Chapter Three

We rendezvous back on ground as Batman opens the trunk of the Batmobile, revealing what appears to be a black Batsymbol. He puts it on his chest and he transforms into an armored-clad suit to fight Bane. It's a little bulkier than his original suit. Still has the pointy Bat ears and his cape isn't replaced either. The chest and legs are still grey, his boots and gloves are black, and his utility belt is yellow like usual. And this time, his cowl is more heavily armored. His eyes light up a lighter shade of white. Batman contacts Alfred. "Alfred, I've equipped the BatStriker Armor. Can you find Bane anywhere in Gotham?"

It's odd to me that it's starting to sunrise right now, and Batman's still here. Even if it's really cloudy out. The Cold Front is still here, I can feel it. Probably the work of that icebox. It's like with every second that passes, the colder the atmosphere gets. Alfred's voice comes over the comms. "Tracking now, sir."

Batman closes the trunk and I ask Batman. "What if that armor isn't enough to stop Bane?"

"Trust me. It will. I engineered the suit accordingly."

Robin questions. "Accordingly, how?"

Batman answers. "By estimating the effectiveness and durability Bane possessed when he juiced up on his Venom."

Batman seems unfazed by the fact that if this suit fails, Bane probably won't let Batman live this time. I ask Batman. "What'd you want us to do?"

"Head back to the Cave."

Alfred informs Batman on Bane's location. "Oh dear. Master Bruce, Bane is at Wayne Enterprises."

This hits me like a bullet through the chest. Bane knows about Batman's identity? Bafflingly, I ask Batman, frowning. "How does Bane know who you are?"

"Because he's smarter than he looks. Even on Venom."

Strong. Smart. Brutal. This is a deadly combination. Batman is walking off and I shout back. "Let us help you!"

"There's nothing else you can do for now. Head back to the Cave."

I refuse to accept this on the off chance that he'll die today. I shout at him to think this through, and he strikes back. "Don't disobey a direct order. You're not safe around Bane. Get back to the Cave. Now."

This argument is pointless, and I have to suck it up. I try something else then. "Where's my dad?"

"Home."

His cape splits in two, but I guess the suit did change his cape because it's longer when he activates Bat Mode to fly to Wayne Enterprises. The cape switches to that of metallic Bat Wings and he jet boots away from the scene. At least, my dad is safe. And has access to food and water. Whereas I'm: Dehydrated to a degree; hungry; dealing with a lot of pain and anger right now as a result of last night, and right now; worried about Batman; and then I have to deal with one of the worst thing I didn't think would happen. Robin telling me that he can't stay in Gotham for long. I turn to him, a tear of pain streaming down my face as I shift towards him. My legs fall from underneath me as I try to hug him, but I fall flat on my face. Stupid klutz. Robin sits beside me, using his body as a means of having something to lean back against. I start crying now, looking up at him, complaining. "Why?"

He looks at my watery eyes, and he answers. "Because I can't bare seeing you in pain anymore."

The worst has come. I close my eyes and wait for it to end already. To not have to endure this conflict any further. But life doesn't work that way. So I continue to have my eyes closed, so that when I open them, this moment will be over. I let the tears fall, but Robin keeps wiping them away. This makes me cry even more. "I don't want to leave, but it's time that I go out on my own."

That part I can understand. I almost forgot that he was Batman's pretend-son after everything I've been through, after he busted Child's Play's helmet with his hand. Which, I'm pretty sure, he's going to need a brace for that. Explains why he's using his other hand. "I want you to know that I love you."

I whisper back, eyes still closed, in a weak voice. "I love you, too."

We end up kissing. I don't count how long, I just revel in the moment. I wait for the tingles to come, but it takes a while for them to come. Guess I've been so drained that it's taking longer for the tingles. After awhile, he removes himself from me. The tingles never came. This hurts me even more. I lie there; so vulnerable, so frail. The pain becomes absolutely unbearable and I groan at the pain. Robin's watching my shatter, which is what neither of us want. I whisper back in a weaker voice. "Kiss me again."

He does kiss me again and I feel a slight tingle run through my body, and that's the only one. When Robin moves away, I slide up closer to his lips so I can keep kissing him. I have to feel the sensation I first felt when I first kissed him. It couldn't have been a lie. It can't be a lie. I refuse to believe it. Three more tingles. That's all that come. My mind completely snaps and the tears come even faster, even more unforgiving. My lips cold and dry, my teeth chattering in the frost on the environment. I can't pull myself away from the kiss because my hands are now planted on Robin's cheeks like a magnet to metal. I'm not letting him leave me. Through the cold and the pain, I keep kissing him. Keep wishing for him to stay. Keep wishing for the tingles to envelop my body like they did last time. I can't say goodbye. I'm not saying it. I'm not saying it. Inside I'm screaming, inside I feel more pain than any beating could inflict.

I know Robin doesn't have the strength to pull away from the longest kiss we've ever had, and I wouldn't either. But like all good things that come in life, they have to come to an end. I open my eyes and the next thing I know, he's gone. I rest my head on the snow, on what was once a sidewalk. I could just lie here, just hope to freeze here. I look around for him, and he's nowhere to be found. I see the Batmobile is still here. I don't care. Alfred contacts me over the comms. "Ms. Gordon?"

I don't answer because I don't have to answer. I don't want to answer. But sooner or later, Alfred's going to get suspicious. I don't care. I roll on my back, watching the snow fall on the ground. The snowflakes find my mouth, and they send Goosebumps through my body. "Ms. Gordon?"

I have a flashback of what happened when I rededicated my life to being a hero. "Ms. Gordon! Are you there?"

I let the snowflakes engulf my body, and I let the snowflakes touch my soft, frost-bitten, dry lips. I let them kiss me like Robin did. The tears keep falling, and the chills keep growing. My body is so weak from not having anything to eat, to drink. Not having a solution to this. I let the snowflakes touch my lips, ever so gently. "Ms. Gordon!? Do you copy?"

As the Goosebumps grow at a supernatural rate, as I continue to be kissed by the snowflakes, I speak my first word since Robin left. I haven't been keeping track of the time. Didn't bother to. "Bat."

Alfred's voice comes over the comms again, confused. "Bat? Ms. Gordon? What's going on? You've been out there for hours!"

It takes time for everything to sink in with the current state my mind is in now. The cold breeze. The tombstones. The Wayne Family. Hero. Vow. "Bat." I keep repeating. Who knows what time it is when I say something other than Bat. I end up saying. "Bat-gi-gir-girl."

I think to myself, Finish it. Alfred keeps checking on me. Either my mind is so shattered I'm having trouble speaking, or the cold has really taken me over. And I finally finish it. "Batgirl."

I take a deep breath, pronouncing the next words carefully. "I Am…Batgirl."

Alfred keeps asking me what's wrong, and I answer back. Stronger. I have to be stronger. "My name…is Barbara Gordon, Batgirl."

I sit up and rise from the mound of ice that's formed over me. I slowly begin to regain my consciousness and my awareness of my environment. I repeat my last words more fluently. "My name is Barbara Gordon, Batgirl."

I speak in a voice that I hadn't known before. Stronger than anything I've felt. Is this how Batman does it? Is this how he deals with his anger? His pain? I slowly stand up and tell Alfred. "And I'm not giving up."

I stand straight, shoulders cocked, head looking forward and not looking at the past where I was about to freeze to death. Alfred talks to me while I wipe the ice off the windshield of the Batmobile. "Ms. Gordon. What were you talking about?"

"I'll tell you when I get to the Cave."

When I get inside the Batmobile, I see the keys are still inside. He was expecting me to leave regardless of objections. As I crank up the Batmobile, I drive off all the snow that's gathered on the car. Luckily, this was able to drive through a mound of snow that had formed in front of the tires. I make my way to the Cave and as I look around, I see the Cold Front has grown into something else entirely. Gotham has become a Winter Wonderland, literality. Tress laden with snow. Streets filled with snow. Everywhere. Snow. When I get to the Cave, a seriously-worried Alfred greets me. "What happened to you out there? You were out there for hours!"

I tell him what happened and he responds with a hug, patting my back, but he doesn't cry or feel sorry for me. Instead, he seems delighted. "Batman would be proud that you finished your training."

These words catch me by surprise. I ask Alfred. "What?"

"Being in the Batfamily isn't just a privilege, it's an never-ending cycle of training to become the person strong enough to believe in yourself, to be able to take care of yourself, no matter what the circumstances. If there's one thing you should take away from this, it's that there's always a choice. Always a solution to any problem that you may encounter."

He grabs my shoulders, smiling. "And I'm so proud to see you stronger than before."

I smile, too. I hug Alfred back, thanking him. I let go and I remember something I thought I would've forgotten: The Tracker Batman put on the Icebox. He's gotta be the cause of this Cold Front. I check on Batman's vitals on his suit, and he's still alive. As a matter of fact, he comes walking through the pathway the Batmobile would take to re-enter the Cave. When he comes closer to Alfred and I, his armor is severely dented in some places. And some of his armor is ripped off. He types something into his gauntlet that disassembles his armor and back into a Batsymbol to put into the trunk of his Batmobile. I tell Batman about what happened, about why Robin's left, and it's unclear about how he reacts. Perhaps he doesn't want to react in front of me. Or that he's dealing with a lot right now. I ask Batman about Bane. "Did you find out anything you needed to know?"

Batman takes off his cowl and he shouts back from afar, growing quieter as he nears me. "He wanted to utilize Gotham's destruction as a chance to bring about a Gotham that would destroy me when I came back from the dead. But Child's Play beat him to it."

I tell him, confused. "Back from the dead?"

"Bane wanted to kill me because I reminded him of the nightmares he used to have. So he wanted to break me. And by the off chance that I would come back, he anticipated my return because I don't go down so easily."

He switches back to his regular voice again. "He knew exactly what it took to defeat me in battle, but he still didn't take the necessary precautions."

Alfred chimes in. "Well, I'm happy to hear that you survived, Master Wayne."

Batman turns to me. "How are you taking Robin leaving?"

"Better than I thought." I reply back.

I get up from the chair and make my way to the Thermal suit. I do what I need to get ready and come out with Bruce Wayne not Batman. He's fast. Bruce looks at me, asking. "Where are you going?"

"I tracked down the icebox and I'm going to stop him."

Bruce grabs my arm, telling me. "Alone?"

I strike back in a strong enough voice that'll get his attention. "I can do this."

I jerk my arm away and Bruce shakes his head in agreement, wishing me good luck. I smile underneath my mask. That's more like it.

I get on my Batcycle for my Thermal suit, and make my way out of the Cave. I sent the coordinates for the icebox's location to my cycle's GPS. I make my way out and I see there's still a hole in the wall that would've opened up to exit the Cave since Gotham went dark. As I get closer, the beacon representing the icebox's location pulses faster and faster. I look around and see little to no life here in Gotham. How is everyone going to recover from the Incendiary Initiative? And how long will reconstruction of the damaged buildings take? Years, maybe. I reach my destination and I find it's the old GPCD Building. The lights in the parking lot flickering incessantly. I park my cycle inside and I see a door sealed tightly, like it's frozen. I put my hand on the door, defrosting some of the ice that had gathered on the door, and I kick the door open. I see no one to greet me as I turn on my Detective Mode, looking for the icebox.

I find him and he's in the Forensics lab. I go through an opening and the first thing I see is another ice fortress. He's made this place his home. He's also frozen the fans. My suit starts lighting up. I look around for him, and I turn my head to see a woman sealed away in a block of ice. Why'd he do this? I scan the woman and I find her name is Nora Fries. The icebox's voice booms behind me. "My real name is Victor Fries."

I turn around and see he's not even attacking me. He doesn't even show any signs of resistance. "But I came to be a man shunned by society because I'm no longer a man. A walking icebox, if you will."

I turn back to the woman behind the block of ice, running my fingers through the sheet of ice as Victor explains what happened in his broken and half-hearted voice. "I never wanted violence, nor did I ever want anything to come to this. But my heart is colder than the Cold Front that engulfs this city. Yes, I did it, with the help of some diamonds that I needed to do what had to be done."

I turn back to Victor, spitting back. "You never wanted violence, and yet you subjected an entire city to an new Ice Age."

"But you don't know why."

He explains why he did this. He was a Cryogenic Scientist that enjoyed life with his wife, Nora Fries, who became seriously ill when she was diagnosed with Huntington's Disease. He froze her in his lab and Ferris Boyle attacked Victor, not caring about what happened to Nora. A blast erupted inside the lab, infecting Victor and forcing him to live out his life in a Cryogenic suit, or else he'd die. I see a new light on him now. Victor adds to his story. "…That is why I am freezing Gotham. And I would freeze the world for my dear Nora. Nothing else mattered but her. But now…"

He walks up to the block of ice housing his wife. "I could cry if my heart wasn't so cold."

I see he's not a villain, more of a man who just wants to save his dying wife. "I'll find a way to help her. I'll tell Batman about this, and he'll work on a cure."

Victor comments coldly. "And why would the Batman help me?"

"Because he knows what it's like to lose someone."

Victor's expression turns grim. "What does he know about compassion?"

"He's human like you and me."

With fury, Victor speaks to me in a quiet voice. "And why should I trust him?"

"If you don't, then you won't find a cure."

He takes time to consider this, and then he acknowledges. "Very well. Tell Batman that I will allow him to assist me in finding a cure."

I offer to shake his hand, and he shakes it back. Victor lets go of the shake and he asks me. "Tell me, why do you care about helping me?"

"No one deserves to have their loved ones left out to die."

Victor examines me closely, his expression familiar. "And something tells me that you've lost someone, too."

This doesn't affect me like I thought it would. "I did. I don't know if they'll ever come back or not. But I know one thing, even if I can't hold their hand from afar or when you can't hold them through a block of ice,"

I touch the part of the block of ice where one of her hands are, I look at Victor and finish. "You know they're thinking about you the same way."

Through one of the goggles, Victor sheds a tear. No doubt this gives him a new perspective. "Thank you."

He goes to shut off his ice machine and shouts to me from afar. "For now, Gotham is safe."

I never expected to have that shut off the machine, but it was a good move. I contact Batman on the way out and fill him in on the details about Victor and Nora Fries. He replies back in a compassionate voice. Like he's had a change of heart almost. "I accept the offer. And I've solved the Sniper Victims Case."

"Good. Tell me about it."

He goes on to tell me how all the people killed had a connection to the Wayne Family one way or another, and how the one called Deadshot does his job for money, and how his boss is whoever hires him for money. This time, it was the Falcones who hired him to take out targets linked to the Wayne Family for putting some of their boys in jail years ago. There were eleven targets listed, and Deadshot had mounted snipers at specific parts of the city where he was told by the Falcones who had people everywhere. That's how Deadshot knew where the victims would be. Deadshot is commonly known for making the Most Complicated Ploys when it comes to being an Expert Sharpshooter. He's not wrong.

Bruce also goes on to tell me that he's already sent the information to James Gordon and that they'll be hunting for him now. And then Bruce comes up with an idea. "Which is why I'm going to be hosting a Ball celebrating Gotham's Road to Recovery tonight."

A flaw appears in his plan, I point it out. "But wait, there's like no one left in Gotham."

"I did a consensus via Batcomputer to determine how many people are still alive, and there's still forty-five hundred and sixty-five people in Gotham. The Ball will take place on the top floor of the tallest building in Gotham."

That's more people than I thought. They must be in hiding. Bruce goes on to say. "And I'll need you on hand ready to take him down when he strikes."

"How will you know when he's arrived? GPS?"

"Yes. And just in case you're wondering, the media is still active."

He's really thought this through. I can always rely on him to be a strategist in times like these. I make my way to the Cave and switch out of my Thermal suit to change back into my regular clothes, taking some relaxation time in Wayne Manor in the bedroom I did my homework in. Before Gotham blacked out. I'm glad Child's Play's not going to be making any appearance anytime soon. In this moment to myself, I find myself at ease. Everything's coming together. Except Robin and I, who may come back someday along the way. But I've come to accept the circumstances. And then something hits me. After Deadshot, there'll still be one other villain we need to make sure we stop because he's still out there, to what I believe. The one they call the Clown Prince of Crime. The King of Psychopaths. The Joker.