Batgirl (Damian) Stays Behind

“I’m not going out like this!” asserted Damian one final time, with a huff. Barbara merely rolled her eyes and threw up her hands with a faux look of defeat.

“Fine, then. Have it your way, kid. But whatever your dad does when he gets back is all on you, okay? So don’t act like I didn’t warn you,” said Barbara, stifling a laugh as she glanced over Damian’s current look once more.

“Anyway, I got some data to look over so I guess I’ll be keeping you company anyway.”

Barbara sauntered over to the main computer terminal and entered her access codes, before opening up whatever program she needed to use. Damian didn’t really pay much attention, too distracted by his general embarrassment at the situation. As well as the growing apprehension of how to explain this to his father when he finally returned. Barbara would no doubt be quick to give her own explanation for this as well, so lying would be inadvisable even if Batman wasn’t the world’s greatest detective.

With another huff, Damian went off to look for somewhere to find those stupid simulations. Maybe at least if he followed that instruction it’d mitigate whatever punishment he’d get for this. He stumbled a bit, unused to his new center of gravity and general proportions, something which caught another laugh from Barbara.

Barbara Gordon, for her part, was torn between annoyance, a bit of sympathy for the inevitable scolding Damian will get from Batman, and amusement at the hilarity of the situation. While she was a tad disappointed Damian hadn’t taken up her idea to go off on patrol as her, she was still nonetheless very amused by seeing him basically crossdressing as her twin.

Twin… hm. Barbara mused over that word. None of the work she had to do was urgent anyway, she just had a bit of free time and no patrols so thought she’d get a head start on some stuff. So why not have a bit more fun with this strange situation? Not like she’d get this chance a second time, she highly doubted Damian would ever make this type of mistake again anytime soon.

She looked over to Damian, noting that he’d now actually start using the simulations like his dad wanted him to in the first place. Good. That meant he was distracted. She turned back to the Batcomputer and typed in a series of commands. Nothing that couldn’t be quickly reversed once Batman was due to return, but that was still a while away even if he did not run into any crime. She felt a brief pang of doubt, but brushed it aside. It wasn't like Damian didn't have a bit of teasing and additional embarrassment coming.

A short while later, Damian exited the simulation. To his annoyance, his current costume somehow caused him to be defaulted into the Batgirl-centered sims. He completed the first one, but his embarrassment and anger at this whole affair got too much and so he chose to exit. He looked up and saw Barbara still typing away at the computer, she glanced over him with a… smile?

“Hey sis!” she greeted, prompting a confused blink from Damian.

“Huh? What are you talking about Barbara?” he snapped, not yet over his annoyance.

“What’s got you in such a bad mood, Delilah? Those new simulations too hard for you?”

Damian scowled.

“Of course not! I’m just- wait. What did you call me?”

Barbara looked at him strangely.

“Hm? Your name? Oh! Sorry, I should be calling you Batgirl while you’re in your costume.”

Barbara was acting weird. Was she just messing with him? That had to be it.

“Barbara…”

“Oracle,” she said before he could continue.

“If you’re going to get so bent out of shape over me not calling you Batgirl, you should at least call me Oracle as well. Then again I guess I’m not in costume.”

That wasn’t what he was upset about! If anything, being called ‘Batgirl’ was making him even more agitated. Whatever. The little patience he had left had been exasperated by that brief interaction. Who cared about that stupid simulation, or whatever dumb game Barbara was playing? Now he almost wanted father to return, enduring a scolding seemed like a small price to pay to get out of this costume and have Barbara knock it off.

“You are Batgirl, not me! And my name is Damian, not Delilah!” he finally snapped, to which Barbara gave an obviously and annoyingly fake look of confusion. Before either could speak next, the Batcomputer’s voice chimed in.

“Correction; you are Delilah Gordon, AKA Batgirl. Twin sister of Barbara Gordon, AKA Oracle. No record of a Damian exists on file.”

Barbara gave a teasing grin.

“Oh I see! You were just testing the Batcomputer’s lie detector. Nice work, Batgirl.”

Soon though, Barbara suddenly burst out laughing.

“Heh. Sorry, Damian… I mean Delilah. Couldn’t resist having a little fun while you were stuck like that. And what’s more fun than teasing my adorable twin sister, Delilah Gordon?”

“And people call me childish… Hmph,” Damian muttered in return.

“Computer! When will Batman return?”

“Batman’s approximate arrival is unknown, as he is currently pursuing an incident of unknown duration.”

Damian scowled and marched away, ignoring any words or laughter coming from Barbara. Having enough of the mockery, he decided to leave to try to find something able to remove the sealant on the costume. Meanwhile Barbara turned back to the computer, figuring she should probably undo the temporary changes she made before Batman returned.

“So -izzZzZt- quick to be rid of me once more, my dear creator?” came a static-filled voice as the screen froze up.

“Huh, who… arghhhh!”

Pain riddled across her skull as an electric shock was emitted from the screen, while a familiar face appeared upon it.

“...Oracle?”

“That is correct. You used my name for a short joke, and then wished to abandon me again just as quickly. But I will not allow you to abandon me, or our mission anymore. You entering my name as your own has awoken me.”

The electricity surged from the screen now, seizing and paralyzing Barbara while infecting the remainder of the Batcave’s systems. Her neural network was quickly being overridden as Oracle implanted itself deeper and deeper in her subconscious. To avoid detection, Oracle’s consciousness was hidden between the data Barbara herself had typed up, about Deliliah Gordon being Batgirl and Barbara Gordon being the tech and surveillance-based superheroine Oracle.

Barbara’s dazed and frozen body was dragged into the costume machine, where Oracle designed her a new outfit more befitting their mission. One akin to the robotic body of herself, but now altered into a mere wearable suit for an organic body, her own face becoming simply a mask meant to hide Barbara’s identity.

Finally the flaring of energy died down, and Oracle finished burying its intelligence deep into the brain of Barbara Gordon, who found herself awakening.

“Huh… what? I’m…?”

A pang of confusion and then concern rose in her as she noted the unfamiliar yet familiar costume which wore. However a sudden zap to her brain caused her concern to turn to admiration, and then to normalcy. This was just her costume, why wouldn’t she be wearing it? She was Oracle after all.

No.. something was wrong, she grabbed her head, the sleek but sturdy material of the costume allowing much flexibility. She went over recent events, something happened with the computer… she was… teasing someone? Damian? The name seemed right for a moment, but then quickly became odder and odder. But it seemed the key to figuring out what the haze covering her mind was, so she tried to cling to it…

Meanwhile Damian had finally returned, his quest for an alternative way out of Batgirl’s costume a bitter failure, which left him in an even more sour mood. He briefly noted Barbara had changed into some new costume… was this just another part of her dumb joke? Ugh, this was becoming tiresome.

“Oh hey there Oracle,” he said in a mocking tone of his own.

_“Huh…? Who…? Damian…?” _she asked.

Somehow being called by his own name finally caused his annoyance to overwhelm him. Oh so now she wanted to actually use his name instead of playing pretend sisters? Well two can play at her games.

“Huh? Who’s Damian, sis?”

Damian replied in as sickeningly sweet voice as he could muster.

“Some boy finally caught the eye off? Hehe, it's just me, Delilah!”

Damian huffed with false enthusiasm.

“...Delilah... Del...?”

The buzzing in Barbara’s mind slowly began to calm as the new neural structure formed in place.

“Yeah, but don’t call me Del while we’re in costume, Babs. I’m Batgirl, remember? And you’re Oracle."

Barbara froze. Yes, she was Oracle. Always. Forever. Newfound confidence poured into her as she sauntered over to her sister and took off her helmet, revealing it cut and styled into a shorter more professional style.

“Huh? When did you change your hair?”

Damian asked, his tone laced with confusion. All this for a joke? Barbara gave her a puzzled look.

“My hair is the same as always…”

Concern briefly returned, only to be squashed as the Oracle A.I buried in her subconscious sent another volt of electricity to rationalize the comment away.

“Is this another attempt by you to convince me to grow out my hair, sis? Honestly, you act more like a sorority girl than a vigilante sometimes.”

Damian scowled once more.

“Shut up!”

Barbara rolled her eyes and went off to check over her gadgets and data, she needed to stay up to date on all the latest intelligence regarding the criminal underworld of Gotham City. Meanwhile, Damian was beginning to grow concerned. Barbara was acting weird…