There couldn't have been a more tense moment. Kim could smell the blood and gray matter that was Loeb's brain splattered across the floor. She had to keep focus, at any moment within the next 3 minutes this situation could go past the breaking point. There was only one clear threat, Batman, who stood only 5 feet or so away from the group. Kim stood ready for the absolute worst. She had seen the aftermath of what Batman was capable of, broken bones, dark bruises, blood dripping down from anywhere on the face, clear signs that Batman was no one that showed mercy. She mentally sized him up, he must have been at least over 6 feet tall and heavily armored. Ron couldn't help but fight to keep his lunch inside or pass out. His index finger holding his mouth shut while his cheeks inflated, trying to holding his stomach with his opposing hand. Rufus had retreated to Ron's pocket after screaming at the scene, terrified of the Batman. Aunt Caryl had almost gone into shock her eyes widened to their max and fighting tears and had her mouth covered by both of her hands. Bullock was paying attention to Cpt. Gordon, who still had his pistol drawn and aimed towards Batman's torso.
Batman remained steady, his body tense yet completely calm. Any sudden movements and Gordon would open fire. This is a group he wanted to engage in a non-violent manner. Gordon was a good cop and so was Bullock, Gotham needed them amongst the filth that was the rest of the GCPD. Dr. Caryl O'Malley was a renowned psychiatrist and Gotham would be lost in several ways without her. The only foreign elements were Kim Possible and Ron Stoppable. Ron was… well, Ron. Childish, intellectually lacking, overall he was just a small hurdle to just casually jump over, but Kim was the real issue.
Aside from what Ben jotted down that afternoon, there was no deep research of any kind on Kim or her abilities. He knew she saved the world from time to time, and that alone could assist in filling in mental blanks, especially about her skill sets. Her combat style could be anything from amateur to a highly trained specialist, and she could use her skills more conservatively or even wild and random. Batman clenched his fists, his feet ready to leap his body off the ground. Behind the desk, out towards either door or up towards the ceiling, it didn't matter. His mind was made up, he had to get out of there.
"Seems you brought company with you Gordon." Batman hissed.
"Why'd you do it, Batman? Sure Loeb was a prick but he didn't deserve to die! If you really want to help this city, then leave it to us." Gordon disputed. His pistol still aiming right at Batman's chest. Batman remained in a state of solid stone, silent and without emotion.
"The only 'good' cops in all of the GCPD are standing in this room Gordon and I have done much more to help this city than any of your officers have in a long time. I also don't carry any firearms, so the murderer came from the inside. The round came from a 9-millimeter shell."
"Why should I believe a thing you're saying?" Gordon fired back.
"Because you and I are after the same person, and you seeing me here is nothing short of happen-stance."
"So you are real," Kim growled showing her disgust.
She didn't want to admit it, but Batman was definitely intimidating. His stance was flawless, prepared to defend any point of his body and move swiftly if need be. His eyes glared at hers. Both of them were prepared for either one to make a move. Kim had raised her hands, open palms ready to greet Batman's closed fists. Kim, on the other hand, considered herself at a disadvantage since she was only carrying her Kimmunicator on her side. Batman could be carrying anything. Tools, gadgets, maybe even the murder weapon.
"The world-famous teen hero, Kim Possible. You're a long way from Middleton." Batman's posture adjusted more calmly, his back straight, arms and legs resting in a normal standing position. A golden belt could be seen on his waist as his cape just rested off his shoulders and covered nearly all of his body. He kept his eyes on Kim and she didn't move a muscle. The belt did tell Kim that Batman was packing some kind of equipment. Now she was on her guard just a bit more than prior. Kim's eyes then widened, Batman knew where she was from.
"How do you know where I'm from?!"
"Everyone knows who you are, Miss Possible. A grave error in judgment."
Kim's skin crawled, what else did he know? Batman growled under his breath. He assumed that the shot was heard on multiple floor levels, he didn't know just how many but he assumed the worst. The pounding of boots downstairs with armed officers attached to them filled his imagination. A group of five was way easier to deal with than a group of 20 or possibly more armed officers, especially in a confined space. Some could already be on the floor they occupied now. That was something Batman couldn't risk.
"Now I'll say this one more time, Gordon put the gun down!" Batman warned.
"Batman, this is your last warning." Gordon sneered.
The pistol was still aiming down towards the black armored target. Batman growled and glared down the barrel of the pistol. Tensions were running high and close to the breaking point. He had to do something, and now. Batman just closed his eyes and sighing, he stood up straight and slowly began to raise his arms. Kim looked puzzled, as did Ron after mustering enough strength to fight back his lunch. They watched as Batman had looked down and began to slowly raise his arms, with one hand stopping to rub his temple with an audible "sigh". Kim started to stand normally again with Ron right behind her. Gordon was silent, raising a brow but kept the gun pointed towards Batman. Bullock & Caryl were equally puzzled as well.
Kim just studied Batman with an odd expression, he was giving up, just like that? So far all that she heard of Batman was that of an unmerciful, fighting machine that never reserved killing, until now. All of the victims of his actions were going to live to see another day and make a recovery. Loeb had a gun pointed at him and shot in the head, it didn't fit Batman's M.O. unless it was his very first. She felt uneasy, watching his arms rise slowly into the air. The sharpened blades on his forearms were at a low angle but the sight was still intimidating. In fact, his entire outfit was meant to frighten the daylights out of any bad guy who came into contact with him. His entire outfit was revolved around being prepared for everything and instilling fear into his enemies. His closed fists soon reached the appropriate height to appear less threatening, matching the hands-up position.
'Wait, closed fists?' Kim thought.
Batman revealed his palms and two tiny black spheres descended to the floor. Smoke suddenly exploded into the room as the spheres landed. No one could breathe, but everyone could hear the 4 gunshots Gordon let loose. Bang-Bang, Bang, Bang! Batman had already had detective vision activated and to him, everyone was replaced with the highlighted neon blue silhouettes of themselves. Batman jumped to the left, somersaulting over Loeb's desk and the first two bullets that flew under his cape. Jumping forward he was lucky that time was on his side, narrowly dodging the third bullet by using the same kinetic energy from the somersault. His left foot landed hard on the floor & by just slightly squatting to the left he jumped over the final bullet diving into the smoke. His hands landed right on Kim's shoulders, using her as a counterbalance.
Kim, amongst the smoke, while struggling to breathe, felt someone's fingers wrap around both of her shoulders. 210lbs. of extra weight abruptly descended onto her. If it were not for cheer practice and the pyramids they always did, Kim's shoulders and knees would have collapsed. She held the weight and Batman landed behind her. Ron was the first to escape the smoke, coughing and waving the fumes away from his mouth and nose. He opened his eyes and watched as the smoke reached both of his sides. He was about to call out to Kim, only for that call to come out a scream as the Batman landed right in front of Ron. Batman's hands grabbed onto his suit shirt and jacket, and while already several inches taller easily lifted Ron above him as he flailed about.
"WHOA DUDE HOLD ON JUST A SE-!"
Ron's words turned into a holler as Batman had spun him around once before tossing him back into the smoke. The speed and force of the throw cleared the smoke after. Ron's eyes closed as he was enveloped once more, expecting to crash into the wall, but instead hit something more gelatin. Bullock was slammed in the back by Ron's rag-doll body causing him to stumble forward and land right on top of Gordon's back, all three falling to the ground. Aunt Caryl forced herself into a corner of the hallway coughing with tears in her eyes. Kim fell to one knee once Batman had gotten off of her shoulders, and that time on her knees allowed for Ron to fly above her head. Her right eye caught Batman running towards the hallway to their right, Kim finally stood up to look behind to see an incapacitated Ron with a downed Bullock and Gordon underneath him. Kim just looked towards the hallway that Batman ran towards, grinding her teeth with rage. Sure Shego and Killigan have had a few surprise cheap shots against Ron but they both never murdered, this got way personal. Kim bolted down the hallway, alone. Her legs carried her as fast as they could to catch up with the masked vigilante. Surprisingly they had to work a bit harder just to keep pace.
Batman just focused on what's ahead. Two more hallways, two right turns and there would be a vent to the roof with a helipad. That's all he needed to do, get to that vent. Suddenly a group of guards who were running towards the source of four gunshots screeched to a halt as they saw the Batman themselves. One guard had clumsily dropped his gun, while the other already fired two shots in haste, flying nowhere near the intended target. That officer was met with a 360º jump wheel kick to the jaw by Batman's left heel. The other officer who had finally picked his gun up correctly had his face grabbed and thrown to the wall so hard it knocked him out cold. It Batman took no time to get back to full speed.
Kim rounded the corner to find both officers groaning in pain and unconscious. She jumped over them because all she wanted was to catch this guy. There was a right turn up ahead, and 3 more yelps of pain prior. By the time Kim made the turn, Batman's fist hit an officer's face. The sound made by slam was that of a cracking sound. That was 5 officers down in under 20 seconds. Kim was used to incapacitated officers by now, Shego left the same trail all the time. However, unlike Shego to the best of Kim's knowledge, Batman had no superpowers. Another right turn, Kim had used her hand to hold the corner of the wall to round the corner easily, but no Batman was in sight.
"W-What!? That's not possible, I was just on him!" She growled in anger, grabbing her hair and almost pulling it before she remembered Wade. She quickly pulled out the Kimmunicator and started another transmission to Wade. The boy genius was just starting to wake up as he was greeted by a rather frantic and agitated Kim, slightly annoyed by another disturbance from his sleep.
"Wade I need schematics for the Blackgate prison building in Gotham Harbor."
"Kim seriously? That seems like something you can wait tomorrow for-"
"Wade, I need them right now!" Kim demanded. Wade, shocked and taken back by the comment, immediately began to type away as fast as his fingers could.
"What's got you tweaked?"
Sure Kim took that poorly, but when she yells about anything it normally is serious. Wade pressed the 'E' key on his keyboard, showing Kim a series of maps of the Blackgate prison. Kim looked around to see if there are any significant attributes to the hallway where she was in, there were two. A fork in the hallway where Batman could turn either left or right. And a single ventilation shaft. Kim zoomed in on her position, marked by a green dot. Both of the turns Batman would have taken would lead him to dead ends on either hallway. The Ventilation shaft, on the other hand, had something unique, a straight shot to the roof. Kim thanked Wade and stuffed the Kimmunicator down her pocket.
She jumped up and hung by the grille of the vent shaft. She didn't expect it to be loose at all, as she nearly fell from it giving in to her weight, but thankfully she landed on her feet as both she and the grille fell. This gave it away, Batman must have gone through the vent and placed it back thinking it would trick her. Kim jumped back up and began to crawl up the path of the ventilation shaft the Kimmunicator laid out for her. She didn't really need it, it was a straight shot to the outside helipad.
Batman's foot slammed into the vent grille. Bending and breaking it from its perch, it landed on the ground with a hard 'clang' while his feet landed softly on the ground. Batman then noticed the storm that had formed over Gotham and slowly was about to make contact with Blackgate prison. Batman looked to his right pouch on his utility belt, the same pouch that held the USB drive. Giving it a few pats to make sure its contents were still where he left them. His hand reached for his commlink once more with Alfred waiting patiently on the other line.
"Alfred, I need you to pull up the GCPD database and filter through everyone's files. Shoe size 11, with a 9-millimeter pistol assigned to them."
"Master Ben, I'm afraid I'm going to have a very large pool of contestants for that little contest, picking your grand prize winner might be difficult. Is there any more information you could give me?" Alfred asked.
"Loeb's gunshot traveled perfectly clean, so the bullet traveled straight through. The shooter's arm must have been straight mirroring the trajectory of the bullet. With Loeb being only 5'7" in height the shooter had to have been taller than Loeb, or his arm was parallel to his head. Add a third filter searching for possible subjects standing between 6" to 6'3" in height."
Batman knew it was a long shot. The filtered database would come back with a massive amount of results. Batman looked out towards the storm, the lightning bolts flashed and danced across the dark night sky. Only taking 2 seconds for the sound of thunder to ring across the rooftop of Blackgate. His finger held the button on his head activating the simulation of the crime scene as it replayed in his head. The mystery shooter, the gun against Loeb's head, then his body falling to the ground, the shooter running towards Loeb's left back door. The shoe prints in detective vision were being displayed in white, each print directed towards the door. That same door led to the helipad and made a straight shot along with many other footprints that were all headed to the 'H' on the helipad.
Batman suddenly caught something with his eye that the detective vision had caught as well. It lay next to an air conditioning unit, stuck between the blades of the fan. It was an officer's cap, the bill prevented the wind from carrying it off into the crashing waves. Batman rushed in to grab it as the bill of the hat gave into the wind. Batman couldn't believe it almost, the final piece of evidence may have just presented itself. The badge of the Gotham City Police Department had been embedded on the front of the hat. With a hat, there is at least one follicle of hair from who the hat belonged to or whoever wore it last. Batman looked closely to find exactly what he was looking for; a small tiny blonde hair remained at the bottom of the cup of the hat. Batman carefully plucked it and placed it in a small baggy, and placed it in an empty compartment on his utility belt. Batman then started to walk back towards the center of the helipad, continuing the conversation with Alfred, a conversation that won't last long.
"Alfred, I've recovered a follicle of hair. I believe it belongs to the murderer of Gillian Loeb. This helicopter pad leads directly to Loeb's office and was the perfect escape route. The murderer's shoe prints even lead to it."
"Well, that was a lucky break. Not to mention a GCPD helicopter did just take off from that position not too long ago. You're suspect is practically within your grasp should you use the Bat-wing. Where did you find it?" Alfred asked.
"There was an officers cap up here by the helipad. The only place where the murderer could have gone and fled the scene. However, I don't want to go in blind. When I get back to the Batcave I'll scan the follicle for any matches."
"That would be wise sir, but I advise you to hurry as the storm is beginning to interfere with our radar system. I have a lock on the helicopter now but I may lose it if you don't leave soon."
"Then get the batwing to my-"
There was a sudden 'clang' behind Batman, his fingers dropped from his head cutting the transmission off abruptly. This 'clang' was generated by a mass landing on sheet metal, the same kind of metal that was components of a ventilation shaft and air conditioning units. Batman slowly turned his head over his shoulder to find Kim perched on the same ventilation shaft that he had just recently crawled out of. Her long red hair blowing with the wind and her black crop top holding on tight to her upper body. Her brown belt built very similar to Batman's was holding up her sage green baggy cargo pants that hid the condition and shape of her legs. Her black gloves matched the fists of Batman's own. Both were locked in on each other's eyes with a scowl, her green eyes piercing his brown, magnetized to one another. But not by a force of attraction.
"Sorry to cut your escape short, but you're not going anywhere, Batman!" Kim enunciated.
Her gloved finger pointed to the dark knight, her anger showing as her scowl grew larger. She took a quick moment to remember her mental notes on the dark knight. She then somersaulted over to the opposite point of the helipad and landed gracefully on her feet. Batman stood still, taking note of just how perfectly she executed that somersault. He recalled having a bit of trouble when Bruce first taught him. However, that was considered basic training when it comes to what Bruce put him through. Ben couldn't complain, he did ask for it. Kim lowered her arm and began her rant. Her arms animated with her speech going along.
"I was actually beginning to enjoy my Thanksgiving Vacation. Sure Loeb treated my Aunt like crap. Sure the police department seemed fishy. But I was finally starting to get used to it all, then you came along." She hissed, locking eyes back with Batman who continued to show no reaction. Kim Possible proved to be a bigger thorn than normal.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I do not have time for your games,"
" So what finally made you do it, what finally made you shoot and kill a man?" Kim hissed.
"When I find the murderer I will have to ask him for you. Who I can still catch if you-."
"I don't believe you for a second. But one thing is for sure, you're not going anywhere!"
Kim placed her best foot forward, her gloved fists clenching hard, to her Batman had to be stopped. She couldn't let someone she just saw kill a man go free. Her fists slowly raised to her chest height. Her green eyes locked onto Batman, who just shot an officer, attacked her best friend, and has been causing an enormous amount of stress for her Aunt for months now. Black Mask wasn't the problem, it was Batman. Kim could put a stop to all her troubles right here right now. Another lightning bolt danced across the sky. Its light blanketed the both of them for a mere second, another second later thunder roared. Neither blinked.
"Kim, one last time. Get out of my way." He warned the teen hero. Who responded.
"Not on your life."
She didn't move, she didn't blink, she remained steadfast. Now Batman's patience had been tested, his fists squeezed tightly. Growling and showing his teeth as he glared at the teenager. Kimberly Ann Possible, Middleton High cheerleader, and saves the world on an almost daily basis. She had made it very clear, to catch Loeb's murderer Batman will have to go through Kim, by force; and if that is how the mission will have to proceed...
"...Then so be it." Batman hissed in acceptance.
They both began to slowly walk to their left with their eyes locked on each other's bodies and positions. Examining footwork, weak points, and calculating strategies as fast as possible. They were acting as if each footstep no matter who it belonged to raised the tension. Like male lions challenging one another, the first move was all that was needed to get things going.
Kim started to feel that same chilling sensation roll up her spine. She started to have doubts, she knew she was at the disadvantage but this was normal for her. Shego bared her glowing plasma claws, Monkey Fist always had a squad of monkey ninjas following him, and the Seniors always had nasty tricks up their sleeves thanks to their fat pocketbooks. But this was different. Batman was an unknown element, considered highly trained, quick-witted, and armed with gadgets. Kim had to quickly damn these thoughts to the back of her mind. This will be just like any other fight she would have.
Batman gritted his teeth, with every second that is wasted thanks to Kim, the murderer was slipping from his grasp and it won't take long for a criminal to hide in plain sight with the help of Black Mask. A simple chore would turn into a nightly project, and that was something he could not allow. He began to remember the special combat training he would always do with Bruce. Sure Ben lost every one-on-one confrontation after training, but Bruce was an invaluable teacher, and as Ben was the apprentice, Bruce was the grandmaster. Now calm and focused, Batman was ready.
They both knew that this confrontation had to end quickly, and both desired it. A step was taken, then another, and another. Lightning bolts flashed with thunder following right after, neither flinched. It was like two alpha predators challenging one another, each baring tooth and claw and ready to eviscerate the other. It was The Dark Knight of Gotham versus The World Famous Teen Hero. A few more steps were taken... then in the blink of an eye, violence followed.
Kim made the first move, dashing towards Batman who responded equally. She jumped performing a front flip as her foot aimed for his chest armor. Batman countered, blocking with his right forearm. His strength outmatched her momentum, pushing back forcing Kim to backflip off of her opponent's arm and land back on her feet. She charged right back in throwing left and right hooks. Batman used his arms to parry. The storm moved slowly in on the two combatants. Both proving to be skilled warriors, dodging & parrying each other's moves.
Kim then started to combine a bit of her cheer routine into her fighting. Proving much more nimble and agile as Batman originally predicted. This allowed her to create an opening with her legs and a direct blow to Batman's head was delivered. While Kim took pride in that she was able to connect a hit, Batman recovered swiftly and showed no sign of slowing down. Tipping the fight in his favor he swiped his cape forward forcing Kim to take a step back, it allowed for some distance and for some Batarangs to fly towards Kim. 4 in total flew in the air, and 3 of them cut her shirt and skin. Kim paid no attention and cart-wheel-flipped back towards her opponent to close the distance.
They both were performing amazing acrobatic feats, trading off kicks and punches with astounding speed and power. Kim attempted another kick to the head but Batman dodged. He evened the score when Kim fell for a parry and left an opening to her stomach, one heavily exploited by Batman's fist crashing right into her. She winced in pain while sliding back, just barely able to block Batman's aerial wheel kick with her arms. The force of the kick pushed her back even more. Her arms were sore and her bones ached from the impact. Kim just glared back and pushed on forward to getting back into the fight.
For 5 minutes they fought, showing equal skill in combat, neither side giving in. The storm practically overhead with lightning flashing as they traded more and more blows, even learning and adapting their styles to gain any edge that was there. However, Kim's body ached, her fists started to throb in pain. Mentally she pushed forward, but her body was showing signs of fatigue. Kim jumped toward Batman twirling her body to try and land a heel kick right on Batman's chest but ended up landing into his right hand, a grave error.
Using her momentum against her, Batman's other hand grabbed the same leg and threw Kim against the same air conditioning unit he found the officer's cap stuck to. It was slightly dented from the force & acceleration of Kim's body. She grunted slightly, coughing a bit before getting on one knee and barely noticing Batman jumping towards her. Lighting flashed as if on cue, she jumped back mere moments before a powerful punch was delivered to the ground where she was just laying at. A massive crack was in the roof of Blackgate where Batman's fist had landed. Kim just returned to her fighting position, her back was throbbing in pain and her stance showed it. It took her longer than normal to prepare for the next move. Batman saw this and pressed a button hiding under the same hand he slammed into the ground with. He stood still, watching the teen hero huff and puff to try and regain strength. He just stood straight up and walked away.
"What's the matter... running away so soon?" Kim huffed.
She didn't want to admit it, but she was losing. Her arm was bleeding from one of the Batarangs that were thrown, all back in Batman's respective utility pockets. Her stomach and back ached with pulsating pain, while her legs and arms were burned out. She was breathing heavily as if out of breath and only her pride and anger fuelled her fighting spirit. She wanted Batman to strike again. All she got was a sentence.
"This fight has wasted enough of my time. This game you're playing, it has high stakes, higher than you realize. So let me handle Gotham and you go back to Middleton!" Batman scorned.
This fight showed him what Kim was capable of in terms of combat. She knew mantis style plus many other forms of kung fu and has cleverly adapted her cheering skills to get an edge. Kim dropped her fists and turned into claws surprised by his words. Grinding her teeth as she watched Batman just stare at her. He was just going to try and walk away from what he had done tonight?! That was the moment anger had consumed her, it would have been a miracle for her not to have killed Batman if given the chance.
"We are not done yet!" She screamed. She sprinted using all her energy and jumped towards Batman.
In the back of his mind, all it would take was one good, hard uppercut, but he advised something else. He dodged Kim by rotating clockwise and grabbed the back of Kim's arm. She was yanked from her rage-filled stupor to realize what she had done. She found herself face-first on the ground with one arm being pressed against by Batman's leg. While the other arm was still being held by Batman's hand, his other hand was pinning her head to the pavement, Kim's left cheek was being smothered and struggled viciously but to no avail.
"I will make this crystal clear, Kimberly Ann Possible..." Batman snarled, taking time to give each word of Kim's name generous time to have her process it. The hand that held down Kim's head was pulled back and balled into a fist. Her nose felt the wind from the punch that crashed in front of her face right before he screamed...
"STAY OUT OF MY WAY!"
Batman placed both of his feet on the helipad and backflipped right onto the edge that led to Gotham Harbor's now wild waters below. Kim then slowly got up, her fighting spirit demanded her to get back into the fray but her body was telling a different story. Batman just watched as she finally got to her feet, their eyes locked again. Kim had to admit, he was good. One of the toughest opponents she had ever faced. If she was ever going to have a shot at taking Batman down, she may need some assistance or some form of training, she had to get stronger.
Her thoughts were cut short as the sound of a jet engine flying low could be heard close by. A massive black bat-shaped jet with its long nose heading straight for the roof of Blackgate emerging from the skies. It swiftly lowered itself right over Batman, a bottom compartment opened to showcase a second way to get inside the cockpit from the bottom. Batman grabbed the silver hand bar that slowly rose up, taking Batman with it. Kim watched only to have a sudden gunfire interrupt as Gordon busted through the door leading back to Loeb's office, firing shot after shot. The bullets clipped the armor of the Batwing as the jet turned to face Gotham City and with the engine's firing at full blast, flew off into the distance. Gordon emptied the magazine of his pistol, outraged by the current events. Though his emotions calmed as he rushed over to aid the defeated Kim.
"Jesus, are you okay?" Gordon asked with his hand now on Kim's left shoulder. She just sighed glaring out towards the city which was being attacked by rain.
"I'll... be alright," Kim said to herself silently. She felt the blood from the wounds on her arm drip down her skin. Her stomach and back were pulsating with pain.
"Come on let's get you patched up, your Aunt is going to kill me for letting you go after him alone,"
"It is my fault. I thought I could take him down on my own." Kim sighed to herself.
Aunt Caryl will be pissed that Kim thought she could stop Batman head-on. Not even thinking about what her mother would say. However, Kim knew one thing. Batman will be a challenge, and she will have to go out of her way to make sure he was brought to justice. Which gave her the perfect idea.
