Before We Grow

Batgirl and Blitz: The Next Dynamic Duo

"Tonight, you will go on your first patrol with Batgirl."
    I dropped the book I was holding. Bruce, fully decked out in his Batman suit, stood at the doorway of the library. He looked dead serious, making my blood flow with electric joy.
    "Really?!" I asked, "You think I'm ready?"
    Bruce stared at me, "It will be a simple patrol, no more than a car bandit or two. Keep it calm, and keep it cool. This is a test run."
    Still, I was overjoyed. I wanted to rush up and hug him, but I knew better than to do that. Instead, I settled with smiling, "Got it. No shenanigans."
    "Barbara will meet you at the top of the Gotham City Bank, just one block from here," Bruce straightened his cowl, "I suppose you know the way."
    "Yes sir, I'll get right on it."
    Without waiting for anything else, I ran to the Batcave. My costume was folded in a metal crate near the one I slept in. I grabbed it and ran behind a wall to change. By the time I was finished, Batman and Robin had already left.
    Alfred sat at the Batcomputer. I had to run past him to get to the exit. As I did, he said, "Miss Lucille, forgetting something?"
    "I don't think so?"
    "Your goggles."
    My hands flew to my eyes. Sure enough, my face was fully exposed. Quickly, I returned to the chest and grabbed my goggles. Running past, I shouted, "Thanks, Alfred!"
    "Of course."
    With that, I left. I ran through the secret exit in the waterfall. This time, I didn't get wet, surprisingly. I ran around to the nearest building and used the grappling hook Bruce gave me to swing up onto the building. From there, I could use my usual jumping method to get to the bank.
    It took me two minutes, but I arrived in one piece. Barbara, as Batgirl, was sitting on the edge of the rooftop waiting. When she saw me, she grinned, "Ready for your first official patrol?"
    "Am I ever!" I exclaimed.
    "Calm down," Barbara jumped up, "Getting over excited will get you killed. You have to keep your cool."
    "Right, stay cool, got it. You can call me Mr. Freeze."
    Barbara chuckled, "Ha ha, very funny. Come on, let's patrol."
    She shot out her wire and began to swing to the nearest building. I followed, using my boots to jump from rooftop to rooftop. Occasionally I'd use my wire to swing, but I prefered the boot method.
    We stopped on the top of one building. It was one of the taller buildings, and had gargoyles sticking off of the battlements. We landed on one specifically, where Barbara took to gazing out over the city.
    "Alright, usually Batman and Robin take the West and North sectors while I take the South and East," Barbara explained, "Batman though this time, we should take North while they took South."
    I crouched next to her, "Why?"
    "Good practice there, Crime Alley is in The North section."
    "I knew that."
    Barbara rolled her eyes. She began to swing again with me right behind her. We only stopped when we were in the dead center of crime alley.
    "There, look," Barbara pointed to an alley, "Car thieves."
    Sure enough, four men were doing their best to hotwire a limo. They were dressed in dark red clothes, with their pants hanging low. Obviously, this was the first time they had hot wired a car.
    "Alright, you take the two on the left and I'll take the two on the right," Barbara relayed, "Try not to hurt them to much. We just want to knock them out."
    I nodded, "Got it."
    "And don't shock them."
    "Just a little bit?"
    "Only on your lowest setting," Barbara cautioned, "We want to arrest them, not hurt them."
    I nodded. Barbara, satisfied with her lecture, leapt off the building. She landed on the front side of the car while I landed on the back. All eyes turned to Barbara as she stood on the hood.
    "You know, there's better ways to get a girl's attention," she smiled, "Try flowers next time."
    One boy scoffed, "We ain't asking for no attention, you dumb broad."
    "Ooh, somebody's about to get their butt kicked," I stated.
    Barbara lunged for the first two men while I took the second two. The first came at me in an intent to grab my waist. I used his momentum against him, making him hit his head against the car and fall unconscious.
    The second man had a better idea. He grabbed the crowbar they used to smash the window open and swung it at me. I ducked out of the way, laughing.
    "Puh-lease, I've gone against The Joker, you'll have to do better than a crowbar."
    I flipped backwards, placing a strong kick on the side of his head. He stumbled sideways, falling into the car and knicking himself out. I spun around to face Barbara triumphantly.
    "Nice job, kid," Barbara grinned, "You're better than I expected."
    I smirked, "Well, I mean, I was doing this for three months before."
    "True. Come on, let's find some more bad guys to bust."