Alfred stood at the landing pad as he watched and waited for the Batwing to fly through the waterfall that concealed the aerial entrance to the Batcave. As he stood motionless, he pondered how he had been able to assist both Bruce & Ben in their nightly escapades. While his body demanded rest, he could afford to squeeze in a quick nap or two before either of them requested his assistance. He saw it as similar to an exciting new action show, where anything could occur, which left him on the edge of his seat and with the bonus that any developments had happened in the real world and not in some predictable script. Though God forbid anything were to happen to Bruce or Ben while out for the nights that either of them wore the cape-and-cowl. Breaking his statue-like stance, he looked at his Rolex watch with a sapphire blue face as he watched the hands move effortlessly. Alfred had done this calculation so many times when the Bat-wing was on course back to the Bat-cave that he could predict the exact moment it flew inside.

"And three, two, one-"

The Bat-wing screamed into the cave, tearing through the waterfall and splashing the surrounding area. Its hot engines then went into VTOL mode and faced downward, allowing the aircraft to land with its winds blowing past Alfred. He watched as Batman jumped from the exposed cockpit, landing perfectly on his feet, and paced towards him. Ben removed the mask to reveal his ruffled, messy hair and a frustrated expression. Alfred had noted the way he was walking & that alone told him Ben was upset as if his face already didn't get that point across. He waited for Ben to reach closer to him to talk, as it was easier than to try and scream through the jet engines slowly shutting down.

"That went well." He said with a hint of sarcasm.

"Oh yeah, just peachy," Ben said as he paced past Alfred. He went straight to the Bat-Computer and pronounced his passcode once more.

"Michael, Cadence, Dunbar!" He yelled.

The Bat-Computer sprang to life on its initial Home Screen. He sat down at the chair in front of the massive control panel for the whole computer. He then pulled out the small plastic ziplock bag that contained the single blonde strand of hair. It was a stroke of luck for sure, and it was still a clue. He just needed to run a D.N.A analysis on the Bat-Computer to find a match, and if it matches all the other parameters, he had Loeb's murderer. He began typing away and took the hair out of the bag. He pressed a button near the keyboard where a small clear glass circle appeared on a tray. He placed the follicle onto the glass then the tray slid back into its design compartment. He typed his notes from what he collected while at Blackgate while simultaneously beginning the DNA scan on a separate window.

-HAIR FOLLICLE DETECTED… BEGINNING DEOXYRIBONUCLEIC ACID SCAN-

"Size 11 shoe, and 9mm firearm from GCPD." He repeated to himself. Ben pulled up an extensive database that held a plethora of personal data on their entire employee list of the GCPD. It had everything; size in height & weight, birthdays, schedules, etc. He filtered through the data he had, and although it did significantly reduce the list of subjects, there were still hundreds of people to search through. That's if the follicle didn't match with his assumed measurements. Alfred walked behind him and watched as Ben worked through the list.

"You couldn't find the helicopter that left Blackgate? I know the storm interfered with my tracking systems."

"No, there was a smaller chopper in the air that I tracked, but it was the wrong aircraft. I changed course, and by the time I got close to the city, it was gone. Now all I have left are the clues I gathered from Blackgate. That skirmish with Kim Possible completely ruined my chances of catching Loeb's killer." Ben said.

"Oh dear, and how do you think the GCPD is going to respond to you at the crime scene of the now late Commissioner Loeb?" Alfred asked Ben.

"Not well," Bruce interjected with disappointment in his voice.

Ben's eyes went wide as he turned around on his chair. To both Alfred & Ben's surprise, Bruce had entered the Batcave without either noticing. His white button-down shirt had his sleeves rolled up on his large crossed arms up to his elbows. He was standing in the dojo in the shadows before he walked towards the Bat-Computer. His piercing blue eyes and scowl locked onto Ben, and to him, it was one of the worst things he had seen. It was the same scowl he used when he took on the Batman identity. Ben rarely got this look, but each time he did, he remembered it clearly.

"B-Bruce? I thought you were back at Wayne Enterprises?" Ben asked.

"I finished my duties early… and got home to this mess you made." He replied.

"Okay, I know it looks bad on the surface, however-"

"Oh no, it's not bad," Bruce interrupted. Ben knew all too well he wasn't done. He felt his heart race as Bruce continued for him.

"It's much worse. It is an absolute failure." He finished, now standing right in front of Ben.

Alfred felt the tension from where he was standing. Ben had few fears in life, not the criminals with guns pointed towards him, the fear of death, bears now we're nothing, but he was terrified of letting his adoptive father & mentor down. Something he developed early on as his position as Bruce's assistant at Wayne Enterprises, and now even more so as the second Batman. Bruce never raised his voice above a particular octave towards Ben or Alfred, but he didn't have to for his point to get across.

"You failed to save Loeb's life, failed to catch his murderer after escaping by helicopter, with very little to no evidence to track down the killer, and worst of all, you were last seen not only standing next to Loeb's body but fighting Kim Possible after fleeing the scene of the crime. Those are rookie mistakes, and I taught you to be much better than that!" Bruce scolded.

Ben was lost for words and held his head low. Bruce was right. The night was a total disaster. The only thing that got done correctly was collecting a rough idea on Black Masks' plan. Ben did screw this one up.

"I… I-I'm sorry Dad…" Ben said with his voice quiet and admitting defeat.

Bruce sighed and rubbed his forehead. He knew he wasn't Ben's actual father, although, in many ways, he did become a father figure to him. When Bruce adopted Ben after a month of no family members coming forth to claim him, Bruce wasn't exactly the best parent. He was gone all the time with the company, and as Batman, and he was hardly ever there until Ben was 13. When Ben started calling him 'Dad,' Bruce felt honored that their relationship was improving. Except he never did feel that he earned that title respectfully. Especially since Ben still remembers his original parents. It made him feel like a thief.

Bruce had to remind himself why they were here right now. He recalled doing everything he could to try and not get Ben involved with the vigilante work that the mantle of Batman came with. But Ben did prove himself when he went through the trials and even snuck out and started intervening on some muggings and drug deals in a full black ninja suit that Bruce had kept from his time at Tibet. He finally gave in and started training him rigorously. Flashbacks came back to his mind of Ben collapsing, even vomiting from the intense workouts he had to do to get in shape. The use of tools and detective work, the tests, sparring between the two. Bruce put Ben through 4 years of absolute hell, and to give credit where credit is due, the kid never gave up. A sudden voice came up on the screen dubbed "scanner'' as a woman's voice came up with matching sound waves.

"All officers' we have a 417 on Lexington and Broadway. Please send back up," Bruce and Ben both looked towards the screen and then at each other. An awkward silence fell as Bruce sighed.

"Go. You can continue tonight, but from now on this plan that Black Mask is trying to pull off will be handled by me."

"What?! You said the next big assignment would be mine! I know tonight didn't go as planned, but it's like you said, the first battle plan never survives first contact with the enemy!" Ben interjected.

"That was before you completely compromised the mission. You got sloppy, and sloppiness is going to get others, possibly even you killed. You just proved that you're not ready for this kind of mission, and I will not let Black Mask escape justice because you were careless. You are off this assignment, is that understood?" Bruce stated.

"But-"

"Is that understood?" Bruce asked, raising his voice to that single octave. Not to the point of yelling but stern enough for anyone to get the hint. The glare in his eyes could even frighten the devil, and with that Ben had finally stood down.

"Yes, sir." He acknowledged begrudgingly.

Bruce then nodded and walked back towards the stairwell that led back to the Manor. Alfred watched the whole thing unfold. He wanted to comfort Ben, but anything he would do wouldn't help. He knew Ben would only be able to help himself in some ways. Ben walked back and sat back in his chair, leaning his body forward with his hands holding his head up, propped up by his elbows. He then covered his eyes as he huffed to himself and slouched backward in his chair.

"Just. Peachy."

Kim noticed the time as her eyes grew heavy, now past 2:00 A.M as they were headed back by boat towards Gotham City. Had the storm not lightened up, they would've had to wait until morning for the next helicopter to pick them up from Blackgate, and Kim was disgusted by the thought of spending the night there. Ron & Rufus were holding back their lunches from the motion of the waves rocking the small boat. Kim couldn't blame them, they never did well with motion sickness, and that's without the fact they saw a corpse not 2 hours ago. Aunt Caryl had told Officer Kerman that Loeb had committed suicide, which was why he had been forced to stay back at the prison past hours. Aunt Caryl did everything she could to avoid the obvious signs of lying. Like keeping eye contact and just focusing on answering the questions posed to her.

"Jesus, that's just awful, but is it wrong to say I don't feel that bad?" Officer Kerman asked as he sailed the waters of Gotham Harbor.

"Considering how Loeb acted, no, but I suppose we all have our inner demons. Loeb just couldn't fight them anymore." Caryl thought she was going to be sick, acting like Loeb was a good person. She couldn't care less about it.

The boat had finally sailed to the same small wooden dock that they used hours prior. Officer Kerman then tied his rope to the docks post and turned the ignition off of the boat's engine. He helped Aunt Caryl, then Kim off, although he had to help Ron the most whilst trying to exit the boat. He was holding onto him by both shoulders so he wouldn't fall into the water. The motion sickness got him this time.

"You alright?" He asked.

"Oh yeah, I'm fine… you go on ahead K.P. I'll just *URP* be here for a second."

"Oh, Ron. He doesn't do well with motion sickness." Kim said, trying to make conversation with her Aunt while waving a cab down. She had a smile until she noticed her Aunt's concerned expression on her face and not saying a word in response. Her hands were tightly gripping her handbag.

"Aunt Caryl?"

"Kim, I'm not comfortable with you doing this. I know you are just trying to help, but Batman, he's," she shook her head and closed her eyes as she remembered all the patients she had to look over that Batman attacked. The broken bones, the blood-stained sheets. There were hundreds of cases. Sure there were a few people who deserved it, but there were a few people who were just trying to get by.

"He's ruthless. Some of the people I help have to go to physical therapy because of him. And now that he has crossed the line to killing… if something were to happen to you…" Aunt Caryl covered her mouth with her hand as she closed her eyes tightly, desperately trying to fight off the image of Batman killing Kim. She did everything she could to prevent crying. Kim's heart sank as she watched her Aunt. Kim knew if they were given the chance, multiple villains of hers could cross over to the side of killing her. She would be lying if she said she didn't have a few close encounters with death too. Her hand then warmly placed itself onto her aunt's shoulder, forcing her to look right at Kim.

"Aunt Caryl, that is why I have to do this. Batman has caused you so much stress and pain that I need to do something to stop him. If not to help you, but to do my job and put him behind bars and help everyone who has been attacked and save someone else's life. I promise nothing is going to happen." She encouraged, comforting her Aunt. Caryl wiped a tear off her cheek as she smiled down to her Angel of a niece.

"You did say you can do anything. I guess this is your chance to prove it to me." She said with a tiny giggle behind her expression.

She then finally waved down a taxi cab that pulled over to let them in. Ron had finally recovered from his motion sickness and walked towards the cab. Aunt Caryl sat in the front while they sat in the back. She told the driver the destination and they started to pull away from the Docks. As they rode in the car, there was a moment of silence as the driver spoke to Aunt Caryl to make conversation. Ron then turned to Kim, who was watching the city blocks drive past.

She was taking mental notes of what happened tonight. Batman's fighting style and gadgets, his claims of innocence, how she and Ron now have to lie and say that they found Loeb dead by self-inflicted gunshot to the head. Tonight was not going as planned, so much for a peaceful Thanksgiving trip. Ron snapped her back to reality.

"K.P., you said you were going to call someone to help track down Batman. Who are you going to call? Team G.O.?"

"Nope, an old friend." She said with a smile.

In an alleyway on the other side of town, two men were in full sprint, running away with black satchel bags over their shoulders. One had a ski mask over his head and wore black jeans, a hoodie, and a pair of tennis shoes. His partner wore the same outfit except his jeans were blue, and his jacket was a bomber style in green, and they both carried automatic AR-15 Carbines chambered in 5.56mm. They had just broken into a jewelry store and had almost escaped, but GCPD had caught them outside the store, and gunfire erupted, forcing the officers to call for backup. However, the men weren't running from the cops. There was a third man in their group, but he was dragged away and is now unconscious. The sound of his screams echoing into their minds, fear, and adrenaline coursing through their veins, the rumors on the streets, they were true.

Suddenly the man in all black felt a tug on his right heel, causing him to fall onto the ground and drop both his bag and rifle. Around his ankle was a small bat-shaped metal claw attached to a black monofilament wire locked onto him tightly. Instantly a strong & ferocious pull drug the man back towards the alley. He screamed in protest, begging for help, even clawing the pavement with his fingers, but the man in green just went for the second bag and ran. The screams then were silenced quickly. The man sprinted as fast as his aching legs would carry him, fear and panic fueling his body as he heard the sound of boots slamming into the ground grow louder. It was him, It had to be. He turned around and blindly opened fire.

"Stay the fuck back!" He screamed hysterically.

Bullets ripped through the air while the muzzle flashes illuminated the alleyway around him; no bullets hit their mark. He saw the man his friends warned of jump in a zigzag pattern where his previous rounds fired. He fired to the right, but his target appeared to the left and when he switched sides, so did the target, again and again. Each flash revealed he got closer and closer until he looked up and saw Batman soar down and smash his fist into the man's nose.

His cartilage shattered on impact as he fell to the ground with his face numb. He tried to crawl away but was dragged back into the alley by his jacket and thrown into a nearby commercial green garbage container. The impact of his body dented the metal frame. He tried to get up only to have a boot come crashing down onto his throat. The pressure was immense, and no matter how hard he was flailing, Batman's foot was unyielding.

"You chose the wrong night to rob a jewelry store." Batman calmly hissed.

His fist clenched and reared back before slamming into the robber's face again. The man fell limp, unconscious from the strike. It only took Batman 5 minutes to gather all three men and tie them up together with their rifles pushed to the side and their bags next to them. The same cops ended up driving by and shined their lights to see Batman's handy work. By the time they got to them, Batman was already watching from a tower's rooftop off to the right.

One of the officers was older and had experience on his belt. Batman recognized him as Officer Frederick Mason. He has been in the force since Bruce started dawning the cape-and-cowl. Frederick was neat, tidy, and a good cop at heart. It's safe to say that any newcomers on the force are safe bets to trust if he teaches them. Another officer came in from behind him, except she was young, fresh & clean of any dirty Gotham work. She must have just finished training a few weeks ago. She was African American, her black hair was in a bun, and shorter than Officer Mason's. Ben could even tell that her uniform was neatly ironed and kept on a hanger whenever she wasn't wearing it. She had to be a newbie.

"Jesus Christ looks like Batman got these guys before we did. Did a number on them too." Officer Mason said. His much younger female patrol officer looked as well.

"You mean to tell me you believe those fairytales?" She asked with skepticism.

"That just shows how new you are to this job. They don't teach that to you in orientation, Batman's real kid. That man is an absolute predator." He explained.

"You think he really does good for us all?" She asked.

"Yep, because the only people who fear him are those who have a reason to be afraid."

"What about all the cops that got attacked? I'm a single mom, and I have a son." The older officer looked back towards the young woman. She was right to be concerned with all the rumors going around.

"Not every cop is a good cop. So long as your head's on straight, you'll be okay. Batman only goes after the bad guys. Most recruits think I'm senile for telling them that, but he has been awfully active lately." He stated.

"Could be a girl under there, and we wouldn't know the difference." The younger officer said jokingly.

"Could be! But young lady, if there is one universal truth about this city, it's this. Bad guys who try to commit crimes here at night are as close to being as dead as they can get, you wanna know why? Because there's a whole new kind of 'mean' in him, he is angry,"

After looking closer at the robber's injuries, Officer Mason then began to look around the alleyway using his flashlight and scanned his surroundings looking for any signs of Batman. He even started to look at the rooftops around him. Batman had already walked away towards the next rooftop out of sight.

"And he's hunting."