Batman keeps fighting White Rabbit.

He came to the realization that he couldn’t afford to hold back like she was. Whatever damage he might cause to these hypnotized men was regrettable, but White Rabbit had the potential of causing much more harm to many more people. If he failed to stop her here, who knew what plans she might graduate to in the future. He needed to finish this quickly.

Pivoting around on his left foot, Batman fired a right overhand at a man who had been charging at him from behind. The counterblow put him out on his feet, making him fall forward unprotected to the padded floor below.

Despite his dizziness, he confidently leapt into the air and fired another overhand mid-flight. This strike did not hit flush on the chin like the last one, but it still floored this man. Blood instantly appeared on his face, making Batman think he had caused a broken nose with that punch.

Setting aside his guilt, Batman finished him off with a punt under his chin, then quickly dodged to his left before either of the two remaining men could get at him. He grunted, feeling some slight nausea from his swirling vision.

He thought he sensed White Rabbit creeping up behind him again, but he wasn’t going to risk looking to make sure. Instead, Batman reached into his belt and extracted his air cannon. Aiming it behind his right hip, he fired. Satisfyingly, he heard a yelp of surprise followed by a light thump. He’d put her on the floor, but he still didn’t dare turn to face her, not wanting to turn to fight her fully until he was clear of her reinforcements.

Batman reinserted the air cannon back into his belt, setting his spiraling sights on the final two men. Undeterred by or apparently having learned nothing from their previous losses, they charged at him. Had they not been mostly silent with impassive expressions, he might have thought them brave to the end.

An end which came first for the man on the right, who overran him when Batman spun to his outside shoulder. He gave the man no opportunity to turn around, clubbing him in the back of the head with a targeted elbow strike aided by a grip on the nape of his neck. He went down, revealing White Rabbit on the ground behind the fallen figure, crouched down in what looked like a yoga rabbit pose.

Ignoring her for the moment, Batman faced the final man. He avoided the man’s straight right fist, twisting to his left while countering with a short right hook to his opponent’s side. Folding, the man offered no resistance as Batman reared back and followed with a wide-arced uppercut. He fell backward, joining all of his fellows in unconsciousness.

Batman drew in a sharp inhale, using that same arm to block out part of his vision, which was approaching normalcy. Keeping his corner vision in check, he slowly turned to where he’d last seen White Rabbit.

He found her still crouching there, licking her lips. He might have just imagined it through his tainted vision, but there might have been a dash of blood on her tongue. Perhaps his air cannon’s blast had gone through her head when he’d used it.

If that had been the case, White Rabbit certainly did not seem to mind. “You didn’t have to go to all that trouble to get me alone,” she mocked. “You could’ve just asked.”

Watching her sit so confidently on her haunches made him angry. How dare she **** him to hurt innocent people and just sit there? Had she absolutely no regard for anyone other than herself?

Agitated, Batman charged at her, ready to knock that smug look off her face. Still, she seemed entirely unconcerned, continuing to sit there as he honed in on her. Was he charging in the right direction? His vision couldn’t be so compromised that he was running completely the wrong way.

No, she must’ve wanted him to catch her at this moment. He grimly appreciated it, though he wasn’t so certain that she would in a few moments. Batman wound up his fist, ready to ram it directly across her grin.