Batwoman #36

Issue Details

Synopsis

HOW IN THE HELL DID WE GET HERE? PART 1 Somewhere in Gotham City, a cult performs a ritual sacrifice of a young woman, based around a mysterious amulet. The ritual goes awry, however, when everyone involved is burnt up by the magical energy. Only one man remains alive, and terrified, he grabs the amulet and runs for his life.   Batwoman is startled when she suddenly finds herself standing over two cowering teens, having apparently terrorized them into that position. She had not been aware of it, but moments before, she had been threatening to kill them for their minor act of vandalism. She chooses not to think too hard about it, and follows the sound of sirens to the distraction of a real crime.   At the scene, she finds charred remains of multiple bodies, but she can't explain what happened to them. When Captain Maggie Sawyer arrives, she behaves coldly toward Batwoman, grumbling that she hates magic as one of her officers suggests that the deaths were part of some cultist ceremony. Kate demands a moment alone with Maggie to ask after her daughter Jamie, but Maggie refuses to talk real life on a crime scene. When an officer finds that one of the victims is still breathing, Maggie turns away, calling for EMTs and warning Kate to get off of her crime scene before she contaminates it any further.   The survivor is rushed to the hospital, and despite his severe burns, he regains consciousness and cryptically moans that a woman must be brought back. The doctor tries to calm him, but the victim grabs his arm violently, and the his mind is flooded with arcane images of a forgotten time. Seeing how he was affected, the victim becomes excited, but begins splitting up blood.   At her penthouse, Kate hears a knocking at her door, and is surprised to find Natalia Mitternacht standing there, having intended to surprise her with a date night. Kate is unsubtle about the fact that she is embarrassed to be seen in public with Nocturna, but her date thinks being a dirty little secret is hot, and insists they go out anyway. As they walk out, Natalia plants a kiss on Kate's cheek and whispers that she belongs to her. Just then, a loose dog rushes up, and Kate recognizes him as belonging to her therapist, Doctor Huss. He catches up to his dog and remarks that it's been a month since he last saw her, and obviously troubled by the relationship that Kate seems to have struck up with Natalia, he reminds that she can call him any time. Natalia reasserts her control by kissing Kate on the lips.   Elsewhere, at his book and antique shop Rags 'n Tatters, Rory Regan appraises a Celtic amulet as being nearly five hundred years old - and worth more than he can pay out. His customer's urgency and insistence in selling the amulet make him suspicious that it's been stolen, but the man insists that it is just an heirloom. Reluctantly, he offers $750 dollars, and the man accepts, hurrying away. Despite getting a deal, Rory worries that he'll regret the purchase.   Meanwhile, at the Gotham International Airport, Beth Kane makes her return to Gotham City, with no luggage at all. Gotham has all she needs.   Kate tries to resist the blackouts in her memory by taking up yoga and trying to relax more. She hopes that it's not a result of the strange bite marks on her neck, of which she has no recollection of receiving. As she removes the band-aid and runs her fingers over the marks, she has a sudden vision of herself kissing Nocturna, bathed in blood. With a start, she wonders what brought that about.   Dr. Jason Blood leaves work worrying that sleep deprivation is what caused his strange vision - or maybe a brain tumor. He returns home to take a relaxing shower, but a sudden noise draws him out of it in a hurry. Wrapping himself in a towel, despite still being soaked, he slips on the bathroom floor and crawls out into his hallway to see Etrigan standing over him.