As soon as darkness falls, cars line up to unload their passengers in front of the historic Wayne Manor. Large, white candles light the way up the stairway to the front door, where Alfred Pennyworth greets them, smiling warmly despite the axe through his head.

Inside Wayne Manor, guests in their finest attire with various masks fill the reception hall, where the walls are lined with buffet tables full of finger food and gourmet candies. Masks of all degrees were on display as the guests socialized over the finest alcohol. A string quartet played in the corner, the sound of their music resonating throughout the hall.

To no one's surprise (and Mr. Pennyworth's chagrin), the host of the festivities is late. However, when Bruce Wayne entered the party, everyone was made aware of his presence. He was in one of his best tuxedos and on his face, a golden mask with sun details. If anyone asked him what he was that evening, he'd grin and say Apollo. Throughout the night, he would disappear unnoticed to check on things elsewhere just to keep on top of the happenings of Gotham City.

Other distinguished guests include Kate Kane of the Gotham Kanes, LexCorp regional director Talia Ducard, and Princess Diana of Themyscira. A few journalists from Metropolis-based Daily Planet are in attendance, notably Clark Kent and his wife Lois.

The party goes on into the wee hours, as guests drink and schmooze until Alfred Pennyworth and Bruce Wayne's bodyguard Sasha Bordeaux lead them to the exit.

[ open for threading or feel free to log ]

The resolution of the Robin serial killer, taking place in Mid-October...

After the connection between the two dark-haired teenage male victims has been established -- they both were represented by the same acting agency -- the GCPD went to work, combing through all the client's files and finding any teenage actors that fit the physical description even remotely. Several phone calls later, one teenager was apparently missing -- Zack Weston.

Searching one of the bedrooms of the deceased teens, Detectives Driver and MacDonald came across a big tip -- the business card of Gotham Gazette journalist Simon Lippman, who had been frequenting Central for this case due to the photos that were leaking with his articles.

Quick to find Weston before he turned up somewhere dead in a Robin costume, Montoya and Allen track Lippman down and arrest him for murder. MacDonald and Driver brief the other detectives about canvassing neighborhoods in search for anything to find Zack Weston before it was too late.

In one of the interrogation rooms, Captain Sawyer herself accompanied Montoya and Allen in the questioning of Simon Lippman. He stuck to his story -- he wasn't going to give up his source for the photographs and claimed to have no connection to the murders. Eventually he tried to explain that he didn't even know the source of the photos, that they arrived anonymously and that half the department has his business card so that finding it in a kid's room was nothing special.

A freelance journalist came up to the front desk of the MCU squadroom, asking to speak to Detectives Driver and MacDonald. Stacy tells him that that can't happen -- until he showed her Zack Weston's school identification card. Immediately she called Driver and MacDonald and the man told them they have the wrong man in interrogation.

As it would turn out, this journalist by the name of Dunning just wanted to give Lippman a front seat to an exclusive story -- the confession of the Robin killer.

That wasn't it though. In interrogation with Montoya and Allen, Lippman pressed him for the truth -- if he had lost his fucking mind. But Dunning said no, he was completely lucid. He had planted the business card so that Lippman would be here for this. But Dunning wouldn't confess to anyone but Batman -- this was to be his entrance into that world.

Captain Sawyer and several of her detectives debated the point until she went down the hall to Commissioner Gordon's office. Soon enough, Gordon told her to get Stacy to meet him on the roof. As a civilian, she was the only one who could turn on the Bat signal.

They did not have to wait long -- before they knew it, Batman was behind them, lurking in the shadows. Gordon and Detective Driver explained the situation and the only thing Batman told them to do was cut the lights in the interrogation room.

Dunning got what he wanted -- a visit from the Bat. However, it did not come without a price. Outside the interrogation room, the detectives listened in over the intercom to Batman's interrogation -- violent and sporadic they struggled to make out what Dunning was trying to say until they get the piece of information they need -- Zack Weston was in the boiler room of Dunning's apartment building and the address. Captain Sawyer immediately dispatched Montoya and Allen while Dunning continued to whimper after Batman, asking for understanding. But Batman was gone.

A couple uniformed police officers took Dunning away for processing. Zack Weston was found in the East End apartment building and returned safely to his family. Lippman got an exclusive statement for the story and managed to make the MCU look good in the process. Stacy even managed to get Detective Chandler's gun back with the real Robin's help before the wrath of Captain Sawyer could fall on the squad room over the fact that Batman took her duty weapon.

It might not have been an entirely happy ending, but it was the best one available.

Heading up to the Iceberg Lounge to investigate a lead, Detectives Romy Chandler and Nate Patton were here to see the Penguin -- Oswald Cobblepot. A tip came in that he was in town this week and they just wanted to see if it had anything to do with the Dead Robin.

Cobblepot's lackie calls ahead for the detectives but there's a problem. The detectives take that as an invitation -- they pushed into the nightclub and through the crowd, headed for Cobblepot's office.

However, when they break open the door, they weren't expecting to find the Batman bent over the cowering, beaten Cobblepot.

( 'Hold it right there!' )

Half past midnight. Not too far from the central precinct in Old Gotham.

Beyond the police tape in an alleyway between two high-rise apartment buildings, laid the body of a teenager boy. Dark hair, domino mask, and that signature Robin costume. Even authentic equipment. Rain fell in the alley as police combed the area around the white outline.

It look like Robin just fell between the roofs and cracked his head open.

That is, if it was the real Robin.

Uniformed officers kept the press at bay as Captain Maggie Sawyer approached her detectives on the ground. Josie MacDonald and Marcus Driver discussed whether or not it was the actual Robin with her. On the roof, from which he must have fallen, Detectives Crispus Allen and Renee Montoya search with forensics for any evidence related to the fall.

Either way, they had a dead teenage boy on their hands. He couldn't have been older than sixteen.

Before any more speculation, Batman appeared out of nowhere and informed Allen and Montoya on Robin's whereabouts in Blüdhaven that evening. And that the police better stay out of Batman's way in his investigation before disappearing.

Her hands on her hips, Captain Sawyer surveyed the crime scene, going over the facts that her detectives had given her, and mentally prepared herself for a sudden press conference about the Dead Robin.