Batman: Signal An Audio Drama By Mateen Manek

The characters created by Bob Kane

illitermat Productions

illitermat@outlook.com

STATIC Begins off with static, then the Radio opener. KELLEY Hello and thanks for tuning into Gothams number one radio station, GCNR. Many people have been gathering outside of Gotham Central Bank for the public holiday. We will get to that shortly, and a special interview with our very own Josh Spence and Amir Patel, an engineer who has been working on the new ACE chemicals building. But before that, a small word from our sponsors. Sponsors Message. JOSH Hello and welcome back to GCNR . I am Josh Spence, here with our guest Amir Patel. Amir is an engineer graduate from MIT and has been heading one of the biggest projects in Gotham; the Ace Chemical Building. Amir, what can you tell us about the building? AMIR Its a two storey building lined with concrete walls and using steel as the foundation material. It has no windows, and has a separate drainage system. All of this is to keep chemicals out of contact from Gothams citizens. The building is designed to handle massive chemical operations without any damage to the environment or the people JOSH And what is the purpose of this building? AMIR Many people in the Arkham area were complaining about how the exposure to chemicals have been distressing the citizens. When Mayor Loeb in office, no one took action. Now that Mayor Garcia has finally given (MORE) (CONTINUED)

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AMIR (contd) us the proper permits to build a stronger chemical building, we can now assure that the citizens of Gotham will have no exposure to dangerous chemicals. JOSH So what will this new facility have? AMIR Other than the afformentioned, there will be a state of the art ventilation system, we have invested a lot in that, so any toxic fumes will be redirected to a safer distance. Along with that, we have reinforced the concrete so that the building is stronger and more durable. JOSH So the changes are mainly going to take place structurally? What about within the building? AMIR As far as maintenance of the place, the co-ordinators for that feel they should replace the current staff with more qualified people. JOSH Doesnt that mean you are ultimately getting rid of many of the present workers? AMIR Yes, we are offering them a chance to also get the qualifications to be able take part in our projects. JOSH I dont know if many of these people can afford to get the qualifications for a job they already have. AMIR Well, unfortunately, that is one of the steps we will have to take. I am only the engineer, but you (MORE) (CONTINUED)

CONTINUED: AMIR (contd) wouldnt hire a monkey to do my job, would you? Its all a relatively unfortunateJOSH Sorry- Sorry Amir, I am going to have to interrupt you as there has been a disturbance in mid-town Gotham. We are going live to Carrie Allen. Carrie, whats going on?

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The sound of sirens and screaming flood the streets, and Carrie is on the scene. CARRIE Thanks Josh. There has been a massive explosion near Gotham Central bank just 10 minutes ago. JOSH Does anyone know what was the cause? CARRIE Unfortunately, no. Many people were said to hear a faint beeping just before the bomb went off. They believe it was coming from the basement parking level. Police have been trying to locate the bomb. JOSH What exactly is the damage? CARRIE Gotham Central Bank is now completely out of commission. The blast was strong enough to weaken the foundations and the building is slowly collapsing. JOSH Were there any casualties? CARRIE Atleast 14 dead with 20 injuries. A few kids were- were injured and rushed to hospital. There are some people still stuck inside the building and fireman are trying to get in. Police are saying that whoever did this left a mark or, um a symbol of some sort. (CONTINUED)

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JOSH What was it? CARRIE He left, what was described as- as a green spraypainted questionRANDOM #1 RUN! CARRIE Whats goingA massive explosion is heard. JOSH Carrie? We seem to have lost signal to Carrie Henderson. As you heard, there has been a major explosion in the mid-town area, specifically around Gotham Central Bank. If you are heading into mid-town, avoid those areas. We are now going live to the mayor of Gotham, who is releasing a press announcement about the bombings in mid-town. Mayor MAYOR ...These are acts of terrorism, and we do not deal with terrorists. There has been 17 deaths, with at least 30 in the hospital. Please, for any reason, dont go near the Gotham Central Bank as the police are carrying out the investigation. If your loved ones were in the area, please do not-Air of silence. JOSH Unfortunately there seems to be a cut to our live feed, we are trying to restabalize it- wait whats going on with the lights? BACKGROUND (barely heard) Cut the transmission!

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JOSH Wait, whats are you doing? Stop-(smash to the head) A silent buzz with a high pitch frequency. The frequency pitch decreases, and a voice can be heard. RIDDLER Hello dear Gotham. I am Edward Nigma, but to you inferior minds, I am The Riddler. This message goes out to the Worlds greatest detective; The Batman. I am the one responsible for setting off the 6 explosions in Downtown Gotham, and there is more to come. I have planted 5 more plastic explosives around the city, with a sophisticated level of technological jammers placed within the bombs radius, so you cannot trace it. Why am I telling you this? Because I want you to find it. I want you to come and save the day, that is, if you can. I am going to show Gotham that you are not as intelligent as you claim, and that you dont deserve the praise you receive over and over by your mindless little fans. But, onto the challenge. Heres a little "guide-line" to keep you on the right track, wouldnt want you failing your first challenge would we? "Kings and Queens may cling to power and the jesters got his call, but as you may discover the common one outranks them all."...You better hurry up, you dont want to dissapoint your city, now do you? Riddler laughs off, and then transmission comes to an end. End.