Who is Jeramiah Sewell?

Kara was somewhere over the old factory district looking for clues as to where the three Riddler ladies were. Oracle had made a back door into Black Gate’s security system and brought up the footage of the break out. The three had somehow managed to be taken to the infirmary of the woman’s wing of Blackgate all at the same time… or rather Echo and Query had joined Enigma in the infirmary where she was recovering from her Traumatic Brain Injury Robin gave her when he took her down last time. The pair of strippers turned henchwomen, had grabbed the kid and escaped into Murder Swamp wetland preserve to the north. It hadn’t taken much to tell that they had left the swamplands, the stolen car report did that, and the ditched car put them in the abandoned factory district.

“Any signs?” Robin asked over the radio.

“Not yet,” Oracle said, “Not much in the way of accessible security systems in this part of town.”

“I am not seeing them so far,” Batgirl said.

“I am transmitting the information for Filmore Manufacturing,” Alfred’s voice came over the network.

“What?” Robin asked.

“Fuck,” Oracle said, “In the video Query said the ‘presidential suite,’ and Echo said ‘number 13.’ And the US President number 13 is…”

“But if we are talking about Riddler, then wouldn’t it be a double entendre?” Robin asked.

“Wrong term,” Batman said, “But if we were dealing with Nigma himself, then yes. It would be a red Herring… but in this case, it seems that to be legit since it would have to be remembered by his… Gun Bunnies. I doubt they would think of college presidents or something else like that…”

Kara could have sworn she heard a giggle in the background of Bruce’s transmission…

“Alfred check for any listings for a Jeremiah Sewell,” Batman intoned, “Send them to Robin.”

“Oh, hell no!” Robin said, “I need a rematch with those strippers.”

“Send them to Oracle,” Batman intoned, “I…”

“I owe Query a black eye,” Oracle said.

“I owe them too,” Batgirl chirped up.

“Fine,” Batman said, “Alfred sent the listings to me and we will check them out.”

Kara arched an eyebrow under her cowl. She knew who was with Bruce now… and that made her want to giggle too.

“Right,” Robin said with a snicker in his voice.

“Meet on me,” Batgirl said moving towards the address Alfred had sent them.

*

Kara waited for Oracle and Robin on top of the roof of the building across the street from Filmore Manufacturing.

“What can you see?” Robin asked moving to a set of shadows created by half collapsed smokestacks, “And don’t pretend you didn’t scan the building with your x-ray specs.”

“I see three of them are in a safe room in the basement,” Batgirl said calmly, “But it has all sorts of perimeter alarms…”

“Are they wireless?” Oracle asked as she stepped out some shadows.

“No,” Batgirls said, “All hard wired with direct feeds to a system in the basement with the ladies.”

“So how are we going to bypass them?” Robin asked.

“How about we just cut the power?” Batgirl asked.

“How?” Oracle asked.

Batgirl pointed at a car parked across the street from the old factory facing a power pole.

“The angles are right so that camera won’t cover someone hotwiring it and sending it right into that pole which is supplying power to the building. Get to it Robin,” Batgirl said.

“Why me?” Robin asked.

“Because you are good at that sort of mayhem,” Oracle said, “So who better to send than the best?”

“On it,” Robin disappeared.

Oracle looked at Batgirl with an arched eyebrow.

“Mayhem is his thing,” Batgirl said.

“Hell yeah it is,” Oracle agreed.

*

“I’m fine Nina,” Emily said, “I was faking it to stall off the trial proceedings.”

“That slip up trying to get out of the swamp says otherwise kid,” the older blonde bent over to look Emily in the eyes.

“Whatever Di…” Emily said.

“We should have left her,” Nina said, “But Eddy would have killed us if we didn’t grab the brat. Where are you going Diedre?”

“Check the security cameras,” the blonde said, “Cops will be looking for us and the gargoyle must know we are on the lose already.”

“Where are the guns?” Emily asked.

“No need for them yet,” Nina said.

*

“How long will we have when the twerp brings down the pole?” Oracle asked.

“Two minutes before the back up generator there kicks in,” Batgirl pointed at a shed, “And… Now maybe five minutes before the second back up inside the building kicks in.”

“Right,” Oracle said bracing herself.

“Here it comes,” Batgirl said getting a hold of her partner.

On the street the clunker came out across the street and rammed into the power pole next to the building causing the power pole to come crashing down into the street with a shower of sparks as the transformer imploded in the impact. AS the lights outside the old factory went out, Oracle felt herself be hauled across the gap and onto the roof of the target building.

*

“What happened?” Emily wobbled towards Nina and Deidre in the red of the emergency lights, “Where are the guns?”

“Take a seat kid,” Nina said calmly, “A drunk slammed into the power pole outside, the backup generator will kick in any second…”

“What?” Emily asked.

“Stay here,” Deidre said, “I will deal with the shit head.”

*

“And the backup generator will never start up,” Batgirl smiled, “Now, ambush spots…”

Oracle and Batgirl disappeared into the shadows of the red emergency lights… The blonde henchwoman came walking down the hall with a flashlight. She was wearing sweatpants and tee-shirt rather than the question mark leotards normally worn during heists with Nigma. The blonde was looking around with her flashlight.

“Come on,” the Blonde said point her light at the backup generator, “Kick in already…”

The generator started to kick up and the starter cranked. But a shower of sparks shot out the wires connecting the generator to the building’s power grid and generator automatically shut down.

“Shit,” the blonde said with abject disgust, “Something must have chewed on the lines.”

Oracle appeared behind the blonde and had the bag over her head and the sedative in the woman’s neck before she could do anything. Batgirl zipped over and hauled her up into the rafters and tied her to a girder holding up the ceiling. Batgirl went back down to the floor and joined Oracle in sneaking around the abandoned factory. They stopped when they spotted the open floor covering to the hidden stairwell. Oracle moved into a shadow and pulled up the building specifications… She looked up and shook her head at Batgirl. Batgirl looked around in the extra spectrums that her Kryptonian vision allowed her to see in… but there wasn’t a way from here to down there except for the stairwell…

“Robin, go back north three blocks and look for an entrance to an underground parking garage…” Batgirl whispered, “Don’t argue, it is your way in their back door…”

Oracle shook her head to Batgirl and Batgirl rolled her eyes in agreement. Batgirl looked back to the stairwell, the black hair of a Latina emerged.

“DI?” Nina Damfino aka Echo called as she looked around, “What’s wrong with the generators? Di, where are you…. SHIT!”

Batgirl watched her rush back down into the sub-basement. Oracle arched an eye brow, Batgirl pantomimed looking up. Oracle understood and let her head slump forward.

“Let’s go you little shit,” Nina’s voice erupted from the basement, “Either come with me now or good luck with the Gargoyles! Well move it!”

*

Robin reached the entrance to the underground garage, the security was already disabled… He was about to enter when a hand landed on his shoulder. Robin turned around and looked at Catwoman grinning. Batgirl arrived seconds later with Oracle in her arms. Moments later, the Batmobile exited the parking garage towing a van with Nina and Emily seat belted into the front seats, black bags over their heads and handcuff “Choking” them and keeping their hands by their faces.

“Ok,” Batgirl asked, “How did Jeremiah Sewell lead you to their escape tunnel?”

“Study your botany,” Batman said when the Batmobile opened up.

“Later kittens,” Catwoman purred, “I was promised a naked five-minute head start on the Wayne Penthouse safe…”

“Did we just get blown off for a booty call?” Robin asked.

“That about sums it up,” Oracle said.

“Club?” Batgirl asked.

“Red X,” Robin smirked.

“It’s a Thursday night,” Batgirl said.

“I’ll grab Raven,” Robin said wandering off.

*

Edgar had been tasked to take pictures at the street races, the contact Vicki Vale had set up had tipped him that a midnight run from Burnside to Bluddhaven Ferry was going to happen and to meet up at eleven thirty to take pictures of the racers. Vale wanted to look for a weird black bike with a red x on the front fender. It was eleven fifteen and cars started showing up in the parking lot. A black bike with a white cross on it pulled up, clearly trying to play up the Crusader Knights theme… A yellow bike with black stripes pulled up next. The rider took off his helmet and Edgar recognized Nathan Finch from an awards ceremony for a prize in robotic car development. A woman pulled up in a green and black bike. Another woman pulled up in a white and light blue bike. A car pulled up and a guy got out and the riders all gathered around the man. Edgar took pictures. Cars started pulling up and Edgar took pictures of the people getting out.

“What?” Edgar said taking pictures of a few people and recognizing a few, “Kara Wayne, her little Anna… And Jason Todd.”

A roar of an engine got everyone’s attention. It was a black bike that looked like something out of a Tron movie, with a big red X and white skull on the front and the sides… The rider was a babe in full black leather with a red X on her chest and a white skull with one eye being ‘x-ed’ out with a red X on the front of her full-face helmet…

“Edgar, right?” a man said as he slapped the roof of Edgar’s car.

Edgar jumped in his seat and turned and looked at the man on the passenger side of his car. It was Miss Vale’s friend Alexander Knox.

“Vicki said you would be watching the races…” Knox said as he got in the car.

“Yeah, there she is,” Edgar said going back to taking pictures.

“That?” Knox said looking in the direction of the camera at the brunette in leather pants and a leopard jacket kissing Kara Wayne, “That’s Maven… what’s her name. Kyle the charity queen’s personal assistant.”

“Not her,” Edgar said snapping a few more shots.

“The blonde in the same outfit?” Knox said, “That’s Holly, Selina’s pet teenager.”

“No, the racers. The babe in black with the white skull on her helmet,” Edgar said.

“With the red x?” Knox asked.

“Yeah, Miss Vale has been looking for her…” Edgar said taking more pictures.

“Last I heard Red X was a strapping young man, not a babe,” Knox said.

“Well there she is,” Edgar said.

A man came walking over. Edgar rolled down his window.

“Who is this?” Knox asked.

“Lucias,” Edgar said, “Officially he is just a race fan, unofficially he is here to scout talent for his race car driver boss and the sponsor company above him. He has been let me know when and where these events happen for Miss Vale.”

“Hay Edgar, who is the suit?” the Latino asked as he came up to the car.

“Boss Lady’s boyfriend,” Edgar said, “Alexander Knox.”

“Well there is Red X,” Lucias said, “Race is around the north loop outside of Gotham. Finish line is the parking lot of the ferry to Bluddhaven. First on the lot wins.”

“You going to chase them again with your camera gear?” Edgar asked.

“That is what the boss is paying me for. You going to chase Red X in this?” Lucais asked.

“I’ll be waiting at the finish line,” Edgar said.

Lucias turned and walked away and Edgar turned and looked at Knox. Knox just kept his eyes on the racers and the people gathered to watch the start.

“Don’t you have your own car?” Edgar asked.

“Part of living in the city,” Knox said reaching in his coat, “Public transportation.”

Knox handed Edgar a wad of twenty dollar bills. Edgar took the money and shrugged.

“We both want to be at the docks, and besides I am your boss’s boyfriend,” Knox said.

“Yeah, Yeah..” Edgar said going back to the photographing the pre-race.

*

Kara woke up with an arm across her belly. She looked over at the brunet next to her. Kara kissed Maven on the nose. And made her way downstairs. Alfred had prepared breakfast for her and her guess. Jason walked into the kitchen with Bruce’s cell phone.

“Where is Bruce?” Jason asked.

Kara looked around and then looked towards the city center.

“He is in Wayne Tower,” Alfred said.

Jason arched an eyebrow and hit a few icons on Bruce’s phone.

“Yes, go a head and sign the deal in my name, so long as I don’t have to appear in person, maybe just a cameo,” Jason said.

Alfred and Kara looked at Jason. Jason hung up the phone.

“The Wayne legal team asking for Bruce’s ok on a vanity proposal, I used the voice modulator,” Jason said.

“What? Did someone want to put Bruce’s name on a cologne?” Kara asked.

“Some studio wanted to do a bio picture on Play Boy Bruce,” Jason said.

“Yeah that sounds like a vanity project Bruce would ok to look irresponsible and not actually work on himself,” Kara said.

“Master Bruce developed his work ethic by playing the irresponsible playboy,” Alfred noted.

“I though he learned his work ethic from you yelling at him,” Jason said with an arched eyebrow.

“Well that too,” Alfred admitted.

Kara grabbed the plate of bagels and two cups of coffee and went back to her room.

“Think Selina is going to have kittens when she finds out Kara and Maven are banging behind her back?” Jason asked when he thought Kara was far enough away.