Chapter 12: Batman's Hunt
The Batcave's forensic lab hummed with quiet efficiency, monitors casting blue light across Bruce Wayne's focused features. Weeks had passed since the discovery of Vincent Torrino's mutilated crew, and every piece of evidence only deepened the mystery.
"Computer, display Torrino crime scene analysis," Bruce commanded, settling into the workstation chair.
Holographic images materialized around him—the apartment where four men had died in ways that defied conventional criminal psychology. Each body had been positioned with surgical precision, arranged to form the shape of square with a pair of broken scale at the centre.
"The killer knew details that were never made public," Bruce murmured, manipulating the 3D crime scene reconstruction. "Torrino's method of using sexual assault as leverage against debtors. The location of his offshore accounts. Even the names of victims who never came forward."
He zoomed in on the bone fragments found at the scene—carved into the shape of broken scales, arranged where the balance point should have been. The craftsmanship was remarkable, requiring hours of careful work with tools that suggested either medical or artistic training.
"Alfred," Bruce called toward the cave's upper levels.
The butler's voice crackled through the comm system. "Yes, Master Bruce?"
"What did the lab results show on those bone fragments?"
"Quite fascinating, actually. The bones came from the victims themselves—specifically, Vincent Torrino's radius and ulna. However, the carving work was done post-mortem, suggesting the killer took time to create his calling card after completing the executions."
Bruce leaned back in his chair, steepling his fingers. The methodical nature of the crime suggested someone with significant psychological training. The killer hadn't acted in passion or rage—this was calculated, symbolic, designed to send a message to a specific audience.
"Computer, cross-reference similar mutilation patterns in GCPD database."
"No matches found in Gotham City records," the system responded. "Expanding search to national databases."
While the search ran, Bruce pulled up the apartment's security footage from nearby cameras. The killer had been careful—too careful. Every angle had been anticipated, every blind spot exploited. The only glimpse showed a figure in dark clothing, moving with fluid precision that suggested military or martial arts training.
"Whoever this is," Bruce said to himself, "they've studied law enforcement procedure extensively."
The computer chimed. "Search complete. No matching patterns found in FBI database. However, three similar cases have occurred in the past eighteen months: Portland, Oregon; Cleveland, Ohio; Detroit, Michigan. All involved organized crime figures found tortured to death with bone sculptures left at the scene."
Bruce's eyes narrowed. A serial killer with a specific target profile, moving between cities, leaving no trace except for elaborate calling cards. But unlike most serial killers, this one seemed focused on criminals who'd escaped justice through corruption or technicalities.
"Display Portland case file."
The hologram shifted to show another crime scene—a meth lab where two distributors had been found flayed alive, their bones carved into the shape of a noose. The local media had dubbed it "The Hangman Murders," but police had no leads.
Cleveland showed similar patterns: a human trafficking ring dismantled through extreme violence, with calling cards made from the perpetrators' own remains. Detroit featured a corrupt judge and his bagman, tortured for hours before being arranged in a mockery of courtroom seating.
"Alfred, what's the common thread between these cities?"
"Each location experienced a high-profile case where organized crime figures avoided prosecution due to procedural errors or witness intimidation. The murders occurred between six to eighteen months after these legal failures."
Bruce stood, pacing in front of the massive computer display. Someone was systematically hunting criminals who'd escaped justice, using methods that suggested deep psychological insight into both the victims and the broader criminal justice system.
"Pull up enrollment records for criminal psychology programs in universities near each crime scene," Bruce instructed. "Cross-reference with military service records, medical training, anyone with access to both anatomical knowledge and behavioral analysis."
The search would take hours, but Bruce had learned patience in his crusade against Gotham's criminal element. Meanwhile, he needed to examine the crime scene himself—something the GCPD's forensics team might have missed.
Forty minutes later, Batman stood in the apartment where Vincent Torrino had met his end. Police tape still fluttered from the rafters, but the building itself had been cleared for demolition. The concrete floor bore dark stains that industrial cleaners couldn't quite eliminate.
Batman knelt where Torrino's body had been positioned, running his gloved fingers across barely visible scratches in the concrete. The killer had carved something here—symbols too faint for police cameras to detect, but visible under the right light.
He activated a UV scanner built into his cowl, watching as faint markings appeared across the floor. Not random scratches—deliberate symbols arranged in precise geometric patterns. Mathematical equations, chemical formulas, psychological notation.
"Fascinating," Batman murmured, photographing each symbol with high-resolution cameras. "Our killer is highly educated. Multiple advanced degrees, based on this notation."
One symbol caught his attention—a stylized representation of dopamine and serotonin molecular structures, surrounded by what appeared to be behavioral conditioning formulas. Whoever had done this understood brain chemistry at minimum graduate level.
Batman moved to where each crew member had died, finding similar markings beneath every position. The killer had essentially turned the crime scene into a psychological thesis, using the victims' blood as ink to illustrate theories about criminal behavior and appropriate consequences.
Near the apartment's eastern wall, Batman discovered something the police had missed entirely—a ventilation grate that showed signs of recent disturbance. He pried it open, revealing a space that isconnected to the ventilation system.
Inside the tunnel, waterproof pouches contained detailed files on not just Torrino's crew, but dozens of other criminals operating throughout Gotham. Financial records, victim testimonies, police reports that had been buried or dismissed. The killer had spent months researching every target, building comprehensive cases that would stand up in any legitimate court.
"This isn't random violence," Batman realized, studying the meticulous documentation. "This is someone trying to be judge, jury, and executioner because they believe the system is fundamentally flawed."
At the bottom of the largest file, Batman found something that made his blood run cold—detailed psychological profiles of Gotham's major crime families, with specific recommendations for "corrective intervention." The Penguin's organization, Two-Face's gang, even preliminary research on the Joker's psychological framework.
Their killer wasn't just eliminating small-time criminals. They were working their way up to Gotham's most dangerous villains, and they had the skills to potentially succeed.
Batman sealed the evidence carefully, his mind already racing through the implications. Someone with advanced psychological training, extensive criminal justice knowledge, and no moral constraints about murder was systematically hunting Gotham's criminal element.
Under different circumstances, Bruce might have felt conflicted about stopping them. Many of their targets were indeed monsters who'd escaped justice through corruption or legal technicalities. But vigilante justice—even well-intended vigilante justice—represented a fundamental threat to the rule of law.
As Batman emerged from the apartment, his comm system crackled with an incoming message from Oracle.
"Batman, we've got another situation developing. Star City PD just found Captain Hayden & his son dead in Star city. Tortured, mutilated, arranged in some kind of symbolic display."
Bruce's jaw tightened. Their killer was escalating, moving to new cities, new targets. And based on the timeline, they'd been in Star City while he'd been analyzing their previous work in Gotham.
"Send me everything on the Star City scene," Batman commanded, firing his grappling gun toward the distant rooftops. "And put together a psychological profile team. We're hunting someone who understands criminal behavior better than most law enforcement professionals."
As he swung through Gotham's night sky, Batman couldn't shake the feeling that he was always one step behind. Their killer moved with purpose and precision, striking at targets across multiple cities while leaving virtually no trace of their true identity.
But everyone made mistakes eventually. And when this killer finally slipped up, Batman would be ready.
The question was : how many more would die before that happened?
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Advanced chapters on patre*n
DC : Architect of Vengeance
Xmen : Evolution through Death
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