Batman Crashes the Black Masquerade Page 3

  Batman felt a stinging sensation in the back of his neck. I never should’ve trusted Selina, he thought.

  Suddenly, a loud snapping sound echoed through the chamber. KA-RACK! A black rope wrapped around Wolf’s throat. He brought his hands to his neck, trying to pull it free. But it was far too tight. The man was pulled back, taking pressure off Batman’s chest.

  Batman slid his legs free. THUMP! He kicked Wolf onto his back.

  Batman sprang to his feet to see Catwoman tying the wolf thug’s wrists together with a zip-tie. Batman glanced at her, uncertain what to say.

  Catwoman tilted her head. “Cat got your tongue?”

  Batman grinned. “Thanks, Catwoman.”

  “Don’t thank me yet,” she said, recoiling her whip. “I think we’re just getting started.”

  Black Mask laughed. “How cute,” he said. “Two masked vigilantes teaming up. Who wants to finish them off?”

  Several angry voices pleaded Black Mask for the opportunity to fight. “Let me at him!” came a voice from a lion mask.

  “Let us tear him apart!” cried a man wearing a vulture mask. Batman saw four other thugs wearing identical masks sitting next to him. They nodded in unison.

  “No!” bellowed a portly thug. Batman saw he was wearing what looked like a walrus mask. “He’s mine!”

  The walrus thug approached the ledge of the pit. He tried to swing his leg over and jump down, but it got caught on the edge. He tumbled over the side. THUMP! He landed face first on the stone floor.

  The False Facers snickered. Black Mask, however, did not look pleased. “Help him!” he yelled at the five vultures.

  As one, the vultures swooped into the pit and surrounded the walrus. They helped him climb to his feet. Then, together, they attacked Batman and Catwoman.

  Catwoman swung her whip at one of the vultures. CRACK! It latched onto his leg, tripping him to the ground. The second vulture jumped on the whip with both his feet, trapping it against the floor, while the tripped vulture freed his leg from the whip.

  Another vulture’s bony fist sailed toward her face. WOOSH! She deftly wrapped her whip around the attacker’s arm and pulled him to the floor. Immediately, two pairs of hands grabbed her and tackled her.

  Batman managed to throw one of them off Catwoman before the walrus ploughed into his shoulder. WHAM! The large man fell on Batman’s legs, pinning him to the ground. A vulture climbed up the walrus’s back and peered into Batman’s face. He brought his fist back for a punch, but Batman was faster.

  THUNK! Batman bashed the thug over his head with his grapnel gun, then fired it toward the ceiling. KLANK! It attached itself to Gordon’s cage. Batman was pulled up and away from the two thugs.

  On the ascent, Batman released the rope. He went soaring through the air toward Catwoman and the two remaining vultures who were pummeling her. WHAM! SMACK! His feet connected with the vultures’ backs, crumpling them against the arena’s wall.

  Batman helped Catwoman to her feet. She used the momentum to spring forward with a jumping kick at the charging walrus. The big thug blocked the kick with his huge arm, tossing her aside.

  Batman wrapped his legs around the walrus’s thigh in an attempt to trip him.

  Instead, the thug just lowered his knee onto Batman’s chest and held him there.

  “Urk!” Batman grunted.

  Catwoman leaped on the big thug’s back and wrapped her whip around his neck. But the thug just threw her aside like a ragdoll. She flipped, then landed gracefully on her feet with a big smile on her face.

  “What are you grinning about, lady?!” the walrus asked.

  BEEP! BEEP! His eyes went to the side as he heard a noise behind his ear. Catwoman winked at Batman.

  “I attached a remote explosive to your back,” Catwoman told the walrus.

  Then Catwoman produced a remote control from her belt. “It was nice knowing you,” she said, flipping a switch. CLICK!

  The man’s eyes went wide with fear. He stood and flailed wildly in an attempt to reach his muscular arms to his back.

  The Dark Knight sprang to his feet with an uppercut. WHACK! The walrus was no doubt down for the count.

  Catwoman and Batman stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Black Mask’s throne. Batman noticed that the remaining False Facers were fidgeting nervously in their seats. Most of them are the Penguin’s and Harvey’s former thugs, Batman realized.

  “I’ll tell you what, False Facers!” Batman said, his voice booming. “I won’t throw you all in jail after I arrest your boss — if you remove your masks and leave. Now.”

  A moment passed as the False Facers looked back and forth at each other uncertainly.

  But sure enough, Batman was right — the first to run was a False Facer with a rat-like mask. He tossed his mask to the ground and ran toward the far wall.

  “Get back here!” Black Mask screamed.

  With all his weight, the fleeing thug pulled on an unlit torch. CREEEEEEEAK! The iron gate was raised. The thug ran through without a single glance back.

  Then the other False Facers threw off their masks and followed suit.

  WHAM! Black Mask slammed his fists on the arms of his throne. The veins in his neck bulged out. Batman could practically hear his teeth grinding.

  “RRROOOOAR!” Black Mask growled. He leaped over the edge of the pit and charged toward the Dark Knight.

  FWUMP! Both Catwoman and Batman leapt back as the walrus landed on top of Black Mask. The two fell to the ground with a sickening THUD!

  Batman watched in shock as the walrus slowly stood. Black Mask lay on his stomach, breathing but not moving.

  The walrus thug dropped his mask to the ground. “Do I get the same deal as the others?” he asked.

  Batman grinned. “That depends on how fast you run,” he said.

  Catwoman laughed as the muscle-bound man sprinted away. Batman wrapped Black Mask’s arms behind his back and secured them with a zip-tie. He checked the villain’s pulse. It was slow, but steady.

  “Batman!” Gordon’s voiced called out from above. “The donation funds are in the compartment above me!”

  Batman looked up to see Gordon had wiggled free of his bonds. “Thanks, Jim,” he said. “We’ll have you down shortly.”

  Batman glanced at Catwoman. “Would you mind bringing the donation funds back to Wayne Manor for me?”

  Catwoman’s eyes went wide. “You . . . trust me to do that?”

  Batman nodded — and covertly produced a tracking device from his belt.

  Catwoman looked upward and cracked her whip toward the cage above. SLAP! It attached to the cage’s chain. She began to scurry upward when Batman touched her shoulder. “And thanks,” he said.

  Catwoman smiled from ear to ear. She scurried up the whip toward the cage. Hanging upside down from her whip, she picked the lock to Gordon’s cage. Then she continued up the chain and into the hole in the ceiling, leaving her whip behind for Gordon to climb down.

  Black Mask groaned. Batman watched as the villain rolled onto his side. Gone was the criminal’s confidence, intensity, and rage. He looked frightened. Even his stone mask couldn’t hide it.

  “I’ll offer you the same deal you offered me,” Batman said. “Take off your mask, and I’ll ask the judge to go easy on you.”

  Black Mask tilted his head. The ebony stone of his mask glimmered in the torchlight. “What mask?”

  He’s made his choice, Batman thought.

  Batman nodded at Gordon. The commissioner escorted Black Mask back toward the surface.

  * * *

  Battered and bruised, Batman emerged from the catacombs. He wanted nothing more than to go home and rest, but he had one last thing to do.

  Catwoman had come through this time. Batman had even seen Selina’s personality show through her Catwoman alter ego this evening. But he’d been sure he’d gotten through to her before, only to see her return to her criminal ways. He wanted to trust her to return the money to Wayne Manor, but there
was just too much at stake.

  Batman reached into his Utility Belt.

  Batman produced a handheld computer and activated it. CLICK!

  A tracking beacon appeared — far from Wayne Manor.

  Batman frowned.

  WOOSH! He shot his grapnel gun at a nearby roof, then sailed upward to it.

  Batman continued to leap from rooftop to rooftop, chasing after Catwoman from above, growing more angry and disappointed with each shot.

  Then the tracking beacon stopped moving.

  Batman glanced over the edge of the roof he was currently on. Down below, he saw Catwoman setting the donation box on the steps of the Gotham City Orphanage.

  Then Catwoman stood up, pressed the doorbell, and scurried into a nearby alley.

  Batman smiled. “Thanks, Catwoman,” he said, hoping she’d kept her earpiece in.

  After a moment, Selina’s voice said, “Until next time, Batman.”

  THE BLACK MASK

  REAL NAME:

  Roman Sionis

  OCCUPATION:

  Crimelord

  BASE:

  Gotham City

  HEIGHT:

  6 feet, 1 inch

  WEIGHT:

  195 pounds

  EYES:

  Red

  HAIR:

  None

  Despite growing up as a son of a wealthy family, Roman Sionis had a difficult childhood. He was dropped on his head at birth, mostly ignored by his parents, and bitten by a rabid raccoon. One day, eager to escape his miserable life, Roman donned a mask made of stone and recruited Gotham’s criminals into his gang, the False Face Society. From that day foward, he became known as the Black Mask — one of the most feared and powerful men in all of Gotham.

  An able businessman, Black Mask strengthens his grip over Gotham with ill-gotten corporate gains from the Janus Corporation.

  Black Mask once evaded capture at the hands of the Dark Knight by escaping through the false bottom of a coffin.

  Black Masks runs his False Face Society from the underground crypts in Gotham City.

  Roman Sionis fashioned his black mask out of ebony stone from the pieces of a broken casket. Then he abandoned his former identity and wholly embraced his Black Mask persona.

  BIOGRAPHIES

  SEAN TULIEN is a children’s book editor living and working in Minnesota. In his spare time, he likes to spend time with his lovely fiancée, read, eat sushi, exercise outdoors, listen to loud music, play with animals, and write books like this one.

  LUCIANO VECCHIO was born in 1982 and currently lives in Buenos Aires, Argentina. With experience in illustration, animation, and comics, his works have been published in the US, Spain, UK, France, and Argentina. His credits include Ben 10 (DC Comics), Cruel Thing (Norma), Unseen Tribe (Zuda Comics), and Sentinels (Drumfish Productions).

  GLOSSARY

  catacombs (KAT-uh-kohmz)—an underground cemetery consisting of many tunnels and rooms

  charisma (kuh-RIZ-muh)—powerful personal appeal

  cryptic (KRIP-tik)—mysterious or puzzling

  egotistical (ee-guh-TISS-ti-kuhl)—obsessed with oneself

  elude (i-LUDE)—to escape or get away from someone

  henchmen (HENCH-muhn)—thugs or criminals who are obedient to, or take orders from, a leader

  masquerade (mass-kuh-RADE)—to pretend to be something you are not, or a party at which all the people dress up and wear masks

  mausoleum (maw-zuh-LEE-uhm)—a large building that houses a tomb or tombs

  silhouette (sil-oo-ET)—a dark outline seen against a light background

  sinister (SIN-uh-stur)—seeming evil and threatening

  testimony (TESS-tuh-moh-nee)—a statement given by a witness who is under oath in a court of law

  vigilante (vij-uh-LAN-tee)—any person who takes the law into their own hands

  DISCUSSION QUESTIONS

  Catwoman and Batman team up to take down the Black Mask. Which hero played a bigger role in defeating the super-villain? Discuss your answers.

  Why do you think Black Mask’s men abandoned him? Explain your answer using specific examples from the text.

  This book has ten illustrations. Which one is your favorite? Why?

  WRITING PROMPTS

  Black Mask’s men betrayed him. Have you ever felt betrayed by someone? Have you ever let someone else down? Write about your experience.

  Do you think Batman could’ve beaten Black Mask without Catwoman’s help? Why or why not? Use examples from the text to support your answer.

  Create your own False Facer! What kind of mask do they wear? What are their strengths and weaknesses? Write a few paragraphs about your villain, then draw a picture of him or her.

  www.capstonekids.com

  www.facthound.com

  PUBLISHED BY STONE ARCH BOOKS IN 2013

  A CAPSTONE IMPRINT

  1710 ROE CREST DRIVE

  NORTH MANKATO, MN 56003

  WWW.CAPSTONEPUB.COM

  COPYRIGHT © 2013 DC COMICS.

  BATMAN AND ALL RELATED CHARACTERS AND ELEMENTS ARE TRADEMARKS OF AND © DC COMICS.

  (S13)

  STAR28436

  ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. NO PART OF THIS PUBLICATION MAY BE REPRODUCED IN WHOLE OR IN PART, OR STORED IN A RETRIEVAL SYSTEM, OR TRANSMITTED IN ANY FORM OR BY ANY MEANS, ELECTRONIC, MECHANICAL, PHOTOCOPYING, RECORDING, OR OTHERWISE, WITHOUT WRITTEN PERMISSION.

  CATALOGING-IN-PUBLICATION DATA IS AVAILABLE AT THE LIBRARY OF CONGRESS WEBSITE.

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-4486-4 (LIBRARY BINDING)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-4824-4 (PAPERBACK)

  ISBN: 978-1-4342-6373-5 (EBOOK)

  SUMMARY: BRUCE WAYNE’S MASQUERADE BALL FOR CHARITY IS CRASHED BY NONE OTHER THAN THE BLACK MASK. HE AND FALSE FACE SOCIETY MEMBERS ROB THE GUESTS, STEAL THE CHARITABLE DONATIONS, AND THEN KIDNAP COMMISSIONER GORDON. WITHOUT THE COMMISSIONER’S HELP, THE DARK KNIGHT IS LEFT TO TAKE ON THE ENTIRE CRIMINAL UNDERWORLD ON HIS OWN.

  ART DIRECTOR: BOB LENTZ

  DESIGNER: BRANN GARVEY