DC Infinity Presents

Batgirl #38

Ambush

Hub City

In the fifteen years since he'd opened his business, Seth Wells had seen his fair share of criminals and malcontents in his time. In this part of town, they were as natural as flies t a trashcan and so long as they paid their tab, it wasn't really his concern.

But tonight promised to be another creature altogether. Wells knew that if he was a smarter man, he would have ignored his curiosity and never taken the sum that had been offered for tonight's exclusive use.

But then, if he were a smarter man, Seth wouldn't need the money as bad as he did.

It was three in the morning after his usual patrons had all left and when the first 'special guest' arrived.

He walked into the bar wearing a large trench-coat, a size too big for an already large man and meant less for disguise and more to intimidate the casual observer. This was a man no one wanted to report seeing.

The man shucked is trench coat off, tossing it across one of the barstools. The man was built like a brick wall, wearing heavy boots, camouflage pants with a sleeveless shirt, and two axes strapped across his back.

"A pitcher of beer, please," the man slapped a fifty down on the bar, "no glass."

"Sure thing," Wells said reflexively. He had once been a boxer when he was younger, but he couldn't ever remember seeing a man of this size in person. He filled a pitcher, and set it in front of his customer, "you, uhh, got a name?"

"Yes," the giant took a deep drink, and then answered, "you may call me, the Tin Man."

Wells did a double take.

"Yes, I know," chuckled Tin Man, "it sounds stupid. For now."

"Little bit," Wells admitted, a nervous smile on his face.

Tin Man smiled, and in the blink of an eye, his flesh became a smooth, seamless steel, "That was why I chose it. Like Superman or Batman, the world can be taught to respect a foolish name, if one is good enough. And I intend to be good enough."

"If you live long enough," Tin Man glanced over his shoulder, and found himself facing down the blade of a knife, leveled at his eye and in the hand of a woman in a black full bodysuit and green hood, "which isn't likely."

"Heh," Tin Man continued drinking, "bullets are less than rain to me. My steel wouldn't bend under Superman's fists, let alone your puny blade."

"What makes you think I came here not knowing that?"

Tin Man spun around far faster than his large frame would have implied, his hand swiping for the woman, only for it to pass through harmlessly.

Tin Man paused only for a second, trying to evaluate the situation, when he felt someone grab him under his arm, and flipped him over their shoulder and onto his back.

"Nice attack," said the woman, now standing over him, "not perfect, but better than what most muscle heads in our line of work are capable of."

"If you wanted to try to kill me, you would have," Tin Man said as he stood up, "if you are done testing me, I'd like to finish my beer."

"Never get between a man and his beer," the woman smiled and then slid her blade into the holster behind her back. With a wink, she then faded away, as another woman, looking exactly like her, appeared less than two feet away.

"Illusions, feh," Tin Man said, "that would not have protected you long."

"Long enough," she said, "I am called Shimmer. My illusions aren't too complex, but they are effective."

"Yeah, if you're blind."

Shimmer and Tin Man had barely heard a new voice speak when something blurred through the air. Shimmer felt the slightest tap at her back, and before she had could even turn around, she felt a knife that she had concealed behind her back torn free.

They turned their heads to the knife fly through the air, landing in the hands of a man with fiery red hair, wearing dark jeans, a leather kutte and a chain wrapped around his left arm. At the end of it appeared to be a dagger melted to the links.

Shimmer was about to make a vague threat, when she observed how the man's smile seemed to have just a few too many teeth, and his body hair looked more dog than human.

"And you are?"

"Lash," the man said, "I've been doing this a long while now, and you two are nowhere half as good as you think you are."

"That seems to be going around."

"Ma'am, I heard you coming a block away," Lash turned to the newest face, "if I thought you a threat, I'd have taken you out before I plucked Shimmer's little pig sticker."

The latest addition was wearing a sleeveless crimson bodysuit, with flame tattoos like that of a racecar running up her left arm, and flowing, sapphire blue tattoos of water on her right, and a red bandana across her lower face.

"You would happen to be…?"

"Celsius is my preferred alias," she replied, "tell me, Lash, is it? You are the one who summoned us all here? You're clearly the most experienced."

"'Fraid not, darlin'," Lash said, "but a ten thousand dollar retainer does peak my interest."

"I should hope so. I killed the CEOs of three international corporations to bring you all here."

Lash hid his surprise well as he turned to the source of the new voice.

"After doing all that, I'd have taken a vacation," Lash observed, "and you would be?"

A women dressed in black stepped forward. She wore a black helmet with a tube connected under her chin and to an apparatus on her back. She had narrow slits for her eyes, but even unable to see her face, they could all feel her focus.

"You may call me Black Mamba," she replied, "and I am the reason all of you are here."

"Are we all here for the same job?" Tin Man glanced towards the others, "or are we here to compete? I fear we need a smidgen more of information."

"The same job, together," replied Black Mamba, "one that, should it be successful, would make all of your reputations."

"Is that so?" Lash smirked, "who's our target, Flash? Batman?"

"More dangerous," Black Mamba replied, "Batgirl."

Tin Man huffed, "Batgirl? The one in Gotham? This many people is simply overkill for that imitator."

"If you knew her like I did, you wouldn't say that," Black Mamba said.

"Really? What's she to you?"

Black Mamba allowed noe of them to see her instinctive reaction of hatred.

Who was Batgirl?

She was the The one who is All. The greatest accomplishment of the League of Assassins, who used her father and mother for their tools, and nothing more. The same League who dismissed all of their proposals, all of their advancements.

Who was Batgirl, Black Mamba reflected. She was a bug, something she had to step on if she wanted her family to claim their proper place in the shadow history of the League.

"She crossed me," Black Mamba said simply, "so I will make my reputation on her bones."

"Good enough for me," Celsius said, "so long as the check clears, we're in."

Black Mamba crooked her head, like a cat examining something that fascinated it, "My check isn't the only thing you need worry about."

Lash sniffed the air, "Is that so?"

"Indeed," Black Mamba said, "you see, I wish to ensure I'm not wasting my time and money. I see potential in all of you, but I wish to be certain. That's why in the next ten seconds, ninjas are going to try to kill everyone in this establishment who isn't me."

Tin Man sighed, and finished his beer.

The windows exploded inwards, and countless men and women dressed in concealing uniforms, welding swords, slid inside.

"Prove your worth," Black Mamba strolled towards the door, "I'll be waiting."

oooOOooo

"Costumed fool!"

Shimmer had no time to raise her hands to defend herself as the ninja swung his sword for her throat, and watched as his sword continued through it unobstructed.

"What?"

The man only had a second to be surprised before he felt a blade sink into his back.

"Cocky idiot," Shimmer said.

oooOOooo

Tin Man had no patience for ninjas. Their blades broke against his skin and throwing stars were as dangerous to him as rain, yet they persisted.

So he took the axes he carried, and swung them for the annoying little jack rabbits. He'd gotten one who'd been a little clumsy, and the other three would fall in time.

After all, it wasn't as if they could hurt him as he tried to kill them.

oooOOooo

"Ninjas," Lash held his chain limp in his left hand, "I can smell the poison on those stars of yours. Think you're faster than me?"

With a practiced flick of their wrist, three men sent five stars total flying.

Lash snapped his wrist several times, and sent each star flying back at the man who threw it.

"Not faster, not better," Lash remarked, "but don't feel bad about it, boys. Few are, when it comes to me."

oooOOooo

"Bring it on!"

Celsius caught a sword that threatened to cleave her head in two in between her palms. With practiced ease and pure instinct, she froze the blade to absolute zero and shattered it with a mere flick of her wrist.

She slapped her hand against the chest of the man who'd just tried to kill her, and watched with glee as his chest melted away underneath her fingers, screaming the entire time.

A woman came up behind Celsius, but the young meta-human wasn't concerned. Without looking, she swept her hand towards the woman, and an icicle flew through the air and sank into the woman's throat.

Celsius tore through her attackers like a lion through a family of mice, a manic grin never once leaving her face.

oooOOooo

Black Mamba leaned against a lamppost outside the bar. She examined her nails as she listened to the violence unfolding inside the bar. She didn't bat an eye with the crew she had hired stepped out into the street, completely unharmed.

"You know, in my experience, it's best to try to murder the help after the caper is done," said Lash, "not before."

"If you couldn't survive this ambush, you wouldn't have been any good to me," Black Mamba said, "if you're still interested in a paycheck, I'll give you the address to meet me at. If you'd care to settle this here and now, just say so."

"I have to get paid to kill you first," Celsius said with a shrug, "otherwise I'm just being crazy."

oooOOooo

Several days later, Gotham

Tin Man glanced around the construction site. They were three stories down, with the skeleton of the building erected, and a high fence around the entire lot, yet there wasn't a single worker in sight.

"Where is everyone?" said Tin Man.

"Soil tests came back contaminated," Black Mamba said with a smirk, "but don't worry, I have it on good authority the tests were altered by someone with an agenda."

"That's a long way to go just for one target," Shimmer observed.

"I wouldn't under-estimate her, were I you," Black Mamba said, "but the plan is simple. We will draw her in, with me taking Celsius as a pretend hostage. When she approaches, Lash will bind her with his chain and Tin Man and Shimmer end her."

"Why am I the hostage?" Celsius hissed.

"In case they fail," said Black Mamba, "any other questions?"

"Yeah, we just going to stand out in the open like idiots?" Lash said, "because call me crazy, but she might see us coming."

"I chose a construction site for a reason," Black Mamba smiled, "they are disorderly by nature, no one will notice trash out of place. And I have the perfect cover for all of you."

ooOOOoo

Batgirl was in the middle of her night patrol when the call came in.

'Costumed maniac holding a hostage at construction site. Cordon off the area and wait for back-up.' Was what it said over the radio. Which, in Gotham, was pretty much code for 'Wait for The Bat or SWAT'.

Batgirl found a perch just out of sight, and took a moment to examine the site. She saw the hostage taker standing just outside the structure of the building's skeleton, and the hostage on her knees before a woman holding a gun to her head.

The two were surrounded by what appeared to be normal debris found on a construction site. Batgirl gave it less than eight second's attention, before she knew what she had to do.

Having appraised the situation, she took a small leap off the roof of the building, and activated the glider built in her cape.

Batgirl touched down as light as a feather a dozen feet from the hostage taker and her captive.

Several things then happened at once.

Lash exploded out of a pile of scrap wood, and threw the weighted end of his chain at Batgirl like an arrow.

Tin Man smashed his way out of the office trailer, an axe in each hand.

Shimmer stepped into view, the illusion of herself several feet to her right, drew her blades and began racing towards Batgirl, intent on catching what Lash might miss.

Batgirl never flinched, but quickly leaned to one side, catching the weight of Lash's chain, maneuvering it out of the way while chain length traveled past. A split second later, she opened her hand again and caught several chain links, giving herself a loop of chain.

She spun around as her enemies raced towards her, Lash the fastest and quickest by far.

But not quick enough, as Batgirl swung his own chain across his face. Lash felt his vision blur, and then felt nothing when Batgirl swung his chain again, bringing it down on his thick skull.

Lash fell to the ground unconscious, and Batgirl didn't spare him a second thought as she took the weighted end of his chain, and threw it to her right.

Shimmer skidded to a stop, but wasn't quick enough to keep the weight from slamming into her gut and exploding the air from her lungs. She clutched her stomach, in complete disbelief of how effortlessly Batgirl had seen through her illusions. Never once had they failed so completely as this.

"Raarghhh!" Tin Man roared as he charged at Batgirl. He forced himself to ignore how his teammates had been dispatched as he raised his weapons over his head and brought them smashing down where she had been standing moments before.

But Batgirl was already in motion. Tin Man and Shimmer barely saw Batgirl move, but she became a blur of motion. Tin Man didn't have the reflexes to track her, and Shimmer only saw Batgirl because the young woman seemed to fly at her, her right knee raised so that it smashed into the Illusionist's already hurting stomach.

The second blow was enough to subdue Shimmer, and despite himself, Tin Man began to grow nervous.

They had the target outnumbered, but she didn't seem to truly acknowledge that fact.

"Come on!" Tin Man slapped his fist across his broad steel chest, "I hear you carry explosives, acids! Well, little girl, let them fly! Let me see your arsenal, before I plant you in the ground!"

Batgirl bent over, and picked up a pebble in her right hand. Then she stood up straight, and used her left hand to cover her mouth as she yawned.

Tin Man's anger boiled over, and he roared like a lion as he charged Batgirl.

Batgirl flicked the pebble at Tin Man. It traveled in a perfect arc, rising perfectly through the air, and falling like a cruise missile down Tin Man's large mouth and getting lodged in his throat, cutting off all the air.

Tin Man skidded to a stop in front of Batgirl, dropping his axes and gripping his throat, as he struggled to breathe.

Batgirl stood in front of him, arms at her side, completely passive.

Three failed breaths was all Tin Man needed to know he might die, that even his indestructible body needed air. He cast his eyes towards Batgirl, pleading for help.

Her reply was a scowl that all but said, 'You know what you have to do'.

His vision beginning to blur, Tin Man realized he had no choice.

His flesh went from steel to pink in less than a second.

Batgirl's right fist smashed into his gut, and the rock flew from Tin Man's throat along with all the air that had been in his lungs. Just to be sure, Batgirl spun on her heels, and as Tin Man fell, she slammed her left elbow across his face.

He landed n the ground with a heavy –thud!-.

Batgirl turned towards the hostage and hostage taker.

"…you never said she was like this," Celsius said. Just the weight of Batgirl's stare made the meta-human realize that Batgirl wasn't the least bit fooled. Celsius couldn't remember a time when she'd been the center of such focused attention.

"What's the matter, scared?" Black Mamba taunted.

Having studied studied Celsius' mental profile extensively, Black Mamba had come away with the same conclusions as the professionals. The woman was a classic sociopath, easily prone to fits of murderous anger. A push in the correct direction was all it took to point her dangerous abilities at Batgirl.

"Scared?" Celsius' left hand engulfed in fire, and ice encased her right fist, "I'll turn her into ash!"

Celsius darted at Batgirl, but she lacked the discipline to truly train both her mind and abilities to the greatest degree that she could.

So Batgirl feinted left, and when Celsius fell for it, darted right and swung her left leg across Celsius' stomach. Celsius saw stars, but saw nothing else when Batgirl followed up with a right cross that sent Celsius hurtling into unconsciousness.

"Impressive," said Black Mamba, "but then, I knew you would be."

Batgirl cocked her head to the side, as Black Mamba raised her fists, and assumed a fighting stance.

"I just wanted to take your measure, before I demonstrated the superiority of my enhancements," Black Mamba said.

Batgirl said nothing.

"Prepare for the ash heap of history," Black Mamba said.

Batgirl removed a single bladed batarang from her belt.

"Still here?"

Black Mamba became a blur of motion, and swung a fist at Batgirl's head that would have crushed it like a grape, if it had connected. But Batgirl leaned back, and swept her hand across where her face had been, and then responded wit a snap kick to Black Mamba's gut, forcing her back.

"One."

Batgirl pointed, and Black Mamba, despite herself, glanced aside.

She gasped when she saw her cybernetic hand laying on the ground, and then looked at the now stump, now sparking with electricity.

"You…" Black Mamba struggled to find the words. She knew she wouldn't escape this battle unscathed, but never did she expect to be so easily disabled, "…relic!"

Batgirl saw the attack coming, and when Black Mamba swung her remaining fist at Batgirl's head, Batgirl stepped to the side and kicked Black Mamba in the back of the knee, bringing her down.

In one fluid motion, Batgirl grabbed the arm that was missing its hand, and pressed it to Black Mamba's other wrist.

Batgirl's gloves were insulated, but she took no chances, yanking her hands backwards as Black Mamba's cybernetics completed an electrical arc they were never designed to.

"Twotwotwo." Black Mamba repeated mindlessly, a side effect of her weaponized limbs feeding back into her brain. What little consciousness she had, she found herself awestruck at how easily her plan had come apart, and how effortlessly Batgirl had taken them all down.

With casual ease, Batgirl had taken them down with no more than two moves apiece.

Later

Batgirl was watching as GCPD loaded the meta-humans into specially reinforced transports, when her comm. buzzed.

"Batgirl, are you alright?" said Oracle, "I just heard that Gotham PD arrested five metahumans."

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

Next issue: We catch up with Cass and her new sister!