Chapter 65 Bad News Just Keeps On Coming
"There's a ninety percent chance that Batman already considers the Axiom outside Gotham an eyesore. What you plan to do will possibly push him to the edge".
"Then let it. He can jump off the edge if he decides to for all I care. When Wayne industries show me proof of ownership over Gotham city, then we'll talk. Until then, this topic isn't even up for debate".
"Do you seriously not intend to do anything about general Lane?"
"Nope. Let's wait until Lex develops a mini Skynet first".
A figure sat on a tall building, seemingly chatting with no one in a carefree tone.
The male suddenly paused, turned his head towards another direction, then smirked in amazement.
"And..... The bad news keeps on coming".
".... Indeed,".
"Tsk tsk..... Too bad, Bruce isn't here. If Bruce knew this was what would become of him, he would probably write down a long list of dos and don'ts for the Bat family".
"Alice... With the general trend of things, what are the chances that she'll get crippled, like in the original timeline?"
"... I have no knowledge of future events but according to my....."
"Wait! Sorry I asked. Don't answer that".
"..."
....
Elsewhere...
Barbara Gordon landed on a rooftop before jumping down. Releasing her cape to form look alike bat wings, her rapid descent was reduced as she landed in an alley in a kneeling posture.
Disabling her suit's gliding function, she walked with quick steps towards the darkest area in the alley.
In a narrow corner within the shadows, a large object was covered with a black tarp.
Barbara pulled the tarp off, revealing her standardized escape vehicle.
The Ricochet.
A Tri-wheeled motorized vehicle with a capsule like compartment lying parallel to the ground and a handlebar steering system similar to a motorcycle.
"Come on, Girl, we have a clown to bust". The hatch on the vehicle's roof opened up, granting Batgirl access.
The Ricochet was powered up, evident by the purple light on its surfaces. Batgirl hopped into the pod shaped vehicle with a bit of anxiety on her features.
Turning on the computer system of the Vehicle linked to the Batcave, she nimbly set up a timer on the screen.
One hour.
She only had one hour to find The Joker before "he" decides to take matters into his hands.
Of course, to make sure the Joker doesn't end up meeting a miserable fate, she could only do her best and arrest him before the timer runs out
Barbara reaffirmed herself on her objectives.
Find the Joker.
Put a stop to his plans.
Arrest him and take him to jail.
Not only saving the city, but also proving her capabilities in the process. Who knows, maybe by doing so, she would be invited to join the Justice League.
Right!
This was all about doing the right thing and showing that she was just as capable as he was. Just as good as any official hero on the Justice League.
She was a superhero on the hunt for a villain.
As for the part about being in love with Bruce... What utter nonsense. Whether she felt that way or not, Barbara would never admit it, even if the Joker beat her to death with a crowbar.
"He must be trying to get under my skin. How irritating….". Barbara said to herself.
"Robin to Batgirl, do you copy?"
It happened then.
Just as she was contemplating, the sound of her colleague fell into her ears.
Barbara's eyes widened before regaining composure, setting her fingers on the earbuds installed within her cowl.
"I'm here Robin? What's happening?"
"Where are you?"
Finally getting through, Dick yelled at the top of his lungs, causing Barbara to instinctively wince.
...
Downtown
Gotham docks...
Robin leaped into the air with a backflip, dodging several ninja throwing stars aiming for his life in the process.
Upon landing steadily on his feet, the boy wonder crossed his arms. Within his fingers were four "Birdarangs" which he had procured from his utility belt while midair.
The four weapons let out a tuning sound as a red light appeared at their centers before he threw them out with precise accuracy.
The two darkly dressed figures in the distance evaded with no delay, dodging the attacks.
However, upon coming in contact with something, the birdarangs suddenly exploded.
BOOM!
Dust and debris flew in all directions. The explosion wasn't meaningless, as the shockwave effectively hit his opponent's, blasting them several meters away.
Before Robin could take a breath, he turned his head to the side.
Two burly figures wearing hoods and their faces covered with masks appeared on top of the large metal container to his left.
Not only that, they were armed with guns.
Bang! Bang!
Robin quickly took to his heels as numerous bullets swept towards his direction.
The evasive continued until he took shelter behind a large crate.
"Argh! Dammit". Robin cussed as he felt the pain. Thankfully, his suit was made of heavy Kevlar weave and the bullets didn't hit any key areas without protection.
If not, he would probably have to worry about bleeding out to death.
"Thank you Batman". He thought inwardly.
The voice of Batgirl came through the com link.
"I... I had something which needed my attention. Thankfully, I stopped it". Barbara answered with a bit of evasion.
She frowned right after hearing the sounds of heavy gunfire.
"What's going on? Where are you?"
"At the docks". Robin replied with a hiss.
"Got some company with me. We're playing tag, and they like to play rough".
"Hang on, I'm on my way". The Ricochet sped out of the alley, into the Gotham streets, reaching a speed of 300 km/h in seconds.
The central GPS had already opened a map, charting course for the docks.
"No don't". Several pieces of wood were chipped off under the rapid bullet offensive. Robin tilted his head to the side slightly.
Raising his close to his face, a holographic projection of a keyboard and monitor appeared above his arm.
"I can take care of myself. You, on the other hand, have somewhere else to be".
"You're under heavy fire. You could get injured or worse. Just hold on". Barbara didn't listen and continued to drive towards his location.
"Don't worry about me. I got these guys covered. Worry about your dad".
He immediately began typing furiously on the holographic screen like a well-experienced keyboard warrior.
"My dad? What happened to my dad?" Barbara frowned, an ominous premonition coming over her".
"Don't you know? The GCPD's been hit. I received a distress signal sent out from the building twenty minutes after you went silent. Been too busy to check it out".
"Oh no!". Barbara's eyes went wide, followed by high anxiety, worry, and fear.
Her dad was in the GCPD.
Without so much as a second thought, Barbara immediately turned the wheel. The Ricochet made a one hundred and eighty-degree turn before moving forward at full speed in the opposite direction.
"Damn! This city's getting worse by the minute". Back at the docks, Robin complained. The heavy fire hadn't ceased in the slightest.
Robin pulled out a special Birdarang from his utility belt with a pondering expression on his face.
"Should I call for backup?" His hands moved while his mind was in deep thought, throwing the explosive weapon amidst heavy fire.
BOOM!
...
Gotham City Police Department.
The distance between her location and the GCPD was quite a distance away. Still, with the speed of her vehicle, she reached her destination under ten minutes.
Barbara slammed heavily in the brakes, bringing The Ricochet to a slamming stop in front of The GCPD building.
The sight that entered her eyes caused her face to grow pale.
The front doors of the building were nowhere to be found..... Oh wait, there they were.
Outside on the other end of the Street. One of it, anyway.
The windows were shattered due to gunfire. Barbara ran into the building with haste.
Stepping in, she covered her mouth in shock and despair at the sight unfolding before her eyes.
Officers..... Dozens of them. All of them sprawled on the floor, their faces filled with crazy grins.
She didn't know if they were dead, but some of them were still alive. She could tell due to the momentary twitching on their grinning faces.
Many had bloody holes on their bodies. They smiled even in death, their cheeks expanding, their faces smiling too wide for it.
Barbara was silent with fear as she walked deeper into the building with cautious footing.
"Cough Cough..... I….".
"Who?" Barbara called out vigilantly. The sound of someone coughing had alerted her.
"... Here". She turned her head to the side. There laid a police officer, female. Her features weren't anything outstanding and could even be said to be quite ordinary.
"Officer... What happened here?"
Barbara bent down quickly. Concern and worry written all over her face.
In fact, she had some clues already. The officers here all died smiling. Even this one that was among the few still alive.
She had that same grinning smile, strained cheeks with a panic induced madness in her eyes.
Her chest had two bloody holes. Probably bullet wounds, and her mouth was stained with blood.
Unless taken to a hospital immediately, she most likely wouldn't live long.
Barbara had encountered something like this before.
And in Gotham city where there lived a maniacal, comedy obsessed clown, only one super villain would dare use laughing gas.
The Joker.
"It.... It was him". Despite smiling, the officer still manages to put coherent words into a sentence.
The "him" needed no clarification.
".... Can... Can you tell me what happened to chief Gordon?" Barbara asked with a trembling voice.
"Chief?... He.... he took him. Cough Cough.... brought his goons and gassed us. Left some of..... us alive to spread the news...". She uttered with a pale face.
Barbara's mind went blank.
Sure enough, this had happened. Her worst fears had come true.
Batgirl felt her body tremble slightly. Her father had fallen into the hands of that monster.
Who knows what would happen to him.
At that moment, the female officer weakly raised her hand and pointed towards the ceiling.
"He..... left a message... on camera….said he would... be waiting for .....". The officer didn't have the chance to finish her words.
On this day, in the Gotham City Police Department, a woman drew her last breath.