Return of the Bat
From the top of Wayne Tower you could see the whole city, the towering skyscrapers, the expanses of road and highway stretching out and weaving between the gothic buildings outward to the more suburban areas until it faded out into the distance. It was Thomas's favourite view, not only because it showed the shear size of the city and how far it reached out, but because this was the Gotham that should be. Up here you couldn't see the seedier details, the pitch black alleys and ruined buildings that spoke of the worst of Gotham. From here you could see the shining examples of the city's greatness, how it led in everything from the stock exchange to the fashion, the food, the art, architecture, even the diamond trade. From here, Gotham was brilliant.
It was because of this that Thomas decided his first patrol would begin here. To remind himself why he was in this cowl, of the Gotham that was and could be, of the brilliance of the city that shone through the darkness, but most of all he wanted to remind himself of the immenseness of both Gotham itself, and the gravity of the role he was taking on.
He didn't like to call it 'his' city, and he never had. He loved Gotham, but while he was protective of it, Gotham wasn't just his. It was a part of everyone who made a home there, and it was a part of everyone who had once done so. He couldn't lay a claim to something like Gotham, but he wasn't going to see it destroyed. From here you couldn't tell, but the gang movements, the mob, and now the return of the Joker had taken its toll. Chaos and terror were abound, and fear in all the wrong places.
He looked down at his boots, just over the ledge of the roof, and took a deep breath, hearing the words again in his head.
Criminals are a superstitious cowardly lot
The filter part of his mask clicked as it slid out of the sides of his cowl and into place. He could almost hear the sounds of the worst of it in his mind. Screeching tires. Sirens. Gunshots.
Strike fear into the hearts of those who prey upon the fearful
The Joker's laugh.
Vengeance
Screams.
Night
Shattering glass and an animal's screech.
-become a bat
And he was no longer staring out at the city, but airborne and diving away from the bright lights and down into the seedy underbelly where the cowardly thrived.
They didn't know fear yet, but they would.
The Bat was back.
