Sorry I haven't updated this story in soo long! But I wanted to update before the year was up. Happy New Year everyone!

The Dark Knight of Tomorrow

Chapter 8

Gotham City Police Department-Precinct 54

Detective Reagan and Baez were busy writing up police reports as they had no open cases. The two were preoccupied with paperwork that they didn't hear their Lieutenant Allen shouted for them. "Reagan! Baez!"

The two looked up from their desks, "Yeah, LT?" Reagan answered for the two.

The older looking bald man approached his detectives. "Look, corrections need some warm bodies for prisoner transfer tonight. I thought of you two," he gestured to them with a hand.

"Isn't that what uniforms are for?" Baez warily countered, not interested in working late tonight.

Allen sighed, "Yeah, but we're short on manpower and a lot of people are putting their papers in or just resigning. Come on," he requested.

Danny and Baez shared uncertain looks with one another, leaning towards flat-out refusing all together.

Until the dark-skinned man sweetened the deal for them, "There's OT involved," he said, his voice intentionally sweet.

"Really?" The idea of overtime seemed like a pipedream during these times. Neither believed the city nor the department had any spare change to fork over to anyone.

Allen nodded, "Yep, desperate times. Anyone escorting our VIP to Blackgate gets some additional pay," he explained.

"How's that work?" Danny demanded an explanation with all the pay cuts going around.

"Extenuating circumstances," Allen flatly told them. "Department wants this guy locked up quickly and quietly. You two in or not?" the older man pressed with his usual rugged attitude.

Reagan and Baez shared another look this time with excitement in their eyes, "Yeah, sure we're in," Baez answered for the two of them. They both could use the extra cash, especially in these times.

"Good," Allen nodded, making his way back to his office, only to stop when Baez called to him.

"Who's the prisoner?" she asked curiously.

Allen's eyebrows furrowed slightly, "The Mutant's head honcho," he provided, which arose surprised reactions from his detectives. Seeing as they were part of the raid that aided in arresting the Mutant Leader, Allen immediately thought of them as perfect for the job. See the case through so to speak.

Reagan scowled upon hearing that freak's name, how he hated that sad excuse for a human being. Considering he abducted his sister and tried to blackmail his old man, he personally wanted to ensure that human piece of garbage never saw the light of day again.

"Should we expect any trouble during transit?" Baez questioned her commanding officer for a few specifics for tonight.

Allen gave a look that said, 'obviously'. "Best to be ready for anything. The bosses want that psycho secured at Blackgate until trial and it is our job to make sure that happens. Report to lockup after your shift is over, all available details will be waiting for you there," he finished explaining and returned to his office.

"Terrific," Reagan scoffed as he saw the lieutenant slam his door shut.

"Not how I imagined my evening tonight," Baez said jovially, before resuming filling out reports.

So, there goes the plans for tonight, neither aware that the leader of the Mutant's had other ideas about his quarters while he recovered from his injuries. One that did not involve prison bars or guards.

Police Headquarters-Commissioner Frank Reagan's Office

Frank sat behind his desk, headphones in his ears. His face was in a deep scowl as he listened to something quite perturbing.

As always, he listened to his son's advice and gave a listen to the dispatch recordings following the raid on the Mutants. It deepened further when he heard his own voice command a withdrawal order.

"All units fall back to the perimeter. If you have apprehended an assailant, cuff them and leave them behind."

The man roughly removed the headphones from his ears, slightly causing some discomfort from the rough treatment.

The man could only shake his head in frustration. He didn't want to believe what his son said. He didn't want to be proven wrong. To be suspicious about throwing in with a masked man. He thought they had the same goals. But now, he was not sure anymore.

The man stopped Superman, saved the world. Liberated it. And the older man had hoped Batman was on their side, and he seemed cautious about willfully throwing in with someone he was unsure of fully trusting. Since the Regime's defeat, Batman worked with him in a small capacity. The commissioner and his police force did their jobs during the day and Batman came out at night to keep the city safe. Small apprehensions here and there. Small time hoods who got a little confidant or desperate to pull off a few crimes. And Batman handled them with precise tact, leaving them with mild injuries.

Until the Vincent Fries debacle. Frank wanted to chalk that up to faulty locks and an unhinged suspect. GothCorp is still attempting to keep the incident quiet, seeing as how Fries had no other relatives threatening to sue the corporation, they took possession of the thief and are attempting to reverse the process that put him on ice. That was the problem with mad scientists, they don't know how to reverse their experiments.

Some could say it was all Batman's fault for chasing the man into the facility. Others could say it was an accident during an arrest. If Batman were a police officer that would be the case, but he wasn't.

One poor decision lead to a man being cryogenically frozen, another using the police commissioner's own voice to order his men to retreat.

Perhaps he had made a grave error in allying with a vigilante that did not seem to have any control or supervision.

"Damn you," he grumbled to himself. Batman had betrayed his trust. Overruled him with his own department. Loyal officers believed he betrayed them when that was the furthest from the truth. He wanted to believe in something other than his religion. Something more tangible. Something more physical. Something more human or mythical.

Something that was there and would always have your back, through thick and thin.

Damn him, he so wanted to believe that heroes were still heroes. Now all Frank had now was doubt and betrayal.

He could not let this go on any further. He needed to decide. His entire department was counting on him to perform his job or they would not do theirs and then we would proceed into lawlessness. And that was not a world Frank wanted to live in.

Never again.

His thoughts were interrupted when Baker entered his office. He looked up and saw the urgency and grim look on her face.

His insides twisted as he instinctively knew what she was about to tell him. He asked her what was wrong, praying that his instincts were misplaced. "What happened?"

Baker took a deep breath, gathering her strength as what she was about to tell her boss wasn't easy to say. "Sir, we have an officer down." The words hurt him deeply as he felt he had just lost another family member. And that was how he viewed everyone in his department. From the higher ups to the canines.

Family.

"Where?" he asked his voice expressing the weariness and sadness.

"Robinson Park," she answered immediately.

He stood up from behind his desk and exited his office with Baker not far behind him.

"Get my detail," he commanded, heading for the elevator.

Robinson Park

Commissioner Reagan stood outside the crime scene as officers and forensic tech's and detectives examined the crime scene.

He scowled as one of his chief's informed him of the facts. "His name's Officer Thompson. He was assigned to guard duty on the Mutant Leader. He signed out of duty early last night. M.E. said time of death was around nine p.m. last night."

Frank stood there, merely listening to the facts as his eyes remained on one of his dead officers.

"Commissioner?" the chief paused, uncertain if their boss was paying attention.

"I'm listening, chief," he seldom ignored his men. "I'm… just not used to seeing this. At least not in my position."

The chief nodded their head, "It's understandable, commissioner. No one gets used to it," they assured him. "Do you think the Mutant's had anything to do with this?" they floated the idea.

"Any other suspects?" the mustached man retorted; his tone disgruntled.

"Could be random?"

"His throat was slashed from behind," Reagan retorted in displeasure, angry with himself for allowing this to happen. He used his skills as a police officer to offer another perspective. "From the victim's position, he was looking ahead or preoccupied by something in front of him. Some bloody prints there," he pointed from behind the victim leading away from the body. "Suggests more than one attacker, although he had no defensive wounds, he never saw it coming," he deduced. "Anything of the knife?"

"Haven't found it yet?"

"Who called it in?" Reagan inquired.

"Dogwalker," they answered. "They have no record," he dismissed the dogwalker as a suspect.

"Cameras?"

"Techs are looking into them now, sir," they answered matter-of-factly. The chief hesitated, which Reagan sensed.

"What's the matter?"

"Uh, sir. They… they took Thompson's off-duty weapon," they notified the commissioner. To which the man's scowl deepened.

"I want the animals who did this," he barked, with a smoldering fury. "I want them brought in. And I want it done by the book. No excuses. No short cuts. We owe it to Officer Thompson and his family," Frank demanded.

His many officers on scene nodded their heads in understanding.

"Should we change plans for the gang leader?" considering what happened, the chief thought it prudent to change up the plan or cancel the transfer altogether.

Frank shook his head, "No, nothing changes. I want him in Blackgate by tonight," he bit out as he left the scene. With plans to visit his fallen officer's family to deliver the news. Something he wasn't the least bit excited about.

GCPD Lockup

Reagan and Baez were going over the plan for the prisoner transfer as the ambulance carrying the prisoner had arrived. Both were disgruntled by the whole thing, but overtime was a sweet incentive for this detestable task.

Reagan wanted to strangle the bastard for what he did to his sister. But he would settle on prison time.

"We'll put him in the ambulance and escort him through the Narrows," the desk sergeant began the briefing. "Once we reach the cul-de-sac in the neighborhood, we make the switch with a dumpy ambulance marked the same as the one we have our prisoner in, only it's been tricked out from a prisoner transport. Once we make the switch, team two joins in and follows decoy while team one stays with the original carrying our prisoner. From there it is a straight shot to Blackgate, while decoy rides all over town keeping any unsavory citizens guessing. Questions?"

One officer voices concern, "Isn't this plan a little too convoluted?"

The sergeant leveled a scowl, "Perhaps, but we don't want any remaining Mutant's catching wind of any of this. Anything else?" he repeated with a grimace. He saw no one else offer any further objections and clapped his hands. "Alright, get this scumbag to prison and we can all get home to our families," he commanded.

Reagan and Baez took off towards their police vehicle. It wasn't long before the plan was carried out and they left Lockup surrounding the ambulance on all sides.

As always, Reagan drove. Baez didn't seem to care tonight as she guzzled down the last of her coffee.

Minutes pass, twenty minutes, thirty minutes pass when they enter the Narrows, one of the city's underprivileged neighborhoods. Not much had changed since the rise and fall of Batman, of the Regime or any other 'good-hearted' politician.

Reagan started getting antsy, started getting aggravated by the whole situation that was current life in Gotham City. Suddenly, the man said, "I'm thinking of putting my papers in."

Baez's reaction was instantaneous. "What?! Why?!" Her mind was boggled by his confession. She couldn't even imagine him ever putting his papers in. He loved police work. And he was a damn fine detective to boot. Sure, money was tight, but she never expected him to jump ship when it got tough. But she understood he had a family and he had been going through some difficult times from the last few weeks.

"I'm tired," he admitted haggardly. "I hate how things are. I hate how we are untrusted by our community and I hate we have a vigilante running around doing our jobs better than we can," he stated heatedly. Sure, from what his sister and father told him the guy rescued his sister from psychos. But he hated that he was out there, and, in his eyes, he wished he could do what he did but he couldn't. Because the world belonged to normal people rather than freaks in colorful costumes and people that didn't care about the little people or laws.

He could not stand them. It was because of them that his brother was dead, and it killed him inside every day that they-he was still out there rubbing his existence in their faces.

"This about Batman, again?" the woman sighed. She had heard him talk like this at least once a shift and honestly, she was tired of it. She understood he was grieving and angry, but she didn't think Batman was the enemy-truly the enemy.

She used to live in the Narrows, they passed her old neighborhood a few blocks back. Her mother and sister still live there, but she managed to get a place in the nine-hundred block. Which was between ninth and tenth avenue. Called the 900 by residents. Home to honest and hardworking people, who are extremely friendly and neighborly. And this was in Gotham City! There were only a handful of areas in the city that matched such kindness. And extraordinarily little crime, too. Oh, they have a police presence in the area, mostly foot patrolmen, just to make sure everything was fine in the neighborhood.

She visits her family whenever she can, but it was hard. Not everyone had a family relationship that was equivalent to the Reagan family. But that was a story for another day.

She grew up hearing stories of Batman, the one person in the city you knew was on your side. The cops were corrupt and a disgrace back then. No one trusted them. But when Batman arrived it was like a wake-up call. One where everyone mattered, no matter what they did in their life or didn't do. They mattered to him. And that's why Maria Baez supported the Batman. Because she still trusted him. Believed in him.

She gave him a beleaguered look, that reflected her own disapproval of his opinion.

The man noticed out of the corner of his eyes, "What?" he stated with his usual abrasive personality.

"Nothing," she turned her head looking out the passenger window.

"Don't give me that! When a woman says, 'nothing' it usually means something," he retorted. To which he received another look from the Latina, eyebrows raised, giving the impression he just stepped on a landmine.

"Pardon?" the woman replied, intently giving him the look.

The whisked man was quick to retract his previous statement. "Never mind."

Her lips quirked upward, before she adjusted her position in her seat. The look faded, "Damn right," she uttered, feeling victorious.

The escort was only a few more blocks away from the cul-de-sac where they would make the swap. Silence filled the car as Reagan concentrated on driving while Baez kept her eyes open for any unsavory individuals, such as Mutant loyalists.

Her partner's previous statement weighted heavily on her. She knew they were in tough times, but she wanted to dissuade him, she liked him as a partner. And she didn't want that to change.

She suddenly started speaking, "You know," Reagan's eyes darted from the road to his partner. "I used to live in this neighborhood. It was worse than it is now," she said that part softly, detailing emotion.

Danny listened intently as he drove the car, he had never heard her talk about her past before, she rarely did.

"You couldn't even walk down the streets without getting shot or mugged. And the cops," she emphasized with disgust, "they were just as bad."

Her face softened as she took on a hopeful expression, "Then Batman showed up. Slowly but surely, the city got a little saver. Under his watch people could go out again. People felt safer. That someone cared about them and would be there to keep them safe. That was then, so I don't know what's going on now. The world doesn't seem to have much faith anymore," she concluded her little speech to her partner. She turned to him, hoping she managed to reach him, but he simply kept his eyes on the road.

She hoped he heard her; he did but he wasn't ready to hear any of it.

The transport came to a stop as they arrived at the caul-de-sac, seeing the place was vacant. Old tenement buildings surrounded the caul-de-sac worn down by time and neglect.

Reagan glanced around looking for signs of the other team. "Where the hell are they?" he murmured, seeing no sign of them.

Baez shrugged, checking the radios, she called out to team two checking on their status.

Two blocks away a limousine burned as it blocked the road, obstructing the second team. Fallen officers littered the ground. Inside the ambulance was a gruesome scene as they were shot dead, the window pulled down. A bystander had hailed them from the side of the road hoping for aid as their car blocked their path, the unsuspecting officers lowered the window and it all went down hill from there as they were shot dead before they even knew what happened.

The police officers were unable to alert the other team as a signal jammer disrupted the police's communications.

Police vehicles were trapped as another limousine blocked their rear. Gunfire erupted as Mutant's attacked the escort police vehicles. Within minutes several officers were dead or dying. Piercing the windows and windshield of the police cars.

Broken glass, blood and bullets flew through the night air.

Reagan and Baez had a foreboding feeling when there was no sign of the other team. Nor even a radio call. "Call it in!" Reagan anxiously told Baez, who grabbed their car radio.

She tried calling dispatch only to get static. She rose a perplexed brow, sharing a look with her partner. Both had a bad feeling about all of this.

They tried for the commandeering officer of this prisoner detail. They got the same of the more static as when they radioed dispatch.

Reagan pulled out his weapon, ready to defend himself. Out of the corner of his eye he witnessed his partner do the same.

Bullets strike the hood of their car, fearing a damaged engine, the man put the car in reverse putting some distance between them. Right now, it was a matter of survival instead of a transporting a prisoner. Unfortunately, they didn't get far as the car started to stall as the engine was shredded by the volley of bullets.

Fortunately, the engine wasn't set aflame. Reagan swore. Out of the corner of her hazel eyes, Baez witnessed a Mutant prepping a rocket launcher.

Her eyes slowly widened as her brain registered what was happening in the whirlwind of events.

"MOVE!" she screamed to her partner, struggling to undo her seatbelt.

Reagan saw what she was warning him about and did the same. Their car still being blasted with ammo as other police vehicles were being eviscerated.

He kicked his door open as he stumbled out with Marie following him.

The next thing he knew, he was feeling the shockwave of his car exploding as the RPG blew it to hell. The entire area became a firepit as blood and death oozed out of the previously quiet neighborhood.

He thought it was the end, but it was not his end that night. He would return home to his family tonight.

As the fire licked at his face, he felt something latch onto his leg pulling him away from the explosion as he felt his stomach leave him like he was on a roller coaster ride. He was being pulled from the ground to high into the sky. He caught a glimpse of a line of rope connected to his leg and then he grunted as he felt the rough impact of crashing onto the roof of an old apartment complex.

The night was illuminated by the explosion. The fire peaking over the rooftop giving the night an eerie halo.

The detective's eyes slowly opened, ears ringing. He struggled to get his bearings. When he regained full facilities of his mind he noticed something black moving past him. Almost slithering along the ground. Something big. Something with wings?

"Jesus Christ," he murmured in awe as he saw the creature leap off the rooftop. Realizing the black clothe was a cape and noticed a large body beneath it.

Immediately, instincts roared as he raced to the nearest fire escape. Concern for his partner plagued him as he struggled down the metal construct. His footfalls causing metallic thuds as he raced down to street level.

He paused in his movements as he witnessed the dark figure go to work on the Mutant's.

The Mutant Leader resided comfortably inside the reinforced ambulance. A smile on his lips as he heard the muffled gunfire as his boys went to work on the pigs. Explosions shook the vehicle as the pale man grinned as he enjoyed the knowledge that his crew was causing the chaos that was in store for Gotham.

He would have preferred to personally be gutting those filthy pigs, but he was still in no way capable of moving from the gurney let alone stand up and point a gun.

The Bat will die for that indignity.

Muffled gunfire sang outside the ambulance, Shouldn't be long now, he thought to himself as he was beginning to become anxious on how long it was taking to free him.

Batman leapt off the roof, wind blasting his masked face as gravity dragged him down. Smoke filling his lungs as the fire raged on. Zeroing in on a group of three mutants targeting two pinned down officers.

His silhouette easily alerted the young stupid men of the vigilante's presence. Training their automatic weapons on the Bat.

Batman dropped down onto the one in the middle. His dark boots slamming into the fool's shoulders almost breaking him in half.

Instantly, he got low as bullets whizzed past his head by inches. Using his hands to steady himself, his legs were a whirlwind knocking the gunmen off their feet and landing flat on their backs.

A split second later, Batman was on his feet and smashed the gun barrels of the two men he just incapacitated.

He dove over a turned police vehicle, tackling another mutant to the ground. White eyes narrowed as he noticed Mutants gathered around one of the limo's they had appropriated for the ambush.

He pulled an explosive batarang from his belt and threw it towards them. The object cut the air as it raced to its target. It embedded itself into the hood of the black limo.

Seconds later, the vehicle exploded. The mighty explosion knocked the gathered gunmen forward with a cry. The limousine flipping forward, over the downed men and crashing atop of another smoldering piece of slag.

Continuing to subdue the gang members, the dark clad man raced to the next group in view. Gunfire continued as the remaining police officers took cover. While others struggled to get their wounded allies out of the line of fire-at least the ones that were still breathing.

Batman took out the next group of Mutant's with quick succession. Leaping over an armored caravan, he descended onto a gun totting mutant, quickly turning back to the two that were missed. His dark fist shot out delivering a powerful right hook to another foe. As soon as the defeated man fell, Batman's eyes focused onto the one that was behind the now unconscious gang member. His left leg rose, a high kick connecting with his opponent's chin, the kick made him airborne before he hit the ground trounced.

Backflipping, Batman surprised the lone Mutant, as bullets from his M-16 penetrated the air and unsuspecting objects. Gracefully, the vigilante landed in front of the shooter, his cape temporarily blinding him as it seemed to come to life fluidly.

When the black garment subsided, Batman scowled at the man, a palm thrust shattered the Mutant's visor glasses and his nose.

His legs carried him over to move criminals that needed to be thwarted. His mind on autopilot as he understood the gunmen needed to be stopped and lives needed to be protected. Casualties were already high, completely unacceptable. He needed to be better. Faster. Smarter.

He should have been told about the transport sooner. Maybe then he could have been there to intervene sooner.

In a matter of minutes, he had dealt with most of the Mutants, all subdued and incapacitated. Their guns were either discarded or damaged. He didn't care either way, as long as they were out of the hands of killers.

Only a few were left standing. He ran up to one of the last ones, the Mutant managing to get a few shots in as bullets pulverized Batman's body. The armor holding, bullets embedding themselves into the armor but bruising and injuring the man beneath the kevlar suit.

With his right arm, the dark clad man pulled the AK-47 forward, feigning an attempt to wrestle the weapon from the mad man all the while leaving the man open from behind as Batman's unoccupied arm smashed into the back of his current enemy's head, disorienting him enough to lose grip over his gun.

Body twisting, Batman swung his right fist square into the man's face, blood and teeth splattered all around.

Slowly, Baez, whom had been unconscious since her assigned car exploded started to rouse herself. Blood leaked from her left temple from when she hit the ground due to the explosion. Dazed, she struggled the open her eyes. The only thing to register in her mind was the heat.

An incoming Mutant attempted to use his weapon as a club, ignorant of Batman noticing his presence and intent. Before the gang member could even swing the weapon down, the vigilante crouched as his right arm shot out powerfully connecting with the other man's stomach, eyes bulging as pain ripple through him.

Bullets rained down on the masked man. He drew his cape closer to himself, shielding himself as the pain was punishing. He did not even let out a grunt as the tiny pieces of punishment impacted his body. He had a myth to rebuild. And the Mutants would be the foundation of Batman's refurbished myth. Batman needed to be all-powerful. Unbeatable. Inhuman. Unkillable.

The dark clad man raced toward the shooter, all while his cape was wrapped around him. The first chance he got, he delivered a powerful side kick to the gun trotting man's face, head whipping in the opposite direction as he collapsed in an unceremonious heap.

Batman held the last defeated Mutant in his hands, hanging inches off the ground. Batman slowly turned his head. Silently challenging anyone else to dare take another shot. The flames in the background seemed to be at his command as they danced for him. His cape slightly blowing in the wind.

The surviving cops were awestruck at the vigilante's performance.

Baez, finally getting her bearings, searched for her missing weapon until finding it had been tossed a few feet away from her.

She tried to stand only to stop as she registered that not all perps had been subdued.

A bleeding mutant stood before her, a twisted smile on his face as blood trickled down. Gone was the customary visor as his brown eyes were filled with twisted intent. Slowly, he picked up her weapon never losing that grin. He was a prime example of the Mutant Gang. Vicious and cruel. Violent for the sake of violence.

Unfortunately, for him and all those like him, there was another that battled his kind. With unabated strength and discipline.

The Mutant aimed his new gun at the detective, roughly picking her up by her lapel. Suffering from an undiagnosed concussion, Baez's struggle was fleeting. He pulled her so they were face to face, hot metal dug into the woman's chin, as the Mutant's grin chilled her to the bone. She wouldn't cry or beg. She would not give the scum the satisfaction.

Suddenly, she noticed something out of the corner of her mocha eyes. The man also noticed that her attention diverted from the gun in her face and turned his head to what she was paying attention to.

An ice-cold shower ran down the man as he stared at a pillar of darkness standing among the flames. He gaped as he saw Batman standing atop a burning police vehicle surrounded by fire.

Good God, Maria thought as she witnessed the flames encased the vigilante. The fire danced along his dark cape, glaring at the Mutant.

His boot slammed the trunk shut as he stood transfixed on the hostage taker. His cape covering him as the fire-resistant coating kept the flames at bay. Unfortunately, it did nothing for the heat. However, he didn't express any discomfort, he had a myth to reestablish.

He was already formulating several different kinds of takedowns that would rescue the hostage. Three disarm the gunman without harming the hostage but they all depend on how fast his trigger finger was. Two cause severe harm to hostage and or kill her while causing irreparable harm to the gunman.

The last two were unacceptable choices. He had only one option.

The Mutant gulped, before trying to put up a brave face, while the dark clad man began to walk toward the gunman, his cape enveloping his body, the flames scurrying off it as the man walked out of the fire.

His cape adding to the effect that he was some sort of monster from hell here to punish the wicked for their crimes.

"DON'T MOVE, MAN!" the gunman shouted at the top of his lungs. The gun dug deeper into the police detective's face, the woman wincing. "One more step and I paint the street with her brains!" he warned, hand slightly shaking. His heart was pounding in his chest, utterly terrified by the intimidation display.

Batman came to an immediate halt upon hearing the threat. He stood still within the fire as the heat began to penetrate the armor. His indifference to the fire frightened the gunman.

Meanwhile, Detective Reagan had finally made it back to ground level. Jumping down from the ladder, he landed onto the concrete with a grunt. Immediately, drawing his weapon, he took a knee as he could not get a clear shot while standing.

Six feet, Batman calculated as he stared down the gang member. Can I make it? He thought as he began to make his move, noting Detective Reagan was back in play.

Baez was considering taking down her hostage taker back decided against it when she noticed how twitchy his hand was. One wrong move from her and she could get a bullet to the face.

Batman seemed to notice her impatience and prepared to make his move as the Mutant's focus was completely on him, oblivious to Detective Reagan.

"I'll kill her, I swear!" the Mutant boasted as he inched the woman between him and the cop with a gun pointed at him.

Danny clenched his teeth as he did not have a clean shot. Panic filled him as he feared losing another one tonight. His eyes darted to the vigilante and was stunned he was not doing anything. Not striking up a conversation to get the gunman to release the hostage nor distract him at all. He just stood there quiet as he was on fire.

You won't take anyone else from me, he heatedly swore. He inched his weapon side to side attempting to find an opening.

Obscured by his long cape, no one noticed Batman's leg start to bend, muscles tensing as he made his move.

"I'll do it! I'll do it!" the Mutant bellowed, eyes never leaving Batman's.

Now! The vigilante thought as he charged.

In a split second the dark clad man was in between the woman and the gunman. His vise-like grip locked onto the Glock. He twisted his hold on the gun, causing the pale man's wrist to twist. "Ah!" he yelped in pain.

He lost the gun as Batman took it from him. "No, you won't," he replied flatly. He tossed the gun behind him as the criminal was subdued.

The pale man fell down as he lost strength in his legs.

Danny looked on in astonishment. He had never seen anyone move that fast before. That had to be six feet between the vigilante and Baez. How did he do that? What he's wearing had to weight more than what a patrolman carried.

He suddenly let out the breath he didn't know he was holding, standing up.

Baez breathed a sigh of relief as her gun was out of her face. Her eyes immediately zoomed in on her discarded service weapon.

Her hazel eyes turned to the man in black. It was the first time she had seen him up close before. He was certainly big. Must be the costume, she considered. She noticed the bullet holes and scorch marks and an odor of something that was set on fire.

"Thanks," she said to the man. Feeling grateful for the aid.

He glanced at her; white eyes unnerved her as he walked away. "Emergency services are on there way," he spoke. His voice sounded gravelly, that seemed to check with how she imagined him sounding like.

"Freeze!" an all too familiar voice rang out. Baez turned her head and saw Danny aiming his weapon at the dark man.

"Reagan, what are you doing?" she asked, surprised by his actions.

Batman didn't give the detective the time of day and continued walking.

"I said stop," Reagan reiterated, his weapon aimed at the back of the vigilante's head.

Batman ignored him and kept walking; it was easy deduce that he was heading for the ambulance carrying the Mutant Leader.

"I said stop!" Reagan said again. Baez intervened knowing things were about to get ugly.

"Danny, stop," she implored. "We have more than enough paperwork to deal with as is."

The man scowled. Grumbling, he put away his service weapon.

The Mutant Leader had been feeling smug when he heard the gunfire and screams, no doubt from the pigs. He even flinched a couple times when he heard the explosions of vehicles being destroyed. He was uncertain of how much firepower his crew held. But he was glad they brought the heavy artillery to spring him. He had plans for Gotham and he could not carry them out while he was stuck in Blackgate.

However, all that smugness drained away when the door to the ambulance and the man responsible for his physical predicament.

Panic rose out of the previously strong-willed man as the man whom had broken him stood before him. His usual boastful self changed into a quivering mess as he feared another beating within an inch of his life. When he was on his own, he was cocky, arrogant, determined to fight the Bat again, but now he was frightened pussycat that feared a repeat.

"Still want another go?" Batman challenged, leaning his arm on the closed door. A small smirk on his dark masked lips.

He saw the gurney strapped man gulp nervously. Inwardly, the vigilante was delighted to know his scarce tactic was working. He hoped this would break the gang leader's spirit once and for all. He had other matters to focus on and he didn't need to continue fighting a man with an army at his disposal.

Batman hopped into the ambulance and hung over the injured man like a curse. His shadow looming over the man, whom sunk back into the gurney. Scowling at the inferior man.

Defiantly, the Mutant Leader acted bold. "I still got my boys. They'll continue my work. And then, I'll be—

"Your boys are splintered," Batman interjected. "You only have a few loyalists left, some of which I've already dispatched outside. They could use this ambulance you're sitting in."

The pale man paled even more than anyone thought he could. Batman continued, going for the jugular. "As for your loyalists, I'll be paying them a visit after this. And when I do, I will be sure to tell them that you told me where to look. That you ratted them out. And you know what happens to rats, don't you?"

Red eyes widened in realization as Batman was setting him up to get shanked in prison.

"Out here you might be something," Batman whispered in a way that made it unnerve the gang leader. "But in Blackgate, you're little fish. Nothing but another would-be has-been."

The man smirked as he had utterly crushed the Mutant Leader as he realized he was nothing on his own. Just a man with bad teeth and red eyes. Without his gang—without him in charge of his crew he had nothing.

Sensing his defeat, Batman felt accomplished as he finally but the other man in his place. Wordlessly, the vigilante walked out of the vehicle, ignoring the shocked expression on the former Mutant Leader's face.

He saw the two detectives from earlier staring at him, wordlessly, he fired his grapple gun towards the nearest building. As the gadget pulled him toward the air like he was flying in a mass of black.

NEXT: Partnership Dissolved!

The ambush scene was heavily inspired by Batman Gotham Knights Crossfire story. I would love to see a Batman anime style series! Come on we can do better than Batman Ninja!

Anyway, please remember to review, fav and follow! Thanks!