Gotham Knight (TWO)

The Myth

Bruce Anthony Wayne, The Batman

Gotham. My city. I looked over the skyscrapers and suburbs, theaters and mini-malls. Car plants and grocery stores. Gun shops and abandoned buildings. I was born here. I was raised here. This is my city. I own this city. I know this city like my own house. I know who runs this city, and it's not a society of owls. I'm sick and tired of hearing about the myth of The Court of the Owls.

Today, I find out the truth. The Court of the Owls has targeted me. And the sun's going down over Gotham. It's time. If they're coming, they're coming soon. Commissioner Gordon offered me protection, actually forced it on me. They told me that I needed protection, but I told them I was off to bed. They had guards at my door but I was able to sneak out of The Batcave exit and out into the city. I stood at the top of the new Wayne Tower, which was still under construction. The tallest tower in the building.

It was beautiful. My city. But it's hardly as it seems. It's crumbling. Crumbling to smithereens. I sighed but was interrupted by a slight noise from my top right.

I snapped my body backwards to look around. No sight of anything, or anyone. Someone was here. A whooshing noise sounded behind me. I swung around. The wind. I turned back around. There he was.

The first time I ever saw him . . . her . . . it. 7 foot tall, stocky build. Draped in all black, with gold lining all over. His mask was huge, black goggles over his eyes and gold lining throughout his mask. I looked up at him and tried to throw a fist. He knocked my hand aside and grabbed me by my throat. He lifted my whole body upwards, nearly choking me.

The Talon. 

"What . . . are  . . . you?" I tried to speak. His dark voice boomed throughout the excavation area.

"Bruce Wayne. The Court of the Owls has sentenced you to death." he stepped forward, bringing my body over the ledge. His grip loosened, dropping my body to it's death. Not even a second after, I was able to reach out for his leg. Talon fell forward, free falling right next to me. He spread angel in mid-air as I reached out for different gargoyles along the building. Talon's costume flapped in the wind.

On the thirteenth floor, I finally threw my arm around a near gargoyle, all my force slamming into my shoulders. I lifted myself onto the gargoyle and looked down at the still-falling Talon.

The Talon's huge body slammed into a stationary taxi, smashing the whole car down. His body lay lifeless. Dead. I mustered my arm communicator to my mouth. "A-A-Alfred." "Master Wayne?" "T-T-They're real." my breath went cold. 

"The Court of the Owls. They're real."

____________________________________________________________________________________

"Someone fetched his body. You're lying. I saw him die right in front of me." I flustered my words out. "They'res footprints showing that he walked away from the sight of the landing. Just got up and walked away." Alfred sounded confused as he read the police report. "Something is going on here. Something unworldly. A seven foot man doesn't survive a fall from a couple hundred foot building. He doesn't just get up and walk away." I sighed.

"Here it is." I opened a large wood door in front of me. As the door opened, the dark room inside was instantly illuminated. My mouth dropped. "Alfred." In front of me was a giant shrine. Talon's costume was hung in the middle, in a nice glass case. To the right of it was a case of knives and shanks, all with owls engraved on them. And on the left, was a photo. Set up like a family portrait, the photo consisted of six people. In the middle was Talon himself. Five other people stood to the left and right of him, all wearing white, wooden masks with the face of an owl.

"This isn't an updated photo. This has to have been taken . . ." I paused. "Hundreds of years ago." 

"The Court of the Owls story and rhyme do originate back to Colonial Times." Alfred stated. "Colonial Times." I repeated. "A secret organization has been running Gotham since Colonial Times, under the nose of all federal and national governments?" I chuckled a little. "What the hell have I gotten myself into?" 

"I guess . . ." Alfred started. "Anybody who has figured out about them hasn't lived to tell the tale."

Moments later, I was at the next "nest" that Alfred had uncovered. The same scene was set, but this photo looked a little more recent. "The last Talon. This is him. Something happened to him, and the one I faced was appointed." I slowly developed my thoughts. "There hasn't been that many Talons . . . how are they staying alive this long? How are they surviving hundred story falls? Something is wrong . . ." I paused again. Alfred grabbed his microphone quickly. "MASTER WAYNE! YOUR SUIT SENSORS ARE PICKING UP BOMB SENSES EVERY-" 

Fire surrounded me. I was blown out of the building and into the air. My suit was highly damaged, and my heart was about to stop beating. Out of nowhere, jumped The Talon. He launched himself at me, smashing me to a nearby building.

"Batman, The Court of the Owls has sentenced you to The Labyrinth." Talon boomed. He whipped out a syringe from his sleeve and smashed it into my neck. I tried to talk but my vision was fading. "Alfred . . . Alfre . . . Al . . . Labyrin-"

Then everything went black.