JUSTIN'S POINT OF VEIW:

I froze, "What?"

"It's Gabriel, and the others too. They're up to something." She said.

I turned away from the boy, who's name I still didn't know, and glared at her, "What are they up to?"

She shrugged, "I don't know. They look like they're grave robbing, but I never took them for the voodoo grave robbing type."

I growled, shoving past her, "Who cares! They're robbing a grave, and now I can put them in jail!"

The boy spoke up, "Who's robbing a grave?"

Kyler walked after me, "Big rank super villain."

"He's not a super villain." I snapped, hovering over the keyboard as they walked up behind me, "Super villains have style, and an over all purpose. He does not."

"OK." The boy said uncertainly.

"What's your name anyways?" Kyler asked.

"Raphael." He said.

I could stop the short cackle that left my lips. He glared at me, and I shrugged, "Sorry Raphael, in this line of work, we tend to laugh a lot, helps get out the stress, ya know?"

"Shut up." He growled.

I nodded at Kyler, "Let's go. They're almost done."

She looked uncertainly at me, "Uh, Black Hood, last time we fought them, yeah, there was only two, and you got mauled."

"A broken arm doesn't count as mauled!" I snapped.

"Yeah, but this time they have Michael, and it's just us two." She said.

"Then call Super Kid and Snow." I said.

"They're on vacation time at the Kent's farm, and they left their communicators, and I don't know the Kent's telephone number." She shot down.

I paused, "The Kent's have a telephone?"

She groaned, "We need to talk."

Raphael spoke up, "I can help with whatever's going on."

"No." I snapped.

"Let's hear him out." Kyler prompted.

I snorted, "He's a street kid with a bad attitude that can't even get out of a head lock. What could he possibly do?"

"Meta human." He said, glaring at me.

I glared back, "Don't care. Now days, that doesn't even mean anything."

"Black Hood," Kyler interrupted, "If just me and you go, you'll get another broken arm. At least he gives us one more body against them. Can we go before they get away from the grave yard?"

I groaned, "Fine, but he's not going wearing that!"

"What's wrong with my clothes?" He asked.

"You have no shoes, and last time I checked, Super Hero's dressed cooler than rags sewn together." I said.

Kyler glared at me, "I'll get him something, now try to be nice?"

"No." I said, turning away and walking to the garage to get my motorcycle ready.

I sighed, running a hand over the paint job. Black, of course. I had thought about a flame job, but it was so overused. So, I had spray painted a red bat symbol onto each side. Damian had a field day with that one. When I say that, I mean he gave me a real ear full about it. Apparently he considered me 'an honorary member of the Bat-family'. I could shoot that little jerk.

Kyler walked in, Raphael behind her, "OK, be honest, do I look hot, or do I look hot?"

He was wearing the same black pants, but a black muscle shirt with a leather jacket and a black domino mask, and old sneakers that had no doubt been Kyler's. "I'll admit it. You look like a poser."

I mounted my bike, grabbing the clutch while Kyler tried to nurse Raphael's pride.

"So, where do I ride?" He asked.

"Run." I commanded.

"No way!" He protested.

"You can ride on the back of my bike." Kyler offered, pointing to the red motorcycle.

"Why can't I drive?" He asked.

"It's my bike." She answered, mounting it.

"I could probably drive it better than you." He grumbled, getting behind her on the bike.

I shook my head as Kyler elbowed him hard in the diaphragm. She might be tolerant, but she wasn't that tolerant.

We took off, almost running into the garage door on our way out.

AT THE GRAVE YARD:

Michael set the shovel down, "How many graves are we gonna have to dig up to find it?"

"As many as it takes." Mary said, going to the next one, and put a hand over it, trying to read the old writing.

"At least we aren't digging in the catacombs, right?" Gabriel offered, "I mean, it reeks down there."

"Is it so much to ask that the dead be placed in coffins?" Michael asked to no one in particular.

"Apparently." Gabriel said shortly.

"Come on Michael, you know how it goes, you serve your years in the field, you serve your years in the church, then you die and get tossed in with the other dead bodies in the catacombs." Mary illustrated.

"I'd rather be cremated." Michael dismissed.

"Well then." Raphael intervened, they all jerked towards him, stunned he had appeared without a sound. Actually, he had been quite loud, it was the sound of the shovels that had drowned out his steps. "It's your lucky day."

He lit both hands on fire, making the flames grow noticeably. The light cast eerie shadows on him and us, standing to his left.

"What the-" Mary started.

I jumped down from the dead tree we had been perching in, aiming a cork screw kick right at Gabriel.

He did several back flips, evading me. "Resorting to sneak attacks Black Hood? You're getting desperate."

"No, just serious." I replied, running up and trying to punch him, he easily evaded me.

"Aw, poor Hoodie has to get serious to take on a boy with a Bible." He taunted.

"Laugh while you can Bible Boy," I grunted out, throwing a round house kick that easily nailed him in the face. "I'm just getting started."

Kyler and Mary started fighting again, and of course she used that war hammer that resembled a cross again. Her fighting style was all brute force. Not that I didn't admire a girl with anger management issues, but she needed to be stealthy. That was why she hardly stood a chance against Kyler ad her smooth, quick attacks.

I fought half heartedly with Gabriel, having to keep one eye on Raphael. Michael was a good fighter, his attacks were fast and to the point, but a bit to obvious. To my surprise, Raphael actually put up a good defense against him. He punched at Michael with flaming fists, increasing any damage he got. His stance was sloppy, and his attacks obvious, but he was fast. He had good reflexes and instincts. I saw potential.

Gabriel punched my face; I grunted and grabbed his fist, trying to flip him, but he pulled it away.

"You're distracted." He noted, "By the new member of your team I'm guessing?"

"He's not part of my team." I growled out.

"Oh, your boyfriend?" He taunted.

"No!" I snapped, "He's a street rat Snow took pity on."

"Oh, the necromancer? So since you don't have a boyfriend, you and Kyler have come to terms with your feelings for each other?" He asked, smirking.

An arrow whizzed past his head. I smirked, "I'm straight, unlike you and Michael."

He snorted, punching at me as I flipped over his fist. "I'm straight too, and since it's not Kyler, I'm guessing you and Super Kid are together? What a nice combo, Bat with Super. Just like the original two."

I kicked his feet out form under him, and he fell. I jumped on top of him. "You know Michael is only with you because you're so pitiful and desperate, he feels bad for you."

He flipped me off of him, and came at me with a knife. I drew mine, and they met in the middle. We each pushed against each other, trying to get the upper hand.

"Enough Hoodie, you know you're just jealous." He smirked.

"Of what? Your weak and scrawny figure?" I snapped.

"No, the fact fire boy over there is paying more attention to Michael than you." He sassed. I yanked my knife away and ducked to the side. As his momentum carried him foreword, I stuck my foot out. He rolled foreword, crashing into a head stone.

"What are you even doing here? Grave robbing so you can make your own Frankenstein? I think Mary is a nice substitute." I smirked.

"For your information, we happen to be looking for something." He snapped.

"What's that?' I asked as he stood up, rubbing his face. Or the sorry excuse he had for a face.

"An artifact, owned by the very first warrior of the church." He said, standing up, and jumping at me, placing his knife at my throat, I placed mine at his.

"Why would you need it?" I asked.

"Why should I tell you?" He inquired.

"Maybe I'll leave you alone so you can get it." I offered.

He paused. "It's an old charm, history tells us he used it to ward off Satan's demons, even used it against the devil himself."

"Did it work?" I asked out of interest.

"Sort of, he survived to tell the tale, but he died shortly after." He said, shrugging, "Considering what happened in Star City a few months ago, Father Simaun thinks it would be best to have it, just incase."

I frowned, "In case what?" I asked, "What are you afraid of? What are you trying to prevent?"

He stared at me for a second. "Why do you want to know?"

"Because, protecting Gotham, no, protecting the world, it's my job. I inherited this job from my father, and I'm intending to do it to the best of my ability. Now," I took out a gun, and aimed it right at his head, "If that means I have to blow your brains out, then I have no problem with that."

"You're willing to sin against not only God, but your family and your leaders rules, just to protect what you've been told to, no, what you've been born to protect?" He asked. I nodded. "And you don't care if that sin means your downfall?"

"I could really care less about my future, or my current well being." I said, in a tone that made it clear that all of my usual joking and sarcasm was nonexistent at the current moment. "My life wasn't about me the moment I put on the mask. I intend to live my life for Gotham, not myself."

"You've killed." He said, "You know that's wrong."

I shrugged, "Maybe it is, maybe it isn't. I've gone up against people that are so evil and twisted, death would be a blessing not only to the world, but to them. Can you really tell me every time I've killed some one who abused children, murdered innocents, or raped women was a sin?"

"No." he said slowly. "I can tell, you may have killed for revenge many times, but you've also killed for others, to keep them safe, even people you didn't know. In a way that might just even out your sin. You didn't do it for yourself, you did it for the right reason."

He pointed the hand that wasn't holding his knife up to the sky, "That might just put God on your side."

I paused, and pulled my knife away. "Ok, get three more shovels, you've got yourself some extra workers."

It took a lot of explaining to Kyler and Raphael, and an all nighter to find that stupid blessed badge. That's what it was, a little golden badge. It was a small circle, about the size of my palm, with a cross engraved in it.

"That's it?" Raphael asked, ticked off. "That's what we've been looking for?"

"Apparently." Michael shrugged.

"How do you turn it on?" Kyler asked.

"What does it look like? A flash light?" Mary asked, "It doesn't turn on or off. It's always on. I'm surprised it hadn't burned a cross into your hand yet Black Hood."

I glared at her, handing it to Gabriel, "Here's your Sheriff badge. Is that everything?"

"Yeah." He said, putting it in his pocket.

Kyler spoke up, "Hey, I've always wanted to ask this after watching the first Indian Jones movie, where is the Ark of the Lost Covenant?"

Gabriel smirked, "In the catacombs under our church."

"Really?" Asked Raphael.

"Yeah." Michael spoke up, "But we're not allowed to go in there, it's really sacred."

"So how do you know it's in there?" I asked.

They paused, and then shrugged. I shook my head, "Whatever, I need a soda."

I was halfway to DR headquarters before I realized, Gabriel had never answered my question about what they were trying to prevent. His little speech had been him avoiding the question.

Dang that smooth talking Jesus Freak!