Please note that the POV character is much different than the character you see in movies, TV, and the comics. The character you see here is a version I made up, as I was into changing characters from movies and TV and comics a lot back when I did so, and so I brought her here now.


CHAPTER FOUR: THE CAT AND THE RAT

Selina Kyle hurried through the alley. She was glad she was not being chased tonight by any thugs, which would be the first time in three days. She was very adventurous, something that got her into trouble a lot.

To her, Gotham was like a playground. She was the little black cat that ran around, getting close to danger every step she took. After realizing that was what she truly was, she took on the identity of Catwoman, which included donning a black vinyl costume and a whip, and although she did not truly protect the city, she was happy to know there was a family that protected the city, as well. While she had at first gotten in trouble quite a lot with them, she now counted the Bat-Family as a part of her family. But she knew how careful she now needed to be.

Three years ago, she had fought a mind-controlled Batgirl, and although she succeeded in taking her down, she'd taken her mask off by accident, allowing her to see the girl behind the mask. She was found by Batman and Robin not long after. Seeing what had happened, Batman forced Selina to promise to never tell anyone, to which she agreed. She had not meant to do such a thing, but she understood the danger of that possibility, with as many villains as there were in the city they lived in.

I'll make sure to never tell anyone, Selina thought to herself. I'm pretty much a friend of the Bat-Family now, so I'm sure they trust me. Well, maybe not Batman, but Batgirl and Robin surely do. Maybe even Nightwing…but I'm not sure about him. It doesn't matter. All that matters to me is the fact that I'm trusted around here.

Selina had vowed something long ago: never steal from the poor. She believed it was better to give to those who could not fend for themselves. After becoming Catwoman, she'd decided that not long after, drawing her inspiration for such a thing from Robin Hood and a video game she'd played when she was ten, Sly Cooper.

Coming up with her name had proven difficult for her at first, but deciding to not follow in Batgirl's footsteps, despite how much she'd inspired Selina to go out into the world in such a way, she called herself Catwoman instead. It fit her well now, she believed, as she was twenty-four-years old, three years older than Batgirl. Everybody had the right to make their own decisions, she believed, and that was that.

Selina hurried to a fire escape, preparing to climb up to the top of the building. It was beginning to rain, and although she knew she would not get her hair wet, thanks to her cowl covering all of her head, she wanted to go home and at least get some sleep. Unlike Batman, she could not go more than three days without sleep.

Suddenly she heard someone moaning. She wondered what or who it belonged to, but also knew to be careful. She remembered one of her first missions with the Bat-Family after gaining Batgirl's trust, she'd been captured by Scarecrow due to a stupid act of believing she could take down a group of thugs (one of whom had been the villain in disguise) without help, and was forced to experience visions of everyone she knew and either loved or liked dying. Fortunately she'd been snapped out of it, and Scarecrow had been captured.

The moaning continued, and soon Selina could not take it any longer. She looked behind a trash can, and then an air condition unit. She found nothing behind either of them.

But then she heard it again, and she saw a foul-smelling dumpster. She quickly looked behind it, hoping to take her head away from there quick, but when she took her look, she gasped. A man was laying there, holding his chest hard. A mask lay near his feet. Selina took a look at it and realized it belonged to the Ratcatcher. She looked at the man again. "Flannegan?" she asked. The man slowly turned his head to look at her. "Otis Flannegan? That is your name, correct? You're the Ratcatcher, aren't you?"

Flannegan slowly nodded his head, and then groaned once more. Selina knew what needed to be done. She wondered who could have done such a thing to Flannegan. Despite most of the villains being completely evil, Flannegan had some sort of a normal mind beneath his Ratcatcher persona. Slowly Selina took her phone out of her utility belt around her waist and dialed a number. She heard the phone ringing on the other end. She hoped they would pick up soon.

"Hello?" came the voice of Barbara Gordon a minute later.

"Batgirl, is that you?" Selina asked. "Look, I need your help. I found Otis Flannegan here. The Ratcatcher, I mean. He's badly injured, and I can tell that only by hearing him moan. Please, give the phone to Batman!"

She heard on the other end, "It's for you," said by Batgirl. And then Selina heard, "What is it?"

"Batman, it's Catwoman. I found the Ratcatcher! Otis Flannegan. He's badly injured, and I think he could be dying! I need help."

"We're on our way," came Batman's gruff voice once more.

Selina sighed with relief. She heard the phone hang up, and knowing they would be coming soon enough. She hurried back over to Flannegan. She dragged him out from behind the dumpster and tried to get him to sit up at least a little. At first, when he did not do so, she believed it was only because his ribs might be broken. But then she saw his left hand slip off his chest, and she saw the true reason for the groaning and why he couldn't sit up: there was a dark splotch of blood there, and it seemed to still be seeping through. She wondered how much blood he'd lost already. She put her hands on that spot, attempting to stop the bleeding. She felt the warm liquid welling up even through the think vinyl gloves.

"I didn't…want…this," Flannegan said, his breath coming out in short, rugged gasps. "I was…preparing…to…retire from…this terri…ble life." He coughed, and strands of salt-and-pepper hair fell over his face.

Selina continued pressing on the wound, even though the blood flow wouldn't stop. She wondered how much more blood he could lose. It was another thirty minutes before she heard someone calling out.

"Catwoman?" came a familiar female voice. Selina sighed with relief, as it was Batgirl. She saw her appear. At first Batgirl smiled at Selina, but her look became that of terror as she saw the Ratcatcher laying on the ground. "What in the name of God happened?"

"I don't know," Selina admitted. "This is really scary for me."

"Let me take a look," came the familiar gruff voice of the Dark Knight. Selina happily got to her feet. Batman came into her line of vision, along with Robin and Nightwing. Batman got to his knees and pressed on the wound.

"What happened?" he asked Selina.

"I came over here, hoping to find someplace where I could get out of the rain, and I found him like this, moaning, behind a dumpster," Selina explained.

Batman grunted, and then asked Flannegan, "Do you know of anything that's happened?"

"No," Flannegan said. "All I…remem…ber…is…him."

"Him? Who's him?" Batgirl inquired.

"Him," Flannegan said again. "He…was…so terrible…I could…not…take it…" His voice trailed off yet again.

"Who are you speaking of, Flannegan?" Batman asked.

"Him," Flannegan said once more. "The…one…we…f…Sc…" His voice trailed off for the last time, and then suddenly the whole group could hear a beeping sound. Everyone except for Batman wondered what it was.

His eyes widened, and then he ordered, "Take cover!"

He jumped out of the way, as did Batgirl and Nightwing. Robin and Selina had been out of the way already. But it didn't matter.

Flannegan's head exploded like a ripe, juicy tomato. Blood and brain matter flew everywhere, hitting everyone. Batgirl looked at the blood on her costume, and then ran behind a trash can to throw up. Selina had always known her to have a weak stomach.

"Good God, what happened?" Batgirl asked. "What caused his head to explode?"

"It had to be nanites lined with explosives," Batman said. He walked over to Flannegan's body and picked it up. "I'm taking the body back with us to the Watchtower to examine it."

Selina looked at Batman. "You're welcome," she said. He said nothing back. Batgirl came over to her. Selina saw Nightwing and Robin waving good-bye to her, which she returned. Then she turned her attention back to Batgirl.

"He's not in the best mood," she said.

"When is he ever?" Selina reminded her.

"Good point. But it's worse today because he wasn't expecting me or Robin to join the Justice League," Batgirl explained.

"Oh, congratulations," Selina said without smiling. "I'm sorry, I'm meaning to smile, but I'm just ready to get out of here."

"I understand," Batgirl said. "I need to wash this crap off me."

Selina leapt onto a wall and climbed up to the first level of a fire escape. "I'll see you later, Batgirl!" she said. She waved, as did Batgirl. "Bye!"

And as Selina leapt over some rooftops on her way to get home, she never noticed the shadowy figure watching her with one good eye and one blind eye. "Another nuisance," they said as they watched her, and then walked away.