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Batquest Issue #3: The Man Who Laughs

!!wy0RzVFRI8k ID:tKI2endl No.5502453 View ViewReplyOriginalReport
>Art: Dulguun
>Alt-text: A Rorschach test of a Batman silhouette standing with his cape spread atop a bloody smile. Together they form an outline of The Joker’s face.

Gotham. It’s good to be back. The air on your face greets you like a long-lost lover. Too long.
While you and your partner Grayson were abroad, dealing with the sources of weapons and monsters flooding your city, time moved on without you.
You thought removing the Court of Owls and the Falcone Mob it backed would bring peace, instead, it spawned a power vacuum currently ravaging your home.
With District Attorney Dent’s buyback program taking most guns off the streets, the market has exploded for a new type of weapon.

NIGHTWING:
Desmond is pulling in now.

Between half of Gotham’s landowner’s being dead or behind bars and the CBI’s strict curfews, the city is littered with empty buildings where businesses once stood.
One such building is host to the Golums, a small-time biker gang looking to “upgrade.”
And now that Dr. Mark Desmond is there as well, hopefully, a sample of the unstable mutagen ravaging the streets.

GOLUM:
Hurry up, man. Th feds gone billy berserk. Pegged my mon for breaking curfew.
ROLAND:
Keep it easy and this doesn't get messy.
NIGHTWING:
That’s not Dr. Desmond. The face is similar but...
BATMAN:
Batwave, run facial recognition.
BATWAVE:
Analyzing:... Roland Desmond.
BATMAN:
Mark’s brother. Judging by his firearm he’s running security.
NIGHTWING:
He looks nervous, something’s going on.
GOLUM:
You figure you balls scary? I don’t shiv. I’ll nuke you here and now if you don't have the stuff.
Roland reaches for a weapon, Dick was right about... Dick?

KLANG!
ROLAND:
My hand!

Roland grabs his bloody palm, Dick’s churri wedged in the webbing of his fingers.

NIGHTWING:
Now Rollie, did you bring enough for the class?
GOLUM:
Dust ‘em!

There was a time you’d intervene, but seeing Dick weave through the bikers and pummel them with his cachaba proves his training paid off.
Dick smiles at you as he stands over his enemies, but his grin is covered by a sudden glaring spotlight.

CHASE:
This is the CBI! Drop your weapons.

That voice... it can’t be.

GOLUM:
This is balls bogue! How’d the feds get here?

A stealth blimp melts from the shadows, a dozen rifles aimed at the melee below. A meek voice echoes from the van. A skinny man emerges from it with his hands up.

MARK:
I-I’m sorry Roland. I give up officers, please don’t hurt me.
ROLAND:
Coward!

Roland reaches with his left hand and you see the CBI shooters raise their weapons.
Your cape unfolds on the night air, and you glide into battle emboldened by your motivation.

>Return of the Caped Crusaders
20 years ago was the last time you were happy, and the world hasn’t made sense since. You fight because you know Batman is the only way to return Gotham to normalcy.
>The Dark Knight Returns
20 years ago you were given the gift of pain. And now you share it. You fight because you enjoy hurting people who deserve it.