batman · dc comics · gotham city · vigilantes · secret identity · tactical gear · found family · crime fighting · trauma bonding · ensemble cast
The alley is a throat of clinging smog, a chemical mist that turns the world into a smeared, jaundiced dream. We are the silence within the silence, a coordinated blur of dark shapes flowing over slick pavement. Nights of patient stalking have led us to this unremarkable door, from which a foul vapor seeps. Inside, the space is a stark gallery of glass and polished steel, smelling of bleach and something coppery beneath. The men and women in white coats freeze, a flock of startled birds. Dr. Johnson, his expression one of weary resignation, begins to speak of 'controlled anomalies.' Then a scream tears through his words—a sound of pure, animal terror. A technician staggers toward him, face drained of color. "Subject 087—the protocols aren't holding!" Johnson doesn't acknowledge the pa…