Batman: Man Made of Nothing

Chapter 12: The Wall and The Guest

Morning had arrived at Wayne Manor and Carrie was dressed and ready for school. She made her way down to the cave to check on Bruce who had the Stagg files on one screen of the batcomputer and an old 1950s black and white film playing on the batcomputer. She approached Bruce and spoke.

"Is this the movie you were talking about", she asked curiously, as a scene of a man and a woman walking along the sidewalk at night.

"Yes, Basil Karlo etched the Clayface killer of this movie in his fear room. Just getting an idea of what aspect of the character inspired his current actions", said Bruce with a focused look as he gazed at the screen.

"Well, hopefully it'll help us in figuring out how to attack him mentally if we can't beat him physically", said Carrie, in a concerned tone as the scene got romantic on the screen.

Carrie and Bruce watched as the couple made their way to a park and began kissing, before the scene took a dark turn when the woman caressed the man's face. To her horror the man's face revealed to be a mask. The woman grabs the man's face, ripping off the mask revealing the horrifying melted face underneath as the Clayface killer pulls out a knife with the camera view closing up on the woman's reaction as she's stabbed to death screaming.

"Were people really disturbed by this", she asked, looking awkwardly at the screen.

"Back then yes this was horrifying to people. Karlo clearly saw himself in this character and became his own twisted version. Something far deeper and darker", said Bruce, as though studying every shot of the film.

"We learn anything from the Stagg files", Carrie asked curiously.

"Still doing some digging. But as of right now, nothing that helps us bring down Karlo. Stagg did say that he was unable to figure out a way to replicate the mutation that warped Karlo's DNA into Clayface. Right now the abundance of questions out way any answers we've discovered", said Bruce, in a quiet frustrated tone still watching the movie.

"Well, I need to head out but keep me in the loop if you discover anything new", asked Carrie, as she left the cave heading back up to the manor where Alfred was waiting to take her to school.

Carrie headed back up to the manor as Bruce continued to observe the film with a scene of the movie's detective talking with the chief of police.

"We found a letter on the victim", said the detective.

"What does it say?", the chief asked worriedly.

"To my dear authoritative interlopers,

You pursue me with no concrete method to track me. I have killed time and time again yet you ceaselessly continue your fruitless efforts in bringing me into custody to face justice. Eventually you will learn when facing an untraceable killer as myself that only I designate when our confrontation will occur. This world is my playground. And when I have grown bored with the toys I break you will share in the sand box with me so we can play our final game. Until that time comes, continue your pathetic attempts to find me as you follow the trail of blood leading to the end. I can assure you Detective Bridges. When we play whether your department takes me down or not, I will leave you disfigured and crippled so all you can do is watch as I kill your whole world before this is over. Now in the meantime be a good boy and remember to say your prayers and kiss your mother goodbye", said Detective Bridges, with a fearful look on his face.

.....At the Gotham City Police Department

Commissioner Gordon was in his office finishing up the paperwork from the monorail massacre. As he got up from his desk to put away the files, when he noticed a picture of Barbara Gordon and a sad look came over his face as his cell phone began to ring. He pulled it out to his surprise and answered to hear Barbara's voice.