Brought to the Clock Tower

"Cool, right?"

Cassandra was beaming at him again. Aaron could remain cool for only so long before breaking into a smile.

"Yeah, it was cool," Aaron admitted.

"Told you." Cassandra snickered as she poked his side. He joined her with a small smile.

The sound? The vroom? The Batmobile was literally the stuff of legends and it lived up to the hype. He sat at the back alongside Cassandra, jittery and enthralled from the buzz of the high tech vehicle. It was dark and warm, and the atmosphere was oppressive with Batman driving. It reeked of gasoline and it roared to life as they turned and weaved through the streets of Gotham.

At the front, Batman tapped into the control panel and a hidden compartment opened and revealed a sleek metallic device with a series of buttons and switches. Batman expertly entered a sequence of codes and activated something. The Batmobile's engine revved and its headlights pierced through the darkness. Ahead, there was a graffiti wall belonging to an abandoned building.

The wall split open. The Batmobile zoomed through. The wheels were suddenly locked in.

The passage was tight and smooth, like a train track guiding the vehicle to its destination. The Batmobile went up, up, up, swerving and fighting a tough incline. Finally, the Batmobile came to a halt in a specially designed parking area. Batman shut off the engine and the headlights faded.

It was a short-lived experience that Aaron would never forget for the rest of his life.

While Aaron, Cassandra, Damian, and Tim had sat at the back, Batman, Lady Shiva, and Talia were at the front. The remaining heroes said they would join them another way. The doors of the Batmobile flew open simultaneously and everybody got off. Aaron surveyed his surroundings, the quiet hum of the area echoing around him.

"This doesn't look like the Bat Cave," Aaron mused to himself. "Where are we?"

"So she told you about the Bat Cave? Great," Damian mumbled.

"It's the Clock Tower," Tim explained, "it's where Oracle conducts her work."

Clock Tower? The term rang a bell. Cassandra must have mentioned it. "Oh, I see."

The Clock Tower's dimly lit control room was abuzz with activity. Multiple computer screens displayed real-time feeds from around Gotham City. The air was thick with tension and fatigue. Oracle, otherwise known as Barbara Gordon, sat at her workstation, her wheelchair positioned strategically to oversee the room.

Barbara turned herself around and faced the group. She eyed Lady Shiva like one would an old friend, then settled on Talia with distaste. Barbara pursed her lips and jabbed a thumb to her left. "The medical bay is that way, if you need it."

Every single one of their costumes were torn, bloodied, and stained with grime. Bruises and cuts marred their faces, evidence of their victory. Damian and Tim headed over to the medical bay to the right and dragged Cassandra with them. She wanted to stay with but alas her injuries were too severe to ignore. She wound up on a stretcher.

Aaron's nose twitched. The smell of coffee stained the air. His eyes and nose drifted together and eventually–

"So I got the coffee ready." Barbara Gordon's eyes went from person to person until it fell on Aaron. She raised a brow. "Who is this?"

"Later," Batman said. "Any signs of Prometheus, Angel Breaker and the Manhunter?"

"No." Barbara shook her head. "I think Prometheus is jamming the feeds of all available private, CCTV, and satellite footage. That helmet of his is too advanced now. We'll need to prepare in order to beat it next time."

"The Robins could not finish the job and now we suffer for it," Lady Shiva declared. "On top of that, the Manhunter and my student have escaped."

"I'm having the Gotham Sirens track them as we speak," said Barbara.

"Those three have never hunted in their life." Lady Shiva's remark carried an air of heavy disdain. Cold and dismissive, objective even. "My former student will be amused by their efforts. She will surely escape with her entourage."

The conversation sinked in. Aaron's ears shivered. His hands balled into a fist before relaxing at the inescapable reality.

'You have got to be fucking kidding me.'

Manhunter escaped!? Angel Breaker escaped!? After everything that happened, all the punches and kicks and blasts, they were gone!? Just like that? Aaron needed a place to sit.

'I assumed they weren't with them because they were leaving them to the authorities. I guess I was wrong.'

"What about Gotham?" Batman asked, single-minded and unfazed. "Have the riots died down?"

"Riots?" Aaron repeated, dumbfounded. Just what else was he missing? "What riots?"

"In the past few months, Leviathan has been slithering inside municipal political groups in order to stir trouble and gain control. Following that, they kidnapped, brainwashed, and indoctrinated civilians. It's impossible to guess how many they've been able to turn to their cause. Our lowest estimates put it at two thousand." Having Batman explain something to him was kinda cool. His voice was deep and informative, like a father preaching. "Today, like a timed bomb, it bottled up and exploded, just as they planned. Everywhere in Gotham, there have been anti-capitalist protests."

"It's not pretty," Barbara said. "We suspected this would happen so we had some people of ours keep a watch. It's gone violent but no civilians have been hurt so far, only the GCPD. Still, at the start, they spread us thin. It was looking bad for a while."

Her words struck something in his memory banks. A puzzle. A line of thinking.

'Some of our people…? Blue Bird. Harper Row. That was why she asked for the Robins' help. Barbara–Oracle–she assigned Harper this mission.'

Maybe here, maybe now, Aaron would receive all the answers to his questions.

"The D.E.O isn't too interested in quelling the protests either. Angel Breaker isn't directly involved so I cannot drain resources into fighting it," Talia said. Even as she uttered her next words, her composed demeanour exuded an aura of intense focus and unwavering confidence. "Apologies."

"This was bound to happen, regardless. The people of Gotham have been dissatisfied for decades," Lady Shiva stated.

Aaron kept himself steady. Panicking would get him nowhere. "How bad is it?"

"Statistically speaking?" Barbara spun around and typed in a set of code. A huge pie graph appeared. "Not bad at all. It's a local minority centralized in the Financial District. Unless you're rich, you don't have to worry. I'm having the Batman of New York also participate. He might not be Bruce but they don't know that, do they? They'll listen."

Aaron sighed. "That's a relief."

Regardless, he had to hand it to Oracle; she was quite the cunning woman. She enlisted the help of Julia and her Robins, got Jace and his crew to support, and on top of that was assisting the Bat Family and keeping tabs of coms. If Aaron wasn't playing the part of a normal civilian, he would applaud her for everything she had done.

"What's a relief?" The question was posed by a voice not as deep or gravelly as Batman's–rather smooth and resonant, projecting charm and charisma. Nightwing, Dick Grayson, arrived with the rest of the group. Batwoman, Katana, Stephanie Brown, Huntress, and the Signal. They looked much better than before. One of them must have been a medic or perhaps Nightwing stopped to pay attention to their injuries.

"Cass, are you alright?" Stephanie hurried over to her best friend, frowning. Cassandra flashed her a comforting smile. The blonde also smiled in relief. "After that laser shot to the back, I thought you would be way worse."

"Her armour took the brunt of the ****," Tim explained. He had been tending to Damian and Cassandra since he was the least injured. Given his careful and cautious method of fighting, that was no surprise. "She'll be fine. I sprayed her with a sample of the Dionesium I collected from the cave."

"So…what, she'll be fine in like a day?" Stephanie asked.

"More like a few minutes," Tim corrected. "This is pure Dionesium in a smaller form. A spray. It's pretty much like those first aid kits in video games. Immediate reaction."

"Impressive," Damian admitted. "We should have taken additional samples if that was the case."

"The GCPD, remember?" Nightwing whacked the small kid in the back of his head. "Anyway, eyes up front. We have a guest."

The healing bay was quite close to Oracle's primary station, so everyone could convene and listen. All eyes were on Aaron, for some reason. Aaron blinked and pretended the pressure wasn't there.

"So…" Nightwing broke the silence, leaning on Cassandra's bed. "You're…who again?"

"Aaron. Aaron Reigner."

"So what do you do?" he asked.

"I work at Wayne Tech."

"Down in Otisburg?" Tim questioned.

"Yeah, that one."

"Wasn't there an attack a month back?" Batwoman pressed, beating Tim to the punch. "It involved Harley and Ivy. I believe they went there to check for shipments of unrefined Dionesium."

"I wouldn't know." Aaron shrugged his shoulders. He didn't need to lie since it was partly the truth. At the time, he really didn't know. "I work in a cubicle."

"You do? You work in a cubicle?" Nightwing's expression went wide. He took off his black domino mask, unveiling his startling blue eyes, and blinked three different times with three different sets of emotions. "I did not expect that. You look…edgier than that."

"More like too attractive for that," Huntress muttered. She must have made those kinds of comments often because nobody spared her a second look, except Cassandra.

"He's obviously lying," Damian said, scoffing. "He must know something."

A dark sensation suddenly bore down his temple. "Exhausted eyes, strong fingers..." Batman's vocal chords rumbled as he listed the impossibly subtle features. "He likely is an office worker, Damian."

"Whatever." The boy crossed his arms, the white of his mask's eyes never leaving Aaron. It was much stranger than Cassandra's Batgirl costume which was pure black.

A standstill. Some were skeptical of him while others were merely confused. It was strange being in the centre of attention. Aaron didn't know what to say to defend himself. Honestly, he didn't know if he wanted to. This was exciting. The Bat Cave, the Batmobile, Batman, Nightwing. It was a dream come true. Aaron wasn't huge on superheroes like, for example, Todd was but he appreciated them. He reacted to them like an ordinary person would a celebrity.

Lady Shiva, Katana and Batwoman were eerily silent. Like predators, they stalked his every move. Tim and Stephanie were the same except less antagonistic in their intentions. Batman and Nightwing too. Cassandra and Barbara were the only two giving him peace of mind.

And Talia…it was like Aaron wasn't there. Her focus shifted between Damian and Batman. Put simply, she didn't care for him in the slightest.

"Do you mind if I check your record?" Barbara asked. "That might help your cause. Just say the basics about yourself, like your birthday and whatnot."

'My cause? What the hell do you think I'm here for?'

"Sure," Aaron replied calmly. "I'm twenty-five years old, I was born on May 2, 1996, and raised in an orphanage. I graduated from Gotham University in 2018."

"Twenty five?" Huntress repeated, clicking her tongue. "Sheesh."

Again, she was ignored.

Click-clack, click-clack. Barbara typed on her keyboard like a madman. The electrifying sounds intensified the atmosphere. The sprays of Dionesium could be heard in the background. Batwoman sharply inhaled as Tim sprinkled her thigh with the glowing green substance.

Batman, Nightwing, Robin, Red Robin, Batwoman, Batgirl, the Signal, Lady Shiva, and Talia al Ghul. No matter how talented Aaron was and even if he managed to get Cassandra's support, there was no way he was getting out of this situation through a fight. Every second Tim spent healing them with Dionesium, the less his chances were. It would take a real heavy-hitter like the Green Lantern or Hawkgirl, someone with real super strength and speed. Aaron didn't have that. He needed to use his words and he needed to use them carefully.

"So far, so good." Somehow, on two of the monitors, Barbara had pulled up his driver's licence. "1996, May 2…all correct," she muttered. Her dedication was unwavering, her expertise apparent in the way she navigated through complex algorithms and layers of encrypted information. She methodically pieced together fragments of the puzzle, gradually revealing a comprehensive profile of Aaron Reigner.

'Ugh.' His old university photos. 'Why?'

There was no particular issue with the photos. He wasn't ugly back then nor was he problematic. He just hated looking at himself through a camera lens.

"You're younger than you look," Batwoman commented, as if Huntress hadn't implied just that. "I assumed you were in your thirties."

"In a good way," Nightwing quipped. "It's sort of like Bruce–"

Tim elbowed his older brother. Aaron could feel Batman bristling. Frankly, he agreed. Being compared to Batman was weird. Not offensive, but weird. The man's voice was deeper than a bass, erupting from the depths of his chest and adding an element of roughness and intimidation. Aaron, while dark and moody, did not possess that kind of intimidation. He was shorter, less bulky, and less expressive and aggressive. Calm and cool rather than commanding and strong.

His shoulders were also not remotely as broad.

Barbara adjusted her glasses and went further into her investigation. Utilizing her vast network of resources, she cross-referenced data, accessed restricted files, and analyzed patterns, determined to uncover every detail of his civilian profile.

"Wait…you have a daughter?" Barbara said, incredulous. As if losing all interest in her heavy-handed hacking, she turned in her wheelchair and faced him. Her brows were scrunched up from the sheer absurdity of it. "You're twenty-five. You have a nine-year-old daughter."

"I do." Aaron's voice went low in his reply. He could have won the Oscars with the way his eyes saddened and lowered. "I got kidnapped by Leviathan but…I don't think she was. No, I know she wasn't. She's strong and smart but I need to go back to her as soon as I'm done with whatever you guys want. She's too young and…and I'm sure she's scared."

Barbara softened. He could sense the same emotion from the others. "Yes, of course."

Aaron was glad he implanted this failsafe. See, Aaron knew that taking Chloe in was illegal. She had no papers and he hadn't formally registered as her guardian. If anyone found out and reported it to the police, he would have been arrested faster than he could hypnotize them. He needed evidence. He needed clarification. So, he had Hadiyah hack into the public records and post adoption papers set three years back. It was simple, easy, and it didn't harm anyone. He had asked Chloe for her thoughts on an official adoption because of what he had already done. Chloe didn't know it, but she was his daughter in every way but blood.

Now, it was here to act as his greatest alibi. As a man worthy of trust. Nearly everyone here had daddy issues. What a stroke of luck that he could capitalise on it.

"You…have a daughter?" Cassandra cracked. "I…did not know that."

His heart burned. Right…he didn't tell her. She hadn't met Chloe yet. Cassandra looked like her heart had been torn in two and stomped on. She was like a ghost slowly losing spiritual energy.

Fuck. He had **** but to continue the charade.

"Wait, are you married or was this an accident or…?" Nightwing's attempt to lighten the mood was appreciated. "I mean, impregnating someone at sixteen is dumb but impressive–"

"She's adopted," Barbara promptly cut in, "the records are here. Nine year old girl, Chloe Reigner, adopted when she was seven."

"I bet the child doesn't even exist," Damian argued. He turned towards Cassandra, scowling. "Trust me, Cassandra. This man is not worthy–"

"Or maybe he is," the Signal interjected. He put a calming hand on the younger boy's shoulder. "Look, man, let's just relax instead of pointing fingers. We're injured. We should focus our efforts on finding the Manhunter, Prometheus, and Angel Breaker."

"If you don't mind me asking, who is Prometheus?" Aaron asked.