"Hey, Dick!"

Dick Grayson turned around to see a boy from his statistics class hurrying closer, with two strangers trailing more slowly behind.

"Hey, Ollie. I thought you went home."

"I did but I had to come back for some microscope time. Break is the only time the professors aren't hogging the equipment. Listen," he gestured to the two people behind him, who were keeping a polite distance, "I was wondering if you could show a family around a bit of campus. I said I could but I just heard that I could get a ride to Metropolis for the weekend if I leave, like, right now."

Dick held back a groan. He had been up all night digging into the death of student Nate Donovan and what he found had only convinced him that he had a lot more investigating to do. Robin spent hours in the dark of the president's office, reading communications about Donovan's disappearance and rifling through student files. At first he felt a little awkward wearing his costume in the office, but he knew it was better to be safe than sorry if someone made a late night security check or if there were hidden cameras. That didn't stop him from putting his feet up on the president's desk as he read.

Nate's file was unremarkable at first. Robin couldn't find anything that stood out in his family life, grades, classes, or extracurriculars. Although his death was being investigated by the GCPD, campus security and the GSU Office of the President were making inquiries as well. Robin had no doubt some of this was an attempt to find out if the school could be held at fault in any way. The head of campus security interviewed several of Nate's friends, classmates, and professors.

The first couple of interviews were typical. Some of his friends thought it was odd that he had disappeared, some thought he might have just gone on vacation, and a few didn't even know he was gone. No one had any idea where he might have gone. A lot of the questions focused on Nate's physical and mental health. Most people, including Nate's girlfriend, thought he had been acting normal. They didn't remember any moments of depression, wandering off on his own, or acting strange. The last person to see him alive, Max Yount, said that Nate finished his shift at the training center and even confirmed his schedule for the next week.

Robin thought that was a strike against any theories about suicide. Plus, a few comments from other classmates suggested that Nate might have had problems. One floormate wondered if Nate had been cheating on his girlfriend, and one co-ed reported that Nate had asked her out and then gotten mad when she reminded him that he had a girlfriend. Another mentioned late nights and that he sometimes saw Nate returning home after dawn the next morning. One friend remembered Nate complaining about money problems the previous semester. For an entire week the friend heard Nate smashing and throwing things in his room in frustration, and then the problem just seemed to fade away. At least four people reported that Nate liked to drink to the point of being wasted, and two said he'd been drinking a lot more than usual.

Robin continued to skim the files for anything that stood out. About two hours into the reading he started to fidget. He had bailed on the evening patrol and had little to show for it. He took a moment to reflect on what got him interested in the disappearance in the first place. Sure, he had a natural interest as a schoolmate and a crime-fighter, but it's not like he personally knew Nate or anyone closely related to the case. Maybe it was how fast the news spread within the student body, small as it was in the off-season. Or maybe it was the way students turned their bodies to huddle closer together when they talked about it. He thought back to when he first noticed the rumors and realized it was only the day after Nate was last seen. How many times did a student disappear and it went unreported for days, or even weeks? With Nate, a shadow fell on the campus even before the was body was found.

Robin suddenly grabbed the file folder again. He flipped through the pages of interviews until he found one, and then shuffled again until he found a second. He quickly re-skimmed the pages, first one and then the other. A coworker, Mark Knipping, and a classmate, Desmond Crews, both mentioned Nate's drinking habits. Both suggested that Nate had been partying harder lately. Both said that Nate sometimes liked to "take the edge off" and drink at the river overlook. And both used those exact same words.

The rest of the night flew by fast. Within minutes Robin had erased his presence from the president's office and made scans of every page in the much thicker student files of Mark Knipping and Desmond Crews. By the time he made it to the Cave on his bike, the computer had analyzed the uploaded files and a pattern was starting to emerge. He wanted to keep working but at 9 a.m. Alfred ordered him back to campus and his morning composition class, which he had to re-take in the summer because of too many missed classes during the year.

By the end of class, he wasn't feeling particularly fond of Alfred, his professor, or his fellow classmates, and he certainly wasn't feeling up to giving a campus tour.

"Ollie, another time I'd —"

"Please, Dick. We've already seen east campus. There's just Vreeland Hall, the library, and the gymnasium left." Ollie leaned closer. "Jenny Mirushak offered the ride." His eyes were pleading.

Tired and distracted as he was, Dick knew it was a lost cause now. Ollie had been hot for Jenny ever since she started an argument in class with Professor Polenz about statistical significance. Ollie clearly sided with Jenny and Dick could thank her for the one and only statistics class he did not fall asleep in. He caved.

"Yeah, fine." He smiled and waved awkwardly at the father and son behind Ollie. He decided to try and not make them feel like they were keeping him from a well-earned nap. Which they were.

When they approached, Ollie introduced them. "Dick, this is Roger Bannon and Jonny Quest. Guys, this is Dick Grayson, the nicest guy at GSU."

"I already said yes, Ollie. Now beat it." Dick waved off his classmate.

"I appreciate this, Mr. Grayson," the young man with blonde hair said after Ollie left. "Look, if you have somewhere to go, we can find our own way around."

Dick shook his head. "No I'm happy to show you around. Just know that you are getting the personalized, unofficial Dick Grayson tour of Gotham State, meaning very little discussion of academia will be included."

Jonny laughed. Roger Bannon, whoever he was, did not. At first glance, Dick had thought they were father and son, but their names and a closer look said different. There was something about the way the man held himself that made Dick wary.

"I think we'll head to the gym first, since you two look like that might be one of your frequent haunts." Bannon looked at him and then away again. He seemed to be eying every building and shrub on campus.

Jonny flexed his bicep and dropped the pitch of his voice. "Oh, can you tell? Yes, I believe the gym is this way." As he pointed he flexed his bicep more and flashed a cocky expression. An old joke, but a classic.

Dick laughed. "Follow me, sport." The three of them walked to the gymnasium. Dick asked what they had already seen and what they thought about the school, and Jonny asked Dick the same. Dick talked about his classes and fellow students, trying to stay on the positive side of things. He most definitely did not mention his late night research. He didn't have much to say about the technical programs Jonny was interested in and was glad when they reached the gym and he could talk about something he did know.

The gymnasium was a monstrous relic of the post-war era, with a vaulted ceiling, massive windows, a wooden floor, and a smell that permeated the entire building. Bannon, Dick noted, almost smiled. Maybe.

"Who is that?" Jonny's eyes were glued to the lithe figure doing a complex gymnastic routine on the uneven bars.

"Close your mouth, Jonny." Mr. Bannon said, his voice as dry and deep as Dick imagined it would be.

Dick grinned and watched the young woman complete her set. She was adding difficult, even dangerous, maneuvers that would never be allowed in competition. She performed them flawlessly, with a power and grace that filled his next words with awe.

"That, fellas, is my girlfriend." As if to punctuate his words, she somersaulted high into the air and came down in a solid, graceful landing. "Kind of."

Jonny and Mr. Bannon looked at him.

"Kind of?" Jonny asked, confused. "You don't know?"

"With some women you never really know, kid."

This time Bannon laughed. "Ain't that the truth."

"Well are you going to clap or just stand there like creepy weirdos?" The gymnast was walking their way.

"Sorry, Babs." Dick and Jonny clapped loudly and added a few raucous whistles.

"That's more like it." She smiled at the visitors. "I'm Barbara."

"I'm Jonny and this is Race. We're checking out the campus."

Dick found it interesting that Jonny took the lead with introductions. He had an easy confidence that wasn't common in most kids his age.

Jonny turned to Race. "I can't believe how much she looks like Jessie!"

"Jessie?" asked Barbara.

Jonny turned back to explain. "Race's daughter. She looks a lot like you. I doubt she could do what you just did though." He quickly added, "No offense, Race."

"No, you're right, Jonny. I'm sure that routine took years of practice and training. Patience is not one of Jessie's strong suits."

"With a dad named Race, I wonder where she gets that from," Barbara said, laughter in her eyes. "So what brings you to GSU, Jonny?"

Jonny shrugged, as most prospective students did when asked this question. "Well, I'm really interested in computers. Engineering, robotics, virtual reality and that kind of stuff. My Dad thinks GSU has some potential."

"Your Dad thinks so?" Barbara asked. GSU was well known for its innovative tech labs and Jonny was making it sound like a community college.

"Jonny Quest, as in Quest Enterprises?" Dick asked, the pieces falling into place.

"That's us," said Jonny, somewhat sheepishly.

"Hey, I know the feeling," said Dick. Jonny looked at him and Dick just shrugged, "You're not the only one with a big shoes to fill."

"Tell me about it," Barbara chimed in.

The three of them looked at each other and laughed.

"Well, Johnny," said Barbara, "I'm not Benton Quest but I think the classes here at GSU will be challenging enough for you. And if they're not, it's easy to set up internships and personal projects. I'm working on an integrated database system right now that's completely my own design."

"Look at the time." Dick was looking at his wrist, which was bare. "We'd best be moving on, Babs."

"You are shameless, Dick Grayson." She winked at Jonny. "We'll have to talk sometime when Caveman here isn't around. He thinks computers will take over the world someday."

Race turned to Dick, "I'm liking you more and more every minute."

"Nice to meet you, Barbara," said Jonny.

Dick lingered while Race and Jonny headed toward the door. He leaned close and whispered into Barbara's ear. "You looked amazing."

Barbara blushed and smacked him with her towel. "You're supposed to value me for my mind, not my body, Dick."

"I do. Aren't you helping me with my psych make-up paper tomorrow? Besides, you're one to talk. It's obvious that you can't possibly value me for my mind." He stepped back from her and did a back flip with the ease and flare that came natural only to him. But he wasn't fast enough to duck the towel that Barbara threw in his face.