Batman 3 - Batman Forever (31 page)

“Why can’t I kill you? Now, there’s a riddle. Not smart enough. Find a way. Fuse the transceiver to . . . what? Can’t remember. Too many questions. Why you and not me? Why me? Why??!!”

His scalp was blistered and burned. Pathetic, whimpering and mad, he stared at the pieces of his machinery as they crumbled in his hand.

“Poor Edward. I had to save both Chase
and
Robin. You see, I am Bruce Wayne and Batman. Not because I have to be. No, because I choose to be. However . . . it would have been nearly impossible to accomplish rescuing both of them. Fortunately,” and he looked to Robin, who was standing nearby, holding the unconscious body of Chase. “Fortunately . . . I had help.”

He reached down for the Riddler, who turned and looked up at him, and shrieked.

For descending towards him was the ravenous face of a hideous, demonic giant bat . . .

S
urprisingly, it was a quiet night at Arkham Asylum, except for the screaming of one inmate. Actually, the inmate had been screaming ever since his apprehension at Claw Island. Every so often the noise would fade as his vocal cords grew strained. But then from somewhere he would regain strength and start howling again.

Lately, though, he’d started shrieking something new.

Dr. Burton walked down the hallways of the maximum security wing, Chase Meridian at his side. “Edward Nygma has been screaming for hours that he knows the true identity of Batman,” Burton informed her.

“Really?” said Chase, her voice neutral.

They reached cell 22 and Chase peered in through the small barred window set into the heavy door. “Edward . . .”

The screaming cut off abruptly. “Who is it?”

“It’s Dr. Chase Meridian. Do you remember me?”

“How could I forget?”

“Dr. Burton . . .” She paused. “Dr. Burton tells me you know who Batman is.”

Edward giggled gleefully. “Yessss. I know!”

She steeled herself. “Who is the Batman, Edward?”

“Can’t tell if you don’t say please.”

Gamely, she said, “You’re right, Edward. I didn’t mean to be impolite. Please.”

Nothing.

“Edward, please. Who is Batman?”

Suddenly a huge silhouette of a bat appeared on the cell of the padded wall. Into it leaped Edward, the sleeves of his straitjacket madly flapping like the wings of a bat.

“I AM BATMAAAAANNNN!!!”

And now the other inmates, hidden away in their cells, began to laugh and howl, cackle and shriek, matching Edward Nygma’s demented glee. Drs. Burton and Meridian walked quickly away, the laughter ringing behind them.

Chase emerged from Arkham Asylum to find Bruce waiting with the Bentley, holding the rear door open.

“He’s lost all contact with reality,” she said, and was pleased to see him relax a little. “Your secret is safe, Batman, or do I just call you Bats?”

Bruce smiled, and then reached into his coat and handed her a small wicker figure. The dream doll.

“Thank you,” he told her. “I don’t need it anymore. My dreams are all good dreams. Now.”

They climbed into the Bentley, pausing to kiss. The car rolled away from Arkham and down the hill . . .

And that was when the Bat-Signal flared in the air.

Bruce looked up and sighed, exchanging glances with Chase. He started to speak, but she simply shook her head and smiled. “Don’t work too late,” she said.

Minutes later, Chase Meridian was the sole passenger in the car, with Alfred at the wheel. She stared up at the Bat-Signal, burning against the sky. “Does it ever end, Alfred?”

Alfred chuckled softly. “No, Miss. Not in this lifetime.”

And high above the city, crouched on the edge of a gargoyle-lined building, Batman looked out over his city. He didn’t even have to glance behind him to know that Robin was nearby. Their capes billowed in the breeze as they swung off across the skyline, twin guardians of the night.

The darkness opened up to them, and they were gone.

P
ETER
D
AVID
is a prolific author, having in the past several years written nearly two dozen novels and hundreds of comic books including such titles as
Aquaman, The Incredible Hulk, Spider-Man, Star Trek, X-Factor, Sachs & Violens, Soulsearchers & Company, The Atlantis Chronicles, Dreadstar, Wolverine,
and
The Phantom.
He has written several popular
Star Trek: The Next Generation
novels including
Q-Squared, Rock and a Hard Place, Vendetta, Imzadi,
and
Q-In-Law,
which have spent a combined six months on the
New York Times
Bestsellers List. His other novels include
Knight Life,
a satirical fantasy in which King Arthur returns to contemporary New York and runs for mayor,
Howling Mad,
a send-up of the werewolf legend, the “Psi-Man” and “Photon” adventure series, and novelizations of
The Return of Swamp Thing
and
The Rocketeer.
He has written two episodes of the acclaimed TV series
Babylon 5
, and is the sreenwriter of the award-winning SF film spoof
Oblivion.
He also writes a weekly column, “But I Digress . . .” for
The Comic Buyers Guide.
David is a long-time New York resident, with his wife of eighteen years, Myra (whom he met at a Star Trek convention), and their three children: Shana, Guinevere, and Ariel.