&&&
DC Infinity Presents
Batgirl # 15
Salvation Run
"The Long Road Home."
Conclusion
&&&
Gotham City
A half dozen specially trained DEO agents sprinted across the lobby of the run down tenement as the other members of their taskforce concentrated on ushering out the remaining and surprisingly stubborn tenants.
Only in Gotham would you find someone indifferent to the fact that there had been hurricane force winds on the top floor less than ten minutes ago.
The elevator pinged, and six highly decorated Department of Extra-normal Operations stepped in and formed a line.
"Okay people," Agent Pratt began, "our target is known as Windfall. White, with blond curly hair. We are to secure her and then hustle out before any trouble. We think she took out her old teammates, the Masters of Disaster."
"And if she didn't?" asked one agent.
"Then we will," answered Agent Pratt, "we've all dealt with meta-humans before. Hit them hard and fast and put them down before they know we're there."
"Good plan," observed an unknown voice.
The agents glanced upwards, and saw Batgirl straddling the elevator ceiling, arms and legs straight as a nail.
Before they could fully absorb that fact, Batgirl fell and within a moment, so did darkness.
The elevator dinged top floor, and Batgirl calmly stepped out with what she sought. Almost as an afterthought, she pushed the button for the first floor as a courtesy for the DEO agents who'd loaned her their equipment.
&&&
Windfall felt a weight in her gut as she saw Batgirl return. She knew that the DEO was ready to come down on her like the fist of God, and for the life of her, couldn't understand why Batgirl just wouldn't allow her to surrender.
"You need to trust me," Batgirl said, as if she'd read Windfall's mind.
"You can't handle an army of DEO agents!" Wendy pleaded.
"Handled worse" Batgirl replied with an indifferent shrug. Wendy, caught flat footed by Batgirl's answer, couldn't think of an answer before Batgirl shoved the tracker she'd taken from the DEO agents along with a small tool kit and radio from her utility belt.
"What are these for?"
"Use the radio," Batgirl picked up Wendy underneath her arms and dragged her into a nearby apartment, "Oracle will tell you what to do."
"What are you going to do?"
Batgirl set Wendy down carefully, "It's dangerous to move you…too far. Need time. I will make sure…we get it."
"You're insane!" Wendy shouted, but Batgirl had already stepped out and locked the door.
&&&
Martin Pride, along with forty odd other DEO agents, finally got the signal they were waiting for, indicating that the floor had been sealed off by his fellow DEO agents. Using hand-signs, he signaled for his team to follow him up the stairs, weapons drawn.
They moved in pairs of two, sweeping the hall. They moved with a quickened pace, but tried not to hurry. Each and every one of them knew from personal history how important, and dangerous, small details could be with superhumans. Sometimes, something as subtle as a unblemished corpse amid a slaughter meant that there was a meta-human lying in wait, ready to escape and kill again, or just kill.
So it came as a surprise to the DEO agents when they saw Batgirl standing in the middle of the hall, cape draped over her shoulder, waiting for them.
Pride first stiffened, and then sighed in relief. He had a hunch she was the genuine article, and while The Bats were often creepy as hell, they were also trained professionals who complimented law enforcement with their skill and precision.
"Batgirl, we're looking for the Masters of Disaster. I assume you are too?"
"Already dealt with," Batgirl stated. She pointed down the hall, "Heatstroke and Coldsnap are restrained. Get them."
Pride nodded to four of his people, each armed with restraints designed with meta-humans in mind, "What about New Wave and Windfall?"
"New Wave…isn't here."
"And Windfall?"
"Windfall is under my protection," Batgirl said without hesitation. At first she considered leading them around 'by the nose' as Nightwing would say, but knew that her skills at deception were lacking. Above all else, she needed to maintain control of what was to happen next, and she accomplished that best in combat.
"Excuse me?"
"You have been misinformed," Batgirl stated, "Windfall killed no one. Your…superior…has his own…plans. I will not let you take her…into custody."
Pride gave Batgirl an odd look, "Even if I believed you Batgirl, I'm afraid that's not your decision to make. This is a matter of law…"
"Wrong," Batgirl replied sternly, "It's about…right and wrong. That's all… I care about."
Pride motioned towards his fellow agents, and a dozen weapons were trained on Batgirl.
"I'm sorry you feel that way, but I suggest you start caring more. I don't want to, but if you stand between us and a criminal, there's not a person here who will hesitate to take you down."
"I will not hesitate…to do what's right," said Batgirl.
"Don't even think of moving your hands to that belt. If you even twitch your arms…"
Batgirl saw perfectly well how each and every agent had their eyes focused on her arms, ready to unleash a deadly hail of gunfire should they even twitch. As it so happened, she fully anticipated that.
She also expected that like most untrained fighters, the DEO agents would focus all their attention on her upper body. They wouldn't observe how the floor beneath their feet was relatively smooth hardwood, or notice the silver metal disc that already rested flat on the floor beneath her boot.
So without a twitch of her arms, Batgirl slid the disc forward. The DEO agents looked down in confusion, but quickly realized the danger when the disc began to spew a thick white mist.
"Short burst!" Prided ordered. Unlike most law enforcement agents, DEO agents were allowed some discretion when it came to opening fire. Due to the usually unusual nature of the threats they were expected to face, DEO agents were actually trained on how to hold their weapons on target, and when it was acceptable to open fire without a direct line of sight.
Three quick shots were fired by five DEO agents before the barrage ended.
"Hold your fire, cease fire!" Agent Pride ordered.
Like they were trained, the DEO agents eased their fingers off the trigger, and waited. The disc had created a thick wall of white smoke, but as luckily it remained a good two feet away from the DEO agents.
"Can you see anything?" asked one agent.
"No, but that was probably the idea," Agent Pride remarked, "blind us so that we didn't risk shooting. I hope that Bat's vest saved her life, but…"
DEO Agent Pride wasn't given a chance to finish before Batgirl stepped out of the cloud of smoke, next to the edge of the wall and lunged forward.
The Federal Agent barely realized he was under attack before Batgirl's fist rendered him unconscious. Batgirl dove into the crowd of Federal Agents, and in the split second it took them to either toss aside their weapons or flip the safeties, Batgirl was knee deep inside their ranks.
Agent Reynolds was the first to attack. He flipped the safety on his service weapon, flipped it in his hands and swung for Batgirl's head with the butt. With a simple step back, she avoided the attack. Batgirl then swung her left arm and jammed three fingers into the nerve bundle right below Reynold's armpit. For a moment, his arm went slack as the pain registered, and Batgirl grabbed the arm that held his weapon and slammed it into his face.
To their credit, when the DEO agents saw their six foot six fellow agent fall, none of them hesitated. But with their considerable numbers, they all tripped over one another to get to her.
Batgirl wasted no time in exploiting that fact. A sweeping kick connected with three separate agents, and a single punch to the stomach combined with a single push backwards entangled four agents.
Batgirl threw her cape out wide like a bullfighter, and motioned with her hand for the DEO agents to attack, if they so dared.
They obliged.
&&&
Wendy, uncertain of what else to do, pressed the call button the radio, "…hello?"
"Hello Wendy, this is Oracle. You may have heard of me."
"Once or twice, look listen, Batgirl needs help!"
The Daughter of Shiva swung her elbow into Agent Lambert's face and then grabbed the disorientated agent and swung him into his partner. With a swift kick to the rear, both agents were sent sprawling.
"Trust me, she's fine. Right now, you're a greater threat to her than those agents."
"Me?" Wendy gasped, "what did I do?"
"The nanites they hit you with, they also act as tracers," Oracle explained, "they only have a four hour lifespan, but that's still too long if we want to safely move you."
"What…what can I do?"
"I assume that Batgirl gave you the tracker and some tools?"
"Yeah but…"
"Then I'm going to talk you through modifying the tracker so it acts as a jammer," Oracle explained. She had the blue prints displayed on her left screen. She'd only seen this model twice before, but just that passing knowledge was enough for someone of her caliber.
Wendy gulped, "But I've never…and it'll take too long!"
"It'll be fine," Oracle reassured her, "Batgirl is more than capable of buying us the time we need."
DEO Agent Mike Waller was one of the few agents who was smart enough to carry a non-standard weapon for non standard situations. Knowing that a crime-fighter that was part of an operation as sophisticated as the Batman's was likely wearing kelvar, he opted for a cruder method of bring her down. He pulled out his Dad's old hunting knife, and waited for Batgirl to dispatch Agent Mathews before he lunged for her exposed back. Batgirl turned parallel to Mike's arm at the last second, grabbed him by the wrist and using her back as a pivot, swung him around and then released. Waller, struggling to stay on his feet, bowled into four other agents.
"I'm not even worth this," Wendy wiped the tears from her face as she began to unscrew the casing, "I screwed up so bad…just like when I followed my sister. Why do you even care, I'm a supervillain!"
"You turned your back on that life. You became a hero, remember?" Oracle replied calmly, "focus, Windfall. I know you're in a bad spot, but it's not hopeless. Just listen to me, and I promise you'll get through this."
DEO Agent Chapman was built like a brick wall, and he knew it. Six foot six and with a hundred pounds on Batgirl, he thought he had the edge.
He was wrong
Batgirl dodged his punches effortless while his fellow DEO Agents tried to herd Batgirl away from the exits. Agent Chapman, a former boxer, thought that if he pinned Batgirl between the hall wall and himself, he could take her down. When Batgirl bumped into the wall, Chapman let fly a powerful haymaker, not about to underestimate a Bat.
Batgirl saw the fist coming and just before it would have crashed into her skull, she grabbed the Agent's wrist while his fist was still travelling, and redirected it slightly so that it hit a stud in the wall. Agent Chapman screamed as the bones in his fist snapped, and missed Batgirl when she slipped between his legs. Batgirl then kicked the back of his knees out from under him and after he felt, all it took was one well placed kick to the back of his head, bouncing his brain in his skull and smashing his face into the wall.
The remaining DEO agents stood in awe as the agent they feared and respected physically, was beaten by a girl half his size without even breaking stride.
&&&
Wendy carefully popped open the plastic case of the tracer open. Looking at all the knobs, microchips and wires, Wendy began to feel herself drowning in anxiety.
"I can't…"
"I'm right here," Oracle replied. The steel in her voice calmed Wendy's racing heart, but not by much.
"Even…even if I get out of this…they won't be punished," Wendy rubbed her sore, stinging eyes, "they had pictures, and…"
"And I've already got someone working on that," Oracle replied, "now, I need you to focus. First, we need to cut the power while we work. You need to find a blue cord…"
&&&
Rex Mason, known better as the elemental man Metamorpho, ran through the formulas for mustard gas and arsenic as he floated through the college dorm, where according to Oracle, Windfall was gang raped weeks ago.
He was currently in the form of harmless knock out gas, silently spreading through the dorm to ensure that no one interrupted what he was planning to do next. Once he'd traveled the three floors, it took more effort than Rex would have originally thought to return to human form instead of a deadly airborne gas.
He went to one of the computers that was left on, typed in a memorized web address, and waited.
"Good job, Rex."
Metamorpho nearly jumped out of his chair before he recognized the voice.
"Damn Oracle, give a guy some warning! I don't take it as a given that these things have speakers!"
"Or a web cam with audio," Oracle smirked from two states away, "I own their computers now. I need a second to see what I've got…"
Oracle opened the video files first, and though she was expecting it, what she saw twisted her stomach.
Wendy was standing in the center of over a half dozen boys, her eyes glazed over and barely standing. One boy had his arm under hers to keep her from falling, while the others herded her into the living room. Wendy was trying to feebly to resist, but from appearances it took most of her strength to hold her head up, let alone get away.
Oracle turned the video off, she didn't need to see anymore. The satisfaction that their blackmail material would be used to hang the boys who raped Windfall was a cold comfort indeed.
But the Mistress of Computers was a professional, so while she was biting back the bile in her throat, she infected the computer with a passive virus that prevented them from deleting or transferring any video files and examined the video's code to see if the disgusting tape had been duplicated.
"Alright Rex," Oracle reported, "we're good. Make sure no one sees you leave, last thing we want is to have to deal with accusations of planting evidence."
"Guess that means I can't break their jaws before I leave," Rex said with all seriousness.
"There's nothing you can do that will compare to thirty years behind bars," Oracle said, "Wendy needs them in jail more than you need to fulfill a revenge by proxy fantasy. Leave, and don't be seen. That's an order."
&&&
"Agent Chapman, report!" Agent Kastle began to sweat. His agents hadn't reported in yet, and that never bode well, "Agent Andrew, anyone, come in!"
"It appears your agents ran into a spot of trouble, hoss."
DEO Agent Kastle ground his teeth. He hated metahuman criminals and people who stated the obvious. Just his luck that he get both in one package.
"I hadn't noticed," Kastle growled, "it doesn't matter. We're going to get to the top floor and head downwards, box them in. We're going to start at the roof and work our way down, while the tracker's still working. I've got enough agents covering the floor level, but I don't want to chance those nanites not working. Lets move it people!"
Four metahuman convicts glared at Agent Kastle's back with undisguised loathing, and all but one wished they had a knife to put in there. But with the precautions implanted in their bodies, rebellion was a pipe dream. Instead, they separately came to the same decision to vent their frustration on the first available target.
Batgirl slammed a fist into Agent Simons' kidney, and then swung her elbow into his face when he bent forward in pain. Agent McCoy came at Batgirl from the back, but Batgirl ducked under the punch and slammed her palm into the center of his ribs, expelling the air from his lungs. McCoy, no model of physical fitness, fell to his hands and knees struggling for air.
Batgirl's body was still tensed for action when she realized that all the DEO agents were unconscious on the crowd. Some three dozen men and women were scattered up and down the hall, clutching torn muscles or broken bones.
Without even realizing it, Batgirl leaned back against the wall and took several controlled breaths, and came to realize how hard her heart was pounding.
Still out of shape, Batgirl thought to herself with a flash of anger. On some level, she knew that recovering from a coma wouldn't be easy, but she didn't want to be reminded of that fact while still in the field.
She looked over the fallen DEO agents carefully, seeing if any might be playing possum. Several were, but Batgirl could tell they weren't about to challenge her. They just wanted to nurse their injuries and their egos, and so Batgirl let them be.
"Windfall," Batgirl tapped on the door, "we can leave now."
Wendy opened the door slowly, "I worked with Oracle, created a jammer. That means we can get out of here, right?"
"Right. We need to…head to the roof."
Batgirl led the way, with Wendy close behind. As luck would have it, they were only four stories down from the roof.
They went up two stories before Batgirl felt something wrong. She looked up, and saw DEO Agent Kastle, side by side with metahuman criminals Count Vertigo, Crowbar, Deadline and Hellgrammite.
Batgirl felt a rush of fear spread through every inch of her body, but it was quickly replaced with a sea of calm.
"I should have known a Bat would be involved," Kastle didn't sound surprised. In fact, he almost sounded pleased.
"Count Vertigo…"
Batgirl snapped her right arm out. A three inch, collapsible plastic batarang slid into her hand.
"…hit them…"
She flipped it to full size, and took a split second to aim before letting it rip.
"…you idiot!"
The batarang hit Vertigo right between the eyes. Deadline reached over the side to fire several warning shots, to herd them away from the door, but Batgirl grabbed Wendy and dove through the stairway door.
"The Suicide Squad?!" Wendy knew what government agents plus super-villains equaled, "why would they send the Suicide Squad after me? Oh God, oh god…"
Batgirl ignored Windfall as she pulled the young heroine down the hall. Suddenly, the row of apartments stopped to reveal several apartments were completely missing, plaster walls torn down and doors completely removed, and in their place were fold out tables covered in weights, shaving blades and other assorted items and, of course, suspicious powders and chemicals.
From the looks of things, the place had been abandoned in a hurry. Batgirl saw a Sprite bottle that still had moisture around it.
"Gotham," was all Batgirl could think to say.
"Just leave…"
"You need to hide," Batgirl said, "can't fight with you nearby. Too dangerous."
"I can't just…" Batgirl grabbed Wendy by the shoulder, and gave her a deadpan look.
"Not leaving. Get used to it. Now go!"
Wendy went.
Batgirl took a moment to steady herself before she dove into the shadows. Agent Kastle's Suicide Squad smashed through the door a moment later.
"Great, it's a damn snipe hunt," Deadline scowled.
"We'll smoke them out," Agent Kastle said smoothly, "Crowbar, Hellgrammite, split up and start looking. Deadline and me will backup whoever finds her."
"I'm –tik- sure," Hellgrammite muttered as he and Crowbar stalked off.
&&&
Malcom Tandy, AKA Crowbar, gripped his namesake weapon nervously. Like everyone else in the villain business, he'd heard rumors about every member of the Bat family. Batman was terror incarnate, Nightwing was polite and smug all at once, Robin was a know it all and Batgirl…Batgirl was a damned untouchable hurricane. The last thing Crowbar wanted was yet another beat down, another vicious reminder of why he never should have started in this business in the first place.
Crowbar knew he wasn't a brave man, and knew he barely counted in the grand scheme of things. He just wished every encounter didn't end with some violent demonstration of his inferiority!
He pushed open an apartment door, and cringed at all the dust in the air. He channeled a small amount of energy into his weapon to illuminate the room, and sighed. The apartment was full of old boxes, ratty furniture and plenty of shadows for Batgirl to leap out of and beat him down.
"I feel like a chick in a horrurk!" Crowbar, no man of combat, let his signature weapon slip from his hands when he felt Batgirl's wrists around his throat. The young crimefighter dragged him backwards, just out of reach as she applied precise pressure to his throat. Crowbar passed out in seconds, actually relieved that his defeat wasn't as humiliating as he expected.
When she was confident he was unconscious, Batgirl carefully set him inside the apartment and silently closed the door.
"You're –tik- good."
Batgirl snapped her head to the side, in the direction of the voice, but saw nothing. Tired and aching, it took her a moment to realize the voice wasn't coming from down the hall, but from the ceiling.
Hellgrammite looked like every disgusting aspect of an insect cobbled together in a human. His body was covered in a thick, green exoskeleton, his eyes were giant red beady things with compound eyes while his mouth was a giant gaping thing with slobbering pincers on both sides.
He was also remarkably fast, Batgirl as found out when the villain dropped from the ceiling, landed and then tackled her before the Daughter of Cain could even adopted a defensive stance.
"But I'm –tik- better."
The two of them flew down the hall, and Batgirl only barely managed to twist her enemy so that he slammed into the hallway first. His hard body smashed through the moldy plaster and rotten wood and carried them both into the room beyond.
&&&
Deadline ran his thumb over his gun, still in its hip holster.
"Sounds like a tussle, think we should help?" Deadline asked.
"No, they're just fodder," Agent Kastle replied, "I'd rather let those two soften up Batgirl and Windfall before I sic you on them. The tracker's not working right, but I've got snipers placed all around and local law enforcement should be backing us up soon. I don't want to risk them slipping past, so we stay here as long as possible
Deadline nodded as if he agreed, but could think of was a dozen different ways Kastle's plan could go wrong. Deadline didn't love being in jail, but he was beginning to think agreeing to join Kastle's Suicide Squad wasn't much of a step up. Sure, the mission sounded easy enough, but it was apparent to Deadline that Kastle was throwing around authority he hadn't earned. People like that often made stupid mistakes, and it was always the people at the bottom who paid for it first.
Still, he was grateful he didn't have to back up Hellgrammite. That bug bastard gave him the creeps…
&&&
Batgirl and Hellgrammite hit the ground together, but the insectoid sunk his talons into the ground to stop his momentum while Batgirl just kept going. She skidded across the ground a few feet before coming to a painful stop.
Batgirl felt her consciousness swim, and when she ordered her body to get up, nothing happened. It wasn't just that her body was wracked with pain, she was also exhausted. The Masters of Disaster, the dozens of DEO agents and now the Suicide Squad, her body demanded a second of reprieve and wasn't about to give her a choice.
Which was unfortunate, as Hellgrammite was in perfect form and already on his feet less than a few yards away.
"So you are the –tik- new Batgirl?" Hellgrammite casually strode over to Batgirl, and picked her up by the neck, "not impressed."
Hellgrammite reached out with his free hand and tore Batgirl's utility belt free, ignoring the subsequent electrical charge, and tossed it out the window. If Hellgrammite was surprised when the belt self destructed after following a single story, his face didn't show it.
"I never much cared –tik- for toys," Hellgrammite looked Batgirl up and down, "not much meat on you, but –tik- I'm too hungry to care at the moment."
"Got it."
Hellgrammite gave Batgirl a curious look, "Got what?"
"Second wind."
Batgirl swung a handful of dirt into Hellgrammite's oversized and exposed eyes. Immediately, the insect villain squealed in pain and released his hold on Batgirl in a desperate attempt to wipe his eyes of the agonizing plaster now shattered across them.
Batgirl sprang into motion the moment her feet touched the ground. She already knew that punching Hellgrammite would be useless. The villain had a thick, hard shell that functioned as custom body armor that she'd be lucky to make a dent on in peak form.
But Hellgrammite still had weaknesses. In the end, he was an insect with a human form, and that meant bones, muscles and most importantly, joints.
Batgirl grabbed the villain's arm with her left hand, and brought her right elbow down on the joint, dislocating the arm. Hellgrammite screamed in pain and tried to take a step back, but Batgirl chopped him in the throat.
In a panic, he swung his good arm with his talons aimed at her throat, but Destruction's Daughter dodged under the swing and snap kicked him in his right knee before elbowing him in the chest, the blow forcing the air from his lungs.
Hellgrammite, now struggling to breath, was too slow to react when Batgirl began stomping on his knee again, this time not stopping until she heard bone snap.
Hellgrammite's scream of agony was unlike anything Batgirl had heard before, but she didn't feel an ounce of pity. As the villain began to fall, Batgirl slammed her elbow down on top of his head with such strength that he kicked up a small cloud of dust when he hit the ground.
Batgirl felt her head swim for a moment, and feared she might join Hellgrammite in unconsciousness. But she pushed through the fog, through the constantly pleading of her body to stop.
But she knew that wasn't possible. Until Windfall was safe, Batgirl knew she couldn't stop, no matter what.
&&&
Wendy Jones pushed herself further into the dark corner she'd found, trying to ignore the thick silence that hung in the air. She had no idea if Batgirl had succeeded, fled or even been killed.
All she knew was that Batgirl was all that stood between her and dozens upon dozens who wanted to either make her an outlaw again, or throw her in jail for a crime she didn't even commit.
Words could barely describe the awe that Wendy felt at Batgirl's dedication, her unflinching, steadfast loyalty. And how was she justifying that?
By hiding in some corner like some scared, pathetic pet. Wendy clenched her fists, remembering that at one time she used to be a hero.
&&&
"Sounds like things ain't go that well for the bug," Deadline remarked, "down to you and me now, hoss."
"We need to stay here," Kastle insisted, "if they try to double back…"
"We stay here, they just gonna go around us," Deadline replied, "decision time, Kastle. Do we go after the Bat and the girl, or stand here with our thumb up our ass? Don't matter to me one way or the other, I just don't want you complaining when they sign my release papers."
DEO Agent Kastle muttered something impolite under his breath, and then thumbed back the hammer on his service weapon.
"Fine, lets find those two bitches."
Deadline wasn't the least bit surprised when Kastle took the lead, and began to botch the search almost immediately. He held his weapon at hip level, finger on the trigger. Deadline felt safe in assuming Kastle had some kind of connection to let him get this far, instead of sitting behind a desk where he belonged.
"I think I have something," Deadline whispered. He motioned for Kastle to follow him into the area that'd been cleared for the drug lab.
"What'd you find?"
"How to shoot a bat," Deadline replied.
"How's that?"
Deadline swung around and aimed his wrist laser at Kastle. With no hesitation, he pressed the trigger. Kastle barely had time to react, but by the time betrayal flashed through his brain, Batgirl had leapt from the shadows and tackled him out of the way. The superheated laser still nicked her shoulder, and Batgirl's mind went white with pain as she crashed to the floor a few feet away from Kastle.
"Like that," Deadline smirked, "you go find the blond, I'll deal with the Bat."
"Just don't kill her," Kastle warned, "just make sure she can't follow us. The last thing I need is Batman banging down my door before I'm good and ready."
Batgirl watched in both anger and fear as Agent Kastle stalked off, while Deadline sauntered towards her. Her shoulder was throbbing in pain, and a quick mental assessment of her remaining weapons (two batarangs hidden in her boots, her grappling gun still attached to her back with only one shot left, her suit's taser charge, possibly damaged by Hellgrammite and two plastic, collapsible batarangs hidden in each wrist but not tough enough to hurt Deadline, who enjoyed and one marble sized flash pellet) was not in any way reassuring.
But Batgirl saw the smirking confidence that was almost radiating off of Deadline, and hatched a desperate plan.
"Don't come any closer," Batgirl pushed herself over so that she was laying on her back, and her limp legs were pointed towards Deadline, "or I'll…make you a woman."
Batgirl had heard the line from Huntress, and while she didn't quite get the threat, the person who received it had no such troubles, nor did Deadline. The Texas born mercenary just smirked and with a toothy grin, knocked on his crotch and produced a metallic sound.
"This thing here is bullet proof. You don't scare me none. Now, I'm just gonna start cutting until you stop screaming. If you tell me anything interesting, well…"
Batgirl didn't listen. She snapped the flare pellet in her hand and flung it at Deadline's face where it exploded in a blinding ball of light. With his eyes radiating pain, the Professional Killer couldn't muster the concentration to phase, and Batgirl kicked his knees outward, right above his pads. His legs spread, Batgirl then brought one foot up in between his crotch.
Deadline was correct when he said his cup could stop a bullet from hitting his genitals. However, it did absolutely nothing to protect the sensitive nerve bundles right behind them. A nerve bundle that Batgirl had just struck with custom fit steel toed boots.
Deadline fell to his side, his mind now gripped in searing, pulsating agony.
Batgirl rose slowly, her body protesting the entire time. She looked at Deadline with a measure of concern and sympathy.
As luck would have it, he was on his side, so he wouldn't choke if he vomited. Batgirl hated to use that move, as it could have been fatal on anyone who wasn't a meta-human. As much as she told herself she didn't have a choice, it was still a gamble with someone's life.
"Kastle," Batgirl said simply, each syllable laced with hatred.
&&&
"Damn it, work!"
DEO Agent Kastle shook the small tracer that was supposed to be attuned to the nanites inside of Windfall. He'd hoped that it would start working if he was closer to his quarry, but the screen kept coming back as 'Subject Not Found', and refused to change no matter how many times he pressed the search button again. He was beginning to sweat, the idea of failure becoming realer with each passing moment.
He was so focused on the devise and his possible fiasco, that he didn't notice any sounds around him until a broken two by four smacked him in the back of the head. Kastle was a big man, and to his credit, he only fell to his knees, tracer in one hand and gun in the other.
"Don't you dare move!" Windfall warned, two by four gripped in her hand.
"Okay, okay," Agent Kastle froze, both tracker and gun still in hand, "what do you want?"
"I was going to ask you the same thing!" Windfall hissed, "the Suicide Squad?! For me? What the hell makes me so important?"
"You were an Outsider," Kastle shrugged.
"What does that matter?"
"You were part of Batman's team once," Kastle explained, "and he's completely vanished off the grid. I figure if I can get an associate, someone he won't go after too quickly, then I can smoke his ass out when I toss them down a deep hole. Former villainess like you, well…"
"I'm just…bait?"
"Cheese for the mouse trap," Kastle replied honestly, "when someone like the Batman disappears, people get worried. I find out where he is…"
"Then they owe you a favor," Wendy growled, "you're just like…them."
"Them?"
"Those boys…" Wendy felt her throat clench, "…you thought I killed. I wasn't a person to them, just something they wanted."
Wendy fought back the tears, and tried to tell herself that she knew what to do with this agent, what had to be done. What she deserved, after all this hounding and manipulation…
But Wendy simply had no stomach for that, let alone strength. DEO Agent Kastle seemed to sense that, and sprang to his feet. He swung around and pitched the tracer at Windfall. It missed, but Wendy dropped her makeshift weapon when she brought her hands up to defend herself.
"But unlike those boys, I get to keep what I take," smirked Agent Kastle, his service weapon aimed at Windfall's head.
"Wrong."
Batgirl stepped out of the shadows as if she were crossing the street, and slapped her hands over Kastle's weapon. She flipped the safety, ejected the magazine and then turned it around in his hand before Kastle realized what had happened.
Batgirl flicked the safety off, "You're beaten. Swear to leave…and I won't shoot."
"And you look like you're about to drop," Kastle smirked, "besides, we both know Batman's rule about guns, and killing."
"Not Batman," Batgirl pulled the trigger.
DEO Agent Kastle had been away firing range for such a long time that he forgot how loud and bright a gunshot could be at close range. He saw his life flash before his eyes, his eyes explode with pain and his heart stop as the bullet harmlessly flew just two inches past his skull.
Batgirl tore his gun from his hand and slammed the butt into the side of his skull three times. Kastle fell to the ground senseless.
Batgirl looked at the man in disgust. She couldn't believe that the last several hours were all about some government agent with his stupid scheme to flush out her mentor. She ideally wondered how the DEO agent would react to the knowledge that Batman had seized control of Checkmate.
While that information likely would have meant a lot to his superiors, not that Kastle had any way of knowing. For all he knew, Batman was dead, retired or anything else. He was using Windfall as in a wild gambit, willing to ruin her life just to earn favor with those above him. Batgirl knew he was scum the second she saw him but was still shocked at how right she had been.
"We need to go," Batgirl turned to the stunned Wendy.
"Okay, but…"
"No buts, follow me."
Windfall nodded, but inwardly was deeply worried. Batgirl looked dead on her feet, and she still couldn't use her powers. So how did the Gotham Crimefighter expect them to get away.
Wendy's question was answered when the two young women stepped through the door, and standing there waiting for them was the one crime-fighter known to virtually superhero as one of the most reliable and trustworthy figures in the superhuman community, second only to Superman.
"Nightwing," Batgirl said simply, "snipers?"
"Sleeping," Nightwing replied without missing a beat. He then produced a syringe from his utility belt, "hello again, Windfall. It's good to see you again, though I wish the circumstances were better. This will clear the nanites from your system, so if you'll just give me your arm, I can give you back your powers."
"Am I supposed to fly us out of here?" Wendy struck her arm out, and Nightwing swabbed an area with alcohol, and as gently as possible sank the syringe into her arm. Wendy felt a buzz underneath her skin, and could once again feel her connection to the air around her.
"Actually," Nightwing tapped a button on his wrist, "I thought we'd ride in something easier and stylish, if you don't mind."
Windfall sensed a massive displacement of air, and looked up to see one of Batman's trademark airplanes descend from the clouds above. Nightwing helped Windfall into the plane, and within minutes, the trio were soaring away
Windfall laid her head back against the headrest, and sighed in relief. What seemed like the worst two weeks of her life were finally over.
&&&
Epilogue
Tatsu sat in the County Prosecutor's office, one leg resting over the other as the man fumed from behind his desk.
"I don't know who you think you are, to come in here and tell me how to handle cases before this office!" Patrick Fitz pointed an accusing finger at Katana, "just because you wear spandex you people think you can just boss us around, well, you have another thing coming!"
Fitz reached for his office phone, but Tatsu sprang out of her chair, unsheathed her sword and brought it down between his ring and middle finger.
"Let me tell you something about 'us people'," Katana snarled, "we battle gods for the sake of people we have never met, we fight monsters to save passers-by on the street and defy the forces of nature and gods for faceless masses. Now you ask yourself, what would we do for someone we know and care about? Ask yourself what we would do to someone who stands in the way of justice for that person?"
Fitz gulped despite himself, and Katana yanked her sword free from the desk. Fitz was trying to think of something clever to say, to show defiance when suddenly he heard his cell phone ring.
"That would be Jefferson Pierce," Katana gave an easy, false smile, "I would suggest you answer quickly."
Fitz answered his phone, and Katana enjoyed watching the man squirm. To her, Jefferson Pierce was an old friend and teammate, Black Lightning, founding member of the Outsiders. But recently his civilian identity had eclipsed his costumed one when he ran for and won the presidential election.
"Hell..lo sir. Yes, sir, she's here. No here. I agree sir. But sir…! No, no I understand sir. Thank you, sir."
Fitz snapped his phone shut, and looked towards Katana crestfallen. Katana eye's betrayed no sympathy as they locked with his.
"You have video evidence, a rape kit and will have testimony of the victim herself," Katana said evenly, "we expect convictions and Kami help you if that video leaks. The President is where our pressure begins. Rest assured, you do not want to see where it ends."
&&&
DEO Agent Kastle woke up in a hospital bed to a terrifying sight. At the foot of his bed was a skeleton in a nice suit, and a plus sized African American woman known and feared throughout the corridors of power.
"I can explain!" Kastle said instinctively.
"I should hope so," Amanda Waller began, "because from appearances, you wrangled yourself a Suicide Squad to hound a victim of a sexual assault, to use as bait for The Bat." Waller gave Kastle a look that could melt glaciers, "Well?"
"I thought you wanted to draw him out!" Kastle pleaded pathetically.
"Oh, he and I are going to have a long talk," Amanda Waller replied, "but I don't need the help of an idiot thug like you! And using an innocent victim? Have you no shame?!"
DEO Director Bones stifled a dark chuckle at the irony of Waller's question. He struck a match off of the room's no smoking sign, and blew a ring of smoke into the air before he began.
"I'm curious, do you have any idea the damage you've done to my agency?" asked Bones, "I have over two dozen agents in the hospital now. That's going to create a backlog I can't even begin to imagine, and that's to say nothing of how you've damaged our reputation within the superhero community."
"Sir, I never meant…"
"Intent is irrelevant," Bones said dismissively, "we need those costumed jokers to work with us, to trust us. And now not only do I have to let Batgirl walk away from disabling dozens of agents for weeks, I'll have to kiss the ass of every cape I see for the next six months if I ever want to put this incident behind the DEO. I don't like to kiss ass, Kastle, it leaves a bad taste in my mouth."
"I'm sorry sir, I didn't mean…"
"What did I say about intent?" Bones snarled.
Kastle wisely kept his mouth shut.
"Heal up quick, boy," Waller said evenly, "because when you're on your feet, Bones and I are going to see how far we can ride your ass until it breaks. You even think of quitting, I'll name drop you to Kobra as a possible source for intel. You're life has just become a prison, and you're my bitch now!"
&&&
Later
When Wendy Jones awoke, she felt better than she had in weeks. She was wearing fresh clothes, spent the night in an actual bed and a thousand other amenities of normal life that she knew she'd never take for granted again.
Tatsu explained the night beforee that they were in one of Batman's many safe-houses, but even with the light coat of dust the house felt like the closest thing Wendy had to home in years. She'd never quiet felt comfortable in the dorms, even before…what happened.
Wendy saw a set of clothes set out for her at the foot of the bed, along with a note indicating that Tatsu was downstairs with breakfast.
When Wendy stepped into the shower, she felt a wave of relief just wash over her. Ever since that day at the Frat house, Wendy hadn't felt safe anywhere. The young heroine felt as if she was suddenly able to breathe, as if she was suffocating for weeks and only now realized it.
Wendy slid to her knees as almost scalding hot water washed over, and she just wept. Wept for the suffering that been heaped upon her by both the Fraternity boys and her own flesh and blood, wept at how foolish she'd been not to come to her old teammates and wept that despite it all, they still stood by her through hell and high water.
Sometime later
Wendy dressed in some spare clothes that Tatsu had left her, and came down the stairs towards where she'd smelled someone cooking breakfast. She saw Tatsu at a stove, and another Asian girl sitting at the table, helping herself to an amazing amount of eggs.
"Good morning, Wendy," Tatsu took a pan off the eye and turned to look at the young heroine, "how are you feeling?"
"…better," Wendy replied. She pulled up a chair and sat down, "Look Tatsu, about what happened, I'm sorry I didn't…I mean…"
"Don't concern yourself with it," Tatsu brought Wendy a plate, "we can't change the past, what's done is done."
"What are we going to do now?" Wendy asked.
"To prevent this from becoming a media circus, we thought it best if you took some time to recover in Europe," Tatsu said, "Brion is going to send a cab which will take you to a private plane at the airport. The boys who attacked you have already been indicted, and while you'll need to testify eventually, they don't need your statement at the moment though they'll need it eventually."
"I understand," Wendy sighed, uncertain of exactly how to feel. She was glad the boys who attacked her were going to go to jail, but she certainly didn't look forward to testifying and hated the fact that she was relying on others to clean up her mess.
Rather than dwell on that, Wendy looked across the table to Cassandra and winced internally when she saw all the black and blue, accompanied by bandages and who knew what else. Wendy knew she should feel guilty for being the source of those injuries, even in a roundabout way, but she still had trouble dealing with the idea anyone would be willing to suffer those injuries for her in the first place. But Wendy still wanted to say something…
"You're welcome," Cassandra said suddenly, startling the heroine. She could see how Wendy was searching for the words, and thought to save her the trouble. But when Wendy reacted with confusion and internal recriminations, Cass' eyes darted to her meal.
Cassandra always had difficulty dealing with gratitude. Saving lives was as natural as breathing to her, she didn't need any special thanks, although it did feel…nice.
So both young women stared at their meals as they ate, each unsure of how to address the other.
The tedium was finally interrupted by a knock at the door. A tall, beautiful red headed woman let herself in. Cassandra recognized her instantly as Emily Lia Briggs, AKA Looker, a teammate of Tatsu from the Outsiders.
And not someone Tatsu was fond of, Cassandra observed.
"Lia!" Wendy exclaimed.
"Emily," Tatsu said curtly, "I trust things are all in order?"
"Of course, Tatsu dear," Looker smiled, "we'll be leaving tonight on one of Brion's private planes. First class doesn't begin to compare, Wendy."
"Tonight?" Tatsu asked
"Well, poor Wendy can't go to Europe with just the clothes on her back," Looker replied. Wendy opened her mouth to object, but before she could say anything Looker turned to her and said, "I'm paying Wendy, as a belated birthday gift. Trust me, money is not an issue."
"I…okay," Wendy looked down at her plate and saw that it was virtually picked clean, "I guess we better get going."
"There's no rush," Looker said dismissively. She then looked towards Cassandra, "oh, so you must be Tatsu's new ward?"
"Yes..?" Cassandra replied. The combination of a rhetorical question and social situation made Cassandra terribly uneasy.
"Well, you lucked out. Trust me when I say that her bark is worse than her bite, but her bite can still be pretty terrible," Looker winked.
"I…okay," Cassandra had no idea what say in response, but 'okay' seemed to suffice more often than not.
"We ought to go," Wendy said, "I don't want to impose anymore than I already have."
"You haven't imposed at all, at least let us walk you to the car," Tatsu said.
When the four reached the car, Wendy knew it was time to say goodbye, but couldn't think of a single thing to say. She'd come to Gotham to confront Tatsu for Batman hounding her, only to learn that it was her own sister who was responsible for her situation, and to be saved by Batgirl.
Not Windfall's finest hour, by any measure.
"Tatsu, I'm really sorry for what I did," Wendy began, "I don't know what I was thinking, I just…"
"Don't concern yourself about it," Tatsu replied honestly, "things worked out for the best, in the end."
Wendy turned to Cassandra, and tried to think of a way to express the heartfelt gratitude and sheer awe she felt for Batgirl's defense of her.
"I know," Cassandra volunteered, "and you're worth it, and welcome."
The two young girls shared a hug, and the two Outsiders departed. Cassandra waited until the car was out of sight and then turned to her guardian.
"Why didn't you say…what you were thinking?"
Tatsu was wide eyed for a moment, and then smiled knowingly. She'd forgotten how intuitive Cassandra could be.
"Because Wendy has endured enough without lecturing her about something she already knows," Tatsu explained, "she's aware she made a mistake in not contacting us for help. After this mess, I doubt it's a mistake she will make again and it's not something she needs to hear right now."
"Oh."
"Just because we're heroes, doesn't mean we never need help," Tatsu continued, "we're all special in some way, but not perfect. Asking for help when you need it isn't a weakness, it's a strength. It's something many struggle with, even Batman. It's such a needless waste…"
&&&
Later
"Understood Bruce, I'll do a follow up tomorrow. Oracle signing off," Barbara Grayson deactivated her radio equipment, activated some automated security protocols and then pushed herself backwards and let out a body wracking yawn. Whereas she once found working as Batgirl was physically exhaustive, Barbara found functioning as Oracle equally exhausting, if only mentally. 19
But even after a long day, Oracle retained more of her wits than most used in their entire lifetime. So her fingers twitched for the throwing stars concealed under her chair when she suddenly felt someone behind her.
"Oracle, do you have some moment?" Cassandra asked, a backpack full of books in one hand, "I…I need… help."
"Time, it's…" Oracle cut herself off, "never mind. Yes, I always have time for you. Just put the books on the table, let me get some tea, and we'll get started."
The End
Next issue: Stand alone issue as Batgirl teaches a team of assassins what it's really like to be hunted.
Author's Word: This arc was not something I had planned when I originally began plotting my Batgirl series, but something about Windfall's situation, coupled with what had already happened to Batgirl, really got under my skin. All too often, writers define characters in comics by their perceptions outside of it, and it just flat out sucks. When something bad happens to a friend or colleague, who honestly looks to see if they're an A lister or B list friend? There are better ways to scuffle characters off screen.
Anyways, I hope you enjoyed the story. Windfall will be back eventually, but that;s down the road. Next issue is stand alone, followed by a look at Cassandra's school and a teamup with Nightwing!