2012-07-28 Lead Them

Knowing the level of security that Oracle has placed in the Clock Tower, Nightwing made sure that she was aware that he would be stopping by before he just showed up. He doesn't tend to use the door in costume and it seems like he hasn't had much of a chance to be out of it of late. "I need your thoughts," he says by way of a greeting. He offers a Flash Drive, "You may already have all of this, but I got this from Batman's computers. It's files on the Titans..."
Babs is in her usual Oracle uniform.: that being sweatpants and a super-hero themed t-shirt. The hero this time around? Wonder Woman. She's drinking coffee as she peruses some data on leads for a drug smuggling operation that has been slowly moving towards Gotham. It's the new stuff, the bad stuff, known on the streets as "Bath Salts". She knew Dick was coming in. Even Batman has a hard time surprising her on her own turf. She turns her head and arches a brow, holding out her free hand for the drive. "Recruitment data, or was he checking up on the kids?" Not that she hasn't already done the same herself. She looks him up and down. "When was the last time you slept?"
"Unsure," Dick answers, possibly as a response to both of the questions. "I've read what's on the Titan computer about the recruits, but I know that there's more. I already don't trust Supergirl after how she's been messing with Tim, but I have a feeling that's just personal and not professional." He hands her the drive, "What do -you- think, as a distant observer. I swear, I think I was just asked to babysit a Frat House."
"Supergirl is messing with Tim?" Babs asks, arching a brow. She slides the drive into a computer port and pulls up the data, bringing different files up in different windows. "This might take a bit. Why don't you go crash over there on the sofa and catch a catnap while I catch up on the data?" she offers. She tries to keep the concern for his health out of her voice, but she can't hide it completely.
Nightwing looks at the sofa but doesn't move there yet, "They're dating. She crashed his hotel room while he was changing into costume so knows that he's Robin. Basically, if we associate with Tim Drake, we have a chance of our identities being discovered by her. I don't know if she's going to keep the secret...she has so far, but she also knows Wonder Girl's identity. She's told her's as well to them, but I don't find that to be necessarily a good thing. Tim tried to break up with her but now they're back together. She just seems...manipulative."
"That's not good. Does Bruce know about it?" Babs asks, giving Dick THE LOOK that says if he does not go lie down on that couch, she is going to clock him over the head with her coffee cup. "I know she's Superman's cousin or what not, but that doesn't automatically mean she's as trustworthy as Big Blue. Him I'd trust with my life. I don't know her from adam."
Nightwing just glares right back, but he does finally move to the couch. "Bruce knows. And he's having her act as 'Robin' now to lure the Joker out while Tim was recovering. He's not stopping her from acting as Robin...which also affects her duties with the Titans, such as they are right now. She wants to throw a dinner party for the members." Because that seems like it's important information to pass along as well.
"Didn't Zatanna just throw one of those? Granted I heard it went south quickly, but I think there's more important things to do than socialize." Babs grimaces than shrugs. "Granted, we're used to life under the Bat. Not everyone can be expected to live in such a totalitarian regime." She grins, teasing. She ponders a moment. "Well Bruce is clearly using her as a tool to catch the Joker. I can't say that's a bad idea. He has a bad habit of Robin-killing and that girl is pretty indestructible." Also, inwardly, Babs kind of hopes Supergirl snaps the madman's neck.
"Yeah, Zatanna did. I was there. Ended up getting covered in food and killing weird demons." Nightwing finally sits and pulls off his mask, his fingers pressing at the bridge of his nose. "No, Supergirl wants to learn how to make people's favorite dishes and have a 'family dinner' every week. Part of me thinks that's superfluous. Part of me wonders if that's a good way to get to trust others." He looks over at Babs, "Of course Bruce is using her as a tool...she's hard to hurt, yes. But then what? All I can say is fighting alongside of Superman was a pretty humbling experience."
"I'm fairly sure Bruce is never going to let Supergirl stay in Gotham. Hell, he wouldn't let Spider-Man, pretty sure a nearly invincible kid is not on his list of acceptable citizens," Babs points out. "She's a temporary tool at best." She begins looking over the data. "What do you know about this Huntress that Robin dropped off at Leslie's clinic?"
"I'm not all that worried about letting her stay...I don't know. It just all feels off to me. Maybe it's my mistrust. Unless she's really thick, she'll probably put two and two together and she's going to figure out who we all are. Well, maybe not you." Nightwing does actually stretch out on the couch after a moment, "Huntress? Not much. We were trailing her at one point as she went after some mobsters. Uses a crossbow."
"I'm going to be contacting her as Oracle, getting a feel for her. See if she'd make a good Bird. I need more operatives outside of the family." Barbara continues scanning through the data with the speed of someone who has a photographic memory. She can view it all now, process it all later by pulling it intact from her memory of seeing it. "It's mostly data on Supergirl and Superman. Just collating public information from the looks of it."
"Huntress? Careful...she might be one of those who doesn't listen to Batman's 'no killing' rule." Nightwing turns his head to look at Barbara, "Unless your Birds are going to ignore that too...which I wouldn't advise. I wouldn't want to have to help Batman shut it down." It's not really a threat, but just a statement. He pushes himself up to sitting as she says what's on the drive, "Anything different than what we already know about her?" There's a pause there before he just ups and says, "I walked out of the Cave."
"They'll abide by it in Gotham. But the Birds handle missions outside of Batman's city too. I'll try to get them not to kill, but in some cases," Babs shrugs. She thinks sometimes it's the only way to protect people from criminals like the Joker. "In the line of duty, if it's let a civvie die or end the bad guy, I accept that's a fact of the real world. My dad is a cop, Dick. Sometimes you have to take out the bad guy before he hurts someone. Sometimes it's not a real choice." She arches a brow at his admission. "That had to have gone over well," she comments, "and no, nothing we don't already know."
Nightwing just grimaces at the explanation of the Birds, but he lays back down on the couch, "There are ways to prevent the civilians from dying as well as the bad guys. They should go to jail and punished. We aren't the ones who decides who lives and dies." But that could also be a bit of Bruce talking there. "Who knows if I'll be allowed back, but I'm sick of being treated like I'm still twelve."
"You'll be allowed back. You're the son he's never had. And you sound just like him, Dick," Babs says with a faint smirk. "But you aren't in a wheelchair because of his refusal to kill the Joker. I am. You weren't bludgeoned to death with a crowbar like Jason was. You don't get it."
"Now that's Tim...and he obeys better than I do. He doesn't ask questions. He just does what he's told," But that's where he stops in regards to that. He isn't so tired that he can't recognize the beginnings of whining. Instead, Nightwing looks over at Barbara for a long time, "No. I get it. Maybe in a different way that you do, but I get it. I have the guilt of feeling like I could have done something more against him to prevent what happened to you and Jason."
"And my father. Don't forget what he did to my Dad," Barbara says quietly, grimly. Her jaw tightens and she stares at the screens so she doesn't have to look at Dick. "And now he's out again, and killing cops."
"I know," Dick looks up wt the ceiling, "I want him put away too. Believe me, I do, and for good. I don't know how he keeps getting out, but I think death is really too good for him." Despite the threat of a coffee mug to his head, he gets up from the couch and moves over to Oracle, "I'm afraid that we're going to get blinded by revenge. Eaten up by it. It'll destroy us if we're not careful."
"It's not going to stop eating at us as long as he's breathing, Dick. But I won't give in to it. Not yet. I'm not there yet." Babs sighs and lifts her glasses to rub at her eyes a bit. "How are things otherwise?"
Nightwing looks down at Oracle as she also rubs at her eyes, "I plead the fifth on that question. I'm babysitting some teenagers with superpowers who want to turn the Tower into some big slumber party. I'm hesitant to bring them out on any missions because I don't know how we'll they'll listen."
"Well, run them through some training sessions at the tower first," Barbara offers. "Teach them teamwork, Dick. Teach them not to get themselves killed. You learned from the best, so teach them the best things. Minus the growly lack of compassion."
An eyebrow lifts, "So you think I should be attending their slumber party dinners?" Not that it's a way to show compassion or lack thereof. "Training sessions with teens who's power is bigger than even their egos." He gives a sigh then before crouching down so that he's more on a level with Oracle, "Maybe it's for the best that I walked out of the Cave."
"I wouldn't recommend staying at them for the whole time. Make an appearance, then make a show of needing to handle some real work and leave. It sets you up as their leader, lets them know there are more important things to do than have a slumber party, but lets them know you cared enough to show up." Barbara smiles thinly. "And you're used to working with a big ego. You know how to rein them in. Just do it Dick."
"Batman can't throw cars like they're baseballs or summon demons," Nightwing points out before he looks over at Babs, "I'm whining, aren't I?" In standing, his hand goes to brush at Oracle's arm, "Sorry. Feel free to smack me if I start acting like the teenagers. You're right. I guess It wasn't really what I expected."
"Maybe, but neither could Batman, and he didn't have your acrobatic skills or Tim's computer genius, or my research ability. But he handled us all. Use your head and drive them. Purpose, goals, appreciation, and a desire to have your approval will kill the egos and make them a team, Dick." Babs sounds sure of herself.
Nightwing sits back down on the couch, "I think that's part of the issue. I'm not entirely sure of the purpose and goals. A traning group for the Justice League...which means what exactly? That we're in reserve? That we get our own missions? It's not like I can bring them into Gotham easily, you know? Batman would spit a kitten."
"From what I understand, you're a team of your own with missions of your own, but they won't be as dangerous as the ones the JLA tackle. You'll also be the backup for the JLA, while training the Titans up to the same standards. They're less experienced as heroes, and they need someone with experience to train them. Thus you," Babs explains. "You can always tell them you don't want the burden, Dick. They'll have to find someone else, because all those kids are greener than the Joker's hair, but it's the government, they'll make do."
"No, I know that part, Barbara. I know what it is on paper. I just can't figure out what it -really- is. It's government-sanctioned which means more than what's on the paper...what is being told to the Press. Is it to keep an eye on these kids? Is it to train their armies to work with folks with different powers and skills? Is it to control the vigilantes? There's another angle here and I want to know what it is. I want to train these kids for what is -really- going on, not just being a training, greener offshoot of the JLA." Nightwing leans forward, "I don't want these kids betrayed by the government either."
"For now, I'd go with the belief that it's to save US military soldiers' lives by handling powered bad guys with powered good guys. Which is something I'm a fan of. Having the sanction keeps the kids from getting arrested at least." Barbara settles back in her chair, copying the files to her database before plucking the drive out and tossing it back over her shoulder to Dick. "I'll be monitoring to make sure it doesn't become something less pure."
Nightwing catches the drive and tucks it back into a pocket, "I'm glad you're on our side," is offered with a smirk. "I guess it's also to teach these kids to be a team early on so that they aren't using their rebellious years to destroy things just for fun." He lays back, "Yeah. The President totally didn't mention this when he pitched the idea."
"Go kiss and make up with Bruce. I need you working with him to get the Joker back under wraps," Babs calls on his way out.
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