The Legacy Continues
Today was a great day at school; it was also a sad day for her personally.
"Hey, Grayson; want to hang out after school?" A student asked as the Grayson girl was walking to her locker.
"Sorry, Melissa, Bruce has a party set up for me." 'Grayson' said.
"Oh, right, today's your birthday, well happy birthday Areina, hope you get some good presents." Melissa said, then turned away and headed to her own locker.
"If only you knew what I really wanted." Areina said to herself as she opened her locker.
Just as she finished getting her books for the next class and closed her locker…the security alert went off. She knew what that meant and so she took off for the nearest classroom.
"Oh man, no…..don't close." Areina shouted as she saw the security doors going down over the classroom doors.
She got to the closet classroom door, but it was too late as the security door was all the way closed. She had to get somewhere safe. It wasn't long before she found that the restroom doors were not secured, so she went into the girls' room and hid in one of the stalls so she couldn't be seen. It wasn't two minutes later that gunfire could be heard nearby and she was shaking just a bit from fear…..she'd never been in this situation before.
The restroom door could be heard opening and someone was checking each stall. Eleven year old Areina Grayson was shaking even worse, she never had any patrol time, or any training against actual thugs, so she didn't know what to do. They reached the stall she was in and started rattling the door. Luckily she knew how to climb between two walls so she got to the top of the stall and went into one that the intruder had already checked. Once she landed on the floor, she took off to try and get out of the school.
"Hey, get back here brat." The intruder shouted as Areina reached the door.
The 11 year old didn't stop and she got out of the restroom and ran right for the exit, but it too was closed off….leaving her to fight the intruders that were there if they saw her.
"Got her; she's at the front door." An intruder said as she saw the 11 year old.
"So I'm the one you're after…great." Areina said to herself.
Two more intruders came to stand with the woman that had spotted her and they were all very well armed. All three were carrying AK-47s; so they meant business.
"Come with us, Grayson….that is if you don't want to die right now." The main intruder said.
"I'll take my chances." Areina said and with that she moved forward and started fighting the leader of the group.
It didn't take long before she was caught and her hands were pulled behind her back. Not two seconds later a Glock was resting at her temple. "You're lucky we need you alive." The holder of the Glock stated.
"Bite me." Areina said as she tried to struggle, but the woman was holding her arms too tight.
"How about we shut you up for the trip." The third intruder remarked and the sound of duct tape being pulled from the roll was heard.
Her mouth was taped shut first, then after the duct tape was cut, the one holding the tape moved and started to tape her wrists together. "Now move….and don't try anything." The leader said as she pushed Areina forward.
If there was one thing that her grandfather had taught her…never risk your life if you get restrained; wait for the right moment. She followed the teachings and was lead to a black car….with the trunk open. One of the intruders then picked her up, roughly, and threw her into the trunk. It was slammed closed and she was trapped. Areina sighed….."How long will it be before Bruce is contacted?"
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Two Hours Later; Wayne Manor
Bruce was worried, there had been no word from Areina, and now he heard a police car pulling up to his front door. It wasn't long before a knock came to the large door and Bruce was there to answer it.
"Hello Bruce, long time, no see." The gray haired woman, who was somewhere in her mid-50s, said as she looked Bruce right in the eyes.
"What brings you here, Barbara?" Bruce asked.
"Something happened at Gotham Academy…..may I come in." Barbara stated.
"Anything for the Police Commissioner." Bruce said as he moved aside and let her in.
Barbara was sitting on the sofa and Bruce in his usual chair in the room. "So, what happened?" Bruce questioned.
Barbara let out a sigh as she saw that Bruce hadn't changed even with the fact that he was caring for a young girl even at this late age. "Areina was kidnapped about two hours ago from her school."
"And I'm just finding out about it now because….." Bruce remarked as he gripped the arms of the chair hard.
"We didn't find out till about half an hour ago. Three known mob members entered the school despite the safety protocols and she was unable to get to a secure and safe area. The reason it was so long until we got the call is that the teachers did roll call to make sure everyone was accounted for, and that's when they found that Areina was missing." Barbara told Bruce.
Bruce didn't know what to say, he wanted so much to take up a life he abandoned before Areina was born, Batman….then he saw the look on the police commissioner's face. "I'll let you know when I hear something. If you don't mind, I'd like to be alone."
"I understand Bruce; it was nice to see you again. I know Areina will be okay, as long as she doesn't get smart with her kidnappers." Barbara said as she walked to the front door.
"If she's anything like her parents, then she might not be as okay as either of us hopes." Bruce said as he got out of the chair.
"You've been training her well; I hope you got that little hitch out of her personality." Barbara responded and with that, she left out.
One Hour Later; Undisclosed Location
Areina had fallen asleep at some point…..never really liked long car rides for that reason….and when the car screeched to a halt, she was thrown into the back of the truck and the thud woke her up. She groaned into the duct tape gag and it wasn't a minute more before the trunk opened and she was lifted out bridal style.
"Really….Uncle Dick's mentioned that crooks can be clichéd at times." Areina thought to herself as she was carried inside an abandoned warehouse and she was soon sat into a rickety chair and tied to it with rope: One strand securing her torso to the chair and a strand on each ankle tying them to the chair legs.
The tape on her mouth and wrists was not touched and the three kidnappers went to talk among themselves. They left the young girl alone, and thoughts were going through her head as she struggled to get free….everything from what they wanted to getting away from them before they could make their demands. It was just then that a fourth figure joined the three and even though their voices were somewhat of a whisper, Areina could make them out.
"So how much are we going to get from the old man?" The leader of the kidnappers asked.
"He's worth quite a lot, but for what we have to do…..five million should be enough and make the boss happy." The new person said.
"Wait….he didn't approve of this?!" The one that taped Areina's hands together remarked, a tone of fear in his voice.
"He left me in charge while he was in Taiwan; so I say we go through with this…..I won't have you wimping out just because of what the boss can do." The new person said.
"So….how do we get the message to Wayne?" The one that had held the Glock at Areina's head asked.
"Bet the brat has a phone on her." The new person in the room said, and he walked over to Areina and smiled. "So where is it?" He asked as he reached up and roughly pulled the tape from Areina's mouth.
It took a moment to get over the pain of the tape being pulled off. "Like I told your associates…..BITE ME!" Areina said, yelling that last part, then glaring at her captor.
"Cute, but you don't know who our leader is….be lucky he's not here or he might have shot you right after that little line." The 'leader' said, not at all fazed by the glare. "Also looks like your ransom just doubled."
Areina wasn't expecting any lethal retaliation as they apparently knew who they had before them, so they just wanted their money. "Left front pocket of my backpack….his speed dial is 2."
"Good girl." The 'leader' remarked as he reached into the correct pocket of the backpack that had been brought in with her and found the phone. The duct tape was soon placed back over her mouth so she couldn't holler anything to her grandfather.
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Wayne Manor
He stayed in the Batcave as he always trained Areina after she finished her homework. Suddenly his cell phone rang and when he saw the identity of the caller, he had a sinking feeling in the pit of his stomach. "Hello." He said after accepting the call.
"So, Mr. Wayne, I'm sure by now you have some idea of what happened to your granddaughter…..we want 10 million creds delivered to the Metropolis docks at 1pm tomorrow; or this mouthy brat will NOT return home….alive." The voice on the other end stated.
"How do I know you haven't killed her already?" Bruce said, knowing that if they wanted their money, the kidnappers would let him talk to Areina.
"So, you HAVE dealt with this situation before, very well…..say hello to your granddad." The kidnapper said as if he was away from the phone.
"OUCH….Bruce, I'll be alright." Areina's voice came over the connection.
"What did they just do to you?" Bruce asked.
"Pulled the duct tape gag off, that's all." Areina remarked.
"She's quite a…relaxed little girl for someone in her position; so see you at 1pm tomorrow or you'll be searching for her at the bottom of the bay." The kidnapper said.
The call was soon ended and Bruce squeezed the phone so tight that he actually broke it into little pieces. "I won't let them hurt you like others have hurt your mom and uncle."
With that, he went into the manor and was going to get the money ready…..he didn't care about his money, just his granddaughter's safety.
Metropolis; 12 PM the Next Day
Bruce knew he had to save Areina, but he wanted Superman on standby should anything go wrong. He stood inside the famous Watchtower in Metropolis and waited for the man of steel to greet him.
"So, Bruce, what brings you to Metropolis?" A familiar voice remarked.
"Areina's been kidnapped and the kidnappers have her here in Metropolis. I'm going to give them what they asked for. I'm only coming to you as a professional courtesy and I wanted to know if you could watch the docks from a safe distance as the drop goes down." Bruce said.
"Alright, but wasn't she attending Gotham Academy, I mean even after the twins were abducted several times, you made sure that it wouldn't happen again…..to ANY student." Superman agreed, then remembered some details from the past.
"The kidnappers were able to get past security….so are we going to continue chatting or are we going to get to the docks." Bruce said, his eyes moving from Superman to the floor….focused into a batglare.
"Right, let's go." Superman said, knowing that Bruce was worried about his granddaughter.
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Metropolis Docks; Abandoned Warehouse
At least these guys knew to give her food and water even though they held the protein bar themselves while she at it. After she was done, the duct tape was back over her mouth and she just glared at them.
"Don't be so mad, kid; grandpa's on his way." The leader of the four remarked.
"You really think he'll come?" The one that had taped her hands asked.
"History says that he did when the brat's mom and her brother were kidnapped….he'll be here." The leader said; a grin on his face.
"It's almost time." The 'leader' of the actually kidnapper said.
"I'll go wait outside…..I'm sure Wayne will be here in a few minutes." The leader remarked and with that he headed outside the building.
Areina just let her head hang as many thoughts came into her mind as the deadline was close. She had to stay confident that Bruce would have come up with a backup plan so she waited.
Five Minutes Later
Bruce came walking up to the docks and he looked around taking in his surroundings.
"So, right on time….I like that." A voice said.
"Where's Areina?" Bruce asked.
"I can take you to her, seeing as she's…..tied up….at the moment." The voice said and Bruce saw a figure coming from the opening of a building.
Right then and there Bruce wanted to attack this man with all his might, but he couldn't endanger Areina, so he nodded and the man went back into the building and motioned for Bruce to follow him. As the Gotham billionaire entered he saw everyone gathered around an unmoving figure that was sitting down.
"She's fine, but I have to say, she's got a bit of an attitude. So, just put the suitcase on the floor and kick it over here. Once we have it, you may take your grandkid and go." The leader said.
It was then that the unmoving figure moved their head. Bruce caught the eyes of the figure and he saw that she was calm, but his self-training as Batman told him that deep down she was scared.
"It's going to be alright, Areina." Bruce said as he did what the kidnapper asked and kicked the suitcase across the floor and right to the kidnappers.
"Good, but after thinking about it, how about you throw in another five million." The kidnapper said as he picked up the suitcase and looked inside.
"That wasn't part of the deal; you have your 10 million, now let Areina go." Bruce said, anger forming in his voice.
"Sorry, Wayne, but I think you can handle another five million…..right now." The kidnapper remarked.
"I don't carry that kind of money on me unless I know I'm going to need it." Bruce said, worry showing in his voice.
"Well then, looks like you lose your girl." The kidnapper stated as he pulled a gun from behind his back and turned it on Areina.
A second later, the gun was fired and Areina cried out in pain through her gag. The kidnapper then headed out to meet up with others and they took off in a boat.
"Superman, get down here fast." Bruce said as he activated a comm he had with him and ran to his granddaughter. "Areina, it's alright, I'm here; and Superman's on his way."
Bruce pulled the tape off of Areina's mouth and he could tell that she was breathing hard. As he untied the rope that secured her torso to the back of the chair he saw where the bullet hit and tried to stop the bleeding with his hand.
"Thanks for getting here, Bruce." Areina weakly said.
Just then, Superman came flying through the front doors and saw what had happened to the young captive. The man of steel didn't waste any time as he carefully broke the chair and got Areina out of the building and to the nearest hospital. Before he flew out of side, Superman turned to Bruce. "Don't worry; she'll be at St. Nicholas memorial."
Bruce stayed behind to look for clues as to who the kidnappers were, but the only thing he could figure would be the right clue was inside of Areina's chest. The Gotham billionaire then left out to get to St. Nicholas Memorial Hospital.
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Gotham Underground Meeting Headquarters; Two Hours Later
Something had pulled the kidnapper's leader back to town and they were called to an important meeting.
"How'd the boss get back here so fast?" The head kidnapper (that was at Gotham Academy) asked; worry in her voice.
All of a sudden, she fell to the floor and the other three were splattered with something red. Their faces showed shock and awe and a figure came out from behind the nearby crates.
"Whose bright idea was it to go after Wayne's brat?" The figure asked.
"We needed the money, Red Hood." The leader of the entire scheme said.
"I was working on getting enough money so we'd never have to resort to something like kidnapping; it's not what I'm about." Red Hood remarked.
"Well, she's going to die anyway…..Smith shot her before we got out." The leader said.
Red Hood was angry and even though his people couldn't see his face, they saw the anger building in his hands.
"Let me make this PERFECTLY clear; if ANYONE messes with the Wayne or Grayson family, I will rip off your nuts then shot you between the eyes and in the heart." Red Hood said; pulling out his personal knife and had the leader by the shirt with the knife right at his manhood.
"Alright….sorry boss." The leader said, and Red Hood released him.
"Now, it's time for your job of the night, you have the assignment…..get out of my sight." Red Hood said.
The three underlings ran out to their assignment and left the crime lord alone. After he was sure that he was alone, the killer removed his signature helmet and concern was on his face. "I better go check on Areina."
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St. Nicholas Memorial Hospital; Thirty Minutes Later
Bruce had been worried out of his mind as Areina had been in surgery since Superman got her to the hospital, and Clark Kent had arrived to check on the family.
"Bruce, I just heard, is she going to be alright." Clark said, keeping his cover so as not to reveal that HE had been the one to bring Areina in.
"She's still in surgery; I haven't heard anything since I arrived." Bruce said, his eyes never leaving the floor.
"So the kidnappers got away?" Clark asked.
"Yes, as soon as they were sure they had the money, they shot her and ran." Bruce remarked.
Just then, the doors to the surgery ward opened and a doctor came walking out with blood on his scrubs. Bruce and Clark stiffened as they were the only ones in the waiting room.
"Mr. Wayne; your granddaughter is going to be just fine. The bullet did not hit any major arteries or her lung but it was stopped by the scapula so that's what took time to remove. We had to resort to old school methods as her age made it impossible to use our regular methods. Usually our surgery patients are 15 or older. She's in post op right now, and once she's moved into a room you can see her." The doctor said.
Bruce didn't say anything at first and the doctor was about to ask if he was alright when Clark stepped forward. "Thank you doctor."
The doctor nodded and took off to get cleaned up. Bruce didn't say anything as he sat back down and Clark was right beside him.
"Thank you, Clark…..for getting her here quickly." Bruce said.
Clark was stunned; Bruce had never thanked anyone before, not like this anyway. It was sincere and heartfelt….nothing like the Dark Knight he use to know.
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Post Op
Areina was sleeping with an oxygen mask on and a figure came into the room. She was in the bed near the window and the figure was standing over her…..a sadness in his stance.
"I'm sorry kid; I promised your dad that I would protect you whenever your uncle couldn't, and now look at you. I didn't send them after you…..hell I wasn't even in the country until a couple of hours ago. You don't have to worry about them coming after you anymore….or your family." The figure said.
As quickly as the figure was in the room it was gone, and Areina didn't even know it was there.
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Private Room; St. Nicholas Memorial Hospital; One Hour Later
The two men sat in the room watching the young hospital patient when moans were heard coming from the bed. Soon enough bright jade green eyes opened and looked at the two. "Hey; sorry if I had you guys worried."
"That's alright. I have to get back to Watchtower, but I'm glad you're alright Areina." Clark said.
"Thanks for getting me here….Superman." Areina weakly said with a smile.
Clark walked over to the 11 year old, and hugged her; happy to see her smiling. He then left out of the room to let the grandfather and granddaughter talk.
"I was the reason you got shot." Bruce said.
"I just wonder what their boss would have done to me….according to the so called leader their boss would have shot me right after I told all four of them to bite me." Areina said as Bruce pulled his chair right up to the bedside.
"You have so much of your father in you." Bruce said, remembering how Roy Harper AKA Red Arrow was growing up.
"That's what Uncle Dick tells me. So, it felt bad when the bullet went in…..JUST how bad is it." Areina asked.
"The bullet missed any arteries and your lung, but it was stuck in your body after it hit the scapula. The doctor says you'll be alright, and I want you to stay in the hospital for the time being." Bruce said.
"What about school?" Areina asked.
"I'm signing you up for homeschool; I don't want this to ever happen again." Bruce said.
"You've always know what was best, Bruce. If you don't mind, I'm sleepy….when can I go to a hospital in Gotham?" Areina questioned before she fell asleep.
"I'll arrange a transfer for two days from now." Bruce said, and he then leaned over and kissed Areina on her head. "I'll stay with you tonight, you just get some rest."
With that said, Areina closed her eyes and was smiling as she slept. Bruce moved his chair back and sat down in it. "I wish THIS legacy from your parents hadn't passed on to you."