Chapter 38: A New Space
AN: Tell me, are my chapter names good? Punny Enough? Also how's the story? I love reviews and they make my day. I'm happy to respond to any questions and maybe even requests.
By the time Robin was fully off of bed rest and allowed out on patrol again it was March meaning his birthday and the anniversary of his parents death was arriving. The nightmares of two-face were quickly replaced with nightmares of them falling along with Bruce, the League, Wally, Roy and Barbara. Dick was grounded from Robin again when he turned nine and wasn't allowed to patrol again until that May.
Now the villians started to fear Robin almost as much as Batman. He'd gotten better and could take down most of them along his mentor without causing trouble. He'd faced most of Gotham's big bads except for the Joker and a few assassins. It wasn't surprising to him when Batman sent him in one night so he could go chase down Joker.
Alfred had sent him out of the house the following morning and he spent the day with the Gordons on one of Jim's rare days off. He arrived home after dinner and immediately ran down to the cave after greeting Alfred ready to change into costume. Instead of being greeted by a working Bruce the whole League was standing around with troubled faces. "What happened?"
"Joker," Superman replied. "He teamed up with some Shadows and they infiltrated Mt Justice. No one was there at the time. Thank Rao."
"They'll be here often until we work out a new headquarters," explained Batman. "It'll be temporary but we'll have to use the Batcave or the Fortress of Solitude."
"Where will your new headquarters be?" Robin asked curiously.
"The UN has offered us a space in DC. It'd be too public though. We're thinking of about using that place as a press cover and a farce for the public," explained Flash who's leg was vibrating as Hawkwoman glared in annoyance.
"So you'd need somewhere harder to get too?" Robin asked as he stood in the center of the League.
"Exactly. It's have to be secretive too. There's not a lot of places on Earth like that," Superman told him. Robin looked at him like he was an idiot.
"So don't have it on Earth."
The whole League turned to look down at the young protégée. Batman stepped forward and Robin looked up determined as his mentor opened his mouth. "Explain."
"Somewhere not on earth. You'd need somewhere close enough so that rules out the moon and other planets. You should build a spaceship. You and Ollie have enough money to build it."
"We do," Green Arrow laughed. "But a satellite like that is a lot of cutting edge tech."
"He's right though," Wonder Woman mused. "It could be to our advantage. We'd let a few people know about it. In the UN or other diplomats we can trust. We'd use it to be the first wall against any invasion and to see all over the world."
"She's right. This way we're not based solely in one county either," Flash agreed.
"We'd need to make the plans first," Batman growled. "And add new things for space travel to the Zeta Beam."
"It should not be too difficult. A satellite would be right outside the atmosphere," Martian Manhunter nodded.
"Fine. Until then there's no monitor duty or any sort of meetings unless we call one for emergency reasons," Batman said harshly. "Dismissed."
It didn't take long for all the Leaguers to leave. None of them wanted to stay in that cave very long. Robin looked up at Batman. "Are we patrolling?"
"Not now. I need to work on this," he gestured to the blueprints he was laying out on the table in front of him with other tools.
"Can I help?" Robin asked curiously pushing himself onto the table before Batman grabbed him around the waist and put him back on the floor.
"It was your idea. Do you know how blueprints work?" Batman asked.
Robin shook his head. Batman groaned. Why'd he even agree to this? He looked at Robin sternly. "Just watch."
Robin nodded astutely pulling his chair closer and closer to Batman.
Batman finished his blueprints by the end of the month. It was already well known that Oliver Queen and Bruce Wayne were two of the League's biggest funders. Employees didn't ask a lot of questions when they started what they heard was a new research satellite. Diana Prince, Themiscyira's main diplomat, and not so secretly Wonder Woman, went in for talks with the UN to explain the satellite to a specific few and how it could be to their advantage.
It was slowly assembled with help from the League and had the top computers. Robin had been watching over Batman's shoulder the whole time and hadn't been scared to point out flaws in the coding and to include some tricks and ideas of his own. Though the League didn't talk about it all of them acknowledged that a lot of the satellite was Robin's idea. Though he was only nine the child had already crossed the threshold for genius and heroics. Not that any of them could say anything about it. The Watchtower launched that November as an unknowing Wally celebrated his eleventh birthday beside his best friends nine-year-old Dick and Fourteen-year-old Roy.