EPISODE 9: MOST WANTED
"Bruce… It's Julie. T-Tommy… he's been shot."
{GOTHAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL}
Julie held her face in her hands as the steady heartbeat from Thomas' heart monitor echoed as she watched them operate on him. The renowned surgeon sat unconscious, with only Julie at his bedside holding his hand and trying to place a call once again. Unaware to her or Thomas, a large pair of cold white eyes stared into his room from the neighboring rooftop, focused as the flash of lightning illuminated his blackened silhouette, revealing Bat-Rider watching in silence. His mask had been welded back together and no longer gave off the same menacing aura it once did, but even he could work with a patchwork mask till his new one was ready.
"Sir?" Alfred's voice interrupted Bat-Rider's thoughts at the moment, "Don't you think it would be nice to be there by their side during this time?"
Bat-Rider stayed silent, simply turning away and allowing Alfred to understand his stance. Firing his grapple hook outwards, Bat-Rider zipped off towards his actual destination several rooftops away from the hospital. As he sailed across the night sky, he looked down and grimaced at the large police presence at the normal routes that he took for patrol.
"Not yet," answered Bruce as he landed on the nearby rooftop overlooking a small alleyway. The masked vigilante stared down and glared as he watched the last person seal up the Evidence Locker for the night. As they walked away, the large white eyes of the Rider emerged inside of the room in pure silence with a nearby window opened from his unseen entrance. He moved closer to some of the evidence cages, only stopping after reaching his intended target. "Tommy doesn't match any of his previous victims, Pennyworth. He's made his name going after some of the higher elites of Gotham's political scene, former governors, bankers, and the political mob. So… why go after a surgeon who has no ties to Gotham's political scene?"
"Perhaps it was a way to throw off the scent? I mean with the increased amount of police activity in the area, even he must know how to change up his methods." Bruce stayed silent as he rifled through the Evidence case, stopping as he pulled out a small plastic baggie with a blood-covered bullet.
"I wouldn't be so sure about that. I'm heading back to the garage soon." He said, quickly pocketing the evidence into his belt before vanishing back into the night. As he turned to exit the room, the sounds of the door knob clicking caused him to freeze in place, but he relaxed as Jim Gordon entered the Crime Lab. The detective glared at his masked vigilante ally, quickly slamming the door behind him as he ran up to him before grabbing him by the collar of his cloak. "Detective."
"What the hell are you doing here?! Are you freaking crazy?!" yelled Gordon in anger. Even behind the mask blocking his face, Gordon could tell that whoever was behind the mask raised a brow at that question. "Right. I forgot who I was talking to for a second, probably because you've been gone for almost three days! And that's after that footage came out of you fleeing the scene of Loeb's murder!"
"You know it wasn't me Jim, but I chased down the killer and saw him. He's the same one that shot Thomas Elliot last night." Jim's eyes widened in shock as he released the masked detective from his grip. "My absence wasn't planned, Jim, when I cornered the shooter I got injured and held captive."
"Heh. Yeah, your mask's seen better days by the way." Jim pocketed his hands and turned away from his shadowy partner. With a heavy sigh he looked up at one of the security cameras in the room. "You turned off the surveillance, right?"
"And audio. It's playing footage of the Janitor on loop." He said, taking out the bullet from Elliot's attack and handing it to Jim. "I'm going to analyze the bullet and see if it matches the ones from his other victims. If we do, then it's likely that we could also figure out who's supplying him with ammo."
"Well, I can tell you now that it's already a match between the other two kills and Loebs. I've tracked and searched every single gun shop and dealer left in Gotham and the surrounding area and not one has the means or inventory to get a bullet like those."
"Unless he gets it from someone else… I'll contact you when I have information. Till then, this madman won't end his campaign of death so suddenly, his crusade had a point. I intend to find it." said the vigilante. Jim rubbed the bridge of his nose and turned, only to find himself alone in the room once again with an open window and the plastic bag containing the bullet. As he closed the window, Gordon watched the black shadow of the Bat gliding across the Gotham skyline with a small smirk on his face.
{MEANWHILE IN THE NARROWS}
"What the hell is this?! We asked for rifles, not shotguns!" yelled one of the regular crooks to Bill as they stared at the arms sitting in the trunk of an old Cadillac. Bill was a tall bearded caucasian gentleman in a black jean jacket, a Gotham Knights Football t-shirt, jeans, and combat boots.
"Listen, guys," stated Bill. "I'm not sure what to tell you, you get what you paid for and you paid for shotguns. So we can either all stand around and point fingers or y'all can suck it up and use what I got, 'cause this is all I got for yah. Unless you guys want to complain to Penguin, 'cause I can call the big guy right now." The two-bit crooks growled and clenched their fists as they exchanged glances. Bill smiled and took out one of the shotguns and held it in his hands before tossing it into the hands of the other goon. "Besides, you guys know the trick anyway. Saw off the barrel, spread the blast, and BOOM, they're done. Get it?"
The goons all smiled as they prepared to give Bill the money-
*TIK! TAK! TOK!*
A silent whining sound radiated through the air before the sounds of impact preceded the three young crooks falling to the ground unconscious with small black daggers found in their shoulders.
"Oh… shi-AHHHHHHHH!" Bill screamed as he felt something tug at his leg and hoist him upwards into the air with no warning. His screams continued until he found himself dangling in the air from the edge of a rooftop with the cold white eyes of The Bat-Rider staring into his terrified emerald ones. "O-Oh my god… oh my fucking god you're… you're REAL?!"
"I know who you work for. I know what you do. I know that you have the information that I need. Now… the sniper who attacked the Tobacconist Club. He needs bullets, rare ones in Gotham. You can talk or fall. Your choice." he said, the cold and monstrous voice of the Masked Rider sending chills down the arms dealer's spine.
"I-I… I don't know any-AHHHHHH!"
The ground rapidly appeared to get closer to Bill, with only inches left between him and the pavement the line came taught and snatched him back upwards. The masked vigilante growled as he grabbed Bill by the collar and held him close to his own obscured visage, but even he could see the fury in the white eye lenses of his mask.
"One more chance. The shooter! Who's arming him? I need a name!" He yelled, the anger of his interrogator causing Bill to scream in terror. Bill only glanced at the large abyss beneath him and cried in fear before finally screaming out a single name.
{THE BAT-CAVE}
"Penguin."
Back in the Bat Cave, Bruce sat at the console with Alfred by his side as they began to scrub through the GCPD database. Alfred looked at his young master, taking silent notice of how his ward remained in the clothes of his alter-ego, sans the mask. "A moniker used by an infamous arms dealer and contraband smuggler in Gotham City. No one knows who he is exactly but it does appear that he operates out of the docks of Gotham."
"The docks, huh? You think Mr. Cobblepot could be entangled with this Penguin, then, given his shipping company?"
"I don't think, I know," Bruce added, scratching his chin as he pulled up an image of Oswald Cobblepot shaking hands with former Commissioner Loeb at a dinner party. He then switched the slide and displayed another image of Oswald Cobblepot and Carl Grissom before doing it again with an image of Rupert Thorne signing away the deed to the Club. "He's likely been utilizing the shooters' talents for a while, it's only recently that he's been clearing the field for his enemies."
"Enemies? Whatever could Penguin gain from killing a politician, his clients, and a police commissioner?"
"Don't know yet, but I know how to get those answers. I'm going to Lucius first, then I'll be headed to the harbor. Bill said something about a delivery tonight at Miller Harbor. Sounds like something that I should be privy to." Spoke Bruce, turning away from the computer to grab his helmet and head towards his motorcycle. Alfred turned and gulped as he watched his adopted ward straddle his bike, the butler simply nodding as he watched Bruce place his bike helmet on and race off out of the cave. The old man stood alone in silence, guilt and regret consuming him as the sounds of the roaring motorcycle faded away into the distance.
{ELSEWHERE IN THE CITY}
Bruce leaned against the rail of the elevator as it slowly descended downwards towards the basement of Wayne Tower, with the loud ding announcing his arrival. The doors opened to reveal a young African American man with his eyes covered in goggles while wearing a Street Fighter T-shirt, jeans, and converse as he sat working on a very advanced car engine.
"Lucius," announced Bruce as he exited the elevator with his hands in his pockets. Lucius stopped and turned around with a smile on his face, removing his goggles. The two men embraced in a brief hug before continuing to their meeting.
"Bruce, it's been a while, how's the bike working out for you? I hope it's been aiding you well enough in your endeavors."
"It's been doing me well, Lucius, though I am sorry about having shortened your vacation."
"It's alright, Tanya and the kids are still in Georgia for the weekend so luckily they'll enjoy their break. Now then, onto your request." Lucius reached down under one of the cabinets and produced a small black metal box with his alter-ego's symbol emblazoned on all sides. Bruce glared at the box as he slowly opened it, revealing a perfect replica of his Rider Mask, albeit with shorter ears than his prior one.
"Here you are, it's not as good or as well crafted as your last one but it'll work for now. Not only is this one linked to the Cave, but I also added a function that allows you access to the Forensic Analysis system on your computer. There's also ample protection against anything you could encounter on the roads, from car crashes to even a gunshot."
"Good work, Lucius. As usual, you've outdone yourself once again."
"No apologies Bruce. With everything that's been happening in your spare time, I'm amazed you didn't come to me sooner. Have you…"
Bruce stopped his friend with a single stern glance.
"No. Tommy… Tommy needs The Bat far more than he needs me right now. Once I find out why he was targeted and put his assassin behind bars, then I'll go see him. That's final."
The inventor shook his head but accepted his friend's stance on the matter, "I understand Bruce. Well then, before you head out tonight I have one more thing to show you that I've been preparing."
Bruce raised a brow at this, curious as he followed Lucius towards the large tarp-covered object that sat on the platform below them.
"Now, mind you, this is still a prototype, so it may lock up a bit, but I assure you this baby will do the job just fine." Removing the tarp, Bruce's eyes widened in amazement and whistled at the marvel that sat before him. "I take it that you're impressed?"
"Impressed doesn't cover half of it, but I do have one question for you." Bruce turned to his confidant and smirked, "Think you can give it a paint job before tonight?"
Lucius smiled as he scratched his chin before turning to his ally, "I'll see what I can do."
{MILLER HARBOR}
As night fell over the city, a purple Lamborghini arrived on the scene. A young man walked out and opened the car door for his Cobblepot emerged with cane in hand as he approached his lackeys, who were currently loading up several crates into the backs of several moving trucks.
"Alright, people! Stay on guard. You two check for anyone who might be snooping around, and you get everything loaded up into the truck!" he ordered. He approached the last shipping freight and smiled as his goons took bolt cutters to the chains keeping it locked.
SNAP!
The doors creaked open slowly as all parties stopped and watched in silence as they found nothing but shadows. The headlamps above them all begin to flicker rapidly, causing them to stare upwards in fear, only for the lights to shut off all at once, trapping the criminals in total darkness. Then… they all hear it from the shadows within the container and it sends a surge of fear deep into their bodies.
A loud and booming roar followed by the blinding white flash of lights resembling large monstrous eyes. Terror struck them as whatever was inside sped out of the freighter like a black blur as it rammed through the Lamborghini, turning it into scrap metal, before coming to a screeching halt, leaving all to freeze up in terror.
Whatever it was, it was no ordinary vehicle, the roaring of the engine and its sleek black image paired with the sinister white of the headlights gave it the visage of a monster made of black steel on four wheels.
V-ROOOOOOM!
The sound of the vehicle's engines sent Cobblepot and his goons scrambling into the nearest truck as they fled into the city. In their panic, however, none noticed a small turret appear from the side of the car firing two small black dots onto the side of the trucks before pursuing Cobblepot.
"Testing. Testing. Can you hear me, sir?" Inside the roaring machine, the masked Bat-Rider sat in the driver's seat as he followed the fleeing truck.
"I hear you loud and clear, Alfred." The truck sped up and bolted through any red light it came across, the driver occasionally looking back only to be in shock as they watched the black supercar mere feet away from them. "In pursuit of Cobblepot, send Gordon the tracking information on the other two trucks that escaped."
"Already done, sir, shall I take it that you're enjoying Mr. Fox's early Christmas present?" Bat-Rider stayed silent, but Alfred could tell that his master/ward had a smile beneath his metallic mask.
"Handles like a dream." The back of the truck opened up, revealing a goon armed with a high-powered Gatling gun. Even the masked vigilante gasped at the sight of the weapon before he reached for a lever on his right-hand side and pulled it as the gunman opened fire on the vehicle. "Handing over controls."
[AUTOPILOT ENGAGED]
With a loud hiss and pop, the cover of the vehicle opened up and launched him forward above the gunfire. The masked crime fighter roared as he tackled the Gatling gun user to the ground of the truck and knocked him out with a powerful punch to shatter his nose. Bat-Rider looked up to the three that surrounded him and glared at the gunmen who pointed assault rifles at him. It was almost too easy as he pressed the sides of his belt, releasing a burst of smoke that filled the container.
"Gah! What the-AH!" Screamed one of the lackeys as he was sent flying into the side of the truck by a single punch. Bat-Rider snatched the assault rifle from him and swung it against the head of the other before grabbing and throwing the Bat-Emblem on his chest into the remaining goon's shoulder, pinning him to the wall. Bat-Rider went silent as he leaped out of the truck full of weapons and onto the roof of the moving truck.
"Alfred, take control of the car and fire on the tires on my signal. Moving in."
With no hesitation, Bat-Rider ran towards the front of the car and punched a hole through the roof before prying it open with his augmented strength.
"Holy shit!" Screamed the driver as Oswald growled and aimed a shotgun at the masked crimefighter.
"Die you goddamn freak!"
KA-BLAMM!
Bat-Rider clicked his tongue and moved out of the blast range before tossing down a smoke pellet into the vehicle. With a loud bang, the driver and Oswald were consumed in smoke and began to run wild on the road as the hero grappled upwards toward a nearby rooftop.
"Now!"
With the signal received, the small turret reappeared and fired a small spear towards the truck's back tires, causing it to swerve and crash into a nearby lightpost.
{LATER}
"Ugh. My head…" groaned Oswald as he regained consciousness into a world of darkness.
"You're awake. Good." Oswald blinked rapidly as he slowly raised his head, finding himself surrounded by darkness with his hands tied to his back. The black veil that blinded him came off, revealing his reflection in a window, and then looked down, causing him to scream in terror as he found himself dangling from the top of a several story apartment building. Standing above him atop a gargoyle with the wire in hand, was none other than his captor; The Bat-Rider.
"Now, let's talk."
"Holy shit! You're freaking insane!" Screamed the terrified mobster. The masked hero stayed silent as he watched the arms dealer thrash about while he held him by the ankles over the several feet drop.
"The Gunman. You know who he is, and I've lost a lot of patience tonight. So, you can talk or fall. Your choice."
"I don't know shit, okay! I just supply him with guns and bullets! That's it! I s-AHHHHHHHH!" Oswald fell in mid-sentence, only for the line to go taught and pull back upwards towards the white eyes of the Rider.
"Don't lie to me! Tell me everything, or you hit the pavement!"
"Listen! I'm telling the truth! I swear on my mother's soul, I don't know anything about Deadshot! He comes to town, and does a few jobs for me and others! But I promise you, that's it!"
"Names! I want the names of who you had him kill, Cobblepot!"
"A lot of people, okay! Do you think I can remember that list? A city councilor, some cop who might've owed me money! Shit! You know how many people I've made into corpses?" The Rider went silent for a moment, a growl evident in his voice as he continued his interrogation.
"Thomas Elliot?"
"E-Elliot?! You mean the freaking surgeon? That ain't got nothing to do with me padre! So you're barking up the wrong freaking tree! Now let me go!"
"Fine."
"Wah? AHHHHHH!" The cable slacked and sent the arms dealer plummeting towards the ground below, only to snag as he reached the bottom mere inches away from the ground. Oswald promptly passed out from the sheer terror and the blood rushing to his head.
"Alfred. Cross reference anything you can find with the codename Deadshot. Cobblepot made a mistake giving that up, and now we're even closer to finding Tommy's attacker."
"Right away, sir. Shall I assume you're heading back home?"
"Not yet, tell Gordon that I left him and his men one last present. He'll know where to find it."
{THE GCPD HQ}
"Chief O'Hara! There's something on the roof! You need to see this!" Yelled one of the cops from the bullpen. O'Hara grumbled and threw away his newspaper as he and the other officers reached the rooftop, all gasping as they found an unconscious Cobblepot strapped to the old signal with his arms stretched out and a tape recorder tied to his chest. At the door of the signal were several unconscious masked men along with a note.
Merry Christmas. -The Bat-Rider.
"That goddamn sonuva…" O'Hara stopped mid sentence and slowly looked up at the cloudy night sky above them. Etched into the clouds was a symbol resembling a headless bat. O'Hara took a deep breath and proceeded to yell several profanities at the top of his lungs.
{THE BAT-CAVE}
The roar of the engine irradiated through the cave as the Bat-Rider's new vehicle came to a screeching halt. Alfred turned and watched as his young master's shadowy alter-ego emerged from the car with his helmet removed, "What have you found, Alfred?"
"Glad to see you too, Master Bruce." Alfred rolled his eyes as he projected his findings up onto the Bat Computer. "It took a lot of digging in dark places, but I managed to find something that matches our mystery shooter."
The first image showed a picture of a decorated sniper among other soldiers in the field. "Firstly, Deadshot was the codename to a former U.S. Marine Sniper; awarded for multiple kills in the field until he was rendered MIA after a bomb took out him and his unit during a conflict against the Gamorra Island Government. Reports claim that he died in that explosion, and that a corpse was never recovered."
Bruce sighed as he released his transformation, "That does match the skills of the shooter, but let's not rule everything out yet. What else could you find on him?"
"Well, after his supposed death an ARGUS file opened up about a mysterious masked mercenary that appeared not long afterwards. This mystery sniper has quite a kill list, from political and world leaders to crime bosses, I'm amazed you made it out of your last scuffle with just a damaged mask."
"It's not just his marksmanship, I saw his combat skill up close and he's like me, enhanced by someone." Bruce scratched his chin as he began to put together ideas in his head about Deadshot and his origins. Alfred noted this and looked at his adopted son as the gears turned in his head about what to do next, "Alfred. Pull up any known associates of Lawton, it could help make a profile and make it clear what happened to him."
"Right away, sir." Within a few moments, the screen pulled up a small list of names for Bruce and Alfred with only two catching the vigilante's attention.
"Zoey Lawton and…"
{ELSEWHERE-GOTHAM MEMORIAL HOSPITAL}
Julie sat by her boyfriend's side, holding the unconscious Thomas Elliot's limp hand, with the beeping of his heart monitor being her only companion in this dark time.
"Ms. Madison?" A new voice grabbed her attention. Standing in the doorway before her was a tall bald gentleman in a black turtleneck and doctor's coat. Two things about this man grabbed Julie's attention, his round tinted glasses that hid his pupils, and his white fabric gloves that covered his somewhat massive hands.
"Y-Yes, I'm Julie Madison. And you are?"
"My name is Doctor Hugo Strange. I'll be your partner's physician during his time here in our care." The bespeckled doctor stretched out a hand to the saddened Julie and flashed a toothy grin. "Don't worry, madame. As a fellow colleague of Doctor Elliot, I promise you that he will receive the best care possible."
Hugo Strange enters the stage and our hero has now learned Deadshot's true name! The final showdown approaches and Gotham may never be the same again!
Before that however, we travel back in time to a special day in Gotham City!
It's time for thrills and chills, as we experience the first attack of…
NEXT TIME: THE SCARECROW
Same Bat Time! Same Bat Channel!