"If there is a wasp in the room I like to be able to see it."
-The Voyage of the Dawn Treader (C.S. Lewis)

PART 1 – Bite of the Dragon

"Six months ago, famed philanthropist William Bernard was arrested at his residence after a jaguar being kept as a pet on the premises escaped and set off the alarm. The animal's escape ended only after a house fire was started and three men were dead. Even more astonishing, it was reported that a masked vigilante was kept in the basement, though reports are scattered and divided on the issue.

Mr. Bernard was initially declared insane, but his nephew, Corin Wilson, had attempted to overthrow the ruling. Mr. Bernard was transferred to Gotham's Arkham Asylum for the criminally insane, and so it is here, rather than the Texas county he was arrested in, that Bernard's case will come to trial."

Dick Grayson snapped the TV off, bristling. He tossed the remote onto the coffee table and began to pace like a caged animal. Bruce Wayne looked over his newspaper.

"What are you so upset about?" Bruce asked mildly.

"That's not right," Dick said, "None of it is," he paused and looked at Bruce, "William Bernard was an only child. You told me that yourself. Don't you think it's strange that an only child has a nephew?"

Dick winced slightly and sat down. The vigilante Bernard had caught was Robin, and his captivity had not been kind. In the end, Bernard's black jaguar, Supay, had nearly torn him (and Bernard) to pieces.

"Leg still hurt?" Bruce inquired.

Dick flashed him a glare, apparently angry that he'd noticed. It hadn't been easy vanishing Dick Grayson from sight long enough for the leg to heal. The jaguar's claws had dug deep, going right to the bone, cutting everything on the way. It wasn't something you recovered from overnight.

Dick had taken up the mantel of Robin again, and his favoring of the injured leg was so slight that only Bruce himself or possibly Alfred would even notice. But that didn't mean it didn't hurt. It only meant Dick didn't want anyone to comment on it.

"Look," Bruce sighed, folding the paper, "It doesn't really matter who Wilson is. He doesn't have a leg to stand on," Dick glared at him again, "Well he doesn't. In addition to all of the eye witnesses, much of what happened in that house was caught on camera."

"I bet Bernie never thought those security cameras would be pinning him to the wall," Dick commented, but was clearly not soothed by Bruce's reasonable tone.

Bruce was still unclear what, if anything, Bernard had actually done to Robin. But Dick hadn't been the same since. He brooded more, and he hadn't been at all pleased to hear that Bernard was being declared insane. While he agreed that the man's mind was unsound, it was his opinion that Bernard was no more crazy than any other criminal. He had known what he was doing. Whatever that was.

Bruce wasn't clear on that either. Dick didn't talk about it much.

Dick was up and pacing again, hands behind his back. Bruce knew it was infuriating to have been somewhere, but be unable to tell what you'd seen. But it wasn't Dick Grayson who'd been kidnapped. It was Robin. And, legally speaking, Robin didn't exist. And neither did Batman.

"You weren't the only one there," Bruce pointed out, "There were eight girls, the chef and his assistant, a groundskeeper and all those security men, most of whom have turned against Bernard."

"I still don't like it," Dick said, "Something is up. You didn't see the look in his eyes when it was all over. It was like none of it had surprised him, like he'd planned it all along."

"A wasp flew out of the grass and stung his jaguar, saving his life. It doesn't get more surprising than that," Bruce told him, "You couldn't plan for that."

"The wasp stung him too," Dick recalled, a shudder running through him.

That was another thing. Robin was fearless and bold as ever, except when it came to one thing. He didn't complain or hesitate, but it was clear to Batman that Robin didn't like park areas in the early morning. And he especially didn't like the sound of grasshoppers at any time of day. There didn't seem to be any reason behind it.

Bruce knew about tarantula hawks, of course. But he'd never seen one up close and personal, and he'd certainly never been stung by one. Tarantula hawks were southern, common to states such as Arizona, New Mexico and Texas. They could also be found in Australia, Africa and all those other places where big hairy spiders were common. Basically, if tarantulas were there, so were the wasps.

The wasps normally fed on nectar, and were passive. But the females had an unbelievably painful sting, which was typically used to paralyze a tarantula, an animal that was easily three times the size of the wasp. She would then lay a single egg on the paralyzed spider. When it hatched, the larva would feed on the spider, avoiding vital organs until the last, ensuring that the spider lived throughout.

They were horrific on paper, but Bruce had his doubts about how bad they could actually be. After all, their sting was noted as being painful, but not deadly. Pain had little meaning for him.

"I'm sure he didn't plan to be stung either," Bruce said.

"I'm not talking about the wasp!" Dick exclaimed, then lowered his voice, "I'm saying the man had a plan for everything. He thinks he has the whole world wired, and I didn't see any change of that opinion when he was caught."

"As I recall, you were in the process of passing out from blood loss," Bruce reminded him.

"I know what I saw, Bruce," Dick said flatly, "There's something we're not seeing. Something about this whole thing is very wrong. It's-" he broke off suddenly, looking out the window.

Bruce followed his gaze. Outside, the bat signal shone bright, a sharp contrast of light against the dark evening sky. Bruce set his paper aside and stood up.

"It's time to go to work," he said.

"Oh good, you're both here," Commissioner Gordon said.

Batman and Robin looked at one another. Batman was actually on the rooftop, but Robin was hanging back, perching on the guard rail. Gordon stood near the bat signal, his shoulders hunched against the evening wind. The air was warm, it was late summer, but the wind on the rooftops was still cold.

"I assume you remember William Bernard?" Gordon inquired, but went on before they could answer, "Well, I'm sure you know that his case has been reviewed and is going to court. I'm afraid I don't understand why myself. But I do know that the prosecuting attorney is worried."

"Why?" Batman asked, sounding surprised.

"Of the witnesses, we have only managed to locate two. Melina Guevara and Rebecca May. We can't find any of the others, they all disappeared shortly after Bernard's arrest. Probably went into hiding."

"What about the video evidence?" Batman wanted to know.

"There is some question about whether it's been tampered with. My opinion is that part of it has been edited out, rather that altered, but it isn't admissible in court in any case," Gordon shrugged, "Miss Guevara is viewed as a frightened teenage girl. Her testimony won't count for much, I'm afraid."

"And May?"

"Shaky at best. She admitted herself to a psychiatric hospital almost six months ago, and only recently checked herself out."

"But none of that changes the facts," Batman said, "Which are very much in evidence."

"You'd think that," Gordon said, "But this is William Bernard."

"So?"

"William Bernard is well known for being an excellent businessman. But, more importantly, he's known for being a philanthropist. For giving his wealth to worthy charities, for building hospitals and digging wells. He's a great humanitarian from that perspective, and that's what people know him as. That's what he's been for over forty years. Frankly, I was reluctant to believe it myself when I first heard. Kidnapping, rape, murder... none of those things seem believable. They sound like someone trying to ruin the name of a good man."

"But it's all true. The evidence supports that," Batman said.

"That's enough to convince me. And it's easy to see why you're convinced," Gordon looked over at Robin, who had been oddly silent and distant, "But we have to convince a jury. A jury who probably reads the news, and has come to love William Bernard."

"Bernard gives businessmen and animals a bad name," Batman said.

"He is wealthy, he was environmentally and politically active for most of his life. People have heard the stories. They adore him. He's inspired an entire generation of people to go into business, and to become active in their communities. Nobody wants to hear a bad word about him."

"You're afraid the case will be dropped?" Batman asked.

"I'm afraid that monster will go free, and start it all over again. You tell me, who is the jury going to believe: a wonderful humanitarian or a hysterical teenage girl who they think wants his money?"

"Miss Guevara, as I understand it, is well taken care of," Batman commented dryly.

"Yes, Bruce Wayne showed his usual generosity towards troubled kids," Gordon agreed, "But the jury will think Melina Guevara is greedy, and wants more than what she's got. After all, why else would she be trying to tarnish such a spotless reputation as Bernard's?"

"What about this Wilson?" Batman asked.

"I don't know," Gordon sighed, handing Batman a file, "It was always my understanding that William Bernard was an only child. But it seems his father had a child with another woman before he married, Bernard's half-brother, who is deceased. Died in a car accident."

Batman scanned the file quickly, then passed it to Robin, who inspected it more critically. It seemed like Robin was more interested than he was letting on.

Robin was looking at the part of the file concerning Rebecca May, whom he barely recalled. She was tall, blond, with fair skin and features that insured she would be carded well into her thirties. She was twenty-six, old by Bernard's standards, but with a deceptively young face. She looked sixteen.

"Wilson's a lawyer. He's lived in Gotham most of his life. Has more degrees than I care to count. He's thirty-two, single, lives in an apartment just a few miles south of here."

"Funny," Batman commented, "I've never heard of him."

"I haven't either," Gordon admitted, "But his records check out. He's working Bernard's defense himself. Since they're related, he's picked Bernard a good attorney that works out of the same office."

"Real unbiased," Robin grunted sarcastically, still buried in the file.

Batman didn't acknowledge the comment, so Gordon decided not to reply.

"What is it you want from us, Jim?"

"Not you," Gordon said, then nodded towards Robin, "Him."

Batman looked over at Robin, who was now peering sharply over the top of the file.

"Me?"

"The prosecuting attorney wants you to come in and be a witness. He called me, because he knows I can get hold of Batman sometimes," Gordon said.

"I can't be a witness," Robin said, standing suddenly, apparently oblivious to the precarious nature of the guard rail he was balancing on, "I can't enter a court room."

Batman was silent. Robin looked at him.

"Tell him," Robin urged, "Tell him why I can't."

Batman said nothing to him, instead turning to Gordon.

"What about legal procedure? You can't prove he even exists," Batman said.

"Aaron Mitchel, the attorney, says he's got that covered."

"But how would it help?" Batman asked, "What good is the word of a masked vigilante whose name, origin and motivations are unknown?"

"To the judge, not much," Gordon replied, "But Aaron says that's not the important thing. Robin is a familiar face on the news, just like Bernard. While it's true you're better known," Gordon nodded to Batman, "your protege has his share of fans."

"And people who want me dead," Robin spat, shaking his head.

Gordon stared at him, not sure what that meant. Batman elaborated.

"He's right," Batman said, "going into an enclosed space at a prearranged time. We have enemies, Commissioner. They'd jump at the chance to take one of us out."

"You'd be feeding me to the wolves," Robin said.

"The courtroom will be full of policemen," Gordon pointed out, "No one would be able to get in without being checked out by my people."

"Since when has a roomful of policemen ever been a deterrent to people like Joker?" Batman asked.

"The Joker is in Arkham," Gordon said.

"And how long do you think he'll stay there after he hears that they're serving Boy Wonder at the local courthouse?" Robin asked, his tone a bit harsher than intended.

"Do you think I would come to you with this without a good reason?" Gordon asked, exasperated, "This whole trial is about politics. It's all games. Who's wearing the best tie and who talks the loudest."

"We gave you enough evidence to bury him," Robin growled, "and now you're telling us you can't do that."

"Easy, Robin," Batman warned.

"I told you," Robin hissed fiercely, "I told you this was all wrong. I told you."

"Settle down," Batman spoke in a low voice, but there was a level of authority to it that made Robin shut up and sit down on the guard rail.

Batman turned back to Gordon.

"I'm sorry, Jim. I don't see what we can do," Batman said.

"Then William Bernard is going to walk."

"Gordon should call shenanigans," Robin fumed, sitting in the passenger seat of the batmobile while Batman drove, "this whole thing stinks."

"Is that your professional opinion?" Batman asked, glancing at Robin.

"You know it does," Robin said, his arms crossed, "Missing witnesses, tampered evidence, Corin Wilson the lawyer, that prosecuting attorney... what's his name?... Aaron, something or the other. The whole bit. It doesn't make sense."

"I agree with you," Batman said levelly, "But don't you think you're overreacting to this?"

"You didn't hear any of his speeches. Bernard's a Grade-A Nutbar. Worse, he's a charming nutbar. People actually listen to him, and believe the things he says."

"You didn't," Batman pointed out.

"I'm not a frightened kid on the street with no safe harbor or sense of self-worth," Robin retorted, "It's not me I'm worried about. It's people like Melina. She thought how he treated her was okay. She would have taken a bullet for him when I met her."

"That isn't what's upsetting you," Batman said, "What's really bothering you?"

Robin was silent for a long moment. Then he drew in a deep breath.

"You might as well know, that whole experience wasn't exactly a cakewalk," Robin said, "It's not the kind of thing you forget. I was in that guy's basement for days."

"You've been held hostage longer than that before," Batman said, using a softer voice than usual.

He knew it was a sore spot with Robin that he was often used as a hostage. People captured Batman to torture, unmask and kill him. They caught Robin to get to Batman. Batman was well aware that his partner didn't appreciate being used, and was infuriated that nobody took him seriously.

"That's not where it started. It started with the plane crash."

"You've been in a crash before."

"I fought hard to keep Carver alive," Robin spat suddenly, his eyes flashing, "It wasn't easy keeping that guy alive. And then Bernard came. And shot him. In the head. Killed him in cold blood."

"Like that hasn't happened before," Batman said, though in truth, he wasn't sure if it had.

Certainly Robin had seen dead bodies before, and seen people killed. But Batman couldn't recall if he'd actually seen someone gunned down in cold blood. But it wasn't something he couldn't handle. He'd seen his parents fall to their deaths. Yes, that had scarred him, but nothing else could compare. Batman knew that. Nothing was more terrible than the reality that they both woke up to every day of their lives.

"I've never seen that look in someone's eyes before," Robin said, "It's the stuff nightmares are made of. And if you say that's nothing I haven't seen before, I will hit you. You didn't see it. The Joker would have been grinning, giggling his fool head off, enjoying every second of it. Bernard... nothing. No anger, no pleasure. He didn't care at all whether Carver lived or died. He killed Carver just because he could."

"What's your point?" Batman asked.

"If you'd seen the look in his eyes, you'd know."

A/N: This is a sequel to 'Black Wasp'. While it's possible you could follow it without having read the first one, I advise against it. This story suffers from an amount of sequelitis and author indifference.

As usual, I'm going to say this story is probably AU, though not especially intentionally so. As always, this story is completely written. As per usual, I will upload one chapter per day (Barring anything out of the ordinary. I will attempt to give readers a head's up via A/N). This was written for my entertainment, and is being published for yours. If you find yourself not enjoying it, then you should feel perfectly free to stop reading. Heap praise or criticism upon it, whichever may suit you best. Or say nothing about it at all, if you would prefer. Do feel free to point out typos, I check my stories before publishing, but I admit my imperfection and would welcome the opportunity to correct any mistakes I may have made.