“Stage 3: Sky”
By: Faita
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.