Act I, Scene XII
Gotham City Harbour. Huge black silhouettes of docked ships loom out of the night, light illuminating a few of them - the docks never sleep. And Pier 22 is certainly anything but slumbering. A huge vessel has pulled into port and a crane is currently unloading its cargo containers into waiting trucks by the pierside. Men bustle here and there and a foreman barks orders.
GOON #1: There. Open that one.
Two fellow goons open the crate with crowbars. The one giving the orders reaches inside and retrieves a very large, very dangerous looking assault weapon. He removes the magazine inside with a few sharp motions and inspects the ammo.
GOON #1: Armour-piercing. (smiles) We're gonna own this town. Even Falcone never had an arsenal like this.
GOON #2: Where does the boss get this stuff? I mean this musta cost a fortune. We haven't even pulled that many jobs…
GOON #1: Don't ask, don't complain. Get 'em packed and get 'em out of here.
The crane stops moving above their heads, its cargo container still suspended halfway between the ship and the unloading bay on the pier. The head goon frowns.
GOON #1: What the hell-
Something small and black whips through the air and slices through the thick metal chain suspending the cargo container from the crane.
GOON: Holy sh-! MOVE!
They scatter. Above them, the container strikes the hull of the ship first, rupturing its sides, the crates inside splitting asunder. Guns fall everywhere, bouncing crazily. The rest of the container impacts a moment later with a tremendous resounding crash, barely avoiding the desperately fleeing goons, but knocking them off their feet entirely.
And half a city away, asleep until that very moment, Clark Kent's eyes snap open.
The goons get back to their feet. They're all packing the assault rifles.
GOON #1: It's him! Shoot on sight! Get whatever guns we got and get outta here! Now!
He makes a run for the nearest lorry with a few of his henchmen. A rope snakes from the darkness, wrapping itself around one of his accomplices ankles, tripping the man up and slamming him to the deck in an instant. Panicked, the remainder fire in the direction the rope originated.
GOON #3: There! Up on top!
A dark shape is glimpsed above their heads. Gunfire tracks it, peppering the crate with bullets. They all join in, showering the crate with a firestorm of ammunition until it fairly breaks apart.
BATMAN: Finished?
He's standing behind them.
BATMAN: My turn.
An instant later he's waded into the centre of the closely-knit group, surgical punches and kicks disarming each of his opponents in turn. He's despatched two of the goons when another truck pulls up and more pour out from within. We see a close-up of Batman's face; a flash of concern in his eyes. This wasn't in the plan.
GOON #1: Get him!
Batman reaches into his belt and tosses what looks like a grenade at the newcomers. They react, but he wasn't aiming for them; the grenade sticks securely to the side of the truck. Diving behind cover as a wall of bullets chews up the ground before him, Batman touches his fingers to his shoulders, hitting two concealed switches in his suit. We see a close-up of the 'ears' of his Batman mask and a noise that suggests something sliding shut-
An instant passes-
And an absolute WALL of noise erupts forth from the sonic device. Every single goon collapses to his knees, equilibrium shot to hell. Blood trickles down their cheeks from their ears. We see through one of their eyes and see the suddenly muffled world, inhabited by a dark shape who has emerged from hiding and is now cutting a swathe through the field of would-be assailants before him. Our point of view cam is suddenly deactivated due to Batman delivering a devastating blow to the side of 'our' head, switching the goon off like a light.
As his body hits the ground though, Batman suddenly realises he's not alone. He turns. A goon stands behind him, assault rifle in hand, trained on his position. Unlike his now-unconscious partners, he seems completely unaffected.
GOON: Goodnight.
He opens fire from pointblank range before Batman can do anything, can react-
And a blue and red blur zips back and forth between Batman and the goon. The goon keeps firing, but the smile slowly drips from his face. He keeps firing until the magazine goes dry and the gun clicks, and sees Batman still standing before him, unscathed.
GOON: What…
And just as it had earlier that day, a pair of red boots lands softly on the surface. We pan up to reveal Superman, standing with his arms bundled together and the bullets he intercepted gathered up in them. He opens his arms and the bullets fall to the dockside.
SUPERMAN: These yours?
The goon whimpers and runs off. Superman blurs with motion once more, snatching up a length of rope. In a fraction of a second the man is securely bound. Superman frowns down at his prisoner and sends a beam of X-Ray Vision in his direction, before nodding and walking back to Batman, still standing in place, not moving.
SUPERMAN: Almost completely deaf. Probably why your sonic device didn't work. I, uh, (he rubs his ears ruefully) I wish the same could be said for me. That's what delayed me getting here by the way.
BATMAN: Don't let me keep you.
He turns his back on Superman, walks over to one of the downed goons - the chief barking orders from earlier, now lying on the pier clutching his ears and whimpering softly. Superman takes off vertically and lands a moment later between Batman and his new target. Another beam of X-Ray vision lances out, visible only to us. Superman cocks his head to the side.
SUPERMAN: Lead-lined mask. Your identity means that much to you?
BATMAN: I have business here. You're not it.
He makes as if to walk around Superman to get to the goon. And that's when Superman reaches out an arm and places it on Batman's shoulder. Batman freezes in place. His head turns to look at Superman.
And behind his back, he presses a button on a small handheld controller.
BATMAN: Are we gonna have a problem?
SUPERMAN: I'm not going to insult you by asking if you know why I'm here.
BATMAN: I saw. You know, you look good in front of a cheering crowd. You should be a politician. Now get the hell out of my way.
SUPERMAN: Please. Hear me out. (cocks his head to the side) The police are coming. They'll be here in about three minutes. All I want is two.
BATMAN: Yeah? All I need is one.
He stands back. The Tumbler barrels through a wall of crates. Superman has time to look up, surprise etched on his face, before it impacts him full-on, sending him flying backwards off the pier and into the Gotham waters below. The Tumbler barely stops at the edge in time.
Batman goes to his belt and retrieves several of the same sonic grenades as before. He pulls out a small electronic device - the same one he used to call the Tumbler - and with a few button presses has called up a menu entitled FREQUENCY ADJUST.
Superman shoots from the waters below, arcing up and out and landing on the pier before Batman in one smooth graceful motion. Water drips from his nose. He does not look amused.
SUPERMAN: You're not listening.
BATMAN: Oh I'm listening.
He thumbs the frequency adjuster and we watch the number go from 10,000Hz to 30,000Hz. The grenades bleep.
SUPERMAN: I'm sorry, I didn't want to have to do it this way.
He moves forward at super-speed, straight for Batman, who dives to the side and drops the sonic grenades. They flash-
An incredibly high-pitched sound rips through the night. Superman's lunge is knocked off balance. He crashes into the side of a ship, putting a hole clean through the hull.
Batman remains unaffected. The police sirens are now close. He grabs the chief goon and walks to the Tumbler, throwing him inside and clambering in, gunning the engines. The Tumbler roars into life-
-and goes nowhere.
BATMAN: Computer! Turbo!
Superman, holding on to the rear of the vehicle and lifting its massive bulk off the ground so its huge wheels gain no traction, is suddenly engulfed in a massive fireball as the afterburners kick into high gear. He's swallowed completely by the flames.
Back inside the Tumbler, Batman watches in disbelief as the afterburner power levels begin to dip. They still haven't moved an inch.
COMPUTER: Afterburner exhausted. Overheating. System shutting down.
The furnace dies. Superman is revealed once more, looking none the worse for wear. Batman watches this on the onboard cameras.
The Tumbler wrenches to one side abruptly.
COMPUTER: Warning. Left rear wheel removed.
And to the other.
COMPUTER: Warning. Right rear wheel removed.
BATMAN: (muttering) So glad I have you to tell me these things.
He's busy working at control panels whilst removing the gloves he's wearing and accessing a hidden panel to reveal a small metallic container. He opens the door. We don't see what happens next.
A moment later, the door of the Tumbler is torn off.
COMPUTER: Warning. Door removed.
SUPERMAN: Amazing what they can get computers to do these days, huh?
He appears at the door, leaning inside. He takes an appraising glance around.
SUPERMAN: Nice. How many miles to the gallon?
BATMAN: More than you'd think. It's a hybrid.
The police sirens are very loud now.
SUPERMAN: I want to bring you to justice. And I mean it. I've seen you work. Can't say I approve of your methods, but I don't think you're a cop-killer. So why are you letting them think you are? What are you protecting?
BATMAN: I don't have time for this.
SUPERMAN: You don't have much choice. Come on. I'm stronger than you. Faster. You know you can't beat me.
BATMAN: Yeah?
He takes his hands from the metal box, raises his arms to a boxer's pose. And we see his gloves in close-up.
They're laced with green.
BATMAN: How 'bout now?
He punches Superman right in the jaw, a real haymaker. Superman is knocked off his feet and onto the pierside below, impacting heavily. In a flash Batman is out of the Tumbler and standing above him, dragging him to his feet once more, not letting him breathe. He lands a succession of blows with the gloves to Superman's solar plexus. Above them, a helicopter is now circling, but not a police copter…
We cut to above and to a young news reporter screaming into a camera, trying to restrain her excitement and failing quite miserably, but quite understandably in the circumstances.
TANIA: Tania Moon, WGBS News! Live from Gotham Docks! One hundred feet below me is raging the fiercest battle this city has ever seen! I can't believe what I'm watching!
We cut to various locations all over the city - homes, hospitals, bars, the main Gotham boulevard. Every single person stops in their tracks and stares at the television screens as they relay blow-by-blow (quite literally) footage of Batman and Superman going toe-to-toe.
HOUSEWIFE: He's murdering him! The brute!
MAN IN BAR: Yeah! Go Bats! Give him one for Gotham!
MAN IN BAR #2: Hey, what are you, crazy? The guy's a menace! We should be cheering Supes!
MAN IN BAR: (waves him away) Bats is the real deal, trust me. And he's one of us!
The argument rages on in the bar, in the homes, across the entire city. And we see Jason White, plonked in front of the television in Lois' Gotham apartment, with Lois emerging sleepily from the bedroom behind him.
LOIS: Jason, have you seen Clark…?
Jason merely points to the screen. Lois takes a look.
LOIS: Oh my God…
We go back to the fight. It's a real knockdown affair; whatever amount of Kryptonite Batman has laced his gauntlets with, it's enough to hurt Superman, but not enough to really do him any lasting damage, so he's able to get in some pretty good hits of his own, which, given his huge strength advantage, are causing Batman some trouble.
The police pull up in a circle around the combatants. Gordon spills from the car, pulling his gun, taking in the scene before him. He mops sweat from his forehead, hardly able to believe what he's seeing.
RAMIREZ: Do we…do we, uh…go in?
Superman lands a blow to Batman that sends him twenty feet backwards and straight through another few wooden crates, which splinter spectacularly.
GORDON: (looks at her incredulously) What do you think?
RAMIREZ: Stay back!
Superman approaches Batman carefully. Batman struggles to his feet. He's dazed, his armour is torn completely off in places, and has some difficulty getting up. Superman looks winded and a little out of breath but otherwise unhurt.
SUPERMAN: Stop this. Please. If you're innocent the courts can prove that.
BATMAN: (gasping)You're a goddamned fool. There's not an honest court in this city. That's why I have to stay out here. Where I can…make a….difference!
He rushes Superman, but his opponent simply lifts himself thirty feet into the air, well out of range of any punches or blows. Batman simply stares at him, helplessly.
And with a resigned look, Superman applies a blast of heat vision from his eyes, landing squarely on Batman's gloves. They heat up instantly, and Batman is forced to remove them, gasping in pain as he does so. As soon as they're off, Superman ups the intensity of the blast from his eyes and reduces them, and the Kryptonite crystals within them, to so much smoking ashes.
He lands back on the pier, facing a now defenceless Batman, the police ring in the background.
SUPERMAN: It's over.
And that's when it happens.
Just for an eye blink, there's the strangest effect before him, an odd sort of pseudo flicker of motion, as if Batman had moved somewhere absurdly fast. Superman frowns, but Batman is still standing there before him, just as before. His shoulders suddenly slump, and his hands slowly raise into the air.
BATMAN: I surrender.
Gordon lowers his head, placing his hand on the hood of his car to steady himself. None of his officers move a muscle. Ramirez is the first to dare to speak.
RAMIREZ: Commissioner…?
GORDON: Take him in.
We switch to the news footage of Batman as he is surrounded by police officers. They handcuff him securely and bundle him into a waiting custody van. Superman stands and watches.
TANIA: He's captured! The Batman is captured! Superman did it!
As before, we go around the city, to drink in the various reactions. Some are cheering, but most are simply watching, mirroring Jim Gordon's own troubled expression. The cameras zoom in on Superman as he too watches the custody van drive away, its infamous occupant securely within.
Back at the pierside, Gordon walks over to where Superman is standing.
GORDON: I suppose you want thanks?
SUPERMAN: I want him to get a fair trial, Commissioner.
GORDON: You're in for a disappointment on both fronts, my friend.
And he walks away, gets into his car, and drives off, leaving Superman on the Gotham dockside, surrounded by the wreckage of battle and the assault rifles from the shipment Batman stopped.
In the custody van, surrounded by officers, the Batman sits quietly. One of the officers, a particularly well-built specimen, swaggers to where he sits.
COP #1: Not so tough now, huh? Lets see who's under that mask-
He reaches forward and rips off the Batman cowl. His jaw drops. We don't see what he sees.
COP #1: What the-
Now we see what he sees. Himself.
BATMAN: Oh I'm sorry. Is this preferable?
His facial features ripple and change until he looks like Mike Engel from Gotham Tonight.
BATMAN: No? No better? How about now?
Again, his facial features change, so now he looks like Mayor Garcia.
COP #1: I thought you were human. What the hell are you?
We cut abruptly to a warehouse roof, the Gotham Docks in the backdrop. Batman, his armour torn and his gloves off from the battle with Superman, opens his eyes and sees the bald smiling face of Lex Luthor smiling down at him.
LUTHOR: (his finger on his lips)Sssh…
From the pierside below, in the midst of the huge police presence, a blue-suited figure takes off into the Gotham night, streaking across the skies and gone from vision in a few seconds.
LUTHOR: (speaking into a wrist communicator) He's gone. Now.
And back in the van, 'Batman' stands up, snapping his cuffs easily. His features ripple again and he shoots the beam of energy we saw earlier, incapacitating the officers around him in seconds. When his features settle, we see The Eradicator standing amidst the bodies of the officers charged with keeping the Batman contained.
ERADICATOR: I think the technical term is decoy…
Back on the rooftop, Batman gets to his feet to face Lex Luthor. A few moments later the Eradicator lands on the rooftop beside Luthor.
BATMAN: What do you want?
LUTHOR: The same thing you want.
He points upwards to the skies. His eyes glitter in the dark.
LUTHOR: Payback.