"Hey, Batman to Batgirl do you read?"
"Quit with the spy speak," Darcy replied as she pressed her finger towards her bat ear to better hear Terry through her bat com.
"Your just as much fun as the old man you know that?"
"Spare me the jokes, and get to the point."
"Mister Big and Ugly is officially out of commission, and how about you what's happening on your end? Do you need help?"
"Tell you what why don't you go back to the jet, and call the police," Darcy answered while shutting of her com linked to Terry's to get rid of all the annoying distractions around her as she climbed into the plane. She snuck up quietly towards the pilot of the plane just to see him shaking violently as if he was actually scared of her very presents, and to a degree that was true but he was more afraid of what punishment he would receive for helping a soon to be criminal in his scheme.
"So captain, are we going to do this the easy-"
Darcy broke off as the man shoved his elbow towards her face, which sent her flying into one of the walls of the metal plane. Seeing that he at least had a chance at betting her the pilot put the plane on auto-pilot and started to charge towards Darcy with a crowbar that he retrieved from his glove box. A huge sigh lurched out of Darcy's mouth as she wondered why all the bad guys always chose the hard way. Well in the end it didn't really matter to her, because she enjoyed watching this man's feeble attempt to get rid of her as she dodge a blow from his crowbar just to watch him lose his footing with one swing of her legs towards his, and he fell right out of the plane without much of a fight. Before the man could fall into the water bellow Darcy caught him with her graveling hook, which she tied the line to the plane leaving him hang upside down as she overrode the auto-pilot. Darcy ended up landing the plane right outside Wayne Enterprises to better help the police officers that now swarmed the place with their investigation. As she saw police officers rushing towards the plane to find out who was the lunatic that decided to land a plane in a public street without a runway Darcy activated her cloaking device, so when the police got to the plane all they saw was the pilot tied up to the front seat as Darcy sneaked out of the plane with where they landed the Bat Jet in her sights. The two teens could hardly believe that they pulled that off and managed to survive their first mission as crime fighters of the night, but as they soared through the sky lit by the dawning sun to give life to a new day they both knew what awaited them was far from cheerful.
"Do you two have any idea the consequences of what you did?" Bruce yelled as both teens stood before him with their masks off. Darcy could hardly believe she was even getting this lecture they end up avenging Warren's death and saving the world from a lethal virus, in her books she thought she at least deserved a job well done from her dad, but of course he was the only one she knew who could look past all the facts that she was an adult and a very capable one at that and see a little girl that had tea parties with Alfred.
"We do dad, we saved the world from a lethal gas, and brought justice to the men that killed Terry's dad, but the only question is why are we getting in trouble for doing something right?"
"You disobey me to do it, and you even brought an outsider into the fray."
"Sir, that wasn't Darcy's fault she tried to stop me, but-"
"Silence I'll deal with you later, but first you Darcy."
"Yeah I know I'm grounded spare me the lecture, and to think I was I actually ready forgive you, anyway I'll be up in my room," Darcy concluded as she headed for the exit of the bat cave.
"Darcy wait!" Bruce ordered as he grabbed her hand because he wasn't in the least bit done with her, but when Darcy turned around her glare made him forget his whole lecture and his punishment for her. He had seen that face before and even till this day it still haunted him it was the same face she wore at Alfred's funeral.
"I'm giving you a choice it's either me or your failed excuse of protection," Darcy stated as she turned around to face her dad that had a conflicted face as he hesitated with both choices. He wanted his daughter to be as happy as the next girl, but how could he live with himself knowing that the only family that he had next to Alfred was gone like him all because she wanted to play hero like the other kids he ever took into his care. Looking at his daughter's face he knew that if he chose her later option she would truly hate him, and he doubt that he'll ever be able to reach her if he was dead to her. He could only guess would only leave him with higher blood pressure and even more trouble dealing with her. Man, if only Alfred was here, Bruce caught himself thinking again within this week. He didn't even need to think hard before he knew what Alfred would have said in this situation he would've asked him his real reason for not letting Darcy become a creature of the night after she's proven herself on so many occasions that she was fully capable for the job. Alfred would have won the argument like the one he won a year before he died. He had convinced Bruce for a while that she was made for more than sitting around the mansion and playing with a man way passed his golden age, she was meant to look after Gotham as part of his legacy. All Alfred's convincing went to waste when he died leaving only Darcy to consider as family so he figured it was in both of their best interest if she never had to confront the bat world and have to risk her life cleaning up Gotham. But was it still in their best interest if it meant losing the only person left that he held dear? He knew he didn't really have to ask that because by this time he already knew what the right choice was.
"Fine Darcy you win, you can continue playing hero as long as you follow my conditions."
"And what would your conditions be?" Darcy asked with narrowed eyes not full bought into the fact that her dad had just given her permission to be Batgirl again.
"You have to have Terry with you for every mission to protect you and you'll be enrolling in high school like Alfred always wanted," Bruce answered as he walked away from them to get some sleep after worrying for the whole night, well actually he was trying to escape Darcy's rage more than anything.
"Are you serious?" Darcy demanded as her dad grew closer towards the exit to the bat cave. She could hardly believe her dad was entrusting such a job to this guy that probably will need her to save him a lot more than she'll ever need from him. But she couldn't stay angry with him after all he had chosen her happiness over his paranoia.