On Dark Wings

by MetroXLR99

AU a New, Hooded Robin is prowling the streets at night...and, Dick Grayson is hot on his trail. Who is he?, what was he doing in Titan's Tower? and, if he IS a "New Robin", then where IS Batman? TEEN TITANS/BATMAN Crossover [On Hiatus until Further Notice]

11. Coldheart

Batman copyright Bob Kane/DC Comics

Teen Titans copyright DC Comics/Warner Brothes

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On Dark Wings...
Chapter 11: Coldheart

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Robin and Jinx stumbled back on the ground, shaken by the Tremor.

"WHAT WAS THAT!" exclaimed Jinx

Robin narrowed his eyes.
he then rushed over to the edge of the building (Jinx joined him)

the two looked over the horizion and saw a trail of smoke from afar.

Robin groaned.

"oh, great...what now?"

Robin pressed some buttons on his guantlet.
after a few minutes, his Batcycle drove up near the building he was on.

"time to go to work..."

"HEY!, what about me!" exclaimed Jinx

"the bike can seat TWO people."

Robin leapt off the building dived down, then used his cape to parachute his landing.

Jinx, however...scale down the building with some acrobatic jumps.

Robin took his helmet and put it on.
he then tossed another to Jinx, who put hers on.

they both mounted onto the bike and sped off at top speed.

[Later]

Robin and Jinx drove up to the source of the smoke...

they stopped, dismounted and removed their helmets.
the two looked at a crashed police car (which was partially destroyed and smoking)

"what could of done this?" said Jinx

"maybe THAT."

Jinx looked at what Robin was pointing at: Thick Layers of ICE.

in fact, their was so much ICE around that snow was blowing all over the place.

Jinx shivered, feeling a chill.

"S-SNOW!
b-but, it's the middle of S-SUMMER!"

"AND, the Ice sheets seem to form a trail of some kind." said Robin

"S-S-SO!"

"SO...we follow the trail, we find out why we're having "Christmas in July"

Robin got back on the Batcycle and put on his helmet.
Jinx sighed, then sat up behind Robin and put on HER helmet.

"so, how are you gonna keep us from slipping and crashing like those cops did?"

Robin pressed a button on the bike's on-board computer.
at that moment, metal covered the tires and protruded spikes from them.

(("WINTER SURVIVAL MODE ACTIVATED.")) said the Computer voice

"oh." said Jinx, surprised

"It might ALSO be helpful if you use your Chaos Energy to make the trip EASILY."

Jinx eyed Robin.

"B-But, my Hex Volts can only make BAD THINGS happen!"

"there's a "Positive" to EVERY "Negative", Jinx.
if you can make BAD LUCK, you can ALSO make GOOD LUCK."

"BUT-"

"just FOCUS, Jinx...you can do this."

Jinx darted her eyes for a moment.
then sighed sharply, looking at Robin.

"Okay...i'll TRY."

Jinx outstretched her arm and made her flat hand glow.
she fired pink energy at the ice sheet...which made it crack a bit.

Robin started the Batcycle and drove down the trail.
the spiked tires EASILY dug into the weaken ice, keeping them firmly onto the trail.

"nice work, Jinx.
maybe I should call you: "Lucky" said Robin, with wit

Jinx cracked a smile.

"perhaps..."

[Meanwhile, at Wayne Manor]

Starfire was wandering around the Large Mansion, ALONE.

Robin (or, Dick Grayson) was busy with SOMETHING in the Batcave so, she and the other Titans were taking some time to get more familiar with their surroundings.

Starfire was spending HER free time exploring Dick's FORMER home.

she soon came into a large room (the Den, actually)
it had a TALL and LONG Bookshelves, a victorian-style fireplace and, a LARGE portrait above it.

Starfire stopped and stared at the portrait.
it was of a man that resembled "Mr. Wayne" (only, he sported a mustache)
a woman who looked BEAUTIFUL to Starfire...and, a young boy with short, black hair and blue eyes.

"enjoying the tour?"

"GAAH!"

Starfire gasped at the dark voice she suddenly heard.
she looked back and saw Bruce Wayne (now, out of costume)

"M-Mister Wayne, I-"

"don't worry...it's alright."

Bruce walked up to Starfire (the best he could, given his still fractured leg)
Starfire looked back at the portrait, Bruce KNEW what she was thinking about.

"your wondering who they ARE, aren't you?"

"yes."

Bruce inhaled deeply...then, spoke.

"the boy in the picture is ME...when I was eight."

Starfire smiled

"you were an ADORABLE child."

Bruce grinned.

"yeah...my mother always said that, too."

"so, if that is YOU...then, those are your parents?"

"Thomas and Martha Wayne, yes."

"How come I do not see them here?
do they...live someplace else?"

Bruce was silent.

"no...they were killed when I was a child."

Starfire looked at Bruce, stunned.

"they, what?"

"I was only eight years old when it happened...my parents took me to the Monarch Theater.
The movie playing was: "The Mark of Zorro", I'd been wanting to see it for a LOOONG time."

Bruce sighed as he continued his story.

"ANYWAY...I convinced my parents to pay to watch it AGAIN.
it was late by the time it was over, my father took a shortcut thru Park Row..."

Starfire listened intently as Bruce recounted his past.
she could see teh DARKNESS in his eyes as he spoke.

"from out of the darkness...a man came, a man with a GUN.
he demanded my father's money...and, my mother's new pearl necklace.

my father tried to stop him, but he shot him.
my mother screamed, so he shot her...then, ran off into the night."

"oh, my..."

Starfire was at a loss for words.

"the police never caught him...hell, even I'VE never found him.
I spent a LONG TIME blaming myself for what happened...I still do, sometimes."

"but, it wasn't your fault, Mister Wayne...it was that "MAN."

"maybe...but, I knew I had to do SOMETHING.
I couldn't let what happened to ME, happen to anyone else.

so, I took the darkness that my parents killer used...and, made it my weapons.
I swore NEVER to use a Gun, and to NEVER take a life...even, the life of an enemy."

"and, the BAT?"

"Bats frightened me when I was a child.
I wanted my enemies to share my fear."

Starfire was silent.

"I am...sorry."

"I know."

"what of Richard?
how did HE come to be your Son?"

Bruce sighed.

"about the same way I became Batman: Tragedy."

Starfire's eyes widened.
after hearing Bruce Wayne's story, she wasn't sure if she was ready to hear THIS.

"what...h-happened?"

"Dick's parents...his REAL parents, were John and Mary Grayson they were Circus Acrobats of the old HALEY'S CIRCUS, called: "The Flying Graysons"

Dick was the youngest member, only eight years old.
I remember attending a show once as Bruce Wayne..."

Bruce sighed.

"but, UNKNOWN to me at the time...a criminal named TONY ZUCCO had also been there.
who was strong arming the ringmaster to pay him money, or else "bad things" would happen.

when he refused to pay him, Zucco made sabotaged one of their acts."

Starfire gulped, feeling uneasy.
she was SCARED to hear what happened next.

"what...h-happened?"

"the Graysons were performing the trapeez act...WITHOUT a safety net.
but, the rope snapped...and, they fell to their deaths."

Bruce narrowed his eyes.

"Dick saw them fall...as did I."

Starfire choked, holding back a sob tears forme din her emerald eyes, but she hid them.

"To make matters WORSE, Dick has saw Zucco earlier...which made him a TARGET.
I took him in to keep him safe, and as Batman...I hunted Tony Zucco.

he may not of been my OWN parents killer...but, he might as well of been.
I saw MYSELF in Dick and his tragedy, so...I wanted to bring his parents murderer to justice."

"did you?"

"I eventually did...it took me YEARS, but I did.
during that time, I adopted Dick and trained him."

"why did he call himself Robin?" asked Starfire

"It was a PERSONAL name.
his mother said he looked like a "Red Robin" when wearing his uniform."

"oh."

Bruce sighed sharply.

"another reason I raised him was as PENEACE."

"Penance?, why?"

"because, I was THERE when his parents were killed.
I should of done something, I KNEW I could of done something."

"Mister Wayne, yo-"

"I should of at LEAST of known what Zucco was up to...
I keep telling myself that I was inexperienced at the time...but, I still feel responsible."

Starfire looked at Bruce..then, smiled weakly.

"that's "humorous", Richard often blames HIMSELF alot when things go wrong."

Bruce huffed.

"guess it "runs in the family"

"then, you shouldn't blame yourself...
you and Richard do all you can, I think you are all VALIANT WARRIORS."

Bruce grins, then faced Starfire.

"right, now...about YOU and Dick."

"what about us?"

"I know you two are in a..."relationship"

Starfire blushed.

"oh, YES...we are.
it, uhhh...sort of happened in Tokyo."

Bruce was silent.

"you DO realise that sort of thing could bring "dangers"

"dangers?"

"Worrying about each other while in a mission.
that sort of thing can lead to trouble, BELIEVE ME...I know."

"Don't worry, Mister Wayne...we've worked things out.
we don't get DISTRACTED when we are "beating the bad guys"

"GOOD.
now, there's only one more thing."

"what?"

Bruce brought his face to Starfire's, glaring at her.

"Don't disappoint Dick.
because, if you break his heart...I WILL find you."

Starfire gulped.

"I-I assure you, M-Mister Wayne.
I love Richard with all my heart...I would NEVER hurt him.

"good.
because, he's MY SON...and, I don't want him hurt."

Bruce pulled away and soon left, Starfire finally sighed with relief.
though the Tameranian Princess had faced Supervillains, Monsters and Demon Warlords...

this BATMAN was the one person put the "Fear of X'hal" in her.

[Gotham City]

Robin and Jinx slowed the Batcycle to a stop.
they dismounted, removed their helmets and stared at an STRANGE sight.

a tall building was encased in ice.

"whole...now, this doesn'l make a lick of sense!"

Robin narrowed his eyes.

"yes it does...look at the building."

"I AM LOOKING!, it's frozen solid!"

"No, I mean look at the name."

Jinx looked at some lettering at the enterence.

GOTHCORP THE PEOPLE COMPANY

"Gothcorp?
I don't get it, what's the big deal about THAT!"

"a doctor named Victor Fries used to work here..." began Robin

"He was trying to use the Cryogenic Technology to cure is dying wife: Nora.
Ferris Boyle, Gothcorp's CEO, tried to pull the plug...and, there was accident.

Victor's DNA was mutated, transformed him into the criminal MISTER FREEZE.
and, has made repetitive attacks on Gothcorp and Ferris Boyle."

"OH...well, THAT makes sense."

"yeah, well here's what doesn't: Victor is suppose to be GONE."

"Gone?"

"he's been missing ever since Batman's last encounter with him in Antarctica."

"you SURE?"

"Batman SAW Victor's head fall into the icy waters, himself."

Jinx's eyes were as wide as plates.

"HEAD?"

"I'll explain, LATER."

Robin advanced towards the frozen building, Jinx followed him.
he placed his hands against the ice...it felt as solid as steel.

"d*mn, this is some HARD ice."

Jinx knocked it with her knuckles.

"you can say THAT again.
it's gotta be harder then Mammoth's head!"

"then, let's made it LESS hard.
think you can give us a little LUCK?"

Jinx put her hand together and rubbed them.

"lemme try..."

Jinx's hand glowed pink.
she fired twin streams of energy at the ice wall.

once she stopped, Robin felt the ice.

"hmm...feels WEAKER."

Robin slammed his sholder against the ice, cracking it he then swiftly kicked the cracked surface, breaking a large, gaping hole.

"nice work, parrner." said Robin, as he walked thru the "doorway"

"QUESTION." said Jinx, who was walking with him

"what?"

"when do "I" get a cool mask?"

[Somewhere in Gothcorp]

a gang of men and women wearing winter coats were fiddling with some technology.
as they worked, a tall person in a mechanical suit and holding a large, silver gun approached them.

"are you DONE?" said the figure, it's voice cold and robotic

"Almost, boss." replied a henchman

"We've nearly finished downloading Gothcorp's data."

"EXELLENT..." began the figure

"once your finished, DESTROY all that remains.
I want Ferris Boyle and Gothcorp to SUFFER for what they did to "us"

"you got it, Freeze." said a henchwoman

just then, a red light started blaring.

"WHAT'S THAT!" exclaimed a henchman

"it's the Silent Alarm, you idiot." replied Freeze

Freeze approached a monitor and pressed a button.
the screen showed a Hooded Robin and a grey skinned, pink haired girl entering Gothcorp.

"WHAT IS IT, BOSS?"

"It is ROBIN...and, another Superhero."

the henchmen and women began to panic.

"aw, man...WHAT-DO-WE-DO!"

"Keep you minds on your business..." began Freeze, calmly

Freeze charged the large gun "he" was holding.

"I will take care of our "guests"

Freeze walked off and soon left the room.

Robin and Jinx were carefully walking down the long hallways of Gothcorp.
everywhere area in the building was FROSTED, and it felt COLDER and COLDER as they progressed.

Jinx out her arms together, shivering.

"I...I k-knew I should of wore a coat."

"can you still breath?"

"yeeeah."

"then, you'll be FINE."

Jinx huffed.
Robin then activated his Detective Vision.

Jinx noticed his lenses flashing.

"what do you see?"

"I am detecting SOME Heat Signatures...
but, if Freeze is here, then tracking heat won't help."

"why no-, OH!, I get it...
because Mister Freeze is an "Iceman", he has no Body Heat."

"exactly."

"So, how will be know where he is?"

"when he attacks us."

Jinx groaned.

"why doesn't that sound encouraging to me?"

Robin soon saw a torn open door, ice clung to the edges.
he immediately walked thru the door, with Jinx following close behind.

the two looked inside the room...which felt like the inside of a refridgerator.
random technology was destroyed, ice clinging to the floor, walls and cealing.

Robin approached some destroyed tech crouched down and examined it.

"hmmm...interesting."

"what?" asked Jinx

"This machine looks to be a coolant unit.
used primarily for Cryogenic Experiements..."

Robin coontinued to examine it.

"some components are missing...while the rest was DESTROYED."

"so, what's that mean?"

"your pretty NEW at this, aren't you?"

Jinx crossed her arms and huffed.

"Need I remind you, that I used to steal jewels for a living.
these BIG TIME crimes aren't my field of expertise...nor, is Detective Work."

"well, PAY ATTENTION and LEARN, then...
Freeze hates GothCorp, but is ALSO a Cryogenic Scientist.

he's obviously stealing the latest Cryo Tech for himself then, DESTROYING what's left so Gothcorp can't profit from it."

Jinx's eyes widened.

"d*mn...now, that IS Devious." said Jinx, almost impressed

"stay in the light, Jinx."

"YEAH...I got it."

at that moment, Robin heard what sounded like an engine whining.
he didn't know what it was...but, he knew that it couldn't be anything good.

"GET DOWN!"

"WHA-AAAAHH!"

Robin shoved Jinx down...just in time to avoid getting hit by a Blue Beam.
the beam colided with the ground, and instanly flash froze it into large quantitied of SOLID ICE.

Robin and Jinx looked up to see who shot at them...

a tall figure in a mechanical suit.
the suit has tubes that was constantly pumping a blue liquid

the front of the head had a glass, rectangular dome which was tinted, and hid the face of whoever wore the suit.

the figure was holding a large, silver rifle like weapon.
with icy vapors streaming from it's spout like SMOKE.

"I KNEW you'd come..." began the figure, it's voice robotic

Robin narrowed his eyes.

"freeze..."

Freeze raised his weapon, charging it.

"Yes...you WILL."

Freeze fired the gun, blasting an icy blue stream Robin and Jinx tried to evade the attack.

Robin escaped, but Jinx was hit her legs and waist encased in an solid black of ice.

"GAAHH!"

"JINX!"

"cold!
s-so...c-c-cold."

Robin glared at Freeze...who approached him.

"Why are you doing this, Victor!
WayneTech cured your wife, I THOUGHT you wanted to be with her...not live for REVENGE."

Freeze stopped and paused.

"he DID want to be with me..."

the glass dome suddenly split apart and retracted.
Robin widened his eyes at the face he saw.

it wasn't VICTOR.
in fact, it was a Woman!

a Woman with Bluish-Grey Skin dark blue lips, snow white hair and wearing red goggles.

"Now...all I have is REVENGE." said "Freeze", her voice now normal

Jinx was wided eyed Robin, however...now recognized her.

"Nora...NORA FRIES!"

Nora aimed her gun at Robin.

"That's MRS. FREEZE, to YOU."

Nora fired her gun, but Robin quickly evaded.
as Nora continued to fire at Robin, Jinx quickly fired her Hex Volts at her frozen legs.

Robin leaped away and perched onto a rail.

"I guess Batman never got around to telling you about me, eh?" said Nora

"No, I guess not...what's your game, Fries?"

"I told you: REVENGE."

"mind being more specific?"

Nora glared at Robin darkly.

"As you KNOW...I was sick with an "incurable" disease.
and, Victor sacrificed his own HUMANITY to save me.

and, when we were FINALLY reunited...Batman tore us apart!"

"He was TRYING to stop Freeze from mutating you."

Nora smirked.

"I know...so, I mutated MYSELF and, became MRS. FREEZE to enact revenge on those who ruined my life."

Nora fired at Robin again.
but, Robin dodged the attack.

"you do REALISE that Victor's mutation dematerialized his body?"

"Only because he absorbed the Cryo-Chemicals thru his body, I injected it into my bloodstream."

Nora fired at Robin again however, THIS TIME...he wasn't quick enough.

Robin's arm was encased in ice, frozen against a wall.
Nora approached Robin, a cruel smile on her face.

"Gothcorp tried to kill me and mutated my Victor...so, I will not rest until their destroyed.
and, BATMAN is the reason Me and Victor arn't together anymore...so, I will destroy him"

Nora brought her face to Robin's.

"and, since YOU are his Partner...I will destroy YOU, TOO."

Nora pulled away, then fired a continuous stream at Robin SLOWLY encasing his body in ice, til only his head remained exposed.

suddenly, Nora his struck in the back my Pink Energy.
she looked back and saw Jinx standing aggressively, her hands glowing.

"WHO are you?"

"Jinx."

"never heard of you."

"Yeah, well...I'm NEW to the Superhero Community."

"If your a friend of Batman and his Allies...then, I really don't care"

Nora charged her gun and aimed it.

"I'm STILL going to kill YOU, TOO."

Nora blasted at Jinx, who evaded.

"JINX!, STAY OUT OF HER LINE OF SIGH-"

Nora shot a stream at Robin, encasing his mouth in ice.

"That's ENOUGH out of you...NOW, fo-"

Nora looked and saw that Jinx was gone.

"HUH?...Now, where did you go?"

Nora's glass visor extraced and covered her head her goggles glowed bright red, and lights at the Right, Left and Top of her visor lit up

Nora was unaware that Jinx was hiding behind a rail, atop a walkway.

"I will FIND YOU, Jinx..." began Nora, her voice Robotic

Nora walked up the stairway to the walkway.
Jinx did her best to keep out of Nora's sight, and NOT alert her to her presense.

"My suit's sensors can track your body heat.
with very step you take, I am that much closer to turning your blood to ICE."

Jinx gulped hard...Nora wasn't kidding.
she was following Jinx's trail...ALMOST as if she could "see" her steps.

Jinx finally jumped over the rail, landing on the ground with a thud.

"HUH?"

"crap!"

Jinx hugged herself against the wall.
Nora looked down from the rail, trying to see Jinx.

"where are you?"

Nora finally pressed a button on her guantlet.
three probes popped out of the pack of her suit and levitated.

the probes hovered through the room, and casted searchlights.
the lights zeroed in on Jinx's location and turned RED.

"THERE you are..."

Jinx gritted her teeth, her eyes wide.
as Nora walked down the stairway, Jinx scampered to a floor grate.

she opened the cover and crawled inside.
Nora soon approched the grate (apparently following her heat trail) and stopped.

Nora was standing right over Jinx...who saw an oppertunity.
Jinx leapts out of the grate and quickly grabbed Nora's helmet and bashed it on the floor.

"NO!"

Jinx bashed at Nora's visor, punching and kicking it.
however, she only BARELY cracked it...and, Nora's suit soon began to hum and beep rapidly.

"oh, crud."

Jinx quickly ran, unsure what was going on.
she ducked into an office and hid behind a walk beside the enterance.

once Nora's suit stopped beeping, Nora stood up (apparently, her suit's computers rebooted.)

"That was a sneaky move...but, you WON'T be doing it again."

Nora proved this by blasted the floor grates with her gun.
ice instantly formed within the shafts, til it was all full of ice (and, thus INACCESSABLE)

(("D*MMMIT!, that "Snow Queen" is more clever than I thought.")) thought Jinx

Nora scanned the floor, then walked in Jinx's direction.
Jinx eyed her Freeze Gun...then, got an idea.

she snapped her fingers, causing pink energy to spark from the gun Jinx then immediatly jumped up in front of Nora and stood there.

"THERE you are..."

Nora aimed her gun and fired...but, her Freeze Gun backfired and shorted out.

"NO!"

Jinx pounced at Nora, pinning her down.
she punched HARD at Nora's visor repetively.

she soon shattered it, then struck Nora HARD in the head.
Nora was knocked out cold...Jinx then stood up, then ran to Robin.

she shot streams of pink energy...which made the ice crumble.
Robin took a moment and exhaled sharply.

"nice work...for a beginner."

"Hey, NOBODY pushes ME around." said Jinx, proudly

Nora soon awoke and stood up.
she glared at the two teenagers angrily...then, aimed her Freeze Gun at them and fired.

Robin grabbed Jinx and evaded BOTH of them out of the way.
Nora then turned and ran off to the door...then, turned and looked at them.

"We'll meet AGAIN, "Heroes..."
once my suit is repaired...I'll take my REVENGE."

Nora stepped out of the door...then, fired her gun at it.
she formed a THICK wall of ice, which blocked the only way out of the room.

Robin and Jinx immediatly rushed over to the door.
Jinx quickly blasted it with her energy, then tried to kick it...but, it only cracked a little.

"WHAT!"

Robin felt the Ice Wall.

"Hmmm...this Ice is THICK.
Nora must REALLY want to slow us down."

Robin reached into his utility belt and pulled out a spray.
he sprayed some silvery gel onto the Ice Wall in the shape of his emblem.

"better stand back."

he and Jinx stepped backwards.
Robin pressed a trigger button...and, the gel exploded, sending icy snow flying.

when the snow cleared...they saw only CHUNKS of the ice were blown apart

the barrier STILL REMAINED.

"(sharp groan)...this could take awhile."

[Hours Later...]

Robin and Jinx rushed out of the GothCorp Building...just in time to see a van speeding away.
judging by the frost clinging to the metallic armor...Robin KNEW it belonged to Freeze.

"D*mn...they got away." said Jinx

"We'll catch her...it's only a matter of time.
BESIDES, it's been a long night...WE really should be heading back."

Jinx looked excited.

"OH!, you mean I get to see THE BATCAVE!"

"One of them..."

Robin pressed a button on his guantlet.
the Batcycle soon drove up to them.

the two put on their helmets then got on and drove off at high speed.

[Later, at the Batcave]

Max (now without his hooded cape) was at the Batcomputer.
Jinx approached him and looked over his shoulder.

"whatcha working on?"

"well, ASIDE from updating the Batcomputer's Crime Reports...
I have been studying the Secret Files I "borrowed" from the Titans Tower Mainframe." replied Max

Jinx snickered.

"yeah, I REMEMBER Robin talking about that on the Titan's Frequency.
heh-heh-heh...Bird Boy was SOOOOOO Mad, I laughed til my sides hurt, HA-HA!"

"yeah...whatever"

Jinx looked at the files that Max was going over.

"the Brotherhood of Evil?..."
why are you going over THEIR Files?"

Max turned and looked at Jinx.

"Because, it appears that a member of the original group captured Komi.
I need to figure out WHO it was, and how to beat HIM or HER."

Jinx made an expression.

"If it's a HER, I can narrow it down: Madame Rouge."

"Rouge?"

"YEAH!, she's the only Female Member of the BoE."

Jinx crossed her arms and huffed.

"and, to think..."I" used to Idolize her."

Max smirked

"ah, yes...I keep forgeting that you used to be a Criminal."

"yeah, well: BACK THEN...I thought that being a Bad Guy was all I could use my powers for."

"and, how do you like being a hero?"

Jinx shrugged her shoulders.

"It's HARDER (and, at times Not-As-Fun) than being a Villain...
but, I must admit...I kinda like the idea of seeing Jinx Dolls everywhere I go."

"Not that it's any of my business...how come your not working with KID FLASH, Anymore?"

Jinx looked at Max.

"what!"

"You two were CONSTANTLY sighted together more MONTHS since you joined the Titans...
THEN, about a few weeks ago, you suddenly stopped and started working ALONE."

"how do yo-"

"Batman keeps taps on EVERYONE...i've looked at his files from time-to-time."

Jinx exhaled sharply...then, spoke.

"Me and Wally...we used to date."

Max continued his work, but glanced at her reguardless.

"oh?"

"He was...FLASHY, if you pardon the pun.
and, the first one to see I had MORE potental than just a "common crook."

"Wally West is also a "Womanizer." began Max

"he has a tendancy to flirt with any cute girl he sees."

Jinx scoffed

"YEAH...I know.
he especially fond of that "Linda" girl back in his hometown."

"is THAT why your not dating, anymore?"

Jinx sighed sadly.

"no...not entirely." began Jinx "To be honest, I never really felt like he was "the one" to begin with...
so, Ironicly...I was HAPPY when I found out he liked someone else, made it easily for me."

"then, if HE wasn't "The One"...who IS?"

Jinx was silent...then, spoke.

"Stone."

Max grinned.

"Ah, yes...VICTOR STONE alias "Cyborg"

Jinx looked at Max.

"Victor?"

Max eyed Jinx.

"you didn't REALLY think that his Real Name was CYBORG, did you?"

"No...but, I didn't know that "Stone" was his real name.
I always thought it was another alias he used at the Hive Academy."

Max made an expression, then returned to his work.
unable to resist her curiosity...Jinx spoke again.

"do you...know MORE about Sto-, err...VICTOR?"

"I should...Batman has detailed reports on Grayson's Titan Friends."

Jinx bit her bottom lip...then, spoke again.

"can yo-"

"sure."

Max turned his chair and faced Jinx.

"well, as you KNOW now: his name is Victor Stone, called "Vic" for short.
he's the son of famed scientists: Silas and Elinore Stone, BOTH Robotics Experts."

Jinx listened to Max's words.

"Anway, despite this, Vic was a skilled Athelete at his school.
they say he ALWAYS gave "One-Hundred and FIFTY Percent" in sports.

However, there was an accident in his parents lab one day.
the explosion claimed the life of his mother...his body was badly damaged as a result."

Jinx was deathly silent.

"as you can figure out...his father repaired him the best he could.
those Robotic Parts of his are the only thing keeping him alive.

but, Victor resented being a "Cyborg" at first...
they say he ran away from his father, hasn't spoken to him to this day."

"why?" asked Jinx

"don't know...Vic accepts his "parts", now.
so, I guess it's out of some Emotional Trauma of some sort."

Max was silent, then spoke again.

"according to his file...Stone had a CLOSE relationship with his mother.
so, when she was killed...he took it pretty hard, perhaps HARDER than he lets on.

he also misses school life...SPORTS, mostly.
he can't do sports anymore because of his robotics."

Jinx suddenly thought of something.

"the Hive Academy..."

"huh?"

"Stone once went undercover to an old Supervillain School I went to.
and...I could TELL that he was Happy, enjoying himself...like he was-"

"NORMAL?
yes, I suppose attending ANY school would be like getting SOME of his old life back to him."

Jinx had a sad expression on his face.

"poor stone...I-I never knew he felt like that."

Max huffed.

"we ALL have our secrets...our "Private Pains"
I know Komi's...and, SHE know's my own."

Jinx looked at Max.

"Pain?, what pain?"

Max narrowed his white lensed eyes.

"you know about Bruce's pain?, how he lost his parents?"

"yeah..."

"well, as unbelievable as it sounds...MY PAIN is worse than his."

Jinx widened her eyes.

"whoa..."

Max typed something into the Batcomputer.

"I bet you wondering how Kid Flash is doing, RIGHT?"

Jinx thought a bit.

"well...I HAVE thought about him from time-to-time, why?"

"I have an updated report on his activities."

"how is he?"

"NOT GOOD..." began Max

"It seems that the CURRENT Flash of Keystone City and Wally's Mentor...was killed, recently."

"WHAT!"

"and, Wally's now assumed the mantel of "The Flash"
it seems he's BUSY trying to protect Keystone from it's Super Criminals."

"is he okay?"

"should be...I hear he recently challenged Superman to a race across the globe.
he and Supes even took down a supervillain named "Weather Wizard" in the process."

"wow."

"ANYWAY...I really need to get back to work.
aside from cracking my own personal mystery, Red Hood is STILL at large."

"Don't forget about SLADE and RAVAGER!"

"I'll deal them THEM, later.
Tracking Jason and cracking this "Puzzle" is more important."

"yeah...I guess."

Jinx then yawns loudly.

"well...I'm tired.
is there a BED in this place?"

"yeah, there's a sleeping quarters over there." said Max, pointing

"thanks."

Jinx turned and started to walk away.
she then stopped and looked back at Max.

"aren't YOU gonna sleep?"

"When I'm done."

Jinx huffed.

"even BATMAN had to sleep, sometimes."

"Isn't that what Mornings are for?"

Jinx snickered.

"honestly, your more obsessive than HE is..."

Max said nothing.

"OKAY...fine.
I'm going to bed, just TRY not to make too much noise."

Jinx walked away...leaving Max alone to his work.
his eyes never left the screen, and his fingers tapped rapidly into the buttons.

"doesn't matter where you hide...I WILL find you." whispered Max, silently

---

Author Note: As you can probably tell from the Title, this chapter features a a "Freeze" villain...but, not the Freeze you expected.
this is because, Victor is currently in the possession of Derek Powers father, Warren (and, won't be active until the Batman Beyond Episode: "Meltdown)

and, as such, I had to have an Alternate Version of NORA FRIES be the new "Mrs. Freeze"

Plus, Bruce Wayne and Starfire come to an "understanding" (we ALL knew this would happen after "Trouble in Tokyo")
and, I finally put the whole Cyborg/Jinx/Kid Flash thing to rest (and, explain his abssense)