TWO SOULS,
chapter seven: scarecrow's plan!

          BOTH ENDED ON A STEP AWAY FROM GORDON, Batman activated a holographic communicator that showed the face of Barbara Gordon in front of them. Olivia Wayne took a deep breath and approached her mentor, both looking at the young woman - who was in one of the many hiding places the Dark Knight possessed throughout Gotham. Barbara stared at them, her colorless hologram revealing that she was with the lights off, the baticomputer being the only source of light.

          "Oracle, position of unit 2-47," Batman announced.

          "I'm already at it," Said the redhead. "Atlas is accessing the terminal of your suit, Batwoman. I will couple it to the communications."

          Within seconds, Olivia's suit gauntlet began to emit faint sounds and she pressed the first button she saw, managing to drop a smoke bomb and achieve a completely serious face from her father. She gave a nervous laugh and pressed the other button, which was close to a small light, and a holographic screen was revealed, showing Atlas Eisley's face. He looked at the two guards and winked. "That suit suits you very well, too. You look like someone else."

          "Stop flirting with my daughter, Eisley," Batman growled.

          "Okay, okay," The blonde replied, raising both hands. "I'm sorry, sir."

          "You will need a code name to communicate with us," Olivia declared, staring at him.

          "Oh, I know that," Eisley added with a sideways smile. "I will be Phantom."

          "Great," Bruce and Olivia muttered at the same time.

         "How's my father doing?" Gordon asked suddenly.

          Batman looked at the hologram. "He's holding on."

          "Somehow, he always does," something blinked next to him. "Okay, I'll send you the location of the patrol" A small light flickered on both their gauntlets. Barbara looked at the two vigilantes seriously. "Be careful, because it doesn't look very good. Atlas and I will communicate and be your guides."

          "Take it for granted, Gordon," Phantom replied. "Proceed with extreme caution and I wish you luck."

          The two disconnected at the same time and left the two watchers alone. Bruce touched his gauntlet and his eyes lit up white, Olivia imitated that same action and her eyes were wrapped in a kind of map, indicating the temperature, her heartbeat and even her adrenaline level. The target was a few blocks from them so they both jumped, unfurling their cloaks, both gliding through Gotham buildings with their hooks. They arrived at a part of the city that Olivia knew very well: Chinatown, and they stayed on top of a metal beam, observing the completely overturned car, a policeman being surrounded by several criminals. Batwoman looked at the night knight, inquisitively and also nervously, since they had company a few meters away. "Okay...Any plan?

          "Attack and break every bone you can," Batman said before dashing toward them.

          Olivia rolled her eyes and followed him.

          "Watch out! The bat!"

         Batwoman landed and kicked a bully, swinging at another quickly to punch him in the jaw and looked at the others, who grabbed their sticks and addressed him. It was something new to see that Batman was accompanied by a woman and not by Robin, his partner. Olivia groaned and launched herself at them, using a smoke grenade to disperse them. Batman watched as his daughter defeated each opponent and when the smoke cleared, she stood between the unconscious and injured bodies of the thugs.

          She looked at the bat and smiled, "What is it? Did a bat eat your tongue?"

          "Too good, for the first time," replied the knight, before going to the fallen policeman, holding out a hand. "You are safe."

          "Thanks, Batman," The cop said, accepting his hand and getting up. "I thought they would kill me."

          Olivia stood still and heard a distant noise, one like an engine, and looked to her left, watching as a military vehicle accelerated towards them. She screeched something before pulling out her hooked pistol and shot off to the side, followed by Batman (who charged the cop). All three landed on a nearby roof and the Knight left the wounded police officer on the ground. He gasped. "The city is under siege. There's nothing to do!"

          "Stay here," Batwoman declared. "We will send someone to pick you up."

          Batman touched two buttons and the policeman settled better. "What are you doing?"

          "Evening the odds."

          Olivia looked at him. "What?"

          Batman took her arm and dragged the young woman with him, the girl obviously screeched before landing softly thanks to her cloak. The sound of an engine was approaching and Batman took her arm again, both jumping to get into the vehicle that very few people managed to use in her life: the famous Batmobile. They both fell into the seats and the doors closed, leaving the large vehicle to be fully functional. Their waists were secured by seat belts and Batman touched two buttons on a panel above them.

          "Oracle, track that military vehicle," the Knight announced.

          Barbara's voice rang in Olivia's ears. "A patrol started the chase. I give you its location."

         "I didn't know the batmobile had a co-pilot seat," Olivia declared.

          "Are you in the Batmobile?!" Atlas asked.

          "Concentrate, Phantom," Barbara scolded.

          The batmobile's engine roared and Bruce stepped on the gas, blasting off the streets of Chinatown. Olivia gripped the speed belt tight and forced herself to stay still and alert as her father drove like crazy. He turned onto an avenue and passed several cars, some hitting them, and Olivia really wondered if that was going to matter to her later.

          (Knowing him, he wouldn't mind later.)

          "Get your men back, Jim," Batman declared to the communicator.

          A few meters away they managed to spot a patrol car and the military car that almost ran them over. The Batmobile crashed into a pole, wrecking it on the road and the car jerked, causing Olivia to growl. "I'll be driving next time!"

          "If Dick and Jason weren't allowed to drive the Batmobile earlier," the Dark Knight declared, looking straight ahead. "Clearly, you will not be the exception."

          "Golf Oscar 56, this is Commissioner Gordon." Jim's voice came through the comlink. "Cancel the persecution. It's very dangerous!"

          "Sir, we are already here. We can kill those bastards!"

          Upon encountering the patrol car, and not coincidentally, a rocket shot towards them, but Batman managed to evade it, exploding a few meters from them. Olivia leaned forward and watched as another rocket was being readied. The vehicle shook again and she looked at Bruce. "Since when have we faced armed enemies?"

          "We always have."

          "Let me rephrase it," added the blonde. "Since when do we face enemies who possess military weapons?!"

          "56, back off, it's an order!" Gordon exclaimed to his men. "Batman and Batwoman will handle it."

          Suddenly, an explosion left them blind for a moment and the patrol car turned into rubble, leaving none of the officers dead. Olivia knocked on the door angrily, feeling so sorry for having allowed them to kill the officers. A helicopter flew over area. "56 received a direct hit...They're gone, sir."

          "Shit! Please, you have to stop them!"

          Atlas's voice echoed through the communicators. "I found an accessible weak point, if the Batmobile has a 9-millimeter cannon, you can defeat it in no time."

          "You'll control the cannon," Batman muttered under his breath, and Olivia hesitated for a second. "Do it!"

          The girl took the second control and through her mask tried to mark the target, firing a bullet towards the rear, heading for the tires. Batman smirked when he saw that the young woman's aim hadn't changed in all these years and she was still able to launch an arrow in the center of her target. Olivia repeated the same two more times, causing the engine to explode and the military vehicle to turn abruptly — igniting in flames. Batman slammed on the brakes and they both shot out of the batmobile, landing smoothly thanks to their capes. They both watched as a man quickly climbed out of the vehicle, crawling on the ground — groans of pain permeating his entire body.

          Batman quickly turned him over and grabbed him by the neck, letting him exclaim a few things. Olivia approached them and saw how the bat raised the soldier. "And the Scarecrow?"

          "Go to hell!" He declared and pulled out a needle pistol, but Olivia stopped the ride with her hand and took the small artifact from him.

          Batman threw the militiaman to the ground and noted that Olivia had already started analyzing the compound. The blonde turned and looked at the Knight, who made a key to hold his wrist. "Where is him?!"

          "I won't tell you anything, Batman."

          "Talk or I'll break all your bones!" The Dark Knight exclaimed, and Olivia gritted her teeth as her mentor's patience ran out.

          "Okay, okay!" The militiaman shouted. "He works in a Chinatown penthouse. I swear, it's all I know..."

          Batman fixed his gaze on the young woman and then looked at the militiaman. "If you lie to me, I'll break the other one."

          "The other what?"

          With a simple twist of his hands, Batman broke the soldier's wrist and he let out a howl of pain, leaving him on the ground. Olivia bit her lip and walked over to Batman, her expression completely enigmatic, eager to know if what she had examined earlier was really what she believed: a sample of Scarecrow's toxin. She looked at her mentor, who meticulously examined the sample and stopped a few inches away, both exchanged glances and with just that Olivia was able to confirm her suspicions.

          Batman touched her gauntlet a couple of times and the Oracle image along with Atlas appeared in front of them. "Oracle, Phantom, look at the chemical analysis I just submitted."

          "Sure," Barbara announced, looking at another screen. "Huh...Atlas?"

         "I am seeing the same thing as you," said the aforementioned and looked at the two vigilantes on the screen. "Is it what I think it is?"

          Batman sighed before speaking. "Crane's New Toxin: It's a clean sample."

          "It's true," Gordon replied before fixing his gaze on the knight. "I will prepare a chemical analysis in the batcomputer. What are you going to do?"

          "We will pay a visit to the Scarecrow," Olivia added, looking at her companions. "He has a shelter nearby, Chinatown to be precise."

          "Hopefully this track will lead us to him."

          As soon as they cut, Batman called the batmobile with his gauntlet and they both jumped back into the vehicle. The girl failed to put on her seat belt in time and Batman stomped on the gas — the batmobile hurtling toward Chinatown. Batwoman didn't complain this time, but rolled her eyes at her mentor's unchanging attitude. They reached Chinatown in a matter of minutes and stopped near a building. The Batmobile's doors opened and the two watchers stepped out, firing their hooks at the roof. They heard voices in their communications and Olivia frowned at the voice of Pamela Isley — or, as many knew her, Poison Ivy — among the militiamen's channel. The two approached the ceiling and a large window showed them a small group of militiamen.

          "Is that Poison Ivy?" Atlas's voice appeared on the communicators.

          "From what I've heard..." Olivia murmured, looking at the militiamen. "Yes."

          Batman touched her shoulder and pointed to the balconies. Turning, she found five more soldiers. Another voice echoed in the communications. "Wait? Let's give her a dose now."

          " As you wish," replied another. "I'll tell the Scarecrow that it was your idea."

          "It was just a joke."

          "It didn't sound like a joke to me."

          Olivia rolled her eyes and positioned herself in the center of the window, before making a leap, crashing into the glass of the small gallery and breaking into the militiamen's talk. She heard screams and moved quickly around the room, Batman appeared behind her and joined the fight. She could feel every bone break and grabbed a militiaman by her shoulders, throwing him against the glass of the chamber where Poison Ivy was found. The red-haired woman rolled her eyes. "Seriously, you should check security." Batwoman elbowed the head of a militiaman, and Pamela laughed out loud. "I have seen trees with more reflections."

          Batman exclaimed something and threw a militiaman towards her, causing the young woman to finish off that blow with a punch — leaving all the soldiers completely unconscious. The two approached a kind of camera where Ivy was sitting in a chair, completely immobilized and in the company of a militiaman. Being a few meters from the camera, with glass thick enough to get through a bullet, they watched the militiaman take out his communicator. "Sir, it's Batman. He's here."

          "Were you expecting to meet me, Batman?" A live video of Crane appeared in front of them. "Sorry to disappoint you. Oh, I also see that you have brought a friend," He laughed out loud. "Take a look at this camera. I want you to know the horror that is coming."

          The militiaman released Ivy, with his weapon raised and pointed at him all the time. Suddenly he took his arm and pointed at them. "Listen, weirdos, we're gonna get out of here, very carefully." He aimed his gun at the redhead's head. "If you try something stupid, I'll blow her brains out."

          Batwoman pursed her lips, trying to find a way to prevent Isley from ending up with a bullet to her head. Who could blame her if that happened? Her mentor, probably — unless he considered Ivy a non-viable subject in all this chaos and let her die. Either option seemed completely ideal to her as disturbing. Ivy smiled and looked at the soldier. "Adorable...but only one of us will leave this cell."

          Suddenly, a gas leak came out of the chamber — orange in color — invading the entire room. Ivy released his grip and stepped aside, the three of them looked at the militiaman: he started to cough, trying to get all the toxin out of his respiratory system - his breathing became rough and he got up suddenly, shooting at the glass and screaming from fear. Batman grabbed Batwoman's hand, motioning for her to calm her heart rate.

          Since when was she so scared?

          (She realized that she would have to improve on burying her emotions deep while on patrol, especially if it was this one night.)

          Poison Ivy appeared behind him and shoved him into the chamber glass, knocking him unconscious in less than a second. She walked around him and looked at the two watchers. "Nothing like natural immunity," She went to the door and opened it for her, waking up a bit before looking at the two watchers. "What are you doing here? I thought Robin was your only partner..."

          Hearing that didn't surprise Olivia at all.

          "Why did Scarecrow lock you up?" Batman asked, approaching her.

          Ivy walked up to him, her gaze completely insinuating. "Not a "hello"?"

          "Speak, Ivy!" Batwoman bellowed.

          "Oh, bratty, I like it. What if I don't want to?"

          Batman, a few inches from her, leaned closer. "I'll burn all the Gotham City plants."

          Pamela rolled her eyes and sighed, before turning away from the bat with her back to him. "It started with a meeting."

          "What meeting?"

          "They were all there: the Penguin, Two Faces, Riddle..." The redhead mentioned walking towards the door. "Even poor Harley. The Scarecrow had a plan."

          The three of them stepped out onto one of the balconies, Poison Ivy raised a hand to the balconies, and a root tangled her hand, thus blossoming and nourishing herself on Pamela's power. She remained observant of all the flowers that grew from that root, always noticing the presence of the two watchers. She clicked her tongue. "That together we could finish you off and control Gotham City."

          "Over my dead body," the bat growled.

          What a typical response, Bats, Olivia thought.

          Pamela turned and looked at the Knight with irony. "Yes, I think that was the idea."

          "Why didn't you?" Batwoman asked.

          "I told him I wasn't interested in his pathetic human games," Isley replied walking to another door, completely disinterested in knowing that she was being followed. "And when I came to my senses... I was locked," The elevator doors opened and she started to cross the threshold. "It's a shame that his toxin doesn't affect me at all. Nature always wins."

          Olivia turned and watched various roots approach them, she screeched, seeing herself enveloped by them, as if they were vines — thus taking them prisoner and away from Ivy. Batman pulled out a batarang, tossing it toward the roots, slicing through them and landing flawlessly. Olivia...not so much. The girl managed to cut the living restraints that kept her subdued but didn't fall the same way Batman did: Bruce would define it as a hard landing.

          She groaned and saw that her partner was looking at the elevator door. "I'm fine, thanks for asking."

          "You have to practice your landings."

          "Wow, what a great tip."

          The doors opened, revealing Ivy — who rolled her eyes in annoyance at seeing Batman in front of her again. Bruce stared at the redhead. "You come with us."

          "You just had to ask for it."

          Olivia heard a small sound coming from her gauntlet, pressing the button a small holographic screen was displayed along with the voice of Atlas. "A tank and a military vehicle are coming towards you."

          An explosion exploded a few meters from them and a tank with fully loaded cannons appeared, stopped in front of them and the vehicle parked to the side — three soldiers got out of there. Batwoman took a few steps back, standing next to Batman. One touched his right ear. "We cornered the target."

          "Are you sure it's him?" A robotic voice broke into communications.

          "Confirmed: it's Batman," replied another militiaman. "Batman and...Batgirl?"

          Olivia let out a grunt of resignation. "It's Batwoman!" She vowed to hear Atlas giggling through the comlink. "You don't help me, Phantom. Any ideas?"

          "Of course. The supporting tank is unmanned."

          "Great."

          The Batmobile made its appearance, coming out of a corner and its wheels turning, placing the vehicle in attack mode. Olivia watched as a barrel of at least sixty millimeters came out of a compartment, firing at the tank - destroying it on the way. Three rubber bullets were then fired at the militiamen who opened fire on the vehicle, rendering them unconscious. Olivia smiled, watching the car at its best, knocking down any enemy that faced the majestic (not to say expensive) car.

          "Batman, Batwoman," Oracle's voice echoed through his communicators. "Atlas detected six unmanned tanks advancing through Chinatown. They will arrive at any time."

          The girl ran to the batmobile, without first being stopped by Batman. "You'll get yourself killed." Bruce's soft baritone appeared.

          "Come on, Dad," Olivia murmured, looking at her mentor. "You have seen what I can do, driving the batmobile will not be difficult."

          The knight considered this for a moment, realizing that they had little time. She let out a sigh. "Okay, but I'll drive with the remote. You will be the offensive."

          Olivia didn't need anything else.

          Batwoman shot toward the batmobile, getting into the vehicle and ended up sitting in the pilot's seat. There she took control of weapons as her father brought her closer to two tanks that had first been deployed. Olivia soon opened fire, destroying the tanks one by one — she felt the batmobile's combat mode was quite fluid, yet she knew that Lucius Fox was capable of showing off more. A strong jolt left her stunned for a second, but she regained control. She destroyed the fourth tank and appeared and asked through her communicator to surround the area: she found the fifth a few meters from the corner and evaded a flurry of missiles. She ended up pulling her back in seconds and found the last one a block down. Batman made sure to bring the batmobile closer to her position and Olivia unfolded the passenger compartment.

          "We have to go," he heard Batman.

          "Thank you for highlighting the obvious," Ivy complained.

          The compartment closed again and the girl settled into the passenger seat. Her gauntlet rang again and she touched the same button, the faces of Atlas and Barbara were in front of her. But something was wrong, however, her father had better plans. "Oracle, I need to know where those tanks came from."

          "I detect several helicopters heading toward the city," Gordon declared, looking at the screen. "And there is more on the way."

          That wasn't a good thing.

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          After Batman activated the Batmobile Gun Diagnostic, they were ready to head to the Gotham Police Station, but Barbara cut them off. "Guys, a transport is deploying more tanks in Panessa Studios." The blonde-haired girl let out a sigh. "I alerted the police to get off the street."

          "Let's go over there," replied Batman.

          Olivia, this time, adjusted her seat belt in time before her mentor stepped on the gas again. They took a nearby avenue and Batman raised the speed of the vehicle. Commissioner Gordon alerted his men to return to the station, as it was quite clear that the Gotham Police Department was unprepared to deal with unmanned tanks. Upon arrival, and to their surprise, there was a helicopter deploying numerous tanks on an asphalt and plant plain. Too many to count and the girl took command to destroy them with the cannon.

          The girl felt the vehicle shake with each shot she received and wondered how her mentor and father could withstand so much movement. Also if Ivy was still alive back there. It activated a flurry of missiles that destroyed the last four tanks and suddenly silence reigned. The girl relaxed and ended up leaning back in the seat, Batman, for his part, simply announced that the tanks were destroyed. The drive to the police station was too fast and the doors to the underground parking lot opened. Olivia kept her gaze completely lost by the window and wished she had a five minute break — assuming that this moment would not come soon.

          The doors opened before them and that was enough for the blonde to wake up from that trance that rambled in her mind. Batman was the first to leave and she followed him. The passenger compartment was activated and Pamela appeared in front of them, her face of disgust completely evident. "Where did you learn to drive?"

          Olivia couldn't match Isley anymore.

          "That will remain a puzzle, Ivy."

          Batman took the redhead's arm and started to walk toward the entrance to the detention wing. The blonde was willing to follow him, but that small light that came from her gauntlet interrupted her and decided to touch the button, being received by the hologram of Barbara and Atlas.

          "Any progress in the toxin analysis?"

          "Huh, I need a little more time," Barbara replied. "Stop by the clock tower and I'll update you on my progress."

          "Phantom?"

          "I was trying to connect to the militia network for voice recognition, but their firewall is pretty thick," the blonde announced. "In the clock tower I will tell you what I have managed to do."

          Batwoman was only counting on that.

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