The cave was quiet…not silent, for there were always the sounds of bats rustling or squeaking in the dark, sometimes one could even hear the distant drip of water as it fell from its perch, releasing the minerals that would cause the stalactites and stalagmites to grow in their miniscule increments. Robin was back from patrol…it had been a quiet night. Joker seemed to still be in hiding. Since the police force was suffering from a huge reduction in manpower, Nightwing had decided to stick around to help out. Oracle was keeping Black Canary on standby, as well as being prepared to call in any other heroes who may be needed. Only those "welcome" in Gotham, of course.
It seemed that Joker's twisted logic had outwitted them this time, for the funhouse had been a trap for the police, much to everyone's surprise… they had all assumed that if there were a trap involved it would be set for Batman. Yet while the heroes had been facing Joker inside the funhouse, an automated release mechanism had poured gallons of the coma-inducing gas onto the unfortunate officers positioned on the outside.
Now they were in the hospital, an entire wing had been sectioned off and designated for the victims of Joker's attacks, and the members of Bat-clan were trying to cover the losses. Luckily for them, even the criminals seemed to take heed and lie low when Joker was on a rampage… anyone out and about was a target, regardless of their criminal or upstanding background…and there were very few disturbances to distract the vigilantes from the hunt.
"Luckily for us, Joker likes to make a production out of things." Robin muttered to himself. Had Joker wanted to simply kill Batman, he would have had ample opportunity in the time between the factory explosion and the funhouse encounter. Yet he had to have an elaborate deathtrap, a condition that usually provided Batman the opportunity to escape, as it had last night. Robin wheeled his motorcycle to the designated spot then headed towards the entrance to the Manor, figuring he could maybe get Alfred to give him some food before he proceeded back to his family's apartment. But he hadn't gotten more than a few feet when he saw a familiar figure working at the huge computer.
"Does Alfred know you're down here?" he asked, only half joking. Alfred would have kittens if Bruce were working on Bat-related stuff without "permission" after such a serious injury. Of course, that had never stopped Batman. He nodded once, not really paying attention to the young man. Tim noticed that a chemistry setup had been used recently. And there was a suspicious odor in the air…
"Ok, well then does Alfred know that you went out as Batman tonight?" This time he got a more satisfying reaction. Bruce paused, then continued his work without answering…as sure a sign of guilt as Tim, or Robin, had ever seen. He grinned and plopped down in a chair next to where Bruce was working.
"So…?" He continued to be ignored. He shook his head in mock despair… apparently Bruce needed reminding that it wasn't nice to keep secrets from one's partner. He sighed loudly. "I would sure hate for Alfred to find out that someone was up to mischief behind his back…" a twinge in his own back reminded him of the trouble everyone had gotten into the day before.
"I don't give in to extortion." Tim nearly crowed; if Bruce said he wouldn't give in, that must mean Tim had hit a sore spot.
"Come on," he needled, "just tell me what's going on, and I promise not to tell Alfred!" So he sounded like a three-year-old, threatening to tattle…he had learned from the best. Batman had taught him early on to use any means necessary (within reason) and this definitely qualified. Bruce threw him an irritated glare but didn't seem too angry. He turned back to his work.
"Joker made a mistake." Tim perked up, even though the voice was Batman's and none too friendly.
"Really?! What?"
"The apparatus he used to hit the police with…it didn't dispense all the formula." Tim looked back at the chemistry table with renewed interest.
"You've found an antidote?"
"Not yet." Ah. That explained the grumpy demeanor.
"Anything I can do to…"
"No." Tim sighed. He hated it when Bruce got in these moods, where he insisted on being the only one to work on a case for this reason or that. Usually it happened after one of his "agents" got injured, but it had been known to pop up in unexplained instances too. But it wasn't like Tim wanted to go out and pound the Joker's face in…ok, he did want to do that too…he just wanted to help figure out a cure for Joker's poison.
"Well…I guess I'll just…" He looked at Bruce's face and realized he wasn't listening. Tim squelched the urge to say something really outrageous just to get a reaction out of him. The antidote was the important thing right now, and if Bruce needed to be left alone to figure it out, Tim supposed he could allow him his grouchiness. He stood, stretching, and started towards the Manor entrance. He was still hungry, after all.
"I don't want to." Barbara gave in to the impulse to roll her eyes. She had been trying to get Cass to go to the library with her for nearly an hour. It was one of the few public places Babs was still willing to go out to, and she hadn't been in awhile. Since Cassandra was learning to read… and even though Babs had promised to back off…Babs was hoping the younger girl would be willing to accompany her. Apparently not.
"You don't have to read anything! Just come with me!?" Cass shook her head. Having successfully defeated the evil dust that Alfred had forced her to fight a few days ago, and still sneezing at random intervals because of it, she really wasn't in the mood to struggle with those silly symbols that everyone called words. Babs shook her head.
"I'll buy you lunch." Ooh, now there was an incentive. But Cass didn't want to give in that easily. She looked out the window, feigning indifference. Babs narrowed her eyes, sensing the weakening of her prey. "And desert…something really sugary and fattening." Cass grinned at the window where Babs couldn't see her. Maybe if she waited a little longer she could get… "Ok! And we can stop by the movie store on the way back."
"I guess." Cass drew it out, sounding like she was being dragged to a funeral rather than being treated to dinner and a movie.
"Don't push it." Babs grinned as Cass made a face at her. As they headed out the door Cass snagged an apple.
"What?" she queried as Babs looked back at her in disbelief. "I'm hungry now." It would still be a while before lunchtime, so she didn't see what was wrong with eating something right away. Babs shook her head.
"You just ate breakfast! A big breakfast! I should know…I made it!" Cass grinned. Babs' idea of a big breakfast was two pancakes, an egg, and some bacon…though Babs hadn't eaten the bacon, claiming it would just go to her thighs...and some fruit. Cass, on the other hand, was active enough that she sometimes felt like she was eating constantly.
"So?" Babs sighed and they made their way down to the street. The library was close enough, and it was a nice day, so they had decided to walk, or roll, in Babs' case…no point in getting out Babs' big SUV and fighting traffic. They didn't talk much as they traveled…Cass was munching on her apple and Babs was simply enjoying the sunshine.
"Hey! Wait up!" The two women turned in unison as Dick jogged after them, Tim in tow.
"What are you doing here?" Babs folded her arms across her chest.
"Hey! Is that any way to greet your favorite…uh," Dick floundered as he realized that the crowded sidewalk was not the best place to be announcing that one was a vigilante/hero.
"Moron? Oaf? Oh, wait! I know!! How about rude overbearing psychopath?!" Babs raised an eyebrow and gave a small smile. Cass tried to hold back giggles, though she wasn't quite succeeding.
"Wow, Dick, what did you do to get him so steamed?" Dick affected an innocent grin and shrugged.
"I have no idea! I mean, really! Can I be blamed for the fact that the kid didn't go to bed until four in the morning? And, having no way to know of this strange behavior, it really can't be my fault that he was so tired when I woke him up at five."
"Dick! That's mean!" Babs burst out laughing, causing Cassandra to lose the little control she had had as well. Dick simply smirked. Cass was the first to get herself under control as she realized Tim wasn't laughing. She cocked her head and glanced over at Dick as if trying to figure something out. Finally, she couldn't contain her curiosity any longer.
"Why?" Dick blinked. Babs chuckled some more and answered.
"Because when someone doesn't get very much sleep they can't function as well and may…"
"No!" She shook her head exasperatedly, but smiled to show them she got their joke. "Why did you get him up so early?" Tim, who had slumped against a nearby lamppost now straightened with a wry smile.
"Because, apparently, the only way he can get a…what was it again?"
"A digital analog converter." He glanced at Babs and winked. "A self-powered 16-Bit stereo digital-to-analog converter with USB interface, a full-speed transceiver, and adaptive mode for isochronous transfer."
"Right. A digital analog converter…was to be at the electronics store the second it opened… why he needed me for this mission I still haven't figured out."
"Richard John Grayson!" Babs smacked him in the arm.
"Ow! What…"
"You got this kid out of bed at that ungodly hour for stereo equipment!" Cass started laughing again as Dick tried half-heartedly to defend himself.
"But, Babs! I needed…hey! Stop that! I needed to use his credit card."
"Um, you didn't use…" Tim stopped as Dick handed him the card that, until that moment, he could have sworn was in his wallet.
"Ok, someone explain to me why you, Dick Grayson, son of Bruce Wayne, Bazillionaire…you… who has, if I recall, a good sized fortune of your own… felt the need to steal Tim's credit card to purchase fancy stereo toys."
"Because if I had used my card, you would have found out about it." He beamed proudly at the confusion evident on the faces surrounding him. Babs cleared her throat and glanced between Tim and Cass, as if asking them if they had heard it too.
"Ye-eah… and you do realize I have now found out about it, which kind of makes your rather complicated little plot a bit superfluous."
"Well… and there was the added bonus of torturing Timmy." Tim rolled his eyes. He loved Dick like a brother, but unfortunately Dick seemed to share the sentiment. Which meant, since he seemed to believe brothers should torment each other in every manner imaginable, that when he was in a "brotherly" mood, Tim ended up in situations such as being woken at five a.m. or getting tricked into a food fight in Alfred's dining room.
He shook his head. Though he pretended to be grouchy, and he really was irritated at being woken so early, he was enjoying the encounter. Still, he dimly recalled Dick buying something else at the electronic store…something he really hadn't wanted Babs to learn about. He concentrated on the memory as Dick and Babs' squabble eased into mischievous teasing. What had he…oh yeah. Babs' birthday was coming up and Dick had found a supplier who had some kind of extremely rare and hi-tech gadget that he thought she'd want. Tim had still been in a sleepy haze, but Dick had explained it all to him and promised to pay him back. Tim would have gone with flowers, personally…maybe some nice jewelry…but Dick seemed to think it would be better to not "push" Babs. Though how flowers were pushy, Tim was sure he didn't know.
After a few more minutes of playful banter the small group decided to skip the library and simply have lunch together. Though Babs had originally planned on a quick lunch at a deli, Dick insisted on treating everyone to a nicer sit-down meal. An Italian "ristorante" was not to far away, and they made their way there slowly, in no hurry… they were just enjoying each other's company.
After a few minutes the group had sort of separated into two pairs, Dick and Babs discussing something animatedly and Tim and Cassandra following quietly. Cass watched Tim out of the corner of her eye, wondering if it was a bad time to ask about the magazine article he had said he would read for her. Some of what she was thinking must have shown on her face, because Tim glanced over and smiled.
"I bet you want to know about that journal, right?" She nodded, waiting silently. He sighed, groggily trying to recall the article. "Let's see… well, if you want the whole article, you'll have to wait until I have my notes on me, but it basically said that studies have found physical differences in the brains of people who have various language difficulties. Like dyslexics have slightly different chemicals in their brains…" he eyed her speculatively. "I wonder if that's related to your trouble."
"Huh?"
"Dyslexic people have trouble reading. It's often described as the letters looking backwards or something, though that's not entirely accurate. They can learn to read, but it's a lot more difficult for them."
"Other people can't read?" He was surprised that she seemed to be having difficulty with this concept.
"Yeah… Cass, didn't anyone ever tell you that? Ba- um, Bruce, Babs? I would have thought they would have explored that possibility long ago! It's not that uncommon a condition." She shrugged. She had always assumed that she was the only person…well, maybe not the only person, but close…in the world who couldn't read. How come Babs and Batman hadn't thought of this?
"So?"
"Well, I don't know what else… just I guess that if you wanted, you could probably talk to Bruce and see if he knows where you could have these tests done…it could be that something is actually physically different in your brain and that's why, no matter how hard you've been trying, you haven't been able to read yet." She nodded, thinking it over. She hadn't wanted to bring Batman into this…he knew, of course, but seemed content to simply let her beat up the "bad-guys" and leave the detecting and reading stuff to everyone else. Though she could read things after spending hours practicing, it seemed that all that effort slipped right out her head and she had to start over again the next time she wanted to try.
They continued the rest of the way in silence. Tim hoped he hadn't upset her…he couldn't understand why no one had told Cass that there were other people who couldn't read. For her part, Cass simply decided not to worry about it until after things settled down…as in, if and when the Joker ever got caught. There were enough things to worry about as it was without adding to her list of problems.
To be continued…
