Oracle was working overtime so to speak, we all were, but the kindly red head was running on steam, "You need to rest." She said to me missing the irony completely.

I took a deep sip of the cold brew Alfred made me, something he started making since my pension of finishing steaming coffee in a few gulps if I was needed out on the streets. Healing factors are dope, but Alfred saw no need in his own words 'to punish myself.'

"Not till we find Olivia." I cocked my head to the side and gave her a pointed look.

She let out a puff of air that could be mistaken for a snort, "I've changed my mind. You're the most stubborn one out of all of us, 'cept maybe Bruce."

"Please he's the goddamn Batman, ain't nobody more stubborn than him."

"Is stubborn code for pushing one's body to their limit? Because I whole heartedly agree." Alfred chimed in with more refreshments.

"Come on I don't count, I'm the only altered one, well and Jason."

Barbara let's out a wince and Alfred looks almost pained at the mention of the gun totting vigilante, while they all knew he was alive and mostly well as Jason can be, they haven't interacted with him yet, their last memories of him being the boy wonder that eventually got beaten to near death and then exploded.

I've got to get him to close up some these old wounds for the rest of the clan, not for Bruce or Jason sake but everyone else who didn't have any do with the pissing match between them, though maybe I should do it sooner than later considering Bruce and Damian are out of the city, something about show casing the youngest Wayne to the multiple Wayne-Corp sites.

"I got a hit. Ray Quimby has been spotted. Old Taylor Street, Export Building."

"Cops are scouring the streets for Quimby since they got the video of him nabbing Olivia." The unsaid didn't go over her head as she nodded.

"Yeah it's most likely a trap." I place my two toned mask on my face, "And you're going to walk straight into it, fantastic." She sighed.

"We don't have any other choice. Bruce and Damian are too far out. Dick is pinned to Bludhaven at the moment, and Steph is beyond tired and unlike me she can't just shake it off." With the help of the dear sweet poison known as caffeine of course, I could go on with a couple of hours of sleep lasting up to 48 hours without being an inept zombie.

Plus Tim and his team are on a mission that didn't require me and Jay was… somewhere.

Basically I was on my own, and I'm sure Alfred was going to drug my food or something to stop me from going out to the obvious trap.

"It's about perception Master Ammon."

"What now?"

Alfred sighed, "I know I worry, and it can come across overbearing. But I have to acknowledge that you are a very capable young man, so if you must step into a trap, be aware of your surroundings."

"Be careful out there, Ammon." Barbara told me, as I headed to Sphere.

"Don't worry I got this."

My first real case solo. What could go wrong, it's only Gotham fucking City?

A squad car, where the sirens were still cycling but the where no cops around. The Export Building was unlocked and the scent of blood and medical supplies lingered in the air.

I treck up the stairs and found a dead body, the body of Ray Quimby the kidnapper and most likely pawn of whoever is behind this, shanked with multiple knives still impaled in his chest, the blood is still pooling, a fresh kill, so the stench of death couldn't be from it.

I don't have spidey-sense, but I could always feel the air near the immediate area around me shift when people got too close. And whoever these two were, they have nothing against Mazikeen of the Lilim.

I outstretched my arm and wrapped my fingers around one of the men's neck, and slammed him left and right against the hallway walls before letting go of him and Spartan kicking in his chest, lurching him back.

The other hits me with their elbow against the spine in-between my lower shoulder blades, as the initial goon comes rushing towards me with a knife primed.

I raise my arm up to deflect the blow, followed by a light tap to wind the man, before turning back to the other goon, a slamming an elbow in his face, knocking him out pretty easily.

"Where's the girl, you piece of shit?" I roared at the knife wielder but like a fool, when I lost my temper someone else managed to sneak up to me and prick me with some kind of drug.

Begs to question how caffeine was something that worked for me, but my body was already fighting off the effects of whatever the fuck this shit is, eh not going to saw the branch I'm sitting on, comic book logic and all that shiz.

Though now is really not the time as a sledgehammer hit me across the face causing me to stagger back.

"I want the eyes. Remove them for me. Father says I can have my way." A woman with a cracked porcelain mask, dressed in a literal definition of slutty nurse outfit commanded the knife wielder.

"He ain't down for the count Dollhouse."

"Enough." A man commanded, "The Freak of Gotham. We're not going to treat him like the common rubbish we're accustomed to. No he is special and more than that he's an extremely valuable collectable. One that will lure the Batman."

"Father! Promise me I get to work on him." The deranged nurse whined, as the knife wielder joined the 'colourful' array of beings that stood beside the man, a large man that looked like a cross between the Hulk and Killer Croc, a living version of those monkey with cymbals, some hobgoblin looking little fucker, and finally the Dollmaker.

Fuck.

"If you harmed that girl, there will be no safe place for you to hide. I will fucking hunt you down." There was a literal growl to my voice, as I struggle to stop the demon half from flaring through, cooler heads prevail and all that stuff.

Though it was getting harder and harder, as I looked over the shoulder of Dollmaker's hulking pet, was an operation table slanted up, was a moustached man that bore a striking resemblance to Gordon, but it wasn't him, the hair colour and the skin tone was off in all of the patches of skin, still I've gotta warn Oracle when I get the chance, her dad isn't a stranger to being a target to the rogues of Gotham but being at the hands of a man like Dollmaker is just as bad as being at the hands of the Joker.

The Dollmaker and his pets were staring at me, as if I was a prey animal about to wonder into the strike zone, "Bring it, you dumb cunts."

"The Paralysis you're presently suffering on the left side of your body will soon spread to your other half."

Fuck cooler heads, "Oh pal. You done and fucked up." The only tell-tale sign of my shift was my left hand becoming its clawed miasma form.

"You have Gordon don't you?"

"Of course I do. I can also have you join him." Dollmaker raised a bony finger to me. "Bentley, separate Freak's spinal column."

"Yes, Doctor!" The patchwork meathead rushed towards me. Their belief that the drugs had any effect on me, allowed them to attack me half heartedly.

I punched a sizeable hole into the rotten wooden floorboard, causing the patchy-hulk leg to drop through the hole when he was in striking distance. Which allowed me to viciously slam my leg plated shin against his head.

I heard the sound of a monkey scream above my head, and I felt real bad despite knowing it wasn't a real monkey, but I backhanded him away.

The hobgoblin tried to put me in a choke hold while the nurse tried to strike me with her hammer again. The hold would've worked if the drugs worked, but seeing as it isn't, I simply arched to the side and allowed the hammer to hit the goblin instead.

"Sorry Jack-in-the-Box." Dollhouse giggled, "I'll make it up to-" I hurled the now name named Jack-in-the-Box at her, and going by the hefty weight that was on my back a second ago, she was going to be sore when she woke up later.

I shifted back to human form, knowing that the demon half probably burnt off any chemicals in my body that weren't supposed to be there.

The Dollmaker backed away from me, once he realised it was just me and him, though I didn't make a move on him, despite everything in me begged to take down the 'man' but I couldn't, not yet.

But I didn't expect for another person clad in a large hoodie covering her face to drop down, in between me and the Dollmaker, well I did, but one to stare down the Dollmaker as if he was they're target and not me.

However, before I could question it, the Dollmaker booked it out of the window and landing on top of the rooftop of the nearby one, and both I and the mystery girl chased after him. However the girl was closing the distance, and fast. She going to catch him, and I couldn't allow it.

When the Dollmaker jumped down the fire-escape ladder I tapped my comms, "Oracle take control of the B-drone and tail the Dollmaker." I pressed the activation button and threw the sleek rod into the air allowing it to transform into a small drone.

"Dollmaker? Nevermind, on it."

I reached forward and caught the girl's wrist, only for her to drop and flip me over her shoulder the moment I touched her, and with a quickly built momentum she attempted to axe kick me, but I was quick to roll to the side, and I was again caught her wrist, this time I clamped down my hold on her, as I picked up speed and slammed her back against the wall railing.

I was taken back when her hood fell off her head, she was cute, beautiful even, but it was her eyes that caught me off guard, because they told a story, a story and the different ways she was going to escape my hold and tactically take me down, and I had a lurking thought that told me she was seeing something similar in my eyes.

"Cassandra Cain." Her eyes widened fearfully, and she tensed up even when I let go of her.

I stood in front of her and outstretched a hand, while letting out a morbid chuckle, "In a lot of ways, you and I are a lot alike."

She didn't say anything for obvious reasons.

"We were both made for similar purposes, and we rebelled." Though the circumstances differ, seeing as she knew that her purpose was warped, and how amazing is that? Her whole life she was taught one thing, to fight. She was taught to be the biggest badass weapon for the League of Assassin's from birth, and despite it built around her entire life she still knew it was wrong, and she ran from it.

Me, I'm just a scared selfish prick.

She grabbed my hand and I hoisted her up.

"Freak. What's going on? I've picked up chatter that my dad…"

I placed a finger on the comm in my ear, "Oracle, the Dollmaker, he's got your father, but I promise I'll get him. His trail, he couldn't gotten far."

"He's not." I could tell Barbara was gritting her teeth, in moments like these were probably the toughest for her, "Mercy Hospital."

"Abandoned?"

"Yeah."

"Inform the GCDP to head to the Export Building, I took down a group of the Dollmaker's goons, warn them that they've been suped-up. High pain tolerance and augmented strength, possibly more but I didn't give them a chance to flex."

"Got it, tactical gear and meta human restraints." She let out a sigh, "Freak, please just…"

"You don't give your dad enough credit Oracle," I said as lightly as I could given the situation, "by the end of the night he'll be back home pretending nothing interesting happened."

I turned off the comms and noticed that Cain was still there and staring at me, "The Dollmaker," She tilted her head in confusion, "the man you tracked down, he hasn't gotten far, me and one of my partner's," I tapped the comm-link to explain who I was speaking to, "we found him and possibly the people he's taken."

Her eyes widened as she understood why I allowed him to escape, the Dollmaker was a relatively smart man despite his deranged mindset, but when he saw me make quick work, of his 'children,' fear and inadequacy must have seeped in taking over any rational thoughts, begging him to head back to his real base of operations.

"He took some of your friends." I stated but all I got was her blinking owlishly, "People you know." I cleared up.

From what I remember about Cain other than being the best fighter in the clan, was that she was homeless after she escaped her father for a good few years, before being taken in by Barbara during the No Man's Land story-line, I think, not like I can Google it anymore.

"We can save them together." I wasn't sure if she could understand me completely, but she did give me a curt nod and widened her stance.

I took a step forwards and when I invade her personal space she did tense, but she didn't move any further, as I adjusted her scarf as a makeshift bandanna, "You should keep your face covered, but we can invest in a better outfit for you later."

She once again bled out confusion, but we really couldn't afford any more time, we needed to move, else Dollmaker would escape or harm more people.

Cassandra had kept up with me in the relatively short journey here, but I did set the pace for an above average athletic person to keep up, no grapple gun considering she had no gear.

Once we set down to the street and stood in front of the entrance, I had to stop Cassandra once again with a hand to her wrist, "The front doors are never a good idea."

Her blank face didn't emote anything but I could read her pretty well. She knew that, she knew how to use advantages no matter how little, but she was curious as she figured we had a time restraint.

"I assure you we're going to get jumped, or there will be some sort of knockout gas implemented, and yeah we could combat whatever, but sometimes the lengthy route is the fastest in these sort of cases."

'What do you suggest then?' Was what I could garner from her stout face and eyes flickering.

I outstretched my arm open and closed my fingers, and she understood and stepped into my space, allowing me to wrap the arm around her waist, "Hold on tight." Her response was wrapping her toned arms around my neck.

I grappled up and to a awning of some sort, and once we landed I couldn't help but notice the barest of smiles on her face.

I let out a small chuckle at the expression, "We can get you one."

I turned back to focus on the moment and pried open the sliding door, with the knife that was gifted to me, I still hadn't told the clan about the encounter with Mazikeen, nor Raven, but I'm sure Bruce had noticed the knife, though he chose not to question, which only made me keep a tighter grip on the blade. I wasn't ready to open that can worms, neither do I think I'll ever be.

"Keep an eye out, just in case."

The hospital was the typical Gotham building i.e. abandoned and straight out of a horror movie.

Creepy, hardly lit, yada, yada, yada.

We spotted a door with bright industrial lights peeking through the dilapidated window, Cassandra attempted to open the door only to learn it was locked, frustrated she was about to boot the doors open.

"Stop." I harshly whispered as I pulled out a lockpicking device. The subtle sound of a door being unlocked clicked and I turned to Cassandra to notice a small look of annoyance, "I could've picked it," I defended myself, "but why bother when I have this."

'Sure I believe you.'

"Like you could do better." I huffed and slowly opened the door. Once we stepped through the threshold we were quick to duck behind the guard-wall of the observation gallery, Mercy Hospital being once one of those old-school learning hospitals.

"Doctor, the Penguin's men are here."

"I told you already Fisher. We need to leave, Batman's little Freak dismantled the others despite being dosed."

"Then I will deal with him."

"Don't be a fool." The Dollmaker warned the large patch-work woman, "Get Gordon and Olivia, end them and we'll make a move."

Damn it.

I need to stop the Dollmaker, but I can't risk Gordon or the girl's life, the man has probably made more of his 'creations' and then there's the Penguin's men.

Before I could form a plan, Cassandra placed a hand on my wrist this time around.

'I've got this.'

"Do you remember what I said to Oracle?" She gave me a nod confirming it, "Be a rabbit, fast and nimble."

Her response was to jump down in the centre of the room, which was followed by an explosive chatter as the girl was quick to gage Dollmaker and what appears to be his remaining creation.

I moved away trusting in the abilities of the girl who could curb stomp most of the clan.

Putting the thought of sparring against her away for now, I followed the rule of creepy abandoned hospitals and headed for the basement, only to be proven right as a gaggle of Penguin's men was lining the hallway.

I wish I could say that the hallway fight was satisfying and badass as I hoped, but I cut through all of the powerless and unskilled thugs like a hot knife through butter.

With the last thug twitching after I slammed his head against the wall, I entered the only room with it's lights on, to see James Gordon relatively okay strapped to a hospital bed, with Olivia Carr weeping over a body that looked like one of the Dollmaker's creation, with its throat slit.

"Freak? Thank god." Gordon breathed a sigh of relief, "Gotta get us of here son."

I nodded at the man and turned my attention the missing girl, but the Commissioner looked panicked, "Wait!"

Olivia took a swipe at me with a scalpel to the thigh, she may be brainwashed but she wasn't in a top notch state to manage to get one over me.

I caught the blade me gloved palm and with held the hiss of pain, as I pulled away the medical instrument from her grip.

She looked up at me with a blank gaze however unlike Cassandra, her gaze seemed dead, and not a mask to hide behind like Cain's, "I am not afraid of anything. Not Dollmaker. Not Freak. Not Batman. Not Dy…" She slammed her body into mine, "Not dying…" She buried her head into my chest and wept, this time for real.

Whatever the Dollmaker did to break her, has left its mark, but she wasn't like the others, she still had some of her humanity residing in her.

The clean up was quick, seeing how Bullock was running a search and rescue party the moment he noticed Gordon was missing, and Cassandra made quick work of the Dollmaker and his pet.

Speaking of who, Cassandra sat on the table in a sports bra and baggy joggers, not once flinching as Alfred nimbly tightly wrapped a bandage around her stomach, nor did she move an inch as the man cleaned a few old cuts that look infected.

Her body was littered in scars, something not unlike my own, however her ones was earned by fights and spars, mine were scars inflicted when I was created… when this body was created.

"Ammon." Barbara wheeled next to me when she finished her call with her dad, "Thanks." She sighed in relief.

"Why does it feel like I failed?"

"Olivia will get the help she needs." The red-head understood what I was getting at, "She acted in self-defence killing Penguin's man, in-fact it will be played that she saved my dad's life."

"But the damage is done, she may not kill again, but all of this will stick to her forever," She'll wake up screaming at the memoires playing as a nightmares.

"She'll be okay."

"Okay is the most she'll ever be." I shot back softly.

She let out a morbid chuckle, a coping tool if I had to guess, a lot of us leaned into humour. Dick with his corny dad jokes, Tim with nerdy ones, Jay was dark, and Barbara tend to point out things in a crude light.

"You're worse than Bruce." She let that linger as she wheeled away.

Alfred pass Cassandra a top once he was finished cleaning her wounds, "So what will we do with you, young miss?"

"Eh she can stay," I said as I joined them, allowing Cassandra to gaze at my face without the mask, "not like Bruce would notice." I lightly laughed at the joke of Bruce adopting any orphan he came across, giving up on keeping track on how many of them there are.

Alfred let out an amused sniff but he turned his attention back to the girl, the same worried look he would give me was on her full blast.

Maybe you weren't supposed to join us like this Cassandra Cain, but it's too late, "You're one of us." She gave me a questioning look but Alfred looked as if he couldn't discern her expression, "You're not alone any more."

A/N - 24/07/2022

Not a play by play of the storyline; Faces of Death, but a bit of blend of what I'm hoping to do a bit further down the line, I'll leave it at that.

Thanks to the kind words in the last chapter.

Writing action scenes have never been a strong suite of mine, but I'm glad that some of you enjoy the interactions between Ammon and the Bat-clan.

I'm glad that Mazikeen being his 'mother' so to speak wasn't too bad of a stretch.

For those that are wondering, which version of Lucifer and Maze it is, I would have to say it's a blend of the show and comic, as Lucifer in the show is powerful, but his comic book counterpart is literally the second strongest being, and the show in my opinion never showcased it properly, for writing sake of course.