Author: Raven5by5

Title: BIRDS OF PREY pt 3: ORACLE

Disclaimer: I do not own the rights to these characters, I leave the money making, fame & ownership to D.C comics, Warner bros etc L … all theirs. Non- profit fan fic, as always.

Rating: PG (UK Rating)

Authors Note: Wanted to write 3 fic’s about the Birds of Prey ladies as individuals, partly as an intro to the characters for newbies, but also to show their depth.

Feedback: Go for it, email raven5by5@hotmail.com constructive as always. Wanna see a specific story let me know & I’ll get all creative & write stuff for ya.

Distribution: email me if you wish to use any of my fic’s on other websites, will be happy to help ya J

Have you ever felt like the life you lead is a dream, that somewhere deep inside your subconscious your mind is aware that what you see, what you experience isn’t real? You ride out the storm of that existence with the comforting notion that at some point reality will kick in & you’ll finally awake? That is how I see my life at times, like I’m on the outside looking in & if the truth be known, I don’t always feel comfortable with what I see. Maybe I’m too over critical, maybe I should give my mind a break for once & stop over analyzing, but I guess it’s in my nature.

Winter in New Gotham always makes it feel more like Old Gotham before it was decimated by the big ‘quake, much more of a haunting feel to the city. It’s hard to refer to this place as New Gotham, I’m so use to just plain ol’ Gotham City, which in retrospect, Gotham was never really that plain. It was ten time more foreboding than this place, a city rebuilt, I now call home. I guess that was the problem, a city so dark & twisted, it had always been easy to get caught up inside its shadows. Every criminal from your big time crime lord to the skulking, street corner pick-pocket aimed to make a name for themselves. The negative energy Gotham exuded did indeed attract a frightening array of undesirables, but as with most elements in life there are always opposites. For every degree of evil there is a degree of good, sometimes not always that simplistic in its nature, but true as a general rule. Gotham may have had its destructive individuals, but it also had its protectors. I was & am still one of them.

Glancing across the city, I sit in my wheelchair on the balcony of the clocktower. Snow falls lightly from the heavens, blanketing the city in an ocean of white. The city looks so peaceful from up here. Times like this it almost seems foolish to dwell on the past; after all we can’t ever change past deeds or events. If it’s an exercise in futility, then why do I always find myself going over old ground? If I were truthful I’d say because I miss it. I miss the past, the life I led even though that life was responsible for my confinement to this chair. I always knew the risks, the price I may have to pay for wearing the symbol of the bat; in a way I have no right to be bitter.

Sometimes I don’t know what takes hold of my soul when I breathe in the air from this height. It gets to me at times, the longing to once again race across rooftops, to feel free, to once again be Batgirl. I curse the Joker everyday for pulling that trigger, sending that bullet tearing through my flesh. I curse him for making Batman feel responsible for his twisted deeds, forcing him to flee this city. I curse him for arranging the murder of Selina Kyle. Most of all I curse him for almost destroying Helena Kyle’s world. Her mother was everything to her, Selina even gave up her life as Catwoman to keep Helena safe & protected. How could this have been allowed to happen? We were supposed to protect people, I was supposed to protect people & now Helena does what I can not.

She is Huntress, protector of New Gotham, walking in her father’s footsteps, not that she’d ever want to be compared to him. Night after night she prowls the city fighting for justice, mirroring my old life. This shouldn’t have to be her responsibility, to face the demons out there, to risk her life; innocence robbed through the actions of an insane man. I often wonder how her life may have been if she hadn’t witnessed her mothers murder & there’s a deep seated feeling of guilt that I allowed her to travel down this road. How can I justify that? How can I find a reasonable excuse for myself, when she could one day leave this clocktower & not make it to see another light of day? Yes, I knew all the risks this life holds when I was Batgirl, but then they were my risks.

An icy breeze flows over my face. My auburn hair wisps lightly across my cheek as the air glides through every strand. From here it seems that no lines are drawn. I know deep down how the superhero life amazes me it always has, but I see how much pain it causes. I see it every time I look into the eyes of Helena & now Dinah. The two of them are so completely different, yet so alike all at the same time. They have both lost their mothers through this secret life we lead; hit the tough times full force. In my heart of hearts I don’t want this life for them. I don’t want to see them loose their innocence, but reality check this is not my choice. The protégé has now become the mentor, if this is the path they feel they must take then it is my duty to guide them, to prepare them & in my own way give them the skills to protect & keep protected.

One day the eagle has to land & remain grounded. No longer in flight, but still a proud & powerful force. I may have lost my proverbial wings, been though hell & back, but I still have a willing heart. It’s true that when I look from the outside in, that I don’t always feel comfortable with what I see, but at that moment I remember to look beyond my own self. I have a family. I have Helena & Dinah. This is our world, a dangerous one full of pain, but always with that bright shining light, glimmering in the distance; a sign of hope for our lost souls.

I am ORACLE, guardian of New Gotham. Delivered to this life through wisdom & through fate. I see all, I see the darkness & I see the light. No cape, no cowl, just the heart of a champion & the resilience to finish what I began. Maybe this is one dream I’m not ready to wake from…not yet.

From the power of one to the power of two & now the power of three, we are the

Birds of Prey.