Author's Comments: Again, proper commentating will be after this chapter! Read on!
Chapter Twelve: Hidden
Caitlyn wasn't sure what to think right now. Staring out of the window of her bedroom over Paris, she could see the legendary tower gleaming in the moonlight on a clear night. Maybe she was finally getting used to late nights and little sleep, or it had been the fact that Terry just kissed her, that she didn't really feel sleepy at all even though she knew she needed to get rest. She'd told him before that she wasn't sure if she was ready for a relationship with him just yet. And it was just now that she realized that he might not have particularly listened, even if he did back off a bit on the personal level.
There was a knocking on her door, and she sighed.
"Who is it?" She asked in English. When there was no response and a very puzzled or taken aback silence- she couldn't quite figure it out- she asked again in French.
"It iz me, Batwoman." Replied Verity, and Caitlyn hastily put on her mask. "I 'oped you might not yet be asleep." Verity came in when she said it was ok.
"Nah, bit of a night owl actually." Shrugged Batgirl.
"Don't you mean night bat?" Smirked Verity, and the princess was glad to see Batgirl chuckle a little bit at the bad joke.
"Your sense of humor is about as bad as mine." Batgirl admitted with a shrug. "So, what do you need?"
Batman had heard Verity knocking on Caitlyn's bedroom door, and realized with a small jolt that her room was right next to his, so he put his index finger on the wall after having put on his mask to listen in on the conversation, since Verity didn't seem all that keen in regards to talking with him, yet was ok about being around Batgirl and spilling her heart out to her.
"I just worry about my leetle brother... It 'as been nearly two weeks..." Sighed Verity heavily. "I told you before zat 'is health is not good? Well... I theenk it's time zat I tell you ze whole story."
Batgirl's eyes narrowed.
"He iz one of those rare cases zat cannot handle regular human activities in ze sun, or even at night. He 'as to live with an Iso ring and 'is own biosphere." Verity said, sitting down at the table next to the window that overlooked her city. "If 'e is out too long, he wears out. Gets exhausted. And if he goes without ze Iso Rings too long-" She rubbed her eyes.
"He could die." Batgirl finished the sentence for her. "I heard about people like that, but never met any. Have there been many other disappearances like your brother's?"
"Yes. 'Alf of ze children and teenagers missing 'ave that condition. As rare as it iz, whoever iz behind zis must have a reason, and managed to find ze way of locating these special children." Nodded Verity rather heavily.
Batgirl stared out of the window at the Eiffel tower.
"And somehow that mercenary Inque is involved too..." She said. There were times when she had Max or Bruce Wayne's brilliance. She couldn't figure out for the life of her what all this meant. Why would people with such special needs be targeted, and why would Inque be involved in this project stealing certain bits of machinery for whoever was in charge? "I notice there aren't as many lights on the Eiffel Tower?" She inquired suddenly.
"Yes, it iz being renovated and remodeled for ze anniversary coming up. Hopefully it will be done by ze time it iz scheduled to be reopened." Nodded Verity.
Good thing I wasn't planning on visiting it. Thought Batgirl.
The serious conversation seemed to be done, so Batman lifted his hand from the wall, thinking about what he'd just heard.
"Princess-" Batgirl began.
"Please, call me Verity. We know each other well enough zat we can dispense with ze formalities, yes?" Verity smiled.
"Verity... Why are you putting so much on me that you obviously believe that I can help you?" She continued with a smile, voicing her own doubts in herself. She wasn't sure why she accepted that mission from Diana, but now that she knew children were involved, she couldn't back out. Not to mention, she was already here in Paris and it would seem shallow of her to quit before things really got under way.
"I myself don't know why... But I just know zat you will find ze way to complete zis mission... And with as few casualties as possible. I trust you, Batwoman. You understand ze things zat are at stake here. It iz also why I put the other three members of ze Justice League in charge of ze transfer. Anyone who is in league with zis person will be stupid or extremely powerful to attack our army and ze legendary super heroes. I know you doubt yourself, Batwoman. I 'ave seen it. But zat iz what makes you more human than ze others. Even I, an outsider from your own world, can see zat you 'ave suffered some great loss or something terrible in your past. You 'ave 'ad many chances to turn back, but you are here. You might not have any reason in particular, but I 'ope you will find what you are looking for here." Verity looked at the girl. "Zis mission might help you in more ways than one, you know?"
Batgirl blinked, surprised for a moment.
"Well, I guess you're not next in line to the French Imperial Throne for nothing." She shrugged, and Verity gave a sly grin.
Silence fell between them. She wasn't sure why she was trusting Verity, when it could very well be that she was leading them all on some great goose hunt, but she didn't think Verity would be the type to go out of her way to make up a story about a special needs little brother who was kidnapped by an unknown shadow lurking somewhere in Paris. She didn't feel particularly strong at the moment, nor special in any way except that she could speak French even without her Batgirl suit. If anything, she felt rather insignificant when thinking about the three great heroes outside right now, overseeing the transfer of the French Imperial Army to the new castle.
"Verity... Do you... Do you think of me as a weak person?" She asked finally, breaking the silence that seemed to drag on.
"Zat is an odd question." Verity said truthfully. She thought for a moment. "Ze answer to zat should be in ze fact zat I still trust you to find my leetle brother and bring him home safely."
Batgirl smiled slightly underneath her mask. Verity was proving more like a sister figure than anything. Or maybe even a mother figure... That might be stretching it a bit. But she did hope that she wasn't wrong where she placed her trust... again.
"I should be retiring for ze night. I shall see you in ze morning, Batwoman." Verity smiled, standing up and bowing slightly. Verity found it reassuring that she had placed her own trust in Batwoman, who even with her own personal misgivings, had not ducked or hidden from her responsibility. And with the way Batman had reacted to her encounter with the Inque mercenary, they were bound to uncover something soon about their target or targets. She thought about what they'd talked about, everything that had happened that day. With any luck, the transfer to the new castle would go smoothly, and her little brother would be returned home without incident. But maybe that was just wishful thinking, she sighed as she sank in to the fresh, hot lavender oil bath her husband had prepared for her...
Footsteps splashed, echoed strangely as she ran. She was wearing one of the blue dresses she'd just gotten from Verity, but it was torn, stained in something that looked unpleasantly like blood. Her breaths came with great effort as she struggled onward. Her bare feet made a splash, and she saw the drops of red blood rise up around her. She knew now there was nothing else it could be, and gasped in horror. She started running even faster, towards something. The shadow of two figures in the distance.
She called out to them, and they were brought in to sharp relief, forcing her to stop on the spot.
"Mom...Dad!" She cried out, seeing her parents looking as they did the day of the Jokerz ambush so many months ago. Claire's red hair and freckles as vivid as ever, the same green eyes that she'd inherited from her own mother shining back at her. Her father's dark hair was light and airy, as though he had just popped out of his office at the cartooning studio he worked at.
But they were fading, as though something was sucking them away from her.
"Wait!" She shouted, reaching out through the darkness that separated her from her family. The blood she was running in rose up around her like a wall, blocking them from view, surrounding her utterly, threatening to claim her as it had her parents...
Caitlyn's eyes snapped open. She didn't sit bolt upright or scream out, though she knew she must've been muttering in her sleep again. But she laid in her bed, staring blankly up at the ceiling for a moment before realizing where she was and what she was here for. She wasn't here to dwell on the past, or forget the present. She wiped her face off on the back of her hand when she realized she felt tears spilling down it.
Sitting up, she went straight for the bathroom, where she bathed quickly and changed in to her suit, pushing the nightmare from her mind. It was time to go to work.
When she was out in the halls, she saw Batman already standing there, but said nothing, not really knowing what to say to him still after what had happened the day before. It was an awkward moment that was interrupted by Verity stepping out of her living quarters.
"Good, I see zat you are ready. There iz something zat you need to check on-" Verity said, completely unaware that she was interrupting anything that might be on the personal side.
It was something impressive, thought Diana as she hovered above the Imperial army, seeing the foot soldiers marching in their uniforms, armed to the teeth as the hover tanks and laser craft were moving along in the twilight of dawn. And she had seen many impressive things in her long years of fighting crime. She glanced back, to see the Green Lantern keeping vigil, and the Superman in the lead of the group.
But what happened next was something none of them expected. What appeared to be a large beam of pure white-blue energy shot from a point in the skies, with such force that it sent debris, Hover Cars, and the mighty laser tanks flying once it penetrated the Earth's atmosphere, and for a moment, it seemed everything had gone silent until...
The explosion rocked the very earth itself, the ground trembled beneath the soldiers' feet, nearly knocking them off balance. Superman spun around as a transport craft came flying at him from the center point of the attack, and braced for impact, stopping the massive craft from going any farther before setting it down lightly to avoid any more injury to those inside. He heard the cries of thanks from the French guard inside as he went to stop the other craft that could explode upon impact of the ground as he saw the symbolic green shield erupting from the ring of John Stewart to prevent any more damage being done. Diana was springing in to action as well, flying head long in to the hot zone, to grab any survivors before another blast was sent at them.
"What the hell-?" Exclaimed Batgirl as the building shook and rumbled when Verity was interrupted by the attack from the skies.
Batman looked out the nearest window down the hall and saw in shock the remnants of the laser beam that had just struck the heart of the French Imperial Guard, but he also saw that the three heroes in charge of their protection were already doing what they could to keep the army from being totaled, and get the survivors out of harms way.
"I think you were going to ask us to look in to whoever's trying to turn your army in to target practice?" Batman suggested.
"It would appear zat ze enemy has made ze first move sooner than we expected." Verity said after recovering from her shock and dismay at what she saw.
Batgirl looked at Batman.
"I think it's time we made some long distance calls." She said.
"Do you need my cell phone?" Asked Verity.
"Nah, we've got radio links." Batgirl pointed at her ears, resisting the urge to laugh at the Princes especially since Verity had not laughed in what Batgirl had confided in to her the previous night. And the look of dawning comprehension crossed Verity's face. "I think being in Paris, and all, Gotham would definitely count as a roaming charge." And Verity grinned at the joke.
Batman looked at Batgirl for a moment. She was acting as though nothing had passed between them the previous night, but in light of what was happening, he couldn't dwell on personal matters at the moment. He phoned Bruce Wayne.
"You there?" He said.
"Yeah. I'm watching the news now." Came Bruce Wayne's voice over the radio in Batman's mask. "Looks like we've found out what some of the stolen technology was being used to build now at least."
"Yeah, and there's more-" He recounted to Bruce the fact that some of the children that were missing and/or kidnapped were those who could not function in the real world without the Iso-Rings, and how Inque had been hired by whoever was in charge.
"Any thoughts about the fact that it might be the Princess' husband behind all of this?" Suggested Bruce, upon reflection that he was mysteriously gone during all these events.
"Yep, but the Princess insists that he's just a busy man, with a bunch of civil projects going on." Batman gave a shrug unseen by Bruce.
"I'll do some digging. In the meantime, keep an eye out for anything that might be a clue as to what's really going on."
"Verity," Batgirl turned to the Princess on a sudden idea as Batman turned back to the two. "IS there any way we can see your war room?"
Verity blinked, slightly taken aback by the suddenness of this suggestion.
"Yes, but it iz empty now, having been moved to ze new castle earlier this morning."
"That's fine." Batgirl waved a hand like she was batting at an annoying fly.
"Then follow me." Verity nodded, leading the way down the hall.
"What's up with this all of a sudden?" Asked Batman in an undertone in English so Verity wouldn't hear them.
"It's just an idea I had just now. The war room might be empty of people, but if the computers have any record of what was going on when the Princess wasn't around, we might find something." Batgirl replied.
"But you said yourself that you don't have a lot of computer smarts, so how are you gonna hack in to the systems?" Batman was rather skeptical now.
"That's where you come in." Smirked Batgirl. "Even you should be able to get in to a military computer, I would think."
"Hey!" Batman wasn't sure if that was a compliment or insult. But he did get the gist of what she had said- she was gonna make him do all the digging on the computers rather than do it herself. Not that it was a hard thing for him to do, but he wasn't fond of the fact that she was just dumping this chore on him casually, when he thought her being Batgirl now might mean that she would help out now and then. Then again, she'd said it herself, she wasn't the smart one.
"Here we are." Verity broke up the conversation before it turned in to an argument. Even if she couldn't understand exactly what was being said, she did note the fact how quickly things got tense between them.
"You know, you could think of trying some of this stuff yourself sometime." Batman said to Batgirl once they were inside the sleek, ancient war room of the French Command.
"Schway retro." Batgirl couldn't help herself, looking around as Batman made for the computers on the horse-shoe shaped desk in the center of the room. It was like stepping back in time.
"Is everyone ok here?" Asked Green Lantern, withdrawing the shield he'd put up once he was certain there wasn't going to be another attack.
"Yeah, it looks like damage was minimal." Replied Diana as she helped a soldier down from a precarious position atop one of the ruined laser tanks.
"But whoever fired it wasn't just sending out a warning shot. It was a statement." Superman joined them, looking upward. "Not everyone has access to a hyperion class laser armed satellite."
There was a pause as they all thought about what had just happened. Now that the dust had settled, things seemed a lot more serious all of a sudden. When before, there had been a casual, even lax attitude about the whole transfer, like it was something done a million times before and just plain old routine. Which was apparently, now no longer the case.
"I'll go check on the King and Queen, make sure they're ok." Diana said before flying off towards the old castle.
Looking through the windows of the old war room, where many of the plans for this move to the new castle had taken place, Inque saw Batman, Batgirl and the French Princess poking around. Able to move swiftly and silently, the blob of moving black ink-like mutagenic material worked her way through the cracks of the aging building, unnoticed as Batman said something about managing to hack in to the computer systems.
"I would Theenk zat ze governors and statesmen would be smarter about their security if they 'ad something to hide." Verity shook her head in mild disbelief as Batman downloaded all the information to the computers in the Batcave.
"Apparently not..." Batman muttered, going through each of the files in rapid succession.
"I remember something being said in computer class that even if a file is deleted, there's always some way of recovering the data." Batgirl said.
Batman raised an eyebrow at her.
"What? I did pay attention SOMEWHAT in that class... unlike someone who likes to sleep through the boring bits." Batgirl retorted at the expression that mostly went unseen, but she knew he had to be giving her judging by the silence.
Verity herself was raising an eyebrow at the two of them.
"Honestly, ze way zat you two snip and snap is like you two were dating or something." She commented.
"Let's get back to work." Batman said quickly.
"Indeed, you wouldn't want anyone to catch you unawares, now would you?" Came Inque's sultry, yet heavily sarcastic voice from the windows.
Batman withdrew his hands from the computer instantly as he spun around.
"So I see there's a new Bat hanging around you." Inque commented, looking in Batgirl's direction. "You're the one I met earlier."
Batgirl instantly pulled out several Bat-a-rangs, getting in the defensive mode.
"Focus on protecting the Princess." Batman ordered in such a 'this is final' way that Batgirl wasn't even given the chance to argue. "I've downloaded all the specs and plans to my partner. He should be able to find something."
"Too late for trying to find a way around this problem, Batman!" Inque declared, swinging her long tentacle-like arms not at Batman, Batgirl or Verity, but around them, crashing through the desk, shattering it in to pieces, while the other 'arm' brought down the ceiling around the door, blocking them in. "No Justice League to help you here, they're all busy worrying about the King and Queen, and the remainder of the Army."
"You seem to be forgetting that I've kicked your ass quite a few times before, Inque." Batman said, withdrawing a Bat-a-rang that was sparking with electricity, and Inque became slightly wary of it the moment it came in to her range of view. That didn't stop her from attacking again, however, and instead of going straight for Batman and giving him the chance to strike her with the electricity infused Batarang, her black tentacles went for the support beams of the room, crashing in to them.
"Get out of here!" Batman ordered at Batgirl and Verity.
"IS there another way out?" Asked Batgirl.
"You seem to forget zat these ancient castles are legendary for zere secret passages." Verity said in a 'well duh' manner, though thankfully leaving off that little statement.
While Batman kept Inque busy and distracted, Verity moved to a wall that looked quite ordinary and plain, before finding a spot and pressing her hand to it. Which revealed a door that slid open with a soft hiss, as though it had not been used in many years.
"Zis way." Verity whispered, and Batgirl followed obediently, making sure she had a couple of Bat-a-rangs ready in case Inque tried to follow, since Verity- not Batman or Batgirl- seemed to be her real target.
Once the Princess and Batgirl were safely out, Batman launched himself at Inque who at once tried to make for the hidden door, and sliced through the inky substance that the mercenary was made of with his rather specialized Bat-a-rang. The moment he cut through Inque, she screamed and seemed to split in half, sending black ink in every direction of the room before reassembling herself at the opposite end away from Batman.
To Inque, it felt as though she'd been attacked by the particle solvent that her own daughter had once used against her. Every pore in her body had screamed at the impact. And it became clear that Batman had learned a few new tricks to use against her that she had to be wary of. So instead of going straight for the source of the problem, she turned to start wrecking everything in sight, keeping Batman busy dodging or leaping away from whatever rubble or blocks of wall that she threw at him.
"Any idea why Inque is after you?" Batgirl asked as they hurried along the old underground tunnel, which was lined along the sides and ceiling with red brick that arched toward the top. It was just large enough for three people to squeeze through.
Verity shook her head, this time at a complete loss as to why all this was happening.
"First ze army is attacked from a laser up in the heavenz, then Inque turns up where I am trying to help you and your comrade find ze evidence we need to bust zis case open, as you Americans would say... It is most vexing and troubling." Verity sighed heavily.
"To put it lightly." Batgirl murmured. They heard a distant rumble from the place they had just left, and she turned, but did not stop walking with Verity.
Inque recoiled for a split second before lurching forward, completely engulfing Batman with the intention to suffocate him before he could either reach his belt, or attack her with that dangerous Bat-a-rang of his.
"You'll learn soon enough not to meddle in foreign affairs, Batman-" She snarled in his ears. "Once I am finished with you, your friend is next, and then that pesky Princess who's been snooping around where her nose doesn't belong-"
As she had spoken, however, thanks to the enhanced strength the suit provided, Batman reached his belt and pressed the button that sent Inque screaming and the substance that she was made of flying momentarily in all directions as the electricity from the belt covered his body and protected him from her most recent attack.
Inque had had enough of his persistent meddling in her affairs. Instead of attacking him again, when she knew it could do damage to her body in ways that might not be repairable in the future, she slithered away, vanishing into the walls, up the ceiling.
Batman looked up and saw the ceiling starting to vibrate and rumble, as though she were trying to make it cave in around them. At once he turned on the spot, crossing the room perhaps not as gracefully as he would've liked due to all the wreckage and rubble already littered across the floor, but still quickly, and found the spot Verity had pressed as the ceiling at the far end began to crumble before his very eyes. The door hissed open, he was barely in to the tunnel, when the entire room collapsed with an ear splitting roar that shook the ground all around him.
Superman heard the explosion thanks to his sonic hearing, and turned. With the xray vision, he could see a portion of the old palace was collapsing, with Batman just barely managing to escape. He saw who was behind the attack, at least on the palace, and was mildly surprised that Inque was all the way over here in France. Someone must have offered the mercenary a deal no one else could for her services. He would've sent for someone to help Batman, but a short ways away he saw a man standing on a hill nearby as though entranced by what he was seeing.
"Green Lantern, go and see what that man is doing there. It could get dangerous here." Superman said over the communications link in their ears. "I've got the army covered."
The man had watched silently, having told his girlfriend after seeing the laser beam attack the army from central Paris that he was going to go see if he could help, and frowned. Batman was indeed here, and he'd heard rumors of a Batgirl traveling with him. Wind ruffled the man's brown hair as he jumped down from the hill, his light brown tail coat flapping around him as he moved, until he was met with a transparent green wall, and looked up.
"And just where do you think you're going, stranger?" Green Lantern asked. "This isn't a safe place for civilians at the moment." He added.
"I am not an average person, Green Lantern." The man replied in English, staring at the super hero who blocked his way. "I know the tunnels underground, and am friends with Batman, and am out to help him. Only I can without risking substantial injury."
"And what makes you say that?" Asked Green Lantern suspiciously, not willing to trust the man just because he said he wasn't an enemy. It wasn't exactly comforting, not when they didn't have any real idea just yet who their enemy was.
The man frowned in thought.
"If you let me help you, then I'll be able to verify my claim." He said.
They were walking down the tunnel, Verity and Batgirl, when they heard the noise of footsteps approaching. Batgirl turned around, with her Bat-a-rangs in hand.
"Easy, it's just me." Batman said when he rounded the corner.
"Right." Batgirl muttered. "And Inque?" She asked.
As though in reply, the ceiling, walls and floor began to tremble beneath their feet. Apparently Inque was trying to tear apart whatever she could in order to kill them.
"Hurry!" Batman shouted.
They made it around the corner, and Verity got on the step ladder that led to the streets above when the ground below their feet gave way, while the ceiling above them collapsed without warning.
"Batwoman, Batman!" Verity cried out, reaching to grab one of their hands, however, at that moment, Green Lantern reached out to pull her up and away from the two as they fell in to the hidden abyss...
There was barely any time to think, as they fell Batman grabbed Batgirl's wrist to make sure they wouldn't be separated. Then sent a Bat-a-rang with a cord attached to it upwards. It latched on to the chasm wall, but even that crumbled away moments later with even more rocks to add to the old bricks and boulders falling with them.
Green Lantern frowned as he pulled Verity to safety above ground.
"What were you doing down there?" He asked.
"Trying to get away from Inque." Sighed Verity.
The stranger who had led Green Lantern to this spot walked up to the edge of the chasm.
"The ground must have been weakened by the laser blast." He stated. He glanced back at Green Lantern and the Princess, before turning from the abyss.
"And where are you going?" Asked Green Lantern.
"To get Batman and Batgirl out of there." Replied the man. "Only I can do it without risking harm to myself. You two had better get going. I'm sure the King and Queen must be worried."
"You seem pretty well informed with what's going on here. Who are you exactly?" Asked Green Lantern.
"Some call me Zeta." The man said before walking away to another entrance that led to the underground world below Paris. "When I get Batman and Batgirl out of there, he'll be able to confirm my allegiance."
Superman saw the implosion at the castle moments after he sent Green Lantern to check out what was going on. But it wasn't like he could send Wonder Woman from her post guarding the King and Queen. And he couldn't just up and leave the Imperial Army, not when the enemy could strike at any time. He figured that Green Lantern would have things figured out before too long, as he lifted the last of the laser cannon tanks to the upright position.
"That's the last of them." He told the commander of the army who was standing nearby barking orders at the remainder of his armada.
"Then let's get to the new castle." The King and Queen had arrived after the portion of the castle caved in, Wonder Woman just behind them. "I don't like how things are turning out."
Deep in the underground caverns, something was stirring. A bowlder the size of a mini van was being lifted from the ground then shoved aside as Batman heaved it from atop of himself and Batgirl. Both of them were feeling dazed and winded, but were otherwise unharmed.
"You ok?" Asked Batman as Batgirl sat up, shaking her head to get rid of the ringing in her ears.
"Generally." She replied, looking up. "You?"
"Yeah. Looks like we're stuck here though." Batman commented, also looking up, then around in every direction. They were completely blocked in.
"Thanks for stating the obvious, Eagle Eye." Batgirl sighed, finding a sturdy piece of rubble and plopping herself down on it. No point in wasting any energy in case Inque should turn up at any time again to finish them off.
Batman was far too used to her sarcasm by this point that there was no use in getting himself worked up over it. Instead, he just glared and found a spot nearby to sit down. There wasn't a lot of room in their underground prison, after all.
They fell silent after that, with nothing more to say, Batgirl took off her mask as she grabbed one of her staves to play with in order to keep her hands busy. And after a while, Batman stood up and set about trying to see if there was a weakness in one of the walls that surrounded them...
It was a large building just outside of Paris that looked like an abandoned factory. However, inside underground, all was bustling with security guards at every door, and voices behind the doors yelling to be let out. These voices were not that of grown adults, however. The children behind the doors were no older than twelve, and no younger than six. They had no idea who or why they had been brought to this place. The nurses who brought them food and water never told them much, only enough to keep them quiet for a while until one of the children started missing their parents and siblings.
Ruby had been in her cell for almost a month, being one of the first prisoners in this nightmarish place. Her waist length black hair and unique red eyes seemed to stand out in her 'room' as the nurses called it. However, it was not the room she was used to. All there was, was a bed, a small wardrobe, and a window with bars on the outside. All she'd known since she got here was the fact that there was a dark hallway outside her door with two guards on either side. Once in a while, one of the nurses would give her a shot, or take blood samples from her. She knew there were other children here, she could hear them when they got upset. Some were scared of needles, but they had no choice in the matter.
Even with her poor health, Ruby wasn't an average ten year old. She wore a simple white t-shirt, black slacks, and white socks. She didn't like shoes, and would have preferred different clothing. But again, there was no freedom here. She frowned. According to the schedule, her 'nurse' was going to come and feed her soon.
She had to find a way out of here to get help. Standing on her bed and looking out her window, she could see there was just enough space between the wall and the earth for her to crawl in. If she could only get past the bars on her window... Closing her eyes, she concentrated...
"So the snoops are gone?" He asked as Inque materialized before him in to her human form.
"They fell down a deep chasm below the old city. It's going to take them days to get out, and no human could survive those tunnels for very long." Inque replied.
"Good. Now all we have to deal with is the Justice League. And then my plans can continue." He removed his cap and disguise to reveal his dark skin and eyes, Ronald frowned. "I've been planning this coup for years... I won't let it be ruined before its properly begun. Inque, I want you to go and sabotage the rest of the Former Guard. I'll pay you whatever you like, for your continued good services-"
At that moment, an alarm went off.
"What's going on?" He demanded of the communications guard nearby.
"One of the prisoners has escaped!" He replied.
"Is it Arthur?" Ronald's eyes went wide in panic.
"No, it's Prisoner number Four one Three Eight."
"Ruby." Ronald frowned. "Get all security on to high alert, make sure she doesn't make it past the second level!"
A small figure was between the building and the cold, hard rock as the bars from her cell moved back in to place as though by invisible hands. When lights were flashed in her direction, she ducked behind a bowlder that jutted out just enough for someone her size to hide behind, then continued her way from that nightmarish place.
Hours later, she had managed to escape her pursuers, and was still well underground. When she bumped in to the back of someone much taller than her.
The stranger turned around at once, and when he realized this person was much smaller than he, he looked down and blinked.
"A child?" He said.
Ruby looked up at him, and in the dim lighting of the tunnel she could tell that he was different from the guards she was running from.
"What are you doing down here, mister?" She asked.
"I could ask the same of you. It's not safe for a young child to be down here." He replied.
Ruby glanced back. ZETA could tell the girl was afraid of some unknown assailant in the moment it took for her to decide whether or not to tell him anything.
"My name's Ruby. I was kidnapped by a bunch of guys who were doing all kinds of weird tests and stuff on me and other kids. And you?" She asked again.
"You may call me ZETA, Ruby. I happen to be looking for a friend of mine who got lost during a cave in. If we help each other, then I'm sure he will be willing to help you." He held out a hand to her.
There was another pause. She glanced back again.
"Who is your friend?" She persisted.
"Batman." Was a rather simple, and truthful reply.
The girl's eyes went wide in dawning comprehension. The Princess must have summoned the Justice League, and Batman to help find out what was going on! This time, a noise made her jump, and she made up her mind rather quickly.
"Let's go!" She said, grabbing ZETA's hand.
This time ZETA heard it too. Footsteps, and by the sound of it, more than one pair must be chasing after the girl. The two of them made for the shadows of the tunnel once more, ZETA leading the way.
"It's been hours..." Caitlyn yawned, pretty much feeling like she was bored to tears in her current situation. Not to mention hungry. She hadn't eaten anything since breakfast, and that had been nearly seven hours ago now.
"And we're pretty well blocked in. I couldn't find any weaknesses in the walls." Terry shrugged, having removed his own mask since at the moment they didn't have any radio connection to the world above them, and he didn't think they would have any strangers popping in on them at this point. "We might as well talk or something."
"What is there to talk about?" She shrugged, still feeling rather grumpy at the moment.
"Well... for starters, why won't you just go out with me?" He brought up the subject again rather casually. "We both know there's something there. And it's not like we're strangers or anything."
Again with this subject? She thought. She leaned against the cave wall, thinking.
"I dunno..." She admitted finally. "Considering I used to hate you, because of what happened with my folks, and then all of this happens?" She shrugged, running a hand through her bangs.
"And now?" He prompted.
"I just don't really know what to think about the whole situation." She said without looking at him. Her anger at him for not getting there sooner five months ago, during the whole incident with her families' kidnapping, then her parents' murder right before he got there had ebbed quite a bit over the last several weeks with everything. At first she hadn't wanted to go out with him, because her conscience warned against dating Batman of all people, but then the fact that she herself was Batgirl and was most likely to lead just as dangerous of a lifestyle as he pretty much made that claim moot. And he'd made it obvious that he still cared about her in the last few days. But now something else came to her mind. How could she think about dating anyone, when she wasn't sure who she herself was anymore? Verity mentioned that this mission might just help her find herself again, but she didn't know how it could possibly help at this point.
Even in this pitch darkness, Terry could see that she was lost deep in her own thoughts. He didn't want this perpetual silence to last forever, and thought about how next to attack this topic. She had, after all, lightened up a considerable amount in the last few months after adjusting to her new double life, and bore up reasonably well to everything else considering.
"You know, it wouldn't be that hard considering your schedule is bound to be lighter when you get back. Besides, didn't you say before that you wanted to see if we could really work things out?" He said casually, making sure not to sound accusing of her putting things off.
She raised an eyebrow at him, then shrugged. Since he wasn't going to let up, she never realized before just how stubborn he could be. Or at least, persistent. Then again, to be Batman, one would think that would be one of the qualifiers for the job.
"Look, I know why you hated me, I get it. You think that if I'd somehow gotten there sooner, your parents needn't have died. Trust me, I did all I could to get there before anything else happened." Terry looked at her through the darkness. "It's just like with what happened to my old man... I always think... if things had been somehow slightly different, then we could've fought off Blight. And he'd still be around. But, one thing I have figured out is that I can't always live in the past. Gotta keep moving forward. You know?"
Caitlyn blinked, then gave a smirk.
"Careful there, one might think you're being serious and deep." She stretched her arms and felt them snapping and popping in several places along the joints.
"What a better time for a heart to heart while one is trapped deep underground with no way out?" Replied Terry.
"Hm, good point." She shrugged.
Verity had returned to the spot of the ground collapse with Green Lantern and Superman after the transfer to the new palace had been completed with the remainder of the Imperial French Army- Wonder Woman was staying with the King and Queen, and Verity's husband was no where to be seen.
She was leaning over, looking in to the dark abyss as though straining to see something that no one else could. Then Green Lantern lit it up with the light from his ring. Yet they still couldn't see the bottom to this cave in.
"Didn't your people do a record of some sort in regards to the underground cave systems here?" Asked Green Lantern.
"Yes, a partial record at least. But no human 'as ever been able to go beyond ze ten mile mark. We do not know just how deep ze caverns are." Verity shook her head, feeling quite hopeless.
"Superman, what about you? Can you find them?" Asked Green Lantern.
There was a moment's pause, in which both Green Lantern and Verity knew that he was employing his x-ray vision.
"They are quite a ways down there, and trapped, but at least they are unhurt." Superman said finally. "It looks like your friend is indeed the only one who can get down there without any farther damage to the cave structure."
"I'll only call him a friend once he gets those two out of there and Batman confirms his story." Green Lantern replied.
"In the meantime, I need to get you back to the new castle." Green Lantern said. "Your parents need you there for the commissioning ceremony."
"Right." Verity was glad for something different to do. While she knew her friend was still alive and well, she didn't want to think of what could happen if there was another cave in. The distraction was welcome news.
"So young one, why are you down here?" ZETA asked as he helped her through a rather tight spot in the tunnel they were walking along.
"I was running away." She said after a quick glance behind. She could no longer hear the footsteps.
"From whom? Surely not your parents?" ZETA felt rather confused at this point.
Ruby shook her head.
"Nuh-uh. Those guys. I was playing out in my yard with mommy and big brother, and all of a sudden they appeared and my mommy fell, and big brother tried to stop them, but he too fell. Then I fell asleep, and woke up in a strange room." She explained what happened to the best of her ability.
"Did they explain why they abducted you?" ZETA was frowning as he thought about what was going on. Batman and Batgirl are trapped underground shortly after an attack from above, and children are being kidnapped right from their own front yards? None of it was adding up.
"Nope. But I do know there are others there. Others like me who are... different." Ruby paused after dusting herself off.
"Different in what way?" Asked ZETA.
Ruby decided it was better to show him, than to tell him. Some rocks that were already loose from the wall suddenly rose up in to the air, then shattered in to dust. She could levitate, and manipulate anything she wanted.
"I told you. I'm not normal." She grinned at his look of apparent shock.
"But perhaps that abnormality can help us get my friends out." ZETA's mind was already going, thinking of how they could use that power. "If we can move the rocks without destabilizing the ceiling around them, then they can get out of their entrapment."
"But it's still a two day hike, isn't it?" Ruby blinked.
"Yes. And there's a lot more ahead of us before we can even get to them. Let us hope that our presence remains unnoticed by anyone here." ZETA felt a sense of foreboding. If anything went wrong now, there would be much more at stake than he'd initially counted on.
Caitlyn was stretching, bored out of her wits.
"This is even duller than math class." She grumbled as something rumbled overhead. It sounded like a big piece of machinery.
Moments later, Terry found himself reaching out and grabbing her arm, pulling her away from the bowlder as a rather large rock was dislodged from the ceiling directly above where she'd been sitting. It was a good thing his eyes had adjusted to the dark by now, otherwise she would have been severely injured, or have a few broken bones or a fractured skull at the very least.
She was about to tell him off when she heard the loud crash and bang when the rock smashed in to the bowlder.
"I think it's safe to say you should just stick by me for now." Said Terry, with his arms around her slightly protectively at the moment as she looked back at the spot she'd just been sitting on.
Needless to say, she felt rather awkward at best. She wasn't sure what she thought of him right now, and he was still insisting on looking out for her. Not that she was complaining about it currently for a change. She nodded, suddenly feeling rather shy and awkward about this whole situation, and being extremely grateful that no one else was around to see her current predicament as she sat back down, next to him this time.
It had taken a couple of days, but they finally got through to the part underground where Batman and Batgirl were trapped. ZETA and Ruby stopped at the large barrier of rocks and debris from the cave wall, looking at it as Ruby thought about how best to break through the wall without bringing it down on top of the very people they were trying to break out.
"Batman, Batgirl, are you in there?" ZETA called, his voice echoing back at him in the dense cave system, making Ruby jump.
Terry blinked when he heard the voice on the other side, recognizing it, he put on his mask, then motioned for Caitlyn to do the same before he answered.
"Yeah. Who is that?" He asked. Even if he knew that voice, it would be very easy for an unknown enemy to replicate it.
"It's ZETA. You helped me escape Gotham a few years ago, Batman. I'm here to return the favor. I have a friend here who can help you get out." Replied the man on the other side.
"Stand back, and I'll get you out!" Came a much smaller, childlike voice. It was hard at the child's age, with a wall of rock and rubble between them, to figure out if the kid was a boy or a girl.
Batman and Batgirl looked at each other, rather perplexed for a moment. What was a kid doing with ZETA, miles underground of all places?
Moments later, their question was answered as the rocks were suddenly split apart, as though they were a door being opened. Apparently for this kid, this kind of work was child's play. The roof didn't collapse on them, either, Batgirl noted. And she was glad to finally see the other side of the wall. The child, who turned out to be a girl, had her hands out at arms length as though she was pushing something apart.
"Someone made quick work of this mess." Batgirl commented, as a means of a compliment.
"This was easy compared to what I've done before." Grinned the child.
"What's your name?" Asked Batgirl.
"Ruby. And you... You're Batgirl? And Batman?" She looked between the two figures, who would be nothing but shadows if not for the insignias and splashes of color on their outfits. She looked rather star struck at seeing them, as though she never thought she'd be in the presence of two Gotham heroes.
"Is there a way we can get out that won't take days? We need to find the others of our group, and find out what's been going on since we were trapped down here." Batman looked at ZETA, who in turn looked at Ruby.
Ruby looked up at the hole in the cave system that Batman and Batgirl had fallen down through.
"I can stabilize the walls as we go up, if what the legends say about you super heroes flying is true." She said, pointing upwards.
"Sounds good to me." Batman said, and Ruby walked over to Batgirl to be picked up.
Batgirl stared for half a moment, before putting her staff away, and bending down to put the girl on her back as ZETA said he didn't need any assistance in flight.
Once the group was airborne, Ruby had closed her eyes. Not out of fear of heights, but out of concentration as she kept the cave from collapsing in on top of them in mid-flight. Then when they reached the opening to the surface, they were greeted by the Green Lantern.
"Good to see you're still alive." Green Lantern said with a smile of relief just as a loud rumbling told them that the caves beneath had caved in.
Ruby opened her eyes.
"I caved it all in so no one else could get down there." Ruby explained as she jumped down from her spot on Batgirl's neck.
"Who's the kid with the super powers?" Asked Green Lantern.
"Long story." Replied Batgirl.
"And this gentleman says that he knows you?" Green Lantern turned to Batman in regards to ZETA.
"He does. He's ZETA, I helped him out a few years back." Batman explained.
"And the super powered kid is Ruby. She helped ZETA find his way through the cave systems to get to us." Batgirl said.
"And plus, I know where the bad guys are hiding!" Ruby exclaimed.
"Then you can explain everything you know once we rendezvous with the others." Green Lantern looked down at her with a reassuring smile.
Once they were led to the new castle, where everyone else had gathered, Ruby went in to an explanation of what she knew, and who had captured her.
"I see... so it waz my husband zis whole time capturing ze chidlren..." Verity frowned. It had been a devastating blow, she refused to take a seat, as Wonder Woman had suggested, and was pacing. She had suspected he was behind the attack on his own army, but had not expected him to be behind the kidnappings.
Ronald had not been seen since before the attack on the Imperial Army, and when Ruby looked around to make sure he was not around, she went in to an extremely fast explanation of what she'd been through.
"Since I was kidnapped, he'd been keeping me in the room. I wasn't able to go out for anything, and the only people I saw besides him were the dudes who kept taking samples of my blood." Ruby said, staying near Batgirl as though afraid to get too far away from her. "I know there were other kids in that building. I could hear them. A lot of them, crying for their mommies and daddies... we all cried at one point." She sniffed a little, and looked up when Batgirl put a reassuring hand on her shoulders. "It was all scary and dark in there. They kept the hallways dimly lit so we couldn't see outside our doors."
"It's like something out of a horror movie..." Batgirl murmured, shaking her head.
"What would Ronald want with the DNA of super powered kids, and a space-based laser cannon, though?" Green Lantern asked.
"Who knows? Could be a coup." Batman shrugged, frowning as he thought.
"Well, we can tell you now zat iz out of ze question." The Queen said. "Our family has brought peace and ze prosperity to France since we gained control after ze near Apocalypse of O'nine. He 'iz barking up ze wrong tree."
"We will mobilize our army and prepare for ze-nozzer attack against us." The King said.
"In the meantime," Superman spoke up after listening to Ruby's story with a frown, Wonder Woman, Green Lantern and I will go space-side and disable that Laser Cannon before it strikes again. At this rate, it sounds like Ronald is trying to either take down France, or start another Global War."
"Which leaves us to go to their base and get those kids free, and possibly confront Ronald." Batman said, reading between the lines of Superman's statement.
"Sounds about right to me." Nodded Batgirl. "You don't mind, do you? I mean... we'll be fighting your husband." She looked at Verity, who shook her head.
"No. Ze fact still remains zat he 'as attacked and killed many of his own soldiers... He 'az made 'iz point zat 'e no longer wishes to be part of our country. Just please... Batwoman... bring my leetle brother back home safely."
"Don't worry. He'll be back before you know it." Batgirl nodded.
"Then let's move out." Superman looked at everyone.
"I wanna come with you!" Ruby tugged at Batgirl's leg.
Batgirl looked down at Ruby with wide eyes.
"No Ruby, it's too dangerous. You helped get us out of those caves, but now we need to handle the bad guys." Batgirl knelt down to be at eye level with the kid.
"But-!" Ruby began to protest.
Batgirl was thinking fast. She knew this side of the argument all too well. She argued with her grandmother plenty of times when she was younger.
"Look, the Royal Family is gonna need some protection, right?" Batgirl said calmly.
"Yeah..." Sniffed Ruby.
"And you're just the one to do it. If you stay here to look after them, then you'll be doing us all a big favor in helping us out. The bad guys won't expect a little kid to have powers like yours..." Batgirl winked at Ruby, who seemed to catch on to what she was saying.
"Ok! You can count on me!" Ruby gave Batgirl the thumbs up as Batgirl reached in to her utility belt.
"And if any bad guys try to attack, throw this ball at them." Batgirl handed Ruby a small, silver orb the size of a golf ball. "It's knock out gas. It will give you some time to get the Royal Family away."
Ruby carefully took the orb in her hands when she realized what it was.
"I'll stay behind as well." ZETA declared. "To look after Ruby."
"Thank you." Ruby smiled, feeling braver by the minute. "And I won't let you down!" She added to Batgirl as she joined Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Green Lantern at the exit. Ruby watched as Batgirl smiled at her, and bit her lip nervously as the Justice League, Batman and Batgirl left.
"Hopefully zey will stop Ronald in time." The Queen looked at her daughter, Verity.
"Zey will, mother... I know zey will." Verity had a look of stubborn determination in her eyes as she looked at the now empty doorway.
"We all know the plan? Once we get to the Laser, we take it down." Superman said as he led the way with Green Lantern and Wonder Woman at his side.
"And if there's any security?" Asked Green Lantern.
"Take them out." Diana said rather simply.
"There's the building." Batman said as he and Batgirl crouched in a tree, observing a rather plain looking factory facility in the middle of nowhere in France.
"Thanks for the announcement, eagle eye." Batgirl said, earning a raised eyebrow from him.
"I'll go take down Ronald... the Princess wants you to find her brother, so you should get the kids out safely." Batman decided not to comment on her sarcasm.
"And if Inque is around, take her out too, no?" Replied Batgirl.
"Right." Batman turned back to look at the building for a moment, before they disappeared from sight, activating their suits' invisibility cloaking devices and moving towards the building.
Just as Ruby had described, the lights were dimmed inside, and movement was minimal on the top layer. So Batgirl turned on the night vision in her mask, glanced over at Batman once, gave a 'good luck' wave, which he returned with a nod, and darted down the hallway.
"Hey boss, you there?" Batgirl whispered in to her communications unit in her mask.
"Long time no see." Replied Dick's voice came over the comm. unit, sounding relieved. "Last I heard you were trapped miles underground."
"Glad to know you're keeping watch over me all the way here in France... Can you get a read out of the building I'm in?" She asked.
"Already on it. You need to make your way to the lower levels, that's where they're holding the kids hostage. Be careful though, security gets tight on Lower Level Four." Dick answered, glad to know his granddaughter made it out of the caves system all right.
As she made her way through the dimmed hallways, with her suits' invisibility cloak activated the whole time, she slipped past several guards in black police-like uniforms, toting large laser shot guns and helmets.
"I tell ya boss, the commissioner should have this much protection at the office." She whispered as she waited for the elevator to open to take her down. Luckily, she saw a female guard standing and waiting at the elevator as well.
"Say, Officer Two-One-Nine, where ya headed to?" Another black-suited officer asked.
"Down to level four. Ground security requested more back up just in case someone tries to sneak in after that kid escaped." Replied the female guard.
What luck. Thought Batgirl as she activated the 'weightless' feature of the suit so that the elevator wouldn't register her presence. It wasn't often she got to act like a stealthy spy like this.
The descent, however, was excruciatingly long as she stood next to the unsuspecting guard, wondering what was going to greet her once they realized that all wasn't well.
Ronald paced back and forth as Inque stood back and watched, in her human form with a smirk on her face.
"There have been no security breeches since you grounded the two Bats... Inque, I want you to do another sweep of the floor. I'll pay you double what you asked for." He added when she began to frown.
"No wonder why I like working for you." Inque said before transforming in to the blob-like state and slipping away.
"Is there something bothering you, hon?" Asked a woman who was standing nearby. She had golden blond hair tied up in a tight knot at the top of her head, and wore a black and white button-up shirt with an Asian-style collar, long sleeves, exposed stomach, and a knee length black and white skirt, and black heels.
"It's the fact that we haven't heard from the French Imperial Guard, or the Justice League since our signal that we are starting a new war... against them AND the world." Ronald turned to his mistress.
Nearby, Batman with his invisibility cloak still on, felt his eyes going wide. Woah... Cheating on his wife? He thought that there was a bombshell he never expected.
"Didn't anyone tell you it's not nice to spy on people?" Inque, who was used to Batman's techniques and skills, knew what to look for and found him almost instantly.
Ronald spun around as Inque wrapped her arm around Batman's neck, and threw him across the room like a rag doll. The force of the collision caused Batman's cloaking device to fritz out, revealing his form in a collapsed heap. Before he had to spin around on the spot and leap out of Inque's way or risk getting impaled.
"What're you doing, kidnapping kids, Ronald? Isn't having a deadly effective laser cannon enough for you?" Asked Batman as the tall man at the other end of the room was grabbing the arm of the blond woman. "Or do you have to cheat on your wife as well?"
Just as Ronald was apparently about to respond, one of his communications officers shouted in alarm.
"Sir! We've just lost contact with the main line from the cannon!" Shouted the officer.
"What?" Ronald demanded an explanation.
"Oh those darn Justice League members... always interfering with things, aren't they?" Batman was unable to control his smirk at the timing of it all.
Indeed, at that very moment, Superman had reached the bridge of the laser canon in space as it orbited around Earth. Ignoring the useless lasers that were being fired at him, his eyes glowing as he sent his own eye beam lasers at the controls of the cannon, rendering it useless, while still making sure it wouldn't come crashing down on Earth. While in the mean time, Green Lantern was rounding up all the security guards in a giant, glowing green box generated from his ring.
"I should have these guys all gathered in time for the cannon's destruction." Green Lantern stated.
"You're wasting your time! This cannon was set to self destruct if anything were to happen to it's crew!" One of the men in the giant green box shouted at them.
"No worries." Superman replied as he looked around. The man's eyes went wide in sudden fear and the realization of what was happening.
Outside the laser cannon, Diana was busy disabling the outside security, which included mini mounted lasers- which she removed by hooking with her lasso and pulling them right off the outer walls- and finally, the main laser which was at the bottom, pointed down at the Earth.
"Superman, I've reached the main laser. Is everything good inside?" She asked.
"Everything under control. If you ask me, this was almost too easy." Replied Superman as he and Green Lantern flew out of the main bridge of the weapon and into open space in time to witness Diana hooking the laser with her lasso, and pulling it right off with all her might. Many of the security guards and soldiers in Green Lantern's 'box' failed to hide their shock as she then swung it like a top at the main station, which triggered a massive explosion in near earth space.
"NO!" Ronald shouted as he lost all contact with his laser cannon.
At the same time, Inque was busy keeping Batman at bay, until a blast of electricity right from the suit as she tried to suffocate him forced her back.
"Come on, Ronald... all this planning and you didn't take the Justice League in to consideration?" Taunted Batman.
To Batman's surprise, after a minute or two of silence, Ronald started laughing. A laugh Batman knew all too well as the 'maniacal evil genius' sound.
"And something tells me you're just getting started... terrific." Batman mumbled as Ronald spun around.
"Did you idiots really think that was the only weapon in my arsenal? Really now..." Ronald turned back to his computer. "I have roughly twelve laser weapons from space that I can aim at any continent... And at the press of a button... I'll have my dream of a new global war... And the dawning of a new era."
"And I thought Time Keeper was psychotic..." Commented Batman.
"Those children that I have captured? They all have unique gifts... some of them more deadly than others... some of them, when combined, will make the perfect weapon." Ronald explained. "My guards at the cannons aren't blessed with those powers... The lasers are just my ruse to distract the general public from my real plan. Even if they are still essential."
"Have you considered checking in at Arkham, at all? Because quite frankly you're nuts. Experimenting with children and kidnapping them from their families? And using the laser cannons to make countries mobilize against each other-?"
"Not bad for being a mere thirty year old with no prospects of ever seeing the French Imperial throne... wouldn't you say? And my resume's just getting started." Laughed Ronald once more.
"What do you have to say about all of this?" Batman turned to the woman.
"It is my job to support the man I love, no matter what his endeavors are." She replied after a tense silence.
"Smart answer, no wonder I love you so Felice..." Ronald smiled before turning to Batman. "And now it's time to show you another aspect of what I've been working on-"
Batgirl was getting tired of all the sneaking around, but if she blew her cover now, then she wouldn't be able to figure out how to free the children. Just when she thought she'd be lost, an elderly woman came out of what looked like a prison cell, with an empty plate and glass in her hands, and a heavy look on her face.
"You don't look like you're too thrilled about all this..." Batgirl said, startling the woman so much that she jumped, nearly dropping the plate. "Easy," Batgirl deactivated her cloaking device. "I wasn't trying to frighten you or anything."
"You... You're Batgirl, yes?" The woman asked in a low voice, as though she were scared of being overheard. "You've come to free these poor children?"
"Yes. But I can't do it alone. Can you help me? Do you know the codes of these cells?" Batgirl asked, holding her breath.
"Yes. Please, set these children free. They do not deserve this!" The woman said, looking relieved. "I would not be here myself if it weren't for the fact that I care about them so."
"I understand. Really, I do." Batgirl put a calming hand on the woman's shoulder as other women approached, also looking nervous and hopeful. "Looks like the wondrous gentleman in charge is going to have an uprising on his hands."
At this, many in the crowd gathering around her had expressions of great relief on their faces, but acted like they didn't dare shout out for joy. Which Batgirl again found odd. While she herself was never one to scream when overjoyed, she was never discouraged from it as a child. Which suggested to her the controlling nature of Ronald that Verity herself may have had to live with, if not for the fact that she had incredible power over the French government.
"Here, here's the keys to all the cells. Please... do what you can to help them!" The first woman she came in contact with said, handing Batgirl what looked like a normal thumb drive.
"Thanks for your assistance-" Batgirl smiled, before turning to the nearest cell to try it out. The door indeed opened, however, the instant she looked in, she realized something was wrong. The cell was empty. "What the...?" She asked, backing up a few paces, before an incredibly dense, metal object came swinging from behind, smacking her hard on the back of the head, and Batgirl fell forward, dropping the key to the cell.
The last thing she could recall was hearing gasps of shock and fear as her head hit the ground, and she fell into shadow...
Author's Comments:
Wow, this is the longest I think it's taken me to ever finish a chapter. But I've had a lot of things going on in my life that kind of took precedence over this, so sorry guys.
And yes, of course, I had to leave on a cliff hanger! Just when they think they've got things figured out!
Typical, ne?
I honestly had a lot of struggles with this chapter and plot in general. Not figuring it out or anything, but just getting it written in a way that makes sense to the rest of the story.
So... The Bats get stuck in a cave for roughly 3 days... I'm not sure at this point if it helped, or worsened their relationship, that situation. Cate is such a fickle woman. She's not Lesbian or anything (Though you might be questioning this now, and later on) She's just... tricky when it comes to whom she trusts. But being emotionally scarred from tragic events happening one right after another would do that to a person. Luckily, though, she seems to be getting better, yes?
I'm actually rather enjoying parts of this, for instance, not so much in the way of old people! (AKA Bruce, Dick, Barbara are all on their OWN mini vacation) And I'm having fun featuring some of my favorite members of the Justice League! Hee... Superman is really hard to write in to a story with that personality of his. Had to watch a LOT of Justice League to 'study' his personality, and that of Green Lantern's, to make sure that I didn't get too far off the beaten track for their cases.
At any rate, I hope you enjoy this chapter, what's happening to the characters, and hang around for the conclusion of the France Arc in the next chapter!
How's Ronald gonna try and screw things over for everyone next? Who knows!