Thanks to Princess Paula for the beta
Chapter #5 - Adjustments
Laying on his back in a Jeffries Tube (service tunnels which accessed
engineering and life support systems), Batman had just spent his
sixth consecutive hour working on a power conduit without
interruption. Lying on his back, his arms were extended above his
head. The position was uncomfortable and resulted in cramps every few
minutes. Tired of the monotony, he cursed himself for not remembering
to duct air conditioning or heaters into the Tubes when he and J'onn
had designed the second Tower'.
At its present altitude, the Watchtower completed an orbit around the
Earth every two hours. He'd alternated suffering between hot and cold
and hot air again as the Tower moved in and out of the sun's rays.
He'd allowed himself the luxury of pulling off the cape and cowl as
the first restricted his movements and the second obscured his vision
when peering into the darkened recesses of the coupling. After two
hours, he'd even hung his utility belt on a metal outcropping as the
batarangs in the rear compartment were jabbing into his kidneys.
Given the large variations in temperature, he was immediately aware
of the fact that somebody else had entered the Tube. A tell-tale
breeze stirred the stale air around him. He knew it wasn't a
technician as only members of the Inner Council were allowed to work
on the sensitive systems. That basically meant only he and J'onn were
ever down here as nobody else possessed the particular engineering
knowledge (or more likely the desire) to help with maintenance tasks.
As J'onn had assumed a full-time position as the Commandant who
assigned League duties, until now Batman had possessed only a free
minute or two to deal with the occasional maintenance request. Now
that he had all the time in the world, he was free to upgrade the
Watchtower system by system.
Her scent wafted up the service tunnel before she reached him. There
was something about her scent which drove him crazy (not that he
would ever have admitted that to anyone). Other than commercially
manufactured shampoos and soaps they'd used on the Watchtowers, she
didn't use anything special for her bathing requirements. (He could
confirm this empirically, having broken into her room a few months
after they'd formed the original League to find out why the her scent
drove him crazy). After extensive chemical analysis, he concluded it
was just her natural pheromones that had such a debilitating effect
on him.
"Diana." He muttered, poised with the allen wrench and screwdriver
over his head. "What can I do for you?"
Knowing she'd lost the element of surprise (she really wanted to
sneak up on him just once to say that she'd done it), she decided to
flirt a little instead. "Good question," she replied with a grin,
hovering over him a second later until their noses were only inches
apart. "But since you saved me, shouldn't the question be what can I
do for you?"
"We've been through that already," he protested. "Trust me, I'm not
keeping score."
Perturbed she'd lost the advantage of surprise, she decided to change
tactics. Still hovering over him as he lay on his back, she rolled
over to see what he was working on. Given the close quarters, her
movements caused her to lightly drag the front of her bodice over his
chests. Feeling her breasts gently being dragged over him was
torture, and part of him wondered if she'd done it intentionally.
"Diana, what are you doing?"
"Just curious to see what you're working on," she replied. "Thought I
could help."
"Do you have any working knowledge of power conduits?" he asked,
repositioning his torso to the side in order to gain a vantage-point
not blocked by her mane of raven hair.
"None whatsoever," she replied with a grin. "But the good thing is
that I haven't formed any misconceptions or bad habits."
"Great," he lamented sarcastically. "Just what I need. Another
apprentice to train."
"I won't wear the Robin suit," she whispered lasciviously, rolling
back again (and finding a second opportunity to press her body
lightly against his) to face him. Her breath was noticeably hot on
his neck, "Even if you ask nicely."
He paused, then put the tools down behind his head with a
grunt. "Diana, are you trying to seduce me?"
Her face immediately flushed red with embarrassment. Her eyes darted
left and right, her brain wracked to find an adequate denial with no
success. Finally, she gave a nervous nod. "How am I doing?"
"Not that I don't appreciate the effort," he admitted. He raised his
head off the floor to look her directly in the eye. As he brought his
gaze up, it was impossible to ignore the generous amount of cleavage
poised inches from his chin. Allowing himself the luxury of a smile,
he raised his eyebrow in query, "But in a Jeffries Tube?"
Diana deflated with embarrassment. To her, the awkwardness of the
situation was overwhelming, especially for a woman used to getting
her way most (if not all) of the time. "You're a hard man to pin
down, Bruce Wayne. I tried the other night on surveillance and you
gave me a list of reasons why we couldn't date. I tried last night in
your room but you fell asleep. I tried to bring you breakfast in bed
this morning but you'd already left the Watchtower. This…" she noted,
surveying the Tube around them, "seemed to be the best opportunity I
was going to get."
Batman didn't reply. Slowly, he pulled the gauntlets off his hands
then cupped her left cheek in his right hand. "First, from here on
out, call me Batman. If the senior members of the League won't, then
nobody else will either. Second, I appreciate the gesture, Diana.
Really, I do. But, this…this isn't like you."
She rolled her eyes in exasperation then allowed herself a nervous
laugh to alleviate the tension. "Okay…Batman it is. Trust me when I
say that seducing you in an engineering compartment wasn't my first
choice. However, my mother taught me if I desired something, I had to
accept the consequences…and the baggage that came with it. When I
wanted a horse, it was on condition that I clean the stalls. If I
want you, then it's obvious I'll have to pin you down in an
engineering conduit. Pretty simple if you think about it. How about
you?"
The openness of the admission, followed up by the direct question, made him
squirm. His eyes searched someplace else to look other than the
inviting mound of cleavage perched inches from his nose, but finally
gave up. "I've…thought about us from time to time," he allowed. "But
I always imagined spiriting you off someplace more…appropriate."
"Well then, use your imagination more often." She whispered huskily,
then gently settled her mouth onto his. His hands immediately snaked
around her waist, linking behind the small of her back. He pulled her
down and she willingly gave up her hover, melting into him.
The next few minutes were a tangle of arms and legs; teeth gnashing
against lips and tongues. Their desire for each other became more
desperate by the second as their hands roamed each other's bodies,
exploringthe most sensitive parts. Weary of the constrictive
armor which guarded what he desired, Bruce expertly located the
release. Breathing heavily, she peeled the armor away, spilling her breasts onto his chest. His touch was immediate, passionate. In return, she softly brushed the back of her
hand against the growing bulge in his pants.
Her eyes lit with her own arousal, responding to his as they spiraled
into a passion neither had known. She'd just hooked her thumbs over
his waistband to remove his pants when an alarm sounded in their ear-
pieces. Over the Comm. Link, J'onn asked the Inner Council to
assemble in five minutes to discuss a border dispute escalating in
Kosovo between the ethnic Albanians and the Serbs who refused to
leave.
Screaming in frustration, Diana punched a bulkhead over their heads.
Her fist-print was clearly visible in the aluminum plating. Batman
gingerly examined her hand to make sure there wasn't any damage, then
handed over her breastplate. She dressed quickly, without any show of
embarrassment or awkwardness. The only emotion evident on her face
was the obvious disappointment that they hadn't been able to
consummate the act right there.
A heavy moment of silence hung between them after he'd managed to
piece together the last parts of his own uniform.
Not knowing what to say, he finally muttered, "That was…interesting."
"Take a rain check?" she asked with a grin. Diana inched forward,
gave him a short but passionate kiss, then sped away, flying down the
Jeffries Tube.
By necessity, he crawled out on all fours, finally making his way to
the Inner Council chamber a few minutes later to receive J'onn's de-
brief on the situation in Kosovo. The other members were already
discussing the situation when he arrived. He noted grimly that Diana
had even managed to find the time to comb out her tousled hair, but
he quietly relished the fact that her cheeks were still flushed with
heat. The fact that he walked into the chamber with an uncomfortable
limp was evident only to Diana.
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Nightwing awoke to the disorienting feeling of jet-lag. The
Watchtower operated on the same time zone as Greenwich Mean Time
(GMT), five hours ahead of Bludhaven. For the past two nights, he'd
wandered the corridors with aimless purpose. Reasoning that since
everyone else was asleep, he tasked himself to get acquainted with
the space station's layout in order to deal with any future
situation.
Part of him screamed the exercise was stupid and pointless, but Bruce
had raised him into adulthood reiterating the mantra that one could
never have enough contingencies. Accordingly, while Dick Grayson was
screaming to find a playstation and have some fun, his ego forced him
to carry out the task.
Initially, the wandering hadn't been without its rewards. During his
foray into the upper levels (science, engineering, laboratories etc),
Zatanna had suddenly appeared with Kara in two. Much to his
consternation (he'd worshipped the fishnet stockings she'd worn since
his early teens), Zatanna acted aloof, as if she had somewhere else
to be. Sensing her companion's indifference, Kara asked him if he
wanted some company. He accepted her invitation without any
enthusiasm, then watched with disappointment as Zatanna vanished
around a bulkhead.
He turned his attention to Kara. At nineteen, she was four years
younger chronologically and probably light-years in terms of
maturity. His initial impression was that despite her superpowers,
she was more the impressionable farm girl from Kansas than a sage
crime-fighter. She did little to dissuade that notion, entangling her
feet on a loose piece of carpet as they started to walk. Only his
quick reflexes saved her from an embarrassing collision with the
wall. Mute with embarrassment for the next few minutes, eventually
she loosened up. Her natural loquacity got the best of her.
Enthusiastically, she shared her impressions (as well as the latest
gossip) about every member of the League. He was surprised she
divulged so many intimate secrets (she whispered that it was a well-
known secret that GL was sleeping with Vixen), but in retrospect he
was glad that the latest League gossip took his mind of Batman's
recent troubles.
The young adults eventually ended up in the observation lounge. While
Dick had voyaged to space on a few Titans missions, he never stopped
being in awe of the sight of sunrise over the bright, blue planet
beneath them.
Turning to face her, Nightwing was startled to find her standing only
a few inches away from him. She grinned meekly, her face flushed with
anxiety but nothing came to her mind. "Beautiful, isn't it?" he
finally asked, nodding his head at the spectacle of the sunrise.
"I didn't think members of the Bat-family were allowed to see
sunrise," she replied with a grin. "Don't you harden to stone or
something?"
"We use gargoyles to secure our jump lines," Dick murmured
dryly. "But last I checked, none of us has yet become one."
"Your…father would do best to remember that," Kara said icily. "He's
kind of a monster in his own way."
"Bruce is a handful," Nightwing agreed, quickly rising to his feet.
Anger flashed through his dark brown eyes. "But I doubt that you know
him well enough to judge him like that."
"I didn't mean…" she started, then trailed off as he retreated down
the corridor.
"'Night, Kara." He called over his shoulder.
Laying in bed, Nightwing sullenly recalled leaving the petite blonde
standing by herself, wide-eyed with regret as he strode away. Sensing
another presence as the cause for his abrupt wake-up, he sat up. His
instincts were correct as Bruce was standing in the corner, quietly
looking at a few photos Dick had displayed on the mantle.
Nightwing studied him with curiosity for a moment, then shook his
head with resignation. He knew it was his duty to start the
conversation.
"Morning," he muttered grumpily.
"There's an akido class at ten o'clock this morning I'd like you to
teach." Batman replied coldly.
"Yeah, I saw the flyer for that in the commissary." Nightwing
replied. "Aren't you teaching it?"
"Something's come up," Batman said stiffly. "You can handle it.
Aikido was always your best discipline."
Nightwing considered requesting additional information, then realized
with a start that he had nothing better to do. His door opened and
shut quickly, then Dick's visitor was gone.
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Nightwing arrived in the dojo already dressed in a gi. The white
cotton pajamas were somewhat superfluous but Bruce had learned in
them and during his training as a teenager Bruce had insisted Dick
wear them as well.
Much to his surprise, the room was surprisingly full. Attendees
included Huntress, Black Canary, Zatanna, Fire, Ice, Star, Dr. Light,
Crimson Fox, Gypsy and Vixen. Diana and Kara walked in a few seconds
after him. In a rush with her eyes locked on the floor, the young
Argonian almost bumped into him with her gym bag. He deftly stepped
out of the way, careful not to antagonize her any further. Finally
emerging from her daze, she recoiled away from him a moment later,
accidentally bumping Diana into the doorframe.
"Sorry," Kara muttered, then her face flushed with embarrassment. She
put her head down in a huff, then stormed to the back row next to
Zatanna and Star.
"How did it go last night?" Zatanna asked with a grin.
"Terrible." Kara answered, throwing her bag to the ground with a hard
bang. She listened with one ear as the young man briefed them about
the class' agenda. Nightwing asked them to each find a stretching
partner, then asked for a volunteer to come up to the head of the
class to assist him. Kara's hand shot up in the air as if by its own
volition. Nightwing quickly scanned the crowd then picked Black
Canary (she was one of the few people on the Watchtower he knew on a
first name basis).
Satisfied everyone was partnered up, he started leading the class
through a stretching routine. Crestfallen Nightwing had picked the
older blond, Kara dropped her head in resignation. Zatanna propped up
her leg to start the stretch then asked her to continue relating the
previous evening's events. "Where was I? Terrible? Well, that's not
entirely true. It was going great at first. We were talking up in the
observation lounge. I even thought at one point that he was going to
kiss me..."she embellished.
"Really?" Zatanna asked with a note of jealousy Kara didn't pick up.
"…but then I kinda went off on Bruce. Dick didn't take it very kindly
and bailed."
"His Dad is a sensitive subject under the best of times," Zatanna
whispered back. "Just tell him you didn't mean it and everything will
be fine, I promise."
A row ahead of them, Diana surveyed the class suspiciously. Each time
Nightwing bent over to lead them in a stretch, every pair of eyes
near her would sharply swivel to gaze at his butt. It didn't matter
if the women were stretching their ligaments to the limit; all of
them were craning for a better look. Partnered with Huntress, Diana
was soon puffing with exertion. The stretching required more effort
than she'd bargained for. She glanced over as Nightwing reached down
to touch his toes. The act elicited two soft whimpers from the back
row, followed by a few laughs from the women in on the joke. Diana
and Huntress exchanged disapproving glances. Perplexed, Diana finally
asked the question that had been on her mind since she walked in the
door.
"Is this class women only?"
Huntress bit back a laugh when she heard the question. "It sure looks
that way, doesn't it?"
"I don't understand." Diana remarked lamely. "Why wouldn't any men
take this class?"
"Two reasons," Huntress replied with a grin. "The men are all afraid
Batman would make them look bad so they won't come. All the women are
here because we found out Dick was going to substitute teach."
"Is he better at aikido than Bruce?" Diana asked, grimacing as
Huntress pulled her foot back to stretch the hamstring.
Huntress shook her head in exasperation at the Amazon's
naivete. "Better at aikido? No. Better looking in a gi? Yes."
Diana's eyes widened in surprise. "Are you telling me that everyone
is here just to stare at his rear end?"
"His rear, his chest, eyes, hair, whatever turns you on." Huntress
replied with a smirk.
Diana allowed herself an objective look at the younger man's sinewy
frame. "I guess in some circles he could be viewed as handsome."
"Said the Amazon who prefers brooding types." Huntress noted
playfully. "It doesn't matter if you think he's hot," she nodded her
head at Dick, "Because the rest of us do."
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Batgirl and Robin landed on her apartment balcony with a silent thud.
Given the late hour, she double-checked their surroundings before
pulling open the patio door. The two slipped in quietly, not
bothering to turn on the lights, then plopped into her overstuffed
armchairs with groans.
"How you feelin'?" Tim asked with concern as she stifled a yelp.
"Ribs are sore…could have been worse." She winced, pulling off her
mask. "How bout you?"
"Same. Right hip's a little out of whack. Nothing I can't handle." He
replied gingerly, trying to reassure her that he felt a little better
than he did.
"Just what part of my You're on hiatus' speech did the two of you
not understand yesterday?" Batman growled from the corner.
Despite years of being surprised by the Dark Knight's sudden
appearances, the two of them almost back-flipped out of their chairs.
"Jesus Christ you scared us!" Tim yelped. "Have you ever heard of a
phone-call before you pop in like that?"
"A phone call which would give you an advance warning that I was
coming, you mean?" Batman asked icily.
"How long have you been here?" Barbara asked, settling back into her
chair. He stared impassively in her direction, not responding.
Nervously, she started pulling off her gloves and boots, fumbling
with the releases as she went.
"Long enough to track you two to the South End," he replied darkly
then his gaze swiveled to Robin. "I thought I trained you better."
"I lost track of my guy so I followed him into the warehouse," Tim
admitted. "Never saw the punch."
"But I was there to back him up, so it ended up working out fine."
Barbara interjected, then did a double-take. Staring hard at the Dark
Knight, her eyes flashed with realization. "Wait, you were there the
whole time and let us fight it out with that mob army? Why didn't you
help?"
"There were two men on the catwalk armed with Sig-Sauers you never
saw," he replied angrily. "You'd both be on a cold slab at the morgue
if I didn't follow you in there."
Tim and Barbara both paled but she regained her composure first. "It
won't happen again!"
"No, it won't happen again." Batman intoned ominously. "I want your
belts, grapples, comm. links and uniforms. As of right now, consider
your status changed from hiatus to permanently retired."
Barbara crossed her arms and pouted in her chair, refusing to
budge. "You didn't give me this uniform! I made it!"
"If it's not in a bag at my feet in five minutes, I'll put you in the
bag along with it." He replied icily. "Try me."
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Alfred and Leslie were seated in the observation lounge. Marveling at
the sights of the Caribbean Sea beneath them (Barbados was off to the
right), neither of them heard the Dark Knight approach their couch.
"Enjoying the view?" he inquired.
"It's lovely, Bruce. It really is." She replied with a smile, then
patted the couch next to her. "Sit down, please."
"I've seen it." He muttered, not altering his stance.
"You've taken in the view, have you?" Alfred scoffed in
rebuttal. "Not bloody likely."
"I've seen it," Batman reiterated, perturbed that the valet was
making an open mockery of him.
"You may have seen the view with your eyes," Alfred shot back, "But
my point, if I may be so bold, is that you haven't yet allowed
yourself to enjoy the beauty of it. Need I remind you that you do
have more time to appreciate such things these days."
"I'm busy," Batman intoned. "There's more than enough work up here to
fully occupy my time."
"I see." Alfred muttered with resignation. "So I take it you won't be
joining us either in Switzerland or in Barbados? Judging by the
pictures, they appear to provide adequate privacy such that Bruce
Wayne would not be bothered."
"Thank you," Batman replied stiffly, "But there's too much work to do
here. When are you leaving?"
"I'd like to spend another few days helping them sort out the
infirmary." Leslie replied. "The triage protocols you've established
are completely backwards. Once I get that sorted out and shaped up,
we'll be out of your way."
There was no response except for a bright beam of moonlight that
suddenly shot through the window, temporarily blinding them. The
windows automatically changed their polarization to dampen the bright
light. By the time Alfred and Leslie had lowered their hands, the
Dark Knight had retreated back into the shadows of the corridor. She
looked at Alfred with exasperation.
"How does he do that?"