Continuing Mark Wooden’s “Birds of Prey” fanfiction, it’s Batgirl versus ninjas on the rooftops of Crime Alley!
Want to read from the beginning? CLICK HERE!
Batgirl’s grappling line brought her to the roof of the nearest building. Usually, she had the run of the rooftops.
When Batgirl got to the rooftop, she realized she wasn’t alone. Three men stood in the shadows. They were good, but not good enough.
“Come out, or I’ll drag you out!” Batgirl said.
The three men — the three ninjas — did as commanded. They also drew swords from scabbards on their backs.
“How many more of you are there?” Batgirl asked.
“We are all you should fear,” one of the ninjas said, his accent revealing Japanese origins. “But more of our brethren are waiting.”
Batgirl noted the ninja who spoke had a headset microphone tucked close to the part of his mask that concealed his lower face.
Presumably, the Aussie was in communication with them.
There could be ninjas all over the area, all waiting for the command to hit the theater. She’d have to get one of these three talking to find the others.
She just hoped she could do it before the others attacked.
The ninjas quickly moved to striking range. Batgirl feinted to one side. All three ninjas fell for the maneuver.
Batgirl came back with a solid kick that leveled one of the ninjas. She then fought the two remaining ninjas, parrying their swords against her gauntlets, lashing out with punches.
The masked vigilante disarmed one of the ninjas. It didn’t stop his attacks. Batgirl’s Kevlar-lined armor prevented any real damage from the unarmed blows.
The vigilante caught the remaining sword between the hooks on her gauntlets. With a twist, she broke the blade in half, rendering it useless.
Taken aback, the ninjas stepped away from Batgirl, reassessing their opponent.
“Why stop now, fellas?” Batgirl asked.
Then Batgirl noticed the fallen ninja. Instead, she saw what remained of him.
His costume lay on the ground, but his body had turned to ash.
She didn’t get a long look. The other ninjas moved in again.
One of them got in a lucky blow, firmly putting a boot against the side of her cowl. The blow spun Batgirl, sending her to the ground. She barely rolled out of the way when the other ninja took the opportunity to stomp at her.
The ninja came in again at Batgirl, who remained on one knee. She caught the ninja’s foot and spun him away from her, twisting the foot in the bargain.
The other ninja came at her. Batgirl dodged the blow. She then punched the ninja in his solar plexus. The ninja went down and stayed there.
Batgirl looked to the ninja with the twisted leg. He hobbled up on his uninjured foot. Batgirl took the opportunity to stand too.
“Stop this!” Batgirl demanded. “I doubt you want to be ash any more than I feel like wasting my time with you!”
The ninja pulled a second blade, a dagger. He then used it to slash his throat. Batgirl turned away from the spray of blood. When she looked back, the ninja was already turning to ash.
Batgirl then remembered the headset. She grudgingly dug through ninja ash to fish out the headset. Holding it to her ear, she heard the Aussie yelling for one of his teams to report in.
Batgirl guessed he was talking to the group she’d just eliminated.
How many more ninjas were out here?
A press of a button on her cowl slid the infrared lens into place. Scanning the rooftops, Batgirl detected at least two other teams up here. She had no idea if there were more on the ground.
Now the Aussie asked his other teams if they had sight of the missing group. Batgirl quickly found a shadow to hide in. No word went back to the Aussie. She’d remained hidden.
If Batgirl were to stop the Aussie, she couldn’t hide for long. She had to know what she was up against.
“I took down your team,” Batgirl said into the headset.
“Who the ‘ell is this?” the Aussie asked.
“If you’re going to do crime in Gotham, you should know it’s protected,” Batgirl said.
The Aussie laughed over the radio. “I’d heard about some bloke dressed as a bat, likes to beat up thugs and costumed twats,” he said. “Didn’t know a girlie played too.”
Batgirl frowned at the sexist insult. “This girlie just beat the ash out of three of your ninjas. Who uses ninjas nowadays anyway? I bet you’re wearing pastel colors too, getting that whole eighties vibe.”
“Only pastel color you’re gonna see is the blood leakin’ from your gut when I find ya,” the Aussie said.
As long as you’re focused on me and not the theaters, Batgirl thought. “You know where your men were,” she said in the headset. “You know I beat them. Come and get me.”
Batgirl literally throws down her gauntlet to this unknown Aussie — who you should know as Kano.
How’s this fight gonna go? And what about the innocent gamblers? Will the ninjas get to them before Batgirl and her backup can save them? Find out next week!
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 Birds of Prey fanfiction? Check out Mark’s original “Shadowdance” saga books!
