Gotham City is in turmoil. The gangs are running rampant. The recently escaped Two-Face is vying for turf against the Penguin, nearly dividing all of the Gotham Underground in two. Neither faction however could anticipate the third-party arrival of none other than the Black Mask!

After the Black Glove's Danse Macabre at Arkham, the facilities had to be sterilized removing all traces of the Joker's killer neuro-toxin and all of the patients were temporarily transferred to Blackgate. With the Arkham renovations completed, the inmates are now en route back to Arkham traveling in giant armored transports. Black Mask intercepts one of the more high-profile transports filled with the likes of Poison Ivy, Killer Croc and Scarecrow. After liberating the criminals he then informs them that they are officially working as his criminal delegates whether they like it or not.

It would seem that during their time at Blackgate, each of the villains was slipped a remote-controlled radioactive agent along with their meds. Should any of them decide not to cooperate with Black Mask, he can simply trigger the device coursing through their blood stream and fry them from the inside-out, killing them immediately. It would also seem as though Black Mask's reach stretches beyond having infiltrated the ranks at Blackgate, but to the re-construction of Arkham as well. With his new minions watching, Mask detonates several firebombs placed within the halls of Arkham, destroying the building he refers to as their tomb.

News of this reaches the press and Gordon finds himself under fire. Fearing for their lives, police officers are left with no other option but to resign. Some are even calling for Gordon's retirement - speculating as to whether or not the Black Mask has infiltrated the Gotham PD as well as the prison system. His only ally in this matter, aside from the Riddler who watches from the sidelines like a hawk, is Nightwing. While doing his best to quell the violence across Gotham, Dick still refuses to step into the mantle of the Bat, believing that no one could truly replace Bruce and as such, no one should attempt to.

Someone however is quite willing to accept the cape and cowl as it seems a skilled but brutal vigilante calling himself "The Batman" is prowling the streets. Utilizing tools like batarangs and a bat-rope, this unknown commodity is clearly well trained with ample resources - thrashing through the Gotham Underground, leaving neatly wrapped packages of destruction in his wake. Displaying the same gift for detective work that once lead him to the role of Robin in the first place, Tim begins tracking this mysterious Batman down. Deciphering clues left behind at the scenes of the crimes, Tim narrows down the Batman's base of operations to an old abandoned subway tunnel beneath Gotham. Tim decides that the best way to combat this wannabe is by showing him what a true Dark Knight looks like. Borrowing the blue cape and cowl with the yellow oval-ed Bat-Symbol that Bruce wore when Tim first joined the family, he heads out into the night dressed as Batman to confront this fraud.

While Bruce's other sons may have been quarreling over who should or should not wear the mantle, Damien Wayne has already laid claim to the family ride. Stealing the Batmobile and scrambling it's on-board GPS locator, Damien cruises through Gotham using the vehicle his father designed in an attempt to impress girls. While fidgeting with the controls, he accidentally unscrambles the GPS, allowing the Oracle to locate and seize control of the Batmobile. After jettisoning Damien's date via the built in ejector-seat, Barbara attempts to guide the car down to the docks where Black Mask and his gang are intercepting an arms shipment intended for Two-Face. Before he can get there however the ride is knocked off the road by a rampaging Killer Croc.

The vehicle rolls over several times before coming to a halt in a murky river bed where Ivy and Croc lie in wait. Before Damien can become Croc's next meal, Nightwing swoops in on his glider and saves the day. He and the boy are en route to the docks when an RPG comes from out of nowhere and knocks the craft off course crashing into an abandoned warehouse. With Black Mask having called open season on the vigilantes, his armed goons surround Nightwing and Damien. Before they can fire however a gun-toting Batman with glowing eyes descends upon them in a hail of gunfire proclaiming "I AM BATMAN."