Thanks soo much for the review. Here's the non smooshed chapter two. here's where it starts to get interesting. Mwahahahahaha!! (turns to her glowing computer screen in her mysteriously dark room, pushes her glasses up on her nose and begins the next chapter.)

CHAPTER TWO

That night on the top of the penthouse apartments that the police used for safe houses the commissioner had called a meeting. The commissioner had called up the witnesses to the crimes done by Powers/Blight to discuss the new danger to them from Death. To his surprise the dark night was also called up to the meeting. The commissioner had called them all to discuss the situation regarding the appearance of a professional mercinary called Death.

When Batman reached the roof, the commissioner and a squad of police, were already stationed there. He touched down in the shadows and activated his cloak and made his way towards the crowd. He heard the commissioner speaking already so he kept quiet and made his way toward the group.

"The reason that I have gathered you all here is the fact that..." the commissioner stopped in mid sentence and turned to look at the concealed batman and pointed at him.

Batman thought that she was going to tell him to come towards them so he started to move closer only to be caught off guard when from her hand came a small strip of metal flying at him. He almost didn't see it and therefore wasn't able to dodge it fast enough. The strip hit him in the thigh and went right through the suit to embed itself in his leg. He didn't know it had hit him until the hidden barbs on the strip extended in all directions in his leg. The pain fazed him for only a minute as he landed on the roof in a crouch and turned off his cloaking device.

The spectators all gasped at the appearance of Batman but the commissioner just started to laugh and as she laughed her voice became deeper and her body began to become hazy and grow larger as the projection disappeared to reveal the true person behind the laugh. At the same time the squad of police dissipated, as they were also holograms. The witnesses all started to scream at the realization that this was a trap.

The laughter was revealed to be coming from Death. Batman just gazed at the villain in disdain over his own stupidity to have not realized a trap when he stumbled into one. He then stood and faced Death raising a hand to his ear. "Call Gordon and t...Arrrgggghhhhh!!" Batman screamed as he fell to his side and grabbed at his leg where the metal had pierced his suit.

"Now, now, no telling," mocked Death. He had hit a button on the palm of his hand that caused the strip of metal to give off an electric surge through Batman's body. "Again you disappoint me Batman. You did not take my warning to heart and it may well cost you your life," said the now revealed Death.

Batman, as soon as the pain stopped, reached for the metal strip but found that it had embedded itself under the surface and he cursed it under his breath.

"Don't worry Batman, you will find that you will not be able to remove that device from your leg. It was set at the exact pressure to embed itself an inch beneath the surface of you limb. It also has anchors witch I assume you have already felt extend into the tissue of your leg. Each is two inches long to prevent anything from pulling it out without tearing the flesh to shreds," stated Death as he began to walk towards the fallen vigilante.

As Death moved all of the people on the roof began to scatter. Some went as far away on the roof as possible and hid behind ventilation housings while others ran for the roof access door. Only one had made it to the door for they had been seen by Death. He shot a laser at them from his staff at eye level just in front of the man. "You, over there with the rest of the cowering lot on the other side of the roof," he said motioning with his sickle.

Batman saw this distraction and used it to call Bruce again and turn on the vid link in his cowl. He brought his lower hand to his ear and spoke very quietly. "Bruce, can you hear me?"

"McGinnis! What happened?" came the response.

"I'm at the safe house for the Powers case witnesses. Call the commissioner. I need back up," Terry whispered into the night. Batman then saw that the person that Death had just shot at wasn't moving away from the door casing. He then looked at Death to see that he was just about to swing his weapon at the man.

Just as Death's hand started to swing his blade Batman threw a batarang that hit Death's wrist and made him miss his target and hit the wall just to the side of the petrified man. Death turned his attention from the man to the bat on the floor. He then turned a knob on the top of his other wrist and once again clenched his fist on the button located on his palm.

Batman screeched in agony as a fresh electrical surge coursed through his body. The shock was of more voltage than the last and his body writhed in the current from the device in his leg.

As Batman writhed on the ground Death just stared at him menacingly and after a good twenty seconds he released the button on his palm, letting Batman lie on the ground in helplessness. "That is what will happen every time you decide to interfere with my actions."

Back in the Bat cave:

"McGinnis!" Bruce yelled as he heard Terry scream through the com link. "McGinnis, can you hear me?!"

All he got in response was the constant scream of his protégé in agony. After an unbearably long time the screams stopped and all Bruce could hear was heavy breathing from Terry.

Bruce then turned to his left and called Barb. After three rings and some inaudible curses from Bruce, Barb picked up the call. "Commissioner Gordon... oh, Bruce it's you," Barb started but was cut off from saying any more.

"Barb, you need to get to your police safe house on Park Row NOW! McGinnis is down and the witnesses are in danger." Bruce told the commissioner in his emotionless tone but his eyes showed that he feared the worst for Terry if he didn't get assistance soon.

"Alright, tell him that we'll be there in 10 minutes. Gordon out." She said before she disconnected.

Bruce turned back to the main screen to see that Death had once again turned his attention back to the hostages. He was slowly making his way over to the group of frightened people with his blade in hand, which he had dropped when the batarang caught his wrist.

"McGinnis can you hear me?" Batman heard in his ear and moaned at the pain as he began to move.

"Yeah?" he rasped weekly into his communicator.

"McGinnis, the commissioner will be there in ten minutes. Can you get up to help the hostages until then?" asked Bruce.

"Only ten?" Batman chuckled to himself. "I think I can help but I don't know for how long I'll be of use." 'As soon as he sees me up he'll zap me again and I'll be down.' There was a pause as Batman thought of something to keep the guy occupied for the ten minutes that the police would need to arrive. "Tell the commissioner to hurry." He said to Bruce with a hint of uncertainty as he attempted to rise. He then turned off his link, as he didn't need any distractions.

He then rose shakily to his feet pushing down the urge to groan as he went. He looked over to see where Death had gone and didn't like what he saw. Death was closing in on his hostages. "Hey, grim reaper!" Batman yelled as he turned on his boot thrusters and charged at Death.

Just as Death turned around Batman plowed into him and sent him flying across the roof. "Get out of here!" He yelled to the hostages and they ran. Batman then flew off again to try to catch Death off guard before he could activate another electrical surge.

He was just ready to punch Death in the face when Death clenched his fist and activated the device again. Death then punched Batman in the stomach and hit him again in the chin. Death then grabbed Batman by the shoulders and brought him down hard onto his knee. There was an audible crack as the connection between knee and chest broke ribs.

Death repeated this move several times over and when he was satisfied that to even breath Batman would be in agony he threw him towards the edge of the roof. Batman skidded and bounced and finally came to a stop. As Batman tried to stand up death brought up his blade and caught Batman across the chest and it threw him to the edge of the roof. Batman rolled to his stomach and tried to prop himself up on his hands and knees only to fall to his elbows.

He then painfully coughed up some blood and spat it at the roof. Death walked over to the crumpled bat and pulled him up by the front of his costume to stare at him in the face. "You just don't know when to stay down do you?" Death then proceeded to shock Batman once again.

As the screams stopped he pulled back his clenched fist ready to hit Batman again but was interrupted by sirens and a searchlight flashed onto his form. "Well Batman it seems that our fun will have to be cut short, of course, my parting gift still has surprises for you," said Death as he pressed the button once again and hit Batman across the face and knocked him off of the roof.

As Batman fell he activated his thrusters through the agony of the electricity surging through him and stopped his downward fall by changing direction. Unable to control himself any more he went through a billboard, which dislocated his shoulder, and landed on a roof. He skidded and bounced over the edge and snagged a clothesline with his foot and started to spin towards the ground and land in a pile of trashcans. As he hit he lost consciousness and there was a trickle of blood coming from the corner of his mouth.

ooh, cliffy. is it a good one? doesn't it just make you want more?next chapter coming soon!