GOTHAM KNIGHT: YEAR THREE-VOLUME TWO

CHAPTER TWENTY-EIGHT: DISCOVERY

After the events of 'Gotham Knight: Year Three-Volume One', Bruce had been looking into Arkham Asylum's history, and done some research and digging into what Edward Nygma had told him, about the secret base in Arkham. However, nothing was found.

One Night, Batman and Robin were summoned to a crime scene, in an apartment. As the two arrived at the scene, they found a male victim, pinned to the wall by knives, stripped naked, with the skin carved off his fingers and toes. This was the worst thing Robin had seen yet, in fact he was speechless. Batman turned his eyes to Robin, to check if he was okay. "Name's Sam Strigs", Jim told Batman, as Batman turned to Jim, "a former cop", Jim added Batman questioned, "FORMER?", Jim answered, "yeah, he left the force a few years ago, due to stress and mental health problems. An autopsy will bring in two, to three days, I'll be in touch when we've found something", Jim told Batman, as Batman nodded and left the scene with Robin.

Hours later, Strigs' body was put in a body bag and transported to the GCPD morgue. However, Batman decided he'd take it into his own hands to perform his own autopsy, with Robin on guard. An hour into it, Batman discovered at the back of Sam's mouth, was a silver tooth, where he used a magnifying glass to zoom in, noticing a symbol of an owl, with it's wings, facing upwards. As Batman noticed, this he had an instant flashback to when he was a child.

WAYNE MANOR, 1970:
As Bruce lay in bed, he was being tucked in by his father, Thomas Wayne who was about to go out for the night. Thomas noticed something was on Bruce's mind, "you've been quiet since you've been back from school, is everything alright ?", Thomas asked him, "yeah, everything's fine", Bruce answered. "You don't look fine, come on...you can tell, what is it?, you got a girlfriend?", Thomas joked, attempting to get Bruce to spit it out, as they both laughed. As Bruce looked into deep space, he finally asked his father, "are Ninja's real?", "what?", Thomas responded, laughing, "Ninjas?", he asked again. "where did that come from?, is this it?", Thomas asked, laughing, "Tommy was talking about Ninja's in class today, he told me not to tell anyone or they might send one after me", Thomas' expression changed to a serious and then back to a laugh, "Bruce, what does Tommy know about Ninja's?", he questioned, and then suggested, "maybe an older cousin of his tried to scare him or something?". Thomas stood up, turning to the window, "well...as long as you close the windows and curtains, I don't think any 'Ninja's', will be sneaking up on you tonight", as Thomas then closed the window and blinds. "Anyway, Alfred's waiting...why don't you read a book for half an hour before you go to sleep, Harriet'll be downstairs if you need anything. I'll see you in the morning, son", Thomas told Bruce, as Bruce watched his father close the door.

GCPD MORGUE, 1988:
Robin fake coughed to get Batman's attention, as Batman starred deeply into nothing, realising that Tommy was right, and his father's reaction confirmed everything, however the young Bruce at the time didn't see it.

"Beware The Court of Owls, that watches all the time, ruling Gotham from a shadowed perch, behind granite and lime. They watch you at your hearth, they watch you in your bed, speak not a whispered word of them, or they'll send the Talon for your head.", the kids used to rhyme at school. "I THINK I'VE SOLVED IT, WE NEED TO RETURN TO THE BUNKER", Batman told Robin, as he pulled the tooth from Strigs' mouth and placed it in a pocket on his utility belt.

SOMETIME LATER, THE BAT-BUNKER:
As Bruce and Dick returned to the bunker, Bruce suddenly said the repeated the rhyme the kids used to sing, "what?", Dick questioned, looking confused. "The Court Of Owls, a secret society that have controlled Gotham for centuries, since they've only been a conspiracy, this here confirms their existence. What if they're the one's who broke out Drury walker?", Bruce explained to Dick, "sorry, you're gonna have to speak English...". "At Blackgate, those guards were massacred using swords, The Court Of Owls were said to send Talon's after their victims, Talon's were their own assassin's", Bruce explained further, this was when Bruce realised that what Edward Nygma told him was right, and that he indeed snuck into a Court Of Owls base, laying beneath Arkham Asylum, however by the looks of things, he was discovered and to clean things up, decided to abandon the Arkham base, by clearing it all out and making it look like an old abandoned basement.

"Throw me that pen", Bruce told Dick, as Dick threw a pen, which Bruce caught. As Bruce opened up his journal and began to write everything he'd discovered down, opening a new case on The Court Of Owls.

The following night, Bruce had been invited to the re-opening night of the Iceberg Lounge, hosted by Oswald Cobblepot, whilst Dick as Robin patrolled the streets of Gotham for a few hours.

THE ICERBERG LOUNGE:
As Bruce interacted with guests at the party, he felt as if he was being watched, however he looked around and no one was in sight, maybe it was just his paranoia. "Hey, handsome", he heard as suddenly a woman walked in front of him stroking her right hand on his cheek, however Bruce kept his guard as Oswald Cobblepot was known to be dodgy, maybe she was a pick pocket, attempting to steal from the richest man in Gotham, he wore a black suit, a long with a waist coat, a white shirt with a red tie, a long with a pair of sunglasses, with a glsss of wine, putting on the "playboy" look, as people knew little about Bruce Wayne, due to his anti-social reputation. He was putting on an act of being a little drunk, whilst keeping his eye on Oswald Cobblepot, who walked around greeting guests. "Bruce Wayne, we meet at long last", Oswald said as he came face to face with Bruce Wayne for the first time. "Hey Oz, cool party", he responded, taking another sip of wine, "Thank you Mr. Wayne, I'm glad ya settled. "How's the bo'le?", Oswald asked, Bruce nodded and smiled, whilst taking another sip, continuing to act Drunk, "well...I'll leave ya too it then mate", as Oswald left Bruce, "wha' an idiot", Oswald said out of sound range.

Moments later, Oswald returned to his office, where he was soon joined by a small group of guys wearing black leather jackets, they then dropped a bag onto Oswald's desk, as one said, "that's all of it", "another down", Oswald laughed, as he searched through the money, being the greedy man he was, as not long being released from Arkham, he was back in business.

MEANWHILE, STREETS OF GOTHAM:
Whilst Bruce was at the party, Dick patrolled the streets of Gotham, as he witnessed a gang meet up. "And...action", Robin said to himself as he grappled across buildings, to sneak in through a ventilation shaft.

As he crawled through the vent, he opened the vent at the other side, dropping down behind the gang members, "expecting someone else?", he asked sarcastically, as they began fire on Robin, however he dodged bullets, throwing a Batarang at one's gun, disarming him, and punching him in the face, he then rolled onto the floor, turning a table over, and throwing a Batarang at a chandelier, causing it to fall and the gang members to dive out of the way, he then pulled out his retractable Bo staff, and proceeded to use it against the criminals, finally defeating all but one, who lay on the ground, crawling backwards, "games over, now you gonna tell me what this is all about?, or am I gonna have to call Batman over here?", Robin interrogated him, holding the staff at his chin, "we were dealing weapons, Cobblepot needs the arms in his plan to become the kingpin of Gotham again", the criminal explained, as Robin asked, "already?, why's he so desperate?, who's his competitor?", "Maxie Zeus, you know the guy who runs the Olympus?", the criminal answered, as suddenly a group of people entered the room with guns, "decided to run away from home?", one of them asked, carrying a machine gun, wearing a grey suit with a black sweater, "no, he's with me actually", they heard, as they looked up to see a mysterious figure, wearing all black with throwing knives across their chest, being held by a bandolier, "now!", the figure shouted, as he dived down, jumping from body to body, taking down the group at a rapid pace, as Robin knocked the criminal unconscious. As a thug began to run, the mysterious figure shot out a dart, which released a grappling hook, wrapping around the thug's leg, as the figure pulled him backwards, and stood on his chest with his right foot, "you got everything you need?", he asked Robin, "who are you?, how did you-?", "just happened to be at the right place, at the right time kid". They began to hear the sound of sirens, and the figure then said, "see ya around", as he dropped a smoke pellet, similar to how Batman does, also fought very similar to Batman.

Sometime later, after the police had raided the gang hideout, Robin stayed, watching the police from a vantage point, where they couldn't see him, he looked around to see if his new possible mysterious ally/friend, was in sight, however he was no where to be seen.

TO BE CONTINUED IN, 'CHAPTER TWENTY-NINE: THE TALON'