None of the characters from the movie appear in this chapter but it will introduce more alternate versions of several DC characters.
"No..." A man knelt among the ashes of the burnt Gotham World's Fair. With both hands, he scooped the dirt, holding on to it momentarily until it was scattered with the wind. "My wheel! My beautiful wheel!"
It's been a day after the fairground's flames were put out and the police cordon has been taken off. Investors, shopkeepers, project managers, and other relevant citizens were finally allowed to inspect their ruined exhibits. Similar displays of defeat became the spectacle of the gathering as wails of despair and financial insolvency filled the air.
"C'mon, Dad, get up!" A young woman slid her arms under the man's armpits and raised him up. "Nothing we can do about it now. On the bright side, we can implement the redesigns that came as an afterthought on a new and improved model."
"But our chance to debut our invention has gone! And what about the funds?!" The old man fretted. "We got lucky with our sponsorship the last time but I'm afraid that Mr. Wayne wouldn't do us another favor again."
"When you put it like that, it does seem hopeless," His daughter said. "If worst comes to worst, we'll pitch it to someone else and garner their support. Somehow. They don't exactly treat our wheel as a scientific achievement."
"And rightfully so!" A man with soft, caramel skin and curly locks interrupted. "What was that hideous thing even supposed to be? An oversized steamboat's stern wheel with seats?"
"Shut up! You don't have the right to lecture me, you quadro-"
"Whoa, Dad! Stop there!" The daughter interceded. "He may be a jerk but that's a spot you shouldn't hit anymore. Times have changed, Dad."
"Good to know that someone has a bit of a right mindset in this family," The man quipped. "And with the changing times should come the changing priorities. What use would this 'amusing' giant pinwheel be in this age of progress? And this is hardly the first time someone tried to create something like this. They might have drawn a crowd in the rural towns but the civilized world has no need of such inane objects to take up precious space that could be utilized for better infrastructure."
"Jackson Jekyll, why do you even insist on antagonizing us when we're not even in the same field of interest?" The lady asked.
"Because your pursuits are a waste of effort and talent," Jekyll said. "It's not that I'm being rude to you because I dislike you as people, that's not to say that I'm quite fond of you, but clearly, you should be better off doing something else that would benefit mankind. I think you both might have heard of the phrase 'reinventing the wheel?' That's what you're doing, in more ways than one."
"That's none of your damn business!" The father barked.
"And here I once looked up to you as a capable engineer, Carl Ferris," Jekyll taunted further. "You were hailed as the man who'll design the future but here you are. I'll gladly pry that responsibility off from you."
"Excuse me," A sharp-dressed man with a pen and notebook interrupted the conversation. "But may I conduct an interview?"
"Of course," Jackson proclaimed. "Another one so soon, Mr. Scott?"
"Huh? Oh, I meant to speak with Engr. Ferris here," The reporter clarified. "I've interviewed you yesterday, didn't I, Mr. Jekyll?"
"Is that so?" The man scoffed. "I thought for sure that the firefighting automatons that I invented and helped put out the fire yesterday would make the headline in your newspaper but, alas, it was lost among your other stories. Though to be fair, Wayne's acquittal is a big scoop in itself." After the remarks, he smirked. "You ought to consider hiring more people soon. With you as reporter, editor, and publisher for now, surely you're stressed out even with the stamina and intellect that is keeping you afloat. Perhaps having more people to lessen your burden will aid in your judgment on what to cover… and what not to."
"I'll keep that advice in mind," Scott replied amiably, though with an evidently forced smile.
The two gentlemen bowed farewells to each other and Jackson left in one of those newfangled horseless carriages. Scott then turned to the father and daughter mechanics and introduced himself.
"Good morning, Engr. Ferris," He greeted. "I'm Alan Scott from the Daily Sentinel and it would be greatly appreciated if you would humor me with an interview."
"Psh. Can't you tell when a man is out of sorts?" Carl proceeded to leave with heavy stomps but instructed his daughter. "Carol, go tell the man what he wants to know. Though if he bothers you too much, don't hesitate to knock his teeth in." With those parting words, he disappeared behind the onlookers as he dragged his feet wearily.
Alan eyed the lady, head to foot. Her hair is unkempt and though she has undeniably a lady's face, it's tanned by either the sun or the steam from machines unlike her sheltered counterparts. Scandalously, she wears an overall with linen shirt underneath instead of the acceptable bustle and petticoat. And those sandals are just horrendous, he thought. All in all, a kind of fashion the Victorian era should keep secret. What beautiful, dainty feet though.
"So, what do you want?" Carol asked while Alan covertly gulped and his eyes rose to her face again. "Don't be afraid to ask me anything that you would ask my father. I pretty much know what he knows."
"So, umm... this giant wheel here, what do you call it?" Alan asked his first question.
"We intend to call it the Ferris Wheel after ourselves but there are conflicts with the patent so far so we're not yet allowed to refer to it in that name officially," Carol explained. "Not yet, at least. We have enough proof that this design is different enough from existing, similar ones to warrant a recognition of originality."
"How much did it cost to build?"
"I apologize but I'm not at liberty to discuss it. We signed a confidentiality agreement with our current benefactor, Mr. Bruce Wayne, and his company."
"I respect that. On to the next question then…"
The interview went on and after several questions answered by Carol Ferris, ranging from one-liners to entire paragraphs, it was concluded and she asked to be excused politely.
"Thank you for your time, Miss," Alan expressed. "Hopefully, I'll see you again soon."
"You hope… to see me again?" She raised an eyebrow.
"I don't mean anything in particular by it," Alan assured. "It's just that I'm new to this place and it would be great if I get along with the people as much as possible."
"Oh, is that so?" She slowly nodded, looking less enthusiastic than she was during the interview. "Well, I guess I'll look forward to it then. Welcome to Gotham, Mr. Scott."
With a bow, she left.
Smart girl. He thought momentarily but his line of focus shifted to somewhere else. Now for my real purpose of coming here.
He stepped within the wreckage of the Ferris Wheel and without anyone else to see, he brought out his pocket lamp. He furtively ignited it, knowing that a flame in a place that was just burnt down wouldn't be taken lightly. The flame reshaped into something that resembles a magnifying glass and Alan peered into it.
As if turning back time, the wheel seen in the fiery lens was reconstructed to its former state and with it, a scene of two figures fighting atop of one of its cabins played like shadow puppetry. The Batman and the Ripper, he presumed, though the magic of the Green Gaslight was not strong enough to depict their finer details. The fight proceeded just as it did in reality two nights' prior: the vanquished, cuffed to a railing, retreated to the flames.
But what was then not seen by the naked eye appeared in the magical lens: from the burning body, an ectoplasmic smoke rose up in the air, undulating and writhing like a living tempest.
"That must be it, the Mark of the—"
Before he can continue his inward assessment, he was called out from behind him.
"You there! It's not safe to walk under those debris! Get out of there before it falls on you!" A man from the damage control party yelled.
"Right! I was just about to leave. I've seen what I wanted to see."
This chapter brings the new characters to where the movie's final battle took place. I had Carol Ferris and her father replace the real inventor of the Ferris wheel, George Washington Gale Ferris Jr., in this universe partly as a gag but I also need the characters for the plot but don't want to have Ferris Aircraft.
Also, the Jackson Jekyll here isn't the character from Monster High.
