EXT. GOTHAM SUBWAY STATION - NIGHT

    The express wheezes to a stop at the next station. A MIDDLE-AGED COUPLE waits for the doors to open， then enter the car. They suddenly stop， staring in amazement：

    The Thug stands spread-eagled in the middle of the car， both wrists cuffed to overhanging metal handholds. The center vertical pole disappears up one pants leg， finally reappearing out of the collar of his shirt.

    The teenage Boy passes the amazed Couple， confidently dusting his hands. He reaches back for the Girl who sniffs her corsage， then follows him out of the car.

    EXT. POLICE HEADQUARTERS - NIGHT

    Gotham Police Headquarters. CAMERA TRACKS PAST cubicles and offices， CLACKING， RINGING， DETECTIVES interrogating SUSPECTS， etc.， catching up with DAVID GORDON， the Commissioner of Police， a gruff-looking man in his middle fifties who pauses to light a cheap cigarette.

    Heading toward him from the other direction： SERGEANT HALEY， a smooth-faced kissass in his thirties.

    GORDON

    What's up Haley？

    HALEY

    Pretty slow， Commissioner. Half a

    dozen muggings， some kids on PCP，

    and……oh， yeah. Looks like we got a

    transvestite prowling the southside

    subway system.

    GORDON

    Full moon tonight. Pervo heaven.

    Gordon walks through his office door， Haley following.

    INT. GORDON'S OFFICE - NIGHT

    The extremely cluttered office of an immensely overworked civil servant.

    HALEY

    From his description， this guy could

    make it as a float in the Rose

    Parade. Big black cape， black

    boots， black hood over his head……

    A squawk box intercom crackles on Gordon's desk.

    INTERCOM VOICE

    Hostage situation， Commissioner.

    Man holding two women near 3rd and

    Grand. SWAT's on the way.

    HALEY

    ……and get this - a big yellow moon

    on his chest with a cockamamy bat in

    the middle.

    GORDON

    （into intercom）

    Get my car. I'm going down there.

    HALEY

    Funny thing is， the guy takes on

    this big goon with a knife……

    GORDON

    （chomping cigar）

    You come along too， Haley. I may need

    to swap someone for those women.

    EXT. DOWNTOWN ALLEY & STREET - NIGHT

    Police cars barricade a major avenue， their spotlights trained on a dead-end alley. A SWAT LIEUTENANT speaks through a mike.

    SWAT LT.

    Come on out of there， Wells！ Come

    out of we're coming in after you！

    WELLS' VOICE

    I got hostages！ You get one minute

    to clear out or I blow'em away！

    From behind： Commissioner Gordon's car screeches to a stop. Gordon piles out， followed by Haley.

    GORDON

    How bad is it， Lieutenant？

    SWAT LT.

    We're screwed， Sir. That's a dead-

    end alley in there. No way to get

    behind him.

    EXT. DEAD-END ALLEY

    A pockmarked thug （WELLS） holds one YOUNG WOMAN roughly， trains his gun on ANOTHER. He squints out into the light.

    WELLS

    Thirty seconds， Pig！ Then I spill

    one lady's brains on the street！

    Twenty-five……

    CAMERA PANS DOWN to the pavement behind Wells.

    WELLS （V.O.） （CONT'D）

    Twenty！……

    A manhole cover rises， moves aside silently.

    WELLS （V.O.） （CONT'D）

    Fifteen！……

    BACK TO WELLS

    WELLS （CONT'D）

    Ten！……

    WOMAN

    No！ Please！

    Wells cocks the gun， sticks it at her head.

    WELLS

    Five！ Four！……

    VOICE

    Three……two……one……

    Wells spins in astonishment：

    An ominous hulking shadow looms in the darkness behind him. TWO PULSATING YELLOW EYES pierce through the blackness.

    VOICE

    I just counted you out， Wells.

    Wells fires！ The Shadow swings the manhole cover up as the bullet ricochets off it harmlessly. Wells prepares to fire again. The manhole cover suddenly explodes out of the darkness！ One swing of a massively muscled arm - one sickening "clang" - and it's over.

    ANGLE ON STREET

    SWAT LT.

    Let's go！

    The Police rush toward the alley， Gordon and Haley bringing up the rear， as the two Women emerge.

    WOMAN WOMAN #2

    He saved us！ A giant black Eight fee tall！ monster from the sewers！

    The Police storm into the alley as Gordon and Haley comfort the panting Women.

    WOMAN WOMAN #3 He had black wings…… And……and yellow eyes……

    GORDON

    Well， of course he did……You can

    both calm down now， ladies. The

    nightmare's over……

    WOMAN

    Huge arms……thick black gloves……

    HALEY

    （suddenly）

    With a bright yellow moon on his

    chest？

    WOMAN #2

    That's right……

    HALEY

    And a black bat flying right in the

    middle of it！

    WOMAN

    That's right！

    The Women are led away by Paramedics. Haley cocks his head questioningly at Gordon as they proceed into the alley.

    GORDON

    Forget it. That airhead from the

    subway could never have made it to

    the north side of town this fast.

    HALEY

    Maybe there's more than one of them.

    Maybe we're dealing with some sort

    of secret society of cross-dressers.

    Wells is led past them， still groggy， as they arrive at the open manhole and peer down into the forbidding blackness.

    GORDON

    Get after him， Haley.

    HALEY

    （gulping）

    Me， Sir？

    GORDON

    Well， you're the only one with an

    accurate description！

    Haley reluctantly lowers himself into the open manhole as Gordon turns， yells down the alleyway.

    GORDON （CONT'D）

    Comb the area！ I want every squad

    car available！ We're looking for

    the mother of all psychos in a party

    costume！

    Gordon turns back， looks down into the empty manhole where Haley has now disappeared.

    HALEY'S VOICE

    （from manhole）

    You don't think he……bites， do you，

    Sir？

    EXT. GOTHAM APARTMENT HOUSE - HIGH SHOT - NIGHT

    CAMERA LOOKS DOWN from the roof of a Gotham skyscraper at the windows of a forty-story apartment house below.

    CAMERA HOLDS on a pair of glass doors leading out to a rosetta-carved stone balcony. Clearly visible through the doors： AN ELDERLY COUPLE lie face down on the floor of their living room， guarded by a masked BURGLAR holding a shotgun. ANOTHER BURGLAR has managed to open a wall safe and begins stuffing valuables into a gunny sack.

    CAMERA ZOOMS BACK！

    We are some thirty stories higher across a wide avenue.

    A black-gloved hand ENTERS FRAME， holding a thin， clear nylon cord with a tiny barbed fishhook on the end.

    The other gloved hand steadies a gleaming titanium rifle barrel with an infrared scope. The fishhook is threaded through the chamber.

    A flap is opened in a thick， compartmentalized black belt. The moonlight glints off a cylindrical silver gas cartridge.

    ANGLE ACROSS STREET THROUGH SCOPE

    Seen through the magnified infrared scope： the cross hairs of the rifle sight settle in on the head of the Burglar holding the shotgun.

    The cross hairs pause - then suddenly lower to the balcony. The rifle FIRES with an audible "hiss" of compressed gas.

    ANGLE ON ROSETTA BALCONY

    As the fishhook whistles through a hole in the rosetta stone framework of the balcony. On impact with the floor it pops open - expanding to ten times its size， having now become an effective grappling hook.

    INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

    The Burglar with the shotgun turns at the muffled metallic NOISE， looks through the glass doors at the empty balcony.

    EXT. BALCONY FLOOR

    The grappling hook inches across the balcony floor， catching a firm hold against the stone.

    EXT. SKYSCRAPER ROOF - NIGHT

    The nylon cord has been pulled taut - it disappears down into the blackness at a dizzying height， some four hundred feet above the avenue and crisscrossing traffic lights below.

    Black-gloved hands take hold of the cord， testing it.

    EXT. SKY - NIGHT

    An ominous BLACK SHADOW， cape billowing out behind in an eerie silhouette， passes in front of the glowing yellow ball of the full moon.

    ANGLE DOWN CORD AT BALCONY

    The balcony and double glass doors WHISTLE UP AT CAMERA at a dizzying speed， growing larger by the millisecond！

    INT. APARTMENT - NIGHT

    The Burglar has finished his work at the safe. He nods to the other Burglar who grins， then cocks his shotgun， pointing it down at the helpless Couple on the floor.

    The flicker of an outside SHADOW flits across the room - the Burglar blinks， wheels with his shotgun！

    Suddenly： the double doors explode with a hail of shattering glass！ Almost simultaneously - the shotgun FIRES！

    INT. GORDON'S CAR - NIGHT

    A surly Gordon looks over as his intercom crackles.

    INTERCOM VOICE

    Commissioner， this is Sergeant

    Havemeyer. I'm on the fortieth

    floor of the Gotham Arms. Our boy

    has struck again. Cape， boots， hood

    —— the whole drill.

    GORDON

    （snatches intercom）

    When？

    HAVEMEYER'S VOICE

    Just now. The owners tripped a

    silent alarm. We responded and

    heard a gunshot as we were running

    down the hallway. The victims are

    fine. Sonofabitch cold-cocked both

    perpetrators.

    GORDON

    Atta boy， Havemeyer. Hold him for

    questioning till I get there.

    HAVEMEYER'S VOICE

    Can't do that， Sir. He's……already

    left.

    GORDON

    But you were right outside the door……

    HAVEMEYER'S VOICE

    He left……by the window， Sir.

    GORDON

    By the window？ Goddamnit， Man，

    you're on the fortieth floor！

    HAVEMEYER'S VOICE

    That's……affirmative， Sir.

    GORDON

    You get back to headquarters pronto，

    Mister！ I want your urine checked

    for drugs！

    HAVEMEYER'S VOICE

    Yes， Sir.