The pipe hit the lead gunman in the chest. He went down gasping. The other three hesitated.
That hesitation cost them. James closed the distance in two seconds. Delivered a combination that his Neural Interface training made automatic. Jab, cross, knee, elbow. All four went down in a heap.
"Six hostiles remaining. Black Mask attempting to escape through east exit."
James looked. Black Mask was running, leaving his men to fight. Typical coward.
Batman was already moving to intercept. He threw a batarang that hit near Black Mask's feet, exploding in a burst of smoke and electricity. The villain stumbled and fell.
James took down the last two criminals near him. Looked around. The warehouse was full of unconscious or groaning bodies. Twenty-three criminals neutralized in under ninety seconds.
Batman stood in the center of the space, Black Mask bound at his feet. The Dark Knight's attention locked onto James.
Neither of them moved for a long moment.
Then Batman spoke. His voice was deep, gravelly, full of controlled menace.
"Who are you?"
James kept his voice modulated through the helmet. "Someone trying to help."
"I didn't ask what you're doing. I asked who you are."
"I'm called Sovereign."
Batman's eyes narrowed behind his cowl. "That doesn't answer my question."
"It's all the answer you're getting."
The tension in the air was thick. Batman was evaluating him. Deciding if Sovereign was a threat. James could see the Dark Knight's muscles coiled, ready to strike if necessary.
AEGIS spoke in his ear. "Subject's stance indicates potential aggression. Probability of attack: forty-seven percent. Probability of interrogation attempt: sixty-three percent. Probability of cooperation: twelve percent."
James waited. Let Batman make the first move.
"You're enhanced," Batman said. It wasn't a question. "Superhuman strength. Speed. I watched you move. That's not human."
"Observant."
"How?"
"That's my business."
"Not when you're operating in my city."
James felt a flash of irritation at the possessiveness in Batman's tone. "Gotham doesn't belong to you. It belongs to everyone who lives here."
"I'm not talking about ownership. I'm talking about responsibility. You don't know this city. Don't know what you're dealing with."
"I know enough." James gestured at the unconscious criminals around them. "I know these people were about to arm half of Gotham's gangs with military weapons. I know Black Mask has been operating freely for months. I know people are dying while you work alone."
Batman stepped forward. The movement was controlled but threatening. "You don't know anything about what I do or why."
"Then enlighten me."
"No. You're going to answer my questions first. Where did you get your enhancements? Who trained you? What's your real name?"
"Pass. Pass. And absolutely not."
Batman's jaw tightened. James could see the man deciding whether to escalate this.
"I can find out," Batman said quietly. "I can investigate you. Track you. Learn everything."
"You can try."
The standoff continued for another five seconds. Then James made his decision.
"Tell you what," James said. "You want to test me? See if I'm competent enough to operate in your city? Fine. Let's test each other."
He dropped into a ready stance. Not aggressive. Just prepared.
Batman's eyes widened slightly. "You're challenging me?"
"I'm offering a demonstration. You want to know what I can do? Fight me. No lethal techniques. First one to land three clean hits wins. If you win, I'll answer one question. Any question. If I win, you back off and let me work."
Batman studied him for a long moment. Then, surprisingly, he nodded.
"One question if I win. One favor if you win."
"Deal."
They faced each other across the warehouse floor. Criminal bodies littered the space around them. AEGIS began tactical analysis immediately.
"Warning: opponent assessment indicates extreme danger. Subject is likely among the top three hand-to-hand combatants on the planet. Victory probability: twenty-two percent. Recommended strategy: defensive counter-fighting using superior physical attributes."
James knew AEGIS was right. Batman had mastered over one hundred and twenty martial arts. Had decades of real combat experience. Was arguably the world's greatest martial artist.
But James had advantages. Enhanced strength. Enhanced speed. And thirty-seven martial arts of his own, learned to true mastery through the Neural Interface.
This would be interesting.
Batman moved first. No warning. Just explosive forward motion.
His opening strike was a straight punch aimed at James's center mass. Testing. Seeing how Sovereign would react.
James parried with a Wing Chun deflection. Redirected the punch past his body. Countered with a palm strike toward Batman's jaw.
Batman slipped it. Barely. The strike passed millimeters from his face.
They separated. Circled.
"Fast," Batman acknowledged.
"You too."
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