Issue#10

This...can't...be...the...end. I won't...let it be! Batman summoned all of his remaining strength, which inadvertently wasn't much, and somehow managed to reach into one of the many pouches of his utility belt. Quickly pulling out a piece of negatively charged metal, a Batarang, he held it up as high as he could, straining...straining... ...And suddenly the EM force was gone.     FDC Presents "When Robins Fall" Part 5 - The Final Confrontation, Part 1 of 2 By Steve Swartz Batman sat up and took in a deep breath of what little air there was left in the cage now that the pulse was not functioning. He then reached into a pouch in his utility belt and pulled out a small blowtorch, which he then used to cut a hole in the side of the cage, large enough for him to slip through. Why Joker? Batman wondered as he gritted his teeth, straining his tired muscles. I was looking for Poison Ivy...then I run into the Joker, who told me that I walked right into his trap? What is going on here? * [ * See last issue -- Steve ] After two minutes Batman had succeeded in cutting a hole large enough for him to slip through. Pushing the glass piece that he cut out of the cage, it fell to the ground and shattered. Batman knew that Joker wasn't around, so it really didn't matter what he did. Batman stepped through the opening and into the musty room. He coughed and choked at the sudden rush of pure oxygen into his lungs. He dropped to his knees, hacking and coughing, until he got used to breathing oxygen once more. He stood up. The room was sealed, save for the trap door that he had fallen through. How could Joker have escaped? Batman wondered. No possible exits...I combed every square inch of this place...nothing. There's only one way that I know of to get out of here, and that's... He looked up at the broken section of floorboard above him. He then looked at the Batarang he held in his hand. Without another thought he fired the Batarang up to the next level. It latched onto something. Batman tugged sharply on the line for fear that it would not hold. It did. He then proceeded to climb up the thin wire, which was a valiant task in itself. Midway to the top of the line, the hold that the Batarang had began to come loose as pieces of the aged floor above began to crumble. Batman paused and looked up, unsure of what he should do next. The mortar loosed the Batarang, which fell and sent Batman hurtling back to the floor. "Ooof!" Batman said as he landed. He quickly stood. He whipped the Batarang around its wire and folded it, then placed it in his utility belt. "There's got to be another way," Batman said. "I doubt I can leave the way Joker did....considering that 'Joker' was actually a holographic projection." He looked about the immediate floor surrounding him. "Just as I thought. No cigarette. 'Joker' flicked a cigarette onto the floor before he vanished. There isn't a trace of it here. But how did he rig the smoky smell?" * [ * Again, last issue -- Steve ] Batman glanced around again. "And since this is a cellar, I can't break through the wall." Batman paced the room, desperately trying to think of an escape route. Washington, D.C. "Well, whaddaya know!" Robin said, scratching his head in amazement. "I catch a couple of jewel thieves...without even meaning to!" * He flicked a Bat-line at the nearest building, felt it catch and hold fast, then swung upward. His feet landed on the side of the building and he proceeded to climb up the building to the roof, where the end of his Batline was anchored. [ * Last issue again -- Reiterating Steve ] A minute later he was on top, and he unhooked the Batline and put it in one of the pockets of his utility belt. He suddenly heard a loud noise, like an airplane motor, and instinctively looked up. "What in the heck is that?" Robin wondered as he looked up. In the air, the airplane was looping, moving in different directions, going up, down, left, right...spelling a message. When the airplane finished writing the message it zoomed into the distance, leaving a trail of white, puffy smoke behind it. The message read: "THE BOY WONDER WILL SOON DIE AS HIS MASTER DID! - J" "Master?" Robin thought aloud. Instantly he recoiled in anger. "Of course! Batman...and that message was written by Joker, unless another of the villains in Batman's Rogues' Gallery has the same initial as the Joker." He grabbed the Batline once again. "But how did he know I was here?" Robin launched the line again, and heard the THUNK as it hit the next building. He swung toward it, still thinking about what the Joker's message meant. Gotham City. It was then that Batman noticed a sharp crack in the building's foundation. Batman figured that the floor he was standing on was the lowest. But as he flicked on his penlight and looked through, he saw something that he certainly did not expect. An airplane hangar. Batman gripped both slabs of cement on either side of the crack and grunted as he tried to pull them aside. He didn't budge them an inch. He then leapt up and slammed down onto the crack with the full force of one of his karate kicks. The floor around the crack shattered and Batman fell headlong into the gaping cavity. He flipped in midair and managed to land on his feet. He grunted when he hit the floor. "A hangar," Batman said aloud as he stroked his chin and strode toward the lone airplane that inhabited the otherwise empty airplane hangar. "What would Joker want with an airplane?" As Batman neared the airplane he began to feel warmer. His eyes narrowed as he approached the airplane. He gingerly touched the hull with his gloved hand. It was hot! This airplane had just been taken out for a ride! But Batman could see no posible route of escape but up. And he didn't hear any airplanes pulling in... He crouched and felt the floor. His fingers moved over a small bump. He moved his finger along it. It was rather long, and it was certainly long enough to fit the size of the plane. A panel! Batman thought. But going down? How many floors does this building have, anyway? Suddenly the panel began to drop, with Batman still aboard! Batman hurriedly looked around and dashed behind the plane, then hopped upon the far wing and lay flat. The plane descended on the panel. It hit the bottom, The final bottom, Batman hoped, with a THUNK. Clouds of dust erupted with the impact. Batman looked at the surroundings. A cavern of some sort, he thought. It was in fact a natural cave that the building was built on. It was originally used during Prohibition, in the 1920s, for illegally shipping and/or receiving alcohol. Batman looked to his immediate left and noted that they even had a small river with that looked loke a boat docked there. Presently he heard whistling, and a man wearing overalls and carrying a rag and wrench appeared from the shadows. He whistled as hew wiped the plane, then entered the cockpit and wiped it clean as well. Making sure there're no fingerprints, Batman thought. He suddenly sprang from his hiding place, grabbing the man in a headlock! The startled man dropped his rag and wrench and stopped whistling. "Now," Batman growled in the man's ear, "you will tell me what the Joker's got planned. I'm all ears." His eyes narrowed as the shaken man related the tale. Washington, D.C. Robin was beginning to worry about Batman. I shouldn't have said those things, shouldn't have walked out on him like that, Robin thought. I know he can take care of himself, but alone...and against the Joker? * [ * See Batman #6-7 -- Steve ] Robin crouched, perched on one of the many rooftops of tall buildings in the downtown area. He noticed a mugging down below, on the street...no, a purse-snatching. Robin yanked his sling out of a pouch, took a rock from the rooftop, and swung it. The rock flew thirty stories down, striking the fleeing would-be purse-snatcher on the back of the head. The woman who had just been victimized rushed to pick up her purse. Robin sat back down, this time swinging his legs over the side of the building. "That's it," Robin said. "Forget this. I'm going back...back to Gotham." He stood, looking out over the city, his city, cape flowing in the breeze. "Back for good." Gotham City. "That's all?" Batman said into the man's ear. "Y-yeah, that's it," the man said. Batman released the choke-hold on the man's neck. He turned to go. The man, now angered, picked up his wrench from the cockpit floor and swung it at Batman. Batman ducked in anticipation of an attack such as this, and turned toward the man, grabbed hold of the wrench, and yanked firmly. The man refused to budge. Instead, he encroached further toward Batman. Finally, he tugged the wrench and while Batman tugged it back, the man slugged Batman in the face. No, wait..he hit air. Batman had ducked, yanked the wrench free from the unyielding grip of the man. He was behind the man now, and held the wrench to the man's neck, as if choking him. The man struggled, but soon realized that it was futile. He relaxed. "Another stunt like that and I'll fly you up in that plane and drop you from thirty thousand feet," Batman said through clenched teeth. The man nodded, realizing that the fearsome Batman might indeed do that very task if he was correctly prompted. He remained silent. Batman punched him, hard, in the back of the head. The man slumped to the cockpit floor, unconsious. Batman kicked him out and his body hit the floor with a THUD. Batman started the plane engine and noticed a button inset into the control panel, labeled "Doors". He pressed it, and an entire wall of the cavern opened to reveal the fresh night air! Batman taxied out into the starry night, toward Washington, D.C. and toward Tim. Continued in Robin #6! Bat-Signals Well, not one reply to Batman #9 yet, so I'll just heep hoping and keep my fingers crossed in hopes that people will start writing in soon. And just in case you all forgot my email address, it's Solar_Winds@yahoo.com. So please send all correspondance and LoC to that address. Recently, one letter did come in, so it's printed here. I hope everyone reading now will take the initiative and write as well! Bat-Signals, I've read the first couple of issues, and I'm enjoying the opening arc so far. One nitpick, though. Batman just doesn't seem as...Batmanesque. He doesn't have that "always calm, cool and collected" feel about him. Of course, I've only read the first two issues, so maybe it changes in later ones. Other than that, I like the way things are going. I'm in for the long run. -Manuel Chavarria Starseed_9@hotmail.com Manuel, Thanks for reading and writing. You are most certainly correct in that Batman just didn't seem like himself for the first few issues. Hopefully that's changed, as in recent issues Batman seemes to have a more 'realistic' or, as you put it, 'Batmanesque' feeling. I hope you continue to read, write and enjoy Batman! --Steve Thanks for reading this issue! Oh yeah, and Happy (belated) New Year! -- Steve Swartz 1.4.1998 NEXT ISSUE: Well, next issue will be the very beginning of an all-new story arc, featuring one of the mightiest villains in the DC Universe! Be sure to stay tuned! It's another can't-miss! By the way, remember to pick up Robin #6 for the conclusion to this stunning epic! Direct Currents New on the FDC site... Batman #10 - It's the conclusion to "When Robins Fall" and the beginning of "The Final Confrontation"! You can only guess who the confrontation will be between! Scripted by Steve Swartz! Superman #5 - Wow! Another winner from Rascally Ralph Angelo, Jr.! This ish pits Superman against an all-new Super-villain, Hybrid, who is part Superman, part Doomsday! Be sure to read this, it's an excellent story! Faux DC. The Original (Faux) Universe.