Chapter 4

Barbara took her Batgirl mask off. She sat beside Tim, whose leg was now in a cast, watching over him. Barbara felt real pity for him. Tim was sleeping now; he didn't take it very well that he'd have to sit out for the rest of the case.

"You remind of Dick, kid." she said. "Let's just hope you won't go off on your own just because you disagree with Bruce, like he did. That ruined my relationship with him."

Then Batman came walking down to the medic area of the cave.

"How is he doing?" he asked, he sounded rather concerned, well for him anyway.

"Well, he'll make a full recovery. But when I told him that he'd have to sit out for the rest of the case, he wasn't too thrilled. Goddamn kids, always impatient."

"This "goddamn" kid wouldn't be taking on Ra's Al Ghul with us anyway. Ra's Al Ghul is far too dangerous for a child to deal with."

"Right." said Barbara.

"Barbara, I want you to go back to the police station. If Ra's wants that money now, his best chance will be to have someone steal it from the inside. I want you to see if you can find out why Ra's wants the money so badly."

"Alright." she said, not sure if she'd be able to find the guy in time, but orders were orders.

"Keep your costume on, for you never know when you'll have to use it." he said. He walked away without taking another look back.

Barbara put on a brown leather coat and headed to work. She did as Batman had asked and hid her Batgirl costume underneath her clothes. She was nervous; she tried to think of memories from her crimefighting career with Batman, but all she could think about when Poison Ivy had her tied up in those painful, thorny vines. Those hurt. When she finally got to work, she stepped out of her car, and headed upstairs to her desk. But she found she arrived too late. Montoya was lying on the floor unconscious as were all the other cops.

"Renee! What happened?" she exclaimed, running over to her.

Montoya slowly opened her eyes.

"The money from the sting two nights ago, stolen. Some guy in a black suit took it." she finished this just before passing out again.

Barbara ran without thinking into the rest room and threw off her coat. Putting her mask on, she removed the covering of a ventilation shaft and went through. She took out her communicator and contacted Batman.

"Batman, we were too late, the guy struck already, I'm after him now." she said just as she existed through the ventilation shaft. She was in her father's office and headed through the window. She found the guy had not gotten very far and began to pursue. She was glad her father was at home and not at work right now.

"I see." said Batman. "Ra's must have known I was on to him."

"What are we gonna do now?" Batgirl asked, as she grappled to another building trying not to lose sight of the man.

"Keep in pursue of the man, I'm on my way now in the Batmobile. I've got a home in on your location, I'll be there soon."

"Good. This guy's fast Batman hurry!"

"Shit. Then try to cut him off." he said as he turned off his communicator.

"Right. I know the perfect way to do it." she said, she swing to the building he was about to jump onto himself. She cut him off.

"The girl detective, I see you continue to work for the detective."

"And I won't stop working for him until, people like you are behind bars."  she said confidently.

"How cute, you've got a bit of a crush of the detective? Don't you?"

Batgirl suddenly found herself blushing.

"What does it matter to you?" she shot back proudly.

"Never mind then. I'm afraid I'm going to have to ask you to get out of the way girl."

"Hand over the money, and you can go." she said.

"What do you take me for? An idiot? I guess I'll just have to go through you." he said, shrugging. He brandished a knife and thrust forward to attack Batgirl. Batgirl easily dodged and gave a punch to the face. However she soon found herself on the ground due to a trip. The man got on top of her and pinned her to the ground. But with a well timed kick, he was sent sprawling back. Batgirl then pinned him to the ground.

"Alright, then you can tell me. Why does Ra's want the money?"

"Wouldn't you like to know?" he said, smiling under his mask.

"I won't ask twice."

"My, working with the detective as made you as hard as him, hasn't it? Well I'd be glad to tell you, but it's too bad you and I have to depart so soon." then at the top of his voice shouted "NOW!"

Suddenly, there were at least 50 men coming down and preparing to pounce. Batgirl looked up and stared, and then the man she had pinned used this opportunity to kick her in the stomach sending her sprawling across the ground. Then before she could get up, 5 men had encased her in a net.

Batgirl grunted trying to get loose. But one of them which had sounded like a woman assured her. "Do not try to get loose, that net is as tough as steel."

"What are you going to do to me?" Batgirl asked.

"We're just going to leave you here so you can give the detective a message." the woman said, sounding proud at how they had Batgirl helpless. "Do not bother trying to stop the master, for it will only result in your death."

"Yeah, like I've heard that before." said Batgirl, sarcastically, but then she looked, smiled and said. "Why don't you tell that to him personally?"

Before the woman could reply, Batman had come sweeping down and in no time had tied up several of Ra's men including the woman who was taunting Batgirl.

"You alright?" he asked as he pulled the net off of Batgirl.

"Just fine, oh shit! Look out!" she said.

Batman looked. One of them was preparing to knife him, but with a quick move and a kick later, the assassin was on the floor crying in pain. Batgirl quickly got up off the floor and turned and knocked down one of the assassins with her fist. Batman then punched his way through many of the assassins with his fists. However he was taking blow after blow himself, Batgirl meanwhile was also getting her fair share of beatings. She was knocked to the ground, but was able to get up and knock several of them to the ground.

"Lauren, get out the Bo Staffs. We'll finish them like a real ninja."

"Sure thing Derek." she said, heading jumping to another building. In no time, she was back with many Bo Staffs. At least 15 assassins grabbed Bo Staffs.

"Now let's finish this." he said, he headed on over to Batman. When his back was turned, he started hammering Batman with the stick, many of the others joined.

"It may be a dishonorable way to win," he said, half laughing. "but we were instructed to not harm the detective, well in terms of killing."

Batgirl turned and looked; she gasped and clapped hands to her mouth.

"What are you doing? Leave him alone." she said angrily. She began her away over to where Batman was rendered unconscious. But then one of the assassins hit her with a Bo Staff. She was sent pushing forward. She turned around, but something went over her mouth, it was a cloth that smelled like chloroform.

"MMPH!" she let out, but that was before she passed out. For a while the Society of Assassins looked at their unconscious bodies, until finally one said:

"Chain them up and leave them hanging in the air, let's see how the bats like heights." One had already begun chaining Batgirl's legs and arms.

When Batgirl opened her eyes she found herself in floating in the air, she screamed in surprised and struggled with her binds, she found her arms above her shackled together which were held up by another chain which was wrapped around a flag pole, she looked down and saw her legs shackled together as well, she noticed that she was high above ground, she also saw a chain wrapped around her waist which was binding her back-to-back with something or someone. She heard a groan from the other side, Batman's.

"Batman! Are you all right? Damn those society of assassins!"

"Yes." he said. He too noticed their predicament. "Are you hurt?"

"No, not really. One of them put something on my mouth. Couldn't really tell, then I black out."

"Chloroform. They must have ambushed you after I blacked out."

"Great, just goddamn great." Batgirl said, angrily. "Now what do we do? These chains are uncomfortable."

"Just stay still and I'll get us out of these." Batman said.

"Say, I thought you'd like to know." said Batgirl, wondering how Batman would react. "I had a dream after the sting, I was in a desert and those society of assassin guys jumped me."

"I can see why you would see the Society of Assassins. But the desert, you may have just been thinking of our past encounter with Ra's. But there's a chance that's where their base is." said Batman, his eye cocking up in curiosity. Meanwhile he was using a key from glove to unlock the chains that had his hands. Batgirl was looking at the chains that bound her hands as she said:

"Which one though? There are at least over 100 deserts, maybe 1000."

"That, you and I are going to find out." Batman said, just as he picked the locks on the chains. He then picked the locks on the chain that was binding him and Batgirl together. He immediately initiated his grapple as he was doing so. Wrapping it around the flag pole which Batgirl was still bound to below due to the chain being wrapped around the chains that bound her hands. Batman unbound his legs. Then he went to the top of the flag pole and pulled Batgirl up. He unbound her hands and legs there.

"So, what do you suppose now?" asked Batgirl.

"We should be able to find some kind of information within Mr. Freeze; he once worked with Ra's Al Ghul."* said Batman, looking in the direction of Arkham Asylum.

*Author's Note: Read Batman: Gotham Adventures #40