Batman: New Debts

by redisbest

Dive into the shadows of Gotham in "Batman, New Debts". A city's uneasy silence hides lurking dangers. Bruce Wayne, haunted by losses, refuses to let his guard down. With Joker missing, new challenges arise, forcing Batman to confront his past and future. As alliances shift, Bruce's battle extends beyond the cape, questioning if Gotham's beacon of hope can endure.

1. Prologue

There isn't much to complain about on calm nights. The air is warm but clear, and most of the city sounds quiet—with robins out down the south of the city and no word from him. The one thing that's setting me off is... It's quiet in Gotham City. Joker's been missing for a year, and Selina has been on the down-low for longer. At least there are the thugs, since Penguin likes to be a workaholic. I have almost everyone in Arkham right now, except Solomon and Penguin." Bruce takes a sip of his whiskey while he relaxes deeper into his chair.

Gordon takes a long drag of his cigar while he stares at Bruce. "Bruce, if it's calm and everyone's accounted for," Gordon rubs his neck, "then what's the use in getting paranoid?"

Bruce locks eyes with Jim. "The last time I got sloppy, Jason died. Another time, I got my back broken... You, of all people, should understand I cannot afford to make myself idle." Bruce cuts into his steak as an excuse to ease off the eye contact, since it's one of the few things that makes him truly uncomfortable.

Jim notices this and offers Bruce a smile. "Look, Bruce, I understand it's hard to trust this city after everything, but if you don't relax, you will make a mistake."

Bruce chews his steak carefully as he considers how to take this. "I don't make mistakes. I find errors and never let those errors happen again." Bruce drinks his whiskey, this time taking more than a sip.

Jim adjusts his tie and looks down at his watch. "Funny you mention that. Barbara needs me to get her meds, so I best be heading out."

Bruce knows what he means. Yes, he has avoided another Jason Todd. What he didn't do, though, was keep Barbara safe from the Joker. The bullet lodged itself deeply into her spine, and it's safe to say the Joker probably did a lot more to her than she will admit; she had bite marks and scratches all down her shoulders from what Bruce could see when he saw her at the hospital last year.

Bruce hands Gordon a check. "This is the right amount for her therapy, yes?"

Jim takes it. "Yes, but why don't you ask her yourself? It's been a year since you last spoke to her. She misses you."

Bruce stands up and leaves for the elevator before Gordon could say another word.