He preferred Gotham quiet, but it was those quiet nights that ended up being the most tense to him. He could feel the knots in his shoulder while he looked over an accident between a bus and a car at the street below. There were no injuries and the driver of the car was a bit shaken but seemed coherent enough. Despite that though Batman felt there was something off about the whole thing. The victim in the car seemed too calm for nearly dying and he tapped the side of his armored cowl to zoom him on him. He could analyze his heartbeat, and hear what he was saying. The heartbeat was steady, unnervingly so, while he had a distant look in his eye while he rattled off what happened to the reporting GCPD member at the scene. His hand remained close to his side and at first he thought it was from the impact. A curse slipped from his lip as he swooped down. The man's dead eyes looked over to him as he pulled out a gun. Thankfully the officer on the scene wasn't a complete fool and swiftly disarmed him with a hard forearm to the side of the head followed by backhand that cracked along the street.

"Christ on a cross I thought something seemed off about him, thanks Batman spooked him enough into action."

He gave a nod to the officer. "Have there been any other strange incidents like this? I've noted this is the third one tonight. All of them relatively close to some of the precincts."

"This is the second I've answered myself. First one was legitimate, sweet old lady accidentally hit the gas rather then the brake," he shook his head, "can't say for the others on shift though. You think something's up?"

"Given the recent activity I think there is. Call it in, and I'll start doing another sweep. Stay safe officer."

The officer's bearded chin twisted in a smirk. "I wear a badge, Batman hard to truly do that but the thought is appreciated."

Batman didn't share his humor as he used his stronger grapple to whisk away. Even with the armored cowl he could still feel the wind on his face. A feeling he preferred to keep even with his new suit. When he landed on the roof he adjusted the channels he tapped into to the GCPD's. A rattling of reports came in, strange crashes, a few of them trying to pull the same stunt that the one he just dealt tried to do. He tapped another part of the cowl.

"Vigilante? Where are you?"

His arm swayed up, blocking the blow of a wild overhand before he swiftly responded with a spinning backfist that sent the assailant's head snapping to the side. A knife was drawn and Gregory leaned away to narrowly avoid getting his cowled covered eye slashed out. His elbow swung out and he felt the crunch of bone beneath it before his knee found the man's gut, crumpling him and bringing him to the ground. He released a breath he didn't know he was holding.

"Here," he replied after a moment, even as he cuffed the man against a lamp post, "seemed the scum are coming up from the underbelly tonight. Second robbery I've stopped even earlier there was an acc-"

"I think the GCPD is about it be raided."

Gregory couldn't help but laugh at that. "You have to be stupid to do that. GCPD may be many things, but they're capable, Batman. Think it's something to do with our new friends?"

"Very likely. Bruce Wayne has a shipment of something valuable being moved tonight. It's possible all of this here is a front to keep us busy."

"What's the play then, hoss?"

"I think I'll guard the shipment. I have someone in mind that will help you keeping the precincts safe tonight. They'll hit Central first if I were in their shoes. Be kind to her."

Be kind to her? Gregory's brows furrowed in thought. "I'll keep that in mind. Where will I meet her then?"

"She'll meet up with you on the roof closest to your position right now. I'll try and send a warning to the other precincts, hope they can get themselves ready. I'm certain there could be a member or two of the League who could help, but that depends on their own schedules."

"Gotham is our home, spooky. Reckon whoever we'll find here will be enough."

Batman was silent for a moment. "I'll keep that in mind. Keep safe Gregory."

"You too, spooky."

Gregory still felt alien in the suit even as he drew himself up onto the roof Batman mentioned. He had the blessing to take the older generation of it for his own, but Gregory wasn't sure if he was Vigilante anymore. Vigilante was a cowboy, six shooters and all. He had the decency to still keep his lasso though, modified thanks to Batman to make it actually capable in combat. He preferred to be on the move but like it or not he sort of worked for Batman now, not that he minded. Back where he lived it was a small town, everyone knew everyone so it was hard to be a criminal when the next door neighbor often drank with the sheriff there. He chuckled to himself thinking about the few times he and an officer had a few rather impromptu meet ups in the squad car.

"Something funny?"

That purr wasn't what he expected. He knew Batgirl was about, but when he turned he looked the woman over. The woman was taller then he expected, maybe up to his chin, and covered head to toe in fur. He could see the tail slink behind her. He thought for a moment her furred appearance was a suit but upon closer inspection it was actually her. Her hair was long, lanky and colored of blood only bringing attention to her feral yellow eyes while a claw pushed her hair away from it.

"…And you are?"

She offered a warm smile. "Cheetah. Bruce and I have been doing our best to keep things under wrap even to the point I had to slink away to improve the current formula that made me like this. Dedicated to my work as he called it."

To drop his first name so casually eased Gregory's guard but only slightly. He approached her and he held out his hand to her. She met the grip and he could certainly see why she appealed to spooky. From what he heard he always had a bit of a thing for cats. He never commented on it, nor would he on his current relationship, but a part of him couldn't help but feel worried. A villain was a villain as far as he knew. On the other hand though he wasn't exactly a patron saint.

"Right. Well he said you're here to help me and I not one to look a gift horse in the mouth. Reckon you could keep up?"

That smile she had turned playful. "Oh even Batman had trouble sometimes."

He shook his head and he nodded towards the direction of the GCPD Central. "Then lets get a move on."

He shot off with the grapple, taking routes that would keep him in sight of Cheetah and he was surprised to see her pouncing, leaping and spinning form able to keep up with him. When he operated back in the army he was accustomed to pushing forward alone but given the fact he had been fighting hip to hip with Batman most days it would be interesting to have someone else fighting at his back. Another shot of the grapple sent him sailing over the street and when his eyes cast below he could see a small mob forming at the corner of the precinct. Some had knives and pipes but there was a knot of them that looked clearly more experienced, they were armed with assault rifles and heavily padded armor, likely 'imported' from a military compound. All of them had some sort of rebreather or gas mask on. He couldn't make heads or tails over that.
He signaled for quiet as Cheetah slunk in beside him. He could hear her idle purring but he focused on the scene below. They communicated with hand signals and had a small map of the city in their hands. He let the lenses of the cowl zoom in, letting him look over each one. He took a few photos of the faces he could see and ran them through Batman's database. He refused to call it a Batputer as much as Nightwing and Robin both used it for the few times he heard them talk with Batman.

"How bad?" she murmured beside him.

"Bad," he replied quietly, Gotham had a strange way in her streets to carry the smallest of sounds, "at least half a dozen a mix former army and police. The rest just seem to be hired rabble."

She tapped his side and tipped her head down the street. A large van made its way towards the group, who paid the vehicle no mind. A few more of the trained mercenaries emerged from the back while a tall, lanky figure emerged from the side. He wore a brass colored skin tight suit that looked like scales, his tail flicked side to side angrily and when he turned to look around he instinctively grabbed Cheetah by the shoulder and pulled her down with him. Something about the venomous gaze he had bothered him.

"Copperhead," he heard her hiss, "wonder where he's been hiding."

He looked over at her as the cowl relayed him information about the assassin called Copperhead. Contortionist, skilled hand to hand combatant, and able to inject poison with his bites like his namesake.

"Doesn't matter where, what matters is that he's here now and will be a problem. From what I recall you used to roll with him."

"Used to, yes, I don't recognize him now."

"You too?" Gregory peered over the edge of their cover. "From what I understand you and him used to roll together. Did you get along with him?"

Cheetah shrugged. "He was an idiot when we worked with Luthor but had a spine, wondered who or what got to him."

"Us when they attack Central."

Cheetah's fanged smile greeted him. "Let's ho-"

An explosion threw them to the ground but Gregory swiftly got to his feet. That mob was moving now to the Central station and with a gesture the duo made their way to GCPD Central where there was already a blockade made. It seemed Batman's warning was taken to heart. The explosion was from a car near the station. A few of the officers were already getting to their feet when the mob attacked. Gunfire was exchanged and the thugs drew revolvers and small pistols from their lower backs. The officers kept to cover while they returned fire. Another pair of vans screeched around the corner and pulled up to the front of the station providing cover for their men to move up. The drivers Gregory saw were shot dead immediately, Gregory didn't even want to look. Even from where he stood the trained knot of men were throwing gas grenades themselves, trying to shroud their movement to cover. A typical tactic for urban fighting.

"Shall we?" she asked him.

He took a calming breath. He jumped off the roof and used his cape to glide down, taking one of the assailants from behind with a knee to his spine. He grabbed the man by the hair and slammed his face twice into the ground. The man was bloody but he was breathing. Spooky may had a problem with killing but when it came down to it, Gregory wouldn't hesitate to pull the trigger. He wasn't sure if that made him worse or better then Batman but he didn't dwell on it.

"It's the Bat!"

He braced behind a car he could hear the impacts against the metal as he swiftly moved forward in the crouch. A batarang was flicked to to his hand and he went into a roll over the top of the car, throwing it and letting it catch one of them in the side of the head. The one remaining upright closed in, swinging a pipe around with a mad abandon. He could see the fear in the man's eye. Did the symbol really do that much to people even now? He closed in and slammed the heel of his palm across the man's jaw before he turned over, planting his heel right into his neck to bring him to the ground in a heap.

He looked around for Cheetah and he couldn't see her. He just had to hop that she held her own. He plowed forward, throwing batarangs and smoke bombs where he went. He could hear the officers rallying cry as they saw his caped form moving about in the smoke. Gregory couldn't see the trained knot yet, nor did he see Copperhead. Another thug was brought down with a superman punch before he swept low, spinning on his heel to bring two more onto their backs.

"There you are."

The hiss was all the warning he had as he scrambled to his feet. The venomous eyes glowed in the smoke as his new foe slashed along his shoulder and chest. The armor held, but he could feel the burning at his flesh. The figure's claws flexed and for a moment, among the chaos, he could hear almost an mechanical whir beneath the hand while a dark, fanged smile was silhouetted along the smoke. Gregory could feel fear trickling into his mind, bit by bit, even as he brought up his arms in a defensive stance.

"Only you and I, Bat."

In the smoke and noise Gregory was all alone against Copperhead.