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[hr][center][h3][b]March 20th, 2005[/b][/h3][/center]
[center][b]The Batcave, Gotham City (9:00 PM)[/b]
[sub][@Gowi] and [@Sloth][/sub][/center]

It seems I have many things on my mind this week.

I thumb over Bethany Kane’s invitation to a party held by her husband, and one of my mother’s brothers.

I place the letter down.

Since I’ve returned to Gotham nearly four years ago, I’ve dealt with the worst of society and at the cost of everyone around me. My former relationships that I had forged all those years ago crumbled in what seemed like an instant and all I was left with was only two men who welcomed me back to Gotham with no false pretenses—Alfred Pennyworth and Lucius Fox. My relationship with even my own family has been rough at best; Jacob Kane had never forgiven my father for leaving the responsibility of raising me to Alfred Pennyworth over his own brother-in-law and I could tell that whenever he and I met as equals. My other uncle, Philip Kane was too self-obsessed to care about anything— which is more concerning considering his daughter has to live under that smugness and false sense of pride. I’m not sure what I hate more; an immature discontent or a complacent arrogance. Both are things that Gotham does not need and at a level are responsible for this mess.

Speaking of complacency. Dick is late for the second time in the last eight days. What reason could he possibly have for shirking his responsibilities as Robin? It’s a [i]Sunday[/i], the beginning of a new week. An irritated sigh leaves my lips as I replay the recording from Saturday’s GCN broadcast headed by Victoria Vale.

[i]The Red Skull. [/i]

[i]HYDRA. [/i]

[i]War on the government, vigilantes, and mutantkind. [/i]

It never ends. 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 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?

[color=darkgray]“That is most certainly a fine scowl, Bruce. Are you preparing for a role in the new Gray Ghost theater production? If so I must say it is dead-on.”[/color]

My thoughts are cut off by Alfred’s voice, to my left over my shoulder.

[color=black]“Alfred. You were active during HYDRA’s prominence. Do you know anything?”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“I suppose you do not trust the Hirsz films or any of the televised serials.”[/color] He pauses as I don’t even smirk at his quip. [color=darkgray]“It is frankly, quite shit that they have returned from their hibernation. I put a bullet in the head of their last leader, Baron Reiter in ‘78. I thought myself and Simpson had ended it once and for all.”[/color]

[color=black]“Simpson?”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“Right, sorry about that. Frank Simpson was one of the individuals I worked with during the assault on Madripoor in ‘78.”[/color]

[color=black]“I see.”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“HYDRA are resilient and vicious, but never have we seen a second Red Skull.”[/color]

[color=black]“You don’t believe it’s the original?”[/color]

The original Red Skull perished with the first Captain America at the end of the Second World War. For him to re-emerge now is surprising and a bit of a stretch. But more fantastical things have happened in the past as the world is hardly mundane. Despite that I’m not sure what to believe, I’ve never dealt with HYDRA or even some of the unaffiliated splinter factions like KOBRA— my hands tend to be full with the League of Shadows and other problems native to Gotham or myself. This would be a first if this Red Skull dared to get in my way and endanger the people of my city.

[color=darkgray]“I find it unlikely.”[/color]

Before our conversation can continue I hear the elevator lift hum to life. My eyes look to the clock on the computer and sigh. [i]9:09.[/i] As the doors to the elevator push open I say a comment out loud to make sure Dick knows that I’m not pleased or unaware of his tardiness. 

[color=black]“You’re late.”[/color]

Alfred chuckled, [color=darkgray]“By almost a whole ten minutes. He truly is the tardiest of them all.”[/color]

My eyes narrow but not before Dick speaks up himself.

[color=A93838]“I don’t get even a little leeway considering it’s my birthday in three hours, do I?”[/color]

[color=black]“Is that your excuse?” [/color]

[color=A93838]“...no?”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“I believe a sufficient reason to explain your tardiness is due, ‘Master’ Dick.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“You’re never going to let me live [i]that[/i] down, are you, Alfred?”[/color]

[color=black]“It doesn’t matter. Don’t let it happen again. Crime doesn’t wait.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“Yes sir.”[/color]

As the ‘boy wonder’ begins to switch into the Robin suit and the conversation and analysis of the HYDRA situation done for the moment I open another window to oversee recent dossiers I have been compiling of notable criminals and extremists. I begin to look over a file regarding a notable high profile thief and serial murderer by the name of ‘Killer Moth’. My arms cross as I look over the file. How can this keep happening to me? No information on The Penguin outside of some fringe operations and a nightclub, No information on The Joker outside of some vague incidents even after his incarceration, and No information on this one. It’s frustrating. Even with ORACLE on my side it seems I am five steps behind the criminal facets of Gotham.

[color=A93838]“Who’s the new freak with a moth motif?”[/color]

[color=black]“Killer Moth.”[/color] I state as I bring up specific files and articles related to his appearances including bits by Iris West in Central City, Lois Lane in Metropolis, Ben Urich in New York City, and Victoria Vale here in Gotham. 

[color=A93838]“So neither Flash or Superman dealt with the guy? Either he’s really good or powers are really overrated.”[/color]

[color=black]“The Flash was distracted by a group of villains called ‘The Rogues’ and Superman was solving an international crisis overseas.”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“Interesting timing, don’t you think?”[/color]

[color=black]“Yes. Which begins the theory that this Killer Moth is incredibly intelligent. But what bothers me the most is with his getup.”[/color]

I pull up one of the few pictures taken by security feeds that actually caught him. The armor, the motif, the ingenuity. It’s like looking into a warped mirror and it makes me sick.

[color=darkgray]“Must be a fan of your work, Bruce.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“He’s been meeting a lot of those recently.” [/color]

[color=A93838]“Any idea where he’s holed up or whether he’s skipped town yet?”[/color]

[color=black]“No leads on a location, but there is a silver lining. Sandman has acquired a sample of a chemical Killer Moth apparently used during one of his heists. It’ll take a few days to analyze. It’s not much to go on, but at least it’s something.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“Well, let’s hope he doesn’t find out we’re not on vacation. While that’s processing, what are we dealing with tonight?”[/color]

[color=black]“Standard patrol. Though anything can happen after HYDRA’s announcement on the internet yesterday. Tensions with mutants and metahumans are high enough as is, and Red Skull just gave people a reason to do something stupid.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“I didn’t know Gotham had such a high amount of neo-nazis.”[/color]

[color=darkgray]“Oh, we’re a regular fourth reich.”[/color]

[color=A93838]“Heil Hitler.”[/color]

I shake my head as I stand from the chair in front of the computer, pulling the cowl up. [color=black]“We don’t. But we have a lot of avid anti-mutant sentiment.”[/color]

[color=black]“The Red Skull has just declared war, and that’s exactly why I’m worried. People do stupid things when they are afraid, and it gives the local Purifiers movement in Gotham a reason to do something. We cannot let that happen on our watch.”[/color]

It was time to get to work.