Katt Girl, Robin, & The Harley-Kidd: Chapter 32: Barbara Takes Interest by Chad Sheefel 12/10/19
On this day, Barbara Gordon turned thirteen years old. Her parents were Jim and Barbara Gordon. They were going through a rocky relationship. Jim worked all day. It seemed like he would be at work for twelve hours, then come home and work until he passed out. Her mom wanted Jim to spend more time with the family, but that time never seemed to come.
Young Barbara was a whiz at computers. She could hack into any database without much effort. Her future plans for when she gets older is to become an investigating journalist. She would constantly hack the police database to see if she could get any information about the suspects her father was looking into. Barbara also belonged to a self-defense class. She did so good, her sensei would allow her to train the class on weekends.
It was noon. Barbara had just listened to her parents argue for nearly an hour. Her mother stormed out, and her father left for work. She didn't try to take sides, but she also wished her father was home more often. She decided to take a jog and try to clear her mind. As she was running, she began thinking about a criminal case her father was working on. The case involved a guy named Jack Napier. Jack had gone missing after escaping from the hospital, leaving a trail of death in his path. His last known place of employment was Axis Chemical, which was now Ace Chemical. Ace Chemical was only a three mile jog, so she decided to take a stroll past the place.
After she got there, she started snooping around, while at the same time taking pictures. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but she was having fun with the practice. She made her way around towards the backside of the building. The gates were closed, but she easily scaled over them. A couple seconds later, the gates started opening up. She quickly hid in hopes she hadn't already been spotted. A black town car pulled through. It looked like one of the town cars that Falcone was popular for driving. The windows had a dark tint, but she could barely see someone wearing a purple fedora, and an outfit to match. After the town car parked, it just sat there and nobody got out. Suddenly, two thugs, dragging a man with them, came bursting through the back door just a few feet away from Barbara. She got down as low as she could to avoid being spotted. The thugs were dragging the man towards the town car. The man they were dragging looked like he was wearing a firefighter's outfit. Plus, he looked like he was badly beaten. After they made it to the town car, the back window came down. The man with the purple fedora kept his head down as he spoke to the beaten firefighter. It appeared he was trying to get information from the man. Then, Barbara saw his face. His skin color was pale white and he had an evil grin that could scare the devil. He pointed a gun, which had a silencer, towards the fireman, then he said something that he thought was very funny. You would have thought it was the funniest thing he ever said from the way he was laughing. Then, he shot the fireman in his head. Barbara jerked when the shot went off. It wasn't a loud bang, but she had never seen anything so vicious. The thugs heard the noise, then they spotted her trying to hide. They started making their way to her, but she managed to duck through the back doors. She could still hear the man with the fedora wildly laughing as she looked for a new place to hide inside the building. She ducked behind a crate, then watched as the two thugs passed by her.
As the thugs were looking for Barbara, a dog-and-pony show started coming down the aisle. The thugs straightened up as the men walked by. The men were walking with Bruce Wayne. Instead of going later as Batman, Bruce decided to check out Ace Chemical as the business man. He was there to act as if he was interested in buying some stock in the company. He was actually hoping to get some clues as to why the fire fighter went here last night. Bruce noticed the two thugs acting suspicious as if they were looking for something, or someone. He started looking around, then he spotted Barbara, behind the crate, trying to hide. He quickly excused himself, then went to find a private place to change. The thugs finally noticed where Barbara was hiding. They acted like they hadn't spotted her, then they left the area. Barbara thought the coast was clear, so she came out of hiding. She tried making her way to the rooftop because she thought there might be a way down without getting spotted.
After she made it to the roof, she realized there was no way down. So, she decided to head back into the building to find another way. Suddenly, she was startled when she opened the door to get back in. The two thugs were standing over her. She tried to run, but the men grabbed her. She bit the man in the arm, then kicked him in the shin. He didn't like that very much. Then he pulled out his gun. The other thug that was with him told him not to shoot her until he put his silencer on the gun. Barbara was cornered, and she could only watch in complete fear as the man twisted the silencer on the end of his gun barrel. He pointed the gun towards her as she put her head down to prepare for certain death. Suddenly, a bat-r-rang landed at her feet after it had knocked the gun out of the thugs hand. Then the two thugs hit the ground. She looked up. She wasn't sure if she should be scared or happy about what she would see next. Batman was standing there with his cape flapping in the wind. He stuck his hand out to help her up. Suddenly, Batman could hear some security guards heading towards the roof. He grabbed Barbara, then shot a grappling hook into the air, catching it on a taller building in the distance, then swung them both off the rooftop of Ace Chemical. It was an amazing feeling to her as they swung through the air, then out of sight. He dropped her off in a safe location, then shot off another grappling hook, then swung away. She tried remembering everything she could about the outfit he was wearing. It was dark and mysterious. He had a bat symbol on his chest. At that moment, she realized what she wanted to do. She wanted to become a superhero just like him. As he vanished, she pulled out the bat-r-rang out of her back pocket. She looked it over, admiring the precision in its cut. She quickly made her way home to analyze the material.
Batman made his way back to Ace Chemical, then quickly changed back to Bruce Wayne. After that, he apologized for his short absence, then continued the tour. Moments later, he noticed the two thugs hobbling out the back exit.
"What is back there?" Bruce asked while insisting to take a look.
The men tried stopping him just as Bruce started to open the door. "Oh, nothing to see back there. Just a few boxes and crates."
Bruce managed to get a quick peek. The men weren't lying. There was only a few boxes and some crates. Although, some of them had symbols of Janice Cosmetics on them. He wasn't sure why they would have received a shipment from that company. It also looked like the two thugs were talking to someone back in the corner. That's all he could see before the door was shut. Bruce did spot something on the ground leading to the doors. It was blood. The men that was showing him the tour, quickly tried to turn him towards another part of the facility. They definitely seemed afraid of what Bruce could have seen in the back room. They did everything they could to steer him in a different direction. After the tour was over, Bruce shook their hands, then told them he would get back to them pertaining to whether or not he would be investing in their company. Once he made it out the front door, he noticed the men, that gave him the tour, rushing off quickly as if they had something important to tend to.
Bruce decided to get a better look from a higher position. He entered the building next to Ace Chemical, then made his way to the top. After he made it up there, he noticed the two thugs getting into a town car. He pulled out a pair of small binoculars, then memorized the plate number. He also noticed the car was riding low in the back. Plus, there was blood stains on the ground. Bruce instantly came to the realization that the young lady he just rescued had been a witness to a murder. He was upset that he didn't ask her any questions. His anonymity was important to him, and he never wanted to reveal too much by using his voice. That would soon change. He made his way to Wayne Enterprise. Lucius discovered the license plate belonged to a man by the name of Joseph Kerr. They tracked down the known address, but it was an address that belonged to a closed fairground. The fairground was mostly made up of an old collection of abandoned carnival rides and circus tents. Bruce decided to wait until nightfall to check it out.
Meanwhile, Barbara was also doing her own investigating. She had somewhat of a photographic memory. She was able to recall three of the license plate numbers, then ran it through the police database. Once she noticed the address, she instantly realized why the pale faced man would have chosen to live there. It seemed like it was a perfect match for the clown makeup he had on. She wanted to go check it out, but she didn't want to show up looking like a regular citizen. She turned to look at the bat-r-rang, which was sitting on her computer desk. At that moment, she realized the perfect outfit to wear. She started sewing together a black and purple outfit. She reinforced it with metal patches guarding her vital organs from gunshots and/or stab wounds. She spray painted a yellow emblem of a bat on her chest. She wanted to show her hero from earlier that she was on his side. After assembling her outfit, she sat back devising a plan of action. She knew it would be best to wait until nightfall to investigate the old fairgrounds.
It was 8pm. Batman made it to the fairgrounds, then started looking around. He noticed there was blood droplets on the ground, and they were fresh. He began following the droplets as if they were bread crumbs. That led him to a tunnel, which had strobe lights flashing on and off. Suddenly, four thugs came running towards him as the strobe lights flashed. Batman used the timing of the strobe lights to disappear, then began taking them down. Every time the light flashed, a new thug was on the ground. The last thug standing knew he was out of his league. He began firing his gun in all directions hoping to hit Batman. A bat-r-rang quickly took care of the gun. Suddenly, a grappling hook wrapped around the thug's feet, and he was pulled in Batman's direction.
Batman picked the man up then said in a growly voice, "Who are you working for? Where is he hiding?"
Batman could see the fear in the man's eyes. He feared his boss and Batman.
"What kind of creature are you?" The thug asked.
In a deep growly voice, Batman answered. "I am the Dark Knight!"
The man passed out from fear. Batman threw the thug to the ground, then continued following the splattered blood. Next, he came to a maze of funny mirrors. Suddenly, he heard the laughter for the first time. The crazy cackling of a madman.
"Hoohoohoo … I am the Dark Knight!" The man said while mocking Batman.
Batman continued his way through the maze. Suddenly, more thugs tried attacking him. Little did they know, that gave Batman an advantage as he could throw them into the mirrors, causing them to break.
"Heeheehee … Hoohoo … that's seven years of bad luck … times 4 … 5 … 6." The crazy man laughed as Batman continued smashing the mirrors with the thug's heads.
Finally, Batman made it through. The blood splatters led him to a man sitting on a throne, but he could tell the man was lifeless. After Batman examined the body, he realized it was the fireman that he followed from the morgue fire. The man had a bullet hole in his head, right between the eyes. His face was painted white, and a smile was carved into his mouth.
"Where are you ... Joker!?" Batman yelled out.
"Oh, you know who I am? Interesting, because I don't know you!" Joker responded.
"Joseph Kerr? It wasn't difficult!" Batman yelled out.
"Oh ho ho and a jolly ol' soul! We have a smart one here!" Joker laughed out.
Batman continued following the voice. Finally, Batman spotted a man with a purple suit running into a tunnel. The tunnel had a little bit of water and was used as a boat ride at one time. Batman gave chase through the tunnel. Suddenly, he was attacked by three more thugs. He barreled right through them, knocking one of them out instantly. He jumped off of the unconscious thug, then landed a kick to another. Then, he knocked the other thug out with a reverse elbow blow to the head. Batman could still hear the splashing noise of the Joker running through the tunnel. After he came out of the tunnel, there was another maze of funny mirrors.
"Heeheehee … woohoo … We can do this dance all day! Ay Batsy?" Joker laughed.
Batman pinpointed where the Joker was at after hearing the Joker's laugh. The Joker noticed that Batman had disappeared from the mirrors. He looked around for him. CRASH! Suddenly, Batman sent mirror fragments in the Joker's direction as Batman crashed through the glass.
He tackled the Joker, then said, "I know Roman Sionis has been talking to you! What are you and Roman planning?"
"Planning!? Don't you mean … What have we done!? Hoohoohoo heeheehee."
Batman realized that the makeup the Joker put on the dead man's face was from Janis Cosmetics. The Joker's grin grew four times as he realized Batman was putting the pieces together.
"What have you done Joker!?" Batman asked, although he knew it was a rhetorical question.
"I'm just trying to make people smile! Hoohoohoo hahahahaha.
"You're sick! You belong in Arkham Asylum!" Batman declared as he began punching the Joker to try to stop the Joker from laughing.
Whack! Suddenly, Batman was hit in the back with something that felt like a sledgehammer. Batman fell over wincing in pain.
"Is this flying rodent giving you problems Puddin'?" Harley Quinn asked.
The Joker jumped up, then curb stomped Batman's head. After that, he grabbed Harley Quinn's giant gavel, he was about to swing down, when suddenly, a bat-r-rang flew past the Joker's face.
"Oops! I need to practice that throw a little more! Do you mind if I try again!?" Barbara Gordon asked, while dressed in disguise as Batgirl. She was standing on top of a carnival sign.
"There's two bats!?" Harley asked.
At that moment, Batman was able to gain his composure, then punch Joker in the stomach, causing Joker to drop the gavel. Then Batman followed through with an uppercut punch, which lifted the Joker so high, it made the Joker fly out of his dress shoes. Harley Quinn tried attacking Batman, but Batgirl lassoed her around the neck, then pulled her away. Harley Quinn grabbed the rope, then tugged on it, causing Batgirl to lose balance. Batman jumped and grabbed Batgirl to stop her fall.
"You are becoming my knight and shining armor." Batgirl said.
Batman instantly knew it was the girl he saved from earlier. Harley picked up the gavel, then charged at Batman and Batgirl. Batman picked up Batgirl, then swung her around, which allowed Batgirl to kick Harley square in the jaw. Harley flew off to the side and looked unconscious from the kick. Suddenly, Batman heard the clicking of a gun. He quickly covered him and Batgirl up with his cape.
RAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT TAT! Machine Gun fire sprayed Batman's cape. Batman grabbed the gavel off the ground, then threw it at the Joker. It smashed against the Joker's nose, causing it to splatter with blood. The gun fell out of his hand. By the time he regained his composure, all he could feel was Batman landing on him with all his weight. The Joker let out a breathless laugh as the wind was knocked out of him. Batgirl quickly tied up Harley Quinn, and Batman handcuffed the Joker.
"We have to get a hold of Commissioner Gordon! The Joker has tainted the beauty products!" Batman yelled out to Batgirl.
Batgirl cringed because she wears makeup, then she wondered if she used any today. She was relieved once she realized she hadn't put any on, other than the black shoe polish around her eyes. She ran off to the phone she had left in a bag near the entrance.
"Dad … I mean … Gordon! We need to recall all the beauty products from Janice Cosmetics!" Batgirl pleaded. "The Joker is trying to poison everybody! We caught him down at the old fairgrounds! Send some men fast!" Batgirl pleaded, then hung up the phone.
"What the hell do you think you are doing here!? Batman yelled out, scaring Batgirl.
"I'm here for the same reasons you are!" Batgirl yelled out.
Batman could hear the sincerity in her voice. It was the same voice he heard from Gabby and Lola.
"Leave this to the pros!" Batman said, as he shot a grappling hook into the air.
"What am I supposed to do?" Batgirl yelled out.
"Become a hall monitor!" Batman replied as he ascended into the air.
"I will! But school don't start for another few months!" Batgirl yelled as Batman swung out of her view.
As sirens were getting closer, Batgirl jumped on her moped, then fled the scene.
Chapter Recap: (We were introduced to thirteen year old Barbara Gordon. She witnessed the Joker killing a man, then she tried to get away. Batman managed to save her. Barbara decided to create her own costume, then call herself Batgirl. Batman discovered the Joker's hideout. He was confronted by many thugs, but he managed to catch up to Joker. Harley Quinn attacked Batman from behind, then Batgirl managed to stop the Joker from hitting Batman with the large gavel. Batman discovered that Joker was going to try to poison everyone with tainted beauty products from Janice Cosmetics.)