BATMAN FOREVER

Part I

By Joshua Sykes

SAL’S ITALIAN RESTAURANT

FINANCIAL DISTRICT

The restaurant manager watched impatiently as the final table’s patrons slowly meandered their way through the usual post-meal ritual.  Even seeing the more than generous tip they were leaving did nothing to allay his restlessness, nights like these always made him nervous.

Sal… Mr. Maroni… had arranged a meeting at the eatery, and as the time grew closer, the manager’s uneasiness only grew.  Things usually went well, but…

The bell above the front door dinged as the patrons finally left the premises.  The manager snapped his fingers with urgency and in response, the young busboy cleaning their table quickened his pace.

It was only then the manager noticed the vagrant slumped at the end of the bar.

Pino and Umberto Maroni, the twin twenty-two-year-old sons of Salvator Maroni, strode out onto the restaurant floor from the kitchen, wearing complementary (but not matching) Gucci sweaters, both their necks draped with gaudy, oversized gold chains.  The manager immediately saw the looks of dissatisfaction on their faces when they spied the vagrant straggler, and so he moved toward the disheveled man quickly, before the well-connected twins could voice their displeasure.

“Aight buddy, you’ve had enough,” he barked cruelly, yanking the vagrant off the barstool and attempting to shove him toward the door.

The vagrant slurred something about it being too early for closing time, but the manager paid him no heed and tossed him bodily through the doorway onto the sidewalk, letting the door swing closed as he turned back meekly to face the twins.

Behind him the bell dinged again, and, thinking the bum was storming back in, the manager whipped around… only to freeze as a cadre of intimidating Asian men walked past him with confidence.

Yensen Wu, the leader of the Omega Dragons, was at the front of the pack. A lean, bald man in his late twenties, he leered at anyone who locked eyes with him.  Following quickly behind him were six of his elite guard, three on each side, fanning out as they passed the doorway to flank their leader.  As their clothing had been chosen to display their physical prowess, six identical tattoos were visible on six left shoulders, each an eight-trigram snake.  Wu himself may have had a tattoo (or many) as well, but his more formal mode of dress obscured much of his canvas, and so none could be seen.

The Asian men and women all breezed right past the manager as if he wasn’t there, and finally, the older man was able to exhale.  He quickly (but calmly) locked the front door, clicked off the neon sign, and headed to the kitchen, doing his best to ignore whatever was happening on the restaurant floor.  He walked straight through the kitchen, stopping only to turn off the lights, and quickly reached the back door, which he exited eagerly.

Out of the corner of his eye, he thought he saw something move further on down the alley, but as he whipped his head in that direction, all was silent and still.  He shook his head.  Nights like these always made him nervous.  But he’d made it through.  In fact, to thank him for his understanding in these matters, Mr. Maroni had given him the next week off, his first vacation since taking over the restaurant from the previous unfortunate manager.  As he entered his car, a smile crept onto his face.  As he pulled out of the alley, a weight lifted from his shoulders.  His role in this night was finally over.

Further down the alley, a shadowy figure rose silently from behind some obscuring debris.  They moved swiftly and nimbly to the restaurant’s back door with such grace they almost appeared to be gliding.  The moonlight illuminated their dark green and black gi, but they picked the lock so quickly (and with nary a sound) that they slipped into the darkness of the kitchen after a matter of moments.

On the restaurant floor, Pino lounged nonchalantly at a table, leaning back in the chair, his brother standing behind him.  Wu remained standing, flanked by his guards.

“Far as I’m concerned we ain’t really here’s for no kind of discussion, ya know?” Pino told the dragons. He threw a cheeky smirk over his shoulder at his brother that isn’t returned. Umberto hadn’t taken his eyes off Wu and his men from the moment they entered the building. “We’re taking every mile of turf Thorne had once he either goes belly up or does the smart thing and gets out of town.”

“Who the hell does your boss think he is doing anything outside of Chinatown, huh?” Umberto barked at Wu. Wu’s stern glare didn’t change as looked at Umberto over the top of his shades. He pulled a cigarette from his front pocket and let it hang lazily, almost as if it would fall any moment. He lit it with a zippo after a few failed clicks and took a soothing drag, all the while never losing eye contact with Umberto.

Wu shrugged and scratched at his chin before answering Umberto’s condescending question.”He’s a man who has made both your father and his previous chief rival in this city sweat more than they care to admit. Otherwise, would we even be having this discussion?” Pino fists tightened at Wu’s boast. “It’s a very simple concept we present to you gentleman.. When Thorne falls we take everything, or we wipe out your entire bloodline. Wipe the earth clean of the Maroni family.”

Umberto snapped at that last taunt. A threat of that magnitude was not going to go unchecked, not in a building owned by his father. “Alright enough of this-”

He reached for his snub nose but his brother grabbed him firm by the wrist, trying to help him keep cool. The Omegas reacted in kind, all of them tensed for battle. Wu reached for his brass knuckles that sat in the left pocket of his suit pants. The moment his fingers wrapped around them, a dart shot from the shadows behind the bar. It pierced him directly in the back of the neck, and the poison it was coated in acted in an instant. An acrid taste filled the Ghost Dragon commander’s mouth as he clutched at the place where the dart had sunk into his flesh. He yanked it out and examined it, confused. He glanced in the direction it came from as his knees buckled.

Wu crumpled to the floor. His crew circled around him in a favored defense formation instinctively. All of them however, were completely mystified as to what had crippled their leader. Johnny Wei, a nineteen-year-old second in command of the group, flew into a blind rage at the sight of Wu’s worsening condition, as he begun to convulse. He dove over the table at the twins, breaking from the defensive ranks, and pummeled Umberto after knocking his brother aside.

Pino fumbled for his revolver, finally managing to aim it at Johnny. Before he could fire, a shuriken sunk into his wrist. He yelped in pain and his gun skirted across the floor dining area. The rest of the dragons broke rank as the third party instigator emerged from the shadows.

Cheshire knew her master would be most upset with her spending more time than needed here. But she was instructed to instill fear in all parties involved. She would not leave until she felt she had done just that. Johnny ceased his attack as the assassin drew a pair of sai from a holster on each hip. He rose to his feet and whipped out his nunchaku. The rest of the dragons swarmed Cheshire as Johnny led with a head on attack.

Cheshire used the onslaught to flex her skillset. She parried or smacked away every blow from the dragons, including Johnny’s own impressive flurry. He was perplexed as to why he couldn’t get a clean shot in on his opponent, and it only made him angrier. His anger however, only made him sloppier. Cheshire kicked him away and in a swift spin plunged her sai through the chest of another dragon. Johnny had no choice but I stifle the horror he felt as his fellow dragon slumped in Cheshire’s arms. She dropped the body to the floor carelessly. As the others and the Maroni’s recovered, she stared in Johnny’s direction. Slowly, she closed the distance between them, twirling her sai with every step.

Before she could act further, the Maroni twins crew busted into the dining area from the kitchen. Three of them carried drum machine guns, all of them with a scowl.

“Shoot everyone in this mother*&^%$#.!” PIno shouted to his men. He scrambled across the floor to his brother and pulled him out of harm’s way. The gunman did their jobs, spraying the restaurant with bullets. Cheshire slid back into the shadows and found cover. A smile slid across her face under the mask. Good, she thought. Thing were getting boring. She placed her sai back in her holsters then grabbed three shuriken in each hand. Patience was the key, and this would end quickly.

Johnny pulled the prone body of Wu behind the bar, ducking as best he could. He looked down at the man who had inducted him into the Ghost Dragons, shocked by the blood dribbling from his mouth. He checked his pulse, and his own heart sank at how weak it was. Wu stared back at him, directly in his eyes. He tried to whisper a message to Johnny, a boy he felt he’d trained into a man. But he couldn’t and that feeling of pride in Johnny was the last thing Wu felt. Johnny could feel nothing but seething rage. He pulled the glock he knew Wu kept tucked in a leg holster out and rose from behind the bar. He let off a few shots, forcing a few of the gunmen to scatter and even clipping one.

His valiant effort however, only left him as prey for Cheshire. She placed the tip of her sai in his back and grabbed him with the other arm in a rear-naked chokehold. She leaned close, whispering in his ear. “You’ll be my next example. But not the last.”

Johnny closed his eyes, ready to meet death. It never came, however, what did was worse to the wrong sort of people in Gotham City. The Batman crashed through the skylight, directly in the midst of the fray. His first glare went in the direction of Cheshire, who was both enthralled and mystified by his sudden appearance.

A new player in town. I never caught her entering the bar during my on-site surveillance. If she was able to slip in without me noticing and keeping the dragons at bay single handed, she’s good.

Batman fired a Batarang in each direction, one at Cheshire’s head and the other at the Maroni twin goons. Cheshire was shocked by the large man’s quickness and she was forced to release Johnny. She deflected the Batarang with her sai, then tossed a handful of shuriken at the dark knight. Batman dodged each one with swift and sly head movement, not too unlike former heavyweight champion “Smokin” Joe Frazier. The shuriken instead sank into one of the gunmen. He dropped his weapon and went crashing into one of the wine cabinets.

She managed to deflect my Batarang. There’s less than a handful of people in the world who could do that. So she’s that good. I need to end this quickly before anyone else is hurt. First order of business is to take out the Maroni’s firing squad.

Batman pressed a button on his gauntlet. The Batarang he tossed at the feet of the Maroni twins’ goons exploded with a loud BANG accompanied by a disorienting flash of light. The gunmen were forced to drop their weapons, half of them scurried like rats stumbling directly out the front of the building.

Cheshire watched Pino drag his brother through the back, while behind her Johnny did the smart thing and allowed his Ghost Dragons to scurry away. Vermin, all of them, she thought whimsically to herself. Still, HE was still here. Cheshire was sure she’d more than accomplished her goal, but she wanted to test her mettle against the caped stranger. With that in mind, she decided to put an emphasis on the statement she made tonight.

Just as Pino was about to push open the doors and toss his brother through, a sai flew past his head, slashing him across the cheek in the process. It sank into the wall right in front of him, and Pino muttered a “Jesus Christ” under his breath. He turned to his left to see Cheshire rushing towards him with her other sai. Before she could follow through with her intended blow, Batman grabbed her by the left elbow.

“Enough.” He told her through gritted teeth. With a mighty heave, he tossed her with a perfect judo throw and sent her crashing across a pair of tables. Pino was completely astonished. As he picked his brother back up, he didn’t take his eyes off Batman.

“Get out of here.” Batman instructed the older twin, who grumbled but quickly got out of sight. Cheshire was already on her feet and sized the dark knight up for a moment. Once again, she smirked under the mask.

“No more for now.” She chirped at him and tossed a smoke bomb at his feet with speed he wasn’t expecting. Billowing black clouds filled the entire restaurant. Batman moved across the room and out the front door. By the time he hit the sidewalk, Cheshire was out of sight. Batman looked up and down the street while flipping through various vision settings on his lenses, but knowing full well there would be no trace of her. He looked towards the sky while pressing a series of keys on the touchpad embedded on his left gauntlet.

Just a brief moment later, the Batmobile came roaring around the corner. It pulled to a short stop in front of him and the canopy slid back. As he hopped inside, he was already placing a call back to the cave.

“I trust you’ve seen the signal, sir?” Alfred asked once he appeared on the dashboard monitor.

“I need your eyes Alfred.” Batman informed his oldest friend.

“In exactly what capacity might I ask sir?”

Batman made a hard right and headed towards the eastbound ramp for the freeway. “Scanning every traffic and private surveillance camera we currently have access to. I’m uploading the images from the cowl’s camera to you now.”

“I’ll keep you updated sir. Also, I should inform you Ms. Lavigne has-”

“I’ll call her back when I can, Alfred.” Batman cut the video feed short and gripped the steering wheel tight he cracked his knuckles.

There’s no way Thorne took the risk to hire that assassin. Not with the walls closing in on all sides around him. Whoever was bold enough to pick a fight with the Ghost Dragons and the Maroni’s must believe they have a good chance at winning. The question I need to answer first is just exactly who’s bold enough to take those odds?

THE OFFICE OF COMMISSIONER JAMES

GOTHAM CENTRAL POLICE DEPARTMENT

Jim Gordom lit himself a cigar while browsing through the case file in front of him. A bristle of wind from a window he was positive he never opened let him know his company had arrived.

“Allen says Maroni’s spot looks turned upside down. This…Snake guy really stupid enough to start a war in Sal’s backyard?” Gordon asked seemingly no one in particular.

“He wasn’t trying to. Whoever hired the woman I fought that killed one of his lieutenants though, is.” Batman emerged from the darkened corner behind Gordon’s desk, still to the commissioner’s surprise.

Gordon shook his head. His assumption had been correct and Batman was kind enough to let him know he’d arrived. He took another drag of his cigar. “What do you mean someone else was there?”

“I’m in the process of trying to track her down now. In the meantime, I figured I’d try to cut down the list of people with pockets fat enough to hire someone with her skills.” Batman looked over Gordon’s shoulder at the documents littering his desk.

Gordon looked up at him with an astonished gleam. “They were that good?”

Batman looked him in the eye, hoping to stress the severity of his words. “Good enough to get away from me.”

Gordon looked down and pushed away from his desk. He soaked in Batman’s answer for a moment. “Damn.”

“When’s the last time you heard from your undercover’s working Thorne?” Batman asked, his eyes back on the various crimes they had linked to Rupert Thorne over the last few years. “Well, that’s one of the reasons I turned on the signal. They were due to make contact two hours ago.” Gordon stood up, chomping at the end of his cigar as it stuck out like a sword from his mouth.

Batman turned back to Gordon, noting the concern in his tone for his men. “I’ll find them, Jim. Thorne’s been staying holed up on his yacht. I’ll work my way towards that part of town and be in touch.”

“You have any inklings as to who would want to piss both of the biggest pain in our asses currently off at the same time?”

“Nothing concrete. And I don’t like that.” Batman turned towards the window and fired his grapple gun out into the summer night air. He rose out of sight, leaving Gordon back to his work.

THE MARONI ESTATE

WEST GOTHAM HEIGHTS

Pino knocked on the door to his father’s study. It swung open not even a moment later and he walked inside. Not only did he pass pictures of his family, notably a large portrait of Salvatore Senior with him and his brother when they were kids, but also the various button men that his father kept near him at all times. Sitting behind the custom designed desk made of a wood that didn’t grow anywhere near Gotham, was Sal “Boss” Maroni.

Pino didn’t dare look his father in the eyes the closer he got to the desk. The room was thick with cigar smoke, with a stogie straight from Santa Prisca hanging from Boss Maroni’s mouth himself. “You look like you could use a drink, boy.” Sal observed once his son reached him. He blotted out his cigar and reached for the glass of cognac sitting opposite his ashtray.

“Ah…I-I think I’ll be ight pop.” Pino finally managed to let the words stumble from his mouth, still unable to meet the firm stare of his father.

“Tony, get em a scotch on the rocks.” Sal snapped his fingers and one of the men standing alongside the wall of the office moved to the bar. Sal looked at the gash on his son’s cheek. Pino knew from the grumbling that he was doing to himself how livid his father was.

Tony brought over the drink and Pino gave him a quick nod of thanks. “I honestly don’t know what to tell ya pop.” Pino scratched at the back of his head.

“How many times have I told you that you look a man in the eye when you’re speaking to them?” Sal rumbled. Pino’s head snapped up. The only sound in the room was the ice cubes rattling around in his drink.

“I’m sorry pops, I didn’t mean no disrespect.” Pino made sure that his eyes never left his father’s. “Someone dropped one of those bastards. I got no idea who the hell they were or what they wanted. But everything went south real quick after that. Honestly, if it wasn’t for the Bat showing up…”

Pino mumbled instead of making sure the end of his sentence was coherent. Sal’s hands balled into fists, his frustration with his son’s half-baked story was coming to a boiling point. He stood up, and Pino did his best not to cower under the glare he was receiving.

“Whoever they were, they took out the mother*&^%^ who was sent to chop it up with us. If it’s any consolation prize. Heh.”

Sal shook his head, finally fed up with his son’s attitude. “You think me, or your grandfather survived this long in this city if we were ever worried about a god damn consolation prize? We’d still be scraping by trying to make money under Falcone if our brains were as half-cooked as yours!”

Sal’s voice rumbled in the office, and once again Pino had to force himself not to take his eyes off his father. “When Umberto is back on his feet, and I’m through kicking his ass myself, both of you are gonna stroll into Chinatown and find out who had the gull to cause chaos ON MY TURF!”

Pino nodded and held his head high with his chin out, doing his best to stand tall and firm in front of his father. Much to his surprise his knees nearly buckled under his own weight. He grabbed the handkerchief from the pocket of his suit coat and dabbed at his forehead. He hadn’t realized just how much he was sweating.

Sal noticed this too and figured even this display was uncharacteristic of his son. “You walk out of there alright, boy?” Sal did the best he could to show how much he was concerned for his son, which was plenty. Despite both their shortcomings, the twins were heirs to the Maroni family empire. And he demanded they be respected in the city as the princes they were.

Pino steadied himself by planting his hand on the desk. Sal Senior rose from the long-back leather chair next to the window he was sitting in. “Junior, he ain’t looking too hot.” The oldest Maroni croaked.

Pino grimaced up at his grandfather. He tried to force a smile before turning back to his father.

Sal’s eyes fell on the wound across Pino’s cheek. “How’d you get that scratch?”

Pino dabbed at his cheek with two fingers and tried to shrug off the growing mood surrounding him. “That crazy bastard with the forks tossed one at me. Just a flesh wound pop. Ain’t nothingPino smacked his head against the desk before hitting the floor. Sal screamed for everyone to hear to call an ambulance. Unconscious on the floor and foaming at the mouth, Pino’s eyes rolled into the back of his head.

THE BATCAVE

Alfred stepped out of the express elevator that came from his study into the cave. He set the tray with a homemade double bacon burger with fries near the massive supercomputer that sat in the center of the cave. Just as he turned around, the Batmobile gunned it down the long tunnel.

It came to a stern halt atop its carousel and Batman hopped out. Once he pulled the cowl back, revealing the disheveled black hair of Bruce Wayne, Alfred could already tell his mind was deep in thought. Bruce ignored the tempting late-night dinner prepared by the long-tenured Wayne family attendant. He dashed into the chair in front of the computer built top to bottom by himself and Alfred, with some time to time assistance from Lucius when needed.

“I take it you weren’t able to find anything on the assassin?” Bruce asked while looking over the footage from his cowl lenses himself.

“I was not sir. I take it that this does not surprise you.” Alfred replied. He watched as Bruce studied the footage, barely blinking as he sped through frames from multiple angles. With a short burst across his master keyboard, the three monitor layout swapped away from the recorded footage and to a massive map of Gotham.

“Unfortunately, no,” Bruce answered. He scratched at his chin while observing the map. Across the monitors, eight different points around the city were marked by blinking red dots. “She’s smart enough to stay to the shadows. Until she decides to pop out again, I’ll have to attend to other matters.”

Alfred caught the hint of regret in Bruce’s tone and decided to try and move his mind to less pressing but still very pertinent matters. “Might I suggest taking a break from your cape and cowled matters to give Veronica a call?”

Alfred handed Bruce one of his cellular devices. “I would assume where she is currently shooting it is still a reasonable hour.” Bruce turned towards Alfred. He glanced down at the phone and for just a moment considered taking his suggestion. The flood of concerns on his mind however took precedent, thus he turned his back on Alfred and the phone to focus on the task before him.

“The men Gordon placed in Thorne’s operation have gone missing. Tracking them down has to be my next priority.” Bruce was confident in his response, and Alfred didn’t press further. “I know Thorne’s gotten desperate with his trial coming up, but even he wouldn’t be bold enough to kill two undercover officers in the middle of everything going on.”

“If I may be so bold sir, perhaps we truly don’t know even after the past few years of you stalking the streets, what any criminal is capable of. Especially when their backs are pressed against the proverbial wall as Mr. Thorne’s is.” Alfred’s reasoning was sound, and Bruce leaned back in his chair while mulling over his options.

“I’ve been keeping eyes and ears on his most frequented spots across the city, as well as any businesses I know he has a piece of. While he’s kept his face off the streets ever since he was indicted, his closest confidant hasn’t.” Bruce pressed a function key that focused on one of the map’s locations.

A security camera shot showed a young woman with jet black hair in a striking red women’s power suit getting into a limo. Batman zoomed in on the plate of the limousine. He got the clearest picture possible of the license number and sent the footage directly to the Batmobile with a few key clicks. Without another word he spun out of the chair and was back on his feet. The classic blue and gray costume of the Batman, complete with the yellow oval symbol, was once again completed when he pulled his cowl back over his face. He turned back to Alfred. “Keep me updated on our other search.” Alfred nodded, and Batman headed towards the carousel where the Batmobile sat. An alert from the control screen on his gauntlet caused him to pause just as the canopy slid back.

Batman answered the call with a swipe of his finger, and the voice of Commissioner Gordon boomed back at him. “Pino Maroni was just rushed to Gotham General.”

“I’m en route now.” Batman quickly cut the call and hopped back into the car. Without another word, the Batmobile sped right back out of the cave with the canopy closing just before it was out of Alfred’s sight.

UNMARKED PENTHOUSE

UPTOWN GOTHAM

A pair of barrel chest, ex-CFL defensive lineman dressed in designer suits walked step for step down the hall until they reached a set of heavy doors. They pushed them both open and entered a living room filled with one-of-a-kind antiques and furniture more expensive than the cars they drove there. Pacing around the living room in a custom-designed silk robe was their employer, Rupert Thorne.

He shuffled into his matching slippers and croaked into the phone pressed to his ear. “Those bastards are trying to give me the runaround. And I don’t care how deep in the waters I get, I’m not going to be disrespected. Not by anybody!” Thorne caught sight of his two bodyguards and gave them a nod of their head to acknowledge their arrival.

Far from uptown and on the other end of Thorne’s call was his personal assistant and closest confidant, Candice. She sat in her favorite red power suit in the back of the limo he charted for her, headed towards a meeting with the very party her employer was shouting about. She rolled her eyes once his rant was over and placed him on speakerphone.

“You need funding and manpower to get our main sources of revenue back on track. And that’s not even mentioning continuing to afford the lawyer you insisted on. You want to keep from drowning, we have to start playing ball.” Her tone was calm, and reasonable. She knew getting annoyed was no way for him to see any sort of reason.

Thorne huffed grumpily on the other end of the call. Inside his kitchen, he popped a bottle of brandy and poured himself a generous glass. Once he took a sip, he finally relented. “You tell those vultures that I’m not dead and no one is going to pick at my carcass.” He took another sip of his drink, and then let a sigh escape him. “Tell them I’m willing to cut in 10% of any profits over what we need. That should give them a leg to gnaw on.” Thorne ended the call abruptly and waltzed back into the living room where his guards were waiting.

“Alright now if we end up making this trip-” Thorne dropped his glass and lost himself mid-sentence once he saw the state of his men. Both of them laid face down on the luxurious carpet, one of them in a pool of their own blood. Standing above them was a tall, muscular Asian woman dressed in a black and gold kimono. Both hands were behind her back once she saw Thorne, in an attempt to show she meant no harm. The gesture didn’t get through to him however as he could see some of his men’s blood still dripping from her left fist.

“Rupert, forgive me for the state of your employees. I tried explaining to them I was only here to offer you…guidance in your time of need.” The woman’s voice was calm, and even elegant. But Thorne could tell by the glint in her eyes as she sized him up that she was far more than she was trying to appear to be.

“I’m not sure who you think you’re dealing with, but I will have ten men with toys you don’t want to play with in this room in less than a minute.” Thorne’s threat came with bite, but the smile did not fade from the woman.

“Please Rupert, let us not continue on the wrong path. We both know you really can’t spare to keep losing men. Especially if the Spiteri family declines your proposal. Or if the snake decides to exact what he perceives as vengeance upon you tonight.”

A dawn of understanding washed over Thorne. He gripped his cell phone tightly in his hand, then took a step away from the woman. “You’re responsible for whatever I heard went down at Maroni’s!”

“My name is Shiva. And as for what you are referring to, that was the work of an overzealous pupil. But if you would kindly stop shaking like a frail child, I would like to show you the gifts I’ve brought you this evening.” She gestured for him to have a seat on the couch. Something in her body language made Thorne fearful of if he didn’t comply with her request. He slid warily onto the sofa and watched her step out onto his balcony. Just a moment or two later, she dragged two more bodies into the living room and laid them in between Thorne’s men.

Thorne was in wide-eyed shock as Shiva stared at him with a smile. “I know your ranks have been thin, and that is why you welcomed these two into your fold.” Shiva’s smile warped into a stern, menacing glare. Thorne used every bit of backbone he could muster not to recoil from her swift change in attitude. She pulled a pair of GCPD badges tucked inside of the sash she was wearing around her kimono, then tossed them on top of each body. “But these men were placed here to further your downfall. It is these kinds of mistakes I have decided to help you eliminate.”

Thorne gulped. He looked at the bodies strewn across his floor, then he mustered courage to once again look Shiva in her eyes. “What is it you want from me?”

Shiva’s smile returned. “Absolutely nothing. But your cooperation. I promise you that you will be restored beyond the heights you once were..” Thorne looked her up and down then wiped the sweat from his brow.

“Alright. What can I do for ya?”

GOTHAM GENERAL HOSPITAL

Batman watched the hospital through a pair of binoculars produced via the Wayne R&D department. Button men for the Maroni family paced the worn concrete in front of the hospital. Batman raised his line of sight up to the fifteenth floor, where he could see Sal Maroni standing over his son’s bedside.

Maroni’s got men stationed on every entrance into the building. On top of having a car sweep through the valet every fifteen minutes give or take.

The detective watched a sharp brown Lincoln continental pull through the valet drive-up. Someone leaned out of the passenger side window and one of the men guarding the in entrance walked over to converse with him.

I’m not surprised Maroni’s turned Gotham General into his own personal fortress. He would never trust cops to do the job, despite Gordon cleaning his ranks of anyone pulling a side payroll. He’s scared, and that’s a difficult thing to do to Sal Maroni.

Batman pulled his grapple gun from his utility belt and fired across the street. He sailed towards the hospital’s rooftop.

Inside the ICU room of Pino Maroni, Sal exited the lone bathroom to see the Batman standing at the foot of  Pino’s bed. Sal gave him a loathing look that Batman responded to with nothing but a side eye as he continued looking over Pino’s medical chart.

“You smash the face of whoever did this to my boy yet?” Maroni wondered. He took a seat next to Pino and sighed. He hated seeing his boy in pain and knowing there was nothing at the moment he could do about it made his blood fit to boil.

“That’s why I’m here. Were they able to give you any idea what he was poisoned with?” Batman placed the chart back where he got it, giving Maroni his full attention.

“How the hell should I know? These bastards ain’t told me nothing except that he’s stable. Whatever that’s supposed to mean.” Maroni straightened his suit jacket out as he tried to appear to be calm about the current situation. “You were there right? Is it true? This wasn’t one of that bastard’s people?”

“They killed one of his best men on your turf. I think they want his attention and you are in the crossfire of that.” Batman surmised. He walked around Pino’s bedside, brushing Maroni back as he passed. Batman leaned forward only just, examining the now stitched wound on Pino’s cheek. From his own point of view, the lenses inside his cowl analyzed the wound for any remaining traces of the poison. It found just enough to send the data back to the Batcave, and the caped crusader stood upright once more.

“You’re lucky. The toxin that was in his bloodstream is derived from the venom of a reptile not found anywhere in this hemisphere.” Batman surmised once he looked over the data retrieved from his scan. “Stay out of this, Maroni. This was your warning shot from whoever wants a piece of King Snake.” Batman headed back to the window and leaped out. Maroni snarled in his direction. His frustration was interrupted by Umberto entering the room after a sharp knock. His nose bandaged and his jaw swollen, he was sheepish while approaching his father.

“Pop, I know this ain’t the best time but. You got a call you’re gonna want to take.” Maroni barely turned around to look at his son who was extending a cell phone in his direction. He snatched the phone out of Umberto’s hand, and his other son scurried back a few steps out of fear.

Maroni placed the phone to his ear. “Whoever this is, you betta have a damn good reason-”

A voice like walking on crushed gravel stones came over the other end, cutting off Sal’s rant. “I was just calling with condolences. That’s what your people do during these sorts of things, right?” Edmund Dorrance, the leader of the Ghost Dragons, stood in the manager’s office of the Lucky Dragon casino and resort. The pinnacle of Chinatown entertainment, this was also the place he did most of his business.

“What the hell do you want, Snake?” Maroni barked right back, over the initial shock of the phone call from one of his chief rivals for turf in Gotham city.

“I figured we should meet. Cut the middleman and any bull$#!$ between us after the way things went tonight. Just us.” Maroni mulled over his offer for a moment.

Grey, a lanky and tattooed lieutenant of the ghost dragons, entered just as her master and leader hung up the desk phone. She could tell, no matter how he tried to hide it, that he was pleased. This surprised her, as news of Wu’s death sent him into a blind rage just hours prior. She wanted nothing more now, than to continue his lifted spirits and deliver the information she’d arrived with.

“Master, we’ve managed to track her down.” Grey stood rigid, arms behind her back. King Snake raised himself from the office desk chair, the charcoal black suit he was wearing soaked in the dancing lights from the club.

“What does Thorne have her doing that he doesn’t want to get his own hands filthy with?” King Snake raised an eyebrow, anticipating her answer.

“We’re not sure. Johnny says it looks like a meet with some people he’s not familiar with” Grey replied quickly. “She’s headed towards Mt. Olympus.”

King Snake grunted, unimpressed with her answer. “That cockroach running for D.A. has got Thorne scurrying back and forth looking for someone to cover his ass. Can’t be Cobblepot she’s negotiating with, he isn’t stupid enough to cross me. Must be someone from out of town.”

“What are your instructions, master?” Grey raised her head, ready to act. King Snake was proud to see such devotion in one of his many pupils.

“I don’t want anyone leaving the building. Including the captain of Thorne’s sinking ship.” Grey bowed before her sensei and left without another word

OLYMPUS HOTEL AND RESORT

GOTHAM FINANCIAL DISTRICT

Candice exited the limo as the valet attendant held open her door. As she walked towards the revolving door entrance, six of Thorne’s best men swarmed around her in a well-practiced shell formation. All of them armed with pistols supplied from Thorne’s suppliers south of the border. Candice followed a pair of them as they led her first into the building, taking point.

The moment she hit the lobby with a pair of Cartier buff sunglasses hanging on her nose, the general manager of the hotel rushed over to her. Porky, dressed in an ill-fighting tuxedo, dabbed at the sweat on his forehead with his handkerchief while fighting to overcome his stammer.

“Ex-ex- w-w-welcome to Mt. Olympus. I’ve pr-pr- got the suite ready as r-r-requested by Mr.

Thorne.” Porky informed her. Candice didn’t give him a glance as he led them through the lobby. They turned past the concierge desk and massive Greek mythology-themed gift shop until they reached another corridor. Porky stepped in front of the pair of lead guards and stopped the group once they reached a fleet of elevators. Porky swiped his key card on the scanner nearest him and handed it to Candice once the doors opened.

“You’re on the eighth floor, room ei-ei-eight-twelve. I be-be do recall your guests already arriving.” Candice rolled her eyes, thankful to be free of the annoying manager as the doors closed and the elevator began to rise.

Shortly after, the guards led Candice into the suite. A group of Italian men in custom-tailored suits and Armani loafers stood around the room. Each of them had a drink in hand and raised an eyebrow as Candice took off her glasses and made one of her own.

“Gentlemen. I appreciate you making the long trip down. Luigi, Manny, Telly, I won’t keep you long and I won’t waste your time.

Luigi was the first to speak up on behalf of the Spiteri brothers. “To be honest Candice baby, I’m not seeing the benefit of us doing business with ya boss. I mean it’s nothing but sharks swarming him right now.” He said with a snort.

The middle brother, Manny, gave a short nod of agreement from the couch he was sitting on. “Yeah I mean we appreciate the red carpet roll-out and errything but this don’t do us no good in the long run. Ya know what we mean?”

Candice stepped away from the kitchenette island and joined them in the living area. After a sip from her drink she turned to Luigi first. “Now you boy’s have watched old Rupert survive the Colson diamond bust. You watched him run Falcone out of town, something the Maroni family couldn’t do in twenty years. You know we can swim when the waters get deep.”

“So what are you looking for from us?” Telly asked with a raised eyebrow. Candice gave him a wide smile, her ruby red lipstick and dazzling white teeth on display.

“All we need is the companies you have under your thumb to help us with distribution. Mainly to Coast city. We have a plan in place to get our customers down south the orders we have missed the last two months. Also, if it wouldn’t step on any toes, we’d like to be in touch with your weapons supplier. In exchange for this, we can kick you 12% of what we get back from our deals across the border.”

Telly got to his feet. He scratched at the stubble on his chin and shrugged. “Ion see a real problem with it. We end up eating for throwing you a lifeline. What say you boys?”

Directly across from the suite, Cheshire watched the meeting from an apartment window. Behind her, the apartment owner sat dead on his couch, his head slumped in a bowl of spaghetti. On the back of his head was a puncture wound no doubt from Cheshire’s weapon of choice.

She aimed a scope at the window, then adjusted her sights with a few turns of the knobs on the side of the rifle. She lifted her eye for a moment from the scope and listened, trying to get a gauge of the wind. Once she felt sure of her own calculations, she lined up her shot once more and fired. A steel plated stake buried itself in the concrete just above the suite’s balcony.

Seconds later she was rappelling across her line towards Mt. Olympus. Cheshire was sure from what she learned of the hotel’s owner that the windows to his luxury suite would be reinforced. This was something she decided to prepare for. She knew her master would be proud of this. She tossed a shuriken from her waist with her left hand once she reached the halfway mark. It sank into the bulletproof glass, causing the tiniest of cracks to wedge itself there. The shuriken blinked red rapidly for a few seconds before exploding, rocking the entire side of the hotel.

Inside the suite Candice shook her head and tried to get to her feet. She staggered instead and fell backwards, tripping over the body of Luigi. The fire alarms screeching were driving her crazy, but she knew the only thing she needed to focus on was getting the hell out of there. Her heart plummeted once she saw the mask of Cheshire emerge from the smoke sifting through the room. Cheshire cocked her head to the side at the sight Candice trying to slowly back out of sight behind the kitchenette, far too easy prey. Cheshire stalked across the room towards her, pulling one of four sai from her waist belt. She twirled it in hand with a certain menace. Candice’s reflection could be seen in the eye of her mask. Before she could lunge towards her prey, Thorne’s men had recovered enough to do what they were paid for. They fired shots that Cheshire danced with ballerina-like grace around, closing the distance between her and the two men trying to gun her down. She leaped into the air, slashing a sai across the throat of the man on her right before driving the butt of her other blade into the side of the other’s head. One guard dropped clutching at his throat as blood spilled down his hands and onto his shirt. The other’s knees were shaky from the concussing blow dealt by Cheshire. Before she could continue her attack, Telly tackled her into the bathroom.

On the streets in front of Mt. Olympus, a black and purple dodge charger burnt rubber as it peeled around the corner and pulled far too fast into the valet lane. Johnny Wei got out of the driver’s seat and left the car right where he stopped it. He was followed by Grey and a couple of Ghost Dragon disciples. They marched into the building and through the lobby before they were accosted by security. Standing behind them, was a nervous and far too jittery Porky. “Th-th-th-there’s no reason for any of you to be in my lobby.” Porky stammered out with hands on his hips. Johnny jutted his chin out and flashed the gun he had tucked in his waistband.

“Pretty sure we got a reservation in the suite all that smoke is coming out of. Don’t make me check your head personally for it.” Porky took a step back, afraid of what was about to happen next.

Back inside the suite, Cheshire duked it out with a couple of Thorne’s men inside the suite’s bedroom area. She stepped around a straight right and used the bodyguard’s momentum to smash him headfirst into the room’s flatscreen TV. Once he crumpled to the ground, she gave him an extra kick to the side of the skull. He’ll feel that blow and be sure not to get back up, she thought before turning her attention to the other guard. He had just managed to scramble for his pistol and turned to let loose a string of shots at Cheshire. She dove aside with almost breathtaking speed. While crouched on the side of the bed, she lifted both the boxspring and mattress and hurled them across the room at the guard. He continued to fire shots that the furniture took instead. Once he’d emptied his clip, Cheshire ducked around the boxspring and with a violent burst plunged one of her sai into the guard’s sternum and chest several times. His body slumped onto the mattress, staining it dark red with his blood.

Candice had finally managed to drag herself behind the island in the kitchenette area and snatched up the gun that had been dropped. Using the island she managed to get her feet back under her. No sooner had she gotten to her feet and collected herself, Cheshire had walked back into the room. Staring at her from the doorway to the bedroom area, she cocked her head to the side and smiled underneath her mask. Candice bit her lip and mustered every ounce of fearlessness she could before raising the gun and pointing it at Cheshire. She was far too slow, Cheshire had already tossed a shuriken that was halfway towards her.

Just before the weapon could sink between her eyes, a Batarang flew through the air out of the corner of Candice’s line of vision. It knocked the shuriken harmlessly to the floor. Both Cheshire and Candice turned to see the Batman standing in front of what was left of the window and balcony. His cape wrapped around him like a giant cloak, concealing as he rifled through his utility belt for his next weapon of choice.

Snake decided to play offense and quickly. The dragons will make their way up from the lobby in minutes. I can’t take on this assassin, them, and keep Candice out of the line of fire all at once. I need to take her out of the equation, and quickly.

Cheshire acted first, lunging across the room at Batman. She skipped on her toes almost like a jack rabbit and lunged at Batman with both sai aimed at his torso. He stepped aside and aimed a kick at her solar plexus that she blocked. The force of his blow still sent her sprawling back on the defensive and the dark knight didn’t waste the opening. He flung three batarangs at her, and much to even his astonishment she blocked all three with both sai. Batman however was already rocking her with a straight right. Cheshire took the blow in stride and immediately back swiped with the sai gripped tight in her left hand. The blow nearly caught Batman across the throat, but he’d stepped away just in time. Cheshire noticed his swipe had caused him to be just off balance. This time it was her moment to take advantage of the smallest window of opportunity, and she planted a front kick that landed flush in his chest.

As they continued to throw hands, Candice had already limped her way through broken glass and over bodies towards the hotel room door. Just need to get to the lobby, she thought. Surely Thorne had already sent the driver back around the moment the explosion hit. The door to the suite swung open much to her confusion, and her stomach dropped once she saw Johnny Wei step into the room with a key card that he flicked aside.

Batman had Cheshire by both wrists, stopping her from gouging his eyes with her sai. He caught a glimpse of the ghost dragons and gritted his teeth. He rocked Cheshire with a headbutt then tossed a handful of pellets that scattered across the carpet at the feet of Johnny and his group. Johnny looked down at the pellets and uttered a “Shit!” before drawing his pistol. The pellets exploded just as the rest of the dragons did the same as their leader, filling the room instantly with complete darkness. Batman tapped the side of his cowl and from his own point of view, he navigated the room utilizing a heat signature filter through the lenses in his mask. The Ghost Dragons fired erratically in a panic, but Batman had already sprung into action.

Those “blackout” pellets Alfred and I put the finishing touches on won’t last too much longer. They’re only an early prototype. The dragons got here faster than I counted on, it’s time to get Thorne’s favorite puppet out of here. I’ll deal with both the other parties later.

Batman dove over the island and tackled Candice out of harm’s way. The moment he felt there was an opening he pulled her back to her feet and rushed towards the only other exit out of the suite. Ducking for cover on the side of a nightstand, Cheshire watched as Batman dragged the limping Candice towards the destroyed balcony. Batman pulled his grapple gun from his utility belt and fired it into the night’s sky. He gripped Candice tightly around the waist as the line went taut. The two of them rose out of sight, much to the frustration of both the Ghost Dragons and Cheshire.

Johnny’s attention turned to Cheshire, and a well of anger boiled to the top inside of him. He instantly let off a round of shots in her direction, but she didn’t give him a target for much longer.

With a simple peace sign in his direction, she fell backwards out of the window. Johnny and Grey rushed over to catch a glimpse or sight of her retreat, but she was nowhere to be found.

Just down the block from the casino, Batman lowered Candice and himself into an alleyway. An ambulance and a trio of GCPD squad cars squealed by in the direction of Mt. Olympus. Candice brushed herself off and took a step away from the caped crusader, wary that he would try carting her off to county lock-up. Instead his focus was on the monitor in his gauntlet as the Batmobile cruised down the alleyway to meet him.

“I’ll ask you this once. Consider it one more life line from me tonight.” Batman began, his eyes finally turning to her once the car came to a stop. Candice gave him a seething glare of pure loathing, not the least bit appreciative that the dark knight had just saved her from quite a few gruesome ends. “Who was it Thorne sent you to meet with?”

Candice folded her arms and walked past Batman, heading towards the street. “I’ll grab a cab from here. Preciate it.” Batman watched her try to hail down a cab for a moment before hopping into the Batmobile. Candice stepped aside as the car blew past her out of the alley.

Inside the living room of Wayne Manor, the massive grandfather clock swung open. Bruce stepped out in a purple fenty robe with matching slippers, stifling a dreary-eyed yawn.

A long night and far more questions than answers. Thorne should have known better than to have Candice on the streets after the incident at Maroni’s. He’s more desperate than either myself or Gordon anticipated. Someone’s trying to escalate tensions in the streets between the three biggest organized crime bosses in Gotham. But who would want each of them on the brink of all-out war? And for what?

Bruce’s deep musings were interrupted by finally noticing Alfred calling him from the foyer. “Master Bruce?” Bruce paused halfway up the staircase just as Alfred appeared in the living room. Alfred, ever the military man after his years of service in the British service prior to his tenure at Wayne manor, did his best to hide his nerves from Bruce. Still, the tension in his posture was noticeable to him at least. He immediately took the stairs two at a time and hurried over to Alfred.

“What is it, Alfred?” Bruce asked with a raised eyebrow. Alfred tried to crack an easing smile but didn’t quite succeed.

“I’m terribly sorry, I know you need to get prepared for your day. But you have a visitor who insist on meeting with you before starting their day.” Bruce stepped around Alfred and into the foyer. Sitting out on the terrace with a cup of Alfred’s famous Earl Grey was a woman Bruce had not seen in seven years.  She glanced inside the mansion, giving Bruce a smile that he only took as a menacing threat.

“Stay here, Alfred.” Bruce instructed him, a firm note of finality in his voice. Alfred nodded and watched as Bruce stepped outside.

Bruce eyed Lady Shiva warily, his eyes searching the purple and black gi and black pants combination she was wearing for any signs of weaponry. “What a man you’ve made yourself out to be.” She greeted him.