T
The Riddler
Guest
Hello, gents. If you don't mind a change of pace I'd love for you to play this song. It rocks me.
-
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Batman: We Own the Knight (mee-OWWwwwwww - Catwoman Report Card is up!)
- Thread starter Evil Eye
- Start date
GCN SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN
Good afternoon, Gotham, Mike Engel here.
I regret to inform you that it seems the Faraway Tree Killer, identified as Henri Ducard, may in fact have continued his work. Perhaps he was inspired by the fugitive Joker. Perhaps he needed the time to mend injuries sustained in his long campaign against the Batman and Gotham's Finest.
Or perhaps the moment just felt right.
At any rate, two bodies have been discovered in and around a condominium complex in Gotham's black district, near the... Complex. The first, Dr. Jack Shepard, was the chief ...geon at Gotham Ge... al Hospital before recent allegations...
...coholism. However, Shep.......
.....................g. But police report that the canine's slashed windpipe must be in rel.... n to the.......................................................
.....
The screen gives way to nothing but static.
Good afternoon, Gotham, Mike Engel here.
I regret to inform you that it seems the Faraway Tree Killer, identified as Henri Ducard, may in fact have continued his work. Perhaps he was inspired by the fugitive Joker. Perhaps he needed the time to mend injuries sustained in his long campaign against the Batman and Gotham's Finest.
Or perhaps the moment just felt right.
At any rate, two bodies have been discovered in and around a condominium complex in Gotham's black district, near the... Complex. The first, Dr. Jack Shepard, was the chief ...geon at Gotham Ge... al Hospital before recent allegations...
...coholism. However, Shep.......
.....................g. But police report that the canine's slashed windpipe must be in rel.... n to the.......................................................
.....
The screen gives way to nothing but static.
B
Black Mask
Guest
Gotham City... though my appearance might strike some as frightening, my dark mask is not the one you should be fearing. I’m sure that the majority of you have realized that many in your city have an even darker mask than mine; one you cannot see: a mask for their soul. Your filthy city is corrupt, and I am here to cleanse it. However, purging a city that is so deeply rooted by sin requires a great deal of funds. It is for this purpose that I ask your city to pay a sum of $10 billion to Swiss Bank Account #69161337. This money shall be used for a more diplomatic approach. However, should you not comply, I shall take it upon myself to send this city to my own form of purgatory. I will renew Gotham by ripping out each source of evil as I deem necessary. I will even burn this city to the floor and rebuild it from there if the need ever arises. However, I hope that such drastic measures can be avoided. As such, you have 24 hours to discuss amongst yourselves and announce your conclusion. I hope that at least one of you will have the spark of reason to ignite the more passive flames of purification. The Black Mask has spoken.
B
Black Mask
Guest
To right the countless wrongs of our days, we shine this light of true redemption that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be…
B
Black Mask
Guest
To right the countless wrongs of our days, we shine this light of true redemption that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be….
B
Black Mask
Guest
To right the countless wrongs of our days, we shine this light of true redemption that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be
B
Black Mask
Guest
To right the countless wrongs of our days, we shine this light of true redemption that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be..
B
Black Mask
Guest
To right the countless wrongs of our days, we shine this light of true redemption that this place may become as paradise. What a wonderful world such would be…...
The message on the pirated broadcast continuously loops back as Black Mask proclaims his words, over and over again.
The screen flickers to normalcy for an instant.
GCN SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN
Gotham City, we here at GCN have not felt this lucky to speak with you for a long time. A very long time.
It seems our city has been taken hostage by this man who calls himself Black Mask. Ten billion dollars? What he has done is nothing short of terrorism. But apparently the chaos based in stealing our airwaves was but a variable in a greater equation on the part of this diabolical man.
Within minutes of sending his pirated broadcast, as those of you who checked our website in the crisis know, there was an explosion deep in the bowels of Wayne Tower. Not too long after, and these are words no reporter ever wanted to utter again, a small plane was flown right into the side of the monolithic symbol of Gotham's prosperity.
Knocked off balance, and with a horrible precedent set just over seven years ago, no one would be surprised that time was of the essence. The Batman was seen on the scene with minutes, reportedly taking armfuls of hostages from the building to other ones nearby, and I can only assume he is somehow involved in the Black Mask's grand scheme. The new vigilante in the red and black is, as previously suspected, now a confirmed accomplice of the Batman, and identified himself as "Robin" to one of their many hostages. Why they would remove them from the building as it was collapsing is something I at this moment cannot explain, as surely they would want to maximize the fatality rate.
Shining in this moment of chaos is MCU's Captain Jim Gordon, who was seen literally within seconds of the plane's strike, directing evacuation and rescue attempts.
You see a video of Gordon running about, pushing people away from Wayne Tower and getting on his megaphone and radio. At one point, you see him suddenly spring toward the other side of the building. He stops at a small child that was sitting on the other side of the building, outside, as the building leaned toward him, and scoops the kid up, before running back. A piece of rubble dents the ground where they just stood, and then the ENTIRE TOP OF THE BUILDING explodes at the same spot, and Gordon stumbles on rubble as he gets the child back to safety.
Now that, in my opinion, is what a hero looks like. However, despite the many men and women Gordon has saved, the death toll still sits at over a thousand and climbing as more bodies are found in the rubble
I wish I could say the work of Black Mask ended there. However, as the airwaves remained highjacked, his nefarious work apparently continued.
Both Gotham First National Bank and the East Coast Banking Center were struck with unparalleled levels of ferocity in the annals of crime. All physical monies kept on both premises was pilfered, and police found a mountain of bodies, each one executed at point blank range, in either bank. These mounds of death included every employee and customer unlucky enough to be there at the time of the robberies. For either crime scene, both the primary and emergency phone-lines were cut, and the silent alarm was intercepted in both cases. Police likely did not know about the heists and mass murders until well after they had been committed. The combined networth of Gotham First National and ECBC is set to be over one hundred million dollars.
Also of note -- in front of either bank sat the smouldering remains of a truck from the Pike Manufacturing Plant, which was bafflingly attacked earlier in the week. Was that the work of the Black Mask, setting up his ultimate scheme? Only time will tell, and I am sure men like Jim Gordon are on the case.
In related news, there was recent report of Gotham's West Coast Inn being surrounded by SWAT teams led by the heroic Gordon once again. Whether this was in relation to the Black Mask incident is at this point unknown. However, within half an hour, Gordon and his team entered the building, and within minutes from there, the building reportedly exploded right to its foundations. Gordon himself barely escaped with his life, and was seen exiting the scene with a greatly diminished force.
We have been told that times will get worse before they get better in Gotham -- and that is certainly no lie
Call in and let your voice be heard, Gotham. Now is certainly the time, more than any.
Gotham City, we here at GCN have not felt this lucky to speak with you for a long time. A very long time.
It seems our city has been taken hostage by this man who calls himself Black Mask. Ten billion dollars? What he has done is nothing short of terrorism. But apparently the chaos based in stealing our airwaves was but a variable in a greater equation on the part of this diabolical man.
Within minutes of sending his pirated broadcast, as those of you who checked our website in the crisis know, there was an explosion deep in the bowels of Wayne Tower. Not too long after, and these are words no reporter ever wanted to utter again, a small plane was flown right into the side of the monolithic symbol of Gotham's prosperity.
Knocked off balance, and with a horrible precedent set just over seven years ago, no one would be surprised that time was of the essence. The Batman was seen on the scene with minutes, reportedly taking armfuls of hostages from the building to other ones nearby, and I can only assume he is somehow involved in the Black Mask's grand scheme. The new vigilante in the red and black is, as previously suspected, now a confirmed accomplice of the Batman, and identified himself as "Robin" to one of their many hostages. Why they would remove them from the building as it was collapsing is something I at this moment cannot explain, as surely they would want to maximize the fatality rate.
Shining in this moment of chaos is MCU's Captain Jim Gordon, who was seen literally within seconds of the plane's strike, directing evacuation and rescue attempts.
You see a video of Gordon running about, pushing people away from Wayne Tower and getting on his megaphone and radio. At one point, you see him suddenly spring toward the other side of the building. He stops at a small child that was sitting on the other side of the building, outside, as the building leaned toward him, and scoops the kid up, before running back. A piece of rubble dents the ground where they just stood, and then the ENTIRE TOP OF THE BUILDING explodes at the same spot, and Gordon stumbles on rubble as he gets the child back to safety.
Now that, in my opinion, is what a hero looks like. However, despite the many men and women Gordon has saved, the death toll still sits at over a thousand and climbing as more bodies are found in the rubble
I wish I could say the work of Black Mask ended there. However, as the airwaves remained highjacked, his nefarious work apparently continued.
Both Gotham First National Bank and the East Coast Banking Center were struck with unparalleled levels of ferocity in the annals of crime. All physical monies kept on both premises was pilfered, and police found a mountain of bodies, each one executed at point blank range, in either bank. These mounds of death included every employee and customer unlucky enough to be there at the time of the robberies. For either crime scene, both the primary and emergency phone-lines were cut, and the silent alarm was intercepted in both cases. Police likely did not know about the heists and mass murders until well after they had been committed. The combined networth of Gotham First National and ECBC is set to be over one hundred million dollars.
Also of note -- in front of either bank sat the smouldering remains of a truck from the Pike Manufacturing Plant, which was bafflingly attacked earlier in the week. Was that the work of the Black Mask, setting up his ultimate scheme? Only time will tell, and I am sure men like Jim Gordon are on the case.
In related news, there was recent report of Gotham's West Coast Inn being surrounded by SWAT teams led by the heroic Gordon once again. Whether this was in relation to the Black Mask incident is at this point unknown. However, within half an hour, Gordon and his team entered the building, and within minutes from there, the building reportedly exploded right to its foundations. Gordon himself barely escaped with his life, and was seen exiting the scene with a greatly diminished force.
We have been told that times will get worse before they get better in Gotham -- and that is certainly no lie
Call in and let your voice be heard, Gotham. Now is certainly the time, more than any.
Hello Gotham
Oh what a glorious time we've had together. I was upset for a while when you locked me up, but now that we're back together I thought I should give you a present. A symbol of my burning love for ALL OF YOU
Bird Robin a bird, but Batman is a bat, why not Robinman? why just Robin?
Because he's a coward. Cowards get shot.
Faraday Killer is in employment of Thorne. Just follow the money. I know because I know faraday killer. I was approached first, "I need chaos, I'll pay for the chaos". I turned him down. I don't want money. Money is for the thug. I'm not a thug. There are too many thugs. This city deserves a better class of criminal.
And I'm giving it to you.
Oh what a glorious time we've had together. I was upset for a while when you locked me up, but now that we're back together I thought I should give you a present. A symbol of my burning love for ALL OF YOU
Bird Robin a bird, but Batman is a bat, why not Robinman? why just Robin?
Because he's a coward. Cowards get shot.
Faraday Killer is in employment of Thorne. Just follow the money. I know because I know faraday killer. I was approached first, "I need chaos, I'll pay for the chaos". I turned him down. I don't want money. Money is for the thug. I'm not a thug. There are too many thugs. This city deserves a better class of criminal.
And I'm giving it to you.
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
It is good to have our news and our voices back, despite the tragedies that have occurred. Gotham, I urge you not to trust the Joker. Even if you disregard the absurdness of me paying to have our innocent citizens killed, just look at what he is saying. Essentially he is saying "I was offered money to cause chaos, but I turned it down and started causing chaos anyway."
Aside from the Joker's obscure attempt to defame me, it is terrible to hear of the news that occurred during the downtime. I would like to thank Batman and this Robin fellow for their attempts to save lives at Wayne Tower, and more importantly to Captain Gordon for his continued efforts to save this town from these criminals. I would like to encourage all of Gotham to do the same against this new threat as we have against the Joker, the Faraway Tree Killer, and all the other villains that have risen up. To stand up and tell him that we are stronger, that we have the ability to persevere, and that the good of this city shines above the darkness. The dawn is coming Gotham. And it is not with vigilantes like Batman roaming the streets, nor does proof come only from heroes like Gordon, but it comes from all of you who have continued to push forward your lives in this dark time, and shown the true strength of Gotham.
Be safe Gotham, but do not entertain the idea of complying with this black masked man. If we give him the money he is asking for it only allows him to perpetrate his heinous acts without the necessity of stealing equipment to work with. Stand up against this man who says he wants to rid this city of corruption, yet is requesting several lifetimes worth of money to do so, and show him that we will not hand our future over to someone so corrupt they require several lifetimes worth of money to help us bring about the dawn for this city, when we can do so ourselves.
Aside from the Joker's obscure attempt to defame me, it is terrible to hear of the news that occurred during the downtime. I would like to thank Batman and this Robin fellow for their attempts to save lives at Wayne Tower, and more importantly to Captain Gordon for his continued efforts to save this town from these criminals. I would like to encourage all of Gotham to do the same against this new threat as we have against the Joker, the Faraway Tree Killer, and all the other villains that have risen up. To stand up and tell him that we are stronger, that we have the ability to persevere, and that the good of this city shines above the darkness. The dawn is coming Gotham. And it is not with vigilantes like Batman roaming the streets, nor does proof come only from heroes like Gordon, but it comes from all of you who have continued to push forward your lives in this dark time, and shown the true strength of Gotham.
Be safe Gotham, but do not entertain the idea of complying with this black masked man. If we give him the money he is asking for it only allows him to perpetrate his heinous acts without the necessity of stealing equipment to work with. Stand up against this man who says he wants to rid this city of corruption, yet is requesting several lifetimes worth of money to do so, and show him that we will not hand our future over to someone so corrupt they require several lifetimes worth of money to help us bring about the dawn for this city, when we can do so ourselves.
T
The Riddler
Guest
Hello again Mr. Radio Men, I guess everyone else has been distracted by something so I hope you don't mind another request from me. I'd love to hear Martha Agerich play Tchaikovsky's Piano Concerto Part 1. A brilliant performance, expertly conducted by Antonio Pappano. But of course, like all pieces, the composer comes first--so hats off to Tchaikovsky.
20:00
GOTHAM TONIGHT:
The camera opens. Instead of being in the usual talkshow stage, Mike Engel sits with a tall, well-built bald man with incredibly pale, almost bluish skin. They sit together on a couch in a small living room, and you can see their breath.
ENGEL: "Good evening, Gotham City, and welcome to Gotham Tonight. Once again, I am Mike Engel, and if you've been checking GCN.net, you know we had a special guest tonight. Without further adieu, I'd like to introduce our guest -- Dr. Melvin Taransky. Welcome, Doctor."
Dr. Taransky smiles.
TARANSKY: "Glad to be here, Mike."
Engel grabs a blanket and starts to put it around himself.
ENGEL: "Just gonna, wrap this around my legs, here.
As you can see, the room we're reporting from is just below freezing. You see, Dr. Taransky has an unusual condition we have taken to calling "subzero syndrome". However, we'll have more on that later.
How did you first discover your passion for cryogenics, Doctor Taransky?"
TARANSKY: "Well, I fell in love with it while studying at the University. One of my professors once said that in theory, by keeping the human body frozen at the right temperature and with the right conditions, one could stay alive forever. That piqued my interest in Cyrogenics."
ENGEL: "Ah, and where did you study again, Doctor?"
TARANSKY: "The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. I also got my PhD in Applied Cyrogenics there."
ENGEL: "Ah, I see. That's quite the prestigious school. I'm told you taught there, as well?"
TARANSKY: "Correct."
ENGEL: "And tell me, Dr. Taransky, what got out out of teaching, and into private research?"
TARANSKY: "I wanted to focus on research. There is only so much research that can be done at a University; I didn't want to be bogged down with grading tests, faculty meetings, and et cetera. I had many ideas that I wouldn't have gotten a chance to try had I continued to teach. Plus, I fell in love, and I decided that my life needed a change of pace."
ENGEL: "I see. And what was the objective of your private research?"
TARANSKY: "I wanted to see if Cyrogenics had a place in Health. I had the crazy idea that certain diseases could be cured by essentially freezing the inflicted individuals."
ENGEL: "Now things are getting interesting. If I may get more personal, Dr. Taransky, I understand that your wife was befallen by a strong disease?"
TARANSKY: "Yes, tuberculosis."
ENGEL: "I see. And that brings us to the present day, I suppose. How did the decision come about to try one of your experimental procedures?"
TARANSKY: "Well, my wife's condition was just getting worse and worse. Conventional treatments did not seem to be working. The tuberculosis had taken over her life and it seemed as though it was leading her closer to her death. One day she came up to me and suggested I should try my experimental treatment on her. After a long, heated conversation, I conceded."
ENGEL: "So it was she that chose this course of action. And what happened then?"
TARANSKY: "At first it seemed to be working, but I came to realize that the treatment left her in a coma that she could not awake from. I then struggled to reverse the very process that was supposed to save her, however this proved to be increasingly difficult. In addition to that, the grants that I had to fund my research was abruptly taken away and I was kicked out of my lab area. As I tried to move my material and research to a different spot, in an effort to keep my wife under stable conditions, I tripped and fell into a vat of the same cyrogenical matter that put my wife into a coma. Which is the reason why I am afflicted with my current disease. I cannot survive too long in temperatures above freezing, so simple tasks as shopping for groceries became life threatening. My situation was bleak, I had no money, no job, no lab, my was wife in a coma and I suffered from a disease never before experienced by anyone in the world. I was nearly driven to insanity, and at some points I felt as though I had lost my mind."
ENGEL: "That is, for lack of a better word, absolutely horrible. What company was initially sponsoring your research?"
TARANSKY: "Phoenix Pharmaceuticals."
ENGEL: "Why would they try to drop your research so suddenly? And, on another note, why did you not suffer a comatose state, as your wife did?"
TARANSKY: "You would have to ask Phoenix that. And my theory is: my wife's exposure to the chemical was deliberate, and the treatment unfortunately required her to be submerged for a much longer period of time than the brief contact I made with the substance. As such, I suffered a much less intense version of the sickness she had."
ENGEL: "Now for some particularly personal news...
Dr. Taransky, I understand you were arrested for armed robbery, among other things, including manslaughter of a police officer. Would you care to enlighten us on what exactly you are presently standing trial for, and why some cops are known to call you "Mr. Freeze"? Please tell us everything you can about your ordeal."
TARANSKY: "Well my thought process during the time was a bit skewed. I was desperate and needed to find a cure. I put my wife's life before anything else in the world. I needed funds to continue my research and find a new lab. Also I had to make a suit that would allow me to go out without having to worry about the temperature. After a while I realized my wife's condition was only getting worse, and I was runnion out of time. I grew cold and bitter and that is when I realized that extreme circumstances called for extreme measures. This is when I decided to rob the credit union. I needed a weapon, so I created what you may call a freeze ray. And with that I robbed the credit union. Unfortunately as I was trying to get away I froze a couple of people and caused a traffic accident which led to the end of someones life. However, I never intended to kill anyone. I just needed to save my wife."
ENGEL: "I think anyone that loves someone can understand your desperation. How were you ultimately apprehended?"
TARANSKY: "I was walking home, and was attacked by the vigilante you guys would call the batman. He came in, swooped me up, drugged me, and left me someplace where the police could find me."
Engel twitches.
ENGEL: "The....... the BATMAN, you say.
So there was no legitimate arrest."
TARANSKY: "No. I awoke to find myself in a jail cell, near death because of my sickness."
ENGEL: "Ah, yes.
For those who did not hear, Dr. Taransky was charged with escaping from confinement. These charges were later dropped when D.A. Harvey Dent saw the gross mistreatment you endured in prison, according to your lawyer.
But what of the allegations of terrorism? Uttering threats? There are mentions of bombs in your arrest details."
TARANSKY: "I realized that if I went to jail, there was a good chance that my wife would not be able to survive without my constant treatment. I dabbled with the idea of resorting to bomb threats if I was ever to be arrested, to make sure that I would have a bargaining chip with authorities. I did make the bombs, however I was struggling within myself to find out whether I should actually go through with such an act. That is why I never actually intentionally placed the bombs in areas where they could do a great deal of damage to the general public. In retrospect I look down on my actions. But at the time I was determined to save my wife, I was willing to do anything."
ENGEL: "It certainly sounds like you were at the end of your rope.
But, perhaps we should speak on more positive things, Doctor. Tell us why you're smiling, even as you tell us these horrible things."
TARANSKY: "Well, I was finally able to cure my wife!"
ENGEL: "Astounding.
Was there any particular reason for this break through?"
TARANSKY: "I would like to keep my methods private for the time being. But what I will say was that I got incredibly lucky and my long hours of research paid off in the end."
ENGEL: "And how is your wife? How is Norah Taransky?"
TARANSKY: "She seems to be doing perfectly fine."
ENGEL: "That's incredible. Doctor, with a few more tests, it seems that you have effectively cured tuberculosis.
Might you say that, with some modifications and research, you might one day cure other bacterial diseases? Viral ones? ...Others?"
TARANSKY: "That's the idea. I believe that this treatment can cure a huge amount of the diseases plaguing the world today. I think we may have actually found a cure for Cancer."
ENGEL: "I can say only that I am stunned, Doctor.
I'm sure you'll have health professionals crawling around your home soon, but I can say with some confidence that it would be a travesty to waste your talents in prison. We at GCN will be lobbying for you to serve your sentence, should you be found guilty, in the community -- where you can help it."
Engel extends his hand.
ENGEL: "It's been a pleasure."
TARANSKY: "Indeed it has. Thank you for your time."
Taransky shakes his hand.
ENGEL: "No, Doctor. Thank you."
GOTHAM TONIGHT:
The camera opens. Instead of being in the usual talkshow stage, Mike Engel sits with a tall, well-built bald man with incredibly pale, almost bluish skin. They sit together on a couch in a small living room, and you can see their breath.
ENGEL: "Good evening, Gotham City, and welcome to Gotham Tonight. Once again, I am Mike Engel, and if you've been checking GCN.net, you know we had a special guest tonight. Without further adieu, I'd like to introduce our guest -- Dr. Melvin Taransky. Welcome, Doctor."
Dr. Taransky smiles.
TARANSKY: "Glad to be here, Mike."
Engel grabs a blanket and starts to put it around himself.
ENGEL: "Just gonna, wrap this around my legs, here.
As you can see, the room we're reporting from is just below freezing. You see, Dr. Taransky has an unusual condition we have taken to calling "subzero syndrome". However, we'll have more on that later.
How did you first discover your passion for cryogenics, Doctor Taransky?"
TARANSKY: "Well, I fell in love with it while studying at the University. One of my professors once said that in theory, by keeping the human body frozen at the right temperature and with the right conditions, one could stay alive forever. That piqued my interest in Cyrogenics."
ENGEL: "Ah, and where did you study again, Doctor?"
TARANSKY: "The Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology. I also got my PhD in Applied Cyrogenics there."
ENGEL: "Ah, I see. That's quite the prestigious school. I'm told you taught there, as well?"
TARANSKY: "Correct."
ENGEL: "And tell me, Dr. Taransky, what got out out of teaching, and into private research?"
TARANSKY: "I wanted to focus on research. There is only so much research that can be done at a University; I didn't want to be bogged down with grading tests, faculty meetings, and et cetera. I had many ideas that I wouldn't have gotten a chance to try had I continued to teach. Plus, I fell in love, and I decided that my life needed a change of pace."
ENGEL: "I see. And what was the objective of your private research?"
TARANSKY: "I wanted to see if Cyrogenics had a place in Health. I had the crazy idea that certain diseases could be cured by essentially freezing the inflicted individuals."
ENGEL: "Now things are getting interesting. If I may get more personal, Dr. Taransky, I understand that your wife was befallen by a strong disease?"
TARANSKY: "Yes, tuberculosis."
ENGEL: "I see. And that brings us to the present day, I suppose. How did the decision come about to try one of your experimental procedures?"
TARANSKY: "Well, my wife's condition was just getting worse and worse. Conventional treatments did not seem to be working. The tuberculosis had taken over her life and it seemed as though it was leading her closer to her death. One day she came up to me and suggested I should try my experimental treatment on her. After a long, heated conversation, I conceded."
ENGEL: "So it was she that chose this course of action. And what happened then?"
TARANSKY: "At first it seemed to be working, but I came to realize that the treatment left her in a coma that she could not awake from. I then struggled to reverse the very process that was supposed to save her, however this proved to be increasingly difficult. In addition to that, the grants that I had to fund my research was abruptly taken away and I was kicked out of my lab area. As I tried to move my material and research to a different spot, in an effort to keep my wife under stable conditions, I tripped and fell into a vat of the same cyrogenical matter that put my wife into a coma. Which is the reason why I am afflicted with my current disease. I cannot survive too long in temperatures above freezing, so simple tasks as shopping for groceries became life threatening. My situation was bleak, I had no money, no job, no lab, my was wife in a coma and I suffered from a disease never before experienced by anyone in the world. I was nearly driven to insanity, and at some points I felt as though I had lost my mind."
ENGEL: "That is, for lack of a better word, absolutely horrible. What company was initially sponsoring your research?"
TARANSKY: "Phoenix Pharmaceuticals."
ENGEL: "Why would they try to drop your research so suddenly? And, on another note, why did you not suffer a comatose state, as your wife did?"
TARANSKY: "You would have to ask Phoenix that. And my theory is: my wife's exposure to the chemical was deliberate, and the treatment unfortunately required her to be submerged for a much longer period of time than the brief contact I made with the substance. As such, I suffered a much less intense version of the sickness she had."
ENGEL: "Now for some particularly personal news...
Dr. Taransky, I understand you were arrested for armed robbery, among other things, including manslaughter of a police officer. Would you care to enlighten us on what exactly you are presently standing trial for, and why some cops are known to call you "Mr. Freeze"? Please tell us everything you can about your ordeal."
TARANSKY: "Well my thought process during the time was a bit skewed. I was desperate and needed to find a cure. I put my wife's life before anything else in the world. I needed funds to continue my research and find a new lab. Also I had to make a suit that would allow me to go out without having to worry about the temperature. After a while I realized my wife's condition was only getting worse, and I was runnion out of time. I grew cold and bitter and that is when I realized that extreme circumstances called for extreme measures. This is when I decided to rob the credit union. I needed a weapon, so I created what you may call a freeze ray. And with that I robbed the credit union. Unfortunately as I was trying to get away I froze a couple of people and caused a traffic accident which led to the end of someones life. However, I never intended to kill anyone. I just needed to save my wife."
ENGEL: "I think anyone that loves someone can understand your desperation. How were you ultimately apprehended?"
TARANSKY: "I was walking home, and was attacked by the vigilante you guys would call the batman. He came in, swooped me up, drugged me, and left me someplace where the police could find me."
Engel twitches.
ENGEL: "The....... the BATMAN, you say.
So there was no legitimate arrest."
TARANSKY: "No. I awoke to find myself in a jail cell, near death because of my sickness."
ENGEL: "Ah, yes.
For those who did not hear, Dr. Taransky was charged with escaping from confinement. These charges were later dropped when D.A. Harvey Dent saw the gross mistreatment you endured in prison, according to your lawyer.
But what of the allegations of terrorism? Uttering threats? There are mentions of bombs in your arrest details."
TARANSKY: "I realized that if I went to jail, there was a good chance that my wife would not be able to survive without my constant treatment. I dabbled with the idea of resorting to bomb threats if I was ever to be arrested, to make sure that I would have a bargaining chip with authorities. I did make the bombs, however I was struggling within myself to find out whether I should actually go through with such an act. That is why I never actually intentionally placed the bombs in areas where they could do a great deal of damage to the general public. In retrospect I look down on my actions. But at the time I was determined to save my wife, I was willing to do anything."
ENGEL: "It certainly sounds like you were at the end of your rope.
But, perhaps we should speak on more positive things, Doctor. Tell us why you're smiling, even as you tell us these horrible things."
TARANSKY: "Well, I was finally able to cure my wife!"
ENGEL: "Astounding.
Was there any particular reason for this break through?"
TARANSKY: "I would like to keep my methods private for the time being. But what I will say was that I got incredibly lucky and my long hours of research paid off in the end."
ENGEL: "And how is your wife? How is Norah Taransky?"
TARANSKY: "She seems to be doing perfectly fine."
ENGEL: "That's incredible. Doctor, with a few more tests, it seems that you have effectively cured tuberculosis.
Might you say that, with some modifications and research, you might one day cure other bacterial diseases? Viral ones? ...Others?"
TARANSKY: "That's the idea. I believe that this treatment can cure a huge amount of the diseases plaguing the world today. I think we may have actually found a cure for Cancer."
ENGEL: "I can say only that I am stunned, Doctor.
I'm sure you'll have health professionals crawling around your home soon, but I can say with some confidence that it would be a travesty to waste your talents in prison. We at GCN will be lobbying for you to serve your sentence, should you be found guilty, in the community -- where you can help it."
Engel extends his hand.
ENGEL: "It's been a pleasure."
TARANSKY: "Indeed it has. Thank you for your time."
Taransky shakes his hand.
ENGEL: "No, Doctor. Thank you."
20:15
"A cure for Cancer. Wow."
"That'd sure boost our ratings."
"I think you should try harder to appreciate the magnitude of what we've heard.
Welcome back to WGN, the Cool Breeze. We've had some crazy happenings in Gotham today. The Black Mask has hijacked our city and remains uncaptured, while the police have apparently made it their business to keep who has become one of the world's most important scientists imprisoned. What a world we live in."
"Yeah. So phone in, phone often, and let's Shoot the Breeze(tm), folks!"
"A cure for Cancer. Wow."
"That'd sure boost our ratings."
"I think you should try harder to appreciate the magnitude of what we've heard.
Welcome back to WGN, the Cool Breeze. We've had some crazy happenings in Gotham today. The Black Mask has hijacked our city and remains uncaptured, while the police have apparently made it their business to keep who has become one of the world's most important scientists imprisoned. What a world we live in."
"Yeah. So phone in, phone often, and let's Shoot the Breeze(tm), folks!"
Catwoman
Meow!
*gangsta head-nods*
GCN SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN
In light of recent events, the offices of Bruce Wayne have released an official statement announcing a shift in focus at tonight's fundraiser, which is within the hour now. To address the concerns of Black Mask's heinous acts, the fundraiser is now a relief effort for the families of those lost in the collapse of Wayne Tower.
Expect live coverage, as we at GCN head over there personally to report on the fundraiser this city desperately needs.
In light of recent events, the offices of Bruce Wayne have released an official statement announcing a shift in focus at tonight's fundraiser, which is within the hour now. To address the concerns of Black Mask's heinous acts, the fundraiser is now a relief effort for the families of those lost in the collapse of Wayne Tower.
Expect live coverage, as we at GCN head over there personally to report on the fundraiser this city desperately needs.
Gotham Gazette November 3rd, 2008
Fundraiser Gone to Hell By Vicki Vale
The vigilante known as Batman witnesses the escape of the Joker and his apparent accomplice Catwoman
Despite the change of dedication, initially designed to raise money for Rupert Thorne's mayoral campaign bid and now to raise money for the rebuilding of Gotham city and the revitalization of the broken families, the somber mood at the Wayne penthouse suite was almost uplifting. The city's richest citizens and finest figures all gathered to pay their dues, give mourning, and come together as one, united in the cause of restoring Gotham to the glory it knew only hours ago... before the Black Mask changed everything. Nevertheless, the night unveiled promising hope for the city's future. Talks of Melvin Taransky's posited cure for cancer, combined with jolly jockeying on the Gotham Gargoyles' chances to play in the Super Bowl, which is coincidentally being held in Gotham this year, brought out the best in people in these worst of times. Host and billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne's toast "to the forward thinkers, to sacrifice, and to Gotham" summed up the hopefulness for the future quite nicely.
The names on the guest list included the CEOs of Gotham's largest and finest companies, from Phoenix Pharmaceuticals to Advanced Physiosolutions, included notable tycoons, attorneys, surgeons, and philanthropists alike. Of course, Rupert Thorne and Bruce Wayne were present, along with Harvey Dent, Gotham's District Attorney and formerly, before the infamous joker-firing decision, Gotham's "white knight," and the ever-rising hero of the GCPD, Police Captain Jim Gordon, who ran security detail. And security was tight.
But names that weren't on the list ended up stealing the show. Not a minute after Rupert Thorne followed Bruce Wayne with his own toast to the town, a terrible whipping noise vibrated the glass windows of the penthouse. As Gordon, Dent, Wayne, and Thorne, sensing ill will, scrambled to move the guests out to the lower levels in an orderly fashion, the helicopter flew overhead. Within minutes, none other than the Joker himself emerged from the penthouse's main entrance, alone, and menacingly teased the crowd. He hurled grenades into the group of fleeing men and women, producing dozens of casualties. Firing an AK-47 automatic rifle into the panicked crowd, he questioningly commanded, "Stop running. You're under arrest." Singling out a decorated policeman, he shot the soldier of justice in the head.
And the fight began: out of the darkness of nowhere, the Batman landed on top of the Joker, diverting the crazed clown's fire toward the ceiling. The two matched moves uninterrupted for quite some time, as the crowd around them continued out the doors. As the Joker kicked away the Batman's smoke bombs, and they wrestled over the automatic weapons, and the Joker produced more and more firepower from out of his attire, Rupert Thorne was directing those victims injured by grenades down the stairs. He ordered his private security detail to escort the rest of the survivors out of the penthouse, demanding his own shotgun. And he stood, alone, against the tide of fleeing citizens, shotgun aimed at the door with steely aim in expectation of any pursuit.
Back in the main room of the penthouse, the Joker and the Batman exchanged sprays of gas, flamethrower, and bullets. The Batman hid behind a pillar as the Joker unloaded yet another clip of pistol ammunition into his cover, before rushing at the Batman... and finding himself on the ground. As the last of the bloodied crowd made its exit, the multiple security cameras continued the action feed as the questionably violent vigilante figure the Plague Doctor emerged with hellish fury. He took multiple shots at the suppine Joker before the killer prince of comedy threw a smoke grenade... allowing the entrance for a newly familiar, thought-to-be-imprisoned ally. The Catwoman leaped out from behind the smoke, tackling the Plague Doctor and grabbing at his face. With a sound of electricity, the Catwoman wrapped her whip around the beaked beast's neck for only a short time before the Plague Doctor threw her off and rushed back at the Joker. The Joker, having used the new-found time to produce yet another weapon, unloaded an Uzi into the doctor before the Batman fired a grappling hook and retracted the weapon.
It was at this point that the glass windows to the penthouse gave way to the enigmatic, and now assuredly technologically advanced, independent figure the Riddler, who burst onto the scene flying on a jet-pack. He observed the fight below, as the Joker once again taunted to his duo opponents, "Come peacefully, you're under arrest! Drop all your weapons and land in the fetal position!" They responded in kind, charging at the clown, before being met with another bite from his flamethrower. The helicopter then hovered low to the level of the floor, unloading a barrage of bullets aimed to kill "only the Plague Doctor." The Batman expertly dismissed the chopper with a pellet of cough-inducing smoke as the Joker and the Plague Doctor ran at each other again, colliding in mid-air and crashing into the ground. The Joker seemed to gain the upper hand with a knife-wrench sort of physical weapon before a strange explosion threw the clown bleeding off of the doctor. The now nose-less Plague Doctor rose to attack the ailing Joker before being whipped by the Catwoman and pulled to the ground. The doctor then easily yanked the femme fatale through the air by the corded whip, as she expectantly landed on him and choked his neckline, once again with electrical force, until he began to spasm.
And then, the retreats: after having been hit in the face by somek ind of dart from the Batman, the Joker made for the helicopter. He jumped at the chopper, seemingly passing out in mid-air, as one of the gunmen grabbed his collar and pulled him into the cabin. The Plague Doctor almost suicidally threw himself out of the penthouse window, quickly followed by the observant Riddler; their fates are currently unknown. The Batman then fired a grapple rope into the Joker's fleshy rear, though the Catwoman quickly dismissed the rope with a kick, flipping over the Batman's incoming charge, whipping around a skid of the copter, and making their escape. Noticeably missing from the entire battle royale, however, was the red-and-black armored Robin, new ally and possible companion to the Batman, who was seen only hours earlier with the Batman rescuing survivors from the Black Mask attacks; his absence is unexplained. Another absence, that only spells bad news for the city of Gotham, was the serial Faraway Tree Killer.
District Attorney Harvey Dent could not be found to comment, and MCU's Captain Jim Gordon was far too busy to make remarks. The heroic Rupert Thorne, however, was able to provide his insight: "Another tragedy has befallen us on a day which has held hope in lieu of darkness. To the families of tonight's victims, I offer my most sincere condolences. This attack by the Joker was heartless." He continued, "I would like to thank the Batman for intervening, as much as I don't endorse his methods, as countless lives were likely saved by him stepping in. Let us all pray tonight for the families of the fallen, and look to tomorrow as a day of remembrance, and begin again our efforts to return the light to Gotham. That is all I have to say at this moment, I will comment more after this has had time to sink in."
A culmination of the actions of many masked men accumulated a death toll in the dozens, as well as a close-quarters skirmish that will not soon be forgotten. The city of Gotham is surely at a turning point, where individuals are able to incite a change as powerful and devastating as entire organized gangs. Whether the promises of a better tomorrow, a cure for cancer, and a vigilant figure of justice will weigh out over the looming visions of mass-murder, violence, and theft; again, only time will tell.
Impact Plus One By Stanton Kiel
A segment of the pirated broadcast of the Black Mask
Today we Gothamites were frightfully introduced to a new figure: The Black Mask. We all know what he has done, and how many victims he has slain, but none of us know who he is.
He claims to want to rebuild Gotham and asked for the sum of $10 Billion to do so, threatening to destroy the city if his demands were not met. Unbidden, he proved his seriousness by organizing the attack on Wayne Tower.
Investigating the only lead on Black Mask, Police Captain Gordon led a team of SWAT officers into the source of Black Mask's pirate signal. It proved to be a trap, however, and Gordon barely escaped with his life when bombs were detonated inside the hotel, although he did manage to free Gotham's airwaves and is wearier and wiser from the incident. Black Mask's trap couldn't kill Gordon and I'm sure this writer is not alone when he says that Gordon is fast becoming a personal hero to so many of us, though we wish for a world with no need for heroes.
Whoever the Black Mask is, his megalomania may be satisfied now. But it is only a matter of time before he suffers the justice he has brought upon himself.
Birds of a Feather By Roger Mortimer
Left: The Plague Doctor. Right: The Joker. Both photographs courtesy of Bruce Wayne.
It is my pleasure to be able to write to you again Gotham, for in these dark times there needs to be those who can chronicle it, to help citizens know what is going on around them, for how else can we change the problems if we don’t know what they are? Only individuals working together can solve the mess we’re in, and if the individuals are weak and confused then, like blind mice, we’ll go nowhere.
It is, however, my displeasure to have to write about the Joker again. In my absence he was caught, and I honestly believed that I would never have to write his vile pseudonym again, that the book was closed on the mass murderer. But he broke out, killing cops and innocents, and now is back on the streets, though not without a new enemy, for it seems the mysterious Plague Doctor has picked the Joker to be the next disease to cure.
Before the Plague Doctor gets into this, however, the Joker makes headlines again. Yesterday, the Joker and ten armed men broke into the Northview Medical Hospital, firing at anyone they could, slaughtering dozens. They then threw improvised incendiary weapons, commonly known in the streets as “Molotov cocktails” at the exits after pouring Kerosene everywhere, and left. The hospital was crowded with victims from the recent Wayne Tower collapse, which the Joker must of known. By the time the firefighters could put out the blaze, over 270 people had died.
Later in the day, the Joker was seen at Port Adams again, where he killed a man named Dio Vargas, a man with suspected ties to the Eastern European gangs, as well as three bouncers in a nearby bar, before getting into a limo and trying to escape. It is here, however, when the Plague Doctor appears. Eye witnesses say they saw two tires on the Joker’s limo explode, causing Joker and two henchmen to bail out into a crowd. The Plague Doctor then jumped down from a building, gun out, to try and subdue the Joker. Unfortunately, the Joker seemed to have vanished, but the Plague Doctor then hunted down the two henchmen and, after a brief fire fight, subdued them. Before he could go any farther, however, the police arrived, forcing the Plague Doctor to use flashbang grenades and make haste.
And last night, the Plague Doctor again showed up, engaging in a fight with the Joker at the fundraising event. The story of that fight is elsewhere, but it is important that they fought again. Why are they after each other? Why does the Plague Doctor aim for the Joker so badly? Who is he? And more importantly, do any of those questions matter? With the way this city is going, I’d say no. If the Joker dies, good. If he gets arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of his life, then good. I’d say that either of those are good examples, even if it is from a vigilante. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. So yes, I take back my earlier statement. The Batman is good for this city, the Plague Doctor is good for this city, even Robin is good for this city. This is just my viewpoint, Gotham, not that of the Gazette, but when the criminals are dressing up as fairy tale villains, how else can we combat except with the same style? Order is important, yes, but the laws have always been waved during certain times. Times of war, times of natural disasters. And I’d say the crime wave in Gotham matches both. We are at war, Gotham, and the vigilantes are our weapons. The Joker’s actions have currently killed over 350 people. 350! So I wish the Plague Doctor good luck, and may he have better luck at curing this pestilence then the doctors he’s based on.
The Mummy Returns By Alexander Knox
Officer LeRouge, as seen at press time.
"Hush" has shown himself again.
Shortly after the Black Mask bombing, officer Timothy LeRouge was coming back to his squad car after picking up food for the other policemen on duty. He spotted a black BMW idling in an odd location, went over, and asked the driver to roll down his window.
The driver did. His face was completely covered in bandages. Hush pulled officer LeRouge inside the car, and proceded to interrogate him on a number of subjects pertaining to the Black Mask. Hush was able to find out about the two banks the Black Mask had robbed earlier in the day. Although at one point during Hush's questioning LeRouge attempted to pull his gun out and arrest Hush, Hush was quicker, and the attempt ended in failure. He eventually incapacitated LaRouge, and left him on the ground outside the car before driving off.
Another man came forward with a similar story -- the evening manager at Harry's Autos, in the brown district. He described an encounter with Hush, who interrogated him in a manic fashion before incapacitating him with his own steering wheel. Before leaving the scene, he slashed the tires of every car on the lot, and wrote on their windshields, "EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS".
Currently, it is unknown what Hush's motivation is for seeking out the Black Mask. So far, he has only targeted criminals, or those who have aided criminals. However, one can assume that more may be at stake than mere vigilante justice, and absolutely certain that he remains dangerous.
Today's Population: 5,597,213
Fundraiser Gone to Hell By Vicki Vale
The vigilante known as Batman witnesses the escape of the Joker and his apparent accomplice Catwoman
Despite the change of dedication, initially designed to raise money for Rupert Thorne's mayoral campaign bid and now to raise money for the rebuilding of Gotham city and the revitalization of the broken families, the somber mood at the Wayne penthouse suite was almost uplifting. The city's richest citizens and finest figures all gathered to pay their dues, give mourning, and come together as one, united in the cause of restoring Gotham to the glory it knew only hours ago... before the Black Mask changed everything. Nevertheless, the night unveiled promising hope for the city's future. Talks of Melvin Taransky's posited cure for cancer, combined with jolly jockeying on the Gotham Gargoyles' chances to play in the Super Bowl, which is coincidentally being held in Gotham this year, brought out the best in people in these worst of times. Host and billionaire philanthropist Bruce Wayne's toast "to the forward thinkers, to sacrifice, and to Gotham" summed up the hopefulness for the future quite nicely.
The names on the guest list included the CEOs of Gotham's largest and finest companies, from Phoenix Pharmaceuticals to Advanced Physiosolutions, included notable tycoons, attorneys, surgeons, and philanthropists alike. Of course, Rupert Thorne and Bruce Wayne were present, along with Harvey Dent, Gotham's District Attorney and formerly, before the infamous joker-firing decision, Gotham's "white knight," and the ever-rising hero of the GCPD, Police Captain Jim Gordon, who ran security detail. And security was tight.
But names that weren't on the list ended up stealing the show. Not a minute after Rupert Thorne followed Bruce Wayne with his own toast to the town, a terrible whipping noise vibrated the glass windows of the penthouse. As Gordon, Dent, Wayne, and Thorne, sensing ill will, scrambled to move the guests out to the lower levels in an orderly fashion, the helicopter flew overhead. Within minutes, none other than the Joker himself emerged from the penthouse's main entrance, alone, and menacingly teased the crowd. He hurled grenades into the group of fleeing men and women, producing dozens of casualties. Firing an AK-47 automatic rifle into the panicked crowd, he questioningly commanded, "Stop running. You're under arrest." Singling out a decorated policeman, he shot the soldier of justice in the head.
And the fight began: out of the darkness of nowhere, the Batman landed on top of the Joker, diverting the crazed clown's fire toward the ceiling. The two matched moves uninterrupted for quite some time, as the crowd around them continued out the doors. As the Joker kicked away the Batman's smoke bombs, and they wrestled over the automatic weapons, and the Joker produced more and more firepower from out of his attire, Rupert Thorne was directing those victims injured by grenades down the stairs. He ordered his private security detail to escort the rest of the survivors out of the penthouse, demanding his own shotgun. And he stood, alone, against the tide of fleeing citizens, shotgun aimed at the door with steely aim in expectation of any pursuit.
Back in the main room of the penthouse, the Joker and the Batman exchanged sprays of gas, flamethrower, and bullets. The Batman hid behind a pillar as the Joker unloaded yet another clip of pistol ammunition into his cover, before rushing at the Batman... and finding himself on the ground. As the last of the bloodied crowd made its exit, the multiple security cameras continued the action feed as the questionably violent vigilante figure the Plague Doctor emerged with hellish fury. He took multiple shots at the suppine Joker before the killer prince of comedy threw a smoke grenade... allowing the entrance for a newly familiar, thought-to-be-imprisoned ally. The Catwoman leaped out from behind the smoke, tackling the Plague Doctor and grabbing at his face. With a sound of electricity, the Catwoman wrapped her whip around the beaked beast's neck for only a short time before the Plague Doctor threw her off and rushed back at the Joker. The Joker, having used the new-found time to produce yet another weapon, unloaded an Uzi into the doctor before the Batman fired a grappling hook and retracted the weapon.
It was at this point that the glass windows to the penthouse gave way to the enigmatic, and now assuredly technologically advanced, independent figure the Riddler, who burst onto the scene flying on a jet-pack. He observed the fight below, as the Joker once again taunted to his duo opponents, "Come peacefully, you're under arrest! Drop all your weapons and land in the fetal position!" They responded in kind, charging at the clown, before being met with another bite from his flamethrower. The helicopter then hovered low to the level of the floor, unloading a barrage of bullets aimed to kill "only the Plague Doctor." The Batman expertly dismissed the chopper with a pellet of cough-inducing smoke as the Joker and the Plague Doctor ran at each other again, colliding in mid-air and crashing into the ground. The Joker seemed to gain the upper hand with a knife-wrench sort of physical weapon before a strange explosion threw the clown bleeding off of the doctor. The now nose-less Plague Doctor rose to attack the ailing Joker before being whipped by the Catwoman and pulled to the ground. The doctor then easily yanked the femme fatale through the air by the corded whip, as she expectantly landed on him and choked his neckline, once again with electrical force, until he began to spasm.
And then, the retreats: after having been hit in the face by somek ind of dart from the Batman, the Joker made for the helicopter. He jumped at the chopper, seemingly passing out in mid-air, as one of the gunmen grabbed his collar and pulled him into the cabin. The Plague Doctor almost suicidally threw himself out of the penthouse window, quickly followed by the observant Riddler; their fates are currently unknown. The Batman then fired a grapple rope into the Joker's fleshy rear, though the Catwoman quickly dismissed the rope with a kick, flipping over the Batman's incoming charge, whipping around a skid of the copter, and making their escape. Noticeably missing from the entire battle royale, however, was the red-and-black armored Robin, new ally and possible companion to the Batman, who was seen only hours earlier with the Batman rescuing survivors from the Black Mask attacks; his absence is unexplained. Another absence, that only spells bad news for the city of Gotham, was the serial Faraway Tree Killer.
District Attorney Harvey Dent could not be found to comment, and MCU's Captain Jim Gordon was far too busy to make remarks. The heroic Rupert Thorne, however, was able to provide his insight: "Another tragedy has befallen us on a day which has held hope in lieu of darkness. To the families of tonight's victims, I offer my most sincere condolences. This attack by the Joker was heartless." He continued, "I would like to thank the Batman for intervening, as much as I don't endorse his methods, as countless lives were likely saved by him stepping in. Let us all pray tonight for the families of the fallen, and look to tomorrow as a day of remembrance, and begin again our efforts to return the light to Gotham. That is all I have to say at this moment, I will comment more after this has had time to sink in."
A culmination of the actions of many masked men accumulated a death toll in the dozens, as well as a close-quarters skirmish that will not soon be forgotten. The city of Gotham is surely at a turning point, where individuals are able to incite a change as powerful and devastating as entire organized gangs. Whether the promises of a better tomorrow, a cure for cancer, and a vigilant figure of justice will weigh out over the looming visions of mass-murder, violence, and theft; again, only time will tell.
Impact Plus One By Stanton Kiel
A segment of the pirated broadcast of the Black Mask
Today we Gothamites were frightfully introduced to a new figure: The Black Mask. We all know what he has done, and how many victims he has slain, but none of us know who he is.
He claims to want to rebuild Gotham and asked for the sum of $10 Billion to do so, threatening to destroy the city if his demands were not met. Unbidden, he proved his seriousness by organizing the attack on Wayne Tower.
Investigating the only lead on Black Mask, Police Captain Gordon led a team of SWAT officers into the source of Black Mask's pirate signal. It proved to be a trap, however, and Gordon barely escaped with his life when bombs were detonated inside the hotel, although he did manage to free Gotham's airwaves and is wearier and wiser from the incident. Black Mask's trap couldn't kill Gordon and I'm sure this writer is not alone when he says that Gordon is fast becoming a personal hero to so many of us, though we wish for a world with no need for heroes.
Whoever the Black Mask is, his megalomania may be satisfied now. But it is only a matter of time before he suffers the justice he has brought upon himself.
Birds of a Feather By Roger Mortimer
Left: The Plague Doctor. Right: The Joker. Both photographs courtesy of Bruce Wayne.
It is my pleasure to be able to write to you again Gotham, for in these dark times there needs to be those who can chronicle it, to help citizens know what is going on around them, for how else can we change the problems if we don’t know what they are? Only individuals working together can solve the mess we’re in, and if the individuals are weak and confused then, like blind mice, we’ll go nowhere.
It is, however, my displeasure to have to write about the Joker again. In my absence he was caught, and I honestly believed that I would never have to write his vile pseudonym again, that the book was closed on the mass murderer. But he broke out, killing cops and innocents, and now is back on the streets, though not without a new enemy, for it seems the mysterious Plague Doctor has picked the Joker to be the next disease to cure.
Before the Plague Doctor gets into this, however, the Joker makes headlines again. Yesterday, the Joker and ten armed men broke into the Northview Medical Hospital, firing at anyone they could, slaughtering dozens. They then threw improvised incendiary weapons, commonly known in the streets as “Molotov cocktails” at the exits after pouring Kerosene everywhere, and left. The hospital was crowded with victims from the recent Wayne Tower collapse, which the Joker must of known. By the time the firefighters could put out the blaze, over 270 people had died.
Later in the day, the Joker was seen at Port Adams again, where he killed a man named Dio Vargas, a man with suspected ties to the Eastern European gangs, as well as three bouncers in a nearby bar, before getting into a limo and trying to escape. It is here, however, when the Plague Doctor appears. Eye witnesses say they saw two tires on the Joker’s limo explode, causing Joker and two henchmen to bail out into a crowd. The Plague Doctor then jumped down from a building, gun out, to try and subdue the Joker. Unfortunately, the Joker seemed to have vanished, but the Plague Doctor then hunted down the two henchmen and, after a brief fire fight, subdued them. Before he could go any farther, however, the police arrived, forcing the Plague Doctor to use flashbang grenades and make haste.
And last night, the Plague Doctor again showed up, engaging in a fight with the Joker at the fundraising event. The story of that fight is elsewhere, but it is important that they fought again. Why are they after each other? Why does the Plague Doctor aim for the Joker so badly? Who is he? And more importantly, do any of those questions matter? With the way this city is going, I’d say no. If the Joker dies, good. If he gets arrested and thrown in jail for the rest of his life, then good. I’d say that either of those are good examples, even if it is from a vigilante. In extraordinary times, extraordinary measures are needed. So yes, I take back my earlier statement. The Batman is good for this city, the Plague Doctor is good for this city, even Robin is good for this city. This is just my viewpoint, Gotham, not that of the Gazette, but when the criminals are dressing up as fairy tale villains, how else can we combat except with the same style? Order is important, yes, but the laws have always been waved during certain times. Times of war, times of natural disasters. And I’d say the crime wave in Gotham matches both. We are at war, Gotham, and the vigilantes are our weapons. The Joker’s actions have currently killed over 350 people. 350! So I wish the Plague Doctor good luck, and may he have better luck at curing this pestilence then the doctors he’s based on.
The Mummy Returns By Alexander Knox
Officer LeRouge, as seen at press time.
"Hush" has shown himself again.
Shortly after the Black Mask bombing, officer Timothy LeRouge was coming back to his squad car after picking up food for the other policemen on duty. He spotted a black BMW idling in an odd location, went over, and asked the driver to roll down his window.
The driver did. His face was completely covered in bandages. Hush pulled officer LeRouge inside the car, and proceded to interrogate him on a number of subjects pertaining to the Black Mask. Hush was able to find out about the two banks the Black Mask had robbed earlier in the day. Although at one point during Hush's questioning LeRouge attempted to pull his gun out and arrest Hush, Hush was quicker, and the attempt ended in failure. He eventually incapacitated LaRouge, and left him on the ground outside the car before driving off.
Another man came forward with a similar story -- the evening manager at Harry's Autos, in the brown district. He described an encounter with Hush, who interrogated him in a manic fashion before incapacitating him with his own steering wheel. Before leaving the scene, he slashed the tires of every car on the lot, and wrote on their windshields, "EVERYONE IS RESPONSIBLE FOR THEIR ACTIONS".
Currently, it is unknown what Hush's motivation is for seeking out the Black Mask. So far, he has only targeted criminals, or those who have aided criminals. However, one can assume that more may be at stake than mere vigilante justice, and absolutely certain that he remains dangerous.
Today's Population: 5,597,213
GCN SPECIAL NEWS BULLETIN
Interesting crimes to report all across the city today, Gotham City.
As we were interrupted by the Black Mask just twenty-four hours ago, we were trying to report on the possible exploits of the Faraway Tree Killer.
Dr. Jack Shepard, a suspected alcoholic and former chief of surgery at Gotham General Hospital, was found murdered in his black district penthouse. On the wall was yet another message from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and again relating to money: "Money, which represents the prose of life, and which is hardly spoken of in parlors without an apology, is, in its effects and laws, as beautiful as roses."
A thirty-one year old woman was also found murdered in the courtyard to the building, apparently while walking her dog. She was identified as a tenant, and her keycard was reported as missing. In the wake of Dr. Shepard's death, I am told that Dr. Richard Denholm, a veteran surgeon at Gotham General, has taken his place.
In the cyan district, meanwhile, a man acquitted by the work of criminal attorney Ricky Rike after being charged with money laundering for local street gangs was also found dead by what authorities believe to be the same knife. Oddly, no new quote from Emerson was used, and instead the same quote as used in the burglary of the International House of Diamonds was left behind.
Meanwhile, in Gotham's dark blue district, a fire raged inside an old warehouse. By the time the FDGC was able to extinguish the blaze, all inside, believed at present to be nine males, were deceased. This was no unplanned strike -- among the men, police found a small arsenal of weaponry, mostly Eastern European, and the charred remains of what was most likely a methamphetamine lab. Shocking stuff.
And for one final bit of particularly unusual news, and once again in the dark blue district, Detective Arnold Stern described his encounter with not only the bandaged vigilatne Hush, but also an apparent accomplice, a British ruffian in a rennaissance era costume.
Police were called to an apartment near Cathedral Square on the alert of a gunshot. A shell casing and signs of struggle were found, but nothing else. However, says Detective Stern, things did not stay quiet for long. Eventually he called for backup before heeding the cries of the two officers that were helping him secure the crime scene, and found himself shot in the arm by this Hush figure and ultimately bludgeoned by this Ruffian.
He cited the duo as extremely dangerous, having easily disabled the two officers, and Hush in particular was able to shoot his gun right out of his hand, causing him to suffer a broken thumb.
One of the backup officers reported noting a silver DeLorean with no licence plates in the back alley of the building. He was soon struck unconscious.
At this point it is uncertain whether anything was stolen, but it is clear that they came searching for something, as the apartment was ransacked, particularly in the kitchen and bedroom.
With these dark crimes behind us, we can only hope that Gotham Tonight's Mayoral Debate Edition, featuring incumbent Anthony Garcia and powerhouse challenger Rupert Thorne, will shed some light on whether Gotham will go to the polls tomorrow and vote for change, or more of the same.
Interesting crimes to report all across the city today, Gotham City.
As we were interrupted by the Black Mask just twenty-four hours ago, we were trying to report on the possible exploits of the Faraway Tree Killer.
Dr. Jack Shepard, a suspected alcoholic and former chief of surgery at Gotham General Hospital, was found murdered in his black district penthouse. On the wall was yet another message from Ralph Waldo Emerson, and again relating to money: "Money, which represents the prose of life, and which is hardly spoken of in parlors without an apology, is, in its effects and laws, as beautiful as roses."
A thirty-one year old woman was also found murdered in the courtyard to the building, apparently while walking her dog. She was identified as a tenant, and her keycard was reported as missing. In the wake of Dr. Shepard's death, I am told that Dr. Richard Denholm, a veteran surgeon at Gotham General, has taken his place.
In the cyan district, meanwhile, a man acquitted by the work of criminal attorney Ricky Rike after being charged with money laundering for local street gangs was also found dead by what authorities believe to be the same knife. Oddly, no new quote from Emerson was used, and instead the same quote as used in the burglary of the International House of Diamonds was left behind.
Meanwhile, in Gotham's dark blue district, a fire raged inside an old warehouse. By the time the FDGC was able to extinguish the blaze, all inside, believed at present to be nine males, were deceased. This was no unplanned strike -- among the men, police found a small arsenal of weaponry, mostly Eastern European, and the charred remains of what was most likely a methamphetamine lab. Shocking stuff.
And for one final bit of particularly unusual news, and once again in the dark blue district, Detective Arnold Stern described his encounter with not only the bandaged vigilatne Hush, but also an apparent accomplice, a British ruffian in a rennaissance era costume.
Police were called to an apartment near Cathedral Square on the alert of a gunshot. A shell casing and signs of struggle were found, but nothing else. However, says Detective Stern, things did not stay quiet for long. Eventually he called for backup before heeding the cries of the two officers that were helping him secure the crime scene, and found himself shot in the arm by this Hush figure and ultimately bludgeoned by this Ruffian.
He cited the duo as extremely dangerous, having easily disabled the two officers, and Hush in particular was able to shoot his gun right out of his hand, causing him to suffer a broken thumb.
One of the backup officers reported noting a silver DeLorean with no licence plates in the back alley of the building. He was soon struck unconscious.
At this point it is uncertain whether anything was stolen, but it is clear that they came searching for something, as the apartment was ransacked, particularly in the kitchen and bedroom.
With these dark crimes behind us, we can only hope that Gotham Tonight's Mayoral Debate Edition, featuring incumbent Anthony Garcia and powerhouse challenger Rupert Thorne, will shed some light on whether Gotham will go to the polls tomorrow and vote for change, or more of the same.
GOTHAM TONIGHT:
You see Mike Engel in the Gotham Civic Center. A large soundstage shows Rupert Thorne and Anthony Garcia, being mic-checked and all that jazz.
Good evening, Gotham, and welcome to a very special Gotham Tonight.
Tonight's debate should prove to be the deciding factor in tomorrow's vote.
Gentlemen, it's good to have you here this evening. I suppose we'll allow the incumbent to speak first, and then Mr. Thorne, you may follow suit.
First question: Mr. Garcia, you've advocated incremental change from the very beginning. But where are the increments? I have yet to see any sign of change. Things are worse than ever. Why do you think your guns are the ones Gotham should stick to?
M
Mayor Anthony Garcia
Guest
Well, Mike, I think that's an unfair way to look at things.
Incremental change is a system I put in when the worst of our fears were men with deep pockets and long arms. These kind of men can't be overtaken in a night. You need to wean them out slowly, and then everything stays stable.
Obviously I encourage the maximum amount of force in apprehending criminals like the Joker. But with a recession upon us, I don't think any city, and certainly not Gotham, can afford a drastic bureaucratic overhaul.
Incremental change is a system I put in when the worst of our fears were men with deep pockets and long arms. These kind of men can't be overtaken in a night. You need to wean them out slowly, and then everything stays stable.
Obviously I encourage the maximum amount of force in apprehending criminals like the Joker. But with a recession upon us, I don't think any city, and certainly not Gotham, can afford a drastic bureaucratic overhaul.
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
While I do agree that the men who were our biggest threats were different when the incremental change system was put into place, I disagree with the fact that we can not afford an overhaul. With the recession as it is, and the crime in this city, what we NEED is change, and we can not afford not to have it. With more large scale criminals popping up day in and day out, the recession must not prevent us from saving our citizens lives, as if we lose our citizens, is a recession really our biggest worry?
I couldn't agree more.
Let's talk the political landscape. Lining up with your election is a similar one featuring Presidential Candidates McCain and Obama. How will your economic plans differ based on the outcome of this election? How will you make Gotham relevant, again?
M
Mayor Anthony Garcia
Guest
Well, Mike, I never considered Gotham to be an irrelevant city. If anything it showcases both the heart and the soul of America, for better and for worse.
And whatever the outcome of the federal election, I hope for collaboration. With federal grants I may be less opposed to bureaucratic resculpting.
And whatever the outcome of the federal election, I hope for collaboration. With federal grants I may be less opposed to bureaucratic resculpting.
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
I hope to work with whichever of the candidates wins the election to help stabilize the economy not just of Gotham, but of the country. As Mayor Garcia said, Gotham has never been irrelevant, and I will push that our city is a beacon to the country, and as our situation improves, it will send a message to encourage the growth of our nation's economy.
Whichever of you wins, I hope to see some of that.
Now. Let's talk about the Black Mask. Everything. What you know, your impressions of him, what you plan to do about him. Who is this man who suddenly rose up from oblivion to take the mantle of the world's foremost terrorist? At present, we sit on the edge of his deadline.
M
Mayor Anthony Garcia
Guest
The Black Mask is a man in a mask that is intelligent. The Joker is a man in makeup that is intelligent.
At the end of the day these criminals are nothing more than cunning and dangerous men. Perseverance will prevail. Let's not forget that I authorized the creation of the Major Crimes Unit and gave it its own building. And you can't say Captain Gordon isn't an incremental change that has worked.
At the end of the day these criminals are nothing more than cunning and dangerous men. Perseverance will prevail. Let's not forget that I authorized the creation of the Major Crimes Unit and gave it its own building. And you can't say Captain Gordon isn't an incremental change that has worked.
B
Black Mask
Guest
Gotham City... it has seemed that you have decided against any provision of funds and have turned down my offer of assistance.
Most unfortunate.
It seems I am forced to use alternate means to bring about reform. Fear not. My acts will invoke great change, but will be against only those who I deem corrupt, and those who oppose. The Black Mask has spoken.
Most unfortunate.
It seems I am forced to use alternate means to bring about reform. Fear not. My acts will invoke great change, but will be against only those who I deem corrupt, and those who oppose. The Black Mask has spoken.
Sorry about that, ladies and gentlemen. It seems the call-in feature was left on by mistake. Don't let this madman get to you.
Mr. Thorne?
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
Well, I do not know much about this Black Mask that the public does not. I do not think it is wise for us to compare him to the Joker, as he is quite clearly more level-headed, and the crimes he is responsible for shows a much larger set of connections than the Jokers solo acts. He is the biggest threat to this city at the moment. And I would like to say, since you're obviously watching Black Mask, You will not be allowed to continue your acts of terrorism. We will stop you, and show that this city has the strength to change itself for the better, and that your terrorism will not break our resolve.
And speaking of terrorism, it seems this Joker has proven to be one of the more slippery criminals in recent American history.
Have the Joker's atrocious acts -- burning down a hospital, lobbing grenades into a charity reception -- become just another part of the norm? What is going to change, right now, to really deal with how we battle this man?
M
Mayor Anthony Garcia
Guest
Well, uhm, I've already spoken on the Joker. The Joker is a man, and men can be caught. Captain Gordon and Gotham's Finest done it once, and they have come close since, with the net only tightening. It's just a matter of time. Men like the Joker can't disappear in a city with this many ears.
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
The most horrific thing about the Joker is that his actions HAVE become the norm. It seems not a day can go by where he does not commit another heinous act. What needs to change right now is that we need a bigger focus on him. Right now it has been mostly Captain Gordon and his MCU who have made any progress on this man. What we need is for the whole police force to act with the zeal and fervor that Gordon has, and that alone will vastly improve our ability to stop him.
And what of the Batman? Will he be brought to justice?
For years I decried the rodent man for what he was, and at last, he has shown his true colors, with a body count of good men to match.
What say you, about the Batman?
M
Mayor Anthony Garcia
Guest
The mayor's office, uh, is not prepared to comment on the Batman at this point in time.
R
Rupert Thorne
Guest
My feelings on the Batman are split. While he needs to be brought to justice, he helped save countless lives between the fundraiser last night and the attack by the Black Mask earlier in the day, and for that we all must thank him. That is all I will say about the subject at this moment.
As Mike Engel is about to offer another question, the light fixtures above suddenly crack and fall.
Thorne charges forward and grabs Garcia as the fixtures come down upon them.
CRACK!!!!
The dust settles, and you can see Thorne and Garcia pinned by the light fixture.
Thorne and some security guards manage to push the fixture off of him.
Garcia is barely breathing, battered and crushed by the light fixture. Thorne also appears to be injured.
"UP HERE!" shouts one security guard as he charges up the stairs behind the stage. The camera swings up and sees a man clambering through the catwalks, and the security guard soon pops up to give chase.
Thorne charges forward and grabs Garcia as the fixtures come down upon them.
CRACK!!!!
The dust settles, and you can see Thorne and Garcia pinned by the light fixture.
Thorne and some security guards manage to push the fixture off of him.
Garcia is barely breathing, battered and crushed by the light fixture. Thorne also appears to be injured.
"UP HERE!" shouts one security guard as he charges up the stairs behind the stage. The camera swings up and sees a man clambering through the catwalks, and the security guard soon pops up to give chase.
Thorne dials a number on his cellphone before barking at Engel to stay with Garcia, then draws a shotgun from behind his podium with his good arm and jogs up the stairs with ten security guards.
