Batgirl begins

Dr Kate Harper walks the neon NYC streets alone, for now anyway...

“My name is Cassandra Cain...and I am no oracle. I do not tell the future. I know the past. I see the now. Faces. Movements. Patterns. Nerves. Intentions. Mistakes. My sight is my prophecy, and my fists are my medium. I simply read the cards laid out before me...and I play my hand. I am Batgirl.”

Cassandra Cain, Batgirl

The moon is bright tonight, good maybe? She tightened the belt on her baggy jeans and shifted under the overlarge hockey jersey, sighed, locked the lab and started off.

Kate had been late in the lab again, it was a long trek, I mean she was always late in the lab, but on a Saturday night, again.

The city that never slept, everyone else was partying. Not Dr Kate Harper.

The only electric voodoo Kate had in her life were spin states and Q-bit calculations.

It wont be like this forever, it’s academia Kate, young postdoc at NYU, it’s now or never.

It was the 3am walkback, she didn’t trust the subway, not after the last time. Besides her night hike up the Westside Highway was the only exercise she got these days.

Her leg was worse than ever too. The tingling spider-like crawling sensations were all the time now, she never sat down in the lab, standing desk and walking about. Restless leg they called it, more like my leg is fucking nest of unholy spider spawn, the walking helped, maybe. And, well that one other thing made it stop, for a bit, no girlfriend, not since undergrad, just more miserable lonely self care.

She was next to the part of the collapsed flyway they were sort of half rebuilding, had been for years. Just coming up past the courts and the cages.

“Crack”

Huh, someone is still batting, at this hour. The cages stunk of weed, nothing unexpected there.

Then it fucking happened. Of course it did, huge full moon brought out all the monsters out seemed.

“Oh Tortillera! Hey Tortillera! Come play with us”

“You don’t know what you are missing marimacha.”

The second one was holding his crotch.

A chubby ginger cat was watching everything from the top of the batting cages, he seemed mildly interested in what was going on.

“Yes I’m gay ok, so you can all fuck off and leave me alone yeah! Waste of time, goodnight assholes.”

The brand new blonde Mohawk was a dead giveaway. Of course it was, it was fucking supposed to be, please ladies come and fuck me. It is long overdue. What is the next brilliant plan Kate? Carpentry classes? Instead the one masters student in the lab just calls you Cap’ now, Captain Marvel. Not exactly the effect you wanted.

They were still following her.

She picked up her pace, past the cages, striding on.

They were still closing.

One whistled and there was another coming up the other way.

‘Oh fuck. Oh fuck.’

Kate span around looking for another path.

Sprint across a 6 line highway?

‘Fuck.’

There was a small hole in the fence.

An eye, a glowing blue eye, vibrant and electric appeared at the hole for an instant.

There was a snarl from within the cage.

“Cant you see she’s with me guys. Time to fuck off. Before I get a real workout in.”

And then she was there, striding out from the cages, bat still in hand.

A tiny ball of energy and fury, wearing a form fitting tube top with baggy jeans, long lashes and heavy metal makeup, short hair with purple highlights on the black silky asian underneath, nose ring and all the ear piercingings, combat boots and spikes and studs on the collar and wrists.

CJ threw down a plastic bottle half full of the high strength Nutcracker homebrew street cocktail and threw the bat up in the air, letting it spin. She caught it and whipped it around her body before finishing with an anime style pose and a peace sign. She thought it looked fucking cool.

The three dudes all burst out laughing.

Kate was edging away, hoping this drunk and high by the smell of it, crazy chick would buy her enough time to get the hell out of here.

CJ lost her shit.

“Ok laugh it up fuckboys!”

And she charged right in, half running and half stumbling forward.

The lead guy stepped up and threw a clumsy hook.

She lent all the way back and a full whole body layback, and blew Kate a kiss as she was down there.

Then she was up, bat and hands held low as she danced around on her toes, slipping the shitty and slow punches that traced after her with ease.

She leaned back again and yawned. Followed by a turning rear horse kick, like a mule right into the lead attackers crotch.

As he fell towards her he caught an ankle as he went down and she stumbled back then fell. He crashed to the streets and his teeth crunched.

She landed smiling and posing with a full face grin at Kate, scooping up the discarded bottle and having another swig while on the floor. The drunken mistress.

Kate blushed and grinned back, what a fucking smile, it was infectious, it was like this manic metal pixie’s whole body was smiling.

As the next two guys closed in she did a kickstand and another peace sign.

The lead one wasn’t paying attention, he flicked his gaze back to Kate who cheered for her new heroine.

“Get em Batgirl!”

Should she clap? Kate had never even seen a fight before.

That was all the space CJ needed.

A running jumping start into a full 180 aerial with the whole weight of the bat and her body coming down, straight crashing down vertically.

He leaned back, just perfect, he didn’t read the angle and the full force of the drunken dancer landed directly over his chest.

He was driven straight down to the floor, the knockout came from the ground as his skull cracked hard against concrete.

CJ snarled at the last guy, eyes wide and wild, grin now fearsome like a stalking lioness. She tapped the bat twice on the floor, loudly.

“棍無兩聲” (“When using the pole don’t make two sounds.”)

She spat the classic kung fu phrase in Cantonese. Then flicked her hand past her nose.

The last latino gangsta had no idea what the fuck just happened and abandoned his hombres to the streets. Turned and ran, not looking back.

Kate’s jaw hit the floor and her leg had finally stopped twitching.

CJ threw down the bat. Walked over to Kate, grabbed her and pulled the taller blonde lady down to her level and kissed her hard.

“Oh you are gay right?”

“Ummmm yeah, I think every girl would be right now.”

“We should fuck, nothing like it after a fight.”

CJ grinned down at her new friend.

“Ok.”

Did you fall asleep at the lab again Kate? Don’t wake up, this one is the best ever.

They kissed again, longer and harder. Every part of Kate was melting.

Then CJ’s stomach growled loudly, really loudly.

“Ohhh maybe food first? I’m starving.”

“Ok sure thing, what do you want?”

“Lasagna. That would be awesome, I spent my last few bucks buying food for Mr Creampuff.”

She turned and made pspsps noises. The chubby ginger cat jumped down from the cage and wandered over rubbing up against both girls.

“He has to come too ok?”

“Ok sure.”

“Great! I will get my stuff!”

She half danced and half skipped away, before turning back and grinning again.

“Oh I’m CJ by the way.”

“I’m Kate.”

“Nice to meet you Kate. Back in a sec ok!”

“Ok”

Kate sighed and pinched her leg, the self soothing ritual now turned into a genuine reality check. She wasn’t dreaming.

‘Who are you and where have you been all my life, Batgirl.’

Chapter links

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My thanks

My thanks to Labyrinthia Mythweaver for providing an excellent writing prompt:

There is a hole in the fence.

Beyond it, the city glows—vibrant and electric.

The moon is bright tonight.

I had been thinking about CJ’s origin story and how she met Kate for a while, this one image of a full moon coming out from a NYC batting cage just brought it all together for me. How batgirl began, how she found her oracle and her direction in life.

All stories I write in the Three Moons Mythos 🌙🌙🌙 are all part of the same interconnected universe. Both characters feature in my novel “A queen of light and shadow”, Kate also has her own short here. CJ is all over the Mythos, you dont have too look far to find batgirl.

Also my thanks to HVR for his help. Much appreciated mate.

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