Here is another chapter of Dark Rider. Sorry this has taken so long to get out. I've been focusing on my other account.
I would like to give a HUGE thanks to my wonderful beta, Varishi. This chapter would not be up without her.
I hope you guys enjoy this chapter. Criticism and nice reviews are greatly appreciated. Thanks.
Dark Rider ll
Batman slammed his fist down on the keyboard of the BatComputer.
"Damn it!" He swore. Again, the Dark Knight's targets were lost.
The past month was treacherous for Gotham's Caped Crusader. The dark city had been overrun by street racers. There had been street racers in the past but the dangerous sport soon got old after a short time. Then, out of the blue, Gotham had five different street races going on in the same night. No one even knew about them until pedestrians reported cars and bikes speeding down the street with complex interior and exterior designing.
Batman had Red Hood scout Gotham for a few nights, to ask around and look for any street races. Jason had found a few, but all of the racers were hidden and only the host and fans were visible. There was something else though. Something very suspicious about these races.
Jason had told Bruce that there was this one guy that always raced the most famous and skilled racers in all of Gotham. Out of all the races in the entire city, the mysterious person raced for pink slips or large amounts of money. Even if it wasn't a high priced reward, the racer would go up against the most difficult drivers in any hosted race that particular night.
Jason never got to see his face. The man always raced with a motorcycle so the helmet was always on. Red Hood asked around Gotham and his informants, making sure they gave him every detail about this notorious racer.
Every person was the same. No one knew anything about him. Well, at least nothing of importance. It was all the same. The racer had appeared out of what seemed like thin air. He came into Gotham without a trace, no backstory. He was called very few names: Ghost Rider, The Phantom, Hell's Spawn...The most common was simple and plain but had meaning behind it: The Dark Rider.
Before Bruce could think about the case any longer, Tim Drake walked into the BatCave and interrupted Batman's thoughts.
"Bruce, Dick just called. He said The Dark Rider struck again."
Batman turned around. "I know. The race just finished. Red Hood should be coming back soon."
Tim shook his head. "No. I mean The Dark Rider raced in Blüdhaven."
Batman's eyes narrowed. "When was this?"
"Yesterday," Tim answered. "Dick apologized and said that he didn't have time to call earlier."
Bruce nodded. "Tell him to keep a closer eye out. We need this Dark Rider brought in as soon as possible."
"What about the other racers?" Tim questioned.
"We don't need to worry about them," was the short reply.
'It seems like some kind of tournament,' Bruce thought, staring intently at the bright computer screen. 'The losers of the races never seem to appear again. The winners advance to the next round. It seems like this Dark Rider is skilled. If this is a tournament, where did it originate from? Who is behind this whole thing? The Dark Rider is anonymous. He is skilled and intelligent. Judging by the way I can't track him, he has to have done this before. No villain I know is this smart though. The ones I do know, well, this isn't their thing. Any hero could do this but they wouldn't. No hero would save lives just to turn their backs and commit crime. There's something about The Dark Rider. I intend to find out what.'
"Did Red Hood tell you anything yet?" Tim asked.
Bruce shook his head. "No. He didn't get there on time."
Tim nodded. 'Didn't get there on time? How?' He looked to the BatComputer. A thick green line highlighted a certain area on the Gotham City map.
"That's the North East Tunnels. Why are they racing there?" Tim muttered to himself.
Bruce turned to Tim. "What was that?"
Tim snapped his attention to Bruce, surprised and thoughts broken. "Oh! Nothing. Just thinking." Bruce turned back to the computer without another word.
'Wait a minute...' Tim immediately walked over to the nearby printer and grabbed a blank piece of paper, unaware of Bruce's stare. He grabbed a sharpie and immediately began to list the areas of Gotham where The Dark Rider had raced.
Tim began whispering to himself as he listed. "North East Tunnels, City Hall, South Tunnels, Gotham Bridge, Steel Mill, Gotham Radio Tower, and the Monarch Theatre." Tim stood there for a moment, trying to match up the similarities between the seven locations.
'This would be so much easier with a Gotham City map,' Tim thought. As if his surrogate father had read his mind, a Gotham City map was placed next to the list as well as a few highlighters. Tim smiled at Bruce in thanks and the smile was returned.
Tim and Bruce immediately got to highlighting after Bruce pulled up the map containing all of the different races. They highlighted street after street in different colors, trying to figure out if there was some sort of pattern or connection. When they were finished, the map was decorated with bright colors. The most frustrating thing was that there was no connection. It was pretty much random.
Tim's eyes flared with anger and frustration. 'How? How is this possible?! You don't just say, 'hey! Let's race there!' It doesn't work like that!'
"Well," Tim started, anger evident in his voice. "There goes another idea and another waste of time," he finished before tossing the blue highlighter in his hand onto the table.
"Tim, we'll figure this out. We'll find out who The Dark Rider is and we'll lock him away for good. I promise." Bruce squeezed his son's shoulder reassuringly before heading back to BatComputer.
Tim and Bruce continued to concentrate and think in silence before a motorcycle roared into the BatCave, causing the bats to shriek and move to another area of the large cave. Jason got off his motorcycle and ripped off his helmet and domino mask, revealing a frustrated look.
"No luck?" Tim sighed, still staring at the map.
"Nope," Jason replied, leaning against the table next to Tim and facing Bruce. "All I saw was an empty alleyway."
"I wasn't able to get the signal locked onto them in time for the race," Bruce admitted. "They were scattered between other street races."
Jason nodded. "These cars and bikes...Bruce, they have tricked out cars. They have hydraulics, high horsepower, and they even have nitrous. Bruce, these racers are more experienced than us when it comes to driving."
"They're that good, huh?" Tim muttered, still concentrating on the map.
"Yeah," Jason replied before looking down at Tim. "What's wrong with you?"
Tim ran his fingers through his hair. "This whole thing isn't making sense."
"I told you not to stress it," Bruce reminded. "We'll figure this out."
Tim nodded and pinched the bridge of his nose. "Where's Damian?"
"Last time I checked, he was in the library," Bruce answered.
Jason turned and looked at the map in front of Tim. After studying it for a while, he finally said, "I can see how this is annoying you."
"Ya think?" Tim snorted. He ran a tired hand over his face. "Dick said he'd be here soon. There was something he had to take care of first."
Bruce nodded and stood up. "What time is it?"
Tim took out his phone from his sweater pocket. "Twelve thirty seven."
Bruce nodded. "We'll try again tomorrow."
"Do you have any idea why Gotham suddenly has street racers around every corner?" Jason questioned.
Bruce looked at the Gotham City map. "I think this is a tournament. An elimination series."
Tim raised an eyebrow. "Tournament?"
Bruce nodded. "The same racers don't come back after they lose. The winners seem to advance to the next round. In the first week, there were fifty races. In the second week, there were seventy two. That's one hundred twenty two winners, among them being The Dark Rider.
Tim and Jason glanced at each other.
"What happens after the final race?" Jason queried.
Bruce's mouth thinned. "We lose him. We won't be able to find him again."