Fallen Future

It seemed that not so long ago I was worrying about having my first date, and how I'd tell my parents that I wanted to drop out of school. Now that most people in the world were dead, I didn't have the same problems.

Instead, I worried about getting killed by the psychopaths that lay outside the safety of the base. I worried about letting my team down because I didn't seem to be as brave as they were. I worried about living underground constantly, like Kim, reproducing. It wasn't quite how I'd pictured my life.

At twenty-three, I was supposed to have an excellent car, an even better job and a trail of guys with broken hearts a mile long, all begging to be with me. Instead, I was twenty-three, everyone I knew when I was younger had died and my 'job' was to fight a war that was pretty much imposable to win. Oh, and I'd still never been kissed. Unless you counted William Mooney's feeble attempt during Spin the Bottle when we were fourteen. Which I didn't.

These thoughts had been plaguing me for almost a week now, so I focused my energy and anger, directing it all on the practise dummy in the training room. All of us masks were to train every day, against each other or with Logan or Batman overseeing us singularly. I enjoyed it most of the time, and had worked on my teleporting. Now I didn't have to think about it, it just happened, like blinking or breathing. It was part of me.

"You're getting better," a voice interrupted me, and I stopped flitting from place to place, throwing punches and kicks towards the already-battered dummy. "But you still have to push yourself."

I stopped and turned, catching my breath. Batman looked back from his usual position. Standing, arms crossed next to the door. It was thanks to him that I'd been thinking so much lately. Ever since he arrived, he helped train me, But all he did was ignore me, standing at the door and barely even glancing my way. I'd tried talking, but no response. I'd sneaked along to watch him train Robin and Batgirl, and he was incredibly critical and has impossibly high standards, but at least he spoke to them. With me, it had only been that one sentence.

He left not long after that, and so did I, not seeing the point in training alone. Instead, I grabbed a swimsuit and towel that one of Kim's citz friends had let me borrow.

The water in the pool was cold and crisp; it made me relax and soon my worries slipped from my mind. I'd always loved swimming, I'd even been on the team at school. Diving under water and pushing forward, I finally felt totally calm. After a few lengths I surfaced and saw Logan standing at the side of the pool with Robin. Immediately I appeared beside them, pulling a towel around myself.

"Yeah?"

"Shouldn't you be in the training room?" Logan asked, frowning. I wondered if it was the cigar withdrawal making him so agitated these days.

"Batman asked us to take over for him, but when we arrived, you were gone," Robin chipped in.

"Well, from now on you can take over for him permanently," I snapped. "He doesn't help me! All he does is stand there in silence! Even if I ask him a direct question, he ignores me!"

"Look," Robin looked uneasy yet thoughtful. "I know how annoying his silence can be. I'll speak to him, okay?"

"Thanks," I muttered, drying my hair. Another of the females here had cut it for me, into a choppy bob instead of straggly rat tails.

"It's almost lunch," Logan said after watching Robin leave. "Go get something to eat and relax for the rest of the night. We'll train later."

Before I could reply, he left so I followed his suggestion; got changed and headed to the canteen. Because it was early it was almost empty, but everyone who was there still stared. Some of the others didn't mind eating with the citizens, but I preferred to eat alone. All the staring freaked me out.

Gareth was working in the kitchen again, and he gave me a huge grin before pulling me in for a hug. He was one of the only citizens who didn't seem scared of us, though he was like the rest of them by the fact he didn't know our real names. I liked Gareth. He'd been in the base for four and a half years, pretty much from the start. He was almost seventy, and he'd brought his two granddaughters, Felicia, who was six, and Rose who was nine. He'd told me once I reminded him of their mother. She'd died in a hospital raid after surviving the initial nuclear blast. But if Gareth still mourned the loss of her life, he didn't show it. Always grinning, he came across as just a sweet old man.

"Good afternoon, miss Jinx," he beamed at me. "Here's your afternoon meal."

I ate in the kitchen with him, enjoying my once a week privilege of fresh fruit blended into a smoothie. Because us super's were classed as VIP's, we got slightly bigger meals and slightly better quality. But sometimes of course, it depended on what the scavengers had brought in.

As I ate, Gareth served the slow trickle of people coming for lunch, and Felicia and Rose came to sit with us.

"Do you like being magic, Jinx?" Little Rose asked shyly.

"I guess," I said thoughtfully. "I sometimes wish I was normal though. What do you think?"

"We think you're a princess," she giggled, and Felicia nudged her, blushing. She was more mature than her sister, always saying she was too old for her silly games. I heard Gareth chuckle behind me.

"Maybe one day I'll come to your dorm and tell you a story about a real princess. A beautiful one who got a terrible curse put on her."

"But there's four other girls in our dorm!" They pouted.

"Well, some of them might need a story as well. But you'll always be my special pair," I reasoned, and they brightened up. I got even bigger smiles when I let them finish my smoothie.

"You're a star," Gareth gave me another squeeze as I put my dishes away and went to leave. I shrugged, suppressing a smile and feeling pleased that I'd manage to help. He'd certainly brightened the weeks I'd been there, I reasoned the least I could do was try to do the same for him and his family.

Lunch meant the hallways were busy so I hurried through the throng, only slowing when I got to our private quarters; it was all quiet. I padded down the hall, no need to rush. I had thought most rooms were empty because of meal time, but raised voices leaked through one of the doors.

"You can't act like that, it's not fair."

"An explanation shouldn't be necessary, Robin."

"But-"

"You should trust me completely. Not question my every move."

"Batman, I do trust you. But this kind of thing surely warrants an explanation."

I stood, holding my breath. There was a long silence before Batman spoke again.

"You never met Barbara, but you would have liked her. She was Gordon's daughter. She worked with me; was clever and fast and loyal... Jinx reminds me of a young Barbara. But she isn't as smart, she wouldn't be able to keep herself out of trouble. After what happened with Barbara, I'm not taking responsibility for another one."

By the time he finished his little speech, I was trembling with rage. What did he know? When I was at school I was doing five classes, all above my age level- business, math, drama, French and English. My grades were better than most of the people's in the year above me. How could he imply I was some sort of idiot?

I stormed off to my own room, not bothering to listen if Robin would defend me. I didn't know who Barbara was or why I was like her, but if Batman thought I was weak and couldn't live up to expectations, he was wrong.



Training resumed as normal the next day. Logan took me first, and even he remarked on my sudden surge of determination and power. While the others trained after me, instead of relaxing I went back to the pool, my muscles aching as the water splashed over me.

"Hey. When you're done going crazy on the exercise, the B-Man is in the training room waiting on you."

I got out of the pool and Robin smiled at me.

"Is he his usual chatty self?" I asked, drying off and ducking behind a screen to change.

"Ask him yourself," he replied, voice suddenly quiet.

Dressed, I looked out. Robin was gone, Batman stood in his place, stony faced.

"You've started taking my advice. I wasn't expecting that," he said in a low voice.

"Why? Because I'm stupid, and weak?" I blurted out, and Batman blinked. The only sign that he was shocked.

"You're not weak," he said, voice quiet and controlled. That was him all over though, the master of control.

I appeared onto the highest diving board, so I was looking down on Batman. He followed me with his eyes, then looked away. I was glad. His gaze made me feel uncomfortable, as if he could see right through me.

"Who's Barbara?" I asked, deciding to be as blunt as him.

"She was a friend," he replied without missing a beat.

"Is she dead?"

"The Joker killed her and her father. Because of me."

"You know about the Joker's interest in me, don't you?" Realization dawned on me, and I wondered when Logan had told him.

"Yes," Batman replied evenly. "I'd imagine now he'll have even more of an interest in you now. He has a habit of going after other people to hurt me. You wouldn't stand a chance."

"And Barbara did?"

"No. She didn't. Years ago he tried to drive her father insane. He crippled her, tortured her and took... indecent pictures of her to use against us."

I flinched. Joker was even more insane than I thought.

"Robin and I found Gordon's body recently. And Barbara's. They'd been tortured."

"I'm sorry," I muttered, realizing my bitterness was probably misplaced. I appeared down beside him as he pulled a photo out. It showed a smiling redhead in a long skirt hugging an older man with a mustache and glasses. "Is that her?"

"I promised Jim I'd protect her," Batman said, almost to himself. "I know you overheard Robin and I. I apologize if you were offended. But it was my fault that she died, and you're younger and more vulnerable than she was. I don't want to cause harm to you as well."

"It's not your fault," my voice was barely above a whisper. But he shook his head, face unreadable behind his mask.

"I'll train you, Jinx," he said. "It was unfair what I did."

I nodded and we agreed to start tomorrow. Then he left, silent as ever, leaving me behind with my thoughts.