There was something completely wrong with this. Cassandra could feel it from her head to her toes. Though this woman claimed to be her biological mother, offering a connection she never knew she craved, she radiated wrongness.

She didn't like it.

Batgirl shifted herself into a stance, one she was certain wouldn't go unnoticed. Immediately, Shiva narrowed her eyes. "I see you're choosing the hard way," she stated.

She was an expert at reading body language, much in the way she had once been. A sinking feeling formed in her stomach. She knew just how good she had been, knowing what an opponent would do before they even did it. It had been her greatest weapon. She soon learned that she had been using it as a crutch, her defensive capabilities being nothing when faced with someone of Batman's caliber.

Batman had said Shiva was better than him.

This was not going to end well.

However, Batgirl felt that Shiva had never faced someone that could predict her moves either. If she were to win this, she needed to do it quickly while having the element of surprise.

With blinding speed, Shiva threw a fist for her face. Batgirl hadn't even seen it move, only realizing the fist was hovering before her eyes and closing in fast. Immediately she crouched down even as she performed a high block with her forearm, forcing Shiva's fist upward and over her head. Feeling Shiva rotate her wrist against her arm, her eyes darted up to her raised fist and found the woman maneuvering her blocked hand around her raised arm. Gone was the fist, the fingers straight and pressed together, thumb curled into palm.

Immediately, Batgirl grabbed at Shiva's arm, her fingers wrapping around the older woman's forearm and stopping whatever attack she had planned. At least, that's what she thought. It turned out Shiva's counter to her block was only a distraction as her other fist came rocketing in, slamming into the side of her face and causing her head to snap to a side.

Again, Shiva uncurled her fist, straightening her fingers out before she performed a backswing with her striking hand, landing a chop to Batgirl's throat. Gagging, the girl stumbled backwards, helpless as her opponent jumped into the air, spinning as she did so before lashing out with a leg. Her spinning kick nailed Batgirl's head, the force of the blow sending her flying backwards, the masked fighter landing on her back on the roof.

Instantly, Batgirl swung her legs up, bending them at the knee so that her knees nearly touched her chest. Throwing them back, she flipped back up onto her feet, just in time to see Shiva balancing on one foot before her, her other leg raised up and ready perform a side snap kick.

The kick came and Batgirl immediately spun to a side, dodging it. The safe direction would have been to go on the outside of her foe's kick, which would have prevented her from attacking with her arms, yet allow her to side-sweep with her raised leg. Instead, she spun to the inside, using her body to block her raised fist from sight.

This caused her to take her eyes off of Shiva for only a moment. She knew that was a mistake, but she didn't feel she had much choice. The moment her body allowed her, her head twisted around to look at her opponent. Surprisingly, Shiva hadn't tried to attack her with her fists. Instead she was lowering her raised leg.

So Batgirl went on the offensive. Completing her spin, she swung out her fist, swinging a backhand blow. Shiva merely leaned her head back, that maddeningly amused smile on her face as the girl's fist flew in front of her face, missing by a paper's width.

And then the older woman dropped down. Crouching, she pivoted on her grounded foot, allowing her to attack with her other, fully extended leg and knocked Batgirl's feet out from under her. Toppling over, she immediately threw her hands above her head as she leaned as far back as she could. Going into a flip, her hands touched down on the roof, which allowed her to spring right off of it to complete the flip, landing back on her feet.

By then, Shiva was standing up, holding her ground. It was clear she was waiting for her to attack. Normally, Batgirl would have waited as well. It was what Batman would do.

Instead, she took Shiva's invitation and launched herself towards the older woman. She threw a fist at her foe, who dodged by simply taking a step back. Undeterred, she threw another fist and then another, Shiva always stepping away to avoid each punch. Batgirl followed each step back with a step forward, right until Shiva changed things up and blocked her next punch and then her next.

And then, finally, she caught Batgirl's fist with a hand, her fingers curling over the girl's knuckles. "That's enough of that," she said.

Immediately, Batgirl leaned backwards, making a show of trying to pull her hand back, to which Shiva did not let go. That was when she drew her closest leg up and kicked out with it, landing a kick to Shiva's midsection, causing the older woman's eyes to widen and stumble back a couple steps. She let go of Batgirl's fist so that both of her arms wrapped around her stomach, an odd gesture for someone so skilled.

Yet, Batgirl didn't press her advantage. Instead she assumed a stance, waiting to see what her foe would do next.

"You're still holding back," Shiva spoke then as she dropped her arms to her sides, standing up straight. "For someone with so much promise, that is disappointing. I will give you one last chance to come at me with everything you have. If you keep restraining yourself, I promise you, you will die."

What was this, some sort of training exercise? Batgirl could not help but scowl beneath her mask. If Shiva wanted her to go all out, then so be it.

Charging, Batgirl leaped into the air while raising a leg up in front of her, bent at the knee. Immediately, Shiva shot an arm up, blocking the flying knee blow, just as she expected. The moment her knee came into contact with the arm, Batgirl was already swinging her other leg up, aiming to land a kick to the woman's head.

This move caused her to lowering her raised knee to perform, which allowed Shiva to use her same blocking arm to shift over, blocking the kick, though the older woman shifted to a side and downward to absorb the power from the blow.

Dropping back down to the roof, where she landed with both feet, Batgirl lunged forward, throwing a punch for Shiva's face. The woman slid to a side, avoiding the punch.

However, that's when Shiva changed things. Before Batgirl could draw her extended hand back, Shiva shot up her own hand and grabbed her wrist. Pulling on it, she forced Batgirl to lean forward, throwing her off balance. Twisting around to fully face the girl, Shiva then drove a palm strike right under her chin, snapping her head back from the force of the blow.

Even as she was thrown back, Batgirl found she didn't go too far as her opponent held a tight grip on her wrist. That's when Shiva drew up a leg and lashed out with it, slamming a foot into her stomach, causing Batgirl to slump forward, gasping. The foot pulled back, only to be driven right into her face, again jerking her head back.

And then Shiva let go of her wrist, only so that she could spring up from the roof. Her raised leg dropped downward so that her former grounded foot could swing up, landing a side kick to the side of Batgirl's face.

Flying head first, Batgirl found her world slowly turn, her body going into a corkscrew motion as she flew through the air. She landed hard on the roof, bouncing off of it once before collapsing back down. A daze filled her head, seemingly causing the world around her to slow down. She felt numb in her head, which was a very weird feeling.

Slowly, she began to push herself up, not really feeling the gravel beneath her hands. That had to be worrisome, but she found she couldn't feel that emotion. Holding her upper body up with her arms, she turned herself to look back at Shiva.

She found the woman immediately. Shiva stood in front of her, a fist flying right for her head. Due to her daze, the fist appeared to be moving in slow motion; yet, she could see just how much power was behind the punch. She had no doubt this blow was meant to crush her face and leave her head looking like a caved-in melon.

Suddenly, the rooftop vanished before her eyes. In its place, a room with plain walls and plain flooring. No, the floor was made of marble. She didn't know that was the name of it at the time, but she had learned that was what it was later. There were a set of large windows off to her right as well.

She knew this room.

Gone was Shiva as well. A long distance away, standing by a doorway was a white-haired man, dressed completely in black. He had one of his arms raised, extended out in a throwing motion.

It took her a second, but she recognized this man as well. David Cain, the man she had thought was her father. The man that had trained her to be the ultimate killing machine. And between them, closing in on her, was a throwing knife. Like Shiva's fist, it moved in slow-motion, closing in on her to puncture her face.

The image vanished then, replaced with Shiva once more, her fist even closer now. The two sights were strangely similar, uncannily so. Cain had tried to kill her when she failed to kill Batman, disappointment in his eyes. Now Shiva was going to kill her, disappointed that she refused to join her. Neither biological parent wanted her, not if she wasn't any use to them, and they treated her like they would a piece of discarded garbage.

Was this what it felt like to be unwanted?

Did anyone want her?

Suddenly, Shiva's fist stopped. It was close too, so close Batgirl was certain her breath was tickling the skin. It was then she realized there was a large, gloved hand wrapped around Shiva's wrist, the reason why the fist had stopped.

Eyes focusing on the hand, they then slid down the arm it was connected to, the girl discovering Batman standing next to the fighting women. Again, her eyes played with her head as she saw the man standing in the empty room, though he was holding the hilt of Cain's throwing knife. The deja vu was incredible.

However, this time Batman had a fist crossed over his chest, hovering by his shoulder. With one smooth motion, he swung his backhand blow, slamming it into Shiva's face. The force of the blow sent the woman flying back through the air, putting a surprising amount of distance between them before it was her turn to land hard on the roof.

Batman then turned towards her, the girl seeing an expression of intense fury on his face. His teeth were bared, lips curled over. But that all changed the moment he looked at her. Gone was the anger, replaced by concern. It was then she realized he was breathing hard, the man audibly panting. His eyes looked her over from head to toe before she saw relief flood his body. "You're alright," he said out loud; Batgirl wasn't sure if it was meant for her, or him.

The moment was gone then. Steeling his features, he then turned around to look towards Shiva, moving himself to stand between the older woman and her. Batgirl couldn't help how comforting that gesture was. It made her feel...good. Better about herself.

Wanted.

Shiva was climbing back onto her feet then, a hand rubbing up against the corner of her mouth. Even from where she laid, Batgirl could see the woman was wiping away blood from her mouth. "Detective," she greeted neutrally.

"Shiva," he returned.

"You're interrupting. My business is with my wayward daughter behind you. You have no part here."

There was rigidness that overcame Batman's body. It was only there for an instant, but it was gone as soon as it appeared. "I won't let you lay another hand on her," he growled back.

Shiva narrowed her eyes before she assumed a fighting stance, Batman reciprocating. They held their respective grounds, staring each other down for what felt like hours.

That was until Shiva tilted her head to one side. "There's something different about you," she murmured. "What could it be?"

Batman edged forward, which was copied by Shiva. The fogginess in Batgirl's head began to fade away and she watched with growing focus. This was a different approach from what she had seen and should have been obvious. She, the Birds, anyone that had taken Shiva on had charged or let her come to them. Neither approach worked. This slow approach was new.

Both fighters had their fists raised above them. In fact, their stances were similar. One fist held out in front, the other by their hips. The distance between them shrank until their knuckles practically touched the other's.

That's when Shiva struck. Her extended fist darted towards Batman, but it was no longer a fist. Her fingers were stretched out, the woman attempting to jab her fingertips right into the dark-clad man's face.

Batman blocked it with his raised arm, ducking down while shooting his other hand forward. His palm caught the knee Shiva had lunged with, stopping her forward momentum.

And then Shiva lashed out with her other leg. Though it was practically the same maneuver Batgirl had used earlier, the older woman aimed lower, her leg colliding with Batman's side.

Suddenly, Batman dropped his raised arm down and pressed Shiva's leg against his side, pinning it there. His other hand wrapped around the leg and he twisted his body to a side. Letting out a grunt he then released his hold on Shiva, sending the woman flying through the air, though she nimbly landed back on the roof without much trouble.

Springing forward, she rushed back at the dark-clad man. Batman shifted his body to one side as he raised a leg up, kicking out with it as soon as he could. Shiva dodged to a side, not even missing a step as she drove her fist right into the man's ribs. Batman winced from the blow as he stumbled back. Drawing her fist back, she curled her fingers back to expose her palm just before she thrust it upwards, landing a palm strike beneath his chin. Batman's head jerked back from the blow, which left him wide open for Shiva to rear back on one leg and kick out with the other, her foot ramming right into his chest and sending him flying backwards.

Somehow, Batman manage to regain his balance, his feet dragging across the gravel on the rooftop until he slid to a stop. He was breathing hard, gasping. Batgirl found herself jerking forward despite still semi-lying on the ground.

Something was wrong. She had never seen Batman fight this...sloppy before. He was always in control of himself, dictating every action, not only of himself, but of his opponent. Either Shiva was going all out on him, proving that her skill was indeed beyond them all, or he had somehow lost his fighting ability.

Unfortunately, Shiva seemed to notice this as well. "What's wrong, Detective?" she questioned, eyes narrowed. "You were not this incompetent when we fought with Deathstroke. What changed? You're fighting like a first-time student."

Batman didn't reply, instead allowing his cape to encircling him completely. There was a ruffle beneath the material, something that caught Batgirl's eyes—and undoubtedly Shiva's.

Not waiting to see what the dark-clad man was planning, Shiva charged once more, telegraphing her incoming punch. Batman jerked backwards to avoid the blow, stepping back again as the woman lashed out with punch after punch. For every punch, he backed away a step.

Then he changed tactics and kicked out with a leg, which caused Shiva to back off. Pressing his advantage, Batman kept leading with kicks. Spinning his body around over and over, he would kick with one leg, then bring it down so that he could place all his weight on it while he kicked out with the other. Each kick missed Shiva as she backpedaled.

Suddenly, Batman threw open his cape, leading with his left arm. Immediately, Shiva lunged forward, catching his arm with both hands. In his hand was a batarang, one he clearly meant to throw, but was unable to due to Shiva's block

Then quick as lighting, Batman's right fist shot out from beneath his cape and slammed into her face, causing her to jerk back. Keeping his arm extended, he then swung it downward, his hand releasing a smoke pellet and sending it flying to the ground. Immediately, a smoke cloud erupted, enveloping both fighters in a thick cloud of smoke.

Gingerly, Batgirl forced herself onto her feet, though she kept herself crouched down. The entire time she could hear the sound of body parts colliding with other body parts. She assumed fists and feet, but there was no real way to tell. There was definitely the occasional grunt and cry, though unfortunately they belonged to a deeper voice.

Suddenly, Batman exploded out of the smoke cloud, flying backwards through the air. Following him with her head, she watched as the man landed on the roof, going into a roll across it. Somehow, he managed to gather himself as he stopped the roll, ending up crouched much like she was. However, he was still holding onto his batarang, which he sent flying into the smoke cloud.

This time there was no scream. All was silent, which was not a good thing in Batgirl's book. Much to her chagrin, Shiva slowly emerged from the smoke, looking no worse for wear. "I must say, I had forgotten that you knew to use my eyes against me. Hiding both arms was a new twist."

It took a moment for Batgirl to realize what Shiva meant, but occurred it did. Using his cape, he hid both arms, much like he had when they had fought the first time. Apparently this wasn't the first time he had done this to Shiva. Was using it against Shiva how he thought to use it against her?

"But you still fight like an amateur," Shiva stated. "This time I'll make sure to—"

Suddenly, her head perked up, cutting herself off. She then jumped backwards, passing through the thinning smoke cloud, even as it did nothing to hide her silhouette. An arrow struck the spot she had been standing, which was followed by another and another in quick fashion. Each one landed closer and closer to Shiva, but stopped as soon as they begun.

And then a figure landed on the rooftop. Going into a roll, the figure went head over feet before ending up crouched on one knee. Holding up a drawn bow, an arrow notched on the stretched bowstring, Green Arrow took aim right at Shiva. "Alright, ladies and gents, I think we've had just about enough fighting for one night," the archer proclaimed.

Whatever was left of the smoke cloud was fully dissipated now, leaving Shiva to glare at the new arrival. "Do you honestly think you stand a chance?" she growled at Green Arrow.

"Probably not, but I'm still willing to bet that I'll get a good hit or two," he replied. "And I'll be sure to make one of them one that takes a long time to heal."

Batgirl stood up to her full height then, retrieving her own batarang and holding it at the ready. Her movement caused Shiva to glance at her before returning her full attention to the green archer. Batman also took up a stance, one with his cape wrapped around him, hiding whatever he could do.

All of this, Shiva saw. Her eyes darted from Green Arrow, to Batgirl, to Batman, and then back. She seemed to weigh her odds before she straightened out her posture. "I think I've had enough of this." She then looked to Batman, "You can keep the girl for now, but I will take back what is mine, Detective."

Then she spun around on her heels, nonchalantly walking away. When she reached the ledge, she hopped off of it, disappearing over the roof's edge.

"Well, that ended better than I thought it would," Green Arrow remarked as he slowly released the tension in his bow. He kept the arrow notched, but the bow was back in its resting state.

Batman let out a sigh in response and dropped to one knee, taking several deep breaths. Immediately, Batgirl ran over to him, placing her hands on his shoulder. He glance up at her, staring at her before asking, "Are you okay?"

She gave a thin smile, one that caused the material over her mouth to show its outline. "I am okay. You aren't though."

"I have to agree with her. You look like crap," Green Arrow added.

Batman tilted his head so that he could look at the archer. "Thank you for your help. I don't think that would've ended favorably for us if you hadn't."

"Hey, I can't resist a good entrance any more than you can. Let's just say you owe me for now."

Batman grunted his response before he began to stand back up. Batgirl immediately moved against him, her side pressed against his as she moved an arm around his back. The man allowed her to brace him against her, something she was glad for.

"So, that was Shiva," Arrow spoke again, sounding as if he wanted to make small talk. "She was every bit as good as you said she was."

"Yes, she is."

"What are the chances she'll come back for revenge? I know her type and they have a knack for turning up at the wrong time to avenge themselves."

"I'm not sure," Batman admitted. "But I can say for certain this isn't the last we've seen of her."


By the time Flag had arrived back on the other side of the river, his recruit carried over a shoulder until he dumped him in a secure location, the commander found that there was a lot more activity happening than when he had left.

The command tent especially was busy. Even from a distance, he could hear Eiling's bellowing. Something had happened and Flag was willing to bet it involved that explosion he had heard earlier. His basic demolition training had informed him that someone had detonated a bomb, but there was some distance between it and the city proper. Because it didn't affect his mission, he had ignored it.

Now he wasn't going ignore it anymore.

Entering the command tent and approaching Eiling, Flag made himself known. "Status update. What happened?"

"Someone's trying to do our own damn jobs, that's what," Eiling snapped at him before visibly calming down. Flag took it with a grain of salt. "We had reports of an explosion over at the reservoir. I sent a scouting team out and they came back with intel that the place was bombed. Specifically, someone targeted the pipe system. As of now, there's no water leaving that place and heading to the city."

Wasn't that what they had wanted? Maybe not in the same manner, but the result was still the same.

"I fail to see how this is a problem, General. We wanted to shut the water off and now it is."

Eiling scowled. "Gordon had whatever cops he still has secure the facility. They found that all the water there was laced with that fear poison stuff, the same you were exposed to. Had any of it gotten out, we too would have been affected by it. That reservoir also serves this side of the river."

That caused Flag to pause. The presence of that bizarrely-dressed lunatic was recalled, and combined with the intel about the water supply being tainted, that meant there had been more going on than he had come to believe. The attack on the reservoir was more to protect the city than it was to attack Bane.

There was definitely more happening here than anyone imagined.

"I'm not liking this," Eiling stated, facing towards the island where millions of people were stranded and a foreign invader was trapped. "There's something about this city...I don't like it."

Now this was alarming. Eiling was not a superstitious man by any means. He was grounded in reality and pragmatism; his loyalty to his nation unwavering as he led many operations that most would see as distasteful. The General was that kind of man that was more than willing to get his hands dirty doing things the rest of the world would condemn. So to see and hear this, that alarmed Flag more than anything.

However, even he was starting to feel that things were spiraling out of their control. Someone was obstructing them at every turn and now was doing their jobs for them.

A part of him did not like that.

While he was pragmatic at heart, there was always a sense of pride he felt when a mission was accomplished. It meant that he was doing his duty, fulfilling his responsibilities and protecting his country. It didn't matter how or what means he used to succeed, all that mattered was that it ended as a success. That said, when the opposition did his job for him, it rankled as it meant he had been wasting time.

Still, he was seeing a bigger picture here in Gotham. What it added up to, he didn't like. Normally he would look for direction from the nearest high ranking officers if ever there was any uncertainty detected. In this case, Eiling was that officer, but Flag knew that the General was not the one really in charge. He was the face, the one whom the troops on the ground would listen to.

"This might be above both our pay grades," he finally responded. "We're going to need to talk with the boss."

That had Eiling whipping around, staring at him incredulously. "You're not serious!"

"Remember, we're soldiers. We do what we're told," the commando retorted. "It's the higher ups who make all the big decisions, and from what I see, we need a big decision."

"There's no need to bring her in on this," the general stated. "We're handling the situation."

"General, what makes you think she hasn't been involved this whole time?" Flag asked, settling back and waiting for his fellow soldier's answer.

Eiling opened his mouth, ready to answer, only to snap it shut. It opened again, repeating the same response as before and closing his mouth. It took a moment, but eventually the mustached man conceded, scowling.

"Fine. Make the call," the disgruntled officer grumbled, crossing his arms as he looked away.

Flag hadn't needed permission, but he would accept it anyway.


Arms folded over his chest, Bane stared at Tetch's completed machine, the tall, cylindrical tower rising from the floor and up to the ceiling itself. Just minutes ago, his puny henchman with the odd fashion sense had finished the last of his tweaks and finishing touches.

That was what Tetch had assured him of.

"Everything that can be finished is finished, my good sir. Everything that you desired has been inputted into the settings; everything you wanted it to master has been mastered; all you need now is to turn it on and let it do its work."

If Tetch was telling the truth, this marvel before him was about to win this unending war he found himself in at long last. Gotham would finally be in his grip from which he would never release it.

"It is twenty-four hours until all changes to the brain are permanent, correct?" the masked man half-asked, half-demanded.

"The number has never changed. While I realize that it may seem like a long time, time by its nature is relative and—"

"Cease your prattling and remain silent," he interrupted. "If I want you to speak, I will say so, but until then, say no more."

Tetch gulped, but did as he was ordered. In his hands, he gripped the brim of a top hat, a new one Bane noted. Where or how the diminutive man had managed to get his hands on another one was a mystery, one that could wait for another day. That reminded him…

Removing the headband that he had seized from the technological architect, he placed it over his head, allowing the band to rest and loop around his forehead. As he had noted before, there was no sense in him falling prey to his own ambitions.

"Zombie," Bane called out, waiting only for the affirmative before continuing. "Increase security. On the off chance someone attempts to intervene, I want all measures taken to ensure the success of this operation. Everyone is armed, safeties are off, and use all available hardware we have to protect this location. Use the helicopter; do not hold back."

"Your will shall be done," the thin Santa Priscan responded before turning to issue the edict.

Turning his attention back to Tetch, he issued his next order. "Activate the machine. Increase the range of the frequency to include the entire city. Leave nothing in its limits alone."

"Very well," Tetch nodded, taking his place before the control panel embedded in the metal tower's structure. With a hum, the mechanical leviathan came to life, and Bane could feel his heart rate pick up if only for a few seconds. This was it; all his labors and tactics had come to this moment and victory was finally in his grasp.

The masked Santa Priscan didn't have to look around to know that his remaining men were uncertain about this latest plan. Their kind was more capable with frontal assaults and combat; to place their trust in this metal monstrosity would take a leap of faith.

However, they began to straighten up, standing taller, and their eyes darting to look at him in awe and reverence. Even with their loyalty, they had fallen under the machine's sway. Meanwhile, thanks to the headband, Bane remained unaffected. Tetch's technological prowess seemed to know no boundaries.

"Increasing range," Tetch reported as a hand began to turn a dial. With each minuscule click it made, the machine's humming grew marginally louder.

As the dial continued to be turned, it brought Bane all the more closer to completion of his conquest.


To FlackAttack: More like Shiva fought harder because she was desperate to protect her pregnancy. Think of it as additional incentive to survive