1 Chapter 1: Shadows in The Knight

(DISCLAIMERS, I do not own Batman or any of the characters in this story, nor the city it takes place in. All rights of the characters and the city belong to DC and Warner Brothers. Batman was created by Bob Kane and Bill Finger. I do not profit off of this story in any way

Warning: This story is mostly dark, it contains action and violence and strong language, I did not make it rated M due to the fact I feel it doesn't push too far into that direction.

This story was made for fans of Batman, and people who know little about I him. I hope that you all enjoy.

Also I apologize for any errors in this story, I have taken inspiration from the Year One Comics, Arkham, and telltale as well as many other sources

This Story is also available on fanfiction.net and Archive of our own/AO3)

Chapter 1: Shadows in The Night

Gotham City, a city ruled by crime and terror, corrupt cops, mob bosses, thieves, murderers, drug dealers, and more fill the streets and make Gotham the city it is, but tonight that change. Tonight, Gotham's criminals experience fear, the same fear that Gotham's citizen's experience day in and day out.

Gotham's dock's, the city and mob's greatest source of income Mayor Hill, Carmine Falcone, and Police Commissioner Loeb all working together, Hill and Loeb keeping the police away, meanwhile Falcone and his men sell drugs, guns, and anything else useful for profit. For years their pact has gone on, no one capable or able to stop it without Falcone, Loeb, or Hill taking action. Ten men patrolled Gotham's dock's, each one armed with an assault rifle in their hands, a pistol at their side, and knives strapped in their holsters, they were all on high alert for weeks now sightings of The Bat have been reported, men with broken bones, their bodies paralyzed in fear, the police unable to track him down, but one thing is known only criminals are in danger.

"This Batguy, do you think he's real? I mean the boss has been warning us about some dude going by Penguin and another man named Black Mask so it wouldn't surprise me if some Bat freak was next." One man said, a small chuckle coming from him as his eyes scanned the area in front of him, another man looking over at him and rolling his eyes. "If this Bat-person is real, there's gonna be a huge bounty on him, maybe if he does show up we can put a bullet in him and have Falcone pay us more than ever!" The other guy said, joy in his voice about the thought of a pay raise, three others laughing in joy at the excitement and thought.

On the rooftop above, a figure cloaked in black sat perched, his eyes glaring down watching and waiting, the suit had long black ears, the cowl and cape were black while the rest except for the gloves, bat logo, and boots were a dark grey. "So, if I may ask Master Bruce do you have a plan in mind?" A voice asked from his communicator, the man's hand slowly going up as he tapped his earpiece. "You should know by now Alfred, I always do." He replied with a slight smirk before glaring down once more as one man began to walk towards the warehouse he was on top of. "Should I alert detective Gordon?" Alfred asked as Bruce slowly stood up, his shadow looming over the men as his eyes stared down at the goon below him. "Call an ambulance first, then alert Gordon," Bruce replied, the man below slowly looking up as he heard a voice to see the Batman standing above him. "O-oh g-" before he could finish the vigilante had dropped down taking him out silently before taking cover behind one of the van's, Bruce quietly placing a tracker under the van. "Time to make them experience fear," Bruce said quietly tapping a button on his utility belt, two drones flying in the sky and circling the area, one of the drone's flying past two of the men causing them to turn as Bruce slowly pulled out two batarangs jumping from his cover as he threw both of the batarangs forward, one hitting and lodging into the back of one's knee, the other hitting one's collarbone and causing him to fall to the floor in pain. "HELP!!!!" One of them cried out in pain, the seven other men that are left rushing over as Bruce took cover behind a few crates.

"Who did this?" One asked as he bent down going to remove one of the Batarang's, blood covering both as the two men cried in pain. "I-It w-was him, t-the b-bat, o-oh g-god he's going to kill us." One replied crying in fear and pain tears streaming from his face as the caped crusader slowly stood up from his hiding point firing his grappling hook onto a nearby lamppost while they were distracted as he grappled forward watching them for a moment. "W-who is this guy?" One man asked slowly looking around as he held his gun at the ready. "I'M SOMEONE YOU SHOULD FEAR!" Batman replied, his voice deep and echoing throughout Gotham's night, a small pellet like object landing in between the men as they all turned, smoke starting to flow from it as the men opened fire.

Within moment's Bruce lunged forward into the smoke, the bullets missing him as he kicked one of the men to the ground. "OH GOD, DON'T KILL ME!!!" One of the men yelled out, the other's turning to try and find where the scream came from before the sound of a snap caused them all to stumble back as the man's arm was broken. "RUN!!" Another yelled, three men all running towards the nearby van, the other three running as far away as possible just trying to escape. "There's nowhere you can hide!" Bruce yelled out sending two batarangs flying into the back of one man's knees as he fell forward in pain unable to move. "HELP!" He yelled out as the other two continued running towards the van, Bruce firing his batclaw into one of them as it grabbed a hold of him and Bruce quickly pulled him forward as he screamed before disappearing in the smoke as Bruce broke his arm before knocking him out.

"Send the Batmobile," Bruce ordered as the smoke cleared, the three other men that were trying to escape running towards the road before the sound of an engine caused them all to stop and turn, bright lights shining from an alleyway as the Batmobile drove forward hitting the three of them and causing them to all go flying backward. "Those three are taken care of, it will take them a lot longer to recover I'm sure," Alfred said a bit displeased as Bruce turned watching as the last man got into the van and began to drive away. "Good, now time I find Falcone," Bruce said activating the tracker he had hidden under the van as he made his way into the warehouse where the cities drugs and guns were hidden, his eyes scanning the room as he heard the sound of sirens in the distance. "Loeb or Falcone will probably have someone mess up the transport of the guns and drugs. This could be a good chance to finally nail them both." Bruce said for a moment to himself slowly crouching down to place a tracker on one of the craters before quickly making his way out of the warehouse grappling onto a rooftop nearby as Gordon and the rest of the GCPD soon arrived, Gordon slowly getting out of his car as he sighed.

"Dammit, he already got away," Jim said for a moment with a slight sigh as his partner detective Harvey Bullock slowly looked over for a moment. "Hey, at least he didn't break someone's neck," Harvey said approaching one of the men who was shaking and sweating like a dog, Harvey slowly backing up as he saw the man. "But I guess this isn't much better." He said as Jim fixed his glasses for a moment. "I don't know who's side he's on sometimes." He said with a sigh before slowly walking off and behind the nearby warehouse as he took out a box of cigarettes slowly opening it for a moment to take one out before pulling out his lighter and lighting it. "Seems like Gotham is just getting more violent every day." He said to himself slowly closing his eyes for a moment, unaware that Batman had dropped down behind him at the exact moment.

"I want to change that Jim," Bruce said standing behind him, Gordon slowly reaching for his gun before hearing Batman's voice, his hand resting on it for a moment before he slowly moved his hand away and turned to look at the caped hero. "It'd help if you stopped scaring every criminal you meet half to death," He replied, the vigilante looking down at him for a moment. "I do what I have to Jim, I'm on your side, we need to work together in order to take down Hill, Loeb, and Falcone." Bruce retorted staring at him as Gordon slowly dropped his cigarette putting it out with his foot as he sighed looking down for a moment. "I get that, you're on the side of good, you want to do good, I don't fully agree with it, but I do understand it." He said slowly turning around for a moment. "I'm glad you understand Jim, once Falcone and the rest are behind bars, I'm sure that you and the rest of the force can keep the city and everyone safe without me." He replied, Jim, fixing his glasses for a moment. "Glad you think that you know it's funny when I first arrived in Gotham years ago I thought this city would never get better, I don't really like to admit it but when you showed up criminal's started going into hiding, they were scared, maybe there is some good you're doing." He said slowly looking back, the man, however, had already vanished, Gordon letting out a small laugh for a moment. "I really hope he doesn't do this vanishing act often." He said before walking back towards the crime scene.

Gordon slowly arrived back at the crime scene, his eyes scanning everything nearby as Loeb slowly arrived getting out of his car, a look of anger on his face as he clenched his fists. "This vigilante problem is getting out of hand." He said slowly as he approached the crime scene, his eyes watching as Falcones' men were taken into multiple ambulances as Loeb sighed before slowly spotting Jim in the corner of his eye, his teeth clenching as he slowly approached him. "Gordon, you and Bullock need to find this damn vigilante and arrest him, he's been causing trouble for too long," Loeb said as Jim slowly looked at him, he wanted to argue and say that the man was trying to do good but then again was he really? "W-We will deal with him, I don't know how or when but we will deal with it," Gordon said as Loeb walked past him before slowly taking out his phone and placing a call to who Gordon could only assume was Falcone. "Harvey, we need to get back to the GCPD, Loeb wants our top priority right now to be The Batman," Gordon said as Bullock sighed crossing his arms for a moment. "Fine, but you're driving." He said as the two slowly got into Gordon's car heading towards the station.

On the other side of Gotham, the streetlights flickered on and off as the engine of the Batmobile filled the night street as The Caped Crusader sped through the streets. "Alfred, I'm on my way to the Batcave," Bruce said as he quickly turned to the right speeding into an alleyway that he would come out from the other end on. "Alright sir, I have the entrance ready for when you arrive, I do hope you don't plan on staying up all night again, the fundraiser is tomorrow and I believe Mr. Dent and a lot of others needed you there," Alfred said as Bruce slammed his foot on the gas pedal, his hand pulling down a lever as the Batmobile quickly sped up as he drove towards a run-down warehouse outside of Wayne Manor, his hand turning towards a keypad as he pressed a combination of buttons, the garage of the warehouse slowly opening as the Batmobile drove inside before coming to a screeching halt as the garage door slowly closed. "Alfred, activate the elevator," Bruce said quietly as the floor below Bruce slowly began to decent downwards as he entered a large cave underground that sat right below the warehouse and Wayne Manor, an elevator shaft and stairwell allowed for quick access into the cave and back into the large mansion, the cave had multiple walkways and sections, one large section sat right in front of the elevator, a large computer with multiple monitors and tables were placed there, another section held the Batmobile for it to be parked at, another held suits, and then several more sections were empty, it was elaborate and thankfully off the books, nobody suspected anything thankfully about it as well.

Once the elevator had finished, Bruce slowly drove forward and off of it as the elevator then slowly rose back up. Soon the Batmobile came to a stop once more as the engine slowly turned off, the two bright headlights fading off as the top of the vehicle slowly lifted upwards as Bruce slowly rose to his feet before jumping out of the vehicle. "Welcome back Sir, I assume the night went mostly well," A British voice said, as Bruce turned to look at his Butler Alfred a small smile on the man's face, the man wore a black suit, and a pair of glasses, his hair was white and neat, and his eyes watched as Bruce slowly walked forward, his hands grabbing the mask part of his suit as he pressed two buttons on the side which would then unlock the mask and allow it to easily come off as he then pulled it off and held it in his hands. "Compared to how most of my nights usually go Al, I'd say it's one of the better ones," Bruce said with a small smile, which was rare for him and calmed Alfred down slightly. "Well then sir, I do hope you know that tomorrow night is the fundraiser, Mr. Dent, Gordon, Loeb, and so many more people will be there, please do try and be on your best behavior," Alfred said as Bruce let out a small chuckle as he slowly approached the suit stand. "I will Al, you head back up, I'll be there in a minute," Bruce said as Alfred slowly nodded before heading upstairs.

The sound of an elevator followed by the movement of a bookshelf filled the large manor, Alfred's head turned slightly as Bruce walked out of the elevator as the bookshelf closed behind him to cover the wall where the elevator was. "There's, leftovers in the fridge sir, Lucius also sent me an email saying he would like to speak with you tomorrow before the fundraiser, and I also took the liberty of finishing your schedule for the week," Alfred said as he slowly handed Bruce a notepad filled with times, meetings, dates, names, and more. "Thank you, Alfred, I'll look over it, you should go upstairs and head to bed or something, I'll be fine by myself for a bit," Bruce said as he looked up and at Alfred, a small smile crossing over the butler's face as he slowly nodded. "If you insist sir, I do hope you plan on getting some rest as well," Alfred said as he slowly turned to head upstairs as Bruce sat the notepad down for a moment as he then would make his meal before heading to bed as well.

Gotham Central Police Department, the home of Gotham's crooked cops, of course, there are a few good ones but most of them, however, are on Falcone's pay list or someone else's. The sound of screams filled one hallway where multiple thugs and other criminals were locked up, multiple guards keeping watch as the sound of phone calls filled another room where people called talking about how they were robbed, or their car was stolen, and in another room sat Detective Jim Gordon, his desk was mostly neat except for a pile of paperwork and crime reports, on his desk sat a small coffee cup, an ashtray, a picture of him and his two kids, and lastly a picture of him and Harvey Bullock solving one of their biggest crimes to this day, the murder of Thomas and Martha Wayne by the hands of Joe Chill. "Loeb wants us to find this Batguy, I feel like even if we catch him he'll just get away," Harvey said a bit annoyed as he sat at his desk across from Jim, his eyes glancing around the room for a moment. "And on top of finding this vigilante, Loeb wants us to attend the fundraiser event tomorrow, the damn nerve that man has," Bullock said with annoyance in his voice as Gordon looked up at him slowly nodding. "I plan on bringing Barbara and James Jr., Thankfully Mr. Wayne is nice enough to give us some of the best seats around," Gordon said as he slowly took out a cigarette as he lit it for a moment with a small sigh. "I'm sure one day Loeb will get what's coming to him, but until then we just do as he says," Gordon said with a small sigh as slowly looked down at his watch for a moment. "It's getting late Jim, you should head home," Bullock said as Jim slowly nodded. "All right, let me go see Nygma and hand something over to him before I head out," Jim said quietly as he slowly stood up, his hand grabbing his coat from the back of his chair as he pulled it off before pulling it on. "See you tomorrow then." Bullock said quietly as Jim made his way towards one of the many hallways and towards a door with the nameplate reading 'Edward Nygma.'

The hallway which led to Nygma's office was mostly empty, a few doors lined it but the section was mostly used for forensics work which left Nygma usually by himself. "Let's hope he's still here," Jim said quietly as he approached the door, his hand gently knocking as he heard a voice reply from inside. "Come in!" The voice said as Jim slowly grabbed the door handle pulling it downwards as he slowly made his way inside. "Well, hello Detective!" Ed said as he slowly turned, he wore a green suit with a purple tie, his hair was brown and mostly neat, and a black pair of glasses sat on his face, different lab equipment sat around the room and a pair of black gloves sat next to him, and a book with a large question mark sat next to the gloves which had clearly been read a lot. "Is there anything you need to be solved? Perhaps a mystery, or case that you can't seem to solve." Nygma said with a small smile, as Gordon slowly shook his head before pulling out a small plastic bag from his coat pocket, inside sat a small bat-shaped like object, it was mostly black except for a few spots of red on one end. "I need you to run some scans on this, check for fingerprints, or what kinda material it uses," Jim said as he slowly handed it to the man in green. "What exactly is it?" Nygma slowly asked as he looked over it, his eyes widening a bit as he noticed the bit of red on the tip. "It's some sort of projectile that The Batman uses, I'm assuming if we can find out what it's made of or even who made it we could narrow down the possibilities of who he is," Jim said quietly as Nygma slowly pulled his gloves on before opening the plastic bag to take it out as he held the object in his hands. "So, it's some sort of Batarang," Edward said with a small chuckle as he pulled his arm back briefly, pretending as if he was going to throw it before setting it back down. "I'll take a look at it as soon as possible," Nygma said as Jim slowly nodded before walking out and shutting the door behind him.

Gordon slowly arrived outside of his apartment, his car door slowly opening as he stepped out of the car before slowly shutting the door. "Hopefully they're asleep," Jim said with a quiet sigh as he made his way up the stairs and towards his apartment as he slowly stood in front of the door for a moment as he began to make his way inside, the home was mostly empty, all the lights were off except for the lights in the living room, and the small light that came from the T.V. "They must have already gone to bed." Jim said quietly as he let out a small sigh as he then shut the door behind him before turning his head towards the couch, a small smile forming on his face as he noticed his daughter asleep on the couch."James must have worn her out." Jim said with a small laugh as he slowly picked Barbara up in his arms for a moment, his eyes looking down at her briefly as he made his way through a small hallway and into her room as he slowly laid her down on her bed. "Goodnight." He said quietly as he smiled down at her as he slowly turned walking towards the door as he slowly was stopped by Barbara's voice for a moment. "D-Dad, a-are you going to leave like Mom did?" She asked causing Jim to stop in his place, his eyes widening for a brief moment as he slowly turned to look at his nine-year-old daughter. "No, I'll always be here for you," Jim said as he slowly walked towards her and hugged her for a brief moment as Barbara slowly hugged back. "Get some rest, we need to be at that fundraiser pretty early tomorrow," Jim said as his daughter nodded before he slowly walked out of the room and back into the hallway as he glanced into James' room to see him asleep in his crib as he smiled before making his way into his bedroom and heading to sleep.

The sun slowly rose over Gotham as Bruce Wayne stood inside the manor, his eyes looking into a mirror as he slowly adjusted the tie on his suit before fixing his dark hair as he smiled. "Sir, the car is ready downstairs to take you to Wayne Industries and then to the fundraiser at City Hall," Alfred said as Bruce smiled slowly stepping out of his room as he looked back at Alfred. "Thank you, Alfred, I'll see you at the fundraiser in a few hours," Bruce said as Alfred nodded looking at him for a moment. "I do hope you have your speech prepared for tonight," Alfred said as Bruce slowly nodded. "I have it ready," Bruce said as he made his way down the stairs and out of the manor as he slowly got inside of a limo as it made its way towards Wayne Industries.

Bruce slowly stepped out of the limo as he approached the doors to Wayne Industries, two armed guards standing at the front slowly opening the doors to allow him inside. "Thank you," Bruce said as he adjusted his tie for a moment as he made his way through the main entrance and towards one large elevator that was for him and other high ranked individuals. "Good morning Mr. Wayne." The woman at the front desk said as Bruce smiled waving before taking out a small card as he slid it through a scanner as the elevator door slowly opened and he stepped inside pressing the button to the top floor as the elevator made its way up. "Welcome, Mr. Wayne." A security guard said as Bruce smiled looking at him. "Good morning," Bruce replied as he approached his office slowly opening the door to step inside as he slowly took his phone placing a call as he shut the door behind him. "Lucius, I'm heading downstairs," Bruce said into his phone as he approached a bookshelf. "All right Bruce, I have everything ready for you down here," Lucius said as Bruce slowly touched the side of the bookshelf as a small beeping sound was heard from a fingerprint scanner on the side as he moved his hand away as the bookshelf slowly slid open to reveal an elevator. "I'll see you soon," Bruce said as he hung up before putting his phone away as he pressed the button to send the elevator down as the bookshelf slowly closed and the elevator made its descent.

The elevator slowly came to a stop as the door slowly opened to reveal a large room with machinery, and lab equipment lying around, the room was mostly neat and looked like a normal workplace. "Good to see you, Bruce." Said the voice of Lucius Fox, the leader of the R&D department at Wayne Industries, the man had dark skin and hair and wore a brown suit and a pair of glasses. Once Bruce stepped out of the elevator, Lucius' hand pressing a button under the desk causing the room to change slightly, one part of the floor slowly opened up for a table to come out of it as a few panels on the walls slowly opened to reveal multiple items lining them including a grappling hook, batarangs, and many more. "You too Lucius, so what did you want to tell me about?" Bruce slowly asked as Lucius quickly jumped up approaching the table in the middle of the room, a white covering sat over a few items as he slowly pulled it away. "The new and improved Bat suit, I think I really outdid it on this one, and it's almost done," Lucius said as Bruce approached the armor, his hand touching the symbol for a moment as he slowly nodded. "When will it be ready?" Bruce slowly asked as he looked up. "Next month, I should have it and a few new items ready, then I just start work on that other project you wanted," Lucius said as Bruce slowly smiled. "Thank you, Lucius, will you be at the fundraiser?" Bruce slowly asked as Lucius shook his head. "No, I have to get home and watch the kids," Lucius said with a small laugh as Bruce nodded. "Have fun with that, I should get going, I'll see you tomorrow," Bruce said as he made his way back into the elevator, heading back up and out of Wayne Industries.

The limo slowly pulled up outside of City Hall, flashes of cameras and screaming filled the streets as Bruce Wayne slowly stepped out of the limo for a moment. "Good Afternoon!" Bruce yelled out as he walked through the crowd, hundreds of reporters yelling and asking questions as he continued walking. "Welcome, Mr. Wayne." An armed guard said as he slowly opened the door to allow Bruce into the building as he stepped inside. "Well, well, well, if it isn't our host!" A voice said as Bruce smiled looking at the cities District Attorney Harvey Dent, the man wore a black suit, and had brown hair, in his hand was a small coin which he twirled around his fingers. "Thanks for the welcoming Harvey, sorry I was a bit late I had to talk to someone at Wayne Industries," Bruce said with a small smile as Harvey lead him up a small set of stairs and onto a platform with a few tables and chairs. "We get the table closest to the stairs, we can look over the railing and see everyone below as well," Harvey said as he slowly set down and Bruce slowly pulled up a chair and took his seat as well. "Well then, everyone should be here soon," Harvey said with a smile as he turned his head to see Alfred heading up the stairs as Alfred took his seat next to Bruce. "Sorry I'm late Master Bruce, the traffic was a problem," Alfred said as Bruce looked at him. "It's fine Alfred," Bruce said quietly as his eyes glanced around the room as he noticed a woman with dark black hair, and a black dress in the corner of the room, a small smile forming on his face before he slowly turned his attention back to the entrance as hundreds of people started to enter the building. "I hope the caterers made enough food," Bruce said with a small laugh as Harvey nodded for a moment. "I'm sure they did, you're paying them after all," Harvey said as Bruce slowly stood up. "I'll go get everyone drinks, Gordon should arrive soon so I'm sure him and Barbara will want something to drink," Bruce said as he slowly stood up walking downstairs and heading towards a small bar that had been set up as he slowly got in line behind a smaller man.

"Get me a glass of whiskey dear, hell throw in a beer as well pleased." The man said to the female bartender, the man's accent was slightly thick and clearly English, the man wore a black coat and top hat and stood at about 4'10, in one hand he held a umbrella that he used as some kinda cane from the way he was supporting himself with it, in the other hand however he held a cigar which he blew smoke out of as he slowly took his drink from the bartender as he got rid of his cigar before turning around to see Bruce. "Well, this is an honor." He said in a shock as he looked up at Bruce, the man had a monocle on one of his eyes, and his nose was weirdly shaped almost like that of a bird. "Bruce Wayne," Bruce said slowly as he held his hand out for a moment, as the other gentleman slowly laughed for a moment. "I know who you are." He said as he took Bruce's hand as he shook it. "Oswald Cobblepot, it's a pleasure to meet you, I've heard a lot about you." He said with a chuckle as he looked at Bruce for a moment. "I own the Iceberg Lounge, I'm sure you've heard of it." He said as Bruce slowly nodded, his eyes looking down at the man. "I have, I hear from Lex Luthor it's one of the few places in Gotham you have to visit," Bruce said with a small laugh as Oswald chuckled nodding for a moment. "If you'd like Mr. Cobblepot there's an open table upstairs you can have if you want, consider it an offer of a possible future friendship and business relationship," Bruce said as Oswald smiled looking at him. "Thank you, I guess the rumors about you aren't quite true after all," Oswald said as he made his way upstairs and Bruce approached the bartender.

"I'd like a glass of whiskey, a bottle of wine, and two beers as well as a coke delivered to my table please," Bruce said for a moment as he looked at the bartender as she slowly nodded. "Of course Mr. Wayne." She said for a moment as the bartender slowly grabbed a tray and started to put a few glasses, bottles, and other stuff on it as Bruce slowly started to turn around as the lights in the room slowly turned a bit darker and music started to play. "To keep the night interesting before the big speech and before everyone probably gets drunk, we had someone request a dance." A DJ said as Bruce smiled for a moment crossing his arms as multiple people got up and made their way to the open area as they slowly began to dance, Bruce, watching for a moment before he slowly felt a hand on his shoulder as another hand grabbed his arm. "You look like you're alone, and everyone else here is dancing, so maybe we should join them." A female voice said, the voice was calm and quiet, but also seductive and worrying. "Well, I don't mind," Bruce said slowly turning around to see the woman that he had seen earlier, the one with the dark hair and black dress. "Let's go then." She said as she slowly took his hand in hers as she placed her hand on his hip for a moment as he slowly followed her lead, a small smirk forming on her lips as they danced. "What's your name by the way?" The woman slowly asked, of course however she must have known who he was. "Bruce, what's yours?" He slowly asked as they continued dancing. "Selina, Selina Kyle." She replied as they continued their dance, as a small whitish blue light slowly shone on them as the song slowly began to come to an end. "Well, it'd be nice if we could dance like this forever," Selina said quietly as she slowly moved one of her hands to his cheek as she looked him in the eyes for a moment and he looked back into her's, her nails almost scratching his face as she leaned forward to kiss him, her free hand sliding past his pocket which he didn't think much of. "Sorry, we just met," Selina said with a small smirk on her lips as she stopped herself from kissing him, a mere inch from his lips. "I should go, I have a friend that's waiting on me." She said quietly as the song came to an end and Bruce slowly nodded. "It was nice meeting you." He said quietly as she slowly turned back heading towards a table as Bruce slowly made his way back upstairs to see Jim, and Barbara had arrived.

After roughly an hour everyone had arrived, in a table in the corner of the room sat Police Commissioner Loeb, Mayor Hill, and the infamous Carmine Falcone, in the middle of the room and behind Bruce's table sat Oswald Cobblepot, his table sat in the middle opposite and parallel to both tables. "Well, looks like everyone is here now," Bruce said with a small smile as he took a drink from his glass before slowly standing up as he made his way downstairs and towards a large stage as he stepped onto it and approached a podium where a microphone was placed. "Well, since everyone has arrived I assume it's time to get started," Bruce said with a small smile and laugh as he looked over at the crowd. "Today, I'm here to announce that Wayne Industries will be funding and supplying Gotham City Police Department and City Hall with state of the art technology from Wayne Industries." He said quietly as he fixed his tie for a moment. "As we all know, Mayor Hill is running for reelection, but my friend Harvey Dent is also running, I'm not going to talk politics though so no matter who wins I'm sure they will both try and make Gotham safer," Bruce said, he knew the last part wasn't true though considering what Hill was like. "So, with the election coming soon, I would like to announce that there will be a party on the night of the election as well at Wayne Manor, I'd be honored to have you all there," Bruce said as he smiles looking over the crowd as he noticed Selina in the distance heading towards an elevator, a keycard in her hand as she scanned the keycard across a scanner as the elevator slowly opened to allow her inside, while Bruce watched his hand slowly reached down to check his pocket as he noticed the keycard that he had been given was gone. "Well, umm, I have more to announce but I think the food is almost done, so I'll allow everyone to go ahead and eat first," Bruce said with a smile as people cheered and started to head towards the caterer to get their food.

Bruce slowly made his way back to his table as a hand slowly grabbed his arm stopping him in place. "Nice to see you helping out the city Wayne, it's definitely a nice change." A voice said as Bruce looked to see Carmine Falcone. "Thanks, I'm happy with what we will be doing," Bruce said as Carmine slowly smiled. "I have a feeling you and I will get along damn well, I hope we can plan a business arrangement sometime in the near future." He said as Bruce nodded and Falcone slowly loosened his group as Bruce prepared to walk out before the tapping of something on the ground caused him to stop. "Well, I see your quite busy planning a lot of arrangements tonight." A British voice said with a small chuckle as Bruce turned slightly to see Oswald Cobblepot. "Well, it wasn't my intention," Bruce said with a small laugh as Falcone scanned Cobblepot for a moment slowly raising his brow. "Sorry to rudely join in, I'm Oswald Cobblepot, it's an honor to meet you, Mr. Falcone." He said as he held his hand out and Falcone slowly shook it. "I have a good feeling about tonight Mr. Falcone, I feel like it's going to be big," Oswald said as Carmine smiled. "Well, I'm sure Mr. Wayne will find a way to make it big." He said with a laugh as Oswald slowly walked towards his table and Bruce walked towards an exit as he made his way outside and down a set of stairs and into an alleyway as the sun began to set.

Once Bruce entered the alleyway he slowly took out his phone as he sent a message to Lucius telling him to send the car. "Time to stop whoever this woman is," Bruce said quietly as the Batmobile slowly drove into the alleyway stopping in front of him as he approached a side compartment that slid open to reveal a spare suit inside as he pulled it on. "Lucius, a woman is heading to the upstairs floors of City Hall, whoever she is, she's good," Bruce said quietly as he grabbed his grappling hook firing it upwards as he grappled forward. "All right, I'm working on getting into the cameras at City Hall, but it may take me a minute," Lucius replied in his communicator as Bruce slowly sat on the edge of a nearby rooftop, his eyes scanning the floor as he noticed the elevator was stopped on the third floor. "I'm going in," Bruce said quietly as he glided forward before landing on the rooftop of the City Hall building. "Lucius, I'm heading inside the building," Bruce said quietly as he made his way into a ventilation system before traveling to the third floor and slowly coming out.

Once inside the building, the Caped vigilante slowly walked past a multitude of desks, the moon was starting to rise in the background and the floor was mostly empty except for the light from the elevator. "She's not on this floor," Bruce said quietly as he approached the elevator to see a black dress laying on the floor, as he then slowly looked upwards to see the escape hatch open. "She's on the fifth floor, I'm heading up now," Bruce said as he grappled upwards before arriving on the fifth floor of the building, his eyes scanning the room as he slowly stood up walking through the room. "Almost done." A female voice said as he turned his head to see the door to the mayor's office open as a woman in a black costume stood at the mayor's computer downloading files onto a flash drive. "I suggest you hand over that flash drive," Bruce said quietly as he approached the woman, his eyes staring at her as the woman smiled turning around. "Well, I guess the Bat isn't a myth after all," she said as her eyes watched the man in grey and black, her lips forming into a smile. "I suggest you give up now before you get on my bad side," Bruce said as Selina slowly grabbed the flash drive for a moment as she smiled.

"Well, I'd love to stay and chat, but I have work to do, and the man that hired me is paying a lot." She said quietly as the download finished and she removed the flash drive before flipping over the desk as Bruce ran after her. "Hand over the flash drive!" He yelled out as he Selina slowly turned to try and kick the man as Bruce leaned back barely avoiding the kick, the woman was agile and quick, which made up for her lack of fighting skills other than brawling. "You really should learn to stop watching girls when they're trying to work," Selina said teasing him as she slowly swiped at him with the claws that were on her suit as Bruce dodged to the side before slowly delivering a blow to her stomach and knocking her back a bit. "You really are no fun," Selina said with a smirk as she swung at Bruce, the vigilante quickly grabbing her arm and flipping her over and slamming her down on a table. "Give me the flash drive," Batman ordered as he stared down and into her eyes, a small smile forming on her face as she leaned forward, her lips almost on his. "No." She whispered before quickly delivering a kick to his stomach and swiping at his face with her claws as she then rolled out of his grasp. "It's been fun bats, but this Kitty's got to run." She said as she ran towards a stairwell that led to the rooftop as Bruce chased after her.

Once on the rooftop, Selina made her way to the ledge as Bruce fired his batclaw at her, the hook wrapping around her arm as he yanked her backward. "It's over! Face it, you've lost." Bruce said quietly as Selina slowly stood up with a small smirk. "I don't think that's quite true, but come on if you think you can stop me," Selina said quietly as she ran at the Caped Crusader, her claws out as she swiped at him multiple times forcing Bruce to dodge from left to right before quickly delivering a kick to the back of her leg as he grabbed her arm slowly forcing her to her knees. "Give me the flash drive!" Bruce ordered as Selina slowly smiled. "I really don't think you know what's going to happen," Selina said as she grabbed the whip that was held at her side as she whipped it backward's some causing Bruce to jump back as Selina slowly got back up and Bruce charged at her, the whitish blue light of the moon above them illuminating the night sky.

Selina would try and kick the vigilante as he blocked it with his own leg before sending a punch at her as she ducked under it before delivering a blow to the side of his head as Bruce stepped back some and Selina shook her hand for a moment. "I can't tell which is harder, your mask or your head," Selina said as Bruce clenched his fists before swinging at her as she dodged, he would then spin around to deliver an elbow to the side of her head as she stumbled backward. "You know, you really are starting to not be that fun," Selina said as she held her head where a bruise was already forming. "This is over," Bruce said slowly approaching her as he stared down at her, a smile forming on Selina's face as she looked into his eyes. "You know, when I meant doing this dance forever, I really didn't mean like this." She said with a small chuckle as Bruce's eyes widened slightly as she leaned forward almost kissing him before allowing one of her nails to gently cut his cheek. "You've lost, just hand me the flash drive and I'll deliver you to blackgate personally," Bruce said quietly as Selina glanced down before slowly shaking her head. "I can't let that happen, I'd be killed, but I should warn you about something, someone is going to attack City Hall, hell maybe he had me go upstairs as some sort of distraction," Selina said quietly as she looked at Bruce's eyes once more as Bruce looks back into hers before he slowly heard screams followed by multiple gunshots as he turned. "I'm sorry about this, they forced me to help them, they have someone I care about hostage," Selina said quietly as she took a step back. "Selina, don't do this, just give me the flash drive and I can help you," Bruce said quietly as Selina continued backing away. "It's been fun Bats, I hope we can do this again, but you can't be in two places at once, and you can't save everyone inside and go after me," Selina said before quickly jumping off of the building as Bruce stepped forward briefly wanting to chase after her before he turned around and ran downstairs.

Outside City Hall a black van slowly pulled up as three men jumped out all wearing black masks, and all three of them armed with assault rifles and pistols as they quickly shot the two guards before approaching the entrance as a man in a white suit and black skull-like mask slowly got out as well and followed behind them. "It's time we show Gotham, who it's new crime boss is." The leader said with a chuckle as his men kicked the doors open and the man in the Black Mask slowly walked inside as two more vans pulled up and multiple men got out as they followed behind Black Mask. "Sorry, I'm a bit late to the party! It seems I lost my invite, but don't worry, I'm only here for one man." He said as he approached a nearby table as he slowly jumped onto it. "I'm looking for Carmine Falcone, so, which one of you are him?!?" Black Mask slowly asked as his men began to scan the room and start to force people to the ground as they began to secure the building and hold hostages as Falcone didn't move. "Fine, let me try this again." He said as he pressed the barrel of his gun against a woman's head. "WHICH ONE OF YOU IS CARMINE FALCONE!!!!???" He yelled out as Falcone slammed his fist on the table before slowly standing up as he approached the stairs. "Good, that's good." The man said as he released the woman and two of his thugs grabbed Falcone forcing him to the ground. "Take him outside to the Van." The man ordered as he approached him. "It's an honor to meet you, Falcone, you can call me Black Mask." He said as he walked around the room making sure no one tried anything.

Alfred sat with Jim and Harvey alone as Barbara had gone to the bathroom. "So, I suspect Bruce should be getting back any second now," Alfred said quietly as Jim nodded. "Me and Barbara should probably be leaving soon," Jim said quietly as he prepared to get up before the sound of two gunshots caused everyone to turn before the door was quickly kicked open, the British man in the corner of the room glancing upwards as he held his umbrella tightly for a moment. "Shit, that's a lot of guys," Harvey said quietly as he slammed his fist on the table briefly, he had thought about getting multiple police officers to guard the building, but he figured with the likes of Carmine Falcone, Hill, and Loeb here that no one would dare show up or try anything. "I'll call for backup, the station isn't far so they'll get here quick," Jim said quietly as he reached for his phone before six men made their way up the stairs as they aimed their guns at them. "If any of you move, you're dead." One of the men said quietly as Jim slowly moved his hands away, his eyes turning to look towards the bathrooms where Barbara was.

The door to the bathroom slowly opened as Barbara stepped out of it, the young girls' eyes scanning the room as she saw her dad surrounded by a man with a gun. "Dad!" She yelled out with fear in her voice as she ran forward before one of Black Mask's thugs knocked her down with the back of his hand as he slowly approached her aiming his gun at her. "Stupid brat." He said quietly as he kept the gun aimed at her, his finger on the trigger as tears began to fill Barbara's eyes before the lights in the building slowly went off. "The hell?" The man with the gun pointed to Barbara said as he slowly glanced around before Barbara slowly looked past him to see a figure standing behind him, as the figure quickly slipped his arm under the thugs before covering his mouth with his hand and wrapping his arm around his throat to knock him unconscious. "B-Batman?" Barbara slowly said in shock as Bruce laid the man down and he looked at Barbara with a small smile as he held a finger up to his mouth to signal to her to stay quiet as he then pointed to the bathroom for her to hide.

Once the power went out, Black Mask knew that The Bat had arrived. "Take Falcone to the van, I want to meet this masked freak." He said with a laugh as he stepped back approaching a table as the lights in the building slowly turned back on. "So, let's play a game, whichever one of my thugs kills The Bat gets paid ten thousand dollars." He said as all of his thugs raised their weapons up. "There's roughly thirteen of them, and one of you, I hope you know what you're doing, one wrong move and people could die." He said as he slowly made his way to the exit. "I hope we can properly meet soon, I have a feeling me, you, and my business partner would get along great." He said with a chuckle as Bruce slowly leapt off of the chandelier above as he landed on the ground below. "It's over Black Mask." He said quietly as the man simply smiled. "Well, maybe for you, but not for me." He said as he slowly fired two bullets at the vigilante as Bruce quickly rolled to the side watching as Black Mask ran out of the building. "Well, then boys seems like the bat is all ours." The thugs said as they all began to open fire and Bruce ran for cover behind a nearby wall.

The gunfire continued as people screamed trying to get to safety, a few people getting hit by bullets in the crossfire as Bruce clenched his fists. "Lucius, can you hear me?" Bruce slowly asked into his communicator as he heard the men slowly walking forward. "Yes Bruce, I'm into the camera system as well, any plan you have?" Lucius asked as Bruce slowly nodded. "Yeah, I just need you to cut off the power again, this time as long as possible," Bruce said as he pulled out a batarang as he threw it at the chandelier causing it to fall to the floor nearly landing on a few of the thugs. "Turn it off now, and send the Batmobile to the entrance," Bruce said as the lights went off and Bruce grappled upwards to a hanging light above as he stared down at a six Man group as they scanned everything. "Three of you head to the stairwell! The rest of us will make sure that this bat freak doesn't go anywhere." One of the men said as three men ran towards the stairwell making their way up it to make sure that he didn't escape or go to the second floor.

"Lucius, send the Batmobile through the entrance on my count," Bruce said quietly as he watched four men slowly approach the entrance to keep it secure as they slowly scanned the room with their flashlights. "Three, two, one," Bruce said quietly as he watched the entrance as the Batmobile quickly crashed through it sending the four men flying backward as the other six men turned, Bruce's hand quickly grabbing two batarangs as he threw it into the shoulders of two men before sending two more into their knees as they all fell down. "You thought you could take me out, but I don't quite think you know who and what I am!" Bruce yelled out as he fired his batclaw onto another one in the group as he pulled the man back and into a table as the three remaining men looked up to see him as they slowly opened fire and Bruce dropped a smoke pellet right where they stood as he jumped off of the light he was on. "W-WHAT THE HELL IS HE!?!" One of the men asked before a yell filled the silent void followed by the crashing of a table and the loud sound of a fist colliding with someone's head. "I'll kill you, you son of a bi-" before the man could finish a hook had been wrapped around his leg as he was pulled to the ground and dropped his gun before his face was then smashed into the ground as the smoke cleared and Bruce approached the last thug as he dropped his gun. "P-Please d-don't kill me." He begged as Bruce stared at him before grabbing him by his throat and slamming him into the nearby bar before knocking him unconscious as Bruce heard the last three men start to run down the stairwell as Bruce slowly walked inside grappling upwards and stopping the men in their tracks. "Kill him!" One of them yelled as Bruce quickly grabbed the barrel of his gun turning it away from him as he delivered a kick into the man's stomach before slamming his head into him and pushing him over the railing before throwing the gun into the head of the second man. "O-Oh g-god, i-is he dead?" The last man asked as he watched his friend hit the floor and dropped his gun. "No, but I'm sure he has a lot of broken bones, the fall wasn't enough to kill him though," Bruce said as he approached the last man who began to step back even more as Bruce slammed his head into the wall before the lights slowly turned back on and the building was quickly evacuated.

Once the lights came back on, Jim Gordon slowly rose to his feet as he glanced around hearing the sound of multiple sirens fill the nights' sky as Paramedics and Officers rushed inside getting everyone to safety and taking people to Ambulances. "BARBARA!!!" Jim slowly yelled out as he ran down the stairs, his heart was pounding and sweat ran down his body as he rushed to the bathroom pushing the door open. "BARBARA!!" He yelled out once more as he slowly saw his daughter and ran towards her. "Oh thank God you're safe." He said hugging her as he picked her up. "D-Dad, Batman saved me." She said as Jim looked at her for a moment as he began to carry her outside, those words replaying in his head.

On the rooftop of City Hall, the last thug that Bruce had taken out slowly awoke as Batman stared down at him. "P-Please don't kill me!" He begged as the vigilante grabbed him by the throat lifting him upwards and holding him against the ledge. "WHERE'S FALCONE BEING HELD!!!!" Bruce asked as the man screamed and Bruce tightened his grip. "Talk." He ordered as he slowly loosened it. "B-Black Mask will kill me." He said as Bruce delivered a blow to his stomach. "AND I WILL DO WORSE!!!" He yelled out as he stared him in the eyes. "I either loosen my grip on you and drop you, or tighten my grip on you and crush your windpipe, so talk before I get pissed," Bruce ordered as the man slowly cried. "Y-You won't kill me." He said as Bruce slowly let go of him as the man yelled before Bruce fired his batclaw around his ankle hanging him upside down in mid-air. "Talk, or I let you fall." He ordered as the man cried more. "H-He's taking him to an old warehouse, they used to package and sell fish, and he's meeting this man tomorrow that goes by Penguin, that's all I know!" The man said as Bruce slowly pulled him back up. "J-Just what the hell are you exactly?" The man asked with fear in his voice and eyes. "I'm Batman." He replied before slamming his head into the ground and knocking him unconscious before wrapping a rope around his ankle and hanging him from a nearby perch where two officers stood below.

Soon Bruce had made his way into the Batmobile which was located back in the alley behind City Hall. "Bruce, I've sent the file of Selina Kyle to your computer, but I also did some research on Black Mask and sent what I found," Lucius said quietly as Bruce slowly eased his foot on the gas pedal and began to drive out of the alleyway. "Thank you, Lucius, I'm heading back to the Batcave, that's all for tonight," Bruce said quietly as he sped through the streets, his eyes watching the road closely as he made his way into the Batcave.

Once inside the large cave, he would then get out of the Batmobile and remove his mask as he approached the Batcomputer. "Time to see what Lucius found." He said as he slowly set down in the chair his eyes scanning the screen as he opened up two files, the first one about Selina Kyle, his head turning slightly as he heard the elevator before Alfred walked out and ran towards him. "Oh, thank God you're safe sir, I-I don't know what I would do if you had died," Alfred said quietly as Bruce looked at him for a moment before Alfred's eyes slowly looked at the screen. "And who exactly is this woman? She looks familiar, is she the one you danced with?" Alfred asked as Bruce nodded. "Yes, and she managed to get a keycard off of me and steal files from the mayor's computer. She was raised on the streets, no family, and no real criminal history." Bruce said quietly as he knew that this meant that she had not been caught yet as Alfred figured out that was the case pretty quickly. "And as for Black Mask, his gang has been rising in power, and tensions have been rising between him and Falcone for a while," Bruce said quietly as he read through the file, he needed to figure out who this guy was and who was helping him. "Do you have any idea where he is exactly?" Alfred asked as Bruce slowly shook his head. "He's supposed to meet a man at an old warehouse they used to sell and ship fish, I have a feeling they won't kill Falcone not yet anyway, but he will be used for ransom," Bruce said quietly as he slowly stood up. "They don't meet until tomorrow night, so I'll find Falcone and save him before taking him, Black Mask, and this Penguin guy to Black Gate," Bruce said quietly as Alfred slowly nodded. "Well, I think it's best that you and I get some rest sir, we have a lot to do tomorrow," Alfred said quietly as Bruce nodded as the two men slowly went upstairs, the lights of the Batcave turning off, and the batsuit sitting quietly on it's stand in the darkness of the cave.

(This is the end to chapter 1, please suggest stuff in the comments and vote the story if you enjoyed it. I will try and update it whenever I have the chapters finished. This story will consist of ten chapters which will mostly be smaller than this one except for maybe Chapter Five and Ten which will probably be near the same length. New Chapters whenever possible.