#5: Old Foes, Pt 3 (Moreau / Flinchum)

It’s about one-thirty A.M. I watch the streets as I stand on the side of a skyscraper facing Waynetech. The Mad Hatter is here. I know it. I can feel it.

The Mad Hatter has been a thorn in my side since the lunatic got a job at Waynetech. After attempting to investigate his reasons, I decided to confront him. He was ready for me. He created a machine that allows him to beam mind-controlling signals, like those found inside his hats, within an entire city radius. I discovered that the Mad Hatter used a prototype of his machine to hypnotize Max Schneider, Vice President of Waynetech, and forced Schneider to find a job for him at Waynetech. The Hatter used Waynetech’s money, my money, to fund his project. Schneider then restrained me as the Mad Hatter turned his prototype mind-controlling device on me.

After I lost consciousness, I awoke to find myself in a very strange place. My parents were there. They told me that the Mad Hatter had Schneider murder me in cold blood, and that I was now in the Realm of the Afterlife. They were upset that I had wasted my life trying to wage a one-man war against all the crime in Gotham. They were disappointed that I never settled down with a family, that I failed to carry on the family name.

Then, they suddenly disappeared, and I woke up in a run-down Gotham City alley, miles away from the Waynetech building. After I took stock of my injuries, I decided I had to get back to the cave. I hadn’t traveled very far before I was intercepted by the police, who had an arrest warrant on me for the attempted murder of Mayor Hill. After a long and grueling chase, I was finally able to make it back home, where Alfred awaited me.

And now, it comes down to this: I have to stop the Mad Hatter before he brainwashes an entire city, and I have to do it alone. I’m still aching from my encounter with the police. “No one man can stop all crime, how foolish could you be?” I hear my father say.

I try to stay in the shadow of the building even more than usual. I hold my cape to keep it from blowing and revealing my position. I look down towards the streets. A police car drives by.

As I was sneaking through the air shaft on my last visit to Waynetech, I noticed a vertical path that seemed to lead directly to the roof of the building. I decide to use this for my entrance this time, as the police are out in full force looking for me and this way seems to be the most discreet. I will need about twenty seconds unobserved to make it onto the roof of Waynetech using my grapple.

The rain comes down slightly harder than before. I pull out my binoculars. I look as far in the distance as I can for any police patrol. I notice the guard positioned at the back door of Waynetech. I look around the corner of the building, and check the skies for police helicopters.

When I feel satisfied, I take a deep breath and fire my grapple onto the building behind Waynetech. I swoop towards the roof of Waynetech, almost instinctively pushing my weight in the direction of the building as I attempt to glide faster. When I land, I quickly pull out my lock pick and secure its screwdriver attachment. I locate the air vent, and hastily remove the hinges and screws on the grate. I quietly remove the grating and climb into the shaft. I use my legs to brace myself against the sides of the vent, as I attempt to replace the grate. I only attach it at one point, to keep the wind from blowing it off again. I then slowly make my way down the vertical shaft, bracing my back against one side and descending heel under heel on the other. My legs begin to shake and my back begins to hurt, due partly to my earlier injuries and partly to my current activity. I attempt to block out the pain, and continue downward slowly and carefully. When I get about 85 per cent of the way down, my agony becomes too intense. My legs give, and I land on a horizontal portion of the shaft with a thud that must’ve woken up half of Gotham City. I surrender to the pain for a moment, but realize that I have no choice but to continue on. I crawl through the vent until I reach the drop down to the first floor. As I go to drop down, memory takes over and I recall what happened the last time I came through here. I blindly send a batarang out in the direction of the security camera, and hear it shatter the lens. I drop down and land on my feet.

I walk into the elevator and hit the sixth floor button. The elevator door slowly shuts. I really wish there were some other way to get into the Mad Hatter’s laboratory. It has no windows, only the one door. He must’ve picked that lab on purpose, knowing that it would be near impossible for anyone to see what he was doing in it. He knows I’m coming, so how can I get the drop on him?

The lights in the elevator suddenly begin to flicker. The car comes to a screeching stop, and I grab onto the rails to prevent myself from falling. A power outage when it’s not even thundering? Yeah, and the Mad Hatter’s out to save all of Gotham. I look around trying to plan my next move.

“Greetings, Batman,” the unmistakable voice of the Mad Hatter issues forth from a speaker in the elevator. “I trust you had a restful sleep. I’ve been waiting to see you again.”

“The only thing you’ll be seeing for the next few years are the stone walls of Arkham Asylum,” I fire back.

“Oh? You’re still cranky even after that snooze?” the Mad Hatter remarks. “Oh well. I’m just going to have to send you back to bed again! Good night, Batman!” He chortles evilly.

I look around, wondering what I should do next. Suddenly, I hear the sound of decompressing air coming from the ceiling. A green gas filters in through the vent. I fumble for the respirator in my utility belt, but it is too late. Too much gas flooded into my nostrils. I feel myself slowly pass out.

The mind-controlling waves emanate from Waynetech and quickly blanket all of Gotham. On every street, in every house and in every car the evil waves are felt. The minds of every man, woman, and child in all of Gotham are now under the dominion of one sick, twisted mind.

I watch as the waves rush through the bodies of Gordon, Bullock, and the three SWAT team officers. They freeze, their faces in total shock as they think their final independent thoughts. I think of myself, still able to think because of the gadget on my head.

After almost a minute of silence, the Mad Hatter jumps up and down. “It worked!” he exclaims, “Oh my plan worked! This is indeed a marvelous day!” The Mad Hatter throws his hands in the air like he’s just conquered a country. “My loyal subjects!” he yells, as the transmitter in his hat sends his message across the entire city. “This is your master speaking! From now on you will obey only MY thoughts. You are now bound to my will! You’re only mission in life is to serve me! I will now perform a little test!”

The Mad Hatter closes his eyes and concentrates. The looks of shock from the members of the police department disappear, replaced by blank stares. All five of them suddenly drop their weapons.

“You made them drop their guns?” I question in confusion.

“Of course,” he responds joyfully, “it makes what I’m about to do a lot more fun!”

“Good job, my faithful servants!” the Mad Hatter yells. “Your lives as my slaves have just begun! Your next task is a very simple, yet meaningful one. This is one I’ve been waiting a lifetime for! He has foiled my marvelous plans time and time again. He has made my life as a human being utterly miserable! Time and time again, he has thrown me into the cold, dark place we call Arkham Asylum! So now, with great pleasure, I command you! KILL THE BATMAN!!” His maniacal laugh echoes through the room.

Gordon, Bullock, and the three SWAT team officers slowly move towards me from the other end of the room. Their vacant eyes focus only on me. I try to wriggle free from my bindings. They’re too tight.

“See how eagerly the lobsters and the turtles all advance!” the Mad Hatter taunts. “They are waiting on the shingle–will you come and join the dance? Will you, won’t you, will you, won’t you, will you join the dance?”

I try to break the ropes binding me to the chair. I decide I have to break the chair, so I can slide the ropes off of it. I rock back and forth furiously, slamming my weight down onto the back of it. I hear one of the legs crack as the dark shadow of Lieutenant Gordon looms over me.

I panic, and hurl my weight down even harder. I look up just as Gordon aims a haymaker punch at my head. Holding my hat down, I throw myself onto the ground as Gordon’s fist barely misses my head and crashes through the empty table behind me. The pain of the impact doesn’t even faze him.

The force of my landing broke the chair. I slip out of the bindings and roll just as Bullock’s huge fist whizzes past my head and into the remains of the chair.

“Kill him! Kill the Bat I say!” the Mad Hatter shouts.

I run to the table with the computer parts on it. I hurl the parts at the policemen. They don’t even flinch. Realizing that my efforts are worthless, I flip the table at them. It knocks them back, but after about two seconds, they come at me again.

I notice three unarmed security guards coming in through the door. Is the Mad Hatter just going to order citizens to attack me until I’m dead? It seems that way. Bullock attempts to slam me through the wall, but I dodge, and slide by him. My hat flops on my head, but I push it back on before it can fall off. I run towards the door and slam it shut on the security guards. I move a table laden with heavy computer parts in front of the door. I really hope that holds, but I’m almost positive it won’t.

I run towards the computer the Mad Hatter is sitting at before the police can catch up with me. Thank God, controlled as they are, his thralls can’t move very fast. I yank the Mad Hatter out of his seat, and throw him at the hypnotized cops. “Oohh!” he yells as his body collides with theirs. “Hey!”

I furiously push buttons on the keyboard. The words “PROCESS IRREVERSIBLE” flash on the screen. I turn and duck one of the SWAT team officers throws a punch that sails past my head and goes through the monitor of the computer. When he takes his hand out, pieces of glass are embedded in his knuckles and blood is running down his wrist. I roll away from another bone-crushing blow from Gordon. This one strikes the floor. I attempt to throw myself under Bullock to escape, but Gordon’s hand grabs my cape and pins me to the wall. The cape digs into my neck. I reposition it so it doesn’t choke me. The door gives way, and dozens of hypnotized citizens rush in. They immediately target me. Schneider enters from the other room and joins them. The rich, the poor, the loved, the hated, the young, and the old of Gotham City are all here to take me down. I recognize a few people in the crowd. Vicki Vale, with her beautiful red hair, is one of my attackers. Lucius Fox is also present. I even notice my date of a few nights ago.

Gordon aims his fist at my head. I attempt to kick him and try to escape his grasp, but it is no use. I really don’t see any way to break his hold on me. I wait for Jim’s blow to finish my life. Jim, why does it have to end like this?

“Oh, the irony of it all!” the Mad Hatter says as he pushes through the crowd and walks towards me. “One of the only cops who actually trusted you as protector of this city is here to finish you for good!”

“You’re responsible for this, Hatter,” I say determined to correct his statement, “not Gordon.”

“Let’s not get technical, Batman,” the Hatter replies. “Let me ask you this: How does it feel to have your whole city turn on you? The city you’ve fought so long and hard to protect! Don’t you feel like you’ve. . . wasted a lifetime?”

I’m hearing my father way too much in the Hatter’s words tonight. Was my father right? Is this the result of all my hard work?

“This city is all mine now. You can no longer stop me. And who says you can’t have everything? Goodbye, Batman!”

I look at all those lying around me. The Mad Hatter almost had total control of this city. I just can’t believe it. I think about the vision of my parents, and what they said. My real parents wouldn’t have given up on me like that, not after tonight. The Hatter would’ve put this plan into action with or without me, but my presence here allowed Gotham to continue on. I realize that what they said was nothing more than thoughts that had been running through my subconscious mind and brought to life by the waves from the Mad Hatter’s machine.

I locate Gordon on the floor. “Jim! Wake up!” I say as I lightly slap him to try to help him regain consciousness.

“Barbara! NO!” he yells as he jumps up. He notices me. “B-Batman? What? Where am I? Why are you here?”

“You’re in the Mad Hatter’s lab at Waynetech,” I explain. Gordon rubs his head. “The Mad Hatter has been stealing funds from Wayne Enterprises since he began his job here. He used them to build a machine to hypnotize the city and put it under his total control.”

“B-but you,” he says, “you’re supposed to b-be in jail. You almost killed the Mayor.”

“I was under the Hatter’s control,” I continue. “I couldn’t let your force capture me, I had to stop the Mad Hatter from destroying the city. You have to understand, Jim.”

“I understand,” he says. “And you did save the city, again,” he says like it’s all I ever do. “I don’t know why I doubted you.”

“You had two eyewitnesses,” I say, “there was no reason for you to doubt my actions. You did what you had to do.”

“And so did you,” Gordon says proudly. I decide not to tell him about how he had me pinned me up to the wall and about how he almost killed me. He’s been through enough already.

“So what do we do now?” Gordon asks.

“The Mad Hatter is over there,” I say as I point to his unconscious body. “He’ll be out for a while.”

“And everybody else?” Gordon asks.

“They should be okay. Just help them get home when they come to. Only Gotham City was affected by the madness, so you should be able to get help from the suburbs.”

I turn toward the doorway. “Batman,” I hear Gordon say behind me. I turn around.

“Thanks,” he finishes, “I don’t know what this city would do without you.”

“You either, Jim,” I say as I walk out the door.