They carried her up the stairs that lead to the Warden's office. How long ago was Casey walking there herself with Warden Joseph? At times she would struggle as they carried her but one squeeze to her injured arm caused her to still.

She felt sick and light-headed as the Warden Office door loomed closer. Then it opened and she found herself being dumped unceremoniously to the floor. She groaned as she got her bearings. In the few short hours since the riot started, the office looked completely different than the last time she saw it. There were green canisters shoved together around the desk in the center of the room so one could walk around it. Green smiley faces and purple hahas were spray painted on the walls. All that was missing…

Casey's heart thudded in fear when she spied the shoes resting on the desk. She watched as the shoes moved off the desk and then she saw him stand up. She scuttled backwards until her back hit the wall. She watched in pure fear as the Joker sauntered towards her, his ruby-red smile stretched from ear to ear. He towered over her and she quaked.

Then he began to laugh. "Casey Wilson!" He cackled. "I thought I would never see you again after our last meeting!"

He playfully mussed her hair like one would do to their kid sibling. Casey whimpered and jerked her head away. "Go away now," she heard the Joker order his men. "Casey and I have some… catching up to do." He laughed again and tears leaked down Casey's cheeks.

"So," the Joker knelt in front of her. "Tell me, my dear. Have you ever had a bad day?"

-x-

This was not how Gordon envisioned his evening. He had planned with Barbara to get pizza on his way home from work and they'd watch a movie together. It was a plan and effort on his part to spend more time with his daughter and away from work. But when he got the call about the riot, he had no choice but to cancel and promise Barbara he'd make it up to her.

Gordon sighed as he peered through his binoculars at the smoke rising from Blackgate Prison. Another riot just after the prison was back on its feet from Christmas.

"You're going to need a better way to get my attention, Gordon," someone said next to Gordon. Gordon jumped and lowered his binoculars. The vigilante Batman stood next to him having snuck up on the cop. "I just happened to be listening to the police band," Batman finished.

"I'm sure we'll think of something," Gordon replied dryly. "Maybe if you gave us your cell number?"

"What do we know?" Batman demanded.

"There was an explosion at Blackgate about six hours ago," Gordon explained. "They think maybe an escape attempt went bad."

"And the inmates took advantage and overran the guards," Batman finished.

"Afraid so. They're in a standoff with my men positioned outside the prison gates," Gordon replied.

"Hostages?"

"The entire prison staff," Gordon said grimly.

"Blackgate," Batman said. "Seems like we were just there."

"You don't have to tell me." Gordon rubbed the back of his head. He remembered the riot all too well. How the Joker nearly killed him and Warden Joseph.

Batman pointed at the shoreline of the prison. "I'll approach the prison from the river side," he explained.

"That's side's impregnable!" Gordon exclaimed. "Practically a sheer wall down to the water. Batman, they're all in there. From petty thieves to the worst of the worst. And almost every one of them has a grudge against you."

"Then they're about to get their shot," Batman replied.

Batman broke away from Gordon, pressing buttons into his gauntlet. Gordon watched him for a second before calling out, "there is one other thing." Batman glanced over his shoulder. "One of ours is in the prison as well."

"Ours?"

"A member of the Cybercrimes unit," Gordon explained. "A man by the name of Elías Vega. He's new to the department. He was sent in earlier this evening to test the new security systems."

"I'll find him."

"Thanks," Gordon said as Batman disappeared into the dark.

-x-

Casey crawled on the floor, desperate to get away even though she knew there was no use in running. Behind her, she heard the Joker laughing in amusement. She reached out with her good arm to pull herself to safety, crying from the pain in her injured arm.

"Trying to run, Casey?" The Joker giggled. She cried out when his foot slammed down onto her back, pinning her in place. "That's not very sporting."

"Please," she sobbed. "Please stop."

"But I don't want to," he replied. He knelt down, using his knee to turn her over and keep her in place. She looked up at him through teary eyes. "Perhaps the last one should have gone in instead of out?" He waved the bloody shard of glass he extracted from her shoulder just minutes ago in front of her. "Let's see what happens!"

"No!" She wailed.

"Hold still!" He sang. He dropped the shard on the floor and held her injured arm steady. He gripped one of the two remaining shards in her arm with a gloved hand and began to push.

Screams ripped from Casey's throat as she thrashed in his grip. She could feel the glass digging deeper and deeper into her flesh until she was sure she felt it reach bone. "Oops," the Joker said with a frown. "That damn shoulder is in the way." He snatched the fallen shard up and got off Casey. She rolled onto her back and sat up. One of the glass pieces had sunk in another inch and was bleeding profusely.

The Joker's fist entangled itself in Casey's hair and yanked her head back so she looked up at him. "Hmm, where should I put this one?" He asked her, tracing the tear trail down her cheek with the shard. "Somewhere… fleshy."

He trailed down her neck, letting it rest at the base of her throat for a few beats before moving on. "Ooh, I know!" He cried suddenly and plunged the glass shard into her right calf. Casey howled in pain.

"A little bit louder next time!" The Joker cackled as her screams died down. "I don't think they heard you in Blüdhaven."

Casey's eyes fluttered and black spots began appearing in her vision.

"Oh no no no no." The Joker clucked his tongue as he lightly slapped her cheek. "No passing out on me now, Casey. Our fun has just begun!"

His hands tucked under her armpits as he hoisted her up to her feet. Casey swayed from the blood loss, and attempted to keep weight off her now-injured leg. "Stay right there," the Joker said as he patted her head like one would a dog. "Good girl."

She blinked hazily as he retreated slightly. She registered his grin growing wider and wider before… WHAM. His knee connected with her stomach. Her legs buckled under her as she gasped for breath. Her body spasmed and she rolled onto her side.

Mistake. It left her side unprotected and the Joker's foot lashed out and kicked her in the ribs. She thought she felt something crack but she wasn't sure over all the pain wracking through her body. Above her, the Joker laughed.

"Hmm, I've a sudden idea," she heard him muse above her. "Ohh yes, I do like the thought of it!"

She closed her eyes, praying for an end to the torture.

-x-

Blackgate was a site of carnage. The Administration Building was the worst. The Joker strung dead guards from the ceiling, furniture was destroyed with their papers strewn about, and green smiley faces grinned down at him from the walls.

The Joker will pay for this, Batman thought darkly as he ran past more dead guards. "You'll never stop me, Batman! NEVER!" The Joker cackled through the loudspeaker. "How was that? I've been working on it." He laughed.

Batman curled a fist and ignored it. The Joker would be back in his cell by morning, he promised himself. He'd make sure of it.

It wasn't long until he came outside to find the Warden tied to a chair in the conference room. There's the Warden, like the Joker said. He walked to the door.

"Wait Batman!" Warden Joseph cried from inside. "The door is rigged to blow if opened!"

"What about the other offices?" Batman asked.

"The Joker wired them all with explosives," Warden Joseph replied. "You've got to find another way in. Maybe the roof, if you can get up there."

If. Batman could have snorted. "Okay," he said. "Sit tight, Warden."

"Good advice, masked man," Warden Joseph replied. "Like I have a choice." He laughed dryly.

Batman ignored him and jumped the ledge to another window to make his way up to the roof.

-x-

"When you hunch over and scowl like that, does anyone take you seriously?" Casey heard the Joker speak into the microphone. She didn't know who he was talking to. She kept fading in and out from the blood loss.

"Oh, the night has gotten so much more exciting!" The Joker cackled. She looked up weakly to see him twirling a knife between his fingers. "I can barely contain myself—whoops!"

She yelped when she saw him throw the knife. It lodged into the wall just mere centimeters from her left thigh. It wasn't the first of his knives to miss. But thankfully, only a few hit their mark. "My fingers slipped," the Joker sang. "Clumsy me."

Doubt it, Casey thought woozily. He missed on purpose. If he hit too many major veins and organs, she'd die from blood loss and he'd lose his toy.

He left her earlier and came back with a length of rope. Dragging her by the hair, he tied her hands together and tossed the other end up through the railing on the upper level. Casey cried and screamed as he forced her arms upwards, her injured shoulder throbbed like crazy as he made it move. But in the end, she was hanging from her arms, her tip toes just barely reaching the floor, like some human target. And he did use her like one with so many knives, Casey didn't know where he acquired them.

So far, she had a switchblade slice open her right calf before it embedded itself in the wall, one half of a scissor blade partially lodged in her hip (any movement and it would tear through the rest of her skin), and a shiv resting by her cheek. By now, her arms were completely numb with pain, her head pounded from all of the crying, and she was slowly losing feeling in her legs.

"Are you ignoring me, Casey?" She heard the Joker say in a mock-hurt tone. She felt his fingers curl under her chin and she wearily met his gaze. His grin widened as he brushed away her tears with his thumb. "Aww, don't cry," he crooned.

"Just let me go," she whimpered. "Please."

"But I don't want to," he protested. "You're much too fun. And you don't want to spoil my fun, do you?" He pulled the shiv out of the wall and she grimaced. He rested the shiv point under her right eye and her breath hitched. But instead, he dragged the point down her cheek, making a large scratch. "Try not to cry too much now," he hissed to her.

The scratch stung fiercely from her salty tears but she couldn't stop the fresh wave of tears. The pain was overwhelming and she let out a shuddering sob. She watched through tears as he placed the shiv on her other cheek. It pricked her skin and—

"Boss, he's in the game room!" A prisoner burst into the room, panting heavily.

In an instant, the Joker leapt away from Casey. He ran for the computer at the desk and snatched up the microphone. "Live, from Blackgate, it's everyone's favorite new game show, MATCH or DIE!" The Joker cackled. "Brought to you by Shermie's Squirting Flowers and Larry's Poisoned Licorice, now in new trout flavor. Help me welcome our first contestant, a housewife from Pasadena who loves blue underwear and blingy belts… say hello to Batman!"

Casey's head perked up. Batman was here? Her heart swelled with hope. Batman was here! She nearly cried from joy but kept her mouth shut as she watched the Joker yammer into the microphone. Batman would come… he'd stop the Joker.

"We really need to screen our contestants better," the Joker grumbled and set the microphone down. He turned back to Casey, rubbing his hands. "Now, where were we?"

Please hurry Batman, Casey thought desperately. Please!

-x-

It took too long for Batman's liking to rescue the Warden. First there was the skirmish with Deadshot on the roof and then the mini-game set up by the Joker. And then the four bombs needed defusing before Batman could even get close. I'm wasting time, he thought as he disarmed the last bomb.

He entered the conference room. "Warden, are you hurt?" He demanded as he started cutting Warden Joseph's bonds.

"No," Warden Joseph replied as he rubbed his wrists. "Just angry this is happening in my prison."

"Joker's gone to your office and barricaded himself in. Is there any other way to—?"

"Yes," the warden interrupted. "There's a panic hatch in my office behind the book shelf. It leads down to the sewers beneath Blackgate. The prison board made me put it in just in case a riot got out of hand."

"So why didn't you use it when things went crazy out there?" Batman asked.

"I wasn't going to leave my staff. But the Joker must have found out about the escape hatch somehow. He came up through it and caught me."

"I'll have to head to the Industrial Complex's sewer access and go down to go up, and Joker knows it. Warden, find yourself a safe place to hide until—"

But the Warden brushed past him out into the hall. "I won't hide while my people need me," he said. "A hard case like Black Mask can take my eye, but I'll never let anyone take my staff. You deal with the Joker, I'll help them."

"Understood," the Batman growled. But he couldn't help but admire the man for his convictions. Somewhat.

"There's one other thing," Batman spoke as he followed the warden. "Gordon told me an analyst from the GCPD came here to test the security system. Elías Vega. Do you know where he is?"

"Elías Vega?" Warden Joseph repeated blankly. "He was supposed to come here tonight but apparently couldn't make it. He sent a coworker in his stead."

A coworker? Batman felt a certain uneasiness within him. He couldn't mean—

"Casey Wilson was her name," the warden confirmed. "She was the one who came out tonight."

Casey. Of course she was here. "Where is she?" Batman demanded.

The Warden jumped back, eying him uncertainly as if provoked by Batman's outburst. "I don't know," Warden Joseph replied. "I left her in my office when the riot started but when I returned she was gone. I remember the Joker saying something about a mouse in the vents. I think she might've climbed up there. If she was careful, she could have found a good hiding spot."

Batman gritted his teeth. Casey was here. And most likely in trouble. And he hated not knowing where she was or if she was okay. "I'll find her," he swore. "I promised Gordon I'd get the analyst out."

"No one's getting out as long as Joker still has control of this place," Warden Joseph reminded.

Batman ignored him and turned to disappear back into the vents. The vents would take him to the roof where he could access the Industrial Building more easily than going through the main entrance. And he'd get the drop on any of Black Mask's men.

He made his way through the vents quickly and came out into some rooms that looked like they haven't seen use in years. He knocked a desk out of his way and entered the next room. And frowned.

This room was a mess. There were overturned desks and old papers everywhere. He spied some broken glass in the corner and several droplets of blood. There had been a fight in here. Something nagged at the back of Batman's mind and he knelt to examine the blood.

Crunch.

Batman quickly lifted his boot to see he'd stepped on a cell phone. He picked it up to examine it. The screen was cracked in several places but looked usable. He pressed the power button and the screen lit up. An image of Casey and her mother greeted him. Casey was here, he realized with a jolt. She had been in this very room but left her phone behind. He glanced at the mess, a sinking feeling in his gut.

He input the passcode to unlock her phone (her mother's birthday) and found it opened to the camera. Why was she accessing her camera in the middle of a riot? He clicked on the gallery icon and a video popped up.

He pressed play. Casey's face filled the screen. Her eyes were red and puffy; it was obvious she had been crying. "My name is Casey Wilson," the Casey in the video said, her voice shaky. "I am—was a technical analyst with the Gotham City Police Department. Tonight a riot broke out and I don't think I'm going to live through it." He watched her shed a few tears and wipe them away with a dirty sleeve.

"Mom, I love you so much. And I know you never believed it but I am so proud to call myself your daughter. Annette, thank you for all you've done for us. Please take care of my mom. And it wasn't Rodney who broke your Michael Jackson vinyl. It was me. I'm sorry. Rodney, you were an awesome little brother. You'll be a great vet someday."

She took a pause and wiped more tears away. "Bruce," she said and Batman blinked, startled. "I love you. I'm sorry I never got to say it to you, but I love you and being with you were some of the happiest moments of my life. Thank you, Bruce."

Then the video ended.

Batman felt at a loss for words and he put Casey's phone in his utility belt. She had felt the need to say her last words. And the words for Bruce… No, he couldn't think about that now, he told himself. Innocent people—Casey included—were depending on him. I won't let those be your last words, Casey. I promise you.

He glanced at the blood trail that led to one of the desks. There were scratches in the floor as if the desk had been moved violently recently. He examined it closer and found more blood along one of the legs and… a fingernail with banana yellow nail polish on it.

An image of nails painted banana yellow raking down his back a couple weeks ago flashed through his mind. Casey. Someone found her and there was as a struggle. She was here somewhere, alive.

Hold on, Casey, He thought. I'm coming for you.

-x-

It took too long to take down Black Mask for Batman's liking. The man had a trigger happy finger and Batman had to be careful when approaching. But Batman incapacitated him like he did to the Penguin. All that was left was the Joker in the warden's office.

He came up into the Administration Building through the secret sewer entrance. Hacking the code for the door, it slid open with a hiss. Bracing himself, Batman stepped through into the warden's office.

Joker sat at the desk, his feet upon the wood, grinning at Batman. "Ah, Batman!" He said grandly. "Now I can officially welcome you to my new winter, summer, spring, and fall home! Clearly you saw some of my new decorations along your way here. So, tell me, what do you think of the place? Don't be shy to comment on the décor. But I'll have you know, my favorite piece is hanging up just over there."

Batman followed the Joker's gaze and, to his horror, saw Casey hanging by her wrists from the ceiling. Her head lolled against her shoulder and he saw various knives of different shapes and sizes sticking out of the wall by her body. He could even see some knives had hit her, judging by the blood on her clothes. Fury twisted through him at the sight.

"I think you're done playing house, Joker," Batman snapped. "And you're giving me the codes for the Crypto Sequencer! I want that key card. Now!"

"Hmm, now that I think about it. My close second favorite decorations are these." The Joker idly gestured to canisters set up about the room. "I've attached these little gas canisters on a time release to all the prison's major air conduits. It started out as riot-control gas, but I adjusted the recipe. Now a small dose can give me control of the brains of the inmates and hostages. A large dose will turn those brains to succotash." The Joker laughed.

"Shut off the time release, Joker," Batman growled.

"No can do, Bats," the Joker replied. He waved a keycard in the air. "Only the computer here can turn off the gas-a-go-go… and it can only do that with the sequencer codes!" The Joker frowned as if confused. "And I just don't know where those are. Probably packed with the pots and pans. So much for a new homeowner to do!"

In a flash, the Joker leapt up onto the desk and pointed at Batman dramatically. "And speaking as a homeowner, I believe you qualify as a prowler on private property. And I'm within my rights to defend my property AT ALL COSTS!"

It became a game of cat and mouse. The Joker would run around the canisters to keep away from Batman but Batman would simply use his line launcher to propel himself across and land a hit on the Joker. All the while, he was hyper-aware of Casey hanging there and did everything he could to keep the Joker away from her.

But then the Joker slapped on a gas mask and green gas began to leak out of the canisters. Behind Batman, he heard Casey begin to cough. He needed to end this. Now. He launched himself across the desk and kicked the Joker to the ground.

"Is this nice?" The Joker complained as he backed away. "Do I come to your guano-filled wherever-you-live and pick a—" Batman interrupted him with a boot to the face. The Joker slumped to the ground, unconscious, with a grin still etched on his face.

Batman ripped the crypto sequencer card from the Joker's hands. He swiped the card on the warden's computer to shut down the gas release first.

Then he turned back to where Casey hung. He crossed over to her swiftly.

"Casey," he said and examined her injuries. There was a long cut going down her cheek and he could see dried tears on them as well. He saw a couple jagged pieces of glass in her shoulder, one of which looked like it had been pushed deeper into her shoulder. Down in her calf was another glass shard and a knife right next to it. Her shoes were gone and a few of her toes were bleeding. Upon closer inspection, he saw evidence of something small and flat being forced under her toenails. One nail was hanging off her toe by a sliver. By her hip, he carefully pulled a scissor blade out of her skin. At that, Casey cried out in pain.

"Casey," Batman said again as he reached up to cut the rope around her wrists.

"Batman?" she said groggily. She lifted her head and blinked at him as if she couldn't register his presence. "Is it really you?"

"Yes," he replied. "You're safe now." He cut through the rope with the blades on his gauntlets and she fell forward into him. He caught her and cradled her in his arms.

She began to sob as he jostled the shoulder with the glass in it. "I want to go home," she sobbed and curled into his hold.

"You're going home," he promised as he carried her over to the desk. He set her on the chair so she could rest. He went to the warden's computer.

"Don't go," she whimpered and he felt her tug on his cape.

"I'm still here," he said calmly. He looked down to see part of his cape clenched tightly in her fist and she was watching him with large, scared eyes. White-hot rage seethed through him and the urge to stomp the Joker's face in was becoming great.

He forced himself to think about the hostages in the Arkham Wing and looked back to the computer. See if I can get an overview of the prison's systems, he thought. An interesting tidbit of information popped up on the screen. Hm? Oxygen flow to the Arkham Wing reading as normal? That couldn't be right. Catwoman said the oxygen had been cut off. Batman stood abruptly. Had Catwoman lied to him?

He'd confront her next time he saw her, he decided. He leaned down and scooped Casey back up into his arms. She cried softly and her eyes fluttered shut. "We're leaving," he told her. "I'll get you to Gordon."

"I want to go home," she repeated.

"I'm sorry," he replied.

Out in the hall, he gently set Casey down. He looked up and was surprised to see Catwoman jump down from the rafters. "Gotta admit, I wasn't sure you could get it all done," she said. "I could tell you have the brawn—boy, could I tell—but I didn't know you such finesse, too." She smirked at him.

"I'm full of surprises," Batman replied dryly.

"I'll just bet you are," Catwoman purred. "But you'll have to show me later. Right now, you've got everything you need to get into the Arkham Wing. Move your pointy ears and get there, now!"

She jumped back up into the rafters. "Wait!" Batman ordered and reached to grab her but missed her foot by centimeters.

Batman sighed. He had no choice but to continue down to the Arkham Wing if he wanted answers. But… he glanced over a Casey who was slumped against the wall. He couldn't leave Casey. He picked her up again, making sure not to jostle her too much. He'd find the warden and leave her with him. They'd make sure she received medical attention.

It didn't take too long to find the warden. He and the survivors were holed up in archives. "It's me," Batman called through the barricade of filing cabinets.

"Batman!" Warden Joseph called. The warden grunted as he and another man moved the cabinets out of the way. "Did you get the Joker?"

"The Joker has been taken care of," Batman said shortly as he entered.

"Christ," the warden said in shock as Batman set Casey down on a desk. "What happened to her?"

"Joker," Batman growled. He turned to leave. "Make sure she receives medical attention," he ordered the warden before leaving.

"Of course," the warden replied. "I'll see to it."

-x-

Bane. It had all been about Bane. Catwoman had planned this all along since the night they met on the rooftops of Gotham. Catwoman and her mysterious employer. But before he could cuff Catwoman for her betrayal, she revealed her partnership with the Joker and the bombs she planted all over the prison.

And so he had been forced to run around the entire prison disarming the bombs. But he knew she would never expect him to head her off at the docks. A short fight later and he had her cuffed.

"Who are you working for?" He demanded. "And what did you want with Bane?"

"I already told you, I don't know. I was hired anonymously and received my orders the same way," Catwoman retorted.

"And you just went along with that?" Batman growled.

"Let's just say I was made an offer I couldn't refuse." She grinned at Batman and then ran her tongue along her upper lip. "What if I made you and offer you couldn't refuse?" She purred, staring at him suggestively.

Then there were lights on them and Batman heard the sounds of guns cocking. "Federal authorities!" Someone shouted. "Step away from him Catwoman!" The man approached the both of them. "I said step away," he repeated. "I won't say it again."

Instead, Batman turned to the newcomer. "Identification, now."

The man tossed a card to Batman. "Captain Rick Flag, Batman," the man said coolly.

"Never heard of you," Batman replied as he examined the identification card.

"Believe it or not, Batman, there are federal operations you know nothing about. Because it's better that way. We're securing the facility. Thank you for your assistance."

Assistance? Batman felt annoyance stab through him.

"We'll return Catwoman to her cell," Flag added as the armed men began leading the woman away.

"Captain," Batman started. "This entire operation was a cover to break Bane out of this cell. Now he is out there..."

Flag smirked and started walking away. "And we grabbed him before he even made it to the docks. You saved a lot of lives tonight, Batman. You should be proud."

But he wasn't. There were people Batman could have saved. They died because he hadn't been quick enough to get to the prison. And Casey… His hand curled into a fist when he remembered the state he found her in.

He took out his grappling gun and grappled away. But he didn't leave the prison just yet. Instead he went to the entrance where soldiers were filing into the prison. He saw ambulances pull up alongside cop cars and watched Jim Gordon start barking orders to everyone.

Batman watched with sharp eyes as they began taking the wounded out of the prison and loading them up into ambulances. He jumped down, sticking to the shadows, as an EMT came out with a woman on a stretcher.

"Casey!" He heard Gordon exclaimed in shock as he bolted for the stretcher. "What is she doing here?" He demanded.

"Jim?" Batman heard Casey reply hazily. "Is that you?"

"Casey." Gordon took Casey's hand as the EMT continued to take her to the ambulance. "What happened? What were you doing here?"

"Don't tell my mother," Casey pleaded.

Gordon opened his mouth but the EMT cut him off. "I'm sorry sir, we need to get her to the hospital to get her checked out. You can ride along if you like."

But Gordon shook his head. "No, I need to oversee this. I'll be by the hospital later."

As the ambulance carrying Casey drove away, Batman disappeared into the shadows.

-x-

The operation was a bust. And now Rick Flag had to play nice with Jim Gordon and put everyone back in their cells. All of this for nothing, he thought sourly as he watched men take Bane away. He broke away from everyone quickly and went to the chopper waiting for him. The men knew what to do. And besides, they couldn't do anything under the watchful eye of Jim Gordon.

As soon as Flag sat down, the chopper took away and Flag stared coldly at his boss.

"Catwoman?" His boss asked calmly.

"Released per your orders, Direction," he replied. "With an expunged record and the secret thanks of a grateful nation. Though I don't know why we don't keep a leash on her," he added. Catwoman was not someone anyone could trust. He'd sooner strap a bomb to her and toss her out a window. "She didn't accomplish her primary mission. We had to give Bane back to save face."

"Time enough for that, Captain Flag," the director dismissed. "Catwoman did do us a great service."

"And what's that, Director Waller? Leading us to those two degenerates?" He jerked his head to the corner where Bronze Tiger and Deadshot sat, hands cuffed.

"You see degenerates, Captain," Waller replied. "I see soldiers."

Another person in the helicopter snorted. "Right. And as soon as they get out into the field, they're going to cut tail and run."

Director Waller turned her gaze to the other man. "And that's why I have you working on your little project."

"Of course," the other man replied. "It's coming together well and all, should need some tweaking before we can test it in the field. Hope you have something to keep them contained before that, though."

"I'll worry about that," Flag said through gritted teeth. That man had to be the new hire. Waller needed someone to work some technical crap for her.

"Right." The man flashed Flag a smile. "I'm Elías Vega. You are?"

"Don't care," Flag shot back.

"Touchy," Vega replied. He glanced at the other soldiers. "Is he always like this?"

"Enough, Vega," Waller replied sternly. "I don't need my men at each other's throats. I need them to work together. Now, do you have results for me?"

"Of course," Vega said happily. "I worked with Ben down in the bomb squad to get the wiring done. He turned his tablet and showed Waller some sort of technical plans. "Like I said, a few more tests and it should be field-ready. It'll be enough to keep your new soldiers in line."

"Good," Waller replied. "We'll need them on the field as soon as possible."

-x-

Batman found her easily enough again. It was a simple hack into the hospital's system to find her room. It seemed Gordon pulled some strings and got her a private room. He snuck in through the window and found her sleeping.

There was gauze wrapped around her shoulder and the same arm was in a sling. She had a large bandage on her cheek and more gauze wrapped around one of her fingers. The EKG machine she was hooked up to beeped steadily.

Batman strode over the door and closed it, shutting off the lights as he did. Now, the only light source was from her EKG machine. He returned to her side and reached into one of the pockets of his utility belt and pulled out her phone. He stared at for what felt like hours, remembering the video she recorded. She thought she was going to die and had attempted to say her last words.

He felt shame go through him at that. He should have been there earlier. He could have done something. You didn't even know she was there in the first place, a voice reminded him. But that didn't matter. Other people still died because he wasn't quick enough.

Batman set her phone on her bedside table. He reached up and pressed the release button on his cowl. The cowl unhinged itself from his suit and he pulled it off, allowing himself air. He took Casey's non-injured hand. "I love you," she had said in the video. He had not expected to hear those words come from her. Not in person and certainly not in a video. But the admission seemed to change everything...

He leaned down and pressed a gentle kiss to her lips. He lingered in her presence before standing back up.

"I love you too," he whispered to her.

He put the cowl back on and exited out the window.

-x-

That ends chapter twenty-six! Hoo boy this one was a bit difficult to write and packed in a lot of action. But there were some significant developments that happened, weren't there?

Reviews, favorites, and follows are loved! See ya in chaptet twenty-seven!