"So this is the place then?" Deadshot asked over the radio I had given him.
He was on overwatch on a building much taller than the tenement.
"Yes." I replied, "I'm going to get on the roof. Is there anyone up there?"
"No, you're clear. What do I do then?"
"As soon as I get in, you make your way to the ground floor, then work your way up."
I shot my grapple gun at the roof of the tenement, then rocketed up until I was on top of the building. I approached the roof access door and pulled the knob off. I jammed my metal clad fingers in the hole that it left, and yanked the door open. Despite the fact that it destroyed the doorframe, it was fairly quiet.
I worked my way silently down the old staircase. Though it had been years since I had even seen this building, it felt all too familiar. It unnerved me. I felt my heart become overwhelmed by emotion, by grief, as I thought of my mother.
It had been almost 10 years since she died. Since she was killed by the Joker. The very man whose "girlfriend" I was going to save. Ra's must have done a lot of research about me. What else would he do to get at me like this? He had already killed Helena Bertinelli, my first love. Would he go after Megan next?
As I maneuvered through the building, soon realized that there was no one here. Not a single guard or anyone for that matter. Something was wrong. I finally met Deadshot again at the middle floor.
"Did you run into anyone?" I asked him. He shook his head.
"Maybe we are at the wrong place?"
"No. I know this is the right place." I told him.
"How?"
I hesitated. Should I tell him the truth?
"Because," I said, "this is where my mother was murdered. Ra's is targeting me."
Deadshot and I walked down a hallway on that floor cautiously. It was silent. Suddenly, a woman jumped down from the ceiling behind Deadshot, grabbed him, and put a large blade to his throat.
"Do not move, Batman!" She said in a heavy accent. This was one of Ra's' assassins. "Enter into the door on your right, then shut it. We may let this criminal go afterwards."
Without saying a word, I did as she said. Goddammit! We'd walked right into a trap. I should have known better, but i was distracted by this place.
"Hello Detective." A man said in a familiar voice as I entered the room. He was standing behind Quinn, who was tied to a chair and gagged. She saw me and started to freak out.
"You must be Ra's al-Ghul." I said, leaving my helmet on. He smiled.
"In the flesh."
"Let her go Ra's."
"I can't yet. Right now, I am the only thing keeping Quinn alive. You see, Detective, if I don't inject her with a serum every hour, a poison in her blood will reverse its flow and kill her. If I let her go without giving her the antidote, she will die. Is that really what you want, Detective?"
I held my tongue for a moment. I couldn't let Quinn die. It would be my fault. Besides, I know that I did really care for her. Our time together hadn't been just carnal.
"What do you want, Ra's?" I asked him calmly.
"I want you to listen, that's all." He told me, smiling, "I am going to give you one opportunity to end this early, Detective. In Nanda Parbat, there is a mountain near the monastery of the League of Shadows. I believe that traitor you are housing, Pennyworth, would know the place. If you think you are ready to face me, come there next week. If you don't come and fight me, I will be more than happy to continue our little trial to prepare you."
"What's the catch?" I asked. He smiled that thin, white smile.
"Trials of combat on the mountain can only end in death. Only come if you are ready to kill or be killed."
He threw me an IV bag, then jumped out the window. Damn him. I would have to stay and watch Quinn while the antidote went through her system while he escaped.
As I approached Harley with the needle, she started to freak out even more. She was scared of Batman.
"Quinn, you need to calm down." I said softly.
She continued to scream and struggle. I took off my helmet and looked her in the eyes.
"Harley, it's me. It's Daniel. I need you to calm down so I can help you."
She stopped struggling and nodded. I pushed the needle into her arm and hung the IV bag up in the ceiling with a nail. I took off her gag, and sat down on the ground in front of her. She was silent for a long time.
"You're not the real Batman, huh?" She finally asked. I sighed.
"No. He… well he died. So I took over."
"But Batman isn't supposed to kill people. And I know that you do."
"Not anymore."
Another long silence.
"Do you still have your um…"
"My bite mark?" I asked. She nodded. "Yes."
"Can I see it?"
I stood up, and removed the armor on my chest, showing Quinn the old bite mark scar she had given me years ago. She smiled.
"I still have mine too." She said, "if you cut me loose I can show you too."
"I can't get." I told her, "you need to stay as still as possible until that IV bag is empty."
"Well come over here then and see it." She said with a smile. I felt awkward, but I didn't want to give her any unneeded stress. I walked over and looked down at her left hip.
"You have to unzip me and pull down that side, silly. It was lower than that."
I hesitated, but unzipped her pants, then pulled down the left side as far as it would go. Though it was halfway covered by her underwear, I could see the outline of my teeth mark imprinted into her hip. I pulled her pants back up and zipped them.
I stood up, then backed away from her. She smiled, but her eyes started to look glossy and empty. What was wrong with her? She opened her mouth to speak, but her head fell down. Alarmed, I tore the IV from her arm.
"Alfred, I am sending you a sample. I need you to analyze it as fast as you can." I said, placing a bit of the liquid in the IV in a small container on my belt. I put my helmet back on and pulled her limp body from the chair.
"Oracle, actívate thrusters."
I flew back to the Wayne Manor, as fast as I possibly could. She was fading. I owed it to her to at least save her life.