conflict and compromise / barbara gordon

bad timing

As she perched on the building across the street, she observed the comings and goings of the guests. As the winds and rain howled around her she shivered, drawing her cape closer to her and gripping more tightly to the edge of the roof. With a light grumble, she resumed her activities, one more survey of the front and back of the Manor grounds and she'd be free to spend the rest of the night in the warmth with everyone else. 

With a practised motion she pulled out her grappling gun and fired it at the other buildings bordering the Manor, swinging at a tighter angle than normal to avoid the bright lights of the party. Settling once again, she crouched down and waited once more, following the movement of the camer-... 

The cameras weren't moving.

Snapping to attention, she launched herself across the street, extending her cape to turn the fall into a pseudo glide. Landing with a roll she immediately ran to the nearest camera, opening it she looked at the panel. 

A flash of silvery white caught the corner of her eye, reflecting off the yellow domed glass of the ballroom. She narrowed her eyes, if it came from that angle of the glass it must've... she stood up, slowly tracing the dark rooftop to where the reflection may have come from. Running to the south side, she glanced down, sweeping her eyes around the garden before looking further into the shadows across the street. There it was, the gleam of metal in the moonlight again, taking out the binoculars she looked at the source of these reflections.

A woman, staring right back at her. She was slim, taller than average, was it even a woman? She reassessed the figure, with a full metal helmet she couldn't see any signs of a face. The mask was sleek and angular, a piece of work with two sets of cat like ears protruding from the sides, one set larger than the other. Multiple electrical like cords protruded from the back of the helmet before winding back upwards and reconnecting with it, giving the illusion of long hair. Two piercing yellow lenses cut through the different layers of metal, observing her as if the owner could see her. With a black bodysuit of unknown material covered with a silver cropped vest and hands that looked like liquid mercury, Barbara couldn't observe any skin at all, it may as well have been a robot. Then the person, thing, saluted at her, and she froze in shock. The figure turned on their heel, Barbara choked on the sight of casual converse sneakers being the footwear used by a person sabotaging the Batfamily, and walked into the dark alleyway.

She wanted to pursue, but she knew she was probably the only person on comms at the moment as almost all of the other Bats were attending the gala. Slipping into the Batcave by an entrance in the barn she ran to vast costume room where they kept all of the disguises meant to be used for missions. She sighed, knowing that the dresses that suited her were in the far corner, hidden behind the tens of Batsuits and Robin uniforms. She would need to warn the rest of them and check the security room, and for that, she needed to be dressed for the occasion, even if the occasion required her to dig through piles of red and yellow garment that Tim and Damien never hung up properly. 

♡♡♡

Stepping through the entrance of the room she immediately slid sideways, following the wall towards the path to the VIP area, where she knew Dick and Tim would be. She needed to tell Tim about the break in, she knew that the Wayne family hired different security for every event but all technology was under the hands of Tim, he would know what conspired on the rooftop. Normally she would just hack her way into the Manor systems but it would be faster to ask someone who already had all the details, then she could spend the rest of the evening with friends.

"Barbara? What are you doing here?" a low voice asked, Barbara turned, saw a lock of dark hair and a small twitching smile. It was Wendy, the girl from the diner, walking towards her in an ocean blue dress. 

"Commissioner's my father remember? Whats up with you? didn't think a college student would be spending her time here" Barbara was pleasantly surprised at Wendy's appearance, it was not often she got the chance to introduce an acquaintance to her father that wasn't involved in vigilante activity, and this was the perfect opportunity for it. 

"I'm my geology teachers favourite student, he's a wanted figure in mining companies apparently, I'm his plus one. Though I'm pretty sure he's here to look pretty, tease offers that will never be accepted and not do much else," Wendy said and smiled.

She quickly covered her mouth with the back of her hand, "It feels like I should either have a permanent smile or never have a smile here, I'm not used to this stuff," She laughed quietly. 

Barbara smiled, "You never really do get used to it, I've got to chat to some people, if you're not uncomfortable you can come as well"

"Sure, I'll come with," Wenlock replied, and skipped up the stairs following her, making the dress wave unnaturally in the light, not unlike waves, Barbara thought. 

The next half hour consisted of Barbara introducing Wendy to Cassandra, Helena and Leslie Thompkins. Though, she thought, most of that time was spent just talking to Leslie about biology and her obsession, something to do with genome editing, chickens and dinosaurs. Her legs still ached from awkwardly standing next to Wendy as ideas and thoughts seemed to stream from her mouth at breakneck pace. Turns out she was doing biology and geology together in her major, she had the obsessive interest for one of them at least, Barbara thought, smiling.

The entire time her eyes had been scanning for Tim or Bruce, flicking back to Wendy once in a while. There were at least twelve heroes at this party, breaking in would probably end up worse for the criminal than the guests, she mused.