[CENTER][SUB][color=silver][I]Lord Wraith presents[/i][/color][/SUB]
[hr][hr][img]http://s7.postimg.org/fmzoja6uj/EOMhjz1456411855.png[/img][hr][hr][sup][color=silver][B]'O N E    K N I G H T   T O   K I L L   T H E   B A T'[/B][/color][/SUP][/center]
[COLOR=Slategray][B]G O T H A M   C I T Y – U N I T E D   S T A T E S[/B][/COLOR]

[INDENT]"Barbara, I'm serious." The chiding tone of Captain Gordon echoed in the small bedroom as the young woman sat on her bed, listening to the voice on speaker while painting her nails. "I really want you to stay home tonight. I know you had your heart set on going out to celebrate Frankie's birthday but Gotham is simply too dangerous tonight." A smile crossed Barbara's lips, it always did when her father reminded him of how much he cared about her but he often neglected to remember that Barbara could take care of herself.

"Yes Dad." Barbara replied in her most sincere tone. Truth be told she had lost all interest in going out for Frankie's birthday. The thrill of getting into bars had wore off the day she turned twenty one, instead of hopping from bar to bar there was another priority on the young woman's mind.  With the bounty on the Bat's head it was the perfect time to witness him in action. 

Peering out her bedroom window, Barbara watched the spotlights from the GCPD zeppelins sweeping the streets hoping to deter any criminals looking to add to the city's already overwhelming chaos. Jumping off her bed, Barbara swapped her shorts for a pair of jeans as she grabbed the purple leather jacket off the back of her computer chair. Preparing to leave, Babs stopped as a family photograph caught her eye. Picking the small frame off of her trophy shelf, Barbara traced the smiling face of her late mother and baby brother. While many in Gotham disagreed with the Bat's crusade, Barbara fully supported it. Not that her father was a bad cop but he a minority among the GCPD. Gotham's police force was as corrupt as they came, it wasn't just a tree full of bad apples, it was a dying tree. It was the shoddy work of the GCPD that had led to her mother and brother's death and it was the same shoddy work that had drove her father to accept a transfer to the Detroit police force a month later.   

Yet four years ago Barbara and her father returned to Gotham when Jim was offered the position of Captain pending his return to the force. Seeing the opportunity to make a change in Gotham, James accepted it and Barbara found herself back in the city that had cost her a mother and brother. But now there was something different about Gotham, change was washing over the city and Barbara wanted to be involved in it. While Barbara could have left Gotham at any time, she couldn't leave her father to be swallowed by the city and enrolled in Gotham University. For the past four years she had been taking courses year round and was now completing her master's thesis in Forensic Psychology. Gotham's Batman had become the subject of her thesis and his every appearance and action filled each of her waking thoughts. Frankie had even begun jokingly referring to her as the Batgirl due to Barbara's extensive knowledge on Gotham's resident Dark Knight. 

Swinging her leg over the saddle of the parked motorcycle outside of the small townhouse, Barbara pulled her helmet on and brought the engine to life. Tonight wasn't about finding out why the Bat fights crime, it wasn't about getting an interview with him. No tonight was Barbara's turn to help the Bat and she knew just how to do it.

With a roar, the motorcycle dropped off the curb and bit into the aged asphalt as it tore off down the street in the busy Gotham night.  
[CENTER][INDENT][H3][B][COLOR=SILVER]~				~				~[/COLOR][/B][/H3][/INDENT][/CENTER]
The security detail at ACE Chemicals had been completely caught off guard. Crimes had exploded all over the city with the announcement of the anonymous benefactor's offer but none of the staff at ACE had ever expected that the gang activity would come over to their island factory. Struggling against his bonds, Aaron Cash tried to free himself as the man in the red balaclava had his back to him. 

"I can hear you struggling." Came the humored voice. "You're lucky I was told not to hurt you." He continued, turning around to look at Cash. "Otherwise perhaps we could have some fun, maybe jump rope with a bullet in each knee cap, or tie you up with bungee ropes and see how many dips into the vats it takes to burn all the skin off your skeleton."

"Shut up Jerome!" Came the voice of another man as the other Red Hood walked towards Cash's tormentor. 

"Napier, you're always ruining my fun." Jerome bemoaned with a mocking tone. 

"Life isn't always about fun." Napier replied. "Where's Joe? Has he set the explosives yet?" 

"Don't know, don't really care." Jermone said with a chuckle as he twirled a guard baton around in his hand and strutted up the catwalk. "Does Todd truly believe we can actually deactivate the plant's reactor after we set it into overload?"

"No." Came a third voice as Jerome turned, his smile wide upon hearing Willis Todd's voice. "We don't need to be able to either. We just need to get far enough away from here before it goes and takes the closest block with it. The Bat will come either way and he'll stand down upon seeing the risks."

"That's an awfully large gamble." Napier interjected. "Even for a hundred million."

"The Black Mask operates on this side of town. We'll extort him too." Todd replied dismissively. 

"Someone's ambitious tonight." The voice of Oberon Sexton said with a satisfied smirk as he arrived to join the other Red Hoods. "Kerr said to let you know he's got the explosives set. When the reactor goes, they should boost the range roughly tenfold."

"And the others?" Todd asked waiting for Sexton's answer.

"They're making their way back. Said they wanted to raid the vending machines. Something about a hankering for a Twinkie." 

"Amateurs." Todd grumbled as he pulled a radio from his belt. "Where are you guys?" He asked into the radio, the empty sound of static replying. "Go check it out." Todd ordered Sexton before turning to Jerome. "Valeska, go check on Joe. Make sure he didn't tie himself to the detonator."

"Why me?" Jerome protested. "Napier knows that stuff better."

"Because your face bothers me." Todd retorted. "Now go before I decide to throw you in the chemical vats." 

"Alright, alright. Keep yer panties on." Jerome waved dismissively as he began to walk away. Pulling the radio out again, Todd spoke into it.

"Any sign of them Sexton?" Several seconds went by, the crackle of static seemed to echo above the catwalk before Todd spoke again. "C'mon you clowns. Knock it off." The radio suddenly crackled again a voice coming out of it.

"He...Oh god!" Sexton's voice was filled with panic as a scream echoed from the radio. The hairs on the back of Todd's neck standing up as he free hand went to the gun tucked into the waist of his pants. "...I'll tell you everything... No! No! Not that..." A crack echoed over the radio as it was followed by more screaming. 

"Jerome, get Kerr back her on the double. Napier arm up. The Bat's here!" Todd yelled as a 'WHOOSH' of air went by his back. Suddenly an arm was around his throat as his heart left his chest. Finding himself spun around, Todd came face to face from a creature that could only have been spawned by his nightmares.

"Where's the detonator!" The creature roared, its spit hitting Willis in the face as he swore he could smell blood on its breath. 

"I... I ain't telling you!" Todd managed to spit back, fear slowly paralyzing his body as the creatures seemed to smile at him.

"You will."

"Boss! Get down" Napier's voice rang out as the other man raised his firearm. Todd found himself dropped to the catwalk as Jack's bullets bounced off the creature's wings. Within seconds, the beast moved across the catwalk and disarmed Jack before knocking him over the rail. Reaching out, Jack scrambled for the ledge as the Bat showed mercy at the last possible second, catching Jack and dropping him on the hard edge. Sliding as gravity took hold, Napier's hands scrambled to grab a hold of anything that could keep him from dropping below. Suddenly his fingers found a gap in the catwalk as Jack held on for dear life, heat from the boiling vats below rising up all around him. 

"Boss!" The radio Todd had been holding suddenly crackled to life. "I just found Joe. Moron took some sort of sinus pill before the job and passed out in the reactor room." Even over the radio, the sneer could be heard in Jerome's voice. "I'm going to draw a penis on this dickhead's face." Reaching for the radio, Todd suddenly yelped in pain as the Bat's food came down on his hand. Bones splintered as his fingers broke beneath the creatures heel.

"Stay down." It growled before moving away.

"You can't stop it!" Todd yelled as he tried to move. "This whole block is going to blow." 

"You'd best hope not." The Bat retorted as he spun around, a hand wrapping around the back of Willis' head before introducing it to the railing and leaving the man lying unconscious on the suspended walkway.  

"Heh! It's a big veiny one." Jerome's voice came again from the radio as it broke the silence. 

Putting the cap on the marker, Jerome slapped Joe across the face.
"Wake up beautiful." He teased as Joe's eyes fluttered open only for them to suddenly go wide as he scream. The distinct smell of urine flooded Jerome's nose. "What the fuc..." His words were cut off as his face was smashed into the controls above Joe's head and his body tossed aside like a rag doll. Joe felt his instincts taking over as he began to crawl, trying to put as much space between him and the Bat as possible only for something to wrap around his leg and pull him back towards the demon. 

"Disable the reactor." The creature commanded him as Joe suddenly went limp, the Batman dropping the body in disgust.

"Criminals truly are a superstitious and cowardly lot Sir." Alfred's voice remarked as Batman placed a hand to the side of his cowl. 

"They've set the reactor to overload Outsider." He replied to Alfred, "It's a Wayne Industries make, sending you the model number now." Batman added as he sent the information to the Batcomputer.

"I do believe the overload can be reserved Sir. But time is of the essence."

"Just tell me what to do." Batman replied as Alfred began the instruction. Initializing the reactor's flood chambers, Batman began to cool the reactor as he sent the plant into a shut down. Beside him, Jerome began to stir, as he looked up at the Bat.

"Fuckin' eh that hurt Batsy!" He growled as he pulled a knife and leaped at the Batman. Suddenly the catwalk shook as a small explosion shook the reactor, the coolant and excess heat creating a reaction. Overreacting to Jerome's attack, Batman sent the Red Hood flying over the rail. Another explosion shook the walkway as the metal suddenly began to twist only for a third explosion to cause it to give way. Holding on as the catwalk began to plummet towards the vats below, Batman tried to grab Jerome as the man fell through the air. Catching a pant leg, there was an audible rip as it let go and the man plunged below. A second scream tore Batman's attention away from his failure as Joe re-awoke and began to slide off the catwalk himself and too plummeted towards the vats before Batman could save him.

"It would appear there's no rest for the wicked sir." Alfred's voice said as the Batman pulled himself away from the twisted railing. "I've received reports of a mass break out at Blackgate Penitentiary."

"Call Gordon and have him bring a Hazmat team and medical." The gravelly voice ordered as his eyes narrowed searching the vats below. "Bring the Batwing around, I'm on my way."[/INDENT]