Batman used his binoculars to spy down at the gathering crowds. This had to be the next place for the Mad Hatter to strike. It was almost too simple. And it was the only place that made sense.
Alfred and he had sat in the Batcave for only a few minutes before it suddenly came to them.
"Perhaps, sir, we should find the next Alice that the Mad Hatter may kidnap," Alfred had said. "Alice Mellone was a cheap shot to the clue. Melon being a type of food, but we may never have guessed that." Alfred had to admit that the Hatter was smarter than he was given credit.
"Done, Alfred. I have a list of every Alice in this city. After a search for keywords in the computer, I came up with only one name that makes much sense."
"The next quote is 'What day of the month is it?' What did you come up with?"
"Alice Day. Unfortunately, she's on vacation. There was no way to reach her."
"I don't think that will stop the Mad Hatter."
"I don't either. I have a feeling that she's already been kidnapped. I think our best bet may just be to find where the next murder will take place before it happens. But 'What day of the month is it?' is sort of vague."
Alfred considered for a moment. "Perhaps it has something to do with a calendar shop?" he asked not really believing that to be true.
"I checked. We don't have an actual calendar shop. Most bookstores and novelty shops sell calendars, but there's no shop in Gotham devoted to only calendars."
"Maybe it's something related then to the date."
Batman turned to see what day it was. "July 4th…" he said.
"July 4th? As in the American Independence day? But what does that have to do with anything?"
Batman's mouth hung open. "The fireworks celebration tonight. In the main square. He wouldn't dare."
"I believe that publicity is exactly what the Mad Hatter has in mind," said Alfred sagely.
And so, Batman had sat up high above the streets watching the crowds gathering below for the fireworks celebration. Would the mad Hatter actually strike here, and if he did, where in this mass of people was he? Batman did his best to spot a top hat with a size card sticking out its side, but he saw nothing of that kind at all. He did see a good many pointy hats though. Unhelpful as they were.
He searched the crowd three times before releasing a sigh. Nothing. He glanced over to the place where the fireworks were about to shoot off and saw people moving about. He looked back at the crowd but suddenly did a double take to the spot where the fireworks were being shot off. There shouldn't be anyone over there. The fireworks were set to shoot off in three minutes, and personnel were supposed to be cleared away.
He used his binoculars again to search out the area, and he saw a girl strapped and struggling on the launchpad. She was tied right above one of the firework cannons. And it was pointing straight at her heart.
Batman shot his grappling hook onto the nearest building and swung down towards the crowd below him. He checked his stopwatch. Two minutes until the show started. He swung over the crowds' heads. He heard them shout his name and point excitedly up at him as he swung, but he didn't have time to pay attention to that. He had roughly a minute and a half to reach the girl, untie her, and get out of that dangerous area.
He alit on the ground and ran as fast as his legs could carry him. Luckily, the muscles in his legs were worked out every day, and he was able to reach her on the launchpad with a minute to go.
"I'll get you free," he said to the struggling girl.
She stopped struggling enough for him to unstrap her hands and feet. He also removed the tape over her mouth. "Thanks," she said, rubbing her wrists, which were red from the rope she had been tied with.
"Time for thanks later, Alice," said Batman realizing he had ten seconds to get them clear. He grabbed her around the waist, grabbed a batarang around his belt since he had lost his grappling hook, and threw it thirty feet away at a passing truck. The batarang had been attached to a cord, which Batman wrapped around himself. The moving truck didn't have to go far before the cord became taut, and both Batman and the girl flew into the air away from the fireworks as they shot off into reds and blues.
His body ached from the speed of the truck, and he did his best not to fall to the ground where both he and the girl would be dragged along the blacktop of Gotham streets. Finally, the truck stopped, and Batman was able to release the cord and the girl.
She turned to look at the fireworks launchpad they had barely escaped. She shivered thinking of what could have happened to her if she had still been attached to the rocket underneath her. She saw the police and an EMT running towards her. Before they took her away, she decided she needed to thank her hero. She turned, but Batman had already vanished.
Commissioner Gordon was the first to see the girl. She looked questioningly into his face. "Don't worry," Gordon said without even having to hear what she said. "He does it all the time."