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Chapter Twenty: Quills
METROPOLIS (DAILY PLANET) – At 1:34am local time, (9:34am GMT), Gotham City, New Jersey, was reminded of the Fault Line beneath its city. A huge earthquake, which measured 8.4 on the Richter scale, lasted 84 seconds and has killed more than 200 people.
With more than 100,000 injured and missing, and early estimates placing the damage at nearly $450 Million, the death toll is expected to rise as rescuers continue to pull bodies from collapsed buildings.
Gotham City Emergency Services are already stretched to the limit, and volunteers from other cities are finding entrance into the disaster area near impossible. The quake has resulted in the shutdown of both power plants, closing the airport which is otherwise undamaged. Due to the severe damage to hospitals and clinics, doctors are having to perform surgery in the open air.
The area's worst hit is reported to have been the neighborhood locally known as Crime Alley, where the quake is likely to have affected up to three million people. The devastation has been attributed to the age of the neighborhood, the derelict state of most of the buildings, as well as being the suspected epicenter of the quake. Rescue personnel are finding it difficult to reach many sections of the area.
Supervisor for the Coroner's Office, Nora Fields, said it was fortunate the quake had struck during the night. She said: "If this had happened in the middle of the day, we would have been stacking up the bodies."
Experts are warning of potential aftershocks, and police have issued a statement warning of isolated cases of looting. Mayor of Gotham City, Hamilton Hill, has declared a state of emergency, and an evening curfew has been imposed, telling residents to "stay home, and stay calm."
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LOS ANGELES (TIMES) – In the early morning hours following an 8.3 magnitude earthquake in Gotham City, N.J, the largest earthquake recorded in the history of the Continental United States, search and rescue personnel made the startling discovery of recently abducted Richard 'Dick' Grayson (13).
Adopted son of billionaire Bruce Wayne (32), Grayson was kidnapped four days prior to the quake. The teen had been ransomed for an undisclosed amount.
Initial reports claim that the building the teen was being held captive partially collapsed in a sinkhole, which resulted in the complete collapse of two nearby apartment buildings and an undetermined number of deaths.
There have been no reports on Richard's condition.
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WASHINGTON DC (POST) – It was believed to have been the largest natural earthquake in recent United States history – but has been revealed to have been a terrorist attack.
Sources inside the White House have confirmed that the devastating 8.3 magnitude earthquake that shook the East Coast in the early Monday morning hours was the result of a device created by known criminal Lawrence 'Crusher' Crock (38), aka Sportsmaster, and an unnamed accomplice.
"It is a sad state of affairs when one of its own Citizens would be part of such a horrifying attack on this country," Themyscira Ambassador and Justice League spokesperson, Wonder Woman, said from Gotham City where she and many members of the League aided in search and rescue. "Rest assured that, in cooperation with the United States Government, the Justice League will be working to bring those responsible for this travesty to justice."
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STAR CITY (CHRONICLE) – The man responsible for the abduction of Dick (Richard) Grayson, age thirteen, must have been a boy scout. Securing his hostage with Kryptonite-layered shackles, Sportsmaster, aka Lawrence Crock, was definitely prepared.
In recent years it has been speculated that Wayne Enterprises has been a silent contributor to the Justice League, along with several other multi-billion-dollar companies, and perhaps the reason for such precautions with his victim – a precaution that could see him facing first degree murder charges.
In leaked hospital documents, it has been noted that Grayson will require surgery to remove the metal restraints that had been welded to his wrists. The procedure has been delayed as an infection, the result of any one of numerous critical injuries, left the boy fighting for his life when his temperature spiked to nearly 106 degrees.
There has been no statement from the family as to the rumor of the Kryptonite cuffs, as early this morning Grayson was put into a medical coma while doctors work to stabilize his condition.
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SEATTLE (TRIBUNE) – Lawrence "Crusher" Crock (38), aka Sportsmaster, former Olympian turned criminal, claims the youth he abducted from a Gotham City Prep-School, Richard Grayson (13), is The Batman's Sidekick known as Robin.
The man, ranked 64 on Interpol's most wanted list, says he was hired by an unknown source to discover the Gotham City's young hero's identity. He has said that after months of investigation he learned that not only was Richard parading around as Robin, but that his adopted father Bruce Wayne (32) was Batman.
In a statement made from Gotham City General Hospital, where his son is fighting for his life after his ordeal, an emotional Bruce Wayne had this to say:
"These are the accusations made by a man who stormed a high school filled with children with armed men, accosted and terrorized dozens of the students, before taking my son by force. This is a man who repeatedly beat a young boy-"
It was here Mr. Wayne was overcome by his emotions and took several moments to be comforted by his devoted butler, Alfred Pennyworth (67), and family friend, Oliver Queen (32). When Mr. Wayne was unable to continue, he was escorted out of the room by Mr. Queen, and the rest of the statement was made by an equally distraught Mr. Pennyworth.
"This is a man who repeatedly beat a young boy, who starved him for days, who strangled him and left him to be killed in a disaster of his creating. We have seen the 'evidence' as presented by Mr. Crock, and it is circumstantial at best, leaving it to many different interpretations."
"I knew Thomas Wayne and have known Bruce since the day he was born," Gotham City Police Commissioner, James Gordon (53), is quoted as responding to the claims. "And while I love him as I would my own son, I can promise you this: Bruce Wayne is no Batman. That said, we have learned that Richard Grayson was not the only one to be held captive by Sportsmaster in the days prior to the quake, and it is our belief that these are nothing more than the lies of a desperate man attempting to ruin more lives than he already has."
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GOTHAM CITY (GAZETTE) – In a startling revelation, the Justice League has acknowledged that it was forewarned of an impending attack on America.
At a press conference held in front of the Hall of Justice, Green Lantern had this to say:
"Several days ago, the protégé of a League founding member was taken captive by the man known as Sportsmaster and his associates. With the hope that it would prevent League interference, the youth was taken and used as a hostage."
Green Lantern then went on to answer several questions, confirming that the hostage was Batman's sidekick for the past four years, Robin. Included in his answers was his opinion on the accusations from Sportsmaster about Batman and Robin's identities.
"Dick Grayson? Never met the kid, but I saw him once in the circus he belonged to before his parents were killed. He has talent, potential, but if any of you have seen Robin in action you know it takes more than acrobatic skills to do what Robin does. Besides, we've all seen Robin working with the League and other Heroes with disaster relief in Gotham while Dick Grayson is in a coma.
"Now as for Bruce Wayne, (here the Lantern had to cover an irreverent laugh) what you see is what you get. A playboy billionaire without an original thought in his head."
When asked why the League would hold the life of one boy in higher regard than the nation, the Lantern responded:
"The Batman did not, at first, notify us of Robin's captivity. We were unaware of the situation until the theft at Queen Industries Research and Development division in Star City, where threats to Robin's life were used to keep Green Arrow's partner, Red Arrow, from stopping Sportsmaster and his accomplices from stealing several prototypes and sensitive information.
"Even after that, neither Batman nor the League knew to what end Sportsmaster was working. Once it was discovered the nature of his plan, every effort was made to stop him. Had not the device – which he created with what he had stolen – been stopped when it was, the lives lost would have been in the millions."
After refusing to explain exactly what the device was and what it did, or who Sportsmaster's accomplice was, Green Lantern explained with a grin just how the attack was stopped.
"That's easy; Batman. Not only had Sportsmaster kidnapped Batman's partner but had the gall to attack Batman's City. Any criminal wannabe can tell you, don't (tick) off the bat on his turf."
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METROPOLIS (DAILY PLANET) – While numbers of fatalities from the Gotham Quake earlier this week steadily rises and the hopes for those missing falls, good news comes out of Gotham City General Hospital with the waking of Richard Grayson.
The thirteen-year-old youth was found near death in the remains of one of the many decimated buildings in Gotham City's Crime Alley. After a dangerous infection set in and Richard's temperature spiked high enough to induce convulsions, the doctors treating him put him in a coma in the hopes of giving his body the chance it needed to stabilize and recover.
When treatment for the infection continued to fail, it became apparent the untreated wounds beneath the manacles were most likely the cause of the persistent infection. Despite the risk, the surgery to remove the Kryptonite shackles seared to his arms was performed. Internal sources have confirmed that Grayson's heart stopped once during the procedure, but long-time family friend and physician, Dr. Lesley Thompkins, was able to perform a quick resuscitation.
Less than twenty four hours after the surgery, and more intensive treatment to the discovered wounds on Richard's wrists, the deadly fever broke and the medical coma was lifted.
There has been no comment from the family.
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NEW YORK (CNNMoney) - News of the earthquake that rocked Gotham City has been widespread, but donations have lagged far behind.
Seven days after the 8.3 quake, donations to nonprofit organizations have reached about $87 million, according to a tally by the Chronicle of Philanthropy, a newspaper covering nonprofits.
In comparison, one week after the earthquake in Haiti, donations totaled about $275 million. In the case of Hurricane Katrina, it was over $522 million.
Of the donations to date, the American Red Cross raised approximately $64 million for the Gotham City earthquake response, which includes more than $2.8 million in text donations.
Save the Children raised $5.8 million; World Vision U.S. said they received $3 million as of Wednesday; and The Salvation Army received more than $2.5 million.
But most organizations told the Chronicle that they had raised less than $1 million and more than a dozen relief groups, including Doctors Without Borders, said they are not actively raising money for relief efforts at all.
At the same time, corporations have stepped up with significant pledges and donations. As of this morning, Wayne Enterprises and Queen Industries have pledged about $150 million in cash and in-kind donations for disaster relief in Gotham City, according to the U.S. Chamber of Commerce…
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NEW YORK (ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY) – The world will be watching the Vicki Vale Show next week, when in an unprecedented live event she will be interviewing abductee Dick (Richard) Grayson and his adopted father, billionaire Bruce Wayne, from their private room in Gotham City General Hospital.
At the request of the recovering teen, Wayne – who has kept his son from the press since his adoption five years ago – has agreed to the interview to talk about his son's ordeal in the days prior to the Gotham Quake, as well as address rumors of their being the globally recognized heroes, Batman and Robin.
Already the one-hour interview has been picked up by the Associated Press and will be airing live in nearly two dozen countries, with it scheduled to air again in prime time slots across the globe.
Advertising spots are selling for triple the cost of the average Super Bowl spot, and GCN (Gotham City Network) will be donating 100% of the proceeds to disaster relief. CNN, ABC, and NBC are following suit, and it is expected that this will garner close to $100 million in relief funds.