Chapter 19

Batgirl was stunned as she sat on the ground next to her black and purple Wayne/Nippon Batcycle. I was swinging in to attack Desaad and that mystery guy, Jackal, when I blacked out. Barb recalled. But, how did I get back here? This is more than three blocks away! She realized that she now had a terrible migraine headache, and felt a bit nauseous.

Bruce! Dick! Barb excitedly fiddled with her Bat Com-link watch. She became aware that she was being watched. Batgirl whirled to face her would be attacker. "Who are you?" She snapped, reaching into her Bat Utility belt for a silver and black Batarang.

Before her stood a tall muscular man with cropped blonde hair partially hidden beneath a gray, felt hat. He was square-jawed and wore a common, unremarkable beige trench coat. His eyes were a piercing emerald green. "I am Detective John Jones, and you are the legendary Batgirl." It was not a question. "Detective Jones? Come on, pull the other one." Barb said cynically.

"Pull the other what?" Jones was puzzled. Barb ignored his attempt to change the subject. "Detective Jones, who is your commander?" She grilled. Barb knew virtually every policeman on the force through her father, Commissioner James Gordon. "I am new here, on loan from Metropolis Police Department." Jones lied convincingly.

"MPD?" Barb echoed skeptically. "What is your business, here, Detective Jones?" John glanced around nervously. "I am working a case involving one of your recent targets, Desaad, I believe, he calls himself." Barb folded her arms expectantly after replacing the Batarang in her golden belt. "What do you know about Desaad?" Barb grilled, forgetting to contact the others.

"I know that he is too much for you and your acquaintances to deal with." John said icily. "Really?" Barb snarled. "Desaad has special abilities. Powers that an ordinary human can't comprehend." Jones berated. "Before you go all X-Files on me, Detective, you should know that my partners and I have seen and dealt with a lot of weird stuff." Barb defended.

"Not like this, Batgirl." John argued. "Desaad has the capability to get people to do what he wishes through a type of mental force." He explained. "ESP?" Barb whistled. Detective Jones winced as the high-pitched noise irritated his sensitive hearing. "In a manner of speaking, Batgirl." He confirmed. "What makes you think that you can handle this?" She countered.

"I have experience in these matters." Jones replied haughtily. "Really?" Barb scowled. "I suppose you would, coming from Metropolis, the home of The Blur, and The Supergirl. Wait a minute…" She narrowed her eyes, though they were partially hidden behind her mask. "You. You're the Blur!" Barb accused. "Hardly, Batgirl." Jones denied. "But I do know them."

"How else would I get from there to here so fast?" Barb turned away for a moment to point towards the still visible flashing lights where the Gotham Police Department had the streets blocked off. When she turned back, Detective Jones was gone. Barb gaped at the vacant area behind the old tavern where she'd left her Batcycle. She'd neglected to tell him about the Jackal.

"I'll be damned." Barb grumbled aloud. "I better tell Bruce and Dick that someone else is working our mobster case." She flipped on the Bat Com-link, and adjusted the matching piece that was located within one bat ear on her costume. "Batgirl to Batman and Nightwing. Over."

"Batgirl!" Dick snapped. "Where have you been? We thought the perps got you!" He maligned her. "Batgirl? Are you okay?" Bruce voiced his concern. "Yeah, but you're not going to believe this one." She hinted. "I'm at Wilshire and Main, and I've no idea how I got here."

"Today's been full of surprises." Bruce agreed as he Bat cuffed Rupert Thorne. He secured Thorne to an iron-framed window about a block away from the wharf. That's where Jim Gordon and Harvey Bullock would retrieve him. "Thanks, Batman. Nightwing." Thorne gushed.

Dick shook his head, allowing his lengthy black hair to fall more freely beneath his mask. Back at the warehouse, Desaad and the Jackal hadn't yet made their escape. They would have to get past all of Gotham's finest, to say nothing of the caped crusaders.

Desaad was losing his patience with the dilatory Jackal. "Jackal, need I remind you that we must first free ourselves from this predicament, before you are to get paid." He said in a menacingly calm voice with a clipped British accent. "Just a moment, Desaad. This takes time." Jackal snapped. "Time is a luxury that we do not currently have." Desaad countered.

"Influencing the minds of the disciplined, like the Gotham Police Department, is not as simple as accessing the feeble minded, like the various thugs and goons within Thorne and Dagget's employ." Jackal argued. "Are you saying that you can't deliver on your side of the bargain?" Desaad sneered. "If so, the payment from the master that you get won't be what you may expect."

"Don't toy with me, Desaad." Jackal growled, responding to the veiled threat. "You've no idea whom you're dealing with." Desaad wasn't impressed. "Nor do you, Jackal. Don't try any of your mental trickery on me either. I am a breed apart. You would just be wasting your energy, and my time. Can you at least distract the police, if you can't get them to kill each other?"

"Fine!" Jackal stood near an upper floor's open window, out of the GPD's gunshot range. Bullock and Gordon were still below them, barking out orders. Desaad stood by patiently, as the Jackal lit a large ceremonial candle, and repeatedly muttered some words in Latin.

A few of GPD's officers carefully placed their guns down atop their squad cars, and simply began walking away without a word to anyone. Two rooftop snipers began disassembling their rifles, and putting them away in a carrying case. Down the side of the building, three SWAT team members began swinging aimlessly back and forth, forgetting how to repel.

Jim Gordon watched in disbelief as young officer after young officer began to walk away without an explanation to their supervisors. "Murphy? Kelly? Samuels? Where the hell are you going?" Bullock demanded loudly. "Harvey? What the hell? Who gave the order to withdraw?" Jim was quickly growing exasperated. "No one, Chief!" The overweight detective complained.

"Please tell me that the Feds haven't taken over our hostage situation!" Jim Gordon exclaimed. Bullock wavered a bit, though he stayed at the Commissioner's side, revolver drawn. "Hostages? Who said anything about hostages, Commish?" Bullock stared blankly at him. "That's right." Jim agreed. "There were no hostages. We were …after…someone."

"The Bat?" Bullock offered. "He's been a thorn in our sides for years." James Gordon shook his head. "No. Not the Bat. Thorn…you said thorn, as in Rupert Thorne." Bullock nodded. "Yeah. That's what I meant. We were staking out Thorne and Dagget."

Jackal had created enough confusion with his mental games to allow the arch criminals safe passage. They simply walked out the side exit, past the confused officers, towards a waiting boat at the nearest edge of the wharf. Jackal's first test had been a success, Desaad thought, as he grinned evilly. Lord Darkseid would be most pleased, but he'd never tell the Jackal that.

Batman swung down from the top of the warehouse roof, landing smoothly beside Jim Gordon. "Did you get them, Jim? Desaad, the others?" His deep synthesized voice rumbled from beneath his cowl. "Geez!" Bullock waved his gun at Bruce. "You pointy eared creep! What did you do to us?"

Batman cast him a puzzled glance. "What are you talking about?" He directed his attention back to Commissioner Gordon. "Batman! Desaad! Thorne and Dagget all got past us!" The angry commissioner smoothed back his graying hair. "How? I thought that you had this place on a dragnet?" Bruce grumbled. "We did...at least I think we did." Jim responded. "Anyway, Nightwing and I have Thorne." Batman said.

"That should prove to be an interesting discussion." Jim commented. "This Desaad, he's pure evil." A new voice said from behind them. Detective John Jones stood stoically beside Bullock. "And you are?" Batman groused. "John Jones, Detective. I was just transferred here to help with the Desaad case. He's wanted in Metropolis on a number of charges ranging from racketeering to attempted murder."

"We have enough scum bags here in Gotham without importing them." Nightwing remarked from the other side of Jim Gordon. "Amen to that, Nightwing." Bullock snarled. "Where were you two? Don't tell me that Desaad and the others slipped past the dynamic duo as well,"

"Regrettably yes." Batman confessed. "Desaad is a slippery character. He also managed to outmaneuver the Metropolis Police Department." Jones continued. "Hence, my follow up investigation." Jim Gordon glared at the empty SWAT truck idling near the still smoldering gangster cars that littered the street. "Harvey! Where the hell is my SWAT team?" The commissioner barked loudly.

Batman feared the worst, that the SWAT team had been killed in the warehouse bloodbath. "I, uh..." Harvey stammered. "Lieutenant! Where is my SWAT team?" Gordon's voice was filled with menace. "We have them, uh, located, Commish." Bullock reddened. "Most of them are at O'Leary's Tavern a few blocks away." Commissioner Gordon did a slow burn. "Excuse me?" He stared at Bullock.

"At least they're safe." Bruce grimaced. "Uh, Lieutenant, you might want to put that away." Nightwing looked down at Bullock's still drawn revolver. "Don't be too hard on the men, Commissioner, they are not responsible for their actions." Jones put in, immediately drawing a glance from Batman.

"I'll say!" Bullock bellowed. "They're being totally irresponsible!" Jones frowned. "That is not what I meant. Desaad and the stranger possess the powers of extra sensory perception. In short, they can exercise limited control on the feeble minded." Batman scowled. "They're Telepaths!" Jones nodded.