Post by jordan on Dec 16, 2013 0:06:14 GMT -5
Ultimate Batman
Holiday Special #1
"The Last Christmas Carol"
By Jordan
*
Bruce Wayne; Seventy-Three Minutes Ago
Everyone circles around me and falls silent in the glitter and the gleam of the Christmas tree lights. Their eyes are wide and their mouths are shut in either dense, thoughtless smiles or angry, hate-filled scowls. I see the most famous faces of Gotham from young Silver St. Cloud to Mayor Cobblepot. Why did I do this? I stand tall at the podium and stare out a long gaze across the crowd. They embrace in my smile as though I were speaking the words of God. I guess that's what I get for being the richest man in Gotham.
"I would like to thank you all for coming tonight to the annual Martha Wayne Christmas Ball. Tonight, we not only celebrate everything that our city can be, but everything that our city will be, and we will do this without hesitation. Tonight, we will learn what it means to give and to receive inn humility. In just under one hour, my faithful butler and best friend Alfred Pennyworth will adorn this sterling Christmas tree with a beautiful star that will be seen from coast to coast." I motion over to Alfred only to see the look of contempt on his face. The man hates being in the limelight.
"We hold this ball every year not in memory of my mother who fell at the hands of a mugger--but instead as a pillar of identity and humility for all of Gotham that was torn apart by the hand of crime and evil. I put millions of dollars into improving the police department, building orphanages for those like me and homes for those worse off. I hope to inspire a generation which will turn Gotham into the glowing spire that it was always meant to be--but I need your help." Every time I give a speech, everyone is enticed. If I didn't know better, I'd say my smile was magic.
"With the economy how it is, the orphanages have filled and I've lost the means to create more and more homes for those less fortunate. With your small donations, I hope to build this city into a place where kings and queens will travel across the globe to raise their children. Together, we can show these children how a city with a purpose is a city of light." And cue the claps and cheers. I stand silent, waiting, my eyes closed. But nothing comes. Silence. What is going on? Suddenly, I hear Alfred's voice in my ear:
"Master Bruce, the star!" I look behind me to where the thirty-seven-pound paper star sits unmoving. The lights are on and they are bright.
"What's the meaning of--" BOOM!
*
Bruce Wayne; Now
My ears ring hard and loud shutting out all of the sound of the outside world. My vision is blurry and everything looks like a combination of waves and panic. I smell sulfur. Must be from the bomb. I try to push myself up but my arms and legs feel like rubber. I try to focus on something, anything, and after a second, it works.
I see a girl, a woman, barely. Her features are cut and bruised. She's knocked cold on the floor, everyone stampeding past her. I have to stop them before they trample her to death. I have to stop them. Slowly, inch by inch, I crawl towards her, my arms barely having the consistency of Jello and my legs dragging lifelessly behind me. I don't hear it, but I know I'm shouting "Stop!" With all of my might. As I get closer, she comes more and more into focus.
She has short black hair that goes down to her shoulders, straightened to perfection. Her body is long and slim, her legs are muscular and her arms are athletic. I take one look at her face and I realize who she is. Selina Kyle--the Catwoman.
I'd run into her a few nights ago when the Gotham War started in the Golds. I tried to get her to evacuate the area. She's probably here to try and pick off from the best and brightest. I manage to thrust my arm forward and slap it down on her shoulder. Using all my might, I shake her screaming, "Wake up! Wake up!" Suddenly, her eyes snap open and I'm staring into beautiful blue bombshells. She lunges forward and latches onto me, pulling herself upright and pulling me with her.
"We have to get out of here, Mr. Wayne." She takes long, powerful strides, pulling both our bodies towards the bathroom door.
"Where are we going, Miss..."
"Kyle. Selina Kyle. And we're going to the bathroom." I look at her as she drags me behind. Her long, red dress has a cut in the bottom of it that shows off her muscular legs. She has a scar on the back of her neck that reaches down onto her back, probably. From her line of work, I assume.
"Um, excuse me, Miss Kyle, but is now the right time for that?" I ask her in the most condescending, little rich boy tone I can muster up right now right as the bathroom door slams shut. She doesn't even hesitate o bring her hand down hard on my face, leaving a big red mark where her hand hit.
"Will you shut up, rich boy? I just saved your life! Now stay here and don't forget my name next time you have too much money!" In less than a minute, she's gone back out the door. A hero? Or saving her own ass?
*
Batman; Ten Minutes Later
Todays been a day, hasn't it? I tried to throw a party for orphans and some kind of madman attacks my Christmas party. Now I'm a little pissed. I stand atop a spire in the midst of the chaos. My guests run in every direction in panic, the cops are trying to get in but are pushed back by the crowds. It would be too easy to escape in this--
I see him. Is he really so stupid? Right there, in the midst of the crowd, one sole man walks a lonely path alongside everyone else. As the panic crowds burst from the ballroom, one man dressed in a long, black coat with a top hat walks slowly out the doors. In his right hand, he holds a gun. Just in front of him, caught up in the masses, is Mayor Oswald Cobblepot. Not today, criminal. I pull a small, Bat-shaped knife from my belt and launch it at the criminal's hand as he readies his gun. The knife cuts into his right leg and brings him down. I quickly jump from my perch and land in front of him, standing tall on my weak, powerless legs. I get dizzy. Still weak form the explosion. Gotta make this quick.
"Who are you?" I ask him, using what little energy I have to make the deep growl in the back of my throat. Suddenly, I hear laughter. Laughter from everywhere. No. No. No. "NO!" I scream it out, looking around everywhere for him. That's his laugh. That's his anger. I can't let it happen again. I swiftly turn to face the direction the laughter originated in and suddenly I feel a sharp pain split my back calf. I drop to my knees and roar with pain.
"Who am I? Who am I?! I am the man who will bring this city to its knees!" with a quick punch to his thigh, I brea a bone and send him back to the floor.
"Why are you doing this?! Where did you find this LAUGH?!" I can feel the rage, the sorrow, the fear--all oiling together in my eyes to make some form of Batman soup.
"I'm doing this because of him!" The man pulls up his pistol and aims it at Cobblepot.
"Move!" My voice echoes through the now empty room. Cobblepot stares down the barrel of the gun like a deer in the headlights. It only takes a second for a man to pull the trigger. I jut out my arm and push the gun away. The man fires and the shot lands in the shoulder of Alfred Pennyworth. "No!" My voice screeches with anger as I push my body to its extremes and land on top of the man in the top hat. My fist lands squarely against his jaw and I hear something break. "Who are you?!" I sound like a grizzly bear. His laughter echoes in my ears.
"I am the last Christmas carol, and I will destroy everything you hold dear!" He fire two shots to an angle upward and knocks a chandelier from its hinges. The chandelier comes flying down over the mayor. I don't even have a second to think. I rush forward and jaunt the mayor out of the path of the chandelier. I lay on top of him for just a second before I raise myself up and realize that I've lost the Last Christmas Carol. I stare down at Cobblepot who tries dramatically to scramble to his feet. I press my boot heel firmly against his heel, forcing him to stay down.
"Who was he?" My eyes burn holes through his soul. I know that the next thing he says will be a lie.
"I have no id--"
"LIAR!" I land a punch hard on his shoulder, dislocating it. "WHO IS HE?!" A tear drops from his eye as he screams in pain.
"I don't know! I'm the victim here, not him!"
"Why does he want you? WHY?!" I pull a knife from my pocket, losing control of myself in the moment. The fear I see in his eyes as he stares up into mine--like a man about to lose his life. My mind goes blank for just a moment as I see the blood, as I hear the pearls dropping, smashing hard against the thick concrete floor. As I look into my father's eyes and hear him whisper "No fear." As his eyes shut softly and slowly, I see the fear leaving them. Even he was afraid to die. "No!"
I snap my eyes open and see everyone staring at me--the cops, the onlookers, Alfred, Cobblepot--everyone staring at me, preparing to kill this innocent man. I slide the knife back into my pocket and swiftly drop a smoke bomb. In seconds, I've disappeared.
The case of the Last Christmas Carol unsolved.
To be continued next year in Ultimate Batman Christmas Special #2!
Also, don't miss next issue's exciting start to Gotham War!
And a Merry Christmas to all!
Holiday Special #1
"The Last Christmas Carol"
By Jordan
*
Bruce Wayne; Seventy-Three Minutes Ago
Everyone circles around me and falls silent in the glitter and the gleam of the Christmas tree lights. Their eyes are wide and their mouths are shut in either dense, thoughtless smiles or angry, hate-filled scowls. I see the most famous faces of Gotham from young Silver St. Cloud to Mayor Cobblepot. Why did I do this? I stand tall at the podium and stare out a long gaze across the crowd. They embrace in my smile as though I were speaking the words of God. I guess that's what I get for being the richest man in Gotham.
"I would like to thank you all for coming tonight to the annual Martha Wayne Christmas Ball. Tonight, we not only celebrate everything that our city can be, but everything that our city will be, and we will do this without hesitation. Tonight, we will learn what it means to give and to receive inn humility. In just under one hour, my faithful butler and best friend Alfred Pennyworth will adorn this sterling Christmas tree with a beautiful star that will be seen from coast to coast." I motion over to Alfred only to see the look of contempt on his face. The man hates being in the limelight.
"We hold this ball every year not in memory of my mother who fell at the hands of a mugger--but instead as a pillar of identity and humility for all of Gotham that was torn apart by the hand of crime and evil. I put millions of dollars into improving the police department, building orphanages for those like me and homes for those worse off. I hope to inspire a generation which will turn Gotham into the glowing spire that it was always meant to be--but I need your help." Every time I give a speech, everyone is enticed. If I didn't know better, I'd say my smile was magic.
"With the economy how it is, the orphanages have filled and I've lost the means to create more and more homes for those less fortunate. With your small donations, I hope to build this city into a place where kings and queens will travel across the globe to raise their children. Together, we can show these children how a city with a purpose is a city of light." And cue the claps and cheers. I stand silent, waiting, my eyes closed. But nothing comes. Silence. What is going on? Suddenly, I hear Alfred's voice in my ear:
"Master Bruce, the star!" I look behind me to where the thirty-seven-pound paper star sits unmoving. The lights are on and they are bright.
"What's the meaning of--" BOOM!
*
Bruce Wayne; Now
My ears ring hard and loud shutting out all of the sound of the outside world. My vision is blurry and everything looks like a combination of waves and panic. I smell sulfur. Must be from the bomb. I try to push myself up but my arms and legs feel like rubber. I try to focus on something, anything, and after a second, it works.
I see a girl, a woman, barely. Her features are cut and bruised. She's knocked cold on the floor, everyone stampeding past her. I have to stop them before they trample her to death. I have to stop them. Slowly, inch by inch, I crawl towards her, my arms barely having the consistency of Jello and my legs dragging lifelessly behind me. I don't hear it, but I know I'm shouting "Stop!" With all of my might. As I get closer, she comes more and more into focus.
She has short black hair that goes down to her shoulders, straightened to perfection. Her body is long and slim, her legs are muscular and her arms are athletic. I take one look at her face and I realize who she is. Selina Kyle--the Catwoman.
I'd run into her a few nights ago when the Gotham War started in the Golds. I tried to get her to evacuate the area. She's probably here to try and pick off from the best and brightest. I manage to thrust my arm forward and slap it down on her shoulder. Using all my might, I shake her screaming, "Wake up! Wake up!" Suddenly, her eyes snap open and I'm staring into beautiful blue bombshells. She lunges forward and latches onto me, pulling herself upright and pulling me with her.
"We have to get out of here, Mr. Wayne." She takes long, powerful strides, pulling both our bodies towards the bathroom door.
"Where are we going, Miss..."
"Kyle. Selina Kyle. And we're going to the bathroom." I look at her as she drags me behind. Her long, red dress has a cut in the bottom of it that shows off her muscular legs. She has a scar on the back of her neck that reaches down onto her back, probably. From her line of work, I assume.
"Um, excuse me, Miss Kyle, but is now the right time for that?" I ask her in the most condescending, little rich boy tone I can muster up right now right as the bathroom door slams shut. She doesn't even hesitate o bring her hand down hard on my face, leaving a big red mark where her hand hit.
"Will you shut up, rich boy? I just saved your life! Now stay here and don't forget my name next time you have too much money!" In less than a minute, she's gone back out the door. A hero? Or saving her own ass?
*
Batman; Ten Minutes Later
Todays been a day, hasn't it? I tried to throw a party for orphans and some kind of madman attacks my Christmas party. Now I'm a little pissed. I stand atop a spire in the midst of the chaos. My guests run in every direction in panic, the cops are trying to get in but are pushed back by the crowds. It would be too easy to escape in this--
I see him. Is he really so stupid? Right there, in the midst of the crowd, one sole man walks a lonely path alongside everyone else. As the panic crowds burst from the ballroom, one man dressed in a long, black coat with a top hat walks slowly out the doors. In his right hand, he holds a gun. Just in front of him, caught up in the masses, is Mayor Oswald Cobblepot. Not today, criminal. I pull a small, Bat-shaped knife from my belt and launch it at the criminal's hand as he readies his gun. The knife cuts into his right leg and brings him down. I quickly jump from my perch and land in front of him, standing tall on my weak, powerless legs. I get dizzy. Still weak form the explosion. Gotta make this quick.
"Who are you?" I ask him, using what little energy I have to make the deep growl in the back of my throat. Suddenly, I hear laughter. Laughter from everywhere. No. No. No. "NO!" I scream it out, looking around everywhere for him. That's his laugh. That's his anger. I can't let it happen again. I swiftly turn to face the direction the laughter originated in and suddenly I feel a sharp pain split my back calf. I drop to my knees and roar with pain.
"Who am I? Who am I?! I am the man who will bring this city to its knees!" with a quick punch to his thigh, I brea a bone and send him back to the floor.
"Why are you doing this?! Where did you find this LAUGH?!" I can feel the rage, the sorrow, the fear--all oiling together in my eyes to make some form of Batman soup.
"I'm doing this because of him!" The man pulls up his pistol and aims it at Cobblepot.
"Move!" My voice echoes through the now empty room. Cobblepot stares down the barrel of the gun like a deer in the headlights. It only takes a second for a man to pull the trigger. I jut out my arm and push the gun away. The man fires and the shot lands in the shoulder of Alfred Pennyworth. "No!" My voice screeches with anger as I push my body to its extremes and land on top of the man in the top hat. My fist lands squarely against his jaw and I hear something break. "Who are you?!" I sound like a grizzly bear. His laughter echoes in my ears.
"I am the last Christmas carol, and I will destroy everything you hold dear!" He fire two shots to an angle upward and knocks a chandelier from its hinges. The chandelier comes flying down over the mayor. I don't even have a second to think. I rush forward and jaunt the mayor out of the path of the chandelier. I lay on top of him for just a second before I raise myself up and realize that I've lost the Last Christmas Carol. I stare down at Cobblepot who tries dramatically to scramble to his feet. I press my boot heel firmly against his heel, forcing him to stay down.
"Who was he?" My eyes burn holes through his soul. I know that the next thing he says will be a lie.
"I have no id--"
"LIAR!" I land a punch hard on his shoulder, dislocating it. "WHO IS HE?!" A tear drops from his eye as he screams in pain.
"I don't know! I'm the victim here, not him!"
"Why does he want you? WHY?!" I pull a knife from my pocket, losing control of myself in the moment. The fear I see in his eyes as he stares up into mine--like a man about to lose his life. My mind goes blank for just a moment as I see the blood, as I hear the pearls dropping, smashing hard against the thick concrete floor. As I look into my father's eyes and hear him whisper "No fear." As his eyes shut softly and slowly, I see the fear leaving them. Even he was afraid to die. "No!"
I snap my eyes open and see everyone staring at me--the cops, the onlookers, Alfred, Cobblepot--everyone staring at me, preparing to kill this innocent man. I slide the knife back into my pocket and swiftly drop a smoke bomb. In seconds, I've disappeared.
The case of the Last Christmas Carol unsolved.
To be continued next year in Ultimate Batman Christmas Special #2!
Also, don't miss next issue's exciting start to Gotham War!
And a Merry Christmas to all!