She's Sunshine, She's Grace, She'll Punch You in the Face

Chapter 104: Suspiciously Quiet at Crime Alley

"Hey there, Ladybird." Barbara greeted as she rolled up to the bat computer. "You ready for patrol?"

"I sure am. Everyone should be here soon. They are just suiting up." Ladybird informed. "Any word from the Riddler?"

"None so far but I'll be sure to keep you updated." She tapped on the computer for a few seconds. "You should be happy to know that you will be back on patrol with Robin and Catwoman today."

"Which means I get shotgun in the Batmobile again." Red Robin said as he approached the bat computer with Nightwing and Robin.

"Yeah, that thing is pretty cool." Ladybird giggled.

"We can start briefing now, Oracle." Batman informed as he, Red Hood and Catwoman walked in.

"You got it." Oracle wheeled back up to the computer as she spoke. "Just as I told Ladybird here, we still have no word from Riddler. Other than that, we will be having your standard patrol of the city. Catwoman, Robin and Ladybird will take crime alley again which leaves Nightwing and Red Hood covering the southside while Batman and Red Robin take the north." She pulls out the box containing the comms. "Everyone ready to link up?"

"You bet." Nightwing says as he and the rest of the crew put their comms in.

"Let's move out." Batman says after comm checks.

Ladybird gets onto the back of Robin's bike as he follows Catwoman on hers towards crime alley. After about a five-minute drive, Catwoman and Robin eventually pull their bikes into a dark alley and shut them off.

"Let's head to the roofs." Robin says as he shoots off his grappling hook towards the top of a building.

Catwoman and Ladybird quickly follow after him.

"Just to warn the team at crime alley," Oracle spoke up over the comms. "the police were just called there about half an hour ago over a loud disturbance that sounded like 'a woman screaming'. Officers sweeped the area but couldn't find anything. Just keep an eye out."

"Got it." Robin answered.

"A woman screaming?" Ladybird looked over at her partners. "Could someone be hurt?"

"It's a possibility." Selina nodded. "A lot of dangerous things happen here, but this woman could also have been drunk and screaming at an ex. You can't jump to conclusions."

"She's right." Robin said as he crouched down over the side of a building to look down at the alley below. "Worrying about the worst won't solve anything so just be vigilant and stay alert."

Ladybird nods as she and Catwoman look over the edge with him. All they find are two people making out in the dark.

"Let's keep moving." Robin declares silently before jumping the distance between the two buildings.
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"It's oddly quiet around here." Robin says after a few minutes of watching the streets. "The drunks aren't even out."

"Could the cops being here a little while ago have scared them off?" Ladybird questions.

"Not for this long." Catwoman shakes her head. "Usually when it's this quiet this late at night around here that means something big is about to go down and the locals stay hidden away. They may be criminals but they aren't stupid."

"Should we make our way there?" Nightwing asks over the comms.

"Not yet." Robin orders. "I don't see any danger at the moment."

"Keep us posted." Batman says over the comms.

Just then, the sound of a woman screaming for help could faintly be heard off to the left of them.

"Sounds like trouble." Robin said as they all took off in the direction of the screams.

"What is it?" Batman asked.

"Screams for help." Catwoman answered. "We are checking on it now."

"Let me know when to send the police." Oracle said.

Eventually the trio stopped at an alley and found that the screaming came from inside a building. Looking around, they found that all the windows were boarded up so they couldn't look inside and the doors were locked.

"We are going to have to go through the windows." Robin informed as he grabbed the edge of the wood and easily pulled it off to see an already shattered window. "Look's like an empty room. Let's go."

The moment the three made it inside the room, which was empty and abandoned, the screaming of the woman could now be heard clearer.

Robin ordered for everyone to stay quiet as he went to open up the only door leading out of this room. He peeked around the corner and found that this room was much larger and covered in crates of all sizes.

He quietly snuck out with Ladybird and Catwoman in tow.

"Guys, I just got a text from Riddler. He thinks that Joker escaped Arkham." Oracle said over the comms.

"How? We have that place being monitored." Red Hood said.

Ladybird was listening to all of this as her team swiftly made their way closer to the sounds of the screaming.

"Could this woman be in one of these crates?" Catwoman asked as everyone else other than their trio discussed the possibility of Jokers breakout.

"I think it's this one." Robin pointed to a crate. The closer they got to it; it did sound like a woman was yelling from inside.

Robin reached inside his utility belt and pulled out a Baterang to pry open the box. They all looked inside as he pulled off the crates lid.

"It's a trap!" Robin yelled when he saw a bright green radio inside that seemed to be playing the sounds of the screams.

Ladybird looked up just in time to see a dart stick into Robin's neck.

"Robin!" She screamed as she looked around for where the dart could have come from, but all she could see were large stacks of crates.

The moment Robin hit the ground was the same moment another dart stuck into Catwoman's neck.

"We need... backup." Catwoman whispered before she too fell to the ground.

"Ladybird, are you okay?" Batman asked over the comms.

"I think it was a tranquilizer." She said as she took cover behind the crate they opened. "They got Catwoman and Robin."

"Can you see them?" Oracle asked.

"No, I..."

Just then, Ladybird felt a stinging sensation her neck and she reached up to pull the dart out just before the world went black.