AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello there, Boils and Ghouls! Hope you're enjoying the tale so far. If not, that is ok as criticism is still a vital part in adding to what is welcomed in making a story good. Anyways, I just wanted to let the audience know a little something about this particular fiction. Though not a strict adaptation as that's a no-no on this site, a huge chunk of this story is inspired by the story arc, "Prey" by Doug Moench from "Batman: Legends of the Dark Knight". Some of the basic plot is there, but stuff has been turned around such as Hugo Strange being more mad scientist-like and Catwoman having a more larger role. Elements from Frank Miller's Year One comic are in here, but not as prevalent. But that's all for now. Enjoy!
Chapter 3 - Partners in Crime
6:15 PM.
Things were in full swing over at Casa de la Wayne. Selina and Bruce were in the midst of getting to know each other as Alfred cooked up their dinner. She had been given a tour of the place and soon they stopped to hang out in Bruce's study office. Inside were some oddly fascinating things for a guy like him. Such items included statuettes of a gryphon, kittens, the Addams Family lion, Godzilla, Frankenstein's monster and posters for The Phantom of the Opera and a production of The Mask of Zorro starring Basil Korlos.
"Wow. Had no idea of the gruesome stuff you might be into, Bruce," She said. "But I must admit the cats got me hooked."
"It keeps me interested," Bruce pointed to the lion. "This here is Kitty Kat from The Addams Family Show. Always been my favorite. And right here is a gryphon."
"Half-bird, half-lion… Mythical demon that sweeps down from the sky to deliver retribution and justice," Selina began visually matching the profiles of Bruce and Batman.
"Correct," he sat down and drank his ginger ale.
Bruce turned his eyes toward the Frankenstein monster statue. Enjoying it's glory as the creature of many parts graced his room. Selina turned to him.
"Y'know, Bruce, it must be strange. You've got all this money and power and what do you decide to buy? A bunch of Godzilla and Frankenstein statues. No offense, but why do like these creatures?"
He looked into his glass and then back at her. "I relate to monsters more than people honestly. I feel a certain kinship with them where they make you feel welcome for who you are. That's something I can't get from dating socialites."
She chuckled. "You're nuts, boy. I think you're hiding something."
"What makes you say that?" He asked.
She leaned back against a chair, moistening her lips, "I'm saying that you sound bored with your life. Having everything you want. No variety or danger. And every once in a blue moon you need to take a risk. Shake it all up a bit."
He looked at the Godzilla statue and then back at Selina. "Maybe you're right. I could be a little crazy in trusting a Kaiju monster."
She placed her arms around his neck and sat on his lap as Selina moved towards his face, "That's one thing I can give you, Bruce - danger - a little something you can't get at home."
"Careful what you go after, Selina. The creature under the bed isn't as glamorous as you think."
"Maybe I want you under my bed," she got close.
"Do you?" he purred.
"Come and get me, Mr. Boogeyman," she whispered in his ear.
She then started getting even more close to him for some lip lockin'. Just as they were about to kiss, they were interrupted by a knock at the door. The sound made Selina jump a bit, but Bruce casually went to open it. Alfred, Bruce's butler and Lucius Fox, his business partner were standing outside.
"Sorry to interrupt you, Master Bruce. Eh, Mr. Fox wanted to speak to you about a recent… development," Alfred winked to him.
"Sure umm guys this is Selina Kyle," he said while she waved. "Ms. Kyle, you've met Alfred. But this is my business partner, Lucius Fox."
Lucius came in and shook her hand, "It's a pleasure to meet you. Apologies about disturbing you guys."
"It's alright," she affirmed.
"Selina, hope you don't mind if we meet again some other time. I have to discuss some business deals with Mr. Fox," Bruce told her.
"No worries. Maybe sometime tomorrow?"
"I'll call you," she walked out down the hall to her car.
"Have a good evening," Alfred said to her.
Meanwhile, Lucius and Bruce walked back inside his study. He put his eye to one of the bookcases which triggered a laser to scan them, allowing the case to open up to the Batcave. There they walked down to Bruce's lair.
"How'd your date go?" Lucius asked.
"You know me, Luc. Can't let romance come in the way," Bruce retorted.
"Five bucks says you'll be chasing that tail as soon as I'm done with this conversation" Lucius laughed while Bruce brushed it off,
"So anyways, how goes the car?"
Mr. Fox sighed, "Always the buzz killer."
Lucius then showed Bruce a long black car waiting for him in the Batcave. It was sleek, gothic mishmash of a Lincoln Futura and a hearse with vamprie bat fins on its sides.
"We call it: the Batmobile," he said.
Bruce continued to marvel at the powerful car right in front of him. The engines, tires, and clean darkness was practically mouth-watering.
"Mr. Fox, I'll be doubling your pay," he said.
Fox then patted him on the back and joked, "Just don't be off drag-racing anytime soon, flyboy."
They soon high-fived each other. Unknown to them upstairs, Selina monitored in on their conversation as she was hiding from Alfred. She soon listed off "Secret Hideout" on her list of "Evidence that Bruce Wayne is Batman."
"Now that I know what he's been hiding, the question is when do I appropriately ask him about it," she whispered to herself.
12:00 AM
The moon shined down on Gotham. From within a penthouse, Hugo Strange looked down upon the city while drinking his wine glass. He soon took a look at the newspaper with photos of Batman and Catwoman. The Bat section had black marker circles around it while her section was all blocked out. Almost as if Hugo was more interested in Batman rather than Catwoman.
"How does he do it?" he began speaking to himself in an almost sinister manner. "He plays by no one's rules, yet prides himself as a moral crusader. He runs through the shadows, only to always slip under the radar. He never murders, but the children on the street make him out to be Jason Voorhees. But why?"
His walk down to the closet revealed a more disturbing side to Strange. Two dead bodies laid on a couple of laboratory slabs with voltages wired within their flesh. The corpses themselves were dressed in cheap imitation versions of Batman and Catwoman. However another faux-Bat suit lied within Hugo's closet.
"Could it be that he himself lost a loved one to crime?" he opened the door and took out the suit. "A wife? Parents? Children?"
Hugo soon put on the suit and began to act out like a psychic Batman fanboy. The more he obsessed over him, the more creepy and terrifying he became. Strange practiced punches and kicks during his ramblings.
"Dear God! The compulsion and the mystery from hiding his face!" he punched the wall. "Maybe he's a grotesque monster like Quasimodo! Or maybe even alien! These possibilities are endless!" he threw his wine glass at the window.
"He possesses the ability to scare young thugs while all of Gotham sleeps. Howling in his territory as if he were Lon Chaney Jr. or something. Owning it like the night that dares to bring him out. Yes! Yes!"
He jumped on his chair but soon broke the table as he leapt off the sofa. That little blow to his stomach almost burst his balloon of fantasy.
"Damn. I keep forgetting that I can only pretend to be him, but I'm trapped in my own body. It's why I envy him…" he soon took his pocket knife and angrily eyed at the corpse with the Catwoman mask. "... and why I hate her!"
Hugo repeatedly and slowing stabbed the Cat corpse out of anger. Each blow was an insight into his rage against women. He soon began talking to it like he was talking to Selina.
"You think it's funny, don't you? To rub it in my face that you're better at getting into his mind than I am?! You think you're so special, don't you?! You just pull off dangerous stunts just for some worthless toys, you shallow, childish, wretched BRAT!"
Strange threw his knife at the wall and sat down, with his hands towards his face breathing in anger. He looked onto the Bat corpse and started to calm down a bit. Well as calm as a man with two bodies on his slab can be.
"The joy of inflicting violence on others. But does he feel the same when others try to come at him? I don't think so."
Outside his penthouse, the Batman listened in on his tirade. He wrote down on some paper taking notes on Hugo Strange. The dark knight replayed the tapes of Hugo and Peter Grogan discussing their plans to take him down.
"So Professor, these associates you speak of. You say that they're foreign yoleks you've hired?" Grogan asked.
Batman took down on paper many possible interpretations Grogan was hinting to on tape. Strange soon followed.
"Let's just say they're very out of the blue oriented people. But the best part is that they'll be able to secure the deal without saying a peep to the press."
"You make these guys sound like Science Fiction *chuckles*"
"Only because their progress is practically out of this world, Grogan."
Batman tilted his head trying to decipher who Hugo Strange might've been referring to. What lurked behind him would soon provide the answer, but only a million more questions. Something grabbed hold of the Dark Knight and he pushed it back. His eyes widened in disbelief at what he saw: a zombie monster man dressed as the Bat.
"Who are you?" Batman asked.
The creature didn't respond other than with zombie-like moaning. Soon enough, it lunged towards him prompting the dark knight to kick it in the chest down to the ground. The zombie tried to get up, but Batman threw a batarang at the arm. Electrical sparks soon sprouted and the creature was bleeding yellow. When the creature took the batarang out of its arm, it threw it at Batman. He jumped out of the way, only for his leg to get hit.
"Shit!" he yelled.
Batman hit the ground as the Zombie Bat soon began scratching at his face. He took the batarang out of his leg and used it to rip the arm of the creature. Now yellow blood was foaming at the mouth of this specimen. Just before the Zombie Bat could finish off Batman, a crowbar whacked it's head, sending it flying off the building and many miles down to the ground. The caped crusader looked at the body of the zombie bat slowly dying.
"You alright, Batsy?" a feminine voice was heard.
"Yea. Thanks for the…"
He cut himself off when he saw that it was Catwoman who saved him from the creature. There she was waving the crowbar around with a smirk on her face.
"Don't sweat it. Although judging from the scenario, it looks like you need a partner," she said.
"I thought justice wasn't your forte," he commented while examining the body.
"That was what I used to think. But if your brand of action means fighting weird zombies and dirty cops while meeting cuties like you, then maybe I might reconsider."
Batman just raised his eyebrow at her while she just smiled. "Hey it beats the same old stealing jewels and escaping cops routine."
He just sighed, "I'm not sure about this. Working with those on the other side of the law isn't how I roll."
She appeared in front of him. "The only side I'm on is mine. Plus don't you think it's funny that a vigilante like you is lecturing me on right and wrong."
Batman only just closed his eyes and snorted angrily a bit. Catwoman just smiled and softly patted his cheek. He took a deep breath before speaking.
"Alright, but only because Hugo Strange is after us both. Plus I think you could be useful in obtaining files secured by Commissioner Grogan."
"Is that the only reason?" she smirked.
Images of a flying bat kept playing in his head like a memory from the past that just wouldn't go away. Batman tried to concentrate, but broke the silence.
"I'd rather not say."
"I'm guessing I'll have to steal your thoughts," she then whispered in his ear. "...along with your heart."
Catwoman then nibbled on the costume section where his ear was before planting on a little kiss on his lips. The feline then whispered into his lips.
"You may not know it yet, but you're on my side, no matter what."
She flipped her way out of the vicinity while Batman just stood there staring at her. He was both amazed and expressing regret, afraid that this decision might stab him in the back. But soon enough he'll come to know that this will be the least of his problems.
TO BE CONTINUED...