The chase began immediately. The diamond necklace—a historic piece called The Serpent's Eye—was being transported from the Wayne Manor gala to the highly secured Gotham Bank and Trust vault via an unmarked armored truck.
Batman sped toward the downtown district in the Batmobile Mark I, his Apex Predator instincts guiding him through the dense traffic. His focus was absolute; the System was running full diagnostics, anticipating every possible route Selina Kyle might take.
> [OBJECTIVE: Intercept and Secure Stolen Property (The Serpent's Eye)]
> Target: Selina Kyle (Catwoman).
> Trait Usage: Apex Predator (Tracking/Evasion), Master of Disguise (Predicting urban movement).
The Ambush
The armored truck, flanked by GCPD outriders, moved slowly across the East End bridge.
Suddenly, a massive power surge hit the bridge. All the streetlights blinked out, plunging the area into blackness.
"EMP device deployed," Batman muttered, recognizing the precise, non-destructive signature of the attack. He knew Selina didn't have the tech for that. She's working with someone, he realized. Someone who wants to test the Bat.
The attack was a lure. Batman didn't focus on the truck. He looked up.
Perched atop the central suspension cable of the bridge, silhouetted against the weak moon, was Catwoman. She wore a custom, high-tech version of her catsuit, her goggles gleaming.
She tossed a small, specialized climbing tool onto the roof of the armored truck, attaching a high-tensile zip-line. Her partner—a figure lurking in the shadows, likely the source of the EMP—provided cover.
Batman burst from the gloom in the Batmobile. He didn't use the cannon. He used the newly installed Micro-Adhesive Polymer Launcher (Lucius Fox's "Advanced Scientific Toy Line").
WHOOSH! A single shot of high-grade, fast-curing polymer hit the cable just above Selina, hardening instantly and locking her zip-line in place. She was stuck halfway to her target.
"Sloppy, Selina," Batman's modulated voice boomed over the urban noise.
Catwoman pulled a specialized blade, slicing her line free, but the seconds were lost. She tumbled down onto the roof of a moving elevated train, landing with the effortless grace of her namesake..
The Rooftop Ballet
The chase moved vertical. Batman launched himself from the Batmobile using the Grappling Launcher, propelling himself to the rooftop level.
He landed on the roof of a tenement building just as Selina was sprinting across. She wasn't just fast; her movements were entirely unpredictable—acrobatic feints, sudden halts, and leaps that defied physics.
She wasn't running away; she was running a route.
"The game is over, Cat," Batman growled, closing the gap quickly, the Apex Predator trait allowing him to move without wasted motion. "Hand over the necklace."
"Where's the fun in that, Bat?" she teased, vaulting over a chimney stack. "You just spent eight years learning to punch. I spent eight years learning to play.".
She made a sudden, impossible leap to a neighboring building, missing the landing by an inch. She didn't fall; she caught the gutter edge with one hand and swung up, her agility her truest weapon..
Batman countered, deploying a second Grappling Launcher from his other wrist, calculating the trajectory instantly using his DEX and The Detective trait. He used both lines to achieve a massive, arcing leap, landing directly in front of her..
The confrontation was immediate and intimate.
Selina didn't fight to win; she fought to distract. She aimed a rapid, non-lethal kick to his chest—a classic Muay Thai feint. Batman effortlessly deflected it, but in the microsecond of contact, Selina used her free hand to swipe at his utility belt.
She's not after my tools; she's after my attention, Batman realized.
She delivered a dizzying, acrobatic combination of strikes, all designed to make him move, to make him focus on her body rather than the prize.
"You're fast," she admitted, her breath coming in rapid, sharp bursts. "But you're too heavy. Too serious. Too committed."
She twisted, breaking his concentration, and then made her move: she threw a small flash bomb at his feet, designed to overload the visual sensors in his cowl..
Batman reacted instantly, dropping his guard for a half-second to brace for the visual overload, trusting his armor.
It was enough time for her.
She didn't run. She lunged, wrapping her arms around his neck, pulling the cowl down just enough to expose the lower half of his face.
Then, she pressed her lips against his.
The kiss was sharp, electric, and utterly unexpected—a moment of raw, human connection amidst the chaos of the chase. It was a direct injection of pure, chaotic emotion that bypassed his Iron Will and his System.
Selina broke the kiss, her eyes twinkling with triumph and reckless abandon.
"That's for the playboy," she whispered, her lips inches from his..
And then, she vanished.
Bruce, momentarily stunned by the sheer audacity and the unexpected flood of human contact, felt the sharp, physical reminder of the chase returning. He found her trace—a faint scent of expensive leather and jasmine—and a single item missing from his utility belt.
Not a Batarang. Not the Sonic Disruptor. The diamond necklace.
Selina, using the split second of the kiss, had managed to swap the case she was carrying for a specialized pouch on his own belt—a stunning display of misdirection and sleight of hand.
The Message
Batman found the discarded pouch Catwoman had been carrying. Inside, instead of the necklace, was a small, delicate note.
> "You tasted like Gotham and regret. Find me when you learn how to smile. P.S. The Serpent's Eye is going to a much better home. Tell the bored billionaire I sent him a thank you gift."
Bruce returned to the Batcave, the diamond necklace gone, but his mission successful in a way the System hadn't predicted. He had established the terms of their dynamic: a never-ending chase, complicated by a powerful, volatile mutual attraction.
He sent the coordinates of the EMP device to Gordon, and then sat at the Batcomputer console, pulling off the cowl. His face was set, cold, and calculating, but his mind was racing.
> [XP Gained: High-Level Emotional/Physical Engagement \rightarrow +50 XP]
> Level Progress: 235/350 XP (Level 7 \rightarrow Level 8).
He then analyzed the EMP device's signature. It was custom, untraceable, and highly complex.
"Alfred," Bruce said, his voice flat. "The EMP device was a WayneTech prototype I specifically requested Lucius destroy three years ago. It has a complex, logic-based self-destruct key."
"Meaning?" Alfred inquired.
"Meaning Selina has a brilliant partner," Bruce stated, running a forensic scan on the note. He had a few stray hairs caught on his suit.
"And I have a new mystery to solve." He then added, almost reluctantly, "And Alfred... I need you to procure some entirely tasteless cologne for the Playboy. I think I need to ruin the scent of jasmine."
The war for Gotham was now being fought on the rooftops, in the shadows, and, much to Batman's annoyance, in his own complicated heart.