The Batmaniac Murders Book I: Rediscover

By

AJ

Part 2

Two days later . . .

"Tragedy struck today as husband and wife were found dead in the tent city of Newtown. Jon and May Grayson, trapeze performers were killed when their trapeze broke while rehearsing for a performance for the Mayor of New Gotham. The only surviving person is their 10 year old son, Dick Grayson. No one knows how this tragedy . . .Click"

Tomas was aghast. Jon and May, the news showed on the screen. 'I must go to Jon's home," Tomas said. 'Dick will need someone.'

Tomas went the helipad and climbed into the small hover car and tapped in the address. He sped along the airways until he left the city. He hadn't realized that the Graysons did not live in New Gotham, but a smaller town outside of the city. The town looked like it had been through a war zone. Tent structures were everywhere. There was one large tent in an area that used to be a gathering place. An old sign announced that the area used to be fair grounds, whatever that might mean. The town became a haven for all kinds of performers, acrobats, trapeze artist, high wire acts, and tumblers. Other performers could be found in the makeshift ten city, musicians, actors, and artists.

A lot had been lost during the Null-nuclear war. The major cities across the country got the worst of it. Washington, DC was completely destroyed, along with the surrounding areas. Metropolis was in ruins and continued to have pockets of radiation. Cleaning up Metropolis will still take another 100 years. Gotham wasn't nearly as bad. Star City, Chicago, Central City; all the cities that were associated with a costumed hero were completely destroyed or left in ruins. Washington DC was the exception. Without the government to call upon the heroes, no one would be safe again, at least that's what those who started the Null-nuclear war believed. Those costumed heroes that were left saw Earth as a lost cause. So, they left for other worlds. The protected halls of the Justice League were gone along with a lot of the world's history. What had survived was only a partial look at the world. It would seem no one wanted to look back.

Tomas Wayne arrived at the makeshift home of Jon and May Grayson. The other performers in this community were gathered around the boy who was left behind.

"It was just a freak accident, son," someone said.

"No, it wasn't," Dick Grayson replied. "They were always careful about their equipment."

"You don't know that for sure."

Tomas came in at that moment, seeing the look on the boy's face. It was one he knew all too well. No one could convince him into believing that his parents' deaths were just an accident. Tomas had been the only survivor, their hover car going out of control for no apparent reason. Just at that moment, the boy looked up in his direction and their eyes met, showing the very same pain at that very moment.

"Uncle Tomas!" The boy rushed into his uncle's arms and he held him tight. "They won't believe me,' he wailed into Tomas' shirt, his words a bit muffled.

"Are you the boy's uncle?" Someone said, a man that looked like some kind of officer, but there was no crime, so why was the man dressed like one.

"Uh yes," Tomas said. The truth was, sometime in his family's past, the name of Grayson became synonymous with Wayne. No one knew when it was so.

"Then you can take custody of the boy," the man said. "Place your thumb here." The man held out a small data pad.

Tomas did as the official instructed.

"You are now the legal parent of this boy," the man packed his data pad. "It is a good thing you had someone lad. You would have become a ward of this city." The man's voice sounded relieved. He made it sound like being a ward of the city was a bad thing. Tomas wondered what was going on in that area. The man left after that.

"Come on Dick," Tomas said. "You can't stay here. I'll help you pack some things. I'll arrange to have the rest brought to the tower."

After packing some clothes and a few mementos, Tomas led the distraught boy to his vehicle. Once they were alone, he tapped in the address and the vehicle moved out on its own. Silence fell between them.

"You going to tell me what that was all about?" Tomas asked after fifteen minutes had passed.

"They don't believe me," Dick said, his eyes downcast with a scowl on his face.

"What don't they believe?"

"They always check the equipment, always before and after."

"Dick, you're not making any sense."

"It wasn't an accident!" Dick yelled. "Go check it yourself."

"Dick," Tomas turned to the boy and gently placed his hand on his shoulders. "Tell me what happened. I wasn't there."

"We were rehearsing. We usually use the net until we've perfected a new routine," Dick explained. "But the net was damaged. It looked like it had been ripped to shreds. So, we had to practice without it. I did my routine with Dad catching me. It felt, I don't know off. I went down to the tanbark to watch. I wanted to watch my dad do the triple, see it from the ground the way everyone else does. Mom was catching him. When . . . No . . . the ropes . . . they . . . they both . . . both of them broke . . . they broke." Dick sobbed out his pain and loss, lying face down on the seat next to Tomas.

Tomas frowned at Dick's words. What was the boy implying?

"Don't you see? If there were something wrong with the ropes, Mom and Dad wouldn't have used that trap. They would have replaced them. They checked those traps two hours before. The ropes were fine. It wasn't an accident!"

Continues with Part 3