Many Months Ago -
There were more than eight million people living in Gotham City at any given time, more than five hundred reported homicides in any given year, one major corruption scandal every month, two dozen vigilantes operating with varying degrees of frequency and violence, and nearly a hundred and twenty active threats.
All of which must be monitored.
Those threats ranged from the new wave of super criminals, the various violent gangs, the more lethal and unstable vigilante, the countless entrenched criminal networks and organizations, foreign illegal enterprises seeking to penetrate one of the most profitable underworlds in the planet, esoteric and obscure groups and individuals who displayed a willingness to enter the city, or were likely to do so in the future.
All of which must be investigated.
On any given night, when he is operational, Batman must lead those investigations on the field.
Because he is the only one who can.
However, due to the sheer density of threats and dangers Gotham faces on any given night and the necessity of consistent patrols to save a maximum amount of lives, a hierarchy of needs exists within the dark knight's schedule.
One which puts his rogues at the very top, and non-lethal vigilante down to the very bottom. With the Clown Prince of Crime and his schemes occupying a place of their above all priorities.
Given that the Joker had brought a dirty bomb to the city, one which he has yet to locate, the current system felt appropriate.
Yet despite everything, some events could get his attention and shift that hierarchy if only for a few minutes.
Deadshot appearing could be one such event.
Deadshot taking a contract would be one such event.
Deadshot failing a contract was one such event.
"It appears that Mr. Lawton disagree with that notion, sir," said the voice of the man who nursed him back to health every time his body failed, "he insists it was not a failure, but an act of sabotage from the client, which he promptly executed for that failing,"
Batman aimed the grapnel at the old Ace Chemical building, adjusting his posture to avoid breaking every bone in his body when the boost sent him soaring hard enough to break his spine if not for the batsuits engineering.
The gain in altitude allowed him to glide with much greater speed fluidity than he could have managed in his earlier years, which is why he could afford to process the information Alfred sent on his hud, an updated profile of Floyd Lawton and the information gathered about his appearance in the city.
Dates and numbers flashed just enough not to obstruct his vision, but he did not need to read everything all at once, there was a time and place for everything.
So he could investigate each one of the Joker's known stashes and hiding place he currently monitored without the clown's knowledge, looking for the dirty bomb while hearing the new information.
"Deadshot arrived one week ago to prepare for a contract on Gotham's newest vigilante, a metahuman codenamed 'Alucard' who operated around mainly within Brideshead, but extended his activities to most of the East End including Park Row," Alfred spoke, his voice growing sadder when he mentioned that place, as it always did, but he didn't allow himself to react, "He first appeared a few months ago after a conflict between gangs generated a power vacuum that interested the late Rupert Thorne and other unsavory individuals,"
"Any changes to his profile?" Batman asked and allowed himself to fall freely down a disaffected chemical plant, breaking the fall with his cape and scanning the area for traces of radiation, or any recent human presence.
Alucard would not be the first person to fight the rot within Gotham city only to succumb to it when it becomes too much, dropping bodies until they finally kill someone too innocent for them to justify it, and then end up leaving or ending up in Arkham.
Black Spider started a vigilante too, after all.
This was, however, was a metahuman…which made it all the more dangerous.
"His modus operandi at least has not yet changed," Alfred answered promptly, "nonelethal attacks upon hideouts and safehouses of any gang stepping within his territory, followed by a tip to the police, though he did learn which officers were more likely to respond effectively,"
It was good news.
"Yet," Batman repeated, before locking in on the first part of his butler's sentence, "then what has changed?"
Finding nothing within the chemical plant, he used the grapnel to leave and head to the nearest next possible location, making sure not to break the thin wires Joker left there to see if his hideout was still hidden from him.
"Most everything sir," was the answer he got, and he would have resented the waste of time if not for the eleven other locations he had to hit and search, despite knowing finding the bomb there was unlikely at best, even the slightest chance was too much to overcome.
And knowing the Joker, he very well might predict that he wouldn't bother searching in any of his hideouts, and thus decide to put the bomb there.
He couldn't risk it.
"I'm listening," Batman said, gritting his teeth as he thought about how a government black site containing nuclear material was operating so close to his city.
"His powers have grown greatly, or perhaps he simply was forced to show more of them," Alfred said as he sent new estimate of his physical capabilities, "his regeneration and physician resilience most especially are quite outstanding, rumors are that Deadshot did not miss his shot, but the bullet simply failed to put Alucard down,"
Alucard being faster and stronger than he previously demonstrated was within expected parameters, most metahuman had some kind of physical enhancement anyway, what was unusual was the way he apparently survived a shot from a LexArms modified subsonic anti-material rifle.
Point-blank, with Deadshot on the other side of the barrel.
It was bad.
Not the blue alien getting drugged on Madhatter's serum bad, but still extremely troublesome if he were to go rogue.
Regeneration meant lethal attacks would become less effective, and non-lethal ones entirely useless.
"I'll need to prepare more containment options, and prepare the full arsenal of capture and restriction gear if a confrontation with him is likely," He told Alfred, not needing to ask the older man to prepare several such loadouts just in case, "the glue grenades will be required, along with the shock gloves and remote electrical charge,"
"Should I add some pyrotechnics, sir?" the butler asked with a calm tone, despite suggesting to use equipment derived from firefly's suit and arms, "it's always the best way to deal with persistent foes, especially those who can heal from such wounds in so little time,"
Batman was about to refuse, then he saw the exact caliber of the rifle used on his hud, as well as the commercial demonstration of the damage it caused to military trucks.
"Yes," He said.
Alucard could handle some fire.
"A confirmed hideout of this new vigilante was also revealed during his little clash with Deadshot," Alfred said, sending the coordinates, which were close enough to his next location to warrant a stop.
It took him only a few minutes of grappling and gliding to reach the remote dilapidated buildings, a quick scan of the bullet's impact allowed the confirmation of the ballistic date he received, and the lack of any human presence within.
Batman silently entered the building, careful for any trap, only to notice something else.
'Impact on the floor where the bullet pierced Alucard's body, traces of bone sent forward after the shot, it hit him in the torso, but he did not dodge,' the dark knight frowned, he could have dodged, he should have dodged it according to available data, 'something's missing…'
He continued to investigate the area, scanning every object, every document and doing what he did best.
Building a case.
Batman saw everything linked to Adrian Hellsing, the fencing trophees and medical books with copious amounts of notes, the family portrait and collection of medieval weaponry…and reached a conclusion.
"Alfred," He called out just to double-check.
"There are indeed records of a certain Adrian Hellsing, from Copenhagen, he won a few minor fencing competitions as a child, and spent three years in medical school before disappearing, taking a flight from London to Atlantic City one year ago, and issuing a library card in Gotham one month ago," He said in the comms, and sent the relevant information, further strengthening Bruce's theory.
Until one more detail came to complete the scene, eight claw marks on the floor, as if someone jumped and scraped the flour with a small metal blade stuck to each finger.
In Brideshead.
Within a vigilante's hideout, where he could see a poorly concealed safe behind a painting, which surely either contains or used to contain the money he looted from criminals.
Despite all the training with Tibetan monks and years spent learning how to control his mind and body, Bruce found himself holding back a deep sight.
"Selina," He scowled, knowing exactly who he needed to find if he wished to know more.
"I'm sure she'll be thrilled to have you visiting her, sir," Alfred said with a voice that simply oozed sarcasm, "there are few things as romantic as choosing to see your love interest in-between a hunt for fissile materials,"
Ignoring the butler, Batman used software the GCPD would kill to have, and doubtlessly misuse, in order to recreate the scene after putting enough data to do so reliably.
Alucard was standing right in front of the safe, looking at it, before turning around casually and waiting patiently for Deadshot's arrow to pulverize his thorax before pursuing the shooter while he was packing his gear and leaving.
A shot made at more than 800 meters.
Despite the metahuman showing multiple times that he had had enhanced senses, and the speed required to avoid a round that would take three seconds to reach him.
It made no sense, until now.
Catwoman was the missing piece that made everything fall into place.
She broke into the safehouse, and was about to steal the vigilante's loot when he surprised her and snuck right behind her, making her retreat hastily in just the wrong location.
The location where it became impossible for him to dodge a subsonic round without leading to her taking the bullet and dying immediately, he chose to use his own body to deflect the projectile and let her survive in one piece.
Which she obviously repaid by leaving him bleeding on the floor, and ran without looking back.
"Sir, are you glad that Mr Hellsing seems to value a human life enough to use his body to save a thief, or disappointed that Mrs Kyle decided to leave him for dead?" Alfred said just calmly enough not to sound like he was making for him, which made him regret the necessity of using the batcomputer to run the simulation, letting the butler on the chair see everything.
And he still had eleven locations to search for a dirty bomb he likely won't find.
"Both," Batman answered, with a deep frown under his mask, "and it's not Hellsing,"
"Master Bruce?" Alfred asked
"It's a red herring," He said simply.
". . ."
"I am aware, I only wished to inform you that Mrs Gordon has found twelve additional locations you need to check for the Joker's misplaced explosive," He said with a mix of schadenfreude and whatever it was that made butlers so unbearable sometimes.
"It's called maturity and charisma, Master Bruce,"
"Alucard is not an immediate problem, move him below Huntress in priority, but above Wildcat and Black Canary," He said, then prepared to jump his way across rooftops for yet another haunt of the most insane mind in the history of crime, "and start building a better psychological profile, compare it to any known newcomer in Gotham,"
It was going to be a very long night.
. . .
Yo! It's Hamtaro
We finally got to see the bat, and John truly underestimated his ability to fake an identity.
Alfred is the MVP as always, he sees that mutant scum and decides to kill it with fire, all the while dissing the Dark Knight with impeccable manners.
Bruce just can't catch a break.
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