Batman: Hero of Gotham

6- Breaking News

Bruce sat down next to Alfred in the car. "Wayne Manor or Wayne Enterprises?" Al asked.

"Take me home." Bruce said.

"What did Falcone say to you?" Alfred asked. Bruce could tell he was eager to know.

"He told me we are practically family and that I was getting in his way of doing things." Bruce explained.

"That man is a damn nightmare." Alfred commented.

"He is uncivil and the cruelest man I know besides Chill." Bruce added.

"He sure is. I hope he gets locked up for his corrupt attitude." Al said.

"Me too." Bruce said. Alfred didn't say anything else the rest of the way home. Once they arrived at Wayne Manor, Bruce sat on the couch and turned on the television. He flipped through the channels until one caught his eye. The Gotham News. He let the channel stay on and plopped the remote on the coffee table in front of him. As Bruce read a book about bats and their many abilities, he listened in on the news.

"The wardens at Blackgate Prison explain the escape of prisoner Joe Chill who allegedly killed two of the wardens to escape his cell. The citizens of Gotham are frightened of this man and are scared to know what this treachous man will do now that he has escaped from Blackgate. Here is an interview from one of Blackgate's wardens."

"He just ran down the halls screaming he was free and pushing past other prisoners and wardens not giving a damn. He killed two guards that were in his way. Then he got out. We have already contacted the police department and they are searching as we speak. Thanks Jon." The news flipped back to Jon, the original news reporter. As Jon was talking, Bruce was in deep thought. How could he have escaped this fast? Someone must have broken him out. Possibly another prisoner. Bruce suddenly got up from the couch and knew he had to do. He was going to find Joe Chill and he was going to get his revenge.

Bruce snuck out of the manor with a jacket and sunglasses. He got in his expensive car and drove to where the locations said on the news of where he was apparently spotted. He parked his car and got out. He saw three cigarette smokers standing in the alleyway. Bruce ran over to them. "Hello." Bruce greeted them.

"What do you want?" One of them wheezed.

"Can you help me find Joe Chill?" Bruce cut right to the chase.

"Joe? He ain't here. He left ten minutes ago." Another one coughed.

"Where is he headed?" Bruce asked.

"Last I heard, he was headed towards Wayne Enterprises. Something about destroying the business." The same one said.

"How do you know?" Bruce wondered.

"Because we're friends with him." The smoker smiled showing his rotted teeth. He grabbed Bruce and told his other two friends to take his wallet. Bruce struggled to get away. "Quit moving!" The man yelled. Bruce finally broke free and punched one of them in the face. He ran into his car and quickly started it. The three smokers kicked his car and one eventually pulled a gun on him. Bruce drove away before he could shoot it. He headed towards Wayne Enterprises. He got on the phone with Alfred.

"I know where Chill is. He's at Wayne Enterprises. He's trying to annihilate the business! I'm gonna stop him." Bruce explained.

"Be careful." Alfred said.

"I'll try." Bruce replied, hanging up.

Bruce arrived at Wayne Enterprises and saw a hijacked car parked alongside the building. Gordon's cops surrounded the building's main entrance.

Bruce walked up to where the officers were crouched. "Get out of here, son. It's dangerous." One of the police officers said.

"I have to go in!" Bruce said. Suddenly, a bullet went through the back of the cop's head sending him forward towards Bruce. Bruce almost tumbled to the ground but he moved out of the way, letting the dead cop's corpse fall on the ground behind him.

"Jesus!" Another police officer yelled. A bullet eventually hit him too, in the neck. The rest of the police officers ran behind cars for cover. Bruce stood still. Bruce could see where the shooting was coming from. The third floor of the building. The firing then stopped.

A voice called out to Bruce. "You there! The freak with the sunglasses. Get up here!" Bruce could tell the voice came from Joe Chill. As far as Bruce knew, he was alone up there. This was Bruce's chance to get his revenge.

"I'm coming up!" Bruce tried his best to sound anonymous. Bruce pulled his hood over his head to disguise himself as he walked towards the front door to the building. Once Bruce had entered, he went into an elevator and hit the button "3". The elevator slowly brought him up making him even more nervous. He waited and waited until finally the bell to the elevator rung and the doors opened. Joe Chill stood there, his gun pointed at Bruce.

"Come here." He said, his voice raspy. Bruce did as he said and moved forward, out of the elevator. "Why are you here?"

"I could ask the same to you." Bruce responded, disguising his voice with a deep, intimidating voice.

"I want revenge on that coward, Bruce Wayne. I'm gonna kill that son of a bitch if he gets here." Joe spat on the ground. Bruce noticed Joe's face had bruises on it from earlier. He had dried blood on his lip.

"How did you get out of prison?" Bruce asked.

"See, now you've taken it too far. You're asking too much questions, man. Time to start my plan." Joe took Bruce by the hand and brought over to the shot out window. He put Bruce in view of the cops and pointed a gun to his head. "Surrender now or this freak dies!" The police officers did nothing. Bruce needed a plan and he needed one fast. Without thinking, he elbowed Joe in the belly and punched him in the eye, causing him to fall backward onto a desk. Joe got up and threw his gun to the ground. "I changed my mind. I'm gonna kill you with my bear hands."

"Come at me." Bruce mocked him. Joe ran forward and knocked Bruce to the ground. Bruce got up and threw a punch which Joe blocked. Joe punched Bruce in the face, knocking his sunglasses off. Joe picked up Bruce's sunglasses which were a present from Alfred a few years back. He snapped them in half and threw them off the building. Bruce pulled off his hood to reveal his identity to Joe.

"Bruce Wayne? Things just keep getting better and better. I'm going to enjoy killing you." Joe punched Bruce in the face. Bruce's nose started bleeding rapidly. "Be a man and fight me!" Joe punched Bruce again throwing a spray of blood out of Bruce's broken nose. Bruce was getting hit and hit. Punch after punch rained upon him from Joe until Bruce's face bleed more than he's ever bled before. Bruce lost it and tackled Joe. He picked Joe up and dragged him to the edge of the third floor where the broken glass was. Joe was able to grab a shard while being dragged and stabbed it into Bruce's wrist. Bruce screamed and used up his last bit of strength and threw Joe off the building. Bruce sat on the ground next to a desk that was tipped over. He looked at his wrist where blood poured out. He didn't even care about his face. He knew that Joe had torn threw his vein with that shard which could have killed him. Bruce almost forgot that he threw Joe off the edge. Bruce got up to see where Joe had landed. He looked and saw nothing except his car and dead police officers revealing that Joe had escaped and he was still alive. He must have broken some bones, Bruce thought. This is my chance to step up. This is my chance to kill Joe Chill.