Batman and Cassandra were staring at each other in the warehouse, all of the goons rendered unconscious by the Batman, leaving only the two alone. Cassandra didn't know what would happen until finally Batman approached her, throwing an arm around her and then firing his grapple gun straight up, the two suddenly getting yanked into the air. Cassandra instinctively held on as they got launched into the air for a few long seconds before landing flat on the roof. Batman had brought them safely through an old broken skylight in the ceiling. Cassandra backed away as soon as Batman had released her.
"Cassandra Cain." Batman said simply, surprising Cassandra, her eyes widened in absolute astonishment that the Batman knew who she was.
"I know you can't talk so I'll do all the talking. I know you're investigating the murder of your parents. Hilton and Regina Cain killed by an unknown gunman eight years ago. I know you roughed up an ex-Cop to get your information. I don't know how close you are to solving it, but you need to let the police take care of it. Hang up the cowl. It's too dangerous. Now come on, I'll take you back to Saint Jerome's." Batman said but Cassandra narrowed her gaze and removed her mask, stuffing it partially in her belt before signing her answer.
"I found him! The killer! He was just here! I was so close!" she signed, Batman looking at her with minor surprise.
"You're sure?" he asked as she nodded.
"I know his voice. I know his speech. I hear it every night in my mind. I know it's him." She replied as Batman took a breath. He knew it would be hard to dissuade her now but his might drifted back to the images of the maimed Barbara Gordon, and worse, the sight of a crumpled and bloodied Jason Todd after the Joker had beaten him to death with a crowbar, remembering the tragedy that had befallen both of them.
"I'll find him. Leave him to me, Cassandra. Go home and never put on the cowl again. If you do, I'll report you to the police or I'll have to deal with you myself. I've already lost two of my own allies because I allowed them to wear a mask and fight beside me. I'm not going to make the same mistake with you, Cassandra." Batman said but Cassandra wasn't budging.
"Too close! Too close!" she replied.
"That's enough Cassandra, now come on, let's go." Batman said, reaching for her hand when she suddenly grabbed his arm and skillfully shifted her weight and threw him onto the floor before running off, leaping off the side of the warehouse and managing to grab onto a drain pipe which groaned and bent under her weight, falling to the ground, taking Cassandra with it but she emerged unscathed. She started running towards an alleyway. She then heard the sound of something swirling towards her through the air and quickly ducked down just in time for a set of bolas to fly overhead, just missing her and hitting a metal post ahead of her. She ran into the alleyway but her ears picked up another sound, the sound of ruffling fabric overhead and getting closer. She quickly jumped back just in time for Batman to land in front of her. The Dark Knight spun towards her, raising his hands in a fighting posture but Cassandra did the same.
Cassandra took the first swing, Batman countering but she managed to evade his counter just narrowly before retaliating with a punch to the arm and then bringing her leg around to kick him across the face. Batman was dazed which allowed her to slip free. She tried to karate kick him but he caught her foot with both hands before spinning her to the ground. He tried to pick her up but she kicked free and up onto her feet, a slight trickle of blood from the corner of her mouth. Batman had a bruise forming on his cheek from when she kicked him. He hadn't anticipated a 98 pound fifteen-year-old girl to be so well trained. This in mind, he decided not to harm her further and when she moved to make another strike, he flared his cape at her, causing her to stagger back, shielding herself. She heard a loud hiss as green smoke filled the alley. She quickly began feeling dizzy and drowsy, staggering and struggling to stay conscious. The last thing she saw before passing out, was Batman with a gasmask on his face while the last thing she heard was the sound of a car approaching.
11:55 PM
Hyperion Apartment Complex – The Apartment of Barbara Gordon
"Hey guys, come on in." Barbara said as she showed Tim and Dick into her apartment.
"Thanks for seeing us, Babs. I know it's late." Dick said but Barbara scoffed.
"Late for some people, Dick, but not us bats, right?" she asked as the two sat down on the living room couch, Tim looking around the apartment.
"Nice place here Barbara. Imagine Dick's seen a lot of it already." Tim said before getting smacked in the face with a throw pillow but he was still smirking when the pillow was pulled away.
"How about you go look at the front door again from the outside?" Dick asked as Tim dangled his cellphone between his fingers.
"Took pictures. I'm good." He replied as Dick rolled his eyes.
"So I heard that the hack tool didn't work, huh?" Barbara asked.
"Didn't work fast enough. Bruce got back before we could get through door number four." Dick said but Barbara merely smiled and wheeled herself towards her laptop on the dining room table.
"That's too bad. I think you'll get in the next time though. So what can you guys tell me about this new Batgirl that I've heard about?" Barbara asked but the two ex-Robins looked at each other in confusion.
"So the rumors are true. We heard mention of a new Batgirl around. First thought it was you. Did you have a hand in this?" Tim asked but Barbara shook her head while working on something at her laptop.
"None. This must be some new kid that's put on the cowl. Whether she knows I've been taken out of action or she's something else, I just hope Bruce talks her down." Barbara said, earning a surprised look from Dick.
"You actually want Bruce to stop her?" Dick asked.
"Absolutely. She's inexperienced or she's a rank amateur. Bruce needs to reign the rookies in before they get killed. It's different with us though. We were trained, we practiced, Bruce showed us what to do and how to do it. We know nothing about this batgirl and she likely knows nothing about what she's doing." Barbara explained, the two boys nodding in agreement.
"Yeah you've got a point, like usual Babs." Dick mumbled.
"I usually do. Now, let's see what we can do about the batcave security." Barbara said as Tim and Dick looked at each other, confused.
"Uh, Bruce escalated the security. We'd need someone stronger than Bane to break through some of those security features." Dick commented but Barbara shot them a smirk, the reflection of her laptop screen reflecting back towards them in her glasses.
"Bruce deactivated the security door while the hack tool was still plugged in, right?" she asked as Dick gave a nod.
"Yeah, so?" he asked as Barbara turned the laptop around, showing lines of coding.
"This is the code to a special program I wrote for the hack tool. I've been working on it almost day and night after I heard Bruce banned you from the Bat Cave. The hack tool allows me to wirelessly remote into the Bat Cave computer through the data ports at the security doors and deactivate the security itself. But it's also a key logger. Every keystroke Bruce made to deactivate the security doors got recorded into the tool and transmitted to me. In other words, we don't have to hack the security now that we've got the password." Barbara said as Tim and Dick looked at her in astonishment.
"Alright, but can you remotely hack the lockers with our gear?" Dick asked as Barbara's smirk got wider.
"You don't understand. With the code I was able to get, I can unlock pretty much the entire cave system! Hell I could even unlock the boots on Bruce's original Batmobile." Barbara said as the two grinned and started for the door.
"We'll be in the cave!" Tim said but a batarang flew across in front of them.
"Whoa-whoa boys! I'm coming with you. Help me to the car." Barbara said as the guys both smirked at each other.
April 4th
12:13 AM
Saint Jerome's – The room of Sister Anne O'Patrick.
Anne was having a restless night. She was worried that the recent break in Cassandra's case would lead her to do something rash. Finally she decided that she had to check on Cassandra and started to get out of bed. When she reached for the light however, she was confronted by the sight of a tall Dark Knight who quickly silenced her.
"Anne O'Patrick?" Batman asked as Anne gave a bewildered nod.
"Ya gave me a start, Batman. I figured ya'd be comin' around sooner or later." Anne said as Batman looked down at her gently.
"I know what Cassandra's been doing. I just rescued her from several thugs that wouldn't have hesitated to kill her had they been given a chance. She was injured but I've treated her injuries. She's resting in her room for now." Batman said as Anne breathed a sigh of relief.
"Thank ye kindly Batman. I knew that it'd take you to talk some sense into her." Anne said as Batman took a step closer.
"I'm impressed by her skill in the field. She caught me off guard with her martial arts skills. Who trained her?" Batman asked, Anne smiling proudly.
"A little of official instruction, a little self-education. She got one of those special sponsorships from the Bruce Wayne Foundation and she used it to enroll in several self-defense classes. Kung-fu, Jujitsu, karate, tai-chi…she has black belts in all four. She's a very fast learner. I think part of it has to do with her inability to speak. With silence forced upon her, she has more capacity to watch and listen. She's a very analytic one." Anne explained as Batman glanced at the walls. Like Cassandra's room, Anne's room was sparcely furnished. On the nightstand was a photograph of Cassandra and Anne at the Gotham Fun Fair, while another was of a handsome man with fiery red hair reclining on a seat in a clear glass cabin overlooking the Thames River in London, looking towards Big Ben. The picture had been taken from onboard the London Eye.
"I thought Nuns were supposed to cast off all romantic ties as they were married to the church." Batman said as Anne gave a sad nod.
"Aye that be true. But ye canna be married to someone who ain't alive." Anne said as Batman reached into his utility belt and pulled out a folded sheet of paper with lines of code printed on it. One line of code had been circled, the word "AnneBonnieLass" having been circled respectively.
"The GCPD reported that someone hacked into their databases recently and that the hacker used an IP scrambler to cover their tracks. I unscrambled it and traced it back to here. I also examined the code used to infiltrate and linked it to a known hacker known as Anne Bonnie Lass. That's you, isn't it?" Batman asked although it was more of a statement than a question. Anne sighed and looked at the photograph of the man on the wall.
"Aye that's me. T'ain't nary a point in arguin' with ye Batman. My real name is Bonnie O'Patrick. I used to be part of the hacker group known as Irish Anonymous. We weren't connected with the hacktivist group Anonymous but we shared the same goals, only more focused to a specific region: Ireland." Anne explained.
"I've heard of them. They were all arrested by Interpol eight years ago for leaking classified Mi5 documents which led to several deaths and assassinations by the Irish Mafia. So how are you here?" Batman asked. Anne looked saddened by the question.
"I dinna' escape Interpol, but rather Interpol let me go. Our initial goal with I.A. was to push for Irish Independence from the U.K. Much like what the Scots attempt every few years. One day, we manage to hack into a secure Mi5 Database. It was a proof of concept run to prove we could access their network, but while we're browsin' through their files, one of our group says to copy down a series of files pertainin' to their ongoin' organized crime investigations within Ireland. I just went along with it, not thinkin' much of it at the time. Later I heard of a few murders and assassinations within Ireland, the victims all being named in the files we stole. That's when I learned that one of our group was the son of one of the most dangerous mobsters in Ireland and had used our group to find out what the police had on his operations." Anne explained, clearly upset and regretful of her past. She then continued.
"I turned traitor, Batman. I wanted Irish Independence, but not at the cost of people's lives. A bloodless coup. People died because of what we did, Batman. Entire families, Batman. Men, women, children, all killed because of a few lines of code. Most of them never even had any knowledge that what they'd done was for the Mafia. I had to do somethin', ta make it right somehow. So I got all the information on my colleagues and turned them in to Interpol. After that, Mi5 gave me immunity and smuggled us out of the country." Anne explained, Batman looking at her.
"Us?" he asked.
"My husband and I were involved in Irish Anonymous. But after I turned on the mafia, they put out a hit for us. Interpol arranged for us to flee the country in secret but I found out that my husband had been killed by the mafia after I got to Gotham. I changed my name and went off the grid. I intended to stay that way but then I met Cassandra. Her drive, her motivation, her anxiousness to help put her parents to rest, motivated me to do somethin' to help her. I used some money I'd digitally stolen from the mafia to finance her investigation. Part of my own vengeance against the Mafia for their murderin'." Anne explained as Batman listened intently. She then looked at the Batman.
"Do you know who killed her parents? Do you know who did it?" Anne asked but Batman looked away.
"No. But I think Cassandra does." Batman said as Anne sighed heavily with worry.
"You mean she might've found a clue?" Anne asked.
"I think she might have found him." Batman replied as he reached behind him and pulled one of the skull printed balaclavas inside of a clear plastic evidence bag, showing it to Anne.
"That looks like the mask Cassandra said the killer wore…is that-?" she asked reluctantly.
"No but I took it off of one of several criminals guarding a warehouse. It doesn't match any known gang profiles." Batman replied, Anne putting a hand to her head in worry.
"I've always tried to protect her, but she refuses to listen. I dunna know if she intends to murder this man, let him live and face justice, or what. But I know this, Batman, her heart ain't made o' gold. It's diamond. New girls, when they arrive, they face all sorts of mean treatment from the older girls. But Cassandra, she never once shed a tear when she first arrived. She was as solid as a rock. When new girls arrived, she'd stand up to the bullies. She'd protect the new ones. At first she'd get a few scrapes for her trouble but over time, all it'd take is one look from her and the mean ones would crumble." Anne said as Batman picked up the photograph of her and Cassandra at the fair while Anne continued.
"I remember, one girl got Saint Jerome's medal stolen by one of the others. Cassandra examined the scene and calmly walked up to one of the older girls, held out her hand, and the girl surrendered it. She's smart as a whip, that girl." Anne explained.
"Hasn't she had anyone want to adopt her?" Batman asked but Anne frowned sadly and shook her head.
"Plenty but she always says no. The Father thinks she might be considerin' takin' the orders like I have, but I think she canna accept any new parents until she puts her old ones to rest." Anne replied as Batman put the picture down.
"I've taken up enough of your time." Batman said before turning away.
"Nay, ye haven't. I need to check up on her anyway." Anne said, putting her slippers on, leading Batman out into the hall. Cassandra's room was just across from Anne's at the end of the hall and the furthest from the stairs but as Anne opened the door, they felt a cool breeze blowing through the room. Inside they found that the bed was empty, horrifying Anne.
"Oh Mother Mary! She's scarpered!" Anne exclaimed, spinning around to face the Batman who was staring up at the ceiling with a scowl. Anne followed his gaze and saw, painted on the ceiling in yellow glow-in-the-dark paint was the Batsignal.
"Why would she have this painted on her ceiling?" Batman asked as Anne took a breath.
"She said it was the first thing she saw after her parents' murder. She says it gave her hope." Anne replied as Batman turned on the lights, stepping into the room as he noticed a map of Gotham on her desk and her smartphone. Batman quickly picked up the phone and plugged in a small device on the micro-usb port, unlocking the phone in only a few seconds which brought up her phone's web browser, left open on a search for "Gotham City Steel Mills." Batman took one look at the map and then ran out the door.
…
Out on the streets of Gotham, running atop rooftops, scaling fences, and running through the back alleys of Gotham City, Cassandra ran with fervent determination, her mask on.
"And what of our invitations for tonight? Have we received the RSVPs?"
"We have. Penguin, Falcone, and White have all replied. They sound interested in hearing about the offer. They've agreed to meet us at the old Steel Mill."
This was what was racing through Cassandra's mind. Tonight her parents' killer was to meet with the Penguin, Carmine Falcone, and Warren White at the old Sionus Steel Mill and this would likely be her only opportunity to unmask him and face him for the first time in eight years. She was only a few blocks away from Saint Jerome's when she saw one of the trucks from the warehouse stopped at a stop light. Making sure she wasn't seen, she snuck over and climbed onto the roof of the truck just as it started rolling again. She rode on the back of the truck as it headed for the steel mill, arriving at the old mill within roughly ten minutes and that was with running a few stop signs and traffic lights but luckily the streets of Gotham were largely empty that time of night anyway, especially in Gotham's Industrial district.
The truck came to a stop just outside of the mill, a pair of armed goons checking the back of the truck to make sure there weren't any stowaways. They just never thought to check the roof though and waved the truck through, the truck driving into one of the mill's loading areas where a number of the masked goons were patrolling. Cassandra saw a low beam approaching and quickly leapt onto it, scrambling to the top unseen before hurrying across the beams to find a better vantage point. She looked around but saw only the goons, and no sign of the three invited criminal kingpins, at least not yet. She did see one thing that convinced her that her quarry was there: The same white limo that she'd seen leaving the warehouse.
As she sat crouched, she finally spotted three sets of the masked goons approach three separate entrances to the mill, each opening the doors to allow three sets of armed goons, each dressed in the attire of one of the three crime lords, to enter the room. They were soon followed by their respective employers…
Oswald Cobblepot, the Penguin, his irremovable glass bottle turned monocle shining in the light of the old work lights overhead, a cigar clinched between his fingers while he carried his trademark umbrella like a cane, hobbling into the room.
Carmine Falcone, elegantly dressed in a black suit and tie, a red carnation in his lapel and slicked black hair.
And finally Warren White, the Great White Shark, his hideously deformed chalk white face with no lips, no ears, a hole where his nose should be, and filed down teeth while wearing a grey sharkskin suit and trousers, red dress shirt, and white tie. The crime lords regarded each other with contempt and a clear yet unspoken desire to murder each other.
"I thought this was an invitation only affair. No old money and no gutless fish allowed." Penguin squawked with a coy grin.
"You forget, Cobblepot, that sharks make easy prey out of flightless birds." Warren White hissed, making a grin towards him with his remaining cheek muscles.
"Gentlemen, enough. Clearly we're here to talk business, so let us talk business." Falcone said as his fellow crime lords looked at him.
"After you, old man." Warren said.
"What are you talking about? I was invited here too." Falcone said as Penguin took a drag of his cigar.
"You wha'? You mean you're not the one here to deal?" Penguin asked.
"Don't look at me." White added.
"Gentlemen, gentlemen! I assure you that this meeting will be worth your time." A voice said from the shadows, a voice Cassandra recognized as belonging to her parents' murderer. All eyes turned towards the source of this voice as an escort of SMG armed masked goons emerged from the shadows, escorting a woman in a white pinstripe business suit with black hair tied in a bun, a pair of readers resting on her nose, and a business ledger tucked under one arm. Behind her emerged an individual in a white dress suit, black dress shirt, and white tie. But what rested on his head was a hideous stark black skull mask.
"Who the hell are you supposed to be?" Penguin asked as the man approached the table in the center between them with his hands behind his back. He then spoke with the voice of the murderer, the mask's teeth moving in perfect synch with his mouth.
"My name is not your concern. For now, you can call me Black Mask."
End Chapter 6