Behind the girl, dark red wings emerged like shadows given form, their edges wrapped in colorful streamers that caught the moonlight, making them gleam in stark contrast to the dark night. The effect was ethereal—like a fallen angel draped in ribbons of light against the deep, starless sky.
"Looks like she can fly too, sir," Friday's voice came through the comms, smooth and calm despite the chaos unfolding.
"Yeah... I noticed," Charlie muttered, adjusting the grip on the flight controls, his focus shifting to the HUD overlay in front of him.
"And her body temperature is rising rapidly," Friday continued, the AI's tone subtly hinting at the urgency of the situation.
At first, it wasn't obvious, but soon, the signs of her transformation became clear. Her delicate, almost porcelain-like skin began to glow a deep, fiery red, as if some molten core had ignited beneath. The temperature radiating from her body warped the air around her, distorting the edges of her figure, creating an aura of searing heat that shimmered like a mirage. It was as if a miniature sun burned just beneath her skin, or like rivers of magma flowed beneath the pale surface.
The sight reminded Charlie of the Extremis experiments from Iron Man 3—people whose bodies could ignite and burn like living furnaces.
With a sharp intake of breath, Charlie yanked the flight controls and banked hard to the left just as a fireball the size of a wrecking ball streaked toward him. It seared through the space where his head had been moments before, filling his view with a flash of blinding orange. A red danger icon flared up in his HUD, accompanied by a shrill warning tone.
Charlie rolled into a quick corkscrew maneuver, the thrusters on his back flaring to life, allowing him to twist through the air with an acrobat's precision. The fireball streaked past his armor, trailing a burning tail that scorched a line across the night sky. Even through the protective layers of the suit, he could feel the heat radiating off the attack, and an indicator on his display showed that his suit had taken damage—minimal, but notable.
This wasn't typical. Batman's standard suits had high-temperature-resistant materials, but this futuristic version, armed with advanced thermal dispersal systems, should have been even better. Yet, the fireball had singed its surface, a testament to its extreme heat.
"The suit can't withstand her high-temperature attacks directly. I suggest avoiding them, sir," Friday's voice was precise, unyielding.
"Noted," Charlie replied through gritted teeth, focusing on the pursuit.
Batman accelerated through the sky, his wings cutting through the night air with the deadly grace of a predator. His physical capabilities were beyond human limits—pushed to their utmost by the suit's enhancements. It allowed him to endure unimaginable speeds, maneuver with pinpoint accuracy, and pull off complex aerial stunts that would leave even seasoned pilots in awe.
But the girl was fast, too. Her wings, surrounded by trails of vibrant streamers, moved in fluid, rhythmic beats. They left behind streaks of color like an aurora, illuminating the night with an otherworldly glow. She kept pace with Batman, flinging fireballs that homed in on him with unerring accuracy. Yet, with Charlie's deft control, each flaming projectile missed, exploding against the ground below. The bursts lit up the sky like fireworks, sending waves of heat and light through the air.
As Batman dodged, twisting and turning in rapid succession, Charlie marveled at the suit's responsiveness. The air agility of this suit was astounding. It could shift between supersonic speeds and tight, agile turns almost instantly, diving and climbing with seamless precision. At times, he would fold in his wings, diving like a missile toward the earth, only to unfurl them again at the last moment, soaring upward at breakneck speed.
"The route is mapped out, sir," Friday announced, a detailed path appearing on Charlie's display, weaving through the landscape ahead.
Charlie steered toward the new course, angling his wings sharply and then folding them into his cape. He allowed gravity to take over, dropping like a stone through the night. The fireballs that had been following him missed their mark, flying off into the distance. He plummeted until the wind roared in his ears, then snapped his wings open, catching the air with a loud whoosh that sent him rocketing forward just above the ground.
Below him, the empty highway stretched on, desolate in the early morning hours. He skimmed the surface, flying mere feet above the asphalt, the sound of his thrusters reverberating through the silence.
The fireballs continued to chase him, exploding in a series of fiery eruptions that left blackened craters and melted street lamps in their wake. The girl, her wings blazing with color, kept up with him relentlessly.
Leila's expression remained calm, but inwardly she was rattled. She had been taken aback when the man before her—dressed in that strange bat-like armor—had taken to the air. Each twist, turn, and roll defied the usual constraints of physics.
As she watched him twist and turn mid-air, defying gravity and logic, her surprise deepened. His speed and agility in the air were unparalleled, faster than any bird or creature she had ever encountered.
Though she had only been reborn for a month, she retained memories of her past life. Once, she had ruled the skies—no one dared challenge her in her domain.
But now, an opponent had appeared—one who was not an ancient being or some supernatural entity, but a mere human.
Leila adjusted her tactics, using a barrage of smaller, rapid-fire fireballs as distractions. They flew toward him like tracer rounds, forcing him to dodge erratically. But the real attack came next—she poured energy into her palms and unleashed a torrent of flames.
The fire surged forth like a river of molten light, scorching everything in its path. The air itself seemed to warp and bend around it, waves of heat radiating outward, turning the night into a mirage of flame.
Everything went according to plan. The bat-like figure was right where she wanted him—racing headlong into the torrent of fire.
In her prime, she could have melted through the strongest shields with ease. Even weakened as she was now, she believed her flames could overwhelm anything that stood in their path.
She aimed to destroy his wings, not to kill him outright. But then, something she had not foreseen occurred.
Charlie twisted mid-flight, flipping onto his back. He faced the oncoming flames directly, arms crossing over his chest in a defensive stance.
Leila faltered, stunned.
What is he doing? Is he insane?
The stream of flames collided with Batman's crossed wrists.
Time seemed to slow as the fire poured over him, crashing against the black, armor-plated wrist guards. But instead of incinerating him, the flames vanished—absorbed entirely into the high-tech plating. His wrists glowed a fierce red, but the heat was dissipated in seconds, leaving not even a scorch mark behind.
Leila's eyes widened in disbelief.
Wait... What just happened?
This human had blocked her flames—flames hot enough to melt through steel—with nothing but a pair of wrist guards?
Leila couldn't comprehend it. She knew humans had advanced far since her time, but to block her flames like this? Was this even possible?
Even if she had been at full power, this outcome wouldn't have changed.
The wrist guards were designed to handle far greater attacks. They had been based on the technology of a certain Amazon warrior—an invention born of humanity's tireless quest to master the impossible.
Leila narrowed her eyes, her thoughts racing.
Ophelia was right—humans today are not to be underestimated.
But it also confirmed that her choice to challenge them was the right one.
"Is there anyone in the tunnel now?" Charlie asked, voice calm despite the adrenaline coursing through him.
"It's three in the morning, sir. I've checked the surveillance; no signs of life," Friday replied.
"Good. That means we can go all out."
Batman dove into the empty tunnel, with Leila following close behind. Her fiery form blazed through the darkness, the tunnel walls reflecting the crimson glow of her wings, turning the entire passage into a crimson-lit corridor of heat and light.
The two raced through to the tunnel's end, the girl hurling more fireballs that scorched the walls and sent plumes of smoke into the air. Batman dodged each one with precision, and as he flew out of the exit, he left behind a series of small, unassuming devices along the tunnel walls—each one armed and blinking with a deadly red light.
With a thunderous roar, the charges detonated, collapsing the tunnel in a chain of explosions. Leila reacted quickly, dodging the initial blasts with inhuman agility, but was caught off guard by the final blasts that predicted her path, slamming into her with concussive force.
The explosions hurled her through the air, sending debris and dust flying. The tunnel's entrance collapsed behind her, burying her in a mass of shattered concrete.
But mere moments later, a brilliant red glow flared to life beneath the rubble. Her body temperature spiked, turning the surrounding rocks into molten slag. She tore through the debris, emerging with her wings spread wide, the heat radiating from her turning the ground beneath her to liquid stone.
Slightly scorched and breathing heavily, but still far from defeated, she shot back into the sky.
Dirty trick!
Are all humans this cunning?
Leila surged upward, her eyes scanning the dark horizon for her target. When she looked up, she saw a massive silhouette—a sleek, bat-shaped aircraft hovering in the air.
The Batwing had positioned itself above the tunnel, twin apocalypse missiles locked onto her position.
With a blinding flash, the missiles fired.
Boom!
The twin explosions consumed her, blue energy traces swirling through the night sky. The shockwave sent Leila hurtling toward the earth, crashing into the ground with a tremendous impact that sent dirt and debris flying.
Charlie brought Batman down from the sky, his wings folding back into the cape as he landed smoothly on the charred, smoking earth. He activated detective mode, scanning the area for any sign of movement.
"Should be down for a while now," he muttered to himself, eyes fixed on the red glow pulsing faintly in the darkness, marking Leila's location beneath the rubble.
"Or at least, she'll think twice before chasing me again."