City On The Edge

“I hate working in cities, man.” A man dressed in military battle fatigues leaned his rifle against a brick wall and sat down, leaning his back against the wall. “Especially Metropolis. It just creeps me out.”

Another similarly dressed man stood above him, laughing and shaking his head slowly. “Hey, don’t fall asleep Hicks, or the Raptors will get you.”

“Shut up, Hudson.”

Hudson paced around a bit more as Hicks began opening their rations for their ‘dinner on the run’. They had both been working without food or sleep for almost a full day now, as they kept moving to avoid what Hicks referred to as the ‘Raptors’. Small, carnivorous dinosaur-like creatures, who hunted in the shadows, preying on those who were not quick enough to get away.

A loud beep interrupted Hicks, causing him to drop the rations and nervously juggle his radio before dropping it as well. “Hicks here.”

“Geez, you’re as nervous as a cat on a dog’s back.”

“Funny, Hudson.” Hicks held the radio closer to his ear, covering his other ear to keep out any extra background noise. The message over the radio was fuzzy, and he was trying his best to listen in.

Hudson’s smile began changing to a frown as he watched Hicks turn pale suddenly. Something in Hicks’ eyes prompted him to go ‘on alert’, as he gripped his assault rifle tightly in his hands. “What is it Hicks? What’s up?”

Hicks leapt to his feet, his weapon now firmly in his hands. “Raptors are coming toward us. They just wiped out the fourth group.”

“Damn.” Hudson looked down at the ground, to the wrappers from the rations that Hicks hurriedly crammed back into his backpack before he stood up. “It’s the food, Hicks. They can smell the damned food!”

“Oh, hell.” Hicks tore the backpack from his shoulders quickly, tossing it into a nearby alley. As soon as the backpack hit the ground, something – some creature, as tall as a human being – snatched the pack in it’s jaws and vanished. “What the hell was that, Hudson?”

“Oh, man.” Hudson began backing away from the scene slowly. “We never signed up for this, Hicks. This is–”

Hicks didn’t even bother waiting for Hudson to finish. He snatched Hudson’s shoulder quickly and shoved him, hard. “Shut up and run!”

Sharon Holmes hated having to return to that bunker in Europe again after nearly being caught in its explosion and collapse. But she was on a search for evidence. Something deep down told her that the Ancient Book of Rai wasn’t the only thing Lex Luthor was looking for – when she confronted him, he behaved almost as if he had found the book by accident. No, he was definitely there for something else.

She quickly pulled a small shovel out of her backpack, tossed the pack aside, and started using the shovel to move debris from the explosion. She was working without a permit again, so she occasionally checked around to make sure no one was watching. Technically anything used by the Third Reich would be property of the German government – but Sharon knew that anything found in that bunker would be too dangerous in their hands.

Almost as soon as she began digging, Sharon found a small container, a small box which resembled a music box. It was made of pure gold. She thought it was odd that Luthor would steal a book and discard the box – unless the box contained something much more valuable. She opened the box slowly – and inside, noticed a symbol of some sort carved into the bottom half of the box. It seemed like it used to hold something…but what?

“It’s a soul catcher.”

Sharon dropped the box and turned abruptly, with both pistols drawn, but began to relax as she saw a young woman about her height in a black and white costume smiling at her. Sharon shook her head. “Can’t walk ten feet these days without running into one of you super-types. Which one are you? Mystic Girl?”

The woman laughed. “No, I’m just Lara Night. I made up a few nicknames, but no one wants to use them anyway. So I’m just Lara.”

“Lara?” Sharon smiled and folded her arms. “For some reason, that name is very familiar to me.”

“Probably because you heard Kara or Linda talking about me.”

Sharon nodded. “Yes, that must be it. What did you mean by ‘soul catcher’?”

“It works with the Ancient Book of Rai.” Lara reached down to pick up the golden box. “You wear it around your neck, it prevents your soul from being taken when you use the spells in the book.”

“How do you know all of this?” Sharon folded her arms and gave Lara a disbelieving look.

“I’m from another Earth. Much like this one, but with no known living super-heroes.” Lara handed Sharon the golden box and smiled. “All of these items are part of legend on my Earth.”

Sharon shrugged. “Can’t be any worse then the alternate Earth I’ve been to. You’ve been there too, haven’t you?”

“Very perceptive.” Lara nodded. “Aren’t you going to ask me why I’m here?”

“To be honest, if you’re not here to help I don’t really care.” Sharon smiled a little, to take the edge off of her brutally honest answer. “But I’ll humor you. Tell me.”

“As a matter of fact, I am here to help.” Lara folded her arms and began walking a circle around Sharon, slowly. “I need to know if Lex Luthor made any copies of the Ancient Book of Rai.”

“Copies?” Sharon laughed and shook her head. “I don’t know. I guess I forgot to check for a copy machine while running for my life.”

“This isn’t funny, Sharon. I feel that he has at least one copy.”

“You…feel that he does?” Sharon laughed again. “What are you, some kind of telepath?”

Lara smiled and nodded. “Something like that.”

“We’ll just have to fetch it then, won’t we?” Sharon shrugged and picked up her backpack, cramming the small shovel into it quickly. “Can you get us there?”

Lara smiled. “In a flash.”

“Great.” Sharon rolled her eyes and stood next to Lara. “One more thing. As long as we’re working together, you follow me. Understand? I won’t be killed over super-heroics. So get rid of the costume.”

“No problem.” Lara nodded, and in a flash of light, she and Sharon were gone – on their way to Otherverse.

“…a bright flash of light from the next block, Colonel. It has to be Meta activity. Over.” A long pause of silence from his radio made Hicks a little more nervous then he already was. It meant that his supervisor had no idea what to do, and had to ask someone above him.

“Find a haven and seal yourselves off, Hicks. Reinforcements from group four are en route. Over.”

“Group four?” Hicks let go of the talk button and sighed loudly. “Group four’s gone, sir. The Raptors got to them during dinner. Over.”

“Affirmative. Group six is being dispatched. E.T.A. one hour. Over.”

“An hour?” Hicks groaned. “Affirmative, Colonel. Over and out.”

“We’re dead, aren’t we?”

Hicks nodded slowly and turned to face Hudson. “Maybe. But I’m not goin’ down easy. I’ll give the damned Raptors heartburn, if I have to.”

Hudson nudged Hicks. “Get some sleep, Hicks. I’ll take first watch.”

“Affirmative, boss.” Hicks slumped down against a wall, tilting his helmet forward to cover his eyes.

Down the street, two figures watched. Two women, one with two pistols drawn, another walking behind her slowly, heading toward the two soldiers. Having little exposure to any kind of military operations on Otherverse Earth, they didn’t know whether to identify the soldiers as friend or foe. All they knew was that they saw a lot of dead bodies as they walked along the streets. They had to assume that the soldiers were hostile for now.

“I can knock them out cold from here.”

“Absolutely not!” Sharon spoke to Lara just above a whisper. “If you zap anything here, you’ll be identified as a Meta. They’ll all be looking for you.”

“How would they know?”

Sharon silently pointed to a camera sitting atop a nearby building. She did enough research to know that Lex Luthor had the whole city under surveillance. Though why he did nothing about the troops destroying the city was a mystery.

“Oh. Sorry.”

“Don’t you ever have to use your mind, Lara?” Sharon turned around to face Lara for a moment as she spoke. “To plan, rather then just zap your way through everything?”

Lara shrugged. “I could, I guess. I just haven’t had the opportunity.”

“There’s no time like the present.”

“What do you make of it, Commander Gorman?”

An older man in a high-ranked military uniform, sitting in a darkened cafe, leaned forward toward a small monitor on a wooden table in front of him at the request of his female assistant. After the invasion of Metropolis, the cafe had been taken over and converted to a headquarters of sorts. Electronics filled the place, wires running everywhere. It had been chosen because it was easy to protect and it was one of the few remaining places with electrical power after city had been secured.

“Hmm.” He rubbed his chin for a few seconds as he stared at the screen. The assistant was playing a tape for him, one of two young women slinking through the dark streets of Metropolis. One of the women was fairly typical for the city’s current condition – she carried two pistols and a knife. But the other…she was completely unarmed. “Survey information, Lisa?”

His assistant punched up a small laptop computer next to the screen. Lex Luthor’s old cameras were also equipped with sensors – and every digital video broadcast they intercepted was laced with extra digital information. Biological sensors, heat sensors, and the like. She shook her head as she read the information. “According to the sensors, they’re both just human. Neither are Metas.”

“But those eyes–” Gorman tapped the screen, moving the zoom control with his other hand to get a closer look. He leaned forward to look at one woman’s eyes – her irises seemed glass-like, almost transparent. “–They seem so…alien. There has to be something more to her. Something…special.”

Lisa stood up. “Should I have someone pick her up?”

Gorman picked up a book of printed sheets from the table, leafing through it quickly. He then tossed aside the sheets angrily. “Oh, hell. Hicks and Hudson are closest.”

“So?”

“So–” He stood up and sighed. “Those two are a little green for a job like this. I don’t know if they can handle bringing the strange woman in, especially since the one with the guns seems to be with her.”

“If they’re in Metropolis…in the middle of a war zone…there’s a reason.” Gorman paced around in a circle, rubbing his chin, and then leaned over the screen again. “They’re either very smart, or very dumb. Only time will tell which.”

“Should I dispatch a team?”

He nodded. “But tell them to hold back. Keep the two under surveillance, and wait for further orders. If both of those women behave themselves, they won’t be a threat.”

“Yes, sir.” Lisa paused as she snatched the radio’s microphone. “What if the one with the strange eyes…is a Meta?”

“I don’t think she is.” He shook his head slowly as he spoke. “I think she’s something much more dangerous. I think as long as we leave her alone, she won’t be destructive.”

“More dangerous? What makes you say that?”

“The most deadly of enemies are those who are most silent…until you give them reason to strike.” Gorman took a few steps toward the door to the back room, intent on getting a few hours rest for the first time in over twenty hours. Before he left, he turned to face his assistant again. “Then they leave you no question of their power.”

“Time to wake up.”

Hudson instinctively reached for his rifle before even opening his eyes, as he heard a soft female voice with a British accent – only to find his rifle missing. He looked up at the source of the voice to see a woman with brown hair standing over him, holding one pistol to his head.

“The name’s Sharon. Wake up your friend, too. This is important.” The woman removed another pistol from her belt and pointed it toward Hicks with her other hand.

“Hicks! Hicks, we have a little…problem.” Hudson gently nudged Hicks with one hand. Hicks opened his eyes slowly, reaching quickly for his rifle just as Hudson did. But his was missing as well – and so was his radio.

“What do you want from us, lady?” Hudson stared steadily at her in spite of the pistol trained on his temple. “And I hope you know that I can disarm you in an instant.”

“I wouldn’t bet on that.” Sharon smiled and put both pistols back on her belt as she read the name tags on the two soldiers’ uniforms. “You two are severely undertrained.”

“And you’re treading on thin ice, lady.” Hudson stood up slowly, directly in front of Sharon. She folded her arms in response, but didn’t budge. “You’re lucky we don’t chain you up and drag you to HQ. You can join the rest of the POW’s.”

“Feel free to try.” Sharon tapped one of her pistols with a single finger. “You’ll likely end up dead. I’d much rather you cooperated – all I want is information.”

“What kind of information?” Hicks shrugged – Hudson stared at him as if he’s spoken out of turn.

“I need to find Lex Luthor’s office. He has something I need to recover.”

“Yeah, well good luck.” Hicks laughed. “LexCorp is nothing but a ghost town now. I was there myself. Whole place is cleaned out…except for the troops.”

“To a moron, perhaps, it would seem that way.” Sharon looked directly at Hudson as she spoke. “I’d like to check myself, if you don’t mind.”

“Who’re you calling a…?”

Hicks watched as Sharon quickly removed one pistol from her belt, hitting Hudson on the side of the head. Hudson was out cold. She turned to Hicks, and smiled. “Would you like to be more cooperative?”

Hicks nodded slowly. “Uh…Two streets down to the left. It’s the tallest building in town, you can’t miss it.”

“Thank you.” Sharon began walking away slowly. As she did, Hicks rose to his feet quickly.

“Wait!” Hicks ran after Sharon, noticing that she placed her hand on her pistol again just as he approached. “Where is my rifle? My radio–”

Hicks froze as he watched a blonde woman a little taller then Sharon step out of a nearby dark alley, wearing both Hicks’ and Hudson’s rifles, and holding the radio. She handed all three of them to Hicks, as he stared at her strangely.

“What’s with your eyes?” He turned to Sharon as he kept pointing at the other woman. “Is she blind or something?”

“No.” The blonde woman smiled as she spoke. Her voice was calm and patient. “I’m not deaf, either.”

Sharon laughed as she walked away with the blonde woman following her. They disappeared down the dark streets, as Hicks stared. He wasn’t sure whether to be angry or frightened by the experience. Either way, he had a story to tell.

“Mom, can we talk for a moment?”

Kara turned quickly to see her daughter Karen standing alone in the doorway of the master bedroom as Kara was hanging up some of her clothing. Karen and Carrie lived in the Fortress now, as suggested by both Professor Xavier and Reed Richards, to help improve their level of maturity as well as their social skills. She just hoped that it wouldn’t do more harm then good, given that her home was on an Earth which closely resembled hell.

“Sure, Karen.” Kara sat down on one of the lounge chairs in the room, while Karen sat on the arm of the chair directly across from her. Kara thought it was a little strange that Karen approached her alone, without Carrie. Most of the time the twins were together.

“I didn’t want to involve Carrie in this. I’m a little afraid you might feel insulted–”

Kara smiled softly. “Nothing you say can change my opinion of either of you. You can tell me anything, Karen. Anything at all.”

Karen closed her eyes and sighed, trying to gather her courage before she spoke. “You don’t…like Lara much, do you?”

“Like her?” Kara laughed. “She hasn’t shown me anything to like, Karen.”

“I was just a little worried that you might be jealous of her.” Karen took another deep breath as she watched Kara’s smile disappear. “I just want you to know…Carrie and I don’t like her better then you. She’s just cool to hang around with. She’s like…a friend, you know? But you’re our mom. There’s no replacement for you.”

“Oh, Karen.” Kara laughed a little. “I didn’t think any such thing. I just worry about what kind of influence she has on you two. She keeps too many secrets.”

“Everyone has secrets, mom. Why should she be any different?”

“Because I fear that–” Kara sighed and looked at the opposite wall for a second, purposely avoiding Karen’s gaze. “She seems to know things, Karen. I worry that she keeps silent because she knows things…about us. Things she’s afraid to tell us.”

“How about asking her, mom?” Karen smiled as she spoke, taking the edge off of her slight rude question. “Maybe she’s just shy. I’ll bet she’s more nervous about talking to you then you are about her.”

“Nervous? What reason would she have to be nervous?”

“Oh, I dunno.” Karen laughed. “Maybe it’s because you’re like…a popular super-hero, and she’s really insecure.”

Kara blinked hard as memories began rushing back to her of Kal-El. All of the times she fought to try and live up to his reputation, to be more like him. And yet, she never seemed to feel like she was even close. Her sharp memory rushed back to the last time she saw Lara – how Lara avoided her gaze, spoke unsteadily to her, and most of the time obeyed her without question. Lara had even killed to protect Kara’s children, just because she feared disappointing her. She remembered hitting Lara once to calm her down…and how Lara, rather then fight back, simply collapsed to the floor and sobbed, as if her whole world had been shattered.

Karen stared at Kara as their eyes met again, noticing the sorrow in Kara’s eyes. It was a look of realization, as if Kara began to feel regret now that she had assembled the pieces of a puzzle who’s solution was right in front of her all along. “Mom?”

“Oh, Rao…I’ve been so unfair to her.” Kara looked away from Karen’s gaze all of a sudden. “You’re right, Karen. I didn’t give her a chance. I was trying to protect you and Carrie from her…and I hurt someone who didn’t deserve–”

“Mom, stop!” Karen stood up and walked over to Kara, hugging her from one side quickly. “You were just behaving like our mom, that’s all – protecting us from a stranger. You did nothing wrong. You just need to give her another chance.”

“I’ll do that, for you and Carrie.” Kara nodded slowly. “If you can trust her, I guess I can too. But she has to promise not to keep so many secrets.”

Karen laughed a little as she stood up to leave the room. “If it means so much to you, mom, I’ll talk to her.”

Kara couldn’t help but smile as she watched Karen leave the room. Her daughter, the peacemaker.

“LaForge to base.”

“Go ahead, LaForge.”

Sharon and Lara were completely oblivious to a radio conversation going on inside LexCorp tower as the walked through the front doors quietly. Lara glanced around the room, feeling a little nervous. She knew they were being watched.

“The two suspects are entering LexCorp now. Please Advise. Over.”

As Lara began to turn toward the stairs, Sharon heard a faint sound emanating through the stairway’s steel door. Unlike Lara, she had been trained to react to any sound, no matter how benign, by taking an alternate route. Sharon turned to Lara and waved her toward the elevators.

“Standby, LaForge. Keep the stairs locked down. Close in when they use the elevators. Over.”

“Affirmative. Over and out. Group six, be alert.”

Sharon placed her left hand on her pistol as the doors to the elevator slid closed almost silently. Lara punched the button which would send them directly to the top floor of the building, to the deserted office of Lex Luthor. Sharon began tapping her pistol nervously as the elevator began to approach it’s stop. Instinct told her that something was wrong. Very wrong.

She nudged Lara lightly, with one hand as she used her other hand to grab the small camera in the elevator, tearing it out of the ceiling quickly. She knew it wouldn’t disable the camera or it’s audio capabilities – but tearing it off of the ceiling would at least make it less useful. Sharon then pointed at the ceiling, indicating to Lara that she meant for them to climb on the roof of the elevator car.

“Surveillance has been taken out, group six.”

Lara climbed through the ceiling grating first, and then helped pull Sharon up quickly. Sharon closed the grating behind her to make sure no one knew they had climbed out, and then began climbing up a ladder at the rear of the elevator shaft quickly. Lara followed as Sharon continued climbing until the elevator car finally stopped.

As soon as the elevator car’s doors opened, they could hear a radio, and heavy boots walking through the elevator car. They could hear the distinctive clicking of powerful rifles tapping against the walls as the soldiers inside the elevator walked around, followed by a distinctive plastic creaking noise which meant the elevator car’s ceiling grating was being removed.

Lara quickly followed as Sharon slid several feet down the ladder suddenly, to remain out of visual range as one of the soldiers popped his head up to the roof of the elevator car. Sharon smiled as she watched the man in the reflection of a knife blade she held up carefully with one hand. He saw nothing in the near pitch-dark elevator shaft.

As soon as the sound of heavy boots moved back out of the elevator, Sharon headed back to the elevator car slowly, noiselessly. Lara followed silently as Sharon approached the car and used her knife again to check the inside. Just as she guessed, the soldiers had propped open the doors of the elevator, and one of them was inside…waiting.

Sharon silently mouthed ‘wait here’ to Lara, and dropped down into the elevator car quickly. All Lara heard was a soft grunt from the man, and then the sound of his body collapsing to to the floor. She then dropped down into the elevator car directly behind Sharon.

They both raced across the hall quickly, just barely above the perceptions of a few soldiers in the hallway, who dismissed their sudden appearance and disappearance as a hallucination. Sharon rushed into Luthor’s office ahead of Lara, to see four soldiers reading a map on Lex Luthor’s desk.

Sharon drew her pistols quickly, aiming them at the man who stood leaning over the map. She subtly signaled Lara to close the door – Lara did, locking it quickly.

“Excuse me for a moment.” Sharon walked toward the four slowly, keeping her pistols trained on them as they watched her crossing the room with their eyes only. As she passed them, she could see that they were reading a map of the building. They must have been trying to track her…but they failed.

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you.” One of the soldiers finally moved, training his rifle on Sharon. She responded in kind, aiming her second pistol on him. She also noticed that through the space the soldier had just vacated, she could see a stack of books. They looked like several copies of the Ancient Book of Rai, sitting among packaging for shipping. They planned on sending the books to someone.

“Ah, just what I was looking for.” Sharon turned to Lara, who understood her though not one word was exchanged. Lara picked up the books and headed toward the hallway. “That’s all I wanted. You can all go back to your work now.”

Sharon left the room running, with Lara close behind. She knew very well what would happen, and the shouts of soldiers from down the hall as she headed back toward the elevators confirmed that. They both dove into the still-open elevator and slipped through the open ceiling grating just as a massive amount of bullets began flying through the hallway toward them.

“We’ll slide down a bit.” Sharon pointed at the elevator cable from a neighboring elevator car. “Then we vanish. You understand, right?”

Lara nodded as she leapt for the elevator cable, sliding down quickly with Sharon just above her. They could hear the shouts of the soldiers above as they took a thirty-second trip to the ground floor. Lara immediately pried the elevator doors open.

Sharon started heading into the lobby first – but then suddenly froze in the doorway. “Oh…hell.”

Lara looked past Sharon to discover why she seemed so surprised – in the lobby of the LexCorp building stood four small dinosaur-like creatures, which were tearing apart the desks next to the entrance. The glass front door was smashed open.

“Velociraptors.” Sharon turned to Lara, a mixture of fear and anticipation in her eyes. “The deadliest carnivores in existence.”

“It’s either bullets or teeth…and there’s only one way out of here.” Lara smiled. Sharon nodded and smiled in return. They both knew they would have to make a run for the doors, and hope for the best.

Everything seemed to move in slow motion as Lara and Sharon raced across the lobby as quickly as they could. The glass doors seemed miles away as the Raptors noticed the two of them running, and gave chase. It was only seconds before the first soldiers arrived in the lobby, adding yet another threat – another hail of bullets, shredding two of the Raptors as they tore through the lobby. It was just blind luck that the bullets seemed to miss Sharon and Lara. Or was it?

As soon as the two of them ran one more block and hid around a corner, Sharon turned to face Lara. “Those bullets should have hit us, shouldn’t they?”

Lara shook her head slowly as she reached under her shirt with two fingers, pushing them through a small hole in the fabric. “I did nothing to stop the bullets, but I am naturally bullet-proof. You’re just luckier then I am.”

Sharon laughed and shook her head. “When will you learn, Lara? I make my own luck.”

“I’d like to take you to visit someone, Sharon.” Lara smiled as she led Sharon into an abandoned building, to hide from the prying eyes on the street. “I think Kara will like you.”

“Dammit!” Commander Gorman kicked a garbage can angrily as soon as he got the news – that the two women had the drop on Hudson and Hicks, and now the entire sixth group. “Who the heck are these two, anyway?”

Lisa shook her head. “I have no idea, sir.”

“Don’t tell me that!” Gorman snatched two camera monitors from one of the tables and threw them on the floor. “All of this technology. All of our high-tech intelligence. Useless! We don’t even know if they’re still in the city!”

“They haven’t gone past any checkpoints, sir.”

Gorman laughed out loud and shook his head. “They didn’t when they came in, either, Lisa. That means one of two things – either these two are smarter then any of us, or we’re dumber then we think! Which is it, Lisa? Are they smart, or are we dumb?”

“I…I don’t know, sir.”

“Damn.” Gorman threw up his hands and sighed. “Buddy’s gonna bust me for this. I just know it.”

“All he has to know, sir, is that we’ve placed those two on the ‘wanted’ list.”

“What if he finds out what happened, Lisa?” Gorman kicked the garbage can again out of frustration. “He will find out. He always does.”

Lisa folded her arms and sighed as Gorman waited for her answer. “Well, sir…Then we’re busted.”

“You’re honest, I’ll give you that.” Gorman shook his head. “But that’s not what I wanted to hear.”

“Karen! She’s here!”

Carrie’s words were Lara’s only warning before she found two blonde teen-age twins ambushing her with hugs, an instant after she appeared in the entranceway to the Fortress. Sharon stood close behind Lara, smiling with amusement at what was happening in front of her.

Lara returned the hugs and glanced into the living room toward Kara, who stood silently in the doorway. “How did you know I was coming?”

Carrie shrugged. “I don’t know, I just did. Who’s this?”

“Sharon Holmes.” Sharon reached out a hand to give Carrie a handshake. She felt her hand nearly being crushed by the blonde teen until Carrie quickly adjusted her grip when she realized that Sharon was just an ordinary human. Sharon didn’t seem intimidated, however – she just smiled in response.

Karen didn’t seem at all interested in meeting Sharon. The look in her eyes told Lara that she had something on her mind, something that she thought was very important. Lara’s suspicions were confirmed when Karen pulled her aside suddenly.

“Something wrong, Karen?”

Karen nodded. “Mom doesn’t…trust you, Lara. She thinks you keep too many secrets. She thinks you keep secrets about us, and it scares her a little.”

“I see.” Lara sighed and looked away from Karen for a moment. “I keep secrets to protect those I care about–”

“Don’t you see–” Karen shook her head slowly. “–We don’t need your protection. It’s doing more harm then good, Lara. Mom values honesty, and integrity. She thinks you’re being a selfish, that you’re hiding something.”

Lara nodded. “I understand. I just did what I did because–”

“Because you thought the truth would hurt too much?” Karen smiled. “I’ve been there too, Lara. The truth always hurts…but deception hurts more.”

“Does your mom know you’re so philosophical?” Lara laughed and looked into the other room to see that Kara hadn’t moved. “All right, I’ll talk to Kara. But if she tries to kill me, it’ll be up to you to save my life.”

Karen laughed as she led Lara into the living room. “Don’t worry. She’s more reasonable then you think…for a mom.”

“Um…hi, Kara.”

Kara walked up to Sharon, shaking her hand lightly and momentarily ignoring Lara’s greeting. She sat down on the couch, indicating for Lara to sit on the chair across from her. Lara complied, sitting down quickly. Karen sat down at the other end of the couch.

“So–” Lara looked at Kara, who was staring at her with an emotionless gaze. She looked at Karen, who was giving her a hopeful look, and then at Sharon and Carrie, who were still talking in the entryway. “–What would you like to know about me?”

“How about what you are?” Kara leaned back and folded her arms as Karen gave her an angry gaze in response to her rather cold sounding question. “I’ve never really trusted mysterious types.”

Lara sighed deeply, clearly pausing for several seconds before opening her mouth to speak. “It’s not really clear to me, Kara. I feel that I had died once, much like you. Only I was restored by the power of a God rather then a practitioner of the Ancient Arts as you were. That’s why I have these…abilities. That’s why I’m…’in touch’ with the universe.”

Kara didn’t seem the least bit shocked at what Lara had said so far – but Lara’s story was compelling enough that nearly everyone who was in the Fortress had gathered in the living room to listen – Carrie and Sharon had walked in, as well as Rogue, and even Krypto.

“My memories of the event are still fuzzy, skewed.” Lara looked around the room as everyone stared at her, waiting for her to continue. “I have other’s memories intermingled with my own. Memories of someone named Lois Lane. A boy named Kon El…people who died in the attack at Cadmus. Thousands of people, Kara. Their blood is on Lex Luthor’s hands. I only wish I could remember more.”

Lara looked down as she held her hands in front of her. They were shaking a little. She closed her eyes and clenched her fists tightly to try and control her physical reaction to such stressful memories. Tears started forming in her closed eyes as she continued. “I tried to keep my memories to myself, Kara, because I see things…painful things…here in Otherverse. I suffer these visions, thoughts and feelings that no one should have to see. Things that will happen, or that have happened. Death, pain…everywhere. I feel them all. It’s…overwhelming.”

Lara opened her eyes again as she felt Kara grip her left hand tightly. She smiled politely at Kara’s encouragement. “I see someone close to you dying, Kara. I don’t know who, or when. I see this place…your home…being destroyed. I see the twins being split up, against their will. I see a man, a military man, having to change everything he believes in to fight a vicious and bloody war…one he’s losing. But he refuses to give up. I see a lone man in a place filled with life, and magic…he feels tortured, persecuted–”

“Wait, wait…stop.” Kara leaned forward toward Lara, looking deep into her tear-filled eyes. “What you’re telling me now makes little sense. Can’t you be more specific? At least about how this effects us?”

Lara shook her head sadly. “I wish I could. These…feelings are all things I know are close to you and the twins somehow. I see a lot of danger ahead for the twins. And for you, if you choose to help in this war–”

“War?” Kara looked at Karen, who seemed to be upset a little bit by everything Lara said. “You mentioned a war twice.”

“Yes.” Lara nodded. “It’s a war that’s already underway. Lex Luthor is working to escalate it.”

“So…why don’t you just like…put a stop to it?” Carrie’s sudden question prompted stares toward her – she just folded her arms, waiting for an answer.

“I can’t.” Lara shook her head quickly. “I’m no Goddess. I don’t have the right to interfere.”

“As far as they’re concerned…you are a Goddess.” Sharon leaned back against the doorway to the kitchen as she spoke. “The trick is to keep them from becoming dependent on you. If you behave like Moses leading them from bondage, they will become attached to you. You can intervene, but you have to be inconspicuous. You have to make it seem like an accident.”

Karen laughed out loud. “Then you truly would be a Goddess, Lara. A real Goddess uses nature and chance to do her bidding.”

“Aren’t I teased enough about that?” Lara laughed a little too, before realizing that Kara had a horrified look on her face. “What’s wrong, Kara?”

“Kal always taught me that it’s wrong to interfere too much. That people have to learn to be self-sufficient.” Kara stood up and paced around the room a little bit. “But I don’t like to stand by and watch people die, either. I was always more sensitive to that then Kal. It was your suggestion, Sharon…what would you do?”

“If I were a Goddess–” Sharon looked around the room to see all eyes on here, including Kara’s – but a little attention never bothered her. “–I would render the Metas, and all weapons of mass destruction powerless. I would level the playing ground, so mere humans…like me…have a fighting chance here.”

The room suddenly fell silent as each person began to silently consider what Sharon had suggested. It would surely change Otherverse Earth from a barely livable hell to something a little more civilized. Something that had hope for a future. No one’s thoughts were more on the future then Kara’s – she wanted…needed…her daughters to live in a world better then the one she discovered. She hoped that one day they would be peacemakers, and protectors here…not part of a war machine.

For Kara, Sharon’s suggestion to Lara seemed more like a salvation then simply idle talk. It sounded so appealing, in fact, that she found herself staring at Lara, fighting her own urge to encourage the idea. But something deep down caused her to hold her tongue. Lara was correct…it wouldn’t be right for her to interfere.

Everyone in the room heard Kara audibly sigh as she sat back down on the couch. She looked at Carrie and Karen sadly, as she realized that she almost sold out the integrity of an entire universe to protect the two things she cared about most – her daughters.

“Lara…Do what you feel is right…for the future.” Kara smiled at her weakly as she spoke. “Don’t let anyone else tell you what you should do.”

“I’ll do that, Kara–” Lara knew what Kara meant by ‘the future’. She looked right at the twins, who were now standing together at one end of the living room, and smiled. Kara knew that Otherverse Earth was a dangerous place for her daughters…and while she wouldn’t admit it plainly, she would do just about anything to keep them safe – even subtly asking someone like Lara for help. “–For the future.”

Kara smiled and nodded at Lara as she and Sharon headed toward the entryway. Kara knew that the two of them would unceremoniously disappear in a flash of light, headed toward their respective homes. She still wasn’t completely sure she could trust her own life to Lara…but it made her feel a little more secure to know that she could trust Lara with her daughters.

#4 – Medium (Comic Script)

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PAGE 1
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PANEL 1

Exterior: Female silhouette about the same height as Batgirl (5’5″, for those who missed orientation), wearing her cape and mask, standing over two neighboring gravestones, overgrown with vines. The moon is above (it’s at night, unless the moon started shining during the daytime), filtered through both approaching clouds and trees. The tree branches and Batgirl’s cape are being blown by a stiff wind caused by an approaching storm.
PANEL 2

Exterior: Flash of lightning tearing across the sky. Rain starting to fall in the foreground.
PANEL 3

Exterior: Closer shot behind Batgirl, her head is hung, and you can see two vine-covered gravestones in front of her. The writing on them is obscured by the pouring rain, large drops are bouncing off her leather cape.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “I AM ALONE.”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Shot from behind the gravestones. You can see them at the bottom part of the panel, Batgirl is standing above them. A “phantom” image of fire surrounds the stones and Batgirl both, as it’s something out of her imagination.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “I AM AN ORPHAN NOW, IN THE TRUEST SENSE. I THOUGHT I WAS GAINING SOME CONTROL OVER MY LIFE. BUT I WAS WRONG. NOW, THEIR GRAVES STAND FOREVER, A TESTEMENT TO MY OWN ARROGANCE AND STUPIDITY.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “LONG AFTER I’M GONE…THEY’LL STILL BE HERE. MOCKING MY FUTURE. TARNISHING ANY GOOD I MIGHT DO DURING MY LIFE. MY PAST IS FILLED WITH REGRET–”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Close up facing Batgirl, with the vine covered gravestones fading into the shadows in the background. Large raindrops still pound her, lightning tears through the sky.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “–AND FOR THE SAKE OF MY FUTURE…I MUST NEVER RETURN HERE AGAIN.”

 

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PAGE 2
——

PANEL 1

Exterior: Full-page spread, with titles and credits. Side shot of Batgirl standing outside the cemetery, looking up to the top of a tall, gothic-style building across the street. The familiar darkened form of Batman is looking over Batgirl from atop that building. Rain is still pounding, etc, etc.

ISSUE SUB-TITLE: “A Happy Medium”

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “I SEE HIM UP THERE, AND HE KNOWS IT. HE SEEMS TO BE EVERYWHERE I GO.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “HE SEES SOMETHING OF HIMSELF IN ME…AND IT’S THE ONE THING IN ME THAT HE DOES NOT TRUST.”

 

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PAGE 3
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PANEL 1

Exterior: Night. Elsewhere in Gotham, in a working class but nice neighborhood. Individual houses (which you can see in the background), some townhouses, a few small apartment buildings. Focus is on the corner of an intersection (around 2 neighboring apartment buildings, each 4 floors tall), a older model blue Buick is parked next to the corner, and a nineteen-year old man is standing to the rear of the Buick, illuminated red by it’s left-on lights. The nineteen year old is wearing an oversized jacket with a logo, and is leaning toward an older man threateningly, he’s holding his hands in a “rap-style” arc toward the older man. The older man (about 45 or so) looks angry, but he’s leaning back in response – he feels a little threatened.

19-YEAR OLD 1: “YO! WHY DON’T YOU MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS!”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Same scene as last panel, but angle has changed to a shot from behind the 19-year old, toward the older man who is now red-faced and angry. He’s yelling at the 19-year old, but the kid doesn’t seem to care.

OLDER MAN 2: “I HAVE KIDS, YOU LITTLE JERK!”

OLDER MAN 3: “YOU CAN’T STAND HERE ON MY CORNER AND SELL YOUR…YOUR–”

19-YEAR OLD 4: “IT’S A FREE COUNTRY, MAN.”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Same scene, switch the focus to the younger man’s face. He has a smug smile on his face, and he’s now standing closer to the older man (you can see the older man’s head in the foreground). An “over the shoulder” view.

19-YEAR OLD 5: “I CAN SELL WHATEVER I WANT, WHEREVER I WANT. WHATCHA GONNA DO?”
PANEL 4

Exterior: A half-panel will do just fine here, same for the next one. Actions speak louder then words. Close up of the older man’s hands snatching a bag of white powder from the younger man.
PANEL 5

Exterior: Half-panel works great. Close up of a sewer grating, the white bag dropping through to the sewers below the street.
PANEL 6

Exterior: Shouldn’t have done that, buddy. Close-up shot of the older man partially bent over from tossing the bag into the sewer, his face a mask of fear. He now has the ice cold muzzle of a black nine-millimeter Baretta (a gun, in case you didn’t know) pressed against his forehead.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl, off-panel): “WE ALL DO THINGS IN OUR LIVES WE REGRET. IT’S ALWAYS THE SMALL THINGS–”

 

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PAGE 4
——

PANEL 1

Exterior: Close up of the younger man’s face. He has a menacing smile, shadows cover his face to make him seem positively e-vil.

19-YEAR OLD 1: “Say good night…chump.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl, off-panel): “–THAT SEEM TO GIVE US THE MOST TROUBLE.”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Aerial shot of the scene. You can see the car, the younger man holding a gun on the older man. A flash is coming from the muzzle of the gun, the sound echoing off the surrounding buildings. BLAM! (the word BLAM is to be written in large type across the top of this and the next 2 panels)

Sfx: BLAM!

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl, off-panel): “EVERY NIGHT IN GOTHAM–”
PANEL 3

Exterior: A small house from the outside, you can see a worried-looking woman closing the drapes quickly. She can hear the gunshot as well. BLAM!

Sfx: BLAM!

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl, off-panel): “–A FAMILY IS DESTROYED BY VIOLENCE.”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Batman standing atop a large building in Gotham, wind blowing his cape. He hears the distant sound of a gunshot, not too far away. His eyes are narrowed. BLAM!

Sfx: BLAM!

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl, off-panel): “MORE KIDS ARE LEFT TO FEND FOR THEMSELVES–”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Back to the ol’ corner again. Shot of the corner, detailed enough to see frightened nearby residents hiding in their homes, the Buick, and see the dead guy fairly clearly. The older man lies bleeding in the gutter, as the blue Buick drives off slowly in the background. His head is shattered, his eyes fixed open.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl, off-panel): “AND ANOTHER SPOUSE…LOSES HER WILL TO LIVE.”

 

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PAGE 5
——

PANEL 1

Exterior: The same corner where the shooting occurred in the previous scene, still night. A short amount of time has passed. Probably a couple of hours, since Gotham’s Finest aren’t exactly Gotham’s fastest. The street is crowded with police cars, spotlights are pointed toward a pool of blood in the street, where the man who was shot used to be lying. Crime scene tape is everywhere. News reporters are being held behind a barricade (if you get bored, stick Lois Lane in there). Commissioner Gordon is interviewing an old woman who’s holding a handkerchief.

OLD WOMAN 1: “THIS USED TO BE SUCH A NICE, QUIET NEIGHBORHOOD. BUT LATELY–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Gordon): “SHE KNEW THE MAN WHO HAD BEEN SHOT. IT WAS HER SON. I WATCHED HER BREAK DOWN IN FRONT OF MY EYES. I KNEW IT WAS ONLY A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE BATMAN HEARD ABOUT THIS–”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Same scene, new shot from behind Gordon toward the top of a nearby building. A dark silhouette (it’s Batgirl) is standing there, barely moving. You can see the old woman in the background, sobbing into her handkerchief.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Gordon): “–AND DECIDED TO TAKE MATTERS INTO HIS OWN HANDS. IN LIGHT OF WHAT HAPPENED TO MY DAUGHTER, A PART OF ME HOPED BATMAN WOULD FIND THESE PEOPLE–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Gordon): “–AND GIVE THEM WHAT THEY DESERVED.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Gordon): “BUT IT WASN’T BATMAN I COULD SEE UP THERE. IT WAS SOMEONE ELSE.”
PANEL 3

Interior: Gordon is running up a dark staircase, sweat pouring down his forehead.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Gordon): “IN RETROSPECT, IT WASN’T ONE OF MY SMARTEST MOMENTS. ANYONE…ANYTHING COULD HAVE BEEN UP THERE. BUT SOMETIMES, YOU HAVE TO TRUST YOUR INSTINCTS.”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Gordon bursts through the door at the top of the staircase. Around him is nothing but the standard pipes and junk you normally find on the roof of a small apartment building.

THOUGHT CAPTION 7 (Gordon): “STILL, I BEGAN TO FEEL LIKE I WAS WASTING MY TIME.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Close up of a black gloved finger tapping Gordon on the shoulder. Gordon’s head is turning around to see who’s tapping on him.

THOUGHT CAPTION 8 (Gordon): “AND THEN, JUST LIKE THAT–”
PANEL 6

Exterior: Side shot from just off the edge of the roof. Batgirl and Gordon, facing each other. She’s shaking his hand.

THOUGHT CAPTION 9 (Gordon): “I MET HER.”
PANEL 7

Exterior: Angle from behind Gordon, who is leaning over the edge of the apartment building. He’s watching Batgirl swing away from him on a cable attached to a telephone pole across the street.

THOUGHT CAPTION 10 (Gordon): “JUST A YOUNG WOMAN TRYING TO FOLLOW IN BATMAN’S FOOTSTEPS. JUST LIKE MY DAUGHTER, BARBARA.”

 

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PAGE 6
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PANEL 1

Interior: Bruce’s office in the Wayne Mansion. A rather spartan room, just a desk and a couple of chairs – and of course, expensive paintings and occasional medieval armor decoration. On his desk is a fluorescent lamp, a computer in one corner, a writing pad, and a couple of pens. From the computer runs a cord, to a microphone, which Bruce is holding as he leans back in his expensive leather office chair.

Bruce 1: “Record.”

Bruce 2: “CASSANDRA APPEARS TO BE…FEELING…REMOURSE? COULD SHE BE FEELING REGRET OVER WHAT SHE DID TO HER PARENTS?”
PANEL 2

Interior: Faint image of a window with flames coming out, second overlapping picture of him dragging Cassandra out the window, third overlapping picture of Cassandra’s clouded eyes looking up at him. He’s digging through memories of his.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Bruce): “THIS IS BECOMING MORE THEN A LITTLE…FRIGHTENING. THIS YOUNG GIRL IS LIKE A DARK MIRROR OF WHAT I WAS AT HER AGE.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Bruce): “ONLY SHE’S MORE…DRIVEN. MORE–”
PANEL 3

Interior: Side shot as Bruce holds the microphone away from his face. He just spotted a small bat-shaped object on his desk. It’s a little microphone.
PANEL 4

Interior: Shot from the side of Bruce, he’s angrily storming toward the partially open door to the hallway. His left hand is gripping the small bat-device.
PANEL 5

Interior: Bruce has opened the door, Cassandra is standing in front of it. She looks a little sad, her head hangs a little. Bruce looks confused.

Cassandra 5: “YES.”

Bruce 6: “YES, WHAT?”
PANEL 6

Interior: Close-up of Cassandra’s face. A tear is forcing it’s way from one eye.

Cassandra 7: “REGRET. I…FEEL REGRET.”
PANEL 7

Interior: Bruce is standing in front of Cassandra, the view is from behind him. He has a hand on Cassandra’s shoulder.

Bruce 8: “CASSANDRA, YOU’VE TAKEN THE FIRST BIG STEP.”

Bruce 9: “YOU WANT TO BE A CRIME FIGHTER? A REAL CRIME FIGHTER, LIKE I AM?”
PANEL 8

Interior: Nearly the same view as the last panel, but Cassandra’s smiling now.

Cassandra 10: “YES.”
PANEL 9

Interior: Bruce slipping past Cassandra through the doorway.

Bruce 11: “MEET ME DOWNSTAIRS. ONE HOUR. IT’S TIME YOU HAD SOME REAL TRAINING.”

 

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PAGE 7
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PANEL 1

Interior: Cassandra is standing in a dark hallway, opening a door slowly. The view is a little to her side, so you can see her look of shock and surprise as the bright light from the room streams through the partially open door and across her face. She’s wearing jeans, white sneakers, and a light colored long-sleeved shirt (I usually don’t mention clothes, but in this case it’s important that she’s the most colorful person in the room).
PANEL 2

Interior: Large panel of the inside of Bruce Wayne’s dining room. Cassandra is standing in the doorway to the rear of the room, to give you the impression that she’s dwarfed by the size of the enormous room. The room is now empty of furniture, except for a chair. A white rectangular mat covers most of the floor from the center out. Bruce is sitting in the chair at one end of the mat, dressed all in black, on the same side of the room where Cassandra is entering through the door. A tall, obviously strong man wearing a white Karate robe and bare feet is standing at the other end of the mat, his arms folded.
PANEL 3

Interior: Partial shot of the room, covering only the area where Bruce and Cassandra are located. Bruce is smiling in reaction to Cassandra’s confusion, as he’s sitting in the chair in the foreground. He seems a little amused by the whole thing. Cassandra is standing directly behind the chair, still looking a little confused.

BRUCE 1: “WELCOME TO YOUR TRAINING LESSON, CASSANDRA. THIS MAN, A FRIEND OF MINE, IS A BLACK BELT IN KARATE.”
PANEL 4

Interior: Quick view of the stranger in the robe, hands held together palm to palm, bowing slightly.
PANEL 5

Interior: Close-up of Cassandra returning the bow, same pose as the stranger used. Polite, isn’t she?

BRUCE (Off-panel) 2: “YOUR OBJECTIVE IS TO TAKE HIM DOWN WITHOUT SERIOUSLY HURTING HIM, AND LEARN HIS NAME…IF HE DOESN’T TAKE YOU DOWN FIRST.”

BRUCE (Off-panel) 3: “MY ROLE IN THIS IS TO INTERFERE WITH YOU AS MUCH AS POSSIBLE.”
PANEL 6

Interior: Close-up of Bruce rising to his feet, shoving the chair aside quickly.

BRUCE 4: “GOOD LUCK, CASSANDRA.”
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PAGE 8
——

PANEL 1

Interior: Close-up of Cassandra ducking to the side quickly, the stranger’s bare foot passing only inches from her face.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Cassandra): “I WAS NEARLY CAUGHT OFF GUARD WHILE WAITING FOR SOME KIND OF SIGNAL FROM BRUCE THAT THE TRAINING EXCERSIZE HAD BEGUN.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Cassandra): “I MUST HAVE MISSED IT.”
PANEL 2

Interior: Cassandra tackling the strange man to the white mat, holding him down by his shoulders. You can see Bruce approaching in the background.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Cassandra): “I QUICKLY LEARNED THAT TWO WELL-TRAINED MEN AGAINST ONE FIVE AND A HALF FOOT TALL WOMAN–”
PANEL 3

Interior: Cassandra being tossed aside by the robed man. You can see her eyes looking toward Bruce, who’s reaching for her feet.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Cassandra): “–MEANT THAT I WAS SERIOUSLY OUTCLASSED.”
PANEL 4

Interior: Cassandra is getting up slowly. You can see Bruce at one end of the panel, heading toward her menacingly. At the other end, the strange man is heading toward her menacingly. She’s about to be caught in the middle. But her eyes are watching a chair at one end of the mat (it was there all along). The look on Cassandra’s face is determination, but not anger.

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Cassandra): “BUT WHAT I LACK IN STRENGTH–”
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PAGE 9
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PANEL 1

Interior: Cassandra is rolled into a ball, her arms holding her legs against her chest. She’s tumbling right past Bruce, who’s reaching for her in futility.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Cassandra): “–I MAKE UP FOR–”
PANEL 2

Interior: Cassandra’s hands are holding the front legs of the chair. She’s leaning it over her, and Bruce is colliding with the chair’s back. His feet are off the floor, the chair’s back is tossing him over it.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Cassandra): “–WITH INGENUITY.”
PANEL 3

Interior: Bruce is laying at one end of the mat on the floor in the background. Cassandra is hitting the strange man in the face with the chair, causing two of the legs to break off. The strange man is leaning away from her, losing his balance.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Cassandra): “AND SO THE TABLES WERE TURNED.”
PANEL 4

Interior: Cassandra has folded the heavy white mat over the strange man, to prevent him from getting up. She’s sitting on top of the folded mat to add extra weight on top of him, just in case. She’s holding a handful of his hair tightly, pulling it. You can see the pain on his face. You can see Bruce in the background, sneaking toward Cassandra.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Cassandra): “I WAS IN CONTROL.”

CASSANDRA 5: “NAME?”

STRANGER 6: “M-MASTER SAN.”
PANEL 5

Interior: Closer look at the man’s face, Cassandra twists the handful of hair some more.

THOUGHT CAPTION 7 (Cassandra): “IT DIDN’T TAKE THE WORLD’S GREATEST DETECTIVE TO TELL THAT HE WAS LYING.”

CASSANDRA 8: “NAME?”

STRANGER 9: “GO…TO HELL.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 10 (Cassandra): “BUT I WOUDLN’T LET THAT BOTHER ME.”
PANEL 6

Interior: Cassandra saw Bruce approaching out of the corner of her eye. She’s still pinning the stranger, but her eyes are turned toward Bruce, and her right foot is planted firmly in his stomach.

THOUGHT CAPTION 11 (Cassandra): “BECAUSE I KNEW…DEEP DOWN–”
PANEL 7

Interior: Cassandra has a hand on the stranger’s throat now. Bruce is in the background, trying to catch his breath.

THOUGHT CAPTION 12 (Cassandra): “–THAT I HAD ALREADY BEATEN THEM.”

BRUCE 13: “CASSANDRA…STOP! HIS NAME IS BOB SAMPSON.”

 

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PAGE 10
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PANEL 1

Interior: Half panel. Cassandra is standing up. She has removed the white mat from on top of Bob Sampson, and is offering him a hand. She’s smiling, full of pride over what she’s done.
PANEL 2

Interior: Half panel. Side shot. Bob stands up, frowning at Cassandra’s attempt at politeness. You can now see that he’s bruised up a bit, and his nose is bleeding.
PANEL 3

Interior: Shot from behind Cassandra, she’s looking at Bruce and Bob. Bruce and Bob look at each other seriously. Cassandra is still smiling.
PANEL 4

Interior: Cassandra is now frowning, as the two men behind laughing heartily. She’s not sure if they’re laughing at her or at something else.
PANEL 5

Interior: Shot from behind Bruce, so you can see Cassandra’s face. Bruce is standing in front of Cassandra, one hand on her shoulder. She’s looking up at him, their eyes meet. She’s still partially frowning.

BRUCE 1: “I’M SORRY, CASSANDRA. WE CAN’T BELIEVE YOU BEAT THAT EXCERCISE SO EASILY.”

BRUCE 2: “TIM HAD TROUBLE WITH IT…SO DID BARBARA.”
PANEL 6

Interior: Reverse of last panel. Shot from behind Cassandra, so you can see Bruce’s smiling face.

BRUCE 3: “CONGRATULATIONS. YOU’RE THE FIRST PERSON WHO MANAGED TO LEARN BOB’S NAME.”
PANEL 7

Interior: Close-up of Cassandra’s face. She seems happy now. Poor Cassandra doesn’t receive praise all that often.

BRUCE (Off-panel) 4: “CASSANDRA…YOU’RE READY.”

 

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PAGE 11
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PANEL 1

Exterior: Night. Street-level view. The same street corner where the shooting occurred earlier in the story. The same blue Buick is pulling up to the corner, the same 19-year old inside. You can see frightened residents in the background racing for their homes, closing their blinds.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl, off-panel): “THIS IS A CORNER STILL STAINED WITH BLOOD.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl, off-panel): “THE BLOOD OF AN INNOCENT.”
PANEL 2

Exterior: High street-level shot. The 19-year old gets out of his car and looks at a an apartment nearby. He now has a cigarette in his mouth, and is carelessly flinging the match to a nicely mowed strip of grass. He can see two eyes peering at him through closed venetian blinds, and he’s smiling with self-contentment.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl, off-panel): “AND YET HE RETURNS TO THE SCENE OF THE CRIME. HE DOESN’T FEAR ANYONE, EVEN THE POLICE.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl, off-panel): “TO HIM, WE’RE ALL THE SAME. ALL PAWNS IN SOME GAME. COPS, HEROES…WE ALL DIE JUST AS EASILY TO HIM.”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Another car drives up in the opposite direction that the blue Buick is parked. The view is along a “tunnel” between the two cars, where the 19-year old is leaning toward the driver’s side of the recently arrived car.

19-YEAR OLD 5: “GOT THE MONEY?”

MAN INSIDE CAR 6: “FRANK, I–”

19-YEAR OLD 7: “DON’T CALL ME THAT, DEADBEAT.”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Close-up of Frank’s (the 19-year old) face. The “camera” is pointing at him from inside the newly arrived car’s passenger seat, so you can see Frank flick his cigarette at the driver.

19-YEAR OLD 8: “YOU KNOW WHAT I DO TO DEADBEATS?”

MAN INSIDE CAR 9: “DON’T…PLEASE–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 10 (Batgirl, off-panel): “I WASN’T GOING TO LET HIM KILL ON MY WATCH.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Half panel, close side shot between the two cars. Close-up of the 19-year old pressing his gun against the head of the man inside the car. The man is crying, his eyes are tightly pressed closed. The trigger on the gun is partly pulled back by the 19-year old’s finger.
PANEL 6

Exterior: Half-panel, close-up of the 19-year old’s hand, his fingers spread out. The gun is out of his hand, and a small bat-wing is airborne.

19-YEAR OLD (Off panel) 1: “WHAT THE–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl, off-panel): “NOT TONIGHT.”
PANEL 7

Exterior: Close shot. The 19-year old is bending down to pick up his gun. His head is jerked to the side, spit and blood are coming from his nose and mouth as a small black-gloved fist has just hit him, hard.
PANEL 8

Exterior: Shot from behind Batgirl, as she looks over the 19-year old. You can see the 19-year old within her reach, propping himself up on his hands and smiling at her. He doesn’t see her as a threat.
PANEL 9

Exterior: Still a shot from behind Batgirl, only angled so you can more clearly see that she now has her boot firmly pressing into the 19-year old’s shoulder. She’s intent on keeping him down – and now she’s the one smiling.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “STOPPING HIM SEEMED EASY ENOUGH–”
PANEL 10

Exterior: Shot from behind Batgirl as she turns her head to look at the blue Buick. The doors are all open now, three more thugs are climbing out armed with guns of their own.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “BUT THEN THINGS BECAME…COMPLICATED.”

 

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PAGE 12
——-

PANEL 1

Exterior: Wide shot facing front of the 19-year old’s car. All of it’s doors are open, the headlights are on – and Batgirl is standing at the ready in the center of the frame. She’s facing the car, away from the camera shot. The 19-year old is propping himself up on the ground below her, and the three thugs are heading toward her slowly – all carrying nine millimeter pistols.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “I COULD HAVE EASILY DISARMED THEM…BUT NOT BEFORE THEY KILLED AN INNOCENT.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “I MAY BE FAST. BUT NOT FASTER THEN A BULLET.”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Camera shot alongside Batgirl’s arm, toward the top of a building just above her. She’s firing a cable launcher toward the roof, preparing to make a quick escape.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “IT WAS TIME TO PLAY IT SAFE.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “TO DRAW THEIR ATTENTION…ELSEWHERE.”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Batgirl is now standing on the roof of the building, crouched down. View angle is from behind her, so we can see down to the street level. The three thugs are rushing into the building, guns drawn, headed up toward the roof.

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl): “THEY WOULD HAVE TO COME UP HERE TO GET ME…WHERE I HAVE THE ELEMENT OF SUPRISE.”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Batgirl is now standing on top of the shack which covers the stairway to the roof, allowing access through a door on one side. She’s hidden in shadow, but you can see that she’s there, standing at the ready.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl): “THUGS CAN BE SO PREDICTABLE SOMETIMES.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: The thugs are now out on the roof, looking for her – but they don’t look behind them and up. Batgirl is leaping into the air, intent on crashing through them feet-first. Camera angle is from behind Batgirl, so you can clearly see her descending upon them.

 

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PAGE 13
——-

(Note: The first 4 panels of this page are quick-action panels, so they’re small in size.)

PANEL 1

Exterior: Floor-angle shot of one of the thugs lying on his stomach, reaching for his gun, which is on the gravel rooftop. One hand is reaching for a pistol, while Batgirl’s black-gloved fist punches him in the side of the face. His eyes are wide and filled with pain, blood is spattering from his mouth.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “AND JUST AS I PREDICTED–”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Another man, his hand reaching for his gun, one of Batgirl’s boots squashing his face between it and the gravel rooftop.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “–IT WAS ALL OVER–”
PANEL 3

Exterior: One man is charging Batgirl, anger in his eyes, and his mouth yelling something silent. Don’t even bother to give him a speech balloon, it doesn’t matter what he’s saying, and it’s probably not CCA compliant anyhow. You can see Batgirl’s back as he’s approaching her.
PANEL 4

Exterior: Angle from Batgirl’s side. She has stepped aside just in time for the man charging her to go right by. She is gripping his shirt with both hands tightly, swinging him around to use his momentum to move him far away from her.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “–BEFORE IT HAD BEGUN.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Wide view from behind Batgirl. She’s watching the man she just swung around herself as he loses his balance and falls off the edge of the roof. His body is bent over the edge of the roof, his foot trying desperately to grip the edge…but it’s not enough.

(Note: Next three panels are quick-action panels, with a large letter bloodcurdling scream written across the top of them. It’s the scream of the man who had just fallen off the roof.)

Sfx: YAAHHHH!!!
PANEL 6

Exterior: Quick view of Batgirl’s cold-looking eyes.
PANEL 7

Exterior: Quick view of the remaining thugs, in the middle of picking themselves up. They’re frozen with fear, their eyes mirroring that. They didn’t expect a super-hero to kill one of them.
PANEL 8

Exterior: The thugs crowding into the doorway to the stairs, desperate to escape Batgirl.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “THEY’RE COMMON THUGS–”
PANEL 9

Exterior: View over Batgirl’s shoulder, as she notices that the thugs left all of their weapons behind.

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl): “–WITH NO RESPECT FOR LIFE–”
PANEL 10

Exterior: Another view over Batgirl’s shoulder. She’s looking over the edge of the roof at the man who fell, his broken and bloody body lying on a pile of garbage in the alley below.
PANEL 11

Exterior: View from the alley below, from the dying man’s point of view. He can see faintly see Batgirl looking over the edge of the roof at him.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl): “–UNLIKE ME.”
——-
PAGE 14
——-

PANEL 1

Exterior: Batgirl is using her cape, spread out to glide to the alley below quickly.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “EVERY LOOK INTO THE EYES OF A DYING MAN?”
PANEL 2

Exterior: She lands hard. You can tell because her cape is still spread, but her landing places her with one boot on the ground, and one knee. She’s learned to ‘collapse her legs’ to absorb impact of large falls. You can see the man’s broken body in the foreground, Batgirl directly behind him.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “IT’S SOMETHING YOU SEE ONCE–”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Front view of Batgirl as she is standing up, her head looking up at a apartment’s window just above her. She can see a phone just inside the window.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “–AND LIVE WITH FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE.”
PANEL 4

Interior: View from inside the apartment, facing toward the window. Batgirl’s gloved hand is reaching in, dialing 911 on an old bell-style phone. The handset is lying on the floor.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “BRUCE’S NUMBER ONE RULE WAS TO ALWAYS AVOID DETECTION.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Close up shot of Batgirl taking the dying man’s hand. You can see her bending down in the background, but you can’t see her face or the dying man’s.

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl): “TO HECK WITH RULES.”

 

——-
PAGE 15
——-

PANEL 1

Exterior: Side shot of Batgirl kneeling next to the dying man, clutching his hand tightly against her chest. Her head is bowed, keeping her eyes on him at all times. The man is unconscious, he doesn’t respond.
PANEL 2

Exterior: Shot from outside the alley. People are slowly approaching, as they can see the spectacle of Batgirl holding this man’s hand.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “I HAD TO STAY–”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Wide shot from inside the alley. You can see the crowd gathering outside the alley, and a police car has just driven up.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “–BECAUSE I WASN’T JUST SAVING HIS LIFE–”
PANEL 4

Exterior: Bird’s eye view of the whole scene, from atop the building…Or perhaps a Bat’s eye view? Police car and crowd outside the alley, Batgirl kneeling over the dying man inside the alley.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “–I WAS SAVING MY OWN SOUL.”

 

——-
PAGE 16
——-

PANEL 1

Interior: Overhead view of Bruce Wayne’s in-home office. Bruce is sitting at his desk, Cassandra is standing in front of the desk, avoiding Bruce’s gaze.

BRUCE 1: “THEY COULD HAVE ARRESTED YOU, CASSANDRA. THEY COULD HAVE DISCOVERED YOUR IDENTITY.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “BRUCE WAS UPSET THAT I BROKE ONE OF HIS ‘RULES’.”
PANEL 2

Interior: Bruce is now pacing the room. The view is over his shoulder as he paces, you can see Cassandra standing several feet away, her eyes following Bruce. Her expression is blank, giving no clue to her thoughts

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “BUT BRUCE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND ME. HE NEVER DID.”
PANEL 3

Interior: Close up of Cassandra, her expression now a sad frown. She’s looking downward, toward the floor, her eyes partially closed. Ghosted behind the image of her is what she’s remembering: The dying man from the previous scene, being loaded into an ambulance. You can see the man’s eyes looking at you, they have a grateful but confused look to them.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “HE NEVER WILL.”

BRUCE (Off-panel) 5: “What’s wrong?”
PANEL 4

Interior: Side shot of Bruce towering over Cassandra. She’s looking up at him, as though trying to communicate something with him. Her eyes are beginning to tear. Ghosted between them is an image of the dying man’s eyes again.

BRUCE 6: “Are you okay, Cassandra? Do you feel sick?”

THOUGHT CAPTION 7 (Batgirl): “I WANTED SO BADLY TO SHOW HIM WHAT I FELT, WHAT I’D SEEN. THE LOOK IN THE MAN’S EYES WHEN HE REALIZED I’D SAVED HIM.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 8 (Batgirl): “I FELT LIKE A HERO…YET BRUCE WANTS ME TO FEEL SHAME.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 9 (Batgirl): “SHAME FOR FEELING SOMETHING FOR PEOPLE…FOR CARING.”
PANEL 5

Interior: Side view Close-up of Cassandra’s face. Bruce’s shadow is cast across her face so you know he’s still there. It also emphasizes the fact that she always feels like she’s in his shadow. Get it? This isn’t just any other dialogue, it’s a breakthrough.

CASSANDRA 10: “I CARE.”

BRUCE 11: “YOU CARE? ABOUT WHAT?”

CASSANDRA 12: “PEOPLE. MY WORK.”
PANEL 6

Interior: View from behind Bruce, over his shoulder. He’s still standing over Cassandra, casting a shadow over her.

BRUCE 13: “I UNDERSTAND. YOU’RE LETTING YOUR FEELINGS GET INVOLVED WITH YOUR WORK.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 14 (Batgirl): “ONE OF HIS CARDINAL RULES HAD BEEN VIOLATED.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 15 (Batgirl): “NEVER BECOME INVOLVED. REFER TO EVERYONE AS ‘THE VICTIM’, OR ‘THE PERPETRATOR'”

THOUGHT CAPTION 16 (Batgirl): “BUT THOSE PEOPLE HAVE NAMES. THEY HAVE LIVES…AND DREAMS.”
PANEL 7

Interior: Side view of Cassandra, in mirror to the previous side view (for variety, and if you line up all of the panels on this page it gives the illusion of a camera panning around the perimeter of the room). The shadow is still cast over her, but now Bruce’s hand is gently holding up Cassandra’s chin as she stares at him defiantly but sadly.

THOUGHT CAPTION 17 (Batgirl): “I EXPECTED THE LECTURE. I HAD PREPARED MYSELF FOR IT–”

BRUCE 18: “CASSANDRA, YOU’RE NOT THE SAME AS I AM. YOU WORK DIFFERENTLY. IF YOU HANDLE YOUR EMOTIONS BETTER THEN I DO…SO BE IT.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 19 (Batgirl): “HUH?”

 

——-
PAGE 17
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PANEL 1

Interior: View into Cassandra’s eyes, Bruce’s shadow still over her. Her eyes light up as Bruce continues complimenting her progress.

BRUCE 1: “YOU DO VERY WELL AS BATGIRL, CASSANDRA. YOU HAVE THE COURAGE TO DO THINGS I NEVER COULD DO–”

BRUCE 2: “–AND WHILE BATMAN IS FEARED BY EVERYONE…PEOPLE SEEM TO LIKE BATGIRL.”
PANEL 2

Interior: View between Cassandra and Bruce, toward the door to the room. They’re both looking toward the door. Standing in the doorway is Alfred.

ALFRED 3: “DINNER IS SERVED, MISS CASSANDRA. MASTER BRUCE.”
PANEL 3

Interior: Bruce, is still standing where he was, Alfred is still standing where he was (in the doorway). Cassandra is slipping past Alfred into the hallway, headed toward the dining room. View is up to the artist to decide.
PANEL 4

Interior: Bruce is now standing closer to Alfred, who’s still in the doorway. They’re looking at each other, and Bruce is smiling as if they have a secret between them.
PANEL 5

Interior: Alfred is standing in the doorway as Bruce walks past him into the hallway.

ALFRED 4: “EXCELLENT, MASTER BRUCE. YOU GAVE HER MY SPEECH NEARLY WORD FOR WORD.”
PANEL 6

Interior: View from down the hall, Bruce is approaching the “camera”. He’s shaking his head, but his eyes say that he’s trying not to laugh. Alfred is walking behind him, with an amused smile on his face.

 

——-
PAGE 18
——-

PANEL 1

Interior: Overhead view of Bruce Wayne’s office. His sitting at the desk in the nearly dark office, lit only by a computer screen. He’s holding up a microphone.

BRUCE 1: “Record.”

BRUCE 2: “CASSANDRA APPEARS UNABLE TO SUPPRESS HER EMOTIONS AS BATGIRL, TO SEPERATE HERSELF FROM HER WORK.”

BRUCE 3: “BUT IT’S NOT AS BAD AS IT SOUNDS…HER FEELINGS SEEM TO AUGMENT HER INSTINCTS AND SKILLS SOMEHOW.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Cassandra, off-panel): “EVERY NIGHT HE WOULD LOCK HIMSELF IN HIS OFFICE AND TALK TO HIMSELF ABOUT ME FOR A HALF HOUR OR SO.”
PANEL 2

Interior: View from just in front of the desk. Bruce is now leaning back a little in his chair, holding the microphone just in front of his chin.

BRUCE 5: “THE FACT THAT SHE’S ALMOST AS GOOD AS I AM AT THIS…AND IN SOME WAYS BETTER…IT MAKES ME START TO…RETHINK MY OWN METHODS.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Cassandra, off-panel): “HIS OWN APPROACH TO HIS WORK IS TO BE AS SCIENTIFIC AND ANALYTICAL AS POSSIBLE. MY OWN STYLE IS MORE…CHAOTIC.”
PANEL 3

Interior: View from the side of the desk. You can see a dark form of Cassandra in the background, but Bruce hasn’t noticed yet.

BRUCE 7: “SHE’S A LOT LIKE ME, BUT NOTHING LIKE ME AS WELL. I’D FIGURED OUT DICK AND TIM QUICKLY…EVEN BARBARA DIDN’T TAKE THIS LONG TO FIGURE OUT.”

BRUCE 8: “CASSANDRA’S A MYSTERY TO ME–”
PANEL 4

Interior: Close-up of Bruce’s nose and mouth, with light from the computer screen streaked across. The microphone is just below his mouth.

BRUCE 9: “AND LIKE EVERY GOOD DETECTIVE, I FEEL I MUST SOLVE THIS MYSTERY.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 10 (Cassandra, off-panel): “HE SPENT A LOT OF TIME TALKING ABOUT ME. EITHER HE SAW ME AS A THREAT–”
PANEL 5

Interior: View from the side of Bruce’s head, toward the spot where the dark shadow of Cassandra was standing. Bruce is looking toward the spot. He just noticed her.

BRUCE 11: “I KNOW YOU’RE HERE, CASSANDRA. COME ON OUT.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 12 (Cassandra, off panel): “–OR HE WAS WORRIED SICK ABOUT ME.”
PANEL 6

Interior: Small panel of Bruce’s hand reaching for the switch on his desk lamp.
PANEL 7

Interior: Overhead view. Bruce is now standing up behind his desk, microphone still in hand. The office is filled with light, and he sees that he’s the only one in the room. Cassandra’s gone.

BRUCE 13: “Clever. Very clever.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 14 (Cassandra, off panel): “ONLY TIME WOULD TELL.”

 

——-
PAGE 19
——-

PANEL 1

Exterior: Batgirl is standing atop that same ol’ apartment building next to the same ol’ corner again. You know, the one where she kicked some butt the last time out. The view is from behind her and angled downward as she’s crouched down on top of the roof, watching over the street below. Not a soul is out there but her.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “SEEING THIS PLACE MAKES ME SAD. THIS NEIGHBORHOOD USED TO BE SO ALIVE.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “CHILDREN USED TO PLAY IN THE STREETS AT NIGHT. PARENTS WOULD SIT ON THEIR PORCHES, HAVING TO WORRY ONLY ABOUT MOSQUITO BITES.”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Close-up view of an old woman twisting closed the venetian blinds covering the inside of her window.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “BUT SOMETHING CHANGED. THIS PLACE WAS NOW RULED BY FEAR, WHERE PEOPLE HIDE BEHIND CLOSED BLINDS AND LOCKED DOORS.”
PANEL 3

Exterior: Ground-level view of the same ol’ blue Buick driving up to the corner, again. These idiots never learn, do they?

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “FEAR CREATED BY COWARDS. PEOPLE WHO ABUSE THEIR POWER, AND PREY ON THE WEAK FOR THEIR OWN ENTERTAINMENT.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl): “IT TAKES REAL POWER TO PROTECT THE WEAK. TO CARE–”
PANEL 4

Exterior: View from in front of Batgirl as she’s crouching next to the roof’s edge, the light from the street below shining on her dark costume. A familiar shadow is looming behind her – Batman. Batgirl knows who it is, she’s not even reacting to his presence right away.
PANEL 5

Exterior: Batgirl is now standing on her feet, looking up at Batman. Her body language telegraphs the fear that Batman will send her home.

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl): “I KNEW I WASN’T SUPPOSED TO BE THERE…BUT SOMETIMES YOU JUST HAVE TO DO WHAT YOU FEEL YOU NEED TO.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 7 (Batgirl): “BUT NOW THAT HE HAD FOUND ME, I WAS SURE HE WOULD SEND ME HOME…TO LEAVE THESE PEOPLE UNPROTECTED.”

BATMAN 8: “SOMETIMES YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW YOUR FEELINGS. LET’S GO, YOUR LEAD.”
PANEL 6

Exterior: View is from just in front of Batgirl as she jumps off the edge of the building, her cape billowing out since she’s using it as a parachute. She’s smiling a little, has a little mischief in her eyes. You can see Batman’s dark form on the roof just behind her.

THOUGHT CAPTION 9 (Batgirl): “WHY HE WAS SO RESONABLE THAT NIGHT–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 10 (Batgirl): “I WOULD NEVER KNOW.”

 

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PAGE 20
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PANEL 1

Exterior: View from the ground. The 19-year-old who’s obviously too stupid to be alive is standing next to his car (the door’s open, because he just stepped out) looking upward, watching Batgirl diving toward him feet first. He’s pulling a pistol from his jacket.

19-YEAR-OLD 1: “WHAT THE–”

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “SOME PEOPLE JUST DON’T LEARN–”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Close up view of Batgirl’s boots having a short and painful meeting with the 19-year-old’s face.
PANEL 3

Exterior: Close up of the 19-year-old’s face bloodied, hitting the sidewalk at an awkward and painful angle.
PANEL 4

Exterior: Close up of the 19-year-old’s face, bloodied, with blood dripping out of his mouth. He still has a defiant look in his eyes.

19-YEAR OLD 3: “YOU’RE GONNA PAY FOR THAT!”
PANEL 5

Exterior: Slightly less close up shot of the 19-year-old. His eyes are now looking up, and are filled with fear. The large shadow of Batman is looming over him.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “–NO MATTER THE TEACHER.”
PANEL 6

Exterior: Close up of Batman’s gloved hand snatching the 19-year-old by his shirt, lifting him abruptly. You can see his head jerk back from being unexpectedly yanked off the ground.

THOUGHT CAPTION 5 (Batgirl): “THEN AGAIN, SOME TEACHERS–”
PANEL 7

Exterior: Side shot of Batman holding the 19-year-old’s face only inches from his own. At the bottom of the panel, you can see his hand still holding the guy’s shirt.

BATMAN 6: “I’LL BE WATCHING YOU.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 7 (Batgirl): “–ARE MUCH MORE–

PANEL 8

Exterior: Close up of Batman’s hand smashing the guy’s head through his own car window. You can see the pain on the guy’s face.

THOUGHT CAPTION 8 (Batgirl): “EFFECTIVE.”
PANEL 9

Exterior: View from close to the ground. You can see the 19-year-old slumped next to his car, beads of safety glass all around him. His eyes look dazed. You can see Batman’s boots and the bottom of his cape heading away from the area.

THOUGHT CAPTION 9 (Batgirl): “ONLY WHERE THERE WAS ONCE CALL FOR VIOLENCE–”

 

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PAGE 21
——-

PANEL 1

Exterior: Shot of the man slumped down still, but his eyes are now fearful, and he’s holding his arms in front of him for defense. The shadow of Batgirl is cast over him.

THOUGHT CAPTION 1 (Batgirl): “–THERE IS NOW CALL FOR COMPASSION.”
PANEL 2

Exterior: Side shot of Batgirl standing in front of the man as he continues holding his defensive pose – only his eyes are no longer fearful. She’s holding her hand out to him, offering to help him to his feet.
PANEL 3

Exterior: The 19-year old is now on his feet, leaning against the car’s rear door. Batgirl is holding open the driver’s door and pointing down the street insistently.

THOUGHT CAPTION 2 (Batgirl): “TOO MUCH VIOLENCE IS NOT A GOOD THING–”
PANEL 4

Exterior: View from the front of the car. You can see the 19-year old in the driver’s seat, the car’s headlights are on. Batgirl is standing next to the car, watching.

THOUGHT CAPTION 3 (Batgirl): “–BUT NEITHER IS TOO MUCH COMPASSION.”
PANEL 5

Exterior: View from above. You can see Batman in the foreground, looking down at the scene as the car is heading up the street away from Batgirl.

THOUGHT CAPTION 4 (Batgirl): “WHAT WE EACH LOOK FOR IN LIFE–”
PANEL 6

Exterior: Wider shot from above. A few doors on the street are open, people are outside. Two people are shaking Batgirl’s gloved hands. They all seem happy that their neighborhood has been saved. Batman is still on the roof above, talking to himself.

BATMAN 5: “Amazing. Simply amazing.”

THOUGHT CAPTION 6 (Batgirl): “–IS A HAPPY MEDIUM.”

 

#4 – Medium

A dark female form stood over two neighboring graves, he cape and her head both drooped down, motionless. The only witnesses were the moon and the birds as the form heeded neither the sounds of the night nor the stiff wind caused by an approaching storm. Even a sudden flash of lightning did nothing to capture her attention.

Batgirl stood in front of those two gravestones even as rain began pelting her costume mercilessly. She stood, eyes closed, trying to fight back tears which were trying to force their way through. She had to keep control of her feelings. She had to face her fears.

As she opened her eyes to look at the two graves once again, her feelings of regret and inward turned anger gave way to a wave of loneliness. She knew was an orphan now, and had no close friends to share her thoughts with. Her mind looked back at her thoughts before she set that fateful fire – for some reason, at the time, she thought she would finally gain some control over her life. She was wrong.

Her parents’ graves would stand forever, an eternal monument to her arrogance, and her stupidity. She had taken their lives without a second thought as to how it would affect anyone besides herself. The two gravestones would stand for centuries, mocking her and every one of her future descendents. No matter what she could possibly do to try to redeem herself, it would never be remembered as long.

Batgirl turned away from the graves as she hung her head and walked back toward the cemetery’s entrance. As she paused to take one more look at the two graves, she decided – for the sake of her future, she would never return here again.

As she stepped out onto the sidewalk, she glanced upward toward the roof of a nearby building. She knew Batman was there, watching over her. But that didn’t upset her. She knew he watched over her because he saw something of himself in her – and she knew that was the one thing he didn’t trust.

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“Yo! Why don’t you mind your own damn business!” The man who uttered those words in a threatening tone couldn’t have been more then nineteen years old – and yet he had the courage to talk that way to a forty-five year old father of two who politely asked him to move somewhere else.

“I have kids, you little jerk!” The older man’s face began turning red as he screamed at the younger man in torn jeans and an oversized jacket. “You can’t stand here on my corner and sell your…your–”

“It’s a free country, man”, the younger man said as he stepped closer to the older man, “I can sell whatever I want, wherever I want. Whatcha gonna do?”

The older man frowned as he snatched the plastic bag the younger man held and threw it into the sewer. Feeling proud of himself, he stood once again to face the younger man. He thought he had prevailed.

He was wrong.

As he stood up, his forehead met the cold steel muzzle at the end of a stolen nine millimeter Baretta. He froze, trying to think of a way he could plead his way out of this. He quickly contemplated begging for his life, offering to go down into the sewer, anything to take back the last ten seconds.

“Say good night, chump.”

Three flashes of the muzzle blast filled the streets as the accompanying sharp, loud snaps echoed off seemingly every building in Gotham City. Seconds was all it took for three hunks of lead, each only nine millimeters across, to tear their way through the older man’s brain.

As the older man’s shattered skull hit the concrete sidewalk, the younger man calmly climbed into the driver’s side of his old blue Buick and drove away. He gave no thought to the older man’s two children, or the fact that he was the only source of income for his family. He gave no thought to the fact that somewhere on that street, two children’s hearts had been broken, and the woman who was his wife had just lost her will to live.

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“This used to be such a nice, quiet neighborhood. But lately–” An old woman cut off her sentence as she quickly removed a handkerchief from her purse and resumed her sobbing. She knew the man who had been shot. He was her son.

Commissioner Gordon frowned and stared up at the top of a nearby apartment building as the old woman’s words echoed in his mind. He knew what those words meant – sooner or later, Batman would hear about it – and play vigilante in this neighborhood. He immediately closed his eyes and looked down at his boots as a painful image overwhelmed him – His daughter lying in the hospital, paralyzed. He half hoped Batman would give the shooter exactly what he deserved. Both of them.

As Gordon looked back up to the top of the building again, he noticed a dark, caped form standing atop the roof. But something about this form was…different. It was smaller then Batman. And female? Gordon squinted a little as he tried to concentrate. Another Batgirl? A villain?

“Who in heck…?” Without another word, Gordon slipped away from the police units nearby and headed into the building. Pure adrenaline powered his trip up four floors to the roof, a trip he would never have thought he could make on his own without taking a break. He burst through the door only to see…nothing.

Gordon sighed as he turned slowly toward the stairs. He felt a little…rejected. Batman never ran from him – he would always stand his ground and give Gordon a chance to explain himself. He froze in mid-stride as he felt a tap on his shoulder from behind. Gordon turned slowly, expecting to see someone holding a weapon on him – but instead, it was a young woman, shorter then himself, wearing a dark bat costume. It was Batgirl.

He froze as he stared into her dark, intense, unwavering gaze. She seemed to hypnotize him with her eyes as he stood frozen, not sure what to make of her. Not sure if she was friend or foe, or what she was capable of.

Then she smiled. A warm smile, accompanied by her holding out her gloved hand in an attempt to shake Gordon’s hand. He slowly extended his own hand, and shook hers slowly.

Still smiling, Batgirl took a couple of steps away from Gordon and removed a cable launcher from her belt. She gave him a thumbs-up sign just before she launched the cable – and was gone in seconds.

Gordon smiled to himself as he watched Batgirl disappear off into the darkness. She was no danger, she was just a sweet young woman trying to follow in Batman’s footsteps, in search of justice. Just like his daughter, Barbara.

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“Record.”

Bruce didn’t even wait until he was completely seated at his desk before he activated the recording system. His mind was racing over what he saw, and he had to run through his thoughts to make some sense out of them.

“Cassandra appears to be…feeling remorse? Could she be feeling regret at killing her parents?”

He rubbed his chin briefly as he recalled the scene at Cassandra’s house during her rescue. The whole house was going up in flames, no hope to save anyone. He spotted a shadow in the window – a young woman trying to escape the searing heat of the fire closing in on her. He remembered grabbing her quickly, pulling her out of the window…and watching her promptly lose consciousness from the smoke inhalation.

“This is becoming rather…frightening, even for me. This young girl is like a dark mirror of what I was at her age – only she’s more…driven. She’s more–”

Bruce interrupted himself and slammed his hand on the ‘stop’ button as he spotted a small bat-shaped object on the corner of his desk. He had been bugged! And he knew who the culprit was – Barbara would be much more subtle, and Tim depended more on his own ears then technology.

As he stood up, he angrily ripped the listening device from the corner of the desk and began storming toward Cassandra’s room – only before he even reached the door of his darkened office, he could see the door opening slowly. He could see Cassandra’s head peeking in through the partially open door.

Suddenly at a loss for words, Bruce just stared. He was waiting for her to give an excuse, apologize, anything. She had just broken one of his cardinal rules, not to mention breaking the trust he had in her.

“Yes.”

Bruce’s frown turned into an expression of confusion and curiosity. Cassandra was trying to tell him something, but he didn’t understand. “Yes, what?”

Cassandra stepped into the room and looked down at the floor as she approached Bruce slowly. “I…I feel regret.”

Bruce’s heart sank as he watched a single tear slide off of the end of Cassandra’s nose toward the floor. He now understood – before him stood not a powerful super-hero. She was simply a young woman looking for a place in the world. She wanted only for someone to care.

“Cassandra, you’ve taken the first big step.” He held her chin up so her eyes met his as he smiled. “You want to be a crime fighter? A real crime fighter?”

Cassandra nodded a ‘yes’.

Bruce headed toward the door, turning around to face Cassandra again just before he left. “Meet me downstairs, one hour. It’s time you had some real training.”

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Cassandra entered the large room downstairs to be surprised by it’s new surroundings. Where there was once a huge dining room table was now a soft, cotton-covered white mat. At one end of the mat stood a tall, obviously very strong man wearing a white robe with a black belt around his waist. Bruce sat on the only chair in the room, at the opposite end of the mat.

Bruce smiled. “Welcome to your training lesson, Cassandra. This man, who’s a friend of mine, is a black belt in Karate. Your object is to take him down without seriously hurting him, and learn his name – if he doesn’t take you down first. My job in this is to interfere with you as much as possible.”

Bruce stood up and shoved the chair aside. “Good luck, Cassandra.”

Cassandra stood for a moment staring at Bruce, waiting for him to give some kind of signal. She quickly found that there was none – she felt a shift in the air behind her, and ducked just in time before the strange man’s foot passed only inches above her head.

She quickly charged the man and tackled him, intent on pinning him to the mat – but she was seriously outmatched in strength. The man easily threw her to the mat and leapt back to his feet. Cassandra rolled away from him quickly only to catch Bruce out of the corner of her eye, trying to reach for her feet. She curled up to avoid Bruce and then jumped to her feet quickly.

Cassandra learned by now that fighting two men who were stronger then she was meant she would have to avoid assaulting either of them directly – she would have to remain on defense, and use her wits. She turned her head back and forth quickly to see that both Bruce and the strange man were heading toward her at the same time, quickly. She also spotted the chair again – she knew it was there for her to use.

She quickly curled into a ball and rolled past Bruce as he came toward her, grabbing the legs of the chair just as she sat up. When Bruce charged toward her an instant later, she leaned the chair and jammed the back of it between Bruce’s ribs, causing him to flip over the chair to the floor. She then jumped to her feet, lifted the chair up, and hit the strange man in the face with the wooden legs, causing two of them to break off. As soon as he fell to the ground, she reached down and folded the heavy safety mat on top of him, and jumped on top of the folded mat. He was trapped.

Keeping one eye on Bruce to make sure he didn’t interfere again, she grabbed a handful of the strange man’s hair and tugged on it gently. He howled in pain. “Name?”

“M-Master San.”

Cassandra gripped his hair a little harder, twisting a little bit as he screamed in pain again. She knew he was lying. They always lie the first time. “Name?”

“Go…to hell.”

As she spotted Bruce in her peripheral vision heading toward her from behind, Cassandra let anger fill her quickly. No more playing nice, it was time for her to get tough.

She kicked the approaching Bruce in the stomach, and hit him on the chin as he fell. She then wrapped her fingers around the strange man’s neck and snatched one of the broken chair legs laying on the ground nearby. She began shoving it mercilessly into his mouth.

“Name?”

The man began frantically waving at Bruce, who was slowly trying to rise to his feet and regain his equilibrium. As usual, he did so rather quickly – only this time, instead of rushing to stop Cassandra, he opted to try and talk to her this time.

“Cassandra, stop!” Bruce stepped toward her slowly. “His name is Bob Sampson.”

Cassandra released her hand from the man’s throat and tossed the chair leg aside. She then stood up and unfolded the mat, releasing the man, and held out her hand to help him back to his feet. Naturally, he refused her help and stood up on his own.

She stood a few feet away from the two bruised and exhausted men, smiling. Bruce stared at her in bewilderment before starting to laugh out loud. ‘Bob’ began laughing a second or two after. Her smile started turning into a frown – she didn’t understand what was so funny.

“I’m sorry, Cassandra.” Bruce stepped toward her and put one hand on her shoulder. “We can’t believe you beat that training exercise so easily. Tim had trouble with it, so did Barbara. Even Dick had trouble.”

“Congratulations.” Bruce leaned closer to Cassandra and looked right into her eyes. “You’re the only person who managed to learn Bob’s name.”

Cassandra smiled brightly as her mind completed Bruce’s next sentence before it left his mouth.

“Cassandra…You’re ready.”

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Curtains and blinds were instantaneously closed along a residential street as a blue Buick slowed to a stop on the corner. The same corner still stained with the blood of a man who wanted only to protect his family, and his neighbors. He learned the hard way that often no good deed goes unpunished.

The same nineteen year old man stepped out of the car and lit a cigarette in his mouth, carelessly tossing the match onto someone’s manicured lawn. He didn’t care – he was there on business. A smile curled on his face as he could plainly see the residents of the street peeking out at him from behind their blinds. He laughed to himself – they thought they were safe, but he could take any and all of them down at any time. He knew at least one of them had already called the cops – but he didn’t care. Cops were only human, they died just as easily as anyone else.

He held his breath and turned quickly as a car approached from behind him, and then exhaled as he realized it was only his ‘customer’. He walked up to the car and leaned in the window. “Got the money?”

The man inside the car bowed his head, giving away his answer as an obvious ‘no’. “Frank, I…”

“Don’t call me that, deadbeat.” Frank lit another cigarette, tossing the burning remains of his old one into the car of his ‘customer’. “You know what I do to deadbeats?”

“Don’t, please…”

With one swift motion, Frank removed a nine millimeter pistol from behind his coat, the light from a nearby street glinting off of it’s steel surface as he brought it level with the head of his ‘customer’, who was now babbling and begging for his life.

Just as he began to squeeze the trigger, a black wing-shaped piece of metal hit his hand, knocking the gun to the ground. “What the–”

He leaned over to grab the gun off the ground only to be hit on the chin by what felt like a very powerful fist, and knocked flat onto the concrete sidewalk. Fear began to fill him as his mind put the ingredients together – he was sure he had finally met the infamous Batman. Frank looked up at his assailant as he leaned on his elbows for leverage. He then realized that it was no man who assaulted him, but a woman – Batgirl.

Frank smiled mischievously as he tried to return to his feet – only Batgirl’s boot immediately pinned his shoulder to the ground painfully.

Batgirl turned around quickly as she heard the doors open on the blue Buick. Three more thugs were exiting the car, each carrying a nine millimeter pistol. Batgirl knew she could easily disarm them all – but with innocent civilians so close by, she couldn’t take the risk of even one stray bullet.

She fired a cable launcher at a nearby apartment building and sped skyward as the launcher retracted it’s cable. If they were going to shoot, she had to keep them firing skyward. She wanted to make sure there were no innocent casualties.

She kneeled down and glared at the four thugs from the top of the apartment building, watching them squint toward her with their guns pointed skyward – they couldn’t see her in the dark. More cowards. They appeared to be everywhere these days. Batgirl waited patiently for the four of them to either split up or cluster together – either way, she would have the advantage.

As soon as the four crashed through the glass front door of the apartment building, Batgirl tensed a little bit – they were on their way up to the roof. But she still had the advantage – the roof was not lighted, and she had the element of surprise. She raced over to the small shack which housed the door between the stairway and the roof, jumping on top of it and crouching down. They’d never think to look there.

Batgirl waited calmly as the door opened and they began to step onto the roof, one by one. She wanted them all out in the open, in her world. That way she would be able to target them swiftly and silently. As soon as the last of the four stepped through the door, she leapt at them feet first. Batgirl knocked them all off of their feet like a row of dominoes collapsing on top of each other.

The first of the four to reach for his gun was met with a fist on the side of his head, the second a boot to the forehead. She was quickly losing patience with their persistence as she snatched the third by the back of his shirt, tossing him as far as her strength allowed.

As Batgirl turned to the other three again, she watched them freeze in wide eyed horror, just before she heard a terrified scream behind her. A quick glance behind her told her what they already knew – the man she quickly tossed out of the way had gone right over the side of the building.

Knowing she had the advantage now, Batgirl smiled at the other three men standing in front of her. She took a step toward them – they took a step back. Feeling more confident, she lunged toward them. As soon as she did, the three raced for the stairway, nearly tripping over each other to get out of her way. They were so frightened, they even left their guns behind. Batgirl carefully picked each of them up, slipping them behind her belt – she wanted to make sure no children found them lying there.

She stepped toward the edge of the roof, looking down toward the street to see the three tearing away in their cars. They didn’t even stop to check on their friend who fell off the roof.

Batgirl glided down to the street as she noticed the man who fell lying on the pavement, one of his hands twitching – he was still alive! As soon as her feet touched the ground, she kneeled down to examine him. He was still breathing, though unconscious. He needed medical help badly – and she couldn’t take him to a hospital herself, it was too dangerous to move him.

She remembered seeing a telephone just inside the window of a ground-floor apartment behind her. She turned quickly, punched through the glass window without a second thought, and threw the telephone handset on the floor. She then dialed nine-one-one. A dead-air call would alert both the police and a rescue unit to show up.

Silence filled the entire neighborhood as it’s residents started to slowly come out to watch Batgirl kneel down silently next to this stranger, holding his hand as distant sirens approached quickly. She wasn’t going to leave him to let him die alone on the cold pavement. To hell with Bruce’s rules.

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“They could have arrested you, Cassandra. They could have discovered your identity.”

Bruce paced the room angrily as Cassandra stood silent with her arms folded, watching him with her eyes. He didn’t understand. He never would.

“Cassandra.” Bruce stepped in front of her, and looked down into the same deep brown eyes which had been following him around the room. “If you’re arrested and discovered, there will be no more Batgirl…Ever. Understand?”

Cassandra frowned and looked at the floor. She closed her eyes for a second as an image appeared in her mind of the man she ‘rescued’, lying on a stretcher, his eyes open. She saw so much sadness and confusion in those eyes, as if he was grateful, but couldn’t understand why Batgirl had come to his rescue.

“What’s wrong?”

As she reopened her eyes, she could see Bruce standing in front of her. She could feel a tear rolling down her cheek slowly. More a tear of frustration then sadness – she wanted so badly for Bruce to understand how she felt, what she saw…It was something that touched her to her soul, made her feel like a real hero. And yet here she was afterward, being made to feel ashamed for her actions.

“Are you okay, Cassandra? Do you feel sick?”

Cassandra shook her head ‘no’ as she turned a defiant gaze up to meet Bruce’s eyes. “I care.”

“You care? About what?” Bruce was a little intrigued now that he got Cassandra to talk to him for the second time today.

“People. My work.” Cassandra sat down on Bruce’s desk and hung her head. She felt a little ashamed to admit her weakness to Bruce, who told her every day that she must remain objective and out of touch with her feelings when taking the role of Batgirl. He always said that emotions cause irrational actions, which could get them both killed. She always knew something was wrong with that – and now, more then ever.

Bruce sighed. “I understand. You’re letting your feelings get involved with your work.”

Cassandra nodded a ‘yes’.

Bruce walked over to Cassandra and lifted her chin to meet her eye-to-eye. “Cassandra, you’re not the same as I am. You work differently. If you work better with your emotions then I do – and you can control them better – then so be it.”

Cassandra looked at Bruce with a little surprise over his sudden change in attitude. Could he no longer be obsessed with making everyone a mirror of himself?

“You do well as Batgirl, Cassandra.” Bruce took a step back as Cassandra slid off the desk, to her feet. “You have the courage to do things I never could do. And while Batman is just feared by everyone…People like Batgirl.”

Cassandra smiled, and turned her head to see that Alfred had just entered the room.

“Dinner is served, Miss Cassandra. Master Bruce.”

After Cassandra raced into the dining room ahead of the other two, Bruce stopped in the doorway. “How did I do, Alfred?”

Alfred smiled. “Excellent, Master Bruce. You gave her my speech almost word for word.”

Bruce laughed and shook his head as he headed toward the dining room. He didn’t let Alfred’s humor diminish his good mood – he was happy to finally understand Cassandra a little better.

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“Record.”

As was traditional for Bruce, he spend almost every evening after dinner recording his thoughts…just in case.

“Cassandra appears to be unable to suppress her emotions as Batgirl, to separate herself from her work. But it’s not as bad as it sounds – her feelings seem to augment her instincts and skills somehow.”

Bruce paused in thought for a moment. Could he have been wrong all along? Could using his own emotions help him now that he has the experience?

“Her methods give her a little unpredictability, however. She may ignore important orders, or jump into a dangerous situation without looking–”

He shuddered for a moment at the thought of what could happen. But then he reminded himself that so far, it hasn’t happened. Cassandra always seemed to be able to take care of herself somehow, in a way even he didn’t fully understand.

“The fact that she’s almost as good as I am at this…and in some ways better…it sometimes makes me start to…rethink my own methods.”

Methods. He had to pause at the sound of that word. It made his work seem almost mechanical, scientific in nature. Cassandra, on the other hand, was more of a natural, her style more chaotic. Bruce sighed before he continued.

“Cassandra is a lot like me, but nothing like me as well. I figured out Dick and Tim very quickly…even Barbara didn’t take this long to figure out. Cassandra’s a mystery to me. And like every good detective…I feel I must solve this mystery–”

Bruce put down his microphone and frowned as he suddenly realized that something was different. He suddenly realized that he wasn’t the only one breathing in the room. Simple deduction told him exactly who it was.

“I know you’re here, Cassandra. Come on out.”

Only silence answered Bruce as he slowly reached for the switch on his desk lamp. He turned it on, filling the room with a pale yellow glow – only Cassandra was gone.

Bruce smiled. “Clever. Very clever.”

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Batgirl stood high atop an apartment building, watching an old blue Buick drive up to the corner slowly. She glanced around the neighborhood quickly, and it made her sad. A formerly quiet neighborhood where kids would be outside playing, where parents would be sitting on porches being eaten alive by mosquitoes – it had been reduced to a neighborhood of fear, where people hid behind locked doors and drawn blinds.

She watched the car come to a stop as her fists clenched in anger. All of the fear surrounded this one coward and his friends. That’s what they were – only cowards prey on the weak for their own entertainment. It takes real strength to protect those within your reach.

Batgirl didn’t even move a muscle as she sensed someone walking up behind her. She knew exactly who it was by the sound of his footsteps, and of the wind tossing his cape – Batman. She was not surprised that he knew where she went, but she wondered why he came to help. She turned to face Batman, her eyes silently asking the question on her mind.

Batman put one hand on her shoulder. “Sometimes you have to follow your feelings. Let’s go, your lead.”

Batgirl smiled as she leapt off of the edge of the building, using her cape to glide gently down to the roof of the blue Buick just as it’s owner climbed out of the driver’s side.

“What the–” The man drew his pistol just in time for his chin and nose to meet Batgirl’s boot. He fell to the sidewalk, his broken nose and scratched up chin bleeding onto the concrete.

“You’re gonna pay for that”, he sputtered as he tried to spit the blood out of his mouth. Just as those words left his mouth, he saw a shadow hanging over him. Before he had a chance to look to see what it was, he felt himself being lifted up abruptly by his shirt collar. He began to shake uncontrollably, as he now realized that he was face to face with his worst fear – Batman.

“I’ll be watching you.” Those were the only words Batman said to the man before slamming his head into the side window of the car, and leaving him to slump to the sidewalk among beads of broken safety glass.

Once the man’s vision focused, he could see that Batman was gone – but Batgirl was still standing over him. The man cringed and held his arm up to try and shield himself from her inevitable assault. A second later, he realized there would be no such assault – she was holding her hand out, offering to help him to his feet.

As soon as she pulled the man up to his feet, she pointed at his car and then down the street. The man reluctantly climbed back into his car and began driving away. Just as she guessed, he was reluctant to try and argue with her in his condition.

Batman stood high atop the apartment building across from where Batgirl stood on the street. He watched the old Buick drive away. He watched people coming out of their homes, as porch lights began slowly filling the streets with light. He watched people shake Batgirl’s gloved hands. They all wanted to meet her, to thank the one who helped to save their neighborhood.

He smiled to himself and shook his head as he turned to head home. “Amazing. Simply amazing.”

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