A/N: I had two reviews asking to bring back the line breaks, but I also got two people telling me that taking the line breaks off was good, so the current format is staying and unless you people flood my inbox in protest or something, I'm so done changing my format. Can all reviews from now on be about my story, not my format? Please? I'm sick of debating this. Credit for Riddler's second riddle goes to Ashley Nichol on Yahoo Answers!
The bioship flew through the air, heading north. Robin eyed the cold wind outside nervously. He didn't like cold. Cold and Talons did not mix. Glancing at the thermometer readings on his wrist computer, he shuddered. 10º. Manageable, but highly uncomfortable. He'd be sluggish, and his reaction times wouldn't be the best, but he could fight. However, if the temperature went down a few more degrees, it could get bad.
Kid Flash glanced up and noticed Robin worriedly looking at his wrist computer. He then looked outside and saw how cold it was, then realized why Robin was worried. "Rob? Maybe you should… sit this one out?" Everyone's attention was immediately on them. Robin glared at KF angrily.
I'm fine. Not that cold.
Kid Flash raised his hands in a surrendering motion. "Okay, okay, all I'm saying is that you don't do well with cold."
Raquel piped up. "What do you mean? What's wrong with him?" The rest of the team glared at Raquel for such a blunt and rude statement. She clearly meant well, but the team hated the thought that Robin was somehow… damaged. Robin turned away, and even though he signed nothing, Kid Flash knew him well enough to read the shame etched into his body language.
"It isn't Robin's fault! There's nothing wrong with him!" Wally glared angrily at Rocket.
Robin tapped on the console of the bioship to get the team's attention. It's okay. They deserve to know.
Wally's wide eyes gave off the shock he was feeling. "You're going to tell them… everything?"
Robin shook his head. No. But I'll tell them my full capabilities. KF relaxed a bit. As much as he wanted Robin to tell the team so he had more people to rely on, Kid Flash didn't want to have to see the pain that would surface as Robin told his story.
Aqualad had been translating for Raquel in whispers, but now he stepped forward and fixed Robin with a stern gaze. It rolled right off of the smaller boy, but the suspicion and slight betrayal in his look didn't sit well with him.
"Robin, what do you mean, your 'full capabilities?" Robin smiled grimly at Aqualad.
I have slightly enhanced strength and agility, as well as a healing factor. It's not enough to classify me as a metahuman, but it helps me fight.
"Batman gave you those abilities?" Superboy asked.
Robin shook his head, no. No. That knowledge is highly classified. Only the Founding Members are allowed to know. Besides, it's… not relevant.
Zatanna looked shocked. "Not relevant?! We're your teammates, of course we should know your full capabilities and how you got them!"
Kid Flash stood up and glared at Zatanna before Robin could respond. "You were born with your powers, you don't know what it feels like, sharing your origin story! And really, Robin's background is none of your business, so leave him alone!"
Artemis laid a hand on KF's shoulder and pulled him back into his seat. "I agree with Kid Flash. Some stories aren't meant to be told, Zatanna." Artemis was clearly thinking of her own childhood and broken family.
Robin looked down. He tapped on the console again to grab their attention. Guys, it's okay. I can't tell you how I got my abilities, but most of it is talent, and the result of training since the day I could walk. I do have one big weakness, though. I can't be in temperatures lower than 0º F.
"What happens if you are?" Miss Martian asked.
Robin's face turned grim. I could literally freeze and shatter. Or be put in a coma. If done the right way, if I am frozen I could stay in a coma for years, centuries even, and be woken up in as good a condition as the day I was put to sleep. Everyone in the bioship looked horrified at the thought of Robin being put to sleep and woken up centuries later.
"Maybe you should stay here." Artemis said, surprisingly gently.
Robin looked a bit amused at her worry. I'll be fine, it's not that cold yet.
KF frowned in Robin's direction. "But you'll be slower than usual."
I'll manage. What Robin wouldn't give to be able to say the words aloud, and give them a cutting edge. The sharp motions of his hands seemed to convey Robin's irritation well enough, though.
The rest of the team nodded uneasily, resolving to keep an eye on Robin.
000000000
Robin shuddered as he stepped outside, pulling his thermal enhanced cape tight around him and glaring as his team shot him concerned looks.
"Miss Martian, link us up." Kaldur ordered.
"Link established. Everyone on?"
"This is weird." Raquel looked around, clearly confused.
"You'll get used to it." Wally said a bit brusquely.
"Be nice, Baywatch."
"Whatever, Rapunzel."
"Nice one, KF." Raquel jumped at the unfamiliar voice in her head. "Who was that?"
A cackle from above drew Rocket's attention to Robin, who was perched on a small ledge. "That would be me."
Superboy turned to Rocket. "Robin loves the mindlink because he can talk in it."
Robin flipped to the ground, then promptly drew his cape back around him with a shiver. "Whew. Cold. Look, there's the airplane wreck!" Artemis gasped as she saw the plane that was pretty much cracked in half.
Startled noises came from the rest of the team as they saw the condition of the plane, and a small, scared whisper floated across the mindlink. "No, Jade!" Wally laid a supportive hand on Artemis's shoulder, though he didn't know why she was upset.
"Who's Jade?" Rocket asked.
"It doesn't matter right now." Robin said.
"Robin's right. Search for bodies." Aqualad ordered.
"No need. There's one right here, and it is stunning." The team about-faced to see Cheshire. Robin cursed his cold-dulled senses, and KF eyed Robin concernedly, worrying that the cold was affecting him more than he was letting on. Normally, Robin would've sensed Cheshire as soon as he got off the ship.
"I am flora, not fauna. I am foliage, not trees, I am shrubbery, not grass. What am I?"
I am bush.
The Riddler grinned at Robin. "Good one, bird boy!" Somehow the team wasn't surprised that the Gotham villains had learned sign language to understand the Son of Batman. Riddler continued. "Here's another one! My first is in ocean, but never in sea, my second's in wasp, but never in bee, my third is in glider and also in flight, my whole is a creature that comes out in night. What am I?"
Robin turned very, very pale. No.
The Riddler leered at him. "Oh come on, you know this one, little bird!"
Robin shakily signed, owl, knowing that if the Riddler wasn't answered he got very violent, very quickly, and even though the villain looked D-list, Robin wasn't at his best and the man wasn't a Gotham villain for nothing.
Nigma broke out in wild laughter. "You got it! By the way, Great-Grandfather says hello!" Kid Flash dashed in front of Robin, trying to shield his friend from hearing the Riddler's sly words.
"Shut up!"
Cheshire took in the rest of the team's confused faces, and grinned. "Oh, little birdie, you didn't tell them? How disappointing. Ah, well, it doesn't matter anymore, you'll be sleeping for a very long time. Who knows, you may wake up and everyone's all dead!" Robin flinched backward, wide-eyed and shook his head. Robin suddenly pulled himself together. He covered his terror at the idea of being frozen, pulled his cape closer around him, and snarled noiselessly at Cheshire.
No. I would rather die.
"Sorry, not in the plan. NOW!" At Cheshire's command, thugs equipped with technology clearly from Apokalips step out and fire at the young heroes. Blockbuster jumped out from behind a rock and bodyslammed Superboy out of the way. Robin concluded that the Court had told them about his weakness to cold, because it was the only way the villains would know that the team's most trusted scout would have his senses dulled and would be off his game.
A special soldier fired a red, glowing net at Robin from behind and the boy fell, screaming silently as he was electrocuted. Robin was immediately pulled into a flashback from his early days as a Talon, when the electrum in his blood was activated by injections and electricity. While Robin was writhing in pain under the glowing net, Kid Flash was valiantly trying to protect his best friend. Wally glanced back as he heard a thud, alarmed to see a man had tried to grab the net to drag Robin off but had be miraculously knocked over by a well-timed kick from Robin. It seemed that even cold and in pain, Robin was still lethal.
Zatanna got a moment of space and shouted, "Evomer ten!" The net flew off of Robin, and the boy shook his head a few times to clear it of the flashback, then spied Cheshire running away with the case. Robin snarled and leapt after the woman, tackling her to the ground and swiping her with the sharpened claws on the tips of his gloves. The claws (Robin refused to think of them as talons) left long, shallow cuts across Cheshire's abdomen and Cheshire retaliated by attempting to elbow Robin in the nose. Robin quickly dodged and knocked the villainess out with one blow, fastening batcuffs on her wrists and ankles.
Robin ran to rejoin the fight, and came back to the main area to find that Blockbuster had fled, Riddler was in a magical straitjacket, and the thugs were all unconscious. The team turned to Robin, and before they could ask questions, Robin signed, I got Cheshire. Aqualad praised Robin's quick recovery, Robin shrugged it off, and the team loaded the villains into the holding area of the bioship.
A/N: Can't wait for next chapter, we get confession time. Will Robin tell the team his backstory, or will he remain silent and have to fend off awkward questions? Find out next time on Dark Squire! Anyway, I got a Chromebook for Christmas and it has definitely improved production of chapters! This was written in about an hour and a half, and I'm almost done with two other chapters for a Teen Titans AU oneshot series. And I wrote Heirs and Seconds. If you're an HTTYD fan, check that out, it's got Snotlout and Hiccup cousinly bonding! Okay, okay, I'll stop self-promoting.
Shadowcat500: Yeah, I'm shooting for 11 chapters, maybe more. Hopefully. This story is a big step for me, because I can't normally find the inspiration to write more than three to five chapters. The only time I've gotten more than… six, I think, is my oneshot series, and I don't think that counts because those are oneshots.
Aquarica: Oh, yes. That didn't last long. I can practically feel Bat's irritation already lol.
CHEESEPUFF: I can't bring back the line breaks, but thanks for your vote.
Guest: I liked the linebreaks too. *Pouts* Sorry, but you're outvoted.
Rainfall04: No, it's fine, I love the questions! A lot (and I mean a lot) of your questions cannot be answered because I don't want to spoil too much, but your question about the cold inspired that bit of this chapter, because I wanted to answer your question and then was like, wait, aren't they going into that ambush in northern Canada? Boom, confused team and I'm using poor Raquel's confusion to pose difficult questions cause she's the new girl. Cannot write Rocket for the life of me, though.
: If you had actually read before you reviewed, you would know that this issue is addressed and OVER. THANKS GUYS. Sheesh, quit harping on the line breaks, will ya? I actually have very little plot past what is in the summary of the story, I'm just writing. I'm excited to see where I take this too lol. Sorry if I come off as annoyed, but nobody will just let it go.
Lauren-kun: Okay, it's fine, sorry if I sound mad, but can everyone just drop it? It just seems like my format is all anyone comments on. Linebreaks are over. Thanks for your kind review, and I'll do my best to get the next chapter out faster.
Tayashia: Oh, no. I can already see Batman's annoyed face.
Rieharper: Aww, thanks! Your review is amazingly nice! No, I'm not adding any other Robins in. I'm planning on a followup oneshot series (I do a lot of those, don't I?) and there will definitely be Damian and Jason in there. I try to avoid Tim because I simply find him horribly hard to write, but I'll try to put Tim in. Actually, Jason irritates me, because it's been, like, ten years and he's still whining that he died and wasn't missed. Newsflash, you have a freaking memorial in the Batcave that Batman broods about all the time. Jason's just overrated in my opinion, no offense. Although his attitude is fun to use to compliment Dick's. And I have no idea what I'm doing with the sign language, I'm just hoping it doesn't end up failing.
