Chapter 2: Threat Rising
A dark form moved in shadows. Last night had shown to him what Gotham City had come to. He had been forming the plan for years but now it was time to implement it. He moved deliberately through the room, pulling on boots, gloves and the rest of his gear. The city had sacrificed so much in the name of freedom and safety: to be free from crime, to be safe all the time. No risk, no danger, no reason to fight. The people had become sheep. With Batman willing to take on all criminals and protect everyone, the citizens stood aside and let their rights and freedom be sacrificed. Was it all worth it? There was nowhere in the city anyone could go without being monitored. Cameras recorded everything. Internet searches were monitored. Phone conversations were recorded, all in the name of public safety.
He knew Batman, his prey. He had studied his quarry. The news made it easy, recording every move that they could. He knew his technique, how he fought, how he thought. His quarry might want to protect the city, but he had to save it. He pulled the final piece on, his mask. He took the stairs to the roof and sat, watching the city, listening to the sounds. He closed his eyes, soaking it all in. Ready, he climbed down and began his spree. He pulled a device out of his belt, turned it on, and with the press of a button, every camera within a ten mile radius shorted out and shattered their lenses.
Batman didn't notice at first. He was listening to the police scanner and going through internet searches. On the second round of cameras, he saw the static. Immediately, more static showed on his screen. He paused the internet search and turned down the scanner to look at the lost camera feeds. Within minutes, he tracked all of the down cameras. It was a ten-mile radius around a point in south Gotham City. It was odd that they all would go out at the same time. It was too much to be a coincidence.
Batman got up and ran to a Batmobile, revved the engine and tore out of the cave. Once outside, it changed and took flight, speeding over the city towards the epicenter of the camera outage. It settled to the road and returned to a more car-like appearance. Batman jumped out, watching a map on his wrist of the downed cameras and made his way to the center of the circle. He found the camera on the side of the building, looking at the entrance. The casing of the camera was blackened from the electrical fire inside and the lens had been shattered. Batman pulled up the feed of the camera on his wrist computer and watched it until the video turned to static. There was no one on the camera. No one had entered nor exited the door of the building.
Batman pulled up the building schematics to look inside. The apartments had been abandoned six months ago. The camera was to make sure no one was squatting inside. Batman entered the building to make sure it was empty. He found nothing on the ground floors and made his way up to the top, still finding nothing. He had nothing better to do so Batman returned to the bottom floor and entered each apartment, searching them thoroughly. He slowly worked his way back up, going into each and every apartment, looking for any clue as to why the cameras would suddenly go out, and who could make them go out.
Two buildings away, the black-masked figure looked through binoculars at Batman as he searched the abandoned apartments. It was a good thing the figure knew how to cover his tracks, making the dust look undisturbed, like the apartment had been abandoned for months. After Batman had returned to the first floor and had begun a more thorough search, the figure knew he had time.
He had mapped out the route he needed to take and worked out the timing. Deliberately, he moved all over the city, leaving small, inconspicuous devices attached to cameras at specific points all over Gotham City. It took him all night to cover the entire city. Finally, he made his way back to the abandoned apartment. Batman had left, his investigation on hold for now. The figure planted one more device on the already destroyed camera, returned to the roof, and entered his abandoned apartment. Now, it was time to wait.
The Batmobile entered the cave, pulling into a parking spot and Batman jumping out of it, striding over to the bank of computers. He downloaded all the information he gathered from his wrist computer to the main drive of the cave's computer and began reviewing the data. He turned up the police scanner to listen in and picked up the internet searches again. As usual, one screen was dedicated to flipping through camera feeds throughout the city. Every time the queue came to a broken camera, static was briefly on the screen before moving to another feed. When static came up, Batman was briefly distracted. He tried to clear his thoughts, go back to his searches, but another camera came up with static. Batman grunted, annoyed. He tried to clear his head again, was just about to get back to research when static came back. Batman growled in annoyance, trying to get back to his research. Again, static jarred him away. Batman yelled and slammed his fist into the screen, his annoyance exploding. The screen smoked from the hole left by his fist. He was breathing heavy. He waited for Alfred to come in, like he always did, to say something smart. He could hear him now: "And what was the monitor guilty of?" But there was nothing? It wasn't like Alfred to miss an opportunity like this. Where was he?
Batman removed the monitor from the bank, leaving a glaring hole. He reprogrammed the camera monitors to skip the feeds that just had static so he could continue to work. He moved the feeds to another monitor, a small corner, and continued to work. In the back of his head, he thought about replacing the cameras, how much work it would be, how much money it would cost, more than when he had to install them. It nagged at him constantly and kept him from focusing completely on monitoring Gotham City.
Four Years Ago
Batman finished the final touches on the camera. He adjusted it and powered it on. He checked his wrist computer; the feed was coming in clearly. He grinned to himself, wondering why he hadn't done this years ago. He closed the wrist computer and launched himself into the air. He glided back to the top floor of Wayne Towers to the penthouse suite. Inside, he found the lights dim, candles burning and the scent of an exotic perfume came to his nose. Batman stripped out of his armor, making his way to the bedroom. There, Bruce Wayne found Selena Kyle, lounging on pillows, basked in candlelight, wearing a negligee that left nothing to the imagination, except how to tear it off of her.
"Everything all set?" she purred, her eyes heavy with desire, it also dripping in her voice.
Bruce's voice was dry. "Yeah." He took in her beauty, her long legs, barely covered breasts, dark eyes, red lips, and hair framing her face.
"Good." She licked her lips and smiled. "I think that calls for a celebration."
Bruce wasted no time and crossed to the bed and covered Selena's body with his. Her hands moved over his body, lips devouring each other. He quickly removed what passed for her clothes and gazed at her body, naked in the candlelight. She smiled and returned his gaze, loving how his eyes devoured her body. She reached out and grabbed his hips, pulling him in tight to her. Her legs wrapped around him, holding him close. His chest crushed her breasts. Her lips found his ear and started nibbling. The hair on his chest teased her nipples into hard points as he thrust into her. Bruce lost all thought but the feel of her as he climaxed inside her.
He lay on the bed, Selena's limbs entwined with his. Her fingers trailed along his muscles, tracing swirls with her nails. Bruce relaxed, loving the feel of her next to him. The candles had burned down and only the moon, broken through clouds, lit the room. Bruce looked down at Selena's naked form, her long legs, her curved buttocks and breasts, and slim arms, lit by moonlight. He loved how she looked, especially when she was naked in his bed. He reached down and grabbed the wrist computer. He turned it on and flipped through a few cameras he had set up. Selena sat up, staring at him.
"Really Bruce? Now? You can't think of anything better to do?"
"I just wanted to check on it, make sure everything was working."
"I have something else I need you to check on." She grabbed the wrist computer and threw it across the room. She sat up and straddled him, her hips slowly grinding back and forth on his. He grabbed her hips and arched into her. Selena leaned back as Bruce thrust in her, her breasts bouncing with each thrust. In the back of Bruce's mind, he thought about the cameras and how to expand them to cover more of the city as he made love to Selena the rest of the night.
Today
Batman could feel his head getting thick, sitting there researching and listening to the police scanner. It was a quiet night, like they all were now. The broken cameras were a dull thought in the back of his mind and his body ached for action. He got up and went to the gym, working out to clear his head. He moved back to the computer and tried to work. The videos moved back to the forefront of his mind, and he couldn't help but notice gaps in coverage. He checked the inventory at Wayne Enterprises of the cameras to replace them. The current stock was already accounted for with police and military forces. Batman put in an order for more, but he would have to wait at least three weeks for them to be manufactured and delivered. He couldn't focus, he couldn't think. He needed to get out of the cave. He had been working too hard on this, plus there wasn't much he could do from inside. He took a batmobile out and flew around the city. He wasn't looking for anything in particular. He just needed air to clear his head. He flew in circles, eyes not really focusing on anything.
Batman let his thoughts clear and they slowly fell into place and organized themselves. The bank robbery with the gun could wait. The criminals were cowards, as all criminals were. They were amateurs and had no idea what they were doing. No amount of drugs nor weapons could help them. Any leads would more than likely be a dead end and he could put the case on a back burner. He wouldn't forget it entirely, but he didn't have to focus on it. He could let the searches and analysis run in the background and go back for the data. Plus, in their current condition, the robbers weren't going to be going anywhere. His thoughts turned back to the video cameras and the lost feeds. That was his priority now. It wasn't just criminals trying to get money or preying on the weak. It was a direct attack against him and he had to respond. Batman had to crack down hard to keep anyone from imitating who ever this was and he had to do it soon. Right now, no one knew about the cameras nor Batman's degraded surveillance, and he had to keep it that way. Otherwise, total anarchy would break out in the city. Any criminal element would try to make their move against him. He had to keep control, he had to make sure the city was safe!
The black-masked figure looked up into the sky, hiding in shadows, biding his time. He knew Batman would be flying tonight. He couldn't just leave the cameras alone. Well, he was going to have more to worry about in a few minutes.
The roar of the Batman's plane overhead focused the figure's attention and he pulled out a small device from his pocket. It was a device of his own design and it was tied to several scattered around the city on Batman's cameras. When Batman was overhead, the figure pressed a button and several things started happening all at once. All over the city, cameras burned out and lenses cracked, rendering them inoperable. From the device in the figures hand, a pulse shot straight up at Batman, disabling the electronics in his craft. The engines cut out, screens went blank, lights were blown out, and the craft fell out of the sky to its doom.
Batman was scrambling in the cockpit. Nothing would respond. The engines were out, he had no control, and he couldn't even get the wheels down to attempt a landing. The buildings were approaching at an alarming rate, his decent picking up speed. He had no choice, he had to abandon it. He pulled the ejection lever. Nothing happened. He tried again and again, but the circuit controlling it was completely burned out. He took off his harness and tried to open the canopy. It wouldn't budge. He pulled out a batarang to cut the glass and looked up just in time to see the impact with the rooftop.
Four years ago
Batman looked down at the gang members lying unconscious in the alley. He had pushed himself a bit harder tonight, taking on a larger group. He hadn't even cared about the guns, the suit's armor took care of that. He was breathing hard, his limbs still tight from the exertion. He looked up and saw Catwoman, staring at him with a hungry look in her eyes. This was the reward for tonight. It seemed the more brutal he was, the more he took on each night, the longer, the more passionate their lovemaking was. In fact, he had a hard time containing himself right now, looking at her in her skin-tight leather, her curves begging to be touched.
It seemed she sensed his desire, his need. She slowly reached up and pulled the zipper down on her suit, exposing the creamy-white flesh of her breasts underneath. She stalked towards him, stepping over unconscious bodies, her hips swaying with each step. Once she reached Batman, she pulled him closed, wrapping her arms around his neck and kissing him deeply. He returned her kiss, his tongue exploring her mouth. His hands moved up to her shoulders and pushed her suit off, pulling down to her waist. She wrapped a leg around his and pulled him close. Her hands began pulling off his armor, exposing his hard muscles. He pulled the rest of her leather suit down and she leaned against a building wall. She raised her head in pleasure as he took her there in the alley, not caring who might see.
Even though he finished, their night was far from over. Upon returning to the penthouse, they made love all night. For the rest of the week, the pattern continued. Brutally, Batman and Catwoman dispensed justice, taking down gang members, robbers, potential murderers and rapists, and then rewarded themselves with a night of fierce passion. The more they expended on the criminals, the better the sex was. They became the most feared in Gotham, and soon, no one dared to go out at night. That suited Batman and Catwoman fine. They could spend their nights in each other's arms, making up for the lack of fighting with more passion in the bedroom.
It wasn't until they went out on another patrol that things changed. Another gang war and Batman and Catwoman dropped between them as they usually did. They immediately started fighting, getting the jump on both groups. Batman's fists and feet flew through the air, knocking out thug after thug. It wasn't enough. He hit harder and harder. Joints dislocated, bones broke, skin split open from the fierceness of his attack.
Catwoman stood in awe at the savagery of it, and it scared her. He didn't stop until all were unconscious and bleeding. His armor was covered in blood, all of it belonging to the unconscious bodies on the ground. He turned to Catwoman, his chest heaving from exertion, and grabbed her. Roughly his mouth took hers, his tongue forcing its way into her mouth. Her hands tried to press against his chest, but he held her tight. She had to admit, it was impressive, as it always was, to see him in action, how he took control and dealt out justice. However, he had become scary tonight, more so than usual. She returned his kiss and told herself it was just tonight, it was only once that Batman almost lost control. She knew that tonight was going to be a long night of lovemaking from their exertion, and that loss of control might make the sex more interesting. Batman held her tight and launched them both into the air, winging his way back to the penthouse and the promise of a night of passion.
Today
Batman pulled himself out of the wreckage of his batmobile. The fuel was burning, setting other components on fire. He tried to pull himself up straight, but his back and legs collapsed underneath him. He fell to his hands and knees and crawled away from the wreckage. He rolled over onto his back, attempting to assess his injuries. His back and ankle were sprained, his ribs seemed to be cracked, and it felt like an arm was broken. He didn't have time. He had to move. Within seconds the batmobile would explode, destroying everything to prevent his technology from falling into the wrong hands.
Batman rolled over and crawled as fast as he could to the edge of the roof he had landed on, but he wasn't fast enough. The batmobile exploded, peppering him with shrapnel that cut through his mask and the spaces in his armor. The blast blew him off the roof and he fell, hitting fire escapes and stairs on his way down. His cape and armor were in tatters, his body was broken, and his transportation was destroyed. He slowly reached into his belt and pulled out a phone, calling the only person he knew that could help him: Alfred. He put the phone up to his ear to hear "We're sorry, but the number you have dialed is no longer in service. If you think…" He hit end on the call and lay there, trying to figure out what to do next. He was going to have to get himself out of here, and his body was in no condition to do so. He couldn't have the police pick him up, they would find out who he was. Without Alfred, there was no one else he could rely on.
Batman looked around to assess his options. He crawled to a nearby car and pulled himself up by the door handle. He gathered enough strength to break the window and pull open the door. He fell in across the seats, breathing hard from the pain and exertion. He had to push through this and get out of here. People and police would be arriving soon. He pulled a set of pick-locks from his belt and used them to start the car. Painfully, he sped from the alley, bouncing down the road and heading back to Wayne manor and his cave. There, he could get Alfred to help him to heal and then immediately come out and find the one responsible for the attack. He soon pulled into the drive that led to the Manor. He pulled as close to the front of the house as possible and stopped the car. Batman fell out once he opened the car door and hit the ground hard. He dragged himself up the stairs to the front door and found it locked. He pulled his keys out and unlocked the door, pushing it open and crawling into his house. Once past the threshold, he collapsed on the hardwood to gather his strength. His house was his sanctuary. It was here he could heal.
Selena Kyle watched the news, a report of a crash and explosion in Gotham City. She recognized the design through the flames. It was a Batmobile. He was working on it right before she left. Oh God, he was there, alone. What happened? Who could have done this to him? It had been years, but her heart ached out to him still. She had to go to him. She got up from the couch and started throwing clothes into a bag. She pulled out her leather catsuit and mask, looking at it, and finally throwing them into her bag. She had to get to Gotham.
Three years ago
Batman walked around his cave, his hands trailing over his new console that housed banks of state-of-the-art computers, monitors, and forensics equipment. It was finally finished. The last few details were being applied to the manor proper upstairs, but his cave was finished. He powered up the computers and monitors, making sure everything worked. He picked up his wrist computer for his suit, synching it with the main computer and checking the connections. He sat in the chair, his hands flying over keyboards, eyes scanning information. A new chapter started in his life, one where he could dedicate his life to his one-man war. No more distractions, no more going easy. It was time to unleash the full fury of the Batman.
Selina Kyle stood at the door to an apartment, unsure how to proceed.
She finally knocked on the door. It opened up to a tall blonde standing in the doorway. Selena looked up at her and said "Hey, Brooke. Can I come in?"