"He got away again? Who does this guy think he is? Batman?"
Batgirl glanced over her shoulder. Bluebird was standing in the middle of the room, arms crossed over her chest. She really wasn't doing much investigating, leaving that up to the other three.
"He wishes," Damian snorted. "He's a rank amateur, no more or less."
"Considering he's given us the slip twice with the same trick, we're one away from it becoming a pattern," the blue-haired girl retorted.
As much as it irritated her, Batgirl couldn't deny what Bluebird was getting at. At the very least, he was trained, though she didn't need to see the man vanish into thin air to know that.
However, he left evidence behind, which meant he either slipped up, or he had done it on purpose. She was leaning to the latter at the moment since nothing so far had been coincidence. There was a sickening feeling in her stomach, causing it to twist and churn.
Orphan had indicated that this whole situation, her father's imprisonment, was because of her. All of this was because he was trying to avenge a fallen secret society for a perceived betrayal. It was so stupid! He was clearly the last member of the Court of Owls, his moniker indicating as much. And he created so much pain and torment to get at her for choosing Batman over them.
Considering Batman was still active and the Court wasn't, it was clear she had made the right choice.
"What are these canisters?" Spoiler called out. The lavender-clad vigilante was holding up one such canister, turning it left and right as she examined it.
"That's what I'm trying to figure out," Batgirl answered. She had looked them over after Damian climbed out of the closet they had been kept in. There were quite a few of them, so many that it couldn't have been a coincidence they were there. If it was just one or two, sure, just something left behind by the previous tenants. However, there were several and they looked as if they were recently made rather than left behind decades ago.
So after looking them over, she found one that actually had a label. There was a diagram of some chemical compound, which she didn't know. That wasn't saying much since she had never taken a chemistry class in her life. Having placed the canister on the desk, she pulled out her palm pilot and took a picture of the diagram. She then linked up with the computer in the Batcave and was having it do an analysis on the compound.
"There's something liquid inside," Spoiler announced as she continued her examination, rocking the canister back and forth in the air. She must have felt the liquid sloshing inside of it to make that determination. "Strange though, the nozzle on top is made for aerosol."
"And how would you know the difference?" Bluebird asked.
"Because the nozzle looks like it belongs on a can of Pam and not a water bottle," Spoiler returned.
"So it turns a liquid into a gas, so what?"
"Why not have it in gas form already?" Damian pointed out, picking up on what the two girls weren't. "Why force a matter change like that?"
The two girls shared a look. "Good question," Bluebird admitted.
"Probably because the chemical can only be produced in liquid form? Maybe?" Spoiler suggested.
"So why turn it into a gas at all?" Damian pressed. "It would have a shorter half-life in gas form if it can only remain in liquid form."
At that point, the palm pilot in Batgirl's hand lit up, returning a result. The moment she looked at it, she immediately put in a command to run the analysis again. There was no way that reading could be right.
It didn't take nearly as long for the second analysis to come back, backing up the first one. Batgirl's hand clenched tightly around the palm pilot before she turned it off and shoved it back into its pouch on her belt. "We're taking all of the canisters with us," she announced, turning to face her team.
"For safekeeping?" Spoiler suggested.
"So Orphan can't use any more of it." Batgirl snatched up the canister that was sitting on the desk and walked over to the closet.
"What makes you think he's using it?" Bluebird questioned.
"Because of the mask he's wearing. When I hit him with a batarang, I knocked off one of those tubes that was connected to it. A gas came out of it and he then ran away. I'm certain that gas is in these canisters."
"Interesting theory," Damian replied mockingly. "What, pray tell, is this gas he's breathing in?"
"Venom."
There was a heavy silence that fell over the room. The mocking look on Damian's face vanished. Spoiler and Bluebird straightened their posture, stiffening where they stood.
"That…that would explain how he seemed to get stronger when I fought him," the blue-clad vigilante said after awhile. "I thought I was just imagining it, but…" she trailed off.
"He was breathing it in as he fought you and grew stronger the longer the fight went on," Batgirl summarized for her. "It also explains how he could send Damian flying across a room with one kick."
"Now he is just mocking us," Damian seethed. "First, he has my father thrown away into a cell, and now he uses the chemical that neanderthal Bane used to injure his back."
"How did he get his hands on it, though?" Spoiler suddenly asked. "I mean, Bane is the only guy that used this stuff, right? And he was making it in that prison of his, the one in Santa Prisca. We even managed to cut off that supply line. And last I heard, he was sent to Blackgate, so I doubt he's sharing the formula."
"He came here with a supply," Batgirl said. "And he kept stashes all over the city, so that he was never far from some if he needed it. Orphan could have found one of those stashes."
"Which would explain why it's still in liquid form," Damian surmised. "Bane only had it in liquid form, so Orphan would have just attached that nozzle to turn it into an aerosol."
"But why take Venom?" Spoiler brought up. "Isn't that stuff highly addicting? Why take a risk with using that?"
"Because he fears he isn't strong enough on his own!" Damian proclaimed.
"It doesn't matter why he is," Batgirl added. "Because the next time we meet will be his last. He can use all the Venom he wants; now that I know he's using it, I just won't hold back."
"Tough talk," Bluebird remarked. "But let's not get sidetracked, alright? We need to prove Orphan is the one that killed the Fairchild woman. Without that, your dad stays locked up."
That was a good point. Batgirl glanced down to the floor in thought. They did need proof. She would need to run a fingerprint analysis on the gloves she and Damian found. And while Orphan claimed he was the male figure in the Wayne Enterprises security footage, they would need to prove that as well. If she recalled right, he was wearing a trench coat and hat that hid his features. Everyone was just assuming it was Bruce Wayne since the coat did belong to him.
And then there was his confession about beating Fairchild…
That was one area she hadn't investigated. She had been in Bruce Wayne's office, Wayne Manor, and the sewers. But the one place she had yet to check was Fairchild's body. If she could find something on her that could connect Orphan…
No, she would find it. This guy was leaving clues lying around, he had just said so himself. She just had to find what he left behind and she was certain he left something on Fairchild.
Gotham State Penitentiary was a long forgotten prison. It was here before Blackgate, even Stonegate. Unlike the latter two prisons, it wasn't a max-security prison. While it did have its share of murderers and high-profile criminals, those were eventually moved over to Stonegate when it was up and running.
"I think my great-granddad did some time here," Huntress remarked as she parked her bike next to Black Canary's. "The family said he wanted time away from his wife and willingly got caught."
"You wouldn't happen to know the layout, would you?" the blonde vigilante asked.
"You kidding? Of course, I do."
That was one perk of having a family of criminals, it seemed. "So if you were a nutcase that brought Manhunter here, where would you go?"
Huntress glanced around the perimeter. "I'm not seeing any sort of foot traffic here, nor that armored truck. Chances are, it's parked in the back somewhere."
"Which is easier to get there? Drive around, or over the top?"
"Why not drive? No point in using our grapples just now."
Motorcycle engines revved and the Birds of Prey drove around the building, reaching the back. There were a series of metal garage doors blocking access to the loading docks. There was also a door next to those garages, which would be their access point. Once they parked, they gathered by the door.
Normally, they would have tried to pick the lock; Katana had other ideas. Drawing her sword, she sliced the door handle off, the innards of the locking mechanism falling out of a round hole left behind by the handle. Canary shoved three fingers into the hole and pulled, opening the door.
The moment they passed through the doorway, they spotted the armored truck. "I think we're in the right place," Huntress remarked.
That was stating the obvious. Looking around, Canary spotted a large opening barricaded by a chain link fence. Not much of a barrier, was it? "That must be our way in," she observed as she began walking towards it. Huntress and Katana followed.
Reaching the gate, there wasn't anything really keeping it in place save for a little U-shaped clasp. Shoving it upwards, they were able to open the gate and slip through, leaving it open since they would be coming back. "Well, that was certainly difficult," Huntress said sarcastically.
Past the gate was a hallway, one the three women walked down. They opened a few doors, ignored the disrepair this prison had fallen into before they finally reached the cell block.
The active cell block.
After shoving the door open, Canary was surprised to find the jail cells; she was even more surprised to find people in them. Many of them stared dumbly at her before they shot up from their beds, throwing blankets across their cells, and rushing up to the bars.
"Help me, man!" a man shouted, grabbing onto the cell bars, shoving a hand out imploringly. A man in the next cell did the same, a woman after. They were reaching, begging to be freed.
"Please, help us!"
"I want to go home!"
"Do something, you stupid bitches!"
"I…I think these are all the missing people Lock-Up took," Huntress said in a low whisper. "He wasn't killing them after all."
"Which means Manhunter is still alive," Canary pointed out. She then held her hands up, gesturing for the people imprisoned to quiet down. Thankfully they did. "Listen, everyone," she told them. "We're going to help you, but we need to find the man that did this. Once we take him down, this will all be over. Now: Manhunter, are you here?"
There was no response. "Manhunter?" she called out again.
"Who the hell is Manhunter?" a man in a wifebeater demanded. "And why should I give a shit? Get me out of this fucking prison, bitch!"
"I guess your momma didn't teach you manners," Huntress replied. "Now, if you don't shut up, you're going to be the last person we free." The man closed his mouth real quick in response. "Just so you know, we sent one of our own in here so we could find you. She's going to be able to tell us what we need to know to get the guy that did this to you."
An arm further down the cell block stuck and began waving frantically. The Birds spotted this and moved towards the arm. They found a middle-aged man in pajamas in this cell. "You know where she is?" Canary questioned.
"I think so," he replied. "I heard her cell door open some time ago. I think she went further into the prison, or something."
Count on Kate to go looking for Lock-Up. "Then that's where we're going. Sit tight, and we'll be back before you know it."
"Raaaahhhhh!" Lock-Up shouted as he swung his baton.
Kate ducked it, the weapon striking the wall, the sound of the clash echoing through the halls. She kept backpedaling, trying to put some distance between her and the massive man chasing her.
Lock-Up wasn't deterred. Back and forth, he swung his baton, trying to hit her. His longer legs allowed him to cover more distance than hers, unfortunately, so it was like he was practically on top of her no matter how fast she moved. Jerking from side to side, bobbing up and down, she avoided each swing, feeling a slight breeze with each miss from the man.
She had no idea where she was. When she escaped Lock-Up from his monitoring room, she had just bolted. Lock-Up was faster than he looked, unfortunately, and had caught up with her shortly after. So far, he had been trying to get a good hit on her, thankfully not having success there.
However, she was getting tired of being on the defensive this entire time. The next time Lock-Up swung his baton at her, she dropped to the floor, lashing out with her legs. Scissoring them, one leg collided with the front of both of the man's legs, the other closing in on the back. Because of his momentum, Lock-Up was thrown forward, eyes wide as he went falling to the floor, landing hard on his stomach.
Scrambling onto her feet, Kate made sure to keep Lock-Up in front of her and it was a good thing she did. Though he was lying on the floor, the large man shoved himself up with one hand and twisted his body so that he could throw his baton towards her. Jerking herself out of the way of it, it sailed over her shoulder and flew down the corridor.
"Who the hell are you?" Lock-Up growled as he climbed back onto his feet. Kate slid into a stance, keeping her profile towards the man, one leg behind the other, her arms raised up and ready to fight. "You're no sniveling secretary."
"I think you mean I'm not Leslie Kupp," she quipped back. "Sorry to disappoint, but she's on an all-expense paid vacation. You're just going to have to settle for me."
His eyes narrowed. By then, he was on his feet, looming over her. "I'll make you wish you hadn't done that."
"You're going to have to try a lot harder than you are."
Growling, Lock-Up lunged forward, throwing a fist towards her face. Kate immediately reacted, dodging to one side as she shot an arm up, using it to block her foe's arm so that he couldn't perform a backswing. This placed her with a prime opening with his side. Swinging a fist, she landed a kidney shot to his side, causing him to grunt as his body flinched from her blow.
However, Kate knew something was off, namely that she felt padding against her knuckles from where she had punched Lock-Up. It didn't take a genius to know he was wearing some sort of vest, or body armor, that absorbed her blow. His grunt indicated he had felt it, but the force he felt wasn't nearly as strong as it would have been without the protection.
Suddenly, Lock-Up spun around, his back facing her for just a moment. Normally, this was a bad idea in fighting, but the man had his other arm up, bent at the elbow. His spin allowed him to swing an elbow strike, one she was sad to say was successful as it rammed into her face. Stars erupted before her eyes as Kate went stumbling backwards, letting out a cry of surprise.
Immediately, she began to regain her footing, restoring her balance. Rubbing her eyes to rid them of the stars she was seeing, she then caught sight of Lock-Up holding up a taser, pointing it right at her.
He then squeezed the trigger. Three prongs fired from the barrel, wires trailing behind them as they spun out of the taser.
The prongs hit Kate in the chest and electricity seized her body. Stiffening, her eyes flared open wide as her teeth clenched tightly. She couldn't move, she couldn't breathe! She could only take the tasing as each second seemed to last forever.
And then it stopped. Instantly, Kate crumpled to the ground, lying in a heap on her side. An arm, a leg would spasm every so often, the woman gasping for air as she tried to catch her breath.
A set of heavy footsteps approached her then. "I told you you'd regret your decision," Lock-Up told her. One of her eyes slid to one side as she looked up at the man, who had a pair of his home-made restraints in both hands. "I'm gonna toss you into the Hole and you'll be lucky if I remember you're there."
That didn't sound good at all. With her body quivering, there wasn't much she could do to stop it at the moment. She also knew things would get more difficult if Lock-Up put those restraints on her. She needed to move her body, do something, anything to make this as hard as possible for the deranged man.
As it turned out, she didn't have to do much.
As she laid on the floor, looking up at her captive, this gave her the perfect view of a figure suddenly appearing above them. Red and yellow, they came falling down towards them, something held above their head. Her body blocked out the lighting here, which must have tipped off Lock-Up as he suddenly jerked backwards.
A foot landed on either side of Kate, followed by the sound of metal striking the floor. "That is enough," the voice of Katana proclaimed.
Relief filled Kate. At last, the calvary was here.
"You're trespassing," Lock-Up growled as he raised up his fists. "Leave now, or be locked up!"
"That's gonna be a hard pass," Huntress called back from further down the hallway. They had heard the commotion caused by Kate fighting this Lock-Up guy, which was a good thing. The Birds had arrived just as he was tasing her. Katana had leapt into action, leaving the other two Birds to wait in the wings.
From her position, Huntress held up her crossbow, aiming it right at the man. Save for shooting him in the head, she rather doubted she would bring him down with one shot. Still, she rather hit his knee; that would end the fight pretty quick.
Suddenly, Lock-Up darted away, running right into an intersecting hall. "We got a runner!" she shouted as Katana took off after him. Hmph, big, bad, and bulky didn't like taking on multiple people. What a coward.
Rushing towards the hallway, she could hear sounds. It sounded like something whirling around before something metallic struck…something. Reaching the mouth of the corridor, Huntress came to a stop, Black Canary at her side.
With an arm raised over his head, Lock-Up was swinging a large chain around, a few of its links wrapped around his hand. God knew where he had found it. Then he used the chain like a whip, lashing out with it at Katana, who backed away as it struck the floor. Before she could lunge at him, the large man would snap it back up and begin spinning it over his head again.
He then swung the heavy chain down going at an angle, one that Katana dodged by darting to her left, the chain striking the wall next to her. She then promptly ducked down as Lock-Up immediately did a backswing, jerking the chain from one side of the hall to the other, where it hit the opposite wall. He then snapped it back towards him before it lashed back out with it, snapping it like a whip again, which Katana backpedaled to avoid.
So he managed to find a way to keep the Asian woman at bay. That wasn't going to save him. As Huntress took aim with her crossbow, she quickly realized that her comrade was in the way of any clear shot, again save for his head. This also prevented Black Canary from using her Canary Cry lest Katana get caught up in it.
It occurred to her then that perhaps Lock-Up hadn't been running so much as making a situation where they were forced to fight him one-on-one. This hallway was narrower than the one they found him looming over Kate. So that was a strategic retreat rather than an escape attempt.
Clever dick.
However, it seemed Katana was done with getting whipped at with a chain. As Lock-Up swung the chainlink weapon at her, there was a flash of steel and suddenly one of the links went flying towards Huntress. Jerking out of its way, the piece of metal flew by the purple-clad woman, where it hit the wall behind her. Over and over, as Lock-Up lashed out at her, Katana slicing off one link at a time, working her way closer to the man. Some links promptly hit the wall next to her, others landing on the floor and skidding across it until they came to a stop, and then the odd one that would make it all the way to the remaining Birds of Prey members.
And with each severed link, Katana closed in on Lock-Up. Ideally, she would cut him down the moment she was able to do so; however, the large man seemed to have different ideas. As Katana hacked off another chainlink, he suddenly shot his free hand towards her, grabbing her by the neck. He lifted the Asian woman right off of the floor and slammed her against the wall, stunning her. He then twisted his body so that he could jerk the red-and-yellow-clad woman across the hall, throwing her into the opposite wall. Katana dropped to the floor, landing wobbly on her feet.
"Katana! Down!" Black Canary shouted before she sucked in some air. Doing as told, Katana dropped down to the floor, seeming completely natural, one single motion from landing on her feet to lying on the floor. Canary pursed her lips before she unleashed a blunted Canary Cry.
The air distorted from between the blonde and Lock-Up until the Canary Cry struck the man right in the chest. Lock-Up was flung backwards down the hall, flying until his back hit a wall at the far end of the corridor. If he cried out, it wasn't heard.
That's when Huntress took aim and fired a bolt. The arrow soared through the air until it struck her target's shoulder. With any luck, the arrow tip punctured through the shoulder pad the man was wearing and would make moving that arm tough. Tossing her crossbow to the floor, Huntress took off running down the hallway, leaping over Katana as she raced towards their foe.
As she closed in, Lock-Up just leaned up against the wall he had been thrown into, reaching a hand up to the arrow in his shoulder. He grabbed the shaft and ripped it out without even wincing, flinging the bolt to the floor, where it bounced away with a clatter. With the remaining distance between them shrinking, Huntress used the last few feet of the hall to her advantage, leaping up towards one of the walls next to her, where she slammed her foot on it. Leg coiling, she then sprung off the wall, leading with her knee bent and ready to ram into Lock-Up's face.
Unfortunately, Lock-Up jerked to one side and Huntress ended up ramming her knee into the wall he had been leaning against. The purple-clad vigilante hissed as pain erupted in her knee, the woman dropping to land on her feet on the floor, though she was hopping to keep strain off her throbbing leg.
That's when Lock-Up lunged at her, arms wrapping around her as his shoulder pressed into her gut. He tackled her, knocking her to the floor, where she landed hard on her back. The air was forced out of her lungs, leaving her dazed and breathless for several seconds.
That wasn't a good thing. A large hand pressed down on her chest, pinning her down and making it harder to catch her breath. Lock-Up loomed over her, his other hand raised up as a fist, chain links wrapped around his knuckles like a set of makeshift brass knuckles.
Ah crap, this is gonna hurt.
Suddenly, a pair of hands slapped down on Lock-Up's shoulders, Black Canary flipping over the man's head. She must have used him as a springboard for her flip. The blonde vigilante landed with her back to the man and Huntress, though that didn't last for long. Twisting to one side, she raised up one leg before she lashed out with it, landing a kick to Lock-Up's face. The force of the blow knocked the man off of Huntress, allowing her to suck in as much air as she could to catch her breath.
In the meantime, Lock-Up had landed on his back, but didn't stay that way for long. Flinging his legs up, he went into a roll, going feet over head. He ended up back on his feet, raising a fist up to rub the masked part that covered his mouth even as he stood up to his full height. "Nice kick," he complimented Canary. "You won't land a second—"
Suddenly, Katana came flying out of the intersecting hallway. She was in midair with one leg extended out in front of her. Her flying kick slammed into the side of Lock-Up's head. The force of the kick sent him headfirst into the wall next to him, dazing him.
Landing on the floor, Katana was quick to swing another kick, one that collided with the back of his knee. This time, they all heard the man cry out as the knee buckled and he dropped to the floor, ending up crouched on one knee.
That's when Katana shot her hands towards the large man's neck. She struck him on the sides of his neck with her fingers, which promptly caused the rest of him to collapse to the floor. Huntress just watched, actually feeling astounded by the sight of it. "What…did you do to him?" she couldn't help but ask.
"I struck his pressure points," the Asian woman replied, standing over their foe. "He won't wake up for some time."
Of course, pressure points. "Well, I say we find an empty jail cell and toss him in there. It'll make it easier for the police to arrest him."
At night, cemeteries were creepy. The shadows, the tombstones and mausoleums, they made such a somber place dark and mysterious. It wasn't a place for a casual stroll.
"This feels so wrong on so many levels," Spoiler muttered.
Yeah, Batgirl felt the same way, but it needed to be done. The Batclan stood around the gravesite of Vesper Fairchild, staring at the softened earth from the burial weeks ago. Grass was just beginning to cover the spot, so the dirt was still quite visible.
In each of their hands was a shovel, taken from the groundskeeper's shed. Not letting the thought of desecrating a grave linger in her mind, bothering her until she talked herself out of this, the dark-clad girl stabbed her shovel into the dirt, pushing her foot on top of it to force it further down. She then hauled up a shovelful of dirt, tossing it to one side.
As if that were a cue, the others began doing the same. They each started at a corner and worked their way inward so that they didn't get too much into each other's way. In a matter of minutes, they were a foot down, then two. By half an hour, they were halfway down. Each of them was slowing down from their initial start, however, as they began to tire.
It was near an hour of digging when they finally reached the casket. More time was spent widening the hole so that they could actually open it, which was rather annoying. Once there was enough space for at least one of them to stand next to it, Batgirl dropped in. Planting one foot next to the casket while she kept her other leg elevated, the foot pressed into the side of the hole, she then opened the top of the casket.
A foul odor rushed out and Batgirl jerked her head back. "Oh God, that's nasty," Bluebird gasped as she pulled away from the hole.
"She's decayed," Damian said simply, his nose wrinkled, but the boy refusing to pull away from the hole. "What are you hoping to find?"
Batgirl then opened the bottom half of the casket, revealing the rotting Vesper Fairchild, adorn in a dress. With the lid open, she brought her elevated leg down so that she could kneel in the casket. "I want to check her wounds," she called out. She started with the legs and began working up.
"Didn't the police do that during the autopsy though?" Spoiler pointed out. "Why not just read the report?"
"They could have missed something," the dark-clad vigilante responded. As she patted her way up the body, she couldn't help but grimace. The body had clearly deteriorated, softening to the point where each pat of her hands caused it rotting flesh to depress and remain that way. She left finger-sized indentions all up the body, not something she was proud of doing. She stopped when she reached the woman's shoulders; there was no point in doing much more than that. If she recalled the autopsy report, she had suffered a beating, which meant soft tissue injuries.
Unfortunately, the decomposition had wiped those injuries away. In fact, she probably completely destroyed them as she frisked the body. Damn it, was this a dead end? Literally?
No, this couldn't be a waste of time. There had to be something here. With how methodical Orphan had been, he had to leave something behind on the body, another clue to catch him. Alright, so what did she know about the murder? There had been a beating and gunshots. The bullet holes wouldn't tell her more than the ballistics report, so there was no point in examining those. As for the beating, she recalled bruising, hematomas…what about bone fractures?
So she started checking for bone damage, once again starting from the legs up. The legs were clear; the ribs…she found a couple fractures there. It was nothing out of place for a beating, however. She checked arms, nothing there. As she checked the head, she faintly wondered if she needed to check the spine.
That's when she felt it. As she checked the cheekbone and jaw, she felt something uneven on the left side, right where the jaw joined the skull. She couldn't tell much more due to the glove on her hand…
"Release," she said, and she felt her gauntlet loosen around her arm. Yanking it off, she felt the cool night on her bare skin. She then pressed her fingertips against that same spot on Fairchild's cheek.
"Did you find something?" Bluebird asked, her voice altered as she had her fingers pinched on her nose, making her sound nasally.
"I think so," she murmured. This injury she was feeling, she felt like she knew what it was, but she needed a similar one to compare it to. She rather doubted the others would let her try to recreate the blow that would have caused it.
Except…she didn't have to. Raising up, Batgirl turned her head to look right at Damian. She twisted her body to fully face him, which caused him to frown. "Why are you looking at—" the boy began.
He didn't finish. Immediately, she reached up with both hands, her gloved hand grabbing onto the back of his head to keep him in place. With her bare hand, she pressed it up against his cheek in the same place as she had on Fairchild.
And found the same uneven spot in the exact same place.
Damian yanked his head back. "Woman!" he shouted as he rubbed his face with a gloved hand. "Do you have any idea where your hand has been?!"
Batgirl ignored the outburst as she twisted around to stare down at Vesper with certainty.
"Okay, that's a little gross," Spoiler said. "You should really wash your hand."
"Nerve strike," was all she responded with.
"Nerve strike?" the lavender-clad girl repeated.
Batgirl nodded. "She was struck with a nerve strike. It overstimulates the nerve in the jaw and leaves a little fracture behind. It's the same fracture on the boy."
"I am not some boy," Damian muttered, still rubbing his face.
"Come up with a better name than S.O.B. and I will call you that," she absently replied.
"It was a good name until your friend ruined it."
"You're welcome," Bluebird responded cheekily.
"So what does that mean?" Spoiler questioned. "Aside from someone who knows how to use it using it on her?"
"There are only a handful of people who know that move," Batgirl replied. "I obviously know it; I learned it from Batman."
"But doesn't that point the blame right back at him?"
It did, unfortunately. However, she was beginning to have her doubts towards Orphan. If he was truly a Talon initiate, he wouldn't know the move. It simply wasn't taught. So if he was the true killer, he would have needed to know the move to cause this damage.
Ignoring the Spoiler's damning question, Batgirl began looking at the casket. It was the only thing she hadn't checked yet, and the body hadn't been that forthcoming with clues. Though there was the nerve strike fracture, it wasn't the lead she needed. Peering at the underside of the lid, she then reached towards it and began tearing the bedding. Ripping sounds were made.
"What are you doing now?" Spoiler asked.
The answer to that appeared, something falling out from behind the bedding and landing on Fairchild.
"Finding that," Batgirl replied as she reached down and picked it up. It was a pamphlet, one that advertised spiritual awakening and salvation. It…it was a pamphlet to a church.
Was that unusual? Fairchild would have had a ceremony, right? One in a church? So it would be natural for a pamphlet for the church to possibly fall into the casket, even if it was by accident.
Yet, it was in the lining of the casket…
"Do any of you know which church Fairchild's funeral services were held?" she asked. Glancing up, she saw the other three looking to each other, each one shrugging their shoulders. That was clearly a no.
"Would any of you know where," she paused to read the name of the church on the pamphlet, "Gotham Chapel is?"
That caused Bluebird to perk up. "Yeah, that's in my neighborhood. That's where we fought that cult you were after."
Batgirl's eyes narrowed. That place had been rundown, abandoned and forgotten. No way would it be a place of a funeral.
It seemed she had found her clue.
The scene when Batgirl touches Damian after touching Vesper is right from the comic, though it was originally with Stephanie rather than Damian. I couldn't resist including that scene here with the present company lol
