Hope and Fear, the World's Finest

Episode 1: Introductions

"To be heroic is to be courageous enough to die for something; to be inspirational is to be crazy enough to live a little."

― Criss Jami,

Barbara typed the last command into her code and was about to press enter when she heard her father's name from the television.

"Commissioner James Gordon's office was...." she turned away from the TV and clicked the mute button at the sound of pounding on her front door.

Barbara rushed to the door, shocked as she jerked it open and came face to face with Bruce Wayne, "Bruce?"

Bruce Wayne was solemn, his eyes red rimmed. He swallowed once, then again and whispered with a choking sob, "Barbara--Barbara he's gone."

A harsh cry escaped Barbara's lips, tears sprang from her eyes and her legs started to give way. She collapsed into Bruce's arms and the large man wrapped his arms around her, pulling her in tightly.

Two hours later, after the tears had stopped and anger started to churn in her stomach, Barbara was sitting across from Bruce, sipping a bottle of water while the older man stared at a tumbler of whiskey, swirling it around, listening to ice sing as it slid around the inside of the glass. Barbara finally found her voice, and she growled out an angry word, "who?"

"Barbara, you need..." Bruce stopped talking as brown, angry eyes focused on him.

"Don't tell me what I need to fucking do!" Barbara snapped, her breath coming in ragged gasps. "Who? Who did this?"

"An organization, something new. Something Jim, something your father, was looking into it," Bruce explained, teeth grinding, eyes staring into space.

"Someone new? Who?" Barbara demanded.

"The group's name is Leviathan," Bruce answered calmly. "We--he hadn't discovered any of the key players."

Barbara spun on her heel and returned to her desk. She pulled a second laptop from a secret compartment in one of the drawers and flipped the device opened. A login screen popped up, and Bruce saw the name Oracle. Barbara entered a single password, opened the database that linked her to GCPD's network, "where do I start?"

>>>

Seven months later...

The screen shattered as Batgirl's gloved fist connected with the computer Bruce had allowed her to install in her clocktower in downtown Gotham. Dick's hand rested on her shoulder, "Barbara, calm down. We will get them next time."

Barbara's hand struck out and she hit Dick hard across his right cheek, shifting his mask, knocking it askew. "I missed them," she whispered, her voice tight with stress, sadness, and anger. She blinked as she realized what she had done, reaching up to fix Dick's mask, "oh--oh God, Dick--I'm so sorry. I..." Her eyes welled up.

Nightwing pulled her in close, hugging her tight. "We will get them Barb. I know--I know they killed your dad, but..."

"Seven months, I-- been doing this for s-s-seven months," she spoke tightly, tears slowly sliding down her cheeks. "I--I am let-letting him d-d-down."

"You--you need to get away, Barbara," Dick whispered. "Just take some time, Leviathan is going to be in hiding for a while."

Bruce pushed himself away from the wall, after watching the whole debacle through slitted eyes. "Dick is right Barbara. Take some time to yourself, get away from all of this--this darkness, for a little while."

Pulling her head from Dick's shoulder, she wiped her eyes and focused on the Dark Knight, "you're suggesting I go away, you must need something, don't you Bruce."