« chapter xi: THE PHANTOM »
"I was looking for you." Dabria smirked a little and glanced back at Tim. He was standing a couple feet away with his hands in his pockets. Dabria would have asked how he hadn't heard him climb out the fourth story window but... Then again, he's a Batbrat.
"Worried I ran off in the middle of the night?" Dabria asked, looking out across Wayne Manor. She could just make out the twinkling lights of Gotham over the top of the fence.
"No, I just know you haven't really slept well since Adelaide left." Dabria shrugged as Tim came and sat next to her.
"Honestly I haven't slept well in a really long time." Dabria murmured. Tim pursed his lips and wanted to ask her more but he didn't want to pry.
"Do you... Wanna talk about it?" Tim asked, expecting Dabria to flip him off or simply say no. Instead she sighed and said,
"Maybe... I don't know."
"Wow, really?" Dabria laughed. "It's just... I didn't think you liked me that much. I seem to get on your nerves and do shit you don't like."
"I like you just fine." Dabria said softly, not daring to look at him. There was just something about the way Tim looked in the moonlight... Dabria had realized he looked even better at night.
"Well... What's keeping you up at night?" Dabria smirked a little. "For me it's insomnia and coffee."
"And Redbull."
"And Redbull mixed with coffee." Dabria hit his arm.
"Shut up you don't actually do that do you?" Tim said nothing and Dabria frowned at him. "You're going to give yourself heart palpitations." Tim shrugged. Dabria rolled her eyes. They were quiet for another moment before Dabria sighed and pulled her knees up to her chest, shoes scraping on the tiled roof. "I've had this reoccurring dream ever since I was fourteen. It started happening around the same time I realized I had... Powers." Dabria felt a shiver run down her spin just thinking about the dream. "I never talked about it with Adelaide because... She's only seven you know? I didn't want to scare her. I didn't want to seem... Afraid of anything. I was supposed to protect her, take care of her."
"And you did." Tim said. "Just because you're taking care of someone else, doesn't mean you shouldn't be scared though Ria." Dabria shrugged.
"I just... She always asked about the dream and I didn't know what to say. How can I explain to a six year old that my mental and emotional stability isn't the best?"
"As gently as possible. I'm sure she just wanted to help you feel better."
"She did help me but the dreams never went away."
"What are they about?" Tim watched Dabria bite down hard on her bottom lip.
"I'm standing in my old apartment, not the one you found us in but the one I used to live in with my parents." Dabria said with a laugh. "The building's not even there anymore. It was demolished but... There I am and I'm standing in the living room and there's a knock at the door." Dabria swears the world falls silent. "The first time I had the dream, I opened the door but now... It doesn't matter if I don't open the door. It just... Swings open and beyond the door is just... Nothing. It's black. It's cold. It's hatred. It's malicious. It just feels... Evil." Dabria felt herself shudder. Tim pursed his lips, waiting for her to continue. "It comes into the apartment and it tries to choke me or consume me or... Become me. It wraps around my arms and legs and fills my nose, my lungs, my throat. It clouds my eyes and sometimes I swear I can feel it gnawing at my brain." Dabria is digging her nails into the flesh of her skin. Tim puts his hand on her shoulder.
"It's just a dream Dabria. It can't hurt you."
"But it does Tim. It does something to me." Dabria insisted, pulling back from him. Tim drops his hand. "Sometimes I'm strong enough to fight back. Sometimes I expel the darkness and it screams things at me. Awful things. But sometimes... Sometimes it wins and every time I wake up from a dream where it wins... I feel like I've lost a part of myself. Like it's slowly chipping away at me. It feels real Tim." Dabria insists. Tim slowly nods.
"Okay, I believe you." Dabria swallows hard and looks away. "What do you think it is?" Dabria shakes her head.
"I don't know. I used to think it was just my fear of myself, of my powers. I thought maybe if Bruce helped me learn to control this, then the dreams would go away but it hasn't stopped Tim and most nights now... I don't win. I can't beat it anymore. I can't fight it." Dabria clenched her jaw, closed her eyes and took a deep breath. "I don't know... Maybe I just need some... Intense therapy."
"Don't we all." Tim murmured. Dabria almost smiled. "I can... Talk to Bruce if you want, ask him to find someone you can talk to?" Dabria shrugged.
"He's already done so much for me. I don't want to bug him with this kind of thing."
"Bruce thrives off of helping people Dabria. Haven't you noticed by now?" Dabria smirked a little before standing a little wobbly on the tiled roof. Tim stood as well and put his hand on his arm to steady her. "Do you want me to talk to him?" She shook her head.
"Thanks Tim but... I'll be okay." Tim nodded and dropped his hand. "As for the other question I know you keep wanting to ask, no I haven't decided yet." Tim smiled lightly.
"Anything I can do to help you make up your mind?" Tim asked as Dabria slowly made her way back to the window they both climbed to to get to the roof.
"Don't think so Batboy. See you later." Dabria said with a smile before dropped of the edge of the roof and landing lightly on the ledge of the window, ducking down inside. Tim took a deep breath of the cold night air and after a few moments, followed Dabria inside.
⊱ ────── {⋅. ✯ .⋅} ────── ⊰
The portal swirling in front of Dabria but no image formed, no matter how hard she tried to conjure one. Not the apartment Tim found her in, not the gardens or her bedroom or the kitchen in Wayne Manor. Not even the second story of the Batcave would appear. Dabria ground her teeth and let the swirling sparks disappear. "Are you okay Dabria?" Bruce asked.
"No." She mumbled, gritting her teeth and rubbing her temple. She had a massive headache that wouldn't go away. None of Alfred's tea had cured it and neither had the medicine she had taken. "I don't know what's wrong with me." Dabria said, feeling her hands catch fire. She scoffed in disgust. That was also something that had been happening a lot. While her camouflage and portal powers seemed to be on the fritz, her fire manipulation seemed to be working just fine.
"It's okay. It's been a long day." Dabria had gone to seen Adelaide today. Dabria had been so happy to see her and so had Adelaide. She showed off her house, her room, her new puppy and all of the toys the Connor's had bought her. Darbia had spotted the pink bear she had stolen for Adelaide displayed next to a photo of the two of them. It was something Alfred had taken of them not long after they had gotten to the house. Dabria almost cried when she saw it and after having lunch with the Connor's, Dabria tried to portal back to Wayne Manor but... Her powers wouldn't work. She had to use the Connor's phone to call Wayne Manor. Alfred picked her up, asking if she was okay and Dabria didn't know what to say. She didn't feel okay.
"Are we heading out Father?" Damian asked, appearing out of nowhere. Dabria sighed and continued to rub her temple as Tim came down from the second story of the cave.
"Yes, we should get going." Bruce said, pulling his cowl up over his face. Dabria watched Tim fix his mask to his face and she sighed.
"Don't wait up." Tim said jokingly. Dabria smiled weakly and waved goodbye as Damian jumped into the Batcar with Bruce and Tim headed towards his Red Wing Bike. She watched them ride out of the cave through the waterfall and Dabria ground her teeth, stamping her foot a little. She wasn't sure why she was so frustrated about not being able to use her powers properly, this had happened in the past before after all. But Dabria thought she had learned to control this. She thought she had gotten better, stronger. But she still felt, weak.
Dabria was going to head back inside the house but then she glanced up at the display cases of all the suits Bruce and his many proteges had. Dabria still hadn't decided if she wanted to stay and if she did stay, if being a hero was what she would even want. Slowly, she climbed up to the second floor. What would she want her suit to even look like? Red, green and yellow were awful colors to wear. Dabria much preferred all the black and grey. It looked sleeker.
Dabria paused in front of a black stealth suit that looked like it might be the right fit for her. Was it one of Barbra's? Dabria hadn't seen it before but then again, she wasn't exactly trying to memorize their suits or anything. It was black with dark grey armor accents. Unlike most of the other suits, this one didn't have a cape. It actually looked like it had a hood. Which Dabria would prefer over a cape. The capes look too heavy anyways. Why was she even thinking about this? She shouldn't imagine a suit she might never wear. Dabria touched the glass door lightly and was very surprised when the door dinged and opened for her. The case slowly swung open. Was it touch activated? Was she in the system? Why would Bruce do that? Dabria reached out and touched the suit lightly Was she really about to play dress up with a suit that wasn't hers?
Maybe.
Dabria peeled the suit of the mannequin and looked down at what she was wearing. Pursing her lips, she stripped off the tank top, leaving herself in a pair of Barbra's old workout pants and a sports bra. Dabria put the suit on easily, zipping it up the back. Dabria slowly pulled the hood up over her head and smiled as she caught her reflection in the mirror. Glancing back at the mannequin, Dabria reached for the mask that still sat on the face. She put it to her eyes slowly and swore it molded to fit her features. Dabria ran her hands down her arms feeling the fabric and armor underneath her fingertips. The suit felt... Good. She flexed her hands, grabbed the black lace up boots that sat at the bottom of the case and pulled them on, lacing them up tight. Dabria stood back up feeling like... A proper superhero.
Dabria spun around in the suit and stared at herself in the glass, realizing for the first time that the suit didn't have the Bat symbol on it. Tim said that Bruce had other partners he worked with that didn't use the Bat symbol. Dabria tried to run through names in her head but there were too many. Maybe this suit was one of theirs. Dabria kind of wanted to ask them.
Without meaning to, Dabria felt herself open a portal, through it, she could see the top of Wayne Enterprises. Dabria slowly stepped through the portal and onto the roof of the building before realizing that she probably shouldn't have left the Cave with a suit that wasn't hers. Suddenly, she felt exposed. An explosion in the distance distracted her though and Dabria jumped in alarm, watching a small mushroom cloud of fire fill the sky. It was coming from the harbor. Dabria created another portal, focusing on the distant fire as her jumping point. When she jumped through, she found herself directly in the middle of a fight between Batman, Red Wing, Robin, Two-Face and his goons.
Yelping, Dabria jumped back, camouflaging herself against the crates and shadows. Nobody noticed her. Dabria wondered if she should help or just run back to the cave and pretend this never happened. But then she saw Tim about to get jumped. Dabria sprang into action, kicking the man where it hurts most before punching him square in the jaw. He keeled over and Dabria watched Tim whirl around in surprise, bow staff raised to hit something. He was staring right at her but... Also through her. Dabria realized she was still camouflaging herself and even though she was bathed in light from the docks overhead lamps, Tim couldn't see her.
"Wh-" Tim didn't have time to question what happened as Damian shouted at him.
"Get your head in the game Red!"
Dabria slowly moved around the scene, fighting goons as she went. Everyone was always super surprised to be taken down by something they couldn't see. Dabria relished in the thought that they'd be even more pissed to realize that a girl was kicking their ass. Eventually, Batman got the best of Two-Face and all the goons had run away or were lying in groaning heaps on the ground just as the police pulled up. Dabria smiled and slowly made her way to a dark corner so she could create a portal back to the Cave.
Dabria stripped the suit off and put it back in it's proper place. As she waited for the boys to return, opting to not sleep so she could avoid her dreams, Dabria decided to hang around the Batboy's training room. There were weights, punching bags, the works. Mostly, Dabria just went there to kick the shit out of something. She wasn't much for lifting weights.
"Dabria." The voice nearly made her jump out of her skin and Dabria clutched at her chest, pushing back her sweaty hair as the punching bag swung lightly next to her.
"Tim, what the fuck. Don't sneak up on people."
"What are you doing up?" Tim asked with a small smile. He was still wearing his suit.
"I told you about my reoccurring nightmare. Is it any wonder I'm still awake?" Dabria asked, unwrapping her hands slowly. Tim shrugged. "How was your night?"
"Good. Not much happened. Bruce actually wants to talk to you."
"About?" Tim shrugged.
"He didn't say." Dabria frowned. He knows she touched the suit. He's Batman of course he fucking knows. He's gonna be pissed. Dabria followed Tim back to the Batcave where Bruce was sitting at the computer, Damian nearby with Alfred who was handing Damian a glass of water.
"Found her." Tim said. Bruce didn't look their way at first. Dabria glanced up at the screen where news footage of their recent fight and some other documents were opened. Bruce closed out of everything and turned to face them.
"You did good Dabria. I think we need to work on your hand-to-hand combat though." Dabria's eyebrows shot up and Tim and Damian looked back and forth between them funny.
"I... What?" Dabria said, trying to play it off.
"I saw you out there with us." Dabria blushed red.
"I'm sorry. I don't know whose suit that was. I just liked the look of it. The case opened. I don't know what happened." Dabria said all in a rush.
"Don't be sorry. I made that for you."
"You made her a suit father?" Damian demanded. Bruce pointed up to the second story of the Batcave and Damian ran up the stairs to look at it.
"It fits good then?"
"I... Yes." Dabria said slowly.
"It's fire resistant, or as best as I could make it." Bruce said. "I wasn't sure how you would feel about the cape. If you don't train with one it just feels awkward and bulky." Dabria nodded slowly. "Do you need adjustments to be made to it?"
"I... Wait Bruce..." Dabria said, holding up her hand. "Are you telling me that that suit is mine? You made it for me? What if I didn't want this?" Bruce shrugged.
"I know that you do want this. I thought if you had a suit and we took you out on patrol one night that you might be more inclined to stay with us." Bruce said, standing. "I was going to ask you to come out with us next week."
"Does this mean she's one of us father?" Damian demanded, jumping down from the second story and landing next to Dabria who jumped a little, surprised as he walked towards Tim and his dad.
"What's your name going to be?" Tim asked, smiling at Dabria. Dabria looked to the ground.
"You don't have to think of a name Dabria." Bruce said. "If you need time to process all of this then..."
"Phantom." Dabria interrupted. "Or The Phantom. What sounds better?" Dabria asked with a smirk. Tim nodded.
"Phantom is cool."
"Phantom? That's the name you're going with?" Damian demanded. Dabria frowned at him.
"It's a hell of a lot cooler than Robin." She snaps back at him.
"Don't make me..." Tim grabs Damian by his cape as he marches toward her.
"Be nice to the gusts Robin." Alfred says in a tired voice.
"Bite me." He snarls at Ria. Bruce steps forward and puts his hand on Dabria's shoulder.
"Welcome to the family, Phantom." Dabria smiled, not realizing how happy this one simple decision had made her. Everything felt like it was falling into place in her life for once.
Well, almost everything.
A/N:
So the photo is the closest thing I could find to what I imagined for her suit. I feel it would look very similar to a Batgirl suit but it would be all black and grey instead of Barb's usual blue and yellow and grey and other variations she's had. Dabria will have this spandex sort of material that's fire resistant (for obvious reasons) and she has plating or armor built into the suit to protect her from bullets and what not. (Which is what I imagine everyone in the Batfamily has). She wears a mask over her eyes and keeps her hood pulled up over her hair whenever she's fighting. She is also supposed to have this grey symbol on her chest ф and she does not use guns like it shows in the picture. She has superpowers. She doesn't need a gun or want one. thanks for coming to my TED talk lol.
Also, it is Tuesday 12:03 Am in California and since I'm still up, I decided to post this chapter because idk if i'll remember to do it tomorrow or not. I might, I haven't forgotten yet but I'm on wattpad anyways so might as well post the next chapter lol. Hope you're ready for Thursdays update!!! It's going to be an exciting one.