(no subject)

[twiceahero]

It's quiet in Gotham, it's quiet everywhere else too. Which means that Babs can either sleep, or work on a personal project. Sleep, right.

Barbara Gordon has done a lot of really weird things in her lifetime, but this has got to rank up there. She's working on an adaptive infiltration algorithm. A sort of virus that can crack through high-security data networks.

She plans on using this one against her own systems. In the future.

Turns out that it's a lot harder to try to hack the systems you think you'll have in a couple of years than one might think. Especially when you know that your future self is going to be running security.

Comments

[alwaysroomforhope]

"Wow. That looks way complicated." Steph peers over her shoulder, aware that Babs will have known she was coming from blocks away. "What's up?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"It's a quiet night, I thought I'd get a little personal time with some assembly code." Barbara flashes a grin over her shoulder at Steph. "How have you been, Stephanie?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph is trying to read the screen, but not having any luck.

"I'm good. Bored tonight, it's really quiet. Is there anywhere you need me?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Oddly enough, I don't need anyone anywhere." A couple of taps on her keyboard and a screen springs to life showing Gotham. It's broken up into geographical zones, and each of them pulse a calming green.

"It's been quiet."

The look Babs is giving Stephanie is a searching one, but whatever she's looking for she doesn't seem to find.

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph squirms a little under the look, but it's not from anything she feels particularly guilty about; it's just a standard reaction.

"That just means someone's plotting something, right?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara snorts, "Probably."

"But there's nothing we can do now but keep watching." She's silent for a moment, "Have you thought any about what I said?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

"What you said when?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara doesn't sigh. She's been doing this too long for that.

"About not being so worried about having Batman's approval."

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph nods. "Yeah, I thought about it for a bit. I dunno, it seems kind of silly, Babs. The whole thing's about him, isn't it? You can't make it not be."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

There's a sudden tension as Barbara stares hard at Steph. "Is that what you think? That it's all about Batman?"

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph looks at her curiously.

"Well, isn't it? ... Okay, lots of it is about Robin too, but that's different, that's just because he's hot."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Steph," Barbara's voice is dead serious, "If you're doing this for them, then you're in the wrong line of work."

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph looks at her, and sobers up a little.

"I'm doing it because of my dad, Oracle. It's not 'cos of anything else."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"I was too," Barbara smiles fondly, then shakes her head. "But that's not enough, Steph. You have to come to a point where it's about," another screen springs up, this one showing a camera image of a small apartment complex, "them."

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph leans over to peer at it, frowning.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

It's just a camera from a convenience store focused on an apartment on the south side. Just normal people, living a normal life. There isn't anything special about it at all, really. Which is precisely why Barbara chose this view.

[alwaysroomforhope]

It takes Steph a moment to get it, but she does.

"Yeah -- well, duh, Babs, right?"

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Yeah." Barbara's voice is serious, "And this is what matters, Steph. Not whether Batman approves of you or not. He didn't approve of me, but it never mattered."

[alwaysroomforhope]

Steph nods obediently.

"I get it, I swear."

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

"Good." Barbara's always been good at controlling her tone of voice, and being Oracle has only made her better. That's why she doesn't sound as exasperated as she feels.

She starts to say something else when the hovering map of Gotham flashes once and one of the distrcts lights red. "43rd and Greene. Armed robbery in progress." She turns to Steph, "Looks like things are less boring."

"R, we've got a robbery in progress at 43rd and Greene. I'm sending Spoiler. She'll meet you there."

[alwaysroomforhope]

All thoughts of whys and wherefores are promptly gone from Steph's head.

"Sweet! See ya, O!"

She yanks her hood back on, beaming, and races out.

[twiceahero.livejournal.com]

Barbara takes a moment to sigh as she looks sadly after the eggplant-clad girl. So much for the easy way. And plan B is a lot messier.