EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY
An Episcopal Church stands where it has for more than one hundred years in the heart of downtown Gotham City. Somber choir music, "O Sacred Head, Now Wounded", emanates from within the belly of the ecclesiastical leviathan. Overcast skies weep occasional raindrops.
INT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - SANCTUARY
Austere arches extend high above the long center aisle, the backbone crest well-hidden by shadows from the flickering glow of gothic wall-mounted candelabras. The church CHOIR, dressed in yellow and white robes, practices along with the ORGANIST. In the rows of pews are a few scattered souls; a few have come to listen to the music, some for prayer or meditation. Otherwise, the church is empty.
In the rear of the sanctuary, one of the magnificent ornate doors creaks open. ROMAN SIONIS enters, middle-aged, wearing a white suit under a black trench coat. His fedora matches the trench. His bodyguard follows behind him. MISTER MINT is a mountain of a man with unnatural mint-colored irises, hence the moniker.
The Organist, having heard the door open, looks up but continues to play. He notices Roman standing idle at the rear of the church and plays two notes in the wrong key as a signal to someone. Several in the choir react with varying degrees of surprise and disapproval, but sing on uninterrupted.
A door behind the choir opens and out steps FATHER FRENCH, the elderly Church rector, adorned in marvelous robes of gold and white. French and Roman see each other from across the center aisle and each move at the same time to one side, meeting together at a specific pew. Sionis removes his fedora, revealing the slicked back black hair of a gangster. He hands the fedora and then his trench coat to Mister Mint, then he and the Father slip into the pew to talk business privately.
ROMAN
Can't we do this in a confessional or something?
FRENCH
We're not Catholic here, Roman. Though, if you have any sins you'd like to confess, I'm happy to unburden you as acting intermediary for God.
ROMAN
I ain't looking for that kind of in-ter-mediation, Father. I need someone I can trust.
FRENCH
It is dangerous to ask favors of God without any consideration for His divine will.
Roman reaches into his jacket pocket and pulls out an envelope. He hands it to Father French, who then slips it under his holy robe.
ROMAN
I'm thinking maybe God's will can do more with this week's deposit than secrets he don't need to know.
FRENCH
Do you really believe you can keep secrets from the Almighty, my son?
Roman looks into Father French's eyes and sees something... scary... behind them.
FRENCH
The Almighty knows what is in your heart. No prayer shall go unanswered. Pray with me and it shall be done.
Father French bows his head and prays something inaudible. Roman fidgets, uncomfortable, then awkwardly lowers his head and closes his eyes.
The choir sings.
EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY
Roman, again wearing his coat and fedora, and Mister Mint exit the church and descend the stone steps towards a running limousine parked on the street.
ROMAN
Crazy priest bastard gives me the heebie jeebies. You see the way he looked at me with those eyebrows of his? All pointed in all directions. I don't even know. I don't even know what's going on with those things.
Mister Mint opens the rear passenger door to the limousine.
INT. ROMAN'S LIMOUSINE - DAY
Roman gets in. From outside the vehicle, Mister Mint closes the door.
ROMAN
Out. Of. Here. Driver. And don't stop for small children or little old ladies. Ain't nothin' but speed bumps.
KING (O.S.)
I admire a man who is always in a hurry.
Roman nearly jumps out of his skin as the man he didn't even know was there starts to speak.
He is WILLIAM KING, a bespectacled gentleman who walks with a cane and carries with him a gold pocket watch at all times. The man grins from ear to ear.
KING
Such a man is aware of the importance of time. Time is money, after all. But no matter how many fortunes we amass in this world, and no matter how fit we keep ourselves, we all have but a finite amount of both. Perhaps that's why, even more important than how much of each we have, is what we do with it.
ROMAN
Oh, that's profound.
Startled and angry, Roman pulls a gun from his jacket and points it at King's head.
ROMAN
That's good. It means you know how important it is what you do with your next five seconds.
KING
I am William King.
ROMAN
Hello, William King. That's a bulletproof, soundproof, tinted window behind you. Four... three...
KING
I am the Facilitator.
Roman looks him over. He turns up his nose, unimpressed, but puts the gun away just the same.
KING
Did you know, Mr. Sionis, that time was created by the Almighty as a way to test the faith of man?
ROMAN
I don't believe in God.
KING
And what is it that you do believe in?
ROMAN
Respect... and getting what I pay for.
King looks at his pocket watch.
KING
Target?
Roman reaches for a briefcase under the seat. He opens it, pulls out a folder, and hands it to King.
ROMAN
Time is of the essence.
KING
Isn't it always, Mr. Sionis?
King opens the door and steps out.
KING
Isn't it always?
King closes the door.
EXT. SAINT THOMAS CHURCH - DAY
King steps around the limo to where his man, FOULKES, has Mister Mint stymied by a concealed gun pressed to the larger man's kidney.
KING
I have what I need.
Foulkes puts the gun away and walks off with King. They ignore Mister Mint's vicious scowl.
EXT. DOWNTOWN - NIGHT
A full moon watches over Gotham, but it isn't the only one.
EXT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE - NIGHT
Beneath a white star on painted glass hangs a sign that reads "CLOSED". Despite that, a man wearing a gray hooded sweatshirt exits from a door in an alley on the side of the building. He heads for the sidewalk.
ROBIN (O.S.)
Wait a minute, I've got someone coming out the side.
BATMAN (V.O.)
I see him.
The HOODED MAN reaches the street and looks around. When he sees no one around, he takes off his hood and heads for a bus stop.
We pull up and back to across the street and the open third floor window of a dark building. Inside, Robin scopes out the store with a pair of binoculars. He sees the man's face and appears disappointed. He converses with Batman via an ear piece.
ROBIN
Not our guy.
Robin looks across the street and up at the roof of an adjacent building where a shadowy figure, Batman, sits perched at the corner. He's barely visible even if you know where to look.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Keep watching. We know he's inside.
ROBIN
We've been at this for hours. Let me go in.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Too risky. I can't be looking out for both of you.
ROBIN
I can do this.
BATMAN (V.O.)
It's unnecessary. All we have to do is wait.
ROBIN
In the meantime, he's eating up our entire night. We take him now, we can still do some good elsewhere.
Robin stands up and begins to change into civilian clothes. He removes his cape and utility belt.
ROBIN
I'm going in and getting him.
We hear something that sounds remotely like a muffled growl over the radio, followed by a short silence.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Maintain contact.
ROBIN
No problem.
Robin climbs out onto the fire escape and descends to street level. He crosses the street and heads into the alley.
INT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE
A knock at the door. From within, a SURLY MAN slides open a view panel to see plain-clothes Robin on the other side. Robin nods and shows the man a handful of cash. Without saying a word, the Surly Man slides the view panel shut and opens the door.
INT. BASEMENT ARENA - SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE
We're watching an underground "shock fight"; a mixed-martial arts contest where combatants wear electrified gloves to beat and electrocute their opponent within a six-sided cage. The audience of gangsters pass cash back and forth as they wager on the latest bloodbath.
Robin slips in at the back as the fight in the cage reaches a fever pitch.
ROBIN
You gotta see this. It's like the henchmen scrapheap down here. I think I broke that guy's jaw once.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Stay focused. Do you see Pryce?
Robin scans the room and finds his man, PRYCE, across the cage in the front row. Despite the vicious non-stop action before him, and the crazed crowd all around, the unflappable Pryce watches like a man at the opera; reserved and concentrated.
ROBIN
Got him.
Inside the ring, a vicious closed-fisted hook shocks, then drops one of the combatants. The REFEREE counts to...
REFEREE
Five... Six...
The bell rings. The referee looks over, as if surprised that the bell rang before he'd finished counting. The BELL MAN shrugs and points up, to what or who is anyone's guess. Curious, Robin looks around, but sees nothing.
ROBIN
I think something's happening.
REFEREE
That's it. Fight's over! Pay's eight-two-five at one-two-one in round two. That's eight-two-five, at one-two-one, in two.
The crowd reacts with outraged screams and taunts.
MAN IN CROWD
The fix is in!
BATMAN (V.O.)
What's going on?
ROBIN
I'm not totally sure. I think the one guy threw the fight. Wait a minute.
Robin suddenly notices Pryce has left his seat.
ROBIN
He's on the move.
Robin works his way through the crowd back the way he came, desperately searching for Pryce.
ROBIN
I don't see him. Has anyone come outside?
BATMAN (V.O.)
No.
ROBIN
Well, I don't see him.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Just calm down, he's got to still be in there. There's no other way in or out.
ROBIN
Dammit, I don't see him. I don't see him.
Robin clears a group of thugs as he races for the door. He stops when his eyes meet a man who also races towards the same door... and who also stops. It's Pryce... and he sees Robin.
ROBIN
I see him.
Spooked, Pryce barrels over anyone he has to in order to reach the exit.
Robin races after him.
EXT. SILVER STAR MILITARY SURPLUS STORE - NIGHT
Pryce explodes out the door. He considers the street, but thinks better of it and retreats deeper into the alley between buildings, where he finds a dumpster that he uses to propel himself up into the air onto a nearby fire escape.
Robin races outside. He pulls his mask out of his pocket and puts it on to hide his identity. He then turns when he hears Pryce on the fire escape. He duplicates the man's impressive feat with all the ease of an expert acrobat.
EXT. ROOFTOPS - NIGHT
Pryce climbs a ladder to the roof of a building, crosses the roof, then jumps from the roof onto the ledge of a window of an adjacent building. He then jumps from that ledge to the ledge one story up and shimmies over to a storm pipe extending from the roof to the ground. He climbs the pipe to the roof.
Robin duplicates the man's incredible maneuvers.
Meanwhile, we see a dark shadow shaped like a bat fly by overhead.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING - NIGHT
Pryce looks over his shoulder to see Robin not far behind. He pulls a gun and takes all six shots. Robin has no choice but to duck down behind an industrial air conditioning unit.
By the time Pryce turns to look back the way he's going, he's already at the current building's edge. He's run himself too hard and can't stop in time. He has no choice but to commit to a ridiculous leap to the next apartment building where he crashes through a window two stories below where he started.
Robin follows, sees the distance the man had to travel to make the leap, and chuckles to himself.
ROBIN
That probably would've been easier if you had a grappler, like I-
Robin reaches for his utility belt, then remembers he took it off to dress in civilian wear.
ROBIN
Oh, right. Wrong belt. Crap. All right. I can make this.
Robin takes several deep breaths, steps a few paces back, then leaps into the air, crashing through the same window as Pryce.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Robin tumbles through the window, landing in a pile of glass, then crashes into what's left of someone's living room.
ROBIN
God, that hurt.
PRYCE
Not as much as this will.
Pryce comes out of nowhere wearing one of the same gloves as the shock fighters from before. We hear the hum of the electricity as it buzzes by Robin's face. He turns away just in time.
Robin tries a leg sweep to counter, but Pryce somersaults over it, grabs the leg of a broken coffee table, and swings it at Robin like a club. Robin catches it with both hands, then turns his body into Pryce's to elbow the man in the jaw. Pryce counters by wrapping his arm around Robin's neck.
EXT. APARTMENT BUILDING ROOF - NIGHT
Batman lands atop a roof higher than the apartment building's roof and waits patiently.
INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT
Pryce and Robin fall together onto the ground, with Robin on top. Robin uses this leverage advantage to kick his own body up into a backwards cartwheel that pries himself free of Pryce's stranglehold and lands him back onto his feet. Pryce, meanwhile, jump kicks his way forward, grabs a flat screen television from off the wall and throws it at Robin, who is stunned.
Pryce retreats, kicking his way out the front door and into the hall.
Dazed, Robin staggers forward.
ROBIN
I'm still on him. I think he's trying to get to street level.
Robin runs out the door.
INT. STAIRWELL - APARTMENT BUILDING
Pryce enters the stairwell. He slides down the first bannister, bounces off the wall, then slides down the next, and so on. The only way he could make it down faster is if he threw himself off the roof.
Robin enters the stairwell just as Pryce reaches the bottom. Pryce looks up, Robin looks down. Their eyes meet for a second, then the pursuit continues. Pryce exits. Robin slides down the first bannister...
EXT. ROOF - NIGHT
Batman watches from the roof as Pryce exits the building and runs towards a much busier part of town. There are restaurants and crowds gathered outside of bars.
EXT. RESTAURANTS - NIGHT
Pryce slows down as he approaches groups of Gothamites enjoying their night life. He thinks he's safe amongst them. Except, when he looks back, Robin is running at full speed right towards him. Pryce turns and runs.
Robin races after Pryce.
BATMAN (V.O.)
Break off your pursuit.
ROBIN
He's mine.
BATMAN (V.O.)
You're going to endanger everyone around you. Break off your pursuit!
ROBIN
I'll let you know when I have him. Signing off.
Robin touches his ear and turns off his communicator. He runs faster.
Pryce turns into...
INT. ROMANO'S RESTAURANT
Pryce barrels over some middle-class Gothamites pretending like they're upper class socialites by dining in an eighty-nine dollar suit and JCPenney evening gown. He runs by the MAITRE D, and weaves his way between tables in the dining area.
MAITRE D
Hey, wait a minute!
Robin runs in right behind Pryce, shoving the Maitre D out of his way.
INT. KITCHEN - ROMANO'S RESTAURANT
Pryce runs inside and grabs a handful of freshly cleaned steak knives from a drying rack near the sink. When one of the chefs tries to get in his way, he stabs the man in the arm for his trouble.
Robin runs into the kitchen and immediately has to duck, slide, roll, and jump to dodge the knives Pryce throws at him. The last knife comes straight at his face, but the Boy Wonder manages to steal a pot of rice from a nearby burner to deflect the knife away.
Pryce runs out the back.
Robin considers running after him until he sees the stabbed chef on the ground.
ROBIN
Are you okay?
STABBED CHEF
It hurts, it hurts!
Robin spots some twine on a nearby shelf, unravels it, and quickly ties a tourniquet around the stabbed chef's arm. He turns to one of the others.
ROBIN
Keep the pressure up and call an ambulance. He'll be fine!
Robin runs out the back.
EXT. BEHIND ROMANO'S - NIGHT
Robin runs outside into a dark alley behind Romano's. He looks one way, then the other. He guesses that Pryce wouldn't have run towards the busy street a second time and runs deeper into the alley.
EXT. BRIDGE - NIGHT
Robin turns a corner, sees Pryce standing on the short stone wall of a concrete walking bridge overlooking the train tracks. In the distance, a train turns the corner headed straight for the bridge. It's clear Pryce is prepared to jump on top of the train to escape!
Robin runs towards Pryce as fast as he can. Can he beat the train?
Pryce sees Robin and decides to climb over the ledge. He holds on with both hands and hangs there as the train approaches.
But Robin reaches him first. He grabs Pryce's wrists and holds on.
ROBIN
No, you don't.
PRYCE
Let go!
The train rushes underneath Pryce's feet as the man struggles to get Robin to release him. The struggle is short lived and Pryce manages to wriggle free.
ROBIN
No!
Unfortunately for Pryce, the timing couldn't be worse. He slips down between two of the train cars instead of landing on top. Pryce is very, very dead.
Robin turns away from the gruesome scene and sits on the bridge, his back against the short stone wall. After a second, he feels something... like... he's being watched? He looks up.
In the shadows of one of the buildings, he sees him. He sees Batman.
Robin hangs his head in shame and defeat.
- To Be Continued...-