in search of a story [BATGIRL & others]

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Summer had not thought this out very clearly and that was evident. Ditching her sluggish camera man for the camera application on her smart phone, she kept recording in case of some kind of change. Ditching her stilettos for an all-black outfit the rebellious redhead had blown off the curfew entirely in search for her next story. Clearly there was something going on after the sun went down in Gotham and she was positive that she wasn’t the only one who was curious as to what happens when the curfew was enforced. She was sure that being caught by authorities would be more of a hassle than anything, but she optimistically hoped that whatever she found this evening would leave her with a story that would grab the attention of the entire city. Recently, her stories had earned her applause from her employers and had managed to piss off some less reputable characters around Gotham. Reality had yet to hit her, Summer was on cloud nine and there was nothing that wasn’t going to stop her from climbing the social ladder.

Several hours after curfew, she had already caught at least an hour of footage that could end up being useful of her story. Part of her craved to catch a glimpse of Batman, in hopes that she might gain another lead to his identity. It seemed the more she attempted to pursue that particular story the more she found herself in trouble or at another useless dead end. At one period of time she had her suspicions, however she was almost instantly brought back to the drawing board when she was positive that she had seen both the Batman and the suspected caped crusader at the exact same time. Clutching her press pass in one hand and camera in the other, Summer found herself fearlessly roaming the silent city of Gotham in an area that wasn’t known for being the safest area. However, the young redhead found that most of her most interesting stories came from this side of town, especially those related to any mafia or gang related violence. She only hoped she could be so lucky this time, though paranoia quickly crept in. It was creepy being out at this time and in this point of the day. Crime basically owned the streets and even the police were not on her side at this point. Getting caught by them could possible result in a world of trouble for the young socialite.

A deep voice caught her attention as she rounded the corner. At first the redhead thought it might all be in her head, but after waiting several moments and crouching behind several large crates she could make out several figures through the fog. Her face instantly lit up for a brief moment as she pulled out the small camera and gently pressed the record button. She became so engrossed in her electronic, attempting to zoom in so that she could make out the faces a bit more clear than she could from her crouched position. Biting her lower lip, Summer dared not to move, straining to hear the conversation between the group of people.

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Three weeks in the making, four different families meeting for the first time in two years, and Batgirl was right on top of it. Sal Maroni had called the meeting, and from her vantage point on top of the roof, Batgirl could also see him as well as Adolfo Bertinelli, Carl Grissom, Antoine Rotelli, and Vinnie Ricorso, the more notorious crime bosses of Gotham City. Hers was a mission to observe only, with the notion that if anything did actually got down or get planned, that she’d be able to reply the information to Batman, and though the group had been talking for close to two hours, nothing much had been said, unless one wanted to know the best Italian restaurants to visit.

The need to move in for a closer look was obvious, but with the roving guards each crime boss had employed, any movement was made that much more difficult, difficult but not impossible, especially if one had the right equipment and training. Moving off to her right, Batgirl kept to the darker shadows while she slowly descended the fire escape, its external lights put out of commission hours before the planned meet, but still she had to be careful. Guns were the mainstay of the crime families and though her costume was Kevlar reinforced, too many direct hits would still be painful, if not debilitating.

Freezing when she sensed a movement just below her, Batgirl melted back against the dark-bricked building and waited. She had expected to see one of the guards moving past, but what she saw shocked here just as it did tick her off. A girl from the looks of it was trying to get in close to what, record the meeting? The girl was an unknown, and Batgirl hated unknowns, as they were always unpredictable, and this one could be friend – or foe.

Whatever she was doing, she was placing herself in extreme danger, and she was just lucky not to have been spotted by anyone, or heard for that matter. The longer the girl stayed there the more danger she would be in, and that could just as easily put Batgirl in more danger, for once she was discovered, the heat would be on and three weeks of planning would be shot.

Deciding it was time to move in, Batgirl looked both ways and then slipped over the railing, before she jumped off the bottom rung, the super soft soles of her boots making her landing behind the girl so quiet she probably didn’t even know someone was now behind her. Sneaking up on her, Batgirl could just make out the red hair, making her wonder what it was about red headed girls and danger, before she moved in closer, and then quietly placed her hand on the girl’s mouth from behind so she hopefully wouldn’t scream, knowing her presence was going to freak the girl out big time.

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It only took a few moments before the reporter used the zoom option on her camera and was able to recognize some of the most well-known gang members the Gotham had to offer. Instantly, the redhead froze in her place, unable to move and unable to blink. The situation had become far more dangerous than she had regarded it as a few moments ago. She pressed herself tightly against the crates she had claimed as her hiding place. She had clearly managed to end up in the wrong place at the wrong time and by sharing any of the information she was currently recording she was sure she could end up dead without a trace. However, something inside her compelled her to keep the camera recording. Call it adrenaline, but she didn’t hesitate to lean forward slightly, insuring that she remained completely silent so that she not make a sound and reveal her location

Summer could hear the words coming from the lips of the familiar faces in the clearing of the area she had stumbled upon. Each sentence spewing out of the leader’s mouth made her situation more and more dangerous. Part of her was tempted to leave, taking the information she had collected and heading straight for the police. However, getting away unheard now that the inhabitants of the meeting her already on edge with every shuffle or sound heard was unlikely. Summer knew if she were to have moved one of them might have noticed. Being at the mercy of any of them wouldn’t have been very fortunate for the local celebrity, though it might have earned her a stop featured on her own television show.

Daring to move closer, Summer adjusted her position slightly, finding herself somewhat uncomfortable with her stance. Just as she attempted to regain her posture, a hand clamped tightly around the lower half of her face. Eyes widened, Summer might have dropped the technology in her hand if it were not for a strap securing it there. Assuming she had been caught by a patrolling guard of the meeting she had deliberately crashed, Summer released a muffled scream into the hand and attempted to step on her captor’s foot. Her paranoia and fear of being captured seemed to have won and gotten the best of the woman.

It didn’t take her very long to realize the hand and frame behind her matched those of a woman. Instantly, Summer stopped her struggling and attempted to turn around and face who had decided to sneak up behind her, hoping it wasn’t to terribly late to fix her mistake and have it go unnoticed by the men who were now in the middle of a heated argument. Perhaps their shouting had overpowered the noise she had managed to make, but regardless, it didn’t help the fact that she had been discovered by someone when the curious reported was so used to being unnoticed. Flustered and undeniably confused, she attempted to whirl around to come uncomfortably close with a mask she was very familiar with.

The bat family were not exactly fond of her stories, though Summer felt if only they cooperated than she would be much more compelling to show them in a more positive light. Half of the villains in Gotham were more willing to give her answers than any of them were, though the Bat family seemed to be the target of her ‘super obsession’.

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Batgirl locked eyes with the other red head and then brought a single finger up to her moist lips, to tell the girl not to scream, though by the time she had, the muffled scream had already slipped through her gloved fingers. Stealing a glance toward the gathered mob bosses, Batgirl could see that something had indeed spooked them as they were all looking toward the crate the two of them were hiding behind. If she had been by herself, the options would have been far more open to her, but with the girl by her side, Batgirl knew she had to think for the both of them.
Sliding her hand away, Batgirl looked back at the mob bosses one more time, before she started to pull the girl along with her, though by that time they had become thoroughly surrounded, their every escape route cut off by the advancing - highly paid - muscle. Her thoughts more on the girl's safety, Batgirl took the time to really study her face and then it hit her as to who this girl, this young woman was. She of course had heard of Summer Gleeson, and though Batman and much of the rest of the so called bat-family didn't approve of her writings, her reports, Batgirl had always found them very informative and to the point, though in time Batgirl thought her reporting's would get her killed, she just didn't think she'd be there too.

"Summer Gleeson, I won't even ask what you're doing here. Listen, we don't have much time. Whatever you do, don't get a sudden case of bravado, for these people will kill you for just licking your lips wrong. Maybe they'll take me and let you go, maybe, but I wouldn't bet on it."

*You, behind the crate, come out with your hands up or we'll make the crate into Swiss Cheese.*

Taking a deep breath, Batgirl did as she was told. With Miss Gleeson there, she really didn't have any other choice in the matter, and Batgirl thought they might have a better chance of getting away once they had the room to move, if they even allowed them to live, which was something Batgirl knew or at least sensed that she could not count on. In moments, her face and body were being flashed with the beams of flashlights and though she couldn't see what Summer was doing, Batgirl hoped the girl had listened to her and had thought to stand up as well, her hands away from her sides so as not to pose a threat.

*Mr. Bertinelli, we have a mask here, think her name is Batgirl; and that nosy reporter you were talking about the other day. Want us to rid you of them?*

**Don't be daft, there may be more of them around her somewhere. Bats don't move about alone. Take them somewhere safe until I have time to deal with them, and if Batgirl gives you any trouble, remind her that she is my guest.**

*You got it, Mr. Bertinelli, me and the boys will be happy to remind her. You aren't going to give us any trouble, are you sweet cheeks?*

The look on her face bland for the most part, Batgirl didn't lift a finger when they pulled her arms behind her back and tied them together, or even when they shoved her hard enough to propel her body into the side of the crate. Her left side erupting in searing pain from two hard punches that had been quickly delivered, Batgirl fought the pain as best she could, knowing that if she did react there would be even more, as she was sure there would be anyway, since she was now the guest of the Bertinelli's.

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Summer didn’t realize who her captor was until it was much too late. Rather than finding herself in sudden peril (which seemed to be a common theme for the rebellious redhead) she found herself face to face with Batgirl, mask and all. The young reporter was unable to recall the last time she had encountered the woman within this close of range. It was surreal in a way, to come face to face with a woman who fit the definition she had been writing about since she first arrived in Gotham. After being instructed to be quiet, you would think the redhead might listen, but not Summer. “What are you doing, I’m fully capable. Not to be rude, but I don’t need your help.”

As batgirl attempted to pull her along, Summer became aware of her dire surroundings. Her noise had alerted the mob members gathered in the center of the warehouse their presence, causing the redheads eyes to widen in fear. At that time, Summer allowed herself to be led by her rescuer – who had a surprisingly strong grip considering her size. Rather than complaining, Summer instead shoved her phone down the front of her shirt, tucking it securely in her bra while it was still recording. While there would be no footage, the audio would still work and catch any statements made surrounding her – or possibly her last words.

Every exit was surrounded, and Summer whirled around in hopes of finding some sort of door that had gone unguarded. Unfortunately, wishful thinking was the only thing she had on her side at the moment because the redhead was fighting for words as Batgirl spoke to her. “What? You just want me to leave you?” Then again, there wasn’t much that Summer could do but take the opportunity to go to the police. After all, she had the proof of the evening safely tucked into her brazier. However, Batgirl’s words were not entirely reassuring, as if she didn’t think they would let Summer go. Temporarily speechless, she followed the woman’s lead and left her hiding place with her hands up. “Why aren’t you doing anything?” Summer whispered frantically, wondering why she was cooperating. After all, she was Batgirl. She had an ample amount of artillery and techniques that could sure insure her a clean escape, so why wait on her? After all, Summer didn’t even know the woman.

Blinded the sudden appearance of bright lights, the redhead found she could not see anything, let alone make out a face, “Nosy reporter?! Excuse y-“ A large hand roughly grabbed the lower half of her face, his massive palm silencing her and making it very difficult to breathe. Summer instantly regretted having not heeded Batgirl’s warning. Were they going to kill her? Summer clawed and kicked frantically as she found herself fighting for air. Feeling trapped, the redhead found her body becoming slightly numb and her eyes began to roll into the back of her head. The lack of oxygen and claustrophobic feeling got the best of her. It was clear her current captor was a man based on his massive build and firm hold. Feeling his hot breath on the back of her neck she whimpered into his palm as he felt his free hand traveling up and down the length of her petite frame.

*No wires.* The man said, pleasantly surprised, throwing her forward so that she barely had time to catch herself before falling to the cold, warehouse floor, gasping for air. Her heart was pounding in her chest, but she was relieved he had not managed to find her camera phone. As Summer strained to regulate her breathing, she nearly choked as the name Bertinelli graced her ear drums. “No…” She stuttered silently, becoming more aware of her situation. This was not a family to mess with, though Summer had done some tampering in their business before from the safety of her office, unaware that she might ever come face to face with them. This would surely make an amazing story, if she survived it anyway. Cringing as they tied and punched her companion, Summer bit her lip as she slowly got to her feet. It was really all her fault; she had reunited one of Gotham’s heroes with some of her enemies.

“Batgirl-“ Summer started toward her, only to find herself receiving a similar treatment. Her wristed were forced behind her and tied tightly, resulting in a wince as the tight cords dug into her skin and she was shoved in the direction as batgirl. It quickly occurred to Summer that this was all her fault. “I’m so sorry.” She mouthed to the heroine, hoping she had something up her sleeve.

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Batgirl heard the apology almost as fast as she felt the pain to her guts but it was the laughter from those around her that she would remember most. That they had tied her wrists behind her was a given, but like most of the hoods of Gotham they had failed to tie her off correctly, a factor that they might regret if she was given the time. Standing there held from behind, she watched while her new partner in crime fighting was given a similar treatment though thankfully for Summer they didn't take their wrath out on her.

Sometime later they were both secured in what looked to be an office of some kind, one devoid of furniture or a means of a way out, unless one thought of diving through the window, but that would be a good fifty foot drop into the harbor below, and with the darkness, Batgirl couldn't tell if the water had any obstacles just under the water's surface. Besides, her own life was forfeit until she got Summer to safety, but first she would have to get free, again it would only be possible with the way they had tied her wrists.

"Apology accepted, but now that they've given us a bit of space, I'd suggest we try to get out of here. I would also suggest you listen from now on and not talk, though if you do, make it a whisper."

Talking in a near whisper herself, Batgirl smiled slightly and then headed for the door to see what might be coming their way if anything. Hearing nothing beyond the wall, she headed back to the center of the room and then knelt down on one knee, before she fell back unto her back side. In minutes she had pulled her legs as far up to her chest as she could bring them before slipping first one hand, then the next around and over her booted feet, effectively bringing her wrists to the front of her body, a move that required one to be extremely limber, which thankfully she was.

"Okay, now all I have to do if cut the bonds, free you then get you out of here so I can get to work..., if you'll let me, Miss Gleeson."

Reaching for one of the compartments on the belt, Batgirl soon had one of the razor-sharp bat-a-rangs she carried for just such a purpose. Placing the rang in her teeth, she used it to saw the ropes in half before she went for Summer's hands, and in minutes they were both freed, but what they could do was still up in the air, at least where Batgirl was concerned.

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As selfishly as Summer believed that they wouldn’t be in this circumstance if only Batgirl had not interrupted her research, it most likely would have resulted in her capture eventually. The well-known damsel in distress seemed to have a thing for slipping into sticky situations brought on by her own curiosity. However, pointing fingers was useless at this point, especially with her hands tied tightly behind her back. Batgirl was her only help at this point and the redhead was more than willing to accept it. With the audio recording on her phone, this was going to make the perfect story and Summer was almost certain that the masked heroine would get her out of it. After all, that was in her job description wasn’t it?

Feeling guilty that her mistakes has ultimately resulted in harm her newfound companion, summer was quickly beginning to realize that this was much different in reality than she had ever imagined it. Being tossed unceremoniously into a room alongside a woman whom she had only met on various other occasions. As much as she disliked the idea of staying quiet, she knew that it was for both of their best interests. However, with her phone recording and the situation all too tempting, Summer wasn’t going to be able to keep her mouth shut for long. Here she was, forced to be stuck in a room with Batgirl for an ungiven amount of time, might as well ask a couple of questions that will be beneficial to the interview.

“Something tells me you have done this before- wait how did you get out so quickly?” Sumemer asked in surprise as the woman was suddenly free from her bonds while Summer was still struggling hopelessly against hers. Blushing at her comment, Summer was relieved that the lighting was horrible to hopefully prevent the fellow redhead from noticing the color on her cheeks. “Of course.”

"Apology accepted, but now that they've given us a bit of space, I'd suggest we try to get out of here. I would also suggest you listen from now on and not talk, though if you do, make it a whisper." Sitting in silence as she was cut free, Summer couldn’t help but shoot back with her own snide comment. “Work, you mean saving my ass isn’t your only job? But you are so good at it.” Getting to her feet, Summer rubbed her wrists, muttering a thank you to the woman who had set her free.

There was a bit of silence and Summer snooped curiously around the room, finding nothing that would help them from escaping their situation. “So, out of curiousity, what made you decide you wanted to do this? I mean- dress up and run around in a mask in efforts to save a city from perils. I mean,did you just wake up one day and choose to or was it some kind of childhood dream of yours.”

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"Well, actually more to the point, our collective asses, but certainly yours. In my line of work, you are what we call an innocent, though from what I've seen you should slap on a mask yourself if you plan to continue this line of work."

Sliding the bat-a-rang back into its proper compartment on her utility belt, Batgirl closed the section with a small "snap" that all but made the compartment vanish into the belt itself. To the casual observer, the belt didn't have any compartments on it at all, but that was a distraction, meant to keep prying hands off the hardware, a facet Batgirl had come to love about the toys she had been given, though earned would have been a better choice of terms.

Her next move was to check Miss Gleeson's wrists to see if they were hurt, though after turning her hands back and forth to see body sides of her wrists, Batgirl was satisfied the young woman had come through mostly unscathed, though she had to be frightened. A nod of her head let Summer know that she had come through fine, but before the woman could even think of an answer, Batgirl was off, her eyes intent on anything that could be used as a means of escape, and though she found little to make that happen, there was one area of the otherwise bland wall that she saw promise in.

“So, out of curiosity, what made you decide you wanted to do this? I mean- dress up and run around in a mask in efforts to save a city from perils. I mean, did you just wake up one day and choose to or was it some kind of childhood dream of yours.”

The question caught Batgirl off guard, but though she paused in her efforts to free them, even though she turned to look back over her shoulder at the woman, Batgirl said nothing. She was a reporter, Batgirl had to remind herself of that, but the more she tugged and worked the metal covering that hid the window behind it, the more she thought of what she could and could not say. Reporters were notorious for getting the story, and if they couldn't get one, some would make the story up, and it was that aspect of her dilemma that got Batgirl to thinking.

"Far from anything in my dreams. I met the Batman once, scared the begeebers out of me. But the more I looked into him, the more research I did, the more I liked what I saw. Then I helped him on a case, quite the accident that was, and soon I was out in the night like he was. What made you decide to be a reporter? I think I may have found a way out, but it will take me some time."

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“Oh no, no,no. Not that I don’t respect what all of you do, but I don’t think that life is for me, thanks. I think I will stick with the whole innocent thing” Summer had no super powers or even a particular strength that would help her in situations that Batgirl and other masks would find themselves in. The only thing she even thought would be desirable about the job would be the skin-tight costumes and the secret alias, but she didn’t need to fight –or start crime in order to dress up. No, she would just wait until Halloween came around for that. However, she made a mental note to include the ‘super hero’ terminology in her expose.

Summer stepped back out of instinct as Batgirl approached her. She knew she was only trying to help, but the reporter was still slightly shaken from their experience. “Oh, I’m fine….really.” But it appeared as though Batgirl already knew that because she was already off in search of a way out – so Summer assumed. Honestly, she was very little help in this situation. If she had been caught without Batgirl present.

Summer couldn’t help but smirk as batgirl was somewhat willing to comply without knowing Summer’s intentions. However, the redhead very rarely posted stories that were un-credible. She liked sticking to the truth as much as she could, unless she wanted a particular rise or reaction from the topic of her story. However, the Bat Family seemed to have morals from what she gathered, as easy as it would be to slander their name, it wasn’t worth it. Besides, Summer never knew when she was going to need her help seeing as she managed to fall into the perils of Gotham City on occasion.

“So, you and Batman are not even related? That’s what everyone assumed at first anyway. I didn’t think so, simply because if I were doing your job, I wouldn’t want to do it with the ones I loved. That seems like the easiest way to get hurt because if one does, all do in some shape or form. Not like I know, I’m just assuming.” Taken back a little when Batgirl asked her why she wanted to become a reporter, Summer blushed slightly. No one had really asked her that before. “Well, I came from a very small town; I always knew I wanted to be on TV, now I am on TV every day at seven in the morning, seven in the evening and eleven. It’s just my calling I suppose.”

She didn’t really like talking about herself. Well- that was a bit of a lie. She enjoyed bragging about her accomplishments and awards but she had never really dwelled on her childhood with anyone in Gotham, it just didn’t seem important now. “So you investigated to find out who Batman was….how long did it take you?” She asked in curiosity. It had been the target of her work for a long time and she had found herself at another dead end, unfortunately.

The news of a way out light up the redheads face. “Really? Is there anything I can-“ Summer paused hearing audible footsteps coming from the hall.Summer couldn’t afford for them to be interrupted and have them separated or restrained – or worse killed. Thinking impulsively, Summer grabbed a blunt object of the desk that sat in the middle of the room and brought it down on top of Batgirl’s head, hoping to knock her out. If she was unconscious, maybe they wouldn’t focus on her as much and target Summer instead, or so she hoped. After all, she was not the mastermind behind their escape. Once Batgirl woke back up, she would be able to resume what she was doing, regardless of what they did to Summer.

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"Batman and me related? Oh shoot no. He's..., well, we're not related. We work so well together you would think that we could be, but to my knowledge none of the so called bat-family is related to each other. Even so, Batman is the main person out there, but then most people know that."

Batgirl continued to work on the window covering while they talked. She had to remember what could and could not be said lest it compromise either of them, but mostly herself. Revealing truths placed themselves in dangers beyond what they normally did out on the streets, but worse it placed their loved ones in that danger. Telling someone else would place that person in danger as well, and batman had told her early on, drilled it into her head in fact, that some secrets were not to be compromised.

"It's an investigation that is ongoing. All I really did was to see what he was about and why? As for knowing who he is..., that is still to be discovered..., but maybe one day."

That the girl was pumping her for information had not been lost on her, but Batgirl knew there were some things that could be told. Secret identities were not a part of any discussion, though the more innocent facets of what they did or why could be shared, if she didn't leave any links Miss Gleeson could put together, though that was always a risk, one the Batman wouldn't even begin to get into.

Finding the last bolt which held the sheet of tin against the window, Batgirl loosened it enough so the plate could be swiveled aside in order to reach the window, only to then notice a set of thin iron bars that ran up and down to bar their way. A closer inspection told her they could be cut but that would take Miss Gleeson's cooperation as the task could be a long one, and Batgirl knew they might have visitors at any moment.

"I'm almost done here. There are bars beyond this tin plating, but once we have this tin taken care of, I can cut through those well enough. I might ask you to UUGGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH......, uhhhhhhhhhhhhhh........, mmmmm."

Her head exploding in pain from the unexpected blow, Batgirl fell into the window plating before she slowly slid down the wall to land on her knees. Stars danced before her masked face while she desperately tried to fight the approaching blackness but in the end it was pointless, as she crumpled to the floor to lie only to roll onto her stomach. In moments she was gone, her body limp on the ground with her hands on either side of her head while her cape laying slightly off to the right of her prone body, her last thoughts being who - and why.

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Summer smiled to herself, it was confirmed: they were not related. At least she could stop tracing through bloodlines of Gotham. Besides, she already had herself a little Batman hunch as it was. As far as Batgirl was concerned, she was without a single clue as to who the woman might be. At the same time, what if she was just lying to her in order to throw her off their scent? The young reporter took that into consideration to. “And I am going to be the one to discover him.” Summer said confidently. She had this idea in her head the moment she arrived in crime-infested Gotham and discovered that there even was a Batman. If anyone was going to be the first to discover it, she would make sure it was her.

Summer ultimately panicked. She knew that if they noticed Batgirl free and how much progress she had made on the window then they were sure to be separated – or worse, killed. She couldn’t risk that. For once, Summer decided to be selfish and take the attention off the masked heroine and throw herself into the fire. After successfully knocking out her savior, Summer muttered a quick “Sorry!” before she went to go find the rope that had recently bound her wrists. She was going to make it appear she was still tied up so that they would simply inspect the situation and then leave them again, only to be enveloped in the darkness.

The door opened before Summer could sit back on the floor and act as though she was still tied up. The bright light caused her to wince as she hoisted the object up against in hopes to hit one of the men. Instead, she was roughly grabbed. “How did you get out?” Summer said nothing but attempted to struggle, only to find a cold metal object clamp around her wrist with an audible noise. The reporter was smacked across the face, causing her to stumble backward and loose her balance in her heels. She fell to a pile on the floor, grabbing the side of her sore face as she tried to blink back tears. It stung horribly, and she looked at the handcuff that was secure on her arm. One of the men quickly secured the other to the leg of the desk and moved to check on Batgirl, seeming pleased and yet concerned that she was not moving. “Get away from her!” Summer spat, causing another distraction. She cringed as he stumbled toward her. She was shaking, and he merely laughed before leaving the room, slamming the exit behind him.

“Batgirl, wake up…please!” She said hopelessly, nudging her unconscious form with her leg, unable to move from too far from the desk. “Please wake up now!” Summer paused. Wait, she was close enough to lift up the flap of her mask and reveal her face, not to mention shift through the contents of her infamous utility belt. Biting her lip, she timidly slid her hand into the closest pocket of her belt. Bat-A-Rangs: Summer had seen them many times before, but the small pellets in the next compartment were unknown to her. They looked like they contained some kind of substance. Then it hit her, gas pellets! Batman carried them as well. She smirked as she attempted to snake her hand around to the other side of the woman's waist. (attempting not to feel like a total creep) There was a gun, shaped object - the grapple gun - and Summer was sure that the line was to be either next to it or attached and ready for action. Her cuffed hand prohibited her from reaching through any other pouches unfortunately, which meant it was time for the grand revealing.

No one else was around, so no one else would know. She wouldn’t even publish it –just yet anyway. Then she would know the true identity of the woman before her. Biting her lip, Summer reached her free hand toward the girls face, sliding her fingers under the material of the mask, it was just so tempting and about time she had one member of the Bat Family crossed off her list.

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Batgirl felt something sliding against her flesh and though she was confused at first, the sudden realization it was her face broke Batgirl from her stupor. Twisting quickly, she grabbed Summer wrist and yanked it away from the cowl while she held it firmly. What she had thought was a dream on seconds before - her body being touched around her waist - having been no dream at all but the nosey reporter doing her thing. The glare in her eyes toward her so called helpless co-prisoner should have told Summer exactly what she thought of her from being knocked out so the reporter could discover her true identity, and though Batgirl released the wrist and scooted back before the woman did something else to her, any comment she would have made was cut off by the picture before her.

"How dare you....."

Gleeson's one ankle had been shackled to the leg of the desk, making it all but impossible for the woman to have been able to get anywhere close to the window to even think of knocking her out. And since it could have been her, it had to have been one of the goons that protected the mob bosses, or maybe even one of the bosses themselves. That must have been what had happened. She was working on the window, someone had either heard something or had just decided to check on the two of them and entered the room - seen her working the window and took her out before Summer could even give a warning. There was evidence that she had been hit, that much Batgirl could see, and that along with the shackled ankle told Batgirl that at least summer didn't hit her over the head, though that didn't explain her fingers being under the flap of her mask.

"Always the reporter, I guess." *sighs* "I suppose I should have maintained a higher level of caution around you, Miss Gleeson. Well, so much for trust. I'll get us out of here and get you to safety then we can go our separate ways. Why don't you just stay right there."

Getting to her feet, Batgirl twisted her head around to lessen the kinks in her neck before she moved quietly for the door. She had already picked up a few of the glass shards from the lamp which had been used to take her down, and once at the door, Batgirl put them to good use. Sliding one of the larger pieces under the edge of the door to sort of wedge it in, Batgirl then piled the rest of what she had into a small pile, one that would be scattered when anyone opened the door. It would not be much of an early warning device, but it would have to do. A glance toward the Gleeson woman told Batgirl it was safe to turn her back on the woman, and in moments Batgirl was back to working on the window, her trusty all-in-one bat tool making quick work of the remaining three screws which held the tin sheeting to the wall.

That done, Batgirl looked back toward the door for a moment, before she placed the all-in-one back into its proper compartment and then reached for what looked like a lipstick container. The top off, Batgirl twisted the reddish tip out from the inside, pointed it toward the bottom of the first bar, and then flipped a switch. In moments, she had cut through the iron bar with the miniature, but extremely powerful laser torch and moved on to the second, then the third bars, pausing between each cut to listen for the approach of anyone from the next room, but though no one else came to investigate them, Batgirl knew that once she got the troublesome Gleeson woman out and to safety, that she would have to come back in and deal with the trash.

It was a simple matter to cut through the shackle holding Summer Gleeson's ankle at bay and in minutes they were both climbing out the window, Batgirl having climbed out first in case something was on the other side - which thankfully wasn't the case - before she helped the Gleeson woman out of the window. They were one what could be called a cat-walk, a metal bridge that connected one dockside warehouse to the next as it transversed the water of Gotham Harbor below them. Though it was rusted with disuse, the cat-walk looked steady enough, but then Batgirl knew better than to trust what could be seen with the naked eye, even though she had tested it first before she had helped summer out of their cell.

"Ok, we're out, I'll get you to safety then I'm coming back to deal with these clowns..., and if I see you again, it may be too soon. Let's go."

[Deleted]

Summer stifled as squeal as Batgirl seized her wrist unexpectedly, causing the redhead’s eyes to widen. “No- you don’t understand! I’m sorry. Y-Your head! You were hit really hard and I needed to make sure that you weren’t hurt! I-I was freaking out here! I’m sorry!” Summer stammered, unsure what she could say elsewise to make her actions justified in a way. She could tell her co-captive was furious, and Summer didn’t blame her because of the situation. Part of her just wanted to recognize a familiar face for just a few minutes out of this chaos, despite the dangerous situation it was putting her in. Then again, there was always the chance the she might have unmasked the woman and had no idea as to who she was, just another random face on the busy streets of Gotham.

Quickly beginning to regret her actions, she knew at the end of the day it was going to make an incredibly decent story. “Really, you don’t understand, they came back and I couldn’t let them see the window. I-I had to do something!” Trying to disregard the fact she had just had her hands under the material of the mask in order to peel it off the woman’s face, she looked away guiltily with a red blush on her cheeks. Nodding her head to the woman’s statement, Summer figured that it was only fair. “Fine.” She murmured, attempting to fiddle with the heavy iron shackle that was secured tightly on her ankle. The reporter watched Batgirl work out of the corner of her eye, taking note of what she was doing so she might be able to include it in her story later, or perhaps use the strategy the next time she got caught.

Attempting to hide her annoyance as Batgirl periodically turned back to check on her, Summer couldn’t help but roll her eyes. She felt like a child in time out or something. It seemed like an everyday thing to the woman before her as she craftily discovered a way out, managed to free Summer from her chain and even help her out the window. Summer didn’t say much, but muttered audible ‘Thank you’s’ every now and then. Once on the catwalk, Summer blinked for a moment, full aware that her balance was not exactly one of her strengths. The silence was awkward in a way, but finally Batgirl spoke. “I’m fine from here; I don’t need your help, but thank you for the offer. And, well, thank you for everything. If you want to relive this lovely little adventure you can catch me live tomorrow, channel 10. This is sure to raise my ratings through the roof.” With a little wink, she started to gain a bit of distance from the heroine. Part of her wanted to follow Batgirl back into the warehouse and record the action that was to become, but she couldn’t risk being caught again by either Batgirl or the abusive thugs inside. Still, she was going to refuse any more help at this point, after all, how difficult could this be?

[Deleted]

They had gotten out alive and that was something to Batgirl's frame of mind. That she did not trust the Gleeson woman any farther than she did the mob bosses might not have been evident to the reporter, but then that kind of behavior would not have gotten either of them anywhere. Instead, Batgirl had taken care of business and help Miss Gleeson out of the window so she could be on her way. Trans-versing a catwalk like the one they were on could be tricky as Batgirl had learned once in the past, but she knew that she at least would be fine, the Gleeson woman on the other hand - well.

Batgirl nearly blew up when the lade nonchalantly commented on the whole affair as nothing more than a news story made to raise her ratings. Thinking the woman needed to learn a bit of humility, Batgirl moved to her side quickly and gave her a shove toward the water, knowing the reporter would get dunked almost certainly as a result. She was, to Batgirl, a hot potato the needed cooling off and a swim in the harbor would be just the thing to cool her jets, then if she wanted to report that in her story, then by all means she could do it.

"Make your story as you may, Miss Gleeson, but remember this. Innocent lives could be at stake, and if your story leads or contributes to the death of even one such person, then I will be coming after you, and before you even think of it, that was not just an idle threat."

Having said her piece, Batgirl took a step back, turned, then ran back the other way. She headed past the open window they had just come out of, past the parked cars that were to be the don's get-a-way cars, and straight to the front of the warehouse to deal with the trash that had taken them prisoner. In moments, all that could be heard were the shouts and screams of her opponents, though nothing could be heard of Batgirl, but then, the others yells were enough to signal that Batgirl was at least winning.