Batman: In Every Shadow

Scene One

Loosening the tie around his neck, Bruce steps into his luxury sports car and groans. Bright flashes of photography from the news cameras have been blinding him for the last hour straight. He had a public speaking obligation for the renovations of Wayne Foundational Hospital, named for his late father who was a skilled surgeon and wealthy businessman. Promising that it would extend care to those who can't afford typical treatment was a move Bruce himself put into motion years ago, but his board of directors and advisors stalled the notion as long as possible. This was only but a small victory for one-half of the man who was used to being battered and beaten around the clock. There's a handful of hours until sundown, meaning he'd need to head back out into the city shortly. Just as he places his calloused hands on the fine synthetic leather wheel, his cell phone buzzes. A rare occurrence considering this is his private cell, reserved for extremely important matters. Checking the notification, it's a text message from Tim Drake.

"Out of class now, headed to the cave soon."

The twenty-year-old college student doesn't typically show up until an hour before patrol, but he's particularly excited about today. Bruce has only taken the young Robin on cases that were more detective-heavy, solving puzzles rather than throwing fists, tonight would be different. Nervous while making the drive back to the manor, Bruce reminisces on his previous pupils, most notably Dick Grayson. Originally going by Robin, Dick was an orphaned child, a fate Bruce shared with the young boy. Taking him in, Dick was immediately a natural athlete considering his background in acrobatics. On top of that, he was caring and had the innate ability to make the bleakest of situations seem bright. Now, Dick has been off to the far smaller city of Bludhaven, partaking in a solo act for the first time in his career. Bruce had checked in now and then, proud of what Nightwing, Dick's persona, had accomplished. It brought him great shame to do so, but it was Batman's turn to call Nightwing for help, a first in either of their careers. After Nightwing, there was a muddled stint with a second Robin while Dick went off to train with other heroes his age. Jason Todd, a victim of a horrendous past like no other, Bruce had fewer commonalities to connect on. Where Dick was charming, nimble, and empathetic, Jason was anything but. Even as a young teenager, Jason was violent and had tempered outbursts. Many times Bruce had to stop the young man from killing a criminal, an act that would violate his only rule. Disobedient and vengeful, Jason eventually found himself in an unfortunate standoff with one of Batman's most vile rogues: the Joker. It was a long and twisted path of events, one that included Jason's own mother betraying him for her safety after being blackmailed by the Joker. He was held captive and tortured in hopes of getting information regarding Batman. Soon, the Joker would bring Jason to the brink of death and then threaten to detonate the warehouse he was being held in. Bruce can remember vividly arriving just in time to save Jason, but was so caught up in trying not to kill the Joker, it gave the deranged clown a chance to execute his plan. With Jason tied up and the Joker content to go down with the ship, Batman wasn't able to save either, resulting in the death of both men. To this day, he regrets every decision relating to the two men. Jason was a brat, but still a child. He had time to develop and grow, but was killed before he had the chance to. As for the Joker, he was one of Bruce's earliest headaches. All he wished for was to break Batman mentally, to be the one to make him fold, even if it meant dying for his cause. Despite that, Bruce thought the Joker could be saved and rehabilitated if given time within Arkham. By refusing to kill him, he in turn allowed both Jason and the Joker himself to perish. Tim comes in as the third Robin, but not his last assistant by any means. Between the late Jim Gordon's daughter Barbara, an assassin named Cassandra, and his father's pupil Lucius Fox, there are plenty of talented people who lend a hand to the caped crusader.

Arriving at his manor, Bruce allows Alfred to park the luxurious car worth a fortune for him while he heads to the Batcave. Underneath the storied manor, there's a cave network that was once home to precious metals, one of the many reasons his family was as wealthy as they were. Stripped of all natural materials, it now serves as Bruce's base of operations. As soon as the elevator doors open up, he can see two people standing by his computer. First is Tim, dressed in casual wear but already fiddling with the metallic staff he uses for self-defense while on patrol. Beside him is Barbara, leaning on her crutches while making conversation with Tim. Being the daughter of the Police Department's Commissioner puts a pretty big target on your back, one that was pursued time after time. Assassination attempts and kidnappings, Barbara grew up with thick skin. Unfortunately, she too was a victim of the Joker's twisted crimes. As a young girl, she was struck by a bullet to her spine when the Joker attempted to take over the police department and capture Jim Gordon. Batman and Jim fended off the criminals, but even at the age of twenty-four, Barbara can't walk using her own power, but she's getting there. It wasn't for naught though, as Barbara was shot alerting Batman to the happening crime. Ever since that day, he's taken in the girl and not only paid for her medical treatments but also taught her anything she wanted to know. A proud daughter to a proud father, she asked to learn about the world of fighting crime. Even after her father's passing just a year ago, Barbara helps in identifying crimes and keeping Bruce informed during patrol.