Alex sweat as the hot summer sun beat mercilessly on him from above made all the more worse by the gear he wore. It was July if he remembered correctly, the hottest month in Afghanistan but that didn't concern him. Nothing really did anymore, not since Daniels had…died. That had been nearly a month ago, but he was still haunted by it. The memory of his eyes, wide and staring up at him lifelessly as Alex desperately tried to save him to no avail, it plagued him at every hour of the day. He remembered calling Harleen the day after and just sobbing into the phone, telling her that he was scared and wanted to come home. But here he was, still in the desert…
He checked his M16 for the hundredth time, making sure that it was loaded correctly and ready to fire when the time came. Intelligence had discovered a stronghold of Taliban hiding out in Sangin, a district in the eastern part of Afghanistan's Helmand Province. The Infantry platoon he and Daniels had been attached to had been tasked with neutralizing the threat and gathering information that could lead to other strongholds or caches.
Everything had gone smoothly up until they entered the town where they were met with hostile fire from the Taliban and their supporters. Chaos ensued as the Marines and Taliban battled each other, civilians fleeing in every direction to avoid being caught in the cross-fire. Alex fired rapid bursts from his M16 to cover the grunts as they pushed further into the town, waiting for them to cover him in turn so he could catch up. Finally, he was able to move as the grunts kept the Taliban fighters pinned down and he quickly made for their position. As he ran he heard gunfire, explosions, screaming, and saw the dead bodies of those who had been killed all around him as the battle raged on.
Just as he was about to reach his squad he saw a flash out of the corner of his view, turning just in time to see an RPG impact the ground several feet behind him. The force of the explosion knocked him off his feet and propelled him forward. Alex crashed into the ground with a grunt, the wind sufficiently knocked out of him by the landing. One of the Infantry's Corporals quickly grabbed him and drug him behind cover, leaning close to him and trying to talk but all he could hear was a sharp ringing in his ears. The Corporal kept repeating whatever he was saying until the ringing subsided.
"Alex wake up!" The Corporal shouted urgently, placing his hands on either side of his helmet and shaking him.
"Wake up!" He shouted again but this time his voice sounded distinctly more feminine.
He woke with a jump, a thin layer of sweat covering his body. He looked at his surroundings and instead of the town in Sangin he saw he was in his bed, realizing that he was still in his apartment in Gotham and not Afghanistan. He propped himself up on his elbows and looked over to see Harley looking at him with worry in her eyes and a hand on his arm, her other hand held a sheet up to cover her body as she laid next to him. Looking down, Alex saw he was also missing his clothes and he was confused for a moment until he remembered last night's events. After declaring his love and kissing her, Harley had waited for the others to leave before dragging him downstairs and into his bedroom. What followed had been nothing short of amazing…
"Bad dreams?" Harley asked, breaking Alex from his thoughts as he replayed the night over in his head.
"Yeah…" He murmured. A few years back he had been constantly plagued by nightmares of his first deployment but over the years he'd sought out help and came to terms with what had happened but every once in a while, one would sneak up on him.
"I know I'm not a psychiatrist anymore…but if you ever want to talk about it I'm willing to listen." Harley offered. She'd seen the signs of PTSD when he came back, how he'd avoid socializing, stare at nothing, drink heavily, and the constant night terrors. But while she had recognized those symptoms she'd been too busy worrying about the Joker to help him, something she'd deeply regretted considering what it had led up too. And while now it looked like Alex was able to manage it it was clear to her that he still needed some help.
"Yeah, that'd probably be for the best, but not right now. When I'm ready we'll talk, promise." It was a start at least. She'd do what she should have done all those years ago and help make his mind right as he had hers.
With that settled Harley saw no point in staying in bed any longer, getting up and putting on just her panties and T-shirt before heading to the door. Before leaving she looked back at Alex to see him staring, a stupid smile on his face. Harley didn't mind though, she was just happy to have someone that loved her for her, but that didn't stop her from teasing him.
"See something you like?"
"Just the most beautiful girl in the world…"
"Oh, stop it! Come on you can stare at my ass later, we got the whole day ahead of us!" She laughed before running out into the living room.
"Yes Ma'am!" Alex replied, quickly getting up and throwing on some pants before chasing after her. He didn't know how he got so lucky to have her or why'd she'd choose him. The life they were leading was full of danger and they ran the risk of being killed daily, a fact he wasn't blind to, but knowing that just meant he'd cherish every moment with her that much more and instead of hoping to die in glorious combat he now looked forward to the day where he could lay down his guns and just spend his days with her by his side.
...
"This intel comes from our informant in Penguins camp. The cargo freighter below you is carrying arms and ammo, most likely shipping them to terrorist groups in the Middle East. We need to make sure those guns never make it there. Once you secure the bridge Gordon will remain behind to provide on the ground intel while the rest of you proceed to the lower decks and destroy the cargo. Watcher One-Five will remain on station to provide over watch and extraction. Intel says the ship is lightly manned, only a handful of armed guards."
"Rules of engagement Sir?"
"Crew expendable. Overlord out."
"Roger. Bring us in!" Alex shouted over his shoulder to the Black Hawks pilot.
"Taking us in, one minute." The pilot replied. The helicopter made one last circle around the freighter before it began to descend, hovering over the vessels bridge. Thanks to the low light conditions and a pouring thunderstorm the helicopter was well concealed from visible and audio detection by the guards patrolling the deck.
Alex charged his weapon and checked over his own gear. Dressed back in his black combat fatigues and wearing his load bearing vest in place of the flak jacket. He'd ditched the balaclava as it proved to be an annoyance while fighting as it overheated his body quickly, which could be fatal if caught unaware. Satisfied with his own gear he looked over his team to make sure they we're ready.
Barbara had opted for her Batgirl suit and forgone any firearms as she'd be staying in the bridge and was more than capable of dispatching anyone who got to curious.
Harley wore the same black combat fatigues as Alex. When told she could wear what she wanted so long as it was practical for combat, she had declined, saying that she was done with costumes. Her MP5 SMG hung from a one-point sling looped over her shoulders while the pistol Alex had given her was strapped to her thigh, ammunition for the weapons residing in the magazine belt she wore. She completed her new look by putting her hair up in a messy ponytail to prevent it from obscuring her vision.
Lastly, Ivy wore her own black and green suit. While her suit certainly lacked any practical armor, it enhanced her meta-human abilities while making her virtually undetectable by noise unlike the armor the others wore, a fair trade-off. Due to her capabilities with a rifle Alex insisted that she carry one to back him up, and upon arriving back in Gotham she had been issued an HK416, the carbine variant of his M27, which was now slung across her chest.
Seeing that his team was ready Alex waited for the pilot's thumbs up before kicking a rope out the side of the helicopter and motioning for Harley and Ivy to rappel down. Once they were on the deck and covering the ground he and Barbara joined them on the ship. Unslinging his weapon Alex, Harley, and Ivy pointed their weapons through the bridges windows towards the ships navigation crew who remained blissfully unaware of their presence.
"Weapons free…"
Muffled "PFFTS" followed by shattering glass was the last thing the crew heard as they were shot unremorsefully by Alex and his team. They may have just been making the shipment but in his eyes, they were no better than the terrorists they were helping arm.
"Bab's, hold here and monitor the security feeds. The rest of you on me." Alex ordered, leaving Barbara on the bridge as they descended further into the ship, making short work of the few guards milling about until they reached the upper cargo deck and began to navigate the small maze of shipping containers as the rain pelted them from above. Watcher 1-5 circled overhead, it's Crew Chief scanning the deck with the mounted M134 Minigun for hostiles.
"They keeping the guns in these?" Harley asked as they passed another row of containers.
"No, these are probably filled with legitimate cargo. Any weapons and munitions are likely being held below deck." Alex answered quickly before halting them. "Guard on that platform up ahead. Isley can you get them?" He asked the redhead.
"Gladly." She replied, tossing a seed below the guard's perch and willing it to grow. A vine sprouted from the seed and grabbed hold of the guard, causing him to scream briefly before the vine gagged him. Ivy flicked her wrist and made the vine throw the guard over the ships edge and into the choppy waves of the Atlantic.
"Nice…"
"I thought it was…"
With the guard neutralized they continued creeping their way across the deck until they reached the tower on the stern of the ship. Barbara made use of the security cameras to guide them through the tower and into the bowls of the ship where they began to meet more resistance.
"Man, I know gunrunning is lucrative and all but damn, these guys really don't want us to get to them." Alex commented after they took down another team of guards. "AK's aint even that expensive, why do they care so much?"
"It's bad for business if they drop this shipment, especially if they got bested by such a small group." Harley answered.
"They can shove their business!"
"Not to interrupt Sergeant, but you should be reaching the main cargo hold. I'd get ready for a fight if I were you, I'm seeing at least twenty guards with AK's waiting for you." Barbara warned them over the comms.
"Well I hope dying for a bunch of guns is worth it to them. Isley, you ready for a field test?" Alex asked, drawing a shotgun from his back.
"What are you going to do with that?" She replied with a raised brow, wondering what it had to do with her. Alex answered by holding up a shot shell.
"This shell has live plant seeds in it. I can shoot clusters of them across the hold, giving you the ability to wreak havoc with your powers." He replied before loading the shell and several others into his shotgun.
"If you think it'll work I'm game."
Alex didn't wait any longer, poking the barrel of his shotgun through the hatch and emptying the weapon across the room. The guards inside looked at each other in confusion, wondering what their assailant was doing by firing blindly around the room. They got their answer when vines sprouted across the room, gathering the guards up as they fired desperately at them to no avail before being tossed about like rag dolls.
"Hmm, better than expected…Alright, secure the room while I plant the charges." Alex ordered once Ivy finished taking care of the guards.
The three entered the cargo hold and split up, Harley and Ivy covering the doors as Alex began placing his charges on the crates containing weapons. While he was busy setting charges Harley wandered around a row of containers, carefully stepping over the bodies of guards, their bodies twisted into broken heaps from Ivy tossing them around. Seeing that the guards were indeed dead she turned to head back when she heard a noise coming from one of the containers. Believing that some of the guards had hidden in the container she cautiously moved towards it, weapon raised as she reached for the latch. But when she opened it instead of finding armed guards she found herself looking into the faces of several scared young girls.
"Please help us…" The oldest one pleaded as she held one of the younger girls. Harley, still not over the shock just nodded her head as she lowered her weapon.
"Sergeant! You should come look at this!" She shouted over her shoulder.
"En route!" Came his reply. Shortly after he rounded the corner and stopped next to her. "What's up?" He asked, to which Harley just nodded in the direction of the container. Alex turned his eyes to the contents of the container and they immediately went wide when he saw the kids. "What the fuck…Isley! Get over here!" He shouted back.
Hearing the urgency in his voice Ivy quickly jogged over. "What's going on?"
"They weren't just shipping weapons and ammo…"
Ivy looked into the container and saw the group of young girls, rage immediately building in her. She knew exactly what would have happened to these girls if they hadn't arrived.
"We can't blow these charges with them on board. Bab's, get ahold of the bird and tell them we need a pick up, ETA five minutes." He ordered over the radio before turning back to the others.
"On it."
"We can't have them see these bodies, you two go search the remaining containers for more kids then hide the bodies in one. I'll hang back and watch these ones."
"Got it Sarn't." The two replied before walking off to carry out their tasks. Alex turned back to the girls who flinched away from him.
"Hey hey, it's alright. We're the good guys." Alex soothed after squatting down to get on their level. There where five of them, the oldest looking to be in her early teens. They looked to be fine, they'd most likely have some emotional or mental trauma that he couldn't see, but physically they were fine to his relief.
"I wanna go home!" Sobbed one of the younger girls.
"I know sweetheart, we're going to get you home, alright? Those men can't hurt you anymore." he told her, taking her hand to offer some comfort.
"We heard the shooting…you killed them?" The oldest one asked as her eyes settled on the rifle in Alex's hands. The question caught Alex off guard but he slowly nodded his head.
"Yeah..."
"Good…"
"Hey Sergeant, we're good to go!" Harley shouted from behind the stacks of containers.
"Roger! Alright kids I'm gonna take you to a helicopter, stay behind me, ok?" The kids nodded in response before following closely behind Alex. "Harley take point, Isley cover the rear." He ordered as the two rejoined him. Alex and his team lead the group off kids out of the cargo hold and through the ship up to the main deck where the Barbara waited with Watcher 1-5 hovering just above the deck.
"Wow, it's Batgirl!" The kids cheered excitedly upon seeing one of Gotham's well known heroes. Barbara smiled down at the girls as she helped Alex quickly usher the girls into the helicopter and strap them in. Once they were safe in the helicopter Alex turned his attention back to Barbara.
"Go with them, make sure they get home safe!" He shouted over the noise of the helicopters rotors.
"What about you guys!?"
"Still got set off those charges! We'll hitch a ride on one of the lifeboats once we're done!"
"I'll get it done Sarn't, good luck!" She said before climbing up into the helicopter and shutting the door. The Black Hawk then rose and flew off towards Gotham, disappearing into the night as it flew away. Alex was confident that Barbara could handle the kids but he'd still check in with her later to make sure she got the job done. But first there was still the matter of completing their original task...
"Alright, let's set these fuckers off and get the hell of this boat." Alex told the other two as he withdrew a detonator from one of the pouches on his LBV. He quickly checked to make sure the device was still synched to the explosives emplaced down below, flicking the safety off once he saw the connection was good. "Fire in the hole." He warned before activating the detonator. A muffled "Boom!" then came from as the charges exploded, destroying the weapons held below.
With the crew dead and the weapons destroyed there was no point to sticking around any longer so the three made their way to one of the lifeboats, climbing in and lowering it into the ocean where they left the freighter behind and headed back towards Gotham. They rode in silence for a good ways, Alex staring into the water in thought as Harley steered the boat. Suddenly Ivy spoke up from where she sat at the rear of the boat.
"We can't let Penguins goons keep stealing girls, we should shut them down." She said to the others. She'd always known that Penguin supplied various goods to his clients but she hadn't known that he had expanded into human trafficking, especially the trafficking of minors. The thought made her sick and she wanted nothing more than to make him pay for attempting to rob children of their lives.
Alex looked up at her and nodded. "I'm down, Harley?"
"That even a question?"
"Alright then, steer this piece of shit towards the docks. Shouldn't be too hard to find the place, just look for the assholes with guns." He ordered before retrieving his radio. "Watcher One-Five this is Knight, Over?"
"Send it for One-Five."
"You guys drop of those kids yet?"
"That's an A-firm Knight, we dropped them and Bravo-Golf off at the park."
"Roger, we're en route to the docks and are expecting things to get pretty dicey, requesting aerial support, Over?"
"Roger, give us time to refuel and rearm and we'll meet you there. Watcher One-Five out."
"Alright then, let's go smoke these fucks…"
...Mission Complete…