Chapter 1: Little Birds
Dick watched as the lovely brunette finished strapping on her expensive heels.
"Are you sure I can't make you breakfast or something, Michelle?" Dick asked.
"Yes, handsome, I'm fine. Burned toast and scrambled eggs at four in the morning just doesn't sound that appealing to me at the moment." the woman replied with an amused smile. "All I want right now is to make it home in time to get ready for my flight in a few hours." The woman stood up and planted a sweet kiss on his lips. "Thank you for a very pleasurable night," she said, punctuating the last word with another kiss. "Next time I get roped into another ritzy ball, I'll know who to look for to come rescue me from all those stuffy old donors."
Dick, clad in a white t-shirt and some old sweats, crossed his arms as he leaned on the kitchen counter in his apartment. "Those stuffy old donors like to be able to put a face on the person that is handling their money, Ms Titan." He smiled. "Recognition is the first step towards trust. It's hard to understand why a humanitarian organization would need to build a skyscraper on the coast of Rhode Island."
The woman looked over her shoulder at Dick. "It's not just the Titan Foundation building it. You know that Wayne Enterprises and half a dozen other groups are helping a lot, too. Even if they don't know exactly what it's going to be used for."
A bright light broke through the relative darkness of his apartment. Tim was calling again. Dick ignored the glow and insistent buzzing from his phone on the counter. It had been almost nine weeks since it happened, but he still wasn't ready to face the Team altogether. Not yet.
"My cab is here. Mind walking me down?" asked Michelle, pulling Dick from his thoughts.
"Of course. Right this way," Dick replied as he offered the woman his arm. He led her downstairs to the street below for the waiting taxi.
Once the cab had driven away, Dick plodded back up the stairs to his apartment. He fumbled with his key, hoping to get a few hours of sleep before he had to begin his day. He turned the knob and locked the door behind him. An unexpected draft raised the hairs on the back of his neck.
"How long exactly have you been seeing her?" questioned a teenage boy in a red and black suit. He leaned against the side of the open window while sitting on the sill. One leg dangled lazily towards the floor while the other was braced against the opposite side of the window. The newest Robin wore an amused smirk.
"Am I going to have to start checking the rooftops for peeping birds every time I bring a girl here, Tim?" Dick countered with a hint of annoyance in his tone.
"So not long enough to answer the question, then," Robin remarked, ignoring Dick's response.
His adopted younger brother was sometimes just too clever. Dick smirked. "Rumor has it that I'm not the only one in this room enjoying the company of a beautiful woman overnight," teased Dick. He flashed a half smile. "You should know that you won't be able to keep something like that hidden from Bruce for long. Or from Wonder Woman for that matter."
Robin's ears and cheeks had clearly gone a little pink. "I'll have to remind Barbara that gossiping isn't very nice," he grumbled. "Besides, Cassie and I haven't actually done much of anything, yet. We just-"
"No need to explain anything to me, Tim," Dick interrupted, waving his hand in dismissal. "Save up those excuses for the people that are actually going to have a problem with your bird getting firsthand experience with some Amazonian bees."
The pink in Robin's ears flared to an even more noticeable hue. He remained silent.
"Now, if we're done ribbing each other about our sex lives," Dick voiced, "would you mind telling me why you're here?"
"Barbara is worried about you, Dick. We're all worried about you," Robin said. "You've been reclusive ever since June. Since Wally…" Robin paused searching for a way to phrase his thoughts without hurting Dick. "Look, it's not healthy for you to cut yourself off from your friends. Half the time you're not even answering the messages on your phone."
"Tim…" Dick started. His brother was right. What little he had communicated with his friends consisted of idle chitchat. Nothing about how his elaborate scheme against the Light and the Reach invasion had ultimately cost his best friend his life.
"I understand why you're upset, but you can't keep blaming yourself for what happened to Wally," Robin continued. "No one could have predicted how the Reach reacted to being exposed. That they would try to destroy the Earth just to hide their crimes. Not even you. Wally knew the risks going in. It's part of the job."
Dick crossed his arms, not willing to stop punishing himself. The pause in conversation lingered between the two brothers.
"It doesn't have to be all at once," Robin said. "Adam Strange notified the League yesterday morning that the zeta-shield has been down for weeks. Something in the Reach's magnetic field disruptors interfered with the shield emitter satellites and their self-diagnostics. They fed us false positives that the shield was still running. We only found out because several small groups of aliens decided that Vandal Savage's threat on Rimbor needed to be tested."
"You mean after all of our work, groups like the Kroleteans can still sneak onto Earth and cause trouble?" said Dick.
"Yeah, pretty much. The biggest irony is that Lex Luthor, as his first major action as the new UN Secretary-General, personally asked the League to help with dealing with the threat. He's getting rid of criminal competition while at the same time, keeping the League too busy to investigate his own schemes."
"That sounds like a move that Luthor would enjoy making. It fits his style," Dick hissed. "So what do you need me for?" he asked.
"The Team is focused on getting the zeta-shield back online as soon as possible. Strange needs to talk to the Reach scientist. Batman wants to send a few extra ears along with him, just in case. He asked me to see if you would go," said Robin.
Dick turned his head and frowned. Batman didn't necessarily need extra eyes and ears. Dick recognized the invitation being extended to him. He wasn't ready to rejoin the Team, and if he said yes now, it would only be harder to stop in the future. Still, they needed some way prevent more invasions. He owed that to Wally at least. He made his decision. "Hold on. Let me get suited up," he replied.
He walked back to his bedroom to don his black costume and mask. Within fifteen minutes, a pair of shadows were racing along the rooftops of Blüdhaven to the nearest zeta platform.