The origin of Slade.... revealed? [Penumbra]

[Aly]

Batgirl could not stand waiting for the team to organize a whole mission for this, so she had set out alone immediately. It wasn't like the whole west coast was going to blow up or something if she didn't find what she was looking for, but it would save the Titans a lot of trouble. Any more trouble that Slade would throw at them, really. If only she could find what exactly it was that they used on Slade, maybe she could find something to counteract it. She didn't have all of her hopes on finding an anti-serum, she was honestly curious as to what they had been experimenting with, and why they had not continued it. If Slade Wilson had came out so great, why wasn't there an army of Slades running around? Oh gosh, Robin would freak if that ever happened. He'd probably keel over right then and there.

It was well into the night when she finally neared her destination, which was quite a ways off of the road. There was a giant door built into the base of a small mountain range. The only distinctive quality about it was that it had the number 53 painted across the door. Bringing her Batcycle to a stop in front of it, she hopped off and pulled out her laptop. Not even a minute later, the place seemed to come back alive as the door opened and lights flickered on. Well, that was easier than I expected. She smirked as she shut her laptop and put it back, sure that if she needed a computer, there would be one down here. If there was anything of use, it would be the computer system.

[Deleted]

“I love the dark, I am the dark, I love the dark, I am the dark...” Penumbra mumbled to himself as he approached the mountain. In the darkness he was practically invisible even without using his powers. It came with the costume of course. He’d asked very nicely for his Grandfather (who still travels a lot to his various business interests) to give him a ride or a vehicle to use, instead he pushed Penumbra out of an airplane and told him to call when he needed picked up. Seriously, what kind of parental figure throws their progeny out of an airplane? That’s Lamont Cranston for you. Even with the parachute the trip down only took a couple of minutes. To compound his problems, he’d been dropped about a kilometer away from the mountains he’d wanted to investigate. A long walk through the wilds and through rough terrain set him unknowingly a minute or two behind Batgirl. Scaling the mountain, using his rock climbing skills that he held so dear, he pulled himself over a ridge right above to a now opened door flooding the area with light. A long shadow stretched away from the door with recognizable bat “ears” and below him he could see a motorcycle emblazoned with Batgirl’s insignia. “A motorcycle went by when Barb vanished, right?”

It looked like he wasn’t the only person interested in Slade after all. Descending from above the door he silently gave the situation a look over. Batgirl, whoever she was, was in the exact same place described to him by Barbara in the library. Coincidences don’t exist in Alphy’s mind; everything is connected by one of four things: people, places, time, or events. In this case it was very peculiar that He, Barb, and Batgirl were going to the same place or at least mentioning it. It was also a peculiar fact that Batgirl and Barb were from Gotham city. He was so worried that if she were to see him right now... well she WOULD see him flickering in and out of vision. “Forget it Alphy, forget it, ask her later. Focus on being invisible or she’ll see you and rip your mask off.”

Timidly he snuck in behind her and began searching for clues while keeping an eye ahead for Batgirl. Eventually he made his way into a room full of files and an extremely old computer console...

[Aly]

Batgirl had expected that she would be the only one here, so when there was a small sound from the entrance behind her, she attributed it to a falling rock. She was more interested in what lie ahead than behind. All around her were signs of destruction and a hasty departure. Chairs in various rooms were on their sides or flipped over, many rooms had papers and objects scattered around the floor. She was looking for something in particular, and had to refrain from checking out what looked to be a laboratory so that she could investigate the room next to it. This room was also all cluttered, but there was one thing she was interested in, and it wasn't a piece of paper. Even back in the time that this place was very active, they still cataloged information into a computer. Of course, it would have been put into place well after Slade's departure, but finished before his return.

She walked in, flipped on the light, and walked over to the ancient contraption. She made sure the power cord was plugged in before crossing her fingers and pushing the power button. Miraculously, it hummed to life. Like most old computers, it was going to take a while, and it was making a lot of noise. She just hoped she'd be able to work on this old thing. She didn't mess with them very often, if at all, so she may be pretty rusty.

There was a sound behind her, this time near the doorframe. Drawing a batarang quickly from her utility belt, she spun on her heel, about to throw it. She couldn't see her follower yet, but she knew he was there somewhere. Whether around the corner or what, she knew. “I know you're there, creep. Come out where I can see you.” Out of the corner of her eye, she thought she saw something. Scowling, she chucked the batarang almost directly towards it, letting it lodge in the doorframe just as she pulled another back. “The next time, I won't miss.”

[Deleted]

In his line of work, Alphy had started to adopt the mantra, “Expect nothing to go right, you'll never be disappointed.” Tonight, nothing seemed to be going right. First he gets tossed out of an airplane, then he has to hike a kilometer, then he finds evidence that suggests that the girl he just met and actually LIKED may actually be a famous vigilante, and after all of that he gets the lower part of his mask (or scarf if you prefer) stuck to a door frame by that very same vigilante with a batarang. “That voice... Barb?” To be fair Batgirl's voice didn't sound exactly like Barbara, it was not kind nor understanding but savage and fierce. Thankfully the scarf was still wrapped around his face but his power flickered on and off like a light bulb until he was fully visible, arms hanging limp at his side.

“HAHAHAHAHAHA.You got me, I'm impressed Batgirl.” Alphy paused to consider his next words wisely. There was a right way to do things, and another way to get buried in the desert and not be seen again. Batgirl was an understanding type of woman, right? “Seems that your contact, Barbara, told you about this place too; Alphonse likes to send me on wild goose chases. I propose instead of maiming me that we work together to solve this problem.”

“You know I have no intention of harming you otherwise I would have while I was unseen,” Tilting his hat forward he finished off, “two heads are better than one and there's a whole lot of work to be done.”

Besides, Alphy was around 80% sure that she was Barbara and she'd said she hated guns, violence would be minimal.

[Aly]

With her experiences in this type of thing, when the man flickered on like an old lightbulb, Batgirl was unimpressed. It's not like she hadn't seen anything like that before, right? She was just wondering why this guy was here when he spoke of her “contact”. Shit. She should have known better than to leave the tower this morning. This is what she got for being social. Quick as a whip, Batgirl was at his throat, pressing the sharp batarang to his neck. “I don't need any help, thanks.” If the eyes were windows to the soul, the mask was its projection. That voice and those green eyes, together with the fact that no one should know that she was here, led to the conclusion that this masked vigilante, villain, whatever, was none other than Alphonse himself. No wonder he was so interested in Slade back at the library.

With a sneer, Batgirl yanked off the red scarf covering the lower half of his face and knocked his hat off with the same swipe. “What are you doing here?” The dumb games weren't going to work with this guy. Barbara had already figured that one out back at the library. Smart guy like him, she wasn't too surprised that he had already put together her identity, but she was surprised that he was also one to hide behind a mask at night. Whether he was sure yet that she was the nice redhead that had walked into the library earlier today or not, he would have figured it out before sunrise. If she hadn't thrown the batarang just inches off, anyways. If he had, he wouldn't have been figuring anything out tonight. “I can manage just fine on my own.” She lowered the batarang and dropped the scarf onto the ground, turning on her heel back to the stone-age contraption that had finally booted up. “Get out of here, Alphonse.”

[Deleted]

Women: truly the most enigmatic creatures known to man. One moment they're talking all nice and politely then the next they're donning black costumes and jumping from rooftops at night. What was the world coming to? Either way with Batgirl so close to his face threatening him with the cold blade against his neck (note: he's fast too, in fact under his cape his grapple gun was aimed at non vital organs to push her off safely in case he...well had to.), Alphonse was sure this woman was also Barbara who he'd met earlier. Veiled behind her blue-green eyes was part of the girl he'd met earlier. He stood there silently as she ripped the scarf off and then holstered the grapple gun under his cape. Alphy may have been peeved his identity was known so soon, but at the same time he was actually pleased that it was someone like Barbara who had a brain that figured it out.

Smirking back as the scarf left his face, Alphy tilted his head carefully (that batarang was in a nasty spot) and mockingly reciprocated, “I'm just here for the family business. We Shadows have a knack for getting ourselves into trouble discretely. So what are you doing here?” After a moment of contemplating his luck, or perhaps her skill at not killing him, he sighed his reply as an effort to enlist her help instead of having to fight her, “You're great at software, I'll admit, but your hardware skills with older machinery may be a little lacking. In short that computer has a highly advanced mRAM (magnetic core memory) system instead of conventional semiconductor RAM and if you don't fix that short leading to the cores over there..." He pointed to a sparking bit of wire on the other side of the room; he wasn't lying about all of this. It appeared that this whole complex was a combination of advanced electronics and archaic black projects that weren't supposed to work. Magnetic memory was given up ages ago but had faster retrieval. They were working on something BIG whatever it was. All those thoughts passed by in an instant and he continued with a grim estimate,  "...in about twenty seconds you'll be set back about four hours while you Gerry rig something.” Reaching down to grab his scarf and hat he finished his statement, “I'd leave, but you know how it goes: Ladies first, Barbara.”

[Aly]

With her back still turned, she kept the batarang in her hand as she pulled up some files on the computer. “Why do you think I'm here, genius? I'm trying to figure out what they used on Slade, and if I can make an anti-serum, even just to dull the effects of the experiment.” She sighed as he brought up all of the hardware nonsense. Rolling her eyes, she stepped back and gestured to the wires. “Have at it. If anyone's going to get electrocuted around here, I'd rather it be you than me.” To tell the truth, she was just a little pissed that he had figured her out. She was pissed that he was here at all, really. She had thought she would be alone in this little intel-mission. There was a reason she hadn't gone back to the tower to get assistance from other team members.

She put her hands on her hips after placing the batarang back in her belt. “Shadows? I should have guessed, with your statement about your grandfather and guns.” Of course, Batman had told her little about The Shadow, but he basically had everything anyone had on the guy in his computer. It was one of the harder things for Barbara to ever crack, but eventually she got through the walls. She ignored his comment on leaving, but speaking her name rubbed her the wrong way. She did basically ask for it, but that didn't give him permission. “If you ever breathe a word of this to anyone, I'll rethink my position on firearms. Or perhaps, maybe not. I could probably beat you up, and then make you bleed out. No one said I couldn't give you wounds that would lead to your death. Just no instant-killing.” She glared, hand back on her batarangs at her belt.

[Deleted]

“You don't take well to sarcasm do you?” Alphy quickly walked over to the sparking wires and carefully started putting them back together. “I'll fix this, I'll have it working in just a second.” Pulling a MacGyverism using some of the lead pellets for his pellet gun as solder, Penumbra began to painstakingly reconnect the wiring. It was tough work without a soldering iron or torch, but the heat from the still sparking wires was enough to get the pellets melted. The downside to this is that there was now a burnt, metallic smell in the air (and a tiny bit of that toxin floating around). “And...done. You're good to go Bar-Batgirl.” He'd intentionally cut off the words to say that he's going to keep her secret.

Turning away from the wiring he walked over to the console, restoring his hat and scarf to their previous positions. Her threat didn't really have an effect on Alphy since he didn't plan on revealing her identity anyway. It wouldn't seem right to tell the whole world that such a nice young woman was sacrificing her nights and risking life and limb to protect the innocent. On top of that it would make Alphy a hypocrite. Turning to stare at her, trying to reveal his sincerity, he held his hands out in surrender, “I'm no villain, Batgirl, I'm Penumbra. I try to help people and step in to protect people. I have no want for money nor revenge. I just like to help people.”

After a moment he held his hand out like he was asking for a handshake, “I trust you will do the same won't you Batgirl? Friends keep secrets for each other, right?” Even with his hand extended he was cautious and prepared for her to pull him into a lock, throw, or other nasty fighting move. One thought repeated in his mind, “Please don't fight, please don't fight, please don't fight...”

[Aly]

She ignored his comment on sarcasm and watched as he did some wirework in the corner. He didn't seem too afraid of her threats, which led her to believe that he respected that she didn't want him to blab about her nightly adventures. It's not like she wouldn't have blackmail material anyways, but no offense or anything, she probably would have more people after her than he would. Plus, it could be used against a lot of others. The Titans, Robin in particular, Batman, her father down at the Gotham precinct.

It took some effort, but she removed her hand from her belt and shook the one he offered, attempting a weak smile. She wasn't used to trusting random strangers, but something told her that this guy was going to be different. She hoped so, actually. “You don't have to worry about that. Unless there's reason for me to hold something like that against you.” It was another threat, but softened by the widening smile on her lips. Friends now? Well, they had basically dissected each others brains today. Maybe she could have a friend.

She let go of his hand and walked behind him to the computer. It was fine now, it seemed. If not, oh well. Between a few clicks and strings of typing, she finally brought up their files. It's not like they were really trying to hide them. “Look at this.” She said over her shoulder without bringing her eyes off the screen. “It says here that they started with Mirakuru, the same thing used to create Venom.” She had actually been close with her hypothesis. “With tweaking that and putting it together with some synthetics, they created whatever they used on Slade. There were many experiments that did not turn out as well, though. And it looks like... there was one experiment after Slade, but there's nothing more here.” Sighing, she stood back, crossing her arms over her chest. “From what I know about Mirakuru, they haven't found anything to counteract it yet, and what they had tried was not promising in the least. Damn.” The smile was gone, replaced with a frustrated frown. This wasn't going to be easy. If they learned anything at all.

[Deleted]

Alphy took that threat, veiled under her smile, and hoped that meant they would be seeing more of each other... not in the romantic way of course but in the purely friendly and collaborative way. If the original conversation in the library hadn't been enticing enough, the fact that they were both vigilantes and already KNEW the other's identity purely by deduction meant that it would leave explaining disappearances and sudden reappearances to the realm of being the “hero thing”. Having a friend also, as Alphy saw it, gave them both an alibi. “Where where you at such and such a time?” “I was over at blank and blank with Barb.”

Honestly that solace made friendship seem almost a logical decision. It was PRACTICAL to keep Barbara as a friend. Mind made up, he turned to face the computer and watched as files sprung up on the screen. Staring at the screen brought to mind something he'd seen before, but he couldn't put a finger on it immediately. “ミラクル ? You mean Miracle? You realize that Mirakuru is just the katakana for Miracle right? I've seen it before... I just can't remember...” He listened to the rest of her musing and duplicated her frown at the dead end. Leaning on the console Penumbra ran through the options, “We can find a sample of Miracle, get some of Slade's blood, or...” he typed on the console and tried to bring up the file on the other experiment, “find the experiment that came after Slade. If luck holds he should still be alive. It isn't like he's sixty years old like Mira-” then it hit him, he'd seen a file somewhere in the family filing cabinet marked with the katakana. Who would've known that a vigilante that operated during the second world war would have come into contact with it! It's not like Lamont Cranston did some questionable ethical things back then...did he? Either way Alphy turned to Batgirl and blurted out, “My family has a file folder on this stuff at home...”

Turning away from the console he pulled his phone off his arm and began calling his grandfather, Lamont Cranston. There was a click and suddenly there was the sound of sinew and bone cracking on the other side of the line, “The Shadow here, I'm a little busy.”

“Pop, it's Penumbra. Do you remember what all was in that file on your desk marked 'Miracle' ?” Alphy was regretting placing the call already. He got a reply nonetheless, “Don't call me 'Pop' boy. Didn't your mother teach you manners? What are you trying to act tough to impress a girl? Mind your manners, broads love a gentleman. But yes, Mirakuru or Miracle: I remember everything, what do you need to know?”

Putting his hand over the microphone he whispered to Batgirl, “Everything.” and marked it in quotations with his fingers.

[Aly]

She shouldn't have gotten her hopes up that she would be able to find anything even remotely helpful in their continuous fight against Slade. "Yes, but it sounds too close to Miraclo which was taken from this," She gestured to the computer screen, "Which led to Venom, and apparently now whatever they used on Slade. I still couldn't find a name for what they made from it." Batgirl recrossed her arms and bit her lip, deep in thought.

It barely registered that Penumbra had said that his family had a file. "Seriously? That makes my job easier." In no time, Penumbra had his grandfather on the phone. Well, that was one way to get help. It was kind of odd to think that The Shadow was on the other line. Batman idolized the guy, but he would never have admitted it. That was probably where his obsession with hiding in the shadows came from. The voice that came over the speakerphone was rough and strained with age, unsurprisingly. Something made her pull up short, however. "Broad? Excuse me, but ladies do not like to be referred to as broads by gentlemen." Her eyebrows were up, and figurative claws out. "But if you would like to be a gentleman, we'd like to know if you knew anything about the US military playing around with it after Vietnam, and if anyone had ever found a way to counteract Miracle." She changed the word to humor Penumbra. She looked at her newfound friend(?) and started thinking out loud. "Perhaps if we can find anything on the root of the steroids, I can take them back to Gotham. I definitely have some connections there that can deal with the chemistry aspect of this thing."

[Deleted]

Batgirl made one mistake, opening her mouth while it was on speaker phone. Lamont dug in and began interrogating, “Oh, so you WERE going on a date when I dropped you off. If you would have told me I would have lent you the car. Really she sounds perfect for you, hotheaded and smart to boot. Don't tell me SHE'S A REDHEAD isn't she? HeheHAHAHAHAHAHA so boy who is she? Or she could tell me herself.” On the other end of the line there were groans and a thud as someone hit the ground. Seriously, he was going to use Penumbra as the best excuse for getting out he'd had in years.

“WE ARE NOT ON A DATE,” Penumbra exploded, it was outrageous to think that he would be dating BATGIRL, besides they'd just met after all, “Batgirl and I are just friends trying to figure this mess out. Can you tell us if there's any way to counteract it?” He crossed his arms and waited expectantly for an answer. Instead, after a pause, he got, “OH SO SHE'S BATGIRL. You're playing with fi-”

“POP, LATER, is there a way to counteract it.”

There was a pause followed by a series of gunshots, The Shadow answered back curtly, “No.”

“No?” Penumbra tilted his head and looked back over at Batgirl, an expression of doubt visible in his eyes. The Shadow explained, “It becomes part of the person. There is no way to stop it and people are still messing around with the stuff. Don't try to make it though, I have that recipe locked inside my mind, it isn't for men.”

Penumbra set the phone on the console and talked aloud with Batgirl, “I think we should trust him anyway Batgirl, he has made more connections than even Batman has but...”

Turning back to the phone, “You owe me a birthday present Pop, a Miracle would be nice." From the other side of the line there was silence, then, "No."

Guess you don't trust your own grandson not to be an idiot with that stuff...

[Aly]

Batgirl rolled her eyes as she let the old man entertain himself. It was kind of amusing how Penumbra reacted to the accusations though. Then when the Shadow realized she was Batgirl, she gave a small smile, seeing her reputation preceding her. She was glad that Penumbra got his grandfather back on track with Miracle, but the end result was not what she had hoped.

“Damn.” It came out like an exasperated huff, but her mind was still scrambling, trying to find a plan B. What The Shadow said about it becoming part of the person confirmed her worst suspicions. Maybe there wasn't going to be a way to chemically defeat the villain. “We weren't going to try to make it, just the opposite, actually.” With her arms across her chest and biting her lip, Batgirl paced back and forth across the room.

“You said people are still messing with it?” She came to a halt and went back to the cell. “Would you happen to know who that would be?” If they were messing with it, she was afraid that it was already past the modifications used on the experiment for Slade. Plus, they probably needed to get rid of all traces of the thing. If whoever was using it was close, though, they could investigate. If not, she was sure Batman would be interested, and would relay it over to the Justice League if he deemed it that bad.

[Deleted]

Penumbra sighed as his grandfather proceeded to commandeer the conversation. Imagine you're in a room with a girl, not any girl but the gosh darned bat girl, and instead of getting a chance to have a conversation your GRANDFATHER is talking it up with her. Oh the nerve! Either way he could do nothing but listen as The Shadow went on, “Well if you're trying to stop someone there's always the marvels of firearms.”

Penumbra smirked to himself and playfully punched Batgirl's shoulder, “Told you he'd say that.” In this sense, Alphy was being himself instead of all dark and brooding. It was a relief for once, but he would probably receive a scolding from his grandfather at home. To him it was just another part of being a hero.

“Of course people are still messing with it, how do you think they made Venom?” The Shadow made his point, but didn't pause, ”Pharmaceutical companies have been trying to replicate it for years. Even Lexcorp and Wayne Enterprises have subsidiaries who've dealt with that stuff, although Batman WOULD know about that.” Of course he knew Batman's identity, he'd saved Bruce Wayne as a child and watched from afar as he became Batman. In a few instances their paths crossed and they worked together. That was all before Batgirl hit the scene of course. After an audible CLICK as his handguns were holstered, he added a caveat that bore hope, “Chances are Star Labs has a sample here too, if they could hide the research that is.”

Penumbra smirked and added, “The Government probably loves to confiscate all research relating to it...”

[Aly]

Of course he would talk about guns. The Shadow was famous for using them, so she wasn't surprised that would be his advice. “No guns, sorry.” It wouldn't be just one shot, either. Slade wore metal armor, and that combined with his enhanced healing rate, it would be very difficult. If she were even to consider using something like that. Penumbra punched her a little more than lightly, and she shot a look at him. “You know I'm saving those up, right? You better be ready for when I decide to punch back.” She smiled at the end, showing him that she wasn't exactly mad about it. But it would be funny to knock the kid out.

Of course Wayne Enterprises and Star Labs would have the stuff. “Damn him.” Batgirl scowled, thinking of Batman playing with the stuff. He wasn't stupid, so she wasn't surprised that he would have some Miracle or Venom, or even both, laying around. “Fine, we'll just have to find some other way to bring him down. He's been quiet lately, but that has me worried. He could be working on something big.” She was about to go say more, but stopped abruptly as the faint sounds of rubber on gravel hit her ears.

“Thanks for all of your 'help', but we have to go now.” Quickly, she shut Penumbra's phone and tossed it at him. “Unless you're wanting to be the next unwilling experiment, I'd suggest we leave.” Batgirl walked to the wall and pulled the plug on the computer. Not that she was too worried about someone finding out what they had been looking for. Well, actually, Slade might catch word of this and be a little more than agitated with her, which would probably transfer to the rest of the Titans.

Without another word, Batgirl fled down the hallway, following the same path she had taken to get down here. It wasn't hard, but this place was a maze, probably designed to make people lost. She didn't look back, figuring that he would follow her if he was smart. When she reached the exit, she hopped on her motorcycle and looked around, seeing military vehicles in the distance. There was something missing, though. “Penumbra!” She called behind her. “How the hell did you plan on getting out of here? Where's your ride?!”