Chapter 7: Calm Before the Storm: The Information (Start)

Night came by fast for Gotham, which is the city is starting to turn around but a lot of work needs to be done. We see Batman himself watching the city down below with his hazel/golden eyes from a high building. His eyes glow a bit in the shadows. His long shredded cape follows the wind a bit and soon walks backward to think over a few things while waiting for his friend/parnter to join him.

"A lot has changed for almost the full month of taking the cape and cowl, there's a big weight indeed but also a target on my back now. Barbara and I have to keep pushing, stop this rise of building a criminal empire, and bring Black Mask down," Batman thought, knowing that going up against the Kingpin of Crime won't be easy but they must and changes are coming. Better or worse, we will see.

Soon enough, Batman was not alone and saw his friend/parnter joining him, stepping out of the shadows and full view for the New Bat to see. She wore a pure black bodysuit, covered from head to toe with dark armor plates whole still leaving small spaces for her body to move, the suit hugging her figure perfectly and looking to be very tight, a yellow utility belt with a bat like a belt buckle could be seen around her waist, a pair of yellow and black combat boots with knee armor plates being seen on her feet, with a pair of black and yellow gauntlets with three yellow blades on each one.

Tied around her beck we could see a long black cape that had its insides to be yellow in color, the ends of the cape being jagged, and finally, attacked to the cape was her mask, a black leather mask with a pair of bat-like ears at the top of it, her mouth and eyes being left free, while a special hole could be seen behind the mask, allowing her hair to run freely from it. Finally, in the middle of her chest, we could see a large golden bat symbol, covering almost all of her chest area.

This was Batgirl, which is Barbara underneath and ready.

Barbara had gotten some improvements to her equipment and better protection for her suit. The Batcave had a wide selection of them and the redhead thought it was the best time to get herself upgrades. Her friend told her that they are going to need better protection than skin-tight suits.

"You okay?" Batgirl asked, noticing a different tone in her friend's behavior tonight.

"A big role to fill you know?" Batman stated.

This made Batgirl's eyes widen a bit but then understand what he meant by that.

"Yeah...I know how you feel. With Bruce, my dad is gone, it does feel like big shoes to fill up," Batgirl agreed, rubbing her arm a bit with her other one and know how a big burden on someone can affect them but she was lucky to have Naruto in her life as a friend and both need each other.

"A legacy is the same weight as the symbol on our chest and shoulders, while the target is growing bigger. I can feel it, a storm is coming," Batman stated.

"What kind of storm?" Batgirl asked.

"A storm where either side makes the big move. I would like for us to be the ones to make the first move," Batman explained.

"It's a risk, Bats. Sure, making the first move can help and give us an edge but how? How to make that first move? Attacking drug operations and shipments is slowing them down," Batgirl informed.

"I rather go after their money and where Roman stored them, last option. I read the case files and how cops tried to attack the mobs' money in a number of banks, it nearly backfired on them," Batman said, recalling how the GCPD and Batman had hammed the banks that the mobs owned.

It worked for a while but caused the whole mob to hire a number of rogues, assassins, and criminals to strike back. They hit hard but the enemies can hit back harder. So yeah there's that.

"Hmm, what do you suggest?" Batgirl asked.

"Gather up information, deeper than his money. Expose him for all of his crimes and have him panic to the point of starting to lose everything. Instead of hitting his criminal operations, we hit his bussiness line and expose the activities he has done," Batman explained.

"Then that would lead to Black Mask's operations, trap like a rat in the end," Batgirl said, understanding and was impress by this new tactic.

"Yes, but we need to be careful. If you trap an animal in a cage, it can be angry and unleash its wrath. Black Mask is most likely to unleash a full gang war onto Gotham if the bussiness line up is exposed and the criminal operations wide up," Batman said, seeing that his tactic can work but in the end could lead to Kingpin unleashing his wrath onto Gotham, Batgirl, and himself.

Best to be on guard and take careful steps to avoid that. A gang war was going to happen, it was logical but the New Dark Knight would make sure less innocent blood is on the streets.

"What's the plan?" Batgirl asked, knowing their patrol tonight might be a bit long.

"We will separate, cover more ground and meet back here when we gathered the information we need to expose Roman's business & criminal empire open to be taken down," Batman replied.

"Good idea," Batgirl nodded, seeing the logic in that, and back then, Bruce would just go separated for no reason than to work alone which she mainly did her solo patrol but changed when Naruto came up and needed her help, which he was helping Barbara as well.

"I would head to some clubs that might have a lead or knowledge of Roman's business. You should check out the GCPD data's base and files on Roman or Black Mask the police are overlooking," Batman explained, being reasonable and spot on.

"It is because I happened to be a daughter of a cop and used to the whole police building?" Batgirl teased, raising an eyebrow.

"Half, but also you are better with computers than me," Batman pointed out as he walks to the edge of the rooftop and his friend join him.

"Point and be careful," Batgirl said, being concerned for her friend but understanding he would be fine and would call her for backup.

"As you wells," Batman said, being concerned as well for his friend but the pair know what they have to do and got work to do tonight.

The two bats nodded their head and took off on their patrol's small mission of gathering evidence on exposing Roman or Black Mask to start losing control of his business line & have no more chance of moving his criminal empire.

With Batman

We see the New Dark Knight heading to one club that has a high possibility and information on every crime in Gotham. He had heard rumors about the new owner of the Iceberg club running very successfully and also has deep feathers of a number of crimes. Running, supplying, or spying on it? It was hard to say but maybe one of them or all of the above. The New Bat was going to pay a visit to the New Bird at her nest.

Lucky for the Bat, the club wasn't so far away from him, and landed on the said roof of the club, looking down from a skylight but being careful to not be seen. His shadow can alert them that he was here and need to have the element of surprise on his side.

Batman then lightly put his right hand on the glass window, having a special sonar sensor activated, and allowed the earpiece within his cowl to hear any meetings that he can pick up. He found not much worth listening to as most the talk of those too drunk or stupid, and others gambling to pass the time. He shook his head and kept searching as he need to be sure if the bird was in before going to get the said bird's attention.

The New Dark Knight could only guess that someone might know where this Cold Empress is being held up or he gets her attention onto him by making an entrance. He removed his right hand from the glass window and backed away, to get enough space before making his entrance into the club.

Down below, people were unaware that they were going to have a guest crashing in very soon. Some of the bodyguards at the skylight window soon saw the light was going dark all of a sudden and were surprised. The shadow soon took the shape of a familiar bat shape, causing the two bodyguards to grasp in shock when they look to see who was crashing down onto them hard.

Batman had guild downwards against the glass window and right onto the bodyguards, smashing them hard into the ground with his hands gripping onto their faces and soon picking one to throw into three other guards that were caught off guard. That shock and someone being thrown at them, caused them to fall onto the floor hard.

"Where's the Penguin?" Batman demanded, his voice dark and almost like a grim reaper had come to collect their souls.

Some of the Bird's men ran for their lives and others charged at the hooded bat with their knives drawn, since they don't have guns by the club's rules to keep legit business. They were no match for the trained shinobi bat who used counterattacks by breaking their arms or disarming them of their weapons to give them a painful beatdown. One of them would tell him where he can find their boss.

One of the guards tried to attack the New Bat from behind, key try as he was then back fist to the face, being knocked out and falling onto his back with a broken nose.

Two guards brought their pistols but they were knocked out of their hands by a single and well aim Batarang which caused them to grunt and soon got tackled by the New Dark Knight. They stand no chance and were easily beaten, knock out hard by the hooded bat.

One guard grunted in pain and tried to reach for the fallen gun with his hand but groaned in pain as that said hand was stepped on by the bat. Batman then brought the said guard up to face and become very scared of looking into those hazel eyes.

"Where's the Penguin?" Batman demanded, not going to ask again.

"I swear to god! I don't know where the boss is! Please let me go!" The guard begged, feeling the grip tighter and throat slowly to be crushed by the strength of the said.

"I can make sure you don't ever talk again...or you tell me where your boss is," Batman said, giving the thug a chance and the threat was clear.

"I have no idea, I am being honest! She comes in and out of the club, and half of us don't know if she's in," The guard explained, being a half-lie and causing the Bat to narrow his eyes on him.

Batman dropped the thug onto the ground, before gripping the wrist of the guard and pulling it hard, snapping it into two. The guard screamed in pain and held his hand in pain but the other was grabbed and would be given the same treatment.

"Unless you want another one to be broken into two...you tell where your boss is. Or I start breaking every bone in your body," Batman threatened, giving this guard one last chance to tell him.

However and before the guard could reveal anything or even speak, the sound of clapping was heard and got the New Dark Knight's attention to see who was clapping their hands. And there she was, the Cold Empress herself walking down the flight of ice theme stairs to the downlevel and greeting the New Bat herself.

"Well done...but it seems my disappointment with my men's abilities is without limits. I expected more from them," Anastasia stated with a cold glare at those that failed her, and all of them know she would get them for their failures.

The Cold Empress can see past a few mistakes but a full-blown failing her. There are limits to that but not to how creative she can be in making an example of those that failed her.

"However, I am very pleased by your performance, Batman. I haven't been entertained for so long," Anastasia said with a small smile forming up.

"I didn't come here to entertain," Batman stated, letting the guard go, not before giving him a good hard kick to the face to knock him out.

"Pitty but you have, entertained me. How about we talk at my personal office?" Anastasia offered, inviting the New Dark Knight for a meeting between them, pointing at the flight of stairs that lead to her office for a private talk.

Batman hummed in thought and saw different outcomes of this but doesn't have much information on the Cold Empress. He has little choice and needed to talk with her to gain the intel to be used against Black Mask. The enemy of an enemy is my friend, not sure about this time between the Bat & Bird but we shall see soon.

Meanwhile at the GCPD

With Batgirl

We see the redheaded bat doing her work, hacking into the GCDP and their database, not her first time, and had a feeling she would have to set up a remote system in order to gain any future information to the Batcave then during the upfront.

Batgirl also felt a little odd about being in the police station where she spent most of her childhood with her dad and how much the old man didn't want his daughter to become a police officer. She looks up to her father heavily and saw him as a great man, which leads to her becoming Batgirl to clear her father's name when being framed and after being inspired by Batman to be honest. A lot has changed for her and now, she would be honest that she feeling a bit happier ever since she meet Naruto.

Sure, the red-haired beauty misses and mourns her father greatly, respecting his work of cleaning up the system, and had done the same for Bruce as well. She was now becoming big support and close friend for the new bat both on & off their patrols. And something else, which she had to shake her head off and focus, fighting off the blush on her face and was clear what she was thinking about.

"Roman has a lot of illegal bussiness lineups. All of his company is tieing to his criminal operations and the empire he's building. I'm surprised the cops are not using these files against him. Hmm, most likely there are some shady and dirty cops. I better warn Naruto about that after I explained to him the files I gain when we meet up," Batgirl thought, taking the files and placed to a safe place for now, while taking a flash drive out of the main computer, linking up with the police database.

Batgirl then frowned as she heard a familiar voice from the other side of the office, from another side of the wall to her right. She then pressed a button on the side of her cowl, having her earpiece hear the sonar from another side.

"I'm telling you, Detective Essen, we don't know if this Batman is a new person or something. All we know is that Batgirl is working alongside him."

"I don't care if it's the same Batman pulling a new trick or a new person taking the title, I want no more vigilantes on the streets of Gotham. This city has suffered enough from those in costume taking the law into their own hands. First, we had a new Bat & a girl teaming up with him, then a girl who's shooting out the fire out of her hands, and now we have a threat of a gang war rising up."

Batgirl raised an eyebrow at that. A vigilante who can shoot fire, huh? That's interesting and something the pair could take a look into it. She can also tell, Essen, or full name Sarah Essen who would be the GCPD's new commissioner.

"I want double the patrolmen, captain."

"Understood."

"It seems we are going to have some trouble with the police now. Not like we already have but might make things difficult. Naruto should know about that as well. I do hope he's getting more information than I am," Batgirl thought as she decied to her leave and not meet Sarah again, this time with her suit on.

They don't have the best of meetings and we shall see what information the New Dark Knight can gain from the Cold Empress herself.