Gotham's Golden Girl – part 6
'It's a shame that Nightwing and I can't get together'. Laura thought wistfully. Gold Wing still hadn't found her place within the superhero community. Metropolis already had Superman and Supergirl. Central City had The Flash, and even Oliver and Chloe had left to get things started in Ollie's hometown of Starling City. For now, Watchtower would remain in the Metropolis Clock Tower under the monitoring of Tess Mercer, now known as Lutessa Luthor.
Tess had recently found some documentation on her dysfunctional family that made her sick to her stomach. She had changed her name to Lena Luthor, in honor of her deceased aunt who had been disgraced by Lex and Lionel's constant trouble with the law. Tess had grabbed her inheritance from Lionel's estate, now that the mentally reprogrammed Lex remained in Metropolis. Lex had begun investing in legit businesses, and had continued to rebuild the old Luthor Mansion.
For now, Laura had nothing to do except return home to Falcon Claw. She could busy herself by continuing to rehab her abandoned mansion called Burntwood Manor, which was located on an isle in the middle of Crater Lake. Her Loracite supply was now flowing directly into storage vats beneath her manor via Comet Creek. Laura had separated the yellowish mineral water from the regular water and sent the purified water back into Crater Lake using an expensive recycler that Oliver had bought for her.
In effect the Loracite Recycler resembled a self-contained fountain. The purified Loracite was now easily mixed into her daily drink. Just because Laura could use superior strength and speed as a Meta Human, didn't mean that she could complete the technical things needed to rehab the mansion, such as updating the electrical system, the alarm system, plumbing upgrades, along with the other modern conveniences of air conditioning and heating. She would still have to pass local inspections.
Gold Wing rode her father's motorcycle across the amber colored fields of Kansas, and through the vast plains of Nebraska, on her way home to Falcon Claw. After her brief stint in Gotham it would be nice to see her high school friends again and catch up. Mike Trent, Tim Servo, Shana Springbrook, and her Aunt Wanda had all been wondering what she'd been up to, given the fact that she'd been out of communication with them. The Bat Family had been strictly against any attempts to communicate, ordering Laura not to respond to any E mails, calls, or texts, while on stakeout.
Gold Wing's cover story was that she'd gone deep sea fishing off the coast of Florida for two weeks. To cover her tracks, Laura had super sped to Miami and gathered some quick photographs of the area, as well as a few cruise ships and fishing trawlers, even stopping to grab a few still shots of alligators. Tim was the only one who knew about her abilities, and Laura intended to keep it that way.
Tim had been going to Nebraska State University, majoring in applied sciences, and information technology. This gave him access to some of the best biological information, and he used the state of the art computer system to allegedly complete studies in biological sciences, namely, he could study Laura's Meta Human physiology. If anyone questioned his motivations, Tim could simply say that it was part of an upcoming school project thesis. Tim called his studies, Meta Human Theory, or MHT.
Laura pulled up alongside the only ferry that ran out to Crater Lake Island. It made the rounds on the lake once a day. Old Samuel D. Simpson had been piloting the ferry for forty years, since he'd completed his stint in the US Navy. Sam was a fisherman by trade, but took on side jobs like sightseeing, cargo transportation, and mail delivery throughout the waterways. Crater Lake was also bordered by two smaller bodies of water known as The Lesser Lakes of Hillview and Greendale.
Crater Lake and the others had just about been fished clean. The local government was in the process of restocking the lakes to restore the damaged ecosystem. Sam knew Laura well, but so far she'd still been able to keep her secret from him. Sam was also a commissioned intel officer in the Navy, so he knew how to acquire and share information. "Hey Sam!" Laura called out to the pleasant senior citizen.
"By the stars! Hey little Laurie!" Sam said as he brushed the dust from his grizzled countenance. He smiled brightly and his appearance improved immediately. There couldn't be more than a half dozen or so people that required his ferry service per day. Sam considered himself semiretired. The ferry ran out to the lakeside town of Newberry, and was capable of carrying at least three cars or a truck safely.
Laura gave Sam a quick hug, after she'd turned off her motorcycle and dismounted. "Where've you been, Laurie? I ain't seen you for a couple of weeks." Sam grilled. "I was vacationing in Florida." She lied convincingly. After studying the Bat Family, Laura found it much easier to lie, not that she was very proud of that fact. Just to pad her story, Gold Wing showed Sam her hastily taken pictures.
"That musta been nice." Sam commented. "Yeah, it was nice to get away for a couple of weeks." Laura remarked as she pocketed her photos. "Did you catch any big ones?" Sam asked as he lowered the ramp to allow Laura to walk her motorcycle onto the ferry's deck. "Not a damn thing, Sam." Laura joked. "The only thing biting were mosquitos!" Sam got a good laugh out of that.
"What's new around here, Sam?" Laura asked as she helped him cast of the ferry tow lines. "Not too much." Sam added. "Mayor O'Reilly is restocking the lakes so he could get the tourism and fishing revenues up." He spoke as he fired up the loud throbbing ferry engines. Crater Lake was a bit choppy during the day as the tide churned in and out, so Laura held on tightly to her motorcycle.
"A nasty squall line came through her last week. There'd been lightning and hail and such, so it wreaked havoc with some of the older trees." He skillfully guided the large ferry towards the darkening island. "You'd better check your place for any recent damage." Laura smiled. "Thanks Sam, I will." The ferry trip was excruciatingly slow, but Laura had gotten used to it.
"Is that your dad's bike?" Sam was looking to make some pleasant conversation. "Yep. It's a 1976 Honda Gold Wing. Dad had restored most of it before…" Laura's voice trailed off. "Anyway, I finished restoring it last year." Sam and Laura had an uncomfortable silence. "I see." Sam pushed the issue. "Did they ever find out?" He carefully questioned. "Nope, it's still considered an unsolved double homicide." Laura replied. She actually felt good about discussing her parents' murders analytically.
Perhaps some of Batman, Nightwing, and Batgirl's influence on her was coming through. Exposure to the daily tribulations in Gotham City may have closed some old open wounds.
The trip to Crater Lake Island had taken about fifteen minutes. Sam skillfully piloted the old ferry into the weather beaten dock at the base of the island's beach head. Laura's mansion was the only structure left on the isle. Old fishermen's bait shops, a building to bone the fish, and an old shed located near the beach had since fallen into disrepair, and Laura had them demolished.
"Thanks Sam." Laura said as she handed him a small tip for transportation. "I can't take this, Laurie." He attempted to give the money back. "Ah take it Sam. Go buy a nice dinner after work." Gold Wing said as she shoved the bills back into his grizzled old hand. "See ya." Laura rolled her motorcycle down the ramp and onto the beach, immediately kicking the stand into place.
"When are you gettin' married?" Sam teased as he began to release the moorings. Laura laughed loudly. "Never! Why should I give up my freedom?" She countered his gibe. "Let me know if you need anything, Laurie!" Sam shouted as he cranked up the engines once again. "Will do!" Laura yelled as she waved.
Sam turned the ferry towards Newberry, and continued along on hid daily route. After he was out of sight, Laura picked up her motorcycle and carried it up the hilly access way to the edge of her property. She kicked aside the overgrown foliage and rolled the motorcycle the rest of the way up to her garage. She opened the doors and placed the bike next to her father's red vintage 1966 Mustang convertible. Oliver had given her a state of the art alarm system for the garage and house.
Nothing had been visibly disturbed since she'd left for Gotham. There had been very little damage to Burntwood Manor itself, with the exception of a few torn shingles atop its roof. Laura quickly zipped to the roof and pounded new shingles into place to keep any moisture from getting in and ruining the old mansion's antique walls. It's always something, she grumbled silently.
Next she sped down to the basement and sub-basement to check on her Loracite supply. Everything seemed to be in order there. Tim Servo determined that the yellowish mineral was not inherent to Earth, and had likely arrived in ancient times via a comet or asteroid that had collided with it, hence the names Comet Creek, and Crater Lake. The Loracite had reorganized Laura's DNA and allowed her to possess superior Meta Human abilities, much like Smallville's legendary meteor freaks.
If Laura allowed her Loracite enhanced powers to run down, without replenishing them, her exceptional abilities would become ordinary, and since the Loracite had mixed with her human blood, she could actually die. That's what Tim Servo's ongoing theory was. He compared the situation to a chronic diabetic, without insulin shots, the patient could die. As of yet, he hadn't been able to prove anything.
Gold Wing grabbed a large cup of her Loracite drink straight from a type of tapper in one of the stainless steel containers. Other than some discoloration, the steel kegs remained unaffected by the stored Loracite. Laura and Tim had yet to find any weaknesses, like Clark's kryptonite, but they were in a new area of research now. There were no comparative situations in anyone else's studies.
Laura felt the energy surge from the Loracite and relaxed as it coursed through her veins. The ordeal with the Batman and his protégées in Gotham had left Laura listless, restless, and confused about what she should do next. All she knew was that she had liked the young crime-fighter called Nightwing.
Overnight, Laura continued to upgrade her rehabbed mansion. Within a couple of hours, she'd cleaned, painted, reorganized the kitchen, cleared up a stuck drain, and replaced the carpeting in her huge master bedroom. She required very little sleep, but couldn't remain awake indefinitely.
The next day, the girls met near the edge of Metropolis's Centro Park. Gold Wing had sped to a stop behind a conveniently placed fieldhouse. They were out of the local camera's range. A miniature tornado appeared before Chloe, scattering dust and pebbles in every direction. Chloe brushed the dust and debris off of her emerald green dress. Laura had chosen to appear in a common blue denim skirt and charcoal gray silk blouse. No one except an elderly gentleman paid them any mind.
He removed his glasses and cleaned them off, believing that he'd just not seen Laura at first, and quickly went on his way. "I reverse engineered the bat tracker and after a while I was able to triangulate its possible location." Chloe informed her. "Dude, you are the best!" Gold Wing praised. "I know that!" Chloe joked. "Actually, I could only locate the transmitter's signal to within 400 meters or so."
"That's still pretty good accuracy." Laura complimented. "Possibly." Chloe downplayed. "That assumes that the mysterious Batman isn't simply bouncing the signal off some satellite into the middle of nowhere." She added. "There's only one way to find out." Laura tempted. "You mean that you want to speed me there?" Chloe asked warily. "Yup." Gold Wing smiled mischievously.
"I'm reminded of a line in Jurassic Park, Laura, when one of the stars comments on the creation of the dinosaurs." Chloe fidgeted. "He said just because we can do something, doesn't mean that we should." Gold Wing scowled. "Yeah, but can't we just pop over there and take a look, and then pop back out?" She pleaded. "You really have a thing for that Nightwing guy, don't you?" Chloe teased.
Laura reddened. "C'mon, don't be such an old lady!" She whined. Chloe grinned thinly. "Now you sound like Oliver! Whining is not an admirable superhero ability." She countered. "Aw Chlo', buddy! Just a quick peep! If the Bat Team busts us, just blame me. Say that I took you there forcibly." Gold Wing insisted. "Okay! Okay! Just one quick peek. Where should we launch from?" Chloe gave in.
"I guess that we could roll from the women's restroom at the fieldhouse." Laura quipped. "Who knew that the life of a superhero could be so glamorous?" She added cynically. "You know that you're starting to sound like my cousin Lois." Chloe remarked. The girls started walking in the general direction of the fieldhouse. "Hold on! Brain drain!" Chloe stopped as she spoke.
"The women's bathroom would likely have a security camera trained on it." Laura nodded. "You're right and my creep factor just jumped up a notch." Chloe sighed. "Ever since Zod and the Kandorians attacked us, Metropolis has been on edge, and they've added thousands of security cameras throughout the area." She pointed out. Gold Wing glanced around the area for a better place to bolt from.
"Bingo!" Laura exclaimed as an eighteen wheeler tractor trailer truck pulled up along the street that led to the park. "Follow my lead!" She half dragged Chloe along with her. The semi-tractor trailer was conveniently stopped in between the two street light level security cameras. The driver was busily examining his SMART phone as he waited for the stoplight to change. He didn't notice the fleeing girls.
Laura quickly picked Chloe up and zipped into hyper speed. The speed force swallowed them whole as the light turned green and the truck driver resumed his journey, none the wiser. A few seconds later the girls emerged from the speed force vortex and slowed to a stop inside a dark, pitch black cave. "Yah!" Chloe yelled as they stopped just short of a rocky cave wall. "What the hell?"
"Oops! Sorry about the scary stop. Accessing the speed force is no jog in the park!" Laura defended. "Nice!" Chloe scowled. Laura put Chloe down and they were greeted by a squeaking sound all around them. They were met by thousands of pairs of yellow and green eyes staring at them.
"Try and keep quiet! No sudden moves or you'll startle them." Laura urged in a quiet tone. "Startle who?" Chloe waited for her eyes to adjust to the darkness, and her stomach to catch up to her from the jaunt through the speed vortex and the sudden, gut wrenching stop. "Bats!" Gold Wing smirked as she edged towards the center of the cave. "Bats!" Chloe echoed.