Story The Dark Dragon

THE DARK DRAGON
Batman and Dracula

By Kato Sai​

Gotham has sunk into the deeper shoals of crime, The Syndicate has turned the streets into a drug filled nightmare, where no one, innocent or otherwise are unmarked by it. The Dark Knight fights the tide of crime, but the arrival of new player, one called The Dragon, has the potential to change things for good or ill..

The City of Gotham was clouded in the pollution of gas fumes and toxic clouds from the labs of The Syndicate. Curfews had been created to keep the burgeoning populace safe at night, both from the toxins and the criminal element.

Into this atmosphere of fear a man walks the allyways. His long black trenchcoat matching his long black hair, his face pale like the vapor rising from the manhole covers. His walk is not one of haste as he takes in this world he has found himself drawn to. A vagrant in a cardboard box rustles at his presence, rodents scurry in front of him, including bats that begin to form a great cloud of shadow in the air, descending on The Shadowy Figure.

Not far away another dark figure stands, high on a precipice of steel, his head clade in a helm with two points, and a cape flowing in the wind. His chest emblazoned with a symbol of a Bat, his eyes fixed on the swarm of his kindred species stirring afar off. With one motion he leaps and fires a grapple hook of black line, and metal chrome point, catching a pipe on a water tower, he swings, and landed on a rooftop, moving light the night.

In the Ally, some Sybdicate Thugs open a back door, bats fly across their faces as they scream.

“What the h*ll was that?! D*mn bats!”

Another thug shouts,
“We gotta get this shipment across town or Mr. Muerte will have our skin!”

As the two men in black hoods and visible tattoos, loaded boxes, they heard a rustling.

“What was that? Is it him?!”

The other thug shook his head,
“The Batman? Nah.. we’d know it by now.”

A voice broke the silence.

“Hello gentlemen..”

The Hooded Thug drew a Barrett pistol. Standing inside was the Pale Lord, his eyes like blood.

“Who the h*ll are you?! Don’t you know this is Syndicate business?!”

The Red Eyed One drew closer, his movement a blur as the thug fired, and suddenly he held the Thug by the neck, gently.

“I have come from far, and across many centuries.. looking for a new home worthy of my name.”

The other thug put the barrel of his pistol to the Pale Lord’s head and fired, but the Pale Lord seemed to become like fog and move around and now held that Thug by the back.

The Thug cried out,
“What are you?!”

The Red Eye One bore his teeth, two fangs ready to plunge in the neckline of his artery.

“I am The Dragon!”

With that he bit the man on neck, the other fired the bulkets passing into his comrade. The Dragon moved in a blurr and appeared behind the armed man. He placed his pale fingers on his cheeks from behind.

“You spoke of a Bat, tell me who is that?”

The Armed Man turned and fired, but there was no one. He turned and saw his man on the ground, lifeless, pale, two marks on his neck like a snake bite.

Dropping down The Batman kicked the armed Thig backward into boxes. He stood, his cape swaying over the enterance, there was rustling and bats poured out a open window of broken glass. The Dark Knight’s eyed squiting like crescents. He looked down to see the pale corpse, and the fang marks. He examined them and took a sample of blood. Outside were sirens, the cops called by The Syndicate for back up. Batman took his leave, allowing them to take the corpse to the morgue and cuff the witness who was unconscious in the boxes and white sacks.

On a rooftop the bats descended and took the form of The Dragon who wiped his lips of rose colored liquid. He looked down on Gotham City, the bustling and rustling of people.

With a smile he said,
“Home sweet home.”

Too Be Continued…

 

The Dark Knight using his grapple swung above Gotham and landed near the cloud of his kind, which stirred and flew away. No sign of The Dragon.

Batman stood overlooking the city square, the vantage was fair as he watched the bats come together at a alleyway and form a figure who’s eyes gleamed red and disappeared into shadow.

“This city brings out the freaks.”

He was one to talk, as he dropped from rooftop into the seat of his Batmobile, the great engine firer and the flame of thruster trailing behind him as he made for the tunnel which would be packed at rush hour, but at night was like a four lane express lane. The Dark Knight made for the outskirts, the only not densely populated area, free of brick and towers, the home of Wayne Manor. The Batmobile went through the cave system, passing through a water fall before stopping at a ladder. Batman opened the cockpit like driver seat, sliding forward as he leapt ans climbed up to a plateform where a great computer screen the size of a theater screen loomed. He removed his helm with its horns of black, revealing jet black hair that he slicked back, and eyes weary with the woes of his own dark world. He took a seat in a leather throne chair, his right hand with a bracer with jaggid spikes pressed near his face and the other holding vial of blood he placed on clamp that fed into the computer. A elderly man with spectacles, fine trimmed white hair and a tux approached.

“Master Bruce, some tea.”

He placed a silver platter on a adjacent table, with silver spoon and teapot.

“Thank you, Alfred.”

The Butler looked at the blood vial, his hooked nose pressing near it as he squinted.

“A blood sample, one of your prusuits Master Bruce?”

Bruce rose and stood beside his friend and caretaker.

“A curiosity.. a new player is in town. Seems to have a thing for blood.”

Alfred rubbed his nose with a hankerchirf square from his pocket.

“Hmmm.. like Dracula.”

Bruce began stripping off his armor, revealing white wrappings around his torso.

“Dracula? Isn’t that..”

Alfred nodded.

“A vampire, a monster of Bram Stoker’s invention.”

Bruce put on a gray cardigan, and black pants.

“Perhaps this new player is using the persona of Stoker’s monster. Not unheard of.”

Alfred put the hankerchief away.

“Master Bruce, shall I fetch you a copy of the book?”

Bruce nodded, “Good thinking Alfred, if it is a copycat, the key to trapping him may be in the legend.”

Alfred smiled,

“Will that be all Master Bruce?”

Bruce gave a nod.

“Yes Alfred, thank you.”

The blood sample continued to tilt as it was analyzed by the computer, the screen reading in red lettering on black “10% Analyzed”