Chapter 3

Thank you so much for your patience, guys! It's been a crazy weekend, and this chapter will be short due to work schedule driving me crazy. The holidays are coming up, and I'm planning something special for you peeps! Stay tuned, and enjoy this chapter.

"What have we got?"

A middle-aged Caucasian man walked into the warehouse, that was now labeled a crime scene. He sported a black police captain uniform, with a Jitters coffee cup in his hand; his grey hair receding above his brow. "Nothing you want to see, sir," A young detective in his early 30s spoke. "Apparently, Martin's men had a meeting with some dealers. A weapons deal went south, dead bodies everywhere...it's a damn bloodbath."

This caused the Captain to shake his head, as he then motioned for some officers to show him the bodies. He saw a decapitated body, after moving away the sheets and groaned. "Looks like a hit to me, Matthews," The Captain deduced to the Detective, Aaron Matthews. "I want this kept under wraps. I don't want press getting wind of a mob war in my city. Is that understood?" Matthews simply nodded, as he saw the captain walk up to some CSIs to get further details of the scene. Everytime I think I've seen it all, the universe has a funny way of proving me wrong. Damn shame, Matthews thought as he looked back at the bodies decapitated or mutiliated with throwing stars and blade marks. Matthews then went out, to take a smoke and process what the hell was happening in this city. From above the warehouse on a taller building, a shadow was watching. Satisfied with his work, Wraith glared down with a smirk under his mask before vanishing into the darkness.

Wraith simply jumped off the rooftop, now grappling onto a gargoyle perch from the clock tower, swinging his way towards the Martin estate. It was time for the vigilante to make his grand reveal to the crime boss, and let him know that this city wouldn't be cowering under fear any longer. "Blake, it's me." Wraith spoke into the comm near his ear, once he landed onto a tree in front of the gate, perching over a branch. The gate was guarded by two mobsters with 10MM pistols as the vigilante looked on with a scowl.

"Yes, Mister Wilson?"

"I think I've found a way to get Martin's attention. It's a good thing that punk told me where his estate was, because I'd like to have a pointed conversation with him. Man to man." Wraith then pulled out a kunai, placing it into his hands, now forming a fist.

"If I may," Blake began to advise the man he raised from his youth from the information hub at an undisclosed location. "Must you be so brutal and cold with the criminals? This city needs hope, not a reason to feel fear."

Wraith sighed, shaking his head. "Hope left me a long time ago, Blake. It's time I give what I can to the people of Empire City. As cheesy and gay as that sounded." He added, now jumping down as the guards were shocked by his presence. Before they had a chance to alarm Martin and the other men, Wraith cut their throats and performed a double jump kick to hit them into the ground. Looking on at the dead mobsters, Wraith went on his way to the gate, breaking the chains with just a pull. "Sir, these men are heavily guarded. You wouldn't stand a chance," Blake's voice rang into Wraith's ear as the vigilante silently swept behind a bush and used his kusarigama to cut off the legs of a mobster that was standing nearby during a smoke break. Wraith then pulled the now disabled punk into the bushes, delivering a blow to his face with a punch, leaving the criminal to bleed out. He then grappled onto the rooftop windows, not really wanting to take them all out. He just wanted to make sure there wasn't any witnesses to his uninvitation.

Entering the estate building, Wraith pulled out his katana walking down the hallway. "There must be others patrolling the estate, Martin's not stupid." He said to his friend via comm once he reached three guards that were talking then noticed the vigilante. '

"WHAT THE FUCK?!" One of the men exclaimed in shock, seeing the Wraith in front of him. "Hello, boys," Wraith greeted, "I've come to deliver a message."

"And what message is that?" The second guard, who was bigger in comparison to the three, sneered just when suddenly the Wraith jumped up into the ceiling, throwing a shriuken into the third one's face, killing him instantly before bouncing his foot into the first one.

"It's for your boss only. After all, I'm the messenger from hell." Wraith said using his kusarigama to swing it towards the big guard, as the other dodged the weapon only to pull out his hunting knife. Wraith gave the guard a death stare before using his weapon to lock the guard's weaponized arm into the chains, before pulling him back and wrapped the kusarigama chain around his torso, trapping the guard as Wraith struggled against his opponent's free arm to kill him with the kusarigama blade.

"You won't find the boss..." The guard managed to speak as he tried to pull away Wraith's blade, but Wraith kept pressing harder. Just when he was about to taunt the vigilante, the blade managed to deflect the guard's face and was stung into his chest. "I'll bet my inheritance on it," Wraith sarcastically replied once the mobster died from the blade in his chest.

Karl Martin woke up from his bed, rubbing his eyes as he heard the scream from one of his men; alerted, the crime boss pulled out his Glock from the dresser now rising out of bed. The blonde middle-aged man looked at the door, preparing for what was coming his way. Suddenly, the door opened to reveal a gas capsule was thrown into Martin's face, blinding the crime boss. "What the fuck is this shit?" He exclaimed, trying to find his way around the gas once a gloved hand had then pulled him in, and punched him hard in the face to render Martin unconscious.

Ten minutes later, Karl had woken up to find his was dangling outside his master bedroom from his 7-story estate mansion. "What is this?!" He demanded, yelling in fear. "Let me down! You know who I am!" He cried out into the night, wanting to know who was responsible for this. Suddenly the Wraith showed up behind the balcony, looking at Martin with a smile as he saw the crime lord was danging from the rooftop upside-down.

"You should be terrified, but then again: you thought you've seen worse. You haven't." Wraith said with a smile, glaring at the crime boss. He then pulled out a kunai, and grabbed the collar of Martin's pajamas to reel him in. "I have a message for you, Martin. This city is now under my protection. Any illegal act you proceed with, I'll be there. Every life you ruined, every soul you tainted, I'll be there too. I own this city, in many ways than you'll ever know. There will be no second chances. When the sun sets on the next day, I'll take away everything that was taken from the good people of Empire City," Wraith said now pulling Martin from the string that was holding his dangled body, and slammed him onto the balcony. "That's a promise. I'm coming for you."

With his piece said, Wraith then disappearing using a smoke capsule, now flying away with his grapple device into the night, leaving a seething Karl Martin with a mind to put a bounty on this vigilante's head. Bring it on, criminal scum.

There we have it. Chapter Four will be done as soon as possible. It's a pleasure writing, really. Give me your reviews. Tell me what you think, and what characters from the DC Universe should have an impact in my OC-verse. Thank you all so much, see you later!