Black Mask casually entered Wayne Manor and went into an inner monologue. "Masks have taken on various meanings over time: deceit, disguise, cheap entertainment, but as Batman once said, we all wear masks. Both to create an impression on others but also to hide our true natures," he said and then took off his mask in front of Brainiac 5 and his patient.
"Good evening, Mr. Mask," Brainiac 5 said politely.
"What do you think?" he asked Brainiac 5 referring to his mask.
"The craftsmanship is classical but not traditional," Brainiac 5 judged. "Making people look their best is my specialty. This may very well be my masterpiece. I've invited you here to ask your opinion."
"Let's take a look," Black Mask said as he unwrapped the patient's face of her bandages. He looked over her face impressed.
"I must admit that I am unable to modify her voice. She'll have to learn to imitate Kate Kane's voice on her own," Brainiac 5 said.
Beth got out of her chair and looked at her new face in the mirror, a perfect imitation of Kate Kane's face. She no longer required electronic facial masks. She could go out in public without the risk of being hunted down by cops or those she had crossed as Alice. She could either be Kate Kane or her twin. In either case, Alice was gone for good.
That night, Beth slept with Black Mask in forbidden straight sex at Wayne Manor.
The next morning, Beth entered the Crows nest in uniform and no one suspected a thing. "We may have a way to identify the Batwoman. The lab is analyzing a blood sample recovered at the warehouse," Sophie informed Beth.
"Is that really the best use of the lab's time? Surely, rape kits come first," Beth told her.
"You trying to use feminist solidarity to distract me from the biggest case we've ever had has not gone unnoticed," Sophie scolded.
"The commander know you're squandering resources like this?" Beth asked.
"He's the one that signed off on it," Sophie said smugly.
Beth sighed and went into the commander's office. "Kate, what can I do for you?" Jacob asked looking quite sickly from snakebit withdrawal.
"I thought you were going to give command over to me," Beth reminded him.
"What is this about?" Jacob asked confused.
"We should be focusing on Black Mask, not Batwoman," Beth said.
"As far as we know, the two of them could be working together. Where one is, the other one follows closely behind," Jacob argued.
"Batwoman is on our side," Beth lied.
"If that were true, we would be on a first-name basis...with all of them. I'm pretty sure it's not just one woman. It could be an entire softball team of them to give them all perfect alibis," Jacob said.
"Which stands to reason that if we catch one Batwoman, it won't solve the problem," Beth said obviously.
"If we catch one of them, we'll squeeze her until she gives up the other names," Jacob said confidently.
"How are you feeling?" Beth asked changing the subject.
"Like shit," Jacob admitted. "I almost feel sorry for the poor bastards that are addicted to this stuff. You run the everyday routine missions but I still make policy here and the policy is to take down the Batwoman, dead or alive. Do you have a problem with that?"
"None at all," Beth smiled.
That night, Beth watched a video on loop of Angelique's terrified face as she was held hostage by Black Mask thugs. Brainiac 5 entered the cave and spotted Beth eating popcorn as she enjoyed Angelique's pleading and whimpers with a gun to her head."That isn't healthy," Brainiac 5 said turning the video off.
"You did a good job on the face. It still feels weird though. Like, when I recorded my sex tape with Black Mask, it felt like I was watching a porn video of my sister rather than me," Beth said.
"It has been a curiosity of mine as to how identical twins react when one of them is a porn actress. Does curiosity get the better of the other twin or is the repulsion too great?" Brainiac 5 asked.
"I'm still figuring it out myself. I've never been an identical twin before until now," Beth said. "I feel like I'm a spare, no longer unique."
"Aside from your face, the rest of your body is still the same," Brainiac 5 pointed out.
"So, which of us has better breast symmetry?" Beth asked.
"That's classified," Brainiac 5 denied.
Beth chuckled at that. "I want to look exactly like her in every respect."
"That's not necessary," Brainiac 5 told her.
"I want to go to all of Kate's ex-lovers, woo them, get them into bed, get them all excited, and then tell them...no," Beth said ambitiously.
"You're going to have to give me a better reason than that," Brainiac 5 declined. "You've already missed two weeks as a result of your facial surgery."
The bat signal suddenly came online on GCPD tower. "Who the fuck is it this time?" Beth asked peeved.
"It's Sophie Moore," Brainiac 5 said as he accessed surveillance cameras around the tower.
Batwoman leaped onto the GCPD roof and faced off with Sophie. "Hi," Sophie greeted.
"The bat signal is not a beeper," Beth scolded as she advanced on her.
"You could give me your name and number," Sophie said smartly.
"Hard pass," Beth denied. "What the fuck do you want?"
"Okay, lose the tude. I'm doing you a favor. I thought you should know the Crows are in the process of extracting your DNA profile from blood splattered at the snakebite facility. Once they have that, they're going to upload it to the national DNA registry. Of course, they'll need something to match it against, so you should be good...unless, of course, you've ever been in the system before," Sophie said smugly.
"Anything you want to tell me?" Sophie asked.
"One way or another, I'm destroying that sample," Beth threatened.
"It's already being processed. They'll have the profile in a few hours. The arrest warrant won't be long after that. You're fucked," Sophie told her.
Beth advanced on Sophie. "Do I look like I'm fucked?" she asked dangerously.
"Come in and maybe we can make a deal," Sophie offered.
"What kind of deal?" Beth asked curiously.
"We want to know who the others are, the other Batwomen that you're working with. You give them up, we give you a clean record and witness protection," Sophie said.
"There's only one Batwoman," Beth lied.
"We know that isn't true," Sophie stared her down.
"If you don't destroy that sample, it will be war," Beth told her and then leaped off the building.
Ryan Wilder made her way around a run-down apartment being used as a drug factory. As she went down the hall, she noticed a thug hanging on the wall with a pole through his torso. She also noticed a room full of bodies and lab equipment. "So nice to join us. I was just interrogating these fools as to Black Mask's base of operations," Batwoman said as she placed a gaslighter near a thug's face.
"As it happens, I'm looking for someone Black Mask kidnapped," Ryan said.
"Angelique, right?" Beth assumed. "As it happened, Angelique didn't actually know the snakebite formula and Ocean is dead."
"So, why does Black Mask still have her?" Ryan asked confused.
"Black Mask knows the formula," Beth revealed. "So, they're both working together in a facility that is a lot more fortified than this place."
"You're suggesting a team-up? You killed my mom and beat my ass. I'm pretty sure I hate you," Ryan refused.
"Look, I need someone to act as a human shield for when I raid the place," Beth said.
"Damn, you're crazy as fuck. Do you people ever realize that?" Ryan asked incredulously.
"Enemy of my enemy," Beth said simply. "So, what's more important to you? Avenging your bitch mom or saving your cheating bitch lover?"
"I have to think about it," Ryan admitted.
"I was able to get the location out of these fools, but they, unfortunately, died before they could tell me how long Angelique has to live. So...time is ticking. So, what do you say, partner?" Beth antagonized.
"You killed my mom, tried to kill me numerous times, and beat my ass. For this, I should kill you. However, you're proposing a team-up to save my bitch. So, heads, I join you, and tails...I blow your God damn head off," Ryan said as she placed her pistol at Beth's mouth.
"Now we're talking," Beth said impressed.
Ryan glared at Beth and then flipped the coin.
As per usual, Beth drove around Gotham in the batmobile like a total maniac. "What does this button do?" Ryan asked curiously as she accessed the computer.
"Touch anything and I push the ejector seat button," Beth threatened.
"Is that for real?" Ryan doubted.
"You want to find out?" Beth asked rhetorically.
Ryan tried to access other programs only to be locked out by Brainiac 5. "So, this Angelique must be dear to your heart if she's equivalent to avenging your mother's death," Beth assumed.
"Do you even know where you're going?" Ryan asked wanting to change the subject.
"Yes, straight...which is not what you were doing with Angelique," Beth mocked. "So, who sent the first emoji? Who's the man in the relationship?"
"We're not doing this, alright. We're not going to get to know each other. Everything I need to know about you is on my mother's grave," Ryan said bitterly.
"I understand where you're coming from. For years, I had to work with the very people that killed my mother. But once I became strong enough, I slaughtered them all. You just need a little patience. If you try to avenge your mother too quickly when you're not ready, you'll get killed," Beth advised.
"You're mentoring me on how to kill you?" Ryan asked incredulously.
"I just want a decent challenge when we finally have our duel of fates. That's all," Beth said.
The batmobile came to a stop outside the city at a lake. In front of them was an old boat. "How do you know this is the right place?" Ryan asked. "I mean, torture doesn't get results."
"It doesn't?" Beth wondered. "Look, even if he gave me bad intel, I still had the pleasure of pulling his teeth out."
Inside the boat, Deathstroke was filming Angelique on how to make snakebite. "Just like I taught you. Now, take one," Deathstroke said to her as he worked a camera. She refused to move. Deathstroke took out a pistol. "Take two, there will not be a take three."
Angelique immediately started getting busy on the table. Outside, Beth and Ryan watched for any sign of activity. "So, how are we going to draw them out?" Ryan asked apprehensively.
"Like this," Beth said and then honked her horn obnoxiously.
"What the fuck?" Ryan asked freaked out.
"Chill out. The vehicle is bulletproof and has more weapons than the National Guard," Beth said dismissively as guards came to find out what was going on. As they came closer, the Batmobile fired machine gun turrets blasting several of the guards to pieces.
"Holy shit," Ryan said stunned by the carnage.
The remaining guards retreated back to the boat. Beth got out and fired her projectile cable gun. The hook sliced through a guard's torso and forced him back towards Beth. "Is Angelique in there?" Beth asked the wounded guard.
"Yes," he gasped.
"I'm going to need you to guard my car for me. Can you do that?" Beth asked the guard. He eagerly nodded his head. "On the other hand, I don't think I really trust you," Beth said and then shot the guard in the head through his mask. Beth then placed her pistol back in its holster and extended her staff.
"Why do you need a staff when you have a gun?" Ryan asked.
"It gives them a more sporting chance. I disarmed you, by the way," Beth said.
Ryan checked her pant pockets and realized her pistol was gone. "You, bitch."
As they got closer to the boat, they were ambushed by several guards. Beth and Ryan fought together to take them down easily enough. "We make a shockingly good team," Beth complimented Ryan.
"Where's Angelique?" Ryan demanded of one guard.
"Fuck yourself," the guard replied.
Beth placed a Batarang at his throat. "She's the nice one. Where are the crooks?"
"The second deck," he said fearfully.
Beth slit his throat anyway. "Wait, I get it now," Ryan realized. "You're quality control."
"What the fuck are you talking about?" Beth asked impatiently.
"You and Black Mask are together. He recruits thugs and you kill them. So, what is Black Mask? Your boyfriend?" Ryan asked condescendingly.
"It's complicated," Beth admitted.
"How many people have died because of your little game?" Ryan asked accusingly.
"They all deserved to die," Beth told her.
"It's entrapment," Ryan said.
"I don't give a shit what you call it. We're purifying this city of scum," Beth said.
"You're not judge, jury, and executioner," Ryan argued.
"I can when I want to," Beth said obviously. "Look, this arena is more than you realize. You're just a pawn in this game of ours."
"I agreed to join you to rescue Angelique. If you want our game to continue, you'll make sure both of us come out of this alive," Ryan said to her.
"Follow me. Stay closely," Beth ordered.
As they took cover in a fishing shed, they made some small talk. "Are you sure Angelique is good enough for you?" Beth asked conversationally.
"She is. Thanks for your concern," Ryan said dismissively.
"Is she, though? I mean, she's Gotham's chief drug dealer," Beth said skeptically.
"You asking because you give a shit about me? Or maybe you're terrified of commitment, yourself," Ryan shot back. "Because...how could anyone love a monster like you?"
"When you're someone like me, you make interesting comrades. We're all in the shit together, you see. We patch each other up, we resupply each other, we pass around the ammunition, and we have sex with each other to reduce stress. If you were ever in a para-military organization, you would understand," Beth said.
"Angelique was the only one at my group home that ever had my back," Ryan recalled.
"Literally or figuratively?" Beth asked.
"Why the fuck am I talking to you about this?" Ryan wondered.
"Angelique is a fuck up. You need to see the reality and move on. You can't save her. When Angelique eventually gets herself killed, it won't be your fault. I don't try to save people. I kill people. You can't save people already caught up in this world. You can only prevent those from entering it in the first place," Beth advised.
"Let's go," Beth said only to find that she was handcuffed to a pole.
"That's the weakness of your suit, it's invincible. You can't even cut your own hand off even if you wanted to. There's no escape for you. They'll find you and put a bullet in your face," Ryan said to her.
"Well played," Beth said genuinely impressed.
"I'm going to go get my girlfriend now," Ryan said taking off.
Deathstroke ignored the gunfire outside and focused on making his movie like a true professional. "And that's a wrap," he said as Angelique finished. Ryan looked around the boat getting herself lost in the maze. Meanwhile, Beth casually took out a gaslighter from a belt pouch and then melted the handcuff chain off. Free of the pole, Beth made her way towards the boat.
"You don't have to kill me. I can make as many batches as you want. Making a video isn't like the real thing," Angelique said to Deathstroke. He ignored her and pointed a gun at her. Suddenly, a Batarang hit his hand sending the pistol to the floor. Deathstroke turned around and saw Ryan holding the batch of fear toxin in a precarious position.
"Release her or I drop this," Ryan threatened.
"You don't want to do that," Deathstroke said knowingly.
"What...this?" Ryan mocked as she dropped the batch on the floor breaking the vases. She then kicked Deathstroke to the floor and went over to Angelique.
"How did you find me?" Angelique wondered.
"I had a frenemy help me," Ryan said vaguely.
Deathstroke got back to his feet pissed off. "Go, get out of here," Ryan said to her.
"She's not leaving here," Deathstroke said menacingly.
"Yes, she is. Unless you can get through me," Ryan told him.
Deathstroke quickly overwhelmed Ryan in linear-style fighting with punches and kicks. Ryan was pushed back by Deathstroke's assault until she reached an edge leading to the first floor of the boat. Ryan struggled against Deathstroke's superior grip. The two fell off the edge and hit the floor hard on the first floor. Deathstroke got back up and continued his linear style fighting pushing Ryan back. He kicked her through a glass door shattering it. As Deathstroke advanced on her, Ryan slid underneath a gate. Deathstroke merely went around it and proceeded to beat the shit out of Ryan with jabs and uppercuts to the face. He slammed her into some pipes and put her in a strangulation grip. Suddenly, Beth intervened smacking him hard with her staff.
"Thank you," Ryan said dazed and bleeding.
"Never do that again," Beth warned her.
Deathstroke kicked Beth to the knee dropping her. He then gave her a solid uppercut to keep her down. He then turned back to Ryan, punching her to the face and then kicking her against a stairwell. Beth got back up and fought Deathstroke evenly until he kicked her up against some pipes. Deathstroke then placed a knife to Beth's face. "Help me!" Beth called out to Ryan.
Ryan hesitated, wondering what the fuck was going on. Were they working together, were they really enemies, did she even care? "Yeah...good luck with that," Ryan said taking off.
"I remember your mom. Her name was Cora, short hair, purple sweater. I lied about forgetting her. Now, help me...please," Beth begged.
"You just read that off the police file," Ryan said skeptically.
"No, I remember. I really do," Beth lied.
"As you said, you can't save everyone," Ryan said coldly and then walked away.
"Damn, that's cold," Deathstroke remarked once Ryan was out of view. He disengaged from Beth, put his knife away, and then pulled her back to her feet.
"Now what?" Beth asked annoyed by her defeat.
"The boss wants to see you," Deathstroke ordered her.
Meanwhile, at the Crows nest, Sophie eagerly awaited the results. "Alright, who's ready for this?" she asked the other lab technicians. "The identity of Batwoman is...not found? What the fuck? This is bullshit. How could she be not in the system?"
"Uh-oh," Kate mocked as she came in. "Did someone send out invites to the party before they knew there was a party?"
"What are you looking at? Get back to work," Sophie snapped at the others. "Where have you been?" she asked accusingly.
"In the commander's office," Kate excused.
"We still have Batwoman's DNA. Eventually, she will show up in the system," Sophie said confidently.
"If you say so," Kate rolled her eyes. Brainiac 5 had remotely hacked the Crows computer system preventing any such match from ever being discovered.
At Wayne Manor, Black Mask decided to lit dozens of candles rather than turn the lights on. Beth sat in a chair with her uniform already put away. "Fire hazard much?" Beth mocked.
"Just trying to set the mood. Besides, it's not my house. The fuck if I care if it burns down...again," Black Mask told her with Deathstroke at his side.
"If you want to live here, you have to pay rent...to me," Beth antagonized.
"You think because you have Wayne blood flowing through your veins, you're better than me?" he asked pissed off.
"Yeah," Beth said nonchalantly.
"You were the leader of a defunct Wonderland gang. Then, you became a female knock-off of Batman. I'm not impressed," Black Mask said to her.
"She did give me a decent warm-up," Deathstroke mocked.
"Maybe I should just kill her," Black Mask said as he took out a pistol.
"You're not going to kill me," Beth rolled her eyes.
Black Mask withdrew his pistol. "Dump her in the cellar. I'll deal with her in the morning," he ordered Deathstroke.
"Oh, come on!" Beth protested as she was taken away.
Author's Notes: The end fight scene is the best CW Batwoman has ever given us. They gave mad respect to fake Kate Kane. She defeated Batwoman and Alice without even breaking a sweat. For the fight alone, I might have to place this episode in my top five which isn't saying much. I feel the fight would have had more kick to it if the characters knew who fake Kate was behind the mask. As it is, I had to give my boy, Deathstroke, the honor here. Several scenes were cut because I either found them irrelevant to Beth's story or they conflicted with my already existing storylines. There's no way CW Jacob Kane would be a drug addict, no way Mary would ever have a legit clinic on her own, no way Sophie could have gone through that entire list and eventually found Ryan's file, and no way Kate could have suddenly become a bad-ass with all of her injuries.
With her plastic surgery, Beth is now effectively an identical twin of Kate as she is in the comics.