Chapter 3

"Watchtower Log. Even though it was Batman that really got the wheels moving on putting together our little Justice League, I worry about his role. It's really his idea, but he doesn't want to play team ball with the rest of us, and that makes me wonder why he proposed the idea at all. For right now, it's me and Arrow leading things up. We've gotten communicators to all the members of the team, except for Batman... who claims he'd rather be considered an honorary member. Whatever that means. As far as I'm concerned, it's Arrow, Batman and Superman at the core, especially after the events of Thanksgiving Eve a few months ago, but Batman refuses to keep in regular contact. I guess Superman would know how to best get a hold of him, but it bothers me that we have to easy way to reach him, or even keep tabs on how he's doing. I guess he prefers it that way, but I'm not too happy with this arrangement. Batman's a loose cannon, and the differences between him and Lex Luthor are that he just happens to be on our side."

-Chloe Sullivan-Queen

"I'm surprised you called me out here at this time of night," Lucius Fox said as he tapped away on the computer keyboard, the massive screen before him flashing through different specs on the new Batsuit. "Especially since I thought you'd be spending all night at that fundraiser, you know, for the kids."

"I felt like eleven was a long enough stay for me," Bruce replied swift, adjusting the helmet on his suit, an electronic grid momentarily flashing before his eyes and the power switched on. "Besides, let's just say the night wasn't going too well."

"Ah, so this late night excursion isn't just for truth and justice. You've got a little aggression to work out."

"I never said my motives were completely altruistic."

Fox shrugged, a smile on his face. "Hey, I completely understand. When I was younger me and my brothers went to the gym to box it out when we were having a bad day. You just prefer to punch criminals instead of sparring partners."

Bruce allowed a slight smile as he worked at the gloves, the magnetic seals locking into place. "Something like that."

Lucius activated a button on the computer, the screen flashing a second before Barbara Gordon's face appeared in a small pop-in screen in the corner of the monitor. "You there Oracle?"

"You know it, Fox," Barbara said with a grin, staring at the two of them. "I'm anxious to see what this new Batsuit can do."

"Well, I'll be happy to see my baby getting a workout, that much I can say. Now, as you both know, I don't exactly have time to be coming down here every time you want to go for a jaunt, Batman, which is why Oracle's on the line with me tonight. Ignore the two voices in your head, but I'm going to be talking her through the remote control of your Batsuit, monitoring its different functions, that sort of thing. I'll also help you with any questions you might have along the way. In the future, if you want, I could even put in some sort of intelligent artificial intelligence, something you can talk to. A more realistic way of interacting with your suit. Hell, I could even make it sound like Alfred, if you wanted."

Bruce looked up, frowning, shaking his head as he turned slightly aside. "Remind me why anybody would want a British sounding artificial intelligence talking into their ear?"

"Hey, I was just tossing an idea around," he replied with a short laugh, looking down at the controls. "I get it, that's just a bit too much like a comic book."

"I've got Oracle to talk to if I need to, anyway," he replied as he stepped away, moving toward the Batmobile. "By the way Lucius, how's version three of the car coming along?"

"Well, we've got some kinks to work out, and we're trying to rebuild that Batwing you lost to Luthor at the same time. You've still got the new, stealth Batwing of course, and that car you're driving around in is fine anyway."

"Always just interested in an Edge, Lucius."

"Aren't we all. Anyway, all your suits systems are up and running. Get out there. I'll be on the line with Oracle."

Batman nodded, eyes glowing as power surged through the helmet, seating himself in his vehicle. With the roar of thunder the car sprang to life, its wheels shouting as the car shot forward, disappearing down the long stretch of grated road that led out of the cave. Fox smiled a final time as he took a seat in front of the computer, Barbara returning the gesture.

"He's always got to be grumpy, doesn't he?"

"It's sort of his thing."

A voice interrupted the two of them, Bruce cutting in. "I'm still on the line, you know."

Old Gotham, while only a third of the size that New Gotham was projected to grow to due to the greater landmass it would cover, was still a massive stretch of land housing millions across thousands of city blocks. As a driver passed through the new sections of the city, they found themselves surrounded by towering skyscrapers, shimmering glass windows, complex highway networks and digital billboards. Passing over the bridge to the old section of the city, those things fell away. Potholes began to mark the pavement, street lamps ceased to function, steel and glass was replaced by brick and concrete, the old, horrifying gargoyles perched on the sides of the rooftops far above. There was a definite, visual disconnect as one drove into Old Gotham, but it was what Bruce had always known as home when he was young. At that time, New Gotham had been in development, mostly a cluster of small, high tech businesses and wealthy Gotham socialites that chose to live off of the island. Now everyone wanted into the new city, since many thought the old parts of Gotham should just be left to the criminals that infested it. Of course, that ignored the millions of innocents that simply could not afford to leave.

As was normal for a night on patrol, Batman tucked the vehicle into an alleyway, one shrouded in almost pitch dark, armor seals enclosing the wheels, doors and windows, essentially making it impregnable. He'd learned early in his career, with version one of the car, that not doing so exposed it to vandalism and, worse, sabotage. It had been a hard lesson to learn when he'd returned to the car only to find that it had been shot up almost to the point that it was unsalvageable, which was when Lucius had come up with the idea for version two, the current model he drove.

His eyes scanned the rooftop far above, his enhanced vision measuring the distance in meters to the top, though as he raised his arm up, looking at the distant perch, he frowned. "Just think it, huh?"

"Suit will take care of the rest, Batman," Lucius said back, his voice warm and assuring.

"I'd feel better if I'd designed it myself."

"Only because you're a mild control freak."

"Thanks for putting it nicely," he said, focusing on the ledge, the top loaded gauntlet firing off. He watched as the grappling hook sailed over the top of the left, quickly retracting, the suit's internal parts whirring in motion as the device locked into place. His hand quickly wrapped around the rope that had fired upward, thinking it was time to elevate, and the rope retracting in response. He found his body flying upward, his other arm crossing over to grab hold of the rope as well, clinging with both as he sailed into the night sky. As he reached the peak he over shot the roof by just a few feet, body propelling upward and coming down onto the pavement, a controlled tumble rolling him forward. He grimaced as he came to a kneeling stop, planting his hand to the ground. "Did you see that?"

"I can see everything you can see, Bruce."

"Was I supposed to overshoot the roof?"

"Not if you didn't want to, but you've got to will the suit to slow as you're peaking, so you can grab at the ledge."

Batman shook his head, eyes moving toward the grappling hook, which folded into a flat edge and quickly shot back into his gauntlet. "It's going to take some getting used to," he complained, walking to the edge of the roof, eyes scanning the distance.

"You'll get the hang of it. Now, take a look around. You can choose to switch between having the police frequency on, or off. Alternatively, you can also enhance your hearing to pick up on sounds indicating some sort of crime going on. The helmet will even give you a rough display of where the target is, and it gets more accurate the closer you are."

Bruce nodded, simply thinking that he'd like to have the police scanner on, before the audio in his earpiece began to fill with radio chatter. "All units all units," broke one voice, "Hostage situation at 34th and Vine..." His head snapped up, immediately glancing around, in the distance a white target forming over a spot only a few blocks away. "I'm assuming that's my destination," he said as he began to sprint forward, running as quickly as he could. "Or am I wrong?"

"You've got it Batman," Lucius said in return. "Your cape has the same gliding capabilities it always did, and with the ability of your grappling hook to launch you upward..."

"Got it," Bruce cut him off, glancing up at the rooftop that stretched far above him, arm raising up and an overlay display coming down on the projected target for him to strike. The hook in his left arm fired off, turning in a rotating motion that dug into the distant concrete, retracting while he was in mid step and firing upward. His body shot to the rooftop, flying into the night sky, his cape unfurling behind him, its electrical current suddenly turning it into an approximation of a wing suit. Wind caught beneath the cape as he glided forward, the rear of the cape having seemed to instantaneously attached to his boots and arms, his body pitching forward in a rushing descent. The display in his eyes tracked the target, which grew larger and larger as he crossed multiple city blocks in seconds, the target rooftop drawing near with every instant. The display in the upper side of his vision tracked his speed, and for a moment he considered just how fast he was going. "I'm hoping this suit has some sort of shock absorption."

"You know it."

He cringed as he sailed downward, a vague black shape against the night skies, police vehicles lined up outside of the building. Coming down at high speed the cape cut out just moments before his legs hit the ground, boots carrying him forward a few feet as they redistributed the shock of the landing, preventing any injury. He marveled at the technology for a second before launching for the edge of the roof, leaping over the side and dropping a floor down, mechanized grips in his fingers allowing him to easily catch onto the brick ledge of the window below. As his night vision flared to life he caught a glimpse inside the darkened room and, finding nobody, he quietly slide the window upward and hauled himself inside. He could hear the police speaking through a bull horn from street level, while inside a man shouted back, an argument raging between the two of them.

The helmet's sonar, which Bruce had incorporated as a part of his tech for a couple of years now, switched on at a thought, sending out a subsonic frequency that bounced through the halls and rooms, quickly absorbing data on motion and physical obstructions. A minimap in the upper left of his vision revealed only a single target in the area, just next door to the room he was in, his eyes darting to the wall.

"Our upgraded Wi-Vi system is some new tech you'll like," Lucius spoke into his ear. "Basically uses low powered wifi signals to shoot through a wall and target only moving individuals. Once you've bounced your sonar a few times, and the Wi-Vi, you can essentially see through walls."

Batman grimaced. This was incredibly tech, but the potential for abuse in the wrong hands was incredible. Still, staring at the wall, the vision in his helmet changed as a basic form of two humans came into view. In this view, it was an approximation of what the world might look like in constant X-Rays, with the two human bodies gigantic blue blurs. Still, he could clearly see the distance to his target, and could make out the fact that the hostage was clutched in the arms of the assailant, a gun undoubtedly in his hand. Slowly he crept out of the room, pressing his face alongside the edge of the doorway as he turned to look inside, the back of a tank top wearing, balding man greeting him, his arms wrapped around a woman wearing a green dress. He watched for only a moment as he shouted, screaming at the police below, threatening to kill her, his hand reaching down to the small gun at his side. It had a massive cartridge and three separate barrels in a vertical row, a small display on the front allowing him to see what was loaded. Though he'd never use real bullets, he had no issue with ammunition that would sedate him.

Drawing gun upward, only the softest zzziiippp sounded off as he squeezed the trigger, his target instantaneously dropping the gun as arcs of electricity surged through his body, much like a taser effect. He screamed for only half a second before falling to the ground, his victim falling aside as the man collapsed, Batman rushing forward to recover not only the small dart he'd fired, but the gun as well. The woman who'd been tossed aside screamed as he emerged form the darkness, eyes glowing in the inky blackness, a small effect Lucius had tossed in for theatrics but that could easily be switched off with a though. Outside he could still hear the police shouting and, turning to the woman, he drew a finger to his lips, calming her with a gesture of his hand. "Are you able to walk?"

Her face was streaked with tears, but she managed to shake her head, lips trembling as she did. He nodded, moving back to his feet, slowly approaching the window with both hands held outward. Far below, their weapons ready to be unleashed the Gotham PD hesitated, watching as Batman's form emerged into view. "The woman's safe," he shouted, the modulator at his neck piece amplifying his voice with that dark undertone that kept people from identifying him. "I've subdued the target. No need for violence, officers."

There was confusion on their part. Though many knew of Batman, had read about his exploits and knew, in their minds, that he was on their side, he remained a vigilante who operated outside of the law. None of them had seen him before, or knew how much they could trust him, and each waivered, looking to one another for a second before Batman launched himself out of the window, arms thrusting outward and his cape unfurling, giving him just a few moments of buoyancy before he touched ground, coming to a crouched position, gun in hand. He held it upward, allowing them all a clear view of it, before he laid it on the ground, kicking it forward.

"Are we done here?" he asked, a black silhouette carved into the brightness of their headlights. Nobody answered, a few minutes passing before Batman elevated his arm, looking upward as the grapple fired off, singing upward into the night, his form vanishing before the eyes as he sailed upward, returning into the skies. They all stood around for a second, stunned, before men started to move forward, rushing to the apartment doors as the woman in green emerged, crying but safe.

As he sailed away, glad to be done with itchy fingered cops, he smiled. "I've got to hand it to you Lucius. I've got few complaints."

"Well, you can give me all your feedback once you get back to the cave. Enjoy your playtime for now."

"Hi Alfred."

The dignified caretaker of the Wayne Manor blinked twice, somewhat surprised to see the young woman in front of him, her toned form and undeniable beauty traits she'd had with her since she'd first arrived on the Gotham scene years before, only a year after Bruce Wayne had emerged as the Batman, really. She was still wearing the black dress and white gloves from that night's party, her hair still pulled back and styled nicely. As of now, though, she seemed rather displeased.

"Selina Kyle," he said with a nod, gesturing into the interior of the home. "I only wish that Wayne Manor saw such beauty grace its halls more often."

"Well at least someone that lives here knows how to talk to a woman," she mumbled as she walked past him, moving into the nearby dining halls, a stack of papers in her hand. Alfred trailed closely behind her, wearing a simple cotton shirt and pants, a pair of dark slippers on. He couldn't be in uniform all day every day, after all.

"I'm assuming you're referring to Master Wayne," he commented, following her to the edge of the dining table, where she slapped the papers downward.

"Nobody else, is there?"

"You'll have to excuse him. Master Wayne isn't exactly the best when it comes to polite conversation."

"It's funny you say that. He can make polite conversation with almost anybody except the people that actually care about him," she said, sighing as she spread the papers out along the table, shaking her head. "Any idea why that is?"

"I couldn't say, Miss Kyle. Although, to be fair, the master has never had many people close to him."

She nodded, shoulders heaving slightly as she looked the papers over. "You know, when I first found out who he was, I really... I mean, I couldn't believe it. That guy? Bruce Wayne? A billionaire, with not a need in the world, leaping buildings and getting his kicks to crime fighting. Then again, I guess I'm not much better." She waved her hand in the air. "Except, replace billions with millions. Bruce has definitely got the advantage in the money department."

"You should know, of course, that you're exaggerating. Master Wayne has needs like all humans do. He may act like he doesn't, but even he needs to talk with someone, once in a while."

She turned, looking at him over her shoulder. "Guess that's why he's got you,."

"I've raised and cared for him since he was a boy."

"Yeah, that's another thing," she said, standing straight up, eyes looking out the large windows that opened up on the country side, the glittering lights of New Gotham shining in the distance. "The thing about his past. I mean, I don't want to pry..."

"Then on that matter, Miss Kyle, let me interrupt. There is nothing about Master Wayne's past I would be willing to discuss. Everything involving his parents is a matter of public record, and the more personal details are his to share, or not, as he wants."

Her head clicked to the left, near her shoulder, her finger pointing back at him. "You're right, Alfred. I don't have any right to pry." She sucked in a deep breath. "But, I mean, seriously. I'm not asking for him to be my best friend, just some courtesy. I mean, wouldn't you like it if he let you off the hook once in a while?"

"He's actually become much better about that," he replied, a slight smile coming back to his lips. "Although I think the lady acquaintance I met a few months ago has something to do with that."

Her eyebrow cocked upward, the edge of her lips curling up at the mention of it. "Alfred, you sly dog," she said, turning again to look over the papers. "I'm happy for you. Anyway, do me a favor and tell Bruce these are the papers I told him I'd run by the mansion. There's not enough to piece together everything that's going on, but from what I've been able to piece together, someone's piecing together the entire east side of Old Gotham, buying it up using different buyers. I haven't tracked the others yet, but these are the latest acquisitions. They were purchased by Warren White, also known as the Great White Shark. I'm going to be going out to do some more digging around, but this hasn't been the first purchase of huge amounts of property out there. If all that land's being bought up by guys like White, it makes you stop and wonder why."

"Indeed Miss Kyle," Alfred said, concerned, walking up to the table and taking a look over the various papers. "When you say they're buying up all the land on the east side of Old Gotham, how much property are we talking about?"

"Everything useable from a public perspective. Not houses or private homes, but warehouses, factories, shipping yards, manufacturing plants, everything. It's all getting absorbed out by people with a lot of money to throw around. I'm just afraid that when it all shakes out, guys like White are the ones doing all that. Because if so there are a lot of power hungry creepers out there getting their hands on big strips of the old city. I just need to find out why."

"I understand, Miss Kyle. I'll inform Master Wayne of this development as soon as he awakens."

She looked at him, doubtful. "You don't have to lie to me, Alfred. I know what Bruce does at night, and usually that's not sleep. I'm sure he's out there right now, getting his thrills beating some unfortunate soul's head in."

"Well, for what it's worth Miss Kyle, he did mention that the only reason he was heading out tonight was because the night had taken a bad turn. I'm assuming that had something to do with whatever happened between the two of you."

She shrugged, stepping back from the papers. "Not that it matters." She was on the verge of continuing when a clicking sound filled the air, something sliding in the distance catching her attention before footsteps began to emerge from the hallway beyond. She looked to Alfred then to the arch leading out of the dining hall, two voices softly conversing as they emerged into the dining area. One she recognized only from the newspapers, Lucius Fox, current head of Wayne Enterprises, though that was only in day to day operations. The other, though, was unmistakable, considering the number of times they'd crossed paths over the years, both in and out of costume. He was wearing a pair of training pants and slippers, his broad chest uncovered in the cool air, a short towel draped around his shoulders. As they stepped into the room, both shot glances first to Alfred, then to her, Bruce stepping forward instinctively and putting himself between her and Lucius.

"Selina," he said, slightly surprised, a rare occurrence for a man who disciplined himself on a daily basis to anticipate all possible events. "You're... here."

She folded her arms at her waist, turning on a heel, smiling. "Looking good Bruce. I hope you had fun."

He stared at her a moment longer, mouth hanging slightly open, before glancing back at Lucius. He only returned a whimsical smile before scurrying forward, saying not another word as he spun back to face Bruce a final time, signaling his goodbye with a faux salute and a wink. Bruce shook his head, glancing to Alfred, then waving to himself. "Would you mind getting me a shirt?"

"Of course Master Bruce," Alfred replied, obviously amused with the situation, taking a deep bow as he backed away from Selina's side. "I'd be eternally ashamed if I allowed you to die of pneumonia."

"Or embarrassment," Selina quipped as Alfred vanished into the depths of the mansion, her fingers dropping to the papers on the table. "Just thought I'd bring these by, like I said I would," she continued, grinning. "I could just leave now if you want me to."

"No, no," he waved her off, taking a few more steps toward her. "I really wasn't very gracious earlier."

"Got that right. Anyway, that's not why I'm here."

"Still. You deserve better."

"Stop it, you'll make a girl blush," she said, collecting all the sheets into a single stack. "As soon as Alfred gets that shirt for you..."

"Right. Down to business."