Batman: Deception [Fanfiction]

[ApolloXL5]

"Yes, it was fun. And I will be joining Miranda at Rupert Thorne's function tonight..." the Billionaire started to say back, only for his friend to cut him off mid sentence.

"Really, Sir? I thought you were not going to attend? Instead, letting Mr. Fox represent the company in your place."

"Yeah, that was the original plan. But I...couldn't say no to Miranda." Bruce replied with an ambivilent tone to his voice, which he knew would make Alfred smile on the other end of the com.

"I say, it is about time, Master Bruce. Ms. Tate must really have made an impression on you." he said with a happy yet teasing tone, earning an uncomfortable expression from the Wayne.

'Damn it, Alfred. Always laying the pressure on, aren't you.' he thought while adjusting his tie with one hand, while keeping the other on the wheel.

"Was there a reason for your call, Alfred?" he then said back, the tone of his voice becoming a little irritated.

"Surely, Sir, you won't deny me the satisfaction in knowing that there is a small chance for you to have...at the very least a semblance of normalacy in your life? I mean it is not every day that you agree to see an intelligent and beautiful woman more than once." Alfred replied with a knowing but caring tone, one that made Bruce sigh in return.

"I know, Alfred. But you know why I can't..." he began to say back, with his words underlined with regret.

'I know where this is going. It's a never-ending cycle between us.' he thought, having had this conversation a number of times in the last few years.

"Bruce, you have let some real gems slip your grasp in the last 5 years. Women like Vicki Vale, Julie Madison and Linda Paige, just to name a few." Pennyworth continued, while Bruce listened as he drove through the city's streets.

"...even back when I was your age, I never let as many slip through my fingers as you have."

"Alfred, I know you want the best for me, that I can have more in my life than just Batman. But you will eventually come to terms with the idea that a normal life is purely out of the question for me..." Bruce began to reply, only for Alfred to remain quiet so the younger man kept talking.

"...I can't do what I do for Gotham as long as long as there is someone waiting for me to come home each night. Rachel realised that and let me go, so I doubt any woman would be able to put up with it."

"I understand what you are saying, Master Bruce, I really do. But just as I once told you that I would never give up on you, that I would support you in this noble crusade of yours. I will still want some thing better for you, and I have no doubt that out there in the world is a woman who will accept both sides of your life, even if you do. And please don't use Rachel as the example of why you're not going to try, because I do not believe that she was 'the one' for you, Sir, and deep down, you know that as well." old man said back in a caring and truthful tone, which earned a sigh from the Billionaire as he remained quiet for a moment as he stopped the car at a junction.

"Master Bruce?" the Butler asked, breaking the silence as the younger man nodded back in return.

"Yeah, you're right, Alfred."

"Well, I won't say 'I told you so'...at least not this time." Alfred said back, gaining a slight smile from Bruce.

"That would make a change. Anyway, is there anything else that I need to know?"

"Yes, Sir, there is. Mr. Gordon would like to meet you tonight?" the Butler replied, earning a curious expression from the younger man.

"So he used our 'live-drop' site in old Gotham again?" he asked with a knowing tone.

"Yes, Sir, or rather he had Ms. Montoya use it for him. But either way, Mr. Gordon will be expecting a meet-up tonight at the usual time." Alfred said back with a hint of worry, which the Billionaire easily noted.

"That shouldn't be a problem."

"And why is that, Sir? Considering you have other plans tonight that do not include a cape and cowl." The Butler replied with a concerned tone, though the Billionaire simply remained relaxed.

"Because I won't going to Rupert Thorne's do with Miranda until 9pm, while the meeting with Jim is at 7:45pm, like always. That gives me plenty of time to get to our Bat-Bunker in town and change, before heading off to the party." he said back with a knowing smile, gaining a sigh from the older man in return.

"I see, Master Bruce. Well, as long as you have the time..." he began to respond, only for Wayne too cut him off as he continued driving after the junction light turned green.

"It will be fine, Alfred. The live-drop will only last a few minutes at most, since Jim will only want to pass me some information anyway."

"Very well, Sir. I can see that you are now on your way here. What are your plans in the meantime?" the Butler then asked as Bruce's car joined the dual carriageway leading out of Gotham.

"I was thinking of hitting the Gym at home, then having something to eat."

"Very good, Master Bruce. Then I will make a start preparing your supper." Pennyworth said back, gaining an appreciative smile from the younger Billionaire in return.

"Thanks, Alfred. See you at home." he replied before ending the call and returning his full attention on the road ahead, putting his foot down on the accelerator and pushing his car faster as it sped away from the city.

BATMAN: DECEPTION

A couple of hours later and Gotham was once again shrouded in the darkness of night, as the sun had set just an hour earlier. It was now a more dangerous time to be out and about in the city, since the street lamps could not illuminate every shadowed and dark spot.

Jim Gordon was more than aware of this as he drove home with his daughter, having spent the afternoon together. One of the few times that they had had been able to spend together as Father and daughter in the last few years, due to the complicated relationship he had with her mother, his ex-wife.

But even if he had burnt the bridges with Barbara, that was not going to happen with his kids. So Jim made sure to spend every free moment he could with them, to ensure that he remained a part of their lives.

That was why he let Renee deal with work as he spent the afternoon with his teenage daughter, who sat in the passenger seat next to him.

"So, did you enjoy this afternoon with your old Man, Barbara?" he asked, earning a happy look from her in return.

"Yeah, it was great. Thanks again for taking me out, Daddy." She said back, making the older man shake his head as he smiled back.

"It was my pleasure. The two of us should do this more often. Though I am still baffled why you chose 'Love that Baby'? The stage show didn't even have the original cast in it." Jim replied with a confused tone, making the redhead smirk and shrug her shoulders.

"We really liked the show when we used to watch it as a family, so I thought it would be good to see it again. But you are right, Daddy, It was not as good as I remember. What happened to the first Baby Doll?" Barbara then said with a curious tone, while looking out of the side window at the street lamps as they went by.

"You mean 'Mary Dahl'?" her Father began to reply as he kept his attention on the road, with a thoughtful look crossing his face.

"...I have no idea, Barbara. All I know is that she disappeared after the show was cancelled. Anyway, even if the new show was not as good as what we remember, the most important thing is that we had fun together."

"Exactly, Daddy..." the younger girl started to say as she returned her attention to him, mirroring his smile.

"...especially after eating 'Double Cheesemeister' meals at Big Belly Burger. It was all really tasty."

"Yeah, it was. Greasy...but definitely tasty. And now back to the house, though I wonder if Jimmy will be there before us?" the former policeman said, gaining a puzzled expression from Barbara as she looked at the street they were driving down.

"If we are going home, shouldn't we already be there? Where are we?"

"I just have to see a 'friend' first and then we'll head home, I promise." Gordon then said back with a knowing tone as he pulled over, parking the vehicle near a inconspicuous alleyway. But this gained an excited look from his Daughter in return.

"Are you meeting...Batman here?" she almost gasped, earning an eye roll from her father as he turned off the car's engine and released his seatbelt.

"Of course not, Barbara. Now just stay..." he began to say, only to find himself stopping mid-sentence as he saw the anticipation growing in his youngest's eyes.

"You are, aren't you?" she added with her almost ecstatic smile widening at the possibility, making the older man sigh in return and adjust his glasses.

"...Yes, Barbara. I am meeting with the Batman, but you have to stay in the car." He said back with a now serious tone, earning an understanding nod from the girl.

"Of course, Daddy. I just want to get a glimpse of him, if that is alright?" she asked, which brought an unsure expression from the Private Eye in response.

"Well, I can't guarantee that, Barbara. He does have a tendency to keep to the shadows. Now I shouldn't be long, just remember..." he then began to add, only for his daughter to cut him off.

"I know, 'stay in the car'. Now go and don't keep him waiting." She replied eagerly, making Jim sigh once more as he then got out of the vehicle and closed his door behind him.

'I'm starting to wonder if I should have taken Barbara home first?' he thought before taking a few steps into the alleyway, only to look over his shoulder back at his car. But his daughter just smiled back and gestured for him to keep going.

Gordon smirked back and returned his attention to where he was going, walking further into the poorly lit alley to the spot where his partner had left the signal. But just as he reached the spot, the few exterior lights that illuminated the area suddenly turned off and basked the former police commissioner in darkness.

Back at his car, Barbara saw what transpired as her grin widened, keeping her attention focused on the blacked out alley.

"He's here."

Meanwhile, Jim took a cigarette and a Zippo-lighter out of his pocket. He then used the latter to light up the business end of the former, which revealed that the Batman was standing before him before fading out of sight as he flicked the lighter closed and snuffed out the light.

"Good evening, Jim. You wanted to see me?"

"Yeah, I have some information about the Penguin..." the Private Eye started to say, stopping just long enough just to take a breath of the cigarette, which gave him another quick glance at the Dark Knight through the shroud of darkness that encompassed both men.

"...seems like he has some high level connections because no sooner are his men in Blackgate, that they are quickly back out on the street again. One of my contacts in the prison confirmed it for me earlier."

"I suspected as much, Jim. But that means he is getting help from either City Hall or the GCPD." Batman replied, earning a nod from Gordon in return.

"I know. I can't say that it sits well with me that the 'force' I worked hard to clean up could quickly fall back into old ways."

"If the connection is with the GCPD, do you think that Foley could be involved?" the Vigilante asked with a distrusting tone, which made the older man shake his head back.

"Not a chance, Batman. He may not be the best cop in the force, but Peter is no sell out. The guy is a firm believer in the letter of the law, or else he wouldn't have it in for you so bad."

"Good point. I will put feelers out into both departments then, which will hopefully give us something." Batman's voice spoke out of the darkness once more, gaining a curious expression from Jim.

"If I may ask, how's the search for Black Mask and Penguin going on your end? You were hoping to track those two goons back to the two crime-lords, right?"

"It is ongoing, Jim. But the less you know about what I am doing and how, the safer it is for you...and your family." He answered with a knowing tone, making Gordon glance between him and the car.

"Ah, you noticed Barbara."

"I did." The Dark Knight replied candidly.

"You know I don't usually make a habit of bringing my family along to our meetings, but we were on our way back from..." the older man started to explain, only for the Vigilante to cut him off.

"No need to explain, Jim. Just make you get her home safely. This area is not exactly safe." he began to say, only to be cut off by Alfred's voice

"Truer words have never been spoken, Comrades." Another disguised voice spoke up from just aways as the alleyway lights reactivated and exposed the pair for all to see.

"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Gordon exclaimed in startled confusion as he and the Dark Knight found themselves standing before a heavily built masked man wielding an automatic rifle with one hand and a long machete in the other. He wore a purely black/grey armoured suit with the exception of three large horizontal red lines on his chest, while his mask had a red pattern around his exposed eyes

"James Gordon and The Batman. I am 'The Beast'. My benefactor wants your heads, and I am going to deliver them to him." He then said with a heavy Russian accent before opening fire on the pair, with the sound of his gunfire echoing throughout the alleyway.

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

Next time: Black Mask has sprung his trap, with Batman and Gordon facing off against the Russian hit-man 'The Beast' with Barbara stuck in the middle. Can the pair defeat him?

[ApolloXL5]

Chapter 6

"Get down!" Batman spat as he tackled Gordon down to the ground, both men narrowly missing the hail of bullets that Beast fired at them. But the mercenary simply followed their movement and and continued to fire, while the vigilante instinctively grabbed the edge of his cape and covered both himself and his friend with it.

"Ha. That will not save you, Comrade." The Russian chuckled, before noticing that the bullets were just impacting against the cape and not penetrating it, as they just fell to the ground with each and every hit.

"What the?" he added in Russian under his breath, before suddenly stopping as the gun jammed after the last bullet was fired.

'Here's my chance.' The Dark knight thought before throwing back his cape and revealing two Batarangs in his other hand.

"Jim, go!" he spat while throwing the two customised shuriken at their adversary, knocking his weapon out of his hands.

"Okay..." the former Police Commissioner hesitantly replied before getting to his feet and running back to Barbara and his car, while the Vigilante launched himself at the disarmed Assassin, hitting him square in his masked face with a right hook.

But the Beast ignored the hit and returned the favour by striking Batman in his chest, which even though was heavily armoured, knocked him flat on his back.

"You are more than you appear to be, Batman. I will relish killing you..." he began to say while standing over his target, before looking down the alleyway at Gordon, who was nearly at his vehicle.

"...but you are not my only target."

Meanwhile, Barbara sat in the passenger seat of her dad's car, eyes wide and mouth partly agape at what she was witnessing in front of her.

'This is incredible! Come on, Batman!' she thought excitedly, before the car door on the other side from her opened and her Father got in.

"I hope you have your seat belt on, Barbara?" he said in a hurried and alert tone, making her do exactly that, but never taking her eyes off what was happening before her.

"Yeah..." she began to reply, before a worried expression appeared on her face, because she noticed that he was starting the car's engine and the Dark Knight was lying at their attacker's feet.

"...but what about Batman? He needs help."

"He'll be fine, but I need to get you out of..." the Private Investigator then said back, only to stop as his attention was caught by the Beast now pointing a weapon at them, while the Batman laid at his feet.

"...oh crap!" he muttered under his breath before grabbing his daughter, making them both duck as the assassin opened fire and shattered the windshield, making shards of glass rain down on them in return.

"Daddy?!" the young teen exclaimed with fear underlining her voice, making the older man hold her tight as bullets raced over their heads.

"It will be alright, Barb." He replied, trying to sooth his little girl's fear.

But as the Beast had one foot down on the Batman's chest, pinning him to the ground as he continued to fire on the Gordons, the former did not notice that the latter was up to something.

'Got to get his attention back on to me.' The vigilante thought has he took two items from his utility belt, one smoke pellet and one more batarang.

"This will be easier than the Black Mask thought." Beast exclaimed confidently, making Batman's ears burn as he noted the former's words before shattering the pellet on the ground beside him.

"What the...?" the Russian merc spat in his mother tongue as heavy smoke began to surround and envelope him, only for his eyes to widen under his mask as his attention snapped back to his priority target, who smirked at him before stabbing him just above the ankle with the Batarang.

"Arrgh!" Beast cried out as he lifted his foot, freeing Batman who rolled clear and quickly pressed a button on the buckle of his utility belt while getting back to his feet.

Though before the Dark Knight could react any further, he was suddenly grabbed via his cape and yanked back on to his back as the Beast tried to run a machete down into his chest. But the vigilante quickly caught the blade between his own wrist blades.

"You are just full of surprises, aren't you, Batman?" the Russian replied as he gritted his teeth while trying to force his weapon down into his opponent's chest, all while the latter grimaced as he held the tip of his adversary's weapon just a few milimetres from him as it hovered there.

"I am glad that you have put up more of a fight..." the Beast began to say before the Dark Knight gritted his teeth and with all of his strength, broke the former's machete by slicing it in half with his wrist blades.

"Impossib..." the Merc then started to exclaim, only to be cut off by Batman's boot as the latter kicked him in the face. This made the Beast fall onto his arse as the vigilante performed a Kip-up and sprung back onto his feet.

"Black Mask should have told you..." the Dark Knight began to reply as he turned round to face his adversary, who was still sitting against the alleyway wall.

"...that I 'am' the impossible."

"Let's see about that." The Beast spat back as he sprung at the Bat with his broken machete and drove it at his head, only for the vigilante to block and deflect it with one hand and punch his enemy inn the face with the other.

But the Russian ignored that hit and swiped his weapon towards the Dark Knight's stomach, making the latter perform a block with both his hands.

The Beast smirked behind his mask as he replied by quickly pulling the blade back, revealing that he had feigned this attack and instead, punched Batman square in his face.

The Vigilante grimaced while he staggered back a few steps, clearly disorientated as the Russian pushed on with his attack and swiped his broken machete at the other's chest once more. But even as he was still reeling from the force of that punch, the Dark Knight still managed to bring his arms up to cover his chest, resulting in the weapon's broken blade slicing through the armour on Batman's right gauntlet.

"Arrgh!" the Vigilante grimaced behind gritted teeth, but the pain was like a shot of Adrenalin as it snapped his attention right back to his opponent, making him spin around in the same direction as Beast's attack and hit the Assassin with his cape, disorientating him.

Batman then continued to spin in that direction, keeping his momentum going as he then performed a 'reverse hook kick', hitting the Russian in the side of the head and knocking him to the ground.

It was the that he could hear the familiar engine growl of the Batmobile as it stopped at the entrance to the alleyway, just behind Gordon's shot-up car.

"Get to my 'car'!" He ordered in his disguised voice, gaining a nod from the former cop as he took his daughter out of their vehicle and headed toward the armoured car.

The Dark Knight then smashed a smoke pellet on the floor next to the Beast, who was recovering as the smoke rose and clouded his view.

"...that was a..." he began to say in a groggy manner while getting back to his feet, revealing his helmet to be cracked down one side as he was cut off by the sight of the now empty alleyway.

"...a mistake." He finished as the smoke faded away, with him hearing the roar of the Batmobile's engine in the distance before looking down at his blooded and broken machete.

'But at least I did not come away empty handed...' the Russian thought as he smirked behind his mask.

"Next time, Batman, you will drown in your own blood."

BATMAN: DECEPTION

Ten minutes and several traffic light violations later, the Batmobile came to a quiet stop in an another alley behind the Gordon residence. The former Police Commissioner climbed out and helped his daughter from the vehicle, while Batman remained in the driver's seat.

"This car is 'so' much better than the plane." Barbara exclaimed like a fan-girl, earning a non reaction from the Dark Knight as he looked over at Gordon.

"Go inside, Sweetheart." The Private-eye then said while the young girl gave the Dark Knight a beaming smile, which instantly changed as she looked up at her father with a shocked expression.

"But, Daddy..." she began to say, only to be cut off by his firm stare.

"Now, Barbara."

This gained a sigh from the teen before she turned back to Batman, giving him an appreciative smile.

"Thanks, Batman...Bye." She then said, before heading inside as he just sat there with an indifferent expression on her face.

As soon as she was gone, Jim let out a sigh as he took off his glasses and cleaned them.

"I tell you, Batman, I don't know what's worse. Either she begins a fan-club for you or tries to fight crime herself..." he then said, before putting his glasses on again.

"...the latter sounds worse." He added, but Batman simply stayed quiet as he looked on with thoughtful expression.

"Batman?" the older man then said, bringing the costumed man out of his thoughts as he glanced back at him, noting the questioning look on the former's face.

"You're being too quiet, which for you is saying something."

"I'm sorry, Jim. I should have checked out the area before meeting you. You and your daughter nearly died tonight. That's on me." The Vigilante said with a apologetic tone, which made Gordon shake his head in return.

"No, Batman, don't do that. You hold enough responsibility on your shoulders. For all we know, that Russian had followed me here or even Montoya earlier today. So don't assume that this is all on you, because we are all in this together, right?"

This gained an appreciative smile back from Batman, who nodded in response.

"Yes, Jim, we are. Thank you."

"You're welcome. So, Black Mask thinks we are a big enough threat to him now that he hires assassins to take us out." Gordon replied with knowing look to his face.

"Yes. So, perhaps you should consider moving your family to a safer location until the situation with Black Mask and Penguin is resolved." The vigilante said back with a concerned tone, which made the older man shake his head.

"I appreciate the advice, Batman. But this situation with these two has been going on for too long now. And anyway, if I had to hide my family away every time a maniac showed up, then they would never leave the house..." he began to say, earning an understanding look from the Dark Knight as he listened.

"...No. I won't do that. Because if there was always one certainty, it was that there is always a risk when carrying a badge. Be it to the person carrying it, or to that person's family and luckily my kids understand that risk. In fact, after leaving the force, Barbara told me that she would never forgive me if I just gave up on helping people...on helping you. So here I am, standing with you against the chaos that continues to blight our city, no matter what/who it is and what happens?"

"And I appreciate that, Jim." The Vigilante replied as the two smiled at each other, before a curious expression then appeared on the latter's face.

"So, I take it that this is Black Mask's attempt to raise the stakes, hiring mercs to take us out?" he asked, gaining a nod from the Dark Knight.

"It would seem so. You should know, Jim, that the Penguin has also brought an assassin into his operation."

"Yes. It was Black Spider, right? Police have had encounters with him in Coast City, Metropolis and Starling City in recent years. Eye witnesses said that you took him on while chasing down a lorry being run by Penguin's men..." Gordon started to say, which the vigilante acknowledged with another nod, before a knowing expression appeared on the former's face.

"...before being attacked by what looked like...a ninja, who was dressed like those who attacked the city with Scarecrow's fear gas years back."

That last sentence brought the Batman's gaze back to Gordon as his masked face mirrored the other's.

"Yes, it appears that this ninja is all that is left of the League of Shadows and is here to take their revenge on me. But there is no connection with either Penquin or Black Mask."

"How can you be sure, Batman? I mean, you did say that Ra's Al Ghul was the League and with him gone, it was no more. But perhaps there are still some members out there." Jim said back, making Batman look away with a thoughtful expression.

'There is at least one other person...' he began to think, remembering that the female ninja was in contact with someone the previous night, before he saw the time on dashboard in front of him.

"I will look into it, Jim, and let you know what I find. But now, I must be going." The vigilante then said.

"Okay...but there is one more thing." The older man then replied, as he remembered something that he wanted to discuss before the Russian hitman appeared, earning a curious but stoic look from the vigilante.

"There was someone else at Blackgate when I visited my contact with Montoya. Just after laying eyes on him, I had a gut feeling that he was someone that should be on the other side of visitor's booths."

"What did he look like?"

"He was Caucasian, around 6'4 with silver grey hair and a trimmed beard. He was also missing his right eye." Gordon then said, remembering the details of the stranger.

"Okay then, I will take a look at the Prison's security footage and see if I can match his face to a name."

"I appreciate that, Batman. Good night." The former cop then said as he stepped away from the heavily customised motor.

"Good night, Jim." The Dark Knight replied, before the vehicle's canopy slid back into place and the Batmobile sped away, leaving Gordon standing there in the now empty alleyway.

"Good luck out there." He then muttered before turning around and heading in the direction of his house.

Back in the Batmobile, the masked vigilante tapped a button on the dashboard, which made his Butler's face appear on the small monitor beside the steering wheel.

"Yes, Master Wayne?"

"Have you been monitoring my situation, Alfred?" Bruce asked, earning a nod from the old man.

"Of course, Sir. I take it that you have seen the time?"

"Yes, so I need you to meet me at the Penthouse bunker, because I need a little medical attention before I go out to meet Miranda."

"I see. Though, I thought that you had now learnt basic field medicine?" Alfred asked with a curious tone.

"Yes, that is true. But nothing beats your perfect work, old friend."

This made the confidante roll his eyes and sigh in return at his end in the Bat-cave.

"Very well, Master Bruce. I will meet you there and patch you up."

"Good. Also, before you leave. Have the Bat-computer access the security footage at Blackgate Prison for the time that Jim Gordon was visiting. There is a person of interest that he wants me to look into." The Dark Knight added, gaining a nod from the Butler on his end of the call.

"Will do, Sir. See you soon." He said back before ending the call, while the vigilante glanced down at his bloodied gauntlet as he had both hands on the wheel.

'There aren't many blades that can cut through my armor.' He thought while returning his attention back to the road ahead of him, while his Batmobile continued further into Gotham.

[ApolloXL5]

BATMAN: DECEPTION

An hour later and the party had already started at the Thorne residence, home to Gotham City Councilman - Rupert Thorne, with guests still arriving as they filled out the mansion's large ball-room.

The man himself, who was an overweight man with silver swept back hair, was in the middle of the masses, meeting and greeting them all one at a time with his wife by side.

"Hello, nice to see you again." was just one of three same three sentences he used while greeting his guests, or as many as Lucius had noticed as he watched the party's host make his way towards him.

"Lucius Fox, welcome. It's nice to finally meet you..." Rupert then said as he approached the Wayne Enterprises Chairman, his left hand extended toward the latter who took it in his left.

"...though please forgive me. I have had little contact with Wayne Enterprises since you replaced William Earle as it's CEO." He added as they shook hands, gaining a polite smile from the guest in return.

"Not a problem, Mr. Thorne. I do think you will find that many things have changed since the company's chief share holder returned to Gotham though."

"Yes, I read about young Bruce Wayne's return eight years ago. I was hoping that he would make an appearance tonight." the Councilman replied with a disappointed tone to his voice, earning a knowing smirk from the Wayne CEO.

"I would like to say that Mr. Wayne considered accepting your invitation, but he is both young and wealthy. A combination that rarely ever conforms to the things that we older and wiser folk believe are important."

"Unfortunately, that is true. Driving fast cars, dating beautiful women and generally being reckless with one's fortune. That is what the younger generation of millionaires and billionaires like to focus on."

"I did say 'rarely', Mr. Thorne. And while Mr. Wayne does like to buy fast cars and date supermodels, he does care an awful lot about his family's company." Lucius said back before taking a sip of his wine.

"Well, since I have relocated back to Gotham to take my place on the city council, perhaps I will finally get a chance to meet him." Rupert replied with a hopeful smile, which brought a curious look to Fox's face.

"It's bound to happen, Mr. Thorne. Though, can I ask how you have come to be on the city council? Because the last time I checked, you were a business man and not a politician."

This brought a sly smile to the other man's face in return.

"It's funny that you should ask, Mr. Fox..." he began to say, before stopping mid-sentence as he looked past the Wayne CEO.

"...but that will have to wait. Please, excuse me." he finished while walking past Fox, who turned around to see him welcome a short and chubby, but well dressed Caucasian man in a posh suit with slicked-back hair.

"Mayor Cobblepot, welcome." Rupert Thorne then said as the two men shook hands, with the shorter man looking up at him with an appreciative smile.

"Rupert, please call me Oswald and thank you for invitation."

"Like I am not going to invite the Mayor of Gotham to my first event back in the city, especially when he is now my boss." The host joked, gaining some light laughs from the people around the pair, while the Mayor simply smiled back.

'That wasn't awkward.' Fox thought as he took a sip from his glass, before his glance caught Cobblepot's.

"Lucius Fox!" he exclaimed while waling up to the surprised man, offering him his hand.

"I hope there are no hard feelings about my cancelling our meeting the other day? Though you were not the only one that I had to do that too." the Mayor added with a apologetic tone and smile, while Lucius accepted his hand in return.

"Of course not, Mayor Cobblepot. I understand that you are an extremely busy man." he replied as Cobblepot's blonde male aide handed his boss a drink from the nearby waiter, who took a sip as Thorne hovered around the pair.

"Well, we should set up a new date then, since I am very interested in knowing how Wayne Enterprises can further improve our fair city..." Oswald started to say, only to stop and turn to his Aide.

"Carmichael, please set up a date for...how's does tomorrow afternoon sound, Mr. Fox?" he continued, turning his attention back to the Wayne CEO.

"Sounds good, Mayor Cobblepot..." he answered, before noticing how agitated Thorne was becoming.

"...but we can go through the details later."

"Yes, that would be preferable, since there are a number of people who would like to see you now, Oswald." Rupert then said as he stayed at Cobblepot's side like a shadow.

"Very well, Rupert. But Mr. Fox shall accompany us." Cobblepot replied, earning a silent nod back from the Host as Fox looked at them both.

"I don't want to feel like I am inpede..." he began to say back, only for Mayor to brush it off as he gestured Lucius to follow them.

"Nonsense. Now please, come..." the smaller man replied with a smile, before looking back to Thorne.

"So, Rupert, who are we going to see?"

"Well, not only are the rest of the City's Councillors here, but so is the Police Commissioner and Roman Sionis, owner of Sionis Industries."

"Sionis? They're our biggest Competitor at the moment." Lucius said back after hearing the name, earning a curious expression from Thorne and Cobblepot.

"I hope that this isn't going to be awkward for you, Mr. Fox?" the latter asked with a show of conern in his voice, which made Fox shake his head in return as they saw the smartly dressed Sionis up ahead, talking with Peter Foley. The former had slicked-back black hair and was wearing a black suit and white bowtie over his medium build, who noticed the group heading towards them and smirked back.

But before they could join him and the Police Commissioner, everyone's attention was drawn back to the Mansion's entrance as two more people walked in.

"Who is that?" Cobblepot asked, before noticing that a wide smile appeared on Fox's face.

'I'll be damned...' he thought, before turning his attention back to the Mayor.

"Mr. Thorne, Mayor Cobblepot, I would like to introduce Bruce Wayne." he said as the young man and Miss. Tate joined the party.

BATMAN: DECEPTION

Meanwhile at Blackgate Prison, Abbas was lying down on the bunk in his cell whilst reading a book. The prison-guards were down at the other end of the corridor of cells, finishing off their rounds in that particular cell-block, though this did not concern the former League of Shadows member as he kept his focused on his reading.

But then the light's just outside of the cell began to flicker off and then back on, though this still did not disturb Abbas as he remained unchanged.

"You do know that since I too was trained by the great Ra's Al-Ghul..." he then started to say out loud, before looking over the book to find Slade standing beside the bed in his armour.

"...that no-one can sneak up on me." he added with a confident smile, though he could not see the other man's reaction due to his masked helmet covering his face.

"I was not trying, Abbas. But since I am here, you know that we are going to continue our 'little' chat from earlier." the assassin replied in a stoic manner, earning a sigh from the prisoner in return.

"Yeah...I guess we are." he said back, before a moment of silence passed between the pair as Slade clenched his hands into fists.

Suddenly, Abbas throws the book at the armoured assassin, making the latter knock it away before quickly blocking a punch from the prisoner, who had sprung off the bed at him. The orange and black armoured fighter quickly tried to counter with an elbow to his face, but Abbas ducked under it and shoulder-barged his attacker into the wall.

"Urgh..." Slade grimaced as his back slammed against the concrete, but he didn't have time to get his bearings as his enemy continued his attack, performing a roundhouse kick to his side. But the assassin caught the prisoner's attack and flung the guy against the wall next to him, earning a painful grunt from him as he fell onto the floor.

"I knew you would not go down easy, Abbas..." the masked man said as he stood over the prisoner, who rolled onto his front by the bed.

"...tell me the identity of the man who killed Ra's and I will kill you quickly." he added, which made Abbas chuckle.

"You already know that it was Batman. I saw the news, Talia failed to kill him last night." he replied while slowly getting closer to the underside of the bed, which made Slade reach for one of the two swords that were on his back.

"Yes, but we also know that he was trained by Ra's before becoming the Bat, so we want his real name."

"Well, I am not sorry to keep disappointing you, Slade. Because I like watching you flounder in the dark, unable to see what is right in front of you." the prisoner said back, before grabbing a concealed knife from under the bed and quickly rising on to his knees and slashing out at his opponent, only for the masked assassin to draw his blade in blink of an eye and deflected the attack, then following through by slicing Abbas's hand off in one flawless and swift action.

This gained a pained gasp from the now one-armed man as he clutched at his handless arm, the shock of what had just happened freezing him in place. But he did not get much time to dwell as his hand lay on the ground in front of him, because Slade then ran his blade through the former League member's torso, missing all the major organs as it broke through his back.

"Arrgh!" Abbas cried out in pain, gaining the attention of the other inmates residing in the cell-block, while the orange and black armoured assassin knelt down next to him.

"What's going on in there?" one of Abbas's neighbours called out, which Slade ignored as he looked at his beaten foe.

"You are beaten, Abbas. I can ease your passing, but only if you are honest with me..." he began to explain, keeping his grip on the hilt of his blade steady and tight, while blood started to trickle down from the prisoner's mouth.

"...because I have this blade nestled right between some of your internal organs and with one twist, I can make sure that you die in absolute agony. So, what will it be?"

The sounds of Abbas's suspicious neighbours began to get louder as he started coughing up blood onto the floor, grabbing hold of Slade's shoulder to steady himself as he looked into Slade's only eye, which was exposed through the assassin's mask.

"You win...Slade. It's...Wa...Wayne, Bruce...Wayne." he replied between pants and coughs, which made Slade's eye widen in surprise.

"Th...thank you, Abbas. You may rest now." Wilson replied as he regained his composure while the sounds of the approaching prison-guards got closer, before effortlessly sliding the sword out of his opponent's torso and quickly decapitating him.

"...Bruce Wayne is...Batman." the assassin then muttered under his breath, before getting back to his feet, standing over Abbas's headless corpse. But then the sound of approaching guards caught his attention and the Assassin threw a smoke pellet down on to the ground and enveloped him and the whole room in a cloud of smoke.

"What's going on in there?" one of three guards exclaimed as they rushed into the cell-block, just as the smoke began to dissipate.

"The hell...?" another said with a dumbfounded expression as they all looked in to see both Abbas's corpse and head, while the third guard unlocked the cell door.

"Who? How?" the guard asked as he entered the cell, stepping around the prisoner's headless corpse, with said head lying next to the now open door. But the other two could not answer, simply staring down at the mess while the first activated his radio.

"Get the Warden and lock down the prison." he said in a panicked tone, while the surrounding prisoners yelled and shouted from their cells.

Meanwhile outside of the prison, Slade slipped through a cut in the perimeter fencing and dropped onto his front just as a searchlight from the nearby tower passed by.

'That was too close.' he thought before springing back to his feet and sprinting into the cover of a nearby group of trees, while more prison-guards continued to rush around on their side of the fence.

Once in the the clear, the assassin stopped behind one of the large trees to and removed his mask as a thoughtful smile appeared on his face.

"Bruce Wayne...is Batman." he muttered in a surprised tone while turning his attention to Gotham which was just a few miles away and lit up like a Christmas tree against the black of night.

'This certainly makes things more interesting.'

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

[ApolloXL5]

-CHAPTER 7-

"Welcome to my humble abode, Mr. Wayne." Thorne said with an almost booming tone to his voice, greeting the younger Billionaire with a handshake.

"Thank you for the invitation, Mr. Thorne." Bruce replied with a confident smile, trying hard not to notice that all the eyes in the room were now on him. But Miranda then found the host's attention drawn to her, with the older man giving her a warm smile as he held out a hand to her.

"I don't believe I've had the pleasure, Miss..." he started to say, cutting himself off as she let him take her hand in his own and give it a kiss. This made Tate's skin crawl, though she did not show it as he made a fake smile back.

"Miranda Tate, Mr. Thorne..." she began to reply while coolly taking her hand back.

"...and thank you for the invitation. But believe me when I say..." the younger woman continued to say as her smile started to fade, while Bruce and the others around then watched.

"...you won't have the pleasure." she added with a cold smile, which stunned Thorne as everyone did not know where to look, but could not take their eyes off the pair as Miss. Tate carried on.

"You see, Mr. Thorne, I wasn't going to come to your party originally, because I am tired of you old, self-important Fat-Cats staring at my chest and making shrewd and childish comments behind my back. But I also am painfully aware of how much I can increase my influence in Gotham if I do turn up to these parties in a nice dress, because you will do anything I ask if I smile and look pretty. So I'm here with Bruce Wayne as my chaperone..."

This sentence brought a confused look to Bruce's face as he stood there and watched, before noticing that Lucius was having a hard time hiding the smirk that was growing on his face.

"...so that the Fat-Cat looks keep coming, but not nearly as much as usual. Do we understand each other, Mr. Thorne?" Miranda then asked, while the party's Host stood their with his mouth agape.

"Yes...,of course..., Miss. Tate." He then replied in a flustered and embarrassed manner, while Fox joined Wayne's side.

"I like your date, Bruce." he said with a smirk, earning a raised eyebrow from the younger man in return.

Miranda then turned back to the pair and gave the latter a coy smile, holding her hand out to him.

"Come on, Bruce. Let's go get a drink from the free-bar." she said, which made the Billionaire smile back as he took her and was led away from the others who all looked shocked, except for Lucius.

"Young people..." the Wayne CEO then said with a knowing smirk, earning the attention of the Mayor as he stood next to him.

"...am I right?" he added, gaining a scoff from Cobblepot in return.

Meanwhile, Bruce and Miranda approached the improvised but professional-looking bar at the back of the room.

"Two glasses of your best wine, please." The lady asked the barman as they stopped by at the bar, only for Bruce to jump in before the worker could acknowledge the order.

"Make mine a club soda, thanks." he said, gaining a surprised look from his date while the barman just stared at both with a confused look.

"Bruce?" Tate asked with a curious tone.

"I guess, I prefer to keep my wits about me." He replied with an honest smile, of which Miranda could only stare back before a daring expression appeared on her face.

"Make that two, please." She then said to the barman, who nodded back in return.

"Very good." He answered before turning around to make their drinks, leaving the pair alone for the moment.

"You've surprised me yet again, Bruce. You really aren't like the others, are you?" Miranda observed.

"I'll take that as a compliment, Miranda, thank you." The Billionaire replied as she looked back curiously.

"But you did drink when we had lunch earlier and I swore I saw you having a glass of wine at your event, where we first met."

"Yes, that is true for earlier. Because when you don't have the eyes of the world on you, then you can relax. But in this environment..." he started to answer before looking out at the others, making his date do the same.

"You have to keep up appearances, I can understand that." Miranda replied as the barman returned with their drinks, regaining their attention.

Your Club sodas."

"Thank you." Miranda said back appreciatory while taking the two drinks, before handing one to Bruce as the help turned to another person who approached the bar.

"So, Miranda..." the billionaire began to say with a confused-looking smile as the lady passed him his drink.

"..., I'm not just your Chaperone tonight?"

This gained a teasing smile from Tate as she took a sip from her glass.

"Well..." Miranda then began to answer, only to stop as she saw the look on Wayne's face, which made her burst into laughter.

This gained the attention of a few other guests standing nearby, which made Wayne smile back at them awkwardly as he looked around, while the former regained some self-control.

"...Oh, Bruce..." she then started to say, before stopping and taking a drink from her glass as her date mirrored her.

"...you are certainly not my chaperone. And I apologize if I offended you, but I was not expecting such an expression from 'Bruce Wayne' of all people." the lady continued, bringing a slight smile to the Billionaire's face.

"I guess I'm full of surprises?" He replied with a tinge of curiosity to his voice, which brought a coy smirk to Miranda's face as she looked at him.

"Yes..., you certainly are, Bruce." She said back as they stared into each other's eyes and smiled, before a curious expression grew on the man's face.

"Just out of curiosity, why did you tell the others that I was your chaperone?"

"Because I'm tired of coming to events like these...or the one where we first met and having the elitist fat-cats surround me like foxes with a Hen, taking turns to try he fast-track of wine and dine on me." She explained, earning a knowing expression from Bruce.

"I can relate, Miranda. Usually, I get mobbed by women at these events." He replied while gesturing to the others around the pair, making his date look over to see a few of the lady guests eyeing him up.

"On the hunt for a eligible Bachelor, are they?" She asked, noticing the icy glares that the other women were giving her.

"Yeah, but they are this time keeping their distance." he replied, gaining a knowing smile from Miss. Tate in return.

"That's because they know that you are already taken tonight, and so are staying away. It's exactly the same with what happened earlier with me and the fat-cats."

"I get it..." Bruce started to say, before looking between his date and the ladies nearby.

"...well, be careful. They have been known to fight over me, not that I want that." He said back with tinge of concern in his voice, making Miranda smile back confidently at him.

"Don't worry, Bruce..." she started to say back, before glancing back at the ladies.

...I can handle myself." She added with a smirk, earning jealous dagger-like stares from the others.

"Good. So..." Wayne began to say, regaining the lady's attention as they continued to stand at the bar.

"...your analogy about foxes..." he continued before noticing his date's smile widening, gaining a confused look from the billionaire as another voice spoke up from his left.

"What was that about Foxes, Mr. Wayne?"

This made the younger man's eyes widen as he looked in that direction to find Lucius standing beside him, a puzzled expression on his face.

"Lucius?" He replied with an almost stunned tone to his voice, which made Miranda chuckle in return.

"Mr. Wayne, what may I ask, were you and the lovely Miss. Tate discussing about my family?" The older gentleman asked in a friendly and curious tone, gaining a sigh from Wayne.

"Lucius, we're talking about the 'animal'." He replied, earning a look of revelation from the CEO in response.

"Oh, I see. Well, you should know that they are intelligent, cunning and are natural-born survivors." He then stated, gaining another sigh from the billionaire as Miranda just smiled back at the pair.

"Was there a reason that you came over here, Lucius?" Bruce then asked with a tinge of annoyance in his voice, cutting his older friend off mid-sentence. This brought a look of realization from Fox as he remembered said reason.

"Oh, of course, Bruce. The mayor would like to have a word with you, if you have a free moment?"

"Surely, Lucius, if it is anything to do with Wayne Enterprises, then you're the one to talk to." The younger man replied, making Fox shake his head in return.

"Unfortunately, Mr. Wayne, Mayor Cobblepot asked for you personally." he replied, which made the Billionaire look back at Miranda, gaining an understanding look from her.

"But, we were..." he started to say, only for her to cut him off.

"It's alright, Bruce. I just saw a Businessman that I would like to speak with." she explained while looking over his shoulder, making the Billionaire glance back to see an older silver-haired man standing by the wall on his own.

"I thought you said...?" Bruce began to reply with a confused tone, only for Miranda to smile back reassuringly at him.

"It's only one fat-cat this time and I'm certain that he's the CEO of Stagg Enterprises. All I need to gain his company's support is to use my charms on him. And while I do this, you can go and see what the Mayor wants. We can continue this afterwards." She explained before gesturing between herself and him, gaining a surrendering smile from the billionaire in response.

"Okay. Good luck with Stagg." He replied while backing away, bringing a smirk to Miranda's face.

"Thank you, now go. You don't want to keep the mayor waiting." She said back whilst shoeing him away, before walking over to Stagg while Bruce turned around and walked off with Fox.

"So, Lucius, did you get a chance to ask the mayor about our problem?" The younger man asked, making the other shake his head in response.

"I'm afraid not, Mr. Wayne. Perhaps you might have a better chance." He replied, before leaving his friend's side as the latter joined Cobblepot.

"Ah, Mr. Wayne, I am glad that you could spare a moment to speak with me." The smaller and chubbier man said as he shook the Billionaire's hand, earning a smile from him.

"It's not a problem, Mayor Cobblepot." He replied, feigning his real feelings as he found himself thinking about Miranda. But the Mayor simply smiled back knowingly, which made Bruce cringe inside.

"Oh, I'm not so sure. Having to leave a beauty like that amongst all those probable rivals around us..." Cobblepot continued to say as he gestured at the pair's surroundings.

"..., she may end up leaving with one of them."

But this line made the younger Wayne simply smirked back confidently.

"Then I guess you haven't heard of my reputation of being 'Gotham's most eligible Bachelor'?" He replied with a curious tone, while taking a glance back out at the crowd. This made the Mayor look out there again, noticing how many of the female guests around them were staring back at the young billionaire.

"I have heard..." he began say as he kept his attention away from Bruce, narrowing his eyes ever so slightly as he felt a tinge of jealously come over him.

"...but never had the chance to witness it firsthand." The smaller man continued as he returned his gaze back to Wayne, maintaining his calm and friendly stature.

"Anyway, that isn't what I wanted to discuss with you." He added while Bruce ignored one of the ladies trying to get his attention with a wave.

"And what would that be, Mr. Mayor?"

[ApolloXL5]

"As you may well be aware, our glorious city is facing a crisis now." The small man then answered, earning a curious expression from Wayne in response.

"What might that be?" He replied, making the Mayor stare back with tinge of surprise to face.

"Well..., I am speaking of the mob bosses - the 'Penguin' and the 'Black Mask' of course." The two of them are keeping organized crime, flowing through the veins of Gotham, which is halting the city's chances of achieving the greatness that it deserves."

"What did you have in mind, Mr. Mayor?" Bruce then asked.

"I want to give our citizens hope for the future and show that the power in Gotham is in the right hands and not those of the Mob. And I'm not sure you realize just how important our meeting here truly is..." Cobblepot started to reply, which made the billionaire raise and eyebrow at that comment.

"...because you and I are now the only members of Gotham's 'founding families' still living in it's boundaries." The mayor added, gaining a nod from Wayne in return.

"'Founding Families'. That's a term I have not heard in a long time."

"Indeed, Mr. Wayne. Your Family and mine are the only ones left. The Dumas, Elliot and Kane families are all gone." The older man said back, while Bruce looked at the ground with a tinge of sadness as the mention of the last two names gave him pause.

'Kane...that was my Mother's family and my childhood friend 'Thomas' belonged to the Elliot family.' He thought before returning his attention to Cobblepot.

"So, what would you like from me, Mr. Mayor?"

"Just your support, both public and financial, for an initiative that I am starting with the GCPD." The older man replied with a confident smile, while Bruce looked back at him with a puzzled expression.

"Well, if you want my public endorsement of this, then I should know what your initiative is. And if you also want financial support from Wayne Enterprises, I will need to bring Lucius Fox into this too."

"Of course, and you are correct on both counts. Please follow me, so we can discuss this out of view of prying eyes." The Mayor said back with a gesture, before leading the younger Wayne into another room, away from the crowds.

"Here we are..." Cobblepot then exclaimed as he and Bruce we met by two other men, one that the latter recognized as Commissioner Foley, while the other was a tall, well-built Caucasian man with raven black slicked-back hair in an expensive suit. The latter stood there looking confident and somewhat aggressive, though the former appeared uncomfortable and unsure of himself.

"...with Commissioner Foley and Roman Sionis, the owner of Janus Industries." Cobblepot added, earning a nod from the former and the latter offering his hand to the billionaire.

"Mr. Wayne." Foley said with a serious tone, while Bruce shook Sionis's hand.

'Can't say that I've seen the Commissioner looking like that before. I wonder what's got him spooked?' he quickly thought before speaking to the new guy.

"Hi..." he began to say back, before looking back at the Mayor with a questioning look.

"Excuse me, but I thought you wanted this to be between 'Founding Families' members..." he said, before returning his attention to Roman.

"...no offence."

"None taken..., Mr. Wayne." The businessman replied with a friendly expression, though Bruce could detect a tinge of annoyance underlining the other guy's words.

"Mr. Wayne..., I apologize, but may I call you Bruce?" The mayor said, gaining a cheeky smirk from the Wayne Ent. Owner.

"Only if I get to call you Oswald in return?" He replied, gaining a mirrored look from the shorter man.

"Well, I guess that depends on whether or not you join my initiative."

"Fair enough. So, what is this idea of yours?" Bruce then asked.

"As I told you earlier, the city is suffering from a crisis that is slowly building up to something worse..." he began to explain, earning a chuckle from Sionis.

"Isn't a crisis in Gotham just another Monday for everyone here?"

"It is not a laughing matter, Mr. Sionis. Long has Gotham shared it's history with organized crime, starting from the days of the Sabatino Family, before being succeeded by other like Falcone and Maroni..." the Mayor continued while Bruce and the others listened.

"...and while things may have appeared to improve since the Vigilante 'Batman' appeared on the scene, that is simply not the case as every time one Mob boss is removed, another one takes their place."

This earned a curious expression from Wayne when he heard that last sentence, which did not go unnoticed by Cobblepot.

"You have something to add, Mr. Wayne?"

"I'm just wondering what your opinion is on the Batman, Mr. Mayor? It sounds almost like you support what he is doing out there." He replied, earning a nod from Sionis in return.

"Yeah, last thing we need is that freak getting any official support from someone in the city." The other replied with a venomous sting to his words, making the billionaire glance over to him.

'Sionis certainly has a strong distaste for Batman. I should take a closer look at this guy, because I knew nothing of him before this meeting.' he thought before the Mayor responded to Roman.

"Don't get me wrong, I think it's amazing that someone has gone to such great lengths to help his fellow man. But... I cannot condone anyone to take matters into their own hands, not when we have a fully capable police force." He said, which finally made Foley take a step forward.

"As Mr. Wayne here knows, I am no fan of the Batman. In fact, I firmly believed that he had murdered Harvey Dent, which turned out to be not true. And even though the vigilante has done some good out there on the streets, gaining popularity among the citizens. I too cannot condone his actions and have made it a goal to arrest him..." he began to explain with a now serious tone and expression, like saying all of that finally had snapped him out of his quiet behavior from earlier.

"...but, that being said, there is a bigger picture to consider and with the growing threats of the Penguin and Black Mask, I have decided to give the Batman a pass for now, so long as he stays out of 'our' way."

"And what will the GCPD and City Hall be doing about those two?" Bruce then asked, regaining their attention.

"Mr. Sionis has graciously donated five blimps from the Janus Industries New York to the city." The Mayor replied, gaining a smarmy smile from the businessman.

"I had recently acquired the blimps in takeover of Ferris Aircraft's New York facility. And since I was planning on returning to my roots here in Gotham, I thought this gesture would go a long way to making that a reality."

"Okay, but what does my company have to do with this?" Bruce added with a curious tone, which made Foley speak up.

"Mr. Wayne, as you are aware, most of the city is located on three islands - Uptown, Midtown and Downtown...or 'Old Gotham' as Gothamites call it. We plan to have a pair of blimps positioned over both the northern and southern islands, with the fifth stationed over Midtown as the Alpha unit for the others." The Police Commissioner explained.

"Each of these blimps have been fitted with the most state of the art surveillance equipment, meaning we will have eyes in the sky looking down on the whole city." Roman then added, before the Mayor continued.

"If this initiative is successful, we will need another fourteen blimps produced so that we can have an airborne unit over each of the nineteen boroughs of Gotham City, thus ensuring that our Police can watch over and protect our citizens in their entirety." He said, while Bruce listened with an intrigued expression.

"And you would like Wayne Enterprises to create the other ones?

"In conjunction with Janus Industries, yes. I do expect to have other Gotham companies in on this initiative, but there is nothing like having Families Cobblepot and Wayne leading the way to a brighter and safer Gotham."

"I must say, it is an interesting concept. But I will need to discuss this with my CEO first." The billionaire replied, earning a nod from the Mayor in return.

"Of course, Mr. Wayne. We are planning to launch the first stage of the initiative in a day or so, which should be enough time for you to make up your mind. In the meantime, let's return to the party." He said back, before the four of them left the room and re-joined the rest of the party.

"So, Mr. Wayne, what was that about?" Lucius asked as the Billionaire joined him, with the latter's attention divided as he looked around the immediate area.

"It was about blimps, Lucius."

"Blimps?" The Wayne Chairman replied with a confused tone to his voice, earning a nod from the younger man.

"Yeah...but we can discuss this later." He said back in a distracted way, gaining a knowing smirk from the older man in response.

"Miss. Tate is over there, Mr. Wayne." Fox stated whilst pointing in the direction of the young woman, who was still talking with the old man from earlier.

"Thanks, Lucius. Speak to you later." Bruce replied with an appreciative smile before heading in that direction, gaining a sigh from his friend.

"Of course, Mr. Wayne."

"Bruce!" Miranda then said in a surprised tone as she saw the billionaire coming towards her, before looking back at the businessman.

"Thank you. I will have my secretary contact your people. Until then." She then said before leaving the other's company and re-joining Bruce.

"Bruce, while you were with the Mayor, I convinced Mr. Stagg to give a rather sizable donation to my cause." She explained with a smile, gaining a mirrored look from him in return.

"Well done. Glad to see you're making good use of the evening." He replied, gaining a slightly disappointed look from the young woman.

"Well, I would have rather spent the time with you, Bruce, but I had to share you with Mayor Cobblepot."

"I take it you that don't like to share." The Billionaire said back with a playful smirk.

"And you would be correct..." Miranda began to answer with a similar expression, before her face took on a more inquisitive look.

"...so was the talk between you and him worth losing sometime with me?" she then asked, making him shake his head in return.

"Of course, it wasn't, Miranda." He replied with a warm smile, gaining a bigger one from his date.

"Good answer. So, I hear they have a makeshift dance-floor. What do you say?"

"Why not." The Billionaire replied, offering the lady his hand. She smiled and took it in her own, before the pair began walking further into the hall.

But before they moved any further, the sound of an explosion outside rattled the building and brought the party to a halt.

"What the...?" Miranda exclaimed with shocked tone, mirroring the reactions of everyone else around them, while Bruce kept calm and looked in the direction the disturbance had originated. The orange and yellow hue of fire could be seen from the patterned window nearest to where the explosion happened, only for the lights to go out and shroud everyone in the hall in near complete-darkness, except for the light of the fire outside and the moonlight coming in from the skylight in the ceiling overhead as the last remaining sources of light.

'That was the GCPD support vehicle.' The young Wayne quickly thought, before his attention was caught by the sound of Cobblepot's voice.

"What's going on out there?" The Mayor barked at his bodyguard, who was already on his radio, an action quickly followed by Foley with his mobile.

"I need the closest units to the Thorne estate to get here as fast as they can." He said, while Miranda looked back at Bruce and noticed the lack of panic in his expression.

"Bruce...?" She started to ask, gaining his attention as the party's host then called out to everyone.

"Everyone, please remain calm. I'm sure that every..." Thorne then said out loud to the guests, only to be cut off as the front door was blown off it's hinges by a fireball, knocking those closest to it on to the ground.

"What in Hell...?!" The Mayor growled as two armed men entered the hall.

Both men wore similarly armoured suits and helmets, carrying large tanks on their backs, but had different colour schemes. The one on the right had a red/yellow look to his armour and was armed with a flamethrower, while the other's was dark green/grey and carried a weapon that look similar but also different.

"Hell is here, Mr. Mayor..." the guy with the flame-flower began to say, only for the other guy to continue.

"...and if any of you walking piggy-banks wants to leave, then you will give your valuables to 'Firefly and Killer Moth'!"

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

Next Chapter: With Firefly and Killer Moth holding Thorne's party hostage, it is up to Bruce to find a way to defeat these two villains and save the day. But how will he do that without Miranda and everyone else finding out that he is the Batman?

[ApolloXL5]

A/N: Hey, Everyone. After two years off, which I needed for a break and also to make a start on my own novel, I am back with a new chapter for Batman: Deception. I cannot guarantee regular updates to this story, like one every few weeks for example, but there shouldn't be as long a gap between chapters from now on. Enjoy.

CHAPTER 8

Rain began to fall from the now cloudy sky on what appeared to be a normal evening in Gotham, dousing the burning wreck of the GCPD support vehicle that stood outside of the Thorne residence, the atmosphere inside of the mansion was anything but normal.

The Businessman's guests were huddled to one side of the hall as the villain Firefly kept his Flamethrower aimed at them, while his partner Killer Moth began stripping each one of their hostages of their valuables.

"Come on, Miss, I'm sure you have several more back at your fancy home..." the masked criminal said as he gestured at her pearl necklace, while she held her hands to it in a defensive manner.

"...so give me that necklace or I will simply burn it off." He added with a sinister tone, before firing his gun at the wall behind her, spraying it with concentrated acid that quickly dissolved that spot.

"Aggghhh!" she screamed before ripping off the necklace and throwing it into the open bag Killer-Moth was carrying.

"That's better..." he stated before turning his attention to everyone else.

"...Okay, Folks, consider that a warning to anyone else feeling less than charitable to our needs."

Everyone there then quickly removed their valuables and got ready to hand them over as the villain went up to each one, with Firefly watching them all.

"See, it isn't that hard to be charitable, is it." The Firestarter observed with a chuckle.

Meanwhile, two people who looked less than happy to were Bruce and Miranda. The latter was staring at the two costumed criminals with a rebellious disgust, slowly clenching her hands into fists as she watched the pair getting their way with everyone.

"Someone's got to do something, Bruce." She whispered to her date, only to get no reply. So she looked over to the Wayne to see that he was staring at the developing situation with a calm and stoic expression.

"Bruce? How can you be so calm at a time like this?" she then asked while nudging the Billionaire, snapping his attention back to her.

"There's nothing we can do while one them has a flamethrower aimed at everyone, Miranda..." He whispered back, before giving the young lady a curious look as he noticed her behavior.

"...and you're more riled up than I thought you would be, considering what's going on." He questioned, making her turn her attention back to the criminals with a subtle head shake.

"I despise those who threaten innocent people with violence and death." She replied with a tinge of self-righteousness to her words, gaining a curious look from the billionaire in return as glanced back to her.

"We are both on the same page about that, but there isn't much we can do right now." He replied, before one of the two villains noticed Foley.

"Hey, Moth. Look what we have here." Firefly exclaimed as he pointed the man out in the crowd, making people move away and expose him to the pair.

"Why it's the Police Commissioner..." the other costumed crook said in return, before noticing that he still had his phone in his hand.

"...and it looks like he might have called some of his friends to join this party." Killer-Moth added before firing his acid gun at the cop, spraying the corrosive liquid over his phone.

"Arrrgh!" Foley cried out in pain as a little splashed onto his hand as he dropped the device on the floor, which quickly started to dissolve as he cradled his hurt body-part.

"You might want to get some water on that." The villain then said, gesturing to the fancy bucket of ice water on the table nearby. This made one of the guests grab it and take it over to the Commissioner, who then quickly placed his burning hand into it and cried out in pain once more.

"If none of you want to have a similar experience, I suggest that you all behave from now on." The guy's partner then warned, before gesturing back to their half-full bag of riches.

"Fill it up, Folks."

Everyone then fearfully dropped their valuables into the villain's bag, be it watches, phones and jewelry, it all changed hands from Thorne's guests to those of their captors.

"That's good. Keep up the charity, Everyone, and perhaps you will all get to go home tonight." Firefly observed as he watched his partner moved from person to person.

Meanwhile, at the end of the group, Bruce and Miranda remained quiet as they stood there and watched the situation unfold, with the former using a sleight of hand to equip his earpiece before the latter can spot it.

"The Bat-Computer detected you activating your Bat-Com, Master Wayne...do you really need to brand everything? " Alfred's voice then asked, with Bruce the only one who could hear him, making the younger man smirk.

Meanwhile, in the Batcave, the Butler sat at the Bat-computer and brought up a layout of the Thorne's mansion on the main screen.

"Anyway, I have already plotted the fastest and most efficient path to your car from your current location, including a shortcut through a most interesting room should you find yourself being followed."

Bruce nodded discreetly before turning his attention back to Miranda who was watching the two costumed criminals with a disgusted and resolute expression, narrowing her eyes at them as they bullied and robbed the others blind.

"Miranda..." he began to say, only for the lady to turn to him and cut him off mid-sentence.

"Okay, Bruce, if I make a distraction, you should be able to get out and get help."

This earned a surprised look from the Billionaire as she stared back with a resolute and determined expression.

"Okay...but I was going to suggest that you go and I make the distraction." Wayne reacted with an unsure tone, gaining a knowing smirk back from his date.

"That's sweet, Bruce, but I'll be fine. This isn't my first time being at a party that was gatecrashed by criminals," the younger woman said, before subtly gesturing for him to go. "Now go."

Bruce smirked and nodded before quietly backing away as Tate started for Killer Moth and FireFly, gaining the others' attention as she did so.

"Are you two idiots finished yet?" She said in a brazen tone, making the pair turn and face her with confused looks though their expressions were masked by their helmets.

"Is she talking to us?" The fire-starter asked in a puzzled tone, making his partner shrug his shoulders before gesturing him to go over to her.

"Are you talking to us, Lady?" He repeated while holding his flamethrower towards the guest, a low flame dancing at the end of the weapon's nozzle as it was held close to her face, though Miranda did not even flinch as she stared him down.

"Well, I don't see any other Halloween-themed clowns at this gathering. So, yes, I am talking to you." She declared in a confident and defiant manner, earning a worried look from Foley as he stood alongside, Thorne, Sionis, Fox and the other hostages behind the two criminals.

"Miss. Tate, don't aggravate them. Just do as they say."

But his warning fell on deaf ears as Miranda stood her ground and stared the two masked men down, leading Fire-fly to spray a flash of flame just past her face, which did not even result in a flinch from the young Tate.

"Huh. I'm impressed, Lady, you've got some brass ones on you there." he acknowledged, making the woman narrow her eyes at him.

"I have more than you..." she replied before glancing down towards his crotch.

"...apparently."

Even though you could not see his face from behind his mask, the fire-starter gritted his teeth as he began to say while raising his hand to her.

"You Bitch!"

But before the criminal could take a swipe at her, Killer-Moth grabbed his wrist and stopped him, all while keeping his own acid gun aimed towards the crowd.

"Hey, no time for that..." he started to say before gesturing to the area just behind Miranda.

"...Wasn't there a guy standing with you back there?"

The lady shrugged in return with a completely bewildered expression on her face, which gained a subtle knowing smirk from Lucius in return.

"Was there? I don't recall anyone with me."

"Yeah, there was. Another rich schmuck." FireFly agreed, before pointing to the corridor in that direction.

"Go take a look. I'll cover everyone here in the meantime," he added while turning his attention to Miranda once more. "Someone should teach these people some manners."

But his chilling words did nothing for the female guest as she simply scoffed in return, making him almost erupt in fury.

"Just go, before I burn this bitch alive!"

Killer Moth nodded back cautiously, quickly leaving the group in the main hall as he went down the poorly lit corridor.

Meanwhile, just further down the corridor. Bruce paced quietly but quickly past numerous rooms as he listened to instructions from his earpiece.

"Okay, Alfred, where now?"

"It's the next door on your right, Master Wayne." the older man's voice replied, with the billionaire walking through the very next door and smiling as he saw it's contents.

"Alfred, you're a genius." he replied with an air of appreciation in his voice, since he could picture how his old friend would look after hearing his words.

"I have my moments, Sir. Now get into position before your pursuer reaches you." the butler then said through Bruce's earpiece, making him move to one of the shadowed areas.

Then only a few seconds later, Killer-Moth entered the room with his acid-gun ready.

"Come on now, Mr. Suit. Let's make this easy. You quit hiding and show yourself, and I promise I will not burn your face off.

But the only answer the criminal got in return was silence as he looked around the room, which looked like some kind of multi-media center though most of the devices were shrouded in shadow.

"Okay then. I guess I will enjoy melting your face off when I find you..." the masked villain then said while closing in on a shadowed spot behind what looked like a large screen TV.

"...and I will enjoy it." he added, only to be cut off by a gravelly voice speaking out from the darkness.

"No, you won't."

This made Killer-Moth turn around in time to see Batman suddenly standing there, making him freeze on the spot.

"What the...?!" he started to exclaim, only to be cut off as the Dark Knight knocked the weapon out of his hands and followed through with a punch to his chest and then a roundhouse kick to his masked-face, sending the criminal to unconsiousness as he fell back onto the floor.

"Is it done, Sir?" Alfred then asked, earning a nod from the Vigilante in return.

"Yes, Penny-One. You can turn it off now."

Suddenly, the Batsuit began to flicker before disintegrating and revealing that Bruce Wayne was still in his tux.

"Lucius and his tech guys have outdone themselves with these new holographic emitters." the young man then stated as he gestured to the hardware, whose red lights blinked off, which then deactivated.

"Perhaps you can give Mr. Fox and his team a bonus in their upcoming salary payment, Sir." the butler responded, earning a nod back Wayne.

"I'll take that under advisement..." he acknowledged while walking.

"...so, where's the nearest exit to my Jaguar?"

"You should find an unlocked window in the bathroom fifteen meters towards the west end of the house."

"Thanks. I'm getting my 'other formal wear' now..." he started to say before stopping as he gave his old friend a questioning look.

"Wait, Alfred,...you did put my suit in the Jaguar's boot?" Bruce asked, which he could swear would put a smile on the old man's face back in the Batcave.

"Master Bruce, I have placed a Batsuit in every one of your cars, from the Bentley to the Lamborghini."

This made the young billionaire smirk as he exited the room and started heading down the corridor towards the bathroom.

"I should give you a vacation, Alfred." he responded with an appreciative tone, earning a chuckle over the radio.

"And who would keep the Manor in perfect working order, Sir? Now get going. Those hostages are counting on you."

"No, Alfred. They're counting on us." Bruce said back with a smile as his disappeared into the shadowed end of the corridor, leaving Killer-Moth where he lay.

BATMAN: DECEPTION

[ApolloXL5]

A few minutes later back in the main hall with the rest of the hostages, Fox was busy attending to Foley's injury as he wrapped up the latter's acid burned hand with helpf from Miranda.

"This should help until we can get out of here." the Wayne Ent. CEO assured, earning an uncertain look from Foley in return.

"Whenever that will be, Mr. Fox. Before they killed my phone, I did manage to get a message out..." he began to explain, earning disgruntled looks from Cobblepot and Sionis as the pair looked over at him.

"And where are the Police, Foley?" the short fat one demanded, mincing his words which gained a nod of agreement from the Janus CEO.

"Yeah. That was a good 10 minutes ago. Surely the nearest patrol would have been here by now." Sionis replied in an exasperated tone, with a look of dumbfoundedness being the only answer that the Police Commissioner could give in return.

"I...don't know. They should be..." he began to stutter while holding the cloth of his wounded hand, only to cut off by Miranda as she gestured back to their captor.

"Shush! Look." she whispered back as they looked back to FireFly as his attention was caught by the sight of Killer Moth limping towards him from the darkness of the hallway behind him.

"What happened?! Don't tell me that suit got the better of you!" he blasted at his partner who grunted as he rejoined the other's side and shook his head in response.

"No, Fly. It was the Bat..." Moth started to explain, taking his friend aback.

But as the two talked, the mention of the Dark Knight had not gone unnoticed by the others there.

"Did you hear that? The Bat is here. We're saved." one of the guests effused, earning looks of relief on the faces of the rest.

This even caught the attention of both Fox and Miranda, who had finished attending to Foley and had turned their attention to what was going on with the others.

"Did I hear that right? The Batman is here?" the Wayne CEO quizzed, gaining nods back from the others.

"You heard right, Fox." Thorne verified with an almost anxious tone to his voice, bringing a subtle smirk to the former's face while his female friend had a cautious frown.

"Forget Batman. We have an opportunity here." she replied while staring daggers at the two costumed criminals, something that did not go unnoticed by Lucius who stopped her as she moved closer to their captors.

"Miss Tate, please don't..." he started to say, only to be cut off by Fire-Fly.

The firestarter, having too noticed that their hostages were not staying quiet, quickly turned around and opened fire on the area surrounding the group, circling them in a ring of fire and stopping Miranda in her tracks as she felt the heat of the flames on her skin, making her retreat back to the others.

"Don't even think about it." he warned, giving Miranda a narrow glare through the lenses of his mask before returning his attention to his partner.

"Now, did you say...Batman?!"

"Oh yeah. It was the Bat. He's here." Killer Moth fretted, with the other noticing that he had the shakes as his acid gun rattled in his hand.

"Just relax. There's two of us and one of him." FireFly snapped, making his partner shake his head in return.

"Two against one? Did you not hear about the time he took out the Whisper gang that tried to take over the Gotham Central Station a few months back? They were twenty men strong." Killer Moth replied with a worried tone, earning a cynical head shake in return.

"I'm not worried. We can..." the other started to say before something suddenly flew past one of the large windows in the hall, catching everyone's attention as it blocked out the light from the street lights outside for a second.

"Did you see that?" One of the guests asked with a wide-eyed expression, earning similar reactions from others around him as they nodded back.

But as many in the room looked around in an ambivalent way, with both fear and hope etched on their faces, Miranda remained calm as she quietly observed the situation.

"Miss Tate, please contain yourself. You're making the rest of us look bad." Lucius requested with a teasing undertone, making her smirk back ever so slightly.

"As I told Bruce earlier, this kind of situation is nothing new to me."

"Nor to me. In fact, I was present when the Joker gatecrashed an Election party that Mr. Wayne held for Harvey Dent several years back." He replied, gaining a knowing look from the young woman in response.

"I heard about that. The Batman was present there as well, wasn't he?"

"Yes..." the Wayne CEO began to answer, making Miranda turn away and look back at the windows as another one was blacked out for a second as something passed by, blanketing in the room in darkness for a fast moment as her expression changed to one of cold determination.

"...and I highly doubt that this could be anyone else. We're in good hands, Miss Tate." He continued unknowingly as her look changed to one of concern.

"What about Bruce? Do you think he's alright?" she asked while returning her attention to him, bringing a reassuring smirk to the older man's face.

"I'm sure he's fine. It's these two who should be worrying right now." Fox responded while gesturing to the two costumed thugs that were frantically looking around, following the dark shape that kept snatching the outside light away as it quickly passed the various large windows of the hall every other moment.

"He's toying with us." Killer Moth stated as the pair went back to back, all while their hostages remained trapped behind the wall of fire.

"Just be ready. He'll..." FireFly started to reply back before being cut off by the sound of something small breaking through the window.

"What is...that?!" The latter then said as he felt something snag against his gun at the same time as the window break, making the former look up at the window and notice the small hole in it's pane.

"He threw something in, maybe..."

But before the masked man could say any more, the fire-starter's flamethrower shut down.

"What the hell?!" FireFly spat while his friend noticed that his fuel tank was leaking, creating a puddle on the ground behind his feet.

"He cut your fuel line." He pointed out, making the other unsheathe what looked like a machete whose blade suddenly ignited as it was suddenly enveloped in fire.

"Come and get us, Batman! Quit hiding!" He needled while spinning around and looking at each window in the hall, hoping to see some trace of the Dark Knight.

"Is your acid-gun still working?" The fire-starter

then asked with a more calm and focused tone to his voice, which was followed by Killer Moth firing his weapon at a nearby statue and covering it in a corrosive liquid that immediately began to eat through the object.

"Yeah." The other answered, earning a smirk from behind Fire Fly's helmet.

"Be ready."

And then for what felt like an age, the two costumed criminals remained back to back as they turned around on the spot and watched each and every one of the large windows in that hall, all while being watched by their captive audience.

"Well, where is he?" Thorne inquired with anger and annoyance underlining his words, gaining curious looks from Sionis and Cobblepot.

"You'd rather that costumed clown deals with this and not our police force, Rupert?" The latter questioned with a tinge of hostility on his tongue, bringing a similar look to the host's face as he glared back.

"What I want, Mr. Mayor, is this freak-show to be over. And if the Bat is the only way to end it, then so be it," he spat back, before glancing over to Foley who was still cradling his burnt hands. "It's not like the Police are being much help now, are they?"

This made both Cobblepot and Sionis exchange awkward glances to each other before another guest then regained their attention as she pointed at one of the windows above them.

"Batman!" the lady exclaimed in an exhilarated yet fearful tone as the Dark Knight crashed through the window and spread out his cape like a bat's wings, creating a shadow that engulfed the two masked criminals where they stood while dropping down to them.

Killer Moth quickly attempted to raise his weapon but was too slow as the vigilante glide-kicked him in the chest, sending the former into a wall as the latter landed perfectly next to FireFly as everyone else watched.

"You're f***ing dead, Bat!" The fire-starter spat as he lunged at Batman, only for the costumed crime-fighter to easily block his strike and counter with a punch directly at his helmet.

This shattered it's visor and revealed Firefly's true identity as Alfred's voice spoke into Batman's ear via the cowl's com-link as the criminal fell back against the wall.

"The Cowl's camera in conjunction with the Bat-computer's F.R.S has identified Firefly as Garfield Lynns, Sir."

"Stay down, Garfield, or you'll be taking all future meals via an IV drip." The vigilante warned through his disguised voice as the latter slipped down onto his arse in shaken state, before turning his attention to Killer Moth who had recovered and was reaching for his acid gun that lay just aways from him.

"And that makes you 'Drury Walker'," he said which stunned the masked man as the latter grabbed his gun and aimed it at the Bat. "Though I wouldn't do that if I were you."

"Screw you, Batman!" Moth spat back before turning his weapon in the direction of Fox and Miranda.

"NO!" Batman shouted as he leaped between the pair and the acid, pulling up his cape to shield the two from the attack as Killer Moth fired a shot at them.

"Nothing can stop my acid, Batm..." the criminal began to gloat with a smirk behind his mask, only to stop as the Dark Knight's cape looked undamaged apart from a little smoke rising from it's fabric.

"...How?!"

But before he could get an answer, Batman pulled back his cape, showing that the guests were completely unharmed, and quickly threw a batarang into the acid gun.

"No! My gun!" Killer Moth began to bellow, only to be cut short as he looked up just in time to see Batman's fist hit him directly in the stomach, winding him.

"Because I'm Batman." The Dark Knight added before hitting the man again in his helmet, cracking it as the force of the hit knocked the man out as he fell to the ground.

This brought cheers from the guests as the Batman stood over the two defeated crooks, turning his attention to the guests.

"You're all safe now."

"Thank you, Batman," Lucius Fox then said with an appreciative smile, one that was shared by several of the other guests except for Cobblepot and Sionis who simply looked back with disdain as sirens could suddenly be heard outside. "But I think it's time for you to leave."

"I agree," the Dark Knight replied before noticing that Foley was still cradling his burnt hand, so he took an item out of one of the pouches on his utility belt. "though you should use this spray on the Commissioner's injury."

Foley heard this and looked up to see Batman hand the Wayne CEO the small canister, which made him look at the former and give him a reluctant smile in return, gaining a nod back from the vigilante.

Batman then equipped his grapple gun and was about to aim it at the open window only to find his attention caught by Miranda, who was looking at him with the same disdain that he saw in the Mayor's eyes.

'Miranda?' the Dark Knight thought before firing his grapple-gun and launched himself out of the window, leaving the guests alone with the two beaten criminals as the police then burst into the mansion, while Miranda simply looked up at the window Batman had disappeared through.

"...soon." she muttered to herself with a determined expression on her face.

[thecolorsblend]

Way tl;dr.

[ApolloXL5]

Chapter Nine

The scene outside of Thorne's residence was a chaotic one as the Police since arrived and were in the process of taking statements from the guests as they were escorted out of the mansion that Bullock was overseeing before noticing that Cobblepot was making a discreet exit.

"Excuse me, Mister Mayor, but you should give a statement before leaving." he called, only for Oswald's subordinates to stand in his way.

"The Mayor has been through a stressful time tonight, Officer, so he will send you a full statement in the morning." one of the suits replied in a matter-of-fact tone, which wasn't going to pass with Harvey.

"I'm sorry but that isn't going to fly with me, Sonny. If all the other high and flyers here can give a statement, then so can the Mayor."

But before the podgy-looking policeman could follow through, he felt a hand on his shoulder which pulled his attention back to find Foley standing behind him.

"Let him go, Bullock. The Mayor has permission to leave." he directed, which gained a look of disbelief from Harvey.

"But, Commissioner..." he cajoled, while the Mayor and his people continued to enter the vehicles of their motorcade, earning a more authoritative look from his boss.

"That's an order." he insisted, making the younger man shrug off his hand and step away in defiance.

"Fine," he started to reply as he watched the motorcade then leave the area without resistance, only to look back at his superior. "But you should know that we couldn't get a statement from Sionis either. He had left before we could close off the area."

"Right. Well, we will just have to see him tomorrow then." Foley reassured, only for Bullock to wave him off and head over to another group of guests, leaving the Police Commissioner alone as he stood there with his arm in a sling.

Meanwhile, Lucius and Miranda were being questioned, just like the others, with the officer there writing down every word on her pad.

"So, is that everything, Mr. Fox?" she inquired, earning a nod from the Wayne Enterprises CEO.

"Yes, it is, Officer." he answered with his usual friendly manner before the young woman with him then jumped in.

"Excuse me, Officer. But have you any word on Bruce Wayne? He didn't come out with the rest of us and must still be in there."

The policewoman gave her a reassuring smile in return as she put away her pen and pad.

"Miss Tate, our people have only just begun to search the residence for anyone else that could still be in...," she started to say, only to stop as she saw two more of her colleagues leave the building with a familiar face.

"...there we go." she added while pointing the pair to an area behind them, making them turn around to see Bruce being escorted to them.

"We found Mr. Wayne hiding in a room in the west end of the house." the one on his left reported, earning a taken aback look from the billionaire.

"Hey, guys, please? I was only doing what the Batman told me to and that was after I called in the hold-up." he denied, bringing a relieved look to Miranda's face while Fox smirked at him knowingly.

"You came across the Batman, Mr. Wayne?"

"Yeah, he stopped Firefly from making a roast of me. The guy still has his issues though."

"Yes,'clearly', Mr. Wayne. But we were lucky he turned up when did." the old man concurred, just as Rupert Thorne joined their side.

"That Bat is crazy to be sure, but we owe him our lives." the councilman commented as the police officers left them alone. "And I do hope you accept my sincerest apologies for what happened tonight."

All three gave their host a sympathetic smile in return.

"None of this is on you, Rupert." Fox counseled him, gaining a nod from Wayne.

"Yeah, this is Gotham. Costumed nut-jobs are just a way of life here."

"That is true. And it's because of the Batman that they keep coming back." Miranda added, making her date and his CEO look to her with curious expressions.

"And how is that, Miss Tate, if I may ask?" Lucius wondered, bringing a tinge of righteousness to the lady's otherwise gracious demeanor.

"Don't get me wrong. I appreciate what he did here tonight," she assured them before a slither of disgust broke through. "but the Batman's very presence here invites these lunatics to attack the innocent of this city. If he never came to be, then perhaps these 'types' of criminals would not either."

"That is an interesting view of our 'Dark Knight', Miss Tate. And normally, I would be in agreement with you," Thorne began to say before he then gave them a relieved smile. "But, just for tonight, I am certainly glad he was around. Please excuse me."

The councilman and host then turned and left the trio to see to the remaining guests, while Bruce gave Fox a knowing expression as he looked between him and Miranda, making the old man suddenly look at his watch.

"Well, I'll be. Look at the time. I guess, I'll be heading home. Good night you two." he then hurriedly said before walking away too, leaving the pair alone.

"So, if you want, I'll take you home now, Miranda?" the billionaire then asked, earning a thankful nod back from his date.

"Thank you, Bruce. That would be great." she replied, making the young man gesture for her to follow him to his car as the couple headed out.

^-v-^

Meanwhile, in the Gordon residence, Jim walked along the upstairs hallway and stopped at the door at its far end before knocking on it gently with his hand.

"Come in." his daughter called back with her father then opening the door, revealing Barbara's bedroom with the youngster already lying in bed with her netbook on balanced on her lap.

"Just wanted to make sure you were alright, Babs, especially after the night we just had," he began to say, with a tinge of shame in his voice. "I never would have brought you along if..."

"I know, Daddy," she then answered, cutting him off mid-sentence with a warm smile. "But it didn't matter in the end, because Batman was there."

This made the old man sigh with a heavy heart as he glanced down at the ground for a moment, for he could still hear the hero-worship in his little girl's voice, before returning his gaze back her way.

"Honey, it was because of mine association with Batman that we were in danger." he pointed out, earning a resolved smirk back from Barbara.

"Yeah, because you and Batman have the bad guys running scared. You should take pride in that. I know I am proud of you for it." she countered, making Gordon remove his glasses and pinch the top half of his nose in frustration.

"I can see why you would think that," he started to reply while putting his glasses back, before staring back with an aggravated frown. "but when it puts you or your brother in harm's way, I cannot just take it lightly."

This very sentence from her father's mouth brought an empty expression to the young girl's face as she worried what he could mean from that. "I hope you're not saying what I think you are, Daddy."

But Jim knew how to read his daughter and raised his hands in defense. "I know what you're thinking and no, I am not going to stop working with the Batman."

Barbara sighed deeply with relief at that as she smiled back at him. "I am glad to hear that, Daddy. If they're coming after us, then all that means is that you're doing something right. I'm not afraid of them and you shouldn't be either."

This brought a smirk to the former Police Commissioner's face as he reminisced about a time he heard former friend and ally, Harvey Dent, say something similar years ago before looking back at his Daughter affectionately. "Okay, Barbara, I'll try...as long as you tone down this hero-worship of yours. For I know for a fact, that 'he' finds that uncomfortable and unnecessary."

"Okay, I'll try, Daddy." she said back with a nod and warm smile in return, which made father then point at her computer.

"Now put that thing away and go to sleep, it's getting late." he directed, earning a little defeated but yielding smile back from her as she flipped the screen down and put the netbook on her side table before lying down and pulling the duvet up to her neck.

"Night, Daddy." she then said, gaining a warm smile back from Jim.

"Night, Honey. See you in the morning." he replied before turning the light off and closing the door, leaving the young girl in complete darkness as she lied in her bed.

But Barbara did not close her eyes and instead simply stared up at the ceiling while listening for her father's footsteps in the corridor on the other side of her door, waiting for them to disappear into the distance.

'Finally...,' she then thought after hearing the creaking sound of stairs as he then went down to the ground floor, making her sit back up and take the netbook back and open it up once more. '...now where was I.'

And with that, Barbara enlarged one of the windows on her screen again, revealing that she was in fact researching the Batman as various articles and images of the Dark Knight appeared on the screen.

'There's got to be a way I can help him, just like my Dad does.'

^-v-^

Bruce pulled his Lamborghini up to the pavement in front of the skyscraper where Miranda lived and deactivated it's engine as his date looked back at him with an appreciative smile. "Thanks for the lift, Bruce."

"Not a problem, Miranda. If you would like, I could escort you to your door...," he started to say back with a charming yet concerned look on his face. "because, as you are now aware, Gotham isn't exactly a safe place to be at night."

This made Miranda smile back at him knowingly as she let out a subtle chuckle. "Is that how Billionaire playboy, Bruce Wayne, asks for a 'nightcap'?"

This made brought a look of horror to Wayne's face as his eyes widened and his skin flushed, making him scratch the back of his head uncomfortably. "What?! No. Of course not. I mean...I have had worse lines than that in the past."

The young woman giggled to herself. "Oh, I have heard them all. You do have a reputation, after all."

This made Bruce shrug and look away defeatedly, which brought a coy smile to the lady's face as she looked back at him with her mouth slightly opened with the tip of her tongue showing. "But that doesn't mean that I'm not interested."

"You are?" Bruce replied with a tinge of hope to his voice, snapping his attention back to her which made her eyes sparkle as she looked at him seductively.

"Of course, Bruce," Tate agreed before looking up in the direction of her temporary home, which brought a disappointed smile to her face that the Billionaire could not help but notice. "But tonight would not be a good fit, unfortunately."

I see." he answered back, once more with a deflated tone and look as he returned his gaze to the street ahead.

"But," the lady then began to say, bringing his eyes back to meet with hers as she gave him a hopeful expression. "I would like to see you tomorrow if you're free?"

"Sure, Miranda. I would like that." Bruce acknowledged eagerly, which brought a wide smile to the young socialite's face in response as she opened her door.

"Great. Then I will text you an address tomorrow. Meet me there and make sure to wear clothing that's comfortable and flexible." she then stated cryptically, bringing a curious smile to the young man's face.

"comfortable and flexible?" he puzzled, not certain what his date could mean.

But she simply smiled back knowingly. "You'll find out tomorrow, Bruce. Good night."

"Good night, Miranda." he replied warmly before she stopped and leaned in close which made him do the same as their lips came within millimeters of kissing.

But just as they could feel the moist warmness of their breaths on the mouths, the socialite stopped and looked him directly in the eyes with a confident and teasing smile. "Good things come to those who wait, Bruce. I'll see you tomorrow."

She then got out of the car and closed the door, making him wind down its window and look back at her with a lopsided grin. "Can't wait. See you tomorrow, Miranda.

She simply smiled affectionately back at him before turning around and walking into the reception of the building, leaving him to admire her as she left his sight before he returned his attention to the road ahead.

"...women." he sighed before revving the engine and then driving his Lamborghini off into the night.

[ApolloXL5]

 Twenty minutes later, and the young woman exited the bathroom of her suite in a silk bathrobe while drying her long brunette locks with a towel as steam came out of the doorway in her wake, sitting down at her dresser as she looked at her reflection in its mirror with a thoughtful expression.

"Had a nice 'date' with Bruce Wayne, Talia?" a familiar voice then asked from the far side of the room, barely even gaining a glance from her as she continued with her hair as Deathstroke walked up behind

"I was, Slade," she began to reply before looking at the man in the mirror with an icy stare. "until two idiots in costume attacked us, causing the Batman to come to our aid."

This caused Deathstroke to remove his mask and look at her curiously with his solitary eye as a subtle smile graced his face. "Really? He was there?"

"Yes. I was so ready to attack him there and then," the young woman then scowled through gritted teeth as she picked up a comb from the dresser and began using it on her hair. "but there were too many witnesses."

Talia then stopped and threw the comb back at the mirror, hitting it dead center and cracking it's image as the split lines ran throughout it's glass.

"Damn it!" she spat while getting up and walking away from the damaged dresser, keeping her back to the older man as he stared down at her with daggers.

"That's enough! Calm yourself," Slade told his apprentice in a cold and cutting tone, before then giving out a pronounced sigh as he looked between the angry younger woman and the broken mirror.

"You are the 'Heir to the Demon', not some first-year recruit. So, start acting like it. I know you want justice for your father, but the moment you seek will not reveal itself if you let your emotions cloud your judgment and you miss your window of opportunity." Wilson explained, gaining a nod from Talia as she took a breath and exhaled slowly.

"I know, Slade," she responded calmly before turning around and fixing her gaze on the armored man, who then looked back with a quizzical smile.

"That's better. So, am I correct to assume that you will be seeing Wayne once more in the coming days? Because, I hope that he will not be a distraction in our mission." he pondered, making Talia nod back as the thought of the Billionaire brought a broad and thoughtful smile to her face.

"Of course. In fact, I will be seeing him tomorrow." she expressed as Slade then turned away with a half-smirk appearing on his face out of her view which was due to what he knew of Wayne's alter ego, though he could not help but feel a tinge of trepidation.

'This will all be for naught if she ends up unable to finish our mission,' he started to think, with his silence going noticed by his younger companion. 'I'm going to need to have a contingency planned if this does not go the way it's supposed to.'

"Slade? What is it?" Talia coaxed, bringing the assassin's attention back to her though he kept his gaze away.

"Something just came to mind that I must see to," he began to respond while refitting his mask and walking toward the open window. "so I will see you later. Good night."

"Alright. Good night." the younger woman said back with a bemused look on her face before shrugging and returning her attention to her hair as she looked back at her reflection in the mirror.

^-v-^

Back in the Bat Cave, Alfred was sitting at the Bat-computer and was going over an inventory list that was scrolling down its main screen when Bruce entered the area and joined his side which made the old man turn around and face him.

"So, did you have a nice evening, Master Bruce?" he asked with a knowing tone, making the Billionaire smirk back.

"I was having a nice time with Miranda...until the party was attacked by 'Killer Moth' and 'Firefly'," he started to reply before giving his old friend a puzzled expression. "tell me, Alfred, where do these guys keep coming from?"

"I think you already know the answer to that question, Sir," Alfred stated as he got up off the seat and let Bruce take his place, with the latter taking control of the computer. "but I will humor you, regardless. You have always said that you wanted Batman to inspire people to stand up for their city and push back against the corruption that had taken a hold of its core. But in creating a symbol that is beyond the understanding of those that plague this city, you have inadvertently created a new form of psychotic criminal that follows that same level of theatricality as Batman."

The young Wayne sat there with a contemplative look on his face as he thought on his confidant's words. "You mean like the Joker?"

"Yes, exactly, Master Wayne," the latter agreed. "As long as Batman continues to drive fear into the hearts of criminals, we should expect more like him to appear to challenge him."

"You almost sound like you're saying I should quit." Bruce then said back curiously, raising an eyebrow to the older man.

"I would never suggest such a thing. Because there is a positive to this predicament we find ourselves in regards to the question of Batman," Pennyworth continued to explain. "because as long as the Dark Knight is around then he will act as a lightning rod, keeping those more colourful and psychotic criminals focused on him and him alone."

This brought an appreciative smirk to Bruce's face as he looked at his old friend. "So, Batman's very presence creates an environment that breeds individuals like Joker, Killer Moth, and Firefly? But this turns out to be a double-edged sword as it also ensures that they only ever have their eyes on him, challenging themselves to come up with more outlandish and grandiose ways to take him down. That's certainly a more positive view on what I heard from Miranda earlier tonight. And though I'm not sure that I find that either take comforting, Alfred, but your take on it is one that I can live with."

"I would be worried if you were 'fine' with it, Master Bruce. But considering what I have seen while working alongside you in this crusade of 'ours' , I can say, without a doubt, how very proud I am of you...and so would your Parents." the butler expressed with an affectionate smile, earning a mirrored look back from the young Wayne.

"Thanks, Alfred. You know, I couldn't have done all this without you."

"Yes, you could have, Sir," Pennyworth verified with an honest tone before giving him a knowing grin. "just not as stylishly, I bet."

"That is true, old friend," Bruce then began to say as he turned his attention back to the Bat-computer, taking a look at the list. "So, I take it we are fully stocked?"

Alfred, though, was quick to interject by gesturing to his young master to click on the open window behind the list. "Yes, Sir, we are. Instead, I have already acquired the video records from Blackgate Prison for earlier today as you asked."

"Thank you." Bruce replied before opening the video and scrolled through the footage to the point where it showed Gordon and Montoya preparing to leave, hitting play as he and Alfred watched. "Okay, so who caught Jim's eye."

"I believe it is this individual, Sir." the butler then pointed out as they saw the former Police Commissioner look over to a man with white hair and eye patch covering his right eye who walked past, making the vigilante pause the footage and perform a facial match with their records.

"That's curious, Master Wayne, the database is coming up empty." he repeated as the compute came to the same conclusion, bringing a pensive look to the detective's face as he stared at the image.

"That just means that there is no record of him in the GCPD's files or our own. We should widen our search to include Interpol and A.R.G.U.S. using the cipher that Michael Holt helped me design."

"Of course, Sir," Pennyworth began to reply as Bruce continued to watch the footage. "That will take a few hours to compile though."

But before the Billionaire could respond to his confidante, his eyes widened as he looked with surprise at who the mystery man met in the visitor's room.

"What is it, Master Bruce?"

"I know that prisoner that our enigma here is meeting, I trained alongside him under Ra's Al Ghul during my stay in the League of Shadows. His name is Abbas." he described while highlighting the man's face and cross-referencing it with the computer's database.

"He was there when Ra's tried to destroy Gotham several years back." Alfred added while looking at the man's file, gaining a nod from Bruce in return.

"Yes, and he was the only one to be arrested after I incapacitated him back in the Narrows on that night. He has been an inmate in Blackgate ever since..." he explained before the Bat-computer gave out a warning sound and automatically opened another window over the footage, catching the attention of both men.

"It seems the bat-computer has detected a real-time event to the file of Abbas as we speak." the butler stated, bringing back the look of surprise to the young Wayne's face as he read the 'breaking news'

"Prep the Batmobile, Alfred. Looks like this night is not over yet." he then said before getting up and walking over to the Batsuit as he took off his jacket and unbuttoned his shirt, gaining a nod from the older gentleman who turned in direction of the vehicle as the headline in black bold letters commanded the screen.

'Prisoner found dead in a locked cell!'