“This suuucks,” Tara groaned, slumping back in the stiff chair as her stomach gave another loud growl. She was supposed to stay put tonight—Bruce’s orders, of course. No patrols, no distractions, no exceptions. His voice echoed in her head, but that didn’t make it any easier to ignore the nagging hunger twisting her insides. All she wanted was one thing: a big, steaming bowl of teriyaki noodles from the upscale noodle shop on Miagami Island. She could already imagine the savory broth, the perfectly cooked noodles, and the aroma of sesame oil drifting from the bowl. Her mouth watered just thinking about it.

But instead of indulging in her craving, here she was—holed up in the Batcave, staring at the massive glow of the Batcomputer. The screen flickered with scrolling data: surveillance feeds, crime reports, weather updates, and encrypted messages, none of which seemed remotely interesting to her right now. She drummed her fingers on the desk, then absentmindedly began to gnaw at her nails. It was a bad habit, she knew, but it beat chewing her own arm off out of boredom.

She sighed dramatically, spinning the chair in lazy circles. What’s the worst that could happen if I slipped out for twenty minutes? The thought danced dangerously at the back of her mind. She glanced toward the entrance of the cave, half-expecting Bruce to materialize from the shadows like a disapproving ghost. But all she saw were the distant silhouettes of bats hanging from the high ceiling, occasionally fluttering their wings.

“Stuck babysitting a computer while Gotham sleeps,” she muttered bitterly. “Living the dream…”