He had heard of her. If he was correct, then she was a luxurious model. High class. Yet, then why was she here? This was a charity banquet. It might be good publicity, but then where was her agent? An agent would of course shadow the client to make sure they didn't screw things up. Her agent was nowhere to be seen. Just her smiling the slyest, sexiest smile he had ever witnessed as her slender hand held his.
"Wow" Selina said coolly, "you really are as handsome as they say. Much more, actually. Just, wow."
"Thank you" Wayne replied, almost yanking his hand back. "Bruce Wayne."
"I know who you are. I thought you were a bigot. Who knew you actually had a heart? You do have one, don't you?"
"I assure you, Ms. Kyle, I have a heart. I just gave away twenty million dollars."
"That doesn't convince me, Mr. Wayne. Some have more reasons than kindness to give away twenty million dollars. A political ploy, maybe?"
Bruce, at that moment, raised an eyebrow at Alfred. Alfred looked apologetic. He had been fooled into believing she really wanted to meet Bruce Wayne out of some kind of attraction. He didn't have the patience for this right now. He would not be chastised for doing the right thing.
"I would really like to thank all of you for all of your help on this project" Dr. Ramona Stowalters said into the intercom, as Eden had grown to proportions they had anticipated from the beginning. It filled the room so much, she could barely see inside it.
"Of course, there's always more research to be done but I believe as far as the Alpha Vector goes. Our project is complete. You all can go home for the night. I really can't thank you all enough for this. We can truly save the world with this research. God is smiling on us. I know it." In her control room, she shut off the intercom and began to grab her lab reports and stuffing them into her duffel bag. She didn't realize her longtime rival was fast approaching her. She did hear the cocked gun that she held. She turned to find Dr. Heather Allister in a white HAZMAT suit with her hood off, aiming a 9MM Smith & Wesson at her head. Dr. Allister uncocked the gun and smiled.
"I've always wanted to do this" she said. With that, she upturned the gun and drove it into Dr. Stowalter's glass face shield and smashing it into her face.
"I'm sorry that you have that impression of me" Bruce said simply, "nothing I can do about it. If you'd excuse me, I have others tonight who I'd like to speak to." He tried to walk away.
"Don't even pretend to be hurt" she called after him. "Everybody in Gotham knows what kind of man Bruce Wayne is and he isn't even here tonight! Whoever this man is, he is an alien to us! So, tell me, who are you?" She placed a hand on her hip. He just looked at her. Others were curiously watching.
Culprits were unplugging of her equipment, everything that was Alpha Vector-related in the lab. There were fifteen of them, making it much easier. The only way they could have gotten into the top-level security lab was if they had somebody on the inside to get them in. That was where Dr. Heather Allister and her lover, Dr. Victor Naughton, came in. Dr. Heather Allister continued to beat on Dr. Ramona Stowalters, kicking her now, as Naughton directed the others into packing everything.
"Okay, fellas" he said, "Be easy with that! That's millions of dollars and eight years worth of hard work! No reason for it to go to waste!"
Chris Pardo, a thug formerly working for the mob had found himself out of work lately thanks to certain man in a bat-suit. He now worked for a different outfit, with a larger goal in mind. He approached his new boss, Victor Naughton.
"Hey, boss" he said, "where is Allister?"
"Letting out a little pent-up frustration" Naughton said with a chuckle. "A lot, actually. " He checked his watch. "We really should be making our leave now" he said.
Lucius Fox stood beside Bruce Wayne. "Good luck" he said, patting him on the shoulder. "Our little project is supposed to make conclusive research tonight. I'll pop on over and check up on it."
"I want a detailed report in the morning, Lucius" Bruce said, "I want to know everything."
"Done" Lucius said, before walking away.
"What do you want from me" Bruce asked Selina Kyle.
"I just want to know who you really are" she told him. "I won't leave you alone until I know. I'm persistent and I'm incorrigible. Ask my agent and manager."
They were distracted when a man on the stage, grabbed a microphone.
"Excuse me" he told the room, "if I can get everybody's attention, I would like everybody to give Bruce Wayne a round of applause to show our appreciation for this great charity event. He has made a more than generous donation! In turn, us at Downing International have decided to follow and donate this beauty to Wayne Foundation! I would like to introduce you all to what we call the Frozen Bunny!"
Two men put on display with a glass pedestal, a ten-inch tall and foot-thick rabbit sculpture made of diamond. Son of a bitch, thought Bruce. Wide range of applause and gasps had filled the room. That must be worth more than twenty million dollars, he sourly thought. He turned to look at Selina Kyle to see what she thought of "The Frozen Bunny", but she was gone.
"You brought this on yourself, really" Dr. Allister said as she poured gasoline on all of Dr. Stowalter's files, data and computers. A beaten, bleeding and moaning Ramona tried to push herself up but fell down again, weak. "You give salvation to the world, you really should be prepared to have another take credit for it" Heather said. "I never did like you, and I realized this year that what I did was hate you, but you really did give us a way to save everything. It's a shame you won't be around to see it." With that, Allister lit a flare and threw it at the computers before kicking Dr. Stowalters in the face, again.
An hour later, the event was over and Bruce Wayne was Batman again. He stood on a rooftop not far from Ballard Hall, waiting for Commissioner Gordon to make an appearance. When he finally did climb up the stairs, he was a little irritated.
"What took so long" Batman demanded.
"Sorry" Gordon apologized, "Personal problems. I don't want to bother you with them."
"Do you have anything about the Downing bombings today?"
"My boys do, actually, but there is a slight problem."
"What is that, exactly?" Batman asked.
"There is a tape. The terrorists made it."
"Demands?"
"Not exactly. They're not Al-Queda or anything like that. They're more about ecology than actual human fear?"
"Then why destroy the Downing Tower and take a thousand lives?"
"To be honest, I've seen the tape and I don't understand it myself."
"Can you get me the tape" Batman asked.
"I wish I could, Batman" Gordon said, "but my hands are tied."
"Why not" asked Batman.
"I may be the top police official in the city, Batman, but if I were to demand well-hidden evidence, do you think that they wouldn't ask questions?! The commissioner's purpose isn't sifting through videotapes and drug money! My plates already too full! They wouldn't trust me anymore! Why do you think nothing of it has made into the media at all?! It is under wraps!"
Batman thought this over for a second. "Could you get me the exact location of the videotape, then?"
"Yeah" Gordon said, "I could do that."
Batman happened to glance out over the street, when something down below caught his eye.
"By the way" Gordon said, pacing around, "great job on the Maroni arrests yesterday. You have dismantled the mob in this city. They were crippled before, but they are destroyed now. There's no coming back for them now. We have them for drugs, prostitution, and organ harvesting. They're finished. All thanks to a man in a Bat-suit…"
"and a black mask" said Batman absently, watching the street below for movement. Then, he saw it. In the distance, he could see a figure that was climbing up the glass walls of Ballard Hall. Who was it? Spider-man?
"It looks like the dawn is almost here" Gordon said, "just like Dent said it would be. Other than the horrendous bombing today. I wish he were here to see this today."
It wasn't that Batman wasn't listening, it was just something more important was happening.
"Commissioner, call some backup" he said, leaning over the ledge, "somebody's breaking into Ballard Hall." With that, he jumped out expelling his grappling wire for Ballard Hall.
She moved with the sleek dexterity of a cat, as she had used suction pads on her hands and feet to climb the walls of Ballard Hall. Her trained movements made absolutely no sound and her synthetic latex suit was ideal for silent, athletic movement. Her equipment was lightweight but efficient, able to be carried on her and her belt. Seeing as she has adored cats since the age of four almost obsessively, it wasn't a far stretch to figure out why her outfit resembled a cat, with four-inch long, razor-sharp claws and cat ears on the top of her head. She even wore contacts that gave her eyes a steely green tint that was characterized by the predatory slant of a cat.
Officer Brad Hunning was the ground floor guard. His partner, Fairwell had been relieved to use the bathroom. That was their mistake. Catwoman, which she had taken to calling herself, slinked on the ceiling above him. She had already taken out the guard in the security room. Using the security cameras, she discovered there were only two more guards. Two ground floor watchmen. She had taken care of Fairwell as well, she had beaten Fairwell in the bathroom. Not exactly the way she liked to do things, she had to admit, but she had concluded that she had no choice. Taking the right opportunity when Hunning stopped his go-over of the ground floor, she dropped behind him. She kicked back of his knees, causing his legs to buckle under him. She then takes his night-stick from his belt and gives him a crushing blow to the temple, knocking him unconscious. Now she had nothing to worry about.
She made her way to the vault now. This was of course where the Wayne Foundation's fundings were being kept, including the infamous Frozen Bunny, which had peaked Catwoman's interest.
"Raww" Catwoman moaned at the vault, anticipating becoming much more rich than she already was. She grabbed a highly-magnetized glove from her belt, pulling it onto her right hand, using a combination of her left hand and her teeth. She turns the knob setting to its maximum level, satisfied at hearing the soft, elevating hum as it rose in power. She felt a strong pull towards the door. It was experimental technology, courtesy of LexCorp. She used her left hand to guide it towards where the lock should be on the door. She felt the tension of a large piece of metal, clinging to the glove on the other side of the door. Using tense, circular motions she pulled the lock out of place, unlocking the vault door. It was illuminated by a loud, clanging sound. She purred at the anticipation. Taking the setting back to off, she took the glove off. She put it back in place on her belt, before turning the vault wheel to the left five times and grunting as she pulled the door open. Using her flashlight, she looked for her prize. The Frozen Bunny should have been in the center of the room on a glass pedestal. However, it wasn't there.
"It isn't Easter yet" called a menacing, raspy voice to left of her. She jumped and turned the flashlight on it. She saw Batman, who had his arms, holding the Frozen Bunny out in his left hand.
"I know" said Catwoman, focusing her cat-eyes at him, "but nevertheless, I want my eggs." She then took out a .50 Cal Glock and thumbed back the hammer, pointing it at him. "Now hand over the damn bunny."
"Fine" said Batman, and with precision he threw the Frozen Bunny across the room and knocked the gun from her hand. He then jumped to her, only to be kicked in the gut by a bladed-heel and hit in the face with a flashlight. He caught her other fist in his arms and sent her sprawling to the floor. She rolled backwards, only to roll forward catching enough momentum to flip through the air and kick him in the chest with both legs, causing him to stagger backwards. She then took a stance in Tae Kwon Do, faking him out with a left back kick fake , turning it into a roundhouse kick to the face. It knocked him to his knees. She chuckled and grew overconfident, expelling her claws which gleamed in the pale moonlight which seeped through the open vault door, coming towards him, intending to slash his face. Instead, he used his arms to pull her legs out from under her. He then pulled her under him and held her down with his body weight. She struggled beneath him, before stopping and just looking into his eyes.
"Who are you" he demanded of her.
"Somebody who's not afraid of you" she told him. "Mmm, are you going to take advantage of me now, you Caped Crusader you?"
"Answer me!"
"Your voice. You can drop it. It doesn't scare me, you know. In fact, it only succeeds in turning me on. Go on, put your hands a little lower and find out how much."
"Do you have a name or not, crazy woman?!"
"That's Catwoman to you. You know, like Batman? You can call me a secret admirer of yours. The only thing I like more than thievery and sex is a man who isn't afraid to dress like a bat and kill mobsters and cops." She laughs at that.
He squeezes her body, causing her to moan. "Ugh" she groans, "I like it rough."
"Shut up" He yelled at her. "I'm leaving you for the cops!"
"Sorry" she said with a smile, "no."
Then without warning, she slipped her right hand out of her arms and pulled his head close to hers, until they were almost kissing. Instead she drives her own head upwards for a crunching head butt. She repeats it, driving her forehead into the soft spot of his skull until he grows dizzy and weak. She throws his arms off of her and rolls out from under him. Ears ringing and barely able to look up, he sees her grab her gun, her flashlight and the Frozen Bunny. She then comes back to him. He sees a small stream of blood seeping down her head onto her lips. She wipes it away.
"Thanks for the present" she told him, "Goodnight, Bat." She then kicked him in the face and everything went black for him.
Alfred made his usual breakfast of English toast, jelly, sasuage, orange juice and potatoes. Only now, it wasn't for a brooding Bruce Wayne or even a giddy Bruce Wayne. It was a beaten Bruce Wayne on his sickbed. As long as Alfred had known Master Bruce, he had never lost a fight. What was so different now?
"She was a woman" Bruce told him with ice on his head.
"Oh" Alfred said, setting the tray down in front of him, "that makes sense."
Seeing, the smile on Alfred's face, Bruce asked, "What" he said, "you think you would have fared better?"
"Oh god no, Master Bruce" Alfred said, walking off, "I just don't think I would have admitted to it."
"She was so trained, Alfred" he said, "No wasted movement. Everything I did, she had a counter for it. She was even toying with me. It was pissing me off. Then she came onto me."
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "I see" he said.
"Will you stop that, Alfred" he asked.
"I was just thinking Master Bruce" Alfred began, "if you were looking to find another person in your life without giving up these knightly crusades, maybe you should find somebody who can do that with."
"Alfred" Bruce said.
"Understood" Alfred said, quickly, "would like anything else, sir?"
"No" Bruce replied, "that would be all, Alfred?"
With that, Alfred left the room. Bruce began to eat his food, but was distracted when he heard Alfred chuckling in the hall. Bruce couldn't help but laugh himself. Laugh now, find this Catwoman and exact revenge later. The Frozen Bunny wasn't just an artifact of greed. He needed it to help victims and he'd be damned before he saw it pawned or become some criminal's trophy.
Sometime later, Alfred returned beside Bruce Wayne's bed to inform him that Lucius Fox had arrived to give him some news.
"Please send him in, Alfred" he said, "thank you."
Alfred exited the room and seconds later, Lucius entered.
"What happened to you" Lucius asked.
"Just a little sick. Very bad migraines. What's up?"
"I hate to bring this upon you, especially now. I have bad news about Project GENESIS and Dr. Stowalters. Also, you should look at the news. We screwed up, Mr. Wayne. We screwed up badly."