Season 2 Episode 8: Web of Deception
My name is Bruce Wayne. When I was 8 years old, my parents were killed by an evil. And so I made a promise to fight that evil. I traveled the world for 18 years, and returned to Gotham City to protect it. Now I have new allies, helping me in my crusade, but I also have new enemies. New threats have arrived in my city, and I must stop them. I am vengeance. I am the night. I am the Batman.
Previously on the Batman...
Barbara is now helping with the team
Selina left to help Holly find her past
Batman is on Venom
Batman and Robin think the shadow is the one who cut the bat rope
The shadow has secretly offered Penguin and Scarecrow a chance to kill Batman
Barbara found the location of the shadow
Batman and Robin burst in through the door of the hideout and look around. It's completely empty. Batman turns to Robin and orders, "You search around the house. I'll look for heat signatures."
Robin goes off and Batman turns on the lens in his cowl. He looks around the entire house, but there's nothing there. Robin walks up to him.
"Anything?" He asks.
"No. The only thing hot are just a couple of heaters and pipes. He's deserted this place."
"Or maybe he's gone and will be back soon. We should camp out here." Robin suggests.
"Good idea."
Batman and Robin watch the house from above with their heat lens, but nothing shows up.
"We've been waiting for 2 hours, Bruce. I'm not entirely sure anyone will show up." Robin says.
"The footage says he was here. Where is he now?"
"He could've deserted this place. Who knows? But he hasn't been back in 2 and a half hours. What else would he be doing?"
Batman thinks.
"Barbara, the place is empty. There's no one here." He states.
"Dammit. I could've sworn it was that place." She says.
"It appears he doesn't have one set hiding place. He switches from place to place. He could be anywhere in this city by now."
Robin puts away his suit in the Batcave.
"So so far, we've got nothing except that someone tried to kill Batman by cutting his rope, and that there's a shadow stalking us. We don't have a lot." Dick says.
"No, we don't. We just have to wait." Barbara says.
"And what do we do in the mean time?" Dick asks.
"Take out some more bad guys. I hear more and more are getting our of jail."
"She's right. Jonathan Crane recently got out, and so did Cobblepot." Bruce says.
"Wasn't Cobblepot the guy who tried to murder you and burn down your house a few years back?" Dick asks.
"Yes. He claims he's just trying to live a normal life. I don't believe him." Bruce answers.
"So the Scarecrow and the Penguin are free?" Barbara states. "We'll just have to track them both down."
"No one has ever heard from them since they've been released."
"And what about Riddler? We took him in the other day and he's already free." Dick says.
"Damn." Barbara says.
"We have a lot on our plate." Dick states.
"I'm going to go pay Cobblepot a visit." Bruce announces.
Bruce puts on his mask and attaches his cape and gets ready to go.
The Batman
Batman sneaks into Cobblepot's penthouse and looks around. Oswald's nowhere there. He places a tiny sensor on the wall along with a camera and leaves.
He sits in the Batcave on the computer.
"This is suspicious." Barbara comments.
"I know. It's been a week and no one has even entered the apartment. He's made no mentions of a vacation or business trip or anything. He just disappeared." Bruce says.
"We need to look into this."
The door to Oswald's apartment then opens. He steps in, grabs a bag from his room, and then walks out again.
"Now what did he grab there?" Bruce asks himself.
Dick walks in and looks at the video.
"Bruce, don't you think it's entirely possible that Oswald is actually innocent and is telling the truth when he says he's turning over a new leaf. You're stalking an innocent man."
"Why should I trust him?"
"He hates your family. Maybe it's vengeance talking here. Especially with Venom."
"I'm not letting him off the hook that easy. Barbara, can you track him just like you did with the shadow?"
"Sure."
She sits down at the Batcomputer and hacks into the security cameras and watches Oswald leave the building. He walks down the street and into a van that just drives up. The van drives down the street and stops at a traffic light.
"I've got this." She says.
Bruce walks away and over to the training area. Dick watches him.
"Hm."
Batman drives up with his Batmobile and steps out.
"Robin, wait by the roof. Cobblepot could be the clue to the operation. And this time we've got the drop on them." Batman says.
"Got it." Robin replies.
Batman turns on the voice changer and grapples up to the penthouse of the building. He crashes through the window. A man in a Penguin mask turns. And another man in the shadow turns as well.
"Scarecrow." He states.
He looks at the man at the Penguin.
"Cobblepot?"
"Screw this!" The Penguin announces and pulls out a pistol.
He fires it at Batman who dodges.
"Crane, get in there and get that damn card!" He yells.
Scarecrow runs into the other room and looks through the desks while Penguin keeps firing. Scarecrow looks through a pile of papers and finds a card that tells the address of the shadow.
Robin then bursts through the window and kicks Scarecrow to the ground. He finds the card and runs out into the other room. Batman jumps over the counter in the kitchen and punches Penguin to the ground. Robin walks up to Batman.
"I found the location of the shadow." Robin states.
Scarecrow then punches Robin and steals the card and laughs. Robin charges Scarecrow and pushes him up against the wall.
"Robin!"
Scarecrow then sprays fear toxin into Robin's face. Robin yells and falls on his back. Penguin then hits Batman in his side with a crowbar. Batman grunts and falls to a knee. Penguin and Scarecrow run out of the penthouse with the card as Robin starts screaming in fear.
Batman crouches down next to him.
"Dick...Dick...dammit."
Batman forces Robin into the Batcave where Alfred and Barbara are.
"Guys...I need your help!" He yells.
They bring Robin to the medical bay and put him on the bed. Dick looks around and sees demonic faces looking over him. Scary, orange, lights coming from their eye sockets and mouths. They laugh at him. He looks down and sees one hand holding his. It's an old hand with claws at the end of their fingers. He looks up and sees a Bat-like demon standing over him, looking down at him, into his eyes. The demon growls.
Dick screams. Barbara grows worried and holds onto his hand tighter.
"I need a sample of his blood!" Alfred announces.
"Don't we already have the cure from when Scarecrow affected me?" Batman asks.
"That was only one sample. Scarecrow was in custody for years. We never made any more."
"What?!"
"Don't worry, Master Bruce. If we made the cure once, we can make it again, but I need a sample of his blood."
Alfred crouches down and picks up a box. He opens it up and brings out a blood collection kit.
"Dick, stay calm...Dick...Master Grayson, please!" Alfred starts. "Damn!"
Dick starts shaking on the bed screaming and biting the air.
Alfred puts down the box and walks over to the drawer next to the bed.
"Hold him down!" Alfred orders.
He opens up a drawer, but finds nothing. He opens up the next door and finds a bottle. He takes it out and grabs a syringe. He drains the bottle using the syringe and walks back over to Dick. He injects it into him, and Dick starts to calm down.
Dick remembers the fear he felt when he looked around his trashed house, the anticipation and anxiety of finding out the fate of his parents. The light headedness he felt when he saw their bodies. It felt like a dream, like it couldn't be real. He was almost in denial. In that moment, he felt true fear.
Then Dick falls asleep.
"Alright. Thank you, Master Bruce. That will keep him at bay for a few hours. Long enough to make the cure. I couldn't treat him like that. Rest assured. By tomorrow morning, he'll be himself again."
"Good. When we were there, Robin saw the location of the shadow. But with him like this, we have no idea. Plus the shadow changes hiding spots regularly. We'll be lucky to catch him by tomorrow morning." Batman explains.
"And what of Mr. Cobblepot?" Alfred asks.
"He's working with Scarecrow. And if Robin knew the location of the shadow from just searching the apartment, that means they know his location too."
"Okay. I'll let you get to it. I'll attend to Master Grayson."
Alfred walks over to Dick. He sees Barbara still holding Dick's hand, looking at him.
"Ms. Gordon, it is alright. He'll be fine. Trust me." He says.
Barbara lets go and takes a step back. Alfred gets the kit ready to take blood.
Later, Bruce starts punching dummies in the Batcave, angry. Robin is asleep and Barbara is watching him in a chair beside him. The Batcomputer is reversing the fear toxin to an antidote. As it's in the reversing process, and alarm goes off on the computer. There's a police report of a break in at the Cyrus Pinkney museum.
"Barbara, I need your help." Bruce says.
Bruce and Barbara walk over to the Batcomputer.
"Can you hack into the cameras of the museum?" Bruce asks.
"I'm on it." She says.
She pulls up security footage which shows a necklace being stolen from it's case. And the burglar is Selina.
"Selina? But why? What is she doing back in town? And why didn't she tell me?"
"You might want to go and find out." Barbara suggests.
As Bruce suits up, he takes one pill of Venom and leaves.
Catwoman jumps from roof to roof, avoiding police until she reaches the church. She jumps and lands on it's slope. She runs up it and climbs up using loose bricks and her claws. She reaches a gargoyle and perches atop of it. She tries jumping to the other gargoyle, only for her bag to be grabbed by the grappling hook of Batman, standing on the top.
"Selina!" He yells.
"Oh no..."
Batman zips the bag up. Catwoman slips out of the straps and she falls. Her body hits the slope and she slides down and off the church roof. She grabs onto a branch and swings to land on her two feet on the ground. Batman lands down with a thud after her.
"What were you doing?" He asks, aggressive.
"Bruce, now calm down. I can explain." Catwoman pleads, putting out her hands and backing up.
Batman marches towards her, grabbing her wrist along the way.
"I saw you steal that necklace from the museum. Don't lie to me. What were you doing there, Selina?!" Batman yells.
"Ow. Bruce, you're hurting me!" She says.
Batman kicks her in the stomach to the ground.
"What's going on here?"
"That necklace...I need it for Holly...it belonged to her mother."
"And so you stole it?"
The police then show up and the lights blind Batman for a second. In that second, he sees Catwoman escaping up the church. She reaches the roof and steals the bag before running in the opposite direction of Batman. Batman grapples up to the roof and throws a tracker. It hits Selina's bag as she runs away.
Dick slowly opens his eyes the next morning and looks around. Barbara sees Dick awake and gets closer.
"Dick. Are you alright?" She asks.
"Yeah. Yeah, I'm good." Dick answers.
"You scared me." She says.
"YOU were scared?!"
She chuckles.
"Oh yeah..."
"Alfred came up with the cure, I'm guessing?"
"Yeah. ... You know, I was really worried...that...you were going to go...like...crazy, or die or something." Barbara says awkwardly.
"Barbara, I'm fine. Trust me." Dick says, looking her in the eye.
"Good."
Batman walks into the Batcave.
"Selina Kyle. She's a criminal." Bruce says.
"Hey Bruce, look who's back." Barbara tells him.
Bruce looks over his shoulder and sees Dick sitting up.
"Dick...do you still remember the address of the shadow?" Bruce asks.
"Yeah...I remember." Dick answers.
"Good. We have to work fast. Barbara, I need you to activate a tracker for me. Me and Dick will be back."
"Um, it's still morning. Are you sure Batman comes out during the day? Kind of ruins the illusion." Barbara suggests.
"No. I won't go as Batman." Bruce tells her, getting an idea.
At the hideout, Bruce wears the vigilante costume he wore before even seeing the bat crash through his window, and he drops down onto the roof of the hideout. He breaks in and sees the shadow sitting there at a desk, with Riddler sitting on top of the desk and Penguin and Scarecrow standing in front of them. Penguin with his arms crossed, and Scarecrow looking at his toxic needles, attached to his fingers.
Bruce fires his Batclaw at Scarecrow and pulls him up. He ties him up from the ceiling upside down. Bruce drops down onto the floor.
"You're finished, Shadow!"
Penguin grabs a shotgun and loads it. He fires it but Bruce dodges the fire. He jumps up into the air and then lands onto the ground, ducking under the fire and then gives Penguin an upper cut. He punches Penguin in the mask. Shadow kicks Bruce in his side and he backs up. Shadow starts throwing punches and kicking but Bruce starts blocking his attacks. The shadow goes to kick Bruce, but Bruce pushes his foot down to the ground with his own and steps on it. Bruce slaps his arm away and throws a punch.
Shadow grabs his fist and headbutts Bruce.
"Batman, I don't understand why you'd make such a change to your costume." Riddler says. "But rest assured. I'll find out the answer soon enough."
Shadow throws Bruce to the ground. Penguin gets up and grabs a gun. He shoots the Batclaw and rope attached to Scarecrow, and Scarecrow gets free. He gets up, hurt, and runs over to Penguin. Penguin starts running but bumps into Riddler along the way.
"Come on, let's get out of 'ere." He says.
All three of them escape the hideout as Shadow roundhouse kicks Bruce across the face, knocking him down and then grappling out of the hideout, escaping. Bruce gets back up again and looks around. They've all escaped. He returns to the Batcave, mad.
"What happened, Bruce?" Dick asks, sitting at the Batcomputer.
"They got away."
"They?"
"Penguin. The Shadow. Riddler. And Scarecrow. They're all working together. If I had to guess, the shadow is in charge. They're forming some kind of plan. Trying to kill me. I searched the base and found knives, and guns."
"And what's your final theory?"
"There's the shadow, who cut the bat-rope. He's trying to kill me, and he's got the help of Scarecrow, Penguin, and Riddler to do it. The questions are...who is the shadow...and why is he doing this?"
Barbara walks in.
"I've tracked Selina down. She's back in her old apartment." She states.
Catwoman climbs out of the top window of her apartment. She stands up on the roof as Batman appears out of the darkness behind her.
"Alright. I want the truth. What are you doing back in Gotham?" Batman asks.
"...I came to Gotham because that necklace belonged to Holly's mother."
"And so you stole it?"
"Yes. We're not done here. I'm leaving Gotham again tonight."
"You stole. You're a criminal. You were my friend, Selina...you broke the law...what were you doing?"
"I'm sorry, Bruce. But I had a choice to make. A choice you MADE me decide. Holly or you, and I chose Holly. You knew that. This is something I have to do for my choice."
"Without telling me? And become a criminal again?"
"Bruce, I'm sorry."
"Get out."
"What?"
"You are no longer apart of our operation. Leave Gotham now, because the next time I see you, I'll see you as a criminal. And you're going down."
"Bruce please, don't be like this..."
"Go!"
"Bruce..."
She stares at him.
"Why should I trust you, again?"
Selina leans in and kisses him on his lips. After a few seconds, Selina leaves a few seconds and takes a step back, waiting for Bruce's repsonse.
"Go..." Batman tells her.
She frowns, and then turns around and runs. Batman stands there and watches her disappears into the night and stands there, thinking.
She's gone.
The Batman
The Riddler sits on a chair with his feet up on the table as the shadow paces back and forth. Penguin sits on a crate and Scarecrow is designing plans out on paper.
"Well shadow? What now?" Penguin asks.
"All our weapons were at that hideout and now they've been confiscated by the police."
"And we have nothing left to kill Batman with. Tell us something we don't know." Riddler states.
"Shut up, Nygma. I don't need you for this yet I let you in anyways."
"If you didn't need me then why'd you even break me out in the first place?"
...
"I'm gonna shoot him."
Shadow turns around and goes for a gun.
"Calm down shadow. You have a plan?" Penguin asks.
"Yes. And that next step of this plan needs you."
"What? Why me?"
"Oh, don't worry, Cobblepot. You're going to like this one."
Next Time on the Batman: God Vs. Man (1x9)
A serial killer has left Gotham and is headed for Metropolis to wreck chaos over there. Batman follows him, alone, but the serial killer isn't the only challenge he faces.
LW'V FURVVRYHU WLPH, ELWFKHV!