The ultimate confrontation between Batman and Kano! And I bring Black Canary and Sonya Blade back to get us closer to the formation of the Birds of Prey!
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“This the part where I’m supposed to cower and beg for my life?” Kano stood at one end of the street. He faced Gotham City’s self-appointed defender, Batman.
“If you’re smart,” Batman said.
Kano laughed. “Never been too smart.”
A bolt of red-hued energy fired from Kano’s cybernetic eye.
Batman dodged under the blast and released an attack of his own — a Bat-Shuriken. It pierced Kano’s cybernetic eye.
Kano grabbed his face and shrieked in pain.
Batman closed the distance between the two men. He took his time, allowing Kano to feel the pain. The vigilante stopped Kano’s screams with an elbow to his throat.
To his credit, the Aussie stumbled back but remained standing.
Kano’s yell of anguish turned to one of rage. He swung a right hook at Batman. The vigilante took a step back.
Kano’s punch sailed through empty air.
Batman countered with a kick that shattered Kano’s thigh. The criminal collapsed to the ground.
The Dark Knight grabbed the criminal by his gaudy shirt and pulled him up, so they were face-to-face. “Did you get any smarter?” Batman asked.
Kano spat on Batman’s cowl. He followed that with a weak laugh.
Batman’s lips curled into a scowl. He then answered Kano’s insult with a punch square into Kano’s face.
The Aussie passed out, his cybernetic eye and nose bleeding.
Batman dropped him to the ground.
“Way to go, Batman!” a voice shouted. It was a youthful voice, not much older than early teens.
Batman looked toward the source. In a window two stories up and closest to the alley, he saw a young black boy and his younger brother. “Isn’t tonight a school night?” he said.
Shocked, the boy pulled his brother back inside and closed the window.
Batgirl glided down and landed next to Batman. He kneeled to handcuff Kano.
“Always fun to watch you work,” Batgirl said.
“This isn’t the end,” Batman said.
Batgirl nodded. “I saw Kano meet with some of the Chechen’s men before the ninjas showed up. If that gets back to Gamble, he’ll go after the Chechen. He may do that anyway.”
Batman glanced at the battered criminal at his feet. “Kano said one thing that made sense. He’s never been very smart.”
“You think China White sent him to make a deal with the Chechen?” Batgirl asked.
“Trading muscle for inroads into the territory. Chechen deals in drugs, as does White.”
“Great. Only a matter of time before Penguin gets wind of all of this and asks for his cut. Three-way gang war!”
“It won’t get to that,” Batman said in a dark tone that made his statement a fact. “I’ll see Gamble tonight and contain him.”
“Want me to see the Chechen?”
“Not tonight. Go back to the cave. Rest. You have lunch with your father tomorrow.”
Batgirl blinked. “You went through my calendar?”
He and Batgirl heard the deep growl of a powerful engine approaching.
“Jim mentioned you always have lunch on Wednesdays,” Batman said. “Along with his wish for you to go to Gotham U.”
Batgirl threw up her hands. “Don’t you start on that too!”
A moment later, a sleek car as dark as night drifted around the street corner at high speed. Its angled front sped straight for the bat-motifed vigilantes.
Batgirl stepped to the side.
Batman remained in the Batmobile’s path.
“Gather the shuriken in the sedan window,” Batman said over the roar of the Batmobile. “Leave them on the window two stories up, closest to the alley.”
The Batmobile’s roof broke open, sliding back over the rear of the car. Batman leaped into the air, over the front of the vehicle, and landed in the driver’s seat.
The roof closed into place over him as the car raced off into the night.
Batgirl watched the car ride away. “Show off.”
She looked to the window Batman mentioned and saw two young boys looking back down at her. They looked mesmerized by their luck at seeing the vigilantes in action.
Batgirl admitted she had reacted nearly the same way when she first saw the Batmobile in action.
The vigilante smiled. Batman played Mr. Fearsome but knew who to scare and who to inspire. She headed to retrieve the shuriken Batman intended as a gift.
That morning in Seattle, Dinah was in the middle of a yoga pose when Sonya returned to the safe house. She carried a few manila folders in hand and a depressed expression on her face.
“How’d it go with your captain?” Dinah asked while grabbing a towel to dry off.
Sonya slumped into a chair. “The positives are he’s taking my accusations at China White seriously now,” Sonya said. “He’s working with Vice to set up a super hush hush task force about her. LoDolce will head it up.”
“That’s great! You guys seem to work well together.”
Sonya scowled. “I’m not invited.”
Dinah stopped wiping her face and looked at her partner. “Why not? White tried to kill you.”
“And killed my partner. Captain calls it all a major conflict of interest.”
Dinah sat on the mattress next to Sonya. “Well, that went from positive to negative really fast.”
Sonya handed the folders to Dinah. “In the meantime,” Sonya said, “I’ve got a new assignment.”
Dinah took the files and flipped through them. Inside were pictures and police reports about Kano. There was also a printout from the Gotham Times newspaper. Its headline read:
Vigilantes capture one-eyed arsonist in Crime Alley
Skimming the article by Viki Vale, Dinah learned that Gotham’s infamous vigilantes left Kano for the Gotham City police.
“They smashed his cyber eye?” Dinah asked. “That is totally a Batman thing. And he says my methods are extreme!”
“You said you may have pushed a guy off a roof, Dinah,” Sonya said.
“Kicked,” Dinah corrected. “And compared to Batman, I’m thinking that wasn’t so bad.”
“As far as we know, Batman doesn’t kill.”
Dinah glared at Sonya. “My guy lived.” Dinah frowned and crossed her arms like a guilty child caught in the act. “Just won’t walk anymore.”
Sonya stood up and moved in front of Dinah. “My new assignment is going to Gotham and bringing back Kano.”
Dinah looked surprised. Sonya continued.
“I know you’ll want to go, but if you have some conflict with Batman —”
Dinah brightened her mood. “We’re on official business!” she said. “He’s a vigilante! Totally unofficial business!”
She thought for a moment, then added, “Let’s just be sure to do whatever we have to do during the daytime.”
Batman and Batgirl brought down Kano, but there’s still a world of trouble heading for Gotham.
Can Black Canary and Sonya Blade help put a lid on that danger? Or will the Canary’s presence cause more problems than it’s worth?
Read the next chapter to find out!
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!
