"Being a mother is an attitude, not a biological relation."
-Robert A. Heinlein, Have Spacesuit – Will Travel
Chapter 14: Buggier than Batshit
The silence in her head was deafening. Beast Boy's not-so-funny jokes were cut off. No more sharp comments from Rose or Bumblebee's calming tone. The running commentary that had been going through Barbara's mind for the past fifteen minutes had vanished. Miss Martian's presence was gone in the middle of an extremely dangerous mission involving the League of Shadows.
Things could only get worse.
Slipping out of the ventilation shaft on sublevel 6 was tricky with the cape but somehow Barbara managed it quickly. Footsteps echoed from the hallway around the corner. It was two pairs of footsteps; measured and controlled suggesting military training. She suspected them to be most likely a pair of security guards. A custodian closet was just behind her between two restrooms. Barbara managed to slither in and close the door just before the guards rounded the corner.
Her breathing was light and shallow as the footsteps passed her hiding place and continued on. She was only two floors above where she needed to go. The main computer was so close she could almost hear the humming of the machines. But they would have to wait.
Digging through her pouches, Barbara found the backup communicator and turned it on from sleep mode. Something happened to M'gann and as team leader Barbara was responsible for keeping the team safe.
"Batgirl to Miss Martian. Do you copy?" Barbara waited but the silence continued to drag on. "Miss Martian, do you copy?"
No answer.
"Beast Boy, do you copy?" When the shapeshifter with the loose tongue did not answer, Barbara's stomach turned over. "Does anyone copy?"
"I copy."
The raspy yet feminine voice was music to her ears, although Barbara would deny ever thinking that. Rose wasn't exactly her favourite person. "Rose? What's going on?"
"That's what I want to know. Bumblebee was supposed to be watching my back. I don't have that itchy feeling that makes me want to squish a mosquito anymore. So obviously, someone else got her."
"Don't say that!" Barbara snapped before she promptly covered her mouth and silenced the communicator. The footsteps were returning as the guards made another round. When they faded again she turned off the mute.
" – you still there, Batshit?"
"What did you just call me?"
"Ah, there's your ever lovely voice." The sarcasm dribbled out of the speakers. "What do we do, all-knowing captain?"
Barbara gritted her teeth and tried not to let the troll get to her. Sometimes Rose's personality was closer to a rabid dog's than a human. "We meet at emergency point A. If the others aren't there than this becomes a rescue mission."
Barbara bolted back to the ventilation shaft after the guards made another round. Moving through the ventilation was slow and exhausting work. Too much noise would echo and give away her position. That would leave her stuck in the metal death trap while security guards pumped it full of bullets. Furthermore, the heat was nearly unbearable. Sweat dribbled from her chin, leaving wet spots all along the metal floor. Her suit would require a serious cleaning after this mission.
Fourteen minutes later and three floors up, Batgirl slipped out of the ventilation shaft in the women's washroom. She crouched in position, waiting for movement with a batarang ready in her hand. A figure stepped out from one of the stalls.
"Took you long enough," Rose's biceps bulged when she crossed her arms. Dick had once jokingly suggested that Rose was on steroids. Barbara didn't rule out that possibility.
"Shut it. Has anyone else come in?"
"Not since I got here ten minutes ago. What are we going to do about the others?"
Barbara opened her wrist computer and typed in a few commands. A map of LexCorp opened and Barbara rotated and enlarged the area where a green light was steadily blinking on the 15th floor. He was so far away from the original aim of the mission. It was obviously a ploy to lure the remaining members of the squad away from the computer mainframe. Rose leaned over her shoulder.
"What's that?"
"A tracking device I planted on Beast Boy."
Rose's eyes were ice cold and her frosty expression sent a chill down Barbara's spine. "You put tracking devices on us." It wasn't a question.
"Just you and Beast Boy," Barbara pointed to Rose's boots. A tiny device, the size of a small spider was stuck to the back of Rose's right boot.
She crushed the tracking device between her fingers. "Did Batman put you up to this?"
"No."
"Taking initiative are you? He must be so proud." Barbara picked up how Rose's accent seemed to disappear as her sarcasm took over. The girl could hardly speak English a few months ago but has since mastered the difficult art of sarcasm. "Now we know where he is. Let's get out of here so we can get the Justice League."
"There's not enough time," Barbara whispered harshly. "Every minute someone has them decreases our chance of finding them alive. Luthor took the original Speedy and he wasn't found for years. This isn't just Luthor we're dealing with either. This is the League of Shadows: an organization of assassins. I won't risk losing another teammate."
"You're an idiot," Rose hissed, her eyes narrow and fierce. "They already have the three members of our team with powers. We need to wait for back up."
"I'll notify them about the situation but we can't wait."
"This is a suicide mission," Rose snapped. Her teeth were bared like a predator fighting for status among the pack. "We go in there alone then we are not coming out. I thought you were the smart one."
"I have experience. I know what will happen if we wait." The image of Jason's horrendously disfigured face and his collapsed chest still haunted her some nights. Each finger was meticulously broken one by one as the Joker took his time. How many hits with the crowbar did the Joker get in with all the time he had? What he might have said to Jason with every minute the psychopath had him, they will never know. But she wondered if the torture broke him before the explosion did.
The stare she received was calculating. "Is this about the other Robin that no one talks about –"
"We need to move now. Are you with me?" Barbara didn't need psychoanalyzing from the most unstable member of the Team.
Rose tied a bandana over her head and smirked. "You would fail epically without me."
"Dream on. I'll try to send an encrypted message to the Watchtower about the situation but we're going in anyways."
"Never saw you as a rebel, Batshit."
Barbara ignored the vulgar nickname. "Batman's not my dad. He can only suggest things. Let's get going, we have 17 stories to go up."
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The cages used to contain meta-humans and extraterrestrials were developed earlier in the year under Lex Luthor's directive. However, they were never advertised to business partners or the general public. The cages themselves signified Luthor's hatred of anyone not-completely-human and would have been a disaster for his presidential ambitions.
But the cages had been put to good use. Correctly sealed and operated, they continuously shocked the prisoner with minor electrical shocks that alone would be barely an itch. Such continuous voltage was enough to repress meta-human powers for a short period of time as the cages were not made for long term confinement. However, the continuous voltage was not enough to subdue Miss Martian who had her own special cage illuminated by excessively hot and controlled fire.
Red X, having done his duty in jumping and subduing Beast Boy and Bumblebee, was watching comfortably from a darkened corner where Talia had sent him. He was only to intervene if she needed him. But with her highly trained assassins watching the floor and all points of entry - except for the point of entry Talia wanted the girls to use - his involvement was looking less and less likely. The room appeared bare, but hidden in the shadows was an army waiting to pounce on orders.
Other than Talia, Jason was awarded the best vantage point. Hidden in the darkest corner of the room and high above everyone else, he could see almost every movement. The past hour had desensitized him to the twitching and shaking of the young heroes. But any unusual movement would quickly be spotted. Luckily, the League of Shadows operatives were well trained at remaining still for hours on end.
Finally, after what felt like hours, there was a slight movement in the far corner of the room. The lenses of his mask zoomed in on the darkened corner, the exact area Jason had pinpointed as his preferred point of entry. From within the ventilation system, a small microscopic lens was surveying the room. Most-likely searching for heat signatures which didn't work not only on the Red X suit but also the outfits worn by the League of Shadows operatives.
A slim figure slipped out of the ventilation opening followed by another figure with a large cape. Finally, they came.
The girls circled along the walls before slinking towards the control panel closest to where Jason was hiding high above them. Rose examined the cages up close while Batgirl tried to hack the computer containment system.
"These cages are very good," Rose whistled quietly. "I didn't think anything could get Miss Martian."
"The greater the powers the greater the weakness," Batgirl huffed distracted while attempting to crack the second firewall Jason installed. Now Jason hadn't been particularly talented at computers - weapons technology he was fine with - but he wasn't an idiot. Jason could listen, watch, and learn, but he didn't always show what he had absorbed.
"But still, she's not easy to take down."
Jason could see the puzzle piece click in place in Barbara's expression. The way her eyes widened and glazed over as her brilliant brain went into overdrive. "Why would they have a trap set up for her? Unless they knew we were coming."
Rose furrowed her eyebrows in confusion and asked for clarification. Barbara murmured some nonsense response but Jason could see her eyes and the way they carefully sized her teammate up. Batgirl was suspicious of the new girl.
Jason heard the short beep in his ear to signal the start of the operation. Immediately, a squad of League of Shadows trained assassins made themselves visible by surrounding the two teenaged heroes. Their bodies were well trained not to react to such surprise but Jason could feel the tension in the air from where he remained perched. It was good that they were weary and paranoid; Talia had ordered a sniper into position in case the girls made any unorthodox moves.
The hidden door leading towards a control room slid open to reveal Talia. Dressed in perfectly pressed dark slacks and a blue button down shirt, she looked every bit the businesswoman. Her heels clicked on the concrete floor as she walked towards the stationary girls.
"Hello Barbara. I would normally say it's a pleasure to meet you but I'm afraid circumstances negate that greeting." Talia's tone of voice was pleasant but the situation was anything but for the heroes.
"Talia al Ghul," Barbara growled like a fierce lioness. But in front of the Demon's Head she was more like a disgruntled kitten. "You've been planning this from the start."
"Don't be ridiculous, girl. I've done no such thing."
"You're lying!"
"I have no reason to lie to you," Talia smirked and rested her hands on her hips. "Truthfully I hoped that the Batman would show but I assume he's off in Gotham protecting his kingdom."
Barbara didn't say anything, which was smarter than giving the enemy any answers at all. Talia started circling the girls at a leisurely pace. The girls didn't turn to follow her but their senses were heightened from sudden movements.
"After all, I just got word a few minutes ago that the Joker had killed 14 people tonight."
Jason felt his heart jump in his chest and the rage from the Pit bubble up his throat. The Joker …. That psychopath was loose! He wanted to go after the monster so much that his legs trembled. He needed his revenge.
Talia obviously had a suspicion of where his thoughts went and glanced up at him while circling the girls' backs. The controlled anger and sympathy in her eyes helped calm him. She was with him; she understood and would support him.
She would help him do what Batman would not. He just needed to be patient as she kept telling him. When the time came – and it certainly would come – he would strike like a pit viper. Joker he will kill right away, but Batman … he will suffer a longer, more painful fate.
Talia was still talking, stalling the girls while Jason sorted his head out. It didn't take nearly as long as he thought it would. He was out of it for maybe five seconds tops. Instead he quickly focused his anger into formulating a plan to lure the Joker. But that would be for later. Now he had to protect Talia as he promised Damian he would do.
"... But the question remains, what do you want? Why have you come here, children?" Talia's face remained impassive.
"Don't pretend like you don't know," Batgirl snapped. If Jason remembered correctly from his few meetings with Barbara, she wasn't particularly fond of Batman's romantic interests. She seemed to think he would bend his morals for the women.
"You know, Barbara, the sooner you answer my questions the sooner you may leave."
"Stop calling me that! And you're supposed to answer our questions - "
"We want to know if you are working with Lex Luthor," the formerly silent Rose Worth cut off Batgirl. She expertly ignored the glare Barbara sent her.
"Oh? Is that all?" Talia smiled like she was humoring a child. Jason had never seen her smile at Damian or him like that. "Well, obviously, since he passed his company over to me."
"Okay," Rose's white blonde hair swished when she looked at Batgirl. "There. You have an answer. Let's go."
"That's not an answer!" Batgirl snapped. "What are Ra's and Luthor planning? That's what we want to know."
Behind his mask, Jason's eyes narrowed in anger. He didn't like the way Barbara was speaking to his mother-figure. Talia's face didn't change and she made no outward sign of discomfort. But Jason knew how much that question pissed her off. And because Talia couldn't get pissed off, Jason would do it for her.
"Why are you asking about my father? He's not here," Talia murmured. Jason could hear the threat under the surface.
"But he's one of the masterminds behind the Light and leader of the League of Shadows. You don't do anything without his permission," Barbara's words were logical but had one extremely large flaw.
"You are wrong," Talia ran a hand through her long brown hair. "First, I have acted without my father's permission many times. And second, my father is dead."
There was silence in the room as no one moved.
"What?" Barbara gasped. "Ra's is dead?"
"As of several months ago," Talia calmly clarified. "I have taken over my father's position as the new Demon's Head."
Barbara seemed stunned into silence. Talia held up a black USB drive.
"But I am not cruel or callous, regardless of what others may believe," she threw the drive towards Batgirl who caught it with one hand. "On that drive is something that Batman will find of great concern of which I share. We are not so different in our desires."
"Of course we are," Batgirl put the USB drive in one of her back belt pockets. "We follow the law."
"Unless the law is changed," Talia sounded rather amused. Jason knew she found Lex Luthor's presidential ambitions to be an amusing vanity project. The Demon's Head turned to look at the other girl with pale hair and two broadswords and examined her carefully. "You look very familiar. Have we met before?"
"No," Rose grunted and shifted under the attention she was receiving. Jason leaned forward and positioned his feet for takeoff. He set the suit's target landing position just a foot in front of Talia and waited. He wasn't supposed to get involved but he was so fucking bored just watching and the rage still bubbled beneath the surface. He needed to relieve some of that stress.
"My apologies," Talia nodded. "You look so much like your fath - "
"Shut up!" The girl screamed and launched herself at Talia without hesitation. Jason moved in an instant. The suit's power source surged and teleported him right to the locked target.
A clash of metal meeting metal echoed in the open chamber as Red X met Rose's attack with his own blades. Her dark eyes widened in surprise at his interruption and Jason took advantage by throwing her off balance with a twist of his wrists. She took a safe distance and raised her blades threateningly.
"You!" Batgirl shouted and jumped forward to meet Rose's position. "You're Red X! So you really do work for the League of Shadows."
Red X shrugged and twirled one of the blades in his hand as if bored. "Yes … and no."
"You either do or you don't," behind her mask Barbara's eyes were narrowed in fury at his appearance. She was still a fiery-hot redhead with a temper to match. Some things never changed.
"Move aside, creepy-ass skull-boy," the other hero threatened. She raised her lead sword a little higher.
Suddenly, the assassins and guards were closing in, surrounding the girls from all angles. Batgirl and Rose turned back to back, staring down their enemies.
"I will allow you to leave alive this time around," Talia said, her voice ice cold with well concealed anger. She stepped forward to rest a hand on Jason's shoulder. The warmth of her touch was comfortable and soothing. He was forgiven for not following orders, this time. Barbara's sharp blue eyes followed the movement. "But I want to tell you one more thing."
"What?" Batgirl snarled through the tension.
"Don't ever insult my son."
The shock caused by Talia's words was enough to throw Barbara off balance and for the grunts to take advantage. Forced into defensive maneuvers from the start, the two young girls struggled against the squad of highly trained assassins. Jason waited for his chance.
Batgirl rolled out from the fray, ducking under a grunt and kicking the back of his knees to take him down. Red X jumped on her back while she was off balance, knocking her to the floor. He placed a knee firmly on her back, his other foot on her left hand, while his right hand held down her own. That left his free hand to jab a tranquilizer into the back of her neck, perhaps a little harder than he would've normally liked. Batgirl bucked and kicked, trying to get him off, but Red X dug his knee harder into her back to hold her down and waited for the drug to take effect. Finally, she went slack below him and Jason brushed her red hair aside to check her pulse. He pulse was beating at a slowing rate with the adrenaline leaving her system.
But the fight with Rose continued as she held off her attackers with aggressive slashes of her swords. Jason hovered protectively over the vulnerable Batgirl as one grunt stumbled close. But this time, Talia made her move. She slipped in the circle behind Rose and delivered a swift chop to the pressure points on the back of her neck. The girl collapsed to her knees, but didn't fall unconscious and struggled to stand up again.
"You bitch," she gasped as her swords slipped out of her slack hands. They clattered loudly to the floor.
Talia jabbed a tranquilizer dart in the girl's neck and wrapped her arm around the teenager's throat. Rose gasped and clawed at the forearm but she too subsided to the drug and slumped to the floor.
Talia stood up and brushed off the knees of her pants. "Keep the Wilson girl under close watch and have another tranquilizer ready for her. Genetics are against us with this one."
Jason stood up and backed off Barbara's prone form. She looked like she was sleeping peacefully with her hair spread over her shoulder like a waterfall of fire. Jason didn't want to hurt her, but he had no choice. It was necessary.
"Drop them off on the streets. The Justice League will find them eventually," Talia ordered her grunts. They immediately got to work collecting the young heroes. Her face softened and she smiled at Jason. "Shall we go, my son? It would seem we have finished early and I have no doubt your brother is awake and waiting to hear your stories."
Jason's lips twitched as he tried to hold down his smile. It didn't work very well. "Lead the way … Mom. And then maybe we can talk about how we'll take out that murderous, psychotic clown?"
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So, I am alive. I can't apologize for the wait. Writer's block is not pleasant and I simply had to wait for it to pass. I would like to thank everyone who left polite and kind reviews prodding me to update. I hope everyone remembers that this is not my job; I don't get paid to write. My stories are simply creative outputs for when I have the time or creativity.
I will apologize for not replying to everyone's reviews. My thanks goes out to the lovely signed reviewers, some of whom were concerned enough to review twice, thank you: BBBB Garden Golden, blacktarget, Cati Jones, Cisnecita-chan100, Dead Hero, dusk, fan girl 666, ILoveJasonTodd, , konohaflameninja, Lord-of-Change, MarissaTodd, McNineSpike, Nefarious Seraph 13, not paranoid enough, PinkBeauty34, Ruon jian, shadow, Son of Whitebeard, spencerlonewolf, supermann221, Suzaku21, That dorky blonde, TheLaughingMan1, The Raggle Fraggle, Tz342, youllneverguess. And thank you to the guest reviewers whose names I do not know. One of whom wrote a very long and thoughtful review and fully psycho analyzed Jason for me but I was unable to reply to. But thank you to everyone for waiting patiently and letting me know you were still interested in this story.
I have good months and bad months for creativity. Hopefully I can keep running on this good mojo and get some more writing done. But I'm not the only one getting a Jason-love resurgence as judging by the amount of views my Batman stories got after Arkham Knight came out. I don't even own it but the videos on Youtube were enough to remind me why I love that little bugger.
Since I don't get paid for this shindig, I do get a warm and fuzzy feeling when someone leaves a review (kind of like when you make cookies and people say "yum! Good cookies!"). So if you can forgive me for the wait, please leave a review to tell me how I did after so long away.