The Commissioner's Daughter

There was a knock on the door.

"Hey Barbara can you get the door for me?" my dad called out.

I put my books down, opened the door and saw Gil Mason, Harvey Bullock, and Renee Montoya. Gil was a district attorney that often worked closely with my father, Police Commissioner Gordon. Harvey and Renee were his subordinates that were part of his task force.

"Hey Dad, it's for you," I called.

"We are sorry about this Barbara," Gil said.

"Sorry about what?" I asked. I didn't get an answer.

"How are we coming on the Killer Moth case?" my dad asked.

Everyone had a look on their face like something was seriously wrong.

"What's going on?" my dad asked.

Finally Gil spoke up and said, "Jim Gordon you are under arrest."

"For what? You're kidding right?" my dad responded.

"I wish we were Commissioner" Gil responded. "We have evidence that you have received bribe money from Rupert Thorne. We don't believe it's true but we have to bring you in until we get this sorted out."

"That's crazy!" I interjected. "Dad would never take a bribe!"

"We know Barbara, but right now there is warrant for his arrest and we have to do this."

Renee and Gil tried to comfort me and assured me that things would work out but I pushed them both away. Gotham had a long history of crooked police and a jury would never give my dad a fair chance. He spent his whole life cleaning up the Gotham police force and now they were turning their back on him. My blood was boiling. I didn't know what I was going to do at the time, but I knew I was going to do something.

Many police officers and other citizens who supported my dad organized a rally the next day. People knew that he often worked with Batman to solve his cases which caused very polarizing feelings toward him. I figured if Batman himself showed up, the rally could gain more support and convince the general public of his innocence.

I got on the roof of the police station and turned on the Bat symbol. I had never spoken to him so I was a bit nervous. It felt like meeting a celebrity. A few minutes passed and then he dropped in from his plane and walked up to me. He looked scary but I wasn't scared because I truly believed he was a hero like my dad regarded him as.

"Did you know that my dad has been wrongfully accused of accepting bribes? Someone is framing him?"

"I know."

"If you show up to the rally tomorrow, I really think the city will know he is innocent. Your presence could mean so much, can you go?"

"That's one of the dumbest things I've ever heard. That's what you brought me out here for? I'll work on clearing his name but going to the rally is a waste of time. Don't signal me again unless it's important or you have something to tell me that I don't know. At least something that could help me clear him."

"Fine," I said as Batman grappled to his plane and left. I was disappointed on how blunt and how much of a jerk he was. He was probably right but it didn't sit well with me how unsympathetic he was towards me.

On my way back home I made up mind on something that would change my life forever. "Batman will be there tonight one way or another," I said to myself.

The Rally

I went to the store the next morning and bought the fabric I needed to create my own bat-suit. This was going to be beyond your typical Halloween outfit. I had seen the Batman in person now and thought I could replicate his suit on an appearance level pretty well. I spent the day putting it together and donned it for the rally. My plan was to purposely be spotted at the rally on a rooftop. From that height the audience would recognize it as Batman but wouldn't be able to tell that I was a fake. Once the crowd saw that Batman himself showed up for the rally I was sure everyone would agree that my dad was framed.

I got to the spot long before the rally started and made my way up to the roof. I was on top of the building behind the podium and made my appearance soon after the rally got started. The crowd got very lively as I walked around on the roof showing off my outfit to them. After I felt I made my point, I disappeared out of sight and quickly climbed down using a rope. I was about to ditch my clothes, put it in a bag, and attend the rest of the rally as Barbara Gordon. However, before I could start there was a loud car driving by causing tons of panic in the crowd. I ran around the building to witness the rally turning into a drive-by shooting. One of the cars sped away but the other one received heavy gun fire by the cops in attendance and other security. Two criminals hopped out and started running away towards the location I was in. They didn't appear to be armed anymore so I figured I might be able to stop them. They hadn't seen me and I had the element of surprise to my advantage. My dad had put me in self-defense classes since I was very young so I felt confident that I could handle myself.

I charged in tripping the first thug and then engaging the second. I was able to out maneuver him but couldn't land a decisive blow to take him down. The first thug got up and attacked me. I thought I was about to get double teamed but the second thug took off running. Soon the police were approaching and my first instinct was to stop and let them take it from there. Then I realized that I was still in my batsuit and scared people would find out the real Batman wasn't there. I ran off in the same direction as the second thug but didn't really give chase. I took my mask and cape off so I wouldn't draw as much attention and made my way home.

After a few hours at home by myself, I finally calmed down and watched the news about the shooting at the rally. Interestingly no one was shot. The shooting must have been more to send a message and scare people. I started thinking of the potential reasons for it. Was this just a group of people that didn't support my dad? Was this attack from the same people that framed him? My thoughts were interrupted by a knock on the door.

As I answered I saw Gil Mason. He immediately hugged me and tried to comfort me. "I just wanted to check on you and make sure that you were safe Barbara. Jim told me to look out for you and considering what just happened at the rally we shouldn't take any chances," he said.

"Thanks Gi…. Gil."

My heart skipped as I was responding to him. I recognized the person behind him as the same one I fought at the rally that had ran away. I was terrified that he had recognized me but it didn't appear to be the case. The mask I had on must have hid my face well enough. He certainly would have been able to tell I was a girl and my general build but I doubt our encounter was long enough for him to know it was me. I tried to act as natural as possible and friendly to my guests. When we were alone Gil started getting more touchy feely with me and I was getting uncomfortable. I wanted to snap at him but didn't want to do anything to suggest that I knew he might have been involved with framing my dad. At the same time, he was getting carried away and I had to get him to stop. In a respectful way I told him, "Now is not the time Gil." I was relieved that he took "no" for an answer and backed off for the rest of the night.

I couldn't fall asleep. The idea that Gil had been in on my dad getting framed made me feel like there was nobody I could trust. My dad trusted him and Gil had set him up. I thought I heard something near my window but disregarded it as me possibly being paranoid. Then I heard a second noise, a little bit louder than the first. It looked like a Bat sticker on my window with a note attached. The note read "BE QUIET". Afterwards a figure appeared at my window and let himself inside.

"Are you in danger?" Robin asked.

"No, well I don't think so. What makes you think I am?" I asked.

"Well, if I were you I wouldn't trust Gil Mason. I came here to observe him," Robin said.

"Interesting. Why do you think Gil would put me in danger?"

"I was looking at all the different cameras after the drive-by at the rally. Gil was the first person to duck and I found that very suspicious. He was facing the cars and could have spot the guns first but most people don't react that fast. Also, he ducked in a calm and under control manner instead of showing surprise and panic like a normal person would. I don't have all the dots connected but I am sure that he knew shots were going to be fired at the rally."

"So why don't you and Batman bring him in?"

"I'm not convinced Gil is the big fish here. I think there is more going on or a different mastermind behind it. I want to get more figured out before I act on it."

"You keep saying 'I'… no offense but what is Batman's take on it?"

"Well, that's the other problem. I haven't been able to get in contact with him all day. He was supposed to be undercover but somehow he must have been at the rally. I'm totally confused and can't get a hold of him."

"Well, I have something I should tell you… That wasn't Batman at the rally it was me"

"What?"

"I dressed up like Batman hoping it would convince the people in Gotham my dad was innocent. I ended up fighting two of the criminals while still in the bat-costume and one of those guys was in my house earlier tonight. He came with Gil. So I already figured Gil was crooked."

"I see. Well that solves the mystery on how Batman was at the rally, but it doesn't solve the mystery of what happened to the real one."

"Are you worried?"

"Well, I'm always a little bit worried I guess."

"Is there anything I can do?"

"Just find out anything you can about Gil and use this to contact me."

Robin handed me a mini radio and showed me how to use it. He also gave me a tracker he wanted me to plant on Gil the next time I saw him.

"Do you usually share your stuff like this?"

"No. I trust you though and think you may be able to help me."

That was all the encouragement I needed.

Robin's instructions were simple. Plant a tracker on Gil that he could follow. I intended to do that but decided that I wanted to track Gil myself too. I had learned a lot over the years about the computer technology the police used and developed a passion for computer programming and engineering. I was currently a freshman at Gotham University and my formal studies in computer programming had just started but I already had plenty experience tampering with gadgets and making my own. I spent the whole next day putting together my handheld device that would allow me to follow the same tracker Robin gave me. While working on it, I had the news on and it turned out I made quite a splash. Reporter Veronica Vreeland and her crew had spotted me on camera and there was a bunch of buzz in the city on which the mysterious "Batgirl" was that caught one of the crooks.

When Gil swung by to check on me I hugged him to greet him and slipped the tracker in his pocket. I did my best to act normal and kept questioning him on what he is doing to free my dad. Gil gave me a bunch of excuses for the next 30 minutes until he finally left. Once he was out of sight, I ran up to my room and watched him head west on my handheld tracking device. It didn't provide the best distance measurement but would send me in the right direction. Along with my tracker, I equipped a knife, lockpick, binoculars, and rope within my homemade Batgirl outfit. While driving towards it, I spotted Gil's car and parked a few blocks away before heading towards the empty bar known as Deuces.

I started sneaking towards the building when suddenly I was grabbed from behind. I threw a few elbows but couldn't connect with my attacker and suddenly was launched in the air. Once on the roof, I was able to turn and see that it was Robin and I stopped trying to fight. He looked ticked off.

"What do you think you're doing?"

"I'm following Gil just like you."

"I don't have time for this. Stay put before you get yourself caught or killed."

"I may not have a degree in crime fighting but I know how to handle myself."

"Walking around in the open wearing a Batman outfit is putting a huge target on your back."

"I was not just out in the open."

"Open enough for me to spot you."

We spotted Gil through a window on the phone with some other people in the room, and Robin shot a listening device on the wall right beside it. I asked him what Gil was saying but he kept brushing me off and walking away as he was listening. I decided to do my own digging and used my binoculars to see that Gil wrote down, "S. Gotham Subway – Old River Entr."

"Hey Robin, what did you find out?"

"I know where he is going Barbara. I'll get to the bottom of this but you need to just go home. I'll get to the spot before this meeting goes down and see who he is meeting up with."

"Fine," I lied. "Can you at least get me down?" I asked.

"Okay, hold on." He dropped me off near my car and then took off towards south Gotham. Once I got out the car at the location he appeared out of nowhere.

"Why are you doing this? It takes more than the costume and attitude to do this work."

"Look I've got a reason for being here so…."

"I know you do but if you don't stay out of my way it will put both of us in danger. I found a good stake out spot; we can talk about it from over there."

We continued to disagree but eventually Robin gave up on convincing me to leave. Finally Gil and his squad showed up as well as a separate group that appeared to be a group of mobsters as well. We snuck closer to get a better look. We both looked through our binoculars and confirmed that Robin was right. Gil wasn't the mastermind behind this, he was answering to a familiar nemesis, Two-Face.

It was hard to believe that less than a year ago the mobster we now call Two-Face was district attorney Harvey Dent. He had been the face of justice to our city and the few times I had met him in person he was always a gentleman and class act. Former mafia boss Rupert Thorne had discovered that he suffered from a split personality disorder and blackmailed him until Harvey snapped. During the conflict half of his face was permanently damaged and his inner demons surfaced into his physical appearance. Since that time he has taken such a violent and aggressive crusade against the criminal scum in Gotham he has become one himself. It's a sore spot for anyone that knew him before. I never thought of Two-Face the same way as the other popular villains in Gotham. It never seemed right to group him in with them because he hated each of them so much. Many would even argue that he was fighting the criminal underworld even more than the police and Batman.

"It all makes sense now," Robin said to interrupt my thoughts.

He continued, "Two-Face's end game is to take control of the Gotham police to rid the city of crime in his more 'wild west' vision. Gil became his inside guy and has been able to solve cases others can't because he has been getting intel on criminals from Two-Face. Gil is at the top of his world but Two-Face doubles everything. He has to have a cop in mind he wants to push to commissioner status. However, in order to do that he has damage Gordon's reputation or take him clear out the picture."

"I can't wait to get my hands on him," I replied.

"Oh crap!"

"What is it?"

"They got Batman in there tied up. I'm not sure if they know it's him though."

"How could they not be sure?"

"He is in civilian clothes, I got to get closer and figure out what's goin' on."

Robin tried to leave me behind but I followed him towards the old subway entrance. We got close enough for me to barely hear parts of the conversation.

"We found this guy snoopin' around our territory and I don't like it. Gil, does this guy look familiar to you?" Two-Face asked him.

"No, you brought me down here just for that? Just kill the guy and dump him in the river, he's a nobody," Gil said.

"I make the calls, not you, and don't you forget that," Two-Face said to Gil with some disdain. I tried to climb up to where Robin was but lost my footing causing my hands and feet to make a loud enough sound for Two-Face and his goons to hear. I really screwed up.

"Who's there!" Two-Face yelled.

Then I heard another voice I hadn't heard yet yell, "Robin, now!"

A smoke dust filled the room and the whole area became absolute chaos. I was hearing tons of grunts of people in pain and saw a guy that looked like a henchmen burst out of the smoke with hands tied behind his back. He turned to look at me and I prepared to defend myself.

"Get out now!" he yelled at me as he continued to run outside the abandoned subway station.

I started running out as well and soon Robin was right behind us. Two-Face and a few of his henchmen were on our trail.

Robin yelled out to us, "Batman, Batgirl, take my motorcycle, I can find my own way out of this."

Batman said, "No! You two take it!"

Robin replied, "I have my gadgets you don't! Now get her to safety! Wait, where are you going?!"

It was too late. I had stopped listening. I saw Gil Mason running towards a little speed boat and there was no way I was going to let him get away after what he put me and my dad through.

By the time he took the ropes off and got the boat started I was able to dive into it. He started driving away and then turned to face me. Fighting on the speedboat was incredibly tough for both us. It was hard to keep any real balance due to all the rocking and eventually he fell on top of me and started trying to choke me. In the struggle, my mask came off and he suddenly paused in shock.

"I didn't know it was you Barbara," he said with a dropped jaw.

"Would it have mattered Gil?!" I yelled at him angrily.

His hesitation led to his downfall as I was able to free himself and headbutt him twice in the face before being able to free up my arm and land a few punches. The boat was still moving at a decently fast pace and heading toward what might have been an oil rig. I jumped off and watched the speed boat collide and Gil crash into it out the corner of my eye. Afterwards I swam towards some of the wreckage hoping to find parts on the boat I could use as a raft. Fortunately the Batwing soon showed up flying over my head and Robin dived down to grab me out the water. He had a cord attached to his body that hoisted us both up and into the Batwing. Afterwards, he found Gil and we took him directly to the hospital. Batman now had on his mask although he was still in civilian clothes.

"We got to get you to a doctor too Batman," Robin said.

It appeared during the struggle Batman had been shot twice but neither was fatal. For the past few years all I heard was stories about how invulnerable he was but right then I realized he was just as human as anybody else. He is extremely tough, but still human.

After we dropped Batman off by a Dr. Leslie Thompkins, Robin and I had a moment to talk.

"I'm sorry I blew your cover at the station. That was stupid, I should've stayed behind."

"It's okay, I'm over it. I had to learn the same lessons when I first started."

"So how did you become Batman's sidekick?"

"That's not something I'm at liberty to talk about. Plus you're a detective just like your dad, if I give you clue, you may actually figure it out."

"Fine."

"But anyway, I know we got off on the wrong foot but I wanted you to know, that you do show potential for crime fighting. We don't like the idea of other people taking the same risks that we do and don't get me wrong, I don't what you to do something like this ever again. But if you do, don't go alone. Please contact us and get us involved from the start."

Robin handed me a device that could signal him whenever I needed to.

"Thanks," I said.

Although I felt like I got his point, Robin continued to explain, "We protect the city so people like you don't have to. If someone gets killed because they were inspired to fight crime because of Batman, he may feel enough guilt to give it all up. Just keep that in mind."

"Okay, I got it. Let's say I do use the Batgirl persona and I coordinate with you guys. Then will you make me part of your team?

"I don't know. The point is, after you cross a certain line you have to be all the way in. This means being on call all the time to fight crime. I don't think you want that. Even if you do want it, trust me, you don't want it yet."

"I think you are right about that actually. But you could at least tell me your secret identity?"

"No. If you know that, you need to be all the way in. I do like the idea of growing the family a little bit and you playing the role as an ally. But an ally as Barbara Gordon instead of Batgirl though. I know he will reject the idea but if he can work with your dad for the big cases, maybe you can work with me on some of the smaller or overlooked ones. I think eventually he will warm up to it and you can become an honorary member of the team."

Although Gil survived, he had a serious concussion in the crash and had a hazy memory of the whole day. This kept my secret safe as Batgirl. It wasn't long before Robin contacted me about a mission he needed assistance with.