Survival
by Raiko Toho
Disclaimer: I don't own DC Animated/Comics.
Summary: Gotham is all about survival, and for Barbara, that means running errands for the rogues. She's doing fine, eking out a life in the big city-- until Kara shows up and turns her world upside down.
---
My name is Barbara, and I can't remember my real parents at all. I don't know what happened to them, only that they died or gave me up or were otherwise incapacitated, and I ended up being adopted by a wealthy family in New York. My adopted parents were alright, certainly better than they could have been, but I didn't really connect with them, so I locked myself in my room most of the time and threw myself into my studies. I was thrilled when I got my scholarship to Gotham State University, but as soon as I moved to the city and saw the headlines, I realized something had to be done if I was planning on living here.
This was what brought me to the Iceberg Lounge. When the doorman let me in, I quietly found a corner of the bar and spent the evening observing the interaction of Gotham's famed themed criminals. Night after night, I returned to the lounge, matching faces to names, getting a feel for the criminal dynamics and an idea of how to survive through them.
---
It was two weeks later when I was first approached by the Riddler.
"Riddle me this," he began, sliding into the stool next to me at the bar. "When a girl walks into the Iceberg and does nothing but sit at the bar all night, what does she want?"
"What makes you think I want anything?"
He laughed. "Oh, I like you. But no sane person would last so long amongst us criminals unless they have an ulterior motive."
"So what's mine? I may be a lot of things, but I never said I was sane."
"Prey for a cot," he grinned. "You are perfect." He held out a hand. "Edward Nigma, Riddler. How would you like a job?"
I shook it. "Sure, why not?"
Batman was why not, as I soon found out.
---
One Saturday morning, I woke up to find Harley Quinn asleep on my couch.
She stirred, and I hurried to get her some aspirin and a glass of water.
"Hey, thanks," the other woman said, downing the painkillers. "Who are you?"
"I'm Barbara Redmond. We, ah, met at the Iceberg last night. But you might not remember, because of that hangover you probably have."
"Oh," she nodded. "Well, nice to meetcha!" She bounced out the door.
"Yeah, you too."
---
"Harley tells me you're trustworthy," Poison Ivy said, sliding into a seat next to me. "Would you like to water my plants at the greenhouse on the toxic landfill? I need to make sure my babies are taken care of in case I'm stuck in Arkham."
"What about the toxicity?" I questioned slowly.
She waved a hand. "Oh, I'll give you immunity shots. What do you think?"
"All right." The last time I helped someone out on a job Batman came after me, but he wouldn't care about me watering a few plants, right?
---
After another narrow escape, I went to the one rogue who was never caught by the Bat.
"You want me to train you?" Catwoman asked.
I shrugged. "Yes. Please."
"It'll be painful," she warned. "And you'd have to stick to it."
I nodded determinedly. How was I supposed to finish my classes if I was in jail all the time?
"Come to the gym on Forty-Second and Main next week," she instructed. "We'll see how you feel after we start sparring."
---
"What's going on?" I asked, walking into the Iceberg.
"Oh, Jervis decided he wanted Harley to be his Alice," Riddler chortled. I grimaced as a small table thrown by a homicidal clown flew into the bar. It was followed by two chairs and the Hatter's scrawny figure.
"Enough," I said firmly before I could talk myself out of it. A rush of adrenaline filled my veins.
Joker sneered and shot me with a puff of pink gas from his lapel flower. I shook it off, suddenly very thankful I had accepted Ivy's greenhouse job.
A machine gun appeared in the clown's hands, but before he could pull the trigger, I instinctively lunged forward with a kick, knocking him to the ground and sending the weapon skittering across the floor. Thank you, Catwoman.
"Give up?" I placed a threatening foot over his throat. To my surprise, he started laughing.
"HA HA HA! The mouse has claws!"
"Barbara has claws," Riddler mused. "Or barbs, as the case may be. Barbs char as a law."
And that's where I got my reputation.
---
"You're making quite a name for yourself, you know." Two-Face came up behind me at the newly repaired bar.
"Is that good or bad?"
He flipped his coin and slid into the seat next to me. "Good. I've got an odd number of henchmen, and I'm pulling a heist tonight. Interested?"
"This isn't a 'get shot at the end of the job' deal, right?" I asked.
Two-Face grinned. "It's getting paid that you have to worry about."
I smiled; that was safe enough. "I'll take those odds."
---
"Ozzy's having trouble finding a new bartender," Harley told me. "Jonathan scared the old one off."
"Miss Redmond," Penguin began, waddling into the room. "You've been sitting at that bar almost every day for three years. Surely you know how to mix drinks?"
"I guess," I agreed cautiously. I knew how to mix every drink ever served at the Iceberg. Eidetic memory comes in handy.
"You're hired."
---
I had been bartending for about a month when one night after closing, a bat-shaped shadow swooped on me from behind, knocking me into the shelves and shattering a bottle of Scotch.
"You're paying for that, you know," I told Batman.
He glared at me. "Put it on my tab. Where's Langstrom?"
I shrugged. He glared harder.
"Where is he?" he graveled.
"I plead the fifth," I replied coolly.
He growled in disgust and stalked off in search of an easier target.
---
"Hey, Ivy, Harley." I grinned as the two walked into the Iceberg. "The usual?"
"Sure!" Harley chirped, pulling up a stool. "Hey, do that spinning thing, wouldja?"
With a flourish, I pulled out bottles of gin and tonic water, flipped them between my fingers, and poured them in a glass with some Kool-Aid powder and orange juice before sliding it across the bar.
"None for me, thanks," Ivy said.
"We're pulling a job tonight," Harley confided. "At the Gentlemen's Club."
Ivy's eyes narrowed. "You won't tell, will you?"
I shook my head solemnly. I never told.
She smiled. "Good. Help me out with the greenhouse? The flytrap is fond of you."
"Of course." I waved as they left.
---
That was my existence. I ate, slept, went to class (until I graduated early), and I spent all my free time down at the Iceberg. I didn't have to worry about money--the rogues were actually quite generous with their funds. My life was perfectly fine, but everything changed when I met Supergirl.
---
Notes:
I got Barbara's last name from the live-action Birds of Prey series; it was Dinah's.
Harley's drink is called a "Joker."
So, here's the prologue. Stay tuned-- the next couple of chapters are going to be pretty long.