Batman: Hero of Gotham

18- Falcone's Culmination

Batman reached the Skyline Club at 9:19 PM. He stood on a building which stood right beside the club. As soon as the drone appeared, Alfred spoke. "The Drone's cameras and scanning tech are fully functional."

"Good to hear." Batman replied. "Let's find Falcone." Batman controlled the drone through his special goggles that allow him to control and monitor the drone's every move. He moved the drone around to search for Falcone. He focused in on one guard who was patrolling outside on the balcony. He saw the door behind him. "Good point of entry." He zoomed in on two patrols (a man and a woman) chatting. 

"Tell me another." The woman giggled. 

"What's the difference between the mafia and the city council?" The man asked, humorously.

"I dunno. Aren't they the same thing?" The woman guessed.

"Only one of them is organized." The man joked.

"Ooh, nice one. You're cute." The woman remarked.

"So, are you alone?" The man asked.

"Not anymore I'm not." The woman flirted. Batman zoomed back out and went to another couple of patrons, talking. Two girls this time.

"Where's Nikki?" One woman asked.

"In lock-up." The other woman answered.

"Again? Christ, Kimmy. What did they pinch him for now?" The woman asked.

"Some hit down at the docks." The girl who was supposedly named Kimmy said.

"Nikki? I didn't think he was a hatchet man."

"You and me both." Kimmy agreed.

"Does he got an alibi?"

"Honey, I'm always his alibi." Kimmy replied. Batman then moved on to a man who was at a pool table with another man who looked middle-aged.

"You make your rounds?" The younger man asked.

"Yeah. No broken bones." The older one responded.

"Still healing from the last time, I bet." 

"All it took was a couple of c-notes this time. Nice and easy."

"Nice and easy, my ass. I know you burned powder tonight. The whole city can smell it." The young man finished off. Just then, something caught Batman's eye. He zoomed in on a white rose symbol next to some closed doors.

Before Batman could say anything, Alfred stole his words. "The white rose. Falcone's symbol."

"A red rose, after tonight." Batman said. He zoomed in on the doors to the side of the symbol.

"That's the most heavily guarded door in the building." Alfred explained.

"Gotta be Falcone's hideout." 

"Well, it won't be as easy as ringing the doorbell."

"Four armed guards." Batman said once the scanning was finished checking. "Stealth isn't an option. I'll put together a plan of attack. Stand by." Batman hurriedly set up a plan of what objects he would use to attack the guards who were armed. Once he finished, he heard Al start talking.

"Bruce. Have you formulated your plan of attack?"

"I'm going in."

"Very good, sir. Your turn to crash his party." Batman jumped off the building he was on and kicked the guard on the balcony in the face. The guard went flying to the side and almost tumbled over the balcony. Batman picked the man up and threw him into the entryway he would enter in from. The man's body slammed against the door which barged open. He also threw a smoke grenade in the entry as well. He grabbed the next armed guard and threw him into the wooden staircase, breaking it and knocking the guard out. The next armed guard shot at Batman but missed all shots except one. One of the bullets skimmed Batman's arm which only damaged a little of the armor. Batman grabbed the guard's head and slammed it on the table in front of him. The last guard also shot at Batman but Batman took cover behind a pillar. He managed to throw a bat-a-rang at one of the hanging lights on the ceiling. The light fell and the guard jumped out of the way. Batman used the light as a distraction and he tackled the guard and threw him at the window which broke and knocked him out as well. All the patrons ran around screaming and escaping the building. Batman headed up the stairs to get to Falcone's hideout. Three more guards came in through the door and attacked Batman. Batman punched the first one in the face and elbowed him in the neck. The second guard received a fist in his gut and a punch in the jaw. The third and final guard's leg was broken by Batman and thrown to the ground. The third guard pulled a gun on Batman but Batman kicked the gun out his hand and threw him off the railing. Two more guards surrounded Batman. Suddenly, the door where Batman was headed crashed open. Falcone stood there with a machine gun in his hands, ready to fire. 

"Goddamn circus freak!" He yelled. Batman jumped off the railing as Falcone opened fire, the bullets missing and hitting the two guards instead, killing them both. Batman hid behind a pillar. "Show yourself! You got no goddamn right to be here!!" Falcone shot as he spoke. Batman quickly shot his grapple gun up through the wooden floor that Falcone was standing on. "The hell?" Batman pulled his grapple down which broke the wooden floor. Falcone fell backwards onto the ground. Batman jumped on top of the floor where Falcone sat. Falcone made a run for the doors up ahead and Batman threw a bat-a-rang at him which pierced through his back. Falcone shut the doors behind him. Batman noticed the security camera that faced him. "How bout this one?" Falcone opened fire at the door, blindly. He sent stray bullets everywhere, hoping one would hit Batman. Batman dodged the bullets and threw an electromagnetic pulse grenade in through a little hole in the door. The grenade exploded and disabled all electronics in the room that Falcone was in. "You think that's gonna stop me?!" Falcone laughed as he sent more bullets in through the door. "I'm gonna light up this whole goddamn place!" Batman suddenly crashed in through the window behind Falcone, startling him. The crash sent Falcone into a table, disarming him from the machine gun. Batman picked up Falcone by the throat. "Get your goddamn hands off of my suit!" Batman then threw Falcone into the nearest wall, injuring his back. Falcone struggled to get up.

"Stay down, Falcone." Batman finally spoke. "We can end this now."

"You got a lot to learn, kid." Falcone spat, activating a turret that hung from the ceiling. Batman jumped behind a couch as the bullets missed him completely. Batman pressed a button on his wrist that activated the explosives from his Drone. 

"Explosives armed. Fire when ready." Alfred said through Batman's earpiece. Batman pressed another button on his wrist which made the Drone shoot three explosives at the wall behind Falcone. The wall exploded and glass was sent everywhere. The city in the background was now clear as day. The explosion sent Falcone backward onto the ground. His face was now a mess of some charcoal and minor scrapes. Falcone crawled to reach his gun but Batman threw it out of the way. 

"Answers! NOW! Or you fall." Batman demanded.

"You wouldn't!" Falcone yelled back. Batman picked Falcone up and dangled him over the drop that looked to be a couple hundred feet. "Alright, alright!"

"The chemicals! Where are they?!"

"What?!"

"I found your calling card at the docks. The white rose."

"You think I wanted to lead YOU here?" Falcone's eyes widened as Batman's grip on his neck got harder. "Something reeks about this whole thing. And it ain't a dead bat!" Falcone took out a knife and tried to stab Batman but Batman grabbed it and threw it off the building. He headbutted Falcone.

"Still wanna play games?" Batman asked, angrily as a news helicopter appeared in the distance.

"We're all being played here...including you. Those chemicals you're so riled up about--they're mine, alright?" Falcone exclaimed. Batman heard the entrance door open outside of the room. He looked behind quickly and saw the police there. "But someone's trying to cut me out of the deal, because I did not make that mess at the docks!"

"Then who did?!"

"No, we're done! Gotham's watching now! Go ahead, give 'em a show! I'll be walking free by tomorrow morning!!!!" Batman walked over to a broken metal piece of debris that was still hanging on the destroyed wall. "What the hell are you doing?!" Batman then forced Falcone's body onto the piece of metal debris and it impaled him through the hip. Falcone screamed in anguish. 

"Spill it, Falcone! While you still can." Batman ordered.

"It's...the Waynes." Falcone confessed. "They're behind all this."

"What do you mean?!" Batman asked, clearly angry.

"You really--you really wanna take down crime? Well...the Waynes are the biggest gangsters in Gotham!" Falcone held up a picture of Bruce's parents with them sitting down next to Mayor Hill and Falcone, talking. The cops then broke through the door to the room Batman and Falcone were in. 

The leading officer who was a woman, shouted. "Oh my god.! Take him out!" The officers all shot at Batman as he jumped out of the window and soared away, devastated by this news he learned.