Disclaimer: Birds of Prey, its characters, and concepts are the property of Warner Brothers, Tollin-Robbins Productions & DC Comics.

Santiago

Chapter One


Gabby and Dinah were walking home from the library early one evening. Dinah was carrying her schoolbooks and a plastic grocery bag that contained a pound of tomatoes that she had promised to buy for Alfred on her way home.

"I saw you staring at him!" accused Gabby half-jokingly.

"I was not staring at him!" Dinah shot back teasingly in reply.

Neither of them noticed the late-model metallic green Honda Civic pulling up to the curb just ahead of them. A tall, wiry man with close-cropped dark hair, dark wraparound sunglasses, and a black trenchcoat got out of the passenger side. He wore the trenchcoat like a cloak -- fastened at the neck, draped over his body, and concealing his arms. He walked to within thirty paces of Dinah and Gabby, produced a silenced MP5 from underneath his coat, and began blasting away at Dinah.

Gabby could only scream in horror as Dinah collapsed facedown onto the sidewalk, lying in the pool of blood that had begun to collect underneath her.

The shooter turned on one heel, ran back towards his car, and jumped in. Tires squealing, the Honda made a U-turn and roared away into the night.