Chapter 4: Trouble in the Belfry (Start)
Flashback (Three Months Ago) - Ace Chemicals
"You son of bitches!" Someone cursed and opened fire with a heavy pistol on those that betray them.
The said person was a tall one and had a slim figure, wearing a very style black business suit, purple undershirt with a black bow tie, purple gloves, and black dress shoes. The last part of the attire was a crimson red hood that covered the whole person's face and a long crimson red cape.
This was the Red Hood, the 'leader' of the gang, The Red Hood.
It was hard to tell Red Hood's gender due to the suit and the voice was mixed due to the helmet covering the said head. Now the hooded criminal was being betrayed by their colleagues and trying to escape by making theirs through Ace's place.
Red Hood had to get out of here and make those bastards pay for betraying them. Big time.
The hooded criminal ran onto the catwalks, getting higher ground, and knowing a way out from the back door that the cops don't know. They also dodged all of the gunfire coming to them from police officers & other criminals.
Unknown to the hooded person, all the thugs were being captured by a certain Bat and the police disarmed as well, to their surprise, and didn't see it coming.
We then see Batman guiding onto the catwalks and surprised Red Hood who jumped in surprise on seeing the bat-themed vigilante before them.
"No! Stay away!" Red Hood shouted in pure fear and slowly backed away from the bat while using the pistol but with a click, a sound was heard, and no more bullets.
The Dark Knight narrowed his eyes and brought a pair of handcuffs for the 'leader' of the Red Hood Gang that had been causing a lot of problems in Gotham for God knows how long. He took down the men that betrayed their boss and now has to capture the head of the snake.
This scene seems very familiar to the Bat.
Red Hood had nowhere to escape and was trapped like a rat in a trap now.
Unknown to the pair, one of the members of the Red Hood Gang saw the pair and the target pulled one rifle and aimed at the two. The rifleman can take out two birds with one stone or his case, one bullet to kill two rats.
"This...must be a bad...bad joke," Red Hood managed to say with a laugh escaping their lips.
Then the gunshot was fired and the whole catwalk started to fall apart, Batman reached to grip the rails and soon saw Red Hood falling into the vat of chemicals below them.
"Grab my hand!" Batman shouted, trying to reach up and saved the hooded person from falling down below but both of them couldn't reach the other.
"NOOOOO!" The Red Hood shouted in pure fear and the last words as they slashed back first into the very chemicals below.
Batman's red eyes widen in pure horror at failing to save a life and only saw bubbles of the very chemical vat. Soon enough a handful of playing cards started to appear above the chemicals and one of them showed the joker card.
Unknown to the Bat, this day marks the day of his most dangerous and expected enemy was born.
End of Flashback - Clocktower Apartment
We now see Michael, in his workout clothes, as he finished up his morning workout and was enjoying breakfast while watching the news. Rocky soon joined him and the pair were watching the latest news of late. Last night, Batman captured one of Gotham's mid-crime lords and bagged him up for the cops to pick up.
It seems Chief Rojas keeps on putting down the rumors that it was Batman that captured the crime boss and placed him as a myth. Nothing more, nothing less and the police did the work. That interview was shut down when Commissioner Godron came onto the scene and had a look that says he was going to have long words with the chief.
"I really hate that son of a bitch these days," Rocky commented.
"Easy Rocky. Batman stays under the radar and that's where I like it to be for now," Michael said as he didn't don the cape & cowl for glory or frame.
"You never like to gain the glory but I don't see how GCPD can have such a scumbag in their station like Rojas. That guy gives me the creeps and I won't be surprised if a crime lord pays him to turn a blind eye to their operations," Rocky said.
"I won't be either. He's corrupted as any and on the list of possible bad cops to expose into the light when the time comes," Michael said, eating more of his breakfast down.
"I would add him at the top of the list," Rocky smirked, causing her white-haired friend to roll his eyes in amusement.
"In other news, the Wayne Family donated a good amount to hometown basketball teams, children's hospitals, and orphanages. On sports, the Gators are on their game for tonight's game," The news report informed.
Speaking of other news, it has been a week since both Michael and Rocky helped Francine & her condition to be completed. She also lives in the apartment and sleeps during the day while only coming out at night, due to her skin & eyes being sensitive to the sunlight now. The sun doesn't kill her but is sensitive and feels worn out during the said daytime which means the night is her active day. She didn't mind and was grateful to the pair for allowing her to live at the said apartment building now. And have a lab where she can do her work now.
"Which you should head to the Gators Game tonight," Rocky suggested.
"Tonight? I have work to do and waiting for any calls from any future clients," Michael said.
"Starting off as a lawyer may not be the best move for a cover-up," Rocky pointed out.
"A defense lawyer and not many hired one, which allows me to get some deep intel on a number of crime bosses or criminals that have judges on their payrolls and so on," Michael explained.
"Point but I think heading to the games would be the best move and gives people off of wondering where dose Michael spends his time after daytime," Rock said, knowing that some may question what her friend does and could show different theories.
"Stay on the radar huh? I can't disagree but anything can happen during the night," Michael said, knowing that crime doesn't rest in Gotham during the night now despite him cleaning up the streets of late.
Michael had become a defense lawyer after getting a good amount of credits at Gotham University and was able to get his degrees as well. He had set up a good background, cover-up, and good files so no one to figure out who he really is. While also a good amount of bank accounts and such, to keep him supplied in life and into his double life as well.
Well in the office at the courts to the judges, Michael has only met a few and stays in his own circle, not getting himself into the deeper water and so on. Better safe than sorry as there's corruption within the law & order system, right up to the courts as well.
"So you would go?" Rocky asked.
"There's no point in saying no, as you already brought tickets," Michael stated.
"Guilty," Rocky shrugged her shoulders as she brought the Gators Game ticket.
"(Sigh) all alright, I would go. Only to make you happy. Not coming?" Michael asked as he took the ticket.
"I have a few projects I want to finish and see if Francine can help. A girl's night out could be fun for us," Rocky stated, having some plans of spending time with a fellow girl and someone who also knows the double life.
"I don't see a problem with that but I am taking the Batwave phone with me, just in case," Michael said, knowing that anything can happen in Gotham.
"No disagreeing," Rocky said, knowing her friend would always go to help Gotham and people when they need.
A normal man won't do that but Michael was different and was willing to help others above himself. A light in the darkness, a shadow more like it. A shadow to lift up the darkness and bring the light of hope back.
Unknown to the Bat and everyone, something was going to happen in a certain asylum. And would change everything as well.
Time Skip
Arkham Asylum
Arkham Island, which was secluded from the mainland and originally owned by the Arkham Family. It started out as a mansion and botanical garden but changed over the years. Amadeus Arkham had made the place to help treat his mother with her dementia and others as well. The very mansion became Arkham Asylum, becoming a medical facility and criminal penitentiary. It helps those who were deemed criminally insane and afflicted with extreme mental illnesses.
The warden, Quincy Sharp, who's corrupted and mostly opens the place to help with his run for election of becoming mayor of Gotham City. He has already failed twice to Mayor Hill in the election. His campaign for mayor would become bad if word of his corruption and deals rises up. And some poor treatment within the asylum as well.
Despite that problem, the asylum does well, and everyone else does their work while the warden hardly comes to the place. They run the asylum, not the warden and guards do their work well.
We see one of the staff in the South Wing doing a check on who's in their cells and ones that have no one in.
"Let's see; 24, 25, 26, 27 are counted for. 28...check," The staff said, after checking each of those cells that are in but something was wrong, and went back to the cell that says 28 above.
"Wait a second? There were no logos of someone in Cell-28," The staff said, looking over his papers and saw there weren't any logos of someone in this cell.
Someone was in the cell, hard to tell due to how dark it was in the room and the figure was in the corner of the said room. As the Arkham staff leans back on the said door of the cell, causing him to almost fell and lost his balance as the said door opened and was unlocked to his surprise.
"What the hell?" The staff said in surprise and soon saw the said figure stepping up to greet him.
"I was feeling a bit nutty, so I check myself in," The unknown figure said.
"Who...who are you?" The staff asked, sounding a bit fearful and understanding in his position.
The figure put a card, out of nowhere and showed ghostly white skin. The card was a joker-theme playing card.
"My card, heheheh," The figure said before giggling like a maniac and moving towards the scared Arkham Staff.
The staff was frozen in pure horror and the figure soon laughed as the card started to unleash this green gas onto him.
"Hahahahahahahahaha! HAHAHAHAHAHAH!" The laughter of an insane person echoed throughout the South Wing and blocked the screams of terror from the staff, which the other cells started to open up.
The party starts, and it was an insane one.
Meanwhile
We see Michael watching the Gator Game doing pretty good for the home team against the guest. He did spot a familiar, not so much, a person also enjoying the games as well. He was surprised to see him through but never talk to him or go to him. Why shouldn't he? This was a Bruce Wayne that never lost his parents and beamed, full of life and different. And never lost his parents, never had that goal & training to become Gotham's Knight. No reason for him to drag Wayne into this mess and lifestyle he was fully in now. No reason at all.
Then a vibration and buzzing sound was heard, getting the white-haired young man's attention, and pulled out his Batwave phone to see a crime was being reported now. In Arkham Asylum and the crime was inmates being free from their cells from the south to the east wing.
"Arkham?" Michael said in surprise and decied to head out, exiling through the back doors to the back alley to meet the Batmobile.
A shame too, as the game was getting good but Batman was needed time to go to work.
We then Michael coming out of the exiled and into the rain of this stormy night, waiting for his ride which was coming in. A bit fast I might add!
"Whoa!" Michael shouted, taking a step back, and was lucky his ride stopped just ahead of him but a bit too close.
"(groan)...I got to work on those stops," Michael thought, making a mental note to work on the brakes on the Batmobile when he gets back home after checking out what was going on in Arkham Asylum.
Michael jumped into the Batmobile and was glad that he always placed his suit within the said ride in the case of emergency or quick suit-up. In this case before and the Dark Knight was needed in Arkham.
Batman was ready and started to drive towards Arkham Asylum, having an idea that he was going to need to park miles away from the island as police officers would be on the scene. On the bridge but not in Arkham, a good number of police officers are afraid to go in and discovered what's in the said asylum. And would take the copter to go in save.
This gives the Bat, the whole place to himself and figure out what could cause such an opening of inmates to leave their cells from south to east in a quick motion. He got onto the rooftop and soon saw some action on the bridge, getting his attention.
"Lenses - Zoom," Batman commanded, having the lenses in his cowl zoomed onto the bridge and saw a massive jack in the box.
The jack in the box soon was triggered when an officer step foot on the bridge and the jack popped outwards, scaring the police to go back soon the whole bridge where the jack was, blow up, and left a big crater behind. Can't use the bridge it seems.
"Normal vision...and it seems this person has a flare for the theatrics," Batman commented, having his vision return to normal and bringing his arms out, launching grapple hooks onto the building across the river, and making his way towards the asylum.
Unknown to the Bat, he was in for a grand surprise and a big joke coming his way.
...
AN: Would all like to see a Batwoman in the story?
Batwoman options are:
Kate Kane - Comic Batwoman
Sonia Alcana - DCAU Batwoman
Ellen Yin - The Batman and her Batwoman suit would be like Kate's but with yellow
Rochelle Wayne, who's Bruce little sister that becomes Batwoman after being inspired by Michael/Batman