Forward

[I did not find his saying "I am vengeance" or "I am justice" appropriate with the context, so we will be going forward with the good old I am Batman]

/Same day. hours before/

"So that's it? Everyone's pulling the plug and moving on..."

"There's nothing left we can do. If there was any indication Tony was still alive--"

"Spare me. I read the official email. Thought maybe you'd have something different to say"

Rhodey follows her into Pepper's office.

"If anyone could figure out how to beat the odds, it's Tony. If it was you over there, he'd be finding a way to get you back. Or inventing a new one."

"What do you want me to do?"

"Be a better friend to him." And with that, she storms out, leaving him stung.

.

.

Rhodey, duffel slung in front of a C-17, is shipping out on a line of soldiers. General Gabriel pulls up on a golf cart and approaches. Everyone salutes. The General pulls Rhodey aside.

"What do you think you're doing, Rhodes?"

"Going back there, Sir." General Gabriel sighs.

"Listen, son -- it's been three months without a single indication that Stark is still alive. We can't keep risking assets, least of all you."

"Are you blocking my transfer, Sir?" Gabriel looks around to address all the soldiers of his lower rank to Rhodes.

"Any one of these guys would kill for your career. Are you telling me you're willing to sacrifice that to fly a bunch of snake-eaters on a desert patrol halfway around the world?"

"I am, Sir." His answer was met with another sigh,

"Then I have one thing to say to you: Godspeed." He salutes Rhodey. Rhodey salutes back.

.

.

At Tony's side.

"You have till tomorrow to assemble my missile." Raza walks out. His henchmen grab Abu's legs and drag him out. The silence hangs there.

"Prepare the propane tank IED 44 cylinder."

"On it." Both of them hasten their exit plan as they were met with a deadline to keep their heads by making the missile, a missile they had not even started making.

.

.

/same time[same day hours ago]/

The Dark Knight was onto something. The five overseas were knocked out without a sound, a huge feat for anyone, but ordinary in this case.

Bats started off by throat chopping the relatively isolated one with the other hand's middle and ring finger blocking any air to be passed through the mouth, a basic technique the League of Shadows taught their protegees for silent infiltrations.

The Dark Knight had always maintained hostile relations with the league, primarily from their side but picked up whatever could improve his duty as Gotham's night guard. His current fighting style was a perfect amalgam of various techniques, primarily from the League of Shadows, the Court of Owls, and most dominantly his self-taught martial arts, the most versatile one to exist.

Batman lunged toward the nearest of the left ones, a single punch to the face and a sleight of hand to break the lower limbs of the opposite while maintaining stealth, a nigh difficult task for any.

Snatching the guns of the two, he kicked the jaw of the faking unconscious man, taking his consciousness as Bats struck the other couple with the guns provided to the thugs, perpendicular at the back of the head of one and straight at the forehead of another.

Sparing one last glance before moving ahead, he walks unabashed, in a straight path for the next group of three to see him approach them.

[Insert THE BATMAN Theme | Michael Giacchino ]

He lunges forward and lands a hard punch to the chest of the one forward while putting him down for good with another kick in the back of his head as the thug fell.

-Because he was not here to stop these dealings stealthily.

The other thug, wearing a black bandana, pulls a katana from his side while his partner loads out his gun for use.

-Nor he was here for some fare or acknowledgment from the masses.

Batman puts his hand over the nozzle and kicks forward with a force to be reckoned with, pushing the assault back into the open shipment container.

-He was there to make a statement.

The Katana ninja tries a basic yet practiced attack, straight down, pulling back his sword to cut him down in one strike.

-To make these small-time thugs think ten times before getting into the shady business.

He stops the incoming assault while diverting the force to his side and disarming the opponent out of his blade, throwing the sword aside while walking towards the man slowly.

-To bring out the fear in them, the hesitation in them, the terror, the horror, that if someone commits himself to crime in his area...

"W-we are the Hand woul- *hiccup* would not let this slide! Who even are you m- " The man receives another punch to his jaw as Batman turns to reach for the remaining sixteen men who were loading-unloading near the hangar.

-He cannot

"I am Batman" was the words the Ninja last remember listening to, as he lost consciousness while watching the leaving man with a black cape.

.

.

"I am Batman"

On the screen was the Dark Knight in his full glory, blessing the Hand with his own Hand, effectively pulling off a deal worth millions, everyone brought to justice with the police being reported of the caught and bound thugs before the fight even started.

"He beat twenty-four men into submission, six of which were heavily armed with guns and the rest having swords and katanas, that too within one and a half minutes, the normal response time of the police in the area, and we have nothing on him?"

"Sir he shares quite some similarity with the incident of 3 months ago." Coulson brought out his thoughts in hand for everyone to ponder.

"That is true, it is impeccably similar, and he calls himself Batman?"

"So we now have an extraterrestrial vigilante on our streets and you can't find anything about this being the world's foremost spy agency, I mean where are the cameras following all the paths in and out from the location? any other witness to give us a read of his whereabouts. Surely the billions of dollars of international budget on Shield is being wasted under Fury's leadership." Continued General Thaddeus Ross, the representative from the Pentagon on the unknown threat still looming about the streets of the United States

While the news had died down, the authorities still made an effort to find leads about the falling man, as was in the interest of if so does happen in the mainland.

An Alien had fallen into their country with unknown intentions for God's sake!

"While Shield may say the alien one of the two was thrown off in space, the threats are still present without the man in question not coming forward to report the leadership of the country, I propose we make Martial law effective across the city and search each home individually for blood samples for full force!"

'That's idiotic'

"We will do no such thing, the future remains uncertain, and a friend is always preferred against an enemy. We should notify the person in question to come forward, as it has been a long since the public has been demanding answers. If we deprive them anymore, we risk a possible fallout as the protest rises across the world." One of the leading ladies of the World council suggested.

"I agree, the United States will be making an official statement about the matter soon." President Obama stood up and left his seat soon after the meeting ended with him addressing the World security council.

Walking outside in the hallways of the Pentagon, he was joined by the Director of Shield.

"So?"

"No one was killed, the worse of them would be on his feet in two months. Whoever this is, he is professional."

"That I could see."

"No, he is professional among professionals, I doubt fifty of my second-degree soldiers could even touch his fists without him allowing to do so," Nick answered as he swirled his black coffee around the cup.

"Can we bring him down if need be?"

"I would say yes, but not without mutual damage."

*ring*

"Mr. President, call for you." The President left as Fury replayed the video of Batman fighting.

On the screen was Batman looking straight into the camera in one of the cameras, anticipating to have the best view out of everyone he had encountered.

He turned and left after throwing the last one of the bodies into the pile supported by the electric pole.

Fury noticed the timestamp and walked toward the exit of the US Pentagon.

'Son of a bit#h'

On the screen was the video replay option, with one minute 27 seconds to beat all the armed and unarmed 24 people and then make a pile of them, pulling them from various places across the hangar.