A Day in Gotham - Batgirl Vexed

"No Batman, it's been nice chatting, particularly as you're so helpless, but I'm really getting rather bored with this now," shouted leopard Man above the sounds of the storm, "I think that it's time for Catwoman to prove that she can't fly!" As the menacing words came out, he pushed a little on the rod making Catwoman lean even further over the edge to stare down at the unforgiving concrete thirty feet below her.

A sudden burst of thunder rolled out making everyone in the warehouse cringe and instinctively look upwards.

It was time for Batgirl to act!

The gap between her walkway and the gantry wasn't far. An easy jump for her fit young body, and as she was slightly higher, she would be dropping down onto Leopard Man. He'd have no time to react. It should be easy!

With a quick intake of breathe she burst forward. Striding quickly towards the gantry, eyes focussed on where to place her foot on the walkway to launch herself across the gap.

She heard Leopard Man's cry of surprise as he twisted round to see the yellow caped figure bearing threateningly down on him when disaster struck!

As her weight went onto her launch foot, there was a loud snapping sound as the weak bolts under that spot gave way. She was committed to the leap but as her foot gave way, she didn't have the momentum to make it across the gap. Desperately she re-assessed her options as she realised instantly that she would fall short. With a huge sense of relief, she saw a round metal post on one corner of the open gantry. She would just be able to reach it if she twisted a little!

With a gasp of effort, and a short cry of success she stretched out and her desperate fingers started to wrap around the smooth metal. But it was only momentary relief as Leopard Man quickly recovered his poised and swung his foot at her hand, cruelly deflecting it away from safety.

There was still a chance though! As Batgirl twisted again she managed to catch the edge of the gantry with her other hand, desperately trying to find purchase for a strong grip.

There was none. It had worn smooth over the years and, with a cry of frustration and shock, she felt her momentum drag her hand away again as she sailed haplessly past and downwards.

With a gasp of dismay Batman watched in horror as the purple figure cart-wheeled sickeningly into the corner of a hard, wooden packing case, piled high above the ground before bouncing off the edge and falling like a broken puppet onto the concrete floor below. "Oh God, Batgirl!" he whispered in disbelief.

Everyone was stunned, frozen in place and nobody in the warehouse seemed to breathe as they took in the sudden enormity of the event.

Everybody except Catwoman that was! As soon as the pressure on her throat eased as Leopard Man dropped the tether to deal with Batgirl's attack, she twisted round on the floor, curling her strong legs up to her chest. As Leopard Man quickly twisted back towards her it was too late! She exploded her feet up into his mid-rift, launching him backwards over the edge. With a long drawn out scream, arms flailing, the brown clad figure dropped like a stone, landing heavily on his head about fifteen feet from the crumpled figure of purple and yellow. A pool of dark red began to spread remorselessly around his shattered skull.

As Catwoman jumped up in triumph, she saw Batman finally sprinting the short distance to Batgirl. Casting round she saw a long chain dangling down from the roof passing close to the gantry. Immediately she leapt the gap, grasping the swinging chain and quickly shimmied down it to the floor below.

"She saved my life Batman!! I can't believe that she'd do that!" she cried a she hurried over to where Batman had stooped down over the motionless purple figure.

"I hope she's al............." added Catwoman breathlessly as she reached them. The sentence went unfinished as she watched Batman tenderly cradle Batgirl's masked head in his muscular arm, his other hand sweeping away the coils of red hair that had cascaded over her face. There wasn't a mark on Batgirl's face, her eyes were closed and her expression was one of peaceful repose, an almost radiant, still beauty in the dim light.

Batman dragged his eyes back to Catwoman's. His shoulders seemed to slump and his eyes glistened with pain and anguish, "She's my daughter Selina ..... I've never told ...... I, I ........" He couldn't finish and Catwoman masked her own shock by kneeling beside him and placing an arm gently around his big shoulders.

In the background, Catgirl gasped as she watched Catwoman's reaction in horror. Tears welled up in her eyes.

"No, Batgirl you can't......"

She twisted her head into Robin's chest as the warm tears began to run down her cheeks. Robin wrapped his arms protectively around her as he struggled with his own emotions, his throat suddenly dry.

Just then the storm finally erupted overhead, crashes of thunder shaking the building, rain lashing hard onto the windows, and a series of almost continuous lightning flashes illuminating that sad little tableau in harsh, grim relief.

The End