A/N: Sorry for the late update, had some difficulties with my internet connection. Anyhow, I must thank you for all the favorites/follows/reviews, they really made my day. Also, I edited some of the previous chapters, nothing major though, just some grammar mistakes and I decided to incorporate more from "Batman: Gotham Knight" for this chapter, so credit where it's due.

Chapter 16: Field Test

Bruce

Bruce frowned as he read the newspaper in front of him. It had been four days since he had worked alongside Gordon's MCU agents to capture the Russian and Maroni, yet both of them had been released almost immediately afterwards on bail. They had too strong a hold on Gotham's criminal underworld to be brought to justice that easily, he knew that, but he had dared to hope that maybe this time it would turn out differently.

Worst of all, he'd found out that Batman and Fire Shadow's activities had started a trend. Fanboys he could deal with, but personas like the Huntress would prove to be tricky, especially with that foolhardy demeanor she seemed to have. He could see it in her eyes as she aimed her crossbow at Maroni, the thirst for revenge.

A knock at his office door interrupted his thoughts, "Come in."

"Mr. Wayne, I've got some papers from Ms. Uzumaki that you need to sign." said Isane's new personal assistant as she made her way inside with what looked like a tower of documents. What was her name again? Harriet Berty? No, that wasn't right. He should probably run the usual background checks to make sure she was trustworthy.

He got up from his seat and took a large part of them from her and set them on his desk, "You're lucky you didn't fall on your way here, miss…"

"Bertinelli." she finished for him, "Helena Bertinelli."

"Right, Isane's new assistant." he said charmingly.

She set her stack of documents next to his, "Yes, well if you'll excuse me Mr. Wayne."

The young brunette made to leave but she stumbled when one of her heels broke. She braced herself for impact, but Bruce, out of reflex, managed to catch her just in time.

"Dammit!" she hissed when his hand made contact with her left arm.

"You okay?"

She glanced at him in annoyance while she examined her arm, "It's nothing, I got a nasty burn a couple of days ago." she sighed in frustration when she got a glimpse of her broken heel, "Great, just what I needed."

"Ah." said Bruce, a look of realization gracing his features before being quickly replaced by the usual playboy grin, "Well, I think Isane keeps a spare change of clothes and shoes in her office. I'm sure she won't mind letting you borrow them."

"I'll ask." she mumbled in a hurry as she took off from his office with her shoes in hand, eager to get away from the playboy billionaire.

It seemed that he would need to take a closer look at Helena Bertinelli's file, it that burn was anything to go by. She certainly had some of the characteristics of the Huntress: long black hair, slender build, average height. But he didn't like to deal in uncertainties. He'd keep a close eye on her, at the very least he could trust in Isane's intuition, she did tend to make good judgment calls,

He glanced at the orange sticky note placed atop one of the piles of paperwork.

'Have fun ;D'

…though sometimes not.

"Come for those pictures you had me take?" asked Lucius Fox as Bruce approached his desk.

The young billionaire had learned to trust the man over the short period of time they'd been working together, going over blueprints for the Batcave and whatnot. It was hard not to get along with him, he had the patience of a saint (much like a butler of his) and he was one of the few people who actually supported his cause.

"I wondered if I could fill in for you at that charity golf tournament that Ronald Marshall is holding." Bruce casually said as he leaned against the older man's desk, "He's someone I'd like to meet."

Lucius swiveled his chair to face him, "Actually I wasn't going to go; Mr. Marshall's reputation is getting a little too shady for me."

"I like the shade."

Lucius gave an amused snort, then continued.

"Tow boats each approximately forty feet in length, anchored in Gotham Harbor." The older man informed him after handing him a picture of said boats, "I'm assuming both are up for sale and you're just trying to see which one looks better from space."

"What else would you use a satellite for?" Bruce smirked.

"Well, I could think of a number of things…" the man trailed off while looking at a strange device on his desk, "But this, this is something I never expected."

Lucius rose from his desk with the object in hand and motioned for Bruce to follow him down a hallway, "How's Isane? I haven't heard from her in weeks."

"She made some new friends in Hong Kong." Bruce replied tiredly, "She should be back in two days."

'Actually, she should have been back days ago.' he thought to himself in frustration.

He had been adamant about traveling to Hong Kong when the redhead had informed him of Ra's Al Ghul's revival. He didn't mind having her go on a scouting mission by herself, but taking on the league? It wasn't that he thought her weak or anything of the sort, she was his partner after all, but the members of the league of shadows loved to play dirty and they weren't holding back. She had put her foot down on that though and reminded him that at least one of them had to be there to protect Gotham. He hated it when she played that card and he still wasn't too convinced, but the opportunity to get the jump on the mob bosses through Marshall had been too tempting so he had relented in the end.

He consoled himself with the fact that the mission only consisted of her destroying the strange green pool that had brought Ra's back to life, though you never knew with the kunoichi.

They eventually made it into the room where Lucius had been working on the tumbler. Bruce had to admit that Isane and Lucius had definitely outshined themselves on the vehicle; it was one of his greatest assets.

"After the impromptu photo op of the harbor you had me conduct our satellite suffered severe structural damage." The man explained as he started installing the device on the tumbler, "My first thought was a meteor, but once we recovered the detached section we discovered that it was crushed from the inside."

"By what?"

"An electromagnetic pulse," Lucius answered after he finished his installation, "One we're about to replicate." he climbed inside the tumbler, "You're gonna wanna stand back."

Bruce did just that and watched as the man got straight to work, his movements precise and to the point, just like the man himself.

The tumbler roared to life then and an energy field began to form wildly around it. It was at that moment that many of the metal objects around the room began to float towards it, including the young billionaire's Rolex despite his attempts to prevent it from doing so.

"Watch yourself!" Lucius shouted in an attempt to be heard over the noise, he killed the engine when he noticed the young man's struggle against the force of the device, "My apologies."

Bruce paid him no mind and began to pace in front of the large vehicle, "The Waynecom satellite orients itself using gyroscopic electromagnetic navigation." he stopped in front of the device, "This circuit is what generates the field, correct?"

Lucius stroked his chin in thought, "Some of the prototypes developed capacitance. We thought we solved the problem, but apparently that's not the case."

"So what now?" asked Bruce as he walked towards him.

"I've got an idea."

Isane

Fire Shadow yawned and checked her watch. Seemed it was finally time to make her move.

She had been forced to hide in the base, using her Henge as cover and eating mostly ration bars. She hadn't managed to get much sleep, but she was used to working late nights even before she arrived in this world. Still, she had been very nearly caught by some of the League members. She was impressed; she was able to hide from most chunin and some of the special jounin for weeks back in the Elemental Nations. She had underestimated their training, clearly.

Fire Shadow hopped down from her perch. The complex the League of Shadows was using consisted of bland, grey-tile hallways and rooms packed to the brim with enough tech to make the R&D department turn green with envy. It had broken her heart to set her explosive notes in those rooms, but she supposed she could always just give the budget another nudge to design more of her toys.

She walked to the main chamber. Ordinarily, she wouldn't have bothered; the hotel above was cleared of any innocent bystanders, the ensuing wreckage would serve nicely to fill this stupid pit thing, and the only ones hurt, financially or physically, were the League of Shadows. But she knew that Bruce wouldn't stand for her killing any criminal, even Ra's Al Ghul. So she would need to give the assassins fair warning, maybe rough up Ra's again for old times' sake. That should be enough to scare them off.

She could admit to being a little complacent on this job, but she blamed the lack of any real challenge in this world. Bruce was the sole exception- he had gained a frightening amount of focus, and its' intensity showed in the power and agility he demonstrated in their spars. And she knew that, logically, that would mean his teachers would be at least comparable in skill to her partner. But even so, these assassins seemed a poor comparison in her mind to the enemies she'd faced in the Elemental Nations. Ra's Al Ghul was good, but he was no Madara Uchiha, and certainly no Juubi.

She reached her destination. Inside the chamber was the resurrected Ra's Al Ghul, still looking disoriented- she noted this as a possible side effect of the pit that brought him back- and appeared to be listening to something the two figures next to him were saying. She focused, trying to make out what was being said.

"…..are you feeling after exiting the pit, Father?" That would place one of the figures as Talia Al Ghul, Ra's' daughter. Tall, beautiful….and armed with a pair of sai, throwing knives, and her many years of training, from what Isane could see.

"Well enough, I suppose….though, it would be better for us if we moved out of this place soon. Our men are far too active in this area already; we risk the Lazarus Pit being discovered. Why are our men so focused on this task? Surely the girl isn't already good enough to evade even her own parents?"

The last part seemed to be directed with a challenge towards the second figure. Isane couldn't make them out, but if they were considered high enough on the ladder to be talking with Ra's and his daughter, they were likely high on the chain of command. Isane tensed; the figure was exuding a good deal of passive killing intent and bloodlust, enough to make ordinary people faint. It focused on Ra's after his comment.

"Cassandra is good enough to evade Cain only so long as she keeps moving and we want her alive. It is no fluke or misstep that has enabled her to evade us, but neither have we been focused on reclaiming her with you and your plan in pieces." It was a rebuke, and none too subtle.

To Isane's surprise, Ra's only seemed amused by the slight. Before he could continue, Isane decided to make her presence known.

"Seems to me that it isn't that hard to avoid you assassins. I've managed it for the past few days."

The trio turned to face her. Ra's seemed unsurprised by her presence, but his eyes did widen a bit at the sight of her outfit. "Fire Shadow, what an unpleasant surprise. I suppose you're here to arrest me? I'm fairly certain I already received the death penalty."

She snorted. "Cut the crap. I'm here because your grunts were a bit too loud, and I find this" she gestured towards the Pit "instead. I don't suppose you'll just clear out and let me blow this place to kingdom come, so I'll give you two options; You leave peacefully, or I break your legs and drag you out."

It was Ra's' turn to snort. "How generous of you. Shiva, Talia, I trust you can handle this issue. I will need to do a good deal of work to ensure none of our enemies attempt to capitalize on my 'death'."

He turned, leaving the room. Isane moved forward, but did not pursue him. While she was confident she could outrun these two, there was no guarantee Ra's didn't have more guards, and they could overwhelm her with numbers until she was forced to begin killing them, considering their martial prowess.

Talia and the other figure, Shiva, walked forward as well. Shiva had long black hair, Asian features, and was wearing a black leather trenchcoat and red shirt, with tan pants and heeled boots. While Talia wielded her Sai, Shiva brought nothing but her own martial arts, it seemed. Isane herself was unarmed, so she supposed she couldn't criticize. But still, it seemed slightly foolish to her to go up against an opponent with much greater strength and speed, without any weapon.

"Talia, do not interfere just yet. I wish to test this one myself first."

Talia gave a nod and stepped back a bit. Shiva had a hungry gleam in her eye, and seemed eager to start.

Isane was about oblige her and begin the fight, but Kurama rumbled in her mind.

"Careful. That one is dangerous. Even without chakra, she gives me a bad feeling."

She was curious as to why he only chose to speak now, but it was a bad idea to allow herself to be distracted during a fight. She shot forward, aiming a punch at Shiva's head….

And was easily blocked and struck with a lightning-fast counter that sent her reeling back, head dazed.

'What the fuck?'

Shiva gave her no reprieve. She aimed a kick at her midsection; Isane quickly blocked with her forearm, and winced at the impact. She sent a barrage of punches at Shiva, but they were almost contemptuously blocked with one of Shiva's hands.

"Is that all? I expected more from Batman's fearsome partner…" Shiva said mockingly. Fire Shadow ground her teeth behind her mask, and increased the speed and strength of her blows. It mattered little.

If Fire Shadow could be considered a monster when it came to speed and strength, Shiva was at best half as strong as she could be. But it didn't matter. Shiva had a nightmarish amount of skill with her hand to hand combat that trumped anything she had ever seen; even Gai and Lee, for all their hard work in taijutsu, paled in comparison. It didn't matter that Isane was stronger and faster, there was no way for her blows to reach Shiva at their current level.

I suppose I should kick this up a notch…

She jumped into the air and spun. "Leaf Whirlwind!" she cried. Shiva's eyes widened in surprise, and she barely jumped back as the roundhouse kick roared by. Isane charged forward, not giving her a chance to recover.

"Dynamic Entry!"

Shiva's eyes widened as Isane came in with a flying kick. She sprang back as the kick crushed the ground she had been standing on. Isane charged forward, meeting Shiva in another exchange of punches, before she dropped to the ground in a crouch, leg extended.

"Leaf Gale!"

The spinning kick struck true, sending Shiva flying. She managed to recover in midair, only to dodge a kunai by a hair's length. She felt a rush of wind behind her, and then Isane's fist slammed into the back of her head, sending her crashing into the ground.

Kawarimi is such a useful technique, Isane mused as she landed. Shame I didn't bring my Hiraishin Kunai, this would go a lot faster if I had.

Shiva was already back up, albeit looking a bit battered. She still had that fierce grin however, and if anything seemed more excited. Isane approached warily. She had already underestimated Shiva once; she suspected that if she did it again, it would be the last time.

Shiva interrupted her musings. "That style….what is it called?"

"Goken, or Strong Fist. It was taught to me a few years back."

Shiva nodded, seeming to mull something over. "That style…it utilizes brutal strength to break the bones of the opponent, correct? It seems as though there should be more to it, however…"

Isane nodded. "There are indeed higher level moves, but such techniques come at great cost to the user, and are fatal."

"Tch. I suppose you won't utilize them in this battle? How irritating…well, I will simply have to force you to use them for self-defense, then." Shiva settled into a new stance, and Talia seemed to stiffen. Her new stance was more…dangerous than the casual one she used previously. Her hands were in an odd position, the fist half opened, with a ridge formed where the fingers were folded. Her bloodlust was sharper now, causing the air to grow heavy.

"Is she really dangerous enough to merit Leopard style, Shiva?" Talia's voice was strained, but Shiva herself ignored her.

Isane gulped. If this was Shiva's actual style, she had been holding back her skill for the first part of the fight. This was no time to restrain herself. She formed her favorite seal.

"Shadow Clone Technique!"

As the four copies of Isane materialized, they were almost immediately dispelled by the brutal blows Shiva was raining down upon them. Her strikes sought the vulnerable areas of the body-ribs, throat, eyes- and Shiva used her elbows, knees, and palms as well as her strange method of striking. It was ridiculous-no effort was spent at all in blocking, but instead in relentless speed and reckless dodges with little concern for Shiva's own personal safety.

Isane was strained under the new style she faced-her only option was to use the shadow clone technique to create copies to aid her, distracting Shiva, tricking her, and pushing Isane out of the way of fatal blows. But Shiva's technique was more than a match for clones that dispersed in one hit; the clones dispersed almost as fast as Isane made them.

The impression left by the countless clones who fell in battle to her formed an image in Isane's mind; Shiva was fighting as a leopard, relying on intense speed and overwhelming offense to defeat her opponent, and even though Isane was faster, the pressure of the constant defense was weighing on her mind. She had never faced an opponent who utilized hand-to-hand so damn relentlessly without even a speck of chakra.

Isane's arms were already covered in bruises; she had to use an equalizer to retain a hope of ending this non-lethally. She flashed through handseals.

"Wind Release: Grand Breakthrough!"

The sudden gust of wind caught Shiva off guard, sending her flying backwards. While she could recover easily in midair, it did buy Isane some time.

She reached into her cloak and pulled out a storage scroll. She unsealed the contents as Shiva sprang to close the distance, pulling out her Gunbai as Shiva attempted to land a leopard blow on her throat. The blow was halted by the weapon, allowing Isane to jab at Shiva's exposed midsection. Shiva grunted and attempted a retreat. Isane was happy to assist, sending a gust of wind to slam into her, driving her back again.

Isane grinned. She had finally found her equalizer.

Bruce

"This is a highly sensitive shock-wave sensor," Lucius told Bruce as he finished setting up a dummy with the chest holster that held the gyro, "When the sensor detects a sound above a preset decibel it'll charge the gyro and trigger a pulse."

Bruce watched the man press a button on the wall to send the dummy further away from them and got behind the shooting counter.

Lucius grabbed the gun he'd tested moments before on a practice target and aimed it at the dummy, "One strong enough to deflect a bullet."

He fired multiple times at his target and Bruce's eyes widened in amazement as the bullets literally bounced off it. The possibilities for such a device could be endless.

"It will work against all small-arms ammunition, even at close range." said Lucius as they began walking towards the dummy in order to remove the gyro, "Somebody pulls a rifle though, you better duck."

He handed the device to Bruce and gave him a satisfied smile.

"Now why would someone want to shoot me, Mr. Fox?" asked Bruce.

"Let's just say your boyish charm might not work with everybody, Mr. Wayne." Lucius answered knowingly.

'Don't I know it.'

It was later that morning that Bruce found himself at the new golf course built by Ronald Marshall. The middle aged man prided himself in his wealth and power over the citizens of Gotham, not unlike many others. It wasn't that which made Bruce investigate him though, it was the company he kept, that of the mob.

He adjusted his grip on his golf club and gently hit the ball, effectively getting it to enter the hole. It was said that golf was supposed to soothe the mind through concentration, but he found nothing soothing about the sport. Then again, his idea of relaxation involved beating up thugs at night.

Bruce retrieved his ball and approached Marshall, "I admire a man who vows to rebuild a neighborhood and starts by putting in a golf course."

"It's all about setting a tone, really." the man replied before approaching the spot where he had to do his next swing.

The other men began clapping when he made a hole in one.

They began to board the golf cart in order to get to their next location. He made sure to sit next to Marshall, he was his target after all.

"Considering moving here? I could get you a deal." Marshall asked while their cart made its way through the course.

"I appreciate that, Mr. Marshall," Bruce said politely, "It's just the murder of that community activist lady, the one who tried to stop you from building here, stories like that are bad for my feng shui."

The golf cart stopped, signaling their arrival, and they got out. It was at that moment that Marshall pulled out his PDA, Bruce's target.

"Teresa Williams was a thorn at my side, no doubt, but she was an admirable person." Marshall explained, "The irony is that she died from gang fire by the punks she defended."

Bruce watched him hand the PDA to his assistant, who then put it away inside the man's golf bag.

-"By the way, I'm naming the homeless shelter in her honor. Maybe that'll help your feng shui." he smirked at Bruce, "You're up."

The younger man got into position and hit the ball, though he did so a little too hard and ended up sending the ball to one of the many dreaded sand spots.

"One thing I learned in life, Bruce, you're only as good as you drive." Marshall chuckled, getting into position for his turn.

Bruce couldn't help but to smirk as he activated the mini-gyro he'd had Lucius place on his watch. It certainly was entertaining to see the men scramble like headless chicken when Marshall's golf club soared far away from him, giving Bruce the perfect opportunity to take the PDA from Marshall's golf bag.

Isane

Isane cursed as she blocked another hail of throwing knives, leaving her exposed for a blow from Shiva that she barely dodged with a quick substitution.

Talia had joined the fight shortly after she had gained an edge over Shiva, and she seemed to enjoy applying poison to those Sai she wielded, as well as the throwing knives she used. Talia had been able to place a number of nicks and scratches on her with her knives, and seemed surprised Isane was still standing, let alone fighting the two assassins and holding her own. She had been confident Kurama could handle most poisons though, so she shoved the matter out of her mind as Shiva and Talia charged her.

She swung her Gunbai at them one handed, a kunai ready in the other hand to deflect Talia's weapons. Both women ducked, but only Talia was caught by the low kick Isane had followed up with. Shiva landed a savage palm strike to Isane's ribs, knocking her back and likely leaving quite a mark. Isane gritted her teeth as she recovered from the blow. That had landed right on a bruise…wait, a bruise?

Isane's bruises never lasted long. Most healed within seconds of occurring. What the hell was up with Kurama? She set the matter aside. She wasn't in a situation where she could afford the luxury of sitting down and getting an explanation from her tenant. She cursed in annoyance as Shiva easily dodged another of her swings.

The Gunbai was excellent for defense, being able to withstand impacts leaning towards A-rank techniques like the Rasengan and Lightning Cutter. However, in exchange for this defensive power, it was difficult to wield as a weapon without its' companion weapon, the chain and sickle. It was just too slow to hit its targets without a trap. Madara himself often used it in conjunction with ninjutsu to get around the speed issue. That method was out simply because the Gunbai did its job too well; used with fire techniques, the gusts would turn her attacks into roaring infernos. Used with wind, she wasn't certain, but she wasn't willing to take the chance of a wind blade forming and ripping apart her opponents.

A spark of inspiration hit her. She blocked Shiva's strike with the Gunbai, and threw kunai to stop Talia's knives. She snapped the fingers of her free hand, forming a blue fire.

"Foxfire!"

A barrage of small blue fireballs were cast out. Shiva and Talia moved quickly to dodge the dangerous projectiles. Isane hid a smirk, and pulled. Nearly invisible ninja wire moved, attached to her fingers. The shuriken hidden in each fireball moved, each striking a wall and acting as a stake for the wire. Shiva managed to catch on and free herself at the last second, but Talia wasn't as lucky. She yelped in surprise as the wire wrapped around her, and struggled to free herself.

"Manipulating Windmill Triple Blades." Isane intoned.

This technique was actually slightly different from the original, which was why Isane could perform it. First off, she typically used this with more projectiles to compensate for her inability to track targets with the Sharingan. Secondly, Isane often didn't use a kunai in conjunction with it. And finally, she mixed the technique with the Phoenix Sage Fire technique, although in this instance it was replaced by the Foxfire technique Kurama had recently taught her.

It was more work than the bastard would have had to do, but it served her purposes admirably. She raced forward, intent on removing Talia from the fight….

..and collapsed as her body spasmed in pain. She gasped as her heart began to ache painfully. Dimly, she registered that she had been panting for quite some time now, and that her body was soaked in sweat. She was confused; what was happening?

"Kit, you're in deep shit. That poison finally bested me. It won't kill you, but it's beginning to take it's toll on your body. You need to end this fight now. I can't slow its progress much longer."

"You wait until now to tell me this!?"

"I was busy saving your damn hide. Whatever is in that poison is sneaky. I nearly let it run its full course three times, thinking it was finally down for the count. You can't afford to get hit by her knives again, brat. Now hurry up and end this fight, you're in for a painful few nights after this and I'll be damned if I miss out on my entertainment because you couldn't suck up a bit of heartburn."

She snorted, and forced herself up in time to block a punch from Shiva. The strikes were hitting her more frequently now, she dimly noted. Her head was spinning, letting more blows get in while she desperately attempted to get her bearings. She swung her Gunbai, this time applying some wind chakra, causing a large gust of air to blow Shiva back. She dimly registered Talia cutting herself free, and decided enough was enough.

"Kamaitachi!" she ground out.

While Isane knew how to use this technique with smaller fans (she had persuaded Temari to show her the trick to it over sake), she was unpracticed with the amplifying effect of the Gunbai's gusts. Ordinarily, Isane would have had enough presence of mind to be cautious with the technique, but the poison in her veins and her own irritation led to a lack of restraint.

The gust struck with great force, ripping Talia from the wire and sweeping up Shiva as well, then slamming them into a wall. Both fell to to the ground, heavily wounded.

"…shit."

Isane raced to check on the two's conditions. While she would have felt no remorse for killing them, she had promised Bruce to not kill, and she always strove to keep her promises. She gave a sigh of relief when she noted that they were just unconscious, but her mouth set in a grim line as she performed a diagnostic technique. Both had suffered broken ribs, but Talia had cuts from the ninja wire on her arms, thighs, and back. Shiva had dislocated her shoulder, and also had more bruises than Talia, likely from the melee they had.

She sighed. Healing them would leave her exhausted, but she had no other choice. She healed them of the worst of their bruises, bound their broken bones, and treated Talia's cuts. She then grabbed both women and hauled them up to the complex exit. She noted that Ra's had at least ordered the personnel to exit the complex after her warning, which made things much easier. As she exited the complex, she formed a handseal and muttered the release phrase, the complex igniting behind her.

She exited the building with Talia and Shiva right as the ground beneath it started to shake, startling the

pedestrians outside. She laid both out on the ground, and looked around for any League assassins. She saw two, most likely scouts, looking unsure as to whether or not they should attack her. She grimaced and disappeared in a shunshin before they could make up their mind.

Today sucked.

Bruce

Batman watched the two boats intently from his perch on the Gotham Harbor Bridge. He could hear Maroni complain loudly about not finding The Russian, it was really a wonder that the man himself hadn't found him yet, but that was about to be remedied tonight.

He began to use the remote control in his hand to move Maroni's boat towards The Russian's.

It was a simple plan, he'd already planted the devices that would allow him full control of Maroni's boat, all he had to do now was crash his boat against The Russian's and force them to make a truce until he could find evidence to land them in Blackgate Penitentiary.

"Who's driving the boat?"

But nothing was ever that easy, the gangsters were armed to the teeth with guns and twitchy as hell due to the looming threat of being found out by a rival gang, which was why he'd made sure to integrate the gyro into his suit.

The boats crashed against each other, leading to a moment of complete silence before all hell broke loose.

Maroni was the first to pull out his gun, "Get up, it's The Russian! It's The Russian! Murder him!"

Batman jumped down at that moment, using his cape to slow his descent. Everyone's jaws dropped when he landed on Maroni's boat, but the surprise was momentary and they began to quickly fire at him.

He let them empty their clips on him, every bullet bounced off of him effortlessly thanks to the gyro. The gangsters seemed not to care though, and kept on firing at him endlessly.

Finally, the last bullet had been fired.

Now it was time for him to attack.

He charged at a man, giving the impression that he was about to tackle him. The man readied himself for impact but received a strong kick instead, forcing him to fall on his knees from the impact. Batman used the momentum from the first kick to turn himself and deliver another powerful attack to the next one, this time with his left leg.

Behind him, a grunt struggled to reload his gun. Batman didn't even have to look behind him as he struck with his left arm, using his armguard to fortify his attack.

He jumped across to The Russian's boat where the last of the men that chose to stay behind and fight him were, using the palm of his hand to propel one of the men backwards to be knocked out cold when he hit his head against the wall. Another man, foolishly pointing his gun to the armed bat, was quickly taken care of as soon as a batarang knocked the gun from his hands.

It didn't take him long to capture Maroni and The Russian as they tried to escape.

He held each of them by their throats in his hands, "You get the docks," he told The Russian and then looked at Maroni, "You stay in the slums. That's the arrangement until I get something on you." he hardened his grip on their throats for good measure, "And then you can argue over who gets the top bunk in Blackgate. Got it?"

Maroni looked at The Russian in resignation, "The docks are yours."

Batman's eyes widened as he spotted a man on Maroni' s boat, gun raised and ready to fire at him. He was too late to stop him, the bullet soared towards him, bouncing off of him thanks to the gyro.

He leaped towards the boat and knocked the man out cold with a punch, but his heart fell when he finally heard the cry of pain coming from one of the men in The Russian's boat. He would never forget the writhing form of the man as he felt the full pain of the bullet.

Behind him, The Russian rose and looked at the man, "You broke him, you bought him."

Without even needing a moment to pause and think about it, he called up the tumbler using the minicomputer he'd installed in his suit. The injured man groaned as Batman pulled him up to his feet and used the batclaw to get them back on the bridge and inside the tumbler.

He drove as fast as he could through the deserted streets. The man next to him grunted in pain and trembled in fear, "You killed me."

Batman grit his teeth in frustration at himself. If only he'd been faster, more alert. He'd gotten too sure of himself and the temporary invincibility that the gyro had granted him. And now, because of his carelessness, a man could lose his life.

He jumped out of the tumbler before it even came to a full stop in front of Gotham General. "I have a gunshot victim. Severe bleeding in the shoulder." the policemen and doctors outside the hospital just stared at him in awe, "He needs assistance, now!"

The officers made to approach the injured man. But that only served to agitate him, making him pull a gun and aim it feebly at them in fear. "Get away."

"Put it down! Drop the gun!" the policemen shouted, pulling out their own guns and aiming them at him.

Batman stepped between them in an attempt to stop them from shooting, "No one shoot!"

The thug, however, took Batman's intervention as an opportunity to attempt an escape. He didn't get very far, Batman used his batclaw to tie his legs and bring him down to the ground.

The caped crusader reached down a hand to the thug, "It's over. Give me the gun."

In a last act of defiance, the man chose to throw the gun into the gutter instead. The police officers were quick to apprehend the man and take him inside to be examined.

He watched them take him inside with a heavy mind, only averting his gaze when an officer approached him.

"We've got him…sir."

Batman was gone before the man had even finished his sentence.

Isane

Isane dragged herself through Hong Kongs' alleys as the poison burned in her veins. She sat down and leaned against a wall to try to recover.

"Kurama, what gives? How potent was this damn poison?"

"Strong enough to warrant you hurrying back to your hotel and getting some rest. The worst of it is yet to come."

She knew it was bad if Kurama was showing concern. Rest, though, rest sounded like a good idea. She closed her eyes, planning to rest them for a few minutes, and sank into a deep sleep.

"Or you could pass out in an alley….ah screw it. I'll wake you if something happens."

As Isane slept, a small girl peered out from another alley, gazing curiously at the newcomer in their strange outfit. She cautiously walked over to the stranger, and examined them closely, showing concern at their labored breathing.

Kurama began to panic when she went to remove her mask. "Shit, wake up brat!"

Isane, however, was in too deep a sleep to wake. The girl removed her mask, and frowned as she checked her temperature. She dragged the sleeping Isane away, through the alleys.

Kurama groaned. "I hope this doesn't bite us in the ass…"

Bruce

"I caught you on the news missing that putt on the twelfth. Looked like a five footer." Lucius fox spoke absentmindedly as he worked, "But probably not as embarrassing as having your club mysteriously launched into a tree. Wonder how that happened."

Bruce smiled ruefully at him from his spot, "What can I say? It was a glitch." he pulled the gyro from his pocket, "There was another one too."

Both men stared intently at the device, "It works too well. I'm willing to put my life on the line to do what I have to, but it has to be mine."

A sudden flash of the man he'd almost killed last night invaded his thoughts.

"No one else's."