Chapter 4
New Gotham Clocktower
December 16 Noon
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Shhhh," Oracle hushed from her place at the Delphi as she threw a look over her shoulder to Reese who was beginning to stir at the noise.
Dick bounded lightly up to her platform and planted an apologetic kiss on her forehead. "Sorry," he said quietly.
"Don't apologize to me Boy Blunder- he's the one you woke up."
Reese sat up in the couch blinking his eyes as he tried not to wince at the sunlight filtering past the blinds. "Time?" he croaked out.
"A little past noon. Sorry about that," Dick said sincerely.
"'S ok. Was gonna have to get up in a little bit anyway."
"How did last night's undercover work go?" Oracle asked.
"Don't remind me right now," he groaned rubbing his head. "God Elisa is gonna kill me when she wakes up. Maybe my head will split open and save me first," he mumbled as he attempted to get up only to fall back into the couch holding his head.
"Either you got whacked in the head by a bum, or you are nursing a cheap liquor hangover. I'm betting on the latter," Dick chuckled.
"Bingo."
"Well Babs and I learned the cure for that long ago. Breakfast, lots of aspirin, and caffeine. So go hurl now or forever hold your peace while I make breakfast."
Reese seemed to think about his choices for a minute and then decided he needed to stop fighting the rising bile in his throat. Best to just get it out of his system and get it over with. Oh yeah...Elisa was definitely not gonna be happy with him.
Half an hour later Reese reappeared in the kitchen after expelling what little was left in his stomach from last night, and then soaking in a hot shower for another twenty minutes to help clear his head. Dinah was standing over Oracle's shoulder as they analyzed some information from the previous night. Dick wiped one hand on the towel over his shoulder and then held it out.
"Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself formally before. I'm Dick Grayson."
Reese frowned a bit as his fuzzy mind tried to put the name into place. "Grayson....as in the cop from Bludhaven who also has his own Fortune 500 company?"
"The one and the same," Dick grinned as he turned back to cooking.
"You're Wayne's kid right?"
"Adopted. Not blood like a few other people we know," he chuckled. Out of the corner of his eye he caught two heads snapping up and two sets of eyes glaring in his direction. Ok, so Reese still didn't know everything.
"Anyway, I went out on my own, invested my money, started up my own company, and hired some good people to keep things going for me so I could pursue a career in a field of work I enjoy much more."
Reese seemed not to have picked up on the slip and Barbara quickly spoke up, keeping his focus elsewhere. "You mean two careers."
"Two?" Reese asked, trying to follow the conversation.
"Seeing as how you have already been let into the little circle of trust with ladies I guess there's no problem telling you. I'm a cop by day and Nightwing by night."
"Nightwing? The Nightwing?"
"And the former Robin," Dick added, trying not to laugh too hard at the detective's stunned look.
"God, all of you guys are real then?"
"Probably. I never really believed there were gargoyles until Barbara told me that a couple of them had come up here with Maza. Speaking of which, where are they Babs?"
"Sleeping. They really do turn to stone in the day. They're out there on the balcony," she answered jutting her chin in their direction."
"We watched them wake up last night. That had to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Dinah gushed.
"So they have a stone shell during the day?"
"Somehow their entire body shifts to solid stone with the rising if the sun. Hudson says that during this period their body regenerates itself. Most injuries will completely heal by sunset, but because they are solid stone they are left completely vulnerable to attack."
"Ahhhhh, so that explains why those Quarrymen freaks ran around with sledgehammers," Dick remarked shaking his head. "I'd seen bits and pieces on the news about the gargoyles, but I figured the Quarrymen were just another bunch of annoying fanatics. I mean most of the time they were getting busted by cops for rally's and public defacement. I always figured that if the gargoyles really were living creatures, then why go around smashing stone statues?"
"Which is why they have chosen to stay out of the public's eye for so long. At least when we fall asleep we can wake up. They go into their sleep each day, knowing in the back of their mind that they could never wake up," Barbara said sadly as she glanced out onto the ledge where Hudson and Goliath rested.
Just then, the sound of Elisa's door being thrown open and the bathroom door being slammed shut quickly thereafter announced Elisa's awakening. Everyone was already halfway through breakfast before she finally made it down the stairs and sat gingerly in a chair.
Oracle pushed a plate of food and a bottle of aspirin in front of the raven-haired detective. Elisa grabbed the aspirin, fumbled with the cap, popped a handful and chugged them with a fresh mug of coffee. She grimaced at the food, but dug in, knowing she needed to eat if she was going to overcome her hangover.
Everyone was quiet for awhile, respectful of the two officers condition. When Elisa finally finished the last of her food and shoved the plate away, Reese broke the silence. "Sorry Elisa," he mumbled as he massaged his own aching temples.
"You hurl?" she asked in a raspy voice.
"Yeah."
"Apology excepted," she returned with as smug a look as she could muster under the circumstances. That managed to break the ice as everyone chuckled. "Just don't expect me to drink the cheap stuff tonight. If we're gonna get plastered at least we can do it on something with a little more class."
"Tonight?" Oracle asked looking the two over skeptically.
"Yeah, we may have made a good contact. Need to go back and investigate it a little more," Reese explained simply.
"By the way, Elisa this is my friend from Bludhaven. Dick Grayson."
Elisa nodded and gave the young man awry smile. "Hope you don't hold first impressions against people."
"Hey I've had a few rough post-undercover recoveries myself. Hazards of the trade right?" he laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with good-natured humor.
"So I've always wondered, why would a playboy like yourself want to be a cop?"
"I like getting my hands dirty," he grinned.
Barbara chuckled and poked Dick in the arm. "Listen former Boy-Wonder if you make their brains think any harder right now they'll disintegrate. I don't think you want to explain that to the seven hundred pound being sleeping on my balcony. I know I certainly don't."
"You take the fun out of everything Babs," Dick sighed dramatically. "See now you've gone and ruined my surprise," he pouted as he watched Elisa's eyes widen as her mind slowly comprehended what Barbara had said.
"Former Boy-Wonder? As in Batman and Robin?"
"Yeah, when we were both younger, Batman was our mentor," Dick explained as he leaned back in his seat. "Batman and I didn't always see eye to eye though, and I finally went out on my own after I moved up to Bludhaven. I still work with the Titans on a regular basis, and the League contacts me every now and then. But most of my time is devoted to being a cop and Nightwing."
"And you run a multi-million dollar company in the process?" Reese asked in disbelief.
"Actually I have a Board of Directors to do that for me. I go to the most important meetings, make executive decisions here and there, but I built the company to run without my constant attention."
There was silence from the two detectives and then Elisa shook her head. "Ok my brain is now certifiably mush," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Then she stopped for a minute. "Wait a sec, you're Wayne's adoptive son right?"
"Yeah."
Dick, Barbara and Dinah all sat a little stiffer in their chairs as they saw the wheels turn in Elisa's head and the sudden glint in her eye. "And you were Robin?" she asked slowly.
"Yes," was Dick's drawn out response.
"Uh,huh," was all she said, sitting back in her chair and looking proud of herself.
Dick's lips twisted upwards slightly and Barbara and Dinah seemed to relax a bit. "Not bad, considering you just declared your brain mush a minute ago."
"What?" Reese asked, not liking that he was missing out on something.
"He doesn't know?" Elisa asked surprised.
"I haven't met Reese before today."
"Know what? Reese asked frustrated.
"That Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same man," came a sullen response from the open elevator doors as Helena stalked into the room, and slumped into chair. "Whoopee the great mystery has been revealed," she continued sarcastically as she reached for the bottle of aspirin and the coffee pot.
She was wearing dark glasses, and her skin was a little paler than normal. But her sour demeanor was more than enough to confirm that she too was nursing a wicked hangover. "Good morning Helena. I've missed you and that sunny disposition," Dick said sweetly.
Helena growled in his direction as Oracle jabbed the smirking young man in the ribs. Dinah seemed to be interested in something in her coffee, and Reese shifted uncomfortably. Elisa raised an eyebrow, but her head hurt too much to do more than briefly wonder why Helena didn't like Dick.
Still smirking, Dick got up and began making breakfast for Helena, who accepted it unhappily. There was more drawn out silence, and then Barbara finally spoke up. "Dick was going to take Dinah back to the Manor to train her today. I'm going to go back to looking into some leads that I found last night. If you three are going to be in any shape to work tonight, I suggest you get more rest."
"I gotta get back to my place so I can get my spare keys. I don't want to leave my car down there any longer than it needs to be. Helena you up to driving me home and then back out to my car."
"You left it down by the docks?" she asked an eyebrow arching over the dark lens of her sunglasses.
"Lost my keys, and we were too hammered to drive anyway."
"You two walked all the way back? Why didn't you call?" Oracle asked shocked.
"Guess you gals got a new number and forgot to tell me."
"But you have Helena's number right?"
"Come on Reese. It's not often Oracle actually let's us have a day's rest. Let's get outta here before she changes her mind," Helena cut in quickly as she stood abruptly.
Reese just shrugged and clambered to his feet. After thanking Dick for the breakfast and setting up a regrouping time, Reese followed a sour Helena out of the Clocktower. It wasn't until they were safely inside the confines of her car that Reese finally turned to Helena.
"You look like I feel," he commented as casually as possible.
"It was a rough night," she answered gruffly as she pulled out onto the street.
Reese let it slide until they pulled up to his apartment building. "Come up for a few minutes?"
Helena only shrugged in response and the two slowly made their way up to his apartment on the fourth floor. Once inside, Helena paused and took a slow look around. It was the first time she had ever been inside his apartment. "Guess this kills the bachelor cop theory," she remarked with a half smile.
"Not all of us like to live in pig styes," Reese chuckled as he set his keys down and headed over to the refrigerator. "Besides, never know when you might bring a date back home," he added with a sly grin as he pulled out a couple of water bottles and offered her one.
"So normally it's a mess, but you did this to impress me."
"Come on, you know me better than that. You really think an uptight, by the book, cop like me would have his dirty laundry and old Chinese food containers strewn all over the place?"
"No. But I'm thinking you better not come over to my place any time soon," she remarked taking a long drink of the water he had provided.
"Let me guess, Pop Tart boxes," he teased, remembering her affinity for the breakfast snack.
"Pop Tarts and Jack Daniel's," she admitted ruefully.
"Now there's a combination," he mused. Then his gaze softened as he moved up close to her. "You still drinking a lot?" he asked gently, concerned.
Her whole stance went tense, and he felt her beginning to withdraw. With a sigh he looked away, realizing she probably wouldn't tell him and they would only argue if he pushed. "Nevermind," he mumbled as he headed back towards the door.
"Not as much as...afterwards...." she responded quietly. Reese froze in his tracks and looked back at Helena, who was facing away from him now, staring out the window. "After that night- I didn't want to live with the fact that I hadn't been able to stop Harley from killing Wade, or that I had almost killed Barbara. And if I had killed Barbara, you and Dinah would have been next.
"Then Barbara withdrew and it nearly killed me. God, we fought so much... we still fight. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that still keeps her going. You saw what she looks like, and I know that I'm the one to blame. At first I drank to forget. Then I drank to dull the pain. One night, things got so bad I drank and then went out on sweeps. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the Hummer, sporting a wicked black eye, and Dinah's driving us away from Arkham. I went there to kill her Reese" she admitted in a bare whisper.
Reese was by her side now, turning her slim form to face his. "Helena you are not to blame for what happened that night," he told her fervently. "You fought back the best you could. I saw it in your eyes that night! Look at Gibson, he never broke her control. You may not have been able to save Wade, but you stopped before you killed. And then you were there to keep Barbara from crossing that line."
"But I haven't been able to help her since!" she shouted frustrated. "I've been such a basket case, and even the kid can't seem to reach her."
"I gathered that from the way she hovers around Barbara like a mother hen. But things have been slow for this past year. What you three do is your life, and you haven't been able to focus on that. Things are different now- you have something important to focus on. The other night was a big step for all of us, but I know that we can work though everything that has been getting us down this past year. But we have to keep talking like this cause as trusty as J.D. is, he never seems to give any answers to your problems," he said with a gentle smile.
She attempted to return it, but failed miserably. Reese just leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You know what? Screw getting my car, I could use another one anyway. If it's there tonight then I'll pick it up. Right now I just want to crash on the couch and doze for the rest of the day. Join me?"
At this Helena raised an eyebrow. "Had ulterior motives in asking me up here Detective?"
"In our condition? Hell no. Besides, we just got back together the night before last. I figured you'd want to work you're way back up to where we left off...which wasn't very far if I remember correctly."
She gave him a shove that sent him stumbling towards his bedroom, and she continued to push him until he was flat on his back pinned to his bed by her body. "Was that a dig I just heard Reese?"
"Uhhh..."
"Now who's suddenly shy about traveling around the bases?" she smirked at him. But her grip on him relaxed and she let him rise up onto his elbows to stare at her as she sat back on her haunches. "Just so we're clear here as to how far I'm willing to go...when I'm not hungover."
Reese chuckled and shook his head as he moved up further on his bed and then patted the mattress next to him. "Get up her you tease. Least you can do now is keep me company while I sleep."
"Tease? Moi?" she asked in feigned innocence, even as she crawled back up to curl up against him.
"Damn right. But I think I could forgive you over time," he said as his eyes closed, and the warmth of her body slowly lulled him back into a much needed sleep.
At sunset, Goliath and Hudson awoke to a small crowd of onlookers. An astonished young man named Dick Grayson was introduced to the gargoyles and then Alfred announced that a meal was ready. Elisa and Reese seemed to have overcome most of the after effects of last night's overindulgence. Helena was as surly as usual, but neither gargoyle could determine if it was from her own alcohol indiscretion, or Grayson's presence.
Once the delicious meal had been consumed, and Alfred had efficiently cleared everything away and busied himself in the kitchen, everyone gathered in the Delphi control room. "So, Detectives, you think you have established a trustworthy informant?" Barbara asked, getting down to business quickly.
"Several actually. But there are a couple who seemed to be pretty in touch with what has been going on down there. We just chit-chatted most of the night, gaining their trust. But then I started talking about how we were coming over from the west side 'cause it wasn't safe there any more, and then they started telling us about what's been going on down at the yards and docks lately."
"Reese got to talking with this one man, and his wife and I hit it off, so I kept her talking as much as I could," Elisa added. "Seems there has been quite a lot of activity down in the tunnels lately. She seemed hesitant about details, but I have a feeling she knows more than she's saying. Whatever it is, this new gang leaves all the homeless alone as long as they stay away from the tunnels. Reese and I said we decided on a change of scenery and that we going to get some of our stuff and relocate down to the yards."
"Ugh, how can you guys stand to be down there?" Helena grimaced.
"Thankfully our sense of smell isn't as heightened as yours," Reese chuckled ruefully.
"It ain't no bed of roses," Elisa contradicted. "But we have to do what we need to do. Both of us think this couple knows what's going on down there and if we give it a few more days, we might be able to get it out of them."
"What about the murders and disappearances down there? If the gangs leave the homeless alone how does this couple explain that?" Goliath asked concerned.
"Those were people who started getting a little too close and nosey for their own good. This couple has been down there for nearly six months and haven't been bothered once," Reese explained.
"So how long do you two plan on staying down there?" Barbara asked.
Both detectives shifted slightly, knowing a few people were bound to object, but Elisa answered firmly. "We talked about it a little while ago, and realized that if we're going to get anywhere with this couple, we need to stick around for at least a couple of days, perhaps a little longer."
Barbara nodded in agreement and then looked over at Goliath who seemed deep in thought. "Elisa," the leader began hesitantly.
"Goliath please don't argue about me doing this. This is my job and-"
"I wasn't about to ask that," the clan leader broke in. "Last night, our own surveillance led to the tunnels. However, Helena and Oracle made it quite clear that even they steer clear of the tunnels due to the dangers. If your informants cannot turn up all the details we need, perhaps there is someone who can."
Elisa frowned. "I'm not following you."
"Your brother and Claw have both become quite adept in navigating and hiding amongst the labyrinth beneath our own city."
Elisa's jaw clenched, and Goliath steeled himself for her outburst, but it never came. She exhaled loudly and ran a hand through her hair as she realized Goliath was right. "Give us three days to see what we can turn up. Then we'll call Derek," she acquiesced.
"Well, I spent all afternoon hacking into various banks here in town and checking into large transfers of money over the past six months and came across three in particular. None of the three accounts were linked to Harley, but when I try to research the companies I get nothing. They are fronts - but to whom I can't say for sure."
"Anything on who the money is coming from?" Dick asked.
"That's what tipped me off. They all came from an individual named J.C. More. Again, nothing on he or she, other than a Swiss bank account worth millions."
"Well that should narrow the search field down a bit," Dick snorted as he shook his head. "So what's the plan for tonight?"
"We need to play our cards carefully. If Harley or any of her gang are tipped off, we could blow this whole operation. So we go about our normal routine, and gather what info we can discreetly. Dick I'd like for you to accompany Dinah back over to Davis R&D. There were some clues that the Delphi linked to a couple of the murders at the docks and Davis has a special computer that is not a part of the system's mainframe. That's where they keep all the specs on their top secret projects and government jobs. It also keeps the profiles on their top level employees. I have a feeling that our gun, is the work of corporate espionage."
Dick frowned. "Davis is a high security company. Even the janitors have to be quadruple checked just to work there. If something was stolen from them, it had to be a damn good inside job."
"How are we going to get inside?" Dinah asked hesitantly.
Barbara flexed her fingers over her keys and looked at her screen. "Dick is as almost as good a hack as I am. But what he misses I'll catch. Once you two attach a transmitter, Delphi will have everything out of that computer in less than five minutes. In and out."
"You want me to take the guys here on sweeps then?" Helena asked nodding towards Goliath and Hudson.
Barbara cleared her throat and began to look a little sheepish. "Uh, actually I was going to suggest that perhaps it might be best if Goliath and Hudson kept a low profile for a little while."
Wings ruffled slightly at that suggestion, but Goliath sighed in acknowledgement. "You are correct that our presence here could ruin our element of surprise, but we are not accustomed to sitting by idly for a several days."
"Perhaps I could be of assistance Miss Barbara?" Alfred spoke up from his quiet place in the back of the room.
All eyes turned inquisitively towards him. "I have spent much of my time here, and upon the return of Master Dick, I was loathe to realize I had neglected the Cave for so long. Seeing as how we may need to rely on all of our resources, I would be eternally grateful for some assistance. It seems that these old bones just don't want to hike and climb and hang around the Cave like they used to."
Barbara's eyes blinked in surprise. To her knowledge, she had never heard Alfred admit to a weakness on his part. From the look on Dick's face, neither had he. "Hudson and I would be honored to be of assistance to you Alfred," Goliath answered without hesitation.
"Excellent! I promise you both, this won't be as dreary as it sounds. I think you'll be in for quite a surprise."
The Gotham group, minus Reese, chuckled a bit at that remark, knowing just how much of a surprise the gargoyles would be in for once they reached the massive Wayne Manor and it's hidden secrets below. "Sounds like we're set then. Detectives, I'll fix you both up with comms. This way you can contact us if you need to and we can keep a tabs on your whereabouts."
"We should set up a specific contact time," Elisa agreed as she took one of the tiny ear pieces and slipped it inside her ear canal. She was amazed to realize it didn't impede her normal hearing. In fact it seemed to augment it. Barbara smirked a bit as she saw the mutual look of surprise on both detectives' faces.
"That's fresh off the Barbara Gordon research table," Helena commented proudly as she slipped in her own ear piece. "I love all the gadgets she comes up with for me to test out."
"No wonder you guys get hooked on being vigilantes," Elisa chuckled as she slipped on a ring that bore Oracle's symbol. "Hell, if I could play with all these toys every night I'd be tempted to give up doing things the old fashioned way."
"I hear Xanatos is always lookin' fer someone t' test his new gizmo's," Hudson remarked casually.
Goliath was hard pressed to not laugh at that tease, but Hudson didn't even bother as Elisa threw him a hard look. His laugh triggered a few other snickers, and as Helena slid by Goliath on her way to the balcony she noticed him trying not to join in the teasing. "Definitely got you by the tail," she muttered under her breath just loud enough for only him to hear.
Then she was gone, disappearing into the night with a running leap. Dick turned to Elisa and Reese. "You two need a ride back down to the docks?"
"If you can stand the smell of us for at least a few miles," Reese chuckled.
"I'm on my bike, but I'm sure D would just love to offer her services as chauffeur," Dick grinned.
"What? Wait that's not fair!" she protested.
"Dinah would be more than happy to drive you two down to the docks," Barbara answered cutting off any more protests from the teen. "You guys should all get changed and head out soon, before it gets too much later."
Goliath silently beckoned to Elisa, who detached herself from the group as they began to disperse, and moved off to a quiet corner with the lavender giant. "Sorry to bring you guys all the way up here just to have you get stuck with house cleaning," she said a little guiltily.
"Barbara is right. We need to keep our existence here a secret for now. Besides, I have a feeling Alfred wasn't joking when he said we would be in for a pleasant surprise. Have you recovered from last night?"
"For the most part. But Reese already stopped by the store before he came here and bought us a couple of bottles of the non-alcohol stuff. Can't afford to miss something."
"Be safe Elisa," he told her with all his heart as his massive claw ran lightly through her dark hair.
"You too," she replied, not being able to give him a promise of her own safety. Then before the despair in her heart began to grow overwhelming, she turned away from him and withdrew from the room to change.
"Don't fret too much Mister Goliath. Barbara watches over all of them as one of her own. And I imagine Miss Elisa can handle herself fairly well in dire situations anyway," Alfred remarked with a reassuring smile as he walked up to the lone gargoyle.
"Aye," Goliath acknowledged with a faint smile of his own as he turned towards the aging butler. "She handled the Huntress, and as Helena has repeatedly reminded me, she has me by the tail as well."
"We are but mere males," Alfred chuckled gently. "But I was not aware of the incident with Miss Helena. I would be fascinated to hear that adventure and any others you might be willing to tell when we get back to the Manor."
Goliath chuckled. "I'm sure Hudson and I could think of a few stories that might be of interest."
"Indeed."
New Gotham Clocktower
December 16 Noon
"Hello? Is anyone here?"
"Shhhh," Oracle hushed from her place at the Delphi as she threw a look over her shoulder to Reese who was beginning to stir at the noise.
Dick bounded lightly up to her platform and planted an apologetic kiss on her forehead. "Sorry," he said quietly.
"Don't apologize to me Boy Blunder- he's the one you woke up."
Reese sat up in the couch blinking his eyes as he tried not to wince at the sunlight filtering past the blinds. "Time?" he croaked out.
"A little past noon. Sorry about that," Dick said sincerely.
"'S ok. Was gonna have to get up in a little bit anyway."
"How did last night's undercover work go?" Oracle asked.
"Don't remind me right now," he groaned rubbing his head. "God Elisa is gonna kill me when she wakes up. Maybe my head will split open and save me first," he mumbled as he attempted to get up only to fall back into the couch holding his head.
"Either you got whacked in the head by a bum, or you are nursing a cheap liquor hangover. I'm betting on the latter," Dick chuckled.
"Bingo."
"Well Babs and I learned the cure for that long ago. Breakfast, lots of aspirin, and caffeine. So go hurl now or forever hold your peace while I make breakfast."
Reese seemed to think about his choices for a minute and then decided he needed to stop fighting the rising bile in his throat. Best to just get it out of his system and get it over with. Oh yeah...Elisa was definitely not gonna be happy with him.
Half an hour later Reese reappeared in the kitchen after expelling what little was left in his stomach from last night, and then soaking in a hot shower for another twenty minutes to help clear his head. Dinah was standing over Oracle's shoulder as they analyzed some information from the previous night. Dick wiped one hand on the towel over his shoulder and then held it out.
"Sorry, I didn't get to introduce myself formally before. I'm Dick Grayson."
Reese frowned a bit as his fuzzy mind tried to put the name into place. "Grayson....as in the cop from Bludhaven who also has his own Fortune 500 company?"
"The one and the same," Dick grinned as he turned back to cooking.
"You're Wayne's kid right?"
"Adopted. Not blood like a few other people we know," he chuckled. Out of the corner of his eye he caught two heads snapping up and two sets of eyes glaring in his direction. Ok, so Reese still didn't know everything.
"Anyway, I went out on my own, invested my money, started up my own company, and hired some good people to keep things going for me so I could pursue a career in a field of work I enjoy much more."
Reese seemed not to have picked up on the slip and Barbara quickly spoke up, keeping his focus elsewhere. "You mean two careers."
"Two?" Reese asked, trying to follow the conversation.
"Seeing as how you have already been let into the little circle of trust with ladies I guess there's no problem telling you. I'm a cop by day and Nightwing by night."
"Nightwing? The Nightwing?"
"And the former Robin," Dick added, trying not to laugh too hard at the detective's stunned look.
"God, all of you guys are real then?"
"Probably. I never really believed there were gargoyles until Barbara told me that a couple of them had come up here with Maza. Speaking of which, where are they Babs?"
"Sleeping. They really do turn to stone in the day. They're out there on the balcony," she answered jutting her chin in their direction."
"We watched them wake up last night. That had to be one of the coolest things I've ever seen," Dinah gushed.
"So they have a stone shell during the day?"
"Somehow their entire body shifts to solid stone with the rising if the sun. Hudson says that during this period their body regenerates itself. Most injuries will completely heal by sunset, but because they are solid stone they are left completely vulnerable to attack."
"Ahhhhh, so that explains why those Quarrymen freaks ran around with sledgehammers," Dick remarked shaking his head. "I'd seen bits and pieces on the news about the gargoyles, but I figured the Quarrymen were just another bunch of annoying fanatics. I mean most of the time they were getting busted by cops for rally's and public defacement. I always figured that if the gargoyles really were living creatures, then why go around smashing stone statues?"
"Which is why they have chosen to stay out of the public's eye for so long. At least when we fall asleep we can wake up. They go into their sleep each day, knowing in the back of their mind that they could never wake up," Barbara said sadly as she glanced out onto the ledge where Hudson and Goliath rested.
Just then, the sound of Elisa's door being thrown open and the bathroom door being slammed shut quickly thereafter announced Elisa's awakening. Everyone was already halfway through breakfast before she finally made it down the stairs and sat gingerly in a chair.
Oracle pushed a plate of food and a bottle of aspirin in front of the raven-haired detective. Elisa grabbed the aspirin, fumbled with the cap, popped a handful and chugged them with a fresh mug of coffee. She grimaced at the food, but dug in, knowing she needed to eat if she was going to overcome her hangover.
Everyone was quiet for awhile, respectful of the two officers condition. When Elisa finally finished the last of her food and shoved the plate away, Reese broke the silence. "Sorry Elisa," he mumbled as he massaged his own aching temples.
"You hurl?" she asked in a raspy voice.
"Yeah."
"Apology excepted," she returned with as smug a look as she could muster under the circumstances. That managed to break the ice as everyone chuckled. "Just don't expect me to drink the cheap stuff tonight. If we're gonna get plastered at least we can do it on something with a little more class."
"Tonight?" Oracle asked looking the two over skeptically.
"Yeah, we may have made a good contact. Need to go back and investigate it a little more," Reese explained simply.
"By the way, Elisa this is my friend from Bludhaven. Dick Grayson."
Elisa nodded and gave the young man awry smile. "Hope you don't hold first impressions against people."
"Hey I've had a few rough post-undercover recoveries myself. Hazards of the trade right?" he laughed, his blue eyes sparkling with good-natured humor.
"So I've always wondered, why would a playboy like yourself want to be a cop?"
"I like getting my hands dirty," he grinned.
Barbara chuckled and poked Dick in the arm. "Listen former Boy-Wonder if you make their brains think any harder right now they'll disintegrate. I don't think you want to explain that to the seven hundred pound being sleeping on my balcony. I know I certainly don't."
"You take the fun out of everything Babs," Dick sighed dramatically. "See now you've gone and ruined my surprise," he pouted as he watched Elisa's eyes widen as her mind slowly comprehended what Barbara had said.
"Former Boy-Wonder? As in Batman and Robin?"
"Yeah, when we were both younger, Batman was our mentor," Dick explained as he leaned back in his seat. "Batman and I didn't always see eye to eye though, and I finally went out on my own after I moved up to Bludhaven. I still work with the Titans on a regular basis, and the League contacts me every now and then. But most of my time is devoted to being a cop and Nightwing."
"And you run a multi-million dollar company in the process?" Reese asked in disbelief.
"Actually I have a Board of Directors to do that for me. I go to the most important meetings, make executive decisions here and there, but I built the company to run without my constant attention."
There was silence from the two detectives and then Elisa shook her head. "Ok my brain is now certifiably mush," she groaned as she rubbed her eyes. Then she stopped for a minute. "Wait a sec, you're Wayne's adoptive son right?"
"Yeah."
Dick, Barbara and Dinah all sat a little stiffer in their chairs as they saw the wheels turn in Elisa's head and the sudden glint in her eye. "And you were Robin?" she asked slowly.
"Yes," was Dick's drawn out response.
"Uh,huh," was all she said, sitting back in her chair and looking proud of herself.
Dick's lips twisted upwards slightly and Barbara and Dinah seemed to relax a bit. "Not bad, considering you just declared your brain mush a minute ago."
"What?" Reese asked, not liking that he was missing out on something.
"He doesn't know?" Elisa asked surprised.
"I haven't met Reese before today."
"Know what? Reese asked frustrated.
"That Bruce Wayne and Batman are one and the same man," came a sullen response from the open elevator doors as Helena stalked into the room, and slumped into chair. "Whoopee the great mystery has been revealed," she continued sarcastically as she reached for the bottle of aspirin and the coffee pot.
She was wearing dark glasses, and her skin was a little paler than normal. But her sour demeanor was more than enough to confirm that she too was nursing a wicked hangover. "Good morning Helena. I've missed you and that sunny disposition," Dick said sweetly.
Helena growled in his direction as Oracle jabbed the smirking young man in the ribs. Dinah seemed to be interested in something in her coffee, and Reese shifted uncomfortably. Elisa raised an eyebrow, but her head hurt too much to do more than briefly wonder why Helena didn't like Dick.
Still smirking, Dick got up and began making breakfast for Helena, who accepted it unhappily. There was more drawn out silence, and then Barbara finally spoke up. "Dick was going to take Dinah back to the Manor to train her today. I'm going to go back to looking into some leads that I found last night. If you three are going to be in any shape to work tonight, I suggest you get more rest."
"I gotta get back to my place so I can get my spare keys. I don't want to leave my car down there any longer than it needs to be. Helena you up to driving me home and then back out to my car."
"You left it down by the docks?" she asked an eyebrow arching over the dark lens of her sunglasses.
"Lost my keys, and we were too hammered to drive anyway."
"You two walked all the way back? Why didn't you call?" Oracle asked shocked.
"Guess you gals got a new number and forgot to tell me."
"But you have Helena's number right?"
"Come on Reese. It's not often Oracle actually let's us have a day's rest. Let's get outta here before she changes her mind," Helena cut in quickly as she stood abruptly.
Reese just shrugged and clambered to his feet. After thanking Dick for the breakfast and setting up a regrouping time, Reese followed a sour Helena out of the Clocktower. It wasn't until they were safely inside the confines of her car that Reese finally turned to Helena.
"You look like I feel," he commented as casually as possible.
"It was a rough night," she answered gruffly as she pulled out onto the street.
Reese let it slide until they pulled up to his apartment building. "Come up for a few minutes?"
Helena only shrugged in response and the two slowly made their way up to his apartment on the fourth floor. Once inside, Helena paused and took a slow look around. It was the first time she had ever been inside his apartment. "Guess this kills the bachelor cop theory," she remarked with a half smile.
"Not all of us like to live in pig styes," Reese chuckled as he set his keys down and headed over to the refrigerator. "Besides, never know when you might bring a date back home," he added with a sly grin as he pulled out a couple of water bottles and offered her one.
"So normally it's a mess, but you did this to impress me."
"Come on, you know me better than that. You really think an uptight, by the book, cop like me would have his dirty laundry and old Chinese food containers strewn all over the place?"
"No. But I'm thinking you better not come over to my place any time soon," she remarked taking a long drink of the water he had provided.
"Let me guess, Pop Tart boxes," he teased, remembering her affinity for the breakfast snack.
"Pop Tarts and Jack Daniel's," she admitted ruefully.
"Now there's a combination," he mused. Then his gaze softened as he moved up close to her. "You still drinking a lot?" he asked gently, concerned.
Her whole stance went tense, and he felt her beginning to withdraw. With a sigh he looked away, realizing she probably wouldn't tell him and they would only argue if he pushed. "Nevermind," he mumbled as he headed back towards the door.
"Not as much as...afterwards...." she responded quietly. Reese froze in his tracks and looked back at Helena, who was facing away from him now, staring out the window. "After that night- I didn't want to live with the fact that I hadn't been able to stop Harley from killing Wade, or that I had almost killed Barbara. And if I had killed Barbara, you and Dinah would have been next.
"Then Barbara withdrew and it nearly killed me. God, we fought so much... we still fight. Sometimes I think it's the only thing that still keeps her going. You saw what she looks like, and I know that I'm the one to blame. At first I drank to forget. Then I drank to dull the pain. One night, things got so bad I drank and then went out on sweeps. Next thing I know, I'm waking up in the Hummer, sporting a wicked black eye, and Dinah's driving us away from Arkham. I went there to kill her Reese" she admitted in a bare whisper.
Reese was by her side now, turning her slim form to face his. "Helena you are not to blame for what happened that night," he told her fervently. "You fought back the best you could. I saw it in your eyes that night! Look at Gibson, he never broke her control. You may not have been able to save Wade, but you stopped before you killed. And then you were there to keep Barbara from crossing that line."
"But I haven't been able to help her since!" she shouted frustrated. "I've been such a basket case, and even the kid can't seem to reach her."
"I gathered that from the way she hovers around Barbara like a mother hen. But things have been slow for this past year. What you three do is your life, and you haven't been able to focus on that. Things are different now- you have something important to focus on. The other night was a big step for all of us, but I know that we can work though everything that has been getting us down this past year. But we have to keep talking like this cause as trusty as J.D. is, he never seems to give any answers to your problems," he said with a gentle smile.
She attempted to return it, but failed miserably. Reese just leaned forward and pressed a kiss to her forehead. "You know what? Screw getting my car, I could use another one anyway. If it's there tonight then I'll pick it up. Right now I just want to crash on the couch and doze for the rest of the day. Join me?"
At this Helena raised an eyebrow. "Had ulterior motives in asking me up here Detective?"
"In our condition? Hell no. Besides, we just got back together the night before last. I figured you'd want to work you're way back up to where we left off...which wasn't very far if I remember correctly."
She gave him a shove that sent him stumbling towards his bedroom, and she continued to push him until he was flat on his back pinned to his bed by her body. "Was that a dig I just heard Reese?"
"Uhhh..."
"Now who's suddenly shy about traveling around the bases?" she smirked at him. But her grip on him relaxed and she let him rise up onto his elbows to stare at her as she sat back on her haunches. "Just so we're clear here as to how far I'm willing to go...when I'm not hungover."
Reese chuckled and shook his head as he moved up further on his bed and then patted the mattress next to him. "Get up her you tease. Least you can do now is keep me company while I sleep."
"Tease? Moi?" she asked in feigned innocence, even as she crawled back up to curl up against him.
"Damn right. But I think I could forgive you over time," he said as his eyes closed, and the warmth of her body slowly lulled him back into a much needed sleep.
At sunset, Goliath and Hudson awoke to a small crowd of onlookers. An astonished young man named Dick Grayson was introduced to the gargoyles and then Alfred announced that a meal was ready. Elisa and Reese seemed to have overcome most of the after effects of last night's overindulgence. Helena was as surly as usual, but neither gargoyle could determine if it was from her own alcohol indiscretion, or Grayson's presence.
Once the delicious meal had been consumed, and Alfred had efficiently cleared everything away and busied himself in the kitchen, everyone gathered in the Delphi control room. "So, Detectives, you think you have established a trustworthy informant?" Barbara asked, getting down to business quickly.
"Several actually. But there are a couple who seemed to be pretty in touch with what has been going on down there. We just chit-chatted most of the night, gaining their trust. But then I started talking about how we were coming over from the west side 'cause it wasn't safe there any more, and then they started telling us about what's been going on down at the yards and docks lately."
"Reese got to talking with this one man, and his wife and I hit it off, so I kept her talking as much as I could," Elisa added. "Seems there has been quite a lot of activity down in the tunnels lately. She seemed hesitant about details, but I have a feeling she knows more than she's saying. Whatever it is, this new gang leaves all the homeless alone as long as they stay away from the tunnels. Reese and I said we decided on a change of scenery and that we going to get some of our stuff and relocate down to the yards."
"Ugh, how can you guys stand to be down there?" Helena grimaced.
"Thankfully our sense of smell isn't as heightened as yours," Reese chuckled ruefully.
"It ain't no bed of roses," Elisa contradicted. "But we have to do what we need to do. Both of us think this couple knows what's going on down there and if we give it a few more days, we might be able to get it out of them."
"What about the murders and disappearances down there? If the gangs leave the homeless alone how does this couple explain that?" Goliath asked concerned.
"Those were people who started getting a little too close and nosey for their own good. This couple has been down there for nearly six months and haven't been bothered once," Reese explained.
"So how long do you two plan on staying down there?" Barbara asked.
Both detectives shifted slightly, knowing a few people were bound to object, but Elisa answered firmly. "We talked about it a little while ago, and realized that if we're going to get anywhere with this couple, we need to stick around for at least a couple of days, perhaps a little longer."
Barbara nodded in agreement and then looked over at Goliath who seemed deep in thought. "Elisa," the leader began hesitantly.
"Goliath please don't argue about me doing this. This is my job and-"
"I wasn't about to ask that," the clan leader broke in. "Last night, our own surveillance led to the tunnels. However, Helena and Oracle made it quite clear that even they steer clear of the tunnels due to the dangers. If your informants cannot turn up all the details we need, perhaps there is someone who can."
Elisa frowned. "I'm not following you."
"Your brother and Claw have both become quite adept in navigating and hiding amongst the labyrinth beneath our own city."
Elisa's jaw clenched, and Goliath steeled himself for her outburst, but it never came. She exhaled loudly and ran a hand through her hair as she realized Goliath was right. "Give us three days to see what we can turn up. Then we'll call Derek," she acquiesced.
"Well, I spent all afternoon hacking into various banks here in town and checking into large transfers of money over the past six months and came across three in particular. None of the three accounts were linked to Harley, but when I try to research the companies I get nothing. They are fronts - but to whom I can't say for sure."
"Anything on who the money is coming from?" Dick asked.
"That's what tipped me off. They all came from an individual named J.C. More. Again, nothing on he or she, other than a Swiss bank account worth millions."
"Well that should narrow the search field down a bit," Dick snorted as he shook his head. "So what's the plan for tonight?"
"We need to play our cards carefully. If Harley or any of her gang are tipped off, we could blow this whole operation. So we go about our normal routine, and gather what info we can discreetly. Dick I'd like for you to accompany Dinah back over to Davis R&D. There were some clues that the Delphi linked to a couple of the murders at the docks and Davis has a special computer that is not a part of the system's mainframe. That's where they keep all the specs on their top secret projects and government jobs. It also keeps the profiles on their top level employees. I have a feeling that our gun, is the work of corporate espionage."
Dick frowned. "Davis is a high security company. Even the janitors have to be quadruple checked just to work there. If something was stolen from them, it had to be a damn good inside job."
"How are we going to get inside?" Dinah asked hesitantly.
Barbara flexed her fingers over her keys and looked at her screen. "Dick is as almost as good a hack as I am. But what he misses I'll catch. Once you two attach a transmitter, Delphi will have everything out of that computer in less than five minutes. In and out."
"You want me to take the guys here on sweeps then?" Helena asked nodding towards Goliath and Hudson.
Barbara cleared her throat and began to look a little sheepish. "Uh, actually I was going to suggest that perhaps it might be best if Goliath and Hudson kept a low profile for a little while."
Wings ruffled slightly at that suggestion, but Goliath sighed in acknowledgement. "You are correct that our presence here could ruin our element of surprise, but we are not accustomed to sitting by idly for a several days."
"Perhaps I could be of assistance Miss Barbara?" Alfred spoke up from his quiet place in the back of the room.
All eyes turned inquisitively towards him. "I have spent much of my time here, and upon the return of Master Dick, I was loathe to realize I had neglected the Cave for so long. Seeing as how we may need to rely on all of our resources, I would be eternally grateful for some assistance. It seems that these old bones just don't want to hike and climb and hang around the Cave like they used to."
Barbara's eyes blinked in surprise. To her knowledge, she had never heard Alfred admit to a weakness on his part. From the look on Dick's face, neither had he. "Hudson and I would be honored to be of assistance to you Alfred," Goliath answered without hesitation.
"Excellent! I promise you both, this won't be as dreary as it sounds. I think you'll be in for quite a surprise."
The Gotham group, minus Reese, chuckled a bit at that remark, knowing just how much of a surprise the gargoyles would be in for once they reached the massive Wayne Manor and it's hidden secrets below. "Sounds like we're set then. Detectives, I'll fix you both up with comms. This way you can contact us if you need to and we can keep a tabs on your whereabouts."
"We should set up a specific contact time," Elisa agreed as she took one of the tiny ear pieces and slipped it inside her ear canal. She was amazed to realize it didn't impede her normal hearing. In fact it seemed to augment it. Barbara smirked a bit as she saw the mutual look of surprise on both detectives' faces.
"That's fresh off the Barbara Gordon research table," Helena commented proudly as she slipped in her own ear piece. "I love all the gadgets she comes up with for me to test out."
"No wonder you guys get hooked on being vigilantes," Elisa chuckled as she slipped on a ring that bore Oracle's symbol. "Hell, if I could play with all these toys every night I'd be tempted to give up doing things the old fashioned way."
"I hear Xanatos is always lookin' fer someone t' test his new gizmo's," Hudson remarked casually.
Goliath was hard pressed to not laugh at that tease, but Hudson didn't even bother as Elisa threw him a hard look. His laugh triggered a few other snickers, and as Helena slid by Goliath on her way to the balcony she noticed him trying not to join in the teasing. "Definitely got you by the tail," she muttered under her breath just loud enough for only him to hear.
Then she was gone, disappearing into the night with a running leap. Dick turned to Elisa and Reese. "You two need a ride back down to the docks?"
"If you can stand the smell of us for at least a few miles," Reese chuckled.
"I'm on my bike, but I'm sure D would just love to offer her services as chauffeur," Dick grinned.
"What? Wait that's not fair!" she protested.
"Dinah would be more than happy to drive you two down to the docks," Barbara answered cutting off any more protests from the teen. "You guys should all get changed and head out soon, before it gets too much later."
Goliath silently beckoned to Elisa, who detached herself from the group as they began to disperse, and moved off to a quiet corner with the lavender giant. "Sorry to bring you guys all the way up here just to have you get stuck with house cleaning," she said a little guiltily.
"Barbara is right. We need to keep our existence here a secret for now. Besides, I have a feeling Alfred wasn't joking when he said we would be in for a pleasant surprise. Have you recovered from last night?"
"For the most part. But Reese already stopped by the store before he came here and bought us a couple of bottles of the non-alcohol stuff. Can't afford to miss something."
"Be safe Elisa," he told her with all his heart as his massive claw ran lightly through her dark hair.
"You too," she replied, not being able to give him a promise of her own safety. Then before the despair in her heart began to grow overwhelming, she turned away from him and withdrew from the room to change.
"Don't fret too much Mister Goliath. Barbara watches over all of them as one of her own. And I imagine Miss Elisa can handle herself fairly well in dire situations anyway," Alfred remarked with a reassuring smile as he walked up to the lone gargoyle.
"Aye," Goliath acknowledged with a faint smile of his own as he turned towards the aging butler. "She handled the Huntress, and as Helena has repeatedly reminded me, she has me by the tail as well."
"We are but mere males," Alfred chuckled gently. "But I was not aware of the incident with Miss Helena. I would be fascinated to hear that adventure and any others you might be willing to tell when we get back to the Manor."
Goliath chuckled. "I'm sure Hudson and I could think of a few stories that might be of interest."
"Indeed."