"No more will we be reactive; no more will evil men sit safely and securely in their palaces, or penthouses, while innocent people die because of them. Never again"
"That was the famous interview by Superman following his foiling of Vandal Savage's plan to take over the United States. From that day forward, crime has taken a nosedive into levels not seen since the caveman days. Super-criminals have either mended their ways, or have been incarcerated for the rest of their days. Truly, we owe the High Councilor our eternal gratitude."
The aging television was turned off immediately. The remote was tossed onto a couch that had seen better days a decade ago, its upholstery ripped apart and revealing the padding within its cushions.
A woman in dark armor glared at the blank screen. She had known these proclamations were coming; they always did at this time of the year and they had yet to stop sickening her.
Call it whatever you wish: Superman saved the world; the Justice League established world peace; aggressive measures taken to eliminate crime; they all were just embellishments meant to disguise what really happened.
A mane of red hair cascaded down her back as she turned to walk away from the television of lies. A red gloved hand raised up to adjust the mask that covered her upper face, leaving the pale skin around her mouth out in the open. Once she was sure the mask was securely on, she opened the door to the small room, ignoring the familiar fading wallpaper as she entered the next room.
The next room was much larger, full of activity as men with large taser guns made final adjustments to their gear and armor. Today was the day they struck a blow against the One Earth Government, firmly reminding the Regime they were still out there and unwilling to let their successful media blitz against them hinder their efforts.
"Batwoman," a voice called out. Turning her head, the wanted vigilante saw a familiar face approaching her. A tall, black man in blue and black came to stop next to her, his thunderbolt emblem announcing his identity.
"Black Lightning," she greeted him, giving a stiff nod. "Are we ready?"
"Just about. I gotta hand it to Bluebird, she really knew how to design these blasters."
Batwoman snorted. "We haven't changed her design at all since she first made the prototype. Why fix something that isn't broken?"
The man gave her a grim smile. "I just wish I could've talked with her about it. Just imagine what she could have accomplished with her mind."
The redhead didn't bother. She had forsaken such thoughts a long time ago. There was no point in doing so. A lot of people she had considered friends and comrades were dead, all at the hand of the High Councilor and his cronies.
"Everyone!" she shouted, causing the busy activity around her to slow to a stop. Once she was sure she had their attention, she continued, "I can't stress how important today's mission is—not to mention how simple the objective. We get in, we get out, and we leave a burning calling card to the Regime."
"Hoo-ha!" the men chanted in agreement.
For once a small smile appeared on her face. "Let's lock and load, gentlemen."
"No more will we be reactive; no more will evil men sit safely and securely in their palaces, or penthouses, while innocent people die because of them. Never again"
"You know, I never get tired of that speech."
John Stewart looked away from the computer monitor he was staring at. The effects of aging were showing on his face, primarily the growing wrinkles on his forehead. He had long ago given up keeping his military haircut due to the hassle of keeping it all one color and opted for shaving it bald. The neatly-trimmed beard and mustache were the only signs of growing hair on his head, but it was a look he rather liked.
It made him wonder why he hadn't tried it a long time ago.
Standing several feet away was another man of the streets, much like him. However, unlike John, this man had seen some pretty bad shit in his life. It had resulted in most of his body becoming mechanical, rendering him a walking, talking cyborg.
In fact, that was his name: Cyborg. While the Green Lantern wasn't too familiar with the details, all he knew was this guy had run away from some top secret lab, or something. He had ended up joining forces with a bunch of young, budding heroes to form their own superhero team—the Teen Titans. Now though, he was a member of the Justice League, an honor bestowed on him for his valor and efforts during the last encounter of criminal resistance.
That had been about five years ago. A surprise attack had nearly wiped them out, but they had endured. Now, with their swelling ranks, the League was back to full strength.
"You like that, huh?" John inquired, a smirk on his face. "I can remember that speech like it was yesterday."
"It was yesterday for ya, old man," Cyborg replied, returning the smirk.
"I prefer seasoned vet," he quipped right back. "I know this is hard for you, but you can at least show a little respect."
"What can I say, I have a problem with authority."
There was a short silence before both men snorted with amusement. If there was one person that did as told to the letter, it was Cyborg. It helped that he was a living, breathing computer that ran off of logistical inputs. That still didn't stop the kid's human side from surfacing in these moments of levity.
"Well then, can you tell me if there's anyone else having issues with authority out there?" he then asked.
Cyborg was quiet for a moment, his full attention on the monitors before him. His fingers were tapping not on a keyboard, but an interactive hologram that was linked to his internal systems and the Watchtower's. "I think I can," he said after awhile. "Though it's nothing that we weren't expecting. You gonna head out and deal with it?"
"Of course. After the High Councillor basically abolished crime single-handedly, I need to take my opportunities for exercise whenever I can," John retorted.
"Just don't pull out your back," the mechanical man warned him. "Your wife would give me hell if you did."
"Then you should be happy to know, Cyborg, that I'm going with him."
Both men turned to face an approaching Thanagarian. Shayera had long since given up the use of her mask and Thanagarian colors, opting for a more Earthly attire. What was best described as white sweatpants and top hugged the redhead's body, her long red hair falling down her back. Her green eyes flickered with amusement as she came to stop before the two, placing her weight on one leg as a hand rested on her hip. "You ready to go?"
She was a sight, breathtaking every time he laid eyes on her. Why she ever agreed to tie herself down to him, John didn't know, but he didn't care. They only had eyes for each other and that was all that mattered.
"Depends on if our team is ready," John responded.
"You know they are. They've been chomping at the bit for weeks now."
"Then what are we waiting for?" Glancing to Cyborg, he then said, "Keep us updated."
"You got it. Go kick some Insurgent ass."
As he walked away, Shayera in tow, the Green Lantern had to fight back a snort. Insurgents, what melodramatic fools. They were just malcontents unhappy that they had been shoved to the side while peace had been won. Had they been the ones to do it, John would've gladly given them the credit and responsibility for enforcing it. Though, that wasn't the most egregious act they had done.
It had started a couple years ago. A small group of guerilla fighters had been staging hit-and-run attacks on facilities run by the One Earth Government. Even more audacious was their use of the Bat Symbol. They would leave a burning bat in the wake of their attacks, proclaiming themselves to be the Bat Underground.
Needless to say, that didn't sit well at all with the Regime.
Today, however, stood a chance at ending all of this nonsense. Far be it for him not to personally stamp it out.
The day was beautiful. The sky was blue, not a cloud to be found. By golly, it was going to be a great day!
"Billy, calm down," Raven deadpanned, her dark eyes staring blankly at him.
Billy Batson, known to the whole wide world as Shazam!, would not let the boring, dark girl act like a wet towel and get him down. So what if he was half her age, life wasn't dark clouds and pain and whatever the goth crowd wrote poetry about. Life was just too good not to appreciate it.
"You know, Raven, even you have to admit today is going to be good," Shazam shot back. "I mean, just look at it! How can you not smile?"
The hooded girl continued to stare blandly at him, not even a twitch from her mouth. Yeesh, tough crowd. "C'mon! If it wasn't for us, we wouldn't be enjoying it!" he pressed.
"That is true," she admitted, but again, she was devoid of emotion. She could've given robots a run for their money on sounding lifeless. "But we must remain vigilant. Not everyone thinks the way you do. If we let our hubris get the best of us, then we risk letting everything fall into ruin."
"...you're quoting Tolkien, aren't you?"
For once, Raven made an expression: she rolled her eyes. She then promptly turned away from him. "Just shut up."
Ha! He was getting closer! Any one of these days, he would crack that girl's hard exterior and bring out the sweet girl he knew she kept suppressed.
Looking away, Shazam admired the Neo-Metropolis skyline. With his fists pressed into his hips, he knew he cut an impressive pose as he stood in front of the Hall of Justice. This was the headquarters of the Justice League going on a decade now. He could still remember coming to this very building, fully intent on helping the Justice League. He had even proved his worth a couple years later. It was one of his prouder moments, helping protect the peace Superman and the others helped establish.
So yeah, he was going to keep on admiring the fruits of his labor. After all, it was a beautiful day.
"Well, well, you two are getting along as usual."
For once, Shazam didn't freeze up nor flinch. That was another proud moment for him. Instead, he turned around to find another addition to the Justice League.
It was a girl, or rather woman as the case may be. From beneath her open green cloak was the lush body of a hot woman who knew it. Tight green pants and a midriff-bearing top showed off her figure. As a cherry on top, there was a golden tiara on her head similar to Wonder Woman's, though clearly a different design. It was probably the blood red ruby at its center that was the dead giveaway.
"Enchantress," Raven greeted the woman, who was approaching them from the Hall of Justice's entrance. The yellow cloth she wore as a belt rubbed up and down her hips with every step she took until the green—yes, green—haired woman stopped before them. "What brings you here?"
"Just doing what Shazam here suggested: I'm admiring the day," the supple woman responded.
A year ago, that would've sent the seventeen year old into a blush of embarrassment. He was a teenager after all and being praised by a beautiful woman was the best way to get his heart pounding. It had taken a long time for him to give off that cool, edgy look of nonchalance when he was around her.
"See, Enchantress knows what it's all about!" Shazam exclaimed. "Now turn that frown upside down!"
"Yes, Raven, smile with us," Enchantress teased.
"I'll do that whenever I please and right now, you two are bugging me." Raven turned away and began to float off the ground, heading towards the city. "Enjoy your smiling."
"You know, I never realized just how much fun it is to annoy that girl," Enchantress remarked as the blue-hood girl left. "Now I know why you do it so much."
That caused Shazam to frown. "I just want her to quit being so aloof, ya know? We're all friends here—teammates. It wouldn't kill her to act like it."
"She's friendlier with Cyborg," the green-haired woman pointed out.
"Yeah, but they've known each other from their Teen Titan days. That doesn't count."
Enchantress ran a hand from his shoulder and down his arm, causing a nice shiver to run up the hero's spin. "If you want a friend so much, I can be your friend," she said huskily.
Immediately, Shazam became flushed—damn it. So not cool, Billy! "I would like that," he mumbled.
The woman smiled at him before she began to walk back to the Hall, her behind swinging from side to side sensually. "So would I," she replied over her shoulder. "I'll see you later."
Shazam just watched her leave. Yeah, that was a beautiful a—day. He meant this was a beautiful day.
Yeah.
They were in before the guards could even blink.
The doors were blasted open and the Insurgency was in. Taser guns fired immediately, striking several of the guards before they could even move to defend themselves. They cried out as the voltage of countless joules burned into their armored bodies. More men poured into the warehouse, immediately heading for their objectives. Many took up guard of the entrance, training their weapons on it as others sought out other exits.
That left Batwoman and Black Lightning and a few men to go secure their main objective. Because of their intel, they didn't bother searching the shelves or the machines scattered throughout the room. Instead, they made a beeline for the back, finding the main office. Black Lightning didn't even wait for them to reach the door as he powered up his electrical powers. Raising a hand, a bolt of lightning fired from his hand and struck the door, blowing it into hundreds of pieces.
Though Batwoman thought of this place as a warehouse, it used to be a factory once upon a time. Most people had forgotten that part and pretty much paid it no mind. Of course, someone with a sharp intellect would have noticed the heightened security over a supposedly unused building.
Further digging showed there was something being hidden here, something the Insurgency could use. If they wanted to continue their resistance, they had no choice but to accept it.
Entering the office, Batwoman gave it a cursory look. The room was the definition of abandoned. The film of dust and grime covered what was left of a rotting table and chairs. Even worse was that there was nothing here to suggest what they were searching for was even here.
"Damn it," Black Lightning swore. "We've been set up."
"Get everyone out of here," Batwoman ordered as she turned to face her men. "Now."
Immediately, the others left, leaving the two vigilantes to themselves. "They're the ones that leaked that intel," the man murmured. "They staged this entire thing."
As if to confirm that statement, the sound of taser guns were heard, coupled with screams. The two darted for the door, peering through it just in time to see several of their men at the front hit by a large, blinding white blast. Even from where she stood, Batwoman could see the men being enveloped in ice, freezing them where they stood.
"Shit, Killer Frost," she cursed, spotting the blue-haired woman in the doorway. She was dressed quite provocatively in what was best described as a flimsy dress. It was impractical for battle, but then, she never got close to combat that would call for armor.
"Hey there, boys," she greeted the Insurgents wickedly. "Who's ready to die?" The cruelty she spoke with was infuriating, yet it wasn't the worst part. Though the ice-wielder was deadly on her own, she rarely moved on her own.
That was when a wall to her right exploded, not from an explosion, but through brute force. Storming through the hole was a part man, part shark creature, better known as King Shark. The vigilante wasn't sure about all of the specifics, but she was positive this was a man who had altered his body to fit that of a shark.
King Shark let out a roar as he closed on two Insurgents. With one large fist, he crossed it over his charging body and swung it across, delivering a backhand blow that sent its victim flying away. With his other hand, he grabbed the other Insurgent and held him in place, allowing him to bite down on the poor man's shoulder. The Insurgent screamed as he was bent over backwards, King Shark feasting on him.
That was when an Insurgent came running up on King Shark, skidding to a stop as he fired his taser gun. The electrical blast nailed the son of a bitch in the back, causing his body to spasm as he jerked away from his victim, letting out a scream of pain. He would've continued to had it not been for the third member of this meta-human team.
What was best described as fire blazed through the air and hit the Insurgent, causing him to scream as he was practically disintegrated. That "fire" was actually atomic energy, concentrated into a wicked form. Searching for the source, Batwoman found the red and yellow form of Major Force, a hand held out as he smirked at his handiwork.
King Shark stopped his screaming as he looked over to the nuclear man, grunting at him before taking off for more victims. "I've got Major Force," Black Lightning said as he passed by the redhead. "Think you can take on the other two?"
"Easily." Watching as Black Lightning covered himself in electricity before launching himself towards Major Force, Batwoman then took off running after King Shark, pulling out a couple of batarangs. Reaching a wooden crate, she used it as a springboard as she leapt high into the air, throwing the bat-shaped projectiles. Each one hit its target, stabbing into King Shark's back as he roared. Whipping around, the shark man caught sight of her landing a short distance away.
"Batwoman," he growled as he turned to fully face her. "I've been waiting a long time to take a bite out of you."
"You're going to have to wait much longer," she shot back.
King Shark roared as he charged at her, lunging at her with his hands stretched out for her. If that wasn't projecting one's move, then she didn't know what was. The redhead vigilante held her ground, waiting for the right second to move.
Now. Leaping backwards, Batwoman leaned back as far as she could, arms stretched out over her head as she went into a backflip. Her timing was spot on as she swung her legs up, her feet slamming right beneath King Shark's chin, forcing his gaping mouth shut. The shark man's charge came to an abrupt stop as his head snapped backwards.
Completing her flip as she landed on her feet in a crouched pose, Batwoman immediately pulled out a round canister from her belt. Drawing her arm back, she then threw it right at King Shark, just in time for his head to tilt back to look at her. The canister hit him right in the face, exploding as a thick, sticky substances erupted from within it and attached itself all over the shark man's face and head. Immediately, he began pulling at the glue, trying to pull it off, making muffled sounds all the while. While suffocation was a risk with that maneuver, Batwoman knew King Shark wouldn't; after all, he was part shark, which gave him a set of gills along the sides of his neck. That would keep him breathing for the time being.
However, the move left her foe completely wide open. Thrusting her left arm out in front of her as her right punched a button on her gauntlet, a small metal bar extending out of the palm of her glove. Immediately her fingers wrapped around it as two more bars emerged from either end of the original, one wrapping around the outside of her hand while the other made its way between her thumb and index finger. Both bars attached to either side of her wrist, just as an opening appeared on the gauntlet on her forearm and a small missile rose up. A second later, it fired, launching itself towards King Shark, where it detonated against his chest. An explosion rang out as fire and smoke filled the spot the shark man had stood.
It didn't take long for the smoke to clear, giving her sight of King Shark a long distance away, lying crumpled in a heap in the remains of a broken wooden crate. That had been so much easier than the last time she had fought the monster.
Major Force was the result of a government research experiment gone wrong. The goal had been to create a super soldier with the power of an atomic bomb—or so the story went. In reality, the scientists had no idea what they were doing and were testing the effects of atomic energy on an alien compound. The results had...varied.
Then came human testing, of which Major Force was the second of two attempts. The first had resulted in a government agent simply known as Captain Atom; the second resulted in the Major.
Black Lightning had the chance of meeting Captain Atom several years ago and he had been an upstanding guy, perhaps a bit too serious, but definitely was everything you wanted in a soldier.
In contrast, Major Force was psychotic. He reveled in the damage he could create and the number of people he killed. He was the poster child for a psycho given a license to kill by the federal government.
Frankly, it would've done everyone a service had he died during his research trial.
As electricity crackled around Black Lightning's fists, he approached the Major as he fired another nuclear blast at an Insurgent, frying him alive. Coming to a stop, the dark-skin man pressed the sides of his fists together and fired his charged lightning bolt, the blast streaking through the air until it struck Major Force in the back.
A scream rang out from the man before he whipped around, glaring at the electrical man. "Black Lightning," he growled, his arms hanging at his sides as both hands were surrounded by his signature orange energy. "You're gonna wish that shot had killed me."
"Sorry, not everyone has your blatant disregard for life," Black Lightning shot back, charging up his own electricity.
A smirk appeared on the man's face. "Hey, I'm just following orders, unlike you. There's a standing order for your head and you can bet I'm gonna collect."
That was all the warning the Major gave as he swung one of his arms out in front of him and across his body. Three burning energy balls flew towards Black Lightning, forcing him to dive to a side, allowing the balls to fly by harmlessly—at least he hoped they didn't cause any harm.
Unfortunately, Major Force had anticipated his dodge and fired a blast from his other hand, which nailed him in the chest, sending him flying backwards and into the side of an unused machine. A large dent was made from where he hit it, the dark-skinned man dropping to the floor.
Shaking his head as he berated himself for his misstep, he raised his head in time to see the Major charging at him. With a fist drawn back, he threw it at the electrical man, causing him to jerk his head to aside at the last moment. The fist collided with the machine, sinking into it as metal twisted and dented from the force. With electricity dancing across his fist again, Black Lightning threw his own punch, which hit the Major right in the gut. He knew his blow had done some damage as the Major gasped, backing up a step.
Forcing himself onto his feet, Black Lightning pressed his advantage, throwing punch after punch into Major Force's face. Each hit backed the man up, his head jerking from the to side.
And then he shot a hand up and caught Black Lightning's next punch. Tightening his hold on the fist, a feral smirk appeared on his face before he leaned his head back before throwing it forward. His forehead smacked against Black Lightning's, causing stars to to explode before his eyes. The next thing he knew, the Major rammed his knee into his gut, knocking the air from his lungs.
The red-and-yellow-covered man then grabbed the bald man by his forearm, making sure he had a good hold. Twisting his body, he swung Black Lightning off of the ground and threw him through the air. Tumbling wildly, Black Lightning just knew what was coming and he needed to stop it at all costs.
Summoning electricity, he allowed it to cover his entire body before he blew it out in all directions forming a shield of electricity around him. A moment later and a nuclear blast crashed against the shield, which had the added benefit of stopping his spinning.
However, he was upside down, so as he maintained his shield, he took the time to right himself, turning until his world was right-side up. Shortly after that, the blast stopped and he relinquished his shield, dropping to the floor to land on his feet.
"I hope you have some better moves than that," Major Force called out as he walked towards him, cracking the knuckles of one hand with the other. "Otherwise, I'm gonna get bored."
"I'm glad you're having a fun time," Black Lightning responded as he gathered his electricity around his hands again. In turn, he saw Major Force do the same with his nuclear energy. "As for me, I have to end it here and now."
"Heh, give it your best shot."
Simultaneously, both men threw their hands out in front of themselves and fired their respective blasts.
Tearing her eyes from King Shark, Batwoman saw Black Lightning and Major Force deep in combat. Both were firing lightning and nuclear energy respective, their blasts colliding between the two of them and keeping them at a stalemate.
Which left just one other unaccounted for. Looking towards the entrance, she saw Killer Frost standing right out in the open, one arm extended out to her side with her head turned in its direction. Another blast of ice erupted from her hand as she froze more Insurgents. "Who's next?" she taunted, looking hungrily at the frozen statues the men had become.
Scowling, Batwoman took off running at the cold-blooded woman. Killer Frost, however, must have heard her charge as she smugly turned her head to look at the running vigilante, her cruel smile growing wider. Batwoman knew what her opponent would do before even she knew. As expected, Killer Frost raised her other arm, pointing it right at the redhead. The air around her palm crystallized just before an ice blast was fired.
Instantly, Batwoman dove to a side, the blast of ice flying by her, the very temperature around her dropping because of it. Even as her own breath became visible, she threw out her own hand in front of her. A small pellet flew from her fingers, traveling some distance in front of her until it hit the ground.
Immediately, a cloud of smoke erupted from the pellet. An instant later, as the smoke rose up into the ice blast, it froze into a bizarre ice sculpture, separating both women from the other's sights.
Immediately, Batwoman's grapple was in her hand and she fired it up to the ceiling. The moment her line went taut, she was flying upward, giving her a good look at her foe. Killer Frost was still staring at the frozen smoke cloud in bewilderment. "Well that's new," she spoke.
And so is this. Her free hand going to her belt, the redhead pulled out another batarang and pressed her thumb against its body. Whipping her arm out in front of her, she sent it sailing towards her target.
As the batarang closed in on Killer Frost, the pale woman took noticed of it, her head perking up as she looked up at it. She shot her hand up to shoot it down, but by the time she fired an ice blast, it hit the projectile mere inches away from her.
Instantly, the batarang exploded, the force of the blast sending the woman flying backwards as she cried out. Her back crashed into the door to the warehouse, knocking her out as she dropped to the floor limply.
Coming to a stop as she hung from her grapple, Batwoman turned her attention back to her last remaining comrade. In the time it had taken to take down Killer Frost, Black Lightning and Major Force had actually closed the distance between each other, a veritable shield of energy between the two as they bared their teeth at each other.
And then Black Lightning's electricity spread out wider than Major Force's nuclear energy. The bolts of electricity wrapped around the energy and formed a dome around Major Force. For a moment, the nuclear man seemed stunned before he began increasing the power of his blasts right at the containing electricity.
Then, Major Force just stopped his blast, seeing his current attack wasn't working. It became apparent he was trying something new as he prepared another nuclear attack. However, before he could unleash it, Black Lightning fired a point blank lightning bolt, striking the man right in the chest. In a blink of an eye, it was over as the nuclear man collapsed to the ground, smoke wafting from his body.
It seemed a bolt of lightning could do serious damage to living energy.
Stopping his bolts, the electricity disappeared and Black Lightning straightened out his posture. Turning to look at the redhead, he gave her a tired smirk.
Batwoman returned the smile before she swung herself back and forth, releasing her grapple hook in time so that she could land on a rafter running from one side of the room to the other. She would just swing over to her comrade and the two of them would—
It came out of nowhere. Before Batwoman could utter a sound, a thin green beam flew through the hole in the warehouse's door and struck Black Lightning in the chest. The beam tore a hole through his torso, exiting out his back. For a moment, Black Lightning looked stunned before he fell backwards, landing on his back.
Jerking her head away, Batwoman caught sight of Green Lantern floating into the room, Hawkgirl at his side as she held her mace lazily. "It's been a long time, Jefferson," Green Lantern greeted as he came to land a short distance.
"Not...long enough," Black Lightning spat out as he tilted his head up, blood leaking out of his mouth as well as his chest.
"Soon, you won't have to worry about it," Hawkgirl interjected. "We're taking you in, be it you, or your corpse. Right about now, I'd say it'll be the latter."
Rage filled Batwoman from head to toe. In an instant, she had a batarang out, ready to throw it at the winged woman's head.
Yet, Black Lightning had other ideas. "No!" he shouted, which startled the two Justice League members.
That caused the redhead to hesitate. Her friend was clearly looking at her and his demand was directed right to her.
Unfortunately, Hawkgirl turned her head to see what Black Lightning was looking towards and spotted the vigilante immediately. "Well, well, he's got a friend with him. Batwoman is here too."
Green Lantern immediately looked in her direction. "Two for the price of one, huh?" He raised his ring hand, a green light sparking from it. "This one the High Councilor will want to see personally."
Before anyone could move, Black Lightning shot a hand up, electricity crackling around it. A bolt of lightning fired from his palm, racing up towards the roof, blowing a hole right through it. However, the piece of destroyed roof just happened to be where one of the main support beams for the ceiling was, destroying that as well. Cracks raced out in all directions from the hole, followed soon by large chunks breaking off and falling to the floor.
Green Lantern and Hawkgirl raised their arms up to cover their heads, even as they let out cries of surprise. The rubble landed on top of them, along with Black Lightning, all three disappearing from sight.
Unfortunately, the collapsing roof was heading right for Batwoman. Turning around, she launched herself off from the rafter, moments before it was torn apart by the building's implosion. Activating the electric current in her gauntlet, she grabbed her cape and felt it stiffen behind her. Gliding, she headed right for the back office, closing in on it rapidly. Unfortunately, the collapsing ceiling was not far behind her either.
This was going to be close.
Batwoman gritted her teeth as she approached the open doorway. She didn't look behind her because she knew such a move would kill her momentum and that would make all the difference between her reaching cover safely, or being crushed alive. Drawing closer, she released her hold on her cape when she was mere feet away, the cloth going slack and she immediately drop downward while continuing her forward pace.
Her feet touched the ground and she immediately pushed off the floor, going into a dive as she passed through the threshold. She went into a roll from her shoulders down her back until her feet were under her. By the time she looked to the doorway, a cloud of dirt hit her as the entrance was completely closed off.
For a moment, Batwoman held her breath, unsure as to why she did so. She released it then, panting for several moments. She was safe for the time being, though she couldn't say the same for Black Lightning, or the others.
Damn it all.
The missile Batwoman uses on King Shark is one I took from Batman/Superman: Public Enemies, in which Batman uses that tactic against Shazam. I rather liked that little exchange and thought it would work well with Batwoman here.
To Guest: If this chapter is any indication, the vigilantes didn't make it out too well.