red dragon, black bat.

Like that, another victim fell to the ground at the sound of gunshots. Mere man attempting to do one last run for a group of shady individuals so he could bring home a better paycheck than what the boatyard was paying him to clean up their trash. With this kind of money he was gaining being their delivery boy? He could buy himself and his fiancee a nice place to reside. Instead heated bullets had pierced his chest like an overture of hatred.

Several of the goons stood around his now forced grave. Body lying in a pile of black trash bags, cornered in an alley. "Don't worry, that hot little fiancee of yours? What's 'er name again? Beatrice? Bianca? Brittany? Ahhh it doesn't matter..she'll forget you soon enough when I'm nailin' 'er." Each of the pathetic excuses for citizens of Gotham City began to chuckle with a strain of forced laughter. Eyelids were becoming heavy, his life flashing before his eyes in snippets. Being reminded of the way he treated his parents, with respect and admiration. Continuing he would remember the fun times in college he had.

Moving into the relationship with his fiancee and all of their adorable moments of true love spanning only four years before he popped the question that all fear and also silently anticipate. Right hand coming up he touched at the wound, his breathing becoming more husky as he released it through blood coated teeth having it rise in his throat. He did good, right? Leading up to this point, he did fine for his family. For his fiancee. Just not now. Not this. One of the goons gestured. "Hey, Max, he's still breathin'..shoot 'im again."

"Not tonight." A stern voice broke the cool air, fright showed on the faces of those standing around the wounded courier. With his gun drawn the one taunting the man laid on the ground would click his tongue against the back of his teeth. "That voice...where's it comin' from?" Checking behind him he aimed down the other end of the alley. "Listen here, whoever you are just back away and forget you saw this scumbag bleedin'." Nothing responded from the darkness, not for a few seconds and then like a demon from the night a metallic claw shot from the shadows clipping the hand and pulling the gun from him with aggression behind the rip.

"OW!" Before he could react as the gun slid across the shadows, strong and forceful a fist came flying at his chin. Busting his chops and sending him back into the wall. Batman elbowed the man to the left and knocked him down easily but the third guy punched Batman in the chest, it did not seem to phase him and he pulled at the back of his head pulling his face into a lifted knee smashing that nose into his own face. Groaning on the ground, Batman lifted his boot and stomped on his face once knocking him out. The man who he elbowed from before was standing again, attempting an attack from behind. Batman lifted his hand stopping his on coming face with a fist making him fall behind Batman.

Max looked up at The Dark Knight of Gotham with that black and grey color scheme. Even his face was hidden by the shadows, people said he was a man, but no, this was no man. A demon birthed from Gotham's truest shadows. Max crawled back some attempting avoidance of the demon. "Come on man, you going to beat me up, and leave Johnny bleeding out?" Batman ignored him, reaching down he grabbed at that flashy black and red suit of his lifting him up some. "Triads, huh? Do you work for Zucko or are you trying to piss me off?" Surprised that Batman knew what faction he was, not that he was smart enough to realize that Batman was a Detective clearly, that noticed the tattoos running along his face and arms.

Tossing the man back aggressively into the brick wall he punched him with a left jab knocking him out. Moving over to the wounded man, Johnny. Johnny looked up, eyes blurred and yet he witnessed The Dark Knight encapsulated by his cape. Yet to a dying man, he looked like something sent from the ninth ring of hell to bring him down for all of his sins. Lips painted with crimson he'd muster a breath mixed with potential words. Nothing coherent came through, but Batman knelt down and observed the wound. Not gone yet.

Sound of sirens were so close, Batman had alerted authorities before he attacked but at the moment he arrived. Gently touching Johnny's shoulder those white eyes stared at him and that deep baritone voice spoke to him. "You're going to make it, I promise." Johnny would ignore him and speak words finally. "Shelly, you have..*koff* have...to protect.." Nodding Batman stood as a police car and ambulance pulled up at the end of the alleyway. Using his grapnel he was gone before they noticed him. It seemed his night would continue for now.

9:20p.m. WEST SIDE OF GOTHAM. (Red Hood is on the East.)
FISH MARKET

Crashing through an old wooden panel, his right arm reached around the neck of a patrolman. Pulling him through the debris he slammed his head into the ground enough to knock the guy out. He wasn't a normal patrolman but one who had been bought and paid for by Zucko. Giovanni Zucko to be exact. Guy was full of himself, choice in clothing and arrogance in his speech really said it all. Pretend philosopher with little to add to his community. Yet, he believed he was adding to it. See, he came from two bloodlines of families. Italian Mob Syndicate and Chinese Mob. Believed himself to be a real big hot shot.

Not anymore.

"I thought I told you fucks..? NO. MORE. MURDERS. Look, Goddamn. Your faces and attitudes bring me such loathing vibes. Honestly, sometimes I wonder if you all would be happier under the tyrannical rule of my Mother." Low, a chuckle emitted from his men. "Oh? Do I amuse you to the point you have to retort back to my honest gesture, with facetious acts? Is asking for a low profile far too much?" Jewelry he had stolen from his dead father would jingle along his wrists. Walking over to the one who laughed he cupped hands to the chubby face and stared in those overworked eyes. "You mock me? The guy that pays your bills...the guy that lets you sit back and eat fat so you can what, screw up another job?" Before he could declare why he chuckled, Zucko pulled a knife and began stabbing him in the abdomen.

After several vicious stab wounds the man fell to the floor. Fatal wounds which would have him drift to sleep at the loss of blood. "Now if anyone else has a fucking problem. Let me know." With alligator boots he kicked the man on the ground a few times releasing some pent up anger like a child being told no. Crushed windpipe the man was left dead, leaking blood on the fish smelling floor. Rolling his shoulders stressed out Zucko glanced back at the other men waiting on his orders. "Go out there, find new girls we have a shipment next Friday." Nodding to him the men exited his office and out to the docks. One of them hesitated moving to the downed man hoping he was still breathing but he was far gone. "Hey you, take his body and dump it."

Dragging the body the man shook his head some sighing out. This was someone he once shared a coffee with on late night patrol. Now he was dead, all because he looked at a funny text? Man, he had to find a new line of work. Grunting he pushed at the body some reaching the end of the dock. "Man...I'm sorry." Before his foot touched the body a stern sounding voice stopped him. "There's always a choice." Blinking he looked around him, vision landing on the source. That demon of the night, Batman, he lowered that leg and pointed at him. "It's you..!" "What's your choice?" Shaking his head he pointed back towards the office. "Zucko's in there..I'm not fucking with you, I've heard tales of you. Good luck."

Walking away the man was true to his word not saying anything to anyone and moving passed them and out of the gates. Batman could not help but smirk at the actions taking place. Now. One by one the men would be taken out in silence. Eventually Zucko was the last, he put on his suit jacket and moved from the office to head out for the night, as he did he'd come outside to his men being hung upside down by their ankles and hands hanging. "What the f-"

CRACK!

Punch to his face from the left causing him to fall and try catching himself on the wood. Hands slipped some and he stumbled more clawing to try and gather himself to see who had hit him. It was that freak in the Batsuit. Snarling he pulled out an overly flashy golden forty-five and fired, but the wrist was grabbed in time pushing it away and missing the shot. Batman squeezed bending the wrist in a not so pleasant fashion.

CRACK!

This crack not the same, bone between skin and ligaments breaking. Releasing a sheer amount of pain. "AHHH!" He screamed, it did not stop Batman from pulling him by that same arm and shoving him against a stock of crates.

"Zucko. I know your dealings, they're over. You're done. Tell me who your supplier is and I'll put an end to your night of pain."

"MAN YOU JUST BROKE MY WRIST, FUCK YOU!"

At that Batman brought his right foot up and pressed to the mans chest, crushing him against the heavy crates of fish behind him. Right hand coming down to punch that smug face. Zucko cried out like a pansy and spit the blood but another punch was smeared across his face. The Dark Knight was getting restless. Another tight punch and Zucko nodded.

"Okay-Okay...cào! Look, to get away from my family's business...I've been working with this guy...Roman Sionis. Has some new place set up on the East Side, some warehouse I think. He's been providing us with some of the best quality out here in your shit town." Laughing a little he'd start to build up spit, Batman knew what would come next if he waited so instead he just punched the guy hard enough to put him out. Stringing him up like his men before the cops arrived he'd pat the young thug's cheek. "That's what being a scumbag gets you, kid."

10:30p.m. EAST SIDE OF GOTHAM
SIONIS BOWERY

Roman's elite would be in the Bowery. Some with their feet up and some patrolling keeping eyes scanned out and about. Making sure no one interfered. Not necessarily The Dark Knight, but even other rogues that had plans for Sionis and his cronies. Even perhaps a Red Helm anti-hero who dispensed his own brand of justice through violent misdeeds. Few feet from a group of them playing cards light tapping was heard within a metal container. Leaning over one of the men slapped his gun against the metal. "Shut up! Shut up!" That tapping quit, and he grunted leaning back into the card game he was playing. Sionis was dealing with some pretty bad people, as bad as he was if not worse. In that container would be young females from the ages of sixteen to thirty.

Each one of them having been followed and picked out for their looks being part of a check mark list. If their hair was brown and they had green eyes, they were chosen. Now if they had blonde hair and blue eyes, chosen. If they had blonde hair and green eyes? Ignored. The list given to Sionis was quite specific. "Hey man, when is the boat coming?" One of the goons asked to the same man that had smacked at the container.

"Sometime around midnight. We have some time."

"Should we test them out, you know, like we do the guns?"

"I'm not sure, boss said not to harm 'em."

"I'm not talking about hurting them..I just mean-"

"Yeah, I get it."

Waving his hand he tossed down his hand of cards and stood up. Moving over to the container he kicked it to get them scared a little and glanced over at the guy that was asking him such questions. Shrugging his shoulders he gestured at it and then dangled the key to the lock, putting it into his pocket he flipped the guy off and walked off to get a beer. Another long night for a bunch of petty thieves and rapists. What was new in Gotham City? Well, their night was about to get a lot wilder than they could have imagined.