Super creeping... Gotham Style

“For now, she goes by Rose Worth. Her mother’s maiden name. She moved to the US from Thailand some years ago as an infant with her mother under the sponsorship of one William Wintergreen, the known associate of Slade Wilson, AKA Deathstroke,” Bruce recited the information on the screen, “Her mother is operating in Miami as the media personality ‘Sweet Lili’ and has filed missing persons reports with the police. Rose is operating in Chicago.”

“So, what are we to do?” Starfire asked.

“Make contact, convince her to take the invitation to Gotham,” Huntress intoned, “Dangle being a Titan in front of her. You have done this before Anders.”

“I have never done this with the Batman,” Starfire said.

“Don’t say the names directly,” Batgirl smiled, “just reference ‘the Gargoyles’ like everyone else does.”

“Very well.”

“A transport link will bring us to the Queen Industries Harmonics Lab in South Chicago. From there we should be able to find her stalking the gangs in this area,” Bruce said as a map came up, “She is trying to be noticed. She confronts the crooks in the sight of networked security cameras but activity avoids them when she isn’t directly interacting with the gangs. She prefers to attack mid crime.”

“So how are we going to get her attention?” Starfire asked.

“When is the last time you got drunk at a club?” Huntress asked Starfire.

“What?” Starfire asked looking as Batman, Batgirl and Huntress were all looking at her.

*

“This is very degrading,” Starfire whispered in Kryptonian as she lurched down the sidewalk.

“Keep walking princess,” Huntress said in Kryptonian, “And put some more drunk in your sway.”

“Keep your eyes forward,” Batman intoned, “You have the jackals right behind you. How far away is she?”

“She will be at the next alley on your left Koriand’r,” Batgirl said in stuttering Tamaranean.

Starfire kept walking in with the “Drunk sway” in her step and holding one of her boots in her hand. She made sure to look at the other side of the street while looking into the alley ahead of her with the side of her vision. Sure, enough as she walked past the alley way, she noticed the hint of movement to her left. As she walked past the door of the bakery on her left a hand was placed on her shoulder.

“Hay Cinderella,” a man said, “Loose a shoe?”

“What?” Star said adding slur to her accented English.

“Maybe you should come home with us,” another man said.

“Or at least your purse should!” a third man said.

Starfire turned around when she heard the thud of metal on flesh and bone. One of the gang members slumped down and behind him was the white-haired girl they were looking for.

Starfire looked her up and down. She was Five-five and a hundred and ten pounds as Dick would say. She had striking blue eyes Starfire noted. She was wearing gray camouflage BDU style pants and a pink sweatshirt with a skull and cross bones printed in black. In her hand was a metal pipe with an endcap. The two other men between Starfire and Rose turned towards the white-haired girl and pulled out pistols.

“Now?” Starfire asked aloud in English.

The two black shadows came crashing down on the gang members and then shot back up into the night leaving the pistols dropping to the ground. Rose looked in amazement as the thugs had seemingly vanished!

“What the…” Rose said before trying to turn and run.

She slammed into the black figure that had materialized out of the night behind her. Rose turned and checked the figure behind her. It was taller than her, Rose tried to fight it, but it moved too fast, she couldn’t land a hit.

“There is no need to fight us,” the deep, powerful bass voice boomed from the shadows of the alley, “We want to talk.”

Starfire watched as the woman panicked and tried to run. Starfire could tell Batgirl said something with her body langue and that Batman understood. She flew off in a shot and appeared in front of Rose as she was running looking back at Starfire. Starfire watched as Rose bounced off Batgirl. Rose recovered instantly and ran in another direction, only for her to run into the black shadow figure again. This time a booted foot struck out and kicked Rose across the street, and Starfire watched as Batgirl speed in a flash across the street and caught the staggering white-haired young woman.

“Please do not fight us,” Starfire said, “We wish to speak with you.”

Starfire walked to the young woman when the one gang member who had been knocked out by Rose got up and leapt on Star’s back holding a knife to her throat.

“I walk or I kill the floozie!” the Gang banger shouted.

“Don’t hurt her!” Rose shouted.

Starfire smiled and raised her hands up.

“I am not in danger,” Starfire said.

A flash of Starfire’s energy bolts erupted from her hand blinding the goon behind her and the gang member disappeared in a flash of dark movements. Rose was still disoriented.

“Who are you?” She shouted, “What do you want?”

“We wish to speak with you,” Starfire smiled, “I am called Starfire, I am from the Teen Titans.”

“Who are…” Rose looked around, “They?”

“You know who we are,” the deep bass voice boomed from the alley.

“The Gargoyles?” Rose asked.

“Yes, they are often called that,” Starfire said.

“So, what do you have to say to me?” Rose asked.

“We think you have what it would take to be a Titan Rose Worth. But others are not convinced…” Starfire looking up.

Rose looked up and spotted another shadowy figure on the roof above them.

“An enrollment will be sent to you to go to a school in Gotham,” the voice from the alley said, “Take it, come to Gotham and attend classes.”

“Why should I?” Rose asked.

“Because it is from there that we can have your auditions for the Titans,” Starfire said, “And it is your chance to return to school.”

“Never liked that,” Rose sneered.

“If you want the chance to join the Titans, you go to classes,” the voice commanded, “Don’t show up for classes, and you don’t get trained up to be a Titan.”

“Not giving me much of a choice,” Rose crossed her arms across her chest.

“The Choice is yours,” the voice said, “But that’s the deal. If you don’t like it…”

Rose looked at Starfire and Starfire shrugged. Her hand glowed as she summoned a Star bolt and pointed it into the alley. There was no one there.

“Attend the school,” Starfire said looking at the girl again, “If nothing else, you get to eat three times a day.”

That remark seemed to hit home with Rose. Starfire smiled and launched herself up into the night’s sky.

*

“She fights like her father,” Huntress said as they walked throw the sub-basement, “Are we sure he hasn’t made contact and started training her already?”

“With Wilson we can never be sure,” Batman intoned.

Kara stopped and looked around.

“Ok Time to go,” Kara said, “She is braking in to follow us.”

“Throw the sewers,” Starfire said.

The four went into the teleporter and vanished. Some minutes later Rose walked throw the hallway and looked around. Four sets of boots had been down here recently… The older ones were maybe a few hours older than the newer ones and wet. Rose followed them right to a drain leading to the city’s storm drain systems.

“Got you!” Rose said as she went into the storm drains.

Rose checked the bulk head to her right and then followed the drainage system to her left never noticing the teleporter built into the casing of the drain itself.

*

She hadn’t planned it, but it worked out perfectly. Kara had changed into some street clothes and zipped into town. She was driving the custom rebuilt ’68 Mustang that Bruce had had used to test an electric motor and battery system. But at a light as she was driving back to the manor a drunk had blown the light and clipped her rear, knocking off a wheel and sending her spinning around, had she been a mere-mortal and not wearing a seatbelt she would have been hurt really bad. As it was, it was enough to get her name in the news as having been in down town Gotham that night and have a little bit of gossip. The attending Paramedic even joked about the headline on the local news being “Local Celebrity survives Drunk Driver.”