Chapter 34

"Ladies, glad to see you back and in one piece," Alfred greeted them as the two pulled the boat into the dock. Needless to say, they had not run into the resistance they expected and had been able to leave Coryana without a fight. Both had been a little weirded out by that but had said nothing hoping it was just good luck.

"Glad to be back in one piece but I have a feeling that you're greeting us for another reason," Kate could tell that he was all business.

"Trouble in River City, I'm afraid. Master Luke called. Your father is asking questions and there is a fight outside Crows headquarters. Sentinel and Dreamer were sent in to assist," Alfred explained as the two ladies climbed out of the boat.

"Damn. That's why Tatiana's loyalists didn't attack us on the island," Kate frowned.

"They had already left to join her in Gotham," Kara was anxious to get back.

"Indeed, well I have called up the airport. They are refueling the jet as we speak. Fresh pilots are being sought out. With any luck, you could leave within the hour," the older man said.

"Thanks Alfred. Better go pack Kara," Kate said. The truth of the matter was, they'd barely unpacked. They weren't intending to spend a long time in Malta as it was, but now even their short trip had been cut even shorter.

Kara ran off without saying much, but Kate lingered with the man trusted with one of their family's biggest secrets. He could tell that something was on her mind and decided to start the conversation himself,

"You tell Kara your secret?"

"She knows. She encouraged me to tell my father. That didn't go as well as I hoped but it needed to be done," they didn't have time for her to get into all the details.

"Well give him some time. When Master Bruce first came to me and explained what he wanted to do, I thought it was a little…" Alfred trailed off.

"Nuts?" Kate supplied.

"Your words, not mine. We were faced with a city that was literally tearing itself apart. Someone had to do something. Now the city finds itself in a strange position and it needs a Bat to help it through. I happen to know a good one," he winked.

"Do you know where Bruce is?" She asked. It had been the question she'd been wanting to ask since she got there.

"I wish I did. After everything that happened with the Joker…" again he trailed off. Kate nodded and gave him a quick hug before running off to find Kara so they could head to the airport.

"These guys just don't quit, do they?" Alex asked the Crow she was nearest after she aimed a few shots at the enemy. Both she and Nia had come up the backside of Crows headquarters per Luke's instructions and had been able to join the pinned down security force teams. Whether they had been noticed by the bad guys or not, they weren't sure.

"Not if they're the guys we met earlier they don't. I'm Sophie by the way," the young woman said before returning fire herself. The two were holed up behind the large, armored response truck, nicknamed "BearCat", with at least five other Crows. The enemy had their own vehicles which they were firing from, but it admittedly felt like a distraction. Still, it could not be ignored given the fact that bullets were whizzing by their heads and bouncing off of BearCat.

"I'm Sentinel and my friend over there is Dreamer. We're friends of Batwoman and Supergirl," the redhead smiled despite the gunfire aimed at them. Nia was behind a regular patrol car with a couple of Crows. There were others who were trying to get vehicles staged out in front of them as not only a show of force but also to give the building and the other two vehicles out front better cover. It was times like these that Sophie was glad all Crows vehicles were bulletproof. Of course, that only lasted for so long. Any bulletproof item, hit often enough in a close enough grouping, and well it wasn't going to last.

"They're here for Alice," Alex said after they exchanged a few more rounds with the enemy.

"We figured. That's why there aren't more of us out here. Internally, we're locked down to make sure that they can't get to her," Sophie told her. Suddenly, the gunfire aimed at them stopped, and the two ladies looked at each other. They cautiously peered around the vehicle; a few other Crows vehicles had arrived but that wasn't what had caused the bullets to stop flying.

"I got a call from a friend. Heard there was some trouble," the man in a familiar blue suit, there was a smirk on his face. Alex couldn't help but chuckle.

To Be Continued…