AN: I altered some tiny details in Chapter 1 regarding Penguin's description. When I had first written this story, I was initially going for his design from the Gotham tv show but I changed my mind since then and now he has more traditional design.

Another thing is that this chapter features a character from the Skullgirls lore that has never made an appearance and I'm just basing him off whatever clues I could find from one of the stages. Anyhow this just my take on him.

I may need a little more time before the next update since I'll be a little but when it's done, you'll finally see one of the new stories I have been working on.


CHAPTER 05: A Head of the Situation

The Grand Cathedral

The inside of the booth was dark, cool and almost suffocating. An overpowering mix of frankincense and wood polish assaulted his senses but at that point he was just too tired to care. He felt so ridiculous and foolish that he kept asking himself 'What was he doing here? What was he even thinking?'.

Reaching his limit, he caved into his urge to get out of there and was about to lift himself from his seat to leave.

"Scared?"

The voice made him pause from his action, hanging himself in the air before he spat out a breath in frustration and sat back down. He told himself that he was only doing this to spite the voice inside him as he continued to wait, jaws clenched tightly with a furrowed brow as his leg shook involuntary due to his building anxiety.

Relief was finally felt when he heard the door open from the other side of the booth. The wood creaked from the sounds of someone stepping in and sitting just adjacent to him, the person being only visible in the form of a silhouette through the screen window that separated them.

He resigned himself over the fact that he had already come this far and so with a heavy sigh, Harvey hunched forward while performing a prayer sign and then clasped his hands.

"Forgive me, Sister, for I have sinned."

"How long has it been since your last confession?" Sister Agatha asked.

"It's…" Harvey trailed off and then gave a sheepish chuckle. "I…I actually don't remember."

The Crown Attorney opened his palms and stared at them.

"My memories,…It's like looking into a shattered mirror…I don't know if it was me or him. Goddess help me, I don't think I know if I'm me or him right now." he sighed almost in despair.

"Calm yourself, my child, and speak." the nun gently urged him.

Sister Agatha waited patiently as a few silent seconds ticked by. Harvey felt his jaw go numb and it took a couple of mental tries to will himself to voice it out.

"I…I killed a man."

"Oh."

Was all she said. A surprised and awkward single syllable and then silence. Harvey's thoughts began to spin wildly. What if she was thinking of ratting him out? This was bad idea. He knew it! He had to think of some way to keep her quiet. No, she'd only make more demands! They'll need to come up with a way to shut her up permanently.

"Was it an accident?" she suddenly asked.

Harvey's thoughts halted in its tracks as he was caught off-guard by her question. He felt it was a fair inquiry and her voice didn't seem betray any malicious intentions.

"I don't think so. I…I can't tell for sure. I don't even know his name, just that I saw myself do it."

"You saw yourself?"

"Yeah, it was like watching myself through a movie. It's all so confusing…like how it was the first time."

Sister Agatha picked up on that last part.

"What do you mean, 'the first time'? Has this happened before?"

The Crown Attorney paused in contemplation before speaking.

"Will you hear my story?" he asked.

"Of course. The Great Mother is always listening."

He then looked pointedly towards the screen window that separated them. He could make out the side of the nun's head but not much else about her features.

"And I trust that you won't tell ANYONE, right?"

She didn't break her posture and spoke as serene as ever.

"The Seal of Confession is absolute and my solemn duty. Your words will not be spoken outside of here."

It sounded good enough for him. And so, after letting out a deep breath, Harvey began his tale.

"In the Canopy Kingdom, the Dent family have always served as the servants of the crown and justice. The most brightest and most respected among us was the former Chief Justice, my father, Christopher Dent."

He actually smiled in nostalgic way, remembering the tall man in the crisp suit and tie. So powerful and respected.

"They used to call him 'the Face of Righteousness'. I have always idolized him as a boy, wishing to one day be a shining example like him. But every night, when he came home,…stinking of booze,…every night, I…I saw a different side of him."

As Harvey's tone changed, the nun glanced towards the screen. Although he was being vague, she got the gist of what kind of man Harvey's father really was.

"He used to play a little game with me."

"What kind of game?" she asked.

Harvey hand fished out his silver coin and stared at it while holding it in his palm with the head side faced up.

"He had this coin you see, to judge whether or not I've been a good boy. Heads means…I've been a bad boy and I needed to be punished…it always landed heads."

"We both knew that game was rigged, Harvey."

The Crown Attorney flinched and sweated as he heard the voice of his other self but nonetheless, he tried his best to ignore it and push on.

"Night after night. I don't remember how long it went on…months, years, but I still wanted to believe that he was as good as everyone told me he was."

"You tried to seek help but no one would believe you. Because optics was everything for our family. No one would believe that the 'Face of Righteousness' was a child-abusing monster because the truth is UGLY, isn't it?!"

"Shut up!" Harvey finally snapped.

"Pardon?" Sister Agatha looked fully towards the screen.

Realizing his blunder, he desperately tried to save face.

"I-I'm sorry, Sister. I don't know what came over m-"

"It's alright, my child. Please, continue."

Harvey nervously nodded and did so.

"R-right. It was some time after then when the blackouts first started."

"Blackouts, you say?"

He nodded again.

"Just what they were. I'd just 'wake up' all of a sudden with no idea how I got there. One time it was atop of our roof, another was with a dead bird in my hand and then…my father at my feet,…in a pool of blood."

Again, Sister Agatha was getting an idea of what really happened.

"The official report was that he fell on his knife."

"WE killed him, Harvey!"

Harvey ignored him and continued to speak.

"And after that, my uncle and aunt had me sent to a therapist to help me deal with the trauma."

"I told you, everything is optics for them! They covered it up. Buried it. Just like you tried to bury me!"

"In any case!" Harvey hissed a little too loudly. "I had a breakthrough after months of therapy and I thought I was cured. But just recently I found out that not only have the blackouts returned but I've killed someone else. And now someone is trying to blackmail me."

"Who is blackmailing you?" Sister Agatha asked.

"Eliza."

Harvey could make out the nun putting a finger against her chin.

"That name sounds familiar."

"She's the songbird over at Bastet's Den."

She didn't show it but the wheels in the nun's head turned more and more.

"Hmm. I see."

"If any word of this gets out, my career as Crown Attorney is done for. But if I stay quiet then I'm stuck as Eliza's lapdog. The Trinity must really have it out for me." Harvey muttered, hanging his head despondently.

"The Trinity's ways are not for us to understand." said Sister Agatha. "The Great Mother has a divine plan for us all and Lady Aeon weaves all of time according to her will."

Out of pure habit, Harvey flipped the coin up in the air and caught it just as it was landing.

"Does that plan account for the result of a coin flip?" he asked.

"Especially that. After all, isn't everything just left to chance,…Crown Attorney?"

Harvey's eyes widened and after that, they stared at his closed hand which slowly opened to reveal that coin landed Heads facing up.

From Sister Agatha's side of the confessional, she was taken aback by the abrupt sounds of wood creaking and the door being swung open. She herself got up from her seat, opened the door on her side and peeked outside.

Sure enough, the door on the other side was left open and the Crown Attorney was nowhere to be seen.

Presuming that he had exited the Cathedral, the nun smirked as her eyes glowed red. The man didn't even wait for his absolution.

Leaving the confessional behind her, Agatha made her way towards the far side of the Cathedral and through a hidden doorway. Out from the holy structure's warmth and into cold darkness.

Descending down a long stone stairway and passing by the skulls on display, she ventured deeper within the Catacombs. The air was musty with the lingering hint of death, as one would expect from such a terrible place but there was also something more; glowing blue root-like tendrils that were ingrained over the walls and floor, spreading out like a spider web and radiating with incredible power.

And it was at the deepest part of the Catacombs where they converged, where the source of this power stood by her lonesome.

Her back was turned to her, smoke gray hair tied in twin-tails and wearing what looked like a maid's attire. The right side of torso being an exposed skeleton's rib cage.

It was none other than the Skullgirl herself.

"Double, why are you here?" Marie asked without turning around. "Has Valentine returned from her mission?"

Double finally morphed out of her disguise, turning back into her previous grotesque form.

"No. But I have had the most interesting conversation today. The Canopy Kingdom's Crown Attorney had just visited the Cathedral."

Marie glanced back, her blood red eyes narrowed in curiosity.

"The Crown Attorney?"

"Indeed and I believe he could be of great use to you."


New Meridian Eastern Docks

"Crap! Crap! CRAP!"

With her teal eyes wide, Nadia could only cry out in panic as Batman held her underarm like a football while running back from the boardwalk pier.

A brightness of the helicopter's spotlight still bore down mercilessly upon the duo and a torrent of bullets chased after them, splintering the wood at their heels as well lightly nipping at Batman's cape.

His eyes quickly scanned the premises and took notice of a nearby warehouse building and a stack of crates high enough to reach the window. He decided to make a break for it and ran up to the crates with the helicopter still firing at them. Hopping from one stack to another like steps, Batman reached the window before leaning with his elbow forward and crashing through the glass pane while making sure his cape protected Nadia's head.

He rolled forwards once before stopping himself into a crouch, finding himself on a wooden mezzanine floor…and the barrel of a pistol aimed at the side of his head.

"Gotcha now, sucker." came a voice next to him.

Batman's eyes enlarged with surprise and looked around to find that he was flanked by a squad of policemen who have their guns trained on him. He was lead into a trap!

"Hands in the air! Put 'em up!" another cop threatened him.

With his eyes narrowed again, Batman slowly stood up as he pushed his arms from his cape before steadily raising his hands, one of which happen to be holding Nadia by the back of her head.

"Higher! All the way up!" the cop prodded while gesturing with his gun.

Nadia looked around in nervousness as Batman did as he was told. But what no one noticed was that in his other hand, two of his fingers were enclosed around a small object.

"Close your eyes." Batman whispered.

"Close my what no-?"

Before Nadia could even ask, Batman quickly threw the object on the object on the floor and a blinding white light immediately flashed with a loud bang from the impact. The squad of police couldn't react in time and recoiled and staggered back from the sensory overload.

"AARRGH! DAMMIT! I CAN'T SEE!" one of them yelled.

Not wasting the opportunity, Batman leaped from the wooden platform to the ground below and ran out the open entrance. Nadia was unfortunately as effected by the flash bang as the rest of them, leaving her eyes as swirls with floating spots before it and a ringing in her ears.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH YOU!? Are ya trying to blind me!?" she complained.

"I told you to close your eyes." Batman responded.

"I'm naturally curious, alright!?"

The road was just ahead and on cue, the Batmobile skid to a stop in front of them thanks to the autopilot that Batman had activated from the moment he ran from the helicopter. After the canopy slid open, Batman hopped in and tossed Nadia on to the passenger seat.

"Hold on." he said as he grabbed the wheel.

"Hold on to wh?-AAAAAAAAAAHHHH!"

Nadia screamed, being hit with a strong and sudden inertial force as the Batmobile accelerated forward. The vehicle zoomed down the road with the rocket exhaust at the back spewing fire. But they weren't out of the woods yet: from the rear view mirror, Batman can see multiple police squad cars tailing them with their rotating red lights and wailing sirens.

The road ahead began to snake in long winding curves, leaving Batman to put his driving skills to the test and drift along the road in hopes of losing the cops on his tail.

Unfortunately for Nadia, she found herself being flung back and forth inside the Batmobile like a ping pong ball with every hard turn he made.

"Hey genius, How-"

She was interrupted as she being flung to one side but persisted to speak again each time before she was flung again.

"-can I-"

"-hold on-"

"-to something-"

"-IF I DON'T HAVE HANDS?!"

At that line she was finally stopped by Batman who caught her silently with one of his hands before placing her on the edge of his seat, securing her between his thighs and with his crotch behind her.

"Now this is awkward." she said with dinner plate eyes and tinged cheeks.

"Calling all cars, calling all cars,…"

Her weird positioning was thankfully put off from her mind when her attention was drawn to Batmobile's radio. It was apparent that Batman had it already tuned it to the police band, allowing him to monitor the NMPD's activities.

"Be on the lookout for the Batman now heading west on the NM Industrial Expressway. Suspect is in pursuit and is driving a black…um, well,…you'll know when you see it. That is all."

"Great, we'll probably have all of New Meridian's finest on our tails at this rate." Nadia sighed wearily.

Batman didn't respond, only keeping a tight grip on the wheel and his divided attention on the rear view mirror. Loeb must be really out to get him this time and spared no manpower. Still, at least he had an opportunity to test out one of the Batmobile's functions, even though this wasn't exactly the kind of situation it was designed for.

And so, when he pressed one of the array of buttons on the dashboard, a panel underneath the rear of the vehicle slid open and dispersed multiple caltrop spikes on the road.

Sure enough, they blew out some of the tires of the two police cars that were leading the pack and they both swayed on the road with the loss of control until they spun out and smashed against the squad cars behind them. Like a domino effect the other squad cars at the behind collided with the rest and created a squad car pile-up.

From the rear view mirror, Batman could see that his incapacitated pursuers were shrinking further from sight. Although Nadia couldn't see much from her vantage, she could still listen to the police radio and the broadcaster's voice squawked reporting that multiple squad cars were down and that their quarry remained at large.

"What happened? Did we lose 'em?" she asked.

Right on cue, an intense spotlight shone on the Batmobile accompanied by the sounds of the whipping rotor blades.

"I had to ask."

From the police helicopter, a gunman fired at the escaping vehicle and the impact of bullets created tiny eruptions of asphalt dust just behind the Batmobile's rear tires. In response, Batman quickly changed at the road's fork into a more busier highway. With the presence of the few transport trucks around, he hoped that would deter the police from firing.

But that wouldn't be the case.

"Get me in closer." the gunman ordered the pilot.

As the chopper descended closer to the road, Batman racked his brain for a way out of this predicament. Unfortunately, there were no gadgets in the Batmobile that was designed in response to an aerial threat. However, an idea began to form in his mind when he noticed in the rear view window that there was a truck behind the helicopter.

It was a ramp truck, used usually for transporting new cars. And this time, there were no cars loaded.

Thinking fast, he pressed another button on the dashboard which activated the smokescreen generator.

"What the-!?" the helicopter pilot exclaimed as a thick cloud spewed out from the rear of the vehicle.

Batman knew that the helicopter's rotors would dissipate the smokescreen in a matter of moments and had a small window of opportunity to himself. The tires screeched as he suddenly braked to draw back on the road, falling behind the helicopter and behind the truck before he accelerated again and lined up the Batmobile at the rear of the ramp truck.

"Brace yourself." said Batman.

"Do I really have a choice?" Nadia asked dryly.

Pushing the jet engine at full thrust and his foot slamming on the gas pedal, the Batmobile's engines roared alongside the high pitched screams of the turbine. The rocket exhaust at the back glowed with a brilliant flame as the dark vehicle zoomed over the ramp of the truck, shearing off the top edge of the truck's "cab" and launching itself in the air where it was just able to clip at one of the helicopter's landing skids.

The strike was enough to spin the chopper out of control while the Batmobile landed on the road with a screeching bounce. The pilot fought in vain to regain control but being so close to the ground sealed the aerial vehicle's fate as it crashed nearby.

With the obstacles out of the way, Batman slowed down Batmobile and took the next turning into a more narrower road before parking it into a deserted alleyway. Both he and Nadia stayed there for about two minutes, listening to the chatter of the police radio until the broadcaster announced that they've lost sight of the Batman and are calling off the search.

"I think we're safe for now." Batman said.

Nadia released a huge breath of relief.

"Whoo, that was fun! Let's do it again." she joked.

Although, she silently admitted to herself that she did get an exciting thrill from the whole chase. However, the afterglow of her rush was disrupted as she remembered their goal in the first place.

"But what do we do now? Jay-Jay is still with that creepy guy and his creepy puppet."

Batman pondered on this with a curled finger to his chin.

"Hmm. You mentioned an 'old safehouse'."

"Right, do you know where it is?" Nadia asked hopefully.

But the vigilante shook his head.

"Although, there's somebody who might."

Nadia watched him press a button on the dashboard next to a small monitor screen which buzzed to life. He then tapped something on the keypad below the monitor before it then displayed a police mugshot. As he cycled through different mugshots like a projection slide, the disembodied cat-thief became more curious about who these people were and where did he get this information from.

"I keep files on every known associate of the Medicis." he said, as if reading her mind.

He wouldn't mention anything further than that, especially that these were files which he had copied from the NMPD on various occasions and compounded them with whatever information Alfred could acquire through his contacts.

Finally he stopped at one particular mugshot, displaying a gaunt rat-looking individual with a large nose and a green baker boy cap on his head.

"This man. Lester Donnegan, goes by 'Lefty'."

"How original." Nadia rolled her eyes.

"He used to run with Arnold Wesker's old gang before they were absorbed by the Medici Family. Was arrested two years ago, got out six months after that on 'good behavior'."

Batman voiced out that last part with sardonic disdain, knowing that Loeb probably had something to do with Lefty's early release.

"So since he's an 'ol pal of Scar-puss, he might know something. Great! Do you know where he is?"

Again, she felt disappointed when he shook his head.

"No. But I do know that he's got a gambling habit."


River King Casino

"I say dear chaps, what do you make of this River King fellow?"

After being escorted up to the mezzanine floor, the three guests were told to wait until their host arrives. Even though it wasn't a main feature of the casino, it was no less swanky with its red carpet floor, marble columns and bronze railings. It was an ambiance that Ottomo seemed right at home with.

"I myself have frequented this fine establishment many a times but I have scant seen the old bean." the lanky robot spoke.

Although his electronic voice and mannerisms oozed in sophistication, only a few knew that it was in reality a farce; a mere simulation to disguise Tom's uncouth personality.

"That's not surprising." said Cerebella. "He only shows up on special occasions, usually with loads pizzazz to spare."

True to her moniker as the 'Medici Muscle', Cerebella had been requested by Vitalli to serve as their protection for tonight. Of course, she accepted wholeheartedly but she had decided to keep her night outing a secret from Dick this time.

She could easily imagine him giving her the stink-eye if he found out and honestly she didn't want to deal with that right after they've just made up. So she had asked Feng to cover for her just in case before sneaking out. A pang of guilt nagged at her, over that she had to go behind Dick's back like this but she felt that he just didn't understand that the Medicis are only looking out for them.

One of these days, he'll come around. She was sure of it.

Strangely enough, she noticed Mister Grayson returning to the Circus just as she left and had wondered where he could've gone. It's not like she could approach him anyway; In truth, she's supposed to be getting rest so she could practice her routine the next day. But to her, Vitalli's wishes comes first.

On the subject of the man, he had been standing stiffly with his hands behind his back and his expression as calculative as always. He had dealt with the River King on more than one occasion and knew the person's character better than Cerebella or Ottomo.

"Do not be fooled by his jovial nature." he told them. "He's a cunning fiend with a monstrous ego and if we are to get anywhere with him tonight, then we'll need to be on our toes."

Ottomo cleared his 'throat' before holding on to his suit's lapels.

"Quite so. On another matter entirely, if I may be so prudent: I can't help but notice that our assemblage seems to include a rather, shall we say, 'persona non grata'? One that calls to the question of warranting such an attendance. In clearer words…"

The robot's muzzle head opened to reveal a tiny and irate salamander.

"What d'fuck is dat mook doing here!?" Tom yelled out while pointing towards the railings.

Standing there was Lorenzo's portly 'aide', Cobblepot. The man was silently peering over the railing as much as his stout body could allow him with his usually small eyes widened in fascination.

He could see the rest of the casino from there in all its splendor, everything under the looming crowned whale statue. He watched some of the patrons huddled at the roulette wheel, the dice table and the black jack table.

The men were dressed dapper and the ladies were in sparkling dresses; there was an air of refinement and importance around them. He found himself fantasizing about winning it big here, having all those ladies fawn over him, wining respect among the upper class.

How he longed to be part of that world.

"Oswald? Why? He's harmless." Cerebella said to Tom.

"I don't like 'im! He's a freak and he probably stinks!"

Vitalli only gave an apathetic glance towards the man before returning his sights towards Tom.

"Father has requested that Cobblepot accompany us today. He is to only observe and nothing else so just ignore him."

Although Vitalli was certain that Lorenzo just wanted an excuse to get rid of the odd man and chose him of all people to dump him on.

Cerebella on the other hand felt sympathetic towards Lorenzo's aide but before she could voice such sentiments, the four of them were alerted to a low thumping of footsteps that approached them.

Oswald followed their gaze and found himself in awe. To say that the individual who walked towards them was huge, would be an understatement.

The River King was a Dagonian, in the form of a humpback whale, towering over them with a round and wide body. His skin was smokey gray with a white underside, particularly pronounced by the his thick flabby chin that had vertical grooves running downwards. Though despite his appearance, he displayed a cool composure with his lips that undulated and curled into a laid-back smile. He was dressed in a double breasted dark blue suit with a stringed monocle over one of his eyes and a crown over his head.

In honesty, Oswald couldn't help but feel starstruck; he's never seen anyone exhibit so much class, so much power.

The casino mogul was flanked at his sides by two other Dagonians, whom Cerebella hadn't seen before but knew of them from the information provided to her.

On his right was the one Cerebella was the most wary about: a tall woman that was a Killer Whale-type with a slight muscular build and wore a black suit jacket and a white shirt underneath, a look that screamed 'bodyguard'. Cerebella remembered her name being Grace Balin, normally goes by 'Orca'.

To his left was a shifty looking character. Cerebella wasn't sure what kind of Dagonian he was but he gave her the creeps with that toothy grin of sharp teeth, pale skin and lack of other features aside from the nose holes. He was the River King's book-keeper named Warren White, known by others as 'Great White'.

River King spoke in a deep drawling voice that bubbled like champagne.

"Welcome! Welcome!" he greeted with his arms extended wide. "So nice to be in the company of good friends!"

He walked straight up to Vitalli and shook his hand while giving a hearty slap to his shoulder, a blow that clearly smarted.

"Vitalli, my good man. How are you? I see that Lorenzo isn't joining us tonight either."

"Er, yes. Father has been feeling under the weather lately." Vitalli said as he rubbed his shoulder in annoyance.

The large Dagonian slowly shook his head while making an exaggerated expression of pity.

"Such a shame. Come! Sit, Sit!"

Gesturing with his large flipper-like hand, he directed the four Medici members towards a section of the mezzanine floor where a big round dinning table awaited them. It was just by the railings which 'bulged' out a bit to give its guests a good view of the slot machines below.

Vitalli and Ottomo (who had already closed his cockpit/head) took their seats while Cerebella chose to stand nearby, keeping a close eye on Orca who also stood and seemed to be glaring at them as well. It was a miracle that River King was able to seat himself, considering his large tail fin kept getting in the way but he managed somehow.

Despite still being on duty, Cerebella allowed herself to briefly glance over to the table itself and particularly Vitalli. It seemed like a nice place for a romantic dinner and she fleetingly indulged in her own fantasies. Every time Vitalli brought her here, it was only for a job but maybe someday, when he wasn't busy, the two of them could sit in a table like this…alone.

She was brought out of her thoughts when River King clapped his hands to signal a server to them who began to pour them wine.

"Château de Cousteau. Best vintage in the house, I do hope it suits your palate." River King said.

"Jolly good, sir. Jolly good indeed." Ottomo raised his glass to him.

His head opened up again to bring the glass to Tom's lips, the salamander being very eager to taste some expensive booze. However, his moment was lost when he noticed from the corner of his eye that Oswald was about to take a seat next to him.

"Hey! HEY!HEY! Who said you can sit wit us!? Does this look like a soup kitchen to ya, Beak boy!?" Tom yelled, looming threatening over the short man.

Oswald could only stare back fearfully.

"Go stand over there where ya can't bother anyone!" Tom pointed Ottomo's hand towards a distant spot away from the table.

Stricken with panic, Cobblepot waddled over there obediently and looked back.

"Further!" Tom yelled.

Cobblepot waddled a foot further away.

"FURTHER!"

He waddled all the way to the far corner of the floor. Tom seemed to at last be satisfied as all Oswald could do was look down in misery.

Once again, Cerebella couldn't help but feel sorry for the odd man. She could hear Dick's voice in the back of her mind, telling what kind of people the Medicis really were, but she shook it off.

"I do beg your pardon, sir." Ottomo said to River King, with the cockpit/head closed again.

"None required."

The River King waved him off with a smile before drinking from his own glass.

"Now, on to business. You said you have an offer for me?"

"Indeed, O King." Vitalli said after taking a sip.

"We have been mutual partners for many years but Father has always said that this Casino has always been your crowning achievement. You should feel proud. However, I can't imagine it being easy for you to run. Especially with the new gambling regulations being put into place by the CA."

"Oh yes, It has been quite difficult as of late." River King nodded with an exaggerated troubled face.

"That is why Father wishes to take the Casino off your hands, for a generous sum of course."

Hearing this, the whale-Dagonian's eyes lit up and his lips curled in mock intrigue.

"Does he now? Well, how much is he talking?"

"Three million Bones."

Cerebella turned her head at Vitalli in shock. Three million? That was a lot of money. Was the family really willing part with so much of their cash just to own this casino?

Another surprise came to her when the River King began to laugh; a slow mirthy chuckle at first but soon escalated into bellowing laughter.

It was with such mocking intensity that the large Dagonian's ridged chin flapped with vigor, his baleen teeth fully visible and his blowhole actually began to splutter.

He steadily calmed down with a few more chuckles and gestured his arm wide.

"Gentleman, look around you! Three million is a drop in the bucket compared to what I have. Let us dispose the pretenses and talk about what this is really about, shall we?"

The casino mogul leaned back with a sly smile as he steepled his flat fingers against each other.

"You wish to seize back all your 'accounts' so you figured the best way to do that is to buy the 'bank' itself. Frankly, we're bit hurt that you trust us so little, aren't we Warren?"

"Indubitably, sire." Great White spoke up with a sharp-tooth grin.

"We have loyally taken care of your funds, keeping it out of the eyes of the law. But as you yourself have put it: times are getting tough. So I'm sure you understand why we require a reasonably larger…"

The bookkeeper emphasized with a snap of his jaws.

"CUT."

"More than hurt, Vitalli, I am disappointed." the River King's tone turned more serious. "Disappointed that Lorenzo didn't have the stones to speak of this nonsense to me himself."

The table abruptly jolted with a pound of Vitalli's fist, catching everyone at the table off-guard; especially Cerebella who had rarely seen Vitalli express any kind of anger. Although the man in question kept his fist on the table, his face appeared unreadable with his eyes obscured by the reflected light from his glasses.

"I may NOT be my father, River King, but I AM his family." he said firmly.

Then his lips unexpectedly curled into a smirk and he straightened himself, holding up his wine glass as the reflected light on his lens slid halfway to reveal sinister looking eyes.

"Speaking of family, you don't seem to have any to speak of. No wife, no children."

"I prefer to be unattached." River King gave a nonchalant shrug.

"Do you?" Vitalli asked before taking a sip. "Is that why you routinely visit Little Innsmouth to fool around with every filthy Dagonian whore there?"

"RRRRAAAAAWWWRR!"

The sudden furious outburst came from Orca who lunged and threw a punch towards Vitalli. Fortunately, Cerebella intercepted and caught her fist within one of Vice Versa's hands before throwing a punch of her own which Orca herself had caught in her other hand.

Now locked in a standstill like two wrestling bulls, the two lady bodyguards growled and glared at each other.

"You want me to snap them in half, King?

Orca asked her boss without taking her ferocious eyes off the circus performer.

"Try it and I'll snap YOU in half, Bottle-nosed Bitch!" Cerebella fired back at her.

"Stand down, Orca." the River King commanded her, with no hint of amusement on his face.

The Killer Whale Dagonian was taken aback by her boss's words but loyally followed her orders regardless and hesitantly backed away but while still scowling at the Medici Muscle.

River King laughed in jolly manner, as if to ease the tension.

"It's all in good fun, nothing to get upset about. Please do continue, Vitalli."

The bespectacled mob boss cleared his throat and straightened his tie in a dignified manner before continuing to speak.

"What if I told you that through those women, the King actually has a family? A couple of princesses, to be precise."

Orca gasped lightly and glanced immediately towards her employer but once again, he didn't seem to exhibit much of a reaction.

"What if I told you that the king has been sending substantial funds to his daughters in secret? Nothing too big, just enough to lead a healthy life. What if I told you that we now know where every one of those girls live?"

After Vitalli stressed his implication, the River King chuckled in amusement and leaned forward while wagging his pointed finger with an all-knowing grin.

"And what if I told you that you have a very active imagination?" he said.

CRAAAAAAASSSSSSH!

Everyone at the table quickly swung their heads towards the skylight over the casino area where a shadowy shape with a large wingspan crashed through the glass. The patrons below gasped in shock and scurried away from the falling glass as the shape landed over the top of one of the slot machines.

The man, known as Lefty, who happened to be operating said machine fell over backwards in fright. He looked up to find none other than the Batman himself looming over him, his long cape draping over the forgotten slot machine and his white eyes boring down on him.

"SHIT!" Lefty exclaimed and scrambled himself up to run away.

He didn't even get a foot away as he found himself falling flat on his face when his legs got bound together from the bola Batman had thrown at him.

Without hesitation, Cerebella immediately rushed to the railing and gripped it tightly as she looked towards the Dark Knight with mouth agape and widened eyes. She didn't expect to see him so soon after their last encounter.

Her recalling how he had left her humiliated resulted in a surge of anger bubbling up inside of her. She felt her blood beneath her skin heat up and her heart race with agitation, anxiousness and…something akin to excitement?

Without paying his surroundings any mind, Batman jumped down from the slot machine and marched over to the incapacitated man before roughly grabbing him by his collar and bringing his fearful face up to his eye level.

"You and I are going to have a little chat, Lefty." he growled.

"BATMAN!"

The Caped Crusader looked behind him to see an irate Cerebella swing her body over the rails and land down on the ground level. While he was surprised to see her, he also very much noticed the Casino's owner and Lorenzo's son sitting together.

"Hold it right there! I've got a bone to pick with you!"

Cerebella yelled while pointing both her's and Vice Versa's finger accusingly at him.

Batman was definitely curious about the River King's meeting with Vitalli but that would be something he'd have to look into another time: Right now, he needed to prioritize on saving Nadia's friend. And so, while maintaining his grip on Lefty's collar, he aimed his grappling gun toward the opening he created above and shot a grappling line.

"No! You're not getting away from me this time!" Cerebella charged at him.

But by the time she reached where he stood, he had already reeled himself away.

Gritting her teeth in frustration, Cerebella refused to call it quits and resorted to running towards the casino's entrance in an effort to catch up. The patrons in her path scooted away and looked on as she barreled out of there like a woman possessed.

Meanwhile at the table, Vitalli along with Ottomo and the River King lingered their sights at the scene until River King broke in slow steady chuckles.

"Strange. Very Strange." he laughed.

"What's strange?" Vitalli asked, looking back at him.

"For as long as I remember, that girl has never left your side. And yet just now, she dropped you like a hot potato and went straight after the Bat like he was only thing on her mind! Ho!Ho!Ho!"

The large Dagonian broke down in laughter as Vitalli's eyes slowly narrowed in fury. He felt honestly embarrassed and outraged by his bodyguard's behavior and was beginning to question her loyalty…as well as her overall usefulness.

Outside, on the rooftop of a building adjacent to the River King Casino, Cerebella stood panting from scaling the building in a rush. She fanned her sights around to see if there was any sign or a trace of the Batman's presence but had found nothing.

"Damn it! He gave me the slip again." she grunted.

Although her breathing slowed down, her heart wouldn't stop pounding against her chest and she felt her skin flush hot. In the moment, she figured it must've been because she climbed here in a hurry, as well as her own anger for failing to take down the Bat before.

She knew that her anger stemmed from more than just that: he had humiliated her after catching her off-guard with that low-down dirty trick.

Once again her fingers subconsciously trailed up to touch her turquoise lips, feeling it still tingling. Her first kiss stolen by him.

She had tried to forget it since that night before but the feel of his lips on hers kept flashing in her mind from time to time. Their breaths intermingled in such a short period, pleading and yearning for more, for the space between them to be filled, for the rest of their bodies to seek each other's in passionate contact.

Like a kick to her head, the realization of her running thoughts made her snap out of it and her cheeks reddened in embarrassment. Growling in frustration, she crawled and pulled at Vice Versa; causing the horned skull headpiece to widen its eye sockets in surprise.

"ARGH! What's wrong with me!? Why can't I get that stupid kiss out of my head!?"

Little did she know that her target was actually two rooftops away from her.

"Look, you're barkin' up the wrong tree here, alright!?"

The gangster known as 'Lefty' yelled in frantic defiance as he found himself dangling over a 35 foot drop by just the collar of his shirt. Said collar was held in an iron grip by Batman who stood at the edge of the building while boring his glare into the rat-faced man.

"Sure I was in Wesker's old outfit." Lefty admitted. "But that was a long time ago, I haven't even seen that weirdo since getting out. I did my time, you got nuthin on me!"

In an action that caused the man to yelp, Batman mercilessly spun and tossed him hard against the brick and mortar turret behind him.

"I'm losing my patience, slime-ball!" the Dark Knight approached him menacingly. "Now, I'm going to ask one more time: Where is the Ventriloquist's safe house!?"

Lefty groaned and winced from the impact and yet he still refused to cooperate.

"And I'm telling you again, I don't know nuthin about no safe house!"

"Neow, I don't know about you,…" came a voice behind Batman.

Hearing this, Lefty stiffened with a start and watched as Nadia's head rolled from behind the side of the vigilante's cape into view.

"But that sounds like an awful lot of double negatives to me!"

His eyes slowly enlarged as he backed up against the brick wall as much as he could.

"What is that?" he asked fearfully while pointing a shaking finger towards her. "What the fuck is that!? Some kinda zombie head!?"

"Yeah, and you better give us a straight answer before I come over there and spit on you!" Nadia threatened him.

"Hey, keep that thing away from me! It's freaking me out!"

Taking note of Lefty's reaction to her, Batman figured that he might as well take advantage of the situation.

"I'd be careful If I was you, Lefty." he warned him. "She bites. And I don't think she's had her rabies shot."

After briefly shooting a dirty look towards her companion, it dawned on Nadia what he was trying to do and quickly began to play along as well.

"Err, yeah! And I have fleas too!" she stated.

She then bore her sharp teeth and began to repeated chomp on thin air as she slowly moved herself towards the panicking gangster, making exaggerated sounds as she did.

"Nom-nom-nom-nom-nom-nom…"

Lefty pushed himself back into the turret while kicking his feet out frantically. He fearfully watched the head move closer and closer as a blood smear trail was left behind by its neck, a sight which he found even more creepy.

"Alright. Alright!Alright!ALRIGHT! I'll tell!" he finally cracked.

Batman signaled Nadia to stop and then strode past her towards him while he spilled the info.

"Wesker's usually holes himself up in a condemned house over at the East end. He's been squatting over there for years! Hrk!"

The rat-faced man felt the wind knocked out of him when Batman unforgivingly stomped a foot into his sternum, literally digging his heel into him.

"Details! I want details!" Batman growled at him.

"Gurgh…" Lefty gasped before he struggled to get the last words out. "2-41 Autum Street, okay!? That's all I know!"

Satisfied, the Dark Knight released him from his foot but not without then hauling him up by his collar again.

"Much obliged." he said before finally punching him out cold.

"Ha! Looks like the cat didn't get his tongue for long." Nadia quipped in victory.

However, the disembodied Feral felt her zeal fade when she noticed that Batman didn't seem to move. He stood over near the edge of the rooftop, the unconscious body of Lefty being completely forgotten, with his cape flowing in the wind as he appeared to be brooding about something.

"Hey, Earth to Bats, is everything alright?" Nadia asked him.

He didn't respond right away but he finally did just when Nadia was about to ask again.

"Back there in the Casino, Vitalli Medici was having a meeting with the River King." he said without looking at her.

Nadia's own expression darkened.

"Figures as much, I heard the River King's been taking care of the Medici's money for years. My old gang had planned a heist to clean him out but we could never pull it off. Trust me, he is as bad as they come."

Ignoring the fact that she admitted to a once intended criminal act, Batman continued to converse with her.

"I'm a bit surprised to hear you say that, considering he's Dagonian and all."

"Oh Puh-lease!" she suddenly snapped, which caught him a little off guard. "Just because he's Dagonian, you think he's one of us!? He's just another fat-cat who doesn't care about anyone but himself! Just like Bruce Wayne."

"Bruce Wayne?" he asked while feigning indifference.

"Yeah, that pampered pretty boy in the news. Came back to this city to milk off his mommy and daddy's piggy bank so he can act like he owns this town."

He felt hurt from that remark but didn't show it and continued to maintain his detached persona.

"I'm not a fan of Wayne myself but I looked into him and he seems to be on the level." he stated.

But Nadia shook her head, as far as her decapitated neck would allow, not looking like she was convinced.

"That doesn't make him any better than the guys who aren't."

She looked out towards the horizon of the city as he did with a sense of bitterness.

"This city is rotten and the war didn't do it any favors." she said. "Folks with money are always itching to walk over people like us and when they're not, they buy away our homes so they can turn it into some condo or something."

Her voice grew heavy and low with a somber tone.

"All we ever try to do is scrape by to see another day. Day after day of struggling and starving until the night comes where you find whats left of your family gone…and that their only kitten is now left in this world alone."

Batman finally turned his eyes towards her, finding it uncanny to see her without her lighthearted nature but then it dawned on him that behind all the cat-puns and pluck, she had been through a lot and was probably carrying a lot of pain just as he was. His heart honestly went out to her.

He also began to reconsider his role as Bruce Wayne. Up till now, he only saw his 'rich boy' identity as a means to an end. He couldn't say he blamed her for being mistrustful towards people with wealth but was necessary to be labeled as one of them?

Could he make a difference without being Batman?

Nadia was taken aback when he abruptly took a two steps towards her and then taking a knee so he could speak to her along her level.

"Let's say hypothetically, you had someone like Wayne by the throat. What would you have him do? Would taking away all his millions make you feel better?" Batman asked.

"Well,…kinda."

She replied in an undecided tone, causing him to raise a brow.

"But I'd rather just tell him that if he really cares about this city then he should SHOW that he does. Actions speak louder than words, y'know."

That was something he could agree on. Nadia glanced out towards the city again.

"There're a lot of people out there with problems, problems that guys like you and me can't fix." she looked back towards him. "I dunno. Am I being unreasonable?"

In an action that surprised her, his lips slightly curled in a smile before he shook his head.

"No. I don't think you're being unreasonable at all."


"It would appear that we're at an impasse." Vitalli muttered.

With both the Batman and Cerebella in their rear-view mirrors, the employees at the casino worked to clean the broken glass and the patrons seemed to have returned to their activities like nothing had happened. The negotiations between the two parties had also resumed but to no avail and with neither side budging from their stance.

The son of Lorenzo had pretty much had enough at this point and stood himself up from his seat.

"Very well." he said. "If you continue to remain obstinate, O King, then we have nothing further to discuss."

"Oh come now, Vitalli. Don't be like that." the River King drawled. "Sit, continue to drink and enjoy the night with me. Mi casa es su casa."

"Not yet, anyway." Vitalli thought to himself before speaking out loud.

"Some other time perhaps. Let's go, Ottomo. We must return to Father."

"Pip pip cheerio then."

The lanky robot tipped his hat to their hosts and then got up to follow Vitalli. As the two Medici affiliates moved away from the table, Cobblepot began to notice them leaving and figured that the meeting was over. With nothing else left to do, he waddled over to leave alongside them.

But when Ottomo noticed the dumpy beak-nosed man, his mechanical body immediately loomed over him and got into his face with the muzzle-like head opening up again.

"And wheredaya think yer goin', PEN-GUIN!?"

Tom sneered at him while emphasizing the last two syllables, each with an intimidating jab of Ottomo's finger into Cobblepot's chest.

Needless to say, the odd man cowered under the pink salamander's bullying.

"Oh. I-I j-just thought…" he stammered.

"What?" Tom chomped on his cigar. "Dat you could ride wit us?"

Without a shred of remorse, Tom commanded the Ottomo body to harshly kick Cobblepot to the floor.

"Get a cab, Quasi-dodo!" Tom guffawed. "Gwa-hahaha! What a-"

As he spoke, the Ottomo head closed, replacing his voice with the sophisticated electronic one.

"Simple-minded fellow." the robot huffed while tugging the lapels of his suit.

And with that, both Ottomo and Vitalli left him behind with the latter only briefly glancing at him as one would to a pariah. During the whole time, the River King looked on and as he had witnessed the poor man's unfair treatment, so did the wheels in his mind began to spin.

A cunning smile stretched over the Casino mogul's face and he then whispered something to his two compatriots. Both Orca and Warren regarded him with confused looks, wondering what could he be planning. But nonetheless, they obeyed his wishes and left him alone at the table.

Now that he was by himself, the River King walked over to where Cobblepot laid down and held out a wide flabby hand to him.

"Let me help you up, my good man."

Cobblepot recoiled in surprise to see the large Dagonian next to him.

"O-oh! Tha-that's all right." he said as he hastily picked himself up. "I'm rather used to it really. I really shou-should find my way back or Mister Medici might get angry with me."

"You are Lorenzo's aide then?" River King asked.

"Heaven's no, n-nothing like that. More like he aids me, I'd be n-nowhere if it weren't for h-him."

The Humpback whale drew out a long 'hmm' as he straightened himself up.

"What is your name, dear fellow?"

"Ah, C-Cobblepot, sir. Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot."

"Cobblepot?"

River King stroked his ridged chin like he was trying to recall something.

"Cobblepot, Cobblepot…"

"Y-yes?" Oswald asked nervously.

When his eyes finally lit up, the River King addressed him again.

"You wouldn't happen to related to Tucker and Esther Cobblepot, would you?"

"You knew my parents!?" Cobblepot's eyes widened.

River King bobbed his head in affirmative.

"Oh yes. Yes, indeed. Back in my time, there weren't many who didn't know about the Cobblepot family. It's been said that their lineage dates all the way back, long before the city was folded into the Canopy Kingdom."

Oswald's eyes fell downcast as he awkwardly rubbed against his own arm.

"I…I-I wouldn't know anything about that. The only thing I knew about my parents was that they had abandoned me for…well…"

He gestured at himself.

"Being me."

"Deplorable is what it is." the River King frowned in disdain. "I can't say that Tucker and Esther were the kindest of souls. Not to mention that the Cobblepot prestige has since waned in the recent generations."

He then leaned down and clapped on of his huge flippers on to Oswald's shoulder.

"But with you? I can imagine the Cobblepot name being brought back to its former glory!"

Oswald's eyes widened in awe and he felt goosebumps over him. Nobody had ever said anything like that to him in all his life and that this Dragonian, this person, whom he found himself admiring more and more had just complimented him so…he felt beyond touched.

"Do you really think so?" he asked.

With an amicable yet sly smile, the River King gestured his arm towards the table behind him.

"Come. Join me for dinner and I will tell you more."

At that mention, Oswald pulled and scurried away from the Dagonian's grasp.

"Ah, I-I can't do that! M-M-Mister Medici would be-"

"Please, Please, I insist. I do hate to eat alone and it would be a waste of good wine." River King reasoned with him.

There was a feeling of nervous apprehension in Oswald's gut as his gaze lingered towards the table and he fidgeted a little in contemplation.

"Well, I-I suppose one little bite wouldn't hurt." he finally decided.

After the two of them took their seats, the River King noticed one of his cigarette-girls walking around the other tables at the far end of the floor.

"Ah, Flo Darling!" he clapped his flippers to signal her. "Offer my guest something, would you? That's a good girl."

The girl, named Flo, walked up to them with a dazzling smile. She was a very pretty brunette with short cut hair flowing under her pillbox hat and was wearing a strapless black dress with a short skirt. Like all cigarette-girls she had a box tray with a long belt around her neck.

"Hello there." she greeted Oswald with a sweet voice. "Would you like a cigarette?"

Oswald blushed bashfully.

"Err, I…I-I don't think I should…"

"Aw, don't be shy." she said as she offered one to him. "Try this one, it's a good flavor."

"O-okay. Only because you said so." he smiled as charmingly as he could before taking the white stick from her.

Flo took out a lighter a lit the cigarette when he held it in his lips. He attempted to take a smooth drag from the stick but that was as far the smoothness went because he immediately broke down in loud hacks and coughs afterwards.

"Too strong, eh?" River King chuckled.

"Maybe this will help." Flo took out something else from her tray.

Oswald steadily recovered and then looked to see that it was a fancy looking cigarette holder. He stared at the thing hesitantly before finally taking it from her. She lit it for him again and he took another slow drag, relishing the flavor, before at last letting the smoke drift from his nose and mouth. He felt strong, powerful. He felt good.

"There we go. It suits you, you look like a gentleman." Flo smiled at him.

"A gentleman? Me?" he grinned.

"And a charming one too." she said with a wink.

The River King chuckled again before speaking.

"Now, Oswald, as I was saying…"

TBC