TWO SOULS,
chapter nine: a missing friend!

          GETTING THE LOCATION OF THE WORKERS TRAPPED WITHIN ACE CHEMICALS WASN'T EASY. Batman joined Batwoman on the bridge that linked the two walls that lined the giant complex. Both were still soaked by the incessant rain that hit Gotham City - trying to find a new answer to the next move they would make. There were too many options and too little time to act, adding to the simple fact that the new enemy known as the Arkham Knight was planning to meddle in their affairs in no time. It was ironic and absurd, even for Olivia. Why appear now, why appear and try to destroy everything in its path? Apparently, Batman's newest enemy, and now Batwoman's, was keeping a few tricks up his sleeve to ruin their night.

          The last thing she wanted: more trouble.

          Bruce walked over to her, tapping a few buttons on his gauntlet, while Olivia watched the police checkpoint with Commissioner Gordon waiting. She turned her face to look at her current mentor and raised an eyebrow completely invisible to the Dark Night's eyes, he looked at the girl questioningly - inviting her to say her question silently.

          "Who the fuck is the Arkham Knight?" The blond-haired girl asked. "It's like the two of you have something in common and that...that's creepy."

          "I have made many enemies, Batwoman."

           "Many of your enemies don't have unmanned tanks or military training," Olivia replied, crossing her arms. "Or even a fucking army! What the hell are we dealing with here, Bruce?"

          "I don't know."

          Olivia was silent at that answer, but understood her mentor's frustration at such an enigma planted in front of him in the form of an enemy. She took a deep breath and closed her eyes for a second, letting the rain wet her lashes with complete freedom. Bruce finished opening a hologram of the entire complex and tapped the girl's shoulder to get his attention. "We have five workers scattered throughout the complex. We will divide."

          "What do we do with those tanks over there?" Olivia asked, pointing to the outpost below them. "The doors must be opened to allow the Batmobile to pass or we will die before trying to touch the ground."

          "You go to the car and wait for my signal."

          "But..."

          The glare Bruce gave her was enough to silence her, so Olivia nodded before launching herself into the void and gliding to the Batmobile. As she approached, the compartment was automatically opened for her, the blond-haired girl got into the vehicle without a problem - positioning herself in the pilot's seat to enter the complex. Suddenly her gauntlet lit up and Olivia pressed a button, finding the hologram of Atlas Eisley in front of her.

          "Is it me or do I see you more tense than usual?"

          Olivia sighed. "I think it's you, Eisley."

          "Oh yeah, babe," He replied with a little amusement in his tone. "What's bothering you?"

          The blonde-haired girl leaned back in the seat and looked forward. What the hell was she worried about? First, her sanity, her fragile emotional state - clearly shattered to the ground. Second, the mental state of her mentor, being determined not only by her violence, but also by her uncertainty about what would happen in the following hours. Third, the appearance of the Arkham Knight, who, from his introduction and the little they heard from him: the bastard didn't promise to leave them alone overnight. "This guy...the Arkham Knight, is different from all the enemies that my mentor ever had. Bruce doesn't care, Atlas, but I do."

          "Woah, calm down," The blond boy declared, looking at the girl. "You know perfectly well that you and Batman can destroy him."

           "I know, but he...he knows who Batman is," Olivia said trying to convince herself. "I'm not saying it because of her identity, if not because of her personality. We may be facing something bigger here, Atlas."

          "Olivia, if it were like that, Batman would have done her best to send you away from this," Atlas replied after pondering her phrase for a moment. "Bruce trusts you as much as you trust him, that's why you're here."

          Atlas was right.

          In a world as dark as this, Atlas Eisley always found the right words to seek one more strength in Olivia Wayne - and that is why she was so grateful to have him around.

          "Batwoman, do you copy?" Bruce's voice echoed through Liv's commlink.

          "Here I am, Bats," She replied. "Some news?"

          "They killed one of the workers."

          Olivia bit her lip slowly. "Damn it."

          "Damn, they have to be stopped," Oracle announced over the commlink. "Listen, I accessed the militia communications network. You will be able to hear all the transmissions of the main channel."

          "They'll be trapped like rats," Atlas added.

          "Thanks guys," Batman added. "I know how to get the Batmobile into the compound. They will pay for this. Everyone."

          In front of her, the gates to the compound opened and Olivia started the vehicle's engine. That was the signal, he fired the winch at a point where the road to the destroyed bridge ended and pulled the bridge to create a ramp. As she did so, she took a deep breath and looked at the entrance. She had more than understood her mission, to face unmanned tanks with her bare hands. So, she took the wheel with both hands, squeezing hard. The Arkham Knight's voice echoed in her ears. "Front door open. Brace yourselves, there's a billion-dollar tank going there."

          "A tank that will kick your ass, you piece of shit," Olivia mumbled before stepping on the gas.

          The Batmobile picked up speed to jump down the ramp, entering the compound and landing hard on the inside of the compound. The blond-haired girl activated attack mode to begin firing at any tank that got in her way. The hiss of bullets wasted no time in chasing her, but she was ready to take down every tank with her cannon. She wondered how her mentor got used to feeling so much movement and a strong jolt brought her out of that trance - giving her the only option to fire at a small tank, destroying it instantly. A larger tank deployed a few meters from her, targeting three red lines, which belonged to three missiles that shot toward her, but the blonde girl evaded them with great difficulty. She prepared to shoot the others, destroying them to load the cannon and thus launch a missile burst to eliminate the large tank that was firing missiles incessantly.

          Batman's voice echoed into the commlink. "Do you need help?"

          "I've almost got it!"

          An indicator in her vision warned her that the missile barrage was already charged and she aimed at the large tank to fire, the missiles flew in the direction of the tank and it exploded into a thousand pieces, leaving little debris scattered on the ground. She decided to relax for a second, letting all the accumulated tension dissolve into hot sweat against her suit. She let out a sigh and cracked her fingers in response. It didn't take long for her to hear the voice of one of the militia commanders.

          "Sir, he struck through the shield, just like you said."

          "He's looking for hostages," The Arkham Knight replied. "Keep non-essential radio communications to a minimum. They'll be listening," Olivia rolled her eyes. "You're listening, right, Batman? Hear this then: All units in Gotham City! Operation Savior has begun. Each one has a role to play. We all know it. Go ahead and shut down this damned city. In an hour, I want to see our hands strangling Gotham City."

          A ramp above her began to move in the direction of a concrete platform and Olivia accessed it by smashing a metal door. Sliding to a higher part of the complex, Batman got into the car, re-taking the driver's seat. Olivia sat in the passenger seat again to help Batman with the cannons. The vehicle shook violently with the two inside, but destroying the tanks was effective. Olivia shot toward an entrance point to the building, facing five soldiers who soon opened fire on her. While her mentor dealt with the mess outside, she dealt with breaking bones and knocking out soldiers in a thousand ways.

          When they all fell, she headed for a wall that could break - placing explosive gel on it to make it explode in seconds. A toxic gas came out of there and Olivia took cover, trying to deduce where the key was to stop the leak. There was a rumble outside and it turned out that Bruce had deflected the spout the other way, thus freeing the area for her partner. Olivia jumped down and looked at a small kitchen to her right side and then turned her head, finding several pipes and a large lump.

           As she got closer, she realized that it was a human body.

           It was one of the workers.

          "Son of a bitch," Olivia murmured, kneeling in front of the lifeless body. "I'm so sorry," She stated before touching her left ear. "Batman, I found another worker at the plant. He's dead."

          "Damn," Batman cursed on the other side. "We're running out of time."

          "I suggest Robin come give you a hand," Barbara stated over the comms. "You two are facing an army!"

          "She's right, we're a team," Robin announced, sneaking into communications. "The city needs us."

           "We can take care of it, Robin," Her mentor demanded in a firm tone, as Olivia moved up an elevator. "I already told you what to do, Tim. Now do it."

          "It can wait..." Robin protested. "Tell him something, Olivia!"

          The blonde girl walked into another room, finding a worker handcuffed to a pipe. "You know it takes years to change his mind. He's a grandpa and you know it."

          "No, it can't wait," Batman accused, feeling annoyed. "You know what is at stake. I need both of you to focus or it will get ugly. Very ugly."

          The transmission was cut off and Olivia ran to the handcuffed worker, cutting his bonds quickly. He groaned and the blond-haired girl was relieved to see him alive. "Are you okay?" She helped him to his feet. "Don't worry, it's all over."

          "You must stop Scarecrow, please..." He pleaded.

          She smiled. "We will. Go to the elevator, you will come with us."

          He nodded and walked slowly towards the elevator, Olivia decided to go a little further, ducking through a half-open metal door. When she stood up, she found another body without vital signs and this was the fourth person in the group of workers. Olivia cursed under her breath before touching her ear "There are already three dead workers, luckily I found one alive. He's in the elevator."

          "Okay, meet at my position."

          Upon meeting him, the worker climbed into the passenger compartment and after a rather trivial fight with a drone, they were able to access the last part of the search, a small chamber where the last living worker was found. However, it was guarded by soldiers, but Batman stopped them by firing rubber bullets at them. They both exited the Batmobile, heading towards the chamber where the worker was trapped. Suddenly, several soldiers appeared from the ceiling, coming down with ropes to get into position, while shouting among themselves.

          A larger figure came down in front of them, dressed differently, with red, black and blue colors - wearing a deep blue helmet, marking her eyes and hiding her true identity. Olivia crossed her arms, at the pathetic sight her eyes once gazed at: the Arkham Knight had produced an apparition to introduce himself.

          He let out a laugh, as he slowly approached them "Keep your guns trained on them. If they barely make a move to leave the room, open fire." He stopped and raised a finger. "Oh, and avoid the bat symbol, it's a...it's a little trick. It's were the armor is the strongest," Olivia was quite impressed to see that this stranger had detected all the strength and weakness of her suits. "Aim for the weak spot a the shoulders first, then coordinate fire at the point where the plates meet."

          "Please..." The worker murmured.

          The Arkham Knight cocked his head. "Did you say something?"

          "Hey!" Olivia exclaimed in annoyance. "Don't get him into this. Pick on someone your size!"

          "I wouldn't mind having a little fight with you, princess," The Knight replied, looking at the blonde. "But the big bat next to you won't let me. Is this how you train your soldiers, Batman? I won't be surprised if I see her dead in a few hours."

          "You'll pay for this," Batman growled.

          "Always defending the weak and the helpless," The Arkham Knight sighed wearily. "That's what I like about you. Predictable." He spread his hands. "That is why we are gonna win. We know your move before you do," He approached and tapped the glass that separated them. "We know how you think!"

          After a deep and disturbing silence, Batman spoke, "Do you know what I'm thinking right now?"

          "Of course," The Arkham Knight declared with a miserable laugh. "You're thinking: Who the hell is this guy?"

          Olivia glanced at Bruce and winced. "Huh, no. I think he's thinking of a thousand ways to kick your ass."

          "And who the Damn are you? The new Robin?"

          "Batwoman, dipshit," Olivia answered, taking a step forward. "A woman capable of breaking so many bones and hearts with just my fists."

          "I'll give you the option to leave right now, princess," The man added with a robotic voice walking towards her. "Because if you don't, I can't promise to be careful with you."

          Olivia smirked and that was the only answer the Knight needed to know that she wouldn't pull out from the battlefield. The following occurred in such slow motion that Olivia had to take cover and protect the hostage, while the Arkham Knight escaped and Batman beat each soldier unconscious. She looked up, meeting her mentor as the only soul standing and, at his warning gaze, she simply smiled.

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          The two vigilantes entered the complex again, leaving behind the only two survivors of the incident, the Batmobile was moving through the parking lot of the complex with complete rapidity - as the situation warranted. Crane's real plan was to create a giant gas bomb, whose blast wave would cover the entire east coast with the toxin created. Olivia didn't know whether to fear for herself or for all the people of Gotham City who had managed to escape. Crane, according to the assumption of one of the workers, was in the central mixing chamber - so that's where they would go. After getting rid of a couple of militiamen blocking the way, they both ejected towards the entrance platform that overlooked the Mixing Chamber.

          Olivia walked forward, finding a large cube and a stunned shadow within it - at least eight armed enemies were securing the large chamber.

          "Gentlemen, tonight, Gotham City will never be the same," A creepy voice declared from the camera, they both looked at each other, confirming that Jonathan Crane was there. "Tonight, it will become a hotbed of nightmares. In a symbol of Batman's failure, in a monument to fear."

          They didn't have to waste time.

          Olivia looked at Bruce. "I'll take care of the four on my left."

          Batman simply nodded and they both parted. Olivia landed on her side and disabled a watchtower, sneaking behind two soldiers to take them out one by one silently. She heard groans from the other side and used that distraction to knock out the last two soldiers there. The two vigilantes met on the stairs that led to the door of the Mixing Chamber and observed how the system indicated that the explosion radius would be greater than 50 kilometers.

          "Let's finish this," Olivia declared.

          They both made their way to the chamber, opening the door to meet the Scarecrow himself. He turned slowly to look at them and the blonde girl clenched her fists, hoping not to tremble with anger and fear at the enemy.

          "Do you really think you won?" Crane asked, facing the two vigilantes. "Fear gives you away." He knelt in front of them. "Now I am in control."

          Batman, in Olivia's eyes, had had enough of that shit and was the first to grab Scarecrow's rags to slam him against the control console. Olivia made a face and preferred to search on her own, while Batman asked how the bomb could be turned off.

          "Let me go, or she will die."

          The blonde stopped and turned to look at the enemy. "What?"

          Batman took him by the neck. "What are you talking about?"

          "Barbara Gordon," He mumbled and Olivia looked a little scared. "Oh...Did I say something I shouldn't?"

          Her mentor looked at the blonde. "Go, find Barbara and put her to safety."

          "What about you?!" Olivia asked alarmed.

          "GO! THAT'S AN ORDER!"

          Olivia grunted and ran out of the chamber, fired her hook towards the exit and continued running towards the Ace Chemicals entrance. She called Lucius on the way to send the batwing so she could give her a lift to the clock tower. All the way, she overheard Alfred trying to convince Bruce to escape - but his efforts were only in vain. Olivia flew over Gotham City until she reached a piece of land near the Clock Tower.

          "Atlas, talk to me," Olivia said, breathing heavily. "Is Barbara okay?"

          "Her last transmission was five minutes ago," Phantom declared into the commlink. "She's not responding."

          "Shit," the girl muttered before jumping with her grappling hook towards the place.

          The blond-haired young woman walked across the ceiling, opening the small hatch to enter and slid through the opening, landing inside the room. The computer system was active and Barbara's chair was lying on the floor - with Barbara lying on it. Olivia ran to her, analyzing her state: clearly unconscious. She was about to put her in the chair, but didn't know what had hurt more, a bullet or the blow that the Arkham Knight struck her in the head with the butt of his weapon.

          Olivia fell to the ground, groaning in pain, feeling dizzy.

          "My, my." That robotic voice echoed against her eardrums. "So, did Batman send his partner here alone, huh?" Olivia crawled, trying to compose herself. "Tell me something princess, how can you work with him, how can you let him corrupt your spirit in this way?"

          "You have no idea ..."

          "Oh, I think I do," The Arkham Knight replied and several soldiers entered the room, he pointed at the red-haired girl. "Take her."

          Olivia jumped to her feet to stop them, but the Arkham Knight threw a blow to her abdomen, the blonde girl threw a punch, but the enemy used her nausea to make a lock and place an arm against her neck. Olivia struggled; however, the Arkham Knight's grip was pretty solid. The young woman's body began to relax and Olivia closed her eyes, sinking into the dark emptiness and threatening silence of the room. The tall man laid Olivia's body on the ground, crouching next to her and brushing off a strand that fell over her face.

          "What the hell he has done to you?"

          Olivia didn't reply.

          But the silence that came from the Arkham Knight was enough.

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