Legends of the Batman #9

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Legends of Batman #9
Duality

Written and Edited by Daniel Dyer

Harvey Dent works in the pre-dawn hours of the day. He’s no longer certain of the path he’s taking. He started out in his career wanting to put this city’s criminal element behind bars. He still wants this. But then why is he helping that same criminal element? Why is he, figuratively speaking, in bed with Oswald Cobblepot. Why is he helping paid assassins free vicious killers from prison? But then again, why is he helping a vigilante?

“Up early, Harvey?” a voice comes from behind Dent.

Unshakenly, Harvey responds, “No, late. The Arkham breakout is giving me a substantial amount of overtime.” Harvey turns, seeing the Batman standing at the window and he hands the caped man in black a piece of paper. “I’m sure you want this. A list of every escapapee from the asylum.”

The Batman flips through several pages.

“They are listed from in order of priority.”

The Batman flips back to the first page, and sees the Joker at the top of the list. “I’ll get to work on this.”

Harvey turns back to his desk. “See that you do. You can let yourself out.”

Harvey Dent is a very dedicated man. The question is, what is he now dedicated to?

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

As Batman pulls into the cave below Wayne Manor, he ponders his “partnership” with the distract attorney. He trusts Harvey. He knows Harvey’s good man. Bruce Wayne and Harvey Dent go back a way, after all. In the end, Bruce knows that Harvey was just stressed. Obviously, this is the cause of his strange behavior.

“Back from your nightly ‘crusade’, Master Bruce?” Alfred inquires as he walks down the stairs that lead to the Manor.

Batman simply walks past his butler, into a dressing room, not uttering a word.

“Very good sir. Master Dick has been up for an hour, waiting for you.”

Bruce Wayne emerges from the dressing room. “Tell him the answer is still ‘no’.”

“Yes, sir. Surely he’ll take ‘no’ for answer, just as another young man once did.”

“What would you have me do, Alfred? Gotham isn’t a safe place during the day. You want me to take him into the night? Into the dark?”

“I want for nothing, Master Bruce.” Alfred begins to walk away. “However, young Master Dick does have natural abilities, which, when honed with proper training, could create an individual that could even rival the great Batman.”

Bruce stands there alone again, pondering his situation once more. How could he in good conscious ever bring a boy into his war on crime. Simply put, he can’t.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

“I’m taking care of it, Cobblepot.”

“I should hope so,” Oswald replies on the other line of the phone. “I mustn’t tell you how Ms. Vale could be a very problematic stool pigeon.”

Harvey Dent pulls out his coin. “I know.” Harvey’s ready to flip his coin, but hesitates. Finally, he puts the coin back in his pocket. “I’m handling it, Penguin,” Harvey snaps, his attitude changing completely.

“Watch it, Harv. The little bird is more of a threat to you, than I. I wasn’t the one taking bribes.”

“I’m handling it!” and Harvey slams the phone down. What is he doing? What has become of this once good man?

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Wayne Manor, as Alfred knocks on the door of their newest resident. “Master Dick?” Alfred opens the door, noticing Dick looking at a piece of paper.

“Bruce home, yet?” Dick asks bluntly.

“He is. He’s sleeping.”

Dick lays down the paper, “He still being pigheaded?”

“It is one of the Master’s more... daunting character traits.” Alfred looks at the paper, noticing a slanted “R” symbol within an oval. Next to it is a picture of a bird. A red robin. “You drew this, sir?”

Dick shakes his head. “Alfie, it’s Dick, or Richard.” The boy sits on his bed, picking the drawing back up. “My mom. She drew it, long ago.”

“‘R’ for Richard?” Alfred questions.

Dick shakes his head again. “Naw, Al. For Robin.”

“Explaining the robin, flapping its wings.”

“Yeah. It was a nickname my mom gave me. We were rehearsing. Well, Mom was. I was up there with her, practicing for when I’d eventually, become part of the team. Well, she started to fall. The net was up, but her fall was too wide. I didn’t think. I acted. After I caught her, she gave me the nickname, Robin, because I flew out to grab her like a bird taking flight, and she knew about this.” Dick hands Alfred a green book.

Looking on the cover, Alfred reads, “Robin Hood.”

“Yep. My favorite book. I guess Bruce has his heroes...” Dick gestures around the room, “...and I have mine. Mom knew how much I liked Robin Hood. How much I wanted to be a hero. To protect the innocent. Al, my parents death only strengthened my resolve. No one deserves what happened to them. No one.”

Alfred sits beside the boy. He’s heard this speech from another.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Night. The Batman is back on the streets. His work is certainly far from over. A recent Arkham breakout has flooded the streets with psychopaths. A lot have not yet surfaced. The few who have... Well, the word delusional schizophrenia comes to mind.

“Relish your victory, Batman,” the strangely dressed man holding two... condiment guns (ketchup and mustard) states. “The Condiment King will be back.”

Batman head butts the “King” to shut up the lunatic’s ramblings. The Batman ties up the former Arkham inmate and pushes a button on his belt, which automatically dials 911 with a recorded message.

He hops in his sleek black car and drives off, turning on his police scanner.

“All available units... kzz... Fire started by... zzt... costumed man.”

A costume? Fire? The Bat rarely believes in coincidence. Lyons.

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The fire blazes on as the police gather. Lyons is hovering above the burning building in a special heat resistant suit with a harness which is how he hovers... on fluttering wings.

“Yeah, Commish,” Harvey Bullock speaks into his radio. “My team responded, but its not the nut we were looking for. Some weirdo dressed as a bug. The Batman’s nowhere to be seen.”

As Bullock’s back is turned from the building, the Batman leaps from a neighboring roof, crashing through the top window.

“The Batman!” screams Billy Pettit.

“What the...?!” Harvey turns and sees the broken window. “The guy must be nuts.” Bullock pulls the mike back to his face. “Commish, he is here.”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

The lower levels have been evacuated, but there’s still a family left up here. The fire department’s ladders can’t reach. Batman knows these civilians will die before the authorities can get up here. He tries the door to their apartment. It doesn’t budge. “Stand back!” he yells and then kicks in the door. The couple and their son stand their, fear gripping them. “I’m here to help, come on!”

The couple reluctantly follow the cowled man. He might not be the monster he’s reported to be. So, they follow him to the window. The dark stranger shoots out a grappling hook from some kind of firing apparatus and attaches two sets of handlebars on the line. The Batman straps the boy to his mothers back.

“You’ll be fine. Be careful.”

Batman stands there, watching the family get to safety, when suddenly Garfield flies in front of the window. “Hello.” Firing his torch in the window, Batman barely dodging it.

“Lyons! You put innocent lives in danger!”

“Firefly,” Lyons announces as he steps in through the window. “Call me Firefly.”

“Alright, ‘Firefly’.” The Batman tries to stay hidden, throwing his voice so Lyons can’t pinpoint him. “You don’t need to do this, Lyons. You need help. Come back to Arkham.”

“Arkham’s ash, Dark Knight,” Lyons steps forward, towards where the voice is coming from. “Sure, it’ll be rebuilt, but it won’t have me as a resident.”

“Thank again,” the voice this time coming from behind Lyons. But before he can turn, a Batarang slices through the torch’s cable and the Batman tackles Firefly from behind. “You lose, ‘Firefly’.”

But Firefly elbows Batman in his face, knocking him off, and runs for the window. As Firefly takes flight, the Batman leaps out, grabbing Lyons. “It can’t support us both, you idiot!”

And Firefly is correct, they begin to fall. The Batman twists, pulling Lyons under him, angling their fall, crashing to the nearest rooftop.

“Unconscious.” Batman checks for a pulse. “But alive.”

“Hands up and step away from the man!” Pettit demands with his gun trained on the Batman, just as more officers run up next to him.

"Alright, freak. We got you,” states Bullock as he steps forward.

Batman holds his hands. He can’t afford a confrontation with the police. Although, he can’t afford apprehending either. The Batman drops a gas pellet from a pocket in his glove and does a backflip off the roof.

Bullock runs to the edge and sees the Batman swinging away. “Dammit!”

***

[Spider-Man Beyond]

Dick Grayson enters what he refers to as the “Batcave”. Best to do this when Bruce is out. He’d hate for “Master Bruce” to walk in on him. The boy enters the weapon area, gathering together gas pellets, a grappler, Batarangs, and a few other things, including one of the Batman’s utility belts. A smaller version, with not as many pouches as usual. Must have been one Bruce wore when he was younger, the young boy thought to himself.

Exiting the weapon room, Dick notices something he didn’t see before. A trophy room. Who knew Bruce was sentimental? Dick decides to take a look around, seeing several different souvenirs from his travels. A top hat with a plaque that reads, “John Zatara,” a pair of boxing gloves with a plaque that states, “The Champ,” even a weird glowing green rock that appears to be in some kind of box, which appears to be made of lead. There is no plaque. Weird. Bruce must’ve had a wild life.

Dick turns and sees a small, green eyemask on a stand. The plaque below reads, “From Canary.” This’ll be perfect, and Dick grabs the eyemask and hurries out of the cave, through the manor and into his room. He has preparations to make.

Not the end...