Chapter 13

Present day

The armed turians had no idea what stalked in the shadows above them. Four armed guards stood watch, spread throughout the warehouse. Only two of them were standing around the volus leader, who was nose deep in a datapad.

"Tell them to hurry up" muttered the busy volus, never looking up from his datapad. One of the turians nodded and began walking to where the other workers and guards were in the main part of the warehouse.

The turian mercenary rounded a cargo container, "Alright ladies, boss wants you guys to pick it…up." He stopped dead in his tracks as he looked around the warehouse. In front of him were the two other turian guards and all four workers unconscious and bound together by a thick black cable. They were breathing, but looked to be in a lot of pain. The mercenary took a few steps forwards, before stepping on something. He looked down and saw dismantled avenger assault rifle pieces laid out in front of the beaten crew.

"Oh shit" the turian said to himself as he turned and ran back to where the other turian and volus was. The mercenary ran in an all-out sprint, reaching his boss out of breath, "Sir, we've been compromised!" The other turian checked his rifle and raised it up, sweeping it from side to side.

"What is it?" the other turian asked.

"I'm not sure, form up around the boss"

The volus began to look around, wondering what had spooked his hired help. The two turians started to back up slowly, putting Pin Quin closer into a dead end.

Quin heard a noise behind him and turned to investigate. Above him were more cargo containers shrouded in the darkness of the shadows. Satisfied it was nothing; the stubby volus turned back to his guards but became wide-eyed seeing them unconscious on the floor with a dark armored figure standing over them.

Quin remained with his eyes wide as he slowly began to back up into the cargo container behind him. He knew there was nowhere to go as he looked into the piercing white eyes of the caped man. The terrifying figure didn't say a word as he slowly approached the short volus with its cape draped around him. Quin was desperate and reached for the cane attached to his back. He quickly brought it up, as it extended itself, and pointed it towards the armored figure.

The cane fired a single shotgun round from its hidden chamber. The blast caused the figure's blue shielding to light up, deflecting the shot, and then quickly dissipate again. Not affected by the attack, the black clad man grabbed the volus by the collar of his environmental suit, lifting him in the air and pinning him against a container.

"Pin Quin, banker of Poison Ivy"

The figure's voice was deep and gruff, causing Quin to realize who the person was; The Batman. The volus' breathing got heavier as he wriggled in the air. Knowing there was nothing he could do; Quin stopped fighting, composed himself and stared into the cold white eyes of the bat.

"You can do whatever you want to me, but there is nothing worse than what they will do to me if I talk." The Batman tightened his grip on the volus' suit, leaning his helmet directly in front of Pin Quin.

"I'll change that" replied the dark knight in his low tone.

Batman began to activate all systems in his fighter as he played back Pin Quin's recording over the speakers. The volus leader gave up information so quick; Batman had to record the entire conversation. All it took was a couple broken fingers and the threat of a long fall before the volus started giving up all the information he knew. The caped crusader had also copied all the data on the leader's datapad, just for good measure.

"Alfred, start a data-mine on the Penguin's files" Batman stated as he plotted a course back to the cave.

"Right away, Sir"

The Bat-Wing cut through the space around the Citadel with stealth systems engaged. Batman took a second to look at passing ships and thought about how he had left Penguin and his gang. After the brief interrogation, he had strung up Ivy's banker from the warehouse ceiling and then rounded up the rest of the gang below the unconscious volus. He tossed down another of his custom designed homing beacons, keyed into C-Sec's encoded signal, so that they would be able to find the scene more easily.

"Sir, I have only completed 29% of the data-mine, but I have found something rather interesting" informed the artificial intelligence.

"What is it?" asked Batman slowing down the fighter.

"It seems Ivy has put out an assassination order for an officer in Citadel Security, one Armando-Owen Bailey. Apparently he has been investigating Ivy's affairs for some time and may have stumbled upon something he was not meant to know."

Batman sat silently for a moment, thinking to himself and then replied, "When is this hit supposed to happen?"

"Within the day, Sir" Alfred said apologetically.

Batman began to readjust the holo-screens in front of him, "Alfred, plot a course to Bailey's current location."

It had been a long day. The seasoned C-Sec officer strode out of the office holding his head. He had just got off the line with a mother who had lost her two sons to a madman. He tried to explain how C-Sec had apprehended the culprit and how he was awaiting sentence, but the mother would hear none of it. She was too devastated about the loss of her children.

Bailey couldn't blame her. He rubbed his eyes once more and let out a long sigh. He walked over to where his skycar was parked and opened the hatch. The C-Sec officer got in and activated all systems as the skycar rose off the ground. He shifted the systems and hovered into the major traffic flow outside the building. Bailey's blue skycar wedged into traffic and glided along with the other cars. Bailey made small adjustments on the controls of the skycar when he heard a buzz throughout the skycar.

Suddenly Bailey realized he was no longer controlling the skycar. He tried to move the wheel, but nothing was happening. The skycar deviated from the traffic flow as it dived down. Bailey attempted to regain control by turning off all systems, but with no avail. The skycar swerved left, through an alley way between two large buildings. The alley way was dark, with several walkways connecting the two buildings. The skycar started to slow down as it turned around and landed on top of one of the dark walkways.

The hatch opened up, leaving Bailey looking around for answers. He slowly got out and reached for the pistol he had on his belt. Bailey tried to turn on his omni-tool's light, but it wouldn't turn on.

"You won't need that."

Bailey swung his pistol around in the darkness searching for the origin of the raspy tone.

"Who's there?" asked Bailey.

"An ally" said the voice, in a different location, as if it were moving around the C-Sec officer.

"Allies don't hide in the dark" replied Bailey, keeping his pistol ready in front of him. Then bright lights flooded the alley way, coming from the opposite side of Bailey. He was blinded by the intense light, squinting in the direction the glow was coming from. As his eyes began to adjust to the light, he could see a dark silhouette outlined by the bright light.

Bailey figured that if this was an ambush, his attacker would have already made their move. He cautiously brought his pistol down and began to walk closer to the dark silhouette.

"You're not here to kill me I assume" Bailey stated as he put his hand over his brow, shading his eyes from the light.

"Poison Ivy has put a hit out on you and I want to know why" the dark shadow's voice echoed through the alley.

"Who are you?" Bailey asked with an eyebrow raised. He waited for an answer and after a few seconds of silence, Bailey continued, "You wouldn't happen to be that Bat character I've been getting reports about would ya?"

The dark figure remained silent, never even shifting its weight. If everything Bailey had heard about this vigilante was true, he was indeed an ally, but with questionable motives.

"I thought you were just a rumor, a myth" exclaimed Bailey.

"Poison Ivy" stoically replied the dark shadow.

"Right," Bailey nodded as he put his pistol in its hilt, "She's crazy that one. Few days ago I found some intel on her younger years, I assume she doesn't want me digging further."

"What did you find?" asked the dark voice.

"You mind dimming those lights?" Bailey asked. After a few seconds of silence and the lights remaining as bright as they were, Bailey sighed.

"Right, well I dug up some old information on a young, green skinned Ardat Yakshi on the run and drifting from colony to colony. She had left a small body count behind her wherever she went until she was picked up by a passing mercenary band. She was a no one, but then she started to take over ever major crime group in Citadel space until becoming the unofficial crime lord she is today."

The dark knight stood silently again, seeming to think over the information. Bailey cleared his throat softly, feeling a bit awkward. Then the Bat broke the silence.

"She didn't take over the mercenary group…" the voice trailed off as the bright lights suddenly cut out, leaving Bailey to once again search through the darkness.

Then dim lights that were spread throughout the alley flickered on. Bailey blinked a few times and looked all around, seeing no one else around him. He let out a small gruff chuckle and then started to walk back to his skycar.