digi-gal-rox: here's the next chapter!
Chapter 2 - Secrets and Surprises
"Quiet," she murmured, narrowing her eyes.
"Who are you?" Nightwing demanded from behind. Oracle smirked.
"Like I said before," she responded, facing him. He wasn't alone. Starfire was with him, her hands illuminating green orbs, as her eyes.
"He has asked you a question!"
"I'm surprised you haven't heard of me. The rest of the Titans have." Oracle said in a mocking voice. Nightwing threw a bird-a-rang, narrowly missing Oracle. "That wasn't nice." she growled. retreiving her ninja forks from her boots. "If it's a fight you want, a fight you will get." Before she could move, Starfire had already threw star
bolts at her.
"You will answer his question!" she said, demandingly.
"Do you really think I'll tell you?" Oracle asked.
"You'd better," Nightwing growled, finally speaking again.
"And yet, I don't want to." she smirked, backing to the edge, she looked down and smiled.
"If you want an answer, you have to go through-"
"-Us." suddenly appearing, several members of the Justice League appeared. Dr. Light, Supergirl, the Flash and Wonder Woman.
"We only wish to know who she is!" Starfire exclaimed.
"She's a valuable member of the team." Wonder Woman sneered.
"And how is it everyone else knows who she is?"
"They earned her trust."
"You still wanna find out?" Oracle asked.
"I do," Nightwing growled, stepping foward. "I'll only go against you though."
"Fine." Oracle responded, "Clock Tower, tomorrow night... let's say around six. Don't be late. And don't bring anyone else."
"That wasn't a wise idea, Barb," Cassie said, as Barbara entered the apartment.
"Either way he will find out."
"But-"
"Cassie, he found out I was Batgirl, so it won't take him long to learn I'm Oracle."
"He has the detective skills! Let him find out on his own!"
"Yeah well... I made a deal. I'm going to keep that promise. Now go to bed."
"I wonder when they'll ask us to join them." Starfire murmured.
"I got asked once." Dick murmured, "I turned it down."
"Why?" she asked, curiously.
"I don't belong up there." was the responce, "I work a lot better, solo."
"What about-"
"You guys are my friends." Dick laughed, "That's different. I hardly know anyone up there, except for Batman and the
Flash, but you don't always get to be in a team you'll like. That is why they say it's hard."
"It wouldn't be so bad. It'll be fun though."
Barbara glared at the punching bag, as she threw it another kick. Beads of sweat fell from her face, as she panted heavily. Despite it being a lot cooler in the batcave, her training had warmed her up fast.
"Still keeping at it, I see." Dick whistled, decending from the stairs.
"Heard from the grape vine, you're meeting with your mysterious fighter."
"You know her?"
"Not by name." she lied.
"You do know, just refusing to tell me?" he smiled, slyly, "Still stuborn."
"Well, I'll let you bulk up." Barbara said, grabbing a towel, "You'll be needing it."
"She's that good of a fighter, huh?"
"You have no idea," Barbara found herself smiling to herself, as she accended up the stairs.
The cold Gotham air blew her pony tail back, as she allowed the wind to run past her. She heard a soft thump behind her. The clock rung loudly.
"Let's get this over and done with, shall we?" Oracle asked, as she witnessed the sun set.
"Your word," Nightwing muttered, as she turned to face him. Before any could attack, she noticed Starfire had followed him.
"I told you not to bring anyone." she growled, Nightwing followed her glare.
"I didn't. She must've followed." Nightwing responded. Starfire began attacking the Oracle, who was pushed aside, by Nightwing. "I told you to stay behind!" he bellowed.
"I wanted to know myself!" was the responce, as the alien princess landed.
"Deals off," she growled.
"What!" Starfire exclaimed, "You-"
"I said for no one to follow. You followed. Deals off." Oracle narrowed her eyes. Something had caught Nightwing's eye, something that hung around Oracle's neck.
"That necklace..." he murmured. Quickly reacting, she tucked the necklace under her top, "Where did you-" before he could finish his sentence, she already taken off.
Barbara rested her head back, as she sat comfortably on the sofa. It was near midnight, Cassandra was already in bed. Just six hours ago, Nightwing was about to discover who was under the mask of the Oracle. Too bad he didn't. At least not yet. She sighed, as she stared at the ceiling, fidling with the necklace around her neck. Though the dove necklace was given to her from Dick, she still kept it on, all these years, giving her 'luck'.
"Maybe," she murmured, getting up, "Just maybe," pulling her hair to a loose pony tail, she made her way to her room.
"What did you want to talk about?" Wally asked, yawning meeting Dick at the local Gotham Bar.
"I want to confirm something," Dick murmured, "Is Oracle Babs?"
"What makes you think Oracles her?"
"The necklace I gave her."
"A lot of people have that necklace, Dick." Wally frowned.
"Either you're telling me or I'm going to-"
"To what, Dick?" Wally challenged, "I'm sorry, but you're no genious when it comes to computers."
"I just want to know the truth, Wally."
"Forget about it. The only way you'll be getting the confirmation is if you earn her trust."
"I don't have time for that."
"If you want to know who's behind the mask, it's the only way."
"Why can't you just tell me?" Dick mumbled, staring at the glass that sat in front of him.
"Because I made a promise." Wally sighed, "We all did."
Bruce Wayne stared at the computer screen, thoughtfully. Moments ago, he had recieved a call from Wally, about Dick's suspicions of Barbara being the Oracle. If Dick indeed try to hack into the Justice League data base, they would have to alter Barbara's identity. Hesistantly, he typed something into the computer, slowly deleting the name; Barbara Gordon, replacing it with Barbara Wilson.
"A new identity," he murmured.
"Ready?" Superman's voice came from the speaker.
"It's done," Bruce murmured, "It's all done."
"I need your help," Dick announced, blocking Tim from the grand entrance.
"Can't it wait? I have classes." Tim frowned, trying to get past his older brother.
"No." the older man shook his head, "I need to know the passward to the Justice League data base.
"I don't see that happening any time soon," Barbara muttered, walking past, "Ready or not Tim, we're leaving now."
"I would if Dick here would let me pass!" the young adult cried out.
"I need to know who Oracle is." Dick narrowed his eyes, "I think I know who it is."
"Really?" Barbara asked, raising an eye-brow, "Than why not inspire us, Dick." Dick pulled his head back in defeat.
There was no way he could point the finger, he needed to confirm his findings first.
"Just give me the password." he mumbled.
"Try asking Bruce," Tim said hurriedly, running out the door, "Hurry up Barb!"
"Yeah, yeah," the red-headed woman muttered, giving Dick a friendly nod before leaving.
"He's going to find out." Tim said quietly.
"Bruce changed Oracle's identity, so he won't know."
"Come on Barb, we know he's a lot smarter than that."
"He'll learn soon enough." Barbara sighed, pulling up to Gotham State Uni. "Your car should be done by this after-noon, so don't call me, ok?"
"I'm serious Barb, he's goin' to find out sooner or later."
"Later," Barbara smiled.
"Come on man, just tell me!" Dick exclaimed. Cyborg, Raven and Beast Boy's face frowned on the screen.
"Please, friends." Starfire begged, "We must know!"
"We made a promise," Raven sighed, "Believe me when I say this, we would tell you... but we'd get into a lot of trouble from the League."
"What does the League have to offer you?" Dick wondered, annoyed.
"They may offer us a place, if we're able to keep this secret from you." Beast Boy beamed, "Not that keeping it from you is a bad thing," he quickly added, seeing Dick's angered face.
"You'll just have to learn it the hard way." Cyborg sighed, "Earn her trust. We just barely did, if Beast Boy hadn't screwed up."
"What are you saying?" Starfire asked.
"It took us exactly five years since Orcale's first appearence, to earn her trust. We're not going to throw it away that easily." Raven muttered, "Thanks to Beast Boy."
Starfire watched Nightwing narrow his eyes, watching the city below. Ever since they arrived at Gotham, he had kept to himself, hardly talking to her. The young alien girl sighed, as she starred at the crimson sky. She remembered the first time she came here with Nightwing, when he was once known as Robin. The Titans were there as well, in
search of Slade. Years later, when they returned to Gotham again, a new hero had joined the team with Batman. And the dark cladded hero was just as gloomy. She couldn't help notice the teasing Robin and Batgirl constantly did to each other. But it stopped after a couple of days. Batgirl had started working alone, and whenever possible would
always seperate herself from the Titans. Starfire knew she was 'jealous', though at that time she didn't know what the word meant. Than once again, after Nightwing's debut, as a Titan, they returned to Gotham in search of another Titan villian; Killer Moth. Batgirl was just as arogant as she was the first time the two met. She had learnt that
Killer Moth had originally originated from Gotham, trying to kidnap Bruce Wayne, however was stopped by Batgirl. She had learnt that, that was how Robin, than, knew of Killer Moth.
"It's quiet tonight," Nightwing murmured, interupting her thoughts.
"It is," she murmured in agreement.
"Look what the cat dragged in," a voice said from behind. Nightwing stiffened.
'Ivy," he growled.
"I wouldn't move if I were you," the woman in green sneered, as vines tightly wrapped around the two Titans, "And take my warning, the more you move, the tighter it will get," she added, at the squirming alien.
"You should take your word for it," Oracle smirked from behind.
"How'd you get here!" Poinson Ivy asked in surprise.
"I move in mysterious ways, Ivy. You should know that," Oracle shrugged, as she leaned against the bill board, "So should we do this the easy way or the hard way?"
"Or why not against my new babies?" Ivy asked, slyly, as four hedged shape dogs approached the hero. Oracle narrowed her eyes as the villian made her escape.
"She's on the run, boy wonder," Oracle muttered into the communicator, as she began 'cutting' up Ivy's new toys.
"Help!" Starfire choked, as she continued squirming.
"Listen to the green lady," Oracle snapped. "And I'll be there, once I get rid of her pets."
"Thanks," Nightwing said, rubbing his wrists.
"No sweat," Oracle shrugged, "All in a days work."
"If you don't mind me asking, can I ask who's under the mask?"
"I do mind. If you want to know, you'll have to wait." the woman narrowed her eyes, watching Starfire carefully,
"Your girlfriend should be more careful. She may have been in Gotham, but she doesn't know any Gotham villians."
"Why did Ivy attack us?"
"That's what I'm going to find out." Oracle sighed, "All I can tell you is that the Mad Hatter and the Scarecrow are somehow involved."
digi-gal-rox: pls review!