The Silhouette and The Forge
Interlude 4 

Jade was finally cheering up after all that time stressing about Artemis and how long it was taking to find her and the Shadows. Like anything that bothered her, she learned to let it out through beating up either a punching bag or someone who would be the brunt of her emotional outlet, such as the various criminals of the city, or at least those who deserved it in her eyes.

Slipping under a telegraphed and sloppy left hook and kicking the side of the man who didn’t have an inch of skin that wasn’t tattooed, who was brought to a knee. Slamming both hands over his ears, stunning him, his face scrunching up.

Sidestepping a punch that broke the other man’s nose if the pained cry and blood gushing out of it were any sign. Leaping over two fists and doing a perfect mid-air split, her legs slammed into the jaws of both inmates, who stumbled back.

She glanced over to see that Batman had several inmates on the floor cradling broken arms or legs that would keep them down and out of the fight. Backing away when four of them tried to tackle her, she weaved between them, slipping through any gaps or holes.

“What are the odds Blackgate has a mass breakout at the same time as Arkham?” She mused aloud, climbing around an inmate who tried to punch her. Latching onto his arm, she shifted and pulled, dislocating it, earning her a delightful scream of agony.

“It’s not a coincidence,” Batman said while knocking out or incapacitating each inmate with as few blows as possible. It was almost like a dance between the two of them as they moved through the hall, taking care of the inmates who were going to the armory.

Some would say it would be stupid to have something like that in a prison. Those people had never been in Gotham.

“Someone planned this. Who do you think it was? I bet ten bucks it was Riddler.” Jade remarked casually, looking over a hundred grown men groaning on the floor, some looking at them in fear and hate. She joked, but this time she wasn’t feeling it. Not when she was so close to both Crocker and Mom. She didn’t know what to think of her mother anymore.

Jade shook off such thoughts, instead focusing on her work and making a show of stretching despite that not even being a warmup in her eyes. Bruce, her adopted… father, moved ahead as she followed after him. It was a hard thing to contemplate. She never thought she needed anyone other than Artemis.

She was jaded-- Jade mentally smacked herself at that unintentional pun. She had always felt that Artemis’s presence would be enough to fill the void she didn’t realize she had inside of herself in her loneliness and isolation. That was until she met Daniel, and he had inadvertently helped her realize that she didn’t have to be alone.

Bruce… he was a good person. He might be crazy, but he cared, and like Daniel, he didn’t judge her for who she is and where she came from. He helped her improve, and despite it taking longer than what Daniel had done with her, she was still getting better.

She still won’t forget the look on his face when he sparred with her the first time to see what she could do, only to find out she was capable of keeping up with him and even at times outthinking him. That was until he gave her a soft smile and started going even harder on her.

He bested her when she thought she had him. No talking down to her like Crocker, a hand held out to her, and making sure she could keep going. She couldn’t call Bruce her father... In time, when she had sorted out all the things in her head, then maybe she could. One day he could be the closest she had to that…

“Shadow cat, we can figure that out after we handle the inmates. Be quick and fast about it. If we want to get to Arkham in time, then we have to help the guards regain control.”

Jade was all smiles now at those words. She almost skipped ahead, one eye turned towards Bruce in his towering form with his shadow cast over the hall, with the inmates that were still conscious looking up in terror.

She had been on several patrols with him and even got to fight a few supervillains. Mostly the weaker ones, like Riddler, who was a complete joke as far as she was concerned. She’d have even preferred Condiment King because at least he could give her a fight.

People looked down and mocked the villain, but they never realized his condiment guns are highly pressurized. When it can send a grown man flying back, those things have some power behind them. But instead, she got to deal with a paper pusher for a villain who uses stupid riddles as his gimmick.

She at least got to fight Scarecrow. He wasn’t as impressive as she had hoped. The guy was only dangerous because of his notorious fear gas. Scarecrow wasn’t completely useless when it didn’t work, but he was only dangerous to someone who had no experience in a fistfight against someone with a weapon.

They quickly moved through the prison, taking down groups of inmates silently. She wrapped her legs around one’s neck before tossing a concussive pellet at another’s head, knocking him out before smashing her fist into the temple of another. The last finally fell from a lack of oxygen. On they went, taking down any isolated groups, working like a well-oiled machine.

“Captain Morgan, another group in B-block is down,” Batman said, his fingers pressed against his head as Morgan gave his thanks.

Hearing something, Jade became tense when she couldn’t see what it was. Eyes narrowing before she saw it. Rushing forward, tossing one of her catarangs at the shuriken. The two blades met, sending one another into a wall and the floor.

Batman’s guard was up, as was Jade's. She pressed herself up against his back before several figures came out of the shadows of the room. They wore blackened clothes not unlike those of special ops, but she had an idea of who they were.

Instead of guns, they had shuriken, swords, daggers, and weighted chains. “The League of Shadows.” Batman narrowed his eyes while Jade tensed up at the mention of the ones who took her sister.

By far the assassins gave her the best fight she had been given by far. If only she could enjoy it instead of wanting to take one of her catarangs and use it to make them tell her where Artemis is.

Batman himself was trying his best to keep the majority off of her. Not just to try and shield her physically but because he knew how much this was affecting her. Blocking a stab, the blade clanged against her two catarangs before tossing one before rushing forward.

Knocking the projectile to the side, Jade already knew what they and the other two behind them were going to do. Jumping over one slash that would have taken out her legs at the knee, she spun midair, avoiding the chain and grabbing it, the last one's weapon missing her by millimeters. Using her momentum and an impressive display of acrobatics and martial prowess, she wrapped the chain around the weapon and various members of the Shadows before taking several blades and placing them in the chain links.

Now struggling to get out of the chain, she unleashed a flood of kicks and punches that knocked them aside, trying to get past, knowing full well why they would be here. They were here to get him out. She wouldn’t let them. Batman saw how much further Jade was from him, making him push harder, blocking swords with his bladed edges to his forearms, using unforgiving blows that could shatter bone, punching, kicking, and even grabbing and snapping them apart like twigs.

He knew how much this meant to her, and he also knew that with his connections to the League of Shadows and what he would do to Artemis, he couldn’t be allowed to escape. It made Jade's heart stir in a way she hadn’t felt besides Daniel. He cared. She might not always agree with Bruce and not always see eye to eye, but she would admit he had grown on her with his kindness and compassion.

He was fighting harder alongside her as they began to work together as if they were one. They pushed through the numerous assassins who had even killed several prisoners whose bodies littered the floor.

More of them came as Jade began to sweat, feeling the pressure, yet she couldn’t stop. Gritting her teeth at the idea of him getting away after what he did to torment Artemis. She wouldn’t let that happen.

She pushed on, getting further away from Batman, who was getting focused down by the Shadows. The few she dealt with were nothing in comparison to what he was up against. Even with him using that synthesized Jet, there were too many of them covering any openings he could take advantage of.

Jade was torn. She couldn’t let Crocker get away. But she hesitated. Watching Bruce fight off the assassins desperately trying to get to her.

“Shadow Cat, stay with me.” He said while breaking the arm of one assassin and tornado kicking another’s head. “You can’t take him on your own, we can do this together.”

Her pride took a hit, but she had learned after all that time with Daniel to acknowledge when someone had a point. Bruce wasn’t wrong. She remembered all too well how easily Crocker handled her when she was going for the kill.

Bruce never brought it up either because he didn’t know or he, in some way, understood. She had gone for the kill or at least tried to. Yet it wasn’t enough. Even if she had been level-headed, Crocker still would have easily beaten her. The only thing that stopped that was Daniel.

Yet another debt she owed him, and he didn’t even view it that way. It made her want to laugh at how she had earned such a friend. Her decision made with three Shadows blocking the way out, she turned and tossed a catarang, knocking a sword strike off course.

Batman looked towards her with a warm expression before she ran back to help him. Leaping and drop-kicking one away. Despite her helping him, they were still being slowed far too much.

They were until a loud noise that they soon came to find out was a League of Shadows member getting thrown through a door before sliding down the wall unconscious. Several more were tossed through it, but they got back up only to be batted aside by a man in what had to be the worst do-it-yourself Batman rip-off costume she had ever seen.

Parts of it had white sheets sewn sloppily together with black and blue sheets acting as the darker parts of it, with his head having two floppy ears supposed to be like Batman’s, but they made him look like he was ready for Easter.

The mystery man turned around despite how she didn’t hear a thing, yet he was prepared to avoid several throwing knives that he evaded with surprising grace and flexibility despite appearing untrained to her eyes. It was like he was doing this through instinct rather than training.

Deftly dodging each blade before pivoting on his foot, narrowly avoiding a sword that would have pierced his heart, he instead grabbed their sword arm and their head, spinning them around and slamming their head into the concrete wall.

The man winced at what he had done, telling Jade that he was an amateur. New to this type of life. It did make her question how he had done that. He was too inexperienced to have accomplished that without any proper training, especially when, with her suit, she didn’t pick up any sound from most of the assassins.

Just as Daniel had taught her not to over-rely on her equipment, Bruce had taught her the same thing after examining her suit. He had been more silent than normal, according to Alfred after examining it.

Batman, while handling his own group of Shadows alongside her, with the new addition, managed to take them down enough for the remaining ones to retreat alongside their injured.

Jade moved to pursue them, not wanting to let them escape with Crocker, but a hand grabbed her shoulder, stopping her.

She spun on the spot, seeing Bruce towering over her. “They’re getting away! If we don’t go after them, he will escape.” She bit out, eyes narrowed at Batman pointing down the prison corridor.

He merely nodded. “They will. Have faith in me.” Her retort died in her throat as she processed what he was saying and implying. He had a plan. She had seen enough to know to have near-absolute faith when it came to his plans.

She nodded slowly, looking down in shame. His grip softened, becoming reassuring. “You two will have some backup. Some guy calling himself--”

“We know.” The captain went silent, deciding to just shut up after he brought up the new guy.

Speaking of him, he stood awkwardly across from them before deciding to wave at them. Jade had to fight not to roll her eyes. “Figured you guys could use some help.” She recognized that voice.

She hadn’t been around him much, but she knew his voice. That was the professor Daniel worked under. Something Bruce seemed to pick up as well, Jade noted.

“You shouldn’t be here, it’s dangerous,” Batman told him, making the man pause before letting out a sigh.

“Yeah, I was thinking the same thing myself before I came here. But…” He paused, looking unsure as to why he came here himself, before his back became straighter, like he found his resolve. “I had the means and the power to help, and from the looks of things, you guys need it.”

Bruce remained silent with the man awkwardly shifting under the intense stare. Batman finally broke the silence. “Take this.” He tossed a communicator towards the man, who fumbled with it before grabbing hold of it.

“I will direct where you are needed. If it becomes too much, then you leave, do not endanger yourself and others… What do you call yourself?”

Batman turned his cape, swishing and covering him like he had become a living shadow. Jade would privately admit to herself that it was really cool, and she hoped that she could pull something like that off.

“Oh! Manbat!” He said, placing his hands on his hips, trying to look heroic. Instead, he looked more like a dork trying to be cooler than what he actually was.

Jade turned her head and gave Batman an unimpressed look. “Loser…” She said quietly to Batman, but somehow Manbat had heard her when he deflated. The two of them gave Manbat a curious look at how he heard Jade since she was quiet enough that only Batman would have heard her.

“It wasn’t that bad, was it?” Manbat said, sounding downtrodden. “Might have to work on that…” He trailed before he turned his head in a specific direction away from where they needed to be. “We got company.”

Jade and Batman both tensed before Batman gave Manbat a stern look. “You’re sure?” At his hesitant nod, he continued. “How many?”

Manbat paused, looking like he was listening intently for a brief moment before giving his answer. “At least thirty. The leader, or at least the one giving orders, sounds like that kid who tried to do a homeless revolution during the gang war.”

“Anarky,” Jade said aloud, familiar enough with the guy. Lonnie Machin was his actual name when the news briefly covered him, which was easily forgotten about when the gang war and Court of Owls had decided to descend on them all and then Silhouette being the masked figure that had garnered everyone’s interest for some time now.

Batman hummed, nodding before moving past Manbat, heading towards Anarky’s group's direction after Manbat pointed them out.

Jade paused, looking towards where his cell was located. Batman himself stopped looking at her in concern before he looked towards Manbat. “How many criminals have you apprehended?”

“Several groups so far, including those ninjas we just dealt with.”

“There is an important prisoner that Black Cat and I must handle. Can I trust you to apprehend Anarky and help get the prison under control?” Batman asked him with the utmost seriousness.

Manbat looked intimidated but found his nerve, hesitantly nodding to him. “Y-yeah, I can. You can count on me.” He gave a small smile before shakily giving them a thumbs up.

Batman stared at him for a long while as Jade felt like she was being unreasonable. This new guy couldn’t handle that with no experience. The stuff with the League of Shadows had to be a one and done deal. He got them by surprise, and that was it.

She moved to go help him, not wanting to force Bruce into doing this because of her, despite how every part of her screamed at her to stop and prevent Crocker from leaving. But a part of her accepted that even if she did go, he would probably still get away.

Which changed nothing since he wasn’t cracking, and Bruce was finding other methods of locating the League's headquarters and keeping an eye out for anything involving or looking like Artemis. “Alright, rookie, let’s go.” She said before a firm hand on her shoulder had her stop while Manbat looked confused.

“Black Cat, I trust… Manbat.” Even Bruce thought the name was kind of dumb with that brief pause, “To handle Anarky and the others. If the League is here, then it is far more important and needs to be handled.”

Relief flooded Jade at his words as her heart no longer felt like it was in a vice. “Don’t kill and don’t cripple. Understood?”

Manbat nodded before heading towards the hall with the captain, giving them a heads-up that Manbat was correct about Anarky and his men. “Would never dream of killing or crippling someone.” He said softly.

Jade didn’t even see any deception in his words or posture. A part of her was thankful Daniel was fortunate enough to have someone like him in his life… and maybe a little jealous. Why did Daniel have all these wonderful people while she was fortunate enough to have met Daniel, and all the good things were because of that?

Manbat soon swiftly climbed onto the ceiling, crawling around like something from a horror movie, which made her gape while Batman just watched without showing even an ounce of surprise. “Let’s go.”

Despite Jade's curiosity about what Manbat could do, she followed along, taking down any League of Shadows members, which weren’t many, that tried to slow them down. They were nearing his cell before an explosion had Batman shield the two of them with his cape as a shadow loomed in the smoke filling the corridor.

“Well well well didn’t know you cared enough to visit.” His voice grated on her nerves as he sounded perfectly fine despite being kept in a cell all to himself, cut off from anyone else since he was taken here.

“I care enough about Artemis to not let you near her.” She snarled, eyes narrowing into slits.

Batman stepped forward, arms and the rest of his body hidden under his cloak. “This will be your only chance to surrender, Lawrence. I would strongly recommend you take it.”

Unlike the other times Jade had heard him give his rogues a chance to surrender, this time he wasn’t as kind or gentle about it. He was ready to hurt him. A dark part of Jade hoped he crippled him for life.

Jade palmed a few catarangs, eyes peeled for any Shadows that could be near them. Despite him being right in front of them, obscured by the smokescreen, she wasn’t stupid enough to think she could take him now when the time she had trained wouldn’t be enough to close that gap. The dark presence of Batman gave her confidence and hope that he could and would handle him.

Sportsmaster just chuckled at the advice. “While appreciated, I don’t think I will. My other daughter needs some one on one time with me, and seeing how the other turned out, it is sorely needed.”

It took every ounce of Jade's willpower to not rush towards him and toss every explosive she had on her to erase him from existence. She never felt hate this strong in her life. It felt like it would burn her alive if she didn’t get it out. A hand brushed against her arm, and she looked up towards Batman, who was stoic as ever.

“Have it your way then. Means we get to beat on you.” Jade said coldly, looking forward to getting a few hits in.

“You really think,” As he was mid-speech, Jade didn’t even hesitate tossing a trio of catarangs at the shadow. “That you’re going to be the one doing the beating?”

The shadow moved, and a disc flew out of his hand before a flash made Batman cover his eyes with his gauntlet-clad hand while Jade was already moving. The three throwing weapons were knocked off course as she intercepted several throwing stars. Several figures rushed towards them.

Batman, already getting over the flashbang, clashed with one coming for Jade from the side, knocking the sword to the side while Jade kicked another coming for Batman’s exposed jaw. Ra’s assassins had learned their lessons the last time one of them tried to stab his armored bat symbol on his chest.

The two were about to knock both assassins out, the two having become a well-oiled machine in the time since Bruce had taken and adopted Jade. Despite not knowing each other all too well on a more personal level, they did know how to work together to overcome situations that Jade wouldn’t be able to on her own.

The assassins, as far as she was concerned, were about equal with the talons. The talons lacked skill compared to the assassins, but the talons had the advantage of not caring about their lives and being far more difficult to take down. Even with the skill issues, the talons could catch up, considering how Jade hadn’t failed to notice when battling the upgraded ones they learned how to get better at fighting frighteningly fast.

It was oddly similar to the drinks that Daniel would give her to help when they trained. The issue they had was the assassins and Crocker, who didn’t hesitate to step in when his backup was about to get knocked out. A grunt escaped Jade when she had to leap to the side to avoid a metal ball attached to a cord in his hands.

The ball easily cratered the wall before it went after Batman with a flick of the wrist. Batman dodged it by inches, knocking his opponent out of the way before charging towards Crocker, who stood before them wearing his metal hockey-like mask and armor that was used when on the job.

With a flick of his wrist, the sports-themed weapon came sailing back to him, forcing Batman to abort his charge and duck once he heard the incoming weapon. Taking his right hand, he tossed a disc explosive towards Batman, who just smiled.

Crocker narrowed his eyes before they widened when Jade leaped high, tossing her own explosive pellets at the disc. The explosives meeting mid-air obscured both sides from one another. Doing a handstand off of Batman’s shoulders, kicking away one assassin before pushing off and holding back three assassins.

Batman wasn’t idle, leaning out of the way of a javelin thrown at him before it detonated, taking a chunk of the wall with it. “Not bad, Batman, but your training of my daughter I find lacking.”

“She’s not your daughter, not anymore.” He growled at the man, an anger he didn’t feel often. He met Crocker, who pulled out a massive Bowie knife. Sparks were born between the two’s clash, the knife meeting the bladed sections of Batman’s forearms.

The blade glinted, clashing against Batman while Jade fought back and covered Batman any time the assassins tried to get to him. A series of slashes and kicks, using their entire bodies to overcome the other, ensued as the realization that Sportsmaster was his equal, if not slightly superior to him physically.

A near-seamless counter to a grapple that would have broken Sportsmaster's arm had his overextension not been a feint. His arms wrapped nearly around it only to have a knee driven into his gut, then a swift right hook that made him see stars briefly.

Arms raised, grabbing the knife arm as it was nearly driven down onto him. “Come on, you mean to tell me the legendary Batman is going to die so easily?” Sportsmaster taunted him as he struggled to keep the blade at bay.

Jade, without hesitation, turned midair and tossed a series of catarangs at Crocker, forcing him to withdraw unless he wanted blades sticking out of his eyes. He chuckled as the assassins backed off while Jade and Batman regrouped.

Jade already knew what was coming as she tried to stop him, but Batman grabbed her and kept her back. Their fight had moved them further into the corridor near a section of the prison that had a wall closer towards the outside. Another explosion obscured Sportsmaster and the other assassins from their view, but it didn’t stop Jade from shrugging off Batman’s grip.

Her heart seized when she witnessed him and the others escaping on a helicopter. “Black Cat!” Batman yelled her name in concern, but she had all of her attention on him. She snarled, tossing several blades at the rope he held onto, trying to cut it.

He just laughed, and his eyes crinkled in amusement before tossing several of his back at them, each being knocked out of the air with ease that made her bristle in agitation.

“Until next time, don’t come to a fight you have no business being a part of.” Was all he said before climbing into the chopper and escaping.

Jade's hands curled into fists so tight that it was a surprise they didn’t break under the pressure. What he said… it was more about how weak she was. Someone as weak as her didn’t have any business being a part of that fight, let alone facing him.

“We will get your sister back,” Batman said behind her, his cape flapping in the wind.

She didn’t say anything for a long moment as all she could think about was the clear amusement on his face and knowing Artemis would suffer because of him… and her. She failed her. She failed in every way imaginable.

“Not in time.” She managed to get out the tears that she had believed to have long since dried up, and they started to spill out of her eyes. She was stunned for a moment when Bruce wrapped her in a tight hug.

She soon returned the hug.