Batman: The Scarred and the Damned [Fanfiction]

[ApolloXL5]

A/N: This is the first chapter of my 'What if...' take on what happened after 'The Dark Knight', I hope you like it.

BATMAN: THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

CHAPTER I:


It was an early Summer-evening in Gotham City, not that you could really tell as rain fell from the clouded heavens above. A red Ford Victoria drove through the downpour as the road it followed ran beside the northern side of the Gotham River. The Car's driver was a young Woman with long brown-hair and was smartly dressed in a pair of figure-hugging grey trousers and a red blouse under a grey blazer, keeping her attention on the road ahead as visibility was quite poor with the heavy rain hitting the windscreen before her, the window-wipers were not much help either as they went back and forth, brushing the water left and right as it continued to run down the glass. But even then, the silhouette of an island could be seen up ahead on her right.

'Doesn't look very inviting...' she started to think as her attention drifted toward it as the distance between her Car and it lessened with every moment, which brought more detail to her as she started to make out the buildings that stood upon it.

'...since it looks like a ghost town over there.'

And it really did as virtually every building that she could see on the island's edge looked in severe disrepair, like ancient ruins that would refuse to crumble away and be forgotten. But towering over them was another building which looked similarly rotten, though clearly still alive since light shined out from it's numerous windows.

'I could think of better places to have an Asylum.' the Woman thought before returning her attention back to the road as she approached the entrance to the bridge up ahead, which connected the City to the Island. So she then lessened her foot's pressure on the accelerator and signalled before turning the car into the first security check-point of the bascule-bridge.

A security guard wearing a black-raincoat with reflective stripes on it's arms and a black protective helmet exited his booth and walked up to right side of her vehicle , gesturing for her to wind down her window. So she obliged, allowing the Man see her face as he kept his right hand over his holstered side-arm.

"Excuse me Miss, but what business do you have on Arkham Island?" he asked with a questioning stare, which made the Woman turn her attention to her handbag that was lying on the front passenger-seat beside her.

"Just a moment..." she said back while reaching in before pulling out a card and turning her attention to the Guard once more.

"...here you go." she replied while handing him the piece of plastic, which he studied first before scanning the card with an electronic-device and reading the data that appeared on it's screen, making his stern-expression lessen.

"Okay, so you're the new Intern, Penelope Young."

"That's right, I officially start on Wednesday but was asked to come in tonight for my orientation." she said back as the Guard returned her ID card, re-clipping his device back to his utility belt and pointing towards the island.

"Alright, I will radio ahead and let Warden Sharp know that you are here, you can go as soon as bridge is lowered. The road system on the island is like a maze, but we have 'Cat's eyes' on the road that leads to the Asylum, so just follow them and you will get there just fine..." He started to explain, earning a nod from Miss Young as she looked at him.

"...also just keep in mind that the entire island is now the Arkham grounds and if you see anyone between here and the Asylum who isn't a security guard, then you should assume that they are escaping patients. If that happens then do not stop, just carry on to the Asylum and report them and their location to the Warden." he added, gaining a worried look from the Woman.

"Seriously, does that happen a lot around here?" she asked, which made the Guard smile back reassuringly.

"No, of course not. Since we updated the Asylum's security, There hasn't been a single escape, not since the big breakout a few years back. But we have to remain vigilant at all times as we do have a number of dangerous individuals locked up here. Now if you will excuse me." he replied before turning around and walking back to his booth, earning a nod from the young Woman as she rolled up the window and turned her attention to the raised, while taking a deep breath in return. But then a second later and the sound of metal moving alerted her to both sides of the bridge lowering into place, allowing her passage to Arkham Island. This made Penelope sigh with a little apprehension as she looked at her destination through the rain-soaked windscreen.

'Okay...no turning back now.' she thought as she drove the car past the check-point and started to cross the bridge, just as the sky began to darken as night fell upon the City. It was almost like it was the island itself that caused the day to disappear, like it was almost exclusively shrouded in darkness.

'Well that is an eerie coincidence.' the Intern thought as she past the bridge and entered the island, passing through the second security checkpoint.

'I guess it's too late for me to turn around and leave.' the Intern thought as she drove under the arched sign reading 'ARKHAM ASYLUM'.

Penelope then looked into her rear-view mirror and saw it's barrier drop down and cut off the way back to civilisation, making her feel a little uneasy as she returned her attention ahead of car and saw the abandoned district called 'The Narrows', which at one time was Gotham's poorest area.

'Oh boy...' she began to think, feeling the hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as she saw what could only be described as something straight out of a post-apocalypse movie, as the buildings she passed by looked even worse up close. For there was no sign of life at all from their within their interior, none that she could see through their windows, which had nothing but darkness within their frames. But Penelope could not help but feel her heartbeat hasten as she looked at the old and battered buildings, for anybody could be watching her from within those husks of brick and stone and considering the population of this island, that was a frightening prospect indeed.

'Stop looking at the buildings and concentrate on the road.' Penelope thought to herself whilst shaking her head before returning her attention back to the road ahead of her, which had special lights at it's edges that reflected her headlight beams back and revealed the path that she should follow.

'Thank god for those 'Cat,s Eyes'. With all the roads that run through the Narrows, it would be very easy to get lost without them.'

But then as her car went round one last bend, passing a Security Guard as he stood by another block of flats and shone his torch into a broken window on it's ground floor, the Asylum then came into view.

'And I thought the Narrows looked worse up close.' Penelope thought, her eyes widening as she looked upon the massive building. It looked just as weathered and beaten as the rest of the buildings on the island, but the fact that it's windows were lit up made it look even more eerie. It looked like it was still going strong despite the obvious decay, which just felt wrong to the Intern.

'This whole island should be demolished.' she added while driving into the Asylum's car-park and stopping in one of it's free spaces and turning off the engine, just as another Security Guard approached.

"Excuse me...?"the individual started to ask as the Car's occupant stepped out in a rain-coat and holding her bag, before turning around to lock up the vehicle.

"...Are you Miss Penelope Young?" he added, gaining a knowing nod from the Intern as she turned back to him.

"Yes...why? Were you expecting someone else?" she asked with a slight smile, noticing that this particular Guard looked far younger than the one at the bridge.

"What? No, of course not. I was just being thorough, like Cash continuously tells me to be." he replied a little awkwardly, making Penelope's stare become more inquisitive.

"Well I thought I was nervous starting here, but I guess I am not the only new person this week, huh?" she asked, making the young Man's eyes widen a little in surprise before sighing and relaxing a little.

"Does it show that much?" he asked, making the Woman shake her head a little, while he smile grew slightly more.

"No, not that much. But then again, when you see this place..." she started to reply, only for the Guard to cut her off as he turned around and looked at it with her.

"I know, right. Not exactly a welcoming sight is it, I think we can agree on."

This gained a nod from Young in return as the pair started to walk towards the building's main entrance, just as the rain started to die down.

"So who is Cash?" she asked with a curious tone, making the Man look back to her.

"Oh yeah, it's actually Aaron Cash. He is one of the most senior Guards here, as well as the team leader here on the night shift." he replied as they walked up the steps to the large metallic double-doors, which almost looked out of place when compared to the weathered brick walls that surrounded it. But then a device above the them activated as the pair stopped just a meter from it, making the Guard gesture to Penelope to stop as it blinked amber for a second or two.

"Please don't move Miss Young, we have to pass the security scan." he replied, earning a nod from the Woman as the device emitted a thin beam of light than ran over both of them.

'And here I was expecting a sliding peep hole to appear, with someone asking for a password.' she thought to herself, before the scan stopped and the light changed from amber to green, which made the double doors open up and allow entrance.

"Okay, you can enter now. The Warden and your Team-Leader are waiting for just beyond the inner doors." the young Man replied before turning around and starting to walk back to the car-park, which made Penelope turn around in return with a curious look.

"You're not coming in too?" she asked, making the Guard shake his head in return with a sad smile.

"Afraid not, since I am on Car-park duty. But you should go in now, don't want to keep the Boss waiting Miss Young." he replied, which made the Woman smile wider as she held out her hand.

"Please call me Penelope..." she said back with a curious look, gaining a mirrored smile from the Man as he stopped and shook her hand.

"Eddie, Eddie Burlow." he said back.

"Nice to meet you Eddie Burlow. Young replied with a friendly and warm tone as she looked back to him, making the Guard almost blush.

"Welcome to Arkham Asylum Penelope." Eddie said back, before turning around and walking back into the rain, which had lost a lot of it's strength in the last minute or so.

'So I have been here less than a few minutes and I think I have already made a friend, plus the rain is dying down. That's got to be a good omen.' Penelope thought as she turned around and entered the Asylum.

BATMAN: THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Having come inside from the rain, Penelope found herself standing in a large and quite Victorian-looking Hall, with a large paintings on the walls. It looked quite different from the exterior. There she was greeted by an older Man in a smart suit with white hair and thick black rimmed-glasses, as well as a Woman with red hair tied at the back and wearing a white lab-coat over her casual clothes.

"Miss Penelope Young, welcome to Arkham Asylum..." the former said as he held out his hand to the Intern, who in return shook his hand.

"...I am Warden Quincy Sharp..." he carried on before gesturing to the latter beside him.

"...and this is Doctor Sarah Cassidy."

Both Penelope and the Doctor shook hands, with the latter looking the newcomer up and down, noticing how wet her coat looked.

"I see the rain has not let up yet." she remarked, gaining a polite smile from the Intern.

"It was just starting to die down as I parked up outside, but it was very heavy on the way here."

"If we hadn't been experiencing a heat-wave over the last couple of days, you wouldn't think that we were in the middle of Summer would you." Sharp replied, earning a nod from Miss Young in return.

"No sir, not from what I saw out there."

This earned a friendly smile from the Warden as he simply shook his head in return.

"Now please, you can drop the 'sir'. I think you will find that we have a rather informal relationship amongst the staff here."

"Yes, considering what we see here, day in and day out. Having a level of normalcy with each other is paramount to keeping a level head, considering how past members of Staff turned out." Dr. Cassidy added, which made Penelope look at her knowingly.

"Are you referring to Doctor Jonathan Crane, aka 'the Scarecrow'?" she asked, making the other two nod back as they gave the Intern a joint awkward expression, like the mention of that name was something they did not want to be reminded of.

"If you mean the previous head of this Asylum, then yes you are correct." the older Man replied.

"And I am right to assume that he is still being held here in Arkham?" the young Intern asked back with a curious look, one that Dr. Cassidy noticed in return.

"He is, but I hope you're not just here in the hope of trying to treat him. Because we already have 'another Intern' here with similar ideas when it comes to another of our patients. If so, then I will tell you what we told her..." she began to say in calm yet stern voice, instantly earning Penelope's attention.

"...You need to have been here several years helping the less dangerous Inmates of this Asylum before you are even granted the chance of treating the far more dangerous ones, do we have an understanding with this or should we just show you the door now. Because despite the fact that you passed your interview and test back at Gotham General and look to be very promising as a Psychologist, we do not want anyone here who is merely out to make a name for themselves."

This instantly made the younger Woman shake her head in response, looking at both Sharp and Dr. Cassidy with an apologetic expression.

"No, of course not. I apologise for any misunderstanding, I was simply curious." she then replied, earning more relaxed looks from her new employers as Sharp sighed and smiled back, while the other Doctor merely stared back with a far less questioning look.

"Well, that's good to know. Well if you will excuse me, but I have paperwork to finish before I go home. So I will leave you in the capable hands of Dr. Cassidy, but I look forward to seeing more of you in the future." he said back in a warm and friendly manner before turning away from the pair and walking away down the nearby corridor, leaving the two Women there in the hall.

"Alright, I will give the tour now as we start your orientation. Right now we are standing in the North section of the Asylum, which is for visitors and Staff..." she started to say, gaining a nod from Penelope as she looked around again.

'Yeah, I can agree with that since it looks much nicer and welcoming than the outside.'

"..., the part you will be spending most of your...hopefully...early years will be the West wing, which holds our patients who are committed or have had themselves committed for such things like depression or have psychological conditions that are not overly threatening." Dr Cassidy continued while the Intern listened intently while turning her attention back to her.

"Now the East Wing will currently be off-limits for you and others of your stature, since this holds 'three' of our most dangerous Patients."

Immediately those last few words made Penelope's eyes widen with curiosity once more, something which the Doctor recognised again as she sighed and rolled her eyes.

"Yes...Penelope, please ask your question so we can get it out of the way." she replied with a slightly irritated tone, but the young Intern just ignored that and followed through.

"Okay, I did my research on this place when I applied for a position here. Now I know that you are holding both Crane and the Joker here, but you said 'three'....so who is the third one?"

Dr. Cassidy then gave the young Woman a worried look as she looked around at their surroundings, noting that they were at this moment alone.

"I cannot say..." she began to reply, only for Penelope to cut her off enthusiastically.

"You mean you know?" she pressured, but the Doctor regained her composure and looked back calmly.

"No Miss Young, I do not. There is not much to tell, other than the fact that whoever the third Patient is was brought in on orders from Commissioner Gordon and is as rumours put it...in a coma."

"I see, that is interesting." the young Intern replied, only for Dr. Cassidy to gesture for her to follow.

"Now that's enough talk, let's start your orientation already." she replied, earning a nod from the younger Woman as the two walked out of the hall towards the West Wing.

Meanwhile in the dim-lit and dank interior of the East Wing, inhuman and soft laughter could be heard from one of the only three occupied cells that made up the entire section. The second cell was quiet as it's occupant sat on his bunk and looked at the floor, like he was picturing something from the dark stain that was engraved into it. But from the third cell, there was a deathly silence as the person in there was lying on it's berth and appeared to be fast asleep. But despite how peaceful this person looked, with only one half of their full body barely visible from what little light shone in from the window overhead. The person then began to mutter between the soft breaths, while movement could be seen under their closed eye on the lit side of their face.

"...Ra...Rac...Rachel..."

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, as the rain had finally come to a stop, three GCPD Patrol-Cars were in the middle of a high-speed pursuit against a lone blue-Van as it raced through the streets of 'Old Gotham'. With the Narrows no more, this district was now known to most 'well-off' Gothamites as the Ghettos and a place to keep well away from, leaving the area to fall into decay when it once stood proudly as a symbol of where the City of Gotham had risen from. So as the chase continued with the Police-Cars sirens blaring and their lights illuminating their surroundings as they sped through the dense and cluttered streets, the people unfortunate to have to live there stayed in their homes behind locked doors as one white hockey-mask wearing Thug leaned out of the right passenger window of the Van and fired several bullets at their pursuers with his hand-gun.

"Take that you f***'in Pigs!" he shouted back, only to yanked back inside.

"Why the f*** did you stop me?" he spat furiously to the driver, who was wearing a black hockey-mask and focusing on keeping their vehicle on the road.

"Because you're not gonna shoot sh*t from that angle, and I hate to see good ammo being wasted." he replied, earning a head-shake from the other guy as he reloaded his weapon.

"So what do we do then, I mean it was your idea to enter this sh*t-hole, with you saying that there was no way that they would follow us in here." he spat back, making the driver shake his head before spinning the steering wheel and cause the Van to make a sharp turn into a narrow alleyway, earning a similar reaction from their pursuers.

"Okay, I made a mistake alright. I thought with how bad this area had become, that the Pigs would not even try to follow us..." he then started to reply, before glancing at his side mirrors to see how close the Patrol-Cars were.

But as the alley was very narrow, he could only see a mixture of white, red and blue lights flashing though the gap between that side of the Van and the wall. He then returned his attention to what was coming up while gesturing behind him with his right hand, making 'white mask' look over his shoulder at the back of the Van.

"Tell me you guys have finally got those M4 Carbines ready back there?" he asked as two more guys fiddled around with a pair of the assault-rifles behind the driver's and passenger seats, with one wearing a red hockey-mask and the other a blue.

"Funny you should say that..." the red-masked one replied as he held up the weapon, while the other moved toward the back doors with his own.

"...because we just did."

"Thank god, now deal with those Pigs will you." the driver said back with a slither of relief to his voice, which made both men nod as the green-masked Man then flung open both doors as his friend aimed the Carbine directly at the Patrol-Car, earning wide-eyed expressions of shock from both Cops.

"Eat lead, F*****!" he spat while opening fire, his friend quickly joining as the pair fired a continuous barrage of bullets into the pursuing vehicle, which shot up their windscreen before passing through and riddling them both. This caused the Car to suddenly lose control and slam into the left wall, wedging the vehicle there and blocking the two other pursuers while the Thugs cheered as their Van then turned back onto an open street and out of view. The second Patrol-Car quickly hit the breaks and screeched to a halt just behind the now smoking wreck, with one Officer quickly getting out to check on the crashed vehicle of their colleagues while it's driver stayed in the car and used the receiver of their radio.

"This is Patrol-67175, the suspects have gotten away from us. I repeat, the suspects are in the wind." he replied.

"This is Lt. Foley with Patrol-0149, we have you on GPS. What's the condition of Patrol-1269?" the voice on the other end replied, which made the Cop look out at his partner who was no bending down to look into the crashed car ahead of them. But he then turned around and with a grim expression as he shook his head, which made the driver sigh sadly in return.

"They are down! Patrol-1269 is down!" he replied with a solemn tone.

"Damn it..." Foley replied with a tinge of frustration to his voice, while the Driver's partner got back into the Car beside him.

"...okay, I want you and Patrol-1298 to Double back and reacquire the suspects' trail. I am looking at the map of 'Old Gotham' now and the road you left should get you back on the same one as that Van, meanwhile I have called in our 'Eye in the sky' to keep track of the suspects while Patrols 0149, 0153, 0177 and myself are heading into the area via it's Northside, which is the only other exit out of the district." the Lieutenant added, earning a nod from the driver as his partner then looked back at the Patrol-Car behind them and gave them a hand gesture.

"Okay, Lieutenant, we are on our way." he replied before both his vehicle and Patrol-98 reversed out of the alley and back onto the main street.

Meanwhile, the Blue-van continued to hurtle down the streets as it increased the distance between itself and its pursuers, while its occupants started to breathe easy.

"I tell you guys, we really should send a thank you note to 'the Bird' for these guns." the red-masked Thug said while admiring the assault-rifle in his hands, gaining a nod from the green-masked guy standing beside him.

"Sure did, he was a man of his word with this gear."

"Well, these guns did come at a price though, half of the score we swiped from the Gotham National Bank." the driver added, which made guy sitting next to him chuckle.

"Ha, I can't believe that we used to scared of stealing from that place too..." he started to reply, only for the Driver to cut him off mid-sentence.

"Yeah, but back then the Mob used to run that Bank. But now that they are all rotting away in Black-gate, that Bank's security has lost a lot of its bite."

But just as the group chuckled at that comment, the black-masked passenger suddenly looked up at the roof-tops with a startled expression.

"What is it?" the Driver asked, having noticed this.

"I don't know, but I could have sworn I saw something leaping over us up there."

"You don't think it was..." of the pair behind started to say with a worried tone, only for the white-masked Driver to cut him off.

"Stop right there, don't even say his name!" he replied while keeping his eyes on the road ahead, while the others looked at each other nervously.

"But..." the red-masked Thug began to say back, only for the Driver to carry on as he looked into his side mirror and saw a light shining down from the sky just behind them.

"Anyway, we have a more pressing issue right now." he added, gesturing to the back door windows with his right hand and making the pair turn around and look out at what was behind them.

"Oh sh*t! The Pigs have a chopper on our asses." the Red-Masked Thug called back in a panicky tone, which made the Driver shake his head in return.

"Okay, then I guess we will just have to ditch this Van and hold up somewhere."

This gained the black-masked Man's attention as he looked back with widened eyes.

"What? But we will be like fish in a barrel, what kind of a plan is that?" he asked back as the Van veered around another corner, while the Chopper kept it's search-light pinned on them.

"With these weapons..." the white-masked Man began to say, while gesturing back to the Carbines the pair in the back were still holding.

"...the cops won't have a chance against us with just the pistols they carry, also we will never lose that Chopper. So I say we stop and make a stand now unless anyone else has a better idea?" he added, which made the others go quiet for a moment as they thought on it.

"What the hell, I say bring them on!" the green-masked Thug replied, gaining nods from the others though the black-masked Guy was a little less enthusiastic about it.

"Yeah, okay."

"Right then, get ready guys..." the Driver began to say while pulling in next to a run-down four-story building, before turning off the engine and turning back round to face his mates.

"...because this will be our stop, at least until we deal with those incoming pigs."

A moment later and with the search-light of the Police-Chopper illuminating their Van, the four masked-Thugs exited the vehicle and rushed straight into the nearby building with Carbines in hand.

"We make our stand on the top floor, right in the middle." the leader said as he and the group ran up the stairs, all the while the chopper could be heard hovering outside.

But as they all made their way to the top floor, with each and every footfall of theirs making the wooden steps creak loudly under their weight. The black-masked Thug suddenly spoke up, making everyone stop just short of the doorway ahead of them.

"Isn't this kinda stupid though, I mean we will be trapped and that chopper won't be going anywhere, no matter how many Cops we kill."

This made the white-masked Leader turn and look back at him as he stood at the doorway at the top of the stairs, his hands holding the Carbine-rifle steady as he kept it close to his chest.

"Look, we take out the pigs that are on their way here. And then we get back into the Van and outrun that Chopper, which is currently burning up fuel while it hovers out there right now...got it?" he replied with a frustrated tone as he looked at the questioning Thug, before turning his attention to the others who just nodded back as they stared wide-eyed at him.

"...Okay..." the black-masked Man started to say, only to be cut off by the sound of creaking floorboards from the ceiling above them. This made all four Men look up in response, with the former quickly aiming his rifle up at it.

"What was that?" he said in an alert and worried tone, which made the red and green Masked Men look at each other, but the Leader just shook his head in return before turning back to the doorway.

"It's nothing, this is just an old building...come on." he replied while gesturing for them to follow, which the group did, abet a little slowly.

"What if it's...'him'?" the black-masked thug asked, never taking his eyes off the ceiling while the White-masked Driver looked at the darkened room they had entered, whose only light source was the dim light of the street outside entering via the cracked and damaged windows that lined the right-hand wall.

He quickly took note that room was quite large and had only one other doorway ahead of them, while the light brightened somewhat as the Chopper's search-light shone close to their location.

"It's not him..." he began to reply whilst not even bothering to look back at his friend, focusing more on their surroundings.

"...since 'he' is busy being hunted by the same guys who are currently after us." he added, which made the Red-Masked Guy look over to him.

"That's true, but he still hasn't stopped coming after guys like us."

"Yeah, one of my mates got his arm broken only a few weeks ago when 'he' stopped him mugging a pensioner." his green-Masked Mate replied, which made the black-masked guy nod back nervously.

"Yeah, it's like he's changed since killing that 'Dent' guy a while back, making him more ruthless."

But the Leader just turned around and shook his head, showing his frustration despite his face being covered by his white hockey-mask.

"Look, this place is abandoned. There is no-one here but us and there is certainly no...god damn Bat!" he almost shouted back, making his friends simply stare back as they noticed the hand he was holding his rifle with start to tremble as he held it at his side.

"Okay...Boss, you say there is no Bat, then there is no Bat." the Red-masked Thug replied before another voice suddenly spoke up.

"No...there's no Bats here..." a calm and eerily playful male voice began to speak, which made the Men all spin around and point their guns towards the other doorway, just as the sounds of cars screeching to a halt outside could be heard.

"...which is fortunate for someone like me."

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, Lieutenant Foley had just arrived with his back-up as he equipped his radio whilst stepping out of the car, the officers did the same while being illuminated by the Helicopter's searchlight.

"What's the situation, Air-03?" the Lt. then asked into it, with the Chopper-Pilot's voice speaking back almost instantly after.

"Sir, the suspects entered the building next to you several minutes ago Sir and they have yet to reappear."

This made Foley, take a look at the three-story, noticing it's old and decrepit appearance.

"Alright Air-01, we will handle it from here." he replied before connecting his .

"Good call, Sir, we're in need of a refuel as it is. Good hunting." the Pilot replied before suddenly veering away while deactivating it's searchlight, leaving the Cops on the ground with just the flashing red and blue lights of their vehicles to properly illuminate the area since the street lamps were very dim.

"Alright, Men, this is what we are going to do..." Foley then said while turning his attention to the other Officers, who all kept their attention focused on him.

Just as this was happening, the Thugs were still focusing their Carbine-rifles on the newcomer who stood in the shadowed doorway ahead of them.

"Who the f*** are you?" the white-masked Leader said in a threatening tone, only for the Man to chuckle to himself.

"...me?..." he began to answer eerily while taking a step toward them, allowing the red and blue light shining through the windows to illuminate him and earn gasps from the masked-men in return.

"...I am the one who will set you all free."

"Oh my God..." the green-masked guy began to mutter, for standing before them was a slim yet well built Man with a shaved head and goatee-beard. He was wearing a run-down pair of blue jeans and a blood-stained white-sleeveless T-shirt, which revealed countless scars of cuts running down both of his arms and neck as he looked at the nearest of the thugs.

"...it's Victor Zsasz!" he added, making all but the Leader take a step back as their hands began to shake while holding their weapons tightly.

"You wish to be the first, don't you?" the Killer replied with a gleeful tone, but the White-masked Thug shook his head in return, glad that the mask shielded his nervous expression from the Psychopath as he started to tighten his finger's grip around the trigger of his Carbine.

"No I don't, you sick fu..." he started to say while pulling the trigger, only to be cut off as Zsasz quickly reached out and grabbed the barrel of his weapon.

The thug did not see this coming as the Killer then yanked the rifle towards him, making him stumble forward and into arm's reach.

Then with blistering speed, Zsasz followed through and stabbed him in the gut with his knife. This made the Thug grimace and drop his own weapon as the Psychopath then got him into a hold in front of the group, holding the blood-covered blade at the injured guy's throat as he stared back gleefully.

"Boss!" the red-masked Man called back as he felt his heart-beat speeding up as fear slowly took over, making Zsasz's eyes look straight at him like a predator singling out it's next prey, almost as if he could sense it.

This made the thug grimace and drop his own weapon as the psychopath then got him into a hold in front of the group, holding the blood-covered blade at the injured guy's throat as he stared back gleefully.

"My oh my, are you that eager to be next?..." he started to ask with anticipation in his voice while pressing the knife more at the Leader's throat, making it dig a little deeper into his skin while he using his free hand to apply pressure to his bleeding wound.

"...because you will all bleed for the mark, for I know it will need far more blood before it's thirst is quenched this night..." Zsasz continued to say, while the others just kept their guns trained on him.

"Just...shoot...this...f***er!" the White-masked Man said back with what little anger he could muster between heavy breaths, since he could feel his life pouring out of him.

"...Now, now..." the Psychopath replied with little care in his voice, while his eyes darted between each of the remaining masked-Thugs before glancing back to his bleeding hostage.

"...no need for that kind of language, not when I am about to bleed you completely..."

The Killer then tightened his grip around the knife's hilt and started to move his arm in one quick motion, which made everyone's eyes widen behind their masks.

"No!" they called out in a panic, while Zsasz smiled back with a gleefully evil smirk.

But then a speckle of dust dropped down from the ceiling over his head, making the Psycho stop and look up.

This also gained curious stares from the Thugs, who too looked up at the ceiling which started to creak and crack.

"Oh...no!" Zsasz then began to mutter as his eyes widened in response before suddenly that very spot in the ceiling collapsed and something dropped down, quickly knocking Zsasz out while simultaneously pushing the injured thug out of the way, all while remaining shrouded in the thick dust that had been brought up by the disturbance.

"What the hell! Boss, you all right?" the green-masked man asked back in response, with the others looking over at their friend as he lied a few feet away from them.

But then as the group started to edge closer to the leader, the black-masked guy suddenly noticed a figure moving in the dust cloud that started to sink back down to the ground.

"Wait...there's someone moving in there." he said in a nervous tone, bringing his Carbine up and pointing it at the spot where an unconscious Zsasz lied while pinned under some rubble.

"I see it too. What the hell is it?" the red-masked thug replied as he copied his comrade's action, followed by the last guy as they all aimed their guns at the shadowy figure who started to rise up.

But then the former's eyes widened as he recognised the figure's silhouette, especially the pointed ears.

"IT'S THE BAT!" the black-masked man then shouted as he opened fire, making the new-arrival quickly dive out of the way as the others followed their comrades' example and literally emptied their carbines of bullets as every one of them hit thin-air.

THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

Meanwhile outside, the sudden sound of gunfire caught the attention of Foley and his men as they all turned and looked up at the old building.

"We go right now..." the Lieutenant started to say as he gestured the closest Officers to follow him with a hand signal, before pointing at the rest standing away from him.

"...while you circle round the back and cover the other exits!" he then added, earning nods from those men as the group separated and headed towards the building.

As that was happening, the Thugs quickly found that they had hit nothing with their combined gunfire and turned around and looked at their surroundings in a panic.

"How the f*** did we miss him?" the Green-Mask said with a fearful tone, making the Red-Mask shake his head while looking at their empty and dark surroundings.

"No idea. That amount of bullets should have ripped right through him..." he started to say back before the black-masked guy quickly cut him off.

"Quiet, both of you. And stay aler..." he angrily began to say before he was then cut off by the sound of a thud, which made his mates turn around to find him lying on the ground unconscious with nothing around him.

"What the f***! How is he doing this?" Red-Mask replied with a terrified tone as he quickly spun around and looked everywhere with widened and fear-filled eyes.

"How the hell should I know! There isn't anywhere to hide eith..." his friend started to say before he felt something grab him from behind, making Red turn around to see that the latter was in a neck hold by none other than the Batman.

"Oh my god..." he muttered as he felt his heart-beat quicken, while the Green-masked guy tried to struggle against the Vigilante's vice-like grip.

"Just...shoot...him..." he tried to say between the heavy breaths, while the Batman just kept his eyes focused on the last Thug, who then aimed his Carbine at him in return with shaking hands.

"Let him g..go..Batman!" he said with fear oozing from his every word, but the costumed Man merely narrowed his eyes as he stared back, like he was looking right through him. And just as the Red-masked man fearfully started to pull the trigger, the Batman made his move.

Quickly throwing Green against the wall and charging towards the last man, knocking the gun out his hands as it fired off one shot, and following through with a kick to the chest, sending the criminal onto his backside.

"Arrragh!" Red almost shrieked as he tried to quickly back away as his heart beat so fast and loud, that it was virtually the only thing he could hear at that moment.

But Batman was quickly on him and pulled the terrified man back onto his feet, before holding him by the scuff of his jacket while tears ran down his face.

"Now you're going to help your injured friend over there..." the Dark Knight began to say with his deep and growl-like voice, which made the Thug nod back frantically as he literally began to pee himself there and then.

"...and confess everything to the Police, aren't you." he added.

"Yes...Yes, I will, I swear to God." Red replied in a completely delirious tone, which only made Batman tighten his grip around the Thug's jacket and pull him closer.

"Swear to me!" he spat.

"I swear, my God, I swear!" the Criminal cried out, which made the caped Vigilante then drop him back onto his backside.

"Good, because if you don't..." Batman began to reply, before stopping while he glanced over to the stairwell as the sounds of footfalls approached them. This too made the Red-masked thug look in that direction too, breathing fast and heavily as his entire being was gripped in fear. But the Dark Knight then quickly looked back at the Man, a slight smirk appearing on his face.

"...I will find you and make you bleed."

The criminal quickly snapped his attention back to Batman, but found himself to be now alone with the unconscious bodies of his friends and Zsasz.

This made his eyes widen even more, before quickly getting onto his hands and knees.

Then all of a sudden, Foley and his team burst into the room with guns ready and their torches lighting up the area.

"What in the?!" one of the officers then asked in a confused tone, as before them was the sight of a masked-Man tending to one of several unconscious men, blood seeping out from under his hands as he applied pressure to the other's stab wound.

"Secure the area!" the Lieutenant quickly ordered, gaining nods from the other Officers as they spread out into the room, while he found himself looking down at the only concious Man left.

"...b...b...b..." the Guy was muttering to himself, making Foley squat down as he held his torch to the guy's face which was still hidden by his Red-mask.

"...Batman?" the Lieutenant then asked with a knowing tone to his voice, which made the Criminal instantly nod back in return as tears flowed down from under the mask.

"...b...Batman."

This made Foley sigh as he stood back up and shook his head, like the mention of that name left a bad taste in his mouth. But before he could think any more on this, one of the Officers called him over.

"Lt. Foley, I think you will want to see this."

The Lieutenant quickly stood back up and walked over to the young man's side, who was aiming his flash-light and gun at one of the other unconscious Men.

"What is it?"

"This guy is not like the others, Sir." the Officer replied, which made Foley kneel down and turn knocked out Criminal over.
This quickly made both Men's eyes widen as they looked down at the Man lying before them,

"That's Victor Zsasz!" the lead-Cop then exclaimed with a surprised tone.

As this was happening, the Batman was observing the Police from the safety of a neighboring building. He stood there on its rooftop, his long cape covering the entirety of his armored body as his eyes narrowed while he watched Foley through the derelict building's windows.

'Him again...' he started to think, only to have his thoughts cut short by the instantly recognisable voice of his trusted friend and confidante, Alfred Pennyworth, who spoke via his com-link in a respectful and friendly tone.

"Master Bruce, it's almost dawn. Don't you think it's time you called it a night, Sir, or are you extending your patrols to mornings as well?"

This made the Dark Knight sigh as a knowing smile appeared on his face while he turned his attention to the sky and noticed that the darkness of the night was fading away as it started to become lighter on the eastern horizon.

"Just finished, Alfred, I'm on my way back now." he replied with his disguised voice while holding his right hand to his cowl, which gained a relieved sigh from the Butler over the Com.

"Glad to hear that, Sir, I'll start warming up your supper then."

This made Bruce's smile widen some more as he then turned around, threw back his cape, and calmly walked over to the other side of the roof before dropping off it edge, his cape flapping in the air behind him as he disappeared from view.


To be continued, next Chapter.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER 2

'Jim Gordon found himself feeling sick to his stomach as he stood at the steps of Gotham's City-Hall, the eyes of the City focused on him as he placed his speech-papers on the podium in front of him. He dared not look behind him though, for there was a giant portrait of Harvey Dent smiling out at those who had appeared to pay their respects to their fallen-Idol. But the Police Commissioner at this moment could not feel grief for the deceased District Attorney, not when he knew the truth, not just the truth of what had really happened that horrific night - but also of Harvey's true fate.

'I can't do this...' he started to think as he took a breath and looked out at the large crowd in front of him, with his eyes scanning the crowd, though trying not to meet anyone else's eyes out of fear that they could see right through him. But then his eyes fell upon his Wife and their two Children, James Jr. and Barbara, the former staring back with an ashamed expression.

'...but I made a vow to a 'friend'...' he continued to think as those friend's words echoed through his mind.

"You'll hunt me, you'll condemn me...set the dogs on me. Because that's what needs to happen, because sometimes the truth isn't good people deserve more, sometimes people deserve to have their faith rewarded."

And Jim Gordon had done just that in the days since their last meeting, throwing his friend to the wolves and piling the weight of all Harvey Dent's crimes on his Man had committed himself to protecting Gotham and it's Citizens, no matter the outcome. And in the moment when the City now needed him, they were instead cursing his name and making a Pariah out of Batman and he...James Gordon, was helping them.

But he had to, for this lie that he and the Batman created was now bringing a peaceful calm to Gotham, the first one ever. But even if the people were enjoying it, Gordon could not. Because deep down, he knew it was a false calm.

The Commissioner then finally managed to pull his attention away from the judging stare of his Wife and the sad and pained expressions of his kids, returning it to the pages that lay on the podium before him. So even though it hurt him to do it, Jim Gordon took a breath and began to read the pages aloud for all around him to hear.

"Harvey Dent was needed. He was everything Gotham City had been crying out for. He was..." he started to say before feeling a lump grow in his throat, for his eyes fixed themselves on one particular word.

'Just read it!' the Police Commissioner thought to himself.

"...a hero." he then added with a slither of loathing to his voice, before taking another breath.

"Not the hero we deserved, but the hero we needed. Nothing less than a Knight...shining."

The crowd watching him contently all nodded at those words, slight smiles appearing on their faces despite the grief and pain they all showed. All except his own Family, who continued to stare back as they had done since this funeral had begun. But Gordon just looked back down at his speech, fighting the urge to speak the truth and let this lie come to an end.

"But I knew Harvey Dent. I was his...friend, and it will be a very long time before someone inspires us in the way..." James continued to say, only to be cut off by a familiar voice who spoke from his left.

"Liar!"

This made the Police Chief's eyes widen as he recognised the voice, turning round to see Harvey Dent standing there with his good side to him as he looked at the crowd.

"Harvey..." Gordon muttered in a mixture of fear and disbelief, which made the former DA turn his face towards the older Man and reveal the burn't and scarred side of his face to him, with his eyes staring back with a burning hatred.

"You are a liar. Because if you were truly my friend, then you would have stood with me against corruption."

This made James's face go completely white as he stood frozen before the Two-Faced Man, who then pointed his pistol directly at him with his left hand, while reaching into his pocket with his right.

"But you made your deal with the Devil..." he continued to spit back venomously, before pulling out a familiar-looking coin which he then held out for all to see.

"...and now it's time to pay the price." Harvey then finished before flicking the coin into the air, where it spun for what felt like a life-time. But all Gordon could do was watch it with fear-filled eyes before it finally landed in the palm of Dent's hand, showing the blackened side up.

This made Harvey smile before he suddenly turned the gun towards the Police Commissioner's Family, which made Jim suddenly scream out at the top of his voice.

"NO!"

Gordon suddenly awoke to find himself sitting at his desk in the living room of his and his Wife's home, sweat dripping from his face as he panted while looking at is surroundings frantically.

'It was just...another dream.' the Police Chief thought while he sighed in relief, before returning his attention to his desk which was littered with papers and books. There were numerous notes and files all spread out over it's surface, as well as an alarm clock that said '08:30' in red neon lights.

'It's that time already!' James thought before feeling a hand tugging on his arms, which made him look in that direction and see his youngest Daughter standing there, staring at him with a worried expression.

"You slept in here again, Daddy." she said, gaining a knowing nod from her Father in return as he picked up his glasses off the desk and out them on.

"Yes I guess I did, Barbara." he replied with a slight embarrassment to his face, before then smiling back at his little-girl as she held out an unpeeled Banana to him.

"You need Breakfast." she said back enthusiastically, which made James smile widen as he excepted it.

"Thanks Barbara, that's very thoughtful of you."

The 8 year-old Girl smiled back lovingly, watching as he then was began to peel the fruit, only to stop when a blonde-haired Boy walked into the room.

"Good Morning Jimmy." Gordon then said with a smile, but his 11-year old Son simply ignored him and picked up a book that was lying on the nearby Sofa, before walking back towards the Kitchen as their Mother came into view.

"Jim, don't you have work?" she asked in direct and uncaring manner, earning a nod from the Police Chief as he got up from his desk.

"Yeah, I just need to freshen up first." he replied gingerly, while his Wife just stared back judging-like expression.

"Well go on then, don't want the Patrol-Car out there to wait any longer than it already has." she said back, before turning her attention to little Barbara.

"Barbara, Jimmy! Get your coats on, because it's School time." she said, with the eldest Child quickly putting his blue coat on. But Barbara just looked at her Father with a sad smile, which made him gesture for her to go join her Brother and Mother.

"Go on, don't want to be late." he said with mirrored look, gaining a nod back from her in return.

"Okay Daddy..." Barbara started to say, before pointing at the fruit in his hand.

"...but don't forget your Breakfast."

This made the Older Man's smile widen a little more, brushing his hand over the little Girl's hair lovingly.

"I won't, now don't keep your Mother waiting." he then replied, before his Daughter ran over to the others and slipped on her purple and yellow coat. Gordon then gave his Wife a slight smile as the Kids walked out of the house, but she simply sighed with the same expression and followed them, leaving the Police Commissioner on his own in the House and holding a Banana.

Twenty minutes later and Jim Gordon left his home in a new suit which was under his favourite Mak-coat, feeling somewhat fresher than he did earlier while he walked down the wooden stairs of the balcony and climbed into the passenger seat of the Patrol-Car that was parked right next to it.

"Morning Commissioner, heading my way?" a male voice asked with a sarcastic yet respectful voice from his left, making the Police Chief look in that direction to see a chubby Police Officer at the wheel, smiling back.

"You're a funny guy, Officer Bullock. But if you ever want to see that Detective badge..." he began to reply in an authoritative tone, which immediately made the younger guy look uneasy.

"Look Commissioner, what I just did...I didn't mean anything by..." he started to apologise, only stopping when he saw a slight smile appear on his Boss's face.

"I'm pulling your leg Bullock, relax."

"Oh, okay then. And I thought you were the one without a sense of humour, Commissioner." Bullock replied with a sigh of relief.

"I can be light-hearted when I want to be, just a Man in my position usually can't afford to." Gordon said back, gaining a nod from his Subordinate.

"Well Comissioner, your secret is safe with me." he replied with a smile, which earned a mirrored gesture in return.

"Good, so how about we get to work?"

"Yes Sir, Commission Sir." the Officer said back in an enthusiastic tone, while turning on the vehicle's engine and then pulling away from the curb and back onto the road.

As they drove away from Gordon's Residence, the Police Chief pulled the un-eaten Banana from his coat pocket and continued to pull back the skin, until the edible fruit was alp that remained.

"So were you waiting outside my House for a long while, Bullock?" he asked, before taking a bite out of the yellow fruit.

"Only about 30 minutes, Commissioner. Which is nothing to complain about...not that I would, mind you." Bullock said back, a tinge of nervousness on his voice as he said that last sentence. But Gordon simply nodded back as he continued eating his breakfast, looking out at the City as they drove through it towards the Police Headquarters.

"Glad to hear it, though I don't usually make it a priority to have my Officers wait for me for so long." he replied while finishing the fruit off, but the younger Man shook his head in return.

"As I said Commissioner, it's not a problem. Not when I can see that you have troubles of your own to deal with." he said back in a respectful, yet straight forward manner. This made the Police Chief look over at his Subordinate with a surprised expression, one that gained an unsure look back as they stopped at a cross-junction.

"You've noticed then?" Jim asked, earning a nod from Bullock who kept his attention on the road ahead, waiting for the traffic lights to change from red to green.

"Yes Sir, I saw how angry your Wife looked as she left with your Kids, it was a look I remember seeing my Ex-Wife with plenty of times over a year ago."

"Yeah, well we are having a tough time right now." the Police Commissioner replied with a truthful tone, while their Patrol-Car then began to move as it passed the now green traffic-lights, with Bullock maintaining focus on his driving.

"I can see that and I know it's not my business, but if you ever want to talk about it Commissioner..." he started to say, only for Jim Gordon to cut him off with a friendly if slightly annoyed smile.

"I appreciate that Bullock, but that will be unnecessary." the Police Chief quickly inter-cutted, gaining a knowing nod from his Subordinate.

"Okay then." he answered back, never taking his eyes off the vehicles ahead of them as he drove.

"But this is just something that Barbara and I have to deal with ourselves." the older Man tried to say back with a hint of hope to his voice, but deep down he knew what the real issue was that was affecting his family right now. So as Gordon sat in the passenger seat and looked out at the world that was passing him and Bullock by, with nothing but silence between both Men. His mind stirred up memories, memories of a night that tainted the very foundation of his being as voices could be heard.

"You're not going to hurt my Family."

"No, just the person you love most."

"You don't want to hurt the Boy, Harvey!"

"It's not about what I want, it's about what's FAIR!"

"Jim, stop him..."

"Fair enough, you first..."

"Harvey, you're right. Rachel's death was my fault. Please don't punish the Boy, please punish me."

"Tell your Boy it's going to be alright, Gordon. Lie, like I lied."

"It's going to be alright Son."

"You either die a Hero, or you live long enough to see yourself become the Villain..."

"No you can't, you're not...!"

"I'm whatever Gotham needs me to be, call it in."

Hearing the voices of these memories gave the Police Chief a chill, one that went all the way down to his soul. This cause him to sigh as he looked of the side door window, gaining the attention of Officer Bullock.

"Commissioner, are you alright?" he asked with a worried tone, while keeping his eyes between the road and his Boss.

"Yeah..." Gordon began to say as he turned his attention back to the traffic ahead of them, taking deep and steady breaths as he calmed himself.

"...I guess I would like To talk about something different now, that's all."

"Of course Commissioner, then how about I tell you what I heard about Lieutenant Foley from last night." the younger Man then said, gaining a curious expression from the Police Chief in return.

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, just past the outskirts of Gotham City. Alfred Pennyworth was walking down one of the long corridors of Wayne Manor, dressed in his usual steam-pressed suit as he carried a tray towards a large door just ahead. The morning sun-light was shining through the windows, bringing the white-painted interior to life as the Butler stopped at the door ane opened it, which made his eyes widen a little as the next room was revealed to him.

For before him was the Master-Bedroom, which had a Victorian-style to it. And it was complete with a giant Oak-Wardrobe, dressing-table and a four Poster-Bed...which was empty.

'I should have known.' the Old Gentleman thought to himself with a knowing expression as he saw the messed up sheets lying over the Bed, before shaking his head and then leaving the room.

Alfred instead went back downstairs and into the large Living-Room, straight to the Piano that stood beside a bookcase bursting with old books. The Butler then while holding the tray with perfect balance on his right hand, one of many skills he had gained through his long and busy life, played a small melody on the Piano with his left. With the final note echoing through the room, the sound of something unlocking behind the bookcase made the Gentleman turn towards it as that piece of furniture suddenly moved to the right, revealing a hidden elevator that he then entered, before it's doors closes behind him and descended to whatever was below the Mansion.

When the elevator-doors next opened, the Butler stepped out into what looked like a mine tunnel which was lit up via several lights hanging from the ceiling, along with a number of power cables.

'We have been back less than a week...' Pennyworth began to think as he walked just a couple of yards, before the tunnel opened up into the Bat-Cave. And as if on command, a swarm of Bats flew overhead as the Old-Gentleman looked around at his surroundings from where he stood on that upper-level. The layout of the Cave had not changed that much from what it had been like before Ra's Al Ghul and his Men burnt down the Manor two years ago. The Main entrance to this Base was still hidden by the waterfall, with the Bat-pod and second Tumbler parked near it on the ground floor. So far the only changes had been made were to the foundations of the Manor above which were strengthened and the installation of a new Armory and Bat-Computer at the end of the upper level.

And that was where Bruce Wayne currently was, sitting down in front of a large screen, which itself was surrounded by several smaller ones.

"Morning Alfred." the younger Man said, not even turning round to see his faithful Butler and Confidant, who simply shook his head as he walked up to him.

"I see I was right once again, Master Wayne." he replied, gaining a curious look from the Billionaire as he swivelled his chair around to face him.

"About what Alfred?"

"Well, remember last year..." Pennyworth began to say, while placing the tray down on the small table beside his Master.

"...when I said 'you can go from not sleeping in a Penthouse, to not sleeping in a Mansion'. Well...I told you so."

This made Bruce's expression change to one of confusion as he reached over to the tray, taking a piece of buttered toast from a plate lying on it.

"I would agree with you Alfred, had I stayed down here after getting back from last night's patrol. But I did go to bed." he replied before taking a bite from the food, while the Butler looked back with a caring yet worried expression.

"But that was only a few hours ago Master Wayne, you should still be in bed."

"Unfortunately I have a busy day ahead of me, so I can't think of having a lie-in today." the younger Man replied as he turned back to the Computer and started typing on it's large keyboard, gaining a knowing expression from Alfred in return.

"Ah, you mean your 10:30am meeting with Mr Fox and the Wayne Enterprises board."

"Yes, plus I have a few ideas I would like Lucius to explore for me with Applied Sciences." Bruce said back as he looked over some information on the main screen, while Pennyworth looked at his watch.

"Well I think you better get a move on, as that is only an hour away." he replied, which made his younger friend nod back.

"Yeah, I was just about to get changed and head out. I was only going over the data on Lieutenant Foley..." he started to say, only for Alfred to cut him off as they both stared at the screen.

"You mean the GCPD's new lieutenant, the man currently leading Gordon's anti-Batman squad." he said while gesturing to the screen, earning another nod from Bruce in return.

"Yes, I nearly had another run-in with him last night in Old Gotham while taking care of Zsasz and a group of armed thieves."

"Making things difficult for you, Master Wayne?"

"Not so much, but despite what he has publicly said about chasing down Criminals and myself, I can't help but feel that he wants to focus on me more." the Billionaire said back with a slither of worry to the tone of his voice, gaining a knowing expression from Alfred.

"Well can you blame him...or the GCPD? You were the one who had Gordon hold you responsible for Harvey Dent's crimes..." he started to say in a 'matter-of-fact' tone, only to stop as Bruce looked back with a determined expression.

"That was to protect the people of Gotham. Not just from the truth of what Dent had done, but also so that all the Criminals he had put away would stay behind bars."

"And that was a decision I agreed with, despite how difficult it would make Batman's mission. I told you before, Master Wayne, that 'things were always going to get worse before they got better'." Alfred replied, making Bruce nod back slowly as he looked at a framed-photo that was standing on the table beside the tray.

"You were right too, things did get much worse..." he started to say before drifting off as a sad look befell his fa ce, which made the Butler look at the same picture and see that it was of Rachel Dawes.

"Yes, that was a terrible tragedy..." he began to reply, remembering the letter for Bruce that she had given to him, the one that he later burnt to protect his friend.

"...but she wasn't the first, nor will she be the last. Which is why Gotham still needs you...still needs the Batman, even if it despises you."

This made the younger Man turn and lookup at his Confidant, an appreciative slight-smile on his face.

"Well, good to know that this is not all in vain." Bruce then replied.

"I am not one to suger-coat the truth for you Master Wayne, only to ensure that you pick yourself back up and get back out there."

"Well..." Bruce started to say, an appreciative slight-smile appearing on his face as he looked at his friend.

"...I am lucky to have you here then, to help me with this mission of mine."

"Always Master Bruce...and it's 'our' mission." Alfred replied with a caring smile, one that Wayne mirrored before turning back to the Computer and shutting it down, which made the Armory nearby slide back down into the floor, taking the Bat-suit out of view.

"Well I better get going." he said while getting up and starting for the elevator, with the Butler following beside him.

"By the way Master Wayne, I forgot to ask..." he started to say as they entered the lift, with the younger Man pressing the button beside him.

"...why were you a little late back last night, after contacting me originally?"

"I thought that since I was in Old Gotham, I should pay my respects." Bruce replied with a knowing look, which made the older Man nod back as he knew what the Billionaire meant.

"Of course Sir, I know they would be very proud of you." he said back as the doors closed, and the elevator then took them back up to the Manor.

To be continued...

[Edd Grayson]

I think Rises was a mess and lackluster. Should've been called "Batman Ends". At least your story is building on what happened after TDK. And I like your style.

[The Dark Knight]

I think Rises was a mess and lackluster.

I now like it more than I did in the past. But I'm glad that era is over.

[Edd Grayson]

I think Rises was a mess and lackluster.

I now like it more than I did in the past. But I'm glad that era is over.

The same for me. Snyder-Affleck at least won't be more of the same.

[ApolloXL5]

Thanks, I am glad you like it.

As for TDKR, I do like the film but it is just nowhere near as good as the previous two films (but is still a better part three than some other trilogies have had).

And I am really looking forward to seeing what we can get from Snyder/Affleck, I mean it is rumoured that in his first solo-Batman movie that we will get Red Hood.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER III

"Good Morning, Commissioner." a Female Officer said in a cheery tone as Gordon and Bullock walked into the Police Headquarters from the Car-park, earning a reluctant smile from the older Man as he nodded while walking past silently.

"Morning." Harvey said back to her with a smile as he followed the Police Chief, leaving the Woman where she stood.

As they walked into the main-office area, some of the personnel turned and looked at them from their work stations while the rest kept their heads down and carried on working.

"Has Lt. Foley arrived yet?" Jim asked aloud with a slightly irritated tone, making the whole room go silent before the Police Officer closest to them pointed in the direction of the lieutenant's office.

"He never left, Sir." he said with an uneasiness to his voice while holding some folders in his hands, making the Commissioner look back with a confused expression.

"What do you mean, he hasn't left?"

"Well, I came in and he was still in the middle of processing the guys he had arrested earlier this morning." the younger Man replied, earning a nod from Gordon in return.

"Okay, thanks." he said back before turning his attention to Bullock, while the other guy quickly walked away with his folders.

"Well, I have some filing to get started on. See you later Commissioner." the chubby Officer replied with a knowing smile before he walked away as well, leaving the older Man standing there.

"Get back to work!" he suddenly said with an aggravated tone to the others, who all snapped back to work, which then earned a sigh from the Commissioner as he walked in the direction of the Lieutenant's office.

It was quiet inside Foley's office as he sat at his desk, keeping his attention on the files that lay before him. His eyes scanning each and every page of them as he read them all in their entirety, not even flinching at the sound of his Boss's voice from beyond the closed door ahead.

'Right, here we go again...' the Lieutenant started to think before the door suddenly opened, which made him look up to see Gordon walking in.

"Good Morning Commissioner, how can I help you today?" he asked with a calm and collected manner, not looking the least bit intimidated by the Police Chief, who closed the door behind him and stared back.

"We need to talk." he said back with a tone that Foley knew only to well, which made him sigh as he picked up his coffee mug.

"Yeah, I guess we do..." he said before taking a sip nonchalantly, but Gordon simply shook his head in amazement at his subordinate's attitude.

"...so how many times are we going to have this talk?" the younger Man then asked, making the Commissioner place his hands on his hips and shake his head slightly in amazement at his subordinate's attitude.

"As many times as is needed for it to sink into that head of yours." he replied.

This made Foley gesture to the older Man's right, gaining Gordon's attention as he looked there to see a chair.

"Then you better pull up a chair, because this will take a while." the Lieutenant said back with a tinge of sarcasm to his voice, which made Jim grit his teeth as he placed both hands on the desk and stared down at the other guy. But Foley just ignored him and looked back down at his files, which made the older Man's eyes narrow behind his glasses.

'Arrogant little...' he started to think, only to stop and sigh as he stood back up.

"Look...Peter, I heard that you were out on patrol again last night and caught the felons from the Gotham National Bank."

"Yes I did, including Victor Zsasz. You know, the serial killer that escaped Arkham during it's mass breakout two years ago." Foley replied with a smug look, one that did not phase Jim at all.

"Before you go and pat yourself on the back, I did also hear that they weren't exactly in any condition to cause you trouble..." the Police Chief started to say as his Subordinate's eyes widened a little, making his smile disappear.

"...because you were after the one who left them there to be picked up."

Foley suddenly got up and walked over to one of his blind-covered windows, taking a look out at his colleagues as they worked away.

"I don't need another lecture from you, Commissioner." he the said in a direct manner, but Gordon did not budge from his spot as he kept his attention on the Lieutenant.

"You're a good Cop, Peter. I wouldn't have promoted you if that wasn't the case, but you've got to let this go."

It was now the younger Man's turn to grit his teeth, as this line got under his skin.

'What the hell?..' he began to think, before turning around and staring daggers at the Police Chief.

"What? Like you obviously have..." he suddenly spat, making Gordon look back with a surprised expression.

"...because I remember when you began the manhunt for the Batman, the one who killed this City's White Knight. Those were your very words..." he continued while pointing a finger at the older Man, who simply stood there and watched.

"...and then less than a year later, you no longer care. I mean Harvey Dent was your friend and yet you leave his killer out there to do whatever he wants." Peter added, but Gordon simply adjusted his glasses rather awkwardly as mention of the former DA's name brought back flashes of that night.

"That's..." the older Man started to stammer while trying to block out the images and focus on Foley once more, but the Lieutenant cut him off before he could say any more.

"No disrespect intended Commissioner, but I will not let Dent's Murder go un-avenged..." he started to say before noticing his Boss's face, for he knew what Jim was about to say in return

"...and it doesn't matter if the Batman hasn't killed since then. Because he has already taken a life and even if he hadn't, vigilantism will not be tolerated in Gotham City any longer."

It then went quiet in the office as both Men stood there, but then before either could say another word, the Lieutenant's phone started to ring. This gained a knowing look from Gordon as he glanced at the phone and then to Foley, who had started to move back to his desk.

"I'm guessing that's your Wife again, wondering when you will be coming home." the Police Chief said as he turned and walked towards the door, only for Peter to stop him.

"Commissioner...you may have stopped the manhunt, but I haven't. And if I find out that you are in any way still connected to Batman..." he began to say in a serious tone while holding his hand over the still ringing phone, which earned him a mirrored look from Jim in return.

"I am the Police Commissioner, Peter. I have dealt with far more 'intimidating people' than you, that is something to remember." he replied before leaving the office, gaining a thoughtful expression from Foley as he picked up the phone's receiver and took the call.

BATMAN: THE SCARRED AND THE DAMNED

[/b]

Meanwhile at Wayne Tower, located in the center of Gotham. Bruce was standing in front of the other members of the board, all seated around the long table and staring back at the younger Man in there midst.

"So...what does everyone think, do you like my idea?" he asked with a calm and confident tone, while the rest of the board then turned and talked amongst themselves. It would have been completely silent in the large Meeting-Room, if not for the whispering. But then Lucius Fox stood up from his spot at the table closest to younger Wayne, gave his friend a smile before looking back to his colleagues.

"Yes, What do we think of Mr. Wayne's plan?" he said, gaining the other's attention as they looked at their Chairman.

"Well...it would be quite the undertaking..." a female Board-member began to reply, before she was suddenly cut off by a middle-aged Man across the table from her.

"But it would be an extremely expensive one, especially if it does not work out." he said with a condescending tone.

"Well I think it sounds like a wonderful project to get behind..." an older male voice then said, which made everyone look to Douglas Fredericks.

"...something that Thomas Wayne would have green-lighted back in the day, so you have my support Mr. Wayne." he added, before the majority of the Board-members nodded back in response.

"I think you have your answer Mr. Wayne." Fox then said with a smile, gaining a nod from Bruce in return.

"That's great."

"So when should we announce this initiative to the general public?" another female board-Member then asked, making the Company's owner look over to her.

"I was thinking of telling everyone at a fundraiser I will be hosting at Wayne Manor tomorrow night, since it will be the first public engagement the Mansion will have had since it was rebuilt."

"That's a splendid idea Mr. Wayne and I think that I can speak for everyone here, when I say we will all be present." Lucius replied, gaining smiles from their audience before the Chairman turned back to them.

"And if there is nothing else, then I call this meeting to a close."

With that the other Members of the Board then departed as Bruce joined Fox's side, only for Fredericks to join them as he got ready to leave.

"I hope this 'party' will go better than the last one you held at the Manor, Mr. Wayne?" he asked with a knowing tone, which Bruce merely replied with a slight smile on his face.

"I don't plan on kicking everyone out and burning the place to the ground, if that's what you mean Mr Fredericks." he replied with a mirrored tone, one that brought a smile to the old Man's face as Lucius watched.

"Just making sure and please, it's Douglas." he said back while holding out his right hand to the younger Wayne, who shook it with his own.

"Okay, but only if you call me Bruce in return."

"You know Bruce, having witnessed how you have handled your Family's Company in the last two years, as well as this project you have in mind. I feel that I misjudged you, because the Apple hasn't fallen far from the Tree." Douglas replied with a warm tone and smile, which Bruce mirrored.

"Thank you, I appreciate that Douglas."

The older Gentleman then nodded to both Men and picked up his small suitcase, before looking back at them.

"Well, I will see you both tomorrow night. Good day." Fredericks then said before leaving the room while Fox followed and closed the door behind him, only to return to Bruce's side as the younger Man looked out of the window at the City.

"So I guess the Board-Meeting was not the only reason you came in today, Mr. Wayne?" Lucius asked, earning a nod from his friend.

"That's right."

"Does that mean you are finally going to take one of the extra Tumblers I have in stock downstairs, because that Bat-pod can only do so much." the Chairman replied, but the young Wayne shook his head as he looked over to him and pulled a folded document from the inside pocket of his suit.