"No, you're wrong."
Adrian stared coldly at Batman on the screen. His voice was calm, but every word carried weight.
"I don't hate this world. I just see its problems more clearly than any of you. I'm exposing the truth bit by bit, and that truth makes you uncomfortable."
He walked closer to the screen, his eyes fixed on Batman.
"What is the real reason Gotham is drowning in corruption and crime? You know it better than anyone. The wealthy elites pushed this city into the fire, yet they blame the poor for not putting it out fast enough. At night you act like a vigilante, and during the day you live like one of the very people responsible for this mess. Why don't you step down from that position and judge yourself first?"
Batman lowered his head. For a moment, he said nothing.
Adrian's expression hardened.
"And the Joker. You love him, don't you?"
"What?"
"You hide in this broken city just for him. You watch him kill innocent people again and again, and you still keep playing this twisted game with him. You enjoy having an archenemy, but how many lives have been lost because of it?"
"No," Batman murmured, still looking down. "You know that isn't true."
Adrian continued without hesitation.
"You're selfish, Batman. You hide in the darkness and ignore the people around you. You don't even care about the family you've built. You've taken in children and turned them into soldiers, yet you still call yourself a protector. One of them died, and you still refuse to admit what you've done."
Batman's fists tightened. The sound of leather gloves creaking filled the room.
"Your parents died and left you alone," Adrian said quietly. "So what excuse do you have for failing the people who depended on you?"
Batman suddenly lost control.
"Aah!"
He slammed his fist into the wall with all his strength. Even through the screen, Adrian could feel the rage behind the blow.
"This is who you really are," Adrian said coldly. "You lose control the moment someone tells you the truth. If you can't understand what others go through, stop pretending to be a hero. Keep hiding, Batman. When I find you, I will kill you."
Adrian turned away.
"Wait!"
Batman raised his blood-stained hand.
"What, you still have something to say?"
"You're right, Adrian."
Batman slowly lifted his head. His voice was quiet, almost broken.
"If I had your power, my methods would probably be the same. I would force peace on the world too. But you should be better than me."
Adrian did not answer. He looked at Batman for a moment, then walked away without another word.
Wonder Woman quickly caught up with him.
"I didn't expect you to say that much to him," Diana said.
"Do you know him well?" Adrian asked.
"We know each other," she replied with a shrug. "We've only worked together a few times. Mostly dealing with supernatural threats. But someone else knows him much better."
"Who?"
"A woman from the future." Diana exhaled softly, clearly irritated by the subject. "Anyway, how do you know Batman so well?"
Adrian was silent for a moment.
"I always make an effort to understand my enemies."
"No," Diana said immediately. "That's not the real answer. You talk about killing him, but you understand him better than anyone. At some point, you must have trusted him."
Adrian said nothing.
---
Gotham City.
"He's just pretending."
A female voice echoed through a dark alley.
Catwoman stepped deeper into the shadows, her boots making soft sounds against the wet pavement. Not far from her, a man lay on the ground. A pool of blood had already dried beside him.
An expensive handbag was lying open nearby. Makeup and small personal items were scattered across the ground, mixed with a few bullets. A black cat circled the corpse, curious but calm.
She knew the man.
His name was Joey Gayton. A few years ago he had been a mechanic. Then the economy collapsed. He lost his job, then his house. After that, survival became the only thing that mattered.
People like him were everywhere now. Compared to the rich men in expensive suits who destroyed lives without consequence, he had only committed small crimes just to survive.
But survival had not been enough.
Catwoman knelt beside him and sighed quietly. She searched through the handbag, then shook her head.
"You weren't a monster," she muttered. "You just stole wallets and handbags from cars. That's all. And for that, someone stabbed you and left you here to die."
She stood up and fired her grappling line.
A moment later, she was soaring through the air. The wind rushed past her face as the city lights flickered below. Every night felt heavier than the one before. Fear ruled the streets now, not just for criminals, but for everyone.
She landed on a rooftop and immediately crouched when she saw a patrol moving below. Military police walked slowly along the street, weapons ready. Only after they disappeared did she move again.
Catwoman dropped down to a first-floor window of a large house. After cutting the glass carefully, she slipped inside.
The interior was luxurious. Expensive furniture, polished floors, paintings that probably cost more than an entire neighborhood.
"Well, this guy definitely didn't earn his money honestly," she said quietly. "People lose their homes, and people like him get richer every year."
She moved a painting on the wall. Behind it was a hidden safe.
Catwoman removed the metal necklace around her neck and used it to open the lock. Within seconds, the safe clicked open.
"This is what real crime looks like."
Inside were stacks of money and expensive jewelry. She nodded with satisfaction.
"These will help Joey's family. And the rest, I'm keeping."
"Catwoman."
The familiar voice made her freeze.
She turned slowly.
Adrian was standing behind her.
She did not even know when he had entered the room.
Carrying the bag over her shoulder, she forced a small smile. "Hi, Adrian. Are you here to help? This bag is heavier than it looks."
Before he could answer, a man in pajamas ran down the stairs with a gun in his hand.
"What is going on here?"
"Damn it," Selina muttered.
She jumped out the window immediately. Her rope was already secured, so she dropped quickly into the night.
But Adrian was faster.
He descended from the sky and caught her effortlessly before she could reach the ground. They landed softly on the street below.
"It looks like you still haven't escaped me, Selina," he said calmly.
She stepped away from him and adjusted her gloves.
"Just to be clear, I'm not giving back anything I took."
"You haven't contacted me recently," Adrian replied. "I remember our agreement hasn't ended yet."
Selina hesitated.
"I've just been... confused," she admitted.
"Confused about what?"
She looked straight into his eyes.
"What if someone with god-like power suddenly decides to punish an entire city? Criminals are disappearing every night, but innocent people are dying too. Some people call you a savior, but the people who worship you don't understand what they're doing. They think killing criminals makes them righteous."
She sighed.
"They don't even know what real evil looks like. That man back there is evil. Not Joey. Not the people stealing food or wallets just to survive. Sometimes I don't know if what you're doing is right or wrong anymore."
Adrian remained calm.
"Maybe things are getting worse," she continued. "Maybe they're getting better. That's why I'm lost."
She stepped closer to him.
"You're already leading this war, Adrian. Just don't forget the people you said you wanted to protect. Millions of people have lost everything because of corporations and banks. They're the real victims."
"I know," Adrian said quietly. "I know exactly who created this world."
Selina finally relaxed and hugged him tightly.
"I was scared you had changed," she whispered. "The old you would never have targeted ordinary people."
"I haven't changed."
He looked at her for a long moment.
"Come with me to Metropolis."
Her expression shifted immediately.
"So you want me to join you?"
"You could see it that way."
She shook her head.
"I can't leave Gotham yet. There are still things I need to do here."
Adrian glanced at the dark city around them.
"This place is still dangerous."
"I know how to survive," she replied with a faint smile. "So what now? Are you going to arrest me?"
"Not today."
"That's good. I'm heading to an orphanage next. If you're free, you can come with me."
Adrian paused.
Memories from his previous life surfaced unexpectedly, and for a moment he said nothing. Then he nodded.
Together, they walked through the streets of Gotham.
After a while, Selina spoke again.
"You know the first time I ever ate pizza was at that orphanage. There was a woman working there named Brubaker. She was a little overweight but always cheerful. She treated us like real people."
Her voice grew quieter.
"Later I ended up in juvenile detention. That's where I really understood how cruel the world is. I was thirteen when I found out the administrator was stealing money. When he realized I knew, he tried to kill me. He put me in a sack and threw me into the river."
She glanced at Adrian.
"Do you know what happened next?"
"You survived," he said.
She smiled faintly.
"I escaped. Then I went back to the orphanage and stole the documents proving his crimes. I used them to threaten him until he removed my name from the city records. After that, I stole his diamond necklace and disappeared."
The two of them kept walking through the quiet streets of Gotham, the city lights reflecting in the distance, neither of them speaking for a long time.