Batman swung through the city, taking a moment to scan the area from one rooftop before he headed on to the next roof, looking for any signs of criminal activity. Every night the route was different; he never wanted to settle into a routine. Routines made it easy for the smart criminals to avoid him, routines made one sloppy. The city could not afford him to be sloppy.
He was about to move on again, when he noticed something. A dark figure hung outside a building. One button press later and his cowl magnified the sight, allowing him to make out a woman, dress all in black. Many men would instantly be attracted to her form, but he wasn’t most men. He watched as she used what appeared to be claws, attached to the very fingertips of the gloves she wore, to cut a hole in the glass of the window, knocking it inwards.
He pulled out his grappling gun, watched as she entered the building, then fired a line to follower after her.
* * * * * * * * * *
This is too easy the black-clad women thought to herself as she slipped into the office and headed toward the wall safe. She pulled some tools out of the pouch she wore and was about to get to work when she noticed a reflection from a nearby picture frame. She quickly spun around.
“Well if it isn’t the Batman,” she purred, seeing the hero stand before her. “I was wondering when we’d finally run into each other.”
Batman looked her over, eyes focusing on the claws, the whip attached to her waist and the ear attached to the mask she wore. “Catwoman I presume.”
“Ooo… very good,” Catwoman replied, grinning wickedly. “Here to help me clean out Thorne’s office?” she asked. Batman just glared at her. “Oh come on, we all both know he’s a mob boss. Any money he’s got here will just be used for something illegal, if it isn’t dirty already.”
“Let me guess. You’ll use it to help orphans and the homeless,” Batman stated.
“If it will get you to leave me alone, sure,” Catwoman said. Batman just glared at her again. “You need to take some lessons from your pal Nightwing,” she told him, pouting as she stepped towards him. “Learn to lighten up.” She reached out to place a hand on his chest, but the Batman quickly grabbed it. “So that’s the way it’s gonna be.”
She lashed out quickly with her foot, almost catching Batman off guard and forcing him to release her arm as he blocked her attack. Flipping backwards she took a defensive stance, almost mirroring the one Batman took. The two started at each other for a moment, as Catwoman’s eyes flickered in the direction of the door.
She started to move towards it, Batman moving to cut her off. However it turned out to be a bluff; she feigned an attack to his arm, only to knock his grapple gun to the floor. Then she turned and dove out the hole in the window. Pulling her whip from her side, it lashed out to wrap around a flagpole and the Catwoman swung to safety.
By the time Batman had gathered his grapple gun and got to the window she was gone, vanished into the darkness. He just looked out into the night, before launching a line from the gun and swinging away.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Hey you’re on the front page today!” Carrie announced to Bruce as he entered the kitchen the next morning. The young woman held up the paper with the headline “Who is the Batman?” and underneath a picture taken from his battle with Nora Freeze.
Carrie began to read out loud. “ ‘After over three years of rumors this paper has managed to gain the first actual photo of the vigilante known as the Batman, seen above during his daylight battle with Nora Freeze’.” The story went on to cover the attack on WayneTech as well as some of the other high profile crimes Batman was suspected to have helped stop. “In conclusion,” Carrie read. “ ‘While this writer doesn’t know who the Batman is, or where he came from, he’s glad he’s out there protecting us.’ Cool, isn’t it?”
“Fascinating,” Alfred said. “A front page article about the Batman. It must be a slow news day.”
Carrie laughed as Bruce just sighed, shaking his head. “So what are you up to today?” the redhead asked him.
“I’m meeting the newest employees today,” he told her, grabbing just a single piece of toast, Alfred showing obvious disdain for Bruce's lack of breakfast choice.
“I’ll be headed to Steph’s right after school for supper,” she told him. “We’re going to eat then do some studying.”
“I’ll probably be gone when you get back then,” Bruce replied.
“Ah yeah, the late night excursions,” Carrie said.
“Actually no. Cameron van Cleer is holding a function tonight, Selina and I have both been invited.”
“Ooo… Good for you,” Carrie said. “You two make a great couple.”
“Yeah. We do,” Bruce replied, deep in thought while he sipped from his cup of coffee.
* * * * * * * * * *
“Talia de Winters, Bruce Wayne. Bruce Wayne, Talia de Winters,” Derek Powers said, introducing Bruce to the final new staff member. The young woman— she couldn’t have been much more then twenty— smiled and shook Bruce’s hand.
“A pleasure you meet you, Mr. Wayne,” she said in an accented voice.
“Pleasure to meet you as well,” Bruce said. “Strong grip you have there.”
“I work out on the weekends,” Talia told him with a small smile.
“Talia’s our newest member of R and D, fresh out of college,” Powers continued. Bruce listened as the two went over her skills, while Talia told him a bit about herself. The standard new employee introduction he’d heard hundreds of times before, although as always, he was indeed interested in knowing about her.
“Well, I certainly look forward to having you on board,” Bruce said, shaking her hand again. Talia gave him a small smile before she headed off with Derek to continue her training.
* * * * * * * * * *
“I still don’t think we should be doing this,” Stephanie said as she and Carrie slipped into the Batcave, Bruce already long gone.
“Are you going to help me or not?” Carrie asked, looking at her friend.
Stephanie sighed. “I’ll help you,” she told the redhead. “Don’t worry about that.”
“Good.” The two young women headed deeper into the cave, arriving at the huge computer system located near its center.
“Let’s see what we’ve got,” Stephanie said, hands running over the keyboard, typing in Carrie’s access codes.
‘Greetings Carrie,’ came the words on the screen, before opening up the files and programs she had access to.
“Well at least it doesn’t talk,” Stephanie said, looking through the information before her. “No good ever came from a talking computer.” Carrie let out a small laugh at that as Stephanie continued her search. “Let’s see… WayneTech files, no. Gotham PD info, no. War-games… definitely not. Ah here we are, known criminals.”
She quickly looked up Ra’s Al Ghul, getting the ‘Access Denied’ messaged that Carrie has seen so often. “Now then,” Stephanie said, cracking her knuckled. “Let’s see how good Oracle’s security systems are.”
* * * * * * * * * *
“Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette,” the blonde woman said as she strode up to Bruce and Selina.
“I know who you are, Vicki,” Bruce told her.
“Just a formality, Mr. Wayne,” Vicki replied, holding out her portable tape recorder. “The race for mayor looks like it’s going to be the fiercest in a long time,” she said. “I just wanted to know who Gotham’s most famous couple would be supporting?”
“When did we become Gotham’s most famous couple?” Bruce asked, to no one in particular.
“Well… Miss Vale,” Selina said. “I think it’s too early to choose. Once we see who’s in the race and what their platforms are, then I’ll decide, but for now…”
“Yeah, what she said,” Bruce told Vicki.
The blonde attempted to get a better answer from them, but in the end she sighed, turned and walked away. “Oh, Mr. Van Cleer!” she called out, pushing her way through the crowd towards her next target. “Vicki Vale, Gotham Gazette…”
Bruce and Selina chatted with the other guests, sipping their drinks and whatnot. Then just before Eight, Holly Robinson, Selina’s personal assistant, walked up to the two.
“Mr. Van Cleer is ready for the presentation Selina,” she told the other woman.
“We’d better go up there then,” Selina told Bruce, handing Holly her champagne glass. She and Bruce headed up to the small stage in the front of the room.
* * * * * * * * * *
With the presentation approaching, one of the caterers hired for the event excused himself. He returned to the kitchen and took out a small box he’d placed in the pantry beforehand. Making his way up to the balcony overlooking the main ballroom, the man opened the box to reveal a high-powered rifle.
Karlo removed part of his caterer disguise before taking the rifle from the box, loading it and taking aim at the group of people center stage: Bruce Wayne, Selina Kyle, Oswald Cobblepot, Cameron Van Cleer, and Gotham’s current mayor Hamilton Hill, with Commissioner Jim Gordon standing nearby. Van Cleer was addressing the crowd.
“I am pleased to announce,” Cameron stated, “that the Gotham City homeless fund begun by Miss Kyle has raised over fifty thousand dollars for those less fortunate. And as promised, Mr. Wayne, Mr. Cobblepot and myself have each matched the donations raised. So without further ado, I’d like to present this check, for two hundred and twenty five thousand dollars to Selina Kyle.”
As Van Cleer handed the large check over to Selina, Karlo took aim, pulling the rifle’s trigger.
* * * * * * * * * *
“I’m in!” Stephanie announced triumphantly, looking over at Carrie, the other woman’s nose in a Nintendo DS.
“Hmm… What?” Carrie asked, looking up. “Oh right,” she said, remembering, putting the game down and stepping over to Stephanie, a huge smile on her face. “You’re the greatest, Steph.”
“Of course,” Stephanie replied as if Carrie was simply stating a fact. She moved over to let Carrie type, the redhead quickly bringing up Ra’s file. “Wow! The Society of Shadows! The League of Assassins! No wonder Bruce didn’t want you talking to this guy.”
Carrie said nothing, reading. “Here we go,” she finally announced. “How to contact him.”
“I don’t know,” Stephanie told her, reading the file as well. “This guy’s dangerous. I really don’t think you should do this.”
“You don’t think she should do what, Miss Brown?”
The two young women jerked around, to find Alfred standing behind them.
* * * * * * * * * *
The bullet tore through the check, harmlessly digging into the wall behind as the shot rang out. People screamed, Bruce quickly glanced towards the shooter in time to see him starting to flee. Cameron was trying to calm the crowd, prevent a panic while Jim was directed his officers present. Both Hill and Cobblepot headed for safety, Oswald accompanied by his assistant Miss Granger.
“Come on,” Bruce said, grabbing Selina’s arm and pulling her away from the crowd. “You should be safe in here,” he told her, pushing her gently into Van Cleer’s office, before leaving her there.
“Bruce…” Selina sputtered, trying to speak over the chaos. “I don’t… Bruce I don’t…” She suddenly found herself staring at the door, Bruce already gone. “Damn you, Bruce!” she growled.
Bruce was already racing down the corridor. He ducked unseen into a hall closet, reappearing a few seconds later as Batman. The dark knight quickly headed upstairs and towards the balcony.
Swinging across the ballroom, he landed on the balcony where Karlo had been a moment before. The few remaining members of the crowd gasped, a couple pointing towards the dark shape as it ran off in the direction Karlo had gone.
It didn’t take him long to catch up to the older man. Karlo turned and raised his rifle towards Batman, when another dark shape crashed into him and knocked him down. Batman ran up as Catwoman knocked the gun from Karlo’s hands, her claws cutting his right hand in the process. “This is how we deal with scum like you,” she told him, raising one clawed hand.
“Stop!” Batman shouted. “We don’t give judgment, that’s for the courts to decide!”
“What’s the ‘we’ stuff,” Catwoman asked, turning to look at Batman. A mistake. Karlo pulled out a knife and stabbed Catwoman in the leg. She hissed as he pushed her off and into Batman, before making a break for it. Batman tried to untangle himself and ran after Karlo.
He turned a corner, almost running into a young man cowering against the wall. “Where did he go?” Batman growled. The young man simply pointed down the hallway, and Batman rushed off in that direction. However, Karlo appeared to be long gone, as was Catwoman when Batman returned to where she had been.
* * * * * * * * * *
“You have broken Master Bruce’s trust by bringing her here,” Alfred said to Carrie.
“Broken his trust!” Carrie yelled. “What about my trust?! What about the fact that he knows someone knows who killed my parents but he wouldn’t tell me?!”
“I’ll just go,” Stephanie said in a small voice as she started to stand. Alfred and Carrie both glared at her. “I’ll just stay here,” she said in an even smaller voice as she sat back down.
“Miss Carrie,” Alfred started. “I know you’re hurting, but believe me, Master Bruce has a good reason for not telling you about Ra’s.”
“Not good enough,” Carrie shot back. “They were my parents Alfred, my parents! And Ra’s knows who killed them. I have to see him. Don’t you understand?”
Alfred looked at her, sighing. “You are so much like Master Bruce,” he told her. “Fine then. On one condition. That I come with you when you speak with Ra’s. If not, then I
will tell Master Bruce about this.”
Carrie nodded. “Thank you, Alfred,” she told him.
“I only hope you don’t regret this, Miss Carrie,” was all he said in response.
* * * * * * * * * *
Bruce, back out of costume, returned to the room he’d left Selina in, only to find it empty. Worried, he turned to start to search for her, just as Selina rounded one of the corners in the hall, limping slightly.
“Are you okay?” Bruce asked, moving towards her.
“I’m fine,” Selina winced. “I went to find you and instead found a twisted ankle.”
“Want me to take a look at it?” Bruce asked.
“No! No… it’s swollen up something awful. I’ll be fine, just need to keep off it for a couple days. How about you help me back to the ballroom?”
“I’m just glad Holly had already left when this started,” Selina told him, while the two waited in the ballroom for the police to take their statement. Jim offered Selina a police escort, which Selina reluctantly agreed to, thanks in part to Bruce convincing her she could use one. He had already turned down one of his own.
“Are you sure?” Jim asked Bruce. “The shooter could have been aiming for anyone of you up on that stage.”
“Don’t worry, Jim,” Bruce told his old friend. “I’ll be fine.” Selina shot him a dirty look before officer Yin escorted her out of the building, to see her safely home.
Jim shook his head. “If I find out you are the target…”
“If I am you can put as many officers to guard me as you like,” Bruce told his old friend.
* * * * * * * * * *
Basil Karlo was still grumbling to himself as he entered his apartment, removing the disguise of the frightened young man, a dark frown on his face. He was getting careless in his old age. He knew he should have checked the sights on the rifle, a rookie mistake, one he wouldn’t make again.
He looked down at the photograph of his target. No, next time he would do it right. Next time there would be no error. Next time…
Selina Kyle would die.
(To Be Continued)
