Disclaimer: Based on characters and references created by DC Universe and the CW, which I do not own. Enjoy!
Her grapple zips her up towards the gargoyle at the top of Wayne Tower, where her hidden elevator to the cave awaits her. As she was about to step onto the balcony, she hears a strange noise in the distance. A whoosh of wind that isn't hitting her face, even though she was at the highest point of the city. She turns around and, at a rooftop in the distance, she spies two people. One of them she recognizes as the new Star City vigilante, Red Arrow. The other is a blonde woman wearing a red cape and a blue suit with a red S on her chest.
Acting quickly, she gets out her long-range laser mic and points it at the two of them.
"I'm sorry," the blonde says to Red Arrow, who looks a bit disoriented. "I could have taken it down a notch."
"It's alright," Red Arrow responds, lifting up a defensive hand. "I'm just not used to always speeding around. That's all."
Speeding around. Is she a meta?
Suddenly, three more people show up out of nowhere. Another Star City vigilante, but this one she knows too well. Oliver Queen, aka, the Green Arrow. Next to him is a tall man with black hair, wearing a suit similar to the one the blonde is wearing. The other is someone unusual. A man with green skin and wearing a suit with an X shape running from the shoulders to the waistline.
Is that…an alien? A real alien?
Oliver Queen takes a deep breath. "Now I kinda know how it feels for Dig."
The alien changes his look to a dark-skinned man in simple attire. He looks out into the city and says, "Just like our Gotham City."
They all look out to where the alien is looking at.
"It wasn't always like this," Red Arrow starts to explain. "In its heyday, it was the richest and most luxurious place you could be. Now its one of the most crime infested and corrupt. Batman reduced most of it, but it's still in bad shape."
She can't help but bow her head a bit, her free hand clenching into a fist. She remembers the time when Gotham City was at its peak and lived to see what it has become. She and her cousin did.
"Where's—wait!" The blonde says. "There they are."
Suddenly, two more get added to the group. One is an old man wearing a suit very reminiscent of the Flash, but with different material. Another is what looks like a large ball of lightning that dashes past the others.
"Uh, I think Oliver's still getting the hang of it," the old man says, presumably defending the ball of lightning.
But Oliver Queen is right there. Is this guy also named Oliver?
The lightning makes its way to the group and dissipates, showing what looks to be the real Flash, for she recognizes the suit from the news.
Oliver Queen laughs at the Flash as he hastily says, "I'm still getting the hang of it!"
Getting the hang of what? She wonders. Hasn't the Flash been around for five years, at least?
Both Flashes walk up to the balcony and look out at the city with the others.
"It's been a long time since I've been back here," The Flash says.
"You were in Gotham before?" The Red Arrow asks.
"Yeah, when I was CEO of Queen Consolidated."
Her lips part slightly, and she tilts her head to the side. Did he just say HE was the CEO of Queen Consolidated?
"I was here doing an interview with Vesper, a Radio personality. I was trying to…" The Flash looks over to the Red Arrow, biting his lip a little and tapping his fingers unnervingly. "…uh, convince her that the company was above board."
"Which no doubt involved having an 'intimate' relationship," Red Arrow sarcastically says.
The Flash bumbles on his next words, as if confounded. His head bows down enough for her to see his face scrunch up, as if he didn't want to go down this path. It's probably because everyone else looked at him with curious faces.
He raises his head up and says, "That's not a conversation for children."
"I'm not a child."
"Well, past you is! And you're my son."
Did he just say son?
"Are you suggesting that we try to find her and ask about Deegan's whereabouts?" Red Arrow asks.
The Flash, or whoever he is, takes a moment to take a relieved breath, probably glad that the conversation changed "Yes. She happens to be very knowledgeable about—"
"Did she think it would be a lasting relationship? Did she think you loved her?"
The Flash shrugs and gives and upset look. "I don't know. Maybe. What does it matter to you?"
"It matters because Vesper holds grudges easily. She may refuse to see us if she instantly hears the name Oliver Queen."
Wait a minute! That's Oliver Queen? But that guy in the hoodie is Oliver Queen. Isn't he?
"He could be right," the blonde agrees. "If she's like that, then we won't get answers from her easily."
"Well, she has more knowledge of Gotham and the people in it than anyone. She may be our only way to find Deegan." The Flash's attention turns back to the Red Arrow. "Unless you have a better plan, since you supposedly know Gotham already."
"I do," Red Arrow clarifies. "We head to Wayne Tower. It's the highest point in Gotham. We can see everything there, even across the bay. I say we use that to find the parking lot and forest from the vision."
"That could take hours."
"Or minutes at best. We'll only know if we go to the tower now."
Go for Vesper. Go. For. Vesper.
"Both sound like good options," the black-haired guy says. "So, I say we split up. Four of us go to the tower and the rest to find Vesper."
Damn it! Now I'm going to have uninvited company.
The blonde raises her hand and says, "I'll go to the tow—"
"YOU'RE coming with me," says the Flash, almost angrily. The blonde does not argue further, bowing her head almost as if retreating from a battle.
"And I'll go too," Oliver, or whoever he is, says. "And who knows? Maybe we can get a chance to meet Batman, get his help."
"Batman doesn't exist," The Flash refutes.
Oliver argues, "Of course he exists."
"No, he doesn't. The Batman was nothing more than a publicity stunt by the GCPD—"
Most of the group then devolves into an argument, with others saying that "There are photos" or "He exists where we're from," the Flash trying to counter all those points.
"Where they're from?" Where did they come from?
However, the Red Arrow moves away from the conversation and towards an object covered in a white tarp. He places his hand on it, as if waiting for things to quiet down.
"I'm the original vigilante!" The Flash yells, ending the conversation.
"Guys!" Red Arrow calls out. "I think this will give you the answer."
Red Arrow pulls the tarp away and finds, to her amazement and theirs, the one thing no one has been able to. The Bat Signal. A lone spotlight that has the Batman's symbol plastered on it. She remembered when it would shine even through the cloudiest night, and he would always answer the call, ready to strike fear into the hearts of criminals, as she is striving to do now.
The group looks at the Bat Signal in awe. Everyone except the Flash, who just crosses his arms. "You think a little spotlight is proof?"
"Proof enough for us," Oliver Queen exclaims. "Let's light this thing—"
"He won't come," The Red Arrow says gloomily. "He left Gotham three years ago. For now, we're on our own."
The Flash uncrosses his arms and heads to a side of the rooftop that faces an alley. "Then lets move. We've wasted enough time already."
As Oliver Queen and the blonde follow him, Red Arrow calls out, "If you run into trouble, regroup at Wayne Tower. Call for help if you need it."
"We will," The Flash affirms somewhat coldly before using his powers to run down the wall. The Blonde jumps down and Oliver Queen uses an arrow with a grapple attached to it to safely jump down. That leaves the other four on the rooftop alone.
"You think your father will be all right?" The older man dressed as Flash asks.
"I sure hope so," Red Arrow answers.
He looks back at the Bat Signal as the Old Flash and the Martian head down into the alley. But the black-haired guy looks back at the Red Arrow.
"Are you coming?" He asks.
Red Arrow nods. "I just want a minute. I'll join you shortly."
The guy just shrugs his shoulders and jumps down to join the others.
Just as she was about to lower the laser mic, Red Arrow reaches into his belt pocket for something. He takes out what looks to be some sort of retractable object, for it snaps into the figure of…
Is that…a BAT?
The Red Arrow holds up the object in his hand, showing a design that is different to her own. It looks like the original. Batman's own batarang.
He can't possibly be…
Suddenly, the Red Arrow looks over in her direction and smirks, as if he knows she's here.
"See you soon, Ms. Kane."
Wait! He knows? How does he even…
Kate lowers the laser mic and watches as the Red Arrow jumps down to the alley with a grapple arrow, as Oliver Queen did.
Who is this guy?
William opens the door into the lobby and allows Clark, J'onn and Old Barry to walk in first. They look around the big, open space, seeing parts of the wall consumed by plant overgrowth, dust on the floors, and an absence of employees. Things that were drastically different from when William bought out the building after the merger of Wayne Tech and Queen Consolidated.
"Well, this place has seen better days," Old Flash remarks. "I thought it would be bustling like the Wayne Technologies in Earth 90."
"It used to be," William explains. "But the company went broke overnight. Possibly hackers. They tried to recover, but Bruce Wayne's disappearance didn't help matters."
"Why did he jump ship?"
William shrugs his shoulders, disguising the truth that he knows. He then looks up to the top of the stairs behind the reception desk, seeing the elevator.
"I'll go up and see if the elevator's operational," William says. "You three stay here and be prepared to head out if the others call for help."
"I'm coming with," Clark responds. He walks closer to William until he is at a distance to whisper, "Because I already know she's up there."
William looks at Clark with a slightly stunned face. He then frowns a bit, realizing that Clark must have heard him with his super hearing. He silently grunts before saying, "Fine. You two stay here. We'll call you when we've scouted the area."
William and Clark head up the stairs and towards the elevator. They press the button to call for it, expecting that it may take at least a minute to come down. However, the doors open immediately, the elevator already present.
"Well, that's convenient," Clark notes.
"She brought the elevator down for us," William whispers. "That means she wants to talk. Let's proceed cautiously."
They walk into the elevator slowly, cautious of any kind of traps. So far, there are none, and the elevator heads towards the upper floor. William looks around, seeing a camera that does not function, none that are hidden, or any triggers that may set off something. Not even a P.A system.
"Well, either she wants to meet face to face," William begins to deduce. "Or she is not as prepared as Bruce is."
"I guess not everything runs in the family," Clark jokes. "But do you really think she'll talk to us?"
"If everything I have done comes to fruition, then she'll see us as allies."
"You mean removing the tarp from the Bat Signal?"
"Partially. But I also showed her something she wanted."
"And that's what exactly?"
"Private information."
Clark chuckles and says, "Looks like Bruce did rub off on you."
"He was a good teacher…and foster father."
A dinging noise rings in the elevator and the doors open. In front of them is a long hallway with two doorways. One is to the right, leading into the CEO's office. Another is at the end of the hall, leading towards the balcony outside.
As they step out, William asks, "Is she in there?"
"She is," Clark responds. "I've kept my eye on her since we were in the elevator. She's sitting in a chair."
"Good. Wait here. I need to do this alone."
Clark nods and says, "Be careful."
William proceeds into the office, which is similar in decorum as the lobby. However, there isn't as much plant life hugging the walls and the floors are much cleaner. Across from him is Kate Kane, looking just as he remembered her. Short bobbed hair and slightly pale skin, along with makeup and some lipstick helping to cover it up.
"Hold it," Kate demands as she stretches out her hand. "Take the batarang out and give it to me. Do NOTHING else"
She stares William down, eyeing him with suspicion. He proceeds to take out the batarang again and unfold it.
"It's not a replica Ms. Kane," William assures as he walks closer to the desk. When he reaches the desk, he stretches the batarang out to her. "It was a parting gift after completing my training."
She takes it quickly and looks at it thoroughly. Her eyes gradually widen as she flips it over, checking every corner and edge.
She looks at him again with a more wary look. "How did you find him?"
William smiles, answering, "The way you would have found him…if we had ever met."
"Okay, Vesper's station should be just a couple more blocks this way," Oliver says as they walk down the alleyway.
"Tell me again why I don't just fly us there or you use super speed?" Kara asks.
"Because both methods will get us noticed," Oliver answers. "Vigilantes aren't very welcomed here."
"That and Oliver wants an excuse to talk to you about William," Barry blurts out. Oliver frowns at him, but Barry tries to defend himself saying, "Well, we were all thinking it."
"That doesn't mean you have the right to—"
"Can we stop?!" Kara shouts, getting their attention. She then continues in a low, yet hasty voice, "Look Oliver, I get that you're being a cautious parent, and I do applaud that. But there is NOTHING going on between me and William."
"You tried to flirt with him the INSTANT you laid eyes on him Kara," Oliver points out in a silent, angry whisper. "And you have been shy around him ever since then."
"Because I found out he was the future version of a kid who's been doing chores around my cousin's old home!" Kara responds, trying to be as silent as possible. "And it's not shyness, it's…awkwardness. You'd feel the same way around a girl from the future who you knew in the present as a kid."
"She's got a point," Barry intervenes. Oliver gives him another glare, but Barry once again becomes defensive, "Just saying."
Oliver looks back at Kara with the same glare. "And none of that awkwardness you feel is from finding my son attractive, in any way?"
"No!" Kara silently responds.
Looking for a more honest answer, Oliver's glare becomes more profound, almost piercing. Kara's fists clench and unclench multiple times and she swallows with almost no control or rhythm.
Eventually, she admits. "Okay! Partially that. But I have NO desire to, like, date him or something. I promise. Now can we—"
"Guys!" Barry yells, his voice sounding almost as if he is struggling.
They turn around, seeing a bald man with a snake tattoo holding Barry by the throat and putting a gun to his head. Barry tries to break free, but the man puts the barrel of his gun closer to his head as a warning to stop.
"Well, look what we have here," the man says sinisterly. "The Green Arrow himself along with a little posse. Now what would Star City's greatest vigilante be going in our most 'gracious' city?"
"Let him go!" Kara shouts as she is about to intervene.
However, Oliver raises an arm in her way before she took one step. "Let me handle this."
He puts his hands up, subtly pressing the comm in his ear.
"Oliver, is that you?" Old Barry's voice asks. "Is everything okay?"
"There's no need for this," Oliver begins to negotiate. "We don't want any blood spilt here in Crime Alley."
"Shut it!" The man commands, gripping Barry's neck tighter, making it hard for him to breathe. "This is our territory, and your trespassing."
Suddenly, multiple men come out of the alleyways behind and in front of them, all with snake tattoos on different parts of their bodies. They carry bats, pipes, chains, and knives, all pointed towards Oliver and Kara.
"I see," Old Barry says over the comm. "I'll be there in less than a minute."
"Wallets or jewelry," the man starts to demand. "That's the price to get out of here unscathed. Now, hand them over to me."
Oliver quickly takes out his wallet, which is actually Barry's, and starts to take all the money out of it. But then the man points the gun at him.
"The WHOLE wallet. You too blond—"
Just then, Barry head butts the man and then removes the arm from his neck while lunging for the gun. He throws the man to the ground and, armed with the gun, points it at the criminals around them, yelling, "Stay back!"
He regroups with the others and they form a circle, back to back, keeping their eyes on the whole gang. Whenever one of them tries to get close, Barry points the gun at his or her head, even though Oliver knows that he is bluffing. But regardless, they inch closer and closer, knowing that even if Barry does have the will to shoot, he can't get them all.
"We have a way out of this, right?" Barry asks, not keeping his eyes away from the criminals around them.
Suddenly, a familiar sound is heard. A subtle crackle of lightning that becomes louder by the second. They and the gang look over to where it is coming from, seeing a red silhouette being followed by yellow streaks of lightning. The next thing they know, the three of them are swooped away from Crime Alley, the last thing they see is the gang members backing away or running in fear of what they saw.
"So, if what you're saying is true," Kate begins to deduce as she and William walk out towards the balcony. "Then…it does work? I get to see him again?"
"With my help, yes," William responds. "But I can't do it out of generosity this time. If you help me, then I can help you."
She leans on the railing, looking out towards the city. She says nothing for a moment, but William can tell that her eyes are fixed on the old Bat Signal across the way.
"Three years of searching for him. For Bruce. Finding out he's on another Earth. And here you are, the key to everything, just happening to be in my city." She looks over to him and asks, "How did you know I would be listening in?"
William smirks. "You're always ending your patrol at this time and the gargoyle you always perch on just happens to be across from the rooftop with the signal on it. A place that's also a constant in the other Earth." He then shrugs his shoulders. "Well, that and I had detective vision track your movements since entering the city."
Kate looks at him with a glare. "You took control of a Wayne Tech satellite?"
"No," William responds. "I rediscovered one which was abandoned, but still functional. Big difference."
She nods her head, but still glares at him. "Does anyone else know?"
William shakes his head. "Bruce prefers no one but his most trusted know. One of them being you. And I CAN arrange for you to see him again. I just need your help."
Kate then raises an eyebrow. "Does it have to do with the Flash and Oliver Queen acting weirdly?"
"It's…a lot more complicated than that."
Kate just gives a short "hm" in response.
"Hey, Kate," A familiar yet nervous voice calls out from behind them. They turn around, seeing Lucius Fox (or Luke for short), wearing a gray business suit and pants, walking up to them with shifting eyes. "There's a guy down the hallway and I've detected others in the lob—"
He stops as he lays eyes on William, who he points to and asks, "Who exactly are you?"
"Someone who shares a mutual friend," William explains, showing off the batarang in his hand.
"OH my god," Lucius utters, his jaw dropping so low that his chin reaches the top of his chest. As he looks up and down at William, he starts to ask, "Which one are you? Dick Grayson? Jason Todd?"
"Neither, and I'm not a Robin," William answers.
Lucius' jaw retracts and he lets out a little "huh."
"William, do you read us?" Oliver's voice echoes in William's comm.
He raises a quick finger and mouths "Wait a moment." He presses the device on his ear and says aloud, "I hear you. Did you find Vesper?"
"We never got to the studio. We were ambushed in Crime Alley by a bunch of thugs. But don't worry. Older Barry got us out."
William, as silently as he can, says to himself "Crime Alley?! Really?" While leaning back his head. He lowers his head and quickly asks, "Are you alright?"
"We're fine, but our first option is no longer viable. Can we come up?"
William's eyes slightly widen as he looks at Kate and Lucius.
Oh crud! If they see these two here, they'll be asking questions.
He quickly mouths to the both of them, "Get to the cave quickly! Go!" He then gets on the comm again. "Yeah, it's clear. You can take the—"
As Kate and Lucius start walking, the familiar gust of speedsters arriving blows across from them. The silhouettes of the gang become clearer, neutral at first, but then confused as they lay eyes on the two of them.
"—elevator," William says as he closes his eyes and clenches his fist hard.
"Meta humans?" Lucius says in a calm yet surprised tone. "Your friends are meta humans? And Oliver Queen?"
"Who are these people?" Oliver asks. "I thought the building would be abandoned."
"Hey," Clark calls out from the hallway inside as he runs into view. "Is everything all…right?" Clark freezes as he sees the others.
Oliver, who now grimaces at William, points at Clark and asks, "He knows them?" Before William can say anything, Oliver walks over and presses further in a whisper, "William, tell me what exactly is going on."
"I'm your welcoming committee," Kate intervenes. "Ever since you arrived here."
Oliver turns and looks at her, his grimace becoming more profound. "How did you know we were here?"
"You weren't exactly subtle." Kate crosses her arms and cocks her head. "I can practically see and hear everything from my building."
"I thought this building is property of Wayne Enterprises. And I don't remember a new CEO being announced."
"That's because I didn't become CEO until three years ago. And my cousin's business doesn't exactly have much of a PR team anymore."
William can't see his father's expression, but it must have been realization, judging from his tone when he says, "You're Kate Kane? I thought you were some sort of socialite. Your mother is an arms manufacturer."
"She's my stepmom," Kate corrected. "And I quit the socialite life a long time ago. I now keep this place afloat with my associate, Lucius Fox."
"The old man?"
"That was my father, Lucius Sr," Lucius explains, raising his hand. "I'm Lucius jr. But call me Luke."
After a little while of seeing Oliver look back and forth between the two of them, William knew that he can't avoid an explanation any longer. But he can't have them here.
"Kate, Luke," William addresses. "Just…give me and my group some time to talk. Clark can bring up to speed."
"Fine," Kate agrees. "But only because I need to talk to Luke about this anyways. Come on."
Kate and Clark quickly head inside. But Luke slowly follows behind, looking at Barry and saying, "By the way, BIG fan of yours Mr. Queen."
Barry gives a wide smirk, even though he knew that comment was not meant for him, while Lucius proceeds inside and closes the doors.
"Okay," William begins. "I know that I have some things to explain."
"Some things?" Oliver responds with almost the same tone of disappointment William once expressed with him at the Kent farm. "You have been keeping us in the dark since Star Labs. You claim to know about Gotham City and now you've somehow made friends with someone who has known we were here since arriving."
"And I get that looks suspicious, but—"
"Is that what the Bat Signal was for? Not just to show off that some myth MAY be true?"
"Your sounding as if you don't trust me."
"I trust YOU…as much as a father trusts his son. But yes, that trust is dwindling because you keep avoiding the subject. You promised that you would tell us what you knew when we got here. Now is the time."
William looks Oliver right in the eyes, seeing the seriousness beyond the glare. He can tell that his dad is telling the truth. His trust is diminishing. Most likely, everyone's is, but not as much as Oliver's.
William slightly nods his head. "You're right. I did promise that. So…" His eyes look down at the floor for a moment, thinking about which details need to be told and which ones must be omitted. With the story in his head, he looks up and explains, "When I escaped Cambridge, in the previous timeline, I was successful. They never found me, and I never went back. I didn't go back to Star City either since I knew that Felicity would send me back. So, I headed in the opposite direction, forged a new life for myself and changed my records with the little computer training Felicity gave me. But it wasn't perfect. I had to camp out, be taken in by orphanages that I would run away from and…" William had to swallow the dissatisfaction refraining him from saying, "STEAL…in order to survive."
"Wait, wait, wait," Oliver interrupts. "Why were you wandering around anyways?"
"Because I wanted to find someone to train me to fight. I didn't want to go back to Star City being…HELPLESS. Unable to protect myself. To protect you and Felicity. I learned a few things from street fights, but nothing that a professional martial artist could show me. But eventually…" He looks out towards the vast Gotham City expanse. "I found myself here. I scouted the streets, trying to find anyone who could train me. But my journey was cut short when I was ambushed."
"Ambushed?" Oliver interrupts again, but less abruptly than last time.
William nods. "Not in Crime Alley, like you guys, but somewhere close. I would have been killed…if not for them."
He looks off to Kate and Lucius, who look to be entranced by whatever Clark is telling them. The others look to them as well, with Oliver giving a more surprised, slightly wide-eyed stare.
"Those two saved my life," William affirms. "That's how I know we can trust them. They're the last guardians of this city and know it more than any one of us. If anyone can tell us where Deegan may be, it's them." William looks back at the group, but his attention is mostly on Oliver. "I'm just asking you to trust them in the same way I do. Please."
As he said this, Kate, Lucius, and Clark start to walk back towards the balcony. As they open the door, Lucius looks back and forth between Oliver and Barry with a frown and Kate walks towards William, seemingly neutral, but he notices her shoulders rolling uneasily.
"You were right," Kate says. "This IS a lot more complicated than I initially thought."
"So you'll help us?" William asks once more.
"On two conditions. As soon as you find Deegan and this book he has, they leave the city. I can't have more vigilante's drawing any attention."
"But not me?"
Kate walks up and whispers into William's ear, "From the way I see it, you still need to finish our experiment for us."
William nods. "Fair enough."
"What did she just say?" Oliver asks aloud.
As Kate moves away, she answers, "Something personal." She walks past William, waving a hand to have everyone follow her. "John Deegan has been on a personal blacklist of mine. He makes his home over there."
She points towards an island just off the Eastern shore of Gotham Isle. To the right side is a large forest similar to the one in William's vision. To the left end of it is a complex that William immediately recognizes.
"Arkham," he utters aloud in a displeased tone. "I knew there was something familiar about the vision."
"What's Arkham?" Barry asks.
"Only the worst Asylum in all of America, Mr. Que—" Lucius clears his throat hoarsely. "Flash. It's unregulated, patients are basically experiments, and most of the doctors there are mad scientists. The only reason it's still standing is the lack of any evidence against it and it's the only place equipped to house the worst villains."
"I've been to the Arkham on my Earth," J'onn comments. "It is just as decrepit."
"Deegan has been there since he was trained by a guy named Hugo Strange," Kate continues, "And hasn't been able to go anywhere since because of his controversial past. He's basically cornered."
"Well, we can't just walk in," Oliver points out.
"I can create some false identities for most of you Mr. Queen," Lucius assures. "But not for the Flash since anyone will recognize him."
"I can use my ARGUS credentials and Oliver can use his CCPD connections," William points out. "J'onn and Kara can infiltrate with us while the rest of us stay on standby near the Asylum." Curious about Kate and Lucius' involvement, he turns to her and asks, "You are going to help us with this one, right?"
Kate smirks. "We'll be your shadow."
William smirks back and nods in acknowledgment. "Good." He then turns to the others. "You guys head for Arkham but stay at the front gate. Oliver and I will be there with the false IDs."
Kate and Lucius head back inside and everyone is taken by all the speedsters towards Arkham. William and Oliver are now alone, leaving them free to talk.
"Any reason you wanted me to stay?" Oliver asks.
"I know there's more you want to ask," William says bluntly.
"But you didn't want the others here to answer some simple questions?"
"What is it you wanted to ask?"
Oliver plants a hand on the inside edge of the balcony and looks at William dead in the eyes. "You haven't told us who exactly trained you. Or how you got to Earth-38."
William breathes a subtle sigh and says, "I can't tell you that. You just have to trust—"
Oliver pushes his hand off the balcony and walks a bit closer to William. "I said that I trust you as much as a father trusts his son. But that trust is EARNED William. More than half the time I kept secrets; the results were almost disastrous. And it took a long time to earn the trust of others again."
"I'm aware of that."
"Then you should know that if this secret your keeping blows up in the faces of those closest to you, including me, then you are paying the price. YOU have to decide what's more important in the end, us or whatever it is you're trying to hide."
William was about ready to blurt out the truth right there. He became worried that Oliver, his father, was going to turn on him as soon as he refused to say anything further. But he quickly realized that Oliver was only giving him advice. His trust may be dwindling, but not rapidly. Otherwise, he would have put more pressure on William. But he must also understand the inverse. But not his own hypocrisy.
"Your right," William says. "So why exactly did you go through Crime Alley?"
Oliver is a bit hesitant at first, his eyes shifting to the floor for a split second. "Because… we needed a more subtle route that didn't get us noticed."
"And if you were trying to take the most 'subtle route,' you would have gone through a few alleyways adjacent to Crime Alley, which Vesper no doubt pointed out to you when you two were fraternizing with each other."
Oliver places his fingertips on his head as William says this, pleading, "Can you please stop—"
"And those would have been easy to speed through since their pretty empty anyways except in emergency evacuations, which they most likely weren't!"
Oliver may try to hide behind his glare, but William can see that he is agreeing with every word.
"Were you asking Kara about her awkwardness around me?" William asks.
Oliver stays strong, but his nose twitches a little and his eyes look away for just a second.
But William continues, "You know, I could have resolved that myself if you had let her come with me."
"I was trying to be the parent you saw me as, like you told me to do back at Slabside!"
"And I also told you to be the HERO I knew you were! There are times where you need to be one or the other. And that was NOT the time to be a parent. And keeping that intention a secret certainly wasn't good for any of us."
"How was I supposed to know that a gang of people with snake tattoos would ambush us?"
"This city is the most crime infested place! Even if you weren't there for when I said that, you would have known from your first visit here. It was still bad, even when Batman expunged most of it."
"Okay!" Oliver blurts out. "I get it. I should have been more cautious, and we shouldn't have been lingering. Are you done teaching me a lesson?"
"No Dad!" William disagrees, a profound frown forming on his face. "Because you haven't learned ANYTHING. You're still the guy who would rather think that your way is the best way rather than think about the alternative, just like when you decided to turn yourself into the FBI…" William pauses for a moment, feeling his voice about to crack. He then finishes in a strong yet silent growl, "And left me and Felicity alone!"
Oliver's grimace begins to fade, but William turns away, not caring about what sympathy he will show. After a while, he can hear Oliver's footsteps move away from him, probably thinking it best to not try to make things more arduous than they already are.
So, William just stays silent until Lucius arrives with the papers. All the while, he tries his best to fight back the tears smothering his eyes.
Author's notes: Hello Readers! Thank you for reading this chapter. I just thought I would make one thing clear about Batwoman in this fanfic that I believe a lot of you will ask after reading. This is not the Ruby Rose version. This is a version more akin to the comic book version of Kate Kane.
Also, thank you to those sticking around. There is more to come, especially moving towards Arkham Asylum and learning more about Deegan. Goodbye and have a great day!
