🎶🎶HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE✨✨

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The sleek, black material of Bruce's prototype nano Batsuit clung to his form like a second skin when he donned it. The suit was a work of art, the result of years of rigorous design and many variations. Its nanotech weave provided remarkable flexibility and suppleness, molding itself to his movements smoothly.

He had spent the last three years developing it, painstakingly testing and refining the design. But there is still so much improvement needed before he could call it perfect. Still, it was a marvel of engineering, offering not just protection but also enhanced strength, agility, and integrated weaponry. There is no need for a utility belt anymore. Even the cape was made of nanoparticles, allowing it to morph into different shapes and retractable when not in use.

His eyes went toward the screen. Someone has lit up the Bat signal. It's around the harbor area. Time to go out. He took a deep breath, activating the helmet feature. The nanoparticles shifted, forming a mask over his face. His eyes gleamed red, "Let's take the new Batmobile for a spin." He headed to the garage, climbing into the state-of-the-art vehicle.

The Batmobile was another masterpiece, equipped with the latest in technology, including a powerful engine, advanced stealth mode, weapons, and self-driving capabilities. It's different from the ones he has launched in the market. He has designed this one completely differently, incorporating his Bat suit's nanotechnology weave. The car was lighter, faster, and more maneuverable, even capable of splitting into two motorcycles.

Bruce activated the stealth mode, gliding through the streets, speeding toward the harbor. The city is peaceful tonight, except for the Bat signal. There must be trouble brewing. The night street was deserted. It's almost 3:30 AM. He accelerated, arriving at the harbor within minutes.

He leaped out of the Batmobile, "Jarvis take over the car."

"Affirmative," the AI, acknowledged, taking control.

Bruce used his bat claws to zip onto the roof of the warehouse where the bat signal was lit. He peered down, spotting Commissioner Alice and a few officers. He swung down, landing on his feet, "What's going on?"

It's been a year or so since he and Alice teamed up. She was a competent commissioner, trustworthy, and honest. They have worked on many cases together. Her red short hair shone under the Bat signal's light. She is wearing her signature cap and tactical glasses he made for her. It's already wintertime. Visible air came out of her lips as she exhaled, "Batman, glad you came. There has been a report of drug trafficking. We tracked them here. But they took hostages..."

"The workers?" He asked, analyzing the area.

Alice nodded, "Yes, twenty workers are trapped inside the warehouse. The one on the far end with the newly painted red door. We tried to negotiate, but they are not responding. They threatened to kill them all if we entered. Batman, I hate to ask, but..."

He put his hand on her shoulder, "I got this. Surround the escape points and wait for my signal." Bruce leaped away, using his cape, he flew toward the warehouse under the foggy sky.

He snuck in through a skylight, his infrared vision activated. The workers are tied up in the corner, guarded by a dozen armed men. Bruce narrowed his eyes, analyzing the area. There are barrels of chemicals and drugs stacked around. And the weapons they are using are all foreign. He scanned the guns and ran a code scan, but it came out blank. These weapons are not from any major gun dealers, someone new has made them.

He marked the twelve thugs and traced their patrolling paths. The info appeared in his visor.

He descended from the skylight in a stealthy glide, using his cloak's adaptive nanotech to blend in with the shadows. The thugs' talk resonated around the warehouse, diverting their focus away from the hostages.

Batman appeared behind one of the twelve thugs. He was trying to light up his cig, unaware of the shadow creeping up on him. He grabbed his mouth from behind and pulled him into the shadows, snapping his neck and hiding his body behind the stacks of barrels. Then he moved on to the next guy, and the next, silent as a ghost. It was a dimly lit place which made it easier to hide them.

With his clocked suit, it was easy to sneak behind them and snap the life out of them, hiding their bodies. He used the holographic projection to hide the dead, just to be sure, and replace them with a fake projection of themselves. Four down, eight to go.

He zipped on the ceiling and controlled the projection to divide the remaining thugs.

He called the one at the back, "Hey, man, you got a lighter?"

"Huh? Ya," The scrawny guy walked up to the projection, "Here you go, and hey, give me a cig, would ya?"

"Sure!" Batman used his bat claw to pull him up and before he could scream, the nanoparticles formed small blades on his armguard and his head flew off. His character was also replaced by a new projection.

One down, seven to go.

"Guys, I think I just heard something near the barrels, maybe I should go check..."

"It's probably rats," One of the thugs retorted, "Stay at your post."

"No, I got this..."

"Nah, I will go with him. Two sets of eyes are better than one. You guys keep watching the hostages. I don't want the Bats or GCPD interfering."

The two of them walked toward the stacks of barrels where Batman had hidden the dead bodies. But the projection was too good.

He watched them walk straight to them and stop. They stared at the projected floor, confused. A small rat appeared near the real thug's feet, "See, I told ya, dumbass, it's just a rat..."

Just then Batman used poison darts from the ceiling. It was quick. Two of them died in seconds and fell down into the heap of dead bodies hidden from the naked eyes and they were also replaced with fake projections.

Five to go.

Batman used the same tactics to isolate them one after another. The projections were so realistic, that it almost felt like the original. He disposed of three thugs without a fuss, and then the remaining two, a man and a woman, who stood in the middle, back-to-back.

'Well, need to take at least two of them alive for the questioning,' he thought. 'I got an idea.'

He manipulated the projections and surrounded the two alive thugs, pointing their weapons at them. He watched their reaction. The lady's lips quivered, her fingers shaking, and her partner too was confused, thinking why their own allies were pointing their weapons at them.

"Drop the guns," One of the projected thugs spoke in a cold tone.

"What the fuck you think you fuckers are doing? Boss will skin you all alive..." The guy shouted in rage.

"Drop the gun. Last chance," The projected thug lifted his weapon, aiming at him.

"Alright, fine, have it your way," He slowly placed his weapon on the ground and stood up, arms raised, his partner too followed suit.

"Now, go, stand near the door," He spoke and they did as they were told.

Batman scanned the drugs, chemicals, and the thugs. "Jarvis, sending the data. Run a scan." Then he signaled Alice through the comms, "Get ready. You can enter now."

Within a minute, the Special Force team entered the warehouse and the projection was dismantled. They took the baffled thugs into their custody and rescued the hostages.

"Thank you," Alice thanked him with her usual warm smile.

"Get them talking and let me know, or I will interrogate them my way. I don't want any new or old gangs to stir up trouble within my city," Batman hissed and zipped away in the shadows.

She stood there, staring at the emptiness, thinking about how many innocent people would have lost their lives without Batman's intervention. This was not the first time he had done something like this, and not the last.

'I wonder what he looks like under that mask.' She grinned, knowing she wouldn't get an answer until the day he decided to show his true face.

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