Chapter 72: Furry Vigilantes

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"There is not a monster more dangerous than a lack of compassion."

- Master Splinter, (Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles)

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(Previous Chapter Note: Okay, some of you complained about a couple of things in the last chapter, mostly about the ill effects of the NZT-48 and the unneeded stupidity that resulted from it. I think it was my fault that I couldn't explain it completely through my writing. So, here's another try from me.

NZT might be an OP drug since it increases your intelligence by a huge margin by forcing the brain to operate at its maximum capacity but it is also equally dangerous not only because of its negative effects on one's health which Bruce took care of using the vaccine but because of how it suppresses the empathetic side of the brain, only giving way for the cold logical side of the user to reign supreme. It makes the user a fearless and mostly emotionless person who operates through cold hard logic.

Bruce had an idea about this but didn't know just how much this apathy would affect him and that was why he didn't want to use it despite having perfected the vaccine. The NZT high Bruce was absolutely sure he would win. That was why he took the risk because it wasn't a risk at all for him, it was a known result. Even in the 'Limitless' movie and the show, the drug almost gives birth to a separate personality of its users due to the absence of empathy in them after taking it, a personality that is driven purely by greed and an ambition to grow.

After its effects wore off, Bruce got back his emotions along with his fear of death while losing part of his increased intelligence along with the logical reasoning that forced him to do the ritual under NZT's effects. To the regular him, it was an unneeded risk, but that doesn't change that this is going to help him, in the long run, a LOT, something that his smarter self, realized.)

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<[A certain sewer of Gotham]> 

<(Omniscient POV) {Animal Dialect}>

"Hey Ace, don't you think that we have destroyed enough of the Wiggles gang's hideouts? They have even retreated from the area where our mansion is located. I think we can let them go this time. At this rate, we will be destroying the entire rat population of the city if we continue our raids. I have heard some humans on TV say that destroying any one animal species in a particular area sometimes causes disbalance in the biod... umm, you know nature." Whiskers, the cute orange cat expressed his worry as he and Ace continued to slowly walk through the sewer. 

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"Plus, it stinks too much. And the dirty water might ruin my nails and fur as well. Selina spent a lot of money to get them all shiny just last week, she would be angry if I suddenly showed up with sewage dirt all over me." The cat further expressed his worry in his cute little voice as he scrunched up his tiny nose in an attempt to block the smell while making sure not to get his fur dirty in the sewage water while walking. 

"You are complaining about the smell? YOU? I am a dog and you are a cat. Who do you think has a better and more developed sense of smell? My nose is so fed up that I literally can't smell anything anymore. As for getting ourselves dirty, Selina will probably scold you a little and then forget about it, but me? Alfred will most probably stop giving me my evening treats if he sees a single spot of sewer dirt on me." Ace complained with a growl.

"But even then, we have to do this. This is our duty as loyal pets after all. The Wiggles gang not only disrespected me by invading my territory but they even insulted my authority by coming into my own house and tearing apart my dear old butler's uniform. Those rats even had the galls to chew on some of Miss Cortana's wires. No, I can't forgive them after that. I will make sure that they suffer for that. I will make them suffer so much that never again will a single critter ever challenge my authority or even dare to look in the direction of the Wayne mansion. I WILL KILL EACH AND EVERY ONE OF THOSE RATS." Ace barked in anger as he seemed to have taken the action of the rat gang quite personally.

"As much as I remember, Alfred is Bruce's butler, not yours. Also, about the pieces of apparel we are wearing over our heads to hide our identities. Don't animals remember each other by sense of smell?" MR. Wiggles responded after a while of silence.

"... You should not concern your little head with details Kitty Dynamo. Let me, the Hound be the one to worry about plans." Ace replied with a straight face as he continued to walk ahead with the confused Whiskers in tow.

The truth was that Cortana had no need of Ace's assistance, nor had she ever asked for it. She could have easily eradicated the rodent infestation in the mansion by simply activating the pest control system that Bruce had installed. But Ace had implored her to let him handle the situation, and after days of begging and annoying her with his Kevin Hart human voice, she had finally indulged his request to lead the charge against the invasion of the rats.

You see after Ace had cunningly 'manipulated' Selina to adopt Whiskers, he had thought that he would finally have Bruce's undivided attention every night while Selina was occupied with her new pet. But his plan backfired when Bruce left for a trip soon after Whiskers joined their family, and that too without even entertaining the idea of taking Ace with him. 

After that, Ace felt the emptiness of the mansion more than ever. His friends had grown busy with their lives, leaving him behind. Selina only allowed Whiskers inside her room. Deathstroke was always busy with his mysterious new job, never sharing anything with Ace. Alfred was kind, but not really a cuddler. Ace spent his nights alone, longing for a cuddle buddy. His days were filled with training exercises under Cortana's and Alfred's instructions, as well as shadowing the butler everywhere, hoping to find some distraction from his boredom. 

Ace had tried to surprise people by speaking like a human before he had learned the hard way that a speaking dog was not a good idea at all. So, now he had to always keep his translator off in public. In short, his life was boring without Bruce and the only time he could have some fun was when he defended his territory, the Wayne Estate, from intruders. He would chase and bite their balls, making them regret their trespassing. But even that had become rare lately.

Ace felt a surge of excitement when he learned that there was a new challenge waiting for him. He had always craved adventure and danger, something that would make him feel alive and useful. He hated being treated like a mere pet, a pampered pooch who only knew how to eat, sleep, and obey commands. He wanted to show everyone that he was a faithful companion who could handle any task, no matter how difficult or risky. That's why he volunteered to take on the mission of eliminating the city's biggest rat nest, the notorious Wiggles gang.

In fact, he even had Cortana make two special collars for him and his sidekick Whiskers with a design similar to the Bat tool. It didn't have all its fancy gadgets but it did have a mini blaster that could emit a sonic blast which was harmless to humans but deadly to rats.

With the collar around his neck and his peak canine physique, thanks to a special serum that Bruce had developed to extend his lifespan by several folds, he was the most formidable dog in the town. He had expertly navigated his way through the animal underworld, slaughtering the gang rats that crossed his path, until he reached this particular lair of the Wiggles gang, their supposed headquarters. It was located in the deepest part of the city's sewers, the dark and filthy domain of the rodents.

"Why do I feel like you are having a flashback? Also, how big is this sewer? I thought Leatherback said that we won't have to go far down this route to find the gang." Whiskers asked as he began to look visibly tired. 

"Never trust an alligator Whiskers. They and their cousins, the crocodiles are born liars, not like us loyal dogs." Ace replied, not even halting in his steps. 

"But I am a cat." Whiskers responded with a sigh. 

*Tip Tap* *Tip tap tip tap tap tap tap* They suddenly heard a faint sound of pattering feet, growing louder and faster by the second. As they looked around, they saw hundreds of small rats emerging from the shadows, surrounding them from every direction. The rats had different shapes and sizes, but they all shared the same hungry and vicious look in their eyes. 

"Damn! We're trapped." Whiskers exclaimed in alarm as the cat arched back and assumed its typical fighting stance. He felt a twinge of fear as he saw the large number of rats closing in on him, but he also felt a thrill of anticipation. He had joined Ace in his quest not only because he was his best friend, but also because hunting rats was his second-favorite hobby. He couldn't wait to get his claws on some of them and make them his… trophies.

"Where is your leader? I want to talk to him. I want to look him in the eyes while I burn down the last of his 'little' empire. I want to remind him of the law of the Jungle he so desired, to put in him the fear of the Hound whom he crossed by coming into my house in broad daylight." Ace roared proudly as he stood unfrightened in the face of danger. 

The rats remained silent and still, showing their teeth and claws at the two intruders. But soon, the mass of rats in front of them split into two, making way for a much larger and more menacing rat that slowly approached them. He was twice as big as the biggest rat in the horde, and one of his eyes was missing, probably from a previous fight. He looked savage and hideous, as he gnawed on what seemed to be the leg of another rat. He was the Rat King. 

"So you are the leader of this gang, the infamous Rat King, huh?" Ace asked with a growl. 

"Ah, the infamous Ballbiter and his sidekick Kitty Dynamo. Yes, a lot of people do call me that. But I like to go with my name, the name that was once given to me by the humans who made me into what I am today, Popo Corleone Wiggles. I commend you two for making this far here but you won't be leaving alive from here today. You will be the food for my gang members for today's celebrations." He replied in a gruff yet calm voice as the surrounding rats began to cheer by snarling at Whiskers and Ace. 

"It's the Hound... But, how did you know about us coming here?" Ace asked uncaring about the nickname that he was actually famous for in the underworld. 

"Leatherback," Popo answered in a single word. 

"... I am going to claw out both of that alligator's eyes after this." Whiskers whispered in suppressed anger at the betrayal, an emotion the cat rarely showed in front of others.

"Unfortunately you would not have that opportunity. Any last words before you become pieces of meat for me and my gang?" Popo Corleone Wiggles asked with a sarcastic bloodthirsty grin on its face.

"Yes. Say hello to my little friend." Ace said with a smirk on his dog face,

"Wha...?" Popo the Rat King could not complete his words as he exploded into chunks of flesh just as a weird burst of concentrated sound originating from Ace's collars reached his ears, spreading blood and rat flesh all over the place.

"Damn, now we are both covered in blood." Whiskers said as he activated his own collar to begin the culling of the rest of the stupified rats.

"Look at the bright side Kitty Dynamo. At least, we will be able to enjoy the next bit fully. By the way, let a few of them leave here alive. It would be helpful in spreading our name in Gotham's Animal Underworld. They should know that there is a new player in town and he will not let things slide." Ace said with a howl as he readied himself for the bloodbath that was to come.

"As you say Ballbiter." Whiskers answered as it too prepared itself for its life's biggest snack time.

That was the day that would go down in history as one of the most brutal and epic battles in the city's ruthless animal underworld. The largest gang in the city, the Wiggles, was wiped out by just two pets, the fearless duo of the Ballbiting Hound and his sidekick Kitty Dynamo.

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<[Primary monastery's basement, Nanda Parbat]>

<{Human dialect}>

"Are you sure we are going the right way? We have been wandering through this dark basement for the last ten minutes. I just hope that Bruce is okay" Nyssa exclaimed her worry and impatience as she ran in a rush alongside Talia and the hovering drone that was being piloted by Cortana.

"Okay? He is fighting our father. I just hope he is still alive. Maybe we will be able to defeat Ra's if the three of us fight him together. Cortana can even give us artillery support." Talia muttered her plans as she brainstormed the best way to get rid of her father without letting herself or her sister get badly hurt.

Right now, they had almost gotten complete control of the entire Nanda Parbat branch of the League of Assassins. The assassins who had pledged their loyalty to them and had fought for them in the battle were now along with the drones overseeing the rest of the takeover.

"Bruce should be in this direction. The last I knew he was fighting Ra's Al Ghul but for some reason, his communicator got completely destroyed, so I have no way of knowing his current exact status." Cortana said in what sounded like an emotionless voice to the two sisters. 

But the truth could not be further from that because right now, she was almost frying her servers with worry. She knew about Bruce duking it out with Ra's Al Ghul in the Lazarus pit. But sometime during the fight, his bracelet had gotten destroyed by the acidic water of the pit along with his clothes and everything he had on him. So she had no way of knowing if Bruce was truly all right. All she could do was just hope for the best while preparing for the worst and that was exactly what she was doing by having her drones prepare a special medical camp for Bruce outside.

Suddenly Talia who was keeping a watch on the Lazarus Pits in the basement yelled in surprise.

"Wait, I see something. That big Lazarus PIt in front of us, it is shining." 

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(A/N: By the way, a Rat king (the one defined in modern science, not the old superstitions and folklore) is a rat that is captured by humans and forced to repeatedly fight and eat other rats for survival through starvation. The Rat King is basically a cannibal rat that is prepared by humans and then released in the wild to hunt and eat other rats. But of course, Gotham being Gotham, this Rat King was a little bit of a freak who established his own gang.) 

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