****************
Chapter 23 - Real Life Intrudes
Alfred, eyes carefully averted from the bed, entered Master Bruce�s suite at precisely 6am. He approached the bed, placed a gentle hand on his employer�s shoulder, and squeezed. Bruce�s eyes flew open but he didn�t move a muscle, careful not to disturb Selina, who slept peacefully in his arms.
�Master Tim and Miss Cassandra are here, sir,� Alfred told him in a barely-audible whisper.
�I�ll see them in the cave,� Bruce responded in the same low tone.
Alfred nodded and withdrew into the shadows lining the massive bedchamber, breathing a sigh of relief. One never knew what to expect when rousing Master Bruce from deep slumber. When he was a child, Bruce would wake, startled and disoriented, often bursting into tears. Alfred had suspected the young boy sobbed with relief at being pulled from his nightmares although Bruce had never spoke of it. Later, as he became more and more invested in the violence required to perform as Batman, waking Bruce became a kamikaze mission. He had almost throttled Alfred one late afternoon, still seeing before him something that had made Bruce sweat and shake in absolute terror. Alfred had concealed the purple bruises lining his neck carefully. Bruce had never asked why his manservant had suddenly taken to wearing turtlenecks in the middle of July.
Bruce slipped out of bed, drawing a robe over his bare shoulders. Selina sighed, rolled over and slanted her body diagonally across the bed, taking up as much space as humanly possible. In the dark bedroom where no one could see, Bruce grinned, amused at the way her self-interest was manifested even in sleep.
�Coffee or tea this morning, sir?� Alfred inquired from the shadows near the bedroom door.
�I�ll take breakfast with Selina later,� Bruce told his butler. Alfred nodded, then opened his eyes widely to glare at one of the four-footed little beasts who had recently invaded the Manor. The small, deceptively innocent tabby with the improbably moniker of Smitty was digging her claws into Bruce�s $1000 silk sheets. Alfred clenched his teeth tightly, listening as sharp, tiny claws made indelible impressions in the immaculate material.
Alfred had never thought he would miss Ace, but at least the slobbering canine had been honest about his intention to disrupt the well-oiled machinery of the Wayne household. These cats were suspicious creatures who bore close observation.
******************
��so he gets up and walks out of the police station. The detective sits back in his office for a while, thinking over the guy�s confession, checking it in his mind against the facts. And he notices the name of the china importer on his mug: Keyser Soze. All of the details of the guy�s story were right there in the office! Names, dates, places�everything was a lie! The cop chases after the guy, but he�s long gone. And you never really know what was real, what was fake, and what was just added for atmosphere. Pretty great, huh?�
Cassandra shrugged. Tim sighed, disappointed. So he�d never turn her into a cinephile. They�d tried to watch Pulp Fiction together yesterday, but Cassie had lost interest during most of the dialogue-heavy scenes. She�d loved XXX and 2Fast2Furious; anything loud and kinetic with lots of violence and as little plot and dialogue as possible made Cassandra Cain a happy girl. Tim still held out hope for her, however. She�d adored Finding Nemo, like the rest of the human race.
�How was patrol?�
They both turned to see Bruce Wayne standing at the foot of the steps leading up to the grandfather clock entrance. He didn�t seem bothered by the cold dampness of the cave despite the fact that he wore only a long robe. Tim felt instantly guilty.
�We thought you�d be down here,� Tim explained quickly. �We can report back later, let you get some sleep��
�It�s fine,� Bruce assured him. �Did you find anything?�
Tim glanced at Cassandra, silently urging her on. She needed to get used to delivering the mission briefings, especially to Bruce. Cassie was still a little in awe of him, and she tried not to use her slow, laborious speaking voice around him. Only Tim seemed to be aware of her reluctance; Bruce certainly hadn�t noticed, and Barbara seemed to be refusing to see it.
Cassie seemed to take the hint, as she always did from a physical cue. �Lot was empty,� she told Bruce, her head up and eyes wide and fierce, not at all in sync with her quiet, broken voice. �Only a parking lot. No�� she stalled and looked at Tim in sudden panic. He forced himself to keep quiet, coaching her with his eyes.
�No�ob-ser-vers,� she said slowly, carefully enunciating each syllable, a wide smile breaking over her delicate features. Bruce nodded, trying this best to communicate approval. He wasn�t quite as oblivious as Tim believed.
�You swept for hidden cameras and listening devices?� Bruce asked, crossing the first level of the cave and making for the central computer. Tim and Cassie, still wearing their costumes but without the masks, trailed behind. Bruce punched a sequence of keys, bringing up a 3-D display on the holographic screen. It was a blueprint for a parking lot in Tricorner where the April 1st meeting would be held. Bruce had instructed Batgirl and Robin to periodically inspect the lot in order to determine if it was under observation. He knew almost nothing about the circumstances surrounding the meeting but at least understanding as much as possible about the lot and adjacent buildings would prevent a complete disadvantage.
Tim handed Bruce a mini-disc full of recon on the lot. It was a standard 50x70 ft. dirt parking lot, under lease to the city. Two Purple Lilly dealers were in competition for the block and the lot was a DMZ in the local drug trade where junkies could find their fix without worrying about a drive-by. The surrounding tenements were six-to-twelve story housing units, tall, black, formless structures with slitted windows and balconies covered by chicken wire. The projects looked more like prisons than apartment complexes. All of the buildings within a four-block radius had been photographed by Cassandra in detail. Tim had placed surveillance devices in each and every member of the team except Selina had memorized the blueprints.
The 3-D map on the screen identified areas of risk which could not be monitored fully do to danger of compromise. Even Batman couldn�t hide in an open, brightly-lit courtyard for long. Cassie had assessed the situation with Tim and concluded that, as long as they set up security protocols two days in advance of the meet, their safety wouldn�t be significantly compromised.
�You�ll be positioned here,� Bruce told Tim, pointing to a rooftop vantage point overlooking the north, open side of the lot. If the Other arrived by car, they would have to enter from that side. A helicopter drop was possible but Bruce had discounted it. Tricorner was more secure than the East End: the proximity of Gotham Central and the quiet, residential neighborhood to the west made police attention unavoidable if a �copter tried to land in the middle of the lot.
�And I want you on this staircase,� he gestured to the 3-D map, showing Cassie where she would be. �It�s a tight fit, but it�s a crucial point of observation. If you�re overwhelmed on the staircase, you can make your break out the window.�
Cassandra nodded, her almond eyes narrowing as she checked the layout of Bruce�s map, contrasting it against her memorized plans of the building.
�Dick, Selina and I will be stationed along the south fence, in the shadows. I want floodlights ready to pop behind us so we aren�t blinded by their headlights when they pull up. Barbara will be in her van on Douglas Street in case we need to tail them. If a chase becomes necessary, Tim, get off the roof as quickly as possible and get into the van with Barbara. She�ll need a point man.� Barbara�s position was denoted by a blue �X�, her van placed centrally in an alleyway running behind a building parallel to the lot.
�Any questions?� Bruce asked, nodding as Tim and Cassie shook their heads. Tim wanted to ask why Bruce was so concerned about this meeting. They rarely did this much recon when going up against a major threat like Ra�s Al Ghul. Bruce was typically over prepared but it seemed to Tim like he was actually�frightened. And if Bruce was scared-
�Who�s on patrol tonight?� Bruce asked them, his tone lacking the stern lecturing tone he�d used moments ago. Tim looked at his feet.
�Dad wanted to go to a Knights game tonight,� he said quietly. �I can cancel, but-�
�Go,� Bruce said simply. �You�re off rotation anyway.�
Tim looked up, surprised Bruce had let him off so easily. He should ask for a night off more often, at least during the school week.
Cassandra pulled her Batgirl cowl over her head, the seamless black material obscuring her face completely. Unlike the other costumes, Batgirl�s uniform left no part of her face or body exposed. Tim was secretly jealous of her in freezing weather; he had to be content with thin leggings and short-shorts. Tim had almost killed Dick when the older boy had confessed he was responsible for the design of the Robin costume.
�Cassie, I want you to start patrol tonight on Cape Carmine by Kane Sound and work your way south-west around the Park. If you run into any trouble, get on the Oracom channel right away. Catwoman and I will be working north from Tricorner to the East End. Use a simple grid pattern and stay in contact with the Clocktower.�
Cassandra nodded, her expression hidden by the cowl. Tim raised his eyebrows. Bruce really was nervous. He rarely felt the urge to caution Cassie. She was the best fighter in their small group, which was quite an accomplishment. If there was a situation Cassandra couldn�t handle, Tim had never seen it. But something about this Other terrified Bruce. Tim resolved to ask Dick and Barbara what they thought that meant.
�Anything else?� Bruce asked them. Tim and Cassie shook their heads and Tim began undoing the clasp holding the black Robin cape closed over his shoulders.
Bruce nodded, dismissing them. Tim headed to an entrance on the far side of the cave that attached to the property owned by his father, Jack Drake. Cassie would return to her satellite cave in the city. Bruce headed up the stairs, turned, and nodded in approval at the sight of Cassandra intently studying the computerized copy of the Tricorner lot. He left her in the cave.
*****************
