BAE Chapter 27

Barbara wakes up feeling tender, but functional. She can walk, shower, and dress herself. There’s a lot of pain involved, but she can handle pain.

Alfred waits until she’s sitting in the cavernous kitchen of Wayne Manor, eating the magnificent breakfast that he’s prepared for her, although it’s past noon.

“It’s the Seed formula, Ms. Gordon.”

Barbara stops in mid-chew. She doesn’t do anything as obvious as slamming her fist on the table, she just puts down the half-eaten piece of bacon, wipes her mouth, and takes a long, long drink of coffee.

“Of course it is,” she says quietly.

The sample from the harbor. Had Red Cross known? Impossible to say.

“Is it identical to Ivy’s original formula?” Barbara asks, trying not to let rage cloud her thoughts.

“Synthetic, it seems.”

So someone has found a way to duplicate it. Barbara bites her thumb, thinking hard. What does the mob want to do with it? Sell it as a designer ****? Or as a weapon? Because it is a weapon. Something that can modify someone’s body against their will is a terrifying thing. Barbara shudders at the thought of it falling into the hands of someone like the Joker. No doubt, he’d think it would be a great joke if every woman in Gotham had a penis.

Barbara winces in pain. She’s clutching her glass so hard that it’s hurting other parts of her body.

“Perhaps a day off is in order,” Alfred suggests mildly.

“Did Bruce ever take a day off?” she mutters grumpily.

“You know the answer to that question.”

Barbara scowls at the far wall.

“I should remind you that you have dinner this evening at the penthouse with Ms. Gleeson,” Alfred says.

“Did Bruce have the same relationship with her that he had with Vicki?”

“No. He respected Ms. Gleeson too much.”

Barbara nods. “I’ll make it work. Set me up with Riley Beaumont today. I need yoga for recovery. Something soft.”

“Ms. Gordon, this woman is a trainer, not a physical therapist.”

“I don’t care.”

“Very good. And the matter of the formula?”

“Mobsters that got out have it. Elite Pride has it. Stopping it from hitting the streets is impossible,” Barbara says without hesitation. “What we need is an antidote.”

“Master Bruce refused to negotiate with Ms. Isley.”

“I’m ready to negotiate. I need to speak with her. Off the record.”

“She’s in Arkham. Difficult to do,” Alfred says neutrally.

Barbara turns and looks at him. He is impossible to read. His poker face is flawless. She stares anyway. Alfred isn’t the weak link, Bruce is. Barbara knows Bruce too well.

“There might be a way,” he concedes. “But only for someone able to stand on her own.”

Barbara is willing to make that concession, although she doesn’t like it. She needs to be fully recovered before she takes on Ivy. The delay might have consequences, but there’s no way around that now.

Alfred breaks the silence, which has stretched on too long.

“What Master Bruce did for Master Dick was a laudable thing,” he says.

Barbara focuses on him and waits for him to go on.

“But I was never fully in agreement with the decision,” he says.

“I know.” Of course, Alfred would never approve of putting a child in danger.

“I am fully in agreement with Master Bruce’s belief that partnership would strengthen him.”

Barbara grimaces. “That’s a little on the nose, Alfred. I know.”

“Ms. Kane phoned. She’d like access to the Cave.”

“She wants to train,” Barbara says grimly. “She wants to get back out there.”

“Doubtful. But she doesn’t want you out there alone.”

Barbara nods, turning her gaze on the clock on the wall. She had something else in mind. Bruce Wayne always had plenty of charisma, but Bruce Wayne was an act. The Batman had no charisma, and a narrow way of looking at the world.

“I’m wondering if Ivy would agree to work with me,” she says finally.

“That’s a risky proposition.”

“I know. She’s smart enough to know that she can do more good for the environment when she’s not locked up. I can help her. She can help me. She’s powerful,” Barbara adds with a glance at Alfred. “She brings a lot to the table.”

“Are you sure that your political views aren’t coloring your perception of her?”

“I’m not crazy, Alfred. Even Pamela Isley with Bruce Wayne’s fortune couldn’t stop climate change at this point. But maybe I can do for her what Bruce did for Dick. Help her channel it toward something that can do us some good.”

“You really don’t like Ms. Kane, do you?” Alfred asks bluntly.

“It’s not that. Bruce never should’ve given her the nod. He knew it. That represents his desperation for me. It reminds me that he knew it was getting out of his control. And that taints the whole damn thing,” she adds, and it almost comes out in a snap. “I used to trust him. I thought he had a plan. But he was just spinning plates and didn’t know how to stop.”

“That’s not fair.”

“I don’t have to be fair,” she tells him waspishly. “I’m the goddamn Batgirl.”

And the Batgirl cannot handle Gotham alone. A partner? That’s a problem for another day, but an ally—she needs that now.

Kate isn’t the most powerful choice, but she’s safe and available. Kate can be trusted. Barbara knows where she stands with Kate.

Ivy is more formidable in every conceivable way. But extending any trust toward her is an enormous risk. One that Bruce was never willing to take.

Give Kate the green light?

Or approach Ivy for an alliance?