DC: 2012-03-17 - Hanging with Mr. Batman

There have been 6 murders so far. And unfortunately, Zsasz is so random that he doesn't have a pattern to where he'll strike, or who. Currently the only pattern at all is that it's of paintings this time, and the progression in the amount of people he has been killing for each 'masterpiece'. He's even been signing them with a knife. Judging from the blood, he's been signing them while they're still alive before 'immortalizing them in death.' Trying to find some sort of meaning for these people, going along in their boring existence without any purpose. Ending their existence is freeing them. Ending their existence as something 'beautiful'? Zsasz has been taking his art therapy at Arkham to heart, apparently. Fortunately, while scouring the city Batman finally find him by the docks, where he's kept a family of four in a storage container for his latest piece. Had he been on his regular M.O., they'd likely already be dead. He pulls out the father and takes out his knife to start the signature first.....

Both Batman and Zsasz keep the score of the man's murders. Zsasz marks them on his body a simple scar to show the end of a life. Yet Batman carries the tally on his conscience, each time Zsasz claims another life it's because Batman failed. Tonight he won't fail. He's scouted out the area, careful not to move until he's sure that there's no traps. Zsasz is working differently to usual, that means being careful. He's settled in the shadows, he releases a Batarang as soon as he sees the knife, intending to strike a nerve cluster in the wrist and force Zsasz to drop the knife as he jumps down, hoping to pin Zsasz to the ground before he even has a chance to know what's happening.

As the rest of the man's family try to scream while their mouths are duct-taped shut as the father is about to be carved into, the batarang accurately hits the nerve cluster in Zsasz's wrist, causing Zsasz to drop the knife. He turns his head and is pulling out a second knife just as Batman hits into him to attempt to pin him. Zsasz tries unsuccessfully to free his hand to slash the knife at Batman. He doesn't say a word.

Meanwhile on a nearby warehouse rooftop, Onomatopoeia readies his sniper rifle. Beneath his mask, he's smiling. Batman tracked the madman down much faster than he expected. Since the Dark Knight obviously won't kill Zsasz, maybe he'll put a bullet in the madman's head after he finishes off Batman. His finger squeezes on the trigger as the crosshairs line up with Batman's head and he says to himself, "Blam!" as the bullet speeds towards it's target.

Except there's suddenly a girl in the way in midair. She's wearing a blue midriff T-shirt and some cutoffs and some sort of glowy crystal thing on a piece of string around her neck. She's also barefoot. The bullet hits her right in the stomach and basically bounces off. Onomatopoeia can't help but say 'ping' before she flies up to him.

"Bonk." she says back at him as she punches him and sends him across the roof and hitting into the air conditioning unit. "Well.. at least this is a good excuse." she says to herself as she grabs him to fly down to where Batman is.

 Kara Zor-El says, "basically this outfit - http://media.comicvine.com/uploads/1/16549/1178852-watching.jpg"

Batman rolls with Zsasz as he lands, he's focused on the fight with Zsasz. He's strong and quick, but he's not an exceptional threat - the fight's mostly about securing the madman and then restraining him. As Supergirl approaches Batman speaks in a level tone, already working to force Zsasz to drop the knife and into restraints. "You shouldn't be here." He doesn't comment on Onomatopoeia, instead making to strap the zip tie cuffs of his to Zsasz.

Kara Zor-El drops the unconscious assassin on the ground as she's floating a few feet off the ground. "Yeah, sorry I know. I just thought I could talk to -" She pauses to see the family in the storage container. "Rao are they okay?" Ah. Containers are lead-lined - that's why it took her by surprise.

"They will be now." Batman frowns a little, his attention turning from Zsasz to his victims. "The GCPD and paramedics are on their way... They'll get whatever help they need." He frowns his attention finally turning to Kara, he nods towards the gap between her feet and the ground. "Stop that." He then makes to bind Onomatopoeia, this time using his special cuffs. Once that's done he's tapping his belt and calling for the Batmobile.

Kara Zor-El ohs, when Batman tells her to stop that. Figuring he means the whole defying gravity thing. "Sorry... wasnt wearing shoes." She lands lightly on the ground. She also doesn't mention anything about Onomatopoeia. "Um... hitch a ride?" she asks, then puts out her thumb, hoping this is the right way of doing that.

As the car comes around Batman motions toward the passenger side. "Get in." He does so himself both the doors swinging open. He'll wait for Kara to get in before continuing. "Unless it's an emergency you shouldn't interrupt my work. I thought we'd discussed that."

Kara Zor-El walks over to the Batmobile and gets in, hands lightly on her lap. "I sort of quit being Supergirl. Kal was being a jerk and told me I had ruined the name of Supergirl while I was affected by red kryptonite." She figures Batman will probably say Kal was right to say so - Batman being big on the whole 'the mission is all that matters, not family' thing in her eyes. But given what Kal just did with quitting himself, she figures either asking him or Wonder Woman about what to do is best, and Wonder Woman has been busy - when she flew to Themyscira to ask, Artemis only said she's on a mission for Zeus, whatever that means.

"So.... I sort of quit being Supergirl." Explains her not being in uniform. "Annnd I told Kal off and brought up how he's done worse while affected by red kryptonite and he made that press conference about quitting being Superman and wanting me to take his place and he's going to like... teach or something. You actually know him better than me. How do I talk him out of that?"

Batman doesn't seem to register any of this. "You don't." He pauses eventually continuing with a quick glance to Kara. "You let him work through this, eventually he'll see it's a mistake." He speaks again. "It wasn't what you did while drugged that concerns me. It's that you were drugged in the first place. Either you're spending too much social time in costume, or you weren't protecting your identity. Do better."

Kara Zor-El nods a little. "I have no idea how they even found out about where I was going with Lady Blackhawk. Or who." She shrugs a little then pauses. "I'm not really sure how to fix that someone's spying on me somehow" She pauses again. "I have been thinking someone's been spying on me lately, but I don't know how. It's just more like a feeling." She gets back on her original topic.

"But about Kal. It's just he gets me so MAD sometimes. He doesn't get that it's difficult for me to be here. He didnt live on Krypton. He was just a baby there. He doesn't remember any of it. I grew up there - it's a lot more fresh for me in my mind with losing everyone. So when he starts in on how I was breaking the trust of the public and how I wasnt being heroic while I didnt even have any control over what I was doing, I just.. argh! you know?" Very eloquent Kara.

"He doesn't know, he never will. I /do/, I understand it's not easy. But you need to make the decision. You're either Supergirl or you're not. If you don't want to be Supergirl, then you /stop/ you don't use your powers, you don't give any sign of who you are and we deal with whoever knows. If you are planning to be Supergirl, then you only ever use your powers as Supergirl, you don't go anywhere out of costume that you couldn't reasonably get to by conventional means. You don't do /anything/ that would hint that you're anything other than normal."

Kara Zor-El leans back in the chair, rolling her eyes. "I don't think you get what I mean by quitting being 'Supergirl.' And pretending to be a normal human is just as fake as pretending to be Supergirl. Neither of them are really me. Besides, I didnt say I'd stop doing the hero thing... I just don't know that I want to be using his brand name if I do things which embarrass him and his whole legacy thing. You know?"

Kara Zor-El shrugs. "Besides, it's hard to ignore stuff and not do something. I was even thinking of installing mass-loaded vinyl in the walls of my bedroom. I can't sleep at night. Super-hearing..."

"You can't live your life as a person with powers, you can't afford a public identity. This incident should prove that." Batman sets the car to auto-pilot. "Maybe a new costumed identity would be good for you. But you can't use your powers without one." He stops for another long moment. "You need to be more careful. And you don't need to sleep." Something Batman would be very grateful for.

Kara Zor-El taps her lap lightly while Batman talks. Well what he's saying did work for Power Girl. "Maybe." she says to herself. "Now with what Kal did, though, I know I'm going to feel guilty. I'm so letting him down. Just can't handle him thinking I can't live up to him." She listens some more about how she doesn't need sleep. She doesn't need to eat either - not on a planet around a yellow sun... but she does. She murmurs to herself, "Doesn't mean I don't like to. It's peaceful." She then speaks up. "Remember how I said I was going to go to college? I definitely think I've hit a point where I should do that. Then maybe get a job with a company like Waynetech. I need to show people that I can do more than just fly around and punch things. Yeah." she says, nodding to herself. "And maybe get a new secret identity. Maybe like... with a wig. Yeah..."

"You need to consider the practical more than if you're letting Superman down." Batman pauses a moment. "Then do it, but remember if that's what you want to do you need to commit to it, you'll have two lives and neither of them can touch, there can be as little connection as possible between your life at college and your life as a hero." He shrugs a shoulder. "I can work on disguises for you, I'll run some simulations."

Kara Zor-El smiles. Batman's a softie, even if he won't admit it. A grumpy, excessively paranoid softie who knows 1000 ways to beat a person up. "Thank you." She adds, "I think the identity should not involve the Kents though. I mean... that way if anything ever ws discovered it wouldnt put Kal or his parents in danger."

 Kara Zor-El is thinking Claire Connors :)

Nodding Batman looks at Kara. "I'll arrange something." The car pulls into the batcave, Batman looks at Kara as she speaks. "I agree, like I say I'll arrange something for you." He looks at her as the doors to the car open. "It won't take long. I'll contact you once I have something." He then gets out of the car. "Is there anything else you need?"

Kara Zor-El shrugs a little. "I don't know. I was just thinking we could hang out a little." She says as she gets out of the car and floats a bit. "Like maybe I could help out around here a little or something? Pay you back for helping me?"

Shaking his head Batman looks at Kara. "You don't need to pay me back and I don't 'hang out'." He begins to make his way towards the Bat Computer. His belt removes and placed in the storage unit.

Kara Zor-El floats after Batman. "Okay I don't need to ... but hey maybe I want to? I feel like a ... what's the word... mooch. Yeah.  I feel like a mooch.  I mooched off Kal's reputation, and I'm mooching your help. Cmon let me do something for you?"

Batman pauses a moment. "You're not a mooch Kara, but you don't need to pay me back for anything. Just be careful and do your job well, that's all the payment I need."

Kara Zor-El follows him closely. "Oookay. But if you need anything, and I mean anything. You know? Just ask. ANYTHING."

Maybe she's saying 'anything.'

Turning his attention to Kara, Batman arches an eyebrow for a moment. He seems to consider her thoughtfully. "I appriciate the offer, if I need anything I'll be in touch, but for now I'm fine." He taps a few commands on the holo display of the Bat computer. "You should understand that as long as you're saving lives you're repaying the help I've offered."

Kara Zor-El puts her hands in her pockets as she follow him, floating. "You know, you really should hang out more. Or at all." She pauses. "Do you ever relax?"

Batman takes a faint breath, still working at his console doesn't answer straight away. "I meditate often enough, I find it very relaxing." He then finally turns to look at Kara. "I don't need to 'hang out'." He seems thoughtful for a moment. "Is there a reason you're so worried about me not 'hanging out'?"

Kara Zor-El shrugs a little. "I just don't think you should be isolated from everyone. Being isolated is lonely. Loneliness sucks."

Batman turns his attention back to his work. "Don't worry about me Kara. I know what I'm doing. And I've never felt the need for company." He looks back at Kara. "The question becomes, is this about me? Or are you trying to solve /your/ loneliness."

Kara Zor-El shrugs. "Maybe a little."

Settling back into his chair Batman continues to scan information flashing across the screen. "I thought you had friends amongst the Titans?" He sounds vaguely distracted. "Kara, there are a lot better people to help you overcome your lonliness than me... I'm not a good person to socialize with."

Kara Zor-El nods. "Sometimes you can be surrounded by people. Friends... whatever.... and still be alone. I mean, I have friends but I still sometimes think they don't get what it's like for me.  Maybe Starfire understands a little, but she still has her people being alive. I can't even relate to Kal in that respect.  At all.  He didn't lose everyone. Not really, at least. Not that he remembers."

"I haven't lost my race Kara." Batman frowns a little as he works. "I won't help you get over your loneliness. I'm not good at being social." He pauses for a long moment as he turns in his chair to study Kara. "What's happened to make you feel this way now?"

Kara Zor-El sits in midair watching Batman work. Yeah, that's totally a lie. He's really good at being social - just not so others will know. She doesn't realize it's Bruce Wayne that's the real act, not Batman. "I've felt like this since the first day I arrived... with very few exceptions." She shrugs "Rao, I've felt like this since dad closed the door on the ship and the stasis controlled started to kick in. Soon as I saw my parents die and saw everything exploding around me, I knew I was alone. I wish they let me stay... I wanted to stay with them. They said they'd be coming..."

Batman offers a quick nod. "It's possible you always will. Sometimes losing people can last." He pauses a long moment. "I'm sorry Kara, but there's nothing I can do to help with it. All I can do is suggest you remember that it's not always important that people have been through what you have... Just that they help you feel /better/ about life."

Kara Zor-El tilts her head. "What do you do to help you feel better about life? You know, to make you feel happy. I'm finding it difficult to feel happy anymore. I just keep pretending it's okay. But it's not, and I want to be able to feel happy again."

"I work." It's a simple answer. Batman almost makes it sound as though it's one of the simple truths. "My mission makes me feel better." He's not so good at the happy thing.

Kara Zor-El nods a little. "You just don't seem happy though." She shakes her head a little. "Ok I'll let you get back to um ... feeling better. I'll let myself out." And with a blur of superspeed, she's gone - a slight ripple in the water access the only evidence by which she left.