Batman Confidential #36

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Blackhawk Down, Part I

At the Blackhawk Propulsion Laboratories in San Juan Islands, Test pilot Jim is testing the airspeed on a new aircraft even though his colleague Cedric tells him to be careful since the aircraft is still experimental. Jim chuckles on the comms and asks Cedric how much would it be if he broke the aircraft. Bruce Wayne interjects by saying a mishap would be a 2 billion dollar setback. Lee Cheng who oversees the day to day operations, shakes Bruce's hand and Bruce says an extra $40 that Cheng owes Bruce for a dog race last Saturday.

Cheng chuckles that he will remember to not bet on the lighter dogs on a wet track. Bruce gets serious by telling Cheng that he has made several assurance to his board of directors that the aircraft's detonation wave propulsion technology will be worth the sizeable investment that Wayne Enterprises has put in. Bruce is hoping this test run will give him the ammunition he needs to shoot down any lingering doubts. Cheng promises that Bruce's investment is well founded since the aircraft is already cruising at Mach 11.

Cedric tells Jim to rein it back to Mach 8 because the SkySat showed thunderclouds converging north of his trajectory. Jim thinks its a ploy to get him to slow down because he sees nothing but blue skies. Cedric informs Jim it might be an error on the anemometer because it shows thunderclouds moving against the wind. All of a sudden, Jim confirms Cedric's initial warning as he sees the thunderclouds developing. Jim thinks he can brave the storm with the aircraft even though Jim orders him to return back to base.

Jim tells Cedric that he sees something in the thunderclouds. Cedric assumes its lightening but Jim reports he sees a skull in the sky along with a squadron of German bombers from WWII. A bolt of lightening strikes Jim and the aircraft explodes. The homebase at Blackhawk Laboratories comes under attack from above. Cedric loses all outcoming communications before an explosion tears into the comm station. Through the smoke a figure appears and quotes Douglas MacArthur "I have returned".

The figure looks at Lee Cheng and asks if Cheng's uncle was Wu Cheng. Cheng confirms his relation to Wu and the figure then asks if he looks recognizable to Cheng. One of the figure's henchman says they are locked out of the mainframe for Blackhawk Laboratories. The figure says to Chang to allow him a chance to reintroduce himself. The figure shoots Cedric with a Luger and Cheng cries out "Gaynor...Theodore Gaynor". Gaynor tells Cheng to enter the password so Gaynor has access to Blackhawk Laboratories engine schematics for the experimental aircraft.

Once Cheng gave the password, Gaynor remarks all the things he hated about Wu Cheng. Gaynor despised Wu's goofy grin, his preposterous yellow shirt and how he looked so smug like someone was the joke and only Wu remembered the punchline. However, Gaynor would commend Wu for his stern resolve in the face of an enemy. Gaynor views Cheng as an embarrassment to the memory of his uncle who just relinquished classified technology to save his own skin rather than eating a bullet. Gaynor was about to shoot Cheng in the head when Batman intervenes.

Batman disarms Gaynor while his flunkies open fire on Batman. Batman can tell that these goons are well trained by moving in concert, controlling the exits and laying down cover fire to discourage a pursuit of Gaynor. Batman grabs Cheng and takes cover. In a matter of 5 minutes, the enemy infiltrated a secured military base, transmitted classified documents and vanished into the storm clouds which receded. A day later at Blackhawk Corporate HQ in Gotham, Cheng's assistant Janet informs him that memorial services for his fallen colleagues will be held Sunday afternoon but Cheng asks for a letter to be drawn up apologizing for his absence at the memorial. Cheng also tells Janet to inform his wife that he will be working late before hangs up on her because of Batman.

Cheng compliments Batman's stealth by bringing up his grandmother's tales about spirits without feet who walk on air. Cheng thanks Batman for saving his employees but Batman signs that he couldn't save all of them. Batman asked Cheng how he knew Gaynor. Cheng remarks that who ever he was, it couldn't have been the actual Ted Gaynor. Gaynor was a Blackhawk that was assigned to the squadron when Wu Cheng returned from Mechuoko Province after helping his countrymen repel Japanese incursion. Gaynor was infamous as a brutal man who used war as a justification to commit atrocities. Batman agrees that this imposter was no more than 30 years old and Cheng concurred that Gaynor has been dead for 60 years. However, Batman managed to scrape blood from the incident and compared the DNA sample to military records. The results say it was a positive match for Gaynor.

Cheng asks Batman if he knew better than why did he ask about Gaynor but Batman had vanished. Batman could determine that Cheng was distraught over the loss of his two employees but his answers regarding Gaynor seemed guarded. Batman is intrigued by the truth that Cheng is trying to conceal with the facts he gave. Alfred notices Bruce analyzing a digital hologram of the Earth. Alfred makes an amusing comment about Hammond Carter aka the Globe being involved in the Batman's latest case or Bruce is actually planning a vacation. Bruce brushes off Alfred's humor and points to Alfred that Gaynor transmitted the Blackhawk files into an encrypted data burst. The data burst was then picked up and re-broadcasted through satellites owned and operated by a Blackhawk Telecom subsidiary.

Bruce isolates the timestamp of the transmission as it passed between routers and pinpointed its final destination which is Warsaw, Poland. Alfred notices that Bruce is overly engaged in this case. Bruce confides in Alfred that he has dug up to many graves in the past few years and has seen old allies fall to darkness as well as despair. Both Alfred and Batman stare at Jason Todd's old Robin suit encased in glass. They can't shake the memory of Jason being murdered by the Joker or being resurrected as the Red Hood. Alfred notices the signal transmission in Warsaw was sent to Powazki Cemetery where Janos Prohaska, the first Blackhawk is buried.

Batman flies the Batplane to Powazki Cemetery and remembers that it is November 1st and for the Polish this day is All Souls' Day. Men and women travel to light candles in remembrance of the departed. It's a Polish tradition called Zaduszki. When Batman exits the Batplane, the smell of ash and incense lingered in the air. Batman heads to Janos Prohaska's mausoleum and discovers that the tomb is empty. With the body removed, Batman notices a router programmed to bounce the data burst through another series of satellites. The design of the router is primitive to modern standards which could give Batman enough time to trace the signal but he comes under attack by mechanical tentacles.

Batman jumps back and realizes he has stumbled across a trap. The mechanized squid bears Nazi insignia at its base. Batman attempts to destroy this galvanized kraken with Bat-Bombs but he only angers it further when he causes it cranium to be exposed. Batman suspects that Gaynor knows his methods and anticipates his strategies. Batman attempts to escape by using the Batplane but the tentacles grab the plane and begin its descent into the earth. Batman had no other choice but to sacrifice his plane to destroy the squid by activating the self destruct mechanism. Batman jettisons from the plane before it disappears into the ground which is followed by an incredible explosion.

Batman tries to calm himself while taking a few deep breaths until he is startled by Zinda Blake aka Lady Blackhawk. Zinda jokes about Batman's predicament that bachelors sure know how to cook fried calamari. Batman tells Zinda that he recognized that tentacled relic from the museum on Blackhawk Island. Meanwhile at the Cheng Estate in Upstate Gotham, Cheng informs his benefactor that an alarm has been raised at the tomb in Powazki Cemetery. Cheng's benefactor asks if it was Batman who tripped the alarm. Cheng confirms and is aware that Zinda Blake is with the Batman. Cheng tells his benefactor that he only relayed specified information to the Batman but the benefactor suspects that Batman knows the truth behind Prohaska's body disappearing. Cheng agrees that the Batman is the world's greatest detective who knows the truth before the lies are even told. The benefactor figures the Batman will come looking for him if he lives that long.

| Appearing1 = **Featured Characters:** * Batman) **Supporting Characters:** * Blackhawk Industries ** Janos Prohaska) ** Lee Cheng) * Lady Blackhawk (Zinda Blake)) **Antagonists:** * Ted Gaynor) **Other Characters:** * Alfred Pennyworth) * Cedric * Jim **Locations:** * Poland ** Warsaw *** Powazki Cemetery * United States of America ** New Jersey *** Gotham City **** Wayne Manor ***** Batcave ** New York *** New York City **** Blackhawk Industries *** Upstate New York **** Cheng Estate ** Washington *** San Juan Islands **Items:** * **Vehicles:** * Batplane

| Notes = | Trivia = | Recommended = | Links =

Creative credits

Writers: Royal McGraw

Interior art: Marcos Marz

Color: David Baron

Source records & attribution

Panel Profits keeps each source identity attached to its edition record.

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