Part 2
In Flander's Files Part 2
Inside the building detective Furman saw Victor, the security guard, unconscious, surrounded by the magazines spilled from the garbage." This look suspicious to you?" he asked his partner "The guard knocked cold in a pile of "trashy" magazines."
" There's someone in the building!" shouted one of the policemen. He rushed past with his gun drawn.
"Down that stairwell," yelled another, a group of officers ran down the stairs.
"I have heard gunfire many times before. When I was growing up it was so routine at that it seemed more akin to the ordinary sounds of life, bacon sizzling, doors slamming, gunshot, all of equal value. Most people are terrified by the sound of a gun being fired, they are immediately fearful, but not me. I've never needed to fear them. Nowadays when I hear a gunshot. I'm ready, alert, prepared for action, just like I've always been, but mostly, I just feel a kind sadness. When I read peoples faces, whenever they hear a gunshot, it's always the same: panic, terror, dread. I never knew exactly what that felt like until this very moment"
In the next instant 3 shots rang out, from inside the building. Batgirl's jaw dropped, as she stared on in horror, immobilized by her failure." Oh no, my fault!"
She was about to rush in when a cop came out yelling, "A young blond has been shot. Get the paramedics."
Batgirl felt her heart sink.
A group of firemen were hauling a stretcher out and put it in the back of a nearby ambulance, which took off. Batgirl leapt to follow it. There was no police escort, the police electing to remain at the scene of the crime. Quickly she was on top of the ambulance.
Detective Furman interviewed Victor, as a medical attendant was bandaging his head. "So let me get this strait," said Furman looking down at the notes he had jotted down on a small pad, " You were visited by sex demons, from hell?"
"Yes, that's right, two demons from hell. One was this naked chick with huge... " He paused as if looking for the right words.
"Tracts of land?" offered Furman.
"Bug eyes." continued Victor.
"Bug eyes?"
"You know, like Spiderman when his costume changed."
"I see," said Furman shaking his head, " and the other one, the one in skintight black leather, you claim grabbed for your crotch?"
"It's true, they were all over me! I tell ya!"
"Big demon in leather, give me a break!" said Furman.
At that moment, the door to the ambulance opened and Batgirl stood there, confused at the sight before her. Furman, Victor and the attendant stared back at her. Noting quickly that Steph was not there, she nodded to the ambulance attendant who she seemed to recognize, and she closed the door.
She rushed back to the building and took out her miniature police band radio. She plugged the earphone. " No rush on that ambulance, they'll be in no hurry to get to the morgue, Time of death..."
She didn't want to hear anymore. Sometimes, it seemed, words were a curse, rather than a gift bestowed upon her.
"This can't be happening," thought Batgirl.
"How could you die? Do you know what kind of trouble I'm going to get into! Oracle will kill me! This isn't happening. You can't be dead! This is a stupid trick, you stupid, unskilled amateur. Any second now you're going to appear and..." She stared vacantly as the officers brought out the body; a sheet covered it up to the forehead. Blond hair sprawled onto the white stretcher. They piled her body into an ambulance.
"You can't be dead. You were my only friend."
She couldn't go home, how would she tell Oracle. The total calamity of the events sent Batgirl into a state of shock. She sat there on the rooftop immobilized, staring into space, until the sun started to come up over the horizon, and then it hit her...
Her face was twisted backwards, as she received, a roundhouse punch that knocked her off her feet. "You... " she muttered.
"You?!? I can't believe you did that, that's two you owe me. You psycho bitch!" Steph was dressed in men's clothing several sizes too large for her. She delivered another swing, Batgirl was again rocked backwards but clearly stunned more by the surprise of seeing Steph alive, then the kick delivered by her well connecting punches.
"You're alive!" Batgirl jumped up and strangling Steph with a huge hug.
"What's this? Some new martial art technique?" She struggled to push Batgirl away from her. "Why'd you leave me in there? Surrounded by cops? With no costume! And why did you pull the fire alarm? Do you want to get me busted?"
"What?... I don't.... I thought you were dead!"
"Oh so that's the game you're playing, huh? Back to your old tricks, Cassassin Cain?!"
"Stop!... Wait!... You don't... understand! What happened... the shots?"
"You don't know either?"
Just then Spoiler's intercom beeped.
"Oracle to Spoiler."
"Uh yeah?"
"Did you ever hear of a place called the records hall?"
"Yeah, I might have heard of it."
"Just about 5 hours ago there was a break and entry there. A young man named Blonden Von Blondison was gunned down, when he fired twice at police officers. When they searched his body, they found a copy of his prison psychiatric reports, which he had stolen, and for some reason they found a copy of your costume. I was just wondering if you knew anything about that."
"I don't know anything about that. I've been with Batgirl the whole night."
"Don't lie to me Steph. Been with Batgirl the whole night! All you two do is fight."
Batgirl interrupted, "Hello Oracle, I'm here."
What exactly were you two doing the whole night then"
"Um... reading" said Steph
"Er... training" said Cass at the same time.
"Uh huh, well I'll see you back here, where we can discuss this further."
"So you didn't take my costume. Great! Now I've spent 5 hours, naked, hiding in a ceiling vent, while cops swarm the place, hating you, wanting to get back at you, and it turns out that you didn't do it. Now I don't have a valid reason to hate you, and I hate you for it." Then she smiled broadly. "Ha! I socked you pretty good didn't I."
"You Cheated."
"You just can't bear the thought that I won the bet."
"Can't bear the thought? That's not it. I just... never thought... that you'd be bare. You used trickery."
"Trickery? You mean cunning, no pun intended."
"You didn't... use your skills."
"You mean I didn't use your skills, I didn't have to. I did it my own way."
Batgirl thought about this for a moment, then said frankly "I'm sorry." She paused, as if trying to find the words, then continued "The alarm is... my fault," she said guilty, "I made a... mistake."
"Did I just hear you right! Little miss perfect, makes a mistake?"
"I put the keys back... in his pocket... didn't need to... more risk... no gain."
" And you got caught with your hand down his pants. This is too good to be true."
Batgirl turned away from her. She spoke with great earnestly, "You could have died... because of that."
"Ha! You wish!" She squinted, looking at Batgirl's face " Hey look! Your eye is starting to swell up a bit. Ha, I really did nail you!"
"You make it... difficult... to like you." Batgirl replied angrily.
"Same thing here, toots. Think Oracle is onto us?"
"Maybe. Can you think... of a... cunning... cover story?"
"Oh, I'm sure we'll think of something."
"In Flanders Files..." Magnus Parvus