Beyond the Night: Beyond the Team
Missing Robin

Everyone in the Justice League always said Robin always left an impression. Thinking back, Zatanna remembered her father mentioning the positive effect the boy had over the dark Gotham crusader. She'd never heard a negative thing about him either, yet knew every member seemed fond of him. She expected the same result, and yet now she didn't think she got the same positive response.

It wasn't that she didn't like the boy.

If anything, the attached feeling she felt towards Batman's sidekick meant she did in fact have a soft spot for the boy, yet in the same regard she couldn't ignore that sinking feeling in the back of her head that something was wrong. She'd not placed it quite at first, startled a child so young would make such remarks regarding their own life.

Except, he wasn't a child.

Zatanna was quite sure she heard Kid Flash say Robin was thirteen, not eight or nine like she suspected. The enthusiasm she expected from Flash and Green Arrow's stories of the young sidekick seemed missing, her mind remembering when she first met the young teen. "I'm completely concerted and not crying. Completely, absolutely feeling the aster right now."

He was a teenage boy hitting puberty and dealing with the ins and outs of teenage social life.

He was a teenager, and just like Red Arrow she managed to treat him like a small child. True, she tried treating him as the child genius she knew he was, what with the fact everyone in the league knew Robin – not Batman – did most of the security programming. However, she practically patronized him when she told him not to be nervous, which in turn resulted in the exact opposite effect.

She's also told a teenage boy hitting puberty he looked cute in front of his peers, rather than a child afraid of such things as cooties. Kid Flash rubbing in the idea Robin might have a crush on her didn't help. If anything, his reaction indicated he was rather sensitive regarding the way everyone perceived him despite being a genius.

"You think I'm a royal screw up! Like the Teen Titans? You're going to use 'that' against me?"

Hearing that line over the communication system explained why Robin said nothing, though she also recollected someone saying the topic of the Teen Titans was off limits. She guessed the reason was Red Arrow as he thought the Titans were circus freaks, which in turn explained the reaction to her poster. "Not that I'd 'ever' get rid of 'that'."

She watched the sky from the hidden aircraft and the snow falling. Of course, Roy was the one who kept royally screwing up, at least when it came to Robin. "Go make friends your own age Robin."

Zatanna let out a sigh yet didn't want to interfere. The problem was, Wally put it quite well. "Yeah, well, Roy just basically said we're not his friends. I don't blame him one bit."

"Exactly where do I stand with you guys?"

She'd not wanted to interfere and let them settle their differences but also let them solve their first mission. The snowfall was worsening, and Robin wasn't with the rest of the group. "Robin? Where are you?"

"I am fine! I am perfectly fine!"

Zatanna winched upon hearing the communication device hit something. Kid Flash started panicking. "Robin? Hey, buddy."

"Robin!" Kaldur called out.

Superboy remained silent, likely due to not knowing how to react to the situation. Red Arrow of course did not. "Seriously. He had to…"

"Enough." Kaldur snapped. "We need to find Robin."

"This wouldn't have happened had…"

Zatanna's fingers twisted around the edge of the seat. "Stop."

"What?"

"I have had enough of you treating Robin as if he is a child incapable of defending let alone taking care of himself."

"I wouldn't treat him that way if he didn't act so childish in the first place."

"Did it ever occur to you Red Arrow that the reason Robin is acting out is because of the way you treat him?"

Red Arrow didn't respond thankfully, allowing Kid Flash to speak. "How are we going to find Robin, if he's not talking to us?"

Zatanna closed her eyes. "I could cast a locating spell."

"Uh, magic isn't real."

Kid Flash's response was far from amusing, but Kaldur spoke, a slight worry evident in his voice. "You doubt the spell will work?"

Her mind flickered to when the Grayson family died. Taking a deep breath, she spoke softly. "No. Guys, I want you to be prepared for your mission to fail."

"What? Are you saying Robin is in trouble? He's Robin for crying out loud. He's Batman's sidekick. He's better than any of us but has been doing this longer! There's no way he'd get himself into a situation where he'd get hurt." Kid Flash's voice strained. "I'm heading in the direction he took off in!"

"Kid Flash! Don't. There's a storm picking up."

"He makes a valid point though." Superboy piped up. "Aqualad and I are still together, by the way."

"That…" Roy sighed. "That sounded so wrong."

"Zatanna, do you have any reason to believe Robin may be in trouble?" Kaldur asked.

"None of you noticed?" Zatanna crossed her arms.

"Noticed what?" Kid Flash piped up. "I can't find him! I know he went..."

"That Robin has not been himself today." Kaldur piped up. "Despite the fact he told me he'd be okay, he is not."

"What do you mean he's not? He's his usual hyperactive self." Roy groaned.

Zatanna looked up, noticing the storm was getting worse, yet none of the team seemed to be taking the necessary steps at finding shelter.

"Guys! Robin ditched his coms device. I just found it.""

"Why the hell would he do that?" Roy snapped.

"I don't know dummy. It's not as if a certain someone told another certain someone to go and make friends his own age."

Zatanna frowned, still looking out at the storm, noting there was something strange about the way it moved. It seemed to come and go from a certain direction. "Look. We need to find Robin."

~B~

"No, no, no."

Cyborg's eyes blinked, knowing full well he heard Robin's voice. The teen sighed, wondering where Robin got to this time. He found his friend cowering in a corner, his head buried under his arms. "Robin."

"No. No, no. no."

"It's not your fault."

"I want you to wake up."

"Oh…"

"But I don't."

Cyborg's eyes closed. "Say what?"