1 Rise of the Phoenix

Gotham City is a place that no one wants to live. Supervillains and criminals roam freely as corrupt politicians and businessmen run the city from the shadows. There was nothing to deal with these threats until four years ago. On a spring night, the Batman became Gotham City's main protector. With the help of his two sidekicks, he is the thing that villains and criminals of Gotham City fear. Even though he is a scary figure, he has inspired a lot of people, young and old. This is a tale of one of those inspired children. Now, let's turn back the clock and return to a time fourteen years ago. At the Gotham City Bank, it seemed like a normal night. Most of the employees are already gone and the only people there are security guards. A black van drives into an alley next to the bank.

"So, are we ready?" asked the leader of the bank robbers.

"Of course we are. We're robbing a bank in Gotham City at night. If we fail, we will be in Arkham in minutes," said a bank robber.

"We won't. Let's just get in there and take the cash and get out. There's nothing too difficult that we have to do," said another bank robber.

"Benny, do you have the changes ready?" asked the leader of the bank robbers.

"They're ready to go," said Benny.

"Ricky, Jeff, Joey, you silently take care of the guards. Benny and I will go straight to the safe. Are we clear?" said the leader.

"Got it, boss," said the lackeys.

The ban robbers exit the black van and walk towards the back door to the bank. Ricky pulls out a lock picking kit and picks the lock in seconds. The bank robbers enter the bank as a large gust of wind enters the warm bank. A security guard feels the gust of wind and starts to turn around.

"Scatter," said the leader.

The leader's lackeys follow his orders and scatter into the darkness. They hide behind pillars and counters to avoid being seen. A security guard walks up to the door and sees the alley instead of a wall.

"Who opened the door? I swear that I closed it," said the security guard.

The security guard closes the door and starts to walk away. As the other robbers try to stay as quiet as possible, one of them gets a little dangerous. He jumps out of the shadows and sneaks up on the security guard. He puts his hands on the security guard's face and snaps his neck. The security guard's dead body hits the ground with a bang sound.

"What the hell is wrong with you!" exclaimed the leader quietly.

"I did what had to be done," said Jeff.

"He was walking away. He didn't even notice that we were here," said the leader.

"Mikey, you may be the leader, but I will make the tough calls, you hear me?" said Jeff.

"You won't make any tough calls you will only make dumb calls like killing an innocent man," said Mikey.

"Shut up and let's get to work," said Jeff.

The bank robbers silently advance deeper into the dark bank. They continue to advance until they see another security guard. He walks out of the bank manager's office and walks down the hallway.

"This job sucks. Barely anybody robs this bank especially at night when that bat freak is around. I wish there were some female guards. At least there would be something to look at," said the security guard.

The security walks past the bank robbers without noticing a thing. The bank robbers sigh in relief after not being caught again.

"Now, we can move on," said Mikey.

"Ahhhh!" exclaimed the security guard.

The scream alerts the rest of the security guards and they rush into the main room of the bank. They run past the bank robbers as they try to find their friend.

"What's going on, Bob?" asked another security guard.

"They got Jerry. He's dead," said Bob.

"Who got him?" asked a security guard.

"Bank robbers," said Bob.

"There are bank robbers in here? That's impossible," said another security guard.

"Sound the alarm. We won't let these bastards get away with this," said a security guard.

"But, you will," said Mikey.

The security guards turn around and see one of their friends being held at gunpoint.

"I'm sorry guys," said the captured security guard.

"If you don't want this guy's brain splattered all over these walls, you will lead us to the safe," said Joey.

"You already took one innocent life. Is threatening another enough for you monsters," said Bob.

"We're not monsters. We're just doing our jobs," said Ricky.

"Was killing a father part of the job?" asked another security guard.

"Shut up and take us to the safe!" exclaimed Jeff.

"Fine, but you won't get away with this. Batman will come and stop you," said a security guard.

"We're not scared of the bat. He won't get us. We are a different species," said Mikey.

"All of the criminals say that," said another security guard.

"Do you want to see the inside of this guy's head?" asked Jeff.

"We're coming. We're coming," said a security guard.

The security guards, being held hostage by the bank robbers, advance deeper into the bank. They reach the vault and one of the security guards clicks a few buttons on the keypad. The vault door opens and the bank robbers walk in.

"Here's the vault. All of the money that is in the bank is stored here," said a security guard.

"I thought that we were looking for a safe," said Jeff.

"Safe. Vault. Same thing," said Ricky.

"We took you to the vault, so let Murphy go," said Bob.

"We'll let him go once you put the money in the bags," said Mikey.

"That wasn't part of the deal," said Bob.

"I don't care. Put the money in the bags," said Mikey.

"Fine," said Bob.

Ricky throws some bags on the ground. The security guards pick up the bags and start putting money in them.

"Jeff, because you're trigger happy, stay outside and look out for any distractions. We don't want any interference," said Mikey.

"I thought that we weren't scared of the bat," said Jeff.

"We aren't. We're just being cautious," said Mikey.

"Whatever you say, boss," said Jeff.

Jeff walks out of the vault and towards the main area. He walks into the main area and just aimlessly walks around, looking for something to shoot at.

"No one is coming. Why am I even out here? The bat may be smart, but he doesn't know that we're here," said Jeff.

Jeff continues to walk around until he hears something move. He quickly turns around but sees nothing.

"I must be hearing things. I should lay off the alcohol for a few days," said Jeff.

Jeff continues to walk aimlessly until he hears another noise. He turns back around but finds nothing there.

"Ok. The alcohol isn't the problem. What is going on?" said Jeff.

Seconds after the bank robber mutters the statement, a bat flies right past him and a bat scratches his nose. He places his hand on his nose and feels the blood fall on his hand.

"Bats don't live in banks. Is he here? No way. Someone must have tipped him off or something," said Jeff.

"Think again, dummy," said a boy.

"Who said that?" asked Jeff.

"Come on, Robin. I know that you can make better quips than that," said a girl.

"I didn't know you were a critic, Batgirl. I don't see you making any better jokes," said Robin.

"I'm not the one who's supposed to make quips, birdboy," said Batgirl.

"I knew that you guys would come. We shouldn't have come to the bank tonight," said Jeff.

"Not coming would have been a good decision," said the bat.

Jeff turns around and sees the Dark Knight standing behind him. Jeff backs up until he feels a smaller boy standing behind him.

"Watch where you're going, big guy. Running into people is rude," said Robin.

"I don't want any trouble. I just came here to get some money," said Jeff.

"Jobs exist," said Batgirl.

"But, they don't give out money like this job. If you let me go, I will give you all my cut," said Jeff.

"I already have enough money," said Batman.

Batman punches Jeff in the face and knocks him out with one punch. The bank robber screams as the Dark Knight takes him down. The scream is faintly heard by the people in the vault.

"What is going on in there?" asked Joey.

"Jeff probably slipped. That clumsy idiot is always doing stupid stuff," said Ricky.

"I don't think he slipped. He screamed like he was attacked. Ricky, Joey, go check on him," said Mikey.

"Why us? What if the bat and his sidekicks are out there?" asked Ricky.

"They aren't so, get out there and help him," said Mikey.

"Fine," said Joey.

Joey and Ricky exit the vault and walk towards the main room. They enter the main room but find no one there.

"Where's Jeff?" asked Ricky.

"Maybe he went to the bathroom. He does like his nachos," said Joey.

"If the bat is here, then he is lurking in the shadows. We have to be extremely careful," said Ricky.

As Ricky walks forward, Batman swoops from the sky and grabs Joey.

"Ahh!" exclaimed Joey.

"Joey," said Ricky.

Ricky turns around and looks up and finds Joey tied up to the ceiling by a rope.

"Joey!" exclaimed Ricky.

Ricky looks around and tries to find something to cut Joey down, but someone taps on his shoulder. He turns around and Robin hits him with a right hook. Batgirl jumps over Robin and kicks him in the face. Batman gives the final blow and punches him in the face, knocking him out.

Five minutes pass. The security guards finish placing the money in the bags and give them to the robbers.

"This is all of it," said a security guard.

"They're not lying. There's at least a few mill in here," said Benny.

"Good. Now, let's get out of here. Joey and Ricky haven't returned and I don't want to take any chances," said Mikey.

Mikey and Benny run out of the vault towards the back door to the bank, but two Batarangs are thrown in front of them.

"Don't leave now guys. The show had just begun," said Robin.

The two robbers look up and see Batman, Batgirl, and Robin overlooking them from the second floor.

"I knew you were going to be here bat, but we're not giving away this loot. We worked too hard for this," said Mikey.

"Of course you're not going to give up the cash. We already knew that, but you took an innocent man's life. We can't let you get away with that," said Batman.

"That was all Jeff. That was all that idiot's fault. His death is not on me," said Mikey.

"Just give up or this won't go well for you," said Batgirl.

"Let's take them down, Benny," said Mikey.

"Ok, boss," said Benny.

Benny and Mikey pull out their pistols and aim them at the vigilantes. They fire multiple bullets at the heroes, but they easily dodge them. Batgirl and Robin pull out Batarangs and throw them into the pistols, blowing up the weapons in their hands. Batman lands in front of them, grabs their heads, and slams them together, knocking them out.

"Did you just see that, folks at home? The three guardians of Gotham easily took down those bank robbers and saved the security guards from them. They're amazing, am I right? Back to you in the studio, Steven and Chelsea," said the reporter.

"The Batman and his allies struck once again by stopping this daring bank robbery. What is your opinion on the vigilante protecting this marvelous city, Chelsea?" said Steven.

'Well, I think that he should leave the criminals to the police. It is their job to deal with bad guys like this. Supervillains didn't exist until this bat guy came in and started stopping crime his way," said Chelsea.

"Chelsea. Chelsea. Chelsea. How many times do we have to continue having this conversation? Batman isn't a bad guy. He deals with the criminals without killing them. He's good for the city," said Steven.

"Good? He's insane," said Chelsea.

"He's the good type of insane, unlike that Joker freak," said Steven.

"What if he does cross the line?" asked Chelsea.

"Who cares if he kills the Joker. He has a body count in the hundreds in like a year. Killing him would protect a lot of people," said Steven.

"Whatever. Now, how is the weather looking for the rest of the week, Richard," said Chelsea.

"Well-," said Richard.

Before the weatherman can give the weather report, a tv on the south side of the city is turned off.

"Mom, why did you turn off the tv," said the boy.

"It's ten o'clock at night and you have school tomorrow. Get to the bed," said the mother.

"Did you see Batman, Robin, and Batgirl manhandle those bank robbers? It was so cool," said the boy.

"It may be cool from your living room, but if you were there, you would be shaking in your boots," said the mother.

"No, I wouldn't. I would be knocking heads and taking names," said the boy.

"Ok, my little James Bond. Your next mission should be getting in bed before I get angry," said the mother.

"Fine," said the boy.

The boy gets up off the floor and walks towards his room. He walks up to the old wooden door and opens it. He walks into his small room and hops on his bed.

"Batman is so cool. I would kill to work alongside him," said the boy.

Ten hours pass. The boy puts on a light jacket and prepares to walk out of the apartment. Seconds before he can open the door, his mother quickly walks out of the kitchen.

"Don't forget your lunch, sweetie. I'm going to be working late at the diner tonight, so make sure to eat all of the things that are in this bag," said the mother.

"I know, mom. You tell me this all of the time," said the boy.

"Love you," said the mother.

"Love you, too, mom," said the boy.

The mother kisses her son on the cheek and the boy walks out of the door. He steps on the sidewalk and starts to walk towards school until he hears his friend's voice.

"Yo, Jordan. You're just going to go to school without your amigos accompanying you?" said a boy.

Jordan turns around and sees his chubby friend standing behind him.

"Hector, we don't have to walk together every day. You're not my dad," said Jordan.

"Do be like that, hermano. I just like the company. I don't want Ryder and his gang of bullies to find me all alone. There's no telling what they will do to a defenseless chubby kid like me," said Hector.

"Fine. We can walk together," said Jordan.

"Don't forget me," said a lanky kid.

Jordan looks up at the apartment building and sees his other friend waving at him.

"Darius, what do you want?" asked Jordan.

"I wanna walk with you guys. Ryder doesn't play around," said Darius.

"Fine. I guess that we will all walk together. There's nothing weird about this," said Jordan.

Darius quickly gets down to the sidewalk and the three amigos walk together to school.

"So, did you see Batman on tv last night? He's so cool," said Jordan.

"Yeah, he's cool, but he has nothing on Superman. Now, that guy is amazing," said Darius.

"Of course someone like you would like that boy scout in Metropolis. You don't have good tastes," said Jordan.

"At least Superman has powers," said Darius.

"Batman may or may not have powers, but he's still way cooler than Superman," said Jordan.

"A dude in a bat costume isn't cooler than a dude who can fly, shoot out laser beams, and lift practically anything," said Darius.

"Whatever you say, bro," said Jordan.

"My Abuela thinks that he is a demon. My family doesn't like demons," said Hector.

"Your family is superstitious. He's just a dude that's tired of all of the corruption in this city. He's one of the very few people in this city who wants to fix the problems," said Jordan.

"He could be nicer," said Darius.

"Not everyone is Superman. Gotham isn't a place where happy people live," said Jordan.

"Maybe Batman can make this city a place where people are happy to live," said Darius.

"Maybe," said Jordan.

Twenty minutes pass. Jordan and his friends reach their elementary school. They walk through the doors and slowly navigate through the hallways. Before they can reach their homeroom door, they hear the voice of their resident bully.

"Well. Well. Well. The geek squad has returned to haunt the halls of this poor elementary school," said Ryder.

"Ryder, it seems that you came to school today," said Jordan.

"Why wouldn't I, geek? I need my education," said Ryder.

"There's no need to bully us, Ryder. We want to get our education as well," said Darius.

"Shut up, Daddy Longlegs. I make fun of you when I want to," said Ryder.

"Just let us go to class. We don't want to mess with you," said Jordan.

As the friends start to enter the classroom, Ryder and his goons try to grab them, but Jordan has had enough. He turns around and punches Ryder in the face with all of his strength. This punch nearly breaks the bully's nose. The bully grabs his nearly broken nose and starts to visibly fume.

"Beat these geeks' asses!" exclaimed Ryder.

"Oh no," said Hector.

The bullies pounce onto the "geeks" and proceed to beat on them until their savior comes and breaks up the fight.

"What are you children doing! This is a school, not a boxing ring!" exclaimed the principal.

"These geeks started it," said Ryder.

"I don't care who started it! You are all getting detention for acting like idiots!" exclaimed the principal.

"But," said Jordan.

"Don't but me Mr. King. Your mother will not be pleased that she will have to leave work early to pick you up after detention," said the principal.

"Shit," thought Jordan.

Eleven hours pass. Jordan's mother angrily drags her son down the sidewalk towards their home.

"Come on, mom. You gotta believe me," said Jordan.

"I didn't say that I didn't believe you. I just didn't want you to get in trouble and stop me from making money. I need that job, so we don't get put out onto the streets. Every time that I leave my job early, there's a chance that I can get fired," said the mother.

"I know. It's just that Ryder and his followers bully me and my friends. I'm sick of it," said Jordan.

"I know you are, but in the fall, you move on to middle school. Those bullies won't be there," said the mother.

"We're broke, mom. This is Gotham City, the criminal capital of the world. No matter where I go, they will follow me around and harass me. Now, they will be after me more than usual," said Jordan.

"Just don't let them get to you. That's how you win. That's how you beat them. At the end of the day, they're just kids. They can't do anything to you," said the mother.

"They can try to beat on you," said Jordan.

"Yeah, they can do that," said the mother.

As they continue to walk, three shadowy figures walk out of an alley and follow the mother and son. The mother notices this and starts to walk faster. The shadowy figures start to walk fast as well.

"They're following us, mom," said Jordan.

"I know. Run," said the mother.

The mother and son run as the shadowy figures start to run as well. They continue to run until they find an alley. They run into an alley and are cornered by the shadowy figures.

"What do you want from us?" asked the mother.

"We're messengers. Stay off our territory. This turf belongs to the Mutants," said the gang member.

"What are the mutants?" asked Jordan.

"How do you not know who we are? We're big," said the Mutant.

"I have never heard of you Mutants and we've been around here for a very long time," said the mother.

"Well, you're going to hear from us now, you whore. Let's get them, boys," said the Mutant.

The Mutants pull out knives and one pulls out a gun as they walk closer to the mother and son. The mother steps in front of her son, preparing to protect him, but she doesn't need to. The Dark Knight has come to save the day.

"Batman," said the Mutant.

Batman lands onto one of the mutants and punches him one time knocking him out. He then pulls out a Batarang and throws it at one of the mutant's knives. The knife flies out of his hand and he receives a kick to the face.

"I got your back, Bats," said Jordan.

"Jordan, wait!" exclaimed the mother.

Afraid and startled by both the vigilante and his prey, the Mutant with the gun fires a shot. It flies past Batman before he can catch the bullet and rockets in the direction of the mother. The mother jumps in front of her child and takes the bullet to the spine. Once the child sees the bullet fly into his mother's spine, his excited face becomes one of shock and fear as his mother falls to the ground.

"Mom!" exclaimed Jordan.

The caped crusader hears the scream from the boy and turns around. He sees the mother slumped on the ground, bleeding, and her child looking at her with tears in his eyes. He becomes enraged and turns his attention to the last Mutant.

"I'm sorry. I didn't mean to," said the mutant.

Batman responds with a strong left hook, then a right, then a knee to the face, and then a headbutt to knock the last mutant out. He then turns his attention to the kid and runs up to him. He grabs the boy's mother and looks into his eyes.

"Call the police. I'll transport your mother to the hospital," said Batman.

The boy doesn't answer and continues to look forward with a blank face. This is a feeling that the hero knew all too well and he decides to not push too much further. He just runs towards his car and leaves the boy alone in the alley. It is silent for a few moments until the boy finally blinks.

"Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh!" exclaimed Jordan angrily.