Chapter 25: Spoiled Plans

BatCave

Outskirts of Gotham City

Year 2010

December 17th

Jason is 11

Cass is 9

Tim is 8

Stephanie is 7

Robin is 13

Batgirl is 14

Batman is 30

Bruce was going over the plans for taking down Cluemaster and the gang with his partners again. He needed to make sure all of them were prepared so there was no chance of this going wrong. It was going well, though there were noticeably less interjections than usual. Tim would usually make suggestions when it came to mission planning, but he'd been oddly quiet.

Easily following Bruce's line of thoughts and sight, Dick turned to his younger brother. "You've been doing the surveillance. Anything new?"

Tim didn't answer.

Dick sighed and looked at his father, who didn't say a thing, continuing with the planning. They went on for an hour, before preparing for patrol. Dick walked over to where Bruce was adding and adjusting the pieces of his belt. "Hey, B?"

"Yes?"

"Have Jason go out with you as Robin tonight. I'm gonna stay back with the other two. I'm sure Cassie can help me find a way to cheer him up."

"It's only another few days."

"A few days in a situation like that makes all the difference," Dick reminded Bruce. He pulled the belt away from Bruce causing the older man to look him in the eyes.

"We can't do anything until then."

"Think about it while you're out on patrol. I know if you left me much longer… Well… and probably the same with Jason and Cass. You helped us. She needs our help too. Tim sees that."

"And we'll do something about it. I have plans, but not until—"

"Until after, yeah, yeah. Just think about it." Dick waved him off and headed over to where Cass was showing Tim something. Probably an attempt to cheer him up. Bruce's gaze lingered there for a moment before he turned swiftly to get into the batmobile.

Two nights before the heist, had Cluemaster, or Arthur Brown, pacing around the apartment. He'd been back for a few months and it had taken lots of preparation and hard work to change from leaving clues and working solo to keeping everything on the down low and working with several gangs. So far it was paying off. That was until the pesky clues started to show up.

He had worked out every detail, looked over every piece at least ten times, triple checked the credentials and found details on every one he worked with. The plan was airtight, nothing could get through the seems. Yet, somehow something was.

He'd interrogated every person in the crew, changed the time, warehouse and several other elements of the plan. Yet each time a new clue appeared. `He continued pacing as he thought, ignoring the door opening and closing and the sounds of his wife's and daughter's voices. It had been a few hours before something got through to him and that was Crystal tapping at his shoulder several times.

"I'm leaving for my shift. You have to take Stephanie to gymnastics in a half hour. I have a shift and I'm late!" she said, obviously frazzled.

"I'll take her, happy?" he yelled suddenly making her flinch. She recovered quickly, grabbing her bag and slamming the door behind her. He was left alone again, continuing to brood for another fifteen minutes before going to check on his daughter in her room.

"Stephy?" he said pushing open the door. She was laid across the floor, which was scattered with papers. If she was older, and the papers had been homework, this might not have been unusual, but one caught Arthur's eye. He reached to snatch it from the floor, at the same time that she reached to pull it from his reach. It tore in half as they pulled, but half the paper was enough to recognize what Stephanie had been looking at.

Arthur's face contorted as Stephanie stood hurrily. He crumbled the paper in his hand and snarled. "Explain. Now."

"Easy. Your plans are ruined," Stephanie said with her arms crossed.

He grabbed one of her wrists and pushed her back onto the floor using the time to grab the other papers and take a quick look.

Stephanie scrambled back as she saw the realization appear on his face. She raised her arms in defense.

"It was you."

"Duh."

Arthur screamed with rage throwing the papers again and marching towards the door. He took one look at his daughter on the floor before his face turned to stone. His words lingered as the door shut behind him and a chain was heard clinking as it was put on the knob. "I'll take care of you later."

Tim was doing what he had been for every day in the past week. Monitoring the situation with Stephanie and Cluemaster. Tapping into CCV cameras was easy. He watched for a few hours every night and had alerts set to notify him if anything happened. It was nearing ten, Jason was upstairs working on a report, and Cass was probably getting ready for bed. Alfred's footsteps were echoing as he came down the stairs to get Tim for bed as well.

It was over an hour or so later that Tim was finally starting to nod off. Of all the children, even with their nightmares, erratic schedules and hard work, Tim had the most trouble with sleep. It took over two hours for him to fall into a deep sleep. One of the reasons that the alert was able to wake him easily.

Tim shot up in bed, taking a second to get oriented before grabbing his tablet and pulling up the alert. Immediately a scene showed up on the CCTV, Stephanie's window and a sweatshirt hung up in plain view inside it. Tim scrambled to his feet, and ran to Bruce's room.

Surely enough, Bruce was there in his pajamas on his phone, probably just back from patrol. He turned to see Tim and could tell at once this wasn't one of the usual nightmares. "Get Dick, then stay on Comms. We'll check with Stephanie first to see what's wrong."

Tim took off faster than Bruce realized he could move. In less than ten minutes Batman and Robin were off in the Batmobile to meet Batgirl at Cluemaster's apartment. Tim turned on all the screens to CCTV to follow their progress keeping one on Stephanie's window. On another he looked back over the footage trying to figure out what had happened.

"Crystal Brown left the house at around six thirty. According to the hospital she has a ten hour shift right now. From what I can see and hear in the house there was yelling. Mostly Cluemaster."

"He's not here. We're heading into her room," Robin reported.

"She's not there," Tim told them looking at the footage. "Her dad came in and then left. She took off her sweatshirt then but didn't hang it over her chair till he comes back in. She went with him that time."

"Probably not by will," Batgirl guessed. "Either way, she helped us again. There were notes in her room, stuffed into the jacket's pocket. He's moving tonight instead of later."

"And Stephanie?"

"We'll find her," came Batman's gruff voice. "I didn't make a move when you told me too. Start working on a backstory for her, so we can get her out of there and into a better home. Stay on monitors and comms as well."

Tim gave a quick response and got back to work, while keeping watch at everything unfolding in front of him. They no longer knew where Cluemaster was moving from, as he definitely changed his plans from the bar Steph had clued them into. However, they still knew what his end goal was. A priceless nutcracker was on loan as a prop for the ballet, and along with the ticket box cash it would fetch a hefty sum.

Batman and Robin immediately jumped into stop the gang and Cluemaster, while sending Batgirl to search for Stephanie, hopefully nearby. Batman grabbed one of the fifteen men in a chokehold, knocking him out and hammer punched another in the stomach, throwing the first aside and tripping up two more. They were easily taken care of with knockout pellets.

Meanwhile, Robin had managed to take two more men out by distracting them and binding them up with some rope. He headed after some of the other gang members that had run off. Batman swiveled onto Arthur Brown grabbing his face and squeezing.

"Maybe this isn't a bad thing," he laughed. "If my girl helps you, it'll get me closer to figuring you out!"

Batman growled. "Stephanie will no longer have any association with you when this is over. Where did you take her?"

"So, she didn't know about our second base?" Arthur's grin grew. "Good luck finding her then. This time you're not getting a clue."

Too late for that, smirked Batman as he cuffed Arthur to the other men they'd caught. There were already sirens from the GCPD arriving. Batman gave Robin a nod and both disappeared with the job here done.

"There's a sports store near here, luxury and collectible I believe," Batman said. "Start searching and we'll meet you there."

Barbara took off from the restaurant she'd been looking at to do as Batman asked. She quickly analyzed the scene in front of her, starting to look for back room doors and storage areas.

"Any luck with Stephanie?"

Barbara replied in the negative as she searched a third room without any results. Robin started in another room she hadn't checked yet, as did Batman. It took ten minutes of searching the huge building before Robin found something. There was a loose tile, and basement stairs in one of the back offices.

They heard Stephanie struggling in a hidden floor of offices and meeting rooms filled of blueprints, schedules and plans. "Robin, Batgirl, take care of the evidence. I'll help her."

"But—"

"That's an order."

Stephanie was in one of the last rooms on the floor, tied in a chair. She saw Batman and raised her eyebrow. "Is it just you?"

"Sorry to disappoint you."

"My dad, he…."

Batman cut the rope around her and helped her up giving her an energy bar and blanket for shock, though there didn't seem to be any signs of it. "The signal worked. We caught him and some of the gang members."

Stephanie sighed as she unwrapped the piece of food, but paused for a second to look back at Batman who walked behind her. "Some? You didn't catch all of them."

"You were more of a priority."

"Sure," Stephanie said sarcastically. Batman frowned in response. She followed him out of the room and looked at him carefully. "What now?"

Batman didn't answer, he just kept walking. Robin and Batgirl were waiting for them on the main floor and the public part of the store. Robin gave Stephanie a salute. "Nice to see you again."

"This is her? Double R has good taste," Batgirl mock whispered to her partner. "We need more people like her."

"You're just excited to have a mini me," Robin teased.

"You have two," Batgirl reminded him.

"Then you can count one."

"No, she's her own thing."

"But helping Robin and getting in trouble with Batman? Totally a you thing," Robin grinned totally ignoring Stephanie's confused looks and Batman's eyeroll.

"I thought you said it was just you?" Stephanie asked.

"No, it isn't. Most nights it's the three of us. Don't worry, Red Robin wanted to come along," Robin assured her. "He's been worried about you. He says hi by the way."

Stephanie laughed a little. "Tell him thanks. I guess I did need his help."

"Either way, it's nice to meet you," Batgirl said offering her hand. Stephanie took it with a smile.

"Thanks. Just wanted to help," Stephanie responded. Batman watched this entire exchange quietly. He waited for Stephanie to finish talking before giving his orders.

"Batgirl, take her home on your way back."

"Home?" All three kids yelped.

"Home."

"Why?" Robin argued. "I thought the whole point of this was to make sure she was safe after all of this! We waited for long enough."

"Please," Stephanie asked. "If I go home…"

"It will only be for an hour at the most," Batman assured them. "I'm going to talk to Gordon right now and tell him to make sure you get put in a safe home with some type of witness protection."

"Why can't we just take her with us then?" Robin asked only to be ignored.

"You'll be out of your house by the end of the night Stephanie. Just go with Batgirl."

Stephanie didn't move. "And my mom?"

"She hasn't been proven capable of taking care of you. You'll be taken away from her for a short time and she'll probably be under watch."

Stephanie nodded. Robin gave her a comforting smile and put a hand on her shoulder. "Hey, I know this is all really fast and really scary, but we'll take care of you. Batgirl's my best friend. You can trust her to make sure you get home and we'll all make sure you get the safe place you deserve."

Stephanie returned the smile with some watery eyes. "Thanks."

Batgirl held her hand out again, and both of them watched the Dynamic duo disappear into the darkness towards the GCPD.

Batman and Robin arrived at the GCPD not long after. Gordon was waiting for them with a bunch of his best detectives. There was a moment of silence as they looked at each other.

"Cluemaster. I have the both of you to thank for that, don't I?" Gordon asked.

"The evidence has already been sent to the GCPD," Batman responded. "Robin will fill in your detectives. I need to talk to you."

Gordon nodded to his detectives and walked over to the side of the roof with Batman. "My detectives will need to hear all of this anyway."

"Yes, but. I would like to talk to you about it first. And get your opinion."

Gordon paused in surprise, Batman had often listened when he gave advice, but never outright asked for it. He stood silently for a minute before asking. "What is it about this case then? We've been documenting the clues."

"Which weren't left by Cluemaster," Batman said. "Which is why I need you to place his daughter in some type of witness protection."

"His daughter? So she left the clues. They seemed different. How old is she?" Gordon asked in concern.

"Seven."

Gordon cursed under his breath, then looked at Batman. "Her mother?"

"If Stephanie knew about Brown's business, it's likely she did as well. I'd have an investigation opened into how fit she is to raise a child."

Gordon's face turned even more grim. "I'll make sure it happens right away."

"Until then the girl still needs to be moved to a safe house. Like with the Cain girl."

Gordon nodded. "Understood. That was a brave thing to do. To give away her father's entire plan."

Batman nodded. "Just get her out of there. Tonight. She's home alone. Crystal Brown is at the hospital on a shift. Send some officers to get her as well."

Gordon nodded, putting his hand on the radio clipped to his lapel to give the order. When he looked back up Batman was gone, Robin had disappeared as well. Gordon sighed before heading downstairs. He would be going to get the girl himself.

Stephanie was alone, which wasn't unusual. But she couldn't go to sleep. Not after tonight. Just in case. Some of the gang members had escaped. They could come after her. And her mom, she would be getting back in a few hours. Would she know? Would she be mad at Stephanie? She wasn't supposed to be in this place, in this situation, not anymore. Batman had said. He'd promised.

But he also was shoving her off. At least Batgirl, Robin and Red Robin were on her side. The older girl had asked her a lot of questions on their way back to Stephanie's apartment. She'd wanted to know how Stephanie had figured out everything her father was planning, and how she'd managed to get out and leave the clues. Somehow hearing Batgirl's unspoken praise made her feel better about the whole thing.

She thought about it again, pulling her arms around her, and her purple hood over her head. Purple was happy. Batgirl was happy. Stephanie wanted to be happy. And then, Stephanie cried. She cried and cried for as long as the tears would come, wanting to drown it all out, to purge herself of the sadness, to be happy.

She didn't hear the knock on the door, or it opening, or the footsteps. But the hand on the shoulder surprised her enough that she jumped back, pulling her face up and assuming a defensive position.

"Hey, it's okay. Stephanie, right?" said the man kneeling in front of her. He wore a long trench coat, a brown and tan striped tie. His hair was graying in both his red mustache and darker colored hair. He noticed her hesitancy and careful observance and held out a hand. "I'm here to help you. My name is Jim Gordon."

"The Police guy?" Stephanie asked warily.

"Yeah. Batman, he's a friend of mine, at least I'd like to think so—" Stephanie giggled and he smiled. "He told me what you did."

"So I'm in trouble."

Gordon shook his head. He sat down next to her so they were face to face. He put his still waiting hand on her shoulder. "No. You're not. It's your father who's in trouble. And we don't want you to get mixed up in it any further. That's why I'm here."

Stephanie looked at him. "So what's going to happen?"

"You need to come with me to the GCPD so we can figure that out. We'll need to ask you some questions so we can make sure everything is taken care of. Do you think you can do that?"

Stephanie nodded before standing shakily. "Yeah, I guess so."

"Good. Then let's go."