Chapter 1 - A new beginning

She couldn't believe it. This was not real. This could only be a horrible misunderstanding.

"Excuse me? I believe I didn't fully understand what you said right now, Mister Wayne."

Her voice did not quiver and her heart was definitely not thrumming in a panicked frenzy. She was entirely in control. Everything would be resolved, everything would be okay-

"I am sorry, Miss Degurechaff, but we don't believe your talents are suitable for Wayne Enterprises anymore. You are relieved of your position as Deputy Human Resources Officer, immediately this month."

His words hit her with such force that she unconsciously took half a step backwards. The whole world seemed to lose its colour and his following speech about compensations and various recommendations for future workplaces washed over her like a crushing tidal wave. Mechanically, her body nodded along to the verbal annihilation of her life's work while internally she could register nothing but a freezing emptiness.

Fifteen years of effort down the drain, for what? Why had she struggled day and night to secure her position as top scorer of her year in the Wayne Foundation sponsored Gotham Academy, begged and pleaded for every additional internship at Wayne Enterprises that she could fit into her schedule before dropping into her shitty apartment bed and repeating it all over again?

This was supposed to be her ticket to a wonderful, stable life; free from the debt that her accursed late mother placed her in and now this? Her entire life had been determined by either poverty or the loathsome generosity of Gotham richest man, her current employer, who had the gall to cast her back down into that pit!?

Underneath the all-consuming dread inside Tanya, a new emotion bubbled to the surface: Rage.

Interrupting his spiel – something which she would have never dared to do otherwise – she couldn't help but ask one question:

"Why?"

"I'm afraid I don't follow, Miss-"

"Why did you fire me now? What. Did. I. Do."

She bit the last sentence out with more venom than intended, but couldn't find it in herself to care.

After all, what were the chances that she could find a job in Gotham's dying economy even with the most glowing letter of commendation before the mafia shook her down at the end of the month? Without money there were only so many ways they could cash in on her inherited debt and considering she was a reasonably pretty, young and isolated woman she knew what fate was waiting for her then...

Tanya knew she would rather die again than suffer such indignity.

"Well, to be frank, your recent dismissal of Karl Jacobson, Samantha Rein and Norbert Shells was not in line with our company policies, something for which you were reprimanded already in august this year. They are honest, hard-working people who should-"

"Hehehehe-HAHAHAH!"

A manic giggle burst free from her mouth before it transformed into full-blown laughter. That was the reason? Those idiots? How amusingly pathetic…

"Something funny?"

Mister Wayne apparently didn't find that nearly as comical as Tanya. Wrestling back her self-control she merely raised an eyebrow in contempt.

"I think I get it now. This isn't about them. It's about your image."

"I do not know what you are trying to insinuate, but be aware that I only agreed to hold this meeting in person due to your extraordinary commitment-"

"Spare me the drivel! You want to stay the big playboy with a bleeding heart for the 'disadvantaged' in the public eye and so you can't let these failures go to the press with uncomfortable stories. Nevermind the fact that they brought their doom fully onto themselves. And let me guess, one of the fools already sung their little sob story and now I am the appeasing sacrifice on the chopping block!"

Cold eyes, set into the strikingly sculpted face of her ex-boss fixed her in place. Idly she noted his rather pronounced muscles flexing against the silk of his black suit as he folded his scarred hands together.

"Miss Degurechaff, this is exactly why I have made the decision to let you go. Your cynic, purely utilitarian approach and outlook does not serve to brighten this already dark city, instead it only casts a deeper shadow over it."

Oh, was he now also a poet? The unfathomable hobbies of the ultra-rich...

"Indeed, employees fear you in and outside your department. Your strictness and high demands have created an environment of stress and uncertainty. The people you fired were all let go on technicalities without consideration for their station of living or their ability to even participate in the workforce. Mister Jacobson's wife is dying in the hospital at this very moment and you refused to grant him leave days to be with her, for god's sake?! How can you not see the problem here?"

Tanya felt like she should be outraged at these blatant misdirections and deliberate twists of the truth, but after the emotional rollercoaster of the last couple of minutes all she could produce was a tired sigh.

"So I am the problem here? I did my job wrong?" she slowly shook her head. "No, you are the problem here, Mister Wayne. I have never created needless fear, but efficiency . This company needs to stay competitive, to grow. How else is it supposed to acquire the funds for your countless charity organizations? How else will it satisfy the demands of the shareholders? How else will it avoid corruption and bureaucratic decay? To survive is to struggle. Comfort breeds complacency, tardiness leads to laziness. If you let one guy get away with missing a whole month, in the coming year there will be ten more, then a hundred more who demand the same privilege. Such a stoppage is unsustainable. They all agreed to the company policy when they signed their work contract. They knew what they were getting into. A dying family member is no excuse. It didn't stop me and it didn't stop you from achieving our goals, Mister Wayne ."

Evidently that last comparison hit a sore spot for the middle aged billionaire as he went deathly still for several long seconds.

"Get out." he tonelessly hissed.

Deciding to get one last dig in, she spoke: "Everything I have done was for the good of the company. Your company, Mister Wayne." before turning and walking out of the lavish office, straight past the bored looking secretary and to the mahogany panelled elevator doors with her back held straight and gaze pointed directly forward.

There was no looking back. Her life had fallen off a cliff again.

But she would be damned if she didn't claw herself up to the top once more.

-W-

She had studied the socio-economic situation of her hometown intimately and as such knew that her hastily sent applications to Wayne Enterprises competitors would be met with apathy. No one needed a Human Resources Officer when no one was hiring around this year in the first place. It was two weeks before Christmas and the holidays would begin soon afterwards. The general industry would lay low for a while until the spring weather brought new life into the region.

Even with her generous payout, her financial reserves would probably not last that long. Heating wasn't cheap in Gotham and she had no intention of joining the staggering death statistics as another victim of the cold, not to mention that her well-informed 'debtors' would undoubtedly smell weakness and attempt to press her out of even more money than usual, lest her unwitting involvement in the crimes of her family be revealed. Oh, how she despised her thrice-damned mother...

No matter if she won the ensuing court process with the corrupt authorities, the attorney fees would ruin her entirely.

So, in the oncoming months she needed to solve her money problem.

Power in Gotham City was concentrated unequally on the two extremes of society: The ultra-rich at the apex of the corporate food chain – mainly her ex-employer - and in the hands of dozens of so-called 'super criminals' and their gangs. Some of them even had actual superpowers to deserve the title.

Their foul influence spread everywhere; from the police officers and lawyers to the most unassuming store clerks or homeless bums. You could never be sure whom to trust in this rotten city and their influence was nearly inescapable if you didn't plan on living your life on the run, under a secret identity.

Naturally, where there was power, there was money. And seeing as she was in dire need of liquid assets, Tanya knew just the short term way to acquire some income. As much as it disgusted her to turn to violence to sate her material needs, inflicting such was undoubtedly one of her greatest skills and if there was one thing she hated more than bloodshed, it was wasting talent.

Though she lacked a 'superpower', she had access to the most universal power multiplier of all: A gun.

That alone was not much, but it would suffice to deal with singular individuals many times her strength and size, maybe even a small group of them. Unfortunately that wouldn't prevent her from getting shot in return. Her small body provided a small target and she was proud of her sprint speed, yet a single unlucky bullet may find her regardless. What luck then that Tanya knew the inner workings of just the place where she may find a solution...

Yes, she abhorred stealing, but if Wayne Enterprises wanted to doom her for doing her job too well then she could not find much pity for the multi-billion dollar corporation in herself. They would live and through their sacrifice she would as well.

She only had until the end of the week to empty her office before her ID-card would become invalidated by the internal security system of the building, denying her easy access which meant she couldn't afford to play the long game here.

"Honey, there is no time! Pack your stuff, we need to hurry!"

Tanya sneered at the unbidden memory. She was nothing like that woman.

-W-

Bruce rubbed his face as he wondered if he had really done the right thing. On days like these, he hated handling his company personally, but it was a necessary part of his disguise as well as his duty. That did not make it any more enjoyable though when he had to talk and act like a vapid businessman. At heart, he was a man of action. He was Gotham's defender. He was Batman.

Still, firing someone was especially unpleasant to him. He knew perhaps better than anyone the misery on the streets, the terrible desperation of tens of thousands of unemployed men and women who could not be certain when she would receive their next warm meal – or if at all. To condemn anyone to that fate irked him incredibly.

Tanya Degurechaff was a special case. Technically she had done nothing wrong. Yet her cold disregard for compassion and basic human needs were not something he could ignore. She expected perfection or at least everyone to strive for it constantly and on some level that appealed to him. It would be hypocritical of him to deny that he felt the same way about his mission. Bruce demanded nothing but the best from himself after all. However he also knew better than to hold others to this standard. They were humans, he was a symbol .

So while ordinarily he would have wholeheartedly embraced her policies and work philosophy for the rather sizable uptick in productivity it brought, he would not tolerate the stress and coldness it caused among his employees.

His company was supposed to make Gotham better. To give people hope and demonstrate that honest, nice and important work was still available in this city. It was meant to be a bright place free from corruption and exploitation. In marketing terms they were 'the good guys'. And sadly for all her academic brilliance, Degurechaff did not understand that.

What a shame.

Shameful as it might be to admit to himself in the privacy of his own thoughts, he most likely would have given her another chance if she hadn't made him a smidge angry. Bruce prided himself on his impeccable self-control, whether in a fistfight or a conversation, but bringing up his parents – comparing her life to his – that went too far.

He wasn't sure if it was because it was insulting or accurate.

Maybe both.

-W-

"Good morning, Mister Jefferson." Tanya greeted warmly.

"Ehm, yeah, too you as well, Miss Degurechaff. Heard about your... ehm... I'm sorry..."

As usual office gossip spread fast.

"There is nothing to be sorry about, Mister Jefferson." she replied with a saccharine smile. "I and management had a disagreement and I am soon about to enter a new exciting career path as a result."

Yes, it was definitely going to be exciting in all the worst ways. Like near death experiences were wont to do.

"Oh, I'm glad for you then?"

"Good. Anyways, would you be so kind as to call in Miss Bryankov from R&D in for an evaluation today? I may technically be no longer in charge of that but I would like you to determine if she is fit for a raise next year. From what I read in her profile it would be a shame for her many overtime hours to go unrewarded, wouldn't you say?"

"Of course! It's in the Christmas spirit, haha!"

"Of course." she easily responded.

Loyal subordinates truly were a treasure like no other. How ironic that she would prove this to Wayne by being the exact opposite for the first time.

Making her way downstairs again she waited by the water cooler, pretending to be engrossed in one of the recreational magazines she picked up from the lounge. Just as she expected from the diligent but often scatterbrained Jefferson, he called in Bryankov as soon as possible so he wouldn't forget the unplanned assignment later. The woman walked towards the elevator with a confident smile on her pudgy face, no doubt overjoyed at the prospect of a higher salary like any ordinary person.

Tanya casually clamped the trashy magazine under her arm and followed her just in time to catch her stepping into the cabin.

"Ah, greetings, Miss Bryankov. Here for your promotion?"

"Hello as well, Miss... ehm Degurechaff, right. And possibly? Who can really say what Upper Management has in store for us, ey?" she joked lamely.

"Very true. You don't mind if I accompany you to Mister Jefferson's office? I forgot something there when we were discussing your case beforehand."

"No problem. I have time." replied the unwitting woman instinctively.

The rest of their trip went by in silence as they both walked awkwardly next to each other. Grabbing her notebook that she had indeed 'forgotten' there, she energetically turned around and promptly smashed into her target, sending them both to the ground.

"Oh forgive me! I'm terribly sorry!" she dramatically exclaimed.

"Agh- no, no! It's alright!"

Wriggling around uselessly Tanya attempted to stand up and stretched out a helpful hand for the overweight woman to take.

"Again, I'm sorry-"

"No need! I'm not hurt."

"Well then, I must be off. Good luck on your promotion!" and with those words she left the office behind, striding confidently back into the direction of the elevator.

Inwardly, Tanya allowed herself a smile as she pressed the call button, Bryankov's ID-card tightly clenched within her pocket.

-W-

The research and development wing of Wayne Enterprises was a lab complex with top of the line equipment and extraordinary funding. Patents that got developed here were sold around the globe to the biggest corporations on the planet and even the US military. The happening and developments behind these spotless steel doors were top secret.

Then again, secret weapons were only good as their most talkative engineer...

Every floor had an employee lounge and this one was no different. Unfortunately for her plan to work, it needed to be empty. Two scientists stood stereotypically next to the water dispenser; deeply immersed into whatever subject they were discussing which suited her just fine as that allowed her to quickly read their names from their IDs.

"Wittkins, aren't you needed in the lab?"

Confused, the red haired man blinked his eyes at her.

"What?"

Pressing her advantage she continued: "I was sent to ask where you are. You know that break time is over, right?"

"Ehm, but-"

"No 'buts'! Back to work, mister, before we have to mark that on your record!"

Bewildered, the poor guy caved to the social pressure and hastily moved down the corridor.

"And you, Miller? What about you?"

Shaking his head in disbelief the blond researcher shot Tanya a disgruntled glare and wordlessly left as well.

'Perfect.'

Now, how to sow some panic...

Yesterday she had specifically purchased a pack of cigarettes for this purpose. Lighting a cancer stick from her pocket she pressed into the carpet. It should catch fire any minute now...

Nothing happened.

Alright, this needed a bit more help than she thought. Uncorking a small bottle of cheap booze she emptied it out into an acrid smelling puddle on the floor and tried again. Weak, blue flames heralded her success. Hopefully the fire wouldn't go out in her absence, because she had only brought one bottle. Tanya hastily wiped off her fingerprints from the glass and sprinted down the corridor away from the scene of the crime.

Her heart was pounding. There was no turning back now. If she got caught she would definitely land in prison for corporate sabotage, possibly for over a decade.

Only when she was around the corner did she slow her tempo to not potentially run into anybody. The fire alarm had astonishingly still not activated.

Schooling her breathing she made her way to the Hazardous Containment Storage.

-W-

He frowned as his pager rang him awake. Bruce forced himself to sit upright in his bed and focused on the information his gadget was telling him. Apparently there had been a small fire at his laboratories. No injured thankfully but the building would need renovations on its east side. His security forces were already investigating the scene, but so far all signs pointed towards a violation of the smoking rules.

Rubbing his eyes with one hand he sent a note to buy more signs that would warn against that type of misdemeanour in the future. All in all it was really not that important.

Groaning, he went back to bed, putting the whole affair out of his mind as he dreamt of a little boy in a bloody alleyway.

-W-

Tanya knew she had no chance of making off with any of the larger stuff. Vehicles, experimental weapons and the likes could be tracked down and were protected by some of the best security in the world. So she had turned to the discarded prototypes, the experimental creations that would not be urgently missed but were still too useful to completely dispose of.

What she held in her shaking hands was an unassuming looking vial, a generic barcode and black number on its side being the only identifying features to denote its volatile nature.

Judging from notes that had been attached to it, the serum was supposed to boost one's reaction speed to superhuman levels although at the cost of infertility, enhanced pain reception and who knew what else. The stuff had never made it out of the early testing phase for ethical concerns and possible long term side effects. It was risky, yet without it, what kind of long term plans could she even make?

She was just one normal woman in a world that had long since gone mad.

As long as she stayed a free woman and dictated her own fate she cared not if her life expectancy got reduced by twenty years or whatever. Life was precious and finite and those who did not fight for the privilege were quickly robbed of it.

A small, cautious part of her mind urged her to wait, but what use would that be… Every minute that the small biochemical wonder in her hand spent outside of containment could potentially ruin her prize. Which doctor in this city could she trust to not sell her out to the highest bidder if she asked them to evaluate the safety of the procedure she was about to undergo?

No, there was no other way than to do it here and now.

Steeling her resolve she uncapped the vial and swallowed its silvery content in one go.

At first she felt nothing besides the bitter taste it left on her tongue. Then a slight chill started to spread in her chest, reaching out towards her heart...

"Ack!"

A painful shout ripped itself free from her throat as she fell and began to writhe on the floor of her apartment in agony. Every nerve in her body seemed to be freezing, squirming and sharply twisting in on itself like her insides were being blended by an icy blizzard. Scorching white anguish flooded her veins and Tanya instinctively knew, even beyond the blinding fog of pain, that her body was in the process of being remade.

Every cell in her being cried out in helpless misery as they were suffocated under a poisonous storm that crystallized and froze them. They were powerless against the merciless onslaught. Her body was dying, ripped apart and pierced by invisible crystals.

And yet where the old fell, rose a new order in its place.

One of blazing efficiency with no regard for the mediocre or the fallible.

Snow white flesh like that of a corpse replaced what had once been beating with crimson life. Subcutaneous warriors slaughtered her blood cells and took their place, forever marching in rhythmical order. Old, well-worn neural pathways were violently transformed into roaring highways. Muscles were discarded and weaved anew to be akin to steel. No imperfection was spared, no blemish tolerated.

Indeed if one took man to be made in the image of god then her body was like that of an angel. A shining star above mortals...

Of course that romantic image was quickly broken when Tanya promptly puked on herself and the floor while her form was wracked with spastic contractions; the incredible agony of the process reducing her to a howling, twitching mess. It lasted hours until ultimately her enhanced biology seemingly took pity on her and she finally passed out.