239 hours to Rubicon
A low beep began as a heartbeat that's been asleep for a decade while shy flashes of red lit the control area, but the only person around ignored them, focused instead on fixing the electromagnetic pads in the soles of his combat boots.
He was busy gearing up his suit for some quality, the welding sending sparks into his lap that would make winced a normal person but he disregarded them too; steel-eyes locked on the task ahead while the sharp beeping became louder.
The guardians of the cave –aka bats- took flight in a crammed cloud flapping their wings frantically to be far from the buzzer and just like that, the soft swirl of fur brushed the top of the masked boy's head in their way to the exit, forcing him to finally poke it out from his worktable.
The sight was something new; somewhat unexpected. And the alarm only kept growing, playing a regular tune -akin to a skirl hard to ignore- though as fast as it began, it ended; no more light-shows, no more din.
The boy dropped the tools and rose from his seat absorbed by the alarm.
"It can't be a coincidence…" he mumbled and reached the panels of the main computer in two strides. It was supposed to be a calm night of winter not— Expert fingers ran through the keyword as the orders were tapped swiftly, searching for the trigger, the source. Anything!
"Computer," he summoned still surprised. "What set it in motion?"
One by one the causes were displayed on the main screen and read by the VI's artificial voice. His heartbeat increasing slightly with each new addition of security breaches and he navigated through the data -just as fast as the list engrossed within seconds; the longer it took him the heavier a ball of dread invaded his body.
It's not a coincidence at all. The alarm; the causes… it all has the same pattern, the same trail. It has to be my—
"OUR INTRUDER HAS BROKEN THE SECURITY SYSTEM," the VI mouthed his suspicions and he sighed, both hands stopping the hammering commands.
You.
A headache formed behind his eyes –not even the mask could lessen the pounding- and he shook his head to dispel the gathering pain.
It was bad enough to have a breach, moreover to have a trespasser surfing freely through their files. And this one, in particular, wasn't welcome at all. The intruder had toyed with him before -long and hard- gifting Batman's protégé with a massive crisis on his own that no one else knew about.
"OUR INTRUDER IS STILL IN THE SYS—"
"Where?!" Tired of cat and mouse games he just shouted, cutting the VI as he searched for himself, chasing clues hidden within their algorithm.
How many times have we played this?
It has been an unsuccessful hunting since he set a foot on the cave by himself and whatever things he did to stop the hack, it never ended well for him.
The outsider –someone still untraceable - knew exactly where to look at, and how to get the boy's full attention. Their little war became personal since almost the beginning but the young vigilante kept it a secret; never even talked about the incidents with his family –much less with his mentor. And pretty sure he was regretting it after this long but their unspoken battle was only between them, like an arm wrestling contest in which he'd been defeated too many times…
Not again!
"Computer, run a System Diagnostic. I wanna know what they want and-"
ZLOPP!
The main screen turned black and with it, all the devices went off on a total blackout. He looked around concerned because the entire place was prepared to face any problem -power cuts included- thus meaning his biggest foe was taking their banter further.
"Shit…" Gloved fists hit the console and he proceeded to curse inwardly -and outwardly as well. The forbidden words filling mind and space in a way nobody should witness.
Why me?! Why am I the target and not the others? The very moment he was left alone in the cave; the intruder didn't waste a second to play tricks with him; grueling in a tetchy way.
"Shit!" Seconds became minutes leaving the place in a state of pure darkness. So hostile, so unfriendly. The intruder was in control once again and no internal discussion could save him from the imminent torture coming his way.
"SHIT!" He turned the lenses of his mask into night vision mode and perished his surroundings. The silence settling an unyielding pressure in the pit of his stomach. He wanted to scream, to rage. But he would not let his weakness control him.
No… He froze, trying to breathe against the lump in his throat. He was not gonna let his shattered memories of defeat control him this time.
Not at home. Because… in the wake of countless disasters and adversities, the cave was the 'ultimate safe-house.' So he looked around, looked at a place that remained as a big piece of memorabilia by itself. Gotham's museums lacked something like this, lacked a piece of the city's history in which he's grown up. A dank musty smell always greeted him at the bottom and sometimes the cold could even get into his very bones but he welcomed it, relished any bit of the time he spent at 160 feet above sea-level.
It was his second home after all…
The boy perused the place, walking towards the railing to evaluate the scene from a better angle –not different- analyzing it thoroughly. But nothing seemed out of place or unusual.
A full-size mechanical T-Rex overlooked the middle platform, huge and majestic. In front of it stood the Giant Penny, casting a perfect shadow over the dinosaur's belly and, only a few steps away rested the huge Joker card that gave him the chills…
Everything looked the same. He tilted his head to the entrance where a set of the vehicles at current use awaited dormant and a remarkable big empty spot from the Batmobile made the collection look incomplete. The boy loved the car, the new design was topnotch and under the hood was hidden a mouthwatering modern engine for those who appreciate cars and such –he did.
At the other side was the hall of trophies that began within the Legend –seemed to meet no end. Showcases piled up to across like there was no room for new ones but their Rogues were a rare kind of disease. One that only grew bigger over time...
"Gadgets and gizmos aplenty (*)," he hummed faintly, forgetting for a moment that he was supposed to be scanning the place as the thought of Batman singing that song for him flood him–a boy can only dream. Then snapped it out when his eyes flicked at the gallery of the glass cases.
Feeling a lump in his throat, he swallowed hard. A walk among them spoke louder of the perils of the job than any other word from his mentor. Each suit displayed in a case as a reminder of their great service. Good soldiers. All of them. Fallen heroes. Gotham's finest but for him they were all family.
"Not the time to go down there…" he reminded himself, hands curling into fists at his sides and jaw clenched. Then mumbled, "I need to think…" spacing the words to weaken the anger that ran through his veins. But it wasn't an easy task.
He wanted to scream, to yell at someone, to hit something. Not entirely sure if it was because he was being under a siege and wanted the control back, or because his family has become shorter.
It took him a minute to collect himself. He needed to counterattack but with all the tech shut down… All except one little thing!
His wrist computer was out of the System, meaning: there was a small chance to end the entire hacking attack once and for all, and it was at his fingertips.
The boy turned his lenses off to protect his eyes and opened the panel to override his attacker, tapping the code: C-0-U-5-1-N-0-L-1-V-3-R
Granted, it wasn't the fanciest password in the world but it certainly did its job as a blue floating screen welcomed him.
The synthetic light eased his mind, bringing some peace. His software wasn't corrupt yet and before the outsider's tracks went cold, he prioritized the search to shut them down because he was dealing with someone peerless nonetheless.
No more 'get me all worked up' or 'driving me mad' with riddles. No fake tracks. No—
…
Shit! It's all a trap!
A loud buzz of white noises toppled him from behind and echoed through the stone walls, sending the remaining bats far away. Cautiously, he turned around, unsettled and nervous.
Why was the outsider doing this to him? Why the torture? Why the trouble? He didn't have to wait long to find out the answer because it was displayed on the screens; on all of them.
She was there. Stephanie Brown. The Spoiler that vanished in December. The Girl Wonder whose giggle was gone in a flash. The Batgirl that brought back the sunshine to Gotham City…
She was there. In full screen. Young and stunning. Blonde hair bouncing in soft waves below her shoulders with each move of her body. Her face tilted up to the side, eyes fixed on someone off camera and he stared at her in awe.
"Just stop already!"
The words made him straighten his back and she asked, "Why are we doin' this anyway?" It came among demurred smiles and was answered certainly by someone, but it was only a video file…
Inch by inch, the boy moved towards the main computer, taking his sweet time. Mesmerized by her presence as she shook her head, slightly conceding some words to the interviewer but he wasn't listening. Not anymore. He knew every single line of her speech. He'd heard it a thousand times before so he watched her face instead.
The bridge of her nose and cheeks were bathed with sun freckles. A few scars from chicken pox blended with them perfectly and they suited her face as the other little marks and scratches on her skin did too. She showed them with pride. Bared them from any makeup. They were part of her, like merit badges and made her look even more beautiful.
Echoes of her sunny voice brought him back as she leaned forward, looking happy. Truly. The gleam in her eyes matched her remarkable grin, never fading away from her bright face and it was so painful to watch…
He ducked his head as a wave of fear and longing overwhelmed him and she said, "Okay, I'll tell you my story."
A/N
(1) Part of Your World from The Little Mermaid. Guilty as charged I guess.