Cigarettes and Motorcycles Part 3
Robin/Richard Grayson
~ One Week Later ~
November 13th, 2010
Knuckles rapped sharply against the wooden door. There was no answer from within and they knocked again. When there was once again no answer, the pale long-fingered hand gripped the doorknob and turned. It was locked. They jiggled the handle and threw their shoulder against the sturdy wood. The door did not give.
"Dick?"
There was no answer and the dark haired man threw his shoulder against the door again. The sound of splintering wood echoed in the quiet hallway and he once more threw his shoulder against it. The splintering got louder and the door gave way for the man demanding entry. The room was empty.
Bloody white bandages were piled in the trashcan by the desk, a roll of new bandages emptied and laying on the floor. The bedsheets were carefully made to military codes and the large window was pushed open, a light breeze blowing the curtains in the room. Dick Grayson was missing.
Immediately, Bruce Wayne made his way to the Batcave and activated the codes that would enable the trackers hidden on Dick's motorcycle and clothing. TRACKING FAILED. Bruce Wayne slammed his fist into the keyboard, standing up and knocking his chair backward.
"Alfred, I need the car. I'm going after Dick."
"Which one, Master Bruce?"
"The Bugatti."
Thirteen hours later, a dark figure stood on the roof of Wayne Enterprises overlooking the city. He pressed a button on the com link in his ear, connecting him immediately to Alfred in the Batcave.
"Anything yet?"
"No, Master Bruce, the trackers are still disabled."
Three teenage boys sat together in an alley, each with a cigarette and a bottle of beer in their hands. They were all talking and laughing. A dark shadow fell over the trio and they scrambled to their feet, dropping the beer bottles to the stained concrete. One of the boys was slammed into the concrete wall.
"Where is Dick Grayson?"
"I don't know who that is! I've never heard that name before!"
The Dark Knight slammed his hand against the wall by the boy's head, a thin piece of paper was held to the wall. It was a screenshot from security footage of the fight outside of the bar. The boy pinned to the wall was cheering for Dick after the fight was over.
"Whoa man, whoa! You mean, Dan. I haven't seen him, I swear! I haven't seen him since that night!"
The boy's eyes had grown wide with fear and putrid liquid trickled down the leg of his jeans. Batman dropped the boy and he crumpled to the ground, trying to catch his breath from the fear racing through him.
Without another word, Batman disappeared into the surrounding darkness.
November 14th, 2010
"Authorization: A-01 Agent A"
The Team looked around in surprise, curiosity etched across their faces as they wondered who Agent A was. An elderly man in a black suit with a domino mask stepped into the room the teens were gathered in. Wally West jumped up, and ran to the unknown man.
"What are you doing here? You've never been to the cave before? Is Robin alright? Why isn't Batman here? Can I go see Robin? Is there-"
The butler raised his hand, interrupting the speedster mid-sentence. When he spoke, it was to the entire team and it was calm and steady, but clearly distraught.
"If you could all meet me in the mission room, I have information from Batman."
The Team scurried to their feet and entered the mission room. Kaldur was the first of them to speak.
"Excuse me sir, but may I ask who you are? What is your connection to Batman and Robin?"
"I have worked closely with both Batman and Robin for many years. I care deeply for them both."
Kaldur nodded and took a seat at the table in the room. Artemis was still suspicious but also took her seat. Conner stood silently in the corner, his arms folded over his chest and his lips in a straight line. Wally was pacing a super speed, mumbling under his breath and anxiously awaiting the news that Agent A had brought.
"Robin is missing."
The room seemed to explode, all the occupants leaping to their feet and yelling in shock.
"What? Where is he? Is Batman looking for him? What happened? Who took him? Is he okay? Was it as Robin? How long ago?"
Agent A once again held up a hand to stem the flow of speedster babble. Regaining his barely fractured composure, the elderly butler took a deep breath and spoke to the room.
"In his civilian identity, Robin has been experiencing a form of teenage rebellion. Yesterday morning, it was discovered that Robin and his motorcycle were missing. He had left voluntarily, but has not returned. Batman and I suspected foul play. If you will excuse me, I must return to assist with the search."
The Team looked at each other in shock and M'gann burst into tears. Connor gathered her into his arms and Kaldur excused himself from the room. Artemis let her head drop, burying her face in her arms.
"Authorization: A-01 Agent A"
"Authorization: Kid Flash B-03"
