Batman: Dark Hours

PROLOGUE

The man left behind a wave of dust and granite as he vanished.

Bruce Wayne stared at the spot where the man had been just moments before. He could feel his heart thumping against his ribs. Absently, he ran his hands over the wound on his side, virtually feeling the blood that was seeping out in spite of the temporary bandage he had made for himself. The bandage was good enough to slightly staunch the blood flow.

But for how long?

He couldn't find an answer to that question. He ran through the sequence of events in his head, trying not to miss out any details. Flashes of armed men, gunshots, and explosions...Alfred...They took him.

His heart beat a little faster. It was determined to remind him how little time he had, to do what was necessary. I'm sorry, Alfred. He had never apologised to the good old man for dragging him into the life he had chosen for himself. And after tonight, it might be too late.

Holding his injured side, Bruce walked gingerly to his console. His footsteps pounded against the rock and echoed around the cave. The sound of the waterfall at the entrance was loud. But it wasn't loud enough to silence his thoughts. As he reached his console, the computer screen before him was still analysing his data. Pulling in old files, hacking into the GCPD server...trying to find answers to at least some of his questions.

Bruce pressed a combination of keys on the keypad and heard motors whirring on the other side of his console, closer to the wall. A neat square section of the ground slid off, and a slightly dusty glass panel rose up from underneath.

Inside was the dress he hadn't worn in several years.

Bruce walked to it, running everything through his brain again and again, praying he hadn't missed any detail. He looked down at his hand, clutching the piece of paper that was vital to everything. He read it once more, making sure his guess was accurate.

From across the cave, the computer beeped. It had cross referenced the details and had found a couple of matches. But he didn't bother to check them. He could even access them from his car.

Instead, he took a deep breath. Fighting back his anxieties, he began donning the cape and cowl before him. He had a lot of work to do.

...But he had just a few hours to live.