Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
That was the only sound he heard, alone in his cave.
That was the way it had been in his life for the past five months. Of course, 'Bruce Wayne' made many appearances during those months; hosting lavish parties and crashing the ones he wasn't invited to. But anyone who knew him, who really knew him, knew that 'Bruce Wayne' was a facade. The most eligible bachelor in Gotham City was nothing more than the true mask of The Batman.
Slowly, the powerful man stood from his meditation, walked over to a lineup of cases, and looked at the suits that were on display, each suit bringing back memories. His first suit, then his second – still sporting a few tears where Nygma's cane-knife had caught him, Dick Grayson's Robin uniform, Barbara Gordon's second Batgirl uniform, Tim Drake's red and black Robin attire... He wondered where they all were now. Somewhat. He'd kept tabs on them after he had fired them over two years ago when the Justice Lords took over. Dick somehow knew within weeks that he was being monitored and managed to vanish from Batman's watchful eye. He'd likely gone overseas but Batman couldn't be sure. Barbara, meanwhile, traded loud college parties for quiet times and became a part-time librarian at Gotham's public library, much to Batman's chagrin. And Tim Drake? Tim went to live with a long-lost aunt and uncle Bruce had found. He would be finishing up his ninth-grade studies in Blüdhaven soon.
Batman moved on to the final case, a case that held the tired but honorable uniform of a long-time friend and confidant: Alfred. His most trusted advisor and ally had died the month before the Justice Lords were defeated and disbanded. He died peacefully in his sleep and a small funeral had been held for the man. Barbara, Tim, even Dick... they were all there for the first time, together, in two years. Not a word was exchanged among them at the funeral, but the fact that the former Bat-clan united to honor Alfred spoke volumes about the man's ability to draw them together.
The solitary spotlight that illuminated Alfred's black suit partially illuminated Batman as well. He looked at his reflection in the tempered glass of Alfred's case: soulless eyes behind opaque lenses, a silver Bat emblem, a grey cape draped over his shoulders. Alfred had never supported what the Justice Lords had done, but he cared for Batman's wounds even still. He never quit his job, he never complained, he just did his duty and still gave advice.
"I really could use some of that advice about now, old friend," Batman murmured to himself before walking back to the mat he had been meditating upon and sitting down once again.
Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip. Drip.
That was the only sound he heard, alone in his cave.
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The final school bell rang and students of Gotham High rushed out of their respective classes in a frenzy. Teachers tried in vain to shout over the raucous masses and share the end of lesson plans as well as announce homework to be done over the winter break. Like a bolt of lightning, Kimber was out of her classroom and headed for the courtyard. She was in such a rush that she must have knocked down five or six people before arriving at her locker.
"Finally! Winter break!" She opened her locker, quickly threw in her backpack, and then slammed the door shut as if locking away an ancient evil.
"Well, don't you look excited?" A fellow senior leaned against the wall of lockers and looked at Kimber with a lazy and cocky grin. The name embroidered on his letterman jacket read "Mawk" in stylized golden letters. "Any plans for the first Saturday night of the break?"
"This coming Saturday?"
Mawk nodded goofily. "Ya-huh."
"Yep," Kimber replied quickly. The city is especially busy weekend nights.
This tale has been unlawfully obtained from Royal Road. If you discover it on Amazon, kindly report it.
Mawk smirked. "Well, how about you change them and come to my winter bash, instead?"
Kimber laughed as she replied. "Please, how am I supposed to change plans made months ago for a party in two days?" She started to walk away and the boy chased after her, just as she expected.
"You're a smart girl," Mawk started. " I'm sure you will figure it out. Besides, if you don't come, people will start asking questions."
"Like what? Whether we are getting back together or not?"
"Exactly!" Mawk exclaimed. A smile tickled the corners of his lips but he fought back the urge to grin. "Everyone who's anyone will be there... You gotta come, Kimmie! Unless you don't want to use my employee discount at Threaded anymore?"
Kimber froze mid-step and her head snapped in Mawk's direction, a look of faux fear on her face. "Okay, that's unfair." She put up a finger for emphasis.
"No, that's called bargaining, babe." Mawk smirked again, this time pursing his lips in a teasing fashion. "So, coming, or should I put you down for 'ask again later'?"
Kimber laughed in defeat. "Fine, fine... We will see if I go. But don't blame me if I am late!"
Mawk lightly kissed her forehead. "Promise, I won't."
"Good, now how about giving me a ride home?"
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His name was Curtis Reginald Orson Walker and he was panting heavily. He had been sleeping in his last class and had the unfortunate luck to have slept through the bell. As a result, two students who'd sat near him had stolen his stuff; one kid had his backpack, and the other had his laptop. What would have been a 'harmless' prank by Gotham standards was, to Curtis, a vulnerable moment. He had just retrieved his backpack and was now chasing the second teen among the lockers. He needed that laptop back; it held sensitive files.
During the Justice Lords' reign, he had joined a hacktivist group. The group had been cut down by Batman and the Green Lantern and most of the members had been incarcerated or disappeared. Those who had been imprisoned were released just last May; those who disappeared, on the other hand, never returned. Thankfully, Curtis had avoided this fate but he still hadn't wiped his scripts from his computer and he definitely didn't want them leaking online. With the right modifications, they could do major damage to networks, encrypted or not.
"Hey!" he shouted after the kid. "Give it back!" Why, oh why, didn't I delete that crap?
"You gotta catch me first! Oof!" The thief, not watching where he was running, collided with another student and both fell to the concrete in a tangled heap of limbs. Without apologizing or bothering to pick up the laptop, the kid quickly got his feet under him and rushed off to get away from Curtis.
Thank goodness... Curtis thought as he approached his stolen property and the fallen student. "Are you alright?" He picked up the laptop in one hand and helped the girl up with the other.
"Yeah, I think I'm fine." The girl brushed the dirt from her jeans shorts and straightened her blouse. "That your laptop?" She pointed to the now-dented device in Curtis' grasp.
"Yeah, I fell asleep in the last class of the day." He smiled sheepishly.
The girl giggled. "That's never a good idea. Kimber, by the way. Kimber Lee." She extended her hand in greeting.
Curtis reached out and gave it a light shake. "Kimberly?"
"No. Kimber. Lee." She punctuated the space. "Lee is my last name. My papa's from Korea."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, he's in law enforcement," she continued. "So, if Pit had gotten away with your laptop." She put her hand to her head with her thumb in her ear and her pinky by her mouth, mimicking a phone. "I'd just, you know, give him a ring." She laughed a bit nervously.
"Wait, is your father Goren Lee? The cop that got pounded in the face by Batman two or so years back?"
"Yep." She sighed and inwardly cursed. "That's Papa."
There was an awkward pause between the two. Kimber was waiting for Mawk to drive his car from the parking lot to the front of the school, while Curtis was not ready to leave the attractive raven-haired girl's side quite yet. So they just stood on the sidewalk in silence.
"So... what are you doing for break?" Curtis asked in an attempt to break the awkward quiet.
"Probably going to Mawk's party," she replied without thinking. Then, still not thinking, she invited Curtis.
"Oh, really? Sounds like fun, I suppose. Where at?"
Oof. She winced internally. "Mawk's house. This Saturday night... nine-ish, I think. He just told me about it today, so I don't even know myself. I'll have him text you the details." They exchanged numbers just as Mawk's car, a fierce red convertible with well-worn seats pulled up. Better late than never. "I'll see you there, maybe?"
Curtis smiled and waved but said nothing. He could tell that she was kicking herself internally for inviting him, but hey; a party's a party. He didn't get to go to many of those, so he'd take the invite, even if it was unintentional. As Mawk's classic two-seater roared off of the curb and to the street, Curtis found his voice. "Sure, why not?"