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The Batman

"From this moment on...none of you are safe."

0 · 1,976 views · located in The Nashtons

a character in “The Multiverse”, as played by The Afterman

Description

Theme Song

The Batman

Image
Name: Bruce Wayne
Aliases: Batman, The Dark Knight, The World's Greatest Detective
Occupation: Philanthropist/Detective and crime fighter


Bruce Wayne's personality is one of steadfast dedication to the cause at hand and of an unwavering personal sense of goodness. In his chest there beats the heart of a man whose dedication to justice knows no boundaries. He invented the persona of Batman in order to combat the injustices that plagued his home city of Gotham. As Batman, his personality shifts from one of a smiling, good-natured buffoon to that of a meticulous and strategic hunter of wicked men. It could be said that, from an outside speculative source, the Batman harbors a grand sum of mental instability. Such an assumption could be held as correct. Witnessing countless horrific incidents has definitely impacted the Batman's mental state, and could very well threaten his stability. However, his adept mental fortitude aids him to stave off such a collapse in his psyche, if only until he can take such torment no longer.


The Arsenal

Batman is equipped with a large arsenal of gadgets, tools, and vehicles in order to aid him in his crusade on the criminal underworld:

  • The Batsuit & Cowl - The most important equipment in Batman's array. The Batsuit made of flame-retardant material and is reinforced with Kevlar and other armored padding, as well as being outfitted with an electrical system in order to disable assailants that would try to remove his mask. The Cowl is equipped with advanced facial recognition software, night and thermal vision, as well as magnifying lenses. It also contains a receiver-transmitter, alongside audio de-encryption and signal-scrambling software. The cape, made of a fabric of Lucius Fox's own design, allows Batman to glide from the rooftops, responding to electrical currents in the fingertips of his gloves. All in all, the Batsuit is Batman's chief piece of equipment, serving in concealing his identity as well as instilling fear into Gotham's criminals.
Suit Variants: Standard Suit Armored Suit Mech Suit Spacesuit Insider Suit
  • Batarangs - Bat-shaped shuriken made of stainless steel, used primarily to disarm and debilitate opponents, among other versatile uses. In the Batman's more-than-capable hands, they have succeeded in saving his skin numerous times. Variations include remote-controlled, sonic-emitting and explosive Batarangs.
  • Smoke/Gas Pellets - Pellets that contain gases to disable visibility and/or render foes unconscious, depending on whether or not the gas used is anesthetic.
  • Flashbangs - Grenades that release a device that temporarily impairs visionary and auditory capabilities to those near after detonation.
  • EMP Grenade - Grenades utilized to destroy all technological systems, such as surveillance cameras and computers.
  • Thermite Grenades - Grenades used to burn through structures.
  • Batgrapple - A gas-propelled grappling device used to attain higher ground or to traverse quickly over longer distances.
  • Acetylene Torch - A compact cutting tool that utilizes a focused laser beam to burn through susceptible objects.
  • Cryptographic Sequencer - Used to remotely access power boxes for shutting down electric fences and doors. Can also be used to access scrambled radio frequencies in order to further an investigation.
  • Batclaw - Similar in design to the Batgrapple, Batman utilizes this gadget to pull objects, or people, towards him.
  • Rebreather - A breathing apparatus meant to filter the oxygen within water into a breathable form, allowing Batman to remain underwater for as long as needed.
  • Batbeacon - A device that emits high-frequency transmissions used to attract bats.
  • Line Launcher - A device that fires a pair of cables, used to rappel across large gaps.
  • Lock Picks - Burglary tools kept in Batman's gloves, used to access locked doors.

  • Batmobile - An automobile customized to meet Batman's needs. Contains various artillery and other debilitating devices, and is outfitted with various layers of armored plating, ready for deployment or ejection.
  • Batwing - A jet used to patrol from the air. Much like its ground-based counterpart, it is armed with various weaponry.
  • Batbike - A motorcycle utilized by Batman for added maneuverability.
  • Batboat - A submarine used to patrol from the sea. Armed with torpedoes and radar, as well as stealth-enabling software.

Among Batman's arsenal are his physical and mental abilities. Having trained to utmost human perfection, and having mastered over 127 styles of martial arts, Batman is a formidable combatant in his own strength, which allows him to, even as Bruce Wayne, fight off the strongest of opponents. He has also attained mastery over the sciences, and has extensive knowledge of most any subject. His feats in theatricality and deception are key elements in his war on crime. His detective skills are widely regarded as the sharpest in the world, thus earning him his title. He is also an accomplished escape artist, having freed himself from many incarcerations placed on him by opponents who had managed to gain the upper hand on him in combat.

With an above genius level intellect, Batman is a contender unprecedented by few in this world. His mental prowess has devised many fool-proof strategies that have helped him succeed in countless encounters. Truly, the Batman's brain is to be feared much more than his brawn.

The Origin

Bruce Wayne was born into privilege, and to a loving family. Thomas and Martha Wayne were very well-loved and respected in the Gotham aristocracy, and often utilized the Wayne family fortune in various philanthropic pursuits. Needless to say, the Waynes instilled their spirit of generosity and morality into their young son. Ever the good-hearted ones, the Wayne family devoted their lives to the well-being of Gotham and its people, a lesson that reflected strongly into Bruce's own heart.

However, Bruce Wayne's life would ultimately change, forever altered by the dark realities hidden in Gotham's darker alley walls. As the family was returning home from a movie one dark night, they were approached by a shady man armed with a revolver. He very angrily demanded the Waynes' money, to which Thomas obliged calmly. However, once the crook set his sights on Martha's pearl necklace, Thomas was forced to intervene, receiving a fatal gunshot wound in the process. As Martha began to scream, the mugger trained his sights on her, gunning her down as well, silencing her for good. Just as the vicious man aimed at young Bruce, he was hurriedly ushered to flee the scene by an accomplice. With Thomas' last breath, he looked to his frightened son and reassured him with his final words: "Don't be afraid."

Left in tears in the cold and dark alley next to the dead bodies of his parents, Bruce felt his world collapse around him. The police finally arrived, keeping Bruce in their custody and trying all they could to comfort the boy until his butler arrived. Bruce was at a loss, blaming himself, telling himself he could've done something. The next day, he vowed to avenge their deaths.

Strengthening his body at an early age, he engaged in intense physical training and portion control, utilizing biofeedback to keep track of his progress. He also researched the sciences, all he could muster, and learned about everything his eyes caught a glimpse of. As he grew older, he began excelling in academic pursuits, acquiring degrees in chemistry, engineering, criminal science, advanced chemistry, and other rigorous fields. He would later travel the world in order to obtain the skills he would need in order to physically punish evil.

Upon returning from his travels, Bruce Wayne was greeted with open arms back into the seedy city's embrace. He used his return to establish himself within Wayne Enterprises as a typically clueless CEO. He also took up various philanthropic pursuits, in the footsteps of his parents, appearing to throw his money at whatever charity came calling. It wasn't long until he took to the streets, adopting a street urchin disguise in order to gain access to Gotham's underworld. Having a run-in with a group of thugs, Bruce managed to overcome his opponents, incurring a serious stab wound.

As he made his way home, bleeding profusely, he couldn't help but think that his disguise, while unsettling, didn't instill the fear he wished his targets to feel. He sat in his study, not bothering to call on Alfred to help him with his wound. Bruce merely sat, bleeding and brooding, looking to a stone bust of his father, praying to his memory for inspiration, a sign of what he must do.

Through the window came a large bat, which clung to the stone bust of Thomas Wayne, screeching in the dying Bruce Wayne's direction. Bruce took this sign as the ultimate calling to his destiny. "Yes, father," he said. "I shall become a Bat."

Thus, the vengeance of Thomas and Martha Wayne, as well as the vengeance of Gotham, was born.

So begins...

The Batman's Story

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sam Adama Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: General Netan Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning
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Tesla couldn’t believe his eyes as the massive ship made a sudden appearance in the night sky, that leviathan flying in the sky ready to fire all it’s weapons down on the city below. All the innocent people wouldn’t stand a chance, they would all die if something wasn’t done.

“You MotherFucker!” he said. Tesla’s eyes glowed a very bright white light and sparks shot out. He jumped off the side, floating in midair using his powers, and reached up using his electromagnetic powers to magnetize Sam’s suit and sent a burst of energy down on the street below.

It was about time Sam learned the hard way that non-conductive didn’t mean he wasn’t immune to magnetic properties. Literally turning the ground below into a strong electromagnet that would not just pull on Sam but send him flying down to the concert below like a metator.

Tesla though didn’t have time to worry about if the attack connected though. He flew down to the ground like a lightning bolt. He leaned onto the crosswalk post and began absorbing the energy from the entire city grid.

“I won’t let you kill all these innocent people!” he yelled. He remembered the wavelength and radiation pattern of the hard light shield and with an entire city block power grid powering him up he might actually have the chance at protecting a few lives.

And so Tesla did his best creating a large hard light shield over the city block that was under attack. Absorbing more energy from the city grid and trying to make it bigger. Protecting the people for now from the energy and plasma that reign down from the sky like a biblical event.

Blood seeping down his nose and his eyes engulfed by a pure white glow of energy.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sam Adama Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: General Netan Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning
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Hell was raining down around them, and the streets were being converted into puddles of molten asphalt. Plasma bursts were obliterating the city as they cascaded down, threatening to demolish all in their path.

"Oh my God....." Batman was at a loss at the sheer firepower behind the craft. He regained himself, steeling his nerves as he activated his communicator. "This is Batman; requesting assistance planetside on Terra. These are my coordinates....." He relayed the information quickly, trying to get a response ASAP. "I'm facing a massive ship demolishing the city. I need backup now!"

It wasn't long, however, before the clouds burst apart. Descending into the atmosphere was a blur of blue and red.

Superman.

He came to a stop beside the Dark Knight, looking up. "How ya holdin' up?" Clark asked. "I'm fine", Batman replied, "But maybe we should focus on that first," he said, turning his attention to the warship above them. Superman merely nodded, flying up to deal with the giant machine. Dodging cannon fire was easy enough, and he was able to utilize his heat vision, cutting at the ship's external armor, attempting to weaken the structure, and possibly sever a cannon or two.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sam Adama Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: General Netan Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning
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As Tesla moved to magnetize Sam's suit, he would likely learn that the Kanvium plating was also non-magnetic, which meant it did not respond to magnetism at all, though other components in the suit did. However as Sam was caught in the gravity beam of the Reverence, the gravitic distortion of the beam countered the magnetization of the ground, this meant that Sam was continuing to be drawn into the ship.

The weapons fire continued, the Hard Light Shield being punished by the Reverence, while Netan grasped the railing.

Tesla couldn't protect the entire city.

And so, with several batteries concentrated on the Shielded area, the other batteries began to fire into the parts of the city that were not protected, Turbo Disruptor batteries peppering buildings, suburbs, and nearby structures alike, while the Energy Projector laid onto the Hard Light shield, increasing it's power and sending a constant stream of plasma onto the barrier. The surrounding area being heated upwards of several thousand degrees. If the beam itself didn't kill those in the shield, the heat would cook them alive.

The Shield would either collapse, or the sheer power bring levied against the shield would kill Tesla. He would be forced to make a choice.

Superman seemed to fare just as poorly against the Reverence, the heat that was supposed to cut through armor, was dissipated by the ship's shields in a flicker of milky white light. The Shields would also likely physically stop Superman, like a powerful barrier that would have to be overpowered either through cunning or sheer brute force.

Netan watched the readings, and then he nodded.

"Adama's aboard." A Lieutenant reported. Netan nodded. "Cease fire and take us out, prepare to jump back to Hadante."

Once the man was aboard, the purple light dissipated, and the massive ship would cease fire before her FTL Drives spooled up, a field washed over the ship from bow to stern, and it seemed as if space and time began to bend and distort, it would be a few seconds later before the ship vanished entirely, sending out another shockwave, and leaving a burning city in it's wake.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: Sam Adama Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: General Netan Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning
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Tesla witnessed the plasma beam as it blasted down on the shield without any mercy. The terrorists blasted away with the pure beam of energy against the hardlight shield. It seemed that Sam was going to get his way, and thousands of innocent lives were going to die.

But Tesla was glad that Sam was a criminal with just lots of money, and no brains to back up that obscene amount of wealth and power. Plasma was the heating of a gas with ionized molecules or atoms (reducing or increasing the number of electrons in them), thus creating the plasma, which contains charged particles: positive ions and negative electrons or ions.

And if there was one thing that Tesla was good at it was controlling the electromagnetic spectrum. Sam’s little ship did exactly what he wanted it to do, and Tesla wouldn’t have to strain himself to power the hard light shield himself anymore.

Tesla created a long thin pole that reached from the shield and touched the ground below next to Tesla. He gripped the pole with his hand and smiled large as he felt the ionized electrical energy blast down onto the shield.

Using the shield as a conduit to feel for the energy he used his own abilities to control the ionized gas and stole the energy straight from plasma beam itself. The shield didn’t need Tesla to feed it now that Sam’s ship was doing the job for him.

As the shield absorbed the ionized energy into itself it converted the plasma into gas that only lingered in the air harmlessly. And with it the shield took in the needed abundant source of energy and grew to safely blanket the city from harm.

“Sorry, Tron, but brains beat brawn everytime.” he said.

The ship would then have to FTL it's way from the city as Superman wouldn't end his assault.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning Character Portrait: Liam Casey Character Portrait: Superman, The Man of Steel
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The ship fled the scene, and Superman prepared to take off after it. "Let it go," Batman said, "Right now, we've got some chaos to quell." Despite the electrical metahuman's efforts, there was still some damage incurred: fires burned, street was slagged, and people were disheveled.

Superman tended to the fires, extinguishing them using his freezing cold breath, icing over the flames and ending their rampage. Batman made sure no one was severely wounded (credit due to the newcomer), and generally remained in the background otherwise. Superman was the one to approach the police.

"Is everyone alright?" he asked.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Will Jackson Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning Character Portrait: Liam Casey
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#, as written by Zarhara
Will had been asleep in his appartment when the sounds of explosions roused him from his sleep. Stumbling around he threw on some of his old combat armor and grabbed his shotgun and holstered two pistols before he opened his appartment door on Main Street. He wasn't entirely sure what he would see outside but the fight was not seemingly over.

At first he saw destruction and an army of WCPD. "The- Fuck is going on out here?" Will said though he figured no one else saw him. He kept his gun lowered at the sight of the police. For a second he though he saw super man. He raised a hand and rubbed his eyes. Is that? Na wait sure looks like it. What the hell was in that beer..... Will thought as he watched the wrap up of what ever had taken place.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The National Police Agency Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Will Jackson Character Portrait: Tesla Master of Lightning
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#, as written by Saarai
Charlotte and the police officers were barely spared from the destruction, the actions of Tesla and Superman being their saving grace. Charlie was still braced for it to happen, her free hand clenching the crucifix she wore around her neck.

"Munroe!" The SWAT commander shouted, "Munroe, we're fine." He told Charlie, glancing towards a building that was partially destroyed and still crumbling. The building he sent his men into. He could only hope they weren't caught in the blast, but it was unlikely.

"We're good." A police officer told Superman.

"I almost died!" Liam shouted from where he was still hanging, "Eh... I'll handle that..." The SWAT commander said, patting Charlie on the back before heading off towards Liam.

NPA vehicles sped onto the scene as quickly as they could, space vessels coming closer to the planet to deter any more attacks on the city. The wail of even more sirens drowning out the angry, pained shouts of the Terran people. But just barely.

There was a lot of anger to go around and it would.

"How could someone do something like that so... so... s-so... casually?" Charlie asked, "What the fuck is wrong with people?"

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The National Police Agency Character Portrait: Phinx Munroe Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Will Jackson
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#, as written by Saarai
Lennox looked over the damage, trying to take his mind off just how many casualties there might have been. He didn't want to deal with those numbers just yet. What was, for all intents and purpose, a weapon of mass destruction was used casually on the people of Terra.

Lennox was angry, the families of the dead were angry, the NPA were angry.

Phinx was angry at the call she got from her sister. This was made clear by her speeding muscle car slamming to a stop near the yellow tape, "Hey!" A police officer shouted, approaching Phinx as she climbed out of her car. "You've got to move this!" He told her, but the purple-clad woman was on a mission.

She raised a hand towards the police officer's face, pushing him away. She was pissed off, the cop was pissed off, but she continued on towards Lennox and the others who seemed to be in charge. Yellow tape wouldn't stop her.

"What the fuck are you going to do about this?" Phinx asked, a few police officers coming to remove her. "Excuse me?" The SWAT commander responded, "These motherfuckers have got spaceships." Phinx said, "So do you." Lennox retorted.

"Yeah, but we don't use them as WMDs on city blocks." Phinx told the Lennox and the police officers. "She kind of has a point." The SWAT commander said, "Regardless, we're handling it." Lennox said, gesturing around at the NPA and WCPD on the scene, as well as some military and other emergency personnel.

"These... these... bitch ass niggas almost killed my sister." Phinx said, reverting back to the woman she was before she joined the Invictus. "I heard Superman, a Superman, was here. You going to do something?" She asked, looking for Superman.

"This is the kind of shit that makes people think you're weak. You let people walk all over you." Phinx said.

"Lady, it's been like fifteen minutes. Calm down. Find your sister and get the fuck out of my face or I'm going to put you in a broom closet of a cell until my investigation is complete." Lennox told Phinx, "The more you keep talking to me the way you are the better your chances of going in with my boots in your ass."

"Don't tal-..."

"No. You don't talk to me like that. You are dismissed. Get her out of here." Lennox ordered, turning his back on the woman. The police officers grabbing her and pulling her along towards the ambulances.

"Find your sister and get out of here." One of them said as they let go of Phinx, "We don't want to see you again." The cop said, turning to walk off with the rest of his group.

Phinx raised a middle finger at them, trying to keep it as straight as possible just so they get the message.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The National Police Agency Character Portrait: Phinx Munroe Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Will Jackson
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Tesla sat there against the very same crosswalk post where all the chaos had begun, the bottom half of his face covered in blood that had oozed from his nose. His head aimed up toward the skyline with his eyes closed; the police were quickly surrounding the area, but Tesla figured he had a few minutes to catch his breath.

People were in a panic of course, it was to be expected, but at the very least Tesla was able to help keep half the city from being destroyed. He didn’t focus on that though, he was too worn out to grieve for the all the innocents or direct his hate at the one’s responsible. He would be doing plenty of that later.

When he felt ready Tesla picked himself up off the ground and whipped his arm against his upper lip. A large streak of blood etched his right sleeve and he blinked at the spectacle; the last thing he thought he needed was to be noticed and kept at the scene longer than he wanted.

He ripped his mask off his face and unzipped his hoodie. It wasn’t his first time being bloodied in a fight, and it wasn’t going to be the last, so he had a pretty good grasp on how to remove the stains. Quickly he used the rest of his hoodie to wipe away the blood from his face and tucked the garment under his arm.

It took no effort at all for Tesla to hide his mask in the big balled hoodie and then blend into the crowd that was gathering to the different ambulances that arrived at the scene. He planned though on keeping his casual pace and walking past a lot of the enforcement, and then perhaps blend into the crowd gathering at the edge of the yellow tape.

Setting

Characters Present

Character Portrait: The National Police Agency Character Portrait: Phinx Munroe Character Portrait: WCPD Agents Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: Charlie Munroe Character Portrait: Will Jackson
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Liuetenant Antoni Paklusky flicked the butt of the cigarette into the street and calmly walked his way to the broken transmission housing, the overturned car below had burned for nearly two hours before firefighters had managed to extinguish it. From his position atop the charred sedan the Liuetenant was able to survey the damage, or at least the local destruction, while numerous other black-uniformed men were seen milling through the wreckage around him.

"PERIMETER readouts have it matched up with an Aschen ship that got tagged on it's way in a few days ago ... " A Corporal offered slowly, reading off a report from a digital handheld. "And, Corporal?" Liuetenant Paklusky came down off the car with a grunt, boots thumping and crunching broken glass and pieces of debris.

"It's not a mil-spec Reverence, sir." The Corporal straightened his posture when the Liuetenant narrowed his eyes. A second later, his thoughts became speech.

"Who the fuck's was it then, Corporal?" Paklusky smacked his hands together, rubbing his gloves for a burst of warmth as he scanned the street from left to right.

"Terrans?"

The Liuetenant had to purposefully squander his desire to reach across and smack the Corporal in the middle of the street. "Not likely, dumbass. Terrans don't shoot like that." He said, pointing to a rising smoke cloud just a few blocks away.

"There were some vigilantes about as well, though our info about the incident is little-to-none." The Corporal referred back to the handheld, the other hand reaching to the comms-block on his assault vest.

"Anthill 2-3 this is Authority Actual, interrogative -- what've you found?"

Liuetenant Paklusky waved a hand at the Corporal, indicating for him to answer as Antoni turned towards a squad of ITDM troopers. "Confirmed, Authority Actual, we're at Delta Site but we've turned up fuck-all."

"Loud and Clear Anthill -- when you're done at Delta head over to Lima Site, need more hands to fill body bags."

Liuetenant Paklusky stalked away from the centet of the street, after having spot two men seated on the curb with two troopers flanking them. Paklusky was hardly an investigator, much in the same vein that the ITDM wasn't a police force, but he, and the ITDM, had a job to do and it would be completed. As he approached the two troopers he took a curious glance around; civilians might think he was a frightened young officer, but truthfully he was surveying the civilians themselves.

The ITDM was not an exemplary embodiment of the Scatterran identity; beyond the Garden these facts may be little known but, the Ministry of Defense had been a repository of criminality, the last appendage of a society built upon hierarchy and race. "What's going on here?" Paklusky inquired as he came over, noticig the two men seating at the curb were doing so because they were handcuffed.

"These two guys were talking specifics about the incident. Clammed up when I overhead them talking about the ship." A Sergeant offered back to him, a wad of dip in his mouth causing the words to run together.

"So you cuff them?" Paklusky's voice rang with a chuckle before he gestured for the two men to be uncuffed. They remained silent as the troopers freed them, only looking to eachother.

"I want to know what happened here. Can you help me out with that?" The Liuetenant said firmly, sliding down onto one knee in front of the men.

"The ship came to pick up an Aschen -- some asshats were running around in tights trying to catch the guy but -- "

"How do you know he was Aschen?" Paklusky replied, one finger extending to the tablet mounted on his forearm. He quickly acticated a voice recorder and then gestured for the two to continue.

"He was Aschen -- Tauron, to be exact -- "

"You mean like the mob?" Paklusky inquired quickly, before the man could finish. He regretted it instantly as ge saw the look of worry come over the Terrans face. "We're only looking for the ship, not the guys they're peddling to."

As much as he tried to comfort the two it was obvious they had run-ins with the Authority before. "He was Tauron, of that I'm sure."

"Alright then, that's all we'll need about the ship. What about the vigilantes?" Paklusky had shifted onto the ground, drawing his pack of cigarettes and offering them to the two civilians. After giving them a light he motioned for them to continue.

"It's a serious problem, y'know, people taking the law into their own hands." The other Terran finally spoke, taking long drags from the cigarette and exhaling through his nostrils.

Paklusky nodded back at him calmly, holding the smole in his lungs. "You're entirely right sir, very serious problem -- people like us are here to keep that anarchy from hurting people like this." He gestured to the destruction around him."

"It just got out of hand quickly." The Sergeant let out one loud chuckle behind the two. The Terrans seemed to shrink back into themselves when the two troopers continued chuckling and giggling amongst themselves.

"Hey, guys, don't you have shit to do?" Paklusky demanded, a look of annoyance on his face. The two troopers both shrugged their shoulders to the Liuetenant. "Well, why don't you pack up and go to Lima -- I'm actually trying to get shit done."

"Yessir, Liuetenant Paklusky."

Paklusky placed one hand in the palm of the other and returned his attention to the men. "Please, continue. Any descriptions of the vigilantes? Powers, name, anything like that?"

"Only two of them had powers, I think two of them knew each other." The Terran finished his cigarette and snuffed it out against the ground with his shoe.

"Very good gentleman, that's all I'll need to start the FBP on an investigation. You two can leave at any time now, anyone asks tell them Liuetenant-fucking-Plakusky said you're clear. Any of you need a ride, there's a Steelback on the way to the hospital leaving soon." With that Liuetenant Paklusky shook the hands of the two men before directing them to a waiting M31-11 Steelback.

Liuetenant Paklusky meet with an ITDM Captain as the Steelback departed; the two officers stood bundled up in front of a temporary checkpoint, one of a series at the various investigation sites.

"So what'd those two natives say?" Captain August was a notorious trooper who had been serving on Terra since the Conflict. Even to some of his own men, he was known as a brutal commander. Ask any of the civilians under his occupation, and the answers won't be very different.

"They say some vigilantes were trying to put the squeeze on a mobster -- Tauron, if that doesn't explain the ... well," Paklusky indicated to the scorched carcass of a building glanced with disruptor fire. "Three of them, two with powers, two might be working together. It's not much but it is somethig for the FBP to start on."

"Like hell I'm going to let the FBP trapse around my AO, Liuetenant. You're going to put together a SAT. We'll let the FBP handle the Tauron mob -- we're taking care of these vigilantes." Captain August slid his cavalry helmet back onto his head, the engine of a GV-18 halftrack roaring as the Captain turned to leave.

"You've got three days to assemble a team and get started on this operation Liuetenant. No bureau forms, not Federal cooperation, just action Paklusky -- just. Action."

Paklusky watched the Captain haul himself into the turret of the GV-18, racking the bolt of the MG-99 machinegun. Letting out a slight groan Lieutenant Paklusky gave the halftrack a middle finger as it disappeared in an intersection.

The setting changes from Main Street to Shady Alley

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Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: The Hammer and Star Bratva Character Portrait: Jackie Machida
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Following the Russians wasn't a hard feat; they weren't exactly inconspicuous. Keeping his vantage point on the rooftops, the Batman had a perfect perch from which to follow them. They were running from a group of Yakuza, who they apparently decided were good candidates for rivalry.

The Russians rounded into an alleyway, and Batman simply zoomed in on their position with the cowl. A long-range microphone would allow him to hear their conversation. They mostly made jokes about the Yakuza, relief washing over them as they had outrun their foes. However, the relief would be short-lived, as suddenly one of the men was struck dead with a throwing star to the neck.

He went down, blood seeping from his wound as his comrades turned to face their oncoming attackers. Intervening wouldn't be a very good idea. Of course, they were all just criminals, but they were all armed in a tight space; if not for his own safety, he had to think of who else would get killed.

The Russians were startled, for a moment. Then one of the men, Vasily, began to threaten and issue a challenge. "We'll take you all. Come on, you fucking chinks!" His bravado was less than admirable, and even more so foolish. One of the Yakuza stepped forward: Jackie Machida. Judging by his appearance, he didn't look so great. Of course, having lost his sister probably didn't do too much to secure stability. "We just want to talk," Machida said.

This seemed to astonish Vasily. More words were exchanged, and the two sides seemed ready to tear each other apart. "Fuck you, chink. We won't tell you a damn thing. How about you go fu-..." With that, Vasily was silent; a bullet, erupting from Michida's revolver, tore through his cheek. Blood flowed from the Russian's face as he fell.

"My name is not chink, it's Jackson. Now, which one of you would like to live? Michida took a moment to survey the remaining Russians, his revolver still ready to kill in his hand. The Russians didn't seem to be much in a position to retaliate for their fallen comrade. The other option is a casket."

Batman needed to think of a plan to break up this cavalcade of criminals before anyone else got hurt. But he couldn't risk breaking up this meeting before hearing everything he needed to...

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#, as written by Saarai
The Russians were silent, they figured they'd be killed regardless of if they spoke or not. Jackie was irritated by their silence, brown eyes surveying the men before him. One of them seemed younger than the rest, he had to about in his early 20s at the most.

"You. What's your name?" Jackson asked the younger Russian, "Nathan." The young man answered, "Nathan, I won't hurt you if you tell me what I need to know. You'll get to go on living another day if I get what I want." Jackson told Nathan.

"Don't listen to him." One of the other Russians said, "I've already killed two of your people. Those deaths mean nothing if there's no one to tell Sharashka who did it." Jackson explained.

"You can be the sole survivor." The afro-Japanese man continued, "You'll be praised for your ability to handle yourself and escape. They'll see the potential in you. You'll come out on top and there will be no one left to tell of your betrayal." Jackson said, appealing to the up-and-coming gangster's ego.

"Sometimes to get ahead you have to sacrifice. Usually it's other people you have to sacrifice."

Nathan glanced down at the concrete,seemingly weighing his options. Living to see another day was much better than the unceremonious death he was to see in a dirty alleyway otherwise.

"I don't know where Sharashka is, but the assassin, he's in Van Leugen. He's a Jew. They call him The Butcher. He's an American." Nathan told Jackson, "I'll need more than that." Jackson said to Nathan, "It's all I know. You can ask around for him." Nathan responded.

Jackson didn't say anything else, he looked over the other Russians and raised his weapon at Nathan.

"Please, no!" Nathan pleaded.

"Let the image before you be a reminder that I could have taken your life with just a little bit of pressure on a trigger and a ten pound piece of metal." Jackson said, "Leave. And, rember that you owe me your life."

"Th-thank you." Nathan didn't waste any time in running out of the alley, his former friends yelling vulgar Russian curses at him as he left.

"I need Sharashka." Jackson told the remaining men.

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He watched as the scene unfolded. Jackie's patience was being tried by the Russians, who were either scared that the Yakuza would kill them regardless if they spilled their guts or were just being defiant to the Asian man's request for information. It seemed like Jackson was getting nowhere.

That is, until he trained his sights on Nathan. He was a younger kid, too young to want to throw his life away involved in something like this. Seeing those gangsters that were barely men at all always tore at Bruce, but people made their own choices and he couldn't afford to have too much sympathy for criminals.

Probed for information, and having his options given to him Carte Blanche, Nathan folded under the pressure that came from having a gun aimed at him. Jackson wouldn't have hesitated to kill him otherwise,, but seeing as the kid spewed everything he knew, the Yakuza let him live to see tomorrow.

Names came up in the exchange: The Butcher, Van Lugen, Sharashka... It seemed this plot was a bit deeper than he'd realized. He'd heard of Van Lugen; it was a crime-infested city that rivaled even Gotham's seedy streets. However, this "Butcher" was an unfamiliar name to him. Apparently American, operating out of the City of Liars. That was all Nathan knew, all he said before running off with his tail between his legs.

Jackson trained his gun on the remaining Russians. It was unlikely they'd be as forthcoming as Nathan, and Batman feared the worst would come to them. Jumping down there in the middle of this engagement in the midst of obtaining the information he had would probably hinder a follow-up investigation in the future. As much as it hurt to say, Batman needed Jackson to help him along his way. Wherever Jackie went, he could follow. It would lighten up the workload considerably.

His gun to the other Russians, Batman sat back and waited. If gunshots erupted, he might not have a choice but to swoop in. He wasn't much of a godly man, but he prayed for Jackson's appeal to reason.

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#, as written by Saarai
The Yakuza awaited an answer, but it was clear he wouldn't get anything when the Russians began to curse at him in both English and Russian. Defiant to the end, when faced with death the Russians would rather die than betray their own. Jackson almost wanted to admit he could respect their loyalty.

But it was that same loyalty that probably prevented someone from questioning Sharashka's orders to kill Jackson and his sister for simply refusing to take part in terrorist acts and sell Elysium for the eastern gangsters.

Red Rain was the smallest gang in Wing City at the moment, their mutual ally with The Money Gang through the Soldado Sombra, their decent relations with the civilians and police force, as well as their respect for the other criminals in the city presumably the only things keeping them afloat. But, it was this display right here which really spelled out just why they were able to establish themselves with so few soldiers.

They were smart, they were experienced, and they didn't mess around. Even with his sister murdered Jackson was calm, grief-stricken, but calm. Nothing was as dangerous as a man who knew how to direct his rage in the right direction. And he had recently called in for more help from other Red Rain capos.

He could hear Sirens, someone probably called the police. It wasn't surprising, gunshots teded to travel. It would take some time for the law to actually find the alley, Jackson figured he had a little while longer to try getting what information he could. But, he needed more. He wanted more.

"Hey." Jackson called ou to his people, "Let's go. Vamos dar um. Nós vamos chegar informações dele em outro lugar." He said to them, turning to head back to the van. The other Yakuza advanced on the Russians, grabbing hold of one of them and dragging him away towards the van to toss him inside.

"What about us?" One of the remaining Russians asked, prompting Jackson to pause as he reached the van. "What about you?" Jackie asked in response, his Yakuza taking it upon themselves to execute the Russians they had no need to keep alive. Pipes were smashed into heads, machetes slammed into necks.

Anyone who survived the attacks wouldn't be alive for long without help, and if that wasn't the case they'd have to gro use to eating food as smoothies and getting sponge baths.

Jackson hopped into the van, the vehicle slowly backing out of the alley. The Yakuza began to gradually disperse, trying to blend into the crowds on the street.

Mentally Jackson prepared for war, as well as the questioning he was sure to face when the police came to the teahouse looking for information on the murders. The Hammer & Star had a long list of enemies, but Jackson was sure to be at the top.

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That was it then.

The Yakuza moved on the Russians, executing them like common mongrels. He could have done something, could have acted. But he would have lost a valuable asset. He couldn't afford to let Jackie know he was onto him, that he was going to follow him and try to break apart whatever plans he had in store. While he could say that they were only criminals and that their deaths meant less of them, it didn't justify the killings; not like their deaths made a dent in the Russians' ranks anyway. There were many, many more of them to spread the infection of crime around this city.

He'd just have to make time to tear them apart, too...

The Yakuza were leaving the scene, the sound of sirens not too far off. Batman took this as an opportunity to make himself scarce. He already knew the whereabouts of the Red Rain, their territory at the teahouse; he even knew where a few of them lived. So not tailing them as they exited the alleyway was of no consequence.

He'd see Jackie again, in due time, before Van Lugen, even. For now, it was just a matter of considering all the angles; the motives, the methods, and so forth, until he got what he wanted. Someday, maybe not today, maybe not tomorrow, but soon, he would come down hard on the Red Rain.

He just needed that opening.

The setting changes from Shady Alley to Van Leugen

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It was a long drive, but they'd made it. He was tired, and ready to get the day over with so he could start anew, and get to work dismantling the Red Rain with his bullets.

He followed them to a hotel. They parked their cars outside, and they jumped out. This is where they were staying, at least. He'd need to do a bit of following them around to scout at the full extent of their reach through this city. Criminals worked fast and he doubted they would arrive in some new place without utilizing their contacts to establish some footing.

His work would officially begin tomorrow. For now, he needed to find somewhere else to hole up, unpack his trunk, and get the hell to sleep.



Far above soared past a sleek, black aircraft designed to evade detection measures. In the cockpit of this craft was none other than the Batman, following the signal of the tracking device he had left with the Red Rain before departing from the scene in the alleyway.

He smiled as he looked to the blip on his monitor. "I've got you now," he said to no one in particular. He'd found a place to stash his equipment and a nice place to hole up while he continued his operations out of Van Leugen. It wasn't hard to do; the power of money rivaled even that of the most enabled metahuman. As he soared away, he couldn't help but think of how satisfying this whole operation would be.

He smirked as he flew off.

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Van Leugen was known as the city of Liars, a crime infested cesspit that had a reputation that stretched far and wide across Terra.

That reputation had slowly began to lose it's foundations.

As Red Rain, Batman and the Vengeant moved into the city; they wouldn't be greeted by the tall dilapidated buildings that dotted the city, nor would they be greeted by crime infested streets.

Many of the old buildings were in the process of being torn down, and towering scaffolding and the construction of gleaming skyscrapers replaced the stone and masonry facade of buildings that had succumbed to the test of time.

One thing would seem to stick out though. The ever present, and obscenely pervasive police presence, and the presence of a private security firm known as Pirandello/Kruger, whose Aschen made patrol cars, and clearly Aschen patrol officers dotted the streets and the sidewalks, along with newly installed cameras in nearly every intersection, and police Kiosks.

As the Red Rain men pulled up to the Hotel, they were greeted by a single Pirandello/Kruger Patrolman standing guard at the front door of the Hotel, it seemed these goons were stationed at nearly every hotel, patrolling the streets of the city, and checking doors on businesses. He paid the men no mind, but his presence had been made clear without so much as a single word.

The setting changes from Van Leugen to The Nillies

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Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: The Vengeant Character Portrait: Pirandello/Kruger Character Portrait: Jackie Machida Character Portrait: William Cole Character Portrait: Stephen Bachmann
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He was backed against a wall. In a few minutes, he'd be surrounded by cops all aiming to put bullets in every extremity he possessed. The logical thing to do would be to give it up and have them take him in. However, he wasn't a fan of prison and fake pleading deals that really just translated to doing time. There was no way he'd walk out of this situation without a hefty prison sentence, given the reputation of the justice system around here.

However, before he could even think of a way out, he found his hand was smashed with a canister that encased his fist in ice, enclosing the bomb with it. From the darkness, two more of the same canisters flew towards the officers' weapons. Thanos, however, was ripped from the scene by a steel cable, pulled up onto the roof of the building behind him, and thrown onto it.

Looking down at him was a shadowy apparition, a phantom draped in the abyss sauntering towards the vigilante. Of course, the Vengeant knew exactly who this mysterious figure was. "I've been expecting you," he said to the silent shadow. Of course, no response. He was hauled off the ground, his feet dangling mere inches above the rooftop he now found himself on as the Batman held the gunman in an iron grip. "What took you so long?" the Vengeant remarked with a mischievous grin.

"What are you doing here, Greeley?" the Dark Knight demanded. Thanos didn't now whether or not he should be surprised. After all, here was the greatest detective in existence, right before his eyes, and yet the Vengeant made it a point that no one ever knew who he was. "You're the detective, you figure it out."

That got the vigilante a very, very powerful punch to the gut. He reeled, dropping to his knees. This guy, whoever he was, was strong. "You were in Wing City. Why go out of your way to follow Machida and his crew?" Gathering his breath, the Vengeant looked up at the Dark Knight, still smiling. Very uncharacteristic of him to smile so much.

"Crime knows no borders, and neither do I. I followed him here to axe him and his friends. After I'm done with that, I'll move on to some of the other criminals around here, head back to Wing City when they're dead." Batman looked down at Thanos, a scowl formed across his face.
"I don't think so."
"Oh, but I do."

His hand crashed onto the floor beneath them, smashing the ice that had enveloped his hand. It was red and blistered from the freezing substance, but he retained his grip on the bomb. "We both know it's a fake, Greeley. You wouldn't risk the lives of all those people down there. That's not you."

Shit. "You're right." In a flash, the Dark Knight was hit in the face with a hard, metal orb and doused in a cloud of smoke. A few coughs and a moment of blindness before he activated his thermal vision. Thanos was coming through the smoke, his arm raised for a straight punch. His fist was caught in the rough grip behind the screen of grey smoke, feeling a push that sought to repel his attack.

Batman drove his forehead into the Vengeant's face, a hard thud and bloody nose painting the results. This served to anger Thanos, who came after Batman with a precise series of strikes and kicks. He was good, possibly one of the best fighters Batman had fought in a long while. The Dark Knight had to admit that keeping up with Thanos was no cakewalk. He was powerful, and strategic. He also had the advantage of being willing to kill if he had to, lacking the same restraint Batman placed on himself.

A right cross led to a spinning left elbow, both of which Batman blocked. He retaliated with a jumping kick, which Thanos was able to deflect, causing Batman to land awkwardly, affording the Vengeant three punches to the head before his hand was caught and he was pulled into a driving knee to the sternum. Thanos planted a foot down toward his combatant's upper knee, causing the Dark Knight to step back and catch a punch to the face. Batman backed away his lip bloody and his breathing heavy.

Then the gun was out. Thanos produce his pistol once more, firing repeatedly trying to hit the man opposite him. Diving and crouching behind cover, Batman fished for a Batarang, popping out only once the gunfire subsided to hurl the hefty device at the gunman's hand, knocking the weapon away. Thanos dove for the weapon in order to retrieve it, but it was whisked away with the Batclaw. In Batman's grip, the gun was dismantled and tossed aside, as if it were a toy.

"Well, you're better than I could have expected." Silence pervaded, washing over them as a wave of heated tension. "Shall we continue?" he asked.

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Character Portrait: The Batman Character Portrait: The Vengeant Character Portrait: Pirandello/Kruger Character Portrait: Jackie Machida Character Portrait: William Cole Character Portrait: Stephen Bachmann
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The Pirandello Kruger officer that had been interviewing Jackson and Bachmann nodded and took some notes, before he turned to one of the other officers.

"Two of you can cool your heels in jail for the night." He said calmly before signalling the pair to be taken into the backs of their respective patrol cars, where they would be taken to the Van Leugen City Jail, where Cole could question them more later.

In the Alleyway, it was a matter of buying time before Pirandello/Kruger's Crisis response team arrived. With Cole's weapon aimed to bear, he would catch a glint, and then Thanos's hand encased in ice, followed by the PK's rifle, with the cold causing the Aschen weapon to almost immediately malfunction.

Cole had managed to avoid the canister intended for his weapon, by sharply pulling it down and watching the canister hit the floor, encasing it in ice before Thanos was lifted up onto the rooftop via a steel cable.

"God damnit." Cole muttered, before he turned to the PK, who was trying to get ice off his weapon.

"Find out where those canisters came from! Get someone up on that rooftop!" Cole ordered, before he moved quickly towards a flight of emergency steps.

It was then a large Pirandello/Kruger Van pulled up, with Tactical officers moving quickly to surround the building Batman and Thanos were on top of, eventually Helicopters would arrive, but a single Cikavac UAV was already floating above the city, providing wide-spectrum video feeds of the city below, including the two signatures on top of the building behind Pompeii.

After the Tactical team had disembarked the van to take up positions around the building, a single figure emerged in a glossy black Aschen T-65 combat skin. With the UAV uplinked to his HUD, finding the two signatures would be a simple task. He looked up and frowned, kicking on the suit's anti-gravity system he leaped up onto the rooftop.

Landing with an audible thud, the figure, whose face was completely obscured by the glossy visor of the Combat skin stood slowly for a moment, and then started to approach.

"Unidentified Individuals, you are under arrest, surrender or be terminated. Deadly force will be used." The figure said in a distorted voice, while a Disruptor RCW powered up in his right gauntlet.

"Do not resist, surrender."

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The arrival of the PK thug was an interesting turn of events to say the least. Batman and the Vengeant found themselves staring at an elite warrior trained, clad in high-tech armor that served as one of the greater representations of Aschen technology. To say it was impressive was an understatement; the T-65 combat skin was outfitted with very advanced tactical software, and was loaded down with a sturdy outer armor that protected against a plethora of attacks. It was almost intimidating.

Almost.

Ever since the incident on Main Street in Wing City, the Batman had been careful to do his research on the Aschen and their technology. This combat skin was no exception; the beauty of this moment was that the T-65 had a subtle, yet critical weakness that he intended to exploit. But he'd need help.

"Shoot at him," Batman said suddenly.
"Excuse me?"
"We've only got a few crucial moments. I need your help if we're gonna get out of this alive. Shoot at him!"
Thanos merely shrugged, producing a second Cervantes .33 from beneath his jacket and firing at the PK grunt while running for cover, the bullets merely bouncing off of the T-65's surface. Simultaneously, Batman dove behind a ventilation duct, accessing the datapad on his wrist. Decrypting the radio frequency in that suit would take a few moments, but he counted on the PK officer's response to attack to be to try and gun down Thanos as quickly as possible. As long as the Vengeant remained out of the crosshairs, he'd be alright.

Thanos ran between cover points, careful to dodge any attack that would come his way. He opened fire whenever he could, his bullets doing jack shit to stop the PK officer. "Hope you know what you're doing, jackass!" he called out to the Batman.
"Let's hope I do!" he answered. He'd managed to find the frequency in which to contact the PK officer's headset.

Through there, he was able to send a looped 140 decibel electronic whine. Should his plan work, they'd be able to escape the PK officer as he struggled with the crippling pain of the sound reverberating in his headset.