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The Master

Registered: 03-2007
Location: Door County, WI
Posts: 52331
Karma: 19 (+22/-3)
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Batman The Long Halloween IV: Christmas


Batman
The Long Halloween
Part IV
Christmas

Based off the Comic Book miniseries The Long Halloween by Jeph Loeb and Tim Sale

Gotham City
Christmas Eve

The house was quite, the only sounds coming from the living room as a single voice sang twisted versions of Christmas Carols. Seated in the corner on a large red chair, the source of the singing was holding a Newspaper high in front of him as he read. Stories of the Holiday killings filled the paper, with 6 people now dead it wasn’t looking like the police were any closer to stopping this then they were at finding D.B. Cooper. Across the room the three people who owned the house sat bound and gagged looks of fear across their faces as a young woman pointed a large gun at them as she threw presents into a large bag.

“Happy Holidays, Happy Holidays, La-de-da-de-da-de-da, living in a Winter Wonderland,” The man started laughing as he ripped the newspaper to shreds. When the shredded Newspaper reached the floor, The Joker stood up and looked at the girl. “I hate that song.”

Reciting a twisted version of the night before Christmas, the Joker and Harley Quinn collected everything including the small tree they were using and exited out the busted door into the cold Gotham City night. Having broken out of Arkham only hours ago he had set out to catch up on the fun he had missed out on, only to discover some nut called Holiday was taking his press. There was only one thing the Joker had to do now and that was to find Holiday.

*****

The halls of Arkham were dark the only light a line of fluorescent light bulbs on the ceiling. The lack of light was no bother to Batman as he walked through the halls with Jim Gordon at his side. Once the home of the Arkham family, one of the richest families in Gotham City in the early 1900’s, Amadeus Arkham turned the home into an asylum for the insane after his mother killed herself. The place opened in November of 1921 just months after the deaths of Arkham’s wife and daughter. Its first patient was the very man who had raped and killed his family. On the one year anniversary of his family’s murder he strapped him into an electroshock couch and killed him by electrocuting him. Arkham had soon become a patient in his own asylum, ever since the worst of Gotham City’s criminals had been sent to Arkham to be treated and watched. The current chief of staff was Jeremiah Arkham a rather normal looking man of his late 50’s; his hair was as white as a new fallen snow. He wasn’t one of Batman’s biggest fans; he would rather lock Batman into the very cells that house the men Batman sent to the asylum. He wasn’t worried though he was at Arkham for another reason, Holiday had killed 6 people and Christmas was the next day and the police were no closer to discovering who Holiday was. Locked inside Arkham was a man who had an MO close to Holiday. He liked to commit crimes that coincided with dates on the calendar his name was Julian Day, he was called the Calendar Man.

“The Joker and Harley escaped again, attacked some family,” Gordon walked along side Batman; walking a little slower then he would normally walk to remain at his side. “Took all their Christmas presents for god sakes.”

“I know,” Batman was a man of few words; he never said more then what needed to be said.

“You do, how? I just found out, Never Mind” Gordon’s shock at Batman knowing caused him to lose some steps causing Batman to move ahead of him. “So many are here, nearly double from when you first appeared. Not that there is a connection, do you give it any thought?”

“No,” Batman stopped at the door they were looking for. He knows what Gordon is implying and he may have a point there was a rise in these so called Super villains, or freaks as the Falcone Crime family calls them, since he first put on the suit.

“Oh,” Gordon didn’t press the issue any further; he just followed Batman as he entered the wing that housed Calendar Man. “I’ve spoken to the D.A. Julian; he’s willing to commute your sentience to time served if you help us out.”

“Thirty days in September, April, June, and,” Julian stood behind the glass observation wall.

“Our feeling is that with your interest in committing crime to coincide with the calendar,” Gordon continued. “You might have some insight into this Holiday.”

“Tomorrow is the big day,” Julian stood completely still; to Gordon it felt like the scene from Silence of the Lambs when the FBI agent played by Jodi Foster interviewed Lector.
‘She’ll be killing again.”

“How do you know it’s a she?” Batman asked.

“Because he likes it,” Julian placed his hands on the glass. “The Attention. No one knows who she is but already he’s made a name for himself or herself. You’ve been lucky so far, in February you have Lincoln’s Birthday, Washington’s Birthday and President’s Day.”

“February,” Gordon felt a chill rundown his back. “Surely we’ll have caught him by then.”

“Groundhog day, Ash Wednesday, Secretaries Day, Earth day, Flag Day, Hanukkah,” Living up to his alias The Calendar Man, Julian ran off several Holidays that take place during the year. When Gordon thought about it another chill ran up his back. It would be insane for this Holiday to kill someone on each Holiday; he’d already missed several since he started his or her spree. So clearly this person was using the major holidays for their crimes.

“Let’s go,” Batman turned and left the wing as The Calendar man named off holidays.

---

6/20/2007, 2:14 am Link to this post Send Email to Rogue9a   Send PM to Rogue9a Blog
 
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The Master

Registered: 03-2007
Location: Door County, WI
Posts: 52331
Karma: 19 (+22/-3)
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Re: Batman The Long Halloween IV: Christmas


 Sal Maroni was enjoying a dinner with one of his men at his restaurant, the next day he would go see his family but for know he was discussing the Holiday killings with his right hand man, whom he called Toots. The dinner of choice was spaghetti and meatballs. The place was empty since it was Christmas Eve, normally it would be packed at this time, so Maroni sent most of the staff home and closed for the evening.

“Dent, It has to be Dent,” Sal pointed a meatball covered fork at Toots. “I want somebody good on Harvey Dent, you hear me. Someone who can watch him day and night, he makes a move I want to know about it.”

“Already on it Mr. Maroni, Got a kid named Vernon” Toots started laughing

“Toots? What the hell is so damn funny?” Maroni leaned forward as Toots continued to laugh. Looking around the room he wasn’t sure what was going on. Suddenly Toots stopped laughing and fell face first into his dinner with a big grin on his face. “Hey!”

“Care for some more Wine,” a sinister voice came from next to him, looking over he found himself looking at a man who looked like a clown. “A Clown? No Clown comes into my place and…”

“Mines bigger Maroni,” Maroni stopped dead in his tracks when he felt the large barrel of a gun pressed against his forehead. “Or should I say Holiday?”

“Holiday!” Maroni placed his hands on the table

“Sure, your number two in the hood, Falcone is number one,” The Joker pressed the gun in further. “Holiday kills only Falcone men; you have the most to gain.”

“No, I swear on my mother’s grave I’m not Holiday,” Maroni could feel the panic creeping to the surface, panic that would get him killed. “At the end of the day it’s all business and this holiday is screwing up everyone’s business.”

“Then who is Holiday?” Joker leaned in closer.

Batman stood on the roof over the back alley behind Maroni’s restaurant; he had arrived a few moments before to find a Lincoln pulled up to the back door with its trunk open. As he watched to men stumbled out the door carrying a body, the body was easy to recognize anyone who watched Maroni would know who he was. The thing that caught Batman’s attention though was the large grin that Toots had on his face, only one thing can cause that and that was the Joker’s poison. Sometimes a gas sometimes he slips it into drinks and food or even masks of people he employs for jobs.

“Man Toots, you’ve been putting on weight,” the man holding Toots’ legs, named Curley from what Batman knew of him he was a basic thug from the streets.

“All the better to sink with,” his partner, Angel was an illegal resident from Mexico he joined up with Maroni’s gang to hide from a Mexican Gang. It didn’t work, but when all was said and done the Falcone’s had control of a major drug route and the gang was wiped out. Angel as a result had climbed to the highest any non Italian had climbed in the family. Leaping from the roof Batman crashed onto the top of the trunk as the men closed it. They were easy to take care of then, still in shock over Batman’s sudden arrival he knocked them out with simple blows to the head.

---

6/20/2007, 2:15 am Link to this post Send Email to Rogue9a   Send PM to Rogue9a Blog
 
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The Master

Registered: 03-2007
Location: Door County, WI
Posts: 52331
Karma: 19 (+22/-3)
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Re: Batman The Long Halloween IV: Christmas


“Curley? Angel? Where are you mooks?” Maroni stepped out into the alley looking for his thugs.

“Maroni,” Batman came up behind him

“Oh enough of this,” Maroni pulled his gun out but was quickly disarmed before he could even turn around.

“For a smart man that wasn’t a smart move,” Batman delivered a punch to the gut driving the air from his lungs. “What went on here tonight?”

“Some nut calls himself the Joker showed up here,” Maroni gasped as he got to a kneeling position holding his wrist. “Came looking for Holiday.”

“Why? What’s his connection to Holiday?” Batman towered over Maroni keeping his features in the shadows.

“How should I know he’s a lunatic, like you,” Maroni couldn’t look up he was still trying to catch his breath. “This whole damn town his full of lunatics ever since you showed up.”

Batman didn’t stick around to hear the rest with nothing more to learn here he returned to the roof tops and continued looking for any signs of the Joker, Holiday or anyone thing else. This development that The Joker was looking for Holiday didn’t help Batman’s mood, not that there were many moods.

“Don’t you ever sleep?” A girl’s voice came from behind him.

“Shouldn’t you be home?” Batman turned to find Batgirl crouched on a ledge.

“Dad won’t be home for a while,” Batgirl sighed, her father Jim Gordon had been working long hours ever since this whole Holiday thing came up. It gave Barbra more time to herself but she missed seeing her father. Chances were he wouldn’t be spending Christmas with her, with Holiday out there likely to kill someone he would be waiting for the call. “Any luck?”

“None, Joker is out there, robbed a family with Harley,” Batman turned from Batgirl trying to keep the bit of guilt he found himself feeling over the idea that she would be alone Christmas morning, much like he was for so many years. He often forgot she lost both of her parents when her drunken father drove himself, and his wife, off a bridge in Starr City. “He is looking for Holiday as well.”

“Why, what would he want with Holiday?” Batgirl was a bit surprised at the news. “Knowing him he probably doesn’t like all the press he’s getting.”

“It’s a half hour until Midnight,” Batman announced with out even looking for a clock. Something that Barbra always wondered about. “You go and watch Falcone’s penthouse. If you see anything alert both me and your father. Don’t try and face Holiday, we don’t know who he or she is they could be well trained.”

“Got it Batman,” Batgirl stood up from her perch. “Where will you be?”


---

6/20/2007, 2:16 am Link to this post Send Email to Rogue9a   Send PM to Rogue9a Blog
 
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The Master

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Re: Batman The Long Halloween IV: Christmas


“I’m going to track down the Joker, see if he leads us to Holiday.” Batman pulled out his grappling gun and fired it off towards the flag pole of the Wayne Tech building and swung away. After watching him go Batgirl stepped off the ledge and glided to the ground below where her bike was waiting. Firing it up she raced towards Falcone’s penthouse.

*****

Harvey Dent was glad that they were out of the hospital, Gilda had been laid out for almost 2 months recovering from her injuries and in that time Harvey scraped together the cash they had and bought a new home and now he was taking Gilda home. This was a new start for them and hopefully soon they wouldn’t have to worry about The Roman or his men and maybe they could start a family. Something that Gilda had wanted since before they were married and all along Harvey had said soon always pushing it off. After what happened he wouldn’t put it off any longer if she wanted a family then by God he would give her one. Pulling up to the house he helped a blindfolded Gilda out of the car and walked her towards the walk way leading to the front door.

“Harvey, can I look now,” Gilda did her best to keep herself from reaching up to the blindfold. Still a little shaky on her feet Harvey let her lean on him to keep her up right. The Hospital had given them a wheel chair for her but she wanted to walk having been wheeled around and laid out on her back for to long. The only times she ever walked was in rehab and she wanted to put the time and effort to work.

“Marry Christmas Gilda,” Harvey reached up and pulled the blindfold off revealing the house to his wife.

“Oh Harvey can we afford it?” Gilda nearly fell over as she gasped and threw her arms around Harvey to kiss him.

“It will take some work but it’s our house that’s all that matters,” Harvey returned her kiss and led her to the door. Picking her up he carried her through the front door. “Welcome Home Mrs. Dent.”

“Harvey,” Gilda looked up at her husband’s face. “Do you think, starting over in a new house, maybe we can try and have children?”

“A second chance we’ll see,” Harvey looked into the living room noticing something was wrong. “Gilda honey, why don’t you have a look around up stairs.”

“All Right, be right back,” Gilda took her time walking up the steps leading to the 2nd floor where the 2 bedrooms waited.

“Take your time,” Harvey pulled off his coat and entered the living room to find a pale skinned man wearing a purple suit and a red Santa hat standing in front of a Christmas tree.

“My sweet little tot, there is a light on this tree that won’t light on one side,” The Joker was reaching around the tree working on the light bulb that had taken his focus.

“Get Out,” Harvey charged at the Joker, he knew better but he was angry that this freak would just walk into his house. Getting in a couple of shots into the Joker’s face, the Joker countered with a knee to the gut driving Harvey into the ground at Joker’s feet.

“You’re good Dent, but you are no Batman,” Joker reached into his coat to pull out a magnifying glass and held up in front of his face to get a better look at Harvey. “The question is, what sort of man are you? This town isn’t big enough for two homicidal maniacs and if the buzz I heard is true, that Harvey Dent is Holiday. I’m not going to be as forgiving next time.”

“Get out of my house,” Harvey groaned as he looked up at the Joker.

“Harvey,” Gilda cried out as she entered the room, rushing to his side she cradled his head in her lap as the Joker disappeared into the Gotham Night.

---

6/20/2007, 2:16 am Link to this post Send Email to Rogue9a   Send PM to Rogue9a Blog
 
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The Master

Registered: 03-2007
Location: Door County, WI
Posts: 52331
Karma: 19 (+22/-3)
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Re: Batman The Long Halloween IV: Christmas


 The Roman’s penthouse was dark; almost everyone including The Roman himself was fast asleep. In the Roman’s bedroom the only noises were the quite snoring of Falcone as he slept soundly in his large bed. Stepping quietly The Joker approached the foot of the bed, while echoing the sound of a clock striking midnight. Leaping into the bed he got into Falcone’s face as he woke up with a start.

“Wakey, wakey,” The Joker pressed a trade mark Joker card into Falcone’s face. “Falcone, you find this holiday or I’ll kill everyone in Gotham City until I find him.”

Leaping off the bed The Joker left the room dropping playing cards as he walked quoting the poem The Night before Christmas. As he walked down the halls he passed by the smiling bodies of Falcone’s men who he had gassed before getting to The Roman’s bedroom. Coming out the front door he paused slightly as he fixed his tie.

“Jerk!” Milos Grapa, The Roman’s Bodyguard, flew out the door gun in hand as the Joker continued reciting the poem.

“Laying his finger aside his nose,” Joker turned and tossed his cards at Milos and jumped off the steps and ran towards his car. “And a nod, up the chimney he rose!”

With the Joker speeding a way in a car with its top down, Milos picked up the cards and turned back to the door. As he reached to open it a gloved hand reached out and opened fire two times into Milos’ chest.

“You,” Milos gasped as he turned back to the street to get away before falling face first onto the steps.

*****
 
Batgirl had been watching the penthouse from a building across the street, using a pair of binoculars she was able to scan the whole building and with the aid of bugs planted near the front doors she could hear what was happening at the entrance. As soon as she saw the Joker enter the building she had pulled out the cell phone that Batman had given her recently, as a sign that he was welcoming her as a partner in his fight against crime. Giving him a quick call she continued to watch carefully to follow Batman’s orders of not trying to stop the Joker. Over the ear piece in her ear she heard the Joker reciting a Christmas poem as he left the front door followed by another man. The Joker escaped in a waiting car driven by who looked like Harley Quinn leaving the man to pick up small card shaped objects. Zooming in as much as she could she heard the sounds of a door opening followed by two gun shots. Pulling out her grapple gun she fired it down at a lower floor of the building and zipped down the line. When she arrived at the door she found the man laying face down on the steps, next to the body rested the still smoking gun, a rubber baby bottle nipple and a snow globe.

“What happened?” Batman arrived with seconds after Batgirl.

“Joker ran out the door and escaped in a car when this man was going back to the door I heard two shots,” Batgirl reported as Batman reached down to pick up a Joker card.

“Anything else?” Batman placed the card in an evidence bag.

“I think he knew who his killer was,” Batgirl replied. “He said something like ‘You’ after he was shot the fact it game from in the building and how he sounded made it seem like he knew who Holiday was.”

“Very well,” Batman turned to the street where he could hear the police sirens. “You better go.”

“You want me to do anything?” Batgirl asked as she turned back towards the building she had been standing on.

“Keep your eyes open, there have been reports of someone taking down street gangs in the red light district.” Batman handed a thumb drive to Batgirl.


---

6/20/2007, 2:17 am Link to this post Send Email to Rogue9a   Send PM to Rogue9a Blog
 


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