"Blackhawk, two-one-seven, do you copy?"

'Loud and clear, sir. Security systems have been hacked. Target is in the penthouse suite with two guests. Both occupy themselves in the Russian mafia. Operation is a-go in three… two… one..."

A smoke grenade was thrown through the window of the penthouse suite, blinding everyone inside. The guards began pulling out their guns but were quickly shot in the neck with silent darts, falling to the ground with a thud. The two guests were knocked out with the same treatment, leaving only the main person conscious. He hadn't moved, remaining calm despite the commotion that took place. After the smoke cleared, Batman stood before him on the glass coffee table.

"And what business do I have with you?" His deep voice rang out. The Kingpin, a large, bald man in a fancy white suit tapped the end of his cane on the floor twice, staring up at the Dark Knight callously and poised, unshaken from his appearance nor his entrance.

"A man working under Salvatore Maroni was sent here to escape punishment. I've tracked him down, learning that you hold him. Tell me where he is and I won't have to snap your arms like a twig."

Kingpin chuckled, amused. He stood up and began walking to mini-refrigerator, pulling out an expensive scotch bottle. He took out a glass cup from beneath the bar counter and began pouring himself a glass.

"Before requesting something of me..." He began, sipping his drink. "First, answer a question of mine. Why a bat? Why that particular animal, hm? Why not a tiger or lion, something more fierce and intimidating?"

"This isn't a discussion. Answer the question, Fisk. I'm not going to repeat it."

Kingpin chuckled again in amusement before drinking down his alcohol. "Despite what you may think, I don't scare easy, rodent. I've been approached by your kind before – a man in red, an angry family man and a web-slinger… Beneath me, in my kingdom where I rule, is where they will all lay. You… are no exception. You can't scare me, Batman."

"Maybe you're right. There's nothing I can use against you… except perhaps, your poor, sick wife laying in that private hospital all alone."

At the mention of his wife's name, the man crushed the glass in his hand and spun around, taking a threatening stance. "Don't you dare talk about my Vanessa!"

"I didn't come here unprepared, Fisk. I know all about you… Even the conflicting relationship between your work and your wife. It must be tough, committing to one… By the end of this night, if you don't tell me what I want to know, believe me, work will be the only think that will give you any sense of peace."

"You trash! You think you can threaten my wife and get answers?! Die, scum!" Kingpin charged Batman but Batman flipped back, jumped up and did a reverse spin kick to the man's face, the power of the strike sending him to his back. Batman pounced on the man, grabbing the collar of his shirt.

"Where is he, Fisk?! Where is Maroni's lieutenant?! Where did you hide him? Tell me!" He pulled out a detonator. "Or I'll kill her."

"Damn you!"

Batman flipped open the cover to the button. "Last chance."

"Alright… alright! I'm keeping him in my private storage facility in Long Island, guarded by militia and trained men."

"If you tell them I'm coming, warn them in any way, I'll end her life. Remember – her life is in my hands. Do anything that displeases me, I will take her away from you."

Kingpin gritted his teeth, blood beginning to drip from the temple of his head. Batman stood up and raised his foot. "Have a nice nap."

BAM!

With a precise stomp to the head, Batman put Kingpin to sleep.

Batman stood on a rooftop, zooming in on the area which Fisk directed him to. He scanned the area, seeing the guards and studying their pattern. After seeing their patrol methods, he snuck in, moving past them like a shadow. He made it inside the building, moving until he made it to the secure room that the lieutenant was being kept in. He stopped short and narrowed his eyes, seeing two dead guards at the floor. He peered into the room slowly to see his target missing. He walked in and began inspecting the room. Switching on his thermal vision, he walked over to the bunk bed at the end of the room, seeing finger prints on the pole. He inspected it closely, taking out a gadget from his utility belt. He shined a red light on it and it began scanning the prints, registering them to the main computer.

"Run these prints through the database."

'Right away, sir. Hmm… I see here, we have a Mr. Frank Castle, sir. No sightings of him in the past few years ever since his family was killed.'

Batman narrowed his eyes. "Castle? I've heard that name before… A man wearing a shirt with a skull was seen operating in Gotham five years prior to my return. Those rumors made it to New York, where there's been talk of him taking out mob bosses."

"Blackhawk."

'Sir?'

"I need you to search up the names Ryan Martello, Arnie Machevilli and Tyrone Jones. These are all people this man has been rumored to have murdered. Tell me where each of them have been murdered."

'Mr. Martello was murdered in Stanley's Hotel, Arnie Machevilli was killed in an alleyway near 59th street and Tyrone was killed in by the Hudson River, his body dropped into the water. Sir, if I may ask, how does this help you find the location of Frank Castle?'

"It tells me the area he's been operating out of – Hell's Kitchen."

"Wake up. Hey, wake up!"

The man opened his eyes with a startled jump, his eyes moving left to right. He leaned back, his head light and his vision dizzy until he was forced back to reality by a sudden choke to his neck. His eyes moved up, the flickering light in the small dark room allowing him to see the tall, dark threatening man looming over him. This man was gritting his teeth, glaring down at him with a predatory, animalistic glare. The man shivered upon seeing the threat before him, his eyes traveling down to the man's shirt which had giant white skull in the center of an otherwise black background. He had black hair and tan skin. In his mouth was a lit cigar.

"Rise and shine, precious. Got a few questions that need to be answered. Question number one: The man you're working for is Sal Maroni, correct?"

"Wha-, I-"

BANG!

Castle put a bullet through the man's foot, the lieutenant crying out in pain. "It's a simple yes or no question, dirtbag. Answer it or the next bullet goes through your skull."

"Yes! Yes, I work for him! AAH!" He shut his eyes in pain, sucking breath through his teeth as he felt his foot get warmer, blood pooling in his shoe.

"Question number two: What kind of products has Sal Maroni been shipping into the city? I've heard they're high priced and quite frankly, I don't like that."

"Heroine… Heroine, cocaine and meth…"

Castle pulled out a knife and stabbed it into the man's leg. "Good answer. Last question: If you're here, who's overlooking the shipping operations?"

"It's…" The man hissed, the pain making him pant and gasp. Impatient, Castle pulled out a gun, cocked it back and put it to the man's temple.

"Speak or die."

"Enough."

A black, gloved hand grabbed the barrel of the gun. Castle blew out his smoke, glancing to the side, poised but angry.

"Who the hell are you?"

"Put the gun down, Punisher."

Punisher took out his cigar, blew the smoke into the air before dropping it and crushing it beneath his boot. "I asked you a question."

"I gave you a command."

The two glared at each other for a moment, neither moving but tensed. Punisher neither lowered his gun nor did Batman move his hand.

Punisher made the first move, letting go of the gun and jumping back, pulling out another gun from his side and shooting at Batman. He moved to the side, avoiding the bullet and throwing the gun behind him. Castle pulled out another gun and began shooting double bullets at Batman. The Dark Knight ducked under them, moving in close like a shadow. He disarmed Castle of his gun, the man stepping up to do a roundhouse kick with one gun still in his hand. Batman dropped to the floor and tripped him, the man falling to his back but immediately shooting as he fell. Batman tilted his head, avoiding the bullet before casually throwing a batarang into the gun-hole. Punisher threw the gun away and stood up to punch Batman who caught the man's fist in his hand.

"Enough." He squeezed the man's hand, pressing his fingers in-between his knuckles. The man grunted kneeled, the Batman's pressure proving to be formidable. "I don't have time to play with you anymore."

Batman kneed him in the face, blood pouring out of the man's nose. Batman did it again, knocking his head back before finishing it with a deadly uppercut that knocked Punisher out. With his enemy promptly knocked out, he turned around and saw that the lieutenant had somehow gotten out of his bonds. Batman walked over to the window to see the man limping into an alleyway. Batman took a step back and then sprang forward, jumping through the window and landing on the street. He ran into the alleyway but saw no one there. He glanced around before looking up to see him hanging from the ledge of a rooftop. He grappled to the roof and landed on it, seeing Black Cat leaning against a vent shaft holding with her arms crossed. She had a smirk on her fast, her eyes regarding him with a certain amount of desire and interest.

"Well, well, look what the cat's dragged in – a tall, sexy bat."

"You again?"

"Unhappy to see me?"

Batman didn't answer her but she knew the answer was no. "Why are you helping me?"

"Well, why wouldn't I?" She walked over to the ledge, standing next to him.

"You're a criminal."

"I'm a thief."

"Same thing."

"I beg to differ. I don't kill, I don't eat people and I most certainly don't torture anyone. That being said, I certainly don't judge either."

Batman turned his attention to the whimpering lieutenant below them. Grabbing ahold of the string, Batman began pulling him up until he was able to grab the man's collar, bringing him face-to-face with him, red eyes glaring into his soul.

"Now, let's you and me have a little talk..."

After the 'talk' was over, Batman knocked the man out and sat him by the ledge, letting him lean against the wall. He turned back over to Black Cat who was closer to him now, her hands sultrily running down his chest.

"You know, the way you play bad cop is such a turn-on. Has anyone ever told you that?"

"Not in the last few years."

She grinned, stepping back and reaching for the ring zipper of her costume with her finger, slowly pulling it down until it was just below her navel, exposing her ample cleavage and bust. With her grin still on her face, she sauntered over to him, wrapping her arms around his neck. Batman grabbed her shoulder and pushed her back slightly. Black Cat's grin slowly disappeared until Batman smirked at her and smoothly kissed her. She smiled and pressed her body against his. Her hand slowly moved down his back, to his side and began going to his lower regions when he suddenly ended the kiss and backed away. He grabbed the man, hefting him over the shoulder and grappled away. Black Cat pouted, clicking her teeth.

"Damn… Almost had him."

The next day, Batman had the lieutenant transferred to Gotham through an obscure method, alerting Gordon to the incoming package.

"Will we be returning home now, sir?"

Alfred asked, helping Bruce put on his suit coat in his hotel room.

"Soon, Alfred. I still have some things to take care of as CEO of Wayne Enterprises. Our division in New York is having some trouble and I want to look it over myself."

"Very good, Master Wayne."

Once his ward was dressed, Alfred drove Bruce to his divisional building. Bruce stepped out of the car with quite a few people, most of them women, taking out phones to snap pictures of him. He smiled for a few but honestly wanted to get inside so he rushed into the building. Walking inside, he took the stairs, jogging up them until he made it to the floor he sought. He came in through the door, winking at the receptionist and stepped in.

"Mr. Wayne!"

Alan, the divisional head, greeted him behind his desk. Bruce smiled in greeting.

"Alan, good to see you again. How are you parents?"

"They're doing great. They appreciate that new private home you had built for them. Once again, thank you for that."

"It's no problem at all. I was absolutely thrilled to do it." Bruce waved it off. "What seems to be problem?"

"Well… we're trying to keep some of our employees in. Our rival companies, Stark Industries and Oscorp, have been offering positions and raised salaries. We don't have the financial stability to compete with this. What's worse is we've laid off a few good officers because of this." Alan handed him the printed out spreadsheet.

Bruce glanced it over, his other hand in his pocket. "I see… We'll have to cut off part of the workforce, offer our least valuable workers to freelancing. This will allow us to save more money, giving us time so we can offer raises and pressure more work. More work, more progress and more positions, allowing us to create open positions and financial stability."

"Wow… it's so embarrassing to have the drag the CEO out here to just to fix a simple mistake..."

"It's no issue, Alan. I like being as intimate with this company as possible. I see here that one of our most highly paid employees has put in a two weeks notice..."

"Yeah, she's going over to Oscorp, too. I tried convincing her otherwise but there wasn't much I could do. She's an asset to the company but there's not much that can be done..."

"I think I can do something about that." Bruce handed him back the sheet. "Keep up the good work, Alan."

"Yes, sir."

Bruce walked out of the office, moving down the hall. He walked down the stairs, moving a few floors down. He stopped in the laboratory area, coming up to the private office door. He knocked on it twice until he heard a 'come in'.

He opened the door, walking inside. The girl behind the desk jumped slightly at seeing the person walk in but then tilted her head in confusion.

"Hello, Ms. Stacy."

"Hi, um… do I know?"

Bruce smiled and shook his head. "No, just call me Bruce."

Her eyes widened. "As in… Bruce Wayne, owner of the company?"

He nodded. The blond, attractive girl immediately stumbled back, panicking slightly as her hands went wild trying to fix her desk which only resulted in messing it up even further.

"Wow, um, I didn't, uh, expect the CEO of Wayne Enterprises to visit me and uh..." She looked up at him for a moment, gaping at his face. "And… be so hot… UM! I'm sorry, I'm sorry! I don't know where that come from."

Bruce chuckled, amused by her flustered state. "Don't worry about it. Gwen… May I call you Gwen?"

"S-sure, of course."

"Listen, Gwen, I just wanted to talk to you about your resigning from Wayne Enterprises."

"Oh, um..."

"It's okay if you don't want to explain your reasons. I completely respect your privacy. I just wanted to know if there was anything we were doing wrong in our treatment of you or if there was anything at all that could get you to stay."

"Actually Mr. Wayne, I'm not really quitting from the company for any financial reason or work reasons. It's just, to be honest, I needed a change of scenery. You see, I just recently broke up with my boyfriend. He had a dual life we just couldn't balance out and-" She stopped short and shook her head quickly, a sheepish smile on her face. "I'm so sorry. I just realized I'm rambling. You probably don't want to listen to all of this..."

"Nonsense." He replied, taking hold of hand. She glanced up at him, blushing at his intense gaze into her eyes. "I would love to. As a token of all the hard work you've done here, I want to take you out for lunch – is that okay, Gwen?"

She grinned, the blush on her face growing even redder. "Yes… that's okay."

"I don't know what it is…" She thought as she sat across from him, talking and talking. "I don't know why… but I feel so comfortable around this man. He's technically my boss but he feels like this friend I haven't seen in so long. I could talk to him for hours and that look he gives me, like he could listen to me forever… What is it about this man? He's good looking, wealthy, well built… By why do I feel this emotion, this passion and attraction… Like he were a magnet, like if I didn't kiss him, didn't look at him, I would be missing something spectacular… Why do I feel so… Why do I feel so…-"

Bruce smiled at her and she melted inside, a blush on her face. His smile widened upon seeing it. She didn't how or when but one moment she is talking to him in the restaurant, the next she's kissing him passionately in his hotel room. The details were a blur but at the moment, she longed to live for the present. Her legs were around his waist, arms around his neck. She doesn't remember what she said, what he said or what happened to lead up this point. She knew she wasn't drunk but she was on such a high that she didn't believe herself. Her heart was quickened and time was slowing down. Her back fell on the bed, her hands reached for his pants and euphoria ensued.

"-...THRILLED!"