Batwoman #22

Issue Details

Synopsis

THIS BLOOD IS THICK: HITS Batwoman and Hawkfire have been sent on a mission to a remote island off the coast of Alaska in search of a target given to them by the DEO. The target has been on the island for some time, and the women are having trouble keeping track of him, though he cannot leave the island. What makes this mission particularly dangerous, though, is that the target is Bane, and Bane will do anything to avoid being put in prison. If he is not taken down fast, he will kill them.  Knowing this, Batwoman manages to trap the man with her bolas, and attempts to get him to talk. She explains that they are not there to bring him in, only to talk about Batman. She wants to know how to bring him down. After all, Bane has succeeded before. Mockingly, Bane responds that no one but he has the capacity to wear down the Bat's endurance, and use treachery to bring him down. That's all Batwoman cares to hear, and she leaves him tied to the tree on the deserted island, knowing well that no one will come to help him. Fortunately, Agent Chase returns with her men to free him sometime later, if he will cut a deal.   Later, Detective Maggie Sawyer holds meetings with Black Mask, The Mortician, Fright, and Professor Pyg to talk about the Batman. The criminals obviously do not have any inkling of who their tormentor is, but they have a number of theories as to his true nature - all of them ludicrous. From the shadows, Batwoman tells Maggie she's heard all she needs to.   Elsewhere, Jake Kane and his wife Catherine watch a video recording of Bette attempting to infiltrate a facility stealthily as Hawkfire. Jake is critical of Bette's decisions, noting that she attempts moves that Kate could pull off easily, but that she is not built for. Her clumsy and careless actions could lead to her raising the alarm or drawing unwanted attention. Catherine's criticism is more forgiving, though it is tinged with worry for her niece's safety.   Fortunately, the whole ordeal was staged as training for Bette, and even Jake's men - the so called Murder of Crows - think he is being too hard on her. Jake is concerned, primarily, with the fact that this training is for the difficult task of performing an extraction from the DEO itself. Grumpily, Bette responds that she will keep training, and they will keep training her until she decides she is ready. If the DEO is going to keep her cousin from her family, then Bette is not going to let them keep her long.   Meanwhile, Batwoman has Director Bones prepare the bait she needs to bring the Batman out into the open. In the meantime, she will need 30 hours to prepare her take-down. Bones warns her to get going, because the clock is already ticking.