Early morning sunlight shone in from the outside through beautiful, stylized floor-to-ceiling windows. The gardens outside were filled with gorgeous flowers, bright and blooming.
The three residents of Wayne Manor were in the dining room. Alfred placed a plate full of hash browns in front of Dick Grayson. The both of them were terribly tired, having stayed up way too late the night before. Dick groggily ate his food, eyelids so low he could still be asleep.
Bruce Wayne didn't seem to be tired at all.
"Look at this," he said to Dick. Bruce held the newspaper he'd been reading out to the young boy.
Dick turned his head ever so slowly. "What does it say?" he mumbled.
"Problems in Central City." He shook his head.
Dick turned back to his food.
Batman had taken quite a beating from the woman in the high-heels the night before. He'd woken up in the dark room, to find the files he was looking for missing.
He was angry, to say the least. How could have anyone known he was coming? He and Robin searched the place until the sun rose.
So that was why everyone was tired.
Dick looked up from his orange juice. "So what are you working on now, Bruce?"
Not looking up from the paper, Bruce responded in his Batman voice. "Retron is smuggling in valuable, and illegal, radioactive compounds from somewhere. I'm trying to find out where, how, why, who, and how to stop it."
Dick nodded. "Right," he said. He didn't especially care how Batman had found out Retron had radioactive compounds. Probably had something to do with the night he and Olly had gone bowling…
Ding dong.
"I'll get it, sir," Alfred said, already moving towards the other room.
"Wonder who it is," said Dick. "Work buddies?"
Bruce put down the paper and shrugged. "Well, it better be good. I have some…investigating to do."
Dick smiled. No one ever caught Batman off guard and got away with it.
"Excuse me sir, we have a Miss Hallaway to see you." Alfred stood in the doorway, with someone standing behind him.
Dick raised his eyebrows at Bruce. Bruce shook his head.
"Yes," Bruce said, standing and adjusting his tie. "Let her in."
Alfred stepped aside, and a beautiful woman stepped inside the room. She had gorgeous brown hair that shone in the morning light, an impeccable sense of style, and deep blue eyes.
Dick sunk lower into his chair, munching on bacon.
"Nice to meet you," Bruce said, stepping forward to shake her hand. "Care to share our meal?"
The woman shook her head. "No, thank you," she said, in a voice that sounded like crystal chimes in a light breeze.
Bruce nodded and stepped back. "Then would you like to take this to the living room?"
The woman shook her head again. "I am only here to warn you, Mr. Wayne. Do not interfere with our operations again. We know who you are."
Bruce stepped back. "What are you talking about?"
Dick sat up, intent.
"Do not play games with Retron. We have many things we can use against you. Stop your investigation- now. Or else." She stepped out of the room, nodding to Alfred as she passed him.
For a minute, there was silence.
"WHOA!" Dick shouted. "What was that about?!"
Bruce looked sideways at him. "That's a very good question."

Batman stood on the top of a tall, tall building, surveying his city.
Whump. Someone landed behind him. Batman knew it wasn't Robin.
"What do you want?"
"Her name's Kelly. She's been working for Retron since almost 2000. That's all I could find out."
Batman looked up at the sky, where the Batsymbol shone on the bottom of the dark clouds.
"Thank you, J'onn. You've saved me a lot of time."
The Martian Manhunter, disguised as his human alias of John Jones, stepped forward, next to the Dark Knight.
"You never would have asked me to help, Batman, if you hadn't known I was also working on this case."
"This is my city, J'onn."
"I know. But I didn't find out about this here, or even from something concerning Retron. I was in Antarctica last week, and I noticed strange activity near the pole. Someone has placed a research base of some kind there."
Batman nodded.
"Upon further investigation, I found out that the base was operated by Retron. But then I was kicked out. They have amazing technology, Batman. They knew who I was."
"Alien?"
"Not sure. They don't have any garages or hangars at the base, so they must get in and out by some other means. There are more than a hundred people there at a time. It's huge. Most of the complex is underground, but I didn't get to explore it. They caught me while I was looking at a map on the wall."
Batman nodded again. "Thank you for your help, J'onn."
"But now you want me to stay out of it."
Batman turned to face his friend. "I know the upsides of having a partner, J'onn. But if they know who you are as well…That's not something you have to risk."
J'onn briefly thought about his life.
"Or something you do, either. But I understand if you want to take care of your own city."
Batman smiled under his mask. "Of course you do, J'onn."
He raised his arm, and a grapple shot out from his grapple gun. It attached to the side of a building and he soared away.