- Created By mayjayann
The Strange Secret of Bruce Wayne
Out on a closed bridge, a solitary woman, Judge Maria Vargas goes to a meeting with a couple of thugs unaware that Batman is following her. The thugs demand money but she says that they were to make a trade. The men show her a videotape and she hands over the money. However, the thugs claim it's not all there and demand another hundred grand. Vargas insists she can't afford that much but the thugs refuse to listen. Batman decides it's time to reveal himself and attacks the thugs. During the chaos, the tape falls onto an I-beam hanging from the bridge and Vargas desperately goes after it. Unfortunately, she loses her balance and is knocked out on the girder. Batman manages to save her but the tape falls into the water below and the thugs escape.
The police later arrive and take Vargas to the hospital. Although she's not hurt badly, she'll be out for a while and cannot provide any information leaving Commissioner Gordon to wonder what she was so afraid of. He insists that Vargas was an honest woman and had nothing to hide so he's sure that blackmail was out of the question. Batman, however, isn't too sure about it. Continuing with his wonderings, Gordon mentions that Vargas had just gone on vacation at a relaxation resort the Yucca Springs Health Resort that happens to belong to Daggett Industries. Batman figures that there's a connection and decides to pay the place a visit.
Wayne heads out with Alfred and schedules an appointment with Dr. Hugo Strange, the same doctor that treated Vargas. Wayne is placed upon a machine that Dr. Strange explains will lower his defenses. Wayne isn't too sure he wants to be subjected to the treatment but Dr. Strange goes ahead with it anyway. He asks Wayne about his childhood, and while Wayne isn't willing to talk about it, but Dr. Strange's machine reveals his thoughts on screen. Seeing that Bruce lost his parents, Dr. Strange presses the issue and discovers that Bruce Wayne is in actuality Batman. Wayne leaves more stressed than before but unaware of the true nature of Dr. Strange's machine. Dr. Strange, however, is intrigued by his newfound information.
Later, Dr. Strange calls up the Joker and tells him that he has something that would be interesting. Meanwhile, Wayne decides to take advantage of Dr. Strange's absence and examines his machine. Discovering a batch of tapes he finds Vargas' and watches it. The tape reveals that as a child she accidentally started the "Great Gotham Dock Fire" when she was playing with matches. Realizing the purpose of the machine, Wayne checks to see his tape but discovers that it's missing.
Elsewhere, the Joker, Two-Face, and the Penguin arrive with some rather heavy bags. Alfred witnesses the three crime bosses entering the resort and discovers that the bags contain money. He calls Wayne who is erasing the tapes, and warns him to escape. However, Dr. Strange and his thugs discover and kidnap him. Unaware of this, Wayne realizes that Dr. Strange is going to auction off his secret and decides to make a new tape just before he destroys the machine. Dr. Strange and his thugs arrive, but they are too late to save the machine. They capture Wayne who is strangely apathetic and lock him up.
With his enemy locked away, Dr. Strange starts his auction, which quickly reaches the millions, but the Joker decides that they should "pool their assets." However, unbeknownst to Strange, Wayne has escaped. Batman connects a new link to the screen and the video shows Dr. Strange claiming that his plan was to imagine Batman to be anyone he wanted and Batman's enemies would believe it and pay a fortune. Enraged at this, the three villains attack Strange who tries to escape. However, the villains catch up with him at the airport and take him for an unfriendly ride. Desperate to save himself, Strange tells the villains that Bruce Wayne is Batman which falls on deaf ears. The trio prepares to throw Strange out of the plane but Batman, who had climbed onto the bottom of the plane, cuts the fuel tubes forcing them to land. The villains threaten Batman, but he manages to disarm them and the police arrive taking the three into custody.
Gordon reveals that Judge Vargas has confessed to her guilt but Batman points out that she had nothing to fear since it was an accident. Strange, however, is not convinced that he has lost. He has already figured out that Batman imagined the fake tape and he knows Batman's true identity. However, much to Dr. Strange's surprise and dismay, Bruce Wayne walks up next to Batman. Batman then explains that he knew of Dr. Strange's scheme and had Bruce Wayne pretend to be Batman. Now confused over the accuracy of his original theory, Strange is taken away.
When everyone is gone, Bruce Wayne removes his mask revealing himself to be Dick Grayson wearing Wayne's clothes and leg extension braces to look taller. Batman then decides to go home, believing he's had enough vacation.
Trial
At her latest trial, Poison Ivy is sentenced to be returned to Arkham Asylum yet again. Gotham City's newest District Attorney, Janet Van Dorn, presses for life imprisonment, but the court's hands are tied by the fact that Ivy was apprehended by Batman instead of a regular police officer. As she leaves the courtroom, Janet is quoted on television as saying (again) that Batman is a disgrace; he is responsible for creating all the "supervillains" in his rogues’ gallery, and acts outside the law. She feels that Batman has made the city dependent on his myth, instead of facing the reality of what needs to be done to suppress crime. When Ivy is returned to Arkham, Harley greets her enthusiastically, confiding that the inmates will be throwing a party soon – courtesy of The Mad Hatter, who has planted his mind control chips on the guards. Ironically, Janet is also Bruce Wayne's latest girlfriend. He arrives at a restaurant to keep a dinner date with her, but she is called away by a phone call. A short time later, the Bat-Signal appears, and Batman receives a note from Gordon informing him that the kidnappers have Janet. He goes to the rendezvous, but is ambushed and knocked out. Batman awakens in a straitjacket in a cell in Arkham. Two-Face informs Janet that, true to her words on television, Batman is going to be put on trial – by them. And she will be his attorney. If she succeeds in defending him, they both go free; fail, and they both die. An impromptu courtroom is set up in the operating theater:
The Accused: Batman
Baliff: Ventriloquist & Scarface;
Prosecutor: Two-Face
Defense Attorney: Janet Van Dorn
Jury: Mad Hatter, Poison Ivy, Killer Croc, Scarecrow, Riddler, and Harley Quinn
Judge: Joker
The crime of which Batman is accused is "creating" each and every one of them: driving them to become criminals, freaks, and monsters. But Janet has studied the histories of the rogues thoroughly, and her defense is brilliant:
Mad Hatter claims he was a harmless scientist, but admits that he was driven mad with love for his young assistant, Alice; (
Janet: I suppose you, like your friends, claim that Batman drove you to be a criminal?
Mad Hatter: He did.
Janet: And yet, as I recall your case, you brainwashed and kidnaped a woman who rejected you?
Mad Hatter: Batman forced me to do it. He was going to take her away from me. I had no choice.
Janet: You could have respected her wishes and left her alone...
Mad Hatter: I'd have killed her first!... Oop. I'd like that last statement stricken from the record, please.
Joker: Record? Is someone supposed to be writing this down? )
Harley thanks Batman for creating her loyal "puddin'," which Janet undermines by revealing that the last time she escaped from Arkham, Joker ratted her out in hopes of reducing his own sentence; ( joker was trying to tell miss van dorn not to tell harley about him ratting her out when harley heard this she attack him croc had to remove her from the court room till she cooled down)
Ivy says it is Batman's fault she is a criminal, since her only crime would have been trying to kill Harvey Dent (now Two-Face); but Janet goads her into admitting the depth and violence of her botano-phile sentiments; (
Janet: And so it's Batman's fault you lead a life of crime?
Poison Ivy: He should have let me bump off Harvey Dent. We'd all have been better off. Wouldn't we, Harv?
Two-Face: (Muttering while flipping his coin) Why you rotten little...
janet: lets say the judge , janet takes joker's flower from his lapelle & she starts to pluck the petals from the flower which starting make ivy very mad attacks janet, croc had to remove her from the court room till she cooled down)
Batman urges her to keep the farce going, while elsewhere the police follow the clues he has left. In her closing argument, Janet admits she was wrong: without Batman, the rogues would have turned out exactly the same way; in truth, they created him, not vice-versa. To her own astonishment, the jury feels it has no choice but to find Batman not guilty. Joker congratulates Janet, then merrily declares that they're going to execute them both anyway, being the rotten scum they are. Batman is dragged into one of the treatment rooms and strapped to the electroshock couch. Before the switch is thrown, Joker, who has swapped his judge's robes for a priest's cassock & said in a (bad Irish accent) And now the final confession, the secret you've kept hidden for so many years
, begins to unmask Batman. Just then, Janet remembers a batarang Batman left from an earlier encounter with the Dark Knight , and throws it at the ceiling light, plunging the room into darkness. The moment's confusion is all Batman needs to break them out. (
Two-Face: Everyone spread out! Don't let him get away!
Batman: (from darkness) Who says I'm leaving?
Two-Face: Nobody panic!
(Everyone turns to find Harley Quinn dangling from the ceiling, strapped in Batman's straitjacket)
Joker: OK... start panicking! )
As they make their way to the exit, the police storm in and hold the mob at bay. Joker pursues them outside, but is subdued after a brief fight.
As the new day dawns, Janet makes her peace with Batman, as they agree that what they both want most is a city that doesn't need him.
sins of the father
In the middle of the Gotham night, a young boy is being hotly pursued by an elderly police officer who demands the lad returns his donuts. Over fences and through the dingy alleys they go, until finally they reach a dead end. With a keen mind and a display of acrobatics, the youth vaults himself onto a fire escape; however, the window to the apartment is firmly sealed, to the officer's glee. Yet, the little one has one more trick up his sleeve: a Baterang! He wields it with a marksmanship that displays it isn't the first time he's thrown one of them before, and manages to get the cop all wrapped up in somebody's clothes line, allowing him to make his getaway. SSomewhere across town, thugs Manny and Mo are banging on an apartment door demanding 'Drake' to come out and go talk to 'the boss'. When no one answers, they pull out their guns and kick down the door. The place is an absolute mess, and to their surprise – and disbelief – there is a small collection of Batman stories and pictures affixed to the wall in a sort of collage. Just then, the window opens and in creeps the same boy who was being chased by the police. One of the thugs grabs him by the scruff of his neck and inquires where his father is. The resourceful and feisty boy makes his escape using the donuts and some ingenuity with a banister and a floor mat. The guys open fire, unloading no fewer than ten rounds, but all without so much as nicking the boy. Just when it appears that he'll be home free yet again, he runs right into the perpetually coin-flipping Two-Face.
They take the kid to the docks in order to get some privacy for their interrogation. After a few moments, it becomes clear that they won't get any direct answers from the child, so Two-Face orders a search of his possessions. One of the thugs finds a letter to 'Timmy' saying that he has to leave town. Enclosed with the letter is a key. Two-Face must recognize it because he immediately puts it in his jacket pocket and walks away. As he's departing, one of his men asks what they should do with Tim, to which – naturally – he flips his coin: kill him! Before that can happen, a pair of Baterangs whiz through the air knocking the guns from their hands. Enter Batman. A fight ensues! The quick-thinking Tim manages to free himself from his bondage, but not in time to help Batman, who gets bashed with a crane's massive hook, sent his way by Two-Face. He ends up crashing into a stack of barrels filled with ominous red liquid; it's at that moment the two men recover their guns and open fire, resulting in first a fire, and then a series of explosions. Batman, obviously hurting with one arm cradling his abdomen, uses his other arm to scoop up Tim and lunge into the water below, just before an even bigger explosion. Down below in the water, Tim assists the caped crusader, who seems teetering on the edge of consciousness. Two-Face and his men hover above with flashlights in one hand and guns in the other, trying to put an end to the pair once and for all. Thankfully for their sake, Batman is conscious enough to remove a remote control from his utility belt and summon the Batboat. Tim wastes no time helping the wounded hero into the craft, but finds it impossible to understand the controls, resorting to desperately pushing everything he can get his hands on. Compounding his anxiety are the three men above shooting endlessly at the conspicuous boat below them. With the last bit of strength he can muster, Batman voice-activates the autopilot, set to 'home'. After a short, high-speed journey home, the two are welcomed by a shocked Alfred, who never expected to see a boy in the drivers seat. He immediately sees to Bruce's injuries, all the while Tim is having a look around the Batcave. Unable to concentrate on two things at once, Alfred loses track of the lad who has made his way up the stairs, through the clock, and into Bruce's study. The secret is out: Bruce Wayne is the Bat-Man! Just then, out of the shadows springs Batgirl to take him back downstairs. Despite having just attempted to pilfer some cash and a watch, Tim insists he's trustworthy. Batman, however, doesn't seem to care one way or the other, and is merely interested in why Two-Face is after Tim. He divulges that his father used to work for him, but that he's now skipped town, provoking sympathy from Batgirl. With great adolescent spirit, Tim declares that he can take care of himself, and proves it by pulling out his Baterang and using it to slice off a few stalactites. They're impressed. They get back on track discussing the connection between Two-Face and his manhunt for Tim's father, and Tim can only show them the letter that was with the key. From being wrapped up together for quite some time, the paper has developed an imprint of the key, which Batman immediately recognizes – as Two-Face had – as being from Gotham airport. It's there that Batman and Batgirl ambush Two-Face and his cronies, yet, Two-Face manages a getaway with the satchel Drake had hidden in the airport locker. There's only one thing for Batman to do: give chase. Alas! in the end, the mobster gives him the shake.
It's back to square one and time to turn to some basic detective work. 'Shifty' Drake's file is brought up on the Batcave's computer and – unfortunately for Tim – matches a John Doe found floating in the Metropolis River. Unbeknownst to the two bats, Tim was behind them listening to every word. He guesses his father is dead and will never come back for him, and while Batgirl begins to offer him hope and comfort him, Batman coldly confirms that he is never going to return. At that moment, Alfred interrupts, saying there is something that should be seen on television. Indeed, it's Two-Face with his own brand of a public service announcement: if he doesn't get 200 million dollars by two in the morning, he's going to release a deadly gas in Gotham. As Batman openly despairs that they have to find him before he wreaks havoc, Tim says that he thinks he may know where 'Puke-Face' is hiding out: the old Janus Theater. They waste no time; Batman and girl hop in the Batmobile and are just about to leave when it appears that Tim wants in on the bust, but Batman tells him quite plainly and authoritatively, 'No!' After they leave he vents his frustration and Alfred, seeing this, tells him that this is the way things are and always have been. At the Janus Theater, it's two minutes to two and Two-Face orders the masks brought in, obviously eluding to setting of the deadly gas. Just then, outside the room, somebody's cry of pain can be heard, and Two-Face instantly knows what it is and declares, "He's here." Just after one of his goons asks where, the Dark Knight leaps out from behind some crates and decks him! The three remaining cronies try to shoot him, but vaults those same crates their way and they have to scramble out of there. As one is trying to get away, Batgirl swings into action (literally), laying one out. While the fighting continues inside, Tim is just arriving outside the Janus Theater (via the roof of a passing bus), but he looks quite different: he's wearing the Robin costume! Inside, Two-Face's thugs keep the Dark Knights at bay long enough to set off the three-minute countdown to destruction. Just then, he picks up a tommy gun and fires it in their direction, ensuring they can't even get close to disturbing his scheme. All hope seems to be lost . . . Enter, 'Robin'. He does his best to stop Two-Face, but is simply inexperienced enough to watch his back, and ends up in the clutches of 'Puke-Face' after all. Tim wastes no time pulling out his Baterang and using it to cut the ropes holding a large grate above them, in a similar fashion he had earlier cut the stalactites. Two-Face is too quick to be caught (his henchman is not as lucky), but he has nowhere to run but into the path of one angry Bat. Saving the day is left up to Batgirl, who – at the two second count and out of options – rips out the wires from the side of the contraption. Now all she wants is to go home. Tim enthusiastically chimes in in agreement, but gets a stern stare by Batman in return.
Back at Wayne Manor, Bruce is ostensibly training Tim as they batter each other with pugel sticks. He also tells the youngster how it's going to be: Tim always gives him 110%, and Bruce makes the rules. At that moment, from out of the shadows steps Dick. Everyone is ecstatic to see his return. 
End
