In the night sky of Gotham, a police blimp fly over the city. Two police pilots sit in the blimp looking over Gotham from the air.
"This is Gotham Air One reporting in. Things are actually quiet for once," The older pilot reported.
The younger pilot watches his screen when a blip appears, but quickly goes, "You see that?"
"What?" He asked.
"I had a blip. It just ghosted across my screen," The younger officer explained.
"I don't see anything."
"It was there. Whatever it is must be right below us," The younger pilot said before something flew past the cockpit window, "There it is!"
"There what is?"
"It looked like bat wings."
"Bat wings?" The older pilot questioned, "Okay, take us up through those clouds, just in case."
The younger pilot flies the blimp above the clouds. The older pilot looked around, but say nothing, "Sorry, kid. There's nothing up here."
"I swear, I saw it. Something was flying around up here."
The shadow of a giant bat creature is seen flying past against the buildings. The creature is flying to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals.
Inside, a guard is patrolling and making a demo tape for a radio ad on a micro-cassette recorder.
"Testing 1, 2, 3. Testing 1, 2, 3...You too can fulfill the dream of being a high-paid radio personality in your spare time, just like me. Just call-" The guard clears his throat, "Just call the Gotham Institute of Broadcast Arts! yeah, that's better. Call the Gotham Institu-"
The guard stops when he hears a crash and turns around to investigate. He looks in the room he heard the crash come from. He looks around, but finds nothing and takes a breath of relief before continuing his patrol. Then a shadow of a giant bat passes over him. The guard is attacked by the beast and drops his recorder under the desk. The guard tosses a chair that goes through the window, and then the bat picks him up and tosses him out and into the river below.
The next day, Commissioner Jim Gordan, Detective Harvey Bullock, and Detective Lara Adler meet the Mayor at his office with D.A Harvey Dent. Gordon lays a newspaper from the Gotham Glazer with the headline 'GOTHAM POLICE DECLARE WAR ON BATMAN' on the Mayor's desk.
"I didn't authorize this statement, detective," Gordon states firmly.
"Come on, commissioner, somebody asked me a couple of questions. I just gave them a couple of answers," Bullock explained acting innocent.
"You gave them without my approval. If you kept quiet, he wouldn't know we're moving against him."
"I'll find him," He said to Gordon before turning to the Mayor, "I need a little extra help, Your Honor."
"You need all the help you can get just for solving a simple open and shut case," Adler told him.
"What kind of help?" The Mayor asked.
"I want my own tactical squad for the sole purpose of throwing the net over this Batman," Bullock answered.
The mayor turned to Gordon, "Commissioner?"
"I've already denied the request. Nobody's taking a vigilante force onto my streets," Gordon told the Mayor.
"Your Honor, any nut case that dresses up like a bat sooner or later is gonna snap," Bullock argued.
"Listen, Bullock, it is not Batman 's M.O," Adler told him.
"Oh, yeah? Tell that to the guy he tossed through the window."
"I think we could spare a few men, commissioner. Detective Bullock has a reputation for getting results," The Mayor said.
"With his fists," Alder mumbled.
"I'm authorizing the strike force. Anything else, detective?" The Mayor asked Bullock.
"Just make sure the D.A. 's office can give me an airtight case, sir," Bullock said as they all turn to look at D.A Harvey Dent sitting in a chair flipping his coin.
"If you catch him, Harvey, I'll put him in jail for you," Dent told him.
"What about the Scarlet Witch?" The Mayor asked Bullock.
"So far she hasn't been a problem, but when she does I'll handle her personally," He replied.
"Any luck with identifying her?" The Mayor asked Commissioner Gordon.
"No, even though she doesn't wear a mask, identifying her has been difficult," Gordon told the Mayor.
Lara Alder left the Mayor's office and drove to Wayne Manor. She parked her car in the garage and walked to the study before opening the secret entrance behind the grandfather clock. She walked down the stone steps into the caverns below Wayne Manor, but in the caverns is the secret base of operations of the Batman and the Scarlet witch.
When she had reached the end of the stairs, she saw Batman sitting at the Batcomputer with a newspaper, no doubt with the same headline as the one she saw in the Mayor's office and walked up to him.
"Just so you know that statement was all Bullock, and now the Mayor has approved his crazy request for an anti-batman strike force," She told him. Adler's appearance changed from its blonde hair and blue eyes to brunette hair and brown eyes of Grace Wayne.
"I figured as much," He said.
A moment later, Alfred Pennyworth, the butler of Wayne Manor and father figure to Bruce and Grace Wayne.
"Good evening, Mistress Grace," Alfred greeted her and said to Batman, "I gather you've been reading How to Make Friends and Influence People," Batman and Grace smiled at his joke.
"Somebody's setting me up," Batman told him.
"My heavens, you mean it wasn't you tossing guards out of windows last night?"
"I only toss butlers, Alfred," He said.
"Look, there were two very quiet burglaries at other pharmaceutical companies this week. Nobody hurt like last night, but chemicals were stolen."
"And you suspect a pattern?"
"Only one way to find out," Batman told Alfred. Grace snapped her finger and a red mist covered her before disappearing, showing that her clothes have changed into those of the Scarlet Witch. Batman and Scarlet Witch rushed off to the Batmobile.
"I'll cancel Master Bruce's rendezvous with Bambi, was it, sir?" Alfred asked. Bambi is the socialite, who constantly pursued Bruce as a potential suitor.
"Yes, Alfred," Batman answered as he and the Scarlet Witch continued going to the Batmobile. They get into the Batmobile before driving on the pathway in the Batcave and out of it to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals.
The two heroes stood atop a building across from Phoenix Pharmaceuticals. While Batman fires a zipline and crosses to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals on it, Scarlet Witch used her magic to create platforms to cross over to Phoenix Pharmaceuticals, and the platforms disappeared after she had stepped onto the next one.
Once they snuck into the building, Batman and Scarlet Witch opened the emergency exit door leading to the room where the security guard was attacked and saw a police officer guarding the room. Batman tossed a ball-shaped grenade to the officer, and a sleeping gas came out of it causing her to fall asleep and allowing the heroes to sneak into the room.
They begin to investigate the room. Scarlet Witch tosses a red powder into the air, and it spreads around the room. The moment it touches the floor, footprints appear leading to the desk. Batman looks under it and sees a cassette tape. He takes it out from underneath the desk and plays it to find out it has the guard's voice and his scream. A moment after he puts it in one of the pockets of his utility belt, then he takes out his Infrared Vision Gear increases its magnification. Batman takes out tweezers to pick up strain hair.
Batman and Scarlet Witch turn to the large window when a light shined through and heard police sirens from outside. The two quickly rushed out of the room and into the hall to make their escape.
Outside, Commissioner Gordon and Alder arrive at Phoenix Pharmaceuticals and run over to Bullock.
"Commissioner, Alder, you're just in time to see us hang this bat upside down and take the witch's broom away," Bullock boasted.
"Are you sure they're in there?" Gordon questioned.
"The chopper pilots just spotted them on the fourth floor."
"Hate to burst your bubble, Bullock, but unless they can be in two places at once, they're not the culprits," Alder informed him, " Another pharmaceutical factory was just robbed across town. You've got the wrong suspects."
"What?!"
They stopped at an elevator, and Batman tried to pry it open. The door next to the elevators is kicked open and strike force officers of Gotham P.D storm in the hall as one of the officers spot Batman and Scarlet Witch.
"There!" He yelled but was not fast enough.
Batman and Scarlet Witch escaped through the elevator shaft. Smoke bombs were left behind, knocking the officers out cold. They slid down the cable and reached the ground floor before entering the elevator through the hatch door. When they exited the elevator, more officers were waiting for them.
"Hey! There they are!" One officer exclaimed.
"Abaeo Exorior," Scarlet Witch yelled. Red mist swirled around the two heroes and they disappeared before the strike force began shooting at them.
Outside, everyone can hear the shooting going on in the building.
"Well, somebody is in there Commissioner," Bullock smirks at the gunfire.
"Call 'em off Bullock, or I will!" Gordon ordered.
The two reappeared in a dark room and kept quiet when they heard someone approaching the room. One of the strike force officers walks into the room, Batman disarms him and puts his hand over the officer's mouth.
"Shh," Scarlet Witch held a finger up to her mouth, signaling for the officer to stay quiet.
A tear gas grenade is thrown into the room with flammable canisters. The grenade explodes near the flammable cans and causes a giant explosion. A red dome covers the strike force protecting them from the blast, while Batman and the Scarlet Witch leap out of the building with the officer. A red mist swirled around them and they disappeared before they reappeared safely on the ground. Batman helped the officer up before he and Scarlet Witch run into an alley, disappearing into the darkness.
The next evening, Bruce and Grace were at the Gotham Zoo at the Bat Exhibit to speak with an expert about the hair sample that was found.
"Hello? Anybody here? Doctor March?" Bruce called.
"Who is it?" Dr. March asked, standing at an archway.
"I'm Grace Wayne and this is my brother Bruce," Grace introduced them, "We made an appointment."
"We called about a bat problem," Bruce mentioned.
"What do you think we are, pest control?" Dr. March asked.
"Well, I just need..."
"Yes, yes come in," He told them.
"Why, thank you, doctor," Bruce said.
"We appreciate you taking time out of your schedule doing this for us," Grace added.
The three walked through the Bat habitat and to Dr. March's laboratory.
"You donate a few million and you think you own the place," Dr. March muttered, "I understand I'm to analyze something for you?"
"Yeah, doc. See, I keep hearing squeaks in my chimney, and I found these in my empty fireplace," Bruce answered Dr. March, falsely. Bruce shows him a little bag with the hairs He and Grace found at Phoenix, "They look like hairs. I thought maybe you could tell me if I have a bat problem."
"And what if they are bats, Mr. Wayne? Ms. Wayne?" Dr. March takes the hair, "What then? Destroy them like insects? We won't survive the next evolutionary cataclysm, but bats will! They're survivors, Mr. Wayne, Ms. Wayne, not pests! You should understand that!" He yelled.
"Dad!" The three turn their heads to a woman standing at the door to her lab, "I hope Mr. and Ms. Wayne understand you mean no disrespect."
"Of course not, miss..." Bruce said.
"Oh; Mrs. Well, actually doctor. I'm Francine Langstrom," She introduced herself, "I think you spoke with my husband on the phone?"
Another lab door opens and a man steps out, "Oh, Mr. Wayne, Ms. Wayne, I'm sorry I'm late. I'm Kirk Langstrom. Did you bring the sample?"
Bruce and Langstrom shook hands before Grace shook hands with him.
"I gave it to Dr. March," Bruce answered before a door slammed closed behind them, "Where'd he go?"
"Probably to get started on the analysis," Langstrom answered, "If it's a bat problem, he'll know by tonight."
"Dad was lecturing Mr. and Ms. Wayne on the virtues of Chiroptera," Francine told her husband.
"Chiropte - What?" Bruce asked, confused by what she had said.
"Chiroptera. Bats; and I hope he didn't get carried away. He's a little-uh-protective of all these. I think he likes bats better than people," Langstrom explained.
"I can imagine. I brought you this too. It's a recording I made of the noise on my chimney," Bruce plays the tape he and Grace found at Phoenix.
"That doesn't sound like any bat I've ever heard, Mr. Wayne, ," Francine told them after listening to a strange roar. Bruce hands the tape recording to Langstrom.
"The animal behavior people have a sound library. Maybe they can identify it. We'll let you know," Langstrom informed Grace and Bruce.
"We'd appreciate it, Dr. Langstrom. Thank you," Grace said.
In the Batcave, Batman and Scarlet Witch were listening to the tape on the batcomputer.
"I didn't realize you've taken up to listening to rock'n'roll, sir," Alfred joked.
"You know; I actually did check this against any musical sound. Computer still can't come close to pinpoint it," Batman said.
"I've checked in with a few friends that are wildlife experts, but they haven't heard anything like it before," Scarlet Witch added.
The telephone rings and Alfred answers it.
"Wayne Manor. - One moment please," Alfred said before saying to Batman and Scarlet Witch, covering the speaker, "A call for master Bruce and mistress Grace from a Dr. March."
Batman puts the speaker on and changes to Bruce's voice, "Hey! What's up, doc?"
"You have bats, Mr. Wayne. Common brown bats. They shouldn't pose a problem. As the weather gets colder, they'll move on," Dr. March told him.
"What about the sounds on the tape?" Scarlet Witch asked.
"It's actually two sounds, Ms. Wayne. Starlings and brown bats;" He answered, "probably fighting over a nest on your chimney."
"Appreciate the help doc. I'll return the favor next time you're raising funds. Bye-bye," He hangs the call and returns to the Batman's voice, "This computer checked that fiber against every animal species known to man. I went to them because I thought they might know something we didn't. That hair wasn't a brown bat'."
"And those "melodic sounds"?" Alfred asked.
'Computer; check against combined sounds; starlings and brown bats," Batman said.
"Negative. Sounds not originated by either species."
"I would say, sir, miss, that we have ourselves an incongruity," Alfred spoke.
"Incongruity, Alfred? He's lying, and we're going to find out why," Batman told him.
After traveling to the Gotham Zoo, Batman and Scarlet Witch arrive at the lab and enter through the window to investigate. They walk up to the table with burners and test tubes, Batman picks up a pill bottle.
"'Phoenix Pharmaceuticals'," Scarlet Witch read the label.
They hear someone coming and hide behind the table.
"Who's back there?" Langstrom demanded. Batman and Scarlet Witch step out of the shadows, "You two."
"We're looking for Doctor March," Batman said.
"He's not here, Batman," He told him.
"Where is he?" Scarlet Witch asked.
"Giving a lecture on human extinction and bat evolution, Scarlet Witch. He's really quite brilliant," Langstrom walks over to the table.
"He's misguided and a thief," Batman holds up the pill bottle.
"He's just a theorist. He was afraid to put it to the test. But I wasn't. I knew we'd discovered a formula to create a new species. Neither man nor bat! And once I started taking it, I couldn't stop. I desperately wanted to, but it took over. Francine and March tried to protect me, but it was too late. The beast knew what chemicals were needed to bring itself about. It was out of my control! And it only needs one more component to complete the process! It's in me, Batman, Scarlet Witch," Langstrom takes out a bottle of pills from his jacket before shattering it within his hand as he laughs maniacally with a distorted voice.
Langstrom transforms into Man-Bat and attacks Batman and Scarlet Witch by swinging the chemicals on the table at them. Scarlet Witch quickly creates a shield to protect her and Batman. Man-Bat flies up into the air before diving at the two heroes, but they get out of the way in time. Man-Bat tires again and he manages to knock Scarlet Witch out of the way and creates a tear on Batman's chest, and pinned him to the ground by throwing the table on him. Man-bat jumped on the table to attack Batman but stopped when he heard a familiar voice.
"Kirk!?" Francine exclaimed and Man-Bat turned to her. Francine gasped at what her husband had transformed into. Man-Bat hides his face with his wing before flying away. Batman used his grappling hook to latch onto Man-Bat's foot and was pulled out from under the table and through the window that Man-Bat had just gone through.
"This is going to be a fun night," Scarlet Witch said before a blast of red mist expelled from her hands onto the ground to propel herself up in the air. As she flew through the air to catch up with her brother and Man-Bat, a short fading trail of the red mist was left behind her.
After one of the blimps had called in about Batman, Scarlet Witch, and Man-bat, a police helicopter landed on the roof of the GCPD headquarters.
Bullock runs up to the helicopter, "Let's go!"
"I can't do it, sir!" The pilot yelled over the loud rotors.
"Whadda ya mean 'you can't do it?!" He asked.
"I just got word not to let you up without the Commissioner!"
"Who told you that?!"
"The Commissioner!" The pilot points behind Bullock, who turns around and sees both the Commissioner and Adler running up to the helicopter.
"Get out, Detective! The Mayor may not let me fire you, but I'm not taking the heat for your fiasco," Gordon shouted firmly.
"This is my case, Commissioner, you heard the Mayor," Bullock argued.
"Then why don't you go take it up with him!? I've got a job to do. And Adler is the only one who has shown any common Sense around here from the start of this whole case. If you wanna tag along, fine," Gordon and Alder get on the chopper, "Take us up, Lieutenant!"
"Hey, wait for me!" Bullock jumps as the chopper leaves and barely gets inside.
She followed them into the city and saw them dodging the GCPD blimps. Man-Bat then tried to lose Batman by going over and under various beams in a building that was being constructed, but it was no use. Scarlet Witch then uses her powers to slingshot Batman onto Man-Bat's back. Man-Bat then flew out of the construction and tried to fight Batman to get him off his back. Batman tries to steer Man-Bat away from the ground.
In the helicopter, Bullock, Adler, the pilot, and Commissioner Gordon witness the fight between Batman and the Man-Bat.
"There he is!" Bullock exclaimed, pointing out the vigilante.
"There they are!" Gordon corrected him.
"What is that thing?" Bullock questioned, not believing what he was seeing.
"That thing has to be what's robbing the pharmaceutical companies and what we're after!" Alder stated.
"Holy...!" Bullock exclaimed as Batman and Man-Bat came close to crash into the chopper.
The two ducked under a GCPD helicopter after almost crashing into it. Once she was close enough, Scarlet Witch was able to cast a spell on Man-Bat.
"Close your eyes. Stay asleep. You're less trouble when you don't make a peep," The spell manifested as red energy that wisped about her fingers before forming into an orb which was thrown at Man-Bat, sending the energy through him and knocking him out immediately. Scarlet Witch then used her powers to land all three of them safely on a rooftop.
Hearing a helicopter getting closer to them Scarlet Witch teleported them to the Batcave. When they arrived at the Batcave, Batman placed the unconscious Man-Bat on the table.
"Three for dinner, sir? Ma'am?" Alfred asked
"I got a list of all the items stolen from the chemical labs. Who would've thought they'd be used to create a monster!?" Batman walked over to the computer and pulled the chemical makeup on the screen, "Maybe I can undo the fate Langstrom has brought upon himself."
"Does it appear feasible, sir? Ma'am?" He asked.
Scarlet Witch looks at the screen and says, "It would appear so, Alfred."
After spending a great part of the night helping Langstrom, Batman and Scarlet Witch return to the zoo. After pulling up to the bat exhibit, Batman and Scarlet Witch stepped out of the batmobile with Batman carrying Langstrom, wrapped in his cape.
Francine rushes out of the building and toward the two heroes, "Is he alright?" Batman reveals the cured and human Kirk Langstrom, "Will he change again?"
"No. The formula is out of his system. It's over; for now," Batman answered.