"Your eyesight will get worse if you keep spending so much time in front of the screen, Master Bruce."
Batman emitted a grunt as he continued to observe the different windows open simultaneously on his computer screen.
Alfred Pennyworth emitted a weary sigh. "You need to rest, Master Bruce. Your wounds from your last fight with Renegade have not yet fully healed."
"It's been two days. I'm fine." declared the vigilante abruptly and Alfred held back an irritated sigh. "I need to figure out who Renegade is: his civilian identity, what he wants, what his abilities are and more."
"Is Renegade a meta-human, sir?" asked Alfred with a hint of surprise soaked into his tone of voice.
"I'm sure of it." nodded Bruce without ever turning to stare at the older man. "He has greater physical strength than a normal human being. He was able to overturn me without any kind of problem. His speed and reflexes are better than any other fighter I have ever seen and I am sure they are better than Deathstroke's. I managed to break his nose but the blood that dripped was not red but a dark substance. I also saw how his nose repaired itself in just over ten seconds."
"Healing factor like Deathstroke, sir?"
"Probably even better than his." Bruce sighed and put his head in his hands. "I'm sure I've seen that dark substance before but I can't remember where or when!" he growled in frustration with himself.
"Are you sure about that?" asked the British butler, sighing when the billionaire merely grunted. "Were you able to find out anything about Renegade, sir?"
"No." Batman growled. "The only information I have on him is that he is a pale-skinned male who is a few inches shorter than me, I estimate his height to be about six feet. Lean and slim build but definitely fit. His voice makes me think he is young but I cannot tell if he is at least of adult age or not. I couldn't even decipher his accent but he is definitely not from Gotham.
"He makes much use of his agility and acrobatic moves incorporated into his fighting style and is the most agile, acrobatic and fluid person I have ever met. Renegade knows a minimum of a dozen martial arts and could switch from one fighting style to another at an absurd speed with no problem. I suspect he may know many more."
"Do you think Renegade could know all martial arts like you do?" asked Alfred in surprise. "As you said he seems very young for it."
"I think there may be that probability. Young does not mean he is not experienced. After all, it took me less than a decade to learn any form of martial art and the first testimony about him was about six to seven years ago." Batman pointed out. "His fighting style is similar to Deathstroke's and I also saw an influence of the League of Assassins in him."
"League of Assassins?" Alfred repeated in surprise.
Batman nodded. "Not only that though: I recognized other fighting styles in Renegade's style that are not typical of Deathstroke and the League of Assassins. I suspect that he has also trained under other very experienced and dangerous assassins whom I do not recognize, however.
"Renegade's style, though similar in many ways to Deathstroke's, is still different: while Deathstroke makes more use of his brute strength Renegade is more inclined toward his agility and speed despite clearly being endowed with physical strength similar or equal to Deathstroke's.
"His fighting style is incorporated to an extremely deadly, lethal and dangerous level and yet against me he merely incapacitated me without inflicting serious and deadly damage. He could very well have killed me, even after knocking me down, but he did not. He did not even use any of the countless weapons he carries: he limited himself only to pure hand-to-hand combat."
"Maybe he wanted to study you." Alfred suggested.
"That's what I thought." Bruce nodded. "I also suspect that Renegade is an expert at reading his opponents' body language, which allows him to anticipate moves and then counterattack."
"An often underestimated skill that is very decisive, however." noted the older man.
Bruce grunted. "Renegade has accepted many, many contracts and I estimate he has hundreds and hundreds of casualties to his credit, second in the world only to Deathstroke."
"Notice anything peculiar about his victims, sir?" asked Alfred.
Bruce fixed him with a strange look, recognizing an emotion in his butler's voice but unable to decipher it. He then nodded abruptly. "I've noticed how his victims are always somehow connected to criminal activities."
"A sort of anti-hero mercenary, then."
"There are no anti-heroes." Batman taunted. "You're either a hero or a villain. There is no middle line separating the good guys from the bad guys and vice versa. You cannot fight murder with murder. You can't fight crime with murder. And Renegade is definitely a villain."
Alfred swallowed his true feelings on the matter and assumed his usual rigid and stoic demeanor. "This is a thought not shared by everyone, sir."
"Don't push it, Alfred." Bruce warned him coldly.
Alfred pursed his lips in a frown but did not insist. "What are you going to do now, Master Batman?"
"First I'm going to stop the drug deal that's going to take place in a few hours."
"The one that Renegade left evidence for you after he defeated you?"
Bruce nodded. "I found out that his contract in Gotham included a woman in charge of this particular drug trafficking."
"Renegade therefore wanted you to stop it. Very thoughtful of him."
Batman gave him an annoyed look. "And he killed a woman to do it. I don't see anything thoughtful or heroic in that." he shook his head and pulled the cowl down before Alfred could add anything else. "I have to go."
"What are you going to do?"
"I'm going to interrogate some criminals who might have come in contact with Renegade. I'll have to gather as much information about him as I can if I want to take him down next time." growled Batman as he jumped into the car.
Alfred gave a weary sigh, merely watching the younger man leave the cave.
"Not all criminals are villains, Master Bruce. Some of them may be more heroes than you might think."
Selina Kyle hummed a tune under her breath and knelt down, feeding her cats. She gently stroked them with a tender smile and then stood up, heading for the living room. As soon as she turned the corner she jerked violently when she saw a massive dark silhouette in the center of the room before she let out an irritated sigh.
"There are doorbells, you know?" she huffed bringing a hand to her heart, feeling it beat faster.
The figure ignored her and took a step forward toward her, revealing the Dark Knight himself. He fixed her with an intense gaze that weakened her knees. "Renegade."
Catwoman froze on the spot as soon as the name left the lips of her... friend? Lover?
She didn't know what they were either but for now it wasn't important.
It never mattered in the last few years, not while Bruce was getting more and more lost in the darkness of his mission.
"W-what?"
Batman took one more step forward until he towered menacingly over her, staring down at her. "I know you're in contact with him. What is your relationship with Renegade?"
Selina recovered from her surprise and assumed her best poker face. "I don't know what you are talking about. However, if you're interested in anything else I'd be willing, you know?" she purred, gently tracing his armored chest with her slender fingers.
Batman abruptly grabbed her wrist and squinted his eyes at her. "Don't lie to me, Catwoman. I know that somehow you, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are in contact with Renegade."
Selina narrowed her eyes in irritation and pulled her arm back. Batman allowed her to and her arm fell limply along her side before she crossed her arms.
Two can play at this game.
"Yes, I admit it. I know him. So? It's not illegal to know a person."
"Renegade is an extremely dangerous person. Exactly as dangerous as Deathstroke, if not more." Batman growled. "He must be brought to justice immediately before he can cause any more trouble."
The thief felt a wave of anger sweep over her but struggled to remain calm. "And by trouble you mean him permanently eliminating the worst people in this world?" she taunted him bitterly. "Good riddance. No one will miss them."
"This is no way to fight crime." Batman gritted his teeth and straightened to his full height. "Do you know his civilian identity?"
"Otherwise, what are you going to do to me? Throw me into Arkham Asylum?" she huffed with a smirk, not answering his question.
Batman snapped forward and crashed her painfully against the wall, his forearm crushed against her throat slowing her breathing. "Don't challenge me, Catwoman." he hissed angrily. "You're lucky I never threw you there. But now my patience is wearing thin.
"Tell me who Renegade really is. NOW!"
Catwoman brought her hands on his arm, unsuccessfully trying to break his grip as she felt her oxygen running out. "F-fuck you, B-Bruce."
Batman emitted an animalistic growl before abruptly dropping her to the ground. She gasped for oxygen and saw him take a step back, his hands clenching into fists.
"How fucking dare you come into my house and physically hurt me, Bruce?" she growled menacingly as she rose to her feet. "I do not know Renegade's civilian identity but I know that he is not a bad person. He is one of the best people I have ever met."
"It is obvious that he is manipulating you into believing that he is a good person when actually he is a mercenary who kills for money." the vigilante stated coldly.
"Fuck you, as if you are actually a good person!" snapped Selina, enjoying how he clenched his jaw. "You can do anything to me: beat me, torture me, throw me into Arkham Asylum! I don't know his identity but even if I did I would never tell you anything that would endanger Renegade!"
"You are protecting an unscrupulous ruthless murderer." growled the Caped Crusader.
"I'm protecting my nephew in everything but blood!" she shouted. "So fuck you, Batman! I'm not telling you a damn about him! And rest assured that even if you find out something useful about him you will never be able to defeat him! Renegade will always kick your ass and I hope for your sake you don't piss him off, otherwise you'll be dead before you can even blink!
"You are sinking into a darkness from which you are unlikely to rise again!" her gaze softened a little. "You have been getting more and more reckless and rash for years. More and more criminals are being sent to the hospital with more and more serious injuries, some even permanent. It is painfully obvious that one way or another you are trying to get yourself killed, Bruce.
"This is not you, Bruce. The Bruce I know would not be so dark. The Bruce I know wouldn't do all these things. And surely the man I fell in love with would never willingly hurt me."
Selina swallowed hard, longing for his cowl to be lowered so she could see his eyes that she so loved.
What feelings was he feeling?
Anger? Shame? Pain? Regret?
She could not have an answer to her question and she knew he would not take it well if she lowered his cowl, so she continued.
"There are people who care about you, Bruce. You have Alfred. The commissioner. Leslie. Lucius. Your Justice League friends. You have me. Let us help you. Let us love you. Please: let us stay in your life."
Batman stood stoically still, staring at her with that damn cowl hiding his real feelings. The two watched each other for a little more than a minute until the Dark Knight turned dramatically, his cape following his movement.
"Renegade is a very dangerous and deadly expert assassin. The world will never be safe with him on the loose. If you change your mind, you know where to find me."
Selina gave a sigh of disappointment and watched him leave through her window. She ran a hand over her neck, wincing slightly.
Definitely a bad bruise. She thought with a grimace, wearily passing a hand over her face.
She had some calls to make: she had to contact Deathstroke and Renegade and tell them that Batman was doing his research on Renegade and would stop at nothing and no one.
But she still had some time before making the calls.
So Selina Kyle wept for a man she could no longer recognize and who was becoming his own greatest enemy.