[Flashback. YOUNGER WOMAN and OLDER WOMAN are sitting at a coffee shop.]
YOUNGER WOMAN: He hasn't been back. It's like all of a sudden, radio silence. No e-mails, texts, anything.
OLDER WOMAN: That's good.
YOUNGER WOMAN: I guess.
I still just...I don't know what to do. I mean, it's been so long since I've been on my own, I don't think I know how to do it anymore.
There's not a day-really, not an hour-when I don't wish I had taken more.
OLDER WOMAN: More what?
YOUNGER WOMAN: More pills.
Must sound so ridiculous to you.
OLDER WOMAN: Don't assume that. I can understand a lot.
YOUNGER WOMAN: Then tell me, what am I supposed to do? Because I can't figure it out.
OLDER WOMAN: You know what I do for a living, right?
YOUNGER WOMAN: Not...I...I think I know.
OLDER WOMAN: So, it works like this. Everyone on this Earth is different. Some women could never imagine doing it, even if they were desperate. Even if they were starving. Others wouldn't think twice about it, and a lot of them will never get the chance to even consider it.
If you're the former, that's the end of it. I'll never pressure you. But you need to think hard about whether or not you're the latter. Because if you are, this is the kind of opportunity life only hands you once or twice. You happen to know me. And, frankly, you're beautiful. And athletic.
There's no reason you should ever feel desperate again.
But that's your choice.
[At Gotham Police Headquarters]
GORDON: It's time to light it.
SMITH: You sure?
GORDON: You seen these? [Hands him photos that we don't see]
SMITH: Christ.
[GORDON turns on Bat-signal.]
[Two-page spread. Tweet-like messages consume the page, although we can still see the Bat-signal against the sky. Batman is crashing through the messages on his grappling hook. Space permitting, below are the messages.]
Bat-signal!
[selfies]
Oh yeah, it's on!
God it's so good to see that after the day I've had.
Such a media creation.
Seriously, f#%& Batman.
We doesn't deserve him.
Yaaas Batman!
I hope everyone's OK.
Let me tell you about the time I met him. (1/33)
For what I pay in taxes is it so much to ask that the police do their damn job? Starting with him.
If you're poor and on the wrong side of town, watch out!
Every time I see it I try a little harder.
For some reason they never blast the Bill of Rights across the sky, I wonder why.
Maybe he's headed to Finger Field to help the Goliaths score a damn touchdown?
Oh Christ what now?
Just a reminder, Gotham PD uses the signal for *crime deterrence use only.* Please subscribe to our push notifications for alerts on specific neighborhoods. Any acts of vigilantism will be prosecuted to the fullest extent of the law.
If you see him please email at tips
They should put Gordon on the $10 bill after he retires.
Right and wrong. Selflessness. People forget what he stands for.
I'm not saying the Batman is bad, but Heaven forbid you even QUESTION his actions on here, the fanboys will tear you to shreds.
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If he hurts you or anyone you know, please contact us. We are building our case against the city. #StaySafe
Don't worry, Mayor Wayne will privatize the Bat-signal and outsource it to the Chinese.
Shut up.
Law and order for *almost* everyone.
Yay, let's throw some more terrorists in Arkham because what they really need is some TLC for a few weeks before they're out again.
*Crying*
Seriously, when does he sleep?
We are all peons next to him.
#BatFan
#RealJusticeNotBatJustice
Has he saved you or your family? No? Well then your opinion on him is garbage. #SorryNotSorry
Really? Well I was on that bridge and I'm voting for McCaskill.
So weird, I wouldn't be alive today if it weren't for this...bat.
If you don't understand the Batman you don't understand Gotham.
How long are we gonna keep buying this show that Gotham PD puts on?
I still can't believe we put up with this.
[pic of kids on roof looking at Bat-signal] They always get so excited whenever it's on!
Reminder: Him and his buddy Riddler almost blew this city straight to hell during the War.
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People in Gotham are such idiots.
The guy in Metropolis isn't afraid to show his face, that speaks volumes.
I honestly wasn't sure I'd make it through today, until I saw this.
Anyone else think it's kind of weird him and the Red Hoods showed up at pretty much the same time?
He was fighting them you # $^
Live life with a purpose, because someone else has given up theirs to make sure you can.
Does it seem like they're turning it on more?
YESSS!
Batman is the reason I went to law school, and law school is the reason I can't cheer for him anymore.
Am I nuts or has he been gone a lot lately?
You're nuts.
Ur nuts.
Your nuts.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL arrive at the GCPD roof]
GORDON: More Uncle Sam killings, this brings it to five. All city or party officials.
[hands BATMAN photos]
GORDON: If I remember Boy Scouts, this is not an approved use of the American flag.
BATMAN: Any connection in the victims?
GORDON: None that we can find. But we're still going through the financial-
BATMAN: Three of them made consistent $1,000 deposits of cash each week.
GORDON: How could you even possibly know that? Oh whatever. So they were on the take?
BATMAN: And maybe involved in Firefly.
GORDON: None of them were potential witnesses.
BATMAN: There was more to Firefly. That I'm sure of.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL swing away.]
GORDON to SMITH: How the hell'd you miss that?
[BATMAN and BATGIRL are back in the Batcave.]
BATGIRL: So if this is about bribes and Firefly, why all the flair? Why the Uncle Sam shtick?
BATMAN: A distraction. Disguise mob killings as a serial killer.
Or it could be some kind of vigilante action. Someone who knows the details of Firefly and is sick of the inaction.
BATGIRL: That's good. Still, that's a lot of work to put into a distraction.
BATMAN: We need to talk. About your patrols.
BATGIRL: [angrily] What?
BATMAN: You've done well. But you're still holding back. You got hung up on this Jane Doe while city officials were being systematically murdered. You let this Fury tail and get the jump on you. You have to protect all of Gotham.
You say you're not me. But you put the cowl on. You did it without my instruction, even my knowledge. That cowl means taking everything-the good, the bad, the worst-and channeling it to a single purpose. A righteous purpose.
You must become the night.
Hold on, I'm getting a call on my cell.
[Batman presses something on his helmet.]
BATMAN: It's Tanner.
This is Bruce.
TANNER: Bruce. I need you to come over to my apartment immediately. We have an issue.
BATMAN: I'm on my way.
[to BATGIRL]
You're on.
Be sure to show up after me.
[BRUCE and TANNER are outside his apartment. Across his door, someone has written "STOP" with S in white, T in blue, O in red, and P in white again. Below it is a bald eagle, with its wings and body impaled and blood leaking down the door.]
TANNER: Uncle Sam is after me.
BATGIRL: [arising from the shadows] Uncle Sam didn't threaten the others. It doesn't fit the pattern.
BRUCE: How the hell did you get here so fast?
BATGIRL: A magician doesn't reveal her secrets now, does she? It'd spoil the show.
[BATGIRL places her hand on the painted message, her mask indicates that she's reading information across her eyes.]
It's Sherwin-Williams, available anywhere. No point trying to trace.
[She begins to carefully remove the bald eagle.]
But this is a bit rarer.
TANNER: I've got a town hall in 36 hours, whoever it is will learn then that I'm not backing down. To hell with them.
BATGIRL: [to TANNER] Call the police. But tell them you found it this way. Unless you want to add a charge of contaminating a crime scene to your campaign platform.
[BATGIRL leaves.]
[BATGIRL is driving her motorbike down a Gotham street with the eagle encased in some container. She meanwhile communicates with BRUCE.]
BATGIRL: You livin' the nightlife yet?
BRUCE: [unseen] Been partying for 10 minutes already.
BATGIRL: The feds busted an illegal eagle trafficking ring a few years ago, but those were stuffed or bird parts. This thing was alive when they impaled it. Where can you get a live bald eagle on delivery?
BATMAN: [Now on-panel] Forget the analysis. I know where.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL arrive at the Iceberg Lounge.]
BATMAN: We'll go through the roof.
BATGIRL: Should we wait until it closes?
BATMAN: It never closes.
[as they climb.]
BATGIRL: So you think Penguin is Uncle Sam?
BATMAN: No. He's in Blackgate and we've been monitoring all of his communication. But his operations are continuing in his absence.
BATGIRL: So it's some underling?
BATMAN: Maybe. We'll find out.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL crash through the ceiling into the club, find a large group of clubbers dancing to music in a dimly lit room. They all stop and stare at BATMAN & BATGIRL for a second, then go back to clubbing.]
[BATMAN and BATGIRL both use grappling hooks to jump up into the club's office area-ordinary-looking office room with a few Penguin henchmen hanging out.]
BATGIRL: We can do this the hard way, or the other hard way.
BATMAN and BATGIRL easily defeat Penguin's henchmen with batarangs.]
BATMAN: The illegal birds, who handles them? Who do you sell to?
PENGUIN HENCHMAN #1: You think we keep receipts?
BATMAN: Yeah, I do. Give them to me.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL are speeding away. It's dawn.]
BATGIRL: This is 30 names. It will take forever to track them down.
BATMAN: Narrow it by crossing off the bird enthusiasts. They've got websites, right?
[It's night again, indicating the passage of time. BATGIRL and BATMAN are arriving at an apartment building.]
BATGIRL: Believe it or not, this is the only name that didn't show up on some bird-watching site.
Though I still wouldn't rule all of them out. Some of those people are psychos. And they all hate cats, by the way.
[They kick down the door and enter the room. BATMAN sees the GG knit hat.]
BATMAN: This is Scarface.
[BATGIRL puts her hand on a printer, a hologram of blueprints pops up.]
BATGIRL: He just printed this out.
BATMAN: It's the blueprint of Gotham Public Library.
Where Tanner's town hall meeting is happening.
In 25 minutes.
[BATMAN and BATGIRL burst into the library.]
BATMAN: [looking up] There are at least seven rifles in the building.
BATGIRL: Doesn't he have police protection now?
BATMAN: They can't possibly stop all of them. Find the snipers, now.
[Hits something on his helmet while BATGIRL jumps to the ceiling.]
Jim, there's going to be an attempt on Tanner tonight at the Library. They can overpower your officers.
[GORDON is in the GCPD office.]
GORDON: SHIT
BATGIRL: There are multiple snipers here.
GORDON: [to his staff] All available units converge at the library. We've got a 335!
[BATGIRL is down a hall while communicating with BATMAN, who is running into the library atrium. She bursts into a room and finds that it has a gun, but no gunman or remote.]
BATGIRL: It's empty.
BATMAN: Decoys. [to crowd, TANNER.] Everyone, get out! Now!
BATGIRL: The vents here are too hot, I can't use infrared. I'm going to have to check them all.
GORDON: [in squad car on walkie-talkie] Deploy choppers!
BATGIRL: This is the last one, the sniper must be here.
[We see the police choppers lift off from two different buildings. A rocket launches from somewhere in the street towards one of the choppers.]
[BATGIRL opens the door to find that the room is also empty, except for a rifle with a Kermit the Frog doll draped over it, as if it were the gunman.]
BATGIRL: What the hell?
[The rocket hits the choppers blades, sending it spiraling to the ground. Another rocket launches towards the other chopper. BATMAN hears the GCPD radio in his earpiece.]
RADIO: Mayday, mayday! The chopper's been hit!
BATMAN: Oh God. Get downtown, now!
[The choppers both spiral downwards towards the same old-fashioned-looking gov't building.]
[Panel of both BATMAN and BATGIRL speeding thru Gotham.]
BATGIRL: Where downtown?
BATMAN: Towards GCPD!
[After both choppers hit the building, three more hoodlums pop up with rocket launchers and launch multiple rockets towards it, destroying what's left of the building.]
[BATMAN and BATGIRL arrive at the burning building, after the hoodlums have left.]
BATMAN: They knew. They knew GCPD would scramble helicopters.
BATGIRL: What building is this?
BATMAN: County records.
BATGIRL: Huh?
BATMAN: All county prosecutor evidence is held here.
The financial papers showing silent partnerships. The doctored insurance reports. The forensic accounting tracing the bribes. The accelerant samples proving Firefly's involvement.
It's all gone.
