February 9, 12:13am
The Batcave
"You know you're not supposed to be down here," he said from the top of the steps.
Willa smiled but didn't turn around. She kept studying the work table in front of her, running her hands over the metal pieces.
"There is a party going on upstairs."
Now she turns. "Aw yes, how I could I forget your undying love for large social gatherings."
His figure is outlined by the warm lights of the elevator as he leaned his tall frame against the door. "Can't I have one night off from your attitude?"
She grinned. "Never." She turns back around to fiddle with the odds and ends on the table. Someone had been in the middle of building something.
"The party's practically over anyway." He walked down the stairs. "Not that you stayed for much of it."
She picked up a rope launcher. It's not unlike the one Dick used years ago to throw her out a window. "I stayed long enough to be noticed. Give my support to the billionaires." She heard him huff out a laugh.
"Where did you go anyway?" He's closer now. Slowly making his way to her still turned back.
She smirked, "here and there," she finally turned to face him, a little surprised by how close he was. He must have consciously made noise when he moved so he didn't scare her. "Why? Afraid I found all your secrets?"
He placed a hand on either side of her hips, trapping her between them, her back pressed against the table. "Good luck with that."
She tapped him lightly on the chest with the rope launcher. "I could if I wanted to."
"If anyone could, it's you."
His tie is slightly undone, the top two buttons of his dress shirt unbuttoned, and his cuff links gone. The party really was over.
He took the launcher from her, placing it on the table as she tucks a strand of his black hair behind his ear.
Dick steps back at the sound of a garage door opening and an engine approaching. Willa swallows and goes back to studying a pair of deconstructed Goode Goggles. She holds them up, silently asking the question.
"Reverse engineering," Dick explained, "to see if we could find the rest of meta-teen trafficking points."
The Batmobile and a motorcycle drove into their designated parking spots, and Batman and Robin dismounted. Tim beamed when he saw Willa, though Bruce just looked unimpressed.
"No civilians down here." Batman points this at Dick.
"I didn't bring her. She found it."
"Hiding spot must be too easy," Tim laughed.
Willa glared, "or I'm kind of smart."
Tim's smile dropped. "Oh. Oh, yeah, that's-that's what I meant."
The elevator door dinged, "how come all of you got to skip the party?" Barbara wheels herself out of the elevator, scowling.
Bruce and Tim exchange a look, caught red handed. "There was an emergency," Bruce said.
"A really big emergency," Tim added. "Like really big."
Barbara turned her gaze on Dick, her hands on her hips.
"Uh, Will found the Batcave so I had to follow."
"No you didn't," Willa and Barbara say at the same time, then both blink and smile at the other.
Another engine roars and Jason, dressed as Red Hood, rides in on a walkway above them. He takes in the scene below him. "Glad I missed whatever's happening here."
"I thought you were coming to the party tonight," Barbara said gently, doing a pretty good job of hiding her disappointment.
"Something came up," Jason said gruffly, ducking his head.
Barbara looked like she wanted to argue but paused, as if listening. Willa looks around and sees the entire Bat Family has the same expression. Something was wrong.
"Jason, the door by the waterfall-"
"Closed behind me." Jason cut off Bruce, both their eyes roaming the walls around them.
Willa feels Dick's hand on her waist, pulling her against him, slightly behind him. He doesn't look at her but he squeezes her tightly enough for her to know this is not normal.
"Who knows about the Bat Cave?" Tim asked quietly, his staff drawn and feet in a fighting position. If only they knew where the threat was coming from.
Jason nimbly jumped down, landing behind Willa. Willa tried to hide her flinch, but the second Robin still noticed and took a small step away from her. Barbara pushed herself closer to the rest of the family.
Even Willa hears a feint beeping.
Jason sucked in a breath.
"Bruce-!" Jason shouted and Batman only has time for his eyes to widen in understanding before all hell breaks loose.
Robin, Batman, and Red Hood each threw miniature explosives in the direction of the beeps, their suspicions confirmed when bodies dropped. The intruders wore all black, head to toe, but Willa recognized them. The League of Shadows.
Willa recoiled but Dick was already moving. Barbara set off smoke bombs around them. Dick grabbed the line launcher from the table and shot it straight up. He tied the end of it around Willa's waist then handed her a knife. He pressed a finger to his lips then released the tension.
Willa gasped but made no other sound as she shot up, out of sight and out of the line of fire. She flies up, through the smoke, her vision still obstructed until she slows, smoke still billowing around her, shielding her from the attacker's sight.
She reached the cave ceiling and pressed against it with her hand to avoid hitting her head on the rock. She used the knife Dick gave her to cut herself free, grabbing it with both hands as she swung down until she could feel a metal walkway under her feet. She's grateful she kicked her shoes.
She hears the sounds of a fight down on the ground but she tunes it out and looks for a way out. She's no help in this battle, and the last thing she wants is to distract Dick or anyone with helping her, but there aren't many places to go.
A beeping sound gets louder and louder until it's too late to move.
The ground lurches as the cave shakes under the stress of bombs detonating.
There's so much smoke. Where did the bombs go off? She can't think.
All Willa can do is dive to the floor of the metal walkway and wrap her arms around one of the bars, holding on for dear life as the world tilted.
The ringing in her ears overpowers the orchestra of explosion. All she can see is smoke and stone falling. She hopes the heroes below are okay. She hopes they've found shelter, but she has no idea how anyone can avoid this.
Then the world rocked one more time and the sky collapsed.
**
She's falling.
The metal walkway falls above her.
She's falling.
Falling.
Falling.
She covers her face against raining bits of rock and metal.
She can't help it. She screams.
But she doesn't hit the ground, because there's no ground to hit.
She falls.
Then it feels like she hits a brick wall.
By the grace of god she hits the water with her feet rather than her face.
The shock of the coldness makes her scream into the void. It shocks her enough to make her move, and then she's kicking as hard as she can until she breaks the surface, coughing and sputtering, her teeth already chattering.
The water in Gotham is rarely warm enough to swim in in July, let alone February. All around her is wreckage, and she can't see anybody. Above her is a smoke filled hole, what was once the floor of the Batcave.
She spots a small strip of beach on the end of the cave and swims over, focusing on placing one arm over the other rather than how cold she is.
When she drags herself ashore she spits out more water. Keep moving, she tells herself, don't let the shock set in. She can't see the Bat Family on the shore, which might mean they're still in the water.
There's a small hill in front of her leading an opening in the cave wall. She jogs up, looking over the wreckage.
There. She spots Robin's red uniform. He's hanging over a large rock sticking out of the water, but looks unconscious. She hopes he's hanging on it rather than impaled on it.
Then she spots Barbara, in her chair, but she's tilting sideways. It must have some flotation, but she's also unconscious. She sees Bruce and Jason bobbing about a hundred yards away, their mouths open, breathing. Again, some small flotation in their suits.
But Dick... where is he, whereishewhereishe... ?! she can't see him but she can't waste anymore time.
There's one life preserver hanging on the wall, like Batman thought someone might get the bright idea to go for a leisurely swim and want to use it rather than falling several dozen feet and knocking themselves out. Great, thanks Bruce, she thinks sarcastically, but takes it and runs back into the water, sucking in a breath at the cold.
She heads for Barbara first, swimming as fast as she can, pushing wreckage away as she goes. She sees Barbara's body slip out of her wheelchair, her head going under.
Willa kicks harder than dives, catching the red head under the shoulders and pulling her up. She's deadweight. Willa takes back her earlier sarcasm and enthusiastically thanks Bruce Wayne for the life preserver.
Willa drags Barbara ashore, far enough the water can't come up and choke her. When Willa looks up, she thinks she can see a familiar head of black hair bob up. She doesn't waste a second more, running back in towards the direction she thinks she can see Dick.
"Dick!" She yells when she reaches the area but she can't find him. She's treading water. Losing energy. She can't stay here much longer.
He comes up beside her, his nose barely above the water before he drops back down.
She catches him, one arm around the chest and the other gripping the life preserver so he doesn't pull her under. He's heavier than Barbara, and it's a slower journey to shore.
He's bleeding from a head wound, but Willa can't let herself focus on that. Nothing she can do but hope he doesn't bleed out.
She's gasping for air and semi choking on water by the time she can touch the ground and pull Dick out, his body limp. She sets him beside Barbara and runs back out.
There's no way to confirm her theory, but if Willa had to bet, she would say that Batman and Robin have insulated suits on, so she goes for Jason next.
When she grips him under the shoulders, she sees blood coating her hand. He's bleeding from somewhere.
Halfway through the swim he stirrs, lashing out with his arms. She doesn't have time for him to panic, so she dunks him in the water, using the cold to shock him back into cooperation.
The swim gets easier after that, and she realizes he's kicking his feet, trying to help.
Dick is stirring on the ground by the time Willa dumps Jason beside him.
Willa gives herself 30 seconds to catch her breath. She's so tired. Her whole body is shaking, but from exertion or the cold she can't be sure, she's just thankful she can't feel her body anymore or she thinks it would be painful. Two more, she tells herself to fight against the urge to go to sleep. It would feel so good to rest her eyes for a bit.
But she charges back in, her thoughts growing fuzzy. Her limbs feel like lead. Stupid bat people, she thinks as she places one arm over the other. Good for nothing vigilantes, furry animal dressed psychopaths, can't even fly...
When she grabs Robin, she can see Batman moving, floating, but struggling. He sees her and jerks his chin to Robin, telling her to grab him. He's still unconscious.
"C-c-can...y-you..." she gasps out to Batman, not entirely sure how to finish that sentence but he nods. She swallows another mouthful of water.
She's pulling Robin while Batman slowly one arm backstrokes behind her.
Willa can see Dick sitting Barbara up and gently pulling Jason's red hood helmet off, forcing him onto his side and water out of his mouth.
When he sees them coming he runs until he's knee deep in the water. He takes Robin from her arms, setting him down next to Jason and feeling for a pulse. Robin coughs, gasping for oxygen, then chokes on the water that comes out of his lungs.
Willa drops to her knees, out of breath and for the life of her, she can't convince her body to stand up. The adrenaline must be wearing off.
Dick runs back, wrapping an arm around Willa's waist. His skin is ice cold. He puts his other arm under Batman's shoulder, helping his adoptive father limp to shore.
Batman has released his cape and cowl, so Willa can see the unnatural angle of his shoulder and slight limp in his leg. Batman falls to his knees on dry land, falling straight down and popping his shoulder back in its socket.
Willa shivers.
"H-h-hey, you a-a-alright?" Dick practically carries her out. He's shivering just as much as her.
"F-f-f-f-fine." Then she passed out.