A/N: Hey! New story...Yeah...Well, as a writer, when you get an idea...gotta write it down. Anyway, hope you like the first chapter.

Listen to my story. It isn't one you hear every day. How I got my abilities…I didn't ask for them. Nor was I chosen for them. They were forced onto me, and they were going to use me to control the fear in people's hearts. I thought these kinds of things only existed in movies or videogames. But, I was wrong. They do exist in the real world. I managed to escape, but I also got back at them. The ending however...it isn't what you expected. At the final moment, I kept my powers. I destroyed the cure, and the man responsible for my suffering. I accepted who I am, and what I have become. But, I'm still afraid of them, even if I have accepted myself and my abilities. It is also that fear that keeps me from getting close to someone. But...that changed. It all changed one night when I was in a city called Gotham. I met someone there. I didn't tell him all at once, but I slowly told him piece by piece. Listen to my story on how I not only got my abilities, but also how I finally let go of that fear of getting close to someone. It all started on that night in Gotham City, a few days after when a being named Superman first became known to the world.

Gotham City...where criminal activity never drops. It either remains the same, or gets worse. When it gets worse, there is one person there to make things right. The Dark Knight. The Batman. There are criminals that live in fear of the Batman, but there are those that aren't. And those that aren't afraid are the ones responsible for the mess that Gotham has always been in. Corruption is what drives the city. Too many good people gone bad. Some good turn insane, and reach the point of no return. Sometimes it just takes one bad day to completely change someone. That is what happened to Bruce Wayne. His parents were taken from him at a delicate age of 8 years, shot down in front of a movie theater. It was because of that one bad day did Bruce Wayne decide to fight crime in Gotham. To make it better so that no child would go without their parents. So that the people of Gotham would no longer live in fear of the criminal world. But, as time went on, crime didn't decrease. It just remained the same, and more criminals popped up, one after the other. And now with the appearance of an alien being named Superman, how long will it take until Superman turns against humanity?

It has only been two days since the attack on Metropolis, a city just across the river from Gotham. So much destruction, and so many innocent lives taken. The image of the little girl Bruce saved was still fresh in his mind. The pain and sadness on her face when she pointed out where her mother was. When he saw one of his employees under the rumble, losing feeling in his legs completely...he couldn't forgive Superman for what he did. For bringing war to them. His building he could care less for it can be rebuilt, but for the lives that were taken while still inside, like Jack...those can not be brought back. The little girl's mother can not be brought back. Bruce, and the Batman, see Superman as a threat to all of humanity. He just had to find a way to stop Superman, to find something that can stop him if that day ever came.

For now, Bruce had to focus on helping rebuild Metropolis, and also Gotham City. His home. Nights were always the same here. Dark, and the criminals wandered the streets. People locked in their homes, praying that no one came in that night. Praying to live another day in this crime filled city. The nights always remained the same. There were always criminals in the night, hoping to escape the Dark Knight, but some aren't so lucky. The Batman always gets his target, one way or another. But, tonight wasn't like any other night. Tonight is when the Dark Knight meets another being. This being is what one would call a metahuman.

The streets are dangerous to walk out on during the night, especially when alone. But, it is even worse for women that dare wander the streets alone at night. They are the most vulnerable ones, moreso than the men. One lady was about to learn that on her first night in Gotham. She walked the streets, trying to find a place to sleep. The city was big, and finding a hotel was difficult. She didn't think it would be this difficult. She could clearly tell that no one was out and about. Almost everything was closed, and the only people that would be out would be the police, but she saw no patrol car in sight. She let out a small huff, frustrated with herself, and continued to walk from one block to another. It didn't take her long to get the feeling that she was being followed.

She tried to stay calm, not wanting to trigger anything. She picked up her pace just a bit, but all she heard was laughter coming from behind her. She didn't dare look back, only knowing it would lead into a chase. It already was a chase anyway. She turned a corner, only to be met with more men, smirking and smiling at her. It was then that she realized that she had brought herself to an alleyway. Even worse.

"Dammit, Crystal. You should have seen that coming."

She turned her head, and the men behind her were also smirking, happy that they have trapped their prey. Fortunately for her, she knew how to fight. She knew how to defend herself. So, she took a stance, and waited for one of them to make the first move.

The Caped Crusader moved from rooftop to rooftop, patrolling the streets from the sky. Every where he went there was nothing but quiet, until then he had heard sounds of a fight. Using his batclaw, Batman swung over to the alleyway from where the fight was taking place. There, he saw six men against one woman. It was no surprise that there were men targeting a woman. But what did surprise him was that the woman was able to fight back. He watched her, move after move, executing her defense and counter attacks. He wasn't sure if he should step in, seeing how the woman was doing just fine. That is until he saw one of the men take a metal pole and whacked her good on the head. A small scream came from her, and that is when he stepped in. Of course, when he dropped down next to the woman, the men stopped, unsure of what to do.

"Didn't anyone ever teach you not to hit a lady?" he said.

Crystal's head was pounding from that attack. She was clutching her head, down on her knees. And then she felt something. Something deep inside her, wanting to come out. And she knew what it was, and she couldn't hold it back.

"No..." she whispered.

The ringing in her head drowned out the men getting beaten by someone that had dropped down in front of her. She got up, one hand still on her head, and she tried to walk away before it could come out. Batman had taken care of the six men, and looked over at the woman trying to walk away. He then started to walk towards her, seeing clearly that she was hit pretty hard in the head.

"You're going to be okay," he said. "Let's get you looked at."

"No...No hospital," she said, holding her hand up. "Please stay back."

"I'm not gonna hurt you."

"No...I don't want to hurt you."

It was then that Batman noticed her eyes started to glow red, and he stopped in his tracks. She took a few more steps back, and let out a cry of pain. With that cry, something had come out of her. It was like a shield projection, and it went towards him. He braced himself, sliding back a couple of feet. He looked up from behind his arms, surprised to see what had just happened.

"I'm...sorry..."

She had collapsed, but Batman managed to catch her before she hit the ground. Slowly turning her over, he examined her head. He could see a small bump starting to form, and a hospital would definitely be a bad idea. He could only bring her to one place, and he wasn't sure if it was a good idea, or not. But, he would have to wait and see. He had to find out what exactly she was, and where she came from. He wanted to know if she was another alien like Superman. It was clear, though, that she is indeed another metahuman.