Story [Batman] He Who Laughs Last

Title: He Who Laughs Last
Fandom: Batman
Author: jedsithor (Vadakin)
Characters: Batman/Bruce Wayne, Commissioner Jim Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Dick Grayson/Nightwing, The Joker.
Timeframe: 6-10 years after current comic time.
Summary: After years of peace, a vicious crime forces Batman out of retirement.
Disclaimer: Batman and all related characters are owned by DC Comics. Batman created by Bob Kane (and Bill Finger though he never gets credit for it).
Notes: One-shot. First published on EyesSkyward.com under the user name: Vadakin.

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Gordon:

I hate it when my phone rings. I sit behind my desk doing paperwork, watching the Bulls lose ? again. I remember when it was Jordan, Rodman and Pippen. I remember when they were unstoppable. Times have changed. There's not much love for my team in Gotham. Sometimes it feels like there's not much love for anything in this city. It used to be worse. Before he came. Before he changed everything. I could have moved back home. Chicago is a nice town and the cops I pissed off have long since retired. But here I'm respected. Here I'm the boss. The man responsible for keeping the city safe. But things are quieter these days. Safer. I hate it when my phone rings. It means there's something wrong. Something big. They don't call me out unless the press are having a field day. The phone rings and I'm told that something terrible has happened. I have to see it for myself. No Bulls game for me tonight. It doesn't matter. They'll lose. No team gets out of Metropolis with a win anymore. I could put a dime on it but I won't bet against my own team, even when it's a sure thing.

?Commissioner, this way.? A new face. I don't recognize him. I make it my business to know my officers. He must be fresh out of the academy. Poor kid. He thinks he can make a difference. They all do. But they soon learn. He's taking me to the crime scene. It's the old opera house. A grimy, run down building that was intended to showcase the arts. It's showcasing something alright. It's on the stage. It's on full display. The new kid hasn't thrown up. I'm impressed. Three, no four bodies. All mutilated. Face down in quite a lot of blood. Gruesome but not strange. Not in this town. It's a good thing I didn't say that out loud. I'd look stupid when the coroner turns one of the bodies over. There it is. Carved into the poor man's chest. Three words. The same word three times.

Then there's the face. Scarred. Probably with a razor blade. All four bodies are the same. Brutalized. But no visible cause of death. The wounds are extensive. Painful. But they won't cause death. The coroner will confirm as much. He'll do a tox-screen. Standard procedure. I already know what he'll find. A fatal dose of Nitrous Oxide. They call it safe. They call it harmless. Too much of a good thing can kill you. The man who committed these murders has used it before. It's somewhat of a signature for him. Nitrous Oxide. Also known as laughing gas. The kid has thrown up on my shoes. He lasted longer than I did the first time. The same word three times. Ha. Ha. Ha.

He's back.



Alfred:

He's been sitting there for hours. Watching. Studying. He promised he wouldn't watch the news anymore. That life was behind him. The dark secrets of Gotham were no longer his to reveal. It's been six years. Six years since it ended. Six years since he determined his job was done. The masterminds of Gotham's criminal underbelly were gone. Killed in a gang war that almost tore the city apart. He defended the innocent. He didn't stand alone. He had partners. Friends. He trained them. When it was over they left him. Or perhaps he drove them away. Perhaps he knew that if they stayed they would be forever doomed as he is.

There was one loose end. One body the police never found. Master Bruce suspected the missing person had planned it all. One last hurrah, forever making his mark before disappearing. The news says he might be back. Now Bruce waits. He watches. He decides. Does

 

Thanks. I do have another Batman story that's somewhat similar in that involves a final confrontation with Joker but it veers off into a completely new direction, with a completely different writing style and ultimately a different kind of story. I won't post that one for a while though as I have other stories to get to first.