Lilandra looks at them, "How can you be sure that they will agree to help us?"
"I'll take the mush u pork, and every one of these heroes owes me a favor or two," Babs says taking the bag. "Charles what do you want?"
"I'll take whatever has chicken in it. I think this is a very good team we have assembled," Charles says as he takes the bag.
"Have you contacted all of them yet?" Lilandra asks.
"Just finished. I should start getting answers...Now!"
The monitor with Beast Boy's picture on screen beeps. Babs puts on her headset. "Hi Gar,"
"Hey Oracle. I got your message. So you want me on you dream team?"
"Yep. Are you up for trying to strangle a guy with metal blade sticking out of his hands?"
"Life is too short not to pass up a new challenge. Has Raven been invite to this Shindig Battle?"
"Yes, But you'll be on different teams. Are you two still an item?"
Beast Boy sighs. "Its complicated," he says.
"I want you at the Justice League tower at 12:00 p.m sharp. We train for a few hours and then we should arrive in the morning of their reality."
"Yes Ma'am, Beast Boy out."
Babs checks the clock. Its 8:00. "I still have a few missions to complete at home-" suddenly a pink cloud appears.
A girl wear a blue shirt with a jean skirt over her leggings appears. "Hi Babs-I can believe you invite me on the mission!" Missfit says very quickly.
"Do none of your associates believe in using the door?" Charles says.
Babs rolls her eyes. "Apparently not. Charlotte what are you doing here? I told you to come here tomorrow!"
Charles stares at Babs. "You bringing a child on this mission?"
Charlotte pouts. "I'm not a child! I have"
"Let me take this one Charlotte," Babs interrupts. "First of all. We need a back up teleporter because Zatanna is going to focused on dragging you around. And second of all how old was the youngest X-Man or woman you have sent out into the field?"
Charles closes his mouth.
Charlotte is bouncing on the balls of her feet. "So when do I get my new uniform?"
"Tomorrow," Babs says with emphasis. She then looks at Charles with a coy grin. "You'll also be getting a uniform tomorrow."
"Cool," Charlotte says, "whats his super-hero name?"
"X Bird."
Charles looks at Babs "We never talked about code names. Why Bird at the end of the name?"
"Because my team is semi-officially called the Birds of Prey. Now Charlotte go home before I decide to dig up another superhero."
"Alright. Alright. See you tomorrow!" Misfit banishes in a puff of pink smoke.
Babs sighs and begins to eat. "As I was saying. I need to coordinate a few missions tonight while receiving all of our R.S.V.P.s"
"So what can I do?" Charles asks.
"Is there anything I can help with also?" Lilandra asks, stepping out from the shadows.
"Yes. Tomorrow what no one knows yet is the fact that this entire exercise is going to take place in their heads. Charles I need you project ever possible scenario for as to how X-men might react to our O-men. Use Lilandra to bounce your thoughts off of. Can you manage all of that?"
"I think so. But I don't know how to prepare them for the Shadow King."
"For our X-men I suggest you just project there greatest fears and let them battle it. Because the Shadow King feeds on fear and weakness."
"Very good idea."
Babs turns to looks at her screens and pulls up a map of Gotham. "I suggest you two work elsewhere. Also try to sleep for a few hours. I assume there will be no problems with sharing a bed?"
"Not at all," all they both say in tandem.
...
"Nice work team," Babs says, looking at satellite footage of the whole team leading a gang of arms smugglers into police custody.
"We would have liked you in field Babs. We're sure you would have been great!" Dinah says.
"Some one needed to track them through their g.p.s. signals and besides I would have weighed you down. Take the rest of the night off!"
Everyone logs off but Huntress. "Are we going to talk about why you left me off your team for this top-secret mission tomorrow?"
Babs sighs. "I wish we didn't. I need some one to hold down the fort here. You can look after Hawk, Dove, and Zinda."
"Is this because I don't have a special ability like Dinah? I'm just human."
"Yeah that's what it boils down to! When we go to this world we will be facing a meta-human army." Babs' tone softens. "I also need you here in case anything goes wrong and I can't get back."
"Babs don't say things like that! You'll be back and I'll have the team alive and safe when you return."
"Now that's what I like to hear! Oracle out." Babs takes off her headset. She tentative turns on one of the monitors she rarely uses. It is live footage of the guest bedroom. Charles and Lilandra are tangled together under the sheets, fast asleep. She quickly turns the monitor off, embarrassed to have seen such a private moment.
Babs walks over to closet concealed by the smooth wall surface. With a single touch the door opens to reveal a closet. Hanging there is her Bat suit. She smiles and takes the moment in. "Its showtime," she says to herself.
...
Two crooks are walking out of pharmacy with bags medication slung over their shoulders.
"Do you have prescriptions for those?" a voice says. One of the crooks shoots in the air "a bat!" he shouts. A batarang cuts his wrist and he loses his gun just as bat form leaps on to his partner. Babs dis-locates his shoulder and pummels his face to the ground. The other man pull out a knife and Babs catches his plunge and flips uses the moment to flip him on to the ground.
"Small potatoes tonight," another voice says. A bat shape leaps from a building and slides down the burnt-out lamp post. Dick Grayson is smiling, "You look good."
"Thanks Dick. Are you sorry I did invite you onto my covert mission?"
"Nah. Bruce would have objected and I figured you had your reasons. So, word on the street is that there is a plot to rob the Fing bank tonight. Want in?"
"This is not a date," Babs say she prepares her grappling gun.
"No one said anything about it being at date," Dicks says as he preps his own gun. Both there guns go off and they glide together into the darkness.
...
Babs enters her apartment at 6:00 A.M. with a bag of breakfast sandwiches and cups of coffee humming. When she enters the kitchen to find Charles is already there holding a cup of coffee.
"You were out last night.," he says as a statement.
Babs puts the food and coffee on the table. "Yes I was out last night partying at the Iceberg Lounge."
"There is no reason to lie. You were out fighting crime in your Bat-girl persona."
"What gave it away?" she asks as she sips her coffee.
"When I fall asleep, my mind touches other people's dreams. I could feel Lilandra's, but not yours."
Babs begins to unwrap a sandwich. "Well since you aren't my headmaster, you can't punish me for sneaking out."
"No I'm not upset. I was just wondering, how did it feel to be back in the field again?'
Babs gets glassy-eyed look on her face and smiles. "It felt amazing," she says.
Lilandra enters the kitchen. "I thought I smelled something more edible than that horrible Asian concoction you made me order."
"This stuff is as a fresh as you can get from Jim Dorton's.
After they finished eating, they spent the next hour in the control room going over the layout of Utopia. At 8:00 Misfit appeared and they left for Wayne Enterprises. Misfit was to giggly, that Babs had to warn Charles not to shut her up mentally. This scared Misfit enough for her to calm down. When they arrived at the hangar Bruce was nowhere to be seen. Sitting on the floor of the helicopter, there was a large box.
"Now Charlotte pretend I'm Santa Clause and don't open the box until the time is-" Bruce suddenly appears from behind the helicopter.
Babs stares evenly at him. "Are you here to talk me out of what I am about to do?"
"No," Bruce replies, his face unreadable. "It will be hard to replace you if you don't come back alive."
Babs smiles. "That is about as much of a compliment I can expect from him." Bab waves her hand, "everyone, get in!" When Babs turns on the engines, Bruce steps away but his eyes remained glued on the helicopter. He still standing there, when he just appears to be a speck on the ground.
...
Once they arrive at the Hall of Justice, Misfit couldn't help but let out a few oohs and ahs. They land on a concealed landing pad and proceed to walk down the labyrinth of halls. They are greeted by Red Tornado when they enter what league members lovingly call "The Kitchen." They take the elevato to the observation deck.
Babs set the box on a table and opens it. "Here it is Charlotte."
Misfit squeals at the sigh of the black body suit emblazoned with a dark blue "M" on it. Bab smiles. Go ahead and put it on. There is a changing room down the hall. Misfit skips away. Babs turns to Charles. "It'll be your turn next." Charles looks far from enthused.
"This is so cool," Misfit exclaims.
Bad walks around, pleased with Alfred's work. "Now Charlotte, look the front of your hands." Misfit examines them. "You have tine syringes build in them."
"Yes, when you press button on the inside of your fingers, a the syringe will "sting" the opponent with a non-lethal dose of horse tranquilizer. You main task, unless I tell you otherwise, will be to sting as many mutants as possible. Any objections Charles?"
"None at all," he says.
"Cool!" Misfit says.
Babs walks to window and pull out a control panel. "Misfit, why don't you practice before everyone else gets here?"
"Sure," says and walks into the Kitchen.
Babs turns away and smiles with a hint of mischief. "Your turn Charles," she says. She opens the box and pulls out a black body suit with a dark green border running down the sides. There is a green O on the chest. Lilandra smiles and Charles is trying very hard to hid his disbelief. "Do I really need a uniform?"
"Yes you do. Now go and put it on and I'll explain how it works."
Charles returns wheel back in with a look of incredulity on his face.
"You look handsome," Lilandra says.
"Who came up with this ridiculous design?"
"Actually, I made this suit for me, years ago. I had tailor friend of mine alter it for you." Before Charles can answer Zatanna appears in a clout of purple smoke.
Babs does not act surprised. "Thanks for coming early Z. How was the show?"
"You know Gotham. I can turn a group of tigers into doves and then make them into wine and I still won't get a standing ovation."
"Sorry to hear that. Are you ready to demonstrate to Charles why he needs a uniform?"
"Sounds like fun."
"Now Charles, turn yourself around so that your back is facing us."
Charles rolls his eyes but does as instructed.
"Zatanna, you will be carrying him essentially as a back pack. That is why there is extra padding straps attached."
Zatanna levitates Charles towards her and Charles grumbles. "This is going to look ridiculous."
Zatanna answers this one. "Charles we both need our hands to be free so unless you have any better ideas, go along with it."
Charles chooses to remain quiet, still uncomfortable not being in the position of authority. Zatanna pulls a silver amulet on necklace out. She places it around Charles' neck. She holds the the amulet in her hands and says. "Lighten the load," backwards. "This feels weird," Charles says.
"It is time to test this out," Babs says. She pulls out a microphone. "Charlotte take a break."
In a puff of pink smoke Misfit appears. "Sounds great."
Zatanna straps Charles onto her back. "Show time!" Zatanna disappears in a puff of purple smoke.
They are in the center of the metal room. "First lets try the meet grinder," Babs says and presses a button. A two ton ten foot wide slab of steel falls from the ground. Zatanna easily teleports out of range. "How about something tougher?" Zatanna shouts. Charles looks shaken though. Babs revs up the machine an more blocks of steel appear. Zatanna dodges all of them and Charles slowly looks less uncomfortable.
"It is time to make thing interesting for you Charles," Babs says to herself and presses a button.
"What are you doing?" Lilandra says.
Out of nowhere a tranquilizer dart hit Zatanna in the necks as another block of steel is a few feet away from smashing them to the side of the wall. "What the Hell Babs!" Charles shouts.
"Charles pull out the grappling gun and aim for a corner!"
Charles' hands are shaking.
"Charles you can do this!"
The wall is inches from them when Charles aims the gun and pulls him and Zatanna to safety. Babs stops the training exercise. Zatanna wakes up.
"A little warning B!" Zatanna says but she is smiling. Charles is shaking like a leaf. Zatanna teleports them back to the observation room. Zatanna un-clips him and levitates him into his chair. He looks like he is about to be sick. Lilandra rushes to him. Babs is not pleased.
"Charles, you have been involved in countless battles! Why panic here when you knew I could hit the off switch!"
Lilandra starts in on her. "That is not fair! Charles had no idea what was coming!"
But Babs does not let up. "Charles, the Shadow King feeds on fear. He has clearly hit a nerve somewhere that is inducing cowardice!"
Suddenly a black stick slams into Bab's face. Charles is seething. "No one calls me a coward!" He looks to Zatanna. "Now lets try this exercise again but make it harder this time!"
Babs smiles. "You're finally starting to learn..
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