Captain Boomerang. Full name, George Harkness. Australian immigrant whose criminal activity was based in Central City until The Flash let him slip through his fingers. Egotistical asshole that appraises his talents far above market value.
This is the shithead that's going up against my seventeen-year-old Jason Todd.
I was sprinting to my motorcycle, diving off the edge of the roof to reach it faster. Jason, disguised as Red Hood, still had his microphone enabled and I could hear grunts as their fight continued, interspersed with quick one-liners of not-so-witty banter.
"Hold still, ya wanker!" Captain Boomerang groaned through the mic.
"You talkin' to me?" Red Hood responded in between breaths. "Crickey, mate, I don't speak Australian."
I almost laughed to myself as I disabled my bike's security, climbed astride it, and decided we needed to work with Jason on his banter.
"Batgirl, I'm still en route to GCPD with Scarecrow," Dick called over the comms to me, though I could hear his motorcycle roaring in the background. He'd clearly put on some speed once he realized Jason was in trouble.
"I'm on my way," I said as the motorcycle revved alive and kicked up dirt behind me as I took off. I slowed as I wove through and around the bodies of inmates and police officers still on the scene but broke into speed as my motorcycle whipped past my dad.
Checking in with him as Barbara would have to wait. I wasn't done being Batgirl tonight.
"Alfred," I called into the communicator, "I need Hood's exact location."
"Sending it to you know, Miss," he responded.
"Alright, have a go, you mug, I'll give you one shot," I heard Captain Boomerang's taunting voice over Jason's comm.
"Don't take the bait," I tried to caution, but I knew Jason wasn't listening to me.
"Give me? How generous, Dundee," he responded and grunts followed. I was closing in on them, only a few minutes away.
But a silence over the communicator made me feel paralyzed. Jason's heavy breathing had stopped suddenly, and a slow, self-satisfied laugh came from Captain Boomerang.
"Where is he?!" Nightwing- no, Dick – yelled into his comm.
"I'm close," I told him.
"I'm coming, I just left Scarecrow at the precinct," he shouted, his panic evident.
"You have rocks in your head? Trying to take on me? You even know who I am?" Captain Boomerang said just loud enough for us to hear over comms.
"I'm close, Jason, just hold on," I called into the communicator, Dick's panic infecting me with worry. What had I done, how had I allowed Jason to come out, this was my call, anything that happened to Jason was on me, I had put him in this position and if anything happened to him…
"Can I take a guess?" Red Hood's voice answered Captain Boomerang. "Is it… the Outback Slayer? The Kangaroo Killer? Boomerang Bloke?"
"It's Captain Boomerang, you yobbo."
"Wait, seriously?" Jason asked, stifling a giggle.
"Put a sock in it…"
"No, that's cool, you can call me Commodore Kite if you'd like," Jason continued. His voice was calm, sarcastic, and playful. His breathing had slowed and softened. I didn't love how much he was baiting Harkness, teasing him, tearing him down; it would make him dangerous, lethal. But it was buying us time to get to him. To help him.
As nervous as I was, Jason sounded… in control.
"If you're done havin' a ripsnorter, maybe you wanna tell me why you're messin' about?" Captain Boomerang threatened. "I know you. You're the Red Hood. I heard about what you did back in the day. Why are you gettin' in my way?" he asked. Jason didn't answer. I slowed my bike, close enough now that I didn't want Harkness knowing he had company if Jason was in a vulnerable position. I pulled the bike up quietly behind an electrical relay station, enabling security and leaving it as I approached the nearby power station that had been marked on my map. "You workin' with Wahler?"
"No. I'm definitely not working with Amanda Wahler," Red Hood answered. Captain Boomerang paused at this, confused at how he might know Amanda Wahler without having worked with her. I was grateful for the distraction. It allowed me enough time to launch my batclaw to the top of the building and get a bird's eye view of what was going on.
"Batgirl, where are you?" Nightwing called loudly through the comm unit.
"I'm on the scene, in strike position," I answered as I poked my head over the roof.
Captain Boomerang was standing below, a boomerang poised in his hand and ready to throw at Red Hood, who was stuck in a crouching position about ten feet in front of him. Jason wasn't totally pinned down, wasn't in dire trouble. He could roll away, spring backwards, sprint forwards, he could get away. But the blinking red light on the center of the boomerang told me that this toy was rigged to blow- and this, the courtyard of a power station with transformers surrounding them, was not a smart place for an explosion.
"I'm only a few minutes out…" Nightwing assured us.
"When you're close, make a silent approach," I directed him. "Boomerang's got bomb potential. We need to make a smart play."
"A bomb?" Nightwing repeated.
"Just be quiet," I reminded him, returning my attention to the two men in the courtyard.
"Then what do you want?" Captain Boomerang continued in his questioning, still not confident enough to lower his weapon yet.
"Eh, what do all men want?" Red Hood shrugged back all too casually. "The approval of their fathers, acceptance of their peers, maybe a nice girl to spend the night with… or dude, if that's your thing, no judgement," he gestured graciously to Harkness with that last bit, knowing he was juvenile enough that the comment would get under his skin.
"Why are you gettin' in my way?!" Harkness growled, his patience worn through. After a night spent with Harley Quinn and Joker, it was amazing anyone in his position would have patience left. I pulled a batarang off my belt, getting it ready for use. Perhaps, if I hit his wrist with the batarang, he'd drop it before realizing what was happening. But what if it detonated on impact?
"Oh, I'm not trying to get in your way," Red Hood answered, his hands held innocently in front of his chest. "Oh God, is that what you thought I was trying to do? I'm so sorry… I… I'm a little embarrassed," Red Hood laughed to himself a little as he stood, gesturing harmlessly at Captain Boomerang as if asking permission. He didn't like it, but Harkness allowed him to stand across from him. "I feel like there's been a really bad miscommunication here."
"And why's that? What are you on about?" Harkness asked Red Hood suspiciously.
"I'm definitely not trying to 'get in your way,'" Red Hood said, using his fingers when speaking parenthetically and making a playfully facetious voice. "God, no. No, I'm trying to stop you."
The plain and simple truth had been enough to jar Harkness. Red Hood took two sprinting steps forward, dove into a roll, and came out of it with both hands flexed flat. One grabbed Harkness' coat lapel as the other drove straight up into his nose. Harkness dropped the boomerang and for a moment my breath halted as I watched it fall. But it never hit the ground. Jason dropped his hand from Harkness' lapel and caught the boomerang with ease, spinning it over a finger and flinging it up into the air far above the power station. I watched it ascend high above the power station until it was at a safe enough distance, then threw my batarang to meet it. The collision in midair caused it to detonate and the explosion blew my hair back behind me with a gust of hot air.
My eyes returned to watch Red Hood best Captain Boomerang. He swept Harkness' leg out from under him and toppled him to the ground, ending the attack with a hard kick that knocked him out. I stood atop the roof and Jason looked up at me, raising his hand to his communicator.
"How'd it look from up there?" he asked through the comm unit. I nodded approvingly.
"Pretty damn good," I answered.
"Yeah," Nightwing said through the comm unit, though I watched him step out from behind a nearby transformer. "Really damn good." I glided down from the roof and the three of us stood together, Nightwing and I working hard to mask the pride we felt for Jason. "You shouldn't have let him get the upper hand, though," Nightwing elbowed him with a smile, the criticism real though the mood was playful. It was a strength of his, to be able to give that feedback in a way Jason would take it. Had Bruce said the same thing, it would have left Jason feeling defeated and insufficient. But he was able to elbow Dick back and bump into his shoulder playfully.
"Yeah, but I needed more practice bantering with him. I haven't gotten that much time chatting up my combatants," he shrugged, only half-jokingly.
"About that, we gotta work on your wordplay a little," I laughed, and the other two giggled with me. I turned over my shoulder, watching for any signs of life. "You two should go," I said. "GCPD will be here any minute to investigate that explosion. I'll take care of it. You need to get home."
"Batman headed that way?" Nightwing asked nervously.
"As far as I know, he's still investigating the Joker disappearance. But it's been a long and busy night- the rest is clean up. Batman and I can handle it," I said. Red Hood turned away a moment, his hood disguising his expression. I reached out and put a hand on his shoulder with a comforting smile. "You did really great tonight, Hood. Really great. I don't want anything jeopardizing that new cape you could be inheriting very, very soon." Red Hood nodded back at me, perhaps reassured, before hurrying back to his motorcycle and hurrying off the scene. Nightwing lingered, looking between me and Harkness.
"I've got Captain Kangaroo," I said nonchalantly. "Once GCPD arrives and takes him away, I'll follow up with Batman. See who we need to put back on our list." He took a step closer to me.
"Will I see you tonight?" he asked in a low, seductive whisper. I smiled coyly back, wanting to say yes but not willing to lie.
"It's been a long night," I answered, "and it's not over yet. If Joker's on the loose, we may still have a man-hunt on our hands tonight." Dick hesitated, clearly wanting to argue but knowing I had a job to do.
"Call?" he asked. Insisted.
"Tonight?"
"When you're done," he said. "I don't care if it's 5am, just… call." I bit the inside of my cheek, feeling his hunger for me infect me, make me want to touch him.
"I'll call," I said, keeping my hands at my side despite the urge to grab him. He smiled back like he'd won something small, grabbed my hand, and squeezed it. Then he turned and left. Once I'd heard his motorcycle pull away, I flexed and stretched my fingers to shrug off the feeling of his fingers on mine.
Still at work. No time for those feelings.
The police arrived maybe five minutes later. I'd moved Captain Boomerang's body to the front of the power plant so police could clearly see it when they arrived. Officers instinctively raised their guns and yelled at me to freeze before realizing that I was Batman… no, Batgirl…
"This is George Harkness, alias Captain Boomerang. He was part of the group that organized a breakout attempt at Arkham Asylum tonight. Call it in to Gordon, he'll want him detained in special crimes," I directed. The police looked at each other reluctantly, but called it in as instructed and received back positive responses. They approached nervously and I stepped back to make room for them, leaving the scene as soon as their backs were turned.
"Batman, I've detained Captain Boomerang," I called into my communicator as I sped towards the bridge to Bleake Island. "What's your status?"
"Quinn is in GCPD custody. Deadshot and Joker are in the wind. I'm in contact with Gordon," he said, referring to my dad. "Prisoners are still being rounded up and accounted for. So far, major criminals left unaccounted for include Bane, Killer Frost, Two-Face, and Riddler."
"Six of them, loose," I said more to myself than to him. And after we had just locked up three of them… "I'm starting to feel like a maid. The second we look away, there's another mess to clean up."
"Tonight could have gone a lot worse," Batman reminded me. I tried to take heart in that, though it was difficult.
"Where do you need me?"
"With me, on Miagani. We've got a lot to clean up."
By the time Batman and I decided to head our separate ways, it was 6:30am. The sun was just starting to rise and sprawl pink across the dark skies. Batman told me to head home, get some rest while they waited on the full list of escapees and missing persons; in the meantime, he'd confront Wahler on her half-baked plans. I didn't love the idea of him going to Wahler alone, but I also knew she was a harmless bureaucrat without her suicide squad to back her up.
I returned first to the manor to hand my suit off to Alfred for a cleaning. Likely I'd be in it again within 18 hours to start the hunt for our missing persons. Alfred already had a report running on one of the screens. Batman was right.
Harvey Dent. AKA Two-Face. Missing.
Floyd Lawton. AKA Deadshot. Missing.
Louise Lincoln. AKA Killer Frost. Deceased.
Edward Nigma. AKA Riddler. Missing.
Bane. Identity unknown. Missing.
Joker. Identity unknown. Missing.
"Killer Frost is dead? Confirmed?" I asked Alfred as he took a sip of tea from a delicate cup.
"Yes. Her body was found in the wreckage at the asylum. Reports from the scene are that she was found in a police car that had been thrown by Bane. She did not survive the ensuing explosion," he said. I pinched my lips tightly together. While I didn't want any of these criminals going free, I felt a pang of guilt that any had died. It was my job, our job, to protect Gotham from these people, but that also sometimes meant protecting them from themselves. "We cannot save them all, Miss Gordon," Alfred said quietly from my side, as if he could read my mind. I tried to force a smile and a giggle, but all that came out was an exasperated breath.
"Thanks, Alfred. I know," I answered mournfully as I looked away from the screen.
"You should get some rest," Alfred coaxed me. "Your room upstairs is prepared."
"Thank you, but I've got a little more I need to do," I said, grabbing my things and heading towards the hallway upstairs. "But is Jason…" I let the question dangle in the air and Alfred smiled back at me reassuringly.
"He went to sleep shortly after returning home," he said. I smiled proudly despite being tired.
"He did great last night," I said. "He fought well, he took direction, he worked collaboratively…" I trailed off a moment and looked up at Alfred, whose downcast eyes showed some anxiety or nervousness about what I planned to say next. I stepped closer and put a hand on his arm as I said, "he's going to make a great Robin, Alfred."
He smiled in that way that parents do, when they're proud of their kids despite worry, despite wishing they wouldn't do what they did, despite heart ache. I smiled back, knowing that Alfred probably felt just as much the boy's father as Bruce did. They'd raised him together. As Bruce trained him and sparred with him and played chess with him, Alfred was the one helping with his homework, tucking him in, making him breakfast. I tightened my hand around Alfred's shoulder, trying to send him my belief, my emotional strength.
He'd be sending another son into battle. His third son: Bruce, then Dick, now Jason. It couldn't have been easy. It made my heart sore.
It made me want to call my dad.
"I'll see you tonight, Alfred," I assured him as I removed my hand and headed upstairs to grab my car. Sitting in the beat-up old car reminded me of how tired I was, how filled with exhaustion I was. I started driving towards home as I called Dick.
"Hey," he groggily answered. I'd obviously woken him.
"You told me to call," I said, feeling a bit guilty for having woken him up.
"You're just now getting off?" he clarified.
"Yeah. Long night."
"You basically haven't slept in days," Dick reminded me.
"Yeah, I know. I'm just gonna head home, it's closer. That okay?" I asked.
"What about your dad?"
"I'm about to give him a call, but I'm sure he's still at work. Probably will be for another twelve hours," I said, both annoyed at his insane schedule and relieved I'd have the apartment to myself to sleep peacefully.
"Go home. Sleep," he said.
"I sleep better when I'm with you," I smiled through the phone.
"Probably because I'm sleeping on a mattress bought within the last ten years," he joked.
"I'll see you tonight," I said with a tired laugh.
"See you soon, Barb," he said. I hung up and immediately dialed Dad's number, clearing my throat of sleepiness before he could pick up.
"Barb," he answered in his gristly, tired voice. "I'm sorry I didn't call…"
"It's okay, I was just worried," I said, putting on my best, naïve voice. "Everything that happened last night, are you okay? It's all over the news."
"I'm okay. My team is okay. Don't know what would have happened without Batman and Batgirl, though. If not for them, this city might not have survived the night," he said.
"What happened? Are you coming home soon?"
"No, I've got fallout to take care of first," he said regretfully.
"You can do paperwork from home." He laughed at my urgings.
"I wish I were at the paperwork part. We're still sorting out the escaped Arkham prisoners, the dangerous ones from the criminally insane ones from the ones that were just unlucky enough to be stuck in that hole," he said. "I'll be home by tonight, I promise."
"Will you let me send out for coffees for you and the team?" I asked, knowing he'd normally reject the offer. But today, he accepted.
"If I drink any more of this swill we've got at the office, I think I'll develop an ulcer," he grumbled.
"With all the stress, you're probably well on your way anyways," I joked. "Just take care of yourself dad. You work better when you're rested."
"I know Barbara. I'm sorry if I kept you up worried last night," he said, apparently able to sense the drowsiness in my voice despite my efforts to hide it.
"It's okay. I'm just glad you're safe," I said as I parked the car in front of our building.
"I love you, Barbara."
"Love you too, Dad," I answered, and we hung up. From the car, I called Ernesto's and made a large order for coffees to be delivered to his precinct with the clear direction that dad got at least one of those cups. I then grabbed my things and went upstairs. But after locking the door to our apartment and taking a step inside, something in me ignited awake.
I was not alone in this apartment.
I dropped the bag in a way that sounded casual, but looked around suspiciously. I couldn't see or hear anything, but I sensed the presence of another person. Not in the living room or kitchen or bathroom or Dad's room.
My room.
I pressed my back flat against the wall by my door and let out a long, soothing breath as I reached down, twisted the knob, and threw the door open. I hesitated a moment in case there was a trap waiting for me. When none sprung, I crouched low and looked in the room.
"Sorry," Dick said groggily from my bed, "did I scare you?"
I stood with an exhale of both relief and annoyance as I stepped into the room. "What are you doing here?"
"You told me you sleep better when you're with me," he said cutely. He was nestled under my blankets and into my pillow, smushed against the far side of the bed to make room for me. I grabbed up my bag from where I'd dropped it by the door and threw it in my room, closing and locking the door before stripping off my clothes.
"Next time, give me a heads up before you break into my place?" I requested as I slinked out of my sports bra and underwear.
"Where's the fun in that?" Dick asked, a hint of flirtation in his voice as he watched me disrobe. I shook my head at him as I flung the blankets up and crawled into the too-small bed beside him, pressing my back into the heat of his abdomen. He pulled me close and I could feel his nose at the crown of my head, breathing me in. His hand grabbed around my body possessively, holding me just under my bare breasts. I smiled comfortably as my head relaxed onto the pillow.
"Good night, Barb."