Hey. Many many apologies for taking so long to update. I got distracted for awhile and then my computer died. I'm currently writing on Yahoo notepad on any other computer I can use, so this chapter was delayed a bit. Hopefully my computer will be fixed soon so I'll try to do better next time.
As always, Kim Possible and Batman are not mine and all that jazz.
Words in -- -- are translated from Japanese because I'm too lazy to actually write it out that way.
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The Shadow of the Bat
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Chapter 2 - A Game of Cat and Mouse
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Japan: Two Weeks Ago
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The school had been there for centuries, always hidden, always watching. Tucked away on top of a mountain that few even bothered to acknowledge. There was a time when students of the school were revered in the outside world. Respected for their exceptional skills as well as the mission they had pledged to fulfill. However, that was in the past. Now the students walked amidst society unseen and unknown, their mission lost to common knowledge long ago. They continued to honor their pledge though, each new generation taking over for their predecessors. Difficult times had come and gone with disasters threatening to undo their centuries of work, but each time they had managed to succeed. Now another dark time was coming. One that promised to change the school forever.
A young girl sat quietly on the floor of the shrine, located in the middle of the school grounds. Her legs were folded neatly under her and her head was bowed in meditation. Before her was the object of the school's focus; the relic they had protected for longer than anyone could remember. Soon it would be entrusted to her care and she alone would be responsible for ensuring the final step of its journey. It was that hefty responsibility that had her here now, meditating on what would surely be the greatest test of her skills to date. A wrinkled hand came to rest on her shoulder and she pulled herself from her meditative state, but did not yet open her eyes.
--"You are prepared, child?"--
--"As prepared as I ever will be, Sensei,"-- the girl answered the old school master. --"I must admit that doubt in your decision still plagues my mind."--
The old man chuckled warmly, giving her shoulder a pat before walking around her to stand before the relic. The girl finally opened her eyes to look at her master; his bald head, long white beard and orange robes that always seemed comically large for him.
--"You are the most skilled student here, Yori,"-- the Sensei told her as he carefully lifted the relic from its place. --"If any of us are worthy of this burden, it is you."-- He reverently set the object inside a black traveling case, closing the lid and locking it before turning back to his student. --"Failure is always a possibility, child. But you must not allow that possibility to dictate your actions. Simply remember your training and trust in your skill and you will have nothing to fear." --
--"I will remember Sensei,"-- Yori stood, bowing to the old master as he handed her the black case. The preparations for her journey had all been made early yesterday, so all there was left to do was retrieve the bags from her room and go. A helicopter was waiting for her a short distance from the school, the spinning blades kicking up snow and wind as the engine started. With her bags loaded and the long, black case still in her hands, Yori bowed once more to the old man.
--"I will not fail you,"-- she said, all doubt now replaced with determination. The Sensei smiled back at her and returned the gesture. As the helicopter lifted into the sky, however, the old man's smile faded.
--"No child, you shall not fail,"-- he murmured sadly to the sky as the machine bearing his student shrunk into the distance. --"But you WILL fall. And for that, I beg your forgiveness."--
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Gotham City: The Present
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Getting into the charity ball had ended up being even easier than Selina had thought. Dressed in a respectable, but quite stunning black dress, she had walked up the steps to the museum ready to convince the doorman to admit her. However, before she could even begin, someone called her name and she smiled to see an old acquaintance. Bertie was a wealthy young man she'd spent some time with in New York. Sweet, kind and rather vapid, he had a genuinely friendly manner that seemed to endear him to almost everyone.
Bertie had been one of her favorite 'marks', even though she hadn't gotten all that much out of him. Oh they went to expensive dinners and he gave her some lovely gifts to be sure, but nowhere near her usual draw. Selina still wasn't sure how, but she strongly suspected that his valet was behind it all. Where Bertie was oblivious, his manservant seemed quite sharp; those dark eyes of his always seeming to know more than he let on.
Still, she had enjoyed herself immensely while they were together, and Bertie was one of the only ones to still keep up contact with her after she'd gone. Inviting her to parties or out for a friendly drink whenever he heard she was in town. And now here he was walking up the steps of the museum toward her; a proverbial gift from above. With Bertie as an escort, she gained admittance without a hitch and was soon inside the main hall. She made some excuse to Bertie who simply smiled brightly and told her to be sure and save him a dance.
Selina wandered around the large room for awhile taking it all in. The whole set-up was certainly impressive. A large Grecian statue stood in the center of the hall with two smaller Egyptian sculptures about 20 feet away on either side of it. Glass cases and displays lined the walls while paintings and tapestries hung from the walls and ceilings. A display at one end of the long room was closed off with a curtain and contained, she was sure, the new artifacts of Dr. Victor Drakken.
"Curiosity getting the best of you?" The sudden voice from behind her startled Selina a bit. Turning around she found a young man smiling up at her from a rather expensive looking wheelchair. "Sorry," the man said, his smile turning a little sheepish, "didn't mean to sneak up on you, but I couldn't help but notice you checking out the display."
"Well, it IS a little hard not to fantasize," Selina grinned back, motioning to the ornate curtains blocking off the exhibit. "Seems like a pretty big deal, whatever it is."
The man laughed a little, wheeling himself forward a bit till he was at her side, also looking at the curtains.
"Yeah, Victor's a bit of a showman. He loves making these things as dramatic as he can." He shook his head in an amused manner. "Oh, Felix Renton by the way," he added, holding out a hand in greeting.
"Selina Goh," Selina answered, shaking the offered hand with a smile.
"Don't think I've seen you around here before. New in town?" Felix asked conversationally. Selina nodded.
"Just got in yesterday. Thought I'd see the sights as it were."
Felix laughed a bit at this, his tone taking on a bit of wry humor.
"See the sights, huh?" he chuckled. "I think you're in the wrong city Miss Goh. The only 'sights' around here are the kind you see on the news and have to be edited for content."
"So I've heard," Selina smirked back. "But there's this, isn't there?" She motioned to the curtained exhibit. "And not all 'sights' are places after all."
Felix followed her pointed look over to a small crowd of people, in the middle of which was a head of flaming red hair.
"Ah yes," he said, turning his wheelchair a bit to better see the new point of interest. "Gotham's most famous daughter. She IS quite a spectacle, isn't she. At least she does her best to be." Selina thought she caught a hint of sadness or regret in the man's voice, but decided not to mention it.
"Who's the beefcake she's hanging on?"
"Brick Flagg," Felix answered, switching his gaze to the large blonde man that was currently arm in arm with Kim Possible. "Local football hero. Kim's had him out a few times."
"'Had him out'?" Selina raised an eyebrow. "Makes him sound like a new car or something."
"That's actually a more apt description than you think," Felix chuckled. "Kim Possible isn't known for her emotional stability. It's always the same; she'll start seeing someone, trot around with him for awhile and then simply drop him when she gets bored."
"Not a very nice person, huh," Selina grinned, following Felix when he motioned that he was going for another drink.
"She used to be," the man replied a little wistfully, pushing his chair at a casual pace as Selina strolled along beside him. "And she's not exactly cruel. Just... insensitive."
"She a friend of yours?" Selina asked, catching his tone of voice.
"As much as she's friends with anybody now-a-days. We used to be pretty tight when we were kids, but things got pretty tough on her for awhile and we sorta drifted apart after that."
"You mean her parents?" Selina kept her eyes on the girl as she asked.
"... That's where it started."
The statement sent her curiosity spiking and she almost asked for Felix to go into specifics. However, a new arrival at the door interrupted any further questions.
"Another one of Gotham's 'sights'," Felix grinned, glad for a change of subject. "Lord Montgomery Fiske. Real life English lord. Moved to Gotham a couple years ago."
"And what's his claim to fame," Selina wondered, sipping at her glass of champagne.
"Well, if you believe the official version he's a self-made billionaire, a bit reclusive and an art collector."
"And the unofficial version?" Selina cocked an eyebrow. Felix gave a half-smile.
"High-up mob boss, criminal past, government contacts and influence," Felix shrugged. "If you were to believe the rumors, Lord Fiske is connected to over half the crimes committed in Gotham." The man paused to take a drink before continuing. "Of course that's all they are; rumors. People come up with all kinds of stuff that way. Heck, I've even heard tales about him being some crazy mad scientist cooking up monsters in his mansion, or even rumors that he's actually the Bat."
"Ah, Gotham's famous boogie-man," Selina smirked. "Is that all rumors as well or is there really something to it?"
"Well, I've never seen him myself of course," Felix answered, turning his eyes from Fiske back to Selina. "There's been lots of sightings though. I find it a little hard to believe that SO many people could be mistaken. Mass hysteria or no."
Selina nodded thoughtfully, looking up when a round of applause started rippling around the room. It seemed to be directed at the entrance of a rather bookish looking man wearing an out-of-date suit and a bit of a scowl. His thinning hair was pulled back into a small ponytail and a scar ran down one side of his face.
"The man himself," Felix grinned, looking toward the new arrival.
"Victor Drakken I gather," Selina said, slightly amused at the scientist's seeming annoyance at the crowd of people around him.
"In the flesh. The knockout on his arm is his wife, Vivian Drakken. Don't let her looks fool you though, she's probably smarter than Victor." Felix set aside his glass and straightened his bow tie. "Well, if you'll excuse me I've got to go play host. I helped set up this little party for Victor and if I don't go tell him how great it's going quickly he'll start to get nervous."
Selina gave him a friendly wave as he rolled off toward the two scientists. The rest of the room was currently focused on the main door and Selina took the chance to slip away unnoticed and duck behind the curtain obscuring Dr. Drakken's exhibit. She slipped quietly through the collection of glass cases, looking through their contents as well as any security devices that were on them.
The piece she was looking for stood near the center of the exhibit. It was a simple wooden carving about a foot high and cylindrical in shape, the carved features limited to relief carving like that of a totem pole. The thing was rather crude in appearance and Selina wasn't sure if it was supposed to represent a person or some kind of ape. The case seemed to be the usual museum affair with the usual locks and alarms. Nothing she hadn't tackled before.
She was just finishing up her examination of the case when a large tapestry hung across the back of the exhibit caught her eye. Selina wasn't much of a history buff, but the sheer size of the thing grabbed her attention. The edges were adorned with what seemed to be dancing monkeys while several different scenes played out in the center. One showed a man holding a green star that looked to have fallen out of the sky. Another showed the man pounding the star with a blacksmith's hammer over a forge. Yet another depicted him cutting into a mountain with a sword. They were rather simple designs, but something about them held her gaze.
"Couldn't wait for the unveiling huh?" Selina spun around in surprise. This was the second time today someone had snuck up on her. Maybe she was getting out of practice.
"Well, with all the hype around this stuff my curiosity got the best of me," Selina replied casually, putting on her best 'innocent-yet-mischievous' smirk. She had expected some museum official or something, so was rather surprised when the person standing behind her turned out to be none other than Kimberly Possible.
"Yes, there's always a big to-do whenever Victor and Vivian come back from one of their little jaunts," the red-head grinned back, leaning against one of the stone pillars that stood on either side of the exhibit. "Frankly it all looks rather boring to me, but any excuse for a party, huh?" She raised her champagne glass in a mock toast.
"Any excuse for a party," Selina agreed with a smirk, eying the other woman curiously. The two of them simply stared at each other for a few minutes, Selina becoming more and more uncomfortable under the red-head's scrutiny. Possible's green eyes seemed to cut right into her, leaving the thief feeling like something in a test tube or maybe a bull being sized up by a matador.
"So, you're the infamous Selina Goh," Kim finally spoke, breaking the silence.
"My reputation precedes me, does it?" Selina's voice came out a little curt, her uncomfortable feelings turning into frustration. SHE was usually the one to make OTHER people uncomfortable, but this woman had turned the tables on her and that was causing her temper to flare.
"Well, I know Bertie you see," Kim smiled sweetly. "He couldn't stop talking about you while you two were dating and then the first thing he tells me when I see him tonight is that 'she's here and you HAVE to meet her'." She smirked, mimicking Bertie's British accent.
"And now that you have?" the thief smiled coyly, easing her discomfort by falling back into her usual role as the 'playful femme fatale'.
"Honestly, from the way he was talking, I was expecting an eight foot tall amazon or something," Kim answered, walking over nearer to the other woman.
"Well," Selina shrugged, "chain-mail tends to chafe."
"Does it now," the billionaire murmured, looking the brunette up and down. The close scrutiny lasted only a second or two before she turned away again. "So tell me; what brings you to Gotham? I thought Metropolis was your usual... street corner."
The semi-playful atmosphere shattered instantly. Selina's teeth ground together as she clinched her fists hard enough that her nails began to break the skin. It took all she had not to take a swing at Possible's head, the thinly veiled insult sending her temper flaring off the scale.
"Felt like a change of scenery," she answered as calmly as she could, though coming through clenched teeth, it didn't work too well.
The sudden hostility hung heavily in the air. Selina was used to insults; many a society bimbo had thrown a tantrum at her for stealing their date. Those had always involved high-pitched shrieks and swearing. Something about the calmly-presented barb from Possible had cut through all her well-built defenses and left her seeing red. The way the billionaire wasn't even looking at her didn't help either. Almost as though Selina was below her notice and the insult had no more significance than informing someone that their dog had bad breath. Selina didn't like being treated as insignificant, and to this day she's not sure if she wouldn't have decked Possible, given a little more time. Luckily the tension was interrupted by one of the museum staff.
"Excuse me," a young woman said shyly, looking in through the curtain. "The exhibition is about to open." She spoke politely and a little shyly, her Japanese accent only adding to the effect.
"Of course," Kim smiled as though nothing was wrong. "Sorry if we held you up." Selina stayed silent, her expression still stormy as she followed Possible back through the curtain. Suddenly the red-head gasped, falling to the side as she seemed to trip over her own feet. The Asian girl reacted quickly, catching the billionaire before she'd even gotten halfway to the floor.
"Are you okay, Miss?" the girl asked as she helped to steady Possible.
"Yes, thank you," Kim answered sheepishly, offering an embarrassed grin. "Guess I've had a little more to drink than I thought." The other woman returned the smile, holding the curtain open for the two ladies. Selina followed Possible back out to the party, but not before shooting a suspicious look at the museum worker's retreating form. When Kim had steadied herself against the girl, one of the Asian woman's sleeves had been pushed up a bit. Selina had caught a brief glimpse of some black, form-fitting material underneath her clothes. It could be nothing, but it was enough to make the cat-burglar nervous.
The rest of the night had gone by uneventfully enough. Selina had endured through Victor Drakken's speeches that, at times, bordered on obsessive rants. Luckily his wife seemed to notice the signs and a calm pat on his arm was usually enough to halt his growing vigor and bring the lecture back to a reasonable volume.
She'd talked a little more with Felix who seemed a little disappointed to hear about her rather unpleasant introduction to Kim. He did not, however, seem too surprised.
"She can get like that sometimes," he'd said, shaking his head in frustration. "Nobody knows what sets her off, but she'll be great one minute, horrible the next, and then apologize like a saint the next day. It's almost enough to make one ponder schizophrenia."
When the academic part of the party had concluded, Bertie had snatched her away for some dancing and conversation. He also acted rather taken aback by Selina's lukewarm reaction to Kim, but like Felix, he waved it off as 'Kim being Kim' and assured her she'd probably get an apology letter tomorrow accompanied by a bottle of wine.
She'd left a little after Possible had teetered out, looking a little more tipsy than she had at their brief encounter. Despite Felix and Bertie's reassurances, Selina was still feeling quite venomous toward the red-head. Still, there wasn't anything to be done about it, so she'd caught a ride home and started preparing for her clandestine return to the museum.
Making her way across the rooftops, Selina began to fully appreciate some of the differences between Gotham and Metropolis. It took much less effort to stick to the shadows here; they lay heavy across the buildings even in the better neighborhoods. In Metropolis everything had been lit up and bright, spotlights sweeping to and fro across the buildings. This was much more her element, and the thief allowed herself a small smirk of satisfaction beneath her mask.
The museum opened up to her as easily as she thought it would. An electronic coil applied to the skylight to short-circuit the alarm system, a small air-gun to attach scramblers to the security cameras, and pressurized suction cups to let her crawl across the ceiling, safe from the pressure sensors. There was no heat signature alarm, but even that would have been useless; her suit being capable of lowering it's signature to room temperature.
Once she was over the exhibit, it's curtain now gone, she attached a rappel line to the ceiling and slowly lowered herself down to the case containing the idol. It was painstaking work, cutting into the glass cover without setting off the alarms, carefully slipping in the mirrors to deflect the laser beams; nothing she hadn't done before.
Selina grinned to herself as the last mirror slid into place and she deftly plucked the idol from it's cushion, replacing it with her usual calling card before making her way back across the ceiling and out the skylight. The usual swell of invigoration washed over her as she ran across the rooftops of Gotham. The cold air whipped at her through her suit, but it only made her feel that much more alive.
Soon, however, another kind of shiver started to run across her skin. One that dulled her excitement and made the hair on the back of her neck stand on end. She started to glance about her nervously as she ran, unsure of what she expected to see. Selina thought she caught a flash of something in her peripheral vision just before her legs were suddenly bound together and she fell to the rooftop.
Growling a bit frantically, she tore the bindings from her calves and rolled back to her feet, searching for the dropped bag containing the idol. She found it laying just a few feet away, but froze when she noticed the figure standing on the other side of the roof.
The features were impossible to make out, the shadows and heavy cape that wrapped around it turned the figure into nothing more than a shapeless hulk of blackness. She could, however, make out the two pointy 'ears' that jutted out of its head. The same ones she'd seen in the photos shown to her by Wilson.
"The 'Bat' I presume," she smirked, shaking off her initial shock. "Wow, I thought I'd need to pull at least TWO jobs before I got the privilege of a visit from Gotham's number one sideshow."
If Selina expected any response to her jibes (which she'd grown to enjoy almost as much as burglary) she was sorely disappointed. The looming figure didn't speak, didn't acknowledge what she said, didn't even circle her cautiously. He simply started walking straight across the roof toward her. She was so surprised that it was a good two or three seconds before it all registered and she finally moved.
She lunged forward for the bag, grabbing the handles and sprinting as fast as she could for the side of the roof. Unfortunately her delay had cost her and she found heavy cloth whipping about her as the Bat collided with her back. Again Selina was surprised when, instead of hauling her back from the edge, the man continued the forward momentum, sending them both tumbling off the roof toward the street below.
The uncontrolled fall sent her stomach lurching sickeningly as the world spun about them. She felt the Bat shift a bit and the fall suddenly changed direction, swinging them over another building. Selina was barely able to register it as some sort of abandoned apartment or warehouse before the arm wrapped around her disappeared and she was sent plummeting through the building's skylight.
The landing knocked the wind out of her, but apart from some minor scratches she was unharmed. She rolled back to her feet as quickly as she could, catching sight of the Bat as he released the grapple line he was holding and plunged through the skylight after her, instantly disappearing in the complete darkness of the interior.
"Oh no you don't," Selina growled, thumbing a control on her goggles that turned her vision green with night-vision. The Bat was just rising from where he landed and the thief grinned to herself, ready to exact a little revenge. She never got the chance. In the next instant, the dark figure had pulled something from the confines of his cape and held it out in front of him. There was a soft pop and Selina was suddenly blinded by an intense flash of light. Her green-tinted vision went white and she cried out in pain, the sudden agony sending her stumbling backward. She couldn't even fight back as the goggles were roughly ripped from her face along with her mask and she was pressed up against a wall, a forearm crushing down on her throat.
"Who are you working for?" The voice growled out near her ear, so rough that it was almost unintelligible. Her vision was still swimming from the flash so all she could make out of his face was a black blob. Only the demonic ears were still prominent.
"Working for?" she answered, almost in a panic from the sheer chaos of the situation. "Nobody. I just..."
"DON'T LIE TO ME!" This time he roared in her face, the heat from his breath making her cringe involuntarily. "I know you, 'Catwoman'," he hissed close to her ear again. "I know this isn't your kind of score. I know you're doing this FOR someone. Now tell me whO IT IS!"
Selina wanted to believe it was a carefully laid plan on her part, but the truth is that it was her fear more than anything. Her fear that finally let her focus on that warm sensation she always had within her ever since her skin had changed to it's pale green color and transfer it to her hands. The Bat fell away from her with a startled grunt as her hands had begun burning through his suit. As soon as the pressure was released, Selina bolted away. She ran through the building, out the door and away into the night; not daring to stop until she was sure that the dark figure was not following her.
Selina didn't go back to her apartment that night. The Bat had seen her face and she couldn't be sure that it was safe for her to return. She eventually found a horridly seedy hotel were the clerk took her money while pointedly NOT looking at her black, form-fitting attire and full duffel bag.
Selina tried to go to sleep normally in the rather shoddy bed, but found it was impossible. Dreams of large, monstrous bats left her huddled in a corner with the blanket wrapped tightly around her. At that moment, she truly wished she'd NEVER come to Gotham City.
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To be continued...
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And there ya go. Reviews welcome as always and I'll try to get the next chapter out quicker than this one. Next time we'll find out the location of the second idol and that Selina might not be the only one who's trying to get ahold of them.
