Patreon LogoYour support makes Blue Moon possible (Patreon)

Batgirl Begins (dbspock/WendyTheRed)

Rick glanced over at her and shrugged. Honestly this was as close as he'd been to a cop...in Gotham that was the safest way to be. So he had no idea how to even go about bribing a cop, though he supposed using a daughter might be a good method. But that really wasn't what he'd been thinking. "Actually I was thinking they might be more subtle than that. If your dad is working on a case and suddenly gets called in, it might be because of a lead, and the subject of said investigation would probably find that interesting. Just...be careful. Especially if someone might be overly interested in your dad." Frankly it wasn't any of Rick's business, and he knew that, and he didn't want to butt in. But he also didn't want Bab's to get in over her head, so he settled for a word of caution.

Rick watched as she examined the helmets, then let out a small smile of approval as she selected the one with the removable gas mask. That's the one he'd have picked as well, as it should be. He'd designed it. He nodded as she laid the goggles on the table. "I'll have to integrate those with your armor." He said, ideas already flashing through his brain. "And you might want to set aside some time tomorrow afternoon so we can practice with the basics, such as how to darken said goggles." They were clear right now, and he suspected her Dad would recognize her if she didn't take that precaution. he didn't want to get involved in the family dynamics of it, but the technical challenge...he was onboard with that. "Also...you might want to consider bringing someone along to help you put the armor on." Rick would help if she needed him to, but it was a bit of an intimate process and he wasn't sure Babs would appreciate that.

Rick couldn't help but chuckle at her reaction to the next drawer...it was nice to be around someone who appreciated his handiwork. He shook his head with amusement as she grabbed an assortment of tools, then sighed as she asked him the impossible question again. He'd already tried to explain there was no way he could predict what she might need, but his eyes did settle on an unobtrusive small tube in the corner of the drawer. "If it were me..." he tried to quality his answer as he picked up the small tube and showed it to her. "I'd consider taking this as well. It shoots out a stream of gel with a calcium pepper component. Frankly, if the gel touches someone's skin, it's all but impossible to get off, and it makes their skin feel like its on fire. Good way to end the fight without hurting someone, and the gel has a dye component as well. It would make identifying the assailant quite easy for a week or so. We tried to get the GCPD interested, but never got much traction on that." he laid the tube down, so Bab's could get it if she chose, then snapped his fingers. "That reminds me...." he went to another drawer and reached in, extracting another small case. "It's a first aid kit we started supplying to some of the elite military branches...Nr. Wayne didn't cut that program. Anyway, it's got some topical ointments in it that will counteract the gel, if you accidentally get it on yourself. I know its too big to be practical to carry, so I'd suggest putting it in Bertha, and picking out a smaller, less comprehensive case for your person." He gestured towards the drawer so she could take a look, and try to find a compromise between portability and effectiveness. he raised an eyebrow as another thought occurred to him. "Oh, and if you want to grab some samples for your dad out of that drawer, feel free. I'll fill out the paperwork, but it shouldn't be a problem getting it approved. We do stuff like that all the time. It's a loss to the company, but frankly only the beancounters care about that, and Mr. Wayne isn't one of them."
 
She listened to Rick and nodded. "Thankfully, no one has been truly interested in him. And, well, the only time I brought him in to meet someone was a new friend of mine. A very nice girl who is being picked on by some bullies at a local karate dojo. They knew a crooked cop and he'd more or less used the law to harass her. It was actually meeting her that made me understand the GCPD's reputation."

She nodded. "Tomorrow? I can do that. Well, I can if Mister Wayne doesn't have other plans. And do you mean bring someone in two days or will there be a fitting tomorrow? I know someone who may be getting a job here soon, I could ask her. The only other woman I know here at Wayne Enterprises is a woman named Amanda in IT. And I'm not sure we know each other well enough for me to ask that since the armor will be ummm...form fitting." She pursed her lips. "If it is before the mission I could ask Sara or Agent Johnson maybe as they'll be going with me anyway." She found herself a bit flustered at that thought for reasons she chose not to focus on.

She smiled at his suggestion, nodding to him. "Hmmm...thank you. What about...restraint devices? In case things do get up close and personal and I want to restrain someone, so they can be turned over to the authorities if needed." As she asked, she browsed through the medical drawer, picking up one of the kits and inspecting it, then nodding and adding it to her items. "While that's a good idea, I have to remind you that I don't want my dad knowing I'm involved in a potentially dangerous situation."
 
Rick sighed softly at Bab's mention of the crooked cop who'd abused his position. It was far from the first story he'd heard along those lines, and he couldn't help but wonder if Bab's was wearing blinders in regards to her father's honesty. But Rick didn't have any evidence to support his suspicion, so he kept his opinion to himself. he was grateful the conversation turned to her armor...or at least he was until he realized she was asking questions about trying it on, which brought back memories it was probably best not to dwell on. "We should have a fitting tomorrow. If there are any modifications to be made, I want to have time to deal with them. And we need to calibrate the HUD as well." He smiled slightly when she mentioned Amanda. "We've met." He acknowledged, not addressing her form fitting comment. And if he noticed her discomfort at asking Sara or Johnson for help with her armor, he chose to ignore that as well.

"Ah...yes." Rick hadn't considered restraint devices, but of course he had a drawer for that as well. He retracted the helmets and the accessories drawer...it would have been too crowded otherwise...and pressed another section of the wall, revealing another drawer. It contained everything from zip ties to standard handcuffs and leg irons, but Rick moved to the far end of the cabinet, figuring she would be more interested in the high tech stuff. "This thing shoots out a net." He said as he indicated a large tube. "We're working on getting it electrified, but we're not there yet. Power supply issues. Anyway, these are designed to mold themselves around the prisoners wrists." He said as he pointed to what looked like a simple bar. "It works fine for about ten minutes, then it loses its charge. These are more of the standard...can't really improve on your basic handcuff, aside from the material. The tensile strength is about twice of your standard handcuff." He indicated a section of the display that looked like plastic handcuffs, and they were just about as light too, but Babs would find them impossible to break if she tried.

He stepped back and shrugged at her response about the medical equipment. "Well, as long as you don't try and give it to him during the operation, there's no need to assume he'd make the connection." Rick pointed out, not quite sure of the basis of her objection. But it had just been an idea. If she didn't want to give a kit to her dad, he wasn't going to push the issue.
 
She nodded when he confirmed there would be a fitting tomorrow. That narrowed her list of people who could potentially help her down to Chloe or Amanda and she still didn't think she knew Amanda well enough to ask for that kind of help. Even Chloe would probably result in one or both of them blushing but she thought Chloe would do it. It occurred to her though, that Chloe might let something slip, not to mention, she'd been trying to keep this kind of thing away from her. She decided she'd think it over tonight and come to a decision tomorrow.

She followed him to the restraint drawer and looked the items within over. She raised her eyebrows at the net tube and picked it up, adding it to the items she was collecting. She looked at the bar and frowned. "Ten minutes...that might not be enough time." Her gaze turned to the plastic looking ones and she nodded, taking a couple of pairs of those and some of the zip ties as well.

She turned her gaze to him when he mentioned the kit and she laughed. "You're right. I'm so focused on what's going to happen in a couple of days and keeping my dad from knowing my involvement it didn't occur to me I could just...give it to him in my role as Mister Wayne's assistant. Thank you Rick. I was getting a bit of tunnel vision I think."
 
Rick wasn't at all surprised when she picked the net gun...even if they hadn't gotten all the kinks worked out yet, it was still one of his favorites. He nodded when she stated ten minutes probably wasn't long enough. He entirely agreed, but it was the best they had so far. He couldn't help but smirk as she added restraints to her ever growing pile. Babs surely went along with the whole ';be prepared' motto, he thought.

He looked at her with confusion when she began to laugh, then grinned when she explained the joke. "I know the feeling." he agreed, then nodded at her thanks as he walked over to the pile of equipment. He took out his phone and began to make a list of the items for inventory purposes. "How long were you planning on keeping it?" He asked as he filled out the form.
 
She could tell he wasn't surprised by her choice of items and even seemed to approve in a way. She grinned back at him when he seemed to understand the source of her disconnect about giving the medkit to her dad, watching as he scanned the items. His next question took her a bit by surprise since Bruce Wayne had hinted that she might be able to get away with holding on to it indefinitely. She debated her answer before speaking carefully. "Well, I figure this won't be the first mission of this kind I find myself going on. It's probably easier to have it already than it is to come down here each time. I know of a safe storage place."

She tapped her lip thoughtfully, her mind turning back to that LED color system and her idea to use it to make a logo and perhaps more. "Also, perhaps Jack and I can work together to make refinements to the armor. I'm thinking in particular of that LED system." She debated finding a way to ask about a cape and decided to just ask but play it off as a joke to see how Rick reacted. "Now all I need is a cape that can turn into an emergency parachute or something and I'm set." she said in a tone that was as light and playful as she could make it.
 
"So no return date?" Rick nodded, not seeming too surprised by her answer. "I'll mark it down for a year...we can revisit the subject then, and renew the form if you still need it." Rick didn't really seem to care if the equipment was in storage in the basement or wherever Bas intended to keep it, as long as the paperwork was in order. He glanced up as she mentioned working with Jack. "I think he'd like that, if he can get used to the idea of working with you. Tru bringing him a donut when you first approach him...that'll break the ice." Rick advised with a light chuckle. "Lemon filled and chocolate...he'll be happy to see you after that." he assured her, then frowned. "You probably won't have time to do that before your mission, though." He realized.

Rick did chuckle at her cape comment, then a thoughtful look came over his face as he contemplated the problem. "How much do you weigh again?" He pondered as he stared at her, it not occurring to him to wonder why she'd need a parachute if she was driving as he fixated on the problem. "We do have full size parachutes, of course, but they are pretty bulky. Smart fabric could work, but again...depends on what kind of strain you want to put on it."
 
She nearly sagged in relief when Rick seemed to just go along with her when she said she'd more or less be keeping the armor. She nodded to him with a slight smile. She smiled slightly at Rick's reply about Jack, not terribly surprised by it. "Well, maybe he'll appreciate someone taking an interest in his armor project. But I'll be sure to bring him donuts." She nibbled her lip thoughtfully. "I also need to help Pete with his drone issues though I may not have time for it until after the project either. Still, considering what happened earlier, I think I should make time. I think the poor man is in fear now because I lost my temper with Tommy." She still felt bad about it and would until she'd made things right with Pete. She also thought she might look into a way to relieve Tommy of his position if needed.

She told him her weight, not too bothered by the question that was usually forbidden with women. She knew that because of her height and fitness she probably was overweight by the BMI scales but she also wasn't too worried about it since all it would take is one look at her to see how wrong that scale was when it came to her. "Tell me about this smart fabric? Can it be shaped? Could it be used as a parachute or maybe as a way to glide down from a height if needed?"
 
Rick noticed her relief when he accepted her answer about the time frame, but he attributed it to it being her first day in what had to be a very demanding job and not wanting to screw it up, so he gave the matter no further thought. Especially not when she gave him a technical problem to deal with. But first, he had to deal with the personal problems, namely the reputation Babs had already managed to build for herself and how it might impact his team. That was the least favorite part of his job, but at least she didn't seem to be going out of her way to make it more difficult. "He'll appreciate it unless he thinks your there to do an audit and shut the program down." He warned her, then nodded with a grin. "Donuts will go a long way towards that." He nodded when she mentioned making up with Pete as well. "Debugging the program might take a while." He agreed. "But at least making the offer would probably be better done sooner rather than later, so he can concentrate on his job instead of a possible transfer. But if your interested in a peace offering...Pete loves the three Musketeer bars."

Rick took a note, literally, of her weight, it not occurring to him that might be a sensitive subject, as he began punching numbers into his phone. He was more concerned with how much lift it would take to keep her suspended safely than what her BMI might be. He'd seen her virtually naked, so it was clear she was in good shape, so she could probably handle the physical portion of the parachute drop. he glanced up at her when she asked about the smart fabric, then gave a nod. "It can...we've tested a shield with it, and it can stop small caliber rounds. And yes, we could make a parachute with it. You'd need some height to deploy it...it would work off the top of this building, for example, if you could control it enough not to hit anything on the way down. Do you have much experience parachuting?" He frowned when she asked if it could be used as a glider, then punched some more numbers into his phone. "Theoretically.." He mused softly. "I'm not sure how you'd control it, though...and you'd probably need some way to suspend it from your feet as well...otherwise you might get lopsided and lost control."
 
She sighed when he gave the caveat about Jack but she understood why he felt the need to warn her about it. "Donuts sound nearly mandatory, particularly if people gossip about what I said earlier, which, let's be honest, they've probably already talked about it amongst themselves. I'll have to work to salvage things down here. R&D is probably my favorite place so far!" She grinned at him then nodded her agreement when he mentioned how long things will take. "Agreed. I'll make the offer after you and I finish here if you don't mind, though you'd probably need to show me to his lab since I don't know my way around here. Yet." She threw in the yet because she suspected she'd be down here as often as she could get away with without bothering Bruce Wayne. And if Chloe worked down here, that was even better. She'd have to warn Chloe about Tommy though.

She nodded thoughtfully to him. "Well, for now, we'll stick with the shield aspect of it. Making it go down to say, mid shin or a bit lower should cover that. I can drape it around myself and activate it if needed. What do you think? On the parachute and glider side, mostly I think it'd be useful if it could just slow falls and somewhat glide. I can make a sketch on a white board for what I have in mind if you want?"
 
Rick frowned a bit when Babs mentioned gossip. "I try not to condone such behavior." He told her, then sighed himself. "But it wouldn't surprise me if word got around about the boss's new assistant." He grinned when she mentioned R&D was her favorite place. "Mine too," he confided, then chuckled. "Truthfully I'd probably do this for free, if I didn't have to worry about stuff like food and rent. But don't tell Mr. Wayne that." Rick put his finger to his lips in the classic 'shhh' symbol, but the grin on his face told Babs he wasn't worried about her blabbing. He nodded when she asked to be shown to Pete's office after their meeting. "Sure." he agreed, as he wanted to check on Pete anyway.

Rick frowned when she mentioned the cape, but it was because he was going though the technical issues in his head, not because he disapproved of her request. "I can add a cape to your armor easily enough." he told her. "Just be warned, while it might stop a bullet from penetrating, it's not like the movies. The bullet will still have a lot of energy behind it, which has to go somewhere. At the least, you'll probably have a bruise, and you might get a broken bone depending on the caliber." He shook his head when she offered to sketch out her glider idea. "I think I know what you mean. That'll take some testing to get right, so it probably won't be ready for the delivery. But from the sound of it, your going to be street level anyway, so you probably won't need it. Unless there's something you aren't telling me." There was more curiosity than suspicion in his tone as he glanced at her, then began pushing the drawers back into the wall under the assumption she was done with her selections.
 
She nodded her agreement when he conceded there was likely going to be gossip about her, particularly after what she'd said and done earlier. "You know, Tommy, you said you might have trouble getting him fired because of his dad. Nepotism at his finest. But you know who wouldn't have trouble? Mister Wayne." She didn't say more, though she figured the implication she would talk to Mister Wayne about Tommy was clear. "Does he do anything useful down here? At all?" It occurred to her she might have to do some more probing in the computer systems. See if Tommy was doing anything he shouldn't be and leaving a digital trail she could trace.

She nodded at his reply about R&D and said in her best Humphrey Bogart voice, which was truthfully, probably not that great. "You know, this could be the beginning of a beautiful friendship." She was suddenly thankful one of her friends had exposed her to Casablanca in spite of her protests about 'watching an old movie'. It was endlessly quotable after all.

She nodded at his reply, thinking of the types of situations she might get into. "I would rather have it and maybe get a broken bone than have a bullet hole in me. My preference would be not to have any encounters that involve bullets at all. But I'm not naive enough to think that won't happen." She smiled, surprised how easily he agreed to the cape idea. She looked at him thoughtfully when he asked if there was something she wasn't telling him. She regarded him for a moment, tempted to try to recruit him as she knew she'd need someone with his skills and access to assist her in what she was viewing as her new path in life.

"Rick, there are always things people don't share." She shook her head, nibbling her lip but decided not to say anything. She figured she'd cross that bridge if it happened like if someday reports of a female vigilante showed up on the news and Rick thought the armor looked familiar or something. "What I can say is this. I have no intentions to ever use this armor to hurt innocents or anything like that." She flashed a bit of a smile, muttering under her breath without really thinking about it. "Protecting innocents though...that I'll do."
 
Rick was a bit confused by the sudden topic shift to Tommy, but it took him only a moment to make the connection between Bab's earlier behavior and the problem employee. "I'm not HR...I don't have hiring or firing authority." Rick told her, though of course if it was anyone else, HR would certainly listen to his recommendation. he raised an eyebrow when she mentioned Mr. Wayne wouldn't have a problem firing Tommy, but he didn't comment on it. The politics of the boardroom were above his paygrade. But he couldn't avoid it when she asked him a direct question. Well, of course he could, but he had no desire to. He was all for protecting his employees, but that only applied when he thought the employee had been acting in good faith, and that certainly wasn't the case here. "No." Rick stated bluntly. "We tried at first, but he never got the projects done on time, and he spent a lot of time flirting, to the point no one even bothers asking him for help anymore."

"What?" Rick looked at her with confusion, her impression bad enough that he didn't even recognize the quote at first, then he laughed with a shake of his head. "I don't know..." he started. "I wouldn't want you to think I was trying to take advantage of your position." he then winked at her, reminding her of the warning he'd just given her.

He nodded when she stated a broken bone was acceptable. "I'm sure your dad would rather visit you in the hospital than the morgue." He agreed with her. A bit dark, perhaps, but they were talking about her being shot after all. He didn't deny the possibility she'd encounter firearms at some point in this town. That's why he'd designed Bertha, after all. He didn't question her request for a tape, his mind occupied with the technical aspects rather than the reason behind it. He was also too busy running numbers in his head regarding said design to notice the look on her face when he asked if she was hiding something.

He nodded in agreement when she said people always hid something. "Your dad teach you that?" He asked, though of course you didn't need to be a cop to think that. Especially not in this town. he raised an eyebrow when she mentioned protecting innocents. She had probably learned that from her dad as well...if he was the kind of cop she claimed. "If I thought you were going to hurt someone, I wouldn't help you, no matter what kind of paper you show me." Of course, if she'd been that type of person, Bruce would never have hired her. Rick couldn't claim to know Mr. Wayne well at all, but he'd dealt with him enough to know that, despite what the tabloids said, the playboy had the best of intentions.
 
She nodded when he confirmed that Tommy was essentially useless to the department. It annoyed her that someone like him got to hang around and she assumed it was simply because Bruce Wayne hadn't had the man drawn to his attention. That'd change the next time she saw Bruce. "Well, this isn't you taking advantage. This is me seeing a problem in your department and wanting to help fix it. And perhaps wanting to make amends for mouthing off earlier."

She nodded her agreement of her dad's preferences. She'd prefer that neither option handle especially since her getting shot and going to the hospital would be hard for her to explain to him. She smiled a little at his question. "My dad thinks everyone is hiding something particularly when it comes to me. He was even a bit suspicious of Bruce Wayne hiring me. Afraid of what you mentioned I think about people wanting influence over him." She looked at Rick out of the corner of her eye. "He's just being protective of me by the way."
 
"Well, if someone magically managed to get rid of him, and everyone found out about it, it would certainly help their reputation." Rick confirmed as he took a glance around the room, confirming everything was secure again, with the obvious exception of the pile of equipment Babs had picked out. he thought about helping her secure it all, but decided it was her equipment, and she'd have to figure out how she wanted to carry it all.

He chuckled softly when she talked about her dad. "I'd imagine every parent feels that way." He admitted. "But I'd imagine its even worse when your parent is a cop..." He trailed off for a moment, but clearly had something else on his mind. He shrugged minutely to himself, then continued. "I'm sure your dad has seen a lot of bad stuff...he'd probably just being protective. Doesn't mean he doesn't trust you." She had mentioned the possibility of their being friends earlier, so he decided to test the waters a bit by getting a bit personal. He shook his head when she mentioned Bruce. "I doubt that was Mr. Wayne's intention. He doesn't play those kinds of games, even when the board tries to push him too."
 
She grinned at what sounded like tacit approval of her getting rid of Tommy. She nodded then looked at the table with her 'loot'. She spread out the utility belt she'd picked out and began to slide items into the pockets or hang them on attachment hooks if those worked better. "If you have any suggestions for the beat way to do this I'm all ears."

She nodded and looked up from her work with the utility belt. "I agree. I got a bit offended when he worried Bruce Wayne might have ulterior motives but only because I felt like I earned my job." She laughed. "Even if I started out just hoping for an internship and a chance to prove myself." She looked back at the utility belt. "I don't think it was his intention either." She didn't say that she thought his intentions were partially to test her.
 
Rick didn't reply when she asked for suggestions, but after watching her for a few moments and determining which hand seemed to be dominant, he moved in to assist her, expertly slipping the grappling gun into her leg holster, for one, almost like it had been designed that way, because indeed it had. Between the two of them, they soon found at least a place for all of her 'loot'...it remained to be determined if it would be the best placement or not. That would be something only learned through experience.

Rick handed her the tear gas tube to place in her belt, likely the best position for it, then nodded when she said she earned the job. "I can see that." he agreed, recalling how well she'd dealt with the out of control robot while flashing her panties to the area. He laughed along with her when she mentioned Mr. Wayne's intentions. "I don't think he knows what his intentions are half the time." Rick claimed. he has come up with some crazy policies that I couldn't figure out, but they seem to work out. In any case, it hasn't hurt the companies bottom line." He picked up the helmet and playfully placed it on her head...backwards, so it settled over her eyes so she couldn't see. "Hmmm...you may have to adjust the straps on that."
 
She gratefully accepted his help and was quite pleased to see the grappling gun go into a leg holster. "Hmmm....I'll need to make sure I don't tangle it and the stun batons. I'll think that over unless you have suggestion." She was pleased it all fit into the belt either in pouches or hanging from it and nodded slowly. "Nice." She took the tear gas tube from him and slid it into a flip top holster like object that somewhat reminded her of a scroll tube. She flicked it open and closed a few times then nodded to herself, snapping the button on the strap that would hold it closed until needed.

She smiled when he said she earned her position. "In fairness, you've only seen that demo on my phone. Which is more than most people have seen. I suspect half the people here suspect I earned my position by catching Bruce Wayne's eye or something. I look forward to proving them wrong." She grinned and looked over at Rick. "Hmmm..perhaps he doesn't know his own intentions." In truth, she was certain that Bruce Wayne was in fact Batman and if that was the case, everything he did had a purpose behind it, it was just most people didn't see it.

"What kind of policies would those be?" She blinked as he placed the helmet on backwards, grumbling as it smooshed her nose a bit. "Is this where you tell me to use the Force or something?" She tugged the helmet off and irritably smoothed out her hair, unable to help the stereotypical teenage girl reaction. "Is there anything else we need to cover do you think? Or shall we go talk to Pete and maybe Jack?" She slung the utility belt over her shoulder, fully prepared to take it with her, snatching up the batons as well. "I don't suppose you have a duffle bag I can stick these in for now? If not, no big deal."
 
"You could try securing the stun batons to the other leg. I guess it depends on which one you think you'll use more, which one you want on your dominant side." Rick replied, and agreed with her assessment of their gear storage with a nod. He'd tried to design the belts to be almost universal, and was pleased he'd succeeded. "I've seen more than that." Rick countered when she said he'd only seen his demo, then he actually blushed as he realized she might think he was referring to her unclothes state. "I mean...I saw how you handled the renegade robot." He quickly clarified. "Most secretary's...or assistants...wouldn't operate that well under pressure. Others saw that as well. You might have made a better impression than you think."

Rick frowned for a moment when she asked for clarification on policies, but he wasn't upset at her question, just trying to think of the best example. "I'm sure you've got a whole sheath of paperwork up in the office about that. Above my paygrade." He claimed. "Down here...it's more like projects I guess. He had us build this engine...claimed he wanted to break into the racing circuit. A month later, I get an email that the project is canceled because he's a basketball fan now. I talked with Mr. Fox about it, and he never knew the project had been created in the first place. Weird stuff like that."

She did not seem happy about his little joke with the helmet, and he made a mental note not to do it again. "What?" he asked with a frown when she mentioned the force...it took him a bit to get the joke, then he chuckled. "I'm afraid light sabers are two levels down." He told her, then shook his head. "I think we have it covered, except for surprises, and by definition you can't prepare for those." He shook his head when she asked about a duffle bag. "I think we can handle that." he said as he got her a backpack out of the cabinet. It looked like a standard military issue pack, with a few pouches on the side for storage, but even empty it was a bit heavy. The material was clearly not nylon, despite appearances. He handed it to her and waited for her to store her new belongings before he headed for the door. "And yeah...let's go see how Pete is dealing with the aftermath."
 
She nodded thoughtfully and mimed reached across and trying to remove two from the same leg and then a cross draw type of situation or just a straight draw. She was trying to get a feel for what felt most natural to her. "Hmmm...I'll have to figure it out." She blinked, her eyes snapping to him when he said he 'saw more than that.' She blushed just as he did and nodded when he hastened to add about the drone and her role in it. "Ah. Yes. That. Well, this is true."

She raised her eyebrows at this. Of course, that'd make sense. Make dummy projects to get the stuff he needed for his nightly activities. He probably could just bury the paperwork and the expense. She nodded casually. "I see. So did you build the engine? Did he at least put it into a car so it wasn't wasted? Do you have some kind of 'Bruce Wayne's weird projects' storage room?" She laughed a little like it was a joke, but she was genuinely curious. "Do you keep records of these projects he tosses at you? I'm curious. Might help me get to know my boss better if I can get a clue into what kinds of things catch his fancy."

She paused, thinking for a moment, then continued speaking. "Speaking of experimental engines. I'm not going to drive Bertha around for day to day use. I could go back to the motor pool and check out a car. But if you have anything you'd like to see street tested, well, I do have clearance." She gratefully accepted the backpack and put the belt and batons in it along with the grapple gun. She wondered if Bruce would still be around when she got back to the office and how he would react if he looked into this duffle bag.

"Oh, there is something else I would like to borrow. Just for a day or two. Do you have a handheld tool that would, I don't know, x-ray solid objects? I dropped something in my office and I was thinking it might have rolled behind some furniture or even into a vent. I was thinking if I could scan around for it it'd be helpful." In truth, she wanted to see if Bruce had put any hidden rooms in his office but she wasn't going to admit to that. She nodded and hefted the backpack when he mentioned visiting Pete, giving him an 'after you' motion.
 
Rick simply watched as she tried to implement his suggestion. He knew what he would do, but his muscle memory and body proportions were different than hers, so he knew she would have to practice to figure it out for herself. He wasn't surprised that she reached the same conclusion. He saw her blush, and regretted again his ill chosen words, but he'd salvaged as much as he could about what he had actually meant, and figured it was best just to let the matter drop.

Rick wasn't sure why she was so curious about an abandoned project, but it was her first day on the job and he figured she was still trying to get a handle on office politics. In any case, she probably had more access to the records of what had happened with the engine than he did, so there was no reason not to answer her questions. It wasn't classified or anything. "Most of it. We were waiting on some machined parts to finish it up when he shelved the project. So no...it never got put into the car. To be honest, I'm not sure what happened to it. There's a separate department that handles surplus equipment." he chuckled softly. "Well, Mr. Wayne owns half of downtown, so it wouldn't surprise me if there is a warehouse someplace he forgot all about. But no...there's nothing like that in the building. I know the space looks big, but we use most of it for active projects. And yeah...I digitized it when we were done, but the original blueprints are probably in a room somewhere. I'm not sure where...I figured I could just print up new copies if he ever resurrected the project. Not that its ever happened since I've been here. But if you can ever find a clue to what catches his fancy, please let me know. Personally I think its related to whatever he saw on TV last night, or who he might be dating."

Rick regarded her thoughtfully when she asked for another vehicle for day to day use. "Well...there is a light armored vehicle that works great on paper and the test track...we were about to finalize the design and put it out to market..." He paused thoughtfully, then shook his head. "It's not street legal, though...I think your dad would have a fit if you drove a car with an automatic weapon under the hood. Give me a few days to remove some of the accessories, then you can tell me how it handles in an urban environment."

Rick could only laugh and shake his head when she asked for something else. "You might need a wheelbarrow when you're done." He teased her, then frowned thoughtfully again. "What did you drop?" He asked curiously. "If it's a pen or something and it did fall down a vent, It won't show up with an X-ray machine. We do have some fiber optic video devices, like a SWAT team would use for looking under a door. That might be more helpful for you, then you could see where it dropped at least. Or if its metal perhaps a metal detector might come in handy...we have those as well." He nodded as she indicated she was ready, then began to lead her down the hall again. As it turned out, the route to Pete's office wasn't hard to find...they just had to follow the maintenance crew patching up the damage the robot had created.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom