There's an extra down the bottom of this chapter. A list of hints and things Peter probably investigated.
Foreboding
Neal's phone rang.
"Sara?" he questioned in surprise. Of all the people to call him, she was near the bottom of that list. They would be meeting up for lunch in a few hours anyway.
"We still on for lunch today?" she asked in a tone of voice which suggested she was still having trouble with believing he still wanted to have lunch.
"Of course," he responded with certainty. "I'll be with Peter beforehand, we've managed to arrange a meeting with Alex-"
"To find out more about the U-boat," Sara finished for him.
Neal had a feeling he knew that tone. Sara wasn't happy about him meeting up with a woman who wasn't her and had more past shared with him. A little bit of jealousy. At least that meant there was a chance they could take their relationship to the 'dating' level. Hopefully. If this Alex thing doesn't cause her to rethink dating him.
"Let's just hope neither of us end up in hospital this time," he joked, trying to get her to put the pieces together. He and Alex had a messy past, one filled with cons and backstabbing. It wasn't the kind of relationship used for a romantic relationship. It made a barely functioning work relationship; mostly they owed each other favours and both had connections the other didn't.
Sara was silent on the other end.
"Maybe she won't know anything?" Neal tried suggesting. After all, she had handed the search over to Neal since she kept hitting dead ends.
"Don't say that. The sooner this is over and done with, the better," Sara responded. "I guess I'll see you later?"
"Yeah," he responded, hanging up. That went well; not.
Nananana nananana Ad-ler!
The next few hours passed in a blur. Adler holding a gun at him and making him get into a limo. The limo driving over to Peter, who is ordered to get in as well. They were knocked out with a truly nasty drink and brought to the U-Boat.
There was no race. Adler already had it. He just needed to open it.
Neal managed to open it with Alex shouting a clue at him. They explored it.
It contained treasure. Looted art and valuables. It was priceless.
Neal smashed the camera Adler was using to watch them explore.
"He can't be allowed to keep this," Neal whispered to Peter under his breath. He was mentally trying to figure out the best way to take Alder and his men down.
They had almost outlived his usefulness. When that happened, he and Peter were probably dead men.
"Let's just focus on getting out of this one alive," Peter responded.
Alder came down to have a look. His henchman 'guided' Alex inside with them.
"Still can't believe this is real," she said breathlessly, taking a look around. It took Neal a moment to remember that her grandfather had told her stories about this hidden treasure. She had spent her life chasing it.
Like Alder.
Neal glanced over at the wanted Ponzi schemer. All they needed was for the FBI to pop up and Adler would be behind bars. Instead, the FBI had no idea they were here while Adler looked over the paintings which would make him an even richer criminal.
Then three things happened at once.
Adler said something about them going for a ride.
Alex started struggling as she didn't want to go back into the limo.
A black figure jumped into the room, knocking out the henchman holding Alex.
"What the-?" Adler questioned, pulling out a gun.
"Get down!" Batman growled. Peter didn't waste any time, grabbing Neal and pulling him away as Adler fired. In this small space, the bullets impacted Batman's chest armour.
"Batman!?" Neal cried out in both worry and surprise. What was he doing here?
"What's a Gotham fairy tale doing here?" Alex questioned loudly and Peter pulled Neal back through the sub. When Batman had given Peter a tracker the previous night, he had also asked Peter to make sure Neal got somewhere safe.
"There's still the explosives!" Neal shouted at Peter, his mind back with Batman and Adler. "If they go off-" A shiver went through him as he imagined that.
"Then we don't want to be in here either," Peter countered. They climbed up the ladder, Peter almost shoving Neal up. As soon as they were out, Alex ran off to locate the FBI on Peter's orders.
Suits and Capes
"This is a mess," Batman grumbled as he hiked up the ladder with an unconscious Alder on his shoulder.
Peter noticed Neal's eyes widen slightly in surprise. It was sinking in that Batman was really here. In the middle of the day. Somehow he knew where they were.
"Agent Burke."
"Batman." Peter stood tall and square shouldered. Something about Batman made one stand tall.
Neal looked between them. His surprise morphing into a 'what is going on' expression. His gaze settled on Batman.
"Don't look at me like that," Batman growled. "He used to you to open up a Nazi submarine which could explode at any moment. What would have happened if I hadn't been here?"
"I have no idea," Neal responded honestly and in a frustrated tone. "But you shouldn't be here. How are we supposed to explain that?" He gestured to Adler, unconscious on the ground.
"I'm sure Agent Burke can think of something."
Peter groaned but agreed. Neal still didn't have any idea what was going on. When had Peter and Batman become almost friends?
"Fine, we'll get outside. But, if you touch anything, I'll know," Peter said. That sounded like a threat and Neal gave the agent an impressed but terrified for him look.
"I need to erase all signs of my presence. Keep Ms. Hunter from mentioning I was here."
"I'll try." Peter tugged Neal away but Neal wouldn't budge. "Oh for the love of- Come on, Richard! He'll meet up with you later."
The sound of his name jolted Neal out of his thoughts. Batman gave a small nod and he finally let Peter pull him outside.
"It's Dick, by the way. No one calls me Richard. And also, it's Neal." He made sure to really emphasis that. "You don't want my enemies coming after you."
"Funny, that's the same thing he said," Peter muttered in an unimpressed tone. Neal didn't need Peter to clarify who 'he' was.
He gave Peter a flat look. He didn't like Peter ignoring the issue.
"You're still Neal. At least until your four years are up."
Alder was officially arrested by Diana and Jones, who had been tracking the sub via the fractal Mozzie had made. It seemed this was a day filled with surprises as Mozzie had gotten into an FBI van in order to assist in the search.
Neal's lunch maybe-date with Sara was a bust though. He really hoped Batman wasn't around when they brought that up.
There was also a goodbye kiss from Alex in the day's events. By the time evening rolled around, Neal was tired and just glad that no one; like Sara, had pointed a gun at him. Sara had spoken with Alex though and Neal knew it had been about him.
Alliance
Alfred Pennyworth didn't let Elizabeth Burke scare him out of her kitchen. Instead, the two ended up cooking, talking and washing up while Peter and Neal sat at the table with Bruce Wayne. Bruce was dressed casually, bandages hidden under his blue shirt. Adler's bullets had managed to fracture his ribs, otherwise he insisted he was fine.
For Neal, this was freakishly weird. He had never imagined these two meeting like this at all. Not even when Bruce came to New York.
"I thought your 'Brucie' act was well done," he commented to Bruce. He used a hard tone, citing that he wasn't at all happy that Bruce had outed him to Peter.
"It was. Yet, Agent Burke still figured it out." Bruce smiled his business smile at Peter. "I feel I should apologise for all the trouble my son has given you."
Neal groaned and ran his hands through his hair. Peter's lips twitched in a reluctant smile. Peter knew that Bruce was saying this because he wanted to embarrass and frustrate Neal and remind him that his family still cared about what actions he takes.
"How did you figure it out?" Neal asked Peter.
"Both of you were dropping a lot of hints."
"And, as good as an agent you are, you were able to figure it all out," Bruce said. He made it sound like he had planned this all as some kind of way to test Peter. However, Neal couldn't help wondering if Bruce was just trying to cover up how he had messed up.
"Will you be staying in New York while Neal serves his sentence?" Peter demanded to know.
Neal's heart thudded in his chest.
"Unfortunately, I will have to return to Gotham. It's not far, so I should be able to fly here in a few hours if Dick does something," Bruce said. Neal couldn't feel relieved about that. Was Bruce waiting for him to mess up or something? He glared at his adoptive father. "And my daughter and her friend are opening a new branch of their coffee shop, Coffee Vigil, here. And they'll be moving here to run it."
"Cass is?" That was news to him.
Bruce nodded and gratefully took the coffee Alfred offered him, the old butler seeming to appear at just the moment Bruce craved his caffeine kick.
"That's why Jason's still around too. He's managing their accounts."
"Jason's moving here too?" Mozzie would help Neal escape New York if he wanted to, right? After not seeing his family in years, it was suffocating to think of them being in the same city. He felt a travel itch in his body when he thought about it.
Breathe in. Breathe out. Relax. New York's a big city (not big enough).
"I have no idea," Bruce responded to Neal. "He still doesn't talk to me much."
"Jason would be 'Peter Todd'," Peter stated questioningly to Neal.
Neal nodded. "What gave that away?"
"Damian's visited you. Tim came to the office. It's only an intuitive, logical leap that Jason would visit you as well in some form. In addition, they share the same last name. You wouldn't believe how many assumed identities contain some kind of link to the person's other identities, right George?"
Neal sighed and rolled his eyes. He had three identities with the first name George. "I still don't see your point."
Peter shrugged. "You confirmed it anyway. Verbal confession."
"He's got you there," Bruce commented after taking a sip of his coffee.
Neal found himself hoping Bruce would go back to Gotham soon. But Alfred, Alfred brought him out delicious roast and veggies and made El smile, Alfred could stay.
Hints that Neal might be more than a criminal (Peter edition):
- Had a problem with Cruz saying the 'Teen Titans' weren't heroes (Didn't say anything about it although Cruz noticed).
- Cons criminals (this one is just to highlight some of Neal's heroic tendencies)
- Neal knows about comics (could be explained away as being into anything worth money)
- Reports of the figure in black who was quietly protecting New York's streets (see two down)
- Some kind of knowledge of Kori Anders: model and old Teen Titan (as well as Nightwing). Dick Grayson publicly dated her.
- Man in black saved a painting in a penthouse from being stolen the same night Neal claimed to be talking to Mozzie about the same scenario (Peter checked into Penthouse robberies and that one came up because of its closeness to the scenario Neal told Peter, even though it didn't succeed).
- Neal survived ninjas and Alvin Draper, who seems to have some kind of relationship to Neal, considering he knew how to goad Neal
- The man in black saved Peter from a robot: used a Nightwing voice: also similar figure to Neal
- Arsenal and someone with a Bat symbol came to New York. Around the same time, Neal had to babysit for a friend (Lian)
- Peter met Damian
- Batman spoke to Peter as he was after information about Adler (connected to Neal and their own investigation)
- Neal is acrobatic
- Todd sneaks through windows
- Neal knows things about Wayne which are difficult to learn without knowing the guy
- Helena likes him
- Neal and Bruce have similar ways of making people buckle with disarming smiles
- Knows that Damian Wayne is a vegetarian