Batman Page #31

All that's left of Ace Chemical is a pile of charred rubble

and a PILLAR OF THICK BLACK SMOKE, spiraling up to the sky.

CUT TO:

EXT. ANDREWS ISLAND - NIGHT

DAZZLING FIREWORKS explode in the night sky over Gotham

Harbor. SEARCHLIGHTS sweep across the mammoth, welcoming

stone figure of LADY GOTHAM -- still wrapped in canvas,

ready to be unveiled.

THOUSANDS OF RUBBERNECKERS jam every square inch of

Andrew's Island. COPS ON HORSEBACK speak into walkie-

talkies as they patrol the edges of the crowd. Across the

Harbor, Ace Chemical is going up in flames -- but as far as

the crowd can tell, with all the noise and excitement, it's

just another part of the celebration.

At the base of the statue, GOVERNOR GILROY speaks into a

microphone:

GOVERNOR GILROY:

As Governor of this great state, it

is now my honor to unveil for you a

very special lady -- a lady who

stands tall for life and liberty --

America's favorite lady... LADY

GOTHAM!

The CROWD begins to APPLAUD RHYTHMICALLY, chanting 'LADY

GOTHAM! LADY GOTHAM!' It's like Times Square on New Year's

Eve, waiting for the big ball to drop. GILROY hoists a pair

of oversized scissors and cuts a ceremonial ribbon:

hydraulic CRANES kick into gear: CABLES DROP FREE, and the

canvas cover draws back from LADY GOTHAM's face...

... to a chorus of SCREAMS from the crowd. LADY GOTHAM IS

WEARING A GRISLY JOKER GRIN!!!

Suddenly -- in the midst of the hysteria -- THE

SEARCHLIGHTS DIE. The STAGE LIGHTS BLINK OUT. ANDREWS

ISLAND IS PLUNGED INTO DARKNESS. Instantaneous mass panic:

the GOVERNOR shouts to his aides as ONLOOKERS mob the

stage. COPS are knocked from their horses as the CROWD

stampedes. PANDEMONIUM RULES.

And across the harbor... block by block... GOTHAM CITY IS

GOING DARK.

EXT. GOTHAM SKIES - AERIAL SHOTS - NIGHT

QUICK SHOTS of FOUR HELICOPTERS hovering at different

points over the blacked-out city. LOUDSPEAKERS blare out a

PRE-RECORDED MESSAGE:

JOKER (V.O.)

HAPPY BIRTHDAY, Gotham. Here's a

little token of my esteem. HAVE

FUN... 'cause THE PARTY'S ON ME!

INSANE LAUGHTER echoes. CARGO BAYS open wide. The JOKER'S

HELICOPTERS begin LEAFLETING THE CITY... with MONEY!

SERIES OF SHOTS:

ANARCHY IN GOTHAM as high-denomination bills flutter to

earth, blanketing the streets. HOPELESSLY OUTMANNED COPS

try to maintain order as SOLID CITIZENS trample one another

in a paroxysm of ANIMAL GREED. BUILDINGS EMPTY as APARTMENT

DWELLERS race outside. ALL TRAFFIC STOPS as DRIVERS climb

out of their cars to SNATCH MONEY FROM THE AIR.

DARKNESS EVERYWHERE. In the pitch-black subways, TERRIFIED

COMMUTERS are seized by claustrophobia. GLASS SHATTERS,

DOORS BREAK OPEN as they claw their way out of stalled

subway cars and SPILL OUT onto the tracks.

On the streets above, GOTHAM'S CRIMINAL ELEMENT is having a

field day. The cops are preoccupied, utterly helpless

against the first waves of RIOTING AND LOOTING.

FLAMES ERUPT. PUNKS race down the street carrying fur coats

and color TV's. LOOTERS break through the display window of

an electronics store, and climb in among the goodies...

only to FLY OUT, two seconds later, on the wrong end of a

SHOTGUN BLAST. THE JOKER'S DREAM IS COMING TRUE.

EXT. STREET - NIGHT

In a crouch on the pavement, snapping photos of the wild

street action, is VICKI -- fearless, professional, doing

her job. A battered FORD ESCORT cruises up behind her.

KNOX:

VICKI!

VICKI sees KNOX, climbs into the passenger seat. He's

wearing a big smile. They're jazzed, oblivious to danger.

KNOX (cont.)

Couldn't turn down the job, huh? A

girl could get hurt this way.

VICKI:

Yeah. Deja vu.

KNOX:

What do you say? Let's head for the

lights.

In the distance, above the tops of the buildings, BEACONS

are sweeping the sky.

EXT. BROAD AVENUE - NIGHT

Stationed all up and down Gotham's widest thoroughfare are

huge portable SEARCHLIGHTS -- mounted on trucks with

portable generators, unaffected by the power outage.

On the money-covered sidewalks, TOTAL BEDLAM. But on the

street itself, a bizarre PARADE is taking place, just as if

nothing's wrong. Rumbling up the avenue at two-block

intervals, moored to floats, are DOZENS OF ENORMOUS

BALLOONS in the shapes of cartoon characters and historical

figures. It's like a hellish Thanksgiving's day procession.

The LEAD-OFF BALLOON is a gigantic, grotesque CLOWN --

smiling ghoulishly, dressed in white pierrot frills. We

TILT DOWN to the FLOAT BENEATH IT...

... and there, atop a mountain of roses where the prom

queen should be, sits the JOKER -- smiling, waving daintily

at the rioters and looters, presiding over the carnage like

some demented parade marshal.

CUT TO:

EXT. LAKE - NIGHT

A desolate rural setting. UTTER SILENCE. Moonlight glints

on placid waters. We track in on a small sign bearing the

legend:
"GOTHAM CITY RESERVOIR."

Far off in the distance, HEADLIGHTS ARE APPROACHING.

EXT. ACCESS ROAD - AERIAL SHOT - MOVING - NIGHT

The THREE CARGO TRUCKS from Ace Chemical roll ominously

TOWARD THE RESERVOIR on their deadly mission. And then -- A

STREAKING BLACK SHADOW ENTERS FRAME, overtaking the TRUCKS.

THE BATWING! A phenomenal ULTRALIGHT AIRCRAFT, swift,

sleek, jet-black and infinitely maneuverable, it SOARS

EASILY past the trucks, swooping low just long enough to

release a BOMB over a concrete bridge.

EXT. ACCESS ROAD - A MOMENT LATER

The BRIDGE EXPLODES, blocking the trucks' path to the

reservoir. PUZZLED DRIVERS climb out of their cabs and

wonder what to do next.

They spot the BATWING in the distance -- banking, doing a

sharp 180. For a moment they gape in disbelief. Then they

HEAD FOR THE TREES as the BATWING DIVES DIRECTLY AT THE

TRUCKS, firing THREE ARMOR-PIERCING SHELLS... and

destroying the JOKER's lethal cargo once and for all.

ANGLE ON BATMAN:

in the cockpit, his jaw set, not even looking back at the

wreckage as his plane screams off toward the Gotham

skyline.

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