The second encounter with the purple vigilante happened three nights later.
Marcus was responding to a domestic disturbance in Crime Alley—screaming from a second-floor apartment, sounds of things breaking. He'd called Bullock, was moving into position when he spotted her.
Same purple and black costume. Same professional movement. She was already positioned near the apartment window, assessing the situation.
Great. We're both responding to the same call.
Marcus hesitated on the adjacent rooftop. Do I approach? Stay back? She was here first technically...
The decision was made for him. The woman inside the apartment screamed—genuine terror, not just anger. The sound of a man's voice, threatening, violent.
Both vigilantes moved simultaneously.
Marcus went through the fire escape window. She went through the front door—did she pick that lock in under three seconds?—and they converged in the apartment's main room at the same time.
The scene was bad. Man with a knife, drunk and enraged, cornering a woman and two kids. Classic domestic violence escalation.
Marcus and the purple vigilante exchanged one brief glance—okay, we're doing this together I guess—and moved.
She went high, Marcus went low. Her technique was precise, disarming the knife with a move Marcus recognized from advanced martial arts. His enhanced speed let him get the man restrained before he could react.
Fifteen seconds. Both suspects neutralized, family safe.
"Nice teamwork," the purple vigilante said, her voice younger than Marcus expected. Early twenties maybe. "For someone I've never worked with before."
"Thanks. You too." Marcus stayed on the other side of the room, maintaining distance. "You're... really good at this."
"Eight months of practice." She was already checking on the family, making sure they were okay. Professional. Efficient. "You're new. Couple months maybe? You've got decent instincts but your technique needs work."
Ouch. Accurate, but ouch.
"Working on it."
"I can tell. You're training somewhere—martial arts background, some boxing. But you're self-taught on the tactical stuff." She turned to face him fully. "So. Revenant. That's what they're calling you, right?"
She knows the name. Has been tracking me.
"That's what people are saying. You have a name?"
"Spoiler." She gestured to her costume like it was obvious. "Been operating Crime Alley and Burnley for months. You're the new guy working my territory."
Her territory. Right.
"Didn't realize there were territory claims. Nobody posted a sign."
"Funny." Her tone suggested she didn't think it was funny. "Look, I'm not trying to be territorial, but I've got ongoing investigations here. Operations that took weeks to set up. And you're..." She gestured at him. "Jumping in and disrupting patterns."
"By stopping crimes?"
"By stopping crimes I was tracking. That dealer you grabbed last week? I was following him to his supplier. The break-in you stopped Tuesday? Part of a larger burglary ring I'm mapping." Spoiler crossed her arms. "You're effective but you're reactive. I'm trying to be strategic."
Marcus absorbed that. She had a point. He'd been responding to immediate threats without considering larger patterns.
She's thinking bigger picture. I'm still just putting out fires.
"I didn't know. No one told me there was another vigilante operating here."
"Because we don't exactly have a Facebook group." Spoiler's tone softened slightly. "Look, I'm not trying to run you off. Gotham needs help and you're helping. But maybe we should... coordinate? Or at least not trip over each other?"
"How would that work?"
"I don't know. I've never had to coordinate with another street-level operator before." She glanced toward the window. "Police are coming. We should move."
She was right. Sirens approaching fast.
"Meet me tomorrow night," Spoiler said. "Rooftop of the old Monarch Theatre. Midnight. We'll figure out how to not be a problem for each other."
"And if I don't show up?"
"Then I'll keep working my operations and you'll keep disrupting them and we'll both be less effective." She moved toward the window. "Your choice, Revenant."
She was gone before Marcus could respond, grappling away into the night.
Marcus left through the fire escape, his mind spinning.
She wants to meet. Talk. Coordinate. Is that smart? She could be trying to identify me. Or she could genuinely want to work together.
And she called me out on being reactive instead of strategic. That... stings because it's true.
The next day, Marcus called an emergency meeting with Sarah and Jackson.
"She wants to meet," he told them. "The purple vigilante. Calls herself Spoiler. Says I'm disrupting her operations and we should coordinate."
"That could be a trap," Jackson said immediately. "Lure you somewhere isolated, unmask you, identify you."
"Or it could be legitimate," Sarah countered. "She's been operating longer. Has actual investigations going. You have been reactive—responding to immediate crimes without considering larger patterns."
"Whose side are you on?"
"Reality's side." Sarah pulled up her tactical analysis. "Spoiler's been active for eight months. No connection to major crime families that we know of. Operates independently. If she wanted to hurt you, she could have done it last night when you were both in that apartment."
"So you think I should meet her?"
"I think you should be careful but yes, meet her." Sarah pulled up the Monarch Theatre location. "But we take precautions. Jackson and I will be nearby with comms. You wear a tracker. If anything goes wrong, we extract you immediately."
"You're making this sound like a spy operation."
"It kind of is. You're meeting another masked vigilante to discuss territorial operations. That's exactly a spy operation." Sarah was already planning. "We prep for this properly. No going in blind."
That evening, Marcus prepared.
Better tactical mask—Sarah's latest design. Tracker sewn into his boot. Encrypted earpiece connecting him to Sarah and Jackson positioned three blocks away. Escape routes mapped. Protocol established for if things went wrong.
This is either going to be really useful or really stupid.
Probably both.
At 11:50 PM, Marcus arrived at the Monarch Theatre rooftop. The old building had been abandoned for years—perfect for a clandestine meeting.
Spoiler was already there, sitting on the edge of the roof, legs dangling over the side.
"You came," she said without turning around. "Wasn't sure you would."
"Yeah, well. Curiosity and questionable decision-making are kind of my thing." Marcus stayed near the roof access, maintaining distance. "So. Coordination. How's that supposed to work?"
"Honestly? No idea." Spoiler stood up, turned to face him. "I've never had to share territory before. Usually vigilantes in Gotham have their own areas or they're part of Batman's network. You're... neither."
"Independent operator. Yeah."
"So am I. Which makes this complicated." She moved closer—not threatening, just conversational distance. "But here's the thing. We're both trying to help people. Both working the same neighborhoods. We can either keep tripping over each other or we can be smart about it."
"Define 'smart.'"
"Information sharing. If I'm running an investigation, I tell you so you don't accidentally blow it. If you spot a pattern, you tell me so I can help track it." Spoiler tilted her head. "We don't have to be partners. Just... not obstacles."
That actually made sense.
"What if we both respond to the same situation? Like last night?"
"Then we work together. Like we did. That was effective." Spoiler shrugged. "I'm not precious about credit or territory. I just want to actually accomplish something instead of putting out random fires."
"That's what I've been doing. Putting out fires."
"I noticed. You're good at immediate response. Fast, strong—enhanced somehow, right? I saw how you moved. That's not normal human speed."
She's observant. And direct.
"Some physical advantages. Yeah."
"Won't ask how you got them. We all have our secrets." Spoiler crossed her arms. "But reactive response isn't enough in Gotham. You need strategy. Investigation. Pattern analysis. Otherwise you're just slapping band-aids on bullet wounds."
Marcus knew she was right. He'd been so focused on helping individual people that he hadn't thought about larger patterns, organization structures, root causes.
"So what, you're offering to teach me investigation?"
"I'm offering to share what I know in exchange for you not disrupting what I'm doing." Spoiler's tone was matter-of-fact. "You've got physical advantages I don't have. I've got investigative skills you don't have. We could be useful to each other."
In his ear, Sarah's voice: She's making sense. This could be valuable. But don't reveal too much.
"What kind of information sharing are we talking about?"
"Operational areas, timing, ongoing investigations. Enough to coordinate without getting in each other's way." Spoiler pulled out a phone. "We set up a secure line. Text only. I tell you when I'm running something sensitive. You tell me if you spot patterns I should know about."
"And identities? Civilian lives?"
"Off limits. I don't care who you are under the mask and you don't need to know who I am." Spoiler's tone was firm. "This is professional coordination, not friendship."
Professional coordination. That works. Keeps boundaries clear.
"Okay. I can work with that."
"Good." Spoiler sent him a number. "That's encrypted. Use it only for operational stuff. And Revenant?"
"Yeah?"
"Don't make me regret this. I'm trusting you not to be stupid about it."
"I'll do my best. Though stupid decisions are kind of my brand."
For the first time, Spoiler laughed. "Yeah, I'm getting that impression. Just... try to be strategically stupid instead of randomly stupid."
"I'll add that to my goals list."
She moved toward the edge of the roof. "See you around, Revenant. Try not to blow up any more of my investigations."
"No promises, but I'll try."
Spoiler grappled away, leaving Marcus alone on the rooftop.
In his ear, Sarah's voice: "That went better than expected. You got coordination without revealing anything important."
"Yeah. She's... professional. Smart. Kind of intense."
"She's been doing this longer. Learn from her." Sarah paused. "But Marcus? Be careful. We don't know her real identity or her full motives. Trust but verify."
"Got it."
Marcus logged the encounter when he got home:
DATE: July 14
TOTAL ABILITIES: 256 (gained 2 minor abilities this week)
SPOILER SITUATION - SECOND ENCOUNTER:
Met during domestic violence response. Worked together effectively—her technique is superior to mine, I provide enhanced speed/strength. Good combination.
She confronted me afterward about disrupting her investigations. Valid point—I've been reactive (responding to immediate crimes) while she's strategic (tracking patterns, building cases). That's a blind spot in my approach.
MEETING AT MONARCH THEATRE:
She proposed coordination, not partnership
Information sharing about operations/timing
Established encrypted communication
Clear boundaries: professional only, no identity reveals
Her assessment: I'm effective but need strategy training
My assessment: She's professional, experienced, genuinely trying to help Gotham not just compete for territory
SECURED: Encrypted line for operational coordination. Will text about timing/locations to avoid overlap.
SARAH'S ANALYSIS: This could be valuable. Spoiler has investigative skills and strategic thinking I lack. I have physical advantages she doesn't. Complementary skill sets.
JACKSON'S CONCERN: We still don't know her civilian identity or full motives. Be cautious.
MY DECISION: Work with her. Coordinate operations. Learn from her experience. But maintain OpSec—no revealing personal information, keep boundaries professional.
VIOLENT IMPULSE: Stayed at 3/10 throughout both encounters. No aggression toward her. Good sign that impulse only triggers for actual threats/criminals.
PERSONAL FEELINGS: It's weird having someone else know I exist as Revenant. But also... kind of relieving? I'm not completely alone in this anymore. There's another person doing the same work. That's something.
NEXT STEPS:
Use encrypted line to coordinate operations
Start thinking strategically instead of just reactively
Learn investigation techniques from her if possible
Continue helping people but with bigger picture in mind
Marcus closed the app and stared at his ceiling.
He had a name now. Revenant.
He had coordination with another vigilante. Spoiler.
He was becoming part of Gotham's actual vigilante scene, not just some random guy helping out.
Three months ago I was dead. Now I'm... this.
Whatever this is.
His phone buzzed. Text from the encrypted number:
Spoiler:BTW, your grappling technique needs work. You're relying too much on parkour. It's limiting your mobility. Might want to invest in actual gear.
Marcus stared at the text.
She's critiquing my technique now. Great.
He texted back: Some of us can't afford Batman-level gear. Working with what I have.
Spoiler:Fair. But grappling guns aren't that expensive if you know where to look. I can send you specs for DIY versions. Won't be as good as the pro models but better than nothing.
Revenant:You're offering to help me build gear?
Spoiler:I'm offering to make you more effective so you stop disrupting my investigations. Purely selfish motives.
Revenant:Sure. Purely selfish. Got it.
Spoiler:Get some sleep, Revenant. You've got training tomorrow probably. Don't want to interrupt your schedule.
How does she know I have training?
Revenant:How do you know my schedule?
Spoiler:You're not as subtle as you think. You patrol Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday nights. Training other days. Pretty obvious pattern. Might want to vary that.
Revenant:Point taken.
Spoiler:Good. Night.
Marcus put his phone down.
She's been tracking my patterns. Knows my schedule. That's... concerning and impressive.
At least she's on my side. Probably.
This vigilante coordination thing is going to be complicated.
Outside, Gotham's night continued.
And Marcus Reid—Revenant—now had an ally.
Sort of.
Professional coordination with clear boundaries and encrypted communications.
That's a thing now. That's part of my life.
Welcome to Gotham's vigilante scene, Marcus. It only gets weirder from here.
He closed his eyes and tried to sleep.
Tomorrow would bring more training, more patrols, more interventions.
And apparently, DIY grappling gun specifications.
My life is so weird now.
But at least he wasn't alone in it anymore.
That was something.
Outside his window, somewhere in Gotham's darkness, Spoiler was probably having similar thoughts.
Two vigilantes trying to help a city that never stopped needing it.
And maybe, eventually, actual teamwork.
If they both survived long enough to figure it out.