Gotham: City of the Dead #1 (of 4)

48 Hours ago:

In the upscale neighborhood of Gotham Heights, a young boy lay on his bed watching television. The warm glow illuminating the room flickered each time he clicked a button on the remote control. After channel surfing for several minutes, he finally stopped on his favorite movie channel. It was the Friday Night Fright Marathon. He fell asleep watching one of the old horror movies his parents have warned him about watching. His nana Ethel was watching him while his parents are away for the evening. Ethel was pretty lenient and as long as he didn’t tell his parents, she wouldn’t ether. Nana Ethel was much older than his last nanny, but he liked her all the same. The last thing he saw on the screen before falling asleep was a zombie clamoring for the brains of a teenage girl.
Moments later, he was fast asleep and started to dream. He was in an old cemetery and everything was in black and white. The wind blew through the leafless limbs of the dead trees. In the distance he heard a low guttural wail. He started to walk slowly at first until he heard it again and walked faster. The noise was getting closer. Up ahead was a church and if he could just make it there, he thought to himself, everything will be okay. He heard the wail once more. This time it was right behind and he ran as fast as his short legs would carry him. The church was getting closer; he dared not turn around to see what was after him. After what felt like an eternity, he finally made it into the church and closed the heavy double doors behind. At the end of the isle he saw a pastor crouched down over an older woman.

“Please sir, please help me!” He cried out, but the pastor did not turn around. The boy moved closer repeating his plea. He approached the pastor and puts a hand on his shoulder. “Please?!” He said again “There’s someone after me!”

The pastor turned around quickly leaving the bloody older woman on the floor. He looked at the boy with his yellowed eyes and blood covering his face. His teeth gnashed and he leapt toward the boy. The boy, petrified with fear, could do nothing but cower to the floor screaming.

“AAHHHHHHH!!!”

High above Central City, the hovercraft invented by self-made millionaire Ted Kord, hovered across the early morning skyline. After the destruction of Powers Towers during the invasion, Ted came back to Central City to work on a few things. His destination was a tech lab owned by his company Kord Omniversal. Normally he wouldn’t be visiting the lab without a tie on his neck and a pair of slacks, but today was not normal. His labs had been getting robbed quite frequently. Today, Ted Kord was not visiting the lab. His alter ego, the Blue Beetle, was. Landing the bug on top of the building, Blue Beetle jumped out and made his way to a secured stairwell. He gave his staff the day off so he could move more freely through his investigation. So far, there were six labs in all, each one of them missing something different. It didn’t take a genius to figure out someone was trying to build something. Ted searched through the various projects that his people had been working on. The one missing the most pieces was a set of equipment that tracks the rapid eye movement during sleep patterns. It was a preliminary test piece for a machine that would allow someone to watch the subject’s dreams on a computer screen. It hadn’t worked thus far and no evidence had shown that it ever would. The reason he had invented it was to find a way to communicate with coma victims. When ethical questions about looking into people’s minds and privacy laws were raised, the program was reluctantly scrapped.

Ted went to check out the spot where the burglar had broken in. He pulled back the police tape and inspected everything for himself. At first, he found the same thing the cops found, a footmark on the door where it had been kicked in. What the police hadn’t noticed that Ted had picked up on, was that there are three locks on the door. Only two of the spots on the doorframe were broken. The third one was code activated and had been either unlocked at the time of the break in, or left that way by someone on the inside.
Blue Beetle sat down at a nearby computer and went over the projects everyone has been working. Scrolling through the files on his staff, he narrowed it down to only a few who had worked in every lab that had been robbed. The first was a young woman about Ted’s age who had worked for Ted for five years. He hired her strait from college and always had kind of a thing for her. The next was Dr. John Dee, the man Ted hired to replace his late Uncle Jarvis.

“Would you look at that,” Ted mumbled to himself, “a doctorate in dream psychology.”

Dr. Dee had been working in all the labs. He had even traveled to one over in Gotham that Ted wanted to sell off to Waynetech. In fact, he was meeting with Bruce and Lucius today. Ted had recently decided to sell off his major labs to concentrate on other ventures. His extra curricular activities had taken much of his time away. Every since the invasion last month, he had been very busy as Blue Beetle trying to help in recovery.
He downloaded the files and headed out to the roof. He took a moment to look out at the view of the city, before zipping off in the bug.

Bruce entered the meeting room of the Wayne Corp. building several moments late. He took a seat at the table after greeting Ted Kord and Lucius Fox. The two men were already in mid-conversation.

“Bruce, I was just telling Lucius I have decided to sell off all my major labs.”

“We’ve been trying to talk you in to giving them up for years, why the sudden change of heart?” Bruce responded in a tone with just a hint of knowing.

“I am sure you’ve seen the news, Bruce. I can’t seem to keep them from getting robbed.” Ted answered in a joking manner. Then he continued, “I just don’t have the time to run them the way I want anymore. I’ll be keeping a small one in San Francisco that I’ll oversee myself. Part of the deal is that a free flow of information continue to be exchanged between all labs.”

“Well, it sounds good to me.” Lucius asserted. A young secretary stuck her head in the door and interrupted.

“Mr. Fox, there’s someone on the phone for you. They insist on speaking to you right away.”

“Okay. I’ll take that in my office.” Lucius said to the secretary who was eyeing Bruce.
“Excuse me gentlemen, that is probably Mr. Keaton he’s been quite persistent on getting his project complete. Bruce, I trust you can iron out the details with Mr. Kord?”

“No problem, Lucius.” Bruce answered, smiling.

“Ted it was great seeing you again.”

“You too Lucius.” Ted said, shaking the hand of the kindly older man. Bruce watched Mr. Fox leave and then continued the conversation, steering it slightly.

“So, Ted what kind of tech has been taken from the labs?”

“Just this and that. Nothing in particular.” Ted answered. Bruce pulled a folder out of his briefcase and tossed it on the table casually.

“Dream monitoring technology, highly advanced silicon chips not even Microsoft has yet, do I need to go on? Nothing in particular?” Ted eyed Bruce for a moment and then responded.

“I have the most expensive private investigators I could find working on the case. There is nothing to worry about.”

“Are you sure about that? “

“Listen, what’s this all about Bruce?”

“You and I both know that your inventions can be extremely dangerous in the wrong hands.” Bruce responded, his voice elevated.

“Me? What about Waynetech? Everything you make over here has a military application. I invent things to help people!” Ted shouted, the two men now standing face to face.

“Waynetech labs have less than one percent security risks. I don’t get robbed. If I did it sure wouldn’t happen six times in three weeks.” Bruce shouted back. Something came over Ted and he couldn’t hold it back. After Booster's disappearance, and everything that happened during the invasion Ted had been somewhat on edge.
He took a swing at Bruce and connected, busting his upper lip open. Bruce rolled with the punch minimizing the damage. He cursed under his breathe for not expecting it. Generally, people swung at Batman and not Bruce Wayne. He wiped the blood from his lip, smiling at Ted. Ted looked shocked at himself and stepped back.

“Bruce, I’m…” Ted started to apologize but was cut off when Alfred entered the room. The Wayne family butler noticed Bruce’s lip and handed him a handkerchief from his breast pocket.

“Is everything in order sir?” He asked his employer quizzically.

“Yes, Alfred. We were just discussing business.”

“Pardon the interruption, Sir, but word has just come that a Waynetech R and D lab has been broken into.” Ted couldn’t help but smile at Bruce when he heard the news.

“You were saying?” He asked Bruce sarcastically.

“I think we’re done here.” Bruce said coldly. “ You can follow up with Lucius about our decision.” Bruce exited the room, holding the handkerchief to his mouth.

The batmobile rolled to a stop outside of Arkham Asylum. The Dark Detective emerged from a nest of buttons and wires. He headed up the stone walkway that led to the entrance where two guards sat in the booth. One of them was new, he noted to himself. When he reached them, the new one asked him for his security pass. Batman shot the regular guard a sideways glance. The experienced guard put his hand on the new guy’s shoulder and said, “It’s okay. He’s got all the security pass he needs.” Batman gave him a nod. The shadow of the tall iron gates played across the back of the Caped Crusader as he passed through them. Batman walked down a long row of cell doors, maniacal laughter and insane chatter coming from each one of them. He stopped in front of the last one on the left.

“Dr. Crane.” He said, peering through the slot in the door. “I have some questions for you.”

“Well hello there.” The man known as the scarecrow said sarcastically. He appeared to be a little less than coherent with his meds running through his system. “Here to beat on me some more, Bats? Cause that’s a fun game we haven’t played for awhile.”

“That all depends on you.” Batman answered coldly, staring Crane directly in the eyes.

“You know Batman they say you can learn a great deal about a man through his eyes. I find it interesting that you hide yours.” Crane sneered at the Batman.

“What do you know about the kidnapping Crane?” Batman asked, almost growling. Crane paced slowly in a big circle around his cell almost off balance.

“Now, now Batman,” He said, laughing softly, “you know you can’t threaten me in here. Even if you could, they have me feeling good. I’m so doped up on meds I wouldn’t feel a thing.” Batman noticed his speech slurring as he talked. “So do your worst ass clown.” Crane shouted, rushing towards the slot in the door. Just as he pressed his face against it to look out, Batman landed a hard chop with the side of his hand through the slot. Crane tumbled backwards.

“You know Crane, the funny thing is, I believe you are innocent,” the Dark Knight paused, “this time. The thing is, someone used your fear toxins to do it.” Dr. Crane looked up, rubbing the now bruised bridge of his nose. Batman noticed a hint of surprise on his face. “That’s what I thought.” The Dark Detective said, matter-of-factly. “ I’ll be going now.” Batman turned to walk away. The Scarecrow rushed back to the slot in the door, this time he kept a safe distance from it.

“Wait, wait,” He said, “ I think I can help you, but I want something from you.”
Batman turned around and looked at him for a moment.

“What do you want Crane? An early release?”

“No, no nothing like that. It’s just…they don’t let us have pictures in here.” He said, whispering the last part. “I would really like to have a picture of my mother.”

Batman was taken slightly off guard by the request. He took a long measuring glance at Jonathan Crane and thought of the picture he himself kept hidden in his utility belt of his own mother.

“ Fine Crane, but I check your info first.”

“Yes of course.” Crane answered. “I’ll tell you what I can. And you’ll get me the picture?”

The Blue Beetle flew across the rooftops of downtown Gotham, making his way across town to his lab. He looked down at his gloved hand, thinking of his swollen knuckles from when he punched Bruce Wayne earlier today. He wondered to himself what had come over him. Not normally being an angry person, he felt a little embarrassed about his actions. As he considered the day’s events, he felt a slight jolt atop the bug. He looked up at the window and jumped in surprise. Looking right at him, upside down through the window, was the Batman. Ted panicked and lost momentary control of his ship. Once he regained it, the Batman was gone. He looked down at a nearby rooftop and saw the Dark Knight standing there, staring him down with a look a traffic cop would give when pulling someone over. He landed the bug on the top of the building and got out.

“You’re in my city. Why?” Demanded the Caped Crusader.

“Geez man, you could’ve killed me up there.” Blue Beetle retorted, trying to deflect the question.

“Answer the question.” Batman said firmly. Blue Beetle looked at the Dark Knight for a moment and noticed something. Batman had a busted lip.

“Bruce? Is that you?” Batman took a step towards Blue Beetle and eyed him up and down. He then took a lightening fast swing, knocking Ted to the ground and busting his lip wide open.

“Now we’re even.”

“Yeah, I guess we are.” Ted said, looking up at Batman.

Batman gave Blue Beetle a measuring look for what seemed like an eternity, and then finally spoke. “What do you got on the lab robberies?”

“Inside job. All of them. Central city’s finest missed it the first time around. I took a second look.”

“Any suspects?” Asked Batman.

“Dr. John Dee. He is the only common thread between all the labs. He’s scheduled to be here at my Gotham lab this week.”

“Why do you think he went after a Waynetech lab?”

“He’s building something. He majored in Dream Psychology and all the missing components have various functions on my dream monitoring tech.”

“What would his interest be in Dream monitoring?”

“I don’t know. I was hoping to ask him. My Gotham lab is the only one that has yet to be robbed.”

“We’ll stake it out. I’ll meet you there, I have a stop to make.”

“Um…yeah, okay.” Blue Beetle answered a bit confused at Batman’s willingness to work with him. “One more thing Bruce, Dan’s funeral, why weren’t you there?”

“I was.” Said Batman, before leaping off the rooftop as the bat-plane flew by. His grappling hook caught the wing and he was off. Ted watched him disappear into the darkness, smiling.

Seth Newman was in a deep sleep when his abductor entered the room. The kindly man from the intercom reached down and pulled Seth’s eyelids open. He then shined a small flashlight into his pupils.

“He’s out. He won’t wake this time until we want him to. Bring me the fear toxins, please.” Nana Ethel walked into the room with a large syringe.

“Everything is going according to plan so far.” She said, handing the man the syringe. He held it up to the light and flicked the end of it. A small amount of the contents squirted into the air. He pushed the needle into the boy’s arm and pressed down on the plunger.
“Yes mother, everything is working out.”

TO BE CONTINUED…