> "Homelander!"
Catwoman gasped, startled — but unlike Batman, her shock carried more surprise and delight than anger and alarm.
She hadn't expected Homelander to show up now of all times.
Was he here to protect her… from Batman?
---
> "Homelander, you need to stop."
Batman recovered quickly, his voice hard as iron, his gaze locking on the man floating by the window.
Alex tilted his head slightly, then shook it, amusement flashing across his face.
> "There are plenty of people in this world qualified to say that to me…
But you, Batman?"
He smirked. "You're not one of them. Tell me — what makes you any different from me?"
> "We're completely different!" Batman snapped back, his tone cutting and absolute.
"I fight for justice. You kill for your own satisfaction!"
Alex chuckled.
> "Justice? What's that?"
His eyes narrowed. "Tell me, Batman — who made you the one to define it?
Just because you call something justice… does that make it so?"
Batman's jaw clenched.
> "Maybe you're right — maybe everyone has their own idea of justice.
But whatever you are, Alex, what you're doing… that's not justice."
> "When," Alex asked mildly, "did I ever say I was doing this for justice?"
He spread his hands.
> "And let's be honest — from a legal standpoint, we're both criminals.
So you don't have the right to lecture me."
He wasn't wrong.
Batman might act from noble intent, but at the end of the day, he was still a vigilante who broke the same laws he claimed to protect.
He assaulted, intimidated, tortured, and destroyed property — yet condemned others for doing the same.
> "He's got a point, Batman," Catwoman interjected smoothly.
"For example — right now, you're trespassing in my home."
Batman ignored her, his focus unwavering. After a long pause, he spoke — quietly but firmly:
> "Why are you in Gotham?"
Alex's expression softened, almost casual.
> "To Gotham, I'm just a passing visitor. I won't be staying long."
Batman felt his shoulders loosen slightly — he hadn't realized how much tension he'd been carrying.
If this godlike being decided to stay in Gotham permanently, Batman truly didn't know what he could do about it.
> "How long?" he asked cautiously.
Alex's eyes glinted.
> "That depends on you."
Batman frowned. Then he understood.
The fragment.
> "Don't even think about it," Batman growled. "I won't help someone like you."
Alex's smile vanished. His voice dropped to a calm, icy whisper:
> "Don't be so quick to decide. Remember this — no one breaks a deal with me."
His gaze sharpened. "No one."
Batman's tone turned equally cold.
> "For once, we agree. Don't jump to conclusions too soon."
He knew Alex was far beyond his reach for now.
But that didn't mean it would stay that way forever.
Every being — no matter how powerful — had a weakness.
Homelander would be no exception.
With a flick of his cape, Batman turned toward the window.
> Whoosh!
In a blur of black, he vanished into the night, swallowed by Gotham's shadows.
Alex watched him go, expression unreadable.
Gotham might be quiet for now, but peace built on fear was only temporary — a mask over rot.
He doubted it would last.
So, in his eyes, the wager wasn't complete yet.
Not until every supercriminal in Gotham — Joker, Two-Face, Riddler, and the rest — was broken and gone.
Only then would he consider his deal with Bruce Wayne fulfilled.
And as he'd said:
> No one escapes my wager.
If Bruce refused to hold up his end when the time came…
Well, Alex would handle that personally.
And no one would blame him for what came next.
---
Catwoman approached, curiosity gleaming in her eyes as she studied him.
> "Homelander… that's your codename, right? Tell me — what's the meaning behind it?"
Alex tilted his head, thinking.
> "It sounds cool," he said seriously.
Catwoman blinked.
> "...Cool?"
Before he appeared, she'd never once thought the word Homelander sounded "cool."
But looking at the man before her — the power, the mystery, the calm confidence —
Maybe the name didn't matter at all.
He could've called himself Flying Crap and it still would've sounded badass.
She smiled faintly.
> "You know what? I think you're right. You are cool."
She stopped right in front of him, tilting her chin up, staring straight into his eyes — close enough that he could feel her breath against his skin.
Alex grinned.
> "Wanna get a little more… up close and personal?"
Foreign women were always more direct — and Catwoman was no exception.
He wasn't surprised. In fact, compared to all the women who'd thrown themselves at him since becoming the King of Krakoa, this was nothing new.
Normally, he ignored such advances.
But exceptional women…
Well, they were worth a little indulgence.
Catwoman was one of those exceptions.
> "Of course," she murmured.
That night was one neither of them would soon forget.
---
But Alex's good mood didn't last long.
Just as he was finishing a quiet dinner with Catwoman—
> Beep! Beep! Beep!
Sirens wailed in the distance.
He sighed. Of course.
Even earlier that evening, during their "meeting," he'd heard through his super-hearing that a crew of thugs was hitting a major jewelry store downtown.
At the time, he hadn't bothered to intervene.
But now?
After dinner, he'd take care of them personally.
After all — a deal was a deal.
And Gotham still had work to be done.
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