Ronin: Hunted Story Outline

Our story starts with a man being pursued by a man in armor wielding a high tech gun. The man being chased is a person in the Witness Protection Program after informing on the Maronis. He was tricked into coming back by this mercenary, Tad Claeson, who is hunting him down for a hefty payday. Claeson takes aim at his prey, only to have his aim knocked off by a batarang to the barrel of the gun. Ronin leaps off a small wall and engages the mercenary in battle. Claeson underestimates Ronin as "another cape" and soon has his back to the wall. He flees, only to be confronted by Batman in an alley. Ronin soon blocks off the other end. Desperate, and for the first time feeling like an animal trapped in a snare, Claeson attacks Ronin to get away, only to be brought down and cuffed. Batman states that Ronin has been improving steadily and that he's proud of his progress, but he still needs to train etc regularly. Ronin agrees, but he isn't above taunting Claeson.

Claeson is brought before a judge and has a trial date set. His passport is taken away, he has a monitoring band placed on him and is released on two million dollars bail. Claeson returns to his home, coincidentally in the same area of Gotham as Wayne Manor. There, he enters a secret room where his son is living. The boy, a lanky young man, is an albino and sickly. His name is Paul. He has no idea who his mother was, all he knows is that he wants to be like his father. Claeson observes his son attempting to train, and turns away somewhat in disgust. He goes into another secret room and begins reading up on, and observing footage of Ronin. He is angry, how could a "stripling of a boy" beat him? He needs to set up a trap, the lad had to be lucky....

A few nights later, in the Batcave, Joseph is sparring against Batman, and losing as usual. Damian is training Sam, who isn't a hero yet but is trying to develop the skills and strength he will eventually need. Batman tells Joseph that he's thinking a bit too much, and he can't get overconfident. Joseph says he hasn't been...and then is knocked to the ground by Batman in a move he'd normally block. Batman warns him of pride, etc, reminding him that's what brought Apex down in the end. He helps Joseph up and before they can spar again, Alfred comes in with the report that a factory is on fire and that workers need rescue. Batman tells Joseph to suit up.

At the factory, Ronin saves the workers and helps put out the fire, but then he hears a voice screaming for help in the basement. This turns out to be a ruse, and the door is locked. A massive robot emerges and begins blasting at Ronin. Claeson is controlling it from his secret rooms under his mansion. In the next room, his son is learning martial arts, tracking, etc, through virtual reality and a computerized system that plugs into a port connected to his spinal column. Ronin dodges the blasts, the attacks, etc; but he takes something of a beating due to the enclosed space and the techniques of the robot. In the end, Ronin is able to toss a jitterbug into the motherboard of the robot, shutting it down. Claeson is outraged, Paul disconnects from the training machine and begs to help. Claeson laughs at this somewhat, saying that Ronin would destroy Paul. Paul goes into a rage, attacking his father, saying he "loves" Ronin more than him due to the fact Claeson is jealous that Ronin is better. Claeson sees he and his son share a mutual hate, and a thought comes to mind. He picks up a phone and calls "The Professor".

While Ronin deals with run of the mill crimes, The Professor, who we see is Hugo Strange, arrives and talks with Claeson. He says that he has a formula and technology to turn Paul into a living weapon. Claeson agrees to have Paul undergo the very risky procedure. Strange puts in organic armor plates under Paul's skin, protecting organs etc. He also dulls Paul's ability to feel pain. He then injects him with a new version of the Monster Man Formula, mixed with Venom. As he injects Paul, Strange uploads a flurry of skills and knowledge through the computer port in his back, and secretly a behavior modification program to make Paul more primal. Paul's body contorts and transforms into a muscular vital body. They test his strength and skills, and see they are at superhuman levels. Claeson embraces his son, and tells him he is ready to take their foe by surprise.

A few nights later, as Ronin is patrolling the streets, he is tackled by a large man (Paul) in military fatigues. Ronin is overconfident, thinking he can take on "a drunk soldier on leave". But Paul's brutal strength, the organic armor plates protecting weak points, and pain resistance makes it hard. Ronin eventually flips behind Paul and tosses a "jitterbug" at Paul's back, striking the computer port. However, while it does cause Paul pain, it doesn't stop or weaken him. Paul tears off his smoking shirt in rage, and Ronin sees the pale blue circuitry that has been in Paul's body since early childhood glow blue under the skin. This confuses Ronin, because his scans indicate this isn't a cyborg or robot. Paul's strength etc is increased, and even when Ronin's own powers activate he is no match. Paul brings him down hard. Before Paul can remove Ronin's mask, he sees the glowing of powerful headlights and sneaks off. Batman gets out of his car and puts Ronin in. In the Batcave, they find out Ronin is lucky with only a concussion and broken ribs. But Batman points out Ronin's overconfidence was partially to blame. Ronin's description and mask-camera footage unfortunately doesn't come up with information on his attacker.... In Claeson's house, Claeson congratulates Paul as his son eats a feast's worth of food by himself. Paul says he loves the rush of power and wants more. "The Professor" promises more soon, but Paul grabs him and says he wants it "sooner than that". Claeson tells him to stand down, but Paul says he doesn't have to listen to someone punier than him. He drops Strange and heads out, saying he needs something he cannot get at home. When Claeson asks Strange what is going on, Strange responds:

"You wanted a son worthy of you, I gave you that. You wanted an alpha male, I gave you that. You wanted a powerful warrior, I gave you that. You wanted a hunter worthy of legend, I gave you that. And now he wants what every warrior wants after a victory."

On a street corner in the East End, Paul chooses a prostitute to have sex with. But by the end of the night...she will be dead.....

While Joseph is recovering and training, there have been the murders of several prostitutes as well as people protected by the Witness Protection Program. The only description given is of a massive man with inhuman strength. The nickname of this serial killer: "Mr. Hyde". When we see Paul, he's training with massive weights designed for his superhuman strength. He is larger than we last saw him, but not too much. His father comes in and he tells Paul he has to lay low. Paul refuses, Claeson thinks and offers to tell of his mother in return for not going out tonight. Paul agrees. Claeson reveals she was a Mexican woman of Aztec descent, who lived in a small community that still dedicated itself to the old ways. Claeson came to train with their famous "Jaguar Warriors" so he could improve his skills. He fell in love with Paul's mother and they were married. When she gave birth to Paul, the village thought Paul was a bad omen and sacrificed his mother to Mixcoatl, god of the hunt, for protection. Claeson barely escaped with Paul. Paul is enraged when he hears this story, saying that Claeson should have saved her. He bellows for Strange, and tells him to "upgrade" him now. Strange reveals that he and Paul discussed how the circuitry in his body made him stronger when shocked, so they refined the process. Paul lays on the table and Strange injects more of the formula into Paul. As Paul grows, Strange plugs a cable into the port, sending electricity into Paul's body. The supercharged circuitry in Paul's system combined with the refined Monster Man formula creates glowing patterns on his skin. Paul's spine bursts out of his skin, covered in metal from the now totally fused organic armor, same with his knuckles. Electricity issues from Paul's hands, mouth and eyes. He stands, towering over his father. Paul proclaims himself to be Mixcoatl incarnate and that the prey that escaped his father will die tonight.

Joseph, while he's recovering, follows Paul's pattern and figures out who his next target is, the man who was being chased by Claeson the night Ronin stopped him. Batman and Robin warn Commissioner Gordon, who sends an army of SWAT teams to guard the man. When Paul, now calling himself Mixcoatl, appears, he is wearing Aztec style armor and headdress. He tears into the SWAT teams, creating weapons from his own body (for example a sword made from the organic armor and his arm bone extends from his forearm, he takes it off, body heals, he attacks). Joseph is still recovering, but he has to do something. Damian reminds him and Batman of the armor Joseph created. Batman gives Joseph permission to fight and Joseph puts on a new version of the armor bearing his symbol. He puts on his mask and hat and flies off.

He lands in front of Mixcoatl and they fight. The powered battlesuit is a match for Mixcoatl. Ronin uses the gadgets in the armor and an enhanced club to take on Mixcoatl's power and weapons. Batman and Robin sneak the target out, only to be confronted by Claeson, who doesn't want his son to take his target. Claeson injects himself with monster formula and takes on Batman and Robin. Mixcoatl slams Ronin into the house and shocks him with electricity. Ronin however keeps on fighting. Mixcoatl is amused by this and says Ronin will still lose. Ronin mocks Mixcoatl for his ego and that he has a lot to learn. This enrages Mixcoatl who slams Ronin through the house of his target and follows. He sees his father fighting Batman and Robin and is enraged because he thinks his father doesn't trust him to finish the job. The Bat-Boys take on both, and the house is damaged more and more by Mixcoatl and Claeson's enhanced strength. Batman and Robin manage to wear down Claeson enough to knock him out and capture him. Mixcoatl laughs, calling his father a weakling before attacking Ronin again. As the fight continues, Mixcoatl destroys a gas line. Ronin notices it, and when he sees Mixcoatl set up another electric attack he grabs Batman, Robin and Claeson and flees. Mixcoatl blows up the gas main, knocking himself into the air and out cold when he hits the pavement. When the police arrive to put Mixcoatl and Claeson into custody, they put power suppressors onto Mixcoatl who has shrunk back to how he was before the second treatment. The Bat boys head back to the Cave where Joseph reflects on his pride compared to Mixcoatl's, and his own relationship with his father. After Alfred and Sam help him upstairs (since he was pretty roughed up in the fight), Joseph calls his parents to talk to them.....

In Blackgate Prison Claeson is pacing his cell. His bail has been revoked, and he has a whole new list of charges added to his trial. Suddenly there is an explosion in the wall, and Deathstroke flips into the cell. Claeson smiles, thinking an "old war buddy" has come to break him out. Deathstroke says otherwise, he says that Claeson targeted Ronin without his permission and he wasn't happy about it. Claeson asks if Deathstroke is targeting Ronin for execution, Deathstroke replies "Maybe, Maybe Not." Deathstroke says that he just has an interest in the young vigilante. Deathstroke changes the subject and says that he's here to kill Claeson. Claeson asks if its because of Ronin, Deathstroke simply says that the Maronis hired him to clean up loose ends. Claeson screams as the story ends.

FIN