Chapter Eleven: Silent Work

Chapter Eleven: Silent Work

"I'm sorry. I don't think I heard you correctly. Can you repeat that?"

Cyborg looked from side to side at his teammates and gulped, "Uh, Red X is staying in Titans Tower?"

"Alright... I'm going to ask you this as calmly as I can. Now, WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'RED X IS STAYING IN TITANS TOWER'?!" Robin yelled over the communication link.

All four of the Titans shrank into tiny chibis. This is what they had all been afraid of, but it was what Red X had been anticipating the most.

"Yep, and get used to it kid, 'cause I like living here. Beats my place anyways," Red X said into the small camera.

However, Beast Boy forcefully pushed him to the side so that Robin could now see all five of them.

Robin sighed and somehow managed to answer calmly, "Hate to break it to you X, but that's up to the five of us once we finish a little conference."

"Five of us, what do you..." Red X didn't get to finish his sentence as Raven sent him back to the lock down room.

They all knew that Robin wouldn't like this. And Robin had been afraid that something like this would happen. What else could possibly go wrong while he was gone? Immediately the two sides erupted. Cyborg and Raven had paid heed to the guilt trips Red X had given, but Beast Boy and Starfire complained of Red X's... um, imperfections. Their strongest arguments were as follows:

"I don't know man, I mean, he's not really hurting anybody and BB and I have been keeping him in line and after what he did for us at Zenith's..." Robin let out a sigh of understanding, but felt this was a pointless argument.

"Dude! I want him out! You know how much of a prankster he is? I mean, he's stealing all of my best jokes, not to mention that he's being perfect to Rae and Cy only..." Robin rolled his eyes at the changelings complaints as he wasn't surprised.

"Robin! I insist that you come here personally and throw this no-gooder out! I turn my back for one minute in the room of laundry and he is going through my garments and apparel!" The Boy Wonder felt an awkward knot of repulsion form in his stomach and hoped that his face didn't show it.

"Look, it's not too much of a big deal. He's just acting like a roommate that we just happen to have to keep an eye on," How he wished that he could somehow not agree to that.

All four Titans looked at their leader on the screen. His word was final. And Red X had given them good information... This is the part where he hated the fact that he had to be fair.

"Alright, Red X can stay. Bring him in here, though," Robin told them.

While Starfire and Beast Boy looked as though he had just lit a nuke, Raven teleported Red X in again, "Geez! You can't just let me out the normal way? Man, it's..."

"X," Robin spoke to the only masked teen there, "You want to stay? Fine. You can stay. But if I hear one word about you making life unbearable for any of the Titans, you're out on the streets again and I won't vouch for you for jail time in terms of Zenith's... and you're not allowed to go through Starfire's laundry either!"

The Titans all glared at Red X indignantly as he shrugged, "What? You can't say you didn't expect that from me."

Starfire eyes lit ablaze, "You... you... Rwudishawmad floqnard drazcap..."

The other Titans slowly backed away from Starfire as she began to yell in her native tongue. It was always a little scary when she did that. Raven turned back to Robin as the others watched.

"Don't worry, we'll keep an eye on him," Raven assured.

"You mean, you will?" Robin asked as he put a hand over his masked eyes and rubbed them.

"Duh, you just concentrate on Gotham. Leave this buffoon to us," Raven said.

"I'd trade anytime. The buffoon here is a serial-killing crazed clown," Robin responded.

Raven sighed as both signals terminated. There was nothing she could do about it, really. Robin knew that. But it still made him angry. And tired. At least Bruce wasn't here. He was out at that Thompson lady's place and if he was lucky, Bruce would never know. There were only a few topics that Batman didn't know much about and they included Red X, for obvious reasons. Red X was a mistake. His mistake. One he didn't want Bruce to know about. As far as Batman knew, Red X was a person who only did things when they benefitted him and his belt ran on xenothuim, which was good enough for Robin.

Sighing, Robin got up as he heard the Batmobile screech down the cavern floors and into the center of the Batcave. He didn't even have to turn around to hear Batman coming over with samples of the now decimated Thompson residence. It was becoming a bit of a sore spot for them. It was something they didn't need.

"How's your team handling Jump?" he questioned.

"Good enough," Robin answered stiffly, "Anything new with Thompson's case?"

"I couldn't find any bone samples. Even cremated, bone fragments often remain..."

"I know."

Batman looked to the side and Robin glanced down apologetically for interrupting, but only out of respect.

"I'm hoping to find some fragments, though, in these samples," Batman continued.

"Wasn't there a lot of wreckage?" Robin asked, "Couldn't the bones have been moved...?"

"They haven't cleared the site and I looked," Batman answered, ending that idea.

Robin sat down again. Fine. Since he wasn't needed, he'd just...

"Robin," Batman called out and Robin stopped his motion.

"Yes?" He asked.

"Do you have any theories as to who could be behind these disappearances?" Batman asked.

"You mean from Jump?" Robin inquired.

"Yes."

Robin found himself a bit tongue tied. He did. But not really. And he didn't like the ideas that he had come up with. Worse yet, he didn't want to tell Batman about them.

"Uh, sort of. There's not exactly any real, uh, Joker out there so to speak..." Robin avoided the question.

"This isn't the Joker's work, though. You didn't answer my question," Batman scolded. Yes, he had just scolded him. And Batman didn't seem to mind it, either.

But Robin did, "Look, there's no one who really fits this description. The only superpowers that could even possibly pull something like this off wouldn't because this doesn't help them. There's no way that it could, either."

Robin stopped. His mind had caught hold of an idea. A person who could be doing this. He felt his chest involuntarily tighten and his breathing threaten to become irregular. He fought to keep his expression the same. He just couldn't stand the idea. Slade was... gone. He should be gone. He wanted him to be gone... And besides, Slade wanted to destroy Jump. These murders out here couldn't affect Jump in that way. These people had no connections to Jump City. Robin breathed a calm sigh of relief.

Batman eyed Robin searchingly then turned back to the samples. Yes. He believed his ward. They always had that ability. That unspoken trust in what each other said. And if either of them didn't mention something, it was for good reason. If such knowledge was ever needed, they trusted that the other would tell them. So although he left it at that, he hoped that they could get back to this subject again. It was one of two essential questions: "Who could do it?" and "Who benefits?" But right now that wasn't the main issue. Clara Thompson's death was. And the Joker's escape from Arkham.

"Want me to try finding some leads on Joker?" Robin asked.

Batman only nodded and watched from the corner of his eye as Robin ran off to Gotham as words were left unsaid. Business came and went. Gotham's skyscrapers towered over the city-goers below who cowered under their umbrellas. The Monorail train ran above their heads thundering loudly down the loud bobbing of iron against steel. Cars drove by spraying water into the air and thoroughly soaking those unfortunate enough to be standing nearby. No, no one was in a good mood. It seemed like it was always like that in Gotham. The hum of an engine roared as it came closer and if pedestrians were lucky enough, they would have gotten a glance of the R-Cycle and it's occupant streaking past them.

Robin finally came to a quick stop at a light. He wasn't really trying to look inconspicuous. He figured that being dressed like a traffic light had thrown that ability when in a brightly lit area out the window anyway. And he was definitely in a bright area. Shops don't close just because there's a little bit of rain. That's why they're INSIDE. Unlike him. So while neon lights flashed along side and street lights above showed off their lack-luster splendor, Robin took the opportunity to let out a sigh. He liked going on patrol alone. Especially in Gotham. It had been his hometown since he was eight, so why shouldn't he?

It was kind of calming to people watch in vignettes like these, too. He liked looking out at people without a worry. They were all so different in the city. There was a guy in a suit running to his car. There was a waitress who had just gotten off work and would be walking quickly home in the rain without an umbrella. There were two kids holding their parent's hands as they turned the corner. The little girl smiled up at her mother. The boy looked around, bored, until he saw Robin on his bike.

The light turned green.

Robin revved the engine and shot off. He didn't get to enjoy these moments for very long, and he'd gotten used to it. He followed the Monorail system. Passing Wayne Tower, he shot around it and raced through the streets behind it that lead to Wayne Aerospace, Wayne Industries, WayneTech and many Wayne subsidiaries. Normally he wouldn't go by there, but Joker had a reputation for liking to play with dangerous "toys". Both he and Batman had access to the Wayne Enterprises' security, but that doesn't mean that being nearby wouldn't help.

He stopped as he came up to Wayne Chemicals. There were several trucks nearby with Wayne's stamp on them. All closed save for three. The lights were off and the building looked deserted. Robin watched the sparkling rain for a moment. For some reason, Robin shook his head. He just knew that the Joker wasn't here. But still, something didn't seem... right. Right. Bright...

Robin whipped around to see several lights in WayneTech on when they shouldn't be. Robin leaped off the R-Cycle and raced to the building while he thanked Bruce in his head that he had a security override feature card still in his belt. There was only one thing on his mind. Project Firewall. This was so bad. It took him less than two minutes, but when he got up to the holding department there was... no one. But there had to...

The sound of footsteps above alerted Robin to his guests. Running to the elevators, Robin forced the doors of one that was not in use. He didn't have to look very far before he saw and heard the elevator that was being used by the trespassers. Climbing upwards, the Boy Wonder gradually was able to hear snippets of the conversation.

"Careful, don't drop that!"

"Shh, I'm no moron, moron."

"Who you callin' a moron?"

"Will you two shut it? Not making this going any faster. And with that freak out there..."

"He's not coming here, will you stop that? We've dealt with worse."

"Oh yeah, that much worse," The sarcastic comment came.

"Let's just get this thing going. I still don't want to stay..."

The elevator started downward. Robin smirked. Amateurs. Throwing a small electrical breaker down onto the moving elevator, he smiled as the elevator stopped dead, stuck.

"Who.. what was that?"

"You idiot."

"I didn't do nothin', though."

"Well you must have done something 'cause..."

CLANG!

Robin landed on top and ripped off the top escape shaft. The three startled men yelled and reached for their guns, but it was too late as Robin easily threw three bolas to trap the thieves.

"Why you little..." Their leader began once he recognized their downfall was due to Robin.

"Look, I can either gag you or not, but I'm really not in the mood," Robin told them. He turned on his communicator, "Batman, you there?"

"What's going on at WayneTech?"

"Robbery, I got them all trapped in the third elevator. I'm going to send them down till the police arrive," Robin told him.

"What were they after?"

Robin knelt down and looked at the large box. He looked around trying to find a name or a tag or something to identify it with before realizing it was probably on the bottom. As he lifted it, Robin could only pay attention to how heavy this thing was. That was unusual...

"Got it, Project.. Can't read it," Robin asked, "What's this?"

"Another of Fox's projects probably, have the cops take it into custody for the time being. It's most likely only a prototype," With that, Robin heard static.

Great. This meant two things. One, it meant that Bruce had way too many projects for him to keep track of. And two, it meant that he'd be here all night silently wondering why if Bruce has Project Firewall and it's done, why on earth he hasn't actually installed it. It was quiet as he got down to the main room of WayneTech and still there were no cops nearby or sirens in the distance. He'd caught these thugs fifteen minutes ago. Robin hit his head against the wall. Great. Just great.

And who knew what this would do to WayneTech tomorrow? Bruce would probably be forced to got to an emergency press conference and, already being tired from the previous night's antics, would not be in any real mood to deal with any irritable mistakes or slow actions. The TV would be ablaze with the petty news all the way to Metropolis. And that it did. Dr. Westfield watched it the next day while he was in his office. He was expecting a visit from the boss, who would be there any...

"Dr. Westfield, you have a report for me?"

Westfield gulped slightly and turned around to see his provider and employer.

"Um, uh, yes Mr. Luthor, with the available materials, we've made much progress regarding the weapon," Dr. Westfield reported.

Luthor nodded and gestured to the door, "Care to show me?"

Westfield kept fiddling with his tie and lab coat, like it was out of place, but nodded none the less. It was uncomfortably quiet. While he would never admit it out loud, Westfield was not, er, accustomed to working with Luthor. The man had a way of having control over every situation and Westfield was not comfortable with it.

"So, what's the weapon so far?" He asked.

"Well, we're still missing those two major elements. We're attempting to replicate the sonic cannon, but it's a slow process, considering what it has to handle," Westfield said, waiting for Luthor's comments.

There were none, "That's our primary focus as of right now. Once we have the power supply and the minerals necessary to operate the weapon, all we'll need to do is latch on that final component that you promised."

Luthor finally nodded in acknowledgment, "And you'll have it."

While Westfield didn't like to push Luthor, he had to this time, "Excuse me, Mr. Luthor, but when will we have it, er, exactly? The sooner the better."

"Of course, Dr. Westfield, of course. I know. I'm currently trying to..." Luthor sighed before continuing, as though worn out, "Negotiate it's arrangements. I still have yet to actually attain it."

"You mean, you don't own it sir?" Dr. Westfield asked, surprised.

"Never assume anything, Doctor. The government would never authorize LexCorp's development of such a thing. So unfortunately, I can only buy it," Lex told the man.

Stepping into a large room, Lex got his first look at the massive object. Several pieces were obviously missing, but apart from that, it appeared to be fantastic. Much of which was his own design, Luthor recognized and was pleased with. He only wished that it could have been a bit more... deployable. It was not the fastest piece of equipment. Hopefully however, it wouldn't need to be. But despite all of this, pleasure was dampened. He felt a quiet rage begin to burn inside. This was taking way too long. He should have never...

Briinnngggg! Briinnngggg! Briinnngggg!

Lex looked down at his phone and the caller ID. Perfect timing, "Dr. Westfield, this looks magnificent, but could you give me just five minutes?"

Westfield's brief pride was smothered and he humbly left the room, leaving Luthor in the room, with no security cameras or recorders or interferences.

Flipping open the phone, Lex was about to begin when an enraged voice spoke over the phone, "You don't think I don't know what you're doing Luthor?!"

Unaccustomed to such an address, Luthor responded, "You can't tell me you're surprised, Deathstroke. You realize it's been a month."

"And it may very well be another month, but your hired antics last night has only complicated my job. You realize that their Project Firewall is now being pushed ahead of schedule to be installed?" Slade asked.

"I believe I might have heard something," Lex answered passively.

But Slade was tired of Luthor's casual attitude. He wasn't to be double-crossed by anyone and that included Luthor. He should know that after what Slade had done to Trigon. Perhaps the man hadn't heard about that incident. Maybe he should enlighten him. Sitting down on the couch as the fire crackled in the fireplace, Slade continued.

"Well, if you're going to be like that Luthor, I'll just have to take it up a notch," Slade answered.

"I guess you will," Luthor smiled. He liked what he was hearing.

Not for long. "I guess I'll just have to anonymously tip off the Man of Steel to Cadmus Labs," Standing up, Luthor shouted, "You what?"

"Angry, Alexander?" Slade chuckled, "We're on the same page then. Let's just not aggravate each other further, agreed?"

Luthor fumed. He didn't like Slade. Never did. But right now he could only loath the man and his negotiation skills. At least Slade had given him a time frame, though. At least he could hold Slade to that. At least. Lex sighed.

"You want something more than my money, don't you Slade?" When he didn't hear a response, Luthor continued, "Fine, but if you don't finish by November first, you're through. Deathstroke will never be a reliable name again."

Slade gave little heed to the warning and in good nature responded, "Thank you, Mr. Luthor. I'll keep that in mind."

With that, he hung up, smiling. It was still the first week of October. He had at least three weeks. But for Luthor, he could only imagine that this was going to be a very, long month.

-T-

A good week passed after the attempted robbery at WayneTech and still they were coming up dry on any real leads. In fact, Robin was starting to wonder if there really wasn't any other threats to worry about. Batman was constantly working, trying to solve a seemingly unsolvable puzzle. Robin had to hand it to him, Batman was dedicated far more than he was and that was something his friends would say is impossible. One thing that Robin hated about this type of work was that there was always a possibility that none of these crimes were related. Or rather, some crimes were connected and others were not. And that was just another problem in and of itself.

Batman though, he just worked. He didn't think about how hard it was, mostly because he had trained himself not to. He had trained himself to not choke on the scenes before him. He had trained himself not to be disturbed by criminal acts. Robin, well, he could do that. But sometimes it was better to be human. Such as now.

The Dynamic Duo stood in front of the debris from Edwin Beagle's apartment-townhouse, still smoking from the recent fire.

Robin felt a chill from the cold soot lightly hitting his face. He glanced over when he saw Batman move forward and begin to take samples and pictures. It was his fourth crime scene of this nature. It was Robin's first as he hadn't gone to Clara Thompson's. It was just bad timing. And now was good timing. Good timing to actually help Batman collect samples instead of waiting for the report to come in.

Bending down when he found an interesting spot, Robin began to carefully mark and take samples. It was amazing what he could now do without thinking about it. A piece of wood was in the way. Robin grabbed the wreckage only to drop it as soon as he picked it up. The hot embers were still fresh. Soot and burnt material sprang into his face and Robin felt himself cough and choke on the cloud of dust.

Batman looked and walked over. Stretching out his hand, he was shocked as Robin quickly hit it away. Not batted - hit away. When Robin turned and looked up, there was an expression of obvious discomfort and... humiliation? Batman couldn't fathom what for. It wasn't too far from batting someone away and it wasn't unnatural to bat something away when you're not expecting it. He didn't get much time to analyze it further as Robin quickly muttered 'sorry, didn't, sorry', stood up, and walked into another area. The night was young. The lights from the block kept the area lit well enough and it was easy enough to see when they turned on the night-vision in their masks.

Robin finally turned to Batman after about thirty minutes, "I'm going to check the roof areas, see if there's anything interesting from an aerial perspective."

Batman didn't say anything, but nodded. They'd be going soon, anyway. Robin might as well do a brief check. Climbing to the top of a nearby apartment, Robin clicked away pictures of the area. There was no doubt about it, he was a little bored. No, it wasn't that he didn't want to be doing this. He did. He wanted to help. It was never that. It was just that the company always set the mood...

There was a quick flash of movement in the corner of his eye. Running in the direction of the movement, Robin looked around and soon caught a glimpse of more movement. A figure that he couldn't make out. And they were running. So he did, too. Sprinting forward, Robin bounded after the person. They were quick, hard to follow, but he managed.

"Stop!" He yelled out, but that didn't exactly help as the figure didn't listen.

Finding himself on an unfamiliar rooftop, Robin lost sight of the mysterious person. Climbing above a chimney, Robin searched desperately for anything. Something moved, over there, behind the ventilation shaft. Stealthily, Robin jumped down and walked around the corner. Taking out bola and a bo-staff, Robin braced himself. In an instant, he swung around the corner and netted his captor with ease, but it was not who he was expecting (if he had expected anyone, that is).

"You, why I oughta..."

"Catwoman?"

"Well I guess so, considering I'm wearing a Cat-suit. What's the big idea?" She asked, obviously displeased at her current situation.

"Why didn't you stop when I called out?" Robin asked back.

"You never told me. I've been heading up from the eastern section, I wasn't running down south," She told him.

"You mean, you didn't go by the Beagle house?" Robin questioned, slowly realizing that somehow, he'd probably gotten...

"No, wrong person, kid. As hard as it might be to believe, but I was minding my own business," Catwoman told him indignantly and gestured to the bola, "Now would you mind?"

Robin swallowed some of his pride, bent down, and then released Catwoman from the bola seeing that Batman would do it if he didn't, "Sorry. You didn't see anyone go by here by chance though, did you?"

"I wasn't really looking out for anything like that, suppose I should, though. It's getting ridiculous out there," She said, stretching slightly.

"Would you care to elaborate?"

They both turned to see Batman coming out of the shadows; it was really no surprise to either of them either, "Joker's acting like he's still in Arkham from what I've heard. Not doing anything, the only thing he's done is robbing the robbers of this city, which they can't reveal to the cops."

"Anything else?" Robin asked.

"Other than that, there's just been some heated tempers. But when does that not happen?" Catwoman scoffed.

Batman's eyes narrowed, but Robin knew that it wasn't out of annoyance. Only out of consideration of the possibilities. The man nodded.

"Is that all?" He inquired.

"Two-Face in particular isn't very happy at the moment. But it's not much of a big deal," She flashed a luscious smile his way. Batman stiffened, but glanced briefly at Robin at the mention of Two-Face. Still, no one noticed.

He asked, his voice gruff, but bordering on the casual side, "And how have you been?"

"I've been better," She answered, slowly walking forward, "But you know me, I'm a big girl. I can handle myself."

"I'm sure," Batman replied without much emotion, but still there was some, "Robin and I have to get back to work."

Catwoman glanced at Robin, as though disappointed. He looked away from them both. It was funny how they both didn't exactly want the Duo to go back to work.

"Alright then, I'll see you two around," She called, as she scampered off the rooftop and down below into the alleys.

Batman walked over to the side, but he didn't expect to see her. Robin only looked back at the smoky scene half a block down and back behind him. He'd been sure that there had been someone. So sure... A chilling thought came to his mind and he shivered. Jumping as he felt someone's presence behind him, Robin caught his breath.

"Care to enlighten me about what just happened in detail?" Batman asked.

Robin shook it off and walked back towards the Beagle residence, "Nothing happened. I thought I saw something. I was wrong that's all."

Batman let Robin leap off the building without further explanation. But something wasn't quite right. Robin had admitted he was wrong. Robin didn't do that easily. Unless he was doing it to lie. He'd given Robin a lot of lee-way. A lot of space and a lot of freedom because Robin was not a person to be caged. But something was wrong. And he knew it. Batman turned back to where Robin had been staring. Was Robin really just seeing things? He couldn't shake the feeling that he wasn't. But then again, Robin could be acting like this to make up for the lack of distance of a continent between them. Teenagers. They were a mystery. Unfortunately, one he didn't think he'd ever quite be able to solve.

Following Robin's lead, the Dark Knight chased after his Squire, not knowing that someone else was, metaphorically speaking, doing the same. Slade smiled as he watched the two vigilantes run across the rooftops and in between the light and shadows. He could have left earlier and not have been there at all, but it had been too long. He was tired of watching Robin on the screens of hidden cameras. And seeing the boy in person was... refreshing.

Still perfect. Still growing. Still maturing. Still, there was much more to do.

Slade smiled as he let out a low chuckle. Robin was taking care of himself. And by the looks of it, Robin hadn't forgotten him at all. Maybe he did take some deluded sense of enjoyment at the boy's expense, but it didn't exactly hurt Robin either, so it wasn't really a concern to him. The rush was way too much fun to ignore. Landing below, Slade walked down the dark alleyway and disappeared into the shadows, never to emerge.

He was having a much better night than Robin was. Robin felt like Batman was speaking less and less. No, that wasn't right. Batman was talking. Giving orders. More and more. And he couldn't help but hate it. Did the man think that he was incompetent? That he couldn't take care of himself? A mere hindrance? That's what it had been the last time. But Robin would never say anything. It was a petty thing, the orders, and he was probably just too used to being the one giving them. He just kept telling himself that. Somehow though, it never stuck. So instead he tried to think that they'd be finished in maybe a week. Then he'd be home in Titans Tower with his friends instead of having to stay in this rotting town that they called a city.

In the cave, Dick changed, discouraged and downhearted. Going up to his room, he found a small tray with a brownie and milk that Alfred had left him. He guessed the butler had figured that he'd need a pick up. Breaking off a piece, Dick sat down in his blue pajamas and picked up a small book that he sometimes left out on the dresser. Opening the lock, he flipped through the pictures of his friends and the people that he had met. But it was mostly pictures of the Titans. There were some Justice League members and a couple relatively cool people that he had met through a variety of circumstances. Still though, it was the Titans that focused on.

It was calming after a long, hard day. He felt exhausted. And no one could blame him. He put the book down and pressed on the lock. Putting it away and getting into bed, Dick found himself still sleepless. He rolled around. Tossed the sheets on and off of himself in effort to find comfort. However, he couldn't. His thoughts were restless. Finally, he threw off the sheets and left his room.

Inside their private gym, Dick tapped up his bare hands and feet, chalked them, and jumped up onto the wires above. He felt himself begin to work up a sweat even though he had just taken a shower. Energy encased his body and it wasn't from the brownie. Jumping down, he raced over to the mats and began to do sit-ups, push ups, stretches. He had to do it. He just had to. He couldn't bring himself to stop. He couldn't fail. Never fail...

The sound of a person's voice echoed in the hallways. Bruce had come out around four, but the sounds in the normally quiet manor had surprised him. Following the sounds, he found himself close to the gym. The door was slightly ajar and he could hear a rhythmic 'hut, hut, hut' coming from inside. Looking inside, his eyes widened as he saw Dick, his pajamas soaked with sweat.

He opened the door, unsure of what to do in this situation, but still, he had to do something, he guessed, "Dick?"

Dick glanced over and dropped to the ground, swaying slightly on his feet, "Yeah?"

His ward's voice spoke volumes. The boy was obviously tired, barely able to stand up straight, "What are you doing?"

Dick shrugged, "Couldn't sleep."

There was a short pause, but right before Bruce could speak, Dick cut in, "I'm going to bed now."

Staggering almost, Dick swiftly made his way out of the gym and around the corner to the staircase. Bruce would have followed, but he didn't think that Dick wanted that. And he was right. Dick didn't want that. He couldn't stand another order. Another guideline. Another scolding. Another chance to disappoint Bruce. Bruce eventually turned around to walk the opposite way to his own room.

Was he worried about what was going on? Not over the top, no. Dick had handled himself for over two years without his help. Yet, he was much more concerned about Dick's behavior. Maybe it was another one of those rebellious cycles. It was giving him a headache to think about it. So he did what he had trained himself to do. Make a mental note and come back to it later. It was what he knew. It was all he felt he knew. It also was one of the few things that made him feel guilty about who he was. Guilty. Yes. What a wonderful way to end the day.

Chapter Ten: This Is Gotham

A Note About the GCPD: Just so no one gets confused, here's what's going on. Every character that is actually a police officer comes from some form of the Batman Mythology. The comics, the movies, and the cartoon TV series' are all fair game. Generally their rank will remain the same as they do in their regular appearances.

A Note About Gotham City: Again, I have to point this out. Nothing's off limits in this story. Comics, movies, TV series, anything. But I will let loose some (not all) of the stuff that will be referenced (as of right now) if readers want to see what whatever's from. So far big ones include: "Batman: The Long Halloween", "Batman: Dark Victory", "Robin: Year One", and "Batman Begins". Once again, readers do NOT have to have an inside knowledge of these books or movies to understand the story. I'm just putting it out there in case anyone's interested.

-T-

Chapter Ten: This Is Gotham

The office was mostly empty. No wonder, half the squad was at the bank. Ethan knew, though, that the Commissioner was still up on the roof. His car was still right outside and he'd wait till ol' Bats showed up. Grabbing a coat, Ethan walked up the steps. Gordon's figure stood looking up into the sky. The younger officer slightly wondered why Gordon would do such a thing. After all, they were pretty sure that Batman couldn't actually fly like Metropolis' Man of Steel. Maybe Gordon was caught up in the small sense of hope that they all had when they kept their fingers crossed.

"Why aren't you at the bank, Bennett?" Gordon asked, turning to him, the Bat-signal's light illuminating his face and front.

"Just got off from that Wayne Enterprises thing and Ellen's on her way. She had to stop at home for something and said she'd meet me here." Ethan said.

Gordon nodded and turned back away from Ethan. They never knew which way the Batman would come up to the rooftop, but Gordon always faced the signal. You couldn't even leave a bet like that to chance. The signal was where he looked out to.

"How long have you been waiting?" Ethan asked.

"Fifteen minutes."

"He late?"

"Compared to most times." Gordon answered.

He hated when the man was late. Batman was never late without good reason. Then again, good reason could mean trapped, fighting, or dead. Well, maybe not dead. Gordon just couldn't picture that. It made him fidget and want to grab a pack and start again. But he had quit smoking and Barbara hated it when he did. So he kept his head up and searched the sky. There was a whip of fabric in the wind and Ethan swiftly turned around to see Batman's imposing figure. Like a demon or a vampire. Cool.

Gordon spun around at the sound, "You're here."

"You sound surprised."

"No, you're just normally..." Gordon searched for the right words, "... Here sooner."

"I had to deal with something. What is Freeze threatening?" Batman asked.

While Ethan blinked at hearing that Batman already knew it was Freeze, Gordon continued on the conversation, "He's got the bank inside fortress of ice crystal. The people inside are getting hypothermia and he keeps threatening to kill them off or make it worse."

"What does he want?" Batman asked.

"To walk out with the money. No real reason for it," Gordon answered.

"So there's no real reason why we shouldn't go stop him?"

Gordon and Ethan both spun this time around to see another figure, a brighter one. Gordon turned back to Batman in surprise and then back to Robin.

"I'd say long time no see, but I only saw you a month or so ago?" Gordon remarked, with a questioning in his voice.

"Well I'll say it then, 'long time no see'!" Ethan answered.

"Thanks. It's good to see you too, Bennett, but we'll talk more once we stop Freeze. Want to give me the download?" Robin asked.

Batman couldn't begin to fathom how it was that teenagers could make that sound 'cool', but when an adult used it, they sounded like they were part of some cheesy movie.

Gordon brought him out of his trance, "He's back, so soon?"

Batman sighed, "Yes, temporarily."

"Temporarily?"

"Yes."

"Why only temporarily?" Gordon asked.

While he never liked to meddle with what was mostly Batman's decisions, he couldn't help but draw back on old memories. Ones where Robin had first come in. Ones where Robin had just left. And then the last time he had been here briefly. And now 'Only temporarily'? He hated how Batman could be like a computer sometimes. No emotion could distinguish whether the man was happy or sad about that or even if the man didn't care.

"He's here to help with the homicides. We believe there might be a link to some crimes occurring in Jump City," Batman answered.

So blunt. He glanced over. Robin had grown a bit, hadn't he? When Robin had left, while already incredibly strong, still looked pretty scrawny, even though Gordon guessed, that was probably genetics. But now, he could see that Robin was maturing a bit. His muscles were more prominent and his jaw had jutted out a bit more, the result of his kid face growing out of that stage of life.

"He has to go back to the Titans?" Gordon asked.

"When this is over, he will," Batman told him.

Was that because Batman wanted him to or because Robin wanted to? He hoped it wasn't the former. Ethan finally turned to Gordon and Robin did the same.

"Ready?" Batman asked.

Robin's stance shifted only slightly. But only so slightly. Only Batman saw it, "Yeah."

"We'll be off then," Batman turned his back away. Who knew how long those people would have to be in the hospital now? "Good evening, Commissioner Bennett."

The two vigilantes dived off the roof and into darkness. Ethan let out a laugh, "That kid, he sure is something."

Gordon walked over to Bat-signal where light surrounded the edges of the Bat on top. The light was just so bright, but once it was gone, everything would be engulfed in darkness on the roof. He sighed and turned it off.

"Yeah, he's something," he answered, and they both swiftly went down and out to their cars where Ellen was waiting for them.

Time ticked away.

Resembling the Fortress of Solitude, the bank was encased from the inside. Impossible. Robin scanned around the building and met Batman on the other side.

"There's no way to access it on this side, your's?" he asked.

"Nothing," Batman answered.

"The roof?"

"Possibly."

"What about from underneath?" Robin suggested.

Batman used the digital hand held to search above and get the city construction lay outs. There was a way to get in from above, nothing below. It figures, why put a bank underneath a pipe anyway?

"The roof's the only option," Batman announced and Robin sighed.

"That's a trap," He stated. Great. He hated traps. Why did they always have to be traps?

Batman looked over at Robin for a moment and Robin looked back, "Wait a minute... You want to..."

"I'll go into the trap, while he's distracted, free everyone subtly," Batman told him.

"He's ready to flash freeze everybody. There's no way that he wouldn't do the same to you," Robin shot back.

"Freeze likes to talk. He'll keep me awake to let himself talk," Batman responded.

"He took up the talking routine?" Robin asked, an eyebrow raised.

"Sadly," Batman answered, almost regretting the fact. Those talks could be quite boring...

"Fine, let's go," Robin said, as though being resigned to another fate.

They grappled over, reminding Robin of when Speedy would slide from buildings on a rope and bow. Turning on the spikes of his shoes, Robin easily got over the ice crystal before Batman, his youth once again an advantage. There were sirens blaring around them. They could hear Sawyer yelling out at Freeze, hopefully distracting him from Batman and Robin's ascension into the bank.

Batman opened up the vent. It was so small compared to him. Robin nodded over and pointed to himself. Batman shook his head. As the Dark Knight disappeared, Robin could hear the quiet, few sounds of ever so careful movements. He cringed and he knew that Batman must being so as well. The vent was so small. After ten or fifteen seconds, Robin also lowered himself inside. Already, it was extremely cold and, annoyingly slippery. He kept his mouth shut, though. He could only barely make out Batman ahead of him.

But that was enough. At least, it was enough to see Batman stop. He'd choose the first slightly visible but unlikely place to get out. Freeze would expect it. Opening the vent slowly, Batman got out and began to hide in the shadows. Robin held his breath. Hopefully Freeze wouldn't...

"Batman!" No such luck.

Inside the bank, the walls were blue with frost and people shuddered madly. They had to get to a hospital. Batman faced Freeze openly.

"Let them go, Freeze," He ordered.

"Now who are you to be giving orders?" He held up his hands, the big suit of his clunking around.

Batman dodged as Mr. Freeze sent ice crystals hurling out his way. He attempted to get to the hostages, but Freeze soon caught one part of him. The cape. It was always the cape, wasn't it? While it didn't stop him, it certainly slowed Batman down and Freeze eventually hit the man's shoes and began to work his way up. From the waist down, Batman couldn't move.

"That really was very rude of you, you know," Freeze answered.

Batman merely growled. He reached for his belt, but Freeze wouldn't have any of that. Freezing everything except for Batman's head and neck, he got all of Batman's full and undivided attention. And thus Freeze returned the favor and focused on tormenting his captive enemy with obvious delight. All of this plus, he was getting paid to do it. Things couldn't be better than this.

Robin tensed, but knew it was his turn to get out there. As Freeze talked, he crawled away from the already opened vent. It got tighter, but he was okay with that. He could still move. Finally, he found a vent behind a column and ducked out. Quietly, he glanced around, satisfied when he saw Freeze still focused on Batman. Creeping around, he caught site of the first worker. They were half-conscience, but when they saw Robin, their eyes opened wider. He hushed them with a finger to his lips and he slowly cut with a tiny laser their ice encased hands.

He stopped when the layer was so thin, the accountant could break it easily, even in their weakened state. After holding a hand to motion them to wait, Robin continued onward. Freeze kept talking, mouthing up a storm about how he would finally defeat the great Batman. While at the moment, Robin wasn't entirely concerned with how Batman was doing, knowing that Batman's suit was keeping him alive only for a short amount of time. Freeze would willingly entirely freeze Batman.

"And now, after all these years, you'll meet your demise for a stupid bank robbery. This is what will be your downfall," Freeze announced.

Robin could tell Batman was ready to smack Freeze. Now he just had to blast a hole in the doorway. If he could do this without alerting Freeze... He gently tossed the few mini bombs at the door. They clattered on the icy surface. Freeze turned, suddenly surprised.

"What?"

Robin activated the bombs. They exploded sending smoke and ice everywhere. Robin ran back and began to help the weakest get out first. He could hear the GCPD outside, urging people to get away and getting ready to get the hostages out. Batman immediately increased the heat in his suit and struggled to get out at the first chance he got. When the smoke dispersed, Freeze caught sight of Robin.

"You? You!" He lashed out sending ice crystals his way.

Robin dodged out of the way, but icicles began to litter the ceiling and the floor. Batman broke free within seconds and began an attempt to get Freeze's focus back on him. Meanwhile, Robin continued to help the hostages.

"Get out, go!" He yelled, when he heard the sound of ice crystals thickening.

Turning, he saw Batman fighting Freeze. Running forward, Robin leaped onto Freeze's back and began to pull out cords keeping Mr. Freeze's ice-suit from working, but also earning an alarmed look from Batman.

"No! You little..." Batman caught him off guard with a sharp upper cut to the face and Freeze went down.

Batman glanced at Robin, but Robin refused to look the look. He knew what would come later. But he was distracted when flashbulbs started to pop in his face. He looked over, horrified. No! There were photographers everywhere. Taking pictures. Of Batman and him. Of Batman and Robin. No, no, no! Batman gave them no heed and walked out, grappling away. Robin felt a knot in his stomach churn for the second time that night. Great. He then grappled away as well. It was the end of a very long night and not just for them. In the smoky remains of the townhouse, Slade gazed down at the damage. Trigon had taught him one thing. Devastation was indeed, sometimes necessary.

But fatigue and the needs of the human body could demand so much of one's attention. The next morning, Bruce was in the dining room eating eggs and Alfred's famous hash-browns when Dick came down, furious.

"You know how perfect this is?" He asked, throwing down the newspaper in front of his Guardian.

On the front page in big bold letters it read "DYNAMIC DUO BACK!" and below there was one of the millions of photos that were taken last night.

"The only draw back is that there's no longer that element of surprise, which would have been lost anyway once Freeze got back to Arkham," Bruce said in a rather sarcastic and blunt way.

Dick scrunched up his face, "That's not funny, Bruce. I'm being serious."

"And this conversation doesn't get anything done," Bruce commented.

Dick felt a fury build up, "So I'm not allowed to voice disappointment or annoyance?"

"You mean complain? Well, yes. You were the one who decided to come back here and honestly, you shouldn't be so wrapped up in yourself," Bruce told him, drinking down a glass of juice.

Dick was taken back, but Bruce continued, "Otherwise you would have gotten past page one and seen the devastation done to Mrs. Clara Thompson and her townhouse last night."

Dick took the paper back violently and flipped open to the next page to see the article about the woman. She was a widow and lived alone. But last night, somehow, her house went ablaze and she was lost to the smoking inferno. Dick down and bent his head down. They'd lost another person.

"It proves your theory though," Bruce said, taking that as a positive note, but barely, "These people are using others for distractions."

Dick didn't look up and instead he sat down and waited for Alfred to bring in a dish, "Guess I'm proving a lot to you, aren't I?"

Bruce didn't acknowledge him and Dick was positive that he was right. The man wasn't a fan of how he had worked last night. Tackling Freeze so 'recklessly', yeah, Bruce was really impressed. Alfred brought out his dish and could automatically sense the tension in the room.

"Master Bruce, Fox just called, wants to have a word with you about that security system WayneTech's been working on," Alfred said as he put down a fresh waffle in front of them both.

"Thanks, Alfred," Bruce said, taking another sip.

"Did you sleep well, Master Dick?" Alfred asked, turning his attention to the younger of the two.

"Pretty good, thanks," Dick replied.

"That's good," Alfred answered back and then he turned back to finish his conversation with Bruce. "I told Fox that you'd be down there this afternoon. Why don't you have Dick go along with you? With a project that interesting, it may be useful to show him."

"Show me what?" Dick asked.

"It's a security system that Gotham City's buying to upgrade their file protection for things like social security and permanent records, stuff like that." Bruce said, "You don't have to deal with any Titans business do you?"

"No. They can handle things themselves," Dick said coolly.

Bruce nodded.

-T-

There would always be brighter mornings to say the least. Jump City's mornings were always warm. It was like a rule. They couldn't go below forty degrees Fahrenheit. But that also meant that it was always slightly muggy. Raven felt her turtleneck grab at her skin. She hated this. It felt like Trigon's domain. The sun was barely making its presence known. It wasn't yet over the horizon. She was on patrol because she couldn't take the night. Too many nightmares. And thankfully, flying could always ease her worries. It did that to everyone.

At this hour, most people were asleep. But she could feel the emotions of those who were still up. A male in his forties was angry that he had to go to work this early in the morning. A husband was coming home to a worried wife. Some college students were coming back home from a long party. A child was sleeping and dreaming a wonderful, innocent dream. She was knocked from her present state of hypnosis from a sound coming from a dirty alley way.

A trash can got knocked over and she heard the ripping of the trash bags. Yelling. She slowly got down low and landed. She blended herself into the shadows. There didn't seem to be anyone there. There was only light from the slowly coloring sky and a street lamp at the end of the alley perpendicular to the one she herself was in. This didn't bother her. But still, she could have sworn...

Raven gasped as she felt her mouth being covered and her hood being pulled down over her head. Someone kicked her back and she grunted painfully. This certain annoying someone then grabbed her wrists and wrestled them behind her.

"Take me to the tower," He told her roughly.

Raven shook her head and he gripped her wrists tighter, "You owe me, come on!"

Raven eyes widened beneath the hood and she muffled her response. She could get free anytime. But who was this guy? He let go of her wrist and lifted his hand to her face and pulled off the gag. Whipping around, Raven saw the black, red, and white mask facing her. She heard yelling. Something about getting him. She hit the alarm on her communicator and then allowed for the cold encasement trap her.

Within moments, she and Red X dropped to the floor of the main room. Red X, who wasn't used to this, panted and attempted to shake off the bone-chilling sensation, only to find his hands surrounded by Raven's telekinetic energy. Perfect.

"You didn't think I'd just teleport you here to let you run ramped, did you?" Raven asked with an air of satisfaction about her.

"Not really," Red X answered.

Almost as though on cue, the other three Titans raced into the room, all jerked from their beds and still looking thoroughly shaken by the alarm.

"Raven, what the...?" Cyborg started, but at the sight of Red X stopped, "Oh, goody."

"You caught the Red X, friend Raven?" Starfire asked in disbelief.

"Who says I'm caught?" Red X asked indignantly.

Beast Boy snorted, "Dude, you're in a cage. Not like you can really get away."

"All right, so my circumstances are dim. But at least they're better than they are out there," Red X gestured to a window.

They all glanced in the direction of his gesture and then back at him, "All right then, X, we give, what's so bad about 'out there'?"

Red X looked torn between his pride and his will to live, but answered honestly to Cyborg, "Remember the other night? Well, basically, Kitten put the word out that it was all my fault that you were there last night. She's basically going ballistic because I wasn't paying attention to her."

"Don't blame ya," Beast Boy added.

"Well, it doesn't exactly help me now. Someone's put a bounty on my head for it, or rather whoever told you guys about Zenith's," Red X told them, "And you owe me. I need to lay low."

"And you expect us to let you just hang out here in Titan's Tower?" Raven asked in disbelief.

"Would you mind?" Red X asked.

"Forgive us, but yes," Starfire replied, "And Robin would not approve of such a thing."

Perhaps it was because this was the first time that Red X noticed that Robin wasn't present, but he seemed generally happier, "Look, I'll make you a deal, you have anything, anyplace that you can put me on lock down? I don't really care. I'll give you the belt and I'll stay there whenever you guys get bored of playing watchdog, how's that sound?"

The four Titans looked at one another, wondering what on earth they were supposed to do with this guy who was practically begging to be locked up. Raven glanced at him and Red X gave her a very blank but very 'you owe me, be guilty' sort of look as well. She sighed.

"We could put him in the lock-down room. The one that you guys kept me in when Trigon attacked," Raven suggested, "Either way we might just have to send him to jail anyway."

"Raven, what are you doing?" Beast Boy asked, "This creep..."

"Gave us information," She used her telekinesis to take the belt away from it's possessor, "Let him keep the mask and just take him to the room. I'm tired."

With that Raven handed Red X over to Cyborg and slowly walked out of the room. The remaining Titans looked at each other and then at Red X who seemed very pleased with himself. That is, until Cyborg gave him the pep talk.

"You realize what you've gotten yourself into?" He asked.

Red X shrugged, "Two chicks nearby, a safe house, and uh, free pizza?"

At the former, Starfire gave off a resounding 'humph' and stormed off, but Beast Boy could only let his smile broaden wider, "Not really, what you got is Stankball and lots of it."

Red X looked at the two Titans like they were crazy, "What?"

If only he had thought this all the way through. If only, if only, if only. But he didn't and now he was in for who knows what. Come on, what on earth is 'Stankball'? Red X shuddered. He sort of didn't want to know.

-T-

Dick sort of just kind of wished that he wasn't riding in the limousine down to WayneTech or was in a suit. Dick hated tuxes. They always grabbed at his throat and the tie wasn't exactly very welcome, either. Not that he'd actually say anything about it. Bruce would call it immature. Or rather, he wouldn't say it, he'd just give one of those oh-so-famous looks. And come to think of it, it was immature for someone his age.

Adjusting himself in his seat, Dick glanced out the window as the limo slowed to a halt. There was still a dull overcast left over from yesterday that just begged to cry. WayneTech was, granted, much cooler than Wayne Tower. There were more practical uses for the building and there were a lot less offices. But of course an office would be their first stop. Bruce got out and led the way into the building, heading on a course that only he would be able to remember because no one but Bruce would waste his time remembering the layout of all of the buildings he owned. But Dick couldn't blame him. Batman had to stop burglaries down here all the time. They really needed to upgrade their...

"Mr. Wayne! Dick!"

Dick finally looked up to see the familiar face of Lucius Fox, "Hi, Mr. Fox."

The man smiled and replied, "Haven't seen you in a while. Do you like that school I recommended?"

"Oh, yeah, it's great, really," Dick said, feigning happiness.

Bruce cleared his throat. He didn't want this to take too long, "Lucius, you said that Project Firewall is functional?"

"Oh, uh, yes," Lucius looked back up at his employer, "We just ran it this morning. Brought in the best hackers and stealth experts. It's full-proof. Care for a demonstration?"

"You know me, Lucius," Bruce answered, as though looking for popcorn for the upcoming show.

"Very well, it's right down the hall," Fox motioned the two and led the way.

Dick's curiosity had already been peaked, "So what's the big deal with this security project?"

"You mean he hasn't told you yet?" Fox asked, looking at Bruce in question.

"Ah, well, I didn't want to bore him with what's going on with work," Bruce quickly answered, yet somehow, that playboy mask stayed tightly in place.

"Oh, uh, in that case, it's a top-notch project. When Gotham's City board saw the proto-types, they instantly took a hand at it. So WayneTech sold them the first set to be installed into all of their files, buildings, and such. It's quiet an advancement. Hopefully it will prevent a couple break outs in places like Arkham, though I don't think that Blackgate will need it..." Lucius trailed off in thought.

"So when you say 'firewall' it acts just like the name, right?" Dick asked, bringing Fox back to the here and now.

"Basically yes," The three of them got to the demonstration room and Fox continued, "It's a wall. Nothing can get in or out after it's set up. So it acts both as a cage and also like a gate. Unless proper license is used, files and high security buildings will be impenetrable."

As they watched the demonstration and it's impressive results, Dick further questioned, "Couldn't that be a bad thing?"

"No, no, it can't be misused unless the codes are given to someone untrustworthy. Even then, there's an override system built in that only WayneTech can dismantle and or use. Like it?" Fox asked.

"Can I get it for my laptop?" Dick asked, "You'd never believe how many dollar-eyed girls have found my email address."

"How many what...?" Bruce started.

Fox, however, laughed, "Unfortunately, I don't think this is the type of software you're looking for, Dick."

Apparently over the sudden revelation, Bruce complimented Fox, "This is outstanding, Lucius. I'll call the Mayor and Commissioner Gordon. They'll be thrilled about it. And you'll email me the stats on Firewall and those other projects?"

"Of course, Mr. Wayne," Lucius answered, "Oh, by the way, Detectives Yin and Bennett commented yesterday that you might want to take into consideration some extra security for this project because of Gotham's interest. Apparently, the Mayor mentioned it to Gordon."

"I'll call around. I might have a cousin who does that sort of thing," Bruce mentioned.

"Wait, you have a cousin?' Dick asked.

"Not sure," Bruce pondered it for a moment, "Ah, well, suppose I'll get it done eventually."

"I'm sure you will Mr. Wayne," Fox told him, "You know the way out, I presume?"

"Yes, thank you, Fox; I really appreciate this," Bruce told the genius and Dick realized how much stress this could possibly remove from Bruce's shoulders, "We'll see you around."

"See ya, Fox!" Dick called as he and Bruce walked away.

"Enjoy your break!" Fox called back.

Fox walked back to his office and began pulling up files to send to Bruce. He had to admit, most would say that Bruce wasn't a fantastic boss, but he did genuinely seem interested in what was going on. And goodness knows, they needed this updated security in Gotham. So much so that the crazy 'freaks', as many would call them, might actually stay in Arkham and Blackgate. So the freaks wouldn't have reason to wait for the little drizzle that would turn into a pounding rain. So the freak wouldn't kill the guards and waltz right out and into the open.

Because it seemed to happen everyday.

It was happening right...

Now.

The doors burst open knocking several SWAT members to the ground, unconscious from the impact. The smoke slowly drifted to the sides. There was barely a sound. At least, not until the other SWAT members breathed in the smoke. Someone giggled. Another snickered. Three fell into fits of laughter and more were on the way. They laughed like there was no tomorrow. Like someone had repeated every inside joke they knew and sent them into hysterics. Then they coughed. They couldn't breathe. They tried to stop laughing. But they only stopped when they had passed out and laid on the ground , wide grins plastered onto their faces.

"Aw, why'd you stop?"

Gordon knew this too well. What came next... The insane laughter. The one that laughed as he murdered an entire onslaught of people. As he scalped his best friend. As he robbed a bank and shot his accomplices. He loved to do it so much, he just... had to laugh.

"HAHaHAHahaHaHAHahaHAHahaha!" The Ace of Knaves bounded forward, that insufferable wide grin cemented to his ghastly face, his green hair in a mess of curls and waves, unkempt for so long.

Gordon knew what would happen next, "Joker! You're surrounded, get down on the ground!"

"Surrounded?" Joker asked and he looked around as though playing dumb, "I'm not surrounded, I can just walk over you!"

Gordon didn't want to see what Joker had planned now. The man took out a pair of yo-yos, adjusted them, and began to use them. And by use them, he used them to knock the tranquilizer guns (due to court orders, they couldn't use regular guns on Joker, to many people's dismay) out of the remaining police officers and swing over the cops into the open. How did he even get yo-yos? Gordon looked at Sawyer and Bullock who were both as stunned as he was.

"Sawyer, take a unit out to try to find him! Bullock, get those SWAT members to Gotham General Hospital! They need help fast!" Gordon ordered, "Is anyone at the police station?"

"Flass might be, but Ethan is sir," Yin came forward, "He had to wrap up with the..."

"Call him, tell him to turn Bat-signal on," Gordon interrupted, "I'm not waiting on this one. Flass better not hold him up..."

But it was too late. It almost always was with that one. Joker leaped through the air, using the yo-yos like the mad man that he was. The rain poured down his broken straight jacket.

This was Gotham.

Finally, he landed on a dilapidated outer staircase. Stepping in through a window, the Joker began to make himself at home when his host spoke.

"It took you long enough."

"Oh don't rush me! You know how much I like to get away from it all in Arkham," Joker brushed off, "It's an insane asylum!"

"And a happy hotel! Don't forget that one," Joker added, hanging up the straight jacket on a hook as though it was a normal business coat, "Besides, you know you're happy to see me."

"Don't kid yourself. I'm no happier to see you than you are of me." Came the depressed sort of moan.

"Ah, come on that's..." Joker stopped when his host turned around in his chair.

He was very handsome. Clean cut, nice shave, neat appearance. He was hideous. The skin on his face threatened to peel off instantly and his hair stuck up as though he had been electrocuted and his clothes looked like that out of a freak show that had been washed in mud. Two-Face glared at him.

"Alright, you got me there, but come on Harv', the night is young in Gotham! Plenty to steal and plunder!" Joker exclaimed.

"You're an idiot," Two-Face barked.

"And you're a party-pooper. Doesn't stop me from liking you."

Harvey Dent's eyes narrowed as he reached for a pocket in his jacket, "You don't like me."

Joker smiled, "You're right... I don't!"

He reached out of his pocket and in an instant the two both had loaded guns pointed at each other's heads. How many times had they done this?

"Hee."

"Well how original is this?"

"Not very."

The two maniacs looked across the room to see a third party presence. He hid in the shadows and kept his gaze focused on them, not in the least bit intimidated by the Gotham terrorists. Almost as if in some weird comedy, Joker and Two-Face looked at each other and then quickly turned both their guns at the intruder.

"Come on out, Bats, we won't hurt you," Joker teased.

"How flattering, but I'm not the Batman," Their guest stepped forward into the light, "Honestly though, I could have shot you both. What kind of amateurs are you?"

Two-Face wrinkled his nose at the insult, but Joker just laughed in recognition, "You! The guy from Luthor's gig. What's up? I love your threads. Much better in these lines of work."

"Deathstroke the Terminator?" Harvey asked.

"I go by Slade," He told them, "And I'm conducting some business in Gotham."

"Oh! What kind of business?" There was a blank but interested look on Joker's white face, but Two-Face couldn't help but show his hesitancy.

"I'm not disclosing that information. I just want to make a deal with the two of you," Slade said, striding forward and between the two of them.

"And what can we offer that interests you?" Two Face asked.

"Oh, nothing really, except your... rank in this city," Slade answered, "I need the Batman and his partner alive, for the time being."

"And what makes you think we'll agree to that?" Harvey responded.

"Wait, his partner? That doesn't even fall under our territory! The baby bird's in California!" Joker exclaimed.

Two-Face rolled his eyes, "Forgive him, he hasn't caught up on the latest news."

"What do you...?" Two-Face threw a paper with the Dynamic Duo on the cover at Joker, "Oh... never mind."

Two-Face directed his attention back to Slade. He didn't like this man. He just didn't. Anyone that the Joker took to instantly was someone to be avoided. He'd heard of Deathstroke. And he didn't like everything that he heard. He was like The Demon's Head. If you didn't have all of the information up front, why trust them?

"You never answered my question," Harvey continued.

"Well, it's not really like I'm here to compromise or negotiate," Slade told him, "I'm here to... reason."

"Reason! Ha!" Joker laughed, "Reason doesn't exactly compute with me."

"What's the opposite of you Joker? Sanity? Or insanity with a drive to preserve humanity?" Slade asked.

"Well that's easy!" Joker replied. "The Bat..."

"The Batman, exactly," Slade finished. "So what happens when you kill the opposition?"

Joker's eyes suddenly narrowed, "You... You! Oh, I like you."

"No more Batman. No more games. No more fun," Slade allowed, voicing the realization, "I'm just asking that you not set your sights on Robin. I'm planning a big game, but we need him alive to play it."

Tapping his chin in mock thought, Joker revealed his teeth, "All right, you win, I like games."

Slade smiled underneath his mask. The easy part was done. He had already known that Joker would never kill Batman. He wanted to let the 'game' be on-going. The point of that was just so Joker didn't feel like he was being outdone or his city would fear someone other than himself more. Now for the hard part. Two-Face.

"So you want to keep the Dynamic Duo alive. For what purpose? For what 'game'?" Two-Face questioned.

"Oh no, it's not a game. It's never a game. I just want your word that you'll keep your distance. Just lay low for the next month or two. I'll make it worth your wild," Slade answered.

These two men both had appearances split down the middle. And both understood the duality of knowledge and character. It was a battle of wits. Slade knew that Two-Face could never turn down a bet. He knew that Two-Face was indeed two people, Two-Face and Harvey Dent. He had to play to each of these two people's needs when the timing was right. It was all about timing.

"Sounds like a intriguing bet," Harvey said in good heart, "Let's flip for it. Scarred, I don't have to do anything. Clean, I'll lay low."

Intriguing was not the best word for Two-Face to describe Slade as. More like a question. Repressing a fear that this man may very well act like Riddler, Two-Face took out the scarred lucky double headed quarter. Placing it on his finger, he was about to flip it when Slade interrupted him.

Oh how he loved to pull all of the strings, "Harvey Dent's first real case was the 'Holiday' killer, was it not?"

Two-Face looked up, "What do I care?"

"I'm not flipping for this," Slade announced.

Harvey seethed, "But everyone plays."

"I'm not."

Two-Face's anger finally manifested itself outright. Yeah, he didn't like Slade at all, "Every. One. Plays."

"Not the ones who have figured out the Holiday case. I know who was Holiday, Dent. I know it wasn't just Alberto Falcone or you," Slade stated.

"There was Gilda Dent too."

Two-Face's eyes shot up and Joker laughed insanely, "Oh, this is getting good!"

"You leave my wife out of this," Harvey barked.

"Then stay out of harms way," Slade ordered, "I'm going. If I hear anything, see anything from you two that I don't approve of, there will be no games and Gilda won't get that fair trial."

Joker smiled, "Oh, you know how to play your cards, Slade. Any chance we can play again?"

"Perhaps," Slade answered over his shoulder.

Two-Face looked at the mercenary. There was something that just bothered him. Batman and Robin. Batman AND Robin. Robin. There was something that wasn't right here.

"You're from Jump City, right?" He asked.

Slade barely nodded. Robin had been in Jump City. He could tell something wasn't as it seemed. He wasn't here because of Batman. The two appearances couldn't be coincidence. Was there a... grudge? He couldn't tell.

Harvey continued, "You're playing with the big boys now. Robin and his Titans are mere practice compared to the Dark Knight. Are you nervous?"

Slade let out a low chuckle, "Two-Face, Two-Face, Two-Face. I am the 'big boys'."

With that, Slade walked over to the window and dove off the balcony and into the alley way below. Two-Face went to the window and looked out. Not a trace. There was no denying it, Harvey was a bit confounded by Slade's attitude. But then again, Deathstroke was a force to be reckoned with. Going back inside, Joker was squatting on top of a chair, gleefully balancing on the thing that would surely break soon.

"You have to admit, he's good," Joker commented, the grin distinctly wider than normal and his red and yellow eyes wide in expansion.

Two-Face only sneered at his guest while Slade smiled as he held Gotham in his pocket.

Chapter Nine: Escalation in Gotham

Part Three: Escalation in Gotham

Chapter Nine: From Rooftops to Sidewalks

The rain poured down the back of his head and down his neck. There was stench in the air, like that of dead rats. It was diluted by the smell of hot dogs that had been sitting on the grill all day and into the night. Below, cars had their headlights on and on occasion were needlessly honking their horns, the drivers annoyed that rush hour traffic had proceeded into the later evening hours. Some were just parking so they could take the monorail. It would be packed, but at least it would be quicker than driving.

Up ahead, a traffic light was out, sending tempers soaring. He really shouldn't be here. It was well lit, safer than other areas. He was needed elsewhere. Running, the adrenaline started to flow, making his heart work faster, his mind think quicker. At the same time it was a blur, but he was picking everything up. Diving off of a high building, he did a flip and neatly landed in a crouch position. But that was only for a second as he soon ran off again. Finally, he slowed down, his cape whipping against his sides.

"Give me your money!"

His head turned towards the yell. Idiot. Who yells that in a city? Especially this one. This guy must be desperate. He heard a muffled sob and a scream coming from a window below with the drapes right by the fire escape. This was inside the building? What on earth? Spreading his arms out, he began to fall.

"Shut up, lady! I said money and jewler-!"

The poor guy never got to finish. Juliet saw someone come through her window. It almost looked like they had flung themselves inside. The person snared the gunman's hand and as he twisted it Juliet heard bones grind. The man screamed and dropped his gun.

"You! I'm gonna-!"

The figure elbowed the robber in the face, sending the man to the floor away from Juliet. The figure turned to Juliet. She was shaking, her brown hair was a mess from being thrown to the floor and her eyes were wet and puffy. She held her hand to her face, choking on tears, shocked at what just happened. What was the world coming to?

He held out a gentle hand, "It's okay."

She looked at the figure. This, this was... "It's okay. I promise. I'm one of the good guys."

The voice was strong, but young, reassuring. She took his hand and found as she stood up that she was taller than he was. Wow. Slowly, she tried to make out details. But he turned and cuffed the gunman to one of the window's bars. After, he grabbed the gun and took out the ammo.

"Call the cops. I've got to go."

With that he was off. Juliet went to the window, but there had literally been no sign left of her rescuer. The man by her feet groaned loudly and Juliet slowly let a small sigh of relief.

His feet were numb, he'd been running and out in the cold for so long. He could feel his sides beginning to shake, to shiver at the adrenaline that he could feel flow through him every time his heart beat. His breath made puffy clouds of air as sweat mingled with rain water. His ears, acute as ever, heard everything – from the water pouring down the drains to the cat below hissing at a dog barking on the ground.

There was no light here, or barely any if one had to be specific. So the bright colors of his costume were nothing more than shadows. They had split up. He was to search the east, Batman, the west. But they'd be meeting up soon. Great. Terrific, really. Robin sighed. He had to admit, he was tired. Being out all night in the rain after a stressful arrival could do that to him and the fact that he and Bruce had barely said anything worth saying didn't help any.

They had talked about the report and thankfully, Bruce had been willing to take a look at it and consider it as a possibility. While there wasn't a real reason for it, that had been one of Robin's real worries. That Batman would just dismiss the theory because the arsonist had not used Hexane before and refused to help. But that was the only thing that they had talked about. Not 'How's life been?' or 'What have you been up to lately?'. No, nothing like that. But then again, that was probably best. That was a can of worms waiting to be opened up. It was just one more thing for Bruce to start getting on his case about. And ask anyone really, there was way too much on his plate as it was.

He thought back to Jump and sighed. He was here now. And he might as well make the most of it. Work hard, get his job done. All that. All that...

They would have gone to the airport with him, but Robin had told them not to. It would just be easier when it came to getting off as Dick Grayson. And... the idea of going back to Gotham as Robin in an airplane was just begging for some insane terrorist attack or worse, for paparazzi to start asking if he was here to stay. As if! Temporary was all this would be.

Robin found a place to change once he got near the airport. Taking a cab, Dick got out of the car, tipped the driver and went to wait for his plane. It was about seven in the morning and the sun was just barely coming up. The last day of September was all that it could be. He had about two suitcases and a laptop for the plane ride. He'd ship his other stuff another... less conspicuous way. He sat alone, since not many people were there anyway.

He kept fiddling with his shake, not knowing whether or not he could manage to drink it. While his thoughts should have been on the mission ahead, they weren't. They were on last night's events. The party, the revelation, Star, and then everything he had been doing... He shook his head. Maybe he was feeling guilty, considering he was about to go to Gotham, but honestly, how was he going to face Bruce? How? An answer to that would be nice. He could feel his stomach tying up in knots and he could already feel color draining from his face. He had told his friends that he'd be fine. But now he was starting to feel sick to his stomach.

Calmly, Dick tried to meditate like Bruce had taught him. He could slow his breathing, but not his heart rate. Focus on the mission. Focus on finding their arsonist/robber/killer. Oh man, spending hours downstairs with Batman. Joy.

'Someone kill me now,' he thought.

"Flight B10 to Gotham City, first class is now boarding," someone announced over the speaker.

Dick got up and found himself the only one standing. He saw a couple of adults look up at him. So he happened to be the ward of a billionaire who could buy first class tickets. No reason for them to look at him in surprise. He handed his ticket over to security and went inside. Finding his seat before one of the flight attendants could get up to talk to him, Dick sat down and tried to relax. Maybe he could catch up on his sleep. One of the flight attendants approached him.

"Dick Grayson?" she asked, a little uncertain that it was him.

"Yeah?" he said.

"Oh, um, My name is Chloe and I'll be your flight attendant for your trip. Once we take off is there anything I can get you?" she asked.

"If I think of something, I'll let you know," he told her.

She smiled and walked off to be ready for when everyone else boarded. Dick leaned back. There was one thing about plane trips. They made him nervous. He wasn't scared of flying, it was the anticipation, the long time with nothing to do, that made him nervous. And especially when he was going to Gotham. He had only made about six trips out there. Three had all been on the anniversary of his parents' death to pay respects. The others were to see Alfred or attend a party of Bruce's that he just had to go to. Had? Yeah right. It was just a social grace on his part. And this time, it was to work on something. Again, if someone knocked him out right now, he'd be very grateful.

He didn't know how much time passed and he didn't notice when his flight was delayed fifteen minutes because someone's luggage wasn't on. So when he felt the plane getting ready to take off, it was a bit of shock to him. Buckling up, Dick sat back. The plane started to move forward and the engines rumbled. Instead of closing his eyes, though, to relax, Dick looked out the window as the plane began it's ascension. He saw Jump. He saw everything he had seen before. He saw the bay and he saw the tower. Slowly, a hand came up for one small, almost unnoticeable wave good bye. No one saw it. No one but him.

About thirty minutes in, Chloe came by again, "Some breakfast, Dick?"

"I'm good, I had a shake before I left," Dick told her.

Chloe nodded, but kept her gaze on Dick a moment longer. It was odd for a teenager alone to get a first class ticket in her opinion. But she shrugged it off to go help the main cabin. When she came back, she looked over to see him asleep in his chair. Poor guy looked exhausted. Reaching over and pulling the blind down, Chloe then went to the front to take a seat and read The Daily Planet.

The trip passed without much incident. That is, until they came into Gotham City's limits. A massive storm had swallowed the city and rain pounded against the plane. It was when a crack of lightning split the air and thunder followed that Dick woke up. He looked around and pulled up the window blind to see a monster of a what could have bin a mini hurricane. He wasn't worried, but really, he was a little shaken.

To see Gotham in the middle of an ugly storm like this was not the best way to come in. And he could only bet that Bruce would be solely focused on his work during such weather.

Dick sighed and sat back as he heard the captain announce, "We will be descending momentarily. Please fasten your seat-belts and enjoy your stay in Gotham."

Dick buckled up and waited. The wind roared outside and Dick felt that enjoying his stay would be the last thing that he would do while here. The plane began to rumble and soar downwards slowly, but not gracefully. He felt a sudden landing as the front wheels of the plane hit the ground. Clutching the seat's arms Dick felt himself suddenly tense as it was announced that they had made a safe arrival in Gotham. What an oxymoron. Gotham? Safe? Yeah, right.

It took a couple minutes to dock, but they did and Dick was the first one out. Chloe smiled at him and he forced a smile back. He was not happy. Not happy in the slightest. Well, at least Alfred would be picking him up. That was always positive. He got out and saw people waiting around for their next flight. He didn't want to stick around, though. His own thoughts clouded his mind as he subconsciously made his way to the gate where Alfred would be waiting.

It wasn't until he heard someone call his name that he looked up. "Master Richard!"

Dick looked over to see Alfred to his left. He smiled and quickly strode over, "Hey Alfred, thanks for picking me up; you didn't have to."

Alfred gave Dick a quick hug and answered, "And leave you to walk home in this storm? Not on my watch."

The two smiled and went to pick up Dick's luggage. They weren't going to talk about why he was really here. Not yet. That was a big no-no. Instead they chatted about how that 'private school' going. It was going well. He was acing all of his tests. Having fun with his friends. The usual. They were just about to the limo in the parking lot when Alfred stopped their jovial conversation.

"Master Dick, I want to make you aware that..." he began.

"Those waves out there are incredible, Alfred, they're so much..."

"Master Dick," Alfred interrupted and this time, Dick shut his mouth to listen, "I want to make you aware that Master Bruce..."

Too late. Dick looked over at the car to see Bruce stepping out, tired, probably self-deprived of sleep, and intimidating. Dick fought down the urge to gulp. Bruce was here. He wasn't sleeping in like he was supposed to, like Dick had counted on when he scheduled the flight for this early in the morning. This was just his luck, wasn't it? Dick came forward as Alfred took his luggage and put it in the trunk. 

The old butler could see Dick's posture had changed noticeably, from carefree to proper, like he was to behave in front of the Queen of England. That would have been fine, except his head bent down low and the smile on his face moments ago had disappeared. Bruce looked down at Dick and opened the car door. Dick muttered 'thanks', got inside and sat on the far end, hoping to stay away from Bruce if he could. Bruce followed and sat in the back, looking around casually. No words were exchanged even after Alfred started the car and tried to spark up some form of conversation between the two. Nearly every attempted ended with 'Yeah, sure' and 'Alright'.

As Alfred drove, he kept glancing back at the two of them, hoping one of them would at least try to talk to the other. They both saw this. They both got what he was trying to do. But the excuses. Bruce's probably tired and in a bad mood. Richard's probably angry that he even has to be here. Bruce doesn't care for small talk. Richard doesn't like small talk. And on and on it goes. The butler eventually gave up and gave a disapproving look at the two sending what he hoped was guilt down their silent throats.

Soon, they were on their way up the road in Bristol that lead to Wayne Manor. In this lighting, Dick saw that the usually elegant Manor looked more like a cold fortress. The shadows cast upon it made the Gothic architecture even more outstanding and intimidating. It didn't look like it was all that warm inside either. Alfred parked the car and the two got out.

Bruce only said, "Why don't you unpack, I have work to do."

Dick squinted his eyes, but didn't say anything. Fine, no 'hello'. Still, Bruce was probably just tired. Maybe he was making this out to be worse than it should be. It's all your attitude, right? Wait, what? Oh yeah, sure, let's go with that because otherwise this would be unbearable. With Alfred's help, Dick brought his bags upstairs to his room. Everything was the same, though he could Alfred had recently dusted.

Quickly putting his bags away and grabbing his laptop, Dick walked down to Bruce's study where the old grandfather clock stood. Large pictures adorned the walls, most of them just expensive paintings. A rare vase here or sculpture there. It was all the same. The white marble and columns stood to his right and left as he neared the study. He grasped the crystal doorknob and twisted it to reveal the study, books rising nearly four times his height and computer to the side of the polished oak desk. But he passed that for the grandfather clock. This is the only moment where he stopped, and hesitated for a moment.

Did he really want to do this? No, that wasn't the question. Did he really have to do this? The answer was most certainly 'yes'. That meant that there was no way around it. No way out of working with the man who he had stormed out on three years ago. No way around the awkward silences and the critics. No way. No way. Dick sighed and thought back to the tower. The sooner he got this over with, the better. Slowly, he turned the clock's hands to 10:47 PM and the grandfather removed itself to reveal the staircase below.

-T-

The sun had risen just moments ago. Starfire was standing on the roof, her arms folded as she looked up at the horizon. It was lonely now. It hadn't been before, even when he was just in his room. She looked over at the planes taking off. They began to soar away. One after another, each second getting faster. It made her blood boil. She didn't know which plane was Robin's, but that didn't matter since she could only assume that it had already taken off.

They just kept getting faster and faster and kept flying out of sight.

Starfire clenched her fists. Instantly she jetted off to the airplanes. One was taking off. She was beating it. It started to catch up. She sped up, feeling the wind whip her hair. She saw people watching her out of the corner of her eye. She knew she wasn't supposed to do this. But she could let her anger out. Zooming upward, Starfire kept on going. They were heading across the bay, away from Gotham. She shot starbolts downwards at the water, making blasts of sea water shoot up. She turned over so that her back faced the water and she could see the tower. The Tower.

He said he'd be okay. She knew her anger only came from that... loneliness as Raven would say. And... If he promised that he'd be okay, the least she could do was make sure that she was also okay. Starfire stopped and watched the plane fly off. The others were probably waking up. The wind and salty air hit her face. Her lighted fists and emerald eyes slowly lost their glow. She'd be okay. But already, she really missed him.

-T-

Rudy wiped his brow for the fifth time in the last ten minutes. The place was a wreck. The glass cups and plates were shattered all over the floor. The disco balls and technicolor lights had either been smashed or twisted into useless scrap. And the chairs and tables, they were nothing but splinters, unrecognizable to anyone except Rudy.

The Titans. Of all things. How could they have found out about this place? There had to be a snitch. Had to be. And he could bet his previously ridiculously high salary that everyone would be looking for that little traitor. Red X maybe? Or maybe that pink haired twit, what was her name? Or could of been Kitten. That rotten little... But how would he find whoever told while he was sitting in a cell? The police had arrived last night, after everyone left. The Titans had sent them and now he was confined inside. No invasion of privacy, just house arrest. Or rather, work arrest.

That's not what he was worried about, though. He was dreading the call that would come any minute. What would he say? What would he think? Worse yet, what would he do to him? The phone rang, scaring Rudy enough to wet himself. His hand shook and he could feel his own skin dampen his already sweaty clothes. This was so bad. What if he just left it ring, didn't answer it? No, that would be worse. Far worse. Somehow, Rudy found the courage to stand up and bring himself over to the phone.

"He, hel, hello?" Rudy dared.

"Rudy, I heard about last night," The voice, smooth, blood chilling said.

"I, uh, well, it's a funny story about that, Mr..." Rudy began.

"The Titans came for a party, is that right?"

"Well, uh, yeah, but that, it wasn't my fault, I swear, sir," Rudy quickly spilled out.

"I don't blame you in the slightest, Rudy," Slade said, leaning back in his seat, watching the portable TV screen.

"You, you don't?" Rudy was shaking so hard it was nearly impossible to stand, but Slade had eased up on the poor man a bit so that he could at least find a chair to sit down on.

"No, Rudy, actually, I should be... thanking you," Slade told him watching the scene of the fight last night, but then he switched to a different image.

"Thank...thanking me?" Rudy asked.

Slade's eye watched the screen as a black haired boy boarded a flight in the Jump City airport. The scene changed again, this time, showing a reunion. The boy walked through Gotham's airport only to find his old butler standing there waiting for him. His eyes followed their path of travel while a small, entertained smile came to his lips as they widened on his face.

The boy was here.

"Yes, I should thank you, Rudy," Slade said, after a moment's thoughts.

"For, for what?" Rudy asked.

The boy and the butler walked down the hallways. The boy was pretending to be casual, but his posture revealed otherwise to Slade. There was a slight slouch in that confident carefree posture and the boy's face, while light hearted, was a bit tight, as though he was anticipating something soon. This intrigued Slade. While he had yet to install cameras in the Wayne Manor, there was no doubt in his mind that he would find out eventually why that was.

Finally, Slade answered slowly, but with a sharp tone, "That's none of your concern."

"Well," Rudy got a little more confident, "What about Zenith's Fire? What do you want to do about that?"

"I'll find another spot to open up something similar, Rudy," Slade told him casually, "It's a small asset in the long run."

"What about the cops? I can't go to jail. I've got a wife, huh? I've got a wife!" Rudy begged.

"I'll get you a good lawyer, Rudy, trust me, I know many. You won't be going to jail," Slade calmed the bartender, "But do me a favor though...

"Anything, sir, anything," Rudy grovelled.

"Spread the word."

Rudy sweat hard, "Uh, what word?"

Slade stroked his goatee for a moment before answering, "The snitch is no longer welcome to our parties."

Rudy gulped loudly causing Slade to roll his eyes at the sound. "I have to go. I have work that requires my attention."

"Alright, well, thank you again, Mr. Wilson, thank you..." Rudy heard the receiver go blank and stopped talking.

The man was a weakling. Pathetic, really. No matter. Zenith's fire was nothing. Merely an easy way to hear that he could replace in a few days or two about what was going on in Jump's Underworld. Although, compared to Gotham, it seemed more like a knitting circle. The people in Gotham, the criminals, they had firepower. They only thing they had that Slade didn't like was that they had a... certain taste for theatrics. Luckily this one wasn't... too far fetched.

They called him Mr. Freeze. He was a sob story, that was for sure. Lost his girl and became a cold-hearted money-obsessed freak. Ha. Weren't they all? Freeze was perfect for the job. There was nothing unusual about him trying to rob a bank, especially considering all the times he had done that before.

Still, why not be a bit theatrical? It could always be a bit fun. Make it big, front-page worthy, make them have to chip out the bank for months after... That's what he needed tonight. Keep the two vigilantes busy. Keep them worried about a big time heist-then the rest of Gotham. Keep the Boy Wonder away. It was too soon. Yes, too soon.

The brilliant boy. Smart boy. Endless potential. Robin was really something. Everyone else takes pictures of the Man of Steel, the Dark Knight, and the Princess of the Amazons. They're blind. Yes, Robin was his 'arch-enemy', but really, what kid could accomplish so much in such a short space of time? The boy was going to be better than his teacher. Of that, Slade was certain and somehow, he could only bet that Batman thought the same...

Slade looked over at the clock. It was time to go. The evening hours approached rapidly and that meant time was ticking away. Shaking his head free of thoughts and getting out of the car, Slade walked over to the store. It was an old store. Not that much security, not that it mattered. He wasn't risking throwing away all of his time for something that he could easily buy.

The sign above read in old brown and ruby-red letters 'Cultural Antiques since 1939'. Well, this was the address, that was for sure. He had no time now (apparently neither did the owner, since it was closed) and he had... other matters of business that he had to attend to. Striding over to the car, Slade reached in and grabbed a suitcase. He nodded at Wintergreen and began to walk off.

Wintergreen leaned back. He had seen the man do this many times. Too many. But alas, it was not up to him as to what his friend did. And even more regrettable, he always worried that one day Slade would... lose, again. And maybe this time, lose too much. Wintergreen didn't think that Slade would ever just lose. He knew that with... whatever Slade was doing now, he had a plan and knew what he was doing. But then again, Slade had known what he was doing when he had first done something that involved the Boy Wonder. And the boy had beaten him, which Wintergreen had not expected.

The new game has already started and all bets are on. It's his turn. The defeat before showed the promise that Robin had. The... Potential, as Slade would say. But the defeat, if anything, made Slade even more determined to do... something. To win, to accomplish whatever it was that he has set out to do. It's his turn to place his bet. He has to pass. There's no way to no what sort of outcome could come from these upcoming events.

-T-

The rain went from a pounding drum to a tittering cymbal. It was still cold, but the rain was letting up. Finally. It was at least three in the morning anyhow. Scanning the streets below, Robin jumped from building to building watching, looking, waiting. Somehow, that happened when he was in Gotham. He could look and watch for danger in Jump. But he could feel it in Gotham. There was something, like the earth had opened up and Gotham had come out of it. It was almost a pattern, crystal buildings in the center and then the cool lava had hardened around the center. But with this scene came the little devils that crawled around, lurking in the shadows.

Keeping this in mind, it did not surprise him when he saw a flash of quick movement entering a jewelry store. Going closer, Robin squinted his eyes and listened. A window was opening on the right side. He ran. The endorphins were released almost instantly, flooding his blood stream and enhancing the chase. He saw a dart of purple there, something black. He kept running. His breath was quick, silent, controlled. Soon, he leaped ahead of the criminal, who had taken their chase to the roof tops.

They came around the corner and with a smack, Robin's bo-staff found it's target and his net tangled up the robber. Robin went into the light partially and then he saw who the burglar was. Catwoman?! Great. She struggled at the net and pulled hard, her annoyance at him apparent. Finally, she looked up to see who her captor was.

"You?!" she asked.

"What?" he raised his brows in response.

"What on earth are you doing here?" She continued, obviously annoyed and repulsed.

"Well, I hit you in the gut and tangled you up in a net and you just robbed a jewelry store. What do you think I'm doing here?" Robin asked back.

"No, kid, I meant what are you doing in Gotham?" she asked, her eyes flashing.

"Don't worry, I'll be gone before you know it," Robin told her and added under his breath. "Hopefully, anyway."

Catwoman's eyes darted around. He couldn't quiet tell if she was more angry at the fact that she was caught or the fact that he was actually here. If anything, she was probably hoping that Batman would have been the one to show up, not his partner. Then again, she probably didn't think of him as a partner. Not even a sidekick. That surprised? To refresh one's memory... oh, what were some of her nicknames for him when he had been younger? Oh yes, Birdy-boy, brat, bird-brain, runt, etc. Robin couldn't blame her, though. They'd never really gotten along.

"So what are you going to do? Turn me in?" Catwoman asked.

"Too busy, I'll have someone come pick you up," Robin told her as he began to punch in the address on a locator.

Catwoman's eyes narrowed and her nose wrinkled up. This kid didn't have time for her? What has the world come to? No, she didn't like the kid, but this was different. The kid how... wow, the kid had guns! How can the kid even have biceps? He was a kid. What had he been doing in the west? He wasn't shooting out puns, either. He was being a smart aleck. While in reality this wasn't very new at all, it was a newsflash for her. What else had changed?

"And what's making the Boy Wonder so busy, then?" Catwoman asked.

Robin answered, "None of your business."

Catwoman relaxed, sitting on her knees. He had to hand it to her-she knew how to act the damsel in distress when she wasn't. When he was younger, he never could quite get why Batman would get stiff around her. Women could be so... they just knew. They knew how to make themselves look attractive and make men fidget. In that sense, he was extremely glad that he was too young for her and could still hate her. Concentrating on calling Gordon, he still was annoyed when she interrupted him.

Catwoman pouted almost playfully and added, "Must be important for you to come all the way out here."

"Can you shut up?" Robin asked, turning toward her, his bo-staff at hand.

"Why you little..." she started.

"Enough!"

They both turned their heads to see the demon-like man. Robin held his staff where it was and suddenly straightened his posture while Catwoman merely smiled and loosened up her body a bit. It should be a crime that a girl could see all of those muscles under that suit.

"Robin, what's going on?" He asked, approaching Catwoman.

"She just robbed a jewelry store," Robin told him.

"Which one?"

"The one on 52nd Street," Robin answered.

Batman bent down and snapped the robes with a batarang, increasing the size of Catwoman's smile and putting an outraged look on Robin's face.

"What, Batman, what are you..."

"She was returning a pair of earrings," Batman answered.

"Returning in the middle of the night when the store is closed and no one's around?" Robin questioned.

Batman turned his head to look at him and Robin understood what was going on. He shook his head in disbelief.

"You can't be serious!" He yelled.

Catwoman stood up and brushed the dirt off her suit as Robin continued, "She robbed the store and just because she returned it, you're going to let her get away with it?"

Batman finally faced Robin, "It's complicated, Robin. We'll discuss this later."

Robin's disbelief was obvious and yet Catwoman's pleasure was even more apparent. She hoped over to a chimney and looked down at the two of them, "He's gotten taller."

Batman said nothing and waited. She wanted to know something and he wasn't up for small talk, "So, what's going on that you need to have the Boy Wonder tag along?"

"The homicides," Batman told her simply.

"The one that killed Austin?" Catwoman asked, her voice suddenly heavier with a serious concern in her tone.

"In your neighborhood, yes," Batman answered.

She raised her eyebrows. Since Austin, she had been out more often than usual. While she was by no means a hero, she didn't like it when someone else messed with her territory. And while there was a side to her that loved just being out and playing cat and mouse, there was another part of her that begged for reason, for order. She blamed it on society. So when Austin was randomly murdered, it put her on edge.

Jumping down, Catwoman walked up, "You know, calling the runt out here is a little unnecessary, don't you think?"

"Robin's here by his own choice," Batman informed her.

"Really?" Catwoman asked, obviously surprised. She never bothered to hide reactions from the two of them.

She looked over at Robin who was ignoring her, "Thought you could handle Gotham again?"

Robin's teeth clenched, but there was no other sign of his annoyance, "That's real funny, you know?"

He didn't look at her, no respect whatsoever was given. The punk. Catwoman turned back to Batman who was watching both of them, not amused.

"Look handsome, I haven't heard anything, except for Gotham's underworld doesn't like intruders," She told Batman who glanced at her only briefly.

"Are you implying that you might keep an eye out for this person?" Batman asked, but he already knew the answer.

Catwoman smiled, this time, her voice, still deeper, had a rich lush tone to it. She was flirting, "Maybe... And maybe once the kid's gone I can go rob a jewelry store."

"Do you really think you'll have time for that?" Robin asked and Catwoman's eyes darted at him, "I mean, considering the fact that you'll have to spend all day at the beauty parlor for that party that you're probably invited to, right Selina? Maybe you should get started now. It must take hours..."

At the use of her real name, Catwoman stood up at the insult. She saw Batman glaring at Robin for the smart alecky remark, but something told her that it was time for her to go even if Batman was about to lecture the kid.

"Fine, Bird-boy," she said, standing on the roof's ledge, "It was nice to see you too."

With that she fell off and into the dark alleys below. Robin didn't even turn to face Batman and instead began to walk off. But he didn't get far before he was stopped.

"Where do you think you're going?"

Robin hunched his shoulders for a moment, bracing himself, "What? Come on, I'm so sick of her. She's constantly a problem and you let her be!"

Batman's face didn't flinch nor show expression, so Robin continued, "And you know, I'm not here to be your sidekick! I came out here so I could stop the robberies occurring in Jump."

Robin let out a breath and waited. Batman didn't say anything. Nothing, there was nothing. He just cast his eyes down. Down on Robin. And Robin couldn't stand it. It was that silent disappointment. That eerie feeling that he'd get whenever he knew that he had disappointed Bruce somehow. That feeling when he knew that Bruce expected more of him-him, the teen, not the kid. The one who's supposed to be maturing. The one who shouldn't be insulting women by calling them ugly. The gut feeling, the one he had worried about came and he bent his head down at the ground, a scowl on his face, but the silent apology visible, despite still being a bit bitter.

Light hit his face. Batman turned towards the source to see the Bat-signal illuminate the night sky. In an instant, the dark knight had leaped off the building leaving his squire standing there. Robin looked over in the direction of the GCPD station. He sighed. Well, at least they could put this conversation off till later. No, he wasn't hoping that Batman would forget. That would never happen. Robin ran and fell off the building, diving down. The free fall was weightless, wonderful, if for only a couple seconds.

Closing his eyes for a moment, for one moment as he fell past everything, Robin wished that he really could fly.