Batman: Alice in Wonderland Chapter 2
By
DC-HybridGeek479
All Sarah McNeil could do was just sit there. On the bed in this prison room. Sit as all the pictures of the characters from one of her favorite Disney films just stared at her. As if they were mocking her. Laughing at her for being in this situation.
She couldn't do anything else anyway. There were no windows here. There were no Windows that had bars on it. Just a barren room with four stone walls. There was no escape. The only way out was the door in front of her, and that door could only be locked from the outside. It felt like she was in a dungeon. Perhaps she was. The room that she was in was probably in the basement of this mad man's home. He's probably the only one, along with his gang, who know about this horrible place.
She was calm right now, due to Jervis Tetch, or The Mad Hatter, and his Wonderland Gang being gone for now. Of course, she was still terrified out of her mind. She wasn't gonna escape these crazy people. What did they want with her? More so, what did The Mad Hatter want with her?
Her calm nerves shot up like a rocket when she heard the lock open. She huddled herself in a corner, while still on the bed.
In walked both of the Tweedle Twins. TweedleDee and TweedleDum. Both were still wearing their clothes from last night. Both of them had trays in their hands. The first one had one with a plate that had snickerdoodle cookies on it. Judging from the smell, they appeared to have come fresh out of the oven. The other one had one with a cup and a big teapot. There was steam coming from it. Something hot was definitely there.
"Hello, Alice." Said the twin holding the tray with the teapot on it.
"We've brought you something to eat. You must be starving, lil' Alice." Said the one holding the tray of cookies on it.
"My name's not Alice, it's Sarah." She said, sounding scared.
The twin holding the tray of cookies on it, apparently didn't like the answer he gave her. His face turned to that of a scowl. With one hand, he threw the tray toward Sarah, who screamed in fear. Cookies flew all over the bed, with the tray hitting the wall with a loud bang sound.
The twin then got close to her. Sarah swore this guy was gonna kill her. He looked ready to grab her and break her neck. He got up close to her face with that very pissed off look.
"Your name is Alice. Got it?" The angry twin said, shaking her finger at her.
Sarah nodded her head in fear. She knew now that telling them her real name would make them angry. So, for now, she was Alice. No last name, just first name. Alice. If only to keep her alive.
"Say your name." The twin, holding the tray with the teapot on it, said in an intimidating tone to her.
"M-M-My name is-is Alice." Sarah said, quivering at the sight of these grotesque looking freaks.
"Good. Have some tea, Alice." He said, putting the tray down on the bed. He then put a comforting hand on his brother's shoulder, trying to calm him down.
"Come now, Dum. Let's leave her so she may eat." One twin said, apparently this was Dee.
Dum took a deep breath and said, "Yes Dee. Let's" He said, now walking away with his brother from the bed.
They walked out the door and when it shut, she heard the loud clanging sound. She knew it was locked in tight. She was shaking like a leaf. One wrong word, and they probably would've killed her. Next time they called her Alice, she would respond to them as if it was her actual name.
She then looked at the teapot sitting in front of her. There were a few cookies scattered around her on the bed. She hadn't eaten anything since last night. She had a few hotdogs with some Mac n' Cheese. One of her favorites. She was almost afraid to eat the cookies. What if they were drugged with something? What if the tea was drugged? What would they do to her if she gave in and consumed them?
She whimpered for a little bit. Then, the tears from last night came back as she cried about the situation she was in.
-/- The Batcave -/-
"I've taken the liberty of preparing your dinner, Master Bruce and Master Damian. Though, I know that you two are busy in your costumes right now. So, I've wrapped them in aluminum foil to stay warm when you partake in it in the morning for breakfast." Alfred said, as he was walking toward the BatComputer, where Bruce was currently sitting. Damian was doing a simulated training session. He dodged a punch from one of the drones.
"*ugh*I find your humor unamusing, Pennyworth." Damian said sarcastically, while kicking that simulated bad guy in the face, followed by a tremendous roundhouse kick to another.
"Don't worry, Damian. He's like that." Bruce said, still looking through the BatComputer. He was still in his bat costume, as Alfred just gave a grin.
"Have you found anything regarding the Sarah McNeil case, Master Bruce?" He asked, now standing next to Bruce.
"I think I found something on Daniel McNeil." Bruce said, pulling up an old photo of one of the victims of the home invasion.
This caused Damian to stop his training session and come over to the BatComputer. "What have you got?" He asked, looking interested to see.
"Daniel McNeil bounced at a few bars and nightclubs in Gotham City. There was O'Malley's." A picture showed up on the screen of the O'Malley's Bar. They looked like they were taken from a few years ago.
"That place is rumored to have illegal activities going on over there, right?" Damian asked.
"Correct. He bounced there during the Marcus Wise and Roman Cavallo case with Tim."
Damian huffed at the mention of Timothy Drake, the Third Robin. Their rivalry had cooled off over the years, even leading to the two of them one time taking a case to capture Edward Nygma, also known as The Riddler. However, even if the two didn't exactly hate each other anymore, that didn't necessarily mean that the two liked each other either.
Tim wasn't Robin anymore. He was. Yet, he still took part of the Robin name. He was the Red Robin now. It shouldn't bug him like this, but it just did.
"So, was Daniel involved with anything illegal there? Was that why he was killed?" Damian asked, sounding annoyed.
Bruce typed a few things in, pulling up a few screens next to Daniel McNeil's picture. "It doesn't show or say that he was involved in any type of crime there. I also doubt it would lead to him getting his head chopped off. If he was involved with something there, whoever killed him would have just put a bullet in him."
"True. Although, you know as well as I do that there are a lot of sick, twisted people in Gotham City. Could it be out of the realm of possibility, Father?"
Bruce sighed. "Good question. Let's look at some other places though." He said, pulling up a few other bars and nightclubs in or around Gotham City. Some even outside of Gotham City.
One of those clubs was Hogan's Alley in Bludhaven, a sister town of Gotham. Dick Grayson, the first Robin who now went by Nightwing, did a case that involved the False Face Society there a while back. It said that Daniel McNeil bounced there only a few times, and that was it. Sadly, he didn't bounce there when Nightwing worked that case though.
Another club was the Tobacconist's Club, which did run in Gotham City. This club ended, however, after Bruce and Jason Todd, the second Robin, (who was murdered by the Joker, brought back to life by Ra's Al Ghul, and became the Red Hood) took down Waylon Jones, also known as Killer Croc, and Rupert Thorne. Apparently, Daniel McNeil had just started bouncing at around this time. He may have been in his early twenties by that point.
Bruce looked through more photos, before coming across one that caught his eye. It caught Damian and Alfred's as well.
The Iceberg Lounge.
"Cobblepot." Bruce said.
"Of course. The Penguin." Damian said. "So, I take it we're gonna pay him a little visit, aren't we?"
"It would appear so." Bruce said, putting on his mask, now becoming The Batman.
-/- The Iceberg Lounge -/-
"Ah, Damn it!"
"HA! That's three in a row. Pay up, buddy."
Said two random thugs who were playing poker with a few of their other thug buddies. One of them had been doing really well, apparently. He had taken about $250 off of one of his buddies.
While the sore loser thug grumbled at his loss of money, Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, also known as The Penguin, was currently walking through a corridor of the Iceberg Lounge with two muscular bodyguards of his, counting money he made for tonight. Whether it was from business at The Iceberg Lounge, or some type of criminal racketeering, he had made quite a bit of cheese.
"HAHAHAHA! I love the color green." Oswald said with a grin on his face.
"We're gonna get our share too, right?" Said one of his bodyguards.
"Yeah, yeah, yeah, you'll get your share soon, Terrance." Oswald said, kind of shooing him off.
They were now at the front doors of his office. There was even a big sign of an Iceberg on it. Something that Oswald felt very proud of.
"Now, why don't you two run along now. I need to count my money I made tonight. And I'd not rather be disturbed while doing it, thank you." He said as he opened the doors to his office.
"Yes, sir." Terrance said. "Me and Jack will stand outside if you need anything."
"Good to know." He said, not really acknowledging them, while still counting his money. He then went toward a small, makeshift bar that was next to his desk. He poured himself a small glass of whiskey with ice in it.
"Ha! Oswald, you are the king of Gotham." He softly said to himself, now sitting in his chair. As he began to count the money he laid out the on his desk, he suddenly hesitated from a small creaking sound. He quickly turned and saw that one of the windows was open.
He could've sworn he shut that before he went out and did his business. He started to feel a little anxious now. He shook it off as best he could, and went back to counting his money.
Then, he heard another small noise. His anxiety was rising up now. He got up from his desk and walked toward the window to see what was the source of that noise that was making him paranoid. He hoped it wasn't who he thought it was.
The Bat.
Just as he was about to close it, he suddenly felt legs wrap around his back and a left forearm wrap around his chest. Only a fast second after that, he felt hands cover his mouth to stop him from screaming out for his men to come to him.
"MMM! MMM! MMM!" Oswald tried screaming but couldn't.
"Stop screaming. It'll only make it worse." He heard a young voice say into his ear. His eyes widened in fear. He knew that voice. It was Robin. The kid who always hangs around with The Bat. So, if he was here, then that means…
Oswald turned around and felt his worst fears come true. Standing in front of him was The Batman. Standing in the darkness with only the small silhouette of the moonlit night to illuminate him. He put his finger to his lips, showing that he wanted Oswald to be quiet. If he screams, something is gonna hurt.
Robin unwrapped his legs and forcibly walked Penguin to his chair and roughly sat him down.
"What the hell do you want, Bats? I haven't done anything wrong. I was just counting my money." He said in a low voice as to not make the guards come.
"Daniel McNeill." Batman said.
Penguin looked confused. "What?"
"He was murdered last night. Along with his brother and sister-in-law. He had his head chopped off."
Now Penguin looked REALLY confused. "Huh?"
Robin was starting to get impatient already. He then hopped up on Penguin's desk and got in his face, showing intimidation. However, as tough as Damian Wayne is, he didn't have the intimidation skills like his father does. Because Penguin wasn't looking scared at all.
"You heard him: Daniel McNeill had his head chopped off by somebody. And his niece has been kidnapped by someone. We know he used to be a bouncer here."
"Heh. Yeah, AND? Bats Junior?" Penguin asked sarcastically, making Robin look pissed off. However, just before he could do anything, he saw that very look on him quickly fade away when Batman moved closer to him.
"Tell us what you know. Now." Batman said in a low and intimidating voice, unintentionally showing Robin how it's done.
"I didn't have anything to do with that. I swear." Penguin said trying to back away into his chair even further. However, Batman wasn't having any of it.
He grabbed Penguin by his shirt collar and pulled him close to his face. His intense eyes. "Do Not Lie To Me." He said in a very scary tone.
"I promise I'm not lying. I'll tell you what you wanna know." Penguin said, accidentally knocking over his drink on the table.
"Well?" Robin said, looking at him with his arms folded and a scowl on his face.
"Look, I only employed Dan about 9 months ago. He worked here for about 6." Penguin said.
"Why did he leave?" Batman asked.
"He asked for his resignation. It was something about a family emergency or something. Something involving his brother at work."
"Ace Chemicals?"
Penguin nodded. "I don't know what the whole situation was, but I gave him his resignation. Shame really. He was a great bouncer. Kicked some ass whenever we had any unruly customers if you know what I mean."
Robin walked closer toward Batman and Penguin. "And why should we believe you when you say you had nothing to do with it?"
"Because, unlike that clown you and Bats love so much, I'm not a crazy maniac that would chop somebody's head off, if that's actually true."
Batman gave him that scowling look, making Penguin look shocked. "So, it really is true? He got his head chopped off?" He shuttered. "Even for a mob boss like me, that's sick."
Batman shut him up by pulling him closer to his face. "You better be telling the truth. If I find out you lied to me, I'll be back to make it even worse." He said, throwing Penguin with force at the door. His body hit those doors with a big thud. Then, one of those very doors opened with the two bodyguards from before coming in.
"Mr. Cobblepot, are you okay?" Terrance said, checking on his boss, while Jack looked around the room. It was empty. No Batman or Robin in sight.
Penguin grunted in pain. "I'm fine. I just tripped and fell. Now, both of you idiots just go away and leave me alone." He grumpily told them. Terrance and Jack shrugged and walked out of the office.
Oswald then got up and walked toward the makeshift bar again. This time, fixing himself another whiskey glass, while also getting a cigar. He lit it up and took a big puff of smoke. He sat in his chair again, attempting to count his money.
"Bloody wankers." He silently grumbled.
-/-
"Do you believe him?" Robin asked Batman as the two stood on a rooftop, with the moon glowing in the night.
"Can't rule it out just yet. But, I doubt Cobblepot would commit a crime as heinous as that." Batman said, looking out at Gotham City in his brooding demeanor.
Robin did the same thing. "Looks like up next is Ace Chemicals."
"Right." Batman agreed with his son.
The two were silent for a minute before it was broken by Robin. "Do you think we'll find Sarah alive?"
Batman waited a second before he responded, "I hope so."
The Batmobile was then called by one of Batman's many, many gadgets. The two of them jumped off the building they were on and landed safely on the ground.
"I'll drive."
"No."
"You know I know how."
"And you know you're legally too young to drive. So No."
After that small disagreement, the two of them got in and drove back to the Batcave.
-/- Gotham City Police Department -/-
"So, do you have anything on Bob or Sherri McNeill?" Renee Montoya asked her boss, Jim Gordon. He was currently sitting at a computer desk, looking through a bunch of names. People who were employed at the same time Bob and Sherri were at Ace Chemicals.
She had a large coffee and two danishes in her hands while she came in to see him. She set them down next to him. The smell of the coffee appeared to have broken him out of his trance-like state at the computer screen. He looked over and saw what his officer had given him.
He looked up at her with a smile on his face. "Thanks. You're the best." He said, taking a drink of the coffee.
She smiled back. "No problem, Captain." She said, sitting down in a chair next to him.
"I'm looking through a bunch of the employees here. So far, no one has come up with any prior arrests." He said, sifting through the names.
Renee looked at one of them in particular with surprise. "Wait, stop. Look at that one." She said, pointing to a face on the screen.
The person on the screen looked hideous. His face looked like something they would see on a mugshot. His eyes looked full of craziness personified.
"What about this guy? Jervis Tetch?" Renee asked, looking at the photo with mesmerization.
"It says here He was fired with cause from Ace Chemicals about 7 months ago. Wonder why?" Jim Gordon said.
"Well, let's find out." Renee said, clicking on the photo. What came up next caused Gordon and Renee to look on in shock at what they found. So, that's why he was fired. Who could blame the people who made that decision?
"We need to contact Batman now." Gordon said, getting up from his desk, with Renee following in hot pursuit. They hoped Batman was still out tonight. They needed him now more than ever.
Author's Note: So, after thinking things through with this story, I decided to change things up a little bit. I've decided to make this a Mad Hatter retelling story. Retelling his origins about how he became the psychotic madman he is in both the comics and the Arkham games. But due note, there will be some major trigger warnings for anyone reading this. So, like it said in the opening paragraph, Reader Discretion is advised. So, with that, I hope you all are enjoying what I'm putting out so far. If you do, comment, like, favorite and follow for future updates. Thank you all and goodnight everybody.