ISSUE 24:
A lone man ran down the dark street, utterly terrified. Cold blood dried on his face and the metal revolver felt slippery in his warm sweaty hand. He kept on sprinting, his pulse pounding in his ears.
He turned his head slightly and saw the black shadow of a man with strange horns running across the rooftop.
Oh fuck, fuck, fuck, he thought, his voice screaming inside his head.
He kept sprinting when the shadow jumped in front of him.
"Going somewhere?" it asked in a gravelly voice. What terrified the criminal the most was that the creature didn't have a mouth to speak out of.
The Batman gripped the man's wrist and twisted it, making him drop the gun onto the ground with a clatter. He then punched the man in the throat and swept his legs out from underneath him. The criminal didn't stand a chance.
The man gasped for air as a pair of handcuffs flew out of the shadows wrists. Batman bent down and cuffed the man's hand behind his back and in a whisper he deactivated the speakers in the suit, neutralising his voice to the outside world.
"I just caught a murderer," Batman told Red Robin through the inbuilt communicator in his mask with a smile. "What about you?"
"I'm chasing a shop lifter now," Red Robin told him, sounding out of breath.
"Send automated call to the Police," Batman told his suit, the inbuilt computer sent a preset call the Gotham Central Police Department. Batman held out his arms and the inbuilt wings unfolded from the back of his suit and the pulse technology in his boots lifted him off the ground.
He'd never felt so good taking down a crook. It was probably because that he was finally the Bat, he should say the Batman. It felt amazing knowing how much fear came with the identity, finally he could wage a war on crime and win!
The night had been long and hard, Ryan had spent the whole time in the Bat suit, constantly chasing one man after the other and honestly he had never had more fun in his life. When he began he felt like he was a constant disappointment but since he knew he had Bruce's blessing to adopt the Bat Mantle, he felt free; like he could take out all of Gotham at once.
But even creatures of the night needed rest, so Ryan had clocked off at 6am and gone to bed at Wayne Manor which was now his house! He still couldn't quite believe he owned the whole place, the money, the company, the cars, the land, it was amazing!
Ryan rolled out of bed at midday with ruffled hair and a strange stiffness in shoulder. One guy last night had actually punched him so naturally in anger he hit him back harder, only know did he realise how much he leaned into the attack; pulling a few muscles in his shoulder.
He grabbed a spare t-shirt off his bedside table and pulled it on over his slightly bruised but muscular body. Luckily he was already wearing track suit bottoms so he just slid out of bed and walked out of his room. He felt like brunch which he knew Alfred could whip up in a few minutes.
He smiled at the thought of bacon as he padded down the large corridor and down the stairs of the house. He stopped at the top of the stairs as he saw Tim opening the door with a back pack over one shoulder, Alfred behind him in his wheelchair.
"Tim?" Ryan shouted, his voice echoing around the large lobby of the estate. He jumped on the banisters and rode them like a skateboard down to the bottom and performed a flip at the end. His bare feet padded on the marble as he touched down and ran to his departing friend. "Where you going?"
"Nice flip," Tim smiled, his black hair slightly ruffled. "And to answer your question I'm going home."
"But this is your home," Ryan pleaded, he didn't want someone else to leave him.
"No it's your home now," Tim told him, closing the door and approaching him. He placed a hand on Ryan's shoulder. "When I left Bruce to become my own hero I didn't think I'd ever come back to this house but I have. And in that time I've made a life for myself. It was nice running around with Bruce again but now he's gone; I should get going."
"But I need you," Ryan told him, staring into his deep blue eyes.
Tim laughed. "You really aren't Bruce are you," he took his hand from Ryan's shoulder and into his trouser pocket. "Listen, Bruce saw a Bat, or a Batman, in you and the Batman needs help from time to time but he works alone. I've seen you fight out there and you are capable to crusade against crime on your own, you've come a long way from that tired cop I fought in the alley."
"I kicked your ass," Ryan retorted with a smile.
"We'll see about that," Tim replied jokingly. "I wasn't going to wake you to say goodbye but clearly I'll have to say it anyway." Tim almost had tears in his eyes. "Goodbye Ryan."
Tim held out his hand but Ryan wasn't just shaking hands. He grabbed Tim by the wrist and pulled him in for a hug. The two hugged for five seconds and then Ryan stood back, trying not to cry.
"I'll see you around," Ryan told him.
"Oh I'll be back," Tim told him, turning to the door. "Especially since I know you won't be cold like the old man to send me away if I knock on the door at 5 in the morning." Tim stood in the doorway in his jeans, coat and t-shirt with his backpack over one shoulder. "See you Alfred."
"Goodbye Master Drake," he smiled with a wrinkled face.
Tim then turned and walked down the drive, Ryan assumed Alfred had called him a car though he didn't really think it would inconvenience the Red Robin if he didn't. Alfred closed the large door and did up the multiple locks.
"He was 9 year old when I first met him," Alfred told him with a smile. "Cracked Bruce's identity from an old news reel and kept bugging him until he became Batman's new Robin. He was always a Detective first and foremost."
"What about Jason?"
"What about him?"
"Well Bruce hasn't kept any records of him and he never mentioned him ever," Ryan told the elderly man. "What happened to him?"
"The Joker happened," Alfred sighed. "He captured Jason, beat him with a crowbar and then blew him up. It destroyed Bruce and for a long time he operated as the Bat alone; until Tim came along and reshaped him."
"What about Dick Grayson?"
"Dick...Dick's very different," Alfred sighed. "He lived here for many years but after an accidental killing, he quit. That's why the Nightwing costume is here, that was his costume, now Dick works as the head of Wayne Security."
"So still protecting the innocent."
"Oh definitely Master Connolly," Alfred beamed. "Very much so."
"Not hassling you Alfred but could I have some breakfast?"
Alfred stifled a laugh. "Master Wayne would never ask such a request. What would you be wanting?"
"How about something you should be familiar with," Ryan replied. "Cooked English Breakfast?"
"Coming right up," Alfred spun his chair around and headed off to the kitchen.
Breakfast and some TV sounds good, he thought as he made his way into the lounge and plucked the remote off the main table in the centre. He flopped onto the couch and pressed the large red button on the top.
The large family portrait of the Wayne family, slowly moved backwards into the wall and slid upwards; a large plasma flat TV screen sat behind it. The TV burst into life and the first thing that came on was the news.
The jingle for Gotham Central News blared through the speakers all around the room, Bruce really had bought the best sound system money could buy. The intro moved across the screen and then a pretty woman appeared at a desk sitting with a tablet in front of her.
She adjusted his brown bob before she stared directly at the camera. "Good Afternoon Gotham, I'm Georgia King and you're watching Gotham Central News."
A strange jingle came again as she turned to another camera on her right.
"Last night the Police received multiple tip offs for captured criminals. Strangely when the police arrived the men and women were handcuffed and left in the streets in great pain. The Commissioner of the Police believes that the Bat has once again returned to Gotham after the catastrophic battle of Metropolis a few days ago."
The woman turned to another camera.
"Some say that the Bat has adopted a new form. He used to be covered in a cape and cowl but now he seems to be a shadow, still retaining his chest emblem and pointy ears. The Police are infuriated at the return of the vigilante and once again are on the hunt for him."
She looked down at her tablet and spoke again.
"Last night, a young boy has been taken from his families' apartment. A message has been sent to the parents of the child for a large amount of money to be sent to them in exchange for the child's life. The Police cannot intervene as that would endanger the child's safety, the real question is where will they get the funds to pay the kidnappers."
She turned to another camera which confused Ryan, were the different auto cues on different cameras or did she just need to keep her neck moving.
"And on lighter news, Superman has spoken to the public of Metropolis in a formal speech, introducing himself and his intentions to fix the city and protect it from anymore possible threats. Lex Corp, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries have all thrown in large pay cheques to rebuild the city and along with the amazing powers of the Man of Tomorrow; Metropolis looks to be rapidly on the mend. Some wonder will the Bat ever come out to the public and make himself known like Superman has today."
Ryan had stopped listening at 'kidnappers'. A boy had been taken from his home and the Police couldn't intervene. He knew that was a load of bullshit that the Commissioner had given, they could intervene in secret but his job after all was to let the criminals go and then get a heap load of cash from their illegal work.
The Police 'couldn't' help but who said anything about the Bat intervening on the situation.
AUTHOR'S NOTE:
Issue 24...not the most climatic or the most fun to write but it is a set up for some classic Batman detective work in which another Detective/Hero will appear. Who that is...well you'll just have to guess. I hope you enjoyed the story and if you could leave a review that would be great and stay tuned for the next Issue in the series.