Note: It's been awhile, but here I am! I'll try to work more and not get distracted. Read & Review!


If there was one thing an organic heart and a synthetic equivalent had in common was how hard they pumped when in high stress situations. It was surely beating rapidly at this moment, thumping like a jackhammer against the cybernetic Titan's chest plate. First, there was the explosion that sent a shock through Cyborg. Then, the troop of thugs that filed in and held them at gun-point. Batgirl and he had just barely barracked themselves behind large wooden workbench as the gunmen came in. With his Sonic Canon readied, Cy stood his ground beside his short-term partner and studied each of the goons. They were geared for a fight, one that the girl and he were prepared to give them, but it would be difficult in the confines of Batgirl's sewer lair. Cyborg looked to the gaping hole the gunmen made with their explosion, then blinked as someone else came walking in through it. "Hello there! It gives me great please to introduce myself to you.. I am Doctor Muhammad Pembunuh Daka..." The stranger announced greeting the two. He was an Asian man, though not Chinese and definitely looking middle-aged, with a long ponytail. The Titan noted his black, pinstriped suit that made he seem so out of placed along side the dark tactical uniforms of the gunmen. Daka folded his hands behind his back and continued addressing Cyborg and Batgirl, "I would safe it to bet that you didn't expect to be discovered here, in this secret refuge..."

"It does ruining the whole secret thing, you mentioned." The girl retorted with an edged smirk. Cy couldn't help, but smile at her cheeky sarcastic tone.

"Believe me, my child, I am as surprised to see you here as you no doubtingly are to seeing me! I was hoping to meet someone else here, however, my efforts lead me to the pair of you."

"Well, I guess we all make mistakes..." Cyborg related as he eyed a gunman shifting himself closer to the two. "Maybe we can all put away our bloom-sticks and go our separate ways."

"I beg your pardon, my friends...but I'm afraid that it just can not be done." Daka waved his finger and his goons leveled their rifles to fire. "You've seen too much, thus I can't allow you to continue living."

"Hey! Thrust us, well you!" The Titan replied with an anxious grin, "I promise, we'll forget this whole thing happened and go on our way."

The man smirked at the two and shook his head, no. Cyborg made a big sigh and prepared himself for what was about to come. Rearing back his foot, the cybernetic Titan kicked the workbench with all of his might and knocked it to the wall. The few gunmen in it's path were plowed down as Cy and Batgirl took care of the rest. Soon, however, more of the thugs came rushing in as Dr. Daka quietly disappeared through the gaping hole. Bullets started to fly past their heads as the Titan blasted one more goon with sonic. "Run!" He exclaimed to the girl, and they both booked it to the exit as Cyborg provided covering fire. Dashing through the sewers, the two soon heard the gunmen chasing after them as small bursts from their carbines blow apart bits of wall around them. Batgirl, suddenly, grabbed his hand and pulled Cy around a corner. As she leaded the Titan through the twisting maze, Cyborg checked his map of the city's sewage system and discovered something about the where the sidekick was taking them. "Where going back to the lair!"

"Trust me!" Batgirl replied as they ran, huffing a little as she spoke, "I know what I'm doing!" As the two rounded another corner, they quickly skidded to a halt as one of the thugs appeared before them holding a big gun. "Okay...maybe I don't know what I'm doing."

The gunman blinked at the two from behind his tactical masked and seemed to freeze in place. Cyborg figured that he didn't expect them to be doubling back to the lair, but was told to stand guard their anyway. The goon's hesitation ceased as he collected himself and flung his large weapon at around to the two . The cybernetic Titan recognized the death-implement as quickly as he saw it resting it against the gunman's hip. A Winchester P94 turbo plasma caster, a serious high-tech piece and deadly weapon. As blue plasma bolt started to glow at the mussel of the large gun, Cyborg ripped up his Sonic Canon arm and shot a blast towards the thug, but the sonic waves crashed against a gold energy barrier just as they were about to strike him. The goon laugh at the failed attack and fired hot plasma at Batgirl and Cy as the two duck for cover. "Greh! The guy's got some kind of force-field protecting him!" The Titan related as he pulled around the corner he was hiding behind and blasted the gunman again. The sonic attack failed like the first and Cy cursed as stream of plasma bolts burst past him.

Looking over to Batgirl on the other corner of the sewer passageway, Cyborg saw her rummaging through her utility belt. She was no doubtingly going to use some amazing gadget that will suck the air from around the gunman or freeze his arms together. Finding what she was searching for, Batgirl pulled out a short plastic pipe-like item and placed a fuzzy-tailed dart into one of it. "I only got one shot, so cover me!" The girl said to Cy.

The cybernetic Titan shook his, but transformed his arm into his Canon anyhow. "You're going to need a lot more than a dart-gun to brake through that force-field!" Batgirl ignored his words and rush out from behind the wall corner. Cyborg barely had time to fire before the girl was halfway to the goon, but luckily her dash had taken the thug be surprise, too. The Titan's sonic attacks washed over the gunman harmlessly as the sidekick continued to move closer, then the goon blasted a plasma bolt at her. Ducking under the screaming hot plasma, Batgirl rolled forward and crutch up with the dart-gun up to her lips. She blew and sent the one dart soaring through the air, hitting the gunman right in the neck. The thug stumped back, drop his plasma caster and clenching his fingers around the dart. Then he fell, his head striking the ground with a thud. "Well, alright then... ..." Cy thought aloud.

Cyborg walked out from behind his cover and stared at the fallen goon in bewilderment. "It was an old Zero Model force-field projector." Batgirl declared to the Titan, returning her dart-gun to the utility belt. "It uses the energies of whatever flying at it to power it and deflect the attack. However, slower moving objects can penetrate since they don't have enough kinetic energy to power the force-field."

The cybernetic Titan had to ask, "How'd you know it was a Zero Model? You couldn't even see it on him as far as we were."

"I just guessed."

He smacked his head in frustration of Batgirl's recklessness, knowing full well that a newer force-field projector could have easily stopped the dart. Cy was about to relate as much to the girl, when suddenly the sound of voices bounced from along the sewer walls, getting louder with each second. The gunmen were closing in on them -or just seeing what all the noise was about- and they would soon be upon them. Batgirl grasped Cyborg once more and she lead him back to her lair. The chamber was empty, with the lone heavily armed and heavily knockout goon being the only one guarding the place. The girl wasted no time as she rushed to computer terminal and began punching in commands. As she typed, Cy watched the exits, though he wondered why they were taking the time to do this. He could here the gunmen getting louder and closer, it would only be a matter of time until they reach the lair. "Whatever you're doing, B-girl, could you do it faster?!" Cyborg anxiously inquired.

"We can't let them have anything in the lair. It might lead them back to the Clock Tower or even the Batcave!"

"So you're wiping the drives?"

"I'm wiping everything... " The sidekick entered one last command and her terminal started to blink red. Sirens and whistles begin to call as what was once an innocent looking box in the lair's corner, opened up to reveal a large bomb! The timer was set for ten seconds and was already ticking down to zero. Batgirl waved to Cy to follow her as she ran to naked wall and spoke to it, "Verification; Barbara G., eight-three-one-one!"

"Verification; confirmed." An electronic voiced replied as the wall split apart and revealed an stainless steel elevator.

"Come on! Quick!"

The cybernetic Titan didn't need to be told twice as he squeezed into the elevator with Batgirl. Just as the doors closed and the lift was move up it's shift, the two heard a thundering boom from under them that shook the whole elevator. Cyborg and the girl both leaned against the lift's sides and slid down them in exhaustion as they waited to reach their destination. Batgirl was panting when the Titan looked over to her, though probably from all the adrenaline they kicked up. Cy felt bad about her lair, especial since the homing device was in the slug that she pulled out of him. It was a weird type of guilt, but it was guilt all the same. "I'm sorry your secret hideaway got blown up..." He related with a sheepish smile.

She gazed up to Cyborg and laughed, "Heh...I never really like the place, myself. It always smelled like crap... no matter how many air-fresheners I brought down."

The elevator came to a stop and dinged that they had arrived to their floor. Batgirl stood up slowly and exited the lift, Cy following behind her as they walked into a small room without any light-source of it's own. As the elevator doors closed, they were left in darkness until one of the walls opened up to a larger conjoining room. As Cyborg stepped across a soft looking off-white carpet, he survey the place and everything inside. A long bed caught his eyes first, with deep purple spread and cream-colored iron headboard. It stood against a lime green painted wall and next to it, a green and blue striped wall with a white mirror and vanity attached to it. A dresser sat next to a closet, both holding clothes, and a window showed the darkness of Gotham's sky. Turning around, the Titan saw Batgirl uncovering a secret control panel and closed the swung out wall with it to reveal a computer desk and a few band posters on another lime green wall. Cyborg lift his voice to say something, but all he uttered was, "AAhhhhh..." as the girl removed her masked and waved her fingers through her hair.

She walked up to Cy and offered her hand, declaring up to him with grin, "I'm Barbara Gordon, by the way... ..."


The R-Cycle pulled to a halt and the soaking-wet Robin slowly lifted himself off of the bike. The roads were rivers from the storm, conjoining streets their tributaries as the leader Titan rode through them. His uniform held buckets of rain in it and his mask barely stuck to his face as he removed his helmet. The ex-Boy Wonder's hair hung around his face in dark stringy strands pulling over his vision. As Dick removed his Robin mask, he took his gloved hand and slicked his hair back out of his eyes as he watched the bats soar around the rocky stalactites. How long had it been since he was last in the Batcave...a year or a century? It had to be something in-between, though, Dick didn't remember. It was all in the distant past and leader Titan had new life to think about, one with his own team. His friends, who loved and respected him as he with them. Dick's return to Gotham, however, was bringing together ancient history and recent history right side by side in their own little basket. The cave was cool as it usually was, not too cool, but cool enough to annoy the already wet Titan.

As Dick rung out his cape, he caught sight of someone he definitely missed since he left Gotham...at least when he was cleaning his room. "A spot of tea, Master Dick?" Alfred inquired as he carried a silver tray with tea pot and cup. Bruce Wayne's trusted butler and closest friend, Alfred Pennyworth had served the family since before the birth of Batman or Bruce. Always helping, always faithful, the Dark Knight said he was a blessing from his father. The trusted butler placed the tray on a nearby table and started to pour some tea. "It has been such a long time, sir, that I could not remember if you did or didn't take lemon with tea."

Alfred took the cup with it's saucer over to the former Boy Wonder who gladly excepted the hot beverage. "It's perfect, Alfred." Dick replied and sipped his tea. The heat felt lovely against his cold lips, like a deep kiss from his girlfriend. Then he remembered, "I almost forgot...I didn't tell my friends I'd be coming here. They'll be expecting me back at the Clock Tower."

"Ah..You needn't worry, Master Dick." The trusted butler started to relate, "Master Bruce has already called ahead and wished you to know that he has everything under control."

"*Sigh*...as usual... ..."

Alfred frowned, "You mustn't blame him, Mas-"

"No, Alfred." Dick said with raised hand, cutting the man off. He sighed and apologized to Alfred, "I'm sorry...it's been a long night."

"Quite alright..Master Dick." He place his hand on the Titan's shoulder and gave it a gentle squeeze as smiled at him. Dick knew the trusted butler was breaking much of his protocol by doing this, as it was the close he could come to embrace the boy. Alfred took the tea cup and started direct the ex-Boy Wonder to the elevator leading up to the Wayne Manor, though Dick knew the way by heart. "Shall I prepare a shower for you, sir."

"Thanks, Alfred. That would be great."

The hot water washed over Dick's chilled flesh, relaxing his muscle from a busy night. The high-pressure heads were strategically placed around the roman-styled shower so they could hid the Titan in all the right places. It was the best that money could buy, like most things in the Manor. As Dick ended his wash, he found a fluffy towel and a change of clothes on the sink counter as provided by Alfred. The man always thought ahead. The clothes fitted the leader Titan fairly well and as he slid on the long-tee shirt, the boy started to remember what was like to just be a normal teen. The peace of it all, just knowing that he didn't have to be on all the time lifted a weight off his shoulders. Dick surveyed each room he pasted as he walked down the Manor's halls, thinking about his days living in the lap of luxury. Being Robin wasn't any easy back then, either, but the boy had all this to look forward to when he came home. That is...it was what Dick had told himself to look forward to. Wayne Manor was as empty now as it was back in his Boy Wonder days. As the Titan continued to explore his old home, he realized just how much he had gained by leaving Bruce and Gotham City. However, somehow, he couldn't help feeling guilty.

Pacing through the giant mansion, Dick came upon the study of Dr. Thomas Wayne, now Bruce's private study. The large oak double-doors were opened enough to peer into the room and see the many shelves of books. As the boy pushed one of the doors further in, he blinked when he found his former mentor in civilian-wear sitting behind massive antique desk. The older hero must of returned to the manor when Dick was in the shower. Bruce didn't seem to notice the leader Titan as his focused stare remained on the desk's top. Of course, Dick assumed that it was just the man keeping his stoic poise. As the boy walked over Bruce, his eye caught sight of something very off. It was something that he never thought he would see in his life, something that Bruce Wayne would never be holding. Though, there the man was...holding a gun.

"Bruce?"

Dick's voice pierced the silence of the room and his ex-mentor shot his head up right at him. Blinking again in bewilderment, the Titan was surprised to see a simular look cross Bruce's features, if only for a moment. "How long have you been standing there." He related to Dick, almost with a defensive tone, as he quickly placed the revolver in a desk drawer. The leader Titan didn't reply as he couldn't stop his mind from whirling, so Bruce went on himself, "If you're wondering about my mental health, I can tell that I'm not planning on suicide."

The boy shook his head and responded, "I couldn't ever imagine you'd do that... ..."

A deep, quiet lull was caste between the two as former mentor and old student watched each other. Bruce then uttered to the Titan, "I guess we all have our keepsakes from our pasts, Dick."

Like a ton of bricks, it hit the boy and he felt horrible. The gun, Dick realized, was the gun. It was the weapon that struck down Thomas and Martha Wayne in a dark alley as their son watched. In a sense, it was what birth the Batman and, later on, Robin as well. The former Boy Wonder was all too familiar with obsessing over that one terrible day. One of the failed links that were sabotaged and lead to Dick's parents deaths was in the boy's pack even now, as he rarely went too far without the keepsake. That connection to the pain, the fuel that can drive one, was important part of being a crimefighter. Dick also understood that such pain wasn't truly needed to be a hero, but it sure helped.

"I've been reviewing some of the evidence gathered..." Said Bruce as he stood up and left the previous subject behind. Taking a manila folder off his desk, he handed them to Dick as he continued, "Each Farmers National bank vault was emptied of it's funds and a large hole was found in the floor of each."

Dick opened the folder and found a few photographs of the vacant bank vault shelves and the cavernous holes. "So, it looks like they tunneled into the vaults from underneath and stole the money while we fought the fall-guys outside."

"Maybe... There was also something else at the bottom of each hole." His ex-mentor gave the Titan a sheet of paper, still hot from the printer, and went on to explain what he meant. "There was canister in each hole, that was set to release a gas by trip-wire. The Mad Hatter had the misfortune of tripping one and it resulted in him become a laughing, raving lunatic."

"You mean, even more than he was, already." The boy examined the sheet that read something about the side-effects of a chemical called, "Ridearsarin? A chemical weapon? Shorthand exposure produces... hysteria."

"I know what you're think... the Joker."

"Right, but something's not right about it. The whole set-up is all is all wrong for him."

Bruce nodded in agreement, "Not only that, but the Joker has his own, unique recipe for his gas weapons. He'd view using this in his crimes as some type of low point."

"You're thinking it's another trick to throw us off the trail." Dick scanned over the paper about the Ridearsarin gas. It was cheaply produced chemical weapon from the Cold War, available on the black markets to anyone with the cash. Not much of a lead to follow, to which the boy related to the old hero, "We could be after anyone..."

To this, however, Dick's former mentor shook his head no, "Not anyone... Someone who has the power to manipulate the whole of Gotham's underworld... ..."


Cyborg gazed down on the flickering screen on his forearm and listen to the image of Raven as she spoke, "So, he just came out of no where...and kicked your butts?"

"Hey! We kicked plenty of butts ourselves, thank you very much!" The moody Titan's icy flat stare said that she didn't find Cy too convincing. He sighed and rubbed the back of his neck, taking a second to glance at Barbara working on her laptop at the desk. Dressed in a simple dark blue shirt and yoga pants, the cybernetic Titan would had never have guessed that she was really Batgirl if she hadn't revealed it to him. That had begged the question...why had she? Cy turned his attention back to Raven, "How's BB doing?"

"Sleeping for now..." His teammate replied, "But I can only hope the blessing last's. He's doing better than Fox, however. Red X did a number on him... Starfire hasn't left his side since she found him."

"Alright. Keep me posted. Cyborg, out."

Shutting off his communicator, the Titan released an audible sigh as the feeling of helplessness washed over him. He'd never thought Gotham was going to be cake walk, but he never they'd have two men down in under twenty four hours. Cyborg wondered how the ex-Boy Wonder had endured it all on a daily basis, or how Batgirl had either. Even now, after being attacked by a dozen gunmen and blowing up half the sewers under her apartment building, she sat peacefully humming in her own little world. Cy watched the girl as continued typing away on her computer like normal teenager her age would after coming home from school. It was perplexing to the cybernetic Titan to see sheer duality of Barbara's life, to jump from crimefighting to homework like it was nothing. It also fascinated him. She could do what he could never, be a regular person. To be able to sit her room, stare in the mirror, and not be reminded that she was different. If Cyborg had chance, just a moment of normalcy, he wondered if ever could go back to being less human. This girl, though, choose to go back every night.

Twisting her head to face the Titan, Barbara blinked at Cy. "What'd you thinking about?" She asked him, her ruby lips turning up in sly smile.

"Jus..Ahhh...About the mission!" He stuttered over the words. The Titan quickly recollected himself as he crossed his arms and coughed to disguise his stumble. "Were you able to come up with anything?"

"Not really.." The girl related as she turned around to the laptop. Cyborg moved closer and watched over her shoulder as Barbara continued to work. "Started with a simple search of this Dr. Daka guy on GCPD's criminal database and then ones nation-wide. They had nothing. Interpol did have number of warrants on a Dr. Muhammad Pembunuh Daka..but they were taken down and any information on him went with them."

"So what are you trying now?"

"I'm... ... hacking into... the CIA..."

"WHAT?!" The cybernetic Titan slapped his hand down and shut the laptop before Barbara could finish, going on to exclaim, "What do you think you're doing?! That's the US's most closely guarded secrets! If they catch us, we'll be black-bagged and locked up in some deep underground prison full of terrorists and tax evaders!"

The girl eyed Cyborg with one of her edged smirks, relating, "Don't tell me you're afraid of Big Government."

"No, not of Big Government..just freakishly-well-armed Government! You know what they did to the Green Arrow after he forgot to turn in his tax return. The fool is still picking up trash on the side of the road on the weekends!"

"*Sigh..It'll be fine! I know what I'm doing." Lifting her laptop back open, Barbara began a fierce storm of typing, punching in command after command. Her screen erupted with windows full of complicated coding, until a confirming note rung and announced the girl's success. Suddenly the screen turned black as the word's 'Access Denied' flashed in the crimson red. Cy gasped, already believing he could hear the black helicopters coming for them. However, after a second or two the red words faded away and the bright green letters spelling 'Access Granted' appeared on the screen. "That's more like it!" Barbara declared with a grin and the cybernetic Titan just glared at her. Navigating through the database of state secrets, Cy's temporary partner brought up a long list of hyperlinks with the names of some big time evil-doers. Half way down the list, they'd found him. "Here he is. Pembunuh Daka...born in Indonesia into a wealth family with ties with the ruling elite. Seems he converted to a extremist strain of Jihads while in med-school, where they shipped him off to a terrorist training camp for number of years. After that he appeared all over the place! Help armed militias in Somalia... fought in a the Albania civil war... was involved in the embassy bombing in Tanzania...it just keeps going on and on like that."

"Wow... this Daka guy sounds like one serious customer. But, why would he be slumming around in Gotham's sewers?"

The girl shook her head as she wondered the same thing. Scanning through Daka's info, Barbara suddenly related, "Wait..here! It's the last thing in his entry and-" She stop abruptly, however, when they both heard the sound of a door opening in the next room. The girl quickly close her computer and moved to her bedroom door, cracking it open enough to see past it. Her eyes stretched as wide as softballs when she looked back of Cyborg, whispering, "It's my Dad!"

"Great... ..."


With the last remnants of the storm gone, Gotham's streets were allowed some peace in late hours of the night. Breaking the calm, a lone car traveled through the empty city, diving from the light of a streetlamp to darkness as made it's journey. Sitting in silence, Black Mask watched the dark deco metropolis roll past his window as he puffed on a thin cigar. His mind was recalling his failed bank heist, the sheer stupidity of it. How had he every thought it would work? Just the mobster and a few his boys against every cop in the city...not to mention Bat-freak and his annoy brats. Even without the robo-hero, those good for nothing do-gooder kids alone were large thorn in Gotham Underworld's side as created by the Batman. And to try to knock over a Farmers' bank, too! Every crook worth his wit knew that Farmers National was the mob's private piggy bank, it was suicide to try to look at one funny. It was like he couldn't restrain himself, the crimelord just had a thirst that wouldn't be quench until he robbed Farmers National on corner of Apple and Beaver. As Black Mask's car turned past the last bend to the journey's end, the villain in the backseat took a hard drag on his cigar and pondered just what the hell was going on in Gotham.

The back door opened and the masked crimelord pulled his body, as well as his wondering mind, out into the cool night air. Their destination was a run-down, old pier on Gotham Bay, lined with rows of abandon warehouses. It was a fairly common meeting place between for the city's gangs and miscreants...and of course crack-whores and pimps. It was disgusting place. Black Mask pulled on his long, pinstriped trench-coat as his boys and he promenaded up the pier, ignoring the wretches begs to give themselves to crimelord. One the drug-up losers even called him 'Mr. Black Mask', as though her polite soliciting would win the villain over. She was quickly tossed aside by one of boys and the masked crimelord proceeded on, not bashing an eye as he heard the whore screamed into the waters of the bay. None of the other wretches came to solicit the villain after her.

Reaching the far warehouse, Black Mask covered his nose with his hand as one of his boys banged on the metal door. The whole place smelt of vomit and cat urine! The villain speedily yanked his handkerchief from dual-breasted suit jacket and pulled it over his mouth and nostrils before anymore the reek touch them. What a place for a mob meeting, Black Mask head whirled as he looked down the piece of paper in his other hand. It read that there was meeting between the bosses at Gotham's pier, in warehouse 312, set in the wee hours of the morning. It was the crimelord's first true invite to Mafia boss's meeting, whereas others had simply been the muzzle of his Tommy gun. It was his chance to prove his place in the Gotham's Mob, as a crime boss, and not one of the rejects that would like to be called, 'super-villains.' Just a gaggle of super-freaks! This guys were the real big-leagues, where the big scores were done by mob goons and you just sat back to enjoy a scotch. He'd never be made-man, but Black Mask could scratch out something real good working with the Families.

The warehouse door opened and a nicely dressed mob goon walked out to meet the villain and his entourage. It only took a minute for the gorilla to see the crimelord and recognize who he was as the rogue smirked under his charred face. Everybody know who Black Mask was! The oaf moved aside without a word, letting the villain step into the warehouse and on into waiting bosses. The rusted walls of the building housed much more comfortable settings than the pier outside. Large Persian rugs, elegant leather chairs with ottomans, even a long bookcase to hide some of the ugliness of warehouse. The air was filled with smell of liquor and tobacco burning, a far cry from the cat urine and much more welcomed too. The bosses where scattered all around, some drink and some smoking, but they all where chatting like one big happy Mafia. It was giant farce, of course, as almost every criminal in there would have gladly wasted three others in the room hadn't there been an alliance in the Families. Batman had changed a lot of things after he showed up in Gotham. However, for better or worst, this was the city's mob...and Black Mask was one among them!

"Would you like a drink, sir?" A young, attractive girl asked the crimelord. She held up a tray of glasses and a bottle of expensive single malt whiskey. Black Mask shook his head no as he dropped the smoldering remnant of his cigar in one of the glasses, then shewed her away. A few more waitresses were wondering around the from boss to boss more trays of booze, a couple with hors d'oeuvres. The Families always lived as elites, it was no surprise to the villain that they would even turn a crime gathering into a dinner party. The yelp of one of the waitresses catch Black Mask's attentions and as he twist around he saw mobster Sal Maroni groping a girl as he made his way to the crimelord. Oh, how he hated Maroni... but that could be helped, since the villain had to play nice, else he'd contract a severe case of lead-poisoning from one the surrounding mob goons.

Maroni outstretched his arms violently, flinging some the liquor from his glass onto the rugs. The mobster was making as though he wanted to hug villain, but Black Mask knew better then that... "My ol' buddy, Sionis!" ... Maroni would first stab himself before touch the crimelord. Dropping his arms, the mob boss continued, "How've you been? How's you're mother?"

"Oh, see's happy back in the Ol' Folks' Home." Black Mask replied with a jaded tone. His mother was dead and buried 6-feet under, just where Maroni's hitmen put her, "Oh, hey! How's your wife's brother doing since the surgery?"

A big fake grin crossed Maroni's lips as related, "Well...we can't all survive a bombing, can we?" The fink jumped behind his brother-in-law just as Black Mask's 'wedding present' exploded.

"Any word on why the Families called this meeting and greet?" The villain inquired, not planning to trust a word from Maroni's mouth.

"Don't know. Might have something to do with three of our Farmers banks being cleared out... ..."

Had the crimelord not have his mask eternally locked over his face, the mobster would have seen the evident cringe over Black Mask's features. Three banks?! He had only remembered the one! Playing it cool, the villain retorted, "I would suppose that's something worth bringing everyone out..."

"Gentlemen! Gentlemen!" A voice from one of the mob bosses called over the room. It was Carmine 'The Roman' Falcone, a schmuck in a tailored suit, the self-proclaimed head of the Families, "I have called his meeting together, in agreeance with the bylaws of my truce with Luigi Maroni -may God rest his soul- so that we can talk of the latest turn of events."

"Let me tell you about the latest turn of events, Falcone!" This below came from the Rupert Throne, one the most influential non-Mafia family in Gotham and a fat pig. His underworld empire had grown so big that the Families had to except him in, or have massive turf-war engulf the city, "I had fifty million between the three banks that you said could never be knocked over! If I had any sense, Falcone, I'd pug you right here and take what that cost me from your hide!"

"Watch yourself, Throne!" Screamed back a Tough Tony Bressi, lower boss in the Falcone family, "Listen to me! I'll smash this, here bottle over your skull if you don't watch yourself!"

"Tony..." Carmine Falcone gasped the mobster's shoulder and took the wine bottle from his hand. He then had one of the waitresses pour a drink, telling Bressi to take it and shut-up. Falcone turned to Throne, "Forgive my nephew, he's hot-headed." The fat mobster smiled and puffed on a cigar, unfazed by younger mob boss's threats. Wiping a handkerchief across his forehead, Falcone went on to address the rest of the room, "Now, my friends, as to way I've assembled you all... perhaps if I hand the chair over to one who can explain why all of us are here so early this morning... ..."

The head mob boss turned as all the mobsters looked on to see a group of four appear from the shadows of the warehouse. Black Mask blinked as he saw who had been revealed, nearly grabbing his Colt from under his dual-breasted jacket before thinking better of himself. One of them he had never met before, but the last three...oh, those three he had such a loathing. The long Victorian grab around Penguin's plump and deformed body, the insane collection of greens and question marks of the Riddler, and the half pristine white and half burnt ruined suit of Two-Face... it was Two-Face the villain hated the most. The four man, the stranger with a long pony-tail, spoke to the mob bosses, "My, my! What a wonderful room of faces. Old, but...full of potential. If you do not have the pleasure of knowing, I am Dr. Muhammad Pembunuh Daka... the man who will give you Gotham."


Author's Note: I did use an energy weapon from the Fallout series, a great video game franchise that I'd suggest to anyone to checkout. R & R!