Nothing, but Saturday is interesting...

It was rare for Kara to sleep in, having classes most morning and being Kryptonian meant that she naturally got up early in the morning. Of course, being Kryptonian meant that she was solar powered as such she didn’t need as much sleep when she was out during the day. She looked at her night table and smiled at the cup of coffee in a insulated travel mug. Alfred had set a friendly alarm for her. Kara giggled as she got up and drank the warm coffee on her way to the bathroom. Kara wasn’t sure what she was going to be doing tonight, especially since Freeze’s Peeweey team’s raid last night might have scared off Patsy. A shower and a change of cloths later, Kara found her phone and saw a message from Patsy.

“Well she is hanging in Gotham a little longer,” Kara mused, “Can’t say I blame the security people for wanting her to lay low today.”

*

In the cave, there were a series of emails with files on someone called John Paul Valley. Kara downloaded them to the Quarantine and scanning detachable hard drive. Kara saw the picture, he was cute in a nerdy kind of way. Blonde Hair, glasses, three days stubble on his chin. And from the data, he was about her age. Kara made a mental note to ask Bruce about him since this was one of a few times that he had come up over the last few weeks. The new Green Lantern, Guy Gardner, had sent out fake wedding invites for Ollie and Dinah and made a special note “Bondage wear is mandatory!”

*

Kara looked at the picture from Babs, it was her in her corporate Goth outfit with a note. Black tailored jacket, black and white pin-stripe silk button up blouse, black calf skirt and black flats. While it was normal for young ladies to send their friends Outfit of the day selfies, this one had a more important message, she was covering a weekend receptionist post at Goth-Corp and would be playing inside Roland Daget’s computer network.

“Have fun at Goth-Corp there, Goth-bunny” Kara said as she typed the reply into her phone.

Alfred arched an eyebrow as he served Kara a plate of waffles and eggs.

“Babs is working at Goth-corp today,” Kara showed Alfred her phone.

“And at the same time, Oracle will mysteriously access their computer network I am sure,” Alfred said as he went to work on another breakfast.

“Morning,” Jason said as he came into the kitchen, “How are you?”

“Morning Master Jason,” Alfred smiled.

“Morning kid,” Kara said tousling his red hair, “You are rather chipper for first thing in the morning.”

“Yeah, yeah,” Jason didn’t really address the half question.

“Morning,” Bruce said as he lurched into the kitchen.

“Get banged up by Freeze?” Kara asked.

“No,” Bruce said, “Stromwell sent some folks to convince some Riddler fans to join the mob instead, and that talk turned violent.”

Bruce took a seat next to Jason at the island between them and Alfred. Alfred turned back around and handed Bruce an envelope.

“What’s this?” Bruce asked.

“A message from one Doctor Quinnzel,” Alfred said, “She wants a meeting Monday afternoon.”

Bruce, Kara and Jason looked at the sealed envelope.

“Ok, detective Pennyworth,” Jason said sarcastically, “What else can you tell us without opening the envelope?”

“What does the good Doctor want with Bruce?” Kara asked in a mock British accent.

“That is elementary,” Alfred said, “What do most doctors in Gotham want from Bruce?”

“To be his baby mama?” Jason asked.

“Access to the Wayne Foundation charity money for public health projects,” Alfred said calmly.

“Harley already tried that Baby Mama nonsense years ago,” Bruce muttered, “She wants funding… What for?”

“What?” Jason asked.

“Details?” Kara shot.

“My sources indicate that she wants to try and divert funding from Doctor Crane’s research grant on PTSD pharmaceuticals to an out-patient treatment center for battered women under her supervision in Gotham city,” Alfred ignored the bombshell Bruce had dropped.

“Of course, that will be seen as a major feather in her cap with all the right people,” Bruce noted dryly.

“What about that Baby Bruce in Harley’s apartment?” Kara asked.

“A medical student in NYU was rather intent on spending the night with me many years ago,” Bruce said, “Harley Quinnzel was one of many ladies that wanted to have a future generation of Waynes.”

“Master Bruce did not fall for her ploy…” Alfred said.

“So… how does Alfred know what Doc Quinnzel is planning?” Jason turned the conversation back towards Alfred.

“Bruce is not the only detective,” Alfred said, “And everyone’s actions leave clues if you know where to look and who to ask.”

“That’s a good non-answer,” Kara smirked.

“Nurse News Network is what my father use to call it,” Bruce said.

“Indeed,” Alfred said without a hint of emotion.

“Basically, never underestimate how much the seemingly unimportant staff members know about what is truly going on,” Bruce said before finally opening the envelope.

Kara just watched Bruce as he read the papers and drank his coffee. Bruce folded the papers back up and put them back in the envelope and handed them back to Alfred.

“Well?” Kara asked.

“I am sure I will be doing something suitably irresponsible and be unable to attend that meeting,” Bruce said then paused to take a sip of coffee before continuing, “Fortunately I had the foresight to empower Alfred to deal with such preliminary maters on my behalf when I am pre-disposed.”

“Oh joy,” Alfred muttered, “A drive out to Arkham.”

*

Kara was playing a level of Twilight of the Thunder Gods when she heard Bruce calling her name.

“One second,” Kara said as she finished the level.

Kara finished the level and took off the goggles. Bruce was standing there in a shirt and slacks next to Alexander Knox in his Film Noir Detective’s outfit (complete with fedora). Kara could tell he was trying to figure out what he should or shouldn’t say looking at her. Kara almost felt self conscious in her black spandex dance shorts and pink “Vampire Princess” t-shirt. Kara grinned at Knox’s matching khaki and white detective suit.

“Kara, Mister Alexander Knox,” Bruce said, “Mister Knox, my adopted daughter Kara.”

“Yeah,” Knox stuck his hand out to shake hers, “The famous mystery refugee… I have been covering you off and on over the years.”

“Off and On?” Kara asked.

“I know the fashion and celebrity people stalk you,” Knox said while thumbing his Noir suit jacket, “Fashion isn’t my thing, but I have been doing the write ups on when people like the clown crash your parties.”

“Oh, Him.” Kara sighed naturally.

“Yeah, so tell me… what is all this? What are you doing?” Knox asked pointing at the VR headset and hand controllers.

“It’s a Oculas VR system,” Kara said, “I mainly play Beat Saber.”

“Beat Saber?” Knox asked.

“Yeah, here,” Kara took off the headset and handed it to Knox, “As a song plays, you use the hand controls to swing virtual lightsabers to hit floating blocks that come towards you.”

Knox looked in the goggles and saw the weird neon world inside.

“Ah that’s funky,” Knox took the headset off, “So what’s ‘twilight of the thunder god’?”

“It’s a metal song,” Kara said.

“And you’re cool with this?” Knox asked Bruce.

“Well all the parenting books I got when I took in Dick and Kara said to reward your kids when they do good in school, so when she got all straight A’s this seemed like a more reasonable reward than some other things she asked for,” Bruce scratched his temple.

“Compared to what?” Knox said holding the headset.

“She asked me to buy Napalm Blast… something or other for her,” Bruce said in a foppish manor.

“Nuclear Blast Records and Napalm Records,” Kara sighed, knowing where this act was going.

“Records compared to this?” Knox held up the head set.

“Record companies,” Bruce said, “Someone wanted to hang out with her favorite bands and thought she could do so if I bought the companies.”

“Ah,” Knox said handing back the headset, “What kind of music does ‘Nuclear Blast’ produce?”

“Heavy Metal bands,” Kara said smiling, “Nightwish, Slayer, Sabaton, Slipnot, Lamb of God…”

“Ok,” Knox said before whispering to Bruce, “I knew two of them.”

“I hear them all the time,” Bruce shrugged, “I told her to get an MBA in talent management and go work for the company as a talent scout, agent and producer and she would get paid to hang out with bands…”

Kara crossed her arms and glared at Bruce.

“I want music to be my release, not my job,” Kara said.

“Well none of us had any choice in where I went to work,” Bruce shrugged, “You have options.”

“Yeah, so what are you up to these days,” Knox asked, “Besides Beat Saber?”

“I am doing classes on business management so I can go get Fox to hire me at Wayne Enterprises,” Kara said.

Knox nodded his head and sensed a family talk that he wanted to be a fly on the wall for, but not an active participant….

“So,” Knox looked around, “This isn’t the only gaming system here, you play with Bruce and the boys?”

“No, they would play Halo and Battlefield…” Kara turned around to the big screen TV with gaming consoles next to it, “I got into video games playing DDR at school. It was a way to socialize with my classmates when I first got there.”

“Dancing game,” Kara said, “Dance Dance Revolution.”

“Dancing game?” Knox said.

“Yeah, hook up a mat with buttons built into it so as the game gives you moves you have to dance around and hit the right buttons,” Kara smiled.

“Ok,” Knox said, “Now you said Dick was attending college out of state… But where is Jason? Playing video games up in his room?”

“No, that was the compromise with Alfred,” Bruce said, “All the video games are here in the living room, or not in the house.”

“So then, where is Jason?” Knox asked.

“Well he is a teenage boy,” Bruce started, “And he isn’t playing video games…”

“He is either getting into trouble,” Kara continued, “Hanging out with girls or getting into trouble with girls.”

“He most certainly is not,” Alfred pronounced from the door way, “Follow me.”

Kara put down the controllers and headset and followed Alfred, Bruce and Knox to the dinning room. There was Jason on one side of the table with Raven and Megan on the other… six feet apart with school books in front of them.

“This isn’t what I planned when I invited you to hang out,” Jason apologized to the girls.

“The cookies are awesome,” Megan smiled, “Thank you mister Pennyworth!”

Kara started laughing.