Chapter 7

"What do you mean you kissed him?"

"Exactly that."

Batwoman was crouching at the edge of a tall building, her eyes locked on a particular "abandoned" building. She was in the area of the slums where Nightwing had been hit with a metal pole. Well, into the dangerous part of it anyways. The part all the homeless kept away from, since apparently, people only came out of it dead. Naturally, she wasn't exactly scared of this particular aspect. The man she had interrogated before Nightwing showed up had explained what the building looked like to her, since he didn't know the exact address. Now, all she had to do was wait to see if anyone showed up. So far, almost an hour had gone by without any suspicious activity, and to pass the time, she had called Oracle to talk about the rather confusing events that took place earlier that day.

"I thought you didn't, you know, want anything to do with him." Oracle spoke up and Batwoman sighed.

"I don't. That's the problem. Every time I push him away he refuses to keep his distance. He keeps getting closer, and each step he takes towards me, the more I trust him again. I thought I had all of this figured out…but I just don't know anymore."

"Maybe this is for the better, Jasmine. I mean…no offense but it isn't like you've been the greatest, well, company since…" She trailed off, not mentioning Jason's name. Batwoman winced a little at what she said.

"I know I haven't been. I actually hesitated talking to you in the first place, but Oracle, I'm growing tired of hurting everyone and being lonely. I thought I could do this because I've been alone and concealed my feelings for almost all of my life. It helped thinking that Nightwing and Batman didn't care about me, but with everything now pointing to the opposite…I'm starting to believe Nightwing when he told me that everything he said to me hadn't been true," She explained in distraught. There was a small pause for a moment.

"Does this mean you are going to finally get help, Jazz? Your thoughts…you need to talk them out and you need help. Anyone could see how they are destroying you. If you talk to Bruce and tell him what you've told me, then he'll help you. He does care about you, Jasmine. As for Dick…that's complicated. Why were the two of the arguing today anyways? Maybe we can figure this out before your bad guys show up." She offered in a gentle voice. Batwoman scanned the area for a moment. Still nothing. She didn't have much of anything else to do as she waited, so speaking with Barbara wasn't a bad alternative.

"Well…I left the manor to see someone. He accused me of sleeping around out of self-pity, and it just exploded from that." She spoke quietly.

"Dick accused you of sleeping around? That's kind of funny considering he's been with plenty of women over…sorry, not helping. Anyways, who did you go to see?"

"I can't tell you that, but I will say that he and I aren't involved. At all." Batwoman spoke and there was silence for a moment.

"Well, there's your answer! You were with a boy. Jasmine, Dick got jealous, especially since you are going to be so secretive about this mystery boy." She exclaimed.

"Jealous? Why would he be jealous just for the reason of me not wanting to mention the boy? He's making false assumptions while he should be taking my word for it." Batwoman frowned, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Oh Jasmine…you really do need to interact more. Listen. If you left without a word and returned saying you were with a boy, he's going to think that the two of you are either friends or dating. Then, you decided to be secretive about it. That alters his view from friend to either boyfriend or friend with benefits. If any of these are true, that means you're involved with another boy…obviously. In turn, that makes him jealous because he still has feelings for you and doesn't want to see you with some other guy. Then you kissed him and tossed him out of your room after you fought, which was probably confusing for him, to say the least."

"Oh…I see. He still had no right to accuse me of sleeping around. He was right when he called me a disappointment though. J would be upset with me if he were to see me now. As for the whole kissing thing…Oracle, I have no idea why I did it. I knew I shouldn't have. I…I was so hurt, not to mention angry, after our fight. What he said…about not wanting to lose me…I could hear the pain in his voice. The sadness. I don't know, Oracle I just…I hated to hear him so upset."

"Jason would have been acting in a similar way if Dick told him what he told you. You and Jason were alike in many ways, Jasmine. Being hard on yourself like this is only one of them," She said gently then was quiet before speaking about Dick, "I thought you wanted him to be upset."

"I did but it doesn't make anything better, Oracle. It only makes things worse. I don't want to cause him pain. At one point I did, but seeing him upset has never brought me joy or a sense of redemption or anything." She sighed softly.

"I hope that you see now that you aren't like Joker after making that realization. Your father would enjoy causing him pain. You don't. Remember that. Going back to Dick, do you believe what he told you? About having said those things to push you away? I know that you said you were starting to, but to what extent?" Barbara asked.

Batwoman had winced a little when Barbara mentioned her father. Like Alfred, and now Bruce, she was one of the few people that knew she related herself to her father. That she thought she was much too like the deceased Clown Prince of Crime, which was one of the many reason why she had stayed away from everyone, "No….yes? God, I don't know. I'm so confused, Oracle. I hate the man, and I lo…like him at the same time. I can't decide whether I should believe him or continue to push him away until this whole case is solved, like my original plan." She spoke, but raised her fingers to her lips and closed her eyes. *I missed how we had been more than I realized. Hell, I miss him more than I realized.* She didn't know what she felt towards Dick Grayson anymore. It was complicated and confusing, much like what had happened earlier that day. They fought, and then she kissed him, which only made that fear of trusting someone rise in her again, which influenced her to get him away then shut the door in his face. She hated to be that stereotypical emotionally confusing girl but it seemed to be that she was.

"Did you almost say that you lo….speaking of the devil…sorry Jasmine. Dick's calling, give me a second." Barbara spoke then cut off their connection.

Batwoman remained silent as Barbara cut off then stood up straight to stretch out her aching muscles from crouching at the edge of the building for so long. She stretched her arms over her head and arched her back, hearing her back pop a little from it. *Damn. Where are my targets at?* She thought to herself with a frown, crossing her arms over her chest as she gazed at the rundown building just below her. Her red cape fluttered faintly in the wind as she stood there, gazing down coldly. By the time it had been taking, she was going to be waiting for hours on end. At least, that was what it seemed like. Honestly, the place was a little eerie. No one was dwelling around. There were a few stray cats that scampered this way and that, but other than that, nothing. Whatever was going on was definitely freaking out the homeless. Batwoman would have already gone into the building, but she didn't want to compromise her position or the fact that she was onto Red Hood. The men that attacked Dick had most definitely been Red Hood's goons. They had to be. That meant whoever was terrorizing this area must be Red Hood in disguise by using Penguin's name. Penguin's title scared people more than some new villain's. It was a smart tactical move, but not smart enough to blind her from it. Abruptly, her earpiece came to life as Barbara contacted her once more.

"Jasmine. Where. Are. You?" She spoke lowly and Batwoman held back a sigh. *Shit.*

"In Gotham." She answered vaguely.

"Yeah, no shit. You know what I mean. Turn your tracker on now. I don't care that you have to work with Dick. Jason's death is not being repeated with you. Turn it on." She spoke strictly.

"I'm dealing with this myself, Oracle. I don't need help from Nightwing, and I don't want it. This is the only way to keep him away. Sorry, but it's staying off until I'm finished with my objective." She spoke stubbornly, then saw a car coming up, "I have company."

"JASMI-" Barbara's voice cut off as Batwoman disconnected their call and crouched down once more.

The car rumbled to the front of the building before coming to a complete stop. Out of the driver's seat came Red Hood. This was the second time she has seen him now. Last time, he had seen her in the shadows, but she was well out of sight at the moment. Besides, he would have no idea that she was on to him, let alone in the actual area. Just as she guessed, he didn't seem to look towards her hidden location, but instead crossed his arms over his chest as goons came out from the passenger side seat along with the backseat. The ones from the backseat carried an unconscious woman out with them, holding her by her arms between them. Batwoman narrowed her eyes, about to drop down and attack, but something stopped her. Why did they need the woman? *I'll wait to see their plan. Then I'll attack.* She thought to herself firmly.

"Take her into the building and strap her to the table," Red Hood ordered in his masked voice, holding up a gun, "You know what happens if you don't."

Immediately, the goons followed Hood's instruction, dragging her to the entrance before pulling her through. Red Hood followed just behind them, but paused at the entrance. Batwoman narrowed her eyes, then pressed herself low to the ground, letting the shadows wrap around her like a welcoming friend. She watched as he seemed to be scanning over the surroundings. His head seemed to pause where she was just for a second before he continued his inspection. Batwoman lied there, not moving a single muscle until Hood was certain no one was there and disappeared into the abyss of the building. She rose to her feet then pulled her batclaw out, shooting it. She then swung into the air, letting go of her batclaw and landed on the roof, somersaulting and staying in a crouch when her feet hit the surface.

Batwoman stayed there for a moment, keeping her ears strained to see if anyone was coming to her general location. When only the faint whistle of the wind answered her, she stood up and glanced around. Sadly, there didn't seem to be a hatch on the roof she could use. That left the windows, which would either be a hit or miss when looking through it. However, she didn't have too much of a choice in the matter. Sighing quietly, she took out her grappling hook and walked to the edge of the building. Quickly, she attached it to the edge of the roof then jumped off. Her feet quietly made contact with the side of the building, and she slowly started moving down until she made it to the first window. At the moment, she couldn't see too much, other than Red Hood and his goons were on the first floor. Now, all she had to do was hope the window wouldn't make a sound when she came through.

Attaching the cord to her utility belt, she then worked on the window, carving a circle into the glass and catching the chunk before it fell. She then reached her hand in and unlocked the window, which then completely came loose. Gritting her teeth, Batwoman caught the edge of it before it banged against the wall. She tossed the glass piece over to the side before slipping silently through the window and quietly closing and relocking it so it wouldn't bang against the wall. Once this was done, she turned and looked over the edge of the walkway she was on, seeing the goons standing in front of Red Hood expectantly as he studied the woman, who was starting to regain consciousness. The woman's arms and legs were bound to a gurney-like table. The whole bottom floor was set-up to look similar to a lab. A specific table had this bright blue vial in multiple glass test tubes. Syringes and other medical supplies were neatly organized on another table. *What the hell is this?* Batwoman thought to herself, crouching down and turning on a recording device so she could record everything that was about to be said.

"Where…where am I…" The woman muttered quietly, her eyes slowly blinking open.

"That isn't of importance." Red Hood spoke up, tilting his head to the side. One of his goons immediately got a syringe then walked to the table with the blue concoctions.

"Y-Yes it is! Who are you! What are you going to do with me?" The woman shouted, evident panic rising in her voice. She started straining against the bonds to no avail.

"Well you see, you are going to be used as a simple experiment to perfect something I've been working on. If I am correct, you don't have any friends, family or home here. So telling me someone is going to miss you if you die will be pointless." Red Hood said matter-of-factly.

"You sick son of a bitch! Let me go!" She wailed. Batwoman swallowed hard, wanting to help her but…she needed to see what this drug could do.

"Inject her with the serum." Red Hood spoke, stepping right in front of her and crossing his arms over his chest.

The man who had filled the syringe with the blue concoction walked up to the woman, who was thrashing against her bonds, though is hardly did a thing. He jabbed it into her neck and injected the entirety of it into her. The woman shouted curses at them, but they trailed off along with her straining. Slowly but surely, she just started to lie their quietly. Batwoman narrowed her eyes. She was definitely still alive. What did the vial do to her?

"Release her from the bonds." Red Hood instructed. Two of the goons came forward and untied the woman, who didn't move a muscle to try to escape or anything. She just stared at Red Hood blankly, seemingly with no emotion.

"Stand up." Red Hood ordered her, and without hesitation, the woman did just that without a word. The villain slowly started to circle her then took one of his guns out and held it out to her.

"Take the gun, and shoot yourself in the head." He spoke clearly. The woman took the gun then raised it to the side of the head. She cocked it…then stood there, her hands starting to shake. Batwoman watched in horror, feeling frozen in place. Her father raising a gun towards Risuka's head flashed before her eyes.

"How annoying. Give her another injection." Red Hood spoke sharply. Of course, this action was carried out hastily, and the woman's hands stopped shaking. Before Batwoman could recover and react, the gunshot rang out and red exploded from the woman's head. She collapsed lifelessly to the ground, and Batwoman saw Risuka getting shot in the head right in front of her and lowered her head into her hands, her body shaking slightly. Hood bent down and picked up his gun.

"It needs to be stronger. It was much too easy for the victim to fight against the drug's control. She should have done everything I say without much hesitation." He spat, walking over to the table with the test tubes filled with the blue mystery drug. He picked up some papers and flipped through them quietly. The goons were shifting uneasily on their feet. Meanwhile, Batwoman got ahold of herself and turned the recording device out. She then got ready to take out the drugs and bring Red Hood to justice. This drug couldn't get on the streets.

If Batwoman were to guess, it directly affected the brain's thalamus and brainstem, which would alter a person's dependency. It made them entirely susceptible to whoever they saw first, which in this case, had been Red Hood. It turned them into mindless slaves. However, it seemed that if asked to do certain tasks they are strongly opposed to, the victims could fight against the drug's hold on their brain. If this drug was to be distributed, and Penguin broadcasted himself on every screen in Bludhaven and Gotham, well, he would be in control of the majority of the population. In other words, he would take over both cities. He probably planned on having Blockbuster getting injected as well, which was how they would deceive the underworld crime boss. She also predicted that the drug itself was highly addictive, which was extremely concerning since it was unknown how much of this stuff was needed for someone to overdose. An overdose would probably overload their dependency and need for orders. For example, they wouldn't breathe unless told to.

Batwoman rose to her feet, taking out two batarangs and threw them towards the liquid drug in the test tubes, however, Red Hood immediately whirled around, holding his guns up and shot them both with perfect aim. Gritting her teeth, she jumped down, landing in a crouch and resting her hands on her whips. A small laugh escaped Red Hood and he slowly walked forwards.

"Well, well, well. Did you like the show, Batwoman? I knew you were there. I just wanted you to feel the hopelessness at the thought of this drug getting distributed to both Gotham and Bludhaven. It's going to bring both the cities to their knees," He spoke, spreading his arms out a little then looked to his henchmen, "Pack up the product. I'll take care of our pest problem." He ordered, and they immediately scurried over to the table, opening a metal briefcase and started placing the vials in.

"You aren't doing this because Penguin is paying you, are you? You truly hate those two cities." She spoke lowly, throwing another batarang towards the henchmen, but it was only shot down by Hood.

"Observant. I like that. Well, Penguin is paying me, yes, but I'm the one who came up with the entire plan. I could honestly care less if he gained control of the cities or is stopped. All I care about is their suffering. More importantly, the suffering of their protectors." He spoke darkly, pointing his guns at her then shot them. Immediately, Batwoman rolled to the side, dodging the bullets, and throwing two more batarangs, this time at him, before getting to her feet and uncoiling her whips with a loud crack as they hit the ground.

"Oh-ho! Now you're getting serious!" He said, evident amusement in his voice and she scowled.

"What do you have against Nightwing and Batman, Hood?" She asked coldly, lashing both whips out lightning fast. What surprised her was that he stood there as her whips wrapped around his guns, and she flung them away.

"Everything." He spoke lowly. He then came forwards in a blur.

Batwoman swiftly lashed her whips towards him, on making him dodge to the side and the other heading straight towards his arm. However, he grabbed the whip with his hand, as though he knew her tactic. *What…* She thought to herself in disbelief. Her eyes had widened in shock for a moment before she twisted the band on the hilt of her whip, making the spikes of her caught whip unleash. Red Hood yelped out in pain as the spikes dug deeply into his hand and let go of it, coming to a stop and skidding a little to the side from the momentum of his speed.

"Damn that hurt. I forgot about those spikes." He spoke with a laugh and she glared at him, gritting her teeth.

"What do you mean forgot?" Batwoman demanded lowly and he moved his head a little to the side and sighed.

"You know, I'm a little disappointed you haven't guessed yet. I thought you of all people would have." He stated, and then moved towards her again. This time when she lashed her whips out, he willing let one lash his shoulder, but what shocked her was that he didn't even wince like everyone else did. He pushed forward, making it to her and caught her arm then twisted it behind her and pushed her up against the wall roughly. He pulled her arm behind her back tightly and she narrowed her eyes at the pain that came from it.

"It's like you already know my moves. Explain yourself!" She snapped, only to be met with a low chuckle.

"You know, the last time I remembered, you weren't this serious."

"We don't know each other."

"Oh, but Jasmine, we know each other much more than you understand. In fact, we are alike, you and I," He spoke to her lowly then let go of her arm, only to elbow the side of her face, causing her to fall to the ground from the impact, "I look forward to seeing you again."

Batwoman moved onto all fours, looking up as Red Hood ran off, having retrieved his guns. She had underestimated him. The goons had already made it out. Quickly, she got to her feet, staggering a little to the side as her head throbbed from getting elbowed. However, she recovered quickly and sprinted out of the building, only to see the car speeding away in the distance and turn a corner before she could take her tracker out.

"Shit!" She cussed, staring after where Red Hood and his members disappeared off to. *Oh, but Jasmine, we know each other much more than you understand. In fact, we are alike, you and I.*

"How did he know my name?" She questioned under her breath, narrowing her eyes. At least he confirmed her predictions. He wasn't doing all of this for the money, but to punish the cities' protectors.

Shaking her head, Batwoman then found the tracker within her suit and reactivated it. Nightwing would probably be at her location in only a few minutes. She walked back into the building and immediately headed over to the table where the liquid drug had been kept, looking for any signs of a drop that would have been left behind. Bingo. It was just a small pool, but it would work. As long as she got a sample of it to the Batcave, then a cure should be able to be created. Of course, that didn't mean that they shouldn't try to stop the shipment. The cure would be a Plan B. She pulled out a few tools, carefully getting a sample of the drug from the small pool that was on the table then placed it into her utility belt.

Next on the agenda was to look for any of Red Hood's blood. She refrained from looking at the dead body for the moment. She knew it would bring an overbearing weight of guilt, and she wasn't ready to handle that just yet. Batwoman looked around the area she had fought with Red Hood, but there wasn't any blood on the floor, miraculously. It was pretty annoying too, since she knew that his hand had been impaled by her spikes and her whip made direct contact with his shoulder. Now that she thought about it though, his gloves were probably extremely thick, and the leather jacket he wore had probably been able to catch the blood. Still, the man had been lucky he didn't leave any behind. Sighing, she then turned to the dead woman and slowly walked over to her, crouching by her body.

"I'm so sorry." Batwoman whispered, ducking her head. Another person was dead because of her, and all so she could see what that stupid drug could do. She picked information over a life. *Has Bruce taught you nothing, Jasmine? Has Risuka taught you nothing? Life is the most important and valuable thing in this world, and I just allowed one to be stolen before it was ready to be taken.* Suddenly, a weight came down on her shoulder, and immediately she swung her arm back, only for it to be caught. She turned her head, only to see that it was Nightwing. She relaxed and slowly lowered her arm as he let go of it.

"What happened?" He asked her quietly, but his voice had an edge to it, telling her than he was pissed. Not that she blamed him. *I should have listened to Barbara…I never should have turned my tracker off. I should have sucked it up, told him about Red Hood. Red Hood and his goons may not have escaped and the woman…she may be alive right now.*

Slowly, Batwoman rose to her feet and looked at Nightwing from over her shoulder. Right now, she pushed their fight aside. She just didn't care at this point. It didn't matter. Besides, the entire thing was her fault. Dick wasn't the one who was the problem here. All of it was her. "I let her die, Nightwing," She whispered, closing her eyes, "It's my fault."

"Batwoman, you didn't-" He began, his tone more concerned and she shook her head.

"Yes, I did. She was taken from the streets to serve as a guinea pig for the drug Penguin is creating. After only one injection, it makes that person completely dependent and obedient to whoever they see first. At least, that's my take from it. They were testing their latest form of it, and she was completely overcome by the drug when it was injected into her. She was told to take a gun, then shoot herself in the head," She spoke, her voice haunted as she recalled it, "She was able to fight against the drug, but they injected her a second time and she committed suicide without hesitation. I didn't intervene. I wanted to see what the drug did but I…I didn't stop her…all I saw was Risuka and I felt frozen." She spoke shakily. Batwoman then felt Nightwing take her arm and gently pull her to his chest, wrapping around his arms around her in a hug.

"It's okay." He murmured to her softly, and she stood there silently, her forehead resting on his chest for a moment before she opened her eyes. Slowly, she drew back from him.

"I'm sorry…for leaving without you and turning my tracker off." She said to him genuinely before looking away, "I thought I could do this alone, but I was wrong. It won't happen again. You have my word," She spoke, meeting his eyes and a small smile came over him.

"Good. It makes me really anxious when your tracker turns up with 'no signal.' Anyways, the drug affects dependency?" He asked, growing serious once more.

"Yeah. It probably targets the brain's thalamus and brainstem. They become extremely obedient, as I stated before. If they are asked to do something they are extremely against, in this case suicide, they are able to fight against the drug's control. Of course, this all depends on amount and the person's own strength of will. After the second injection, the woman pulled the trigger without a second thought. My thoughts are that if someone were to overdose, they become so reliant on an outside source that they won't even breathe without the order." She said and Nightwing frowned deeply.

"My God. This really doesn't sound like one of Penguin's plans. He's never gone to this kind of extreme. This reminds me more of the Mad Hatter, if anything. You know, I'm starting to think there is someone else in charge here." He said and rested his hand on her shoulder, "You've been keeping something from me, haven't you?"

Batwoman averted her eyes from Nightwing and stepped away from him. *Just tell him. Tell him about Red Hood.* She thought to herself, but something was holding her back. The fact that he somehow knew her was concerning, and while it may be smart to tell him of it along due to how Hood was involved in the case, she couldn't help but feel that it was personal. Personal enough that she wanted to stay quiet until she knew a little more.

"No. I haven't," She stated to him sharply and crossed her arms over her chest, "Anyways, I got a sample of the drug. In their haste to get away, some henchman let a little spill onto the table."

By how Nightwing paused before answering, Batwoman knew that he didn't exactly believe her claim to not be keeping anything from him, but he didn't dwell in the matter, "Good. I was going to suggest we look around for some kind of sample for a plan b. We should notify the police of this place and the woman then leave." He said to her. She nodded, leaning back against the wall as he contacted the GCPD.

"Alright. Let's go." Nightwing spoke up once he was done.

Batwoman didn't say anything. She simply nodded then walked out of the building with him. The two of them called their cycles then waited, though it wasn't really that tense for once. However, with a glance at Nightwing, she could tell he seemed to want to tell her something. He kept glancing over at her then looking away, as though he were collecting his thoughts or gaining the confidence to actually ask whatever it was he wanted to. She sighed softly, and then tapped his shoulder lightly to gain his attention.

"You might as well tell me whatever it is you're fretting about before you explode or something." She said to him. He looked at her for a moment before rubbing the back of his head.

"About the fight we had…" He began and she frowned a little and looked down.

"All is forgiven. There is no need to discuss it." She spoke firmly and heard him sigh.

"I think there is a need to discuss it. I should explain myself."

"Like I said, there is no need to. Let's just forget it happened." Batwoman responded, walking to her cycle as it came up next to Nightwing's and swung her leg over it.

"I don't want to pretend it didn't happen, Batwoman." He responded, moving onto his own cycle and she swallowed hard, glancing at him for a moment.

"Do you want to talk about the fight, or after it, because I only have a limited amount of answers for you, and honestly, I'm not too keen on sharing any." She said, guarding her emotions as she said it, seeing the frustration rising in him. He shook his head slightly then looked ahead of him.

"I would have preferred us talk about both, but if you won't cooperate, there really isn't a point, is there?"

"No. There isn't," Batwoman spoke quietly before taking off to the manor. Nightwing followed not too far behind her.

For the most part, Batwoman didn't want to talk about it because she didn't completely comprehend everything yet. Not only that, but what he said during their fight still hurt, though it was truthful. Well, not the sleeping around part, but the rest. She knew that eventually, the two of them had to talk through things, and in all reality, she was starting to want to. She wanted to forgive him, and stop pushing him away. She did miss him, and what they once were. At the same time, that fear, perhaps irrational at this point, still lingered, and she had a hard time with simply the mere thought of placing her trust in other people again. *Still…I can't go on how I was. I thought that I didn't need people in my life, but I couldn't have been more wrong. Even the daughter of chaos needs interaction. It is something that makes you human, and not some kind of emotionless being, and I slipped back into what I once was. What my parents had wanted me to be. I let them win by becoming it in my pain and my grief. It's time to eliminate what I once was, and be Jasmine Quinn again.* She thought to herself strongly, a small smile coming over her lips. *It's time to move on, and put the past where it belongs. Behind me.*