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Batgirl Begins (dbspock/WendyTheRed)

“Of course not. That’s why you’re sitting in the front and not the back. “ Chloe whispered, her voice unintentionally falling as she glanced around the dark street. It was her home, but the night made it spooky all the same. She was almost glad to get into the car and have a barrier, even if their destination was not one she would have chosen.

“You don’t have to be set up to be mugged in this town. “ Chloe pointed out. “And if you say so. “ if this was a test, Chloe knew she wouldn’t pass. She felt nervous enough just driving Babs. Still, she grinned when her friend thanked her. “Anytime. Just don’t tell your dad. “ Chloe laughed, well aware that was never going to happen.

Chloe shook her head. “Unless you are here past 6, don’t trust a cab or Uber. “ she cautioned. “Give me a call if you need a ride. “ she returned Babs hug, then looked around the deserted street worriedly. Part of her was tempted to stay and wait with Babs, but if this was a test having an escape route was probably cheating. “Call me. “ Chloe insisted again before she drove off, leaving Babs on the deserted street corner with only a flickering street light and garbage to keep her company.
 
Barbara smiled warmly at Chloe. "Don't worry, my dad would be madder at me than you if I was ever foolish enough to tell him." She supposed it was yet another secret she was keeping from him and she frowned softly at the thought. She nodded at Chloe's advice about the cab or uber. "Fair enough. You never know Sara may take pity on me and give me a ride herself. But I'll call if I need to. Regardless, I'll call you later just so you know all went well."

Barbara watched her friend drive off then tugged her hood up, not because of the wind or anything but to keep her long red hair from catching anyone's eye as she stood there. She looked around herself then moved out of the cone of light from the streetlight and crouched near the wall at the corner. Her head stayed on a swivel, not out of fear, though she was nervous being out here, but because she didn't want to risk anyone sneaking up on her. She even looked up at the nearby roofs from time to time as she waited, doing her best to be patient even as she checked the time occasionally.
 
“True. But he could punish me far more easily. “ Chloe pointed out, well aware a simple call to CPS would turn her life upside down. She nodded with satisfaction as Babs agreed not to risk an Uber this time of night.

The time Sara mentioned came and went with no activity, at least not on the block Babs was on. She did catch some movement on the roof…or was it just her imagination? There were a few vehicles on nearby roads…one police car, two delivery trucks, a garbage truck, and a van she saw half a dozen times if she was paying attention.


The only people she saw were a pair of men in full gang regalia. Hidden as she was, they didn’t see her, and indeed they vanished at one point as they walked past a street light. Taken by a shadow she thought moved? Or her imagination again?

Finally, three hours later, the same van pulled onto her street and came to a stop in front of her, the side door sliding open invitingly.
 
She smiled at Chloe. "I know. But I have your back Chloe. Now and forever. Don't worry."

She frowned at that van, getting worried it was a kidnapper or something staking her out. But then again, how would they know who she was? Unless they knew who her dad was she wasn't a tempting target. Well, she could be simply for being female and that thought sent a shiver down her spine. She was more intrigued by the movement on the roof. She wondered if it was Sara watching to see what she did. She also briefly wondered if it was Batman. In either case, she knew they wouldn't reveal themselves.

Later when the gangbangers seemed to disappear she squinted in that direction, trying to figure out what she had seen. She'd moved out of the cone of the light from the street light for two reasons. One, so she didn't draw attention to herself and two, in an attempt to not lose her night vision. But whatever happened was too fast for her to get a good look at it and once more she suspected that whatever it was probably had to do with Sara.

She raised her eyebrows when the van pulled onto her street and stopped, that door opening invitingly. She pushed off from her wall and couldn't help saying sarcastically. "You forgot to offer me candy." She glanced towards the front seats, trying to see who was there, torn between being smart about this and suspecting this was yet another test from Sara. But if it was, what was the proper reaction here?
 
From her position, Babs could see the front passenger seat was empty, and the rear, while still carpeted, had had the passenger seat taken out and so the rear was mostly empty. She could spot a figure in the drivers seat, but the interior lights were out so all she saw was that it wore a hoody and it was tall enough that the head almost touched the ceiling.

The figure was motionless until she asked for some candy, then an arm reached out and rifled around in the glove compartment for a few moments. Then the figure got out of its seat and crouched between the two seats, giving Babs a look at a boy not much older than her, wearing jeans, sneakers, and the aforementioned hoodie. He held out his hand to her and revealed a beat up package of M& Ms. “That’s all I could find. “ he said, no hint of humor in his voice.
 
She frowned a little as she looked over the interior of the van. It wasn't giving her anymore reassurance than the silent offer to get in had. She looked at the driver, it was likely too tall to be Sara unless she was sitting on a box, a mental image that made her briefly smirk and one she wouldn't ever share with Sara.

She looked the boy over when he crouched and narrowed her eyes thoughtfully. She could appreciate his response to her sarcasm though she did wonder if he had somehow taken her seriously. She spoke next with no trace of humor in her voice either. "Look, I'm here to meet someone and you're not the person I was going to meet. I'd be a damned fool to get into your van unless you know who I was sent here to meet." She very purposefully didn't indicate gender or give any clues about who she was meeting.
 
The boy saw her smirk and frowned. Had he said something funny? He didn’t think so, but she appeared to. Nor did she show any sign of taking the candy she had requested, and he lowered his arm in confusion as she spoke.

He considered her words, then gave a brief nod as that made sense at least. “Sara. “ he told her, providing the confirmation she had requested, but no more.
 
She saw the confusion on his face and wondered what was going on. Was he taking what she had said literally. She nodded when he said Sara and stepped into the van, closing the door behind her. Unless that was an amazing guess, she knew this boy was here on Sara's orders. She reached out for the bag of M&Ms. "Thank you for the candy." She figured she'd be polite at least and she smiled when she saw they were peanut M&Ms. The best kind.

"So, are you taking me to wherever Sara is?" She motioned to the passenger seat. "May I?" She was now quite sure this was all some kind of test even how long she'd had to wait since this van had passed by multiple times. He was probably keeping an eye on her and she decided to test a theory. "Tell whoever took care of those gang bangers thank you. Assuming it wasn't you."
 
He relaxed as she got into the van, relieved he hadn’t failed Sara and frightened off her newest student. Not yet, at least, though he suspected the hard part was yet to come. He tensed when she reached for him, then realized her intent and handed her the bag. “You’re welcome. “ he told her, then shook his head.

“I’m not sure where Sara is. “ he admitted. “She might be at the dorm, but I doubt it.” He shook his head when she asked to be seated. “Not yet. We have some stuff to go over first. “


But before he could tell her what she mentioned the gamgbsngers and his brown eyes shot wide open in surprise…and panic? “You saw that? “ he asked. So much for keeping out of sight.
 
She smiled at him and put the M&Ms into the front pocket of her hoodie. She raised her eyebrows though at what he said next. "Dorm?" That sounded intriguing and raised more questions in her mind since she had assumed Sara probably lived at Bruce Wayne's manor since she was his chief of staff or whatever. She nodded when he said they had stuff to go over and waited but she was surprised by her reaction to his next question.

She was a little surprised by the reaction and realized he had been acting on orders to keep out of sight. Intriguing. She decided to share a bit more with him and also confirm another theory. "I did. I also saw your van pass by a few times and saw the person on the roof."
 
He nodded when she said the word dorm, but she didn’t ask so he didn’t elaborate.

His eyes widened again when she revealed just how much she had seen. “Damn. “ he said softly, beginning to suspect what Sara had seen in the girl. He frowned at her a bit. “Are you going to tell on me?” He demanded, curious if she was going to use this knowledge against him.


But they did have procedures to follow. “I’m going to need your phone. “ he told her. “And take off your clothes. “
 
She was a little frustrated that he didn't follow up when she asked about the dorm but she was getting the feeling this boy was very, very literal. She saw his reaction to what she said and noted that he didn't deny that she had indeed seen someone on the roof. She wondered who it was and whether it was Sara herself. She was starting to realize there was more to Sara than it appeared. Well, even more, since she already suspected Sara was a lot more than she seemed to be.

She was shocked when he asked if she was going to tell on him. She was tempted to reassure him but she also saw an opportunity here. "I'll tell you what, you answer questions for me and it'll be our secret. I'll understand if there are some things you can't answer because of rules or something. Deal?"

She blinked at his next demands. She blushed immediately at the demand for her to take off her clothes but she also got the feeling this wasn't so he could leer at her. She took out her phone and held it out. "I'll need it back afterwards. My dad isn't exactly rich and if I lose it while supposedly staying at a friend's house he's going to wonder how that happened." She hesitated though as she slid off her hoody. "So, first question. Why do I have to take off my clothes?" She sat down and began taking off her shoes and socks, drawing it out to give him time to answer.
 
He frowned a bit at her request, then nodded. She was asking for little enough in return for not letting Sara know he’d let her down, the last thing he wanted to do. “Deal. “ he agreed.

He wasn’t surprised when she blushed when he asked her to strip. It was probably the only thing she’d done so far that hadn’t surprised him. He reached out and took her phone with a nod. “You’ll get it back. “ he promised as he turned to the side a bit, and plugged her phone into a cable that ran into the dashboard. A light turned green and he nodded in satisfaction before he faced Babs again, a bit surprised she’d already begun to disrobe.

He shrugged in response to her question. “I don’t know for sure. I never asked her. “ he admitted, but remembered their deal so he kept talking. “I have a few theories though. It might be a trust issue. Or an obedience check. I’m supposed to check you for injuries or other obvious medical issues as well. And see what kind of shape you are in.” He shrugged. “Like most things Sara does, there are multiple reasons for most things she asks. “
 
She saw the frown and realized that Sara might mean even more to this kid than just being his sensei or something. He had had specific orders and he didn't like that he'd apparently failed somehow. Intriguing. She filed that information away for later, beginning to realize that Bruce Wayne was definitely not the only person in that Manor with secrets.

She nodded when he said she'd get her phone back. She noticed that green light and cocked her head. She casually said. "Satisfied there are no trackers on my phone?" She was a little surprised to hear he'd never asked Sara why people had to strip and it occurred to her that at one point he'd been in her position. She glanced at her phone when he said 'trust issue' and then looked back at him. She took a deep breath and peeled off her shirt and jeans, now in only her underwear. "Is this good enough?" Her cheeks were the same color as her hair by now and she wondered if she'd pass the 'in shape' test. Judging by comments others had made she suspected so but perhaps they had higher standards.
 
“None I can detect at least. “ he agreed, taking it in stride she’d figured out what he was looking for.

He squirmed in the seat a bit when she peeled off her Batman shirt, then wriggled out of her jeans, and his face was a bit red as well as he shook his head. “I..,I’m afraid not. “ he stammered out, not wanting to explain to Sara he’d failed again. But he could see most of her by now, and he didn’t see any scars to indicate past serious injuries. Her legs also seemed quite muscled. “You a runner?” He questioned her, the obvious solution to her fitness.
 
She nodded at his reply, pleased that he'd confirmed her suspicion. This was all way more than she had expected. She'd thought Sara would show up and take her through some paces. This was practically secret agent movie stuff with the checking her over and checking her phone. What was Sara involved in?

She noted how he was red and couldn't help smiling though she smile slipped when he said he was afraid not. She hesitated then turned her back to him and unclasped her bra. After a few more seconds she worked up the courage to peel her panties down as well. Her heart pounded and in a way she was pleased by his question. "I was in track before I came to Gotham. I also did martial arts some but never to the extent I'll be doing now. And kept in shape in general because of it." She didn't add she'd kept in shape partially to fend off people like her step-dad. "I plan to get in better shape though. I'm hoping to get a chance to do things like rock climbing, running again, weights, gymnastics..."
 
He hadn’t expected her smile, and he looked at her a bit confused as her smile vanished. Perhaps he had imagined it? Try as he might, he’d been looking at her bra more than her face. And then she turned her back on him and he watched with interest as she unclasped her bra, not sure how she did it so easily as it looked awkward. His gaze then dropped to her butt before he forced himself to look away and climb into the drivers seat. “You can sit up here if you want. “ he offered as he started the engine again.

He actually laughed a bit at her comment about getting into shape. “You will. “ he promised her. “You’ll do all that…and more. If you stick around, that is. “
 
She looked over her shoulder again as he climbed into the driver's seat and started up the van once more. She'd missed his looks at her body since she turned her back. "Am I allowed to get dressed? Because no way am I sitting up there naked where anyone could see me."

She smirked a little at his reply about getting into shape. "People keep underestimating my resolve. I think Sara might be the first person who at least wanted to test it instead of just assuming I won't see things through." She sighed and shook her head. "I have a..." she struggled to find the right word and finally settled on one. "mission. It's going to define my life going forward and I can't give up on something that can help with it just because it's difficult." She wondered if those gang bangers on that bus would have not messed with her and taken her clothes if they'd known how much they'd change her life that day.
 
“Not yet. “ he told her, glancing over his shoulder at her to make sure she was ready before he put the car in gear and began to drive. The streets were deserted enough that he thought her fear of being seen was unfounded, but it was up to her so he didn’t argue.

He nodded when she mentioned being resolved. “I didn’t think you’d wait that long. “ he admitted. “Few people do. “ and those that did wait generally bailed rather than strip from what he’d heard, but he didn’t want to call attention to her nudity so he didn’t mention that.

He nodded again when she mentioned her mission. “I know what you mean. “ he said.
 
She was a smart and logical girl. But even she wasn't above having an irrational fear of random strangers seeing her naked. She'd already experienced that on her first day in Gotham. She sighed and busied herself neatly laying out her clothes. "Why not? Is someone else going to inspect me when we get to wherever we're going?"

She nodded thoughtfully. "Well, I figured one of two things was happening. Either Sara had gotten busy with some kind of emergency and would eventually call me and reschedule or it was a test of some kind. Something Sara said made me think she wondered if I had the resolve to get training from her so I figured it was a test. A boring test but a test. I was almost glad for things like your van passing by as it gave me something to be curious about."

She looked over her shoulder once more when he replied about her mission. "So...you mentioned a Dorm. And something about how you talk about Sara makes me think she's almost like a leader of sorts, not just a sensei. Will I get to find out more about this when we get to our destination?"
 
“No. “ John told her, then shrugged. “At least, not that I know of. But part of the resolve test is going naked the first week. “ he told her. “And you’re correct I guess. I, at least, think of her as more than a Sensei. But I’m not sure what else there is to tell, but I guess you can judge for yourself. “

He reached out and pushed a button on the dash, and a beaten garage door slowly rose and he drove the van inside. He turned the vehicle off as he exited the vehicle, then walked around and opened the sliding door. If Babs exited and looked around, she’d see a very well maintained and stocked three car garage, complete with a lift. One wall was dedicated to tools, another parts, and the third had two doors, one of which her escort would lead her to, if she followed.
 
She blinked when he said 'first week'. She was so intent on that she barely noticed his confirmation of what she had asked. "First week? I...I have a job with Sara's employer no less. Not to mention my dad. I can't stay somewhere for a week without my dad starting some kind of manhunt for me. Literally by the way. He's a cop." She had no doubt that Chloe would tell all she knew and she could only imagine how that would go.

She fidgeted when he pulled into the garage and opened the sliding door. She took a couple of deep breaths then forced herself to exit the fan, her face flaming at being nude. She couldn't help covering herself with her arms as he hadn't said she couldn't do that and she followed him towards the door. "This doesn't exactly scream dojo." She paused as she thought about the 'spy' feel of things. "but that's the point isn't it?"
 
“Oh. “ John realized he hadn’t explained himself correctly. “I’m supposed to give you a ride to Wayne Enterprises when we’re done for the day, or if you quit. I know who your Dad is, and no need for a manhunt. I’m not kidnapping you. I’m not sure what your training schedule is like for the rest of the week. I think it depends how today goes. “

If he noticed her delay or attempt at modesty when she exited the van, he didn’t object to it as he opened one of the doors. “This isn’t a normal dojo. “ he confirmed as he walked into the other room. “But does this fit your expectations a bit more? “ indeed the room looked a lot like Daniel’s dojo, except it was larger and there was a lack of decoration on the wall. The floor was padded, and there were cabinets of various sizes lining the walls. The floor was mostly bare with the exception of a punching bag and a few mannequins, targeting areas clearly marked.
 
She nodded her understanding. "I thought you meant I'd be here for a full week of training. There were a lot of reasons that'd be...problematic." She paused. "Alfred was giving me a ride to Wayne Enterprises, unless Sara has already talked to him and let him know it's no longer needed." Somehow she wouldn't be surprised at all if she had done exactly that. She also wouldn't be surprised if Bruce Wayne knew exactly where she was and what she was doing.

She stepped in behind him and looked around. She did like what she saw of the dojo though was a little surprised it was so bare. She looked at the cabinets, having a suspicion they contained training weapons or something then looked at him. "Am I training with you then? Or is Sara coming in a bit?" She wouldn't be surprised if she was training with him and she wondered if that was part of his own journey, to become a teacher as well as a student.
 
“Some stay here for the full week. Some longer. “ John admitted. “But most students have nowhere else to go, and no one looking for them. “ He frowned a bit at her next comment. “Sara didn’t mention Alfred. “ He admitted, though he clearly knew who Alfred was. “She just said to give you a ride to Wayne Enterprises when you were done. “

“I don’t know what Sara’s plan is, but she didn’t say to expect her. “ John admitted, but he didn’t answer her question about training. Not in words at least. Instead, he waited until she was distracted by the dojo, then is she turned her back on him, he’d literally kick her in the ass. If she remained facing him, he’d sweep her legs from under her.
 
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