Authors: Greg Cox

The Dark Knight Rises (38 page)

The shattered searchlight had been repaired. A brand-new bat-symbol, freshly cast in gleaming steel, was mounted atop an unbroken glass lens.

Stepping over to it—hesitantly, as if afraid it might vanish—he ran his fingers reverently along the outline of the emblem. Then he stared up at the night sky, looking for a sign.

Perhaps he wasn’t on his own after all.

Blake left the daylight behind. Descending into stygian blackness, he pulled a flare out of the bag, and then lit it. A bright red flame sparked to life deep inside the cave.

The sudden glare awoke a rustling, chittering mass high above his head. He ducked in alarm as thousands of screeching creatures swooped down from their roosts, flying wildly throughout the cavern. Leathery wings flapped all around him, buffeting him, engulfing him in a flurry of…bats.

* * *

Alfred finished his drink. He folded his paper and took out his wallet. A familiar sense of melancholy came over him as he faced another long night of guilt and regret. Happier people laughed a few tables over. Bracing himself for yet another painful disappointment, he glanced over at an attractive couple—who were not strangers at all.

Bruce smiled at Alfred, looking more relaxed and at peace than the old man would have thought possible.

After a moment, Alfred nodded back at him, knowing that nothing more needed to be said. Bruce turned back to his companion, a lovely young brunette wearing an exquisite pearl necklace. She bore a distinct resemblance to a certain light-fingered maid Alfred had briefly encountered once before.

Selina, I think.

He paid his bill, leaving the waiter a generous tip, and departed with a spring in his step. But he didn’t look back.

The bats were everywhere, screeching in the dark. Blake crouched defensively as their wings and bodies swirled around him like a living cyclone. An instinctive sense of panic bubbled up inside him, but he forced it back down.

He knew why Wayne had brought him here.

Bats were more than symbols of fear. In Gotham, they had come to stand for hope and justice and
a legend that was bigger than just one man. A hero who could be anyone. He raised his head as the bats welcomed him to their abode.

He rose and was swallowed up by the darkness of their wings.

END

ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

I’ve been a Batman fan for as long as I can remember, so I jumped at the chance to novelize the final epic chapter of the Dark Knight trilogy. I’m grateful to all the people who helped make this book possible, including my editor Steve Saffel, my agent Russell Galen, and the enormously helpful people at Warner Bros., including Josh Anderson, Shane Thompson, Izzy Hyams, Jill Benscoter, Erica Rahn, Jordan Goldberg, and Emma Thomas.

The folks at Titan Books also labored heroically to bring this book to press, so thanks also to Nick Landau, Vivian Cheung, Katy Wild, Tim Whale, Cath Trechman, Elizabeth Bennett, Julia Lloyd, and Natalie Laverick.

And, of course, I have to thank Christopher Nolan, Jonathan Nolan, and David Goyer for bringing their saga to such a powerful conclusion—and giving me such a terrific story. I hope I’ve done justice to it.

Finally, I could not have written this book without the help of my girlfriend, Karen Palinko, who held down the fort at home while I was off doing Bat-business in Burbank!

Greg Cox, Oxford, PA. 2012