The DCFutures FanFiction Group recognizes that Batman and all related characters are property of DC Comics. These stories are written for no profit, but rather a strong desire to peer into the future of the DCU. The stories and concepts presented herein, however, are property of the author. So there. **** BATMAN: DCF #26 **** Written and Directed by Erik Burnham darvey@rocketmail.com X has been replaced with Y. Don't ask Y, he won't tell. **** BATMAN created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger BATMAN: DCF created by Erik Burnham MELISSA BLOOM created by Daniel Ben-Zvi **** "32" **** "Where is Batman?" That was the question on everyone's lips. No one knew. The cops didn't know. The crooks didn't care. The spokespeople for the Justice League just shrugged out no comments left and right. And the nights felt a little colder. **** "This is Melissa Bloom, WGHT Gotham City," the sweetly sarcastic voice cut through the airwaves. "Batman, not here. Where did he go? I need your thoughts, Gotham. You know the access." It had been almost three weeks since the last Bat sighting in Gotham. Since then, nothing. Not a goodbye, not a card, not a buzz on the old teleline. Batman had gone gently into that good night, as abruptly as he had shown up, and without a trace. "How'm I s'posed to know where he's at?" Guy Gardner scowled at the news crew's holocam. "Try buggin' someone else, willya?" People were on edge, in a way. It's not that Batman had done a whole lot for them, but what he represented had taken an irreplaceable spot in their consciousness. He reignited a legend that served as a safety blanket for the citizens of the sprawling metropolis -- and now he was gone. This was not fair, not fair at all. "Hello, caller," Melissa Bloom said, leaning back. "I think it's a conspiracy." "Batman?" "Yes. They desire us to grow independent on these so-called heroes. We become addicted, and then they take our heroes away. It is a tool of subjugation." "Take a gander out your window, guy. I think you're being watched." There was a slight pause. "You may be right. Trust no one." The line went dead. "Okay, we've heard from the paranoid contingency. If anyone rational has an observation, I'd love to hear them. In news, Dr. Jeremy Wight, otherwise known as the Joker killer, is still at large. Authorities from the cop shop and Justice League alike are baffled at how he escaped in the first place, but are confident they'll catch him before he kills anyone important." How reassuring. "En route from Metropolis, you're on the air!" An accent as starched as the shirts at an old- money charity benefit squeaked through the monitors. It was clearly English, but with the strain of someone who was trying to disguise that fact. "Hello, Melissa -- long-time listener, first-time caller." "Oh, come on -- who are you kidding? Ladies and Gentlemen, Alfred's with us!" "Well! It appears I'm caught. And before I even had time to embellish my ruse." "Honey, I never forget a voice. Where've you been, Al? We haven't heard from you in a while." "Hither, yon, here, and there. I'm just coming back from Metropolis, as you know." "Metropolis, eh? Did you meet Superman?" "Meet him?" Alfred smirked. "Not in Metropolis, no. At any rate, I took an extended vacation from my place of employ and... well, I was simply shocked at this recent news concerning the Batman." "Batman, yes. Back on topic, good. You've shared your opinions on Batman with us in the past, Al. What's your guess? Where'd he go?" "Tahiti?" "We should all be so lucky." "Seriously, Melissa, I couldn't say. Putting to the side my prior theories on the habits of the Batman, he never did seem like a 'quitter' to me. I'm rather disappointed to hear he's gone. Indeed, it makes me fear for the worst." "Death?" "Marriage." "Oh!" Melissa smirked. "I walked into it. Alfred, you have a safe trip back. We'll talk to you later." "Good afternoon, Melissa." "And the mystery continues, Gotham. The mystery continues." **** It's no mystery, Commissioner Jon Isaacs thought to himself. It's clear cut -- the kid either had to skip town because he ran up against something he couldn't handle, that's giving him credit for smarts, or he's dead 'cause he took on that which he couldn't handle. But the man in black wasn't dead. Jon knew it in his gut. Whether that was a blessing or a curse was beside the point; as far as the top dog in the GCPD was concerned, this particular headache was merely on hiatus... so there was no use worrying about it until evidence came up to the contrary. **** "Yes." "Vigilante?" "Yes," the man sighed. He knew the nervous tones of his Gotham contractor well... after all, she had been calling -- on behalf of her presumably more nervous employer -- many, many times. Especially over the past few Bat-less weeks. "My employer would like to congratulate you on a job well done." "We've had this discussion before." "I understand, but he's really convinced." "I didn't kill his precious Batman, love. In fact, I haven't seen hide nor hair of the man in weeks!" "Nevertheless, the Batman disappeared after you were contracted to do this job, so we feel that..." "We feel that you and that boss of yours are out of your minds. Understand, if you will, that I have a reputation to uphold. I want no more credit for work that isn't mine than I want credit for someone else's job." "Um..." "Keep the money. Your Bat isn't dead. I'll stake my reputation on it." "Funds have already been transferred, we thank you for your expertise." "Now wait a--" Too late, the line was dead. Damn these people and their impatience. The job wasn't done... and there was too much time invested in this. So much that a curiosity hung over the Vigilante. A curiosity money could not dilute. He needed to meet this Batman and decide for himself whether to complete this job he had been paid so handsomely for. After all, it was only fair. **** "Next caller, Ligon Menswear? Waitaminnit..." "Hey baby, this is Way--" "You! Next caller! Hello!" "It's still me. Why won't you return my calls?" "Okay, whoever's filling in back in the booth, your days are numbered. Wayne, I told you about the restraining order on several occasions, and your calls stopped boosting my ratings months ago." Melissa flipped her board into manual and cut the transmission herself, smiling towards the booth in the manner of a Great White. "Back to the topic, Gothamites. Batman. Remember it. Live with it, take it to bed with you. Coincidentally, that's a fantasy of mine, but the FCC doesn't allow elaboration in this timeslot. Next caller?" **** Ennis Hobbs looked at himself in the mirror, straightening his tie. Big meeting. He hated big meetings. Actually he didn't. He lived for them. The pressure, the stress, the joy of business... he looked forward to it all. ...But this was the first without Tim. Even after the abdication of the majority of his duties, Tim had always been on hand for the big calls, the important end-of-the-line decisions, the area he shined in with his quick little mind. And now he wasn't. Ennis wasn't sure whether or not he was comfortable handling the boy genius' affairs on this level. Of course he had the authority to do so, but there was a feeling of regret nonetheless. "Tim, where are you?" Ennis asked his reflection. There was, of course, no answer. Tim was on an extended vacation, he said. Tim was suffering from depression. Tim was in no mood for the drear city. "Mr. Hobbs," Donna Olsen said, peeking into the office. "The hoverlim is here." "Thanks," Ennis said, glancing at an old photoprint of himself with the Drakes at Christmastime. It was taken a lifetime ago. A heavy feeling came over Ennis Hobbs' heart, a feeling that spread like fire. His left arm went numb. Oh no. "Donna, change of plans." Ennis called out. "What's that, sir?" Donna asked, peeking back in. "I think I'm having a heart attack..." he managed before collapsing. **** She woke up in a darkened room, but to her it was as clear as daylight. No windows, one door, padded walls. No light fixtures that she could see... which was good, considering. Without her mask -- who had taken it from her? -- she wouldn't be able to bear the light. She was not physically restrained above and beyond the room itself, but the girl known as Maria -- or, sometimes, Batgirl -- felt bound nonetheless. Ineffectual. Trapped. Claustrophobic. Angry. Kill. Kill the man in the suit. Kill the people that had tried to cut her. Kill those that had made fun of her. Kill the Bat. Kill the Bat. Kill the Bat. Kill the Bat. **** "Next caller, Roanoke, Vir... is this a joke?" "Hello, Melissa. Yes, it's a joke. Couldn't resist." "And you are..." "This is Tim. Need I go further?" "Tim Drake, ladies and gentlemen, Gotham's second most famous absentee citizen!" "That's me. I've been listening via satellite, Melissa. Great show. Love the topic." "So have you called to weigh in with an opinion, or are you just taunting me with the knowledge that you're someplace more fun right now?" "Yes." "Ha ha." "Seriously, Melissa, I'm just wondering why the Batman is such a hot item right now. I've seen news reports from all over the world on this lately and..." "People care, Mr. Drake." "It's been, what, a month? I left Gotham because of this batmania. Why don't people just give up?" "On Batman?" "On the concept, Melissa. It's obviously unreliable. We should just trust the Justice League -- and Gotham's Finest, of course -- to safeguard our city." "I disagree." "You believe in a idealistic nut dressing up like a hero that has been more of an urban legend than a reality for thirty, forty years? Is that what you're saying?" "No, I'm saying oops." And with that, Tim Drake joined the ranks of the disconnected. **** It was kind of amusing, in a way. Tim hadn't been hung up on forever. He probably shouldn't have called in, but he couldn't resist. He wasn't giving up his double identity. He also wasn't going to flaunt it for awhile. And he surely wanted to spread a little disinformation to the clone, if at all possible. Clone. Construct. Genetic voodoo he hadn't thought about since his fascination with it at thirteen. Who was he? The Drakes were his parents, but who was his progenitor? Where did he come from? This was worse than a bad soap opera. **** END! **** NEXT ISSUE: Tim! **** GOING BATTY **** Letters! Here we go! (Keep 'em coming!) From:"Kao chang" gokao@hotmail.com To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:about Tim Drake 2's real origin and other stuff Date:Tue, 05 Jan 1999 22:51:54 GMT Dear Erik, It's me again, Kao. I shocked to know that the Tim Drake is just a clone. I think I may know whose genetics he's from. Since Alucard Holmes says that Tim is not from Bruce Wayne, then he's probably from either Richard (Da Man, Nightwing) Grayson or the recently deceased Commissioner Mark Allan Grayson the son of Richard Grayson (Nightwing). It's quite logical that Tim could be from Dick because Dick was the best person who could of been Batman and where did old Bruce Wayne bury Dick? And I got some more questions. 1. . Well, since Clark was in the Batcave for about a 100 years, will he be able to regain all the lost solar energy he had not sucked into his body from his time without sunlight? ****Maybe.**** 2. And if Clark gets all that energy back, will he be more powerful? ****Yes.**** 3. How about the Justice 'Jerk', I'm not saying he's a bad character and all, but he's just like Bruce Wayne (manipulative, powerful, pressuring, etc.) because maybe he is old Bats. What is his problem manipulating people and making Tim Drake's life a fake (sort of)? And will Clark our true man of steel kick Justice's DCF butt? ****Clark has already faced Justice -- and was knocked through the ropes. Needless to say, he won't be the one to take big J out.**** 4. Since this a message to you, can you get answers for some ?'s from Schuyler Bush about his Superman? Well, here they are. How is that there is another Superman? Could he be a new Bizzarro? And it's known that he is not a true Kryptonian since he is not affected by kryptonite. ****If you've read Adventures of Superman #7 by now, you'll have the answers. If not, go immediately to check it out!!**** Well thanks a lot and can you tell Daniel Ben-Zvi send back his comments and the DCF staff on my proposal on a character called Titan: Knight of Justice. The story in Batman is getting just great. Hope you get to issue 100! Thanks Erik, U R Da Man Kao Chang ****Thanks a lot, pallie.**** Date:Mon, 28 Dec 1998 12:26:05 +0200 To:darvey@rocketmail.com From:IHazel@yahoo.com Subject:Batman DCF, #1-25 Hi there, Erik. Let me warn you in advance that this will be rather lengthly. I don't seem capable of writing short e-mails in *any* circumstances, and right now, I have a lot to say! ****Good, 'cause I love long letters!**** First, two confessions: 1. I never read comic books. 2. I've never liked Batman. See what kind of handicap you've been working under? Despite all that, you've won yourself a major fan! I will openly admit that I never would have touched one of your Batman stories if it wasn't for your Clark. I've always liked Superman, which is what made me stumble onto DCF in the first place. Then I read Superman #5 and discovered that Clark Kent had been hanging around Gotham City all along! How *dare* someone else call himself Superman! I'd better zip over to the Batman series and find out what was really happening... Starting from Batman #23, I read your entire series. Backwards. Initially, I was merely trying to find the story in which Clark first appeared; by the time I finally found it, I kept going. Your Tim Drake had completely captivated me. Besides that: you write *extremely* well. Congratulations for having the nerve to kill Grayson after going to all the work of developing his character; it shows that you've really got class. (Besides, there are already *way* too many people coming back from the dead in DCF!) I'm sure I'm missing a lot of in-jokes that a regular Batman fan would catch, but there's enough there for a newcomer like me to enjoy as well. I have been a bit taken aback by the, er, "richness" of the language; still, with that cameo appearance by Ben-Zvi in #25, it looks like your usage of language is positively tame. Are comic books all written like that today? If so, it's a major pity. Swear words do not eloquence make. Be that as it may, let me get to the *real* kudos: your Clark. He is absolutely spot on. His eulogy for Booster was so moving, even though I had no idea who Booster was in the first place! You've captured exactly what I've always liked about Superman: his honor, his compulsion to help, and always doing the right thing. I like the nod you've given to Siegel and Shuster by giving him, at first, the powers that he had in the very first Action comic way back when; still, I'm glad to see he's slowly getting back to normal! What I don't understand is why you choose to have him stay in the Batcave instead of upstairs in the garden, soaking up all the sunlight he can possibly get. If he can remember Doomsday (I know it was all a dream -- and a funny one! -- but he's mentioned "almost dying" a few times), then surely he can also remember how he gains his powers from a yellow sun? From the little I know of Bruce Wayne's Batman, Alfred was the wise, gentle mentor and Robin was the wise-cracking sidekick. There's your sense of humor showing again, reversing the roles between the "new" Alfred and Clark! Again, Erik, let me thank you for writing a highly entertaining story that keeps me coming back for more. I'm glad that it looks like your particular story is here to stay, and I'm looking forward to future issues ASAP! Well, we'll let you stop for a meal now and then if you insist. Hazel ****Thanks very much for the moving letter, Hazel. I know I thanked you in an email reply once before, but I have to do it again. Stuff like this keeps me going. I've also explained to you -- and I now shall to everyone else -- Clark's Nook in the cave has a direct channel to the ground... sunlight bathes that part of the cave, which is why he chose it. That's my copout answer. Heh. Also, the Booster Eulogy was from the brain of Jason Tippitt, and finally -- to answer another question you had -- Patty Hollander will be reappearing very soon. I hope I continue to entertain with these guys.**** From:MSR77@aol.com Date:Sat, 26 Dec 1998 14:19:56 EST To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:Batman DCF #25 Comments Man this was a shocking issue!! I was surprised to see Alucard Holmes is a clone of Bruce Wayne. I wasn't expecting to see that and I think it's also shocking to see in fact that Tim may be a clone himself. I cannot wait to see how this ends up and how Tim is going to stop Alucard Holmes. I also wanted to comment on this issue's cover and tell you that it's really cool and I hope you'll do more. All in all a great issue and I will definitely be looking forward to #26! Mike Rehor Loyal Batman DCF Fan ****Shocking was what I was going for. Believe it or not, this stuff was ACTUALLY planned out since the near- beginning of the series! Honestly! I've laid groundwork? Well, as much as that doesn't sound like me... Heh. Thanks for your letter, and glad you liked the cover, man. Keep smilin'.**** From:"Phil Harris" To:darvey@rocketmail.com Subject:Batman:DCF.... Date:Fri, 25 Dec 1998 21:33:50 -0600 Erik... I have been reading fanfiction for a couple of years now. I got hooked on Highlander and Star trek stuff initially. I subscribe to the mailing lists, then save all of the mail till I go overseas (I am in the military and spend quite a bit of time in places where they don't have phones, let alone internet, but I always have my laptop). Well, to make a long story a little shorter, I was recently looking for some new stuff and ran across your page. I read the first story, to see what the theme was going to be like, and to see if it was going to be worth my time and drive space to archive all of this stuff. I got hooked and read it all right off. This whole DCF (especially Batman) concept is too cool. I was hooked right off. I have set here in front of this computer for the better part of two days and read all the Batman, most of the Suicide Squad and a lot of the other DCF stuff. Nothing left to archive for my next TDY. I am going to go ahead and let Teleport go at it, that way I will have all of your stuff to re-read the next time I go over. I don't know how much fan mail you get..but take if from someone who quit reading comics when they went up to 60 cents..Your stuff is great...Please, keep up the good work. Phil ****This is a weird issue for touching letters. I can only promise to keep trying, Phil - thanks for reading.**** I'd like to apologize -- two or three of the letters I received for this issue were accidentally deleted -- I appreciate the comments, people, and I'm sorry I couldn't show your thoughts here! And with that, I bid you adieu until next time! -Erik VISIT GOTHAM: http://www.geocities.com/area51/chamber/9727/gotham.html VISIT THE DCF DISCUSSION BOARD: http://disc.server.com/discussion.cgi?id=6074