled away from the curb and drove away.
With that Thomas turned back to his family and smiled at them both. His wife Martha looked back at him and gave him a dazzling smile, just like she had done when they had first met and Thomas thought she was the most beautiful woman he had ever seen, dressed in a stunning dress, topped off by a pearl necklace that he had given her on their first wedding anniversary.
"Shall we," Thomas said as he gestured towards the entrance.
Bruce took off like a rocket and hurried towards the door, causing a slight chuckle from his parents as they watched them go.
"This was a nice surprise darling," Martha whispered as they followed their son into the lobby. "Though I wish you would have told me we were coming here, then I wouldn't have got all dressed up,"
"Well, I promised Bruce, that I would take him to the movies, but then Thorne insisted on having the party tonight so I said he could throw one all he wanted, but I was going to the movies with my family," Thomas explained as he purchased the tickets from the booth and smiled as the employee behind the counter recognised him. "Besides, I like seeing you dressed up,"
"You are a wonderful man Thomas Wayne," Martha declared as she kissed him on the cheek, which caused Thomas to smile even wider.
"I just love my family," Thomas replied as Bruce came running towards him excitedly.
"Dad, can I get popcorn?" Bruce pleaded, looking up into his father's face.
"Of course, you can son," Thomas answered with a chuckle as Bruce cheered and ran to the snacks counter.
"Speaking of family, my brother called today," Martha revealed as they made their way to the snack counter.
"Jacob?" "What did he want?"
"Just said he had to speak to me about something, he sounded pretty desperate actually," Martha informed as Thomas paid for the popcorn that Bruce ordered.
"Well, invite him over tomorrow and we'll see what's so important," Thomas said as Martha nodded in agreement as they made their way to into the darkened theatre.
For an eight-year-old Bruce, it was the best night of his life. Sat in a near empty movie theatre in between his parents, stuffing his face with popcorn and watching Zorro taking down bad guys with his sword. He was absolutely mesmerised and after the movie he was fighting pretend bad guys with an imagery sword of his own as he followed his parents out of the theatre and onto the street.
"Where's Alfred?" Bruce suddenly asked as he came to the empty curb where he expected the car to be.
"I told him to wait for us behind the theatre, we could all use a walk," Thomas answered as he led his family towards the alleyway.
Bruce happily followed and grasped both his parent's hands as they entered the alley. It wasn't until they were halfway down that Bruce realised that someone was walking towards them. A man was coming from the other end of the alley and Bruce could see he was dressed in a dirty black leather jacket and he had long and dirty unkempt hair.
His father had noticed him too and gently moved his family out of the path of the man but was surprised when the man put himself directly into their path and before Thomas could say anything, the man had drawn a gun and was now pointing it at Thomas's face.
"Wallet and jewellery now!" The man demanded nervously as he glanced around the alley.
"It's okay, it's alright," Thomas said calmly as he reached into his coat pocket and withdrew his wallet.
He handed it to the man, who quickly snatched it and put it in the pocket of his jacket, he then turned the gun on Martha who held Bruce to her.
"I said jewellery!" The man reminded them as he gestured frantically at the pearl necklace around Martha's neck.
"Please no," Martha said as she placed a hand on the necklace.
"Come on bitch!" The man growled as he reached forward for the pearls, but he was pushed aside by Thomas who stood in front of his family protectively.
The gunshot then echoed around the alley as the man fired his gun into Thomas's chest, who gasped before collapsing to the ground. Bruce didn't know what to do as he looked at his father on the floor, who was looking at him with desperate eyes.
"Thomas!" Martha screamed as she attempted to drop to the floor beside him, but the mugger grabbed her pearl necklace and pulled her back up before firing a second shot.
Martha hit the floor next to Thomas as her necklace broke and pearls scattered all around them. Bruce was now standing alone as he looked at the bodies of his parents, he then looked up into the face of the mugger, who looked at him with wide eyes.
He slowly pointed the gun at Bruce, who refused to look away, but then sirens could be heard in the distance and the mugger looked around hurriedly before putting the gun away and running past Bruce and out of the alley, leaving the young boy alone in the dark as he let out an anguished scream.
Bruce wiped away the tears as the memory passed, Alfred had come to stand beside him and had placed a comforting hand on his shoulder. Bruce then composed himself and shakily got back to his feet, while his eyes stayed firmly on the headstones of his parents.
"They were always proud of you Master Bruce and now that you are home, I'm sure you will continue to do that," Alfred said with a small smile.
"I will not let what happened to them, happen to anyone else Alfred, I will ensure that this city is free from the people who mean to terrorize it," Bruce declared as he silently made his promise to his parents.
"Are you planning to join the Police department sir?" Alfred asked jokingly, hoping that it would remain a joke.
"Not quite, I have something different in mind," Bruce said with a smile as he turned to Alfred who looked at him with curious eyes. "We have work to do,"
AUTHORS NOTE: I hope you enjoyed the first part, I will hope to have the second one up soon! :)