No!

In an instant, Batgirl broke out into a sprint, racing towards the ledge of the roof as Lady Shiva disappeared over the edge. She leapt off of it the first chance she got, a hand darting to her belt to pull out her grapple gun.

She immediately spotted Shiva, arms spread out to either side of her, legs pressed together. The older woman just stared up at her, the same coy smile on her face, like she expected her to save her. She was roughly a floor, floor and a half down, the two women falling through the air.

At first, Batgirl wanted to make herself as aerodynamic as she could, but she didn't have nearly the same weight to use to her advantage. The wind was also beating at her, creating enough friction that she felt she was slowing down. No doubt it was doing the same to Shiva as her trench coat whipped around her. So instead of hoping she would catch up, she pointed her grapple right at Shiva and fired it. The grapple claw blasted out, flying towards the woman, where it latched onto her chest. Shiva actually looked at the line startled.

Hitting the retraction button, Batgirl began closing the distance between the two of them, right until she could reach out with a hand and grab onto her suicidal mother. The grapple claw released its hold the moment it returned to the barrel of the grapple gun. Yanking her arm out, Batgirl didn't bother taking aim as she fired it once more, this time right at the building rushing beside them.

The moment the grapple claw latched onto brick-and-mortar, Batgirl felt herself jerk to a side, yanking Shiva with her. The two swung downward and then towards Wayne Tower, heading right for a window. There was only a second or two to brace for impact, the two women slamming and then bursting through the window.

Batgirl lost hold of her grapple then, along with whatever grip she had on Shiva. She went tumbling through the air, shards of shattered glass surrounding her until she landed on the floor. She bounced off of it, going into a roll before she finally came to a stop. The sound of broken glass raining down on the tile floor filled her ears, ending shortly after.

Ow, she internally moaned. That hadn't been graceful, but at the very least she had saved Shiva's life. What the hell was that woman thinking?! Did she still have that deathwish? Or was she trying to kill herself to make it that much harder to prove her father's innocence? She could go with either option at that moment.

Pushing herself up, Batgirl found herself kneeling in what looked like a sitting area. It was basically a very large hallway with sets of couches, chairs, and tables. It looked as if it would make a great place for people to come to decompress during the workday.

And right in front of her was Lady Shiva, planting a foot on the floor as she sent a kick right for her face.


"Oh shit!" Huntress swore.

She just had to be on the side of the building where she saw that Shiva lady fall off the side. She also saw Batgirl leap after her, grabbing onto her, and then swinging them into Wayne Tower.

It was insane. It was exactly something Batman would do too.

After being begrudgingly removed from the roof, she and Katana had taken position around the building in case they needed to intervene. Enough time had passed that Black Canary and Manhunter had joined them, allowing them to cover all four sides of the skyscraper. Orphan, by their report, was in the custody of the GCPD, having been dropped on their proverbial front door in restraints and a little sign around his neck saying "I KILLED VESPER FAIRCHILD." At the very least, it would make the cops put him in holding until they could figure out what to do with him, most likely a trip to the hospital.

That was of little concern right now, though. "Birds, Batgirl and Shiva are in Wayne Tower!" she shouted over her comm link, a hand pressed into the side of her face. "I've lost visual. Going inside to help."

"Roger that," Canary responded. "All Birds, close in on the target. Don't let Shiva escape."

Huntress snorted at that remark. It wasn't that it was obvious that they weren't going to let that happen, it was just that the last time they faced Lady Shiva, she kicked their collective asses, and that included the incredibly-powerful Zatanna with them. She did it at the same time too, so it wasn't some series of one-on-one matches too.

It made her wonder how much had really changed.


"Did that really just happen? Seriously, did that just happen?" Bluebird exclaimed.

She hardly believed her eyes, seeing this big, bad assassin just tip over and fall. She had just jumped off of one of the tallest buildings in the city, some kind of attempt at suicide.

Then Batgirl dove after her and that was the last the blue-clad vigilante had seen. Rushing to the roof ledge, she looked over it and just caught sight of the two of them swinging into one of the windows, breaking through it.

At her side was Spoiler and Damian, the two of them seeing exactly what she had. "That bitch," the boy seethed as he pulled out a grapple gun. "She won't escape me!"

"Uhh, what are you doing?" Spoiler questioned as she eyed the kid.

"Going after them, what does it look like?"

"By grappling in? Why not just take the stairs? There's one over there."

Damian gave an infuriating look at the blonde girl. "Because I can go to the exact place Lady Shiva is rather than go look for her."

"Or you could miss swinging in and basically dangle there until you can swing yourself in," Spoiler countered. "Why not do it safely for once?"

"And not know precisely where they are?"

"Batgirl is there, so she'll keep Lady Shiva in one place. That will give us enough time to catch up. Now, quit being macho and let's go."

Damian stared at Spoiler before he grumbled, putting up his grapple. Bluebird had to admit, she was rather impressed by her friend. She was earning that backbone the blue-haired girl always knew she had.


In an instant, Batgirl shot her arms up, blocking the kick. She gritted her teeth from the force she felt, but held firm.

Suddenly, Shiva was leaping to her side, spinning as she did so. Batgirl's eyes widened as she realized the woman was attempting to swing a spin kick at her, hitting her from behind. So in response, she ducked down and went into a roll, avoiding the predicted kick as Shiva struck only open air.

Both women were on their feet at the same time, Batgirl rolling onto hers as Shiva landed. A hand darting to her belt, the dark-clad girl pulled out a batarang, spinning around and throwing it at her foe.

Seeing it coming, Shiva leaned backwards before she went into a flip, the batarang flying over her harmlessly. Planting her hands on the floor, she sprung off the floor, landing on her feet further away.

Simultaneously, both women launched themselves towards each other. Each drew a fist back and then threw it at each other, their fists colliding with each other right between them. Again, Batgirl gritted her teeth from the force she felt run up her arm.

And then she drew her fist back only to throw her other fist at her opponent, swinging it low and then up for her gut. Shiva shot her other hand in, blocking the punch with her palm, the sound of leather slapping against flesh echoing into the room.

Undeterred, Batgirl threw another punch, this time for Shiva's head, which was also blocked, then quickly countered. The younger girl jerked her head to one side to avoid the blow, countering with another punch. There was a flurry of movement between the two of them, each woman throwing a punch, only to be dodged, blocked, and then countered. Neither one landed a hit, their bodies appearing nothing more than blurs if someone happened to be there to see them.

And then Shiva backed up a step only to swing a kick. Batgirl leaned to one side and allowed the leg to hit her. Because of her defensive maneuver, she didn't take the full brunt of the blow, which allowed her to wrap an arm around the leg, using it as leverage as she swung her lower body up. One leg pulled ahead of the other and she landed a kick to Shiva's face, snapping her head to the side.

Letting go of her opponent's leg, Batgirl shot both of her arms down, slapping her hands onto the floor. She sprung off of the ground, going into a flip that put some distance between her and her foe, landing on her feet. She quickly turned to keep Shiva in her sights.

Only, she found her so-called mother remaining where she stood, rubbing the back of her hand against the side of her mouth. "You actually struck me," she remarked, a hint of pride in her tone. "Much sooner than the last time. You're improving, Daughter."

Batgirl raised both of her fists up, one hovering above the other. "Mind telling me why you jumped?"

"Would you believe I wanted to see what you would do? Would you try to save me, or would you let me fall? Obviously we have our answer."

"You knew I would. That isn't a legitimate answer."

"Perhaps so, but it does raise up a follow-up question: did you save me because of who I am to you, or did you save me because I am the only one that can free the Detective?"

"Clearly it is the latter."

"Oh? No concern for your dear old mother?" Shiva responded mockingly. A hand reached up and undid the buttons of her coat, opening it and revealing a blood red, skintight bodysuit. "Where did I go wrong?"

Batgirl tightened her fists. "You didn't send me a Christmas card."

"Ah, it's my fault I see. Then allow me to make amends!"

Shiva then launched herself towards Batgirl, the latter adjusting her footing to prepare her defense. Everything she read about the charging woman screamed she was going for a high attack.

And then, at the last moment, she dropped to the floor, swinging a low kick for her legs. Immediately, Batgirl leapt off of the floor, her foe sliding across the polished tile beneath her. Twisting her body, she turned around in midair to land facing Shiva.

Only to discover Shiva hadn't slid that far. She had abruptly stopped her slide an instant after she passed underneath the younger girl, springing back with an arm raised, her elbow bent. Batgirl took the full force of the blow to her gut, the elbow ramming into her abdomen, knocking the air out of her lungs. Stunned, she was helpless as Shiva raised up her other hand, curling her fingers back, her palm prominent, the form of her infamous Leopard Blow. She lashed out with the attack, slamming her palm against Batgirl's chest, the force of the blow sending her flying backwards. Her feet weren't even touching the floor as she flew.

The moment her heels struck the tile, she found herself going into a tumble, going feet over head. She collapsed onto her stomach, sliding another foot or two.

A ragged breath escaped her lips. Damn, she was stunned and she couldn't afford to be, not against this opponent. Tilting her head up, she spotted Shiva overhead, one leg raised up, ready to be swung down right on top of her.

Though she wasn't ready, she didn't have a choice. Pushing off of the floor she laid on, Batgirl went into a roll, just in time to avoid the heel strike Shiva swung down. She struck the floor very hard as the tile she hit cracked and broke, a sharp breaking sound ringing out. As soon as she was able to, Batgirl scrambled onto her feet, taking as many short breaths as she could get.

Springing towards her, Shiva was a spinning flurry as she swung a kick towards her. Batgirl backed away, avoiding the kick as her foe landed back on the floor, lunging forward to throw a barrage of punches. The young girl kept backpedaling until she ran out of room, darting to one side as Shiva ended up slamming a fist into the wall.

There was a loud BANG, indicating just how hard Shiva had hit the wall. However, she didn't show any pain from the punch; it shouldn't have been a surprise she didn't. Many a time Batgirl had lured a street punk into that trap, allowing them to hit something they weren't ready for, and causing them to injure their hand. Though she had done the same to Shiva, she was not one to let hitting a wall instead of flesh affect her. Hell, the martial artist probably expected this and was ready to solely hit the wall. Anything was possible with this woman.

In fact, that same hand that struck the wall suddenly swung out, performing a backhand blow. Ducking it, Batgirl then darted away, running towards one of the furniture sets of couches and chairs. She threw her body over one of the couches, rolling over the top and then down the back of the couch. She bounced off of the cushion, ending up landing in a crouch position facing the couch.

On the other side, she saw Shiva rushing towards her, arms pumping at her sides. She then leapt into the air, one leg bent at the knee in front of her, her other leg extended and trailing behind her.

Batgirl surged forward, slapping her hand down onto the bottom part of the couch. With all of her strength, she pushed the couch towards her leaping foe, the legs shrieking as they scraped across the floor.

Because of this, the back of the couch collided with Shiva's bent leg, stopping it. Shiva's upper body kept moving forward however, even as her lower body stopped. She suddenly dropped downwards, a comic look on her face as her eyes went wide. She crashed face first onto the couch cushion, her legs suddenly flinging up into the air. She bounced off of the couch haphazardly, flipping by Batgirl until she landed on her back on top of the table.

Had…had that actually worked?

Not one to look a gift horse in the mouth, the younger girl shot to her side, heading right for one of the chairs. She timed her jump so that she could plant one foot towards the top of the comfy chair, hooking her bottom foot beneath the seat. The chair tipped over as Batgirl purposefully fell over. Extending her arms above her head, they slapped down on the floor, her legs lifting and balancing the chair above her.

Peering between her arms, Batgirl saw Shiva standing up again next to the table she had landed on. Coiling her body, the dark-clad vigilante then pushed down as hard as she could against the floor, kicking out with her legs. This caused her to toss the chair towards Shiva.

The older woman crouched down in response. Timing it perfectly, she shot her arms upwards, catching the chair, and then pushing it over her head. She sent the piece of furniture away from her, where it struck one of the windows. Unlike their previous collision, the window held, seemingly shuddering from the chair hitting it.

By then, Batgirl had ended up on her own feet. Even though she had her back to her foe, she leapt towards her, spinning around as she did so. As Shiva returned her attention back to her, Batgirl was swinging a kick, one that slammed the toe of her boot against the side of her face. Her head snapped to one side, spit flying out of her mouth.

Because of her momentum, Batgirl landed back on the floor once again with her back to her mother. She kept pivoting on her feet, continuing to spin. Raising up an arm, she ended up ramming her elbow into Shiva's gut, much like the older woman had done to her earlier. Raising up her other arm, she then drove her fist into the woman's chest.

Yes, it was Shiva's very own combo; but hey, when something was effective, why not use it?

Not wanting to give up her offensive, Batgirl pressed on, completing her spin and throwing punch after punch. The first one landed, followed by the second.

The third came to an immediate stop as Shiva's hand suddenly latched onto her wrist. "That's enough of that," the older woman said.

"I'm not finished," Batgirl responded snarky.

"You're about to be, wayward child of mine." Shiva's grip tightened on her wrist. "Are you ready?"


It was commonly said you shouldn't bring a knife to a gun fun.

Whoever said that never took into account Bane.

A man screamed as Bane's hand grabbed onto his shirt and hauled him up into the air. The giant then swung him down, kneeling as he did so as he slammed his victim down hard on the floor. The inmate's screaming stopped abruptly, his arms and legs jerking up before collapsing to the floor.

Releasing him, Bane stood back up, just in time as a convict leapt at him with a knife. Bane shot a hand out and latched onto the man's incoming hand, his massive hand swallowing up his attacker's. This stopped the knife from coming any closer. Bane scowled as he began squeezing, which caused his opponent to start hollering from the pain. There was the sound of bones breaking and an even higher-pitched wail from the man.

Those weren't the only bones that were being broken though.

As an inmate went at Bruce, knife in hand, the dark-haired man waited until the last moment, sliding to one side to avoid the knife thrust from his foe. Moving behind the man, Bruce then reached out and grabbed onto the inmate, one hand on his shoulder and the other on his forearm. He then raised a foot and kicked out with it, his foot hitting the back of the man's knee. This caused the knee to buckle, throwing the man off-balance. Bruce then pulled on him, forcing him to fall backwards. Kneeling down, Bruce made certain to have the convict's arm end up laying across his bent leg while the man landed on the floor. With a sharp jerk, Bruce hyperextended the arm across his thigh until the bone snapped.

The convict screamed as he dropped his knife, his other hand reaching out to grab at his injured arm, one with a jagged end of bone tearing out of his flesh. Bruce shoved the broken arm away and stood up. No way was this guy going to be—

There was a yell from behind. Spinning around, Bruce saw another inmate rushing towards him, holding a metal pipe above his head. Bruce coolly waited until the last moment before he lunged forward. As the metal pipe swung down, the billionaire shot a hand up and grabbed onto the man's wrist, stopping the pipe's swing. Another hand grabbed onto the inmate's shirt. Twisting his body around, Bruce pulled down on the arm and pulled up on the shirt. He hauled the man up into the air before driving him face first into the floor.

That was when a convict went flying through the air, screaming until he crashed into one of the tables. The thin metal legs gave out immediately, causing the table to collapse. Turning his head, he saw Bane grabbing onto two more convicts, one with each hand, and lifting them both into the air. He slammed them against each other before swinging his arms out, tossing each man to either side.

All around them, Calabrese's men were either lying on the floor, or hesitating as they saw their friends getting manhandled by just two men—unarmed ones at that. It was beginning to dawn on them that they were severely outclassed.

That went without saying, but even amongst the confusion of the fighting, Bruce kept to using simple grappling and judo moves. Such moves were common in self-defense classes. Were he to throw a punch, he feared he'd begin to fall into old fighting habits, ones that Bane might recognize.

Though one could ask how breaking another man's arm could fall into a lesson in self-defense.

Spotting the Lion, Bruce could see the man's face had darkened. He clearly wasn't happy with how the fighting was going. If there was any way to end this, it was to get him to call it quits. So Bruce began walking towards him, the very action that apparently began this sorry affair.

One of the Lion's men noticed his approach and decided the Wayne patriarch made for a much better target than Bane. There was some logic to this, but it was very flawed logic. As the inmate began running towards him, Bruce eyed a metal pipe lying on the floor, no doubt discarded from one of the fallen made men here.

Leaning down to snatch it up without breaking stride, Bruce held the pipe low as his new attacker closed the distance between them. Timing himself, Bruce began to lean low before he swung the pipe up. The pipe went right between the inmate's legs and nailed him right in the groin.

Eyes bulged wide as the convict stopped in his tracks. Both hands shot to his throbbing manhood while Bruce pulled the pipe back and then swung it like a bat across his body, nailing his opponent across the face. Immediately, the man collapsed to the floor.

Ignoring him, the dark-haired man closed the remaining distance between him and the Lion. "Call it off," he called out, earning him the blond man's attention. "Or you won't have any of your gangsters to protect you."

Calabrese stared at him before he stood up. In a flash he held up a very familiar weapon, one that stopped Bruce in his tracks.

A revolver was pointed right at the billionaire; how the hell did—no, that was a stupid question. The Lion had proven he had a large chunk of Blackgate's staff in his pocket; it wouldn't be that difficult to have a gun smuggled in, even for this exact moment.

In an instant, Bruce dove to one side, just as the gun fired. He hit the floor, going into a roll until he ended up back on his feet, albeit crouched. He sprung off the floor, diving towards one of the remaining tables that was still standing, sliding underneath it as another gunshot rang out.

Then came another gunshot and then another. These punctured through the thin wood of the table. Bruce scrambled across the floor, each new bullet hole seemingly appearing instantly, but thankfully never where a bullet could strike him.

And then there was just silence. Bruce stared at the bullet holes in the table, counting three. Add to that the two initial shots before he got under the table and that was five. A revolver normally held six—

Bullet casing hitting the floor rang out. "I suppose if you want something done right, you have to do it yourself," he heard the Lion say. Peering out from beneath the table, Bruce saw the man shoving new bullets into the gun.

Damn it.

With a flick of his wrist, the cylinder snapped back into place. "Come out, Wayne," Calabrese called out. "Die like a man on his feet and not a coward."

"Says the man with a gun," Bruce shot back.

A gunshot sounded off and a new bullet hole appeared in the table above him, this time to the right of his head. "I don't care; one way or another, you're not leaving this room alive."

"I beg to differ."

There was a gagging sound and then the sound of the revolver hitting the floor. Peering out from beneath the table again, Bruce saw Bane standing behind the Lion, hand latched onto the blond man's arm, the one that formly held the gun. His other arm was wrapped around the man's neck, placing him in a headlock.

Bruce chose that moment to slide out from his cover. "It would seem our places have changed again," he remarked. "Here's your chance to put a stop to all of this."

The Lion glared at him. "You think you've won? Fine, then you win. Enjoy it for as long as you like, but this is only one battle. There will be others."

"You've tried twice to kill me and they've both failed," Bruce pointed out. "It's better if you cut your losses off before the rest of the prison realizes they don't have to be afraid of you any longer. Already you're going to have many of your friends in the infirmary."

"They will heal," the Lion countered. "This doesn't end until one of us is dead on the floor, Wayne."

"That can be arranged," Bane said.

Before Bruce could even say a word, Bane let go of the Lion's arm, only so that he could move his newly-freed hand to the side of the man's head. With a sharp jerk, he snapped the man's neck, the sound of vertebrae breaking filling the room.

Instantly, the Lion's eyes rolled into the back of his head. His body went limp against Bane, the large man eventually letting him go, dropping him to the floor. Bruce stared in horror. "What the hell do you think you're doing?!" he demanded.

"What you're paying me to do: protect you," Bane replied simply. "He said we would have to kill him to make him stop; so I stopped him permanently."

A cold sensation filled Bruce's body. Somehow, he was responsible for this. If he hadn't agreed to Bane's offer, or just minded his own business in the courtyard, Calabrese would still be alive. The riot wouldn't be happening now; Calabrese would not have wanted him dead for the simple fact that he bothered him.

His choices had led to this.

Bane was suddenly at his side, a large hand patting his shoulder. "You have won this day, Mr. Wayne. Word will travel and the other convicts will leave you alone now. Your stay in Blackgate will be much more enjoyable."

"You didn't have to kill him," Bruce protested.

"Perhaps not, but if one wants to get to be king, they have to remove the previous one."

That gave Bruce pause. He turned his head as he saw Bane walking towards the door, clearly meaning to leave. Something about what he had said, it sounded as if he…

As if he were planning on removing Calabrese all along.


Shiva closed in Batgirl, one arm crossed over her body. With her fingers pressed together, thumb curled into her palm, she swung her arm across her, attempting a sideway chop. Batgirl ducked the attack, springing backwards as she went into a flip. Her feet swung upwards, an attempt to kick her foe as she went feet over head.

Shiva instantly leaned backwards, the attack passing by harmlessly. Springing off of the floor with her hands, the dark-clad girl landed on her feet, keeping her hands up, ready for the next attack.

No longer were they in the sitting area, having taken their battle down a hallway. They were in a wide corridor, closed doors at even intervals. The whole time Batgirl had been backing down this particular hallway.

There…there was something wrong about this. She could read it in Shiva's body language. Batgirl had fought this woman when she had every intent on killing her; she knew when she was trying. Right now, Shiva seemed to be going through the motions, lackadaisical even. It was almost as if she weren't trying this entire fight, though her not-trying was still lethal.

Shiva raised both of her arms up, one hand a fist, the other ready to perform another chop. The older woman seemed amused, a look that hadn't left her face for some time.

Was…was this all just some kind of game?

Not liking that thought, Batgirl yanked a batarang from her belt and threw it. The bat-shaped shuriken closed in on the assassin, who watched it for a moment before she took a single step. One arm was a blur and suddenly she was holding the batarang in her hand. Shiva held it up to her face, staring at it.

"Fine craftsmanship," she remarked. "The Detective has an eye for quality." Her eyes darted up to the young vigilante. "I'm so glad to see he supplies you well."

"I'm sure he'll appreciate your approval," she shot back sarcastically.

"Careful with your tone, Daughter. Even I have my limits."

"Stop calling me that."

"Calling you what?" That bemused look was infuriating now. "Daughter? But it is the truth. You are my flesh-and-blood."

"I may have come from your flesh, but he's been more of a parent without such an attachment. That doesn't speak well of you."

The amusement disappeared from Shiva's face. "Tell me something, ungrateful daughter: what is he to you? Why do you strive to serve him so?"

Batgirl narrowed her eyes. There was something else at play here, she could feel it. She didn't need her father's voice in her head to tell her that. "I don't serve him. I care for him just as he has cared for me. He didn't have to—we were strangers once. But he took me in and gave my life purpose."

"His little one-man war against corruption and crime," Shiva said mockingly.

"That war has inspired others to join his cause," she retorted. "And he doesn't do it for titles and recognition, not like you and your Destroyer of Worlds. You may not like that I want to help him, but I am indebted to him and always will be."

"So this is a debt to be repaid? A life-long commitment for shelter?"

Batgirl just shook her head. "It is something you will never understand. You can rationalize it whatever way you want, but it is simply beyond your comprehension."

"Then explain it to me. Explain it to me until I understand."

Slowly, the dark-clad vigilante stood up to her full height. She remained on her guard regardless. "You only understand benefits and costs. You understand how someone or something will help you or harm you. Everything he does goes against that. He didn't stand to benefit from helping me, yet he did so. You would have killed me the first time we met had you not realized who I was; he saved my life twice the first time we met. He sees more in me than you ever will. You only see a weapon, a tool to prolong your greatness."

"And you are not a tool in his crusade?" Shiva countered. "Do not fool yourself, child, of course you are. He learned from me after all, so he knows how to use others. All he has done is manipulated you into thinking that is what you wanted."

"Then he is better at it than you are."

"We can agree on that," the older woman replied. "In that regard, he is my superior. I had not realized how deep his influence was on you until now."

"Bullshit," Batgirl seethed. "You've watched me for how long now? Of course, you know. Maybe you wanted to lie to yourself, but deep inside you knew from the moment you first saw me."

Shiva actually glanced away from her. With any other fighter, that would have been a perfect opportunity to attack, but Batgirl knew better. There was no such thing as off-guard with Shiva. "Then I don't suppose you realize just how precarious your position is," she finally said.

"Precarious how?"

"The boy, Damian. He is his flesh-and-blood after all. That is something you will always lack."

She wanted to attack her with this angle? Good luck. "His attention to me has not diminished in the slightest," she retorted.

"Is that so? Then why do you have your own little team now? He never gave you one until after the arrival of the boy."

Was she implying that her father's support of the Batclan was his way to move her out of the way? Batgirl bristled at the implication. "He could have done it the instant Damian arrived in Gotham; in fact, I had to convince him to let me do it."

Shiva made to respond, but before she could, she was interrupted. A short distance behind Batgirl, footsteps were made, causing Shiva to glance towards it over the younger girl's shoulder. Batgirl actually turned her head, just in time to see Manhunter appear out of an intersecting hallway. She immediately spotted the two. "I got them!" she called out as she held up her bo staff.

That was effectively the end of their conversation. Batgirl returned her attention to Shiva, just in time to see her mannerisms had changed. No longer was she relaxed and calm; her body screamed she was ready for a fight. In fact, she jerked her arm to one side, sending the batarang she had been holding right towards their interloper.

Batgirl had seen the batarangs used for years now. She knew what they could do, how their shape affected their trajectories, and the best way to use that to your advantage. The batarang Shiva threw, while spinning, went in a perfect line. There was no arc, no curvature to its flight path. It shot right over her shoulder, missing the girl.

She realized then who the real target was. Her head turned back towards Manhunter, who was twisting her way out of the way of the batarang. The projectile struck the corner where the two hallways intersected and became stuck, Manhunter stumbling a step to her side as she tried to regain her footing.

There was a rush of movement. In an instant, Shiva blew right by Batgirl before she could even respond. The assassin was right in front of Manhunter in the next instant, the vigilante responding as fast as she could. She lashed out with her bo staff, swinging it at her opponent's head.

Only for Shiva to catch one end of the staff with a hand. Suddenly, she pulled the staff to one side even as she spun towards Manhunter. Her other hand came up and grabbed onto the staff closer to its middle. She pushed upwards with this hand while pulling down with her hand at the staff's end, allowing her to leverage the weapon right out of Manhunter's grip. The dark-haired woman continued her spin until she came to a stop facing the red-and-white-dressed vigilante, pointing one end of the bo staff at her.

Manhunter just blinked her eyes owlishly, seemingly stunned. Shiva then launched into a flurry of movement. She jabbed at the brunette's head with the end of the staff, which prompted her to jerk her head to one side. The jab was a feint however, as Shiva dropped low, arching the staff out to her side before swinging it from one side of her body to the other. She knocked Manhunter's legs out from beneath her, sending her falling to the floor on her back.

Suddenly, Katana came flying out of the intersecting hallway. One hand held the sheath to her sword, the other on its hilt. She seemed to be performing a flying kick, one that caused Shiva to back off from continuing her attack on Manhunter—seemed being the keyword here. Katana's extended leg collided with the wall across from the intersecting hallway's opening, bending at the knee so that she could ricochet off of it. There was a flash of steel as Katana drew her sword, immediately going for a slash at Shiva's head.

In response, Shiva yanked her stolen staff up, blocking the attack. However, she used Katana's airborne momentum against her. The moment their weapons clashed, the assassin spun to one side, moving alongside the red-and-yellow-clad woman. The entire time she maneuvered the staff so that she was able to swing it, striking Katana against her back.

Katana let out a short, pained cry, as she lost control of her flight. Falling to the floor, she went into a roll, ending back up on her feet, pivoting around to face her—

And Shiva was right on top of her. Discarding the staff, Shiva's hands were on the move. Instinctively, Katana went to swing her sword, only for her foe to use one hand to block the swing, her palm catching the other's forearm. Shiva's other hand quickly followed this by performing a palm strike that hit the bottom of the sword hilt, dislodging the blade out of Katana's grip. The sword went straight into the wall next to them, sliding into the sheetrock at an angle.

Bending her elbow of her second palm striking arm, Shiva then jerked that arm towards Katana, ramming her elbow right into the woman's face. The block knocked the Asian woman back a step, her face twisted from the pain she felt. Then Shiva's other arm landed a second blow, another palm strike that hit Katana right in the chest. The force of the attack sent the woman flying backwards, heading down the corridor towards Batgirl.

With this same arm, Shiva then reached out towards the sword in the wall, grabbing onto the hilt. She pulled the sword cleanly out, then leapt through the air, lunging at Katana as she slashed her own weapon at her.

It was at this instant that Batgirl realized her eyes hadn't been playing tricks on her. Ever since their fight began, she felt that Lady Shiva had been toying with her. With the arrival of Manhunter and Katana, the assassin had changed tactics in an instant, brutally taking the two women down, and now was going for the kill on the latter.

Not if she could help it.

Batgirl sprang into action. As gravity pushed Katana to land on the floor, the younger girl leapt over the red-and-yellow-dressed vigilante, throwing an arm up in time to block Shiva's sword strike with her triangle blades. The clashing sound of metal-on-metal rang out.

And then the two women crashed into each other, their bodies colliding with each other due to their separate momentums. They bounced off of each other, landing perhaps a step's distance from their counterpart. Batgirl was surprised to realize Katana's sword was somehow trapped between the triangle blades of her gauntlet, but she wasn't going to second guess it. That stopped the sword from being used in that instant.

However, Batgirl needed to keep the assassin's attention on her. No doubt she was fully intent on dispatching both members of the Birds of Prey. She could only think of one thing that would effectively do this. Raising up her other hand, she prepared the Talon Strike, thrusting it forward.

Only for Shiva's free hand to latch onto her wrist, immediately twisting it and making Batgirl hiss from the pain that was radiating from it, her head leaning back in response. "That trick won't work on me again," Shiva said reprovingly.

Yeah, that was pretty obvious. But how about this? Batgirl threw her head forward, her forehead slamming right into Shiva's face. There was a cry of pain and Shiva backed away, releasing her hold on the younger girl and Katana's sword, the latter falling to the floor, clattering against the tile.

Instinctively, Batgirl backed up a step as well, mindful not to step on Katana, who was slowly pushing herself back up. It seemed her headbutt had been pretty effective, Shiva covering her mouth and nose with one hand. Blood was leaking between her fingers, indicating her nose must have been broken.

"I am done," Shiva said darkly, glaring at Batgirl. "You wish to fight alongside riff-raff, then fine. But know I will treat you just the same."

"No, you won't," Batgirl retorted.

"Do not contradict me, girl."

Tension was rising. Batgirl could read it in Shiva's body language. She really was finished with whatever game she had been playing. So naturally, that was when more complications arrived.

From the same corridor Manhunter and Katana had arrived, Black Canary and Huntress appeared. Canary immediately knelt down next to Manhunter while Huntress was yanking out her crossbow. From the direction of the sitting room, Bluebird, Spoiler, and Damian appeared, slowing down their run as they spotted the scene. "Found them!" Bluebird announced, taser rifle in hand.

"All of you, stop!" Batgirl shouted, not once tearing her eyes away from Lady Shiva. "Do not make a move on Lady Shiva."

"Yes, tell them to stand their ground," Shiva replied mockingly. "You wouldn't want me to kill them now, do you?"

"Let hell you will," Huntress growled.

Shiva glanced over her shoulder, a dangerous glint in her eye. In an instant, Batgirl had a batarang in hand, holding it up to draw the assassin's attention back to her. "I am dealing with this. Stay out of it."

"You'll deal with me? Be careful with your words, girl. If you wish to be like your mentor, you're going to find it will be far more difficult than you imagined." Shiva raised her arms out to either side of her, a gesture to indicate everything around them. "You want to be a protector? Then you are going to have to protect each and every one of these followers of the Detective's. Are you up to the challenge?"

"You would willingly attack them when they are mere spectators?" Batgirl questioned.

"To win, why not? A fight is not some regulated match, but a battle for domination. There are no rules."

"Because you are better than that," she deadpanned. "If you fought the way you are saying, you wouldn't be the feared and respected assassin that you are. You would be killing everyone that came into your sight."

Shiva was silent, but it wasn't as if she were in thought, or second-guessing herself. She seemed to be waiting patiently, wanting her to continue.

So she reversed their roles. "Tell me, what is your real reason for all of this?" Batgirl asked. "What is this whole thing about?"

"I thought I told you already, that I wanted to test your resolve."

"You said that, but now you fight me half-heartedly. That isn't you. You don't hold back against anyone; yet, here you are doing just that. So this test of yours falls flat to me."

Batgirl took a step closer. "Do you want to know what I really think? Why you really killed that reporter?"

Shiva merely nodded. The younger girl continued, "You wanted to see if there was still a chance I would choose you. That I would see things your way. You're still holding out hope that I will become your successor, just like in the Thuggee Temple.

"And above all of that, you want to be my mother."

Behind the assassin, Batgirl could see Huntress, Black Canary, and Manhunter sharing looks with each other. She ignored them. "You had plenty of time to try and do that though. Like you've said many times, you've watched me and will continue to watch me. This whole thing may be some sick test of yours, but there is one thing you cannot deny, despite your disapproval: I am becoming stronger. I am growing stronger with every night I wear this symbol and fight the crime that infests this city."

"And I suppose you're giving credit to him for that," Shiva blandly said. At the very least, she wasn't exposing her father's identity, so that was a good thing.

"He deserves some, if not most." She sighed. "I know you think killing is the only way to succeed in his so-called war, but not everyone deserves to die. You kill people for a living, so it's the only way you know. You don't know there are other options."

"And if I do things the way the Detective does, I will know others?" Shiva shook her head. "That is incredibly naive."

"When was the last time you spared a life?" Batgirl countered. "I'm willing to bet it has been so long that you cannot even remember. That…that is sad to me."

"I don't want your pity, girl."

"Then what do you want? Me? Well, you cannot have me. No matter how this ends, I will never be your family. I found one that wants me, and I will do everything I can to keep it. If there is one lesson I have learned from you, it's not to toss aside the ones that care for you.

She took one final step, effectively closing the distance between her and Shiva. "Now it's your turn. We can either keep up this fight, or you can finally do right by me and fix what you broke. Here is your chance to be the mother you want to be for me. So, what will it be?"

Batgirl knew what the choice would be. She knew Shiva too well. She hoped it would be otherwise, but having been kidnapped and forced to interact with her, she understood the Destroyer of Worlds all too well. She was an honorable warrior who had suffered much, giving up on everything that made her human. She only existed for battle, blood, and death.

Lady Shiva stared at her. And then she opened her mouth.