Dick decided to take the scenic route to enter the Batcave, taking the entrance to the subway station a few blocks from the gym. He knew what he was going to find as soon as he arrived at the hideout: Barbara sitting, facing the operations desk, her worn-out uniform from the previous day's battle stretched out over her, watching him with a distant gaze as she stroked the bandage on her left hand. He sat down beside her and took her other hand very fondly.

- Are you better? – He finally said after a moment of silence.

- No – She was frank, squeezing his hand even tighter, regaining consciousness – I feel like we haven't made progress. Something's wrong, Dick...

- We did everything we could, now the police, and possibly Batman, already know everything, our job is done.

- Nope! – She stood up, screaming and letting go of his hand – It doesn't make sense, man. Why all these secrets just to reveal themselves now? He had total control of the situation there in the harbor, everything happened the way he wanted... And you know the worst of it?!

- What?

- They didn't take anything from Stagg's shipment!

- But... Why did they attack, then?

- Exactly, why? There's more to it than we can see, Dick. All I can hear is him with that weird catchphrase of his, Temp Tock, Temp Tock.

- Weird, why does he say it like that and not tick-tock?

- I do not know! What does that sound to you? Temp Tock?

- Sounds to me like a nickname I'd give to an annoying guy.

- It's true, it sounds like it, doesn't it...? – She watched his face for a moment, until her expression opened – What if... it is that?

- I said that as a joke! – Dick startled, jumping his eyes – Do you think that really might be the case?

- I have a pretty good guess, finally – She rushed to sit at the computer station, opening her laptop and typing frantically, chasing after something in the wide network of computers – The Clock King may be pragmatic and precise, but he's not the least bit cold, whatever he's doing, it’s personal.  He was looking for retribution for something, I could see it in his face. This is something about him, his life, his story, I don't know. So, I have a suggestion: "Temp. Tock." An Abbreviation, a name.

         After a few more moments of research, and there it was, the Clock King himself, only featured in very different costumes. They looked at each other, Barbara opened some tabs and began a comprehensible reading of the criminal, which Gordon dictated aloud.

- "Temple Tockman. Born on December 12, 1970. A native of Star City, he holds a B.A. in Business and Finance from the University of Gotham." Do I need to continue?

- It's him.

- Now for the possible start of all this – She opened the article of a news story – "Gotham’s City Hall Public Employee Fired After Possible Identity Fraud. The man who called himself Temple Tockman was investigated by the police because every trace of his entire identity record did not exist in any system in the United States, a case that would set a precedent for identity theft, but no record related to this man exists anywhere in the country or adjacent neighbors. This mystery is reinforced by the consequent disappearance of the suspect, who left no clue for the continuation of the investigation."

- Where did you get all this from?

- Gotham and Star City’s Public Libraries and Civil Registries Chambers databases. The identity and the news were the only two things I could get out of him, that man is a ghost, there are no more traces of Temple Tockman anywhere. No property, no goods, no photos, no social media, nothing.

- How do we find out what a man wants without knowing him?

- I need some air – Gordon rose from her chair, moving to the exit into the girl's dorm.

- Babs, are you sure you don't want to stay and cool your head a little more? I'm here to talk...

- I just need some air, and when I'm feeling lonely, I talk to Kel, he's a great listener – She pointed to the skeleton.

- Very funny – Grayson cracked a slight smile, still with a lot of worry in his gaze – Seriously, talk to me when you feel like it.

- Alright – She concluded, picking up the trap door and exiting the cave.

         She made sure to be as discreet and quiet as possible, beginning to slowly walk through the numerous beds in the dorm until she found a figure as quiet as her still there. Helena was on her bed, putting together a small puzzle. It was often the times she found young Bertinelli quiet in her own world in the dorm during recess hours. Helena noticed Barbara's presence, and didn't seem surprised, but she also didn't open an expression of disgust like she used to for the other girls. It was a breakthrough! First time she saw that kind of reaction coming from her.

- Hello Barbara, are you OK? – Helen asked.

- I’m cool... Did you hear me coming? – "Or did you see me coming?" was the question that rumbled in her mind as well.

-Perhaps... I honestly don't care; I just don't bother with you – She held a small puzzle piece in her hands – What do you do here?

- I... I'm just cooling my head.

- I get it, I usually put together puzzles like this when I need some time to silence the mind.

- I like puzzles. But it's exactly a puzzle that's bothering me...

- Is that so? – Helena gestured for Barbara to sit next to her, and did so – What kind of puzzle?

- Like… – Gordon looked up at the ceiling, thinking about how to explain the situation without handing over too much of what she's been doing – I have several pieces at my disposal, but I don't have any of the adjacent pieces to put together the full picture, you know?

- Is it missing pieces?

- That's what I think.

- Aren't you sure?

- ... No.

- That's where the biggest trap for puzzle-solvers lies. Sometimes you already have all the pieces, it's just a matter of you fitting them in properly.

- How so?

- Here – Helena raises two very similar pieces – They are two pieces of the same puzzle, belonging to the same region that need to be solved, but if I try to fit them together, it seems that I have no result, does it? But it's because I'm seeing it from one angle. Those two sides don't fit together because, to me, they should fit the position they're in, but when I see a new position, they complete each other.

         Helena rotated one of the pieces and they fell into place, Barbara watched intently at the analogy of her partner as she explained, and then watched her fit the pieces she assembled into the lower quadrant of the puzzle, completing half the picture.

- Sometimes you already have all the parts you need; you just haven't seen them from the right angle.

-Wow... Thank you very much, Helena, I think I already know how to solve my situation.

- See that as retribution for the other day. You and I are alike yes, I think we can help each other in this academy-shaped hellhole that we've been stuffed into.

- That would mean a lot to me, Helena. Thanks again.

- Good luck – She smiled again.

         Barbara quietly set sail back from where she had come from, entered the cave again finding Dick about to turn off the generator and go when he got startled at her friend's sudden entrance again. Wondering why she had returned, she remained silent until she reached her laptop again, opening the log and analysis of the gang's communications. She stopped at the topics’ titles and pointed at the screen with determination.

- "Attack on Stagg Industries ", " Cover-up" and "Final Plan". It's not three different topics. It's just one topic, it's three phases of it.

- As if we're looking at this as different plans, being that they're different parts of a single plan, a completely different one from what we were thinking – Dick said, and Barbara nodded – Attack on Stagg Industries as a cover-up for the final plan.

- We've been fooled this whole time. The radio broadcasts, the reports of the gang in Old Gotham, the clock pieces Batman found in the Tower... Dick, we're on the fake trail that someone put on for everybody. For Batman, for the police, and for us... We've been playthings in the Clock King's plan so far.

- Then it was all in vain – Dick concluded, with a defeated tone.

- Nope! It wasn't all in vain, we know about the gang, the base of operations and his identity. It's not enough, but it's what we can use to face him.

- Face him? Barbara, you are not thinking about...?

- I need to, Dick! We don't need to have this conversation again, do we?

- You almost died yesterday following a fake trail! Do you think you can stand up to the Clock King's real plan? Even more going back to his base?

- If we don't, who knows what might happen to Gotham? We don't have the police; we don't have our hero...

- You're not Batman! For God's sake, if he's real, he's some kind of creature that we don't understand, you're not really half-bat! You're human!

- Batman too! – Dick paused in the middle of the answer, somewhat shocked watching her pull the Batarang out of her pocket – He used this when we first met that day. Look at that, Dick, it's kind of a boomerang mixed with Shuriken, it's a weapon. Someone created this and uses it as a weapon against the bad guys. Batman is more man than bat. Heck, he's probably completely human.

- But that doesn't mean anything...

- Yes, it means! It means that an ordinary person can make a difference, even alone. We started this because of him, didn't we? If we give up now, knowing what we know about him, we will betray everything we believe, all the power to be greater than ourselves. And I'm not alone, I've got you...

         The two looked at each other for a few moments as Dick's hand rested lightly on top of Barbara's, who was still holding it. Their gazes were deep, and the silence of the cave gave them enough comfort to be face to face without being afraid of a possible Harley appearing. Barbara was the first to retract her hand, tucking the weapon into her pocket again.

- Tonight is the day I go to where Clock King is. Let's get this over with, you and I, OK? – She asked for her friend's consent.

- ... Alright – He finally agreed.