Batman: The Jester and The Queen

The Hunt 💘🃏

Two days later...

Gotham City was now spiraling downwards in every way. The citizens were frightened and in constant panic. The Gotham Diner was the worst of the tragedies caused in Gotham City, compared to the last explosion that happened at Wayne Industries. 

Wayne Foods had to shut down temporarily, for the food shortages were now even smaller and limited. A line of poor citizens had to stand in long lines around the block in order to be served soup and coffee.

Since most of the booming billionaires died in the explosion, a small number of them started to lose huge amounts of money. Bruce managed to hold out with his wealth, keeping it afar from the city and concealing it in Wayne Manor's secret bank vault installed near the Batcave.

"It's like the second generation of the Great Depression," Bruce exclaimed to Alfred and Dick. "Yeah...we need to help Gotham get back to its feet before it pummels completely," agreed Dick with nodding. 

Alfred suggested to Bruce and Dick to check any surveillance cameras of the perpetrator. "There has to be more than one. I bet the situation at Wayne Foods ties in with the Gotham Diner tragedy," explained Bruce. "So you're saying one was at Wayne Foods and the other was at Gotham Diner?" asked Dick.

"Just like I've dealt before with thugs, the ringleader always has an army. I'm betting the ringleader of this tragedy was away from the explosion, and sent his or her goons to blow up Gotham Diner...and kill Vicki Vale," concluded Bruce.

Suddenly, Bruce received a emergency distress message from Commissioner Gordon himself personally. "My-my-wife! I need the Dark Knight here!" he exclaimed on the voicemail. 

Knowing Gordon didn't know that Bruce is Batman, and the voicemail was sent to Batman which coincidentally was sent to Bruce as well. "Wait, are we seriously doing this?" asked Dick.

"You don't understand the true nature of this problem," replied Bruce. He headed down to the Batcave, suiting up as Batman. Dick decided to stay behind. "When you get to the commissioner's house...will you be Bruce Wayne or Batman?" asked Dick.

Batman replied "Both," and sped off with the Batmobile out of the Batcave. He drove through Gotham, which was populated with lots of blanketed and poor citizens struggling for soup. Batman felt a sense of guilt passing by them, and turned into a dark alleyway in order to stay away from the public.

Batman then arrived near Gordon's house, a medium-sized building in a suburban neighborhood. He parked the Batmobile in the shadows, and entered inside Gordon's home.

"Oh my god, Barbara!" Gordon was weeping as he held his wife in his arms. Her mouth was filled with white foam, she was choking. "What happened?!" Batman exclaimed, his deep and dark voice scaring Gordon.

"My-my wife, we were having dinner this evening at the house, and she started choking and was poisoned!" cried out Gordon. Batman held Barbara's shaking body, as she was twitching uncontrollably.

"We need to do something!" cried out Gordon. He ran to the phone to call up his police force, the GCPD. "Your wife will need to breathe in order to stop twitching, she's going to have a stroke!" said Batman to Gordon. Gordon tried not to be cowardly, and kept his brain thinking.

"Okay. We must bring her to a doctor, I don't know what the hell I was thinking when I called you up first," replied Gordon. Batman shook his head and lifted Barbara off the ground, carrying her like a rag doll in his arms. 

The ambulances soon arrived, as Barbara was transported in. Gordon felt it was necessary to join her in the ambulance. "This is the fifteenth poisoning occurrence we've had tonight!" exclaimed one officer. Batman was now intrigued by those facts. "They could all be linked," suggested Batman.