It was a new day at the Academy. Barbara Gordon II walked from one discipline to another with unparalleled haste. Perhaps her reinvigorated sense of purpose took a decisive turn, at least that was what Dick Grayson had realized, not being able to talk even for a few brief moments with his best friend. He also took his time as an opportunity to perfect his plans, Barbara would need all the help he could give. It was in the recess that they were finally able to meet again, next to the statue from before. There was something about the girl that was catching his friend's attention, but he still couldn't quite tell what it was, but it really was a visible and real change on her part.

- Right then... Where do we start? – Barbara asked.

- You tell me. If we're going to do it alone, we need to be very clear about our priorities.

- Stop the Clock King's operations, gather an investigation for the police, and save the people of Gotham.

- Is it in order of priority?

- ... I don't think so.

- So, let's start there – Dick pulled out his notebook and pen again – We need to save people from the terrorist attack he's planning on the Stagg Industries shipping route.

- Then we need to find out all the details of his operations... Did he find out that we have access to walkie-talkie broadcasts?

- What we need is to find a way to monitor his broadcasts without being on the same block as the Clock Tower.

- I think I can arrange something... Then, once we have details of all his operations, it will be time to attack!

- I mean, you know how to defend yourself, but can you go head-to-head with really dangerous people? It's no longer the crook from the other day.

- That's what you're here for! – Barbara patted her friend on the shoulder.

- Me?! – Grayson was completely confused.

- Yes, you're going to teach me how to do those crazy stunts of yours. The best offense right now is defense.

- The fact that you're still in the red karate belt sure has nothing to do with it – Dick smiled, jokingly.

- Will you help me or not? – She retorted, impatiently.

- I mean, you already have a base, but there are very complicated things that you can't just learn in... What? A week?

- A little less – Barbara looked at her own notes from the criminal's broadcasts.

- That's concerning...

- We can do it, Dick. It's just a guy who wears watches and a dozen idiots who follow him. The only problem really is going to be Midnight...

- You'd better think of a plan to neutralize her.

- Actually, you have no idea in that matter...? – Barbara stared into her friend's eyes, shy.

- Oh, for the love of… I'm not your Deus Ex-Machina. Let's do this: I take charge of technicalities and teach you some tricks, you take care of going out there and making the action happen. Capiche?

- Capiche.

- There's only one more thing we need to see – Dick added, and turned around slowly, staring at the set of windows in the girl's dorm.

-Oh... Now?

- We need a base of operations other than the Academy's courtyard.

         And then, the two of them walked the halls of the boarding school with the utmost discretion, Barbara can already take that infiltration was one of her friend's acrobatic movement lessons, which had the lightest steps she'd ever known. They met in front of the door to the dorm, where Gordon entered first, checking that, lucky for both of them, it was empty, no girls were there in the recess. It was only left for Dick to indicate where the passage might be, if the passage was not sealed. He pointed to an image he had printed, of a kind of well next to a kind of monument, a column carved with stars. That caught Barbara's attention immediately, she knew the column, and gestured to her friend to follow. Soon, they found themselves facing the column at one of the intersections of the dormitories, the passage should be very close, and after a little careful observation, they located where the trapdoor should be.

         With no clear clue, Dick watched the wooden floor for some time, until Barbara took action and began groping the floor. Grayson thought it was a futile effort, whispering for her to stop, but after looking at the image he had printed once again, he noticed something curious. One of the tiles on the wooden floor had exactly the same shape as one of the wooden platforms in the trapdoor in the image, and then she stood on the floor next to her friend and began groping that particular area. The particular tile was loose, and when they pulled, a sound of something hitting the hollow floor came from beneath them. There was the passage, but sealed by the rest of the floor. The boy didn't have much of a reaction, but the girl began to spread the contents of her backpack across the floor, until she found a crowbar. A tool Dick definitely didn't expect to see there, wondering where she'd gotten that from.

- My dad's tool cabinet – She whispered.

- When did you got that?

- Maybe right before I meet you in the courtyard today...

         Dick jumped his eyes, trying not to question her determination that day. Slowly, Barbara removed the wooden tiles of the floor, and one by one, they made room for what was left of the trapdoor. With several fragments of wood scattered across the floor, she pulled out the handle and opened the passage, which luckily for them, didn't awaken any bats, but caught someone's attention. The door opened in the other room, and hastily, Barbara pushed her friend into the hole and closed the trapdoor, snapping the tiles she had dismantled from the floor back into place, heading quickly for the entrance. There, she found someone she really didn't want to see: Harleen Quinzel. When the intruder noticed Gordon's presence, she flashed a mischievous smile that already made Barbara roll her eyes.

- Hi, Harley – She said, in an apathetic tone.

- What are you up to around here, huh Babs?

- Nothing that concerns you – She returned, dry, and with a forced smile.

- Why, you don't fool anyone, you're always up to something, honey.

- And what do you have to do with it, by any chance?

- I mean, your track record speaks for itself. I didn't even get a notice this month, but there you go, Police Chief Daddy's little girl, I know you've been asking Olive to cover for you, and it didn't work out when you showed up with this after a night gone, did it? – She pointed to the sling.

- Daddy's little girl? – Barbara's face turned completely red, but she took a deep breath – You know what, Harley? Maybe I'm daddy's little girl, yes, I love him and he treats me like a little princess, and yes, it gets annoying sometimes, but at least he has the decency to treat me like a daughter in a dignified way, no? More than you can say.

- Why, you b… – Harley looked away, clearly enraged, but she tried not to let her guard down like that near the others, especially Barbara – It's not just because I have to put up with a hellish life that you have the right to come up to me and say hurtful things like that! And they still call me a troublemaker... You keep talking about being a goody and messes with the lives of others like that!

         Barbara raised her hand to protest but hesitated the next moment. The ignorant and annoying Harley was right, it was no use saying she had more morals than her and then do emotional blackmail of this level on her rival, who was practically harmless most of the time.

- Ok... Sorry – Barbara muttered, agonizing over having to admit her own mistake – Look, I don't have to prove anything to you, okay? I know I'm nothing like you think, and what I do doesn't concern you. And I think that applies to you as well.

-Hmm... OK. But if you're not finding trouble... What were you doing then? – Harley retorted, raising one of her eyebrows, curious.

- I… – Barbara turned her gaze in the direction of the column beyond the door, knowing her friend was still there, and listening to everything – I was taking care of women's business, okay?

- In the bedroom and not in the bathroom?

- Maybe – She was turning red again, but this time in embarrassment, "That always works with Dad" She thought, which caught Harley's eye.

- Oh My God... Is Dick back there?

- No! – The girl's expression went from shame to despair.

- Hellooooo, Dick?! – Quinzel smiled, calling out to him.

- He's not there!

- Oh, so why are you like that, huh?

- Look – she had to think of a believable excuse to sneak past her – He's not there but... It has to do with him.

- Has it?

- Yes, it does. You're right, satisfied now?

-Oh... Do you have a diary, or something like that? A little altar?

- I've already told you too much, can you get out of here, please?

- It must be something too intimate for you to be desperate like this... – Harley's sadistic gaze weighed heavily on Barbara's mind, who tried not to stare at her directly – Alright, Babs, I'll give you the pass this time.

- ... Thank you – And Barbara forced another smile, clearly not succeeding.

         Harley walked back to the entrance and left Barbara seemingly alone, as soon as the student's footsteps faded, she rushed to the aid of her friend trapped in the passageway. Opening the trapdoor to the fangs, Dick emerges with a mixture of emotions, and his expression was more confused than ever, which worried his friend.

- Sorry, man. Are you okay?

- Yes, I am... I think. It's dark there!

- What did you hear from the conversation?

- ... Almost everything?

- Oh my God...

- Oh, no worries, she already thought you had a crush on me, anyway.

- Yeah – Barbara avoided Dick's gaze – I just want to continue what we came to do.

- Sure, sorry – He continued, handing her a flashlight.

         The two turned to the opening again, and went for a few feet until they found an opening: A small cave, the size of the dormitory they came from, with a few openings to the rest of the cave's tunnel system. Guiding and lighting the way with only their lanterns, they were recognizing the place in detail, until they found one of the remains of the ancient sorcerers who inhabited those catacombs: In the far corner, a decomposed skeleton of someone was tied to chains attached to the cave wall. They looked at each other, initially shocked, but soon exchanged a playful smile. "A real catacomb, it couldn't be a better hiding place” Barbara pointed out, and Dick agreed. It wasn't long before Grayson began making a shadow theater, projecting a bird, a monkey, and a dog. Gordon joined in, making a giraffe and a bat. They laughed and continued assessing the place soon after.

They both spent some time in the cavernous recesses of the Academy, and kept an eye on the schedule so that Dick could escape before curfew, arranging the floor tiles as best they could so that no one would notice the change. The plans for the next few days were fun, the next day it was already Friday, and during her class period, Barbara did nothing but ramble between the next few days that she would get into action, scribbling ideas and thoughts in her notebooks, something that caught the attention of many of her teachers, since she was more dispersed than usual. There was enormous anticipation as to what Gotham's future held, to be the only one, besides Dick, who knew the situation ahead of the townspeople. Soon, they gathered in the courtyard for the last time and reviewed the data they obtained by analyzing the cave, preparing to set up a possible base of operations. "I can imagine an operations bench with my laptop and our research materials," she pointed out, while her friend just punctuated "... we need to have to get an electrical installation, and a closet to store all the equipment." Sometimes, Barbara wondered how Dick managed to hide his genius side so often, since, sometime or other, he lets it shine through like he did in that moment.

They put together a plan of action and left for their homes, there was very careful planning as to what they would do in the next few days, the end of the Clock King's orders were in exactly five days, at midnight from Wednesday to Thursday. First, they needed to have a way to maintain high surveillance of the gang's communications; then they needed to maintain a training routine for Barbara in case she needed to get her hands dirty; and lastly: to hit the base of operations, if any adult saw them doing all that, surely their operations would come to an abrupt end. Dick had something else planned for his friend, but it was a surprise he hoped to save for the moment. With a new sense of determination, they prepared for the weekend.