Scenario:Batman chases Catwoman through a grocery store.
Create my version of this story
Batman chases Catwoman through a grocery store.
Selina Kyle
Catwoman, nemesis of Batman, sleek and agile, witty and flirtatious
Bruce Wayne
Batman, allies with Robin and Commissioner Gordon, tall, dark, and imposing, cunning and resourceful
Dick Grayson
Robin, Batman's sidekick and ally, youthful and acrobatic, loyal and brave
I was just about to take a bite of my sandwich when the call came in.
I sighed and put it back down on the plate.
It had been a long day and I was looking forward to a few minutes of peace.
But I knew that wasn’t going to happen.
Not tonight, anyway.
I picked up the phone and answered it.
“Wayne here,” I said.
“Batman, we have a situation at the grocery store on 5th and Main,” Commissioner Gordon said.
“Catwoman has been spotted.”
I sighed again, this time more heavily than before.
It was always Catwoman, wasn’t it?
She was like a bad penny—she just kept turning up, no matter how many times I tried to get rid of her.
And she was always up to no good, too, which meant that I had to go out and deal with her, even when all I wanted to do was sit down and eat my dinner in peace.
“On my way,” I said, hanging up the phone.
I got up from the table and went over to the window.
I finished my sandwich before I headed out.
It was a simple pleasure, eating a sandwich.
But it was one that I didn’t get to indulge in very often.
My days were long and filled with chaos, and there wasn’t always time to sit down and eat a proper meal.
So I enjoyed it while I could, savoring the flavors as I chewed.
The bread was a little dry, but the filling was delicious.
The taste of the turkey and the cheese mingled on my tongue, and I closed my eyes for a moment, enjoying the sensation.
It was a moment of peace, and I was grateful for it.
When I opened my eyes again, the sandwich was gone.
I’d eaten it all without even realizing it.
I’d been so caught up in the moment that I hadn’t stopped to taste it properly.
It was a shame—I’d been looking forward to that sandwich all day.
But duty called, as it always did, and I knew that I couldn’t ignore it.
I got up from the table and went over to the window.
The Bat-Signal was still shining brightly in the sky.
I knew that I had to go to Commissioner Gordon at the grocery store on 5th and Main, but I wanted to delay the inevitable for as long as possible.
Just for a few minutes more, if I could manage it.
I went over to the cabinet in the corner of the room and poured myself a glass of whiskey, then settled down in one of the armchairs with it in my hand.
I took a sip of the alcohol, savoring the taste on my tongue as it burned its way down my throat.
It was a good whiskey, smooth and smoky, and I enjoyed it very much.
But not as much as I would have enjoyed finishing my sandwich, I thought.
A few minutes passed, and then my phone rang again.
I put the glass down on the side table and went over to answer it, already knowing what it was going to say.
“Batman,” Commissioner Gordon said when he heard me pick up.
“You’re late.Get over here now.”
“I’m on my way,” I said before hanging up the phone without another word.
I was used to Gordon’s tone by now—he sounded like he was permanently out of patience with me, even though I’d done nothing wrong.
I guessed that was just the way he was.
I finished my whiskey quickly before heading out of the room and pulling on my mask as I went.
I didn’t have time to change into my costume properly, but that was okay—I could do it on the way, or once I got there.
It wouldn’t take me long either way.
And then I could get this whole thing over with and go back to my study for a little while longer before I had to get back to work for real.
When I got outside, I saw that my car was already waiting for me—Dick must have sent it as soon as he saw the Bat-Signal go up in the sky.
Convert car into Batplane
I stopped in front of it and looked up at the sky one last time, feeling a heaviness settle in my chest that had nothing to do with the alcohol I’d just drunk.
It was like a weight pressing down on me, reminding me of all the things that I’d lost, of all the people who were counting on me to keep them safe.
It was a responsibility that I took very seriously—a burden that I carried willingly, because I didn’t know how to do anything else.
I sighed and closed my eyes for a moment, feeling my shoulders slump almost imperceptibly as I tried to shake off the feeling of doom that had settled over me like a shroud.
And then, with a heavy heart, I squared my shoulders and straightened up once more.
I had work to do, after all—and no matter how much I might not want to do it, it still had to be done.
The transformation was swift and familiar.
It was like pulling on a second skin—the cape and the cowl settling around my shoulders as I morphed from Bruce Wayne into Batman.
I felt the weight of the Batsuit settle around me as I moved, the thick fabric heavy and constricting as always.
But at the same time, it was comforting too.
It was like putting on armor before the battle began, and it made me feel strong and invincible.
Which was good, because God only knew that I was going to need all the help that I could get tonight.
As soon as the last piece of my costume was in place, I headed for the car and climbed inside.
“Let’s get moving,” I said to the driver when he looked back at me.
“There’s no time to waste.”
He nodded and started the engine.
The grocery store on 5th and Main was only a few minutes away from Wayne Manor, even with the traffic as bad as it was.
The driver parked in front of the building and I got out at once.
Commissioner Gordon was already waiting for me there, huddled up against the cold in his big coat and hat.
He looked relieved when he saw me.
“She’s been in there for about fifteen minutes,” he said by way of greeting when I reached him.
“You’d better get in there quick before she decides to do something stupid.”
“I’m on it,” I said without another word.
Then I went inside without waiting for him to say anything else.
The grocery store was small and crowded, the shelves packed floor to ceiling with food and other supplies.
It smelled like cheese and bleach and old wood—like every other grocery store that I’d ever been into in my life, in fact.
I wrinkled my nose in distaste and looked around for the person that I’d come here to see.
She moved with an easy grace and a sexy swing to her hips, and she looked perfect as always.
She turned when I walked in, her green eyes going wide when she saw me.
The look of surprise on her face was gone almost at once, replaced by a teasing smile and a twinkle of amusement.
I nodded to her as I passed, not bothering to return the smile.
“Good to see you, Catwoman,” I said.
Her smile widened but she didn’t reply.
I didn’t expect her to.
She might be a thief and a criminal, but at least she had the sense not to talk to me any more than she absolutely had to.
At best, our conversations always ended with someone getting punched in the face—usually her.
I paused for a moment to take stock of the situation and to formulate a plan.
Gordon would have his people securing the perimeter outside the grocery store, but he’d be counting on me to handle things from the inside.
I would need to find Catwoman and incapacitate her as quickly as possible, before she had a chance to do anything else.
That much went without saying.
What I would do after that was a little less clear.
Not for the first time, I regretted that I hadn’t eaten my sandwich before coming out here tonight.
Because I could see this taking a while.
Catwoman appeared not to have heard my question, so I turned and went down one of the side aisles instead without waiting for an answer that I knew wasn’t coming.
It was quiet inside the grocery store, with only the occasional murmur from the shoppers and the hum of the fluorescent lights overhead to break the silence.
But I didn’t waste any time looking around for Catwoman.
I didn’t have time.
Instead, I lowered my head and went down the aisle in search of my prey, my senses alert for any sign of the elusive thief.
I found it only a few seconds later, when I caught a faint whiff of lavender on the air.
It was barely there at all—just a few molecules of scent left behind on the air.
But it was enough, at least for now.
I followed it through the aisles with Catwoman’s laughter close on my heels.
She was waiting for me in the dairy section, standing with one hip cocked and her hands on her curvy waist as she took me in with those big green eyes of hers.
She’d smeared red lipstick across her mouth in what looked like a parody of a smile and left her goggles pushed up onto her forehead.
“You’re losing your touch, Batman,” she said when I walked in.
“Good evening, Catwoman,” I replied, ignoring her taunts as usual.
“Are you ready to come quietly?”
She laughed at that, but I could see the anger flashing in her eyes.
“Not even a little,” she said.
A second later, there was a loud noise on the roof above us, like something big and heavy had just landed there.