Deviation Actions
Literature Text
As the clock struck 10 o'clock, Bruce continued to study the evidence.
Under normal circumstances, he would be doing so in his fabled Batcave, where he would be in full battle regalia and collaborating with his allies that had helped in. Even though Batman wasn't afraid to get physical with his enemies, the Dark Knight's forte lay in forensics. His sharp mind had allowed him to overcome enemies where even his vaunted martial arts abilities and technology would fail, and it was his sharp mind that made him such a valuable commodity to Gotham City Police Department. If it were just his fists that drove his campaign against crime, Commissioner Gordon probably wouldn't have allowed him to work for so long.
On this evening, however, just like every other evening since he announced his campaign for mayor two weeks before, he was instead studying the evidence in his study lounge at Wayne Manor. The campaign had taken up far more of his time than he originally anticipated, to a point where the time he got home, it left very little time for his patrols as Batman. Every time he attempted to put on the cape and cowl, he would receive a call from one of his managers about arranging a visit to a hospital or a school, reminding Bruce that Tammany Crux was already making such plans and had a head start on him.
Whatever free time Bruce had was being used to study the evidence he and his allies had accumulated on the "killer surgeon" that was mutilating the people of Gotham seemingly at random, taking their organs and their face before dumping the body in unrelated points throughout the city. All of Bruce's instincts were telling him that Hush had returned and he was the culprit, but it was unlike his former friend to conduct acts of murder and do so in a way where Batman wouldn't know for sure it was him. Hush's descent into crime was driven largely by his vendetta against Bruce, and his more recent acts of crime were constructed so that it would strike directly at the man that at one point was his closest childhood friend.
Finally, Bruce had enough.
Gathering the papers and folders on his desk, Bruce took a sharp breath and turned to his grandfather clock. As he spun the hands around until they reached the proper time, Bruce took a step back and inhaled the damp air that rushed out as the clock moved to the side to reveal the entrance of the Batcave. The descent into the darkness as he walked down the stairs was like a baptism to Bruce, having been separated from the darkness for so long. He never imagined how time-consuming and all-encompassing his campaign would be: otherwise he would have considered other methods. By descending into the Batcave and watching the lights and monitors activate, Bruce reminded himself once more who he really was.
Bruce Wayne the billionaire was only a facade he put on during the day. His true identity was the Batman who defended Gotham City from threats both within and without. For whatever reason, Bruce had forgotten that in all of the insanity that came with funding a successful bid for mayor and making all of the trips across the city necessary to build a good reputation. Being a billionaire, after all, would only take him so far in the public eye.
With his files in hand, Bruce approached the massive multi-screen computer that had helped him solve so many cases in the past and placed the files onto the large desk. "Password: Kyle," Bruce said aloud as the massive servers that housed the computer's database hummed to life. Opening the folder on his desk and picking up where he left off in the study. Since his campaign began, three more murders with the same motif as the previous murders had been reported, meaning the killer was stepping up his attacks.
That in itself led reason to doubt that Hush was the real killer. If Bruce Wayne was so exhausted in his campaign that he didn't have the energy left for a successful patrol as Batman, then certainly Hush would be having similar problems carrying out his murder spree. Hush was a villain who put his civilian life first and his masked life second: apart from his vendetta against the Wayne family, he was very concerned with his legitimate business was conducted, having inherited the Elliot fortune as well as being a very successful surgeon. If he was Tammany Crux in disguise, he probably would have thought the murders too much of a bother when the bigger prize of being Gotham's mayor was at stake.
"...VOICE PATTERN RECOGNIZED. PASSWORD ACCEPTED," the computer speakers buzzed as the monitors revealed the fabled Batman insignia. "AWAITING INSTRUCTIONS."
"Profile search: Crux, Tammany," Bruce ordered as he continued thumbing through the files. One of the traits that made Hush so difficult an opponent, apart from his personal history with Bruce and knowledge of his secret life, was that he was a master of disguise. During his first campaign, he and the Riddler orchestrated a gauntlet of Batman's greatest foes to rally against him with each enemy conducting his own specialty. The gauntlet was not meant so much as to wear Batman down as much as it was to keep him guessing as to who the masterminds behind the plot were: Tommy even went so far as to fake his own death so that he could embrace his newly-created Hush identity in earnest and be Batman's final opponent. It wasn't until he learned from Riddler, who played his role so well that Batman didn't decide the importance of his role until after Hush had been defeated, that Hush and Tommy Elliot were the same man.
If he was able to announce his candidacy for mayor as Tammany Crux, Hush didn't just create the identity to serve his purposes. He would have needed an alibi.
"PROFILE FOUND: CRUX, TAMMANY. HEIGHT: 6'3". WEIGHT: 220 lbs. AGE: 36. GRADUATED FROM GOTHAM MEDICAL ACADEMY. OCCUPATION: DOCTOR AT GOTHAM GENERAL HOSPITAL. MARITAL STATUS: SINGLE."
The exact same height and weight as Tommy, Bruce mused before putting his files down and focusing all of his attention to the computer. With his fingers rapidly dancing around the keyboard, Bruce dug deeper into the profile his computer found on him. Arrested two years ago for illegally prescribing painkillers, but never convicted. He's worked at Gotham General Hospital for the past eight years, but he started his career in Philadelphia...just like Tommy before he returned to my life as Hush. Even if Crux and Tommy are two different people, it's entirely possible that they know one another. Maybe Crux is an accomplice?
"Cross-reference to name: Elliot, Tommy," Bruce stated. An instant later, the computer returned with the words "NO DATA FOUND" spread across the screen, with the computer's voice echoing the sentiment a moment after. "No recorded connections...but that doesn't mean there aren't any at all," Bruce said out loud as he looked at the picture of Tammany Crux once again. When he first met Crux, he noticed a ring of scars around his neck. When asked about them, Crux replied that he was in an accident that claimed the life of his father, but Dr. Thomas Wayne was able to save both him and his mother. Apart from the inclusion of himself in the accident, Crux's story was practically identical to Tommy's story as to why he became a surgeon.
"Cross-reference to name: Wayne, Thomas," Bruce said solemnly. A few seconds passed as the computer dug deep into its database to find the connection between Bruce's opponent in the election and his deceased father. He took that brief moment to remember the kind of man his father was before the gun took away his life in Crime Alley. Thomas wasn't like Bruce, who put on a facade every time he put himself in the public eye. Thomas wore his heart on his sleeve and was the same person in public that he was at home: a kind and generous man with a sense of humor. He had healed so many people in the years that it was possible that Crux's story was true and the resemblance to Tommy's was just that: a resemblance and nothing more.
"...NO DATA FOUND."
"So his alibi is the same as Tommy's, but he has no connections to him," Bruce said quietly before turning back to the files on his desk. "You really want to make me second-guess myself on this one, don't you, Tommy? You've dropped subtle hints that you're up to something in a way that only I would know, but you've covered your tracks so well that I have no way of proving that you and Crux are one and the same. Very clever..."
"Tommy always was the sharp one, sir."
Swiveling his chair around to see Alfred descending down the stairs with a metal tray in his hand, Bruce smiled as he stood up to greet his butler. "Come to see how I'm doing, Alfred?" Bruce asked as he met Alfred at the staircase and looked at the kettle of tea on the tray. "You've come down here just in time. I was about to go back upstairs to make some tea myself."
"I find that a spot of tea has always been the grease that gets the gears in your head functioning properly, sir," the thin gentleman replied as he placed the tray down next to the files on Bruce's desk and looked up to the computer. "I trust that you are still harboring the suspicions that Master Elliot is none other than your bright and cheery opponent in the race, sir?"
Bruce raised an eyebrow at Alfred's seemingly idle statement. "...I didn't tell anyone about that. How did-"
"Whenever your old friend Tommy is involved, sir, there's always a distinctive look of discomfort," Alfred interrupted as he took one of the teacups on the tray and used the kettle to gently fill it with tea. "Even though you keep matters involving him to yourself, I've known you long enough to see when something that personal is bothering you. When you were speaking to him yesterday, you used that language that you only used on Tommy when the two of you were young boys."
"...don't tell the others," Bruce's expression hardened as he sat down and resumed working at the computer. "Tommy business is strictly something that involves Bruce Wayne. I don't want Tim and Jean-Paul to get involved if a definite correlation is discovered."
"Might as I why, sir?"
"...because that's the way the both of us want it," Bruce answered solemnly as he continued looking through the file of Tammany Crux. "The last time Hush struck, he targeted Catwoman as a means to draw me out for a confrontation. I care too much for both Tim and Jean-Paul for them to be dragged down in Hush's machinations. The only way Hush and Batman are going to settle their score is if they do so with the playing fields even...as Tommy Elliott, and as Bruce Wayne."
"...pardon me for saying so, sir, but watching you yesterday have that debate with Tommy-"
"-Tammany, Alfred," Bruce interjected before reaching over for the tea his butler poured for him. "Until I have definite proof that he's Tommy in another disguise, we call him 'Tammany Crux.'"
"...of course, sir. Watching you have that debate with Mr. Crux yesterday reminded me of the conversations you would have with Tommy," Alfred corrected himself as he watched Bruce sip his tea while using his free hand to rattle across the keyboard. "When your parents would still alive, they would always marvel at how well you resonated with him. They were certain that together, the two of you would rise to the very top of Gotham City's echelon and usher in a new era of prosperity for the city."
"Things changed," Bruce replied dryly.
"Obviously, sir, but I think the case might be a blessing in disguise...something that will fulfill that prediction your parents made about you," Alfred continued. "For many years now, you've kept your true feelings hidden from the rest of the world, unleashing them only when you put on the cape and cowl...but watching you the past two weeks, talk about the pain of loss you feel every day, and mentioning the contributions you make to the orphans of the city, I feel that Bruce Wayne has finally emerged your one true personality."
"...that's nonsense, Alfred," Bruce growled. "I am the Batman: that's who I really am, and that's who I shall always be."
At least, that's what Bruce kept telling himself. His current presence in the Batcave was his first since he first took up the case of the killer surgeon, and it had been two weeks since Bruce put on the cape and cowl and patrolled the streets. In the past, he would have conducted his investigation as Batman regardless of how tired he was from his day work, but now Bruce had so many allies that he had trained personally to carry out his investigations alongside him. Furthermore, he now had the formidable mind of the Riddler at his disposal, assisting in his investigation of Crux while Azrael and Robin looked more into the murders.
As much as Bruce Wayne didn't want to admit it, he had backed himself into a situation where Batman was not required, as his protégés were doing a fine job on their own so far of conducting the investigation. As much as he didn't trust Riddler, Bruce had to admit that his unique intel from his time as a master criminal had proven very helpful in uncovering Crux's connections with Daggett. Even though he had not put on the cape and cowl in what seemed like forever, in a scant two weeks his investigation was as far along as it would have been had he taken to the streets.
Perhaps sensing Bruce's denial, Alfred put a hand on Bruce's shoulder. "Gotham City has had its trust betrayed many times by those who are supposed to be leading them. By letting your true feelings show through, you've shown the people of Gotham that there are those among the privileged that can empathize with them. You've spent so many years acting the fool, pretending to be a 'billionaire playboy,' that you don't realize how much good you can do as Bruce Wayne."
"...what are you saying, Alfred?"
Alfred took a deep breath before getting to the point. "Master Tim has become a fine detective under your tutelage, and Master Jean-Paul has done a splendid job regaining your trust. When Madam Cassandra and Madam Stephanie return, they will no doubt be stronger than ever before. Perhaps...perhaps it is time for the Batman to take a more limited role in protecting Gotham and allow the next generation to prove themselves, and for Bruce Wayne to become the leader that Gotham City so sorely wants him to be."
"..."
Without saying a word, Bruce turned to look at the campaign pin that was still attached to his shirt from the events of the day, where he visited the people of Crime Alley and delivered one of many, many speeches he would be delivering to the people about how he would help Gotham City finally address the problems that had plagued it for so many years. When he first conducted his training that would later translate to him becoming Batman, he took a vow that he would never again let criminals do as they pleased, and never again stand idly by to watch them take away from someone else what they took away from him. It was a vow that he had kept largely to himself...until yesterday.
Now the phrase "never again" was the campaign slogan that was propelling him to the top of the polls, and what was supposed to be a ruse to allow Batman to uncover Hush's plot was quickly becoming the truth. If Bruce Wayne was going to become mayor...what need would there be for Batman when all of his ideals and missions could be carried out from City Hall?
"...I'm going to train," Bruce said curtly as he stood up and walked further into the Batcave. "Thank you for talking to me, Alfred, and please tell Oracle to dig up what she can on Tammany Crux."
"...of course, sir," Alfred replied as he watched his long-time employer and surrogate son disappear into the darkness.
This was a bad idea.
As much as Riddler liked to tell himself that every idea that came to him was a good one, every so often reality would kick him in the face and tell him otherwise. When he came to this apartment, he did so knowing that the inhabitant would welcome him as a former partner-in-crime. After all, they had collaborated so often when they were both on the wrong side on the law, and developed what Riddler believed to be a mutual respect for each other's talents. He was even willing to look past how she had once took over his own house when Poison Ivy invited her inside after the plant-based femme fatale seduced and brainwashed Riddler.
Sadly for Riddler, he was wrong.
"Riddle me this, Selina...WHAT'S THE SAFETY WORD!?"
"There is none, you doofus," the leather-clad, raven-haired woman exclaimed as her whip came down hard on Riddler's back once more, tearing through the pinstriped shirt he was wearing and eliciting another cry of pain. "You have the nerve to come into my home after all of the scummy things you've done!? You're lucky I'm just going to leave you with lash marks instead of clawing your eyes out like I did the last guy who thought they could sneak up on me when I wasn't home!"
"C-come on, Selina," Riddler sputtered out as he ignored the horrible stinging on his back and turned to face the world-renowned high-stakes thief known as Catwoman. "You know I wouldn't do anything to harm you: we've known each other for so many years that-AGH!"
With her devastating bullwhip just barely missing Riddler's shoes, Selina let the snarl on her beautiful face contort further as Riddler jumped back in fear. "That's EXACTLY why I know you'll do something to harm me, Eddie," Selina spat back as she watched Riddler pick up his cane and grip onto it tightly. "You've made a living off of playing with people's heads for your own amusement. I'm not going to let you use your stupid mind tricks of me!"
With the whip's lashing coming closer to him, the Riddler quickly racked his brain to figure out how he was going to get out of the rather precarious situation. Perhaps no one in Gotham City represented the wrath of a woman's scorn quite like Selina Kyle, whose life was ripe with deceit and betrayal to a point where it dictated how she lived her life. One minute she could be a charming jewel thief with a seductive purr and a conscience that allowed her to protect innocent lives, and the next minute she could morph into a bloodthirsty witch that clawed men's eyes out and left them so horribly scarred that they wouldn't be able to afford the surgery necessary to put their pieces back together.
Riddler came to her apartment hoping to meet the former, but instead he found the latter.
"I...I just came here because I need your help with something," Riddler managed to say just as Selina was about to deliver another lash, one that probably wouldn't have missed. "I've been following a case about that Tammany Crux fellow, and I found out that he's been working alongside Daggett. My contacts told me that you and Daggett have been butting heads the past few we-AH!"
Riddler's eyes widened in shock as he moved his head just in time to avoid Selina's whip as he crashed against the wall. Taking note of the gash it left in the plaster, Riddler gulped as he wondered what that strike would have done if it had hit his face. It's not like Riddler was completely helpless when it came to physical fights, but Catwoman was in a class all her own when it came to fighting, to a point where even Batman considered her abilities in the same class as him. Riddler was very much a mouse in Catwoman's den, and Selina was going to pick him apart if he didn't think of something soon.
"Who are you working for, Eddie?" Selina interrogated Riddler in a stark reversal of roles, when Riddler hoped to interrogate Selina. Rearing back her whip for a devastating strike, Selina's green eyes narrowed as Riddler's own eyes trembled. "Tell me now, or I give you a lash right on your nose!"
"B-Bruce Wayne," Riddler stammered as Selina walked closer to him. "I'm working for Bruce Wayne!"
"...you're lying to me," Selina hissed, grabbing Riddler by the collar and throwing down her whip to bare her claws at him. "Do you know what I do to men who lie to me, Eddie? I make sure that they never lie to me again...by ripping out their tongue and feeding it to stray cats."
"I-I-I believe you, Selina," Riddler broke out into a cold sweat as the eyes of the woman that had silenced countless thugs looked to make him her next victim. "Bruce Wayne hired me to dig up dirt on Tammany Crux because he thinks he might be Hush. I figured I'd come to you for help since I know you and Hush have history with each other." With a nervous grin forming on his face, Riddler held up his hands and tried his hardest to be cool in the face of fear. "Come on, Selina...that bandaged lunatic played us both for fools. How about we stick it to him...together?"
"...you know?" Selina whispered incredulously.
"About Bruce's evening pastimes where he's been a thorn in our less-than-legal exploits since we first started playing dress-up? Yes, I do," Riddler replied while Selina loosened her grip. Breathing a sigh of relief, Riddler walked over to Selina's couch and sat down with his arms spread around the spine. "Selina, I understand perfectly why you wouldn't trust me. I'll be the first to admit that I've done a lot of things that others would call villainous. But let me remind you that I've put that life behind-"
"Get off my couch or it's another 50 lashes," Selina growled, prompting Riddler to quickly get away from her furniture and instead lean on his cane.
"...as I was saying," Riddler grumbled before straightening his bowler hat. "I've put the life of crime behind me: lately I've been finding it much more challenging and enjoyable to pit my wits against the criminal element of this city. I've had some very important clients come to my office asking for my unique insight, and because of that I've found some peace and harmony...so you can imagine how elated I was when Bruce Wayne, my longtime nemesis and rival, gave me a call asking for my help in solving the case of Tammany Crux's big secret."
"...why would you be willing to help him?" Selina asked as finally loosened up and let the less violent side of her personality shine through. Doing so allowed Riddler to feel much more at ease, knowing that he was now talking to the Catwoman that he was hoping to talk to, rather than the ferocious femme fatale that he wound up getting. "You've always had it in for him, either as Bruce Wayne or as Batman. I figure you would have sold his secret to the highest bidder and watch him squirm as every scumbag in Gotham City went to burn down his house."
"...believe me, the thought crossed my mind," Riddler sneered, "but a riddle that everyone knows is a useless riddle. I spent many years trying to learn the answer to who was Batman when the mask was off...and now that I have it, I can step back and appreciate all of the good times he's given me. Apart from the stints in Arkham, I have to admit that it was fun, if frustrating, how many times Batman foiled my plans by pitting his mind against my own. Now that I'm on the honest side of the law, maybe I can find out how-"
"That doesn't answer my question," Selina interrupted. "Why are you helping him?"
Placing both his hands on the question mark tip of his cane, Riddler's expression turned into a grim smile. "Because, my dear, I have to admit you're very curious to the answer of the riddle that our mutual friend has presented us the past two weeks..."
"...'What kind of city will Gotham be like if Batman is the mayor,'" Selina replied lowly.
Seeing that he had piqued Selina's interest, Riddler pressed forward with his smile widening. "We're not like the others, Selina. We might steal and cheat, but killing is something that we prefer keeping to a minimum because stuff like that makes us no better than people like the Joker, or Black Mask, or Two-Face. No, the two of us are veterans from a simple time when it was just a matter of we ran and he chased...but Gotham City has changed since then, hasn't it, Selina?"
The truth of Riddler's words struck more visibly than any of her lashes would, as Selina's expression became distant. As much as she detested Riddler's arrogance, what he was saying made perfect sense to her. Early in their costumed careers, Batman's fights with Catwoman and Riddler were less of a straight-up physical confrontation and more along the lines of battles of wits. Though every now and again there was a life or two at stake, the two so-called "supervillains" kept their capers strictly about money. If they wanted to become killers, they wouldn't have wasted time with hostages.
But as Batman's reputation grew, so did the ruthlessness of his rogue's gallery. Joker's crimes went from homicides to attempted genocide, Poison Ivy went from robbing banks to planning to eradicate Gotham City's human population, Two-Face's mind spiraled down further and further until he became as brutal and bloodthirsty as the gangsters he once waged war on. Whereas Batman once took great care in avoiding crippling his opponents, Selina had seen a fatal glint in his eyes several times where he was using all of his willpower not to outright kill his enemy, where before it seemed so easy.
"It's changed...and I don't think for the better," Selina said after what seemed like a long silence. Picking up her bullwhip from the floor, Selina looked at it longingly before continuing. "Every time he tried to do some good, this city would spew out some new garbage, most of it coming right from City Hall. Everywhere I turn, I see this city deteriorate right back to its old problems even when steps are taken to fix them. I have to admit, I miss being able to pull a heist and the most I had to worry about was Batman waving his finger at me, instead of Black Mask's or Red Hood's or Daggett's goons wanting to tear my guts out."
"Then let's help Batman clear his belfry and pave his way to City Hall," Riddler replied with a friendly smile, outstretching his hand for Selina. "I might not think very highly of Bruce Wayne the billionaire playboy...but Bruce Wayne the Batman is someone that both of us can get behind for mayor. Maybe then, we won't have to kill someone to get appreciated in this town."
There was a tense moment between the two former career criminals that had known each other for so many years. Whereas Riddler saw Batman as a formidable opponent and rival, Catwoman saw Batman as something much, much greater. The attraction between Catwoman and Batman was well-known to the costumed element of Gotham City, but it wasn't until recently that Selina and Bruce started sharing the attraction. In a strange way, it was Riddler's role in Hush's debut that allowed the two of them share both sides of their life with each other. Though the two of them had grown distant in recent months in the wake of Hush's more recent attacks on their relationship, Selina did hope that Batman could find the peace that had been denied of him for so many years.
Perhaps becoming the mayor would allow him the chance to find it.
Taking an apple from the fruit bowl on the coffee table, Selina put the apple in Riddler's hand before pulling down the cat-styled hood of her Catwoman uniform and letting her long black hair fall down. "You're right about what you said earlier: I've definitely been keeping tabs on Daggett," she stated as Riddler looked at the apple quizzically before taking a bite. "Daggett's drug ring has been focused mostly on the West End, but lately he's been worming his way in the East End, too. Naturally, I've been putting a damper on those plans."
"Interesting...find anything out about the murders?" Riddler asked with his mouth full of apple bits.
"Just a bunch of 'mysterious injuries' happening at Daggett's manufacturing plants," Selina replied before taking an apple of her own. "I learned from one of my contacts that Daggett has been recommended his employees that get injured on the job to a certain doctor. And guess what? None of those injured employees have showed up to work since...instead they wind up on the street with their bits and pieces taken out of them and left for dead."
"Interesting," Riddler said with a satisfied grin as he reached into his pocket to pull out a pen and pad of paper. Scribbling down Selina's unique intel, the wheels in Riddler's head started to spin rapidly as his mind began to piece together the connections needed to solve the case. "That's very interesting, Selina...please, tell me more..."
