DC Infinity Presents

Batgirl # 31

A Life's Mission

Part 2

Batgirl's cave

"His name is Ivan Illyich Gort, better known as the Steel Wolf," Oracle began, "he was part of a Soviet super soldier program during World War 2. A stunning success by all accounts, but Stalin, when he realized what he'd created, ordered the formula destroyed and the scientists who created it executed."

Batgirl watched grainy footage of a young man bending a tank turret with his bare hands. After he accomplished that, he went after the Nazi soldiers inside the tank with those same hands.

"Word is, Stalin was terrified of what might happen if he created an army of Gorts, and it's not hard to see why," Oracle said, "even decades later, Gort is still bullet proof and five times stronger than Bane on his best day. He was part of the KGB and Soviet army for decades, and performed hundreds of missions. This man is what KGBeast wishes he were."

"I've been studying the files on mercenaries and assassins," Batgirl said, "why didn't he come up?"

"Because Gort is a patriot," Oracle said, "he's a true believer. If he's trying to kill Victor, then it's because Victor pissed off someone in the Russian government. Most likely one of his higher up contacts."

"What did he do?" said Batgirl.

"From all accounts, just existing," Oracle said, "apparently, the murderers and thieves he works with in Russia take moral umbrage with his homosexuality. I've picked up some chatter about him being a pedophile and the like. Victor operates a pipeline of weapons and drugs from Moscow, but when he came to America, he stopped hiding his status. That may have been a mistake."

Batgirl thought back to the night before, when Gort had saved that gay couple from being struck by a car. She recalled the look on his face, and while there was certainly hate there, it was different in a way Cassandra couldn't put her finger on.

"What about Gort?" Batgirl said, "any luck tracking him down?"

"None," Oracle said, "he's a pro, and has over seven decades going underground. We won't find him until he wants to be found."

Batgirl steepled her fingers, and reflected.

"Cass, we may want to reconsider our approach," Oracle said, "maybe take Victor into custody and wait until Nightwing's done handling HIVE so you can both tackle him."

"We don't know when he'll be done," Batgirl said, "and we don't know how Gort will react if he can't find his target. He could start killing to draw the both of us out."

"Batgirl…Cassandra," Oracle gave the young woman a serious look, "you need to be careful at how you handle this."

"Know that he's dangerous, Oracle," said Batgirl.

"That's not what I'm talking about. I remember what it was like, facing meta-humans," Oracle said, "They're usually cocky and over confident. Or they don't know their own powers well enough or ignore the tactical situation around them."

"Oracle…"

"Gort didn't do any of that when you fought," Oracle said, "he lured you into a trap, and despite being strong enough to tear you apart with his bare hands, he still tried to kill you from a distance.

The Steel Wolf isn't like any meta-human you've faced before. He's skilled, experienced and ruthless. I'm looking at his file now, and it's impressive. In the 70s he broke Baron Blitzkrieg's legs, he fought Deathstroke back in '86, and left Slade in the hospital for weeks. And he fought Bruce and the Bronze Tiger to a stand-still. You can't go into a fight with him and expect to be able to improvise. You need a plan, and to be careful."

"I know," Batgirl said, "I'll start carrying a heavy load out until this is resolved. Need you to get me everything you can about the Wolf's past battles, including his medical records. Anything you can get."

"The Russians are pretty thorough on that," Oracle said, "but I'll need to run it through some translation programs. I'll let you know when that's done, and I'll keep an eye on Victor."

"Thank you," Batgirl said. She looked at the clock, and saw that she only had fifteen minutes left before she had to leave for school, "have to go."

"Don't forget about career day!" Oracle said, before she killed her connection.

oooOOoo

The Law Offices of Kirby & Lee

Shane Crews looked gave the contract only a casual once over. After all, his lawyers had reviewed it and discussed it with him several times now, and he was certain that the pompous city lawyer would explain it again before he signed.

"Just so we're clear…"

"Thank you," Shane said.

The District Attorney gave Shane an odd look, "I'm sorry?"

"Don't be sorry, after all, you didn't disappoint."

The District Attorney scowled.

"The terms of the settlement are, if you speak a word of the amount, you will lose it all."

Shane smiled, "I understand. Wouldn't want someone to know they could profit off of Gotham's corrupt nature, would we?"

"I have a violin, if you'd like," said the District Attorney.

"Does it play 'innocent cop forced to survive years in prison'?" Shane asked, "I wonder who could compose that. A little too edgy for Mozart, don't you think? And would you need a Stradivarius, or would an off the shelf violin work just as well?"

"If you think you're the only sob story in Gotham, you haven't been to Gotham," the District Attorney said, "but look at it this way. With this settlement, at least you're on par to catch up with Bruce Wayne."

"Oh, I intend to do far more than that," Shane Crews said, "far more."

ooOOoo

Later

Syrup on her keyboard.

Fast acting hair dye in her shampoo.

Itching powder in her bed.

The only thing Cassandra found that kept from thinking about career day (and the thing lasted the entire week! Why was it called a day when it lasted a week?) was thinking of how she might get revenge on Oracle for inflicting these insidious thoughts on her.

What Cassandra found most annoying about it all was that she really had no answer to the question.

She knew that she didn't need a job like most other people. Both Oracle and Batman had made it clear in the past they were willing to provide for her, regardless of whether or not she wore her mask. Tim had once called that 'mooching', but now both he and Dick barely bothered with their civilian identities, so apparently mooching wasn't the worst thing in the world.

Cassandra knew she could do the same, but…she found that she somewhat liked her civilian identity now. She liked spending time with Zoe and Sarah. She liked how she no longer felt like a complete outsider, every time she stepped into public without her mask.

And while school was distraction at times, Cassandra felt that every day she made progress, and was another step away from the life Cain had forced her into, and a step towards defining her life for herself. She could only imagine that a career would take her farther still.

The only problem there was that she still had no idea how to do that, beyond the abstract. She'd barely had any idea what she wanted to do outside of being Batgirl. The young crime-fighter still wanted to help people, but of the professions that she knew of that handled that, none of them seemed especially appealing. She'd seen too many corrupt cops to ever want to be one herself, let alone being in a profession where lethal force was a danger of the job. And even the best doctors were surrounded by death. Cassandra knew even she had limits.

So in the end, while the idea of a career was somewhat appealing, Cassandra found herself utterly clueless on where to go from there.

So when Marnie Herrs summoned her to her office, Cassandra wasn't annoyed.

Too much.

"I heard about last night," Marnie closed the door the second Cassandra stepped inside, "are you alright?"

It took Cassandra a second to realize that Marnie knew about her battle with the Steel Wolf.

"I'm fine," Cassandra said, "why wouldn't I be?"

"Because you tangled with a Russian super soldier with over fifty years of experience," Marnie said.

"My…night life is dangerous. You knew this from beginning," Cassandra looked at Marnie, "is this an issue?"

Cassandra saw the resigned sigh sweep Marnie's body.

"No," Marnie said, "is there anything you'd care to share about last night?"

"Actually," Cassandra knew she probably shouldn't be talking about this with Marnie, but she wanted to get another perspective on it, "there is."

Cassandra related last night's events, focusing on when the Steel Wolf revealed himself before attempting to kill Victor.

"I don't understand why he did what he did," Cassandra said, "he outted himself when he saved those two men."

"No pun intended?"

"Huh?

"Never mind," Marnie said, "perhaps it was just a reflex, his body operating faster than his mind?"

"No, it wasn't a reflex," Cassandra said, "his body language was too focused, too in control. He made a choice."

Marnie made a mental note of Cassandra's statement, "What else can you tell me about his body language?"

"Anger, contempt," Cassandra said, "Oracle said that many Russians don't like homosexuals, hate them. But he made a choice to save them. Wasn't professional, and he is. To the bone."

"I wish I had an answer for you, Cassandra," Marnie said, "but profiling is an art, not a science. It could be as simple as they reminded him of past friends, or he sees himself as a hero despite all he's done. Perhaps he was simply trying to balance the scales, in his mind."

Cassandra felt a moment of inspiration, "Or maybe he's trying to sabotage his own mission?"

"That's certainly a possibility," Marnie said, "especially if he doesn't share the same prejudices of his superiors."

Cassandra reflected on the thought, and wondered how she could turn it to her advantage.

"So tell me, have you given any more thought about a possible career?"

"Some," Cassandra said, "don't need one, but I think it would be…nice. Good for me. Would like one, but don't know what."

"I'm glad to hear it," Marnie said, "you have three more days to look at choices, or if you want we can make an appointment for this weekend. That way we can go through the booths at a more leisurely pace."

"Understood," Cassandra said.

The bell for the next period rang a moment later.

"Cassandra, before you go, have you considered calling in your teammates?" Marnie said, "I've seen the news. Aren't you part of a Titans team now?"

"Titans East," Cassandra said. She stood up and grabbed her bags, "can't."

"Why not?"

"Bat policy," Cassandra said, "if I call them in, it could elev…escalate things on Gotham. I was told only to call them in for an extreme emergency."

"In what world is a trained and experienced superhuman killer not an extreme emergency?"

Cassandra smiled, "In mine."

oooOOoo

Later

"Cassandra, I know where Victor is," Oracle reported, "but there's a problem."

Batgirl cringed. She knew what Oracle was going to say before she said it.

"But so does everyone else."

oooOOoo

Minutes later

Batgirl made record time to 5th and Kane, and found the address that Oracle had given her was surrounded by the police.

The address Oracle had given Batgirl was that of an old tenement, no doubt where the Russians stored and moved product. Men, women and children were pouring out the front door, but, Batgirl observed, no one was coming out of the alley on the side of the fire escape.

The police had cordoned off the area, but hadn't begun their approach, no doubt waiting for SWAT (or a miracle), Batgirl reached the roof without being seen. Once there, she found a hole in the ceiling.

Batgirl leapt down, and found herself in the middle of a slaughterhouse.

The floor contained pieces of two dozen men, crude torn apart. Batgirl could smell the blood in the air, and feel it beneath her boots.

Batgirl observed how many heavy weapons were laying about. There were three .50 caliber rifles aimed at the staircase, and an entire crate of grenades.

None of them used.

Batgirl knew that Steel Wolf had gotten the same information Oracle had, and like Oracle knew it was a trap.

But fifty years of experience was more than enough to turn a trap on its head. He'd come in through the roof, anticipating perfectly where the gunmen would be and hit them with the force of a hurricane.

In close quarters, none of the weapons the Russians brought with them could be used. It was a massacre.

Batgirl stepped out into the hall, and knew where she'd find the survivors, and Gort.

She mentally examined her approach, and went to the room closest to the fire escape.

The one Gort had torn off, moments before he began his assault.

"…no, please…I don't know!"

Batgirl entered the room silently, and saw Gort holding up a man with muscles so thick his arms resembled tree trunks and a neck so think it barely seemed to exist at all. Physically, the man was just one size smaller than Bane.

And Gort held him over his head with as much effort as a person holds a glass of water.

"Comrade, it is unwise to waste my time," Gort warned, "I do not care to be in this country one second longer than I must, but I've a mission."

"Please, the pervert didn't tell us where he'd be!" the man pleaded, "he just hired us to take you out, that's all!"

"To kill me," Gort said, "you can say it. I'm not offended at all. Just disappointed the effort…"

"No!" Batgirl saw what was about to happen, but was powerless to stop it.

"…was so pathetic," Gort barely flicked his wrist, and snapped the man's neck.

Gort tossed the body to the ground with dismissive ease, and turned his head to Batgirl.

"Little Bat," Gort said. He cracked his knuckles, and to Batgirl it sounded like shots being fired, "you were warned."

Batgirl threw herself to the floor as Gort leapt at her, flying at her like a cannonball. He missed her by inches, and ploughed through plaster and cement like it was tissue.

Batgirl sprang to her feet, and raced down the hall.

"Run little Bat, run," Gort stepped into the hall, dirt and plaster falling from his shoulders, but he hadn't a scratch on them, the big bad wolf, he is coming."

Batgirl turned on her heels, and threw an explosive batarang at Gort.

Her aim was perfect, she struck him dead center, and an orange ball of fire exploded outwards.

Gort just huffed dismissively as he strolled forward.

Batgirl ducked inside the room she'd discovered first. Gort casually strolled after her.

"Those cannons will not help you," Gort said, as he made his way down the hall, "I bent barrels. Pull trigger, see what happens."

The Steel Wolf smashed through the door, and found Batgirl standing at the other end of the room, one hand hidden behind her back.

"Before I kill you, tell me," the Steel Wolf said, "what makes these scum worth dying for?"

"Any life is worth saving," Batgirl said.

"A noble sentiment for your tombstone," said Gort.

"Not today."

Batgirl whipped out the Desert eagle she'd taken off one of the bodies, and shot Gort in the eye with a hollow point.

"Arrrgh!"

Gort stumbled back, pain lancing through his skull, as he saw stars, and a tear slipped past his aching eye.

Batgirl breathed a sigh of relief. Shooting Gort had been a dangerous gamble, there were degrees of invulnerabilities after all. His file had indicated it wouldn't be lethal, but that didn't make it any less dangerous.

Batgirl fired another shot, and struck his other eye.

That accomplished, Batgirl dropped the gun, and picked up another two Desert Eagles that she'd unloaded for what she was about to do next.

"Damn Bat bitch!" Gort swung wildly, but Batgirl ducked underneath the sing effortlessly, and smashed the butt of the pistols into Gort's knee.

The Russian giant barely flinched.

He felt it through, and lunged for Batgirl, who stepped aside effortlessly.

She leapt in the air, and smashed the butt of the gun into the back of Gort's skull with enough force to kill a man.

But all it did was give away her position to Gort.

Batgirl struck every joint and pressure point she could think of, as she bobbed and weaved around the meta-human, but he barely slowed.

"I hope you have had your fun," Steel Wolf rubbed his sore eyes, and his vision began to clear.

"Not yet," Batgirl fired her grappling hook towards the ceiling, and swung herself up and out the hole Gort had created in his entrance.

"Now you run?" Gort huffed, "waste all our time…"

Gort never saw the remote explosive batarang Batgirl had concealed in the hand grenades the Russians had brought. He simply glanced around the scene of carnage he'd caused with his bare hands, noticed a blinking red light amongst a pile of explosives, and acted on instinct.

oooOOooo

Batgirl rushed away from the hole in the ceiling as she pressed the detonator on her belt.

The batarang exploded, along with the crate of grenades it had been placed with. The explosion was deafening, as fire shot out of the whole like a volcano, and for a moment Batgirl feared that the entire roof might be lost.

When the dust settled, Batgirl made her way to the smoking hole, and was about to leap back into the apartment, when she heard a scream coming from the adjoining building.

Batgirl rushed to the ledge, and saw a man sized hole in the apartment building.

Gort stood at the mouth, smoke rising from his body. It was obvious that he hadn't even tried to weather the explosion, and to escape all he had to do was leap through a wall as if it were cardboard, landing in an occupied apartment across the street.

"Little Bat," Gort had a young woman by the collar, and looked at Batgirl with a predator's grin, "you should…"

Batgirl didn't give Gort time to finish.

She removed two batarangs from her belt, and threw them with all the skill her body could spare.

The first batarang exploded in a blinding flash of light in front of Gort, while the second one impacted his chest and exploded with enough force to dent steel.

With Gort distracted (the best Batgirl could hope for), she dove off the ledge, and fired her grappling hook as she was still reaching for the innocent women.

Batgirl caught the woman's wrist a split second before her rope went taunt, and pulled her close. The alley was narrow and the fall not nearly far enough to make this safe, and as they swung to safety, Batgirl felt her cape brush against the pavement.

"Oh, thank you thank you thank you…!"

Batgirl ignored the woman the second she was back on solid ground. Then, without a word, Batgirl hit the retract on her grappling hook until it brought her parallel to the hole Gort had created.

Batgirl leapt for the damaged apartment, her cape glider allowing her to make it effortlessly.

She wasn't much surprised that there was no sign of Gort. He had decades of experience when it came to vanishing. He might not be Batman's equal, but it was close. No, Batgirl just had to see the damaged wrought for herself.

It was twice now that Gort had escaped her, only now he'd left a pile of bodies in his wake.

Batgirl clenched her fists.

No matter what she had to do, there would not be a third.

Next Issue: Batgirl and Career Day take it to the mat! Plus, ya know, Gort.