Author's Notes: Kate is being impersonated by either Brainiac 5 or Beth in all of her scenes.
Channel 8 news live edition crew came by a warehouse that was not-so-secretly manufacturing and distributing snake-bite. "This is Dana Dewitt and this is breaking news...holy shit!" she said as a man fell onto the roof of her news van.
Batwoman dropped down from the roof of the warehouse onto a cargo truck where she easily beat two thugs in hand-to-hand combat. The two thugs fell off the truck. A fourth thug ran off only to have cables tied around his ankles. Beth dropped down and walked towards the remaining thug. As she did, she activated a device disabling the news crew cameras. She calmly took out a pistol and ripped the mask off the thug's face.
"Who is Black Mask?" Beth questioned.
"I don't know. That's why we all wear masks," he stammered.
Beth took a knee before the fallen man and placed her pistol on his lips. "Give me a name," she ordered.
"Oh, God, I don't know. You have to believe me," he said crying.
"He's telling the truth," Brainiac 5 said as he analyzed his voice.
Beth eyed the stunned camera crew nearby and decided to withdraw into the darkness. As she did, the entire warehouse behind her exploded in a huge fireball.
At the Crows parking lot, Jacob was reflecting on his life when he was suddenly ambushed by a thug. It was at this moment, Jacob realized he needed better security in the least secure parking lot in all of Gotham.
Flashback Brussels-2003
Col. Jacob Kane and a company of NATO soldiers stormed a local airport and engaged the Religion of Crime in a ferocious firefight. Jacob personally shot one of the terrorists dead and led a squad through the airport to get to the hostages. Within a minute or two, the terrorists were all killed. Jacob and his squad encountered the last terrorist holding a gun to his wife's head. With careful aim, he shot the terrorist in the head and rescued his wife and daughters.
"I'm so happy you're safe," Jacob said to all of them.
End Flashback
Jacob woke up disoriented and confused. He noticed the snakebite venom was in his arm. Instead of experiencing his greatest fear, he felt his greatest hope. Now, reality came crashing down upon him. His wife was dead and his daughter, Beth, was totally insane. "Well...shit."
Beth entered the Bat-Cave and took off her cowl. "No one recorded anything and your media presence has been scrubbed," Brainiac 5 informed her.
"You wouldn't be doing this if I were Supergirl," Beth muttered.
"You're not Supergirl, even if you want to be," Brainiac 5 told her.
"Speaking of which, where is Kara? It's been weeks," Beth pointed out.
"She's still on vacation," Brainiac 5 said vaguely.
"It would appear no one knows who Black Mask is, not even his own followers," Beth mused.
"Black Mask is highly skilled in the art of deception," Brainiac 5 said knowingly.
"Let's not jerk him off too hard, shall we?" Beth rolled her eyes.
"You may find this interesting," Brainiac 5 said as he showed the location and founding members of the new Gotham Community Center. Among the founders listed were Mary Hamilton, Jordan Moore, and Ryan Wilder.
"What is their security?" Beth asked intending to firebomb it.
"None," Brainiac 5 replied.
"It's too easy," Beth said disappointedly. "Keep an eye on it. Something like this will lure out attackers for me to kill."
"Of course," Brainiac 5 agreed. "And...they've been hit."
Beth and Brainiac 5 watched a satellite infrared scan of the building. Suddenly, someone came in and blasted the walls with a lightning gun and then took off. "They never learn," Beth shook her head.
"No," Brainiac 5 agreed.
"Tell me Ryan Wilder isn't dead," Beth said hopefully.
Brainiac 5 looked for any dead bodies. "No deaths," he said looking at each individual moving around.
"Good. I'm going to get some sleep," Beth said as she entered the Bat-suit chamber to change.
The next day, a groggy Beth walked over to Brainiac 5 in civilian clothes. "They call him Killer Bolt," Brainiac 5 said showing her a newspaper.
"Do we give a shit about this?" Beth wondered.
"You mean the Gotham Community Center? Not particularly. However, both Mary Hamilton and Ryan Wilder could have been killed in the attack. Therefore, Killer Bolt must be terminated," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, you're not into changing lives for the urban poor?" Beth asked.
"It won't make a difference," Brainiac 5 said cynically.
"So, what's the solution?" Beth wondered.
"Forcible removal of the urban poor to outside the city limits to rural areas. Then, entice more technologically and financially efficient units to take their place with relatively cheaper housing," Brainiac 5 said.
"Cold-as-fuck," Beth remarked.
At the Crows nest, Kate was explaining her vacation weekend to an envious Sophie. "I don't get it," Sophie admitted looking at a European map.
"Well, that makes two of us," Kate admitted. "These are my expense reports in Europe: two nights in Monaco, a layover in Valencia, and a car rental in Madrid."
"So, what's the problem?" Sophie wondered.
"I have no memory of being in any of those places," Kate said stunned.
"No judgment here but were you drinking?" Sophie asked.
"Not that much," Kate denied.
"But if you don't remember, how do you remember it wasn't that much?" Sophie asked obviously.
"Are you blaming the victim here? I could have been drugged," Kate said defensively.
"No, no, no, just trying to help," Sophie backed off.
"I may have been...drunk-as-fuck the entire time," Kate allowed.
"You flew to Europe, went to all of these exotic locations, partied every night, and forgot everything you did?" Sophie asked incredulously. "You spent more money on this black-out vacation than most people earn in three months."
"Don't tell dad," Kate said embarrassed.
Jacob interrupted their casual conversation. "Get over to the community center and interview any witnesses," he ordered and then entered his office.
At the community center, Kate interviewed a pissed-off Jordan Moore. "So...you called Mary Hamilton and Ryan Wilder...superheroes?" Kate asked skeptically.
"Well, they are," Jordan said definitively.
"Where was your security?" Kate asked her.
"We didn't have any," Jordan said flatly.
"But this is a bad area of town," Kate said obviously.
"It's getting better and we don't have any money here," Jordan said defensively.
"It's not about the money. It's about...sending a message," Kate said knowingly.
"You know, that asshole, Horten Spence of the Gazette, said the same thing," Jordan fumed. "But we told him off, yes we did. We threw stats at him like the crime reduction and the graduation rate increases in recent years. We told him the only thing this place is targeted for is budget cuts. I mean, we're always on the chopping block for no good reason."
"You're on the chopping block because you don't provide adequate security for your patrons. Furthermore, you don't even believe in security at all. A black man comes to you in good faith to suggest a policy change and you kick him out only to be attacked a few minutes later. Dramatic irony or poetic justice?" Kate said.
"So the walls got damaged. Big deal," Jordan rolled her eyes.
"If it was Black Mask...you all would have been dead. Every single one of you," Kate said seriously and then walked off.
Kate came back to the Crows headquarters and went to Jacob's office. "You wanted to see me?" she asked.
"You're the only one I can trust on this. Last night, some thug jumped me in my car and injected snake-bite venom into my veins. I'm still feeling some of the effects from it," Jacob admitted.
"What kind of effects?" Kate asked slightly concerned.
"Areas of regret and remorse," Jacob said vaguely. "I had a hallucination that I had managed to save your mother and sister. For a brief moment, I felt happy and content," Jacob said.
"You want me to score more for you?" Kate asked helpfully.
"No, I'm going to cold-turkey detox from this. Those bastards out there are trying to make me into a hypocrite. You know, I've seen my comrades get addicted to drugs on deployments. I told myself I'd never be one of them. That's why I took it so damn personal when you started trying every drug under the sun in teenage rebelliousness," Jacob said.
"Snake-bite isn't cocaine, ecstasy, or LSD," Kate listed off. "It's going to be harder to detox from this."
"I know which is why you're in charge until I get better," Jacob told her.
"Me? I just got here," Kate pointed to herself.
"I know but I honestly can't trust Sophie to keep her mouth shut," Jacob said.
"Good point," Kate agreed.
"You're the only one I can trust, Kate. I'll still be at the office but only as a figurehead until this passes," Jacob said seriously.
"I got this," Kate said confidently.
That night, Batwoman ambushed Horten as he was about to leave in his car in a dark alleyway. "Oh, shit," he realized as Beth advanced on him.
"Who's Killer Bolt?" Beth asked bluntly.
"I don't know," Horten admitted.
"How did you know he was going to attack the community center?" Beth questioned.
"Because it's happened before. Not necessarily by Killer Bolt. He's just the new guy on the block. Community centers are being terrorized across the country. Anything that is a refuge for kids is taken off the board," Horten said.
"So, it wasn't to target Mary Hamilton?" Beth asked.
"I...don't think so," Horten said confused by the question.
"I'm bored. You're boring me," Beth told him.
"Look, I have proof," he said showing her his laptop pouch.
"I don't give a shit," Beth said dismissively and turned away.
"Well, what about this: Those woke people in there don't respect the need for security, police, and gun rights. They don't live in the real world like you and me. You can show them that violence is the answer. That the only way to take down a bad guy with a gun is a good guy with a gun," Horten said passionately.
Beth turned back to him. "If you're so passionate about security, where's your gun?" she asked him.
He carefully and slowly revealed his pistol in his jacket. "Nice," Beth said approvingly.
"I left too early. I wish I had been there," Horten said honestly.
An electrical shock suddenly hit Horten and his laptop. Beth shielded him with her suit as an electrical discharge went her way. Immediately, electronic devices in the suit were deactivated. Beth took out her pistol and fired on him. The bullet scraped his elbow forcing him to drop the weapon. Killer Bolt then ran out of the alleyway. Beth picked up the lightning gun and went back to Horten. She noticed he had third-degree burns and was unconscious.
Beth drove the Batmobile into the Bat-Cave and dumped Horten's body on a medical table for Brainiac 5 to deal with. She placed the lightning weapon and the laptop on the desk. "A bit sentimental for you to bring him here," Brainiac 5 noted.
"The electronics in the suit are fried. I couldn't call out," Beth excused and then took off the burnt suit in the Bat-suit chamber.
Brainiac 5 injected Horten with a sedative to keep him under and then used a healing ray on his injuries. "So, is he going to make it?" Beth asked now in civilian clothes.
"He'll live," Brainiac 5 confirmed. "However, his laptop is not useable."
"Well...shit," Beth sighed.
Brainiac 5 looked over the lightning gun. "I have a partial print under the battery," he said as he expertly took the battery off.
"So, who is Killer Bolt?" Beth asked impatiently.
"A Mickey K with a residence of cell block J at Edgewater prison," Brainiac 5 said after he got the full print.
The next day, three Brainiac 5 units wearing identical suits and sunglasses came by Edgewater prison posing as FBI agents. They placed Mickey K in an interrogation room. "You my new lawyer?" Mickey assumed.
"Not exactly," Brainiac 5 smirked as he sat down across from him. "You have been accused of attacking the Gotham Community Center and the attempted murder of Horten Spence."
"I don't have to answer your questions," Mickey said argumentatively.
Brainiac 5 eyed the wound on Mickey's arm from when Beth shot him. "You're going to help us whether you want to or not, Mr. Kay."
"What is this shit?" Mickey asked alarmed as he was suddenly grabbed and slammed onto the table by two drones. Brainiac 5 revealed a probe that turned into a robotic insect. It proceeded to go into Mickey's prison pants and up his ass.
"Well, that was unpleasant," Brainiac 5 remarked to the other two drones.
"Yes, yes it was," the second agreed.
"Hopefully Angelique will be more cooperative," the third one said.
At the Bat-Cave, Beth was briefed on new developments. "The surveillance footage of Mickey K is looped. That means someone in the prison system is in conspiracy with him," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, he escaped and they're covering up their fuck-up," Beth assumed.
"Or they let him out. I matched several parole hearings with community center attacks. Several career criminals are being let out for a day to attack community centers in exchange for early parole," Brainiac 5 figured. "The person in charge of Edgewater prisons is Ellis O'Brien. He personally intervened and signed off on each release. He also owns the Gotham Gazette."
"Which is why Horten's story went nowhere," Beth assumed. "So, what's the motive? Is he just an asshole?"
"The community centers are simply easy targets due to their skepticism of police, security, and gun ownership. O'Brien also has a number of weapon contracts which include this lightning gun. He's using these parolees to test the effectiveness of his weapons," Brainiac 5 said.
"Kind of how you use me to test out your toys in the field?" Beth asked bitterly.
"Exactly," Brainiac 5 said.
"So, why do I give a shit?" Beth wondered.
"Kara has had an interest in buying the Gotham Gazette for some time now. Wayne Enterprises and Edgewater also compete on weapon contracts for the government. It would be advantageous for us if you were to eliminate O'Brien off the board," Brainiac 5 explained.
"You're all corrupt-as-fuck, every single one of you," Beth accused.
"Additionally, Angelique has given up the names of the shooters in Commissioner Forbes' assassination. They happen to be members of the Gotham Gun Club," Brainiac 5 said.
There was a long awkward pause. "Okay, I'll silence them before word gets out," Beth shook her head dismayed.
Kate came by Jacob's office at the Crows nest. To compensate for his snake-bite withdrawal, Jacob took to drinking. Kate placed a snake-bite box on the table. "Where did you get this?" Jacob asked slightly alarmed.
"I have my sources. This one is not as potent as what you would get on the street. It will help you wean yourself off it," Kate said.
"I'm going cold turkey," Jacob refused, his hand shaking from stress.
"That isn't going to work. You're going to end up hospitalized. If you take the drug in front of me, it will be fine," Kate said.
"I'm not saying yes to this...but I don't feel comfortable having it on the table," Jacob said as he took the needle from the box and placed it in a secure safe.
Batwoman entered the Gotham Gun Club and found bullet cases all over the floor. The lights were dim and there were bullet holes on all the walls. It appeared there had been a fierce firefight. Pushing a button, she summoned the last shot targets towards her. Instead, three hung men in masks made their way towards her. Black Mask then emerged from the shadows.
"Closing loose ends, I see," Beth figured.
"Of course," Black Mask said nonchalantly.
"My father is off-limits. No one drugs, assaults, or kills him except me," Beth told him off.
Black Mask chuckled at that. "He's fair game until he resigns. So long as he is the commander of the Crows, he's a legit target. You should be thankful I didn't kill him instead."
"It goes both ways. If you kill anyone in the family, I don't have to hold back against you," Beth replied.
"As if you could," Black Mask mocked.
"I might get lucky one night," Beth said dangerously.
"Alright, a truce. I promise not to kill your father, but I do reserve the right to fuck him up," Black Mask offered his hand.
"Fair enough," Beth said shaking his hand.
"I'm going to need you to have Angelique released into protective custody where I can get to her," Black Mask requested.
"Angelique is bait for me to find and kill Ryan Wilder," Beth refused.
"I won't kill her," Black Mask promised.
"Fine. She'll be released tomorrow morning," Beth told him.
That night, Batwoman stayed in the shadows at the Edgewater prison construction yard tipped off by Mickey K's signal. She identified Ellis O'Obrien talking on his radio alone. Silently, Beth got closer and threw a Batarang disabling the radio in his hand.
"Oh, fuck," he realized.
Beth emerged from the shadows into the light from the spotlights around them. "You've been releasing dangerous parolees and giving them high-tech weaponry. Some would call that irresponsible," Beth accused.
"You got me. Let's not get physical," Ellis said holding his hands up.
Beth noticed three guards including Mickey K with lightning rifles approaching them from all sides, all former prisoners. "Ha, I was just stalling you. Not even your bullshit suit can protect you from this," Ellis said confidently.
Beth pressed a button on a device on her belt that sent out an EMP. The lighting guns all became deactivated along with the lights. In the darkness, a Batarang sliced into the necks of all three prisoners and then went back into Beth's hand. When the lights came back on, the three prisoners were on the ground dead. "Where are the other lightning guns?" Beth demanded of Ellis.
"That's all of them," he said spooked.
"He's telling the truth," Brainiac 5 analyzed.
"Wrong answer," Beth said to Ellis as she slit his throat.
Batwoman entered the Bat-Cave and found Horten Spence awake and healthy again. "Thank you so much, Batwoman," he said appreciatively.
"I need you to keep doing what you're doing. Find me corrupt politicians, judges, cops, and people in authority with this," Beth said giving him a secure phone.
"For you to kill?" Horten wondered.
"Do you have a problem with that?" Beth asked.
"No," Horten shook his head.
"Good. It would be unfortunate if I had to close a loose end," Beth told him.
The next day at the Crows nest, Kate supervised Jacob using the diluted form of snake-bite. As before, he fantasized about saving Beth and his wife from the Religion of Crime. Kate waited patiently for him to snap out of it. Kate checked his vital signs and then exited the office locking it behind her. She then met up with Sophie as she texted on her phone.
"Angelique is ready for transport. Which two agents are to be assigned?" Sophie asked.
"These two agents," Kate said showing her the paperwork. In truth, the two agents were suspected of having criminal ties and were now expendable.
"Oh," Sophie said seeing no connection between them.
"It's coming from the top," Kate shrugged showing Jacob's signature.
"Maybe I should tag along," Sophie figured.
"We can monitor the situation here," Kate assured her.
On the road, a car suddenly swerved in front of the Crow van carrying Angelique. Black Mask thugs shot dead the two Crow agents through the windshields and then broke through the windows of the van. They then dragged a screaming Angelique out of the van and placed her in their car. Angelique lost her phone in the scuffle. The Black Mask thugs then drove off.
"Holy shit," Sophie realized from the Crows nest. In front of them was a satellite image of the Crows' van stopped and a cell phone signal pulsing.
Author's Notes: Private prisons increase incarceration rates through effective lobbying. It would be incredible nonsensically stupid for a private prison CEO to risk using parolees with high-tech weaponry to attack community centers to indirectly increase prison rates. Private prisons are given contract clauses by the state that they will receive the whole amount even if they're below 100% capacity. The state of New York doesn't have any private prisons at all which means...Gotham has to be in New Jersey which...makes sense now. I mean, WTF. Parole boards are appointed by the governor and merely give recommendations on early release. The ultimate authority is the governor, not a private prison CEO. Therefore, the quid pro quo of this episode makes no legal sense undercutting the political message it's trying to send.
The woke community center getting attacked soon after humiliating Horten Spence was comedy gold. Whoever is writing the woke stuff is not on the same page with whoever is writing the action scenes and overall plot of the episode. For those confused, I'm using the comic origin story of Beth, not the CW version...because it sucks and makes no sense. Black Mask and Batwoman knowing who each other are is intentional and will hopefully pay off by the end of this season.