Batman Reborn

Harboring A
Grudge"
Batman landed on a docking harbor.
Tom, are you sure this is the place? It looks deserted, Batman murmured.
Its the place, dude. Now, get in there and do your thing. The ransom time is
almost up, Bruce, Tom said.
Easy for you to say, Batman said, walking along the docks. Suddenly, a
man jumped out of the shadows and hit him in the back of the head with a steel rod.
Alright guys, hes out. Lets throw him overboard, he smiled. Five other guys
jumped out of their hiding spots. They tied him up in ropes and carried him to the
edge of the harbor.
Lets see him get out of this one, one of them smirked.
The boss is gonna give us a big raise once we take out the Big Bad Bat, the
other one agreed. Batman finally recovered but not fast enough. They threw him
into the water. Batman struggled to get free but the ropes were pretty tight.
My mask allows me to hold my breath longer than the average man. But, Id
better hurry, Batman said. He used his gauntlet claws to cut the ropes. He swam
up to the surface and got out. The men were already gone.
I think I have a good idea where they went, Batman said, looking at the
seemingly abandoned cargo ship beside him. Batman jumped and took out his
wings. He flew to the deck and landed on a crate.
Suddenly, he could hear some voices. He took cover behind the crate just in
time as two men carrying assault rifles walked by.
Thanks to Upgrade, well be walking billionaires by tomorrow once her
parents pay us the ransom, one of them smirked.
Its too bad that the dame was to die though. I really liked her, one of them
said with mock sadness.
Dont worry man, Ill grab you a good one once were rich, the other one
replied. They walked away.

So, Upgrades the main man in charge of this caper. Thisll be good,
Batman smiled, jumping out of the cover. He walked through a door. A guard
suddenly looked at him.
Wait youre not Saw, he said, grabbing a gun.
Batman beat him to the punch and punched him into a chair.
And you sure arent the brightest bulb in the store, Batman smiled. He
examined the room. He stepped on something. It was a small microchip. Batman
picked it up.
This is a rare imported S.T.A.R GleKos memory chip. Its not in the market
yet, Batman said. He put it down and picked up a weird looking device.
Tom, you know what this is? Batman said.
You really need to start to pay attention in tech class, dude. Its a pyrocube,
capable of giving the user the ability to shoot out fire, Tom said.
So Upgrade had a little shopping spree, Batman said. He ran out of the
room. He was about to go the other direction when he heard a girl scream.
Thats my cue, Batman said, somewhat cheerfully. He approached a door.
Please, my father promised he would deliver the ransom by midnight. Youll
get your money. Please, let me go, a girl said.
We promised we would deliver you back. We didnt say we would deliver you
with all of your body parts intact. I do have some need of kidneys, replied
Upgrades voice.
Well help hold her down, boss, came another voice.
Batman kicked the door down.
Batman, you shouldnt have stuck your pointy ears in something that
doesnt belong, Upgrade snarled. The girl was tied up to a chair.
Let the girl go, Upgrade, Batman said.
Kill him, but not before I dissect his body. I do need some extra bones, he
smiled. A man rushed at him with a pipe. Batman twirled around and nailed him
with a heel kick to the face. Another man approached him with a power chainsaw
instead of a left hand.
Ive been waiting a long time for this, creep, he snarled. He slashed at
Batman with the blade. Batman ducked and back flipped into the table. He rolled
out of the way as the thug cut the table in half. Batman then threw two Batarangs at
him. He cut them in half and raced at Batman. The costumed teen jumped out of
the way, but not before Upgrade aimed his left arm at Batman and fired an energy
blast. Batman flew through the wall.
Batman! cried the girl. He landed on the deck. Upgrades entire gang
surrounded him.
Gee fellows, you sure have a jolly good way of introducing yourselves,
Batman smiled. He got up, as a man opened fire with his machine gun. Batman
dodged the rounds and threw a Batarang into the gun. It exploded and knocked the
man through a crate. A man punched at him. He ducked and knocked him out with
an uppercut. A slender Chinese man ran at him. He had swords instead of hands. He
slashed at Batman multiple times. Batman only managed to dodge each one. The
man jumped behind him and wrapped his arms around him. Batman was
electrocuted.
The man with the chainsaw approached him.
Hold him, Slash. This is payoff, punk, he snarled.

For what, giving you bad prosthetics, Batman said. The man swung at him.
In that split second, Batman grabbed the Chinese mans arms and held them out.
His prosthetic arms were cut off in a single slash.
Arggh! My arms! My arms, he screamed. Batman threw him away just in
time to dodge another slash.
Why wont you stay still? he snarled.
Batman rolled between his legs and kicked him away. A man grabbed a
machine gun and opened fire on him. Batman ran towards him and dropkicked him
into the wall. He jumped in front of two men carrying knives and bashed their heads
together. The man with the chainsaw rushed at Batman and punched him down.
This is your finish, Batman, he smiled, raising his chainsaw. Batman kicked
him between the legs hard. He stumbled back, allowing Batman to get up. He
slashed at Batman one more time. Batman kicked his knee and sidestepped. His
chainsaw cut into a generator. He was electrocuted.
He fell down, unconscious.
Well, I guess that takes care of that, Batman said.
Upgrade walked out of the hole holding the girl by the neck.
Surrender Batman or she takes a little trip to the grave, Upgrade snarled.
Its over, Upgrade. The cops are on their way right now, Batman said.
The girl stepped on the villains foot and elbowed him. He let go of her
stunned.
Lets dance, Upgrade, Batman smiled, bending down. His jetpack came out
and ignited. He flew towards the stunned man and tackled him into the generator
room. Upgrade got up first and picked Batman up. He threw him in the wall. He ran
at Batman. The hero rolled out of the way as he crashed into the wall. Upgrade
walked out unscathed. Batman punched him twice in the face. Upgrade staggered
back but countered with a punch that sent flying into the wall.
Ill crush you, he snarled, turning his right arm into a gatling gun. Batman
took cover as he opened fire.
Did anyone ever tell you that youre a very bad shot? Batman mocked.
Soon enough, he ran out of bullets. Batman jumped out of hiding and kicked
him in the face. He swung at Batmans legs with his gatling gun. Batman jumped
and grabbed the steel pipe. He kicked him in the chest. He turned his arms into long
slim blades. He sliced at Batman. Batman backed up and narrowly dodged it. He
stabbed at Batmans head. Batman caught it barely.
Die already! he snarled.
Batman noticed an exposed generator next to him. He put the blade in there.
Electricity ran through Upgrades body. He flew into a wall. Machines fell on him.
The girl walked up to Batman.
Is he? she started.
No, but he should stay down for a while, Batman sighed.
Im scared, Batman. He.He almost... the girl started.
Dont worry. When the cops get the scraps out, hes going back to Arkham
where he belongs, Batman assured.
Suddenly, he rose from the ground. Most of his human skin was peeled off.
His robotic red left eye was showing.
You havent won yet, punk. My body has been upgraded recently to
withstand any external attacks, he smiled, picking up a steel rod.
Get back, he murmured to the girl.

Upgrade swung at him again. Batman managed to dodge that one but the
second hit threw him against the wall. The antagonist threw the weapon away and
started choking Batman.
Bruce, look to your right. What do you see? Tom asked.
Batman saw a gun.
Looks like a regular gun, Batman murmured.
Its bullets are actually made up of microscopic mechanical shutdown bugs.
They can shut him down, Tom explained.
Batman pulled out a Batarang and stabbed it through his cyborg eye. He let
go.
My eye! he wailed, trying to pull it out. Batman picked up the gun and fired
a bullet straight into his heart.
Upgrade pulled the Batarang out and snapped it in half. He threw a punch at
the protagonist but Batman ducked and countered with two punches to the gut. He
finished with an uppercut. Upgrade reached for Batman again but the teen rolled
out of the way and threw a special Batarang into his stomach.
Do you really think that will stop me? he smiled. Suddenly, a huge sonic
wave threw him into a generator. He was shocked to the bone.
Yeah, I kinda did, Batman said. He aimed his left hand at Batman and fired
an energy blast. Batman dodged it and flipped over a generator, dodging the other
blasts. Batman punched him in the face twice. Upgrade caught Batmans hand
when the hero tried another punch. He picked Batman and slammed him into a
generator. Batman slumped down as Upgrade turned his right arm into a blade.
Say goodbye, Batman, he smiled. Suddenly, he paused. All of the
mechanical traces on his body showed up in bright blue. Upgrades right arm turned
back to normal.
Goodbye, Batman smiled, spitting out blood.
NO! NO! I cant shut down now. Im so close to killing you. NO! he shouted.
All Weapon Systems deactivate, he said plainly as if he were possessed. Full
of anger and contempt and anger, he ran at Batman. Batman knocked him out with
a single punch to the head.
I guess that wraps everything up, Batman said, getting up slowly.
Five minutes later, the whole gang was marching in an armored truck.
Upgrade was carried out on a stretcher. A police officer walked up to Batman.
Dont worry, Bats, Upgrades going back to Arkham to stay. The engineers
there will find a way to remove his weapon attachments without killing him. Thanks,
kid, he said, with a hint of a smile.
Just make sure that rust bucket stays in the big house, will you? Batman
said. The father walked up to Batman.
Batman, how can we ever thank you? You saved our daughters life. There
must be some way we could repay you. You can half of the ransom money, if you
like, he offered.
Just promise me that you wont let your daughter get kidnapped again,
okay? Thats as good as any reward, Batman replied.
I can respect that, but my daughter said that you were almost killed by
Upgrade and his gang, he said.
I almost get killed twice every day, man. Im used to it. Just stay safe,
Batman said, leaping over the railing. He extended his wings and flew away into the
moon.
His wife walked up to him.

Who do you think Batman is, dear? she asked.

Whoever he is behind that mask, hes a good man. Hes a good man, the
father smiled.