Barbara got her laptop connected to the LAN. She was determined. It had been so long since Bruce had asked her to do anything to help him. He hadn't asked her for any help since Dick left. That wasn't a huge surprise to her though. She never felt Bruce respected her the same way he respected Dick. Combine that with the fact that she was one of the main reasons Dick left, and you can pretty much put your finger on the reasons she hadn't become Robinette. That was all going to change now though. She was absolutely determined to show Bruce how valuable she was.
Bruce had asked her to find out more on this therapist, Chase Meredith. Barbara had never heard of her. Little did she know the effect Dr. Meredith already had on the lives of two of the biggest figures in Barbara's life. Barbara's father, Commissioner James Gordon, was already deep in the vixen's spell. He was completely enslaved by her hypnotic ways. Bruce was in the process of following the same downward spiral into submission.
Barbara was an experienced hacker. Bruce assumed Dick was the computer pro, but he had
actually learned everything he knew from her. She had no trouble finding Dr. Meredith's server, but her files were all encrypted. Barbara played around for an hour, trying to guess a number of different passwords. None worked. This was so disappointing, she couldn't just tell Bruce she couldn't do it. She had to find a way to get the job done. She decided if the computer can't do it, then she would have to take the situation into her own hands. Her own gloved hands that is. Barbara planned to don her costume, for the first time in a long while, when she went to break into Dr. Meredith's office.

 

"How was last night, sir?", Alfred asked. Bruce seemed distracted.
"It was fine", he said, almost automatically.
"I didn't see anything on the news about Two-Face's capture", Alfred said, surprised the night was deemed as 'fine'. What he had seen on the news was The museum of natural history ransacked by Two-Face and his thugs. Batman had been no where in sight.
"I searched all night, but I couldn't find Two-Face", Bruce told Alfred.
"That's odd sir, one might have thought the massive
explosion that knocked off the 6" solid steel door to the museum would have served as quite a give away.", Alfred said, politely, but sarcastically.
"The Stasis Diamond arrives tonight at the Gugen Gallery, doesn't it", Bruce asked. Referring to the crown jewel of Spain.
"Indeed, a perfect target for Two-Face, no doubt", Alfred said. He desperately hoped Bruce would capture Two-Face tonight so that he could finally rest for a minute, "By the way, Barbara called. She said she didn't have any information on Dr. Meredith yet, but she'd have some in a few days."

 

It had been the prize of the Spanish royal family for nearly a thousand years. The Spanish government had been sending it on a promotional tour of the world's biggest cities. They hoped it would be a tourist magnet at each venue, bringing in much needed money to the people of Spain. So far, it had been extremely profitable.
Diamonds always had huge black market value, no matter what kind of heat might be on them. Usually, stealing a national treasure meant you had something that was too hot to fence. This national treasure didn't have that problem. That made it the

perfect bait for Two-Face. If Batman let the diamond sit at the gallery, he would have the perfect opportunity to snag Two-Face.

Just as Batman might have predicted, the large stain glass dome over the gallery smashed as a figure repelled down from the roof. It wasn't Two-Face though, it was Batman. He quickly dismantled the high priced security system. He removed the diamond from it's casing. He was actually stealing it.

Batman's idea was not unique though. As he was securing the gem, Two-Face and his gang burst into the gallery. Two-Face immediately ordered that his gang attack the Caped Crusader. Batman fought

quickly and effectively. Two-Face's thugs fell one by one. Unfortunately for Two-Face, four of his henchmen were killed last night in the blast to open the museum. That left him with a light crew. Every criminal knew you needed at least ten guys to overwhelm Batman. Tonight Two-Face had only eight. As the last thug fell, Two-Face realized his luck was up. The diamond was no where in sight anyhow, so Two-Face decided to flee. He made a mad dash out the window.
Batman was just feet away from him. He could easily catch Two-Face now, ending the criminal's
reign of terror. Batman had been hoping for this moment for months.

Oddly, Batman did not chase after Two-Face. In fact, he didn't seem to even pay any attention to Two-Face. Batman quickly turned and began to flee the building himself.

Two Face glanced back quickly, expecting to see a black rubber hand inches from his neck. Instead, he saw the tail end of a black cape as it fluttered out of the gallery skylight. What did the Dark Knight have up his sleeve?

next page