Chapter 09: Flamebird Begins
Commissioner Bullock waited atop Police Precinct with Detective Renee Montoya he impatiently checked his watch.
"Don't worry Harvey he'll be here." Montoya said, "Just be patient Commissioner."
"Don't tell me to be patient Detective." Bullock said smoking a cigar.
"You know that will kill you right." Batman said out of nowhere startling the two Police Officers.
"JESUS! Now I know how Gordon felt." Bullock said.
"No you don't." Montoya said.
"Anyway, I hope you saw the news today a new 'Clown Prince of Crime' is in Gotham." Bullock said removing his cigar from his mouth and putting it out.
"We have reason to believe it is Jim Gordon's son, James Gordon Jr." Detective Montoya said, "He fits the card no pun intended, he is a former Arkham inmate, almost killed shortly after birth possibly causing his…odd behavior, and he was always weird. What do you say Nightwing?"
"First off Montoya I'm Batman now." Batman said angrily though impressed she knew he was Nightwing, "In the Bat-Bunker earlier we came to the same assumption."
"What happened to the Batcave?" Montoya asked.
"We were breached and one battle later. KABOOM!" Robin said.
"You have one now." Bullock said.
"Yeah, hey I was Robin once, so it only makes since and technically this is my second one." Batman said.
"Do I care?" Bullock said, "After all I HATE CAPES!" as a Cop entered the top of the precinct
"Sir we just got a silent alarm from the First National Bank of Gotham they are being robbed." The officer said.
"Don't worry Red Robin and Spoiler are handling it." Batman said.
"Thanks." Bullock said and turned to the Cop, "Take a squad and go get the robbers and take 'em to Blackgate."
"Yes sir." The Cop said and ran downstairs and when Bullock turned around Batman, Robin, Batgirl, Redbird, Nightingale, and Batarcher were gone.
"Now you know how Gordon felt." Montoya said smiling.
Bullock looked at her sternly "Get back to work" he said about to turn off the Bat-Signal, "You know what I'll keep it on." Bullock said.
"Good idea." Montoya said. In the Batmobile Batman was on a call with Tim Wayne, Red Robin.
"What do you mean they were taken care of when you arrived?" Batman asked.
"I mean we got there and they were knocked out I checked the security footage showed a redhead in a red and yellow outfit appeared out of nowhere kicked their asses but she didn't walk away uninjured she told the clerk to wait five minutes and press the silent alarm" Tim said, "the clerk backed up the story. She was doing a lot of flips and acrobatic movements."
"Did you say redhead?" Dick said and looked at Barbara, "Do you think?" he asked Barbara.
"Do I need to remind you she's on our side?" Tim said.
"Maybe" Barbara said to Dick, "she did know all those facts about the new Joker just by seeing him on a TV and she is an acrobat." She said ignoring Tim
"Hello?" Tim said, "Can you hear me?"
"We'll talk to her tomorrow." Dick said.
"YO!" Tim shouted.
"What?" Dick asked.
"What do you mean what you just randomly started ignoring me. What the hell?" Tim said.
"Sorry something personal." Dick said, "Do you have a picture of her where we can see her face downloaded into your system?" he asked.
"Yeah, why?" Tim asked.
"Can you send it to me?" Dick asked.
"Sure I'll have to cut the connection to do it. Red Robin out." Red Robin answered
"Batmobile out." Batman said a few seconds later he received the picture he opened it on the windshield the picture made him stop in the middle of the street the mystery person was Raya, "Something tells me the train didn't leave her behind, something tells me she quit." He said looking at Barbara with a shocked expression. The next day Dick and Barbara confronted her on the matter while the kids were at school.
"Hey Raya can we talk?" Barbara asked.
"Not now Barbara I'm on the Phone with Mr. Haly." Raya said holding her arm and walked into her room a few seconds later she backed into the room followed by Batman his cape covered most of his costume he had a voice disguiser in his hand complements of Green Arrow.
"Mrs. Grayson close the blinds no one must see this conversation happen or both of you will be targeted." Batman said.
"Sure thing." Barbara said faking being scared she ran and closed all the blinds Batman pulled out the photo of the woman in Red.
"I ran facial recognition on this photo the face came up as yours. Is this true?" Batman asked.
"Yes it is. Why, are you upset I beat your partners to the punch?" Raya said.
"Move your arm." Batman said reluctantly Raya to reveal a big cut wound from the fight the previous night, "Miss Vestir—" Batman started but was cut off.
"Drop the act Dickie I know it's you and Barbara I know your Batgirl." Batman walked out of the shadow turned off the voice disguiser and removed his mask.
"How'd you know?" he asked as the armor flowed off his body.
"Dickie I've known you since you were little, I was there when your parents died, I was there when Bruce adopted you, how would I not know it was you from a toy that disguises your voice and a mask that covers your eyes only." Raya said, "And Barbara you are the late Jim Gordon's daughter doing good is in your family it was as easy to figure her out as tying a shoe then it was just putting two and two together." She said smiling.
"Impressive" Dick said putting the gloves in a backpack, "very impressive. But I think you should hang it up for your sake, you need to go back to Haly's Circus it's where you belong." Dick said.
"You don't know where I belong Grayson!" Raya shouted, "These past years after you gave it up the Circus it's gone downhill I dressed up in that outfit to get your attention to get you to come home. To get you to come back to the circus and save it." Raya said looking at him almost with puppy dog eyes but Dick didn't crumble.
"Raya I'm sorry but I am home, Gotham is where I belong, Haly's Circus is where you belong. After what happened to Jimmy I can't go back there." Dick said holding back tears.
"Dick you can't blame yourself." Raya said.
"If I go back there people will get hurt people I care about will get hurt." Dick said, "I can't risk that Raya for my family's sake, for your sake, for the circus's sake, for my sake."
"Why your sake?" Raya asked.
"I made a promise when I became Robin, to protect innocent people, and everyone I care about no matter the cost and that's what I'm doing by staying here." Dick said.
"Who did you promise?" Raya asked.
"Bruce" Dick said, "The world knew him as Batman The Dark Knight and Bruce Wayne Billionaire Playboy philanthropist. I promised him that and now I honor that promise by carrying on the legacy as Batman and Gotham is my turf but if you prove to me you can cut it I may let you in."
"What?" Barbara asked, "Dick she's a circus performer—" she said but stopped before she offended Dick.
"How about you go to your day job Babs." Dick said, "Before anything bad happens."
"Good idea." Barbara said kissed Richard and walked out.
"Raya! We need to start your training!" Dick shouted.
"What training?" Raya asked, "Don't I need to prove myself first?"
"How else are you going to prove it to me?" Dick answered with a question of his own.
"Alright where are we going?" she asked as they headed for her garage.
"Wayne Tower sub-level B." Dick said getting on his motorcycle the side car Terry rode in was detachable.
"B for Bat-Bunker?" Raya asked.
"Yes." Dick said as they took off. When they arrived Dick repeated the process the night he and his family arrived except instead of Batman and family he said Batman and friend to grant Raya access. She got inside and froze with what she saw she saw all the vehicles and all the suits even Dick's Robin suit she laughed at the short shorts and in the center just like in the one at Dick's home a Giant statue of the original Dark Knight. "Raya I have one question do you think you're ready to start training?" he asked.
"Honestly no, but let's start anyway." Raya said they started off with hand to hand combat.
"In hand to hand combat you need to center yourself" Dick started off dodging every single one of Raya's attacks, "you must study your opponent" Dick said blocking her attack and throwing punches the first few hit but she dodged the rest, "and not leave yourself open for a change of pace" Dick said and swept her leg causing her to fall he offers his hand to help her up, "another thing…never trust you opponent" he said and flipped her.
"Wow you fight dirty but you just disobeyed one of the rules of hand to hand combat." Raya said and swept Dick's leg.
"Okay good. Oh I just remembered I forgot to go over the rules of training. Rule one you give me everything you got" Dick said as the blocked each other's punches and landed on their feet when flipped, "rule two after that you give me more" he said dodging a heavy forearm for Raya and attempting a backflip kick then a leg sweep but it missed both times Raya landed on him from the jump to dodge the leg sweep and he flipped her off she landed on her feet, "rule three" Dick said ducking a punch and hitting her with a Escrima stick, "I make the rules." He said smiling, "and rule four if you can't beat them… cheat." Batman said helping Raya up.
"I kind of got that last one." Raya said.
"Hey you lasted longer than Terry did… and he's Robin you did pretty good." Dick said.
"Thanks before the war started I took some Judo classes I made it to a Green belt." Raya said.
"Let's continue." Dick said. A few hours past the kids were told to head straight to Wayne Tower they were low on ammunition not for firearms but Batarangs, smoke pellets, flash grenades, and for Batarcher arrows. By the time everyone else had arrived Raya had left for the day too sore for another appearance as her heroine identity.
"So what's the plan?" Redbird asked.
"It's spring so we don't have to worry about slipping on the snow of the roofs and we can move easier, quicker, and stealthier." Dick said "load up we leave at sunset.
"Yes sir." The kids said. Then when sunset arrived the team mobilized it was a usually rainy night and Batman Inc. stood atop the tallest building in Gotham waiting it didn't take long for the Bat signal shined in the sky like every night, Nightingale took off and the ones that couldn't fly shot their grapples and