A/N: Tim is six years old and he just finished 1st Grade. While out on a school picnic Tim is taken by an unknown kidnapper. Can Batman and Robin find him before it's too late? This chapter is a little short.

Red Robin Rising

by

AJ

Part 4: Interrupted Outing

Gordon headed back to the police headquarters. He stopped at his secretary's desk.

"Bonnie, call a press conference. I want every newspaper reporter here in my office within 15 minutes. Call the television station. I want them here, too. I plan on making a statement."

"Yes Commissioner," Bonnie got on the phone right away and started dialing numbers to fulfill Commissioner Gordon's request. When a child was kidnapped all hell broke loose. Normally, the FBI would be notified, but Commissioner Gordon had other plans. The FBI was good, but sometimes they drug their feet, and too many times they would find the missing or kidnapped child dead with no other clues as to who did the deed. This time, he wasn't going to take any chances with a boy's life at stake. He had two ways to contact the Cape Crusader, by phone and by signal. He would first try by the phone. He went over, uncovered the red phone, picked up the receiver and pressed the button. The voice on the other line answered.

"I'm sorry, Sir. Batman and Robin are out for the day. I shall give them your message that you called."

"Do you know when he will return?" Commissioner Gordon asked.

'I'm afraid I do not know, Sir."

"Very well, thank you." The Commissioner hung up the phone. There would be no help in that quarter, at least not right now. He would have to wait for Batman to return. He hoped, it would not be by tomorrow. That would be too late to help the boy. As soon as he hung up the phone, Bonnie came in with the reporters and news crew.

"What's this about Commissioner?" asked the reporter for the Gotham Gazette, fishing for an exclusive.

"Wait until the cameras are set up, buddy," Chief O'Hara stated as he came in behind everyone. "I'm sorry Commissioner. I would have been here sooner, but some wise guy thought it would be funny to lock me and several precinct captains in a conference room while we were discussing this year's budge issues."

"It's all right, Chief, but we do have a serious issue."

"The cameras are ready and you'll be on the air in five . . ."

Bonnie rushed in and handed Commissioner Gordon several sheets of paper. Jim Gordon flipped through them and his eyes went wide.

'I didn't know his family was that important to Gotham.'

The cameraman continued to count down. " . . . Four . . . Three . . . Two . . . One." He them pointed to the Commissioner to let him know he was on the air and to speak directly into the provided microphone.

"Citizens of Gotham, this is your Commissioner speaking to you live from my office at Police Headquarters. We need your assistance. A little boy has been kidnapped from Robinson Park. If anyone has any information or has seen anything, please contact the Commissioner's office immediately. A little boy's life is depending on your quick response."

"Commissioner, reporter from the Gotham Herald. Can you give us anything else, the name of the boy?"

"The boy's name is Timothy Jackson Drake."

"Is this the same Drake family who owns Drake Industries?"

"It is," Gordon anwered.

More questioned were ask and the Commissioner continued to answer them. A photo of the boy was flashed on the screen. No one questioned how it was acquired. Everyone watching their TV sets were shocked over the news, but one man was able to at least act.

"Oh my," Alfred stated as he watched the special report. "I must contact Master Bruce at once."

Alfred took the service elevator from the kitchen and entered the cave. He hit a switch on another communications device. Not all communications was done by cell phone. He didn't trust that someone might pick up on the conversation. Somewhere out on a lonely highway twenty miles from Gotham City, his charges were approaching a small town. It had been the start of Dick's summer vacation and Bruce decided to get them away from the Manor for a while. They were visiting Brentwood, a private school for boys.

"I really don't want to go there, Bruce," Dick argued. "How am I supposed to be Robin?"

"Where did you get that idea? I don't intend to send you there, Dick," Bruce said. "I'm sorry if I gave you that impression. We're actually going to meet someone. The dean is a friend of my father's. He's retiring and I thought we would pay him a visit."

The emergency buzzer went off just as Bruce was entering the Brentwood city limits.

"Damn!" Bruce answered the buzzer.

"Master Bruce there is an emergency."

"What is it Alfred?"

"A young boy has been kidnapped."

"Holy abduction!" Dick exclaimed.

Bruce gave his ward a stern look.

"Sorry," Dick said and sat back to listen.

"Who's been kidnapped?"

"A boy by the name of Timothy Jackson Drake," Alfred continued. "The bat computer indicates that he is the son of Jack and Janet Drake, your neighbors and his parents are in Europe on some charity event and cannot be reached."

"Why would they leave their son alone?" Bruce asked.

"He is not alone. Apparently, the housekeeper was taking care of the boy. It was she who reported the kidnapping."

"Is there a ransom?"

"The kidnappers are asking one billion dollars," Alfred stated. "How the bat computer knows that I'm not sure."

"One billion . . . I know the Drakes, Alfred. They may be wealthy but they don't have that kind of wealth. That will wipe them out."

"Alfred, does the bat computer know who kidnapped the boy?" Dick asked.

Alfred waited for another card, but none emerged. "The bat computer does not, but Commissioner Gordon has made a plea asking anyone in the vicinity of Robinson Park if they saw anything out of the ordinary."

"Very good Alfred. We're on our way back. Keep listening for any more information."

"Very good, Sir."

Bruce halted the car and turned it around. He headed back to Gotham City and stately Wayne Manor.

"Did Alfred say the boy's name was Timothy Drake? Dick asked. The name sounded familiar to him.

"Yes, I know the Drakes. They attend the same charity functions. Drake Industries produces various products like water reclamation equipment for third world countries to have clean water. I wasn't aware they had a child. They've never spoken about him."

Dick got a flash of a memory of a little boy about 2-3 years of age. It was only a flash. He wasn't sure if it was a memory of not.

"Are we going back to help him?"

"Yes Dick, anyone who would ask for an amount far exceeding a person's income isn't interested in the money."

"Then what are they interested in?"

"Revenge," Bruce said. "And the price may be a little boy's life."

Continues with Part 5