A Night in the Life

Summary:

Although she is long retired from her role as Batgirl, that doesn't mean Barbara Gordon is retired from the life of a vigilante. As Oracle, she watches over the Bats and Birds of Gotham while maintaining one of the most reliable and extensive intelligence networks.

How does Oracle spend her nights? Come join us for a look into a night in the life of Barbara Gordon...


Author's Note:

I had the honor of writing for 'Making of the Mask—A Batgirls Zine.' It was a fantastic opportunity and a wonderful chance to spread the love for these amazing women. I am excited to be able to share this story with you. Enjoy! ~rose


Halfway across Gotham, the hands of the Clocktower struck nine pm as Barbara Gordon rolled her wheelchair through the crowded bullpen of Gotham PD. It was still early enough that the hallmark Gotham craziness hadn't yet begun. Just give it a little time.

The door of the commissioner's office was closed. It was enough to deter most from entering, but Babs wasn't just anybody. Her father had long ago realized it was nigh on impossible to keep her out of what he considered mischief if she had her mind set.

His desk was littered with a mess of papers and files, but Babs recognized the underlying system. Careful not to disturb anything, she scanned the papers for any relevant data concerning her evening's caseload. She already had a backdoor into the police computers, but having an eye on the Commissioner's desk was just one benefit of being his daughter.

"Hi Babs," Jim Gordon called as he entered his office, utterly unsurprised by his daughter's presence. "To what do I owe the honor?"

"Just checking in on you. Since I missed lunch, I wanted to see how you were doing. And, to bring you this." She brandished a travel mug of coffee and handed it to him. "Thought you might appreciate the caffeine boost since you're working the late shift."

"Thanks." He smiled and leaned down to give her a hug. The scent of cold night air and cigarette smoke permeated his jacket. With a world-weary sigh, he sank into the chair behind his desk and took a long sip.

Absently, he pushed a report towards her. Interesting. Killer Moth was out on the town again. She'd look into this when she got home.

"Nightwing is back in town," her dad mentioned casually.

Babs pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose. "Hmm."

"Thought that might interest you." He took another sip before leaning back in his chair and closing his eyes. "What are your plans for the evening?"

"Nothing all that interesting. Grading papers. Going over my lesson plans. Maybe catch up on some reading. Quiet night." She shrugged.

"Well, be safe." He stood as his phone started to ring. Circling around the desk, he kissed the crown of her head and gave her another hug. "Thanks for checking in on your old man."

"Love you, Dad. You be safe too." Babs maneuvered her chair towards the door. "Bye."

He waved her out as he picked up the phone and pinned it between his shoulder and ear. "Hullo, Commissioner Gordon speaking…."

Even though it was a functioning Clocktower, Barbara's apartment was relatively quiet. The tick, tick, tick of gears blended with the soft hum of the computer fans, creating a white noise she couldn't remember living without. Babs graded her students' essays as her computers followed the electronic trail of a gang of kidnappers. They thought they were so clever bouncing their signal around the world. But they were no match for Oracle.

As she finished marking the last paper with a surprising minimum of red ink, Babs set the computer science papers aside and prepared to put her civilian life away for the evening. Her computer beeped letting her know she finally hit the endpoint on the trace, which was a lot closer to home than she'd initially suspected. Though, with the information from her dad, the results came with little surprise. It couldn't be a coincidence that Killer Moth was on the loose the same time a kidnapping ring had set up shop in Gotham.

Pulling up her facial recognition software, Babs set it to analyze the live feeds from the CCTV cameras she'd hacked across Gotham. From the dark corners of the internet, she monitored the underground financiers where a criminal mastermind fresh out of lockup might obtain the money needed to fund his operation. With Oracle on his trail, Killer Moth wouldn't be able to hide for long.

Double-checking her computer was set to 'Oracle mode,' Babs pinged the first member of her team.

"Mornin'," the familiar voice of Dinah Lance came across the secured line.

"Have you been up all night?" Though it was nearly a quarter to eleven for Barbra in Gotham, it was nearing six in the morning for Black Canary in Greece.

"Just normal working hours for the traveling vigilante," Dinah yawned. "I'm rendezvousing with Huntress in half an hour. She's taking over surveillance while I catch some sleep."

"Good." Babs opened the file where the Birds of Prey sent their daily reports and scanned Helena Bertinelli's update. "Do you have anything to report?"

"Huntress is eager to take down the traffickers before their next shipment." An edge of anger laced Dinah's words. Black Canary was as eager to eradicate the traffickers as their friend. "Before you ask, we've determined the delivery is set between dusk and midnight—local time. Huntress is going to check out another lead when she takes over. We'd appreciate it if you could narrow things down."

"I can do that." Babs switched monitors and began pulling up the records for Athens' official and unofficial airstrips, harbors, bus depots, and train stations. It would take some time to analyze the myriad of possibilities, but at least her Greek was good enough she didn't need to translate everything before beginning her analysis. "Do you and Huntress think you can manage it on your own, or do you want backup?"

Dinah yawned, drawing out the words with the inhale of breath. "I wouldn't say no if you sent Lady Blackhawk our way."

"I'll see if she's available. Stay safe and let Huntress know I'll check in with her before I sign-off for the evening."

"Ten-four, boss. You be safe too. Talk to you later." Dinah signed off with a double click of the link.

Babs would have enjoyed the opportunity to catch up with her friend, but that would just have to wait until next time Dinah was in town. She had plenty of Bat, Justice League, and maintenance work to keep her busy.

As the clock ticked from today into tomorrow, Babs poured hot water into her 'Old Librarians Never Die' mug. The tea bag bobbed to the surface as it brewed. She breathed deeply, luxuriating in the moment of calm before the whirlwind arrived.

As if on cue, Babs sensed the energy in the Clocktower shift. She was no longer alone.

"Evening, Steph," Babs said without looking over her shoulder.

"How'd you know I was here?" Batgirl stood behind Babs with her hands on her hips. "I thought I was being totally sneaky."

Babs laughed. "You still have a long way to go, my young Padawan."

"Geek," Stephanie Brown shot back. She pushed her cowl up so it scrunched in a purple band across her forehead. Sitting on the edge of the desk, Steph leafed through the stack of graded papers. "How'd I do?"

"You could wait for tomorrow." Babs tugged the last paper from the stack and handed it to her young protégée. "Not bad. You're definitely getting the hang of this."

"You're a good prof." Steph hopped off her perch and began pacing across the room. "So, what's on tonight's agenda?"

Babs handed Steph the Killer Moth file. "I'd like you to look into this."

Steph scanned through the file and held out a photo of a young, red-haired woman in a blue and grey Batgirl costume. "Look, it's you."

"Yup." Babs smiled fondly. There were days she still found it hard to believe that on her first (accidental) outing as Batgirl, she had the temerity to 'rescue' Batman. She hadn't known he was Batman at the time, though now it seemed so obvious. "I hadn't planned on becoming a vigilante that night, but I've never regretted my decision to help."

"I feel the same way. About my road to vigilantism, I mean. Though, I'm totally glad you became Batgirl, so I can be Batgirl too….Shutting up now," Steph rambled. Burying her face in the file, she continued to study it. "So, I'm like continuing your legacy."

"Yeah, you could say that." Babs maneuvered to face Steph. "At least you're better prepared than I was during my Batgirl debut."

"You were definitely better prepared than I was when I first donned my Spoiler cape. Though, I've been Batgirl for a while now, so I better be prepared—or y'all have seriously fallen down on your training duties." Steph snapped the file shut. "Okay, I really am shutting up now. You want me to take on Killer Moth?"

Babs nodded as she pulled up a series of recent newspaper articles on the nearest monitor. "You've heard about the kidnapping ring in Gotham?"

Steph rolled her eyes. "You mean the reason you've been having me surveil Gotham Academy all week? Yeah. Damian's been thrilled."

"I thought you and Damian got along?"

"I mean, we get along better than, you know, him and Tim, but he's Damian…" Steph flicked a lock of blonde hair over her shoulder emphasizing her shrug. "You think Killer Moth is behind this?"

"It fits his MO, and I have confirmation he's back in town." Babs tapped the folder, "I've included a few likely locations where he's been spotted recently. If you need backup, Nightwing's in town."

"Got it. Thanks." Stretching, Steph righted her cowl, transforming herself back into Batgirl.

Minutes slipped by into the lull of early morning. Babs yawned. She remembered those early morning hours when the initial energy from the start of patrol began to wane. Unless you were in the middle of a fight, you'd have probably sunk into a routine of surveillance or following some minion, and exhaustion began to catch up with you.

Though she did most of her vigilante work from the Clocktower, that middle of the evening lull was the same. She kept an eye on Steph as she surveilled a lightbulb factory where Killer Moth was meeting his minions. Babs groaned as the mic picked up Batgirl's 'witty' banter—"Guess it's true what they say about moths and flames…" It was like having Dick on the other end of the line.

Speak of the devil….

"Oracle, are you there?" Nightwing's voice came crisp and warm across the comms.

"Where else should I be, former Boy Wonder?" she teased.

"Sleeping?"

"Nope." Her 'p' popped over the comms.

"All right, O, I concede. I guess I'm not one to talk." Nightwing fought a yawn. Babs smiled. None of them had a particularly healthy relationship with sleep. "Did you get the information I requested?"

Settling back into work mode, Babs flipped through screens and selected the correct window. "Yes, I haven't had the opportunity to process it yet, but I have the raw data. You want it?"

"If you don't mind. I can start looking it over, though I'd still appreciate your take."

"Of course." While she had a few programs which helped comb through the data to look for connections, she found it was always good to have a human eye on the information before passing it on. It added to her already overflowing workload, but she didn't mind. Especially if it kept those she cared about safe.

"I'm going to be in town for a couple of days, do you want to meet up for lunch tomorrow?" he asked. A bar appeared on her screen indicating the progress of the data transfer.

Babs stifled a yawn. Double-checking the various comm channels, she confirmed they were on a private line. "Yes. Is this a 'working' lunch or 'an old friends catching up' one?"

"A little of both. While I do want to go over this case, I miss spending time with you. If I had more time…."

"I know. There are never enough hours in the night, let alone the day." Babs picked up her Nightwing plush from its spot beside the Batgirl one. The comms beeped, signaling an in-coming call. "I've got to go, but I'll keep looking into this."

"Thanks, O. You're the best. See you tomorrow." The line clicked off with a slight burst of static.

With her job never finished, Babs zeroed in on the next member of the BatFamily who needed her assistance. "Red Robin, how can I help?"

In vain, she struggled to keep her eyelids open as the hands of the clock neared three in the morning. If she went to bed now, she could get a few hours of sleep before heading into work.

The majority of the Bats and Birds of Gotham were ending their patrols. Jason was still out there, but her connection with him was informal. She liked keeping an eye on him, so she could send help if he got into more trouble than he could manage on his own. Meanwhile, Alfred informed her that all his charges were safely back at the Mansion. She'd checked-in with the Birds of Prey and Steph arrived home fifteen minutes ago. As a result of her spying, Batgirl confirmed Killer Moth was involved with the kidnapping ring. Now, all they could do was wait for the tracker Steph had planted to lead them to his lair.

Satisfied there wasn't anything else in Gotham which needed her immediate attention, Babs began the process of setting her programs to 'night' mode. Her computer would alert her if anything major occurred. All that remained was to check the recent requests for assistance from members of the Justice League.

While the Bats prepared for bed, the West Coast members of the League were just beginning their evenings. Green Arrow wanted some help tracking down Cheshire. It was nothing so urgent she needed to remain awake, but the computer could start collating sightings of Cheshire's last known whereabouts. With the process initiated, she messaged Oliver letting him know she was on the case.

Finally, it was time for bed.

Like always, morning came too quickly. Babs managed to get four hours of sleep before her alarm sounded and she needed to get ready for the Dr. Barbara Gordon portion of her life. Dressed and ready to start her day, Babs checked the status of the programs she left running and scanned the news. The only thing worth noting was a Killer Moth sighting downtown. It coincided with the route recorded by Batgirl's tracker, so she sent Steph the data and asked her to check it out when she got a chance. He hadn't made much of a buzz yet, but Babs felt it in her bones that it was only a matter of time. With any luck they'd be able to bring an end to the ring and take him down by tonight's patrol. Satisfied the rest of the superheroics could wait, Babs grabbed her coat.

A knock at the door gave her pause. Her fingers curled around the eskrima secreted in her chair. The visitor's approach hadn't triggered any of her alerts, which meant it was either someone to whom Babs had given codes, or it was someone very good at what they did. If it was the former, she had no reason to worry, if it was the latter—well, it was always better to be prepared. Her enemies had found ways through her security measures before. Pulling up the view from the security cameras outside her door, Babs relaxed when all they showed was Cass.

Babs opened the door before Cass could knock again. She smiled at the younger woman with a motherly affection. Cass had grown so much since they first met during the No Man's Land quarantine.

"Hi Cass, come in." Babs still had a little time before she needed to leave.

Cass smiled warmly. Her eyes were bright, though the shadow of exhaustion clung to her features. She moved with fluid grace as she entered the Clocktower apartment. Making herself at home, Cass settled cross-legged on the couch. When Babs joined her, Cass handed Babs a paper cup of coffee. "For you."

With her hand flat and her fingers together, she started with her fingers near her lips, then pulled them away from her face, Babs signed, 'Thanks.'

She sipped the coffee. It was hot and a little sweet—just the way she liked it. Cass sipped hers noisily.

'How was your trip?' Babs signed. Lately, Cass split her time between Gotham and Hong Kong. Babs missed Black Bat when she was away.

'Fine. Long.' Cass' leg bounced as she bled off the excess energy from being confined for so long. 'Good to be home.'

'I'm glad you're home too.' The alarm sounded on Babs' phone, reminding her it was past time to leave. 'I need to go now. Will you be here later?'

Cass nodded. 'Can I stay here? I want to train, then sleep.'

"Of course," Babs said aloud as she gathered her laptop bag and slid the graded papers inside. "I've programmed some new scenarios into my training room, which I think you'll enjoy. Steph's working on a case. If you're feeling up to it, I bet she'd appreciate your help."

'Yes, mom,' Cass signed. Though she rolled her eyes in faux-exasperation, her smile was pure fondness.

"All right. I really need to leave now, or I'll be late for class. See you tonight." Babs maneuvered towards the door. Before heading out into the daylight, she glanced at the first of her protégées. Cass rested her head against the couch, her eyes half-closed. Though she wasn't looking at Babs, she could sense her mentor's gaze. Holding out her hand, with her middle and ring finger curled in and the remainder extended, Cass signed, 'I love you.'

Babs signed it back on her way out the door. With a contented smile, she continued on her way to Gotham University.

After nights like these—long nights as Oracle in her tower, watching over her friends and family and keeping them safe—Babs knew without a doubt this was the life she was meant to follow. At times, it might be a difficult, thankless task, but she wouldn't change it for the world.