Hi, guys~! This is my first time writing a Batman fanfic! I got the idea, because I love the trilogy with Christian Bale.. This is set during The Dark Knight, but it's way different than the movie. It may have some same events and characters as the movie, but it has a whole different plot because I threw an OC in it. Also, in The Dark Knight Rises, there's John Blake, the detective. I also put him in this, even though he's not in the movie. I have an idea for a squeal after this, so if I get good reviews, I'll make it~! Please R&R, and leave suggestions and creative criticism.

For anyone who entered the small, run down house located in the poor, trashed neighborhood, the first thing that would meet their nose would be the overwhelming aroma of medical supplies. The house was broken and battered by years of needed repairs that never came. They had been attempted, leaving half painted walls everywhere, the small living room in a mess, and the dining room table left hazardous with renovation tools. They small family that consisted of a mother and daughter tried to keep it as clean as they could, but... Everything turned around several months before, causing them to stop everything.

The master bedroom was about the size of a normal bedroom, with a walk in closet. A large bed made from ash wood took up a majority of the room. In it, laid a frail woman who could be no older than fifty. An IV drip hung from a metal pole beside the bed, a needle inserted into her pale, fragile hand. A small heart monitor, supplied by the local hospital, beeped at a steady pace with her dying heart. Her daughter sat in a rusted metal chair beside her, gripping onto her right hand. This was how she wished to spend her final days, hours. Sharing memories with her only daughter.

Then, both got eerily quiet. It was several moments before Miss Cawon spoke. "Val, there's something I want to tell you before I leave you," She gave a small squeeze to Valerie's hand as she erupted into a coughing fit. The doctors couldn't find what was wrong with Caroline Cawon. She just woke up one day, sick as a dog. They ran many tests, scans, and took blood samples. Nothing showed up. They sent her home with the supplies, such as the IV and heart monitor, and had a nurse who came by an hour every day.

"Don't talk like that, Mom," Val responded after she stopped coughing. Her eyes were saddened, giving hint at her fear or her mothers approaching death. She was only fifteen, she shouldn't be going through this...

Caroline closed her eyes. "I think I should at least tell you who your father is," Valerie tensed up. Her mother never spoke of the man who gave her her only child. Valerie despised him without meeting him.

"Who?" Val asked cautiously.

Her mother was silent for a few moments. "Just know, I left him before he knew about you... He was starting to do so well with his life!" Another small round of coughing. "I left him, saying he didn't need distractions. He.. he wanted to marry me, but I couldn't tell him... I declined and left." She was rambling on, and Val placed her other hand on her mother's arm.

"Who, mother?"

"Bruce Wayne.."

Darkness blanketed Gotham when the sun set, light pollution from the metropolis blocking out the stars and causing the sky to appear somewhat lighter than it should have been. The city continues to pulsate with energy and people despite the dark hour. A woman stood on top of the building, watching the busy street below her. She wore a solid black jumpsuit that zipped down the front, the sipper stopping at the hallow of her neck. It was the woman's own personal design, made of two different fabrics. The inside kept heat in at a comfortable temperature, while the outside was light and good for defending knives and bullets. Gloves covered her hands, made from leather and had rubber on the fingertips in case she came across an electric fence or something just as shocking. She had a belt wrapped around her curvy waist, copper with 'SP' engraved on the buckle. Her shoes were black, reaching her knees. They laced down to the ankle, black ribbons instead of lace. The toes were round and copper plated so she wouldn't be in much pain if she kicked something. The heels were tall, thin and also copper. The woman's hair was pulled back into curly ponytail, dark purple with bangs that surrounded her face. Resting neatly in the hairline where her bangs started rested a pair of copper goggles. Her eyes were a stunning yellow, lemon colored.

She jumped, free falling through the air. Skillfully and with a soft thud, she landed on a ledge and twisted her torso around, falling off and grabbing the edge. She maneuvered her way across it until she was hanging above a fire escape. She hurried down the metal fire escape, her heels clicking on the iron. She broke the heel off her shoe, standing in front of a window. She pressed a button, and a small drill came from the end, rotating fast with a quiet hum. She reversed the rotation and drilled the screws out of the window frame, slipping into the building. She was on the third floor, and began heading downstairs. She had mapped out the window days before to know she would enter in the main stairwell.

She pulled her goggles down over her eyes, adjusting them. She tapped a button on them a few times, switching to night vision. She pulled a device off her belt, throwing it at the ceiling where it stuck firmly. A smirk came across her lips as the device activated, knocking out all alarms and cameras in the building. She loved to invent her own gadgets! She created from copper, cogs, everything Victorian she could get her hands on.

Thus giving her the name she chose for herself; Steam Punk.

Steam put her heel back on her boot, clicking the two together. They reclined into her boots, causing them to be flat. This gave her the ability to run if she was being chased and to make less noise in case anyone was in the building. She hopped over the stair railing and fell to the first floor, like a cat. She had amazing reflexes and skill for all the exercises she did and the years of ballet she took before she lost all her money.

Stealthily, she opened the door to the jewelry shop. She knew she would only have five minutes before the alarms came back. She hadn't yet built it to stand longer, though five minutes would be enough. There was something here she desperately needed to get her hands on.

A platinum engagement ring, set with a diamond. She could sell it to Lao for a good $19k, who would turn around and sell it, and so on. She would give around 17k to random places around the city, such as orphanages or schools in the slums. People who needed it. She would keep two grand for her and her mother, to pay the bills. No one would know.

She walked over to the display case, pulling her heel out of her shoe again. She started the drill back up, carving a perfect circle into the case right above the shining ring. She grinned in anticipation, grabbing the glass before it hit the jewelry. Setting it to the side, she extracted the ring and looked over it. With a sinister smirk, Steam Punk slipped it on her gloved finer and examined it. Beautiful. She pulled it off and held it between her lips while she switched the heel to a lazer pen, melting the glass back into place. She turned around, pulling the ring off and tossing it in the air. Another gloved hand grabbed it, causing her eyes to dark around. For a second, she couldn't see anything because of the night vision, but then she saw two figures standing in front of her. She sneered and moved away, moving into a defensive position.

"Oh, if it isn't Batty-watty and Bird brains." She smirked, crossing her arms.

Robin and Batman both glared at her, the younger holding the ring. "Stealing from jewelry stores? I thought you were original."

She shrugged, walking towards them. "What can I say," The heel changed to a knife, and she pointed it at Robin's heart, "Girls have eyes for shiny things."

Robin growled, as Batman spoke, his voice deep and gravelly. "You have two seconds to get out of here."

"Not without that ring," She growled back, lunging at Robin, who stumbled back and let it go. Steam Punk grabbed it, dashing for the door. Her alarm had thirty seconds left before the police arrived. If she could outrun the two vigilant heroes of Gotham, she could keep the ring. She shielded her face, kicking out the window on the first floor, sliding out onto the sidewalk. A few people screamed, and she pulled her goggles up. Quickly, she sprinted off into the ally from where she came. Her motorcycle was there, black with copper. Did I mention she loved copper? She bought it a few weeks before to make getting around easier.

She jumped on it, kicking the kick stand back. Adrenaline pumped through her body, causing her to shake with anticipation. It was silent. She knew they could appear at any moment. She revved the engine, and twisted the accelerator forward. Everything was green for her, since she still had it on the night vision setting.

Suddenly, Batman fell from the fire escape, a few yards infront of her. She slammed on the breaks, turning ina circle in the wide ally. Robin was there, blocking the path. She growled, trying to find somewhere to go. She didn't have anywhere...

She threw the ring at Bird Brains, and thrust the accelerator and sped past him and into the traffic of Gotham. Police zoomed past her, the device she had placed on the roof now defective.

It seems now that Valerie's mother won't live to see another day, after all...