In this latest fanfiction installment by “Shadowdance” author Mark Wooden, Batman confronts the Black Widow’s clone, but he has an active bystander — the real Black Widow.
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Batman watched as, down below, the Black Widow clone was wise enough to check her surroundings before dashing into the open parking lot. She looked back to the rooftops, then stopped cold.
The redheaded clone drew handguns from hip holsters before charging into the lot. Part of the way across, she turned and opened fire at the sniper’s location.
Her bullets shattered the side of the warehouse wall. The sniper pulled back, but was unharmed, which was fine. The distraction gave the clone the cover she needed to continue to a waiting car.
Batman ran to the edge of his roof and dove off. He held the ends of his cloak to form a makeshift parachute and floated down to the ground. He landed within feet of the Black Widow clone.
She turned on Batman.
He quickly pulled his cloak in front of him, making him appear a larger target. The ruse worked; shots were fired, penetrating the cloak but Batman went unharmed.
The Dark Knight threw his cloak aside, revealing three bat-shaped shurikens in hand. He hurled them at the clone, hitting both of her hands.
Her handguns dropped to the ground as the shuriken stuck in.
The clone aimed her arm at Batman. A pulse of electricity shot from her yellow bracelet. The bolt hit Batman, coursed over his frame, then dissipated. It had no effect on the Dark Knight.
The clone frowned.
“You’ve adapted since our encounter in Gotham,” she said.
Batman angled around the clone, standing between her and the sniper.
The Widow clone pulled the shuriken out of her hands, then glared at the masked vigilante. She dropped to one knee and reached for one of her fallen pistols.
“Stay down,” Batman demanded.
Looking up at the black-clad vigilante, the clone said, “I already uploaded the data to my employers.”
“HYDRA?” Batman asked. “Or someone else?”
A bullet hit the ground at Batman’s feet. It’d come from the sniper.
The Widow clone flinched.
“Tell me what I want to know, or I get out of the sniper’s way,” Batman said.
“You won’t let them kill me,” the clone said, a sinister smile developing. “You’re… a hero.” She said the word “hero” as if it were something despicable.
The sniper fired another bullet that landed an inch from Batman’s boot. His focus remained on the clone.
“Did your girlfriend in Gotham tell you how I carved her up?” the clone asked. She slowly reached behind her back, at the same time reaching for one of her fallen pistols.
“Don’t,” Batman said, all the while preparing for the inevitable attack.
It came in the form of a knife thrown from behind the clone’s back. Batman turned away from the blade. It sailed just past his cowl. He realized it was meant to miss.
The clone came up with her handgun and aimed it at the Dark Knight.
The sniper’s bullet tore through the clone’s forehead.
She was dead in an instant.
“No!” Batman yelled.
He turned to look at the sniper. She lifted her weapon and receded further on the roof out of view.
Batman knelt to the fallen clone as her skin began to melt.
Coulson stood just outside the HYDRA warehouse overseeing the cleanup.
Agents in combat gear brought Vanko outside to a waiting security van. Batman had left him gift wrapped with a pair of Batcuffs.
Coulson himself had made sure a medical van secured Tony Stark and got him to a SHIELD safe house. Hopefully, they’d be able to wake him.
Otherwise, they couldn’t get him out of that probably booby-trapped armor to treat him for his missing hand.
General Fury had already filed several notices with both local law enforcement and Russian intelligence. .
By the time they figured everything out, Coulson’s team would have the knock-off Legionnaire and Vanko’s computers out of the area for further research.
There was no sign of that Bane character Batman had mentioned. That he’d escaped from Batman worried Coulson, but he figured Batman had had the choice between following the data chip or Bane.
He’d made the right call to go after the chip, based on what he knew.
Maybe Fury should have told Batman he’d placed the real Black Widow on the roof to take out the clone. He’d have gone after and maybe bagged Bane.
“Target eliminated,” Coulson heard the Widow say over his earpiece. “Word of warning though,” she continued. “Batman is pretty upset.”
“If he complains —”
Coulson felt something constrict his legs. Before he could see what, the Batline hoisted Coulson into the air. The next thing he knew, his shirt front was in Batman’s hand as he dangled over the edge of the warehouse.
To be continued…
While writing this fanfiction, I used Green Ronin’s Mutants and Masterminds, 3rd Edition RPG, to leave some things to chance. Check it out!
Like this fanfiction? Check out Mark’s original “Shadowdance” saga books!
Copyright Info
DC Adventures, Copyright 2011, Green Ronin Publishing; Author Steve Kenson. It’s now Mutants and Masterminds, 3rd Edition
Advanced Player’s Manual, Copyright 2005, Green Ronin Publishing: Author Skip Williams.
The characters Iron Man, Tony Stark, Pepper Potts, Vanko, Black Widow and Nick Fury are Copyright Marvel Comics
The characters Batman/ Bruce Wayne, Batgirl/ Barbara Gordon, Black Mask, the Penguin/ Oswald Chesterfield Cobblepot, Renee Montoya, Commissioner Gordon, Alfred Pennyworth, Robin/ Dick Grayson, KGBeast and Bane are Copyright DC Comics
None of the characters belong to me as this is fanfiction, done for fun, and as a creative exercise.
