"What's wrong?" she asks as I grab my suitcase.
"I'm not sure , but I have a bad feeling." I respond while yanking the bottom liner of my bag.
I begin to recall my dream again while grabbing my cat suit. Harley sits up with her eyes and mouth wide open.
I toss the costume on the bed. I carefully examine the tiny weapons stored inside. I check my boots and my mask then toss it back in the bag.
I fidget with my bag worrying of what to say.
"What are you doing? Where are you going? She asks me.
(crap! Stall, Selina...stall... I want to do this on my own...too late..She will only follow me...I don't have time to wrestle her. Besides she is going to find out...Guess sooner is now,not later..)
"I think Batman may be in trouble Harley!"
"Batman? Batman? He's in Italy?" she yells jumping to her feet.
"Yes. I met with him last night." I start to leave when she yells.
"Why? Why would he be here?"
I tug at the teeth of the zipper and toss it over my shoulder.
(I can't tell her why he is here, I can't tell her why we are all here. )I stall again grabbing my cell phone.
"He is here investigating a possible weapon of mass destruction."
((there that wasn't a total lie...)
Harley leans into a backbend then reaches under the bed pulling out her costume.
"I knew I needed to pack this!" she says straightening her torso back up grinning.
She pivots back and forth the balls of her feet tossing her red, black and white costume into the air. (Jingle Jangle, jingle jangle.)
I tap at the walls to alert Ivy and Ted to get up.
We stand on the terrace discussing our next means of action. Ivy is pissed as hell that Harley is coming with us. She eyes me the entire time with a repugnant scowl. I try to lighten the mood and c ough suggesting that we eat breakfast. I reason to them that it will be a long day. I ask Harley to run downstairs and grab us some coffee and croissants.
As soon as the door shuts I turn to Ivy and Ted. "Maybe we should just tell her the truth?" I reason.
Ivy twirls her red locks frowning "Why? so she can go ballistic ?" "I knew it was a bad idea bringing her here!"
"Listen Ivy, she would figure it out eventually. She is smart and quite frankly if the Joker has pals here I would bet on Harley any day of the week to take them out!"
"True, but if faced with her ex she may actually defend HIM!"
"Over US?" I shout.
"Come on? she would DIE for US!" I argue.
"Yeah and for HIM, she did it all the time remember? Remember all the abuse?" Ivy snaps back stroking a leaf of Ivy on the bodice under her robe.
"Yeah Ivy but she knows he is no good." "Yeah but she always goes back!" Ivy says with a firm nod.
Ted chimes in "She's right Selina." "We can't make her choose. She needs to stay out of this."
Ivy nods. "I don''t want her involved in any of this and if it goes south I am prepared to take the fall. I would rather live my life in jail then let that maniac run free another day!"
"We all want that and we are willing to take that risk. The Joker is scarey enough but add a weapon of mass destruction in his evil white gloves and we...we have no other choice but to take him out.
"Perhaps we can bring him in?" Wildcat argues.
"That is the same old song that has been played for too long. Now too manly lives will be at risk." I argue back rolling my eyes.
"Count me in!" Ted says complacent lighting a cigar and looks out toward the ocean..
We pause now wondering how long Harley has been standing in the room.
"Here's breakfast guys!"
"What have I missed?" she says eagerly.
"Oh we were just going over places to begin our search." I say quickly.
(does she know?)
We all look at one another in silence.
We decide to split up. Ivy goes with Harley. I tell Ted I have to make a stop at the Marina first. We grab our gear of costume and weapons and catch a taxi to the marina. We arrive at the dock and I jump out telling Ted to wait. I race aboard the Catalina looking wildy. I dash down the tiny steps yelling "Bruce?" "May I help you?" a voice sounds from below.
"Oh Alfred! Is he here? Please say he is here. I need to see him!"
"I apologize Ms. Kyle but Master Bruce is not present."
"Do you know where he is?"
"No Ms. Kyle. I thought he would be spending the day with you. He told me to take the day off and get some sun and sea air. I should have known he was up to something."
"Do you have any idea where he may have gone? I am worried."
"Worried? Why?"
"He didn't answer my calls, and...and...and I had a bad dream."
"Now Ms. Kyle . Do calm down. He is quite capable of taking care of himself. He would never put himself in any situation that he couldn't get out of." (Alfred recalls all the many nights he returned wounded, even times when he thought he would breath his very last breath.)
"Alfred, cut the bullshit! We all know he puts himself in danger all the time. I fear he is doing that now to keep us from facing the Joker ourselves. Are you going to help me or not?"
"Perhaps he overslept?" Alfred says with palms out.
Alfred calls his cell then dials the Villa.
"No answer. Now let us remain calm I know someone who can locate him."
He opens a lap top and types. The live chat shows a pretty red head with glasses close up.
"Hello Al!" the read head says with ease.
"Good day Oracle, or is it night there?" "Who is that?" she asks pointing into the screen.
"Oh pardon my manners .Why ,this Ms Selina Kyle."
"Ms. Kyle this is Oracle." he says waving his hand side to side.
" I wondered when I would meet you. Congratulations Ms. Kyle!"
"Uhhh Thank you." "Is this about the wedding? You know this is for emergency use only."
Alfred nods a slow uneasy no. "Oracle it may be one.. "Oracle, Do you mind checking to see that our Bat is well?"
She nods and taps on her keyboard. " Let me see what my nav map shows." A huge screen lights up behind her showing her a global map. She zooms in.
"Busy! He has been busy!"
Alfred nods.
"Let me see." she says and taps at her keyboard faster.
"He evidently took the air glider out early this morning then landed north on the island." She points to a screen behind her. "Hmmm he also seems to have activated some weapons?"
"weapons?" I shriek.
"Yes and let me see now. I should be able to contact him now." she says tapping louder.
"That's odd."
What?"
"He's not responding."
Oracle types some more on a different keyboard.
"His signal is too weak I keep losing it.
There must be interference. Let me try to locate him by way of his suit." she clicks nore keys.
"Nothing...
Belt?
Nothing."
She clicks at another keyboard and spins a dial. "I'm blocked! Impossible! I designed this system!"
Oracle taps faster frowning and nodding her head frantically. She speaks into a tiny head set then throws it on her desk.
"I've lost the signal!" "Let me check . No pending me try my back up code.
What? denied? That's impossible!" Oracle now sits in totally still.
(I feel sick. I feel like throwing up)
"Where are you?" Oracle says into the screen while biting her lip.
"Wait. Let me think. What was he doing last? Who saw him recently?" she asks staring at us through the pc.
"I did. Last night."
"Did he mention anything to you?"
"No."
"think Selina..."
"uhh well he mentioned the island and it's dimensions..."
"go on..."
"Umm he mentioned the food."
"what kind?"
"What does that have to do...
"He may have bought it at a market there."
"Oh well he had wines and yes he mentioned the museum and the opera and of a Sphinx parapet...yes he said he had visited it."
"Master Bruce has gone to all those places before but the only one recently was to the Opera. He had me tend to the menu." Alfred said hurridly.
Oracle begins to zoom via satellite real time over the opera house.
"anything else?" she pleads.
"Uhhhh." I stammer "I suggest you tell us everything now. Did he say anything else Selina?"
"No."
"Are you sure?"
I place my hand over my face in worry.
"Think!"
"Anything at all?"
"Ummm well he uhhh gave me this."
I raise my hand up to the screen.
"Put that closer to the webcam."
"ahhhhh push down and twist it."
"what?"
"PUSH DOWN AND TWIST THE BAND NOW!" I grab the ring and push and turn. "nothing."
"Try it the other direction"
"Oh my god! You have got to be kidding?" I shout. "This is one of his designs." Alfred says eyeying the piece.
"And I would congratulate you but now is not the time." Alfred says as he inspects the data.
The bands top now slides neatly under the top layer exposing a hollow space. A tiny chip sits in the center. "Alfred." Oracle says.
"On it." He replies.
Alfred grabs a set of tweezers from the bathroom and touches the chip in the center. The chip begins to glow. He slides the disk into a larger disc and inserts it into the side of the laptop. He mimimizes the lap top screen and begins to log in.
"Got a signal."
"Where? Where is he?"
"He's mobile."
Heading further north.
Alfred maximizes the laptop screen.
"He is moving fast"
Send me the thread and I will see what I can do. I will contact you on your cell with the co-ordinates. He takes his cell phone and uses a barnacle wify tether and sends the link to Oracle after plugging the cell up to the lap top. "Loading now." He says into the screen.
"Got it. Be in touch...Oracle out."
