Gotham Gazette November 1st, 2008
The Night of Do-As-You-Please By Vicki Vale
Above: The GCPD chopper spirals out of control above the red district's dockyards.
Since last news day, the Faraway Tree killer has upped the ante on his kill count. As his spree continues into the strikingly high numbers, his modus operandi has been solidified: kill bad men, no matter how many good people die in the process.
Two days ago, after printing, the Faraway Tree killer went on a rampage through the Vodka restaurant that left several customers, a waiter, a busboy, and a police officer dead. As always, at least one of the deceased, and seemingly the target of the spree, was a criminal: a large Russian man named Vital Kaselka, thought to be involved in human trafficking.
Last night he struck again, adding another thirteen victims to his kill-count. Early in the evening, police were called to the Goalzone sports betting advisory firm. MCU's Captain Jim Gordon and his squad responded personally to the reports of a major disturbance and escalating hostage situation, phoned in by Aurianne Williams, a receptionist at Goalzone. Ms. Williams was killed in the events that took place, her body found outside an upstairs office. Inside, two more corpses were founded under the giant message, "Welcome to the land of do-as-you-please." One of the bodies was identified as Hef Aroza, an odds picker at Goalzone. The second, unusually, was Omar Shakur. Shakur was the manager of Goalzone several years before, but was released when he was arrested and charged with running a sports gambling ring using Goalzone as his odds calculator. Roland Gambol, who owns the business, was co-accused, but the charges were dismissed. Shakur was found guilty and sentenced; he was paroled just last year. It can be assumed that he was the killer's target, but he was not the final casualty.
The Faraway Tree killer came down the stairs as the first responders, Officers Patrick Eeyore and Tom McAndrews, arrived. He gunned them down quickly, proceeding to kill three more employees, Delilah Amore, Michael Felz, and LeRhonda Jameson, on his way out the back door. He then shot his way up the fire escape, fatally injuring Officer Omis Marsh, and disappeared. Ashley and Richard Love, whose apartment the killer apparently came through during his escape to the rooftop, were shot repeatedly at point blank range. An armed helicopter was then called in to dispatch the killer, who matched firepower with the chopper team for a short period of time.
Pedestrian reports confirm that the Faraway Tree killer then leaped into the chopper in an attempt to commandeer the vehicle. Faraway Tree killed Sgt. Hando Phillips, a police sniper on the helicopter team, and Corporal Evan LeChiffre, another member of the team. The pilot, Lieutenant Zachary Baer, survived the incident. He offered no comment on what transpired beyond confirming that FTK had hijacked the chopper and killed the other two men. As the chopper took off away from the building, seemingly in the control of the killer, a single grappling hook shot through the night and wrapped around a landing skid... and as the chopper accelerated away, it pulled the Batman into the air behind it. It should be noted that the last we heard of the Batman, he was apprehended and sent to prison at Jim Gordon's Major Crimes Unit.
Details now become sketchy as the chopper headed southwest, however it ended up flying above the red district, where civilians gathered en masse to watch the chopper head wildly right on past the docks and over the water. As the copter approached a cargo ship that had recently left port, two bodies suddenly fell out of it and into the air. The Batman subdued the Faraway Tree killer midair before the killer broke the vigilante's grip and streamlined off towards the water. Before he could get far enough away, however, the Batman shot a grapple rope at his foot and suddenly parachuted up into the air and proceeded to glide back towards the land.
The crowd cheered as their hero neared the port again, before the killer loosened out of the rope and dove into the water. The killer hijacked a fishing boat and attempted to escape, but the Batman simply followed him through the air and landed on the new getaway vehicle. They tussled on the moving boat when suddenly, a gunshot was heard. A white lick of light expelled from the fighting silhouettes and the Batman was thrown clear off the boat and into the water, never to resurface.
Yet as the killer's small boat headed to the cargo ship, it suddenly veered off course and smashed into the rocks. Multiple witnesses insist they saw all hands go under with the boat and current. As the mysterious cargo ship was finally forced to dock, Jim Gordon and his SWAT teams arrived and stormed the ship.
The Gazette's sources have uncovered little more than the name of the Faraway Tree Killer: Henri Ducard is of background unknown and French nationality. He has no American citizenship, though he is noted as having flown in to Gotham overnight on October 27th from Paris. Parisian authorities could not be reached for comment in time for press.
On the subject of Ducard, Jim Gordon had absolutely no comment for the press other than to maintain a safe distance. District Attorney Harvey Dent's only comments were of warning; "If you see him, avoid any kind of confrontation and inform the police as soon as possible."
On the even more elusive subject of the Batman, one may remember that Gordon had refused to comment on the recent high-profile arrest of the vigilante figure. No official statement has been made regarding yesterday's violent, high-speed chase and escape of an unknown inmate from MCU. Was that the Batman? Did he escape from imprisonment only to turn around and proceed to again protect the city of Gotham? While Captain Jim Gordon insists that "Batman did not escape today. I can tell you that," the pieces seem to fit perfectly.
If the both Kurt Tessle, also known as Killer Croc, and the Batman both escaped custody at the MCU, couldn't the Joker? If Ducard was able to successfully slip through the hands of the police, how safe are we? And worse yet, did the Batman ever resurface from the water? Only time will tell.
Enclosed are photographs of Henri Ducard, the Faraway Tree Killer, among other police issues. Please regard them in full.
Above, left: A police composite sketch of Ducard, released to press late last night.
Above, right: A chopper-cam photograph displays Ducard sporting an unusual gas mask.
Bat Flies From Belfry By Alexander Knox
The present mugshot of the as yet unidentified "Batman"
The man suspected to be the Batman is rumored to have escaped from police custody earlier yesterday morning. Although Captain Gordon is being suspiciously tightlipped about the vigilante's possible escape, anonymous officers who were present at the time of the escape were less news shy.
Apparently, the suspect, managed to get himself out of his cell by faking an illness. Despite being handcuffed and lacking any kind of weapons, he overpowered the four guards escorting him to the GCPD doctor while they were riding the elevator. He then began his ascent up the elevator shaft, and onto the roof of GCPD headquarters. He chose to avoid police by freerunning across the nearby rooftops until a police helicopter forced him back to ground. After stealing an unattended car, the suspect led police on a chase before finally plunging the car into Sprang River.
Although the mysterious escapee has not yet been confirmed to be alive, there's no reason to think he's dead yet. Sources on the police force testify that no body was found in the sunken car. All told, during his escape the unnamed fugitive caused the death of two policemen, and incapacitated many more.
Whether or not he truly is the Batman, it is a very dangerous man that the police force has allowed back on Gotham's streets. Police are asking for any information if you are to see or encounter this man.
Don't Say a Word... By Tom Tucker
Above: Dalton Smith as seen in the hospital
Police are intrigued by the story told by a brave young woman named Norah Seger who came forward with a harrowing tale.
Just after eleven o'clock last night, she exited a vacant L-Train at a station near the Old Gotham neighborhood and proceeded to head toward her apartment building. However, as she explained through shallow breaths, she found herself being followed from the train station by three young men dressed in spikes and chains, the attire known to the small Wild Skeleton street gang. She mentioned an escalation of cat-calls that made her feel increasingly uncomfortable.
The men followed her into an alley as she started to move faster, but she soon found herself in a puddle after one of her heels snapped in a sidewalk crack. The men approached her, one of them brandishing a knife.
But as she looked up to her attackers, something very interesting indeed would happen.
"It was unreal. I looked up, and I just saw these arms come out of the shadows, and they grabbed the one at the back. The big one. Then a hand came up to his jaw and... well... crack!"
At this point, she reported, the second of the men turned, brandishing his switchblade and twirling it with great skill. However, as he lashed forward with the knife, she said "it just gets stopped by the hand. And another one reaches out and pulls him into the darkness and just, wraps around his head and..." Seger shakes her head in stupefication. "He came out of the shadows then. I saw him. He was tall, built, and he had... like, bandages wrapped around his face and head."
The third man had left her alone and picked a plank from the alley to defend himself. However, before he could assault the bandaged man, he was pulled into a powerful strike, and there were more where that came from. The bandaged assailant then broke his arm at the elbow and put his mouth to the would-be rapist's ear to utter a single word: "Hush."
He then slammed the man into the wall hard enough to break several ribs, his jaw, and knock out enough teeth that police needed evidence bags to collect them just before press time. The bandaged assailant then instructed Ms. Seger to leave However, the man was upgraded from critical to serious condition after being rushed to Gotham General Hospital, while the others were pronounced dead on arrival. The man has been identified as Dalton Smith, and charges have not yet been laid.
In a dawn of more and more unusual characters coming to light, each with a murky allignment with regards to the well-being or detriment of our fair city, one can describe this "Hush" character as only one thing: Interesting.
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