Got Your Back, Always

III.XXIV

Cassie was staying behind, watching everything go down from the Batcave, as they all start to walk into the police station.

Kory sees all the guards in riot gear, "This seems excessive."

"Barbara cleared it with me. It's all for show," Dick explained. "They need to stand their ground."

"Look more like a funeral procession than a perp walk," Vee says.

"This is just optics, right?" Gar asks.

Dick nods, "Optics."

Barbara nods back at Dick, "Let's just get this over with."

One of the guards goes up to Blackfire, and shoves her, "Move along."

Conner speeds over, "I got you." He turns to the guard, "Back off."

The guards start to move in on them. Cassie gets a sinking suspicion that some of the officers were dirty, so she does some digging.

"Easy," Dick holds out his hand. "We're not here for a fight."

Fletcher instructs, "Move in!"

"Stand down!" Barbara shouts.

Dick has to shove guards off of him as they start to attack them all.

One shoots Blackfire, which pissed off Conner.

"No!" Kory shouts and starts to blast guards away, she rushes over to her sister, "Blackfire!"

They are all taking out guards one by one, Gar gets cornered and turns into a tiger.

"Shoot it," Fletcher instructs.

Gar gets shot with a tranq dart.

Conner sonic claps the snipers away. Gar growls and jumps onto the balcony, escaping out through the doors. Bingo: she found what she was looking for. She calls Barbara.

"Wall up!" A guard shouts.

"I need to get her out of here. Cover us," Kory says.

Dick tosses a guard away, "Shit. Go!"

Barbara's earpiece goes off and she answers it.

"Don't speak, it'll give you away." Cassie quickly says, "Hello Babs, yes I'm awake. Bigger problem: Fletcher is dirty, he's under orders from Crane, or the Red Hood, whoever. It doesn't matter, your boys in blue aren't taking orders from you anymore."

Barbara sighs and turns off the earpiece.

Conner uses his heat vision and takes out the bombs the guards were starting to throw.

Fletcher pulls out his gun and aims for Dick. Barbara pulls out her own gun, "Fletcher, put down your weapon. Put it down!"

He doesn't so she shoots him.

"Shit," Cassie says. She turns on Kory's earpiece. "Take Blackfire into the cathedral to your right. No one should bother you two in there."

"Thanks," Kory pants.

Cassie turns her attention back to Dick and Conner.

Dick makes a few men shout out in pain, "We gotta get out of here. Now!"

Conner knocks two of their heads together, and Dick backs up so they are standing back to back.

"Where are the others?"

"They're gone."

Dick tosses a few smoke bombs and they take off. "Let's go."

Cassie tries to get ahold of them two, but can't. The lines must have gone down.

"Shit."

Donna walks up to the entrance to Gotham, but a guard stops her, "Identification please."

"I'm afraid I don't have my wallet on me."

"Orders are no entry without ID, so you'll gave to turn around. Gotham's closed for business."

"Ah, good old Gotham. Always rolling out the red carpet."

A different guard comes up, "Is there a problem, ma'am?"

She exhales, "Starting with 'ma'am', yeah. But the main point is, I traveled a long way to get here, crossed a lot of bridges. And I know it might seem crazy, me wanting to get into a steaming heap like Gotham, but turns out I do. So, basically, turning around is not an option."

"Turn around, ma'am. Or we will take you in."

Donna doesn't move.

The first guard takes out a taser and shoots her with it. Donna just breaks it and tosses it aside.

"Been there, done that." They pull out their guns, "See, I knew you were gonna go there." She just rushes forward and knocks down one and takes his gun. He coughs and she bends his gun, letting it fall to the ground. "You gonna let me in now?"

The first guard just stands to the side and lets her go.