Date: Fri, 4 Oct 2002 21:26:11 -0700 (PDT) From: Author James Subject: Trials of a Real Dark Knight 29 Disclaimer: This story, though maybe not in this chapter but in subsequent chapters, will have celebrities in it. I have no knowledge of their sexuality and this is not intended to imply their sexuality. This is all from my own mind. Buffy, the Vampire Slayer, Angel and all related characters created by Joss Whedon. Copyright 20th Century Fox. Batman, and all related characters created by Bob Kane. Copyright DC Comics and Warner Bros. X-MEN, and all related characters created by Stan Lee. Copyright Marvel Comics and 20th Century Fox. The Vampire Chronicles and all related characters created by Anne Rice. Copyright Anne O'Brien Rice. Star Wars and all related concepts created by or based on the universe created by George Lucas. Copyright 20th Century Fox, LucasFilms Ltd. and Lucas Books/Ballantine Books. I don't know for sure if I will use all the above elements, but just in case, I have myself covered. This story has taken on a life of its own. From its inception a year ago, I had only thought it would last ten chapters maximum. As you can see, it has grown tremendously. Mostly due to readers emailing me and telling me they've enjoyed it or have received help due to certain issues addressed. I've enjoyed writing this story but it would not have been written without men and women reading it and telling me they've enjoyed it. I do hope that you continue to enjoy each new chapter as our hero lives and grows. I have received many emails from people who have enjoyed it and some from those who do not. I would enjoy hearing from you. Any emails you send, please tell me what chapter and story you are commenting on. Thanks. authorjames2002@yahoo.com I also have several online messenger services, one of which is this yahoo email address. Some of you know them; however, in the recent weeks I've changed my screen name. If you want to chat with me in real time, email me and tell me the services you use and I will tell you my screen name. Chapter 29 Internal Investigation In a short amount of time, I reached downtown Orlando and the sun had set giving way to the darkness. I parked my motorcycle in a dark alley near where I knew Nightwing used to haunt and made my way to the rooftops. I was not disappointed as, in ten minutes time, Nightwing showed up. "Batman," he greeted. "How are you?" "I'm doing well. You?" "I can't complain." I nodded. "I need your help." "Sure. What is it?" "I need to investigate someone at Mercy General." "Employee or patient?" "Employee. The resident psychiatrist is accusing someone of being a pedophile. There are neither facts nor evidence to back up her claim yet she has the police hunting for him." "Do you know who the person is she is after?" "Eric McCoy." Nightwing looked at me puzzled. "What? Did you say Eric McCoy?" "Yes." "That's...that's impossible. Last I heard, he died." "No, he's alive. If you are referring to the events in England, he would have died had I not been there." "When did he get back?" "A few days ago." Nightwing nodded. "I'll look into her. I'll get Robin and Batgirl to help as well. With all of us working together, we can find out why this psychiatrist has it in for Eric." "You know him?" "Let's just say he's done some good for people I know. And there is no way he is a pedophile." "Thanks for your help." Nightwing nodded. "Where do you want to meet?" "The hospital in an hour." "Will do." Nightwing went off into the night. I knew I was in good hands. He trusted me. He wouldn't let me down. I went back to the alley, climbed on my motorcycle, and headed toward the hospital. During the hour I waited, I watched through mini-binoculars the coming and going of the band members of Dream Street. There was never a time that Jesse or Chris was alone. Matt, Greg, and Frankie took care to keep them both company. I also kept an eye on the psychiatrist. She talked on the telephone an awful lot, filled out forms and gave orders to persons. "Thanks for coming," I said. "How did you know we were here?" Robin asked. I turned and smiled, although they couldn't see my mouth. My eyes, however, gave it away. "Is it true?" Robin asked. "Is Eric McCoy alive?" "Yes," I answered. "And now the psychiatrist of the hospital wants him put behind bars." "Who is she?" Batgirl asked pulling out her own binoculars. "Seventh floor, center." Batgirl looked through her binoculars. "It looks as if she is getting ready to leave." "Probably to make her rounds," I responded. "Or go home," Robin added. "Right. Robin, follow her but stay out of sight. I want to know where she is going. Nightwing, if she does leave, I want you ready to follow her. Robin can catch up with you if she does." "What about me?" Batgirl asked. "I want you to help me go through her files. Are you familiar with computers?" "Very," she answered with a smile. "Then let's get going." Robin pulled out a dart gun and shot it through the open window as the psychiatrist turned to leave. The dart he shot landed on her near her collar. She kept moving as if she didn't feel it. "Excellent shot!" Nightwing exclaimed. "Now I can follow her, as can all of you." We nodded and Robin shot a line to the hospital roof. He walked along the roof following the psychiatrist's footsteps. I turned to Batgirl and nodded. She nodded in return. "Be careful, you two," Nightwing said. "We will," Batgirl replied. I thought I noted a sound of thanks from her, a sound of gratitude, as if a rift between the two were healed. In any case, we shot lines to the roof and swung to the window. The window was already open so we climbed in quietly. "Take her computer. I'll look through her file cabinets." Batgirl nodded and went to work at the psychiatrist's desk. I pulled open her top file and began my search. They were mostly patient records, nothing out of the ordinary. I decided to see what she had started for Chris and went under "T". I found his file already and began looking through it. To my horror, it seemed this psychiatrist had an issue with homosexuality, too. "I found something," Batgirl replied. "What?" I asked turning to the desk. "It appears she isn't a fan of homosexuality. Most of her views are that homosexuals become sexual predators." "Are you serious?" "She has bookmarked websites that state as much." "Have you found her name?" Batgirl clicked on Outlook Express and the psychiatrist's email accounts came up. Batgirl picked one at random and the message popped. In the "TO:" field, the psychiatrist's name and email address appeared. I gasped in shock. "What is it?" Batgirl asked. "Her name is Elizabeth Israel." "Yeah, so?" "Last year, I was accused of murdering Dr. Isaiah Israel. Could it be she is his daughter?" "Possibly." "Get her address." Batgirl nodded and accessed the hospital directory. "Robin, Nightwing, come in," I said over the radio. "This is Robin." "This is Nightwing, over." "We have an ID on the psychiatrist. Dr. Elizabeth Israel. Robin, where is she now?" "She just finished making her rounds and is now heading for the elevator. I think she's heading home." To Batgirl, I said, "Do you have an address?" "Yes." Batgirl wrote it down and handed it to me. I wasted no time. I leapt out the window, opened my cape and landed softly on the ground. Then I ran toward my parked motorcycle. "What was that?" Jesse asked. "What was what?" Frankie replied. "Out the window. It looked like a shadow passed over the lights across the street." Frankie walked to the window. "I don't see anything." "Must have just been my eyes." Frankie turned back and went to his boyfriend's side. It took me ten minutes to get to Dr. Israel's home. The security system wasn't difficult to bypass, either. With the heightened emotional state of the situation, my powers were easy to use and control. I opened a window in the back of her house and climbed in. Her home was completely dark, no nightlights of any kind, which made it easy for me to conceal my presence. I pulled out my flashlight and looked around the room. It was her home office. A couch, desk, leather chair and wall entirely a bookshelf decorated the room. There were a few pictures on the wall, one of which included a father/daughter. She was Dr. Israel's daughter all right. "How they get their credentials with the views they have is beyond me. It would be like a Ku Klux Klan member counseling an African-American." The garage door opened and a car engine rumbled in. Then the engine cut off, the garage door closed, and footsteps neared the door. "Great," I muttered clicking off my flashlight. I listened for Israel's movements. She entered the kitchen, opened the refrigerator and poured something to drink. A few steps later and the answering machine turned on. "Hello, Beth, this is Dr. Hammond from NYSU. How is the situation in Orlando? The situation in New York has been rather confusing. We have many strong supporters of the Friends of Humanity and many who oppose the Friends of Humanity's power. Most of it is due to what happened in Ohio. I know it must be difficult for you knowing your father was killed by a homosexual mutant. I hope things are much better in Orlando. Call me when you get a chance." The message ended and the machine turned off. I heard Dr. Israel sigh and footsteps come to the den. The door opened and the light came on. Dr. Israel looked up at me with shock and fear in her eyes. "What...what are you doing here?" she asked. "I need to talk to you. There are two ways this could go down. One, we talk to each other and get an understanding of one another. Or two, you call the police and I leave, and you are left wondering what I'm doing here." "I think I have a clue as to why you are here. You came to kill me like you did my father." "I didn't kill your father." "That's not what the surveillance tape shows." "The surveillance tape has been fixed since them. The damaged area shows that a shape shifting mutant looked like me to kill your father." "I wonder why?" "Something personal between me and the shape shifter. She knew I did not like your father, so she killed him looking like me to frame me." "Why didn't you like my father? Because he was close to finding a cure for homosexuality?" "First off, homosexuality isn't a disease. Therefore there can be no 'cure.' Second, he was nowhere close to helping homosexuals be straight. One of his patients committed suicide because of the things your father told him. The young man was found by the very man you are accusing of being a pedophile, which is why I'm here. What is your problem with Eric McCoy?" "Most gay men are pedophiles. The way he acted with the seventeen year old was proof enough. McCoy was getting sexually excited that a young, attractive boy needed him. I'll bet he had been taking advantage of the young boy for a long time." "Hardly," I replied. "He's been spending time with his fiancé trying to build the life he had lost. And your hypothesis about gay men being pedophiles is completely unfounded. All facts report that most pedophiles are heterosexual males. There is only a small percentage of homosexuals who are pedophiles. Perhaps you should rethink your figures." "Even if you are right, why did McCoy act like he did toward Chris?" I watched her mannerisms. "Maybe he was afraid that Chris would do to himself what your father's patient did, end his life. From what I can tell, Mr. McCoy loves children. He would hate for any one to end his or her life." Dr. Israel seemed to consider what I said for a moment. "I highly doubt Chris would do such a thing." "What makes you say that?" I asked intrigued how she would know. She hasn't known Chris for very long. Or has she? "Chris has been in contact with me before. I sent him some literature concerning homosexuality. He knows all about it, how wrong it is, how we are looking for a cure. He knows the facts." My eyes narrowed at her. "You stupid woman, how could you do such a thing? Chris nearly gave himself to a vampire not too long ago. He was going to have sex with her." "Good for him. That's a step toward healing. The vampire was a woman." "But she was a vampire! How in the world can that be a good thing?" "The fact he wanted to have sex with a woman is always a good thing." Dr. Israel pulled out a gun and aimed before I could react. As her finger pulled the trigger back, something flew past me and hit her hand. She dropped the gun in pain. "Need some help?" Nightwing asked as he moved next to me. "Thanks. I think it is her that needs help." "I heard." Nightwing turned his full attention toward Dr. Israel. "You are one fucked up chick, lady." I couldn't help but smile. "Am I? I'm attempting to save the human race. You and those like you are going to ruin the human race. You are going to cause us extinction, either through spreading AIDS or converting as many as you can to homosexuality." I walked up to Dr. Israel and backhanded her. "Listen up, you stupid bitch. You have no facts to back up your claims. You have no desire for the truth. You are like a leech attempting to drain the life out of those different from you. You are so in need of power over others, you find a cause to make you seem better than minorities. You are nothing. You are a pathetic woman trying to have power. I suggest you stop your practice before you end up like your father." "Is that a threat?" she said wiping the blood from her lip. "I don't threaten. I predict possible futures. And if you think I'm going to be the one to kill you, you're mistaken. There are plenty of others who will not hesitate to come after you once your beliefs are published." "How do you know my beliefs?" I smiled under my mask. "Batgirl is downloading your hard drive from work as we speak. You have a major hatred for homosexuals. You are not fit to practice psychological medicine." Dr. Israel looked over at her hard drive sitting by her desk. She dove for it but I pulled it away with my powers. It lifted up and floated over to Nightwing and me. "Take this to Batgirl. Dr. Israel's life is about to be destroyed, all by her own hand." "You can't do that!" she exclaimed. "What I believe is not wrong! Soon the entire world will believe what I believe! You think I'm alone in this? There are more of us than you can possibly imagine!" "That's what scares me. The fact there are many who prefer to live in ignorance because they are afraid of the truth. But the truth sets people free. It can be scary. Jesse was afraid. But he found the truth and it freed him to feel what he felt. I hope one day that happens with you." Nightwing climbed out the window with Dr. Israel's hard dive. I went over to the window. As I climbed out, a shot rang out and hit my shoulder. I fell out the window to the ground. "Batman!" Nightwing exclaimed. "Get the hard drive out of here." Reluctantly, Nightwing nodded and ran to his motorcycle with the computer. He fastened it down tight as Dr. Israel came out of her house and fired at him. She missed Nightwing as he drove off. I stood up, my shoulder on fire from the bullet impact. Dr. Israel approached and kicked me in the stomach. I fell and rolled to my back. She took aim with her gun at my head. "You are not going to do this to me. You are not going to ruin my life. I won't let you." To Be Continued... Dr. Israel's daughter! She seems as bad as her father. Or perhaps worse. What do you think of her views? What do you think of Batman striking her? Questions and comments are always welcome! More to come!