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Sorry it has been so freaking long. School will never relent. I don't own anything. Please review, etc. etc. If you have any criticisms please voice them, I wish to improve my writing for everyone's benefit.
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The Batman refused to get any rest until he had figured out why the Penguin would have given his own thug cosmetic surgery in order to cover for the escape of a matricide. This connection explained why Tom Patrickson, pretending to be a most likely non-existent Dawson Hampton, would have referred to him as "the Bat". He must have picked it up from talking to the Penguin. What did not make sense was that Tom did not seem to have been expecting him to come to Gateway. So, either something possessed Cobblepot to aid in the escape of Patrickson without wanting anything in return, Tom was in Gateway against the Penguin's will, the Penguin had already gotten what he wanted from Tom, or one or both of them was not expecting him to interfere in Gateway. There were just too many possibilities and no way to narrow them down.
He tried to think about it from another angle. Assuming everything was still going according to the Penguin's plan, why would he have sent Patrickson to Gateway? He could have been operating under the assumption that the League called on Batman to solve mysteries all the time, but that did not seem likely considering the amount of money and energy it would have taken to break out Tom. The only apparent objective Cobblepot could have been pursuing when loosing a killer on Gateway would be the distraction of the Batman. There could be another reason, but nothing that fit the Penguin's modus operandi came to mind.
So, pursue that avenue. Why would the Penguin want him out of the way? Having the Batman out of the way would normally be reason enough, but Robin and Nightwing have been patrolling in his absence. It is not like the city was left entirely defenseless. Sure, he knew the city better than both of them combined, but Dick had been doing this for a while too. The Penguin was too meticulous to miss the fact that every time the Batman was not working they were.
A week passed with no new leads. He was just starting to settle back into his normal routine when it was time to call Wonder Woman again. He had not spoken to her since updating her on the Penguin's involvement and the true identity of the serial killer. She answered his call quickly.
"Wonder Woman." She answered.
"He's resurfaced. Another victim, this time in St. Louis. Meet you there."
She was seated atop the arch waiting for him, he appeared just as the last rays of sunshine were blocked by the horizon.
"Couldn't have picked a more public spot?" He asked, standing next to her.
"Wouldn't want to make it too easy for you. Plus, what's the point of being able to fly if I don't use it to enjoy spots like this?"
He grunted and then leapt from the arch, extending his arms in order to glide with his cape. The fabric of his cape stiffened in response, forming a large triangle. She flew up next to him. The wind made a calming sound as it interacted with the fabric of his cape; a sound that was in sharp contrast to the anxiety-giving task at hand. A few minutes later they alighted on the balcony of an apartment building, not too far from the arch. Diana had clearly done some preliminary research to pick out a good place to wait.
Batman picked the lock and slid open the glass door separating the apartment and the balcony. A grotesquely familiar scene waited for them, neither of them showed the recognition they felt. They did not need to see the body to know what had happened here: the scuff marks of struggle, the local blood splatter, and the white chalk outline showing a slumped figure in the corner of the room. Batman gave the room a quick once over and then headed for the entrance to the apartment. He opened the door and peeked his head out, looking up and down the hall. He then closed the door, touched his fingers to his cowl, and looked intently at a spot midway between the floor and the door handle. He typed something into his remote-computer device and then stood up.
"It was raining or had just finished raining when the killer entered; and more importantly, he walked a good distance to get here."
Diana did not question how all that had been deduced. "Why would he have walked?"
"Public transportation can be traced. That and a probable lack of funds."
Batman called Alfred by touching his ear. "Alfred, Patrickson made a mistake. Have the computer find all relatively inexpensive, short-notice living accommodations within a five mile radius."
"Very well, Sir." A few moments later Alfred opened the comm channel again. "There is only one motel that accepts cash within that radius. That is where I would look."
A point appeared on a map of the city contained in Batman's device. Batman and Wonder Woman once again took off into the night.
"Surely he wouldn't still be there? He has to know that you would recognize his rather obvious MO." Diana prompted.
"With any luck, he'll assume that I don't find out about crimes elsewhere in the country until everyone else does; so he'll stay for a day or two to properly dispose of evidence."
As they flew it began to sprinkle, adding a pattering to the already soothing sound of wind. The sounds did nothing for their hearts, which beat faster than the rain fell as they neared what could be the killer. The motel came into view, it had not been far, less than two miles. Batman pointed out a spot with minimal light for them to land in behind the building.
"Stay here." Batman whispered, touching her shoulder as he said it.
Several minutes later he walked up to her holding a large book, she figured it must be the ledger. He flipped to a page and ran his finger along the listings. She began to read starting from the bottom of the page, to expedite the process.
"Here," she pointed to an entry several days ago paid in cash with no name listed.
He continued to trace his finger down the listings until he reached where she was pointing. "We're in luck, that's the only listing since he was in Gateway that was paid in cash. Room 17."
They walked to the front of the motel and stood outside a green door with a brass '17' screwed into it. The curtains were drawn, so Batman scanned the room with various different techniques and technologies.
"There's someone in there, and they are sleeping."
Diana clenched her jaw, she could feel her heart racing in her chest and pounding in her ears. Batman knelt down and picked the lock with ease, he then opened the door in a way that minimized the squeaking of hinges. They stepped into the darkness, street lights from outside cast shadows around the room, and the pattering rain followed them inside. Batman moved silently toward the sleeping figure before giving Diana a look that told her all she needed to know. Bruce could practically hear all Diana's muscles tensing as she prepared to move. He grabbed her by the arm and shook his head; he felt the sinews loosen as she understood. He injected the man with something which briefly woke him up, his eyelids flying open before lazily closing once more.
Tom Patrickson woke up in mid-air, he was falling. He convulsed before realizing he was probably just waking up from a dream about falling, but the ground continued to get closer. His eyes grew wide and he began flailing, or he would have if he were not restrained. He tried to let out a scream, but that attempt was foiled by duct tape he was only just now noticing. Within a matter of seconds he accepted his fate and just whimpered, tears being whisked away by the wind. Then something hit him hard coming from the side and he landed very painfully atop a building. When he finally dared to open his eyes again he was met by an infuriated Wonder Woman.
Diana ripped the duct tape off his face and picked him up by the neck, standing him up with one arm. She pulled him close, her brow furrowed, her nose wrinkled in disgust, and a cold fury burning in her eyes that she had learned from the Batman himself. Tom learned that night that a calm, collected anger could be more terrifying than rage.
"You waste my time and I'll tear you limb from limb, do I make myself clear?" She practically whispered the command to him.
He nodded his head frantically. She proceeded to wrap her lasso around him and the interrogation began.
"Why did you kill those women?"
A tear ran down the man's eye. "Momma always beat me, made me stay in the corner for hours, everytime I wanted her attention she would shove candy in my mouth and tell me to go away. I wanted to make her feel what I felt. I wanted to punish her, abuse her, and rape her like her boyfriends raped her. After all, if that's how mom treated me and how she let herself be treated, that's how she must want me to treat her."
"None of those women were your mother, any sympathy you might deserve was lost when you punished innocents for someone else's crime."
"They're all the same." The sadness on his face was replaced by anger as he said this and his eyes glazed over.
"You disgust me." She knew Bruce was about to ask her to get back on track from the shadowy alcove he was watching in, so she did exactly that. "Why did the Penguin free you?"
"All he would say was that a little bird told him to start a mystery in Gateway City."
Satisfied, Diana hit him in the head hard enough to give him a major concussion and the man passed out immediately.
"Why drop him if you were just going to use the lasso?" Batman emerged from the darkness.
"You of all people should understand the power of fear, and for the satisfaction of seeing him helpless." She spat on the man's unconscious body.
"Princess, would that be the same satisfaction he got from killing those women?"
She spun around fury building at the insinuation. He wouldn't dare compare me to that thing on the ground. However, her face suddenly softened as she looked at Bruce. She did not know how she could tell, nothing about his face or his posture gave it away, but he was concerned. His statement was not one of accusation, but one of worry for a friend. She felt a stinging in her eyes and a weakness in her knees. She dared not stumble toward him, she could not deal with the pain of him watching her fall in front of him; so she stumbled away from him. But he did not watch her fall, he leapt forward catching her and guiding her to the ground. They stayed there for a while, with him holding her, refusing to let her face the emotions alone. The light rain continued to fall, masking her tears as she thought of the women and their families.
"Dick and I had just put away one of Gotham's more nasty criminals. I found him quietly shaking in a small corner of Wayne Manor. I had no idea what to do. I had dragged him into my world, and no one else belongs here. But it was too late for him, his parents' murderer had dragged him into this world long before I did. It isn't too late for you, Diana. Stay away from me."
Diana slapped him, hard. "You stupid, stubborn man! Do you know why Dick was crying alone? Because he wanted to be strong for you. He wanted to prove to himself, and to you that he could handle the suffering. He didn't want the pain to stop, he didn't want a way out; he was desperately trying to keep you from pushing him away. Why do you think I do what I do? Because I think it's fun flying around, getting praise? NO! I do it so that others don't have to suffer. Are you so self-centered as to think that you are the only one sacrificing your happiness?"
"Diana, I-, that's not what I meant." His face was set and his jaw clenched.
She smiled despite her tears and touched his face gently. "I know, Bruce. You meant that you can't bear the thought that you might be causing Dick suffering, that you might be causing me suffering. Well guess what, none of us are going anywhere." She realized what she was doing and retracted her hand and moved away from him somewhat, although not entirely leaving his embrace. "Dick, Alfred, Barbara, Damian, Kal...we're all going to suffer with you whether you like it or not."
The sun began to rise, but their spirits did not. Four. Four women had died before they caught him, mourning would not be quick.