(ducks from being Falcon-Punched) OKAY! I know! I haven't updated in a month! Please don't kill me!
(sigh) Now that that's out of the way, let's move on to our story in progress, shall we?
Enjoy!
Days of regular nightly training had gone by with little improvement from the newest addition to the Dynamic Team.
Matt took a breath as he stopped himself from falling to the floor for the umpteenth time that evening, "Jesus, Greyson, what are you?!"
Dick smirked, "For you, practice." He continued battling the newbie hero, who was barely managing to dodge the multiple punches and kicks being thrown at him so quickly. Matt was surprised. Did he know that the Boy Wonder was good? Yes. Was he aware that he had the skills of a trained karate master?
Not really.
Matt tried to dodge the blows with his fighting stick in hand, only to find that he and Dick's sticks were pressed together, shaking by each other's weight and pressure. He noticed the golden opportunity and whacked at Dick's leg, hoping it would throw him off balance.
Disappointment enveloped him as the Boy Wonder sprung backwards and smiled back at him, his expression only irritating Matt more.
"You're going to have to do better than that, Walker."
"Says the guy who stuffs Gushers in his super-undies."
Dick opened his mouth to retaliate when a loud screeching noise reached their ears, the Bat Cave pulsating with red lights. The Bat Screen sparked with life as a newsreel began to play.
"We interrupt this broadcast of 'Me & My Dick' to bring you this message. The National Bank of Gotham has just been robbed. Police have yet to catch the criminal, but was last seen heading towards downtown Gotham. The criminal has not been identified, but we here at Channel seven have been told that he is armed and dangerous."
Dick groaned inwardly. Of all the worst times to be called for help. Matt hadn't even figured out how to recover from a blow yet.
Still…maybe it was time for Matt to see some real action.
He turned to his trainee, "I hate to do this but…. You're coming with me."
Matt became wide-eyed, "Really?" He felt his heart suddenly race with excitement. He had been waiting for this for way too long. And it was about frickin' time.
"Well I certainly don't trust you alone in the Bat Cave," the Boy Wonder replied, now in his superhero costume as he slipped on his mask.
"What about Alfred?"
"Again, I don't trust you alone in the Bat Cave." Matt watched as Dick placed on his gloves as a thought occurred to him. He beamed.
"Do I get a codename?" He said excitedly, "Can I have one please?" Seriously? Dick thought impatiently.
"Why?" He asked.
"Because whenever superheroes go out on a mission they get a codename and that becomes their superhero name!" Dick sat there silently, irritated and mildly confused as to why Matt had this sudden change of attitude. Their tone towards one another had been cruel over the past several days, but this… joy in Matt's voice was almost unrecognizable to the tone he was used to.
Dick grumbled, "…Fine. For our system of codenames, you must take on the guise of something you fear most. So… what are you afraid of?" It was quiet for a few moments while Matt thought it over. Something he was afraid of…. But it had to sound cool.
"…Fire."
"Really?"
Matt's brows furrowed, "Yeah."
"You don't even have any flame-based abilities or weapons! How could that possibly work?!"
"Says the guy named after the very ordinary state bird of Wisconsin."
Dick growled, "Alright, fine. However, since our codenames are based on flying creatures, I'll call you…. Flamebird."
"Isn't that technically a phoenix?"
"Yeah? So?"
"Why can't I just be 'The Phoenix'?!"
"Unless you want to be mistaken for the female superhero of the same name, I suggest you stick with Flamebird!"
The trainee folded his arms in defeat, "Fine." The Boy Wonder began running out to the garage when he heard Matt's voice again. "Don't I get a costume?"
"We don't have time for that! Just grab your ski mask and let's go!" Matt grabbed the ski mask from a nearby chair and began following Dick to the garage. When his eyes saw the Batmobile, a rush of adrenaline ran through him… Only to have it abruptly stopped by Dick's arm. "This way." He led Matt over to a small red motorcycle on the other side of the garage: the Robincycle.
"Why aren't we taking the Batmobile?"
"Only Bruce and Alfred are allowed to drive it," Dick replied, lifting up his leg to get onto the seat. Clearly the motorcycle was built for a much smaller Dick Grayson and the design was so outrageous to him that Matt had to laugh. Dick narrowed his brow in annoyance, "Shut the hell up and get on the bike."
"Well I've named just about everyone in Gotham I can think of and you're not a single one of them!" Meredith groaned.
The shadowed figure laughed, "Keep trying. You were pretty damn close when you mentioned that Adam West fellow." As he continued laughing, Meredith looked more closely at him, hoping that a sliver of moonlight could assist in this mystery. She was about to give up when something caught her eye. She only saw it briefly, but she knew she saw her clue.
On the man's shirt was a symbol… of a bat.
"Wait a second… You're!" She stopped herself when she heard the door unlock. A familiar low chuckling rang out into the room. "What do you want?"
"Ah, I just want to see how my two captives are doing!" Sweet Tooth walked across the room, touching Meredith's chair and meeting eyes with her. "Figured it out yet, SweeTart? It's only been, what, a week? Pity, I thought you'd be smarter than you're uncle." Meredith could feel her toenails dig into her shoes as the candy criminal moved towards the figure in the corner.
"So Batman… how's Wayne Industries? Oh wait! You wouldn't know now would you? Now unless, of course…." Meredith felt her heart drop into her stomach. Her hunch was partially correct. She had figured out by sheer luck that her fellow captive was the Caped Crusader.
She would've never guessed that he was also Bruce Wayne.
"Just so we're clear, I'm enjoying this just as less you are." Matt uncomfortably hung on to the Boy Wonder's waist as they neared their destination.
"For the first time ever, I actually can agree with you," Robin replied, disgust dripping on his tone but his eyes focused on both the road and the scanner before on his bike.
The culprit was near.
"That was a bit harsh, don't you think?" Stephanie had watched it all from their surveillance room, cameras placed in almost every corner of the building. It surprised her that the Candy Prince of Crime had managed to get electricity in this place.
But then again, this was a criminal mastermind she was dealing with.
"The girl had to know at some point," Sweet Tooth replied, "Even you have to admit it was annoying having to watch her guess 24/7." Stephanie nodded, the only response she knew she could make without lifting any red flags.
"Bruce Wayne," Stephanie pondered aloud. "Who would've thought?"
"He wasn't my first guess either," Sweet Tooth began. "But it wasn't hard to figure out who the Batman was." The blonde thought about asking, but discarded that thought immediately. That answer would come with time. "Now come, my little Sugar Baby… we have work to do."
"It appears the criminal is in this alleyway," Dick said, having followed the track of multiple dollar bills. He turned to his trainee and was met with a surprise. He shared the same look on his face as he did his first night on the town so many years ago. That look in his eye was so similar that he wondered whether or not Matt and himself were that different. "Are you ready?"
Matt flinched, "What do you mean 'are you ready?'"
Dick sighed, "I figured since this was you're first night out that you would have the honor to defeat your first villain."
"Really?!" Dick shushed him, subconsciously questioning the Flamebird's mental age.
"Let's see who you're up against, and I'll guide you the best that I can but it's your responsibility to defeat him." Matt nodded as they both peeked around the corner. Matt couldn't help himself. He was shaking with anticipation as he wondered who is opponent would be...
His expression changed to one of annoyance and disappointment, "Two-Face?! Really?!"
Dick shrugged, "Beggers can't be choosers. Now go!" The Boy Wonder shoved the novice hero into the alleyway, just as Two-Face turned to meet eyes with him.
"What the deuce?"