Barbara thought it was mildly ironic that she had
just finished the last of her exams, yet here she was studying again. This time
however, it was in Batgirl mode that she scoured the police reports. In her civilian
persona, Barbara was searching through every known con man that had ever used
the sick as his victims. She was disgusted to find just how many there were.
Barbara narrowed down the list the best she could.
She removed those that will still serving time, the deceased and any that
weren't currently in the country. She was left with two names; Jonny Pinto, a
small time crook with connections to the mafia and Lawrence Dobson a loner who
had since turned himself "clean" after finding God.
Barbara sighed, it was time to do some field research.
Bruce Wayne jumped and gave small smile when the front door was flung open and his ward followed singing "School's out for summer," at the top of his lungs.
"Exams all done then?" He asked simply, when Dick
joined him in the kitchen.
Dick grinned, "Done like a TV Dinner!" he took a
nearby seat and gazed expectedly at his guardian, "Tell me everything
about last night!"
Bruce laughed, "It wasn't nearly exciting enough to warrant telling you everything. But I did get some interesting facts from a Dr. Soneghast."
Dick raised his eyebrows, "Soneghast? What a name.
Poor guy!"
"He's a very accomplished Biogeneticist Dick, he
was one of the doctor's that was called upon when the accident at the food packaging
plant occurred."
Dick leaned forward in his chair, his interest
obviously piqued, "The same factory where Freeze stole that equipment from?"
Bruce nodded, "That equipment was used to fast
freeze the food by covering it in Nitrogen. Unfortunately, the company decided
not to remove the valuable machinery until they could find replacements for the
two men killed."
"But I bet no one wanted that job."
"Exactly. So the machinery was just waiting there
with minimal security and Mr Freeze took full advantage of that fact."
Dick frowned, "What does he want with that stuff
anyway? He has to eat frozen food to keep cool?"
Bruce shook his head, he dropped the local
newspaper in front of Dick and pointed to a small article. Dick scanned it
quickly, his frown deepening, "The missing people? You think Freeze has them?"
Bruce nodded and flicking a few pages ahead he
pointed to yet another passage, this time in the classified section.
Dick read it aloud, " Sick or Dying? Losing
your faith? Fr Mereez has the cure. Experience eternal life and wellbeing with
the latest medical breakthrough." Dick grimaced, "You'd have to be insane to fall for that one!"
"Or dying and out of choices." Bruce said quietly,
" Take a close look at the so called Reverend's name."
Dick squinted and turned the name over in his
head, then his eyes widened suddenly and he almost jumped out of his chair,
"That's Mr Freeze mixed around!" He stared at Bruce, "He's kidnapping those
people?"
"They haven't been kidnapped Dick. They chose to
go to him – he's using their fear and helplessness against them. I imagine they
have to pay a hefty price for his so called cure."
Dick scowled, "But what do they get in return?
What is he doing to them?"
Bruce cleared his throat, his face bore a fair amount
of dread and anger, "I think he's continuing his work with Cryogenics – using
these dying people as guinea pigs to help his research into a cure for his
wife."
Dick swallowed hard, his own face tightening in
anger, "Using the machine from the factory. He's modified it to work on
humans?"
"I believe so as does Dr Soneghast. The good news
is that Freeze has successfully frozen his own wife and as far as we know she
has yet to suffer any damage from being frozen for that period of time."
"So his victims are safe but frozen." Dick
finished, his face raised from the paper and he met Bruce's dark gaze, "And I
guess that's his idea of eternity! They're not dying anymore because they're
frozen!"
Bruce nodded, "In Freezes own sick way he probably
believes he's doing them a favour."
Dick huffed, "He doesn't give a damn about people
– only Nora. Do we know where he is, let's go get him!"
Bruce out up a hand, "Slowly Dick – this is going
to be a delicate operation. No I don't know where he is but I have a few people
I'm going to ask. And secondly I want to do this very carefully, these people
are extremely fragile, most of them are elderly, obviously close to death but
not wanting to die. We have to be very careful, Mr Freeze could kill them as
easily as he did freeze them. Dr.Soneghast is standing by waiting for us to
contact him – but he would prefer to do the defrosting in Freeze's lab. So once
we find the hostages we contact the doctor and he will direct us in the
defrosting process."
Dick nodded, "When do we start?"
"Tonight. Right after Alfred makes a phone call."
His eyes glowed a little as he tapped the phone number listed under the
advertisement, "Let's see if all those years in the theatre paid off."
Dick grinned, "Cool –
one dying butler coming up!"
Later that night, down town Gotham …
Batgirl waited silently in the shadows of an old, derelict apartment block for her target to show. Her field research had proven useful. Jonny Pinto was quickly eliminated from her list when she discovered him locked in his own home and unable to come out. Apparently his time in prison had left Jonny with a rather severe case of Agoraphobia, so she ruled him out.
Lawrence Dobson had been very helpful. He was a
whale of a man and Batgirl had prayed that she wouldn't have to fight him.
Lawrence was more than a little accommodating, he told her all that she needed
to know about his past crimes and he had given her the lead she was now
following up. Lawrence was not responsible for the missing people, but he had
heard a few small snippets of conversation in a bar one night. He'd heard the
words "Eternal Life" and had thought that he had found some kindred spirits, so
he listened in. Instead he had discovered a new racket being run by none other
that Mr Freeze. Freeze was using Lenny Marsh, a man with a sweet face and the
gift of the gab to sell his "cure" to his victims. Lenny provided the victims
with a phone number, picked them and their cash up and deposited them to Freeze
in exchange for a quantity of the money.
The first thing Batgirl did after talking with
Lawrence was to phone Jenny and tell her not to take up the offer. Jenny was
not in her hospital room though and Batgirl had eventually remembered that she
always spent this night with her father driving through Gotham in the moonlight
– Jenny loved the city lights.
A very relieved Batgirl had then made her way to
the squalid part of Gotham City to the building where Lenny had last been
sighted.
After what seemed like an eternity to her, Lenny
pulled up in his late model BMW and made his way inside. Silently, Batgirl
lifted the window to his apartment. She had picked the lock an hour ago so all
she had to do was lift and slip into the darkness.
Lenny saw nothing amiss as he turned on his light
and settled down at his kitchen table to count his money. Batgirl watched from
the safety of a dark corner, trying to calm her thumping heart. This was the
first time she'd ever been alone with the bad guy in his domain. Lenny knew his
apartment backwards, but she didn't have that luxury. Batgirl steadied her
breathing. She knew there were only two exits: the door and the window that she
had used.
Logically Lenny would head for the door, as he
would have to go through her to use the window. Then again, Batgirl thought
nervously, it depends on how he sees her. There had been more than one occasion
when she'd stepped in to battle only to be laughed at. She clenched her fists
and pulled a batbola from her utility belt. If he did run for the door, she'd
stop him.
Lenny was a little nervous as he thumbed through
the wad of hundred dollar bills on his table that Freeze had paid him with
earlier that night. His mind, however,
was too preoccupied to pay attention to the counting. He had almost made another
drop off to Mr Freeze after an elderly man phoned and asked to be part of the
cure. Lenny frowned in thought, he'd told the man that he would have to wait,
Freeze wanted all potential buyers run past him first. But the old man had been
desperate, or so he had said, and he offered to pay twice the amount if he
could be given the cure that night. That had appealed to Lenny, he could take
the extra money for himself and disappear, Freeze could deal with the sick old
man himself. So he had agreed, but when he had arrived at the meeting place the
old man was nowhere to be seen. Lenny waited for a full twenty minutes then
started home. He was suspicious, the man had sounded genuine and Lenny couldn't
think why he hadn't shown.
He tapped his foot subconsciously and began
recounting his cash. His anxiety disappeared suddenly when he realized he had
been shorthanded.
Lenny gave a cry of rage, throwing the money in
the air, "He stiffed me!" he screeched, "That blue faced son of a gun!"
"Don't you
just hate that?" Batgirl said quietly as she stepped from the shadows, "When the bad guy turns out to be bad."
Lenny visibly jumped then eyed her curiously," And
who are you supposed to be? Batchick?"
Batgirl groaned, "That's BatGIRL dimwit. And I
have a question about that Mr Blue face."
Lenny pulled a baton from within his coat and
laughed at her, "I'm not telling you anything!"
Batgirl growled a little, she was growing tired of
being laughed at. If he wanted a fight – he'd get one.
Lenny lunged at her suddenly, baton over his head
and ready to strike. Batgirl stepped forward, grasping the baton in her hands
and sinking her knee into his stomach. Lenny doubled over, gagging and gasping
for air.
He took another swipe at her, grabbing her around the
knees and throwing her back against the wall. Batgirl bit off a cry as her
whole body jarred with the impact, then she gave a quick hand chop to his
shoulder blades. Lenny released her with a howl and she grabbed his shirtfront,
throwing him roughly onto the nearby couch.
"Now you're going to tell me everything I want to
know Lenny."
Lenny glared at her, still sucking in gulps of
air. "You think I'm scared of you! You nothing compared to Freeze."
Batgirl stared at him silently, short of belting
the answers out of him this wasn't going to work. "I'm sure I could think of
something." She said quietly, a slight rustle behind her brought a smile to her
lips, "And if I can't. I'm sure he can."
She stepped aside revealing the dark awesome
figure of the Dark Knight. Lenny's eyes almost popped out of their sockets.
Then he lowered his head in resignation, "What do you want to know."
******************************************************************************************
Batgirl
followed the Batmobile in a bit of daze. Batman had just congratulated her on
her work – at least she thought he had. After she explained her afternoon,
leaving out the parts that would give away her identity he had simply said,
"Good work." She judged by the grin on Robin's face that it was as
complimentary as Batman got. He'd then shared their information. They had set
up a meeting with Lenny via a friend and then simply followed him, hoping he
would led them to Freeze, but he had gone home instead.
Lenny had turned on Freeze at the drop of the word
prison. The three heroes' were now on their way to the old power station
on the outskirts of town; Freeze's new hideout and laboratory. Batman had
filled her in on the terrifying details behind the missing people and she was
unashamed to admit that she was scared. Freeze was obviously insane, but his
cruelty was astounding. He'd used the dying to fund his research, giving them
hope and then turning them into iceblocks. It made her stomach turn – she
wanted him back in Arkham Asylum, and fast.
The factory looked innocent enough from the
outside. But there was the distinct humming of electricity in the air radiating
from the power station that was supposed to be inoperable. Batgirl couldn't
help but shudder at Freeze's genius. To have gotten away with what he had done
for so long was testimony to his careful thinking and planning. He would be one
of the most dangerous rogues that she would fight and her body was pumping with
adrenalin at the thought.
The three of them scoured the building for security
and found none. Batgirl marvelled at Freeze's arrogance. He was so sure that he
would never be found that he had failed to protect himself. Inside the station
it was an entirely different story. They disabled security system after
security system and finally made their way to the centre of the station. There
they found the missing people.
The three were silent as they stared at the huge,
frozen slabs of elderly and sick people. Their pale faces bore a horrifying
look of terror and disbelief. The room itself was cold, but not intolerable.
Before them were the various machines stolen from the food factory, all were
fully operational and emitting short beeps and whistles.
"How could any one do this?" Batgirl murmured,
"These people are dying and look what he's done to them."
"He's sick." Robin muttered through clenched
teeth.
Batman said nothing, but the look on his face was
murderous, "This ends tonight." He growled.
The three turned as one as the echo of footsteps
cut across their talk. Mr Freeze materialized out of the light, icy fog
flooding the room. He stared at them with his cold, emotionless face and
Batgirl felt her heart begin to pound at the lack of fear he showed them.
"You've gone too far Freeze." Batman said simply.
Mr Freeze focussed on the Dark Knight, " On the
contrary Batman. I gave these people what they wanted – they have eternal
life."
"That isn't a life!" Robin shouted, "They're
frozen!"
"Yes" Freeze answered, "They will live forever,
immortally frozen. As do I"
Batgirl narrowed her eyes at him, "This is not
what they wanted. To never see their loved ones again, they can't even say
goodbye. You chose to be the way you are – no one wants to live like this!"
Freeze laughed, "This is exactly what they wanted.
They will not die like this, they may live long enough to find a cure for their
ailments."
"Like Nora waits." Batman cut in, "If she had a
choice do you actually believe this is what she would have wanted? Most of
these people are elderly Freeze, there is no cure for old age - they were
scared to die and you prayed on that fear." He pointed to the many, still
figures, "They don't deserve this Freeze. They would prefer death to this limbo
you have them in."
"Are you so sure of that Batman. If you were dying
wouldn't you do anything to stop it, anything to live just a few more days?"
"No, I would say goodbye to those I love and I
would accept that no one can live forever – as these people also would have
accepted in time. You have stolen that time from them and you've stolen the
precious hours that their families need to spend with them to say goodbye. You
are a monster Freeze, nothing more."
Freeze glowered. To him the frozen figures were
beautiful. Almost an artwork. They glistened in the soft fluorescent light and
the eyes of his victims stared back at him. It was their fear that Freeze loved
the most, it would forever remind him of his superiority, he was a God to them.
"You've done this for money, not for them." Robin
continued, breaking Freezes train of thought.
"Yes" Freeze admitted, "I need money to fund my
research to cure Nora. These people fulfilled that need." He looked over his
work with a satisfied smile, " And they will do so again."
Batman shook his head as the magnitude of Freezes
words hit him, "You're going to ransom them back to their families, make them
pay to have them returned."
Freeze shrugged, "You would do the same."
"No" Batman answered, reaching into his utility
belt, "I would not."
Freeze pressed
a button on his gauntlet as the trio began to move. Instantly the room filled
with thick cold fog, and Freeze made his escape.
" Call the doctor." Batman ordered, running after
Freeze, "Begin defrosting them."
"Sure" Robin murmured sarcastically, "It's not
like I need to see to do any of that."
He glanced around in mild surprise as the fans imbedded in the walls started to turn, sucking the fog from the room.
Batgirl smiled at him from a control board to his
left, "Hey Presto – we have vision."
Robin chuckled, "Who says you're just a pretty
face in a batsuit." He grinned as she blushed and lifting a small panel in his
gauntlet he began tapping away at the buttons. Batgirl glanced over his
shoulder curiously and saw a small computer screen, complete with the
intelligent looking face of someone she assumed to be the doctor mentioned.
"Doctor Soneghast." Robin greeted, "Do I have a
job for you!"
***************************************************************************************
Batman moved silently through the plant, his eyes
skimming the building for any sign of his foe. His anger was at boiling point
as was his patience. Mr Freeze should never have been able to get as far ahead
as he had. Batman held himself responsible, he hadn't even considered the power
plant and now he saw that it was a logical choice. His mind was reminding him
that Nora was not amongst the other frozen Gothamites and he wondered where
Freeze had her stashed.
"How do you think Nora would react if she knew
what you have done Victor – she would never allow you to use those people as
you have to save her." Batman called, he knew that Freeze's only soft spot was
his wife, if he could appeal to the side of the man that loved her, then
perhaps he could finish this without violence. " Help us to return them to
their families Victor – That is what Nora would want, don't condemn them to the
life you have chosen for her."
He registered the fist emerging from his left a
millisecond to late and he was thrown against a nearby wall as it contacted
with his jaw.
Batman shook his head to clear the resulting
blindness but not before Freeze had picked him up and thrown him head first
into a door.
Batman bit off a groan and was on his feet in an
instant. He tackled Freeze around the waist and brought him to the ground.
Freeze backhanded him across the temple, sending a searing pain through his
head and giving Freeze enough room to push the Dark Knight aside.
"Give it up Freeze, " He growled, rolling nimbly
to his feet and executing a powerful side kick. Freeze was thrown back through
the open doorway and slammed into the safety rail. He grunted a little but the
rail suffered more than he did, bending under his weight. Freeze grasped it,
reefing from it's holding and swinging it at the approaching vigilante. Batman
ducked, and kicked at the bar, knocking it from Freeze's hand.
Freeze gave a roar of rage narrowly dodging a
lightning fast punch and he slammed his fist down on another button on his
wrist. Batman hesitated, eyes narrowing as he waited for the outcome. He didn't
have to wait long, bullets pierced the air as Freeze's men emerged from a
nearby room and Batman dove for cover.
"Finish him!" Freeze ordered. He caught his own
freezing gun from one of his men and started back the way he had come. He would need his frozen hostages to
complete his plan.
******************************************************************************************
Batgirl and Robin were following Doctor
Soneghast's orders to the letter. Together they began defrosting the seven
immobile forms one by one. The police had been notified and ambulances were on
their way.
Robin stepped back from the computer in front of
the sixth person and nodded, "That's got it." The machine whirred to life and
Batgirl grinned as the word Defrosting began flashing across the screen.
"Thankyou doctor!" She exclaimed, moving on to the last body and beginning the
sequence all over again.
Robin leant back against the console and watched
her work, "Have I mentioned how much I like that suit on you?" he asked,
winking at her seductively.
She laughed, tapping the last button with a
definite finality, "Have I mentioned that you're a hopeless flirt?" and she
returned the wink.
Mr Freeze turned the corner and saw the two
heroes'. His blood would have boiled if he were capable of heightening his
temperature. They were destroying his work, all his precious, icy work was
disappearing beneath their nimble fingers. Freeze raised his ice gun without a
word and aimed it at Robin; Batman would suffer for this.
Batgirl caught sight of Mr Freeze in the corner of
her eye and for a minute she froze. Where's Batman, is he hurt? Was her
first thought. Then her instincts kicked and she dove, tackling Robin around
the midsection and sending them both skidding across the floor, minutes before
the ray hit its mark. Mr Freeze gave a howl of fury, he had just frozen his own
work, missing Robin by mere inches.
He advanced upon the two, firing as he went. Robin
rolled with Batgirl, taking refuge beneath a workstation. "Thanks." He
whispered.
Batgirl nodded, "Just doing my job."
Robin pulled a batarang from his utility belt and
motioned for her to do the same. "That gun has to go." He said simply.
Freeze stopped firing momentarily when Robin
appeared in front of him, arms behind his back and a devilish smile on his
face. Such arrogance Freeze thought he needs cooling down.
Robin raised an eyebrow, unmoving. Mr Freeze
frowned, this was unusual, what was the boy playing at?
"You gonna shoot me or what?" Robin challenged.
Freeze lifted his gun with a snarl and then he
realised his mistake. There had been two crime fighters in the room. A batarang
came spinning through the air from his left, slamming into his hand and forcing
him to drop the gun.
Robin's hands came out from behind his back and he
threw his own batarang, catching Freeze in the helmet and stunning him
momentarily.
Batgirl sprung into action. She executed a forward
flip towards him, turning her hips in mid flight to land with her legs beside
him. She kicked out and sent him flying into the machinery behind them.
Batgirl kicked the gun to Robin and he scooped it
up, giving her a thumbs up.
Freeze was enraged, he flung himself from the mess
of equipment and hurtled towards them. Batgirl somersaulted out of his way but
he ignored her, he wanted his gun back and he wanted Robin dead.
Mr Freeze was fast, he was almost upon Robin in
seconds. Robin glanced at the gun in his hands, grinned and tossed it to a
waiting Batgirl.
"Who's for a game of keepings off?" He quipped.
Freeze skidded to a stop and spun back, levelling
Batgirl with an icy stare.
"Give me the gun girl." He rasped.
Robin used the opportunity to jump over Freeze,
using the villain's shoulders as a gymnastics horse. He held out his hands to
Batgirl and she returned the gun to him. "That's not how you play Freeze."
Robin called, launching himself into the air and latching onto an overhanging
pipe with his knees. He used his own momentum to spin himself up onto the pipe
and neatly climbed to the level above.
Mr Freeze returned his gaze to Batgirl, in time to
see her legs disappearing up onto the same level. Freeze glowered, that would
be their last mistake.
Batgirl caught up with Robin and together they
flattened themselves against a nearby wall, hidden from Freeze's view.
"Having fun yet?" Robin asked.
Batgirl smirked, "Your idea of fun differs greatly
from mine." She pointed at the gun, "Are you sure antagonising him is the best
way to go?"
Robin nodded, "Yep, he makes mistakes when he's
angry."
Batgirl glanced around them and frowned suddenly,
"Speaking of mistakes, I think we've found a dead end."
Robin's eyes searched the area as she had, and
found that she was right. The way they came up was now more than likely covered
by Freeze and the only other door in the thin room led into a large meat
freezer.
"Oops." Robin murmured.
Batgirl glared at him, "Oops! Is that all you can
say?"
Robin shrugged, "We'll be able to out manoeuvre
him, he can't move like we can in that suit."
"I don't need to Boy." Came a cold voice suddenly.
The crime fighters looked to each other uneasily,
"Maybe there's a secret door in the freezer." Batgirl whispered.
Robin sent her a quizzical look, "You watch too
much TV."
"Then you think of something Birdie Boy."
"Hey." Robin objected, "Enough with the name
calling." He stole a glance around their protective wall and frowned at what he
saw.
Mr Freeze stood at a distance, blocking any escape
route.
Robin turned back to Batgirl and sighed, "There's
good news and bad news."
Batgirl groaned, "What's the good news?"
"We have his gun" He held it up to her.
"What's the bad news?"
Robin gave a nervous chuckle, " He's got himself a
machine gun."
Batgirl's eyes widened, "Oh great! I think I
prefer the freezing."
"It's ok. As long as I have his gun I should be
able to freeze his."
At that point Freeze's gun suddenly whirred to
life. Robin chanced another look at Freeze and saw him lower his arm, a button
on his gauntlet was flashing.
"I really don't like that gauntlet." Robin mused.
"Something new I've added Robin." Mr Freeze
called. His voice was low but unmistakably pleased. "That gun will self
destruct in ten seconds."
Batgirl and Robin stared at the gun in shock. A
small red light was flickering on its side, it's pace growing faster and
faster.
Robin gave an alarmed cry and grabbed Batgirls
wrist. "The freezer!" he yelled, dropping the gun.
The two ran full pelt towards the freezer door,
dodging bullets and waiting for the Freeze gun to explode. They crashed into
the freezer door together and Robin jammed the handle down, praying the door
wasn't locked.
It wasn't. He and Batgirl tumbled into the cold
interior and pulled the door shut behind them.
They propped themselves up against the wall on
opposite sides of the door panting and listening tentatively for the explosion.
It never came, instead they heard the unmistakable sound of a lock being
engaged and gasping they both grabbed at the handle.
"Of course." Freeze called from the other side of
the door, "I can also stop the self destruct at any time." He laughed, a long
and callous cackle as he lowered the temperature.
"Freeze well little ones."
Robin wiggled the door handle to the point of
almost snapping it off. Together they rammed their shoulders into the door till
they couldn't feel them anymore, and then they stopped and stared at each other
dejectedly.
"Ooops again." Robin murmured.
Batgirl wrapped her cape around herself tighter.
She was already too cold for her liking. Robin mimicked her motion, rubbing his
gloved hands together and frowning in thought. Batgirl watched him pace the
length of the freezer, a good twelve paces, for some time. His breath was
coming out as small wisps of fog and he took to rubbing his sleeveless arms.
Batgirl began jumping up and down in an attempt to
warm herself. "We really have to get out of here."
Robin met her gaze and smiled, "I'm working on it
Batsy."
Batgirl raised an eyebrow, "I thought we'd stopped
with the name calling."
He grinned, "Just trying to lighten the mood."
Batgirl grimaced, "Just how I wanted to die –
laughing."
"No one is dying in here Batgirl." He studied the
door, knocking on it lightly in various spots then glanced back to the space in
the freezer.
Batgirl's eyes widened when she realised what he
was thinking. "I don't want to die blown to pieces either Robin!"
Robin shrugged, "I have enough explosives to take
down the door. Logically it might blow the rest of the container too but I
think the walls are too strong. This is built into solid concrete, the only
thing that should budge is the door."
Batgirl gazed at him uneasily, "I don't suppose we
have much of a choice do we."
Robin was shivering now, and his lips were growing
bluer by the second, "Not unless you want to stay here and wait to be rescued
and risk dying wrapped around me for warmth." He managed a dirty grin, "Which
I'll admit is a tempting way to go, but …"
Batgirl gave a soft laugh, which was all her mouth
would allow. She was quickly reaching the beyond caring point and nodded at him
to set the explosives.
Batgirl made her way to the very back of the
freezer. Robin was at the door, working as briskly as his frozen fingers would
allow.
Robin finished setting the explosives then jogged
back to where Batgirl was crouched. He interposed himself between her and the
door and flung his cape over their heads.
Batgirl had given up trying to speak, her teeth
chatted violently against each other and she could no longer feel her facial
features at all.
She felt Robin's gloved hand against her neck and
turned, when her face met his she felt a burst of warmth against her mouth as
he pressed his lips to hers. Robin smiled at her astonished face, "Just in
case we don't make it." He whispered.
" Not exactly what I wanted to hear!"
She muttered back, the heat from his kiss allowing her to speak coherently for
a few moments.
They both tensed as the countdown ended and she
heard Robin swallow hard.
The explosion that followed rocked the small
container. Both crimefighters were hurled to the ground as the shock hit them.
Then there was silence, eerie and still as though
the explosion had never happened. Batgirl opened her eyes first.
Robin was on top of her, his cape covering them
both. He opened one eye warily, then realizing they were both still alive he
grinned and flipped his cape back, revealing a gaping hole where the door use
to be. Warm air was already wafting into the freezing container, raising the
temperature to a more manageable level.
" Now that's what I call an entrance!"
He quipped.
Batgirl shook herself, glad to find that nothing
hurt, "That's what I call lucky." She returned.
He looked her over as best he could from his
awkward position, "OK?" He asked simply.
She nodded, checking him over also, his weight and
closeness were rapidly warming her up and she wondered if it was the Kevlar in
the suits or something else entirely.
"Getting kind of warm in here." Robin
commented, beginning to remove himself from her, albeit reluctantly.
Batgirl caught his eyes, she saw the look in them
and suddenly she was wrapping her arms around his neck and pulling his face
back down to hers. Robin's eyes widened momentarily and he gave an exclamation
along the lines of "Gwalp!" Her lips smothering his actual words.
Then he closed his eyes, moving into the kiss.
Robin's arms encircled her, pulling her body closer to his.
She ran her hands down his sides, marvelling at
the feel of his muscles through his suit. Robin murmured something deep in his
throat, moving his hands into her hair and holding her face against his.
Batgirl gave a soft sigh of contentment, she could
feel his heart pounding against hers and his mouth was sending waves of warmth
through her frozen body. Both were breathless when she finished the kiss, moving
her face back from his and smiling at him a little shyly. " That's because
we made it." She whispered, when she was able to control her motor
functions again.
Robin cleared his throat, grinning widely. Then
realizing that they were still in the container when they should be finishing
the defrosting, said, " We'd better finish freeing the hostages."
He raised himself from the ground and pulled her
up after him.
He looked at her quietly for a moment and she
blushed at the emotion in his eyes, "What?" She murmured.
Robin shrugged, "I just realized how lucky I
am."
"What?" She repeated.
"Well I could have been stuck with Batman in there." He motioned to the freezer as they exited, "And at the moment this would be plain awkward if we'd kept warm the same way we just did."
Batgirl smiled, then laughed at the idea.
" I mean I like him an' all" Robin
continued, "But it just wouldn't be right."
Batgirl gave a mischievous smile hiding it by
moving ahead of him, "On the other hand," she called over her
shoulder," if I'd been in there
with Batman … " She trailed off, leaving the rest to his
imagination.
Robin apparently didn't like the thought. He flung
his cape back into place and quickened his own pace.
Batgirl hid her smile behind her gloves. He was
jealous. She decided that she liked that thought.
*****************************************************************************************
It had taken Batman all of five minutes to take
out Freeze's men. He found Mr. Freeze tapping angrily away at the various computers
but unable to reverse the defrosting procedure.
"It's over Freeze." He said simply, advancing
slowly, "These people are going home."
Mr Freeze fired the ray gun at the Dark Knight,
but he avoided it easily. His missing partners had him momentarily sidetracked,
but an explosion above followed by Robin's young voice put his mind at ease.
Freeze gave a short, impressed grunt; they were
very resourceful for children.
The "children" dropped lithely from above a landed
beside their mentor.
"We've done our bit." Robin quipped, "What about
you."
"I'm working on it." Batman returned.
Mr Freeze stared at them blankly, sirens could be
heard in the distance and water had begun pooling at the base of the frozen
people as they defrosted.
They were winning, but Freeze hadn't finished. He
gave a small smile as the building suddenly began to shake.
Batman glanced to his companions, " He's
overloaded the power plant."
Batgirl and Robin both stared back at him in
disbelief, "I thought this plant was inoperable." Batgirl exclaimed anxiously.
"It is. It can't maintain power – the conductors
will explode."
Mr Freeze backed away from them and slipped into
an elevator that materialized from within a wall.
"Ill shut down the plant – get Freeze." Batman
ordered.
Robin nodded at him and he ran for the stairs with
Batgirl on his heels.
They took the steps in leaps, both panting
furiously at the exhaustion. Robin stopped abruptly and Batgirl slammed into
him.
"Hey!" she objected.
"Shh!" he hissed back, cocking his head towards the
roof, "You hear that?"
Batgirl copied his movement and frowned, trying to
decipher the familiar sound above.
"Helicopter!" Robin answered for her, restarting
the climb with renewed vigour.
Batgirl stepped up her own pace and together they
threw themselves through the door to the roof in time to see Freeze lifting off
in a sleek black helicopter.
"Like hell!" Robin cried, racing towards the
machine as fast as his tired legs would carry him.
"Robin!" Batgirl called, knowing his run would be
futile, he'd never make it to the helicopter in time. She never the less took
off after him and arrived just in time to tackle him to the ground for the
second time as gun fire erupted from within the helicopter.
One of Freeze's men grinned back at them from
behind a huge machine gun bolted to the floor of the helicopter.
The crime fighters rolled over each other, Robin
gave a slight grunt as his head met the concrete edge of the rooftop. "Tracer"
he called, reaching for his belt.
Batgirl was one step ahead of him, she had pulled
one of the small, batshaped objects from his belt as they had rolled away from
the flying bullets and was now on her feet, running at the retreating
helicopter.
"C'mon, c'mon!" She muttered, urging herself on.
She reached the edge of the roof and swung her arm with all her force, letting
go of the tracer at the appropriate time. Batgirl held her breath as it hurtled
through the air and gave a "whoop" of joy when it latched onto the tail of
Freeze's escape vehicle.
"Good shot." Robin commented, walking towards her
and dabbing at his bleeding forehead. "Not bad for a girl." He added with a
grin.
Batgirl huffed, "Girl indeed! Do you see any blood
on me Boy Blunder?" She retorted, removing his hand to get a close look at his
head.
The scratch was minimal but a bruise was already
forming beneath it. "Well that's going to hurt in the morning!"
"Id like to know how you knew where I keep my
tracers?" He asked, wiggling an eyebrow suggestively.
Batgirl smiled at him from over her shoulder as
they headed back down the stairs, "I pay attention." She replied.
"To me?"
"Especially to you." She ducked her head at the blush that lit up her face and chose
to ignore the wide, satisfied smile on Robin's face.
They took the stairs at a far slower pace than
before and found Batman coming to meet them half way up.
"Freeze?" he said simply.
"Helicopter" Robin replied, "Batgirl got a tracer
on it."
Batman nodded his approval at her and scrutinised
his partner's forehead, "How bad is that?"
Robin waved a hand in the air, "Just a scratch –
Let's get after Freeze."
Batman shook his head, "No we have to get these
people to safety, and this plant is unstable."
"I thought you fixed that!" Robin wined,
quickening his pace again.
"I've done what I can. Freeze overloaded the power
supply and the defrosting process is placing more pressure on the conductors.
Doctor Soneghast believes it safe to move the hostages but we have little
time."
"Are they still frozen?" Batgirl asked a little
breathlessly.
"All but one are fully defrosted, they're being
revived in the ambulances. Freeze has done a good job in keeping them alive. We
can at least be grateful for that."
"Yeah he's a real humanitarian!" Robin muttered
angrily.
With the combined efforts of the police, ambulance
and the dynamic trio the plant was soon evacuated.
Robin glanced to his partner as they tore away
from the building. "We going after Freeze?"
Batman shook his head, "Doctor Soneghast has taken
some of Freeze's machinery with him, I want to see what he's been working on,
make sure that no one is suffering any after effects of the Freezing process.
He nodded towards the computer panel in the batmobile, "And I haven't been able
to get a fix on Freeze's location. Either he's too far out of range or his hideout
is somehow blocking the signal."
Robin sighed resignedly, "Which I suppose is
likely as it's probably covered in ice. That would insulate the signal."
"Precisely" Batman eyed Robin suspiciously,
"Besides, I want Alfred to look at that scratch. You have the graduation ball
tomorrow night – I wouldn't want you to miss it."
Robin snorted, " My head's fine, throbs a little
but nothing that won't mend. And if you think I'd rather go to a fancy ball
than go after Freeze you're mistaken."
Batman went to answer but was cut off by a loud
explosion behind them. Robin swung around in his seat to get a better view of
the burning building.
"Whoa" he said simply.
Batman pulled over to the side of the road and
glanced back himself, "The fire department should have that under control
shortly."
Batgirl rode up, looking at them both expectantly,
"What's happening with Mr Freeze?"
"We've lost the signal. "Robin answered.
"Oh" She replied, unsure of what else to say, "Now
what?"
Batman restarted the engine and stared at her
tired face, "Now we go home. It's almost daylight and Freeze isn't a danger for
now."
Batgirl nodded, "Shame. I'm really wired."
Robin offered a small smile to that and his eyes
twinkled as they met hers. "Well you could always find a nice rooftop and do
something to help unwind – dance, sing whatever comes to mind."
Batman watched the two with a curious look on his
face then he gunned the engine, "Or you could go home." He repeated with
finality.
Batgirl nodded, noting Robin's chagrin look with a
small smile of her own. "Goodnight" She called over the roaring engine.
Robin gave her a small wave and a surreptitious
wink and then the Batmobile tore away from the roadside.
Batgirl watched them leave with slight disappointment.
She was wired. Her whole body was alive and she knew sleep would be ages away.
Maybe I will try that rooftop dance,
She thought to herself. "And I know just the one."
****************************************************************************************
Batgirl grinned at the billboard that still bore
the mark of her wrath.
She shrugged apologetically at the small cardboard
boy and made her way to the roof edge. She sat on it, swinging her legs over
and looking down at the almost dizzying height. But Batgirl didn't feel dizzy
up there, she felt right at home.
Her mind quickly wondered back to Robin and try as
she might she couldn't keep him out of her mind.
"Ok girl." She muttered, "You've
got it bad! Just get control of yourself, he's just a guy you know thousands of
guys."
At that moment she heard the footsteps of someone
approaching.
Batgirl turned easily back onto the roof and into
a fighting stance.
Robin came out of the darkness with a pizza in his
hands, "Hungry?" he asked simply, "It's extra pepperoni!"
The last of Batgirl's resolve fell away.
She was in love.
*****************************************************************************************
Barbara walked into the hall knowing that she
looked fantastic. The black evening gown she'd picked hugged her body close,
accentuating her curves and well- toned figure.
Heads turned as she entered, mostly male and a few
female. Barbara smiled at them all as she passed. She was feeling the most
relaxed she'd felt in days, the exams were behind her and she was ready for
some serious partying. Her eyes roamed the room for a dance partner, she swept
past the jocks and geeks, neither of which took her fancy and rested on a tall
figure by the food table. He was dressed immaculately in an expensive suit,
with broad shoulders perfect for laying your head on. He was no Robin, but
close enough.
Barbara began towards him, eyeing the other girls
around him with curiosity. She wondered whose date he was, and if they'd mind
if she stole a dance.
Hell,
Barbara thought, I'll dance with him
anyway.
It was then the figure turned around his eyes
coming to rest on Barbara as she was almost upon him. His jaw dropped ever so
slightly as he took in the dress. Then they recognized each other.
Barbara stopped abruptly, staring dismayed in to
Dick Grayson's equally surprised face.
"Babs." he said, shaking himself into
action, "You look fantastic."
Barbara stuttered for something to say and managed
a feeble "Thank you."
She turned her attention to the food, not feeling
much like eating, but needing to collect her thoughts. I can't believe I almost asked Grayson to dance, she thought
heatedly.
And now he was staring at her curiously, but still
a little overwhelmed by her appearance to ask exactly what she wanted.
"Nice party." Barbara remarked, trying
to sound casual.
Dick shrugged, "S'okay," he answered,
"I prefer something a little more casual though." Dick wondered if
that statement sounded as false as it was. He was willing to go to a hundred
more formal parties if she'd be there in that dress.
Barbara had noted the dark bruise on his forehead
when he'd first turned, and as she was quickly running out of things to say she
asked what had happened.
Dick seemed to have forgotten all about the
bruise, then he snapped to attention, "What? … Oh, the scratch. I fell
over on the track last night during practice. Landed on my head."
Barbara smiled, seeing an exit, "Well I
suppose that's a good place to land. No chance of doing any damage, huh?"
"Yeah." Dick replied with a short laugh,
he turned to pick up his drink and suddenly realized he'd just been insulted,
"Hey…" He objected, turning to face her. But Barbara was disappearing
back in the crowd. She'd successfully made her escape.
Dick grimaced, thinking about how he'd just come
off. "Enter Dick Grayson. Male Bimbo!" He muttered to himself. But he
didn't have time to dwell on it, for his beeper sounded suddenly from his
waistband and one look at the number had Dick excusing himself and making for
the nearest exit.
Barbara felt exuberant; she had gotten herself out
of a particularly sticky situation and managed to injure Dick's considerable
ego in the process.
She was looking around for another dance partner,
one that she didn't despise quite as much, when something struck her.
The bruise on Dick's forehead suddenly reappeared
in her mind and was followed by the replay of last night's fight with Mr.
Freeze.
She saw the rooftop as Mr. Freeze escaped and the
bullets tearing through the air as she tackled Robin to the ground. She
remembered his head striking the edge of the roof and the resulting scratch and
bruise - exactly where Dick's bruise was.
Barbara had stopped dead in her tracks, no, she thought, there is no way in this world! It had to be a coincidence. Dick
probably had fallen over on the track. It wasn't possible that Robin could be
that spoilt, rich brat. Robin was tall and handsome, strong and witty and
always cracking those stupid jokes. He was … he was Dick Grayson all over!
Barbara spun, her eyes searching furiously for him. She had to know!
Dick was nowhere to be seen. Barbara marched up to
the table and took Cindy Barren's arm, "Where's Dick?"
Cindy eyed Barbara suspiciously, "I don't
know, why?"
"It's really important Cindy." She said
simply, having no time to dawdle.
Cindy shrugged, "Someone paged him - I guess
he's gone to the phones, hey!" She broke off as Barbara dropped her arm
and raced out of the hall.
"Oh, so now she wants him." She remarked
to her friends and they broke into laughter.
Barbara cursed her dress as she tried to run. It
was not made for speed.
The phones were on the base level and she took the
steps in a leap, landing deftly and thanking God that no one had been there to
witness it.
She spun around the corner and could see the phone
booths up ahead.
They were empty.
She muttered a curse, searching for any sign of
Dick. He probably has a mobile on him,
she thought suddenly, he hasn't even been
down here!
No sooner had that thought left her mind than she
heard the front doors bang shut. Barbara was off in a shot. She tore around the
bend and flung herself through the doors. And there he was. Hurrying down the
path, pulling off his suit as he ran.
"Dick!" She screamed, "Wait!"
Dick stopped at the urgency in her voice, he
turned, surprised beyond belief to see her running full speed towards him.
Dick frowned, "Sorry Babs, you'll have to save
the goodbye insult for another time. I have to get somewhere."
He turned and was about to break into a run
himself when she said the words he thought he'd never hear.
"Dick, I'm sorry!"
He stopped, almost tripping over his own feet.
"What?"
Barbara slowed, trying to catch her breath. He
wasn't going anywhere now, he was far too curious.
As she approached she imagined a black domino mask
resting upon his high cheekbones, making his blue eyes the focal feature. She
saw the dark cape drawn back over his broad shoulders and the Robin emblem
shining from his well-formed chest. By the time she reached him she knew. The
Robin suit fitted Dick Grayson perfectly.
Then she had nothing to say. She just stared at
him in total wonderment, trembling from head to foot. She couldn't say anything
that wouldn't give her own mask away.
Dick glanced at his watch, "Look Barbara as
much as I'd like to finish this, I have somewhere really important to go. So
we'll have to do this some other time." He gave her one more bewildered
look, and then he took to his feet, racing away. Barbara could almost see him
firing a Batgrapple into the night sky and lifting off on it.
For some time she stood on the path. The knowledge
was immobilizing.
Dick Grayson was Robin, Robin was Dick Grayson.
All this time, all those months she had spent thoroughly despising Dick at
school and then fighting alongside him at night. And not only fighting. Barbara
reddened at the thought that she had been unashamedly flirting with Robin as
Batgirl and therefore flirting with Dick. Then there was the kiss. Barbara had
shared a very passionate kiss with Dick Grayson!
Her heart was pounding. She didn't know how to
take the flood of feelings that were enveloping her.
Barbara came to her senses eventually, but only when
the gnawing feeling of needing to become Batgirl came over her. Dick had raced
off in a great hurry and that could possibly mean that Batman had called him.
Something was happening that her vigilante sense was picking up on.
Barbara gathered up her skirt and raced for her
car.
********************************************************************************************
Robin stood beside Batman on top of police
headquarters in a bit of a daze. He had no idea what had gotten into Barbara
Gordon and the presence of her father on the roof was making it hard for him to
push his thoughts on her to one side. He had to concentrate on what was being
said, but all he could think about was the look on her face as she stared at
him, a look that seemed to go right through him. Robin frowned, wishing
suddenly that he hadn't left, wondering if maybe something was very wrong with
her.
Then he caught Batman's eye and its disapproval.
Robin swallowed, his ears opening to the Commissioner's words and his
only. He didn't like what he heard.
*********************************************************************************
Batgirl swung onto the building across from the
police station. She could clearly see the two crimefighters and her father
talking. Her eyes remained on Robin for some time. The dash to her car and the
change to Batgirl had left her no time to go over the events that had just
passed. But now she watched him, watching every mannerism identical to Dick
Grayson's and she did it with a thumping heart. Her eyes moved to the
incredibly still figure beside him and suddenly she had a wild thought. If
Dick Grayson is Robin, does that mean that Batman is … she broke off,
staring in disbelief at the dark, forbidding form of Batman. "Bruce
Wayne." She said aloud, making a face at the thought. It was ridiculous of
course. Bruce Wayne was a playboy, a wimpy rich kid that practically owned
Gotham: he was no Batman.
Then things began to click in place. Bruce Wayne
was the only billionaire she knew that was built like an Olympic athlete.
Despite his chauvinistic manner he was also the only playboy she knew that
donated millions of dollars to various charities, organizations and funds. He
was hardly ever at his work place and very rarely seen out at nights. Batgirl
wondered if she was to check all the socialite parties that had been
interrupted by a criminal if she'd find that Batman mysteriously appeared at
all of those that Bruce Wayne had attended. Most importantly, Bruce Wayne was rich
enough to be able to afford a Batmobile, a Batplane, a Batboat and God knows
how many other Bat gadgets.
Batgirl slapped herself in the forehead; it was so
obvious now that she wondered why she had never guessed it before. But she knew
the answer to that. Bruce Wayne was a genius. Not only did he live under the
mask of the Bat but he also hid his true identity so completely under the mask
of Bruce Wayne that no one would ever suspect a connection.
Batgirl wondered which one he was most like. She
knew how it felt to be two totally different people. Sometimes she found
herself wondering who she really was, Batgirl or Barbara.
She jolted herself back into reality when Batman
leaned towards Robin. Robin's head lifted ever so slightly and he nodded,
moving to the roof's edge and jumping off it without a thought.
Batgirl watched him fire a batgrapple at a nearby
Gargoyle, and then he gracefully swung out of view.
Her eyes returned to the rooftop, to Batman and
she debated whether or not she should join him. Robin seemed to have accepted
her, but she was unsure about Batman. Batgirl decided not to risk the chance of
angering him and instead settled down to watch and wait till he moved off.
Batgirl never heard the person approaching her from
behind, but she felt his presence. She crouched a little lower, centering
herself and waiting for him to make a move. It never came, for a boyishly
welcoming voice spoke instead.
"Something I can help you with Batgirl, or
are you just browsing?"
Her heart rose in the same fashion it had done
ever since the kiss and she couldn't resist the smile of pleasure that danced
across her features as she faced Robin.
He stood a few feet off in perfect superhero pose.
Hands on hips and legs apart, thrusting his chest forward. And wearing his most
adorable grin of course.
Batgirl walked towards him, "I saw the
batsignal," she said, which wasn't exactly a lie as she had," I
thought you might need some help but I didn't want to crash in on your talk
with D - Commissioner Gordon." She caught herself in time; about to say
Dad when it was far from appropriate but Robin didn't seem to have noticed.
"Probably a good idea - Batman's pretty strict on etiquette
and if you don't have an invitation you have no right to be there."
Batgirl's smile faltered for a moment, she'd just
been told she wasn't welcome.
"Of course," Robin continued quickly,
noticing her spirits drop, " I would give you an invitation in a
minute."
The smile returned and Batgirl met his eyes, the
deep blue eyes of both her academic enemy and the man that she was rapidly
falling in love with.
Robin leaned closer, "But tonight's not a good night. He's in a bad mood. He told me to come over here and see what you were up to."
Batgirl gave a jolt of surprise, "He knew I
was here?"
Robin grinned, "Of course, he's Batman."
He said the name of his mentor with an eerie touch to his voice, as though
telling a ghost story.
Batgirl glanced back to the headquarters' roof.
"Is there trouble?"
"With a capital T or actually a capital F. Mr
Freeze has made a move we were not expecting. We're going after him up
tonight." Answered Robin, "Wanna come along?" he took her hand in
his, "I'll let you pick which bad guys you want to hurt."
Batgirl gave a soft laugh, "Thank you but it won't
be necessary." She took back her hand, giving him a playful eye,
"I'll have them all out before you even get there!"
"Ambitious girl," Robin replied,
"But I won't let you have all the fun."
"There won't be any fun. " Intoned a deep voice from above.
They both glanced up to where Batman stood
silently on the head of a gargoyle.
"Well I didn't mean fun in the strictest
sense." Robin added, then closed his mouth. He knew when not to push it.
Batgirl wondered if she would ever feel that
relaxed around Batman. He still scared the hell out of her. She hated the way
he appeared out of nowhere as he just had.
She cleared her throat, "I'm willing and able
to help." She managed to say, short and to the point, she was almost proud
of herself.
"You might change your mind when you hear
what the actual trouble is." Batman said gruffly and Batgirl realized that
she had no idea what was going to happen.
The pride that was almost hers became nonexistent.
Batgirl found that knowing Batman was Bruce Wayne
had no real advantages. If anything it was worse than not knowing. She just
couldn't put Bruce's face under that cowl, no matter how hard she tried, and
she could have spent all day double - guessing herself if it wasn't for the
mission ahead.
The mission she hoped to be a part of.
***********************************************************************
Adam Hill paced the length of his office with a strained look on his pale face. Commissioner Gordon sat to his left watching his friend with a mixture of pity and impatience.
"This is the only way to go Adam." He said quietly, "You want to get Jenny back and He's the one to do it."
Adam turned on his friend, "You might trust – no condone
– that flying rodent Jim but I don't. You know what my opinion is of him, we
don't need vigilantes in Gotham, the only reason we have so many villains like
Freeze is because of him, he attracts them here."
Jim Gordon sighed, he'd had this argument before, more
times than he cared to count but neither men had been swayed in their opinion
of the Dark Knight.
A soft rustle caught both their attention and they turned towards the open French doors. Both were a little awestruck when they saw the three crime fighters, standing side by side in the moonlight. They looked impenetrable, strong and almost frightening. Their eyes glowed inhumanly with their night-vision lenses, making them appear almost otherworldly.
Gordon's eyes rested on the newest member of the
team and he eyed her critically. He hadn't been too happy when Batman had
introduced the young boy to his world, the same young boy who was now an
impressive young man standing to the left of his mentor. The girl wore the
same, fixed expression on her young face as her companions and her figure
showed her obvious strength. Gordon sighed, praying that Batman wasn't making a
mistake with her and wondering whom she was. He though of his own daughter,
dancing the night away at the graduation ball and shook his head. Whoever this
young girl was, she was sacrificing her own life to help others, he hoped she
would be able to handle all that he knew would be coming her way. At least
Batman has her with him, he thought; she had been solo for some time.
Mayor Hill stared at them in silence, the girl
brought back memories of his own daughter and he sunk into a near by chair.
"You understand why I did it Jim? She was dying, I
didn't have a choice. I'm such a fool."
"Freeze planned this well Mayor." Batman said
quietly, his voice almost soothing, "He knew that you had no choice. What
father wouldn't do everything possible to save his daughter?"
The Mayor buried his head in his hands, "But I
haven't saved her. I gave her to that mad man and now I have to pay to get her
back – as an ice block."
Batgirl was moments away from breaking into tears.
The news that her best friend was Freezes' back up plan was tearing her up. She
had assumed that Jenny was safe and she had been wrong. Her father had not
taken her driving to see the city lights, he'd taken her to get the cure that
didn't exist and Freeze had stashed her somewhere else, knowing she would be a
valuable asset.
Batgirl unconsciously moved closer to Robin. Close
enough to smell his familiar fragrance that she now recognised as Dick's
cologne. She felt his hand brush hers and she straightened herself, amazed at
how strong and safe he made her feel.
Her eyes remained on her best friends father, she
avoided her own father at all costs. It was obvious that he didn't recognise
her but he might become curious at the tears she could feel prickling at her
eyes.
The Mayor was not happy. Batman wanted to place a
tracer in the case of money Adam was to deliver to Mr Freeze but the Mayor had
been warned about any involvement with the police or Batman and he was
terrified what Freeze would do if he found out.
"It's just not safe to go alone Adam." Jim said
quietly, "Mr Freeze won't necessarily uphold his part of the bargain. He never
has before. All he cares about is money for his research."
"He could just as easily keep you also Mayor and
ransom you back to Gotham City." Batman continued, "The tracer will let us know
where you are and we can rescue both Jenny and yourself and capture Freeze at
the same time."
Adam's eyes narrowed, "All you care about is
getting Freeze. Getting another capture to boost your image. Well I wont have
you using my little girl for your publicity." He jumped to his feet and gave
Batman a shove, but the Dark Knight remained standing, barely moving an inch.
Batgirl stepped forward, sympathetic and angry at
the same time, "Mayor, this isn't about publicity, it's about Jenny." She
reached out a placed a hand on his shoulder,
"Her condition will be unstable and she must be
taken to a hospital as quickly as possible. We don't know where Mr Freeze is at
the moment and the faster we can get to her the faster she can get the medical
attention she needs. Mr Freeze is the villain here, not Batman. Help us to help
you Sir."
The Mayor stared at her silently, as though
debating what to do. Eventually his head dropped and he nodded. "Ok. But Jenny
is first priority – not Freeze."
Batman opened the money case and placed a tracer
inside, "She always was Mr Mayor."
*******************************************************************************
Adam Hill sat in the back of an old hertz being
driven by a man he didn't know and never wanted to see again. His stomach was
churning and he was relieved that he had been allowed to wind down the window.
The irony of the funeral car did not pass him by
and he glowered at the driver. All he cared about was getting his daughter
back. His beautiful little girl who had already been through so much in her
short life. He squeezed his eyes shut, forbidding the welling tears an exit. He
would do anything to see her again, even if she was to die from the tumour at
least he could farewell her, he could sit beside her and watch her leave this
world and he could be there for her. Now, he would have to see her frozen and
unmoving, dead but alive as she had been for last few months. It was
unbearable.
He tapped his fingers on the money case,
envisioning the little bat tracer reporting his position to Batman. The Mayor
closed his eyes, it had not been easy for him to allow the Bat to help. Heck,
he partly believed that Batman was responsible for bringing about most of the
villains that plagued Gotham and now he was allowing him to use his daughter to
capture one of those criminals.
Anger began to burn the father's eyes. If Batman
hadn't appeared in Gotham then Mr Freeze would not be there. He wouldn't have
Jenny and he wouldn't be using her in the most horrible way imaginable to get
money.
Mayor Hill silently
unlatched the case and gripped the tracer. He held his trembling fist out the
window and hesitated for a moment. Then he opened his palm and watched the
small black object fall into the murky water of the Gotham River.
Batman had done enough damage.
"What the!" Robin exclaimed, tapping away at the bat computer, "We' ve lost the signal!"
Batman reefed The Batmobile from the road and stared at the blank screen in silence. His eyes roamed to the Gotham Bridge in the distance, the same bridge where the
Mayor had last been and his mouth formed a grim line, "The fool." He whispered.
Batgirl waited quietly beside the batmobile as
Batman and Robin studied a detailed map of Gotham City. "They could be
anywhere!" Batman muttered, "Anywhere!"
She was more than a little disappointed in Jenny's
father. His decision had been foolish and dangerous and now he was on his own,
on his way to face Mr Freeze. Batgirl grimaced, she wondered if she would ever
see the father and daughter again.
"It has to be somewhere isolated and with enough
power to keep Nora alive." Robin said quietly, scouring the map, "The old
airfields?"
Batman shook his head, "It's too close to the new
airport. His helicopter would have been sighted."
Batgirl watched them toss ideas between themselves
for some time. She was impressed at how smoothly they worked together, how each
idea was carefully considered before being eliminated. As she listened she
became aware of a soft beeping coming from the remarkable car beside her.
Curiously she glanced inside and her face lifted excitedly at what she saw.
"We are going to need a whole heap of luck to win
this one." Robin said, rubbing his aching head, "I'm all out of idea's."
"Hey boys." Batgirl called, motioning to them with
her finger, "I think our luck just changed."
Batman and Robin peered into the dark interior of
the batmobile and studied the small computer screen in fascination. A single
dot on the radar screen was blinking innocently back at them.
"Well I'll be ... " Robin muttered, "He didn't
find the tracer on his helicopter." He grinned at Batgirl, "We've got him!"
"Let's go" Batman said simply, dropping into the
batmobile, "He's heading for the old dock's, probably a pickup point. We'll
follow him from there."
Batgirl nodded, straddling her bike and gunning
the engine, this time Mr Freeze would not get away.
***************************************************************************************
The Mayor shivered slightly as he stood alone in a
room that was encased in thick ice. He gripped the handle of his briefcase
tightly for comfort; it was his only companion and the only means he had to get
his daughter back.
The helicopter had been an unpleasant surprise and
the trip had been made with a pistol pressed to his temple.
He jumped as a door opened suddenly and for a
moment utter terror raced through his body as Mr Freeze entered the room. He
was larger than he had thought and his presence was ever bit as frightening as
he had been told it was. He found it hard to believe that the man had ever been
a normal, loving husband.
Then he forced himself to straighten his
shoulders, he was the Mayor of Gotham City! The Crime Capital of the country
and he had faced many battles in his career with men more ruthless than the one
in front of him. Adam Hill swallowed hard, of course, those men didn't have his
daughter frozen and close to death to use as a bargaining chip.
"W… Where's Jenny." He said simply, when he found
his voice beneath the lump in his throat.
Mr Freeze said nothing but he tapped at a few
buttons on his gauntlet and a large screen materialized from within a frozen
wall. The Mayor's heart went to his throat when he recognised his daughter,
staring back at him with obvious fear from within her frozen tomb. Next to her
was another woman, blonde and breathtakingly beautiful. "Nora Fries." He
whispered quietly.
"I have your money." He called to the silent
Iceman, "Give me back my daughter."
Mr Freeze walked towards him slowly, he glanced at
the screen and for a moment he seemed spellbound by the two women. Then the
Mayor then realised that his cold eyes were actually focussed on his wife –
that he hadn't even acknowledged the presence of the young woman beside her.
"There has been a change." Mr Freeze said, his
cold voice echoing around the frosty room.
"What kind of change?"
Mr Freeze pointed to the screen, at Jenny, and
continued. "Your daughter's body chemistry is very similar to my wife's." He
stared unmoving at the Father, "I need your daughter to continue my study to
find a cure for Nora."
A fear unlike anything he had ever felt before
gripped Mayor Hill, "What do you mean? We had a deal!"
"The deal is off." Mr Freeze answered, "You can
keep your money – I only need your daughter."
For once in his life Adam Hill wished Batman were
in the room. This was not the way he had visualized the meeting. Getting Jenny back
as an ice-cube was a terrifying thought, but not being able to have her at all
was a hundred times worse. For a moment Adam was silent, staring at his
daughter with tears in his eyes. Then suddenly he was filled with rage:
undeniable and uncontrolled hatred.
"No" He cried, dropping the briefcase, "You can't
keep her!" And he threw himself at Mr Freeze attacking the villain with all the
anger and strength he possessed.
Mr Freeze was mildly surprised at the power in the
weaker man, but he was no match for the super strength of the suit. Mr Freeze
easily overpowered the distraught Father and tossed him aside like a rag doll.
He retrieved his laser gun from within a small chamber in a wall and levelled
it at the Mayor. "Leave now or be frozen forever."
The Mayor stared back at him from the floor, his
eyes full of pain, "Please! She's already been through so much! She has an
incurable disease, she's dying." He clenched his fists tightly, struggling
against the grief that threatened to overtake him. "Jenny has tried so hard,
she was terrified of dying but she still managed to smile, to act as if she
could be cured by will alone, she doesn't deserve this!" He dropped his head,
"I don't want to lose her, I will do anything to get her back – anything you
want. I can't live without her."
Freeze stared at the man unmoving, then his eyes
went to his wife and for the first time the Mayor saw some sort of emotion
cross the frozen features of the villain.
"Nora." He breathed, barely auditable.
Then suddenly the reverie was broken as a siren
sounded in the building. The Mayor crumpled against the frozen floor, holding
his hands out in a weak attempt to protect himself as Mr Freeze started towards
him.
But the iceman stopped inches from the cowering
man and scooped up the briefcase instead. Then without a word he turned and
disappeared through the secret door.
Adam almost shouted in fright as an opposite door
was flung open and Batman entered; a welcome and powerful sight. He ran to the
Mayor, offering him a hand. "Are you all right?"
"Jenny." Adam whispered pleadingly, " Help me find
Jenny."
Batman nodded and pulled him to his feet. Together they followed after Mr
Freeze.
"He took the money." Mayor Hill explained as they
wove their way through a long tunnel, "He had Jenny in a room with his wife –
he wanted to keep her to use for research."
"He won't." Batman answered back, "He has no means
of escape. Batgirl and Robin are taking care of that."
As if in answer the two young crimefighters
appeared from a side door, "No sign of Freeze." Robin said, dropping into step
beside Batman, "But we've rendered all his vehicles useless and we have all his
men tied up outside waiting for the police – he's not going anywhere."
The Mayor felt a small hand grip his and he looked
in surprise to Batgirl. She smiled warmly at him, "We'll have Jenny back safe
and sound Sir – Don't worry."
He nodded gratefully at her, praying that she was
right.
The tunnel ended abruptly and the four entered a
large room, hazy with mist and cold enough to make them all shiver. The Mayor
gave a sudden cry, racing to an inert figure lying on the ground in a puddle of
water.
"Jenny!" Batgirl exclaimed, dropping beside her
and feeling for a pulse. She gazed at a grim Batman with obvious surprise when
she felt a strong pounding beneath her fingers, "She's alive." She breathed.
The Mayor cradled his unconscious daughter in his
arms, tears streaming unchecked down his cheeks. " He let her go." He whispered
softly.
Robin glanced to Batman anxiously, "Where is he?"
Batman searched the room for any sign of Mr
Freeze. "I don't know. But he's taken his wife and the money with him – he must
have had an escape route planned."
"Do we go after him?" Robin asked.
Batman's eyes wandered over the emotional father
and his sickly daughter and for a moment he saw Victor Fries, holding his dying
wife to his heart moments before she was to be frozen.
"No." he said simply, "He's earned this escape.
There'll be another time."
Robin sighed, "Then I guess we wait for the ambulance,
and the police to pick up his crew. At least we captured all of them."
"We were meant too." Batman answered, taking off
his cape and wrapping it around the trembling girl, "Only Nora matters to
Victor and now he's got the money he needs to continue with his research."
Robin scratched his head in confusion, "So why did
he release Jenny?"
Batman stood silently and contemplated the
question, "Perhaps this time he asked himself what mattered to Nora. She would
never accept a life being taken to save hers." He helped the Mayor to his feet,
Jenny firmly grasped in his arms.
"Or perhaps he didn't have the time to take them both."
"No" Mayor Hill said softly, his voice broken and
heavy with emotion, "I saw it in his eyes – he saw his wife in Jenny. He let
her go on purpose." He hugged his daughter close, "I want to take her home
now."
Batman nodded and turning on his heel he led the
way out.
****************************************************************************************
Batgirl watched from the rooftop with great
satisfaction as the ambulance with Jenny and her father securely inside drove
away with a full police escort.
Robin was beside her, his face every bit as happy
as hers was. Batgirl felt like hugging him, heck, she felt like hugging Batman
too. Even if Mr Freeze had escaped, Jenny was safe and so was Gotham for the
time being. She suddenly felt very tired and realised how long the night had
been. In the distance the sky was beginning to brighten as the sun began to
rise.
Batman stood and on cue Robin followed, the latter
winking at her as he rose.
"Time for bed." he announced, yawning
widely.
"Wait" Batgirl said, standing also and
facing them she had one more important thing to do before the night was over
for her "I have something I have to say to you both."
"Uh -oh" Robin remarked looking at
Batman and shaking his head, " Here's where she tells us she's decided to
dump her cowl for a life of crime."
Batgirl didn't laugh, "Seriously." she
said, taking a deep breath and hoping that Robin wouldn't interrupt again.
Robin raised his eyebrows a little, but remained
quiet.
Batgirl swallowed and went straight into it,
"I know who you are." She said.
Robin frowned and Batman as usual didn't make a
single movement.
" Ye…e…s" Robin drawled slowly, "Me
Robin him Batman." And he motioned to his partner with his thumb.
Batgirl sighed; sometimes Robin could go a little
too far with the funny guy act.
"No" she said sternly, "I mean who
you really are, under the masks."
That shut Robin up, he glanced abruptly to Batman,
who was still unmoving.
She waited for an answer but never got one, so she continued. "I … I didn't go looking for the truth." She stammered, "It just suddenly came to me tonight, it was really a fluke. If I hadn't been there when you cut your forehead I would never have guessed." She pointed to Robin's wound as she spoke. He raised a hand to it, still frowning, "How did this tell you the truth?"
Batgirl looked around, suddenly aware that anyone
could hear their conversation. Batman had apparently come to the same
conclusion, "This isn't the right place for this." He said,
"Batgirl will come with me in the Batmobile, Robin will ride your
bike."
Batgirl nodded, it wasn't a request; it was an
order.
She fished out her keys
and held them out to Robin. He took them, holding her hand for a few seconds.
Batgirl looked into his face, into his worried eyes and smiled, "It'll be
OK," she said simply.
Batgirl was gazing around her surroundings in wonderment.
She'd never seen anything like it. All the machinery: the state of the art
computers: the trophy room. She took it all in, wondering if it might be the
first and only chance she'd ever have to see it.
She and Batman had said little in the Batmobile,
but the few words spoken had obviously convinced him that she did indeed know
who they were.
"This is under the Mansion?" she asked.
As if in answer Alfred came down a flight of
stairs carrying a tray full of delights in his hands.
"I've made some tea Master Bruce, I thought
you and Master Richard might be … oh my!" He exclaimed, spying Batgirl for
the first time.
Alfred reddened, thinking he'd just let one heck
of a Cat – or in this case Bat- out of the bag.
"It's Ok Alfred," Batman said lightly,
"She knows."
Alfred gave a breath of relief, then showing how
truly exceptional he was, said, "I'll get another cup." and walked
back up the stairs.
Batgirl turned her attention to Batman. "You
don't know how amazingly odd this all seems. I mean, never in a million years
would I have thought that YOU could be Batman that Dick was Robin." Her
eyes moved to his partner as he rode in on her bike. He still looked unsure of
exactly how he should be reacting.
Batgirl continued, "I hope you've realized by
now how much I want this to be a part of my life. I want to continue doing what
I have been and I'd like to be able to do it with your blessing." She
stole a glance at Batman but of course his face showed no emotion. " I
want to continue working beside you two but more than that I want to belong beside you." Batgirl took a
deep breath, she'd had a little time to rehearse what she had wanted to say and
thankfully they had both decided to let her say it all without interrupting,
but the hardest part was coming up. " I think the only way that I will be
able to belong to this team is if you know who I really am also, I want you to
know who I am, to be able to trust me." She raised a hand to her mask,
Robin unconsciously moved forward, his eyes glued to her face but Batman raised
his hand.
"Wait." He said.
Batgirl stopped, suddenly unsure. She'd been so
prepared for the unmasking, so sure that they would want to know. She lowered
her hands, searching Batman's face.
"Becoming part of this team is not as easy as
removing a mask. You have to prove that you're able to work with us."
Batgirl frowned, "I thought I had proved that
- tonight, other nights."
Batman shook his head, " You've shown that
you can work independently and that you can work with others, but it doesn't
make you part of the team. There are sacrifices to be made and rules that must
be followed. My rules." He looked to her sternly, "On more than one
occasion you've decided to ignore my rules."
Batgirl suddenly felt very out of place, she again
wondered if it was really what she wanted. If she wanted to become part of the
team she would lose her independence. She would have to follow the rules - even
if she didn't like them.
Robin had watched in silence, he'd held his breath
when she'd reached for her mask and only now did he release it.
"Maybe it's better if we don't know."
Batgirl glanced to him, and hurt flashed into her
eyes.
"You don't want me to be part of this? You
want to keep the boy's club?"
"No" he answered, "But it will
change things and maybe in a way you won't like."
He was talking about them of course, about their
relationship or the possibility of a relationship. And she knew it could make a
difference. But she wanted to belong and she was willing to make the sacrifices
necessary.
She didn't know how things would work between her and Dick, but she was sure they would make a great team, in more ways than one.
Batgirl looked directly at Batman, into his
unmoving eyes, "I will do what is necessary. I want to be a part of
this."
Batman stared at her for some time, then his face
seemed to relax and he nodded. "It seems to run in the family."
Batgirl started when she found the meaning in
those words. " You know who I am?" she said breathlessly then she
gave a little laugh, "Of course you know," She smiled," Your Batman
after all."
Robin cleared his throat, " When were you
going to tell me partner?"
"It wasn't my place to tell you."
"Not your place!" Robin flushed
suddenly, " What do you mean it wasn't your place!"
Batgirl took hold of his arm, "He's
right," she said simply, "It's not his place … It's mine."
Batman turned, walking away, leaving her to tell
him.
Robin looked to her, searching her face for any
sort of recognition.
But then there had always been something familiar
about her. He could just never narrow it down.
Batgirl touched the wound above his eye, "It
was this that gave it away. This and an uncanny coincidence."
"Which was?"
"That I was there to see you get this. That I
remembered it." She gave a soft smile, "And the fact that Dick
Grayson just happened to have the exact same mark."
Robin removed his mask, and there he was. There
was no mistaking the handsome face of Dick. His sharp blue eyes that had
plagued her for so long in her dreams were staring at her with curiosity and
perhaps a little fear.
"It was pure coincidence that I asked you
what had happened." Batgirl smiled as she remembered, " I was trying
to find a way to get out of the position I'd placed myself in and it wasn't
until I'd insulted you and left that I put two and two together and come up
with the truth."
Dick was still utterly lost. He was frantically
searching his memory, recalling all the girls that had insulted him.
Unfortunately, there were more than a few. " The truth?" he murmured.
Batgirl smiled, "That you hadn't fallen over
on the track at training and landed on your head."
She waited for that to sink in and she didn't have
to wait long.
Dick's eyes widened as the realization hit him,
"BARBARA!" He gasped.
Batgirl pulled off her mask and Dick found himself
staring at the last person he would have expected to see in a Bat suit.
"Barbara." he repeated in disbelief.
Her pretty face was flushed and her green eyes
were gleaming, "Bit of a shock to the system huh?" she said.
Dick shook his head in an attempt to clear it,
"I don't … I don't," he stuttered. "I don't know what to
say." he finally managed.
Barbara took his hands, "Then don't say
anything. I can understand, believe me!"
Dick stared at her, "This could be
difficult." He said.
"It doesn't have to be."
Dick laughed, "But you hate my guts."
" I think I'll get over it."
Dick turned away from her, removing his cape and
placing it over a nearby chair, " I don't know if I like this. " He
said.
Barbara's heart froze for a second and her eyes
never left his face. She watched as he worked through all the emotions that she
had. When he met her gaze again his eyes were troubled, "I don't think I
can watch you out there, putting yourself in danger. It's not where Barbara
Gordon belongs."
Barbara smiled, " No, it's not." She
agreed, "But it's not Barbara Gordon that's out there … It's
Batgirl."
She stepped up to him, placing her hand over the
emblem on his chest, "Just like it isn't Dick Grayson that fights
alongside Batman it's Robin." She gave a sort laugh, "And it
certainly isn't Bruce Wayne that fights against the likes of The Joker and Two
Face and The Penguin. We are all two people Dick. You, Bruce and I have that in
common."
Dick looked at her and his eyes were more
understanding," I use to hate that fact." He lifted his hand to her
cheek and stroked it, "Now I don't seem to care as much."
Barbara smiled and reaching up she kissed him. The
electricity was still there, but this time between Dick and Barbara. Dick's
arms tightened around her and he returned the kiss.
"One thing's for sure." He said, when
their lips separated. "Chemistry's never going to be the same."
Barbara laughed, "We've got all the chemistry
we need right here!"
She glanced around the cave again, moving out of
his arms to get a better look at it. "This is pretty cool!" She
exclaimed.
Dick grinned, "You should feel privileged. I
usually don't show girls this place till at least the second date."
Barbara walked around the cliff edge, peering into
the murky darkness of the abyss below. "Amazing." she murmured. She
became aware of a soft squeaking sound above her. Curiously she grabbed a light
from her utility belt and shone it at the ceiling. She gave a small shriek as
some bats tumbled from their perches, enraged at having their sleep
interrupted. "Sorry." she called to their backs as they fluttered off
into the darkness.
She looked back to Dick with a disgusted look on
her face, "You actually have Bat's here and all?"
"Hey go with Babs, we've kind of got a theme
thing happening." He broke into huge smile.
Heavy footfalls fell across their talk and Batman
entered the cave. Except he wasn't Batman anymore. The cowl was gone and in its
place was Bruce Wayne's face, complete with a relaxed smile that Batman
wouldn't be caught dead wearing.
Barbara shook her head, " I don't know if
I'll ever get used to seeing that face under that cowl."
"Alfred is preparing some dinner," he
said, his voice higher and a lot lighter than Batman's. "I tried to talk
him out of it but he won't take no for an answer."
Dick flopped into a near by chair, " Well he
never has before." He winked at Barbara, "Alfred makes a wonderful
mother."
"Really Master Richard," Alfred replied,
materializing suddenly on the steps, "Don't exaggerate."
Dick smiled meekly and was saved by an answer when
a siren sounded, echoing around the Batcave. Barbara jogged over to them,
"What was that?"
Dick starting putting his cape back on,
"Batsignal." he answered.
Alfred sighed, "I'll go turn the oven off
sir,"
Barbara watched Bruce pull the cowl over his head.
The transformation from playboy to vigilante was amazing. Then she reached for
her own mask.
Dick placed his on his face and instantly Robin
smiled back at her.
"Here's your chance to meet the police
Commissioner."
Both Batman and Barbara stared at him in
amusement.
Robin realized what he had said and chuckled,
"Oh yeah, I guess you've already met him - being your Dad and all."
Barbara laughed, slipping on her mask. She felt
herself change as they had, her mind cleared and she felt ready for anything.
"Barbara's met him." She remarked, then
she smiled at them both, "But I don't believe Batgirl has had the
pleasure."
