Batman caused a worldwide pandemic ?

It was eerily quiet in Gotham city. Bruce Wayne, owner of Wayne Enterprises, philanthropist and playboy extraordinaire was sitting on his bed, checking his Instagram feed and selfishly hoping that someone would need the Batman's help soon enough.

He was bored to death with this seemingly endless quarantine. Bruce was worried about the toll the Covid-19 outbreak was taking on this world, but he was just tired of sitting at home all day with nothing to do. He couldn't go to parties or run around the city with his vigilante crusade.

It was a surprisingly clear night. Bruce was looking out his window, pining to break through the glass and hop across from rooftop to rooftop when he first noticed it. The Bat signal, bright as day. He jumped for joy, admonished himself for being completely inappropriate and made his way to his suit and battle gear.

Bruce was excited, almost giddy, though he would never admit it to himself, as he made his way to the roof of the Gotham city police department building. The sight that met his eyes left him shocked. Standing there on the roof of the precinct building were thousands of Gothamites. This would have been a surprising spectacle on any other day, but to see that many people accumulated in one place in these dangerous times was almost scary. Almost.

Batman landed on the roof and began walking towards the group of people when everyone started shouting at the same time.

"Stay away!"

"You ruined our lives!"

"Leave the city, you bat!"

"You're the reason we're in this situation!"

"I haven't been to a bar in forever!"

"I have to tolerate watching my teacher struggle with Zoom everyday for online classes . Do you know how torturous that is?!"

"My wife hasn't been home in days because she's busy saving lives!"

Bruce couldn't fathom the scene unfolding before him. Were these people really blaming him for the Corona virus outbreak? He honestly found the whole thing silly.

He climbed on top of the bat signal and screamed at the tp of his lungs., "I'm sorry you're all going through a tough time. But y'all do realize that I am not actually a bat, right? I'm one hundred percent human, folks. "

He didn't seem to be making much of an impression, though. The people were turning very angry very quickly and weren't really interested in listening to him. They had found a permanent solution to get rid of the Coronavirus- Make Batman go away. They were pretty sure they wanted to stick with it.

In that moment, Batman decided to do something he had never done before. He decided to flee from the scene.

Once back in his comfortable bed, Bruce concluded that he couldn't live with it if the people of his city hated him. He made a quick phone call to the one person he thought would actually come to his rescue even in such dangerous times.

"Barry, I need your help. Please get here ASAP"

Before he could disconnect the call, he heard a loud whoosh, signaling the arrival of the Flash.

"That was quick."

"That still surprises you? Honestly Bruce, you've seen me do it a hundred times."

Bruce rolled his eyes. This boy would never grow up.

"So, what does the great Batman need my help with?"

"I'm stuck in a bit of a PR nightmare and I need you to pull me out of it."

"OKAY. And why did you think I would be able to help with that?" said Barry, with utmost confusion.

"Because you work with the police and you deal with this kind of stuff everyday? Because your wife is a reporter and runs her own newspaper? I would have called her, but with everything going on, I thought you would be the least at risk because of your speed healing and all."

"Alright, alright, I get it, Mr. Know it All. Tell me everything."

Bruce recounted the whole incident and by the end of it Barry was laughing his head off. Bruce gave him a 'shut up or I'll throw you off a building' look but Barry didn't really care for it.

"You've got to admit, it's a bit funny. To think that you're actually a bat and might have had something to do with this Covid-19 outbreak? These people are really something."

"Are you going to help me or not?"

"Yes, yes. Let's see. The best way to clarify things would be a press conference."

"Yeah and collecting a dozen reporters in one room with a statewide lockdown declared, won't be a problem at all."

"Sorry, my bad. How did so many people even collect on that rooftop?"

"Well, the police officers were involved in the 'Batman go away' rally as well. Who would have stopped the people?"

"Fair point. Okay, how about calling Kate to talk to these people. They all love her."

"Of course. Let's bring her in and see how people react to BATwoman visiting their city. Tell me Barry, did you hit your head or something? You're completely useless."

"How about a video message to the people of Gotham? Bruce Wayne could record a video stating the facts about how Batman is completely human and equally as affected by this pandemic."

Bruce's face lit up like a child's on Christmas. He could really see this working. The people all knew Bruce Wayne and his philanthropic ways and would definitely believe him. Batman might not have to leave this city after all.

"You're not that useless after all."