Got Your Back, Always

III.XX

Barbara watches the feed and the van that exploded.

"Hey. What happened?"

"Crane is in Oracle. He tried to kill us. It was a setup," Dick explains.

"That's impossible."

"I don't know how he got in, but he got in. We can use this."

"Use? Dick, you could have died."

"Yeah, but I didn't. We can talk about it more in person. I'm on my way."

Barbara puts her phone down, frustrated. She thinks for a moment. "Oracle."

"Yes, Commissioner Gordon."

"How do I destroy you?"

"The one who creates is the one to destroy,"

Barbara thinks for a moment, "Vigil Logs."

Oracle responds and pulls up a list of several recordings. She reads through them. One catches her eye.

"Vigil Logs: How Dare You."

She smiles at the recording that pops up.

"How dare you! You want to deactivate Oracle? Really Babs? My baby?" Cassie grinned. "I'm only teasing, I know you must have an insanely good reason for deleting it. I just better get a good explanation when I'm told about it, deal?"

Barbara chuckled.

"Ok well if you want to deactivate Oracle you'll have to give the correct phrase word for word. Here is your hint: the warning I gave you when I first gave you access."

Barbara sighed and thought back to several years ago. "Oracle: Endless information leads to endless misery; information is to aid never to assail. Be the ears when the bats can't see."

"Deactivate commencing. Goodbye Barbara Gordon," Oracle began to shut down.

Dick sighs, "It's completely inaccessible?"

"Yeah. To us and to Crane. He hacked the system. He knew that we knew. So, I decided that any attempt to manipulate the situation would be pointless."

"We could have manipulated Crane using Oracle. It was right there in front of us. You had it destroyed. Why?"

"He tried to kill you. I was afraid that he might actually be successful next time."

"I don't need you to protect me, okay? Be stronger than that."

"Excuse me."

"Your fear of this machine cost us the one lead we had. If you can't keep your emotions in check, then you can't help me."

"Why are you pushing me away?"

"Because you're getting in the way. I'm sorry. I didn't mean that."

"Forget it. Look, if you want to do this like Bruce, fine. But you're not doing it alone. Crane isn't smarter than both of us combined. So, we go analog. We think. Unless you want to be emotional about it."

Dick sighs and follows after her. "I'm not going to be the one to tell Cass about it."

"It's fine, she'll understand."

They are all laughing, drinking beers after having taken down the majority of Crane's drug business.

"One more?" Dick asks Barbara.