I still own nothing

Clue: Anything that serves to guide or direct towards the solution of a problem.

-X-

December 20th 2012

"I have a mission for you."

Dick quickly changed his position to sit on his chair properly. He liked to sit with a knee up at his chest; however, Slade loved to yell at him about it. Dick straightened his back and put his fork down. Wintergreen, who was sitting beside him, got up to prepare Slade a plate. Dick wasn't sure why Wintergreen bothered, Slade had his mask on and probably had no interest in eating.

"What kind of mission?" Dick asked. It had been a long time since their last mission. He had no real way of keeping track, but it felt like it had been a month. A month of these same walls, same rooms, and same training schedule. Although Dick felt himself learning, he was getting bored. He must have been here nearly two months now. Dick felt disturbed, had he really been here that long already?

"Theft." Slade's voice dragged him from his thoughts.

The boy hesitated. Slade noticed Dick's apprehensive nature. Yes, he knew it might be a bit of a stretch to get Dick to steal for him. But after being locked up in the haunt long enough, he had confidence that Dick would be a bit more willing. After all, Dick had enjoyed their last mission, despite his punishment at the end. Slade knew well that stealing was a rush like no other. Even the greatest of heroes could learn to like it. Slade turned his back to go out the door.

"If you're not interested, I'll do it myself."

"Wait-" Dick toyed with the idea,. He could at least hear Slade out, "What... What would I be doing?"

Slade smiled. That's his boy.

"It's the basics, really." Slade began, turning back around and taking his usual seat at the table. Wintergreen placed a plate and a cup of tea in front of Slade. "Do you know what Xenthoium is?"

Dick tensed, "Yes." He responded, "You traded Kyptonite and Xenothium in the Rockies."

"The power core was different. It was a fusion of Kyrpyonite and Xenothium. I am asking if you know what Xenothium is."

"It's a chemical compound and it can be used as a power source."

Slade nodded, "Good." He said, "There is a large supply of it in Gotham City. Your mission will be to sneak in unnoticed, secure some of the chemical, and sneak out. It's simple really. However, this is Lex Luthor's supply so it is imperative that you do not get caught."

Dick noticed the tone in Slade's voice and he nodded to show he understood the severity.

"Do you normally steal from Luthor this much?"

Slade removed his mask and took a drink of his tea, "No. Luthor has been on my bad side as of late."

"Were you ever partners?"

"We're businessmen." Slade corrected him, "We normally do business. Luthor, however, is no longer available for trade."

"How come?"

"He answers to a bit of a... higher power now."

"A higher power?" Dick asked, "What higher power?"

"That will be another conversation for another day." Slade smoothly responded, "You must earn my trust before I can tell you such sensitive information."

Dick sat back in his chair and continued to eat his breakfast. Who was Luthor working for? It was unlike him to be working for someone else but Luthor was more Superman's territory and not Batman's. But to have a whole stash of Xenothium in Gotham City? Did Batman know it was there? Surely, Batman would have busted it if he knew it was there. Large quantities of Xenothium was illegal in Gotham, Dick remembered. But he couldn't remember last time Batman had a Xenothium bust.

Speaking of, what happened if he got caught. Would Batman show up? Would the League? Who even was wearing the cape and cowl now? Dick barely got to see the paper from Slade, but there had been no updates on Bruce Wayne's murderer. It bothered Dick to his core. If he had his resources and wasn't stuck on Slade's leash, he would have found the criminal by now and thrown him in jail. Though much time had passed since Bruce's passing, the fire which motivated Dick still remained. Finding the killer was his only strength to try and escape.

Getting on Slade's good side had to be his priority now. The more Slade trusted him, the more Slade would tell him. Plus, maybe Slade would give Dick more freedoms too. He could do this, Dick told himself. After all, is stealing from a bad guy really stealing? Dick didn't know the answer.

"I'll do it." Dick said finally.

Slade nodded, "Very well. Here are the blueprints of the warehouse." Slade pulled a rolled document from his utility belt and placed it in front of Dick. The boy moved his plate to the side and began to examine the documents. He heard Wintergreen drop something over his shoulder.

"Put that away." Wintergreen ordered. He reached between the men and pulled the blueprint away. "Finish your breakfast first."

"Will-"

"No, I did not cook a meal for you and Richard to take two bites. Good heavens, the boy is skinny enough as is, have you even seen him?" Wintergreen firmly pushed Dick's plate back in front of him, "Both of you are to finish eating before doing anything else."

Amused, Dick took his fork back in his hand and continued to eat his meal. He was almost done but Slade barely touched his food. Wintergreen reminded him so much of Alfred and the man had a good sense of humor. If Wintergreen hadn't been here, Dick surely would have lost his sanity by now. With a loud huff, Wintergreen sat back in his chair with his arms tightly over his chest. Slade followed Dick's lead and began to eat his meal as well.

"What do you need the Xenothium for?" Dick asked.

"I am building a weapon." Slade's voice was short and curt so Dick did not press the subject further. He already asked enough questions today.

The two men ate in silence but ate quickly. When Wintergreen was satisfied, he took their plates away and began to clean them at the sink. Slade reproduced the blueprints and placed them down in front of Dick again. Dick examined the document closely. The warehouse had two floors and plenty of rafters and windows. He noticed many entrances, there was the front door, a trap door on the ceiling, at least half a dozen windows high up. The windows might be too high, Dick noticed, for him to quietly get into them. His entrance would heavily depend on what weapons Slade supplied him with.

"What is the first thing you noticed?" Slade asked him.

"I'm thinking about getting a way inside." Dick said, his eyes transfixed, "There's a trap door on the roof, a front door, and windows. The windows are high so they may or may not be a good entrance point. I also noticed there are a lot of rafters so sneaking around shouldn't be too difficult."

Slade nodded, "Well done." He praised. He moved his hand to point at an particular lines hand drawn on the documents, "I surveyed the area not too long ago. These are containers of the Xenothium."

Dick's eyes widened, "You're joking. That much Xenothium? That kind of stuff could blow up the whole city."

"That is not entirely true. It would need a lot of power to cause the Xenothium to blow up like that. I only require a small amount. The Xenothium is kept in small vials, you will need to procure ten of them."

"You're not coming with me?"

Slade shook his head, "No. This mission is simple enough."

The man's response invigorated Dick. He could get a message out to the team, or Batman, or anyone. Not to mention the fact that Slade trusted Dick enough to go out on his own was a good sign. To be fair, with a full month of good behavior and zero escape attempts, Dick was sure the man was tickled pink. Good behavior was to be rewarded, Dick thought to himself in a mocking voice.

"I may not be there with you; however, I will be able to watch you on cameras. Need I remind you of the punishment you will receive if you fail or step out of line?"

"You don't need to remind me."

Dick turned his attention back to the blueprints. The trap door at the top would be his best bet, though it was probably heavily guarded. His backup plan would be one of the windows. The higher he stayed, the better. Until he knew where everyone was, he wanted to be as high as possible.

"What if Batman shows up?" Dick hesitantly asked.

"Already planning on getting caught?" Slade asked back.

Dick huffed and shook his head, "No, I'm being prepared."

"If Batman shows up, I expect you to complete the mission and then evacuate." Slade produced a second blueprint of the warehouse lot, "I will be positioned here, just east of the warehouse. Once you have completed your mission, I will pick you up. Adjust accordingly as the mission progresses. There is no cookie cutter formula for this type of mission."

The boy nodded and observed the new blueprint in front of him. Dick knew Slade already had plans A-Z should Batman show up; however, the man never shared them with Dick. He wasn't sure if Slade was trying to teach him to plan on his own or if Slade genuinely expected Dick to wing it. Either way, Dick knew if Batman showed up, he would bolt out of there. But as Slade said, the mission was simple enough. Get in, get out, and don't get caught.

-X-

There were Christmas lights around Gotham City.

The moment he got outside, it was the first thing Dick had noticed. There was no snow on the ground but the wind was chilled and Dick could see his own breath. It was December. Dick didn't remember the exact date when he left with Slade but the leaves had been all on the ground. It had been October. Two months, Dick took a breath, two months since he had been home. Two months since he had seen his friends and family. And at least one month since Bruce had passed away.

"You didn't tell me it was almost Christmas." Dick joked, "I would have gotten you a present."

"Focus, apprentice."

Slade clearly didn't have a sense of humor tonight. With a sigh, Dick better secured the mask around his eyes. The mask didn't feel as good as his old one, but he would get used to it. The harder he was to recognize, the better. He had a backpack on to secure the Xenothium once he got inside and Slade had given him a different set of tools in his utility belt to assist him on the mission.

He was crouched on the top of a warehouse, staring down at his target. The warehouse itself had no security cameras beyond the standard ones by the lot owners. According to Slade, the mission should be easy. There was minimal security, Dick noticed. Most of the people he saw through the windows were smoking cigars and sitting back in chairs.

"There are six guards." Dick reported.

"Correct. Good observation."

One thing that Dick learned to appreciate about Slade was the fact that the man never fell short on praise. Although the man seemed to love to rub it in Dick's face when Dick was wrong, Slade never hesitated to compliment Dick when credit was due. It was polar opposite from Batman. Batman only ever highlighted his mistakes and followed it with a lecture to bore Dick into never doing it again.

His eyes narrowed as he scouted out the roof to make sure it was clear. When he felt confident, Dick ran forward and landed on the rooftop quietly. Dick kept low to the ground and tread with a light foot until he reached the trapdoor. Slowly, he unhooked the lock and opened the trap door a quarter inch. He peered inside. There were no guards there and he was right above the rafters. Making a minimal amount of noise, Dick lowered himself inside and perched himself below the trapdoor.

He counted the six guards. Three in front of him and three behind him. The three behind him were leaning around a table playing cards while two of the guards at the front were standing at the door with guns in their hands. The final guard was leaning against a wall with a cigarette in his mouth. Dick could see the tufts of smoke make it to the air before dissipating. They probably had no idea what they were guarding, Dick figured. Luthor probably offered them a few hundred bucks to stand and keep quiet about the business. Dick shook his head. This would be easy enough.

After a few moments, Dick crept through the rafters until he made it all the way to the left wall. He was careful to stay out of sight and out of the stream of moonlight coming through the window. There were crates of Xenothium riddled all over the floor. From up high, Dick could see there was a total of eight crates, each of them probably holding hundreds of vials. This easily must have costed Luthor a small fortune, but Dick couldn't help but worry what Lex Luthor needed this much Xenothium for. And to keep it in Gotham was appalling. Was Luthor planning some attack on Gotham City? Was the higher power Slade mentioned someone in Gotham?

One of the guards stood up from the card table and walked through the crates. He peered down each row with a gun in his hand. Dick sank back against the wall, hoping his dark uniform would help him blend in with the shadows. He didn't know how reflective the metal armor on his uniform was either. The man made his way around the room before going back to the card table and picking up his hand.

This was his queue. Taking in a breath, Dick jumped down from the rafters and landed on the floor with a soft thud. He held that same breath and listened to see if anyone heard the sound his feet made on impact. Not a single one of them stirred. They were making conversation over their card game again.

Dick pressed his back against the nearest crate. His body was crouched low so his head would not be seen from over the top of it. He examined the lock. It was a simple pad lock and the rest of crate was covered in thick leather straps. Dick found the security measurements curious. With a substance like Xenothium, Luthor should have kept it better protected. Though, Dick supposed too much security could look suspicious. Luthor made this far too easy for anyone to come and take from.

He took a lock pick from his utility belt and proceeded to take the lock off. The lock only took a few short seconds before popping open. Silently, Dick removed the padlock and removed one of his shurikens from his utility belt. He used the sharp edge of the shuriken to cut through the leather straps on the crate. Dick slid his fingers underneath the lid to pop it open when he heard a loud shatter from across the room. Was that a window breaking? Immediately the guards were at their feet, shouting something in another language.

"What was that, apprentice?"

"That wasn't me." Dick explained quietly. He peered up from the top of the boxes. All the guards had their backs turned to Dick and were examining the broken window, "You're the one looking at the cameras, you tell me."

There was silence for a minute.

"Cobblepot."

Dick rolled his eyes, of course, Penguin of all villains had to be here. He could hear how irritated Slade was over the intercom. Once again, Dick put his fingers underneath the lid and popped the top off. Dick peered inside under the lid. Each vial of Xenothium had an eerie, red glow. He slid the backpack into his hand and quickly began to put the vials into his backpack. When he got to ten, he zipped up his backpack and replaced the lid on the crate.

Explosions were occurring outside and Dick felt the entire building shake. He held on to the crate to steady himself. What was Penguin doing here anyways? Dick brought his head over the crate again. They were all standing at the door with guns at their faces.

The door suddenly bust open and a cloud of black smoke entered the room. Dick covered his face to protect himself against the flying shrapnel.

"What's happening outside?"

"Green Arrow is pursuing Cobblepot and-"

"It's the Batman!" One of the guards shouted, "Grab your weapons!"

Batman? The name made his heart beat twice as fast. Green Arrow and Batman were both here. Dick sank back against the Xenothium crate, he couldn't handle both of them. He needed to leave quickly. He didn't want to fight either men and Dick wasn't ready to see someone wearing the cowl other than Bruce Wayne himself.

"Calm down. He's after the guards, not you. Do you have the Xenothium?"

"Yes." Dick looked in his utility belt for a grappling hook. He struggled to figure out which pocket it was in when bullets began to pour through the room. Dick crouched down low. He could see orange sparks dancing on the walls and he felt the crate jolt each time a bullet dug into it. Was it really Batman? Who was posing as Gotham's Dark Knight?

"There is a window behind you. Use that as your exit."

Dick cast is gaze upwards and his eyes landed on the window. He fumbled around his utility belt for another minute before his fingers finally found his grappling hook. Dick shook his head, had he been falling from a high place, he would have been dead.

A batarang suddenly whizzed past Dick's ear and landed in the wall right beside him. The gunfire had completely ceased and Batman was staring straight at him. Without hesitating, Dick aimed his grappling hook out the window before getting fiercely tugged out the window. Batman made an attempt to cut the wire attaching to Dick's hook but the man missed by an inch. It wasn't Bruce Wayne, as far as Dick could tell. Bruce didn't miss.

He covered his face with his arm to protect himself from any remaining glass shards as he passed through the window. He used his momentum to swing forward and land on the rooftop of the building. Dick landed in a tight crouch, he only had a moment to spare before Batman was on his heels again.

"On your left."

Without thinking, Dick dove over the edge of the building. The next warehouse over had a crack in the door and Dick was small enough to slip inside. Dick focused on keeping is breathing calm and lowering his heart rate. He leaned against the wall and slumped to the bottom of the wall. If he stayed too long, Gotham Police Department would be all over him like ants at a picnic. Dick pressed a finger to his ear piece.

"Where now?"

"Patience. Batman is right outside."

Dick's shoulders tensed but he made no sound. The warehouse should be cold enough to mask any heat signatures in case the copy cat was attempting to trace Dick's heat signature. He could hear Batman talking outside.

"Alfred, was that..."

Dick pressed his ear closer but Batman walked farther away and the voice was drown out completely. The voice was was too muffled for Dick to recognize who it was, It couldn't have been Superman or Hawkeye. Maybe Martian Manhunter? Carefully, Dick got back to his feet and squeezed between the door again, traveling in the opposite direction he heard Batman's voice.

"Keep a low profile and keep moving east. You're doing well."

When Dick began to hear police sirens in the distance, he began to sprint forward towards the pick up location. Slade would be waiting for him at the car like they had planned.

Dick swore he heard something over his shoulder and dove to the side. An arrow cut through the sky and blew up only a few feet away from him. The pressure of the blast sent Dick flying into metal barrels lined against the sides of the buildings. Dick groaned and held his head in his hand, the sound of the explosion resonating in his ears. He looked up and Green Arrow was on the building across from him with an arrow pointed right in his direction. Before Green Arrow had a chance to fire, Dick grabbed a shuriken from his belt and sent it flying at Green Arrow.

The man moved to the side to dodge it and Dick took off east again. He tried to remember exactly how far away Slade's car was but Dick couldn't think straight with Green Arrow right behind him.

"Don't let them catch you."

Dick rolled his eyes, "You think?" He bit back.

"Watch that mouth of yours, young man."

Dick opened his mouth to retort but was unable to form any words when a powerful kick landed in his side. Dick stumbled to the side and stuck his hand out to catch himself on the wall. Dick straightened himself. It was Batman. He could see Batman's eyes narrowed trying to recognize him and too curious to attack him. But Dick knew his hair was too long to look like Dick Grayson and Dick felt as though he might have grown in the past few months.

He fingered his utility belt until he found a smoke pellet and threw it on the ground. When the smoke invaded the air, Dick made a quick escape. Batman was unable to keep up with him and Dick pressed himself between different buildings until he put a safe distance between himself and Batman. Dick patted down himself quickly. He found a tracking device towards the bottom of his shoe. He wasn't sure when it was placed on him but it wouldn't help them for long. Dick held the small bat-shaped device in his hand before flinging it down the alley and running in the opposite direction. Hopefully it would create a long enough diversion for him to get away. So, Dick ran.

By the time Dick made it to the car, he was breathing heavily and sweat was on his forehead. He tossed the backpack in the back seat and Slade sped off in the car.

"He saw me." Dick explained between breaths, frantic, "I don't know if he recognized me but he saw me."

"Calm yourself." Slade told him. Dick nodded and relaxed into his chair. He made it. If Batman recognized him, he would have said something. For all he knew, it was a member of the Justice League he had only met a small handful of times. Green Arrow was too far away to recognize him. Dick examined his long strands of hair. There's no way he looked like Dick Grayson anymore.

"Even I could not predict Penguin would simultaneously perform a raid on Lex Luthor's stash." Slade continued, "You managed just fine. The Bat and Green Arrow would not have shown up if Penguin hadn't been there. You did well."

"Thanks." Dick responded. He took off one of his gloves and stuck a finger in his right ear to try and alleviate some of the pressure. His ear was still ringing from the explosion and hitting his head against an empty, metallic drum didn't help. The ear appeared to be his only injury. Neither of the two men seemed keen on actually hurting Dick. Green Arrow could have caught him if he hadn't hesitated, same with Batman. They must have recognized him, Dick repeated to himself. They'll know he's a thief. They'll know that he stole. Dick leaned his head back against the chair and closed his eyes.

He was almost grateful that it wasn't Bruce beneath that mask.

-X-

December 21st, 2012

{00:33 EST}

"Was that him?"

"Was that who?"

Batman felt his face get hot with anger, "What do you mean who? Was that Robin?"

"I don't think so." Green Arrow calmly responded. He bent down and picked up the abandoned tracking device, "Whoever it was, he's long gone by now."

"Why was he here?"

Green Arrow shrugged in response. Together, the two men made their way back to the warehouse. The guards were tied together, some conscious, others unconscious. Together, Green Arrow and Batman dragged the men outside next to Penguin.

"He was looking at these crates." Batman stated. He walked over to the crate which he had seen the thief before he made is exit. The lock on the crate was removed and the straps on the crate was broken. Batman slid his fingers below the lid and pushed it over to look inside. His eyes widened at the sight. The glowing red substance was a familiar one. It was Xenothium. An illegal substance in this big of quantity.

"Penguin must have been after this." Batman explained to Green Arrow, "All these crates must be loaded with Xenothium. So was the young thief."

"Who owns this warehouses?"

"No one." Batman responded, "They're all supposed to be empty." He stood tall and strode over to one of the conscious men. Batman's shadow engulfed one of the men and he looked up, horror etched into his face. The man was young with a scruff for a beard and a bandanna around his neck. Batman reached down and yanked the man up to his feet by the front of his shirt.

"Who are you working for?" Batman asked, his voice low.

The man writhed under Batman's stare, "I-I-I..." He stuttered, "I can't say!"

"You can't say?" Batman asked, "I'll make you talk."

Batman grabbed one of the man's fingers, threatening to turn it in the wrong direction. The man in his grasp grew frantic.

"W-Wait! Don't do it! Please!"

Batman turned and threw the man to the ground. His arms were bound behind him so he had no way to break his fall. He cried out when he hit the ground. He had no spine, Batman realized, and an accent. The man wasn't from Gotham City.

"Then start talking."

The man looked up at him, pleading, "My cousins." He gestured to the other bound men, "My cousins and my brothers. Lex Luthor paid us. Offered to keep the police off our backs. We- we had no idea what was in the crates, honest."

Green Arrow approached Batman from behind. The sirens were getting closer now, "We should leave the rest of this for the GCPD." Green Arrow said. "They're almost here. Let's go."

Batman nodded and the two men moved towards the Batmobile with haste. Batman had a tendency avoided the media as much as possible and so did the Justice League. If the GCPD knew how many Justice League members were in the city at a given time, they would be extremely suspicious. He could always have Alfred leave Commissioner Gordon a message. Gordon was a man of good work, Batman noticed. Gotham was in good hands with him.

He looked back over his shoulder and he could see the police officers flooding the area. The bound men were being shoved into the back of police cars. Batman felt his mind wander back to the thief. The young boy had a large amount of similarities to Dick Grayson. The height and build was similar, but the idea that Dick could be a thief was polar to Dick's personality. But no matter what Batman thought, he couldn't shake his thoughts.

"I think it was Robin." Batman reiterated to Green Arrow, "That boy we saw."

Green Arrow shook his head, "Don't be preposterous. Robin's not a thief."

The two men made their way to the Batmobile and jumped inside. Batman sat behind the steering wheel and Green Arrow sat beside him. Roy turned on the vehicle and floored it towards the Batcave. Alfred would have seen everything from his eyes. If anyone was going to recognize if it was Dick, it would be Alfred. The man was able to spot Dick on a security camera half way down the street, Roy was sure Alfred would have recognized Dick from Batman's own vision.

"I know he's not a theif but still. He had on that... symbol I think. The 'S' symbol that Kid Flash and Aqualad keep talking about. Maybe... Maybe he snapped when Bruce died."

"Come on, Roy, you know him like he was your brother. Dick would never. That boy had a sense of justice as strong as Batman's."

Roy sank back into his seat and gripped the steering wheel tighter, "I don't want to believe it but... what if?"

Green Arrow stroked his goatee, "Let's focus on something we can figure out." Green Arrow said, "Black and orange uniform. Do we know anyone with a black and orange uniform? That kid was wearing a uniform of some sort. He must be working for someone, he was way too young to be working on his own."

Before Roy had any chance to respond, Green Arrow suddenly shot up in his seat. Roy looked at him curiously, "What's wrong?"

"Black and orange. No, there's no way." Green Arrow was talking to himself instead of Roy. Orange and black was one man and one man alone. Deathstroke the Terminator. The man outran the Justice League shortly after it had emerged. The color matched; however the 'S' symbol didn't agree. There was only one 'S' in Deathstroke; however, it didn't make sense to put the 'S' on the uniform. But why would this boy be wearing Deathstroke's color?

"Pull over to the nearest ZETA tube." Green Arrow ordered. Roy followed his command, "We need to go to the Watchtower."

"Ollie, what's wrong?"

As soon as the Batmobile stopped, Green Arrow jumped out of the car, "I have a hunch. Let's go."

Roy nodded and quickly followed Green Arrow into the ZETA tube. Per usual, the machine announced their arrival; however, the Watchtower appeared to be empty. The two men stepped from the transporter and entered the main room of the Watchtower. Although Roy found himself up here many times, he was always in shock by the incredible view.

"Open files on Deathstroke the Terminator." Green Arrow spoke out loud. The computer obeyed his vocal command and a few short filed on the man Deathstroke appeared before them. Roy removed his cowl to get a better look at the files. The image of the man displayed a black costume with a half orange face. There were metal plates on his body, nearly identical to the ones they had seen on the boy. The coincidence was too great, Roy thought, was Robin working for Deathstroke?

"Deathstroke is an assassin," Green Arrow explained, "He outran the Justice League a few years ago and no one had seen or heard from him since then. Batman suspected he was still working out of the country. Computer, pull up all files exclusively highlighting the letter 'S'."

A new row of files popped up, much less this time. Green Arrow read through the files. They had been updated last on October 31st.

"The first sighting of this symbol was back in 2002. It was inconclusive. Second sighting was back in 2006, also inconclusive. However, the third spotting of this symbol was... October 17th." Green Arrow's eyes kept moving, "It was located on the helicopter which was carrying a Kryptonite-Xenothium power core! That was the first mission the team was ambushed." Green Arrow recalled, "That was the first mission the team failed."

"Those crates in that warehouse were full of Xenothium." Roy said, "The thief was probably stealing Xenothium. What happened to that power core?"

"It was a dead end." Green Arrow explained, "Batman, myself, and a few others from the League tried to pursue it, but we came up empty handed. But there is one more entry here. The entry was on October 31st. The 'S' symbol was spotted on robots, dressed in orange and black, attacking Wayne Industries. Batman must have put in this entry himself."

Roy turned his back to the screens and rubbed his chin, "So we have one man, Deathstroke, who looks identical to our Xenothium thief and we have the 'S' man who had a Xenothium-Kryptonite power core, attacked Wayne Enterprise, and was the symbol Wally and Kaldur saw at the Burke Power Plant and is the symbol I saw on the thief's uniform... Is this the same person? Or is Deathstroke paired up with someone else?"

"I'm not sure." Green Arrow said, "Deathstroke is an assassin for hire. The 'S' man may have hired him to kidnap Robin."

"Do we know Deathstroke's identity?"

Green Arrow shook his head. His eyes were squinted at the screens. They were so close to an answer, yet so far. What would Deathstroke want with Robin?

"What if Deathstroke was hired to murder Bruce Wayne?" Green Arrow proposed.

"We saw in that video that whoever has Dick, presumably Deathstroke, was in the video in front of Bruce. Bruce was shot from behind." Roy explained, "Unless the man in the video is someone else. Also, black and orange is a pretty common color scheme. It might not be Deathstroke at all. There are more connections to the 'S' than there are to Deathstroke."

Green Arrow sighed, "You're right. Let's contact Alfred and see what he thinks of this."

Roy nodded and typed in the computer. After a few moments, Alfred's face popped up and the familiar background of the Batcave was displayed. Alfred was sitting in the main computer with a cup of tea at his side.

"Hello, Sirs." Alfred greeted.

"Hey Alfred," Roy said. He typed on the computer to send the files they were looking at to Alfred, "What do you make of these files? Did you see the thief?"

Alfred took a few moments to analyze the data before him. He could recall Batman explaining to him the case with Deathstroke. The man was an assassin with a notorious reputation. He was the best in the business, to put it simply. Alfred leaned closer to the screen to read the file on the 'S' symbol as well. After a minute of silence, Alfred took his turn to type on the computer and pull up a digital image of the thief taken from Batman's cowl.

"The similarities between Master Richard's outfit and Deathstroke's is uncanny."

Roy perked up, "That's Dick, isn't it!" He nudged Green Arrow, "I told you it was him!"

"I feel confident it is Master Richard." Alfred confirmed, "He requires a haircut."

"What is he doing stealing Xenothium?" Green Arrow asked, "That can't be Dick. Dick isn't a thief!"

"But-"

"There are no 'buts,' Roy. I've known that boy for years. He's no criminal!"

"I'm telling you, Ollie, he might have snapped after Bruce was murdered. What was Dick supposed to think, supposed to do? He's had three parent's murdered in his lifetime and you're worried about Dick stealing a little Xenothium?"

"If I may," Alfred interjected, "I was in attendance at Master Bruce's funeral, as was Master Richard-"

Green Arrow was still shocked at Alfred's words, "You saw him? You saw Dick? Alfred- you should have said something!"

"What could anyone have done?" Roy asked back, "The nearest League member was miles away. Was Alfred supposed to take him?" Roy shook his head, "It wasn't that simple, Ollie, you know that. Plus, Alfred is right. At least we know Dick is alive. We would have been horrible if we ruined Bruce's funeral."

"The funeral was over a month ago." Green Arrow felt annoyed, "You should have said something sooner, Alfred. It meant Dick was close. Something could have been done."

Alfred nodded, "You have my apologies, Master Arrow. The Justice League was too preoccupied to interrupt and I firmly believe Master Dick deserved to have his moment alone to mourn his loss. I then decided kept this information private until the time was right. Master Richard was saddened at the loss; however, he was in relatively good spirits. I do not believe Master Dick has snapped. In fact, he appeared to be completely normal."

Green Arrow huffed but accepted the apology. After all, there was nothing they could do at this point anyhow. He turned his attention back to the present and looked at the file on Deathstroke again. Roy's theory that Dick switched sides was preposterous.

"I'm telling you, Roy." Green Arrow spoke again, "That kid is no criminal. Just like Alfred said, he didn't just 'snap'."

"We don't know that." Roy said back, "What do you make of all this, Alfred?" Roy asked, "Did Deathstroke kidnap Robin?"

"I don't believe I can say for certain." Alfred responded, "Although the uniforms are similar, I believe the information points towards the 'S' fellow and not Deathstroke. Could the uniform be merely coincidence? To my understanding, Deathstroke is an assassin, not a kidnapper."

Roy shook his head, "I don't believe in coincidences." He said, sounding familiar, "If anything, maybe if we find out Deathstroke's secret identity, we could figure out more about 'S'. Perhaps they are the same person?"

Roy put the cowl back over his head, "I have someone I can ask about this." Roy said plainly, "I'll catch up with you guys later."

Green Arrow raised an eyebrow but didn't say anything as Roy left the Watchtower. He and Alfred returned to the documents in front of them. The data on Deathstroke was extremely limited. Deathstroke was a human assassin with qualities better than a normal human's, such as strength, heightened intelligence, and an enhanced healing factor. To their knowledge, Deathstroke had never taken a contact against a child or against a woman. Green Arrow scoffed. Deathstroke probably thought he was a man of "morals."

"Why would Deathstroke come back, all of a sudden?" Green Arrow asked to no one in particular, "Dick stole. He took an illegal substance, presumably for Deathstroke, right? Was the man forcing him to? Alfred, talk some sense into me," Green Arrow pleaded, "This can't be real."

"Master Arrow, I unfortunately have no better theories." Alfred replied solemnly, "Let us hope Master Batman will be able to uncover some information."

"Deathstroke has never taken a contract against a child." Green Arrow repeated as he read over the file again, "I don't think he kidnapped Robin. It's against his "moral code" or whatever."

"Perhaps kidnapping Master Richard was part of a contract against Master Bruce." Alfred proposed.

Green Arrow stroked his face, "Let's get this information correct. Computer, record." Green Arrow commanded, "Batman and I spotted a thief stealing Xenothium form a warehouse in Gotham City. The Xenothium is owned by Lex Luthor. Upon closer inspection, we believe that the young thief was Robin, wearing a black and orange uniform with an 'S' over his heart."

The man took a breath, "Robin's uniform is similar to the uniform of Deathstroke the Terminator, an assassin. He has take no contract against a child or woman but may have been hired to murder... Batman's alter ego, kidnapping Robin in the process. However, previous mission indicate reveal that the 'S' symbol has been seen before on the helicopter carrying the Kryptonite-Xenothium power core and again on robots attacking a Wayne Enterprise in Gotham City. This 'S' symbol has also been seen at the remains of the Burke Power Plant. Complete recording."

On the screens in front of him, Green Arrow watched as a transcript of his message was written into a new document in the "Robin-MISSING" file. He added the date to the top of the file and saved the document.

"Hopefully, Roy will uncover something for us." Green Arrow said, "We need to find Deathstroke."

-X-

Hi I realized that the story is getting slow so hopefully this will make it more interesting. Next chapter, we will see more from Roy and Cheshire and Slade and Dick, and the Light.

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Azu