Meet the Bat Family

1: Arrival

"So, she goes into a portal?!" the child said excitingly, interrupting the story. 

"More like the portal made her go in," replied the older one, "She didn't really have a choice." "

"How did it appear?" The child said, confused. 

"That's what we need to find out." The older person continued the story.

* * *

Amelia was confused as to where she was. It was very different from her apartment, where she had been seconds before. She looked around, startled at what just happened. It was a big city with tall skyscrapers and business buildings. Although, they weren't very close. Amelia, a tall college girl with brown hair and glasses, was in the middle of an alley. She peeked out and saw a park and abandoned buildings. She spotted an ice cream stand. She wouldn't mind getting a small cone with a scoop or two to calm her down, but she had no money on her. It was all back home. 'Wherever home is,' she thought.

She had been walking all day, asking all around if someone knew where Winona was. It was her hometown, but no one knew. It had turned to night before she knew it. She had been walking for hours, trying to find a place to rest. She had come back to where she first arrived. Amelia walked by a decant looking abandoned apartment building. 'No one would probably notice if I slept here for one night, right?' Amelia thought. She decided to go in and find a good place to rest.

When she entered the building, she felt a bad vibe run though her body. She got worried and turned to leave. 'Maybe there is another place I can stay.' As she thought this, she heard footsteps. She zipped around and saw three dark figures before a bag went over her head.

---

'What happened?' thought Amelia, her head hurting a bit. She could hear voices, but they sounded distant. Amelia looked through the bag's holes. She was in a dark room of the dirty apartment building with a window, but it was covered somehow. Maybe boards? She tried to move her hands but couldn't. They were zip tied to a chair. Then her feet. 'Great,' she thought, 'This is just great. I don't know where I am and now, I am taken prisoner,' Amelia panicked.

Then Amelia heard footsteps getting closer and the bag came off. "Who are you?" said the first man.

"Wha..." Amelia was confused. Did she stumble upon a hideout? She couldn't see who had said something because it was pitch black, with a crack of moonlight. 'It's still night? I must not have been out long.'

"Are you deaf?!" said another man angrily, "Answer him!" he yelled. It had startled Amelia.

"I...I.... I'm am...Amelia." The student shuddered. It may be dark, but she still saw the shimmer of a knife in the small moonlight there was.

"Now, now. Be nice to the little lady. I'm sure it's nothing," came a new, crackling, voice, "Is that true?" The man asked Amelia. 

"Y... Yes." Amelia stuttered out. 'The boss' she thought, even more scared.

"Good." Said the voice calmly. "Now, I'm going to ask you some questions if you don't mind, and then I will let you go." He didn't even wait for her to answer. "Where are you from?"

Amelia didn't know if telling them was a good idea, but she had no choice. "I... I'm from w-Winona, Minnesota." 

"Ok." She saw a slight grin appear. He must be happy she's complying. "Do you know where you are?" 

"Um..." Where was she? It didn't look like anything near her city or anywhere she's been. "I don't...don't really know."

She noticed movement of the head, figuring it was a nod. "Last one; Do you know who I am?" 

Not being able to see his face in the dark room, she tried to recognize the voice. It sounded a little familiar, but she could put her finger on it. "I... No." 

"Ok." The man said as he turned away. But then he whispered something to one of the guards. "We got her. Call the boys to prepare the machine," that was all Amelia needed to hear. She knew he wasn't going to let her go.

Bang! Amelia jumped a bit in the chair, almost falling over. She heard thuds and grunts. A gun went off, sparks went flying, lighting up a figure in a mask. Someone was grabbing at the chair, trying to drag her with them, but they let go and fell silent seconds later, hopefully unconscious.

"Are you ok?" came a new, gentle voice. It was somewhat soothing and helped Amelia feel safe as the mysterious hero cut the zip ties.

"Yes... I'm fine. Thank you."

"Your very welcome Miss..." he said with a pause, waiting for her to say her name.

"Amelia. Miss Amelia." She replied, not using her last name.

"Well Amelia, I'd be more careful at night. This is a dangerous time of day to be out and about." The hero told her. "Speaking of which, I should be off and you should be getting home."

"I don't have a home here," Amelia blurted out. "I mean... I-I don't know where my home is," She clarified.

"Well, we should at least get you out of here," the man said, a little surprised after her last comment. A bit worried too. "I'll take you outside." As he said that, he picked Amelia up bridle style, startling her and making her cling to his neck. He carried her out the window he smashed through on his way in. Before the man left, Amelia caught a glimpse of his masked face in the moonlight and asked quickly,

"Hey um..." He turned around "You wouldn't mind telling me what city this is, would you?"

"Why," he started, "It's the dark knight's dark city. You're in Gotham," He said as he fired a grappling hook at a nearby building. Then she saw the thing to confirm what he said: The Bat Signal.