Auroral » Titans

15|| Batgirl

Gotham's streets were bustling with cars and people as they tried to make it home before the bats descended down on the city. Drunk patrons stumbled their way past the dark alley, oblivious to what lurked in it's shadows.

Sophie was perched on an old rusty fire escape. Her black bodysuit blended her in with the shadows, making her as close to invisible as she was going to get. A cold evening breeze blew past her, rustling her large hood and chilling the bit of skin that her mask didn't cover.

She reached up to her ear and tapped the small black comm she wore. "Hey, you got anything?" She spoke quietly so she wouldn't attract any unwanted attention.

"Not yet." Barbara spoke softly. "I've been learning her patterns for the past few days Soph, don't worry."

"I wasn't worried." She scoffed.

"You know your voice does this thing when you get anxious-" Barbara said, her voice bubbling with suppressed laughter.

"-Shut up." Sophie groaned and shifted her weight around. Her legs were starting to cramp from how long she had been crouching here.

Barbara was sure that this was the best time to catch Susanna. She lived close to the bar so she didn't bother driving or taking a cab home most nights. Which gave Sophie and Barbara the perfect chance to get her alone.

"Hey, she's on the move. I'm heading your way." Barbara spoke quickly. Sophie shot to her feet and grabbed the edge of the fire escape, ready to move into position.

A woman dressed in a plain black office dress and a long beige coat appeared at the alley's entrance. Her black heels clicked against the cement and her dull blonde ponytail swung with each step.

She turned into the alley with little thought, her eyes staring straight ahead of her.

The rustling sound of fabric gliding through the wind was all it took for the woman to freeze in place. Sophie grinned as a black shadow descended from the roof across from her.

Batgirl landed behind Susan with a quiet thud, her black cap falling around her shoulders menacingly. Susanna spun around with wide eyes. Her lips parted with silent pleas before she turned and ran.

Sophie smirked as she flung herself over the edge of the fire escape. She landed inches in front of Susanna. The woman's eyes widened more, if even possible. She began to back away slowly, muttering out apologies.

"You let a violent man out of prison Ms. Cooper." Barbara growled.

The woman's head snapped towards her. "N-no, I-I." She stumbled over her words, her eyes darting between the two dark figures.

Barbara took a menacing step towards the woman. Her face was mostly hidden behind her black cowl but her angry blue eyes were enough to strike fear into the woman's heart. "Why did you let Henry Dane out of prison?"

"I-I got a court order. I didn't do anything wrong." Susan shook her head as she took a weary step away.

Anger sparked to life in Sophie's chest the moment she heard her last name paired with that monster's. She moved closer to the woman as a shimmering aurora formed a dagger in her hand.

Susan's eyes darted to the light as she stumbled against the brick wall behind her. "Please." Her voice shook with fear.

Sophie lunged forwards, pinning Susanna to the wall and holding the glowing dagger to her throat. "We know that you've taken bribes before Susanna. Who paid you to let Henry out!"

"Please I have a family!" Susan cried out as tears streamed down her cheeks.

Sophie narrowed her eyes and gritted her teeth together. "And by letting that monster free you're killing children! You're taking away other people's families!"

"He said he'd cure my daughter!" Susanna's face contorted with horror and guilt.

"Henry said he'd heal your daughter?" Barbara asked a little kinder than before. She stepped towards the two and glanced over at Sophie.

Sophie knew from the look in Barbara's eyes that she needed to stand down. She turned her gaze back to the woman and she lowered her hand. The glowing dagger vanished into a misty greenish blue light.

"No." Susanna looked between the two. "A-a man contacted me, he-he told me that Henry Dane could heal my daughter if I got him out. I forged the documents and-and the man paid off some other people or something." She shook her head and sniffled. "Please, I just want my daughter to be healthy."

Sophie's heart constricted and she clenched her jaw. She forced her emotions away and glanced over at Barbara.

Her lips were pulled down into a frown and her eyes were narrowed. "Who contacted you, what was his name?" Barbara asked after a moment of silence.

Susanna wiped away her running mascara and sniffled. "I-I don't know. Beck! He sent a man named Beck to collect Mr. Dane."

Sophie furrowed her brow. The name didn't ring any bells. "Beck? First name, last name?"

"L-last I think." Susan said, her eyes darting between Sophie and Barbara.

"What did he look like?" Barbara asked.

Susan's brow furrowed as her bottom lip began to quiver again. "Tall, b-blad, muscular, he-he had a scar on his bottom lip."

"If you know anything else say it now!" Sophie snapped, giving the woman one last push.

She shook her head quickly as more tears filled her puffy eyes. "Nothing please. I-I just want my baby to be healthy."

Sophie's jaw clenched and the fire in her chest raged. "That monster can't help your daughter! He'd just poison her! If she's lucky, she'd die instead of being forced to live with whatever mutation he gave her."

Susanna jumped and more tears spilled down her cheeks. She opened her mouth to speak but no words left her lips.

"Aurora, that's enough." Barbara said sternly. She grabbed Sophie's forearm and gently led her away from the woman. Sophie watched as Susanna crumbled to the wet cement, she let out a shriek as she dropped her head into her hands.

A pang of guilt tugged at Sophie's heart but she forced it away as she moved towards the fire escape and climbed back into the shadows.