Why We're Here

Searching For Answers

I sat on the couch in Barbara's with my laptop open in front of me. Dick was doing much better, and was spending the week resting at The Manor. Everything was back to normal. At least, as normal as it could get in an apartment shared by two superheroes.
Yes, I say two. Barbara worked from her study as Oracle, the superhero powerhouse of knowledge. It was because of her that practically every single superhero in the country was connected.
I came back as well. After rescuing Dick, I found myself unwilling to return to retirement. I had tasted the thrill once again, and it wasn't going to go away anytime soon. So, my retirement was officially cancelled. Now, I was back, as Cataclysm, one of Gotham's vigilantes.
That, however, was not the biggest event occurring. Now that the stress of Dick's issues had passed, I returned to the previous problems. All my questions without answers.
I had to figure out where I came from. That nun didn't tell me anything, I'm not even sure if I believe her when she says my twin sister died, or if I ever even had one. The only option I had was to figure it out for myself. In order to figure out where I came from I have to figure out where I am. That meant researching deeper into the pasts of my parents.
The Perseus and Ann-Marie Brimsey had quite the reputation, but i only went so far. After digging through public records, newspapers, and even my own adoption record, I traced their heritage back to the very day Eion Brimsey was born. Before that, it was as if they didn't exist. There wasn't a single trace of either of my parents.
"There has to be something," I whispered, "They can't have just appeared."
They could easily be aliens who merged with society when their son was born. That seemed improbable. After living with them for five years, I think I would have noticed.
"I can't find anything past the day you say their son was born," Barbara furrowed her eyebrows, "I even checked international records. It's as if they didn't exist."
"They can't have just appeared!" I exclaimed.
Barbara knit her fingers together, "Maybe they did."
"What?"
"Maybe, they spent the first twenty odd years hiding from the public view," Barbara muttered, "When their son was born, they came out of hiding."
"Why would they hid?"
"That's the question."
Barbara continued tapping on her computers. The light illuminated her face, giving it a greenish tinge. I watched her for a moment before turning back to my own research.
There had to be something, but it wasn't something we could find. Barbara's theory seemed to make the most sense, but the question is why.
"There's nothing more we can possibly find," Barbara spun her chair around to look at me, "You could try Bruce's computer in the cave. Maybe it has more."
I closed my laptop, "That's a good idea. Thanks for your help, Babs."
"Of course. I'm sorry I can't do more."
"You did great."
I stood up and kissed her cheek before going to the door. Bruce was home from his Justice League business, and, hopefully, was currently acting as Bruce Wayne rather than Batman.
Grabbing my jacket, I hurried onto the streets. Even in early summer, Gotham was slightly chilly. The wind bit civilian skins like a rattlesnake bites it's prey.
I approached The Manor to find reporters swarming around the gates. Burce must have done something to gain their attention. Usually, he can get their attention by just existing. For them to swarm around the manor, he had to have done something.
"Look, it's Lucille!" one reporter shouted.
I sighed. Being one of Bruce Wayne's wards, I was often the subject of interviews as well. Dick and I used to compete with who could give the worst answers while still maintaining cover.
"Miss Lucille!" several reporters swarmed around me, "Miss Lucille!"
I tried to push through them. They were determined, however. One reporter shoved a recording device into my face, "Miss Lucille, has being Bruce Wayne's ward changed your daily life now that you've moved out?"
"I can get priority seating," I replied, "And, you know, get swarmed by reporters when I'm trying to visit my family."
Another reporter spoke up, "A theory has been going around the internet calling Bruce Wayne Batman. They pin you as Blitz, and Richard Grayson as Nightwing. How do you react?"
I stared at the reporter before busting out laughing, "Oh, oh, that's rich. Bruce as Batman? The man doesn't know how to throw a punch for the life of him. And Dick? As Nightwing? The boy is scared of his own shadow, how can you expect him to fight a bad guy?"
"What about you?" the reporter asked, "You appeared around the same time as Blitz."
I chuckled, "Mere coincidence. I was born with two left feet and an inability to throw more than my back. If I were Blitz, I'd be dead."
The reporter backed off. I managed to push through the crowd and past Wayne Manor's gates. Several reporters tried to follow me in, but I cut them off by closing the gate. They still stood there, shouting questions as I approached The Manor. I glared at them as I knocked.
"For the last bloody time, Mister Wayne will not-" Alfred cut himself off, "Oh, Miss Lucille, I thought you were one of those bloody reporters."
I chuckled, stepping into The Manor, "It's alright, Alfie. What did Bruce do this time?"
"Made a deal with an environmental agency," Alfred replied, "Wayne Enterprises will now do everything they can to preserve the environment."
"That's good, I thought he shot someone."
Alfred chuckled. Footsteps thudded at the top of the stairs. Jason came around the corner, a shiny bruise on his cheek and a black eye. His arm was bandaged up to the elbow as well.
"What happened to you?" I asked as he slid down the banister.
"Master Jason, how many times must I tell you not to do that?"
"Sorry, Alf," Jason replied sheepishly, "And, Batman and Robin had a run in with Harley Quinn. Harley's mallet packs a mean punch."
He rubbed his cheek. I grinned, "Boy, does it."
"Bruce told me you came out of retirement," Jason followed me as I headed towards the cave, "He says you're Cataclysm now. Is it true?"
"Yeah. Originally I was just going to help Dick and go back to retirement, but it didn't agree with me."
Jason grinned, "Cool! Maybe we could do a super awesome team up!"
"Maybe, kid."
I ruffled his hair. We made it to the entrance of The Batcave and began to descend the staircase. It was dark as ever, making it nearly impossible to see. The only light came from a large computer. Bruce sat in front of it, furiously typing away. He was in his Batman outfit with his cowl pushed back.
"What's going on, Bruce?" I asked, leaning on the back of his chair.
Jason jumped to sit on one of the nearby railings. Bruce simply sighed, "The Joker has escaped Arkham. There's reports of green water leaking out of faucets around State Street. Some sort of chemical."
"And, you're going to go kick his ass?"
"I'm going to investigate," Bruce replied, "Jason, get your costume on."
"On it."
Jason hurried away. Bruce stood up, making me get off of his chair. He spun to look at me, "What brings you here?"
"I'm on a hunt for my biological parents," I told him, "Barbara and I have searched everything, but it only goes back to five years before they got me. I was hoping that I could use The Batcomputer to see if anything else popped up."
"It's not likely, but you can try. Just don't break anything," Bruce replied, pulling his cowl up.
I saluted, "Roger that, Captain Bat."
Bruce didn't even smile. He went to The Batmobile where Jason was waiting. Both jumped in. I watched as the roof popped on and they sped away. As soon as the door closed, I spun to the computer.
If the answers weren't here, I don't know where they would be. The Batcomputer could even hack into the CIA, Homeland Security, and even the President's computer. This was the spot.
I searched for Perseus and Ann-Marie Brimsey. The computer came up with a hundred results, but it was all stuff I had already seen. Things like Eion Brimsey's birth certificate, newspaper clippings, articles, and a few interviews from when Papa first became a politician. It never went past the birth certificate.
"Son of a bitch," I muttered.
"Miss Lucille, language."
Alfred had entered the cave without my realizing it. I smiled shyly, "Sorry, Alfred, I didn't know you were here."
"Having troubles, I presume?"
"Lots," I sighed as he came up behind my chair, "I can't find anything on my parents before they were my parents."
"And why do you need information on The Brimsey's?"
I frowned, "I was hoping that, by tracking them backwards, I might be able to track them to the orphanage and thus finding my biological parents. I can't even find my adoption form. It's as if I just appeared one day, and they called me their daughter."
I pulled up the first picture result. It was of Mama and Papa at Gotham University. Mama was unveiling her new invention, and Papa was there to support her. This was just months before they got me.
"Wait a minute," I zoomed in on the picture, "Look! It's Bruce!"
Sure enough, Bruce Wayne stood in the back, slowly clapping his hands. Alfred smiled, "Yes, I remember that day. Bruce funded Miss Brimsey's machine, though I do not know why."
"I do," I replied, "The machine he is funding, Alfred, is an early version of a shapeshifting vehicle. One very similar to Bruce's prototype Batmobile."
Bruce had three Batmobile's. An old one, the one he uses currently, and another he recently received from archives. He claims he wants to fix it up and make it work, though he never told us what it did. Now, I know.
"Master Bruce funds a great many projects, I do not see how this is important," Alfred said.
I hit a few buttons, "No, but any lead is a good lead when you're working with nothing."
I searched a bit more. There had to be a link between Bruce and my parents, maybe even Batman and them. I just had to find it.
"Ah-ha!" I exclaimed, "Alfred, look at this!"
I pulled up an old photo of The Justice League. It had to have come from the early seventies, maybe even the late sixties. Superman stood in the middle with Batman to his left and Wonder Woman to his right. Bruce was so much younger than, this was before Dick and my time. Hawkman and Hawkgirl stood at Batman's left with Flash next to them. Green Lantern and Martian Manhunter floated behind. To Wonder Woman's right, two heroes stood.
They had similar get up. The woman had silver body armour and a cape while the man had identical golden clothes. Their masks were similar to Robin's, but wrapped all the way around the back of their head. The man posed with two katanas while the woman had electric gloves similar to my own.
"Silver and Gold," I read, "Crime fighting duo. They protected Charm City back in the sixties and seventies. Silver was an engineering genius, and Gold was a master martial artist. They were members of The Justice League, and good friends of Batman, Superman, Wonder Woman, and Flash."
I read further. Alfred lifted an eyebrow, "I fail to see how this has to do with your parents?"
"Bruce usually has names on every hero in the galaxy, but it says right here these two heroes didn't have identities to hide," my smile grew wide, "Alfred, don't you see? Silver and Gold vanished exactly nine months before Ann-Marie and Perseus Brimsey surfaced, and Eion Brimsey was born."
"You think The Brimsey's are Silver and Gold?"
"Think? I know," I smiled brightly, "Look at her hair, that's my mother's hair. The way they stand, their smiles, I can even see the mole Papa had on his neck. That's Ann-Marie and Perseus Brimsey before they were them. They must have created their identities from scratch when Eion was born."
They had to have been somebody before they were Silver and Gold. There was nothing else here, but I knew where to look. It says they were close friends with Batman, Superman, and Wonder Woman. While I already know all Bruce knew, from the computer, there are two more I can confront.
"I suppose you are going on a mission, Miss Lucille?" Alfred asked.
I nodded, "First stop, Metropolis."