Batman prepares to make the ultimate sacrifice. Isn't anyone going to stop him?!
By Front Page Films
EXT. ABANDONED HIGHWAY BATMAN is at the CORE in the TRUCK, attaching THE BAT. GORDON and CATWOMAN look on. GORDON What're you doing? BATMAN The Core explodes in two minutes. I can fly it out over the bay... Batman heads to THE BAT. CATWOMAN You could've gone anywhere. But you came back here. BATMAN So did you. They kiss. Batman jumps into the Bat. GORDON Shouldn't people know the hero who saved them? BATMAN A hero can be anyone, even a man doing something as simple as putting a coat around a young boy's shoulders to let him know the world hadn't ended. The CANOPY CLOSES. Music rises. Gordon realizes the truth. Suddenly, the CANOPY QUICKLY OPENS. The music cuts. BATMAN (CONT'D) A boy whose parents were murdered before his very eyes. GORDON How terrible. (then) You know, that thing is going blow up... BATMAN Dr. Thomas and Martha Wayne. GORDON Shouldn't you be BATMAN I may or may not very boy. GORDON Yeah, I get it. GORDON / BATMAN You're Bruce Wayne. / I'm Bruce Wayne. BATMAN Shhhh. It's not who I am underneath this mask- GORDON But what you do that defines you. BATMAN But what I do that defines me. GORDON Go. Please. Catwoman runs into the scene. CATWOMAN He hasn't left yet? GORDON Wow...look at the time... A CU of the CORE TIMER counting down. CATWOMAN You should really be heading out, like, right now... BATMAN Okay. Fine. Goodbye Gotham. My fair city. My home...my legacy. The canopy lowers, music rises. Right before it closes, it pops up quickly, the music cuts. BATMAN (CONT'D) I forgot to mention, there's no autopilot. CATWOMAN Oh my God, are you serious? BATMAN So I'm going to be sacrificing myself for Gotham...pretty heroic for a masked vigilante. GORDON (forced) I never cared who you were. BATMAN And you were right. A pause. Batman stares into the distance. CATWOMAN So... BATMAN Oh, right. I forgot to give you the clean slate, Selena. CATWOMAN No, you gave it to me already so you can go. BATMAN The Clean Slate, the ultimate tool for a master thief with a record. CATWOMAN Yeah I know what it is... BATMAN The Clean Slate...type in a name and date of birth and within a couple hours that person ceases to exist in any database... GORDON We know what it is! CATWOMAN LEAVE! GORDON Seriously, GO! BATMAN Okay...Off I go...to save gotham...again....from danger...again. The canopy closes and immediately opens again, revealing Batman stretching. BATMAN (CONT'D) Forgot to do my stretches. GORDON You're going to die! You don't need to stretch! BATMAN Oh! Right. Okay, Bye. The canopy closes and opens again. BATMAN (CONT'D) Oh, also, don't read from a Tale of Two Cities at my funeral...I hate that book. GORDON Fine, just go. The canopy starts to close, then is stops and Batman sticks his head out of the opening. BATMAN And tell Alfred to suck it. The canopy moves up and down, as if it's broken. BATMAN (CONT'D) How does this thing even work? CATWOMAN We're all going to die. BATMAN Oh, I got it. I'm out. The canopy closes. The engines fire up. CATWOMAN (To Gordon) Two birds with one stone, am I right? GORDON Totally. The canopy opens again. BATMAN You know when I was speaking about that boy's world ending, I was speaking metaphorically. In this instance, the world would actually end. Well, not the entire world, gotham's world...my world. GORDON What has to happen for you to leave right now? BATMAN Well, I felt our kiss was rushed... CATWOMAN (face dropping) What. BATMAN So another would be pretty cool. Since I'm going to be dead and all. CATWOMAN Right now, I'm regretting kissing you the first time. GORDON (to Catwoman) I'm so sorry. CATWOMAN ...fine. I guess we're both suckers. Well, mostly me. Catwoman STEPS UP to Batman, kissing him tenderly. CUT WIDE to reveal Batman grabbing her breast. CATWOMAN (CONT'D) Are you fucking kidding me right now? GORDON You aren't a bat, you're a pig. BATMAN Okay, I'm ready. Ready to fly the bomb to the bay, where it won't hurt a single soul... GORDON pulls HIS GUN on Batman. GORDON Get out! Out! BATMAN Alright. You are a hero, Commissioner Gordon- GORDON GO!!! BATMAN -My hero. Gotham's hero. GORDON NOW!!! CATWOMAN LEAVE! LEAVE! BATMAN And Cats, you're my BFF. BATMAN tries to fist bump Catwoman... awkwardly... BATMAN Pound it. CATWOMAN Eat it. BATMAN (pointing the fist to Gordon) Gordy? GORDON (pulling back the hammer) ENOUGH! GO! BATMAN Fine. The canopy closes. BATMAN flies away in the Bat and the Core EXPLODES over the bay. GORDON watches. GORDON AND CATWOMAN Oh please be dead. Please oh please oh please be dead. BATMAN appears between Catwoman and Gordon shoulders. BATMAN I feel like we should hug. GORDON You're under arrest. Catwoman walks off in a huff.