Thriller Batman - Fall

Update 1 of 2

Gotham Opera, October 30th

Jim nodded as he looked at the body in disgust.

"I'll let everyone know. I thi-"

His voice was cut off by the ringing of a cell phone on Riddler's person. He reached into the breast pocket of the hanging man and slid out a phone with an unknown number ringing it. He answered it, turning onto speaker mode.

"This message is for Batman. We know he's there."

Jim stared at the phone in confusion, the voice wasn't recognizable, but there was no scrambler.

"I believe by now you've already realized that something's going on. My employer has great plans for Gotham. He intends for you to see some of them before you're eliminated."

The sound of a zippo lighter hovered through the speaker.

"What fun would it be if we didn't give you a hint, eh?"

The voice chuckled slightly and continued.

"A little bird told me that, an old friend of yours, a bit like Riddler here, is in a bit of danger. However, I think your old pal Joker isn't going to stay still while you go and deal with your damsel in distress. No, you're going to have to choose, Dark Knight. The clock is ticking..."

@DarkLordoftheFins

Red Hood's Hideout, Oct. 30th

The GCPD had barely entered their new information when Red Hood decided to hack their database. There was something about a shooting on Mason Street with two figures with... powers? Then there was the information on the murder. The information was sparse, but the crime scene was similar to others they had seen before. Joker had done this.

An alert flashed up on the GCPD's personal site, issuing a high-alert call to all officers. The call had no specifics, but something was going on.

The GCPD had nothing on Scarecrow, but Jason couldn't remove the thought of what he had said earlier. The toxin would be shipped all around Gotham soon, so there had to be some way to check large shipments of imports that were coming into Gotham. Nevertheless, it was worth a check.

Batman would be spread thin trying to deal with all the new pop-ups at once. With only so much time, he couldn't do it all alone. The movements of these criminals had to be discovered. With so many trying to cause such mayhem, they would be at a major disadvantage if they were all in the dark. Red Hood needed to find someone who would squeal.

@greyjedi125

 

IC: Dinah Drake Lance
Kahlan’s home, Gotham, October 29th, Evening

Dinah tried not to pace around nervously. She was not afraid, far from it, but she did not like situations with so many unknowns. For instance the girl, who was she? She seemed to be having meta powers, but clearly was not a “professional” hero given the botched rescue. And who is that man, who clearly knew her?

‘I need to talk to Babs to defend me in front of the Bat.’ she thought.

The death of the Riddler was surprising, but not unexpected. Though whoever died in Gotham not always stayed dead. She wouldn’t be surprised if after some time he would reappear due to some mystical or cosmic mumbo jumbo. Or worse a copycat would emerge and make things more difficult. But first things first.

“So who are you both?” she turned to the girl and the unfamiliar man.

TAG: @TheSilentInfluence @Master Vo'Un'Var

 

IC: Red Hood
Hood Hideout #****

At first, Jason read the information he’d hacked, but after some time, he decided to listen. As he did, he began to have a sinking suspicion, and the more he listened, the more convinced he got.

Scarecrow, Black Mask, Joker, Riddler’s death, the upgraded weapons, Scarecrow’s new toxin. Somehow, it was all connected. He could almost see it.

"You fool. Black Mask has been invaluable to me."

Scarecrow made a gloating confession, probably thinking he was speaking to a man who would soon be dead or be driven irrevocably insane. Either way, it was still information. Relevant information.

Allan Skut was dead. That had been Red Hood’s best lead after weeks of asking some ‘tough questions’ at street level. And now…..

Jason rose from the table, his hands clenched into fists. He could feel his frustration and his ire rising. He’d moved too quickly toward the mirror; jolts of shooting pain coursed through his chest and arm wounds, causing him to hunch over. Slowly, he straightened and looked in the mirror.

His image was fuzzy, rather than blurry. His vision was slowly improving, to a point he felt he could probably drive. The bandages around his chest and arms were stained red from fresh blood. He would just have to redress them.

Closing his eyes, he began to breathe deeply; circular breaths. In through the nose, out through the mouth. He needed to keep calm and not let the immense rage inside of him become detectable for what he was about to do. He needed to do the impossible now and keep his hate hidden. Locked away.

His sponsor would have to trust him on this one. The situation was that desperate.

He snarled in distaste as he thought of the phrase that now drove him to action.

The enemy of your enemy is your friend.

Not entirely true, but he agreed with the basic principle.

Taking a few steps back to his surveillance desk, he picked up a secure phone and dialed a number he never thought he’d dial ever again- perhaps only to speak a disparaging epitaph.

Jason focused on controlling his breathing as he listened to the continuous ringing.

"C’mon Alfred, pick-up. I need to talk to The Bat".


Tag: @Master Vo'Un'Var

 

Epilogue

"This city has a lot of filth. Criminals, villains, and even down to the GCPD itself. Everything was corrupt, before Batman."

Jim Gordon looked towards the group of reporters. He leaned against the podium, weary. The caped crusader was gone, and Gotham was uneasy on what was to happen next.

"He was what held us together. What gave us hope. Batman protected us from the brink of chaos."

The commissioner, for one of the first times in his life, was at a complete loss of what to do. His shaking breath visible in the cold winter air.

"Now he's gone, but we cannot lose hope. There will be others who rise from the ashes, who take the mantle of Dark Knight. We need them to.'

He paused, and looked down at the podium.

"Gotham needs a hero."

---

OOC: Due to the dwindling interest of this game and poor management on my part, I have decided to close it. Perhaps in the future, with better management skills on my part and proper pacing, there will be another Batman title. As this is one of my favorite franchises, and the first game I launched to actually work, I decided I would write an ending post. Thank you to all of you who participated for the brief time we had. I was able to learn a lot about GMing, and had a lot of fun writing this stuff. Once again, I thank you all.