Batman & Robin

The buzz of flickering street lights accompanied the chirp of crickets to create the sound that filled Gotham's worst streets every night. Tonight, this ambiance was accompanied by the flutter of a cape in the wind.

Batman stood up on a rooftop, watching the streets below. The streets are completely empty. Of course they are. No one would dare to drive down these streets at 2 am.

The street lights flicker, giving off barely any light. Each of the addresses on the notepad Batman has found had been on a street just like this. He hadn't found anything important at the first two, though. Secret drug operations, sure, but nothing that would lead him to Zuko.

His head whipped towards the street. There it was: a car, driving slowly down the road. It bumped to a stop, the rusty brake screeching through the night. It had stopped right in front of the third address.

"This is stupid." Ali muttered under his breath as he stepped out of the car. "Falcone isn't even out of prison yet, and Zukos got me doing this bullcrap."

The slam of his car door exploded through the night. The gravel crunched underneath his boots, as he walked towards the small building in front of him.

His trench coat rustled as he pulled out a small piece of paper, and checked to make sure he had the right address. He did.

He knocked on the door. Three short knocks, two long ones. The lock clicked from the other side, and the door slowly creaked open.

A thin, pale man poked his head out of the door. "Do you have it?"

"Right here." Ali muttered, his coat rustling once again as he pulled a small package out. The yellow package crinkled as he placed it in the man's hand.

The man shuffled around in his pants pocket for a second, before pulling out a wad of cash. "Here, it's all there, I promise."

Ali flipped through the money, counting under his breath. He looked up at Ali, and let out a scoff. "Yeah, it's all there alright. Have fun, pal."

The door clicked closed, and Ali slid the money into his coat pocket. He pulled out a cigar, and placed it in his mouth. The click of the lighter illuminated his face temporarily as he literally it.

Thsssssss

The flame sizzled as it was put out.

"What the hell?" Ali yelled, just before a sharp pain erupted in his gut.

Batman watched the man fall to the ground after receiving a knee to the stomach. His boots scraped across the ground, and his cape ruffled as he bent down, grabbing the man's face and pulling it up. "What is so special about these addresses? What did you give that guy?"

"W- what?" Ali coughed, and blood splattered across his chin. "The Batman….. Zuko warned us about you…."

The crunch of bones broke out as Batman's forehead slammed against Ali's nose. "TELL ME." Batman's voice boomed through the night.

Ali coughed and spluttered, choking on his own blood. "It's just drugs, man! It's always drugs! Just selling!"

"This isn't how Zuko usually sells." Batman growled, letting go of Ali's head and grabbing his collar, pulling him closer. "I found a notepad on one of your colleagues. Three addresses. Here, 946 Rupert Street, and 362 Murphy Avenue. What's really going on?" Batman pulled his arm back, threatening to punch Ali.

"I swear it's just drugs man! On my life, I swear!" Ali yelled, his hands scraping at the ground, scrabbling to get away from this psycho.

"I believe you." Ali gasped as the bag let him go. He flipped over, and scrambled to his feet, running as fast as possible.

The sound of a grappling hook zipped through the air, whipping around Ali's feet. His face slammed into the ground, along with the rest of his body.

Batman's boots tapped across the ground as he approached Ali. "Don't lie to me." He flipped Ali over with his foot. "Now, tell me. What's special about these houses?"

"Fine!" Ali yelled, coughing up blood. "Just don't break my nose for the third time tonight."

Ali took a deep breath. Zuko would surely kill him if he talked. But how would Zuko know? He could just say one of the druggies spilled. Yeah, that would work. Plus, this psycho furry was way scarier than Zuko ever could be.

"Okay. It's a special drug that Zuko's bought off some people overseas. I don't know the details of what it does, but it's a hallucinogenic of some sort. The people who live at those three addresses were our top buyers in the past, so they got to test the drug first, while we waited for more to get shipped."

Batman slammed his hands against Zuko's collar, pulling him up slightly. "What's the drug called?"

Ali took a couple deep breaths, and coughed up some more blood. "It's called…..

Vertigo."

***

The batmobiles engine roared, the wheels rumbling and crushing the gravel beneath it as it raced through Gotham's streets. The intercom blinked to life as Batman flipped the switch on the console. "Did you hear all that, Alfred?"

"Yes, sir." Alfred's voice crackled over the intercom. He'd been listening to the entire conversation through Bruce's earpiece. "Master Wayne, if I may, this vertigo substance sounds dangerous. For the mov to actually test it before releasing it to the masses, it must be truly powerful."

"That's what I'm worried about." Batman growled, his hands tightly gripping the wheel. He had no clue what the effects of the drug where, and it being hallucinogenic wasn't exactly helpful. Zuko didn't exactly care about the people he was selling drugs to, and if he was willing to send small doses to testers, this vertigo had to be seriously powerful.

"What's your next move, Master Wayne?" Alfred's voice crackled over the intercom, pulling Bruce out of his thoughts.

"I found another notepad in that guys jacket pocket. Six addresses. Three of them were the ones I already visited. I'm guessing the other three are other testers. I'm gonna check them out."

***

832 Finger Street. The first new address on the list.

The building was an unassuming three-story brownstone, blending into its rundown neighbourhood. There was a click as Batman opened one of his belts compartments, pulling out a small pair of binoculars. He stood on a rooftop on the other side of the street, watching through the window.

He could see two shadowy figures moving inside- a man, and a woman. They seemed to be arguing loudly- but he was too far away to be sure.

His grappling hook whirred as he fired it, making a loud clink as it wrapped around the railing on the roof of the building across the street. He then jumped off his rooftop, his cape billowing in the wind as he swept forward. His boots slammed into the brick, and he begun rappelling upwards.

The fire escape door banged open as Batman kicked it, and he entered the stairwell. He moved silently, but quickly downwards, stopping one floor down right in front of a door. He put his ear to the door, and listened-

"Let me have a taste!" The woman yelled, her voice raspy and damaged. Obviously a smoker. "It's safe, isn't it?"

"Yeah, but I'm not wasting it!" The man yelled back. His voice was even more damaged, and he seemed to be struggling to get his words out. "This stuff is premium, Mia! Zuko's charging a fortune for it, and he claims it's ten times stronger than any other hallucinogen on the market! Go take some E or something, this stuff is for me!"

Batman listened to the couples footsteps, and heard them move to another room, and close the bedroom door. Quietly, he pushed the door open. Unlocked. Idiots.

He crept silently through the room, scanning it, looking for anything suspicious. It was a small apartment. The bedroom door was locked, and likely contained the entrance to the bathroom. The kitchen was small and tucked in a corner right next to the door. The living room was just barely bigger than Bruce's bedroom. The tv had cracks in it, and the couch was covered in burn marks. The table was missing a leg.

The coffee table.

Oh top of it lay a small vile, filled with a dark green liquid, glowing slightly. He could smell the chemicals from across the room. He approached the table slowly, the wood creaking under his feet. This stuff was obviously much different from any other drug.

Suddenly, the bedroom door burst open. Batman ducked behind the kitchen counter, hiding just before he could be spotted.

The man walked out and approached the coffee table. He picked up the vile, and placed it in his pocket. His eyes were sunken, and his skin was pale- just like the other guys had been.

"I'm heading to the club to test this stuff out." The man wheezed towards the woman, who was probably his girlfriend. "Stay here, don't leave. I hear that bat guy is out tonight."

"You heard right." Batman slammed his arm into the man's throat, pinning him against the wall. The woman screamed as she watched him seemingly appear out of nowhere.

"What does the drug do?" Batman growled. "Explain. Now. Before I have to hurt you."

"I- I don't know! I swear I don't know man!" The man's voice was basically a shriek. The walls squeaked as he scrabbled against them, trying to escape. "I haven't tested it yet! All the guy told me is it's an extra strong hallucinogen! I swear!"

Batman frowned, and growled. He raised his fist- no. This was different. This guy wasn't lying, and he wasn't a criminal, not like the others, at least. This guy was an addict. A victim.

Batman stepped back, and the man fell to the ground, wheezing. Batman kneeled down, and fished around in his pocket, pulling the vile out and placing it in his belt. "Get clean."

The lights crackled out, and when they buzzed back on, the Dark Knight had already disappeared.