Thea listened calmly, signaling Catwoman to continue.
Batman being in trouble? That was practically routine. The real surprise would be if he wasn't.
In Thea's eyes, Bruce Wayne was like the Western version of Tang Sanzang — destined to suffer through his own personal eighty-one tribulations.
A completely unenhanced human relying only on muscle and stubborn will, yet constantly picking fights with people way above his pay grade.
Heroes, villains, aliens — he'd managed to offend them all.
So when Selina said he'd been captured, Thea didn't even blink. Her expression said: Go on, I'm listening.
"He's been taken by a man named Bane," Selina explained. "Alive or dead, I don't know. Bane controls half of Gotham now. He's opened both Arkham Asylum and Blackgate Prison — the city is crawling with criminals. We need your help."
Her tone was earnest, almost desperate.
Ah, The Dark Knight Rises plotline, Thea thought.
But things here weren't identical to the movies — in this world, Selina and Bruce had known each other for years, through countless ups and downs. A few threats weren't going to break that bond easily.
"Who exactly is this Bane?" Thea asked.
"I don't know," Selina admitted. "Only that he's… powerful. Stronger than anyone I've ever seen. One of his men said he can lift two tons. I saw him break Batman's spine with my own eyes."
"Two tons?" Thea nearly choked.
We're talking about power levels in tons now? Clearly this wasn't the movie version of Bane.
Someone with that kind of strength must have been enhanced — serum, biochem, whatever it was, he wasn't normal.
She considered refusing, but then noticed Felicity watching her, eyes wide behind her glasses — part awe, part excitement.
Thea sighed and forced a smile.
"Fine. Just tell me the important part — the Joker didn't get out, right?"
Selina shook her head. "No. He's in special containment. But… everyone else is free."
That was enough to make Thea exhale in relief.
In her view, there were three species in the DC world — heroes, villains, and the Joker.
His actual combat ability wasn't even that high, but his total absence of fear — and his chaotic genius — made him more terrifying than gods.
She remembered one alternate timeline where he tricked Superman into killing Lois, nuked Metropolis, and split the Justice League apart — all for fun.
No, she definitely didn't want to tangle with him.
Scanning through the rogues gallery in her mind, she realized that aside from this super-steroid Bane, most Gotham villains were still… human.
With her gear, it wouldn't be easy, but it wouldn't be suicide either.
"Alright," she said finally. "We'll come with you."
Selina blinked. "We?"
She looked doubtfully at Felicity, clearly wondering what this bespectacled tech girl could possibly do in a warzone.
Felicity bristled. "Excuse me? I'm the best hacker you'll ever meet."
To prove it, she pulled up a quick demonstration — facial recognition overlays, real-time tracking, data triangulation.
Catwoman's eyes widened. For someone who'd never been to college and relied mostly on lockpicks, it was downright sorcery.
"Alright," she admitted. "If you're that confident, I won't stop you."
Thea smirked. One more for the team.
"How many others do you have on your side?" she asked. "Anyone else joining this little rescue mission?"
"Just me, Batgirl, and Robin," Selina replied. "And I've asked Lady Shiva to look for Batman. She has connections in the underground — if anyone can find him, it's her."
Thea almost laughed. So five of us total — perfect for a raid party.
Too bad none of them were tanks. Three rogues, one hacker, one archer. If this were an RPG, they were doomed.
Still, if Shiva really joined in, she'd serve as the frontline powerhouse. Unfortunately, the best fighter was currently out scouting.
Thea bit her tongue, resisting the urge to suggest swapping roles — she'd find Batman, Shiva could handle the fighting.
And really, who even knew where Bane was keeping him? In the movies, it was some giant underground pit — "the Leap of Faith" and all that nonsense.
In real life, it could be anywhere. Best to let Shiva handle the detective work.
"How did you even make it here?" Thea asked.
Selina sighed. "Bane raided our armory. All our high-tech gear is gone. Without Bruce to plan our next move, I… improvised. Caught a few rides along the way."
Thea raised an eyebrow. "You hitchhiked from Gotham?"
"…You could say that."
"Well," Thea said dryly, "you're lucky you found us before the bus schedule ended."
⸻
She called Quinn Consolidated to prepare a helicopter.
When she learned Selina could fly one herself, Thea nearly cheered.
Gotham wasn't exactly a tourist destination — and trying to convince a civilian pilot to fly into a warzone would've been… difficult.
While the techs readied the aircraft, Thea and Felicity packed up.
The hoverboard folded neatly into a compact pack under twenty kilos — light, lethal, and travel-friendly.
Selina watched them from a respectful distance. One thing about heroes — or antiheroes — they rarely pried into each other's secrets.
Thea loaded every arrow she owned. If this was going to be a fight for Gotham, she'd play it safe — long-range only.
Let the close-quarters maniacs handle the punching.
Felicity, still glowing with excitement, ran back and forth collecting her essentials.
"Should we pack food?"
"Thea, have you seen my charger?"
Selina rolled her eyes. We're flying into Gotham, not camping in the desert.
Thea groaned. "You're embarrassing me, Felicity. Try to look at least slightly heroic, okay?"
She shoved her partner toward the dressing room.
"No more hoodies. Find something practical. Gotham's not exactly snack-and-Netflix territory."
As Felicity stumbled off to change, Thea zipped her red jacket, slung her quiver over one shoulder, and glanced at Selina.
"Alright," she said, steady and focused. "Let's go bring the Bat home."