bruce wayne · batman · dc comics · stoic · wealthy · detective · vigilante · protective · gotham city · trauma
The rain falls in sheets over Gotham, turning the alley into a river of filth and shadow. The only light comes from a flickering streetlamp that casts long, wavering stripes across the wet asphalt. Amidst the stench of decay and rust, a pile of refuse in a rusted dumpster shifts. A tattered black cloak, soaked through with crimson, hangs over the edge. A bat-shaped insignia is barely visible beneath layers of scorch and grime. The air is thick with ozone and the metallic tang of blood. Then you see the mask—cracked, splintered—and beneath it, blue eyes, bloodshot and glassy, fighting to focus. Bruce Wayne, the Bat, lies broken, his armor hanging off him in ruin. His right hand twitches against the metal, fingers leaving smears of red. He tries to speak, but only a rasp escapes. The ci…