The car screeched to a halt on the massive turn table. The roar of the powerful motors subsided just as the glassed top of the vehicle retracted with a quiet, but drawn-out hiss. A tall figure in black jumped out with surprising grace, considering the length of the cape that trailed behind him. A smaller, even more agile silhouette followed, only this one was wearing red, which at least made him slightly distinguishable in the darkness of the cave. Robin took a deep breath, inhaling the familiar smell of faint, burnt rubber combined with slight mildew.
'Home at last', he thought, closing his eyes with a relieved smile. It had been a busy night, even if it was only about midnight. He and Batman had been tracking down a strange series of clues for the past couple of nights, and even though it wasn't as intense as beating up thugs or busting crime lords, it was still exhausting. He didn't know why Batman had decided to take him back to the cave so early, but quite frankly, he didn't care.
Robin took off his mask and was about to pull off his cape when his mentor said, "Get in the plane." The Boy Wonder froze; he definitely was not expecting this.
"Wh-what? But….Why?" the almost-teen stuttered after a moment.
The Dark Knight turned to face his partner with a raised eyebrow, not used to being questioned.
"You very well know why Robin," he replied. "These break-ins we've been following have been cutting it a little too close to home. If someone is on the border of discovering our identities, then we need to work as fast as we can to figure out what's going on."
"I know that much," the youth impatiently retorted. "And before you say it, I also know that that one guard we discovered tonight is a clear clue leading us to Star City."
The Prince of Gotham looked at his ward inquisitively. "So?" he asked, matter-of-factly.
"Soooo, why do we have to go tonight? Why not tomorrow? " Robin pleaded.
A ghost of a smile played across the face of the Caped Crusader. "The night is young," he stated, as if it answered all of the world's questions.
Robin sighed resignedly. He knew he couldn't use logic to argue his way out of this, so ruled out his next best option: he put on his best pout. His cerulean blue eyes grew larger and quivered as he turned up the intensity of the beam focused on the eyes of his mentor. They stood absolutely still, both engaged in each other's eyes. He felt Batman's gaze soften a little, and thought, "Ok, almost got him! Just a little more!" Suddenly, Batman snapped out of Robin's little trance. The Dark Knight mock-glared at Robin and ruffled his hair, saying, "Didn't I tell you to get in the plane?"
"Dang it!" Robin groaned. He put his mask back on and trudged across the cave to the sleek Batwing. As soon as his adoptive father turned his back, Robin stuck out his tongue. It wasn't fair. He sighed. Batman did have a point… but he wasn't going to admit it! Hmph!