Saturday night is always hectic in Gotham City. You can take in a show, visit a nightclub, dine out at the many high quality restaurants...
Or, if you're Barbara Gordon, you can spend your evening staking out an abandoned warehouse in the danker part of the city, on one of the coldest nights of the year, wearing what amounted to a skimpy pair of long johns.
The call had gone out just a few hours ago. Mr. Freeze had escaped from a supposedly high security convoy, and was up to his old tricks. There had already been a spate of ice themed robberies across the city, and Bruce had called her up to stakeout a potential hideout.
Stakeout involved sitting on top of a dilapidated apartment building for hours on end, just in case the bad guy showed up. Even with the intel of Wayne Enterprises, it usually turned out to be a bust.
'Is it just me', Barbara thought bitterly, wrapping her cape around herself in a vain attempt to keep out the cold, ' or does someone escape from Arkham almost every week?'
There were a few reasons the masked maiden was in such a foul mood. The cold was obviously a factor, but as well as that, tonight was supposed to be her first night off in weeks. She'd been looking forward to kicking back, taking a load off... but try explaining the concept of taking it easy to a man who hasn't taken a night off in a decade. Also she was starving. She skipped lunch, planning to order in and pig out, but that was before the jailbreak. And then there was...
"Perimeter's still all clear chief!"
Tim Drake, the third and current Robin. Barbara wouldn't have believed it, but he was actually more annoying than Dick Grayson.
"That's great Tim. Maybe you should check again. Y'know, just to be sure?" Barbara replied, trying to keep the sarcasm out of her voice.
"Hey, all I know is I've gone on patrol six times since we got here and all you've done is sit on your fat butt!"
"Listen here 'Boy Wonder', I've been on more stakeouts than you've had hot dinners!"
"Yeah, looks like you've been having plenty of those too 'Fatgirl!' "
Barbara flushed scarlet. "Why you little..."
But Barbara's retort would have to wait, as suddenly Mr. Freeze and a mob of what looked like eskimos came running down the alley below them.
Barbara quickly assessed the situation and turned to Robin. "Okay Tim, here's what we'll..."
But he was already gone, swinging down from the fire escape, before landing squarely on top of two goons, knocking them out.
"ICE to see you again Freezy. Hope you don't mind me DROPPING in."
Barbara groaned at the lame bravado before jumping down into the fray.
Even in the middle of a fight, it still seemed to Barbara like she was just going through the motions.
Punch goon, spinning kick, dodge ice blast, witty repartee, kick, punch, seemingly lose, suddenly turn it around, say clever pun...
Before she knew it the fight was over, Freeze was unconscious and Tim was giving a play by play.
"Did you see when I dodged that last ice blast? It was like 'WHOOSH' and I was like 'ICE try!' and Freeze was all 'Curse you Boy Wonder! Curse you!' And then..."
Barbara wasn't really listening. She was just imagining sinking her teeth into that doubled stuffed pepperoni pizza with extra cheese that she'd been craving all night.
Suddenly a cry from Tim, pointing at one of Freeze's henchmen who was trying to make his escape.
"I got it." said Barbara casually.
She could have just bataranged him, but then she decided a little showmanship would remind the kid who was the senior partner around here.
A little swing on the fire escape, a flip and she'd land precisely on the bad guy's shoulders. Piece a cake, sort of thing she'd done a thousand times before.
Just up and...
******************************************************************************** ************************************
"What on earth happened?" asked Alfred, as Barbara hobbled into the Batcave, supported by Tim.
"Just a little accident, y' know, momentary lapse of..."
"She slipped and fell right on her ass!" exclaimed Tim, a beaming grin on his face.
Alfred grimaced "Language Timothy. Now then let's get you up here Ms. Gordon, and see what the damage is."
As well as a butler, Alfred was also a trained soldier, actor and medic, and. after a perfunctory examination, diagnosed a sprained ankle, and prescribed plenty of rest and relaxation.
Hearing this Barbara smiled. Could be worse, she thought.
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