Part 8 - Dick, Roy and Wally
"Where's Bruce?" Dick asked, looking around. So far, he had managed to locate a few of his family members. Colin stuck out in his priest outfit and Damian was usually close by to him. Tim was mingling with the crowd with a pleasant smile on his face.
But Bruce, the person who usually created a crowd and was simple to find, didn't seem to be present.
"Who knows," Roy answered with a shrug. Dick frowned at him before getting up. "Really? We're supposed to be having a good time, not searching for wayward father figures."
"When did you two make up anyway?" Wally asked, following Dick. "I thought you were fighting."
Dick didn't know whether to sigh or laugh.
"That was three years ago, Wally. Now, do either of you have a communicator I could use?"
Roy shrugged at Wally and produced his communicator, a round yellow device with a 'T' in the centre.
Dick thanked them and they followed him up the stairs to the landing on the second floor. Wally and Roy shared another look as they knew Dick didn't want to be here; he had told them as much himself. Yet, here he was, weaving through the crowd and smiling as if he wanted to.
They snuck up to the landing and Dick pressed a few buttons on the communicator. He explained he was activating the voice only command before he dialled.
"I did not know they had those," Wally commented before Dick shushed him.
"Wait? You're here?" Dick gasped before there were sounds of explosions and panic. The call was cut off in the confusion. "Wally! Get down there and tell us what you see!" Dick ordered, his voice in Robin's confident tone and not Dick's soft one.
Wally nodded and was gone and back in the space of two seconds. He quickly described what he had saw and Dick poked his head around to see if he could get a good look. He could see the ceiling but parts of the hall were cut off from his sight. It was not a good vantage point. He could see the gunmen but not his friends or family.
"Where's Bruce?" Dick thought out loud.
"I didn't see him," Wally said.
"He's probably changing into Batman," Roy suggested, seeing the way Dick's brows knitted.
Dick frowned and closed his eyes for a moment in thought.
"No," he decided a moment later. Dick stood up and looked around. "We need to find him, now."
"Uh, what about downstairs?" Wally questioned, pointing.
"My older siblings are here, as is my team. They can handle it."
Wally sighed.
"I guess this is like old times," Roy said, smirking as he thought about it. The three of them had been close before Robin had left and created the Teen Titans. They were still close but they didn't have adventures with just the three of them as often.
Wally looked between his two friends and remembered a particular time when they had pranked their mentors. He smiled as well.
"Alright," he said, stretching out his arms and legs. "Let's do this." And he was off, checking every room while Dick and Roy followed at a snail's pace.
In one room, a small office with a desk, a couch and a window, they found Bruce Wayne in the arms of one Harley Quinn.
"Oh no, the little mice found us!" she chuckled.
"Diiiick," Wally whined as he took a few steps back. His friends speed up and arrived just as Harley pulled out her mallet.
"Bruce!" The blood drained from his head as he spotted his mentor unconscious and slung over Harley Quinn's shoulder.
"She is strong." Wally stared at Roy as Dick refused to take his eyes off the nightmarish scene. "What? We all know he's not the lightest guy around."
"The Joker's still locked up," Dick pointed out, moving into the room and picking up the hat rack just inside the door. It would make a good makeshift weapon. "Why are you here?"
Harley laughed and used her mallet to knock out the window behind her, right as gunfire sounded below.
"Hmm, figure it out yourselves, kiddies!" she laughed. "I will say this, it's a riot that Bruce Wayne gets kidnapped from his own event because the capes and boys in blue are too busy with the guys downstairs!"
"Not going to happen!" Wally declared, "because we're going to stop you!"
There was a moment pause. Then Harley roared with laughter.
"You've got her quaking in her boots," Roy commented dryly.
Dick shot them both glares before rushing forward. Before he could reach her, Harley tossed some pellets on the ground and the room exploded with gas.
Wally had heard all about the Joker's gas and he knew that Dick wasn't carrying any air filtering equipment on him. His superspeed kicked into gear and he grabbed Dick first, pulling him out of the room and dropping him at the stairs before going back for Roy.
"Bruce!" Dick cried out, doing a flip over Wally and dashing back to the room.
"It's dangerous!" Roy said, grabbing Dick around his waist and holding him back.
Dick pulled and wriggled.
"Let me go! We have to help him!"
"No! Stop moving you fool!"
"Dick, the best thing to do right now is tell the rest of your family." Wally stood before his friends as he spoke.
Dick's sharp blue eyes spoke of betrayal as they glared at him. They were shiny with unshed tears.
"I'm the leader the Teen Titans," Dick said, going slack in Roy's grip. "What's the point if I can't even save one person?"
"Right now, you're Dick Grayson. Kid brother to Jason Todd-"
"-Tim Drake, Damian Wayne," Wally added.
"And Cassandra Cain. Not to mention, Steph and Barbara will be willing to help."
"And us."
"And us," Roy agreed. "And the rest of the Teen Titans. You heard them, they were trying to warn Bruce."
Dick nodded and they pretended not to hear the sniffle. He rubbed at his eyes with his sleeve and then paused.
"You know," he said, "I really miss my mask right now."
Wally's response was to hug him. Dick responded to that by stepping on his toes. Roy laughed at Wally and then teased Dick about needing his mask to be a hero. Which resulted in both Wally and Dick both calling him a 'Robin knock off' and Roy calling Dick 'Bird Boy'.
"Where's Grayson?"
Everyone looked around, even the Teen Titans, although they had little idea who they were looking for.
"I hope he hasn't been kidnapped," Barbara commented.
"You hear that Dick? No faith. No faith at all," Wally commented, sliding down the banister with a smile on his face and a glint in his eyes. His hair was already starting to come loose from being brushed down and was returning to its windswept, combed back state.
"You are never going to believe what happened," Roy said, walking down the steps with Dick behind him. He waved his hands through the air. "It's just crazy."
Behind him, Dick rolled his eyes and heaved a sigh.
"It's Gotham."
"He's right though. Crazy," Wally said.
"I need to find better friends," Dick said, rubbing his palm on his forehead. Then he paused. "Oh wait. I did." His voice was bland and amused as he obviously made a joke.
Cass' shoulders hitched in amusement as Jason barked laughter. Tim adjusted his glasses, using the motion to hide his smile. Barbara smirked and shifted her stance so she was crossing her arms.
"Burn," Damian stated, quite pleased with his little brother.
The Teen Titans were just confused as Roy and Wally both gave Dick friendly knocks.
"So," Stephanie hummed, "what happened?"
Dick froze, his slightly cheery mood dissipating. Roy and Wally sighed in unison. They had tried to cheer him up a little but it wasn't enough to stop Dick from reliving his 'failure' upstairs.
"Bruce Wayne's been kidnapped," Wally said, stepping forward.
"And it's totally not our fault that Harley Quinn made off with his unconscious body," Roy said before Dick could speak up and take the blame. "She tried to gas us."
Steph and Damian shared looks. Damian stormed off upstairs with Colin on his heels.
"Alright people," Steph said, taking control as the next oldest and Oracle, "Tim, you're upstairs. Collect as much evidence as you can." Tim groaned. "Cass, go with him and make sure he doesn't end up getting killed by Damian."
Cass nodded.
"As for the rest of us, we'll reconvene at the Bat Bunker. Jason, call Alfred and get him up to speed. Barbara, I'll call your dad and tell him we've scheduled a sleepover disguised as an all-night study session-"
"Does that mean they're having a sleepover or a study session?" Cyborg whispered to Cass.
"She's going to let Commissioner Gordon decide that," Cass explained.
"Teen Titans, Dick, Roy and Wally will-"
"I promised my uncle I'd go home after the event!" Wally said without thinking. Steph gave him a deadly smile.
"The event's not over yet. Not until we get Bruce back. And you could always bring your girlfriend here. Yes, I know you didn't promise your uncle but your girl."
"I did say something to Uncle Barry, I just also promised Jinx I'd take her out tomorrow."
"You're doomed," Roy decided. Jinx was going to get him back for cancelling.
"Jinx?" Cyborg questioned in a strangled voice.
"That would make you the Kid Flash, correct?" Starfire said.
"That's right! I'm the one, the only-"
"Impulse makes two," Barbara stated, mentioning the twenty year old speedster from the future who was affiliated with Young Justice. "Now stop interrupting."
Wally curled up and tried to look pathetic.
"As I was saying, Teen Titans and honorary Teen Titan, can take the car back. I've already summoned it. The rest of you will make our own way back. I'm going to head to my office where I'll be of best use to you all."
"So, we don't get a ride?" Jason huffed. "Not cool."
"I'm going to aim for one of the car's back seats," Barbara pointed out.
"I doubt there's that much room in whatever car we're taking," Beast Boy mused.
Steph clapped her hands. "Alright guys, let's move!"
Beast Boy drooled as the Batmobile pulled up in all its dark glory.
Dick wished he could enjoy Beast Boy's obvious, loving expressions over the Batmobile but he caught the looks Cyborg was sending him. The looks said they would be talking about this.
