Rooms

[There's a new Batman in town. Tuesday night, a Maroni mob deal is interrupted by the vigilante who brutalizes each man with excessive force. One man has his spine broken and jaw shattered, another gets his fingers cut off, the last suffers such an extreme head injury he goes into a coma. Then, a weapons shipment is interrupted and after each goon is beaten within an inch of their life and thrown to the curb, the van is blown up in spectacular fashion. Finally, a nobody Arkham escapee who sliced up a few cops is strung up in front of the GCPD screaming for someone to get the batarang out of his eye socket.]

[VETERANS DAY - As reported by several media outlets, those attending the Veterans Day breakfast this morning, hosted by the mayor, were pleasantly surprised, when none other than Captain America himself showed up. He spoke briefly, voicing concerns over the lack of support for veterans, their unique struggles with homelessness and unemployment.

Later in the day, after the 11AM wreath-laying in Madison Square Park, where he was first spotted among those honoring the fallen at the Eternal Light Monument, Captain America disappeared from the crowd gathered to attend the Veterans Day parade as it proceeded down 5th Avenue, from 26th to 52nd Ave. He turned up not long afterward aboard a float in his full patriotic regalia, showgirls and vintage posters and all, even a reenactment of the war bond performance—with one rehearsal picture, showing the Captain pointedly looking away from a few of the chorus girls, going viral before the parade had even ended.

Some hours later, on a gossip site, a blurry cellphone image appears of Steve Rogers, hidden beneath sunglasses and a baseball hat, walking near the Brooklyn Navy Yard—looking to be in what some allege is a poor mood. The site's author can only wonder if the Man Out of Time isn't missing his famous Howling Commandos, and expresses his utmost sympathy to the Captain, a man, he says, who couldn't possibly look more lonely.]

[Call to Carol Danvers after this]

Ring ring.

[Damian W]

What the hell do you think you're doing?

[Jason T]

Welp. That's a thing that happened.

[Locked to Tony Stark]

Hi I know you don't know me and you're on vacay or something, nice Instagram! I'm TJ, I know versions of you, and I was hoping you could help me out. I'm Wanda's daughter, if you know her. I need an image inducer, and I don't know anyone able to build that sort of technology other than you. I have blue fur and I look like a demon, so I can't go out or get a job anywhere. I had one of those back home, but it didn't come with me. I don't have a lot of money but I could save up to help you pay for the cost. Because then I can get an actual job that's not in a circus.

Thanks for your time, I know you're busy!

[Public, after this.]

I feel so much safer now that we're nearly killing drone goons who don't have a say in anything, and whose injuries will only make the mob bosses kill them as a result. What's next? The mob's working girls? I'll sleep so much better at night.

[Locked to Bruce Wayne after this.]

What the hell?

[This was a stupid idea, but he didn't have a choice. Damian needed more supplies if he was going to be The Batman and the place to get it was the Batcave. He had a cache of weapons there and the only way to get access to them was to slip in and take what he could carry. Maybe one of the bikes, if he was lucky. Dressed in plain clothes, he slipped through the cavernous tunnels, carefully avoiding security that he knew by heart. He focused on climbing, on his breathing. The little bird couldn't think about each one of his family members that wanted to stop him. They weren't family anymore. This act of aggression, this takeover made his family a them and now it was one against all.

He perched on top of his favorite rock, one that was high above the bat computer. The cave was clear and he calculated that it would only take a few minutes at the very most to grab what he needed and leave before someone could confront him. Cartwheeling off the rock, he grabbed the edge with his fingers and carefully climbed down towards the main area of the bat cave. At this point, he couldn't do anything to stop himself from tripping an alarm, so Damian had to hope he was simply fast enough to get out before they could get him.]

[A small blurb in this morning's paper]