Chapter Text
A delivery van pulled up to the back entrance of Blackgate Penitentiary a little after seven that evening. The guard looked up, nodded to the driver, and buzzed open the gate. The van continued on its way, passing more guards who paid them no mind before eventually stopping at the unloading area. The back door opened, exposing two men in dark overalls who passed boxes to the waiting men in prison white uniforms.
Once they were finished, the doors were closed, and the van drove back the way it came.
The men, however, did not go back inside the prison.
No, they headed off in different directions.
Each carrying one of the boxes.
Ten minutes later, an alarm went off.
Guards ran to investigate, dreading a confrontation with one of those housed in Blackgate’s most dangerous criminal ward, and praying for Gotham’s silent guardian to show up and help if it was one of those particular monsters starting trouble.
Across the prison cell doors opened.
Confusing many of those housed within those steel cages.
Slowly, inmates crept out, many curious about what was going on, some wary about it being some sort of trick, and others simply delighted at being sprung from their cells.
Some stayed in tight little groups, fearful of the more aggressive inmates now on the loose.
Others chose to stand by their cells just in case this was, in fact, a trap.
A few chose to sit at the tables to wait for the guards to come and order them back to their cells.
Many made their way out into the exercise yard.
A few of the more daring made their way slowly to the gates, eyes darting left and right, bodies tense with anticipation of guards coming from out of nowhere to stop them.
No guards appeared, however.
A sudden, deafening explosion shattered the quiet less than a minute after they reached the gates. A chunk of the back wall spewed out across the yard and slammed against the side of the building, taking out those who unwittingly huddled against it.
Dust and debris covered everyone and everything.
Visibility was non-existent for several moments.
Most rubbed at their eyes, trying to clear away the smoke and dirt so they could see.
Others checked themselves for cuts and abrasions.
Once the dust settled, they all saw a large hole blown into the wall.
Large enough for four average-sized men to easily pass through without having to scrunch together.
A few, mostly those who made for the gates, ran for the hole, and fled out into the dark street.
Others followed at a much more sedate pace, fearful still this was all a trap, and they would be snatched or shot soon as they stepped through the hole.
Hope and excitement replaced their earlier trepidation soon as they stepped out onto the street.
Their newly obtained freedom would likely come with a hefty price tag down the line, but for now, they were free…
…
Police Commissioner James "Jim" Gordon was talking with his longtime partner, Harvey Bullock when a sound, like that of a bomb, shattered the relative peace and quiet of the evening. His belly tightened with a combination of dread and unease as he saw a burst of flame shoot high into the sky from the windows at the entrance into Major Crimes.
Less than a second later it was followed by great, billowing clouds of thick smoke.
"Did that come from Blackgate?" Harv grumbled.
“Appears like it!” Gordon pulled on his coat as he raced for the exit. "Someone call Blackgate and find out what the status is!"
Not that Gordon didn’t have a good idea what the status would be.
Bombs went off at Blackgate for one reason and one reason only: to stage a breakout.
"On it!" came from a young detective seated at her desk. "What else do you want us to do, Commissioner?"
"Someone head up to the roof and turn on the Batsignal!” he said. “Have a feeling we’re gonna need every hand on deck tonight!"
Especially if this is the work of that son of a bitch, Joker.
"I'm on it, sir!" came from Tate as he raced towards the back of the bullpen.
"Markinson, Davis, with me!" Gordon pointed at a dispatcher just arriving for their shift. "Smith, get all units out to Blackgate! Tell them full riot control!"
"Yes, Commissioner!"
"Jim!" Harvey called above the noise. "What about the sprocket?"
That got Gordon to pause. He had forgotten Raya was shadowing him for a school project. I can’t bring her with me, went through his mind with a thousand other thoughts. Blackgate’s not gonna be safe for us.
Much less a teenage girl.
He turned towards his longtime partner.
"Can you drop Raya at Wayne Towers before heading out to Blackgate?"
"Wayne Towers?" Bullock stared at him in bewilderment. "Why Wayne Towers?"
"Because Bruce Wayne is staying in his penthouse while repairs are being made to Wayne Manor." Gordon placed his hand on the door but did not open it. "Can you take her, Harvey?"
"Of course, Jim."
“Thanks, Harv,” he said before rushing out the door.
...
In the bunker he recently built beneath Wayne Towers, Bruce Wayne slowly transformed himself from the resident playboy he presented to the public into the costumed hero that struck terror into the hearts of Gotham's criminal sect. He trusted Gordon and his battalion of cops could keep whatever was happening out at Blackgate under control until he got there but still, he hurried to change.
He pulled on a suit of matte-black body armor made of reinforced Kevlar bi-weave fabric and fire-retardant Nomex over a pair of black tights. To this he added gloves, arm gauntlets with metal fins, and a cape he'd use to glide into the prison once he ejected from his chosen mode of transportation for that evening: the Batplane.
He buckled a gold utility belt around his waist before he sat to pull on his steel-tipped black boots.
Then he reached for the last item needed to complete his transformation: the cowl that had become his trademark.
Bruce regarded the mask for a moment, staring at the black pointy ears, the empty eye holes, the gaping area where his chin and mouth would be the only parts visible once he slid the mask into place. The focus of his study was not so much on the mask, but what it represented: secrets.
Inside this one piece of Batman's arsenal rest a million secrets.
Batman's secrets.
Bruce Wayne's secrets.
The cowl had become both the cloak and the dagger, and each had cut him deeply over the course of his career as a crime fighter. If he regretted anything, it was that several of the choices he had made deeply affected the lives of his family and closest friends.
His brow furrowed as dozens of memories surfaced and reminded him of nights where he failed to protect those he cared about. Again, he asked himself the question that had started plaguing him recently: was Batman the solution to Gotham's problem or was he part of the problem?
He found he no longer knew the answer as he pulled the mask over his head.
"Are you sure that you don't want me tagging along tonight?" Dick Grayson asked as he loitered around the entrance to the changing area. "You could end up needing my help, yanno."
"You are helping by waiting here for Raya," he told him as he finished lacing his boots. "She will be home soon.”
“I thought she was staying with her uncle tonight?”
“She was,” Bruce replied. “With Blackgate under attack, however, Commissioner Gordon will likely have her brought back home."
Where she’d be safe.
"Raya's kinda used to me going out with you on calls now." A mischievous light danced in those blue eyes. "She'd tell you Batman needs Robin with him tonight. That it is his sworn and sacred duty to make sure our silent guardian returns home safe and sound."
If not for the seriousness of the situation, Bruce might have found himself amused at that subtle bit of manipulation.
Even applauded Dick for it.
"You can't go with me, chum."
"Why not?"
"Tonight's different," he explained as patiently as he could. "That's why."
"Why is tonight different from any other night?" One dark brow lifted. "Do you know something about what is happening at Blackgate that I don't?"
Know something?
No.
Suspected, yes.
How was he to explain to Dick he had been plagued all evening by feelings of unease, though?
A sort of anticipation that went deep down into his very bones.
As if something bad was about to happen.
He just didn't have any clue what that something about to happen could be.
And he didn't like it.
At all.
“No,” he settled on finally. “I don’t know anything about what’s happening at Blackgate.”
"Then why do you want me to stay here?” Dick’s head cocked to the side. “Wouldn't it be better if I was out there and handling the small stuff while you take care of whatever is going on at the prison?"
He should have known Dick wouldn't let the subject go easily. He had been questioning him about decisions and things a lot more lately. It made him a good Robin. Even if it annoys me to no end…
"I have a feeling that whatever is going on at Blackgate could really just be a prelude to a larger and far more catastrophic event."
"Sooooo..." One of Dick's trademark grins flashed. "That's different from any other night, how?"
It was a logical question. Mayhem and Gotham were synonymous with each other. However, just because it was a good point didn't mean he appreciated hearing it. Especially in that cheeky tone. He sent Dick a warning look that the boy ignored.
As he always did.
"I want you and Raya here manning the computer and police bands with Alfred," he said as he stood. "We need to be ready for whatever else might happen tonight. And if Batman is unable to respond to something going on..."
"Robin needs to be ready too." Dick sighed and nodded. "I got it. I'll keep an eye out and be ready."
"Thank you, chum."
Batman then strode over to where the Batplane hovered just a few inches above its landing platform. He climbed into the cockpit and took hold of the controls. Powerful engines roared to life as the steel canopy hissed shut.
A few seconds later and the stealth aircraft thundered out of the chute into the cloudless sky and headed towards Gotham Bay.