AUTHOR'S NOTE: Hello Kitties! (Yea I have a Crypt-Keeper schtick going on. Don't judge lol :3) Anyways, hope you're enjoying this tale of terror and romance so far. All sorts of feedback will always be taken into consideration, whether positive or negative. Either way it'll advance what you would like to see. But before we get on with our next installment, a little update is to be stated. From here on out, all future chapters will be operating on a monthly schedule for reasons pertaining to balancing out the work in my personal life that needs to be done. I enjoy writing for you all, but real life also has me on a leash to say the least. So with that out of the way, enjoy...

Chapter 5 - Face to Face

Just as Selina was petting her cat after hearing the boys, she turned back to her binoculars. A strange sight was now in her mist as a second Catwoman appeared. Her expression blew with worry as she suited up knowing the threat that she was now going to fighting against. Meanwhile, Gordon was walking down the hallways still furious at Batman's choice. Harvey was far behind him trying to catch up.

"Jim! Come on, Jim! Listen to me!" he yelled out.

"Save your breath, Dent! I'm only condoning him, not that tramp!" Gordon yelled back.

"Are you even hearing yourself?! You might as well give her a chance since you're already bending the rules with this guy!"

"She's a thief, he catches street punks! End of argument!"

Harvey soon ran up to him as Gordon was about to open the backdoor exit to his car in the parking lot.

"So you're fine with a guy in bat costume, but not with Catwoman?!"

"Even if she somehow changed her mind suddenly and became good, I still wouldn't trust her. No way, no h…"

He was suddenly cut off as he was attacked by a monster man dressed as the femme fatale herself. Harvey soon rushed to his aid and was horrified at the decomposing corpse in the dark-purple catsuit. Gordon shot the zombie man in the head which did slight damage before it's robot backup got up for a second assault. Harvey threw a punch, only to miss and accidentally hit Gordon. The zombie kicked Harvey in the stomach and stabbed Jim on the neck with it's claws.

"Gordon! The baton!" Harvey shouted.

The detective threw him a baton to subdue the zombie man. Harvey beat the zombie til he managed to punch a hole through its stomach resulting in yellow blood covering him. The D.A. revolted in disgust at what he saw. Then a bullwhip wrapped around it's arm signaling the real Catwoman coming to kick the head off the monster man.

"Catwoman!" Harvey said.

She bounced off the brick walls of the alley, "That's my name and excitement is my game."

She then landed in front of them. Gordon was less than thrilled and pointed his revolver at her. Catwoman's smile was immediately gone.

"Too much curiosity will kill you," Gordon said.

"Guess that's your way of saying 'Thanks for saving us'", she teased.

Harvey ran to him, "Goddamnit, Jim! Put the gun down!"

"Stay back, Harv! I'm keeping her away as we got it under control!" he said.

"I think you better listen to the D.A., darling. Besides, you're too paranoid to be playing with guns," she said.

Harvey lowered Gordon's arm and looked back at her as she smiled once again. He turned away to grit in anger while Dent just tried to converse with Catwoman.

"Don't worry about him. He's jealous that you got our Bat-friend working with you from what's been thrown around," Harvey chuckled.

"What can I say? I've always had on crush on the monster under my bed."

Gordon was now more calm after he lit up another cigarette. Harvey just shook his head at him.

"Let me guess: You're with Batman because Strange is pointing his fingers towards you," Gordon hypothesized.

"That's reason number two," she replied.

"What about one?" Harvey asked.

"It has to with answering some questions I've been asking about myself. And why not work with a tall and muscular boogeyman to find out?" she again purred.

Gordon walked up to her as he was smoking. "Funny considering you raise some yourself. Like why would a thief like you…"

"Jim!" Harvey snapped

"She can't be trusted!"

"You realize she put her life on the line in front of us to save our asses from whatever that thing was," Harvey pointed to the monster man.

Catwoman then jumped onto an air cooling system on a window on the alleyway. She perched down to look upon the two men.

"I may be a thief, but I'm sure as hell ain't down cruel girl."

She then leaped off into the darkness. Catwoman was going off to follow wherever Batman was. She had the feeling that he might be off finally confronting Hugo. Gordon just walked off while Dent looked up at the sky, pondering.

"Guessing the Cat was once a kitten, but now wants to grow up."

At his home, Grogan was burning all the evidence that Gordon and Dent collected with the help of one of his corrupt lackies. He was talking to Hugo on the phone.

"I got the records from the scene. You know how much my guy had to put in to slip these under their noses?" Grogan asked.

"Oh believe me, Commissioner. I see the talents of your bureau," Hugo said.

"Well good. So far we're going to nail those little rats once and for all. Then we can dissolve the partnership and you can go back to your weird little activities, indiscreetly."

"Of course. That is if you're ok with me revealing your dirty little secrets."

Grogan's eyes widened as he couldn't believe what Dr. Strange just said. It was at that moment that this power hungry commissioner just made a huge mistake.

"You… You joking. Please tell me you're just pulling my leg!"

"Do I sound like I'm kidding around?" Hugo sounded frightening.

"No! But Doctor, I provided you everything! Even bodies for your sick little experiments!"

"Ah and you're going to keep being a good little slave for me. That's the price you paid for being above the law, Commissioner."

"You're sick, Hugo!"

"At least I'm open about it unlike yourself," Grogan got tense from that. "Now are you going to help me build my men or shall I destroy your little empire?"

Grogan was now getting dizzy from the anger and overwhelming distress at what he is hearing right now. Given the situation and his own superiority complex, he gave in.

"Fine."

"Good boy," Hugo licked his lips. "Now go get some sleep. We've got work to do tomorrow."

The phone call ended from there. Then Hugo picked up his vodka glass as he looked over some new monster men creations with Batman and Catwoman masks over their faces. He was in fiendish glee that everything was so far going his way. He'd been so happy to the point where it'd became very creepy.

"Ah the beauty of working with such feeble minds. They don't know what they want, yet they'll throw their privileges to the wind for such temporary happiness," he chuckled.

He turned on a knob that activated the Cat Monster's arms and legs. This was to test to see how they can move about before utilizing the body parts on their own.

"These costumed rodents: The Bat and the Cat. Afraid of attachments and easily bored by things that everybody wants. And that's why they're so delicious. Easily defeatable with happiness and thriving on petty emotions. Oh yes, I'll drink to that."

He then took a sip from his cup. Then a flapping cape was sound was heard as Batman landed behind him. Hugo only kept his face away from the Bat as he took another sip.

"It was only a matter of time before I found you," Batman said.

Hugo then turned to face him, "Well, well. Mr. Boogeyman himself."

"I take it you were digging up the dead cops."

"Half-machine, half-zombie, fully obedient then their original selves," Hugo smiled. "But the ultimate mystery is why you are the way you are, Batman."

"A great magician never reveals their secrets, Professor," Batman retorted.

The dark knight got out a set of handcuffs and soon started heading towards Strange, who shot them off his hand with a gun he had. Hugo them smiled deviously as Batman punched it out after Hugo fired another shot. He threw a punch but missed and Strange slashed Batman's face with his pocket knife. He tried reaching for the bat beacon, but Strange slashed his hands.

"I studied how well you fight against other criminals, Mr. Tall Man. You'd be a fool to try and take me down," Hugo mocked him.

Then gas sprayed from his wrist watch onto Batman's face, causing him to cough viciously. He then stumbled uncontrollably until reaching the balcony for air.

"How do you like my mind warp hallucinogen? It's guaranteed to show you your worst nightmares, Bats."

Hugo then kicked him to the curb before he was hanging for dear life above the city. Strange then looked at him as Batman was flashing back to when he fell down the well.

"Sweet dreams, Dark Knight."

Hugo then stomped on his foot, causing him to fall. Batman's life was flashing before his eyes. Even the night of his parent's murder was seen before him.

"Mother! Father!" he screamed.

Hugo heard these words and suddenly it hit him as he ran back inside. But just when all hope was lost, Batman was suddenly saved by Catwoman. She catched him before he fell.

"You ain't dying on my watch, Stud," she said.

She then spotted his Batmobile from her peripheral vision and swooped towards it. The car required Batman's handprints to open the door as Catwoman took his hand to be scanned. The door opened and she laid him in the front seat. Batman was groaning from the gas still affecting his head. She started up the batmobile and blasted off to escape and hopefully heal him.

Hugo Strange however, was back on the phone with Peter Grogan to tell him the final clue.

"I've just located the last piece of the puzzle. Get me all the files on any double murders in the last twenty years."

"What the? What does this have to do with anything?" Grogan asked.

"Oh trust me, your question will soon be answered, my little slave."

Hugo then smiled in devious pleasure as he told Grogan what Batman screamed during his fall.

TO BE CONTINUED