Author's Notes: For continuity context readers, this story takes place after the death of Jason Todd, which does indeed happen in my DC Earth as well as all other DC Earths.
This story takes place on my DC Earth and NOT the main DCU or any other. Therefore, this story is to be viewed as the origin story of the Birds of Prey for Earth-8643.
Chapter 1: Batgirl
The Gotham Rats Gang was about to be rumbled.
The funny thing is that neither member of that gang would be aware of this until it was too late. Tonight was going just as smoothly as every other night the gang had, not a single thing going wrong or anybody that shouldn't be around getting in their way. How were any of them to know that their operations were going to come to an end, here and now on this very night?
One of the members of the gang, a scrawny, ghastly looking man named Hector Woodworm, was on his way to the Rat's hideout. Hector was the sort of man whom upon first glance, immediately gave off the impression that personal hygiene was a foreign concept to him. He was filthy, not a single part of his body clean or well-looked after. He had a messy beard that seemed less like a beard and more like random tufts of hair sticking out of several parts of his face, and not one part of it looking tidy in any way. His teeth were so rotten that it was a miracle he hadn't lost any of them. His hair was black, greasy and full of nits. He'd never bothered to comb himself so his scalp was constantly itching like mad and he never stopped scratching himself. His colleagues in the gang would often joke he had fleas, which earned him the rather unflattering nickname of "Flea Boy". Hector hated being called that but didn't speak up against it for he knew the people in this gang were extremely violent and would kill him if he so much as raised his voice against them.
Hector's clothes did nothing more to make him look any less disgusting. He wore a t-shirt that was so thin and cheap that it seemed to just hang off of him like a towel on a clothes line. He wore tattered trousers that were too big for him, shoes that were falling to bits around his feet and a long, brown coat that clearly had never been washed in all the time he'd owned it. Because of his poor hygiene and dirty clothes, Hector always smelt revolting. He was amazed that anyone in the Gotham Rats Gang could put up with it. Maybe they'd gotten used to him over time or they just didn't care. None of them smelt any better in comparison.
Hector strode through the dark, dingy alleyways as he headed to the hideout of his gang. He had been informed that the Rats were having a meeting and he had to attend just like the rest of the gang did. In the Gotham Rats, everything was done together and no member could sit out or miss anything. Hector wondered what it was that the Rats had to talk about tonight. Maybe their boss had a new job for them. He roamed through another alley, scowling at a stray cat that crept around beside the bins looking for good as he walked by. The cat didn't seem fond of him either, hissing angrily at him to carry on walking lest it be forced to scratch him. Hector didn't care; he hated cats and would happily shut the dustbin lid on it and have it taken to the rubbish tip. Instead, he carried on walking for now was not the time for his petty cat hate. He had found where he needed to be at the end of this alley. There was an old office that had long closed down and been perverted of its original use. This was the hideout of the Gotham Rats Gang. Dingy, rundown and ignored by society, it was the perfect place to hang out for nobody would ever think to look for them there…or so they thought.
Hector looked around to make sure nobody had followed him here. The coast was clear, not a single soul in sight. Even the cat at the dustbin didn't seem interested in watching him, scurrying away to find another bin to raid. The filthy man turned back to the door and rapped on it three times. He was greeted by a suspicious voice on the other side of the door.
"Who is it?"
"It's me, Flea Bag." Hector replied, using his nickname. In this gang, nobody ever used their real names.
"What's da Rat's credo?" the voice replied.
"A rat sticks together, a rat never leaves the family. And last but not least, a rat NEVER rats out on his gang."
That seemed to be enough for the man at the door for it opened up and allowed him inside. Reciting the credo was the perfect security system for the gang. If nobody knew it, then they'd, appropriately enough, smell a rat. The Gotham Rats Gang was one of the city's most violent gangs ever. The name had come about for the gang liked to think of themselves as like rats in a way, vermin and pests in the city that needed to be exterminated but no attempts to get rid of them could do so. Priding themselves on secrecy and hiding in areas nobody would ever look, the gang had eluded police custody for many years, even if some of their men hadn't been so lucky. Nobody in the gang ever told on them for they all swore an oath that a rat NEVER rats anyone out. If the police ever did arrest any members, they'd only end up killing themselves just so they wouldn't be forced to spill the beans on the gang. The criminal group was infamous for being extremely cruel and brutal, leaving anybody who crossed their paths dead in the most grisly way possible. Just recently, they had caught someone eavesdropping on them and stopped him from driving away. The snooper had been found days later, still in his car…minus his head, which had been found scattered in chunks of brain and bone around the car with a puddle of blood around one of the wheels and the door. Their fearsome reputation had made them a force to be reckoned with in the GCPD and the public. Nobody dared approach them in fear of being brutally murdered, nobody that is…but Gotham's vigilantes.
Unknown to Hector, he had indeed been followed, the snooper sticking to the rooftops and following slowly so as not to be spotted. She had watched him recite the creed and be invited inside, confirming to her that this was the place the gang was in. The figure was dressed in a Bat-Costume, this one designed for a woman to wear. She had a cowl, a cape and even a utility belt but her costume was black and gold with the gauntlets, belt and boots being gold in colour while the rest of the costume was mostly black, save for the inside of her cape which was purple. Her red hair blew in the wind as she stood still like a gargoyle over watching the city. This was none other than one of Batman's closest friends and ally in his crime-fighting career, Batgirl.
Real name Barbara Gordon, Batgirl was the daughter of Commissioner James Gordon, Batman's closest ally in Gotham and a true role model to her. She had been fascinated by Batman and admired what he stood for, so she had wanted to join his superhero life and fight alongside the Dark Knight himself. And thus, she had become Batgirl and was among Batman's most capable and valuable assets thanks to her expertise in computers, her martial arts training and her incredible mind. She had been of great help to Batman and had even proven herself capable on her own. To her dismay, Commissioner Gordon had recently discovered who she was and had been adamant about her being Batgirl. He worried for her safety and had been furious that she'd willingly done this without ever telling him about it. But in the end, he had grown to accept that his daughter was as much a superhero as Batman was and that he didn't have anything to worry about as she was fighting by his side. In a way, he was even proud of her for being so brave and selfless and wanting to help Gotham's protector. Of course, this wouldn't stop him worrying for her but Barbara reassured her father that there won't ever be a day that he responds to a crime and her dead body will be what he sees at the crime scene.
Batgirl could already imagine how much of a field day her father was going to have when he came to arrest this gang now that she'd found their hideout. With any luck, the GCPD would be able to arrest all of them, and hopefully Batman wouldn't beat them half to death this time. She was almost tempted not to inform him of her find as she reached for the Bat-Communicator on her belt. But she did so anyway, remembering the plan. Batgirl took the bat-shaped device out from her belt and switched it on.
"Batgirl to Batman, I've found the Gotham Rats hideout." the red-head heroine announced, "I'll send the coordinates to you right away."
"Copy that." came the stoic voice of Batman, "Standby Batgirl, I'll take it from here."
"Like hell you will!" Batgirl retorted, "If I leave you alone in there with those guys, you'll put them in the morgue!"
"You know that I can't let anybody else die on my watch Batgirl. Remember Robin…" Batman replied solemnly.
"Of course, how could I forget what that bastard Joker did to him?" Batgirl murmured, "But still, you can't just shove me off to the side-lines because of his death. You're not invincible Batman, you'll need help on this."
"I need you to keep your distance and stay safe." the Dark Knight insisted, "You've played your part, now I'm stepping in. Batman out."
Batgirl rolled her eyes in annoyance. Why had her inspiration decided to become such a stubborn ass? She understood that he had become more jaded and sheltered since Jason Todd's death at the hands of The Joker. He didn't want anyone else close to him dying, which was fair enough. Even Dick Grayson hadn't been contacted in a while because of this, although that hadn't stopped him still keeping his crime-fighting career going over in Bludhaven as Nightwing. But he also needed to understand that he couldn't just blow her off like this and say he doesn't need her. He did, more than ever. Batgirl knew of how badly Jason's death had impacted Batman and she had been there to keep him reigned in when nobody else would, to stop him going too far. She was going to do that whether Batman wanted her to or not.
Inside the building, Hector had headed straight into the main room where the rest of the Gotham Rats had gathered. The gang was huge, consisting of several dozen men and women all in one room that had little to offer. Aside from a mini-bar loaded with drinks and snacks, a round table big enough to park a car on it with dozens of chairs and a dim, green light shining from a single lightbulb in a ceiling lamp, there was nothing that could constitute living in. Hector sat down at the end of the table, the last one to do so for everybody else was sat down. At the head of the table was the head man of the group. He wasn't the overall man in charge for the Gotham Rats answered to a higher authority but they knew that their boss didn't like to be there in person for these meetings. Instead, the head man would announce new developments and jobs for him. He was an athletic looking man with a slender frame, thick biceps and broad shoulders. His hair had been cut so short that he was practically a skinhead. He had tattoos on every inch of his arms, the tattoos ranging from skulls to flames and dragons. It was clear that he didn't care about making himself hard to recognize. As usual, the head man was sat in his chair with two voluptuous girls on either side of him, one a fiery red head and the other a lush brunette. They looked like hookers, the kind of girl who would shamelessly sell their bodies for a quick buck, the heavy make-up they wore doing little to dispel the interpretation. The head man blew smoke from a cigarette he had before beginning the meeting.
"Good to see you all here Rats." he announced, his voice sounding like he had a severe throat infection, "So you all ready for tonight's announcements?"
"Yes Rat King." the gang replied in unison.
Due to being the head man of the gang, it was only fitting that he'd been given such a nickname.
"Now then, the boss has told me ta pass this all on ta you guys and gals." Rat King explained, "He's planning to unleash a bunch of rats that'll be carrying some kind of disease, see? Carrying it RIGHT into the city and we're gonna be given the job of helping ta spread that disease. Ya hearing me?"
"Yes Rat King." the gang said in return.
"Hang on Rat King." Hector said hastily, raising his hand, "You're saying that our boss wants us to spread a disease?"
"Yes."
"What kind?"
"Never you mind that, we don't question the boss. We just do what he says, Flea Bag."
"Understood, but what if we get infected?" Hector asked nervously.
As usual, he was scratching his nit-infested hair. His scalp seemed to be burning tonight, itching a lot more than normal. He wondered if he might be developing a rash.
"We'll be given proper protection against it so we don't get contaminated, see?" Rat King replied, "We won't be in any danger at all."
"So what's this disease gonna do exactly?" asked one of the Rats, a huge tank of a man who looked as if he was 90% muscle. His gargantuan size had earned him the nickname of Beefcake among the gang.
"Maybe wipe out a few hundred peeps at most? It don't matter to us." the head man said, shrugging, "What matters to us is the aftermath. With a large chunk of the city dead, we can prey on the sick and dying, see? And with us protected from the disease, we'll be uninfected and nobody will be able to stop us from doing what we want, see? It'll be like helping ourselves to whatever we want and everybody will be too sick to get in our way!"
The entire gang murmured with interest. They certainly liked the idea of a diseased city with people too sick to try and arrest them or get in their way. It was the kind of scenario a criminal dreamed of, the freedom to steal what they wanted with nobody to get in the way!
"Uh, boss, forgive me for asking but, what if some bozo makes a cure for this disease?" asked another member of the Rats. He spoke with a thick Russian accent and had a moustache that was far larger than it had any reason to be. It almost covered his entire nose.
"That's the best part Bush Face!" Rat King exclaimed excitedly, "Our boss tells me that this disease HAS no cure! He's been working with some lady, see, who's tangled with Wonder Woman before, Doctor Poison or something like that, to make a disease that cannot be cured no matter what, see? He plans to test that theory as soon as possible so we'll be sending the disease carrying rats out into Gotham and spreading his plague!"
"When do we begin?" Bush Face asked.
"Once the delivery van arrives with the first lot of rats." the head man explained, "We'll know it's the one we want when we hear the driver honk his horn three times, that's what I've been told."
The gang all nodded in understanding. This was an operation they were quite eager to start. But before anybody could rise out of their seats and do anything, something whizzed through the air and embedded itself in the centre of the table, making the entire gang recoil in surprise. It was a Batarang, but this was the sort that had a nasty surprise hidden in it. Seconds after the Rats saw it, the gang was stricken by a colossal flash of bright light that filled the room and left them all momentarily blinded. Even closing their eyes made no difference, it was still too bright. A flash grenade always did the trick when disorienting the enemy. Nobody could see for a moment and they all stumbled around helplessly, wondering where they were. Rat King rubbed his eyes vigorously as he tried to regain his vision. He could only hear the sound of fists slamming into flesh and bone all around him. He also heard the sound of bodies hitting the ground and frantic gunshots being fired. It felt like an entire gang war was happening all around him, but he knew it couldn't be that. No gang in Gotham was armed with a Batarang. The skinhead rubbed his eyes again, his vision starting to clear at last. The first thing he saw was one of his men being knocked down to the ground by a figure in black and gold. He could see blurred shapes lying on the ground with splotches of red around them.
As his eyes finally focused and his vision returned, Rat King was able to properly see what was happening. Some of the gang members had shot each other in blind panic by accident, trying to shoot their attacker. Many of them were dead from their wounds, the floor stained with blood seeping from them. Any who hadn't been shot had been knocked out by their attacker, who Rat King could now clearly see was Batgirl. He scrambled for his gun, practically ripping it out of its holster.
"Batman?!" he exclaimed, "How the fuck did that creep find us?!"
He took aim but didn't get the chance to fire it as Batgirl pounced on him, seizing him by the wrist and twisting his hand sharply, causing him to drop the gun. It landed with a clatter on the floor and Batgirl kicked it away, still holding onto Rat King.
"Bat-GIRL actually, and it wasn't that hard considering one of your men can be smelt from a mile away!" the red-head sneered, "Maybe you guys shouldn't take the "Rats" part of your name so seriously and take a bath for once in your lives."
She followed up her remark with a flat-palmed strike to the face that broke Rat King's nose and threw him down onto the floor with a heavy thud that knocked him clean out. He lay still on the floor, blood streaming from his broken nose. Batgirl allowed herself the rare luxury of a smile, pleased to see things were going well. True, Batman would probably give her some length lecture on disobeying orders but hopefully he'd be grateful that she made his job a little easier for him. The computer whiz turned around and saw Bush Face and Beefcake charging towards her. Batgirl knew they would overpower her easily due to being much larger and stronger than her so she would have to fight smart. She ran towards them and threw herself down onto the floor, tackling Beefcake to the ground by sliding into his feet and tripping him up. The colossal man collapsed, grunting as he felt his teeth crack from the impact of his chin slamming into the floor. Bush Face swerved around and tried to grab Batgirl by the cape but the female vigilante was too quick for him. Batgirl's speed and agility made her just as formidable in a fight as Batman with his strength and cunning. She swung a roundhouse kick straight into the back of Bush Face's leg, causing it to buckle and he fell over sideways. As he bent down on one knee, Batgirl delivered a swift chop to the back of the head, knocking him out and leaving him to fall down onto the floor.
Batgirl was pleased with how things were going but didn't dare celebrate yet. There were still plenty of Rats left to take down and now their vision had cleared up from the flash grenade, they could see her and were quick to start shooting. Batgirl had no place to go other than under the table, quickly diving under before any of the bullets could hit her. Some of the Rats aimed under the table to try and shoot her but Batgirl rolled out of the way to dodge the shots. She then drew out a smoke bomb and tossed it out from under the table. It detonated, blanketing the entire room with a puff of smoke that shrouded everything. The gang members coughed and spluttered, unable to see as smoke clouded their vision. Batgirl snuck out from under the table and began incapacitating as many of them as she could before the smoke could clear. None of them dared fire their guns in fear of accidentally killing any of their own like they had before so Batgirl had an easier time now no one was shooting at her. She moved fast and quick, knocking out as many gang members as possible but unfortunately, it wasn't fast enough. The smoke cleared and there were still plenty of men and women left to take down. The two girls that sat beside Rat King earlier drew out a knife each and crept up on Batgirl as she knocked another gunman out. The brunette lashed out, stabbing Batgirl in the back of her shoulder. The vigilante yelled in anguish as she was penetrated and the brunette girl yanked it out, aiming to make another stab with the knife. Batgirl turned around and stopped her by grabbing her wrist while the red-head girl coming around to the side and making a stab with her own knife. Batgirl was able to avoid another stab but received a clash across the arm as she wasn't quite quick enough. Still holding onto the brunette girl, she swung her into the redhead and knocked the two prostitutes off their feet. They collapsed in a heap on the floor. They tried to stand but Batgirl punched them both in the back of their heads, knocking both women out at once. She grabbed the knives and threw them out of the nearest window so nobody else could use them.
She winced as her shoulder wound flared up, blood seeping down her back. Batgirl tried her best to ignore the pain, but it was getting hard to do so as the pain got worse. One of the Rats took advantage of this by creeping up on her and punching her right in the stab wound. Batgirl screamed, the pain shooting down to her arm and numbing it for a second. Then the attacker backhanded her across the head, throwing her down onto the floor. Batgirl picked herself up, just in time to see Beefcake running towards her. His enormous hands were balled into fists and he launched them straight at the injured Batgirl. She didn't have time to dodge, grunting as a punch strong enough to shatter glass landed squarely in the side of her jaw. Batgirl reeled to the side, the red-head wondering which way was up or down now her head was spinning. The Gotham vigilante tried to regain herself, only for Beefcake to punch her again and send her crashing into a wall. Batgirl was barely able to stand up after that, black dots dancing in her vision. She felt like she'd been punched by an elephant wearing a boxing glove on its trunk. Her cheek was bruised and blood trickled down the side of her mouth.
Don't pass out, don't pass out, whatever you do, DON'T pass out! she screamed in her mind, forcing herself as best as she could to stay conscious.
Beefcake lumbered towards her and picked her up by the neck, not even straining as he did so. To him, Batgirl was as heavy as a bag of feathers. The huge ape of a man grinned wickedly as his grip tightened.
"The Rats will rip you apart and send you back to Batman, piece-by-piece, as a warning not to mess with us!" he boomed, his voice like a thunderclap, "I'll start by tearing your pretty head right off your neck!"
Batgirl didn't doubt for a minute he was strong enough to do so, squirming as she tried to get free. But luck was on her side as before Beefcake could do what he had stated, a grappling hook shot out from nowhere and dug itself deep into the muscular man's shoulder. Beefcake howled in pain, dropping Batgirl and staggering back as the grappling hook pulled on him and dragged him towards the person who had fired it. Batgirl looked up to see the familiar figure of Batman towing Beefcake towards himself with little effort. He gave one final yank, pulling the gargantuan brute onto this back. The moment was brought down, Batman quickly moved in and jabbed a finger into the side of his neck. He had hit a pressure point and had knocked him out with it, pressing hard enough just to do that and not kill him. Beefcake lay still, his enormous chest rising and falling with his breathing. Batman approached Batgirl, his face stern and masked with silent fury.
"I told you to stay out of this." he said grimly, his voice level but still with a faint edge of anger.
"Just wanted to make sure you didn't cripple too many guys here." Batgirl retorted, "I thought you'd at least be grateful that I'm making your job here tonight easier by giving you less criminals to deal with."
Batman just shook his head disapprovingly. He would talk with her about this later, now was not the time for a lecture. His keen eyes swept around the room to see how many more opponents there were left to fight. There was only about twenty that weren't unconscious or dead. That was fine enough, twenty men were hardly a challenge for him or Batgirl. The two Bat-vigilantes stood side by side, ready to take them down.
"Fine, we'll do this together." Batman muttered, "But just for tonight."
Batgirl rolled her eyes but said nothing. There was no point arguing with Batman, especially when they were fighting for their lives at this moment. The remaining Rats charged towards their prey, guns and knives at the ready to shoot or stab them to death. By the time they were finished with these two, there'd be enough holes in them to pass off as Swiss cheese! Or at least that'd be the case if any of them were actually able to land a blow on them. Batman moved in quickly, becoming a black blur as he attacked. One criminal was so startled by how fast Batman moved that he didn't even realize he'd been hit until a few seconds after. Next thing he knew, he was down on the ground with his gun knocked out of his hand and his wrist in total agony. He wasn't given any time to rub it better as Batman kicked him hard in the side of his head to knock him out. He didn't even feel the blow as he was brought down into unconsciousness. Another Rats member tried shooting at Batman, but the bullets deflected off of his Batsuit. Ever since he'd upgraded the suit, bullets were far less effective against him now so he could take the shots a lot easier than before. The Dark Knight seized the man by the arm and forced it around, causing him to aim and shoot at his colleagues. Two men were hit in the arm and leg respectively while the others scurried for cover to avoid being hit. One of them mistakenly ran into Batgirl, who grabbed him by the shoulders and drove her knee up into his face, rendering him unconscious in one massive blow.
Batman then sharply pulled down on the gunman's arm, making him drop the gun into the floor with a clatter. He then threw the thug over his shoulder and hard onto the floor, winding him from the impact. Then he stomped on his face, breaking his nose and leaving dirt from his boot all over him to mix in with the blood. He didn't move again after that. The remaining fifteen men put up little resistance, the two vigilantes taking them down with ease as they moved from one man to the next. By the time they'd reduced the number of men down to just five, Batman and Batgirl took a moment to catch their breath with Batgirl wincing and clutching the back of her shoulder, which was still bleeding and stinging from her earlier stab wound. She felt more exhausted than Batman due to the blood loss, but it wasn't significant enough to make her pass out at least. Batman noticed this with concern.
"How bad is it?" he asked.
"Not enough to keep me from finishing the job." Batgirl hissed through gritted teeth, "Don't worry about me and focus on the creeps with the guns!"
Batman nodded and drew out a pair of Batarangs. He saw one man coming at him, hoisting a chair above his head with intent to bludgeon him with it. Batman threw the two weapons at his ankles, slitting them both and causing the man to fall over, the chair slamming down on top of him as he dropped it. The bat-themed crime fighter picked up the chair himself and swung it around into another man, the chair breaking to pieces upon impact and sending the unfortunate man reeling across the room. Shards of wood and splinters littered the floor and the stricken criminal fell onto the floor. Batman grabbed his head and forcefully rubbed it against the broken wood, jamming splinters into the skin of his cheek and smearing blood on the floor. The man howled in pain, but not for much longer as Batman pounded the back of his head with his fist to knock him out. The remaining three Rats tried to surround Batman and take him out but the Dark Knight was too powerful for them. He threw himself backwards against the wall, using the three as a meat cushion to stun them as they were slammed into it. That was enough to shake them loose and the Gotham vigilante quickly followed up by elbowing one in the face and slamming the other two's heads together. The two men who'd had their heads bashed together collapsed in a heap on the floor and the only remaining man was quickly incapacitated by Batgirl, who elbowed him in the back and kicked his legs out from underneath him to bring him down onto the floor with a heavy crash. His eyes closed and he lay still. The entire gang was now dead or unconscious. Batman surveyed the scene, glad that there was nobody left to fight.
"That's all of them." he noted, "Which one's the leader?"
"The skinhead with the tattoos over there." Batgirl explained, pointing to the unconscious Rat King, "Calls himself "Rat King" or something. I think he reads too many comic books."
Batman didn't even smile at the remark as he strode over to Rat King and hauled him up off his feet. He slapped him across the face to wake him up.
"Wake up!" he growled, "I have some questions for you."
Rat King's eyes fluttered open and he stared in horror at the angry, blank, white eyes of Gotham's most famous vigilante. It was like staring into two pools of white fury for him.
"Gah! Sweet merciful shit!" Rat King cried frantically, "It's really you this time! Please tell me I'm still asleep!"
"Unfortunately for you, this isn't a dream." Batman muttered, "You're gonna tell me everything I want to know about the Gotham Rats Gang and who they work for. Otherwise you may end up like so many others I've hurt in the past few weeks."
Rat King had heard about how brutal Batman had been with the criminals of Gotham in recent times, some said to have been beaten so badly that they'd never walk again. But not even that would convince him to talk. He smiled smugly, showing arrogant defiance to the man who had hold of him.
"Nah, it don't work like that, see?" the tattooed man sneered, "In this gang, a rat doesn't rat out his gang. I ain't telling you shit, see! You can cripple me for life for all I care!"
"Poor choice of words." Batman retorted, his voice flat and emotionless, indicating he had no qualms about what he was going to do next.
He then threw Rat King down on to the floor and walked over to the broken chair he'd used to take one of the Rats out earlier. He picked up one of the legs, broken away from the base of the chair, and held it above Rat King. Then he stabbed down into one of his legs with the chair leg, the sharp, splintered wood driving down into his thigh and causing a cascade of blood to seep out of the wound. Rat King let out a scream that could startle every stray cat wondering around the city tonight. Batgirl cringed and looked away, unable to watch. Batman didn't relent, pushing the broken leg further down into Rat King's thigh.
"How much further do I have to push down before you talk?!" Batman snarled viciously, "Tell me, who do the Rats work for and how many of you are there hiding in Gotham?!"
"Ya think shoving broken wood into my leg will make me cave?!" Rat King cried hoarsely, "You're an even bigger dumbass than the kid in the red-and-green pyjamas you hang around with! Speaking of which, where's he tonight? I hear he's dead, is that true?!"
Rat King would quickly come to regret what he'd said for Batman tore the chair leg out of his thigh, causing his wound to bleed profusely. It was recommended that whenever you were stabbed to NEVER remove the thing you've been stabbed with, otherwise you just bleed more than you would if it was still in there. The unfortunate Rats member was bleeding so much that a puddle of blood was forming underneath his legs. Batman then drove the broken chair leg into his other thigh, making him howl in anguish. That would serve him right for that cruel jab at Robin's expense! Jason Todd's death still burned in his memory and he wasn't up for being reminded about it. He twisted the leg, causing more pain to the man he was torturing. Rat King howled again, the pain so great that he was coming close to passing out.
"If you wanna walk again, I suggest you choose your words VERY carefully." Batman spat, "I ask you one last time: WHO. DO. YOU. WORK. FOR?!"
He bellowed each word as if to make sure that he hadn't misunderstood what he was asking. Batgirl had had enough of this. Watching Batman practically cripple him was getting too much and with how much blood he was causing Rat King to lose, he might end up killing him! She ran over to her mentor and hauled him away, seizing him by the shoulders and pulling him back. Batman was so surprised that he didn't even fight back. He fell over onto his back while Batgirl stood defensively in front of Rat King. Batman picked himself up and glared angrily at Batgirl.
"Get out of the way." he ordered.
"No Batman, if I let you do this any longer, you're gonna kill him!" Batgirl retorted, "This exactly why I had to be here, to stop you from going too far!"
She then turned to Rat King.
"Rat face, I want Batman to stop torturing you as much as you do. So please, for OUR sakes, just tell him what he wants and maybe you'll still be able to stand." she demanded, "Tell him, who do you work for?"
Rat King couldn't see any reason not to do what Batgirl had asked. He couldn't take the pain any more, he was in so much agony and losing so much blood. Screw the gang and their credo, all this pain wasn't worth enduring! He used whatever energy he had left to scream a name, a name that Batman hadn't heard of before.
"THE RATCATCHER!" Rat King wailed.
And that was that. With the last of his energy drained, the skinhead passed out, the loss of blood finally taking its toll on him. Batgirl turned away, leaving him to bleed on the floor. She and Batman mulled the name they'd just heard in their heads. The Ratcatcher. Who was he and why on Earth did he call himself that? They supposed it made sense for the man in charge of the Gotham Rats to be called The Ratcatcher. They would find out who he was and hunt him down another night. Batgirl looked up at Batman.
"There, happy?" she snapped.
"We're done here, let's go." Batman said. It was all he needed to say.
With nothing more to do and no reason to stick around, the two vigilantes left. They were gone by the time the first police sirens approached the hideout and several cars drove onto the scene to investigate what had happened here…
Later on, Batman and Batgirl had found a safe place on top of a building that had a nearby water-tower and a rotating air-conditioning fan that spun around slowly. The two settled down on the building and Batman quickly worked on stitching up Batgirl's shoulder wound. She'd removed her cape so it wouldn't get in the way. Batman worked delicately to avoid hurting her further. In a few minutes, he had sealed the wound and cleaned most of the blood away. Batgirl winced as it still hurt but she was grateful that it wouldn't be bleeding anymore.
"Thanks." she said bluntly.
"You're lucky that that was all you got." Batman said grimly, "You could've had much worse if I hadn't shown up."
"I don't suppose the same applies to you?" Batgirl snapped, "If you'd been in there on your own, I probably would've been the one needing to stitch you up! Your conceited attitude will be the death of you one of these days, I swear…"
"As will your inability to follow orders." the caped crusader muttered, "When I give you an order, I expect it to be obeyed."
"Oh and what, you're suddenly the boss of me and you get to dictate what I do and don't do?" the computer whiz said indignantly.
"Yes, because that's how you don't end up dead!" Batman bellowed, "Jason Todd was prone to defying my orders and look what happened to him!"
"Oh and you think distancing yourself from your friends and allies will suddenly make everything better so you don't have to grieve over anybody again?" Batgirl retorted, "This isn't all about you Bruce! This is about all of us! We all fight for this city together, me, you, Dick and Jason! Protecting Gotham isn't a one-man job and you know it! Do you think you'd still be alive now if you didn't have us in your lives? I know what a risk it is that you could lose your loved ones in the line of duty, don't think I'm ignorant. But as they say, many "hands make light work". If you distance yourself from people who just want to help, you're gonna be brushing away valuable allies who are making your job as Gotham's protector easier and losing valuable friendships."
"It's better if I don't have anyone to worry about." Batman sighed irritably, "That way I don't have to waste time being concerned for your safety. I can just worry about myself and the people around me."
"But what about us? We'll be worried about your safety if you just go out there alone with nobody to back you up!" Batgirl protested, "And also, I think you NEED somebody by your side. Notice how you've been considerably more brutal ever since we lost Jason?"
"Barbara…"
"No Bruce, think about it. When you started off, you just beat a bunch of guys up and that was it, the police did the rest. Maybe some of them ended up in the hospital but still, it's better than what you're doing right now! You not only put people in the hospital, but you leave them half dead! There are some guys you took down that are said to never be able to walk again after what you've done! And look what you did to Rat King! You just about shoved a chair leg through his legs! I doubt he'll ever walk again after that! You can't tell me that you think this kind of thing is OK!"
She grabbed Batman by the shoulders and brought his face closer to hers.
"That was way I disobeyed you tonight, because I knew you would cripple these men for life so I wanted to make sure you didn't get to do so. And I also felt the need to be there so I could reel you in if you went too far. Tell me Bruce, you don't seriously think that you don't need anybody by your side when you start pulling this shit off! Your sidekicks aren't just your sidekicks, they're your conscience and they're there to bring some joy into your life, to stop you from going too far down the dark path. If you keep distancing yourself then you could become the very monster you fight against!"
Batman shoved Batgirl away, but not too roughly so he didn't knock her down. He was beginning to lose his temper and Batgirl could see in his eyes.
"Don't compare me to the scum of this city!" Batman snarled, "I don't kill like they do and despite my more violent tendencies, I still won't ever cross that line. Still, after Jason's death, I realized that I was too lenient. I held back, and that is why my work hasn't accomplished anything. The vermin of Gotham still leap out of the shadows and prey upon whoever they want to, and now they're beginning to feel less afraid of me. I have to be more ruthless and I have to do this alone. If I have ANY chance of making a difference in Gotham, this is the way to do it!"
The red-haired heroine stared incredulously at her mentor, unable to believe he had said that. This didn't sound like the Batman she'd admired and worked with for all this time. It was like he had become a totally different person now. Her eyes narrowed in disgust.
"I don't even know you anymore…" she hissed.
She picked her cape up and reattached it to her shoulders. Then she turned around and stalked off, leaving Batman standing where he was.
"Where are you going?" he asked sternly.
"Why do you care?" Batgirl scoffed, "You're the big, unstoppable, almighty Batman! You don't need anybody by your side! Well you've made that very clear so I'm out. If you wanna get yourself killed with no one beside you, then be my guest! I'm done trying to talk sense into you when it's clear I'm just yelling at a brick wall! And what you do now? This isn't why I became Batgirl. I put on the cowl because I admired what you stood for, what you did for the city and I wanted to be like you, someone who could inspire hope in others and be a protector for those who can't fend for themselves!"
She heaved a heavy sigh before continuing.
"But now? You've officially become as bad as the criminals you fight against." she fumed, her voice strained as if she was trying not to cry, "You've twisted your own symbol into something that I no longer wanna stand for. I'm gonna continue my life as Batgirl…so I can show Gotham what the symbol of the Batman TRULY means!"
And with that, she threw herself off the building and swung away into the night, leaving a stunned Batman to watch her go. He was so shocked at what he'd heard that he didn't even try to say anything in response. He knew it would fall on deaf ears. The Dark Knight turned and headed to the edge of the building so he could return to Wayne Manor. He had a lot to think about. Was he wrong to brush off all his comrades for their safety? Was Batgirl right and he was going too far? Had he truly become as bad as the criminals he fought against? He didn't know, and maybe he was too afraid to find out the answers for now. He would ponder over all this and maybe find a way to convince Batgirl he hadn't gone off the deep end yet. He took out his grappling gun and swung away into the night. Batman could only wonder how Alfred was gonna feel about all this…
Tonight had been more exhausting than usual for the always busy Commissioner Gordon. The job he had always required him to be on his feet and to always be on the alert for the next big case to look into. Some nights were slow and easy-going (if very few) while nights like this seemed determined to make sure he never slept until morning. His men had had to pick up a very battered and beaten Two-Face earlier tonight and now he'd had to oversee the arrests of the entire Gotham Rats Gang, although it wasn't the entire gang that were being locked away since some of them had been killed by accident when the gang had been blinded by the stun-grenades. Gordon had seen some of the injuries on them, the brutal wounds inflicted on Rat King being the ones to concern him the most. His spectacled eyes were wide with disbelief as he saw the gaping holes in his thighs and the amount of blood he'd lost. Frankly, he would be amazed if he even made it out alive after all that.
"By the gods…Batman, I've never known you to do THIS!" he exclaimed under his breath, "What has gotten into you?"
He of course knew nothing of Jason Todd's death. Batman hadn't spoken to him about that. Seeing the Dark Knight's more ruthless actions did have the old commissioner feeling concerned for his daughter. How was Barbara coping with having to see any of this, if she was with him at the time? Was Batman going to be violent towards her too? He thankfully hadn't come home to hear from Barbara that she'd been assaulted by him in anyway but he did fear that there'd be a time where he'd come home and he'd see her with a bruise on the cheek or something. Maybe she knew why Batman seemed to be more brutal than ever, he'd have to ask her when he got the time.
It was now a few hours after midnight and Commissioner Gordon was on his way home from work. His shift was over and he needed his sleep so he was dismissed for the night. He pulled up outside his house, seeing that the outside light was still on as it should be. It was on a timer and would come on at a set time. Gordon viewed it as a way of knowing if anything wrong was happening at home. If the light was off for any reason, he had every right to be suspicious and approach with caution. It was still on so he had nothing to worry about. He was also glad it was on for it helped him see the keyhole to his front door so he could unlock it. He let himself in and shut the door behind him. He yawned loudly as he took his coat off and hung it up.
"Merciful Minerva, I'll be amazed if I wake up the next day…" he mumbled tiredly.
He climbed upstairs and was about to go into his room to get ready for bed. But as he reached the top of the stairs, he heard something thump behind the door to Barbara's bedroom. That interested him. Was she home early from her duties as Batgirl? She usually came back a lot later than this.
"Barbara?" he asked, heading towards her door.
Gordon stood still and listened for a moment. He could hear heavy breathing and the sound of something being thrown against the wall. Then he heard a loud yell of rage and another thump. This made the commissioner's heart quiver anxiously. What was going on with his precious girl? He opened the door and ran inside. Gordon saw what he had hoped to see, Batgirl back in her room, alive and well. But he saw right away that she was angry. He could see she'd torn the cowl off her head and thrown it against the wall. There was a fist-sized crack in the wall where her bed was positioned, suggesting she'd punched it in fury. Barbara was standing still, her shoulders heaving as she panted. She hadn't even noticed anyone come in. Gordon approached her, his eyes wide with worry.
"Babs? Honey? Whatever's the matter?" he asked.
The red-head turned, surprised yet glad at the same time to see her beloved father there. She was thankful for that, she had wanted to see him more than anyone in the world. Barbara threw her arms around her father, finally releasing all the emotions she had been holding up in the form of tears that streamed down her face. Gordon hugged her back, his hug full of warmth and love for his daughter. He could tell that she needed it.
"Thanks dad." Barbara snivelled, "I really needed that."
"Anything for you sweetheart." Gordon said softly, "Now tell me, whatever's the matter? Did you and Batman…fall out?"
Barbara didn't reply, continuing to sob into her father's shoulder. Gordon kept hugging her, gently allowing her to let out all the emotions in her. He could tell that she was upset about something and reasoned that now wasn't a good time to ask about it. They could talk about this later. For now, he was content to just comfort Barbara and help her cool off after all this.
The commissioner still had a feeling that when Barbara had calmed down and could answer his question, he was in for a big story to listen to, and one he would likely not want to hear…
And thus the Birds of Prey's story begins. Batgirl has broken away from Batman to show him what being a Bat REALLY means. We'll leave her aside for now as we look into the team's next member, "Huntress"...