Batman: Deception [Fanfiction]

[ApolloXL5]

A/N: Here is the sequel to my previous Batman story. I hope you like it.

BATMAN: DECEPTION

CHAPTER I

As the Sun shone in the surrounding clear blue sky over the City of Rio de Janeiro, an agitated Woman weaved her way through a busy crowd of tourists that packed out one of the many narrow streets that the City was known for. She was a smartly dressed Caucasian Woman, with Long red hair, who every few yards would look behind her, as though she was hoping not to spot anyone in particular.

'Come on, I am not that far from the Safe-House. I just hope that feeling I have is just a false...' she began to think, only to look back over her shoulder, making her eyes widen as she saw someone in the crowd behind her.

'Damn it, I have to warn Damien.'

So the Woman then manoeuvred her way through the masses towards one of the nearby stalls, taking a small grey-ball from one of her jacket pockets and dropping it into the boiling pot that stood there on a wooden table, before hastily putting some distance between herself and the stall.

A moment later and the white steam raising from the Pot, suddenly changed to red, earning confused and agitated shouts as it's owners rushed about like headless chickens around the stall.

But by this point, the lady was already well out of sight, having ducked into an alleyway, before entering one of the old buildings that lined up either side of it.

'We should never had stayed here as long as we did.' she thought while racing up the creaky old stairs, making a lot of noise as she got to the third floor and entered the second door on her right.

"Damien!" the Woman quickly replied as she found herself up against the wall, with a Katana drawn and aimed at her throat. The Weapon's owner was an older Man with greying hair and was clearly 10 years older, narrowing his eyes at the former as he stood his ground in a sharp black suit.

"I saw the red smoke from the window, so I take it that means 'they' have found us?" he asked, gaining a nod from his Colleague in return.

"Yes, I saw one in the market and so decided to warn you, before then losing 'him' in the crowds, Damien." she replied, bringing a knowing look to his face as he withdrew his blade and let her breath easy again.

"Good, then I see the lessons I taught you are sticking, this time..." the older Man began to say in response, only for his expression to become more serious.

"...wait, you said 'him', correct?" he added, earning a nod back." from his younger-comrade. But before she could say any more, Damien passed her another Katana that was in it's sheath and began to herd her towards the balcony.

"I want you get of Rome and head for our next Safe-House, which is in Great Britain."

This brought a shocked look to the younger Woman's face in return, while her Mentor simply stared back stoically.

"If you think that I am going to let..." she started to reply, only to be cut off by the front door being kicked open, making them both ready themselves.

"You haven't started running yet..." a white haired Man in a similarly coloured Gucci suit said as he entered the apartment, revealing to them an eye-patch that was covering his right eye.

...I don't know if you are being brave or simply foolish, Darhk and Onyx."

"Foolish? That is just the right kind of word that I would describe those following the same path as you, Slade." Damien replied as he narrowed his eyes back at their opponent, who simply remained calm as he walked closer to the pair.

"Slade? You mean...'Deathstroke'!" Onyx said back with surprise and a hint of fear in her voice, making the one-eyed Man nod back, before returning his attention to Darhk.

"You know why I am here..." he began to say, while stopping just a foot away from the pair.

"Of course I do..." the older Man began to reply, cutting of the new arrival.

"...You and your 'Companion' have been killing off all the members of the League, whose that do not wish to follow the path that you are offering."

"Ra's Al Ghul is dead and the one who that took his life still draws breath..?" Slade replied with a questioning and judgemental tone.

"Leaders rise and fall, but Ra's built the league to survive long beyond his death, which is something that you have put in doubt when you started killing off those of us who were still loyal to the cause..." Damien said back in a mirrored tone, only to be cut off by his Enemy.

"Yes, loyalty to the mission of our Society, but not to the Man who bled and died for it. I am sorry, Damian, but that is treasonous."

"In your eyes...sorry...eye, Slade, but there was always going to be another 'Head of the Demon', but only somebody that had actually 'earned' the title, not 'born' to it." Darhk spat back, only to then glance over his shoulder at Onyx while unsheathing his Katana.

"I told you to go, Onyx."

"...but...?" she began to stammer, which made her Mentor grit his teeth as his anger started to boil.

"I said...GO!" he spat while lunging at Slade, making the two fight as the younger Woman ran off onto the Balcony and out of sight.

Damien meanwhile, continued to attack his opponent, swinging and lunging the blade in every way that he could. But each and every attempt to hit Slade failed, as he simply dodged them all, before countering with a well placed back-kick to the former's chest.

"Hungh!" Darhk grimaced as he was knocked back, earning a smirk from the eye-patched Man in return.

"You are a little sloppy, Damian, telegraphing all of your moves before you even make them..." he started to gloat, which only angered the other Man even more as he recovered.

"...not exactly what I was expecting from one who once held a post amongst Ra's most trusted Lieutenants." he added, making Darhk attack once more as he swung the blade down upon his enemy, who performed a cross block and stopped the attack dead in its tracks. This made the former's eyes widen for a second with surprise, due to Slade blocking the attack with nothing more than his arms, which were covered only by the fabric of his suit.

"You're still wearing armour under that expensive suit..." he said in a questioning tone, earning a nod back from the other Man, who followed through by pushing the attack back and then punching his opponent in the stomach with his left hand, before swinging his right around and connecting it with the guy's face.

"Yes, of course..." he replied as Damian found himself back against the wall once again.

"...it's not exactly the right situation for my 'usual attire'..." he continued with his smirk growing wider as he watched Darhk got back to his feet, who gave him a dagger-like stare back.

"...and you're not even worth the effort."

"I'll show you!" Damien spat back as he grabbed a Picture-frame from the wall and threw it at Slade, who easily cut it in half with his Katana. Though while his attention had been diverted for just a split second, it was all his opponent needed to get back in the fight as he attacked once more with his own sword, clashing his blade against the other's numerous times as their fight continued in the Apartment.

"That's more like it!" Slade replied as their blades clashed once more, scraping against each other as the two Men tried to force the other back.

"This ends now." Darhk exclaimed as he pulled his blade back, making his Adversary move suddenly forward as the former ducked and let him pass.

"What the...!" the one-eyed Assassin said back with a startled tone, just as Damien spun around and lunged his blade at the other Man's back. But what he didn't see, was that Slade smirked slightly as he quickly moved his blade behind his back and deflected the strike, much to his opponent's despair.

"Ho..." he began to reply, only to be cut off as Slade then turned around and leg-sweeped the former off his feet and then stabbed his Katana down into his stomach, pinning him to the floor.

"Arragh!" Darkh cried out as the colour of his shirt around the wound changed to red, making him drop his own weapon as Wilson looked down at him while kicking his weapon away from the reach of his hand.

"Now as much as I loved hunting you and the others down in the past few years, it is well passed the time that this came to and end." he replied, making his bloodied and defeated Rival chuckle, despite the pain he was in.

"You really...think that this is over...,Slade?"

This made his enemy kneel beside him and twist the blade a little, gaining a painful grunt from the injured Man.

"Well, yes, Damien, I do." he replied with confident tone, which only made Darhk's pained smile widen.

"Then you're a bigger fool than I was led to believe, because as I speak, Onyx is getting further and further away from your clutches."

"Is that so?" the one-eyed Assassin then asked, maintaining a confident expression, before suddenly something came smashing through the Balcony window, earning a shocked expression from Damien as he saw the body of Onyx lying there, covered in blood.

"This one was of no challenge, unfit to be in the League of Shadows." a female voice then spoke, making the injured Man look towards the Balcony and see a fully masked Ninja enter the Apartment's interior. This made his eyes widen and clench his fists as he recognised the new arrival's voice, despite the pain he was currently feeling in his gut.

"You!" he spat furiously as she joined Slade's side, ignoring him and turning her attention to her comrade.

"Slade, has he told you anything yet?"

"No, I haven't had the chance to ask him."

"Let's not waste any more time then..." the masked Woman began to reply before grabbing the hilt of Slade's sword and turning it into Darhk's wound, making him cry out in agonising pain.

"We have been at this for almost six years, hunting down each and every member of our former organisation. But nobody seems to be able to answer my question, but you, Damien Darhk, were one of our top lieutenants. So I will ask you...who is responsible for Ra's Al Ghul's death?"

"You don't deserve an answer to that question, just like your actions have lost you your claim to the name given to you at birth, because you have betrayed everything that the League of Shadows stands for." Damien spat back, which simply made the Woman turn the blade some more into his wound, while the carpet beneath him became soaked in blood.

"Grrrraaghh...I don't know!" he suddenly grimaced, making her stop in return as a distrusting expression befell Slade's face.

"He's lying."

"I'm not, since I was...not even involved in the mission that...Ra's was overseeing in Gotham. None of us were, because...we were busy with the League's interests in other...parts of the World." he said back with baited breaths, trying to focus despite the beyond sharp burning feeling that was pulsing through his body from his stomach wound.

"Then who would know? Tell me and I will ensure that your suffering will end." the female Ninja replied, with only her green eyes visible through two small slits in her mask as she looked down at Darhk, who in turn had a thoughtful look on his own face as blood trickled down his chin from his mouth.

"...I heard rumours that...that one or two of Ra's personal Guard had been...arrested in Gotham after the mission failed. They are probably still in the City's...main Prison."

The masked-Woman then looked back at Slade and nodded, making the older Man grab his sword and pull it out of Damian's stomach. This gained another grimace from the beaten opponent, who started to bleed out from both ends of the wound as the Ninja then stood over him and unsheathed her own weapon.

"I thought...you were going to...give me a quick...death?" he asked in a shocked voice while gurgling blood that was filling up in his mouth, as his eyes widened in response.

"I lied, because you still betrayed our cause by not even attempting to find and punish the one responsible. And that is something which I cannot forgive." she said back coldly while staring down blankly as Darhk started convulsing as his eyes rolled back and spat up blood.

"You...bitch!" he managed to spit back as his life drained from his body, before a moment passed and he exhaled his final breath.

"Good..." she then exclaimed while raising her blade over her head, before quickly swinging down and decapitating the now dead Darhk, with his head rolling away from his body before stopping by Slade's feet as the Ninja sighed.

"...so we now know where to head next." she added, earning a nod from her Comrade in return.

"Gotham."

"Yes, Gotham." the masked-Woman replied before turning around and leaving the room, with Slade following her as they left the two bodies there in the Flat.

[ApolloXL5]

BATMAN: DECEPTION

A Year and a half later...

James Gordon sat in his old Ford-Falcon, which was parked in an alley in old Gotham and was currently listening to a news-broadcast from Jack Ryder over the radio.

"...five years ago, former DA Harvey Dent had been revealed to still be alive and that he, not the Batman, was responsible for the heinous Crimes that were blamed on the latter. The Man that now called himself 'Two-Face' then attempted to destroy Gotham, but he was stopped by the Vigilante..." the News Anchor explained, while the former Police-Commissioner sat and looked out at the street in front of him.

"...this in turn caused 'then' Police-Commissioner James Gordon to stand down from his position, due to him using the former DA's apparent death to ensure that the one thousand criminals that made up the Mob, stayed behind bars. And with his resignation, the so called 'Dent-Act' was abolished and those same men were released back onto the streets of our City..." the News-broadcaster's voice continued, earning a solemn expression from Jim as he shook his head.

"...now as our viewers well know, that was a very uncertain time for us all, because we all thought that with the lack of a proper governing body, since Two-Face had killed not only the Mayor, but the majority of his staff and the GCPD now under the control of a new and 'inexperienced' Police-Commissioner, that things were going to once more get worse." Ryder then said before a thankful tone could be heard in his voice.

"But luckily that did not happen. I mean, of course the level of Crime rose up soon after the events of 'that Night'. But instead of getting worse like most expected, things in Gotham have improved."

This brought a thoughtful look to Gordon's face as he continued to listen, before noticing a person entering the alley and approaching his car.

"There are those that would say that this was because of the combined efforts of Commissioner Foley and Mayor Cobblepot, but this Reporter thinks that this is because of one Man...the Batman..." the broadcast continued, only to have the older-Man's full attention caught as the passenger door opened and a dark-skinned Woman with Raven-hair sat down beside him.

"So tell me, Renee, how is it looking? Because I haven't seen any activity at the front." the former-Cop asked with a tinge of annoyance to his voice, while turning off the radio.

"It's completely quiet out there, Jim. I don't like it."

"What's to like...?" Gordon began to say, before taking a file out of the glove-box and opening it to reveal a photo clipped together with some notes.

"...We were 'hired' to watch this Jake Percival by his wife, because she believes that he is running with the wrong people." he added while flipping through the notes, which brought a confused look to Renee's face.

"So why are we not just following him now?"

"Because when I tailed him yesterday, he came here. Plus I have..." the older Man replied, only for his Partner to cut him off as she noticed another piece of paper amongst the notes.

"Wait, what's that..?" she asked, taking the file from Jim and picking out the sheet.

"...I didn't see these particular notes in this file yesterday."

"As I was trying to say, I was given some extra information about this particular place." he said back, earning a knowing look from Renee.

"You mean from your 'friend'...the Batman."

This made Jim sigh as he looked away from her, returning his attention back to the building ahead of them.

"Look, Renee..."

"Jim, I know. You want to help him, since he is probably the only one that is really doing any good out here..." she began to reply, bringing his attention back to her.

"...but you do realise that if you keep this up. Foley will find out and arrest you for aiding and abetting a Vigilante." she added, which made her Colleague smirk back knowingly.

"I think Peter is already fully aware of that, but he also knows that I won't stop. So I guess the only way that he could arrest me, is only if Batman and I are seen together."

The Woman nodded back as a look of understanding appeared on her face.

"That makes sense, considering that I have worked wit you for over a year now and even I haven't seen the two of you in the same room."

"Well, you may have noticed..." Gordon began to say, as he smiled back confidently.

"...that Batman is very good at letting people see him, only when he wants them to." he continued, gaining a mirrored look from his Partner as she looked back out of the Car window at the building across the street.

"Okay, so We are working with Batman on this one and I guess that means that there will be some kind of signal for us, so we can move in?" she said as the pair kept their attention on their target, with the latter nodding back in return.

"That's the plan."

Meanwhile, inside the building, there was two groups of Men standing at opposite sides of a large room that was filled with numerous wooden boxes and crates. One group wore flashy black suits and masks that looked like charred-Skulls, while the others were dressed in Puff-jackets that had the silhouette of a Penguin on their backs. Two of them carried a metal suitcase each, while everyone else in both groups carried sub-machine guns.

"So after numerous scuffles and fights, your Boss wants to finally meet ours?" one of the latter group asked, earning a nod from the one of the former.

"That's right, Black Mask thinks it's about time that he and the Penguin finally had a 'face to face', so they can discuss about how to rule Gotham's streets."

"That's not going to happen unless your Boss shows his face to us, because the Penguin does appear before another's Lackeys..." another one of the Penguin's Men said, before looking them up and down.

"...no matter how well dressed they are."

This made the masked-men look amongst themselves, while a Caucasian Man in jeans and a t-shirt stood between the two groups.

"Come on, Guys, don't be like that..." he replied with an almost smug expression, earning both groups attention.

"...you asked me to get you a place to meet, one that had not already been hit by the Bat. And here we are, so don't waste it on arguing, because who knows when 'he' might..."

Suddenly as if on cue, all their torches and even the street lamps outside turned off, leaving the two groups in complete darkness.

"What the hell?" one of the Penguin's Goons exclaimed in response, while the lead-member of Black Mask's Men readied his weapon.

"It's 'him'!" he said, making the others of both gangs follow suit. The lead Penguin goon then turned to the two carrying their metal-suitcases.

"Get those NV-goggles on, now!" he spat, earning nods back as they opened them and equipped the devices, whose lenses glowed green as they started to look around the large room.

Outside of the building, both Gordon and René saw this as they remained in their parked vehicle, earning a confused look from the latter.

"Is that the signal?" she asked, making the older Man gesture to her gently.

"No, not yet, but get ready." the older Man replied as he put the file away and kept his attention ahead of them.

Back inside, the two groups were almost panicking as their NV-goggle wearing comrades searched the room.

"Everyone, get in a circle!" one of the others shouted, making both groups d exactly that and aim their weapons into the darkness that surrounded them.

"I don't see anything." one of the two searchers said as he backed up to the safety of the circle, earning a nod from the other.

"Me neither." he replied while doing the same, when suddenly all the interior lights activated, blinding everyone as the two guys wearing NV-goggles screamed in pain.

"Aarrrgh! I can't se..!" the one furthest from the group shouted, before he suddenly went quiet.

"Mikey!" the other guy called out as looked in his friend's direction after ripping off his NV goggles, with his vision slowly recovering as he saw what looked like a body lying on the floor.

"Man down!" he called out while rushing to Mikey's side, only for something large and black to appear in his path.

"Oh shi..." he then started to say, before he was silenced by an incoming fist just as the others began to open fire. Those very sounds were even heard outside, making Gordon get out of the car as he looked back at his Partner.

That's the signal, come on." he said knowingly, which earned a nod from the Woman as she followed him.

Back inside, both the Penguin's and Black Mask's Men were firing their weapons in all directions, shattering the windows and putting bullet holes in the walls as they shared the same wide-eyed look of fear at what they were facing.

"Where the hell did 'he' go?" one of them shouted as they stopped and stared at the rest of the vast empty room around them.

"The Bat was standing right there!" one shouted back as he pointed to the two unconscious men now lying at their feet, while the rest of them remained in a circle. But before anyone else could respond, two grapple hooks shot down from the shadows of the ceiling and grabbed the the right legs of both leaders of the groups, yanking them upside down and hanging them there.

"Get me dow..." the Penguin's lead-goon began to say as he hung there, only to be cut off as he then saw the Batman descend from the darkness of the scaffolding above. The man's eyes widened in terror as he watched the Dark Knight land between him and the Black Mask's lead-man, there in the center of the circle of armed-men, who all stood there and stared back in equal shock.

"What are you waiting for, shoot him!" the latter exclaimed with a fierce tone, snapping the others out of their shock. But that did not help as the vigilante quickly spun his cape around him, creating a sharp gust of air that disorientated them. He then disarmed the first man standing to his right, using the gun to club the guy on his left while back-kicking the previous one in the chest, sending him onto his ass. Two more then attempted to charge at their enemy, but Batman quickly kicked one of the two hanging leaders into them, making them fall onto their knees.

One masked-Man then managed to grapple the costumed Man from behind, giving another the chance to attack. The Dark Knight though, quickly kicked his legs into the air and hit the guy directly in the face, taking him out. While he fell to the ground and joined the others, Batman used his inertia to break the guy's grapple and send him up and over him, landing behind the mask-Man. The latter quickly tried to turn, but the Vigilante put him into a lock and then slammed him face down into the ground.

As the Dark Knight made short work of the two gangs, the guy who had helped them found himself staring in wide-eyed disbelief at what was happening before him.

"Screw this, I'm out of here!" Jake exclaimed as he saw the Costumed-Man continued to fight his way through the armed Men, before turning around and heading for the exit. Batman then turned around just into time to see him escaping out of the room, which made him smirk.

'He's all yours, Jim.' he thought before turning his attention to his right, while one of the others recovered and charged at him, though the Vigilante simply grabbed him and used the guy's inertia to throw him into another who has just recovered, knocking them both out and noting that there was no one left, except for those hanging from the rafters.

"Now that we are alone..." he said aloud, gaining their attention as they continued to swing back and forth ever so gently.

"...I have some questions about your Bosses..." he continued while turning to face them, which brought horrified expressions to their faces as they looked at him.

"...and you are going to answer me." he finished while closing the distance between them, making both Men nod back fearfully.

Meanwhile, outside of the building. The door burst open and the Caucasian Guy ran out, directly into the path of Gordon and Rene.

"Freeze, Jake!" the former commanded as he and his Partner aimed their pistols at the fleeing Man, who tripped and fell over into the nearby Trash-Cans, causing a racket as they fell over like bowling-Pins.

"God damn it..." Jim replied as he rolled his eyes, before looking over at his equally surprised friend.

"...Rene, help me get him out of that."

The two then helped the guy up out of the trash, only to surprise him by placing his hands in hand-cuffs.

"What the hell? You're not Police, you can't arrest me, Gordon!" Jake spat back, earning a knowing smile back in return.

"Oh but we can, because your 'Wife' hired us to find out what you have been doing." he said back, making the Criminal's eyes widen in shock.

"And since we found you at a 'Crime-scene', we have to turn you over to the Police." Rene added in a similar tone, which made the older Man's smile widen.

"Rene, take Jake here to the Car, while I call his Wife and let her know to join us at the local Precinct..." he replied, earning a nod from the Woman. But before she could start to escort Jake away, the door burst open again as both leaders of the Penguin and Black Mask gangs ran out in total panic, only to spilt up and run away in opposite directions.

"Uh...Jim?" his Partner asked with a bemused look, which just made Gordon shake his head knowingly.

"Not our problem, Rene, carry on."

The Woman then reluctantly nodded back, before taking their prisoner back to their car, leaving the former Police Commissioner alone.

"Busy night?" he then asked aloud into the dimly lit alley next to the building, before Batman then appeared out of the shadows on the fire-escape over head.

"You could say that, Jim."

"Do you need me to call the PD to come get the guys in there?" the older Man asked, making the Dark Knight shake his head as he looked down at him.

"That won't be necessary, I have my ways of anonymously contacting the Police. Plus, the less they see us working together, the better. Wouldn't you agree?"

"Yeah, I guess..." Jim began to reply reluctantly, before glancing in the direction that the Penguin's Man had run into.

"And what about the two strays?" he then added, gaining a slight smirk back from the Vigilante.

"I will deal with them, once they have lead me back to their hideouts." he answered, earning a nod back from his friend as he sighed.

"I see, you're tracking them back to the Penguin and Black Mask, the last of the Mob Bosses in Gotham."

Batman simply stared back stoically in return, not answering Gordon, who then shrugged and took out his phone from his inside coat-pocket.

"Well, I should call Jake's Wife..." he began to say, only to be cut off by the Dark Knight.

"Good Night, Jim, watch yourself." he said, making the older Man return his attention back to the other's location.

"You too, Bat..." he began to reply, before noticing that the fire-escape was now empty.

"...man." he continued, while a slight smile appeared on his face as he returned his attention to his phone and made the call.

"Hello, Mrs Percival, It's Jim Gordon. Could you meet me and my Partner at your local Police Precinct, please..." he started to say, while walking slowly back to his waiting car.

A/N: That was the first chapter of my sequel to 'Scarred and the Damned', I hope you liked it and thank you for reading.

I really appreciate it.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER II

At old Gotham's local Police Precinct, Jim Gordon stood at the front desk with Jake Percival, while one of it's Police Officers dealt with the paper work.

"Thanks for the help on this one, Jim. Our guys just found the rest of the two gangs that you reported to us..." the young uniformed-man started to say, before giving the older Man a questioning look.

"...but how did you know about that building?"

"This loser's wife hired Renee and I to investigate him, because she thought he was running off to cheat on her..." Jim began to reply, only for Jake to quickly answer back.

"I would never do that, I love Betty." he spat back defensively, before another voice called out from the direction of the Precinct's entrance.

"Jake!" called out a tattooed Woman in a fake Leopard skinned dress, who stormed right up to the restrained man.

"Betty, I..." he started to reply with a relieved voice, only to be stopped as she slapped his face, gaining the attention of everyone in the room.

"You son of a bitch!" she spat back angrily, making the Cop at the front desk gesture to one of his Colleagues, who then quickly intervened.

"Sorry, Miss, we can't allow that." the other Officer replied as he grabbed Jake and pulled him away from her, while Gordon watched with a bemused expression.

"Jenkins, take Percival to the cells." the Receptionist ordered, earning a nod from the latter as he then carted Jake away.

"But...Baby, I did it for you!" was all the latter would shout back as he was taken out of sight, gaining an angry look from Betty as she turned her attention to the Cop at the front-desk.

"Make sure you throw the book at him." she said in a definite and clear tone, only then to look back at Jim and sigh.

"Mr. Gordon, thank you for your help with Jake, I am very grateful for it." she then said in a calmer tone, making the older-man nod back.

"Just doing my job, Mrs. Percival." he replied as she took a brown envelope and handed it over to him, before smiling at him knowingly.

"Here is the payment you asked for and please, call me Betty." she said with a tinge of playfulness to her voice, which made Jim's cheeks redden slightly in embarrassment.

"Thank you...Betty." he replied with a cough, as she turned to face the door and then looked back at him over her shoulder.

"See you around." she then said, before leaving the Police station. It was then quiet for a moment as the Receptionist and Gordon just looked at the door in bemusement.

"Why didn't you make a move, Jim..?" a familiar voice then said, making the latter turn around to see Harvey Bullock standing behind him.

"...it's not like you're tied down or anything."

This made the older-man sigh, before he and his former colleague shook hands.

"Let's just say that she wasn't my type and leave it at that, Harvey." he replied, earning a nod and a smirk back from the podgy-man in return.

"Fair enough, but I am just looking out for you, Pal..." Bullock began to say, before gesturing for Gordon to follow."

"...anyway, join me in the Cafeteria for a Coffee?"

"Why not. I already gave Montoya the rest of the night off, before delivering Percival here anyway." Jim replied as he and the other guy left the Reception and headed further into the Police Station.

A few moments later and the pair were seated at a table in said room, with each drinking a hot cup of Coffee.

"You know, it never ceases to amaze me that Foley still doesn't know about this." Gordon said with a tinge of disbelief to his voice as he looked around at the other Police Officers seated a tables like their's, making Bullock smile as he put down his hot drink.

"Well, I guess that we just think that our 'dear' Commissioner doesn't need to know. Plus there is also the fact that most of the guys on the force still look up to you, Jim, even the newbies."

"From what I have read in the Papers and seen on the News, Peter hasn't exactly been doing the job to the best of his ability." the older-man replied with worried tone, which brought a matter-of-fact expression to his friend's face.

"I think you're giving Foley too much credit, Jim,". When to many of us, he was never good enough for the job in the first place."

This made Gordon's eyes widen a little in shock at what he had just heard, before quickly taking a sip of his drink.

"I know you have a lot of problems with the Commissioner, Harvey, but he is still the Commissioner at the end of the day and that position warrants respect." he said back with shame tied into his words, but the podgy man simply shook his head in return.

"Sorry, Jim, but I don't buy that for a second. Because if I am totally honest with you..." he started to say back, only for Gordon to cut him off.

"What? And you haven't been 'honest enough' so far?" he said back with a slightly sarcastic, but still surprised tone as the Cop simply continued unfazed.

"...Jim, 5 years ago, you should have stayed and fought to keep your job. I know that no one in the GCPD would have stood against you...other than Foley of course."

"Bullock's right, Jim." another familiar voice suddenly spoke from the Private Detective's right, making him look there to see Crispus Allen standing there.

"Cris Allen? How long were you standing there?" he asked, making the Cop smirk back as he sat down beside them.

"Long enough to hear most of what the Bullock said, which I whole-heartedly agree with." Allen replied, making Gordon's face look both shocked and confused at the same time. But before he could reply, the new arrival continued.

"I know what you're going to say, Jim. But you haven't been here and witnessed the number of bizarre and frankly idiotic decisions that Foley has made while in charge..."

"Jim, ask the Lt. how many criminals we have had to let go in mid-pursuit, just because the Batman appeared and Foley wanted him arrested instead." Harvey then asked, making Gordon look over to Allen, who just stared back knowingly.

"I'll save you trouble, Jim. So let's just say...a lot."

The former Commissioner's eyes widened a little in return, as he could not hide his shock once more at what he was hearing.

"You're both serious about that?" he asked, still not quite buying it. But both friends just sighed and nodded back.

"It's true, Jim. Whether we are chasing down a Mugger or a fender bender, as soon as the Bat appears, we have to make him the priority." Bullock replied, making his former Colleague adjust his glasses with a disappointed sigh.

"I know all to well

"Looks like the Commissioner has summoned me..." he started to explain, noticing the curious look that Gordon was giving him.

"...he wants me to meet him at an event that is being held in the City Plaza."

"Oh, yeah. Isn't there some big Wayne/Lamont announcement being made?" Bullock then asked, making Allen shrug his shoulders.

"No idea, but I should go. Gentlemen." he replied before leaving the former Colleagues, who remained at their table.

"I should be going too." Gordon added as he finished his drink, making his chubby friend get up in return.

"Okay, Jim, then how about I walk you out then." he replied as the older Man nodded and stood up, before both men then left the Cafeteria.

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, there were scores of people at the City Plaza, where what looked like a festival was taking place. There were many stalls and amusements available to keep the visitors entertained, but at the main stage stood Sebastian Lamont and Lucius Fox, with the former looking rather anxious.

"Bruce should be here by now, what could be taking him?" the younger Man asked, earning a calm and collected expression from the Wayne Ent. Chairman.

"I am sure Mr. Wayne will be here momentarily, Sebastian. Perhaps he is stuck in traffic?"

This made Lamont stare back at him with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Really? The guy is a billionaire, so traffic should not even be a blip on his radar anymore. All I know is that this announcement requires both CEOs of Wayne Enterprises and Lamont Industries..." he began to reply, before the older-man then saw Bruce walk into view with Alfred following behind him.

"Ah, here he is." Fox spoke, cutting Sebastian off as the Wayne approached them.

"Well, it's about time..." the younger of the two men said with pained relief, gaining an apologetic look from Bruce.

"Sorry I am late, Seb. I was tied up in some evening..." he began to explain, only to stop as if nothing came to mind.

"...Negotiations, Sir." Alfred then stepped in, earning a appreciative nod back from the Billionaire in return.

"Yes, exactly that. Thanks, Alfred."

This earned a knowing eye roll from Sebastian, before he gestured for his friend to follow.

"Whatever, you can tell me all about it after we have done our piece on stage, let's go." he replied, with the new arrival following him onto the stage as Fox and Alfred watched.

"Negotiations? Is this the Penguin and Black Mask again?" the former then asked, earning a nod from thr Butler.

"Naturally, Lucius. Batman was in the middle of re-calibrating the frequencies of the two Bat-Tracers he had used to bug two Thugs from either gang, before I had to remind him of this engagement."

This gained a confused expression from the Chairman, who took out his phone from his coat pocket.

"Why would he need to re-calibrate the tracers, since they always give off a very strong signal that is easily tracked via the 'Bat-Satellite' in orbit?"

"I do not pretend to understand everything that Master Wayne told me earlier, but there was something about a blackout zone that made the tracers signals disappear." Pennyworth replied, making the other man's expression become more concerned as he shook his head in return.

"No, that's impossible. There isn't any tech that is on level with what we have been supplying the Batman, it just isn't possible. But let me take a look at the last scans you have, since Bruce will be busy for the next few minutes." Fox said back, earning a nod from Alfred as they then walked further backstage.

Meanwhile, everyone's attention was caught as a Speaker called out from a podium on the main stage.

"Ladies and Gentlemen, may I have your attention please..." he began to say as the audience, made up of various kinds of people, from Socialites, Journalists, City Officials and the general public, turned their attention to him.

"Now as you are fully aware, five years ago, Wayne Enterprises began an ambitious Initiative to rebuild and renovate the area of our fine City known as 'Old Gotham'. It wasn't a risk-free move to make, but it has paid off dividends, with hundreds of new jobs and opportunities created, as well stabilising an area that was once over run with Crime. And the situation there continues to improve, despite the fact that the Initiative has not yet been completed..." he continued, while the Audience watched intently.

"And with Wayne Enterprises leading by example, others have joined our endeavour...like Lamont Industries. And to speak more about this, I give you the CEOs of both Companies...Bruce Wayne and Sebastian Lamont!"

The was a thunderous round of applause as both Men walked onto the stage, stopping at the podium as the speaker stepped aside.

"Thank you, Gotham, you are too kind..." he started to say with an appreciative and charismatic smile.

"...but we not here today for the two of us..." the Billionaire continued to say as he gestured at both Seb and himself.

"...but for all of you. Because the Initiative that has breathed new life into Gotham City was only the beginning, a stepping stone into something greater and as most of you are fully aware..." the young Wayne added, before gesturing to his friend.

"...Sebastian Lamont pledged his company's support and resources to my endeavour. And together, our companies have sped up the time-line of how the Initiative was going to be worked and completed, bringing new ideas to the table on how to improve the City and it's infrastructure." He then finished, before stepping aside and letting Seb take the stand.

"Over the last few years, we have updated the City's Water supply-Network and Power-Grid, with both systems needing a much needed upgrade..." the other Man began to explain, before gesturing to the massive black curtain that was hanging behind the stage, covering up something that was the size of a building as spot lights were shone up at it from all directions.

"...and even though there are still a number of ideas and avenues that we are in the process of in researching, here tonight we can reveal one that will be make the lives of all Gothamites that much easier."

"And now we can reveal..." Seb then added as the curtain then fell, revealing a brand-new Mono-rail station.

"...Gotham's new, Public Transport System. He carries on, before Bruce then stepped in.

"As many of you know, the previous system was created when my Parents were still alive and had been severally neglected during it's operation, before finally being shut down seven years ago, after the Terrorist attack..." he added, while a screen just behind them activated and began showing information slides to the audience.

"...but now, this new transit system is faster and even more safer due to the state of the art H&S and Security features that have been introduced during it's creation, meaning that everyone in Gotham can go about the city without fear of something, like that day seven years ago, from happening again." The Wayne Enterprise's Owner finished as he clicked his fingers, making a Mono-Rail car activate and leave the station as it moved away over it's rail-line overhead, bringing loud and enthusiastic applause from the audience.

"Thank you, now why don't we open the floor to some questions." the Wayne then said, which made many in the crowd hold up a hand in return.

Twenty minutes after the presentation and both Bruce and Seb were now mingling with Gotham's elite and powerful, from City Officials to Business Leaders.

"Well, Bruce, that was another success to add to the Initiative." the latter said with a relieved expression, earning a knowing nod back from the former.

"Yeah, but we still have a long way to go before the Initiative is finished." making his friend put a hand on his shoulder, while he smiled back.

"But in the end, Gotham will be all the better for it. It will once more stand tall alongside such cities like Keystone City and Metropolis."

"Well said." a female voice then replied, making both men turn to see a young Caucasian Woman with dark chocolate long hair, wearing a sleek black dress that hung from her athletic-looking body. She was standing with Alfred, who despite the visible beauty by his side, still remained as professional and impeccable as ever.

"Master Wayne, may I introduce...Miss. Miranda Tate, who wanted to meet you." he said, while she stepped toward the Billionaire and offered him her hand.

"It's a pleasure to finally meet you, Mr. Wayne." she then said, while Bruce shook her hand in return.

"Please, call me Bruce. And I am sure we have seen each other before."

"That is true, though it was at the weekly Wayne Enterprise Board-meetings. We have never really had the opportunity to actually speak to one another, which I think was a shame..." Miranda began to reply, while a slight smile appeared on her face.

"...because I think we could do great things together."

"Miss Tate was telling me of the many charitable projects that she has spearheaded around the world." Alfred then spoke, earning a nod from Seb after he took a sip of his drink.

"I too, have heard of those as well, Miss Tate..." he said, gaining the Woman's attention.

"...I am Sebastian Lamont. My friends call me 'Seb'." he added with a tinge of suaveness to his voice.

"Nice to meet you." she replied, before quickly returning her focus to Bruce.

"I was thinking that we could have a business lunch together, where we can discuss some ideas I have that I believe can help your Initiative, Bruce." she carried on, making the Wayne smile and nod back.

"That sounds great, Miranda. How about tomorrow, since I believe that I have a free space in my schedule?" he replied, before looking over at his Butler with a hopeful expression.

"Of course, Sir, that will not be a problem." he replied with a smile, before noticing Seb roll his eyes and finish his drink, before Lucius suddenly appeared and joined the group, looking rather concerned.

"Lucius, have you and Miranda Tate met?" Bruce then asked, earning a quick smile from the Chairman in return as he looked between her and him.

"Yes, of course. It is lovely to see you again, my dear." he replied, earning an appreciative nod back in return.

"However I am afraid that those potential 'business partners' you were hoping to meet, but were unable to speak to..." he started to say to the younger man, a slight crypticness underlining his words.

"...are now available for a meeting." he continued, making the billionaire's eyes widen a little as he realised what his friend was on about.

"Oh, I see..." he began to reply, before looking back at Seb and Miranda with a disappointed expression.

"...sorry, but this is something that I 'have' to take care of, unfortunately."

"No worries, Bruce." his friend replied, while the Woman mirrored his reaction.

"Of course, I completely understand. Besides, I will see you again tomorrow." The lady replied, making the Billionaire smile once more.

"Yes, we will. Please allow my Butler to make the necessary arrangements." he replied while gesturing to Alfred, who took out a small notebook and pen from the inside pocket of his suit.

"Yes, Master Wayne, I can do that."

"Now, Mr Fox and I really must be going. I will see you later." Bruce then said, while the Wayne Enterprises Chairman smiled at the others.

"It was a pleasure to see you." he added, before he and his younger Boss left the area.

"Well, Miss Tate, where and when would you like to meet with Master Wayne tomorrow? Because I have three open slots in his schedule tomorrow, with one at 12pm, 3pm and 5pm." he asked, gaining an appreciative smile back from the young lady.

"3 pm sounds good, Alfred, and I was thinking that the Criterion Restaurant would be a good place for the lunch." she said back.

"Alright then, Miss Tate. You are in Master Wayne's schedule for tomorrow." the older-man replied, earning a nod back from Miranda.

"Thank you, Alfred..." she started to say, before being cut off as The sound of a phone ringing eminated from the black leather purse she was carrying.

"...oh, forgive me..." the Woman added with a regretful tone, while she picked up he phone and looked at it's screen.

"It's no trouble, Ma'am." Alfred replied politely, while Miranda's eyes widened alittle as she saw the name on the screen.

"...but I must take this. It was nice to meet you, Mr. Lamont..." she carried on as she looked at Sebastian, before returning her attention to the Butler as she turned to leave.

"..., Good Night, Alfred."

"Good Night, Miss Tate." the older-man replied as she walked away, before noticing the disappointed expression on Lamont's face.

"Is there something wrong, Sir?"

"Oh, it's nothing, Alfred. Just that, things never really change." the younger Man answered back with a sigh. This brought a puzzled look to Pennyworth's face.

"I am afraid that I do not follow?"

"Back in College, Bruce would get all the attention from the ladies, leaving me in wind." Seb replied with a regretful tone, which made Alfred look around them in return.

"Well, Sir. Master Wayne is not here now." he replied, earning a look of realisation from Lamont as he glanced around him.

"You're right, he isn't..." he began to say, before noticing a Blonde Woman in a green dress eyeing him from just aways.

"...if you'll excuse me, Alfred..." he added with a now confident expression, only for the Butler to cut him off with a smile.

"Of course, Sir...good luck."

This brought the younger-man's attention back to Pennyworth, as he stared back with a surprised look on his face.

"...Not that you will need it." Alfred quickly and smoothly continued, making Lamont smirk back as he then walked over to the lady, leaving the Wayne's Butler on his own.

"I don't know..." he began to say to himself, before then heading out of the party himself.

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, Bruce and Fox were now sitting in the latter's car as it drover away from the event, with the younger-man looking at a smartphone as his Chairman focused on his driving.

"So you managed to clear up whatever was disrupting the tracer's signal?" Wayne asked, making Lucius shake his head in return.

"No, Mr. Wayne, what you're looking at now is one of your tracers signalling from a whole different location..." he began to explain, while the Billionaire returned hos attention to the tablet's screen.

"...but wherever the disruption occurred, it was because there is a dead-zone covering an area of several blocks, which..." the Chairman continued, only to have Bruce cut him off.

"Is too big of an area to search on foot."

"Exactly, but as far as I know, there is no device capable of producing the kind of dead-zone that can interfere with our tracers." Fox replied, earning a knowing nod from the other guy.

"I know, they are state of the art."

"Either way, I will be looking into this, Bruce. In the meantime..." the older man started to say, before his younger friend spoke up again.

"In the meantime, I will be seeing what's going on at the Gotham Depot." he said while gesturing at the tablet, which showed that the tracer was pulsing from a particular spot on a map of the city. This brought a smirk to Lucius's face as he glanced at the screen, before returning his attention to the road ahead.

"I knew you would, that's why I am driving you to your Penthouse, since you do have a Bat-Bunker beneath it's building..." he began to reply, before a questioning look appeared on his face.

"...but the 'Batmobile' is back at the Bat-Cave, correct?"

This made the Billionaire smile as he looked back at his friend.

"That's right, but then again, you did build more than one."

"How very true, Mr Wayne." Lucius replied with a mirrored look, as their car neared it's destination.

Elsewhere, Jim Gordon had arrived at home and in the five years since his ex-wife and kids left, the place felt like it had become very solitary indeed. As he stood at the front door, the former Police Commissioner remembered one of the many times that he had played with both Jimmy and Barbara there at porch when they were little, which brought a slight smile to his face.

'God, I miss you guys.' he thought as the memory faded, bringing his attention back to the locked door as he took he house-key from his right-trouser pocket.

'That can't be right...' he suddenly thought as he tried to unlock the door, with a puzzled look appearing on his face.

'...it's unlocked!' he added as his Cop-instincts took over, equipping his Buretta while slowly opening the door and entering the residence.

Almost immediately, the older-man noticed light coming from the kitchen area which was illuminating the living-room, so he continued to slowly walk towards the lit area, hearing the sounds of someone cooking.

'What the?' the Private Detective thought as he got to the doorway leading to the kitchen, which made him take a deep breath as he tightened his grip around his weapon.

"Daddy?" a very familiar voice then spoke from behind him, making Gordon almost jump as he spun around, stopping short of aiming his weapon when he saw a 13 year old red-headed girl standing there.

"Barbara?"

A/N: That was the second chapter of my sequel to 'Scarred and the Damned', I hope you liked it and thank you for reading.
I really appreciate it.

Next Chapter: Batman takes on an armed gang at Gotham's Depot with some 'extra firepower' and Gordon is surprised to find his Daughter visiting him.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER III

"That's a hell of a greeting, Daddy." the girl replied as she looked at the older Man, who stood there with his weapon drawn. But her words snapped him out of his surprise, making him look down at the Buretta, before clicking the safety into place and placing it back in it's holster on his belt.

"Well, what did I tell you about trying to surprise an ex-Cop?" he asked back, gaining a thoughtful look from his Daughter in return.

"I know, but 'we' wanted to give you a nice surprise." she said with a smile, looking over his shoulder and making the P.I. turn to see a 17 year old Jimmy standing in the doorway to the Kitchen.

"Hey, Dad." he said back, earning a nod from his old Man.

"Jimmy..." he began to reply, before gesturing to them both.

"...come here, you two." he added with a warm smile, before all three took part in a loving group hug. A moment later, the three separated as their Dad looked at his Kids with a big smile on his face.

"It's really great to see you both. But please, call in advance next time..." he continued, gaining acknowledging nods from the youngsters in return as a familiar smell caught Jim's attention.

"What's cooking?" He asked, looking in the Kitchen's direction.

"It's your favourite, Dad, Salisbury Steak with Fries and Gravy. Jimmy was making it as a part of the surprise." Barbara replied, earning an appreciative smile from their Father.

"I thought that I recognised that delicious aroma..." he began to say back, making his Daughter chuckle.

"...okay then, let's eat."

Twenty minutes later, the trio were sitting around the Dining-room table, having just finished their meals.

"Thank you, Jimmy, that was delicious. Just like your Mother used to make." Gordon said with a happy smile, gaining an appreciative one back from his eldest in return.

"You're welcome, Dad. But Mom didn't teach me how to cook that, since I taught myself." the younger Man replied, earning a curious expression from the Private Investigator.

"Really? I could have sworn that your's and her's tasted identical."

"They do, Daddy. But as Jimmy said, he taught himself..." Barbara jumped in, making both guys turn their attention to her as she spoke.

"...because he wants to be a Cook."

This brought a look of surprise to their Father's face, making his eyes widen a little.

"A Cook, but I thought you wanted to be a ... when you finished your Studies, Jimmy?" he asked, making his Son shrug as he finished the last forkful of food from his plate.

"I did, but I guess things change." he replied a little cryptically, making his Sister shake her head.

"Jimmy's just being modest, Daddy. A few years ago, Mom hadn't made us any dinner one night as she went out on a date..." she started to say, making Gordon raise an eyebrow.

"Your Mom didn't cook for you?" he asked in disbelief, cutting his Daughter off.

"It happens a lot these days, old news..." Jimmy began to answer with a disappointed tone underlining his words, before gesturing to his little Sister.

"...but please let Barb finish the story, since she enjoys telling it."

"It's not that great of a story, but still...okay. So as I was saying...Jimmy decided that if we were going to eat something, then he should be the one to cook, as he was the oldest. So he took Mom's cooking book and just followed the recipe...for 'Chicken Tikka Masala'." the young-girl explained, making Gordon's eyes widen in surprise once more.

"You made a curry? That's not an easy meal to make." he said, earning a knowing nod from the lad in return.

"I know, but I did it...and it was edible." he answered with a smirk.

"It was more than that, Jimmy, it was really tasty." his Sister replied happily.

"And it was a lot of fun to make. So afterwards, I tried a few more meals. With each one getting harder and more fulfilling to make every time." Jimmy explained, earning another nod from Barbara.

"They were all delicious, so Jimmy changed his studies to Cooking and hasn't looked back." she added, making Gordon's smile widened as he looked st his eldest.

"Son, I don't know what else to say other than I am very proud of you. I mean if you can make my Salsbury Steak like this..."

"Actually, Dad, I think I can improve the meal if I add certain spices to it." Jimmy said back, interrupting his Father, who simply smirked back.

"Well, I can't wait to try it out." he replied, before turning his attention to his Daughter.

"And how are things in School for you, Barbara?"

"They're okay, I guess." she replied a little sheepishly, which brought a surprised look to her Brother's face.

"Now who's being modest? Considering that you're top of the class in both Computer-Science and Gymnastics." he replied, making their Father look at both them with pride once again before giving his Daughter a curious stare.

"You're doing Computer Science at 13 years old?"

"Well, I kind of showed up an older Student when he was giving my class a presentation on Computers at School. The Teacher was so impressed that he had me take the Computer Science end of year examination for last year, which I aced. So the School Board agreed that I could take the subject now, which happens to be from a year above me." she explained with a tinge of humbleness to her voice.

"It's good to hear that you both are doing so well with your Studies." he said with a warm and caring expression, earning smiles back from his kids.

"So, how have things been for you, Dad? I mean, we have heard a lot on the News, about the Mob and other things." Jimmy asked, trying to generalise his question. But Barbara then spoke up, with a very particular question in mind.

"How is the Batman?" she asked with a very enthusiastic tone, surprising Gordon in return.

"Well, he's fine. I mean, he's 'the Batman'." he replied, feeling a little uncomfortable at his Daughter's question.

"That's good to know, after all, he has pretty much handled the Mob all by himself in the last couple of years. I bet it is just a matter of time before he finds the Penguin and Black-Mask." she said back, making Jimmy roll his eyes and sigh.

"Don't worry, Dad. Barbara is just starting to go through 'that' phase." he joked, making his Father's eyes widen a little as the red-head looked back at them with a confused expression.

"Oh, now it makes sense." the former replied with a slight smile.

"What, what makes sense? What are you two on about?" Barbara replied questioningly.

"I can't say that I didn't see this coming, but I was expecting it to be Boy Bands and worthless Celebs, but not masked Vigilantes." Jim added, bringing a look of realisation to his Daughter's face as her cheeks started to redden in response.

"It's nothing like that." she replied with a sheepish but honest tone, making her Brother stare back with a disbelieving look on his face.

"Really?"

"Yes!" Barbara then said with a slither of annoyance underlining her words, not going unnoticed by her Father.

"There's nothing wrong with a little hero-worship, I mean the Batman has saved the City, as well as our lives more than once..." the older man began to explain, with a slight smile gracing his face.

"...in fact, I did help him once during one of those times."

"We know, Dad..." Jimmy then replied, rolling his eyes and sighing in return.

"...you've already told us...many times..." he continued, before looking at his watch.

"...but anyway, I am going to call it a night. See you guys in the Morning, Night." the young Man finished, before leaving the table and beginning to head upstairs. This earned a surprised and confused look from Jim as he watched his Son leave.

"Oh, okay. Night, Jimmy."

"Night." Barbara added, before returning her attention to her Dad and noticing his confused look.

"Don't worry about Jimmy, Daddy. He just likes to see himself more like an adult now, rather than the kid he used to be." she said, bringing the P.I.'s focus back to her.

"I realise that." he said back with a disheartened tone, before Barbara placed her hand on top of his and smiled at him.

"But I still love to hear your stories."

"Thanks, Barbara." the older man replied with a mirrored expression.

"So do you still work with 'him'?" his Daughter quickly asked, making Jim smirk as he took a sip of his Coffee.

"Yeah, I have helped the Batman out more than a few times." he answered, making her smile widen in response.

"Cool, I wish I could help him out. Do something to say thank you for everything he did for our family." she replied with an enthusiastic tone, which made her Father's expression become a little more toughened.

"Don't take this the wrong way, Barbara, but I don't want you anywhere near the Batman..!" he began to say back, earning a surprised look from the young girl.

"...because the world he surrounds himself in is no place for a teenage Girl, so promise me that you aren't going to go looking for him?"

"I promise, Daddy." she quickly replied in a honest and clear tone, earning a sigh from the former Cop as he took another sip of his drink.

"So, do you think the Batman's kicking some bad-guy ass right now?" Barbara then asked, stopping Gordon in mid-sip as he noted one particular word in her question. But his Daughter simply stared back with an enthusiastic innocence to her face, waiting for his answer. So the Private-Investigator swallowed and smirked back at her, choosing to ignore the curse she just said...this time.

"Barbara, I can honestly say that wherever the Batman is, he is certainly kicking someone's ass...and they deserve it."

[ApolloXL5]

Meanwhile, Batman knelt down on the edge of rooftop overlooking Gotham's main Freight Depot, that was connected to the City's central Train Station. The night's breeze gently moving his cape to the side as his eyes glowed, which was due to him using his Cowl's Sonar-vision.

"There's a lot of activity down there, Fox, more than there should be for this time of night." he observed, seeing all the people down there due to their Mobile-phones sending out sonar waves, mapping out the entire area and everyone in it, which he could see in his's Cowl's 'Head's Up Display'.

"Yes, I can see it too..." Lucius replied from his seat at the Bat-Computer, back in the Bat-Bunker underneath Bruce's Penthouse building.

"...just don't use that tech to spy on everyone again." he added with a knowing tone, which made the Vigilante shake his head slightly in return.

"Like I would do that, anyway..." Batman added, trying to change the subject as he controlled the function from a small set of controls hidden in one of the packs on his Utility-Belt.

"...you and your team really out-did yourselves with version 2.0 of this tech, since I can now zoom in the image and see all the details of their clothes and what they have on them."

"Well, I can't have you risking your life out there every night without the most state of the art equipment, which can not be traced back to Wayne Enterprises naturally..." the older Man began to reply, only for the Dark Knight to cut him off as he recognised the insignia on the back of one of Men's jackets.

"It's the Penguin's men, I recognise the emblem on their backs..." he then began to say as his voice took on a curious tone, while they continued to work down on the ground below him.

"...but they are the only ones down there, I cannot see any of the Depot's night-shift anywhere else in the area."

"That's strange, considering that it is a '24 hour a day' workplace. There should be at least a few people in." Fox replied over the com-link, earning a nod from the costumed-man in return.

"But there isn't, Penguin's Men have the run of the place..." he added, before turning his attention to a large Lorry being packed up with metal crates.

"...and they appear to have found whatever it is they are after." Batman noticed, using his Ultility-belt control to zoom in on the crates.

"Can you make out any markings or insignias on them?" Lucius asked, making the Vigilante shake his head.

"No, there is nothing to identify their contents or who they belong to."

"That worries me, Bruce..." Fox began to reply in a telling tone, as his friend continued to watch the Men working below him.

"...because as you know, back when Earle was running the Board at Wayne Enterprises, he had a number of military contracts going. And when it came to delivering those, we were instructed to use unmarked Cargo containers and crates."

"So I take it that they must have used transmitters to identify which containers were their's then?" Batman then asked back, making the Chairman nod back from his place in the Bat-Bunker.

"That is the standard Military procedure when dealing with 'off the book' hardware, that's correct."

"So use the Bat's Eye Satellite to find out if these crates contain one of those transmitters, it should still be positioned over Gotham." the costumed-man then said, before his attention was caught by the arrival of two more vehicles to the area.

"Running scan now..." the older-man began to reply, only for Batman to cut him off.

"We have new arrivals here, two black Humvees." he observed while zooming in on them with his HUD, making his eyes widen as he recognised one man who stepped out of the lead car, who wore all black body armour and mask with red lining on his chest in the form of a Spider.

"That's 'Black-Spider'!"

"You mean the international Mercenary and Assassin, Black-Spider?" Fox asked back, gaining a nod from the Vigilante.

"The one and the same."

"So you obviously have the Penguin feeling a little anxious right now, especially is he is hiring assassins to stop you from interferring with his interests."

"Well, it doesn't change anything, since I don't intend to let the Penguin get his hands on Military equipment..." Batman replied, before noticing that the Penguin's men were virtually finished loading the Lorry.

"...which they are now taking out of the Depot, so we have to make our mo..." he added while moving away from the rooftop's edge, only for the Chairman to cut him off.

"I understand, Mr. Wayne, but I have just used the Bat's Eye and have detected the military transmitters on those crates." he replied, bringing a concerned look to Bruce's face beneath his Cowl as he kept moving.

"Why do I sense a 'but' coming?"

"Must be your keen Detective-like senses, Bruce...'but', I also checked the area surrounding the Depot and there are no Police patrols for at least four miles in all directions." the older man replied, making the Vigilante narrow his eyes as he dropped down from one roof to another below it.

"There is something bigger at work here, Fox, since this is the third time that when large enough gathering of Penguin's men appear somewhere in the city, that the Police then mysteriously vanished from the area."

"That does sound very suspious, Mr. Wayne. In fact, I have an appointment with the Mayor and the Police Commissioner tomorrow afternoon, so perhaps I can ask some discreetly ambiguous questions?" Fox replied with a slither of enthusiasum to his voice, while his younger friend stopped at the edge of another rooftop and looked down into the dark alley.

"We can discuss that later, Fox. In the meantime, have the vehicles left the Depot yet?"

"They are leaving as I speak, Mr. Wayne." the Chairman said back, bringing a slight grin to the Dark Knight's face.

"Good, I am in position now." he answered before dropping off the rooftop's edge and expanding his cape out as he decended into the darkness below.

Meanwhile, the lorry and it's escorts drove down on of Gotham's more emptier streets as it left the area of the Depot. Black-Spider sat in the passenger seat of the main vehicle, while one of Penguin's men sat in the driver's seat and kept his eyes on the road. But every now and then, he would give a nervous glance to the surrounding area. This did not go unnoticed by the Mercenary, who snapped his fingers and brought the driver's attention back.

"Hey, keep your eyes on the road!"

"Sorry, but I just know dat the Bat is gonna show up." the latter replied with a fearful tone, earning an annoyed sigh from the former, though his face could not be seen from behind his mask.

"Don't worry about 'him'! We have got enough firepower with us to stop a Juggernaut and if Batman manages to get to this truck, then I will deal with him." Black-Spider replied confidently, bringing a questioning look to the Driver's face.

"You sound real sure of yourself."

"Tell me, are you an international assassin and mercenary, with over 100 kills to his name?" he asked, earning a confused look from the Thug in return.

"No..." he began to answer, unable to tell how his passenger meant his question, due to his face being covered up.

"Then shut up and drive. Because we only have a window of 20 minutes to get this delivery out of the area before the cops start their patrols again." Black-spider replied, earning a silent nod back from the driver as he returned his focus to the road ahead.

"I still cannot believe that the Penguin has such control of the Gotham PD, I've seen Mob Bosses convince a Detective to hold back one or maybe two Patrols...but seven?" the costumed Merc then said with a curious tone, which made the other guy open his mouth. But before he could even begin to speak, his Passenger pointed a finger in his direction without even looking at him.

"I was just thinking out loud, there is no need to answer me. So stay quiet or I will hurt you."

This made the driver's eyes widen as he quickly closed his mouth, before looking back to the road ahead of them.

As the convoy continued on it's way to it's destination, it began to pass through an empty crossroads as one of Penguin's thugs, who was seated in the back of the Humvee following the Lorry, looked out of the side-window on his right-side, his eyes widening in shock as he saw something approaching them.

"It's 'him', the Bat's here!" he cried out as they left the crossroads, just as the Batmobile quickly turned the corner and joined the road they were on, quickly gaining on them, looking like a Le Man's race car from someone's nightmares with it's sleek yet fearsome design.

This gained a knowing nod from Black-spider as he heard the warning over the radio, looking over at his side-mirror to see the menacing vehicle following behind them, causing a slight smile to appear beneath his mask.

"It's showtime, boys. Let's give him the good stuff." he then said in to his transmitter, while the driver ne to him looked even more nervous.

Meanwhile, Batman sat in the driver's seat of the Batmobile, focusing on both the road and the armoured vehicles ahead of him, before noticing the Humvee in front winding down it's back window as a large gun emplacement appeared from within it.

"Mr. Wayne, the Batmobile's sensors register that as a Minigun." Fox spoke over the com-link as the data appeared in the Dark Knight's HUD, gaining a nod from him in return.

"I see it, shouldn't be a problem." he replied confidently as the weapon opened fire and enveloped the Batmobile in a barrage of bullets, all of which bounced harmlessly off the pursuit-vehicle's surface.

It's not working!" the gunner shouted over the sound of the Minigun's fire, making the two men seated at the front look at each other with worried expressions.

"The Minigun's a no go." the one sitting in the passenger seat then called out on his radio, earning Black-Spider's attention as he picked up his radio from thr dashboard.

"Impossible, those are armour piercing rounds."

"Someone should tell the Batman that..." the driver then started to say next to him, earning a glare from the Merc, though the former could not see it through the latter's mask.

"...I'll shut up now." he added fearfully, before Spider returned his attention to his radio.

"Just keep firing, you should wear down his armour and keep him back there."

"That's going to be a problem, Boss..." a panicky voice spoke back on the radio, making the Merc look at his passenger-mirror and see the Batmobile gaining on them.

"...because the Bat ain't staying back there."

"Mr. Wayne, are you going to let them waste their ammunition?" Fox asked over the Com as Batman continued to close in on the convoy, while bullets bounced off the vehicle's windshield, earning an indifferent look from the Dark Knight.

"They are their bullets to waste, Fox..." he began to reply, before sighing and pressing on of several buttons on his dashboard.

"...but this has gone on long enough. Firing 'Disabler'." the Vigilante continued, before the grill at the front of the Vehicle opened up and revealed a small cannon which fired a small round disc at the Humvee and latched onto it's underside.

"The Bat just shot something at us!" the gunner then shouted over the sound of his firing weapon, before the entire vehicle was suddenly encompassed in electricity, like it had been hit by a lightning bolt. This immediately shut down the car's engine, as well as electrocuted the Gunner as he still held on to the weapon, knocking him unconscious.

"Matt!" one of the guys sitting up front shouted back, seeing his friend lying comatose there on the backseat.

"Forget him, the engine just stopped..." the driver started to shout back, before the headlights of the pursuing vehicle flooded the car's interior.

"Oh sh*t!" he added, before the Batmobile rammed into the Humvee and sent it crashing into a wall as the former sped on wards towards the others.

"Spider! He took out Escort two!" the Lorry's driver exclaimed as he glanced at his side-mirror, earning the Merc's attention.

"Keep your eyes on the road ahead..." he spat before speaking into his radio, while looking at the Humvee in front of them.

"Escort One, take out the Bat!" he ordered, which was followed by the vehicle moving aside and allowing the lorry to pass them by.

"I am still picking up strong life-signs in the first escort, Mr. Wayne." Lucius stated over the com-link, earning a slight grin from the Vigilante.

"Of course you are, Fox. I only wanted to knock them off the road and out of the fight, not kill them."

"Unfortunately, it seems that these men do not share that sentiment." the Chairman replied, while Batman noticed one of Penguin's men appear from the second vehicle's sun-roof holding a large weapon.

"An RPG? Well, I suppose they get points for effort." he replied before flicking another switch, while the Man holding the weapon aimed it at the Batmobile.

"Activating 'Scrambler'." the Vigilante added just as the RPG was then fired, sending a small missile hurtling toward the Batman's vehicle, earning a grin from Black-spider as he watched from the lorry.

"Good night, Batm..." he began to say, only to stop as the missile suddenly veered off and went up into the sky.

...what the fu...?" the Merc added with a surprised and confused tone to his voice as the projectile then exploded harmlessly in the sky overhead.

"He's still coming!" the Man next to him spat fearfully as the Batmobile closed in on the last two vehicles, making the Merc clench his hand around his radio in frustration.

"Take that bastard down, I don't care how!" he then shouted into the radio frantically.

As the Lorry sped away, with the last escort now taking up position between it and their pursuer, Batman activated another device in his cockpit, which turned on a small screen to his left.

"Arming low yield missile and targeting the vehicle..." he said into his com-link, while a targeting cross-hair appeared on the screen and aimed at the bottom of the Humvee.

"...firing." he then added as he pressed another button, launching a black missile from a small silo at the back of the Batmobile which flew up before changing direction and flying directly at the other vehicle, making the RPG-guy climb back down through the open sun-roof.

"Oh cra..." he started to say, only to be cut off as the missile exploded just beneath the back-end of the Humvee, making it flip over onto it's roof, knocking it's occupants unconscious.

"Damn it! Now we are completely unprotected!" the Lorry Driver exclaimed as he glanced at his side-mirror, seeing the upside down Hum-Vee lying on the road as they drove away, before the Batmobile reappeared.

"Shut up and drive, I know what the Bat will do next..." Black-spider started to reply, before opening his door.

"...and I will deal with him."

This earned another fearful nod from the latter as he focused on the road, while the latter left the cab.

"Alright, Fox, I am switching to remote control now." Batman then replied from his place in the Batmobile, which had closed to within a meter of the lorry's trailer.

"I have control, Mr. Wayne. Good luck." the chairman replied over the com-link as the Vigilante opened the vehicle's canopy and climbed out onto it's front, before leaping onto the back of the trailer. He then quickly climbed onto it's roof, before his eyes narrowed as he saw Black-Spider waiting for him.

"This is as far as you go, Batman." he said in a confident tone while equipping a pair of combat knives, which gained an indifferent expression from the Dark Knight as the latter simply readied himself for a fight.

"Show me then what you can do." he replied with a cold and unimpressed tone, making the Merc lunge at him with his weapons. But the Vigilante quickly deflected the attacks with his gauntlets, before kicking his opponent in the chest.

The force of the kick made Black-Spider fall onto his back, but he used the inertia to roll back onto his feet and charge back at his enemy. He swung his blades left and right, with Batman dodging them with ease as he stepped backwards towards the back of the trailer as the Batmobile followed from behind.

"Mr. Wayne, I could disable the vehicle?" Fox said through the costumed-Man's earpiece as Black-Spider continued his attack, only for him to grab his right arm and twist it behind his back.

"No thanks, Fox. I've got this." he replies while twisting the Merc's hand, making him grimace as he dropped the first knife.

"Arrgh!" Black-Spider yelled, only to swing his left elbow back at Batman's face. But the vigilante saw this coming and blocked the attack with his free hand, grabbing this arm and putting the Merc in a hold.

"What is Penguin carrying in this lorry, Black-spider? Talk now, or you will never chew solid food again." the Vigilante warned, gaining a scoff from his opponent in return.

"I'm not telling you squat, Batman. Do your worst." he said back in a confident tone. But before the Dark Knight could follow through, he saw something small and shiny flying towards him from the corner of his eye. He quickly let go of one of Black-spider's arms to catch a throwing star that was inches from his face.

'What the?' the caped crusader thought as he glanced at the small projectile. But with his attention momentarily distracted, the Merc took advantage of this and spun around, freeing his other arm as he performed a backwards roundhouse kick, smacking the Vigilante square in his face and sending him flying off the lorry onto the street floor below.

"Bruce!" Fox shouted down the com-link as his younger friend recovered, while the lorry drove away.

"Follow the lorry and get a tracker on it...!" Batman quickly replied as he stood back up, looking at his surroundings.

"...I will be there shortly."

"No, you won't..." a unfamiliar female voice suddenly spoke from behind him, making the Dark Knight turn around to see a masked Ninja standing there in a fighting stance, her Katana unsheathed and ready for battle.

"...because you will die for the murder of the 'great Ra's Al Ghul'!"

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading it. I really appreciate it.

Next Chapter: The Batman faces off against an Assassin from the now defunct 'League of Shadows'. But unbeknownst to the Dark Knight, his enemy is linked to his long deceased Mentor/Adversary.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER 4

'What the hell?' Batman thought as he stood there in the middle of the street while the Batmobile sped off after Black-Spider and his Lorry, because standing before him was a female Assassin who just brought up a name he had not wasted a thought on for five years.

'She can't be 'League of Shadows', because they fell apart after his...death.' he added before she then attacked, lunging her blade toward his chest.

But the Dark Knight quickly deflected the blade with one of his gauntlets, which brought an immediate counter from the attacker as she followed the momentum of his deflection and spun around and performed a back-kick that did hit him, making the Vigilante fall into a backwards roll, quickly recovering into a kneeling position as he found himself back to having some space between them.

This though, did not last long as the Assassin attacked again, lunging at him once more as she brought the blade down upon him. Batman though stopped the sword's sharp tip mere inches from his cowl as he held it in place with the blades of his gauntlets.

"You are merely delaying the inevitable, because you will pay for extinguishing the light of the great Ra's." she said back with venom in her voice, while he gritted his teeth in return.

"Ra's was going to kill thousands of innocent people, I couldn't..." the Dark Knight started to say, only to stop as he then shattered the blade between his gauntlets. But this did not phase his attacker as she simply pushed forward and punched him in the face and then kicked him in the stomach, knocking him backwards.

"Please, save me your self-righteous explanations..." the Assassin then started to reply, while her quarry quickly recovered and readied himself for her next attack.

"...because 'innocence' is too strong of a word to use when describing the citizens of this city. They all deserve to be wiped off the map for their actions or more importantly, in-action." she added, making Batman narrow his eyes in response.

"Over my dead body." he replied with a controlled defiance to his words, which made her smile behind her mask.

"That is the idea." she replied cooly before deftly throwing two throwing-stars at Batman's head, that he easily deflected away with his gauntlets. But she kept up the offensive with a jump kick, though the Vigilante quickly dodged with a sidestep before the Assassin landed beside him and went into a spin-kick.

'I recognise her moves. She has definitely been trained by the League, but who is she?' the Dark Knight thought as he easily blocked her attack and pushed her back with a palm to her face.

As the fight continued in the street below, another assassin wearing black and orange armour and a helmet that was also half of both colours, watched the pair from a rooftop above them.

'This is taking too long...' he started to think while holding a throwing star in his right hand, .

Back on the street, the female-Assassin launched another attack on Batman, which he again blocked and countered easily, putting her in a hold as he twisted her right arm behind her back and kicked the back of her right knee, forcing her onto her knees.

"I don't know who you are, but this ends now." the Vigilante began to say, only to have his attention taken by two more throwing-stars which made him let her arms go as he deflected them with his gauntlets.

The female took this as her chance and she quickly sprang back to her feet before hitting the Dark Knight with a back-kick, making he stumble backwards as the Assassin readied herself for another attack. But as Batman recovered his footing and prepared himself for it, she stopped and put her hand up to her ear.

'So she isn't working alone, I should have guessed that from the angle and trajectory of those Throwing-stars.' he thought, before noticing her free hand clench into a tight fist.

"I can do this...you can't take this chance from me!" she spat, only to look at her adversary and see the inquisitive expression on his cowl-covered face, making hers look more furious.

"This isn't over, Batman. Not until I have your blood staining my blade." she spat before throwing a small capsule to the floor which exploded in a flash of bright light, making the Dark Knight shield his eyes for a second. But as fast as that burst of light had appeared, it was then gone and so was she.

Batman quickly looked at his surroundings and noticed that her sword was gone as well, with only the shards of it's blade and two of the throwing stars remaining. So he bent down and picked up one of the latter with his right hand, while tapping an unseen button on his Cowl with the other.

"Fox, did you stop the Lorry?"

"I am sorry, Batman, but I'm afraid not. Two more escorts appeared and kept me distracted enough for the target to disappear...which is strange, because I managed to tag it with a tracer..." the Chairman began to explain, gaining a knowing look from the Vigilante as he continued to collect the evidence.

"Let me guess, it disappeared into that dead-zone, just like before."

"That's correct, Bruce, and the Batmobile's sensors are affected by the dead-zone as well. I have been trying every frequency I can think of." his friend replied with a hint of frustration to his voice, while the Dark Knight got back to his feet and looked around.

"Well, it's nothing we can deal with right now. And I have a new problem to contend with." he replied.

"I am heading back to your location now, but what exactly happened to you? The Batmobile's videofeed showed Black-Spider knocking you off the trailer's roof, whih i guess wasn't just a lucky hit." Fox said back with a curious tone over the Com-link, making Batman sigh as he held one of the Metal projectiles and stare at it inquisitively.

"No, I was distracted by an Assassin from the League of Shadows."

"Your old Sabbatical friends? I thought they died out with your former mentor, Ra's?" the Chairman replied, making his younger friend narrow his eyes in return.

"So did I, though it appears now that it is not the case."

Several blocks away, the armoured man waited in an abandoned building as the female Ninja appeared silently beside him and went to grab his shoulder. But the former quickly turned around and countered this by grabbing her arm in return, twisting it and putting her in a hold similar to what her adversary had done earlier.

"Ugh! Let go of me, Slade!" she spat angrily, only for her Ally to throw her to the ground.

"You seem to have forgotten which one of us is in charge here..." he began to reply while she slowly recovered, getting onto her hands and knees as he stood over her.

"...or you would remember that I am still your Mentor, which was by command of Ra's himself."

"I remember, Slade. But things have changed now, haven't they? The League is broken, leaderless and scattered around this world..." the Assassin began to say as she got looked up at the armoured man, with only his left eye visible through his helmet as he stared down at her.

"...we tracked down all of our brethren, welcoming back into our circle those who shared our views, while ending the lives of the ones that did not. Now with the pieces foundation of the League moving back into place, the only thing left for us to do..." she added while getting back to her feet.

"...is to avenge our fallen Master...who was also my Father." she continued before removing her mask, revealing herself to be Miranda Tate.

"And that we will, 'Talia'. I allowed you to make the first against our enemy, because I believed you were ready..." Slade replied as he removed his helmet, before removing her broken blade from her person and revealing it to her.

"...but your failure against the Batman proves I was wrong, so our next step against him will be of my design. Is that understood?" he asked, making the younger Woman look away from him, but nod back begrudgingly.

"Yes, Slade."

"Good, now go back to the safe-house and rest. After all, you have a busy day ahead of you." the older man replied with a knowing smirk as she turned around and was about to put her mask back on, only for him to hold his hand up at her.

"Oh and one more thing..." He started to say, making her stop and look over her shoulder at him.

"...when we are dressed like this, call me 'Deathstroke'." he finished, earning a nod from her before she then left.

As soon he was sure that Talia was gone, Slade took out his phone from one of the pouches on his utility belt and activated it. The screen lit up and showed a map of a building, which brought a slight smirk to the Assassin's face.
'All that security will not stop me from reaching my target.' he thought while reading the Building's name on the blueprints.

'Blackgate Prison'

BATMAN: DECEPTION

Several hours later and Bruce was sitting at the Batcomputer, looking over some files as Alfred joined his side with what looked like a Smoothie.

"Here is your morning 'pick-me-up', Sir, with all the vitamins and nutrients you need." The older gentleman said as he placed the glass on the table next to his master, earning a grateful nod back.

"Thanks, Alfred." The latter replied, while the former looked at what was on the Computer's various screens.

"I see you are doing your homework on Ms. Tate, which I take means that you are aware that you are going to meet her in just over an hour, Master Bruce."
"Yes, Alfred, and know that I don't like to go into anything without a little background on the subject at hand." He said before picking up the glass and taking a sip, while the Butler noticed that one screen showed something different to the others.

"That's not all..." He said while pointing at said screen, gaining Bruce's attention as he placed the glass back down.

"Yeah, I am also going over the scans Lucius took yesterday with the Batmobile's sensors of the dead-zone that covers a part of the city." he explained, earning a surprised look from Pennyworth.

"You're multitasking?"

"Very funny, Alfred, but you know I can fire you, right?" the younger Man replied, trying to hide his smirk under an act of annoyance, but the older gentleman simply smiled back.

"Not in this lifetime, Master Bruce..." He said back, before gesturing back at the screen.

"...so, why don't you tell me what it is you're looking for."

The younger-man sighed and smirked back before typing away at the keyboard, making the data from the screen appear on the main one, showing two separate scans of the same area.

"The scan on the right is Lucius's from last night, while the one on the left is his approximation of what the dead-zone's perimeter could be, based off the data my Bat-tracer gave us before it's signal was dampened..." he started to explain before typing away at the keyboard, which then made one scan overlap the other. This earned a surprised look from Bruce, one that Alfred was quick to notice.

"Sir, what is it?" The latter asked, making the former point at the screen.

"See for yourself, Alfred. The scans don't match up, not even a little. There is at least half a mile difference between the two."

This gained a puzzled look from the older man.

"If I may, Master Bruce, but you did say that Lucius had 'guessed' what the dead-zone's perimeter was. So, perhaps he just got it wrong." he said back, making the Billionaire look back with an unconvinced expression.

"That isn't it, Alfred. I have worked with Luicus for many years now and in that time, his educated guesses have never been that far off. That is just one reason why he is still running Wayne Enterptise for me, since he never misses a mark."

"So if this anomaly is not of human error, then what is it, Master Bruce?" the Butler asked, while the younger man stared at the screen with a thoughtful look.
"I am not sure. I need more information. So, I will take another scan of the area during tonight's patrol." he replied before making the screen disappear, leaving just those with Miranda Tate's information on. Alfred though, looked at his watch with a feigned worried look on his face.

"Very good, Sir, but I think it is time for you to be on your way." he stated, earning a nod from Bruce, who then switched off the Bat-computer and joined his friend's side.

"Yep, I just have to change..." The young man began to say as they walked toward the elevator, only for Pennyworth to cut him off.

"I have already prepared a suit for you to wear, Master Bruce, and it is waiting for you in your room."

"You're the best, Alfred." Wayne replied with an appreciative smile as they entered the lift, gaining a knowing smile from the Butler as the doors closed behind them.

"I know, Sir."

An hour later and Bruce was sitting at a table in the Criterion as he waited for Miranda to arrive, only for his phone to ring.

"Bruce Wayne." The young man said as he answered the call, before a familiar voice replied.

"Mr. Wayne, Lucius Fox here."

"Lucius, what can I do for you?" Bruce said back, before looking around the room as there was still no sign of Ms. Tate.

"I was just calling to let you know that Mayor Cobblepot cancelled all of his meetings today, which are with anyone who is not part of the Mayor's office. So I will be unable to meet him as planned." The Chairman replied, earning an inquisitive look from the Billionaire.

"Isn't that a little strange?"

"No, not usually, Mr. Wayne. But I can still see him tonight, at the fundraiser at Rupert Thorne's residence, which I believe you also have an invite for." Fox said back, making Wayne nod back reluctantly.

"Yeah, but I'm not going. So I am afraid that you will be representing Wayne Enterprises alone, Lucius."

"Would this have anything to do with the overlapped scans of the dead-zone that I am looking at over our private network?" The older man asked with a curious tone.

"Yeah, I want to take another scan of the area with the Batmobile tonight, so I can compare it with those." The younger man replied.

"Well, since I have found myself with some free tine, Bruce. I can take a more thorough look over those scans, if you want? Because there is something familiar about the frequencies that were detected by the Batmobile's sensors." Lucius said back, just as his friend spotted Miranda entering the room and heading his way.

"Okay, Lucius. Keep me updated on this. Okay? Got to go." he quickly said before turning off the phone and standing up, just as Ms. Tate walked up to his table.

'Wow! She certainly is dressed for the occasion, though it is just a lunch." He thought while looking her up and down, for she was wearing a figure hugging red afternoon dress that showed off her considerable cleavage. Even the other people in the restaurant gave her a second and third glance, before then looking at Wayne with envious expressions, much to the annoyance of their own partners.

"Hi." Was all Bruce could say in response, trying to sound calm and collected. But this brought a smile to Miranda's face as she could see the ever so slight redness appearing in his cheeks.

"Hi" she said back, before both their attention was taken by a waiter who had quickly joined her side.

"Allow me." He said while pulling out a chair from the table for her, earning an appreciative smile back as she took her seat.

"Thank you." She replied as he gently moved the now seated lady towards the table.

"You're welcome..." He started to say back, before looking at both Miranda and Bruce.

"...now is there anything I can get you?"

"Get us two glasses of your Wine of the day please, while we look over the menu." The latter replied, gaining a nod from the Waiter before he then turned around and left, though not before giving Miranda one last glance.

"I apologise for my lateness, Bruce, but the traffic on the way here from my hotel was horrendous." she said sincerely, making the Billionaire smirk back knowingly.

"You're only a few minutes late, Miranda. It's really not a problem, considering that I have been far later."

This earned a playful smile from the Lady in return.

"Yes, I have heard about the fashionably late entrances of Bruce Wayne."

"They are well documented in the media, in fact the Guinness book of records still has my record in it." Wayne replied, gaining a chuckle from the Beauty.

"Well, let's hope that you will not be a bad influence on me."

"I make no promises..." Bruce replied as he picked up a menu, gaining a mirrored action from Miranda as he saw in the background that the Waiter was preparing to return to their table.

"...but right now, let's see what's good to eat." He then suggested with a smile, making the Woman's eyes widen a little as she smiled back.

"Of course, though I did have a delicious Paella when I was last here." she replied before their eye contact was broken, as they looked at their respective menus.

[ApolloXL5]

BATMAN: DECEPTION

Meanwhile at Blackgate prison, Gordon and Montoya were in It's visitors room, seated in a cubicle linked to several others at one side of the room. Each one had a table with a chair at either end, separated by a bullet proof glass window. On the other side of the pair's cubicle was an older Caucasian man with stringy combed over hair, dressed in the same prisoner clothing as the rest on his side of the room separated room.

"Come on, Jackie? You have to give us something." Jim asked with a,friendly and hopeful tone, gaining a stubborn expression from the prisoner in return as he shook his head.

"I don't have to give you sh*t, Gordon..." He started to say as he spoke into phone, while looking jumpy and irritated.

"...,since it was because of you that I ended up in here."

"I know, Jackie. Because I was not there to vouch for you when you were arrested, but I had just been forced to resign." The former Cop replied regretfully, though it didn't change the other guy's expression.

"Yeah, and I spend five years in here...five years! And it was for something that I was not even guilty for." Jackie almost spat back, gaining a knowing look from Gordon in return.

"Come on, Jackie. We both know that you are not an innocent man, so please come down off your high horse..." he replied, bringing a reluctant but pained look to the prisoner's face.

"...because you know how this works between us. You give me information , then I give you something back."

"Yeah, like what?" Jackie then challenged, not sounding too convinced by Jim's words.

"I may not be Police Commissioner anymore, but I still have friends in high places. You give me credible information (like you always have) and I will make sure that you get out of here."

This brought a smile to Jackie's face as he chuckled in return.

"Where was this kind of offer five years ago, huh? I could have used this back then."

"Jackie, don't start gushing that the past five years in here were hell, because we both know they were not." Gordon replied with an unbelieving look, seeing through the other man's exaggeration.

"Wa...wait, how do you know that?" Jackie asked back, earning a slight smile from the P.I. in response.

"Like I said, friends in high places...so will you help us?"

The Prisoner looked at his surroundings, which was virtually empty apart from two guards who stood with their backs to the wall behind him.

"What do you want to know?" he answered, making both Jim and Montoya glance at each other before returning their attention to him.

"What have you heard about either the Penguin or Black Mask in the last 5 years?" The woman asked.

"Well, over the past five years, the Bat and the cops have put a lot of men from both those guys in here. Now I have not heard much about Black Mask, since his lackeys are still in here..." Jackie started to explain, gaining a curious look from Gordon as he picked up on that last sentence.

"What do you mean 'still', Jackie?"

"That's the thing, Gordon. Anyone with a connection to the Penguin is never in here longer than a week, tops..." The prisoner began to explain, while the other two just stared back with disbelieving expressions.

"...hell, most of them gloat about how they will be back out in no time, each and every time they are thrown in here. There is a lot of talk from many inmates here about joining up with the Penguin, if it means getting out of Blackgate."

"You swear this is true, Jackie? Because it does sound a little too unbelievable." Jim replied, his voice underlined with uncertainty. This earned a slightly shocked look from the other guy in return.

"Have I ever given you bad information before, Gordon. I swear this is the god honest truth."

"How is the Penguin doing this?" Montoya asked, looking at both Jackie and Jim.

"I'm not sure..." The latter said back while adjusting his glasses a little.

"...its been a long time since anything like this could even happen." He carried on, gaining a nod from the prisoner.

"Back when Falcone and the Mob were around, you mean. They had people everywhere, in all areas of the city." he added, as the former cop sighed with a worried expression on his face.

"I know that even with them gone, there would still be a little, perhaps some corruption in areas. But I wasn't expecting anything on this level and for this long."

"Okay. So, Gordon..." Jackie then started to say, gaining a knowing nod from the P.I. in response.

"Yes, Jackie. I will honour what we agreed too and speak to my friends about you getting out of here. But it could take some time."

"It's okay. You were right, things haven't been that bad here for me..." the prisoner said back with a smirk, only to be cut off as one of the guards spoke up and walked up behind him.

"Your time is over, Jackie." He said while gesturing for the man to join him.

"Yeah, I'm coming..." he started to reply, before looking back at his visitors.

"...see you around, Gordon."

"Yeah, be seeing you, Jackie." The former cop replied as he and Montoya started to leave and head for the exit.

"What did you mean by him not being innocent?" the latter asked with a curious tone, while the prisoner was escorted out of the room from behind the glass.

"Jackie is a criminal, but not one that was out to hurt people. He was never in the same league as ones like Joker or even Zsasz. He was just a information broker, but a very good one. But one day, he inadvertently got one of his friends killed. The whole thing happened because he gave out the wrong information, resulting in his friend and his whole family being murdered by a rival gang. Jackie blamed himself for the crime, even though he was not the one who committed it."

"I see." Renee replied as they walked away from the visitors room, down a long corridor.

"He could not be tied to the murder in any way legally, so he escaped punishment." Jim continued, earning a nod from his partner.

"So how did he end up in prison?"

"Five years ago, it was a case of wrong place, wrong time. Jackie found himself in the middle of a gang war between the Whisper Gang and the Four Fives. He tried to get out of the area before the GPCD turned up to arrest everyone involved, but he was recognised by one of the officers and found himself under arrest."

"I remember hearing about the incident, a number of people were killed before Batman and the Police stopped it, though it was mainly because of the latter. The former were split between capturing him and doing their jobs. Didn't it happen in the area where Two-Face tried to set off all his bombs and blow up Gotham?" Montoya asked.
"Yes, it was a few days later. If I had still been Police Commissioner at that time, then I would have heard about Jackie and had him pardoned. But I heard about him a little later, after he was already sentenced and figured that it would ultimately do him some good, since he would not be able to run from himself in there. And I still had friends in Blackgate, so I informed them about Jackie's situation and asked them to look after him."

"Well, he does appear to be doing well in here, despite how this place usually treats It's inmates." Montoya replied, before Gordon's attention was caught by a man walking towards them from the other side of the corridor.

"Jim?" she asked, making the older man gesture conspicuously to the other.

"That man over there..." he started to say, which made Renee look ahead and see a well dressed man with white hair heading their way. He was wearing a suit and had an eye patch covering his right eye.

The guy walked passed the pair, not even taking notice of them as he continued onward the visitors room, while they stopped and looked back.

"What about him, Jim?"

"I was a Police Officer for a long time, Renee. A lot longer than I was in the Marines. I learnt to trust my gut instincts and my gut tells me there is something off about him." The former Cop replied, earning a curious look from his partner in return.

"What do you want to do, follow him?" she asked, making him shake his head.

"No, we don't have any of our surveillance equipment with us and even if we did, we would be unable to use it..." He started to explain as a thoughtful look befell his face.

"...but there is someone who could find out about this guy."

"Should I set up a meeting with our 'ally'?" Montoya asked, gaining a confused expression back from Gordon.

"I was going to..."

"...to spend some time with your Daughter. You said earlier that you two had set something up today." She replied knowingly, making the moustached man sigh.

"Okay, so send him the signal and see if you can find anything out about eye-patch down there."

"Yes, Boss." Renee replied with a smile before the pair continued to walk down the corridor, heading for the exit.

Meanwhile, back in the Visitors room. An African prisoner had sat down in the cubicle that Jackie had previously used, looking rather bewildered at his surroundings. But that quickly changed when the guy with the eye-patch sat down in front of him, with only the glass to separate them, earning a disrespectful and knowing expression from the former as they both picked up their phones and held them to their ears.

"Slade!" the former said with what sounded like surprise in his voice, despite his calm exterior.

"Abbas, it has been a long time." the latter replied in a similar tone, which made the other's eyes narrow in return.

"Not long enough in my book, Slade. What are you doing here?" Abbas asked, staring daggers back as his visitor ignored it and smirked.

"I thought you would like to get out of here, unless you find life in prison appealing?"

"And what would I do if I was out? Since our way of life died with Ra's." the Prisoner asked curiously.

"We can rebuild the League..." Slade began to say back, only for Abbas to cut him off.

"We? You and me, or are you also speaking about that 'little girl' you are still babysitting?" he asked, earning a proud look from the one-eyed Assassin in response.

"I think you will find that Talia has become a very adept warrior, one that even her Father would be proud of...if he were still with us."

"Ha ha ha ha...!" his imprisoned comrade laughed, earning the attention of the guards standing behind the pair, as well as other visitors and prisoners in the room.

"...I'm sorry...but...that...I needed that. It was the funniest thing I have heard in years." Abbas sighed with deep breaths, regaining his composure while Slade narrowed his eye at him.

"You would do well to remember that Talia is the 'Heir to the Demon' and show her the same respect that you would for her fallen Father." he said back with steel to his words as he gritted his teeth, while the prisoner wiped his eyes.

"I would apologise, Slade, if not for the fact that little Talia lost that title the day she decided to side with that 'Brute'. You remember him, don't you?"

"Of course, but she didn't follow him out of the League. She remained and stood by Ra's." Wilson replied, making the other shake his head.

"How little you know, Slade. You see, the damage was done. The once-great Ra's felt betrayed by his daughter's need to defend that 'Monster'. There was 'something else' as well, but the former was the main reason. It was no real lose in the eyes of the League though, since she was not the only 'Heir'."

"Yes, I know of the other 'two'. But unfortunately, they are both dead. Talia and I have traversed the globe in our efforts to rebuild the foundations of the League, but all we found was evidence of her siblings falling to our enemies." Slade replied with a hint of disappointment to his voice, making Abbas shrug his shoulders in return.

"So, what's the point? The Lineage of the Demon is all but gone, with nothing but the black sheep of the family remaining. Thanks for the invitation, but no thanks..." he began to reply before sitting back in his chair, making the phone's cord straighten and tighten.

"...and if you think that I would ever work with 'you' again, Slade. Then you are clearly more of a fool than the others have led me to believe." he added, gaining a confused look from the visitor.

"What do you mean by that?" he asked, which brought a disbelieving smile to the prisoner's face.

"Really? You mean after all these years, you didn't know...?" he started to say, before sighing as a slight chuckle escaped his lips.

"Why do you think Ra's put 'little Talia' under your mentor-ship to start with, or have you forgotten about your own failures within our ranks."

"I did my duty, and I am not the only one to have failures in my name, Abbas..." he began to say with a knowing expression, which brought a smirk to the prisoner's face.

"...nor were they bad enough to warrant excommunication from the League...or death."

"That is true, but think about it, Slade. You were given the duty of the protection and training of Ra's least favourite child. If things would have gone differently here in Gotham, she would never hold the title of 'Head of the Demon', fated to remain in obscurity for the rest of her life. And you would share that fate as well." he replied with joy to those words, seeing the anger slowly creep into his Visitor's face as he tightened his grip around his phone.

"I came here with an offer and a question for you, Abbas. For all of your poisonous words, Talia and I have already made gains with the remainders of the League. Those that have not joined us, have tasted our steel and joined her Father in the afterlife."

"Are you saying that you will kill me, Slade..." the other guy asked with a joking-like tone, before gesturing at his surroundings.

"...in here?"

"You have turned down our offer, that would usually be enough for me to end your life. But since I see that you are happy to waste away in here, then I am more than willing to let that happen. But, Abbas, you will answer my question." Slade replied with a cold, calculating tone. But this only made Abbas's smile widen.

"Then ask your question already."

"Who killed Ra's Al Ghul? Talia demands to know the name of her Father's killer." he asked, which

brought a thoughtful look to the prisoner's face for a moment.

"Let me think about it..." He began to reply, earning an impatient stare from his visitor.

"...okay, no."

"No?" Slade said back, barely holding back his anger as Abbas started to smile.

"That's right, I am not going to tell you. Because I do not owe you anything, Slade, and knowing that you and little Talks cannot rebuild the League just gives me joyous feelings inside. Because it shows how much of a failure you two are even now and if the League were ever to rise again, it would deserve better leadership than what is in front of me now." the prisoner replied with a wide smile, while Slade just stared daggers back at him in return.

"Unfortunately for you, Abbas, the only thing you have to look forward to is your death by my hands."

"If you could kill me in here, Slade, then you already would have..." Abbas replied while gesturing once more to his surroundings.

"...so I have very little to fear from you."

Slade gritted his teeth as he leaned in closer to the glass.

"We'll see about that." the one-eyed Assassin coldly said back, before dropping the phone and quickly walking out of the room. Leaving Abbas in his seat, smirking as he watched him leave.

A/N: I hope you enjoyed this chapter and thank you for reading it, I really appreciate it.

Next Chapter: Bruce finds himself changing his plans when he gets an interesting invitation. Meanwhile all hell is about to break loose in Blackgate when Deathstroke comes to visit.

And in 2017, as Batman continues to protect Gotham as it's Dark Knight, another Man will soar into the sky.

[ApolloXL5]

CHAPTER 5

In the Bat-Cave, Alfred was sitting at the computer and looking over files on it's main screen, while the bats hanging from the cave's ceiling overhead made some muted squeaks between themselves.

"Yeah, you better stay like that? Feeding time is not until later." The old man muttered to himself as he continued to stare at the information on the screen in front of him.

'If I had told Wilfred when we last spoke, that part of a Butler's role was taking care of Bats, he would have laughed in my face...' He began to think, typing away on the Bat-computer's keyboard.

'...but luckily for the Bats, Master Bruce had this part of the Cave made more bat-friendly during it's last renovation, while also relocating the majority of our furry friends here into a safer haven in the deeper parts of the cave.' He added before his attention was caught by another window opening up on the screen, followed by an audio notification as it showed the Butler a live-image of a random alleyway in downtown Gotham.

'Oh, is it that time already?' Alfred contemplated as he saw Rene Montoya walk enter the alley and stop at next to a metal pipe that ran up the wall of a nearby building. She then took out a pen out of her jacket and drew a Bat-symbol on it, in complete view of Alfred and the hidden camera there.

"Okay, so Gordon wants to meet. Thank you for the heads up, Ms. Montoya." Alfred then said, before watching her leave.

But he was not the only person with eyes on the young woman, because across the street sat two men in an inconspicuous car who had heir attention on her as she entered her own vehicle.

One man took a pair of binoculars and looked into the alleyway, spotting the hand-drawn Bat on the pipe. He then nodded to his friend, who dialled a number on his phone and put it to his ear.

"You were right, Boss. Montoya has signalled the Bat."

"Of course I was right. You should know better than doubting me." A slightly disguised voice spoke back from the other end, anger evident in his tone which made the Man shake his head fearfully in return.

"I wasn't, Boss, I swear."

"Shut your mouth and put Jensen on." The Boss spat back, earning a hurried reaction from the guy as he passed the device to his friend.

"Yeah, Boss?"

"I want you to keep following Montoya, is that understood?" the voice spoke, gaining a nod from Jensen.

"Sure thing, Boss. But I don't think that the Bat will meet her." He replied before tapping his friend on the shoulder and gesturing at their target, who was now driving away.

"Follow." He added, making the other guy turn on the engine and drive them in the direction that Montoya was heading.

"I don't pay you to think. And I know that her boss Gordon will be the one who meets Batman. I thought once he was fired as Police Commissioner, that Gordon would no longer be any trouble. But that man is still a pain in our collective ass. So you just keel an eye on his friend there, while I set a trap for the Bat and the P.I. Because one way or another, they will both die and then I will have just that illusive bird to deal with...am I clear?"

Yes, Black Mask. Crystal clear."

BATMAN: DECEPTION

It had become quite busy in the restaurant that Bruce and Miranda were eating at, with nearly all tables taken while the two continued to talk, only to be stopped as their waiter walked up to their to heir table looking quite flustered.

"Mr. Wayne, please accept my apologies if you feel that I have been neglecting your table for the last 20 minutes." He said in a grovelling tone, earning a confused look back from the Billionaire.

"You have?" Bruce replied before looking over to Miranda, who just mirrored his expression before returning his attention to the waiter.

"Yes and for that, I can only apologise." The young man replied, bringing a reassuring look to the Wayne's face as he looked between the Waiter and their surroundings.

"Look, ...?" he began to say, before another confused look befell his face, which made the Waiter speak up once more.

"Simon, Mr. Wayne."

"Well, Simon. As I look around the room..." the Billionaire began to say as he turned his attention to those sitting around the three of them, making the others do the same.

"...I see people who are clearly enjoying themselves, with not one looking displeased in any way. I am willing to bet that is because you." The young Wayne added, gaining a nod back from the waiter in return.

"...y...yes, I have been serving everyone on my own today so far, since some of the staff are on holiday." he replied with a wide eyed look, like he had only just noticed happy customers around him.

"Then relax and take a breath, Simon, because you are doing a fantastic job from what I see around me." Bruce said back with an appreciative smile, gaining a mirrored look from Miranda also.

"I second that." Added, making the waiter sigh as he grinned back.

"Thank you, I really appreciate that." he replied, before the Billionaire pulled out his wallet.

"I know tips are generally given out at the end, but here..." he continued while handing Simon two $50 notes, with Ms. Tate following suit as Simon's eyes widened even more.

"Are you serious?" he exclaimed almost excitedly while staring down at the $200 dollars lying in his hands from the pair.

"Consider that a thank you for 'your excellent service'." Bruce replied, gaining a nod from Miranda.

"You have more than earned it."

"Thank you both..." Simon then started to say with a wide-eyed look, before a thoughtful smile graced his face.

"...you know, I think that I will use this to start the cookery course that I really wanted to do."

This brought an engaged look to the young Wayne's face as he listened.

"So, you want to do more than serve tables?" he asked, earning an eager nod back from the waiter.

"Yes, I have always wanted to be a Cook, but thought it would be good to learn all aspects of working at a Restaurant first."

"That was a good idea." She replied encouragingly, gaining a nod from Bruce in return.

"I agree, and if you put as much effort and dedication into that as you have with your customers, then I don't see you failing to achieve that." He added with a mirrored tone, earning another beaming smile from Simon.

"Thank you..." the younger man started to say, before glancing at their surroundings and seeing another new customer taking a seat at the last unoccupied table.

"...so, is there anything else that either of you need at this time?" he asked in a professional manner, making both Bruce and Miranda shake their heads with a friendly smile as they both had noticed this as well.

"No, thank you. Not at this time."

"What she said. Thanks, Simon." The Billionaire finished, making the waiter nod back with a knowing and appreciative smile as he backed away.

"As you wish. Now please excuse me...and thanks again." He added before turning around and heading to the newcomers, leaving Bruce and Miranda alone again.

"You certainly gave that young man the boost he needed, Bruce." the latter then said, bringing a smile to the former's face.

"After seeing how many people he iswas looking after at this moment, how could I not. Hard work should be rewarded, no matter where it happens..." he started to explain, gaining a nod from Miranda he started to explain, gaining a nod from Miranda as she looked between him and the waiter, who was now serving other customers.

"...plus I wanted to return his focus back to everyone, since he did seem to get a little side tracked by us."

"Well, I guess it is easy for people to lose focus on the bigger picture when you have Bruce Wayne, Son of Gotham City in your restaurant." The lady replied with a smirk, earning a modest look and nod from the Billionaire in return.

"Yes, okay. That does tend to happen when I meet people, though I really don't know why. But Simon really deserves props here, for doing the opposite of the norm. Which is why I gave him a big tip."

" A sentiment that I share, hence why I matched your contribution, anyway..." Miranda began to reply, stopping only to take a sip of her wine.

"...before Simon's well-intentioned interruption, we had been enjoying these delicious meals and discussing our various charitable causes and how they can work together to help heal the world more, but we haven't actually just talked."

"You're right, Miranda." Bruce replied with an understanding tone as followed suit with his own drink, before placing the glass down by his now empty plate.

"If we're to combine our resources on the ideas we have spoken about in this past hour, then I would like to get to know my new partner more...and that is something I want to do." He said with a slither of affection in his voice, which made Miranda's smile widen more.

"As do I, Bruce." She said back, before he then refilled their glasses with the wine that was standing in the middle of the table.

"So..." Bruce began to say, only to be cut off as Miranda's phone started ringing.

"What could this be?" the young Woman then said with an annoyed tone as she picked up the device and answered the call.

"Miranda Tate...Angela? You do know what I am doing at this moment, right?...what, they did?...alright, I will come in and deal with it." She then said with a slither of excitement to her voice, which she tried to cover up by sounding annoyed. But Bruce was quick to pick up on this as he watched her turn off the phone and gesture for Simon to come to their table.

"Trouble at the office?" Bruce asked with a curious tone, earning a nod back from the lady as the waiter joined them.

"Yes, Miss Tate? How can I be of service?"

"We would like the bill please." She replied, gaining a nod back from Simon, leaving them as quickly as he had arrived.

"I am sorry to end this, Bruce. I would have liked for us to talk some more, but..." the young and striking woman began to say, only for the Billionaire to cut her off.

"No need to apologise, Miranda. I know the feeling, but perhaps we can set something else up instead." he suggested, gaining a welcome smile from her in return.

"That would be great, Bruce. In fact, there is an event happening tonight in Gotham. I was originally not going to attend..." she started to reply before glancing coyly away from the Billionaire, who gave her a knowing smirk back.

"...but it might be more interesting if I went with another."

"I see, great minds think alike, Miranda. You're talking about Rupert Thorne's black-tie dinner, which I too was not going to attend originally." He said back, making her stare into his eyes with a hopeful and seductive smile.

"Well? It might prove to be a more entertaining evening if we go together, what do you say, Bruce Wayne?" she said, which made him stare back with a mirrored look before acknowledging her with a nod.

"Okay, Miranda Tate, you've managed to twist my arm on this. That isn't something that can be easily done."

"Yes, I know. Alfred told me that at the charity event last night." She added with a knowing smile, making Bruce raise an eyebrow.

"Oh, he did?" he replied with a questioning undertone to his voice, which made her smile widen before hurriedly turning her attention to her phone, only for the Billionaire to get his out.

"It's alright, I've got this, Miranda." He said reassuringly, earning an appreciative look back from the young woman.

"...oh, thank you, Bruce..." she started to reply, while putting her device away.

"...so, how should we meet tonight?"

"I'll pick you up, say around 9pm. We don't really want to be there on time, do we?" he replied with a smirk that was almost mischievous, making her chuckle a little in return.

"Fair enough, we can be...how did you put it earlier? Fashionably late."

"Exactly. I'll see you later, Miranda" He said back in an affectionate and warm manner, gaining a mirrored expression from the Woman in response.

"Looking forward to it, Bruce. See you tonight." She answered, before leaving the table as he watched her go, a smile on his face as Simon return to the table.

"I see Miss. Tate had to leave, that's a shame." Simon stated with a tinge of regret to his voice, earning a nod back from Bruce as he gestured to his mobile.

"Yes, it is, Simon. But I would like to pay the bill now, please." He replied, making the waiter take a device out of his trouser pocket.

"Of course, Mr. Wayne." He said wirelessly connecting said device to the customer's phone, before a beep signalled the transaction.

"All done, Mr. Wayne. I wish you a good day and hope to see you here again." He added with a smile, gaining a mirrored look from Bruce as he took his phone and began to leave the table.

"Thanks, Simon. I think I will visit again, in the future. See you then." He replied before walking away, while Simon return his attention to the remaining guests.

Outside the building, the usher was waiting with Bruce's car behind him as the Billionaire walked up to him.

"Your vehicle, Sir." he said in a polite manner, gaining a smile from Wayne as he handed back his ticket.

"Thanks. Here...this is for keeping her spotless." he replied while handing the younger man a $50 note, who's own grin widened in appreciation.

"You're more than welcome, Mr. Wayne. Good day." the usher said back, while Bruce got into his supercar and drove away.

"Master Bruce?" Alfred's voice then spoke over the radio, while the younger man kept his attention on the road ahead of him.

"Yes, Alfred. That is good timing."

"Well, the car's sensors detected that you had re-entered it, Sir..." the Butler began to reply with a knowing tone to his voice.

"...so did you enjoy your lunch with Ms. Tate?"