"Ow!" Dick flinched when Alfred pinched the skin together and threaded the needle through to stitch his wound up. It was shallow a shallow stab would on his right hip, just deep enough to require stitched. He and Jason took the Batmobile back to the cave where Dick then loaded the tracker into the Batcomputer so as to enable them to better track Batwoman's location. They'd also need a plan because they certainly couldn't just charge right in.
"Apologies Master Dick," Alfred said to the teen, spraying the would with a disinfectant. Dick flinched again as his wound stung from the spray. Once Alfred was done, he pulled a shirt on and padded across the cave toward the computer while Alfred packed up the First-Aid kit. Dick leaned against the back of the chair, glancing down at Jason who was currently sitting at the computer and working at it, then up to the screen.
"This computer is pretty amazing! The computer back at HQ is pretty good, but this one's a bit more advanced. It's impressive," Jason said cheerily, pulling up the tracking program. Dick eyed the location curiously. The red dot that signified Kate's location had stopped in the middle of the street in Midtown Gotham. "Huh. That's odd. Why-"
"The sewers. They're either using the sewers or the subway systems," Dick cut in. Jason looked up at Dick and frowned.
"There's a lot of shit underneath this damn city, isn't there?" Dick snorted in response and flashed a smirk.
"You don't know the half of it." Dick gently nudged Jason out of the seat, then sat down himself. Jason stood beside him with his eyes locked onto the screen and his arms crossed. He watched as Dick sent tried to contact someone named "Batgirl". Moments later, a woman with red hair appeared on the screen, roughly their age.
"What's up?" she asked, already wearing her Batgirl attire; a black suit with yellow gloves, boots, utility belt, bat symbol on the chest, and a black cape that was purple on the inside. Jason glanced down at Dick, then he and Batgirl locked eyes. "Whose the new kid? Your replacement?" She joked. Dick chuckled a little in response, but before he could answer, Jason cut in.
"Actually, the name is Lark. Batwoman's sidekick," Jason replied with an air of pride in his voice. "I think I know you-"
"Code names while we're in the field, Lark. Didn't Batwoman teach you at least the basics?" Jason frowned, and she laughed. "Just teasing. So what can I help you with?"
"Batman and Batwoman have been captured. We need your help. All we know is some freaky new assassins took them. We know where, but we have no idea what we're up against."
"Impossible odds? Sounds fun. Alright, where should I meet you?" Batgirl asked.
"Meet us near Wayne Botanical Gardens," Dick replied. With that done, Batgirl cut the connected. Jason patted Dick on the shoulder and flashed a smile.
"I know someone else who can help us."
Batman glanced over at Batwoman; she was still unconscious. He'd overheard someone talking and with that, discovered that he had been dosed with a paralytic poison that was on the blade of the assassins' daggers. Batwoman had underestimated her opponent; he was much more skilled than he had let on and managed to knock her out. Of course, Batman too, had also underestimated his opponents. But in all fairness, they'd never encountered assassins quite like that before. They were on par with the League of Assassins but seemed to work as if connected by a hive mind.
Batman was currently working on freeing himself, but he wasn't in much of a rush. He'd gleaned bits of information from the assassins; he could hear them speaking, and though he had to strain, he'd managed to hear bits and pieces. The "interrogation" that they were likely to be put under, was also an opportunity to prod for more.
The lead assassin entered the room and stopped before Batwoman. He grabbed her by the jaw and turned her head to see if she was awake. When she didn't respond, he slapped her across the face to jolt her awake. Batwoman gasped and weakly struggled against her bonds.
"Wh…what…d'you do t'me?" she slurred a little, feeling groggy and disoriented. The lead assassin snorted.
"Not to worry. You were dosed with a sleeping toxin. It's wearing off now," the lead assassin explained. He turned to Batman and flashed a smirk. "And you must be the Legendary Batman. I have to say, I was expecting more of a challenge. It would seem the stories are grossly exaggerated." The assassin moved over toward a table with various implements laid out over it, picking up a tire iron.
"Who are you and what do you want with us?" Batman growled out. The assassin glanced over at Batman. The assassin approached the Bat and stopped before him; Batman could almost "see" the grin behind the man's mask.
"We want to know what you know. And then we're going to dispose of you," The assassin replied, bringing the tire iron across Batman's face and laughing. "I could use truth serum, but I like the hands on approach a bit more. So…shall we proceed?"
Robin and Lark made their way to the Wayne Botanical Gardens, where they were to meet Batgirl. They'd parked the Batmobile nearby, but away from where they'd tracked Batwoman and Batman to. They'd have to enter the sewers from further away and find their own way, so as to avoid alerting their enemies.
They climbed up to the rooftop of a nearby building and waited for Batgirl to arrive. They didn't have to wait long, because they saw her moving in the distance only a handful of seconds later. Batgirl swung through the air and landed on the building in front of the two boys.
"So, do we at least know where we're going?" Batgirl asked, red hair blowing in the breeze. Lark and Robin exchanged glances, then Robin pulling out his Smart Phone; it was custom built with an original OS, and the only trackers in it, were specifically for finding Batman, or for Batman to find him. He pulled up the information from Lark's tracker and showed it to Batgirl.
"There. Batman and Batwoman are likely in a subway tunnel, or-"
"They're in the sewer system," Batgirl cut in. She handed the phone back and looked up at the two boys. "There's a sewer system further below, beneath the subway. There's also likely a maintenance room of some kind there. It's the only place with the space for them to store anything, including captives," Batgirl explained.
"Wow, you're good," Lark complimented, flashing a grin. Batgirl chuckled at him and gave a nod in reply. "I know."
Lark turned and looked around for the final member of their rescue team. Sure enough, he could see her coming in the distance. Lark pointed out toward her and smiled.
"There she is," Lark declared. Batgirl and Robin turned their attention toward where Lark was pointing. Within a minute, Black Canary arrived on scene wearing leather boots, fingerless leather gloves, a black bomber jacket, with a black leather zip up top beneath it, and a studded black choker around her neck. On the outside of her legs, the pants were cut, creating a "window" of sorts to reveal the fishnets underneath.
"Sorry I'm late. Purse thief," Black Canary explained, cracking her knuckles. Lark grinned and held his hand out to Black Canary, shaking her hand.
"Glad you could make it," Lark replied. Black Canary flashed a smile.
"Of course. I told you, you could call me any time you needed me. And besides, Batman and Batwoman are friends of mine. So, where are we going?" Lark turned to Robin and Batgirl, who also turned and pointed to the manhole down the street a few hundred feet away.
"There," Robin replied, turning back to Black Canary. "These creeps are hiding underneath the streets of Gotham. We're a distance away from their location-"
"So they won't see us coming. Got it," Black Canary replied. With that decided, the four of them made their way off toward the manhole. They slipped down into the sewers, pulling out flashlights to light their way. It was dark, damp, and smelled horrible; everything you'd expect from a sewer.
Robin took the lead with his phone out, using it to track Batman and Batwoman through the sewer system and chart them a path. Batgirl was right behind him, with Lark behind her, and Black Canary taking up the rear. They proceeded forward carefully, keeping their eyes peeled for any sign of movement, other than the rats that made this place their home. Other than they, there didn't appear to be any sign of life down here at all. Or any sing that anyone had been down here recently.
"They're close," Robin murmured.
"How do you know?" Lark asked. As if on cue, they could hear the sound of a subway train overhead, signaling that they were in the part of the sewer system that resided beneath the subway station. "Ah, that's how."
"We need to be careful now. They're bound to have sentries posted around to keep watch and warn whoever is in charge," Batgirl whispered.
"Agreed. Stick with stealth and stealth take downs," Black Canary chimed in. As the four of them continued more slowly into the sewer system, creeping along at a slow pace, on high alert, some assassins began to appear. Judging from their attire, they were low level mooks, like from the Auction. Even so, they were still dangerous, and there was no telling how many there were down here.
Lark slipped into the front this time and held up a hand, signaling everyone to stop. He glanced around the room to see how much he could see. Everyone silently waited, unsure of what he was doing. After a few minutes, Lark turned to them. He silently gestured to himself, then Robin. He turned again, then gestured to a spot, just out of sight of the assassins near a doorway.
Robin seemed to understand, because he nodded. Lark gave the hand signal for freeze, held it for a moment, then gestured for Robin to follow. The two of them snuck forward, and stopped at the designated place, just as one of the assassins arrived at his patrol point. They held their positions until he left, then Lark gestured toward Batgirl and Black Canary to move toward the enemy. The two of them looked confused, until he pulled out a pistol and loaded it with tranquilizers.
Black Canary and Batgirl saw him do the hand sign for freeze, then waited for his command. As soon as the assassin came back to his patrol point, Lark gestured for them to move. The two of them moved into the room and grabbed the assassin's attention. With his attention no squarely on them, Lark jumped out of cover and tranquilized him, before he could call for help. Black Canary and Batgirl rushed forward and caught him so his fall wouldn't make any noise.
Lark then made a forward gesture and moved forward, into the next tunnel with Robin, Batgirl and Black Canary behind him. They stopped at the end of the corridor with Lark at the lead. He glanced down both directions, then back to Robin. Robin looked down at his phone, then gestured toward the right. The four of them turned and made their way down the tunnel. They turned and found a dozen assassins waiting for them, along with their leader.
"We've been expecting you," the leader called. "I give you credit for managing to sneak in this far, but-" the man started, interrupted by the sounds of combat. He turned to see Batman burst out of the room he'd been kept in, and watched him throw an unconscious assassin across the room. Batman looked to be in pretty touch shape, however.
"Your game is over," Batman growled as Batwoman followed after him with a slight limp.
"Kill them all!" The leader declared. The assassins jumped at their leader's command and attacked. Lark, Robin, Batgirl and Black Canary all met them head on while the leader made his escape, save for the fact that Batman and Batwoman were pursuing him.
"Robin, on your six!" Lark called as he bent over backwards to avoid a dagger strike. Robin spun around and deflected a dagger stab, then Batgirl round house kicked the assassin. They both turned to see Black Canary land on one assassin's shoulders, then bending backwards and hauling him off his feet and throwing him into another assassin.
Lark and Robin found themselves fighting back-to-back while Black Canary and Batgirl fought off their own assassins on the other side of the room.
"What do you think our chances are?" Robin asked with a grin. Lark's lips slowly tugged into a grin of his own as he glanced over his shoulder at Robin.
"I think we're gonna kick their asses, six ways to Sunday," Lark replied, earning a laugh from Robin. They were surrounded by six assassins who jumped at them with weapons at the ready. Lark ducked and Robin rolled over his back to score a kick to one assassin's face. As Lark stood up, he caught the foot of another and spun him toward Robin, who grabbed him, and flipped him over his head, slamming him into the ground. Two more came at Robin.
Robin ducked the first one, then swiped the leg of the second. Lark turned and round house the first one, then Robin somersaulted backwards past Lark and delivered a double kick to another one's face. The fight went on for a good couple more minutes before the four of them finally finished putting them all down.
"C'mon, let's go check on Batman and Batwoman," Batgirl called. Lark, Robin, and Black Canary followed after her. When they arrived on the scene, Batman and Batwoman had the lead assassin surrounded. He had a sword in one hand and a hand gun in the other. He raised his gun to fire at Batman, but he never got the shot off. Black Canary rushed forward and let out her Canary Cry. The assassin shouted in pain, dropping his gun to cover his ears, and fell to his knees.
"It's over. You're defeated and surrounded, with nowhere to go. Give up," Batwoman declared. The assassin breathed heavily and looked up at all of them, all six of them, and growled. Then, he started laughing.
"Yes, I see now. It is over," he said. He grabbed something from his utility belt, prompting everyone to ready their weapons, just in case. "But if I'm going to hell, you're all coming with me! For Grave!" The assassin pressed a button on the device he was holding. It blinked, then beeped, and then-
"Get down!" Batman shouted. The six of them jumped to get out of the way as the device exploded, killing the assassin instantly. They were all thrown clear across the room by the explosion, rolling across the floor. Groans escaped from everyone as they pushed themselves up and recovered from the explosion.
"Is everyone okay?" Batwoman called, followed by a couch.
"I'm good," Batgirl called.
"I've live," came Batman's voice.
"I've had worse," Black Canary chimed in. There was a pause, before Robin's voice sounded.
"I'm-ungh-hit, but I'm okay," Robin ground out, pulling small pieces of shrapnel out of his arm and leg. The wounds were shallow and only bled slightly. Lark didn't answer. Batwoman's heart skipped a beat.
"Lark?" she called. She spotted him clear across the room, laying face down and unconscious. "Lark!" she shouted, racing over to his side. The back of his armor was almost completely destroyed, revealing his back, covered in cuts and scrapes with bits of shrapnel in it. His domino mask was ripped and blood caked the side of his face.
"He was closest to the blast, but I thought he-" Robin started, eyes wide with shock.
"We have to get him back to the cave. Now," Batman cut up, gingerly lifting the teen into his arms. "Let's go!"