Barbara Gordon quotes from Birds of Prey

Barbara Gordon

[To Dinah] Don't let vengeance get in the way of finishing your mom's work.

Helena

I'm telling you, word on the street are that these deaths are your garden-variety "goodbye, cruel world." Is there anything to eat in here?

Barbara

The way they did it, it's almost as if they were RUNNING from something...

Helena

There's never any food. Gazillion dollars worth of computer equipment and not one jar of peanut butter!

Barbara

This doesn't make any sense. If I were gonna kill myself-

Helena

You wouldn't.

Barbara

[Taken aback] What?

Barbara

[Rolls away from her desk] I resent that. I'm as broody and romantically self-destructive as the next girl!

Barbara

...What is this obsession with food?

Helena

You try fighting the forces of evil when your blood sugar's low!

Barbara

She knows how to get in. What if she knows who we are?

Helena

[Smirks] We could kill her.

Barbara

...We're the good guys, we don't kill innocent people. We don't kill ANYONE.

Helena

Speak for yourself.

Barbara

And how did she find us, hmm? [Dinah starts to stir] She must have followed you.

Helena

Nobody follows me!

Barbara

Well, she's HERE! I mean, this place is supposed to be a secret; that's the whole point of a secret lair!

Dinah

[Groaning] It's not her fault. [Sits up] I followed her. She didn't know.

Barbara

How'd you get in here?

Dinah

[Grins] It's YOU! I should have known you two would be together! [Helena and Barbara stare at her] Look.... Sometimes when I touch people, I see things. Things that, um, that only they know. And sometimes, when I dream things, they come true.

Dinah

So, um, what does this thing do exactly?

Barbara

This machine will tell me if there's any biological evidence of the abilities. In other words, if you're metahuman.

Dinah

Meta... what?

Barbara

In most people, less than 5% percent of neural cells are active. Your cerebral cortex activity is... [Surprised] over 50%.

Dinah

So it's true. I'm officially a FREAK.

Helena

Hey, watch it with the f-word.

Barbara

There are people in the world, Dinah a lot of people, with abilities beyond what we think of as human. No two metahumans have the same gifts. Don't ask me where the powers come from, no one knows. Natural mutations, biological experiments...

Helena

There's been weird stuff with meteor showers.

Barbara

The point is, you're one of a long line of people who had to hide what they are.

Dinah

So I'm like you?

Barbara

Uh, like Helena, technically. I'm not metahuman.

Dinah

But you're both heroes and you save people.

Barbara

Right.

Dinah

[Grins] I wanna join!

Helena

[At the same time] WHAT?!

Helena

[Mocking] SORRY, we don't have an opening for Junior Supergirl!

Barbara

You can't stay here, you have to go home.

Dinah

...Do you think I'd get on a bus and come to a city where I didn't know a soul, with no money and no job... if I had a place to go back to? I mean, I came to New Gotham looking for something, and I didn't even know what it was, but now I DO!

Dinah

You've been here before, haven't you?

Barbara

It was a long time ago. Another life. Before I was ever Oracle, I had another name, another identity. Another self. I used to work with a man, Helena's father. He was Gotham's greatest champion, and most people never even knew he existed. The last time I ever fought at his side was in this place. We'd cornered the worst criminal Gotham had ever known, smashed his organization and hunted him down. I know Batman could have killed the Joker but he didn't. And his honor had a price. The Joker got away from the police, only for a few hours, just long enough to send a man to kill Helena's mother and to come for me himself.

Dinah

Why?

Barbara

I think the Joker wanted to drive Batman mad. And maybe he did a little. Because a few months later, he left. Left New Gotham, his work... Everything. Even the daughter he never knew he had.

Helena

[About Dinah] I think she's evil.

Barbara

You think she could be evil? If you would just take your clothes HOME once in a while, instead of leaving them all over the Clocktower, she wouldn't have found your sweater to begin with. You know what, this is not about clothing, and you know it.

Helena

Easy for YOU to say, she's not poaching your daywear!

Barbara

Her parents didn't even report her missing; Sounds like she had a reason to run away.

Helena

Still don't know what that was.

Barbara

She's got incredible potential. I just have this gut feeling that-

Helena

So do I. Like I'm about to get sucker-punched.

Barbara

Helena, think about how we learned. How we ALL learned; Dick Grayson, Tim Drake, Jason Todd, even YOU - It's more than a tradition, it's a LEGACY; Take in those like us, mentor and train them, never turn away someone with the hunger to become what we are. That's what your father would have done.

Barbara

[Beat] Yeah, you keep saying that...

Dinah

Gibson's so great.

Helena

Yeah, give him time.

Dinah

Hey, how'd the thing with Wade's folks go?

Barbara

Short version? Complete and utter parental rejection.

Dinah

Well, they just don't know you.

Helena

Not any more than Reese knows me.

Barbara

And we can't really tell them, can we?

Dinah

What do you think it's like for Morton? You know, to hate yourself so much?

Helena

He didn't understand. It's not WHAT you are, it's WHO.

Dinah

Hey, what do you say we head down to Gibson's, the three of us misfits?

Barbara

[Smiles] I think we deserve a night out. Helena?

Helena

[Grins] Damn straight. And I can't think of a better place to spend it. Gibson's it is.

Barbara

Uh, What happened to wanting to be like other girls?

Helena

I got over it.

Barbara Gordon

I'm starting to get a really bad feeling about this. Like someone's trying to put the "organized" back into New Gotham crime.

Dinah

So, what do we do?

Barbara Gordon

What we always do. We find her and we stop her.

Helena

[To Dinah] You're the BLACK CANARY's daughter?

Barbara

[To Carolyn] YOU have a daughter?

Dinah

[To Carolyn] You're the BLACK CANARY?

Barbara

This could mean you have the Canary Cry as well!

Helena

Hold on, she has mind-melding, telekinesis AND the Canary Cry‽

Dinah

What Canary Cry?

Barbara

What telekinesis?

The life you think you want, Dinah, being a superhero is not what it's cracked up to be: [Dinah sighs in annoyance] It's DANGEROUS, it's UGLY, it is RELENTLESS, and it will WEAR YOU DOWN! I won't let you throw your future away.

Dinah

[Angrily] Oh, YEAH? Well, you gave up the right to make decisions for me a long time ago! [To Helena and Barbara] I'm staying at Gabby's tonight. We're studying. [To Carolyn] You know, like NORMAL kids? [Leaves]

Barbara

She'll be okay. She just needs to cool down.

I just don't understand how ORACLE, the source of all information, could have my daughter under her roof and not even know it.

Barbara

She gave us her foster parents' last name. I ran a background check, okay? She was clearly having problems at home. My God, Caroline, this is what we do. We take in and mentor those like us-

She's NOT like you!

Helena

How would you KNOW that? How would you know ANYTHING about her?

I'd appreciate it if you stayed out of this.

Helena

...You got a problem with ME?

I'm sure you're a nice enough person, but you ARE the daughter of a thief.

Helena

EXCUSE me?

Just stay away from my daughter. The last thing she needs right now is your influence.

Barbara

Helena, WAIT. [Grabs Helena's arm]

Helena

WHAT is HER problem‽

Barbara

It's not about you. Canary and your mom never really got along. I think it was some sort of bird-cat thing. Just let it go. [Leaves]

Helena

Bird-cat thing. Right.

Barbara

[Talking about Dinah] She could be every bit as great as you.

And she could get shot at before breakfast, tortured before lunch, and knocked unconscious for dinner also like me.

Helena Kyle

Why can't things ever be easy with Reese? I mean, we're both fighting crime.

Barbara Gordon

He's a cop, you're a vigilante. What do you want me to say?

Helena Kyle

Good point. How about you just find me something to hit?

Helena Kyle

Our jobs are supposed to be so easy. Find the bad guys, kick the crap out of them, feel good and go home.

Barbara Gordon

Just because something looks simple doesn't mean it is. And nothing worth having in this life is easy.

Why can't you do it? I would've killed you all!

Barbara Gordon

I know, Shiva... Sandy. That's the difference between us.

Barbara Gordon

I'm not the hero I once was, Alfred.

Alfred Pennyworth

Oh, thank goodness. Batgirl was strong but impetuous. You've grown into a thoughtful, beautiful woman with the capacity to care more for others than you do for yourself. Now, if that's not a hero, I don't know what is.

Barbara Gordon

How is it you always know just the right thing to say?

Alfred Pennyworth

Years of practice, my dear. Years of practice. Dinner will be ready shortly.