(This story begins where "The Batman(2022) movie" ended. This story is not only a sequel to "The Batman," it is ALSO a sequel for several other live action Batman movie franchises.)
***SO FAR, MY FAVORITE CHAPTERS ARE TWO, FOUR, AND FIVE.***
-Earth-66 = Adam West Batman(CHAPTER 5)
-Earth-89 = Michael Keaton Batman(CHAPTER 4)
-Earth-5 = Christian Bale Batman(CHAPTER 3)
-Earth-16 = Ben Affleck Batman(CHAPTER 2)
-Earth-22 = Robert Pattinson Batman(CHAPTER 1)
Batman: No Wayne Home
Chapter 1: Ashes 2 Ashes
November 20th
Earth-22
After Riddler had managed to blow the dams, the flood waters grew to nearly seven feet high in some places of Gotham City. If you lived in a basement area or in a one story house, you wouldn't be able to live there any longer. Plus, many of the old gothic cathedrals were continuing to crumble apart worse than ever before due to the constant erosion.
It had already been two weeks and the water was barely receding due to the abundance of rain they had been receiving. No cars or trucks could travel. The Subway system was completely submerged, including Bruce Wayne's secret tunnel below Wayne Tower… And, after several transformers had blown, many sectors of the city were without power. These conditions made it nearly impossible to rebuild the dams. Even after thousands of sandbags were brought in, the waters had only slightly receded.
Most of the stores had to close down also. This left very little resources, such as food and clean drinking water, for common citizens to try and survive. Some people moved away if they were lucky enough to have the money to do so, while others were too poor and completely displaced.
The National Guard, alongside Batman, did everything they could to try and show everyone that there was still hope. Even Batman's alter ego, Bruce Wayne, donated as much as he could without making the other executives at Wayne Enterprises too upset.
There was one other property that Bruce knew he would have to restore, that being Wayne Manor. It stood on higher ground and wasn't affected much by the floods. He knew it would make a great place for several of the orphans affected by the rising waters. Plus it was plenty big enough to house several other displaced Gothamites.
While restoring the manor and walking the outer perimeter, Bruce discovered there was a cave only three-hundred yards away from the east side of the mansion. The opening was small, almost as if the recent downpour had eroded away just enough of the surface area to make a hole barely noticeable. He managed to bust it open wider, just enough for him to squeeze through and check it out.
Upon entering, the opening was about the size of a crawl space below someone's house, filled with several cobwebs. Bruce used the flashlight on his phone to get a better look. The light revealed a narrow tunnel that stretched as far as the light could reach. He decided to proceed further. After crawling nearly one-hundred feet, Bruce came to an area of the cave where he could finally stand up.
Upon shining his flashlight all around, he discovered that the cave was rather tall and wide. The ceilings had jagged "fang-like" stalactites protruding from out of them. The echo of water could be heard trickling from off in the distance.
He tried taking another step, when suddenly, part of the ground below his feet began to crumble apart and cave in. He quickly fell backwards to avoid falling in. Rocks from the collapsed area could be heard bouncing off of the cavern wall, splashing down into the water several feet below.
The noise also made several bats become frightened, causing them to fly all around in a frantic swarm, screeching loudly as they flew past Bruce's head.
After the bats were gone, Bruce shined the light down into the cavern area below. He realized how close he had just come to having a terrible accident. Alfred was still in the hospital and Bruce could have been next, or even worse, he could have been dead. Nobody would have ever found his body.
Bruce then followed the wider pathways that the cave had to offer, watching his step as he walked. He was surprised at how far the tunnels led.
He finally managed to exit the cave through another small opening, which led into a large wooded area. There was a side road about a hundred yards away which intersected with Mountain Drive, the road that led to Wayne Manor.
He realized that the cave was wide enough for his motorcycle to travel through, and with a little reconstructive work, he might even be able to drive his Batmobile through it. It would make for a perfect new hideout since his previous hideout was now under water. He would also have to figure out a way to keep the opening of the cave concealed while Wayne Manor was being renovated. Nobody, other than Bruce, had discovered the cave thus far, but with hundreds of people coming to occupy the manor, it would only be a matter of time before someone else might also stumble across it like he did.
Meanwhile…Mayor Bella Reál was having a very important conversation with Governor Couto and other City Councilman. They were discussing a new scientific machine called "The Dehydrator" that could help to majorly reduce the flood waters, invented by a man named Commodore Schmidlapp. In order to use the machine, the mayor would need to make sure every living thing within a one mile radius of the machine was evacuated because most living organisms are made up of 80% water and the machine would dehydrate everything in its path.
Mayor Reál wasn't sure how she felt about the machine. If it wasn't used properly, it could cause more damage than it could do good. Possibly even collapse brick buildings due to the removal of the 20% of water they are naturally made up of. This meant the old gothic cathedrals wouldn't STAND a chance(no pun intended). But…if she didn't try doing something soon, the constant flooding would eventually destroy the city anyways.
Commodore Schmidlapp assured them that they could adjust the frequency of the machine so that ONLY the amount of water they wanted to extract could properly be reduced, and that he would be controlling the machine himself.
Upon a vote, the City Council decided it was worth a shot to use the machine. The Mayor then set out to clear the area of the city where the machine would get used.
Three days later, Thanksgiving…
After the area was deemed safe, The Dehydrator was turned on. It was the perfect time of year because everyone would be at home with their families.
Within seconds, steam could be seen rising into the air, filling the city sky like a thick fog. After a couple hours the water had already receded three feet, and after a couple more the flood waters were less than a half a foot high. The machine was then shut off. Everything went about as smoothly as it could have, something the citizens of Gotham could finally cheer about and be very thankful for.
Several people volunteered to help with the cleanup. The Mayor was hoping to have the city back up and running by Christmas. She wanted to celebrate by having a parade.
December 20th…
Things were moving along better than expected. The city's power grid was up and running, supplying the Gothamites with electricity, all of the flood waters had completely receded, and the subways were moving again. Several stores were able to open back up and people were able to return home.
6PM
Vicky Vale was on-air live covering the successful cleanup story, when suddenly an important news bulletin flashed across everyone's television screens.
"Several armed guards, facility workers, doctors, and inmates at Arkham Hospital are dead this evening after an attempted escape by Edward Nashton, A.K.A. The Riddler and the John Doe that Batman caught a year ago, now being called The Joker. The police said they were able to apprehend the Joker, but the Riddler managed to get away."
(Videos of the breakout are being displayed across the television screen as the news anchor continues speaking.)
The breakout occurred while several low risk inmates were about to be transported back to the inner city rehabilitation center. They had been transferred to Arkham due to flooding. The video shows John Doe, A.K.A. Joker being detained in handcuffs after the breakout was under control."
Bruce Wayne sat watching the terrible news in his living room at Wayne Tower. He looked out the window and was surprised that Gordon hadn't shined the Bat-Signal in the sky, alerting him of the latest terror attack.
Bruce Wayne paused the television screen and zoomed in on the Joker's face. Something didn't seem right. Bruce had seen the Joker's face up close before and it looked bad, but there was something about the face on this Joker that almost seemed cosmetic. He then zoomed in even closer. Upon doing so he noticed a small flap of skin hanging at the bottom of the Joker's chin. At that time he knew he needed to get to Arkham Asylum as soon as possible.
Bruce called Gordon before he left. He wanted to make sure Alfred had extra security at the hospital knowing that the Riddler had just escaped. The Riddler believed that Bruce Wayne was the last one that deserved to die for the sins of his father after the promise of the "Renewal Funds" didn't go as planned. Bruce also had extra security sent to Wayne Tower and Wayne Enterprises just to be safe.
Moments later, in a holding cell at Arkham Asylum…
"Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha… Ha…" The man sitting Indian style in a dark corner of the room repeatedly chuckled over and over again like a broken record.
The cell doors opened, and in walked Batman. He slowly approached the man who was supposed to be the Joker, though Batman suspected otherwise.
After getting closer, Batman shined a small light in the man's face. The man had a completely blank stare. The sound of his chuckle almost seemed painful, as if it might have been torturing him.
Batman then put his hand on the man's chin and pulled on the small flap he recognized on the news video. An entire layer of skin was completely peeled away. It was in fact the actual skin of the Joker being used as a mask on an innocent inmate that didn't have the slightest clue of what was going on. After removing the skin mask, the man's face was pale with varicose veins protruding from out of his forehead. His lips were red and his smile looked as if he had some kind of disease. Batman knew he wouldn't be able to get any information out of him. He was nearly dead. Only his tortured laugh was keeping him alive.
"This man has been poisoned!" Batman yelled out. "The Joker has escaped!"
Batman could hear other inmates laughing as he exited the holding cell.
Gordon was waiting for Batman as he came out of the maximum holding cell unit. "What happened in there?" He asked.
"You should have shined the signal when you first learned about the breakout! Riddler and Joker are on the loose and now they've got a head start!" Batman scorned.
"I don't only answer to you." Gordon snarled back. "I have the new District Attorney breathing down my neck. He doesn't like the idea of someone dressed as a bat working with the police. He wants to start a new unit that focuses solely on these types of cases. He wants law and order to conquer Gotham's underground, not you. He thinks he can be Gotham's "White Knight."
"And what do you think?" Batman retorted.
"He seems like he is honest and has a ton of integrity. A hell of a lot more integrity than the last D.A., that's for sure." Gordon piped up.
"I need to see the security footage when the escape happened." Batman insisted.
Suddenly, as Gordon was showing Batman to the security room, a call came through Gordon's walkie-talkie. "Gordon, you are going to need to get down to the docks right away!" The officer on the other end of the communication device eagerly advised. "It's pretty bad."
Another news alert flashed across the screens of the televisions at Arkham Asylum.
"Another tragic event has just taken place a few moments ago on the yacht owned by Commodore Schmidlapp. Several people are dead. Police are in the process of trying to identify the victims. One of the victims could have been Schmidlapp himself. Apparently the evildoers boarded the yacht just as the boat was pulling away from the docks. Then, they found a way to use Schmidlapp's dehydrator machine as a weapon. Several victims on board the yacht were nearly reduced to ashes due to all the water being completely removed from out of their bodies. The police are saying they have never seen anything like this before."
Gordon turned to look at Batman. "I better get down the-" Batman was already gone.
VROOM! The roar of the Batmobile could be heard heading off in the direction of the docks. The Gotham Harbor was a forty minute drive for most people, Batman was hoping to make it in twenty.
Batman was only minutes away, when suddenly, he saw police cars quickly speeding away in the opposite direction.
He turned up his police scanner to find out what was going on.
"All available units… please respond to Gotham General."
SCREECH! The Batmobile's brakes slammed to the floor, while at the same time, the vehicle performed a complete 180° spin around.
"Alfred!" Batman fretted.
He then tried calling the hospital, but all the lines were down.
He then stepped down on the gas pedal as hard as he could, causing the front of the Batmobile to nearly lift off the ground.
Upon his arrival at Gotham General, the scenery was already looking dreadful. The security guards at the gate looked as if they had been dead for years, dried and drained of all their moisture, their skin was shriveled, salty, and looked like reddish-brown leather.
Batman then quickly made it to the floor where Alfred was staying.
As he approached Alfred's room, five dead police officers were on the floor, killed the same exact way as the security guards. Gordon must have called for the extra security detail that Batman had asked for earlier.
Batman slowly approached the closed doorway, not sure of what to expect next.
He creaked open the door.
"Welcome to the party, BATMAN! Hahahahaha!" Joker laughed maniacally, holding the now weaponized dehydrator machine and pointing it at Alfred.
Standing next to the Joker was Riddler. Alfred was being held captive in the corner of the room by a couple of goons dressed up like clowns. The same clowns he had fought on the subway once.
"Bruc-…Batman… don't come any closer." Alfred warned.
"Let him go!" Batman growled, taking a small step closer towards the Joker and the Riddler.
"What is it that you want?" Batman pleaded.
"Riddle me this…it's very simple…" Riddler replied. "What's black and white and red all over?"
"Your dead butler!….Bruce Waaaayne!"
Batman knew what was about to happen next, so he lunged at Joker, hoping to reach the weapon before he could get off a shot.
ZAP! A very bright light shot out, hitting Alfred and the two Joker goons.
"NOOOOOOOO!" Batman cried out, knocking the weapon out of the Joker's hands. The Riddler tried picking it up, but Batman spun around, connecting with a roundhouse kick to Riddler's face, causing Riddler to tumble over the side of the hospital bed.
The Joker tried stabbing Batman, only to have the knife get bent when it hit Batman's metal armor.
Batman then smashed his fist against the Joker's chin with an uppercut punch, causing Joker to fly backwards into the wall.
Batman rushed over to Alfred's side, but he was already too late. Alfred's body looked like all of the other victims.
The Joker got up off the ground and then started clapping. "Alfry looks a little worse for the wear! Hahahahahahahaha!"
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!?" Batman mourned.
"What's the matter Bruce? Are you afraid you'll have to do your own laundry now?" Riddler mocked.
Batman picked up the evaporator machine and pointed it at Riddler.
"What letter of the alphabet truly means death?" Batman rambled off.
Before Riddler could even try to answer.-
ZAP! Batman fired the weapon.
Riddler seized up immediately.
"E… because E is at the end of life!" Batman declared, watching the Riddler shrivel up.
"Whoohoohoohoo!" Joker laughed. "That was a good one, Bats!"
Without hesitation, Batman pointed the weapon at the Joker.
"C'mon, you gruesome sunovabitch! Give me your best shot!" Joker nagged him on.
Suddenly, Gordon bursted into the room and saw what had transpired. He could tell Batman was about to fire the weapon.
"Batman! Wait! If you fire that weapon in the same area too many times, it will damage everything in the room due to the microwave emissions in the air!"
Batman couldn't hear him. Alfred was gone and the only thing Batman could concentrate on was the Joker's stupid grin.
ZAP! Batman fired the weapon, hitting the Joker, instantly evaporating the molecules from out of the clown's body.
Batman then dropped the weapon.
Within seconds, Batman could feel the moisture in his lips drying up, followed by extreme cotton-mouth. His eyes began shriveling up as if they were about to implode and his body was in immense pain. He looked over at Gordon, only to realize that he too was going through the same thing.
The veins on Batman's now reddish-brown face were starting to bulge out. Chunks of salt began to crystalize around his exposed mouth and cheek areas, almost causing his skin to look as if it was sparkling.
His body was shriveling up inside his black metal armor, now to surely become his sarcophagus.
Just before his vision completely faded, he saw an image of a man who was dressed up in his own Batman armor. He had a visor around his eyes with spikes protruding from out of it. His wicked smile was the most insidious grin he had ever seen, his teeth sharper than a crocodile's.
"I'll see you on the 'Darkseid', Batman! HaHaHaHaHaHaHaHa!" The Batman Who Laughs playfully joked aloud.
Batman's eyes went dark…
(If you would like to read more about The Batman Who Laughs, please read a story I just finished, called "Batman vs The 666." It is SORT OF a prequel to this story, Batman: No Wayne Home.")
(I have also been writing a different continuity to "The Batman(2022)" movie. It is called, "The Batman 2.")
(If you would like to see what happens in the sequels of the other Batman movie franchises, please stay tuned for Chapter 2.)