“Stage 3: Sky”

By: Faita

The moon was high in the sky; stars shinned all around it. Batman sat up a rooftop. He was watching the entrances of an abandoned warehouse, well; it used to be abandoned. Now there were men inside of it, all guarding their valued object, a diamond from the Gotham Museum. He watched it carefully, only the one side, Batgirl was watching the other. “Batman” he heard her voice over the radio in his mask. Her voice was urgent, but still had that sweet, helpful and commanding tone to it. “What?” he answered back. “Three men just walked out of the main entrance. Now there should only be five or six in there. Should we go in, your call” her voice said. Batgirl always seemed to be the type that no one bossed around, she was, but she still had her boundaries, asking other people for advice when needed was one. Batman thought about it. This was his decision, no one else’s, and he hated that. He hasn’t been having much luck when it came to questions like that lately. “What do you think?” he asked. “I don’t really know. There’re less of them now, but they still have thoughs weapons and armor that I hate,” she said. Batgirl sometimes seemed to be all the villains that Bruce had fought. Now she was Two-Face, seeing both sides of the situation, Batman didn’t know how he lived with that, they again, he was insane. Batman looked the building over again before deciding, he saw two more men walk out. “We stay. I saw two more men walk out of the building” Batman said. “Trap?” she asked. Batman nodded, knowing well enough that she couldn’t see it, but she still seemed to get the message. “What now?” she asked. There was one of those questions again, up to him to save the day. “Look around you, see if they know where you are,” Batman said looking around himself. He noticed the two men looking right at him, one with binoculars. “They know,” he said to himself. Then he felt a great pain in his shoulder and fell to the ground. He got to his feet and felt a blast of pain in his stomach. He looked up to see a huge man in front of him. “Peek-a-boo” the man said in a deep voice. “I see you” Batman said and kicked the man stomach. He flinched, but remained standing. “Is that all you got?” the man asked amused. “No” Batman answered and punch the man in the jaw. The man fell back a few steps but again remained standing. Batman then continued punching the man in the jaw as fast as he could, not wanting to give the man a chance to strike back. The man kept backing up, his face more surprise then pain. Batman stopped for one second. “Hit him!” Bruce yelled at him. The sudden voice surprised Batman, allowing enough time for the big man to punch Batman in the jaw. Batman was sent flying through the air and half over the edge of the roof. The pain was too much for him to realize how far over the edge he was. The big man walked over to him and grabbed the neck of his costume and pulled him upwards. The big man drew back his fist. Batman closed is eyes, knowing what was about to come. He felt his head fall down on the edge of the roof. He opened his eyes and saw the sky with the stars above him. He sat up and looked around. He saw Batgirl fighting with the big man. Every time he swung at her she dodged it, and hit him in the gut, but it never did any good. Batman watched her and smiled to himself. Batgirl had a knack for making him look like a rookie, always helping him out when he might have been able to do it himself. He had been doing this about a year longer then she had, but she seemed to always out do him. It never bothered him though, she spent her whole life with this stuff, and it jumped right onto his shoulders. The big man swung again at Batgirl and hit her in the stomach. Batman instantly got to his feet as Batgirl went to her knees in pain. The big man chuckled at her pain. She wearily looked up at him. She kicked him right below his chin with the heel of her foot after jumping to her feet. He began to choke and fell to his knees. Batgirl stood up and patted him on the back; he stopped choking but fainted anyway. Batgirl walked over to Batman, he was grinning. “I could’ve handled him,” Batman said. “Sure you could’ve” Batgirl said. Batman laughed, he knew that was her way of saying your welcome, they rarely said that exact words that they thought, but the other understood anyway. Batman believed it was that they were such good partners that it just happened naturally. Five or six men steped in front of them. “I’ll let you handle them,” Batgirl said as the two of them took a few steps backward, the men advanced on them. “You’re to kind,” Batman said to Batgirl. He jumped up flipped over the men, landing on one’s shoulders, bringing him to the ground. The others watched him. Batman always enjoyed when that happened, he supposed he always liked being the center of attention. But he liked what always happened next the best. Batgirl made a round kick to the knees of the one closer to her. He flew backward landing on his back. The other men left standing turned around and looked at her and the man on the ground. Batman took that chance and tied the remaining ones up with a rope wrapped around all of them. They fell to the ground in one giant heap. Batman loved that. Batgirl tied up the one she had knocked over, the big man, and the one Batman had brought down. Batman smiled while looking over the seven tied up man spread across the rooftop. Batgirl walked over next to him. “Let’s go get that rock,” she said. Batman nodded. Batgirl began to walk towards the stairs, Batman towards the edge of the roof. He turned around to her back. “This way would be easier” he told her. She stopped and turned around to see him, she walked next to him. “Force of habit” she smiled as they dove over the side. Batgirl wasn’t perfect; she didn’t even try to be. Sometimes she seemed like she was perfect, but found someway to change your mind. She always seemed to show you that just when you began to think she was perfect, as if she knew what you were thinking. They landed on the ground right in front of the building. It had taken Batman a while to learn how to do the landing just right, Batgirl seemed to get it right away. That was what Batman hated most about her, besides her compulsion to always be right, her flare for out doing him at almost everything, her ability to tell off any one no matter what their status, the way she always took command of any situation, how she seemed to be friends with everyone in school with the exceptions of Nelson and Dana, but he mostly hated the way that everything came so easy to her. He didn’t know why he hated these things, he just did. There were probably things she hated about him that were just part of his charm. He hated that thought too. They entered the building silently, the black of their costumes naturally blending in with shadows. Batman liked this too, sneaking in, the thought that they would have the upper hand when the attack came, mostly that he was in the lead though. They moved silently through the building. Batman stopped. “What?” Batgirl asked him in a whisper. He turned around and looked behind her, into the darkness. He didn’t answer her, but she knew he heard the man following them. Batman silently pulled out a batarang from his belt, and threw it into the darkness. They heard a cry the saw a man fall from the shadows in front of their feet. “Nice shot” Batgirl grinned. Batman grinned back. “Thanks” he replied. Then two small spheres feel in front of their feet. Streams of a transparent gas exploded from them and surround Batman and Batgirl. They ran out from it only to run into two huge men. They backed up and ran back through the smoke and out the other side, coughing the whole time. The two men ran after them, both wearing gas masks. Batman and Batgirl ran into a room where that besides the way they came in, the only way out was through a very small window in the ceiling that neither of them could get through. They ran all the way to the back, and turned around to see the men running at them. The men stopped too. They pulled three more of those little spheres from their pockets. Batman knew at that moment that this was not good. He glanced over at Batgirl, she glanced at him. She had an odd expression on her face, one Batman had never seen before, almost like fear. That made Batman feel worse, Batgirl was never scared, at least she never showed it. The men threw the spheres at Batgirl’s feet; they released a gas that surrounded her completely, to the point where Batman could no longer she her dark figure. When the gas disappeared, Batgirl was gone. Batman stared in disbelief. The men chuckled. Batman searched the room with his eyes, looking frantically for Batgirl, she was no where. “What have you done with her?” Batman demanded from the men. They laughed they disappeared into the shadows. Batman ran into the shadows after them, but they were really gone. Batman looked around in complete disbelief. “The viewer quit on Emily’s mask, what happened?” Bruce’s cold voice said to Batman over the transmitter. Batman knew that lately Bruce had been watching their missions from Batgirl’s mask, and not his. “They disappeared” Batman answered him still looking around. “What do you mean?” Bruce asked in a concerned voice Batman rarely heard. “They just disappeared, vanished” Batman answered again. “Where’s Emily?” Bruce asked in the same concerned voice. “I wish I knew” Batman said as concerned as Bruce. ~Please be careful Emily, please~

She moaned a little and opened her eyes. She saw a dark red sky above her. She tried to sit up, but felt strains on her hands, waist, and feet. Emily did not like this. For she was Emily now, not Batgirl anymore. Her costume had been removed and she was wearing a dark blue short sleeved shirt that fit her firmly, she was wearing watching pants that too fit her firmly. She could lift her head up only a few inches, but it was enough to see what was around her. Night, that’s it, no buildings, no walls, not even a floor. Emily didn’t feel any better now, she felt worse. ~Where am I?~ she thought.

“Cassie! Cassie!” Batman yelled as he walked threw the apartment. He heard a faint noise behind him. He wiped around and saw Castigate standing there. “Castigate” Batman exhaled loudly. “What do you need Batman?” she asked him with no emotion in her voice. Batman hated that, the thing he seemed to hate most about people was the way they talked. “Batgirl, she’s missing” Batman told her. Castigate’s face went from a cold calmness to slight fear, Batman knew that look on anyone’s face by heart. “How?” Castigate asked, her voice now held much worry. Batman knew that Cassie and Emily were best friends, closer then he and Emily were. “Some guys spilled some kind of gas on her and she disappeared, then they disappeared too,” Batman explained. Now Castigate’s face was complete fear. “I thought you might know what happened. I’m beginning to think I was right,” Batman said. “I, I do know what happened to her” Castigate said walking past him and flipping a light switch. The room filled with light that at first hurt Batman’s eyes, but he didn’t care, he was just relieved that Castigate knew where Batgirl was. “What happened?” Batman asked in a happy voice. “Tenma has captured her” Castigate answered. Every muscle in Batman’s body tensed. That was not what he wanted to hear. If Batgirl was with Tenma, then she was likely in big trouble. “Where is she?” Batman asked her. “You two have entered stage three, the sky” Castigate explained while taking off her mask. Her blonde hair fell to her shoulders. “You mean she’s?” Batman asked and pointed upwards. Cassie nodded. “It will take you a long time to find her, the sky is a large place” Cassie said. “No kidding. But, aren’t you coming with me?” Batman asked her slightly confused. “I can not. I must stay here and protect Gotham, besides, Tenma is to powerful. I was the most powerful person on my planet, but I was still no match, and I never will be,” Cassie said sadly. Batman frowned and walked to the balcony. He had always felt sorry for her; she had lost everything, her life, her friends and family, her planet, all because of one single man. Tenma was probably the only reason she was still alive, to seek her revenge, but she couldn’t, she needed help. Batman knew that feeling all to well. He dove off of the balcony and flew to a near by building. He would have to look for Batgirl tomorrow night, the sun was almost ready to rise and he had a busy night. He flew off to the manor where he would place his costume for the day, all by it’s self.

He flew quickly through the night air inside of the batmobile. He had every possible scanner that could find Batgirl on that he could. But he still looked out of the windows. Bruce had asked him where he was going, but he couldn’t tell him. Castigate had made it quite clear that they tell no one about what they were doing, that was harder then he thought it would be. He knew it would not be long till Bruce found out any way, despite how well they hid it from him. He always did. Batman heard a beep from one of the panels. For one second every nerve, muscle, and bone in his body was full of the chance that he had found her. He looked at the panel that had the only green light above it. It had found her, and she was so close. Batman smiled and looked frantically in the direction it said she was. He thought he saw her, but it was just a cloud out in the distance. He sighed and just gazed around. The energy he had felt just seconds before had vanished, he wondered if he would ever find her. He might not even have to; she might already be on her way back to the manor, having already defeated Tenma without his help. Which she could probably do. He hoped that she had, yet he hoped that she hadn’t.

Emily looked around the best she could. All she found out was that she was floating in air tied to a metal table, which was very cold on her arms and neck. She was very high of the ground; put did not have any trouble breathing, which she found weird. The one thing she knew for sure was that she was not crazy or dreaming, and that Tenma was behind this. Growing up with a father, uncle-type, grandfather-type, and dear friend of the family who had all been crime fighters, Emily had definitely learned the trade. Not that well as she now found out. She could have easily gotten away by now, if she could only reach her belt that was still around her. That one small button would transform her into the special Batgirl, who could be gone in a flash. Now all she to rely on was her mind, and Batman and Castigate. She trusted Castigate more then she did Batman, but she would never tell him that. She gazed up at the sky, she had no idea how long she had been tied there, nor did she want to. The stars were just showing up in the sky, sitting there in space. “Beautiful, aren’t they?” she heard a male voice say as if on cue. She turned her head quickly around to see what she knew was there. “Tenma” Emily said coldly. “You remembered,” he said. “How could she forget?” Batman said swooping down and kicking Tenma in the chest. Tenma steped back onto nothing but remained standing. Batman fell several feet before propelling himself up to Tenma’s level. Batman swung a fist at Tenma’s face, but Tenma disappeared. Batman looked around him confused. Tenma then suddenly appeared behind Batman, now flying between Batman and Emily. “Batman behind you!” Emily yelled from the table where she had been watching the whole thing. Batman quickly turned around and received a blow to the jaw that sent him 20 feet through the air backwards. Emily now wished she could reach her belt, she had to find someway to help him, someway. Tenma appeared behind where Batman was still falling back, Tenma kicked Batman in the back and Batman flew over to Emily, landing with a painful moan on the side of the table beside her. Emily knew that must have hurt, but she had an idea. “Batman, press the button on my belt,” she instructed him. He looked at her with sad and painful eyes. She hated to see him like that. He wearily raised his hand and pressed a small button on Emily’s belt. A sliver blue costume covered her body, then a dark blue belt laced across her waist, and a dark blue bat appeared on her chest. She smiled at Batman, he smiled back. Batgirl took a small torch out of her gloves and burnt off one of the straps around her wrists. Tenma appeared again behind Batman and grabbed the back of his costume and pulled him off of the table, not noticing Batgirl in her costume. Batman and Tenma began to fight fiercely, Tenma winning easily. Batgirl noticed that every time they killed Tenma, he came back even more powerful. That would be a problem, then, it already was one. Batgirl quickly finished cutting all the straps that bounded her to the table, and flew up in the air to help Batman. When she got to the height Batman and Tenma was at, Batman was flying at her, back towards her. He hit her straight on. She caught him but was pushed back a few feet herself. “Nice catch” Batman said with blood dripping out of his mouth. “Go take a break, I’ll handle him” Batgirl said to him. “Oh no. I can do this.” Batman said wearily regaining his balance, which is reasonably harder when you’re flying. “If you say so,” Batgirl said. Tenma appeared behind her with an evil grin on his face. “Watch it!” Batman yelled as he grabbed her shoulders and flew out of the way from Tenma’s leg as he tried to kick her in the back. When Batman regained his and Batgirl’s balance again he looked at her face. It was full of fear. He had never taken the time to look at her face when it was full of fear, he some how valued her vulnerability at that moment. Something about it sent some message to his mind, something that he couldn’t understand. The look on her face vanished to pure relief. Batman blinked himself out of his thought and back to the task at hand. “Thanks” Batgirl said. “Any time” Batman said distantly. “Mind if I cut in?” Tenma asked and grabbed Batgirl out from beneath Batman’s hands. “Actually, I do!” Batgirl yelled as she took a small device from her belt. She pressed one side of it and it extended into a full-length pole. She lunged it into Tenma’s stomach. He flinched, but only tightened his grip on her. “Not good” Batgirl said to herself with a worried expression on her face. “Hang on!” Batman yelled as he flew up to where Tenma had brought Batgirl. “I intend to” Tenma said. While Batman was still flying he pulled a small device out of his belt. He touched the top part of it and a blade shot out into his sword. He charged at Tenma with his sword, aiming carefully so not to hit Batgirl. Tenma laughed as Batman got closer. When Batman got very close to him, Batgirl vanished, and Tenma moved out of the way as Batman swung. “Nice try, but no luck” Tenma said almost amused. “Then try this!” Batgirl said as she flew up from beneath Tenma and hit him in the bottom of his chin with the tip of her pole. He was sent flying several feet up in the air. Batman immediately flew up next to him and plunged his sword through Tenma’s back. Tenma screamed out in a yell of pain, the type that Batman and Batgirl could never forget. Then he disappeared, along with Batman and Batgirl’s weapons, the table, and their costumes. Batman was back in his normal costume and Batgirl to the matching pair of shirt and pants. Emily suddenly began to fall, having nothing to help her fly. Batman saw this and dove after her at an incredible velocity. She was falling faster and faster towards the city below them. Batman was getting worried, he was at top speed and she was still falling faster towards the city. By now she had fallen past the tops of the buildings and was falling to the street floor. Batman was getting closer to her. He was surprised that she wasn’t screaming much, just a few worried sounds but that was it. She must really trust him to catch her. His speed quickened a bit and he dove to catch her just before she hit the ground. It hurt his arms at first but he didn’t care, he was just glad he did it. He hadn’t stopped flying; he flew through the city with Emily in his arms. He passed by a club with teenagers outside of it. One of who was Dana. “Was that Emily with Batman?” her friend asked as all the kids watched them fly by. “I think so” Dana answered as she watched them fly out of view. “Not only is she rich, but she’s friends with Batman too,” her friend then said. Emily was hanging on tight to Batman’s neck. He dodged lap posts and bridges, very time he swerved her grip got stronger around his neck. He smiled. “Just like when we first met, huh?” he whispered to her. He couldn’t see her face, but knew she was smiling. “Just don’t faint on me now,” she said moving her head to look at him, he was right, she was smiling. “I’ll try,” he said. She put her head back down and he continued flying low through the city.

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