[♪]
[INDISTINCT CHATTER]
Come on, people. Let's clean it up.
Howard, don't tell me you can't carry more
than a piece of crepe paper.
[PANTING]
Hi, Max. Sorry I'm late.
What new threat was it this time?
Root Rot Man?
Oh, this time it really was Mr. Wayne.
He needed a ride. His back again. Where's Dana?
She got tired of waiting for you.
Sounds like an old song, doesn't it?
Well, if it isn't Mr. School Spirit.
Don't worry, McGinnis. Batman filled in for you.
[ALL CHUCKLING] BOY: Yeah.
What was that about?
I, uh, made a little joke. Heh.
What kind of little joke?
Just something about how this school sees more of Batman
than it does of you.
I know, it wasn't that funny.
Max.
I'm sorry, okay?
You can't even joke about this.
Understand?
It just slipped out.
And I don't get what the big deal is, anyway.
If a few more people knew your secret,
especially a certain girlfriend,
life might be a lot easier for you.
Oh, yeah. Just like with the Diaz kid.
Remember how easy that got?
Come on, it was all over the Net.
The Net's a big place, McGinnis.
It happened right after I started being Batman.
There was this kid, Miguel Diaz,
around the same age as my brother.
He was gonzo about that new action toy, Soldier Sam.
MIGUEL: It's all over for you, Dr. Dark Blood.
And just how do you plan to stop me?
With this.
Ugh!
And this.
[IMITATES GRUNTING]
Shouldn't he be playing?
He is playing.
I mean with the other children.
Miguel?
Why don't you give Soldier Sam a rest
and go play with the other boys? But, Mom...
Come on, you've been doing that all day.
Time for something else.
[SIGHS] Such aggressive behavior.
BOY 1: Come on, hit him. BOY 2: You can do it.
BOY 3: Flip him over. BOY 1: Hit him. Hit him!
BOY 2: You can do it. Come on, man.
BOY 3: Get him. Beat him up!
Soldier Sam to the tower.
[IMITATES WIND HOWLING]
TERRY: Meanwhile, way across town, the Kobra Gang
was playing its own games.
They'd broken into a credit reserve
to make a fast withdrawal.
There was just one problem.
[GRUNTS]
[GUNSHOTS]
KOBRA OP 1: It's Batman.
He was waiting for us.
But how?
[♪]
I've gotta try to force 'em down.
I'll tell the commissioner.
He's gaining.
Let him. It'll make him easier to hit.
[BEEPING]
[SCREAMS]
There's a kid on top. I'm going after him.
[ALL CHATTERING]
MAN: Somebody call the fire department.
My baby.
[PANTS THEN SCREAMS]
[COUGHING]
It's all right.
Don't be afraid.
[GASPS]
Get away from me.
[PANTING]
[GRUNTS]
Hey, I'm one of the good guys.
You don't look like a good guy.
This? It's just to scare the bad guys, really.
[EXPLOSION, MIGUEL SCREAMING]
Come on. You have to trust me.
[WHIMPERS]
Oh, slag it. Look!
You're just a guy.
Yeah, a guy who doesn't wanna see you barbecue.
Reach. You can do it.
[♪]
Miguel.
Mom.
[SIRENS WAILING IN DISTANCE]
Great story.
All it did was prove my point.
You saved the kid, he saw your face,
and it wasn't a problem.
Now let's go tell Dana.
There's more?
Oh, yeah.
As you can probably guess, they weren't happy
down at Kobra Headquarters.
KOBRA: Batman? Again?
It's almost as if he knows what we're planning.
How do you suppose that happened?
I wouldn't know.
Perhaps we should find out exactly what you do know.
You know it can't harm you.
It's a sensor, not a transmitter.
It reads the fluctuation in your synaptic response
and turns your thoughts into pictures.
Is there anyone you told about our operation?
No, I would never...
[BEEPING]
KOBRA OP 1: I'm telling you this
because I still owe you something.
Make sure your creds are out of the Gotham Bank by Monday.
I can't say any more than that.
Warning someone outside the organization,
on a cell phone, no less.
[GASPS] That's how Batman picked it up.
It was my brother. I had to warn him. He's family.
Kobra is your only family.
And in your weakness, you just betrayed us.
No! No, please!
No. No!
[SCREAMING]
Cobras love rodents.
If only it were Batman.
MAIN KOBRA OP: Sir?
Something you should see.
MAN: It must have been very scary.
I wasn't scared. Not of Batman.
He's just a guy like everybody else,
with his mask off, I mean.
MAX: So the kid got on TV and told the whole world
how he saw you without your mask?
Yep.
And the old man? He saw the report?
How could he not?
It was the news bite of the day.
What were you thinking?
He would've died. There was no other way.
There's always another way.
I don't see what you're so worried about.
He's probably forgotten what I look like.
That doesn't matter.
What matters is that other people
think he knows what you look like.
You've made that little boy a target.
This is your block, honey.
You be careful now, and I'll see you next week.
And be sure to keep practicing.
I will.
His piano teacher just walked him to his corner.
Once he's settled in, I'm gonna call it a night.
BRUCE: Wrong. He's no less of a target indoors
than he is outdoors.
TERRY: I can't follow him forever.
I've got a girlfriend, homework, a life.
I won't be able to do my job as Batman.
All right. I'll call the Commissioner,
see what I can do about getting you some relief.
[♪]
Come on, kid. Don't stop now.
Five more houses and you're home.
[VEHICLES APPROACHING]
[HISSES]
[GRUNTS]
Something to make you a little more cooperative.
[GRUNTS]
MIGUEL: Batman, look out.
No!
[MIGUEL GRUNTING]
Stay behind me.
The teeth of a Kobra are sharp.
So sharp, you'll barely feel them.
But you will feel its paralyzing poison.
[GRUNTING]
Thanks for the information.
[BRACELET KOBRA GRUNTING]
[GROANING]
MAN: Step away from the boy,
and turn around slowly.
No, don't shoot. It's Batman.
He's one of the good guys.
[INDISTINCT CHATTER OVER POLICE RADIO]
Sorry.
Can't be too careful, you know?
Sure. Just doing your job.
The Commissioner explained everything?
Yeah. We're supposed to take the kid in,
protective custody.
MIGUEL: Hey, wait a minute.
Where's Sam? I've lost Soldier Sam.
Here you go, big guy.
Thank you.
BRUCE: Terry, are you there?
I'm here.
Kobra just tried to make a move on Miguel.
Everything okay?
Yeah. Cops were here sweeping up.
Thanks for arranging things with the commish.
I didn't. She was in a meeting.
I couldn't get through.
Terry?
I think I just handed Miguel over to Kobra.
[♪]
Don't worry, Miguel. I'll save you.
BOY 1: Pass it over here. BOY 2: Hey, over here.
BOY 1: I'm wide open!
The cops were Kobra agents?
Yeah. They must have figured I'd be watching over Miguel,
so they set up a distraction.
The old man never woulda fallen for it.
Hey, don't beat yourself up.
You were starting out, remember?
And I walked right into it.
[♪]
Well?
Nothing. I can't believe I could be so stupid.
They looked like cops.
And their cars, they looked so real.
They probably were real.
Stolen. And that's good for us.
Every Gotham police car has its own locator frequency.
All I need is the car number.
Oh, great.
What was it, uh...
two something? Three?
Slag it.
Wait.
I might not remember,
but the recorder in the Batmobile will.
This isn't the police station.
What an astute little child.
Such clarity of thought.
Hook him up.
They've ditched the cars. Don't see the boy.
Follow them.
Like you had to tell me.
No. I won't put it on. I won't.
Sit still and behave, or you won't get this back.
Ever.
[GASPS]
Now, let's see what kind of images we get.
What's wrong with it?
We've never used it on a child.
Their minds are a bit more erratic.
Now, Miguel,
I want you to remember back to last week.
The fire on top of the tower.
Excellent.
You were in danger.
Batman came out of the smoke to save you.
That's right.
[♪]
And as he got closer,
he took off his mask, didn't he?
Uh-huh. And what did he look like?
What's wrong? He's losing his concentration.
Think. What did he look like?
I wanna go home.
Can't I go home?
No. [WHIMPERING]
KOBRA: Here. Relax.
All I want is for you to concentrate
as hard as you can on his face.
You can remember his face, can't you?
Better. Much better.
That's it.
[♪]
[BOTH GRUNTING]
Any second now.
Yes! There it is.
The face of Batman.
Who is he? I don't know.
Wait a minute. I've seen him before. I'm sure of it.
Where? I can't remember.
KOBRA: Send the picture through the database.
It shouldn't take long to come up with a name.
I wanna go home.
Of course.
[GASPS]
[GRUNTING]
[♪]
KOBRA: Batman.
Step away from the door.
We're leaving.
No, you're not.
Ow! Hey!
[GRUNTING]
[CHUCKLING]
What's so funny?
I might have lost this one battle,
but you've lost the war.
See, we know what you look like under that mask.
All of us do. What?
You can thank your little friend here.
I pulled a perfect image of your face from his memory,
and I've uploaded it to every Kobra site in the world.
It'll only be a matter of time before my colleagues
find out your name.
[BANGING ON DOOR] MAN: Gotham Police. Open up!
I've done well.
I'll be remembered.
Don't! [♪]
[SNAKES HISSING]
MAX: So the kid imagined you as an action figure.
Yeah. I guess in his mind,
he was just substituting one hero for another.
Don't you worry he might remember
what you really look like?
It was smoky on that tower.
He was scared.
I don't think he ever got a good look at my face to begin with.
Thanks.
How can you be so sure?
'Cause that was him.
I see him here all the time.
MAX: And he's never recognized you?
TERRY: Never.
Hey, Miguel? Let's go.
I'm coming.
[♪]