And now, for some wholesome family entertainment.

"It's quite alright, child… Don't you see? We're together in this… And I wouldn't be a good guardian if I didn't see your life fade away in our eyes, now would I?" The clean-shaven man leered at the terrified-looking girl, shivering in a corner of the filthy apartment. The man edged forward, a knife glittering in the bare lightbulb's glare.

"See, we just need to get those pretty clothes off you," the man continued, edging closer to the tied-up girl. "And we'll be able to begin."

The bulb went out. The man looked about in the sudden darkness, the only sounds audible being the muffled whimpering of his victim behind her gag. He grinned.

Finally.

"I know you're here, Batman," the killer stated smoothly, turning around. He was unperturbed at the sudden darkness-This he had expected. "I'm glad you decided to join us."

A fist smashing his left temple sent him sprawling to the raggedly carpeted floor below. He still grinned, even as the unseen vigilante wrestled him up by his collar against the wall.

"I don't think so," Batman growled. The killer's grin only grew wider.

"Oh yes… For you see, I wasn't hunting girls again… I was hunting you." The room burst into smoke and gas, as the killer shoved out of Batman's grip and stumbled for the next room. He slipped on his infrared goggles and retrieved a machete from the wall, spinning around. He expected Batman to be lying on the floor, or otherwise injured. There wasn't time for the vigilante to get his gas mask on before the toxins knocked him out. The girl would, again, be rendered unconscious, but she was merely bait. Breaking the infamous Batman… And demonstrating his superiority was the true prize.

But Batman was nowhere to be found. The hunter froze, turning around in a circle. He could see nothing. Nothing. Had the Bat escaped? Had the Bat inoculated himself before the gas? The hunter considered these options coolly.

No… He was still here. None of the laser trip wires alerted him to the Bat's departure from the room. He had not circumvented those before…

His nose shattered, the force of a fist driving him back. In agony the killer attempted to see his attacker. But there was nothing! No heat at all!

"URGH!" The killer was kicked in the side, two of his ribs audibly breaking. Before he could recover, a blow to his head knocked him to the floor once more, aggravating his ribs. The killer screamed as he received yet another kick to the stomach, knocking the wind out of him…

And then there was nothing. The killer grunted, looking about feverishly. A smaller grin appeared on his face.

"Whatever you do here, Batman… I am not broken. I will never be broken. You'll never win. You are like all the others-Insects, distractions to be utilized then tossed aside. I am still God." Still nothing. The killer continued his rant.

"You cannot save anyone else… I will win. I've already won."

"Ryu Takinachi… Age, thirty-five years. Born in Fuyuoka, Honshu. Raised by an aunt and her life partner since age five when your parents died in a fire." The killer froze. His eyes narrowed.

"Dredging up my past, Batman? Playing games?"

"They played games with you, didn't they," Batman said flatly, and the killer's eyes widened slightly behind the goggles.

"Did they come into your room at night, and wake you up after you'd gone to bed? Keeping up pretenses? Or did they simply haul you into their kitchen when they began to drink?" Batman continued, still in a perfectly calm tone. "Probably did both. Either way, the entire day, every day, you were on edge, waiting, waiting, for them to take you. Use you again. You went to school, had a few friends… Conveniently, all children of your aunt's neighbors. All in the know." Ryu's breathing became audible, as the Batman pressed on.

"You never knew it was wrong… But you had a feeling. A feeling of violation, of worthlessness. And anger… Because you couldn't stop it. Because your aunt told you had no other purpose." The Batman paused theatrically.

"And so you rape and torture these women, these girls… You try to get the power back. But you never can… No matter how many you kill, no matter how many you hunt, you know that you are still powerless. That they're just a bedroom door away." Ryu curled into a ball, shaking violently.

"No… No…" The killer's vision was filled with memories. Pain, humiliation, pleasure and guilt. Other children, as the actions… The things they were forced to do…

"Nooooooo!" The killer screamed, leaping and lunging in a random direction. His knife met plaster and wood, and he slashed about, all around himself. He ran blindly, screaming in rage…

SCRASH! The taped-up window gave way to his mass as the killer fell, still screaming. He was jerked from his weightlessness by his shoulders, held in strong, unwavering hands. He looked up and his jaw dropped.

Batman… But not the Batman he'd been expecting. No bare chin and mouth, just a thin white line. Eyes narrowed, seeming to glow with inner fire. No obvious armor plating, or attachments… And giant wings stretching out over them, bring them down to the street far below. The killer fell to the pavement, weeping, hiding from this being.

"What are you?" He whimpered, shaking violently. The Batman bent down and whispered into his ear:

"I am Batman." And he departed without a trace.

When the Tokyo-3 police arrived on the scene outside the boxy apartment complex, the long-time detectives were treated to a bizarre scene. Ryu Takinachi, the psychotic serial rapist and killer. This was a man who had taunted the police in the United States, China, and Korea, easily escaping with a trail of raped, mutilated corpses in his wake. This was a monster that had captured, raped, tortured and killed a Korean police commissioner right in her own office, and escaped.

The monster was crying, sobbing, bawling like a child about a Bat. He willingly gave in to the police, gibbering nonsense. Considerable evidence against Takinachi, about his childhood, the child prostitute ring he was involved in, the numerous murders and rapes, was delivered to their doorstop. The aunt and her partners in the sex ring, still alive and working their trade, were brought to justice and sentenced to life in prison in the following weeks and months.

But this night, all Batman truly remembered was delivering Yomi Hryu to her crying parents, safe and unharmed, far across town. The Dark Knight managed a smile as he drove back to the Cave, feeling for the first time that this mission of his was working, if only a little bit at a time.

Back in the cave, Kaoru had gathered the Bat-clan together. His grave expression was unusual enough that they had obeyed without question. Shinji, Maya, Rei, and Ritsuko were thus in attendance, around the Batcomputer's main terminal.

"The JSSDF is beginning preparations for a move against NERV," Kaoru stated flatly, looking around to guage everyone's reactions. Shinji had not removed his Batman suit, save for his mask, and his face was set in a thoughtful scowl. Maya was standing near Ritsuko, looking nervous, while Ritsuko retained a cool, detached expression. And Rei was Rei.

"Mana?" Kaoru nodded to the unspoken part of Shinji's question.

"She has continued to relay information to me for quite some time."

"Mana? Isn't she that girl who-" Maya began.

"Yes," Rei merely said, giving Maya a leveled look. The technician nodded and kept her peace.

"She states that the preparations are underway as we speak. However, in order to preserve the element of surprise, they are moving slowly. Gathering a few troops here and there at a time, for a special 'training exercise'." Kaoru looking slightly amused at that, before continuing.

"They also have to finish construction of the Mass Production Evas. There are supposed to be thirteen, Units 05 through 17. But, I believe that the UN will not wait for them all to be finished before striking. With the Dummy Plug system, I believe they will deploy eight at the very least. Possibly nine."

"Meaning we have, at best, three months to prepare," Ritsuko replied, shaking her head. "SEELE never intended to allow the commander to carry out Third Impact on his own-They want control. The only way to do that is to kill everyone in NERV, and free Lillith from her captivity." Rei frowned.

"They require more than that… They need an intermediary. An entity with a mix of Angel and human DNA to convey control of the Third Impact on a conscious level to a human being." Rei looked down at the floor of the cave.

"Like me." Maya gasped, Ritsuko closed her eyes, Kaoru shook his head, and Shinji moved forward, taking Rei's hand. The blue-haired girl looked up into Shinji's eyes, shining with care and love… And felt her eyes become moist.

"Why… Why are my eyes…? I do not understand," Rei spoke quietly. Ritsuko held back her tears, and laughed softly.

"You're crying, Rei." The Angel hybrid looked up, still crying, but a curious look on her face.

"Does not one do this when they are… Unhappy? I do not feel unhappy…" Shinji hugged her, and rested his head on her shoulder.

"You can cry for happiness too, Rei," Ritsuko explained quietly. She smiled at her. "When someone still loves you, despite what you are."

Kaoru could not help but smile himself. The official psychological reports of Shinji Ikari had indicated that he suffered from the 'Hedgehog's Dilemma", unable to get close to anyone because of the pain that act entailed. But, if Batman had done anything for Shinji, it was to make him appreciate the people in his life. Appreciate who he was fighting for, and for what. This drive, this fire within him… It was a will and conviction that rattled all of Kaoru's Angelic brothers and sisters. Not to mention inspire awe within Kaoru himself.

Can there be such a thing as a 19th Angel? He wondered philosophically.

"In the end, Rei, it's up to you to decide what your fate is to be," Shinji's quiet but strong statement intruded on Kaoru's musings. He turned and saw Shinji holding Rei's shoulders, looking her in the eyes intently. His 'sister' looked up from the floor, scarlet irises to blue, before speaking firmly:

"I choose to defend this city." Shinji nodded, and Kaoru suspected that Shinji had expected that answer the whole time. Shinji turned back to the group, assuming his 'Bat' voice once more.

"All right then. Ritsuko, Maya: Starting hacking the UN systems and prep the MAGI for electronic assault. Get the Batcomputer hooked up and start networking more supercomputers. It's standard military doctrine nowadays to disable your enemy's electronics first. Let's make sure that doesn't happen." Shinji turned to Rei next.

"Rei, your security access will allow you to begin prepping the city's defenses. We still have two Angels left." Rei nodded.

"I believe I can begin preparations against a siege and be undetected." Shinji nodded, before turning to Kaoru.

"Kaoru, inform Mana to try and undermine the preparations of the JSSDF. I want her to do only very subtle things, and to not take any unreasonable risks. Just have her delay the operation." Kaoru smirked.

"I may be able to… 'misplace' a few of the MP Evangelions," the 17th said carefully. "Even bring them here, or someplace nearby if you wish." Shinji nodded.

"Good. Ritsuko, we're going to need a list of pilot candidates. But only those who fit the proper profiles, understood? No more of my father's manipulations." The blonde nodded firmly.

"Finally, I'm going to find out what happened to SEELE," Shinji stated flatly. He turned and looked at them all. "You're all going to have to fill in for me."

"I am trained in subterfuge, Shinji," Kaoru said. "I believe I can take your place and leave no one the wiser for a week or two. As for myself, well…" The Angel hybrid smiled. "I have a someone in mind who can assist." Shinji nodded grimly.

"Allright then… Get to it. And Kaoru?"

"Yes Shinji?"

"Use the Nightwing costume. Second shelf on the right. I believe it's your size," Shinji ordered non-chalantly. Kaoru's jaw dropped to the floor, as Shinji hugged Rei and Maya goodbye, before departing to the hangar. Ritsuko sidled up to Kaoru's side, and grinned.

"Isn't he remarkable?" Kaoru swallowed and regained his composure, smiling back at the bottle-blonde scientist.

"Quite, Dr. Akagi… But, please excuse me. I have other business to attend to tonight…"

Next time: We catch up with Asuka, and find out what's been going on with her, while Shinji investigates SEELE… And makes a terrifying discovery.

Yes, I'm having Shinji and the others upgrade to the Batman Beyond-style suits. This is simply because they add more mystique and abilities to their repertoire.

Until then, R&R!