Inside Police Headquarters, Jim Gordon was busy answering calls and meeting with various city officials and detectives. Barbara and Dick walked in, while generously handing out cups of coffee and boxes of donuts to the tired, hard-working police officers and staff. Barbara was quick to embrace her father with a concerned hug.
"Babs, I'm glad to see you, but I'm fine, really," Gordon said, trying to console his concerned daughter.
"Dad, I need you to come with us right away," Barbara spoke, lowering her voice as to not attract attention, "You remember Dick Grayson, right? We have reason to believe that you are being targeted by the same people who have been abducting Bruce Wayne's friends."
"Sweetheart, this is Gotham: I get death threats every day of the week," Gordon reminded his daughter, "If anything, you two are closer to Wayne than I am. What makes you think I'm next?"
"Bruce has always admired your work, sir," Dick explained, "He never forgot how you were the first cop on the scene when his parents were murdered…same with mine. He's anonymously donated millions to the Gotham P.D. for years, and has always cited you as being his inspiration. If someone is targeting other people to get to Bruce, it makes sense that you might be next."
"That's very flattering, son. I appreciate your concern," Gordon graciously replied, "But my place is right here. We're surrounded by cops; the last thing the city needs right now is the Police Commissioner disappearing. In fact, you two should stay put right here where it's safe. Especially you, Dick; everyone knows that you and Bruce Wayne are like brothers, ever since he first took you in."
Before Dick and Barbara could object, the power in the building began to flicker. Gasps of horror echoed throughout the precinct as officers and office staff observed a series of buildings losing their power, explosions, sirens, alarms sounding in the distance. As the power in the building returned, several television sets turned back on, displaying breaking newscasts of bombings, terrorist attacks, and metahuman uprisings happening around the world, seemingly within minutes of each other. In Gotham, the Burnside Bridge had been obliterated, with hundreds of vehicles plunging into the Gotham River below. Panic and chaos were everywhere.
"All available units, this is Bullock," Harvey Bullock's gruff voice sounded across the police radio, drowning out various distress calls, "This is a 10-33, I repeat a 10-33. We're caught in an ambush at 4th and Finger in the Narrows. Officers down, requesting SWAT or anyone in the area. Whoever these guys are, these guys are professionals."
As Jim Gordon was ensuring a SWAT team was dispatched to Bullock's location, Renee Montoya's voice sounded over Gordon's feed.
"Jim, we have a hostage situation at City Hall," Montoya called, "They have the mayor, the D.A., and other VIPs. We're trying to get their demands, but they insisted that you have to be here. They've…they've got Sarah. They wiped out her entire security detail, but she's still alive."
Gordon's heart nearly skipped a beat. His wife, Sarah Essen Gordon, was a former police detective who had left the Force following the Apokalips War, and had since taken an administrative role with the Wayne Foundation, spearheading several reconstruction initiatives following the attacks on Gotham. Barbara was also devastated to hear that her stepmother had been taken.
"I've got to go," Gordon solemnly told his daughter, "I need you two to stay here. It is way too dangerous out there."
"Dad, this is a trap," Barbara warned, "This is exactly what we were talking about earlier. You need to come with us, I'll explain everything, I swear."
"No, they need me at City Hall," Gordon demanded, "You're right, this is personal, but I can't run and hide now. Right now, you're in the safest place in the city, I need you two to stay here, in my office." Before Barbara and Dick could argue, Gordon and his unit were already rushing out the door. Looking at each other, the two original proteges of the Batman began to strategize and plan as they had done so often years earlier as Robin and Batgirl.
"I'll suit up and follow him," Dick offered, eager to leap into action right away, "But we should check in with the team."
"Definitely," Barbara agreed, "Let me check with the rest of the Bats; see if you can reach the Titans or the Justice League. It looks like this is going much farther than Gotham." Barbara quickly opened the encrypted "Bat Family" group chat on her phone.
BATMAN: "At Wayne Tower, monitoring the situation. Talia and Damian are with me. Somehow the Justice League emergency feed is down. Trying to see if J'onn can set up a telepathic link with Clark, Diana, and I. The Narrows is under attack by assassins; could be League of Shadows; police need backup ASAP."
ROBIN: "We're on our way. Steph and Cass are with me. We're ready. Babs, we picked up a feed about your Dad and hostages at City Hall. Are you and Dick still at the precinct?"
ORACLE: "Dick is contacting the Titans, but they're having similar issues to the League. My Dad's already on his way with a unit. We'll be there."
Dick paused in his tracks as Barbara's last message, taken aback by what she said.
"What do you mean, 'we' will be there? What are you thinking about, Barb?" Dick asked worryingly, suspecting that Barbara was looking to go into the field with him for the first time in years.
"Dick, that's my family out there," Barbara said, growing serious, "Ever since my spine got fixed and I got my legs back, I've been training my ass off. I might not be my old self, but this isn't a job for Oracle; if Nightwing is going in, then so is Batgirl."
"That is a terrible idea," Dick protested, "You're nowhere near ready, and if this is happening all over the world, the League and the Titans need Oracle. We've got to get a hold of them."
"That's my Dad and my stepmother out there," Barbara argued, "Whatever is going on, you're going to need my help. I can't lose them."
"And I can't lose you," Dick emotionally blurted out before stopping himself in his tracks. For a second, they both stopped their argument and absorbed what had just been said.
When they met as teenagers, Dick had developed strong romantic feelings for Barbara, but had been hesitant to tell her how he felt, especially after Batgirl had officially become a partner to Batman and Robin. Dick had noticed that Barbara had developed somewhat of a schoolgirl crush on Bruce in the early days; although Bruce did not reciprocate those feelings, Dick felt a mild resentment about that for years. When Dick left the team to reinvent himself as Nightwing and go full-time with the Titans, he and Barbara's friendship seemed to drift somewhat. Barbara had moved on to date other people, while Dick had somewhat of a reputation as a playboy before entering into a long-term relationship with Koriand'r (AKA Starfire). In the year since he had moved back to Gotham, following the Apokalips War, he and Barbara had been spending more time together. Both had experienced the heartache of losing someone they had loved during the bloody conflict, and Dick could not deny that those old feelings had been coming back. Barbara had also been seeing her old friend in a different light, admiring the leader and the man he had become, although she too was unsure what to make of her feelings, given their history.
"Look… all I'm saying is that I don't you to get hurt," Dick explained, attempting to backpedal, "I know you're stressed about the situation, I am too..."
"Which is why you shouldn't be out there alone," Barbara countered, "Who knows if Bruce or Tim will be able to get there in time. Right now, I'm all you've got, Boy Wonder."
"You haven't called me that in a very long time," Dick chuckled, remembering her sarcastic nickname for him in their youth, "I thought you said you didn't want to put that suit on ever again."
"I didn't, but under the circumstances, we'll need all hands on deck," Barbara said, "One last time…then Batgirl is done, I swear."
"Alright," Dick said, relenting, "We'll do this just like the old days. But follow my lead; you've been out of the game a while."
"Follow your lead? Why should I start now?" Barbara quipped sarcastically before Dick shot her a serious look.
"I'm kidding," she reassured him, "We'll do this your way; I trust you, but you need to trust me too."
"Always," Dick replied with a smile before they headed for the door. He wasn't thrilled about Barbara being in costume and in the field again after everything she had been through, especially given the gravity of the current situation. Despite the potential danger, he couldn't help but feel good about Nightwing and Batgirl being in action together again, one last time.