Hi,

This has been sitting on a flash drive in need of editing and further chapter development, as well as a couple of details I wanted to ground the story in viable science rather than the old MacGuffin story devices that ruin too many plots. So, here is the first installment of my story.

Obligatory Legal Disclosures:

"Somewhere Over The Rainbow" by Max Hass
Copyright August 2006

Batgirl/Barbara Gordon, Rupert Thorne, Commissioner Gordon and Supergirl, as well as any other copyright names or locations, are all copyright of DC Comics. This story is a fan fiction and is not meant as a challenge to the copyright of the owners. It is not to be posted on a web site or other publishing formats of any kind for pay. The author was not paid for the creation of this story.

All fictional characters portrayed in this work are adults and above the age of consent.

This story is not meant to be read by children.

Prolog

The Bat signal was softly fading back into darkness as Batgirl rode away from police headquarters late that night. Her meeting with the chief had gone quite well, far better than if she had to go through such an event with her father. The few times she had already managed to pass herself off as a stranger while in the company of Batman had gone well. Now she had to reconcile the fact that her identity would be at risk as long as Jim Gordon was the commissioner of Gotham City.

Pushing all that baggage to the back of her mind, allowing the sensations of her motorcycle to pull her focus sharply back in to the moment, Batgirl pondered the report she had gone over with the chief of police. It seems that the old mobsters of Gotham were beginning to diversify their activities. Moving out of the regular and less profitable rackets, they struggled to compete with the newer generation of criminals who held the spotlight, as well as drawing the attention of Batman and his associates.

One unidentified gang had taken to robbing laboratories in the more upscale industrial parks of the city. No clear pattern had appeared in what evidence the police had shared with the newest crime fighter. "I guess I should be happy that they even speak to me at all, given their old attitudes about women and crime fighting!" she muttered out loud into the wind, covering her thinly moderated resentment.

As Batgirl, Barbara Gordon found a new channel for her inner voice and values. As the librarian and daughter of the commissioner of the police, she had to maintain a facade of modest civility. Her core goals were no different from her father's though. And her desire to make her home town a safe and better place for everyone was just as strong a motivation to act out. She just had to walk a much tighter line now that her Batgirl persona had more opportunity to express that hidden desire.

One thin lead had popped up from the information Batgirl looked over moments before. A possible pattern of activities began to appear, based on the type of science the criminals were attempting to obtain. "It is a system for distributing an aerosol compound, looks like a powder rather than a liquid. How odd" she thought as the possible uses for such a device would be put to in the hand of a criminal or terrorist.

Her motorcycle knifed through the night air, the destination now determined, Batgirl formed a plan of action in her mind. First: set up a simple night watch over the only remaining lab in the city that specialized in aerosol research and wait for any action.

One of the problems with a watch and wait investigation such as she planned was that she had put in a full day of research at her day job at the city library. In short, she was fatigued. Despite her age and training, Batgirl was still subject to the same physical limitations as the mere mortals she struggled to protect.

And in her gathering fatigue, seated in the shadows of a rooftop perch, Batgirl continued to piece together what few bits of factual data she had. A weapon was certain. But some of the parts seemed to fit a projection device, like a common tank fed weed killer.

It was the research in this lab that confused Batgirl. "The device patent for this company is more of a military or police application. A grenade that disperses a powder in a circle about ten meters in diameter without harming the people within the target zone..."

The brief sound of footsteps brought Batgirl back from the edge of slumber. Something moved around outside the building before 3:00 AM. She hated the trend of her peers when she attended college and abstained from caffeine based drinks of any kind. Sugar was also off the list of things she would use willingly. Her workouts, which had doubled in time and intensity since she took on her new role, provided her with a solid physical condition. But her mind was not immune to fatigue.

"Time to see what's going on!" she thought to herself as she scanned the plaza patio for signs of the people who had made the noises. And she was not disappointed with what she witnessed. "Good! Now I can find out what these goons have planned for the things they've stolen so far." Pitching the batarang towards the highest point above the lab roof, Batgirl managed to find a solid target to anchor her rope to.

Waiting for the thugs to force their way into the lab (in order to confirm their role in the crime wave she had been sent to investigate), Batgirl watched as the men all entered the door. With this, she flung her body from the perch into the cool air of the night, the sensations refreshing her mind. Landing mere feet from the open door, Batgirl swiftly scanned for signs of a posted guard. Finding none, she moved into pursuit of the criminals.

Following the muted sounds of the men, Batgirl soon came upon the rear guard of the hoodlums who had for--d their way in. Thankfully, they had left only one guard in their wake, and she had seen to it that he was alive and able to get out of the building under his own wits. Now she followed their trail and observed their actions in hopes of finding a means to stop their plans.

Batgirl observed the criminals searching unlocked file cabinets and desk drawers in a receptionist area. One raised his arm, holding something. The others dropped what they were doing and gathered around the one with the object. The group then moved down a hallway to a secured door. The man holding the object pressed it to a panel on the wall, and the door slid open.

After the men moved into the room, Batgirl moved swiftly from where she had watched and attempted to see what this room concealed from her sight. A light had come on, casting shadows in the darkly illuminated hallway. More sounds of cabinets and drawers opening and closing came through the open door.

Growing tired of watching this crime unfold, Batgirl chose her tactics carefully. Rather than a risky confrontation, she chose a concussion grenade from her utility belt and tossed the device through the door and waited.

A flash and loud bang confirmed the device had done its job. Dashing into the smoke filled room, Batgirl found most of the men had been dropped to their knees, still covering their ears seconds after the grenade went off. The ones remaining on their feet pointed in the direction of the heroine in the doorway.

Leaping into action, Batgirl strode through the helpless criminals still on the floor with a confidant smirk on her face. "Anyone else want to feel as bad as these guys on the floor?" As she concentrated on the criminals who remained standing, she failed to notice a hand thrust towards her calf, grabbing it in an iron grip.

Looking down to see what held her, the surprised heroine provided the remaining standing hoodlums a chance to charge her off balance form. Striking several blows to Batgirl's body, the criminals managed to take advantage. Using her remaining concentration to drive her free foot into the wrist of the one holding her ankle, she managed to break free and roll across the struggling bodies on the floor, avoiding any further painful strikes.

Reaching for her utility belt for another grenade, Batgirl found her cape now covered the compartment she desperately wanted to open. In those seconds lost, her adversaries charged the corner of the lab where she landed and struggled with her utility belt.

Seeing her current goal was lost, she attempted to push herself back to her feet. Managing to do so, she finally shook her cape back out of the way. In desperation to compensate for the sheer numbers of criminals, she continued to grasp for a concussion grenade rather than trying to fight.

This tactical mistake was the turning point of the battle. Before Batgirl could raise her hand to throw the grenade, the thugs closed in on her, voiding any chance of offering any real threat without harming herself. Dropping the object in her hand, she tried to strike a flying leap. A move that was ended as quickly as it began with a solid blow to her shoulder.

The criminals now held all the cards. Shouting vile obscenities at the overwhelmed heroine as she tried to block the dozens of fists that struck at her almost at once, the men gleefully pummeled the now helpless Batgirl while a pair of dark eyes watched from the other side of the lab.

Holding a round metallic object in his large hand, he pondered it, then the activities in the other part of the room. Striding forward, the man quietly begins to pull some of the others away from the heroine, now half kneeling on the floor. Taking a long look at the work the criminals have performed on her, he finally speaks.

"So, we meet face to face at long last, Batgirl." Hearing the voice, the beaten figure turned her head up slowly and just enough to see the figure of one of the oldest and most powerful mobsters in Gotham City. "Rupert Thorne. I was wondering if you had gone into retirement, given what Batman has done to your mob!"

Flashing a tight smile and looking down into her eyes in a semi-benevolent expression, he responded "Your Batman hasn't even begun to touch my gang! Look at what they've done to you!" And without provocation, several of the toughs drove their knees into the sides of Batgirl's cowled head, punctuating Thorne's point.

"As you can see, my dear vigilante, I have much bigger plans these days. Plans that will cast a vast shadow over those who challenge my control over the underworld of Gotham City." With a flick of his finger, two of the mobsters now hoisted the pummeled heroine to her feet, restraining her by her wrists far away from her utility belt.

"I was hoping for The Batman himself tonight. But you'll do as a hostage. My plan needs bait, and a tender piece of ass like yours will do very nicely." Turning to the rest of the recovering hoods, Rupert said, "Take her back to the hideout and keep her occupied. I'm sure someone will come looking for her shortly." Tossing the ball up and down in his hand like a toy, he mused, "I now have the means to insure a very interesting and final ending to any future encounter!"

End Chapter 1

Cool beginning, any chance of her getting drugged up

Nice start!!

Thanks tmon. And as for Ashleychloroformed's request, yes there will be a bit of sedation along the way.

Check back in a week or so for chapter 3. I've got a lot of work on the table in front of me, but I want to push this story forward quickly. A week from this Wednesday, for sure.