Nightweaver's plane touched down in a field not far from the outskirts of Gotham. Whoever found it would either be delighted they had a free plane or angry that something was in their field; it didn't rightly matter. It rolled to a stop and he popped the cockpit, jumping out nimbly. As he stowed the flight gear back into the plane, he heard something behind him; he turned to see none other than Batman standing behind him.

"Nice to see you back in Gotham, Simon."

"Not Simon anymore."

"Right. Sorry. I think we should talk before you set out on anything."

"Look, Bruce, I know you're gonna try to tell me this isn't right, but this is my last. I may quit after we take him down."

"Not Bruce anymore. And you're right, I'm going to tell you that this isn't right. I know he's going to just escape from any jail, get out of any stipulation, fight back despite what you might do. He's a psychopath. That's what they do. I've dealt with him too, and he's hit me personally just as he has you."

"You keep your dedication to justice. I still believe in capital punishment." He went to walk away, but Batman stopped him.

"I'm not going to let you just take the law into your own hands like this. I've already contacted Deathstroke. He's just as happy for my alternative."

"And that is?"

"A compromise. We both know public prisons won't work. I don't want you to kill him. You want him out of the picture permanently. I could set up a prison cell in the Batcave. I personally guarantee that he'll never be able to escape it. He'd be kept alive, not starved, but nothing that would let him work his way out."

"I trust you'll keep him there for good. You've got a deal."

"No accidents. Keep your head straight."

"I will."

"The Batmobile's on it's way. Give it a minute and I'll give you a ride."

"Sorry, not interested. Got a meeting."

"At least let me drive you into town." The car pulled up, stopping right behind the Dark Knight, who opened the door and stepped in.

"I never can resist this thing."

The Batmobile pulled up into an alley deep in downtown Gotham.

"You're sure this is the place?"

"Close enough to it. Thanks for the ride, Bats." He stepped out and fired his grappling hooks up, latching onto a building and lifting himself up. The Batmobile pulled out of the alley and vanished down the street, leaving him alone again.

Apartment building on fifth. Twelfth floor window, left side. He jumped off of the roof and swung himself around the building until he saw the window he was searching for; it was wide open, as promised. He swung into it, rolling as he hit the floor and rising to one knee. He saw the black jeans and biker jacket and knew he was in the right place.

"Nightweaver." He stood and came face to face with the Red Hood. "Glad you came."

"Glad you're here."

"Of course I am. Ready to meet the others?"

"I guess I am." Red Hood pushed open the door out of the bedroom and into the main room of the apartment.

Half of Batman's most wanted are here. In front of him sat Joker, The Penguin, Two Face, and the Riddler.

"Edward, nice to see you again. Sorry for the bluntness of our last encounter."

"Apology accepted," Nigma said with a sense of disdain.

"Why've we got a cape here? We shouldn't be teamin' with capes!" Penguin shouted angrily. Red Hood stepped in front of Weaver instinctively and spoke slowly.

"You all hate Black Mask for taking your business. He hates Black Mask for his own reasons. We've been in contact for a few weeks now and I'm confident we're on level ground. If you don't betray him, he won't betray you."

"Look, we don't even need to directly cooperate. Joker, I need you and your guys to take out as many of Sionis' men as you possibly can. Penguin, you can help by taking his product. All of it. Drugs, guns, anything. Harvey, hit him in whatever way you wish."

"And for the genius?" Riddler interjected.

"I've got a special job for you. I need you to hack into their communications and give them stupid orders. Hack into their equipment and make it malfunction. Everything. They have it hooked up to a socket, I want it to blow a fuse."

"Child's play. Tell me if you need anything I learned after the fifth grade."

"And me?" Red Hood asked.

"You're with me." He opened a window and climbed out of it, shooting his grappling hooks as he did so. He was pleased to see his new ally following him, a grappling hook hitting the building just above where he'd put his. They both landed in about the same spot, rolling as they hit an overlook just above an alleyway.

"What's the plan?" Red Hood asked, stepping in front of him and looking into the alley. Weaver felt a familiar claw on his neck. He turned, having fully expected Catwoman's arrival.

"She was the plan. I knew you couldn't resist following the Bat."

"You should've told me you were in town, sweetie."

"Didn't think I'd need to."

"You didn't call, you didn't send flowers..."

"You don't have a phone."

"No, but I've got a lonely vase at home just dying for me to put something inside of it."

"Tell you what, I'll get you a nice bouquet next time I get the chance."

"How sweet of you. I'll be sure to remember that. I don't appreciate it when people break promises."

"Good for you two with all your flirty bullshit, but what do we need her for?" Red Hood asked impatiently.

"She's got all the intel on them here. That, and she's a capable fighter."

"And you don't think she's the least bit angry at you for stealing her sidekick and getting her killed?" Catwoman's face soured.

"Kids do stupid things. It isn't his fault that he made a few enemies. Or one really dangerous one."

"Calm down, both of you. I trust the Cat, and I trust you, so you need to trust each other, or we're all gonna have problems, and that doesn't help me- sorry, help us, take down Black Mask."

"He's right," Catwoman pointed out.

"Fine. What do you need from me right now? I've got other things to take care of," Red Hood responded, not happy with the lack of caution.

"I just wanted to make sure we were all on the same page. She gives us targets, some of my other guys handle the planning, and we all go in and take it out."

"Sounds like a plan." With a swipe at his utility belt and a shot into the air, Red Hood was gone, leaving Catwoman and Nightweaver alone in the alley. She leaned up against a wall and got comfortable.

"So, how's Kitrina been?" she asked, showing some worry on her face. It was clear to him that she'd been missing her sidekick and hoped she was alright.

"I couldn't honestly tell you," he admitted, feeling a pang of guilt as the words came out of his mouth. "She isn't exactly happy with me, as you may imagine."

"I'm not exactly up to date on you two's latest argument. I know Black Mask killed you, but past that, I don't know."

"You might be better off not knowing."

"Please? I might be able to make it worth your while."

"Or you could kill me because you're pissed."

"Your choice, honey."

"I'll pass, for now. Some other time. You might want to talk to her, though. She doesn't seem to be holding up very well."

"And you shouldn't?"

"I tend to just make things worse with her."

"I'll get around to it. And you're alright?" He looked down and shook his head.

"I've got no goddamn idea anymore. Just trying to hold everything together, focus on taking out Sionis." She got up and put a hand on his shoulder, trying to reach past the layers.

"You ever need to talk, don't h-"

"I know. I won't. I've got to go." He gently brushed her hand off of him and launched his grappling hooks away. He fled to a nearby rooftop and sat down, his head in his hands.

What the hell is wrong with me lately? I've been coasting along, and just barely. I need to take care of my own problems before I drag other people in with me. I am going to kill Black Mask once and for all, that's for sure. I can't do it right now, though. My mental instability is my weakness right now. What can I do to fix it, though? He struggled as he tried to clear his conscience.

Raven. I need to talk to Raven.