Some Catching Up to Do [Batman, Batgirl, Robin]

[simba]

Bruce sat in the large leather chair in front of the multitude of computer consoles in front of him. He scratched his chin and looked over all the information in front of him. The old adage 'when it rains, it pours' is really starting to have some meaning about now. Gotham was getting to be overrun, and it almost felt like that unless he could make himself be in two places at once, there was no way to handle at all.

Well, not 'no way' to handle it. "Grayson, Gordon," Bruce called out without even looking back towards the duo stirring in the Batcave behind him. "Your thoughts?" he asks before swiveling around in the chair. Rather conspicuous on his desk was a newspaper with the headline 'Wayne Labs Researcher Murdered' reading loudly on the front page. Nina... could she really be dead? He had only met her once, and yes, she was quiet, but he didn't see that she would be nearly so simple of a target. She knew what she was doing, even that night when he talked with her. Let alone that he didn't see her being murdered nearly so simple.

Then there was the Riddler, himself. He was a strange one, he was. He seems like one who thinks much better of himself than he really is. Regardless, to underestimate the Riddler would be an incredible mistake; the moment they, the heroes, begin thinking too high of themselves is the moment that they are set up for failure. Perhaps it is this very thing that may assist them... if the Riddler truly thinks so highly of himself, perhaps he is leaving himself completely open for weakness.

Then there are the numerous other villains crawling around Gotham. Catwoman is the least of his issues; with Luthor and Scarecrow running about with Riddler plotting something really big, pet crimes by a crazed catlady had to be sidelined for the moment. Unless, perhaps, she could assist in some matter. Yes... perhaps that may be something to look at. There were so many rumors, so many whispers sweeping Gotham that Batman almost wasn't certain where to start. Perhaps... perhaps it is the smallest place where he must start. But he wanted to get the input of his two apprentices, first. "Well?" he asks again, still deep in his thoughts.

[Dick Grayson - Nightwing]

After getting done with his afternoon classes at the college, Dick was hoping to have some down time of some kind, but only found himself digging into more work. He had noticed that evening that Bruce had been quiet, well quieter than usual for being at home. There was still plenty to do before anyone started night patrols that night and Dick knew he would find themselves working in the batcave until that point.

There had been so much going on in Gotham lately, it was getting to be overwhelming trying to follow up on everyone. Dick had not followed much on Lex, but had heard of a meeting between him and the Riddle from word on the street. As for the Scarecrow, Dick knew first hand just how dangerous the new toxin he had was capable of even with a small dose of it. Dick just hoped the Scarecrow wasn't going to try and create more with the gas toxin mixtures some how. To Dick, it had felt like the toxin itself and the gas toxin had mixed with each other and played on to different areas in the brain even if it was based on fear. The last encounter had rattled Dick a bit since then. When he would often sleep, he would sometimes find himself with the haunting memories again. It had taken years to get over this stuff to begin with, but not it seemed they were back again for the meantime. Dick knew he'd get over it, but his sleep suffered. And when he started to lack sleep, that only gave him more time to think about his situation again.

Not to mention, it seemed Wayne labs were now under attack with the latest murder of the employee Nina. Dick remembered the short run in with the woman at the back where the Ventriloquist had struck about a month or so past. She had seemed like a quiet woman, yet she had guts to stand up to a villain herself. She really seemed like she wouldn't find it hard to protect herself in a tough situation after that. Though, Dick had a feeling there was something off about the woman. There was something different about her, but during the fight, Dick hadn't had the time to watch over the whole situation around him. Dick had caught a lot of work on the street about Nina being attacked by the Ventriloquist and the Riddle, but the story wasn't all that clear. Some people on the street just weren't worth listen to if it was only mixed up gossip. And that was going around a lot in Gotham on other occasions.

Dick was now sitting down in the batcave at one of the off side computer systems. He had been going a little digging on the recent fights at Arkham as well as the crimes of the Riddler and Scarecrow. Babs had been down there long then he probably had that day. Dick had followed a while after Bruce had headed down.

Sitting there in front of the computer screen, Dick found himself getting lost in his thoughts once again about his run in with Catwoman, not too long ago. He hadn't noticed Bruce calling out to both him and Babs at first, but had caught the question at least. Dick's mind had processed as much information as it could, seeing the screen before him and for it being else were.

There was a sense in the Batcave that everyone was in deep thought over one thing or another. There had been so much going on in Gotham, it seemed hard to keep up with. Even the GCPD was getting more cases everyday. Dick had notice since he had been hanging out with Babs a bit more and had noticed how late the Commissioner had been getting home some nights if he had been on patrol with Babs or just out that night.

The sound of Bruce's voice, brought Dick back to the present situation again. He gave a slight glance in Bruce's direction at his word, but was hesitance to answer at first. "There is a lot going on in the underground," Dick started. "So much talk, that some of it doesn't sound believable to follow. Everything is started to connect together. Lex is after the Riddler for some deals, and the Riddler is after the Scarecrow possible for that new toxin. But the death of Nina sounds a bit fishy, if you ask me."

Even the most unusual crimes they had been on the cases of seemed to be sliding down to a lower priority with these new rumors and cases. The Isley and the Ventriloquist had seemed to slipped past Dick's mind at the moment. There was more important things to deal with. "The only one who doesn't seemed to be stirring up much trouble lately is Catwoman and even Two-Face," Dick said. He knew for fact that Catwoman had other things to deal with and thoughts to worry about. More than just the capes knew how she was, the Scarecrow knew as well. And even after that night he had talked with her, Dick had a feeling that it was going to take a while for the affects of the toxin to wear off. It had for Dick, but he had had a lower dose. Deep down, Dick had a feeling that something was off about this whole thing. He wasn't sure just yet, but he had a feeling he would figure it out sooner or later. He also had a feeling that Bruce and Babs probably knew about the down bird meeting up with the cat not to long ago. Nothing ever seemed to slip past anyone in this room without another knowing or hearing about it.

[k]

[/b] Babs asked, raising an eyebrow and glancing over at Dick as he spoke. "I agree - it's all too fishy, too convenient," she muttered, glancing at the headline of the paper next to Bruce. She held her hand out, a sandwich in the other. "Can I have a look?" she asked, wondering exactly what the report said. She was sure there'd be something in the report she could pick up on, maybe even press her dad for answers. She hadn't seen her father for a few days, and she felt a sinking feeling in her stomach at the sheer realisation of this. As he worked more and she patrolled more, they continually began to miss each other.

Babs finished the sandwich, and felt almost full having just ate the one. Alfred certainly made them rich, she thought. She was a great fan of Alfred's cooking, it was certainly something to look forward to when she was there. It made it easier to just wander into the house now, because it was ever more becoming public knowledge that Dick and her were going out. She thought about the good job Alfred had done of patching her up not so long ago when she'd fallen foul of a group in East Gotham, after she'd had a makeshift patch and repair done at the cafe. Babs paused for a second, beginning to feel like she was forgetting something, and then brushed it off. It was nothing, she was sure. She was about to take the paper when it all came back to her, those words, the way Margaret had said them to her, the convinction and inflection. 'Margaret says hello' was a very different instruction to 'say Batman I said hi'.

"Actually," Babs said, picking up a second sandwich and observing it carefully, like she was deep in thought. "I have a message. For Batman," Babs smiled. "I didn't realise Margaret was so popular with the vigilantes... I ran into her a few nights ago when I had some... problems," she muttered, not wanting to admit she'd been hurt and had some emergency treatment courtesy of Margaret. "She says 'hello'," Babs said, recalling Margaret's words, trying to think if she's said more. It just seemed to be those words, words of seemingly no importance. "I'm guessing the name Margaret means something to you then?"[/ul]