This screenplay is copyrighted to its author. All rights reserved. This screenplay may not be used or reproduced without the express written permission of the author.
BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT BATMAN: THE DARK KNIGHT by Adam El Hafi INT. BATCAVE - BATMAN'S COSTUME ROOM - NIGHT A bat belt buckle snaps together. A cape falls into place. Close-up of the Bat insignia on the chest armor. A gloved hand reaches for a bat gadget. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHTWING'S COSTUME ROOM - NIGHT A bird belt buckle snaps together. A boot is pulled on. Close-up of the large, blue Nightwing symbol on the black armor. A gloved hand reaches for a throwing bird. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT BATMAN and NIGHTWING emerge from their rooms. They walk into the cave. BATMAN Nice outfit, Robin. NIGHTWING Nightwing. BATMAN What? NIGHTWING Call me Nightwing. I'm shedding the Boy Wonder persona. BATMAN Mmm-hmm. Is that why you're stuffing your codpiece? NIGHTWING Shut up, Bruce! Batman smiles. The Batmobile and Wingcycle rise on their separate pedestals. Batman gets into the car. Nightwing gets on the bike. The Batmobile fires up and rockets out of the cave. ALFRED PENNYWORTH watches as Nightwing starts his bike. ALFRED Will you be back in time for dinner, sir? NIGHTWING I doubt it, Al. It looks like Chinese takeout again. Don't forget to tape ER for Bruce. INT. BATCAVE - ACCESS TUNNEL - NIGHT Nightwing rides through the tunnel. He catches up to the Batmobile. NIGHTWING So where are we headed? BATMAN Commissioner Gordon says the Ratcatcher's been spotted breaking into Delta Chemicals. NIGHTWING Delta Chemicals. Didn't that used to be... BATMAN (interrupts) Axis Chemicals. NIGHTWING Why would the Ratcatcher want to break in there? BATMAN That's what we're going to find out. EXT. FOREST ROAD - NIGHT Batman and Nightwing head for Delta Chemicals. EXT. DELTA CHEMICALS - NIGHT The Delta Chemical Plant looks quiet and deserted on the outside, but.... INT. DELTA CHEMICALS - NIGHT On the inside, GOONS trash the plant looking for a chemical compound, XR-2. OTIS FLANNEGAN, THE RATCATCHER, looks on. RATCATCHER Hurry up and find it! We don't have much time. GOON #1 What are you worried about boss? The cops ain't nowhere to be found. RATCATCHER It's not the cops I'm worried about, you idiot. Now keep looking! One of the goons finds a canister. GOON #2 I got it! RATCATCHER (grabs the canister) At last! XR-2! The doctor will be very pleased! Suddenly, the Batmobile crashes through the wall and screeches to a halt in front of the Ratcatcher. Batman ejects himself into the air and floats down in the middle of the goons. BATMAN Am I interrupting anything? RATCATCHER Boys, I smell a rat in the building! Go get him! The goons converge on Batman as the Ratcatcher takes off with the canister. As he approaches the exit, Nightwing pulls up on his bike. The Ratcatcher turns around and runs upstairs. Batman battles the goons, but is overpowered. Nightwing chases the goons on his bike and fends them off. He gets off the bike and joins Batman. BATMAN Good work, Nightwing. NIGHTWING Thanks. We better catch Ratboy before he gets away. BATMAN I'll go after him. You stay here and hold off his men. NIGHTWING Oh sure! Run off and let me do all the work! Batman goes after the Ratcatcher, while Nightwing defeats the goons with an assortment of punches and kicks. The Ratcatcher reaches a dead-end upstairs. He looks over the ledge and sees a familiar vat of green chemicals far below. BATMAN Give it up, Otis. There's no way out. RATCATCHER I'll never give up. This chemical's worth too much to me. You know, rats are usually the only rodents I kill, but I'll make an exception in your case. The Ratcatcher pulls out a large blade and charges at Batman. He swings it at him. Batman dodges the blade and punches him in the face. BATMAN Bats aren't rodents. Batman hits him again, and the Ratcatcher drops the blade and canister and flies over the ledge. Batman grabs his arm as he's falling. RATCATCHER Don't let go of me, please! You can have the canister back, just don't kill me! BATMAN I'm not going to let you go. But before I pull you up, you have to tell me who you're working for. RATCATCHER I don't know his name. He just gives me orders, and I do what he says. BATMAN Why does he want the chemicals? RATCATCHER It's for some sort of experiment. I'm not sure. Look, that's all I know, I swear! Batman pulls him back up over the ledge. RATCATCHER Thank you. You're a honorable human being. The Ratcatcher reaches behind him and pulls out a bottle. He sprays a toxin in Batman's face. RATCATCHER Dumb, but honorable. He picks up the canister and laughs as he runs away. Batman is left standing in a daze. His vision is blurred and there is smoke everywhere. He can't make anything out. The smoke begins to clear and he sees a purple-suited figure in front of him. A familiar white face turns to him. It is JACK NAPIER, THE JOKER. THE JOKER Hey, Batty! Miss me? BATMAN No, it can't be. THE JOKER Say, you don't sound too good. Are you all right? You look like you've seen a ghost! (laughs out loud) A ghost! Sometimes I kill myself! He begins slowly walking around Batman. THE JOKER I see you still have the same wardrobe. Except for those nipples on your suit. I like them. Very fashionable. BATMAN This isn't happening. I'm going crazy. THE JOKER Going crazy?! Have you bothered looking in a mirror lately, my friend? I think you went cuckoo for Cocoa Puffs a long time ago. The Joker chuckles. BATMAN I saw you fall from the cathedral. You're dead. THE JOKER And I've got to be honest with you, the afterlife ain't all it's cracked up to be. Nobody down there ever has a smile on their face. It's such a damn waste of space. (gets in Batman's face) Tell me something, my winged foe. Why is it that you go to all that trouble to save the life of some rat-faced son of a bitch, but you don't even think twice before dropping me into a vat of toxic chemicals? Batman remains silent. THE JOKER It just drives me insane. I made all of this happen for you! The suit, the money, the women. It's all because of me! I created both Bruce Wayne and Batman, and you repay me by doing this! Close-up of the Joker's white face. THE JOKER Well now it's payback time. Jack is back! The Joker backs Batman against the ledge and begins choking him. Batman looks over the ledge and sees the vat of chemicals. THE JOKER Poetic, isn't it? It ends back where it all began. Batman has no control over his actions and cannot fight back. THE JOKER You've never danced with the devil by the pale moonlight, have you? You should give it a try. I had fun. Hell, we even did the Hokey Pokey! The Joker laughs as he begins pushing Batman over the ledge. THE JOKER What's the matter, Batman? Are you scared? The Joker laughs again. Suddenly, Batman hears a voice calling for him. NIGHTWING(OVER) Batman! Hey, Batman! Snap out of it! Batman turns to Nightwing. The Joker is nowhere to be found. NIGHTWING Are you all right? BATMAN Where's Napier? NIGHTWING Who? BATMAN The Ratcatcher. Where did he go? NIGHTWING Well, he was here a moment ago, until you let him get away. Are you sure everything's ok? BATMAN I don't know. We better get back to the Batcave. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT BRUCE WAYNE and DICK GRAYSON, now out of their costumes, are back in their hideout. DICK So are you going to tell me what happened back there? Was it the fumes? BRUCE What? DICK I want to know why you cornered the Ratcatcher and then let him just walk away like that. I've never seen you that way before. It was like you were frozen. BRUCE He sprayed something in my face. Some sort of gas. I became afraid. I couldn't move. I could barely even talk. And I saw Napier. DICK Napier. Why do you keep saying that name? BRUCE Jack Napier is the man who murdered my parents. DICK Didn't you kill him a few years ago? BRUCE Yes. DICK (confused) And you saw him tonight? BRUCE He was trying to kill me. DICK Uh huh. Listen, Agent Mulder, this has been a real interesting conversation, but if you don't mind, I've got a lot of homework to do. When you're ready to fight the criminals who still have a pulse, let me know, ok? Bruce sits in silence. DICK Look, it's been a long night. I don't mean to be hard on you. It's just that I've got this history exam tomorrow I haven't even started studying for. You know, I'm not just your partner, Bruce, I'm also your friend. If you ever need someone to talk to, I'm always there for you. BRUCE Thanks, Dick. Now go study. Dick leaves the cave. Alfred emerges from the shadows. BRUCE Eavesdropping again, Alfred? ALFRED I couldn't help but overhear that you had been visited by....someone from your past. BRUCE I can't blame Dick for reacting the way he did. Even you probably think I'm crazy. ALFRED Not crazy. A little confused, perhaps. BRUCE Something happened to me tonight. I felt the fear come back. I don't understand why. I thought it was all over with when I killed Jack Napier. ALFRED It's never truly over, Master Bruce. For if it ever were, then Batman would cease to exist. (pauses) Are you sure you'll be all right, young man? BRUCE Yeah, I'll be fine. You always know the right words to say, Alfred. ALFRED I have had over thirty years to figure it out. INT. WAYNE MANOR - DICK GRAYSON'S ROOM - DAY Dick wakes up in his bed and looks over at his clock. It reads 8:30. DICK Oh no! I'm late again! EXT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - DAY Dick rides his motorcycle through the main entrance. The camera pans up to show a sign reading: Gotham State University. A NEWS REPORTER'S VOICE is heard in the background. FEMALE REPORTER(OVER) Although the Caped Crusaders were able to save Delta Chemicals last night, the Ratcatcher escaped with a top secret chemical compound and is still at large. In other news, police still have no clues in the bizarre disappearance of three Gotham State University students. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - LECTURE HALL - DAY Dick enters his psychology class thirty minutes late. The entire class stares at him. His professor, DR. JONATHAN CRANE, a tall, skinny, middle-aged man glares at Dick. CRANE Well, Mr. Grayson. I'm delighted that you've decided to take time out of your busy schedule to join us this morning. Please, have a seat. Dick walks a few rows up and sits next to a beautiful young girl, BARBARA GORDON. She is diligently taking notes as Dr. Crane gives his lecture. Dick looks over at her notes. DICK What have I missed so far? Barbara doesn't respond. DICK Hello? Still no response. DICK Tu hablas ingles, senorita? Barbara turns and stares at Dick for a moment. She looks back at her notes and continues writing. DICK Thanks a lot. You've been a real help. Barbara continues to take notes as Dr. Crane's boring lecture goes on. DICK Am I the only one who thinks that this guy's lectures are the cure for insomnia? Dick chuckles to himself, and Dr. Crane takes notice. CRANE Mr. Grayson, I'm glad you find this amusing. Perhaps you can explain to the class what the text says about conquering one's fears. Dick is silent, not knowing the answer since he hasn't read the text. Barbara raises her hand. CRANE Yes, Miss Gordon. BARBARA It states that a man's psychological boundaries are his only true limits. A man who conquers his fears can conquer the world. CRANE Correct. Fear is power. Crane continues his lecture. Barbara looks over at Dick and smiles. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - HALLWAY - DAY Dick storms out of the lecture hall as the class is dismissed. Barbara catches up with him. DICK I hate that class! BARBARA It helps if you do the assigned reading. DICK Oh, now I'm good enough for you to talk to? BARBARA What can I say? I'm a sucker for hard luck cases. DICK I just hate how Crane goes out of his way to make me look like an idiot. BARBARA Doesn't take much effort. DICK He's such an asshole! Barbara peeks at Dick's psychology paper. BARBARA Are you sure you're not just saying that because you got a D on your paper? DICK I spent an entire weekend working on that thing. What did he give you? BARBARA An A-minus. DICK I don't believe this! BARBARA Me neither. I wonder what I did wrong on mine. DICK Maybe I should make you my new study partner. BARBARA I work part-time at the campus library. If you want, you can meet me there tonight. DICK (chuckles) Yeah, going to the library on a Friday night. That's a good one. BARBARA I'm serious. DICK I don't think I ever got your name. BARBARA Oh. (extends her hand) I'm Barbara. Barbara Gordon. They shake hands. DICK Commissioner Gordon's daughter? BARBARA Yep, and you must be Dick Grayson, Bruce Wayne's little boy. DICK Tell me something, Barbara. You like making jokes at my expense? BARBARA You're an easy target, Dick. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - JONATHAN CRANE'S OFFICE - DAY Dr. Crane enters his office and closes the door behind him. He is startled by a voice behind him. FLANNEGAN (looks at the bookshelves) How do you ever find time to read all of these books, Doctor? Crane turns around and sees Otis Flannegan, no longer in his Ratcatcher outfit. CRANE What the hell do you think you're doing?! Someone could walk in here and see you. FLANNEGAN Don't sweat it, Doc. How often do students visit your office anyhow? CRANE Judging by their grades, not enough. I believe you have something for me. Flannegan hands the canister to Dr. Crane. CRANE XR-2. Enough to last me for months. FLANNEGAN Yeah, and that's the last time I'm getting you that stuff. CRANE I shouldn't be needing anymore after this. I've nearly figured out the formula. FLANNEGAN Good, because I had a close encounter last night with that rubber-suited freak and his sidekick. CRANE Batman and Robin? FLANNEGAN That's right. CRANE What happened? FLANNEGAN I sprayed some of your fear toxin in the Bat's face. He was completely immobilized. CRANE (smiles) Really? My my, it would appear that the Dark Knight, himself, has inner fears he has yet to overcome. FLANNEGAN Say, Crane. What sort of experiments are you doing with those chemicals anyway? CRANE What I do in my spare time is not your concern, Otis. You're job is to do as you're told. (pulls an envelope out of his desk) I believe this is what I owe you. The Ratcatcher opens the envelope and looks at the money. FLANNEGAN What's going on? This is only half the money you promised me! CRANE It's what you've earned so far. The XR-2 compound will be quite helpful in producing more of my fear toxin, but unfortunately the schoolboard here at the university does not take good care of its faculty. I need more money to conduct my tests. You'll have to make a tiny withdrawal from the Gotham National Bank. FLANNEGAN How much do you want? CRANE Three million should be adequate. We don't want to seem too greedy. FLANNEGAN What makes you think I won't just keep it for myself? CRANE Well, you can if you wish, but should the police find you, you won't have anymore of my fear toxin to stop them from arresting you. FLANNEGAN You know something? You're a very good negotiator, Crane. CRANE Of course, I am. I'm an expert on the human mind. Now get out of my office. Go chase a mouse, or whatever it is that you do. INT. WAYNE ENTERPRISES - BRUCE WAYNE'S OFFICE - DAY Bruce works at his desk as his assistant, MARGARET, enters his office. MARGARET These papers just arrived from the bank. BRUCE Thanks, Maggie. Leave them on my desk. I'll take a look at them later. She places the papers on his desk. MARGARET Oh, and another thing. Gossip Gerty called. BRUCE Again? Am I the only public figure with a personal life worth talking about? MARGARET She wants to know if you'll be attending the charity ball tomorrow night. BRUCE I'm their biggest donator. Of course, I'll be there. That's a silly question. MARGARET Not really. You have been known to disappear in the middle of parties and never return. BRUCE It's business, Maggie. MARGARET Mmm-hmm. So who will you be going with? BRUCE Who wants to know? Gossip Gerty or you? Margaret doesn't answer. BRUCE Well, if you must know, I'll be attending these festivities by myself. Are you happy now? MARGARET Can I offer you some advice, Bruce? Not as your assistant, but as someone who really cares about you. BRUCE It depends on how much you want that raise. MARGARET You should quit being so afraid. BRUCE Afraid? MARGARET Of making a commitment. Of marriage. You have a beautiful woman in your life who loves you and takes care of you, and you drive her away because you're too scared to let her in. BRUCE If you're referring to Julie Madison, Dr. Ruth, things just didn't work out between us. MARGARET All I'm saying is, open up a little bit. Don't shut people out like you always do. BRUCE I'll try, Maggie. But I've got a lot on my mind right now. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - DINING HALL - DAY Dick and Barbara sit together at a table, sharing a cup of coffee. DICK I can't believe you said that! Now let me this straight. You think Batman is the hottest crimefighter in Gotham City? BARBARA Of course. He's sexy. He's suave. And he always catches the bad guy. DICK He didn't last night. BARBARA Who do you think is better? That boy blunder, Robin? DICK Nightwing. BARBARA What? DICK I like....I mean, I hear he likes to be called Nightwing. BARBARA Well, I don't care what you call him, he's so immature. Always saying 'holy this,' and 'holy that.' I'll take Batman over that little boy with the giant T on his chest any day. DICK Fine, you can have the old bat for all I care. BARBARA What's wrong, Dick? Are you jealous? DICK Yeah right! The guy's going to need a heavy dose of Geritol and a prostate exam in a few years, Barbara. I've got no reason to be jealous. BARBARA (looks at her watch) Well, it was fun wasting my time with you, but I have to get to class. (gets up) Are we still on for tonight? Nine o'clock at the library? DICK Sure, it's a date. I mean, it's a study date. BARBARA I know what you mean. I'll see you later. DICK Bye. Barbara walks away. Dick gazes longingly at her as he talks to himself. DICK She likes me. I think she likes me. Barbara looks back at Dick and smiles as she leaves the dining hall. DICK (smiles) Yep, she definitely likes me. EXT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - DAY Dr. Crane, carrying a briefcase and a newspaper, looks around suspiciously before entering his home. INT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - DAY Dr. Crane sets down his briefcase and tosses the newspaper on top of it. There is a close-up of the headline: POLICE STILL BAFFLED BY MISSING STUDENTS CASE. Crane walks up to his hat rack and puts on a scarecrow's hat. He looks over at his crow, SHERYL, which is sitting on its perch. CRANE Hello, Sheryl. How was your day? The crow flies over to Crane's shoulder and squawks. CRANE That bad, huh? What do you say we go make someone scream? INT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - UNDERGROUND LAIR - DAY THE SCARECROW (Dr. Crane) walks downstairs into his cavernous lair beneath his home. He is dressed like a scarecrow with a mask covering his face and Sheryl perched on his shoulder. The Scarecrow walks up to a cell door. He unlocks it and walks inside. INT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - UNDERGROUND CELL - DAY The Scarecrow slowly walks into the cell. He doesn't see his prisoner anywhere. Suddenly, a metal pan hits him over the head. A young girl tries to escape, but the Scarecrow grabs her and throws her against the wall. She sinks to the ground in fear. A close-up of her face reveals SALLY ANN LEWIS, a Gotham State University student. SCARECROW If I can't trust you to not hit me over the head, my dear, I may have to start feeding you with paper plates. SALLY ANN What do you want from me? SCARECROW I want you to start cooperating, Sally Ann. I'm really trying to do something good for mankind, and your rebellious nature is not helping me at all. SALLY ANN Please don't make me breathe anymore of that stuff! It's making me crazy! SCARECROW I will conduct a test to see if you need another dose of my fear toxin. If you pass, you don't get gassed. The Scarecrow chuckles and pulls out a small glass tank filled with spiders. He slowly approaches Sally Ann. SALLY ANN What are you doing?! SCARECROW Don't worry. They won't bite you. I just want to see if the toxin has had any effect on your arachnophobia. SALLY ANN My God, you're crazy! You're an evil man! SCARECROW No, I'm a good man. I'm just a very bad scarecrow. He sets the tank down next to Sally Ann. The spiders begin to crawl out of the tank and around her feet. Sally Ann is not frightened by them though. SALLY ANN Hey, I'm not afraid of them anymore. SCARECROW Yes, it would appear you have been cured. You're quite lucky, my dear. The toxin did not have the same effect on my other patients. SALLY ANN What are you talking about? SCARECROW The other two students I experimented on. One was a bulimic. Unfortunately, she didn't react very well to the gas and ended up starving herself to death. The other was a claustrophobic. He went completely mad and slit his throat. (sighs) C'est la vie. SALLY ANN But I'm cured. That means you'll let me go, right? SCARECROW (chuckles) What I've discovered will benefit the entire world and make me a very powerful man. Now I can't have you going to the police and jeopardizing all of it, can I? SALLY ANN I swear I won't tell a soul. SCARECROW (shakes his head) You're not a very good liar. The Scarecrow pulls out a can filled with gas. SALLY ANN No, Doctor, please! SCARECROW Call me Scarecrow. It goes better with the outfit. SALLY ANN Don't use any more fear gas on me! I'm begging you! SCARECROW Don't worry. It's not fear gas. Sally Ann breathes a sigh of relief. The Scarecrow sprays the gas in her face and she begins choking to death. SCARECROW It's poison. Go to sleep now, my dear. Sweet dreams. (chuckles) Soon, I will be able to use my toxin all over the world to cure the fears of men. I will be hailed by every nation on the planet. The very name, Dr. Jonathan Crane, will bring people to their knees. (pauses) Either that or I'll end up doing one of those TV infomercials. INT. WAYNE MANOR - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Bruce gazes at a picture of his parents and himself as a child. Alfred enters the room. BRUCE Hi, Alfred. ALFRED Feeling better today, I hope. BRUCE A little. It all seems like a bad dream. ALFRED Perhaps that's because it was a dream. BRUCE Then why am I still afraid? ALFRED Fear is what shapes our lives. It affects our actions, our emotions. Your fear is what drives you out into the night, looking to help others in the fight against evil. It's nothing to run away from, Master Bruce. It's what makes us all human. BRUCE So what's been affecting your emotions, Alfred? You seem a little down lately. Alfred is silent. BRUCE You miss your niece, don't you? ALFRED She's more of a daughter to me than a niece. BRUCE Well, we all agreed after her leg injury that it would be best if she went back to England and continued her studies. ALFRED It was foolish of me to subject her to all that danger with so little training. BRUCE She'll be fine. She's got a long life ahead of her. Alfred sees the Batsignal through the window behind Bruce. ALFRED And it looks as if you've got a long night ahead of you. Bruce turns around and sees the signal. Dick appears in the doorway. DICK I saw the signal. Are you ready, partner? Bruce leaves the living room with Dick. ALFRED Take care, young man. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT Batman and Nightwing race through the streets in their vehicles. COMMISSIONER GORDON appears on the monitor in the Batmobile. GORDON Batman! The Ratcatcher and his men stole several million dollars from the Gotham National Bank about twenty minutes ago. They've been spotted heading east for the bridge. BATMAN The Ratcatcher again? Don't worry. Nightwing and I will take care of him. GORDON Excellent. Wait a minute, who's Nightwing? BATMAN I'll explain later. Batman switches off the monitor. He and Nightwing head east in pursuit of the Ratcatcher. They see his Ratvan up ahead with two of his GOONS following him on motorcycles. BATMAN I'll deal with his men. You catch the rat. NIGHTWING I'm on it. Nightwing gets closer to the van, while the Batmobile pulls up behind the goons on motorcycle. Suddenly, the goons begin firing machine guns at Batman and Nightwing. The Batmobile repels their fire, and Nightwing activates shields on his bike. NIGHTWING Whoa! Since when does the Ratcatcher need firearms? BATMAN I hear those sewer rats can get pretty nasty. Nightwing hurls a throwing bird at the wheel of one of the goon's bikes. It gets caught in the spokes and jams the wheel, propelling the goon high into the air. Batman pulls ahead of the other goon. He flips a switch, and one of the fins on the side of the Batmobile stretches out. He screeches to a halt. The goon runs headfirst into the fin and gets knocked off his bike. Nightwing pulls up alongside the passenger's side of the Ratvan and grabs onto the door, leaving his Wingcycle behind. He opens the door and sees the Ratcatcher and a bag filled with money. INT. RATCATCHER'S VAN - NIGHT Nightwing climbs into the van. NIGHTWING Find any rats tonight? RATCATCHER The night's still young. The Ratcatcher punches Nightwing. Nightwing kicks him in the ribs. The van begins swerving as the two fight each other. NIGHTWING Pull over, Otis! It's the end of the line for you! RATCATCHER The end of the line?! Can't you superheroes come up with anything original?! You always say the most generic crap! NIGHTWING I've always believed that actions speak louder than words. Nightwing punches the Ratcatcher's face. They both try to grab control of the steering wheel. The Ratcatcher reaches behind him with his free hand and pulls out the bottle of fear toxin. RATCATCHER Tell me, kid. What keeps you awake at night? NIGHTWING Why do you ask? RATCATCHER Just curious. The Ratcatcher sprays the toxin in Nightwing's face. Nightwing begins coughing. NIGHTWING Yuck! What the hell is that?! RATCATCHER (laughs) It's all of your greatest fears coming back to haunt you! NIGHTWING (coughs) Well, whatever it is, it stinks! RATCATCHER Wait a minute! It's not scaring you?! NIGHTWING No, but the smell is pissing me off. Nightwing slams the Ratcatcher against the steering wheel. The van swerves towards the side of a building. Nightwing grabs the bag of money and jumps out of the van. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT The van crashes into the wall and explodes into flames. The Ratcatcher burns to death inside as Nightwing watches. NIGHTWING Damn! Now we'll never find out who he's working for. (looks around) Batman? The Batmobile is parked back where Batman knocked the goon off of his bike. Batman gets out of the car and looks around. The streets are dark and empty with no sign of life anywhere except for a theater marquee. A COUPLE and their YOUNG SON walk out of the Monarch Theater. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - ALLEY - NIGHT Batman watches as they take a shortcut down a dark alley. Two GANGSTERS in trenchcoats follow them. Suddenly, it all becomes clear. It's the night of his parents' deaths all over again. BATMAN Wait! Don't go that way! Batman runs after them, but it is too late. He sees one of the gangsters gun down the couple. BATMAN NOOOOOOOO! The gangster turns to Batman. Close-up of the pale white face of the Joker with a wide grin. THE JOKER You're next, Junior. You can't run forever. He laughs and runs off with his partner. Batman is left standing there, staring at the TEN YEAR-OLD BRUCE WAYNE who kneels next to his dead parents in shock. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - LIBRARY - NIGHT Barbara Gordon carries a large stack of books to the front desk. She puts them down and takes a deep breath after all her hard work. She looks up at the clock on the wall. Close-up shows the time is eleven o'clock at night. Barbara shakes her head in disgust. BARBARA Typical. She turns around to find Dr. Jonathan Crane right behind her. Barbara jumps in fright. BARBARA Oh God! Dr. Crane, you scared me! CRANE It's funny. I get that a lot. BARBARA (chuckles) I didn't mean it that way. It's just that you were standing right behind me. CRANE No need to apologize, Miss Gordon. What is typical? BARBARA I'm sorry? CRANE You looked at the clock and remarked that something was... BARBARA Oh, that? Dick Grayson was supposed to meet me here at nine. CRANE Grayson, not showing up? There's a shock. BARBARA Yeah, I know. I guess I was a fool to think that any guy would want to meet me here on a Friday night. CRANE Nonsense, my dear. There's nothing wrong with developing one's mind, even on a Friday night. Look at me, I work on the weekend. Barbara notices that Dr. Crane is holding several thick books on fear. CRANE You're a beautiful, intelligent young woman. And if you ask me, Dick Grayson is the fool for not meeting you here. BARBARA Thanks, Dr. Crane. Maybe you're right. I should quit being afraid of what other people think. CRANE Absolutely. And since you brought up fear, I was wondering if you would be willing to participate in an experiment I'm conducting at my house tonight. BARBARA This isn't one of those experiments where you sleep with a bunch of your female students, is it? CRANE (chuckles) No, of course not, my dear. It's actually an experiment on conquering one's fears. It's quite interesting, and I thought since you were one of my best students... BARBARA (interrupts) I wish I could, Dr. Crane, but I have to work here til midnight. CRANE You're welcome to come after that. My house is right next to the campus. BARBARA I don't think that I should. I've got a lot on my mind right now. I think I'd just be a big distraction for you. I'm sorry. CRANE There's no need to apologize. You're better off not walking to my house alone at this hour anyway. We're already missing three students, no sense in making it four. BARBARA Agreed. CRANE By the way, have you heard anything on Sally Ann? BARBARA No. I'm really scared, Dr. Crane. What if she's...? CRANE (interrupts) Don't talk like that. One must never allow fear to... BARBARA (continues) Create doubt in one's mind. I know, you said that in one of your lectures. CRANE You actually listen to my lectures. I'm impressed. Barbara smiles. CRANE Take care, Barbara. I hope to see you again real soon. BARBARA Good night, Dr. Crane. INT. WAYNE MANOR - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Bruce Wayne is standing in the room in deep thought. Alfred walks into the room. ALFRED Are you all right, sir? BRUCE I'm fine, Alfred. Why do you ask? ALFRED Master Dick said there had been another Jack Napier sighting. BRUCE I saw him kill my parents. ALFRED Tonight? BRUCE Yes. Then he told me I was next. If this keeps up, I'll have to replace the Batsuit with a straightjacket. (thinks) Where's Dick? ALFRED He said he was late for an appointment. BRUCE Appointment? EXT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - LIBRARY - NIGHT Barbara leaves the library and locks the door behind her. She walks across the campus towards her dorm. She looks around her as she walks and notices that no one is around. As Barbara passes a set of bushes, she hears a ruffling sound. She turns around and sees nothing. As she turns back around to continue walking, she sees two PUNKS standing right in front of her. PUNK #1 Hello, little lady. It's kind of late for you to be walking out here all by yourself. Barbara turns around, only to find two more PUNKS standing there. PUNK #2 He's right. You could get hurt. BARBARA Don't worry. I can take care of myself. Barbara tries to walk away, but one of the punks grabs her and throws her to the ground. As the punks laugh at her, Barbara gets up and kicks one of them in the groin. She then punches him and knocks him to the ground. One of the other punks knocks her over the head, and Barbara falls to the ground unconscious. The punks creep towards Barbara, when suddenly, a dark figure jumps out of the bushes and attacks them. The punks try to fight the figure but are defeated one by one. After the dark figure has knocked them all to the ground with his assorted kicks and punches, he approaches Barbara. As the light falls on the figure, a close-up reveals the face of Dick Grayson. He picks up the unconscious Barbara and carries her away. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - BARBARA'S DORM ROOM - NIGHT Dick kneels next to Barbara, who's laying unconscious on her bed. He slowly strokes her hair. Barbara begins to wake up. She opens her eyes and looks at Dick. BARBARA Dick? DICK Don't get up. You've got a bad bruise on your head. BARBARA How did I get here? DICK I brought you back after I was done beating the crap out of those guys. BARBARA You handled all four of them? DICK Yep. BARBARA Wow, you must be trained in self-defense or something. DICK You could say that. BARBARA (rubs her head) Ow. Those jerks tried to jump me. DICK I think they wanted to do a little more than that. You should be more careful from now on. There's three students missing, you know. Barbara nods. Dick looks over at the other side of the room, where there is an empty bed. DICK Where's your roommate? BARBARA My roommate's Sally Ann Lewis. She's one of those three students. DICK Oh, I'm sorry. BARBARA So am I. By the way, how did you know which dorm room I live in? DICK I took the liberty of looking through your purse. I hope you don't mind. BARBARA I don't mind that as much as I mind being stood up. DICK Listen, I'm sorry about that. Something came up. I couldn't make it. BARBARA You could've called. DICK I know, I should have. I just forgot. You're not mad at me, are you? BARBARA You stood me up. DICK Yes. BARBARA But you also saved my life. We'll call it even. DICK Good. Dick gets up and heads for the door. BARBARA What are you doing? DICK I should take off. You've had a rough night. You could probably use some rest. BARBARA Please don't leave. I don't want to be alone. Dick looks at Barbara suspiciously. BARBARA I don't mean it that way. I just want you to stay and keep me company. DICK Ok. I'll sit in this chair over here. But don't try anything funny. Dick sits down in chair, and he and Barbara gaze at each other. BARBARA Dick? DICK Yeah? BARBARA Thanks. For being there for me. DICK You're welcome. INT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Dr. Crane smashes a glass against the wall in frustration. The four punks who tried to hurt Barbara tremble in fear. CRANE I ask you to bring me Barbara Gordon, and you're telling me you can't do this one simple thing?! PUNK #1 We tried, boss! CRANE She's vital to my research. You should've tried harder! PUNK #1 We had her, but some guy jumped us! PUNK #2 Yeah, he came out of nowhere. CRANE Hold it! Are you saying that the four of you were ambushed by one man?! PUNK #1 Well, yeah...but there could've been more. It was pretty dark out there. PUNK #3 Yeah, we could barely see each other. I'm sure there was at least a couple. The punks all begin rambling on and on about the other men who attacked them. Dr. Crane becomes frustrated. CRANE Shut up, you imbeciles! PUNK #3 Sorry, Doc. CRANE It's so hard to find good help these days. And where is that damned Ratcatcher anyway? He should've been here with my money hours ago! PUNK #1 The Ratcatcher? I think he's dead. CRANE What? PUNK #2 Yeah, there was something about it on the news. Batman and Robin took the money, and then his car blew up. CRANE Those damned men in black rubber! PUNK #1 Listen, boss. About the money you owe us? CRANE (pulls out a gun) I feel like killing every single one of you! PUNK #1 I just wanted to let you know we won't be needing it. CRANE You're lucky. I'm a kind-hearted individual, so I'll spare your lives for the time being. I noticed that Miss Gordon is on the guest list for the charity ball at the Flugelheim Museum. (points the gun at the punks) You fellas aren't busy tomorrow night, are you? PUNKS (all together) Nah! We're free! CRANE (grins) Excellent. INT. WAYNE MANOR - FOYER - DAY Dick Grayson quietly enters Wayne Manor early next morning after spending the night in Barbara's dorm room. As he creeps up the stairs, he hears a voice behind him. BRUCE(OVER) Where were you last night? DICK (turns around) Uh, I had to study for an exam. BRUCE Where are your books? DICK I forgot them. BRUCE An all-nighter? I've never seen you this motivated before. DICK Hey, I need to pull my grades up. BRUCE Right. Well, next time you're going to be out that late, why don't you let me know? DICK Yeah, alright, Mom. And why don't you let me know next time you plan on pulling another Houdini act on me? BRUCE What's that supposed to mean? DICK I'm talking about you flaking out on me last night! What happened? Did you see your buddy Napier again? Bruce doesn't respond. DICK That's what I thought. Jack Napier's dead, Bruce! It's time to get on with your life. BRUCE You don't understand. DICK You're right. I don't. Dick storms out of the house. Bruce looks over at Alfred, who's been listening in on them. ALFRED He can never understand unless you talk to him. EXT. WAYNE MANOR - GARDEN - DAY Bruce walks out to the garden in the courtyard. Dick is sitting alone on a bench. Bruce walks up to Dick. BRUCE I'm sorry about what I said back there. DICK I'm 21, Bruce. I'm old enough to buy beer, remember? You don't have to treat me like a kid anymore. BRUCE (sits down on the bench) I know. I didn't mean to be so hard on you back there. I've just been a little distracted lately. DICK Jack Napier? BRUCE Mmm-hmm. But I think I'm getting better. He didn't try to kill me this time. DICK Oh, well that's a relief. They chuckle at the absurdity of the conversation. BRUCE Be honest with me, Dick. You weren't really up all night studying, were you? DICK Of course not, Bruce. You know what a lousy student I am. BRUCE (chuckles) So what were you doing? DICK I was with Barbara Gordon. BRUCE The commissioner's daughter? DICK Yeah. We were up in her dorm room. BRUCE Alone? Dick nods. Bruce stares at Dick suspiciously. DICK No, no, it wasn't like that at all. We were just talking. BRUCE You were alone with a girl, and you didn't even make a move on her? Are you sure you're feeling all right, Dick? DICK Heh, I guess I must really like her. BRUCE Well, it's nice to see that someone around here isn't losing their mind. DICK Don't be so hard on yourself, Bruce. It could be worse. BRUCE How is that? DICK Well, we could both be fighting over a plant lady. They laugh at the remark. EXT. FLUGELHEIM MUSEUM - NIGHT The camera zooms in on the museum. FEMALE REPORTER(OVER) Tonight, Gotham's most powerful and influential citizens gather for the annual charity ball at the Flugelheim Museum. The largest donator for this event is once again billionaire Bruce Wayne. INT. FLUGELHEIM MUSEUM - NIGHT The museum is filled with people dressed in tuxedos and evening gowns. An orchestra plays as some people dance and others talk amongst each other. There are many works of art and a beautiful fountain in the middle of the floor. Bruce Wayne stands alone watching the festivities. BARBARA(OVER) Bruce Wayne. Bruce turns around and sees Barbara Gordon in a lovely evening gown. BRUCE I'm sorry. Do I know you? BARBARA I'm Barbara Gordon. BRUCE Oh, Barbara. Dick's been telling me all about you. BARBARA Really? What did he say? BRUCE Good things, mostly. BARBARA That's nice. Are you here by yourself? BRUCE No, Dick's my date for this evening. Barbara looks over at Dick Grayson. He is getting something to drink. BRUCE Don't worry though. It's completely platonic. BARBARA I'm glad to hear that. BRUCE Did you come with your father? BARBARA Yeah, he always drags me to these things. He says it's a good way for us to spend more time together. Of course, I usually end up being left alone while he goes off to turn on the Batsignal. BRUCE Sorry. BARBARA Huh? BRUCE I mean, I'm sorry to hear that. Maybe your father should try taking you to a ballgame instead. BARBARA Tell me about it. BRUCE Listen, I have to go accept some sort of plaque or medal from the museum curator. BARBARA Oh, is this where they give you the obligatory butt-kissing for all the money you donated? BRUCE Something like that. BARBARA That's cool. I'll just go bug Dick for a while. BRUCE It was nice meeting you, Barbara. BARBARA Nice meeting you too. Barbara sneaks up behind Dick who is trying some of the appetizers. She taps him on the shoulder. BARBARA Guess who. DICK (turns around) Barbara! Barbara notices some dip on Dick's lips. BARBARA (points at his lips) You, um, have some stuff... DICK (wipes his lips) Did I get it? BARBARA Yeah. DICK It's good dip. You should try it. BARBARA Thanks, I'll pass. DICK What are you doing here? BARBARA Not enjoying myself. How about you? DICK The same. I hate these black tie dinners. BARBARA (looks at Dick's flashy tie) Is that why your wearing a more colorful one? DICK Hey, somebody's gotta take a stand. BARBARA Listen, I want to thank you for staying with me last night. DICK It was no big deal. BARBARA No, I mean it. Most guys I know would've acted all tough and tried to make a move on me. But you just stayed and kept me company. That was sweet of you. DICK What can I say, Barbara? I'm a sucker for hard luck cases. BARBARA (gets close to Dick) I know. (kisses him) That's why I like you. Dick doesn't respond. He is surprised, yet happy. BARBARA Would you like to dance? DICK Sure. They walk together out onto the dance floor as the orchestra plays. Meanwhile, Bruce is on the second floor with the MUSEUM CURATOR who is brown-nosing him to the point of exhaustion. CURATOR (shakes Bruce's hand endlessly) Thank you, Bruce! Thank you so much! You've been so generous with your donations. BRUCE It was my pleasure, Mr. Stephens. CURATOR (continues to shake Bruce's hand) Really, you've been too kind. I don't think I can thank you enough. BRUCE Actually, ten times is plenty for me. CURATOR I suppose I should leave you alone. I wouldn't want to get on your nerves now, would I? The curator laughs, while Bruce tries to fake a smile. BRUCE Boy, I'd hate for that to happen. CURATOR I'll see you here again next year, won't I, Bruce? BRUCE On one condition, Mr. Stephens. CURATOR What's that? BRUCE That you let go of my hand. The curator realizes he's still shaking Bruce's hand and lets go. CURATOR Oh, of course. I'm sorry about that, Bruce. BRUCE It's ok. It happens all the time. The curator walks away. Bruce shakes his head in disbelief. He hears a voice from behind. GOSSIP GERTY(VOICE) Bruce Wayne! Just the man I'm looking for. BRUCE (turns around) Join the club. GOSSIP GERTY You've been trying to avoid me all night. BRUCE And it almost worked. What can I do for you, Gerty? GOSSIP GERTY I could really use a quote for tomorrow's show. BRUCE What would you like me to say? GOSSIP GERTY Well, for starters, why don't you tell me the reason why a man of your stature is here at the charity ball without a date? This isn't like you, Brucey. Bruce doesn't hear GOSSIP GERTY'S question. He is staring down at the dance floor below. Among the couples dancing, Bruce sees the Joker dancing with a WOMAN. She is trying to get away, but he's pressing a gun against her chest. There is a close-up of the Joker's face. He looks at Bruce and grins. Bruce hears a voice offscreen. GOSSIP GERTY Brucey? Oh, Brucey? Did you hear what I said? BRUCE (turns to Gerty) I'm sorry. What did you ask me? GOSSIP GERTY What's wrong, Bruce? I've known you for years, and I've never seen you this way. Bruce looks back at the dance floor. The Joker and the woman are gone. He turns back to Gerty. BRUCE Nothing's wrong. I'm doing fine. GOSSIP GERTY Why do I find that hard to believe? Meanwhile, Dick and Barbara dance slowly as the orchestra plays. DICK So, did you meet Bruce? BARBARA Yeah, we talked a little bit. He seemed like a nice guy, except... DICK Except what? BARBARA Well, it's like he's hiding something. DICK What do you mean? BARBARA I'm very perceptive with people, Dick. I can read their faces like a book. DICK Well, you do work in a library. BARBARA I'm serious, Dick. Behind that cute smile, there's a man in a great deal of pain. DICK What about me? BARBARA What about you? DICK Do you think I'm hiding anything? BARBARA You? No way. You're pretty dull compared to Bruce. DICK Hey! BARBARA Sorry, I meant normal. Suddenly, the front doors to the museum burst open, sending the crowd into a panic. The Scarecrow and the four punks walk into the museum. Bruce and Dick look at the Scarecrow and then at each other. They know what they must do. BARBARA Hey, this could turn out to be a decent party after all. Huh, Dick? (looks around) Dick? Dick is nowhere to be found. EXT. FLUGELHEIM MUSEUM - NIGHT Bruce and Dick run out of the rear exit of the museum and up to their car in the parking lot out front. Alfred is standing beside the car, as he always does. BRUCE & DICK (all together) Emergency, Alfred! ALFRED (opens the car door) I take it there's an emergency. Bruce and Dick both try to get into the car and realize there is only room for one of them. BRUCE I'll take the back seat. You change in the trunk. DICK Damn! Why do I always end up in the trunk? INT. FLUGELHEIM MUSEUM - NIGHT The Scarecrow stands in the middle of the dance floor as the punks go through the crowd taking valuables. SCARECROW Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce myself. I am fear incarnate! I am the terror of Gotham! I am the Scarecrow! BARBARA He's so generic. Commissioner Gordon emerges from the crowd of people. GORDON What do you want, Scarecrow? SCARECROW It's very simple, Commissioner Gordon. My assistants are coming around with plastic bags. You will give them all your valuables or you will die. Any questions? GORDON I don't have anything valuable. SCARECROW Oh, but you do, James. You do. Two of the punks walk over to Barbara and grab her. PUNK #1 We meet again, little lady! BARBARA Oh no, not you guys again! Geez, aren't there any other women in Gotham City? PUNK #1 I have this thing for librarians. Commissioner Gordon runs towards the two punks and Barbara. GORDON What do you think you're doing?! Let go of my daughter, you bastards! The first punk points a gun at the commissioner's face. PUNK #1 Don't even try it, Gordon! You're a tired old man. SCARECROW Hurry up, boys! We've got to get out of here before the Bat shows up... The moment the Scarecrow utters this, Batman crashes through the glass ceiling of the museum and floats down to the ground, landing in front of the Scarecrow. SCARECROW Still crashing through the ceiling? How original. Suddenly, Nightwing crashes through one of the second floor windows and swings down to the first floor. He lands near the two punks and Barbara. SCARECROW Now that's what I call an entrance! The two punks let go of Barbara and run towards Nightwing. The other two punks run towards Batman. Batman and Nightwing fight against the punks. Nightwing hurls two throwing birds at the punks, knocking the guns out of their hands. He then defeats each punk with an assortment of kicks and punches. Batman knocks one of the other two punks to the ground. He punches the other punk and throws him into the fountain. The punk gets up and aims his gun at Batman. Batman pulls out a small coin-shaped capsule from his utility belt and tosses it into the fountain. BATMAN Make a wish. The capsule hits the water and instantly freezes the fountain and the punk. Nightwing is astonished by this. NIGHTWING Where did you get that from? BATMAN I've got connections. NIGHTWING You've been visiting Mr. Freeze at Arkham Asylum. Batman grins at Nightwing. NIGHTWING That's not fair. One of the punks tries to attack Batman from behind. Without looking, Batman backhands him in the face and knocks him to the ground. The Scarecrow picks up one of the plastic bags and aims a giant tank of his fear toxin at the crowd. SCARECROW People of Gotham! Have a whiff of my toxin and experience your greatest fears! (sprays the gas into the crowd) For most of you aristocratic types, that would probably be manual labor. The Scarecrow laughs and runs out of the front entrance of the museum. The crowd reacts in horror to the fear toxin. Batman covers his face with his cape to avoid inhaling the toxin. Nightwing runs over to Barbara and holds her close to him. NIGHTWING Don't breathe that stuff! He covers her mouth until the gas subsides. Barbara stares at Nightwing suspiciously as if she recognizes him. EXT. FLUGELHEIM MUSEUM - NIGHT Batman and Nightwing run out the door before Barbara has a chance to say anything. They try to catch the Scarecrow, but he speeds away in his car. NIGHTWING Well, now we know who the Ratcatcher was working for. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT Later that night, Bruce and Dick are back in their hideout. BRUCE That fear gas was the same stuff the Ratcatcher sprayed in my face the other night. The Scarecrow must have supplied him with it in exchange for the XR-2 chemicals. DICK And that fear gas is the reason you've been seeing Jack Napier all this time. BRUCE Right. It's a good thing you didn't inhale any of it. DICK Actually, the Ratcatcher sprayed a bunch of it in my face last night. BRUCE What? Are you sure? DICK Pretty sure. It stinks real bad. Sort of like that cologne you wear. BRUCE Yeah, but you haven't had any hallucinations or strange dreams? DICK Other than an erotic fantasy about Barbara, no. BRUCE How's that possible? The Scarecrow said you're supposed to experience your greatest fears. What about your family? What about Two-Face? DICK I'm not afraid of Two-Face, Bruce. That night on Claw Island, I could've killed him, but I didn't. BRUCE Why not? DICK Because I wasn't afraid of letting him live. BRUCE Well, I didn't have a choice. I had to kill Jack Napier. DICK Do you really believe that? Or were you so afraid of the pain that you thought killing him was the only way to make it all go away? BRUCE (sighs) I don't know. DICK Is there anything I can do to help? BRUCE No, I have to deal with this myself. The doorbell rings. Bruce and Dick look at each other in confusion. BRUCE Who could that be at this hour? They look at the monitor for the front door security camera. It shows Barbara Gordon. DICK Uh-oh. BRUCE Do you think she knows? DICK I'm not sure. I guess I better go find out. INT. WAYNE MANOR - FOYER - NIGHT Alfred opens the front door. ALFRED Hello there, young lady. How may I help you? BARBARA I need to talk to Dick Grayson. Is he here? ALFRED Yes, won't you please come in? Barbara enters Wayne Manor. ALFRED I'm Alfred, Master Wayne's servant. And you are? BARBARA Barbara Gordon. Nice place you got here, Al. Alfred is surprised that Barbara has addressed him in the same manner as Dick. ALFRED I'll go get Master Dick for you. Dick comes out of the secret entrance to the Batcave. DICK It's ok, Al. I'm right here. ALFRED I believe it's time for me to retire for the evening. DICK Good night, Al. ALFRED Good night, sir. Alfred leaves the room. Dick looks nervously at Barbara. DICK What's up? BARBARA We need to talk. DICK Ok, what's on your mind? They begin walking towards the living room as they talk. BARBARA I'm starting to notice a pattern with you, Dick. DICK What pattern might that be? BARBARA Last night, you didn't meet me at the library because something came up. DICK Right. BARBARA Then you show up out of nowhere and save me from those four thugs. DICK Yeah, but I thought... BARBARA (interrupts) Please let me finish. DICK Sorry. BARBARA And tonight, I thought we were having a good time until you disappeared and those same four jerks showed up again. DICK I'm sorry I left like that. BARBARA Let me guess. Something came up again? DICK Bruce had this big deal. We had to take off. BARBARA Right. INT. WAYNE MANOR - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT They sit down next to each other on the couch. BARBARA Listen, Dick. I like you. I really do. DICK I know. I feel the same way about you. BARBARA But if I'm going to have any kind of a relationship with you, I have to be able to trust you. I need to know everything. DICK Everything? BARBARA Yes, everything. DICK Ok, everything. I'm not sure where to start. (takes a deep breath) I was born 21 years ago. I grew up traveling on the road with my family. We had this trapeze act called the Flying Graysons. BARBARA (interrupts) No, no, no, no, no. That's not what I meant, Dick. I want to know what you're hiding from me. DICK What are you talking about? I'm not hiding anything. I'm dull, remember? BARBARA Oh really? Prove it then. Barbara pulls an eyemask out of her pocket. It looks very similar to the one Dick wears as Nightwing. BARBARA Try this on. DICK Damn! I should've gone with the cowl instead. BARBARA I knew it! DICK Ok, Barbara, you got me. (sighs) Are you surprised? BARBARA I guess I should be. I mean, I never really thought of you as the superhero type. DICK Thanks a lot. BARBARA But it does explain why you're always late to class. DICK I've never been much of a morning person. BARBARA So if you're the artist formerly known as Robin, then that would make Bruce Wayne... DICK (continues) The artist currently known as Batman. BARBARA Cool. (looks around) And this is Wayne Manor. DICK Yep, that's when you know you're loaded. When your house in named after you. BARBARA I'd sure love to see the Grayson Quarters. Dick grins. INT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - UNDERGROUND LAIR - NIGHT The Scarecrow is working in his lab. There are many test tubes and beakers filled with chemicals. His crow is perched nearby. SCARECROW Those rubber-suited menaces interfered with my work again, Sheryl. They've become quite a nuisance to me. The crow squawks at the Scarecrow. SCARECROW Well of course I'll kill them. But first thing's first. In just a few moments, I'll know the formula for the XR-2 compound. As the chemicals boil on the bunsen burner, the Scarecrow watches "The Wizard of Oz" on his television set. SCARECROW (sighs) What a beautiful movie, Sheryl. It still brings tears to my eyes whenever I see it. (pauses) Don't ever tell anyone I said that. A timer goes off. The Scarecrow turns off the bunsen burner and holds up the beaker. He smiles as he has finally completed his research. SCARECROW At last, I've done it! The XR-2 compound is all mine! Now I can produce enough of my fear toxin to supply all of Gotham! Ain't capitalism grand? The Scarecrow dances along to "If I Only Had a Brain" as it plays in the background. INT. WAYNE MANOR - LIVING ROOM - NIGHT Bruce Wayne sits in the darkness later that night. He is silent and in deep thought when suddenly he hears a woman's voice. WOMAN'S VOICE(OVER) Bruce? BRUCE Who's there? A figure emerges from the darkness. It is DR. CHASE MERIDIAN, another person from Bruce's past. BRUCE Chase? Jesus, now I've completely lost it. CHASE You're not crazy, Bruce. I'm only here because you wanted me here. BRUCE You're right, I did want you here. But how did you know my thoughts? CHASE Bruce, I am your thoughts. BRUCE You have a point there. Chase kneels beside Bruce and holds his hand. CHASE The reason you were thinking of me is because I can help you. BRUCE Why would you want to help me after the way I treated you? CHASE I can cope with pain, Bruce. Can you? Bruce is silent. CHASE I'll always be there for you. Don't be afraid. Let me help you before it's too late. INT. WAYNE MANOR - LIVING ROOM - DAY Bruce wakes up in the living room the next morning. He looks around, but he doesn't see any sign of Chase. He wonders whether or not it was a dream. INT. WAYNE MANOR - FOYER - DAY Bruce leaves the living room and encounters Alfred. ALFRED Good morning, Master Bruce. I've prepared breakfast for you. BRUCE No thanks, Alfred. I'm not hungry. ALFRED Oh. BRUCE Listen, did a woman come by here last night. ALFRED Yes, sir. She visited rather late. BRUCE (to himself) So it wasn't a dream. ALFRED What did you say? BRUCE Nothing. I can't seem to remember what happened. What time did she leave? ALFRED She didn't. BRUCE Huh? ALFRED Her car is parked outside. I believe she spent the night with Master Dick. BRUCE That little pervert! ALFRED Is there something wrong, Master Bruce? Shall I ask Miss Gordon to leave? BRUCE Miss Gordon? ALFRED The young lady who came to see Master Dick last night. BRUCE You mean, no one else was here? ALFRED No, sir. BRUCE (to himself) So it was a dream. ALFRED Are you sure everything is all right? BRUCE This conversation, Alfred? Pretend it never happened. ALFRED Of course, sir. Alfred watches in confusion as Bruce leaves the room. INT. WAYNE MANOR - DICK GRAYSON'S ROOM - DAY Dick and Barbara lay in bed, naked under the covers. Barbara wakes up in Dick's arms. BARBARA Good morning. DICK Did you sleep ok? BARBARA Yeah, for about an hour. You superheroes have a lot of stamina, you know that? DICK I was that good, huh? BARBARA I guess that puts an end to the rumors. DICK What rumors? BARBARA That you stuff your codpiece. DICK What?! Who told you that? BARBARA I read it in the tabloids. DICK I don't believe this! That'll teach you to believe that crap. (pauses) So tell me. You still think Batman is the sexier one? BARBARA I'm not sure. I haven't slept with Bruce yet. There is a knock on the door. ALFRED'S VOICE(OVER) Master Dick? Barbara quickly hides under the covers. DICK Wait a minute. What are you doing? BARBARA I don't want him to see me like this. In case you didn't notice, I don't have any clothes on. DICK Don't worry, I noticed. Alfred knocks again. DICK Come in, Al. Alfred opens the door and walks in. ALFRED Good morning, sir. I've prepared breakfast for you. DICK Thanks. I'll be right down. ALFRED Will you be joining him, Miss Gordon? Barbara sticks her head out from under the covers. She is surprised that Alfred knew she was there. BARBARA Uh, sure. Why not? ALFRED Very well. I'll set an extra place for you. BARBARA Thanks, Al. Alfred leaves the room and closes the door behind him. He can be heard singing to himself as he walks down the hall. Dick and Barbara look at each other in amusement. BARBARA Nice guy. DICK Al? He's great. I wouldn't have a clean pair of underwear without him. Barbara gets out of bed and begins putting her clothes on. BARBARA Did I ever thank you for saving me again last night? DICK No, actually you didn't. BARBARA Remind me to do that sometime. DICK It's funny. BARBARA What? DICK Well, I was just thinking how I saved you from the same four guys two nights in a row. It's an amazing coincidence, don't you think? BARBARA Maybe it's not a coincidence. They were all working for that Scarecrow guy. Maybe he wanted to use me to test that fear gas of his. DICK Why would he be so interested in you? BARBARA I'm an acrophobic. DICK Acrophobic? You mean you're afraid of heights? BARBARA Yes. Dick starts laughing. BARBARA It's not funny, Dick. Quit laughing. DICK I'm sorry, Barbara, but I find it hard to believe that someone would go to all that trouble to kidnap you just for some stupid fear experiment. Barbara is silent. She appears stunned at what Dick has just said. DICK What is it? Is something wrong? BARBARA Dr. Crane said he was conducting a fear experiment. He invited me over to his house to participate, but I told him I wasn't interested. When I was walking home that night from the library, that's when those four guys attacked me. DICK Holy shit! You think Crane might be the Scarecrow? BARBARA He's gotta be. It all fits. DICK I can't believe it. I wonder if he's been experimenting on anyone else. Dick and Barbara look at each other for a moment before coming to the same realization. DICK The three missing students. BARBARA Oh my god! Sally Ann! DICK We better call your father. EXT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - DAY Many police cars surround Dr. Crane's house. Dick and Barbara watch as the POLICE OFFICERS search through the house. The camera pulls back until it reaches... EXT. FOREST - DAY A dejected Jonathan Crane watches these events unfold from the woods near his house. His crow is perched on his shoulder. CRANE I'll never teach in another institution again thanks to those two. My life is over, Sheryl. Crane closes his eyes in grief. (FLASH) EXT. SCHOOLYARD - DAY He remembers his painful childhood. A bunch of SCHOOL KIDS throw a TALL, SLENDER CHILD, the young Jonathan Crane, to the ground. They laugh at the child while they kick him and spit on him. The YOUNG LEADER of the pack of school kids looks down at the young Crane. YOUNG LEADER You got a lot of nerve talking to my girl like that! Who the hell do you think you are?! He kicks Crane in the chest. The young Crane cries in agony. YOUNG CRANE She talked to me first! YOUNG LEADER Shut up! (kicks Crane) You stay away from her, Icabod Crane! Go hang out with the other freaks! The kids continue to kick Crane and poke fun at him. Their cries of "Freak!" echo in his head. (FLASH) EXT. FOREST - DAY Crane opens his eyes. He is crying from the pain. CRANE It's happening again. Exiled from society. Forced to live in total isolation. They'll pay for what they've done to me. (chokes back his tears) There's nothing left for me here. We should leave before we're seen. Crane turns around and walks away. EXT. JONATHAN CRANE'S HOUSE - DAY Commissioner Gordon walks up to Dick and Barbara. GORDON There's no sign of Dr. Crane anywhere. DICK We're too late. He knew we were coming. BARBARA What about Sally Ann? Commissioner Gordon is silent. BARBARA Tell me, Dad! Is she all right? Barbara sees three body bags being brought out on stretchers. Commissioner Gordon has a look of regret on his face. GORDON We found her in his lair. The bodies of the other two missing students were down there too. I'm sorry, sweetheart. BARBARA Oh no. Dick hugs Barbara as she begins to cry. GORDON We had no way of knowing, Barbara. DICK None of us did, Commissioner. It's not your fault. GORDON Thanks for your help, Dick. Commissioner Gordon walks away. Barbara looks up at Dick. DICK Are you ok? BARBARA Sally Ann was my friend. DICK I know. I'm sorry. BARBARA Crane's gotta pay for what he did. Let me help you. DICK (nods) Let's get to work. INT. BATCAVE - DAY Dick and Barbara are seated at the computer in the Batcave. The monitor displays information as Barbara is typing on the keyboard. BARBARA Dr. Jonathan Crane, Gotham State University professor of psychology. DICK Former professor of psychology. I've got a hunch the administration won't be too pleased with his extracurricular activities. BARBARA Received psychiatric treatment as a child for his bouts with depression. DICK Depression? Can you find out what might have caused it? Barbara searches through the records. BARBARA He was subjected to physical and verbal abuse at school because of the way he looked. Dick and Barbara are silent. They can understand now why Crane is mentally unstable. Barbara continues to look through the records. BARBARA Graduated with a double major in psychology and chemistry. Never been married. No known living relatives. DICK See what you can find on the XR-2 compound he was using for his fear toxin. Barbara types on the keyboard. BARBARA XR-2. An experimental chemical compound that was banned because of its health hazards. DICK What kind of health hazards? BARBARA Tests on humans showed that it caused severe hallucinations. Nightmares. This stuff is toxic, so inhaling too much of it could fry your brain. It could even kill you. DICK What's it made of? BARBARA No one knows. Delta Chemicals has kept it under wraps. Whatever it is, Crane needs it for his toxin. DICK So as long as we keep him from getting his hands on anymore of it, he can't hurt anyone. BARBARA Theoretically yes, but if he's figured out it's contents, then he could make his own. DICK My God, he'd have enough for the entire city. Maybe even the world. BARBARA Unless someone stops him. DICK Yeah. But how do we find him? BARBARA Maybe we don't. Maybe he'll find us. EXT. GOTHAM CITY HALL - DAY Bruce Wayne parks his car in front of City Hall and walks inside. INT. GOTHAM CITY HALL - HALLWAY - DAY Bruce walks down a hallway and stops in front of Dr. Chase Meridian's office. He knocks on the door. Moments later, Chase opens the door. CHASE Bruce! BRUCE Hello, Doctor. I was wondering if you could help an old friend. CHASE Of course. Come on in. INT. GOTHAM CITY HALL - DR. CHASE MERIDIAN'S OFFICE - DAY Bruce walks into the office. BRUCE I'm not interrupting anything, am I? CHASE Only my lunch hour. It's ok, have a seat. Chase and Bruce sit down. CHASE So what seems to be the problem? BRUCE What makes you think I have a problem? CHASE I wake up one morning and you're gone. I don't hear from you for two whole years. Then all of a sudden, you show up at my office today asking for help. I don't know. Call it a hunch, Bruce. BRUCE Well, this may sound a little strange. CHASE Coming from you, I wouldn't bet on it. BRUCE I was at Delta Chemicals a few nights ago. I was trying to stop the Ratcatcher from stealing... CHASE (interrupts) The XR-2 compound. I know. BRUCE I caught him, but he sprayed this gas in my face. CHASE The Scarecrow's fear toxin. BRUCE Yeah, how did you know? CHASE I saw six patients this morning who were at the Flugelheim charity ball last night. Each of them had inhaled that stuff. BRUCE What did you do? CHASE I put them all under heavy sedation. Does that sound appealing to you? BRUCE Not really. CHASE They exhibited signs of anxiety, depression, memory lapses. Several of them had hallucinations. One was even contemplating suicide. Is this what you've been experiencing the past few days? Bruce nods. CHASE I want you to close your eyes, Bruce. Tell me what you feel. BRUCE (closes his eyes) I feel afraid. There's so much pain, and I can't make it go away. CHASE Has the toxin caused any hallucinations? BRUCE Yes. CHASE What do you see? BRUCE I see him. CHASE Who? Who do you see, Bruce? BRUCE Napier. Jack Napier. He killed my parents. Now he's coming after me. Chase kneels next to Bruce and comforts him. Bruce opens his eyes and looks at Chase. CHASE Bruce, Jack Napier is dead. BRUCE I know. I killed him. But I'm still afraid. Why is this happening to me? CHASE The toxin seems to have caused all of these painful memories to resurface in some sort of recurring nightmare. Jack Napier is basically a manifestation of all your fears. BRUCE Basically a manifestation? Is that your expert opinion, Doctor? CHASE I'm not sure, but people pay me a lot of money to hear that BS. BRUCE Are you trying to say you can't help me? CHASE Not necessarily. Tell me something, Bruce. How often do you have these hallucinations? BRUCE Every now and then. I've seen Napier three times so far. CHASE You said the first time was at Delta Chemicals. BRUCE Yes. CHASE When were the other two? BRUCE The second time was in an alley a couple nights ago. And the last time I saw him was in the Flugelheim Museum. CHASE There must be some sort of a connection to all of this. Bruce thinks for a moment. BRUCE There is! These are all places where I've encountered him in the past. CHASE That's right. So in order to overcome your fear of Jack Napier... BRUCE (continues) I have to confront him. CHASE Again. The only question is how. Close-up of Bruce's face. We can see that he knows how. BRUCE Don't worry. I know what I have to do. CHASE You do? You mean I actually helped you? BRUCE Yes, you did. CHASE I guess it's time I gave myself a raise. BRUCE (gets up) Thank you for your time, Doctor. CHASE Bruce, I think we know each other well enough that you don't have to address me as Doctor. BRUCE Whatever you say, Doc. CHASE (chuckles) It was good seeing you again. BRUCE Really? CHASE Yes. I still care about you. You know that. BRUCE Listen, Chase. The truth is, I didn't just come here for your help. I wanted to tell you I'm sorry for walking out on you. I know I've never been very good at letting people in. CHASE It's all right, Bruce. We got too close, and you became scared. It's nothing to be ashamed of. It only means you're human just like everyone else. BRUCE That's just what Alfred said. CHASE And has Alfred ever been wrong? BRUCE No. I hope we can still be friends, Chase. CHASE I'll always be your friend. You know you're welcome here anytime. BRUCE Thank you, for everything. CHASE Hey, it's the least I could do. After all, I have made an entire career out of you. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT As night falls on Gotham City, a gang of STREET THUGS begins to wreak havoc in the streets. They attack CIVILIANS and overturn cars. They throw bombs into stores causing giant explosions. The camera pans up past the tall buildings to show the Batsignal appearing in the sky. INT. WAYNE MANOR - NIGHT Dick heads for the Batcave after seeing the signal. Bruce walks up from behind. BRUCE Dick. DICK (turns around) It's about time you showed up. I thought I was gonna have to go without you. BRUCE Well, you thought right. DICK What are you talking about? BRUCE I can't go out there. Not tonight. There's something I have to take care of. DICK Can't it wait til tomorrow? BRUCE No. You know how you always said you hated living in Batman's shadow? DICK C'mon, Bruce, I was talking out of my ass. You know that. I would've died a dozen times already if you hadn't been watching my back. BRUCE I know, but I trust you. Dick nods reluctantly. BRUCE Oh, and one last thing. (pulls out a key) Take the car. Chicks love the car. DICK (takes the key) Wow, you really do trust me! BRUCE Take care of yourself. DICK You too. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT Nightwing climbs into the Batmobile and revs up the engine. A big smile appears on his face as he finally gets to use the car himself. The Batmobile rockets out of the cave. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT The gang of street thugs continues to create chaos in the streets. The Batmobile pulls up in front of a burning store, and Nightwing climbs out. He looks around in disbelief. NIGHTWING Damn! This happens every time there's a Marilyn Manson concert. A WOMAN stands outside the burning store screaming. Nightwing runs up to her. NIGHTWING What's wrong? WOMAN My little girl! She's trapped in there! NIGHTWING Wait right here. I'll go get her. Nightwing runs into the store. He disappears in the flames. A few seconds pass. The woman waits anxiously. Suddenly, Nightwing leaps out of the flames holding the YOUNG DAUGHTER in his arms. He hands her to her mother. The young daughter and Nightwing are both unharmed. WOMAN Thank you so much! NIGHTWING You're welcome. Now go on. Get out of here. Three THUGS are attacking a GIRL further down the street. Nightwing approaches the three thugs. While they are looking at Nightwing, the girl quickly runs away. NIGHTWING There must be a full moon out tonight. THUG LEADER You shouldn't have come here without the Bat, little boy. Now we'll have to kill you. NIGHTWING Come and get it. One of the thugs runs at him. Nightwing dodges him and throws him to the ground. A second thug swings a bat. Nightwing ducks and kicks him in the chest and sweeps him off his feet. The thug crashes hard to the ground. The thug leader pulls out a chain and swings it at Nightwing. Nightwing grabs the chain and pulls the thug towards him. He delivers a roundhouse kick to the thug's face and knocks him to the ground. The three thugs get up and run away. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - ALLEY - NIGHT The thugs run into an alley. Nightwing chases after them with the chain and bat. He runs into the alley and then comes to a complete halt. The camera zooms in on Nightwing's face as he laughs nervously. He turns around and runs away, and twenty STREET THUGS chase after him. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT Nightwing heads back near the Batmobile and defends himself against the thugs. He fends off the thugs with an assortment of acrobatics and kicks and punches. A couple of thugs circle Nightwing on motorcycles. He knocks one of the thugs off his motorcycle with the bat. He then twirls the chain over his head and throws it at the other thug. It wraps around the thug and knocks him off his bike. Another thug hits the Batmobile with a crowbar. Nightwing grabs the thug and knocks him to the ground. NIGHTWING Don't mess with the car! The thug leader becomes frustrated. THUG LEADER All of you! Get him! All twenty thugs run at Nightwing. NIGHTWING Oh shit! Nightwing is overwhelmed as thugs attack him from every direction. He pulls out a vial from his utility belt and throws it on the ground. It emits smoke all around him. He then fires a grappling hook and it latches onto a street lamp above him. He lifts himself into the air and then lowers himself into the Batmobile. He speeds away from the scene, admitting defeat. The gang of thugs celebrates in victory. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - DESERTED STREET - NIGHT Nightwing continues to drive away until he sees a figure ahead of him and screeches to a halt. He gets out of the car and walks closer. The camera moves back to reveal the Scarecrow standing ten feet away from Nightwing. The two of them are alone on a deserted street. SCARECROW You're not so tough without your friend, are you? NIGHTWING Crane. Are you behind all this? SCARECROW Me? (laughs) I wish I could take credit for all of the chaos in our streets. Alas, I'm afraid it's just a few kids out having a good time. NIGHTWING This is all a big joke to you, isn't it? SCARECROW On the contrary, Tweety, I find all of this pain and suffering rather disheartening. It's a shame everyone must live in fear simply because a few degenerates have no consideration for the common good. NIGHTWING What is your fixation with fear? SCARECROW It's not just me, little one. We're all governed by our fears. That's why you're standing in front of me right now in that ridiculous outfit, isn't it? NIGHTWING I'm here because I choose to be, Crane. You're fear toxin doesn't work on me. SCARECROW Really? Well, color me impressed. A man who's conquered his fears... NIGHTWING (continues) Can conquer the world. The Scarecrow grins and nods. NIGHTWING You'll lose. SCARECROW (chuckles) I don't think so. Who's going to stop me? You? NIGHTWING If I have anything to say about it. SCARECROW Then come and get me, pretty boy. Nightwing runs towards the Scarecrow but stops when he pulls out a can. SCARECROW I thought you said you weren't afraid of my toxin. NIGHTWING I'm not. SCARECROW Then what are you waiting for? Nightwing approaches the Scarecrow who sprays the can in his face. Nightwing begins coughing violently and becomes teary-eyed. The Scarecrow laughs. SCARECROW Always bring along a can of tear gas. Just in case. (runs away) See you around, birdbrain! The smoke clears and Nightwing slowly regains his vision. The Scarecrow is nowhere to be found. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT Dick and Barbara are seated in the cave later that night. Barbara is treating the wounds on Dick's forehead. DICK Ow! BARBARA Hold still. DICK Ok. (thinks) You know, it's strange. BARBARA What is? DICK All this time, I was jealous of Batman. How he got all the attention. How he got to drive the car. How he always had the spotlight, literally. But now... BARBARA (interrupts) After getting your ass kicked... DICK I realize I've been a jerk this whole time. Barbara is silent as she treats Dick's wounds. DICK This is the part where you're supposed to lend some moral support. Telling me I'm not a jerk. That I really care about Bruce. BARBARA Oh. Uh, Dick, you're not a jerk. You really do care about Bruce. How was that? DICK Real uplifting. BARBARA Seriously though, Dick. I don't think you're a bad guy. I just think you have a problem with authority. Just like every other twenty year-old male. DICK So you mean the only thing wrong with me is that I'm a guy? BARBARA Exactly. DICK Oh, well that's curable. Dick and Barbara laugh. Barbara continues treating his wound. DICK Ow! BARBARA I told you to hold still. DICK I am. It still hurts like hell. BARBARA Aw, poor baby. Is little Dick afraid of the pain? DICK Hey, I ain't afraid of anything. And please don't ever call me little Dick. BARBARA Sorry. DICK You know, if Bruce wasn't such a damn coward, I wouldn't have any of these cuts on my face. BARBARA It's not his fault. Crane's fear toxin causes the same reaction with everyone. DICK Not with me. BARBARA What? DICK I told you, Barbara. I'm not afraid of anything. BARBARA I know, but I thought you were joking. How can you not be afraid? DICK Before my family was killed, we had an act called the Flying Graysons. To be part of that, you either had to be fearless or stupid. BARBARA Which one were you? DICK A little bit of both, I guess. BARBARA So the death of your family doesn't bother you? DICK Hell yes, it bothers me! I think about it every single day. But I don't let it haunt me. I'm not obsessed with the pain like Bruce. Barbara is silent. DICK I'm sorry. I shouldn't be taking this out on you. I guess you wouldn't understand anyhow. BARBARA My mother died when I was six years old. DICK My God, I'm sorry. I didn't know. I thought your father was still married. BARBARA He is. Sarah is my stepmother. DICK Heh, I guess that means you and I are the same then. BARBARA Not really. You see, your family was killed by Two-Face. My mother was killed by cancer. It's strange, but I actually envy you. It's a lot easier to deal with the pain when you have someone to take your frustrations out on. DICK So how did you deal with the pain? BARBARA The only way I could. I accepted the fact that she was gone. But I was also thankful for what I had been given. I still had my whole life ahead of me and I still had my father. Dick is silent. BARBARA We all choose the path we take in life, Dick. You and Bruce chose revenge. I chose love. DICK You know, I kinda envy you too. You're a real optimist. BARBARA You have to be to survive in this world. EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - NIGHT Bruce Wayne stands alone in the middle of the street late at night. He looks up in front of him. The camera pans up to show a familiar place: the Gotham Cathedral. INT. GOTHAM CATHEDRAL - BELFRY - NIGHT Bruce enters the belfry through the trap door. He looks around but doesn't see anyone. Suddenly, he hears a voice behind him. VOICE(OVER) I thought you'd never come, darling. Bruce turns around and sees the Joker standing in front of him. BRUCE I'm not afraid of you, Jack. The Joker claps his hands mockingly. THE JOKER Bravo, Bruce! Bravo! I'm sure your parents are smiling in their graves. BRUCE You son of a bitch! Bruce tries to punch the Joker, but he disappears. A moment later, he reappears behind him. THE JOKER Missed me! I'm over here! Bruce turns around and swings his arm at the Joker, but he disappears again. He reappears behind him once more. THE JOKER Brucey, I think you might have lost a step. Bruce runs at the Joker and tries to tackle him, but he flies right through him and crashes to the floor. THE JOKER This is getting tiresome. Hasn't it registered yet in that big head of yours? You can't hurt me. BRUCE (gets up) Oh yeah? And why not? THE JOKER I'm already dead, Fatman! You killed me in this place years ago. Remember?! BRUCE Well, if I can't hurt you, then what am I supposed to do? THE JOKER Amazing. You haven't changed a bit since the first time I pointed a gun at you. You're still the same ungrateful little prick. BRUCE Who the hell do you think you are to judge me? You killed my parents! THE JOKER Don't waste your breath trying to lay a guilt trip on me, Bruce! You can't reform a dead criminal. BRUCE You're a murderer and a psycho, Jack! THE JOKER And what are you?! You're no choir boy either, Bruce. You've killed people just like I have. BRUCE Only the ones who deserved it. THE JOKER Says who? What gives you the right to play God with other people's lives? At least I kill people out in the open. You hide behind a mask and call it justice! Bruce is silent. THE JOKER So I ask you. Who's the real psycho here? Hmmm? At least I've never had a lengthy conversation with a ghost. The Joker chuckles. Bruce is still silent. THE JOKER What's wrong? You're so quiet all of a sudden. Was it something I said? BRUCE I don't understand. I thought I was supposed to come here... THE JOKER (interrupts) You thought all you had to do was come back to the belfry and it would be the same as the last time we met here. Bruce doesn't respond. THE JOKER Well, it's not that easy, pal. I wish I was the one you were really afraid of, but I'm not. BRUCE What are you talking about? THE JOKER Oh, will you stop pretending you don't know what's going on?! It's driving me crazy! Think, Bruce! What's the one true fear that you've never been able to escape? The one thing that will always serve as a reminder of the pain and the suffering in this world. BRUCE Batman. THE JOKER Bingo! I think we have a breakthrough here. (chuckles) Batman! What began as a quest for vengeance has now become an unbreakable curse. When you see that signal in the sky, what goes through your mind? Do you really want to go out there, or do you feel like you're being punished for something? Bruce looks away from the Joker towards the moonlight. BRUCE I never meant for it to come to this. I wanted my parents to be proud of me. I didn't want them to die for nothing. That's why I thought killing you was the answer. I thought it would make all the pain go away. But it didn't. It grew instead. So I had to go out into the night to find another. Then another. And another. THE JOKER (continues) Until one horrible morning, you woke up and realized that revenge had become your life. Bruce turns around and looks at the Joker. BRUCE Yes. THE JOKER Those are the same words you used to warn Dick about becoming your partner. BRUCE He didn't listen. THE JOKER He didn't have to. He's not afraid like you are. BRUCE So what am I supposed to do? THE JOKER My God, man! Do I have to do everything for you? C'mon! The Joker begins walking towards the balcony. Bruce is frozen and doesn't follow him. The Joker stops and turns around. THE JOKER Well...get your furry rodent ass over here! EXT. GOTHAM CATHEDRAL - BELFRY - NIGHT Bruce walks over to the balcony. The Joker is standing on the ledge. THE JOKER Step up on the ledge. Bruce hesitates. THE JOKER Well, hurry up! I haven't got all night! Bruce slowly climbs up onto the ledge. THE JOKER You know, you're not the only guy I have to haunt tonight, Bruce. BRUCE Ok, now what? THE JOKER Take a look down there. (points over the ledge) Does that look familiar to you? BRUCE That's where you fell to your death. THE JOKER It gave me back spasms for weeks. But all is forgiven. The Joker slaps Bruce on the back causing him to lose his balance and almost fall off the ledge. Bruce regains his balance and glares at the Joker. BRUCE Would you please quit doing that?! THE JOKER Hey, Junior, I'm only trying to help! BRUCE How is any of this supposed to help me?! THE JOKER You still don't get it, do you? Revenge has become your whole life! Bruce Wayne is the disguise now, not Batman! The fear is eating you up inside, and you feel like there's no escape. Right? BRUCE Right. THE JOKER But there is a way out, Bruce. BRUCE There is? THE JOKER Yes. The Joker looks over the ledge. Bruce realizes what the Joker has in mind. BRUCE Are you insane?! THE JOKER Can we please stop with the stupid questions? BRUCE How is suicide going to solve anything?! THE JOKER It's not suicide! It's a leap of faith! C'mon, Bruce. Take a chance! Why go on? This world has done nothing but take away everyone you ever loved. BRUCE Actually, you're the one who took away everyone I loved. THE JOKER (sighs) You're so touchy. Bruce looks over the ledge. He closes his eyes as painful memories from his past flash before him. (FLASH) EXT. GOTHAM CITY STREETS - ALLEY - NIGHT A young Bruce watches his parents get shot by the Joker and die in the alley. (FLASH) INT. CAVE - NIGHT A young Bruce falls into a dark cave on the night of his parents' wake. He sees a giant RED-EYED BAT flying towards him. (FLASH) INT. HIPPODROME - NIGHT Bruce witnesses Dick Grayson's FAMILY falling from the trapeze above and crashing to the ground. (FLASH) INT. WAYNE MANOR - ALFRED'S ROOM - NIGHT Bruce sits next to Alfred as he lays in his bed, dying from McGregor's Syndrome. (FLASH) EXT. GOTHAM CATHEDRAL - BELFRY - NIGHT Bruce opens his eyes and looks over the ledge. THE JOKER Your life's been nothing but pain, Bruce. It's time to let go. Bruce begins to cry. THE JOKER C'mon, do it for me. Help an angel get his wings. Bruce wants to jump, but he can't bring himself to do it. BRUCE I can't. THE JOKER What? BRUCE I can't do it. It doesn't feel right. THE JOKER You're not shopping for a new sofa, Bruce. This has nothing to do with how it feels. BRUCE But what about Dick? What about Alfred? I can't just leave them like this. THE JOKER They don't need you, and you don't need them. It's time to start thinking about yourself. (pauses) I know what's wrong. You're afraid to jump. It's no big deal. How about I lend you a hand? The Joker pushes Bruce in the back. He loses his balance and falls off the ledge. Bruce screams as he falls towards the ground. THE JOKER (laughs) Lend you a hand! That one never gets old! (laughs) I'll see you in hell, my friend! Bruce plummets towards the same spot where the Joker died. He slams into the ground, but is unharmed. EXT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY As Bruce looks up, he finds himself lying on the ground outside his home. The sun is shining brightly in the bright blue sky. He sees a gravestone with the names of his parents: THOMAS AND MARTHA WAYNE. Bruce gets up and walks over to the gravestone. He kneels in front of it in mourning. Suddenly, a woman's voice is heard from behind. VOICE(OVER) Bruce? Bruce turns around and sees his mother, MARTHA. She is standing in front of him, looking just as young and beautiful as the day she was killed. BRUCE (wide-eyed) Mother! Bruce runs over to his mother and hugs and kisses her. BRUCE My God, it's really you! MARTHA It's good to see you again, sweetheart. We've missed you. BRUCE I missed you too. God, it's been so long. MARTHA It's all right, dear. It's all right. I'm here now. Bruce stops hugging his mother. His eyes are filled with tears as he looks at her. BRUCE Where's Dad? MARTHA He's upstairs taking a nap. Bruce has a confused look on his face. MARTHA Well, what did you expect? He's dead tired. BRUCE (shakes his head) I see even death hasn't robbed you of your sense of humor. MARTHA I thought you'd like that one. C'mon, let's go inside. We've got a lot of catching up to do. INT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY Bruce and Martha walk inside. The house looks deserted and dirty. BRUCE Boy, this place looks awful. You and Dad must be going for that haunted house look. MARTHA It's not our fault. There's no one around to take care of the place. BRUCE What do you mean? Where's Alfred? Where's Dick? MARTHA They don't live here anymore, Bruce. Things just weren't the same for them after you passed away. Bruce has a stunned look on his face. MARTHA What's wrong, dear? Haven't you figured out where you are? BRUCE I thought I was home. MARTHA Why yes, you are home, Bruce. You're back with your mother and father where you belong. We're a family again. BRUCE (looks around) This doesn't make sense. I could never abandon them like that. MARTHA You don't have to worry about them. They're not important to you anymore. BRUCE They are important to me, Mother! Don't you understand? That's why I couldn't jump. I didn't want to leave them behind. MARTHA The Joker did you a favor, Bruce. You never would have made it here if it wasn't for him. You should be thankful! BRUCE Thankful?! To the man who killed my family?! To the man who tried to kill me?! How can you say something like that? MARTHA He was only trying to help you, Bruce. You were in so much pain. You spent your whole life blaming yourself for our deaths. But thanks to Jack Napier, all of that's over now. BRUCE I don't believe this. I knew there was something wrong. Bruce heads for the front door. MARTHA Where are you going? BRUCE I've gotta get out of here. Bruce runs out of the house. His mother chases after him. MARTHA No, Bruce! Wait! EXT. WAYNE MANOR - NIGHT Bruce exits the house. The sun has set, and the sky is now dark and cloudy. There is a lightning storm, and it is very windy. Bruce walks back to his parents' gravestone. There is now another gravestone right next to it. He looks closely at it. It reads: BRUCE WAYNE. MARTHA Now do you understand, son? It's too late. BRUCE No, it can't be. There has to be a way back! MARTHA There's no way back. You jumped. It's over. BRUCE I didn't jump, Mother! He pushed me! I can't be dead! It's not my fault! (screams at the sky) I want another chance!!! MARTHA There are some things you can't control in this world, Bruce. You couldn't save us that night, and you've been spending your whole life trying to make up for it because you were afraid we'd think you were a failure. But it wasn't your fault. We forgive you. Now it's time to let go! BRUCE No, there's too much I left behind. MARTHA Bruce, listen to me! Sometimes things happen for a reason, and you're just going to have to learn to accept that. I know you're doing this for Dick and Alfred, but you've got to start thinking about yourself. BRUCE Dammit, Mother, I am thinking about myself! That's why I have to go! MARTHA I'm warning you, son. There's another side to all of this. A dark side. If you keep messing with fate, you may not be able to come back, ever. BRUCE I'll take my chances. (kisses Martha) Tell Dad I love him. Bruce grabs a shovel that's laying next to his gravestone. MARTHA Bruce, don't do this, please! You'll never make it back! BRUCE I love you, Mother! I'll come back one day! I promise! Bruce hits the gravestone with the shovel. BRUCE Give me another chance!!! He continues to hit the gravestone with the shovel. BRUCE I want to go back!!! Lightening hits the gravestone and it explodes into pieces. Suddenly, a GLOVED HAND comes out of the ground and grabs Bruce's leg. BRUCE No!!! It begins pulling Bruce into the ground. Martha watches in tears as her son slowly sinks into his grave. INT. BATCAVE - BATMAN'S COSTUME ROOM - NIGHT Bruce awakens to find himself laying on the ground in his costume room beneath Wayne Manor. It is darkly lit, and it is difficult to see anything. He looks up and sees a MAN dressed in the Batman outfit standing over him. Bruce looks around. The other two Batman outfits are in their chambers. There are gadgets all along the walls. Bruce looks up in front of him and sees a figure emerge from the darkness. It is the Joker. THE JOKER You should've listened to Mommy, Bruce. BRUCE Where the hell am I? THE JOKER Why, you just answered your own question. Welcome to the dark side. Bruce looks at the dark figure standing over him. It appears to be himself dressed in the Batman outfit, but he can't be sure. THE JOKER Oh, where are my manners? Bruce Wayne, personal demon. Personal demon, Bruce Wayne. The Joker chuckles. BRUCE I'm in hell? THE JOKER We call it home. Give it a chance. It'll grow on you. BRUCE I made a mistake. Take me back. THE JOKER Sorry, I'm afraid I can't do that. BRUCE I didn't want to jump. You pushed me. THE JOKER You wanted to jump! You just didn't have the nerve. So I did the big boss a favor to save time. BRUCE The big boss? THE JOKER That's right! We're gonna go see the man in charge. He's dying to meet you. Now he can be a little temperamental at times, but don't worry. You stick with me and you'll be fine. He and I are like this. The Joker crosses his fingers. Bruce gets up and tries to get away. The man in the Batman outfit grabs him. THE JOKER Why do you have to be so stubborn? Bruce tries to get the Batman off of him, but it doesn't work. He punches the Batman in the face, but he still won't let go. THE JOKER (sighs) Some people never learn. Boys? The other two Batman outfits come to life and emerge from their chambers. They walk over to Bruce and the Batman. THE JOKER He's acting up again. Give him hell. The three BATMEN attack Bruce. Bruce tries to run away, but one of the Batmen throws a batarang at him. It latches onto his leg and causes him to fall to the ground. The Batman drags Bruce back. Bruce tries to fend the Batmen off, but he is helpless against the three of them. THE JOKER (shakes his head) It's a damn shame we can't be friends, Bruce. We really do have a lot in common. The three Batmen force Bruce to the ground. THE JOKER Alright, put the boy scout out of his misery. I'm late for dinner. And you know how the Man doesn't like to be kept waiting. The Batmen are about to hit Bruce over the head when they suddenly hear a beeping sound. A few seconds pass. There's another beeping sound. And another. The Joker is confused. THE JOKER What the hell is that noise? The Joker looks at the utility belt of one of the Batmen. There is a close-up of a flashing Batbomb that Bruce has activated. Bruce looks up at the Joker and grins. BRUCE Joke's on you. Before anyone has a chance to react, the Batbomb turns red and goes off. A giant, fiery explosion engulfs the entire room. The Joker and the three Batmen burn to their deaths. Bruce looks up as the fire heads toward his face. INT. GOTHAM CATHEDRAL - BELFRY - NIGHT Suddenly, Bruce awakens on the floor of the belfry where he first saw the Joker on this night. He checks his body and finds that he was unharmed by the fire. He looks around and can't find a trace of the Joker anywhere. Bruce isn't sure whether it was all a dream or not. But he no longer feels afraid. EXT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - DAY Dick and Barbara walk through a grassy field at school the next morning. They head towards one of the buildings for their classes. DICK Well, if there's one positive that came out of this whole thing, it's that I don't have to get up at 8:30 for Crane's boring class anymore. BARBARA They'll find a new boring professor. Face it, your never-ending streak of tardiness is doomed to continue. DICK You know, you don't have to do this. BARBARA What? DICK This isn't safe. Crane could come here looking for us. BARBARA That's exactly what I'm expecting him to do. Look, Dick, I'm not gonna spend the rest of my life hiding from this creep. He killed Sally Ann, and if it hadn't been for you, he would've killed me too. If he wants to come looking for us, that's fine with me. I'll be ready this time. DICK I just don't want you to get hurt. That's all. BARBARA Can I ask you something? DICK For the last time, Barbara, I'm not afraid. BARBARA No, it's not that. What's with the nipples on the suits? I mean, isn't that a little bit excessive? DICK It wasn't my idea. Talk to Alfred. He's the one with the nipple fetish. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - HALLWAY - DAY They head down the hallway for the lecture hall where Barbara's class is being held. DICK Just remember, campus security is on the lookout for Crane, so we should be ok. They stop in front of Barbara's lecture hall. DICK As long as we... BARBARA (interrupts) I know. As long as we stay on campus near a crowd of people, we'll be all right. I've gotten the lecture a million times already from my father. It's ok, Dick. I'll be fine. Now shut up and kiss me. I'm late for class. DICK I love it when you're pushy. Dick smiles and kisses Barbara. BARBARA And I love it when you're obedient. DICK Now if there's anything wrong, you page me with your cell phone. BARBARA And if there's an emergency, we'll meet at the giant oak tree. I know. I even wrote it down on a napkin in case I forget. DICK Well, I better get to class. If I'm late one more time, they're gonna expel me. BARBARA Bye. Dick turns and walks away. All of a sudden, he stops and turns around. DICK Barbara? Barbara stops as she's halfway through the door and turns to Dick. BARBARA Yeah? DICK (pauses) Nothing. She turns and enters the lecture hall. Dick walks away. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - RESTROOM - DAY Dick washes his hands in the sink after using the urinal. A POLICE OFFICER enters the restroom and uses a urinal. Dick watches him in the mirror. The officer walks over to the sink next to Dick and begins washing his hands. Dick stares at him. DICK Good morning, Officer. OFFICER Morning, Mr. Grayson. DICK Aren't you supposed to be outside looking for Dr. Crane? OFFICER Hey, when a man's gotta go... DICK I hear you on that. OFFICER Besides, I thought there was a remote possibility he might be in here. DICK Well, you can never be too safe. Dick smiles at the police officer and heads for the door. The officer pulls out his nightstick and smashes Dick over the head. Dick falls to the ground unconscious. OFFICER I hear you on that. INT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - HALLWAY - DAY There is a close-up of a hand setting off the fire alarm on the wall. The bells go off, and all of the students leave the classrooms and exit the building. Barbara walks out of the lecture hall with her backpack and cell phone. She looks around for Dick, but can't find him anywhere. As she heads for the exit, the officer from the restroom follows her. EXT. GOTHAM STATE UNIVERSITY - DAY Barbara walks up to the giant oak tree in the grassy field and places her backpack on the ground. She can't see Dick anywhere and becomes nervous. The officer walks up behind her. OFFICER Miss Gordon? Barbara is startled. She turns around and looks suspiciously at the officer. OFFICER Don't be alarmed. I figured you'd be here if there was an emergency. BARBARA Wait a minute. How did you know that? I never told anyone about the oak tree. OFFICER (shrugs) You got me. I admit it. I followed you here. (points a gun at Barbara) Don't bother screaming. You'll be dead before anyone hears you. The officer grabs Barbara and walks away with her. OFFICER C'mon. We don't want to keep the good doctor waiting. Moments later, Dick runs out of the building looking for Barbara. He rubs his head in pain as he approaches the oak tree. Dick looks around. DICK Barbara! Barbara is nowhere to be found. DICK Barbara! Suddenly, Dick hears a phone ring. He looks down on the ground and sees Barbara's backpack laying against the tree. He slowly approaches it and opens it up. Dick takes the cell phone out as it continues to ring. He looks around as he speaks into the phone. DICK Hello? CRANE'S VOICE Looking for someone, Mr. Grayson? DICK Crane! Where's Barbara?! What have you done with her?! CRANE'S VOICE I have your girlfriend right here. She's doing fine...for now. It's amazing how a little cash can compromise an officer's integrity. DICK (sarcastic) Corruption in the police department. I'm shocked! Dick looks around the field for Crane as he talks on the phone. CRANE'S VOICE Don't bother looking around. You can't see me. DICK But you can see me. That's not fair now, is it? CRANE'S VOICE That's the way I like to play. Tell me. What's your greatest fear? DICK Well, it used to be having to stare at your ugly mug three times a week, but now that we got your sorry ass thrown out of this place, everything's just peaches and cream. Thanks for asking. CRANE'S VOICE (chuckles) A little hostile this morning, aren't we? DICK I hate Mondays. CRANE'S VOICE I'll bet I know what scares you. The image of your precious Barbara laying dead on the ground with her throat slit. DICK Ooh, I'm trembling. What do you want, Crane? CRANE'S VOICE What do I want?! I want my life back! Do you have any idea how it feels to have all your dreams shattered, to have everything you ever loved taken away from you in one instant? DICK Actually, I do. I'm sorry. CRANE'S VOICE I'm sorry too. My life's been ruined, and those responsible must now suffer. DICK So why don't you just kill us and get it over with? CRANE'S VOICE If I wanted you dead, we wouldn't be having this conversation! Your life will end when I feel you no longer serve a purpose. DICK You're doing wonders for my self-esteem, Crane. CRANE'S VOICE This is the deal, so listen up! I now have an unlimited supply of my fear toxin. And tonight, I will unleash it on the entire city. Unless of course, someone can stop me. DICK Oh, don't worry, I will. CRANE'S VOICE Meet me at nine o'clock. And come alone. If you tell anyone about this, the girl dies. DICK What do you mean meet you? Meet you where? CRANE'S VOICE That's for you to figure out. DICK C'mon, help me out here. At least, give me a clue. CRANE'S VOICE Sorry, Mr. Grayson, but riddles are not my forte. Nine o'clock tonight. Be there, or be scared. DICK You're messing with the wrong guy, Crane. CRANE'S VOICE Ooh, I'm trembling. DICK You're gonna regret this. CRANE'S VOICE My only regret is that I didn't give you an F on that paper. Dick hears a click as Crane hangs up on him. He puts down the phone and realizes he is no longer in control of the situation. INT. WAYNE MANOR - FOYER - DAY Dick enters the house. He looks anxious as he passes Alfred. ALFRED Is everything all right, sir? DICK (turns to Alfred) No, Al, it isn't. Listen, if you were the Scarecrow and you wanted to infect the entire city with your fear toxin, what would you do? ALFRED I don't know. If I wanted it to affect everyone, I suppose I'd do it by air. DICK So you think he'll bomb the city? ALFRED Perhaps. Or maybe he'll use a blimp or a balloon. DICK Just like the Joker. ALFRED Yes. DICK No, that's not what he has in mind. It's gotta be somewhere on the ground. A place that's isolated. But where could that be? ALFRED The river. DICK Gotham River? But why would he...? (realizes Crane's plan) Our drinking water. ALFRED Farmers' crops. DICK They'll all be contaminated with his toxins. My God, Al, that's it! He's gonna pollute the city's water supply. BRUCE(OVER) No, he won't. Bruce enters the room and walks up to Dick and Alfred. DICK Bruce! You're back. BRUCE (nods) I'm sorry I wasn't there for you, Dick. I've been doing some soul-searching the past few days. DICK Did you find what you were looking for? BRUCE Yeah. It was right here the whole time. Alfred smiles. DICK Well, I'd love to stay here and share this Hallmark moment with you, Bruce, but if I don't meet Crane in a few hours, he's gonna poison the city and kill Barbara. BRUCE He's kidnapped Barbara? DICK (nods) I can't do this alone. Will you help me...brother? The camera closes in on Bruce's face. There is a look of determination in his eyes. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT There are close-ups of Bruce and Dick donning their respective outfits. They emerge from their costume rooms and watch as the Batmobile and Wingcycle rise on their pedestals. Batman looks over at Nightwing and notices a look of concern on his face. BATMAN What's on your mind? NIGHTWING I was thinking about Barbara. There was something I wanted to tell her this morning...but I didn't. BATMAN You'll have another chance. NIGHTWING I hope so. Because if I don't, I'll regret it for the rest of my life. BATMAN Don't do that. Don't blame yourself, no matter what happens. Promise me that. Dick doesn't answer. BATMAN Promise me, Dick. Promise you won't make the same mistake I made. NIGHTWING I promise. (gets on the Wingcycle) I hope our plan works. BATMAN (climbs into the Batmobile) It will. The Batmobile and Wingcycle speed out of the cave. EXT. GOTHAM DAM - NIGHT Barbara is standing at the top of the Gotham Dam overlooking the river below. She is blindfolded and her hands are tied. Downtown Gotham City is visible in the background. The Scarecrow comes up behind Barbara and speaks into her ear. SCARECROW It's almost time, darling. Aren't you excited? BARBARA (sarcastic) Oh yeah, nothing fills me with anticipation like my own death. SCARECROW I promise, I'll be gentle. BARBARA Go to hell, Crane. SCARECROW You should watch what you say to me, Barbara. It's an awfully long drop. (caresses Barbara's face) You know, this has all been a big misunderstanding. I never meant for anyone to get hurt. BARBARA Tell that to Sally Ann. SCARECROW I know she was your friend, and I am sorry. But if you could only realize how important my research is for mankind. BARBARA Save your egocentric bullshit for the judge! SCARECROW There's that fire I love about you, Barbara. You always were my favorite student. That's why I plan on killing you last. The Scarecrow hears a noise. He speaks in Barbara's ear again. SCARECROW Don't go anywhere. I'll be right back. The Scarecrow walks away. Barbara doesn't move. She can barely breathe without being afraid of falling. Moments later, Nightwing swings onto the top of the dam. He looks around until he sees Barbara standing near the edge of the dam. NIGHTWING Barbara! BARBARA Dick? Is that you? Nightwing runs over to Barbara and unties her hands. NIGHTWING Thank God you're all right! I was so afraid I'd get here and find your head in a box. He removes her blindfold. BARBARA Thanks. That makes me feel so much better. Nightwing and Barbara hug and kiss each other. NIGHTWING A word of advice. Don't look down. Naturally, Barbara looks down at river below. She becomes nauseous from the high altitude. BARBARA Why did you have to say that? You knew I was gonna look. NIGHTWING Sorry. BARBARA We better get out of here before Crane sees you in that outfit. NIGHTWING No. I'm staying. I have to face him. BARBARA You can't stay! What about your identity? He'll find out everything! NIGHTWING I don't care. Some things are more important than Batman and Nightwing. BARBARA You're willing to give all of this up? NIGHTWING (nods) It's like you said. We all choose the paths we take in life. Well, I choose love. Barbara hugs Nightwing. SCARECROW(OVER) How sweet. Nightwing and Barbara turn and see the Scarecrow standing in front of them. SCARECROW The lovebird comes for the girl. But where's Grayson? Is he too afraid to show his face? NIGHTWING Take a good look at me, Crane. SCARECROW (looks closely) Well, I'll be damned. Dick Grayson is Robin. NIGHTWING Nightwing. SCARECROW Whatever. It's of no consequence to me. Now I can kill two birds with one stone. NIGHTWING Why are you doing this? The people of Gotham don't deserve to suffer. They're innocent bystanders. SCARECROW Innocent bystanders?! How can you say this about the society that mocked me as a child because I looked different from the other kids? The society that deemed me an outcast? The society that rejected my efforts to help mankind? These so-called innocent bystanders are the very ones who make this world the cold, desolate hell that it is! NIGHTWING I know how you've been mistreated. How you could never stand up to those kids in school because you were too afraid. And how you've been trying to control fear ever since then. It's a cruel world, Doctor. I know that better than anyone. But this isn't going to change anything. You can still do the right thing. It's not too late. SCARECROW Spare me your sermons, Grayson. I'm not interested. The citizens of Gotham were too afraid to understand the significance of my research. Now they will live under a dark cloud of fear for the rest of their miserable lives. At this moment, a truck filled with thousands of gallons of my toxin is on its way. I'll dump all of it into the river, and that's only the beginning. Soon, the entire city will be infected, and Gotham will be at my mercy! NIGHTWING That's quite an elaborate scheme you've come up with, Crane. SCARECROW I haven't even told you the best part. I own stock in Evian. The sales of bottled water will go through the roof once I've carried out my plan. NIGHTWING Wow. You're gonna make a killing. SCARECROW Quite literally. And there's nothing you can do to stop me. Nightwing grins as if he knows something that the Scarecrow doesn't. EXT. ROAD - NIGHT Two of the Scarecrow's punks ride in a tanker truck along a dark forest road. They are heading for the Gotham Dam. PUNK #2 Will you step on it?! It's almost nine o'clock! PUNK #1 We'll get there! What are you worried about? PUNK #2 I'm worried that we won't get paid like last time. Suddenly, they hear a loud pop. PUNK #2 What the hell was that?! The truck begins bouncing up and down unevenly. PUNK #1 Damn! I think we got a flat tire! You better go check it out. The first punk stops the truck. PUNK #2 Wait a minute. Why do I have to go check it out?! PUNK #1 Cause I said so, alright?! Now get going! The second punk reluctantly gets out of the truck and checks out the tires. PUNK #1 Well? Do we have a flat tire or not? Moments pass. No response. PUNK #1 Hey! Answer me, you prick! Still no response. PUNK #1 What the hell is he doing? Suddenly, the first punk sees a black cape fall over the windshield. He becomes terrified. PUNK #1 Oh shit. EXT. GOTHAM DAM - NIGHT The Scarecrow waits with Nightwing and Barbara at the top of the dam. The Scarecrow sees the tanker truck's headlights in the distance. SCARECROW Ah! Right on schedule! The truck pulls up next to the dam and stops a hundred feet away from them. SCARECROW Now, witness the end of your precious Gotham! For if I can control man's fear, I can rule the world! The Scarecrow laughs out loud. A few seconds later, the tanker truck explodes into flames. The Scarecrow turns around and watches in shock. NIGHTWING Hmmm. I could be wrong, but I believe your fear toxin is highly flammable. SCARECROW What the hell happened?! NIGHTWING You lost, Doctor. SCARECROW No! It's not over yet! The Scarecrow turns around and points a gun at Nightwing and Barbara. NIGHTWING Since when do you use a gun? SCARECROW I'm improvising! The Scarecrow walks over and grabs Barbara. NIGHTWING What are you doing?! Let go of her! The Scarecrow points the gun at Nightwing's face. SCARECROW Don't try and be the hero this time, Grayson! I have an itchy trigger finger! He backs up to the edge of the dam with Barbara. SCARECROW My plan to pollute the river may have gone up in smoke for now, but I'll have another chance. In the meantime, I'll execute my other plan. NIGHTWING What other plan? SCARECROW (grins) Revenge. The Scarecrow throws Barbara over the edge of the dam. NIGHTWING Barbara! Nightwing dives after her. As he's falling, he fires a grappling hook over his head. It latches onto the top of the dam. He presses a button on his utility belt and rockets pop out of each of his boots. They begin firing, and Nightwing gains speed as he drops. He gets closer to Barbara and reaches out with his hands. NIGHTWING Barbara! Grab my hands! Barbara tries to grab his hands, but can't. Nightwing reaches his arms out as far as he can, and they grab each other's hands just as they're about to hit the water. Nightwing pulls himself and Barbara back up toward the top of the dam. NIGHTWING Are you all right? BARBARA Yeah, I think my fear of heights is cured. NIGHTWING Really? You want to go again? BARBARA (chuckles) No thanks. Nightwing and Barbara reach the top of dam and climb back onto the ledge. The Scarecrow laughs. SCARECROW All those heroics for nothing! (aims his gun at them) Any last requests? NIGHTWING Yeah, can I have the gun? SCARECROW I don't think so. Goodbye, Mr. Grayson. You've been a complete failure in life. Both as a student and as a human being. Nightwing stands in front of Barbara to protect her from getting shot. They anxiously await their deaths. The Scarecrow slowly pulls the trigger. As he is about to shoot Nightwing, a batarang hits his hand, knocking the gun to the ground. The Scarecrow turns around and sees Batman emerge from the darkness. BATMAN Boo. Batman punches the Scarecrow. He then slams him against the wall, and the Scarecrow slumps to the ground. NIGHTWING Well, it's about time! BATMAN Sorry I'm late. Did I miss anything? NIGHTWING Not really. Barbara almost fell into the river. I almost got shot. Routine stuff. BATMAN What else is new? BARBARA So this is pretty much a normal day for you guys? Suddenly, the Scarecrow jumps up off the ground screaming. He pulls out a can of his fear toxin and is about to spray it in Batman's face. Batman delivers a spinning roundhouse kick to the Scarecrow and knocks the can out of his hands. He then kicks the Scarecrow in the chest and sweeps his feet out from under him. The Scarecrow falls down, knocking his head against the ground and passing out momentarily. His mask slips off of his face and falls to the ground. BATMAN You could say that. BARBARA I'd hate to see you two on a bad day. Batman, Nightwing, and Barbara walk up to the Scarecrow who is laying on the ground. He slowly regains consciousness. NIGHTWING So what do we do with him? BATMAN We ship him off to Arkham Asylum. He should fit in there nicely. BARBARA But he knows who you are. NIGHTWING She's right. BATMAN Well then, I guess that leaves us only one choice. Batman eyes the gun laying on the ground. The Scarecrow watches nervously. NIGHTWING You're not gonna kill him, are you?! BATMAN Of course not. That would be too easy. (picks up the can of fear toxin) I think it's time we gave the doctor a taste of his own medicine. We see from the Scarecrow's POV that Batman is holding the can right in his face. BATMAN How about a little fear, Scarecrow? Batman sprays the fear toxin in the Scarecrow's face. The screen is filled with smoke and the Scarecrow's screams are heard in the background. The smoke dissolves and we see... EXT. ARKHAM ASYLUM - NIGHT Lightning crashes outside. There is a close-up of the sign on the front gate which reads: ARKHAM ASYLUM. INT. ARKHAM ASYLUM - HALLWAY - NIGHT The camera moves through a dark hallway in the asylum. It approaches a cell at the end of the hallway. As it gets closer, a man can be heard singing softly in the background. CRANE(OVER) I would not be just a nothin', My head all full of stuffin', My heart all full of pain. INT. ARKHAM ASYLUM - JONATHAN CRANE'S CELL - NIGHT We now see the interior of Crane's cell. It is dark and dirty. The only light is in the middle of the room where Jonathan Crane is sitting on the floor. He continues singing softly. CRANE I would dance and be merry, Life would be a ding-a-derry, If I only had a brain. A woman's voice is heard in the background. WOMAN'S VOICE(OVER) Jonathan. Oh, Jonathan. CRANE (looks around) Who is that? WOMAN'S VOICE(OVER) Don't you remember me? Sally Ann Lewis steps out of the darkness, looking the same as the last time Crane saw her. CRANE Oh dear. Sally Ann. SALLY ANN It's great to see you again. CRANE I wish I could say the same. SALLY ANN I hope you don't mind, but I brought a few friends along. The BULIMIC and CLAUSTROPHOBIC STUDENTS emerge from the darkness, looking like zombies. Crane becomes nervous and backs away towards the wall. CRANE Please tell me we're having a party. SALLY ANN (grins) Oh, we're gonna have a hell of a good time. The SCHOOL KIDS from Crane's childhood appear in the background. Their laughter and cries of "Freak!" can be heard. CRANE (laughs nervously) This must a dream. Yes, that's it. It's all a very bad dream. SALLY ANN You're right, Jonathan. It is a dream. Except this time, you don't wake up. Crane cowers in fear in the corner of the room. Sally Ann and the rest of the students walk towards Crane. We see from Crane's POV that they are right in his face. SALLY ANN It's time for you to scream. Sally Ann laughs as they all converge on Crane. Crane's loud screams echo throughout the asylum. EXT. WAYNE MANOR - DAY The sun is setting in the background as Bruce kneels in front of his parents' gravestone. He lays a rose at the foot of the gravestone and stands up. BRUCE I don't know if the things I saw the other night were real. But I know the things I felt were. (pauses) I'm not sure I'll ever be able to get over losing you. But I'm not afraid anymore. Because I know now that it wasn't my fault. (chokes back his tears) I love you...always. INT. WAYNE MANOR - UPSTAIRS - DAY Dick and Barbara watch Bruce from a window in the hallway upstairs. BARBARA Is he gonna be all right? DICK Oh yeah. For the first time in a long time, he's gonna be fine. (pauses) C'mon, let's leave him alone. They begin walking down the hallway toward Dick's room. DICK So what did your father say about Crane? BARBARA Oh, he's a real mess. Bruce gave him so much of that toxin, his memory is all scattered. He'll be lucky if he can remember how to take a piss. DICK Does he know? BARBARA You mean, about Batman and Robin? DICK Nightwing. My name is Nightwing. BARBARA No, he doesn't. DICK (sighs) That's a relief. BARBARA So now that we've dealt with your identity crisis, you think we could get back to doing our calculus homework? They stop in front of Dick's room. DICK Aw, c'mon. Do we really have to? BARBARA Yes! You asked me to come over and tutor you. DICK No, I asked you to come over and have sex and then tutor me. BARBARA Well, we already had sex. Now it's time for you to do your work. DICK Can't we watch TV or go get a slice of pizza or something? I mean, I'm no good with polygons and circles. BARBARA That's geometry, Dick. Jesus, no wonder you have a negative GPA. They are both silent for a moment. BARBARA Listen, there's something that's been bothering me. DICK What's that? BARBARA The other day at school, before I went to class, you were about to say something to me, but you didn't. What was it you wanted to tell me? DICK (nervous) Oh...that. Well, what I wanted to say was that...I mean, I meant to tell you...I love you, Barbara. BARBARA (surprised) Oh. But why didn't you say it before? DICK I don't know. It's like I wanted to, but I just couldn't. BARBARA You were afraid to tell me. That's what it was, wasn't it? DICK No! I wasn't afraid! BARBARA (smiles) Yes, you were. DICK Look, Barbara. I jumped headfirst off of a dam to save your life. Now if I can do that without getting scared, I can certainly say that I...well, you know. BARBARA That you love me? DICK Yes. I wasn't afraid. I was just unsure of how I felt. BARBARA But now you're sure? Dick nods. Barbara gets close to Dick and kisses him. BARBARA I love you too...you big coward. Barbara smiles and walks into Dick's room. Dick sighs in frustration. INT. WAYNE MANOR - FOYER - NIGHT Later in the evening, Bruce encounters Alfred. BRUCE Hello, Alfred. ALFRED Good evening, sir. I see you're feeling much better. BRUCE Yes. It makes it easier for me, knowing that they're finally resting in peace. And I know that wherever they might be right now, they're both proud of me. ALFRED I'm proud of you too, son. You always have been and you always will be a hero. Bruce and Alfred smile. INT. WAYNE MANOR - DICK GRAYSON'S ROOM - NIGHT Barbara is tutoring Dick at his desk. She is trying to explain a math problem, but Dick is not paying attention. BARBARA So you see, the derivative of the sum is always equal to the sum of the derivatives. And that's how you know... Barbara notices that Dick is looking out the window in front of him. BARBARA (clears her throat) Dick? Did you hear a word I just said? DICK (turns to Barbara) Yeah, I'm listening. I don't understand a damn thing you're saying, but I'm listening. BARBARA You're hopeless. You know that? Dick smiles and shrugs. BARBARA I've been thinking. If I'm gonna be partners with you and Bruce, I'll need a name. DICK Ok. What did you have in mind? BARBARA How about Batgirl? Dick shakes his head. BARBARA What? What's wrong with that? DICK I don't know, Barbara. I have a real problem with that name. BARBARA Why? Is it not PC enough for you? DICK Huh? Oh no, it's not that. I just don't want you to jinx yourself. Barbara appears confused. DICK It's a long story. Barbara looks at a newspaper laying nearby. The headline reads: BATMAN AND NIGHTWING APPREHEND MYSTERIOUS SCARECROW. Right above the headline, it says: READ THE GOTHAM GLOBE ORACLE INSIDE. BARBARA Oracle. DICK What? BARBARA Oracle. Why not? It fits. DICK Oracle. I like it. Dick and Barbara smile at each other. BARBARA Now, you think we can get back to doing these problems? DICK I can't. Not right now. BARBARA Why not? What's wrong? Barbara notices that Dick is staring out the window. She looks outside and sees the Batsignal in the sky. BARBARA Oh no. Not again. DICK (gets up) I'm sorry, Barbara. But I have to do this. You know that. BARBARA I just wish you didn't have to run off like this every night. I mean, is the police department in this town that incompetent? DICK I don't know. Why don't you ask your father? He's in charge. BARBARA That's not funny, Dick. Bruce appears in the doorway. BRUCE I saw the signal. Are you ready, partner? DICK (turns to Bruce) Always. Dick looks at Barbara. She sighs and realizes she must accept who Dick and Bruce are. BARBARA You be careful out there. Dick kisses Barbara. Their lips remain locked together. Bruce begins to grow impatient. He clears his throat, and Dick and Barbara stop kissing each other. DICK I will. I promise. We can work on this stuff when I get back. BARBARA Yeah right. Dick walks past Bruce as he leaves the room. BRUCE (shakes his head) Kids. INT. BATCAVE - NIGHT Close-up of the Bat insignia on the chest armor. Close-up of the large, blue Nightwing symbol on the black armor. Batman and Nightwing walk up to their respective vehicles on their pedestals. NIGHTWING What's the story this time? BATMAN Some nutcase called the Mad Hatter just robbed the Wonderland Toy Store. Commissioner Gordon wants us to check it out. NIGHTWING The Mad Hatter. Here we go again. (pauses) Can I drive the car? BATMAN No. NIGHTWING (to himself) It was worth a shot. Batman climbs into the Batmobile. Nightwing gets onto the Wingcycle. BATMAN Let's get to work. They rev up their engines and ride out into the night. FADE TO BLACK THE END
Return to SimplyScripts.com