The Darkest of Knights

If any normal day in Gotham City was like Manhattan below Fourteenth Street at eleven minutes past midnight on the coldest night in November, imagine it after three simultaneous bombings with the killer still on the loose. Batman was miserable in the snow but did an excellent job in not showing it. Of course; who wanted to be in a bat suit in the terrible snowfall of Gotham City in the mid-afternoon with a cranky new DA on your ass searching for clues to a maniacal, psychopathic, and assuming she got this far, intelligent criminal?

Finally he got something. "Robin, come over here. Quickly." Batman called out picking up a wire with small faint black markings on outer part of the red rubber casing. "We have ourselves a trail." Batman informed handing the wire to The Commissioner after analyzing it, and acquiring the next destination to venture off to. "So this thing will lead us to our man?" The Commissioner asked inspecting the wire. "No, just the one who made the bomb." Batman said walking to his young ward. "Oh so you don't think the maker of th' bomb was the same person as th'-... he's gone.." The Commissioner looked around. Dana shook her head and sighed, shivering violently. "Three things we need to get use to Flass, the weather, each other, and the Batman. Cause by the looks of it, none of us are going anywhere."

"Batman Incorporated." Dick said taking off his masked and driving down the cold slippery streets. They weren't heading to GG's, of course they didn't know that yet. They were heading to the place that sold the wires to begin with. Kane's Hardware Supply between 5th and 3rd. Simply figure out the serial number and trace whomever made the purchase of the wire. "I've been planning it since my name was exposed as Batman. What do you think? More than one Batman running this city. Each one taking on different sectors, like the Teen Titans but more serious. And why stop at Gotham? Batman is a symbol. Not a man. It's what he represents is what matters. Unlike comic book super heroes where the hero is the man. Like Tony Stark is Iron Man, Iron Man doesn't represent anything, if Tony Stark dies, Iron Man dies. If Wolverine dies, James Howlett dies. Batman and Robin..." He paused looking at Robin, smiling broadly. "Batman and Robin never dies."

Barbara got up to fetch her coat by the door of the hospital room. "Well what do you mean? I think it's getting colder by the minute. It must be really awesome under that UV light. What's so bad about it?" she asked throwing on the coat shivering.

"Well, the last time I was under a UV light, not natural of course.." Karmy said lethargically, sliding towards the edge of the bed. "I'm pretty sure an experiment was being preformed on my exposed liver." she pulled up her shirt a little reveal many sets of scars along her tummy. "It's one of these. probably this one cause it's right over my liver." she pointed it out. "But you can sit under the lights, I'm fine in the corner." she ducked out from under the lights, standing up.

They finally pulled up to the hardware store, it was basically empty, but they couldn't park the batmobile in the hardware store's parking lot. Though seeing how everyone knew who he was it didn't matter if The Batman went to go pick up a hammer after getting wonder bread and milk at the super market. "Let's go around the back. Wait upstairs so we can talk to the manager, personally." Batman said pulling his cowl over his eyes again as he parked in an alley way one block away. "We interrogate him and get find out who bought the red wire with this serial number." Batman informed. "Understand?"

Barbara looked at Karmy, the sudden chill she got from stepping out of the warmth was affecting her. She sighed and put her hand over her forehead as if she was embarrassed to be standing so close to Karmy. She walked over to the UV hood and turned it off, making her way to Karmy and sitting next to her; slinging one arm over her and holding her to share body heat, she embraced Karmy. "Don't panic, I still love Dick." Barbara said bringing in some of the usual innuendo induced dark humor. "So how old are you? Alice never mentioned." She asked bringing in some small talk.

"Huh, she didn't? Never did talk about me much, eh?" Karmy replied, feeling very uncomfortable, especially next to the person who had claimed her to be her child while fighting Mr. Freeze. "Well, you were trained by some great detectives, how old do you think I am?"

"You look 26 to me but, taking away two years for added on stress I say you're 24." Barbara deduced. "And Alice told me enough about you to be aware of your antics." She sighed trying to stop Karmy from stop shivering.

"I look 26?!" Karmy panicked. Violent hippie or not, Karmy was still a lady and she was concerned about her looks, especially with Robert now in the picture. "And what crazy antics? I dunno what you're talking about!" she lied as she pulled out a mirror from her bag.

"Well 26-27. And yeah your uhm.. How did she say it? Insanity? Yeah, I'm aware of that and your coffee situation, oh I think your tea is ready." Barbara said getting up to make it.. "How old do you think I am?" She asked looking in the window for her reflection. Not really seeing it.

"Yeah.. But I'm done with coffee." Karmy said, drawing her knees up close to her cold body. "Made a promise to Alice..." her eyes wandered over to her slumbering best friend for a moment before she looked over to Barbara. "Well, you kinda look around the same age as Dawn. You know, the person from the Insomnios? And she's 32 so.. I'd say you're 32."

"What promise was that..?" Barbara asked plopping back down next to Karmy and assuming the tea would help her more than her body heat. "Oh and I'm two years older than Dick, and he's 34." Barbara smiled, "Six years older than Alice." She hated to admit it, but she felt good about that.

Karmy thought about it for a minute, and then she figured it out. "You're . oh wait no, there's no 5... Oh yeah, 36? You don't look it." she stated before taking a sip of the tee, the hot liquid scalding her tongue for a moment, but she didn't really notice. "Mm, this is good. Never had this before, whatever this is." she said taking another sip.

"Thanks. Heh, Dick thinks when I used Lazarus Pit, it knocked off a couple of years. May be true." Barbara mused looking towards Alice, mumbling about food. She still hasn't had any food yet... "Oh and I know you've never had that. Its Sleepy Time. You look like you could use it." Barbara continued to smile.

"Don't get a big head Robin. We don't want anyone seeing us. This is a covert mission. Stick to what little shadows there are and hold your breath." Batman reminded jumping out of the Batmobile. "Let's hurry. Time isn't on our side."

Batman motioned to Robin. He had found an opening to the shop they could enter discreetly, he had already started and was in awaiting Robin.

Karmy stopped mid sip and slowly lowered the drink from her lips, resting it on her lap. The tea was having a very relaxing affect on her, she could feel a warm sensation in her tummy as she started to calm down. "Normally, I would try to hit you and make a break for it, for tricking me.." she brought the tea back up and continued drinking. "But I doubt that will accomplish anything."

"Like I said Karmy, I have been informed about your silly antics and you would have been in an impossibly strong headlock if you tried anything funny." Barbara smiled at her, in almost a creepy way. "And not with my arm if you get my drift."

"And you would have found your self in the middle of the Atlantic." Karmy took another sip and smiled back in a just as creepy way. She leaned over and set the half empty cup, or was it half full, on the table. "And not in a boat, if you know what I mean."

"Is that a challenge?" Barbara asked. If there was anything dangerous about Karmy it was making sure she didn't snap you through a worm hole. She would snap several portals to make you lose your footing, and there was always a pattern. Something Alice wasn't shy of letting all the Bats know in case anything were to happen. But can you blame them? Bruce Wayne kept kryptonite in case anything between he and Superman were to go wrong. It was only the smartest thing to do. In reality Karmy doesn't even stand a chance against Nicole.

"Sure, lets see if the pregnant gal can put the hypothermia patient in a headlock." Karmy stood up, brushing the dust off her torn, wet clothes. "Or vice versa."

Barbara got up, "Well if that's the way you want it, just don't blame me if-" Just before Barbara could finish her sentence Leslie walked in. Her coat was a bloody mess. "Okay, what's going on here?" The elderly doctor asked sighing looking at Karmy in fighting stance. "Did one of you cheat on the other's boyfriend or something?"

"No..." Karmy shuddered at the thought of kissing Dick, or anything else for that matter. "We were just uhm... Not about to fight and more or likely do something- run for it!" she forgot she was in a closed off room. "Aw crap..."

"It shouldn't take long," Batman stated, "the manager is usually in his office. Wait here." He said jumping into the office. "Signal me if anyone is coming. I'm going to look through his computer." He said jumping into the office from the air condition vent and accessing the computer.

"Karmy, I'm dealing with a whole lot of patients that can't even move right now. The least you can do is cooperate. And Barbara, you know better, I know you weren't starting a fight were you?" Leslie asked. "We could have been.." Barbara smiled. "Karmy get back under the UV." Leslie said turning around and walking back out.

".... I can still kick your ass." Karmy said, sitting on the edge of the bed again. She wasnt about to disobey someone like Leslie who had done enough to help her get better. "Just so you know."

"Whatever gets you through the night Karmy." Barbara shook her head picking up a dated magazine about some presidential scandal. Speaking of which, in Barbara's mind, President Huxtable would have to explain the Government funded Earthquake Generator, Government funded assassins, and the goddamn public school system. The Oracle inside her foresaw impeachment. "Hey what do you think about President Huxtable?" Barbara asked. She was the fifth black president, and the third female president; all of a sudden America seemed to care less and less about your skin color or gender and wanted Huxtable out.

Batman typed the serial number into the computer and displayed the red wire and credit card number that made the purchase. All he had to do was trace back to who the holder of the card was and their job was done. The knob began to turn...

"Who? The president or something?" Karmy asked, laying back down and crossing her legs. "Not much, wasn't statside during the elections and even if I was, I wouldn't have paid attention anyway, I'm not registered."

"I was just asking what you thought of extremely stupid earthquake generator gate." Barbara flipped through the old magazine seeing news about two President's ago, the President, Hawthorn, was using tax dollars to send his family to Europe for Vacation while he went to strip clubs. Things back then weren't too different now. "Plus if this whole Batman thing goes well we're going to have to get into politics. Even you Karmy." Barbara explained not knowing that Cyrah (or anyone of the super heroes for that matter) were going to be President. She just knew they would need more funding than Wayne Enterprises to fund the incorporation.