BAE Chapter 66

This isn’t neat work.

Barbara barely controls her temper in her brief conversation with the reporters outside the hospital room. Visibly seething, she informs them that the victims of attacks relating to the Seed formula deserve privacy and dignity and that she is committed to solving this problem before it has time to gain momentum.

She should be more calm. She should say that it’s Wayne Enterprises that is committed to solving the problem. She should find a way to say that she told them so. But she’s not at her best.

BAE

A light rain falls on the roof of the Falstaff building. This is a spot between the safety lights, where the rooftop lies in shadow behind towering gargoyles.

The blonde hanging upside down from the nearest gargoyle is something of a beauty, but her hair is a mess and her makeup is ruined. All the blood has gone to her head from hanging this way and she’s shivering in her little clubbing dress. Raindrops roll down her pale skin, and her underwear is exposed. The gray briefs don’t match her sexy dress, but they do succeed in containing a large penis.

A clatter is followed by a noisy zipping sound.

Batgirl flies up out of the dark to land lightly on the roof.

Batwoman stands nearby, her hand on her hip as Batgirl approaches. They stand side by side, regarding the prisoner. In good light, Barbara’s gray, blue, and yellow costume looks quite different from Kate’s more dramatic and modern black and red. In shadow, they’re both caped phantoms. Only Barbara’s much shorter cape distinguishes her from her teammate.

“I had a feeling I’d be seeing you again,” Barbara says, stepping into the light to come face to face with the prisoner. “But not like this.”

This is Lotte de Jong, a Dutch medical student. Barbara met her before on the subway, when she and her gang had been ****-**** a sexual predator. Not the kind of thing that Barbara had pictured when she made her first crude Batgirl costume to try to help clear her father’s name.

“Explain this to me,” Barbara says, tapping Lotte’s nose with one gloved finger. “How we go from believing in consent to this.”

Lotte stares defiantly, matching Barbara’s gaze.

“She had product?” Barbara asks Kate without looking away.

Kate tosses a bag and Barbara snatches it out of the air. Individual baggies containing pills. Pill form makes the most sense, but Barbara has to wonder what they had to mix with the formula to make it solid like this.

Barbara holds the bag in front of Lotte’s face.

“I thought you cared about consent,” she says.

Lotte is silent.

“Julieta,” Barbara says, watching for a reaction, and it’s there: she has Lotte’s attention. “What is she? Your friend? Your partner? Lotte, you get one chance to do this the smart way.” Barbara grabs Lotte’s hair and pulls, forcing her face closer. Lotte was a medical student, so she should be at least reasonably intelligent. And she has strong convictions, clearly. She’s tough. Brave. “You want Julieta out? I might be able to help. First and only chance. Where did you get this?”

Lotte doesn’t reply. Normally, Barbara would admire that. She has a feeling that Lotte was not selling these pills to shitbag men who planned to misuse them. She was probably selling it to women who wanted it, although a woman was just as capable of dosing an enemy over a grudge or something.

It doesn’t change anything. Barbara wants the source, and it’s interesting that someone like Lotte would be selected to deal. There’s more to this than meets the eye.

“Fine. We’ll do it Batman’s way.”

Lotte cries out in pain as Barbara drives her fist into her exposed abdomen. Barbara yanks her hair to stop her from swinging, then punches her again.

“You know, I hate doing this upside down. Cut her down,” she says to Kate, still holding Lotte’s hair.

Kate throws a Batarang, severing the line. By keeping a grip on Lotte’s hair, Barbara prevents her from landing on her head, but the fall is not painless. Lotte spills to the ground and Barbara promptly stomps on her exposed bulge with the heel of her boot, drawing another cry of pain. Barbara twists her heel and leans into it. She’s pretty limber, so there’s nothing stopping her from bending forward to go nose to nose while keeping her full weight on Lotte’s groin.

Lotte is tough. Her teeth grind.

“Did you see the news today?” Barbara asks. “We found out what happens when you OD on this stuff. Did you see?” She holds up a pill.

Lotte stays stony.

“You didn’t see. I’ll show you.” Barbara grabs Lotte’s face and feeds her the pill, then forces her to swallow by covering her mouth and nose. **** and spluttering, red-faced, Lotte glares with tears in her eyes.

“Batgirl,” Kate says uneasily.

“Back off,” Barbara snarls, pointing a finger at her. She uses her gloves hand to wipe Lotte’s mouth, not easing her weight. She holds up another pill. “How about another one?” She grabs Lotte’s face again, shoving the pill between her lips, but she can see it in the blonde’s eyes.

Barbara stops and stands up. She crushes the pill to powder between her fingers and steps off Lotte’s cock. Lotte turns onto her side with a whimper, curling up in pain.

Barbara dusts off her hands. Lotte will not talk. She must have a hell of a reason.

Kate is at her side.

“Did you really just do that?” she asks quietly.

“That was an antidote tab from my belt,” Barbara mutters. “Are you blind?”

“You were hiding it with your thumb.”

“So she wouldn’t notice.”

“OK. I was worried.”

Barbara clenches her fists. Together, she and Kate stare at Lotte’s pitiful form.

If they turn Lotte in, they can potentially take another run at her when she’s locked up. With some research and preparation, Barbara is confident that she can crack her.

Or they can put a tracker on her and leave her free.