Shadow of the Bat Chapter 1: A Dangling String, a kim possible fanfic

--- Hey everyone. In an attempt to bury myself a little deeper, I'm startin' yet another story. This was inspired mainly by Classic Cowboy's Batman fusion, so check that out. Good stuff. Don't expect this one to go the same route though. I'm changin' things up a bit. As always, Batman and Kim Possible are NOT my property and I'm not makin' a cent on this. Enjoy.

Shadow of the Bat

Chapter 1 - A Dangling String

There was a glow to the city all its own. Visible even during the day yet most breathtaking at night. Most would say it was just the streetlights and lit windows that made it shine, but those who lived there would say it was something more. A beacon of hope maybe, or perhaps just a small sign that magic wasn't completely gone from the world. The city of tomorrow; that's what it was called. Cutting edge technology infused every corner of it, almost giving it the feel of some "future world" exhibit at a fair.

However, even the brightest baubles have little flaws in them. Like the one that was slinking its way across the rooftops this very night. It darted from shadow to shadow, its dark shape briefly blotting out the lights it passed in front of. Finally it came to a stop atop one apartment building, crouching down to examine something in its hand.

Four diamonds fell from the small bag into the black gloved hand. Each one about three inches long and cut to resemble small eggs. They were rolled about in the hand for a few seconds, the facets catching what little light got to them, and were then returned to the bag. With an air of satisfaction, the black-clad woman slunk over to the edge and down the fire escape. Like many nights before, she entered through the window into her own apartment with her spoils for the night clutched firmly in her hand.

Something was different this night though. She sensed it almost as soon as she entered; someone else was here. Looking up slowly she caught sight of him a few feet away, lounging casually in her armchair reading a newspaper. The lights were still off leaving most of his upper half in shadow, though it was obvious from the position of the chair that he'd been waiting for her. To her credit she didn't show much surprise, but simply stood as relaxed as she could by the window, waiting to see just what this man wanted.

" 'High profile burglaries continue'," the man finally said, reading a headline from the paper he was holding. " 'Paul Williams Montgomery, eligible Metropolis socialite, reported the theft of his famous jeweled Egyptian cat-god sculpture early Saturday morning. This makes the seventh such burglary in the last three months by the unknown criminal who has been plaguing the wealthy of Metropolis. Each one characterized by the silent entry and exit; and by the message left behind at each scene by the thief. 'With thanks from the Catwoman''."

The man stopped reading, folding the paper in his lap and taking a cigarette from the inside pocket of his jacket. There was a soft click and the woman caught a brief glimpse of his face in the flickering light of a lighter.

"'Catwoman'," the man reiterated, taking a drag on his cigarette. "Bit theatrical, don't you think?"

"It's a theatrical town," she countered, keeping her tone as conversational as his. "You wanna make a name for yourself around here you gotta stand out."

The man chuckled softly, laying the paper on a nearby coffee table.

"Quite so," he agreed, seemingly amused by the conversation. "It does seem to have a certain air of adventure about it. Selina Goh; idle young money chaser by day and professional jewel thief by night. You seem to like to live dangerously, Miss Goh."

"It's worked up till now," Selina shrugged nonchalantly, though her brain was furiously trying to work things out. The man didn't seem like a cop or from the FBI. She hadn't stolen anything from any mob families lately so she guessed it wasn't an enforcer sent to 'give her a message'. But then how did he know her name.

"I'm sure you're wondering just what I'm doing here," he said, as though in answer to her thoughts.

"It did occur to me," she shot back sarcastically, walking slowly toward her drinks cabinet. She made sure to always keep one eye on the stranger even as she poured herself a glass of sherry. Taking a sip she gestured to the bottle in offering, but he only waved his hand in a polite refusal.

"To put it simply, Miss Goh, I wish to hire you. You would obtain some items of my choosing in exchange for 500,000 dollars. Half now and half upon completion." He spoke so evenly and business-like that Selina almost didn't register the payment amount. As it was she barely managed not to spit her drink when she heard it.

"Very generous indeed," she answered after a few seconds. "But why come to me? I don't do jobs for people. If you know who I am I'm sure you already know that."

"Yes, I am aware of that," he nodded. "That is precisely why you are perfect for the job. You see, there will be an element risk in obtaining these items and it is imperative that this risk is not focused on my employer."

"Your employer?" Selina raised an eyebrow at this new piece of information.

"Quite. I am just the go-between as it were. The middle man. I'm sure you understand the necessity for anonymity."

"I suppose so," she conceded with a nod of her head before falling silent for a minute or two as she thought everything over. "Alright, you got yourself a thief." Selina wasn't too happy about working for anyone, let alone someone she'd never seen. For that kind of money though, she was willing to take a chance. "So, just what is this 'risk' you were talking about Mr..."

"Wilson," he supplied, stepping forward a little. The moonlight from the window caught a little more of his face, allowing Selina to see the eye patch that covered one of his eyes. "Tell me, Miss Goh," he said after a moment's pause. "How much do you know about Gotham?"

"Gotham City?" she clarified, getting a confirming nod. "It's a cesspool. One of the highest crime rates in the world, rumors of police corruption as high as the District Attorney, so on and so forth. Basically not the ideal place to live."

"No, indeed not," he agreed, stubbing out his cigarette in the ashtray. "And what have you heard about the Bat?"

Selina almost laughed.

"Big, black demon that's supposed to prowl the rooftops and feed on those it catches. Can fly, melt into shadows and other tabloid crap," she gave a dismissive wave of her hand. "Always sounded like an urban legend to me."

Mr. Wilson gave a soft chuckle, reaching into his jacket to take out a packet of photographs. He dropped them on an endtable in front of Selina before going to stand by the window.

"Oh, it's no urban legend Miss Goh," he said smoothly, looking out at Metropolis as she picked up the packet. "He's quite real and quite a threat. I'm afraid much is still rumor and hearsay, but here are the facts that we have. He appears to only attack known criminals. He's brutal, but we haven't witnessed him kill anyone. There are rumors to the contrary of course, but as I said, these are only the confirmed facts. He's caused major problems for my employer lately and he would like to avoid any further confrontations at the moment."

As he spoke, Selina opened the packet, going through the photos inside. All were rather blurry and grainy, clearly taken from a long distance with a telescopic lens or stills from security videos. Each one had the same dark figure in it, usually in the middle of bludgeoning some unlucky criminal. She couldn't make out any details except for the pointed ears or horns on the top of his head. Everything else was covered by the large cloak he seemed to be wearing, the way it billowed out around him almost giving it the appearance of large bat-like wings.

"As you can see he's quite adept at keeping to the shadows," Wilson said after she'd gone through most of the pictures. "Those are the best shots we have of him and next to nothing is distinguishable. My employer has plans for the items you are to steal and it is essential that this 'Bat' doesn't learn of them or even know that my employer is involved in their thefts."

"So you intend to sic him on me instead," Selina grinned wryly, taking another sip from her drink.

"We've done our homework, Miss Goh," Wilson smiled back. "You are one of the best thieves available right now. If anyone can slip by him, it's you."

"Well, I do always love a challenge."

"And a challenge it will be, I assure you," he answered, walking back over to her. "Whoever he is, he is not like the 'guardian angel' of this city. So far you've kept off his radar by keeping your jobs small and scattered so he's overlooked you in favor of the larger problems. The Bat will NOT overlook you. I suggest the utmost care on this endeavor, Miss Goh. This man is not to be taken lightly."

"Don't worry Wilson," she grinned, her cocky attitude asserting itself in the face of a challenge. "I've got a few surprises of my own."

Mr. Wilson looked at her for a second before grinning. He took another envelope out of his jacket, handing it to her. Straightening his suit, he retrieved his paper and turned to leave.

"I'm sure you do Miss Goh. I'm sure you do."

With that he exited through the front door, leaving Selina alone once again. She tore open the envelope, taking out the contents and reading through it. A room had been reserved for her at one of the better hotels and an account set up in her name with the first half of her money in it. There was also a list of what she would be stealing and where they would be found.

"Welp," Selina sighed to herself, "cesspool, here I come." Setting the papers aside she stripped out of her tight black outfit and went to stand at the open window. She closed her eyes, enjoying the feel of the slight breeze on her skin. A trimmer of excitement ran through her as she thought about the upcoming job. The money had been a nice compensation, but the revelations concerning this 'Bat' character was what really sparked her anticipation.

Selina had always loved expensive things. She didn't sell a lot of the stuff she took, keeping much of it simply so she could own it. The sparkles from a diamond or the smooth curves of a sculpture; she loved it. However, the main draw of what she did was the thrill. The feeling of getting in and out without getting caught. To read the headlines the next day and know that she'd gotten away with it. That was her real addiction, and this 'Bat' looked to add a whole new dimension to that thrill.

Wilson had been as good as his word. The apartment was in the best part of town and was quite luxurious. Of course the ride there from the airport had only reinforced her labeling of the city as a "cesspool". The whole of Gotham seemed to have a layer of grime over it that wouldn't scrub off; the buildings jutting into the sky as though they themselves were trying to escape the place. Even the office buildings seemed to have a gothic quality to them and Selina half-expected to see gargoyles perched on the ledges, glaring down at her.

For now though she shoved all thoughts of Gotham from her mind as she collapsed onto the large, fluffy bed. A nap was the first priority on her list, and then she'd see to getting the layout of this city. She knew the geography of the place already, thanks to Wilson's maps and blueprints. No, she'd be feeling out the social layout; who's important, who's powerful and, most importantly, who's stupid.

Selina never held it against the wealthy if they were slightly air-headed. After all, that was one of reasons she was able to live like she did. She'd made quite a name for herself within the social hierarchy despite her dubious origins. Most knew her for what she was; a money chaser. She wasn't looking for marriage or love, just a few months of cars, shopping, jewelry; a trophy-girlfriend.

And most were fine with that. They'd take her to all the social functions and throw money away on her knowing she'd leave eventually. It was actually something of a bragging point for rich young men to compare how long she'd stuck around. The longer the time the greater the prestige. Selina took great pride in her status. After all, many in her position would have ended up shunned by society after the accident that had left her with the pale green complexion she now sported. But Selina had refused to hide away. She'd flaunted her "deformity" and turned it into something exotic; something to be intrigued over rather than disgusted.

Selina smiled to herself as she began to doze off on the bed. She'd never have admitted it, but she HAD been growing a little tired of the Metropolis crowd. It would be nice to have some fresh meat to play with. With a final contented sigh she snuggled deeper into her pillow and in seconds was fast asleep.

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The darkness behind her eyes suddenly broke apart and rushed around her in a gust of leathery little wings. Flashes of a larger shape kept appearing through the swirling mass of little black things, the same shape but larger. The wings of the large shape flapped slower, kicking up a wind that swept Selina off her feet and sent her tumbling into the mass of fluttering black.

She fell through empty air, swirling about as though blown by winds. No, not winds. Like she was sliding. Yes, a long slide with sudden dips that spun her around until it sent her tumbling onto the ground that was just as black as the air she'd fallen through.

"Air can't have a color silly."

The voice came from nowhere. She looked for it, glancing up at the black flapping things that now glinted like glass. Little flapping shards of glass that fell from the sky; falling together to make a mirror right in front of her. Mirror-Selina smiled back at her, face painted white like a clown.

"Silly rabbit."

The voice came from her reflection, but it wasn't hers. This voice was lower; a man's. Mirror-Selina seemed to find this funny for she started laughing, still with the man's voice. It started low and built to a full force guffaw. But this wasn't real laughter. It wasn't a happy sound. The laugh was twisted and strained, as though Mirror-Selina had no choice but to laugh. Like it was being ripped from her throat by invisible hands. Her reflection's eyes were wide open, tears leaking from them and down her face that was still twisted in a horrible mockery of a smile. Whether she was crying from mirth or despair, Selina could not tell. Suddenly her view was cut off, the large shape from before rearing up in front of her out of nothingness. Selina tried to scream, but the horrible laughter drowned her out. The dark shape bore down on her, large leathery wings sweeping up to engulf her, to consume her, to...

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With a start Selina woke up, still sweating slightly from the dream. It took her a few seconds to remember where she was and what was going on. Finally pulling herself together she shook her head to dispel the leftover jittery feeling that was playing up and down her spine. A glance at the clock told her she'd been sleeping for about three hours.

"Okay," she sighed to herself, sitting up on the bed. "Just a stupid dream. Get up and do some work."

Soon she was seated on the couch, drink in hand as she read through that day's paper. She skipped over the murder and theft reports, focusing on articles about charity balls and the political figures. A few Google cross-checks later and Selina had herself a working "Who's Who" list of Gotham City.

Of course one name she didn't even have to check up on. Everyone knew the name of the richest woman in Gotham and one of the richest in the world. Kimberly Ann Possible. Probably one of the most covered news stories since O.J. Kimberly Possible, wiz kid daughter to Doctors James and Anne Possible, husband and wife founders of Possible Industries. Formerly a small medical company, now a huge business that dabbled in everything from weapons to windmills. The family was riding high until the tragic deaths of the two parents. The company floundered, but recovered. Little Kimberly didn't seem to be as lucky. The once bright star of the Possible legacy seemed to blink out overnight, none of the grand expectations for her ever coming to pass. Now she was little more than a trendier Paris Hilton. A regular in the papers for incident after incident and the butt of the joke for many a late night talk show host.

'Pretty though,' Selina thought to herself as she examined the photo of the wealthy red-head. She wasn't sure what it was, but something about the woman seemed different than the other society bimbos that Selina was used to dealing with. Not quite as airbrushed maybe; less phony looking. She couldn't really put her finger on it.

Shrugging it off Selina checked Wilson's list of locations again. One of the items was going to be on display at the Gotham Museum of Art this week. This stirred a thought in the thief and she began flipping back through the newspaper looking for an article she'd seen. Sure enough, there was the announcement of a party for all the well-to-do of Gotham right there in the museum.

"Besides raising donations for the museum, this gathering will also introduce its newest exhibits. Several archaeological discoveries brought back by noted historian and scientist, Victor Lipsky Drakken from his latest expedition."

Selina didn't bother reading any more of the article. This would be a perfect opportunity to scout out the museum a little from the inside and have a little fun while doing it. After all, she'd been thinking of sticking around Gotham for a little while after the job was done to play around amidst the city's elite. She might as well get a head start.

Checking the clock Selina stood up to get ready to go out. She had just enough time for and evening of hard shopping to prepare for the party tomorrow. Getting in wouldn't be a problem. If she couldn't charm herself an invitation it would be child's play to slip in past the security. Riding down the elevator to the lobby, Selina left the building, pausing a moment to look around at the city. With dusk just creeping over Gotham and the streetlights casting deformed shadows on the walls and sidewalks, it actually wasn't too hard to imagine a giant bat-monster stalking about the rooftops.

Selina shook her head, chastising herself for letting her imagination run away with her. Hailing a taxi she headed off for the shops. High above the street a dark figure paused briefly to look down at the departing cab, and then in a swirl of its black cloak, was gone.

To be continued...

--- Well, hope I've sparked some interest. I'll try to get the next chapter up soon.