On Earth-500, crimefighting (and villainous) siblings are not unknown- Captain Thunder and Lightning Girl, the Mightiest Mortals Alive... Hawkboy and Hawkgirl, the JAA's Thanagarian refugees... Wonder Woman and Hippolytus, children of the demigods Hippolyta and Theseus... Lisa and Lonny Sharif, the deceased and current Captains Cold... and perhaps most poignantly of all, Thomas and Barbara Gordon, the offspring of Commissioner James Gordon and his wife Barbara Keane. But where on other Earths, Thomas was criminally insane and his sister fought crime as Batgirl, here on Earth-500, those certainties are inverted... for Thomas is whole and sane and fights crime as Batboy, while Barbara inherited her mother's schizophrenia and became her Earth's Harlequin. 

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GOTHAM. NIGHT: 

"Stay where you are, Harlequin. I mean it!"
"Don't give me orders, Girl Wonder. Well, well. Baby Batman."
"Cut the crap, Harlequin. I will use tranq on you if you resist arrest. Count on it."
"Trying to prove something are we, Baby Bats? That we're as big and tough as the real thing?"
"Don't let her get to you, Batboy."
"I'm not, Robin. Well, Harlequin, your choice. The dart or down and dirty."
"Wow, you're actually allowing me a Hobson's choice? Thrilling!" She was about to throw a Harleyuccinogen canister into the equation, but then noticed the noseclips both of them wore. She sneered:
"I'll see if you anywhere near as good as Robin One, Girl Wonder."
"Bring it on, Clown Princess..."
And because Harlequin had trained with others of her moral allegiance, she made an honest effort out of it, landing several blows on Robin but receiving many more in return, until Robin found her opening and delivered the knockout blow. Batboy unclicked some bandages and anaesthetic from his utility belt:

"Are you okay, Helena?"
"I've felt better, Tom. Thanks for the assist. Ouch."
"Nothing broken?"
"Strained muscles, but I think I'll get over that in a few days. Really, I mean it."
"Yeah, I know."
"Tom, you're not your sister's keeper."
"I know, Helena. Even given her state of mind, she made her choice a long time ago. Even if it broke Dad's heart."
"James Gordon would be proud of his son, though. It's almost impossible to tell you two are brother and sister."
"Exactly. To me, Harlequin is one of our rogue's gallery and a particularly vicious one at that. And she has to be stopped. It's as simple as that."
"Nothing about this is simple, Tom. Look, tell me if I'm talking out of place here, but people judge you by your own merits. Which are considerable. I couldn't think of anyone else I'd rather trust with the training of the next generation of metahuman heroes than you. We've worked alongside each other for years and you've never betrayed our secrets.  You've subdued Harlequin numerous times with no hesitation. Don't crucify yourself with doubt because of her, because Dad, Dick and I have never felt any toward you."
"I know that, and I'm grateful. Damn her. She's never stopped doing this, even when our father was dying of cancer. I wasted countless hours tracking her down and dealing with her crimes and exhibitionism because she didn't care our father was dying. I could have spent that time looking after Dad, easing his last few weeks, but I didn't get to have those precious, irreplaceable moments with him. All that has ever mattered  to her is her precious criminal reputation. She never even visited him once  during all those months, did you know that?"
Robin nodded: "Dad and Dick were worried about you. They thought you were pushing yourself too hard. We all know what Jim's death did to you, Tom. You were burning that candle at both ends. THey were just glad you took some time away from the city after Jim finally passed away. One day, perhaps she will change."
Batboy shook his head: "I'm a realist, Helena. She's been like this for five years. I don't hate her despite her breaking Dad's heart. But I can and will stop her when she engages in larceny or threatens other people's lives. If there's a cure for her schizophrenia one day and she becames safe to be around and whole, great. But until and unless that happens, she needs to be restrained from harming others."
"For what it's worth, Tom, Dad, Dick and I have always respected your courage and bravery. Never forget that. There are people out there who love you." But Helena Wayne's final words were lost in the night, as Batboy had left her with the still unconscious Harlequin sprawled at her feet. She hoped Tom had heard them and realised how deeply treasured he was. After all, Tom had sat alongside her when she need to unburden herself about her own worries about Goldenguard, James Harper, currently tracking down the murderous scientist and crime lord James Olsen. About whether he'd survive the arduous underground confrontations until the end, and what would happen to him when he came up against Olsen himself, instead of one of his hapless delegated subordinates. Helena understood only too well the effects that such an emotional undertow led to from her own life as a crimefighter.  But there was a difference as well. Robin was in love with Goldenguard, she realised that now. But Tom Gordon... did he have anyone that close?

METROPOLIS:

"I'll be glad when Kalel and Kara get back from parental leave next week." Hippolytus said as he shoulder-slammed the Toyman's Predatorbot into a deserted alleyway, leaving Beast Girl's elephantine form to destroy their adversary's latest ploy.
"And why is it that only  their z-grade foes seem to keep attacking us? It's an insult! We can wrap up these losers and be back at headquarters in time for lunch." Starbolt said as his energy bolts made short work of the control antennae and tracking dish atop the villain's control vehicle. Ms. Flash had already deprived the squat pantechnicon of its wheels and flung some superspeed metal debris at the facing wall. She looked over at Batboy:
"Looks like it's up to us to finish things off, Tom."
"On it, Toshiko. And maintain initial intangibility, okay? He may have booby traps within that vehicle."
"For sure. Nice armour. Tailored kevlar?"
"Yep. Batman provided us with some new equipment  in the last logistical package."
"Oh, neat. Right, in we go..." Toshiko Sato blurred into semivisibility and through the walls of the damaged vehicle. Seconds later, Batboy followed her on a rope. Within it, they soon had their hands full. As Ms Flash disabled rows of firing minirobots with enabled laser artillery, Batboy rounded on the Toyman himself:
"It's over, Winslow. Come quietly."
"Children? They sent children like you to stop me?"
"Look, I know you've got a schizoid condition, Winslow. Come along quietly and we'll see what we can do about it. Escalating things like this isn't the answer."
"Be careful, Batboy. He murdered Toyman II, Jack Nimball, remember?" Ms. Flash said warily, glancing at the wildhaired, bespectacled villain in front of them.
"Where are Superman and Superwoman? I demand to be taken into custody by them!"
"They're indisposed. Afraid you'll have to surrender to us instead."
"Never!" And to their horror, the Toyman produced a sensor box with a button. Around them, diodes activated. Ms. Flash assessed the situation and at superspeed, dismantled the device, as Batboy delivered a knockout blow to their assailant.

Later, Batboy was filling in the Young Defenders incident report forms for the Toyman's latest incursion. The others were discussing what had happened that morning:
"So why did Winslow come out of retirement? He's been out of commission for the last ten years, before most of us started in this gig?"
"He was never one of Kal and Kara's most competent adversaries, anyhow. Strictly second stringer. They tended to get shouldered aside by the ones higher up the food chain." Beast Girl commented as she swallowed a gratefully accepted hotdog. 
"According to the intel we have from Belle Reve's Metahuman Villain Containment Unit, his mental health has been getting steadily worse. Killing Nimball, the 'pretender' Toyman was the culmination of his turn toward more violent crime. His paraphenalia has been getting deadlier too, causing severe injury in one or two cases. He's not the figure of fun he used to be."
"Does Belle Reve cut it anymore? He was willing to kill whoever took out his control centre. Wouldn't he be better off in Arkham?" Starbolt pointed out.
"Yes, but Arkham's for heavy duty meta villains. Is Winslow in that league now?" Ms Flash replied.
"The state's budget cuts to correctional facilities have meant Belle Reve's meta unit is understaffed and its protective barriers are ageing and compromised. Sooner or later, if Schott keeps deteriorating like this, he's going to end up killing someone else, be it manslaughter or murder. We owe it to the public to press for full-calibre preventative detention to protect them, and Schott. What happens if the next time, one of the borderline vigilante meta bounty hunters get to him first? They're not as restrained or code-bound as the JAA and we are." Hippolytus said, returning from property disposal and neutralisation.
"Sorry, I was miles away." Batboy said, as he handed over a hard copy of the form to a waiting civic official.
"I think I can guess why. Is it Babs?" Ms. Flash asked, as he turned away.
"Partly. When we discovered it was Winslow doing the rough stuff,  I wondered if that might be us in several years time."
"Oh, Tom, don't do it to yourself, please. She doesn't kill people."
"Not yet. But Harlequin's sharp when it comes to criminal tech. She only sees the cowl and she wants to destroy it. And me."
"Barbara hasn't killed anyone, yet, Tom."
"Yet, Pol. It may only be a matter of time."
"Unnecessary fatalism is only going to torment you, though. Live one day at a time."
"Thanks. Time I got back to Gotham, though." As he swung away, Ms. Flash stared pensively after him. Hippolytus joined her:
"Drachma for them, Tosh?"
"Tom shouldn't be driving himself this hard. I guess he must feel protective toward Barbara despite what she's become, but he's still a teenager like the rest of us. Lately, I haven't seen him laugh or take any time off. If he keeps beating himself up like this, he's going to crack."
Hippolytus kept silent as Ms. Flash sped off toward Keyhole City. He'd thought that might happen. Toshiko was falling for Tom, but he was too busy or obsessed to notice it. And frankly, he agreed with the assessment of others. Their friend did need someone who would understand. He only hoped that Ms. Flash would succeed. 

KEYHOLE CITY:

"Tom, wait up!"

Tom turned his head and saw Toshiko running toward him, maintaining the facade that she had the limitations of a teenage girl instead of the freedom of Ms. Flash, her alter ego:
"Tosh?"
"Look, I may be out of line here, but you don't need to do this on your own."
"Barbara's the only surviving member of my family and she's a public safety risk."
"That doesn't mean that you have to take on the burden and risks alone, though. It's not fair on you."
"I wish I had someone like Batman, in Robin's case, or your uncle Tanaka, or another sibling like Kator, Shayara, Willie and Bella do. But I don't. Besides, you and Tan have your own rogues to bother about."
"That doesn't mean that we don't welcome assistance from you and the other Defenders or Alliance members to keep them under wraps, though, Tom. Barbara's got your mind, too. It's just a shame she misuses it."
"What if you get caught in the crossfire, Tosh?"
"What if she gets the march on you and you die fighting her alone, one day? You don't deserve that, Tom. I know Bruce and Helena are there to help, but they can both only be so many places at once. Please. Let me help."
"I can't take the-"
Toshiko held up her hand: "Before you say anything else, have you had a look at the Dark Net intel lately?"
Tom's eyes widened: "Hellfire. You mean that's... that's Barbara's face in avatar format. What...oh no. It's her Dark Oracle website, isn't it?"
"Exactly. And I'm afraid that now that's operational again, she's more than your responsibility. Remember the harm that caused last time it was online? The meta villain networks were exploiting it for logistical help, putting our lives at risk and threatening our loved ones  with it- all right, the Rogues here in Keyhole weren't due to their moral scruples about it, but the others were doing so. Even if we've got Terry on our side of the ledger given his relationship with Jose now, she's still a formidable foe. And saying that means no aspersions on your deductive prowess and combat skills, Tom. The Defenders are a team. Ryand'r, Gina, Pol and I are there and we want to help."
"And particularly you, Tosh?"
She sighed: "Yes, especially me. You don't have to do this alone, Tom."
"I could do with some more teamwork."
"Good. Now let's go back to Mount Titan and put our heads together. We can work this out. Both of us."
"I suspect you're not just talking about heroics, are you?"
"And if I wasn't?"
He hesitated: "I've been on my own for too long. It's time I let someone in. Thanks, Tosh."
"C'mere, stretch..." He leant down as the Fastest Girl Alive gently kissed him. Then, hand in hand, they headed for the nearest JAA teleporter.


THE END  [1.05 PM, OCTOBER 7, 2023]