Author's Note: I know, I have plenty of other stories on the burners that need updating, but I'm trying to work on them with my new schedule. I'm hoping to get a number of other things updated over the next few days before Monday and that I've finally worked out my new schedule to start updating on a regular basis again. I didn't realize that I hadn't updated 'iGuess We're Roomies' since early October, sorry about that.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy this opening preview of a story I hope to started updating at the beginning of February.

The Dark Dame

By OneHorseShay
Disclaimer: I don't own the following characters and my writing does not reflect the views of the respective owners. These intellectual property rights are owned by their respective owners of Dan Schneider, Nickelodeon, Viacom and Warner Brothers/DC Comics. (Okay, a little different from my normal Disclaimers of "Don't Own, don't sue. For God Sakes, don't sue", but I wanted to be a little clearer.)

Rating: Max T Language, Violence, Adult Themes and Content

Established Pairings: Sam Puckett/Beck Oliver, Cat Valentine/Robbie Shapiro (Cabbie), Puckentine Friendship
Possible Pairings: Jade West/Freddie Benson

Summary: The Mob has quietly ran Gotham City for decades but 'The Bat' and a mad green haired clown threaten to bring their whole world down on top of their heads along with Metropolis' 'Man of Tomorrow' making an unexpected appearance to complicate things further for the criminal underworld.

Prologue

In the year…

Barney Triplet with his twin bother, Billy, nervously and quietly crept towards the back of the store front property on the overcast night with an oncoming thunderstorm rumbling over their heads. It was a little mom and pop deli shop on Park Road, as of late a particularly crime free street of Gotham City to the people and businesses in the area, but it came with a price. Unfortunately for the shopkeeper and his wife, they had refused to pay and in the morning would see the error of their choice.

Billy noticed his brother's apprehension, much to his irritation. He rolled his eyes then hissed when they reached the back door, sledgehammer in hand, "We've been over this Barney. It's simple; we break in, trash the place just a little bit then we come back tomorrow and tell him we can get his stuff back and make sure something like this doesn't happen again—for the standard fee. Boss's orders."

Barney looked over his shoulder and around for the fifth time in less than a minute then muttered, "The boss isn't here, he's out partying somewhere living the high life while we're stuck doing this. I don't like being out here Billy, not this late at night."

Billy raised his sledgehammer, readying to hit the deadbolt of the backdoor, but stopped to quickly asked, "What are ya talking about? You've never complained about the job before and why are you suddenly all afraid of the dark?"

"It's not the dark I'm afraid of… it's what's in the dark. You didn't hear about what happened to 'The Shadow Hammer'?"

"The guy that stole D.A. Shapiro's car after that robbery? The cops put him in the hospital before they sent him to jail."

The other twin shook his head. "No, I heard 'The Bat' got him and left him to the cops with his arms and legs broken. A giant, supernatural bat-thing straight out of Hell."

"The Bat? There's no Bat just like there's no Skunk Ape. You've been reading too many of those urban legend magazines and tabloids."

He turned back to the door and lifted the sledgehammer. He took a swing at the lock and it shattered, sending the door swinging backwards into the store. He looked back to this brother and motioned his head back into the deli and demanded, "Now come on—"

He didn't finish as his attention was caught something behind and above his brother's shoulder.

Barney whispered in dread when he saw the expression on his brother's face, "What?"

Billy dropped one end of the hammer to the ground and barely hung on to it with his other while pointed behind his finger past Barney towards what he was seeing.

The second brother slowly turned and saw what had terrified his brother: another flash of overhead lightning illustrating a dark figure with what looked like a flowing shadow blowing to their left on the opposite building of the alley and his expression was replaced with a look of horror.

The shadowy figure started to take shape until the brothers could clearly see that it was wings—wings of a giant bat.

The brothers' hearts nearly stopped… then they both wet themselves as a line shot out from the dark shadow and the figure started swooping down on them.

The unmarked Cadillac police car sped around one of the patrol vehicles parked in front of the shop and pulled up to the curve. The detective nearly leapt out of the car to see what had been so urgent over his police radio. "Son of a…" Detective Vega whispered as he saw the burglars with bruised faces slowly swaying back and forth as their feet were tied to a line of the overhead streetlight. He could hear them hysterically mumbling about a giant bat while the uniformed officers and a few firemen were trying to figure out a way to get them down.

In another part of the city…

In the back of another typical store front property that looked just like the mom and pop shop along the streets of Gotham that Billy and Barney were attempting to trash, however this store had entirely unwholesome things occurring in their large backroom meant for storage: gambling tables of all shapes and sizes were setup with dozen of patrons dressed to the nines surrounding them and throwing away small fortunes with untaxed liquor flowing like milk and honey. This was the speakeasy for the one-percenters of Gotham City and quite above the law in the possibility of being raided or so they thought…

The front and back door busted open with several men plowing their way through with the patrons assuming they were being raided as unlikely an event that may be. However, the sound of several shotgun blasts sending the security into the floor with gory holes in their chests and the rattling of a Thompson submachine gun blasting towards the ceiling dashed those thoughts.

The terrified patrons looked on in heart gripping fear as several well dressed gentlemen wearing Halloween clown masks spread out to secure the gambling hall with a young lady lazily taking the center of attention.

She wore black eyeliner in her eye socket that extended all around by about an inch to cover her as if she was wearing a mask like the Lone Ranger. Her blond hair was parted down the center and tied in bunches. One end of her hair was painted black and the other red. She wore a strap supported black and red bustier holding her supple and ample bosom that stopped just above her exposed bellybutton and midriff. Her outfit was completed with hip hugging black (right leg) and red (left leg) leather pants leading to black military boots.

Any sexual attraction the males in the room may have held at the sight to the twisted Harlequin, they were more fearful with the Thompson submachine gun in her hand with the 50 round drum magazine pointed at them. She shouted with a high pitched, but harsh voice, "Alright boys, empty your pockets then step away from the tables. Don't try to be reaching for your cash or guns if you're carrying."

One was foolish enough to try to reach down to grab some cash and the hellish clown turned the submachine gun on him. She let out a burst of fire, riddling him with bullets, his blood splattering blood on the table and neighbors. The fire and the cold blooded killing sent the others patrons diving to the floor and under the tables.

She shouted in outrage and waved the Tommy Gun around, "I said no touching the money!"

The clientele trembled in fear and didn't make a move as a final person lazily walked into the gambling hall carrying a sawed-off shotgun and he definitely stood out from the rest of the robbers.

His face was covered in white makeup, black makeup over his eyelids and in his eye sockets and red lipstick on his lips that extended halfway up his cheeks. His shoulder length hair was dyed green and quite stringy. He wore a long purple coat that extended to his knees with matching slacks, a green vest, oddly pattered grey dress shirt and tie.

He wore a manic smile, enhanced by the makeup and stated with a chilling conversational voice, "Ladies and gentlemen, I apologize for interrupting your fun evening, but… we are here to relieve you of all your ill-gotten gains to put in our pockets. I'm almost like Robin Hood—I steal from the rich and give to myself." He started manically laughing.

The patrons remained in place as the rest of the Halloween clown wearing men quickly grabbed all the money off the tables to stuff in bags while two of the robbers covering the back dashed into the money room to bag the winnings for the night.

One of the huddled individuals defiantly called out as the obvious leader in purple casually walked past the table he was partially hiding under, "Do you have any idea who you are robbing from?"

The green haired 'freak' stopped in his tracks and turned his attention to the brave man. He squatted down softly chuckled then calmly answered, "Of course I know who I'm robbing—that pretty boy wannabe actor, Beck Oliver. That's why it's so much fun." He started laughing again, going from very soft to nearly manic in just a few seconds, sending a slight shiver down to the man's gut.

The white faced clown stood up and glanced towards his female companion. He casually remarked, "Burn it to the ground Harley."

"Yes Mister J." She raised her Tommy Gun up and fired another burst, terrifying the patrons again. "Now if none of you want to become roasted like a Thanksgiving turkey, you'll get out of here! Deuce?! Get mama her gasoline!"

The ones nearest to the back door did not need to be told twice as they stood up and dashed towards it. The clown masked gentlemen standing on either side of the door stepped aside to let them past instead of being consumed in fire.

Several minutes later from the rear seat of Cadillac, the nightmarish harlequin rested her head on the purple colored jacket shoulder of her companion while they watched the store be consumed in flames and panicking the mid-evening travelers on the streets that the fire would soon spread to other businesses. She approvingly muttered, "I love a good light show."

The clown affectionately smiled and whispered, "I know darling. Why do you think I let you do it?"

I hope you enjoyed this prologue and will tune in when it really gets started. Thanks to everyone that continues to read my stories and I hope you have a Happy New Year.