"Are you kidding me? You can't!"
"What do you expect me to do?"
"Take it!"
Alex looked stubborn at that moment, ears laid back and tail bristling.
"You don't think all this hurts me, too? But I'm willing to take it if it means we catch the bastard!"
Bruce paused, realizing she was asking the same thing Alfred had…
For him to endure…
"This isn't your call."
"But I have a right to be there."
"You're still too injured."
He couldn't help looking at the bandages poking out past her shirt, and Alex put on a face.
"I'm healing just fine. I can do it!"
Her eyes were pleading…
"I just want to be there…"
"…You can't. They'll want you to turn yourself in as well."
"What? Me?" She wondered, blinking innocently.
"I haven't heard anything about that."
"Because I didn't want you to. The Joker-."
Bruce caught himself, unable to find the right words to express what that madman wanted to do with the innocent little girl before him…
"…I just don't want you to feel pressured into it, Alex."
"And you don't feel pressured?" She countered.
Blizzard bristled behind her, feeling her edginess, and Midnight raised his head to watch them with careful eyes.
AJ whimpered, nuzzling her owner's hand with a wet nose and licking her palm.
Seeming slightly placated, Alex patted the husky's head, eyes still locked with Bruce's.
"…Alright. Come on."
Smiling a bit, she waved goodbye to the three dogs before pulling a cap over her ears and jogging after him.
'I hope this doesn't end badly…'
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Watching the press conference, Alex shuffled uncomfortably beside Bruce, fidgeting with the long ponytail over her shoulder.
The people were shouting, and Harvey was arguing with them about Batman.
Her ears twitched under her cap, catching every word, every breath…
"Uncle Bruce, these people are scared…"
"How can you tell?"
His voice was low, but she could still hear him, even if no one else did…
"I smell it on the air…"
Leaning against the wall, she sensed the uncomfortable fear strangling the air…
Harvey Dent couldn't seem to sway the crowd, show them that they NEEDED Batman, needed Silverfang, and chants of "No more dead cops!" filled her ears.
'They just don't understand…This won't stop him…'
Her new senses, the hidden primal instincts of the wolf, could sense evil and chaos within a person, sense goodness and truth…
She could tell this wouldn't stop him, not even hinder him…
It would give him more reason to keep going…
Harvey stepped away from the podium, telling the cops to take the Batman into custody.
Bruce almost stepped forward when Dent's next statement startled him into stopping.
"I am Batman."
Crystal eyes widened as he was handcuffed, and she searched Bruce's face to see the same confusion written on his own face.
"Come on, Alex."
"Uncle Bruce-."
"It's time for our appearance."
Understanding, she nodded, following after him while trying not to pull her stitched abdomen…
'We can't fail…Not this time…'
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"This is crazy…Stupid SWAT cars…"
Huffing, Silverfang followed the procession of cop cars from the rooftops, spotting the obstacle ahead before they did…
'A fire truck on fire…cute…'
Flipping onto a fire escape and then to the sidewalk, she sped after the convoy as it detoured underground.
Speeding up to stay in sight of the cars, she jumped forward to avoid a truck ramming into a car and detouring.
'Shit-fuck!'
Her stitches were pulling painfully, but Silverfang bit back the feeling sharply.
A pistol shot at the SWAT truck's side, and her eyes snapped to the side to see the eighteen-wheeler's side open and the Joker holding the accused weapon.
'Oh GREAT…Just GREAT…'
A RIFLE, and she decided he was going a bit too far…
Pulling free her wakizashi, she jumped forward and deflected some of the annoying little pellets.
'Mom said not to get shot, but she never said I couldn't DEFLECT bullets, right?'
"Well, hello gorgeous! What brings you to the party?"
"Shits and giggles." She replied sarcastically, ignoring her burning abdomen as her feet thundered to keep up with the truck.
A bazooka…
Silverfang was beginning to wonder where the HELL they got their damn weapons…
"You WOULDN'T…"
The rocket went for the cop car in front…
"Okay, maybe you would…"
Bolting forward like a blur, she busted through the driver side door, grabbed the lone cop inside, and busted out the other side before the car exploded.
Landing harshly, and wincing as blood wetted her bandages, Silverfang put down the cop.
"Stay." She ordered before bolting back towards the SWAT car.
Good thing the Tumbler was coming, at least…
'Avoid getting run over, and everything will be fine…'
Her transformation may have made her sturdier than the normal human, but being run over or shot still HURT…
Speeding up, she jumped onto the truck's roof, gripping it with her claws as it swerved to avoid the Tumbler.
SOMETHING crashed, but she lay her ears back to avoid them ringing…
'Please tell me he hasn't reloaded the bazooka…'
She felt her eye twitch in irritation…
'Castration? I'm going to rip his damn balls off after this!'
He aimed for the truck, and Silverfang was prepared to jump to stop the explosive when the Tumbler was suddenly in the path instead.
It's rear end exploded, and she shielded herself with one arm as the tank-like car swerved off somewhere.
'CRAP…'
Some blood smeared from the wet bandages onto the metal roof, and she flinched before climbing forward towards the driver's end.
"Speed it up! Head above ground!" She shouted, tail bristling.
Jumping ahead of the truck, she sped ahead to show them the safe detour, and jumped out of the way quickly.
Then she saw the helicopter…
'Well, now they've got air support.'
Then she saw the helicopter hit something and beginning to spiral out of control…
'Aw HELL…'
Using the buildings to propel herself into the air faster, she jumped into the helicopter and pulled the two drivers out before it hit the street.
Landing on a rooftop with a man under each arm, she panted as blood began to drip down from her stomach…
"Stay up here."
Her ear twitched in surprise seeing that both were unconscious…
"…Well, at least I know you won't move…"
Hearing something crash below, Silverfang looked over the edge to see the eighteen-wheeler on its back.
Quirking an eyebrow, she flipped over the edge and grabbed onto a wire to make the fall easier.
'Guess the Batpod worked.'
Walking along the side, her ear twitched at the sound of someone getting out on the other side.
Bullets hit the ground, and she quirked an eyebrow as she saw the Joker heading towards the fast-moving Batpod with an automatic gun in hand.
She could hear him egging Batman on, asking to be hit, and she held back in the shadows…
'Don't hit him…Don't hit him…Don't give in to what he's asking…'
He didn't, swerved out of the way and crashed into the flipped truck…
Seeming a bit too hurt to defend himself from the Joker's knife, the clown was surprised by her pouncing on him from the side.
Remembering her sensei's instructions on keeping someone down, she dug a knee into his stomach and hit the knife away.
"Miss me?"
A SWAT came up behind her, aiming his gun at Joker's head, and she looked over her shoulder at the familiar scent…
"Pretty tricky there, Gordan…"
A smile split her face, and she could hardly contain her joy…
"Don't worry me so much next time, huh?"
"I'll try." He promised, pulling off the helmet.
With that said, she stood up, knowing the Joker wouldn't try anything, when she noticed his eyes on her stomach.
'What? Is my shirt bunched up again?'
Looking down, she realized it was a bit worse than that…
Blood had soaked her bandages and half her shirt, and was dripping down her legs lazily.
"Aw CRAP…" She growled to herself, the lack of adrenaline making her dizziness more pronounced…
Someone picked her up from behind, and half-lidded eyes looked up at Batman, sensing the worry.
"Told you not to push it."
"What kind of teenager would I be if I did everything I was told?" She joked weakly, already slipping away…
"A good one."
A small smile stole across her face as she felt Batman settle her on the back of the Batpod…
"Well, that's not the point, is it?"