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[b]February 25th, 2010 | Gotham City, New Jersey[/b]
[color=black][h3]“Knightfall”[/h3][/color][/center]
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It has almost been nearly ten years since I started this mission I have sworn myself to. So why is it that I feel like I’ve accomplished so little here in Gotham?

My crusade against the shadow of darkness in the city feels hollow as I can recount every victory of mine and answer with an equally dangerous consequence of said victory. Sure, I dismantled Carmine Falcone’s hold over Gotham, but was it worth opening a criminal vacuum that only brought more dangerous replacements in that absence of Falcone’s order? Dismantling that empire of his only left an open door in the criminal underworld and it was such a door that people eagerly approached; for Falcone’s incarceration he was replaced by people like Zucco, Mandragora, Dimitriov, and Valestra. These people were far more violent and public about their methods— this much I know as I can still recall the blatant murder of Franco Bertinelli by a Mandragora assassin, and I remember when Zucco disrupted the truce of the crime families of Gotham and descended the streets into a mob war that took too many lives even with my interception. 

Then came waves of psychopaths criminal masterminds like The Penguin and The Scarecrow; the former still eluding my justice to this day. But worst of all, my appearance… this mythlore associated with my vigilante identity has gone on to either inspire or entertain the likes of psychopaths like The Joker, Killer Moth, and countless others which brings me to only question if I’m doing more harm to Gotham rather than a ripple of positive change. If I am to blame for these psychopaths, how do I go out there and look the citizens of Gotham and not blink in a fit of moral dilemma? What if I’m not the cure I thought I was, but a much harsher disease?

That’s when a thought hits me: it doesn’t matter if I am or not because for all the harm done I am still the guardian of this city much like my partners on the Justice League are for their respective domains. If I am not the cure I thought I was the damage is already done and all I can do is serve who I can before what I created engulfs Gotham in a never ending flame of destruction… perhaps this is what Tarantula meant years ago when he told me about the greatest curse that superheroes & vigilantes have that they can never escape from. 

“Information compiled.”

That’s enough about reflection for now, ORACLE’s databasing seems to have finished. 

It’ll take some time, but it seems I have a very valid and finished blueprint to present to the Justice League – it will of course take some time convincing them we need a covert headquarters, but with the help of some consultation by Adam Strange, Reed Richards, and William Magnus I think I have what we need to keep a better look at world crisis’s. 

There is, of course, still much to do with the project such as upgrading ORACLE’s artificial intelligence so it can be of better use outside of a glorified traffic observation system for Gotham City. The one person I’ve shared in information about this ‘lookout project’ is Alfred, but he’s not sure what to make of it— probably due to the fact that he is from another era entirely where all of this seems like science fiction to him. But given the invasions of aliens, the growth of criminal presence, and the ingenuity of people like Lex Luthor… we need to have a back-up plan in place and we need security that can handle the issue. I also think it’s about time we do light expansion of our membership of the Justice League as I doubt we can juggle everything too long even with initiatives like The Avengers, The X-Men, The Fantastic Four, and The Doom Patrol out there protecting the public; but how long will it be until SHIELD declares us a threat and this supposed metahuman arms race endangers us all?

I need to talk to Clark about all of this, especially considering the big blue boy scout is supposed to be our fearless leader yet everyone on the league leans on me for matters that aren’t punching things at mach ten.

Heh.


I can hear the clapping of footsteps in the batcave, the sounds is familiar and easily recognizable. My fingers don’t leave the keyboard as I speak out.

[color=black]“Alfred.”[/color]

“It appears that you have been invited to New York City by Tony Stark for an attendance this weekend.”

I’m not a fan of the glib man-child, or his sudden transformation into a ‘superhero’. My eyes narrow as I scroll through some information about The Cathedral Murders case.

[color=black]“Not interested.”[/color]

“You will be.”

I pause, brow raised. [i]I will be?[/i] He has my attention. There’s only a small number of things that could get me out to New York City on supposedly short notice, and to think this could be an occasion that overrules the importance of my work in Gotham is at least interesting.

[color=black]“I’m listening.”[/color]

A sly chuckle leaves Alfred as he stands next to me, looking up at the computer monitor. 

“The attendance is for a charity occasion due to the insurance spike of superhero-related incidents in residential areas. I believe he has basically so gregariously implied that you, Luthor, Queen, and others as cowards if you do not attend; not that you care about that segment. Perhaps you will be more interested about this—”

Alfred tosses down a photograph of a familiar face that I instantly recognize—one of the men who trained me, and a deranged psychopath who serves Ra’s al Ghul. His name is David Cain. 

“—this was taken by one of my contacts who I tasked with keeping an eye on any appearances of your POI dossiers from your files. It was one of your requests after the incident in 2002.”

I haven’t heard of activity about the League of Shadows in a few years… they have been disturbingly quiet. This is very important, considering the last time they appeared… almost cost several people their lives at a near-riot at Robinson Park and before that they tried to poison and sabotage Gotham’s infrastructure… despite New York City not being my interest or my problem—the League of Shadows [b]is[/b] my [b]responsibility[/b].

[color=black]“Alfred, prepare my suit.”[/color]

“Which one?”

I grin and turn to him. 

[color=black]“Both of them.”[/color]