After returning Jason home, I sat down with Alfred in the Batcave and went over some of my edits and interests for the apartment in the clocktower. Together, we better masked the areas that would hide Batcomputer equipment. We nixed the idea of having a traditional den; since I only watched TV while cooking or eating, we decided to build a TV into the wall in the dining area. Instead, the space that would have been a den could be blown out to increase my training room. I also tried to nix the suggestion of leaving another room to be a guest bedroom.
"I don't have anyone that would ever need to use a guest room," I explained to Alfred.
"You never know when you may have a guest in town that will need a place to stay," Alfred advised me seriously.
"They can get a hotel," I waved away.
"What about your father?" Alfred suggested.
"He lives like twenty minutes away, he can go home," I laughed.
"I would recommend that you…"
"Alfred," I interrupted him, "is this a suggestion for Batgirl purposes, or just for good manners?" I asked. He looked at me dubiously over his glasses.
"It is good manners to have somewhere for your guests to stay, should they require it," Alfred advised me. I scrunched my face up in playful opposition.
"Tell ya what," I said. "We'll stick a day bed in there, but otherwise that room can be turned into a library-slash-study." He dutifully made notes on the schematics, though I could tell he didn't entirely love the plan. Nevertheless, I smiled smugly; I'd always wanted a library.
Alfred rolled up the schematics with a serious face and said, "I'll get these to the contractors. It oughtn't be long now before they begin interior construction."
"How soon will it be done, once they start?" I asked.
"For the construction of the apartment itself, it will only take about two weeks. But the technology installation will take the most time; probably another three or four weeks after that," he said. I raised my eyebrows, trying to contain my surprise. Wow… less than two months and I'd have a new place to live.
"Guess I should start picking out furniture then, huh?" I said as I shook my head.
"There's no need," Alfred answered. "We will furnish the apartment entirely; unless there are specific pieces you would like to bring from home?" I felt my jaw drop a little, wanting to reject the generosity but feeling guilty for looking a gift horse in the mouth.
"Oh, um… thank you, I just… wow, I didn't expect that," I said, rubbing the back of my neck. "Maybe… what if you just don't worry about furnishing it until after I move in? I'm sure my dad will help me move. Might look a little suspicious if the place came totally furnished." Alfred's mouth opened as if to provide a polite argument, but he raised his eyes as if caught in a memory, then returned his gaze to me with a smile.
"Of course, Miss Gordon," he replied with a tiny bow of acknowledgement.
"Wait," I stopped him as he began to turn away, "what was that?" I laughed. He shook his head with a smile.
"Nothing, Miss Gordon. I was only recalling a conversation similar to this when Master Grayson was furnishing his apartment," Alfred said. That shut me up pretty quickly.
"Oh," I said, with a nod. I had more questions: Dick didn't want you furnishing his apartment? Why not? There's no way he furnished that apartment on his own, did he? Even the flowerboxes? But none of them formed cogently in my mouth, so I closed my lips and nodded. "Funny."
"Indeed," Alfred said with a slightly sarcastic eye roll, which provoked a relaxed laugh from me, then he turned and left the Batcave. I put my hands on my hips and looked around the Batcave, trying to figure out where to refocus my energies. Back on the computer- right.
I hopped on the Batcomputer and pulled up the work that Jason and I had gotten done while at the office. We were able to rule out a good number of the dealers in Gotham, knowing they'd worked with other criminals like Penguin or Two-Face in the past and thus would be less likely to partner with a loose cannon like Scarecrow, but we hadn't been able to narrow the list down enough that we could pursue interrogations; it would take us all night, time that would be better spent trying to hunt down Joker or the Suicide Squad.
I pulled up my file of active cases; the web of files was beginning to get messy. There were seven highly active cases on the board, most of which interconnected in some way. I curiously noted that the mess entangling Black Mask, Penguin, and Scarecrow seemed unrelated to everything going on with Joker, Suicide Squad, and Riddler; was there something going on linking the cases that we hadn't yet noticed? Or, just as likely, were all parties trying to take advantage of how busy we were to sneak some devious activity under our noses in hopes we wouldn't notice?
A buzzing from my phone attracted my attention and I pulled it out of my bag; it was a text from Daniel.
Daniel, Now
Not to appear too eager, but when is too soon to take you on that second date?
I let out a breathy chuckle at the text and shook my head with a smile as I responded.
I could do an early dinner tomorrow night?
The three dots indicating that he was responding immediately appeared on the screen and I waited as he typed, wondering where he was going to take me this time; I'd run out of nice outfits soon.
"How was lunch?" Dick's voice called to me and I jumped with surprise from where I stood beside the Batcomputer. Why did it feel like I'd just been caught doing something wrong?
"You surprised me," I answered, putting my phone screen down in front of me as he approached from the tunnel leading to the elevator.
"So, clearly not a relaxing lunch," he said as he dropped his coat, noting my jumpiness. "But worth it to miss out on what happened at Oblivion, I hope?" he asked. I tried to blink away my defensiveness.
"What happened at Oblivion?" I asked, hoping that by me taking his bait he would leave the conversation about lunch alone.
"Just a sec," he said, stepping around me. "I told Jason to join us, he'll be down in a sec." He sat in front of the Batcomputer, typing a name into the BPD database and pulling up an officer's profile. His name was Jeffrey Taylor.
A buzzing from my phone drew my attention, but I didn't want to answer it; if I did, Dick would surely ask me who I was texting and I didn't want to deal with it. I took a step towards Dick and the computer, away from my phone. "Officer Jeffrey Taylor," I read aloud. "No criminal history," I noted.
"Well, he is a cop," Dick noted. "Makes it a little easier to get away with things unnoticed."
"So what is he doing with Riddler?" I asked impatiently. Dick looked over his shoulder at me with a laughing smile.
"Can't wait for Jason?" he reminded me. I shrugged.
"We'll have to reiterate it for Bruce anyway," I noted, but he just shook his head at my impatience. "Is it a lead on Joker?"
"No," Dick finally answered, and I dropped my gaze disappointedly. "But it does confirm one of our theories." I turned my head nervously. Another buzz came from my phone, but I ignored it.
"Which theory?" I asked. The dirty bombs theory? The partnership with Suicide Squad theory? The collaboration with Joker theory?
"Not a good one," Dick answered, his eyes remaining on the computer screen. I heard the elevator arrive in the Batcave and Jason came jogging down the tunnel.
"Sorry. Here. What'd you get?" he said as he came up behind us.
"Officer Jeffrey Taylor," Dick said, loudly enough for him to hear. "Now a known colluder with Riddler. He was at Oblivion Bar today with someone I'm still working on IDing, but he must have been a supplier."
"Supplier?" I questioned. "Drug supplier?"
"C4 supplier," he answered. "They spoke in code a lot of the time, but it sounded like a small transaction of explosives. Must be a part of Riddler helping make Joker's dirty bombs."
"Did they make the trade then and there?" Jason asked.
"No, they were talking about a trade tonight at the Bludhaven bus depot. I'll be there waiting for them," he confirmed. Jason's eyes bounced between me and Dick, silently pleading for an invitation to join.
"I don't know if you should be out, Jason," I cautioned them both. "Batman is on the hunt for Red Hood. If he even catches a whiff that you're around, he'll be coming for you."
"Come on, we'll be careful," Jason said, looking eagerly to Dick. "And we'll stay in Bludhaven. I'll stay the night at Dick's, we won't cross the river…"
"Jay, she's right. With Joker at large still, it's too big a risk…" Dick started.
"I won't do anything, I'll stay on the rooftops and watch you take them down. I'll just watch," he pleaded. I looked appraisingly at Dick, giving him eyes that said, you'd have to watch him, it's your choice. He looked away from me, back at the computer, then let out a sigh and looked back at Jason.
"Okay," he allowed, Jason immediately celebrating, "BUT. That means you need to tell Bruce you're staying at my place tonight. And you don't do anything, I mean anything, unless I tell you that you can. Got it?"
"Got it. Yes, totally," Jason smiled so wide that I wondered if he had even heard anything Dick had said. I tried to contain my smile as I looked at Dick; it was nice to see Jason so happy. Dick smiled back with a tired shake of his head.
My phone buzzed again behind me, and I was prepared to ignore it again if not for someone else taking notice. "Barbara, your phone's blowin' up," Jason said, turning around and grabbing my phone, looking at the screen. My eyes grew huge as I watched him read the name on the screen, and I hurried back to him to snatch back the phone. "Oooo, Dan-iel," Jason teased me in a sing-song voice. I grabbed the phone out of his hand, reading the notifications.
Daniel, 5m ago
Tomorrow night it is! 6:00 a good time? Any earlier and it'll be an early bird special.
Daniel, 2m ago
That was a joke, btw. I know you're not old. LOL.
Daniel, now
But really, if you want it to be earlier, that works for me. We can have a linner, if you want. Just happy to be there with you :)
"What the hell is 'linner?'" Jason asked as he looked down at the phone in my hands. I darkened the screen and tilted the phone away from him, turning back to him.
"I'm guessing a lunch-dinner combo. Like 'brunch,' but… 'linner,'" I clarified, holding the phone closer to me so Jason couldn't see what I typed back.
6 sounds good. Let me know where and I can meet you.
"Wow. That's incredibly dorky," Jason acknowledged. I clicked the phone off and looked at him with stern eyes that I hoped communicated, please. Drop this. Now. "So you're going out with him again?" Jason asked teasingly. Evidently, my stern glare had failed.
"Yes," I loathly answered, putting my phone down beside me and looking back up at the screen as if there were important information that required my attention. My eyes darted down to Dick, though my face stayed turned up as if I were looking at the screens, and I noticed he was busily typing something, his fingers darting up and hitting the backspace button a lot and retyping, his eyes focused down on the keyboard.
"So where you gonna go for your early bird special?" Jason joked, and I rolled my eyes so far up in my head that I could see a bat on the ceiling.
"Why don't you go upstairs and pack for your sleepover, Jason?" I insisted, turning back over my shoulder to him. "Before we change our minds?" He grimaced at me with a smile, and gave a thumbs up. He turned and hurried off, and I could hear him lightly singing as he left, "wo-ah, here she comes. Watch out boys, she'll chew you up. Wo-ah, here she comes, she's a maneater…"
I let out an exasperated sigh and turned back to the screen, watching as Dick quickly typed his notes into Jeffrey Taylor's file, making lots of errors and fixes along the way. My eyes darted between the screen and him as I took a measured breath.
"That's, the… guy from work I mentioned," I finally explained, my eyes staying on the monitor as I said it.
"Good," Dick answered as he continued his work. My gaze darted down to him again as I considered his response… good?
"We've only been on the one date," I said, almost like I was defending myself.
"And soon to be two," Dick said distractedly as he focused on his notes. But he stopped and turned with a tight smile back to me. "Good for you."
"Yeah," I replied as he turned back to his work. I was unsure if he was being sarcastic or genuine; and I was even more unsure how either reaction would make me feel. I tried to snuff out the insecurity I felt. It didn't matter. "How's Amy?" I asked, trying to turn the conversation positive and show that I was happy for him, too. He stopped typing, staring down at the keyboard in front of him for a moment, then turned back to me with a nod.
"She's good," he said. "Thanks." I smiled and nodded back as he returned to typing, but the discomfort between us didn't seem to dispel. He continued typing and working, even through another buzz of my cell phone on the table that I refused to answer, until Bruce entered the Batcave a few minutes later.
"Tonight's the night," Bruce said to me. "Old Gotham has had some interesting activity going through there today. Penguin's up to something. I want to know what." I nodded, feeling a twinge of anxiety that Batman and I would be out in Old Gotham tonight so near to where Nightwing and Jason would be in Bludhaven.
"Sounds good," I said.
"Bruce, I've got a lead on Riddler. Looks like he is making dirty bombs," Dick confirmed. Bruce nodded.
"Alfred is serving dinner in a moment. Let's eat and go over everything before we break for the night," Bruce insisted, turning to lead us upstairs. I grabbed my purse, snatching up my phone and stuffing it in my bag without a glance at the screen.
"You should call your dad," Dick suggested as he got up from his seat, "let him know you're having a late night." I looked him over appraisingly, knowing he was suggesting it because he was pestering me to answer the texts, texts that he knew were from Daniel. I kept my mouth shut and nodded as he passed.
"Thanks," I said. He nodded and followed Bruce closely. I hung back and called my dad, leaving him a message that I was hanging out with Colleen tonight ("not romantically, dad") and not to wait up. Then I checked the message from Daniel.
Daniel, 6m ago
I'd love to pick you up, if that's okay?
I thought about the fact that I still lived with my father the police commissioner in my run-down apartment building, and I hesitated. It was normal for a guy to pick me up at my place, and a standard thing for him to want to do. But something in me didn't want him to know where I lived, like that was somehow too intimate of a detail for him to have about my life. I decided I was being a too standoffish, that I needed to allow him the small courtesies of dating. I texted him my address and secretly planned to meet him on the steps of the apartment so he wouldn't come inside.
Dinner was delicious: a simple meal of boiled chicken, sweet potatoes, and asparagus. Alfred joined us as we ate, and we talked about Dick's discovery at The Oblivion Bar. Jason got permission to spend the night with Dick in Bludhaven ("for some brother time"). Bruce shared that he'd driven past the Cyrus Pinkney Institute for Natural History, the museum that Penguin owned, and saw a mob of construction vehicles working on a space at the back of the museum.
"I'm sure media has also taken notice," Bruce said as he finished his food, "but I don't trust it, and I'm not willing to wait. I want to know what's really going on."
"Think it has anything to do with Killer Croc?" I asked, reminding him of Waylon Jones' frequent trips to the Bowery.
"I don't think so- but we'll find out tonight," Bruce answered. A pinging from my phone drew my attention down to my purse. I would have felt incredibly rude, had the notification not had the unique sound of an alert from one of our active cases. It was an alert from the Batcomputer: the Suicide Squad had been deployed.
"Suicide Squad," I said aloud to everyone at the table. "They're active." Bruce wiped his mouth with his napkin and got up, and the rest of us sprang out of our seats and hurried towards the Batcave (Alfred was the only to hang back, cleaning up the table). It was only when we were in the elevator that Bruce took special notice of Jason.
"What are you doing?" Bruce asked Jason, and his eyes grew large with guilt.
"Come on," he groaned. "Everyone got so excited, I couldn't just go back to my homework." Bruce grimaced down at him.
"Stay out of the way," he instructed Jason. "I'm going to suit up. Barbara, pull up the data then suit up yourself. Time to get to work." Once we'd arrived in the Batcave, I hurried to the computer, practically running in my heels. I threw my purse under the desk as I pulled up the update, reading the information as quickly as I could.
"We've got a police report including perps that match descriptions of Deadshot, Harley Quinn, and Captain Boomerang… a few others too. They've broken into the Syrian embassy in… Batman, they're in Keystone," I said with surprise.
"So, not much we can do," Dick said from behind me, and I realized that he'd been leaning over my chair as I worked.
"Go suit up," Batman said, already dressed but for his cowl, which he was pulling over his head as he approached us. "Dick, get Jason out of here. No one on screen in civilian clothes." I hurried out of the chair just in time for Batman to take my seat, and I hurried away from the monitors towards my Batgirl suit. Once out of ear shot, I grabbed Dick's arm and pulled him aside.
"He's gonna be intense tonight," I said quietly about Bruce. "You cannot let Jason draw his attention."
"I'm on it," he answered. He began to take a step away from me but lingered a moment with my hand on his arm. "You look really nice today, Barb." The comment took me aback. It was so out of context, so surprising, and so genuine. I stood there, still in my blue dress and green heels from my date earlier, my hand somehow stuck to his arm. He smiled tightly at me, a small and restrained smile, then stepped away and hurried to grab Jason and take him back to Bludhaven. I bit my lower lip, then forced myself to snap back into action and get changed.
My suit was on in under 60 seconds, and I pulled my hair loose from my cowl as I rushed back to the Batcomputer. Only then did I realize that Batman had made a video call to Keystone- to The Flash.
"They're dangerous, Flash," Batman said in his low, gravely tone.
"I know; Deadshot's got a rap sheet here, too. And this Captain Boomerang looks like a joke, but I saw his history…" he said. He had such a young voice; maybe he was my age, but probably younger.
"He's no joke," Bruce confirmed. "And Harley Quinn is new. She single-handedly led a terrorist attack in Gotham Square and freed Joker from Arkham Asylum last month."
"I saw that bit of news, and your new lady. News keeps referring to Batgirl as your girlfriend- a pretty badass chick you've got there," Flash smiled teasingly into the camera.
"He should be so lucky," I commented, stepping up behind Batman. Even behind his mask, I could see Flash's look of surprise, and perhaps embarrassment. "Quinn is highly trained, but not the best strategist. And she's only ever fought solo; no idea how she'll play on a team."
"Nice to meet you," Flash said to me. "And glad to learn you've got a bit more personality here than this one," he indicated Batman.
"Call if we can help," Batman growled at him.
"Right; I'll let you know," Flash said, and Batman closed the line. He stood and walked towards the Batmobile, and I followed as my bike arose from the pad.
"Think he can take them down?" I asked.
"No," Batman answered frankly. "But perhaps he'll be able to stop them from completing their mission."
"Which is?" I asked.
"Likely an intelligence operation," he suggested. "Wahler is likely trying to steal Syrian intel for the US Government, with the luxury of pinning it on criminals. But there's nothing more we can do about that tonight. Time to talk to Penguin." The Batmobile roared to life and opened for him. "Take the high ground. I'll come in directly; I want you out of sight until you're needed."
"Got it," I said as I got on my bike. Part of me wanted to argue, but I was excited to be going out with him. We drove separately into Old Gotham: he took the direct route, and I took the slightly less direct path through Jezebel Plaza. The plaza was once a popular shopping destination, but hadn't been since I was a kid. Now, it was a hotbed for criminal activity and illicit activity (giving the namesake of the plaza, Jezebel, an entirely different connotation). I snaked my way through the plaza and managed to hide my bike under a set of rusted stairs that led out of the plaza and up to the museum entrance. Only a few of Penguin's men were standing outside of the museum and keeping watch. I used my grapnel to sneak onto the rooftop and watch for Batman's arrival.
"In position," I said through my comm link to Batman. In only a few moments, the Batmobile roared down the street and stopped abruptly in front of the museum. The men keeping watch all darted inside upon seeing the car, and Batman stormed in behind them. I waited a moment, then swung down to the entrance and quietly followed him inside. I kept a distant tail on him, and it didn't take me long to realize that the men that had run inside were creeping out of hiding spots behind him. They began to follow Batman through the museum; they thought they could sneak up from behind and assail him.
How cute.
I quietly crept behind them. They walked in a single file line, all with automatic rifles pointing ahead as they followed the direction Batman had gone. I grabbed the first one, smothering him into unconsciousness while the other two proceeded without any idea something had gone wrong. I hurried back into place and did it again to the second. As soon as the man's body went limp, the final man's breathing picked up.
"It's too quiet, right?" he whispered, and I stepped behind a corner so that if he turned around, I wouldn't be seen. "Guys?" he whispered, then I heard his breathing pick up a lot. "Guys!" he yelled, and I heard his footsteps retreating towards me. I switched on my detective mode to see him frantically turning forwards and backwards as he made his way back towards me, looking for his fallen friends. I jumped out of hiding just in time to deliver a blow to his chin. I grabbed his arm and broke the elbow, forcing him to drop the gun. Then I swept his leg, dropped him to the floor, and elbowed him in the temple to knock him out.
I quickened my pace to catch up with Batman; when I finally rediscovered him, he had stepped into a wide-open gallery filled with sculptures and exhibit cases. But more notably, he was surrounded by hired thugs and facing down the short, stout man we'd come here to see.
"Penguin," Batman growled at him.
"Wha' do you want, Batman?" Penguin snapped at him in his cockney accent, a smoking cigar between his fingers. "I told you, I don't know nothin' about that ruddy croc. I run a museum, not a zoo."
Batman took a step forward, and two of the men flanking Penguin pointed guns at him.
"Ah-ah-ah, Batman," Penguin cautioned him. "That's close enough. I'm tryin' to avoid bad press right now, and splattering your brains across my main exhibit hall would be bad for business."
"What are you planning?" Batman demanded, which only provoked a laugh out of Penguin.
"See this, boys? Even Batman is looking for a special invitation to the party!" he said, and the thugs around him smiled and let loose small laughs in agreement. "I've got an expansion planned, Batman. An addition to the museum, set to open soon. And it's all perfectly legal- which means it's none of your bloody business," he snapped at Batman.
"I'm not in the mood for banter, Cobblepot," Batman threatened. "Is this why you've been laundering money? To fund an expansion to your failing museum?" Penguin didn't look so entertained anymore.
"I run a completely legitimate business, Batman. You wanna talk to my lawyers? I'd be happy to arrange it," he squawked. He gestured for the two gunmen to deal with Batman, and they took nervous steps forward.
"Let's go, Batman!" one of them ordered him, and just as he stepped close enough Batman grabbed the gun from the man's hands, disabling it and thwacking the man unconscious with the magazine of the gun. The other gunman looked terrified that all that stood between them was his gun that he wasn't supposed to fire.
"Get him outta my museum!" Penguin ordered his men, and the other thugs without guns ran forward to attack. Batman grabbed the other gunman and took him down immediately, but there were still at least twelve thugs that needed to be taken down.
Seemed like as good a time as any for me to help.
I hurried around the corner and sprinted into the fray. I hooked my arm under one man's shoulder and flipped him on his back, kneeing him in the face for a takedown. Then I ran up the front of one man, stepping on his knee and pelvis in turn, and propelled off him to strike down at another man rushing me. I flipped my cape over the face of a man running towards Batman, disorienting him long enough to kick in his knees and roundhouse kick him to the ground. In this manner, we efficiently disposed of all the thugs, leaving Penguin alone. He ran away through the gallery towards the door on the far end towards the back of the museum. Batman grappled to him and kneed him in the back, instantly flooring him as I strode up behind them.
"I'm giving you one last chance, Cobblepot," Batman growled as he stood over Penguin. "What's the money laundering for, and what are you planning?"
"I don't have nothin' to do with the money laundering!" Penguin cried furiously from the ground. "We're building a lounge in the museum, that's all!"
"Why are you keeping Black Mask in Gotham to launder money?!" Batman demanded of him.
"We don't have any business anymore. Sionis has lost his grip on Gotham, I've got no interest in workin' with him!" Penguin barked. "He fulfilled the terms of our final arrangement. Anything he's doin' now's got squat to do with me!"
"You and Sionis have something in common," Batman said, his tone softening a little. "You've both lost your touch." Before Penguin could argue back, Batman kneed Penguin in the cheek and the conversation ended. Batman turned back to me. "Looks like our informant was right," Batman said, reminding me of Andre Simpson. "The money laundering was the final transaction Black Mask owed Penguin. Looks like he's using the money to build his lounge."
"We should check it out, while we're here," I said, looking to the entrance at the back of the museum that Penguin had been heading for. "See if there's anything worth raising an eyebrow over." Batman and I investigated the soon to be lounge. There was little of note yet; a lot of red velvet and construction tools and dust; but it looked like it would be a stately space, when it was all finished.
"Opening soon, huh?" I said, repeating Penguin's statement. "Should be an interesting party."