Ultimate Bruce Wayne raised his hand, blue energy flickering as a portal began to form. "So where do you want me to open it? Right in front of the pce, or inside?"

  Batman 47-X shook his head. "With people like that, you've got to make it dramatic. You've got to make an entrance and get the point across that they should fear you." He gestured toward the window. "Open the portal outside the hideout."

  The swirling doorway expanded until it was rge enough to step through. Batman 47-X moved first, followed by Bruce and Selina. The portal snapped shut behind them with a soft hiss of dispced air.

  They stood across the street from the abandoned Blockbuster Video store, its boarded windows and door looking even more fortress-like in the dim streetlight.

  Batman 47-X studied the building, his civilian clothes still in pce. "Haven't seen one of these in years. I guess in this universe, the business didn't st either."

  "So who took them over in your universe?" Bruce asked. "Was it Netflix?"

  "Netflix?" 47-X tilted his head. "No, it was a company called Wave Journey."

  As he spoke, his clothing began to shift and transform. The button-down shirt and scks rippled like liquid, the fabric restructuring itself into the familiar lines of a Batman suit. Bck and gray materials flowed across his body, forming armor ptes and the distinctive cape. The transformation culminated with a full cowl that covered his entire face, leaving only darkness where his features should be. Serrated bdes extended along the sides of his gauntlets.

  Selina watched the transformation with wide eyes, clearly impressed. "Whoa. I like that. Can I get one?"

  Batman 47-X gave her a single nod, then turned toward the building. "Time to go to work."

  He strode across the street and drove his boot heel into the door. The metal barrier exploded inward, torn from its hinges and frame in a shower of splinters and twisted steel.

  Inside the hideout, chaos erupted instantly. Mark's voice rose above the shouting: "What the hell—everyone open fire!"

  The Alley Cats had prepared for this moment. Guns appeared from hiding spots throughout the store—pistols, shotguns, even a few automatic weapons. The air filled with muzzle fshes and deafening gunfire as they poured everything they had at the dark figure in the doorway.

  Smoke and dust filled the air. Spent shell casings clinked to the floor. The smell of cordite was overwhelming.

  When the firing finally stopped and the smoke began to clear, Batman 47-X stood exactly where he'd been before—completely unharmed, arms crossed, head tilted slightly as if he'd been mildly inconvenienced.

  The gang members stared in shock and terror. Several of the younger ones had already dropped their weapons and were backing away.

  All except Roman.

  The older teenager let out a roar of rage and charged forward, swinging a crowbar at Batman's head. "Die, you freak!"

  Batman 47-X didn't even move his feet. He simply raised his left forearm, blocking the swing effortlessly, then snatched the crowbar from Roman's grip with his right hand. In one fluid motion, he brought the metal bar down across Roman's skull with a wet crack.

  Roman crumpled to the ground, blood streaming from his scalp. Batman 47-X raised his boot, preparing to crush the boy's throat—

  The Gatling gun opened up.

  Mark had wheeled out his heaviest weapon, a belt-fed monster that spat fire and death at over a thousand rounds per minute. But when he pulled the trigger, Batman 47-X simply... vanished.

  "Where are you?!" Mark screamed, swinging the gun wildly around the store. "Where are you, you demon?!"

  He kept firing, the heavy rounds chewing through walls, boxes, even some of his own gang members who'd been too slow to find cover. Mark didn't care—he just wanted to kill that thing that had stood in the gunfire like it was rain.

  Then he felt a gentle tap on his shoulder.

  "This is the part where, if I were stupid, I would give you some speech," Batman said quietly. "But I'm not."

  The razor-sharp bdes sliced through Mark's neck, severing his spinal cord with surgical precision. The gang leader dropped to the floor like a puppet with cut strings, his body convulsing as his nervous system shut down.

  Batman 47-X looked down at him with cold satisfaction, then raised his boot and brought it down on Mark's throat. The crunch of cartige was audible throughout the silent store.

  Behind him, Roman was stirring, trying to push himself up despite the head wound. His hand reached for a dropped pistol.

  Before Batman could react, Selina appeared beside the fallen teenager. She'd picked up the discarded crowbar, and she brought it down on Roman's head with all her strength.

  "This is for Tommy!" she snarled, hitting him again. "And this is for Sarah!" Another blow. "And this is for every kid you helped Mark hurt!"

  She kept hitting him, her face twisted with rage and pain and years of suppressed trauma. Roman's movements grew weaker with each impact.

  Bruce started forward to stop her, but Batman 47-X turned and gave him a look—a slight shake of the head that said *Let her finish this.*

  Bruce crossed his arms and stepped back.

  Finally, Selina stopped. Roman y motionless beneath her, his skull clearly fractured, blood pooling around his head. She dropped the makeshift weapon and stood over him, breathing hard.

  "I knew I liked you for some reason, kid," Batman 47-X said approvingly.

  Selina gred down at Roman's still form. "He was always a jerk. He had opportunities to help. He was just like us. We could have worked together, gotten out of here." Her voice hardened. "But no, he wanted just as much control as Mark did."

  She looked up at Batman 47-X. "Is he dead?"

  Batman knelt beside Roman, checking for a pulse. "Yeah. Pretty much."

  Selina nodded with grim satisfaction. "Good."

  The hideout had fallen silent except for the soft drip of blood and the distant sound of sirens—still blocks away, but getting closer.

  Batman 47-X's cowl tilted slightly, his enhanced sensors scanning the wreckage of the store. "I'm picking up heartbeats," he said quietly. "Heat signatures. There are two people hidden behind that overturned table."

  He looked at Selina. "You have two of your former Alley Cats back there."

  Selina walked over to where he'd indicated, stepping carefully around the debris and bodies. Behind the heavy wooden table that had once dispyed VHS tapes, two younger gang members—maybe fourteen and fifteen—cowered in terror. Their faces were streaked with tears and dust.

  "Oh yeah," Selina said, recognizing them. "Barbara and Jason."

  Batman 47-X approached, his presence causing both Alley Cats to press themselves further against the wall. "So what do you want to do with them?" His voice was neutral, but there was an edge to it that suggested he already had his own answer.

  Selina looked down at the two terrified faces. "They are jerks," she said slowly. "And they did help Mark. They did a lot of bad things by doing nothing when they could have helped." She paused, studying their expressions. "But you know what? I don't think they deserve to die."

  Batman 47-X turned to look at Ultimate Bruce Wayne, who had been quietly observing from near the destroyed doorway. "Okay. So what are we going to do with them?"

  Bruce met his gaze steadily. "That's your call."

  Batman 47-X nodded. "This is what I want to do. In my world, I have more resources. I'm going to send these two over to my organization —they can help these kids get rehabilitated, get some therapy, and try to have a real life." He gestured toward the cowering boy and girl. "Since I'm pretty sure this Gotham doesn't have a system for that until I build one."

  Ultimate Bruce Wayne stepped forward. "Sounds like a deal. Like you said, you have a year of back-and-forth travel between your Gotham and this Gotham. Sounds good to me."

  Batman 47-X looked back at the two survivors. "You hear that? You're getting a second chance. Don't waste it."

  Barbara and Jason could only nod, too scared and traumatized to speak.

  "Good," Batman 47-X said simply. "Then we're done here."