A single man in black remained conscious amongst his fallen allies, a gloved hand threatening to crush his windpipe as he stood, shaking in terror, alone against the Dark Knight and two of his partners, especially contrasted against the fresh, white snow that was slowly blanketing the ground.
"I'm going to ask you again," Batman snarled. "Where is your base of operation?"
"Screw you!" He barked back. "I'm not telling you a thing."
Batman pulled him briefly from the wall only to smash him head-first into it again, now demanding, "Where is he!?" Before continuing, "He took one of mine, and I don't care how many of you I have to break to find her again!"
"I've been around the place since they got her," his opponent sneered with a wheeze. "She howls… Louder than anyone I've ever heard before… He he he-"
The next crash knocked him into unconsciousness as the flash of police lights consumed the alley. Batman, Robin and Nightwing stood over ten of the defeated lesser servants and two Cherubim with their masks torn off. The three were bloody and sore, as a result of a now week-long campaign attacking any members of the church they could find and continuing to desperately seek out some sign of the Red Hood. Trying to simply follow the grunts had proven ineffective any time they slipped into one of Gotham's subway stations, as even trailing them in civilian garb only led to them disappearing into crowds. Any attempt to attach trackers was met with a malfunctioning signal before an idea could even be formulated.
"This is crazy," Nightwing muttered. "I've never seen a group with so little give. We keep on pounding on them and they don't say a damn thing. It's ridiculous."
"You've never been threatened with hell," Robin replied. "You wanna scare somebody straight, you convince them that they'll be tortured for all eternity if they betray you. That's why they won't say a word. They're too horrified of the eternal consequences."
"Which is why we need to find Red Hood, as soon as possible" Batman said.
"If only it was that easy," said Nightwing. "Spoiler stabbed him from behind, he may be just as out of commission as she is, and if that's the case it could be months before he's in shape to turn up again."
"If he's tact enough to care for that injury properly. Which I doubt," Batman replied before bringing a hand to his cowl. "Oracle, what's the position on our backup?"
"Huntress is already in town, you'll probably cross paths with her sooner or later. I managed to get ahold of Dinah and Zinda, they'll be there in the next day or two…I thought it might take some convincing, but Dinah wanted me to report that when you mess with one of us, you've messed with all of us."
"Good," Batman said solemnly. "Anything on Hood yet?"
"No. I'm guessing his contract with Penguin must have been terminated. He's dropped completely under the radar. I was able to hack a few records at the Gotham public library and someone was constantly trying to do a search on treating a stab in the knee, but that was days ago. I'm sorry, I only just thought of it."
"Whatever it takes to find him. They might not own up to what's going on, but I at least have some chance of getting inside his head."
The three began to depart from the scene, Nightwing remaining back with Robin. "Hey, so how is Steph taking this whole thing? I mean, it can't be sitting well, with her both out of commission and this coming up."
"Yeah, its been really rough," Tim said. "Hopefully we'll find Cassie here soon and we can all breathe a little easier again. I can't even believe how much this has blown up in our face… I'm going to splinter off and check on her for the night. You guys know where to find me."
…
The creak of the door leading out of the darkness rose Cassandra from another night of restless, agonizing sleep. She opened her eyes, squinted and stained in salt and bruises, as The Seraphim stepped in from the blinding light on the door's opposite side.
"I thought it important to step in on my most valued guest," he said coyly, stepping into the chamber's center.
"I'm simply humbled," Joshua retorted.
"Keep your mouth shut, mosquito," The Seraphim said, paying him little mind.
"You go to an encyclopedia for that one?" Joshua asked. "I'm not the only Hebrew in the room."
The Seraphim ignored him as he proceeded to Cassandra's cell, standing at her opposite with what would be a satisfied glare if his eyes were visible. "Have you decided to swear your allegiance to The Church of the Voice yet, little girl?" He asked. Cassandra said nothing as he let off a little chuckle. "Give it some time. You'll break. Sooner or later, they all break. Let's see how much progress you've made." He slipped a hand into his pocket, producing a small object, not unlike a pager, and pressing the button in its center. Instantly the sound of that horrid whistle tore through the room. Cassandra was instantly brought to her knees, desperately clutching her hands over her ears before The Seraphim commanded "Uncover them!" and, for reasons she could not understand, she complied.
When next The Seraphim spoke, his voice sounded as if it was under heavy distortion. "Face me," the almost demonic voice commanded and, still feeling broken by every command, Cassandra looked up at him.
The Seraphim's already imposing form began a nightmarish mutation with every word. The inside of his mouth appeared full of magma, his lips curving downward as if to form spikes like a Jack-o-lantern. The wings covering his eyes parted as he knelt down to look at her, revealing two bright, red eyes that formed into seemingly bottomless spirals. He raised a scaly, clawed hand up to the bars of the cell and let out a hiss as Cassandra screamed in horror.
"Be not afraid," The Seraphim said, his eyes appearing as if they penetrated her very soul. "I offer you deliverance. I offer you clarity." He open the cell and slowly approached her, as Cassandra tried to back away, but her back was quickly met with wall. The monstrous Seraphim took ahold of her by her shirt and thrust her against it, snarling in her face as her eyes met the infinite abyss of his own. "I offer you salvation!" He roared as she continued to shake before forcing a little struggle out of herself. Even with her wrists chained, Cassandra tried to throw punches at his face, resorting to trying to claw at it when she failed and trying to kick him anywhere she could possibly land her feet. Though she was sure she felt the metal of his helmet, she saw her fingers scraping against skin, leaving several open cuts that, to continued disgust, began to chant in unison with The Seraphim's mouth.
"I am The Seraphim. I am descendant of the angels themselves. I am the voice of God. You will surrender to me. You will surrender to the lord almighty."The Seraphim raised his hand and clutched his fingers, the fire bursting forth from his palm now shining a dozen different, fearsome colors all at once. "Or I shall personally thrust you into the fires of Hell!" The flame came within inches of Cassandra's face, close enough to evaporate the beads of sweat dripping from her temple. "Join me, return to God almighty. Or you. Will. BURN!"
"This crazed cult of yours didn't keep you from burning."
Cassandra's eyes turned to Joshua, as even through his permanently shut ones he seemed to glare at his brother. To Cassandra's surprise, this broke The Seraphim's focus, and as he turned to shout at Joshua to keep quiet, the cuts upon his face appeared to heal somewhat, the wings on his helmet lowering to again cover his eyes. When he wasn't starring right at her, he suddenly lost much of what made him intimidating.
In a desperate showing to prove she would not be conquered, Cassandra forced herself up while his back was turned, grabbed ahold of her chains, and attempted to attack him with him, clanging the metal against his armored vest and using the links to throw a few punches before he turned back towards her, returning to his hideous form, and shoved her again against the wall before locking the cell and departing, promising her that her conversion was far from over.
Cassandra clutched herself and shut her eyes tight as her mind worked the horrible whistle sound out of itself. She was ready to cry again, until she heard Joshua address her.
"Did… Did you just attempt to fight him? Did I hear a struggle?"
Cassandra nodded, though remembering he was blind, said, "Yes."
Joshua appeared to be stunned by this. "I've known grown men… Former cops some of them… Broken by that whistle like it was nothing. But you… Batman taught you to fight off a mental attack that masterfully?"
"I suppose," Cassandra said, trying to stabilize her breathing. "But what good is it? I… I am only extending my suffering…"
"Yes…" Joshua said quietly, turning to the door, almost as if looking at it. "Only extending your suffering… Tell me… What else did Batman teach you how to do…?"
…
On the eighteenth of the month, seventeen days after his injury, Jason Todd sat almost alone in the Gotham Public Library, scanning through articles online and occasionally rubbing uneasily at the back of his right knee. He didn't look suspicious, his greasy black hair forced under a baseball cap and wearing a simple winter coat, but he had long grown accustomed to constantly checking behind his shoulders. The library was mostly dead, save for a few mothers and their young children, a blonde haired girl in a green jacket and the various employees sliding books back into place.
He would never have guessed it would be so difficult to just figure out how he had injured his leg, but he was slow to seek any medical help. Even having read up on Leslie Thompkins' clinic and its policy to accept anyone, even in costume, he knew Thompkins was a friend to the Wayne family. He was not looking for an excuse to get their attention, especially since they and Cobblepot were all hunting him.
Jason closed his browser and turned off the monitor, planning to return after he made a trip to the bathroom. Upon his return, he noted the girl in the green jacket had left, cracked his knuckles for a fresh round of searches and turned the monitor back on. It took him several minutes to even notice the fact that a notepad application had been opened and minimized. Wondering when he had opened it, Jason clicked on it to find a note written to him in purple:
"Roof of the Carter Theater. 12 AM. Come in costume. I'll be alone. You do the same.
Sincerely,
The Other Worst Robin."
Jason's eyes dashed in the direction of the door, looking for a sign of the green-jacketed blonde but she was already gone. At first he frowned, but after a moment of reflection a smile creeped across his face.
He'd be there, he was sure of it.
…
In the midst of another wrap of darkness, Joshua again spoke to Cassandra. "I said little of it at the time… But your resistance was absolutely masterful."
Cassandra thought little of it. "… Thank you…"
"I've been trapped down here for years, known many who have tried to combat the effects of The Mist and that whistle. You may be the most impressive case I have ever observed."
Again, Cassandra replied with a hollow, "Thank you."
"So much so… That you might actually have a chance at escape."
At this Cassandra turned towards him. "What do you mean?" She asked.
"How big are you? I mean, are you short for your age? Thin?"
"Five foot five. One-ten," she said, having memorized it from old measurements Bruce had taken.
"Yes… That is almost ideal," Joshua muttered.
"What do you mean?" Cassandra asked again.
"Escaping from this pit is nearly impossible, but there must be an entrance, right? I know where it is. Or one of them is, anyway. I used to see Blackfire and Dan use it, back when I had my eyes. Within the chapel, obscured behind the back wall, which is all stained glass, is a stairway. It leads up into the exit, back onto the surface. It is for private use, probably completely unguarded. I know there are other entrances, and all of them are well reinforced, but that one is nearly undetectable from the outside. If you could get to it, you may be able to make it out of here."
"But how?" Cassandra asked. "There are many other guards. I cannot even get free from this cell."
"If I could get my hands on that whistle machine, we can probably throw the rest of my brother's men into a frenzy," Joshua said. "There is a reason he locks them in the misting room one at a time. They'd lose all control if they just heard it at random… All I would need to do was get it off of his person and trigger it. You've shown you can fight off its effects."
"Not well," Cassandra pointed out.
"Better than anyone I've ever seen," Joshua assured her.
"Even still, how could I get into the chapel?" Cassandra asked.
"The way that it almost happened last time," Joshua replied. "You think I'd bring all this up if I hadn't tried it before? How do you think I lost my hand?" Cassandra gasped. "Yes… I tried this method myself…"
"What happened?" Cassandra asked. "How did you get to the chapel?"
"All I had to do was tell Dan that I was ready to join his cause. He was so overwhelmed with his victory that he invited everyone, prisoners included, to attend my conversion that Sunday… Just like Blackfire, he had a final test for me…"
"A captive and a knife?" Cassandra asked, Joshua nodding.
"I don't know if you know, but Dan's got a scar right next to his heart…That was me. I also managed to tear off one of his gloves and leave a nice set of marks right on his face before the congregation overpowered me… He only started calling himself The Seraphim to justify that it was God's will, not mine, that burned him so horribly." Cassandra starred at him, hardly able to believe his tale. "I nearly killed him that day. I have no idea how he got his heart working again, but that should have been the end of it… But I am sure. If I gave him a chance to see my conversion, now that I am blind and one-handed, he would surely enact the same foolishness again."
Cassandra contemplated his words for a moment before saying, "I could only save myself."
"There is nothing left for me out there," Joshua said. "I am blind. I am weak. I am waiting at death's door… This is the last chance I may ever have to fulfill my father's words… 'Be a good boy, and grow up to be a good man. That is your religion.'." Joshua fell silent for a moment before he turned, almost pleading towards Cassandra and said, "Please. This is my last chance. It is all I have left… Do not let him take that religion away from me."
…
A little after eleven, a single body slipped through Wayne Manor undetected. Though normally impenetrable, the intruder had long since learned the secrets to slipping in and out. A little toying with the grandfather clock in the study revealed the staircase down into the Batcave. It continued onward in complete silence, until it approached Cassandra's discarded Batgirl uniform.
"You know Master Wayne will not approve of this behavior, Miss Brown."
Stephanie sighed as she turned and faced Alfred, standing on the other side of the cave.
"I don't suppose I can convince you to turn the other way, can I?" Stephanie asked.
"Nor should you," Alfred replied. "Breaking and entering, what appears to be an act of theft… If you wanted your own uniform back, you should have just asked, though I haven't had the chance to sew it yet and you are in no place to play hero with that tear in your knee."
"I wasn't going to go out as Spoiler," Stephanie replied. "If any of The Seraphim's goons see me, I want them to think they've seen a ghost."
"But you surely aren't going to try and confront them, are you?"
"No," Stephanie said, reaching and grabbing the Batgirl uniform. "I have business with someone else… And I said I'd be there alone… If you tell Bruce, you'll botch my whole operation, and then we may never find Cassie."
Alfred raised in eyebrow at this. "You've found Jason?"
"I even gave him a meeting place. He's injured too, there's no way he'd come if he didn't know it was me… Don't you get it Alfred? He thinks I'm weak and he wants revenge! It's the only bait he could possibly take!"
Alfred starred at her as, without a word of consent, she disappeared behind one of the walls, testing the stretch on the uniform and managing to slide into it with little difficulty, only pausing to cut a hole in the back of the cowl to let her hair through.
"You're still injured, Miss Brown," Alfred remarked. "And if Master Bruce were to discover this venture of yours, I am sure your termination from these forces would hardly be the place he would stop… He fears for you, greatly, and if he learns you're doing something this foolish, I am beyond sure he will never permit you out on his streets again. I am asking you, for your sake, Stephanie, not to do this."
"But I also know you won't stop me," she said, stepping back into the cave, garbed up to her neck in Cassandra's batsuit. "And all I can say is thank you for that."
"Master Wayne does care for considerably, Miss Brown," Alfred sighed.
"He just has a hell of a way of showing it," Stephanie retorted, pulling on the cowl. "I have a meeting to go to. Thank you Alfred."
As Stephanie began to ascend the staircase back into the manor, Alfred quietly contemplated her words before asking, "Stephanie?" She turned to him. "I only want to ask… Is this really all about Cassandra? Or is this about you?"
"It's about Cassie," Stephanie replied, turning her back on Alfred before concluding with, "And making sure she doesn't end up like me."