Batman: Gotham Knights #2

[Alex]

[cover coming soon]

Batman: Gotham Knights
An Earth A Title
Issue #2: "A Twist of Fate"
Written by: Alex Vasquez
Cover by: Alex Vasquez

“$#@*,” the young teenager swore to himself while he dug through plastic bags of junk food, soft drinks and a few toiletries he had just purchased from the corner store on Park Row and Charlton. Forgot the *&^%%$&* toothpaste, he scolded himself mentally. It was the whole reason I went to the store… screw it, he sighed in resignation and unwrapped one of the burritos he warmed up at the store and took a bite. I’ll just get it tomorrow…not like I have anything else on the docket.

He walked past one homeless man, lying down in the doorway under a mountain of multicolored blankets with only his head visible and another who was sitting against the next building, asking for some change. Underneath the streetlight on the corner were two call girls, sharing stories of about their customers with each other while waiting for the next one. Trash, broken glass, bottle caps, cigarette butts and broken drug paraphernalia littered the street as he walked to the place he called home.

He reached an abandoned apartment building next to the Park Row Clinic, took a quick survey around the surrounding area to make sure no one was looking before he shifted one of the boards that covered up a basement window just big enough for him to fit through and entered the building. Inside, he placed his bags down and carefully returned the board to its original location. He picked up his bags and began to climb the stairs to the top floor. He had been staying in this location for the past year and was surprised how little trouble he had encountered since settling in. The Park Row Clinic was said to be off limits and anyone who had tried to mess with it in anyway, usually had a bat problem afterwards.

The young boy scoffed at the idea of Batman as he walked up the last few steps and turned onto his floor. I've been technically messing with that clinic for almost a year now, as he walked to his door. Not like it's going to matter now anyway, I'll be out of this dump in a few days. He opened the door to his apartment and saw a large, dark figure looking over his computer equipment, his features illuminated by the light from his monitors. It turned towards him, pointed ears facing up and white pupil-less eyes glaring at him.

Oh $@%#,” he dropped everything he was carrying and ran back the way he came, jumping down flights of stairs when he came to them. $@%#, $@%#, $@%#,$@%#, he kept thinking as he ran. Why did HE have to show up now?

He got down about three floors before he took a detour, running down the hall and into another abandoned apartment that had a window broken out with access to the fire escape on the other side of the building. He jumped out the window and onto the fire escape, grabbing the railing on the ledge and vaulting himself over, letting himself hang for a moment before dropping down to the next floor and repeated the process until he reached the street.

He took a second to orient himself and look around. No sign of him yet, he thought. The quickest way to get out of here would be on the light train, but the nearest station open at this time of night was near Sheldon Park and it's about 6 blocks northeast. He took a deep breath and began a full on sprint to the train station. He dodged the people sleeping on the street, digging through trash bins for cans, the working girls. Don’t look back, he kept thinking to himself, while he zigzagged through some alleys, hoping it would throw his pursuer off. . It will only slow you down.

He saw the train station a few yards ahead of him when he tripped and fell. He was having trouble catching his breath and felt his snack from earlier crawling up this throat and eventually coming out and onto the street. He looked to see what he tripped on but but saw the dark figure looming over him. He was about to say something when a pair of hands shot out from the inside of his cape.

***

Batman hurried to the open window he had used to enter the apartment once the boy took off and began to climb the fire escape up to the roof. Once he got there he heard the metallic groan of the fire escape on the other side of the building. He rushed to the other side of the rooftop and saw the boy dropping down from ledge to ledge until he reached the street and began to run, heading northeast.

Doubtful he has another safe house in the area, Batman thought while following the boy along the rooftops of Park Row. Bus stops leave him out in the open and they don’t run frequent enough at this time of night of offer him a quick getaway, he must be heading to a transit station. Batman knew the closest one was at Sheldon Park, given the direction that the boy was running.

Batman shot his grapnel gun at the nearest rooftop and once it was secure, he began to swing towards Sheldon Park to cut him off. He perched himself on a building across the street from the station and looked down. He saw the boy running into the alley and before tripping. Batman jumped down, shooting out his cape to help slow his decent. He landed silently in front of the boy, who had missed his entrance and now had a pool of vomit underneath him. He looked up at Batman, who grabbed the boy and shot a grapnel up to ascend to the nearest rooftop. Once they got to there, Batman let him go. The boy seemed a bit dizzy, tripped over his own feet and fell backwards onto the rooftop.

“Look man, I didn’t do anything.” The boy began, crab-walking away from Batman.

“People who run usually do,” Batman replied walking towards him.

“Fine, tell Bruce Wayne I’ll give him back his money, just let me go.”

“What makes you think that’s why I’m here?”

“Why else would you be after me? I didn’t do anything else. You have to work for him right? Look, I’m sorry I took the money, I’ll give it back.” Batman said nothing. The boy continued: “I bet that you and your boss don’t want to make the connection between you two public, which will happen if you take me in. Just let me give back the money, let me go and we all win in this.”

“That’s your plan to get out of this?” Batman growled, grabbing the boy and lifting him up by his jacket. “And besides, we both know if there was any evidence of this has been erased by now.”

“Look, I’m not a murderer, I didn’t rape anyone, and I’m not one of the costume nut-jobs you normally go after.” The boy snapped back. “I just thought this would be my way out, maybe go to a real school, get a legit life or something…”

“You expect me to believe that? The gear in your apartment doesn't seem to be for term papers and science projects.”

“It’s the truth, whether you believe it or not,” the boy said. “I don’t know where you’re from, but living in Crime Alley usually doesn't lead to a long and prosperous life. We both know the kind of damage I could’ve done once I got access to that backdoor in the network. The stuff I do, it’s to survive, to get food. I’m not exactly living it up.”

Batman put the boy back down on the rooftop. “How long have you been on the streets?”

“Too long,” the boy replied, moving the long, black hair out from his eyes. “Since my mother died when I was ten.”

“Father?”

“Died before mom did. Computer skills were the only thing that I inherited from him, that and my last name.” The boy looked down and away from the Dark Knight. “While kids were playing card games or with action figures, my dad taught me computers. One day he left for work and never came back.” He took a deep breath to compose himself and looked back at Batman, with his hair falling back into his eyes. "Found out they found him in some office, hunched over a computer with a gun shot to the head. Turns out he was a cyber criminal and things just went wrong i guess."

"Looks like you've chosen to follow the same path," Batman said, crossing his arms.

"I’ve never stole from some average person or family,” the boy said, with an elevated voice. “I took only what I needed, from people who could afford to part with it. Well, except for this latest time… but that was to try and get out… people from this…level of life hardly ever get opportunities to get out… it just ends up a cycle of hopelessness and eventually you get caught or get got and once you’re at that point, it’s over.”

Batman looked the boy over and was confident that he was being truthful. He couldn’t help thing about his own story while listening to him, and what if he hadn’t been born into privilege and into a loving household? What if he didn’t have Alfred? What if he had been in a similar situation as this boy when his parent’s were gunned down, how would he have turned out? He knew that there was a kernel of truth in what the boy had just said. If something wasn’t done, he would just end up in the cycle of crime and violence that enveloped the city, and could end up suffering the same fate as his father. “What’s your name?” Batman asked.

“Jason,” Batman said. He reminds me of Dick a little, he must be around Dick’s age when Dick’s parents… “If you’re serious about getting out and getting a better life, you’ll need to set things right and deal with that money you stole…”

***

Ok, so it’s not the doomsday scenario I thought it was going to be, Jason thought as Batman escorted him back to his place on Park Row. He heard people talk about encounters with the Batman, all of them were different, and all of them exaggerated, some to the point of saying he wasn’t even human. All of them did have one thing in common, it was a terrifying experience and that’s the one thing that Jason could definitely validate. His physical presence was intimidating enough. The grey body armor added to an already bulky physique, the black gauntlets he wore, with extra plating around the knuckles, the black cape which allowed him to blend into the darkness and his menacing cowl, with the long ears and the white eyes that hid his pupils. It even made his voice more menacing, though as Jason thought about it, if anyone else tried to talk with that growl, they would sound utterly ridiculous.

Jason’s first instinct was to deny any wrong doing, but he knew as soon as starting coming out of his mouth, that it was useless. This was the Batman, and he didn’t just go around beating the hell out of people without some reason. Maybe if he played it straight, and offered to give the money back, maybe Batman would show some sympathy for his situation. After all, he didn’t remember ever hearing about Batman beating the crap out of teenagers. So he did, and he even threw in the Bruce Wayne connection in as well. How else did Batman find out about it, if he wasn’t on Bruce Wayne’s payroll? Jason thought. He goes out and beats up drug dealers, mobsters and super villains. Doubtful he spends his time online looking for cyber thieves.

Jason thought he might have caught Batman off guard a little, though it was hard to tell with the cowl. He let it give himself a little bit of bravado, but Batman shut it down quickly and Jason was back on the path of repentance. Again, he couldn’t tell if Batman was buying any of it or dismissing it, but it was the truth. All he wanted to do was get out of the slums and live a normal life. Jason thought he was done for, when Batman caught him by surprise and started to ask him about his life on the street and about his family. It was a subject that Jason was very guarded about and never really told everyone, but there he was, spilling everything to Gotham’s Caped Crusader. Telling him about his father and his mother, stealing what he could to survive and making sure it wasn’t from anyone who would really be hurt by it.

Once they got back to Jason’s abandoned apartment building, Batman took a piece of paper from his printer and began scribbling down routing and account numbers with dollar amounts next to them. “Transfer these amounts to these accounts,” he said handing Jason the paper as he sat down at in front of his workstation. Jason brushed his long black hair away from his eyes and began typing away.

The Dark Knight began to ask Jason some more questions while he worked. He grilled him on his knowledge of networking and internet security. His processes, how he chooses the victims of his cyber crimes and where he got his equipment, and how he managed to hack into the clinic’s network. He told him about his earlier days, of using the library and coffee shop hotspots to hack, the phishing scams he would run and his time hanging out with some students from the Glendale Institute of Technology, doing favors for them to get equipment and learn. He told him how he found the clinic’s network and how he hacked into it. Batman’s follow up questions seemed to let Jason know he knew his stuff. Batman added some more questions about his life, his parents and Jason told him everything.

Jason couldn’t explain it, but he felt a connection with the Dark Knight. Maybe he understands, Jason thought. Maybe he knows what it’s like. Jason couldn’t really tell, since Batman was stoic the whole time, supervising him except for a few minutes when he stepped away. It was well known that Bruce Wayne had lost his parents on this very street when he was a boy. Maybe that’s why, maybe he sees me like he does Bruce Wayne, Jason thought.

“How are we on those transfers?” Batman asked, breaking Jason’s daydream.

Jason shook his head out of his daze and checked the screen. “They’re done.”

“Good. Grab some clothes and anything else you might need for the next couple of weeks.”

“Okay,” Jason said, growing a little optimistic. Maybe he wants to give me a job; it would be kinda awesome to be Batman’s tech support. Or maybe to be, I mean, he hasn’t been seen in over a year, maybe… “Where are we going?”

***

“You’re taking me to an orphanage?” Jason protested as Batman set him down on the street below. “That’s #$%^&!”

“It’s that or I take you to Central to be booked for a stay in juvie,” Batman gave his ultimatum.

“The way I hear those places are, I might be better off in juvie, or staying in Crime Alley,” Jason snarked back, crossed his arms and looking away. Batman made a motion towards his utility belt that caught the young man’s eye. “Alright, alright… you’re just taking a spot away from someone who really needs it. Those schools for troublemakers like me are really underfunded usually.”

“With the money you just transferred to them, I’m sure it will be more than ample to cover your stay,” Batman replied, pulling a small remote from his belt.

“But the Gotham Children’s Home? Isn't that all the way in North Newtown, near Scituate. Buses have already stopped running here for the night unless you plan on carrying me there, which is not…”

“I got that covered,” Batman cut him off,. He pressed the button on the remote and starting up the Batmobile, hidden in the alley behind them.

“Holy @#$%!,” The boy was startled by the start of the engine and the red lights emanating from inside the car and the headlights, but his initial reaction turned to curiousness and excitement as he ran towards the vehicle.

It was the latest and greatest. A modified Mazzerati, outfitted and modified with heavy, military-grade armor plating that had an electrical deterrent built into it encase anyone got the urge to tamper with it. The hood ornament was replaced with an oversized emblem in the shape of a bat head that could be used as a battering ram if needed. Hidden in compartments hear each wheel well, were four retractable six-barrel miniguns that could be loaded with a variety of different ammunition depending on the situation. The car had also been programmed with a limited A.I. in the event Batman was unable to drive for whatever reason.

He opened the passenger door remotely for the boy and the driver side door for himself. Once he got in, he saw Jason ogling over the video scanner suite and the on-board computer. Batman “This is beyond awesome,” Jason said as Batman got in the car, but his joy turned sour when Batman stepped on the accelerator and drove north towards Newtown. The boy's excitement died and grew silent as they passed by the Giordano Botanical Gardens.

“I’m sure it will only be a temporary stay,” Batman broke the silence. “Faye Gunn has turned it into one of the best, second to St. Jude’s.” While Jason was busy donating the money, Batman had Alfred look into various children’s homes in Gotham. He preferred to send him to St. Jude’s, the orphanage that Dick had stayed at after his parents were murdered, but they were at capacity at the moment. The Gotham Children’s Home and its Director, Faye Gunn came with outstanding reviews from the Gotham Child Protective Services and had a high rate of finding children permanent foster homes. Ma Gunn, as she was affectionately known as, was a former school teacher and widow of a prominent hedge fund manager. She made sure that the children who remained in the home received an education that was on par with most of the public schools in Gotham.

“That’s like saying a dog @#$% is better than cat @#$%,” Jason retorted curtly. “And it will be a temporary stay alright. I can stay until I age out in a couple of years and then I’m back on the street again.”

Jason remained silent for the duration of the trip. Batman couldn’t help but think about what he said. He’s probably right, he thought. He’ll probably just end up on the streets again at some point, doing the same thing or getting into something worse. Batman looked over at Jason, whose long, black hair covered his blue eyes as he looked down at the Batmobile floor. He thought of the day his parents were murdered. The flash of lightning against the dark night, the gun shots that followed and the pearls that fell from the hand of the mugger and the neck of his mother while rain dropped down, kneeling beside both of his parents as their blood pooled underneath them. He remembered the car ride to the police station. Someone had put his father’s coat on him. They kept telling him they were going to find who did it; they were telling him that everything was going to be okay.

Those words sounded hollow then, probably like mine do now. Batman looked over towards Jason, who was now looking out of the red-tinted window. When Bruce was orphaned, he had Alfred and the Wayne family fortune to keep him from falling down the road that Jason now faced. Dick had Bruce and Alfred, but Jason Todd had no one. He does now. I’llhave Alfred to look into finding a place for him, or help him get some kind of scholarship to put his skills to use… I can’t let him fall through the cracks of the system.

They reached their destination. It was a small, former elementary school built about 100 years ago that was decommissioned by the Gotham Public School System due to structural weakness. Ma Gunn had purchased and renovated the school at her own expense. In addition to housing up to 72 foster needy children, Gunn also ran a monthly outreach program that feed and clothed the needy in the area, giving her the status of a local hero.

She was standing under the arch of the main entrance to the former school, wrapped up in a black coat, holding it tight as the wind began to pick up. Standing next to her was one of the residents of the Gotham Children’s Home, a shaggy red-haired boy wearing a charcoal grey hooded sweatshirt and jeans. Jason looked at them through the window of the Batmobile and looked back at the Dark Knight. Batman wanted to say something and searched for some comforting words for the boy but found none and ended up saying nothing. Jason took a deep breath, sighed and opened the passenger door to get out. Batman watched as Jason made his way up the stone steps and was greeted by Ma Gunn and the boy before departing. He told himself that he would see to it that this boy will have a future.

***

It seemed like the longest walk of his life. Every step felt like it had picked up the sidewalk below and added it to his foot as he walked towards the former school that now housed a Children’s Home. Call it what it is, Jason thought. It’s an orphanage. Jason’s mind began to feel fuzzy and a weight was suddenly placed behind his eyes. He started to breathe deeper and more ragged. He had prided himself on being free, being self-sufficient and living on his own since his parents left, as if it made him better than the kids that had to go to places like this. Jason paused for a moment, closed his eyes and took a deep breath. He couldn’t help but feel like a dead man walking. I thought Batman would’ve understood, Jason thought climbing the steps. Jason grew a little more depressed with each step.

He heard the Batmobile drive away as the old woman stepped forward to meet him. “Hello son,” she extended her hand. “I’m Faye Gunn. Most of the kids here call me Ma.” Jason looked at the ground while shaking her hand. “Interesting friend you have there.”

“He’s not my friend,” Jason replied.

“Well, whatever the reason, you’re here,” the homely looking woman said, lifting Jason’s chin up to look her in the eyes. She smiled. “And we’ll do our best to make you feel at home while we try to find you a new home."

“Thanks…” Jason said sheepishly.

“Well, you must be tired,” Ma Gunn said and motioned for the other boy to come over. “This here is Bobby. You’ll be rooming with him and some other boys.” Jason looked and nodded towards the other boy, who did the same in return. He was a gaunt kid and had coldness in his eyes. “We’ll get you all situated with your paper work in the morning, I’ll let Bobby here show you to your room. It’s best you get some sleep.”

“Sure,” Jason agreed. He followed Ma Gunn and Bobby into the school. Ma stayed back to lock the double doors and Jason followed his new roommate up the main flight of stairs. After a right turn and a smaller, secondary flight, they reached the floor where their room was.

The hallway was dark, with a few flickering lights to illuminate their way. Jason could hear whispers and rustling behind a few of the doors. The wind picked up and caused the branches from the tree outside the window at the end of the corridor to rake the glass. Bobby didn’t say a word as he led him to the last room on the left. He opened the door and turned to Jason, “Here it is… good ol’ room 36.”

“Thanks,” Jason said, walking into the room. It used to be a classroom and still had a blackboard on the far wall. There were two long desks right up against the blackboard and four beds along the walls. Dressers separated the two beds and there were two more next to the door. There was a large empty space in the middle of the room. Two other boys were in the room. One was a hulking albino boy sat on his bed and was dressed in a white t-shirt, grey sweatpants and had a shaved, pointed head. The other was a brown-haired boy and was laying down. He wore a shirt with jeans and a purple jacket with white sleeves. His hair was slightly longer and more unkempt than that of his escort. He was a bit muscular, but nowhere near the level of the albino boy. There was a block M on the left lapel of his jacket.

“So this is our new roomie, Bobby?” The albino boy said with a deep and grating voice.

“Sure is Nicky,” Bobby said closing and locking the door behind him, “Courtesy of the Batman himself.”

“No @#$%,” Nicky said hopping off the bed. The interest of the boy lying down seemed to be piqued as well and he sat up.

“Yup, saw him come out the Batmobile myself.”

“You know what that means spud?” Nicky snarled at Jason, staring him down with his red eyes. Jason stayed silent until Nicky grabbed him by the shirt and threw him against the wall, causing Jason to drop all of his belongings. Nicky grabbed Jason by the neck with his left hand and lifted him up with seemingly little effort. With his right hand, he reached into a pocket iin his sweatpants and pulled out a knife. He snapped the blade open. “Looks like we’re gonna our slice and dice on.”

Oh @#$%, Jason thought.

To Be Continued…

[Alex]

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