Chapter 6: The Bat Man

"Yeah, Paris. That's where I see myself in a few years, have you been?"

Zach slouched over the receptionist desk at KTMJ ogling the clerk. She flicked her eyes from him, and Zach turned his head and flinched.

"Jesus!"

Edward was behind him for a few moments, overhearing the exchange but had important questions to ask.

"Edward. Didn't see you there."

Edward replied quietly, "Uh, yeah. Can we talk?"

Zach flicked a nod and left the desk with Edward behind. They went into his office and he closed the door behind them. Zach started, "Edward, I was in the middle of…"

"The account you gave me from upstairs, I found something."

"What do you mean something?"

Edward explained, "New beginnings is making small weekly payments to a parent company called Waterfront Industries. But every week, the payments add up to exactly ten thousand dollars."

"So…"

"So. Ten thousand is a five-digit number. A number a computer would flag."

"So…"

"So! Someone is breaking the money up into small four-digit numbers, so it won't be seen."

"Edward, in English, please."

Edward sighed and said flatly, "I think it might be dirty money."

Zach snapped his fingers suddenly and praised, "Yes! Fuck yes! Get me off these boring fucking civil cases. I'll let Mr. Stone know. I'll take you upstairs with me, Rain Man! Making it rain!"

Before Zach left the office, Edward called him back again, "Wait! There's another thing."

Zach hung his head then closed the door before him. He exasperated, "What is it?"

As Zach spun around to him again, Edward explained shallowly, "Is there any chance I could get the 18th to the 24th off? I'll be going to Nebraska that week with my girlfriend."

Zach jolted his head back a bit, "Kinda late notice, don't you think, Rain man?"

"I'm sorry. She just told me today. I promised I'd ask."

Zach scoffed, "Just like a woman, huh? Spring shit on us last minute and expect everything to work out."

"I… don't want to disappoint her."

"What's in Nebraska? Besides corn."

Edward said, "Her family."

Zach hissed a wince and chuckled, "Shit. She wants you to meet the parents?"

"Yeah."

"Man, I gotta tell ya. None of my girlfriend's parents liked me. Always so protective, you know? You really sure you wanna go?"

Edward replied, "It'll make her happy."

"Look at you, Rain Man! Properly whipped," tutted Zach, "She must be worth it, though, right? Between you and me, would you rate her a ten outta ten?"

Edward stuttered at first, his cheeks flushing red at the audacious question. He said surely, "Eleven out of ten."

Zach whistled, "Nice! You gotta picture of her?"

Edward froze for a moment, not wanting to show her off like some kind of prize to be ogled at. However, he wanted Zach to say yes. He needed to keep it friendly.

He pulled out his phone and went through his gallery, he picked a photo of her smiling in the driver's seat, "There she is."

"Holy shit! God damn! She's smoking! Good for you, man. I'm honestly surprised, she must dig the quiet guys. Asian, too. Man, I love Asian chicks. They got a lot more gratitude, you know, just being in America."

"She was born and raised in Nebraska." Edward said back.

Zach nodded, "Right. Sorry."

Edward waited sometime in silence as he put his phone away and asked again, "So… can I go?"

Zach thought for a moment and shrugged, "Yeah, sure. As long as you get to those accounts before the 17th."

Edward nodded, "Thanks. You'll talk to Mr. Stone… about New Beginnings?"

"On my way to do that now," he opened the door for Edward he awkwardly walked back to his desk, watching Zach prance up the steps to Mr. Stone's office. He waited at his desk for just a few minutes. That was all it took for Zach to come from Mr. Stone's office with an obnoxious cackle.

"Sure thing, Mr. Stone!"

Zach went thudding down the steps confidently, where Edward meekly sat up from his chair and asked, "What'd he say?"

"He said it's probably nothing."

Edward muttered, "What? But…"

Zach took Edward's shoulder and interrupted, "Edward, he took it and said it was probably a mistake. But good work bringing it to his attention. Don't worry, I got it from here, bud!"

Edward watched Zach walk away, leaving him with a weighing lump in his throat. He had the numbers ingrained in his head, flicking through like pictures. He knew the equations by heart. He wasn't wrong, why would something so glaring be ignored?

A mistake? I don't make mistakes.

Edward texted Cori on his way home.

Hey baby. I'm gonna stop by my place for somethings on my way home. You don't need to come pick me up. I'll be there soon.

In reality, he just needed to breathe. To breathe and be alone with his own thoughts and duels. He had Rene, a psychologist podcast, in his right ear.

"Hope is a function of struggle." Rene said.

He thought to himself. Hope. Could there be hope in this city? And if there could, could I allow it in me? If Mr. Stone would just see what I can do after all these years.

He could hear Mr. Stone's celebratory voice in his head.

"Edward, you're a genius!"

Suddenly, a female shrilled in his left ear, he pulled out his podcast and stopped before a parked vehicle.

"Help!"

Edward hid behind the car, watching a woman ganged on by two men. Her mouth was gagged by the other behind her, the other holding a knife to her belly. He fumbled for his phone to call 911.

"Shut it!" A thug shouted in her ear. Her muffled screams grew more frantic behind his palm.

"Heard you went over my head! You trying to get into the club without me? You don't get to skip the line just cause you pretty, Ani."

Then a shadow like an eagle swooped over head, it collided into the criminals so fast, if Edward blinked he would have missed it. The shadowy figure shot up, swinging and kicking into action against the thugs with precision and ease. He went slack jawed behind the car door, watching in awe to the figures' skill in hand to hand. Every whip of his fist a crunch of bone, and cry of pain from the men. He grabbed one by the neck from under his elbow and pulled him into his chest plate. The figure said it so low it was practically a growl, "I'm going to press on your windpipe for five seconds until you pass out. When you wake, don't mistake this for a bad dream. And don't let me find you again."

Edward counted in his head, Five, four, three, two…

The thug's body fell unconscious before the figure, and Edward whispered, "One."

It was now more visible. A man, a large man wearing black armour he had never seen. A mask with two sharp peaks like that of a bat. A long, whipping black cape in the chilly November winds. The figure looked down to the woman and grumbled, "Maybe it's time you found a new line of work."

Edward let out a gasp, holding his breath for too long among the chaos. The figure turned around to him, then. His face cowled and shadowed, but a glimmer of his eyes reflecting from the street lights above. Edward froze against the terror, but there was something so compelling in his stance. His execution and his ambition. His drive to willingly fight off crime. To cure the infection spreading through Gotham one scum at a time. He knew who he was, he seen him on the news. He thought he was a wive's tale, a Gotham myth. Before his very eyes the Bat Man stood, and he was staring right back.

Then a gun swiftly pulled from his belt, a grappling hook flew— sending the figure flying in the shadow of buildings like a mythical creature. Edward began to pant heavily, feeling safe enough to bring air back to his lungs. The woman bolted from the pavement and ran, yelling back to Edward, "Thanks for the help, asshole!"

He was too busy knelt to the ground letting the puddles soak into his knees. He pulled out his phone and got on Nigma as fast as he could.

PUZZLE KING posted, "I saw him! The Bat Man! He was…HOPE incarnate!"

Wasn't long before other users started commenting.

GOAT commented, "What kind of heat was he packing?"

RATMM asked, "Hope incarnate, what the fuck does that mean?"

GTHM AXE raised, "What did he look like?"

Edward thought to himself, I won't tell them how he looked at me.

He commented, "He looked… like one of us. Except bigger.

GTHM AXE added, "Haha! Fuck yeah."

I won't tell them how he could practically fly. He thought, smiling up to the sunset over the city buildings in the bay. How it felt to see someone stand up to this city. The only one who deserves to know is Cori.

Edward's was now in a race to get home as soon as possible, grab what he needed, and get back to Cori's as soon as possible.

She needs to know this! I witnessed it with my own eyes! What will she say?

By the time he reached Westinson Apartments he was out of breath, his lungs tender with every inhale. He pressed her button once, then twice, urgent to tell her the news.

Her voice spoke through, "Hello?"

"It's me."

The door unlocked and he ran inside, a smile like a child on Christmas morning. Cori left the door to her unit unlocked. As he opened it and threw off his shoes, she called from the bedroom playfully, "Hello?"

"Cori!" He yelled, breathing heavier and heavier as he ran into her room.

She was already up from her bed in a panic, thinking something was wrong.

"What the fuck!"

He came in with a large smile and dilated eyes, his chest pulling in and out. Cori met him in wide eyed confusion, stiff to her place. He came in and grabbed her shoulders, speaking so passionately.

"You're not gonna believe what I just saw."

He backed her up to the bed and she stumbled on it to sit, "Huh?"

Edward sat next to her, she gasped, "You're knees are soaked, what we're you doing?"

She had a look of grave concern; and meeting Edward's elated expression only raised far more questions.

"What? Edward, what?"

"I saw him!"

Cori raised a brow and shook her head, "You saw… who? Santa Claus? You're freaking me out."

"The Bat Man! I saw him! I saw him face to face, Cori. In real life, he was right there and I saw everything!"

Cori's mouth fell open, "Shut up."

"I did!" He rattled her knees excitedly, "I can't… I can't explain how it felt, Cori. He was… like nothing I've ever seen, we've ever seen."

Cori asked suddenly, "Is he really just a crazy guy running around in a Bat costume? Like did he squeak and pretend he was a bat?" She giggled, "So weird, but that would have been funny."

Edward shook his head making a disturbed face, "What?! No! No, he was… fighting off these thugs. They had this girl, they were gonna kill her, it looked like. I… I was scared I hid behind a car. I was about to call 911, then this black wing flew over me. I thought it was some kind of animal. It was him! I've never felt so hopeful in my entire life. To see someone finally standing up to this city and all it's scum. It was… surreal to witness."

Cori remained silent, taking it in but a little disturbed. He continued, taking her hands firmly, "I wish you were there. God, you would have felt the same things, and known what I've seen. It would have changed you, too. I wouldn't be… running in here like I'm crazy and creeping you out, you'd know what I know. Baby, there's hope, finally. Finally, this city has a glimmer of hope."

Cori was quiet, too quiet, but her eyes not blinking. She finally muttered, "You sound like my mom when she came back from an acid trip at a Music festival."

Edward sighed down to his lap and scooted closer to her, trying so desperately to share the moment with her, "It meant something to me. Like I'm… really affected by this. It might sound crazy to you but… he's so amazing. This is a good thing."

Cori sighed and battled her own objections to the masked vigilante, "I'm happy. It's… pretty cool. I'm glad you got to see that and didn't get hurt. Was the girl okay?"

"Who? Yeah, yeah, she was fine."

"Did he kill those thugs?"

Edward shook his head, "No, he just knocked them out. Knocked them out cold, by the way. You should have seen their faces."

Cori nodded, sharing a moment of awkward silence with just Edward's steadying breath and Cori's music on her laptop.

Then she asked, "Did you talk to Zach… about Thanksgiving?"

Edward froze to the question, still unable to shake from his awe.

"Edward? Are you home?"

"Yeah! Sorry. Um, yeah I talked to him and he said yes."

Cori's vacant state then turned to a ebullient grin and she hopped on the bed onto her knees, "Really?! He said yes?"

She clutched his shoulders and he took her hands and muttered, "Yup. Yup, we're good to go."

Cori pulled him into a hug, but Edward's mind was still racing elsewhere. She kissed him on the lips fast and squealed, "Woo! We're going to Nebraska, baby! I gotta call my mom."

She skipped out of bed and grabbed her phone by her pillow, springing out of the bedroom to the living room to dial her mom. Her giddy and excited giggles faded as she left the room, and left Edward on the bed. He was unable to express the truest of his emotions. The disappointing reaction of Cori was not what he was expecting, but he was adept in containing the feeling. He tried to find a glimmer of joy in the excited chatter of Cori in the other room, knowing he was the product of her own joy. His mind stayed with the black cowl, the cape, the ferocity and power. The ability to be unstoppable against foes of Gotham. The courage and ambition it would take a man to do what the Bat Man does, something he sorely lacked. Something he wanted for himself.