Batman and Catwoman: Family Mystery

29. Reach (*Read with care*)

(Present)

*This chapter might be graphic for some readers towards the end.

With all the things going on, Selina Kyle wasn't going to sit back and let her husband do all the work. Or at least, Catwoman wasn't. Someone was out to get her, and she was going to find out who.

Bruce was spending time in the office for international conference calls, meaning the other guy wouldn't be out. Sure, Nightwing might be around, but little bird was much easier to sway. Which was hilarious if you thought about it.

Selina reached out to her street friends, trying to figure out who was poking into her past. She made a stop at Pam's place, too. Her friend was on the mend, but Poison Ivy still had resources. Not to mention, she knew about Selina's troubled past.

Before going to her apartment in the east end, Catwoman made some off-task pit stops. Hey, the night was still young. After raiding some pawn shops, Catwoman looted a grocery store to satisfy her cravings. She picked off a cloth tote to shove her stuff in, and finally swung on home.

"Jen! I'm back!" Selina announced as she peeled back her mask.

Before anything else, she ran to the bathroom to relieve her bladder. She sighed as she sat down; it felt like she'd been holding it in for hours!

She returned back to the living room in her civilian clothes, first reaching for the snacks she'd brought.

"Jen? You here?" Selina asked again.

Her roommate's lights were on, meaning she had to be home. If Selina was an animal fanatic, then Jen was an environmental freak. She'd never leave her lights on.

Selina went into the kitchen to grab a drink from the fridge, passing the dining table on the way. Everyday there were four chairs around it. Today, there were three.

Selina pressed twice on the alarm switch by the kitchen door, keeping it on standby. Bruce had installed an alarm for her safety since she refused to give up the place. Two clicks meant she was conscious, but let him know a situation could be possible. One click was easy. One click meant backup was needed immediately. At worse, she could scream and the alarm system would recognize her in trouble.

Catwoman picked up her whip on the way, coiling it around her arm as she went across to Jen's room. She knocked on the door and helped herself in, only to regret she hadn't come in earlier. Selina ran over to her friend, who was tied to the dining chair, beaten senseless.

"Oh, my God. Jen!" Selina exclaimed as she hurriedly unbound her, but Jen tried to scream.

A second later, Selina was flung across the room. To the wrong side. The alarm was on the other wall, which was being blocked by an electrifying chick.

"Looks like your cat's out the bag, Catwoman!"

"That's who I am," Selina spat as she stood, "but what the hell are you!?"

The girl's hands lit up.

"They call me, Reach!"

and she grabbed Selina with her gravitational powers.

Midair, Selina released her whip, wrapping it around Reach's wrist. Using all her force, she flung the bitch out the window, while she herself crashed through the bed.

Catwoman got up and ran to Jen again, quickly helping her out of the chair.

"We have to go!"

The girls ran across the hall to Selina's room and escaped through the window, swinging on to the balcony of the neighboring building. Thankfully, this one had a bat light on top. But before they could voluntarily climb to the roof, their apartment blew up, and the explosion lifted them to the roof.

Jen was wounded, Selina knew, so her roommate was her priority. Ignoring her own abdominal pain, Selina rolled over and hobbled to her best friend. She dragged her over and leaned her against the bat light, finally turning it on.

"He'll be here. Soon, I pro-" before Selina could finish, she was pushed again as Reach joined them on the roof.

"Bats can't fly fast enough!"

Selina had it!

She got up and ran. Any way but straight. Her body was hurting, but she had to survive. Catwoman leapt over roofs and buildings, leading Reach away from Jen. Soon she would reach the monorail.

When she finally had Reach stressed, Catwoman used her whip to swing around back and round housed the metahuman. She needed to get in hits. Just keep her busy till the big guns showed up. Knock her out at best. But then gravity girl got a hold of her again.

Selina loved looking down over the city, but usually from the comfort of the Bat. She could swing, but she couldn't fly. Right now, she needed to survive.

The whip!

The whip, the whip, the whip!

After all the hell that went on here, the Gotham monorail was built better than ever. Originally built by Thomas Wayne, Bruce had it rebuilt after the Ra's al-Ghul incident, and made sure it remained as crime free as Gotham could allow.

The whip wrapped around the track and Catwoman swung over twice before landing on a passing by train. As soon as the whip had extended for release, her body snapped. But the most of the pain wasn't in her back. Finally having a moment to stop running, Selina sighed in relief as the train took her away from Reach.
***
***

Now that the adrenaline passed, Selina finally took account of her injuries. She'd been plenty wounded by how many times Reach had tossed her around. Normally Selina would have cared about a split on her forehead, but tonight her concern was more towards the sharp pain in her pelvic area. Gingerly, she reached down her body and drew back bloody fingers.

Damn.

As if physical pain wasn't enough, now she had this to deal with.

Alone.

Say what you will about girls putting things in their bra, but it was a handy trick. After all she had went through tonight, her phone was still there. Selina pulled out her phone and tried looking at the screen through tear filled eyes.

He'd called a few times.

Seeing his name on screen made her finally break down in hysterics.

Bruce. I'm so sorry, Bruce.

She wanted to call him. Her dying baby wanted to call him...

...but she didn't.

Sobbing, Selina wiped past the notifications and messaged her ride to pick her up from the station. She held on long enough to hit send, before she finally passed out, dropping her phone into the streets below as the train took her away.