Authors note: Again i own neither Batman beyond nor any of the new 52 elements i threw in. Also there is no Terry Mcginnis in the selection of characters.

CHAPTER 2

Thirteen years ago:

"Hey Decker come here!" shouted a balding middle aged man.

They were in the middle of a wind-blown lake in a small boat so he didn't have to go far.

"Look here! I got a bite and she's a Biggun!" and sure enough it must've been a seventeen pound yellow-head catfish the way the pole was bending.

"Help me out here son!" he said and try as they might their combined strength was almost not enough until daringly, the young boy jumped out the boat "Boy come back here!" his father shouted worryingly but was too busy to go after him.

Decker had always been a driven and focused child. When he set his sights on something he was gonna achieve it or sink trying in this case literally. So when he reached the struggling fish he tried to grab it and although he cut his arm open he just grunted angrily and with a look that said in no uncertain terms 'I WILL do this'.

He grabbed the fish by the gills and managed to drag it a few feet and then into the boat with him.

"My God son!" "Good job! I've never seen anything more impressive but," he said as he turned his son by the shoulders to look at him, his kind face and laugh lines marred by the worry still on his face "Don't scare me like that."

Looking at his anxious face even though he was only his foster-father the two had become close in the nine years they had spent together. So like usual he decided to put his mind at ease with a little humor "I'm sorry dad but, hey we got the fish right?"

Beaming at him his father smiled back and said "No, ha-ha, you did."

They wrapped up his arm with an old t-shirt they had onboard and put the fish in the cooler they had, they then moved the boat over into a small cove and had what looked like a possible underwater cave to Decker's young keen eyes. Removed by the cliff-like walls that surrounded three quarters of the cove the wind was far less noisy and troublesome.

"This way the fish are more apt to come here as well." His father said by way of explanation.

"Hey dad, is that an underwater cave over there?" he asked as he pointed.

His father held a hand up to block the sun from his eyes and replied "Yep I believe so anyways. Never been in there myself."

All of a sudden two black speed boats pulled into view. One of them blocked the only exit and the other motored up to their boat. The man standing on board were all very short-haired and definitely dressed more for a business meeting than for fishing. The wave hit their small boat and Decker fell down scraping and reopening the wound on his arm.

"Hi anything I can do for you fellas?" his dad asked.

One of them stepped forward to the edge of the boat. "Sure Mr. Morrigan," he said "You owe our employer something and unfortunately we are here to collect."

A look of dismay crossed his fathers face before it returned to its usual jovial nature.

"Well surely he can wait a bit longer yes?"

"I'm sorry sir I am not here to negotiate do you have it or not?" he snapped.

Taken aback his father started to say "Look I can…" but the man quickly pulled out from under his coat a pistol and, shot him three times in the chest before the body fell into the water. Completely horrified Decker stood there gaping at the floating body then back at the man over and over. Hearing and seeing nothing but those three gunshots.

Vaguely he heard the man say "Just business."

And in the back of his mind he noted the man did sound a bit remorseful. It was a few seconds before he finally mentally shook himself to hear the man say "The job's done. Ok but he had his kid with him. What? "The boy as well?" sighing he said "Fine."

As he leveled the pistol at him, Decker's mind fought with what he should do. He hesitated just long enough for the boy to turn and dive into the water. Quick as he could Decker swam straight down noticing vaguely that as he did so the t-shirt around his arm had come loose, the cut on his arm was bleeding profusely and, he had a very sharp pain near his hip. Although he didn't know what they were Decker saw what he thought must be several very small, very fast fish swim past him down towards the bottom. Up on the surface the shooting stopped because a red t-shirt floated to the surface filled with holes and a small pool of blood formed underneath it although the young boy knew nothing of this and kept swimming. Changing direction, he stopped swimming towards the bottom and went towards what he thought to be the underwater cave. The hired killers on the surface calmly and mechanically fired their speedboats up and took off. Realizing that he was starting to run out of air and his lungs were hurting he however, repeated the alphabet in his head as his dad had taught him, and kept swimming. After what felt like minutes he was swimming more towards what he reasoned must be the surface because the water was getting lighter but, if his lungs weren't burning for air and if he wasn't starting to lose consciousness he would've thought that a cave shouldn't have light in it. It was a lot longer to the top than he thought because he was running on his strict determination alone and was about to pass out right there and drown before he finally burst through into the open, although stale, air. Remembering what his dad had once told him about lung pain he inhaled air as slowly as possible and adjusted to his surroundings. The cave was immense with stalactites high above with lights running in between them and some kind of metal structure built on top of the large pillar in the middle. Nearby there was a black boat of some sort with a closeable windshield and a single black fin dominating the middle of it but it was close to a possible shore so Decker paddled over and managed to drag himself onto dry land before he passed out from blood loss.

Upon awakening he found himself laying on top of a cold steel table in the middle of a small room. His hands were bound to the table with some wire wrapped around underneath. The room itself though was dimly lit and seemed to have display cases of some sort completely encircling him. Decker didn't have to wait long because, as he was testing the wire the lights suddenly flared brighter and one of the cases slid up into the ceiling.

"Oh good. I see you've awakened young sir." came the always formal tone of a older man walking into the room dressed in what could only be described as a butlers uniform.

His head still dizzy he tried to ask him who he was, where he was and, what was going on all at once.

"Yeah now that would be the anesthesia wearing off." The butler said. "My name is…well I'm afraid I can only tell you it's Alfred."

Slurring out a reply as best he could he repeated the name. "Alfred?"

"Yes I am sure you would like to know where you are and whatnot but, I can't tell you that either." Said Alfred quickly

"However." He said as he put down the tray he had been carrying under one arm and came around the table and started to unwind the wire. "What I can do and in fact already have done is get that ricochet wound sewn shut on your hip as well as your arm."

"Oh that?" said Decker raising his unbound arm to look at the new stitching.

"That was from a catfish. I tried to throw it in the boat…"

Recalling what had happened as soon as he was free he sat bolt upright and tried to stand up but, found he was still too dizzy and had to use the table to support himself.

"Young sir you should really rest yourself. You've been through a lot today."

"No my dad..." he said on the brink of tears.

"I know." said Alfred his face reflecting his sadness for him.

Rubbing his sore wrists the boy tried for a change in subject " Why did you tie me down?"

Smiling Alfred replied "Even unconscious you wouldn't sit still. So I tied you down to try to stitch you together sir."

Satisfied by his honest reply his many more questions were briefly forgotten when he happened to look over Alfred's shoulder and see just what was in the display cases.

"Whoa!" he exclaimed.

He used the table to push off and lean his weight on the curved wall so he could walk around and look at all the suits.

Even though the stitches hurt he was able to ignore them to exclaim "Wow! Alfred I don't think I need to ask where I am."

As he realized that all of them had more or less the same pointy ears, a utility belt, and a bat insignia of some sort on the chest.

Chuckling Alfred said "Maybe a short tour will help you clear your head. Then I'm afraid ill have to put you to sleep again so you can leave."

Awestruck by some of the costumes before him he still managed to hear that last part and wonder why. "Why should you?" he asked.

Decker still being young Alfred thought nothing of it and replied "So you can leave the cave without knowing how to get back in. You passed out from blood loss and nearly drowned but, it's a good thing you drifted in here young sir."

For some reason Decker decided to keep the fact that he consciously swam in a secret and instead asked "Why do you keep calling me that?"

Chuckling again Alfred replied "Just be glad I'm not calling you young master. Anyways would you like to see the rest of the cave?"

Adopting his formal demeanor so as to not seem too eager Decker clasped his hands behind his back and said "Yes I would like that Alfred."

Leaving the changing chamber they stepped out into the immense, chilly bat cave. The first thing the boy noticed was not what Alfred expected at all "Is that a hydraulic turntable?"

Eyebrows raised in as close to absolute surprise as Alfred gets he said "Most people notice the bat mobile sitting on top of it. How did you know that young sir?"

Shrugging as he walked over to stare at a very large penny on display he said "Just have a mind for machinery I guess."

"That's remarkable at your age young sir."

Shrugging again a thought occurred to Decker "Wait so did you pull me out the water and drag me all the way up here? No offense but, you don't look strong enough."

Still slightly irritated by the fact that he couldn't lift a nine year old boy he replied "No you are correct. I didn't find you, he did."

Turning around Decker was surprised there was a man standing right next to him.

"Whoa you're quiet." he remarked.

The man was dressed all in black except for a blue V-like symbol on his chest running up and then down his shoulders. Although a small black mask with pointed ends covered his eyes and part of his nose Decker could still tell he wasn't very young probably in his thirties.

Grinning, the sneaky one replied "Yeah but I wasn't really trying that time. Call me Nightwing buddy."

Impressed by his stealth but not really interested in him otherwise Decker continued looking around and trying to ignore the memory of the three gunshots. His eyes landing on one particular display case set against the wall he walked over to get a better look. Inside was a completely black costume, save for the lone light blue eagle on the chest. Although it had a few holes in it Decker still liked it.

"Wow I like this one." said Decker.

Chuckling as he walked over the new man said "That one used to be mine. I don't use it anymore but I keep it here anyways. There are even spares in the drawer beneath it just in case I need one."

Suddenly there was a crashing noise behind them and they both turned to see what had happened. The tray Alfred had been carrying had clattered to the floor and Alfred was supporting himself on a wall breathing heavily. Rushing over Nightwing helped support him then set him down on the floor.

"You should take it easy Alfred you're not a spring chicken anymore you know." Going further he also said "Ill take care of the boy and then tell Bru…." Glancing towards Decker he changed his words mid-sentence "Batman about him and what happened."

Turning to leave he stopped when Alfred grabbed his arm and said "Don't tell him about the boy. The last thing he needs is to hear another young boy lost his parents right in his backyard especially so soon after Jason. Even Master Tim is still fighting to convince Bruce in his study right now."

His face hardening into a grim visage he still relented and said "Fine but, I'm going to get him out of here, take care of Clayface and, then I am coming back here to take care of you Alfred."

Turning quickly on his heel as he walked over to Decker he pulled something out of a compartment in his fore-arm and placed it over his face. It made a slight hissing noise before Nightwing said "Sorry buddy the tours over."

Decker thought 'Not again.' as he found himself drifting off into unconsciousness for the second time today.