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Kate angry and frustrated with herself for putting Ramsey's life at risk. "An innocent child is fighting for his life, and it's my fault."

Meanwhile, a vengeance-seeking Shadow Thief walks right out of the wall behind Kate. "See?" He says, "I told you we'd find...her" As the Shadow Thief ponders over the stunning development that the new Manhunter is female. Kate notices him and stands on guard saying, "Not another step! Shadow Thief...right?" To that, the Shadow Thief replies, "Well, at least you know the name of the man who'll kill you." Already angry and agitated, Kate responds by firing her staff at him saying, "Bite me!" Expertly, Shadow Thief avoids the attack and disappears in the shadows. With Kate thinking he fled cowardly, Shadow Thief sneaks up behind her and lands a hefty punch.

With Kate on the floor berating herself for being overconfident, we're taken to the hospital, eight hours earlier. We see a desperate Kate watching the paramedics tending to Ramsey in the ambulance. Kate doesn't get a definite answer to whether Ramsey will be ok and finds it difficult to answer the medics when asked what happened. She pleads the nurse to help Ramsey.

Meanwhile, we see an opportunistic nurse listening intently as she walks by. The nurse, Delaney, walks right to a payphone and calls what can be assumed as the media, informing them of Kate's current predicament. "Remember, I only take cash," Delaney says as she ends the phone call.

Kate's watching the Doctor's tend to Ramsey in the Emergency Room. "Baby, Momma's sorry. Please...please be ok." As Delaney passes by, Kate grabs her and asks for a private phone to call Peter, her ex-husband and Ramsey's father.

The story then shifts to the present battle. Shadow Thief sneaks up on Kate again, grabbing her in a choke hold. But this time, Kate gains the upper hand, throwing him against the wall. After a brief tussle, Shadow Thief manages to knock Kate over the ledge over the rooftop, with Kate barely being able to hang on. "Still want to play with us?" Shadow Thief taunts.

The flashback continues in the hospital waiting room. There we find a somber Kate taking a smoke break. Kate seems to be immersed in thought, but only temporarily, as we see Peter rapidly approaching. Bickering ensues, with Peter asking what happened. Out of nowhere, a reporter jumps in, asking for a comment from Kate. As Kate is threatening the reporter, the doctor arrives with news. The doctor tells them that Ramsey has a severe concussion, "meaning that he is experiencing some severe brain swelling." Since the drugs given to Ramsey had no effect, brain surgery was performed in order to "relieve the pressure on the skull." Ramsey's other injuries included "a few broken ribs and a collapsed lung." The doctor goes on to tell them that the "first 24 hours will be the barometer for his recovery."

As the doctor excuses himself, a distraught Peter takes a few moments before he cries out to Kate, "this is all your fault!" Kate responds by turning her back and walking right out the door. As she walks out, we see Delaney and the reporter from earlier talking. They see Kate storm off and the reporter rewards Delaney with an envelope full of money. As Kate storms outside, she sees a newspaper reporting that the public approves of Copperhead's death. "Well, at least someone likes me," Kate sarcastically says.

The scene shifts to the present. Kate is dangling from a rooftop with a taunting Shadow Thief over her playing "this little piggy" with her fingers. Just as Kate is losing her grip, a helicopter shows up its light towards the action. The helicopter's light distracts the Shadow Thief for a moment. Kate, keeping her wits with her, grabs a hold of Shadow Thief's hand just as she lets go of the building. The light shines on the hand, separating it from Shadow Thief, thus sending it and Kate plummeting to the ground. As she falls, the Shadow Thief follows her down through the shadows. Kate smashes onto a platform, temporarily getting knocked out. The Shadow Thief, on the ground now, looks for his hand and watches in surprise as he is able to reattach it to his body. As he gets up, Shadow Thief reasons with himself, saying the "others await" and that he must go. Kate, hurting from the fall, finds that her suit and staff are damaged. She walks through an alley, hurt and with her tail between her legs.

The last scene shows Peter sitting beside Ramsey. Peter is pondering whether Kate is making the right decisions with her life. Kate then comes into view, watching both Peter and Ramsey from the rooftop across the street. She reasons with herself that she "has to do this. It feels right."





She decides that she needs help....




and she knows just who to go to.

Characters:

Kate Spencer - Manhunter and Ramsey's mother
Ramsey - Kate and Peter's son
Peter Robinson - Kate's ex-husband and Ramsey's father
Shadow Thief - Carl Sands

Delaney - Nurse in the hospital

Reporter (unnamed until issues 7 and 8 - Tabloid Reporter - Ted Shoemaker)
Doctor (unnamed)
Unnamed Paramedics

Issue summary written by: Jake1823