Chapter 4

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Terry slung his backpack higher over his shoulder and searched through the halls for his longtime girlfriend, who was nowhere to be found. He grabbed at the first familiar face in hopes of a clue.

"Hey Chels," he nodded her way. "You seen Dana?"

"Better catch up quick, tiger," Chelsea said with a teasing smile, pointing off toward a distant locker, where Dana was laughing beside none other than Jack Donnelly. Jack was smiling flirtatiously and flipping his perfect blonde hair in an attempt to flaunt it. Terry frowned in dislike and quickly made his way over to them.

"--Was thinking, maybe, Saturday?" Jack finished as Terry came near.

"I don't know…" Dana hesitated.

"Hey, Dane," Terry said quickly, sweeping his arm over her shoulder possessively. "Jack."

"Terry," Jack replied, that grin still firmly in place as he turned to go, taking Terry's obvious hint. "Think about it, Dana. See you later."

Dana stared at Terry expectantly, knowing full well what was coming next. She didn't stick around long for his reaction. Terry jogged a bit to catch up with her stride.

"Did he just ask you out?" he demanded.

"Don't be ridiculous, Terry, he just needs a math tutor."

"Oh, of course he does. I'm sure he's really interested at crunching numbers…"

Dana halted, and got close to Terry's face in anger.

"Well, I can't say it isn't nice to have a bit of attention for once, Ter."

With that, she whirled around and left Terry behind utterly speechless.

"Ouch," Max commented, coming to Terry's side, books against her chest. "Even I feel the heat of that burn."

The bell rang, and the students thinned out to head to their classes. Terry started to head out with the rest of them.

"I'm losing her, Max," Terry stated sadly. His brow was furrowed in intense dismay. "Will duties always make Batman end up alone?"

"Only time will tell. And speaking of duties," Max said, stopping their walk to point off behind him. "Look."

Terry turned to spy Parker Kelly lingering by her locker. She quickly put something on her shelf, something small and liquid. She glanced around her to make sure no one was watching her, without spotting Terry and Max. As soon as she was beyond sight, Terry looked to his accomplice with a sly eye. Max smiled right back.

-

"Is this really your kind of investigating?" Max said, keeping an eye out for any passer's-by while Terry fiddled with Parker's locker. He bit his lip as he worked on the security lock without success.

"More than you know," Terry replied. "Back in the day I could hack open one of these in thirty seconds or less…. Com'on!" he coaxed the locker as it stayed firmly put.

"Need some help, 'World's Greatest Detective'?" Max asked snottily.

"You think you can do any better?" Terry surrendered, stepping aside. "Be my guest."

Max blew on her fingers, and stretched out her arms, getting prepared. Then, she simply typed in the security numbers and opened the door.

"How did you--?" Terry began in amazement.

"I know, I know," Max gloated. "Sometimes I'm so good I amaze myself."

Terry quirked an eyebrow, not buying it for a second.

"You share a locker in gym?"

"I'm feeling safer already, 'World's Greatest Detective'."

"Stop calling me that. Someone might hear you."

"Please," Max huffed. "You think this generation is capable of putting two and two together? You're fine."

"You did, didn't you?"

Max frowned.

"Touché."

Terry took a closer look at the small vile Parker had placed in her locker not moments before.

"It looks just like the sample I got," Terry observed.

"What does that tell us?" Max wondered.

"It means Parker using the school to make more of whatever's in this vile. And I'll bet good money it's the fear toxin used on our fake Robin."

"Or Parker IS your fake Robin," Max pointed out. "And she took herself a sample just like you."

"No, she wouldn't be stupid enough to leave it here, unless she was our Scarecrow wannabe and wanted to keep it handy."

"I'm all for girl power, but this chick's too much. What are you going to do?"

Terry sighed and rolled his eyes.

"What the old man would want. Wait until we know for sure."

-

"It's a fear toxin, all right," Bruce agreed with Terry, back at the Batcave. "A nerve gas more than anything else. It doesn't just cause fear in your mind, it creates it into the closest thing to real life, using every sense you have against you."

"So, what's your guess?" Terry said, leaning over the desk to look at a few facts and figures of the liquid substance. "You think the girl's the Scarecrow wannabe? She's certainly creepy enough. Or is that too obvious?"

"No," Bruce replied, leaning back in his chair. "It's not quite obvious enough. We'll have to wait until we find more evidence."

"That's what I always hated about your strategy, Bruce," said a voice from the doorway. It was a white-haired man, handsome for his age. His hair was pulled back into a long ponytail, his face worn and harsh, his stance proud. "It was always waiting and never enough doing."

Bruce arose from his chair without the aid of his cane. The other man smirked at Bruce as he came over to them, while Terry tried to figure out what was going on, why a stranger was in the Batcave, how he had known about it in the first place, how he knew Bruce's strategy…?

"It's you, isn't it?" Terry breathed. "The original Robin! Bruce's very first partner…"

"With an alter ego of Dick Grayson," the man replied, shaking Terry's hand. "I've been keeping an eye on you kid and I must say, not bad, not bad at all."

"What do you want?" Bruce demanded gruffly.

"Frankly, I'm disappointed in you, Bruce, as always," Dick went on. "What, with my suit appearing around Gotham… I thought for sure that might make you get off that high horse and try and contact me…"

"What do you want?" Bruce asked again, letting Dick know he didn't enjoy repeating himself.

"I just wanted to gloat a bit, is all. To hear you congratulate me on a job well done. I had my doubts at first, but then I did a bit of research on your new delinquent protégé, I now think my ward could run circles around yours, really."

"You let whoever it was take your Robin suit?" Terry spat out in surprise.

"You still haven't discovered the identity?" Dick laughed. "Age has slowed you down considerably, old man. Of course, now you trust your gopher here to do all that dirty work for you now, don't you?"

Bruce only glared.

"Hey," Terry said. "This isn't some game, this is saving people's lives. With all due respect, I think both of you sidekicks need to stay out of Gotham."

"You're going to let him talk like that to me, Bruce?"

"Get out," Bruce replied in a low growl.

"Hey, last time I left on my own," Dick retorted. "I can do it again."

Dick made his way up the stairs of the Batcave once more, pausing just before he got to the doorway.

"You know, I would have given you a name if you had just asked, Bruce."

"I said, get out, before I sick my dog on you," Bruce repeated himself once more.

"May the best protégé win," Dick replied ominously, before taking his leave.

-

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Signed,
--RedRogue