by Sean Tulien
The False Facers attacked Gordon and the guards. Bruce, meanwhile, continued to play possum. Every part of him ached to help his friend, Gordon, as well as the two guards. But as Bruce Wayne, there was nothing he could do.
Soon, Black Mask’s men overwhelmed Gordon and the guards. All three lay unconscious on the marble floor.
Black Mask gestured toward the donation box. “Grab that,” he told his men.
CRACK! One of his men pried off the lock with a crowbar. Two other False Facers lifted it up and began to carry it outside.
Black Mask glanced at the cash-filled box, then to the unconscious Police Commissioner. “Cold, hard cash, and more of my competition eliminated,” he said. “Now that’s what I call a two-for-one!”
Two of the False Facers grabbed Gordon by the shoulders and pulled him out the door. Black Mask grinned, turned on his heel, and left with the rest of his men.
CHAPTER 3
MIXED SIGNALS
Back in the Batcave, Bruce tapped away at the Batcomputer as Alfred dabbed Bruce’s jaw with some antiseptic. “I hope you had a good reason for taking that punch,” Alfred said.
“It had to look real,” Bruce said.
Alfred nodded. “I’d say you succeeded,” he said. “So where do you suppose Black Mask has taken Commissioner Gordon?”
Bruce rubbed his jaw. “I have no idea,” he said. “But I know someone who does.”
“Selina, I presume?” Alfred asked.
Bruce smiled. “Nothing escapes you, Alfred,” he said. He brought up Catwoman’s file on the Batcomputer. “I saw her stick a tracking device to Black Mask’s suit. That’s why I took that punch — to provide her with a distraction.”
Alfred tucked away the medical kit. “Well played,” he said. “But how will you locate Catwoman? She’s hard to find.”
Bruce shrugged. “Got any bright ideas?”
Alfred arched an eyebrow. “One, in fact. How does Gordon get a hold of the Dark Knight when the police require his help?”
Bruce smiled. “Brilliant.”
* * *
Moments later, Batman stood in front of the Bat-Signal atop the roof of the Gotham City Police Department.
Batman reached into his Utility Belt and pulled out a roll of electrical tape. He ripped off a few pieces, then carefully stuck them to the Bat-Signal.
“That should do it,” he said. He flipped the switch. CLICK!
Batman lifted his eyes to the dark, cloudy skies. Looming just beneath the full moon was a silhouette of a cat.
“How’s it look, Alfred?” Batman asked through his radio earpiece.
“Purr-fect,” Alfred said.
Batman chuckled.
“Something funny?” came a voice from behind him.
Batman tensed and turned. When he saw Catwoman perched nearby, he relaxed. “That was fast,” he said.
“I was already in the neighborhood,” Catwoman said. “Earlier this evening, I was on a promising date with a very eligible bachelor.” She pounced down to Batman’s level and approached him. “But I’d much rather prowl the streets with you.”
Batman arched an eyebrow. “Not interested.”
“Oh?” she said, glancing up at the sky. “I guess I’m picking up some mixed signals, then. Care to clarify?”
“I don’t know if you’ve heard,” Batman said, “but a large sum of money intended for the city’s orphans was stolen from Wayne Manor.”
“I did hear about that,” Catwoman said flatly. “In fact, this little meeting of ours interrupted my search.”
Good, Batman thought. “Any leads?”
Catwoman crossed her arms. “Why should I share?”
“You want the money back for the orphans,” Batman said with a shrug, “and I want to rescue Gordon. I’d say our objectives line up perfectly — in this case.”
“So where’s the Boy Wonder?” Catwoman asked. “Super hero summer school?”
“I need someone familiar with sneaking around in the shadows,” Batman said.
Catwoman smirked. “You mean . . . little old me?”
“Why not?” Bruce asked. “And since you were once an orphan yourself, I figure you’ll be motivated to help recover the stolen donations.”
Catwoman’s eyes seemed to glimmer. She uncrossed her arms. “Okay,” she said. “But we do things my way. Deal?”
Batman shifted uncomfortably. He needed Selina’s intel. “Fair enough,” he said. “So where’s Black Mask?”
“Gotham Cemetery,” Catwoman said.
“How do you know that?” Batman asked, doing his best to sound surprised.
Catwoman smirked. “Catch me if you can,” she said, then leaped off the rooftop. CRACK! Her whip attached to a nearby building, and she swung away.
* * *
A short time later, Batman and Catwoman arrived at Gotham Cemetery.
Catwoman nudged Batman.
“Perfect night for a date, don’t you think?” Catwoman said. “Two masked vigilantes on the prowl, beneath a full moon, with homicidal villains lurking in the shadows . . .”
Batman pulled an earpiece from his Utility Belt. “Contact me using this.”
Catwoman put the earpiece in. “Yes, sir,” she said with a sarcastic salute. “Any other orders, Captain Batman?”
“Just one,” Batman said. He looked right at her. “Stay safe.”
Catwoman’s eyes went wide. “I didn’t know you cared,” she said quietly.
Without another word, Catwoman headed into the graveyard. Batman watched her go. After a moment, he joined her in the shadows.
CHAPTER 4
GOTHAM CEMETERY
Sticking to the shadows, Catwoman led Batman through Gotham Cemetery. It was an eerie, old place. Many of the structures and graves were badly deteriorated. Some gravestones were no longer legible.
Batman kept his eyes open for clues while Catwoman checked her handheld device. Suddenly she stopped. “That’s odd,” she said. “The signal indicates he’s right below us.”
“A tracking device?” Batman asked, already knowing the answer.
Catwoman frowned. “Yes,” she said. “But it seems to have stopped working.”
Batman pointed at the archway above the mausoleum. Catwoman narrowed her eyes. There was a black skull engraved in the marble.
Catwoman smiled. “Who says bats are blind?” she joked. “I’ll bet that Black Mask is beneath this mausoleum.”
They approached the heavy stone doors. Batman gestured with his hand. “Ladies first,” he said with a half-bow.
Catwoman flashed a smile. As quick as a shot, she kicked open the doors. CRRRRRRRREAK! Moonlight spilled inside the marble building, illuminating the dust that fell from above. They watched it settle on the shoulders of two figures in the center of the room.
Both of the men were wearing masks with strange lenses in the eyepieces. “Just two of them?” Catwoman said in a pouty voice. “I’ll take the one on the left.” She charged inside the building.
“Wait!” Batman said. But she didn’t listen. He had no choice but to follow her.
CLANK! The doors closed behind them. The room was plunged into complete darkness. “Oops,” Catwoman said.
“Two more behind us,” Batman told her.
“And I bet those lenses in their masks are for night vision,” Catwoman added.
CLICK-CLICK! Batman and Catwoman simultaneously activated their night-vision lenses. Batman looked up just in time to dive away from a huge marble pillar falling straight toward him. KRRRUNCH!
The pillar smashed into the marble floor and shattered. Batman saw the biggest False Facer charge at him. As the thug wrapped his thick arms around Batman, he saw the crook was wearing a bull mask — and he was incredibly strong.
The thug lifted Batman onto his shoulder and slammed him into the wall. THUD! Batman tensed his back muscles to absorb the blow, then brought his head down onto the thug’s mask. CRUNCH! As it broke in half, the man released his iron grip and fell to the f
loor in a heap.
Immediately, a second False Facer with a monkey-faced mask leaped through the air. He kicked Batman in the chest. THA-WHUMP! A flurry of punches followed, most of them glancing off Batman’s arms and shoulders.
The hero sidestepped to put the crook’s back to the wall. Sensing he was being cornered, the thug tossed a lunging kick at Batman to back him off. The Dark Knight deflected the blow with his wrist, knocking the agile thug off balance. WHAM! Batman’s uppercut sent the False Facer crashing into the wall. His mask fell to the ground as the thug slumped down hard.
Batman spun around, prepared to help Catwoman fight the remaining False Facers. However, he found her leaning casually against a pillar.
“What took you so long?” she asked. The two other thugs were near her feet and tied up with thin black rope.
“Nicely done,” Batman said. “But next time, try to be a little more cautious.”
Catwoman put her hands on her hips and frowned. It reminded Batman of Selina’s posture when he left her back at the ball. “Fine,” she said. “Then you lead.”
Batman glanced around the chamber. There didn’t seem to be any doors, aside from the front entry. He approached the rear wall and ran his hands along it. “A dead end?” he muttered to himself.
Catwoman snickered. “Interesting choice of words.” Casually, she walked over to the wall and yanked on a skeletal mask above Batman’s head. CLICK! It swung to the left.
RUMBLE! Batman leaped back as the stone wall parted. Inside was a dank, musty hallway leading down into the darkness.
Batman glanced at Catwoman in disbelief. “How did you —?”
“There’s heat coming up from beneath that wall,” she said. “Don’t your goggles have infrared vision?”
Batman grinned. “You want to take the lead back?”
Catwoman walked toward the hidden passageway and playfully pushed the Dark Knight toward the secret entrance. “I think I made my point,” she said.
Batman crossed his arms. “You wish.”
Catwoman chuckled as she followed Batman down the stairs.
They descended what seemed like countless steps until they reached a long, dark tunnel at the bottom. They saw a small source of light at the end of the tunnel, which opened into what looked like a very large room made of stone.
“That, my friend, is a bottleneck,” Catwoman said.
“Agreed,” Batman said. “I’ll go first.”
“What if it’s a trap?” Catwoman asked.
Batman smiled. “It probably is. And you’re going to be the ace up my sleeve.” He pointed upward. There was a gap in the stone between the wall and the ceiling.
“So, you trust me?” Catwoman asked.
“I trust your instincts,” Batman said. And with that, he entered the dark corridor and headed toward the light at the end of the tunnel while Catwoman scurried up onto the ledge and into the darkness.
* * *
After a few minutes of walking, Batman emerged into a giant arena-like chamber.
Several flaming torches illuminated the entire scene. Stone seats were carved into the stone along the side walls. They all surrounded a throne-like chair at the front and center of the seats. It reminded Batman of a small stadium. Or a gladiator pit, he thought grimly.
Batman looked around the room. There weren’t any exits or doors. “I think I’ve hit a dead end,” he said to Catwoman through his earpiece. “Any luck on your end?”
“No sign of the donation money yet,” Catwoman said.
“What about Gordon?” Batman asked.
“Nope,” Catwoman said. “But I wasn’t really looking for him.”
Suddenly, a loud CLANK! came from behind Batman.
A cast-iron gate now blocked the entrance. Batman’s eyes scanned the arena. “Catwoman, I’m going to need some backup,” he whispered. He looked up at the gap above the gate, hoping to see Selina waiting in the shadows. But all he saw was darkness.
“Catwoman?” Batman repeated. He waited for a response.
HAHAHAHA! A laugh echoed through the chamber. Batman turned to see Black Mask emerge from behind the central throne.
The villain threw his hands up in the air. “Welcome, Batman!” he yelled, his voice reverberating. “We’re glad you could join our little party.”
One by one, masked faces emerged from behind the seats in the arena.
In a matter of moments, all the seats were filled with False Facers, all their eyes fixed on Batman.
“Kind of overkill, don’t you think?” Batman said, gesturing at the many masked thugs.
Black Mask shrugged. “I’m not taking any chances with you.”
“Where’s Gordon?” Batman growled.
Black Mask leaned to his side. Casually, he pointed his finger toward the ceiling. KLANK-A-KLANK! Slowly, rung-by-rung, a chain holding a human-sized birdcage descended from a hole in the ceiling. It stopped about twenty feet above the floor. Inside sat Police Commissioner Gordon. He looked miserable.
Batman tensed. “I take it you’ve been expecting me,” he said to Black Mask.
Black Mask approached the edge of the pit. “I didn’t exactly conceal my tracks,” he said with a grin. “But I admit, you found me faster than I expected. Thankfully, most of my men were already here.”
Batman glanced around the arena, finding cold gazes staring back at him from behind beastly masks. “Now would be a good time to drop in, Catwoman,” he whispered. But still, he got no response.
“I’d like to thank you for making my job so easy,” Black Mask continued. “With Two-Face and the Penguin gone, I have no criminal competition left. With Gordon in my grasp, the police are helpless, and my False Facers outnumber them five to one. And now —”
“I’m your only obstacle to criminal supremacy,” Batman interrupted.
“Exactly,” the villain said. He held his palm out toward Batman. “However, I am willing to offer you a deal.”
“And that would be?” Batman asked.
The villain’s lips curled into a chilling grin. It seemed as if the mask itself was smiling. “Just take off your mask,” he said. “And I’ll let you live.”
Batman knew that wasn’t an option. It would put all his friends in harm’s way, as well as jeopardize his ability to protect Gotham. “Not going to happen,” he said.
Black Mask frowned. “But why?” he asked. “Granted, your career as a masked vigilante would be over, and you’d probably end up in jail . . . but you’d still be alive.” He ran a finger along his neck in a cutting motion. “Isn’t that better than the alternative?”
Batman said nothing. POP! POP! POP! Instead, he cracked his knuckles.
Black Mask crossed his arms. “Fine,” he said. “I’ll just unmask you when you’re dead.”
Black Mask snapped his fingers. CLICK! Two False Facers leaped into the pit. “Let the Black Masquerade begin!” he cried.
The crowd of thugs cheered wildly.
CHAPTER 5
THE BLACK MASQUERADE
Two False Facers stalked toward the Dark Knight. Batman saw that the first thug was wearing a bear mask, and he was big. As he lumbered forth, Batman noted his feet landed heavily on the stone floor.
The second thug wore a snake-like mask. He stood behind and to the side of the bear thug, and held a club in his right hand. His posture was low and tense, as if preparing for the perfect opportunity to strike.
The big thug charged at Batman with his hands open. He wants to grab me so his little pal can finish me, Batman realized.
The Dark Knight rolled underneath the bear man’s legs. The thug stumbled forward in an attempt to grab Batman and almost fell on his face.
Before the smaller thug could react, Batman jumped toward him with his knee extended. KA-THUMP! His knee hit the thug in the chest, knocking him to the stone floor. His club skittered away, out of reach.
Batman knew what would come next. WOOSH! He ducked, narrowly avoiding the bigger man’s attempt to grab him from
behind. Staying low, Batman swept the man’s feet with a kick. The villain hit the ground with a THUD!
At that moment, the snake thug leaped onto Batman’s back and wrapped his arms around Batman’s face. “I’ve got him!” he hissed. “Quick, put his lights out!”
Batman could have easily thrown the crook over his shoulders. Instead, he pretended to struggle — until he saw the bigger thug wind up for a powerful punch.
Batman shrugged and ducked at the same time. The bear thug’s fist smashed into the smaller one’s mask. CRUNCH! The mask split in half, and the snake thug was down for the count.
Batman leaped onto the bigger thug’s back. He wrapped his elbow under the man’s chin and wound his legs around his waist. Then he squeezed with all his might.
The False Facer grabbed at Batman’s cape, trying to pull the hero off his back. But it was no use. In moments, his limbs went limp and he fell to the floor, asleep.
BOOOOOOOOOOOOO! A chorus of jeers rang out. BOOOOOOOOOO!
AROOOOOOOOOO! Suddenly, one thug let out a dramatic howl that silenced the rest. He wore a mask that resembled a snarling wolf. As he stood, the False Facers near him slowly backed away.
Then the man leaped into the arena from the fourth row. THUMP! He landed on all fours right in front of Black Mask’s throne. He lowered his head in the throne’s direction, as if silently asking to take on the Dark Knight.
Black Mask seemed pleased. “I like your initiative, Wolf,” he said. “You have my permission.”
Wolf didn’t hesitate. He dashed toward Batman, covering the distance between them in a matter of seconds. WHAM! A strong arm smashed into Batman’s head, knocking him to the side.
Just as Batman regained his balance, Wolf knocked him onto his back, then pounced on his chest. He sent flurries of wild punches to Batman’s body and head.
Batman was able to block most of the blows, but more and more were getting through. He tried to wiggle free, but Wolf had his full weight on Batman’s chest. The thug threw punch after punch after punch.