Legends of the Young Knights
Issue #1: Light and Dark, pt 1: Another Night on the Job.
September 13th, 4:46 AM, file # 2-02, subfolder Robin, case declared open.
Tim's tongue moved over his lips, wetting them, and he took moment to blink away the exhaustion creeping into his eyes. It was amazing just how fast a body would adjust to a particular pattern. He had quit being Robin three months ago. Three months ago he was used to staying up and active until five o'clock in the morning, catching a two hour nap, going through a "normal" day, getting another quick nap then going back on patrol. He would stock up a reserve of energy from the few nights he didn't go out and instead made sure to get a lot of sleep to last him out. Three months ago he started going to bed at the same time, and slept a full night. Only three months ago he adapted to the life of a regular teenager. Now two weeks back on the job, and he was having trouble keeping his eyes focused after 3:30. He had planned on turning in at about three, training his body as gradually as possible for the shift back. But then this happened and as much as he didn't want to, Tim had to deal with it. He gave his head a quick shake to clear the cobwebs and continued to narrate to the minute digital recorder he held in his hand.
Case appears to be a double homicide, both victims sound in the same location and seemingly killed by similar means. Both victims are adolescent males roughly fifteen years of age. Victim #1 is the taller of the two and has a pale complexion with freckles. His eyes are green and his hair is red, cut in the shaggy style that has become popular with young culture. The victim shows various signs of struggle, At the moment I can see that he has a left black eye and his right cheek his swollen, blood on his lips shows he either lost a tooth in the struggle, bit his tongue or somehow began to internally bleed. His neck has various horizontal bruises that are common to strangulation with a wire or cord. Further analysis will have to wait for a more opportune time.
Tim was standing a few feet back from the two bodies, One of Gotham's finest knelt over the other side of the bodies, examining and documenting and for all intents and purposes ignoring Robin. Tim could hear the footfalls of the officer a few meters behind him who was taping off the scene who also seemed to be pretending Robin didn't exist. Tim took a moment to glance over his shoulder towards the police cruisers where Detective Montoya was interviewing the man who had found the bodies first.
Personal note, With Akins' new "no cape" policy it's a wonder I'm allowed near this body at all, but luckily some friendships and loyalties run thicker than just a chain of command, got to remember to thank Montoya for this.
Tim turned his attention back to the crime scene, going over every detail as thoroughly and as quickly as possible.
Victim #2 is slightly smaller than victim #1, his complexion is darker and he appears to have some Indian descent in him, possibly Muslim or Arabic. His hair is black and cut short, eyes are brown. This victim has similar wounds on his neck, but unlike our first victim he shows no other sign of struggle, leading me to believe that the two did not do this to each other.
Robin let his senses move out further around him, concentrating on the scene around him instead of just the bodies. The feel of the sand crunching under his boots, the smell of the fast food restaurant down the road and the sound of the swing set creaking in the wind, just a few feet away.
The order of events deduced so far, at an unknown time, which from the lack of decomposition in the victims can be assumed to be earlier today, for unknown reasons and in unknown circumstances these two boys were killed. At 4:00 AM this morning one Jeffrey Chalmers, a custodian on staff at the Bob Kane Elementary school arrived at work to unlock the building and clean up the grounds before school started for the day. Side note: Mr. Chalmers is currently being interviewed by Detective Montoya. Continuing, Mr. Chalmers went to check the school playground for any litter and found both victims dead. He immediately called the police who responded with Detective Renee Montoya as lead investigator. Upon their arrival the police discovered a reporter; one Ricky Everett was already on scene taking pictures and notes. The police managed to escort Mr. Everett from the scene and confiscated his film, though if he's worth anything as a reporter he'll have been able to keep most if not all his findings hidden on him with extra notes and film. This was approximately five minutes ago; estimated time for the rest of the media to arrive is also five minutes, meaning I only have time for this precursory examination. I've agreed with Detective Montoya not to tamper with the scene in any way and in return I am allowed to observe the investigation and record my observation while her officers "forget" to notice me.
Finishing up Tim turned on his heel and walked over to the Batcycle he took from the cave. A quick nod to Montoya and Robin was off, turning off of the street at almost the exact moment that the first reporter's car turned on to it.
Evaluation and conjectures thus far: Both boys were obviously in their adolescents and could have been attending the Elementary school; I'll have to ask Detective Montoya if Mr. Chalmers mentioned whether or not he knew them. In addition, once I know the victims identities I'll scan the school records for any connections. Because of limited time it would be a good idea to pay a visit to both the morgue and the GCPD evidence lock up to find out if I missed anything.
A quick swerve through a couple lanes of traffic and Tim was racing onto the highway, rocketing towards Wayne Manor.
We have two suspects so far, the first is Mr. Chalmers, the school Custodian and the man who found the victims. The fact that he found the bodies before anyone automatically places him as Prime Suspect but without knowing more about him I can't establish any motivation. The second is the reporter, Ricky Everett. Mr. Everett arrived on the scene far too quickly to have just stumbled on to the scene. Reasonable assumptions are that he A: is the killer and was attempting to establish an alibi for himself. This shows inconsistencies because it is unknown what, if any, relationship Mr. Everett had towards the Victims. Assumption B is that Mr. Everett has a source within the GCPD who leaked him the information. I'm unable to draw any conclusions at the moment due to the lack of hard evidence. I'll continue the investigation after I get some sleep, and food. End of entry.
With feet that felt like lead and a mind clouded with frustration and exhaustion, Tim piloted the customized motorcycle off the main road and onto a cleverly hidden winding path. This road weaved down the Cliffside and ended in a sheer drop with a solid cliff face on the other side of the chasm. Or rather, almost solid, the mountain face flickered and wafted away in holographic death as a metal drawbridge extended down to cover the gap. With practiced ease Tim flew across the bridge and into the Mountain.
He emerged from the long tunnel onto one of the many narrow runways and catwalks of the Batcave. When he had parked the bike in its stall beside the others and instructed the computer to refuel and maintain the bike, Tim took a moment to let his muscles relax. He lazily stretched his arms above his head and peeled the mask off his face, not even bothering to wipe off the excess of spirit gum that stuck on him. He shed his costume and for Alfred's sake he took the time to hang it up alongside Batman's. Finally Tim managed to cart himself up into the mansion and all the way to the guest room he was staying in. After that Tim wouldn't be able to tell you if he hit the bed or lost consciousness first.
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Later that morning sunlight splashed offensively against Tim's face. He cringed and tried to scrunch his eyes shut even tighter to block it out and when that didn't work he rolled over, taking the blankets with him in a heap.
"Come along now Master Timothy," Alfred's crisp accent and impeccable resonated in Tim's head that way that only Alfred, speaking at a normal volume beside the now open curtains, could create with his voice. "Breakfast is on the table lad, and if you aren't down in five minutes then I'll just have to feed it to the dogs."
"What dogs?" Tim huffed, dragging himself out of the warm and comfortable bed, but Alfred was already gone.
Five minutes later Tim's fork stabbed into a pile of syrup drenched pancakes as he mashed his first bite in his mouth, Bruce had already left for work, so it was just Tim and Alfred. "Will you be staying in for a while Master Timothy?"
"Nope, sorry Al," Tim jammed another mouthful in, chewed and swallowed, "Working on a case, need to visit Detective Montoya, and the morgue."
"Well," Alfred remarked as he wiped down the kitchen counter, "I am ecstatic that you are pursuing an active social life sir."
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Renee stepped out of the women's washroom at the GCPD, zipping up her fly. She let out a sigh of frustration and exhaustion as she made her way back to her desk, but when she got there she found a sealed note lying on top of her paper work. "Anyone see someone at my desk?"
"Nope," piped up the officer beside her, "Quiet here, today."
Renee shrugged and opened the note, Meet me in the east end storage closet, five minutes. – R.
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The closet door creaked open and Robin had to squint from the sudden light. Renee slipped in with a folder under her arm, she found the boy hunched over on top of a crate of cleaning supplies, "You know kid, cute as you are, I haven't snuck in to a closet with a boy since I was in high school."
He shrugged with a little smirk, "Indulge me, I haven't graduated yet."
Renee smiled a little and passed Tim the folder she'd been carrying, "I assume you're here for this?"
"Info on the two kids?" He flipped the folder open; it was the basics, school records, previous criminal records. Nothing too rare, but it was useful.
"Yeah, Kyle Smith and Max Andrews, two high school kids from Metropolis, no prior arrests, no known connections or family here." Renee sighed, "In other words, we're practically no better than when we started."
"We've got a start," Robin snapped the folder closed, "I've got a couple of connections in Metropolis. I'll check it out and get back to you."
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After his meeting with Montoya, Tim went back to the mansion, where he disappeared from Alfred's sight back to his room for a nap. The next time Alfred saw the boy was just around the time that the sun would be setting over Gotham. Tim emerged from the costume vault with a pop tart in his mouth, pulling on one of his gauntlets.
"I do hope you plan on eating something more substantial than that cardboard sir," Alfred remarked, watching Tim place a few extra items in his utility belt, and then keying in a code in to a control panel, "That tripe is hardly any better than Master Bruce's macaroni."
"No time Al, I'll get some fast food while I'm out." The sequence that Tim keyed in activated a platform hidden lower in the catacombs of the cave, drawing it up to Tim's level, presenting him with one of the state of the art Batwings.
"Going on a trip sir?" Alfred stepped up to the side of the one man jet as Tim strapped himself in to the cockpit.
"Yeah, my case leads to Metropolis; I figure I'll give nighttime visit to a certain star reporter we know." He fitted a headset to his ear, and started flipping switches, priming the jet's systems.
"Why Master Timothy, I'm quite certain that Miss Lane is a married woman."
"Very funny Al," Tim smiled and gave him quick salute, "see you when I get back." The canopy slid shut and the platform raised higher up in to the depths of the cave's ceiling. When Tim was out of a sight, Alfred shook his head and gave a small chuckle; it was nice, having the boy around.
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The Batwing was raised up through a compartment in the cave's ceiling, to a long pitch black tunnel that was slowly lit as running lights along the smoothed down walls came to life, revealing a runway that was hidden in the side of the mountain that Wayne Manor sat atop.
"Oracle, this is Robin," Tim chimed in to the radio as he engaged the jet's systems and prepped the engine, "I need an all clear for air traffick around the cave."
A moment later Babs' sweet voice chimed back, "You're all clear Boy Wonder, happy flying."
"Roger, Robin out." He pushed the throttle lever forward and felt the force of gravity shove him back in to his seat, felt his stomach swim as the wheels left the ground and there was only a few inches of air above or below the plane, and finally exhilaration as he exploded from the mountain side to the clear blue sky.
- - - - - - - - -
Metropolis was so different from Gotham, like polar opposites that it shocked Tim every time he was here. The architecture was one reason, while both cities followed a modern view, Gotham had a, well a Gothic feel to her, like Edgar Allen Poe, or Bram Stocker had designed her, Metropolis was sleek, it was the City of Tomorrow. And my god was it bright. The flight had taken Tim an hour and a half, more than enough time for the sun to set, but the city was as well lit as Gotham at high noon.
He had set the Batwing down in a forest on the city's edge and made his way through the town on foot and jump line, it took awhile but Tim felt this was the best place to meet Big Blue.
On top of the Daily Planet, he stood in the shadow of the gargantuan globe and pulled a small rectangle from his belt, one of the extra items he'd taken. Pressing a button on its surface, the device started sending out a pinging sound at a frequency only dogs and a handful of people on the planet could hear.
"That's a little loud, mind turning it off?" The voice behind Tim was smooth as silk with just a touch of witty playfulness. Tim spun around to realize he'd found someone who wore the S, just not who he had expected.
Tall and slender with all the right curves that were alluring without being oversized, dressed in a dark blue shirt that showed off her mid drift, short blue skirt, and long red cape all lined with gold. Her long blonde hair was cut and styled like Black Canary's, with bangs that fell just above her eyes, and the S Shield over her chest. Tim could easily see why over two million web sites dedicated to her had sprung up in the two months that she'd appeared. Not that he'd ever checked, "I have to admit, you weren't who I was expecting, Supergirl."
To Be Continued…
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Next Issue: Robin and Supergirl team up to find out just who killed those two Metropolis students in Gotham and why? But the two don't always see eye to eye, and the alliance is anything but the World's Finest.
Author's end words: And so ends the first issue of Legends of the Young Knights and with it comes the beginning.
A little background for those just joining us now, the Family Ties universe was born when I began writing my Robin centric story, "Young Knights" which is currently running on (shameless plug, Go read!), which I began when Tim quit as Robin, the fic then grew as things in the real DC verse kept happening I didn't like, namely the deaths of Jack Drake and Steph Brown. Now I love where the DCU is right now, with the new Crisis and all, but this gave me an opportunity to tell my own stories, and the world was christened "Family Ties" or the FT-verse, named after the currently unpublished final chapter of Young Knights.
Now it takes me a long time to get a fic done, I have a busy life and I admit that, but I'm almost always thinking about them, I have plans for the entire universe, and even more so for the Bat Clan, I have my own crisis to tell and the future of Gotham.
Facts be known, I have very specific stories I want to tell.
But what if I wanted to tell smaller stories? This problem came up when I got the idea for the first adventure of Robin and Supergirl, which you've just read. but it wasn't a big story, and it didn't fit in to Young Knights. And so the idea for Legends of the Young Knights was born. The title an obvious reference the story that started it all, Legends is where I can tell stories that fit in at certain times in my world. They won't be linear. One may happen five years down the road and the next could be a story centering on Dick Grayson or Jason Todd when they were Robin. A good example is that the next story I want to tell is how Tim reclaimed the role of Robin.
So I hope I gave you a fun, quick and enjoyable read. Thanks for coming along.
Rennick.