Losing hope and getting it back again.

Driving with the speed of a racing car yet only giving off the sound of a rush of air, the Batmobile flew past one block after another with several police cruisers in pursuit. They’ve tried this before, years ago, but this time was different. These officers were breaking protocol, firing onto the smooth black vehicle they were chasing in the hopes of causing damage. It didn’t work of course, each bullet pinged off the hull effortlessly like a bb pellet to a plate of sheet metal. Up ahead several cruisers created a blockade, blocking off the road in the hopes that he’d stop. But Batman knew these officers weren’t going to arrest him. Flicking a switch at the steering wheel, a grappler launcher deployed above the Batmobile’s hull, with careful aim he fired the tow cable at the top corner of a four-story building. When the sky hook pierced the stone and metal and latched tight, Batman fired the afterburners and with a roar from the aft jet rocket, the Batmobile was propelled into the air, swinging upwards like a wrecking ball to sail over the heads of the armed police waiting for him and landing with sparks and a squeal of eight wheel onto the highway overhead. Ejecting the cable, Batman kept the afterburners going, speeding through the highway and out of sight heading back to the cave.

Dracula’s warning continued to run through Bruce’s mind after witnessing the Vampire Lord essentially cut off his city from the rest of the outside world. Driving back to the Batcave, it unsettled Bruce to find that it was 10 am yet pitch black outside, the sun obscured by thick clouds that darkened the sky right after he caused a ring of fire to carve through the bridges and seaport like a cookie cutter through soft dough. He knew this enemy was dangerous, dangerous enough to give Power Girl enough of a run for her money. But to see such a power turn his city into a realm of darkness gave even him pause for concern. He was out of his element. The only cold comfort he had was as powerful as Dracula was, he was a man of character, he wasn’t here to kill Bruce Wayne or Batman… Just the wolf.

Flying past the cliff into the waterfall; the hidden entrance to the Batcave, the Batmobile landed like a pouncing jungle cat and halted to a stop at the center of the cave. With a hiss of air, the cockpit opened. Stepping out of the Batmobile, Bruce walked over to the others who gathered under the Batwings still hovering in mid air, their cargo still hanging from their underbelly like fishing trollies hauling their catch. It still left him at unease when Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy hugged his arms, half a year ago they would have been at his throat, now they do nothing but nuzzle at that throat and kiss at his chin. “Wow B-man, you hope on makin a shelter down here? Cuz you’ve got the room.”

“This is as many werewolves as I could find in the city, they reacted to the sub-harmonic frequency as I planned.”

“That was you?!” asked Chelsea, while Hitomi and Jessie looked back to the looming presence of the Batman and back at the horde of bound unconscious people who had reverted from their lupine forms when the sun rose. “We could hear that from the cave.”

“Yeah…” Winced Hitomi. “Sounded like someone was scraping chalk down a chalkboard.”

“Wolves have a sense of hearing ten times more sensitive than a human’s, they would have sought out the sound to determine its source.” Pressing a button at his gauntlet, the first Batwing descended and released the 30 or so bound people and settled over to the side of the cave, folding up like a bat and shutting down hanging from its plinth. Soon the other two did the same and returned to their launch pads, recharging for the next time they would be needed.

“Tell me Ivy… How many can you save?”

Combing her fingers through her long red hair, Pamela sashayed over to the group of unconscious people. The silver netting kept them at bay, their flesh scorched by the metallic wiring and keeping them from having the strength to even look up at the olive-skinned woman let alone attack her. Bringing her hand out she slowly walked around the group, her eyes focusing on each one she passed by as if looking for something. When she stopped, she looked back to Bruce, hinting she would like the net loosened. Stepping over to Poison Ivy, Batman took out a batarang and made short cuts into the net, pulling out an unconscious woman with dark skin and smooth black hair. As soon as she was free from the net, her skin began to heal rapidly, like watching a third degree burn sizzle backwards in time with blisters fading within seconds. Placing her hand on the woman’s forehead, Ivy closed her eyes and then moved away from the young woman just when she woke with a start and screamed at the sight of the Batman looming over her.

“Where am I? Where the FUCK am I?!” Holding herself and covering her breasts and naval with her hands, the woman didn’t dare stand up as she felt almost blind in the dark cool cave, she found herself in.

“Tell me your name.” Batman asked, making the woman calm down somewhat. “Adelle… Adelle Jefferson.”

“Welcome to the freakshow Adelle!” Chirped Harley in a sing-song voice. “You’ll fit right in with the rest of us.” Holding herself tightly, the black woman was both confused and scared for her life, until she felt something heavy wrap around her. Looking up she found that the Batman had taken off his cloak and offered it to the woman like a blanket to cover herself. “Any others Ivy?” Moving over to the other two bundles of unconscious people, Ivy looked over each one, her eyes narrowed and focused. When she passed by the second net and onto the third, Bruce’s heart fell until she stopped, gasping as if in surprise. Waving Batman over, Bruce moved to join her and realised her shock.

“Jason!”

Kneeling and clipping the net open, Batman pulled free the unconscious body of Jason Todd, ignoring the hiss of his skin burning on contact with the silver to pull the young man free. Crouching next to Batman, Ivy pressed her hand against his forehead and closed her eyes. Holding herself in place more many seconds before Jason began to cough and stagger, wiping his eyes with one hand while trying to steady himself with the other. Looking up, the first thing he saw was the flowing red hair of Poison Ivy framing her gorgeous face, the woman pursing her plump lips into a satisfied smile as she held herself close, exposing her generous cleavage from the top of her night gown.

Instantly Red Hood’s blood went cold, his eyes going wide at the sight of the gorgeous woman. “Fuck! Fuckfuckfuckfuckfuck!!!” Crawling backwards away from the woman as fast as possible, Jason wiped at his arms, checking for hives and blisters, checking his throat and lungs to find if he could breath normally. When he found he wasn’t frothing at the mouth breaking up into boils, the naked 20-year-old looked around to find Batman in front of several women looking down at him, one he recognised as Poison Ivy, the other Harley Quinn. Looking behind them, he found dozens of unconscious people bound in nets. Confused and a little self conscientious, the Red Hood looked up to Batman with a narrow-eyed look. “The FUCK is going on here?!”