25. Message in a Bottle
Summary: Consider as a second part of the previous chapter.
"Anything?"
Turning her eyes away from the gigantic screen of the Bat-computer, Barbara Gordon a.k.a. the Oracle smiled as the blue and black clad form of Dick Grayson came towards her.
"No." Sliding off her glasses, she rubbed the bridge of her nose, a tried but genuine smile forming on her lips as coming to stand behind her, his mask draped over the back of the plush chair, Dick began to knead her fatigued shoulders. Having just finished his own patrol, instead of his own lair in Bludhaven, Nightwing returned to the cave.
"Nothing useful anyway," at her correction, he stopped and came to her side, his face full of questions. "Nothing useful? So we got some replies?"
"Just one," Barbara sighed and began to tell him about the only response that the Batman had got to his pan-dimensional message.
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/Flashback/
"We got incoming."
Twenty minutes after she sent out the message, Barbara cringed as the sound of the Batmobile tearing through the cave tunnels, echoed throughout the caverns. Even with the sound deadeners installed, it was still a jolt to her ears…especially after she had spent the better part of the last five hours alone in the cavernous Batcave.
If the sound of the Batmobile jolted her, its trip-time downright shocked her. She knew, from experience, that the average travel time from the cave to where the Batman had been was at least thirty-two minutes and even that was with the Batman himself at the wheel of the ton plus jet powered behemoth that was the Batman's land-bound steed. Not only had the Batman beaten his previous best time, he had done so by more than one third.
If there was any doubt in her mind as to the harrowing nature of the ride, it all vanished at the pallid look on Batgirl's face. Even as the Batman literally launched himself out of the car, young Cassandra moved gingerly, trying to get her bearings while doing her best at keeping herself from throwing up.
--
Having already vacated his place, Barbara brought up the message that had come in the Batman's absence. Just as the outgoing messages were cued into the Batman and Wonder Woman's passcodes, so were the incoming ones.
"Greetings," an eerily familiar but in reality strange face accompanied the dulcet voice as Diana Wayne, last of the Amazons and with her husband, Bruce Wayne, the caretaker of the 'Planetary' base on the surface of the moon, appeared on the screen. Appearing beside her was Bruce, his facial features an exact facsimile of the black and grey clad man on this side of the screen.
"This is reply to the message we received yesterday," Diana continued, her voice even yet soothingly firm, a friendly smile gracing her face. "We regrettably inform that we are unable to help you at this moment."
Batman's, as well as Barbara's, surprise at a stranger being able to crack their encryption was assuaged as the Bruce on the other end continued where his wife had just left off.
"We have no ulterior motives," Bruce spoke with the familiar baritone. "Our technology allowed us to bypass all the safety features built into your message…without setting them off. Using my wife's DNA and physical properties as a template, we also conducted a global survey in search of your teammate."
'Wife!' Barbara's eyes widened in surprise. 'Another world….same couple!'
---
"We have keyed in our systems to continue monitoring the situation," with Diana resuming from where Bruce left off, their camaraderie and level of cohesion was clear to both the Bruce here and to Barbara. "Should there be any new developments, we will immediately follow up on it and intimate you. We, however, haven't used your design to construct the dimensional communicator."
"We already have one of our own." The dimensional communicator, not to mention all the other systems that the Bruce and Diana from the other earth mentioned, were a legacy of the Planetary Corporation's abuse of their power and reach. Ever since, they had done away with the four death dealers, the couple donated many of the systems for use by the general public. However, many crucial and far-reach capability systems, like the one they used to try to track down one woman in a world of more than seven billion, were kept private….and were only used in dire situations such as this one.
"We wish you the best of luck," Diana said as the communicate reached it end.
"May the gods bring fruition to your efforts."
/End Flashback/
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"Bruce and Diana Wayne," Dick mused as Barbara finished recounting the message. They had to settle for that, as once he finished with it, Batman locked it.
The smile starting to curve his lips fell as Dick turned towards infirmary section of the cave, for lying there on his back, still dressed in his costume, sans the cape, cowl, belt, gauntlets and boots, was the sleeping form of Bruce Wayne.
His eyes lingering on the still form of his adoptive father, Dick voiced his question for Barbara. "How did he take it?"
"As he does with everything," answered the redhead. "Just clammed up. Even the sleep, its courtesy of Alfred."
"Huh?"
"He drugged him," the words drew Dick's attention to the slight bulge under Bruce's grey tunic. 'He's wounded.'
"What happened?"
"Don't know," Barbara too turned her head to the sleeping Bruce. "Whatever it was, it was bad. Just missed the liver."
"How long have you been up?" Dick inquired, leaning against the back of the control panel.
"Don't even think about it," knowing what he was hinting at, Barbara nipped it in the bud. "You have had a full night, have another strenuous day before you. You need your rest…"
"But Babs…"
"And anyway, its only five thirty. Alfred will be waking up soon, and taking on the monitor duty until Tim gets up."
"You sure…." Dick asked again. "Because if you want…"
"Go. Sleep. Now." Her voice brooking no argument, Dick gave up and leaned in to kiss her goodnight.
"Careful," he whispered into her ear. "Next thing we know, you'll be breaking out the whips and paddles….we already got the costumes, masks and cuffs."
"You wish fetish-wonder."
----
Elsewhere,
Barely had she settled in front of the computer, that the reappearance of the Holo-Batman halted Diana's progress.
"You have the machine ready," the holographic construct spoke to Diana, something that surprised the other four people in the room. As Batman, Superman, J'onn and Diana watched, the pre-recorded message, another one cued into Diana's signature, started to play out.
"Once ready and powered up, an automatic reply has already been sent back from the machine. Although not including any specifics, it will however, inform me about the progress to this stage. The frequencies are already included in the design schematics and with a 0.55 probability; it is likely that the message relays in the first try itself. There is a near equal probability that it may not. I suggest sending the message every six to twelve hours. I will be doing the same with the message you have already received."
Whizzing in from the door, Flash caught the last, but most crucial part of the message….the part that would lead to actual conversation and a possible way for the visiting Diana to get back to her world.
"Once the return message is received, along with the transmission frequencies, a two way link will be established between the two machines."
With that…No thank you, nothing….the Holo-Bat just blipped off.
--
"Hey, you guys got it ready." Wally zipped up his teammates and to the Diana seated in front of the computer, the projector with its power supply and other attachments resting on the ground beside it.
"Yes," J'onn answered in his usual calm manner.
"Then what are we waiting for," the speedster questioned innocently. "Lets send it already."
"Yes, lets," answered Diana. Flipping the power switch on the recorder-cum-sender, she began to record her message.
Fifteen minutes later, as they watched the computer process, encrypt and send the message, everyone present, including both Batman and Wonder Woman themselves, silently wished (or prayed) that the message would get through in the first try itself. 'After all,' both orphans mused. 'Everyone deserves to have and more importantly, be with their family.'
---
It would two tries and almost twenty hours later that the message would reach its intended destination….with just four introductory words enough to pump life into the seemingly, simply existing recipient.
"Bruce, this is Diana."
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Note: Had planned on including this in the previous chapter itself….sorry for the delay.
Next, they talk….finally, and how about that way to get back to her world? Coming soon!
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