The Good Ending is finally here! The branch-off point is Chapter 18: Threshold. Then we skip ahead to Chapter 23: Secrets Unmasked. Mostly abbreviated and alternate versions of those chapters. Soon we'll be getting into all-new territory! A world where the Birds of Prey won!
- - -
Somewhere in the multiverse, in a timeline where fortune smiled upon the Birds of Prey...
"So..." Barbara finally spoke, breaking the unbearable silence. "Tonight's the night."
"The night of nights." Dinah agreed, inhaling deeply. She pressed her lips into a line, staring off into space. "The grand finale of this twisted, fucked up nightmare."
The nightmare you followed me into...
Barbara fought back a wince, shame and guilt writhing like serpents in her belly as she looked upon her dear friend. Dinah had already done the unthinkable to get them this far. And tonight, Barbara was sending her right back into the Brotherhood's grimy hands.
The redhead paced between the dorm room's twin beds, briefly thinking that she might cancel the operation entirely. She only considered it for a moment before her resolve hardened once more. They were close,
so close
to putting an end to the Kingston Brotherhood's influence. They couldn't walk away now. And knowing Dinah, the blonde would want to be there when they finally brought their house of debauchery crashing down.
"The hard part is over." Barbara said. "We've got our way in. From there, handling the Brotherhood should be a cakewalk."
"Right. Simple enough." Dinah answered. Her voice was flat, without the fire, the spirit Barbara had come to expect from the blonde. Hearing her friend speak like this was like a stab to the heart.
Barbara hated herself for keeping up the facade that she didn't know just what Dinah had done. She hated herself for playing along. Barbara couldn't look at Dinah without visualizing her friend's lips wrapped around that punk's long, thick cock.
The only consolation was that Barbara knew it hadn't been for nothing.
"I know I'm sending you into a den of wolves, Dinah. But you won't be alone." Barbara went to place a hand on her friend's shoulder, a small gesture of comfort, of solidarity. Dinah didn't react... but neither did she push Barbara away. The redhead took it as a sign to continue, "Trust me. They'll be too focused on you and the ceremony that they'll never suspect the back-up."
That
piqued Dinah's interest. Her eyes flashed with curiosity, the first sign of true emotion Barbara had seen from her since the night before.
"Batgirl's gonna swoop in at the last minute, cause a scene?" Dinah asked, hopeful. So too was there an edge to her voice, smoldering embers of that fiery spirit that Barbara so admired.
"I'll be suiting up tonight, yes." Barbara held her head high, hoping the declaration of support would feed her friend's returning spirit. Her lips cracked into a smirk. "But Batgirl won't be the only surprise guest tonight. I called in some favors, Dinah. I figured as long as all these rotten eggs were in one basket..."
Barbara trailed off, letting Dinah fill in the rest. Just as expected, realization flickered across the blonde's face. And to Barbara's silent joy, her friend's blue eyes lit up. Brave and bold once more. Despite the humiliations suffered these last several days, Dinah Lance managed to smile. It was not kind or warm, but rather the sort of grin someone wore when they knew they were going to get some sweet, sweet payback.
The Black Canary's spirit wasn't snuffed out just yet.
"Sounds like we're going to ruin the Brotherhood's night.
Good.
"
"You just have to play the role for a few more hours, Dinah. Let them think they've won. And then we'll take them down. Together."
To her own surprise, Barbara felt her own heart racing. She could feel it then. In the air, in her very bones... that sense of finality. But there was something that was missing... the potent sense of dread that had been weighing her down since day one. In its place, Barbara felt the buzz of confidence. A sense of surety that had been sorely missed.
They were the good guys. The thought rang in Barbara's head like a bell. It was like a commandment, etched in stone. They were the good guys.
And the good guys saved the day.
Dinah rose then, standing before Barbara. Her heart full of purpose, eyes full of fury. Barbara matched it, finally ready to end this nightmare.
"We're the Birds of Prey." Barbara said. She spoke with the conviction only the truth could give. "Nobody does it better than us."
Dinah smirk grew, her eyes shining. She punched a fist into her open palm.
"Damn right.
Showtime.
"
- - -
In the interest of time...
While the Black Canary endured playing her role as Dinah Blake, standing half-naked among the thralls of the Kingston Brotherhood, Batgirl set about completing her own objectives.
Stalking through the dimly lit halls of the Timm building, she moved on silent feet, clinging to the shadows like she had been trained to do. Stealth had become second nature to the young woman, as natural as breathing.
She passed by many rooms, some empty offices... and others not so empty. Witnessing Andrew Westfield getting cozy with his favorite teachers, Ms. Jameson and Ms. Flores, for the
third time
was but a brief distraction. Barbara only stayed long enough to see the two women put their mouths to work on his prodigious cock together before moving on.
Though her resolve was strong, the further she ventured into the bowels of the building, the more she felt that she was being watched. She couldn't shake the feeling. It clung to her like a shadow. A
shade
that was watching her every move.
But more than that, doubt was starting to creep back in. Tendrils in the back of her mind, writhing like worms.
The redhead breathed in, suddenly feeling a dull ache spreading from the back of her head. She sighed, leaning against the wall.
If Dinah was already infiltrating the Brotherhood ceremony... then why was Barbara there at all?
Barbara groaned, rubbing her temples. A pointless effort because of her Batgirl mask, but the motion was reflexive to her aching head. But the dull throb that pulsed through her skull could not distract Barbara for long.
It wasn't natural, Barbara realized. It couldn't be. She knew her own mind well enough. Mood swings, racing thoughts, emotional turmoil... those were the problems of a younger, rookie Barbara. Not the veteran she had become.
And besides... Batgirl had faced enough two-bit villains to know when her mind was being influenced. Something was trying to control her thoughts, her feelings... something
very
close by.
Soon enough, Batgirl found it.
Down at the end of the long hallway, the redhead took notice of a peculiar door.
Bingo.
It was just a regular door. But Barbara knew it was the one.
The young heroine strode forward with surety and purpose, reaching the end of the hall in little time. Reaching the door.
She opened it.
Before her eyes... a towering black stone took up the center of the strange room. No, not a mere stone. It was a