[center][img]https://i.imgur.com/sQrKEVq.png[/img]
[b]Bruce Wayne[/b], 28-29 (b. 1939)
[b][sub]Millionaire Playboy / Masked Vigilante
Gotham City, New Jersey[/sub][/b]
[color=gray][sub]Active since Fall of 1963[/sub][/color]

[img]https://i.imgur.com/A1jrEwD.png[/img][/center]
[INDENT][h3]Character Concept[/h3][hr]
[color=999999][i]In the shadow of the Great Depression, Gotham City fell under the control of a ruling class of mobsters looking to pilfer the once prosperous capital for all it was worth. From Boss Salvatore Maroni to Sal Valestra and his co-horts Chuckie Sol and Buzz Bronski, innocent citizens and proud patriots to serve in the first World War were all sent to the streets to beg. Some tried to leave, but the easy money made through the available rackets became all too alluring. And with the 1946 election of highly corrupt city councilman Hamilton Hill to the Mayor's office, the police, the DA's office, and everything in between were brought under the control of crime-lord Carmine "The Roman" Falcone. 

What drew many outsiders to claim that Gotham was a lost cause, however, was the murder of a prominent doctor and his wife on the streets of the city's celebrated Park Row Avenue. Humanitarians to the very end, Thomas and Martha Wayne were both considered revolutionary in helping to reopen the long dormant Arkham Home For The Criminally Disturbed. But with all evidence pointing towards a peasant mugger being their assailant, and Mrs. Wayne's pearl necklace indicating the motive a robbery, all that could be said about the double event was that it was an act of random tragedy. Not even their orphaned son, Bruce, would be able to identify the culprit. 

But a solemn vow would be made. The son's unfathomable despair would give way to an unshakable drive to see justice brought to Gotham's streets. Bruce Wayne would spend the earliest parts of his teenage years abroad in study before officially being declared missing in 1955. In reality, Wayne had left the public eye of his own volition, to master his mind and body in a preparation for a crusade against all crime - a veritable war on a different front. 

At age 24, Bruce officially returned to Gotham to claim his multi-million dollar inheritance from the Wayne estate's sole and dutiful benefactor, Alfred Pennyworth. Spending months crafting a suitable public persona as an extravagant playboy, appearing at large social functions, dating fashion models and writing checks for any cause that suited him, Bruce donned a series of disguises to begin infiltrating the criminal underworld. 

After a particularly harrowing encounter, however, Bruce found himself lying half-dead in the study of Wayne Manor. He'd somehow overlooked something. The scum he was putting away were back on the streets within hours of when he'd nail them, and the DA's office was powerless to stop the rampantly corrupt GCPD from falsely imprisoning the blacks, the hispanics, the gays, and anyone else who stood defiant against these crooks without looking a certain color. It disgusted Bruce, who felt particularly powerless, even with all of his newfound wealth. 

But one of Kirigi's mantras echoed through his mind: that criminals were inherently "a superstitious and cowardly lot". He didn't want to take the lives of his enemies, but he definitely wanted them scared - and he wanted them to stay afraid, tormented by the mere idea that something as horrible as him could even exist. But to accomplish that, he'd have to be more than a man. Delving into the pulp magazines of his childhood, Wayne's long-admired fictional heroes of Detective Harvey Harris and The Grey Ghost were beginning to give him ideas. And the black and white movies that used to frighten him as a boy, the ones set in creepy castles with monstrous figures appearing out of the shadows to terrorize society, particularly began to take hold of his psyche. 

It was while preparing to watch "The Mark Of Zorro", a 1940 swashbuckler about a man of wealth and privilege striking against oppression while wearing a mask, that a stray bat flew into Wayne's study and momentarily frightened him. But that fear quickly dissapated as a life-changing realization took hold. And in shadow of that encounter, the makings of a crusade would begin in earnest. 

Weeks went by, preparations were made, and Wayne found himself dwelling atop the rooftops and the dark shadows of the city's alleyways. He had ceased to be a man, opting to instead immerse himself in his new role and become a creature of the night. He easily began dispatching purse snatchers and would-be murderers with his disguise's frightful appearance alone. Police Lieutenant James Gordon would dismiss the vigilante's existence as mere rumor, but columnist Vicki Vale would be the first to identify the figure with an appropriate monkier: The Bat-Man.

Within the next five years, the vigilante earned himself a reputation as an unparalleled detective in addition to being a silent guardian and a watchful protector of the victims of criminality. He'd cultivated an ally in Gordon, who used The Dark Knight's shrewd cunning and dedication to rooting out corruption in order to partially clean up the department. It'd won Gordon the rank of Commissioner, eventually bringing The Batman that much closer in alignment with law enforcement - albeit in an unofficial capacity. Still, when summoned by the giant light in the sky that the Commissioner would go onto deny even existed, The Caped Crusader would appear to fight against threats that were beyond the GCPD's reach. 

Threats like Dr. Death and The Mad Monk. Threats like Professor Hugo Strange and his scientifically enhanced Monster Men. Threats like jewel magnate Oswald Cobblepot, who'd not-so-secretly taken over The Roman's operations as the deranged, bird-like, trick umbrella carrying crimelord known by his loyalists as The Penguin. Threats like the deadly thrill-seeker Catwoman, who pilfered from the rich while using her feminine wiles to stay one step ahead of the law. And threats like the terrible Clown Prince of Crime, a harlequin of hate who seemed to sew chaos and disorder wherever he appeared - The Joker.

But there seemed to be some measure of hope at play. With Falcone having been nabbed by a joint effort between The Batman, Commissioner Gordon, and District Attorney Dent, organized crime seemed to be entering a downward spiral by the summer of '67. While what seemed to be replacing them was even more bizarre, such as the Alice In Wonderland-themed criminal Jervis Tetch, aka The Mad Hatter, aswell as The Scarecrow, an underworld bogeyman who kidnapped and tortured his enemies with a series of experiments that left them paralyzed with chemically induced terror, there were signs that Gotham was nevertheless beginning to see a brighter tomorrow. From a successful Mayoral campaign of the criminal reform-minded William Linseed, as publicly endorsed by millionaire Bruce Wayne, to the appointment of Dr. Jonathan Crane, a brilliant and widely recognized criminal psychiatrist, as the director of the newly minted Arkham Behavioral Rehabilitation Center. 

Adopting acrobat turned orphan Richard "Dick" Grayson as his ward, Bruce began training the boy to be able to find and bring his own parents' killer to justice. This evolved into a full-fledged partnership, where Bruce, under a candlelight oath, swore Grayson in as one half of what was sure to become a Dynamic Duo. At the start of a new year, Batman is left unsure of himself: he doesn't want to discourage the boy from following in his footsteps, but he can't help but shake the feeling that he's made a grave mistake in allowing him to walk his [b]exact[/b] path as Robin, The Boy Wonder. Add to it the reports from recent months of an amateur directly inspired by him, a Bat-[b]girl[/b], and Bruce is beginning to feel uncertain that his campaign as a Caped Crusader is beginning to do more good than harm. 

Of course, he doesn't know the half of what's coming. The fifth year of The Dark Knight's crusade will be his most trying yet, giving him new enemies, a new romance, and a set of partners to contend with that will change the course of everything. Batman can brave the storm, but whether Bruce Wayne's soul will survive the eye of it is an entirely different matter.[/i][/color]

When considering how to approach Batman in the late 60's, I looked towards the comics and discovered that despite his reinvention coming just a few short years later, the character was still mired in the campy adventures that the 50's had brought about. Not wanting to go in that direction, the Batman I envisioned for this game takes his cue from the timeless [i]Batman: The Animated Series[/i], which apart from references to more modern computers of the time could easily take place in any era. A detective, a crimefighter, and a morally unflinching hero who utilizes fear and intimidation - but also isn't afraid to let his humanity guide him - the Batman that I consider to be the greatest interpretation will basically be what I'll be mimicking. The difference being that I'll have the task of adding references to the struggles of race relations, gender inequality, and the domestic backlash to the Vietnam War to Bruce's regular activities as an avenger of evil. Basically, expect a noir-ish take that'll comment as much on the nature of good and evil as the events of the time.

[center][youtube]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YVGfu-WXPgw[/youtube][/center]
[h3]Key Notes[/h3][hr]
[hider=Supporting Characters]
[B]Alfred Pennyworth[/B]
[color=999999]Caretaker of the Wayne Family estate since the murders of Thomas and Martha Wayne, Alfred has acted as Bruce's guardian since the boy was eight years old. Once a leading commander in the British Armed Forces during the first World War, Alfred's many skills acquired during his days of gathering intelligence became essential to Bruce's training, before the master eventually left for abroad. Well into his late sixties, he now acts as the primary groundskeeper to Stately Wayne Manor, devoting his daylight hours to all of millionaire Bruce Wayne's social engagements, overseeing the mansion staff, and tending to the needs of Wayne's legal ward, Dick Grayson. While in the evenings, he is often monitoring radio transmissions from within The Batcave, decoding messages and dispatch to send along to both Batman and Robin via one-way radio.[/color]

[B]Commissioner James Gordon[/B]
[color=999999]A fifteen year veteran of law enforcement from Chicago, Gordon rose among the ranks for his stern devotion to eradicating corruption from within Gotham's notoriously crooked branches of local government. Having been hardened by spending his twenties watching friends and family leave to fight after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, only to never see any of them return alive, Gordon voluntarily chose to serve domestically as a beat cop after rioting nearly tore Chicago apart. He never expected the badge to last as long as it has, and in some ways, he's still waiting for the day when he can get a real job - paramount to this dream becoming a reality seems to be the actions of a vigilante, whom Gordon has reluctantly aligned himself with in an effort to weed out Gotham's more extreme criminal cases.[/color]

[B]Leslie Thompkins[/B]
[color=999999]An important pillar of Gotham's troubled East End, the humanitarian who consoled an eight-year-old Bruce Wayne on the night of his parents' fateful mugging would go onto shoulder the brunt of the boy's confusion and directionless anger. It was her skills as a listener and a teacher, despite her calling ultimately resulting in a medical license, that helped Bruce mature well beyond his years and forge a path that would lead to Gotham's salvation. Being one of the only citizens of Gotham that knows Bruce and The Batman are the same, Leslie still keeps in touch with him as a mediator, looking to keep the fragile young boy she knew from falling too far into the depths of the despair he now seems to only want to dwell within.[/color]

[B]Harvey Dent[/B]
[color=999999]The District Attorney of Gotham City, Dent is a no-nonsense believer in the word of the law, serving as an incorruptible force within the community. Having been close friends with Bruce Wayne since they both attended the Brentwood Academy prep school, Dent's become disillusioned with the millionaire that returned from overseas to seemingly give up his passion for overturning injustice. Despite his criticisms of Bruce's playboy antics, Dent nevertheless remains loyal, even if his black-and-white view of the law ironically prevents him from ever accepting the help of Gotham's mysterious Dark Knight. He suspects Commissioner Gordon to know more about the vigilante than he lets on, but until he can prove it, Harvey remains content with openly opposing the masked manhunter's meddling.[/color]

[B]Lucius Fox[/B]
[color=999999]The current Vice President of Wayne Industries, Lucius Fox's history with Gotham City is complicated at best. Having lived in poverty as a child, Lucius was often the target of neighborhood bullies that sought to target the colored kids that were supposedly 'invading' Gotham's East End. But due to his upbringing under a pioneering black activist, Lucius learned to turn the other cheek and ignore his childhood tormentors early on. His focus instead remained on his studies, making him one of the most brilliant young men of his era, eventually leading him to become a major figure in Gotham's business district. When Bruce Wayne was looking to replace a number of staff at the fledgling Wayne Industries, Lucius Fox's name captured his interest early on, and one meeting landed him a position on the board of directors - a fact that has unfortunately reignited old prejudices among his predominantly white contemporaries.[/color]

[B]Silver St. Cloud[/B]
[color=999999]Having already broken a number of barriers as a business-minded woman, thanks to a prestigious upbringing that allowed certain doors to be opened that would normally remain shut, Silver St. Cloud is the current curator of the Flugelheim Museum Of Art & History. Possessing a keen interest in Gotham City's history especially, the beautiful white-haired heiress to a multi-million dollar fortune caught Bruce Wayne's attention from the moment he stepped back into town. Her initial impression of him was as yet another mindless capitalist, but his dedication to philanthropy in the five years since they met have won her over. Enjoying a casual flirt-based acquaintanceship, Silver's advances have clashed with Bruce's regularly booked nightly schedule, frustrating Ms. St. Cloud enough to wonder if he's hiding something.[/color]

[B]Slam Bradley[/B]
[color=999999]Once a private investigator that was known for getting results throughout the late 1930's and early 40's, Samuel "Slam" Bradley became a parody of his former self after the untimely murder of his business partner, Shorty Morgan. Secluding himself to seedy bars, taverns, and anywhere that could offer him a stiff drink, Bradley's work became sloppy and unprofessional as he delved harder into alcoholism. It was following a particularly rough bar fight that Slam managed to anger the wrong man, a top lieutenant for Carmine Falcone's dockside operations, leading to real trouble waiting for him at his office. But instead of being made an example of, Slam found himself saved by the intervention of The Batman, who made quick work of the creeps out of respect for the man Bradley used to be. Inspired by the masked man's confidence, Slam quit drinking and has been sober for the last three years, occasionally offering Batman some of his wisdom and even his services, free of charge.[/color][/hider]
[hider=Recurring Enemies]
[B]The Joker Card Killer[/B]
[color=999999]No one knows where he came from. Some speculate that he was a struggling comedian that saw the rioting against the Vietnam War as an excuse to commit horrific crimes, where his victims would be maimed to look as though they were smiling because he couldn't. Others claim that he was the infamous Red Hood, a gang-leader whose face was obscured that would pull daring robberies under the cloak of darkness. Whatever the case may be, the man who would become known as The Joker Card Killer - or Joker, for short - first emerged shortly after The Batman began terrorizing Gotham's criminal contingent. Known for his horrifying laughter and chalk white skin, green hair, and ruby lips, the clown has evaded capture for five years - a fact of which keeps him firmly on The Caped Crusader's radar.[/color]

[B]The Penguin[/B]
[color=999999]Following the fall of Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone, shrewd businessman and jeweler Oswald 'Ozzie' Cobblepot sought to expand his portfolio by locking in the infamous gangster's business ledgers for himself. When he was met with brute force, Cobblepot responded in kind by arranging for the murders of Falcone's top henchmen, each in a more elaborate manner than the last and all by the hand of others, blackmailed into becoming Oswald's personal agents. Donning a tuxedo, top hat, monocle, and trick umbrella, the self-styled 'Emperor of Crime' earned an entirely different nickname by his leering competitors.[/color]

[B]The Cat/Catwoman[/B]
[color=999999]A cunning jewel thief with a particular fancy for thrill-seeking, the woman originally known as 'The Cat' began her criminal career by daring to steal from all of Gotham's leading mob families and extort the items back for a hefty profit. Though many tried to see her dead, she'd always end up escaping certain doom, even personally besting a few of the brutes that tried to skin her like her namesake. Her tactics changed entirely when she first ran afoul of The Batman, however, causing her to don a cat-themed costume, utilize a bullwhip, and target rare items that even the criminal underworld were too squeamish to go after. Openly declaring her interest in The Dark Knight, the renamed 'Catwoman' isn't afraid to stain her claws with his blood if he tries to intervene in any of her future robberies.[/color]

[B]The Black Masks[/B]
[color=999999]Led by a mysterious figure who dons three-piece suits and an ebony full-faced mask, the anonymous members of The Black Masks are said to be comprised of minorities that were formerly victims of the Gotham City Police Department's horrific racism and acts of brutality. Appealing to their sense of injustice, the leader of The Black Masks - himself a scarred African-American man whose business was burned down by racist cops - has openly declared war on Gotham's police institutions and enacts violent attacks on members of the GCPD whether they're proven to be corrupt or not.[/color]

[B]The Riddler[/B]
[color=999999]For several months, law enforcement officials and radio DJs have been receiving coded messages scribbled onto torn strips of green paper. These messages are always decoded to be an address, and what the police have found at each scene has been either a random freshly pilfered place of business, an unsolved puzzle box that has often baffled those unlucky enough to discover it, or worse - and most often - the scene of a murder in which the method is never clear. The back of the strips of paper have always been marked with a giant question mark, leading police to realize it's all the work of the same man. But with nothing else to go on, no one, not even The Batman, has yet to discover a clue to this deranged killer's identity.[/color]

[B]The Scarecrow[/B]
[color=999999]Only in petrified whispers is this garish figure stalking Gotham's West End ever mentioned. Often seen just before the disappearance of men and women ranging from their early twenties to late forties, this man dressed to look like a Scarecrow - like something out of a horror picture - often takes victims away in an unmarked van and brings them back to police in zombified states. Seemingly tortured, the victims all have injection marks and an unknown substance identified in their bloodstream. There's no real discernable pattern to his crimes other than the age range of his victims, leading most to believe that The Scarecrow targets at random and commits horrible acts that break the mind past the point of sanity.[/color]

[B]The Mad Hatter[/B]
[color=999999]Once known as Jervis Tetch, a quaint haberdasher, the criminal who commits Alice In Wonderland themed acts of kidnapping was fortunately stopped early on in his career by The Batman and sent to the Arkham Behavioral Institute. But by dubious circumstances, it wasn't long before Tetch was back on the streets and up to his old tricks. Obsessed with finding a young girl to be his 'Alice', Tetch's most recent crime spree was put to a stop by Batman's young partner, Robin, leading him back to the padded cell that he abandoned.[/color]

[B]Dr. Death[/B]
[color=999999]The first enemy of note that Batman encountered, Dr. Karl Hellfern would utilize his expertise of chemistry to commit contact-based poison killings in service of Carmine Falcone and his expansive empire. In exchange for his service, Hellfern's identity was a closely guarded secret - until, that is, Batman managed to capture him in the act of attempting to poison a state senator with a strychnine laced letter. Dr. Hellfern currently sits in a cell Blackgate Prison, serving multiple life sentences that he's hoping to appeal in exchange for information on the nature of Falcone's crimes.[/color]

[B]Professor Hugo Strange[/B]
[color=999999]A true living embodiment of the mad scientist archetype from the B-movie pictures of the past decade, Hugo Strange's life obsession is with advancing the human condition through scientific means rather than the 'aberration' he considers the rise of the mutant populace to be. The result has led to monstrous behemoths such as the Blockbuster twins, the child-like brute known as Amygdala, and most recently, the reanimated monster that used to be Cyrus Gold. Strange remains at large, though his encounters with The Batman have left him on the run.[/color]

[B]The Mad Monk[/B]
[color=999999]A deranged socialite, Niccolai Tepes became convinced that the fixation of Bram Stoker's classic vampire novel - Vlad The Impaler - was a blood relative that had passed on the curse of lycanthropy and bloodsucking to him through a moon ritual. Looking to enact that same ritual in order to give himself a limitless supply of supernatural power, Tepes - donning the crimson cloak of The Mad Monk - lured scores of children to his underground lair for a series of blood sacrifices. It was only when he made the mistake of kidnapping the Commissioner's teenaged daughter, among a group of others, that Tepes ran afoul of The Batman and was quickly captured. Fully believing himself to be a vampire still, The Monk raves day and night about his undeath from behind Arkham's guarded walls.[/color][/hider]
[hider=Notable Citizens Of Gotham]

[B]Kirk Langstrom[/B]
[color=999999]Having worked under the brilliant Professor Carter Nichols, Kirk Langstrom is Gotham City's most brilliant scientific mind and a frequent ally of The Batman. When a problem involving DNA becomes too great for The Caped Crusader to solve, Langstrom is usually the first to be able to help discern the answer. His only regret is that his hard work towards furthering the plight of humanity cannot grant him the gift of hearing, which he was born without.[/color]

[B]Deacon Blackfire[/B]
[color=999999]A televangelist who raves about the proclamations of the Old Testament, Deacon Blackfire has been a figure of controversy for nearly two decades, declaring blasphemy at many of Gotham's most prominent citizens and warning that the Devil will claim their souls. His rants often attract the mentally vulnerable, who go onto commit terrible acts of chaos in the name of the almighty - though the GCPD can never prove that Blackfire directly coerced these actions.[/color]

[B]Dr. Thomas Elliot[/B]
[color=999999]Born less than a mile away from Stately Wayne Manor, Thomas Elliot and Bruce Wayne were expected to be the best of friends by their respective parents. Little did anyone realize that Elliot would regularly bully Bruce and torment him for the crime of having loving parents, something the physically abused Tommy didn't understand. Growing to maturity, Elliot served as a combat physician during the early stretch of the Vietnam War, having only recently returned to set up a practice in Gotham. Elliot claims he wants to make amends for his cruel treatment of Bruce when they were boys, but something about Elliot - specifically, the unnerving way in which he talks about the ongoing horrors abroad - keeps Bruce distant.[/color]

[B]A.D.A. Kate Spencer[/B]
[color=999999]Dedicated to upholding the beliefs of her hard-working boss, Kate Spencer secretly loathes Gotham's criminal element. A secret supporter of The Batman to an obsessive degree, Spencer is hoping that if Dent doesn't run for re-election that she can usurp him as the next DA and enact harsher sentences for criminals that The Dark Knight puts away.[/color]

[B]Lieutenant Clancy O'Hara[/B]
[color=999999]Formerly the reigning Chief of Police, Clancy O'Hara quit the force when most of his colleagues were outed as corrupt by the efforts of Commissioner Gordon and Harvey Dent. Convinced to return after Gordon expressed a desire to have honest cops working for him, O'Hara met the Commissioner half-way and returned to active field duty as a Lieutenant.[/color]

[B]Detective Paul Valley[/B]
[color=999999]A recently promoted and promising new face in the sea of embittered cops that either took bribes or are currently taking them, Valley's first assignment in the Homicide division of the GCPD is to be partnered with Michael Lane, Gotham's first black detective in thirty years. Despite wanting to do right by the Commissioner and God, of which he is a practicing servant, Valley's upbringing under racial purists has him harboring deep rooted issues.[/color]

[B]Fredrick Stickley[/B]
[color=999999]Formerly the President of Wayne Industries, Stickley saw himself demoted - twice - when Bruce Wayne returned from his studies overseas, and has harbored a grudge ever since. A greedy business tycoon and a flagrant racist, Stickley only remains employed out of respect for Bruce's late father, who personally hired Stickley to oversee the company should anything happen to him.[/color]

[B]Jack Ryder[/B]
[color=999999]The leading television reporter for Gotham City's DTKO news station, Ryder is an arrogant and publicity crazed opportunity who most women he encounters have filed multiple harassment cases against. Garnering the nickname of 'Jack The Creeper' for it, the station nevertheless backs Ryder, taking on a policy that 'boys will be boys'.[/color]

[B]Dr. Penelope Young[/B]
[color=999999]Professor Jonathan Crane's understudy at Arkham, Penelope Young's goal in life is to eventually become famous for profiling the mind of a dangerous murderer. With the growing number of freaks and costumed menaces that have been plaguing Gotham in recent years, she may yet get her chance.[/color][/hider]
[h3]References / Sample Post[/h3][hr]
[b]December 30th, 1967
Gotham City[/b]

The wind hits his chin like needlepoints prickling at the muscles beneath the skin. Snow crunches beneath his boot, eliminating the possibility of stealth. He hasn't slept for two days, eaten for the last ten hours, or even stopped for a short respite and he's beginning to feel it all coming ontop of him like once. The thick winter fog forces him to wrap his insulated cloak around his body like a tarp. He's in terrible shape and he knows it, but it doesn't deter him. Just slows him down enough to take some kind of mental inventory of the elements he's fighting, and what kind of hindrance they might make when it comes to the fight that's about to come.

Truth be told, there are a number of things that a man in his position could be doing the night before New Year's Eve. Harvey, the closest thing he considers an actual friend, suggested a night on the town to celebrate the end of a six-month-long trial negotiation to convict Boss Maroni's right hand. Lowering his profile for a night, grabbing a few brews at O'Neil's, bringing some women back to Dent's top floor pad in the West End. It sounded like a nostalgic trip down someone else's glory days - he vaguely remembers that at the time of what would have been his own college admission, he was learning how to master Kali from Master Yoru-Shen on some oxygen-stifled mountaintop in Hokkaido.

Of course, there were other available options. Alfred had informed him of an invitation to make a personal appearance at the 17th Annual Gotham City Gentlemen's Club beauty pageant. He was even told that the contestants were all jazzed to get a glimpse of the millionaire if for only a second. And then there was the added incentive that the winner would get to make a donation in Wayne Industries' name towards the charity of her choosing, with full reimbursements provided by the so-called [i]generous[/i] board of trustees headed up by Freddy Stickley.

[img]https://i.imgur.com/XqCVSdF.png[/img]

[color=414f72][b][i]No[/i][/b][/color], he told himself. [color=414f72][b][i]This is where I need to be.[/i][/b][/color]

Bruce Wayne may have had all the options in the world for a night like this, but he only had one: to put a stop to the influx of weapons being smuggled onto the East Side Docks. For months, informants with connections to the black market had been touting that they'd managed to score a genuine batch of military ordinance directly from the Viet-Cong. Assault rifles, pistols, grenades, napalm - the list was a mile wide. Since Maroni's operation was still bruised, that meant that the first crack at the goods went directly to The Penguin. And knowing how Cobblepot operated, it wasn't a stretch to imagine that the bird's "benevolent brood" would pull out the stops to ensure their employer's discretion. 

As it just so happened, there was to be a pre-imminent Iceberg Lounge-sponsored New Year's celebration for the citizens of Gotham Plaza - a whole affair featuring fireworks, live music, and of course, plenty of police protection bought with dirty money. The Commissioner had opposed such a public venue, as there was a blizzard warning in effect for the city for the next three days, but what really stood out in Gordon's complaint was the fireworks. They were to go off at 11:45 PM, then again at midnight. 
Surely a safety hazard by itself, but The Batman felt there was a more deliberate purpose. If the stolen crates of the Viet Cong's arsenal were to be loaded and ready to go by 11:45, the fireworks would distract enough eyes to be transported out of the area without fuss. And it was a fifteen-minute drive, even with traffic, to a meat-packing plant in The Narrows that had been bought by a Cobblepot loyalist but never put into full operation. Plenty of space on the grounds to not only hide the crates, but ensure that Gordon couldn't spare the manpower to search the entire area before the heavy volume of snow dissipated. 

Batman narrowed his eyes as he slowly approached the docks, his shoulders partially covered in frozen droplets of what had been condensation. True to his own guess, there were five trucks getting ready to be loaded for transport. His hand trembling from the cold, he nevertheless reached into his belt to pull out an air-gun. Usually meant to fire a flare on the high seas, this baby had been modified to fire a projectile of a different kind. Quickly screwing a silencer over the barrel, The Dark Knight inhaled a sharp breath. Aimed, steadied himself, and eventually fired. An electronic bug, retro-fitted by Hoover's CIA spooks under a contract with a Wayne Industries subsidiary to spy on political enemies, stabbed into the concrete wall just behind The Penguin's men. 

Tuning a small radio transceiver sewn into his cowl to isolate the bug's signal, Batman listened in with intent. He had to pick his moment. After all, he was in no condition to stampede over the scene like something out of a John Wayne picture.

[i]"---said don't drop it, you friggin' klutz! You want this place to go up like fourth of July?!"
"Geez-us, man! You been on us about every crate we've tossed into the back of this wagon. If 
the cargo can't handle it, maybe we oughta reconsider. Roads are damned slippery tonight."
"You wanna explain that to the boss man, boy? I'm sure he'd be hip to the idea of us just flaking on a cool hundred 'kay's worth of product for the police to collect come the morning."
"The fuck'd you call me?!"
"Shut it, the both of you! You're gonna get us spotted before the show even starts!"[/i]

Peeling back his glove, Batman looked at his watch. 

Six-minute window. 

[color=414f72][b]"Plenty of time..."[/b][/color]

Freshly sharpened batarangs at the ready, The Caped Crusader tossed out a thick climbing rope into a nearby alley. Securing it tightly over a frozen pipe, he slung himself over the ledge and began to descend into the dark. The plan was simple; infiltrate, execute a suitable distraction, and keep the driver from leaving long enough for him to take down fifteen of Cobblepot's heavies. The rest was as simple as a flex of muscle memory.

There were enough weapons on the streets of his city.

By the time the fireworks would begin, they'd have learned that lesson - the hard way.
[/INDENT]