Tang Ri Shan
Red Wings
(This is a sequel to Beware the Batman: Conundrum. I suggest reading that story if you have not done so already)
Chapter 6
"You disappoint me, Deathstone!" The man's voice rang out in the darkness of the sitting room, his displeasure all too clear. "Your little escapade with that tiger failed spectacularly"
"The plan should have worked!" The second man replied, peering into the shadows at the other side of the table both men sat at. "But I had not counted on there being a new member of Batman's team" He admitted a few seconds later
"What on earth made you decide to kill Wilcox with a tiger anyway?" The first man asked.
Deathstone gave a small smile. "You said he was born in July, the month of the moonstone, the sacred stone of India, and the Bengal tiger is native to India."
The second man paused for a moment and shook his head. "Sometimes I think you are too dramatic with your kills" He huffed.
"If you think you can do better, be my guest!" The second man growled and rose from his chair. "I take pride in my work and will not be insulted by a pigeon like you!" With that, the man turned to leave.
"Calm yourself Deathstone" The first man said quickly, making soothing motions with his hands. As Deathstone turned back, the man added. "I suppose you didn't completely fail me. Even though Wilcox still lives, that cowardly fool has fled the country out of concern for his safety. Last I heard he was heading to Southern Africa" The man chuckled before continuing. "Anyway, he is out of the picture so technically you did do your job"
Deathstone smiled again as he resumed his seat. "You really are a glass-half-full person, aren't you?"
"I find that in my line of work, maintaining a positive mind is an excellent way to deal with disappointment." He replied, his voice becoming firm on the last word. Before Deathstone could say anything, he added. "Nevertheless, you did not kill Wilcox as we originally agreed upon, so there will be ramifications."
Deathstone's eyes narrowed. "Such as?" He asked ominously.
"I have another target for you" With that, the man snapped his fingers and a raven appeared out of the shadows that dominated the room. Flying at Deathstone, the bird dropped a small folder in front of the man, looped around the room and disappeared into the same shadows it had appeared from.
Snorting at the display, Deathstone opened the folder, and his eyes widened. "A police officer?" He asked, glancing up at the man.
"Indeed. And luckily for you, I know where he can be found" The man pointed to the folder and Deathstone saw what looked like an invitation clipped to the binder.
"The Gotham Police Gala" He read aloud.
"Dress is formal" The first man said simply, leaning back in his chair, disappearing completely into the blackness. "And if I'm not mistaken, his birthstone is the Ruby. And you'd better hurry. The party starts in five hours"
Hearing this, Deathstone's smile widened until it stretched form ear to ear. Without saying anything, he rose to his feet, and walked quickly from the room. As he opened the door, the sound of construction echoed through it. The roar of a power saw and the flash of a welding torch shone though the door before Deathstone closed it.
The raven appeared again, landing on the man's outstretched hand. It shuddered, as if bothered by the loud noise. The man chucked and stroked the bird's glossy feathers. "Soon my pet, soon" He promised. Then with his free hand, he reached out and picked up the receiver of a telephone on the table and dialed a number. "Hello, yes I would like to speak to the head of psychology please." There was a pause. "Yes, please tell Professor Crane that this is an old acquaintance of his." There was another pause. "Yes, I'll hold" The man acknowledged with a smile. "I will most definitely hold"
Barbara took a deep breath to calm herself as she gazed into her bedroom mirror. She made a face, then reached down and smoothed out a crease in her dark blue dress.
"I hope that this year's policeman's gala will be more interesting than last year's was" She mumbled to herself as she adjusted her glasses, frowning as she remembered the endless array of speeches that had occurred during the previous event, as well as how every officer there had ruffled her hair, even the female ones. Barbara hated when someone did that!
A knock at her door startled Barbara out of her reprieve. "Come in!"
The door opened to reveal her father standing there in full uniform. "You ready?" He asked.
Barbara put on what she hoped was a sunny smile. "Yep!" She chirped
Her father's expression told her he wasn't buying her act. "Look, I know that these events aren't exactly the coolest things to go to, but they're still very important"
Barbara sighed and smiled up at her father. "I know dad. Don't worry, I won't die of boredom"
"Just remember, I know CPR and I'm not afraid to use it" Barbara's widened as her father chuckled at the pun. "Come on. We don't want to be late" With that, he turned and headed downstairs. Shaking her head, Barbara walked back over to her desk and picked up her purse. Checking to make sure it contained her Oracle mask, earpiece, and can of Mace (which her father insisted she carry with her everywhere), Barbara slung it over her shoulder and followed her father
"Welcome commissioner!"
"Great ta see ya boss!"
"Good evening sir!" Barbara watched as her father acknowledged the calls and cheers from various police officers that had begun the moment they had stepped into the lobby of City Hall. As they strode through the building, Barbara glanced around, her senses on alert. Her training with Batman and the Outsiders had re-evaluated her her mind worked, to the point where she naturally assessed and cataloged her surroundings the minute she walked into a room. Finding nothing out of the ordinary, Barbara allowed herself to relax as she and her father made their way through the crowd.
"Hey dad?" She asked as they neared the front of the room. "Why are all the guys wearing uniform, but all the ladies are wearing dresses?" She asked
Her father shrugged. "I don't know. Are you saying they shouldn't?" Barbara's eyes widened and she gasped aloud. "Kidding! Kidding!" Her father laughed at her reaction.
Barbara groaned and shook her head, but she was smiling as well. Her father may be terrible at telling jokes, but it let her know that he was in a good mood and that made her feel better too.
"Commissioner?" A voice made both of them look up to see Bruce Wayne emerge from the crowd with Tatsu and Alfred flanking him.
"Ah Bruce" Barbara watched her father shake Bruce's hand. "Thanks again for picking up the tab for this event"
Bruce gave a small nod. "Don't mention it. It was the least I could do for Gotham's Finest"
Barbara successfully fought the urge to roll her eyes and she saw Tatsu try unsuccessfully to do the same.
"Oh I don't know, dad" Barbara spoke up, causing everyone to look at her. "I'm sure if Mr. Wayne puts his mind to it, he could come up with another way to help Gotham PD" Barbara saw Bruce, Alfred and Tatsu simultaneously raise an eyebrow and had to bite her tongue to keep from laughing.
"Barbara!" Commissioner Gordon shook his head and sighed before turning to Bruce. "Sorry about that, Bruce."
Bruce shook his head, a small smile on his face. "There's no need to apologize Jim. And I'm assuming that you have a few ideas, Miss Gordon?" He asked, cocking his head. Behind him, Tatsu rolled her eyes again.
Barbara smirked and opened her mouth to answer. But before she could say anything another voice broke into the conversation. "Well well. Look who it is"
Glancing around, Barbara's eyes widened when they found themselves staring at Richard Grayson, who was wearing a small smile on his face. As Barbara stared at him, he adjusted the neck of the tux he was wearing, clearly not used to wearing such clothing. "Richard, wh-what are you d-doing here?" Barbara stammered, instantly cursing herself for losing control, but she couldn't help herself.
Richard didn't answer, but a white gloved hand suddenly appeared on his shoulder and slowly made twisting motions on his arm. The hand belonged to Kathy Kane, who was wearing a sleeveless white dress and had her hair arranged in a way that reminded Barbara of those mysterious ladies she would see on her father's old mob films. "He's with me" Kathy purred, her one visible eye twinkling as she gazed at Barbara.
Barbara raised an eyebrow "Not as a date I hope" She blurted out, then felt her face flush as she realized what she had said. She heard her father gasp and Tatsu snort with suppressed laughter behind her as she saw Richard and Kathy's eyes widen in surprise.
For a moment, no one said anything, which made Barbara's face flush deeper. She felt like running and hiding, but her feet seemed frozen to the floor. Eventually she felt her father's firm hand come down on her shoulder. "Barbara, maybe you should go get some food." He said, in a firm tone that snapped her out of her trance.
"Y-yeah, maybe I...should" Barbara mumbled. "Please excuse me" Dipping her head to everyone, the redhead pivoted on her feet and all but dashed away through the crowd.
"Well...what was that all about?" Bruce spoke up first, watching Barbara disappear from view.
"Isn't it obvious Bruce?" Kathy answered, shooting the man a small smile.
Bruce's smile widened. "Ummm...no not really" He replied, playing along. Beside him, Tatsu snorted and Alfred tsssked softly.
Kathy's smile widened and she turned to Richard, who was gazing up at them with a slightly confused look on his face. "Richard darling. Why don't you go mingle while the rest of us catch up okay? I'm sure there are many things here you'd rather do than listen to a bunch of adults make small talk". A frown flitted across Richard's face and for a moment he looked like he might argue, but Kathy placed a hand on his shoulder. "Go on now" She said in a firmer tone. Richard nodded and melted into the crowd.
"So tell me Jim" Kathy said turning back to the assembled. "What exactly do you plan to do as Commissioner?"
What is wrong with me!? Barbara cried out mentally, gazing out the window of an empty conference room down the hall. Raising a fist she pounded the wall in front of her as she felt her eyes water up. I made myself look like a complete idiot back there!. She shut her eyes and shook her head angrily to keep tears from spilling out, but she could still see Richard's surprised face, burned onto the back of her eyelids. He probably thinks I'm a complete nutcase! Her mind howled and for some reason her heart seemed to sink at these feelings.
"Barbara?" Barbara jumped with an 'eep!' and spun around to see Richard standing in the doorway.
"R-r-richard!" Barbara stammered, her face flushing again, further when she felt a few stray tears run down her face. She reached up to rub them off, but paused when Richard stepped towards her, holding out something in his hand, a handkerchief.
"Here, use this" He offered. "Miss Kane made me bring it, but It looks like I'm not the one who needs it"
Barbara stared at the handkerchief for a few moments, than reached out and took it. "Th-thank you" She said quietly before turning away to wipe the tears from her face. Fortunately she had kept her makeup to a minimum, so she didn't have to be careful. "Look, I'm...sorry for what I said earlier!" She blurted out.
Richard shook his head "Don't worry about it" He assured her, smiling now. "And no, Miss Kane is not my date" He added, making Barbara flush again. "She's more like...my chaperon. I'm her ward, you see"
"Her...ward?" Barbara repeated, her eyes widening.
Richard sighed and leaned against the wall a two feet away from her. "Yeah. Mr and Mrs Kane were old friends of my parents. They went to every show that we had in Gotham, and became one of the circus's biggest sponsors. After...what happened... to my parents, they offered to take me in."
"That...that was very kind of them" Barbara could feel her voice choke up.
Richard nodded then apparently got tired of leaning against the wall and scooted up onto the windowsill. "I think, that I'm part of the reason Miss Kane hasn't gone mad with grief about her husband's death. I knew they were very close."
"And...how close were you with your parents?" Barbara asked, wincing as she saw pain flash across Richard's face. "Sorry, maybe that's not the best discussion material"
"No it's fine" Richard sighed for a moment, then turned to glance out the window Barbara had been looking out of. "My parent's meant everything to me. They were my world, and without them, I felt lost. I still do, to some extent, even with the Kane's help. I mean, they're great, but they can't replace my parents."
Barbara sighed. "I know the feeling." She confessed, clenching one of her hands tightly, then placing it over her heart. "I lost my mother a few years ago"
"I'm sorry" Richard said automatically.
"Everyone's sorry, but it doesn't change anything" Barbara added, and for a few moments the two stood there in sad silence.
"How did she die?" Richard finally broke the silence.
Barbara bit her lip to stop it from shaking before she answered. "My dad never told me how. After the first few times I asked, he got so upset I didn't ask again. But I learned the truth anyway.
"How?"
Barbara flashed a sly look at him. "I'm the comissh's kid. I know how to eavesdrop on a conversation between two policemen"
The corner of Richard's mouth curled up for a second, then fell back down again. "And?" He pressed, moving slightly closer.
Barbara's gaze returned to the moonlit night outside. "And she died the same way as nearly every police officer on duty goes, she was shot"
Richard's gaze dropped to the floor. "I'm..." He cut himself off before he could say the word 'sorry', knowing that would not help right now.
Barbara took that as an invitation to continue. "Yeah, she was assigned to protect some rich girl and her baby from some gang and the gang stormed the house they were in and tried to shoot them both but my mother got in the way." Barbara could feel tears return to her eyes. "I never got to say goodbye" Her voice cracked and her body began shaking. "And now, every time I watch my father leave for work, I'm afraid that he may not come home again that night. That I may not get to say goodbye to him, either" Barbara's voice finally gave out and she began to sob quietly. In the back of her mind, she wondered why she was telling Richard this, but it felt so good to get this grief off her chest. She had always been able to hide her grief, and her training with Batman had only served to strengthen the mask she wore. Yet, when she was around Richard, that mask seemed to break, but she found that she didn't want it to stop.
Barbara gasped as she felt an arm land on her shoulder and glanced up to see Richard staring at her with understanding in his eyes. "It looks like we have a few things in common, huh?" He asked, his voice low.
"Yeah" Barbara agreed, wiping a few tears from her face with Richard's Handkerchief. "I guess we do" She added in a voice that was barely a whisper. For a moment, the two kids just stood there, staring at each other. Then Richard leaned over, his mouth slightly open. Barbara found herself leaning forward as well and her eyes began to close as her mouth opened slightly almost automatically, her mind suddenly whirred as it caught up with her motions. Oh my gosh! Her inner voice exclaimed as she felt her lips pucker. Is he... Is he really going to...?
CLUNK!
"Barbara?" Both Barbara and Richard visibly jumped as they heard to door open, followed by Tatsu's voice. Glancing up, they saw the leather-clad bodyguard staring at them from the doorway, her eyes wide. "Oh, am...I interrupting something?" She asked as her lips slowly curled into a smile.
Barbara and Richard, who were inches from each other, burst apart with exclamations of "No!" and "Of course not!" followed by a lot of nervous giggling on Barbara's behalf, though Richard looked slightly embarrassed as well. "We-we were just..." Barbara's voice faltered as she tried to come up with a good excuse.
"I was just complimenting Miss Gordon on how beautiful she looks in her dress tonight." Richard smoothly explained and Barbara fought to keep her mouth from dropping open. Did he really think that, or was he trying to cover up what was really happening?
"Right" Tatsu's smirk made it clear she wasn't buying it. Shaking her head, she moved on. "Anyway, Barbara, your father is looking for you. Mr Wayne is about to make his speech and he would like you to..." Suddenly, Tatsu was cut off when the lamps in the room, along with the overhead light in the hallway went out. "What the...?" Tatsu exclaimed, blindly reaching for the light switch and flipping it a few times. Nothing happened.
"Well, that not good" Richard's voice dryly commented.
Barbara was about to respond when she suddenly became aware of the sound of smashing glass, followed by the sound of screaming coming from down the hall. "And that, is probably worse" She added feeling her heart begin to quicken again, this time out of fear.
And Cut!
Wow! Quite the moment between Richard and Barbara. What do you guys think? Should Tatsu not have interrupted them? (hee hee hee!)
Thanks again to Superfan44 for beta reading this chapter. Stay tuned for the next one! A lot more action is promised!
Until next time!