Goren stood behind the police blockade and stared down Killer Croc. He knew full well that in a one-on-one match, the man-beast would tear him to shreds, but Goren wasn't alone. Before him were fifteen of Gotham's finest with rifles poised and ready to fire at the slightest twitch, and another dozen waiting in the side streets. Croc's thick hide may be strong enough to shrug off rifle rounds, but under sustained fire? The murderer wouldn't stand a chance. At least, that's what Goren hoped.
"Surrender, Jones!" Goren commanded into his megaphone again. "Comply and we get this over with quickly. No one's got to get hurt here."
Croc growled but said nothing.
Next to Goren, Elden sighed. "He's not giving up. This is a regular standoff. We can't approach." Elden stuck another wad of gum into his mouth and began to chew vigorously. "But he can't make a move or we will light him up. Where do we go from here?"
"I have no idea," Goren responded. "We can try and wait for some big guns to arrive but other than that, the best we can do is just keep him here. At least he's away from water. Saves us from him trying to escape."
"You've forgotten about the sewers, Lee." Elden pointed to the sewer grate between the blockade and Croc.
"If he tries to go in, we will light him up. Policy be damned."
From behind, the two men heard a flutter of cloth and, in surprise, turned their heads back and skyward. Descending from the sky like two angels of darkness were the Bat and Bird. The dynamic duo landed on the ground, seemingly melting into the blacktop, then rose slowly giving the appearance of rising from a body of dark liquid. Batman's ice-white eyes stared at the scene across the barricade, taking in every detail. Robin's own eyes addressed the police chief.
"Chief." Batman's voice was a low rumble like thunder. "How long has he been standing here?"
Elden was at a loss for words and Goren was the first to shake off the surprise. "We started at the bridge. Someone reported him swimming towards, then climbing up one of the columns. An officer on the bridge at that time responded. She chased him further into the city. He lost us for a time, but we caught up to him here." Goren pointed to the building Croc was currently standing in front of. "Gotham Central Academy. He was just coming out with that bag. No idea what's in it."
"Yes, but how long has he been here?" Batman restated his question.
"We've had him stuck here for about ten or so minutes, Batman." Goren turned to look at Croc and exhaled sharply.
Batman watched Croc intently. Waylon Jones was not a complicated person. When cornered, the unfortunate man would often fight. Him staying put was not a hand that he often played. Something wasn't right. "Let's talk with him then." Batman moved forward, Robin following.
"No dice, Batman." Elden found his voice. "We tried to, but he hasn't said a word. He's not talking to anyone."
"He'll talk to me," Batman growled.
And that was the end of the conversation. Batman and Robin walked steadily forward, passing stunned officers as they went. Whispers were quickly carried through. Was that really the Batman? And is that Robin with him? Are things truly returning to how they were before? Is he going to fight Croc, or will he try to reason with the man-thing?
At the front of the barricade, Batman and Robin paused. Croc's eyes narrowed and he hunched as if to jump forward. Instantly, all officers were back on alert. They raised their rifles to their eyes and there were audible clicks as weapons were primed.
Batman tilted his head to Robin. It was imperceptible. "How's your side?" His question was barely audible. "Hang back if you don't feel up to—"
Robin stepped past the Bat and barriers. He could almost feel Batman's ghost of a smile at the move. In another second, he was joined by his mentor. They were now shoulder to shoulder, a second barricade; a more impervious barricade.
"Croc," Batman said the pseudonym loud and clear like the crack of a whip.
Waylon took a step forward and a warning shot was fired. The rifle bullet flew by Croc's head and thudded harmlessly into the concrete stairs behind him. The message was clear, take one step forward and the police would not hesitate to open fire.
Robin looked passed Croc at the bullet that had been fired. Using the tech in his cowl, he was able to gather information on the round fired; its assumed weight, how far it had embedded itself into the concrete, and how fast it had been traveling. Once he had the specs, he sent the data to Alfred. Within seconds, the data had been analyzed by the BatCave's AI and returned. Robin leaned to Batman. "Police are mistaken, Batman. The rounds they've loaded up wouldn't be enough to penetrate Croc's hide."
"Aware," Batman replied quietly. "I saw one of the ammunition boxes in a squad car on the walk here. Croc could easily shrug off whatever they've currently got. The question is, why hasn't he?"
"You have a theory?"
"I hope you're ready for crazy." Batman opened his hand slowly.
Robin sighed. "It's been that kind of night."
"Gas him." Like a gunslinger, Batman drew his bat-claw from his belt and fired the line directly at Croc.
With cat-like grace, Croc dodged to the side and launched himself forward to Robin, jaws wide open. He landed where Robin had been standing. In confusion, he looked for his missing quarry and caught sight of Robin seemingly flying into the air with his hand tucked to his side. In a flash, Robin threw out a number of marble-sized items. Croc stepped to dodge them, but felt a boot kick behind his knee, ruining any chance of escape.
The sleeping gas pellets struck Killer Croc's face and detonated, covering his head with a thick cloud of knockout gas. Batman turned to the police. "Do not open fire!" he commanded.
One of the officers lowered his rifle and another near him looked at him. "Wilkes! What do you think you're doing?"
Officer Wilkes looked to his fellow sister in blue. "Hey, Batman says not to fire, who am I to go over his head?" Wilkes looked forward. "He knows what he's doin'."
Batman looked back to Croc. The villain was staggering around before him, swiping at the air-borne powder. Robin landed next to Batman and nudged his mentor.
"Theory confirmed?"
"That's the highest dosage we got," Batman said. "We will see if he plays his role to a T or not."
Suddenly, a shot rang out. The bullet struck Croc right between the eyes, the impact caving in his skull. All eyes turned to the shooter. The policewoman next to Officer Wilkes was ready to squeeze off another round when he snatched the rifle from her hands.
"What do you think you're doing, LaVerne?" Wilkes cried out.
"Our jobs, Rodney," LaVerne replied, annoyed. "We had orders to shoot if the creep moved. Well, guess what? He moved."
"LaVerne!" Elden marched to the two. "We're going to have to have a word about orders and trigger discipline!"
As the feud continued, Batman turned his attention back to the threat and grimaced. "Theory confirmed."
"Sounds about right," Robin added wearily as he readied himself to move.
Croc stood, forehead a muddled mess of flesh and scale, and swayed in place with his jagged jaw hanging open limply. For a moment, it seemed as if the body would collapse, but then something happened. Croc began laughing. It sent a chill down each officer's spine and seemed to cast a spell of silence over the surrounding area. A moment later, a pillar of flesh shot out from Croc's chest, headed straight for Batman and Robin. The two heroes leaped to the side and then circled back to face 'Killer Croc'.
"You never could nail Croc's voice, could you?" Batman's eyes narrowed. "Clayface."
The body of 'Croc' twisted and melted into slag, then morphed into a strange orange-brown golem. Clayface's head swirled into place, replacing Croc's face with his own, and soon his body and joints twisted to face the dynamic duo. His chortle died out after the transformation, and he spit out the bullet. "What gave me away, Bats? I thought I was doing a good job. Would have even fallen asleep to convince ya."
Batman shook his head. "I'm not that naive."
"Why are you here?" Robin called out, impatient for an answer. "And why look like Croc? I mean, I know any face is better looking than your mug, but Croc? You could do so much better."
Clayface glowered at the Teen Wonder, and his hands shifted into a spike and mallet pair. "Your kid's got quite the mouth, Bats." He shot his spiked arm at Robin. "How about I teach him some manners?"
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Diana held the forceps up to the light and inspected the bullet she'd just removed from the side of the girl on the table. She had seen many bullets in her day, and though she never was a firearms expert, she knew when a bullet was not… right. This one was too bright, too strange. Almost as if it hadn't been cast from normal Earth metals. Regardless, the round was out, and Diana could release the breath she'd been holding since she'd begun the work. But the stranger on the table wasn't saved yet.
She looked back at her patient and examined the wound again. It had been cleaned haphazardly by Robin, likely due to time constraints, and Diana had had to clean it properly. Now with the bullet out, she could move on to what was probably the more worrying part: fixing the damage done. With the bullet removed, the girl would be more vulnerable to quick movements. It would take weeks, if not months, of bed rest to fully recover. Not only would that be difficult for the girl to explain to her parents — who no doubt did not know their little one was fighting the unrelenting tide of crime in Gotham — but Diana didn't think the girl herself would be satisfied with sitting on the sidelines for so long.
"No, you wouldn't be happy with that at all, would you, little sister?" Diana asked the unconscious form. No, Diana had something else in mind, but she was not sure it would work. She sat on the ground before the poor girl, cross-legged, and floated slowly up until she was level with the table. Then she closed her eyes. Asclepius, please hear me. Her breath slowed as she began to meditate. Hear my plea. It has been so long since I have prayed, and I know I am no longer deserving—
"You are right."
Diana was startled to hear a response to her thoughts. At first, she thought there was someone with her physically, but then she realized she was not hearing someone physically, but spiritually. Slowly, the fogginess in her mind lifted, and she was greeted by two beings: Asclepius and Hera. Asclepius attempted to approach Diana but was blocked by Hera.
"Do not, Asclepius." Hera stepped between the healing god and the tamed Amazon. "This wayward child deserves none of our help."
"No!" Diana called out the matron of her people. "Hera, please!"
"Diana, you've spent so much time in Man's World that you have become like them: weak and powerless." Hera's scorn was etched on her face. Asclepius, behind her, didn't seem much happier to see the Amazon either.
"Diana," the medicine man started. "You had the power to heal the world, and you chose poorly. I am not here for you." Asclepius pointed over Diana's shoulder. "I am here for the girl."
Diana bowed her head. "That is all I am asking for. The purple light of healing: that is all I—she needs. I know I made mistakes in the past. We all did."
Hera stepped forward after Diana spoke and blocked Asclepius from approaching Batgirl. Fury coiled in her eyes like a snake ready to strike. "Do not shift blame to your so-called Justice Lords. We hold you fully responsible for the abuse of the power gifted to you." She pointed to where Batgirl lay on the table. "I deny her." Then, she swept her finger toward Diana. "Because I deny you."
From behind, a voice like smoke spoke. "Then I may take this one now, yes?"
Diana turned quickly. She saw Charon standing in his boat, covered in his tattered cloak that billowed softly in an unfelt breeze. He loomed over the unconscious and cold form of Batgirl while leaning on his immense oar for support. "I believe her time will soon be up."
The way he looked at the prone form on the table filled Diana with dread. She quickly looked back at Hera with eyes wide. "I accept my mistakes, Hera, and I have paid in blood and tears!" Diana looked to her hands as if they'd betrayed her. "I've lost my abilities, my gifts. Stolen by the beam created by the man Luthor. I beseech you! Do not also take payment from this one, she is innocent. Only attempting to do what is right!"
Hera laughed. "Foolish daughter of Hippolyta! You insult the gods of your people with your insinuations. Do you truly believe a simple weapon made by mere mortals could strip away what we bestowed? No, it could only dull your abilities temporarily. We blocked your abilities. And now you are—"
"Human, yes." Diana raised her head high. "But that does not mean I am weak. If you will not help this sister of mine, then I will find a power that will. I may have lost my power, but perhaps a doctor can—"
"Enough!" Hera's ethereal voice boomed through the space. "Diana. You have not lost your powers, they are still in you." She stared at Diana under her furrowed brow with careful contempt. "I know you have felt some return. Prove to me that you deserve them."
And how am I to do that? pondered Diana.
Hera arched her brow at the thought but said nothing.
Enough of this farce! Diana rushed forward and pushed past the goddess.
"Diana!"
"Hera, forgive me!" Diana said, but she did not stop. She grabbed a firm hold on Asclepius' staff and, in one swift and powerful motion, she ripped it from the god's hands. "But there is a sister that I must save."
Diana ran to the cold figure on the table and raised the wooden rod over Batgirl's body. Charon raised his head in objection, and behind him, the waters of the river Styx suddenly materialized as a wave of souls and liquid.
Diana gritted her teeth. "Not today, foul one!" With a mighty warcry, she struck Batgirl's torso with the rod. Upon contact, an adder materialized coiled about the staff. It hissed and bit Diana's hand. Its fangs penetrated her Amazonian skin, but Diana did not falter. A low thrumming sound seemed to reverberate from the rod, a sound she did not expect. The waters of Styx crashed into Diana, attempting to push her away from her patient. As the sorrow and despair from so many lost souls overran Diana's mind, she began to feel as if she should release the staff. After all, death was an inevitability for all mortals.
"No…" Diana braced herself as another wave of anguish and lament washed over her. "This has to be done. No more sidelines!" She closed her mind's eye, cutting her off from the scene around her, and focused on the sound of Batgirl's fading heart and the sound of the staff in her hands. The more she focused on the two, the more in sync the two frequencies became.
That's it! It's a frequency. I have to tap into that frequency, she thought aloud. I need to sync her heart back to the rhythm of life. She hissed as the snake attached to the staff sank its fangs deeper into her flesh, but she did not waver. She braced as she felt a third and then a fourth wave of the waters of the dead crash against her body, their lament egging her to let go, but she did not move. She heard Hera's protestations, Charon's chiding, and Asclepius' screams, but she did not relent to any of them. All she cared about was the girl on the table.
Save one. She recalled the advice Batman had given Flash on one of their first missions when dealing with an impossible threat. Just save one. Batgirl was her 'one' and she would save her. Wonder Woman screamed out in pain as she stood against the will of three gods to save the life of one mortal.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Bat-a-rangs whizzed through the air, severing another tentacle created by the monster Clayface. Once freed, Robin threw two flashbangs: one to the ground and one into Clayface. Both detonated on impact, and the Teen Wonder escaped in Clayface's disoriented state.
"Now you've made me angry, kid." Clayface shook his head and then morphed his torso into a giant mouth. With little warning, the mouth shot forward to take a bite of Robin, but Robin had already moved. Behind Clayface, Batman raised his gloved hand, holding a miniature sonic disruptor. Robin landed next to him.
"We really didn't prepare for this, did we?"
"I brought the disruptor to deal with Croc. But the dissonance of soundwaves should be enough to subdue Hagen." Batman frowned and fired.
"I think I have a healthy helping of the sonic diodes."
"Get them. We will need more to keep him unstable until he can be contained."
"Noted." Robin reached into his belt and withdrew two metal disks.
Clayface screeched and hollered as the sonic beam struck his body. His liquid-like flesh squirmed uncomfortably under the power of the weapon that threatened to destabilize his molecular make-up. In pain, the superpowered criminal lashed out with tendrils, smacking and smashing at the floor.
Robin swung away from Batman and landed near Goren Lee. The police chief turned his way and Robin had to suppress the nasty feeling in his gut.
"Where's Batgirl?" Goren immediately asked. "Shouldn't all three of you be here helping tackle this menace?"
Kimber. A wave of cold washed over Robin as his mind drifted to his partner deep in the cave, alone and mortally injured in the cryochamber. "Sir, you need to move your blockade back," Robin commanded, purposefully ignoring the inquiry in hopes of grounding Goren in the here and now. The sooner this was resolved, the sooner he could help Batgirl. Somehow.
Goren stared at the hero. "What we need is a containment unit. I can't call my men off until they're here."
"Do you want casualties?" Robin asked impatiently. "Because that's how you get casualties."
Goren looked back to Clayface. He'd managed to move away from the sonic beam and had destroyed Batman's perch, but his tendrils were still flailing about. A few smashed into the barricades and reached the closest police cars. Clayface reached out with an elastic hand and grabbed what remained of one barricade and chucked it at the Dark Knight.
"You're close enough to contain Croc," Robin explained succinctly, "but you are too close for Clayface. He wanted you here. You now know he was never in danger of your weapons, but you were in danger of his reach. What you've got will either be caught by him or go straight through him. You need to move your men back." Robin looked at Batman. "Trust me. This night's only gotten worse..."
"Worse?" Goren scratched his head. "You and she were at the warehouse that exploded, huh? Figures." Goren turned to Elden. "Start pulling them back!" Then he turned back to Robin and asked in a hushed and serious tone, hands nervously shoved in his trench coat pockets, "Is she alright?"
"Excuse me?"
"Batgirl? The first patrol car on the warehouse scene in Bayside spoke with some pretty banged-up witnesses. They said that after the explosion, they came across a body draped in black wearing a horned helmet. They tried to drag them to safety."
"Is that all?" Robin's eyes narrowed.
"They didn't remember much else, sorry. Said that some sort of smoke quickly rose around them. After that, all they remember is pain. Rumor has it that it was Batgirl and she'd been shot."
Your daughter will be fine. "Batgirl is away on a separate case," Robin lied. It was a great irony that even though the police chief didn't know Batgirl was his daughter, he'd still developed a deeper-than-passing relationship with the heroine. Probably due to her being the first active under Goren's view. His career grew alongside hers. "She's fine. Concern yourself with moving your men out of danger. Oh, and cover your ears." And with that, Robin zipped into the air to aid his mentor.
"Well, alright then." Goren sounded shaken, but he obliged.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Kimber slowly opened her eyes and was greeted by a purple light so intense, she had to squint. She sat up slowly and groaned. It was a groan as if she'd received a good night's sleep and not the groan of pain. She scanned her surroundings to get a good idea of where she was, and in a moment, it all came back to her.
Oh, shit! Her hands immediately flew to her torso and felt for the entry wound. Nothing. She twisted around and checked her back. No exit point.
"Are you alright, little sister?" Diana's voice came from just behind her.
In shock, Kimber snapped her head to Diana. The woman was standing barefoot with her arms behind her back, wearing the extra-large hoodie Kimber had stashed in the 'Cave for cooler nights. "Yeah, I… I am." Her heart slowed after the initial surprise. "I thought I was alone down here. What are you doing in, uh, here?"
Diana smiled sweetly. "In Bruce Wayne's basement or in Batman's Cave?"
Kimber's face went flush. She swung her legs off the table. "So, you found out?"
Diana nodded.
"For the record," Kimber said with a smile. "I was the one who told him to tell you. So how did he do it?" She asked the question as if she were asking a recently-engaged friend how they were proposed to.
"He did not disclose it to me." Diana's face fell as she corrected her. "I found out on my own. I heard arguing and came down here to investigate, I suppose."
Kimber eyed the former Justice Lord. "And you're wearing my favorite oversized hoodie because...?"
Diana looked down at the oversized hooded sweater she wore and blushed. "I wasn't exactly… dressed when I stumbled upon this cave," she answered. "I guess you could say both Bruce and I were laid bare," she added with a slight laugh.
Kimber again inspected her side. "Did you do this?" She looked at Diana and pointed to her side.
Diana nodded. "The purple ray of Asclepius. I'd seen my mother use it as a child a few times. It can heal a person from every injury and ailment. I took a chance on using it on you." She subconsciously rubbed her arm where the ethereal snake had bitten her earlier. "I am glad it worked."
Kimber poked where the bullet hole should have been. "I thought for sure I was going to have another belly button… Or at least, a nifty scar." She sounded almost disappointed. Kimber turned to Diana and stretched high. "Where is everyone?"
Diana averted her eyes from the young woman now in full view. "Would you like me to retrieve a shirt for you?"
Kimber looked down. The tank top she'd worn under her uniform had been removed, probably by Diana, leaving her bare-chested. She shrugged and watched her breasts bounce with the movement. "They're just boobs. Besides, we're both women here. I'm good."
"Are you certain?" Diana approached and began to remove the hoodie she was wearing. "I can return your sweater if you like."
As Diana pulled up the hoodie by its bottom hem to remove it, it became obvious to Kimber that that piece of clothing was literally all that the woman was wearing. Kimber threw both hands up and clenched her eyes shut. "No! No, no, no," she protested. "You can... keep that now. We aren't that close; I do not need to see all that." Kimber lowered her hands but kept her eyes averted. "Just… tell me where they went."
"Bruce and—" Diana caught herself. "Batman and Robin. They went into the city. Something about 'Crocodile'..." She struggled to recall which of Batman's various adversaries had demanded their attention.
Kimber peeled off the sweatpants and approached the Armory. "I've got to help them," she stated. She selected another Batgirl uniform from her portion of the suits available and pulled the second skin over her bare legs. She retrieved a fresh tank top from a nearby drawer, then put on the armored tunic. As she pulled on the boots and gloves, she turned her head to Diana. "Do you know how long ago they—What are you doing?"
Diana stood before the Batcomputer, staring at the screen. "They left about thirty-five minutes ago." She balled her fists and turned to Batgirl. "I want to help," she said with conviction.
Batgirl put a new helmet on her head. "Help? Like fighting crime? No offense, and thanks for the magical healing." I'll definitely have to come to terms with that when the adrenaline wears off. "But I don't think the world is ready to see Wonder Woman running around just yet." The caped heroine made her way to the garage. "Shoot, my bike…" Batgirl ran to the Batcomputer and pulled up the Bat-Cycle's location. Both the Bat-Cycle and the Bat-Trike were miles away, where she and Robin had first picked up the trail of Sid the Squid. It would take more time than she'd like for the vehicles to return to the BatCave and then for her to gas up her bike.
"You need to get there quickly?" Diana asked.
Batgirl nodded. "Yeah…" There was the sound of a batsuit case being opened, and she looked at Diana in surprise.
Diana was pulling on a one-piece black uniform. The yellow bat symbol stretched over her chest as she fastened the uniform to her body. Over her face, she positioned Tim Drake's domino mask.
"What are you doing?" Batgirl inquired, incredulous at Diana's seeming lack of respect for the retired uniform cases.
"I'm going to help. I'm going to get you there." Wonder Woman took to the air and shot toward Batgirl. In one swift motion, she picked up Batgirl and, like a comet, streaked out of the cave.
▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃▃
Robin threw a pair of sonic beads at Clayface. The golem was too preoccupied with Batman to notice the twin disks land just beneath him. A second later, a nearly inaudible high-pitched squeal was emitted from both disks, and Clayface struggled to stand. He staggered into a wall, fragmenting it with his weight.
"More, Robin!"
Robin leaped over Clayface and threw another pair at the golem. Batman landed before Clayface and used his sonic disruptor again to ward off Hagan and further disorient him. He took a brief moment to check if a containment crew had arrived. No such luck.
"What?"
Batman looked at Robin, but Robin wasn't looking his way. His out-of-the-blue question seemed to be aimed at no one.
"What do you mean by trouble?" Robin continued his conversation with the air. "Hang on, you're where?"
Batman grumbled under his breath at Robin's apparent split attention as he dropped to one knee just in time to avoid an incoming strike. As Clayface recalled his tendrill, Batman closed in and kicked Clayface's side. His kick landed, and the monster stumbled back, propping himself against the entrance of the building for stability. Clayface was breathing heavily. Between the shifting and the sonics, he was wearing himself thin. It was any wonder that he was still in one cohesive piece. Something must have been driving him, some sort of passion.
Suddenly, Clayface ripped two concrete chunks from the ground and threw the first at the Dark Knight. The projectile slammed into Batman, knocking the sonic disruptor from his hands. In a rare show of concentration, Clayface jumped onto two sound-emitting devices Robin had thrown and crushed them with the second concrete chunk, then turned to Batman with the ferocity of a wildcat.
"We're gettin' outta here, Bats!" Hagan announced. "An' no one's going to stop us!"
"'We'? 'Us'? You mean to tell me, you have a date?" Robin swung down from above, kicking Clayface away from the Bat in one fluid motion. "Well, that makes one of us. I'm real happy for you."
Clayface turned his attention to Robin and flexed. A bunch of needle-pointed clay spikes flew to Robin's new position, and it was all Robin could do to scamper out of the way. No sooner had he moved did the deadly needles pepper the spot he'd fled. Robin reached for his belt but was caught off guard by a second strike from Clayface. The dense arm of the villain slammed into Robin and quickly surrounded him like sludge.
Clayface chuckled as he reeled in his catch. "No more quips, bird boy," Clayface rumbled. "No more jokes!"
"If you weren't a fan of my material, I could have changed it up. I know some great knock-knock jokes." Robin struggled to move in the all-encompassing ooze. "I'm sure your date is a lovely–ack!" Clayface's viscous fluids began filling Robin's mouth and nose.
Batman stood shakily and looked at his partner. "Robin!" He put a hand to his belt to get a bat-a-rang, but before he could retrieve one, a black shuriken severed the arm holding his charge.
"Wha—?" Clayface looked around but found the Dark Knight just as surprised as he was. "Did you do that?"
"Nope." A voice from above. "That was me, slimeball!"
Batman looked up and watched as Batgirl descended. She threw another two bat-a-rangs at Clayface. The two thrown weapons embedded themselves deep into the villain, beeped thrice, then exploded. Batgirl landed next to Robin and ripped him from the now-subdued and severed clay limb.
"You okay?" Batgirl helped Robin to his feet.
"I should be asking you the same damn question." He stared at her in disbelief.
Batgirl grinned beneath her helmet. "Yeah, thanks for leaving me alone there, by the way." She balled up her fists and faced Clayface. "Got a good nap in."
Robin managed a shaky, relieved smile and threw the last of his sonic disks at Clayface just as Batman joined their side.
"You're alright?" Batman asked, hardly believing it himself.
"Yep," Batgirl responded, head tilting to the sky. "Thanks to your… girlfriend?"
Batman looked up and his sharp eye caught sight of someone in a black and yellow batsuit flying away from the scene. Diana?
"I thought you were fighting Croc?" Batgirl brought his mind back to the task at hand.
Robin struck a fighting pose. "So did we. This has been a night of subversion. And it's about to get longer." He held up an earbud. "I felt this in Clayface when he pulled me close. He's been listening to something or someone..."
Clayface smiled and began to sag. "Kid's good, Bats. I'll give him that. You weren't supposed to find out about my co-star. Not yet, anyway. Well, what's the harm in bowing out early?" He melted into a puddle and began to drip between the slits of the sewer grate. As he made his escape, His laughter echoed up from the subterranean sewer at the titanic trio.
Batman rushed to the grate and grabbed hold of it with both hands. He gave a few spirited tugs, but the sewer grate remained fixed in place. After the fruitless struggle, he released the grate and peered into the sewer below.
"We have to find him," Batman announced. "He could be anywhere."
"Rooftops," Robin said.
The two Bats nodded at the Bird.
Batman and Robin zipped into the sky to the roof of a nearby building. Batgirl also fired her cable but looked across the police cars to where her father stood. He had no idea how close to death she had come earlier in the night. One day, she would tell him. Goren caught the gaze of the Batgirl and gave a single nod. She nodded back, then she, too, was gone.