Starting With Batman

Agent Ivan Petrov, after completing yet another routine inspection, walked back through the sleek, sterile corridors of the Ninth Special Service Division's mothership. The hum of the ship's engines resonated faintly beneath his feet, the cold metal walls gleaming under the artificial lights.

Since the day he had crushed the parasitic entity that had separated from his body, Ivan's life had been filled with endless tests—both physical and psychological. His body, though seemingly normal on the outside, had become a subject of great interest. Every few days, he was required to return to the mothership for routine checkups. And then there was Professor Miyazaki, the old trickster, who would call him at random times to run even more tests. Lately, Miyazaki had opened a new file specifically for Ivan, filled with data points, detailed analyses, and endless hypotheses about his condition.

Today's return to the mothership, however, wasn't for one of those ability tests that Miyazaki loved so much. No, today was even worse—it was a psychological evaluation. A series of mind-numbing questions meant to assess his mental state, which left Ivan bored out of his skull. It was the kind of test that had him wondering if falling asleep halfway through would affect his results. By the time he finished, his mind felt as heavy as a lead weight.

As soon as he stepped into his office, the first thing Ivan did was pull out a cigarette from his jacket pocket. With a flick of his lighter, the cigarette glowed, and he took a long, satisfying drag. Exhaling slowly, he sank into his recliner, crossing his legs and letting his body relax for the first time that day. The faint smell of tobacco filled the room, mixing with the cold, sterile air of the mothership.

"Smoking on an aircraft isn't the best habit," came a low, gravelly voice from behind him.

Ivan flinched, nearly jumping out of his seat. His reflexes kicked in before his mind could process what had just happened. His body tensed, his muscles coiling like springs, ready to react to any danger. But when he turned, he saw Batman standing there, shrouded in shadows, like a ghost that had materialized out of thin air. His cape billowed ever so slightly, his figure blending with the dim lighting of the room.

Despite himself, Ivan's heart skipped a beat. Even after all this time, Batman still had the ability to surprise him. The man's presence was practically otherworldly—silent, unpredictable, always watching.

"You..." Ivan began, his voice still shaky from the sudden adrenaline rush. "What are you doing here?"

Ivan knew Batman was infamous for his ability to slip in and out of places unseen, but this was different. This was the Ninth Special Service Division's mothership—one of the only five such aircraft carriers in the world, and widely regarded as the safest place on Earth. Sure, the ship had been compromised recently, but even so, the security system was online now. It should have been impenetrable. Yet here Batman stood, having entered without triggering a single alarm.

But Ivan wasn't a stranger to Batman's methods. He quickly composed himself, letting the initial shock wash away. With a smirk, he leaned back in his recliner, taking another leisurely puff from his cigarette.

"Dr. Hines said today that they've upgraded every part of the mothership's security system," Ivan said, exhaling smoke lazily. "He assured everyone that no one could get in this time. Guess I'll have to tell him he was wrong."

His smirk widened as he gestured to the room around them. "So, tell me, how did you get in here? Did we leave a vent unsealed? Or maybe you slipped in through the ductwork? You know what, don't answer that. I don't really want to know."

He waved his hand dismissively, his tone playful, though his eyes remained curious. Ivan always had a habit of teasing Batman, poking fun at the serious, brooding figure.

"I'm guessing you had everything turned off before you strolled in. Monitoring equipment, sensors—the works. But aren't you worried I'll just call security and have you arrested? After all, I'm still an agent of the Ninth, and you…" Ivan paused for effect, taking another drag before blowing out the smoke, "…are just a lunatic in a bat costume who's snuck into our headquarters."

He met Batman's intense gaze, half-expecting some sort of comeback. Instead, Batman remained stone-faced, his cold eyes never wavering. Behind the mask, Charlie Cooper suppressed a small chuckle at Ivan's banter, but Batman's stoic image remained intact.

"Something was stolen from the Ninth Division last night," Batman said, his voice deep and measured. "Evidence a086. What do you know about it?"

Ivan's playful smirk didn't fade, but there was a glint of seriousness in his eyes as he heard the mention of the stolen evidence. He took another puff from his cigarette, exhaling slowly.

"Why don't you just use your magical little bat computer and check our servers? They're one floor down. Take a left at the B3 sector, and you'll find them at the end of the corridor. Everything you need is right there," he said, half-joking. But his smile faltered as he saw the intensity in Batman's gaze. "Wait… you didn't already hack into the server, did you?"

Batman's response was as cold and direct as ever. "The server only has basic information—the location where evidence a086 was found, along with some test data. There's no information on what it's used for or why someone would want to steal it."

Ivan blinked, then looked down at his watch. When he raised his eyes back to Batman, his expression was one of disbelief. "The mothership took off half an hour ago," he said in a tone that was equal parts confusion and awe. "Are you telling me you snuck in, hacked our server, and got back up here in half an hour?"

Charlie, still in full Batman mode, remained silent, but on the inside, he found Ivan's reaction amusing. Half an hour? More like a few minutes, Charlie thought to himself. As for hacking the server, it had been child's play. The system had folded like a deck of cards, and the firewall had barely put up a fight. If Ivan thought the Ninth's security was cutting-edge, he clearly didn't understand what kind of tech Batman had access to.

"Exhibit a086," Batman repeated, his tone unchanging. "What is it for? Why would anyone want it?"

Ivan leaned back in his chair, taking a long, thoughtful drag of his cigarette. After a pause, he exhaled and said, "If you want to know about that, you're asking the wrong guy. I don't know." He paused, then added with a slight shrug, "Or maybe I should say no one knows."

His playful demeanor faded, replaced by something more serious. "The information you found on the server—that's all we have. It's just a brick. A weird-looking one, sure, but still just a brick. It wasn't even a secret. A lot of agents saw it sitting in storage."

Ivan took another puff of his cigarette, his brow furrowing slightly as he continued. "It was dug up and handed over to the Ninth Division as evidence of infection, but Miyazaki tested it and confirmed it wasn't dangerous. It's a Category III artifact."

"Category III," Batman echoed.

Ivan nodded. "Yeah. It's classified as something with characteristics similar to an infection source, but not actually dangerous. We've had plenty of items like that come through our doors. Some of them are just everyday objects that happened to be near an infection site. Most of them end up gathering dust in storage."

"But clearly, someone cares about this one," Batman said, his voice as sharp as ever.

"Yeah, but for the life of me, I can't imagine why," Ivan replied, running a hand through his hair. "To me, it's just a fancy brick. I don't see what else it could be used for."

He paused for a moment, his brow furrowing. "If there's anything special about it, it's that it was retrieved by Link during his last mission."

"Link?" Batman asked, the name clearly unfamiliar to him.

Ivan chuckled. "Ah, so there's something you don't know after all."

He flicked the ash from his cigarette into the tray beside him. "Link used to be the captain of the Security Bureau's operations team, back before the Ninth Division existed. The guy was a legend. Everyone looked up to him. He was like a living legend, the poster boy for every young agent."

Ivan's expression darkened slightly. "But then, one day, he betrayed us."

"Betrayed?" Batman's voice remained level, but the intensity in his eyes was undeniable.

"Yeah. No one knows why," Ivan said with a heavy sigh. "It happened during an excavation mission. He killed all of his colleagues on-site and then disappeared, just like that. The Security Bureau was reorganized into the Ninth Division after that, but no one's seen or heard from him since. He's still the number one name on our most-wanted list."

"And this artifact was something he recovered before his disappearance?" Batman asked.

Ivan nodded. "Yep. It's been sitting in storage ever since. No one's figured out what it's for. But now, for some reason, someone wants it."

As Ivan spoke, something else clicked in his mind. "By the way, we've identified the group behind the attack on the mothership yesterday. They call themselves the 'Dead.'"

"The Dead," Batman repeated, the words sinking in.

"Yeah, we don't have much information on them yet, but we traced the plane they used. It's a ten-year-old' Water Snake' jet, funded by a company called Sloan Technology."

"Sloan Technology," Batman repeated, mentally filing the name away for further investigation.

Ivan took another long drag from his cigarette. "We've sent agents to check the company out, but so far, we've come up empty. Still, my gut tells me there's something fishy about them."

Ivan flicked his cigarette butt into the ashtray and reached for a new one, lighting it with ease. "Look, Bat, I'm not giving you this information for free. I know you're going to dig deeper into this, and when you do, I've got one condition. You take me with you."

He took a drag, smoke curling around him, before adding, "We do this together."

But when he looked up, Batman was gone. The shadows in the room had swallowed him whole, leaving Ivan alone once more.

Ivan blinked, then let out a long, exasperated sigh. He leaned back into his chair and muttered to himself.

"Figures…"

If you're enjoying the story, want to support my work even further, and want to get early access to chapters, please check out my Patron at Patreon.com/OneSword

Free Members can read up to 5 chapters in advance.
Posted up to 60+ Chapters

Thank you, and Sword out!