+15 minutes later+
"Is there anything further Alfred or I can get for you?", an unmasked Batman remained standing next to the CPU as Harley was still seated on the mainframe, hands clenched on top of her thighs while her dejected eyes kept staring at the used tissue that was between her fingers.
"How about a brain, Brucie?", the blonde replied via a sore mouth after several seconds, "And I'm getting your worktop dirty".
"I wouldn't wish to replace the one you already have", he dryly commented, the serious manner in which he delivered his statement prompting her to look up at him, "I've grown rather attached to the one you currently are in possession of".
The young woman locked eyes with crimefighter, his facial expression appearing to be worried about her. Then again, Harley remembered that he had even more on his mind than just her welfare, starting with the miniature war that was taking place within Gotham City, and the safety of his friends who were still out on the streets. And last but not least, Batman's body had been seriously battered, and the way he stood betrayed the physical pain he was constantly enduring, though he could've probably hidden that particular discomfort from most people who had casually stared at him.
As long as one of those people wasn't her, that is. But she knew better than to think he was unhurt, even if she hadn't watched him nearly getting beaten to death a few hours ago.
The last thought in her mind recalled images of the red-masked giant who was about to execute Bruce in front of her, which caused Harley to panic further in light of the current worries that were already on her mind. She result was that she felt herself choking as she sniffled and new tears ran down both sides of her face, prompting her to moan in frustration while she forcibly unclenched her hands and used the tissue there to blow her nose.
"I hate this!", she uttered as she continued drying both eyes with her right palm next, "It's not fair at all".
"No, it never is", the older man stepped in front of her and squatted on the ground, looking up at her face so as to lock eyes with her when she lowered her head, which she did, as he expected.
The Arkham doctor only shook her head further, blowing her nose one more time and making him wish that she would just use another tissue by now. There was a half-empty box on the surface of the mainframe, after all, but the young woman seemed fixated on using the same tissue repeatedly.
In another place and another time, that may have been funny.
"But Leslie will be here in just over two hours, Harley", Batman consoled further as he gently placed one hand on her right knee, the better to get her attention and cause her to listen, "She's really the best person to deal with this problem. If anyone can help us through this, it's her".
"Not just that", the young woman sniffed once, "Just, after all the shit I did when I was out of my head. After all that work that we both did, all that effort, just to get me where I am now. It's wrong for me to die such a short time after I started atoning for the past. It's wrong to have me taken out of this world before my penance is complete, Brucie. It's just not right! I have a ton more work to do at Arkham before I'm even with the old me".
"And you'll have a few more decades to work with after the creature's removed", Batman promised while standing up to his full height and taking her hand in his.
She suspected he sounded more confident in Dr. Thompkins' ability to successfully operate than he actually felt, but regardless, the notion was appreciated.
"How badly hurt are you, puddin'?", she whispered next, desperate to think about anything other than the monster that was being raised in her ribcage.
"I'm fine", he quickly lied, "Not in bad enough shape to put an end to tonight's fight against those creatures".
The constant throb in his head and torso was enough of a reminder to inform him that his statements weren't totally true.
"I can feel my energy level diminishing with every hour that passes", he admitted at last, "Once I'm done, I'll need some rest. So it may be some time before Bruce Wayne can take you out to dinner again".
Harley laughed without expecting to do so as she partially looked away from him.
"Well, if that's the case, I better go fall in love with another millionaire who works tirelessly to help his enemies reform", she chuckled while she rubbed her eyes dry, sniffling as she did.
Moving carefully, she withdrew her hand from his and used the side of both index fingers to rub her eyes again, completing the task before doing what she knew she had to. So she looked up at the crimefighter while she tried to not make it obvious that she was gripping the sides of her own legs due to the tension she felt.
"You need to go and back up Nightwing and your alien friend, sweetie", she ultimately informed him, "Alfred is fine when it comes to keeping me company till Leslie gets here, and once she does, then it's all gonna be up to her, isn't it? No point in you staying here while the city needs you".
"Forget it", Batman curtly countered, brushing his hand aside as if to end that conversation as soon as he had spoken those two words.
"You need to!", she shot back, going against the overwhelming instinct of wanting him to remain there, "I can tell from your body language even now. You're torn between being with me and being out there. And not that I don't want you here, Brucie, but I can't have you spending your time here, holding my hand, while you could be saving people's lives tonight".
"Nice argument, doctor Quinn from Arkham Asylum's Counselling Services", the older man kept his attention on her as he pronounced her entire title, forcing her to stop darting her eyes on everything there except him, "Too bad you're not in charge of deciding what I do with my own time".
She sighed back, lowering her head in frustration despite his gaze into her face.
"Remember the first time I jumped on you and gave you a kiss?", she answered after lifting her eyes back up to look into his, knowing that he did, "You saved my life earlier that day, and kept not giving up on me even though I kept being a bitch and telling you to get bent. You stopped me being dead anyway. It was your persistence that helped me get over Mr. J, and you did it because it's right, not for any other reason".
"It's policy to never give up on people who need help", Batman easily repeated one of his oldest convictions, "It's why the taking of a life is not allowed, because people always have the potential for change. You still haven't told me what one topic has to do with the other, Harley".
"It's why I love you", the blonde meekly answered.
She thought that at least her response was enough to keep him from using more retorts to her point of view.
"So you need to go back out and keep doing what I love you for doing", she followed through, ironically aware that she was succeeding in doing the one thing that could make her more uncomfortable at this time, which was to convince him to leave, "And like I said, I'm in good hands with Alfred here".
The older man only sighed, looking away and rubbing his eyes with his gloved right hand.
"I better see you again after this", he irritably mentioned as he let go of his face.
"Of course you will, puddin'. Not going anywhere", Harley forced a fake smile on her own lips as she casually leapt off the computer mainframe and embraced him, wrapping her arms around his upper back and squeezing for several heartbeats.
She waited as long as she could, and only then slowly parted from him as she knew she should, still hating that she had to do this.
"You know where the sterile room, x-ray machine and other equipment is, for when Leslie arrives", Batman spoke in a softer tone once he was separated from the blonde and busy replacing the mask over his head, "As well as the remains of that creature, if Leslie should decide to autopsy it first".
"I do indeed", she nodded, anxiously gripping the edge of the mainframe behind her in frustration, though successfully keeping the tension off her face, "You just take off and kick some alien ass. I'll just stay right here. And I'm guessing you need to get a new cape and one of those shooting hooks of yours first, right?".
"Yes", the crimefighter tightened the gloves around his forearms, "And will be visiting commissioner Gordon after that before rejoining Nightwing. The city needs to be alerted of this threat. The sooner, the better".
"I love you, sweetie", the Arkham counselor pushed her head forward while rising on her toes, and then planted a kiss on his lips.
"And I you, Harley", the masked fighter held her chin while kissing her back.
Batman first walked backwards after they parted for the second time and she returned to a seated position on the large CPU. He quickened his pace while their eyes were locked, and only then turned around completely. The last sight she saw was that of him heading off towards his armory, and then his figure disappeared completely, having been swallowed up by the cavern's shadows.
And why did this place look so much more gloomy when she was alone?
Regardless, that wasn't important right now. Harley's mind raced as she heard only herself breathing and the sound of bats fluttering overhead, so she looked up towards the high natural ceiling, unable to see the small animals, but breathing in the cool air regardless. Anything to keep her mind off the monster that was waiting to kill her by being born. And the tactic almost worked.
But no matter how hard she tried, there was no distracting her from the very real possibility that this was her last night alive, and the only difference that Dr. Thompkins may have made was that she died in surgery and not screaming in extreme pain. So Harley stood up, slowly pacing the ground in front of the CPU and giant monitor, feeling the wet and muddy costume that was usually so snug, but now seemed extremely uncomfortable. Then again, she guessed that it didn't matter how cosy or clean her clothes were, or were not, in this particular case, as she'd be experiencing this anguish anyhow, due to her dread of what was to come.
So if she did end up dying on an operating table tonight, she wondered how she wanted her last few hours on Earth to be spent. Sitting in this gigantic cave, frequently snivelling while Alfred brought her servings of tea, toast and cake, or doing something else entirely?
It was then that she heard an echo of the Batmobile driving towards the cavern's exit. So far in the distance, her consort was on his way out, leaving his home so he could do what he was best at. That induced her to think about Batman further, both the person beneath the mask as well as the superhero persona, both of whom she was very familiar with now. And it was all she needed to make up her mind.
Without informing Alfred, as she suspected he may try to stop her if she did, Harley tiptoed towards the cave's exit that led to the mansion above. Granted it was being outside that led her into the terrible situation she was stuck in at the current time, but she had more things to do before Dr. Thompkins arrived.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
+40 minutes later+
It was a deserted and lit sidewalk where Samuel Kleghar had settled down for the night several hours ago. He looked older than his age of 56 years, huddled amid several layers of clothing that he had acquired while living on the streets for nearly two decades. Doing his best to be warm, he remained in a partially seated position on the wet steamvent that shot hot air from the subway below, his back resting against the wall of the small grocery store behind him. It was a position that was as comfortable as one could expect, given the conditions.
The middle-aged man's eyes were closed, his right hand instinctively clutching the only blanket he had access to, as the thick material was wrapped around his body from the shoulders down to his ankles. His left fingers, though, kept a gentler hold on a bible that was resting against his chest. It was in that state that he had almost fallen asleep, looking forward to a few hours of hopefully uninterrupted rest, before the sun rose again and the inevitable noise of commuters would quickly wake him back up.
He thought to himself that he had at least found a decent enough home, within the area where he currently slept outdoors. For starters, the owner of the business against which he was currently leaning was one of the few individuals who didn't harass him into moving away when the shop opened at 6AM, due to complaints that his presence would deter customers from coming inside. In addition, the person who ran this grocery store, a younger man affectionately referred to as Mikey for several weeks, was even nice enough to sometimes bring him food that was about to expire, rightly guessing that Samuel would prefer to eat it, rather than tossing it in garbage cans at the back of the shop.
Of course, the possibility of such an occurrence wasn't for several more hours, and for now, the only sound Samuel could hear was that of his own breathing as he could feel his own heartbeat steadily slowing, indicating that he would fall asleep soon. It was a pretty nice feeling, and one which he looked forward to, after a day of working towards his own survival, all the while keeping up with his religious readings and practices after acquiring enough food for the day. So there was nothing to do but enjoy the relaxing sensation which accompanied that of slipping into comfortable unconsciousness, and look forward to the next dawn that his God provided him with.
But then, his mind caught the presence of a sound the like of which he could never remember hearing before. The strange noise resembled the hissing of a stray cat, which Samuel was very familiar with, as he was in the habit of giving homeless animals bits of food that had been earlier provided for him by his friend Mikey. But this clamour was different, more high-pitched, and aggressive.
So Samuel opened his eyes to see where the noise had originated from, and he heard himself screaming in fear as his eyes and mouth widened at the sight in front of him. A gigantic beast, possibly as long as nine feet, without measuring its tail, that was stalking him, nearing the human being as it approached on four legs. Saliva drooled out of the monster's mouth, its terrible eyes staring at its prey as it hissed a second time, exposing teeth that looked eager to eviscerate him where he was.
"Oh no! The Devil!", Samuel exclaimed as he rushed to stand up, the fact that his blanket had been wrapped so tightly around him only slowing down his efforts as he groggily rose to his feet.
This beast could be no one else except for Satan himself, having risen from Hell to kill him. So Samuel initially backed away, trying to put as much space between himself and his stalker as possible.
But if this truly was the case that he believed, then Samuel's survival was surely doomed, as no man could stand up to the Devil and live, not considering all the unholy power that this demonic beast possessed. So the middle-aged man stopped moving, opting to kneel on the ground as he pressed the bible against his heart with his left hand and performed the sign of the cross over his face and torso with his right. It was true that God had tested him repeatedly in his life, giving him a difficult life to survive, and then demanding that he treat other creatures well in the process. And if God was allowing the Devil to confront him now, then it was surely his time to leave this world, and face judgement for the way he lived his life.
So he was going to be defiant, refusing to close his eyes as the demon approached him further, clearly readying to pounce on him from several yards away as its legs bent due to the anticipation.
He started saying a Hail Mary prayer as he prepared for the inevitable, and the monster growled as it rushed towards him.
Except that Samuel next saw an Angel from Heaven intercepting the Devil's attack. This new visitor could also be none other. She was currently in the form of a human female, with blonde hair and dressed in a tight, red outfit. And from her appearance, she had been having a rather difficult a time while visiting this world. But as befits a true Angel, that wasn't enough to dissuade her, since the Angel slammed into the creature from the side, knocking the beast aside and preventing it from attacking him.
Confused, but pleasantly surprised, Samuel remained on his knees as he watched the Devil hissing at the Angel, while the latter stood between itself and him. As expected, the demonic beast did not dare try to rush past her in its desire to kill him, surely knowing that its strength was no match when compared to the power of one of Heaven's guardians. So the Devil stood on its rear legs and hissed angrily, showing off a second mouth inside its original jaw, always impatient to tear this kneeling human apart. But not surprisingly, the Angel wasn't deterred, bravely standing her ground as she refused to back down, effectively saving his life.
"I know what you're thinking", he heard the Angel talking even though her back was turned to him, as she addressed the unholy creation, "What's a gorgeous girl like her doing talking to an ugly mutt like me?".
Her language was definitely not what Samuel had expected. But then again, who was he to decide how Heaven's creatures should talk when they were on Earth?
The Devil refused to answer her as it only hissed again and tried to move around her, always keen on getting its vicious claws and teeth into the human. Even with the Angel here, the sight was enough to momentarily frighten Samuel, so he slowly rose back to a standing position, though refusing to come closer to the blonde Angel who kept the beast away from him.
True enough to her nature, the Angel jumped aside, intentionally standing in front of the monster and halting its forward progress, and the Devil succumbed, refusing to move past her again despite its desire to kill him. And due to its insolence, Heaven's soldier delivered a strong, open-handed slap to its face, which was enough to snap the demon's head aside, before it turned its attention back on her and hissed again.
"I've had enough of this", the Angel finally commented, though sounding as if she was only thinking out loud, rather than addressing either the human or the Devil there, and Samuel saw her reaching within her clothes.
With his eyes constantly paying attention to what she did, she withdrew a small revolver, undid its safety mechanism, pointed the muzzle only a few inches away from the Devil's head, and pulled the trigger once. The monster shrieked as it was thrown backwards, even as the Angel quickly walked away from it, apparently eager to not get any of its filth on her person.
Not that Samuel could blame her for wishing to remain clean. Heaven's creatures were not to be fouled by coming into contact with Hell's minions.
It was only after confirming that the Devil was dead due to its lack of movement that the lovely Angel turned her attention towards him, looking into his eyes from several feet away.
Samuel meant to kneel back down, to say a prayer while showing her the gratitude he felt for acting on behalf of God's divine intervention. But he had been so shocked at everything that took place in the last minute that he slumped down in an ungraceful seated position instead, roughly sitting on the sidewalk.
"Are you OK, puddin'?", Heaven's warrior asked as she approached him, while placing the human-made weapon back within her clothes.
He couldn't find the right words to answer with as she squatted next to him, her eyes looking into his as she gave him the gentlest smile he had seen in a long time.
"You're not saying anything", the Angel continued, appearing more worried now, "Are you hurt?".
"No!", Samuel quickly shook his head, "No, not at all. Thanks to you".
"Don't mention it", she lightly patted him on the shoulder, "I'm glad I saw it on time".
"I truly thought my time in this life was finished", he continued, glad to be catching his breath, as he returned her gaze, happy to be looking into her face, "I thought I was on my way to pay for my sins and then see them again".
"Who's 'them', exactly?", the Angel inquired, genuinely curious.
Odd, that she was from Heaven and didn't know about his loved ones. But still, he wasn't in a position to decide how she should act.
"Lisa, Kathy and Paul", Samuel went on, taking his time as he explained, repositioning himself in a more comfortable seated position since she appeared to be willing to speak to him even though he wasn't kneeling as he should, "My wife, and my two children. They haven't been with me for more than twenty years now, ever since the fire that claimed them from me, and took them back to our mutual master".
"Our mutual master?", she raised both eyebrows, pretending to not know who he meant.
Perhaps Angels didn't appreciate being put on the same level of worship before their Lord as humans were. If so, then fair enough.
"I'm sorry", Samuel smiled as he looked away in shame, "I meant God. But I suppose you have a different name for Him".
He looked back up into her eyes, her facial expression indicating that she truly did.
"Yeah, trust me, puddin'", the Angel grinned, "I've called that guy many different names over the years".
She managed to stun him into silence.
"Poor thing", she sadly whispered as she stabilized herself in the squatted position, actually reaching for his face and lightly touching his right cheek as she spoke, "I wish I could do something else for you. What brings you out to be living here anyway?".
"Don't despair. God has done all for me", Samuel assured her, still enjoying his encounter with the unearthly being, "After my dear three were taken from me in that horrible fire, I didn't think I could continue. Lost our home due to having no fire insurance. It was a sobering enough experience, being told the only thing your government would do for you was to offer you a low-interest loan that you couldn't afford anyway since you were too depressed to keep your job".
"Oh, I'm sorry", the Angel continued, suddenly seeming unsure with what to say or do in her efforts to make him feel better, which was odd.
Maybe she wasn't allowed to use her extraordinary abilities while on Earth, Samuel guessed to himself, which would definitely explain why she had to rely on human weapons to deal with the Devil.
"Don't be, I'm in good hands", he extended his hand towards her, which she soon held, the pressure in her fingers being soft and strong at the same time, "I know God is testing me, that's all. It's why I had no home, no job and no one to stay with when I was de-institutionalized, and this world kept telling me how I didn't qualify for help since I didn't have my darling kids with me or didn't have any disabilities. It's all a test to see how good I can be regardless of my circumstances, and once my time is finished here, my actions will decide how soon I see Lisa, Kathy and Paul again".
"Oh Jesus!", the blonde Angel sighed as she kept her one hand within his and lowered her face into her other palm, "You have no idea how easily I could've been where you are now, puddin'".
"I don't understand", the older man who was still seated went on, "What do you mean?".
The warrior from Heaven was about to answer when a ringing sound emanated from within her clothes, so she instinctively withdrew her hand from his and stood up, bringing out a cellphone from one of her pockets. She gave a standard greeting into the mobile phone, before a thicker, male voice from the other end, who was loud enough for Samuel to hear, urgently replied.
"Harley, why aren't you in the Batcave?", the stranger who had called the Angel demanded.
"Just went for a walk, sweetie, nothing more", the blonde soldier of the Lord nonchalantly replied.
"Leslie's there now! She was early!", her correspondent answered, "Get back there now, Harley!".
"Fine, sweetie, no problem", the Angel reassured, a mixture of anxiety and relief on her face at being told the news, "I'll be there in twenty".
"Hurry", was the only word that the man on the phone urged before hanging up.
She sighed sadly as she looked back down at his seated position, Samuel being able to tell that she was breathing heavily, now that the phone conversation was over and she was putting the closed cellphone away.
"I promise you'll see your family one day", the Angel stated as she squatted next to him again, bringing her face to within several inches of his.
She withdrew something he couldn't distinguish out of another of her pockets and handed it to him, before standing back up.
"But for now, get yourself a nice meal, OK?", the Angel advised with a sad smile.
It was all she said, because she then turned away from him and bolted down the sidewalk, eventually turning a corner after three blocks, and disappearing from his view altogether.
Samuel breathed in and out in his own turn, suddenly left alone in the silent street, which was as peaceful as it had been a few minutes ago, when he was previously getting ready to fall asleep. But he knew for a fact that the recent occurrences were real and not just a dream, as the Devil's body was still lying several yards away from where he was seated.
He looked down at his hand, and saw that the Angel had given him a $20 bill.
XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX
+30 minutes later+
"Are we getting anywhere fast?", Nightwing thought out loud as he remained strapped to the Batmobile's backseat while the vehicle was moving down the street, albeit slower than usual.
"What's on your mind?", Batman responded with a question of his own while his gaze was ahead of him, driving the car with both hands on the steering wheel, and still struggling to ignore the ache in his head and torso.
After all, the painkillers he carried along with the First Aid kit for the objective of allowing him to temporarily procrastinate a doctor's visit could only do so much.
"I say we take a break, Bats", the young man told him, "We go back to homebase, you stay with Harl, and get Leslie to look at you afterwards, and I fix the Batwing. We should really search for these critters from the air".
He wasn't bothered that the Predator in the front passenger seat seemed uninterested in the conversation, as the hunter's masked face was constantly staring back and forth. That's because Red was always visually combing as much of his environment as possible in the search for Xenomorphs and not paying attention to anything else.
"I did consider that possibility", the older human added after a pause of several seconds, "I don't prefer that option. When all is said and done, you don't know how long it will take you to fix the Batwing, do you?".
"Well, no", Nightwing admitted, "Maybe a couple of hours?".
"Not good enough", his former instructor quickly countered, "Can't afford to be out of action for that long".
The less experienced crimefighter only sighed in frustration, rolling his eyes from behind the mask as he stared away, looking outside the side window instead.
"Something on your mind?", Batman asked next, having waited a few moments without the younger man saying anything further.
His previous second-in-command locked eyes with the caped crusader for only an instant as their gaze met via the vehicle's rear-view mirror. The brief glimpse was all Batman was allowed, before Nightwing looked away yet again, pretending to be interested in the darkness that was outside the back window.
"Not really", the younger man replied with another sigh, which was enough of an indication for the other human of the presence of a problem, even as the giant who shared their vehicle kept switching his own view from the left to the right, and back again.
"You do remember the old warning, back when your training started, right?", Batman continued talking as he kept his eyes on the road ahead, "It was the lesson regarding the importance of a clear and focused mind not being distracted when heading into battle, since it's the easiest way to get one's self killed?".
As he spoke, the Batmobile left the neighbourhood that the three warriors were travelling through, currently entering a new area of Gotham City, this one being a lower class one. As a result, approximately half the streetlights were suddenly no longer working, and the presence of numerous potholes on the street made the vehicle's journey more jarring.
"Why, Bats, as your most studious apprentice", the junior combatant's face lit up with a grin, "I take all your lessons to heart, the way you so generously taught them to a novice like me".
If Batman had been the type, he would have rolled his eyes at the sarcasm that he had to put up with and at the young man's refusal to take the situation as seriously as it should be.
Instead, the older crimefighter remained quiet, intentionally keeping his eyes away from the rear-view mirror because he knew that his friend was staring into it and looking decidedly smug. It was the only way to convince Nightwing to talk about his emotions nowadays.
"It's the Joker", his former sidekick finally uttered, the smile gone from his face by now.
"What about him?", Batman followed through.
"I guess I've been thinking about him, and what happened to him", the young man inhaled and exhaled loudly, "Keep wondering… I thought I'd feel better once he was gone, you know?".
"I've seen more than a few troubled individuals over the years, Nightwing", the caped crusader went on once the former apprentice had stopped talking, "And I will never negate on my belief of always trying to help those characters reform, but Joker was the one madman who I believe personified the idea that rehabilitation was impossible".
"Well, it is now!", the backseat passenger chuckled, though making it sound forced as he did.
"I suppose it is, yes", Batman nodded once, "Joker's not surviving this particular brush with death".
"I'm also wondering if those Preds were planning to snap his neck all along", Nightwing added on his own accord, finding it easier to talk about the issue now, "Or, you know, if it was… If it was what I said that convinced them to do it, about how he hadn't lured you to them like he planned. I dunno, man, all those times when I wished he was dead, I can't be feeling bad about maybe having a hand in making it happen".
"You should not be beating yourself up over this", Batman commented, almost as if he was giving a command, and expecting it to be followed, "But my guess would be that once we invited ourselves to our visitors' doorsteps, they realized that Joker was no longer needed, so it's not blood on your hands".
While still driving, the older of the two humans quickly glanced over to the Predator who was still visually scanning the dark environment outside the Batmobile.
"Would you be so kind as to clarify what your species' view is on these matters?", the caped crusader inquired of the hunter before resuming his attention on the road ahead.
Having been addressed, the giant stopped turning his head in every direction and only stared back at the driver.
"Yaujta rarrrely spare the life of a prey", the behemoth hissed through his mask, "If the prey is not a worthy adversssary, if it bests us in honorrrable combat, or if a bargain is made where something morrre desirable is offered in exchange for the prey's life. In this last categorrry, if a prey were to fail to deliver on the bargain, the prrrey's life is forfeit".
"End of discussion, then", Batman added his own opinion to the hunter's statement, as if he expected his words to immediately quell Nightwing's concerns.
"Here's another thought, dude", Nightwing slightly arched his head towards the vehicle's closed ceiling, while horizontally extending his right arm past the shoulder so that limb rested on the back of the rear seat, "Red, you said that your guys were hunting these Xeno things, right?".
"That isss correct", the Predator in the front seat replied without turning his head around, either not noticing or ignoring Batman's slight shake of the head as the older human thought the young man should've been more attentive while on patrol.
"Then why was Bats here surrounded by Preds and Xenos when I swooped down with the Batwing earlier tonight?", the less experienced crimefighter continued, "They seemed to be co-operating quite well then".
The hunter remained silent for a few seconds, having realized what a good question that was, even as Nightwing's point occurred to Batman himself.
"My only speculation is that this human shocked my brrrethren by defffeating me", Red finally spoke up, still staring through all the windows in the car, "It is a rarrre occurrence. So other Yautchas must have wished to challenge himmm next, as he had proven his worth as the ultimate human prey. The Xenomorphs, on the other hand, must have belllieved him to be the one who killed one of their own, even when it was I who dealt that fatal blow, and thus teamed up against him to ellliminate the threat to their ranks. They are quite intelligennnt, that way".
"Ah", the younger man casually nodded his head.
Neither human had time to say anything else, as Red's body suddenly tensed as he gazed past Batman. He giant extended his left arm past the back of the driver's head and pointed with that index finger as he angrily screamed behind the metal mask. Both crimefighters instinctively looked in the direction he was indicating, and then simultaneously swore to themselves upon realizing that neither one of them could see in the pitch black darkness.
Regardless, upon trusting the Predator's ability to see the Xenomorphs' body heat, Batman quickly pulled the vehicle over and parked next to the sidewalk. Once the top of the Batmobile moved aside, all three occupants rushed to undo their seatbelt and hurried out of the car.
Several yards away from where they stood, the humans spotted a fairly tall apartment building, so they each withdrew a handheld, but very powerful, flashlight and illuminated the side of the structure that faced them. Quickly counting fourteen floors, the crimefighters then spotted a lone Xenomorph that moved along the outer wall with the ease of a fly, proceeding from the rooftop to the first open window.
Batman and Nightwing hastily withdrew a pre-pressurized grappling hook while putting away the flashlight, even as the four-legged monster sneaked into the room that waited on the other side of the highest floor of the building. The two humans pointed the transportation device at the bottom of the windowsill, as distant screams were heard emanating from inside the tall structure's top floor.
"Stay together!", Batman ordered, even while the Predator bolted away from them.
The hunter ran towards the building's main entrance and tried to open the metal door which led inside. He grunted in frustration when he found it to be locked, while the two humans sailed upwards through the air behind him. Looking over the buzzer that contained a button which represented each of the tenancies, and failing to understand how to operate it, the extra-terrestrial giant simply used his shoulder to crash through the metal barrier. His great mass and power proved to be too much for even such a strong doorway as he forced his way to the lobby on the other side.
From the humans' point of view, Batman and Nightwing reached the bottom of the window through which the Xenomorph had disappeared within a few seconds, both men hurrying through the opening. Once they entered the room on the other side, the two crimefighters froze where they stood due to the sight that greeted them.
Within the studio apartment that included an attached, on-suite kitchen, there were three beds which had contained four people on them. The first, largest bed was for a couple who had slept on it earlier tonight, and each of the other two, smaller beds contained an adolescent boy on it. In the middle of the cramped apartment, the 8-foot long Xenomorph stood vertically on its rear legs, easily the largest being there, and was busy eating the remains of one of the children as all four family members were already dead.
Upon seeing the two new intruders, the four-legged monster turned away from its meal, hissing at the live humans instead. It didn't get the chance to attack because Batman delivered a flying kick into its torso, sending it staggering backwards in a hiss of pain and outrage. The Xenomorph's upper back slammed into the wall behind it as the caped crusader gracefully landed on his feet in front of it. Quickly regaining its composure, the alien reached forth with its head as its main jaw snapped open and shut, aiming to bite the human's skull. But Batman was ready as he swiftly grabbed its head via both his hands and used its forward momentum to continue pulling its body past himself and towards the floor.
The Xenomorph shrieked again as the human slammed its body horizontally against the floor, Batman next gripping the alien's neck and placing his entire weight on top of its own in an effort to prevent the monster from getting back up. The four-legged creature hissed and spat again, trying to reach for the human with its front limbs and desperately attempting to stab him with its tail. But as it did, Nightwing rushed in the direction of the stand-off, passing by the attached kitchen as he did, and borrowing the 10-inch butcher knife he spotted in the sink. Reaching the spot where the older man kept the beast pinned against the floor, though the Xenomorph was slowly pushing itself back up, the young man drove the length of the entire blade into the alien's head.
The monster's body twitched and then slackened, before it lifelessly collapsed and did not move again. A pool of acid began to eat a hole through the floor underneath its head as Red kicked in the door from the hallway outside. Rushing into the small apartment, the Predator quickly stared at the dead alien, then at the two humans who had killed it, and finally at the four humans who were lying in their bloodied beds. Seeing that he had joined the fight too late, in addition to the agitated expression on the face of his allies, the hunter physically relaxed as he turned around and walked out of the room, slower this time.
With no emergency to deal with, Batman and Nightwing turned back towards the open window, the edge of their grappling hooks still embedded in that area. Neither individual said anything as they proceeded out of the windowsill, though the younger man knew from experience that the caped crusader was gritting his teeth in frustration at having failed to save any of the alien's victims. Nightwing was already making plans within his own head to call the Gotham Police so as to have the bodies removed, when he was interrupted by a scream from the floor below theirs, though this one seemed to carry a sense of outrage rather than one of fear and pain.
"What…? What the FUCK?", the male tenant downstairs yelled, "Why is there a HOLE in the damn ROOF! Hey!... HEY! Who the fuck's gonna PAY for that! I'm not paying for it! Damn landlord! What the fuck!".
The young man sighed as he exited the room that contained five corpses within it, now reminding himself to keep a track of the address. That way, he could return when the emergency was finished with the intention of financially compensating the tenant downstairs for his loss, with Bruce Wayne's money, of course.
It was a quick trip back to the street outside. The two masked humans climbed back aboard the Batmobile, while Red joined them as the hunter was wisely using his invisibility cloak so as to remain unseen due to the few people who had gathered around the vehicle. Ignoring the small crowd, Batman activated the car roof to close while he simultaneously started the engine, and then sped down the street as all three beings strapped on a seatbelt. The crimefighter was still angrily gripping the steering wheel with both hands while the Predator pushed a sequence of buttons and turned himself visible again.
Nightwing sank into the backseat, disliking the fact that his efforts failed to save anyone during the last confrontation also, and wisely remaining quiet until his mentor stopped sulking.
They hadn't driven far when Batman's cellphone rang, the caped crusader withdrawing the gadget with his right hand and placing it against his ear while his left hand remained on the steering wheel.
"Yes", he greeted the caller before listening to what was said from the other end, "Got it. One moment".
He turned his attention to his two passengers while the mobile phone remained in his right fingers.
"Alfred says Leslie informed him that the creature will be extracted from Harley's right lung in another fifteen minutes", the older crimefighter informed his second-in-command without looking at him, "He wants to know what we want done with it".
"You need to ask?", Nightwing didn't hesitate to reply, "Tell him to kill the stupid thing".
"We should do it", the more experienced crimefighter continued, "I'd rather not have that animal running around the Batcave in case Alfred isn't able to exterminate it".
"Works for me", the younger man continued.
"We'll be there in ten minutes, Alfred", Batman returned to speaking into the cellphone, "Tell Leslie to wait until we're there to deal with the creature".
"Really, Bats. We need three of us to deal with one critter now?", the youngster in the backseat undid his seatbelt and leaned forward, placing his now-grinning face between the caped crusader and the hunter.
"What are you saying?", his mentor questioned while realizing that he had to slow the vehicle down.
"How about if you go greet this baby from another planet?", Nightwing enthusiastically replied, not feeling physically tired in the least, "And Red and I will stay on foot and… keep hunting?".
The junior crimefighter patted the Predator's left upper arm as he finished talking, prompting the giant to turn his masked head towards the smaller human in the backseat. Red made quick eye contact with Nightwing from behind the metal visor, and then turned his attention back to the windshield ahead. The lack of protests on the hunter's part was enough to indicate that the human could have his way, and that only widened the grin on his face.
"Yeah, me and Red can hold our own. Just drop us off in that alley there, Bats", Nightwing leaned back into the backseat once more, pointing towards the first dark passageway he spotted outside of the Batmobile, "And tell Harley we both said 'hi', OK?".
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