**********************
Chapter 5 - Of Ships and Shoes and Sealing Wax

Selina hated the water. She detested swimming, although she could manage when forced to do so. Boats were another story. Be it a rowboat or a luxury pleasure craft like the ones parked in the Rogers docking facility, she felt a sick gnawing in her stomach when she considered climbing aboard a ship, rocking with the waves�

�Something wrong?�

�Nope,� she gulped.

�You look a little green.�

�I�m fine,� she assured him. Beside her, Batman shrugged, apparently deciding that Selina�s physical condition didn�t matter unless she began to vomit. They were waiting for Huntress to appear on what Batman assured her was a regular patrol route along the yacht basin. They were posed on the roof of a waterfront warehouse. The bitter wind cut like a knife that high up and Selina watched as it ruffled the murky black water of the harbor. She decided that the past few hours had been some of the bleakest of her life. Normally she liked a night out on the town, but ice crystals had actually formed on the surface of her costume and the leather suit crackled when she moved.

What bothered her most was Batman�s resistance to the deep cold. He had been crouched beside her, motionless, for the last two hours. She didn�t doubt his patience or his stamina, but she wasn�t in the mood to test her own.

�So, no sign of your estranged daughter. Sure this is her regular route?� she asked pointedly, breath condensing white beyond her lips. He merely scanned the dock area again with high-tech binoculars. �Aren�t you�cold?� she ventured to ask. Batman looked at her sharply.

�You don�t have to be here,� he growled.

�I thought you�d appreciate the company,� Selina replied, rubbing her hands together. She�d gladly trade gloves with him now: those puppies were probably thermal-insulated and she�d heard through the grapevine that his Batsuit was designed to withstand Mr. Freeze�s best and brightest new designs.

He shot her a look that very clearly indicated her company was not necessary. Selina narrowed her eyes, shifting position to try and coax some feeling back into her legs.

�Think of something,� she tried, asking a second later, �Animal, mineral, or vegetable?�

He didn�t respond.

�It�s a game,� Selina explained. �Twenty questions. Helps pass the time.�

�So does patience,� he muttered. She was undeterred.

�C�mon. This stakeout wasn�t my brilliant idea, and I�d rather be home in a warm bath right now. So why not pull that enormous carrot out of your��

She stopped, silenced by a tiny shift in his posture. He motioned gently with his left hand and she saw immediately what it was he�d noticed. A long, sleek luxury yacht was slipping silently into the crowded harbor, running lights off. That was a dangerous, difficult maneuver at the best of times, but the night was moonless, the stars obscured by winter storm clouds. The bitter cold slowed reflexes, made pilots careless as they fantasized about warm, soft beds. All it would take is a slight miscalculation and in the dark, the ship would plow into the wharf. Batman had sensed the potential for disaster before she was even aware of a problem.

Below on the water, the dark yacht cut through the waves and Selina caught the hint of a strangled yelp buried beneath the dull hum of the ship�s engines. It was all he needed. Batman stood, his muscles warm and relaxed despite the cold. �Let�s go,� he ordered, unclipping the grappling gun from his utility belt. Selina uncoiled her whip, uncertain. She was confident in her ability to make the jump from the roof of the warehouse to the dock below, but the looming black water beneath made her pause.

He was gone, a huge black mass moving though the night. She tracked his fall, eyes riveted to the silhouette of his scalloped cape and uncontrolled dive into the oblivion of night. She followed, fearlessly.

They hit the wooden dock softly. Selina curled into a ball and tumbled with the force of her fall, whip snapping close behind her. Batman landed on his feet, the recoil in his jumpline working to slow his descent. They moved towards the docking boat from different angles, jumping aboard as it slipped past them soundlessly.

Selina found her footing, listening for the blare of an alarm triggered by their boarding of the yacht. She could tell he was doing a more thorough job, aided by electronic gizmos he�d concealed in his cowl to sonically penetrate the wooden decks, searching for some sign that they were not alone. He waved her on, signaling for her to follow him below. Selina didn�t hear anything but yielded to his sonar equipment. She knew his mask didn�t come with X-ray vision, but almost anything else was standard issue.

They worked their way down into the bowels of the ship. Batman took point and Catwoman followed, moving with a grace and surety surpassing his own. She had a true thief�s ability to fold her presence, barely disturbing the atmosphere in an enclosed space. Selina could pass inches from her mark and they would never feel her. He envied her that skill; he relied more and more on shadow and misdirection in the last few years, and it was a rare feat that he could even sneak up on Commissioner Gordon anymore. Despite years of training and then teaching such methods, he had never truly possessed Catwoman�s talent for hiding in plain sight.

They moved aft, nearer the steady hum of the engines. He felt her pause behind him and he turned, looking a question at her. Selina waved towards a closed cabin door and he shook his head, pointing to where he knew the engine room to be. Halt the ship�s progress, he planned, then search the rest of the yacht. If the vessel crashed into the pier at full steam, the resulting damage and potential for casualties would skyrocket.

She ignored him, checking for infrared sensors on the cabin door. There was no sign of special security, but her instincts were on full red alert. Something was wrong here, and Batman didn�t seem to sense it. That alone was reason to worry.

Selina turned to him, ready to argue, when the hum of the engines increased. The ship lurched forward and Selina nearly lost her balance, pitching backward. He caught her easily, his own footing unaffected.

�My secret�s out: I�m no sailor,� she whispered to him, just as he let her go. �I�m going to check that cabin.� She didn�t wait for an argument, and neither did he. Batman was just opening the engine room door as she finished with the lock on the cabin. That door swung open easily, stopping short in the tiny space as it hit a bulkhead. The cabin was a media room of some kind, all close-circuit TV monitors and a security system sophisticated enough to make her drool.

�New beta-level encryptions, huh?� she muttered, checking the system protocols. The whole setup smelled: there was no security to speak of above deck and Selina knew they hadn�t tripped a silent alarm when they�d boarded. Everything was keyed to this room, but it wasn�t clear why. She watched on one of the tiny monitors as Batman navigated the cramped, noisy confines of the engine room. The pinhole security camera zoomed in on him and a blinking red light on the panel before her engaged. Selina considered the light for a few seconds, her head tipped to one side, listening.

And then the ice-grip of fear tightened around her heart.

�Bruce!� she screamed, her cry bouncing down the empty corridors of the death ship. She charged out of the cabin, meeting him in the hall. Selina grabbed his hand and raced topside. He didn�t fight her, but she knew he didn�t understand the danger they were in. Hadn�t felt it.

As soon as they reached the upper deck, he paused, asking �What the hell�?� just as the world exploded.

The explosion worked its way upwards, beginning in the engine room and then tearing through the vacant decks on its way up. The varnished wooden deck rocked beneath their feet and this time, Selina kept her balance. The dark night was engulfed in flame and all around them on the dark water the world burned. Batman tightened his grip on her hand just as the second blast hit, and he threw her behind him. The blast wave knocked them both into the icy waters of Gotham Harbor.

***************************

Batman hit the water hard, landing improperly as he tried to lend Selina some cover with his body. Something fizzled and throbbed in his ear and his head erupted in pain. He had time to worry about the electronic earpiece in his cowl just as the icy water began to swallow him. Batman tumbled through the water as it clawed against his heavy body armor and weighted cape. He couldn�t see: the blast had damaged the nightvision in his mask and he was swimming blind in -86° water. The current clawed at him again and he found the clasp that would release his cape. With the weight gone, his downward momentum slowed but the water still dragged. He kicked hard as the ringing in his head grew exponentially and he exhaled in pain.

Darkness fell.

*******************

Catwoman lost her breath as she hit the water, the cold snapping her senses. She pulled off her mask, the night vision useless. Batman had hit the water first and she�d lost him in the dark harbor. They had moments, seconds at best, before the cold water would make it impossible for them to reach the shore. She righted herself, using the direction of the air bubbles as a guide and surfaced gasping in the freezing air. She was alone.

Selina didn�t panic, not at first. While she was at best a marginal swimmer, she knew Batman had spent a lifetime perfecting his survival skills. She knew he would be able to hold his breath and find his way to the surface but the fear that had been gathering since they�d boarded the boat returned full-force, hitting her as hard as the shock of the cold water. She began to search for him, diving again and again, her teeth chattering and her muscles growing slowly unresponsive.

Selina had nearly given up when her foot made contact with flesh and bone in the black water. Batrman. She grabbed hold and pulled him to the surface. He was cold and lifeless in her arms.

She towed him to shore, struggling with his weight. �It�s Lean Cuisine for the next few weeks for you, buddy,� Selina shivered, aiming for the docks illuminated by the sinking flame of the ship. Finally, they reached the pier. She pulled him out of the water, gasping as the winter wind bit into her. Selina checked his pulse: it was present, but faint.

�Here goes,� she muttered, beginning chest compressions. After a set of fifteen, she brought her mouth to his, breathing for him. �C�mon,� she ordered. Finally, he turned his head, powerful, heavily-conditioned lungs expelling the harbor water. Behind them, the yacht was a blossom of dying fire. She watched it, checking his raspy breathing, trying to stop shaking.

�Selina,� he said, and when she could, she looked at him. �I can�t hear anything.�