Calm Before the Storm

[7 DAYS UNTIL OPERATION: KNIGHTFALL]

"Batman, you know him. He is the only thing standing between us and ruling Gotham once and for all. He has fought against the criminals of this city like he owns it. Like he has taken it for himself. But we all know that no matter how hard he fights, how hard he tries to stop us; Gotham is and has always been ours, the villains. He may try to stop us, no, we all know that he will be coming for us in his misguided dream of taking back this city, but he can't take back that of which was never his, to begin with. Gotham is the city of heroes who have fallen, I say we keep up that tradition!" Joker laughs, cackling like a maniac as he slams the sharp end of a knife into the wooden table "Let's put on a show!"

[Riddler]

The man dressed in a green suit that was covered in question marks grabs his cane. A smug grin forms on his face as he fixes his green-tinted glasses and puts on his hat. Fitting on his gloves, Edward Nygma looks down to the desk in front of him with a pile of blueprints that show the schematics of buildings all around Gotham "Riddle me this, Dark Knight. Who comes in the night, yet will vanish in the dawn of a new day, who will disappear as quickly as they came? Your time is up" Riddler held back a chuckle as he places his cane on the desk next to the blueprints

/Don't underestimate him, my friends. He may dress like a bat, but he is nowhere near as crazy as you think. If he sees a weakness...he will exploit it/

[Mad Hatter]

Jervis Tetch sits in a dark room as he sits at a round table full of silver platters and teacups. The Mad Hatter's eyes look around him as a several people were tied down to the chairs around the table with rabbit masks over their faces "Oh dear me what a pity, soon we shall take this city and unlike my Alice...it won't be so pretty" Mad Hatter pours tea from a teapot into the cup next to him. He lifts the cup and sips from it "Oh what fun this will be! A whole week to plan the ideal party

/You may think that you can take him in a fight, right? Well be my guest...that will just mean there will be less competition for the rest of us/

[Poison Ivy]

Ivy Pepper holds her palm out. Dressed in a green dress, she looks as a plant slowly bursts through the stomach of a man that was tied down. Blood splats everywhere as the plant grows in size to be arms-length. The Man was left in a spasm of pain and screams as he kicks and struggles with every breath that he has left. Blood squirts from his mouth and his stomach. Ivy creepily smirks as she admires her work as the man gasps on his last breath "My little darlings...we will soon take Gotham..." she whispers as the blood from the man drips down her from her eye

/If you have a chance to kill him - take it, you will not get another one/

[Penguin]

The fancy dressed man puts on his monocle and grins. He has several men holding assault rifles that surround him "Well my friends. We got a fifty million dollar prise to collect. I say we get to work and kill the Batman...and make him suffer for messing with me" he limps over to the large weapon cash full of handguns, riffles and even a few missile launchers "I own this town, not Batman, not those crazy bastards. This is my city and I will not give it up to anyone! Do they think that I will just kill Batman? I'll kill them all in due time!"

/You may think that you can outsmart him, right? I have bad news for you then...don't try anything too smart...he'll see right through it with ease. The best way to keep him off your track is not to just laylow, but not to form to any sensible plan. Make it weird, make it hard to read - that way Batman will get off your back while he tries to figure out your plan/

[Firefly]

Letting lose a large burst of fire from her flamethrower. Firefly grins as the fire in reflected in her vizor "I'll burn him to ash. This will be payback for messing with my jobs" she has an open-mouth smile as she sees the once orange flames turn to blue and their temperature increases "Not even his fancy suit can save him from my new flames...he will be melted in the thing like a tin can"

/But remember one thing, have fun out there/

[Zsasz]

Victor Zsasz dressed in a professional black suit puts together a machine gun and places it on a workbench next to its duplicate "Fifty million? All to kill one man dressed as a bat? And mother said that my life was going to be weird, this will show her...if I didn't kill...but it would have if I didn't"

/You have seven days from now to make a plan. Simple enough, right? Come up with a plan, I don't care about what it is...just end it with the death of Batman, got it? When times is up we shall begin our little game. You will be free to face Batman as you please. By all means...feel free to get in the way of the others, It will make it way more fun, and I love a laugh every now and then.../

[Scarface]

Arnold Wesker gulps as he sees the dummy in his grip turn his head towards him "Listen up here dummy. Do as I say, capeesh? There is a lot of dough riddin' on this job. Don't screw it up or I will wring your neck, understand me?" Scarface threatens as he appears to have a cigar hanging from his mouth. Arnold gave a shy nod "Yes sir, Mr Scarface. I understand completely" the man begins to sweat as he sees Scarface begin to glare at him "I'm warnin' you, pal. A dunce like you better not mess with me. After we are done with Batman...I want the others to catch these hands. I will rule this city not any of those dummies"

/Remember to put on a show. The whole of Gotham is going to be watching...you wouldn't want to disappoint them, would you?/

[Bane]

Bane's eyes narrow as he attaches a syringe full of green fluid to his sides of his belt "This Batman will make a worthy opponent in battle. It is time that I see it for myself. Time to see if I can break the bat" Bane twists a dial on his glove as green tubes attached it to it go all the way around to his back where a small canister of green liquid rests. His eyes are tinted green as the venom enters into his body.

/So go now, my little killers.../

[Scarecrow]

The robe covered man, cloaked in a layer of torn cloth and a mask with a hood placed over it. He looks in front of him to a gagged man hanging upside down from the ceiling with his arms tied between his back. Scarecrow grins as he sees the man trying to get free, struggling and crying "Why so afraid? Fear is a good thing, it lets you know when you are out of your league and tells you when to keep going. It makes all the hard decisions so you don't have to. It is a blessing in disguise, not just some negative feeling that you were raised to perceive it as...as you can see..."

Scarecrow raises his hand to be level with the man's face and sprays gas into it.

The man's eyes widen as his vision was distorted and replaced with a hellish landscape covered in flames as a demonized Scarecrow who raised his scythe towards the man as he swings it forward and slices the man's head clean off his body. Blood spills all on the ground and Scarecrow steps into the pools of crimson liquid as he grins "In this case...it did you no favours" he spins the scythe in his hand and places it onto his back. His oversized sleeves hid his grotesque hands and his robe was long enough to hide his legs and feet which were reddened by the pool of blood on the floor.

"Batman will come to realize that fear is mine and mine alone to rule. Studying him will be quite an honour"

/Gotham is waiting.../

[Mister Freeze]

"What nonsense do you beckon me for, Strange?" Victor Fries asks. A cold to the touch man that was dressed in a high-tech suit with a pair of goggles covering his eyes underneath a transparent helmet. Mister Freeze looks to the professor who was stood in front of him "Have I not made myself clear? I refuse to play a part in your crude game. I am a man of science, not some muscle that you can hire to do your dirty work. Let me leave Gotham" he tells Hugo Strange.

Hugo Strange smirks as he holds his arms behind his back "Oh my, Victor. You were specifically chosen for this little experiment of ours. I am too a man of science, but more importantly, I know how to read people and you are like an open book. All the others have their motivations for joining. Revenge, greed and selfish desires. But you? You have no such things holding you to this city. That is why I thought of the perfect way to get you to play along...you are a family man, correct? Nora, your loving wife. Tell me, Victor, what has the world been like for you without her? Have you felt less restraint, maybe you lack the motivation to continue? Do you feel a great emptiness...pardon the pun, but do you feel cold inside without her?"

"Consider choosing your next words carefully, Professor. My memory of Nora brings some painful emotions to come to the surface, a pain that I will have no problem showing you. Speak your business and do it without using my deceased wife"

"Oh Victor, what if I were to tell you that you and your loving wife can be reunited in the world of the living?"

"I already warned you, Strange"

"There is truth in my words, Victor. Though your wife is indeed dead. If you were to be the one to kill the Batman...I can easily make a clone of her. A perfect copy with all her memories, hopes and dreams. It will be like you and her were never split between worlds. You know full well of my past with these clones...so I hope you will not doubt me, and I am a man of my word"

"Nora? You can...bring her back to me?"

"Relatively speaking, yes. The Nora who you married is gone forever, but I can make it so that her clone will think that she is indeed the real one. Only you would know about her origin, so do we have a deal, Victor?" Strange asks.

"Using my wife against me...that is a whole new cruel for you..."

"Deal or no deal, Victor? This is a one time offer...if you refuse my offer...being returned to Arkham will be the least of your problems"

"I need time to...think...I need time to think this through"

"Don't take too long now...I am a busy man"

"..."

/And it's not going to come to you/

/Operation: Knightfall will begin in seven days/

GCPD

The Next Day...

[6 DAYS UNTIL OPERATION: KNIGHTFALL]

4: 23 PM

Harvey Dent's eyes tense as he fiddles with the coin in his hand "Let me get this straight. In one day...the most dangerous inmates from both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate are mysteriously broken out right after Mayor James gives you some kind of cryptic message about the underworld of Gotham not being happy about the Batman? How can that be a coincidence?" he turns around and looks Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock who shared his same scepticism "And not to mention the timing of me leading the polls against him?"

Jim folds his arms "We do have reason to believe that both you and the Batman are putting a lot of pressure on James and his...friends. The breakout could be a last ditch effort to get rid of Batman and may be used to intimidate you...or also put your life at risk. I'm sorry to say this, but I need to ask you to drop out of the race. Not victory will be worth your life. James has been full of empty threats lately...but his campaign downers won't be. If Black Mask and Sophia Falcone have anything to say about it...you could be another target of the escapees"

"Drop out?" Harvey Dent grits his teeth "I will not be threatened by the same scum that I have been putting behind bars for years. I will not drop out of the race...if anything this sure as hell has made me even more driven to win. Mayor James cannot go unpunished for this...this... atrocity against Gotham and its people"

Harvey Bullock holds his hand out towards Dent "Listen, man, I respect you for your devotion to this city, but they are out for blood. If you stay in the race you could be dead by the end of the day. Everyone knows that you are an advocate for Batman, so they could use you to get to him or vice versa. Either way, I am not liking your odds of survival, at least let us put you into protective custody or something"

"Harvey's right. I know that Bruce has been helping to fund your campaign solo, but he will understand if you want to drop out. I think most of Gotham will understand - they aren't dumb...they know Aubrey's true motives" Gordon backs up his partner.

Harvey Dent tightens his grip on his coin "The people of Gotham have had enough of cowering to those bastards. I am not dropping out, I am going to stand up to them...I will not give in to fear, I will show Gotham that those monsters are nothing when the city can come together. I owe it to everyone in this city, every man, woman and child,...Bruce. You know I remember when I first encountered him, we were tracking down the killer of his parents...he was so scared... Bruce and I will make sure that no other kid will ever have to experience that dread. If I drop out now...I will be breaking that promise..."

"Are you sure? Because this whole thing seems crazy. You sure that you are up to it?" Bullock inquires.

"I like to make my own fate. I won't let anyone else deter me, Gotham needs someone to stop Aubrey...and if it won't be me...we all know who will take up the task. I just hope that Bruce isn't brought into the middle of this...knowing Mayor James; no one is off limits." Dent replies.

"He has done more scummier things in the past" Gordon looks to Bullock "Bruce is smart. He will have nothing to hide...well for his sake I hope that he doesn't. James will use any and all things against him. Bruce is taking quite a big risk with all this"

"I know that he is. I couldn't have asked for a better friend to be behind me" Harvey Dent smiles "But it looks like he's got his own problems of his own going on right now. I just hope that the mayor has nothing to do with this one. Do you have any leads on the whereabouts of the escapes? There must be some clue or something"

Bullock shakes his head "Whoever is behind this, they have resources, major resources. It was a quick in and out job, they left no witnesses. They even killed some of the inmates. As of now, besides the escapees as a doctor in the Hospital, there are no survivors"

"Wait. Go back a moment, there is a survivor in Gotham Central? This is huge, maybe they can tell us something that they might have seen" Harvey Dent tells the other two men "Any bit of a clue may lead to the person behind this whole thing"

"Doubt it. She's really shaken up" Gordon interjects.

"Yeah, seeing all your friends being murdered right in front of your eyes can do that to a person" Harvey Bullock adds.

"Poor woman. I can't imagine what that must have felt like. Countless people are dead, a whole bunch of lunatics are hiding in Gotham and we have no information, no eye witness willing to walk and the Mayor who is probably laughing right at us. One thing that I don't understand is how quiet things are. Usually, they would be tearing up the streets by now, yet...there's not even a peep from them. No unusual reported murders, no sightings of them...what are they up to?" Harvey Dent addresses the other two men "If this is all to kill Batman...we can be damn sure that they are going all out. Who knows how many lives will be put in danger?"

"The calm before the storm, sounds about right for this city" Bullock looks to Jim "Can just one normal day go by in Gotham for once. It's always with the lunatics, the dead coming back to life, and now a man dressed as a bat to beat the crap out of those lunatics. If this keeps up I'm so heading for early retirement"

Wayne Enterprise Tower

5: 56 PM

Bruce Wayne steps out of the elevator as he reaches the top floor of the tower. Fixing his tie, the billionaire looks ahead of him towards the room where he needed to go "This better just be a fluke. I can't afford to be dealing with this conjunction with the Arkham escapees" he mutters under his breath as he waves to the people that he walks past. He looks to the desk in front of the room. The secretary looks to him with a smile on her face.

"They're ready to see you, Mr Wayne"

"Thank you" Bruce pulls open the glass doors to the room and walks into the meeting. A long table with over a dozen men and women all sitting all around it. Bruce looks to the end of the table where his chair was. He gives a smile towards the people around the table as he takes his seat "Morning. I was hoping that we could make this quick. I just need to know what is going on with Mr Dolton. I was informed that he sold his shares of the company to an unknown individual..." Bruce looks across the table at the one empty seat.

"We called you here to discuss just that, Bruce. We were all worried too, Mr Dolton has nothing but love for this company so we were just as confused as you when we first heard about his dealings. After all, he sold all 11% of his shares of the company...which is worth billions. We had our own team look into it and found nothing that would indicate to a boardroom coup, however, we did find out who bought Mr Dolton's shares, or rather she found us..." one of the men across the table answered.

"Excuse me, did you say she?" Bruce raises an eyebrow.

"We asked her to come and meet you, and she seemed all for it. So...we thought why not set up a meeting to introduce the two of you" the man turns his head and waves "You can come in now"

Bruce's eyes look towards the doors to the room and saw them pushed open. His eyes widen as he sees a familiar looking woman walk into the room "No..." he thinks to himself as a dark-haired woman dressed in a white shirt underneath a black blazer. She also wears a pencil skirt with black leggings and high heels. Her hair was hanging loose down her back. She begins to walk towards the table. Talia's eyes greet Bruce's and a smile forms on her face.

"Bruce...this is Talia Ducard. She is the newest member to the Wayne Enterprise board, her resume is quite impressive"

"I see" Bruce mutters as he sees Talia sit in the empty chair. She gives a flick of her hair and rests her hands on the surface of the table.

"Mr Wayne. It is a pleasure to finally meet you. I heard...some great things" Talia sends a small wink his way. She rests her chin on the palm of her hand "It's so good to finally meet face to face. No fancy getups or expensive fast cars. Just you and me sitting in the same room. I must say that you look even better from this close of a view"

Bruce rolls his eyes and bites his bottom lip "Talia Ducard was it? Welcome to the Wayne Enterprise family. I hope that you will feel welcomed"

Talia bats her eyes "Thank you, Mr Wayne. I know how busy of a man that you are so I understand that coming here on such short notice must have got in the way of a few of your plans. I just couldn't wait to see you, and I got a feeling that you felt the same way. I understand that you had some questions ready for me? Well go on, fire away" Talia turns in the chair to look him the eye, "I think it is best that if we to be doing business together that we have no secrets, right?"

Bruce leans forward "Miss Ducard. I feel it is best that we talk in private. It is only fair that I get a one-on-one meeting with you. I always found it the best way to know just who I am working with if that is alright with you?" he proposes.

"Not at all. Anything for you, Bruce" Talia's green eyes pierce through him, the same look at he has had many times from "I'm sure that we can arrange some time for us to meet that won't cut into your nightly business, right?"

"Now is good"

"If that is what you want, Mr Wayne. I would not want to disappoint the head of the company" Talia agrees.

"Thank you all for coming, but can you please leave us?" Bruce asks the rest of the room who one by one leave the seats and walk out of the room. Soon it was only Bruce and Talia in the room as prolonged silence plagued the room for more than a minute. Talia crosses her legs as she leans over the table towards Bruce.

"What? No hugs? Not even a kiss for me? I'm really disappointed..." Talia coos with a smile.

"What are you up to...*miss Ducard*?"

"Straight to be the point? You haven't changed, Bruce. I love that" she leans back in her chair and holds her hands to her lap "As for what I am up to? I'm just investing in one of the most powerful enterprises in the world. Mr Dolton was more than happy to sell his shares to me when I agreed to get the murder charges dropped against him" Talia informs Bruce.

"That's absurd! Dolton is one of the nicest men that I know. He would never kill anyone"

"Maybe, but if his fingerprints just happened to end up on the murder weapon, somethings telling me that the GCPD wouldn't have the same faith as you do in him"

"You were going to frame him for murder? That's cold...even for you" Bruce growls under his breath.

"To be fair I could have just had him give me his shares, but I chose to compensate him for it. He knows never to speak about this whole ordeal if he wishes to remain a free man"

"Enough. I know that you are working with Black Mask. One of his goons told me that he saw you with him"

"You must forgive me, I have no memory of working with this Black Mask. In fact, I have never work with any kind of criminal before...well except for you" replies Talia with a glance of her eyes.

"He called you The Demons Head, how can you just sit there and lie to me when I know that you are the only person in this city that the title applies to? Whatever you and Black Mask are working on I will stop you. Don't think for a second that I won't" Bruce threatens.

"Oh, my love. When have I ever referred to myself as *the demon's head*? In all the years that we have known each other...I have never called myself that once. If anything that title is being reserved for you and you alone. Listen, Bruce. I know that no matter what I say you will always see me as being a bad girl, which in some cases...I don't mind. But you saying that I am working with Black Mask? You must really want for me to turn out to be a villain, don't you?"

"Give me a reason to believe a single word that you have said. If you really are innocent as you claim...give me one, just one reason to trust you" Bruce asks the woman that sat across from him "Talia. You have remained hidden in this city until last night at my party...I find it funny that the breakout at Arkham and you becoming apart of Wayne Enterprise happened at the exact same time. You have to understand that my caution towards you is well warranted"

"Perhaps, but I love you Bruce, and you know that I would never be apart of a ploy to release the sickest of people back onto the streets. I hold my father in the highest regards in many places, but his methods have never been one of them. But it doesn't matter what I say or do, you will never trust me because I am his daughter. Even though I helped you stop my sister and healed you through the Lazarus, you still think that I don't have your best interests at heart" Talia stands up and walks closer towards Bruce "After all those years together and you only see my father in me" she scoots onto the table, sitting on the corner next to Bruce "You know how to treat a girl, don't you?"

"I'm not saying that you have never helped me before, I just know that you had your own motives for doing so"

Talia leans over closer to the billionaire "And you were always one of them. You asked me not to kill Nyssa or the Talon...so I did as you asked. Same can't be said for that other girl of yours back in Metropolis. She was ready to shoot an unarmed man in anger, even if he was Lex Luthor...she still pulled the trigger and would not have given it a second thought if she had actually killed him"

"Like you never killed a person before, Talia. And how do you even know about what went down in Metropolis?"

"The Shadow's eyes and ears are all around the world, where there is a civilization, we will be there. And of course there is blood on my hands, that is the justice that I was raised with. If someone did something fowl enough to require death...we killed them. Just because the League of Shadows is not apart of a government or some institution, doesn't mean that our ways are any more wrong than anywhere else's. Face it, Bruce, even you have blood on your hands. You killed my father not once, but twice" Talia raises her eyebrows to him as she inches closer to him and lowers her mouth next to his.

Gravity had caused her hair to fall down to ensnare Bruce "I am not your enemy Bruce, and I never will be. I'm not working with Black Mask, but that doesn't mean that I am not here on a mission of my own" Talia's thumb brushes against the man's bottom lip "There is something dark coming, Bruce, something evil. Something that even my Father feared. And it's coming here fast" she whispers to him and her hands cup the man's face as she looks down to him "Something that you cannot beat, not even the shadows can. Lex Luthor, Black Mask and all the others. They are working for something...something ancient, even if they don't know it. They are making way for its return, and if it is to return...not you, not me or any living thing on this planet can stop it"

"What's coming here?" Bruce asks.

"I don't know, no one does. All the Shadows know is that it is on its way to this city as we speak. Rumours speak of a man who has lived for millions upon millions of years. Apart from that, there is nothing to go and apart from the fact that it is coming to this city. Not even my father knew what it was and he lived for centuries"

"So you're telling that you came here to stop some unknown force and neglected to tell me about it when my city could be on the line" Bruce snarls to Talia.

"Gotham is always on the line, my love. Every hour of its existence it is drawn closer towards its end. I was planning to tell you, but I needed more information to go one. I have had the shadows infiltrate all through this city since the night I came here, and nothing. They couldn't find a single thing except that whatever it is...the Arkham Breakout, your trouble in Metropolis and even my sister. They are all connected somehow. That is why I had to become apart of your company's board. My influence throughout the world has been increased and with it comes a higher chance of finding who is behind all of this"

"You are many things, Talia but a liar is not one of them. I am trusting you to be honest with me from now on" Bruce tells the woman as he stands up and looks her in the eye "But remember one thing. If you think of betraying me, it won't go well for you"

"How can I betray your trust when you have never truly given me it" Talia moves her hair behind her ear and smiles to him "You are going to have to trust me, Bruce. Having you watch me over my shoulder all the time will only draw suspicion to us. You need to let me go at it alone sometimes, there may need to be a couple of moral compromises that must be made along the way, but it's for the greater good of Gotham" Talia tells Bruce as she sees him walk away from her "You never could make the hard decisions, could you?

"Because they're not mine to make" Bruce calls back to her as he leaves the room.

Talia rolls her eyes "That stopped being true a long time ago, my love"

Batcave

7: 07 PM

"I must really get the wax out of my ears, Master B. I actually thought that you said Ra's al Ghul's daughter has bought a large part of Wayne Enterprise, but that would be ridiculous" Alfred sarcastically chirps to Bruce. The Billionaire sits in a leather chair as his eyes focus on the large monitor in front of him "Well out with it old chap. Tell me why Talia did that. Surely you must have got something out of her that can be of use, or maybe you can take another crack at it as Batman and really make her talk"

"I can't imagine that Batman would get any more out of her than I did, in fact, she would get way too much enjoyment out of it. Plus there is the fact that even at my best I couldn't beat her in a fight, let alone actually scare her. She gave me enough...apparently she isn't working with Black Mask even though whoever is must be going by the name of the demon's head, which only the League of Shadows and a select few know about" Bruce looks through the files of the escapes from Arkham and Blackgate.

"And you believed her? How do you not know that she is not playing you?" Alfred suggests to Bruce.

"Trust me, Alfred. Whether I like it not, I know Talia. She may be many things, but a liar isn't one of them. No wonder why we both thought that working with Black Mask was against her code because she isn't. She told me that she bought the shares in Wayne Enterprise so she could strengthen her influence all around the world, apparently she says that she thinks that there may be an evil mastermind behind all the problems that we ran into the last through months. First: Nyssa, then Lex and now Black Mask and the breakout. One of them must know something...if it is true" Bruce sighs.

"Well, Nyssa is out of the picture if Talia got her way, plus even if she was still alive. The Shadows aren't too forgiving of traitors. You haven't found Black Mask after all these months and none of his men know anything about his location, so I imagine that only leaves Mr Luthor who miraculously stayed a free man even with evidence that you gave our friend in red and blue. Maybe you can ask him if he can get anything out of Luthor that was indicate such foul play" the grey-haired man calculates, folding his arms and turning his head to Bruce.

"He's off-world" Bruce quickly replies as he searches through a cornucopia of new files that spring on the large monitor "We'll focus on that after we catch all the Arkham patients and Blackgate Prisoners. Getting them back behind cells as quickly as possible is our priority at the moment. I had Lucius hack into the GCPD database and had him send me all the files in relation to both the breakout and the patients who were broken out. Maybe I can figure something out that the GCPD had missed"

"That would be a great start, Master Bruce. But just what are you going to be looking for? I doubt the GCPD would have taken the chance to miss anything that could assist in figuring the whole thing out. This whole breakout is a big deal after all"

"Maybe they were looking in the wrong place" Bruce stands, folding his arms and looking to the screen "From these records, there was only one survivor of the Arkham staff on that floor. Harleen Frances Quinzel, she's a psychologist that works for Arkham. That is very curious..." Bruce comments.

"How come?"

"She was on the wrong floor. Her office is a couple of floors down and on a different side of Arkham. She shouldn't have been on the floor that she was on at that time. The staff on that wing of Arkham were left alone by the masked men, so she couldn't have been dragged there and they would have been gone before she could reach there"

"Now that you mention it. It does sound a tad suspicious" Alfred agreed "Hold on. Look at her patient list" Alfred points to the screen.

"She had quite the list. Let's see. Ivy Pepper, Zsasz, Johnathan Crane, Firefly, Arnold Wesker, Riddler and Jeremiah Valeska. She has had appointments with all the escapees from Arkham besides Victor Fries who needed to be kept in a specialized unit to be kept alive and Jervis Tetch who was locked into solitary confinement for the last decade. Can't be a coincidence that most of the people that were broken out also had her as their psychologist" Bruce observes.

"Are you thinking that she is behind this? That is quite a stretch even for the world's greatest detective"

"I know, Alfred. Knowing that Oswald Cobblepot and Eduardo Dorrance from Blackgate makes my theory fall apart. I can't say for sure about the extent of her involvement, but she is involved in the breakout in some way. I need to look into her more before I can say with confidence if she is in on it or was just in the wrong place at the wrong time, though I am leaning towards the former. They are going to strike sooner or later and I want to be ready. Computer, bring up all files of the escapees" Bruce tells the Batcomputer; causing for a whole new load of files to take over the screen.

"I can't wait to see those monsters back behind bars"

Bruce nods "We will stop them, Alfred. I promise" Bruce steps forward "Ivy Pepper aka Poison Ivy. She used to be friends were Selina after she lost her parents and was living on the street, I need to give her a heads up; she could be in danger. She has the power to control plant life and even emulate their spores. She is not some one to be taken lightly. The last time I met face-to-face with Ivy; she took control of me. I can't risk that happening again"

"I'm all for preserving the environment and all, but can't she just be like one of those activists who chains herself to a tree or something"

"Edward Nygma aka Riddler. He's an unmatched evil mastermind...is what he thinks of himself. Though his intelligence is not something to underestimate, his arrogance and pride makes him easy to outsmart and outwit. He seems to have an obsession with proving that he is the smartest man in Gotham. He may try and take me on again"

"Eh, so much for him being smart then"

"Brigit Pike aka Firefly, another old friend of Selina's. Good thing I had Lucius build heat resistance into the Batsuit. Last time we met, she was working for Lex in Metropolis to help steal red kryptonite. Selina and I both were involved in putting an end to her job. She knows Selina as both Selina Kyle and Catwoman. Selina will be in even greater danger than with Ivy"

"Things may get heated up between them, Master Bruce"

"Oswald Cobblepot: The Penguin, unlike the others. He is too much of a coward to take me on his own. He is bound to have hired help. He had his fair share of taking over Gotham and was torn down every single time, no doubt this time will end the same way"

"And I thought penguins were meant to be lovely creatures"

"Here's a face that I don't recognize, Arnold Wesker. He was a professional ventriloquist for decades before he was sent to Arkham. These reports say that he suddenly started to show characteristics of dissociative personality disorder and become a danger to both himself and the public. The Audience thought that the arguments between him and the dummy were just apart of the show...that all changed when the dummy pulled out a gun on the audience..."

"Oh lord, that must have been terrifying"

"Jervis Tetch: the Mad Hatter. He specializes in hypnoses, the best there is. He was decided to be too much of risk and was locked into solitary condiment since he was put back in Arkham. From these reports...he was stuck in the room for all of that time and was never let out. This can't be right...this is wrong. Even with the things that he has done...he didn't deserve that. These reports say that he formed and now suffers from paranoid schizophrenia. They didn't even both to help him, they were just going to let him rot in there" Bruce was shocked by the harsh treatment.

"That's despicable...even for Arkham" Alfred was equally in disbelief.

"Victor Zsasz. A known hitman employed by multiple crime families, most notably the Falcones. Zsasz makes a cut in his skin in the form of a tally mark every time he kills a person, this says that the staff at Arkham just stopped counting after a while"

"Has he never heard of tattoos?"

Victor Fries aka Mister Freeze, cold as ice. He needs to be kept at sub-zero temperatures to survive and has a specialized suit help preserve him. He started his criminal profession when he was trying to find a cure for his wife: Nora Fries when she was dying of a terminal illness. Seeing that the man that her husband became, she killed herself. After that, Victor became just another common criminal, he and Firefly were known to fight a lot. You can count on them keeping up their fights"

"And I can count on you getting in their crosshairs, right?"

"Johnathan Crane: Scarecrow. We both know how much trouble he can cause. He uses fear as a weapon, something that we have in common. He uses a unique toxin that makes whoever breaths in experience their worst fears. He needs to be one of the first inmates to be thrown back into Arkham, he's way too dangerous to be allowed time to make an even more deadlier form of his toxin"

"Never liked that guy"

"Eduardo Dorrance: Bane. He was locked up in Blackgate after his siege of Gotham failed. He has been causing trouble there since the moment he got there. He ruled the prison, all the other inmates and the guards feared him. There may be a chance that he will try to take over Gotham again and if he does; I'll be there to stop him"

"Don't let me get in you then. Feel free to beat his ass until your heart's content. Bastard almost broke my bloody spine" Alfred growls.

"Last, Jeremiah Valeska. A monster in human skin. He knows who I am, you could be in serious danger, Alfred; you aren't capable of protecting yourself the same as you could before. If you think that he is near the manner, run into the Batcave and shut yourself it" Bruce orders Alfred.

"Understood, Master B, so that is the notable escapees? That seems way too much for both you and the GCPD combined. It only took a couple of them to take over Gotham before, but with ten of those maniacs? I dread to think what they can accomplish. Why would anyone let them loose?" Alfred turns to Bruce with a worried look.

"To kill me. That is the only explanation. I must have been getting too close to something that whoever did this didn't want me to. The mayhem that they'll cause, all the destruction and lives lost...it will be all my fault. Even if I do manage to catch them all, the destruction that they will cause will do more damage to Gotham than it can handle..." Bruce lowers his head and plants his hands on the console of the Batcomputer "Alfred...what have I done?"

Alfred places a hand on Bruce's shoulder "Listen here. They are desperate to get rid of you, this means that Batman is working. He is scaring the living hell out the criminals and they can't risk Batman staying around. If you can stop this...maybe that will finish them off for good. Because feeling sorry for yourself sure as hell won't solve a bloody thing"

"Alfred...this is all my-"

Alfred pushes his hand into Bruce's chest "You have started a mission, Bruce. It is your duty to see it to the end. It won't be pretty that is for damn sure, but the damage is already done. Quitting now will just be letting those monsters roam around Gotham with no one to stop them. If you think that you caused this...then it is your responsibility to solve it, after that you are going to need to have to think about whether Batman is needed in Gotham, but not now. Right now Gotham needs him more than ever"

Bruce steadily nods "You're right, Alfred. I need to get this done"

"I will be with you every step of the way, Master B" Alfred gives a quick smile "We will get through this"

"I know. I'm going to give Selina a heads up. She's been hanging around the sirens club ever since it reopened. I should look there first" Bruce walks off and grabs his jacket "Keep me updated"

"Will do, Master B. Be careful down there. Men of your wealth aren't known to have an easy time down in those parts"

"I'll be fine, Alfred" Bruce replies as he enters the elevator.

"My concern is more directed towards any thug who thinks that it would be a good idea choosing you as their target"

Sirens Club

8: 13 PM

If Bruce had to describe how felt in the reopened club, it would be out of place, like he didn't belong in it, dissonant. Dressed in his business suit sure didn't help with blending into the club and among the people who all stared at him like he was lost. Like he was a feather in the midst of a raging tornado "Really should have gone with something less fashionable" Bruce thinks to himself as he nervously looks away from the glares across the club, fixing his tie and adjusting his cufflinks, he lifts his head and stops in his tracks before he could bump into the redhead standing in front of him.

"Do my eyes deceive me? Bruce Wayne in my club? This is the part where I say that I feel honoured, but really I am just wondering what brings you here" Barbara Kean ask inquiries, dressed in a black strapless dress. She gives Bruce a nudge and a playful smile "Relax, I know why you are here. I can see it in your eyes. It begins with S and ends with elina. It's nice to finally see you again, Bruce" Barbara turns her head towards the bar where Selina was sitting "She seems to be feeling really guilty about something, says that she endangered a lot of lives, whatever that means. Can you please talk to her? You have always been good and getting her to open up...in more than one way, but still..." Barbara slides her hand forward "She needs you, Bruce. You can't keep running away from your feelings for her...you owe it to her"

"Miss Kean, I am-"

"Barbara. Call me Barbara, there is no need to be so formal, even with that suit that you have got on, and no buts. She needs you, also if you break her heart again...I will kill you. I will sneak into your mansion when you are sleeping and kill you, violently...they will need to use a vacuum to clean up what is left. Toddles" Barbara pats the billionaire on the shoulder as she walks off.

"I can see why Jim dated her" Bruce says under his breath as he paces his way towards Selina. He sees an empty seat that was beside her. Gathering all his courage that he has, he took his seat beside her. Bruce always found it weird that he could go out into the night as Batman and take on the monsters of Gotham without breaking a single sweat, but when he tried to talk to Selina, that is when he feared. Bruce rests his hands on the counter knowing that she hadn't taken notice of him yet.

His right elbow unknowingly nudges Selina's glass and sends it off the counter as it shatters on the floor. Bruce quickly jumps up as he sees Selina turn her head to him with a frown "Oops...my bad" Bruce excuses himself as Selina rolls her eyes.

"What are you doing here? Also, you owe me a new drink" Selina rubs her eyes.

"But the glass was empty" Bruce sits back down next to her.

"Like you don't have the money to spend. You have enough to keep Dent's face plastered all around Gotham. I can't turn a corner without being greeted by the sight of his mug. So tell me, have you come to yell at me some more? I think you made your point crystal clear before. You don't want me in your life, yet here you are. Just what kind of sick joke are you playing at" Selina glares at him "So about that drink"

Bruce takes out his wallet and opens it "I only got hundreds on me"

"Oh poor you. You must have it so rough...I can't imagine how you made it this far..." Selina spoke with slurred words.

Bruce looks to Selina "I think that you have had enough. This...this isn't you. What is going on with you, Selina?"

"You're funny, you know that? You were there, remember? I was selfish, I helped steal the red rock-thingy and because I did; that metal man nearly blew up the city and all the people in it. He only had it because I agreed to steal it. I willingly worked with Brigit even though I knew that she was a killer and to top it all off, when you were so elegantly telling me how much of a screw up that I was, you were spot on. I could have been responsible for millions of deaths...just because of my greed" Selina begins to cry "So as you can see...there is a lot going on with me"

"I'm not sugar coding it. You screwed up big-time, but the fact that you feel sorry for it, tells me that you are still a good person. Did you ever think of stopping the whole thief thing? A girl like you can get any job that she wants. You're smart, resourceful, and caring. There are a lot of places that would love to have someone like you onboard" Bruce tries to comfort the woman.

"Yeah sure...for standing on the corner after midnight"

"That's not what I meant"

"I know, Bruce. But remember unlike you, I grew up on the streets. I haven't been to school or college. No place in their right mind would even think about hiring me. I chose the whole thief thing because it was the one thing that I was good at. I didn't have a boss, and I could choose my own hours, plus it was a lot of fun" Selina tells Bruce.

"What if I said that I could pull some strings and get you a job at Wayne Enterprise. I can't promise that it will be as exciting as your previous jobs, but it will let you sleep a whole lot easier" Bruce offers the woman sitting next to him. She coins an intrigued look.

"Are you offering me a job? What as your secretary? Bruce if you wanted to sleep with me...you don't need to go that far, though I commend you for the thought"

"Not like that. Not as a secretary either..."

"I'm not working a desk job, Bruce. That's way too boring"

"Enough, Selina. Just have a think about it, please? I know I can find you something that you will like to do" Bruce begs Selina as he takes her hand into his own "We may not be on the best terms right now, but don't think for a second that I don't want what is best for you"

"Could've fooled me. Anyway I know that's not why you are here. You were going to warn me that Bridgit and Ivy are out of Arkham and mostly will be coming for me...and Ivy will be gunning for you too. So you should watch your back...or cape. Whatever suit that you are wearing when it happens. Those maniacs are going to try and take over Gotham again and you are wasting time here with me. I find it funny that when you have all the free time in the world, you can't spare a minute to talk to me, but when there is a big looming threat, you suddenly pop up to say hi. You are really confusing" Selina notes.

"I care about you. I don't want you to get hurt" Bruce looks Selina in the eyes.

"I already have, Bruce. I'll think about that offer, I promise. In the meantime...Gotham needs you more than I do. Thanks for coming...it means a lot" she moves her hand away from his and lowers her head "Don't let those monsters win, Bruce. Please, I heard Jeremiah escaped too. Stop that bastard"

Bruce nods as he stands up "Sorry about the drink. Give me a rain check on that" he leaves her company as he heads towards the exit.

"Sure" Selina mutters.

Bruce taps his earpiece "Alfred? What's the situation?"

"It seems that your presence is required on top of the GCPD"

"Thanks, Alfred. Send the car around. I need a change of clothes"

GCPD Rooftop

8: 34 PM

Harvey Dent, Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock all look up the bright beam of light that brightens up the night sky. Harvey Dent stands with his arms folded with his right hand angled upward just under his neck as he fiddles with the coin in his hand "So you just light up the night sky and the hero shows up to save the day? That's really on the nose. It couldn't be any more obvious even if you put a bat on it" Dent leans his head towards the commissioner who nudges his shoulders.

"Well, we don't exactly have his phone number. If you have a better idea I would be happy to hear it" Harvey Bullock leans against the signal.

Gordon looks up into the sky "May I remind you this is not going to become a habit. We already have the Mayor breathing down our necks, the last thing we need is him finding out that we have been working with Batman. We are simply out of options and even worse...we could be out of time. Hopefully, he has made more progress than we have on finding out who is behind this whole thing" the commissioner explains to the other two men.

Harvey Dent gives a small smile to Jim "Still though it is amazing that you and Batman have been in league with each other for this long. You know if I actually live long enough to see the election and win; the first thing I will do is help Batman become a hero. Imagine the things that he could get done with a badge? He could make a real difference if he didn't have to tiptoe everyone like the ground was made of glass. I will help all of the GCPD and now I am going to work to secure a better alternative than Arkham"

"Hold it there pal, I'm all for Batman getting to do more because that means that I can do less, but there have been too many broken bones in the ER lately, and I know that it's not our men doing it. He needs to learn to lighten up before you can make him an official member of the GCPD, plus we will get sued the hell out of if he starts working for the Mayor's office or the GCPD" Bullock aired his grievances "But a part of me also wants to get my hands on those cool toys of his"

"This is to remain between us, got it? We can't risk the news getting out that the GCPD has secretly been getting help from. That is bound to destroy our image...whatever good faith is left in it anyway" Gordon turns his head and sees a figure lurking in the shadows high above "He's here"

"Where?" Dent squints his eyes as he looks in the same place that the commissioner was "I can't see a thing"

"You'll get used to it" Bullock pats the other man's shoulder.

Jim steps towards the shrouded vigilante "You know why we called you here?"

"The Breakout at Arkham and Blackgate. I have done my own investigation" the lurking individual throws a folder over to Jim. The commissioner catches it and opens it "As for who is behind it. My first thought was Black Mask. But I am starting to think that someone else is behind this"

"Black Mask was one of our main suspects too. What makes you think that he didn't do this? You have been messing with his operations for months" Jim Gordon asks as he flips through the files in the folder "You thought the same thing as us, didn't you? Sionis is a businessman before he is a criminal. You may have messed up his operations, but the breakout has a high risk of stopping his flow of money for good. Even he wouldn't take that risk"

"Right. None of the inmates had the time or resources to do this themselves so that rules out it being one of them"

Harvey Dent looks over the commissioner's shoulders at the files "So it wasn't the inmates or the biggest crime boss in Gotham, then who? Who would have the motive to such a reckless thing?"

"I guess it is our jobs to find out. Do you think that it was the Mayor? He has it out for both Dent and you, Batman." Harvey Bullock chimes in.

"Considering that the breakout happened while he was in office. He is likely to take most of the blame, so it couldn't have been him either. He wouldn't risk damaging his chance at being re-elected. The other Crime bosses also share Sionis' motive of money, so it can't be them" the dark knight replies from within the shadows.

"Well, I'm officially out of ideas now" Bullock sighs.

"We have to think about this. Those lunatics could very well be in the middle of planning the downfall of Gotham. We can't waste time playing guess who on who is behind this. Our first order of business is to capture all of them, then we should focus on who was behind this" Dent directs to Batman.

"The Psychologist. She may know more then she is letting on"

"Hey! How do you even know about her? We didn't let that out to the press...oh you hacked into our systems didn't you?" Bullock leans forward "Well at least we now know how you are getting your information from and how to get to multiple suspects before we could"

"Focus" Gordon turns to Batman "She's under a lot of stress. Seeing all of her co-workers killed right in front of her. She needs time to get it together"

"I looked into it. She was found on the floor of the attack unconscious when she wasn't meant to be on that floor. She had an appointment with one of the patients at the exact time of the attack. And as you can see. Her list of patients in that folder shows that she saw most of the escapees on a regular basis"

"Hold on just a moment. Are you suggesting that the broken, fragile,...cute Doctor is behind this? I would have picked up on any bad vibes from her and I didn't pick up on any" Bullock comments.

"Uh, she's a psychologist" Harvey Dent snaps back at the captain.

"What's that got to do with anything?" Bullock asks bewildered.

"She can't be behind it. She doesn't have the resources to do such a massive operation, but she could have still played some part in it" Gordon scans through the files "We will look into it. It's a lead and that's something that we have been lacking lately"

"Mayor James must have some idea of what is going on. Even if he didn't cause it, you can be sure that he has a good idea who did. Harleen Quinzel has to know something whether she was apart of it or heard one of her patients say something that might shine a light on the whole situation, and then there's Black Mask. Nothing goes on in this city without him knowing about it, he is sure to know who did it. Three targets" Batman tells the three men.

"We need to divide and conquer" Dent suggests.

"Exactly" Batman agrees.

"Sounds like a plan. Harvey and I will go to see Miss Quinzel in Gotham central to gather any information that we can. Dent, you go and give our mayor a visit and Batman...Black Mask is all yours. We have a lead on his location. It should be in the database that you hacked into" Gordon orders as he closes the folder and holders under his arm "And I'm keeping this. Just in case that they are working together, we need to hit them all at the same time. This way they can't warn the other"

"Sounds like a plan" Dent heads towards the roof's exit.

Gordon looks to the direction of the dark knight, however the vigilante had vanished during the time he looked away. Harvey Dent gave a confused look, looking over to Jim "That... That was a bit abrupt"

"You get used to it" the commissioner replies.

Chapter End