Batman
Dramatic Example
- Joined
- Oct 1, 2003
- Messages
- 19,335
- Reaction score
- 7
- Points
- 58
The streets aren't safe anymore.
I had thought - no, I had hoped - that my continued presence in Gotham had began to fulfill it's absolute effect on the city's criminals. That eventually, my methods would begin to pay off and the mob would relinquish their hold on everything that they had violated with their touch. But in recent days, as the city has dealt with one crisis after the next, I have come to learn the truth: it makes no difference whether Batman exists or not. Despite my earlier beliefs, evil has no identifiable face, and it is made up of no single element to strike against. It is an entity that I cannot hope to control. And while it isn't so much that I believe my intentions were wrong, or that my path was chosen unwisely, I can at least acknowledge that I may have had placed too much idealism into the dream of a Gotham without it's corruption. For that mistake, people may have lost their lives - because I couldn't dare to look past my hopeless devotion to the fight against crime.
But standing where I am now, it all becomes so clear to me. My war has been closer to a losing battle. I may be wearing the costume, or even using the voice - but in my mind, I certainly don't feel like The Batman. I only feel like the man, the lost soul. The child who never truly grew up and learned to accept a harsher reality. Because in Gotham, justice has only become a statistic rather than a dream. Those who speak out against the majority are doomed to have their voices drowned out against the death. I thought that what I was doing was more than that. I put my devotion into practice, and tried to make myself a symbol to inspire fear. But no one is afraid of what I had hoped to truly represent - there was never a threat that evil would subside and a new dawn would fall upon the city. Because this?
This is where justice leads you in Gotham City. Burned to the ground, ashes to ashes.
Despite my initial impressions, I had always believed Harvey Dent was a man that shared my goals. I just didn't realize that until it was far too late. Last night, during the chaos that unfolded at the Maroni wedding, someone had taken Dent's crusade as District Attorney and used it to fuel a clear vendetta. The result was a vicious arson attempt that could have easily cost Dent his life. Now he's lost everything, just because he took a stand against the corrupt. And they could do it to him because he wasn't a coward who hid himself behind a mask, like me. The idea that this could easily one day be Wayne Tower has not escaped my notice. I feel like it's only a matter of time. But Dent, he didn't deserve this. He was the symbol of hope that Gotham needed... the one that I could never be.
It was just that Gotham's mob had other plans. Plans so intricate that even it's own weren't exempt from it's wrath. I just learned this morning that Salvatore Maroni is dead. Despite all that happened and every effort that I had made to save his ungrateful hide, the man still ended up a stain on the streets. I've considered the possibilities of how it happened, and in all likelihood, Bane got to him after all. I honestly wouldn't be surprised - it's just another item to add to my list of failures. I hated Maroni with a passion, and wanted nothing more than to see him rotting away behind the walls at Blackgate, but instead of clear remorse... I feel nothing. And that moment was when I realized that I had truly lost my way. Bruce Wayne, Batman - whoever I really am - they make no difference anymore. Gotham will continue to rot away with blood until it finally dies, giving into anarchy and a clear evolution of it's evil. People like Bane and Belsaraph were only the first.
As I turn to leave the wreckage of Dent's house behind, and figure out where to take my war from here, I hear the hammer of a magnum pistol click behind me. Normally I'd be ready to disarm the shooter in an instant, but I honestly feel like I should just let the bullet come. Instead, I hear a voice call out to me that I didn't expect.
"Don't move."
My eyes widen and my head tilts to the side, locking eyes with a man I've never met, and the last person I expected to be back here so soon. Harvey Dent, the man who lost everything. He stares at me with clear contempt, keeping the gun aimed.
"Just stay there and don't make any sudden movements. I don't want to have to shoot you."
Why is he back? Wouldn't it be painful for him to have to see this right after it was destroyed? I guess it doesn't matter in the moment. This isn't exactly how I wanted to approach Dent and offer my condolences. Nevertheless, he looks me up and down as if to make sure I'm not carrying any weapons. "You're taller than I expected."
I simply stare at him for a moment, before I finally work up the nerve to answer.
"I've gotten that before."
"I'm sure you've gotten alot of things. Like the word 'murderer', for instance."
Even with my guilt, I can't help but give him a look of skepticism.
"If you really believed that, you would have already shot me."
He stares me for what feels like an eternity. Then finally lowers the gun, evidently in agreement.
"Fair enough. What are you doing here?"
"I..."
The words seem lost to me, as my sentence stammers. "I don't actually know. I was about to leave, if you wanted some time alone."
"I'd actually rather you stay, if you don't mind. Even as a DA, it's not often that I get the chance to question a masked vigilante on his ethics."
I ignore the comment the look away.
"What about you? I thought that, given what happened..."
"What happened was yesterday. I'd prefer to keep thinking of it like that as long as I have to. As for what I'm doing here now, well..."
He looks at the wreckage aswell, as his voice takes on a more somber tone than before.
"Force of habit, I guess. This was the only place that I felt like I could get away to after a hard day's work. That sort of thing doesn't really leave you, you know?"
I think of the cave. And realize just how strange it really is. "I do."
"So what would you do if you suddenly found out you couldn't go there, anymore?"
Quietly, I look over to him. The fact that he's even willing to have this conversation with someone like me takes on a new level of surreal.
"I'd probably be glad."
Dent raises an eyebrow. "Didn't expect that answer."
"Didn't expect the question."
He smirks - practically smiles. Another thing I didn't expect out of him after what's happened.
"You know, I've been meaning to get into touch with you for awhile now. Even thought about shining a light into the sky, or something. But since you're here, now, I guess I can just ask you what I've been wanting to ask ever since I became District Attorney."
I don't face him. Mostly because I expect the question to be one I can't handle right now. Like "why?", as is why I failed him and the rest of Gotham. Or why I even continue to bother.
"What are your intentions?"
Paused, my curiosity suddenly becomes piqued. It's the first time that anyone's really asked me that - or at least, given the chance to do so. "What?"
"Your intentions. For the city, I mean. Are you out to abolish the mob, or is it matter of trying to sticking up for the little guy? From everything I've heard about you, there've been a few conflictions."
I honestly don't even know why it would matter to him. But I realize that I can't just ignore the question. Not after I couldn't save his home - I feel like I owe it to him to at least address his evident concerns. No matter how unorthodox they may seem.
"I actually don't know what they are. I started out believing that I could save Gotham from all of it's criminals, but I might have been wrong."
"That sounds like the first step into giving up."
I go quiet for a moment. "Maybe it is."
"Well, do you think you'd want an outsider's perspective?"
Considering what it might be worth to me at this point, I give him a solemn nod.
"The minute that you tell yourself that you were wrong, you're only giving them satisfaction that they don't deserve. I've learned alot since I started taking on thugs like Falcone, but I think the most important lesson that I ever learned was that if you hang onto your ideals, they can't break you. They might feed off of every part of you that they can, but that's the one thing that keeps you strong. It's the key to a brighter future for this city."
I look back at him, but his words mean practically nothing. If he were speaking to a sane man, a man that wasn't dressed like I am, I might be more inclined to believe that I shouldn't let go of my demons. But maybe that's actually the first step into a true progression in my fight.
"I want you to take a hard look at me."
Dent raises an eyebrow. "I can see you just fine."
"Yes. You can see me. This is what I am. Does nothing about this disturb you? A normal man wouldn't begin to dream up a reason to put something like this on every night and try to frighten people. A man with sane ideals wouldn't be what I am."
He's silent, but not nearly as long as I was.
"You can think what you like, but you're missing the point. Whether you dress in a suit or a costume, you're still holding onto hope. I mean, look at me..."
Indicating the debris of his home, he turns back and looks me directly in the eye.
"I've lost pretty much all I cared about. My home is gone, my platform's probably tarnished, and I sure as hell can't even think about what's happened to the woman I love. But I'm still not letting go, no matter what the mob's gonna throw at me. That's what keeps me sane, and I think if you still believe in that, you're not as crazy as you make yourself out to be, either."
I begin to speak and disregard his advice again, but I suddenly stop. What he's saying, I realize, is actually a fair point. I can't begin to look at myself as a sane man, but perhaps if I stay on the same path that Dent hasn't abandoned, even with all that he's lost... maybe I'll at least find the reason to keep trying to make myself better.
Turning back to the man that made me realize this, I suddenly gain a newfound respect for Harvey Dent. In a city full of corruption, he actually may represent the idea that there are still people out there that need to be saved. And while my way to do that might not be the best, it's still a method. And still a reason to keep fighting.
"Maybe you're right."
"I know I am, just be sure to keep it in mind. I may not condone how you're doing what you do, but at least you're actually doing something. That counts for alot in a place like Gotham."
We both look back towards the debris, letting his words hang over us.
"Thank you."
He turns to me again.
"I... haven't said that to many people, but thank you. I needed to hear that after last night."
"You don't need to say it. I'm willing to do whatever helps the city."
"I realize that. Which is exactly why I think I could use your help."
He shoots me an intrigued expression. "I'm listening."
I thought I had lost my way, but Harvey Dent helped show me that there's still something left to believe in.
Even in Gotham City.
Last edited: