You followed Batman on your motorcycle as he directed you to Gotham Square Garden. The streets were chaotic; water was everywhere, traffic made it hard to navigate, lights were flashing everywhere, and the screaming was almost too much to bear. As you were driving, you could see people staring and pointing at you and Batman. Was it a look of curiosity? Hope? Perhaps it was a third unidentifiable emotion—you didn't know.

Batman didn't take you towards the entrance of the building, but I guess you should've expected that. Instead, he parked his bike in an alley nearby and grabbed his bag from the back. Then he guided you towards the back of the building. As he was fumbling with something around his waist, he asked, "You ever scale a building before?" It looked like a gun.

"Can't say I have."

"Well you're about to." He finished setting up the gun and pointed it towards the top of Gotham Square Garden. "Here, hold this." He tossed you the small back that he had grabbed from earlier."

"Yeah, okay, suUUUREE–!" No sooner than you caught the bag, Batman wrapped an arm around your waist, fired his gun, and sent the both of you flying through the air. You made it to the top in no time. Collecting yourself briefly, you looked inside the building through the glass ceiling and gasped. "Batman, look!"

There were men dressed up exactly how the Riddler was in his video. They had guns and seemed to be setting up for something big. Men were focusing their scopes while some were loading their guns. "Give me the bag," Batman whispered. Tossing it to him, he opened it to reveal tiny explosive devices.

"You–you had bombs and you tossed that at me?!"

Batman had a small smile on his face before taking half the explosives and tossing you the bag again. Jumping, you fumbled with the bag after learning about its contents. "Set these up along the perimeter of the glass dome. We need to create a distraction big enough to gain the attention of everyone." Nodding, you scurried away and did as you were told as quickly as possible. Within a few minutes, it was done.

"Here, this was at the bottom of the bag," you said as you handed him a small remote.

"Thanks," he pocketed the item. "This is what's going to detonate the bombs when we need to." Batman looked inside the building again and was lost in thought briefly. "You up for a fight?"

"How many people can say they fought alongside Batman before? I'm in," you smiled. A moment passes and there's a tenderness there that has returned. You open your mouth to say something but—

BANG!

A shot was fired from inside the building. Quickly looking inside, the newly elected mayor, Bella Reál, was on the ground while Batman's cop friend dragged her off stage. Batman frantically dug into one of his many pockets and pulled out a thin rope. "Here!" He pushed the thin material into your hands. "Get ready!"

Batman used the remote and detonated the bombs. Systematically, the bombs went off and destroyed the glass. Not one to waste time, he jumped into the building and landed on a catwalk. You landed behind him and quickly got to your feet. As Batman was just starting to get up from his landing, you sprinted and used his back as a launching pad while he was still crouched. It gave you a boost into the air as you landed on the nearest terrorist, wire in hand. As you choked the surprised man, Batman used his grappling guns to suspend two more bad guys into the air. Clearing the top most level, you continued on.

As Batman descended, you followed. Making sure to stay at an appropriate distance, you let Batman take the brunt of the action. This allowed you to sneak behind unsuspecting victims and either knock them out with your wire or thighs, or kick them into the stadium below. As you were dealing with a particularly tough guy who was actually able to fight back, you looked around for Batman and saw two men dragging him from his cape. Angry, you kicked the shit out of your opponent, which knocked him over the edge and down below. Batman had managed to free himself from the assailants, but as you made it to the platform he was on, a rogue gunshot hit a support wire and sent the platform off balance. Batman tumbled over the platform while you were knocked to your knees. Crawling quickly to the caped crusader, you attempted to help him up, but in a surprising twist he brushed your awaiting hand away. He instead slapped a sticky charge onto a fire extinguisher that was nearby and detonated it.

The tides had turned back into your favor as the battle was blanketed in a thick white smoke. Batman quickly got back up and went back into the fray with you following close behind. The smoke was an excellent cover–the feeling of being a genuine predator was exhilarating. As Batman swung from up high, you tag teamed and swung from below, making sure to knock them to the ground so Batman could finish them off. As you were choking a guy with the wire you had, Batman went to finish off another who was awake but on his back. Hearing a shot, you looked over and saw Batman roll away and hang off the side of the catwalk. That moment of distraction almost allowed the man below to knock you off him, but you refocused and tightened the rope until he stopped moving. Throwing yourself off him, you sprinted for the man aiming the barrel of his gun at Batman. Swiping your leg, he was knocked off balance. You kicked him hard in the face, stunning him, and went to Batman's aid. Grasping his hand, you tried to pull him up but his weight almost sent you falling with him. Yelling with frustration, you tried again but to no avail–he was too heavy and weak to help you pull him up.

A hand from behind frantically grabbed for Batman's wrist and, with a lot of effort, helped drag Batman onto the platform. It was Selina! Batman unfortunately fell onto you, but with more effort you were able to flip him over so that he could rest on his back. He looked...tired. It was genuinely unsettling to see such a strong man at his weakest, and it made you swell with emotion. Selina stood behind and watched as you tenderly placed a hand on his cheek. He tried to get back up but he let out a pained wheeze. "No, no. It's okay," you smiled at him. "It's done. It's over." Batman's eyes looked unfocused as he tried to steady his breathing.

Selina suddenly hit the ground hard. Turning around just in time to see your own attacker, a second man lurched for you and pulled you off Batman. His hands went straight for your throat as he yelled, "Let's see how you like it!" Frantically, you kicked his legs but he was steadfast as his grip tightened. Choking you, he slammed the back of your head into the grated floor, making your eyes see black for a moment. A man screamed behind you, and Batman tackled the assailant from off you. Gordon had gotten there just in time to save Selina.

"Hey! Hey, man, take it easy!" Gordon yelled to his vigilante partner. Batman was going wild and smashing the guys face in with no sign of stopping. As you stumbled to your feet, Gordon roughly pulled on Batman's shoulder, which caused him to stop but raise his fists at him. His eyes looked animalistic and unfocused. "Easy," Gordon soothed. Batman looked behind Gordon and saw you; you looked...disgusted–no–you looked horrified. Slowly, he cautiously stood up and faced you. You felt grateful, but the way Batman went completely feral...

"Jesus," Gordon cursed as he took off the Riddler-like mask from the man on the ground. His nose was broken for sure, and the skin that was originally against the mask was now pink and red from being beaten raw. Blood oozed out from the broken skin located at the high points of his face. "Who the hell are you?"

Through labored breathing, he managed to answer in a whisper. "Me? I'm Vengeance." Batman ominously turned to the man, and as the man reciprocated his gaze, the glass walls of Gotham Square Garden caved in. Water rushed inside the building as the lights went dark. People screamed from below as the weight of the water caused the stage and metal to bend and break. Electricity sparked wherever an open wire was found.

You watched helplessly as Batman sprang into action one last time. Using his grappling hook, he flung himself onto a large wire hanging dangerously over the middle of the now flooded floor. Reverently, he used the bat symbol on his chest to cut the wire, falling with the piece he had cut into the water below. As he hit the water, all remaining lighting in the building vanished. Batman was illuminated briefly by the flashing lights of a cop car, but that too extinguished as it submerged into the water. Finally losing sight of Batman, you gasped and searched the inky black water.

Harsh red light suddenly flashed, and Batman was holding a flare into the air. Wading through the water, he made his way to a group of civilians. Watching as they cowered away, a single brave boy–Mayor Mitchel's son–accepted his helping hand. More soon followed in the boy's footsteps as he followed Batman through the destroyed building.

____________________________________________________________________________

"Wednesday, November sixth.

The city is underwater. The National Guard is coming.

Martial Law is in effect, but the criminal element never sleeps. Looting and lawlessness will be rampant in the parts of the city no one can get to.

I can already see things will get worse before they get better. And some will seize the chance to grab everything they can."

"We will rebuild.

But not just our city.

We must rebuild people's faith in our institutions, in our elected officials, and in each other.

Together, we will learn to believe in Gotham again."

"I'm starting to see now.

I have had an effect here...but not the one I intended.

Vengeance won't change the past...mine or anyone else's.

I have to become more. People need hope. To know someone's out there for them.

The city's angry, scarred...like me. Our scars can destroy us. Even after the physical wounds have healed.

But if we survive them, they can transform us. They can give us the power to endure and the strength to fight."

____________________________________________________________________________

"You're leaving?"

You jumped as Batman seemed to appear out of thin air. Selina thought it would be a good idea to lay low for awhile and get out of Gotham while there was still time. You thought it would be easier if you did it without telling Batman, seeing as he's been busy rebuilding Gotham, but that obviously didn't work. He must have purposefully sought you out to find you and Selina at the cemetery; Selina was paying respects to her mother.

You avoided his eyes as you came up with some half-hearted quip. "Would it kill you to say 'hello,' or do you just enjoy scaring us?"

Batman wasn't in the mood to humor you. His demeanor was solemn. "Where will you go?"

Selina stood behind you, sensing that this was more of a conversation between the two of you. She went back to her bike; Annika was leaning against it, looking worse for wear. She was still injured, but for the most part she was fine.

Looking between Selina and Batman, you finally answered him. "I dunno, upstate...? Selina was thinking Blüdhaven maybe...Why?" A smile smirk crept on your face as you tried to play with Batman. "...gonna miss me?" Your smirk slowly fell as his demeanor stayed the same. You sighed, " You know this place is never going to change. With Carmine gone, it's only gonna get worse for you. You know, with the power grab and everything. I bet Oz is thinkin' of some plans while we speak...it'll be blood–"

"I know. But the city can change–"

"It won't–"

"I have to try–"

"It's going to kill you eventually, you know...and I don't want to be around to see it." Batman's gaze lowered as your face morphed to a saddened expression. Tearing up, you sniffled and wiped your eyes before forcing a laugh. "Why don't you come with me? Come with us? It'll be safer for everyone if we just leave this place." Approaching him, you lazily draped your arms over his shoulder and got close. "It'll just be the Bat, the Cat, and the Rat...," you smiled. Getting even closer, you whispered, "...or just the Bat and the Rat. Whaddya say?" you asked while looking up at him through your lashes. His eyes looked tenderly into your own. His hand moved to rest on your waist as his whole body seemed to relax under your touch. He dipped his head and caught your lips with his own. Enjoying the kiss, you deepened it for a moment before pulling away and looking at him through your lashes. Just when you thought you had him, he suddenly stiffened and his eyes looked into the sky. Following his line of sight, you saw the bat signal beaming. Your smile slowly disappeared and was replaced with a frown. You sighed, "Who am I kidding? You're already spoken for." Pushing off him, you turned your back and went to your own bike that was parked next to Selina and Annika. "You should go," you called out to him, fighting to stop your eyes from burning with tears of disappointment.

Batman broke the silence as you were hopping on your bike. "I..." Placing your helmet over your head, you looked to the man standing before you. "I never got your name." Sadly smiling under your mask, you revved your bike and took off. Selina, along with Annika sitting behind her, followed closely behind.

Racing along the various roads with Selina, you saw Batman on his motorcycle through your side mirrors. He caught up and weaved himself into the dance of the bikes. Finding yourself trailing behind your companions, you studied each of your friends closely. Selina, your best friend and whom you've come to treasure on your left, and Batman, your newest companion who you've found yourself falling for on your right. Selina turned left and drove down the road that would take her to Blüdhaven, like you've discussed. Batman stopped at the fork in the road and turned to give you one last look–one last plea–before turning right to follow the bat signal.

Coming to the fork in the road you stopped and looked left and right. Selina was already on her way down the street while Batman looked to be slowing down, eager to see your decision. Shedding a tear over choosing between the two you love and fearing you betrayed the other, you sighed deeply and turned...

End.