Sesame, DC: The Gotham Grouchfest

muppetwriter

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Hey, everybody.:smile:

Well, here I go, taking a break from "The MARVELOUS Muppets" series, long enough to go back to "Sesame, DC" and give you all another adventure to read about. And, hopefully, while you're reading this one, you'll find the time in between to check out the new Justice League Heroes game that's coming out this Tuesday for the Xbox, PS2, and Xbox360.

Alright. Here's how the story goes on this one:

This story takes place before the events of the SS/Superman tale (one year ago to be exact), and it will be told through many different points of view. I'll be introducing my own character into the "Sesame, DC" universe in the form of a Metropolitan police detective (instead of the typical reporter role that I've already used for "The MARVELOUS Muppets").

While my character is coming to Gotham to do some investigating on Bruce Wayne (with help from Oscar the Grouch, Count von Count, and the Xiaolin Showdown characters), the Mystery Inc. gang and Elmo are investigating Dr. Jonathan Crane (a.k.a. "The Scarecrow"). Grim, Billy, and Mandy provide assistance on both cases.

The story will have references to this past summer's SS/Superman story (including a side story that involves Scrappy-Doo). And I might even give Kermit another cameo (this time as himself and not a news reporter) or give him his own subplot with April O'Neil.:smile:

Once I finish this tale, I'll come back to the "MM" universe with that sequel to the Spidey/Muppets story that I've been promising, setting myself up for the months leading to the release of you-know-what.

But, for now, let's enjoy this tale.:wink:
 

muppetwriter

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Chapter One​

I’m Detective Sean Thomas of the Metropolis police force. So what was I doing taking a bus all the way from the city that was like New York during the day to a city that was like New York during the night. The reason exactly was that I was fixed on finding a guy named Bruce Wayne, who had been missing for nearly seven years, ever since the death of Joe Chill (the man responsible for the death of his parents). Chill was set to testify against Carmine Falcone, a mob boss who controlled the entire city of Gotham, in exchange for an early parole. Falcone wasn’t too happy with that deal, so he had someone kill Joe Chill, much to Bruce’s displeasure.

The last time I heard about Wayne was from Rachel Dawes, the current District Attorney of Gotham, when she accompanied before he confronted Falcone one night. According to Rachel, Bruce had death on his mind, carrying a gun that he planned on killing Chill with. I wanted to ask her more, but after a while, she just couldn’t say any more. From the look in her eyes, she was truly crushed about whatever Bruce had been going through over the years that had passed after his parents’ death. Just about everyone had given up on him, going on with their lives and forgetting all about his. A man named Earle had even taken control of a company that was under his name, even going as far as to take it public.

Bruce had been declared dead by Alfred Pennyworth, the Waynes’ kind family butler, which was the main reason why everyone had moved on without him. However, I couldn’t buy that; it all just seemed too hard to believe, even if he had been gone for nearly seven years. I was fixed on solving the mystery of Bruce Wayne’s disappearance, and I had a couple of friends of mine from Sesame Street to assist me: Oscar the Grouch and Count von Count. They both loved Gotham City (Oscar loved it mostly due to its lack of happiness), so it didn’t really take much to convince them to help me out.

Instead of taking Oscar’s Sloppy Jalopy (I had to be in Gotham as soon as possible), we took a Greyhound straight from Metropolis to Gotham, getting there in less than twenty-four hours. Most of the passengers sat in the back, due to the foul smell that was growing out of Oscar’s garbage can, which he brought along with him for the trip—I can’t begin to tell you how hard it was getting both inside the bus. Along the way, we met a group of kids from a place called the Xiaolin Temple. Their names were Raimundo Pedrosa (a street-smart boy from Brazil), Kimiko Tohomiko (an attractive, high-tech focused girl from Japan), Clay Bailey (a old-fashioned cowboy from Texas), and Omi (a small orphaned boy who was cute yet rather feisty and had a head that said, “Have a nice day”). They were accompanied by their faithful shape-shifting dragon, Dojo.

These kids were actually monks-in-training whose purpose for coming to Gotham was close to ours. They had connections to Bruce Wayne as well, which helped me greatly in my case, because they actually had proof that Wayne was still alive. When we were only an hour away from the city, they began to tell me about their encounter with Bruce Wayne in the Himalayan Mountains, where he was on an important quest….

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Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, and Clay were riding over the skies of the Himalayans on Dojo, searching for a Shen Gong Wu—artifacts that possess great magical powers—that was supposed to be around that area. They had been flying over the colossal mountains for several minutes, and they were each quickly beginning to grow impatient. That was until Kimiko spotted a man in a field of blue poppies, picking one of them up off the ground.

“Hey,” Kimiko uttered. “Maybe that guy can help us find our Shen Gong Wu.”

“Are you kiddin’?” Raimundo said. “How will he know what our Shen Gong Wu look like? He doesn’t know what a Shen Gong Wu is!”

“If we show him what it looks like on the ancient scroll, then I am sure he will assist us in our mission.” Omi stated.

“Sounds alright to me.” Clay said, and Raimundo just scoffed at the notion, believing it to be far more of a waste of time than flying through the clouds in the chilly wind. Dojo, who was beginning to develop a bit of a chill, turned and flew towards the poppy field. The mini-monks bundled themselves up in their warm coats, as the cold wind breezed past them. When they finally made it to the ground, they were greeted by an exhausted, freezing, and hungry Bruce Wayne, who looked as if he was on the verge of death.

“Greetings, sir.” Omi said. “We are sorry to bother you at this time, but we are searching for an artifact that is…”

“I can’t help you!” Wayne snapped, with a very hoarse voice. “No one will help me. No one will help anybody.” The monks-in-training just stared blankly at Bruce, wondering if he had already lost his mind. Raimundo was just about ready to get back on Dojo and head off, but Kimiko grabbed him by the back of his pants and held him back.

“Oh, come on!” Raimundo yelled. “This guy’s already two French Fries sort of a Burger King Kids Meal!”

“He has fries from a king of burgers?” Omi questioned, totally obviously to the figure of speech that Raimundo had used.

“The point is that he can’t help us. He’s far gone as it is.” Raimundo said. “I’d give him two hours before he finally keels over.” Wayne, angered and annoyed by Raimundo’s words, just kept on moving until he finally flopped down into the snow. The mini-monks came to Bruce’s aid, but he immediately brushed them off of him, which offended Raimundo even more and puzzled the others.

“I need to do this on my own!” Bruce yelled, as he painfully got to his feet and tried to move on his own.

“Let us help you.” Kimiko offered. “You can’t possibly make it over these cold mountains on your own.”

“I have to.” Bruce said. “It is…part of my mission…to make it over these mountains…by myself.” The kids watched Bruce continue to move across the icy ridges on his own, some of them feeling sorry for the poor man. Raimundo did not once feel pity for the withering Bruce; he was focused only on finding the Shen Gong Wu, which he knew was an even more hopeless case than helping Bruce Wayne.

“Come on, guys.” Raimundo said. “Let’s get back to the real reason we’re out here, freezing our butts off.” Omi, Clay, and Kimiko didn’t appreciate Raimundo’s attitude towards Bruce; and his attitude was the reason why they put their search on halt, long enough to keep an eye on Bruce from the skies, while on Dojo (who was just as concerned about Bruce as Omi, Clay, and Kimiko were).

--------------------

“You kids actually helped that poor sap?!” Oscar exclaimed, finding the thought a bit nauseating.

“Pathetic, isn’t it?” Raimundo said, right before Kimiko gave him a rough punch in the gut that almost made Raimundo puke.

“Hey, I would’ve just left him alone and go after that Shan Han Su…or whatever it is that you kids called it, and get back home in time for supper.” Oscar said, with a wicked chuckle that crept the mini-monks out a little. Seeing how freaked out they were by the green grouch, I attempted to calm them down, long enough to tell the rest of the story.

“Forget about him.” I said. “He’s always like that.”

“He has always been so green?” Omi asked.

“At least since 1970.” I joked, and everyone laughed, except for Oscar, who seemed very offended by my joke.

“Hey, stay out of my personal life, Thomas!” Oscar exclaimed, and I just waved off his negativity, focusing back on the mini-monks.

“So tell us more about Wayne?” I said. “What exactly was he doing all the way up there in the Himalayans?”

“We did not know why he was up there.” Omi said. “But we did keep our distance from him, long enough to see where he was going.”

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Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, Clay, and Dojo watched Bruce climb up the steps to the vast doors of a monastery that they truly found intriguing. Just as Bruce unwrapped his severely frostbitten right fist and attempted to knock the ice-covered wooden door, Dojo landed softly behind him and the monks-in-training jumped off the shape-shifting dragon, interrupting Bruce.

“What a marvelous monastery!” Omi exclaimed, and a stunned Bruce turned around in surprise to see the mini-monks behind him.

“How did…Where did you…?” Bruce stammered, and deciding not to bother asking, he simply just shouted, “GET OUT OF HERE!!!”

“No prob., Bob.” Raimundo said, turning to leave while Omi just stared at Raimundo puzzlingly.

“How did you know his name was Bob?” Omi asked him.

“It isn’t!!” Bruce yelled.

“Then what is your name, if you do not mind me asking, sir?” Omi inquired.

“If it’ll get you away from here, no…I don’t mind.” Bruce said, and he was a bit hesitant at first, wondering if exposing his identity to these kids will ruin his personal exile from Gotham. But since they didn’t seem like the type who would come from the streets of Gotham, he didn’t fret any longer. “Wayne. My name is Bruce Wayne.”

“Well, it’s a pleasure to make yer acquaintance, Mr. Wayne.” Clay said, and when he put his left hand out for Bruce to shake, Bruce just stared at it for a long time, not once putting his own hands out to shake it. Clay, sensing of a bit of hostility still left in the air, held back his hand and moved away from Bruce. Bruce’s actions were continuing to offend Raimundo, who was twice as agitated as he was.

“Dude, what’s your problem?” Raimundo asked him. “Something’s gotta have you acting so hostile, besides this cold weather.” Raimundo looked up at the monastery that Bruce was about to enter. “What’s in there, man?” Bruce seriously didn’t want the mini-monks to get into his business, only because he wasn’t absolutely certain if their involvement would ruin his mission. But he was at a point where he just did not care what would happen to him. He was tired, emotionally drained, and almost ready to let Death take his soul away to Heaven or ****.

“You really want to know what’s in there?” Bruce said, and Raimundo nodded along with the other monks-in-training, just before he turned back to the door and pounded against it with his frostbitten fist, his knocks echoing deep within. There was no response, and the monks-in-training were left looking to each other in confusion. Bruce lowered his forehead to the door, with his pounding accelerating to a frenzy.

“I do not believe anyone is home.” Omi said.

“THERE HAS TO BE!!!!!” Bruce cried, just before he and the others heard a grinding noise from within. Bruce stopped and straightened up, as they watched the doors swing open to darkness. Bruce and the mini-monks moved forward into the low-ceilinged wooden hall that was lit with flickering lamps. As the doors shut behind them, they noticed a dark robbed figure sitting on a raised platform at the far end; it was Ra’s Al Ghul.

-----------------------

“Ra’s Al Ghul?” I said, finding the name sounding like something out of a Bruce Lee movie. “Who was this guy?”

“We could only assume that he was Bruce’s master.” Kimiko said.

“The fella looked a lot like Master Fung, our Xiaolin master.” Clay commented.

“Ah, most of these kung fu master look all alike.” Dojo said.

“Except this man did not look as friendly as Master Fung.” Omi contradicted. “In fact, he looked very suspicious, as if he was plotting something very wicked.”

“You could tell all of that just by looking at him?” I asked the little guy.

“That, and from what he did later on.” Omi said. “But we are getting far too ahead of ourselves.”

-------------------

While Omi, Raimundo, Clay, Kimiko, and Dojo remained where they were standing, Bruce moved unsteadily towards Ra’s Al Ghul, just as armed warriors of various races emerged from the shadows, with their bows taut and swords drawn, looking a lot like ninjas that we just waiting for the visitors to make a move. The mini-monks braced themselves for battle, moving in their fighting stance, while Bruce just froze.

“Wait.” A voice said, and the warriors held their ground, long enough for the visitors to see a powerfully-built, distinguished, well-dressed man leaning against a nearby pillar.

“Henri Ducard.” Bruce uttered, while the mini-monks still kept themselves in their stances, expecting someone to make a move. It was an uneasy atmosphere, and if one of them lowered their defenses, then they would be sure not to make it out of that monastery alive. Bruce reached into his layers of clothing and pulled out the double-bloomed blue poppy that he had plucked from the field, holding it out with shaky hands.

Ra’s Al Ghul started to speak in Urdu, leaving Ducard to translate. “Fear has been your guide. And, apparently, so have four small children and a strange dragon.”

“Hey, who ya callin’ strange, bud?!” exclaimed an offended Dojo.

“Uh, I believe it was the other man that called you strange, Dojo.” Omi said, gesturing towards Ra’s Al Ghul. But their focus was mainly on Ducard, whose focus was solely on Bruce.

“Why have you brought them here?” Ducard asked him.

“I tried to keep them away from me…but they refused.” Bruce explained. “They don’t mean any harm. They were only trying to help…”

“No need to explain yourself, Wayne.” Ducard said. “We shall deal with them later.” The mini-monks heard this, and each of their eyes went to one of the armed warriors in the room, wondering if one of them would be left to execute them. If that was going to be the case, then Ra’s Al Ghul would need more than just one warrior to take them down.

Ra’s Al Ghul continued speaking in Urdu, and Ducard continued translating. “You must advance or fear will keep you on your knees. We will help you conquer your fear. In exchange, you will renounce the cities of man. You will live in solitude. You will be a member of the League of Shadows. And you will be without fear.”

The monks-in-training were impressed by some of the things that the mysterious organization was going to be teaching Bruce. It was far different from what Master Fung and the other monks had been teaching them at the Xiaolin Temple, which was why they found it intriguing yet disturbing at the same time. Relaxing their bodies from their fighting stances, the mini-monks watched Ducard as he took the flower from Bruce and considered its delicate blue petals.

“Are you ready to begin?” Ducard asked Bruce, and the mini-monks couldn’t believe that he would ask him such a question, seeing how exhausted and withered he was from his long journey. Ducard threaded the flower through the buttonhole of his lapel, as Wayne looked at him, shaking with hunger and fatigue.

“Ready?!” Bruce said. “I…I can barely…” Before he cold finish, Ducard kicked Wayne, sending him crashing to the floor. The mini-monks, surprised by Ducard’s sudden action, were about to step in and interfere, until they were halted and contained by some of Ra’s armed ninjas.

“Oh, come on!” Raimundo yelled.

“That ain’t fair fightin’, partner.” Clay stated.

“He needs to regain his strength first.” Kimiko said. “Did you see what he had to go through out there?”

“He is not prepared.” Omi uttered.

“Silence!!” Ducard yelled, and the mini-monks immediately got quiet. “Death does not wait for anyone to be ready.” Bruce crawled, gasping for breath, just as Ducard struck him directly in the ribs. “Death is not considerate or fair. And make no mistake…today, death is your opponent.” Ducard turned, whipping his leg in a fearsome roundhouse kick aimed straight at Bruce’s neck. But Wayne blocked the kick with a lateral movement of his forearm.

“Whoa!” Omi exclaimed, truly impressed by Bruce’s counter.

Bruce stared at Ducard, with his eyes blazing. Ducard just smiled, as Wayne raised up and assumed a martial stance. Ducard struck and Wayne blocked and parried, driving his body through pain into a series of fluid, skilled moves. Omi, Kimiko, Raimundo, Clay, and Dojo were each impressed by the moves that were being displayed from both men (more from Bruce than Ducard).

“Facing death, you learn the truth…” Ducard instructed, as his head smashed Wayne’s cheek, leaving Wayne faltering. “You are weak…” He smashed Wayne in the groin, “You are alone…” He slammed Wayne’s chin, sending him down hard, “And you are afraid.” The mini-monks just could not believe the fight they had just witnessed. The armed warriors released their hold on them, after sensing their bodies losing their tension, as Ducard crouched at Wayne’s side, looking into his glazed eyes. “But not of me.” He said that curiously, as he pulled the flower from his lapel and leaned in close to replace it on Wayne’s chest and whisper in his ear.

---------------------

“What did he say to him?” I asked the mini-monks, who far more intrigued by the story than I was (and they were the ones that had supposedly lived through it all).

“He asked, ‘What do you fear?’.” Kimiko said. “And Bruce had this look on his face that almost told us exactly what he was afraid of.”

“Well, what was it?” Oscar asked, showing a little bit of interest.

“We are not quite certain.” Omi said, with a look on disappointment on his face.

“If we had brought the Shadow of Fear with us, then it’d be easy to tell what his biggest fear was.” Raimundo said, and I could only assume that this “Shadow of Fear” was another one of their Shen Gong Wu artifacts.

“However, we did get an idea that it must’ve had something to do with the death of his parents.” Kimiko said, and Count, Oscar, and I knew what she was talking about. We all had heard about how Thomas and Martha Wayne had been gunned down by Joe Chill in an alleyway, on the same night that Bruce and his parents went to see a performance at the Gotham Opera House. I was about the same age Bruce was the night that had happened. And while I was home with my parents, watching Tom & Jerry cartoons on television, he was watching his folks bleeding in front of him.

“Did you kids eavesdrop on one of their conversations or something?” I asked, not trying to sound like I was offending them; but they understood completely.

“Sort of.” Kimiko said. “We decided to stick around in the monastery, long enough to be ready to go back out and continue on our search for the Shen Gong Wu we were looking for. And we’re lucky that we did, because there a lot more to Bruce Wayne, as well as this League of Shadows, than we expected.”

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“And do you still feel responsible for your parents’ death?” Ducard asked, as he led Wayne, Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo along a screened passage that overlooked the extraordinary mountains.

“My anger outweighs my guilt.” Bruce remarked, as Ducard opened a door and led the group onto a mezzanine level stacked with boxes and bottles. Ninjas poured powders into pockets, mixing compounds. Ducard took a pinch of powder and threw it down. There was an abrupt explosion that startled Wayne and the mini-monks (Kimiko jumped into Clay’s arms, much to his surprise).

“Woo-Wee! Now that’s somethin’ else!” Clay exclaimed, as Ducard smiled good-naturedly.

“Advanced techniques of Ninjitsu employ explosive powders.” He said.

“As weapons?” Bruce asked.

“Or distractions.” Ducard added. “Theatricality and deception are powerful agents.”

“Strange.” Omi said, pondering over what Ducard had mentioned. “Master Fung never taught us such a thing.”

“As you come to learn our ways, young monk, you’ll know that the League of Shadows are nothing like Xiaolins.” Ducard said, and Omi could believe that already, after being a witness to Ducard’s teachings. “To be a great warrior is not enough. Flesh and blood, however skilled, can be destroyed…you must be more than just a man in the minds of your opponents.” Ducard took a pinch of powder and handed it to Bruce. After listening to Ducard, Bruce took the powder and tossed it, creating an explosion of his own.

Later that same day, the group had headed out of the monastery and onto a frozen lake in the Himalayas, where Wayne and Ducard circled each other on the ice and sword-fighting, while Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo were watching from a far distance, none of them wearing skates to help keep their balance. There were often at times when Clay, Raimundo, and Kimiko had slipped and fell right on their behinds, whereas Omi was keeping a delicate balance…on one foot.

“Man! How can those two swordfight on ice?!” Raimundo exclaimed. “I’m having a hard enough time keepin’ my butt from gettin’ icy bruises!” The four of them watched Ducard strike at Wayne, who deflected the blow using a silver gauntlet with three thick, hook-like projections known as scallops.

“I guess it’s all got to do with being a League of Shadows warrior.” Clay assumed, standing up one minute and falling down the next, nearly putting a crack in the ice. “Boy, this is just a shame, especially considering the fact that I’m supposed to be the Xiaolin Dragon of Earth.”

“Actually, Clay, ice represents a mixture of wind and water.” Omi said, still keeping his delicate balance on one foot. “I, being a Xiaolin Dragon of Water, am able to keep my balance due to my connection to the frozen water.”

“Then what about Raimundo?” Clay asked. “He’s barely able to get in touch with his element, while slipping and sliding across this ice.”

“It is a hard task to get in touch with the wind element, especially after the water has already been frozen by the wind.” Omi stated, while Raimundo was sliding past him and Clay, with a frustrated look on his face.

“Thanks for stating the obvious, Omi.” Raimundo said, sarcastically, and an oblivious Omi took it as a compliment.

“You’re welcome.” Omi said, and as the boys were either keeping a perfect balance or losing control, Kimiko just sat where she was on the ice (not caring if she got frostbite in the butt or what) and focused on Bruce and Ducard, intrigued by their sword-fighting. Ducard skidded left, with his breath steaming, feinting with his sword. Wayne stepped sideways on the ice, with his foot landing on a thin patch that creaked, water bubbling underneath.

“Mind your surrounding. Always.” Ducard instructed, just as Wayne struck, leaving Ducard to block with his own bronze gauntlet. Bruce slipped right and flew in with a short thrust. Ducard’s arm flipped down in a backhand move, catching Wayne’s sword in one of his scallops. “Your parents’ death was not your fault.” Ducard rotated his arm, wrenching Wayne’s sword from his grasp, causing it to skid along the ice. “It was your father’s.”

Kimiko watched closely, with much interest, as an enraged Bruce dived at Ducard, swinging at him with the scallops, furious and reckless. Ducard parried with his sword, and the two locked, with their noises inches apart from each other. Bruce was breathing heavily, showing some anger in front of Ducard.

“Anger does not change the fact that your father failed to act.” Ducard said.

“The man had a gun!” Bruce snapped.

“Would that stop you?” Ducard asked.

“I’ve had training…”

“The training is nothing. The will to take control is everything.” Ducard stated. “Your father trusted his city, its logic…he thought he understood the attacker and could simply give him what he wanted.” Bruce considered Ducard’s words; his breathing began to slow down, showing some calmness taking over, as the two separated. “Your father did not understand the forces of decay. Cities like Gotham are in their death throes…chaotic, grotesque, and beyond the point of saving.”

“Beyond saving?” Bruce remarked. “You believe that?”

“It is not right that one must come to so far to see the world as it is meant to be.” Ducard said, as he regarded the beautiful landscape. “Purity…Serenity…Solitude. These are the qualities we hold dear.” Omi, Kimiko, Clay, and Raimundo stopped their activity on the ice, long enough to all listen to Ducard. “But the important thing is whether you believe it.” Wayne just stared at Ducard, thinking about all that he was telling him. “Can Gotham be saved, or is she an ailing ancestor whose time has run?”

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“I have to agree.” I said. “Gotham isn’t exactly one of the most tourist-friendly places to visit in the world.”

“What’re ya talkin’ about?” Oscar said. “This is a great place to visit! Just look!” Oscar gestured out the window, which had shown the horrific atmosphere of Gotham City. There were decaying buildings, several homeless people on the streets (either pushing shopping carts, mugging those that had money or food, or standing by flaming oil drums), and police sirens blaring in the distance.

“Oh, my!” Count uttered. “There are definitely more than fifteen homeless people in these streets. Good heavens.”

“Oscar, if you haven’t noticed, this place isn’t exactly Metropolis.” I said.

“That’s the beauty of it!” Oscar exclaimed. “There aren’t any idiots passing by and saying hello to each other, there aren’t weirdoes telling what the letter of the day is, and there definitely ain’t anything clean around here either!” Oscar rolled down the window and stuck his head out, breathing in all of the polluted air that he found fascinating, while the rest of us were holding our breaths. “Not a clean speck in the area!” When Oscar rolled the window back up, we all breathed in the somewhat clean air inside the bus.

“I have never been to this city before, but from that fierce odor, it is no walk in the playground.” Omi said, obviously fouling up in his use of slang, leaving one of his companions have a chance to correct him.

“That’s park, Omi.” Kimiko said.

“Park…Playground…Who cares?” Oscar remarked. “Gotham is one of the greatest cities in the world today. And this Ducard guy doesn’t know what he’s talking about.”

“Well, despite whatever Ducard believes, Bruce Wayne left this city for a reason.” I indicated. “But the question is…why did he leave?”

“He thought he could lose himself, because he felt useless as Bruce Wayne.” Kimiko explained. “He sought knowledge of the criminal world, needing to understand the thoughts and feelings of those who stood in the shadows. He needed to feel the fear before a crime…and the thrill of success, without becoming one of them.”

“Did he think he would find something?” I asked.

“He thought he’d learn what he needed to do with his skills and his anger.” Clay said. “But the harder he looked…the less he saw and knew.”

“And let me guess…” I said, beginning to figure out the story, “He got to the point where he wasn’t even sure what he’d been looking for in the first place and became lost.”

“Exactly.” Omi said. “And that is where our story comes in.”

“Ducard found Bruce in a Bhutanese prison for helping a gang of criminals steal boxes that were, ironically, the property of his family business.” Kimiko said. “After he sprang him out is where we came in to all of this.” From what the kids had told me, I couldn’t believe how Bruce Wayne had spent his seven years of exile from Gotham. Becoming a petty thief and training under an ancient organization of Ninjas was all very hard to swallow, but the way these mini-monks were telling the story, I had to believe some of it was true.

“So, judging from the trip you kids are taking to Gotham by bus and not by your dragon friend their,” When I mentioned Dojo, he had a big smile on his face, indicating his pleasure for the mini-monks and their decision of transportation to Gotham, “I’m assuming that Bruce Wayne has to be alive and back in the city as we speak, right?”

“That is correct.” Omi said.

“But what made him come back?” I asked.

“That is, how you say here in America, where the plot gets swollen.” Omi replied, yet I had no idea what he was talking about, due to the bad slang that was used.

“What?!” I exclaimed.

“He means this is where the plot thickens.” Kimiko said, and I listened closely to the climax of their story, as well as the bad slang that could’ve possibly been included.


END OF CHAPTER ONE​
 

The Count

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Now this is what I've been waiting for! Love the beginning... How you've pretty much skipped straight to the good part of Bruce finding Henry Dukard and training under his tutelage, along with the Xialoin monks staying long enough to parley the account of how Bruce came to be there at the Legion of Shadows' HQ.

A few things that you should go back and try to fix, but overall it's a great start to what I hope to be a great story.
Please, when you have more, be sure to post it.
 

muppet maniac

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I like how you combine the Muppet characters with ones from non-Muppet/Henson franchises. Neat stuff.

I was thinking about writing an outline of "The New Scooby-Doo Movies" where the Mystery Inc. team would visit Sesame Street and meet everyone there(either Muppets and humans, or just the Muppets)...and they hear about a monster on the loose. And then Big Bird, Ernie, Bert, Oscar, Cookie Monster and Grover would help them solve the case. In one scene Scooby actually sees Snuffy, yet Shaggy and Velma dont believe him.
 

muppetwriter

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Thanks, muppet maniac.:smile: And that idea sounds awesome. Scooby-Doo and Sesame Street go well together (like peanut butter and chocolate...I would've said jelly, but I love Reeses).

The Count said:
Now this is what I've been waiting for! Love the beginning... How you've pretty much skipped straight to the good part of Bruce finding Henry Dukard and training under his tutelage, along with the Xialoin monks staying long enough to parley the account of how Bruce came to be there at the Legion of Shadows' HQ.
Yeah, I was going to have Count von Count have a connection to Bruce Wayne's childhood, but I probably would've gone too deep for such a comical SS character (I'm going to try to stay true to his character, even through the dramatic parts of this story). There is, however, another character that you'll read about in the next chapters that actually does have connections to the Wayne family.


My university's giving us a break this Thursday and Friday, which means I have a four-day weekend ahead of me, so I'll try to get back to this tale as soon as I can.:smile:
 

The Count

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Rully? Interested in the update. And it wouldn't be that bad of an idea to have my namesake connected to the Wayne family... After all, he is a numerian vampire and relishes all of that spooky surroundings and little creepy critters.
There've been threads discussing how back when The Count first appeared, he used a power of vampiric mesmorism on Bert and Ernie to count the six blocks Ernie had arranged in a pyramid formation and then his vampiric hypnotism on Waiter Grover to keep getting hot dogs to count at Charlie's.

Also, in my research of mythic monsters, I've found that my namesake is a male version of the Azeman.
The Azeman is a female vampire from South America who does partake in all the usual vampiric activities like stalking down victims to sink her teeth into their necks and drink their life-sustaining blood. However, instead of garlic wreaths or holy water, the people carry with them small bundles of beads or broomsticks or twigs and throw them at her feet. The Azeman then stoops down to count all of the baubles beneath her, giving the intended victim time to escape.

Hope this helps, look forward to the story getting updated when you get the chance!
 

muppet maniac

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There've been threads discussing how back when The Count first appeared, he used a power of vampiric mesmorism on Bert and Ernie to count the six blocks Ernie had arranged in a pyramid formation and then his vampiric hypnotism on Waiter Grover to keep getting hot dogs to count at Charlie's.
I remember the first one you mentioned. Also, he had a more evil laugh back then(remember first seeing this bit translated in Malaysian)

Thanks, muppet maniac. And that idea sounds awesome. Scooby-Doo and Sesame Street go well together (like peanut butter and chocolate...I would've said jelly, but I love Reeses).
Here's some ideas I have for that fanfic, which will take a while for me to post here:
*Gang going into Hooper's Store(like when they always hang out in the Malt Shop)
*Grover and Cookie pairing up with Shaggy and Scooby
*Oscar gets a crush on either Velma or Daphne, yet doesnt want to admit it in front of everyone else(!)I think with Daphne it would be funnier :smile:
*Big Bird finds some sort of "strange" document and explains it to the gang(actually the allphabet, like in his signature song)
...and I was thinking of putting Kermit in there somewhere. Maybe other characters like Lefty and Roosevelt Franklin. Background cameos maybe?
 

muppetwriter

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muppet maniac said:
Here's some ideas I have for that fanfic, which will take a while for me to post here:
*Gang going into Hooper's Store(like when they always hang out in the Malt Shop)
*Grover and Cookie pairing up with Shaggy and Scooby
*Oscar gets a crush on either Velma or Daphne, yet doesnt want to admit it in front of everyone else(!)I think with Daphne it would be funnier :smile:
*Big Bird finds some sort of "strange" document and explains it to the gang(actually the allphabet, like in his signature song)
...and I was thinking of putting Kermit in there somewhere. Maybe other characters like Lefty and Roosevelt Franklin. Background cameos maybe?
That'll definitely be one fanfic I'd check out, if you get it posted here on MC.:smile:
 

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If the narration seems a little awkward in this next chapter, that's because it's being narrated by Elmo.:smile:


Chapter Two​

Elmo had never been to a place like Gotham before; it was really different from the place that Elmo lives, Metropolis. It was so dark and unhappy, which was why Elmo believed Oscar liked to come there so much. If Elmo hadn’t come with Daphne, Fred, Velma, Shaggy, and Scooby-Doo, then Elmo would be really, really scared right now. An hour in such a dark, unhappy place by himself, and Elmo would be wishing he was back in Elmo’s World. And Elmo wasn’t the only one that was scared of Gotham City.

“Fred, I know they have some of the best diners in Gotham,” Shaggy said, “But I’d rather be eating and then screaming, instead of screaming before eating.” No one, including Elmo, knew what Shaggy was talking about, as Fred drove the Mystery Machine (Elmo thinks this is a really cool car) through the dark, unhappy streets of Gotham.

“What’re you babbling about, Shaggy?” Velma asked.

“I just think that if we’re going to eat at someplace less intimidating, then it might as well be at the malt shop in Metropolis.” Shaggy replied.

“We didn’t come to Metropolis just to eat, Shaggy.” Fred said. “We’re here to investigate some of the weird activity that’s been taking place lately.” Fred tossed a newspaper backwards to Shaggy; it was one of those newspapers made by the Daily Planet (Elmo’s favorite paper, even though Elmo can’t read all that much). “According to Perry White, they have been people turning into timid rabbits, whenever some weird smoke comes flying their way.”

“Do they really become rabbits?” Elmo asked, and Elmo must’ve made a joke, because Fred, Daphne, and Velma chuckled over what Elmo said. Daphne turned and smiled at Elmo, playfully rubbing her fingers through the fur on Elmo’s head, which tickled Elmo a little.

“You’re so precious, Elmo,” Daphne said, “Which is what we brought you along. You just lighten up this tense atmosphere with your positive Sesame Street attitude.” Elmo was glad that Daphne said that, because it made Elmo feel so wanted. Daphne had always appreciated Elmo’s company, more than she did the rest of Mystery Inc.

“Thank you, Daphne.” Elmo told Daphne, politely.

“So who is this Jonathan Crane guy that we’re meeting?” Shaggy asked, after reading the Daily Planet newspaper.

“He’s a psychiatrist that specializes in psychopharmacology at Arkham Asylum, which is where we will be meeting him this afternoon.” Velma said, and Shaggy & Scooby both looked really confused.

“Afternoon?!” Shaggy exclaimed, and he & Scooby stuck their heads out the window and looked up at the dark, cloudy sky. “How can you tell?”

“Even though you can’t see the sun, Shaggy,” Velma said, and Elmo could tell she was about to talk science, just from the way her voice sounded, “It doesn’t particularly mean it’s nighttime. The clouds shrouding the sun are illuminated by its light that often at times shines through them, thus helping us realize that it’s still daytime. When it’s nighttime, you’ll actually see a faded image of the moon pass the clouds.”

“Cloudy days are always so interesting.” Daphne said. “Sometimes, when the clouds are matted together so nicely, projected images can appear clearly on their surface and look as if you’re watching a movie. Cool, huh?” Elmo was impressed how smart Daphne was; she was almost as smart as Velma.

“It’d be cooler if we had some popcorn to go with that movie.” Shaggy said, which Elmo expected him to say afterwards.

“Well, there’s not going to be a movie or popcorn where we’re going.” Fred said, and he looked up at the rearview mirror to see Elmo, talking to him while he was driving. “Listen, Elmo, I’m glad that you came with us; but I don’t think this Asylum would be a good place for you to go into. It might be too…disturbing for ya, little guy.”

“That’s okay, Fred.” Elmo told him. “Elmo will feel safe, knowing that his friends will be there to keep him safe.” Elmo expected to see happy looks on his friends’ faces; but everybody looked so scared and worried that they couldn’t even put up a smile. Elmo hoped they weren’t frightened, because Elmo wasn’t.

It didn’t take that long for Elmo and his Mystery Inc. friends to arrive at Arkham Asylum, a place in the middle of Gotham that looked even more unhappy than the rest of the city. From what Velma told Elmo during the trip between Gotham and Metropolis, Arkham Asylum was some kind of a hospital where they put a lot of people who get really sad or really sick and come there to be happy and better again. Elmo was excited to come to this place and didn’t understand why his friends didn’t want him to be there, because Elmo loves meeting happy people.

Elmo found out from his friends that the man we were going to see, Jonathan Crane, was a high-ranking doctor (or an administrator, whatever that is) at Arkham Asylum and a very nice person. When we arrived at Arkham Asylum, Fred told some of the nice police officers about the reason we were there, and they let us right in. Elmo thought that Arkham Asylum was an interesting place to see, but it looked like it could use some cleaning (Oscar would definitely enjoy this place). Elmo and his friends were led through a hallway by a doctor, where there were large, metal doors with people behind them, shouting out a lot of things that Elmo didn’t understand.

“Hey! Hey!” One man shouted through a small, rectangular hole in the large door, pointing directly at Elmo. “He has finally come! He has come to take us all down with him! We will be judged for our sins! Our bodies will burn and our souls will be his to feast upon!!” Before Elmo could hear the rest of what this man was saying, Daphne came up to Elmo and led Elmo away from the man, who seemed to get sad again as he watched Elmo leave. “No, please! I admit that I have sinned! I deserve to go to his palace in the flaming pits!” Elmo looked back at the man, as Daphne led Elmo away, and when Elmo couldn’t see him anymore, Elmo looked up at the worried Daphne.

“Who did that sad man think Elmo was, Daphne?” Elmo asked her, and it took her a long time to respond to Elmo’s question.

“Uh…never mind, Elmo.” Daphne said. “Let’s just go see Dr. Crane, shall we?”

“Okay.” Elmo said, and Elmo & Daphne followed their friends into a room that seemed much nicer than the rest of Arkham Asylum, where Dr. Jonathan Crane was sitting at a table. He did look very nice and made Elmo feel like he was back in Sesame Street again.

“Dr. Crane,” Velma said, as she approached him and shook his hand. “It is indeed a pleasure to see you in person.”

“You must be Velma Dinkley, and the rest must be the other members of Mystery Inc.” Dr. Crane said, with a smile. “Please. Everyone take a seat.” Elmo and his friends sat down at the table, just as Dr. Crane did at the same time. “Miss Dinkley, when I received the message from my secretary, I couldn’t help but to feel a little curious. What makes you believe that I have some connections to the odd behaviors that have been reported in this city?”

“Well, mostly because the same behaviors have been reported in this asylum.” Velma said. “I don’t mean any offense, Dr. Crane. I have admired your work for years now. But when clues start pointing in the directions of people or places that you least suspect, we can’t help but to do a little investigating on that person or place.”

“I completely understand, Miss Dinkley.” Dr. Crane said. “But I’m afraid that I can’t help you and your friends out on your case, because I haven’t been aware of any behaviors similar to that on the streets of Gotham.”

“But when these behaviors are spotted, the first place that the authorities take the people who are suffering is here.” Daphne said.

“Not exactly.” Dr. Crane said. “Sometimes they take them to regular hospitals to determine their diagnosis, and if it is indeed serious, then they come here to Arkham for further treatment. But we haven’t received any patients like the ones that are described in the papers. However, a few of our current patients here at Arkham have had some rare ‘attacks,’ claiming to have seen a scarecrow in their rooms.” Elmo noticed how puzzled his Mystery Inc. friends looked, after Dr. Crane said that.

“A scarecrow?” Fred said.

“Yes.” Dr. Crane said. “And there are often times when I use a method that some other psychiatrists would find rather odd, but I think it’ll help our patients get over their episodes.” Dr. Crane then picked up his briefcase and set it down on the table to unlock it. He reached into it and pulled out the scariest mask that Elmo had ever seen. Elmo’s Mystery Inc. friends looked closely at the mask, with looks on their faces that told how confused they were.

This helps them get over their episodes?” Daphne asked.

“Yes,” Dr. Crane said, “And I realize that it seems a little peculiar…”

“Man, you don’t know the half of it.” Shaggy interrupted, and the other Mystery Inc. friends shushed him, long enough to listen to Dr. Crane.

“But I assure you that it is a logical method that I would suggest other psychiatrists to consider taking with their patients.” Dr. Crane said, and Elmo’s Mystery Inc. friends looked at each other, looking even more worried than they were when they had arrived at Arkham Asylum.

“With all due respect, Dr. Crane,” Velma said, “This method seems like it might keep the inmates inside Arkham longer than expected.”

“Believe me, Miss Dinkley.” Dr. Crane said, with a smile. “It works.”

“For the sake of your career, I hope so.” Velma told Dr. Crane, who afterwards looked at his wristwatch and then towards the window inside the room.

“Well, I’m sorry that our meeting had to be so abrupt,” Dr. Crane said, as he got up from the table. “But I really must be going. I have some other business to attend to at the moment.” He put the scary mask back in his briefcase and closed it, before he started walking towards the door. “I do wish you kids the best of luck and hope that any meddling you plan on doing will keep the culprit from getting away.” With another happy smile, Dr. Crane walked out of the room, leaving Elmo and his Mystery Inc. friends alone to talk.

“Is it just me or was that last thing he said a crack at us being meddling kids?” Shaggy asked, looking a little offended, while Scooby stuck his tongue out at the door.

“He seems too weird to be a ‘normal’ psychiatrist,” Daphne said. “Not too mention arrogant.” Daphne then looked over at Velma and realized the mistake she made, insulting someone that Velma admired in front of her. “Oh, I’m sorry, Velma. I forgot you are a big admirer of his.”

“That’s alright, Daphne.” Velma said, not seeming to be bothered. “I just said all that stuff to butter him up, hoping that he would cough up some information about the odd behaviors in Gotham. Unfortunately, it backfired on me.” Elmo was a little surprised to hear Velma admit that, because all she had to do was ask Dr. Crane nicely.

“Well, it’s not too late to find out more about him.” Fred said. “We’ve got a mystery on our hands, gang, and we’re not gonna give up so quickly.”

“What do you plan for us to do next, Freddy?” Daphne asked.

“Crane said that he had some other business to attend to.” Fred said. “How much you guys wanna bet that business has something to do with the strange behaviors?”

“That’s one bet that I’d like to lose.” Shaggy said.

“Come on, Shag.” Fred said. “This is one mystery that might saved millions of lives, if we’re able to get it solved.”

“Fred’s right, Shaggy.” Velma said. “What if this thing goes beyond Gotham and gets to other places, like Metropolis.”

“Or Sesame Street.” Elmo said, and after Elmo said that, Elmo started to feel a little worried. Elmo looked down at his feet, thinking about all of Elmo’s friends on Sesame Street and if they got sad or sick themselves. Elmo felt a hand come down on his shoulders and looked up to see Daphne smiling at Elmo again.

“Ohh, poor Elmo.” Daphne said. “We’ll make sure nothing bad will happen to Sesame Street. Right, Shaggy?” Elmo looked at Shaggy, who was more worried than Elmo was; but he didn’t seem so worried, after he and Scooby looked at each other and thought about what Elmo’s other Mystery Inc. friends said.

“R-Right, D-Daphne.” Shaggy stammered.

“Alright, gang.” Fred said. “Let’s go out and look for clues that’ll help us find out where Dr. Crane is going.”

“One of the doctors should know where might be going.” Daphne said. “We can always ask them.”

“Or…we can call Crane’s secretary.” Velma said, pulling out the cell phone that Daphne let her borrow and called that person. “Hello? Mrs. Sullivan? I missed my meeting with Dr. Crane today and was wondering if there was another time I could meet him, say…later tonight by any chance?” Velma got quiet for a moment and listened to the secretary’s voice over the phone. Elmo could tell she got the answer she wanted, because a big smile appeared on her face, as she looked at Elmo and the others. “Oh, so Dr. Crane has an appointment of his own that he’s going to with Carmine Falcone at the docks.”

“The mob boss?” Fred said, while Velma was listening to the secretary.

“No, Mrs. Sullivan, I’ll just catch Dr. Crane at another time. Thank you.” Velma said, and right after she hung up the phone, we started walking out of the room. Elmo didn’t really understand the rest of the stuff that his Mystery Inc. friends were talking about, but every time they mentioned the name, Carmine Falcone, they all just got really nervous. Elmo can never understand grownups.

A little later, Elmo and his Mystery Inc. friends arrived at the docks, where we saw big, mean-looking men taking boxes out from an open container. Fred had parked the Mystery Machine pretty far from where these men were working. Elmo and Scooby just sat quietly, while Fred, Daphne, Shaggy, and Velma looked through some binoculars to see what was going on.

“There’s a sedan pulling up.” Fred said.

“I wonder who’s in it.” Daphne said, and after a few seconds, they all gasped in surprise. “Is it that Detective Flass?”

“As in Gotham Police Detective Flass?!” Velma said, sounding just as surprised as Daphne did. “Please tell me he’s here to raid out these crooks.”

“Doesn’t look like it.” Fred said. “He just ripped open that stuffed toy like he was anxious to see what was in it.”

“What is in those toys anyway?” Shaggy asked.

“It looks like some kind of packaged drug.” Velma said, before Daphne gasped again.

“He did not just hand that drug-filled toy back to that crook, did he?!” Daphne asked, not sounding very happy at all, as she said that.

“Gang, it looks like this mystery’s a lot bigger and more dangerous than we expected.” Fred said, moving his binoculars away from his eyes, at the same time Velma, Daphne, and Shaggy did. “Even the police are in on this!”

“Maybe Detective Flass is just goin’ undercover.” Shaggy said.

“Very likely, Shaggy.” Velma said. “He has his badge with him.”

“Maybe he’s lightly undercover.” Shaggy said, and Velma rolled her eyes at Shaggy’s silly comment, putting the binoculars up to her eyes again.

“What’s he doing now, Velma?” Daphne asked.

“He’s going inside the warehouse, probably meet up with Falcone and Crane.” Velma said, and Elmo then noticed the determined look on Fred’s face.

“Alright, gang.” Fred said, opening the door on his side of the Mystery Machine. “Let’s get to the bottom of this.”

“Fred, if you don’t mind, I’d like to stay on top.” Shaggy said, nervously.

“As much as it pains me to admit it, Shaggy’s right, Freddy.” Velma said. “It’s too dangerous. We’ll be spotted too easily.”

“Not if we use our old disguises from the mystery of the Irish Dock Creature.” Fred said, and he climbed out of the van, moving to the back of it, where he opened the doors and reached into a secret compartment that Elmo hadn’t noticed before. In the compartment was a cardboard box that had clothes that dock workers often wear; one of them was big enough for Elmo to fit in.

“I can’t believe you still have those old, raggedy things, Freddy.” Daphne said.

“I knew they’d come in handy one day, so that’s why I kept them.” Fred said, with a big smile on his face.

“They’re like a bad memory to me.” Velma said. “That mystery was the last one we worked with Scrappy-Doo on.”

“Who’s Scrappy-Doo?” Elmo asked, curiously, and Velma just smiled at Elmo.

“Someone you’re a lot better than, Elmo.” Velma said, while Fred was trying on the dock worker clothes, which fit him perfectly.

“Hey! It still fits!” Fred said, happily.

“It should.” Velma said. “It’s only been eight months since that mystery happened.”

“Well, it’s still good to see that my figure hasn’t changed all that much.” Fred said, and it wasn’t long before Daphne, Shaggy, Velma, and Elmo (and even Scooby-Doo) disguised ourselves as dock workers, wearing caps and covering our faces with specks of dirt to hide our identities. It really made Elmo feel like a spy.

Elmo and his disguised Mystery Inc. friends were about to head into the warehouse to find Dr. Crane, Mr. Falcone, and Detective Flass, until a man had mistaken us for one of them (our disguises were really good) and ordered us to help him out. Elmo and his friends knew that we had to keep our identities secret no matter what, so we decided to forget about Dr. Crane, Mr. Falcone, and Detective Flass and help out this man who looked even grouchier than Oscar.

“It’s probably better if we blended in with the thugs,” Velma whispered, “That way, we can see what these shipments are all about.” And before we started helping these men out around a maze of the stacked containers, which Elmo found out from this man were called “The Stacks,” we heard someone shout from a really dark area.

“Steiss? You okay, man?” The man asked his friend, just before he turned to Elmo and Mystery Inc. “You guys stay right here.” As Elmo and his friends did what the man said, Elmo noticed how he pulled out a gun and got a little scared. When the man moved towards the shadows, another man—who looked just as mean as the other did—came to tell him something, but he also noticed the gun in the man’s hands and pulled out his own. Now Elmo was really scared; but Elmo knew his Mystery Inc. friends would protect him. After they both moved into an open container, Fred quietly led us away from the stacks and towards the warehouse, and before we could go into it…

“AAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!”

Elmo nearly had an accident, hearing the sound of that scream. Shaggy and Scooby begged for Fred to take everyone back to the Mystery Machine, but Fred was really curious about what was happening in the stacks. Four of these mean-looking men went into them, but none of them came out, and now Daphne and Velma were starting to become just as frightened as Scooby and Shaggy were.

“Freddy…why don’t we just call the police or something?” Daphne asked, politely.

“Something going on here, Daph.” Fred said. “And I’m wanting to find out what it is.”

“Like, do you have some kind of death wish, man?!” Shaggy yelled, just before we heard loud, banging noises that sounded just like fireworks. Now Elmo and his friends were all frightened, and we got even more scared, when we heard the door to the warehouse open. Elmo and his friends hid in the shadows, while Detective Flass and Mr. Falcone came out, holding guns that were bigger than the ones those two men were holding.

“What’s going on?!” Mr. Falcone asked, angrily, before someone else screamed.

“I’m getting out of here!” Detective Flass yelled, and when he and Mr. Falcone disappeared, Elmo and Mystery Inc. came out from the shadows did the same. While Elmo was running scared with his friends, Elmo accidentally tripped and lost his dock worker cap. When Elmo tried to look all over for it, Elmo bumped into someone that had also been running.

“Excuse Elmo.” Elmo said, and looking up, Elmo noticed a scared Mr. Falcone looking down at Elmo.

“Who are you? Never mind!” Mr. Falcone said, quickly, and he grabbed Elmo by the arm and brought Elmo into the stacks with him. “I’m not going to let whatever it is in these stacks get me.” Mr. Falcone brought Elmo to a part of the stacks where we saw something that neither Elmo or Mr. Falcone had ever seen before. A giant bat fighting five men that had dangerous objects in their hands. Elmo not only had seen a giant bat before, but Elmo hadn’t seen anyone move really fast before. After the giant bat finished taking down the men, Mr. Falcone took his big gun and pointed it at the giant bat. “What in God’s name are you?”

The giant bat turned and looked at both Mr. Falcone and Elmo, just as he opened his hand and revealed two small, orange objects that he dropped to the ground. Looking at the scared look on Mr. Falcone’s face, as he looked at what the giant bat dropped to the ground, Elmo could tell that it might’ve had something to do with that big gun in his hands.

“You want to know who I am, Falcone?” The giant bat said, with a scary, dark voice. “I’m Batman.” Elmo took a step back, as the giant bat took his large wings and wrapped them around Mr. Falcone like a Christmas present. Before Elmo knew it, both the giant bat and Mr. Falcone were gone, and Elmo’s Mystery Inc. friends had arrived to find Elmo.

“Elmo, why did you run off like that?” Fred asked, and before Elmo could explain, Fred interrupted Elmo. “Come on!” Elmo and his Mystery Inc. friends moved away from the stacks and went back into the Mystery Machine, driving away from the docks. As we drove away, Shaggy and Scooby looked more frightened than ever, looking at something out the window.

“Zoinks!!” Shaggy yelled. “Like, what is that?!” Fred stopped the Mystery Machine, long enough for everyone to get a good look at what Shaggy and Scooby saw. Up in the sky was a circle of light projected on the dark, scary clouds, with the shape of what Elmo and his Mystery Inc. friends thought was a bat in the center of it.

“Could there possibly be another meddling kid around here?” Daphne asked.

“I’m not sure if it’s even a kid who’s meddling.” Velma said, and when everyone noticed how she was looking at something other than the “bat light,” they followed her gaze to see a black flag blowing in the wind on a building nearby. But, at least to Elmo, it looked a lot more liked that giant bat that Elmo saw in the stacks.

“Let’s get out of here.” Fred said, before he drove the Mystery Machine away from the docks.


END OF CHAPTER TWO​
 

The Count

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Hu boy... You're sure going for the jugular trying to get the story finished as fast as possible huh?

Great chapter... Another pair of pivotal scenes... The meeting with Dr. Crane, although I thought it was spelled with a K instead... And the meeting down at the Stacks along with the bat's first appearance. You might've kept the slightly comical bit where he lost his first homemade batarangs. And I'm looking forward to whenever the main party splits up and my roomie gets to wander downstairs in the Wayne Manor as Wayne himself and Alfred go over the details of building and putting the cave together.

Few little touches that need correcting though.
It should be "unhappier", not "more unhappy".
It should be "Elmo couldn't see him any more", not "anyone". when the inmate started spouting off about wanting to pay for his sins.
It should be "other psychiatrists consider taking with their patients" when Dr. Crane is explaining his method of dealing with the inmates.
It should be "where he might be headed" when Mystery Inc.'s trying to find out where Crane was headed off to.
It should be "Elmo not only hadn't seen a giant bat".
Hope this helps and Im awaiting the next installment.
 
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