Chapter 48: Chapter 47
The Batcave was located beneath the Wayne Manor, in a hidden underground facility. According to Alfred's introduction, this place had once been used by the Wayne family to hide escaped slaves during a difficult time in Gotham's history.
The Wayne family had long believed in a spirit of service, dedicating themselves to helping Gotham and those in need. This included saving the city's economy during the Great Depression, at least in this world. According to the League of Shadows, they had originally planned to destroy Gotham during that time. However, the Wayne family's efforts to stabilize the economy forced the League to postpone their plans and adopt more extreme measures for the future.
When Kara entered the Batcave with Alfred, Bruce looked beaten down.
"What happened to him?" Kara asked Alfred.
Bruce, overhearing the question, answered himself: "If you'd been pinned down by a burning beam more than an hour ago, you'd look like this too."
"So you got knocked out? Maybe lay off the drinks if you're feeling reckless," Kara quipped, eyeing her surroundings with interest.
Bruce offered a small, helpless smile. His injuries weren't from drinking, and the fire hadn't been caused by him. But he didn't bother to argue.
Kara walked over to a nearby workbench and picked up a helmet—Batman's signature cowl. With a playful smirk, she took off her glasses, placed the helmet on her head, and glanced at herself in a nearby reflective surface.
"Not debuting as Supergirl today, huh? More like Oracle?" Kara mused.
She wasn't referring to Barbara Gordon, who had taken on the mantle of Oracle, but to the character Batwoman, who often worked closely with Batman. Oracle had originally been a distinct member of the Batman family, primarily Cathy Kane and later Kate Kane, her niece.
"How do I look?" Kara asked, turning around with the Batman helmet on.
"It'd look better if you tucked your hair in," Bruce said, still sounding worn out but clearly enjoying the opportunity to return her earlier jab.
"Too much gloom isn't good for anyone," Kara teased back. She grabbed Batman's cape and draped it over her shoulders, hiding her long blonde hair. "Better?"
Bruce nodded in approval this time. "It'd help you blend into the shadows more effectively."
Kara sighed. "That's the thing, though. I don't really want to blend in. Standing in the dark feels... unfulfilling."
She discarded the helmet and cape before getting back to business. "Anyway, enough messing around. What's this League of Shadows up to?"
Alfred had given her a broad overview of the situation, but there were obviously more critical details that only Bruce could explain. As Bruce filled her in, he started modifying a suit of armor for Kara, adjusting it to fit her better and match her specifications.
Under Ra's al Ghul's leadership, the League of Shadows' ultimate goal was to utterly destroy Gotham City and kill everyone in it. Kara couldn't help but think of the irony. Gotham was chaotic, but Metropolis wasn't exactly perfect either. Whenever Superman stepped in, Metropolis seemed to draw more challenges from powerful enemies.
Superheroes, by their very nature, attracted danger. As Vision once said in another universe, the mere existence of heroes often escalates the severity of the threats they face. Bad guys tended to show up where they were most likely to meet resistance.
Getting back on topic, Bruce explained that the Scarecrow, also known as Dr. Jonathan Crane, had devised a fear toxin and planned to spread it through Gotham's water supply. However, water alone couldn't distribute the gas effectively. For that, they needed to turn the water into vapor.
That's where the Wayne Enterprises' microwave emitter came in. Originally designed as a tool to evaporate large quantities of water, the emitter had been stolen by the League of Shadows. It could now be used to vaporize the poisoned water in Gotham's pipes and turn it into a city-wide cloud of fear toxin.
Kara frowned and slapped her forehead. "You guys built a microwave emitter? Seriously?"
Bruce, while tinkering with her armor, sighed. "When I regain control of the company, I'll shut down the weapons development division. But that's not important right now. What matters is that the emitter's already out there."
Kara chuckled dryly. "I was just complaining. No need to get defensive."
Before the conversation could turn into a full-on argument, Alfred stepped in. "If you're going to fight, perhaps wait until after you've stopped Ra's al Ghul's plan? Time is of the essence."
Both Bruce and Kara turned their gaze to Alfred, realizing he was right. Their banter could wait. They needed to focus.
"So, what's your plan?" Kara asked, her tone more serious now.
Bruce had one: "The League plans to use the microwave emitter to release the toxin into the air. If we stop the emitter, we stop the gas."
"Simple enough," Kara replied, though there was a hint of skepticism in her voice. "But wouldn't the human body also evaporate in the process? If that emitter's as powerful as you say, it could just vaporize the blood and water inside people too, right?"
Bruce paused, realizing she had a point. If the device could evaporate water so effectively, it could potentially be a danger to anyone caught in its radius. But they had no choice; they had to act.
Bruce continued to work on Kara's bat-suit, customizing it to her needs. After a few minutes, it was done.
With Alfred's help, Kara donned the suit that had been crafted for her. She inspected herself in the mirror, then turned back to Bruce.
"You still haven't answered my question, by the way. What's the full plan?"
Bruce adjusted his own gear, then replied, "You interrupted me. The plan is simple. I need your help stopping Ra's al Ghul."
"That's it? Stop him? That's your grand strategy?" Kara raised an eyebrow, half-expecting more.
Bruce shrugged. "It's straightforward, but it's the best chance we have. We need to stop them before they vaporize the toxin."
With the plan in place, they geared up for the mission ahead. Time was running out for Gotham, and failure wasn't an option.
Weekly Power Status
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