Chapter 6

Faith had known that Commissioner Gordon was going to be a hard sell, even if the situation hadn't involved vampires. After all, asking a cop to trust a felon was something that happened never and the day after never. However, considering that the lines of communication had been open with Barbara Gordon, a.k.a. Oracle for a bit longer than expected, Faith had hoped that she would have a certain level of trust awaiting her.

However, she had underestimated Oracle's skills as a hacker. They were formidable enough that she had been able to find (even though Willow and Fred had done an exceptional job in burying it) Faith's complete criminal record. Finding out that she had spent the past three years in prison had not only made Barbara hostile, but it had pissed off her father all over again.

"Give me one reason that I shouldn't run you in for violating your parole," Gordon had spat.

Fortunately, Faith had been prepared for that statement. "First of all, as you know very well Commissioner, I have a legal team so skilled they make O.J.'s look like high schoolers. You might get me back in jail but I wouldn't be there for long." She paused for five seconds, making sure what she had said registered.

"Second, and more importantly, regardless of my time in the joint, this town still has a vampire problem, and I'm the only one who can fix it."

This, of course, was an outright lie and she knew that if either member of the Gordon family decided to call her on it, she could be in very big trouble.

For a long time, it had seemed that both of them were seriously considering this option. However, Barbara finally elected not to.

"That doesn't mean we're just going to turn you loose in Gotham." Barbara had said. "You're going to have to prove yourself to me and to the others before that."

Faith looked at Barbara. "My little performance in Crime Alley didn't convince you?" she said coolly.

Oracle had then gone quiet with a sad look on her face. "Anybody can tune up on a team of felons, Faith." She then exchanged a glance with her father that Faith didn't understand. "From what I'm told, it takes a hell of lot more to stake a vampire."

"So now I have to prove myself all over again?" Faith frowned. "Fine. Where and when?"

Which brought her to where she was now--- somewhere in the lower-class part of Gotham. According to Barbara, someone or something had been causing the homeless population to shrink--- and she knew the city well enough to know that this wasn't because of the compassion of its wealthier citizens. She thought that this was a symptom of the same problem.

Faith gave the girl extra points for her intellect, because she knew from her own experience that vampires loved to dine on the homeless. They were the perfect targets-- always present, less likely to put up a fight, easy to disguise yourself as, and the police never missed them.

There was still something bothering her, though. When Faith had asked Oracle if she was going to be 'performing' in front of her, she had replied that she would not. "Someone that I trust implicitly is going to be keeping his eye on you."

"Who?" Faith had asked.

Oracle had given her a look she couldn't quite read. "Don't worry. You'll know him when you see him."

So that was why at one o'clock in the morning, on a cold winter's night, that Faith was walking through what could politely be considered the slums of Gotham City looking for something suspicious. Unfortunately, at that hour in that section of the city, everything looked suspicious. None of it was, however, related in any way to the undead.

Faith knew that, given the hour and where she was, she was going to find a vampire eventually, or one would find her. What she was more worried about was 1) that she would look bad in front of whoever it was Oracle had watching her and 2) that the vampires would become wise to her presence before she wanted them to.

She didn't think that her presence would scare off vamps--- in fact, it might even encourage them to reveal themselves in order to fight her. But, looking bad in front of Barbara Gordon could have ramifications beyond whether or not she stayed in Gotham City. They could affect how Angel-Slayer could actually work in a major city, whether or not they could handle major crisis.It might even---

Then she saw them. Standing within one of the more dingy-looking alleys in an already dingy part of the city were three people. Three people in shabby clothing-- and two of them were sneaking up on the third, who was much smaller than they were.

Only Faith was certain that the bigger two weren't people. She was sure of it before she even got a look at their faces. They were vampires, and it looked like they were about to feast on one of Gotham's tired and poor.

Not tonight, boys and girls. She thought to herself as she walked into the alley. Time to rock and roll.

"Yo, long, tall and ugly." she said with just the right mix of defiance and calm.

One of them slowly turned. "You talkin' to me, bitch?"

Faith rolled her eyes. "You've been waiting a long time to use that one, haven't you?" she said. "Okay… I'll play along." She stepped forward, relaxed. "Well, I'm the only one here."

The vamp walked over to her. "I love it when my dinner is fresh." he said before going into his attack.

It became clear almost immediately that this vampire wasn't anywhere near the top of the heap in Gotham. In a matter of seconds, Faith had kicked his feet out from under him, slammed his head into a garbage can and threw the vamp in to the wall next to her, staking the vampire as he fell backwards.

Faith defeated its associate so rapidly that the second vamp barely had time to ready an attack. This one, however, was much tougher than the first had been. It was able to match her blow for blow, and seemed far more tenacious.

Faith's back was almost against the side of the alley until she managed to land a roundhouse kick to the vampire's the chest, causing it to fall back. It still managed, somehow, to kick at her kneecaps. She went partially down, but was back up on her feet in a flash. Three seconds later, she was in the vampire's face, and five seconds after that, it didn't have a face anymore

A voice suddenly sounded from seemingly nowhere. "I have to hand it to you… that was very impressive. I'd say your technique could be a bit neater, but that's a matter of individual style…"

Faith's vision and hearing were excellent, but it still took her several seconds to locate from where the voice was coming. It was from above - on the roof of the building to her left. She found it strange that she still couldn't see anyone… and a moment later she did. He was wearing very dark clothes - he might even be dressed only in black. Was it the…?

The figure then slid down one of the sewage pipes next to the exterior lighting of the building. As he grew closer, Faith got a better look at him. He was wearing black tights, a black shirt with a blue band on the front and the sleeves, and a black mask covering the top of his face.

By the time that he reached the ground, Faith was sure that this was not Batman. For one thing, he didn't have the bat insignia on his chest or a cloak around his shoulders both of which Andrew had said were key parts of the Caped Crusader's outfit. For another this man seemed younger than the Bat was reported to be.

When the figure in black and blue reached the ground, he immediately ran over to the man who would have been the vamp's victim had it not been for the presence of Faith. "You alright, Nathan?" he said.

The man--- Faith could now tell that he was stooped and at least in his fifties—looked up at the figure without any surprise. "I'll be alright. Thanks to this girl." He looked at her, then back at the man in black. "Friend of yours?"

"Not yet, no, but we'll see." The dark figure glanced at her again. "I have a feeling we're about to become real close." He turned his attention back to Nathan. "Can you get back to the shelter alone?"

The older man shifted his weight, lips squeezing together for a second as he thought about his answer. "I think so."

He began to walk away from the two of them. "Thanks again, miss. I appreciate it."

Faith was a little surprised--- she couldn't remember the last time that someone she had saved had thanked her. "Umm, you're welcome," she said calmly.

The costumed man saw the older one get across the street before he turned back to her. By then Faith thought that she had a pretty good idea who he was. "Let me take a guess," she said. "Oracle sent you."

"She didn't send me, Miss... Faith, right?" The dark haired Slayer nodded. "She asked me to look out for someone while I did my job."

"So you're Nightwing, then?" Off his look of surprise, she gave a small smile. "I've been in town long enough to know who you are. You help protect the homeless people of Gotham City. Any particular reason you didn't choose to help him?"

"I wouldn't have let anything happen to Nathan if I thought that he was in any danger." Nightwing spoke calmly. "As you clearly demonstrated, he didn't need my help. Now… it's my turn to ask you a question."

Here we go again, Faith thought to herself. "Let me save you the trouble. The reason that there is no sign of those two is that they turned to dust. You see, that's what happens to vampires when you kill them."

"Vampires…" said Nightwing slowly.

"I'm not going to have to go through this with every crime fighter in Gotham, am I?" said Faith tiredly. "It was fun the first time, but it's getting really boring."

Nightwing walked a few steps closer. "Oracle filled me in on the situation. I've spent the last few days trying to keep the people here safe."

"Them safe?" Faith spoke incredulously. "You're one of the people who's protecting the city. Isn't everybody under your watch?"

"That's his job." He motioned toward the area outside the alley. "Protecting the people here is mine."

Faith sensed the defiance in his voice. "Oh great. You're not in some kind of pissing contest with Batman, are you?" she said.

"And what does that question have anything to do with what's happening here?" He was practically in her face, now.

"In these alleys, no. But the vampire problem in this city isn't limited strictly to the homeless." Faith lifted her arm to indicate the city. "Everyone, rich or poor, crook or legal is in danger from these things. I'm going to have to work with everybody and I don't need to get in the middle of a territory dispute. So I'll ask again," she leaned into Nightwing's face. "Can you work with Batman?"

For a moment she thought that she had gone too far, but then Nightwing looked away. "I've worked with him before. I can do it now. Good enough?"

Faith considered this before giving a small smile. "Five by five." She began walking out of the alley.

Nightwing walked beside her. "All right. You and I are going to go over what needs to be done to protect the people here. Then you're going to tell me what you know about these murders."

"And you'll take this to Batman?"

He gave a not very-happy grin. "He'll find out soon enough."

Faith didn't know what was or had been going on between Nightwing and Batman, but she figured that she was going to catch more flies with honey then with vinegar--- whatever that meant. "All right. Long story short, most of the lore on how to kill vampires is true. A stake---" she pulled out the one she'd just used "---through the heart will kill them. But it's got be precise, and its gotta go in hard."

"All right. What about crosses?"

"They'll burn the flesh of any vampire they touch. A bible will do the same thing, if you get really desperate. Do you know any priests?"

Nightwing nodded.

"Good. Get them to some kind of water supply. If one of them blesses it, then that should be enough to make it in to holy water. That works nearly as well as stakes at killing them."

"And what about garlic?"

Faith shook her head. "The whole garlic thing is a myth. Vamps don't like the smell, but it won't stop them from killing someone. Same thing with communion wafers."

"Mind if I ask a stupid question?" Faith nodded, and so Nightwing went on. "Do they really sleep during the day?"

Faith shook her head. "Most don't need much sleep. And only the old-school ones still sleep in coffins; most are happy with an ordinary bed."

"But sunlight will kill them?"

"Yeah, but only direct contact with it. They can still move around in the shadows, even during the day. The smart ones get around by negotiating any available space underground. You know the workings of the sewer system?"

"Pretty well, yes."

"Good. A lot of them are going to be working underground. You and your friends are going to be spending a lot of time down."

Nightwing seemed a bit surprised. "You don't intend to be doing the same?"

Faith considered his question, and then shook her head. "I'll be spending some time there but I'm not one for being subtle. I prefer to come right at them."

"A woman after my own heart." Nightwing seemed surprised that she had said what she had. An awkward silence filled the air before the hero changed the subject. "All right. What about these murders?"

Faith continued to study Nightwing for several seconds before she responded. "The ones that they're talking about in the papers are probably all being done by different vamps. Most of the undead aren't that original; what's worked for them in the last century is still good enough for today. Unfortunately for the police, there's almost zero chance they'll ever nab the killer."

"Great. Does that mean that there's no way to stop them?"

"No, that'll be my job. You've gotta convince your friend the Commish that I can handle this. "

Nightwing gave a sigh. "All right, so for now we put those murders aside. What about the crime bosses who have been getting killed?"

"That situation is a whole other ball of wax." said Faith. "Those murders are the ones that have me concerned."

That was not what Nightwing wanted to hear. "Why?"

"Most vamps have a simple plan of attack: kill, eat, sire. They don't think of the long haul and they certainly don't take any trouble to think about who it is that they're killing."

"You're telling me no vampire's ever thought of doing something like what they're doing now?"

Faith shook her head. "Of all the vamps I've ever fought, only three of have ever had the sense to think ahead. And all three were neutralized."

Faith didn't think that it would be a good idea to tell the heroes of Gotham that she worked closely with one of them and another was in the city working for the white hats. It was hard enough to get them to accept her; for them to accept the help of a soulless killer (even if he had his soul) would be a very difficult sell, if it could be done at all.

"Of course, that doesn't mean that one hasn't come around." Faith said in a reflective tone. "I have known some vamps who have managed to upgrade their methodology."

"So you think that there could be some new vampire working this angle."

"My friends and I---"

"Where is your backup, by the way?"

Faith had been anticipating that question. "Andrew's busy downloading some files to get as much as he can on the Gotham syndicates." She chose her next words very carefully. "William's been doing his version of reconnaissance, trying to see what he can learn from the inside."

Nightwing considered this. "He's good at undercover work, this William?"

"He has a certain knack for it."

"Why do I get the strong feeling that you're not telling me something?

"Because I'm not." Nightwing's eyes narrowed - he threw another stern glance at her as she continued speaking. "I'm not going to tell you everything right away."

"Now is not the time to start getting cute."

Faith cocked her head to one side. "Is the part of the movie where you start telling me how people who work together must be able to trust each other?"

"I'm not sure I'm ever going to be willing to trust you."

Suddenly Faith had had enough and she started to walk away. A few steps later she felt Nightwing's hand on her shoulder. "Take your hands off me, dickweed." Her tone was icy as she spoke

For a moment, Nightwing almost seemed to flinch before he spoke with a forced joviality. "You're awfully touchy."

"No, I'm just sick of jumping through every hoop you and your masked friends put in front of me."

When he spoke, his voice had lost the little cordiality it had. "You're the one who asked for our help."

"You got it all wrong." Faith whirled around."Me and my friends don't need your permission. This is a courtesy. If you and Oracle and Batman tell me to get lost, we're not gonna listen. We are here to clean out the undead in Gotham, goddamnit, and we don't need your help for that. Tell the truth, you'd just get in my way."

"You want to see who'd get in whose way?" Nightwing shifted his weight, hands coming up - he was in a combat stance, now.

For a split second Faith considered shifting to such a stance herself. Talking wasn't doing much good; it might make more sense to try some violence. Then it passed.

"This is getting fucking ridiculous." she said tiredly. "You've just admitted there's a problem in your city and now we're wasting time fighting over who gets to deal with it. Can we act like the mature people we are?"

He didn't answer her, but his fists slowly fell from their place in front of him. "There are vampires in Gotham. Possibly there's something even worse behind them. You and your Batfriends may think you can deal with it, believe me when I tell you that you can't. Not without help."

"And you're the only one who can, I suppose." His voice was hard, and more than a little incredulous.

"This is my turf. Just like these streets are yours."

There was another long pause. Finally he spoke. "All right, then. I'll help you."

Faith blinked. "Don't you need to talk this over with the big Bat?" she said.

Nightwing gave a dark grin. "I said that I'd deal with that, and I will when it becomes necessary. Right now, what's going on, we need to deal with it and the sooner we get started, the better."

He started walking. Faith hesitated a moment and then stared walking after him. "Where are we going?"

"To do some housecleaning." There almost seemed to be a note of humor to his voice, but she was not certain of it.