A/N: OMG- I've brought this story back from the dead!
"We'll be safe here for a moment," Claire said, as she led them all into an abandoned building. Her breathing was slightly labored, it was the first time Terry or Batman had ever seen her out of breath. Batman himself was glad for the pause, and he put his hand to his aching ribs. He had taped them up, but they were still very sore and tender. "I'm sorry I've brought you into this now, I really was hoping to keep you safe." Claire said softly. Batman wasn't sure if she was talking to him or Stalker, or both.
"I think we're okay for the moment- she won't just attack without a plan right?" Batman had been following this woman's actions for a week. While she did seem determined to kill him, she never just attacked; she always had a well- coordinated scheme. The bank, the jewelry store, the train and the empty warehouse- thinking back on every attempt on his life that he somehow escaped, Batman felt a wave of exhaustion pass over him.
"No," Claire said, shaking her head. "Now that she knows we're helping you, she's going to come for you directly."
"What do you mean?"
"I mean, we can try and keep ahead of her, but right now, she's coming for you. No more schemes or plots or hired hands, it's going to come down to you and her."
"And you don't think I can win?"
Claire shook her head, "She has… power. "
"She is a fierce warrior," Stalker said gravely, "I have never faced another opponent like her. She does not fight within the rules of the jungle."
"She makes her own rules…" Terry said. It was not the first time he had tangled with someone from the Brain Trust. They were not the type you could beat with sheer force of strength or will- it would require something more. "Will you help me?" He turned to Claire, "Not in open battle-" He said, before she could deny his request. "I have to bring her somewhere… Where I can even the playing field."
Claire looked at him curiously, "What did you have in mind?"