"It's over Nigma! You've been beaten!" Batgirl shouted as she chased Riddler up the long flight of stairs. His usual braggadocious wasn't coming out due to his panicked breathing as he sprinted up the stairs of the abandoned factory. He found this place to hide out from the cops. At the beginning of the week, Riddler uses his hired guns to kidnap an officer, and due to one of his traps, Batgirl gets injured and has to be patched up by Batman. That led to a night of confessions and pleasure that she couldn't stop thinking about.
She ran up the stairs, skipping every few steps. She knew she could catch up with Edward at any moment. Still, she was waiting for Batman to strike when Riddler eventually reached the top of the building to try to escape through the door. A shadow came down over both of them, blocking out the pale moonlight. Batman crashed through the skylight and tackled Riddler into the concrete. He definitely broke a few of the madman's bones.
"Let me go, you dullard! You think I'll let you get away with this!" Riddler shouted while trying to dig his hand into his pockets. Batman's knees were pressed into the villain's back while his arms had him in a headlock. His green suit was tattered, dirty, and stained with sweat from his hard sprinting.
"Quiet Nigma." Batgirl said before pulling out her cuffs from the correct pocket and putting them around Riddler's wrists, forcing his arms in place.
"Damn you!" Edward tried to spit in the redhead's face, but Batman picked him up before he could. As they descended the stairs, Batman sent his location to the GCPD. Before Batman and Batgirl could exit the building, four black vans pulled up to the front entrance. The headlights blinded the heroes as a squad of men left the vehicles drawing their machine guns. Batman threw Riddler back up the stairs to lure him away from the incoming hail of gunfire.
Batman and Batgirl leaped behind a few scattered crates for cover as the unknown assailants opened fire through the windows of the building. Both heroes readied their smoke bombs and flung them over the containers, blinding the gunmen. They stopped firing briefly, giving Batman and Batgirl a window to leap over the destroyed windows and take them down in the ball of smoke.
Batgirl kicked a few of them in their knees, disarming them before turning around and snatching the gun out of the hands of a man behind her. She hit him in the nose and chest with the butt of the weapon before flinging it at another man's head, knocking both out cold. Batman wasn't as fast as Batgirl when it came to disarming and sliding out of the way, but he was strong enough to rip the guns from their hands and break their arms. Fists flew towards Batman, but he predicted their untrained moments. Open palm striking most of them before Batgirl assisted with a perfect kick to the head.
One man hiding behind the van waited before opening fire on Batman while he was distracted, hitting him in the chest on the bulletproof insignia and his lower abdomen. Before he could get one more shot in, Batgirl snatched the gun from his hand with her grapple hook before running at him and knocking him out with a well-placed flying knee. Batman got caught with a left hook from the right side before he sent the man flying across the street with a body kick.
"You alright?" Batgirl asked.
"I'm fine." Batman grunted in pain as he dug the bullet out of his stomach.
"We got a runner." Batgirl said before flinging her Batarang at the fleeing gunman's head.
"Let's go get Nigma." Batman said.
"Who do you think sent these guys?" Batgirl asked.
"Riddler, these men are most likely his backup if we or the police found him here."
"Really? His backup plans usually involve more than hired guns. They're usually more extravagant."
Just then, one of the vans sped off down the street, providing an adequate distraction for Batman and Batgirl before the factory exploded. The blast knocked the heroes into the water as the now smoldering debris flew across the sky. They swam up, trying to avoid the bits of rubble falling into the water. They climbed out of the water through the docks. Batman tried to keep his composure as the water entered his wound.
"I'm getting you out of here." Batgirl grabbed Batman by the waist and zipped up to a nearby rooftop. She put him down on the roof and placed her hands over his bullet wound.
"I'm fine, Barbara." He pushed her arms out of the way before injecting himself with a shot of his adrenaline. "Thank you."
"You're welcome. How the hell did Riddler sneak out?" Batgirl stood up, looking over the destroyed factory.
"When we were fighting," Batman said, stating the obvious.
"I know that but how did he break out of the cuffs? How is that even possible?" Batgirl turned around and leaned back down closer to Batman's face.
"Are you feeling better?" Batgirl asked although part of her was just using this as an excuse to feel his abs again. The adrenaline rush of nearly dying always seemed to turn into something sexual. At least, that's how it was with her and Dick before he became Nightwing. Plenty of close calls with the reaper always made Barbara want to jump all over Robin, but it never went farther than a make-out session and some groping from both of them.
It usually ended with the lights of a police helicopter shining over the two, followed by their mad dash to get away. The last thing Barbara needed to see in the tabloids was her and Robin making out. She wondered if Bruce ever did it with Catwoman during their escapades. She saw some slight stubble around his chin and upper lip as she looked closer. For some odd reason, this turned her on even more. Batgirl leaned forward to kiss him, but Batman pulled away and regained his strength to stand up.
"Not now Barbara." Batman said sternly.
"Sorry." Batgirl said.
"I'll investigate the rubble. You try to track down the van." Batman said before leaping off and gracefully gliding back down towards the destroyed building.
"Ok..." Batgirl trailed off, feeling dejected. She activated her detective mode, gliding over the road and following the tire tracks left by the Riddler. She remembered the last time she followed a mysterious van's tire tracks. Quite an exciting night that was. The van crashed under a streetlamp. Batgirl put up her guard, getting ready for another fight as she approached the front door.
She forced it open and found nothing except the shards of broken glass on the seats and floor. Her earpiece began to ring.
"Batgirl, did you find anything?"
"No. He's gone." She answered, sighing in frustration.
"Don't worry. We'll get him." Batman said. She hung up.
"I hope so."
*
Barbara couldn't sleep. She stared at the ceiling of her apartment in silence. She grabbed the collar of the oversized shirt that she snuck out of Wayne Manor after her brief stay earlier in the week. It was a regular dark blue shirt that was the most comfortable article of clothing she'd ever worn. A costly gray shirt. The simple shirt of a multi-billionaire. It smelled like him, and she loved it.
It was definitely harder to sleep since it was eight in the morning. Barbara cursed at herself for not buying dark curtains to block out the sun. Today was her day off from her job at the library, so she figured she'd get some rest before going out to look for The Riddler tonight for the third time this week. She finally began to doze off before she was interrupted by a knock at her door.
"Hey Barb. Are you ok in there?" It was her father, Police Commissioner Jim Gordon.
"Hey Dad. I'm fine." Barbara said.
"Well I'm off to work. I just wanted to let you know you've got a package."
Barbara felt her stomach drop before she scrambled out of bed. She thought the Riddler had found out where she lived. It wouldn't be the first time a villain sent bombs in the mail. She opened the door quickly.
"What kind of package?" She asked a bit too loudly.
"Uh," Jim chuckled at the sight of his daughter with a crazy look in her eye. Her hair looked like a bird's nest. "It's just an envelope."
"Oh," Barbara lowered her guard. "Thanks."
"No problem. You off work today?"
"Yeah," She took a deep breath. "I'm just gonna relax for today."
"That's good. Alright Barb. I'll see you later." Jim gave her a quick peck on the cheek.
"See you Dad." She hugged him quickly.
He closed the door, and Barbara opened the envelope. In it was a small piece of paper with fancy engraved text that read: "Barbara Gordon. You are formally invited to the Gotham Foundation Meet by Bruce Wayne. Time:4PM. Place: Founders Island, 4124 Drescher Street. We hope to see you there!"
"Holy shit," Barbara said to herself. She didn't know if she was shocked or nervous. Probably a combination of both. She thought about calling Bruce to ask what to wear, but she figured it would be better if she surprised him. Something that showed off some of the goods but not too much. She looked around her closet to find something nice. Nice enough for a party of the mega-rich, anyway.
She eventually picked out an all-black Floral-appliqued scuba dress. It was sexy and matched the gothic look she knew Bruce would like. A pushup bra and a simple pair of black low heel shoes completed her outfit. She straightened up her hair and applied a generous amount of makeup. Deep red lipstick and black eyeliner. She'd never felt more attractive in her life. Well, except for when Bruce stood over her with that look in his eye. That never before seen look of lust. She hoped he'd look at her the same way tonight.
Barbara looked at the clock and realized she had a few more hours before the party actually started. So she did the usual forum browsing and reading up on current events in the superhero world. The seismic activity that the Justice League was investigating had apparently picked up in some parts of the United Kingdom and Asia. Barbara figured it had to be something otherworldly since an elite team of superheroes was on the case, but she stopped doom-scrolling when she realized it was almost three. It'd be a long drive, so she borrowed her father's busted-up 1986 Chevy Camaro.
The only reason she took the car was so she could fit her Batsuit in the trunk. She doubted anything would happen that night, but it was better to be safe than sorry. Before she left, she put a black bomber jacket over her dress. The car was clunky and smelled funny, but it had more than half a tank of gas, and Gotham traffic on a Sunday afternoon was light. She made her way through the city, mindlessly tapping at the steering wheel and dashboard as she drove with the radio on.
She finally made it to the building and spent nearly five minutes trying to find a spot to park across the street from the party. It was easier for the rich people to go in because they pulled up in a limousine or an expensive sports car that was taken care of by the valet, but Barbara had to make sure she didn't bang up the car more than it already was. She walked across the street and showed her invitation slip to the bouncer. It was 4:07 in the evening, and more guests came in.
Barbara felt out of place for a while, so she stood awkwardly in the corner of the room. She decided against mingling since the people's regular conversations made absolutely no sense. These fat wallet folks lived a completely different life than her. Every now and again, some twenty-something-year-old pretty boy with a wealthy father would eye-fuck her across the room. To avoid the inevitable flirting from them, Barbara made her way to the bathroom. As she freshened up at the sink, the music in the main halls quieted down, and a series of cheers erupted from outside.
