Gotham Chapel looked just as dilapidated as it had when it was being used for reasons other than as a house of worship. Well, there had been worship going on, but it was to a person rather than a deity.

It was a little disheartening to know not much had changed. Batgirl stared at the church, not doing much to hide her person. Her black armor would allow her to blend in with the night and surrounding shadows, but a human figure stood out against roof fixtures. It didn't help that Damian stood next to her, clearly marking them as people rather than a gargoyle or something. As he had put it, they weren't here to be stealthy.

They were waiting though. Batgirl had called Oracle before they arrived, telling her to send the Birds of Prey her way. The hacker said she would take care of it and that had been the last word on the matter. Whether the Birds had rebuffed her was still unknown. It was alright, however. She was more than content to wait here for a little while longer.

The waiting didn't last for much longer. She picked up the sound of grapple guns firing. Soon, the Birds had repelled up the side of the building and were on the roof. "I hear someone wants a favor," Huntress called out from behind the dark-clad girl.

Batgirl turned around, seeing the Birds of Prey walking towards her. Bluebird and Spoiler were close by, standing next to each other. "This isn't another attempt at blowing up Gotham, is it?" the purple-clad woman questioned as the four older women came to a stop in front of the Batclan.

"It isn't," she assured her. She then nodded towards the chapel. "There is a man inside that building that has proven to be slippery. I want to make certain he doesn't escape us this time."

There was silence. "You want us to basically act like guards?" Manhunter questioned incredulously.

"I want you to block off every exit there is inside. No way does he escape us again." Batgirl glared at the chapel. "This ends tonight."

"This isn't exactly what I consider worth our time," Black Canary said then. "City-wide emergency, yeah. This just sounds like some guy you haven't pinned down. I don't think you need this much muscle for one guy."

They were trying to rebuff them. Batgirl faintly wondered if they would be saying the same thing to Batman if he asked them the same thing. Then again, how many times did he actually ask for help? Every person on that roof was desperate to get in his good graces, and if he asked for their help, they helped.

"This 'guy'," Damian spoke up, "is a former Talon, one of this city's Court of Owls. Is that just 'one guy,' or is he worth your time now?"

Batgirl had looked back at the Birds in time to see them sharing looks with each other. "That's a name I haven't heard in a long time," Huntress replied. "Mind telling us what a Talon is doing in Gotham?"

"Framing Bruce Wayne," Bluebird answered her. "We've found all of this evidence of a frame job and it all leads to this guy. Problem is that he's tough and on Venom."

"Venom? You mean the stuff that Bane used?" Huntress took a step closer to them, a scowl appearing on her face. "Why didn't you say so?"

There were a number of sarcastic remarks that could be used there, but Batgirl decided to head that all off. "Just block off the exits. We'll handle the rest. If this guy tries to run, take him down however you best see fit."

There were nods from the women. "We're ready when you are," the purple-clad woman said.

"Get into position then. I'll give you a few minutes and then I'll take point."

Again, more nods and the vigilantes took off. It was just Batgirl then, staring at the chapel. Her team would be able to tell all the exit points to the Birds and get them in position. As for her, she needed to make an entrance.

Feeling as if enough time had passed by, she then leapt off of the roof. Grabbing onto her cape, she felt it go into glider mode and she soared towards the chapel, specifically towards a stained-glass window. As she closed in on it, she could see her shadow appearing on it, growing darker and larger as she drew closer and closer to it.

Then at the last moment, she leaned backwards, swinging her legs in front of her. Her feet struck the window and the glass shattered. She let go of her cape so that it went limp behind her, allowing her to fly through the broken window without issue. She landed on the floor of the chapel, shards of glass raining down all around her.

The last time she had been here, the main room of the chapel had been converted into a dojo; not much had changed since then, save for the lack of martial artists being present. Racks that had lined the walls were still there, but they were missing the weapons that once rested on them. There was a second level, one with a railing to prevent people from falling off of it, giving a good vantage point to the room. The second level stood out against the rest of the room as it was made of wood whereas the chamber was made of stone.

She found who she was looking for a moment later. Sitting on the floor with his legs beneath him was Orphan, his back to her. It looked as if he were in prayer.

And then he abruptly stood up. "You've finally come," Orphan announced before he turned around to face her. "I thought you would never show up."

Batgirl began walking, positioning herself to stand directly across from her foe, her cape covering her body. "You wanted to fight me at your best. Well, here I am."

"Just you, though? None of your underlings?" the white-dressed man replied snidely.

As if in answer, the door to the chapel opened and Black Canary and Huntress entered the room, closing the door behind them. This got Orphan's attention, his eyes narrowing. "You brought more of them, I see."

"She brought all of them," Huntress retorted before purposefully nodding towards the second story. Orphan actually looked up, finding Katana visible over the railing. Another door opened, Bluebird appearing with her taser rifle in hand. A door in the back corner then opened, Manhunter and Spoiler coming out as well.

Movement out of the corner of Batgirl's eye caused her to glance towards the window she had broken through, Damian standing there with his arms crossed over his chest.

Orphan actually looked disappointed. "I thought you were finally seeing me as an equal. How disappointing."

"I will be the only one to fight you," Batgirl declared. "They are only here to prevent you from escaping, like you've done every single time we've met. If you want to keep them out of this, you will stay here until you defeat me. That is your only way out of here."

"Oh, I can think of a few others," the assassin remarked.

"Try it—I dare you," Huntress called out. "You go after one of these kids, and I'll put my boot so far up your ass, you'll be tasting leather. Or Katana can cut your legs out from underneath you. She hadn't chopped an arm or leg off in awhile, so I know she's dying for the practice."

"Or I'll tase the living shit out of you," Bluebird added. "I'd love to see how an owl looks cooked."

"The decision is yours," Batgirl finished. "Either fight me the way you claim you want to, or run and prove you aren't worth my time. And if you're not worth my time, you're certainly not worth Batman's. Now, are you ready?"

Orphan just glanced around him, eyeing the other fighters here. Finally, he locked his sights onto the dark-clad girl. "I'm going to enjoy beating you, girl. Get ready to be utterly demolished."


Bruce eyed the night's cuisine, his plastic fork having some difficulty piercing the overcooked chicken breast, if one could call it that.

"Not quite to your taste, Mr. Wayne?" Bane asked as he held up his own chicken, having stabbed his plastic knife into it and used it to hold it up so he could take a large bite out of the meat. That seemed to give him better success.

"I don't think I'll ever get used to this…food," he replied, eyeing it. Every time he thought he had his worst meal here, something would come along to prove him wrong. Tonight was just such a night.

"If all goes well, you won't have to. However, if your representation is poor, then this will be all you eat for the rest of your life," the large man pointed out. "Eat, you will need your strength if that becomes your reality."

Bruce grimaced. That was a depressing thought. Avoiding the chicken, he scooped up some cooked carrot slices and shoved them into his mouth. They were overcooked from the taste of them, but at least he could eat them.

"Tell me something, Bane," he addressed his bodyguard. "Assuming I get out and pay you the millions of dollars I owe you, what do you intend on using that money for? I know you've got quite a lengthy prison sentence."

"I will not always be in this prison," Bane replied. "And depending on my status, I will require funds. If I get out at seventy, I can go to a remote island and live out my days in comfort."

Bruce resisted the urge to raise an eyebrow at that. He highly doubted Bane was making a retirement plan. "And if you get out before?"

"Then the money will be used in different ways." Bane looked him in the eyes. "Do not trouble yourself with my plans. I promise you, I will not make a move against you. You are a good friend to have on the outside and I may need your assistance in some future endeavor, should the occasion arise."

It was clear to him that Bane was planning some sort of escape; the details just weren't forthcoming. If he did get out of here, Bruce was going to keep his attention on Blackgate. No way was he going to let this monster of a man get free.

Suddenly, there were shouts. The whole mess hall went quiet as inmates stopped their eating and chatting and looked towards one of the entryways. A number of guards went rushing towards it, keys jingling, guns getting pulled out of holsters. Bruce had to turn in his seat just to see what was going on.

Bane suddenly stood up, staring intently at the doorway, hands pressed down on the table. "Get under the table," he ordered.

Bruce didn't have a chance to when a flood of convicts poured into the mess hall. Guards were beaten back or consumed as men fought each other. It was some sort of brawl, one that crashed into the first couple of tables, consuming the men sitting there as they were either trampled to the floor, or they joined in the melee.

"Under the table, Wayne!" Bane roared.

Bruce immediately did as told, even if he didn't like it. However, as he crouched down there, he noticed his surrounding convicts standing up as well. They didn't move to leave though; instead they turned and began fighting each other.

What the hell was going on?

The shouting was deafening now. Men were screaming as they attacked or were attacked. Bruce spotted Bane's legs as they seemed to circle around the table he hid under. He came up to another set of legs, ones that were lifted up and out of sight, followed by the table shaking violently. Bane must have slammed the man down on top. Another set of feet were stomping towards the large man, disappearing as well, but this time a body hit the floor, a bearded man with wild hair stained with blood that poured from his nose.

Bruce glanced to the wild man's hand and found a makeshift shank in his hand. Clearly this was some sort of riot, but its origins eluded him. Hiding under this table was irritating as well. Normally, he would be trying to stop the riot, but Bruce Wayne was not that kind of person.

"There you are, Wayne," a voice sneered.

Jerking his head around, a bald man was kneeling, holding up a switchblade, his face lit up with malice. "Why don't you come out and play?" he jeered as he began to crawl under the table. "We just want to have a little fun with ya."

Bruce allowed a scared look to appear on his face before he scrambled out from underneath the table, going feet first. This forced him to lay on his back, dragging it across the ground as he emerged from beneath the table and connected seat. The man reacted instantly as he immediately pulled back and rushed around the table. As Bruce emerged from his hiding place, the bald man loomed over him, reaching down to grab his leg.

Alright, enough with the scared act. Bruce was done pretending to be frightened of men he had certainly beaten black and blue once. Pulling up a leg, he then kicked it out, nailing the bald man in the groin.

His reaction was instant. Eyes bulging, his hand dropping the switchblade, the bald convict leaned forward as he clutched at his throbbing family jewels. Pulling his leg back again, Bruce kicked it again, slamming his foot into the man's face. The force of the kick knocked him backwards, causing him to collapse to the floor.

A set of feet suddenly appeared by Bruce's head. A hand reached down and grabbed onto his arm and yanked him up with ease. The dark-haired man found himself standing on his feet, Bane looking down at him. "I wasn't aware you knew how to fight, Mr. Wayne," he intoned.

Well, crap, he hadn't meant for Bane to see him. There weren't a lot of ways he could explain knocking out a hardened criminal, that was until a long distance memory popped into his head.

"Ms. Hogie's Self-Defense Class for Girls," he explained succinctly.

Bane stared at him. "For girls," he repeated slowly.

"An ex-girlfriend showed me a couple moves. They all involved her stomping on my foot and kicking me in the balls."

The corner of Bane's mouth twitched up with mirth, right before he raised an arm up, making a fist with his hand. He then swung his arm downwards and arcing it upwards behind him. HIs fist hit a charging man like a wrecking ball, stopping him in place. Raising up that same arm, he then bent it at the elbow and held it at shoulder height. Twisting around, he rammed that elbow into the inmate's face, knocking him to a side and down to the floor.

"Then I suggest you use all of your self-defense skills, Mr. Wayne!" Bane advised, having to shout to be heard. "You're going to need them!"


Batgirl saw the punch coming a mile away. Orphan practically telegraphed it with every muscle twitch he made, the positioning of his feet, and the leaning of his body. If she had been her father, she would have backpedaled, dodging the blow and the subsequent ones to get a feel for how her opponent fought.

That isn't what she did. She darted out of the way of the fist, turning as she did so. She shot her own hands up, one grabbing onto Orphan's wrist, the other ramming her palm up against the underside of his upper arm. She pulled his wrist down while pushing up on his arm, allowing her to leverage his body up.

And as she completed her turn, she threw Orphan through the air, watching the white-clad man sail feet over head as he went into a slow flip. Gravity set in and he fell to the floor, landing on his back.

Batgirl raised her eyebrow at that. She had expected Orphan to gain control of himself after she had thrown him, so he could land on his feet. It was unexpected he would end up lying on the floor.

Suddenly, he flung his legs up, lifting his lower body off of the floor. He then swung them back down, using the momentum he created to flip himself up and onto his feet. Spinning around, he charged at her again, shouting a war cry.

Hands darting to her belt, Batgirl pulled out a couple batarangs, one for each hand. She held them up, crossing her arms in front of her for a brief moment. Then she uncrossed them, flinging her arms to either side of her as she threw the batarangs.

To Orphan's credit, he countered well, timing his counter right. As the two projectiles closed in on him, he raised up his arms. One at a time he crossed an arm over his chest before whipping them back out. He struck one of the batarangs with his forearm, knocking it away harmlessly. The same happened with his other arm, striking the batarang in midair and bouncing it away.

Because he had thrown his arms to either side of him, Orphan used this to his advantage as he turned his blocking motion into drawing his fist back, one that he threw right at Batgirl the moment he was right in front of her.

To the dark-clad vigilante, she felt it was completely telegraphed, so much so that she chose to show off a little. As the punch was thrown, she leapt up into the air, rising above the approaching fist and arm. Leaning forward, she shot both of her hands down just in time for her palms to come into contact with the top of Orphan's extended arm. She spread her legs out to either side of her, the girl balancing on her foe's arm like a gymnast on a balance beam. It must have looked absurd or incredible depending on your point of view.

And then she rolled her hips, swinging her legs up as she closed them together. She bent her arms for a second so that she could push down on Orphan's arm, springing off of the appendage as she went into a flip. She flipped over his head, using her circular momentum she was creating to strike. As her world changed from being upside down to right-side up, she swung her legs down, using the back of her heels to hit Orphan in the back of his head. She heard him cry out, his head jerking forward as he went stumbling.

Her world continued to spin once more as she flipped, ending when she landed with her feet on the floor. Unfortunately she was facing away from her opponent, something she corrected as she spun around to face him.

She was just in time to see Orphan regain his footing and promptly spin around. The arm he had used to throw the fist prior he swung out, performing a backhand that only passed through air. As harmless and useless as it seemed, it was actually to keep her at bay. If she had lunged towards him, she would have been hit with the backhand. That she had held her ground meant it came nowhere near to harming her.

Orphan quickly realized it and didn't let it deter him. Lunging towards her, he let out another war cry as he threw another punch, this time with his other fist. Batgirl darted to one side, avoiding the blow.

However, before she could counter, Orphan suddenly leapt towards her, spinning as he did so. He lashed out with a spinning kick, one that she avoided by backpedaling. She felt a slight breeze as his foot missed her.

Yet, he wasn't finished. As he landed back on the floor, he continued to spin, leaping again to try and hit her with another spin kick. Again, she backed away. It happened once, twice more, a total of four spin kicks that missed her.

Though Batgirl was certain Orphan would have loved nothing more than to hit her with his attack, he had another goal, namely backing her until she was out of space to dodge. That meant she backed right into a wall after the last spin kick.

And as he landed, the white-clad man lunged at her, throwing a punch for her head. Batgirl calmly side-stepped the blow, leaving it to slam into the wall he had tried to corner her with. The stone that made up the wall immediately crumbled, his fist cracking it, causing small pieces of it to fall to the floor. Cracks radiated around the impact site.

That served as a gentle reminder that Orphan was on his Venom enhancement. Though there were a limited number of people that could punch and break stone—normal people, not including metas—that number was very small. Someone increasing their strength with Venom could do it easier than most.

However, she wouldn't let this reminder cower her. Seeing as she had easily dodged the punch, she went into a counterattack. Leaping into the air, she swung her leg, landing a kick to the back of Orphan's head. The blow forced his head forward, his forehead colliding with the stone wall. A crack appeared on the stone, though it was a single break versus the spider's web of cracks Orphan had made with his punch.

Despite being forced to headbutt a wall, Orphan surprisingly recovered fast. Turning his body to one side, he threw a blind backhand towards her. Seeing it coming, Batgirl tried to twist her body to avoid it, but wasn't completely successful. She felt the bottom side of his fist push into her side and that was enough to actually send her flying backwards through the air. She never lost control of herself, though, able to land back on the floor on her feet, skidding across it for about a foot before she came to a stop. There was a dull ache where she had been hit, but nothing she couldn't live with.

Orphan was facing her now. There was a large spot on his forehead where the skin was broken, a drop of blood leaking from it as it rolled down the bridge of his nose before going down one side. "You are quite skilled," he called out to her. "I can see why so many masters have taken such interest in you."

He took a step towards her, and then another. He raised both of his hands up, cracking the knuckles of each of them one at a time. Batgirl narrowed her eyes at this. She had effectively delivered two blows to his head when she kicked him into the wall; yet, he was acting as if he weren't phased.

"As you can imagine, it pains me to see you like this," Orphan continued.

Batgirl raised an eyebrow, not that it was seen. "More than the pain I've inflicted on you already?"

He chuckled. "What you have done is a pittance, love taps nothing more. No, what hurts more is that you could be so much greater than you are. You could be the ultimate assassin, a force of nature the world has never seen before—and instead you chose to hide in the shadow of a disgrace."

"My father is not a disgrace!" Damian shouted heatedly before Batgirl had a chance to respond. In all honesty, she was in agreement with him. It was just a little annoying that he took the words out of her mouth.

"For once, he and I agree," she said anyways. "Batman is a greater man than you."

"Is he?" Orphan mocked. "He walked away from the Demon's Fang, did he not? And then he convinced you to leave your fellow Talons to…what? Accept mediocrity as some sort of protector? Your talents are wasted in this manner."

Wasted, was it? She would show him just how wasted her talents were. Storming towards her approaching foe, Batgirl went on the offensive this time, throwing a fist right for his solar plexus.

Only for Orphan to block her. She could practically see the smirk on his face, even if it was covered by a mask. The way his eyes crinkled told her he was bemused with her. Irritated more, she threw another punch, once again getting blocked.

However, Orphan turned his body so that his profile was towards her as he blocked her last blow. Suddenly, he surged forward, ramming his shoulder into her. The force he hit her was surprising, causing the dark-clad girl to stumble backwards.

Her opponent paused for only a second, Batgirl moving a stumbling step back. He then leapt into the air, lashing out with his leg as he aimed a kick for her head.

Batgirl tried to avoid the kick as she threw herself to a side. She was only successful in that she didn't take a direct blow; however, Orphan's kick clipped the side of her head, delivering enough force that she went into a wild flip, one that sent her crashing to the floor.

Landing back on the floor, the white-clad assassin pressed his advantage as he lunged towards her, raising a foot up, reading to stomp it down on top of her. Though slightly dazed, Batgirl saw the foot coming and she immediately went into a roll. The foot crashed down on the floor where she had been laying, once again causing the stone to break and crack from the impact.

Ending up crouched on her feet, Batgirl looked up at Orphan who swung both of his hands above his head, clasping them together. He pressed his charge, not giving her a chance to regroup as he began to swing down his jackhammer blow.

Not that she needed all that much time to recover. Springing forward, Batgirl used her lithe frame to her advantage. As Orphan's blow swung down, she moved right into the space between his arms. She thrust a hand up as she did so, landing a palm strike to the underside of Orphan's chin.

Instantly, his head snapped back and he stumbled back a step. Gritting her teeth, Batgirl lashed out with her other fist, landing a punch to his check, and forcing him back another couple of steps. Drawing back the arm that had delivered the palm strike, she made a fist with her hand before she threw it.

However, Orphan shot up his arm and blocked her attack. Undeterred, she threw another punch with her other hand, which he used the same arm to block.

Deciding to change things up, Batgirl tried a kick, only to be blocked with the same arm as well. It was at that point she noticed Orphan holding his other arm back. She could see the hand balled into a fist, yet the fingers seemed looser, as if they were holding something. As if she were going on automatic, she went into a familiar kata, throwing a series of punches and kicks. Punch, punch, kick, punch, kick, punch, punch, each attack was blocked with the same arm, or Orphan dodged. Not once did he try and use that one hand he was holding back.

What was he holding? When had he actually retrieved a weapon, assuming there was one? What could it be? It had to be small, one that was hidden by his fist. What…what…

Why did this feel so familiar?

It came to her in a flash. Gone was Gotham Chapel and in its stead was a room she faintly remembered. Orphan was no longer in front of her, replaced with the imposing form of Batman. He was blocking her, occasionally throwing a punch or a kick at her, yet she couldn't help but focus on his left hand, the one he kept out of sight.

Until…

Batgirl's eyes widened. Immediately, she threw her arms up, using one to brace the other. An instant later, the hand Orphan had held back came flying in, stopping in its tracks as she blocked it.

Alright, now she was pissed.

Just moments ago, this man had declared her father a disappointment, a mediocre man with mediocre aspirations. Then he turned around and copied his techniques. The hypocrisy was palpable. Her anger seethed and burned, growing stronger with each passing second.

However, she would not attack, not yet. She had been taught that while anger was useful, you did not let it control you. Bouncing backwards, Batgirl put some space between her and her foe, noticing Orphan not giving chase, instead just standing there as he lowered his fist down. He knew what he was doing, she could see it and detested him for it. "For someone that holds Batman in such low regard," she spat out, "you seem to have no problem using his tactics."

"Am I now?" Orphan taunted. "Or are you just assuming they're his tactics?"

Batgirl raised her hands up, one hand engulfing the other. The sound of her knuckles cracking filled the room. "You're using Venom to strengthen yourself, so that you can hit harder and take blows easier. Well, now I'm going to show you how hard I can really hit."

"Let me guess, you've been holding back this whole time." Orphan rolled his eyes. "Show me what you can do, little bat-girl. I'm just dying—"

Batgirl shot forward. She was damn near a black blur as she launched herself at full speed. Her cape stretched out behind her, making it appear as if she were leaving a long after-image of herself. Her arms whipped out at either side of herself, a pair of batarang launching out towards her target. There was no telling when she had retrieved the weapons from her belt, none that Orphan would have seen.

Cutting himself off as the batarangs closed in on him, the white-clad man decided to dodge them this time so that he could keep his full focus on her. He darted to his right, the first batarang sailing by harmlessly. He continued moving right, spinning as he did so to avoid the second one as well. This left him with his profile facing her.

Batgirl then went into a slide, closing the remaining distance between her and her foe. Keeping one leg elevated, she drew it back and swung it, landing a kick to the back of Orphan's knee.

Instantly, it buckled, the man crying out as he dropped down to one knee. Gathering herself, Batgirl was crouched on her feet for a split-second before she launched into an all-out beatdown.

In the blink of an eye, she slammed a fist into the side of his face, snapping his head to one side. Her momentum carried her forward until she was standing right in front of the white-clad man. Going into a spin, she raised up her other fist, holding it at shoulder height as she added centrifugal force to her next attack. Orphan was just leaning back when her second attack, a backhand blow rammed into him. She hit him with enough force, his face mask ripped off of his face, one of the tubes disconnecting from it so that it partially detached. It dangled down towards his chest, a faint green gas flowing from it.

Then came her third punch, one that knocked the man down onto the floor. Leaping over his collapsed form, Batgirl moved a few feet away and came to a stop. Pulling out her grapple gun, she turned and fired it, the grapple claw grabbing onto the fallen man's back.

She hit the retraction button, the grapple immediately pulling Orphan towards her. However, that wasn't all she was up to. Swinging her arms up, she lifted her foe right off the floor and forced him to soar over her head. With a quick double-press of the retraction button, the grapple claw released its hold on Orphan, sending him flying through the air. He crashed into the wall towards the back of the chapel, where Manhunter and Spoiler stood guarding an exit. Orphan promptly dropped to the floor, landing in a heap.

Yet, she wasn't done. Arms pumping at her sides, she raced towards the man, even as Orphan slowly began to push himself up, using the wall as a crutch to stand up on wobbly feet.

Leaping at the last moment, Batgirl soared the remaining distance between them, leading with one leg raised up, bent at the knee. Orphan hadn't fully gotten to his feet, which left him wide open for the vigilante's knee to ram right into his face. She would have cracked his skull open against the wall had his head not already been pressed against it.

Orphan slumped back to the floor, but he was stopped from complete collapse as Batgirl grabbed onto his white uniform, pinning him against the wall. There was a dazed look on his rather unremarkable face, his nose covered in blood, more of the red liquid draining out of his nostrils and painting his mouth and chin.

This…this was the man that had caused her so much pain and anguish these last several weeks, if not months. He had framed her father for a crime he didn't commit, disgracing him, locking him away with murderers and rapists and criminals he most likely put in Blackgate himself.

Something snapped.

With one raised fist, she slammed it into the stunned man's face. Over and over, she pulled that same fist back and swung it back down. Each one was thrown harder and harder, the girl beating the man down. An enraged scream ripped out of her mouth as she kept hitting harder and harder.

And then something grabbed her wrist. Her arm jerked forward, but it would not go any further. Whipping her head around, she saw Huntress standing here, her hand firmly gripping her. "That's enough," she ordered.

"Let go of me!" she snarled back. She was completely oblivious to the animalistic tone she had used. All she could think of was beating this pitiful man into a palp, making him pay for everything he had done to her.

If Huntress was taken back, she didn't show it. She did squeeze her hand harder to make certain she didn't lose her grip. "Look, I get it, I really do, but if you go any further, you are going to kill this man.

"And that is a line we do not cross."

Batgirl stared up at the purple-clad woman. As hot as her anger was burning in her, something about those words were familiar. She had heard them said before, in that exact inflection. For the second time that night, she was no longer in the chapel. Instead, she was sitting on a mat in her father's cave. The two of them were dressed in white gis.

"You've been taught to kill," he said, legs crossed underneath him, his arms crossed in front of his chest. She sat with her legs coiled beneath her, hands pressed into her thighs just above her knees. "From this moment on, I'm going to teach you how to subdue. You may know how to kill, but you will learn how to choose not to kill."

She didn't speak. She was mute, unable to speak. The words didn't make sense, but she could read his body. She could see that he was a man that would not bend or break. He was as solid as a statue, a rock standing against a storm.

"Killing is not acceptable," he continued. "You will be tempted. You will feel the urge to do as you have been trained. But know this: that is a line we do not cross."

She remembered that moment. It was shortly after she had first worn the Batgirl armor. Her father had sat her down and begun instructing her in his ways, the first step in his forging of her.

Slowly, second by second, she began to let her anger go. It wouldn't go completely, but it no longer controlled her.

Lowering her eyes from Huntress, she looked down at Orphan. The side of his face she had been beating was swelling, colored red and blue and purple. No doubt half of his face would be one large bruise soon. The hood he had been wearing had fallen off at some point, she honestly wasn't certain when, revealing short, black hair on his head.

"You stopped," he groaned, eyeing her with one eye. The other was swelling shut with every passing second. "How disappointing."

Batgirl let go of the man, allowing him to slump the rest of the way to the floor. He leaned back against the wall, propping himself up. "The only thing disappointing is your fighting skills," she shot back as she took a knee in front of him. "Now, I have some questions for you."

Orphan rolled his one good eye. Faintly, Batgirl wanted to punch that side of his face so that he couldn't make such expressions. "Are you sure you want to question him now?" Spoiler asked her, having moved closer to her. She kept her distance from Orphan, her and Manhunter, but Batgirl could just make her out of the corner of her eye.

In fact, the others had closed in on them. They formed a semi-circle around her and Orphan, Huntress being the closest of them all. She had let go of her dark-clad girl's hand, but she wasn't going to leave her side lest she start beating the man again. "I mean, he looks like he's concussed," the lavender-clad vigilante added.

"No better time than any to get answers out of him," Damian responded. "Go ahead and beat the confession out of him."

"Where is all of this bloodlust coming from?" Black Canary muttered rhetorically.

"Let me guess: you want to know why I targeted Wayne," Orphan drolled boredly. "I thought the answer to that was obvious to you by now."

"A plot from a resurgent Court of Owls," Batgirl said.

Orphan stared at her before he snorted. "If that is what you came up with, then you really are disappointing."

Okay, she really wanted to hit him now. "Then what is it?" she demanded. "You've gone through this entire frame job for what? Did Bruce Wayne do something to you? The man is practically harmless."

Alright, that part was a lie, but there were people here that didn't know her father's secret identity. She needed to protect that secret at all costs.

Orphan just gazed at her, a wealth of information, but reluctant to impart any. Her irritation with him was growing again. "Fine, you don't want to tell us about your master plan, then tell me this: who are you?"

"I am Orphan," he responded immediately.

"Your real name," she pressed.

The corner of his mouth twitched up. "Oh, that name," he responded lazily. "You sure you want that one?"

"Yes, I do."

"David Cain."

It happened in an instant. Batgirl's hand shot up. Her fingers formed the Talon Strike, her thumb and first two fingers digging into his larynx. "Lies!" she snarled.

"Damn it, Batgirl, let him go!" Huntress demanded.

"Back off!" she roared back, actually startling the dark-haired woman. Batgirl immediately returned her attention to Orphan, or rather the so-called David Cain. "You seriously want to play this game with me?" she growled at him. "You are not David Cain."

She could feel the man's swallow against her fingers. "How would you know, traitor?"

"Because David Cain is dead. I was there."

"So I've been told." His voice was tight, owing all of that to the pressure he no doubt felt against his throat. "A shame you didn't kill him yourself."

Something about those words felt off. In fact, now that she thought about it, this entire evening was off. Everything about Orphan seemed to tick her off; it was like he was designed to be. He mocked her father, but then proceeded to use his techniques. Then he claimed to be the man who trained her, raised her from a little girl to be the ultimate killing machine. It was a desire Cain shared with her biological mother.

Mother…

It…it couldn't be that simple, could it? Now that she thought about it, Orphan didn't fight like a Talon. She would know since she fought them before. No, his style was different. And then there were his words. Everything he said was meant to infuriate her, to goad her, to make her want to harm him, if not kill him. In fact, he seemed disappointed that she had stopped short of it.

Just like her mother had been…

She knew he was involved in the death of Vesper Fairchild. The Wayne Enterprises security tapes proved this, along with his admission at the Harbor House. However, there was a mystery woman, one theorized to be Fairchild, but lately she had been suspecting that it wasn't. Could that mystery woman be Orphan's partner?

Or rather his puppet master?

Batgirl scowled. She squeezed her fingers, digging them into Orphan's throat. "Where is she?" she growled.

"Where is Lady Shiva?"