Katt Girl & The Harley Kidd: Chapter 19: New Home by Chad Sheefel 11/23/19

Bruce Wayne managed to save the planet, but in doing so, it took everything he had. He laid there passed out, nearly dead, next to the boulder that stopped his fall. The training grounds for the League of Assassins had been swallowed up by the mountain. The future Selina Kyle was gone. A few hours went by before someone discovered Bruce lying there. It was a young woman, dressed in many layers due to the cold conditions of the mountain. She took one of her layers off and put it on Bruce to try to keep him warm. Then, she put him on a sled, and began dragging him away. Bruce's eyes barely opened up, but only for a moment, just long enough to see that he was being carried away. Shortly after, they made it to a cabin in a wooded area of the mountains. She carried him inside and laid him on the bed. Then she began to patch up his wounds. He slightly opened up his eyes again, just long enough to catch a glimpse of the beautiful woman that was tending to his wounds, before he was out again.

A week had gone by in Gotham City. Bane was still in control. Gotham citizens were getting hungry. Bane had negotiated his conditions with the United States government. Usually, the military wouldn't negotiate with terrorists, but there were too many innocent people to stage an attack. Bane allowed helicopters to bring in food. But he wouldn't give any of the food to the people unless they obeyed his command. He would make the strongest men join his army. The women and children would feed his men. Bane would put tracking devices on everything and everyone. He wanted to know what was going on every second, of every hour. His army had grown to over 40,000 men, and he was recruiting more every day. He kept Oswald, along with many of the other Gotham Government officials locked up at Gotham Prison. He allowed Arkham Asylum to become the new Court House. All traitors would be left hanging from the street lights on Main Street.

Richard Grayson managed to find his way back to Wayne Manor. He finally had the opportunity to meet Gabby, Lola, and Alfred. After a couple days of Richard almost getting beat up by Lola, they managed to get along just fine. As they were all getting settled in, they awaited Bruce and Selina's return, but after almost a week, they feared the worst. It was New Year's Day. Wayne Manor had became a home for orphaned children. Alfred felt like it became an orphanage over 16 years ago, and he welcomed the children, as they went through such trying times. Each night, they would go out and try to find others that needed help. Wayne Manor had plenty of food and many rooms to spare. They had housed about 30 women and children during that week. Everyone would take turns doing chores and looking out for Bane's army to return.

It was about 4pm. One of the children found a package outside of Wayne Manor and brought it to Alfred's attention. It was a package labeled for Gabby and Lola. Alfred stuck his ear to it and listened for any ticking noises. He was suspicious due to the fact that mail hadn't been delivered since Bane took over. He shook it a bit to make sure it wasn't a bomb. Gabby and Lola saw Alfred inspecting the package. They noticed it looked a lot like the packages they had received just weeks ago. They ran over to Alfred and snatched it out of his hand.

"It's safe Alfred. We have gotten packages like these before." Gabby said.

They took it up to the room they had been sharing, and then opened it. The first thing they found was a letter. It said. From: Mom

"It's from our mom!" Lola cried out. Gabby quickly opened it up and read it.

"Dear Gabby and Lola. You have been the truest love of my life. Everyday I was able to spend with you was the most precious days anyone could ever ask for. You are both smart, strong, and beautiful. I am sorry that I kept the secret about mine and your father's past. I only wanted to keep you safe. I asked Mr. Fox at Wayne Enterprise to send this to you if I didn't return. You two have made a major impact on so many people's lives. More than you could ever know. And, you will continue making a difference in people's lives because you both have a beautiful heart. I know that one day, we will meet again. Until we do, I love you always, Selina. PS … I knew you girls were sneaking out in your Halloween costumes. I am the one that sent you your new outfits. In this box, you will find some new gear, with quite a few upgrades. I hope you enjoy the new look. Love you again, Mom."

Gabby and Lola sit and cry for a minute. They wanted to see their mother so bad. This letter was like a confirmation they may not get that opportunity. Despite their sadness, they opened up the box to reveal the new outfits that their mom sent them. Gabby pulled hers out first. It was an outfit shaped like the Catwoman outfit, but instead of it being jet black, it was dark gray with black stripes. Sitting just below that was a new whip. Then, Gabby took hers out. The outfit was half-black, half-purple. It came with a jester's hat to match. It also had a small stick, that when you pushed a button, the stick would extend out to resemble a baseball bat. Down below that, was explicit instructions to see Mr. Fox at Wayne Enterprise for further sizing and upgrades. Just as they were holding the outfits up to their bodies, Richard came running into their room unannounced.

He saw the outfits and said, "Hey! What are those?" He asked.

"First off, shouldn't you have knocked?… these are our Halloween costumes." Gabby replied.

"I'm not stupid. I know those are superhero outfits! Richard exclaimed.

"Shh … do you want to tell everybody in this place?" Lola demanded. "If you knew what they were, then why did you ask?" Lola said as if it was a rhetorical question.

"I want in. You guys have seen my moves. I want to get revenge for my parents' death." Richard demanded as he gritted his teeth.

"I know Richard. But, you don't have an outfit." Gabby stated.

"Actually I do!" Richard declared as he pulled his shirt off.

Underneath his shirt was the tights that he wore during his act with the Flying Graysons. The tights were dark red and had a yellow "R" near the chest.

"What does the "R" stand for? Lola asked.

"It stands for Robin Bird. That's what my parents always called me." Richard replied.

"Wait a second!" Gabby said. "You are Dick!"

"What did you call me? Richard replied.

"No, I remember you from my dreams. You fought along side of my mother and father ... in the future." Gabby said while realizing she probably sounded crazy to Richard.

"O … K … ?" Richard Replied. "Either way, I am in." he insisted.

Then Gabby tore a strip from her black sleeve, poked holes in it, and tied it around Richard's face. "There, now your outfit is complete. We will call you Robin Bird." Gabby said.

"I think we should just call him Robin." Lola insisted.

"Robin it is!" Richard exclaimed.

Suddenly, their door opened up. Alfred was standing there shaking his head at the three of them as they held their outfits in their hands.

"You three aren't going anywhere ... until you have received adequate training. We will begin after supper." Alfred said as he started walking around to alert others that supper would be done soon.

In midtown Gotham. Helicopters are bringing in new food and supplies. About 15 of Bane's army men were standing there waiting for the helicopter to drop the goods. Suddenly, Bane's men are ambushed by people wearing red hoods, armed with guns. Some of Bane's men try to fire off shots, but Bane's men were quickly cut down. The Red Hood members began taking the supplies, and then quickly ran off. Moments later, Bane arrived on the scene. He looked around to see if any of his men survived. There was one. The man was shot in the shoulder. He told Bane they were hijacked. Bane looked very disappointed in him.

"Too bad they didn't finish the job. I guess this is what anarchy looks like!" Bane said while pointing the gun at his fallen soldier, then pulling the trigger.

Bane seemed as if he expected something like this to happen. He began laughing while he pulled out a tracking device.

"We will just have to see where these rats are hiding out!"

Bane took many of his army men with him and followed the tracking device. It lead them to a sewer drain. They stepped down into the cold slimy water, as they started entering the tunnel. He had his army go in first, just in case it was a trap. Suddenly, there was an explosion. Bane's presumption proved to be correct. Then he could hear gunshots and men screaming. Moments later, the shooting and screaming finally stopped. Bane could see that something big was coming toward him. Then it was gone. A second later, Bane felt his feet get pulled out from below him, as he started to fall into the water. Once Bane managed to look up out of the slimy water, Killer Croc was standing over him. The toxic waste in the water had caused Killer Croc to get three sizes bigger.

"How dare you bring your activities down here!? The sewer is my territory! Killer Croc exclaimed.

Killer Croc grabbed a hold of Bane's neck and tried holding Bane under water. Bane struggled at first, until he pushed the button on his oxygen mask. Suddenly, Killer Croc could feel the resistance. Then … POW! Killer Croc went flying through the air and landed hard on his back. Croc was barely fazed, as he went right back after Bane. They rolled around in the water exchanging punches. Bane realized the water was Killer Croc's best friend, so he managed to flip Killer Croc onto the land. After fighting for a few moments, Bane could feel as Croc's energy started to dissipate. Bane finally got the upper hand. He began punching Killer Croc's head into the ground. Suddenly, he stopped punching. Bane realized that they had both been set up. The Red Hood was hoping they would kill each other. He stared down at the fallen Croc and stepped away. Killer Croc started to regain his composure and prepared to fight some more.

"We've been set up! Crocodile Man!" Bane proclaimed. "You can have your disgusting sewer, and keep your filthy water!

Killer Croc began to act calm for a second, although he was actually still tired from the beat down he just took from Bane.

"We should work together! You join my army and we will continue to hold this city accountable for all its sins." Bane insisted.

"How will we be atoned for our sins?" Croc asked

"You and I are messengers for God." Bane preached.

"What God?" Croc replied as he looked up at dark skies.

"Darkseid!" Bane yelled out with full belief in his eyes.

Chapter Recap: (Bruce was saved by a beautiful woman after he was left for dead on the mountain top. Bane fought Killer Croc after being set up by the Red Hood. Richard Grayson becomes Robin.)