She leaned forward, hand hovering over the old bullet scar on his shoulder.
He answered the silent question. “I wasn’t always so good at getting out of hostage situations.”
“You still aren’t.”
He shot her a slightly resentful glare. “Yeah, well.” He waved a hand in the direction Bill had vanished. “That was the last mistake he ever let me make – he sent me away as soon as I healed, and warned me not to come back.” Lee’s face tightened. “He said I’d never been good enough. We both said a lot of things we’ve never really taken back. It was years ago, but…when I’m around him I still feel sixteen.”
“You’ve been doing this since you were sixteen?”
“Since I was twelve, actually.”
“That’s insane!”
“Not really. Look at you, you’ve spent your whole life fighting and you did it all on your own.”
“I don’t know how to do anything else. Zarek killed my parents. Call it revenge if you want, but I have to keep fighting.”
“So do I. I watched my parents die, cut down for the sake of a two-bit protection racket. Batman took me in because he saw a kindred soul in me. The same I see in you. And he taught me something about revenge.” He propped himself up so he could look her in the eye. “The best revenge is living well.” He nudged her elbow. “That’s what I think, anyway.”
She poked his arm. “You should probably save the inspirational speeches until the morphine wears off.”
“Yeah.” He lay back, grunting. “This may be the drugs talking.”
“Speaking of drugs,” Bill said, walking back down the darkened stairs in one of the pristine suits that defined the Wayne image, “you may want to sit down, Miss Thrace. I’m afraid I took the liberty of slipping an amnesia pill into the coffee Tigh gave you just after you arrived. I’m sure you’ll understand that while I appreciate your concern for my…for Nightwing, we can’t allow anyone to know the details of our base of operations.”
“Oh, sorry,” Lee interrupted before Kara could raise her crossbow, “but I neutralized your drug stockpiles when I stopped by for the fundraising gala last week. They’re completely unethical – I’ve been telling you that for years.”
“You’re bluffing.”
But Kara still remembered the access code to the cycle, the route out from the side entrance, and the color of Lee’s eyes.
As she hit the gas, she heard Lee shouting out a random ten-digit sequence, even as Bill leapt toward the computers to engage the cave’s lock-down measures.
“What’s the code for?” she yelled over one shoulder, gunning across the retracting bridge. She flicked a switch and the cycle’s wings extended. She took off and soared for the camouflaged exit.
“It’s my number!” Lee yelled. “Call me!”
Her cackle was cut off by a huge slab of rock slamming down across the cave’s threshold an instant after she swooped past it.
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timeasmymeasure
Batman fic amnesty scene: part 2
Date: 2012-09-26 06:26 pm (UTC)He answered the silent question. “I wasn’t always so good at getting out of hostage situations.”
“You still aren’t.”
He shot her a slightly resentful glare. “Yeah, well.” He waved a hand in the direction Bill had vanished. “That was the last mistake he ever let me make – he sent me away as soon as I healed, and warned me not to come back.” Lee’s face tightened. “He said I’d never been good enough. We both said a lot of things we’ve never really taken back. It was years ago, but…when I’m around him I still feel sixteen.”
“You’ve been doing this since you were sixteen?”
“Since I was twelve, actually.”
“That’s insane!”
“Not really. Look at you, you’ve spent your whole life fighting and you did it all on your own.”
“I don’t know how to do anything else. Zarek killed my parents. Call it revenge if you want, but I have to keep fighting.”
“So do I. I watched my parents die, cut down for the sake of a two-bit protection racket. Batman took me in because he saw a kindred soul in me. The same I see in you. And he taught me something about revenge.” He propped himself up so he could look her in the eye. “The best revenge is living well.” He nudged her elbow. “That’s what I think, anyway.”
She poked his arm. “You should probably save the inspirational speeches until the morphine wears off.”
“Yeah.” He lay back, grunting. “This may be the drugs talking.”
“Speaking of drugs,” Bill said, walking back down the darkened stairs in one of the pristine suits that defined the Wayne image, “you may want to sit down, Miss Thrace. I’m afraid I took the liberty of slipping an amnesia pill into the coffee Tigh gave you just after you arrived. I’m sure you’ll understand that while I appreciate your concern for my…for Nightwing, we can’t allow anyone to know the details of our base of operations.”
“Oh, sorry,” Lee interrupted before Kara could raise her crossbow, “but I neutralized your drug stockpiles when I stopped by for the fundraising gala last week. They’re completely unethical – I’ve been telling you that for years.”
“You’re bluffing.”
But Kara still remembered the access code to the cycle, the route out from the side entrance, and the color of Lee’s eyes.
As she hit the gas, she heard Lee shouting out a random ten-digit sequence, even as Bill leapt toward the computers to engage the cave’s lock-down measures.
“What’s the code for?” she yelled over one shoulder, gunning across the retracting bridge. She flicked a switch and the cycle’s wings extended. She took off and soared for the camouflaged exit.
“It’s my number!” Lee yelled. “Call me!”
Her cackle was cut off by a huge slab of rock slamming down across the cave’s threshold an instant after she swooped past it.
She turned into the night wind and flew.