The Coming Storm
Title: The Coming Storm
Fandom: Supernatural/Birds of Prey crossover (Missouri Moseley and Barbara Gordon)
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. It’s all Eric Kripke’s and DC comics's and blah blah blah. We all know who the real braintrust is around here.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Set after SPN episode 2x22 (All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 2) and Birds of Prey issue #114.
Summary: She went to Missouri and learned the truth.
Author's Note: Written for the xovers_ftw SPN crossover challenge, prompt #6 (Missouri and Oracle from the Batverse). Mucho and beaucoup thanks to voleuse for making the request that allowed me to combine two of my most favorite current fandoms. Also thanks to Sean McKeever for coming up with a BoP storyline that made my task ridiculously easy.
Summer, 2007
Lawrence, Kansas
It was early yet, not even noon. Cicadas already buzzed in the trees that shaded the long, wooden porch. The stillness of the air would have told Barbara that it was going to be a hot day, even without the weather report she’d read before dawn, a small portion of her morning data pull. She had come a long way on the slim hope that this Missouri Moseley would have the answers she sought.
No matter what Zinda thought she didn’t like being here, didn’t appreciate the necessity of a personal visit to gather the information she needed. Security concerns were a part of it. She wasn’t unaware of the danger of confronting a powerful psychic on her home turf, but her discontent went deeper than that, was more petty than that. She was Oracle and it was galling to have to come here, hat in hand, a humble petitioner for the knowledge that should have been hers by right. Information was her domain and the hoops she’d had to jump through for even the few breadcrumbs she’d been able to glean, such as a name and an address, were aggravating, to say the least.
But she hadn’t been ready when the maelstrom had come to Metropolis. She’d let herself be surprised and catastrophe had followed in its wake. People had been sacrificed to her own hubris and she wouldn’t let that happen again. Her comrades talked about guilt and didn’t see the fear that underlie the madness. Dinah would have understood.
The door erupted inward just as Barbara was raising her hand to knock. A sturdy-looking woman glared down at her from the doorway. “That’s quite enough of you sitting on my doorstep, stewing in your own juices. Come on, then, get in here with your questions.”
She stepped aside, leaving more than enough room for Barbara to wheel past her into the cool, shadowed house. “Ms. Moseley, I’m grateful you had the time to see me.”
Missouri snorted. “Grateful’s a word for it, I suppose. Go on and make yourself comfortable. I’ve got some tea in the kitchen.”
Her host bustled out of the room, giving Barbara the chance to assess both her surroundings and their owner. Neither were quite what she’d expected. The room was comfortable, decorated in warm colors that were intimate rather than claustrophobic. It didn’t display an abundance of occult trappings, no crystals hanging from the light fixtures or pentagrams nailed to the walls. There were a few candles, lavender- and sage-scented from the odor lingering in the air, with angelica, rosemary, and yarrow growing in planters scattered around the room. It was a room that favored practicality over flamboyance, a trait she’d rarely observed in anyone with mystical power. No wonder her usual contacts had been unable to provide any useful data concerning the woman; Missouri was so far removed from the usual characters as to be from a different planet entirely.
The purposeful clinking of china alerted Barbara to Missouri’s return. Missouri carefully set the tray on a low table and poured what seemed to be a strongly brewed Darjeeling. She sat down across from her, with a sigh, and fixed Barbara with a direct stare over the rim of her own cup.
“All right, out with it.” Missouri’s tone brooked no disobedience.
“You can’t simply pull the questions from my mind? What kind of a psychic are you?” Not exactly politic, but Barbara was done pandering the woman’s prickly attitude, especially if she wasn’t what the hints had claimed she would be.
Missouri snorted with a mix of reproach and amusement. “Girl, trying to figure out your thoughts is like trying to stare down a twister. There’s so much swirling around in there I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m liable to get sucked in, and then where would that leave us?”
Barbara couldn’t corral a satisfied smirk. This was more like it. “A recent event in Metropolis had supernatural underpinnings that my usual sources have been unable to identify. I was hoping you might be able to shed new light on the occurrence.”
A wave of Missouri’s hand encouraged her to continue. “A young woman smuggled a semi into the city that contained a kind of magical anti-matter. When activated it detonated leaving a crater the with a one-block radius. All that was left was dust.”
“It was like an atomic blast,” Missouri’s voice was strangely distant, as if she were trying to recall a deeply-buried memory, or a dream. “Except not. The edges were too clean, almost like a surgeon had reached down and carved a hole in a city block.”
“Do you know what could do something like that?” Barbara leaned forward, her nerves thrumming with anticipation.
Missouri blinked, her gaze snapping back into focus. “Something like that?” she repeated, lips pursed. “I couldn’t say, for certain. There are too many things out there that hide in shadows, too many dark things I’ve never been able to get a good look at, nor would I want to. I’ve seen evil enough to last me a lifetime.” She took a sip of tea, clearly taking a moment to center herself, bring her thoughts together. Barbara held herself still with all of the willpower she possessed. She could give this woman a moment if it brought her the data she needed.
Missouri set the cup back in its coaster and placed it on the end table to her right. She took a deep breath. “I can tell you that things are changing. A gate to Hell was opened a little while back and a powerful mess of demons got out before it could be shut. There’s no telling what they brought out with them.” Missouri glared at Barbara as she opened her mouth, more questions thick on her tongue. “And before you go asking me, no, I don’t know what’s coming. All I can see are the clouds gathered on the horizon. Any more than that you’ll have to figure out on your own.”
Barbara nodded slowly, willing to take what Missouri had to give. She’d come here hoping for a lead and now, at least, she knew where to begin. She set her untouched cup on the table beside her. “Thank you, Ms. Moseley. Your insight should be very helpful.”
Missouri rose and moved towards the door clearly recognizing the end of the appointment. “You should try easing up on that Misfit girl, of yours,” Missouri declared as Barbara left the house. Barbara turned and gave her a hard look which was returned with attitude to spare. “She’s got a good heart and she’d jump off a cliff if it’d make you happy.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Barbara sternly replied. What she did or did not do with Charlie was her personal business and none of the other woman’s concern.
“That may well be.” Missouri sighed, possibly in response to both the spoken and unspoken replies, and then she smiled. “Well, off you go. Give me a call if I can be of any help. I’ll even waive my normal fee.”
Barbara couldn’t help but grin. She was an interesting woman, all neighborly busybody and powerful psychic wrapped into one unassuming package. “I’ll keep that in mind.” With a nod she made her way to the car waiting for her in the driveway.
She pulled out her laptop as the car swung out into the road and made its way past quiet family homes. Her fingers danced over the keys, pulling up files and information at a breakneck speed. She looked up in time to catch Zinda glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
“I take it we hit the jackpot?”
“You could say that.” Barbara glanced down quickly at the ping of the searchbot. She set her translation program going on the Latin text it had discovered before looking back up. “We might be dealing with demons.”
“Demons, boss? Seriously?” Zinda whistled low between her teeth. “And I’d thought I’d seen it all.”
Barbara nodded distractedly as she went back to work. The storm was breaking and she had to be prepared.
~~~
Fandom: Supernatural/Birds of Prey crossover (Missouri Moseley and Barbara Gordon)
Disclaimer: I own absolutely nothing. It’s all Eric Kripke’s and DC comics's and blah blah blah. We all know who the real braintrust is around here.
Rating: PG
Spoilers: Set after SPN episode 2x22 (All Hell Breaks Loose, Pt. 2) and Birds of Prey issue #114.
Summary: She went to Missouri and learned the truth.
Author's Note: Written for the xovers_ftw SPN crossover challenge, prompt #6 (Missouri and Oracle from the Batverse). Mucho and beaucoup thanks to voleuse for making the request that allowed me to combine two of my most favorite current fandoms. Also thanks to Sean McKeever for coming up with a BoP storyline that made my task ridiculously easy.
Summer, 2007
Lawrence, Kansas
It was early yet, not even noon. Cicadas already buzzed in the trees that shaded the long, wooden porch. The stillness of the air would have told Barbara that it was going to be a hot day, even without the weather report she’d read before dawn, a small portion of her morning data pull. She had come a long way on the slim hope that this Missouri Moseley would have the answers she sought.
No matter what Zinda thought she didn’t like being here, didn’t appreciate the necessity of a personal visit to gather the information she needed. Security concerns were a part of it. She wasn’t unaware of the danger of confronting a powerful psychic on her home turf, but her discontent went deeper than that, was more petty than that. She was Oracle and it was galling to have to come here, hat in hand, a humble petitioner for the knowledge that should have been hers by right. Information was her domain and the hoops she’d had to jump through for even the few breadcrumbs she’d been able to glean, such as a name and an address, were aggravating, to say the least.
But she hadn’t been ready when the maelstrom had come to Metropolis. She’d let herself be surprised and catastrophe had followed in its wake. People had been sacrificed to her own hubris and she wouldn’t let that happen again. Her comrades talked about guilt and didn’t see the fear that underlie the madness. Dinah would have understood.
The door erupted inward just as Barbara was raising her hand to knock. A sturdy-looking woman glared down at her from the doorway. “That’s quite enough of you sitting on my doorstep, stewing in your own juices. Come on, then, get in here with your questions.”
She stepped aside, leaving more than enough room for Barbara to wheel past her into the cool, shadowed house. “Ms. Moseley, I’m grateful you had the time to see me.”
Missouri snorted. “Grateful’s a word for it, I suppose. Go on and make yourself comfortable. I’ve got some tea in the kitchen.”
Her host bustled out of the room, giving Barbara the chance to assess both her surroundings and their owner. Neither were quite what she’d expected. The room was comfortable, decorated in warm colors that were intimate rather than claustrophobic. It didn’t display an abundance of occult trappings, no crystals hanging from the light fixtures or pentagrams nailed to the walls. There were a few candles, lavender- and sage-scented from the odor lingering in the air, with angelica, rosemary, and yarrow growing in planters scattered around the room. It was a room that favored practicality over flamboyance, a trait she’d rarely observed in anyone with mystical power. No wonder her usual contacts had been unable to provide any useful data concerning the woman; Missouri was so far removed from the usual characters as to be from a different planet entirely.
The purposeful clinking of china alerted Barbara to Missouri’s return. Missouri carefully set the tray on a low table and poured what seemed to be a strongly brewed Darjeeling. She sat down across from her, with a sigh, and fixed Barbara with a direct stare over the rim of her own cup.
“All right, out with it.” Missouri’s tone brooked no disobedience.
“You can’t simply pull the questions from my mind? What kind of a psychic are you?” Not exactly politic, but Barbara was done pandering the woman’s prickly attitude, especially if she wasn’t what the hints had claimed she would be.
Missouri snorted with a mix of reproach and amusement. “Girl, trying to figure out your thoughts is like trying to stare down a twister. There’s so much swirling around in there I wouldn’t know where to start. I’m liable to get sucked in, and then where would that leave us?”
Barbara couldn’t corral a satisfied smirk. This was more like it. “A recent event in Metropolis had supernatural underpinnings that my usual sources have been unable to identify. I was hoping you might be able to shed new light on the occurrence.”
A wave of Missouri’s hand encouraged her to continue. “A young woman smuggled a semi into the city that contained a kind of magical anti-matter. When activated it detonated leaving a crater the with a one-block radius. All that was left was dust.”
“It was like an atomic blast,” Missouri’s voice was strangely distant, as if she were trying to recall a deeply-buried memory, or a dream. “Except not. The edges were too clean, almost like a surgeon had reached down and carved a hole in a city block.”
“Do you know what could do something like that?” Barbara leaned forward, her nerves thrumming with anticipation.
Missouri blinked, her gaze snapping back into focus. “Something like that?” she repeated, lips pursed. “I couldn’t say, for certain. There are too many things out there that hide in shadows, too many dark things I’ve never been able to get a good look at, nor would I want to. I’ve seen evil enough to last me a lifetime.” She took a sip of tea, clearly taking a moment to center herself, bring her thoughts together. Barbara held herself still with all of the willpower she possessed. She could give this woman a moment if it brought her the data she needed.
Missouri set the cup back in its coaster and placed it on the end table to her right. She took a deep breath. “I can tell you that things are changing. A gate to Hell was opened a little while back and a powerful mess of demons got out before it could be shut. There’s no telling what they brought out with them.” Missouri glared at Barbara as she opened her mouth, more questions thick on her tongue. “And before you go asking me, no, I don’t know what’s coming. All I can see are the clouds gathered on the horizon. Any more than that you’ll have to figure out on your own.”
Barbara nodded slowly, willing to take what Missouri had to give. She’d come here hoping for a lead and now, at least, she knew where to begin. She set her untouched cup on the table beside her. “Thank you, Ms. Moseley. Your insight should be very helpful.”
Missouri rose and moved towards the door clearly recognizing the end of the appointment. “You should try easing up on that Misfit girl, of yours,” Missouri declared as Barbara left the house. Barbara turned and gave her a hard look which was returned with attitude to spare. “She’s got a good heart and she’d jump off a cliff if it’d make you happy.”
“That’s what I’m afraid of,” Barbara sternly replied. What she did or did not do with Charlie was her personal business and none of the other woman’s concern.
“That may well be.” Missouri sighed, possibly in response to both the spoken and unspoken replies, and then she smiled. “Well, off you go. Give me a call if I can be of any help. I’ll even waive my normal fee.”
Barbara couldn’t help but grin. She was an interesting woman, all neighborly busybody and powerful psychic wrapped into one unassuming package. “I’ll keep that in mind.” With a nod she made her way to the car waiting for her in the driveway.
She pulled out her laptop as the car swung out into the road and made its way past quiet family homes. Her fingers danced over the keys, pulling up files and information at a breakneck speed. She looked up in time to catch Zinda glancing at her in the rearview mirror.
“I take it we hit the jackpot?”
“You could say that.” Barbara glanced down quickly at the ping of the searchbot. She set her translation program going on the Latin text it had discovered before looking back up. “We might be dealing with demons.”
“Demons, boss? Seriously?” Zinda whistled low between her teeth. “And I’d thought I’d seen it all.”
Barbara nodded distractedly as she went back to work. The storm was breaking and she had to be prepared.
~~~