25 A world of capes and masks(9)

"Finally," The words of this Levi came out as they brought me to him, eyes washing over me, he grabbed my head in the vice of his massive hand.

I bit down a grown as he swung me around, quickly putting his M9 to my head. "Stay the fuck away, got it? Otherwise this girl here? She takes a 9mm straight through her skull."

The metal pressed to my head, the cold permeated from the tip of the hollow barrel, and the smell of powder was thick.

Seeing no reply from the shadows he let me go from his grip but his gun was still trained on my head, "Tell the others, we are retreating, get the men on the wall too."

So they were running, why? All of this shit, what was that for? What benefit does it even serve?

They attacked an almost empty Academy with what honestly looks like almost no preparation whatsoever, making the enemy of the parents of each child in the school. This is stupid on so many levels and it's Harley running the show, not Joker—right it's not Joker.

This is a fucking sideshow.

I could almost feel that I was right. This is a sideshow, a distraction from something big.

And that was the worst thing about it. I was entirely helpless not in the big thing, not even by a superhuman but by thugs. How fucking laughable.

My mind had already shifted 'learning powers' to the top of my priority list.

My eyes were focused on the man, he was calling the shots. Maybe I could get something off of him.

I was shoveled along with them until we reached the academy entrance. It was an extricate thing, old, big perhaps a bit intimidating too.

One of the thugs readied himself against the door, "We push past the cops. Remember no shooting. We threaten them, they let us go."

Well, that's annoying these guys probably plan to drag me around, "Will you guys release me?" I asked.

One of the thugs scoffed, "Perhaps tomorrow."

That is decidedly not fine. I am not going with shady fucks to their cave.

I had nearly drawn the gun when like blackened snow fell down pellets fell passing by my eyes. And just as they touched the ground they exploded into a show of smoke and blinding flash.

Then a figure of a man encased in metal dropped down, his bat symbol glinting off from the soft glow of the LED. Batman, face to face.

Quickly I was pulled up into his arms as the other hand holding the grapple shot the thing, a line sped up biting into a gargoyle by the side of the wall, and in an instant, we were cutting through the air.

It was a furious second, one moment I was on the ground the second on a gargoyle.

Batman placed his finger on his lips gesturing for silence as he grappled and hooked onto another gargoyle.

"Damn! Bat! Kill teams—Three men at least. Find and shoot. We can't get out with a hostage, the cops would fuck us!" One of the goons screamed, and they broke into teams with practiced movements.

Pushing all that aside it was an opportunity to watch Batman work so I focused on his armored figure.

His Batarangs cut through the air blowing out any lighting in the room, and in the dark, he glided down undetected and silently landed behind one team following after another of his pellets engulfed them in blinding smoke.

He tore his way through them in an instant, swift and precise blows to knock them out and again disappearing into the dark. It was a maddening display of martial skill, his every blow held tremendous force, one landing hard enough to bend a gun's body.

And I realized that what I was—am aiming for is to be as skilled as that. To be able to unilaterally butcher someone without contest and that this was a man who despite putting everyone to shame was beaten regularly and badly, had his back broken, and been brainwashed. Fuck! Fuck this universe! Why DC!? Why couldn't it have been anything else!?

I had grown complacent in my time with the Waynes. That couldn't fucking stand, I needed more power, and as my mind raced I realized that the bat had already taken down everyone in the room.

Soon he was beside me on the stone gargoyle too. "I will get you down, to your friends." I nodded at him before asking, "My three friends were in the attic. What about them?"

"Safe." He was blunt as he took me in his hands which I tightly gripped onto as he gently glid us down to the ground.

"Can I go see them?" He nodded as he pointed towards the stairs, "No one should be there." I was lucky he hadn't noticed the gun hidden against my skirt, well it would have been awkward if he did.

I followed his words as I skipped out of the hall and up the stairs.

I was in the hallways again. Feels like I had not left this school in days but it had barely been twelve hours.

Still, I was going to be okay soon, Batman had said nobody was here now. I should be home free.

———

Harley knew that they were about to be demolished but she was fine with that, they had crossed the minimum required time, and even if they were about to be thrown in Arkham she won't have left Mr. J down. And so there was no point in staying in the principal's cabin any longer.

Now would hammer be a problem if she waltzed her pretty ass out of here? She shook her head no. Just one glance to confirm, the figure of a beaten and broken hammer strung around the room—no he wasn't going to be a problem.

He lost his use as a hostage and almost his life since she knew she was not getting out of there in without a few punches and a handcuff she might as well fight.

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[A/N: Upload schedule is Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

Thank you all for reading

One more chapter and we end this arc.]