DC Infinity Presents
Batgirl # 40
Sibling Warfare
Part 2
The Dark
Gotham
Cassandra looked at the metal shreds of what had been, only minutes before, her adoptive mother's car, almost in shock.
But instincts forged in the Gotham night took over, and she looked at the metal ribbons, sparking wires and torn rubber with a surgical eye. There wasn't a single bit of metal or rubber bigger than a hand-towel, but she also saw that there was no blood, no burns, no smell of ionized air.
Whatever had destroyed the car had done so with precision, power and at the same time, restraint.
"What the hell happened?"
"Was like a hurricane!"
Cassandra took a step back as the crowd began to gather. As usual, no one noticed her, something the young crimefighter was grateful for.
She reached into her phone, and dialed a special number with one hand before she'd even raised it to her ear.
"Cass, what's up?" Oracle said.
"Tatsu's been taken," Cassandra replied, "I need a swap on her car, now."
"Are you sure-"
"Now, Oracle!" Cassandra snapped. She glanced over her shoulder, and saw patrol cars pulling up.
"Okay, okay," Cassandra heard Oracle typing in a few commands. Since the second day Tatu had adopted Cassandra, Oracle had placed a secret program inside the Gotham DMV. With a few key strokes, she could change the registration and VIN number to someone else entirely, a person who only existed on paper.
The motivation behind it was that if the car was found with any incriminating evidence (say, the compartment that held Cassandra's uniform), anyone investigating would be led astray. Oracle knew that, in a time critical situation like this, Cassandra didn't want to be bogged down by dealing with the authorities, trying to explain why her adoptive mother might have been kidnapped, and by whom.
"Done. Nightwing's in New York on a case, do you need back-up?" said Oracle.
"I can handle it," Cassandra replied quickly. Though in truth, she was beginning to worry. She observed very little in the way of clues in the wreckage of the car, and in her experience, magic didn't leave much in the way of trace evidence.
But Cassandra wasn't about to let that stop her. She had several strategies and tactics in mind, and was in the middle of choosing the best one, when…
"Cassie?" Gabrielle grabbed Cassandra by the shoulder, "I heard you say Tatsu was taken, what are we going to do?"
Cassandra scowled inwardly. Even if she liked Halo more than she did, Cass didn't want to have to babysit a meta-human while investigating the disappearance of her adoptive mother. Dealing with them was like herding cats at the best of times, and kidnappings were by their nature delicate affairs.
"I'm going to investigate," Cassandra snapped, "you need to go home, and I'll call when I have something."
"What?" Halo did a double take, and then scowled, "Are you kidding? You're benching me? I've been a crime-fighter longer than you!"
But not better, Cassandra thought to herself, "This is Gotham. Don't need a spotlight on me!"
"God, you sound just like him!" Halo looked heavenward, trying not to scream in frustration, "she's my mother too…!"
Gabrielle took a second to swallow her anger, and looked at Cassandra, only to see that she was no longer standing there.
"God damn Bats…!"
oooOOoo
Elsewhere
Tatsu Yamashiro awoke to a throbbing headache, and when she tried to raise her hand to her head, she found it bound.
"Well, so you're the ninja chick who sabotaged my deal, all those years ago," Alexander Spencer said, "I'll be honest, I expected more. Thought you'd be famous or somethin'."
"And just who the hell are you?" Tatsu said. She could feel two thugs behind her, but ignored them. She knew who held the real power here.
"Really? Going to pretend like you don't remember me? Nice try," Alexander unbuttoned the top of his shirt, and revealed to Tatsu a thin scar across his chest, "you'd remember this. You did it when you and Batman sabotaged a shipment of explosives all those years back. You must have been crowing about the pound of flesh you took from me!"
The mention of explosives jogged a little bit of memory in Tatsu. When the Outsiders were first formed, she went on the occasional patrol with Batman for training. No more than a dozen times, though, because Batman was always more insufferable in Gotham than he was as an Outsider, but Tatsu thought she could use the experience.
"I was about to kill the damn Bat, and you it me with your pig sticker! I don't know what you laced it with, but that shit messed me up for years!"
Tatsu resisted rolling her eyes. She remembered the incident a little better now, but not much. Batman needed emergency back-up, things went bad from the start, including an explosion that left Batman stunned after saving two homeless men who'd been at the wrong place, at the wrong time.
Alexander, like a true criminal vulture, saw an opportunity and tried to put a bullet through Batman's skull. But luckily, he never noticed Katana, until her mystic blade, Soul Taker, had sliced his gun in twain, and left him with a warning scar.
Though she had saved Batman's life and destroyed literally a ton of explosives, Tatsu, even now, could barely remember much of that night. Compared to other points in her career, avenging her husband and sons, fighting demons, adopting two daughters, it simply wasn't that memorable.
But clearly, Alexander could never forget the feeling of brushing up against her old weapon, Soul Taker.
"So you kidnap me as revenge?" said Tatsu, "well, get on with it. I'm not about to beg."
"Oh, you're not going to die," Alexander said. He cupped Tatsu's chin, and gave her a look of pure venom, "not until I've destroyed the most precious person in your life."
"What a shame for you that my husband is already dead," Tatsu had little trouble keeping a Poker face. This man didn't impressed her, even if he managed to kidnap her (the use of magic was cheating, in her book), but she knew better to feed him any intel.
"If you say so," Alexander nodded towards his men, "keep an eye on her. We'll be ready for stage two in a moment."
oooOOooo
Elsewhere
A map of Gotham was pinned to the wall, the streets and buildings drawn with the blood of a dozen rhyming demons.
Atop of Tatsu's location on this map, rested a pin that pulsed a living green. The room's sole occupant, his skin chalk white, watched the map with laser like intensity.
The once man tore his eyes away, when he sensed a presence approaching.
He strode to his door, and opened it, just as his guest was about to knock.
"Enter, freely and of your own will," he said, "Mr. Page, correct?"
"You know it is, magic man," replied Mr. Page. Were he not so filled with righteous anger, Mr. Page would have been terrified of the man in front of him. From his armor, the stink of death that followed him or power that came off him in waves, a wiser man would have been inclined to discretion.
But Mr. Page was a man of bottomless, pulsating rage. He had no time for anything that didn't bring him his long denied vengeance, and as his luck would have it, that was why his host had sought him out.
"Of course," he said casually. In other circumstances, Mr. Page's attitude would have been infuriating. But one does not blame a snake for its venom, or a lion for its claws, "since you seem to have no patience for pleasantries, are you aware of the cost of what you ask?"
"I understand that it will let me kill the bastard who's making a mockery of my daughter's death," Mr. Page replied, "just tell me how to use them."
The man smiled like a shark, and produced a red, amber ring in one hand, and a dagger made of bone in his other.
"This," he held up the ring, "will summon any creature of vengeance and direct him at anyone of your bidding. Might I suggest not summoning the Spectre? He has something of a temper."
"Understood," Mr. Page held out his hand for the ring, and his host placed it in his palm, "and the dagger?"
"Much like any other," he replied, "only, as a thing of magic, there is nothing it cannot cut. No matter who's flesh it is pressed against, Doomsday, the milkman, Superman or the Batman. They will be cut, they will be bled and they will never stop bleeding."
"Exactly what I wanted to hear," Mr. Page examined the blade, and smiled at his own reflection in its edge, "I need to carve out a man's heart, and he won't make it easy."
"But it will be satisfying."
oooOOooo
Iceberg Lounge
Oswald Cobblepot had barely closed the door to his office before he felt a familiar, looming presence.
"I have regular business hours," Oswald sighed, "why do you flying rodents always ignore them?"
Penguin turned around, expecting to be confronted by Nightwing, Batgirl or, fates forbid, Batman himself.
But his office, fully lit, was empty. Seemed empty. But still, the hairs on the back of his neck stood on end. That instinct he had learned around the Bat-ilk was on edge, and he knew he was being watched.
"You allowed magic into Gotham."
Penguin looked around.
"I did no such thing," Penguin huffed. As a general rule, he avoided advanced technology and magic alike, unless the end to a very direct means. Gotham was dangerous enough with regular psychos and murderers, the last thing he wanted was for it to escalate.
"Magic was used earlier today," said Batgirl, though Penguin knew not from where, "you control the contraband market in Gotham. That makes you guilty."
"An interesting justice system you have," Penguin said.
"Better than you deserve," said Batgirl, "find me who bought the magic, and you might buy yourself some amnesty. Not forgotten the contract you put on me."
Penguin gritted his teeth. Bat threats were rarely idle, and always demanded a response of some kind. Penguin thought of himself as innocent, but ignoring Batgirl's demands would only invite her attention to his other, less savory operations.
"The things I do in the name of business."
oooOOoo
Elsewhere
Tatsu tested her legs, as she prepared for what she had to do.
She was certain that Cassandra and Gabrielle were desperately looking for her, but she suspected that they wouldn't have much luck. Katana barely remembered Spencer herself, and while she was confident that his name was in Batman's files, it wouldn't be anywhere near the top on a list of suspects.
Which meant that it was up to Tatsu to assist in her own rescue.
As luck would have it, the idiots holding her captive had bound wrists to the chair but neglected to do the same to her ankles. Perhaps the fact that they hadn't left the room made them careless. Alexander's two thugs were playing cards just behind her, barely a care in the world.
I'm too old for this, Tatsu thought before she steeled herself for what she had to do.
She swung herself forward, onto her feet.
"Hey, sit down!"
The chair was of good quality, Tatsu observed as she swung the legs into the first goon, knocking him on his ass.
Tatsu swung around again, farther and fast, smashing the legs of the chair into the second thug, breaking the legs and sending the man flying backwards, his head catching the wall and falling unconscious.
Keenly aware that the first man was simply on his back, she sucked in a breath before she leapt up and flipped over, and the backside of the chair (and her own back) came smashing down onto the man, turning it into so much kindling
Tats took a moment to collect herself. Her back felt as if it were on fire, and her legs were already punishing her for the flip. It was as if her entire body were angrily reminding her that she had retired.
"Why did I ever miss this?" Tatsu muttered, as she crawled to her feet.
She pushed past the pain, thinking of her children as she searched the men's pockets. She came away with a cell-phone, and hesitated only for a split second before dialing a number.
"Come on, come on," Tatsu said softly, as she heard the phone ring and ring.
"Oh, thank you, thank you."
Tatsu snapped her head to the side and saw Alexander, though she knew he hadn't been there, or outside the door, moments before.
Tatsu tossed the phone aside and clenched her fists, "You shouldn't have gotten within arm's length of me, scum."
"You think I'm an idiot?" Spencer shot Tatsu a cocky grin, "Curly, Moe?"
The two 'thugs' Tatsu had defeated dissolved into an inky black mist. Tatsu swung a fist for Alexander's smug face, but a tentacle of black smoke wrapped itself around her wrist and stopped it in its tracks.
"I'll bet someone you care about is coming to rescue you," Alexander glanced towards the phone, "lets prepare a proper welcome, shall we?"
"You're an idiot," Tatsu growled, "are you so desperate for revenge that you'd rely on a tool you neither understand or control?"
"I understand it perfectly," Spencer sneered, "all these things need from me is clear orders, and for that, there's nothing they won't do for me."
"Do you even know what these creatures are named?"
"Yes," Spencer replied, "mine."
oooOOoo
Blackgate, Warden's office
"Is Warden Grey in? He got a minute?"
"Yes, just go on in. We're winding down."
Inmate 29372, Kenny Briggs, looked up from the books he'd been auditing when he realized he recognized the voice. His desk was around a corner from the Warden and her secretary, that had fallen to budget cuts until they needed a place to for him to do his work. So in all likelihood, the man didn't even know Kenny was there.
Kenny stepped out from behind his desk, and peeked his head outside. He saw Doug Clark, one of the guards responsible for his transport, enter the Warden's office.
Kenny knew exactly what that meant, and the thought terrified him.
His heart pounding and nearly overwhelmed with dread, Kenny went back to work on the financial records he'd been examining. Focusing on the fours, eights, ten thousand and such was all that allowed him function, as he kept having the wipe the moisture from his eyes.
Kenny didn't know how much time had passed, but eventually, Ms. Reyes, the Warden's executive assistant (not secretary, Kenny reminded himself) tapped on the door, and stepped inside.
"How's your working coming?" Ms. Reyes said, politely.
"Why was Doug here?" Kenny asked, before he could stop himself.
"I think you know why," Ms. Reyes said, sympathetic.
"That's not fair!" Kenny said, struggling to keep his voice from cracking, "I've been sentenced, that should be it!"
"I'm sorry," Ms. Reyes said, "I just wanted to give you a heads up out of respect. There will be a formal court date soon, and I think we both know how that will go."
"Can I work late?" Kenny said, "please? I'll start early, please!"
"I'm sorry, Kenny. You know that's against regulations," Ms. Reyes replied. Ever since the guards had forgotten Kenny in the office, he sought to repeat the experience. She was sympathetic to how Kenny sought to bury himself in his work, to avoid the guilt that bore down on him, but it was a bad precedent to leave a prisoner outside their cell to do pro-bono work for the state.
"Oh," Kenny slumped into his seat, "I'll…I'll finish up in a minute."
"Take your time," Ms. Reyes said, "I'm working late tonight. I can have someone take you back to your cell."
"Thank you," Kenny said, trying to hide the pain in his voice.
Ms. Reyes gave him a warm smile, and never imagined that she would feel so guilty after telling a man his death sentence was certain to be revoked.
oooOOooo
Gotham, Chinatown
Batgirl tried not to let frustration overtake her as her last possible lead fizzled into nothingness. Penguin hadn't found anything through his contacts, and the few magic practitioners that called Gotham home had all fled Gotham during the last Crisis.
It wasn't just that Batgirl hadn't found any leads, she hadn't found anyone at all. The shops were all empty, and most had a thick lair of dust, untouched for months.
As Batgirl understood it, magic had been rebooted, its nature fundamentally altered. She thought back to Tatsu's sword, Soul Taker. She still remembered how it felt, standing in the presence of the thing, how it seemed to dive into her heart with bloodlust. Hardly a weapon one could rely on.
At her wits' end, Batgirl decided she needed to clear her head, and knew exactly how to do it.
Just two blocks away was the turf of the Ghost Dragons, who'd been discussing outward growth and how they might claim more turf. They had been trying to coax Penguin for more arms, and were on their way to becoming more dangerous, the way things were headed.
So Batgirl decided to deal with it now, and work through her frustration all in one.
She swung down to the street, across from the safe-house. A look out crew of three spotted her instantly. One ran inside, while the other two stalked towards her.
Instead of rushing to meet them, Batgirl leapt up on a waxed dodge charger (that she knew belonged to a lieutenant of the gang), and then sat down atop it, lotus style.
The two looked at one, then continued their approach.
"Hey, Bat!" said the first man, "get the hell out o' here."
Batgirl ignored him.
"You got no business here!" said the second man, drawing a knife. He leaned in close, and pressed the edge against Batgirl's throat.
"Leave," he growled, "or…"
Batgirl grabbed the man by his hair, and smashed the side of his head against the hood before he could finish his sentence.
The first Ghost Dragon stared at her, stunned. He hadn't even seen her move.
"Show me," Batgirl said, leaning her legs out over the side. She clenched her fists, "show me your 'or else'."
He pulled his fist back, ready to break Batgirl's jaw, and he never saw her swing her right leg up, catching his jaw perfectly and rendering him senseless.
By now, the members of the Ghost Dragons had realized that there was a Bat outside, waiting for them.
Some remembered how their leader, Lynx, had been killed in combat with her, while others remembered the broken bones she had given them over the course of her career. And all a few cared about was the fact that she was an associate of the feared Batman.
Their motivations were different, but every Ghost Dragon agreed on one thing, they wanted her blood.
Batgirl watched as they spilled out of their safe-house, and came at her like a wave.
Ghost Dragon number three swung a chain for Batgirl's head. She leaned back, dodging the chain effortlessly, and then bobbed back up. The Ghost Dragon overestimated himself, and was caught in a head-butt that broke his nose, sending him racing past his pain tolerance.
Ghost Dragon number four swung an unpracticed fist at Batgirl, and in response she swung her elbow to intercept. The contact was brief, but was enough to break the young man's fingers. He cried out in pain, and stumbled away.
Batgirl rolled to her left side and kicked out with her right leg at Ghost Dragon number five.
The Ghost Dragon thought, for a split second, that he got lucky when her boot flew past the side of his face, so close it brushed past his ear. But that thought was banished when Batgirl snapped her foot back, her heel colliding with the back of his skull and sent him tripping forward, where his face met the side of the metal car.
Batgirl worked her way through Ghost Dragons six through eleven, trying to think of her next move.
When it was over, the entire neighborhood had seen Batgirl take down a crew of Ghost Dragons while sitting on the hood of a car, never once standing up. It was an embarrassment that would set back their delusions of expansion for months, more than enough time for her and Nightwing to destroy their weapons stash.
And Batgirl thought of it as a complete failure.
She still had no idea who might have taken Tatsu, and now she had exhausted all her possible leads (of which there were few). She had no idea how to proceed, and worse, no idea who to hit.
"Batgirl, you there?"
Batgirl took a second to calm herself. She didn't want Oracle to hear the relief in her voice.
"I'm here," replied Batgirl, "what do you have?"
"Some good news and some bad news," Oracle replied, "Tatsu managed to overpower her captors, and get a call out to one of our special lines."
"Which one?"
"The 'this is a trap' phone number," Oracle replied, "I managed to get a location, but you'll need back up."
"This is the bad news part, isn't it?"
"Afraid so," Oracle replied, "there's a lightning bug flying up and down the east docks. You should gather her up before you rescue Tatsu."
"Do I…?"
"Yes. You do."
Batgirl stewed inwardly. She loathed the idea of going into combat alongside Halo. At least she was familiar with the skills of her Titans teammates, but Halo was a complete unknown, and now she had to rely on her to save one of the most important people in her life.
How did Batman survive with this woman on his team?
oooOOooo
Later
Batgirl's mood hadn't improved when she finally saw for herself what Halo had been doing.
The young woman was as bright as a bonfire, and was flying up and down the docks like a lightning bug. Batgirl fired a flare into the air to get her attention, all the while wondering what Halo hoped to accomplish.
"Before you start, I was trying to draw any old Outsider enemies to me," Halo snapped, as she approached, "this could have been the Duke of Oil, Nuclear Family, Force of July, and yes, I know our enemies had very alliterative names."
Batgirl raised an eyebrow.
"No one can shut up about it during the usual crisis team-ups," Halo huffed, "and it wasn't as if you were willing to keep me updated."
"I know where she is," Batgirl said curtly, "it's a trap to lure her rescuers."
"So what?" Halo said, "point me in the right direction, and lets go!"
"Point…?"
Before Batgirl could protest, Halo reached out with her powers, and enveloped Batgirl in a force field, and lifted her into the air beside her.
"This isn't how we do things!" Batgirl hissed.
"Whoever took Tatsu knows we're coming," Halo said, "and probably knows who we are. This is who I am, Cassie, get used to it."
"And don't call me Cassie!"
oooOOooo
Elsewhere
"You cannot think this will end well for you," Tatsu said, as the demons of ebony smoke clicked her heavy cuffs closed.
Spencer, in his lust for revenge, was playing everything to the absolute hilt. They were in an empty, disused garage, underneath the skylight that allowed in the moon's gentle light.
Tatsu was shackled underneath it, clearly meant to act as bait. As dangerous as the situation was, a maniac wielding magic he barely understood, Tatsu still had to struggle not to laugh.
"When your boyfriend, or is it husband? No matter, when Batman comes to rescue you, my friends here," Spencer motioned to the demons, "will overwhelm him and tear him limb from limb."
"You think Batman is my lover," Tatsu said, all the while reminding herself, not to laugh. She considered herself somewhat stoic, but everyone had their limits.
"Of course," Spencer said, "that's the only reason why you would have viciously attacked me like you did."
Tatsu didn't roll her eyes, but it was a near thing. The man's ego was so insurmountable, that he would never believe that he wasn't the target of some massive super hero conspiracy, that it truth, no one gave him a second thought since that night.
The humor of the situation drained from Tatsu quickly, the more she realized that the man was a narcissistic, idiotic sociopath. Magic, even before the last Crisis, was a dangerous and unpredictable weapon. Like a savage animal, it could be trained, but never, ever tamed.
And now he was poised to aim those savage tools at her children.
A bright, burning light was cast down from above, and Tatsu felt a tremor of fear shoot through her heart.
"Tatsu!" Halo smashed through the glass, and before it had fallen more than an inch, she encased her adopted mother in a field of solid light.
Behind Halo, Tatsu watched as Batgirl glided down to the ground, using her cape to slow her fall.
"Who the hell are these idiots?" Spencer snapped.
"He's using magic!" Tatsu shouted, "be careful!"
Batgirl and Halo stood side by side, and gave Spencer a look of seething contempt.
"Who the hell are you?" Halo snapped. She was certain that she'd get one over on Batgirl, and would know whomever it was that took Tatsu from their time together in the Outsiders, but she didn't recognize this man in the least.
"Your killer," Spencer said. With a simple act of will, his two smoke demons appeared over his shoulder, "boys? Get 'em."
oooOOooo
Tatsu tried to control the horror in her stomach as the smoke demons lunged for her children.
Halo went left, and Batgirl went right, and Tatsu felt her terror being replaced with anger, as neither girl seemed to give much thought to working together.
"Really?" Tatsu muttered.
oooOOoo
"Such a bright, tasty morsel," said 'Moe' as it formed itself a mouth, so that it might lick it's lips as it regarded Halo, "will you taste like rainbows and sunshine?"
Halo pointed her fingers at the demon, "Have a taste and find out."
Born of the pit, and a thing of magical hate and loathing, the creature thought nothing of it when Halo lashed out with her light powers.
But the creature's mind realized its mistake when the light smashed into it, and burned it like hellfire.
"That have enough spice?"
oooOOoo
"You're just a mortal," 'Curly' growled as it stalked towards Batgirl, "beg, scream, it won't matter. I'll tear you limb from limb, and you won't be able to d a thing to stop me."
In response, Batgirl pulled her fist back, and smashed it into the face of the smoke demon, sending it stumbling backwards into a pile of crates.
It looked at Batgirl, stunned, "How did you do that? You can't do that!"
Batgirl raised her fists, and stalked towards the smoke demon. She had a blessed knife that she'd liberated from an armory safehouse, but she didn't want to use it just yet. Not when, apparently, all she really needed were her fists.
"Why not?"
"Because!" hissed the Smoke Demon. All its existence, the Smoke Demon knew that modern mortals lacked the ability to comprehend magic. They denied its reality, convinced that magic was nothing but foolishness by their society.
But he had no way of knowing that Batgirl's upbringing gave her no such hang-ups about magic. As far as she was concerned, Spencer's demons were no different from any other scum, and could be handled just like any other.
Tatsu watched, safe behind a force field, as Halo and Batgirl fought Alexander's pathetic conjuring, and grew increasingly angry.
Seeing that her daughters weren't in any great danger allowed Tatsu to see that they also weren't bothering to work together either, as they should. Tatsu had been retired, but it was as clear as day to her that her daughters weren't using a fraction of the space between their ears.
And while anger was smoldering inside of Tatsu, Alexander Spencer watched in horror as the two young woman had his creatures on the ropes. He'd spent years researching magic, trying to find the most fool proof means of revenge and here it was, falling apart in front of his eyes.
"Enough!" Spencer shouted, "Demons, your master commands you…!"
"Halo, Batgirl, stop him!" Tatsu shouted.
"…kill the one she loves most!"
Tatsu's heart stopped in her chest, but for only a blink. Because she saw both Batgirl and Halo hesitate for a split second, and…
"Really?" Tatsu snapped.
"Raarghhh!"
The two Smoke Demons screamed as one, as their heads snapped back in forth between Halo and Batgirl, with such speed that even the Flash might have been dizzy.
"What are you waiting for?" Spencer demanded, "you heard me, kill the one she loves most!"
Tatsu shook her head, as the Smoke Demons turned their attention to Spencer, their eyes now blood red.
"I warned you," said Tatsu, "magic is dangerous, and your orders are unclear. You brought this on yourself."
Batgirl realized what was about to happen, but by the time she reached for the holy blade in her belt, the two Smoke Demons lunged for Alexander too quickly for her to stop.
Though it happened in the blink of an eye, smoke swirling about Spencer as the Demons, all three turned away. And when the smoke cleared, literally, all that was let of Alexander Spencer was a red smear on the ground.
"Okay, that could have gone better," Halo lowered the force field around Tatsu, "but I'm glad you're okay, and…"
Tatsu shot Gabrielle a look that silenced her instantly. And she did the same to Cassandra.
"I'm going for a walk," Tatsu said, her voice laced with anger, "and then I will call a cab home. And then? Then, the three of us are going to have a very, very long talk."
Cassandra and Gabrielle looked at one another, and both cringed.
oooOOooo
Later
"What's she doing now?"
Batgirl pressed her finger to her ear. Her home had been wired for audio and sound in case of emergencies, and Tatsu's anger certainly qualified in Batgirl's opinion.
"Cursing in…Chinese?"
"She likes the sound of their profanity better," Halo replied, "and she said that Grandma never caught on when she used it. God, that woman was terrible."
"How much longer then?"
"Gonna be a while," Halo sighed, "look, I'm sorry. I know I could have handled things better. It's just that you and Tatsu, you're both so skilled physically, and I'm not. I was just afraid I'd be forced out."
Batgirl nodded, "I wasn't very…open minded. Don't have much family, that's just mine. I overreacted."
"I guess we both have work to do when it comes to being sisters," said Halo.
"Yeah."
"So…?"
"Still cursing."
"Any suggestions on how to kill time until she cools off?"
"Want to play tag?"
Next issue: Cassandra revisits one of her first cases, as someone tries to kill the Unkillable Man!