At night Gotham never stayed quiet. The hearings of forever sirens and car honks always and always will be heard from a mile away. But it never bothered the Dark Knight. For five days he’s been chasing the leakage of poison water that drives right out of the facet sinks of every million residents that live around the city. It spread thin clean the first Monday right after the Kane building had collapsed.
Last night, his source from familiar enemy told him information of a recent change in water supply. With his source held up, Batman declined the help to be shown and rather see for himself. What he discovered when turning the facet on secured his thoughts on poison water that is now running through every pipeline under Gotham. He took sample before leaving the source up on the ceiling, and returned to the cave analyzing the sample.
His answers came in seconds through the computer, indeed a water supply poison. One that can enter stream of person’s throat by consuming it, and can cause serene damage to the kidneys and the eyes leading to intoxication to the blood cells and the heart. The answer and even the case itself had him thinking that night about a case he solved one year back. But something to back of his mind tells him this is not the same case. This is a short and run case. Someone’s playing with lives of others by poison. And he wants to know why, and that’s why he’s starting in the sewers.
Standing at the end of the tunnel, he finally pulled out his flashlight. Beaming it to the dark waters. He inhaled the rich nasty smell of polluted dirty waters, the clash of dead rats and burning smell enter the clouded mustard air. Batman swept through pushing with his boots through three feet up dirty waters that spread fifty inches away and around the tunnels. His eyes through the white visible lenses meet the end of the tunnel to another tunnel. Blackness. Staring right back at him.
He raised the flashlight high, seeing uncalled patterns of the stoned built tunnels, molds of plants growing to the ceiling. He walked quarter of one mile getting to other side of the tunnel, and at last, he found the door he had been looking for. The gray door. He touched the rusted doorknob, and pushed it up. The door never opened. Not bothered to waste more time hatching a familiar time early in his crimefighting career, he turned right, flashing the light toward left tunnel entrance. The outer tunnel looked big, rounded solid stone.
No water on the floor. Only molded mass growing grass. He walked into that outer tunnel. Close to fifty inches almost of one mile he walked, until he walked through the outer tunnel. While at walking, he can hear it. The sounds of machinery. The flowing water running outside the outer tunnel. He’s around the water pump base. The North pump. Exactly where he needs to be. He walked more flashing a light ahead, eyes meeting to the electric light they use for construction sitting at the corner wall of the tunnel.
He placed his flashlight away in pouch of the belt, readying himself seeing more construction lights. He finally stepped out the outer tunnel into the system core sewage building. No windows at his sights. The air now thicken in heat and cold. The furnace above pumping out hot air. Thousands of pipelines running everywhere and around the railing floor beneath his feet. How one can build such a thing he hadn’t a clue. By the looks of the frontal railings this was built last minute. Recently, he thought.
The city never ordered city issue maintenance to look at this, he knows it because where are the tools that maintenance employees use after they are finished? They can be carried by bag, but with much pipelines as this, it would’ve took them three days. And three days would’ve cost them. Someone did this themselves.
And where Batman stares at, the heart of the water pipeline. Someone restored it to the bottom. Batman sniffs the air without looking up, inhaling not the dirty waters that are way behind him, but the molded stench of metal. The railings built up from the top and around guarding the giant furnace pipeline. He believes every pipe controls and runs through every pipe going up to many homes of residents in this area. Only way he can restore in bringing the clean water is by shutting the furnace off, and breaking the pipelines.
He walked to the frontal pipeline, and begin retrieving miniature cutter and started slicing the first pipeline leading to poison water leak to the railing crate floor. It took Batman twenty minutes to cut every build water pipeline before going over to the lever on the wall that’s says do not shut off. He pulled the lever down, and turned to hear water no longer flowing underneath the concealed tubes. He hears metal clanging the pipelines. Certain scratch noise sounds to the side of the pipelines. He stares up to the shadows of the ceiling. He retrieved flashlight, walked one step at a time, and flashed a light to the ceiling finding rounded metal tubes around the furnace, wrapped and harvesting it like a plant eater after flies. He turned to the right corner of the ceiling and saw the webbing metal tube drop to the floor.
Another tube dropped to the floor behind him. He turned left at the corner ceiling and met eyes with the glowing green visor of the figure hidden in the vent, tubes rolling out the palm of his hands. Batman quicken a hand to the pouch grabbing batarang between his hand, and threw it to the vent where figure perched. The figure moved into the vent. Batman moved the light toward the silver metal vents, and retrieved grapnel hook, switched button to assembly claw, and shot the claw to the corner of the vent, and pulled the vent with the claw attachment down. The vent shot down, and the figure groaned behind the mask.
He rose like a spider on two feet, and shot a tube toward the Dark Knight — Batman ducked and threw second batarang not at the target’s hand but his right side of the stomach. The suspect laid his hand down turning to feel the electric shock around his body. He screamed through the mask, and backflipped to the right side turning to run into the outer tunnel. Batman chased after him, bolting like a tiger after his prey. His flashlight still in his hand, but he didn’t need it. He can see clear as day the suspect in glowing green of the suit he wore giving dark light. The chase went far, and long down the tunnel.
And still Batman was not inch closer to the suspect. Come minute of running down the tunnel, they now stepped in four feet high of dirty water at their torso. Batman moved fast as he can locking eyes with the suspect until he stopped himself looking to the right of the darkened tunnel. Remembering the way he went last time after escaping the Court of Owls reign. He looked to the suspect. Then moved into the darkened tunnel, running down with the flashlight held up to see further.
The suspect stopped running down the ends of the tunnel, and now escaped to the outside night. He huffed and turned around facing the dark tunnels. Not seeing or hearing the dark knight. He shrugged his shoulders believing he had lost the dark knight. He walked to the concrete railings, pulling himself up to the stairs, and shooting tube up to the ledge of the rooftop. When he ascended, he grabbed hold of the ledge, and lifted his visor helmet, and his eyes meet the flowing cape of the Batman. Standing there arms crossed.
“Damn you.” The suspect spoke, and retracted his reach dropping down to the pavement, head moving up to the ledge. He faced forward running down the alleyway. He didn’t look behind him.
At last, he stopped the end of the alley, stepping out to the sidewalk, eyes meeting the left to right of the sidewalk not seeing a single soul or car come up or down the street. He turned to the ledge finally and saw nothing. He thought Batman was playing chicken, but playing in shadows. Messing with him to run. The suspect ran into the glass window of the building. He stopped looking around to find seats everywhere. He searched around one more time, then jumped onto the table, eyeing the vent through the visors.
Opened the vent, and shot up. Not bothered to come through the entrance where his suspect gone. Batman went through the back exit door. He stepped quietly into the lobby. Eyes meeting to every seat. He knows the suspect is not hiding around the seats. And is not behind the kitchen area either. He stepped to the right of the floor, flashing a light down to the white marble floor. He looked left at the area and could see plain as day, the vent left on the floor. He’s here, Batman thought. Batman controlled his movement around the leather chairs in right area. He kept his head still. Afterward he stopped mid way, leaning to check underneath tables.
At the opened ceiling vent, the suspect landed carefully at ground, his movement strong and stiff to not engage in fast movements. He stepped toward the center of the floor. His palm raised, visor eyes meeting the back of the dark knight’s lengthly cape. At last he had the Batman in his sights. But as he came closer, the Batman leaned more into the seat, and then, the Batman rolled to the right, standing back up firing trigger that shot two long poles toward the suspect’s position.
The poles connected with the frontal chest plate of the suspect armor, and it pierced through, then sent vast electric shockwaves around the suspect’s armor and helmet, causing him to groan in fear, head staring up to the ceiling, he lowered his head slowly watching as Batman came closer with the taser gun in his hand.
“It took me time to figure out where you were going when I noticed the flow of water.” Batman said. “You had me fooled believing you can approach me in the shadows. But you forgotten one thing. You play in the shadows, and you always will get caught.” Batman added.
The poles released from the suspect’s armor causing him to drop the floor on both knees, he inhaled hard, pressing one button to the side of the mask. His helmet dropped to the floor letting him to breathe clean fresh air of the night thanks to the window entrance he created.
“What was your plan with the water supply?” Batman asked cleanly.
The suspect shook his head. “Cross the lake of deadly snakes.”
“What?” Batman said placing the taser gun back in his pouch, stopping before the suspect. “What does that mean Cipher?”
“It means —” The suspect named Cipher looked up to Batman, raising palm.
Batman moved his shoulder and torso rightward watching the glowing tube shoot toward the solid wall hitting the framed picture. Batman turned dropping fast bladed elbow to the glowing tube cutting it in half, then kicking the suspect toward the table. Cipher groaned, raising another hand.
“That’s enough.” Batman said to him, walking straight toward him. A hand grabbing the taser at his belt, then another retrieving three batarangs between his fingers. “You’re finished.”
“You do not understand.” Cipher cried, dropping the hand down while sweat broke out into his face. “You weren’t supposed to know.”
“Know about what?” Batman replied.
“The furnace. It doesn’t produce heat, it produces waving signals in the air.”
“The air? What have you done?”
“What we have done you mean.” Cipher said underneath his breath looking towards the window.
“Talk to me. What exactly have you done to this city?”
Cipher looked back at him. “I dropped the snake.”
Batman turned to the shattered glass window. Then looked back at Cipher who now rests his hand on the leather seat. Batman retrieved the cuffs, and threw heavy punch to Cipher’s face leaving him cold to the floor. He slapped the cuffs on Cipher’s wrist and turned to walk right out the restaurant. He looked down the street. And retrieved the device to his hand, he pressed a button then placed it away in his pouch. He tapped side of his cowl.
“Patch me through the Montoya.”
“Connecting.” The computer software said.
“Connected.”
“I’m afraid I can’t talk right now ug—”
“Cipher is behind the Kane’s building collapse. Him and Meltdown were behind the scheme. There’s a snake and we missed him.”
“Damnit. About that urgent problem I almost referred to you, it’s about a breakout. It happened one hour ago. Police are here, and DIA, Forbes task force is here too. I’m only behind the scenes gathering what I can. Nothing looks normal about this — someone breached the cell open with a curved knife, stabbed many guards. Shot inmates one by one. And one of them was our latest crime case.”
“Who and where?” Batman asked.
“Johnny Viti. He’s in the Infirmary facility . Doctors say he’s lucky. And the where.. Blackgate.”
Batman eyes narrowed up to the night skylines of the city. Echoes of the sirens and car honks meet his ears. A voice runs out the side of the ear. He pushes it out. Only thinking about the snake. And thinking about meltdown, and now Cipher. And question ran up to him, why take down the oldest building in Gotham, and why now? As he thought of this, he can hear Montoya still talking.
“Batman, are you listening?” She asked.
“I’m here. Let me know what else you find. Thank you, Montoya.”
The call disconnects. Batman stands there on the sidewalk. The cold strong wind blowing right through his cape as he stares down to the back of the street. The snake he thought.

Like any kind of Airport, Gotham’s International Airport came with built private runways for returning visitors and rich weathers who owned their own private jets. Across the runway, two parked black SUV sat there awaiting for the incoming jet to land. The private jet soared downwards, its wheels lifting down, and at good speed it impacted the jet to land carefully onto the runway grounds. Plane wheels spin creating screech noise. The jet rolled right beside the yellow lines, and stopped nineteen inches beside the parked black SUV’s.
The first to get out of the SUV was a man dressed in full black two piece suit with red collar shirt, His orange colored razor fade hair resembled his perfect razor eyebrows, and matched his ugly rounded pale face that glowed thanks to the sun in the air. He walked to the side of the jet, and watched the door start to open, the staircase begin to lower at ground. He inhaled hard, shoving his right hand to the pant pocket. He watched a man step out with briefcase in his hand, wearing the same two piece suit as his, only in different color. Navy colored suit. He nodded to the man, and looked up to the doorway.
The figure of a man breached the door, stepping a foot down one at a time. His sausage like fingers touching his own navy jacket suit. His other hand touched the railings for support. The man inched same height as him by five seven and weighed more than him, and had thick neck. Sunglasses across his eyes, the dangle of the sunlight hitting the corners of dark sunglasses. The man inhaled staring to the concealed eyes of his boss. But he can see that his boss was not impressed to be here. He nodded his head.
“Mr. Viti.”
“Jerome.” Said Viti stepping beside him, heading to the back passenger door of the first SUV. He got in, and closed the door hard.
Jerome, his second command turned to face the black SUV. He touched his own frowned hair smearing it down then got in the front passenger seat, closing the door slowly. At once, the two SUV’s started driving off the runway to the airport gates leading to the highway. Inside the car, Jerome looked to his mirror watching the boss reflection at the tinted window. He inhaled silently through the nose. Hands touching down his kneecaps. He turned his head to the driver, then blinked once.
“Everything has been set up as you requested.” Jerome said. “Horgan is being held in police 27th precinct.”
“Harper will deal with it. Take me to the building.” He commanded.
“Yes sir.” Jerome replied, facing forward.
Rauno Viti touched the side of the door arm rest. His head turning to the tinted window watching the cars they pass on the highway. He feels the slow bumps under the car and tire. He inhales with a right hand going to lay on his lap. His eyes drawn to the window more. Thinking how such a city can live in this type of environment. A privilege he has to believe that Gotham is changing. But it is not. He’s been gone for too long. Last time he was here, the Falcone family lost control. His cousin, Johnny Viti ramped control. That was six years ago. His niece, Sofia Falcone she had the family under her wing.
Controlled what she could, the turfs, the money, the people. Half of the people he should say. But not the police. She left Gotham three years, changed her name to Gigante instead of keeping Falcone name. But he knows better why she did it. Their family, not the Viti family. The Falcone family lost its way when Johnny tried to merge their family into international pool house. Letting the gold diggers splash their name across the table. News catchers smear their family’s life on the internet and articles. He has read every single one of them. And not day goes by when he wants to slap Johnny himself.
But as of right now, Johnny is in Black gate. There’s no way to get to him, but there’s a way to shut him up for good. Rauno Viti is here to restore what was lost, power. Something nobody in his family never thought to buy with money. Before his days were over in Italy, he stayed in the small home. Studied Gotham. It’s history. It’s banks. It’s crimes. Watched news day by day, and conversed with Jerome about the police, and mainly the media. When he looks to the high skyscrapers that the SUV passes when going down the high hill road, he thinks about the media.
The news catchers. The reporters. The bees. The tell you something, we tell you everything people. He had in mind what he was to do with the political side of Gotham. And everything started to switch like a light bulb in his head. He closed eyelids, resting his head back.
Come fifteen minutes later, in the financial side, the black SUVs braked to the curbside. Everyone got out including Rauno Viti. He button his suit jacket, and walked over to the three story building. He looked up to the wide squared brownstone exterior of the building, less glass windows that shot up to five feet per three floors. He dropped his head to the glass door, and sees two men already awaiting him. He opens the door and steps right in. He takes off his sunglasses, closing them and placing them in his welt pocket. He shook hands with the two suited man and smiled briefly then walked away from them.
Behind him Jerome followed him to the silver elevator. He pressed the up button. The doors open. He steps in. Jerome steps in, and soldier follows in. The door closes. Elevator ascends. To the third floor. Rauno is first to step out, he walks down the carpet hall, and pushed the glass door to his main office, he stopped to adjust to the interior. Art deco interior he had in mind. The floors sparkled in gray marble. His brown maple wooded desk curved to the sides, with the computer monitor resting and vintage lamp at the side of the desk. A bookshelf to the right green painted wall.
The wide windows giving him view of the skylines of the buildings around the district. He looked to the electric light protected by the concealed cover. He nodded his head. Jerome started to the right side heading for the couch to take hold of the tablet. His soldier nodded back turning to leave the room. Rauno stepped to the brown maple wooded desk, then went aside it heading for the window. He turned his head right, looking to find Jerome sitting there on the couch, swiping away on the tablet.
“Has he accepted my offer?” Rauno asked Jerome.
Jerome lifted his head up. “Yes sir. He will be coming today.”
“Good. Contact the Barreto family. Set up a meeting for five o’clock.”
“Got it sir.”
“Has Joseph come through yet?”
“He said they rounded up ten of Sionis’s men.”
Rauno faced forward. “Tell Joseph to leave them strung up. I want him to see how squared he will get. We need him scared. Find more of his men. Cover the crime scene before the police get there.”
“Yes sir.”
“One other thing.” Rauno Viti said turning to face his second in command, pointing a finger toward him. “Find me Bruce Wayne and try to set me up a meeting with him.”
Jerome nodded his head, looking down to the tablet clicking away.