Chapter Two:
Believing the Truth
When Caitlyn woke the next morning, it took her a while to remember why she felt so miserable. She was in the bed she normally slept in during over night visits at her grandparents place, but now this would be her permanent home. At least until she was nineteen when she could move back in to the suite she'd grown up in.
She sighed, and grumbled a little as she struggled to untangle herself from her bed sheets. Since apparently she'd been having nightmares that night. It was a good thing that she rarely remembered her dreams, otherwise she wouldn't be able to focus during the day. And focusing was hard enough for her right now as it was.
Caitlyn decided wore a purple v-neck sweater today, blue jeans, and white tennis shoes as it was a slightly colder day. Her brown hair was held back with a violet headband, and she had her backpack slung over her shoulders in her usual manner. There was also the bracelet that her mother gave her the day before she was killed, and she decided to wear it out of respect of her parents.
Looking at herself in the mirror, it was hard for her to imagine life without her parents at the moment. She half expected them to be outside in the kitchen, her mother working on breakfast while her father worked on his latest sketch for his cartoon in the papers. She hoped this was all an illusion of sorts, that when she closed the door behind her, this room would fade away to reveal she was really still in the suite she'd grown up in. That things would be the same.
She didn't think of her friends as she brushed her hair, sitting on the edge of the bed and looking at herself in the mirror directly across from it. All she saw was a pale, groggy Caitlyn staring vacantly back at her, with a tear stained face. She normally was not one to cry or give in to pain. But this was different. And she figured that if no one saw her crying, it all would be ok in the end, and she wouldn't have to endure comments about being weak or not having the nerve to handle a funeral in the near future.
"Caitlyn, you'd better come out and have some breakfast before you head out to school."
Her grandmother's voice reminded her that this was all very real, none of this was fake. And with a jolt, she felt her heart feeling as though a hand were squeezing around it, her hand give a slight jerk when she was just finishing brushing her hair.
"Coming, Nana." She said, keeping her voice cheerful and calm as possible.
Taking several deep breaths to calm herself again, she grabbed her back pack and went to join her grandparents to enjoy the first of many meals together.
"Cate!" Leia saw Caitlyn walking the street not from her parent's home, but from her grandparents.
Caitlyn turned to see Leia running towards her, the blond girl's face white with worry, eyes red from obvious crying.
Leia wore a light green sweater, and dark navy blue jeans that day, while her own tennis shoes had a green stripe around the bottom. Her hair was tied back in to two braids that hung low over her shoulders.
"Leia! Sorry I didn't call you yesterday..." Caitlyn smiled as Leia hugged her tightly, sounding as casual as she could manage even though her voice was still slightly strained.
"Cate, I was so worried! It was all over the news, and Nana Barbie called...And...And..." Leia pulled back, fresh tears in her normally brilliant blue eyes. It had been clear that she'd been bawling her eyes out over the incident, which concerned Caitlyn. "I'm just glad you're ok!" She made sure not to mention Caitlyn's parents, as her sister had advised that night.
"Don't worry about me, Leia. At least you didn't get involved, otherwise you most likely would've been killed just for being there. You heard what the report said on why those Twins killed my parents? The same would've happened to you, so I'm glad you were safe." Smiled Caitlyn, noticing that many of their classmates were staring at her as they walked by, all either wore looks of stunned shock that she'd come back the very next day after such a tragedy, or concern and clearly wondering if she was really ok. "Did news about what happened really spread that fast?" She blinked as they walked in to the school.
"Oh yeah, Mel sent out the fog horn to the troupe, and then it just ballooned from there. We weren't really expecting you to be back at school today in all honesty." Sniffed Leia, rubbing her bloodshot eyes. "We thought you would need time to take care of the shock of it all."
"Mom and Dad wouldn't have wanted me to put my life on hold for this... but Nana is forbidding me from any after school activities for a while..." Shrugged Caitlyn as they paused in front of their lockers. She scratched the back of her head as Melody approached them.
"Not really surprising." Said Melody, having overheard them. "But I do hope you'll be here for cheerleader tryouts at least. Gotta find two new girls for the troupe. And it wouldn't seem right without you!"
Caitlyn blinked in surprise at her opinion mattering so much to Melody, the leader of the troupe in the first place.
"Yeah. Turns out the Dee Twins were the ones responsible for the murders, so they won't be able to come back to school for quite a while. Gotta love Gotham City... never a dull moment." Shrugged Emmaline, who had come over to the trio.
"Hey, is it true that Batman turned up?" Asked Melody, and Caitlyn nodded, still pondering how the Dee Twins could've gone so bad without anyone noticing anything. She didn't hear the crazed fangirl squeals in response to that simple act of nodding to Melody's question. Still pondering the facts about the Dee Twins and the depth of their madness. She wasn't really surprised, she'd been at the police station and watched as the Dee Twin's faces were revealed as all the make-up they'd worn was wiped clean. She knew the people who'd killed her parents were behind bars. But that did nothing to abate her anger or her grief. She just buried those emotions since she knew it would get her nowhere right now, as she grabbed her books out of her bag, pens and notebooks from her locker.
Leia then tapped Caitlyn on the shoulder, and when Caitlyn looked over, Leia pointed behind and she saw Terry McGinnis approaching.
"Hey, heard about what happened." Terry said with a wave.
"You and everyone else." Caitlyn replied coldly, well aware that the young man was a friend of her grandmother's through Bruce Wayne. But that didn't mean she had to like him. "Why don't you get lost, McGinnis? There's probably another street brawl you could get in at lunch or something." She turned back to her friends.
"Ouch. Just wanted to see if everything was ok." He shrugged. "But it looks like you and that whip of yours are just fine. Tell your grandma I said hi." He backed off when he saw the glare from Caitlyn's green eyes and went to rejoin his friends. He was somehow strongly reminded of how cold Barbara had been when he first took the mantle of Batman, when he received that rather rude treatment from Caitlyn. He wasn't really offended though, as he remembered the events which took place just the day before. He didn't know if he should be impressed or disturbed at the fact that it looked as though she'd not shed a single tear for the death of her parents, and kept plowing on through life without loosing grip on reality.
When Caitlyn returned home from school later that day, she was exhausted and taking a long drink from her diet pepsi bottle she'd gotten from the soda machine in the cafeteria right after the last bell rang. She had not heard from her grandparents all day, and just assumed they were busy with work, and getting things ready for her parents' funeral. She didn't notice that the lights were still turned off in the house as she wiped sweat from her forehead, but she flipped the lights back on as she walked through the house that would be her home for the next three years.
She saw a note on the refrigerator written by her grandmother-
Expect a visitor after school. We'll be home after six. Love Grandma + Grandpa.
As Caitlyn looked in the pantry for something to snack on, she heard a knocking on the door and figured that must be the visitor. She left the pack of oreos on the counter top, kicking her backpack underneath the dining table as she went by, and unlocked the door before opening it. Her green eyes went wide in surprise.
"Mr. Wayne!" She exclaimed, jumping a little in her surprise at receiving such an important guest in this household. It had been a long time since she'd seen the elderly man, who now stood on her doorstep wearing his usual black suit. And standing behind him was none other than McGinnis.
"You didn't tell me this was who you were visiting." Terry looked rather unamused, considering he rarely got along with the girl that had greeted them.
"I was close to Barbara's family for a while. So the least you could do is show her granddaughter some respect." Snapped Bruce. He then turned back to Caitlyn, who still wasn't quite sure what to think about having the multi-millionaire tycoon on her doorstep.
But she did like the fact that Bruce seemed to be one of the few people who could keep McGinnis quiet...At least for a while.
"Well, why don't you come in? I could make some coffee if you like..." She said, stepping aside.
"Thank you. But I prefer milk, if it's available." Bruce and Terry both walked in. "How've you been since yesterday?" He asked as he settled himself on a recliner in the living room.
"I've been ok..." Shrugged Caitlyn from the kitchen which could be clearly seen from the living room. "I mean, I'd be lying if I said I wasn't upset about what happened to mom and dad but there's not really much I can do about it now." She handed a cup of milk to Mr. Wayne.
"They were good people. I watched your mother grow up in to a very powerful person in the law firm." Nodded Bruce, taking a drink of the milk. "It was hard watching what was happening on the news."
Caitlyn decided she couldn't ignore McGinnis forever and looked up.
"Do you want anything?" She asked.
"Soda if you got one." He shrugged and she went to the fridge, glad that her grandparents had a rather healthy stock of soda beverages for her, so she handed one to him.
"So what are you going to do now?" Asked Bruce, watching the young girl with his steely eyes.
"Dunno. Never really planned far enough ahead to think about a future without my parents..." She scratched the back of her head as she thought.
"Have you thought about looking deeper in to why the Jokerz group attacked your family in the first place?" Bruce pressed the subject.
"Looking deeper in to it?" Caitlyn blinked at the old man. "Are you suggesting there's more to that case than meets the eye, Mr. Wayne?"
"Smart girl." Smiled Bruce. "Yes, being a friend of your grandmother's, I decided to do a bit of digging myself a few weeks back when I first got wind that something was amiss in the Police Commissioner's office. During one of the Jokerz' earlier heists, they'd stolen something that at the time seemed inconsequential..." Bruce paused to take another drink of the coffee while it was still warm.
"What was that, Mr. Wayne?" Caitlyn was staring intently at the elderly man.
"Security codes to the Police Commissioner's personal files. So I had extra security set up to at least delay the hackers and be able to track them." Bruce replied.
Terry watched the two talk, for once keeping quiet. He wondered what on earth Bruce could be up to, coming to talk to Caitlyn like this the day after her parents had been killed. When most likely Caitlyn would rather be left alone to manage herself. From what he remembered, Caitlyn could handle herself rather well. Even if she was looking rather upset at the moment.
"So what you're suggesting, Mr. Wayne, is that there could be someone from within Grandma's foundation that weakened security enough for the Dee twins to hack in to her files..." Caitlyn's mind was going rather fast at the moment. Mr. Wayne had got her thinking. How HAD the Dee girls managed to hack in to her grandmother's personal files and found out something that was worth the lives of two people if they didn't get their father out from the nut house in the first place? "How did Batman get on the case so quick anyways?" She asked when another thought struck her mind. "I mean... you seem to know everything that goes on in this city, after all, Mr. Wayne. I mean, if not for Batman, things could've been a lot worse than they were..." Her eyes were narrowed, and rather than being as pale as she had been for the last two days, her face was full of color and interest the more they spoke together. Bruce Wayne was certainly an interesting old man, she figured.
Terry was watching Caitlyn talking with Bruce, glad that at least here she couldn't send snide comments at him or push him away as she normally would have done if they were at school, or anywhere in the public. He was not sure he liked the reaction she had to Bruce's comments and hints about her families' death, but he kept quiet knowing how nasty Bruce could get if he was interrupted.
Bruce couldn't help the cocky little smirk that curled his lips behind his cup of coffee.
"That, I couldn't tell you even if I knew." He said unblinkingly. "Though I do agree that his help was essential. I would suggest maybe looking a little deeper in to the true meaning behind their deaths. But that is only up to you, of course."
Caitlyn blinked at the elderly man, then over at McGinnis, who shrugged as if to say 'don't look at me'.
"Thank you for the milk." Bruce set the cup down on the coffee table as he took up his cane again. "I've made sure my schedule is clear so I can attend their funeral." He looked over at Terry. "Let's get going."
"Sure." Said the younger man with a shrug, making sure to take his soda with him.
"Thanks for stopping by, Mr. Wayne." Caitlyn said as the two headed for the door. "Feel free to come by any time."
"I'll keep that in mind. Take care of yourself." Smiled Bruce as she held the door open for them.
When the door closed behind them, Terry finally spoke up.
"Why'd you have to come here? She looked like she was completely upset by what you were telling her." He said as they walked down the steps.
"Is that what you saw?" Bruce asked the younger man. "That's not what I saw when I looked at her."
"What then?" Asked a slightly annoyed Terry.
"Anger... And determination." Said Bruce in his rather simple manner. "She is not Barbara's granddaughter for nothing... Remember who Barbara used to be, Terry..."
"Tell me you're not trying to start a feud or something..." Terry moaned as he sat in the driver's seat of the car.
"Better than having some punk breaking in to the Bat Cave and stealing the Bat Suit." Grumbled Bruce in response.
"You STILL haven't forgotten that? I thought by now you'd at least have let that go..." Terry's eyes went wide at the mentioning of how he had become Batman in the first place a year ago. "Wouldn't it be better to leave the case to the police or me?"
"But the Police and Batman can only take this so far." Replied Bruce as he sat in the passengers' seat.
Caitlyn sat back at the dining table, crossing her hands and resting her chin on them as she thought about what Bruce had informed her on. She leaned back in her chair, having forgotten about her homework from school, as she considered her options. Her grandmother was hiding something about herself, but it wasn't like she could just barge in to the office and start demanding the truth. If something were to be done in regards to digging deeper in to the truth as to why she and her parents had been targeted, she had to find a different means of getting information out of her grandparents.
When her grandparents arrived back home that evening, Caitlyn saw already that something was different. Not only did her grandmother hold a box which told her it held some kind of clothing, their expressions were that of people who were resigned to something which would have only come to light in the worst of circumstances.
"What sounds good for dinner tonight, honey? We can have whatever you want." Asked Barbara.
"How about we have pizza?" Asked Caitlyn at once. It was her favorite, after all.
Dick blinked, then chuckled.
"Hawaiian, right? Extra pineapple and cheese?" He asked as he went to the phone and picked up the receiver. He ordered from the restaurant that he knew his granddaughter loved best in all of Gotham City, and asked for it to be delivered to their place that day instead of them going to pick up the order.
"I see someone's been in to the oreos and soda already today." Blinked Barbara, the evidence clearly on the dining room table.
"Yeah... sorry about that. Mr. Wayne dropped by and I kind of forgot to clean up." Caitlyn looked rather embarrassed, hurrying to clean up the mess.
"Ah, I thought he might visit today." Nodded Dick as he counted the money, pulling out the bills from his wallet. "How did it go?"
There was a pause. Then Caitlyn told them what they'd discussed.
"Nana, I think this goes deeper than the investigators at the police station want us to believe." She said at the end. "Is there something I need to know? Why were my parents killed? What did the Dee twins really want?"
Barbara and Dick looked at each other. This was clearly not what they were expecting.
"Do you really want to know the truth, dear? Because once you know, your life will never be the same again... and you'll never be able to turn back." Barbara looked at her granddaughter, who blinked stubbornly but nodded in response. The elderly woman sighed. "Then follow me... Dick, would you mind waiting up here for the pizza?"
"Not at all, Barbie..." He answered, using his own nickname for his wife.
Barbara adjusted the box in her left hand while gripping the cane in her right.
The house was a large two story home, and it was usually very tidy considering the amount of money that Barbara made as Police Commissioner of Gotham City. The floor was a carpet and a deep shade of emerald. The walls were white, but to balance things out, there were pictures in black frames in the hallway that led to the basement. Caitlyn remembered visiting this house since she had been a small child, and she knew it like she knew the suite she'd grown up in. The dining room was on the western side of the home, just to the left of the kitchen which was currently flooded in the orange light from the blazing sun outside. The floor of the kitchen was linoleum tiling, this being emerald checkerboard style with the squares lined in pale gold. The furniture in the living room, which was on the eastern end of the house, was black leather while the tables were deep mahogany and the coffee end tables on either side of the two couches in an L shape were mahogany and glass. The lamps were faded gold bronze, and the television that was mounted on the wall was a large, flat screen. There was a book case on either side of the television, full of books and DVDs. There was a potted plant in an emerald ceramic pot in each corner of the living room the biggest being on the end with the television. And in the center of the room was a large table with National Geographic magazines, a pile Gotham City Times newspapers, a florescent lamp, and a cribbage board with a pack of cards.
Though the home was fairly modern, it had the feeling of being lived in for generations. It was welcoming to Caitlyn right now. Some parts where her parents normally inhabited still felt to her as though they were still there in a strange sense. The dining table was large and round, while there were two buffets in the dining room against the wall to the left of the table full of everything old sets of china, to rare collectable birds of prey, like the Eagle or Crow. And a shelf on the opposite wall held medals of honor that the elderly couple had earned over the years, kept shining and glimmering as though it had just been placed there.
As the pair moved from the kitchen to the hallway, Caitlyn looked around the all too familiar scene. Pictures of their family lined the walls on either side of them, all framed in black. She could see her mother as a small child, and Barbara and Dick looking much younger than they were now. She stopped walking when Barbara had passed the staircase that led up to the bedroom level of the house, and was at a door that Caitlyn had never before been allowed to go through. She clearly remembered being caught several times either by one of her parents, or one of her grandparents while she was growing up, trying to sneak in to the room beyond the door.
She was surprised when she saw Barbara pulling out a key, and unlocking the door.
A second later, Caitlyn's eyes were nearly dazzled as Barbara turned on the lights. She then saw a small, narrow stair case that led down to what she had expected to be a regular basement. Instead, Caitlyn's eyes went wide and she felt her mouth fall open.
All along the walls were computer screens, and panels below those computers with knobs and buttons that looked far beyond the technological advances of their time. There was the wheel chair that she'd seen her grandmother in when she was still a small child sitting before the computer panels.
"Nana...what?" Caitlyn stared at what she saw, and looked at the older woman as she walked up to the computer panels, pressing a button. She looked as screen after screen came on.
"Long ago, before you were born, I used to help Batman from this post. While I may not have a Bat Cave like he did, I was still just as efficient." Barbara said, looking up at the screens as she placed the box on an empty panel that didn't have a keyboard. "At least, before the incident... I was just as valuable an ally as Robin, or Catwoman."
"Grandma... Are you saying... You were...?" Caitlyn walked up beside her grandmother, as she opened the box and Caitlyn saw what was in it.
"I was the original Batgirl, Caitlyn. And your grandfather was the Robin of that age. His family had been killed during a horrible incident... We met shortly after. But years later, when I was shot by the Jokers' wife, Harley Quinn, I was paralyzed for a time. So I helped your grandfather, who had by then become Nightwing. And when she came of age, your mother was the next Batgirl." Barbara pulled out the suit that was in the box.
It was hard for Caitlyn to absorb all of this information. Her grandmother had been the original Batgirl, and then her mother! She stared, blinking, her mouth hanging open as she gaped at what her grandmother held out to her. It felt as though she'd been through an ice cold car wash, buffeted about here and here, still cold on the inside as she tried to digest all of this.
There was a dark purple, nearly black leather mask with white almond shaped spots at the eyes lined in yellow. Slits for the nose, and the ears were long, and pointed like blades. She set the mask aside and pulled out gloves that cut off at the elbow and wrist, trimmed in yellow. From the outside on each glove were two more of the blade like spikes exactly three inches apart, but two feel long. The suit itself looked skin tight, and made from a combination of leather and spandex. It too was dark purple, nearly black. There was no cape, Caitlyn saw, but on the front at the chest was a canary yellow bat insignia that stood out vividly among the darkness of the main outfit. The sleeves were the same shade of dark purple, as were the legs and waist. The boots were high heeled and made of the same fabric, knee length and if not for the fact that they were trimmed in same shade of canary yellow as the bat insignia, gloves and around the eyes of the mask, she wouldn't be able to tell they were a different part of the outfit. The top of these boots were lined with a triangle shape, cut down the center about three inches in the form of side ways crescents. At the very bottom of the box was revealed a belt held together with a canary yellow bat-a-rang used as a belt buckle. The utility belt itself was gun metal silver.
"With the situation being as it is... I can hardly put on this suit and prance in to the police office demanding whoever killed my daughter and son-in-law to come forward. It would take someone much younger, and much more suited for this kind of activity to be able to pull this off." Barbara turned back to face her granddaughter, leaning against the panels, her hands resting on the cane she used to walk with. "I hoped you would never have to take up the mantle and responsibility of being Batgirl... I wanted you to live a normal, peaceful life. But it seems that fate will not let that happen... if you choose to accept this suit... You accept a different lifestyle than what you have been raised to accept."
"Grandma... You mean you WANT me to...?" Blinked Caitlyn, her throat feeling so constricted that she could not finish the sentence. All that had happened that day since she got home from school had her mind spinning. "But...I thought you WOULDN'T after what's gone down..."
Barbara had a steely glint in her eyes. Despite her age, the look still made Caitlyn back up a little.
"Just because my family was murdered by those close to the Joker does NOT mean I do not want something done about it. While Batman's help was essential to your survival, Cate, I feel that something more should be done to ensure this never happens again. You've seen how inadequate the police are in handling these situations." Barbara said as Dick came in a short while later with the large pizza in his hands and a soda as well as plates with plastic forks balancing on top of the pizza delivery box.
"So what do you say? As Caitlyn Boardener, you cannot get very far in this investigation. But as Batgirl, you could change the out come of this situation." Dick said, putting a couple of slices of the pizza on a plate and handing it to Caitlyn, who took it, still quiet and thoughtful looking as she stared at the Batgirl suit.
"Didn't you have a cape or something?" She asked her grandmother, who smiled.
"That was a long time ago. The former Batman has that suit now. I made this one before Dick retired from his role as Nightwing, and kept it in a safety deposit box until the day I would need it. Besides, capes and cloaks went out of fashion years ago." Barbara shrugged. "I won't let my granddaughter be laughed at when she's trying to save her city."
"So... if I become Batgirl... will you be helping me?" Caitlyn looked at Barbara as she took a bite out of her pizza.
"No... I still have my duties as the Police Commissioner of Gotham City to attend to. Dick will be your mentor while you are on the field." Barbara looked over at her husband, who nodded as he handed her a slice of pizza on a plate with a plastic fork. "I will help out when I can, though. It would be too suspicious if I suddenly stopped my life long work with the Police and you appeared on the scene."
"It'll be just like the old days when I was showing you my tricks I learned at the circus." Dick winked at his granddaughter. Only the stakes will be much higher now, of course." He added, now munching on his own slice of pizza.
"You do not have to decide right away... This is a big decision to make. However-" Barbara was interrupted.
"NO. I want to become Batgirl." Caitlyn said at once. "Batman didn't do a good enough job on the situation when my parents died. If he'd really been trying, they would still be alive." Her eyes were narrowed as she said what had been on her mind since she came to live here. She finished off her second slice of pizza.
"Then you'll need to try on the suit first, to make sure it fits." Barbara was surprised at how quick her granddaughter had come to that conclusion. So she blamed Batman, not the Dee twins, for the death of her parents?
"Right." Caitlyn took the suit and went upstairs, setting her plate down on the pizza box before leaving. As she changed, she found she rather liked the feel of it. It seemed to conform to every curve of her body, and when she put on the mask her hair bunched up in the back, and she saw that she had full visibility despite the fact that the mask covered her whole head, she liked the feel as she stepped back in to the computer room.
"Not bad." Barbara nodded.
'Not bad' was a bit of an understatement, in Dick's opinion. He thought he was looking at a clone of his wife, minus the lack of red hair and cape.
"The first lead you need to check out are a couple of my employees... Eric Johnson, and James McDonald." Said Barbara.
"Anything about this suit that I should know?" Asked Caitlyn, flexing her fingers and looking at them.
There was a pause as Barbara considered this question.
"The suit will magnify your strength ten fold, and it is virtually indestructible." She replied. "You'll be able to breathe underwater, withstand electrocution, it's fire proof, and your utility belt has virtually everything Batgirl will need while fighting. The feet of your suit have rockets that will activate at will, and are magnetically charged so you can stand on any surface, upright or other wise. There is a cloaking device that will make you invisible when you need to act in stealth. And the suit has wings that can be activated when you need to fly. Don't worry about gracefulness right away, there will be time for proper training after you complete this first mission." She added.
"Sweet." Caitlyn said with a smile beneath her mask as she found out the fingers of the suit could extend in to claws. "In other words, I can kick some serious ass now in this outfit."
Dick burst out laughing at this statement, while Barbara raised one of her eyebrows with something resembling a bit of a smirk was on her face.
"We'll just have to see how much ass you can kick when you actually get out on the field. Which will be now. Don't worry, we'll save you plenty of pizza for when you get back." Dick said.
While it was still incredible for her to believe, that her grandparents and her own mother had once been some of her favorite super heroes, and now she was Batgirl, she nodded.
"There's also a two way communication system between the Bat suit and the Command Center here. So we'll always be able to be in touch, so long as you keep that mask on. Never take it off." Dick instructed his granddaughter as she turned from them. "Your identity is your most valuable possession. If your enemies find out who you really are, then it will be all over."
"Is there a way for me to leave without drawing attention to this place?" Batgirl turned to look back at her grandparents.
"Yes. A secret entrance." Barbara hit a button, and Batgirl saw a door slide open with a hiss, revealing a passage way that went underground.
"Nice." And she walked out without another word.
Dick looked over at Barbara as the door hissed close.
"You think it was a good idea, giving Cate the Batgirl suit?" He asked.
"I don't know..." She replied. "But I have to get back to work. Good luck." She hugged her husband before leaving the Command Center as she heard Dick pulling out a chair from a hidden closet.
It seemed to Barbara that her family could never truly say goodbye to the name Batgirl, even after all this time. She sighed, her heart heavy with the weight of what she'd just put on Caitlyn's shoulders. She wondered if the young girl was truly ready for the responsibility of the name 'Batgirl', among other things.
The passage way opened up at a bridge and Batgirl stared around before stepping out. The door hissed closed, and when she looked back, she saw that no one would be able to even tell there was a door here. Turning back to what was ahead of her, she stepped up on to the edge of the bridge, which hovered over one of the rivers that went through Gotham City.
"So... Where to first?" She asked in to the communication unit in the mask.