Chapter Text
Chaotic conversations came on over Barbara's earpiece while patroling Arkham City. There was only one sure thing, Bruce wasn't there to make sense of whatever was happening. Tim panicked over the comm but called her to the scene. She followed his blip until she found him failing to hogtie Harley Quinn.
"Come here, come on," he nearly pleaded.
Barbara scoffed and joined him, holding their opponent still while he finished.
"Really shaken aren't you, Robin 3.0," Harley mocked through tears.
"What's going on, she doesn't cry nearly this much," Gordon tried to read.
"I lost contact with Batman," he explained.
"Yeah, me, too. You know, this is why you're still Robin, can't get a simple takedown," she snapped. "I was busy in the Diamond District and had to haul ass all the way here."
"Not now," Tim muttered as he summoned the batmobile. It came tearing down the road and drifted up to them with a screeching halt. He hoisted Quinn over his shoulder and placed her in the back, jumping when she feigned biting at him. "Ugh!"
"She's harmless. We'll see you in a bit, Harles." She closed the passenger side while contacting Alfred, "Any sign of him?"
"No verbal contact, but he's in the Amusement Mile," he replied.
Barbara looked around, "Yeah, so are we. How far away?"
"His tracker reads a half-mile north of your current location."
She looked ahead to the creepy building. "Is he in Joker's HQ?"
"It would appear so."
"Gah, okay. I hate clowns."
"Mister J's more than a clown!" Harley yelled from the trunk.
"His nickname's literally the Clown Prince," Gordon corrected her. "Let's go."
They raced to the building, Barabara taking the shortcut with her grappling gun while Drake vaulted himself up the stairs. They burst through the doors to a scene already dealt with. They carefully passed through the piles of dead and unconscious bodies until they passed the fiery mess of a boiler room. In the distance, they could see two men brawling. Scrappy swipes and strikes were traded until the caped figure held their lanky adversary against the ground.
Batgirl and Robin make a break for his aid but were immediately struck with batarangs.
"Go!" Bruce commanded them.
Tim ripped the weapon from his cape and raced to his mentor, much against his better judgment.
"Tim, go!"
"What-"
Barabara sprinted at Drake, lifting him over her shoulder with ease, and raced to the door.
"Cover!" they heard him shout.
She dove into an alcove with a blasted wall and dragged Tim with her until they were safely outside. Immediately once their feet touched the ground, an ear-shattering explosion shook the ground as shrapnel splattered and tore through the air until it collided with the other buildings on Amusement Mile. Barbara clung onto her comrade as they took poor cover from the raining ashes.
Drake pushed her away and stumbled back to the remains of the building.
Barbara shouted at him, yet couldn't hear herself. She mouthed the words, even though she felt the air push through her throat. Even screaming, she couldn't hear her voice. Barbara took another breath as she tried to make sense of her surroundings. After coming to her senses, she scrambled to her feet and tackled Tim again.
He shoved her and mouthed some words angrily.
"I can't hear you, Tim!"
He mouthed some more words and gestured at the building.
"I'm deaf, I'm frickin' deaf!" she yelled while pantomiming.
He slowly mouthed along with his charades, "Bat-Man we get him!"
"No!"
"Others," he gestured, "Will know his identity!"
She covered her face with her hands and finally nodded. "Yes."
She climbed over the rubble until they found the remains of the boilers. They tore through the remnants until Joker and Bruce's bodies, crushed nearly to bits, were found. They continued removing the bricks and debris until their mentor's body was freed. They felt his chest compress with the slightest touch and his arms and legs moved as if there were no bones. Barbara slowly began removing the bricks over Joker. His head was a bloodied mess, completely flattened by the building's old materials, yet he still had that painted grin over his sinister face. She pulled him out of the pile and they trudged back to the batmobile.
All at once, everything hit her. The sounds echoed and amplified until she could hear the burning of nearby refuse and the calamity of Gotham and Arkham.
"Tim, can you hear me?" she asked.
He continued on without saying a word, so she only followed him. Once at the vehicle, Tim buckled Batman's body in place while Barbara inputted the Bat Cave.
"Hey, I'm going to wait here with Joker, okay?"
"Are you sure?"
"Yeah, I'll join you guys once he's taken care of."
"My Mister J's out there?" Harley called.
Neither hero responded as she tried to elicit a response from the corpse even when the car disappeared in the distance. Barbara waited patiently until emergency services arrived. Police flooded the scene while the medical professionals performed a triage of the area. After a few more minutes, James Gordon arrived on the scene. Barbara held herself together as she produced Joker's lifeless form.
"Is he dead? Is that really him?"
"Yes."
"Where's Batman?"
"He had another emergency."
"Where's Harley Quinn?"
"Currently on her way to GCPD."
"Good. Did-uh- did he do this to Joker?"
"No, he did it to himself, had a detonator."
"A little permanent if you ask me."
"Can someone take his body for the autopsy, I have a job to do," Barbara finished.
"Of course, thank you, Batgirl."
She quickly fled the scene and went to the Batcave. Tim hadn't returned quite yet, but Bruce's body was on the exam table. Barbara removed her cowl and slowly approached his corpse. She almost felt like if she touched him, he'd gasp for air again, but when she placed a hand on his soft shoulder, it sunk in. Gordon ripped her hand away and her breath grew short and panicked.
"Babs," she heard someone call to her from a corner.
She wheeled around to see Alfred, Lucius and Dick gathered around a box. Barbara quickly wiped her eyes and approached them.
"What happened?" Fox asked.
She took a deep breath, "Joker detonated a bomb and Bruce stayed. What's this?"
"His final will and testament. When Mr. Drake returns, we'll go over his personal effects and get everything sorted."
"Good, good," she whispered.
Alfred went back to his master, "No need to raise any questions when they find him."
"How are we doing this?"
"Car accident. He has everything set, we just need to execute it." He first placed the weapons and tools on a table and slowly began removing his armor. With each reveal of his body, they saw just how frail he looked after the disaster. Once everything was off, Alfred placed them on the mannequin, temporarily retiring the mantle. A tempered glass door sealed over the suit and it sunk into the darkness.
"My people should be here momentarily," Lucius finally spoke up. They all turned to him, sorrow reflected on their faces. "You don't have to be here when they take him, I'll call you all down when he's gone."
"No, I want to be here," Dick defiantly stated.
"Okay, wear your masks then."
They waited in silence until Tim finally joined them and Bruce's body was taken away. Drake ripped his mask off once they were alone again, tears streaking the black makeup down his face. He roughly wiped his face clean and finally broke. He silently cried while his older peers watched on, unwilling to process what happened.
Lucius finally stated, "Let's revisit this tomorrow, Mr. Grayson, can you stay for a while?"
"Sure."
Alfred placed a replica of his master's cowl in Dick's hands.
He immediately rebuffed the gesture, "No."
"Master Grayson, this is not a request, this is an order from Master Wayne."
Dick looked over the replica with a slight grimace. They were then released, however, none of them knew what to do anymore. Barbara returned to her apartment through the fire escape as usual to a livid partner.
"Where were you? Where'd you go, and why do you smell like a bonfire?" Renee was immediately interrogated.
"I'm not really in the mood," she responded. "I got horrible news from work."
"Oh, I'm sorry, is that where you got the news, at Wayne Enterprises?"
"Yeah." Barbara sat on the couch, setting the throw pillows to one side, and pulled the blanket over her body, "I'm gonna sleep out here tonight,"
"Okay," Renee nodded, only leaving after kissing her forehead. Her question still hadn't been completely answered, but Barbara didn't look ready to delve into what exactly happened.
Gordon never returned to bed and in the early morning hours, she turned the news on in anticipation of Wayne Enterprise's announcement. Around 8:30, once she had some food in her system and before taking the bus to work, a formal obituary was made with vague promises about the future of the company. Renee looked over at her partner, unsure of how to comfort her. Barbara knew him, she was his secretary after all, but she seemed so numb to the words even as she feigned interest in the report. According to the syndicate, Bruce hydroplaned off of a cliff late last night. His body was recovered however he was pronounced unresponsive on site and later dead at the county hospital.
As the reporters responded to his passing, the couple left for a new era in Gotham. They took their separate lines to work, each coming upon similar scenes. GCPD was in complete chaos as everyone reacted and processed the millionaire's death. Mixed emotions about Gotham's thirty-year-old Playboy, yet everyone was somber no matter how they viewed his world-changing level of wealth. From her desk, Renee watched as people gathered with their friends to talk about their personal accounts of Bruce. She did notice, however, her boss watching from her office, arms crossed as she game-planned the future of Gotham. Once their gaze crossed paths, Maggie nodded to her and beckoned her over.
Montoya collected her phone and carefully walked through the calamity. "Morning, Mags."
"Morning," she returned. Maggie pulled out a few papers, "I'm putting you back in the field."
"Can I ask why I haven't been out?"
Maggie finished signing her sections and turned the form to her detective. "Gordon was directed by Batman to have you on desk duty until further notice. I thought he knew something I didn't, so I didn't question him. With the death of Bruce Wayne, there's bound to be more crime as someone tries to become the new millionaire of the city, so I'm putting you back out there."
"I can't- I'm not involved in anything."
"I know, but I wasn't sure if someone had your number."
"And no one thought it was convenient to tell me?"
"I wasn't about to argue with Batman or Jim."
"Thank you, Mags."
"Hey, while you get that through, can you check on the drunk tank?"
"Of course."
She descended the building by the art nouveau-style elevator and took her forms to admin. Once they began processing her work, Renee went to the holding cell and stopped at the one that reeked of alcohol. She pulled out their files and read through the names.
"Warren Darhk, Quentin Xolo, and Katherine Kane, you're released, fill these out at the front desk," she informed them as she passed them their paperwork. Montoya paused as Kane passed her. "Hey, didn't you used to date-"
"Probably, thank you."
While Renee found her place again at work, Barbara was going through the PR crisis of her mentor's death. The moment she walked in, she found that Lucius had made quick work of Bruce's office. The floor and desk were littered with file boxes as he went through every document. The shredder worked overtime as she walked in.
"What can I do?"
Fox glanced in her general direction and beckoned her over. "I have a press hearing soon, and I'd like you to be there. No one else here knew him like us."
"You want a familiar face?"
"Yes."
"Do I need to be in view of the cameras? I don't want my dad worrying about me, you know."
"Of course, I understand."
"When's the meeting?"
"In fifteen," he informed her with a check of his watch. "Grayson and Drake will be at his estate as we go over his will, I hope you'll be there."
"I need to do my patrol anyway."
"We'll try to keep it brief then."
"Who's taking over?"
"We're not sure yet, that's kind of what I'm looking for now. I know I went over it with him, but I let Bruce decide until the last moment who he wanted to take over. We had a list, which included a few trusted friends, but he stated that his personal wealth and the business would become separate entities after his death." He shrugged in temporary defeat. "I can finish this later, let's go."
She followed Fox to the press room where reporters crowded the podium as close as security would allow. The bulk of them, she could see, poured out of the room and into the neighboring lobby. Barbara squeezed her way to the side of the room as Lucius took the stand. The room went from bustling to deathly silent in moments.
He recited the press statement in a somber tone and revealed the information he had told Barbara. The room grew unsettled as they processed the company's future. Fox then collected his papers and ended the briefing, refusing to answer any questions. Barbara bolted for the door and flashed her employee badge to the security guard before they sealed the passage.
"What was that?" she asked.
"What do you mean?"
"I thought press briefings included answering the public's questions?"
"We're a private company, Ms. Gordon," he firmly stated. "And that's as much as I know. I'm not going to give anyone false hopes or baseless predictions. I'll give them the facts."
She took a moment as they walked in silence. "You didn't want to hear the dirt they had on Bruce?"
Fox shrugged, "Nobody's perfect, the world doesn't need to know that just yet."
"Isn't the point of the briefing to get ahead of controversies?"
"That's an impossible goal, never hire anyone who makes that kind of promise to you." Once they made it to the safety of the office, Fox began sorting through Bruce's illustrious life. "What are your thoughts on leading the Gotham Knights?"
"You're kidding, right?"
"I'm not in the mood, kid."
"I don't think I'm ready just yet. Besides, Dick would be a better fit. He's worked with Bruce the longest, not to mention he knows how to take care of a city."
"Then he can mentor you until you're ready to lead the Family."
"The Family, I always thought it was so sweet that Bruce called it that."
"Yeah, he was such a sentimental guy."
"I know, so soft on the inside," she laughed. She found herself tearing up again and quickly brushed it off. "Man, I'll miss him."
"Me, too."
"I feel so bad."
"Why?"
"I was such a dick to Tim last night. I said there's a reason he's still Robin. I didn't know what was happening. Has he said what led up to that?"
"No."
"I want to go over the footage before I go out. Do you think you could collect that for me?"
"I'll see what I can do, but most of those cameras on Amusement Mile are out."
"I'll ask around then. Someone must have seen something."
Barbara began contacting her father through Bruce's mantle while Fox finished boxing and shredding the various items. The day closed out solemnly, but it felt unfinished especially as she left her desk. Her routine of checking in with Bruce and maybe having an argument about her status as a hero was over. Her mentor was gone and whatever she had learned from him would have to carry on as awkwardly as it may come through. Barbara logged out of her desktop and took a taxi to Wayne Manor after messaging Renee about her absence.
Somehow, the lonesome Wayne Manor seemed gloomier than usual. The rooms were left unlit as they were led to Bruce's study. It was a private room they had each seen on two occasions, the presentation of their suit and their first major mistake. Barbara recalled being brought to his estate after a run-in during her time foolishly investigating her father's cases like she had some stupid point to prove, he seemed so inviting despite his intimidating alter-ego. He promised to teach her how to defend herself and in return, she would represent Batgirl. Looking back, she thought he was so old but it was just the way he carried himself as he was no more than twenty-four at the time. The second time she saw the room was during her third year as Batgirl after she killed Blacksun. It was a mistake, no doubt about it, but Bruce was only trying to check in, not intimidate or deride her. He cared so deeply for each of them that even when they got cocky or had a bad night, he was always there in and out of his alter-ego.
It sunk in again how gone he was as they stood around like students in the principal's office.
Lucius stood beside his boss's chair and played a video on his laptop. Bruce sat center frame in a formal suit as he greeted everyone he assumed would be present.
"I know this is sudden, but Alfred and Lucius will handle my finances and estate. Gotham is still counting on you to function as a family, so please do not fight. If I die, it's not anyone's fault and there was nothing to prevent it. I only hope that no one else went with me." He took a deep breath as he read the paper before him. "I was hoping to omit these parts, but if you're seeing this, it means I didn't get the chance to tell you. Dick, I always saw you as my little brother and I couldn't be prouder of the man you have become. It was my plan to give you Batman when I was older, but I know you are prepared now to take on the mantle of Gotham's Protector. Tim, you will become Red Robin. A suit has already been fitted for you. I planned to reveal it after your third year, but the city will need to fear you now." He took another breath and smiled, "Barbara, I know how much the company means to you and with me gone, I want you to advance your career, so upon my death, you will become the Chief Brand Officer of Wayne Enterprises, a new position you told me about to get me into the 21st century. On another note, I want you to get in contact with my cousin, Kate Kane. She knows about everything, but I need her to get into fighting shape again." Alfred handed her an envelope. "As for my wealth, a trust fund has been set up for each of you to be accessed once you turn twenty-five and the rest is going to good causes across the globe. The Manor will remain with Alfred so you may have access to the cave. Thank you for everything. Really, you are my family and I don't use that term lightly."
"Except at company gatherings," Barbara predicted.
"Except at company gatherings," he confirmed as the video ended.
Gordon began laughing even as the others turned to her with concern. Tears started tracking down her face as her laughs turned to sobs. Tim tightly embraced her and joined in her moment too as he cried into her shoulder. Dick wiped away a few tears as he tried to hold himself together until his brother yanked him into the hug, too. After a long cry, Barbara let go of her brothers.
"I'm sorry, Tim," she immediately said.
"You're fine, I'm surprised we didn't cry earlier."
"No, not about that, about what I said last night. That was completely out of line. I shouldn't have said that to you."
"You're not wrong, though. Last night, I did deserve to be a Robin," he tearfully admitted.
"No, you deserve to be the one who promotes Robin."
"Gee, thanks," Dick jibed.
"As if you'd want to be Robin again, red doesn't really suit you."
"You're right, blue goes with my eyes."
"Ugh," she laughed. "We should probably go back to our jobs." She tapped the letter against her hand, "I'm going to check out Kane, can you guys take over for me until I get back?"
"Yeah."
Barbara gathered herself and took Wayne's private car to the address. It took her to the darker corner of Gotham where she used to live before Renee's promotion. She left the chauffeur in the car and approached the derelict building. She rang the bell beside Kate's placard, but when no one buzzed her in, she looked at the address beside her name and went in search of the fire escape. Once spotted, Barbara scaled the building to her flat's level and discreetly looked in each window until she saw someone who matched Kate's picture.
She found a woman with striking red hair sprawled across the couch. Barbara harshly knocked on the window to no avail and yanked open the window to slip through. She then went through her cupboards to find a large enough container to fill with cold water which she threw on Kane. Katherine nearly jumped out of her skin at the rude awakening.
"Kate?" Gordon interrogated her.
Immediately, Kate tried to tackle her guest in a clumsy display of self-defensive instincts but landed face-first on the hard linoleum when Barbara successfully evaded her attack. "What do you want with me?"
"Do you have coffee?" she casually asked as she searched her pantry.
"Bottom shelf for the pot, don't use the tap, I have water in the fridge. The grounds are next to the thing, microwave." Kate decided to try again, "What do you want?"
"Bruce is dead."
She began to laugh mockingly, "No, really, what do you want."
Once she finished pouring water into the pot, Barbara faced her, "Bruce is dead and he sent me to you."
"What?"
"He wants me to reactivate Batwoman, but I don't know if that's really possible."
Kate only scoffed in agreement as she went to her closet. Hidden behind the broken panel was a tattered red and black suit with a binder on a shelf. "Do you know much about her?"
"I remember her when I was a kid, but I no, not much."
"She was Bruce or Batman's other half before Robin." Kate tossed the binder to her guest. "But Batwoman has been a disgrace to Gotham."
Barbara started flipping through the pages. As she said, the first page was a newspaper clipping revealing the late exoneration of a man who was put on death row. The next page details a villain let go by Batwoman named Alice, lambasting her after the high number of casualties. The next clipping was eerily similar as it described a villain named Nocturna who terrorized the Gotham borough they were currently in.
"I don't want to return to her," Kate suddenly voiced. "The innocent man was enough to turn me away, but Nocturna was something else. That was it for me, I couldn't continue on knowing that I was the reason all of those people died." She took the cup of coffee offered to her. "Before Dick, I was Bruce's emotional compass, but that also got me into trouble. And now, here I am. You know, Batwoman saved me from me so many times, but after that night, I had nothing left to give her."
"So you abandoned her?"
"Gotham didn't need or want me, they had Batman and Robin." Kate took the binder back and pulled out the suit. "Here, find someone more worthy."
Barbara folded the tattered suit up and looked at the dark emblem. "I'm sorry we had to meet like this."
"You wouldn't have met me otherwise."
Gordon left the apartment and took the car back home. She was greeted by the inviting scent of chili and cornbread as her partner watched some show on the couch.
"Oh, you waited for me?" Barbara sentimentally stated.
"No, but the cornbread's in the oven and chili's on the stove."
"Thank you."
"How was everything today?"
"Weird without Bruce. Reporters are vultures, though," she added.
"I could have told you that. Do you know what's going to become of the company?"
"It's going to be business as usual as far as I'm concerned. Lucius Fox is taking over until they can figure out who will take Bruce's place if anyone will take his place." She sat beside her with her meal, breaking up the cornbread to mix with her stew. "I got a promotion. Nothing's been officially announced, but Bruce is making me Chief Brand Officer."
"What's that?"
"It's like a CMO, but I'm in charge of things like the company's philosophy and direction."
"So, well paying?"
"I won't know yet, I'd assume so, you know being a secretary and all, but Bruce did pay me very well. Honestly, I hadn't even thought of the pay/"
"This deserves a celebration, Babs!" Renee vaulted over the couch for the fridge where she pulled out a chilled bottle of sangria. She pulled out their mugs and rejoined her partner. "Well, congratulations on the promotion!"
"Thanks. What about your day?" she asked as she poured their drinks. "Anything interesting?"
"I'm off desk duty, apparently that was a thing I was unaware of. The big man himself did it."
"The big man?"
"You know, Batman. He asked that I be put on desk duty for the past, like three months. Since Bruce passed away, Maggie thinks we'll need all hands on deck, so I'm back in the field."
"So that means you may get called away at night?"
"Yeah, hopefully, that means we'll come home at the same time," she jibed.
"Yeah."
"Not funny?"
"Not really, no, but very true."
Renee's phone began to buzz, "Like right now. Should I tell them I'm already drunk?"
"Probably shouldn't push your luck on the first night back?"
"Save it for me?" she requested before answering the phone.
Barbara placed the mug and bottle in the fridge while she started packing away the chili. As much as she wanted to spend quality time with Renee, she had another job to do, so once Renee excused herself from the apartment, Barbara suited up and began her patrol of Gotham.
She messed with her comm a little before she was connected to the Batcave, "Batgirl checking in, do you read me, over?"
Alfred immediately responded, "We read you, over."
"Good, I'm going to start my round at Amusement Mile, how has the activity been?"
"Busy. I'll send Red Robin and Batman to your location. What's your ETA?"
"Fifteen minutes," she gauged as she soared through the sky.
The night seemed exceptionally quiet in Gotham despite the constant sirens and conversations, there was a sense of loss across the city that was felt even in the dark alleyways. Even Arkham City felt off as she crossed the open ocean. She finally arrived at Amusement mile to an odd scene. She spotted Harley Quinn in the distance speaking hysterically with Poison Ivy, not that Barbara could blame her for her current state. Around her were goons dressed in the Sionis Crime Family's colors. From her vantage point, she could see the back of Black Mask's head as he stood cockily by. Soon, however, he became livid and angrily approached Harley before dropping to his knees and presenting a badge to her. Barbara whipped her bat-niculars out to peer at it, but Quinn swiped it before she got a good look.
Over her ear, Dick began to speak, "Batgirl, we're just southeast of your location, be there in a few seconds."
"Copy you. Black Mask, Quinn, and Ivy are at the location. They have backup, no illegal activity."
"Copy you, Batgirl, we'll use caution."
She continued to watch on as closely as she could until the boys reached her. She pointed to Harley, "Black Mask gave her some badge, but I didn't catch what it was. He also gave it to her on his knees."
Dick pulled out his binoculars to peer at the scene as well. "Well, the only illegal thing I see here is Harley, I didn't realize she got out again."
"I think record time, too," Tim joked.
"So how do we plan to take them out?"
Dick quickly played out the various routes in his head. "I'll go ahead and distract them. Batgirl, you take Poison Ivy and Tim I want you to get Harley. Once they're distracted, I can get Black Mask and his men. Regroup after you've handled your person. We ready?"
When he received an affirmative nod from both heroes, he jumped from the rooftop and landed just like his mentor behind the villain. He decided it best to stay quiet and instead waited for them to react to him. Harley was the first to announce his arrival and Poison Ivy immediately reacted by pushing two large plants up from the ground as her defense.
"What are you doing here B-Man, I thought you'd be dead?" Quinn demanded.
Dick cocked his head to the side and continued to watch them carefully.
"Short on words tonight?" Black Mask inquired.
Dick looked directly at him, too.
"Okay, now I'm getting freaked out, freak bat," Ivy hissed at him.
He looked at the gadgets on his forearm and summoned the Bat drone to take out Black Mask's goons. In a mess of smoke and shots, the gang members were subdued and Dick disappeared into the night again. Suddenly, Batgirl and Red Robin pounced from the shadows to take their opponents by surprise.
Barbara used the blades on her forearm to slice through the plants before she swept Ivy up over her shoulder. With a swift drop, she slammed her opponent to the ground. Poison Ivy viciously cursed at her before regaining her composure enough to trap Barbara in the vice grip of her vines. They wrapped around her arms and core and slammed her against a wall that crumbled after the impact.
Ivy approached her swiftly and assessed her. "You're definitely you, but that is not Batman."
Barbara quickly headbutted her and ripped the vines off with all of her might. Since she only managed to break one arm free, she tossed a few distracting explosives in her direction and managed to burst out of the vines. They searched frantically for her as she disappeared from Ivy's vision. Batgirl flanked her from the left and quickly clamped a dampening collar around her neck. After the device was locked, the vines receded back into the cracked cement.
Poison Ivy resorted to melee attacks, swinging well-placed strikes to her opponent's face and liver, but Batgirl stunned her with her cape before sweeping her legs out from under her. Barbara straddled her lower back as she handcuffed her. Swiftly, she carried Ivy over her shoulder to the batmobile. Once she was dealt with, Barbara joined Dick in dealing with Black Mask.
"Roman's a dangerous opponent, Batgirl," she heard someone crackle through her comm.
She tried to decipher the voice and ultimately asked, "Kate, what are you up to?"
"I needed to be sure you weren't fucking with me. Thank you by the way."
"I didn't do anything."
"No, you did, so thank you," Kane sincerely stated. "Roman's mask makes it hard for him to see peripheral objects. He's also obsessed with his face, you remove the mask, you remove his power."
"So how do I do that? He'll hear a Batarang from a mile away?" she asked as she dodged a few bullets.
"Make fun of him," she advised. "Talk about his stupid tie."
"Okay," she chuckled. "Um, Batman, when Roman turns around, I want you to knock his mask off of his face."
"Got it," he agreed.
"Hey Roman," she called out to him, "what's with the tie? Makes your head look like a balloon!"
Black Mask whipped around to face her and fired his gun so Barbara dove behind the batmobile. Dick whipped a Batarang at his head, sending him flying to the ground. Batgirl quickly went back to him and removed his mask before handcuffing him. When he was roused again, Roman began kicking and squirming around. Barbara dragged him by his feet until he was under an awning. She tied his feet together and hung him upside down from the roof.
She began detaining his goons until the police arrived with the help of Arkham Asylum and the Gotham Knights began helping load up the criminals.
"Hey, can we get your statement," Renee Montoya approached the trio with a pad of paper.
"We don't give statements," Tim informed her.
"Just anything you saw, we're building a case to put these three away."
"Roman gave Quinn a badge but we didn't see what it was. Poison Ivy was mostly not involved until we came," Dick explained.
"Perfect, we'll try to find it on her, then. Thank you." The three heroes disappeared into the night again to find a place to speak. Dick was the first to talk, "I'll watch over the city and make sure the handoff goes smoothly. You two are free to return to the cave."
"Thank you, I need to talk with Kate anyway, so I'll watch from mission control," she promised.
"I think I'll watch over Arkham a bit more, I'll let you know if I need help," Tim explained.
Barbara took off, "Hey Kate, can you meet me at the Panessa Studios Location?"
"Yeah, I'll be there in fifteen," she confirmed.
Barbara waited patiently from a vantage point until she spotted her lost family member by the entrance. She swooped down to greet her and brought her to the proper level to enter the cave.
"Thank you for coming out here," she graciously nodded.
"This is new, I like it," she commented as he walked around the small control center. "Are we connected to home base?"
"Yeah, this is an emergency location. So, you decided to join?"
"I did. Not gonna lie, I kind of missed it, but I think I prefer helping you guys over fighting."
"Nothing says I still couldn't get you into fighting shape?"
"We'll take it one step at a time, Little Gordon."
"Well, thank you, you made Roman an easy adversary."
"No need to use big words, I'm a civ," she joked.
"Since this isn't too far from your current place, you can stay here, I'll get you the proper access codes, and…" Barbara trailed off as she typed away on the computer. "You'll also have easier access to us when we're in the field. Dick's Heading to Arkham Asylum and Tim's patrolling in A.C., so I'll let them know- or you could with…" she searched the field of buttons for the correct switch. "This notifies everyone suited up. And this one notifies us individually."
"It's so weird being back, last time I saw Dick, he was still in high school."
Barbara glanced at the computer's clock, "I should get going, but Panessa, the clocktower on Bleake, and of course Bruce's Office are the closest locations to Arkham City and Asylum."
"Okay, thanks, Gordon."
"Call me Barbara, Gordon makes me feel like my dad."
She left the cave for her apartment. Once she was on the fire escape, Barbara changed out of her uniform to civilian clothes and entered through the window. She had luckily arrived well before her partner so cleaned up a little. After an hour, Renee returned exhausted.
"I'm surprised you're still up?"
"I went to sleep, but I kept waking up."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
"No, you're good. Gave me a chance to tidy up the apartment. How'd work go, what'd they need you for?"
"Oh, a major update on a case. We had to track them down and wait for Batman to deal with it."
"You got to see Batman?"
"Yeah, I saw Batgirl, too and it looked like Robin got a new suit."
"Good, He looked so awkward in that old one," Barbara commented.
"Weird question, but have you ever hidden anything big from me? The whole desk duty thing's got me thinking over some stuff."
"Only if it's a surprise like after that major bust you had."
"That was really nice. I was curious, I just don't understand why Batman and your dad would put me on desk duty?"
"I can always as him, but he's always hush-hush about his business with that guy."
"It's like they're dating," she joked.
Barbara laughed along with her before they ended the night. Renee stayed up even after her partner went to bed to finish up a few notes. As she sat at the dining room table, she noticed a bizarre question mark spotlight shine in the air. Initially, she mistook it for the Riddler's insignia, but after it traced her initials in the sky, Montoya grew worried. She closed the blinds and joined her partner in bed, placing her badge and items on her nightstand. Placed neatly at the front was a letter addressed to her in unfamiliar handwriting.
Barbara woke up later than usual as Renee already left for work, leaving behind a meager breakfast for her partner. After finishing up, she had a moment of pause. Her new promotion meant having to learn on the job and Lucius insinuated that she'd become the leader of the Gotham Knights, something else she felt extremely underqualified for. Barbara arrived at work and immediately went to her normal spot, as usual, entering the office to greet whoever would be there. At Bruce's desk, she found Lucius speaking with Kate. She'd cleaned up a bit but still looked disheveled, in a sleek business suit that made her look like a real Wayne.
She nodded at Barbara as a greeting, "Did Bruce assign anyone to you after his death?"
"Not that I know of. I assumed Dick would take on most of his enemies and we'd pick up the slack. So, are you going to take over for Bruce here?"
"No, I'm only here for that reason. While I'm here though, can I show her to her new office?" she asked Fox. Once she earned a nod, Kate preceded by grabbing a few empty file boxes, "Come on, I'll help you pack your stuff."
They started placing her knick-knacks and supplies before scanning through her official papers. Once everything was sorted, they carried her box down the hallway until they came upon a door with a placard of her name. Kate moved out of the way to let in. It was a nice office, not like Bruce's, and it had a view of Arkham and the surrounding ocean.
Kate passed her and placed the boxes on her long desk. "Close the door, please." She retrieved a letter from her inner jacket pocket. "You are no longer one of Bruce's disciples, you are your own person. Inside are two candidates he was researching to replace you."
"Replace me?"
She approached the computer to set up her account and mess with a few settings. "Yes, not to worry, he was planning to give you Batwoman when he thought you were ready. There's Stephanie Brown and Cassandra Cain." She beckoned her over, "Come here." Kate moved out of her way, "So this is set up just like Bruce's office. In this room, Lucius and I have put in a spare suit and gadgets. Just as a warning, now that you have your own office, people are going to be curious."
"So, be aware of those around me?"
"Exactly."
"I'm going to leave you be, so just let me or Lucius know if you have any questions."
"Okay, thank you, Kate."
"No problem, again, you saved me," she reminded her on her way out.
Now alone, Barbara took a minute to take in the view. She opened the windows and looked out at Arkham. Her gaze traveled around the beautiful landscape as it fell to the monstrous buildings of Gotham. She wondered if this is how Bruce felt every time he looked upon the city if he felt the immense pressure of the people's hopes and fears on his shoulders. Barbara looked over the letter again as she considered the two candidates.
Cassandra seemed to be the better bet as she was older and had previous training. She was however a displaced teen, so Barbara needed to track her down. Logging into her new computer, she began playing with the features until she could track the teen.