The Ancient spoke some more, then the master continued translating. "You have a good heart, a heart of light, but it is wrapped in a dark, armored package. Today you will meet your opposite."
Autumn Rain:
The card inside had a picture of a cat which was attentively, even menacingly, staring at a hole in a wall, presumably the home of a mouse.
The smile had disappeared from her face as she began to realize this was not some kind of note from Bruce Wayne, but was instead something far more sinister.
She picked up the card again and reread the verse:Blue is the water by which comes the green.
Tall is the lady; she's Gotham's queen.
Under her eyes, the Roman commands,
Fueling the vices of his empire's lands.
For wont of their vices they give freedom away;
High is the price for their habits they pay.
See the green lady, she is a slave,
See her blue knights, they are but knaves.
Powerful is the Roman, this land he does rule;
King takes queen on a knight for a fool.
Suddenly, Sandra felt very much like a mouse.
Attack by Fire: The Pale Horse:
The fortune-teller opened her eyes, looked at the cards, then looked at the master.
"He has descended into the lower parts of the earth. There, he is surrounded by devils."
Meow!:
It was another riddle!Detectives listened to an illegal bug,
But didn't report the criminal plan.
Crime covers up crime, swept under the rug,
All merely for wont of an honest man.
The truth is hidden by towers of lies,
But the crime of the towers is exposed in riddles.
What really happened is quite a surprise!
Dirty cops, a deal with the devil... the man in the middle.
He looked again in the direction of the door, but the reddish-haired woman was long gone.
Belladonna:
She was assigned to work with an employee who himself had just started at Wayne Enterprises, a thirty-ish looking man named Edward Nygma. He seemed every bit as boring as this work that she needed.
Mirror, Mirror (Part 5 of 8):
Wayne looked at her. He wondered if it was just by accident that Talia rode up beside him.
"And who is Ra's al Ghul?"
"A man who has mastered himself."
Mirror, Mirror (Part 6 of 8):
"Look around you, Bruce. They're not winning this 'War on Crime', and they're not going to win it! The mayor and vice mayor have both said so, their senior staff tell us this every day -- it won't end anytime soon. And no wonder! While they are racking up arrest records bringing in common street thugs, no one is going after the real brains, the real decisionmakers, the real masterminds of the Mujahideen -- no one is going after Aladdin! Key players in the arena, key politicians and key businessmen, don't want the 'War on Crime' to be won, they just want it to be fought. It's a vote-getter and a money-maker."
The Detective (Touch the Sun) Part 10 of 12:
"Looking for someone?" a low, raspy whisper broke the silence.
The smaller figure whirled around, startled, but just as quickly recovered her composure.
"Difficult it is to sneak up on a cat," she purred. "Harder still to surprise a bat!"
Die Another Day, Part 1:
"Batman's intervention in the situation led to an absolute disaster – only a tremendous amount of revision of the story could lead someone to think otherwise."
Alfred looked at Wayne through his bifocals.
"The situation was resolved with a minimal amount of violence, Alfred," Wayne answered, looking back down at the Batcomputer.
"The use of fuel-air explosives in a hostage environment can hardly be considered a minimal amount of violence, sir," Alfred responded. "Three quarters of the hostages died, and the criminals who were holding them escaped."
The Demon, Part 5 of 5:
"What you offer is only more of the same – more pain, more suffering, more injustice, more revenge. By becoming judge, jury and executioner, you have become nothing more than a fool!"
The Counterconspiracy: "Vigilante" Part 2:
"Batman killed over two dozen people. Another dozen or so remain hospitalized. Some of them may still die. The remainder will be horribly scarred and disfigured for the rest of their lives," Bruce Wayne said quietly.
Meow!:
"What's the matter?" teased Vicki. "Cat got your tongue?"
The Counterconspiracy: Witness:
"It's called a 'Batsignal'," Vasilissa smiled. "Press the green button for a routine meeting; press the red button if you are in immediate, life-threatening danger. Once the button is pressed, Batman is summoned, and there is no way to cancel the meeting," she explained.
Mirror, Mirror (Part 4 or 8):
Returning to the present, Wayne looked away from the mirror and looked at his companion.
"Have you ever done that before, Dr. Villanova?" Wayne asked. "Kill someone, that is?"
The Counterconspiracy: Witness:
"'Pivoted?'" O'Hara repeated, looking at the alleyway; there was not enough room for a vehicle to turn around behind the restaurant.
"As in 'on a dime', Detective – those were the exact words of one witness."
Rocking Boats:
"Gotham Bureau of Investigation," the Dark Knight's voice was the kind of whisper that got someone's attention. "But those two agents are dirty." She studied him, as he continued. "And you're rocking their boat."
"How did you know?" she asked.
The Demon, Part 5 of 5:
"Yes, he's a hero, but more than anything else, Batman is a detective. And he's a very good one. When he pieces enough of this together, and gets the information into the hands of the right people, this whole plan will fall apart."
____________
The complete Index to the Gotham City Series through October, 2008.
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