#Meet Barbra Gordon - Chosen of Secrets

[phantoms-lair]

Batman Exalted Triple Event - Part 1

(So as a note Tim has already Exalted by this point, however his scene does not want to be written, so we're skipping ahead. But for reference he Exalted in his Red Robin identity and almost killed Mr. Freeze on accident)

Bruce did not have a hunch or bad feeling. He awoke knowing that something was very wrong in a way he couldn't have before his exaltation. He rolled out of bed, instinctively folding space in a way he'd think about later. All the knew at the time was his feet swung from his bed in Wayne Manor and landed on a rough floor in Crime Alley.

He had no time to think about that because in front of him struggling on the ground was Jason. It wasn't an enemy or sickness, Bruce would know how to deal with those. Instead Jason seemed to be flickering in and out of existence. And with each flicker Bruce could feel as if something was in his mind, trying to pry the very memory of Jason from him.

It couldn't have him! Whatever was trying to take his son from him again couldn't have him!

He heard a soft clicking behind him. He glanced back to see a mechanical spider the size of a hamster, but still kept most of his focus on Jason.

"I am bound by Kejack's will." The spider clicked. "I can not undo what he's done."

Rage burned inside Bruce. So this was Kejack's doing. If he lost Jason again he swore-

"But I can do what he hasn't thought to forbid." The spider continued, unaware of how close Bruce had been to lashing out at it. "I know a way to save him."

Rage turned into a nearly suffocating hope. "How?" Bruce demanded, the power of his exaltation flowing from his voice.

"Time is our enemy. His inner strength and your will made manifest through your exigence have bought some time but he will soon fade regardless. If I take time to explain, he will be lost."

"I don't care what it takes. Save my son!" Bruce roared.

"Pick him up and follow me through the gate." The spider skittered away through a portal that hadn't been there a moment ago.

Bruce lifted Jason up. He felt lighter than when Bruce had lifted him as Robin. Had his exigence made him strong, or what whatever happening to Jason left him lighter. Bruce prayed to god it was the former as he followed the spider and once again vanished.

~

"Master Bruce has vanished." Alfred's urgency in his tone drawing her away from the work she'd been doing.

"I thought he was done for the day, is he not answering his coms?"

"Pardon me, I was unclear. I was not referring to Master Bruce's habit of taking off without a word. I'll send you the bedroom footage."

Oracle couldn't understand how someone could be comfortable with a security camera pointed directly at their bed. She understood the logic of it. Bruce Wayne was a kidnapping risk, and if the combat butler didn't interrupt things it wasn't like he could pull out his Batman techniques to save himself.

But the thought of a camera on her while she slept made her skin crawl. Maybe because she knew once something was created, how easily it could be let loose. Honestly Bruce probably had some crazy fans who would pay top dollar for video of him sleeping.

...if they were in Gotham he probably knew exactly who they were now. Privately pitying Bruce for getting the worst superpower, Oracle watched the video, thoughtfully trimmed to the relevant parts. Bruce sat up straight from sleep as if he'd had a nightmare, his eyes glowing blue as his power leaked from them. He swung his legs off the bed and as he went to stand... Well, Alfred was right. He vanished.

"After reviewing the footage I think it's safe to say his exaltation was doing something. From his his sense of urgency I think he became aware of something and was sent there. Which means, given the nature of his exaltation, he's likely still in Gotham. I'll start combing for him."

"Very good, Oracle. May I alert the others?"

"Please do." She didn't know the situation that would lead Bruce to be so upset, but having Bats on standby to react would only be a good thing. Her program to autoscan the multiple cameras in Gotham (from security to traffic to bird cams) had just started going full bore when Alfred contacted her again. "Master Hood cannot be reached."

"Refocusing my search on Crime Alley." Oracle immediately switched gears. Something happening to the son already he lost once would absolutely bring out that level of urgency in Bruce. Flecks of green light sparked from from her fingers to her keyboard as she searched. Code she had never seen popped up and she instinctively knew what it was, knew she shouldn't have been seeing it, and knew what the fact that she could see it meant. But that was a crisis for later. She had friends to help. She wove through the code representing fate and destiny. She saw someone else had accessed the code and...that fucker was going to pay. He didn't seem to have full access and now she could make sure he never did. Not after trying to delete Jason.

"Ketchup tried to run a wiper virus on Hood's existence. B intervened and now I can't find either of them."

"He did WHAT!" Nightwing snarled. He must have been outside, the wind was fierce.

"Greyson calm down." came Damian's matter of fact tone.

"I will not calm down! That bastard-"

"You're hurting us." Tim's voice interrupted.

"I - oh fuck. Oracle keep us informed. I've got to deal with this."

Nightwing's voice cut off and she dearly would have loved to know what was going on, but it was taking all she had to try and find Bruce and Jason.