A man awoke crouched on a gargoyle, far above the streets of a dark city.
Konrad Curze breathed in, the pollutant filled air filling his lungs.
Lungs, only two of them, why?
The Night Haunter was a Primarch, son of the Immortal Emperor, and within his enhanced body he had many extra organs, his Imbiber, the third lung that acted as a toxin dispersal system.
Toxins, there was something in the air, Curze could smell it.
A green smog drifted through the streets below him, emanating from a large airship passing slowly along the way. A truly ancient device, but in this case apparently effective, given the inability of the strangely dressed Arbites to board the craft. They wore no rebreathers or other gear, and several were just lying on the floor laughing manically.
The Night Haunter's eyes picked out another man, no doubt the dissident responsible for the riot aboard the blimp, dressed in a torn purple suit, with white face paint and green hair.
"Whatcha waiting for Bats?! Come get me!" the man laughed manically and fired a rocket launcher in Curze's direction.
The Night Haunter did not move, he had already calculated the path of the missile, it posed no threat.
The rain beat down harder, splattering loudly onto the cowl Curze was wearing.
What had the man called him? 'Bats'? That seemed appropriate, given the iconography of the Night Lords.
Night Haunter had been quite ready to accept his death at the hands of the Callidus assassin M'shen, all his work, ever drop of blood to preserve order on Nostramo for nothing, they had just sunk back into the muck of villainy and crime.
And now he was here, this city, wearing a cape and cowl, obviously some pathetic attempt at his vigilante past in Nostramo Quintus. Perhaps is father sent him here, to this human body, some plan for redemption maybe?
Another rocket from the criminal aboard the blimp and a few yelled insults came at him.
With grace born of decades in darkness Curze dropped off the gargoyle, his cloak billowing out behind him like great dark wings. He landed on the flexible roof of the airship, crashing through it and into the gondola on the bottom. There was a sudden surge as air rushed out and the airship lost altitude.
"Oh now we can have some fun!" said the rocket wielding man in response to Curze's entrance, "Get him boys!"
A dozen heavy set thugs charged forward, Curze reached instinctively for a weapon at his hip, lifted and fired in one smooth motion. Instead of a bolter shell however a bat-shaped grapnel and a line rushed out, impaling the leader of the troop through the neck.
The thugs paused, their eyes wide as the head of their chief fell from its body, spinal cord severed completely by the grapnel.
Night Haunter discarded it, leaping into the fray; he tore the throat of the next thug out completely, the viscera dribbling between his taloned fingers.
This body was strong for a mortal's, stronger than most, and fast, almost as good as a common Astartes. He wished he had Mercy and Forgiveness, his two artificer- Lightning Claws though; even the Widowmakers would have been effective.
But what he did appear to have were small, bat-shaped blades, strapped in several sets to his waist and thighs. These flew out, his arms moving in a blur as they imbedded themselves into eyes, throats and stomachs.
The last two thugs ran, ran back to their cult leader at the pilot's station. A strange creature stood next to the villain, looking as close as a human could to an Eldar Harlequin. She ran forward with a large hammer, swinging it with all her dubious might.
The Night Haunter did not smile; his face remained as it had through the fight, entirely devoid of emotion, but he reached up and with one had stopped the hammer in its tracks, plucked it from the air, span, and with a swing snapped the Harlequin's neck.
The Thug who had run away had begun to succumb to Curze's aura, fear gripped him and he leapt out of a window, plummeting to the street below in an attempt to escape his doom.
No matter, the justice of death was inevitable for all lawbreakers, criminals and scum.
"You're not him!" protested the white-faced leader, "You can't be him, you, you IMPOSTOR! You can't be the Batman!"
"No." Curze finally spoke, stalking forward. "I am much worse."
His fingers clasped around the Joker's throat.
"I am the Night Haunter."
So after reading Switch I wondered what other characters would go well together, then of course, Batman and Night Haunter. Batman being one of my favorite characters I thought I'd alter the arrangement slightly to have a better Batman. In this story (If it's continued) there would probably be a great deal more villain death, and eventually hero death, once the Justice League get word of it.
The actual Batman though? In 40K, against a Callidus and a whole Legion of Night Lords? As much as I like him, doesn't stand a chance.