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this story is what was catwoman returns. a good bit of the storyline has been changed but i kept a lot of of the elements and moved them around. i changed the title since batsy is the main focus. selina plays almost as big a role though, like a lot of things are still seen from her point of view.

the story takes place in the year 2000, except for the prologue which was in the summer of 1998.

and the prologue is really f***ing long, just to warn you guys. lol.

not that anyone is going to read it anyway outside of my stalker. ::) :P

okay actualy the prologue is summer 1998 up to right before the story begins, which is fall-winter 2000.

ok i promise the chapters will be much much shorter than this. this is just setting up the story, all the dialogue and sh*t starts after this. HOPE SOMEONE ENJOYS IT!!!!!!!






they better cause it's such a f***ing bitch to try to write it. >:(

:P








the prologue

"robin, look out!" batman shouted. "behind you!" robin spun around, kicking away the gun one of the south american drug smugglers had aimed at him. then with a right-left combination of punches, the young boy wonder laid the cartel member out cold with the other smugglers he and batman had disposed of.

"you were saying?" he arrogantly smirked. batman grunted.

the two caped crusaders made their way out of the large warehouse where the drugs had been dropped off. "they're at the dock," batman said of the cartel leaders he and robin had come for. unfortunately, the dock was blocked by rows of large crates. like a mice navigating a maze in order to reach a block of cheese, batman and robin would have to run through these crates in order to get to the dock before the cartel bosses escaped.

as they rounded a corner, to their shock, another group of smugglers stood waiting. fortunately the smugglers were just as shocked to see the costumed heroes standing before them, buying batman and robin a little time before they opened fire. they lept into the air, dodging the gunfire and came down atop the men. disarmed, the smugglers stood little chance as batman and robin beat them to a pulp.

that set of smugglers no longer an issue, batman and robin looked around. there were two potential pathways the bosses might have taken. "that way," batman said, pointing to the one on the right. "why that way?" robin protested. "i think it was THAT way," he said, pointing to the right. "don't argue with me, DICK," batman growled. "now come on."

disregarding batman's order, robin took to the left pathway, while batman, his chagrin towards his junior partner building, took the right. "he's due for an attitude adjustment," the dark knight thought. "if we make it out of this."

after a bit of winding, the duo literally ran into each other as the paths rejoined. "ug," robin grunted. "well mr. great leader, looks like i was right." "enough of your mouth," batman shot back. "we're almost there.

once they finally reached the dock, just as they expected, the boss and his right hand man were busy throwing suitcases of money into a speedboat. their former business partners, a frenchman and his cuban refugee wife, lay shot dead on the pier.

"here goes nothing," robin said. "no, wait!" batman called out, but it was too late. robin had already begun somersaulting towards the boat. seeing him coming, the men pulled out their pistols and began firing. robin acrobatically dodged the bullets and landed between them, kicking away one gun and knocking the other away with his fist. another kick sent the cartel leader's lieutenent sprawling. his focus on the drug lord, robin began throwing punches and kicks towards him.

batman was just about to the boat when he saw the second man stand back up, holding a machine gun. "ROBIN!" he screamed. robin turned towards the man just as he opened fire. batman could only look on in horror as the spray of bullets exploded through his young partner's torso, shredding his cape as they exited his back. robin stumbled backwards as  choked gargles left his lips. then he fell backwards out of the boat into the water.

the man turned his gun to batman, but the drug lord shouted something in spanish to him, apparantly an order to get them out of there for he sat down at the controls of the boat. starting the engine, he hit the gas, pulling away and leaving the dynamic duo behind.

batman bounded down to the edge of the pier. he reached into the water, taking hold of robin's body with both hands, and pulled him out. he couldn't believe his eyes. robin's breathing was so heavy that his chest seemed to rise and fall a foot within a split second. the contless bloody bullet wounds on his chest seeped life. blood ran from his mouth, mixing with the seawater on his cheek and causing it to run in several different directions down his face.

knowing there was no hope, batman pulled away robin's mask and looked down into his eyes. he clutched his hand tightly, trying to comfort him as best as possible in his last moments.

an hour later, in the batcave, bruce wayne looked on as barbara wilson, the former batgirl, grieved over dick grayson's body. she pulled away his glove and, just as bruce had before, gripped his cold hand to her chest as she wept hysterically. she glanced up, noticing bruce's emotionless, stone-faced expression.

"you son of a bitch!" she screamed through her sobs. "he died and you can't even shed a tear for him? i thought you loved him!" bruce looked at her for a moment.

"he knew the risks." he said cooly.

stunned, barbara stood up and walked right up to him, slapping him across the face. before she had a chance to criticize him further, he returned the favor, knocking her to the ground. "you bastard!" she screamed. bruce said nothing as he looked down at her sternly. finally, without another word, barbara stood up and hastily scampered to the batcave's exit.

once she was gone, bruce turned to dick's body. he sighed as his expression softened into one of pain and heartache. memories of the day he took dick in following the murder of his parents and of the times they had spent together outside of their crusade against injustice and the times they had fought crime side-by-side flooded his mind.

he reached for a lenin sheet and pulled it over dick's body as a single tear ran down his face.

bruce and barbara soon reconciled. they mutually agreed that for the sake of batman's never-ending mission for gotham city that dick's death had to be covered up. the truth would have meant his unmasking as robin and no doubt led in short order to bruce's own outing. therefore, dick was reported missing after going on a boating trip. a two-week search for a body that was never in the water to begin with led to dick being declared dead, with everyone outside of bruce, barbara, and alfred resigned to the fact that the brash, ambitious young man's body was lost forever.

in reality it was buried in the batcave, far enough from the computers and lab equipment that it could rest peacefully but close enough that a single spotlight cast a faint glow onto the grave marker - a wooden cross - and reminded bruce forever of the true risks of this crusade.

soon therafter, alfred took ill once again. resigned to the fact that the end was probably near, alfred and barbara returned to his native england. bruce hoped to manage to travel there to see his friend and near-lifelong caretaker one last time, but his responsibilities both as president and ceo of wayne enterprises and as batman left him no opportunity.

just days before christmas, he recieved a letter from barbara confirming that alfred had peacefully departed this life in his sleep. according to his wishes but to bruce's dismay, the old butler had been buried almost immediately afterwards.

for nearly two years, wayne manor was stone silent. bruce desired no accompanyment, hiring no replacements for alfred and never taking visitors, not friends from his company, not the models he had previously always been a companied by, not even those from charitable organizations that had once always been welcome. without bruce uttering a single word while above ground and no one else there to say anything, the magnificantly morbid mansion was locked in a seemingly unbreakable silence.

beneath the manor, in the batcave, the only sounds were bruces grunts and groans as he trained or nursed injuries or simply felt the effects of his heavy workload. working alongside dick had eased the stress on his body, helping him ward off the effects of increasing age. now, after over two years of going it alone, and at the age of 45, the aches and pains he had once shrugged off with little more than a grimace made even getting out of bed in the mornings a chore. a stringent training regimen helped him keep in shame, and at some points he would almost be back to full strength.

it took only one night of moderate activity as batman, however, to move him right back to square one.

the burden of mixing his double lives as a wealthy, successful business man and gotham's dark savior seemed much more pronounced now that he no longer had anyone, even alfred who had always been there. the two years of near-complete solitude away from his put-on public image had had an enourmous effect upon him. though his facade as a millionare playboy who hammed it up with his coworkers and other gotham elite remained solid, in private he had grown so distant and detached from the world around him that he wondered if his ability to feel true compassion for his fellow man and to feel love for a woman hadn't been lost forever, rather than slumbering in the depths of his stone-encased heart.

surprise surprise not one damn post.

Quote from: Catwoman on Fri,  1 Jan  2010, 17:17
surprise surprise not one damn post.

Relax. Everyone is probably recovering from last night, Catwoman.  ;D

As for this re-write/2nd draft, it's starting out really dark, but that makes for a interesting opening. As everyone in the Bat-Family has really been thru the ringer right at the very start of the story itself. Kinda has that "A lonely place of Dying" aspect to the story, but only because it deals with the fallout of the death of Robin. In this case, Dick Grayson.

i forgot about how everyone but me gets smashed on new years lol.

and its supposed to be really dark so i'm glad thats how you think it started. idk if there'll be any comic relief at all. i'm a very depressed person so i'm going to write maybe not a depressing story but one that has no humor. hopeful in places but humorless. thats my motto for writing this.

Quote from: Catwoman on Fri,  1 Jan  2010, 19:37
i forgot about how everyone but me gets smashed on new years lol.

and its supposed to be really dark so i'm glad thats how you think it started. idk if there'll be any comic relief at all. i'm a very depressed person so i'm going to write maybe not a depressing story but one that has no humor. hopeful in places but humorless. thats my motto for writing this.

Although I did kinda like the direction you took Dick Grayson with your first effort at this ... cocky, arrogant, almost un-likable, and his interactions with Selina ... I also like this version as well where he proved himself to be a bit too "froggy" and paid the ultimate price as a result. It certainly opens up the possibility for a dark turn, and I'm looking forward to reading how this plays out.

P.S. I've never been smashed either, so don't feel bad. I'm always Mr. DD (Designated Driver), or I just stick to an occasional mixed drink.

I didn't go out this New Years.  All my mates were either ill, abroad or doing something else.  Plus I didn't really have the cash to do anything.  Instead I went out the night before for a couple of drinks with my friends, though none of us got 'smashed'.  LOL.

Back to the story.  Great work Catwoman.  Your writing seems to improve with every new draft.  Robin is such an expendable character so it's cool to have him 'bumped off'.  I prefer the naive, 'green' Dick Grayson to the borderline a-hole Grayson of your earlier drafts.  That version was too unlikeable for a 'hero' IMHO.

he wasn't an asshole. he was just the typical guy who thinks as much with his penis as he does with his brain. young n dumb.

Quote from: Catwoman on Sat,  2 Jan  2010, 20:47
he wasn't an asshole. he was just the typical guy who thinks as much with his penis as he does with his brain. young n dumb.

In other words an asshole.  LOL.

chapter 1

"mayor! mayor elect! mr. shreck! how about a sound-byte, just a sound-byte please! for all the citizens of oh i'm sorry ma'am, let me help you up. mr. shreck!"

newly-elected gotham mayor charles "chip" shreck had nothing to say about his imminent office on this pr-fluff visit to a children's hospital, but alexander knox, gotham city's most persistent - and irritating - newspaper journalist was not deterred.

"knox will you get a life?" someone next to him in the crowd clamoring for chip's attention called out. he didn't look at them, keeping his eye on the mayor, but he couldn't resist a jab. "sure, will you get some old spice, buddy? come on, this city's polluted enough without you adding insult to injury!"

a big hand grabbed the front of knox's shirt and turned him around. the man  he insulted stood close to 6'4, looked like he ate people twice knox's size for breakfast, and had a nasty scar running down his cheek. "what did you say to me, punk?" he asked, raising a fist.

"i'll take care of him!" a woman called out as she took hold of the man's raised arm. "don't worry, he didn't mean anything by it. he isn't SMART enough to." the man looked at her. "you're tellin' me." roughly, he turned alex loose and continued moving with the crowd.

"well that was uncalled for, but i guess i'll say thank you, miss..?" knox said to the woman. "oh you're welcome, alie," she said, turning to him. he was stunned.

"VALE! vicki vale! how you been?!" he exclaimed excitedly when he recognized the world-famous magazine photographer who he had worked with during the rise and fall of the joker eleven years earlier. "and why'd you insult me like that? i'm not SMART enough to mean anything by what i said?" vicki smirked. "i was trying to do you a favor, but if you'd like to go tell him you really did mean it, i'll gladly call an ambulance for you."

knox grumbled for a moment. then his attention turned to the fact that it'd been over a decade since he'd seen her. "what are you doing back in gotham?" he asked. "looking to rekindle old flames?" he winked, nodding his head to the side. vicki looked to see a billboard featuring bruce wayne plastered on the side of a building. she turned back to him. "strictly business," she replied, rolling her eyes.

"business, huh?" he asked. "what kind of business?" vicki looked to the crowd. "it isn't every year a 30-year-old bachleor is elected mayor of a city the size of gotham city. its a big event, and two different magazines sent me here to capture it on film...and make sure there isn't more to it than meets the eye." "oh so you're into investigative journalism too now," he said with a sly grin.

"nope, thats where YOU come in. come on, i'll explain over lunch." knox tried to stammer a response as she tugged on his coat sleeve, leading him to her car.

as vicki and knox were renewing their working relationship, chip shreck had finished his quick meeting with some of the terminally ill children in the hospital and now he was back in his limosuine with his advisors, on his way back to city hall.

"you know, mr. shreck," one of the men said. "i'm not sure its kosher, you hanging around city hall when mayor hill still has a month officially left in office."i appreciate the advice, mick," shreck said curtly, "but the next time i want your opinion, i'll give it to you. i have business with the district attorney, anyway. hill is the last person on my mind. well, at least he is now." "now?" the advisor asked. "yes, because before you started yapping, YOU were."

once back at city hall, chip walked right into district attorney ronald pierce's office.

"don't you knock, shreck?" pierce asked, slamming a notebook shut. "shut up," shreck shot back, sitting down across from the da.

"whats the latest with gordon?" chip asked, lighting a cigar. "there is no latest," pierce replied. "i don't know what you're expecting from him, shreck. he's covered for the batman for years."

"well maybe we won't have to get anything from him," chip said as he blew a line of smoke."maybe we can take him down with batman. two birds with one stone. then we'll own this town."

he laughed. pierce wasn't so easily convinced. "the three most popular men in this city are batman, comissioner gordon, and the man who delievers the alcohol to bruce wayne's benefits," he said. "turning the public against one will be hard enough, let alone both."

chip looked across at him with a smirk. "haven't you read the papers? i'm the darling of this city now. its new favorite son." "yeah well you go into office and show them right off you've got a vendetta against batman for what happened to your dad, and that will take care of that," pierce replied. "ha, not hardly," chip said arrogantly. "they'll sympathize with me and they'll be proud their new mayor -" he stopped and handed a cigar to pierce and lit it. "and his ally the district attorney didn't buy into this batman farce and took him down."

pierce thought for a minute, puffing the cigar. "i'll work with you on this, behind the scenes, but if it blows up in your face, you go down yourself, shreck. i have no part of it."

"whatever you say, ronnie-boy."

Very well written Catwoman.  Once again, whilst I might not always agree with your ideas (for instance, I can't see a dum-dum like Chip Shreck becoming Mayor of Gotham), I can't fault your writing style.

Glad to see Know reintroduced.  Will he be a nemesis for Chip Shreck?  I can't imagine an investigative reported like Knox being too popular with the Shreck family.

stay tuned ;D

chapter 3

"so, what do you know about mayor shreck?" knox asked vicki as they sat in her rented apartment that night. "more than i think i want to," vicki replied. she reached into her briefcase and pulled out a magazine. she thumbed through the pages until she found what she was looking for and passed it to knox.

"yech!" knox cried, disgusted at the image of chip, posing fully nude with another man. "what the hell is this?"

"it seems that when charles shreck's father was killed by the penguin, the mental and emotional scarring drove him past his breaking point. he did a lot of...odd things." vicki reached into the briefcase again and pulled out an old photo of a man in a wrestling costume and what looked like chip's signiature scrawled in the corner. knox laughed out loud when he saw the photo.

"this is some crazy stuff!" he said. "if this ever got out-" "if it ever got out, gotham would lose confidence in its mayor before he officially takes office," vicki interrupted him. "you're going to blackmail shreck?" knox asked. "i'm not so sure i like that idea."

"blackmail? no, not at all," she replied, putting the magazine and photo back into her briefcase, shutting it. "just keeping it handy, in case we need it."

from there, knox and vicki's attention turned to the ordered up pizza that finally arrived, nearly 20 minutes late. when they were done eating, they said goodnight and knox went home.

vicki lay on her couch for a little while after knox had left, but then she decided to take a little walk on the streets of gotham city. picking up her camera but leaving her purse lying on the couch, vicki sat off on her little adventure.

gotham city in the year 2000 seemed like a world away from gotham city in 1989. many of the old, run-down buildings she had seen before were long gone, with sophisticated skyscrapers popping up in their place. a las vegas-like amount of neon billboards and lights lined the streets. a city that just a decade before had been lost in the 1940s had caught up with the times while she had been away...and she wasn't sure she liked it.

"the cathedral," she thought, referring to the building on which (or from which) she nearly died by the joker's hand. "i wonder if its still standing."

walking several blocks in the direction she knew the cathedral to be, vicki gradually noticed that the modernization gradually declined the further she traveled away from the bustling downtown. finally she reached an area that was still completely rundown, completely dark and depressing. she considered snapping some photos with her camera but she was afraid the flash might draw someone.

treading lightly, vicki continued on. finally the top of the cathedral came into view.

"i don't know whether to be glad about that or not," she said out loud. "i mean its-"

a hand covered her mouth, stopping her mid-sentence and jerked her into an alley. after being dragged a good ways, she finally bit the hand and tried to scramble away, but her attacker grabbed her by the arm. she swung her camera at him, striking him in the head, but he held onto her, grabbing her other arm. they grappled for a moment until finally the attacker kneed her in the stomach. vicki went to her knees.

"thats the perfect position," the man said in a gravely voice. looking down, trying to regain her breath, vicki could hear him unzip his pants. she looked up at him, fear in her eyes and tried to scamper back. he grabbed her by the hair and pulled her head towards his crotch, his penis hanging out.

"do it baby! do it!" he yelled out. "come on." he faked a thrusting movement, laughing cruely as vicki broke into tears, trying to pull away. then his laugh was choked off with a gargle. she looked up to see him with his hands up at his neck. something had wrapped around it, and he was trying in vain to get it losened. it was no use. finally he passed out, sagging to the ground. vicki looked at him, then up.

a shadowy figure stood above her.

"b...batman?" she asked. she heard a woman's menacing laughter. "damn weak pigeons," the voice said. then the woman who had apparently prevented vicki from a horrible situation turning catastrophic lept over her and backflipped deeper into the alley. as she passed through a shimmer of light, vicki noticed that the woman was wearing a dark but shiny outfit of some kind.

once her unknown savior was gone, vicki noticed her attacker beginning to stir. not wanting to give him any shot at a second chance, she took off her heels and ran out of the alley, keeping a marathon pace until she finally reached the more crowded areas of the city.

from a rooftop of one of the apartment buildings lining an alley, the masked woman who had saved her watche as vicki scampered away. she snickered, then climbed down the fire escape and into an open window. closing it and pulling the curtains over it, she then flipped on a light switch. twisting side to side, first only her neck, then her entire body, she let out a sigh as she felt them crack.

the woman walked over to a small sofa, tossing her bullwhip down onto it. then she reached for her hood and pulled it away, dropping it down to the whip.

"another productive night," selina kyle said as she walked into her bedroom.

Once again, it's well written but I'm not sure I like the idea of Chip Shreck being involved in homoerotic activities.  Firstly, this plot thread could potentially border on the homophobic if you're not too careful.  Secondly, I don't see Chip in that light - he's always seemed like the typical macho alpha-male 'meathead' to me.  I guess that doesn't mean that he could have a double-life, but it just seems unlikely in this instance.

Please don't be mad at me.  I think your writing is wonderful, but I'm just offering my own honest opinion on the storyline. :-\

I'm personally finding all of this very entertaining, and am enjoying the story so far as it's very, ah, *distinguishable* from the 1989-1997 timeline. Which I dig as that's exactly how the story should be.

The Knox and Vale reunion was nice, as well as the Chip/DA Ronald alliance which has shades of the Penguin/Max alliance where Gotham seems just ripe for the taking. I also enjoyed the bits about the Cathedral, and found the Chip nude modeling/wrestling pics to be pretty hilarious. I always pegged him as being fairly sheltered to some extent by Max, and can see a dope like him becoming a sadsack following his father's death, and being fairly open to 'suggestion'. It was obvious in Returns that he wasn't anywhere near as savvy as his old man, definately not a chip off the old block, and this kind of behavior further cements that fact.  ;D

The Catwoman saving Vicki was interesting, as I figure it should be interesting if/when Selina finds out the woman she saved is the same "Vicki" Bruce made reference to when asked about if he had a girlfriend on Selina and Bruce's date in Returns.

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Mon,  4 Jan  2010, 13:11
Once again, it's well written but I'm not sure I like the idea of Chip Shreck being involved in homoerotic activities.  Firstly, this plot thread could potentially border on the homophobic if you're not too careful.  Secondly, I don't see Chip in that light - he's always seemed like the typical macho alpha-male 'meathead' to me.  I guess that doesn't mean that he could have a double-life, but it just seems unlikely in this instance.

did you miss the part where vicki says that max's death drove him way past his breaking point and he did a lot of crazy sh*t?

by the way thats chapter 2, not 3. lol.

chapter 3

"pierce, that case was closed 8 years ago. everyone agrees, copplepot fried max shreck to a crisp. you're chasing a ghost here."

comissioner gordon handed d.a. pierce's motion to reopen the case of max shreck's death in december of 1992 back to him. "it doesn't hurt just to make sure we maybe didn't covered anything, you know?" pierce said as he took the papers. "i worked that case, evidence was hard to come by. we might have missed something."

gordon looked at pierce, who had a reputation for arrogance. "you? admitting you might've missed something? since when?" "well i think we should just look into it, just to be sure. for the mayor's sake."

"oh, the mayor," gordon said with a smirk. "pierce, do you want my honest opinion?" "of course i do, commisioner." "distance yourself from shreck. that farce isn't going to last long." pierce feigned being taken aback by gordon's remark. "farce? my, my, commisioner, do i sense a trace of hostility and resentment that your canidate was beaten by charles shreck?"

"pierce, i've been on this force for over a half century. i've seen just about everything the world has to offer in that time, and i've got to admit that shreck getting elected shocked the sh*t out of me."

"times change," pierce said, smiling. "times may change but some dumb jock kid who's iq was lower than his birth weight leaving the country after his father got killed, then coming back and not only running for mayor of gotham city but fooling around and actually getting ELECTED? that just doesn't happen...without something underhanded happening along with it. take my advice, ron. you don't wanna go down with him."

after pierce had departed, gordon made his way to the roof of police headquarters and turned on the batsignal, the beacon used to call on the dark knight illuminating against the cloud filled dark sky. he leaned against the batsignal and sighed.

"yes commisioner?" batman asked after arriving 20 minutes later.

"word on the street is that something big is coming," gordon said. "and we have no clue what. so be on your toes."

"is that all?" batman asked.

"no, it isn't all," gordon replied. "i don't think i'm goinna be doing this job much longer. i've been thinking about a lot of things. things i should have done, shouldn't have done, could've done better, couldn't have done worse." he paused. "and i've been thinking about who's really under that mask of yours."

batman looked at him without response. gordon coughed a laugh.

"i don't expect you to just up and tell me, but before i take a dirt nap, i don't know. i just would like to know who you really are. and, well, i guess thats it."

batman continued to look at him silently. finally, he turned to leave. "mayor shreck is behind whatever is coming," he said. "i just have a feeling." with that, he swooped into the darkness below, leaving gordon behind.

the commisoner turned off the batsignal and looked at the gotham city skyline around him.

"i'm too old for this sh*t," he said to himself.

A short, but sweet Batman/Gordon chapter.

Kinda liked that Batman, despite the years, still maintains that distance he puts between himself and others. I could see that with Keaton's Batman.

Great chapter Catwoman.  I especially liked the quote about Chip.

"times may change but some dumb jock kid who's iq was lower than his birth weight leaving the country after his father got killed, then coming back and not only running for mayor of gotham city but fooling around and actually getting ELECTED? that just doesn't happen...without something underhanded happening along with it. take my advice, ron. you don't wanna go down with him."

;D  Is that in pounds or kilograms?

metric tons.

chapter 4

the crowd cheered as mayor chip shreck stepped from a limo that had brought him to the big fundraiser ball. the event's purpose, to raise money to renovate historical sections of gotham that had been neglected and fallen into sorry shape, was all but forgotten as gotham's newest superstar arrived.

"thank you, thank you!" chip said, raising his arms in the air as he walked down the red carpet. reporters huddled around him, looking for a soundbyte. a familiar voice drowned them all out.

"mr. mayor! mr. mayor!" knox called out to the collective groan of all onlookers. "do you have any response to the allegations that your election was a fraud and a sham?"

shreck looked at him for a moment. he reached into his pocket and pulled out a $100 bill and stuffed it into knox's hand. "buy yourself a round of drinks on me, knox," he said with a smile, patting him on the shoulder. the rest of the media pushed past knox, some roughly, as they followed chip into the building.

knox grumbled, stuffing the bill into his pocket. he turned to see bruce wayne on his way up the carpet, his way cleared by the reporters' hounding of shreck. "wayne! bruce wayne!" knox shouted. "how you doin, ol' buddy?"

"buddy?" bruce asked, looking at knox for a moment. he brushed past him towards the door. knox grabbed him by the arm.

"come on, wayne, that was years ago, and besides, i thought you forgave me for it!" bruce didn't reply. "well alright then," knox added. "i know you make more money when you take a breath than i'll make in my entire life, but i need to hand down a little guidline. vicki vale's in there and-"

"vicki vale?" bruce said, interrupting him.

"yes, vicki vale, and she's here on official business so she hasn't got time to be schmoozing around with you, so keep your distance and let her work, okay?"

"you got it, knox," bruce said, turning and heading inside.

knox followed moments later. sure enough, bruce and vicki stood together, laughing at some remark one of them had made moments before knox's entrance. he gritted his teeth and seethed.

after the gala had ended, knox found vicki as fast as possible. she was still in bruce's company. "well, vicki, how'd you enjoy it?" he asked, trying in vain to get her attention.

"oh it was great," she replied softly, barely noticing him at all. annoyed, and somewhat hurt, knox turned assertive.

"well, its late, i guess i better take you home, vick," he said, taking her by the arm.

"oh thats okay," she again replied in that same soft, distant tone. "i'm riding home with bruce. you head on home and i'll talk to you tomorrow."

knox looked at her, then at bruce, then back and her, and stormed off. "the son of a bitch, he did it to me again," he grumbled under his breath.

moments later, smiling and laughing, bruce and vicki also exited the gala. a driver was waiting for bruce in the car out front. he got out and opened the door, allowing vicki and bruce to slide into the back seat, then got in and drove them off.

unbeknownst to bruce and vicki, they were being watched by another of the guests at the fundraiser, across the street in the shadows. once they were gone, selina kyle got into her own car and headed for her apartment.

meanwhile, as the gala was going on and now ending, one of gotham's power players was noticably absent. ronald pierce sat in his office, looking over papers and talking on the phone.

"look, we said you would have your payment and you will," he said. he listened for a moment. "i'm sure that won't be necessary....i understand...yes...the mayor will take care of that. I will see to it. yes sir. goodnight."

he hung up the reciever right as the door open and chip shreck slipped in.

"talk to me baby, whats the story?" chip said, slightly inebrated.

"not good," pierce replied. "boss martini wants his money, and he wants it now or else."

"he'll get it when he gets it," chip said arrogantly, sitting down and putting his feet up on pierce's desk.

"you don't understand who you're dealing with," pierce said. "this man runs the most active crime organization in the united states. he doesn't give a sh*t who you are, he will have you sleeping at the bottom of the river. and he will make sure that before that you wish you had never been born. you'll find out what pain and suffering is all about."

shreck snickered. "don't worry, ron. i've got this all taken care of. just trust me."

Great stuff Catwoman.  Really pacy and well-written.  Hopefully, you're going to let us know why Bruce has got it in for Know in a later chapter, or have I missed something?

i'm sure i'll touch on it briefly. just trying to think of something funny enough for it.

Very nice chapter.

The stuff between Knox and Bruce kinda reminds me of when Vicki revealed in Batman 1989 that she had a date with Bruce Wayne. His jealousy is still very much there.

Poor guy.  ;D

BLEH! i had to edit out a part near the end of the last chapter i posted. i put alfred in it! LOL!!!

chapter 5

"so how long have you been back in gotham?" bruce asked as he passed vicki a glass of champagne. "oh not long," she replied, taking a sip.

they made small talk, talking about vicki's assignments since her departure and the popularity boom of wayne enterprises in the mid to late 1990s, how they had brought in the new century nearly 12 months earlier, and their love interests since their mutual agreement that their relationship wouldn't, or couldn't, work.

"there was a girl named selina," bruce said with a half smile. "she was...yeah." he sighed and poured himself another glass of bubbly, then turned to vicki.

"i think you've, once again, picked the wrong time to come to gotham," he said in a low, dark tone, just shy of his batman voice. vicki shrugged. "i go where i'm sent. don't worry, i can take care of myself."

"thats the thing," bruce replied. "shreck doesn't know anything about ethics. he won't consider the consequences of doing something to a reporter, or anyone. his ignorance makes him as dangerous as anyone you've ever covered. you and knox need to back off this thing. now."

vicki looked at him for a moment. "how did you know thats what we're doing?" that little half smile again crossed bruce's face. "i'm a bat. i hear things." vicki smiled uneasily.

later that night, after vicki had gone home, bruce donned the batsuit once again and sat off on batman's night patrol of the streets of gotham in the batmobile.

he drove into the slums, where he often got a little bit of a workout, pummeling no-timer thugs, thieves, and would be rapists. as he climbed out of the batmobile and activated the car's bulletproof shields, batman scanned his surroundings. the chilly air was joined by a faint snowfall. nearly 50 decembers in gotham city had allowed bruce to acclimate himself to the conditions, but on this night, the cold oddly nipped hard at his exposed chin and lips.

brushing off the discomfort, batman walked into an alley. almost out of instinct he rubbed his hand across one of the bricks in the building lining the alley. a bullet fired by harvey dent just before his initial capture that barely missed batman's head was lodged in it. there had been other near misses in this one alley alone, but all through gotham, he had been in enough death-defying situations to know that more than just dumb luck had kept him breathing.

quietly turning a corner, batman spied two men in the midst of a drug deal. one was gesturing wildly while the other one was trying to quiet him, lest anyone be listening. staying in the shadows next to the wall, batman lurked closer, so that he could hear the two men as they argued back and forth.

"you told me you had the goods!" the first man shouted. "quieten down!" the second one pleaded. "the cops might hear us." "no cop has been in this alley in three years and you know it, eddie. now where's the goods?" "i...i...i don't have it." "well its a bad day for you, then," the first man said. he reached into his pocket and drew out a pistol and aimed it at the second man.

just as he was about to fire, a batarang emerged from the darkness, seemingly at warp speed, knocking the gun away. it went off, firing harmlessly into the wall. the would be killer turned just in time to meet batman's gloved fist. out cold from that one blow, he slumped to the ground. batman looked up at the bum who's life he'd just saved. he recognized him as one of those no-timers, a thug named eddie. they'd met many times before, the first time when batman kicked him through a wooden door on a rooftop not long before the rise of the joker.

"beat it," he growled. eddie turn and scampered into the darkness. batman waited until he'd disappeared, then looked down at the unconcious thug. just as he was reaching down to pick him up, he heard a woman snicker. he stood upright and spun around, scanning the dakrness.

"this is my territory," the woman called out. batman looked silently in the direction of the voice, squinting hard, hoping to find something distinguishable in the darkness.

suddenly a bullwhip slashed across his chin. stunned, he stepped backwards, tripping over the thug and nearly falling down. as he regained his balance, he heard the hateful laughter once again.

"like I told you all those years ago. maybe its time for you to retire."

batman's eyes widened. "selina?" he gasped. "selina where are y-"

the whip wrapped around his throat, tugging him into the shadows. the heel of a boot hit him square in his already injured chin. he staggered backwards, finally falling to the ground. by the time he regained his bearings, she was long gone, or so he thought. still dazed, he limped back to the batmobile, retracting its shields, and drove away.

just as with vicki vale two nights earlier, catwoman watched from the rooftop as he departed.

Enjoyed the build up towards the meeting of Batman and Catwoman, and the nice little nod to Batman 1989 where Johnny Gobbs' one-time acquaintance Eddie makes an appearance.   ;D

The uneasy exchange between Bruce and Vicki was good as well. Nice job on this chapter.

chapter 6

bruce spent nearly all of the next day sitting in a large chair in his study, pondering the night before.

"she's back," he finally said outloud. he repeated this line. a whirlwind of mixed emotions filled him as he sat. he could barely believe that after all this time, after eight years, selina kyle was back in gotham city.

after years of trying, bruce had given her up, not for dead, but for long lost. he had finally moved on. and now she had returned. who knew how long she had actually been there? for all he knew she could have been lurking in that alley for weeks, months even.

he couldn't help but let his mind drift to the days gone by, that all too brief time when she first entered, and left, his life. almost like a typical male, he forgot about her hostility and violence towards him the previous night and allowed himself a hopeful moment of belief that perhaps this time they could be together, once and for all.

"like a fairy tale..." he said, his voice trailing off.

quicky, reality set back in. bruce didn't even know where selina really was, only that she had been in that alley last night, and even if he found her, it was obvious that her feelings towards him were unpleasant.

meahwhile, in her apartment, selina was in the midst of her intense excercise and practice. her costume lay thrown over a chair. she instead was wearing a sports bra and shorts that wrapped snuggly around her 42-year-old frame.

she kicked and thrashed at a training bag. her shouts and grunts were loud enough that anyone in the apartment building could have heard her, but most of them were older people who knew her only as a quiet, cool hearted, steely-eyed athletic beauty who wanted nothing to do with any of them. in truth selina was fond of her fellow occupants, but her focus always was on much more important things than making small talk.

she delivered one last kick into the bag, then backflipped across the room and, without stopping, landed both of her feet into head of the male manequin she kept in her house. the head launched across the room as she flipped over the decapitated manequin, turned, and kicked it in the small of its back. the manequin broke in half and fell to the floor.

pausing only for a few moments to catch her breath, selina walked over to where the head had landed. she picked it up and studied it for a moment. then she looked before her into a mirror. her steely gaze could have cut right through a man, but she had no intentions of only using her eyes in her next showdown with the batman.

she tossed the head of the manequin behind her, picked up a towel lying on her sofa, and wiped away at her sweat-drenched hair and skin. then she sat down onto the sofa and picked up that morning's newspaper. bruce wayne's image was front and center.

selina sneered and ripped the page in half.

as bruce and selina's thoughts were on one another, though on totally different emotional planes, alex knox and vicki vale sat in her apartment, looking over the notes they had gathered about chip shreck and his election.

"you know, its kind of funny that a guy like shreck picks up so many endorsements and votes from the italians," vicki said, reading over the list of donors to shreck's campaign. "i mean this is almost like they're standing up and saying that he used mob money to get into office."

"let me see," knox said. he studied the same document for a moment, then threw his hands up.

"THIS IS IT!" he shouted. "what is?" vicki asked, confused. "look here," knox said, pointing to a name near the bottom of the list.

"eduardo valenzuela? who is that?" she asked him as she read the name aloud.

"eduardo valenzuela is a rarely-used alias of chico moran. he's just about to go down on a drug rap that could put him away for life. we tie shreck to him...wow!"

vicki giggled excitedly. "weeee've got him!" she said. "yeah, we do!" knox replied. they looked at each other, excitedly. knox, trying to seize the moment, moved towards her, trying to score a kiss. "no!" vicki shouted, ducking and throwing up her hand. knox pulled back.

"damn," he muttered moments later as he left.

bleh. :(

Good work Catwoman.  Not my favourite chapter, and I would like to see some more references to other characters but nice story development.

would you quit focusing on the other characters and stuff that you want me to put into it and just focus on what i'm putting out now? that pisses me off that i thought this was maybe my best one yet and you're judging it because i didn't put the damn ice princess in it or something.

Hey, I praised the chapter didn't I?  It was as well-written as any of your other recent chapters, if not more so, even if there was probably a little less action in it.

I thought you wanted my comments anyway, but as soon as I write something you bite my head of figuratively speaking... ::)  ;)

ok. whatever. thanks.

I am anxiously awaiting the conclusion now! Great Job!

chapter 7

ronald pierce couldn't believe the scene playing out in his office.

on one side of his desk, pistol drawn, stood boss alberto martini, one of the most ruthless crime bosses ever to live in gotham. on the other, pistol also drawn, stood mayor elect charles shreck.

"gentlemen, please, i'm sure there is another way we can resolve this," pierce said. "hell no!" martini bellowed in a thick italian accent. "this son of a bitch just insulted my family. i will make him bleed!"

"f*** you and your family," shreck arrogantly replied. "you'll get your payment when i want you to get it, and not a day sooner."

the italian's eyes blazed. he cocked his pistol, ready to shoot the new mayor down. pierce grabbed the gun and pointed it down at his desk. "no!" he cried. "no bloodshed! we're on the cusp of owning this town, you two can't blow it to hell now!"

martini looked at pierce, then at shreck, then back at pierce. he holstered his gun. "watch your back, you pig," he spat. he turned to leave.

"yeah beat it you dago bastard," shreck replied. martini turned back to him. "you will bleed from that big mouth of yours, and i will enjoy every minute of it." then he opened the door and walked out, slamming it behind him.

"CHIP! what the f*** do you think you're doing?!" pierce cried out once martini was gone.

"there ain't no one gonna push me around," shreck said, putting his own pistol away and sitting down.

"man there's a difference between being pushed around and self preservation! when you deal with a man like martini, its all about self preservation. if i hadn't stepped in, he'da -"

"he'da bled all over your carpet. thats what he would have done." shreck kicked his feet up onto the desk. "now what is this you were going to tell me about gordon? you know someone who can do the job?"

"keep your voice down!" pierce whispered, shushing him and sitting down. he leaned close to shreck. "and yeah. i have a couple cops who could pull it off. nice and quick, no witnesses. just another senseless act of violence on the streets of gotham."

shreck smirked. "and once he's out of the way, we put my boy bulloch in the comissioner's chair and bring down batman. piece of cake."

"and once he's out of the way..." pierce said. his eyes brightened as his voice trailed off.

the two men looked at each other and laughed.

Sweet!

Excellent chapter Catowman.  One of my favourites yet.  I always suspected that Chip Shreck was a racist jerk.

*Chapter 6*

Another good chapter I felt that further explored the relationship of Bruce and Selina years after the events of Batman Returns. The feelings they seem to have for one another being polar opposites is a nice touch. Where Bruce is feeling affectionate, and thoughts of "what might have been", Selina appears to hold a fair share of hostility.

The bit with Vicki and Knox was also entertaining. Old habits die hard. Especially in Knox's no luck case.  ;D


*Chapter 7*

Very entertaining chapter with Chip. I can see him being so arrogant that he probably deems himself to be invincible. Which in my estimation, is much like his old man.

It's getting interesting ...  ;)

;D

chapter 8

completely oblivious to the fact that gotham's soon-to-be mayor and the district attorney had put a hit on his life, commisioner gordon put away his files, took one last sip of coffee, grabbed his hat and coat, and prepared to leave the police station. outside, two mexican gangbangers who were hired by an associate of ronald pierce were waiting across the street in a car, guns at the ready.

"goodnight, tom," the commisioner said as he headed for the door. just before reaching it, he grasped his chest.

"commisioner? are you okay?" tom giacci, the top leutinent in the gotham pd asked. "i...i don't know," gordon replied, short of breath. "here, let me help you out, i'll take you go the hospital," lt. giacci said, opening the door and helping gordon out and down the stairs towards a police car.

just as they reached the car, commisioner gordon collapsed into the snow on the sidewalk...at the exact instant the gangbangers opened fire. lt. giacci was hit in the shoulder but managed to pull his pistol and return fire. hearing the shots, two more officers rushed out, guns drawn, and also opened fire. the gangbangers peeled away, having failed to kill commisioner gordon, who lay next to the police car, uninjured by the gunfire but trying desperately to catch his breath.

"get him in the car and get him to the hospital," lt. giacci shouted as he clutched his wounded shoulder. the other two officers complied, gently but swiftly placing commisioner gordon in the backseat.

"how is he?" ronald pierce asked 45 minutes later, looking through the window of gordon's hospital room door at the sleeping commisioner.

"he's suffered a mild heart attack, but he should be okay," one of the doctors replied. pierce merely nodded, not taking his eyes off gordon. without a word he turned to leave. right about then, he heard a nurse yell "no media allowed in here! this is a hospital!" and the signiature voice of alex knox.

"d.a. pierce! d.a. pierce! what can you tell us about the commisioner's condition and the attempt on his life?" knox asked, putting a tape recorder to pierce's mouth. pierce looked at him for a moment, then harshy swiped knox's hand away, sending the tape recorder flying. he shoved knox aside and pushed his way past the crowd of people who'd assembled behind knox and left the hospital.

shaken, knox regained his composure and retrieved his tape recorder...which had landed in a patient's empty food tray. he wiped off the jell-o on his pant leg and left the hospital as well.

the next day, as news of commisioner gordon's brush with death spread, bruce wayne had no doubt that chip shreck had had a hand in the assassination attempt. still, he knew he couldn't lay a hand on shreck without tangible evidence of his involvement, so he turned his mind elsewhere.

donning the large dark sunglasses he always wore when he wanted privacy when out in public, he climbed into one of his mercedes benzes (low class for him) and drove through a gentle snowfall into the city. parking his car in a large parking garage, he got out and took a walk towards the alleyway where he and selina had met again. even though it was one of the most dangerous areas of gotham, bruce was unpreturbed. it was midday, damn cold, and he had a mission.

he knew he probably wouldn't find selina, but he stepped into that alley just the same, looking around. before long though, he realized he should probably leave. it troubled him to see a couple of homeless people, one who appeared to have frozen to death, exposed to the elements without a dime to their name while he was dressed warmly in a very expensive suit, coat, and leather gloves.

he turned and exited the way he came. walking a short way on the sidewalk, he decided to pay vicki a quick visit while he was out. however his cell phone was dead, and not wanting to visit her uninvited, he stepped into an apartment building.

"um, hi, may i use your phone for a second?" he asked the man at the desk. "what does this look like?" the man replied harshly with a light italian accent. "a f***ing phone booth?" bruce looked at him for a moment, then nodded and began to turn away. as he did, he noticed a woman standing at the apartment mailboxes.

her face looked stunningly familiar, though he didn't recognize her as a brunette. his eyes moved lower. in spite of the bitter cold outside and the light chill in the building as a result, she was wearing a tank top that was frayed at the bottom, exposing her midriff. bruce studied her stomach for a moment. two tale-tale marks that blemished her fair skin near her navel confirmed it.

"selina!" he called out. startled, she nearly dropped her mail. she turned to him. as soon as she saw who it was, her face contorted to one of disgust and anger. she turned to head back up the stairs.

"selina, wait!" he called, rushing behind her. just as he reached the base of the stairs, she spun, landing a kick into his stomach. he sagged backwards against the wall just as she pinned him to it with the sole of her bare foot against his mouth. she glared at him for a moment, before pulling her foot back and kicking him in the chest. he slumped against the wall, sliding to the floor. without a word, she turned and headed up the stairs.

after regaining his composure, bruce got up and limped out of the apartment building. he returned to the parking garage and drove home, forgetting about his plans to meet vicki.

btw after i finish this i'm going to write a story just about selina from the end of batman returns to this story, all from her point of view. maybe even in first person.

nice reference of the rooftop kick from Batman Returns. apparently Bruce never sees that coming!

The first person Catwoman story should be quite a read!

I'm digging your new signature banner, Catwoman. Great still indeed. You really like that sequence, don't you.  ;)

You know, one of these days I'm going to write a Batman fan fiction on here. It would blow away all the competition. I just need the time.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 04:04
I'm digging your new signature banner, Catwoman. Great still indeed. You really like that sequence, don't you.  ;)

yup.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 04:04
You know, one of these days I'm going to write a Batman fan fiction on here. It would blow away all the competition. I just need the time.

You're not lacking for confidence The Dark Knight, although some would arguably describe that statement as arrogant.   :P  It's all very well stating that if you had the time you would blow us all away with your literary masterpiece, but until you put your money where your mouth is the jury's still out... ;)

well jury, is the jury going to tell me what they thoughto f my last chapter?

Pretty good Catwoman.  I'm also intrigued by your prequel featuring Catwoman.

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 06:19
It's all very well stating that if you had the time you would blow us all away with your literary masterpiece, but until you put your money where your mouth is the jury's still out... ;)

Are you trying to anger me into proving you wrong?

How do you think I would do?

I pose this question to everyone here.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 06:59
Are you trying to anger me into proving you wrong?

How do you think I would do?

I pose this question to everyone here.

I'm sure your fanfic would be great Dark Knight, but to use yet another cliche, 'the proof is in the pudding' (whatever that means), and I don't think anyone here's got the right to declare their work the best unless they are prepared to have it judged alongside other people's.

Anyway, if angering you is the best way to get you to write some of your own fanfi , then sure, I'm angering you.   ;)

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:11
I'm sure your fanfic would be great Dark Knight, but to use yet another cliche, 'the proof is in the pudding' (whatever that means), and I don't think anyone here's got the right to declare their work the best unless they are prepared to have it judged alongside other people's.

I am entitled to my opinion and it is my right as a member to express it.

Of course her work instantly wins by default when there is nothing to judge it against. But do you seriously think she can top me?!

I am willing to have any work judged by the people here, but I do not have any Batman fan fiction to post, nor the time for it. Nor would I be dishing up sub-standard work for the sake of it. Unlike some.

I?d just need a story worth getting behind. A story that I can invest myself in and which I have genuine passion for. The story would most likely centre around Batman Returns. A prequel or something.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:26
Of course her work instantly wins by default when there is nothing to judge it against. But do you seriously think she can top me?!

Are you being humorous? I can't tell.

*Chapter 8*

Another interesting chapter.

The attempt on Gordon's life was entertaining to say the least, as was the "divine intervention" that ultimately proved to save his life. Very nice touch, as I personally enjoy the notion of unforeseen circumstances preventing, or causing a characters death rather than everything being pre-meditated and going exactly according to plan.

The Bruce/Selina brief confrontation was good too.

All in all .. looking forward to the next chapter, Catwoman.

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:26


Of course her work instantly wins by default when there is nothing to judge it against. But do you seriously think she can top me?!

I am willing to have any work judged by the people here, but I do not have any Batman fan fiction to post, nor the time for it. Nor would I be dishing up sub-standard work for the sake of it. Unlike some.

if you want to turn this into a competition by all means do it. just let it be known i'm not looking for that. i just want people to enjoy what i'm writing.

and i don't dish up a damn thing for the sake of anything. until you have something constructively critical to say instead of just saying i "dish up substandard work for the sake of it" and not offering any opinions, all i hear is blah, blah blah.

Quote from: The Joker on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 14:17


*Chapter 8*

Another interesting chapter.

The attempt on Gordon's life was entertaining to say the least, as was the "divine intervention" that ultimately proved to save his life. Very nice touch, as I personally enjoy the notion of unforeseen circumstances preventing, or causing a characters death rather than everything being pre-meditated and going exactly according to plan.

The Bruce/Selina brief confrontation was good too.

All in all .. looking forward to the next chapter, Catwoman.

thank you. i'm glad someone caught that. i was gunna have him get shot but survive and then i was gonna have him have the heart attack and the leuitenent get his head blown off but then i just decided to let everyone live. except the gangbangers as you will see shortly. ;D

Quote from: Catwoman on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 14:36
except the gangbangers as you will see shortly. ;D

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg715.imageshack.us%2Fimg715%2F413%2Fthesimpsonsmrburnsexcel.jpg&hash=90ca4049be1c40860e1743bda24aba8b010c10c6)

*gigglesnort*

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:26

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:11
I'm sure your fanfic would be great Dark Knight, but to use yet another cliche, 'the proof is in the pudding' (whatever that means), and I don't think anyone here's got the right to declare their work the best unless they are prepared to have it judged alongside other people's.

Of course her work instantly wins by default when there is nothing to judge it against.

TDK your statement flys in the face of what johnnygobbs said.  There is absolutely no reason to attack catwoman's fan-fic or start a fan-fic pissing contest.

I have to give you a public warning The Dark Knight - for repeated attacks and statements of the member Catwoman.

If you would like to discuss the matter further, by all means PM me or one of the other mods.

Quote from: ral on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 13:27

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 07:26
Of course her work instantly wins by default when there is nothing to judge it against. But do you seriously think she can top me?!

Are you being humorous? I can't tell.

Well, I am being purposefully arrogant here. And it's clearly directed towards Catwoman. So yeah, I am being humorous. I know what I am doing. You do not. Me and Catwoman have a sort of mock strictness relationship, I think. But you have to put an emoticon after every single thing these days it seems.

Quote from: Catwoman on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 14:34and i don't dish up a damn thing for the sake of anything. until you have something constructively critical to say instead of just saying i "dish up substandard work for the sake of it" and not offering any opinions, all i hear is blah, blah blah.

Hold on, where did I specifically target you in that sentence? My statement was a generalization and not at all specific to you. If I was going to name names, I would have done so. But I did not.

Quote from: ral on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 18:28
There is absolutely no reason to attack catwoman's fan-fic or start a fan-fic pissing contest.

I did not maliciously attack her work and that was not my intention. You see what you want to see and are assuming. You are filling in gaps that aren't there. And if you see it that way, have you ever heard of competitive spirit? Even if I did attack her work, I do not truly mean it. Don't take everything to heart.

Quote from: ral on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 18:28
I have to give you a public warning The Dark Knight - for repeated attacks and statements of the member Catwoman.

If it makes you feel proud, do it - but it?s an unnecessary over-reaction that misses the point.

Quote from: ral on Mon,  1 Feb  2010, 18:28
If you would like to discuss the matter further, by all means PM me or one of the other mods.

No thanks. I have been accused of things and I don?t want to isolate the truth to your inbox. I want everybody to see it.

But yeah, I would trounce Catwoman?s work.  ;) - LOOK here's an emoticon.

i saw what you said before you edited it. but its fine. and let the record show that i did not ask for ral to warn you.

i'm done talking about this and if you guys aren't then do it in another post. this is for my story. not you guys' collective who's balls are bigger contest.

Quote from: Catwoman on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:51
i saw what you said before you edited it.

?

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:54

Quote from: Catwoman on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:51
i saw what you said before you edited it.

?

i don't remember what it was but the last part looks different. like i said its fine, i'm not talking about it anymore and if you guys want to DO IT IN ANOTHER POST. this isn't my board but its MY post.

Quote from: Catwoman on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:58

Quote from: The Dark Knight on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:54

Quote from: Catwoman on Tue,  2 Feb  2010, 07:51
i saw what you said before you edited it.

?

i don't remember what it was but the last part looks different. like i said its fine, i'm not talking about it anymore and if you guys want to DO IT IN ANOTHER POST. this isn't my board but its MY post.

The post was edited numerous times so that I could fit in everything I wanted to say. And those things came to me at different times.

The core message remains exactly the same. Nowhere in previous formats of the post do I specifically name you or change my slant. If you want to get serious, ask ral to dig into the history of the site and look into that.

Anyway, you state everything is fine, so that?s what matters. It is no-one else?s business.

End of story.

Let the thread continue.

well i don't want to open old wounds (yea 2 weeks ago = old lol) but i think the dark knight killed this story.

No need to stop writing the story.

The previous one didn't get finished, but this one does.

Continue!

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg218.imageshack.us%2Fimg218%2F7631%2Fcatwaiting.gif&hash=4d2eee8e57412a862fbc245f2724a1435dac85e1)

wow what an intimidating kitty!   :-[

Quote from: Catwoman on Thu, 11 Feb  2010, 04:04
wow what an intimidating kitty!   :-[

This kitty perfectly conveyed my reaction to the prospect of having read yet another piece of un-finished work.

>:(  ;D

 :-\

chapter 9

"get them out of here," pierce demanded, gesturing to the two women on either side of the leather couch in chip shreck's penthouse apartment, their arms wrapped around the soon to be mayor and occasionally each other.

"but we just started," one of them said sexilly before she leaned over to the other girl and they allowed their tongues to lock together. "GET OUT!" he shouted. he pulled back his jacket to reveal a gun. the two girls squealed and jumped off the couch, gathering their clothes as shreck glared at pierce. "and you wipe that sour-assed look off your face, boy," the district attorney said.

once the girls were gone, shreck threw his arms up. "what the hell was that all about?"

"gordon is still alive," pierce said, sitting in a chair adjacent to the couch. shreck leaned forward and flipped the coffee table over in anger. "i thought you said he would be taken care of!" he growled.

pierce settled back into the chair and propped his feet up on the leg of the overturned table. "it doesn't matter," he said, clasping his fingers together. "what do you mean it doesn't matter?!" shreck cried, throwing his arms up. it was an odd shift in attitude for both, as previously it had been shreck with all the confidence.

"he's out of comission regardless," pierce said. "a heart attack at his age, there's no way they'll let him back in command, at least not right away. bulloch will be the acting commisioner. that's all we need."

at ease, shreck smiled and laughed with more than a hint of malice.

pierce left moments later, and shreck walked over to his desk to read over some papers. he had been there only a moment when he heard the doorbell ring. "come in!" he called, figuring it to be pierce returning. the door opened and alexander knox poked his head inside.

"gooooooood evening, mayor!" he grinned, stepping inside. "knox!" shreck glared. "get the hell out of here!" "oh i will," the reporter said, "but i brought you something first." he held up a little yellow folder.

shreck looked at him for a moment. "okay, sit down."

"well i'll get right to it," knox said as he took the seat across from chip. "we have the documents here tying you to chico moran. now what do you think gotham city would think of its new mayor getting into office on the dime of a drug lord and a thug like that?"

"we? we who?" shreck asked. "vicki vale, my photographer," knox replied, "but that isn't important. what's important is that we have in black and white ink the goods to bring you down, and to do it hard."

shreck sat back in his chair. "so what do you want?" he asked. "it isn't what we want," knox said. "its whether you want to go down and probably go to prison or if you want to salvage a little dignity while leaving office." shreck looked at him, saying nothing, so knox continued. "you can save your name, and your dad's name, by doing the right thing and coming clean. people will forgive you and within ten years it'll be forgotten."

shreck looked around for a moment. "so what do i do?" he asked. knox pulled out a piece of paper. "just sign next to the x," he said with a grin, leaning across the desk and handing it to him. shreck sighed and took the paper. "you got a pen?"

knox patted at his pockets, and shook his head. "thats okay, i got one in my drawer, i'm sure," shreck said, opening a drawer and putting his hand in. from it he withdrew a pistol and without changing expression shot knox in the heart. he slumped back into the chair, a look of shock frozen on his face.

shreck looked at him for a moment, then picked up his phone. "pierce, its shreck. get back over here. we've got a problem."

Awesome chapter Catwoman.  I knew Knox had it coming ( :'(), though it's a pity that he gave Shreck Vicki's name, although I suppose that was necessary for the plot.

Shreck also revealed his true colours, and the intro with the two woman wrapped around him captured his playboy buffoon character perfectly.

The death of Knox.

Well, that was pretty shocking!  :o

You know, Pierce and Chip have really become some despicable character's in this story. Should be very interesting to see what happens with Vicki Vale finds out her partner was murdered. Odds are she will be even more determined to bring Chip and Pierce down. In Batman Returns, it was Selina who got her revenge on Max. In this Batman: Tribulation and Revelation, it certainly appears as if it will be Vicki who will get her revenge on Chip.


Good to see this continuing despite the diversions.  ;D

Quote from: The Joker on Thu, 18 Feb  2010, 23:14

The death of Knox.

Well, that was pretty shocking!  :o

You know, Pierce and Chip have really become some despicable character's in this story. Should be very interesting to see what happens with Vicki Vale finds out her partner was murdered. Odds are she will be even more determined to bring Chip and Pierce down. In Batman Returns, it was Selina who got her revenge on Max. In this Batman: Tribulation and Revelation, it certainly appears as if it will be Vicki who will get her revenge on Chip.


Good to see this continuing despite the diversions.  ;D

kitty made me.  :-[

Quote from: johnnygobbs on Thu, 18 Feb  2010, 20:31
Awesome chapter Catwoman.  I knew Knox had it coming ( :'(), though it's a pity that he gave Shreck Vicki's name, although I suppose that was necessary for the plot.

Shreck also revealed his true colours, and the intro with the two woman wrapped around him captured his playboy buffoon character perfectly.

how did you know he had it coming?

lol the part where the joker put my story's name in italics gave me chills and made me feel all important. yay.

This is gettin' good!! Quick somebody show her the kitty again!

Quote from: Catwoman on Fri, 19 Feb  2010, 00:29
lol the part where the joker put my story's name in italics gave me chills and made me feel all important. yay.

(https://www.batman-online.com/forum/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fimg683.imageshack.us%2Fimg683%2F8035%2Fjacksmile.gif&hash=1366ed5ed90ccf679606c429760f5f6e3c15170c)

;D

Quote from: gordonblu on Fri, 19 Feb  2010, 03:46
This is gettin' good!! Quick somebody show her the kitty again!

so it wasn't good before? HUMPH! i know when i've been insulted!

Quote from: Catwoman on Fri, 19 Feb  2010, 00:29
how did you know he had it coming?

'cos he's Knox, plus as soon as he confronted Chip with his evidence it was clear he wasn't going to stick around for a sequel.

cause he's knox? he made it through the first one. lol.

Quote from: Catwoman on Sat, 20 Feb  2010, 00:10
cause he's knox? he made it through the first one. lol.

In the original script for Batman he died.  Plus, I'm sure I've read other fanfiction where he dies, or other people suggest that they would have killed him off in a sequel.  I like Knox a lot.  He's one of my favourite characters, but since he was entirely made-up by the filmmakers and did not originate from the comics, I can see how he might be seen as kind of disposable.

Anyway, I wasn't knocking your story.  I thought it made sense for him to be killed within the context of your fanfic.

ok.

chapter 10

"WHAT THE f*** WERE YOU THINKING?!" pierce bellowed, looking over the body of alex knox, still sitting in the chair, eyes still open wide. chip shreck said nothing, slumped down in his chair, his eyes cast downward on his desk.

"i asked you a question!" pierce snapped again, though this time at a lower volume. again shreck was quiet. pierce took the gun on the desk in his right hand, grabbed shreck's collar with his left, and jerked him up. "you better explain what the hell happened here or i'm gonna do the job for martini myself," he said, pressing the gun to shreck's chin.

"the son of a bitch was trying to blackmail me," shreck finally said. "they had these papers tying us to moran and they were going to go public with them." "they? they who?" pierce asked, releasing his grip on chip and setting the gun down.

"he said it was some photographer. bale? becky bale?" "that'd be vicki vale," pierce said. "she's here in gotham to cover your election, and i know where her apartment is. lets go."

meanwhile, at her apartment, vicki vale lay sprawled across the couch, a mystery novel in her hand. knox had told her nothing of his plan to visit chip, so she had no reason to worry for him at all, much less consider the possibility that he had been killed and that shreck and pierce were on their way to shut her up as well.

she was immersed in her book when the phone rang, startling her. she fumbled with the cordless reciever for a moment before getting it to her ear. "hello?" she asked.

"vicki, hi, its bruce." "oh hi bruce, how are you doing?"

bruce looked down at the ice pack he had applied to his chest and felt the one he had put on the back of his neck to take the sting off of the abuse selina had inflicted earlier and replied, "not so good."

they had only been talking for a couple minutes when vicki heard her doorbell ring. "hold on," she said to bruce as she walked over to door. before she could open it, it was kicked open. she was stunned to see chip shreck standing before her. without a word he punched her in the stomach, causing her to drop the phone. the thud as it hit the floor and her gasp for air after being hit alerted bruce that she was in trouble. he immediately slammed the phone down and rushed to the batcave to suit up.

"so, you thought you could play hardball with chip shreck, did you?" the mayor elect asked menacingly as vicki doubled over, clutching her stomach. he slouched and threw an uppercut that struck her in the chin, sending her backwards onto the floor. then he and pierce stepped inside, closing the door behind them. pierce slammed his foot down on the phone, shattering it, unaware that it had already had signaled a would-be savior for vicki.

as vicki tried to stand, chip walked over and roughly grabbed her by her hair, pulling her up and slamming her onto the couch. then he let loose a barage of punches that busted vicki's nose and lip. "its over, bitch," he said. "what do you want?" vicki cried out, her arms still wrapped around her abdomen. chip punched her across the face.

"you know exactly what i want. i want to know just what made that little nancy boy knox think he could barge right into my palace and try to take whats mine." "i don't know what you're talking about!" vicki screamed. shreck hit her once again. "i guess i'll just have to give you what i gave him then." he pulled out his gun and pointed it at her.

vicki looked at shreck, stunned. "you, you killed him?" shreck said nothing. anger crossed her face. she started to stand. shreck pulled her to him, putting the gun to her stomach, and fired.

vicki gasped and stumbled back. she looked at shreck, then at pierce. they each wore cold, emotionless expressions. she tried to cry out, but it was choked off by the blood that she coughed out. finally she collapsed. shreck looked at her for a moment. "lets get out of here," pierce said. they both exited, leaving her to die.

within moments, batman arrived. seeing that the door had been kicked in, he rushed into the apartment. as soon as he was inside, his attention was drawn to the streak of blood on the carpet.

"NO!" he thought as he followed its trail around the edge of the couch, where he found vicki, having tried to crawl to another phone in order to call for help. he knelt beside her and turned her over. when her vacant gaze reached his, he knew he was too late.

chapter 11

batman sat atop the building across from the one where vicki's apartment was. he watched as the cloth-draped stretcher carrying her body was wheeled out and placed into a coroner's van. as it drove into the distance, he knelt against the ledge, weeping silently for her and for the fact that he had not been able to save her. in his mind, he was certain that shreck was responsible, though he figured it to be the work of a hired hand, not the mayor himself.

as he wept and the anger within him grew, his sobs were joined by low pitched growls. a thirst for vengence he hadn't felt since the moment he realized it was jack napier who had killed his parents when he was only 8 years old filled him. his hands slowly clenched into fists, grasping some of the snow that had fallen on the ledge.

"let another woman die, did you?" he heard a voice say cruely from behind.

he turned around to see catwoman standing there. he was so overcome by anger and grief that all he could think to say to her was "shut up." catwoman drew out her whip and swung it, cracking it at his feet. "seems anytime a woman needs your help, this is how it turns out," she continued.

"i tried to save her. just like i tried to save you," he said, his voice and hands now shaking from all the emotion coursing through him. "i tried!"

"you tried," catwoman spat bitterly, "but you didn't. maybe this time you'll take my advice and take off that little mask of yours and quit playing dress up before you get someone else killed, you selfish old fool."

batman's eyes blazed with hatred as her words hit him. she swung her whip towards him one more time. he raised his arm, allowing it to wrap around his wrist, then jerked her towards him. he headbutted her, then did a spin kick into her stomach. before she could recover, he backhanded her, sending her to her knees. just when he was about to deliver a finishing blow, she swept his feet out from under him and leapt atop him. when she landed, she thrust her claws into his sides, causing him to howl.

"i should have killed you when i had the chance!" she cried. "but no, i had to be blinded by the morals of it all, and look what it got me!" she pulled her right hand claws out of him and backhanded him, scratching his face. "i had max right where i wanted him, and you had to f*** it all up, trying to play the great defender!" then she slashed the other side. "four, five, still alive! six, seven, all good girls go to heaven!" she screamed.

batman said nothing, just looking up at her. he sighed. catwoman looked down at him for a moment. her look of anger and bitterness softened into one of great sadness.

"oh bruce," she whimpered, collapsing onto him, placing her head onto his chest. he was taken aback by the sound of her crying softly, but then he brought his arms up and wrapped them around her. for several moments, they lay there, unmoving as the snow fell gently upon them.

the next day, word spread throughout gotham that vicki had been murdered and that knox was missing. no one knew that his body had been dumped by shreck and pierce into the gotham river just minutes before they headed to vicki's apartment, but most assumed that wherever he was, he was no longer among the living.

none aside from bruce wayne believed that mayor shreck could have been involved, and no one, thought of district attorney pierce much at all to begin with. without any evidence - yet - to bring against shreck, though he was as of yet unaware of pierce's invovlement, bruce felt it best to keep quiet. as he stood amongst a crowd of what seemed like hundreds outside the gotham police headquarters as acting commisioner harvey bulloch announced the investigation into the murder of vicki and knox's disappearance, however, his blood boiled.

*Chapter 10*

Wow. And here I was thinking Vicki was going to get some sort of revenge on Chip for murdering her friend, Knox! Pretty shocking chapter, and one that was fairly distressing as well. Especially with Chip attacking Vicki in such a violent way.

*Chapter 11*

I enjoyed the interactions between Catwoman and Batman in this where she obviously still holds a grudge against him, and apparently knows just the words to say in order to hurt him in his time of sorrow following Vicki's death. Though it was nice to see her finally break down and admit her feelings for him as they embraced one another in the snow. Good stuff.

what can i say? i love throwing curveballs.

Soon you'll have no characters left...

sure i will

excited to announce that i have a new draft for this story i'm going to start on that is somewhat like this and a good bit not. it will definately have an homage to the first movie, not just returns. stay tuned :)

You are a terrible tease(old news, I know). You get us breathlessly waiting for the finale(except maybe Dark Knight ;D) and then you start over! I want to know how THIS one ends!

thats the thing. even i don't know. so i have to start over. :-[