BAE Chapter 3

The rust-brown sky hangs over Gotham like black drapes in a funeral parlor. It’s heavy. Pregnant with chaos. Black buildings, tall and pointed, stand up like needles tipped with gargoyles and covered in glowing yellow windows. GCPD’s huge airships hang lazily in the air, spotlights swinging through the night.

Barbara races to the heart of downtown, throttling up the car so that it wails like a banshee. The people of Gotham know this sound. Some find it comforting. Others don’t. She has to give credit where it’s due: Bruce has built a hell of a brand.

But it only took three months for the criminal element to forget about him. She needs to be seen downtown before doing any interventions, but the police scanner already has her attention. There’s a silent alarm at Gotham National Bank. That’s centrally located. Only a heavy hitter or someone crazy would go after it. Or maybe people really do think that the Batman is gone for good. Either way, Barbara can’t let it go.

She dials down the noise and brings the car around, killing the lights and engine on the quiet street. Some cities have nightlife. Gotham does too; it just looks different.

The front of the bank explodes with orange and red flames, sending the door flying. Barbara is truly shocked for a moment by the brazenness. She expects to see Garfield Lynns, the Firefly follow all that heat, but he’s safely in Blackgate right now.

Two hoods come dashing out. Before Barbara can make a move, a GCPD squad car screams past her. The hoods see it and flee into the alley, but that’s a dead end.

Barbara pops the cockpit and fires a grapple, whistling up into the night. Two shots get her to the roof of the building adjacent to the bank.

The fire escape rattles and bangs as the two hoods race up the stairs.

Barbara leaps down onto the roof as they emerge and they draw up short, but they’re only startled for a second. Maybe if Bruce did this, they’d be more impressed. They pull their guns in unison, only for Barbara’s Batarang to send the pistols flying. She tackles one, knocking his lights out by bashing him to the concrete roof. Barbara leaps up in time to dodge a punch. She ducks a second and third before delivering an uppercut that sends the hood flying.

By the time the uniformed cops reach the roof the two men are tied up and waiting.

From the top of the bank, Barbara surveys the city underneath the heavy clouds. Blue lightning arcs through the sky. It looks like rain.