(THEME SONG PLAYING)
(PANTING HEAVILY) RIPPED BY MSTOLL
DOCTOR, YOU KNOW THE COUNCIL'S POLICY ON UNAUTHORIZED TRAVEL.
(IN FOREIGN ACCENT) MR. WAYNE! MR. WAYNE!
PLEASE, 1 MUST SPEAK... AH! (GROANS)
TELL AVA KIRK THAT HER FATHER IS STILL ALIVE!
THE POLICE DIDN'T FIND ANYTHING MORE THAN WE DID.
WHOEVER FIRED THOSE DARTS WAS AS GOOD AT DISAPPEARING AS... WELL, YOU.
AND THE VICTIM?
COMATOSE, BUT EXPECTED TO RECOVER.
THE TABLET WAS DAMAGED, BUT SO FAR I'VE FOUND THESE PHOTOS
AND THE MAN'S NAME, HORACE SPANGLE.
KATANA: I'VE SEEN THAT PICTURE OF YOU AND YOUR DAD BEFORE, IN THE TROPHY ROOM.
WHO ARE THE OTHER TWO?
THE MAN WAS A FRIEND OF MY FATHER NAMED PAUL KIRK.
HE WAS A BIG GAME HUNTER WHO DIED ON SAFARI.
THE GIRL IS HIS DAUGHTER, AVA.
SHE BECAME A DOCTOR.
LAST I HEARD, AVA WAS SETTING UP CLINICS OVERSEAS FOR THE POOR.
- NO IDEA WHERE SHE IS NOW. -ALFRED: SHE'S IN GOTHAM.
SHE RETURNED HOME TWO MONTHS AGO.
ALL CLEAR. STILL SAY YOU SHOULD HAVE BROUGHT FLOWERS.
CHOCOLATES WOULD HAVE WORKED TOO.
- BRUCE? BRUCE WAYNE? -HELLO, AVA.
BRUCE: IT'S BEEN A LONG TIME.
BRUCE, YOU MIGHT WANT TO TAKE YOUR REUNION INDOORS. FAST.
- WHY DON'T WE TALK ABOUT THIS INSIDE? -OH, OF COURSE.
HOW ABOUT YOU AND! GET TO KNOW EACH OTHER?
WHERE'D HE COME FROM? UH, BRUCE.
SO WHERE HAVE YOU BEEN ALL THIS TIME?
SOMALIA, LEBANON. MY WORK TAKES ME TO SOME DANGEROUS PLACES.
(CAR APPROACHING)
(GLASS SHATTERING)
(WHIRRING)
(TRUCK APPROACHING)
KATANA?
I'M OKAY, BUT YOU'RE NOT GOING TO BELIEVE WHAT HAPPENED.
BRUCE? WHAT'S GOING ON?
I JUST DON'T UNDERSTAND WHY THIS DR. SPANGLE WOULD SAY MY FATHER WAS STILL ALIVE.
THE ANSWER TO THAT UNDOUBTEDLY LIES WITH THE MEN WHO ATTACKED YOU.
UNTIL WE FIND OUT WHO THEY ARE, I THINK IT WOULD BE BEST FOR YOU TO STAY HERE.
DAD AND YOUR FATHER.
THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN ABOUT OUR AGE IN THIS PICTURE.
- I'M SORRY WE LOST TOUCH. -YOU WERE ALWAYS...DIFFERENT.
FROM THE OTHER RICH BOYS OF GOTHAM.
BUT I LIKED THAT. YOU WEREN'T A COOKIE CUTTER COPY.
YOU WERE UNIQUE, AND THAT'S ALWAYS HARDER.
(DOOR CREAKING)
(ALFRED COUGHS POLITELY)
SORRY TO INTERRUPT, BUT MS. KIRK'S ROOM IS READY.
I APPRECIATE YOU GOING TO ALL THIS TROUBLE.
IT'S NO TROUBLE AT ALL. I HAVE PLENTY OF...HOW MANY GUEST ROOMS DO WE HAVE, ALFRED?
- SEVENTEEN ? - NINETEEN.
WE MISSED TWO ON THE LAST INVENTORY.
SEE? PLENTY. NOW GET SOME REST.
ALFRED WILL BE AT YOUR DISPOSAL.
ALFRED: AN INTERNET SCAN BY THE BAT COMPUTER REVEALED OUR MYSTERIOUS DR. SPANGLE
WORKS FOR A WEATHER RESEARCH COMPANY CALLED NORACK.
WHAT CONNECTS A WEATHER SCIENTIST TO PAUL KIRK,
A HUNTER WHO'S BEEN DEAD FOR 20 YEARS?
BETTER QUESTION, WHY WOULD HORACE SPANGLE, A LEADING GENETICS EXPERT,
BE WORKING FOR A WEATHER RESEARCH COMPANY AT ALL?
ACCORDING TO SPANGLE'S TABLET,
NORACK RECENTLY ACQUIRED THIS WAREHOUSE, HERE.
NEAR THE DOCKS.
INTERESTING.
NO RIGOR. NO SIGNS OF DECAY.
ARE THEY DEAD, OR... SOMETHING ELSE?
IT CAN'T BE! THAT'S...
AVA'S FATHER.
(GROANING)
SO YOU'RE PAUL KIRK, A MAN WHO'S BEEN DEAD FOR 20 YEARS.
PAUL KIRK, YES.
DEAD, NO.
PAUL: MY SAFARIS WERE A COVER STORY FOR MY WORK AS A GOVERNMENT OPERATIVE.
MY CODENAME WAS MANHUNTER.
WHILE ON A MISSION BEHIND ENEMY LINES, I WAS WOUNDED AND LEFT FOR DEAD.
THAT'S WHEN A SECRET SOCIETY CALLED THE COUNCIL FOUND ME
AND CHANGED MY LIFE FOREVER.
THE COUNCIL'S LEADER, A MADMAN NAMED DR. ANATOL MYKROS,
DECIDED TO TAKE MY NATURAL SKILLS AS A TRACKER AND FIGHTER
AND EXPLOIT THEM FOR HIS OWN PURPOSES.
A FEW WEEKS AGO, SPANGLE LEARNED MYKROS' REAL PLAN,
OVERTHROWING THE WORLD'S GOVERNMENTS.
ONCE HE KNEW THE TRUTH, DR. SPANGLE SET ME FREE AND GAVE ME A WEAPON.
I SPENT 20 YEARS IN SUSPENDED ANIMATION
WHILE THEY LEARNED HOW TO CREATE MINDLESS, INORGANIC SOLDIERS
FROM A MODIFIED VERSION OF MY DNA.
INORGANIC? SO THEY'RE NOT ALIVE?
IN THE TRUEST SENSE OF THE WORD, NO.
THEY ARE MERELY AN ARMY OF ROBOTS THAT ALWAYS FOLLOW ORDERS.
EACH WITH ALL MY FIGHTING SKILLS.
COLD, UNFEELING AND DEADLY.
(GASPS)
OH!
(GRUNTING)
(GROANING)
WE KNEW MYKROS WOULD TRY TO FORCE ME TO COME BACK BY THREATENING AVA.
SO SPANGLE SOUGHT OUT BRUCE WAYNE FOR HELP.
ONCE MY DAUGHTER WAS SAFE, I COULD FOCUS ON THE CLONES.
SORRY TO HAVE TIED YOU UP, BUT I DIDN'T KNOW IF I COULD TRUST YOU.
NO PROBLEM.
- WHY IS IT STOPPING? -I'M NOT SURE.
THE COUNCIL CONTROLS THE CLONES THROUGH A SUBDURAL MICRO-TRANSMITTER.
(IN ROBOTIC VOICE) THAT'S A TRADE SECRET, PAUL.
MYKROS.
- WHAT DO YOU WANT? -THE QUESTION IS,
WHAT DO YOU WANT? YOUR FREEDOM, OR...
- YOUR LEGACY. -AVA.
- HE HAS AVA. -YES, PAUL. I HAVE YOUR DAUGHTER.
MEET ME AT DAWN ON THE UPPER LEVEL OF THE GOTHAM BRIDGE.
COME ALONE, IF YOU EVER WANT TO SEE YOUR DAUGHTER AGAIN.
ANY QUESTIONS?
NO!
YOU CAN'T GO ALONE. IT'S OBVIOUSLY A TRAP.
I HAVE NO CHOICE.
I HAVE WAYS TO GET TO THE BRIDGE WITHOUT MYKROS KNOWING.
YOU HAVE A CHOICE.
I ASSUME YOU HAVE SOME SORT OF BASE SOMEWHERE?
IT'S A CAVE, ACTUALLY. BUT THERE'S ONE THING YOU NEED TO KNOW BEFORE WE GO THERE.
WHAT'S THAT?
IT'S A SECRET CAVE.
FINALLY! I DIDN'T KNOW HOW MUCH MORE OF YOUR SNORING I COULD TAKE.
DEVIATED SEPTUM. COMES WITH THE JOB.
WHAT WAS THAT YOU SPRAYED ME WITH?
IT'S A NEUROTOXIN DERIVED FROM THE CHIRONEX FLECKERI.
ALSO KNOWN AS THE SEA WASP.
DRINK THIS GRAPEFRUIT JUICE. IT WILL NEUTRALIZE THE EFFECTS.
- WHO'S HE, YOUR BUTLER? -I'M A FRIEND, MR. KIRK.
MASKED OR NOT, WE ALL SHARE THE GOAL OF YOUR DAUGHTER'S SAFE RETURN.
GOOD. THEN LET'S GET TO WORK.
MYKROS WILL HAVE GUARDS POSTED ON THE UPPER LEVEL AND AT BOTH ENDS OF THE BRIDGE.
WE'LL ENTER FROM BELOW.
WE'LL NEED MORE OF THIS ANTI-CLONE TOXIN.
IT'S TIME. LET'S GO.
(BRAKES SQUEALING)
HELLO, PAUL. SO GOOD OF YOU TO COME.
SAVE THE PLEASANTRIES, MYKROS.
RELEASE AVA AND I COME QUIETLY.
TRY ANYTHING AND YOU'RE DEAD WHERE YOU STAND.
(LAUGHS) ALWAYS IN SUCH A HURRY TO LEAVE, PAUL.
YOU HAVE TO LEARN TO SAVOR LIFE'S LITTLE MOMENTS.
DAD? HOW CAN THIS BE?
I WISH I HAD THE PROPER TIME TO TELL YOU.
MAY I GIVE MY DAUGHTER A HUG?
- YOU OWE ME THAT. - PERHAPS THERE IS SOME SENTIMENT IN YOU, AFTER ALL.
VERY WELL. BUT MAKE IT QUICK.
THAT'S THE SIGNAL. YOU'RE UP.
OH, PAUL. AGAIN, YOU DISAPPOINT ME.
I WISH I COULD SAY I WAS SURPRISED.
AVA: AH!
BATMAN: MANHUNTER!
I'LL HELP KIRK GET AVA. YOU CHECK ON ALFRED.
(GUNFIRE)
KATANA! DROP OFF! I'VE GOT THIS.
- NICE. - ALFRED: IT'S NOT ALWAYS ABOUT GYMNASTICS.
BUT SOMETIMES IT IS ABOUT SUPERIOR FIREPOWER.
THAT'S FAR ENOUGH.
IT'S OVER, PAUL. YOU COME WITH ME, NOW, OR AVA DIES.
ONCE WE'RE SAFELY AWAY, I WILL DEACTIVATE THE BOMB.
MANHUNTER, YOU CAN'T!
- BATMAN? -IT'S HIS DECISION.
HIT
HOW COULD YOU LET MYKROS TAKE HIM?
I DIDN'T.
YOU MADE THE RIGHT DECISION, PAUL.
SOON, I'LL FIND SPANGLE, AND THEN WE CAN GET TO WORK REBUILDING OUR CLONE PROGRAM.
AND THIS TIME YOU'LL BE AWAKE AS WE TAKE OUR SAMPLES.
I SUSPECT IT WILL BE VERY...PAINFUL.
- HAVE YOU NOTHING TO SAY? -(IN ROBOTIC VOICE) WHAT WOULD YOU LIKE ME TO SAY?
THAT IT WASN'T HARD TO HACK THE CHIP THAT CONTROLS THE CLONES?
BECAUSE IT WASN'T.
IN THE CONFUSION, IT WAS SIMPLE ENOUGH
TO TAKE CONTROL OF ONE OF THE CLONES ON THE BRIDGE.
THE COUNCIL'S HOLD ON ME IS OVER.
GOODBYE, DR. MYKROS.
NO! YOU HAVE TO LET ME GO.
OR YOUR DAUGHTER...
-(ELECTRIC BUZZING) -GAH!
- I WISH YOU COULD STAY LONGER. -I KNOW.
BUT EVEN WITH MYKROS IN CUSTODY,
THERE MAY STILL BE MORE OF MY CLONES OUT THERE.
I CAN'T STOP UNTIL I'M THE ONLY ONE OF ME LEFT.
THEY'VE TAKEN SO MUCH FROM YOU.
BUT THEY DIDN'T TAKE THE MOST IMPORTANT THING.
I'LL COME BACK.
I'VE RECEIVED WORD FROM THE HOSPITAL.
DR. SPANGLE IS AWAKE AND CAN LEAVE WHEN YOU'RE READY.
GOOD. WE HAVE A LOT OF WORK TO DO.
THE COUNCIL IS STILL DANGEROUS, DESPITE BEING ON THE RUN.
AND WHAT ABOUT AVA?
I DON'T THINK THEY'LL COME AFTER HER NOW, BUT...
- JUST IN CASE. -SHE'LL BE PROTECTED.
YOU HAVE MY WORD.
WHEN MY LIFE WAS IN DANGER, MY DAD KNEW YOU WOULD HELP ME.
YOU DIDN'T LET HIM DOWN. AND YOU DIDN'T LET ME DOWN, EITHER.
YOU'RE ONE OF A KIND, BRUCE. I'M GLAD WE FOUND EACH OTHER AGAIN. RIPPED BY MSTOLL