In Wayne Manor-Gotham City-5:09 p.m.
Bruce Wayne, son of Thomas Wayne and Martha Wayne, cousin of Eric Dyson, CEO of Wayne Enterprises, and the Dark Knight of Gotham City, known as Batman, was sitting in one of the many luxurious living rooms inside the mansion.
He had revealed his secret to his cousin a few years ago, and he was more than happy to assist him. After getting over the shock of the supposed playboy being Gotham's protector.
Getting up, he went to the kitchen to make himself some coffee.
After it was done, having been made in a 300$ coffee machine, Bruce sat down to enjoy it. Having finished it, he looked at the time and saw it was 5:30.
"Time to go down to the Cave and start tonight's patrol. Let's see what kind of villains decided to cause trouble again.", Bruce thought, going into his office.
"Ah, sir. Are you starting your patrol?", Alfred questioned, appearing in the doorway.
"Yes, Alfred. I want to see what criminals I can get behind bars tonight.", Bruce explained, typing in the access code, and stepping into the elevator, going down to the Batcave.
"As you wish, sir.", Alfred whispered, smiling slightly. As long as Batman was active, Gotham City shall be well protected.
Down In The Batcave-Underneath Wayne Manor
Exiting the elevator, Bruce walked over to the computer, doing a quick scan of the city, and detecting a signal coming from somewhere near Gotham City Park. Upon closer inspection, via camera, he could see it was a dangerous group of criminals, with some sort of futuristic device.
Deducing something, the Dark Knight grimaced.
"Looks like Nigma is back in action." He was referring to his long-time enemy, Lucas Nigma Aka the Riddler. During their last confrontation about five months ago, it seemed like he'd become a mob boss, having a lot of followers with advanced weaponry and equipment.
Nigma wasn't really insane, he just had complicated riddles, that Batman always needed to solve first, to figure out his plan. Bruce actually kind of liked the brain training, not that he would ever admit that to a criminal.
Walking over to the wall, Bruce pressed his palm to the scanner, causing the wall to open, and revealing his Batsuit.
Making sure his weapons were working properly, Batman got into the Batmobile, its V9 XL engine roaring loudly, and drove full-speed out of the Batcave.
Using satellite imaging to track the Riddler's position, he accelerated and drove to a warehouse in the west end of the city. One of Gotham's most crime-infested parts. He knew this place was their turf and needed to be extremely careful. One mistake could very well be his last. Having carefully observed everything for about twenty minutes, he decided to make himself known to the thugs.
Firing his grappling hook at a column, he swung down, retracting the grapple and landing gracefully on his feet like a man who knew how to make an entrance. It was a little dark, but that's Batman's greatest asset.
The men opened fire on him, but the shots had no effect on him, thanks to the suit's Kevlar armor.
"Thank you, Lucius.", He thought, flipping out of the way, and throwing Batarangs to disarm the criminals.
"Well, well, well, look who we have here. The Dark Knight of Gotham himself. So nice of you to drop by, Batman. Isn't that right, boys.", The Riddler questioned, stepping out of the shadows, as his men just laughed.
"Hello, Nigma. I see you're up to your tricks like usual.", Batman retorted, glaring at him.
"Here's a riddle for you, Batman: If an out-of-control car with a damaged engine drives towards you with a speed of 350 kilometers per hour, how much time do you have to save any nearby civilians and yourself?", Riddler questioned.
"3.5 minutes.", He answered.
"Bravo, Batman! Oh, you really are smart, eh?", Riddler asked, amused.
"Quit it, Nigma. Thousands could die because of this.", Batman growled, firing a dart at him.
Riddler evaded the attack, trying to kick Batman in the ribs. Anticipating the strike, Bruce intercepted and threw him off.
Meanwhile With Nightwing
Dick spun his staff, fighting against a few of Riddler's men.
Suddenly, a gunshot was heard and two of the men fell down, dead.
"Is this a private party or can anyone join?", A very familiar voice questioned, causing Nightwing to grin.
It was none other than Jason Todd. The formerly second Robin, now the hero known as Red Hood.
Jason swung down, kicking a few thugs away.
"Hope I'm not too late.", He joked, as Dick cracked a laugh.
"Right on time. How about we show these fools not to mess with us?", He asked.
Jason nodded and the two made quick work of the criminals.
Just like him taking on a new identity as Nightwing and leaving for Blüdhaven, Jason abandoned his identity as Red Robin, passing the mantle on to Tim Drake, and becoming known as Red Hood. A name, which had come to be feared by the criminals of both Gotham and Los Angeles.
Jason was an excellent marksman and hand-to-hand combatant.
Bruce had trained both of them well. Given that they both reached a level of independency and had become heroes in their own right.
"How long are you staying?", Dick asked as Jason shrugged.
"Not that long. Couple of days maybe. Can't leave LA unprotected. If the criminals get wind that I'm gone, all hell's breaking loose. I don't want the Police Department to deal with them alone. So, what's new on your turf, Nightwing?". The Red Hood asked curiously.
"We'll, Bruce, and I managed to stop a few very dangerous mobsters and serial killers in the last few months. Crime, especially organized crime, has dropped drastically. Gotham's criminals know that we won't rest, while they are out there, causing chaos.", Dick explained.
"Nice work How about you and Barbara?", Jason asked, as the former Robin smiled, causing the Red Hood to grin. He'd asked a good question.
"It's going great. I'm actually planning on proposing to her.", Dick explained, causing Jason to give him a shocked look.
"Are you kidding me? That's great!", He said.
The two fired their grappling hooks at a building, swinging away.
Walking to their motorcycles, the two got on and zoomed off.
Back With Batman And The Riddler
The two were still fighting. Batman, having had enough, punched the Riddler, knocking him out, and left to go disable the weapon. Said weapon was a Tryar Beam of immense power. You'd think it was constructed with the use of unearthly materials, but it wasn't.
Following a quick scan, thanks to the Batcomputer, Bruce typed in a seventeen-digit override code, thus effectively neutralizing the device. After deactivating it, the Dark Knight stopped Nigma, handing him over to Viper, who transported him to Blackgate Penitentiary.
In The Batcave-Underneath Wayne Manor-Three Hours Later
Bruce was sitting at the computer, looking at the screens, which displayed Nigma's criminal record, along with all known data.
He knew it was important to be prepared, should he escape from prison and try to attack again. The Riddler was unpredictable, and Batman needed to be ready at all times. But for now, Gotham was safe once again. Perhaps it was paranoia, which was telling him to be cautious. But perhaps something big was coming once again.
It could very well be that he was being cynical, but Bruce knew something: In this life, caution was one's greatest asset, for if you take the time to be patient, it could grant you the means to be ten steps ahead of your enemies, if not twenty.