Matt hated rain. It messed up his senses, making it hard to focus. It was just his luck that this was the night it decided to rain.

“Liam hired this guy,” Grotto said. “This creep. Some guy named Sal. Goes around kidnapping these kids, mainly orphans and kids whose parents won’t miss em. Drops them off at that old ACE Chemicals warehouse. You can’t miss it. I think today’s one of the drop off days.”

Even after long being abandoned, the stench of those chemicals still lingered in the air. The smell of rain drowned out the worst of it but Matt could still smell it lingering. It was an ACE Chemicals vat that took away his eyesight. Matt could never forget the smell.

The rain poured across the asphalt, bouncing off the warehouse roof. Matt almost didn’t hear the cough of Sal’s engine until its wheels splashed water onto the gravel road that led to the warehouse.

Even in the rain he could hear their heartbeats. Beating with fear, their cries and them desperately trying to comfort each other. They were seven in all. If Matt was right, Sal had two bodyguards to make sure the deal went smoothly. They were armed with basic pistols. The pouring rain made it difficult to hear anything but another car was following behind them, this one with a healthier engine.

The cars stopped inside the warehouse. Matt heard the doors slamming. He jumped down from his vantage point, sprinted towards the fence and made his way to the warehouse, the voices of Sal and the buyers getting louder as he got closer.

The rain clattered against the rusted metal sheet of the warehouse. Their heartbeats could be heard, hammering like scared rabbits. The buyers were muttering something in the car. Matt could hear two voices but with the rain he couldn’t be too sure. They were saying something in a language that sounded Asian. Matt assumed it was Japanese or Chinese. If that was the case, why were the Yakuza or Triad interested in little children? It didn’t seem like their type of racket. Matt heard something heavy move in the distance. Probably a wild animal or something blowing in the wind.

“Seven kids, like you asked,” Sal said. He sauntered towards the door and swung it open. The kids inside whimpered and cried.

“I see eight,” said one of the buyers. He had a heavy accent.

Sal walked in and yanked a kid out of the back of the truck. Matt heard a shrill voice cry for him but Sal’s bodyguards had their guns trained on the children before they could move.

“This one here has a little sister,” Sal said. Matt could hear the boy struggling before Sal hit him across the head. “Probably not what you want but two for the price of one, eh?”

“No,” the other buyer said. “Attachments makes them weak. We want children both emotionally and physically fit.”

“Well, if you want that you came to the wrong place,” Sal said. “Crime Alley has none of that. Now are you going to pay or not? The girl’s starting to look real valuable right now.”

“Yes, she is,” said the other buyer. “Yukio, kill the boy.”

Yukio reached for the dagger underneath his coat pocket. Before he could even draw it, a brick struck him across the hand.

“Nani,” Yukio growled as the dagger clattered across the floor. Before Sal’s men could draw their guns Matt threw glass bottles at them, temporary stunning them. Matt tried to land a drop kick against the first buyer but he was trained. He ducked out of the way. Matt landed on the floor just as the first buyer took out a dagger from his coat and threw it at Matt. Matt rolled out of the way as the dagger stabbed the warehouse floor. Yukio was inches away from his dagger and one of Sal’s bodyguards had their gun ready.

Matt sprinted towards and tackled him across the floor as the gunshot ricocheted off the metal. The knife Yukio threw narrowly missed Matt by an inch. Matt grabbed the buyer in a chokehold, avoiding his desperate elbows and headbutts.

“Get the goods and get the hell outta here,” Sal said.

One of Sal’s bodyguards slammed the door shut, muffling the kids panic screams. The other had his gun trained on Matt and the other buyer and fired.

Matt pushed the buyer out of the way and ducked. Yukio started throwing knives from his coat at him and Sal’s bodyguard started shooting. The engine spluttered to life. Matt tackled the bodyguard across the floor, his gun clattering across the floor. Matt punched the bodyguard against the face, repeatedly. Sal started moving his truck, the tires screeching across the floor. The truck moved towards him. Matt got up and pushed the bodyguard’s unconscious body away. Before he leapt on the car bonnet, he grabbed a brick. The car drove towards him like a charging bull and like a matador, Matt leapt.

The world around him was a shaking mess. The car crashed into both of the buyers, their bodies crashed and tumbled and cracked. There was a chorus of panicked heartbeats, Matt’s mind was racing with a hurricane of thoughts.

“Shoot him, you idiot!” Sal screamed. “Shoot the bastard.”

The car shook on the gravel, Matt could hear the gun being loaded but also the rain. The goddamn rain. Matt threw the brick, it crashed through the glass and hit someone with a thud.

“Oh fuck, fuck, fuck,” Sal cursed.

His bodyguard’s heartbeat and breathing were slow. Sal was reaching out for something in his glovebox. Matt’s grip was slowly starting to loosen, he wouldn’t be able to hold onto the car for much longer.

Sal loaded his gun. Matt ducked just in time as the bullet whizzed past him. Sal fired blindly, each bullet missing while Matt crawled upwards. He grabbed a hold of Sal’s collar and bashed his face against the dashboard.

“Fuck…”

Matt bashed his head against the dashboard again as the car crashed through fences.

Matt could smell his blood. He bashed his face again. This time Sal was knocked out. But the car was still moving. Matt reached out for the hand-break, praying that the car didn’t crash. He reached out desperately, he grabbed a hold of it and pulled. The car coming to a sudden halt and launching him forwards.

Matt regained his consciousness a few minutes later, limping towards the back of the truck, his body bruised and battered. He yanked the door wide open. He heard their heartbeats spike, he heard them all whimpering.

“It’s okay…” Matt said through heavy breaths. Every word felt like a chore, every breath felt like an exercise. “It’s okay. I’m here to rescue you.”

“Like Batman,” said one of the kids.

Matt tried his best to smile. “Yeah, yeah. Like Batman.”

“Get out of here,” Matt said. “Call the police. Call your parents.”

Matt had his hand against the door. “Is there anyone hear called Grimshaw? Mikey Grimshaw.”

“No,” said one of the girls.

He heard them jump out of the truck.

“Do you need any…?”

“No,” Matt said, shaking his hand. “Just get out of here.”

His body fell against the side of the truck.

“Mister,” cried a little girl’s voice, tugging at his sleeves. “Mister is my brother alright?”

“I…”

There was a lot going on. Matt didn’t have time to focus on the little boy. If anything happened to him, oh God if anything happened to him.

“Lisa,” shouted a voice in the distance. “Lisa are you alright?”

“Andy!” screamed the little girl.

He heard the girl’s footsteps squish in the mud as she made her way to her older brother. Their heartbeats were slow, warm.

“Thank you, sir,” he heard Andy say. “Thank you so much.”

“Get out of here,” Matt said. “Call the police.”

“Will you be alright?”

“I’ll…” Matt’s knees hit the ground. “I’ll be fine. Get out.”

The kids started moving, each of talking about the man who rescued him.

“He was so cool…”

“I saw him jump on the truck…”

Matt could feel his consciousness slowly fading. He figured this wasn’t such a bad place to rest. And then he heard clapping.

“Bravo,” the first buyer said through slow claps. “Bravo. I thought you Americans didn’t have any honour in you but you proved me wrong. Jumping onto the truck like that, never yielding on your prey. You’re like a demon.”

Matt got up. He raised his fists.

“And yet you still don’t yield,” the man said. His heart was beating fast with excitement though and judging by the smell of blood, he was didn’t get off lightly after being hit by a car. “You have, what is it you Americans say…” Rin paused for a bit. “Ah yes, balls. A man of true, unwavering determination.”

The second buyer drew a dagger from a sheath. “I will find great honour in being the one to kill you.”

They charged at each other, both fuelled by adrenaline. Matt tried landing a punch but the man ducked and slashed him across the chest. Matt roared in pain.

“My name is Rin,” the man said. “Rin Nakamura. The man you just defeated is Yukio, my kyodai.”

Matt tried landing a punch but Rin dodged it and punched him in the face. Matt stumbled back, almost falling in the mud.

“What is your name?”

Matt screamed and tackled him across the mud. They exchanged fists and blows, Matt feeling sharp bursts of pain in his arms and as Rin slashed like a madman. In their struggle, Matt managed to disarm Rin. Rin kicked him back as they both fell in the mud.

They both struggled to get up, their bodies staggered and buckled, begging for rest but both their minds were made.

Matt threw the dagger at Rin, aiming directly for his shoulder. Rin had no time to dodge but the dagger bounced uselessly off his shoulder.

“Custom made tuxedos,” Rin said through heavy pants. He picked up the knife. “They’re able to take a bullet too…”

Matt picked up a glass bottle and threw it at his face. Seeing as he was distracted, Matt tackled him across the floor. Punching him repeatedly across the face.

“I don’t have time for small talk,” Matt panted. “What the hell do you want with those children?”

Rin tried guarding against the punches but his body was too weak, too tired to respond. Matt’s punches were also getting weaker. He grabbed Rin by the shoulders and held him up.

“Who do you work for?” Matt growled.

“I shall give you no answers,” Rin said.

“You won’t be saying that when I break your arms.”

Rin chuckled. Matt could smell the blood on his teeth, the fresh wounds on his face.

“I have taken worse,” Rin said. “Much worse.”

Matt could hear his teeth shaking, his tongue moving.

“Gotham will be the Demon’s,” Rin said. “Much sooner than you think.”

Before Matt could react, the smell of almond permeated from his mouth.

“No,” Matt mumbled. “No, no, no, no.”

Matt tried shaking his body, tried doing anything but it was too late. His heart had already stopped.

Matt fell back, Rin’s body falling from his grip like a featherweight. “God dammit.”

Matt sighed he struggled to get up. Maybe he’d get home in time and rest in his bed but he didn’t mind sleeping in the middle of nowhere. And then he heard it, footsteps. Barely audible footsteps but footsteps nonetheless. He heard leather rustle in the wind and the sound of metal like a switchblade being drawn.

Then that metal thing was thrown. It landed with a loud thud on a tree next to him.

The mysterious person moved. He was starting to get closer to him but it was hard to tell because of the rain. Matt could barely make out his heartbeat but it was strong, steady. It seemed like he was waiting for Matt to touch the metal thing.

He ran his hand over it. Sharp grooves underneath the bottom and two spikes at the top. He ran his hands over it, trying to discern the shape.

After he felt it, he felt his heart jump a little. It was shaped like a bat.