[CHAPTER SIX]
Robin slowly awoke the next morning to find that there was someone sleeping next to him. Trying to turn so that he wouldn't wake whoever it was, he saw the rising and falling form of Batgirl. And then last night came crashing back to him.
Oh god, he thought. They're all going to want to know what happened. Who did I wake up? Alright, just stay whelmed, stay whelmed.
Batgirl's eyes shot open as he bumped into her. Sitting up, she stretched her arms towards the ceiling and groaned. "Ugg, I really needed to sleep. Although…" She had a flash of unease. "I'm not sure that I closed the windows to what I was working on before I came over here."
Robin stared at her blankly for a moment, then shrugged. If she wasn't embarrassed by this, then neither was he. "Well, it's only like—"
He peered over at the clock. "Six am. Wow, I slept in. I mean, if you got up now, you'd most likely beat the others and be able to shut it off before they see it."
Batgirl nodded, then climbed out of the bed. "I'll go see if there's coffee. You coming?"
Robin nodded. "Right behind you. Just need a minute."
She smiled, then turned and left his bedroom. Padding through the halls, she thought back to what had happened last night. Batgirl really hoped that they listened to her and didn't bring it up. It would worry him if he thought his friends knew.
"Oh, thank god." She murmured when she caught a glance of the full pot sitting on the counter. It was still warm, too. Pouring a cup for the both of them, she hopped onto the counter and sighed in contentment.
After waiting for a few minutes for Robin to show, she shrugged and went to go close down what she had been working on last night. But when she came up to the screen, everything had been shut down. Frowning, she pulled up the security cameras to see who had turned it off. But there was no sign of anyone coming in here after she had left last night.
Slightly apprehensive, she looked through all the files that were on their database, but there was no sign that anyone had downloaded anything off of this computer. Sighing, she closed it again and went back to the kitchen to wait for Robin.
He looked up as she entered the room. "Hey, Batgirl. So, any problems?"
She slowly shook her head and came to sit next to him at the table. "No."
He nodded, then sat silently next to her as they both sipped their coffee.
As she got up to rinse out her mug, Batgirl heard footsteps from down the hall and turned to see who it was. Aqualad appeared in the doorway, taking in the presence of the two Bats with little surprise.
Nodding to them, he went to the fridge and pulled out fruit from a drawer, then sat down at the table.
All three sat in silence, waiting for the day to awaken.
_
The team gathered in the mission room, waiting for Batman, Robin, and Batgirl to finish their conversation.
Batman had summoned them to the mission room almost twenty minutes ago, then immediately taken his two trainees off into the corner, giving Superboy strict orders to not listen in on the conversation.
Robin had begun waving his arms angrily less than five minutes in, while Batgirl just stood there, absorbing everything they both said. The team couldn't tell what exactly they were talking about, but whatever it was, Robin didn't like it.
Kaldur wondered if it had anything to do with his extremely odd talk with Batman the previous night.
"This is not a negotiation, Robin." Batman growled.
"I don't care if it's not a negotiation. They're not ready for Gotham! Especially with everyone that's currently loose on the streets!" Robin whispered harshly.
Batgirl spoke up for the first time. "We don't have any other options, do we." It wasn't a question.
"No. I won't be able to patrol in Gotham for most of the next week. And the League will be down several members. They're spread thin enough as it is, and even if they did send someone, they wouldn't know how to work with you two."
Robin continued to glare at his mentor for a moment, then slumped foreword, seeing that he was right. Batman took this to mean that there would be no more arguments from him and strode back towards the team.
Batgirl followed close behind while Robin trailed by a few more feet. He still didn't like the mission that Batman was assigning.
Batman went to the computer and pulled up a street map of Gotham, as well as the files for all of the major criminals that plagued it's streets.
"Last week, Penguin, Two-Face, The Joker, Poison Ivy, Clay Face, Harley Quinn, Mr. Freeze, Killer Croc, and Firefly escaped from Arkham Asylum. Robin, Batgirl and I have managed to recapture Killer Croc and Firefly, but," He paused, looking over at the slightly confused faces of the team.
"I will be unable to operate in Gotham for the next week. Your mission will be to patrol the streets of Gotham, as well as track down these criminals. In addition to Batgirl, you will also be working with Agent A, who will not be in the field, but may be of assistance in tracking down these people, and will notify you of any police alerts."
They were slightly shocked. Batman had barred anyone who was not him from fighting crime in Gotham for years.
"If the police should activate the Bat-signal, only Robin or Batgirl may answer it. No one can know that you six are in Gotham. That may lead them to the conclusion that I am no longer there, and will cause infinite amounts of trouble in the streets." He looked at each of them in turn, then walked towards the Zeta-Tubes. "Good luck."
They stared after him for a long moment, then turned to each other.
M"gaan spoke up first. "Do we take the bio-ship, or are we using the Zeta-tubes?"
Robin shook his head as she started talking. "You don't want to leave it anywhere in the city. Even in camouflage mode, someone could find and damage it."
Connor frowned. "Wait, if we're talking with this Agent A, does that mean that we can't use telepathy?"
Robin hesitated. "We can use it to communicate, but either way, we're still going to be using our earpieces. And don't worry about someone hacking the frequency," he added, face darkening. "The league of shadows knows that it's not welcome in Gotham."
They were all confused by that statement, but chose not to pursue. Batgirl started walking towards the Zeta-Tubes, then looked over her shoulder. "You all coming?"
The caught up with her and, one by one, they stepped through to Gotham.
_
As soon as everyone was out of the phone booth, they discussed logistics. Robin explained that he and Batgirl usually patrolled from the roof tops, but that wouldn't work because the majority of their team couldn't fly. Finally, Aqualad came up with a solution.
"Why don't we split up into smaller groups that can travel separately. This city is so big that it would be the smart course of action in any case." He then studied them to figure out what the teams would be.
While his first instinct was to split up Robin and Batgirl so that their experience would be more spread out, he hesitated. They worked very well together and would be more effective together and could cover more ground.
There was also the problem that Batman did not want their presence known here. While they could manage to evade notice when all they had to do was go in, retrieve information, and get out, here they would have to be all around the city for an entire week, and despite over a year of training, they were nowhere near as stealthy as any of the Bats.
Coming to a decision, he split up his team. "Kid Flash and Artemis, you will be out first team. Superboy, you will go with Zatana, and I will be with Miss Martian."
Great, Zatana thought. He just had to leave those two together.
"Robin, you and Batgirl will take the roof tops. Miss Martian, will you be able to lift me as well as yourself?"
She frowned for a moment, then nodded. "I may be a bit more tired by the end of the night, but it should be okay."
Zatana spoke up. "I could probably fly myself, but not for very long, and definitely not with Superboy."
Aqualad nodded. "The rest of you, decide whether you will be on the roof tops or in the streets amongst yourselves. Move out," He said.
Robin and Batgirl immediately shot off their grappling guns and jumped onto the nearest rooftop. Within seconds, they were gone.
Kid Flash and Artemis went into stealth mode, then took off down the deserted streets, keeping to the shadows.
Superboy turned to Zatana. "I could carry you and jump up to the roof. The gaps between the building don't look too wide for you to jump, and the rest of them I could get you over."
She considered for a moment, then nodded. He wasted no time in picking her up and leaping to the roof opposite to the one the Bats had disappeared to.
Aqualad turned to Miss Martian, and she lifted them up.
_
Batgirl and Robin flew from rooftop to rooftop, searching for any sign of trouble. As they crossed over an alley, they saw four men closing in on a woman walking down the street. Piece of cake.
Batgirl dropped behind the first two, pressing into their shoulders until they passed out. Down without a sound. Unfortunately, the other two saw her and started shouting, waving their guns in the woman's face and threatening to shoot.
Robin narrowed his eyes at them, then dropped between the woman and the men with the guns. Before they could open their mouths, he kicked the guns out of their hands.
Scared out of their minds, the men turned and ran, only to run straight into Batgirl, who had finished tying up the other two.
She smiled, then punched the first guy in the face. When he doubled over, she kneed him in the stomach, and he dropped like a stone.
Robin just looked at the other guy, and he held up his hands. "I- I surrender! I surrender, okay!"
Batgirl tied the last one up, then lugged him over to the others. "Did you call the police?"
Robin nodded. "Yup. Agent A sent out the signal five minutes ago."
They turned to the woman. "Are you alright, Ma'am?"
She smiled shakily. "Yes. Thank you. Thank you so much."
"The police should arrive momentarily. You'll be safe now."
She nodded. They smiled at her, then took off for the rooftops.
_
Artemis ran across a rooftop, jumping and twirling to make the next ledge. Kid Flash ran alongside her down on the street level. They had decided to stay together, but cover more ground by being on different levels.
Artemis jumped over a T.V. antenna, almost tripping over it, but regaining her balance at the last minute. Stopping for a moment to catch her breath, she radioed Kid Flash. "Hold up a second. I need to stop for a sec."
He screeched to a stop, then scoured the skyline behind him looking for Artemis. Seeing her hunched over almost a half a block back, he raced over and leaned against the brick wall in the alley beside her. "No problem, Babe. So, you doing anything tomorrow night?"
Artemis paused for a moment to see if he was kidding. "You're kidding, right? You do know that we're going to be doing this for the rest of the week."
Wally froze for a moment. "Oh, right. Heh heh…"
Artemis rolled her eyes and moved to jump to the next roof. As she ran foreword, she skidded on the gravel and tipped over the edge. Arms flailing, she dropped.
Wally looked up at the sound of her terrified yelp. Eyes wide, he raced under her and caught her as she fell.
She took in a shaky breath. "Thanks for saving me, Bay watch."
Wally looked down at his girlfriend. "No worries. I'll always be there to catch you when you fall."
She smiled at them, and they stared into each other's eyes for a long moment before they realized that they were actually supposed to be on patrol.
Artemis cleared her throat and blushed. "Well, I, ahh… better get back to the roof."
Kid Flash grinned at her blush. "Sure thing, beautiful." He set her down, then watched as she climbed the fire escape back to the roof.
Smiling, Artemis pressed a hand to her ear. "Ready?"
And they took off again, running through the streets of Gotham.
_
Alfred sat in Master Bruce's chair in the Batcave, monitoring the young hero's currently patrolling Gotham. Their tracking beacons moved about the screen, occasionally pausing for a few minutes then continuing on.
He periodically sent anonymous calls to the police so they could come and pick up the thugs the Team had rounded up. Robin and Batgirl in particular kept him busy.
Master Bruce had been very worried about letting them come to Gotham. He had never been keen on the idea of other heroes protecting her streets. Now, with the recent breakout, it had been especially hard for him to come to this decision. So far, though, it seemed that his fears had been unfounded. Besides the occasional mugging or car jacking, it was quiet.
Looking over at the clock, he saw that it was almost three am. Time to call them back.
"This is Agent A, calling all agents. Time to return to the cave. I repeat, time to return to the cave."
After receiving affirmatives from all of them, he turned off the computer and prepared for Master Dick and Miss Gordon to return.
_
The team spilled through the Zeta-Tubes and back into Mount Justice. As the lights faded, they stumbled towards the kitchen, eager to have a place to sit down. Groaning, Wally sank onto the couch, pulling his goggles and mask off as he went. The others followed suit.
Artemis dropped her quiver, rubbing her neck in exhaustion. "That was awful."
The other's nodded, but Batgirl and Robin shrugged. "I guess."
Superboy raised an eyebrow. "What? Stopping almost fifty petty crimes across the city for half the night wasn't enough for you?"
Robin grinned cheekily. "Hey, any night we don't run into an Arkham regular is a slow night for us."
The others stared at him for a few moments. When they did nothing more but stare back, the Team looked away, attending to their multitude of small cuts, bruises, and already sore muscles.
Batgirl nodded. "Well, it was fun, but I better go get changed and head back to the Bat Cave. Agent A will be waiting up." She turned and headed towards the room that had been set up for her earlier that day. Robin followed after her, not keen on a repeat of what had happened last night when he had slept at the Cave.
When they came back five minutes later, the team was up and slowly moving about, getting water and talking about what they had each done that night.
They waved, then headed back to the Zeta-Tubes. As the computer's voice faded, and the duo disappeared, Wally turned to the others. "Do you guys think that he was joking? About it being a slow night, I mean."
Kaldur looked thoughtful. "I do not know. While he seemed cheerful in a way that would appear to be joking, he did not seem as… worn out as we are."
M'gaan nodded. "His emotions were very… calm. It seemed like this really was just another night for him."
Zatana cocked her head to the side. "I think this really was a slow night for him. I mean, think about it. The city didn't really seem panicked or anything, and the people we ran into were much more calm than you would have expected."
Mulling this over for a moment, they were quiet. Then Wally looked over at Artemis. "Hey, what do you think? Being an actual Gothamite."
Artemis slowly nodded. "I don't really live in the best part of the city. There's a lot of bad stuff that goes down everywhere, even with Batman hanging around. Dozens of people are robbed, attacked, murdered. So, yeah, I don't really think that he was joking. Though I didn't think that it would be this bad," She continued. "Even if I do live in Gotham, Batman still doesn't allow anyone who isn't him, Robin, or Batgirl to patrol the streets."
They slowly descended into silence, each with a uneasy feeling growing in their stomachs as they got an idea of just what their friend went through every night.
_
Alfred met the children in the batcave with a large pitcher of milk and his famous cookies. They smiled at him gratefully.
"Thanks, Alfred. These are delicious."
Alfred nodded kindly. He never minded waiting up with something sweet. After what they did each night, they deserved so much more. But for now, cookies would have to do.
"How was patrol tonight?"
Dick shrugged. "Same old same old. Kind've a slow night, actually."
Barbra nodded. "Yeah. Although, the others are really gonna feel this in the morning, if they don't already."
The butler nodded, slightly sad at his statement. It was not a good thing that so many crimes and fights would be considered a, 'slow night'. He had never been keen on the idea of a child doing what Master Bruce did, but Master Dick had insisted. He saw what Bruce had, that learning what justice really was and where to draw the line would help him not become as cold as the Batman; but a day was coming that would counteract all of that good effect. You couldn't fight men like the Joker and expect to retain your innocence.
Barbra stayed down there with her friends for a few minutes, then slowly brushed the crumbs off her shirt. "I should get going. My Dad gets home in about thirty minutes, and it would be really bad if he caught me sneaking in now of all times."
Dick got up with her, hugging her and promising to see her tomorrow. She smiled and then ascended the steps into the manor.
For the first few months of her vigilante career, Barbra had been sore to the point that it was physically impossible to get out of bed in the morning. But now, after almost three years, she had barely broken a sweat tonight. It was interesting how she had developed physically due to her training with the Batman.
As she neared the front door, Barbra heard footsteps behind her and turned to see Alfred approaching, keys in hand. "Allow me to escort home, Miss Gordon."
She hesitated for a moment, then smiled at him. "Thank you, Alfred. I think I'll take you up on that tonight."
The older man smiled. He knew that the girl was uncomfortable with the concept of people waiting on her, and that was why she almost always turned him down. But he always felt that she shouldn't have to traverse the city alone, especially at this time of night.
The ride home was quiet, but not the awkward kind. There was something calming about Alfred's presence that put everyone who met him at ease. At least, until you tracked mud in the foyer. Then not even the Batman could save you.
They pulled up next to her apartment building five minuets before her dad was supposed to get in. But, knowing him, he probably wouldn't make it home for another few hours yet.
"Thank you, Alfred." She waved at him as she exited the back of the car.
"Of course, Miss Gordon."
Alfred waited until she waved down at him from her apartment window before driving off. She smiled and shook her head at his worrying. Even though they all went out every night and beat the crap out of the worst this city had to offer, the man still fretted over each and every one of them. It was sweet, really.
Sighing, she closed the blinds then got ready for bed. Barbra wanted to wait for her dad to come home, but if he found her up at four in the morning, she'd never year the end of it.