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"Blind Justice, Part Three": Chapter Five: Hidden Agendas

Quote1 No man would abandon ten years of dedication and training. No man as driven as Bruce Wayne. But he's a victim by nature. He couldn't pursue his goal--and keep his conscience intact. He'd have to create a new, independent persona--ruthless, implacable...an avenging monster. Bruce Wayne...is Batman. Quote2
Henri Ducard

Detective Comics #600 is an issue of the series Detective Comics (Volume 1) with a cover date of May, 1989.

Synopsis for "Blind Justice, Part Three"

Chapter Five: Hidden Agendas

The manhunter called Henri Ducard has been called to Gotham City, to testify againts Bruce Wayne. In the meantime, Dr. Harbinger, who transferred his mind into the body of the hobo man who shot Bruce Wayne, has changed his appearance and is now a middle class gentleman that nobody would suspect of the shooting.

At the Hospital, Bruce recovers from his coma, but the doctors tell him that he might not be able to walk again. Because of that, Batman haven't been seen for two weeks and James Gordon is trying his best to cover Batman's disappearance.

Henri Ducard meets with Mitchell Riordan to discuss the deal about Bruce Wayne's trial. Riordan wants Ducard to expose Bruce Wayne's activities in Paris, ten years ago and in return, the cartel he works for would take care of the many international authorities following Ducard. At the trial would be in a few more days, Ducard decided to spend his time in Gotham by analyzing the city's most famous person: Batman.

Bruce leaves the hospital in a wheelchair and Alfred drives him home when they decide to enter via the Batcave, because of the inconvenience of using the stairs. Meanwhile at Wayne Manor, some Federal Agents search the house for any missing clue they might have overlooked on the many times they searched before, despite to Jeannie and Roy's annoyance. When the agents leave the house, Jeannie goes upstairs to clean up the mess, while Roy does the same in the library and he accidentally opens a secret door behind the book shelf. Bruce and Alfred arrive at the Batcave and notice that the alarm has been triggered. Soon they realize that Roy has discovered the secret entrance to the Batcave and Bruce asks him to keep the secret from everyone else, including Jeannie. Roy agrees with one condition: he wants to help Bruce by being his remote controlled soldier using Harbinger's technology, but Bruce refuses.

Elsewhere, Ducard has finished analyzing Batman's history and motives and has come to the conclusion that Batman and Bruce Wayne are too similar to be a coincidence.

At that moment, Harbinger wanders around the city using a new device that allows him to control people's actions just with his voice command.

The next day, Jeannie takes Bruce out for a walk to Wayne Manor's garden and she tries to make Bruce understand that they're perfect for each other. Meanwhile, Alfred and Roy are at the Batcave and are ready to test Harbinger's mind controlling device. Moments later Roy walks to where Bruce and Jeannie were, carrying a tray. Bruce noticed something unusual and asked Jeannie to go inside the house, just to be alone with Roy. Bruce realizes that Alfred is controlling Roy's body and regrets not having destroyed the device.

Chapter Six: Covert Operations

Alfred and Roy have convinced Bruce to use the mind controlling device in order to make Batman appear during his time in a wheelchair. Roy wears the Batsuit and Bruce uses his body to reach the GCPD Headquarters and talk to Gordon, who was flashing the Bat-Signal, as he has done every night for two weeks. His reappearance convinces Gordon and the police that he is fine and back for good, but Bruce can feel Roy's body growing weary and tired as the night passes. Howver, and despite those facts, "Batman" stops a crime in progress after which he is exhausted and walks away from the scene, allowing people and the press to notice his presence. When Roy returned to the Batcave, he feels wasted but he desires to carry on until they capture Harbinger.

Riordan is at his base of operations, supervising the development of the mind control devices when he is called to his office by Ducard. The manhunter explains that the accusations of Bruce Wayne being a spy are out of context. He explains with details of his experience with a young Bruce Wayne and how all the past events lead to one and single truth: Bruce Wayne is Batman. Riordan couldn't agree with Ducard because in that day's newspapers, Batman was sighted and stopped crimes the night before, whereas Bruce Wayne is still in a wheelchair. Ducard thinks that he might be for once mistaken, but when he is outside and thinking clearly, he realizes that Bruce must be using the mind control device and another body to impersonate Batman and eliminate suspicions.

As Ducard leaves the building, Harbinger enters it using the device that bends people to his will and makes his way to Riordan's office, where he forces the man to be submissive and honest with him. At that moment, Bruce deduces that he can use the device to see through other people's eyes, but only of those that have the biochip, and thus he realized that he can track Harbinger that way. When Bruce starts the machine, he is able to see through many people's eyes, and one of the is Harbinger. However, Alfred tuned the frequency so that he can control the body of one of the Bonecrusher prototypes in the same room that Harbinger and Riordan are. Harbinger asks Riordan to give him back his project, the hardware and all the information. When Harbinger escapes the building with all his devices and information, Bruce tries to follow with his controlled body but Alfred disconnects him before he could reach Harbinger. Bruce tries to locate the man again but Harbinger has disappeared from the system and he can't be reached in the same way. However, the computer saved some of Harbinger's body memory and Bruce is able to create an image of the face after and before Harbinger's possession of the body, and he send it to the Gotham City Police Department.

At that moment, Henri Ducard arrives at Wayne Manor, looking to speak with Bruce. Ducard tells Bruce that he already knows his secret and that he is willing to help him in the trial, if in return he gives him a new identity with the Harbinger machine. Bruce refuses the offer and Henri leaves just when Roy enters the living room and tells Bruce that he is ready for another round in the cape and cowl.

Bruce uses Roy's body again, and first he tries to make Jeannie see the truth about her and Bruce, but she wouldn't listen. Bruce then decides it's time to get Roy in the Bat-Suit, one last time.

That moment, Riordan is being punished by the cartel for giving away the Harbinger device and he is beat to a pulp. However, Harbinger calls him and asks him for the last piece of information and Riordan tells him that he is ready to deliver it.

Chapter Seven: Ulterior Motives

After the GCPD was given the facial recognition of the man who attacked Bruce Wayne, they tracked him down to a hotel in Gotham. Harbinger knows that he would be history if he is caught and thus, he sets a bomb in his apartment, but before it explodes he uses his device one last time, to change bodies permanently, and this time, he switched over one of the Bonecrusher test subjects.

Roy, in the batsuit and controlled remotely by Bruce Wayne, is waiting outside Riordan's place and he follows the man once he starts moving. "Batman" follows Riordan to the cartel's secret lab, where Riordan meets with Harbinger. Riordan gives Harbinger all the legal information on the project and the remaining pieces of the mind control device. "Batman" infiltrates the building and takes down some of the guards when he is surrounded by many Bonecrushers, including Harbinger. While Batman fights them all, he notices that one of them is leaving with a briefcase and he follows him outside through a window. They both land on the railroad tracks, but Batman's leg is trapped when one of the wood tracks and Harbinger notices the chance to eliminate Batman once and for all. Bruce can't make Roy's leg loose and so he decides to switch the frequency and control Harbinger's body instead. Bruce controls Harbinger's body now and Roy regains control of his body, but is in pain and shock for finding himself against Bonecrusher. Bruce tries to make him understand but Roy fights him back and as they fight, a train gets closer to them. Bruce is unable to control Roy and they are both hit by the train, and off the tracks to the street down below to their deaths. Bruce witnessed it all from another body and the experience left him in rage and pain.

The police arrives at the scene and finds the bodies along with all the legal information regarding project Sabbath, exonerating Bruce Wayne from any charge. Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor, Bruce tries his best to explain Jeannie of how her brother died helping him and helping the city, but she is far too hurt to understand any reasons and she blames Bruce of everything that happened. She leaves the house, promising not to tell anyone about Batman but also with no intention of meeting Bruce ever again.

Days later, Riordan is arrested and questioned about his illegal activities and the cartel. Riordan is more that happy to comply, because of Harbinger's command of being mild and honest. When Riordan is being transferred to jail, Henri Ducard kills him with a clean shot to the head, as the cartel asked him to and then he leaves Gotham, but leaving a letter for Bruce before going away. In the letter, Ducard congratulates Bruce for having surpassed his own skills and tells him to remember an important lesson: "It's easy to become your enemy, but the trick is to remain yourself".

A few weeks later, Bruce starts his recuperation and Gordon visits him to see how he is doing. Gordon questions him about Roy being in the Batsuit. Gordon knows that Roy wasn't Batman because he saw the two of them together, and also tells him that if Batman decides to take a break for a while, he would understand.

When he finally recovers, Bruce burns the Harbinger device and destroys every evidence left behind. Alone in Wayne Manor, Bruce realizes that if Batman must survive, Bruce can't never have a normal life, and he accepts it, for justice is blind; blind as a bat.

Appearing in "Blind Justice, Part Three"

Featured Characters:

  • Batman (Flashback and main story)

Supporting Characters:

Antagonists:

  • Henri Ducard (Flashback and main story)
  • Dr Kenneth Harbinger
  • Mitchell Riordan (Dies)

Other Characters:

Locations:

Items:

Vehicles:


Synopsis for "Tribute: People of Note Pay Homage to Batman"

A series of pin-ups and messages from different people around the comic book industry regarding Batman's 50th Anniversary.

Appearing in "Tribute: People of Note Pay Homage to Batman"

Featured Characters:

Supporting Characters

Antagonists:

Locations:

Items:

Notes

Trivia


See Also


Links and References

Blind Justice
Part 1: Detective Comics #598 Part 2: Detective Comics #599 Part 3: Detective Comics #600
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