Chapter 2: Streetfighters

There were six of them. There were four Leaguers there to fight them. Numbers were not on their side. But then the Justice League was not about just strength in numbers. The odds were still so much with them that any bookmaker would have stopped taking bets a long time ago.

This was obviously a new bunch on the scene, people who had somehow developed meta-human abilities or who had just stayed out of the way until now. Whichever it was, though, was a matter only for when they were apprehended. As they had stated to scared citizens before the League had arrived, they apparently called themselves the Death Row Gang, naming themselves after executed prisoners of times past. It was as if they thought the names alone would help them achieve their evil goals, despite looking nothing like any the original holders of those names, nor having yet committed crimes worthy of the originals.

What made them chose to make a scene now was anyone's guess, but what seemed most apparent was that they were treating this as a form of proving ground. Taking on the Justice League, any member of the Justice League, and making it out the other side away from a jail cell would be a major boost to a fledgling criminals reputation. None of this lot seemed to have the brains to successfully lead their own life of crime for long, let alone a whole group of supervillains, so earning a reputation would be everything to them.

But they would not be earning one today. Not a good one at least. This would thankfully be one of those League missions when Batman had no need to worry about her safety.

One of the group had splintered from his five friends, leaping up into a tall building at the sight of the Leagues arrival. It took him a single bound that indicated incredibly powerful leg muscles, clearly seen even in the darkness of the night. It was almost like they had scared that one off simply by showing up. Some reputation he'd earn. Even his friends were yelling at him – nicknamed Atzerodt according to their calls – in anger at his cowardice.

The whole act was also far too obvious to truly fall for.

The rest all held firm in the street despite what they were up against. That was foolish of them. Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and the Flash had leapt from the Javelin to engage them in battle. Punches were flying, power ring blasting, sudden tornadoes sending villains flying across the street. No matter how tough these guys were, they were going down fast. They may have power, but not enough, and no experience or wisdom to compensate.

The one in the building would be going down faster. Batman did not let criminals get away. He could tell what was going on the instant this guy "ran". A shot of the grapple set him in pursuit the moment the Javelin set down, just after a growl to the others that he would take the one up top, making sure that they would not follow too.

This was an office building, shut down for the night. Dark, spacious, only the two of them in there. Perfect territory for the Batman to strike. He kept to the shadows, hugging them tight so the villain had no idea he was even there. He could hear "Atzerodt" enough to place him virtually running straight through the desks and furniture, able to locate him without even needing the cowls infra-red vision.

From the sounds of stumbling, this guy didn't seem to be as powerful as his leap up to this office had suggested. He was tough, yes, likely with superhuman strength, but he wasn't invulnerable. He was probably counting on punching first. No wonder he was the one who ran when he saw Green Lantern and Wonder Woman. Batman kept track of where Atzerodt was as he tried to bash his way through to safety, but at the same time drew a sonic shock batarang. He did not move from his perch in the shadows, watching the villain run as he planned the batarang's flight. He even let the villain begin to believe that he was going to get away.

Batman had read Atzerodt the moment he saw him leap up here in his act of trying to become lost in the dark emptiness of the building. Crushing his hopes now would crush Atzerodt's spirit, ending any future he could have as a major criminal. The guy was virtually at the door before Batman finally unleashed his weapon.

Despite all the sounds of the battle below, the whistle of the batarang flying through the air was clear enough to make Atzerodt look back and gasp in fear the moment before it struck. Afterwards all he could do was yelp in pain as the electric shock drained him of his consciousness. A second later he collapsed to the deck, defeated.

However, Batman knew he was not done. He remained in the shadows, using the cowl to scan the darkness. Atzerodt had fled too quickly, given in too easily. Criminals were often cowards, but they also had egos, especially the powered ones. They would not run like this until they had been at least wounded first. No. This was clearly a trap to lure at least one of the League up here, and Batman was not prepared to send anyone else into the trap. He could, and would, handle it.

As it turned out, though, Batman did not have to identify how the trap was to be sprung. He could hear that the fight was still going on, but he had seen enough of these guys to know that he did not have to worry about his allies. This time, as was so often but not always the case, she... they wouldn't need Batman watching over them to remain unscathed. At most, this Death Row Gang were causing them to make a lot of noise.

Nevertheless, the sound of the gun firing from outside this building was ear-splitting over all that commotion. For the merest fraction of a second Batman was almost back in that night in Crime Alley, and in the next fraction he was scared for his friends in the League down below. Well, one of them anyway. He was too quick to react for his mind to get a chance to worry about the other two who weren't permanently etched in there.

From his perch he could see where the shot had struck. Atzerodt had been executed by the person he must have been working for. Despite being laid out on the floor, someone had fired not a bullet but a metal rod right through his throat. Blood dripped everywhere from the source of impact. Batman knew that that sight would join the many caught in his mind for all eternity. He felt guilt for everyone he failed to save, even those who maybe did not deserve saving. However, right now he was more interested in the canister at the end of the rod that had killed Atzerodt. Someone was clearly trying to send the League a message, and Batman could tell who that was. The delivery boy at least.

These rogues were not unguided. They had just been fooled and betrayed instead, by the world's deadliest marksman. He must have been the one who made that shot; with such a projectile into a darkened room through a window, compensating for the wind at this height, it had to be Deadshot.

Batman had tackled the assassin before. He knew his style. This did not seem to be it, not since he had gotten out of his days with Task Force X when Cadmus was shown the error of their ways. Deadshot was not usually someone else's messenger, and he did not usually lead rookies, even as a con. That canister now protruding form Atzerodt's throat was not going anywhere. It could wait until after Deadshot was apprehended and talking.

Batman was steady, he was patient, but he was not slow. Knowing that it was a trap before he sprung it gave him speed of actions that Flash would be proud of. Working his angle, Batman used the cowl to trace the origin of the shot to the roof of the opposite building. With the reflections on the broken glass, he could see Deadshot running for a stairwell to escape the building. Odd. He also wasn't normally the type to run when he could have a shot at any one of several of the League, especially Batman. Another thing to ask him about.

Safe that he was not about to come under fire, Batman launched his grapple. The wind rippled around him as he was pulled from one building to the next, but he was not heading for the roof and a direct chase. Deadshot had a head start, and Batman hadn't the Flash's speed. This way, he would not need it. It was another office building, again shut down for the night, but thanks to the cowls night vision Batman had seen the sign two floors from the roof marking the door to the stairwell.

Flung across through the windows thanks to the grapple, Batman rolled over desks, smashing his shoulder and letting out a groan of pain, but that did not stop him. In a swift motion brought about by years of training, he was on his feet again right by the doorway to those stairs. His timing was perfect. He flung the door open just in time for it to slam into Deadshot's face, sending the man sprawling. Before he had a chance to sort himself out, Batman was on him, one hand on his throat, the other pinning down Deadshot's wrist mounted gun barrels.

"Talk," he very simply growled. Despite Deadshot's face being entirely hidden behind a hood, Batman could see his fear. This would not take long. After all, he had broken Deadshot before with just a few simple words.

"That's what the canister was for," Deadshot answered in his usual casual voice, but Batman could detect the underlying fear he was trying to mask. Deadshot had clearly been trying to shake him off, to make him think whatever Batman might do to him was unnecessary. It didn't work.

"And the Death Row Gang? This isn't in your M.O. Deadshot." His grip on the man's throat tightened, not so that he could no longer speak, but more as a threat.

"They were supposed to be my insurance, my way out," Deadshot explained, voice croaking slightly under Batman's pressure on his trachea. "I was paid a lot of money to get your attention. A lot of money. Enough to stop me taking a shot at you, Batman."

So, whoever it was who had hired the assassin did not want the entire Justice League. They just wanted him. Batman's mind began quickly narrowing down the list of candidates. He asked the question anyway.

"Who?"

"Let me go and I'll tell you."

It was Deadshot's attempt at negotiating for his freedom. Batman had no need to negotiate. He would have Deadshot talking. With his gauntlet he snapped the barrels of Deadshot's wrist mounted guns clean, removing the man's threat. Then, at great speed he hauled Deadshot to his feet, dragging him across the office Batman had smashed his way through and over to the smashed window via which he had entered. When Deadshot saw the drop below him he squirmed like a madman, virtually screaming. It was no grand secret that Batman did not kill his victims, but this was not a fall that would be high enough for Deadshot to die. It was the incredible pain of it that was scaring him.

"Okay, okay! Stop! I'll tell you!" the assassin uncharacteristically wailed, head having to fight from looking down below him. The Leaguer's fight with the Death Row Gang was clearly in its final throws down there but it was not quite over yet. Batman, short of making sure his allies were all still standing, hardly gave them a second glance. Deadshot was getting the full effect of the Bat-Glare to increase his fear. "It was some old Cadmus goon! I didn't care which one; they had proof of funds, that was enough. Guess they knew me from when I got "recruited" to do their dirty work for a while. Said he needed to see you, and only you, Batman. Said the only way to make you actually go talk to him, alone anyway, was to threaten your meta friends. Something to do with him not sharing Waller's reformed ideas about your League's trustworthiness. How I got your attention was left up to me. That's why I tracked down these upstarts. That and the fact I'd get to kill off at least one of those powered types to give you the clue to lead you to him. I figured I'd let those who didn't know better fight the League while I stayed out the way and got you to find that canister, to send you on your way to him. You weren't supposed to catch me..."

"This man, Deadshot. Distractions weaken my grip." To make his point, Batman faked dropping Deadshot. It was enough to make the assassin squeal again and return to the information Batman needed. Already Batman had heard enough to make him angry. One of the people involved with Cadmus was back on the scene, acting like a big shot even if they hadn't been back then. They were threatening his friends, even if just with some punks this time. Knowing full well just how much these Cadmus types hated having meta-humans in their midst, even those fighting the good fight, Batman knew to expect that worse would be coming if he left this alone. Batman would not allow that. He would not risk allowing the government to hurt her... them.

"Right, okay! That guy... He wants you for something, wouldn't tell me what but it sounded important. End of the world type stuff. Type of thing to make the bloke hire a guy like me, and at my prices. Said he needed Batman to stop it.. Said he didn't have the 'favour of the government' any more and that left you as his last chance."

"And why should I trust you? Or him?" Batman growled. It was a valid question. He had learned enough already to be able to follow this up. Finding who this man was would no doubt simply involve recovering the canister Deadshot had fired, but Batman still wanted to learn more from the assassin before he went after his employer. It was clear that if this was one of those who so feared having meta-humans among the normal types, then that would be why he would want Batman to come to him alone. Batman just wanted to hear what reason the man could possibly give to ensure he complied.

"Because he said... I don't get this, I really don't! I only agreed to this because I was supposed to get the chance to take some shots at your other Leaguers on my way out. I was particularly intrigued to bring down the "World's Fastest Man" in the ultimate test of my aim, but..." Batman feigned to drop Deadshot again, fed up with his babbling. He didn't need to add any more threat than that. "All right! All right! He said it wasn't just the world that was under threat! Said that the world was just gonna be the side show! He said someone's going to bring the whole world down on us all just to kill Wonder Woman, unless the Bat-"

Deadshot never finished that sentence. Batman had heard enough. He really was angry now, more so than he ever usually allowed himself to get, almost to the point of losing his control. He was not convinced Deadshot was not lying, or that he had not been lied to by the ex-Cadmus man. All that mattered though was that he would not let that threat stand. This man now had an angry Batman coming for him, to find out the truth...and to protect Diana.

Deadshot just happened to be on the receiving end of some of that anger before Batman left. His free arm snapped into Deadshot's face, smashing his mask and eyepiece to shreds, even a tooth flying free from the man's mouth. The strike was so powerful it flung Deadshot from Batman's grasp, but Batman was going to leave him in fear instead of pain. A simple blast of the grapple had Deadshot caught around the ankles before he could hit the ground, Batman hauling the assassin up somewhat before leaving him dangling over the side of the building. Deadshot looked up at him accusationally, almost dumbfounded at Batman's action. Batman shot him back another glare to leave him in even more fear.

"Don't threaten anyone again, Deadshot," he growled down at the assassin. "Next time, I might not be prepared catch you."

That was all he said. With another blast of his grapple, Batman swung back across to that first building to retrieve that canister from Atzerodt's throat. It made an odd squelching noise as Batman pulled it free. He did not even think about it, merely wiping the blood clear before disappearing deeper into the darkness of the building, setting off to get to the bottom of this, and to stop anything before it could happen. He would not let anything happen.

Not to her.

The fight had begun the instant they had arrived. After the first one's flight and Batman pursuing him up into the buildings, five of them were left for the remaining Leaguers to deal with. Shortly after the fight began, there were only four.

They came in all shapes and sizes. One was short and incredibly round, another taller than most men could reach, thinner too. What they all had in common was that they all had abilities beyond a normal human.

And the fact that they were no match for their League counterparts.

A blast of green light flew passed on Wonder Woman's right as Green Lantern sent one of the Death Row Gang crashing into a building at full force. The villain slumped as the light left her form, not getting up again. Coupled with the one Wonder Woman and Flash had taken out together at the start of the fight meant that the street brawl was now down to a series of one versus ones. That was fine by Wonder Woman. No longer did she have to think about tactics and the bigger picture like Batman always told them to. Now it was a straight up brawl, right where she was at her best.

"C'mon, darlin', bring it, I can take ya," her chosen target uttered in a kind of Southern snarl, the two of them stood effectively in a face off. Wonder Woman just looked at him with complete disgust. This man's ability was metamorphic. He could change his shape at will, allowing himself to harden his flesh so it packed a mighty wallop and to allow him to take a hit from someone as strong as Diana. He was probably the toughest one that the Death Row Gang had to offer, but he wouldn't be tough enough. He might be able to take a hit, but she very much doubted he could take a lot of them.

"Unlikely," she simply retorted, waiting no longer. She flung herself at him, fists a blur. He shrunk down so he was short and wide, stretching to dodge away from her strikes and reforming himself behind her. She swung her arms back behind her, catching a strike the rogue launched at her on her bracelets, the blow powerful enough to send her sliding back across the concrete. Eventually he broke off from the punch, allowing Diana the chance to send in one of her own. However, it never managed to hit.

The red blur flew across her vision as Flash caught the rogue off guard while he was distracted with Wonder Woman. Flash was so fast this guy didn't have the reaction time to cope. Before he could harden up his head again, Flash had him slammed head first into a solid wall. The crook groaned, but he did not get back up. Another one was down.

Wonder Woman did not care that her fight had been taken from her, particularly because Flash had left her a different target in that one's place. The gang member Flash had been engaging before taking the shape-shifter was left looking confused and disoriented a short distance away. It took only half a seconds flight for Wonder Woman to be at his side. This guy could not protect himself as the last one could. One smash of Diana's powerful fist and he was down too.

Off across the wrecked street Diana knew that Flash and Lantern were in the throws of defeating the final gang member. She did not rush over to join in. Something else now had her attention. Earlier on she had heard the gunshot up above. The fear that had struck her in that moment was like nothing she had ever really felt before. In that moment, she had thought that Batman was dead. After all, he had not the bracelets to defend himself, nor a power ring, nor super speed. But she should have known better. This was Batman. He could never be brought down so easily. Her fears had been assuaged when she had seen him fly across between buildings only seconds after the sound of the shot.

What she was seeing now had her worried in a different sense. After sealing that gang member's defeat, Wonder Woman had felt the small objects raining down on her. Looking at the street, she saw small elements of a smashed lens, as well as a shattered tooth lying on the floor amongst a small trace of blood. She quickly looked up to see the source. Instantly she recognised Deadshot up there, hanging by his ankles over the precipice of one of those buildings. She also saw Batman fling himself back across to the first building, seemingly in a hurry. From the looks of how he had left Deadshot, she could tell something was wrong. It was not out of the norm for Batman to beat up his captives, but it was always for a reason, usually to get answers from them. This time, Diana could not see the reason. With Batman gone so fast afterwards, wounding Deadshot couldn't have been a part of an interrogation. That meant that Batman had seemingly acted emotionally, and that just didn't happen. She had tried often enough to see it. She should know.

Wonder Woman forced her mind off of Bruce for now, looking back across to Green Lantern and Flash. They had the last man backed into a corner, but he was thus far able to hold off their attacks and keep fighting when it would be far more sensible to surrender. Diana flew up into the air, up above the man, going unnoticed. She then simply dropped, bringing her feet down hard on the man's head. He crumpled, and she stepped away from him.

"Nice move," John Stewart complemented her on her action. Diana, though, was back above in the buildings now the last man was down. She stepped a bit further away, not noticing as John grabbed Flash's arm so he didn't go after her, hearing but not paying any attention as John added, "Come on, hotshot. Let's get all these tough guys rounded up and ready for the police to take away."

The two began doing as Lantern had said, but Wonder Woman simply flew up to the buildings. She remained level with Deadshot, but ignored the man she could now hear whimpering in self pity, instead looking into the building on the other side. There was no sign of him. A corpse was in the corner, the gang member called Atzerodt, she realised. Wonder Woman guessed he was the victim of Deadshot's guns before Batman had gotten to the assassin. She did not know and right now she did not care why.

All it meant to her in that moment was all the gang members they had been sent to stop had been apprehended one way or another but, more importantly, that Batman himself was gone, no where to be seen. He was a master of the shadows, no doubt there, but he didn't usually take to hiding from the Justice League.

To hiding from her.

"Batman, this is Wonder Woman," she said into her comm as she pressed it active. She could not hide the elements of concern from her voice. It was not that she was worried that there might be another threat on these streets that the League had not been aware of. She was worried by how, even for him, Batman seemed to be acting very angry, very alone right now.

"Batman here," he answered, bringing her momentary relief. "I'm going off comm. There's something I have to check out. I'll make my own way back. You, Lantern and Flash take the Javelin back to the Watchtower without me. Batman out."

That was all he said, and he typically said it without emotion, without any warmth, but she could tell that there was an anger kept well hidden away that he didn't usually feel, as well as a sense of dread. That wasn't normal. Just in itself, it scared her.

She tried but she couldn't get him back on the comm again. He had answered, but he had told her nothing. She was used to him sometimes avoiding talking to her too deeply about his feelings on a whole variety of things, but the mission was everything to Bruce. For him to ignore her in regards to it must mean...

Well, she didn't know exactly what it meant.

Perhaps Deadshot would be able to tell her. The man was still whimpering away behind her. As soon as she, Flash and Green Lantern were ready to depart this scene she would cut the assassin down, drag him with them and then interrogate him her way before they went back to League HQ. Perhaps that would give her some answers, but right now there was only one thing about this current situation that she was sure about.

That was that she didn't like it. Not one bit.