Chapter 3:
Going all the way back to the university would take a couple of hours and there just wasn't time for four hours of travelling as well as hours of lab tests. Luckily, Bruce had other options.
Wayne Technologies had one of the most advanced biochemistry labs in the world setup right here in London England and, with a quick call to his father's long time friend and current CEO of Wayne Enterprises, Lucius Fox, Bruce had arranged for a few hours of lab time to work on his 'school project'.
Hours of lab tests left Bruce with a bitter taste in his mouth. He'd been able to recover a couple of partial prints from the glove, but even after hacking into Wayne Tech's secure police assistance program, he hadn't been able to match the prints. He would have liked to have had more prints to work with, but he suspected he'd end up with the same result anyway. These men were trained to be ninjas, and not the kind you'd see in a cheap Hollywood movie either.
The shoe gave him a few results but nothing of any real significance. He knew the man wearing it had been in the countryside a few miles outside of London, but couldn't narrow it down any more than that. In those police forensic shows on TV, there would always some piece of evidence that could only possibly be from one place, but in the real world, the dirt from north of London wasn't any different from the dirt to the east or west.
The dart, however, did give Bruce some hope. The poison in the dart was distilled from a Philippine Cobra, drop for drop the most deadly venom of all the Cobra species. The venom was a neurotoxin that impeded cardiac and respiratory function, and could cause neurotoxicity, respiratory paralysis and death in as little as thirty minutes. Thankfully, the venom had been somewhat deluded to make its effect take longer, but the unique chemical mixture only delayed the effects, not lessened them and in the process rendered a normal anti-venom useless. Bruce was sure a skilled toxicologist would be able to adapt an anti-toxin to do the job with a few days work, but Grant didn't have that long.
Speaking of not having long, Bruce thought as he glanced at the time. He had to meet Dinah back at the gym in less than an hour.
Grabbing his gym bag and all of the evidence he'd collected, Bruce made a quick detour over to the R&D department to pick up a new toy they'd been working on. It was a new generation of cell phone running the latest Wayne Tech OS, but this one was upgraded with micro-fluidics technology.
Making a descript exit before anyone could question why the teenager would want such an advanced piece of technology, Bruce decided to make a pit stop at a nearby sporting and clothing store. He'd worn a silk dress shirt and formal slacks to the gym before changing into his now sweaty shorts and t-shirt. He needed to pick up something more appropriate for a possible fight... and looking good wasn't a bad thing either. Not that he had anyone to impress.
It was about a quarter to nine when Bruce arrived back at the gym. He was wearing a black dress shirt, but unlike the silk one he'd had on earlier today, this one was made from the same high-tech fibres as most athletic gear, letting it stretch and move easier. He'd also picked up a pair of blue jeans and black athletic shoes to finish the look. It was mostly chosen for utility, but he thought he looked pretty good too.
He wasn't really surprised to see Dinah sitting on the front steps playing with her cell phone and looking like she'd been there for hours. Whatever else Bruce might have thought about her; there was no doubting how much Ted Grant meant to her.
Dinah was wearing a short, black leather jacket over a hot pink blouse, blue jeans and white sneakers. She looked very good; not that he noticed.
"I wasn't sure you were going to show up," she said as soon as he got close.
"Did you find out anything from the police interrogations?" he asked. Bruce knew he was dodging the implied question, but the truth was he wasn't exactly sure why he showed up either. As much as he knew the legal system was too broken to be able to deal with organized crime, he also knew that two teenagers weren't likely to be able to track down trained assassins.
"I guess you haven't been watching the news, huh?" she said as she pulled up a video on her cell phone and played it for him. "The police transport was attacked on the way to the station. Every single one of the attackers got away."
As Bruce watched the video he couldn't help but notice the weaponry being used. They were firing energy weapons and what looked like a plasma grenade; things that were supposed to be the stuff of science fiction or at least a few decades away from production.
"The police said the weapons they used aren't like anything they've ever seen before. They were completely out gunned," Dinah finished.
"Those weapons…" Bruce began before tailing off and losing himself in his own thoughts. He pulled out his cell phone and began accessing the Wayne Tech secure network.
"What? What is it?" Dinah asked, obviously frustrated with Bruce's lack of communication skills.
"Energy weapons like that have to release some amount of radiation," he explained without looking up from his work. "If we can pick up a unique radiation signature from those weapons, I may be able to tune MI5's anti-terrorist satellite detection system to home in on the weapons current location."
"Umm, I'm guessing that's not exactly legal," Dinah said, raising a perfectly groomed eyebrow.
"I won't tell if you don't," he replied and the two sat in silence for a moment while he worked.
"What the hell is this all about anyway?" Dinah blurted out. "I mean why send ninja guys to attack a boxer?"
"Given the weapons they used to break their men out, my first guess would be money laundering," Bruce posited. "Ted Grant is expected to win this fight easily. If he loses, anyone who bet against him could stand to win a lot of money. If they pick the round he loses in, the winnings could easily be in the millions, and all of it clean money."
"So the three guys that died in the gym today, the ones that they injured, and poisoning my uncle was all just for money?" Dinah spat out in disgust. "Okay, I really want to hit someone now."
"We need a car," Bruce said somewhat absentmindedly.
"I've got something better!" Dinah replied with a wicked grin that concerned Bruce more than he cared to admit.
Following her around the corner, he stopped dead in his tracks when he saw her mount a thirteen hundred cc Harley Davidson Fat boy. It was an impressive bike both in looks and power, but he wasn't sure he was ready to trust the feisty sixteen year old girl he'd just met to handle it.
"Oh come on," Dinah called, obviously noticing his hesitation. "You want to get there fast, right?"
"I'd also like to get there alive," he countered.
"I've been driving these things since I was twelve," she replied as she strapped on her helmet. "Hop on."
"You do have your licence, right?" Bruce asked as he put on his own helmet.
"The boy just hacked a satellite and now he's worried about getting a traffic ticket," she quipped.
"Just worried about getting there in one piece."
"You are such a downer. You have to learn to take some risks in this life, Brucie!" she teased.
He really hated that name.
"And yes, I do have my licence," she informed him as she started the engine. "Well, my beginners anyway."
Before he had a chance to argue the point she kicked the bike in gear and took off with enough speed that Bruce was forced to wrap his free arm around her to keep from falling off while gripping his phone for dear life with the other hand.
After the single most terrifying ride of Bruce's life, through the streets (and sometimes sidewalks) of London, they managed to get to the scene of the attack on the police convoy. It was still cordoned off and Bruce was taken aback by the level of destruction.
There were huge craters in the street, cars and police vans lay as burned out husks and even one of the old brownstone buildings that lined the street had been completely levelled.
"My god," Bruce gasped at the site. "How many people were killed?"
"Three officers and seven more were seriously injured, including three civilians," Dinah replied. "As tragic as that is; seeing all this damage up close like this, I'm amazed that was all."
Nodding in agreement, Bruce gave himself a mental shake and began scanning the area.
"So exactly what kind of cell phone is capable of scanning for radiation?" Dinah asked. "I don't remember that being on the list of features for the latest iPhone."
"It's not a cell phone, at least it's not just a cell phone," Bruce replied. "It's a prototype from Wayne Tech's micro-fluidics R&D. The layman's term is lab on a chip."
"Whoa, so I'm guessing that's not going to be on next year's model either then, huh?"
"It's being designed for the military," he explained as he ducked under the police tape and continued to scan the area. "It has sensors for radiation, testing fluids or even tracking electromagnetic signals. Basically it can be used to search for just about anything if you've got the right software."
"And thankfully you just happen to have a program designed to track Star Trek weapons sitting around?"
"I just reconfigured the algorithms the NEST teams use for detecting nuclear fusion devices," he replied, only half paying attention to the confused look on her face.
"So your Saturday nights aren't a lot of fun, huh?" Dinah said, shaking her head.
"I think I've got it," Bruce said as he squatted down next to a burnt out van. "Looks like an expended energy cell from one of the weapons. The radiation signature is still strong enough for me to get a lock on it."
"How long is going until you know if you can track it?" Dinah asked.
"I'm starting the satellite scan now," Bruce explained without looking up. "Depending on how big a cache of weapons they have, the signature could be too weak to…"
"What? What is it?"
"That is a lot of radiation," Bruce replied and showed her the large glowing area over a map of the eastern part of Hackney.
"So that means we can find them, right?" Diana asked with hope creeping into her voice.
"It means we probably can find them, but they are going to be very heavily armed," he answered. "We're going to badly out gunned and so will the police."
"Well we don't have to fight them, we just have to find the antidote and get out," Dinah argued.
"That's assuming we can get past a group of trained killers without setting off any alarms, not to mention…" Bruce tailed off as he noticed the look on her face. He already felt like an ass at suggesting they turn around and didn't want to hurt her more.
"Not to mention what?" Dinah practically shouted at him. "They have an antidote! They said they did, all we have to do is find it!"
"Dinah…" Bruce started before she cut him off.
"No!" Dinah hollered as she grabbed his shirt and pushed him up against a wall. "I'm not an idiot Bruce. I know it makes more sense for them to let Ted die than to give him the cure, but it also makes sense to have a contingency plan. They have an antidote, I know it! I know it…"
She let go of him and turned her back to him, obviously not wanting him to see her cry. Bruce had never felt like more of a dick in his life.
"We can get to Hackney in about twenty minutes," Bruce said as he made his way back to the bike. "I'll try to configure my console to help us get a more accurate location on the way."
Dinah's eyes lit up and she rushed up and hugged him.
"Okay, okay," Bruce said, suddenly feeling very awkward. "Let's get moving."
"Afraid of girls, huh?" she said with a smile as she mounted the bike. "Don't worry Bruce, you're cute, but I'm not into the dark and brooding type."
"Brooding?" he questioned as she hit the gas and again nearly threw him off the back of the bike.
They soon found themselves in the eastern part of Hackney and in one of the least reputable parts of the city. The marshes nearby would have been beautiful during the day, but at night they were simply a place for the worst scum in the city to hide.
Buildings were run down and several were boarded up. The streets were filled with junkies and gangs and Bruce instinctively found himself scanning in all directions for threats.
They traced the radiation signal to an industrial building that bordered the marshes. The area was surrounded by high fences, security cameras and a couple of patrolling guards. There was little doubt they were in the right spot, and little doubt that a base like this couldn't be active without someone in the government and police being aware. Whoever these people were, they were well funded enough to buy off whoever they needed to.
"According to the map, there's an alley on the south end of the complex that should get us pretty close before we have to hop the fence," Bruce said.
"What are the chances they forgot to put cameras and guards there?" Dinah asked sardonically.
The alley was far narrower than the typical Gotham alley, but it had a similar feel. It was poorly lit, dirty and, judging from the a few used condoms on the ground, a popular spot for prostitution.
Bruce nearly fell over when Dinah suddenly turned and slammed her lips into his. It took him a couple of seconds to realize there was a patrol walking along the top of the wall that deadened the small alley. When the guard moved on, Dinah broke the kiss.
"You know, being the guy who's supposed to be the prince of Gotham, you're not a very good kisser," Dinah laughed, no doubt noticing Bruce's face was as red as a fire truck.
"A little warning next time would be nice," Bruce scolded.
"Oh, you're already looking forward to a second kiss?" Dinah laughed. "I must be good!"
Bruce glared at her for a moment before deciding to get back to the job at hand. He pulled out his phone and quickly began scanning for the complex's wireless signal and hacked in. Once he was in he started recording the signal for each camera and scanned through the different feeds looking for some clue as to where they might find the antidote.
"There!" Dinah called, looking over his shoulder. "That's one of the guys that got away from the cops."
"And the guy he's talking to," Bruce pointed to the screen. "I think he's the guy that hit Grant with the dart."
"How can you tell?" Dinah asked. "They were all wearing masks."
"His injuries are consistent with the slurred speech of his threat, his height, weight and stance match and there was a small scar over his left eye that you can just barely make out," Bruce explained.
"And you just happened to notice all that in the middle of a fight?" she questioned with a raise of her eyebrow.
"You didn't?" Bruce asked like it was the most obvious thing in the world and enjoyed his small bit of revenge as she huffed at him. "I can disable one camera at a time without it being noticed, but we're going to have to move quickly and stay ahead of the patrols. The guard for this area should be walking back around in about thirty seconds. We'll make our move after he's gone past."
"No problem," Dinah replied as she took off her jacket, ruffled her hair and undid a couple of buttons on her blouse.
"W-what are you doing?" Bruce questioned, once again feeling a little awkward.
"It's been nearly fifteen minutes since the last time he came by," Dinah explained as she stepped closer to him. "He's going to notice if we're still just standing here."
Bruce instinctively backed up a few steps and actually tripped on the curb, falling to his butt. O-Sensei would have him training his balance for a month if he'd seen that. Dinah, on the other hand, took advantage of the situation and straddled his waist, wrapping her arms around his neck and pull his face close to hers.
"Don't worry, prince charming," she whispered. "This is just a show. Just pretend you enjoy having a little hottie grinding with you."
Bruce decided two things at that moment. First, boxers really didn't offer much discretion. Second, this girl was going to be a lot of trouble for some guy.
Peaking over her shoulder he was more than a little annoyed to see the guard had stopped to enjoy the show and was grinning like an idiot. Dinah was barely sixteen, and not even legal age for the thirty-something guard. His gawking at her was disgusting and Bruce promised himself that before they left he'd knock that smirk off his face.
"Is he still watching or are you just enjoying this?" Dinah whispered.
"The pervert stopped to watch the show," Bruce countered. "We need to make a move soon or he's going to get suspicious."
Dinah grinned and suddenly reached down and tore Bruce's shirt open and started running her finger nails down his chest.
"Not what I meant," he whispered. "I don't think this is going to make him leave any sooner."
"Eventually someone's going to notice he's out of position and he'll have to move," Dinah reasoned. "Nice abs. How many crunches do you do a day?"
Bruce was just about to remind her that he was doing her a favour and could walk away any time when they heard the guard's radio crackle.
"Seventeen, you're out of position. What's your status?" the voice crackled.
"Seventeen here. Just checking… ah… a possible threat. It's nothing. Moving now."
The guard cast another sickening look their way before he started moving again.
"We're clear," Bruce whispered with more urgency than he'd intended as he practically picked Dinah up as he quickly stood, suddenly finding far too warm to have her body heat that close to him.
For her part, Dinah just wore a knowing grin as she slowly did up the buttons of her blouse again. Definitely trouble.