AUTHOR NOTE: (I repeat this note, because the first part of this chapter is where I left off last time) I apologize to those who have been following this story for my long absence. I was foolish to start posting chapters without actually finishing the story, thinking I could keep up twice a week with school and work. Good news is, I have learned from my mistake and the story is complete...however I will still be releasing chapters twice a week. You'll notice, if you've read before, that these new chapters are longer, and more refined. If you haven't read before, I hope you enjoy the story! I appreciate any and all feedback!

"It feels good to be out of the house, father was driving me crazy." Linda remarked, cuddled up against Bruce's arm as they made their way to Gotham Theater.

Wanting to enjoy the evening weather before it got bitterly cold, Linda had their limo stop several blocks down so they could walk the rest of the way. It was, admittedly, good to be out of the cave, where he had spent most of the day going through Wayne Enterprise records, finding nothing as Lucius had said. Alfred helped him with some physical therapy, so he could get rid of the cane, and he trained until it was time to get ready for the magic show.

With so much to do, being stuck in the cave drove him crazy. But besides Alfred lecturing him to not push his injuries too hard, he had reached a dead end on finding out everything he could about the Gates of Genesis. He had no more leads on their leader's identity, and he knew where they were going to strike next, making it a waiting game. Still, he had to get to the Penguin before Genesis did, or it would be a bloodbath. But he couldn't just walk into the Iceberg Lounge during broad daylight without being detected, because few wanted him dead more than Cobblepot. Immediately following the show, he would have to leave Linda and get back to work- an argument he knew was coming.

"Why is that?" Bruce asked.

"I don't know, that's what was so frustrating." Linda groaned. "You'd think a man going on vacation tomorrow would be more...pleasant. But whenever I'd ask him what was wrong, he'd go 'business stuff, you wouldn't understand.' He always says that kind of stuff." Linda gruffed her voice, trying to imitate her father.

"Well, hopefully everything is okay." Bruce replied, genuinely concerned. With Genesis and his cult on the loose, there was every reason to be worried when it came to business. " I would hate for him to go on vacation stressed about work. I know what's that like."

Before long. they were in front of the theater, adorned with flashing lights and posters advertising 'The Great Zatanna!' There was a long line of people all speaking excitedly about the show, but with his tickets, they were able to skip the line and go right in. Of course, that meant ignoring the patrons screaming the pairs' names, and asking for autographs.

His tickets were personally from Zatanna, so they were ushered to a roped off section, directly center to the stage. As the other seats filled in, the theater rose in volume steadier and steadier until after several minutes of waiting, the lights dimmed and the red curtains closed.

"Ladies, and gentlemen. Boys and girls. Thank you for coming to what will be a spectacular and magical night." A deep, booming announcer began to speak as lights danced across the stage and teased the curtains. "You know her: the Princess of the Occult, the Daughter of the Fantastic, the Mistress of Magic. Help me welcome: ZATANNA, THE GREAT!"

The crowd erupted in applause, standing to their feet as the curtains opened. But when the audience realized no one was on stage, the crowd began to quiet. Soon, it was hushed. The magic show had begun.

Nothing but a top hat, turned upside down, was present on stage.

"Here we go!" Linda whispered excitedly. Bruce nodded, but he didn't share the same level of excitement.

The hat began to move, and began sliding across the stage, until a white nose and whiskers appeared from underneath, wiggling furiously. Then, a snout and two ears, until the head of a white rabbit appeared. It shook the hat off it's body and hopped forward a couple steps. Then, as it was bounding away, a gloved hand reached from the hat, and began feeling the stage blindly.

The crowd gasped.

More and more of the arm appeared, until like the rabbit, a shoulder, a torso, a neck, and finally the gorgeous face of the goth magician.

"Get back here!" She shouted at the rabbit, dragging herself from the hat. The audience laughed and began to applaud as she pulled herself from the hat, scooped up the rabbit, and gave a bow.

Zatanna was as stunning as she was talented. With waist-long, flowing black hair, a gentle countenance and sapphire-blue eyes. She wore a white bodice and a black coattail jacket on the top, and fishnets along with knee-high boots on the bottom. With a black bowtie, top hat and white silk gloves, she had the look of a performer. Though, she often only lost the top hat when it was time to fight crime.

"Oh my goodness! How did she do that?" Linda shook Bruce's shoulder madly. And it hurt quite a bit, considering it was the same shoulder that was recently dislocated.

"Thank you, thank you. It is always so fun coming back to Gotham." Zatanna smiled, her eyes crossing path with Bruce's. "One of my fondest memories is walking home from school as a really young girl, when I saw a street performer juggling."

She flicked her wrists, and four metallic rings appeared seemingly out of thin air, two in each hand.

"I know what you're thinking, metallic rings, how original." She chuckled, as she began juggling them. "But see, what made this street performer memorable wasn't just the fact that he could juggle. He juggled with fire. Sgnir fo erif!" The metallic rings caught ablaze midair, inciting gasps from the audience. And despite the fire. she kept juggling them.

"And as he was juggling these balls of fire, all of a sudden, they disappeared. Hsinav!" And just like that, the rings were gone. "I tugged on his sleeve and asked him where the bean bags went, and he just shrugged and held out his hand. I thought he was going to tell me, but I know now he was just asking for money."

The crowd laughed.

"He never told me, but as I was walking away disappointed, I heard something hit the ground. I turned around, and saw that a bean bag had fallen from his sleeve and hit the ground behind him. That day, I learned two things. One: men are horrible liars. And two: when magic is involved, nothing just ever vanishes. Raeppaer!" And just like that, the rings returned, still ablaze, and she caught them mid air, linking one within the other.

Zatanna was a gifted performer, like her father. Her tongue and affinity for storytelling was as mesmerizing as her illusions themselves. Bruce had known Zatanna since they were both teenagers. He met her while training with her father, Zatara. They had remained good friends ever since.

Zatara was one of the most powerful magicians in existence, and taught her everything he knew. They both were skilled in the use of what they call backwards magic. Batman was never into learning magic himself, something his mind grounded in logic and science could never understand. But he did value the lessons he learned in illusion and escapology.

Each trick Zatanna performed was more grand than the last, and while Bruce remained unimpressed, the crowd- and Linda- grew more and more delighted with each passing moment. After half an hour, Zatanna bowed for an intermission, and disappeared in a cloud of smoke.

"I'm going to go to the restroom. Want me to grab any popcorn or soda while I'm gone?" Bruce asked, standing from his seat.

"I'd love some popcorn!" Linda responded, standing up to stretch herself.

"Good job Zatanna. Make sure to hydrate!"

"Thanks Joe!" Zatanna responded, catching the water bottle her stage hand threw at her as she entered her dressing room. Something was weird. The lights were off, and she never turned her dressing room light off.

"Ecnuonna flesrouy!" She commanded, outstretching her arm out into the darkness.

"Bruce Wayne." Bruce answered reluctantly, stepping from the corner of her dressing room. "You know I hate when you use your magic on me."

"Really Bruce? Were the theatrics necessary?" Zatanna smirked, outstretching her arms for a hug.

"Hello Zee." He responded, opening his arms to return the hug. "I was hoping you could answer something for me."

"Oh." Zatanna said flatly. "It's one of those visits. And here I was thinking you were here to catch up."

"There's a cult of cannibals murdering wealthy citizens out there." Bruce responded. "I think magic may be involved."

"Why's that?" Zatanna asked, sitting down at her vanity mirror.

"I found this." Bruce answered, pulling the faded sketch from his pocket. "It's some kind of arch with runic writing. I thought you could tell me what it was."

Zatanna playfully snatched the napkin from his hand, and gave it a look over. "Well, it's really faded…" She sighed. "But...oh my…"

"You know what it is?"

"It's the Gate of Genesis."

"What did you say?!" Bruce asked anxiously, stepping forward.

"The Gate of Genesis." Zatanna repeated slowly, giving him a quizzical look. "Dad told me about it once, but it's supposed to be a myth."

"The cult. They call themselves the Gates of Genesis. And their leader has monickered himself Genesis. What does it do?"

"Well, according to legend, it brings the dead back to life. B-but it's nasty. Dark magic- blood magic."

Bruce remained silent for a moment. "How does it work?"

"Well, it's an ancient gate that used to be used as a portal to the afterlife. The runes written on top roughly translate to 'Back to the beginning.' Blood acts like a fuel that, with the proper ritual and enough blood, can open the gate. Because it was a portal to the land of souls, if you passed a body through it, the soul would return."

So Genesis did have an ulterior motive. He was trying to bring someone back to life, and was using his brainwashed puppets to help him.

"But Bruce, it never worked. Well, properly anyway. Not only was opening a gate between our world and the afterlife incredibly dangerous, it wasn't practical. Not only did you need a massive amount of purified blood, but because the gate was thrown open, any soul nearby wanted to escape in the empty vessel. It's like poking a hole in a balloon- all the air tries to escape all at once. The vessel could rarely take it, and ended up a dangerous, unstable collection of energy. Energy that was often demonic. You need to stop this cult, before they get to that gate- if they haven't already."

"Don't worry, I will. Where can I find it?"

"It exists in another dimension. Obviously, it was too dangerous to use, so it was sealed away. But if this Genesis guy is after it, he's probably got a way of summoning it here."

So now Batman was dealing with magic. Nothing surprised him in Gotham anymore.

There was no longer anytime to waste. He had to find Genesis again, and stop him before he could access the gate. He turned around and headed for the door.

"So, I guess I won't be meeting the illustrious Ms. Paige after the show?" Zatanna murmured.

"Enjoy your time here in Gotham, Zee."

"Do you need any h-"

"No." Bruce closed the door behind him.

"It was nice seeing you, too!" She shouted after him, sheepishly.

On his return to Linda, he was thinking of what he would tell her now. Bruce could stay and finish the show, but who knew how close Genesis was to opening that portal? He would have to once again bail on her. He didn't have much time to ponder however, as his phone lit up with a distress call from the cave.

Stopping in his tracks, he answered the phone. "Alfred, what's wrong?!"

"Our cult has come for Bruce Wayne, sir. They've found a way to disable the security system around the perimeter, and are approaching the manor."

"Stay in the cave. And send the car." Bruce hung up, and gritted his teeth. He looked at the entrance to the theater, where a sea of people were crowding in back to their seats for the start of the show's second half. To make it to Linda and explain would waste precious time.

He ran for the exit while simultaneously dialing Linda.

"Bruce, where are you? The show is about to start! "

"Linda, stay where you are. They're at it again."

"What? Slow down, I can't understand you."

"That cult. They're attacking Wayne Manor. I have to meet with the police, make sure Alfred is alright."

At this point, he was running from the theater, looking for a place the Batmobile could discreetly pick him up.

"Oh my goodness...I'm on my way out. We'll-"

"No, stay where you are, it's not safe. I'll call you when things have settled down."

"But-"

"Sorry Linda." He hung up and ducked into a suitable alleyway. Impatiently, he waited for the car. Every second that passed was a second his father's home, and Alfred, were in danger. He tossed his suit jacket and dress shoes off, and unbuttoned his dress shirt. Underneath was most of his costume. He should've never attended the mayor's party without it, and he knew that when he was getting ready for the show that he wasn't going to make the same mistake again.

Then came the roar. There was a loud screech of tires, and the smell of burning asphalt filled his nostrils as it came to a sudden stop in front of him. Inside the car was his cape, cowl and utility belt. Those bastards were going to pay for violating his father's home.

Batman began racing to the manor, dodging cars and pedestrians alike as he cut through the streets that would take him to the outskirts of Gotham.

"I have some more bad news sir." Alfred appeared on the monitor of the car, looking calm and collected despite the intrusion. Years as a combat medic for the British Royal Guard helped him develop nerves of steel.

"I've already gotten quite a bit tonight, Alfred." Batman grunted.

"Yes, well, I do apologize." Alfred said dryly. He continued. "The GCPD just received reports that the Iceberg Lounge is under attack."

"Dammit. Where are our intruders?" Batman asked.

"One of them is trying to bypass our security at the entrance. I'm not entirely sure why, given the attackers of the Crownes and the Parks were plain-clothed individuals, but the individuals attacking us match the description of those who assaulted the mayor's manor. There are six of them."

"He's clever." Batman growled. "He must have made a connection between Bruce Wayne and Batman, and expects Batman to deal with the small force at Wayne Manor, while he wages a large assault on Cobblepot."

"What are you going to do sir? I can handle the men he-"

"No." Batman interrupted. "I'm going to act swiftly."

Minutes later, Batman splashed through the waterfall and screeched to a halt in the cave. He jumped out of the car, fully dressed and ready to defend his home.

"Where are they now?" Batman asked, approaching Alfred who was sitting at the computer.

"They cut the power and got through the door moments ago, sir. Right now they're on their way upstairs."

"Once I leave the cave, put it in lock down. No one gets in our out until I've dealt with our intruders." Thankfully, the batcave had an independent power source, and was unaffected by the cut power. Alfred would be safe behind its security.

Batman left the cave through the grandfather clock, and started up the stairs.

"Where is he?" Shouted a familiar voice. Grant...from the Cobb mansion.

"Doesn't make sense. The personal calendar we hacked from his secretary made it seem like he'd be in tonight." Came another voice.

"Should've seen this coming," A female said. "It's a Saturday night, and this is Bruce Wayne after all."

"The Progenitor is never wrong. He said Bruce Wayne would be here, so he must be hiding. Split up. We comb this whole mansion."

Batman smirked. Splitting up? In the dark? Where he had a home field advantage? It'd be too easy.

Batman ducked behind his great grandfather's bust, as the six individuals left his bedroom. They all had flashlights and semi automatic weapons. He only recognized Grant and the female shudokan practitioner. The other four were either new...or he just couldn't place them at the mayor's manor. Grant headed downstairs with two of the other men, while one man headed down toward the east wing, and another headed toward Batman in the direction of the west wing. The final man began opening doors, and entering the rooms along the hallway.

Batman was covered by the west side of the bust, and soon as the soldier passed him and exposed his back, Batman leapt out and wrapped his arm around the man's neck.

The man dropped his gun and tried to wrench down Batman's arm, immediately struggling for air, and trashing. But it didn't matter because Batman's grip was too strong, and in a matter of seconds, he was out.

"What the hell?!" Yelled a voice from behind Batman. It was the man checking the hallway rooms. Hindsight being 20-20, he should've taken him out first.

Batman whirled around, throwing three batarangs at the assailant. One pierced the back on his hand, and he dropped his gun, yelling in pain. Swiftly, Batman ran at him and punched him in the face with such force, the man slammed into the wall behind him, and slumped to the ground...also out.

Two were now taken care of, but now he had lost the element of surprise.

"What was that?" Footsteps from the east end began running in their direction.

Batman grappled to the banister of the third floor, and watched as Grant and the female ran upstairs and convened with the attacker who had been checking the east wing. The sixth was shortly behind Grant and the female.

The female kneeled down and pulled one of the batarangs that had embedded itself in a nearby door. "It's the Batman."

"The Progenitor thought this might happen," Grant scoffed. "Remember, the Agent gets taken too. Alive."

Taken too? They weren't there to kill Bruce Wayne, but kidnap him? That would explain the large number, and military gear...especially if they were counting on Batman arriving. It was still highly possible, however, that Genesis thought they were one and the same. But why change the M.O...why take him alive?

"No more splitting up, we travel in pairs. Dennis, you're with Angela. Howard, you're with me." Grant said. "He can't have gotten far. Howard and I will check up here. Angela and Dennis, go back downstairs...in case he jumped off the banister."

One thing about human nature..rarely does anyone think to look up.

Grant was big...and taking him down would not be able to be done with stealth. Not with someone at his six, anyway.

"Batman, where are you?" Angela shouted. DAKAKAKAKA! The gunfire pierced the silence like a summer thunderstorm, and the thuds of tearing sheetrock and shattering of china followed. Batman gritted his teeth as he watched one his mother's favorite vases shatter in the entrance hall. How dare they violate his home!

Once Grant and Howard were out of sight, Batman clung to the railing of the third floor, and dropped, catching himself on the railing of the second floor below, waiting until Angela and Dennis entered the parlor before dropping into the entrance hall.

"Look at all this pointless shit." Batman heard Dennis say, as he crept up to the entryway of the parlor, and peeked inside. Dennis had an antique bookend in his hand, made of bronze. "I could pay one month's rent with this."

"Shut up and focus. The Agent could be anywhere." Angela snapped.

Dennis tossed the bookend behind him, and kicked open the door that led behind the parlor's bar.

Angela's back was turned, but Dennis was in such a location, that he would see Batman as soon as he'd enter the room. Batman angled himself properly, using the west side of the entry way to keep him out of sight, and drew a batarang. For this to work, he'd have to fight Angela, but he could catch the other one by surprise.

He threw the batarang at a bottle of liquor, causing it to shatter behind Dennis. Dennis whirled around to confront the noise, exposing his back to Batman. Batman sprinted into the room and sprung over the bar, launching a kick square to Dennis' back. Dennis was propelled forward into the shelf of liquors, breaking the shelf and shattering most of the bottles, but as he stumbled backward, clutching his face in pain, Batman grabbed a fistful of his hair, and slammed his face into the bar.

"DON'T MOVE!" Angela yelled. "Or I shoot."

Batman let go of Dennis, who dropped to the floor, out cold. Angela had her weapon pointed at Batman, who played along for a moment.

"You won't shoot me. Genesis wants me alive."

"And if you do as I say, you'll stay that way." She retorted, grabbing a pair of handcuffs off her hip, and tossing them at him. "Cuff yourself, and slowly come over to me."

Batman picked up the cuffs, but tossed them back at her face, buying him enough time to dive under the bar. DAKAKAKAKAKA. More liquor bottles shattered, the smell more overpowering than already before.

"God dammit, I will kill you! Genesis may want you alive, but you are far too rotten to be allowed to live." Angela ran inside the door to shoot, but Batman sprang up from the floor, tackling her into the bookshelf on the adjacent wall. Books tumbled from the bookshelf and a picture frame fell, shattering on the floor. He grabbed the muzzle of her gun, and brought his elbow up into her chin, causing her to yell out in pain, and allowing him to yank the gun out from her hands.

She recovered quickly however, and using the circular movements her style was known for, spun out of they way and delivered a powerful kick to his ribs. Batman stumbled to the side, but recovered just in time to block a flurry of punches.

He grabbed one of her arms, and spun in towards her, performing a shoulder throw that slammed her onto the billiards table behind them. That would've put most down, but she was clearly a seasoned fighter. She used the table to ground herself, and thrusted both of her kicks at his chest to gain some distance, before performing a back-roll off the table to get her back on her feet. She grabbed a pool stick and swung it at Batman, who brought up both of his arms to block the attack, shattering the stick on his vambraces.

She let out a yell, springing off the table and launching her legs around Batman's shoulders, spinning and bringing him to the ground. She went down too, but used her advantageous position to jump on his back, pinning him to the ground, and driving the broken handle of the pool stick into his neck while pulling up, suffocating him,

Batman brought his left knee up to his chest, unbalancing her, and performed an alligator-style roll, knocking her off him and allowing him to get back to his feet. He had to finish this quickly, because any second Grant and Howard would be barreling into the parlor. Surely they heard the struggle.

She was skilled, but he had size...and weight. He had to ensure she wouldn't be able to use her agility if he hoped to finish this now.

He ran in and brought his knee up as if he were going for a knee strike. She brought her arms down to block, which is what he counted on, as his real attack was a powerful backfist to the side of her head. She stumbled back as the attack connected, and he used the opportunity to kick out her leg.

As she was brought down, he delivered a powerful punch upward to her stomach. He heard a grunt escape her lips, before she fell over limp.

"BATMAN!" Large thumps could be heard from the staircase, as Grant and Howard ran downstairs. He needed space to take on Grant, and that couldn't be in this confined room. He reached into his utility belt and held his ground, and Grant and Howard ran into the room.

Before they could even speak though, he threw down several flashbang pellets in their direction and charged, grabbing Howard by the shoulders and driving him out into the entrance hall and tripping him over the hearth of the staircase. Howard yelled out in fear, as Batman attached the end of a grappling rope to his ankle, and launched him up to the threshold above the entryway door.

He thrashed around screaming, but only until all the blood rushed to his head, and he fell unconscious.

Then Batman saw spots, as he was sent tumbling by Grant who shoulder checked him. He recovered more quickly than Batman had hoped he would, but unfortunately, he could not say the same for himself.

As he struggled to push himself off the ground, Grant grabbed him by the cape and pulled him up. Responding as it was designed to, the cape detached itself, allowing Batman to get a second chance at springing himself up to his feet. Batman spun around to deliver a powerful kick, but Grant caught it, and swung, sending Batman flying through the railing of the staircase.

Batman felt a sharp pain in his leg, as one of the iron posts embedded itself in his thigh as he crashed through. He rolled over, coughing, and winced as he yanked the iron post out and threw it to the ground. Batman thought quickly, and used his grappling hook to launch himself to the top of the flight, putting much needed distance between himself and Grant.

His whole body was shooting with pain, and now he could barely put any weight on his right leg. Grant charged up the stairs, and went to tackle Batman at the second floor landing, but Batman dived to the right, and Grant barrelled forward into the wall.

He hit the wall with such force, the large, family portrait hanging about teetered precariously before falling, and hitting the ground.

"NO!" Batman yelled. Gunshots. Pearls. Two bodies hitting the floor. As he watched the oil canvas tear from the impact, and his parents once again crumpled to the ground, he was consumed by rage.

Batman yelled as he charged at Grant, fueled by adrenaline. He grabbed Grant's shoulders and used them to launch his good knee into Grant's chin.

"Please, you don't have to do this."

Batman spun behind Grant and locked his arm around the behemoth's neck, using enough momentum to bring him down, without getting caught under the falling giant himself.

"Take whatever you want, just leave our family alone!"

Batman got on top of him, and straddled him as he punched him in the face. Over and over again.

"Bruce…"

Over...

...Bruce…"

...and over again.

"Master Bruce!" Batman stopped himself from the last punch as Alfred's voice reverberated through his earpiece. "He's down, sir."

Panting, Batman looked up at the security camera Alfred was watching from, and back down to his attacker.

His nose was broken, he was now missing teeth and his face was so bloodied you could barely recognize who he was.

Batman clenched his fists and shakily stood up. He had lost control. "Call the GCPD. Have them pick this scum up."

He limped down the stairs, using the surviving railing as support. He made his way to the grandfather clock, and set the time to 10:48...the time his parents were murdered...to enter the batcave.

"Are you alright?" Alfred asked, meeting Batman as he entered the cave.

"I'll be fine," Batman grunted. "What's the status of the Iceberg Lounge?"

"Drones indicate the assault over there is over, as well. Penguin's goons successfully fended Genesis' attackers off. Let me take a look at you." Alfred helped Batman over to the medical table, and sat Batman down.

"I have to get to Cobblepot, see what he knows."

"Let me dress your wounds first, sir. Undress while I get you some painkillers."

Batman was relieved Alfred wasn't bringing up what happened just moments ago. Perhaps he understood, or perhaps he knew Batman instantly regretted going too far...in either case, he was thankful.

Alfred returned shortly after with some medicine, and began bandaging Bruce. His reinforced suit stopped a lot, but it wasn't armor, so he was still vulnerable to many injuries. His ribs were bruised from Angela's kick, he could feel a crick in his neck from when Grant shoulder checked him, and of course, there was his leg. Not to mention his injuries from the night before.

After he was cleaned up, Alfred brought him a fresh suit, and Bruce geared up once more to be Batman. Knowing the Penguin, after an assault like that, Cobblepot would be holded deep inside his fortress, and an audience from Batman would be one of the last things he'd want. Batman wasn't in any shape to take out any of Penguin's guards, but if he played his cards right, he wouldn't have to.

"Computer, pull up an aerial view of the Iceberg Lounge." Batman commanded, making his way to the computer.

The Iceberg Lounge was the Penguin's base of operations. A nightclub, restaurant and casino...it was also where Penguin ran his corner of the Gotham underworld. Breaking in wouldn't be easy, but Batman had done it several times before.

If Batman knew Penguin...which he did...Penguin would be in his private lounge, beyond the armory and Iceberg pool...located in the center of the club. Guards would be posted on the roof, but security up there would be much lighter than on the ground. He could then enter through an air vent, but he would still have to gain entry to the armory. Last time Batman beat his way through, but he wouldn't be able to do the same this time...not with his injuries and Penguin's guards being on high alert.

Still, Batman had a plan. He always did. "Alfred, prep the Batwing. I'm going to pay a visit to our avian friend."