The hunt begins

[twiceahero]

It's been one of those days.

Dinah's out in the field. Hasaragua to be exact. She'd gotten a tip about left-over Soviet military gear (and who knew there was still any of that around) stored in an abandoned military facility. Normally she'd check into it and alert someone else to take care of it, but her informant had also told her that some sort of sale was going down.

So she'd gotten Dinah some plane tickets.

Then Robin had come over to help her do some upgrades on her holographic simulation room. Juggling the mission and the upgrades had been easy, especially with Dinah who could pretty much take care of herself.

Then Dick had shown up. Then Ted had shown up. And now she was trying to juggle all the secrets involved in all those people, and was only half-watching Dinah's progress.

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[serinusniger]

It's been one of those days.

Dinah woke up safe and comfortable in the JSA headquarters, only to be informed by her best friend in the entire world - a best friend, incidentally, whose name she doesn't know and who she's never actually met - that she was going to catch the next plane to Hasaragua.

She'd crept through the jungle, risking tree-related scratches on her bare legs that in her old costume would simply have nicked the fishnet. She'd tracked down one of the trucks carrying goods to this promised arms fair. She'd stumbled into the armed goons guarding the goods.

She'd dealt with them so quickly she almost felt embarrassed for them. Especially when she had to fake snoring so their colleagues don't realise they've been knocked unconscious.

It's not until the truck comes to a complete rest at its final destination that she realises there's been no style-cramping orders coming from her earpiece in a while now.

"Oracle? You listening?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

The distraction in Barbara's voice carries even through the voice distortion, at least to someone who's worked with her as long as Dinah.

"Oh. Hey. Yeah." She's waving for Tim and Ted behind her to be quiet.

[serinusniger]

Figures Oracle wouldn't be paying attention while Dinah's putting her life on the line. Anyone would think Dinah was comepetant or anything.

...was that another voice. Was that a male voice?

"I heard voices. Is someone there with you, Oracle?"

And is Dinah going to be filled in with all the vagueries later?

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Just the television, Dinah." If the distracted tone weren't enough to give away the lie, the fact that it's a really lame explanation should.

"Is this important?" As if Dinah would call if it weren't.

[serinusniger]

"Well, yeah."

As if Dinah would call if it weren't. And also, she's going to remember that really lame explanation. Oracle could at least come up with a decent lie.

"You were right about the weapons lab in Hasaragua," she explains, in a barely-audible tone she's long since developed into a second nature. "The Soviets left a lot of lethal stuff behind when the Communist regime here fell."

She assumes it's remnants from the Soviet regime, anyway. The markings on most of the crates she's currently sitting on bear logos that haven't been seen in official usage since the regime disintegrated.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

That gets Barbara's attention. It helps that Tim and Ted have finally fallen silent.

"Any sign of buyers?" Babs leans forward to look at her screens.

[serinusniger]

"Pretty quiet."

Which isn't that worrying. Dinah dealt with the only people who could raise the alarm.

"Your tip was off about the arms bazaar. But the goodies are here. My Russian is rusty, but this stuff looks like low yield nukes. Portable stuff. Shoulder-launched weapons."

Most people pick up enough in other languages to hail a taxi and get a room in the hotel. Dinah knows arms inventory in more languages than she can swear in.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara smiles slightly. Once again, her info is dead on. Though the lack of buyers is a bit worrying.

"Any sign of Kobra Agents hanging around?"

[serinusniger]

"Nothing like that, yet."

In her JLA glory days, Dinah would be disappointed at the lack of action. Now she's just matter of fact. If Kobra turn up, she'll deal. Everyone gets quiet days at work.

"But the night is young. I'll keep you posted."

Meanwhile, she'll settle down on this pile of weapons, stay alert, and decide what to have for dinner when she gets home.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara nods. Dinah is good at this stuff, after all. She can trust the other woman. "Oracle out."

She leans back in her chair with a sigh. Ted, of course, has a question. "The Canary calls you 'Oracle'. She doesn't know your real name?"

Barbara's tone borders on defensive, "Dinah doesn't need to know anything about me. It's better that way." For all sorts of dumb reasons. And maybe even a couple of good ones.

"Then you've never met?" Ted sounds a bit incredulous.

"Oh, we've met," Babs allows herself a private smile. "She just doesn't know that." She's about to add something when her security system blinks a front door alert.

Oh... Jason Bard. Her ex-fiance who she hasn't seen in years. Well, she saw him, but he didn't see her. There was that mission, after all.

She tells Ted and Tim to entertain themselves and rolls out to deal with this. Dinah can take care of herself for a few hours.

[serinusniger]

It's a shame Dinah's out of contact, really. She really got to like Jason back then, proof as he is that Oracle has much better taste in men than she, Dinah, does.

"Now, that's a crime," she mutters in that vocal level that would only be picked up by the mic on her necklace. She knows Oracle may not answer, but just in case. Besides, she's grown used to talking to herself on a mission. "A dirty rotten shame."

The night's been long and boring, and she's had nothing better to do than use her nifty super-night vision goggles to watch the guards' poker game through the barred window.

"The lamest bottom dealing I've seen since poker night at Gardner's place."

At least Ted had the decency to be good at cheating.





Dinah's interrupted in her memories of the JLI by a quick moving sudden flash of light across her vision, and a sharp pain to her head - and then the ground is rushing up to meet her as she crumples off the crate.

Quickly, she takes stock of her attackers- one short masked knifeman with a Hasaraguan accent, and a real British lady, whose clipped accent really sounds strange as it says the name "Oracle."

[brave-n-bold.livejournal.com]

The British accent is joined by another one. South American maybe? The two seem to be engrossed in some sort of discussion they feel is full of witty banter, convinced that Dinah is out of the fight.

[serinusniger]

Well, this explains why it was so quiet. Dinah's gone and walked right into a set up. At least this time it was Oracle who sent her here.

And it's Oracle they're after.

Not that they'll succeed.

She's lying in a way that one hand is easily able to work its way into her jacket, closing around a metal object the size and shape of a baseball.

How Oracle replicated this, she'll never know, but she's still grateful, for all it hurts that she'll need to use it.

"Sorry, Chicky," she says, finally pushing herself up, "but I never heard of 'Oracle'."

[brave-n-bold.livejournal.com]

"I have reason," that aristocratic accent laughs, "to believe that you have." Her smile is cruel. "A pity if you choose to be stubborn. Such lovely legs."

Her companion steps forward, a knife in each hand. "Let me carve the truth from her, Lady Vic!"

"Patience, Brutale," is the calm answer as they both step toward Dinah.

[serinusniger]

Click.

Dinah knows how this works. Activate the switch, throw the Canary grenade away, and she has three seconds to act. Or to be glib.

"Hope you two ghouls don't mind, if I use my lovely legs to get out of here."

As she runs, she hears it, and nothing else.

EEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE

There had been a time when that would be her own scream. These days she has to resort to gadgetry.

[brave-n-bold.livejournal.com]

Both of the mercenaries collapse holding their heads. They might be trying to say something, but there's no way to hear it.

Unfortunately the noise draws all the guards around the compound, and they apparently subscribe to the "shoot first and don't bother your head with silly questions" school of warfare.

[serinusniger]

Classy guys.

Dinah needs a way out, and she needs a way out now - like that conveniently parked artillery vehicle by the compound's wired fence.

She runs, knowing her only defense is to move faster than the gunmen can aim, and raises her voice to just under the sound of the gunfire.

"Oracle? You reading me?" she pants as she runs up the hood of the truck, across the cabin and gun, and finally leaps over the fence. "We were set up. And I mean 'we.' Somebody wants to know about you. Bad."

Bad enough to risk this kind of action, anyway.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

During the hours that Dinah sat watching, Babs managed to make it back home. Dinner with Jason had been... interesting. He'd wanted to see her again. She'd said maybe.

She'd meant probably not.

But now it's business time. She leans forward, frowning. "They mentioned 'Oracle' by name?" she asks. Oracle is almost as much of a secret as Oracle's identity, after all. People shouldn't even know she's out there.

[serinusniger]

"Yeah." Dinah crouches after her leap for a second, while the jungle around her explodes with gunfire. "Some babe with a Jane Austen accent and a little freak with a thing for knives."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara's eyes widen. That sounds like...

"What's your situation, Dinah?"

If she sounds distracted that's probably because she's already pulling up the command lists for a number of emergency protocols.

[serinusniger]

The gunfire never really ceased, and now it's louder as the jungle around Dinah's feet begins to shake up under it. She leaps to her feet and runs, away from the compound and deeper into the trees.

There's only one answer for Oracle:

"Mobile!"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Mobile.

Babs is already tossing her headset onto the desk and grabbing her emergency bag. Then she's in the elevator heading for the parking garage.

Dinah's just going to have to stay mobile (and alive) while Babs gets things rolling. As she rolls out of the elevator and toward her modified Hummer, she trips the last of her bail-out protocols.

"Code Yankee. Activate contingency Ghost Trace Three." A green confirmation light blinks to red as she starts the car.

She'd never wanted to have to use that one...

[serinusniger]

Dinah can stay mobile. Dinah's an expert at staying mobile. Even if it means, as in this case, sprinting hard into theoretically inpenetrable forest.

She keeps flat out after the gunfire stops, slowing eventually into a more sustainable pace. Even then, it's a while before she has the breath to risk talking to Oracle again.

"What's all this about?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Babs is just pulling on the headset in her Hummer when Dinah comes in again.

"I'm trying to figure this out," she returns, her attention on the rainy street in front ofher.

[serinusniger]

That could be rain on the line, yes. But Dinah rather suspects it's static.

"Your signal's weak."

Which,to be fair, she assumes is because she's in the middle of the rainforest.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"I'm on the move myself. I had my place invaded a while back, and I'm not looking to repeat the experience."

Her tone is tight. Controlled anger. It's not often that someone has the guts to go after her personally.

[serinusniger]

"Boy, what your life must be like," Dinah remarks, crouching behind a tree to peer around and figure out the situation.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Knowing that Dinah's out in a jungle being chased by guys with guns makes the statement all the more amusing. Barbara snorts and plays along.

"Tell me about it," she grouses. "I'm supposed to have the cushy desk job. And now I've got someone squeezing me through you."

The watches the signs on the highway and slows down slightly as the rain picks up.

"We'll have to continue this later, Dinah. I've gotta run."

[serinusniger]

Against the green backdrop of the undergrowth, Dinah catches sight of that red bodysuit and long blonde braid of the Brit that attacked her in the weapons compound. She needs to get stealthy again.

"Me too," she says quietly.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Oracle out."

A small tone sounds in the car. Barbara turns on her hazard lights and stops under an overpass. She can't drive and hack at once, and she's running out of time.

She pulls off the headset and sets it on the dash. Dinah can handle herself for half an hour or so.

"This guy is good," Babs mutters as she looks at her screen. They've already backtraced through 70% of her hijacked systems. Another couple of minutes and they'll be able to pinpoint the clock tower. And even if she isn't there, it's loss would be catastrophic.

Her fingers fly over the keyboard as she triggers a database dump and then sends her systems into emergency shutdown. Her backup command center automatically comes online, but it has nowhere near the processing power, and Oracle's electronic eyes grow suddenly dim.

That's that, but she needs more time. A couple of quick commands is all it takes to reroute her signal through yet another data center. She hopes it's enough.