The Further Adventures of Kestrella

[kestrella]

Title: Trouble in Gateway City

Gateway City ...

It's not Metropolis where I went to medical school, nor is it Gotham City where I was raised and ultimately did my residency. Compared to both, it's quieter, but there's still enough excitement to keep a thrill seeker like me entertained.

Who am I? I'm known by many names. Some call me The Sable Saint, and others refer to me as the Avianger. Criminals usually call me an annoying bit ... well ... we won't go there. I prefer "Kestrella".

You may already know how I started as a crime fighter. My husband was a former detective with the GCPD, and one of the rare honest ones left I will add. He was on the verge of busting open one of the largest drug smuggling rings in Gotham City's history when he was killed. I found out that his partner was on the take, and murdered him at Falcone's orders. Jim Gordon warned me to stay out of it and let him catch my husband's murder. Grief can do strange things to a person's mind, and I had made up my mind to take justice into my own hands.

Using my husband's notes and files that he kept at home, I was able to backtrack a paper trail that lead to Falcone and prove that he ordered the hit on my husband. I was about to strike when the Huntress intervened upon Batman's urging. Apparently I was sloppy in my hunt, and attracted too much attention. Jim Gordon pleaded with Batman to help keep me on a short leash long enough to find proof to convict my husband's partner for the murder. So, I began to train under the Huntress and Batwoman.

I already had the basic skills I needed. My husband was a detective who showed me how to follow clues. My mother was a gold medal gymnast for China in the early 80s. She taught me to be swift, agile, and quiet. My father was a doctor, but an avid hunter. He would take me out in the fall and teach me to bow hunt. Huntress and Batwoman helped me take those skills and refine them. After my husband's death, I found a nest of American Kestrels outside my apartment window. For a while, they seemed to be the only friends I had, and from them I found my identity: Kestrella.

So, you're probably wondering how I got to Gateway City. Well, after my husband's partner was arrested and convicted for murder, I found out that Falcone was working on orders from the Joker through one of the Joker's lieutenants: a woman going by the name "Traya Hearts".

Traya Hearts was the stage name for a carnival magician. She got her start at Amusement Mile theme park before it closed, and had been working around Gotham City. Ultimately, she got in with the Joker and his crew when things turned to the worst for her. While Harley Quinn maybe his main woman, Traya Hearts was one of his best kept secrets. She used her knowledge of stage theatrics and slight of hand to her advantage, and became quite the skilled thief. However, she rubbed Catwoman the wrong way, and it was the kitty who pointed me onto the right direction. Not only did she manage to piss of Catwoman, but she pissed off Harley Quinn as well and that upset the Joker. Catwoman used her connections and friendship with Harley Quinn and Poison Ivy to help run Traya Hearts out of town.

I thought I had lost track of Traya Hearts until a fluke of chance gave me a tip from one of Falcone's men who peed his pants when I dangled him by his left ankle from the top of the Stagg Enterprises building. He started pouring out his heart in hopes that something he said would spare his life, and one little tidbit was a shipment from a shipping company in Gateway City called "The Triple Duce Freight line". And so, here I am on the McKinley Bridge that spans over the Freight yards and riverside docks.

-to be continued-

*******

[kestrella]

Like a hawk prowling for her next prey, Kestrella remained perched high above the train yards. Binoculars in hand, she pans around counting the guards, what they're armed with, and where the key points of entry would be. Beside her, a tired yawn from a teenaged fellow crime fighter is heard along with the high speed pounding of a paddle-ball bouncing at mach speed.

"Will you kindly stop that, Cyc? I can't concentrate."

Cyclone Girl gives another tired yawn, "Oh come on, Kes. This is BORING!! Let me zoom down there, disarm them, and unlock the gate for you. It'll be easy ... 20 seconds tops!"

"No!"

"Okay! 10 seconds!!"

"No!"

"5!! Five is the fastest I know I can do it!!"

"No!"

"Hmph!" grumbled Cyclone Girl as she stuck out her tongue at Kestrella, and once again dangled her legs over the edge of the bridge. For a hyperactive teenage speedster who can run at speeds approaching escape velocity, each minute of waiting might as well be an eternity in purgatory. With a groan, Cyclone Girl collapsed back and stared up at the stars. "Did you know there's 432 stars out tonight? Oh Wait ... there's another!! 433! ... and another and another ... 435!!"

"Okay, it's time!!"

Shooting to her feet like she had been bitten, Cyclone Girl giggled, "YAY!! Okay!! What's my part? Want me to zip around and disarm them? Speed over to the trailers and empty them in a flash?"

"You're my lookout. Stay here and watch my back."

"Grrrmmmph!" grumbled Cyclone Girl as she slumped back down and watched Kes leap off the ledge of the bridge. "Boring tight as ... bring me along and keeps me up here ..." Mocking Kes's voice, she deepens hers and tries to sound serious, "Stay up here and watch my back! I'm a super crime fighter and you're a teenaged dodo brain cause I finished college and you're a drop out!"

Over the earpiece radio, Kes's voice echoes in Cyclone's ear, "I can hear you, and yes ... you are a teenaged dodo brain for dropping out of high school!"

Cyclone Girl went three shades of pink when she realized that Kes heard her on the radio, "Sorry ... and it was junior high."

"Same difference," growled Kes. "Maintain radio silence."

"Hmph!"

Kes shot out an arrow that had a line on it. The barbed steel head imbedded into the mammoth stone pillar that held up the old McKinley bridge. The other end was hooked to her bow. She swung wide, and hit the release. With a triple midair somersault that probably would've made her mother proud, she landed light as a feather on top of a freight car. Crawling low, she followed the edge of the car until she got into view of a group of guards: four of them.

She readied two arrows. One had a bloated tip that housed a highly concentrated knockout gas. The other was an electrified tip that wouldn't kill the target, but would hurt like hell. She fired both at the same time, and they hit their marks. One guard convulsed from the shocking head while the other three were chocking and collapsing on the gas. When they collapsed, she dragged them to cover and tied them up with zip ties.

Peering out, she saw her primary target: the main building. The office would have the files she needed to track down Traya Hearts. The yard was clear so far. With a hard sprint, she darted across the yard for a dark corner where she would be able to have some cover. So far, everything was going according to plan. That's usually when something bad and unexpected happens. The firm clicking in her ear of a pistol hammer being cocked back alerted Kes to the unexpected.

"Nighty night, girlie!"

-to be continued-

*******

[kestrella]

The cold blast of a north arctic wind sent shivers up and down Kes's spine. She glanced back to see the guard who had snuck up on her now tied up, covered in frost, his machine gun in a million tiny pieces, and Cyclone Girl beaming happily.

"Oh, by the way, watch out for the bad guy!"

"I know ..." frowned Kes as she jolted her elbow back and clocked a second guard who was trying to sneak up behind her. "I thought I told you to remain on the bridge!"

Once again, Cyclone Girl started to once again mock Kes's voice, "Why thank you, Cyclone Girl, for stopping that bad guy!" Returning to her normal bubbly voice, Cyclone Girl beamed sarcastically, "Oh, you're quite welcome, Kestrella. It's the least I could do!"

Cyclone Girl's grin faded with the glare that Kes was giving her. Walking past the speedster, Kes hugged the wall until she got to the nearest window. She narrowed her eyes as she scanned around the edge of the window, and then panned the yard behind her. She hunkered down and whispered her plan to her teenage tag-along.

"Okay, Cyc," began Kes. "Inside here should be paperwork on shipments going to Gotham City. I need that paperwork. While I get inside, I ..."

"I can do that!" squealed Cyclone Girl.

Kes sighed as she watched Cyclone Girl zoom off. In a blink of an eye, the door was off the hinges, the place was ransacked, and Cyclone Girl was standing beside Kes with a stack of files an inch thick about the shipments Kes needed info on. Kes stood there with a glare on her face, and her arms folded.

"SEE?!" beamed Cyclone Girl. "Zoom in ... zoom out!! It's easy!!"

"Uh huh ..." scowled Kes with her arms still folded. "Tell me, did you disable the alarm system before taking off the door? Or did you disable the security cameras before ransacking the office?"

Cyclone Girl's face went bleach white, "Alarm System? Cameras?"

Kes nodded as she pointed back over her shoulder. In the distance, police sirens were getting louder. Cyclone Girl's face went even more pale, "Oh ... so ... that's why you wanted to go first? To disable the alarm system and security cameras?"

Kes smiled sarcastically and nodded.

"And I ruined the plan, didn't I?"

Kes once again smiled sarcastically and nodded.

"And now you need to clean up my mess?"

Cyclone Girl tried her best to sound hopeful, but Kes shook her head. "No, you're going to clean up your mess. It should take you 20 seconds tops, No, 10. Or wait ... 5 seconds!"

Cyclone Girl pouted as she raced off. Sure enough, five seconds later, she was back with the security tapes in hand. "Can we go now?"

A deep baritone voice echoed out. "Not yet, Missie!!"

The pair turned to the yard to see this tall burley man who looked like a giant. He raised his hands together and cracked his knuckles. Kes narrowed her eyes and tightened her grip on her bow. She could hear the fear from Cyclone Girl who swallowed hard. In a trembling voice, she heard Cyclone Girl whimper, "Okay, your turn!"

Kes raised an eyebrow and slowly looked at Cyclone Girl. She glanced to the giant of a man who smacked his fist into the palm of his other hand. "I'm Big Bauer and you're trespassing."

"Bring it on, big man," growled Kes.

Cyclone Girl's eyes went wide. She stepped back, but Kes remained immobile. Bauer growled and charged Kes. A big fist came swinging, and Kes leaned back just enough for him to miss. She knocked an arrow and dodged another blow. She fired and the arrow lodged in his boot. He howled in pain. He took another swing, and Kes jumped up into a backflip to get some distance. Cyclone Girl saw this as her opening. She raced out and started encircling Big Bauer.

Now, one thing to know about Cyclone Girl is that she absorbs heat around her and uses it as fuel for her speed. As a result, she emits a cold arctic air. Right now, she's creating a tornado around this giant. Kes readied another arrow. She narrowed her eyes as she waited for the right moment.

"Now!"

Cyclone Girl stopped and Kes fired. It was a blunt tipped arrow that hit Big Bauer square on the forehead. The ground was covered in ice thanks to Cyclone Girl, and Big Bauer fell backwards with a thud. The police were starting to flood into the freight yard. Cyclone Girl grabbed up Kes and raced out before anyone had a chance to spot them. They stopped on the old McKinley Bridge.

"See?" smiled Cyclone Girl. "It worked out!"

"We had to hurry, The police nearly caught us, and we had to deal with that silly giant," scolded Kes. "And all because you got bored."

Cyclone Girl frowned.

Kes continued, "but you fixed it and got us out before we got caught. So, we break even."

"Not to change the subject," replied Cyclone Girl as she pointed down to Big Bauer who was being handcuffed by the Police. "What about him?"

"I have a feeling that he's gonna be trouble."

"You think he's the leader?"

Kes shook her head, "No. He's a lieutenant, but he's also my link to Traya Hearts."

"So, what do we do now?"

Kes narrowed her eyes, "We? I'll continue hunting here in Gateway City. I want you to head back to the Justice Girls and report in."

"Yes, sir!" saluted Cyclone Girl mockingly.

Kes rolled her eyes as she peered down at the yard. Behind her was the sound of an sonic boom followed by a blast of cold air leading out of town. Kes shot an arrow out, and swung out deeper into the city as she followed the Police.

-end, for now-

[kestrella]

Kestrella found a nice little perch on a nearby building corner that overlooked the police station. She narrowed her eyes as she saw the one who called himself "Big Bauer" exit the station with another man, a greasy haired weasel looking character with big bulging eyes. She doubted whether the tough guy would give any info, but that weasel would if ... motivated. As she saw the pair climb into a dark sedan, Kes shot a line out and swung down closer to tag the car. Pulling out her wrist monitor, she was able to follow. She followed them back to the freight yard she raided earlier. The big one grabbed the weasel, and said something that made the weasel tremble. He scurried into the car and drove away. Kes followed the weasel.

There's a street that passes through the middle of Gateway City that's one of the major thoroughfares through town. It's called "King's Highway", and it's littered with old churches from various denominations and religions. A few have closed down to be renovated for other uses. Kes had chased this weasel's car down to one of these old churches, which was now some kind of housing. She narrowed her eyes and set up a trap. He fell for it.

One moment, the Weasel was coming out of the old building, and the next he was flying upside down and dangling from his ankle as he screamed like a girl. Kes took him to the highest peak along the highway, an old Catholic Church's belfry. The ringing bell masked his screams enough as he hung upside down by his left ankle. Kes grabbed a tuft of hair and socked him a good one in the nose. The bells died down and she growled angrily.

"Who's your boss?"

"DON'T KILL ME!!" he begged. "PLEASE DON'T KILL ME!!"

She growled angrily and yanked him closer as she dragged the sharp edge of an arrow along his cheek to make a slight cut that drew blood, "ANSWER ME, CREEP!!"

"BIG BAUER!!" he yelled out in fear. "He ... He's my boss!!"

"That ogre's too dumb to be the boss!!" she remarked. "Who pulls his strings?!? WHO!?!?"

"A new chick!!" he whimpered, "Fr ... from Gotham ... like you, wears a goofy costume, and plays cards all the time. She ... she's nuts!!"

"Traya Hearts!" She grumbled to herself.

"Yeah!! tha's her!!" he replied. "Y ... You can find her at the old courthouse. No one uses it anymore. It's been closed down for renovations for months now."

Something didn't fit. She grabbed his collar and pulled him closer, "What's she planning?!"

"I DON'T KNOW!!" He squealed. "She ... She promised Big Bauer a big payout!! Triple the score!! Tha's all I know!! She has his men digging 24/7 in the basement. I told ya! She's nuts!!!"

Kestrella grumbled. What was Traya Hearts doing in Gateway City, and what was this triple payout? The weasel was crying in fear now. She was positive he even soiled himself. She turned and started to walk away. He suddenly yelled out.

"HEY!! YOU CAN'T LEAVE ME DANGLING HERE!! COME BACK!!"

"Hanging out in a church will do you some good," she remarked. "Might learn some morals."

"Not like this!!" he yelled and shouted something afterwards as she shot a line out and swung away leaving him dangling by his ankle in the church belfry with him screaming at the top of his lungs.

Once Kes swung free, she found a safe spot to pull up a map on her GPS. She pulled up info about the old courthouse. It had been a city attraction for several decades, but fell into disrepair. It's under new ownership, and being renovated. Kes wondered if Traya was that new owner. Traya's a wanted criminal, and having an old courthouse as a hideout would be ironic. Putting the GPS away, Kes made her way to center of town where the Old Courthouse still stood.

-to be continued-

....................................

[kestrella]

Kestrella crouched back into a darkened corner of a nearby rooftop that overlooked the Old Courthouse and the plaza where it sat. It was a little past midnight, and Kes hunkered in for a stake out of the Old Courthouse. According to her source she left dangling in the church belfry, this is where Traya Hearts was holding up. Why was she here? That question bothered Kes more than the others. What was so special behind the old Courthouse? As Kes panned around the perimeter of the plaza, she had a couple of clues. One was the federal reserve, which was practically next door. The other was less likely, but possible: a bank that was on the further edge of the plaza, opposite of the Federal Reserve.

Shooting a line out, Kes started making her way to a higher vantage point where she could scout the Federal Reserve. If that was Traya's target, then why hide in the courthouse? Before Kes could find that better spot, a gust of wind knocked her off course, and she landed roughly and tumbled across the tar and gravel roof of a mid level sky scraper. Brushing herself off, she stood and glanced around to see a blond in a colorful outfit of red, blue, and yellow.

"Surrender to justice, vagrant!" spoke the stranger proudly.

"Who are you?" asked Kestrella darkly as she carefully held her bow.

"Centennial Belle!" she announced herself, "Protector of Gateway City! There's been reports of increased criminal activity near the Old Courthouse, and it looks like I have my perpetrator!"

Kes blinked, "Now wai ..."

Before she could finish, the blond suddenly thrust her arms out and spun them in circles. Kes felt herself being thrust backwards by a gust of wind. She shot a line out and jumped off the ledge. She swung around and came up behind the Blond. The blond grumbled as she stumbled a bit, but kept her footing. Belle charged at Kes at such a high velocity that it caught Kes off guard. She went flying back. If it wasn't for her quick reflexes and array of gadgets, it would've spelled the end of Kestrella. Problem was that Kes was dealing with a speedster, and now she was on the ground where the Speedster had the advantage. Sure enough, Belle was facing down Kes in the blink of an eye. When Belle picked up a full size pickup and tossed it at Kes, Kes blinked and jumped out of the way.

"Okay," panted Kes as she tried to catch her breath. "Fast and Strong."

"Justice is always stronger than villainy, Criminal Vermin!"

Kes rolled her eyes. She figured the only way to defeat this blond was to outsmart her. Readying herself, she fired a series of well placed arrows as Belle sped towards her, and avoided the shots. Kes jumped, tumbled, and spiraled about in between shots, and barely kept dodging Belle's rapid punches. Shooting another line out, Kes swung out and glided along the pavement past Belle, and towards the area where she had fired the arrows. They still stuck up from the ground in various angles. As Belle charged forward, Kes had a blink of an eye to react. She pressed a button on her wrist controller, and the tips of the arrows started venting gas into the air. As Belle passed through them, she inhaled enough for the gas to take effect. She tumbled and fell to her knees and coughed.

"Wha ... what is ... No ... NO ... NNNOOO!" Belle cried as she patted herself down as if trying to brush away invisible pests. "GET THEM OFF!!"

Kes grinned and muttered to herself, "Thank you, Professor Crane."

She pulled out her tazer, and zapped the blond with enough juice to put her out for a while. Belle would wake up a couple hours later in a dimly lit room, handcuffed to a crude bed. She struggled and squirmed to make a lot of racket, but made no success in getting loose.

"I'd give up trying to break those cuffs," advised Kes. "They're made from a special titanium alloy that's strong enough to keep Bane at bay."

"WHO ARE YOU?" shouted Belle angrily. "What did you spray me with?? Where am I?"

"One question at a time, Blondie," remarked Kes. "I'm Kestrella. I'm from Gotham City. I work with The Huntress and with Batwoman. I'm a member of the Justice Girls. As for what I sprayed you with, that was fear gas, compliments to Professor Crane, also known as the Scarecrow. I don't think he'd mind me borrowing his formula. Right now, you're in a safehouse, still in Gateway City."

Belle narrowed her eyes as she looked at Kes, "Why didn't you announce yourself before?"

"You didn't give me a chance," remarked Kes. "Besides, you speedsters are all alike: impulsive and oblivious of your surroundings. If you actually thought as fast as you can run, you might actually have given me a run for my money. Now, if you'll promise to behave, I'll release you."

She nodded, "Alright, I promise."

"okay," nodded Kes as she undid the cuffs.

Belle stood and rubbed her wrists, "So, why are you so far away from Gotham?"

"I'm after a criminal named Traya Hearts," began Kes. "She's an ex-cop turned master criminal and super villain. She used to be teamed up with the Joker and the Royal Flush Gang before she went solo. She killed my husband, who was her partner when she was a cop. I'm going to bring her to justice and see that she gets the punishment she deserves."

"What are her skills and resources?"

Kes sighed as she sat down, "She's an expert in martial arts, and highly trained in the use of firearms. She was a detective, but before that she was on the GCPD Swat team. She's also a master of deception and slight of hand. Her ol' man used to be some kind of magician, and she did some of that stuff also on the side. With her, you have to keep your wits about you, and stay sharp. Otherwise, she'll have you so turned around that you won't know what's up."

Belle nodded, "Since you have a valid quest, and you're in my city, I'll aid you in your quest to apprehend this vagrant."

"Okay, on one condition."

"Yes?"

"Stop it with the hero talk," grumbled Kes. "It's giving me a headache."

-to be continued-

***************

[kestrella]

Kestrella was waiting for the distraction that her newest companion would be causing. Centennial Belle was a speedster, like Cyclone Girl, but she was also very strong. Apparently, Centennial Belle's powers are based upon the nation's patriotic level. While she had some doubts, Kes has seen too much to not dismiss such claims outright. Any moment now, Belle would be zooming by to take out the lookouts.

Sure enough, a rush of wind coming in from the north was the signal Kes was looking for. Before any of the lookouts knew what was going on, they were disarmed, tied up, and gagged. Kes shot a zip-line down to the roof, and made her way to a rooftop access. Kes removed a vent cover, and was slipping inside when Belle showed up.

"What do you need me to do now?"

"Stay alert," replied Kes. "Make your move on my signal."

"What will be your signal?"

Kes smirked, "you'll know when it happens."

As Kestrella disappeared into the ventilation system, Belle muttered to herself, "That's not very reassuring ..."

Kes snaked her way silently through the ventilation system, making her way down to the lowest levels of the Old Courthouse. Reaching down into her utility belt, she pulled out what look liked a dart blower and a dart. Aiming through a grate, she quietly blew into the small tube, which sent a dart through the air and landing on the back of an armed thug who was patrolling. Kes pressed two fingers to the ear indention of her cowl to listen to the bug she just planted.

"Night's the night," remarked the marked thug.

"Good," replied the other thug. "Dis place gives me da creeps."

The first thug nodded, "Yeah, last time I was here, I was being sent up the river to do a dime for armed robbery."

The second thug chuckled, "Now, da boss lady is having using dis place to dig troo and rob da reserve. Genius if'n ya's askin' me."

Kes's suspicions were confirmed. She had collected bits and pieces of the plan from others. She had even gone back to the weasel she had hanging from the church belfry for some more info. He was surprisingly forthcoming. Of course she left him hanging. Now, she was sneaking her way down to the lowest depths of this old courthouse in an attempt to stop her arch-nemesis: Treya Hearts.

Treya Hearts is a true mystery to the one who doesn't know her. She started out in her youth as stage assistant for a magician at Amusement Mile. When she was old enough, she went to the police academy, and worked her way up to become the partner of Kes's former husband: Detective Gregory Black. She was a dirty cop from the beginning. As it so happened, she was planted on the police force by the Joker. When she killed Kes's husband, she did more than remove one thorn from the Joker's side. She unleashed an even bigger thorn in the form of an angry widow.

She's a master of deception. Deep down, Kes knew that there had to be more to this than a simple bank robbery. What was Treya Hearts up to? Why go through all this trouble for an elaborate bank robbery?

In a whisper, Kestrella contacted Belle via a micro-radio she had built into her cowl, "Belle, what is in the federal building?"

"The Federal Reserve," replied Belle.

"What else?"

There was a moment of silence, "What do you mean? This is a robbery, right?"

Kes grumbled to herself before replying, "Treya Hearts is magician ... a slight of hand expert ... she keeps you guessing. This can't be a simple robbery. It's too easy. Now, what else is in the Federal Building besides the Reserve?"

"It houses the FBI Field office, holds the records for the federal court, and the property records for the entire central part of the United States."

"Damn ... that's what she wants," replied Kes.

-to be continued-

[kestrella]

Centennial Belle had her hands full in the Federal Reserve vault fending off the thugs that Traya Hearts brought to distract the cops and heroes. Kestrella, meanwhile, headed to the court records room. It was in two parts: the computerized files and the hard copies. The Computerized Files contained files from all across the the United States. The Hard Copies were from court cases localized in the mid-west United States. It was a guess, but Kes was right. Traya Hearts was probably there to either delete or change the official records of a court case.

Kes made her way through the ventilation system. She had ditched her bow and quiver. Being inside would prove difficult to use her bow to it's full effectiveness. She double checked her wrist gauntlets to make sure her chem-loads and tasers before slipping out. She crouched behind a file cabinet as she could hear the people talking.

"Hurry up!" growled a deep voice, which Kes recognized as Big Bauer.

"Relax, my dear," replied the soft voice of Traya Hearts. "This will be over soon. Once the records are deleted, I'll once again be on the inside, and my sources will be restored."

Kes narrowed her eyes as she heard the soft clicking of the keyboard. She ducked back when she heard Big Bauer grumble, "I'll go watch the door."

Kes watched as Big Bauer headed for the entrance. If she stayed quiet enough, she could take down Traya Hearts without alerting the muscle. She made her way through the stacks as quietly as possible until she got a view of Traya Hearts. She was standing over the shoulder of some girl at the computer. Kes slipped her hand across her utility belt, and took a couple of small golfball sized grenades from a couple pouches. She tossed one, which released a knockout gas. Traya started coughing, but the girl at the PC passed out immediately.

Kes leaped out from her hiding place, did a somersault, and kicked Traya Hearts in the chest, "Hold it right there, Murderer!! I'm taking you in!!"

"Oh, isn't it my favorite shadow," remarked Traya in a sarcastic tone. "Shouldn't you be chasing down purse snatchers or something?"

"Shut up and fight," growled Kes as she doubled up her fists.

"I got a better idea," grinned Traya. "BAUER!!"

The heavy rapid footsteps of Traya's thug got louder as he got closer. Kes glanced to see how far he was before looking back to Traya Hearts. Traya was darting for the stacks. Kes tossed the second micro-grenade she had palmed, "Oh now you don't!" The grenade exploded in a hiss as Traya was suddenly surrounded in whirling snow and ice. It won't last long, but should at least slow the villain down. Kes glanced back to Bauer just in time to get clocked across the jaw by his big fist. She tumbled back, and twirled back onto her feet as she raised her left hand. Several white globs shot out from a hidden nozzle on her wrist gauntlets. Bauer practically froze in place.

Kes grinned, "A couple of tricks I picked up from Mr. Freeze. I should thank him next time I visit Arkham."

She turned back to see Traya, while shivering, was slowly making her way to the nearest window. Kes lifted her right hand, and fired out a tazer line. Traya screamed in pain as she was jolted unconscious. She dislodged the tazer as she whirled around to aim the second tazer line at Bauer. His next swing was a surprise, but Kes managed to evade. She shot out the second tazer line, which hit square. He growled in pain, but didn't fall. This made her blink. She did a backflip as he charged her. She readied her left gauntlet again, and fired the second chem-load. This one sprayed out right into his face.

He coughed and tried to rub his eyes. When he looked up, his eyes went wide and he started swatting at the air. Kes grinned as her fear gas took effect. She avoided his wild swings as he yelled at the imagined fears, trying to fight them off. She even laughed when he screamed like a little girl and ran out the door. The crashing sound that followed sounded like he fell down the stairs. She chased him, and found him unconscious at the base of the nearest stairs. She cuffed him, and returned to apprehend Traya Hearts. However, Traya was missing, but the hacker girl was still knocked out.

"Damn," mumbled Kes. "At least she didn't succeed ..."

Kes met back up with Belle, who had foiled the robbery and called the Police. Before the police arrived, Kes quietly vanished. The last thing she needed was to be pestered by more cops. Now, she would need to find another way to pick up Traya Heart's trail. She headed back to Gotham City, figuring that her resources there would turn up something soon.

-fin-