Although a trace of panic flickered at the corner of Batman's eyes, he recovered almost instantly. His gaze swept over the three people on the screen, steady and composed, as he greeted them:
"Miss Thea, Miss Felicity… You hacked my system for what reason?"
Neither Thea nor Felicity got to see him truly flustered—which annoyed them a bit. They stepped aside, giving Commissioner Gordon the space to speak.
"Mechanical support, nanotech, or magic…"
Batman had long known Thea possessed a few unusual tricks; magic did not exceed his expectations. But even he hesitated when faced with three very different paths.
When it came to loved ones, he would never use his strict moral standards to judge.
If Alfred were grievously injured, Batman would use every method available to save him.
Barbara wasn't as important as Alfred in his heart, but she was still family.
And this time, Barbara had been hurt because of his war with the Joker. The fact that an old friend like Gordon was still suffering consequences at his age filled Batman with guilt.
For him, the nanobot option was the best. His reasoning was similar to Gordon's—
Who the hell carried EMP grenades around in Gotham?
If the gangs had EMP weapons, half of his tech would get fried. He wouldn't survive a single night.
"Let's ask Barbara herself," Batman decided. "I'll bring her here."
And with that, he cut the connection.
His computer skills were good. Thea and Felicity hadn't bothered hiding their signal; Batman quickly located where they were—Star City, Queen Group headquarters.
But after checking his systems top to bottom, he still couldn't figure out where the breach had been. The fact that Felicity had cracked his carefully built security with ease left him speechless.
"When I get back, I have to examine this system again…"
Muttering, he rushed out to fetch Barbara.
"Why did he hang up? Does the Batcave not have enough money to pay the electric bill?"
Thea and Felicity were baffled.
"He's always like that… you'll get used to it."
Gordon said with an embarrassed smile.
They could only wait. Thea instructed her assistant to prepare a helicopter—they would likely need to fly to Gotham soon. Her spellbook didn't include teleportation, and Cyborg's future teleportation ability depended on Apokoliptian Mother Box technology—far beyond her current reach.
Less than half an hour later, the display lit up again. Of course it was Batman hacking his way in.
Thea mouthed at Felicity: Upgrade our system ASAP.
Which translated directly to: Prepare to work overtime.
Felicity glared bitterly at Batman's face on the screen.
Barbara appeared next—completely drained.
The once vibrant red-haired girl now looked wilted, lifeless. The moment she spotted Thea and Felicity on the screen, she turned her face away, unwilling to let them see her like this.
Why is she still like this?
Thea and Felicity looked to Batman for an explanation.
"I didn't tell her the solutions yet. This is something she needs to hear herself."
The moment Barbara heard "solutions," her eyes lit up. She bit her lip, barely daring to believe what she had heard.
Thea, now playing the role of physician, explained all three methods again—their pros, cons, and limitations. Nothing omitted.
"A—ah…"
Barbara covered her mouth, overwhelmed by emotion.
She had fallen to the lowest point of her life. Any hope—any hope at all—she would cling to. If there had been even one solution, she would've taken it.
But three?
Yet, standing at such a crossroads, anyone would hesitate. She looked pleadingly to Gordon and Batman.
"You decide for yourself."
"We'll support whatever you choose."
Both important figures gave their stance:
Any option was acceptable.
"I… I choose the magic option."
Barbara finally said, stealing a glance at Batman. She knew well her mentor's views, but she wanted only one thing—to be whole again.
Putting a machine inside her body felt wrong.
As for losing a few years of life? She was only twenty. Living under constant knives and bullets, she didn't expect to die of old age anyway.
Batman nodded, offering no objections.
"Then I'll trouble Miss Thea to come. Whatever materials you need, I'll prepare."
"All right. We'll discuss the details in person."
Thea ended the call, feeling a faint sadness. One bullet had turned a bright young girl into this.
This was the helplessness of ordinary humans.
Her own body, though far weaker than Diana's, had been transformed by divinity. Handgun bullets meant nothing to her now. Rifle shots would barely break skin. Anything short of a one-hit kill could be healed through divine energy.
She told Felicity to watch over the office—and upgrade the system. With Thea's influence increasing, more eyes would be on her. She had no desire to be hacked every other day.
…
The trip to Gotham went smoothly.
Six months earlier, their battle had left local gangs shattered; they still hadn't recovered. Guided by Gordon, Thea landed the plane by the shoreline, and the two walked into the infamous Batcave.
Last time Thea had come, Bane had wrecked the place. She had no idea whether this was rebuilt or a different section.
The eerie, oppressive atmosphere was very Gotham-like—almost like a haunted house. Using the Eye of Horus, Thea swept the area and spotted three sealed chambers. She wondered how many files and contingencies Batman had hidden here—perhaps even details of the "Babel Project."
"Miss Thea, whatever you do, don't mention Dick in front of Barbara…"
Walking in heels through these uneven tunnels was torture. Gordon suddenly remembered something and warned her urgently.
"I know, don't worry."
During the flight, she had learned the recent updates:
Dick Grayson, the first Robin, had left Batman and become Nightwing. He and Barbara had peacefully parted ways. He was no longer in Gotham.
Batman had since chosen the burly Jason Todd as the second Robin.
Barbara had suffered emotional trauma, followed by physical injury. Batman had moved Jason's training elsewhere, afraid she would be triggered if she saw him.
"Yo, Uncle Bruce, looking good today."
When Thea entered the room, she saw Batman frowning over lines of code—not because he wanted to be a programmer, but because Felicity had bruised his pride.
Bruce nodded.
"Let me take you to Barbara. I just gave her a sedative—she's emotionally unstable."
And he led them deeper into the cave.