Thanks to Shadow Walker, my co-editor, is brilliant, nuts but brilliant. I
hope you like it.
THE TRAMP
The tranquility of the night air is pierced by loud wails. At Arkham Asylum, the guards ready themselves with weapons and are mobilized throughout the gardens and corridors. The warden whose semblance reflected anger, steps through the open doors followed by a group of vigilantes. They arrive at the infirmary. He is surprised to see disorder.
"What happened here? " he asks the official in charge.
"We didn't expect it sir" he responded, "She began having seizures and we brought her here immediately, suddenly she jumped us."
"She's just a woman!" the Warden shouts.
"She's not just any kind of woman sir." the officer replies holding up one of the dead guards. A Chinese star lies embedded in his forehead.
****
At the Clock Tower Dinah sleeps deeply, undisturbed. In Barbara's room though Barbara's dreams are plagued by images. Images of her previous life as batgirl flood her mind. The images seem so real she could even feel the cold of the night.
Huntress walks by her door and stops in the doorway. She watches Barbara slept restlessly. "Barbara?" she says opening the door more.
Batgirl pursues a man through a long and deserted avenue, he turns around a corner and jumps over a fence, she also jumps it and suddenly fins herself in a dead end. She feels that something is wrong... that she isn't alone. Suddenly a laugh pierces the air.
Huntress slowly approaches Barbara's bed and sits down next to Barbara, "Barbara?"
Batgirl turns around slowly as the hairs on her neck stand on end, she watches as the Joker's arm slowly reaches out towards her. Barbara, still dreaming, grabs Huntress' hand and throws her back. Her hands curl around Huntress' neck and she slowly squeezes.
"Barbara!" Huntress exclaims, she tries to pry Barbara's hands off her neck. "Barbara!" Barbara's eyes snap open. Sweat pours down her forehead. She looks down at Huntress, fear etched over her face.
"You are hurting me," Helena says struggling in Barbara's grip. Barbara releases her.
Huntress sits up apologizing, "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh my." Barbara covers he mouth with her hand. Then looking at Helena she says "Helena I'm sorry, are you ok? I..."
"The demons haunting you?" Huntress asked.
"Yes," Barbara exhaled, nodding. Frowning she asks, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Can't" Huntress turns the light on "I stayed watching the monitors. Barbara, Reese called, there was break out at Arkham." "Who?"
Huntress takes a moment before answering, "Sandy, she killed two guards," Huntress hands her a photo "Reese sent it to me."
Barbara's eyes widen as she stares at the photo. There's a Chinese star with a bat emblem on it cut in half on the other half the word 'soon' is etched.
"She's after you..." Huntress says.
"When?"
"Two hours ago, I came and woke you up as soon as I got the call."
"How could she have escaped?"
"Reese suspects an inside job." Suddenly the security alarm activates. Huntress sprints out of the room to the control room. She scans the computer. Noticing perimeter flashing on the screen she looks up out the window. Dinah appears "What's going on?" Huntress looks at Dinah "Don't leave Barbara out of your sight," Huntress replies and the dashes out towards the balcony.
Confused Dinah turns to Barbara, who had just come in, "What's going on?" "Lady Shiva has escaped from prison. Where's Helena?
"Out on the balcony," Dinah replied pointing towards the clock.
Barbara studies the monitors. "Perimeter alert?" she says to herself, "Okay, let see, where are you?"
***
Huntress leans over the left side of the balcony and looks down. Shiva could be totally unpredictable; she walks to the other side.
::Huntress, the monitors aren't picking anything up. Do you see anything?:: came Barbara's voice over the comm.
"Nothing yet. it's too quiet" Huntress replies standing in the middle of the balcony.
"Do you think she's playing a trick on us? Dinah asks Barbara inside the Clock Tower.
"Could be..." Barbara replies, "There's nothing internal too. It could also be a malfunction."
::I know you don't believe that:: Huntress said over the comm.
"I don't, but it's a possibility," Barbara replied sighing.
Huntress stopped and folded her arms. Suddenly something drops on her shoulder. A deep crimson droplet slowly runs down her arm. She looks up and sees a black cat impaled by the minute hand on the big clock. "Well you can scrap that possibility," she says.
::Do you see something?:: Barbara asks
"Yeah, a black cat skewered by the minute hand," huntress replies pulling a face, disgusted.
::Oh my.::
***
Barbara and Dinah turn their heads and spot the silhouette of the cat through the glass.
::I'm taking it down,:: Huntress says and jumps up on the ledge.
"I'm go" Dinah says grabbing a batarang.
"Be careful" Barbara looked her worry.
***
Dinah walks out onto the balcony, and watches as Huntress pulls the cat off and throws it down "Gross," Dinah whispers staring at the dead cat. "This is disgusting," Huntress says jumping near her friend while Dinah bends over the cat to read the note pinned to it's fur, "Lets see what you secret admirer has to say."
"Ha ha," Huntress replies sarcastically, "Just read it."
Dinah reads it and then looks up startled.
"What?" Huntress asks.
"First the cat, later the bat. Does she have seven lives or seven days?" Dinah reads out aloud, "She's after you too."
"Oh great!" Huntress exclaims "I just need this!". Her eyes suddenly transform sensing danger and pushes Dinah to the floor. Dinah looks up startled, she sees a red dot on Huntress' head and pulls Huntress down just as a bullet whizzed past their heads.
::What's going on:: Barbara's startled post come over the comm.
"Somebody's shooting at us, but we can see anything," Dinah replied.
"Barbara switch off the lights, it'll make it difficult to see us," Huntress said almost interrupting Dinah.
::Okay, just get out of there!!:: Barbara shouted.
Looking up Huntress spots and object more or less 60 meters away, silhouetted by the moon "The sniper's in a helicopter," Huntress shouted.
::Just get out of there:: Barbara's voice come through panicked.
As Dinah turned around and began crawling towards the door, Huntress reached out and grabbed the batarang. Taking aim, Huntress flung it towards the helicopter. Swaying backwards, the helicopter immediately flew away.
"It's gone," Huntress says picking herself off from the floor.
::Huntress, Dinah, are you guys okay?:: Barbara's voice seemed more relaxed.
"Yeah, The helicopter is gone," Dinah replied.
"Sandy is more than in a hurry to knock me off," Huntress says frowning, "Are we so bad?"
"Barbara, no, but you can be difficult sometimes," Dinah replies grinning.
"Difficult??" Huntress asks.
"Last one in has the cat," Dinah says and then dashes inside. Huntress just stood there.
"Difficult?? But I'm easy!"
THE TRAMP
The tranquility of the night air is pierced by loud wails. At Arkham Asylum, the guards ready themselves with weapons and are mobilized throughout the gardens and corridors. The warden whose semblance reflected anger, steps through the open doors followed by a group of vigilantes. They arrive at the infirmary. He is surprised to see disorder.
"What happened here? " he asks the official in charge.
"We didn't expect it sir" he responded, "She began having seizures and we brought her here immediately, suddenly she jumped us."
"She's just a woman!" the Warden shouts.
"She's not just any kind of woman sir." the officer replies holding up one of the dead guards. A Chinese star lies embedded in his forehead.
****
At the Clock Tower Dinah sleeps deeply, undisturbed. In Barbara's room though Barbara's dreams are plagued by images. Images of her previous life as batgirl flood her mind. The images seem so real she could even feel the cold of the night.
Huntress walks by her door and stops in the doorway. She watches Barbara slept restlessly. "Barbara?" she says opening the door more.
Batgirl pursues a man through a long and deserted avenue, he turns around a corner and jumps over a fence, she also jumps it and suddenly fins herself in a dead end. She feels that something is wrong... that she isn't alone. Suddenly a laugh pierces the air.
Huntress slowly approaches Barbara's bed and sits down next to Barbara, "Barbara?"
Batgirl turns around slowly as the hairs on her neck stand on end, she watches as the Joker's arm slowly reaches out towards her. Barbara, still dreaming, grabs Huntress' hand and throws her back. Her hands curl around Huntress' neck and she slowly squeezes.
"Barbara!" Huntress exclaims, she tries to pry Barbara's hands off her neck. "Barbara!" Barbara's eyes snap open. Sweat pours down her forehead. She looks down at Huntress, fear etched over her face.
"You are hurting me," Helena says struggling in Barbara's grip. Barbara releases her.
Huntress sits up apologizing, "I didn't mean to frighten you."
"Oh my." Barbara covers he mouth with her hand. Then looking at Helena she says "Helena I'm sorry, are you ok? I..."
"The demons haunting you?" Huntress asked.
"Yes," Barbara exhaled, nodding. Frowning she asks, "What are you doing here? Why aren't you sleeping?"
"Can't" Huntress turns the light on "I stayed watching the monitors. Barbara, Reese called, there was break out at Arkham." "Who?"
Huntress takes a moment before answering, "Sandy, she killed two guards," Huntress hands her a photo "Reese sent it to me."
Barbara's eyes widen as she stares at the photo. There's a Chinese star with a bat emblem on it cut in half on the other half the word 'soon' is etched.
"She's after you..." Huntress says.
"When?"
"Two hours ago, I came and woke you up as soon as I got the call."
"How could she have escaped?"
"Reese suspects an inside job." Suddenly the security alarm activates. Huntress sprints out of the room to the control room. She scans the computer. Noticing perimeter flashing on the screen she looks up out the window. Dinah appears "What's going on?" Huntress looks at Dinah "Don't leave Barbara out of your sight," Huntress replies and the dashes out towards the balcony.
Confused Dinah turns to Barbara, who had just come in, "What's going on?" "Lady Shiva has escaped from prison. Where's Helena?
"Out on the balcony," Dinah replied pointing towards the clock.
Barbara studies the monitors. "Perimeter alert?" she says to herself, "Okay, let see, where are you?"
***
Huntress leans over the left side of the balcony and looks down. Shiva could be totally unpredictable; she walks to the other side.
::Huntress, the monitors aren't picking anything up. Do you see anything?:: came Barbara's voice over the comm.
"Nothing yet. it's too quiet" Huntress replies standing in the middle of the balcony.
"Do you think she's playing a trick on us? Dinah asks Barbara inside the Clock Tower.
"Could be..." Barbara replies, "There's nothing internal too. It could also be a malfunction."
::I know you don't believe that:: Huntress said over the comm.
"I don't, but it's a possibility," Barbara replied sighing.
Huntress stopped and folded her arms. Suddenly something drops on her shoulder. A deep crimson droplet slowly runs down her arm. She looks up and sees a black cat impaled by the minute hand on the big clock. "Well you can scrap that possibility," she says.
::Do you see something?:: Barbara asks
"Yeah, a black cat skewered by the minute hand," huntress replies pulling a face, disgusted.
::Oh my.::
***
Barbara and Dinah turn their heads and spot the silhouette of the cat through the glass.
::I'm taking it down,:: Huntress says and jumps up on the ledge.
"I'm go" Dinah says grabbing a batarang.
"Be careful" Barbara looked her worry.
***
Dinah walks out onto the balcony, and watches as Huntress pulls the cat off and throws it down "Gross," Dinah whispers staring at the dead cat. "This is disgusting," Huntress says jumping near her friend while Dinah bends over the cat to read the note pinned to it's fur, "Lets see what you secret admirer has to say."
"Ha ha," Huntress replies sarcastically, "Just read it."
Dinah reads it and then looks up startled.
"What?" Huntress asks.
"First the cat, later the bat. Does she have seven lives or seven days?" Dinah reads out aloud, "She's after you too."
"Oh great!" Huntress exclaims "I just need this!". Her eyes suddenly transform sensing danger and pushes Dinah to the floor. Dinah looks up startled, she sees a red dot on Huntress' head and pulls Huntress down just as a bullet whizzed past their heads.
::What's going on:: Barbara's startled post come over the comm.
"Somebody's shooting at us, but we can see anything," Dinah replied.
"Barbara switch off the lights, it'll make it difficult to see us," Huntress said almost interrupting Dinah.
::Okay, just get out of there!!:: Barbara shouted.
Looking up Huntress spots and object more or less 60 meters away, silhouetted by the moon "The sniper's in a helicopter," Huntress shouted.
::Just get out of there:: Barbara's voice come through panicked.
As Dinah turned around and began crawling towards the door, Huntress reached out and grabbed the batarang. Taking aim, Huntress flung it towards the helicopter. Swaying backwards, the helicopter immediately flew away.
"It's gone," Huntress says picking herself off from the floor.
::Huntress, Dinah, are you guys okay?:: Barbara's voice seemed more relaxed.
"Yeah, The helicopter is gone," Dinah replied.
"Sandy is more than in a hurry to knock me off," Huntress says frowning, "Are we so bad?"
"Barbara, no, but you can be difficult sometimes," Dinah replies grinning.
"Difficult??" Huntress asks.
"Last one in has the cat," Dinah says and then dashes inside. Huntress just stood there.
"Difficult?? But I'm easy!"