Hey guys!

I figured I'd give you another chapter of this story, just to get it going a little bit more. But the next thing I update will be Ultimate Teen Titans. I promise!

Also, thanks to you guys who have given me feedback! I honestly wasn't expecting anyone to notice this tale, given that not very many people have done anything with these two genres. But I love it! Thanks!

Spiderfan626: I'm just replying to you through here because your PM doesn't work. Yeah, I thought Killer Croc was wasted as an assassin. And as for your assassin suggestions, about two of them are correct. One of which won't be introduced until much later. And SpideyxBatgirl? I would say yes(because I love that pairing), but Peter's 19 in this story, and Barbara Gordon is 15 at this time. Kinda awkward. And Harley isn't Harley Quinn yet, but I will take that under advisement for the future!

I should make clear something up. Spidey in this story is 616, but Venom hasn't taken place yet, so he doesn't exist. I'm sorta taking you guys back to the days when Mary Jane dated Harry Osborne, Gwen Stacy has already died, and Peter's struggling through college. Oh, and he hasn't met Black Cat yet. That's about it!

Chapter I

The Ten Assassins

"Welcome back, Master Bruce."

Bruce Wayne leapt out of the Bat-Wing, his metal boots hitting the landing bay with a dull thud. The engines of his plane died down, and the only sounds then came from the waterfall cascading down the walls of the BatCave.

"Have you dealt satisfactorily with Blackgate, sir?" inquired Alfred Pennyworth, his butler, the only person in the world who knew he was the Batman. He heaved a heavy sigh.

"It's going to be a long night, Alfred," Bruce said, removing his cowl, walking over to the Bat Computer.

"Oh dear," Alfred said.

"I've… just fought a giant crocodile man who told me that Black Mask had hired assassins to kill me." Alfred's eyebrows rose. "I got this memory card from a drone flying around the prison. I think it belongs to Penguin."

He plugged the memory card into one of the many USB ports, and the screens came online. A series of images began to flash onscreen, showing Black Mask's private office. On his desk were pictures of several different people. Bruce started to talk, explaining who each one was to Alfred.

"Ten assassins, one night, fifty million dollars. Quite a hefty sum. And of course, it only attracts the best in the business."

"Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke. Failed military experiment gone rogue."

"Failed, you say?"

"Firefly, AKA Garfield Lynns. A pyromaniac suffering third degree burns all over his body. An extensive knowledge of explosives and weaponry."

"Street smart named Lester Buchinsky, AKA Electrocutioner. I don't know how he got that suit, but I know he didn't build it. Electro-magnetic repulsors built into the suit."

"Shocking."

"Copperhead. A contortionist. Odd… reports detailed a male, not a female. I suppose it refers to a group as a whole, based somewhere in South America. We may want to follow that up one day."

"Shiva. Her skill is nearly unrivaled. Very fast, very dangerous. Extensive knowledge of arcane martial arts."

"Deadshot, AKA Floyd Lawton. Former Navy SEAL sniper who got 'bored' with his job."

"How on earth-?"

"Hobgoblin, AKA Roderick Kingsley. Deemed a paranoid schiz by some, although his tactics show true inventiveness. Extensive knowledge on IEDs, paratrooper equipment, and toxic gases."

"Bane. Terrorist out of Santa Prisca. What is he doing in Gotham? And of course…"

"Sergei Kravinoff, AKA Kraven the Hunter. Has a reputation for besting some of the most powerful creatures on earth. He's joined forces with Bane recently."

"Wade Wilson, AKA Deadpool. Slade's little brother. Rumors of metahuman abilities, healing factor, enhanced reflexes, so forth. Some say he can't be killed. He and Deathstroke do not get along."

He paused, and Alfred used the silence to interject a question.

"And you heard all this from the mouth of an alligator man, sir?"

"Crocodile," Bruce corrected. "But now I want to know where this drone was heading after it was done. Hmm…"

He tracked the flight plan of the drone. Unfortunately, the flight plan history wiped itself automatically. But he could see where it was going next…

"JezebelPlaza," he said, pointing at the spot on the map. "The Bowery. There's an arms deal going down. Looks like… yes, "Loose Lips" Lebanc. Old-time Penguin operative. He'll know where Cobblepot is."

He placed the cowl back on his head. Alfred looked up at him.

"Sir, if I may… you and I are the only two people in the world who know the Batman's true identity. So, if you don't go out tonight… they lose. The bounty said 'for one night only.' Why not stay in and let them battle it out among themselves?"

"Because they'd put innocent people in harm's way," Bruce said, walking to the Bat-Wing. "I can't risk that. Besides, I have the advantage."

"Sir," Alfred continued, walking behind him. "Have you heard on the news? It seems there is another vigilante in Gotham."

Bruce paused, looking over his shoulder.

"I'll keep an eye out for this Spider-Man," he said. "But he doesn't seem to be a problem."

Spider-Man had a big problem.

Night had fallen on Gotham, and the curfew was in effect. Only criminals now walked the streets, occasionally some citizens brave enough to not comply with the mandate. But it wasn't the police who were enforcing the order.

The day before, when the world wasn't completely out of whack, the crime lord known as Hammerhead was gone from the criminal underworld. No one knew where he was, or even, in fact, if he was alive. But now, in this strange universe, Hammerhead was very much alive, and active, right in GothamCity.

Spider-Man slowly crawled down the side of a building to where a group of thugs clustered around a fire, talking amongst themselves.

"Yeah, so the boss says, he says that when Black Mask makes his first move, we go in. Tear the city down. Cobblepot and Sionis are gonna be at war, and Falcone ain't gonna be able to do much about it."

"Why are we following this guy?" one of the men asked. "Hammerhead? He comes out of New York, tail between his legs, running from the Kingpin and the Owl. Not exactly leader materiel."

"Oh, really? Do you wanna know this guy's body count? Kingpin and Owl had to join forces to drive this guy outta New York. He single-handedly rebuilt the Big Man's gang from scratch, after Foswell bit the dust."

"So what, he wants to take Falcone's gang too? What is he getting out of this? Does he seriously think he's gonna rule Gotham? No way. No way in hell."

Spider-Man felt a strange feeling in his chest. It was almost like hearing an old friend after being in a foreign country. True, Hammerhead was one of the most ruthless and dangerous of his enemies, but he was Spider-Man's enemy. A single spot of familiarity amidst a sea of unfamiliar.

Now it was Spidey's job to stop him from destroying the city. Business as usual.

"Boys," he said, dropping down on one of the men. They looked up in shock, some yelling. "If Hammerhead's in town, he should call! Seriously, it's great to hear from him!"

He flipped over a few thugs, shooting webs as he went. A few punches later, and they were all on the ground, unconscious or otherwise incapacitated. He walked over to one who was still awake.

"Tell MC Hammer," he said cheerfully, "that I said hi. And that I'm gonna stop him. Whatever it takes."

"Master Bruce? There's something on the auto-nav system…"

"I see it too, Alfred," Batman said, checking his HUD in the Bat-Wing. "Something's blocking the GCRTower's reception. I can't use the navigation system."

"You may want to check it out," Alfred said, sounding completely unperturbed. "I can't get a read on any of the points in the city."

"Got it," Batman said tersely. "Thanks."

He flipped a switch, and the Bat-Wing's lower door opened up, and he dropped out into the cold winter sky.

He nose-dived, cutting through the air, waiting until certain death awaited him at the crash. He spread his cape, making the glider form by shooting electrodes through the magnets interwoven throughout.

Batman glided through the air, flecks of snow melting on his armor, the slant of his cowl keeping it out of his eyes. He had built a HUD directly into the cowl, which gave him a compass, his armor readings, and his objective marker. Right now, he followed the green spot on the compass to where the GCRTower was in the Bowery.

Batman knew something was wrong as soon as the Tower came into view. A group of thugs stood around the service entrance, apparently guarding it. He dive-bombed the scene, hitting the snow, his cape flowing around him.

The thugs were shocked, but they couldn't be prepared for what came next. Batman had collected the built-up kinetic energy that he had gathered from the dive, and in one move, released it all in a shock wave that knocked all the surrounding thugs off their feet.

He quickly took out two of them before the rest gathered their wits, and then proceeded to wipe out the rest with a flurry of punches and kicks. He grabbed the last one in an arm-lock, and he pulled violently upward.

The sound of the arm breaking echoed in the empty streets, and the criminal passed out from the pain. Batman stood up, gazing at the door. He opened it, and stepped through.

He traversed the narrow corridors until he came upon another strange scene. A door, a pass-code lock, and an exploded wall on the other side with a broken body lying amongst the rubble.

Hmmm… this man was obviously killed trying to get in. I should set up a crime scene to see what happened.

By careful reconstruction of rubble, object placement, and the identification of the deceased, Batman was able to piece together what happened.

"Alfred?" he called on his comm. "Someone's tampered with the Tower. This man works for Gotham Electric. He must have been answering a service call, but was unaware the main broadcasting room has been booby-trapped."

"Is it still?" Alfred asked.

"Yes. I need the service codes from Gotham Electric. This isn't going to be easy, but I need to diffuse this in order to find out what's blocking the Bat-Wing's nav system."

"Certainly, sir. One moment…"

A minute later, Batman downloaded the codes from the Bat Computer. He tried the code, and was a little surprise to see they had been altered. A quick trial later found the new code for this particular door to be "PERPLEXED."

Hmm… who did this? Why?

He opened the door. Inside, the GCR computer screens were all locked on green code. Another moment later, and Batman had reverted them back to the original broadcast signal.

As soon as he did so, a new channel opened up on his comm. A voice he didn't recognize spoke.

"Well, well, well… if it isn't the King Thug himself."

The voice oozed with arrogance and confidence. It was male, probably late 20's early 30's. Batman scowled.

"Who is this?"

"As if I was going to tell you who I was. Let's just say, another player in the game which we play."

"Enigma, then."

"If you insist. I think you ought to know by now that I've taken control of all the GCR Towers all over the city. As long as they're online, your Bat-Wing's useless. Also, I have people everywhere feeding me information. So whatever you're up to, I'll know."

"I will find you," Batman growled. "You have no chance."

"Don't I? I was just about to say the same thing about you. Oh, I think I'm going to enjoy this game. May the best man win! Which, of course, is going to be me."

The channel closed, and Batman stood up.

"Alfred?" he said, putting a hand up to his cowl. "We have another problem…"

So yeah. Big stuffs. I won't go into every detail of the story of Arkham Origins. I'll be kinda fastforwarding that story in order to supplement this story.