Chapter 51: Getting Answers

Dick's POV

Chris?!

I zoom in even more on her face with the built-in binoculars in my mask to confirm it's her.

I can't believe it... What is going on? Why is Chris with R? How did this happen?

I need answers. I need to know why Chris is with R and how he knows him, and I also need to find out what R knows about Autumn and her "death". Looks like I ended up taking on two cases instead of one.

Okay...I can stick to the original plan, right? Sneak into R's apartment, pop out of the shadows, and talk to him like a normal person – or as normal as a conversation with a man in a costume that appeared in someone's apartment can get. The only difference is, it won't be just him and Nightwing. It'll be him and Nightwing and Chris. And I know nothing about what has happened to Chris since her awakening, which makes her unpredictable and possibly unstable. I'll also have to distance myself to stay strong and focused. Right now I'm Nightwing, not Dick Grayson.

I look through the window again. Chris is on the couch, examining the place, while R is looking through the fridge, his back to her. The two of them are talking. Now would be the perfect time to sneak into the apartment.

I'm about to leap onto the fire escape right outside the windows when I remember I have one more problem to deal with: Batman and Robin.

Chris is their case. If I continue with my plan without consulting them, they're sure to be pissed, even if it's not my fault that their case crossed paths with mine.

I look through the window and notice R approaching it. I get down and hide behind the roof's ledge, still spying on them. R leans on the window sill and looks out at the buildings in front of him, with Chris watching him intently. There goes my perfect opportunity.

Still watching them, I open up a line and call Batman. I turn on the holographic projector on my arm. It doesn't take long before Batman's face shows up in my line of vision and his ever-so-soothing voice enters my ears.

"Nightwing." He acknowledges.

"Batman. I've found Chris."

"What? Grayson, where?" Robin's voice interjects before Batman can respond.

I don't reply because I know Batman will say something, and indeed he doesn't fail to.

"We're heading for your coordinates. Nightwing, do not engage until we have arrived."

"Wait a minute–"

"Do. Not. Engage." And with that, he closes the line, and his face disappears. I drop my hand to my side and look at the window. They haven't stopped talking. I already have my chance. If I don't do this right here – right now – then when? I can't lose any opportunities, not when it comes to Chris...especially when it comes to Chris. She's my little sister, after all.

"Sorry Batman…" I mutter to myself as I open the window and climb in. Two pairs of eyes – one stormy gray, the other bright blue – fall on me. R's eyes widen as he pulls out what I believe is a knife, but he quickly hides it behind his back. Chris immediately stands up and dashes to R, not taking her confused gaze from me.

"N-Nightwing!?" comes R's suddenly uncalm response. The kid's freaked out. Well who wouldn't be when a crazed vigilante in black and blue spandex suddenly opens the window and walks in like he owns the place.

I smile sheepishly, turning my head to R when in reality my eyes are on Chris. I raise my hand. "Hi..." is my awkward reply. My eyes are trained on Chris', and I know under my mask she and I have the same set of blue eyes. But at the same time, hers are different...filled with confusion and fear, and with a hostile spark...and that hostility is directed towards me. But her eyes are half-lidded and almost uninterested, only feigning the expression with minimum effort.

I feel my chest clench up and move my gaze to R as I swallow the lump contracting in my throat. "What the f*ck are you doing here?" The kid growls, hunching over slightly, eying the main door. His Gothamite accent is thick, hard, and gruffy. "We didn't do anything."

Yeah right. This kid's probably the worst influence ever. He better not have taught my sister anything...wrong…well, knowing Gotham and it's residents, he probably already has.

Regardless of my thoughts, I lift both my hands up, facing my palms towards him. "Easy kid. I'm not here 'cause you're in any sort of trouble. I'm working on a case, and I need your help…"

He narrows his eyes at me, frowning. I hear Chris ask him in a hushed tone, "Who is this guy anyways?", but R doesn't respond to her and keeps his piercing gaze trained on me. "How do I know if we can trust you? You Bats are a real swarm of b*tches ya know."

I bring my hand to my pocket, and he whips out the dull and rusted pocket knife from behind him. I slow down my pace, eying the kid and the knife. "Don't f*cking move you sonovab*tch. You're on my turf."

I don't heed his warning, but I move much more slowly. I bring out the most recent picture of Autumn and flash it at him. "Autumn. Autumn Cross." His eyes widen slightly at the picture. "She went missing some time ago." I continue and his eyes flicker to mine.

"Yeah, so? What's it got to do with me?"

Chris looks dully at the picture as well, devoid of any spark of recognition in her eyes. I nod back to R. "You and her – you were friends. She's missing and I'm trying to find her." I say slowly, eyeing the kid with the knife. He could bolt any second now, and I'll lose him and the case. "I just need to ask a few questions then I'm gone…that's all…just put down the knife and we can talk." I say carefully, making sure every drip of genuinity I have is showing in my voice and expressions.

He looks back at the picture. "You can find her?" It was more of a statement than a question though. He knows that I work with Batman, and he knows that Batman is pretty much the World's Greatest Detective. Smart kid – keeps tabs on the going-on's in Gotham. His eyes are hopeful.

I nod slowly. "Yes. But I need your help. I need to ask you questions about her on the time before she die–went missing." Damn it. I bite my tongue, but he buys it anyways, missing my mistake and retracts the knife. His gaze is trained intently on me, focused and stormy. If looks could kill, I'd probably be dead. I nod. "The Waynes are getting worried. Bruce Wayne has filed a report with the Gotham PD...so I decided to take up the case instead." I smile tightly, gaze drifting off to Chris as she eyes me too.

R shrugs, leaning back on the counter, feigning indifference. "Like I give two f*cks." He responds, but I don't flinch anymore at his language. "What do you want to know?"

"You two were close right?" I ask.

He shrugs. "Kinda." is his quick answer.

"What's the last thing you remember of her before she went missing?"

He looks down. "We went to the arcade some time back – called me up real early just to invite me to the arcade too. We talked, got some drinks, went home."

I nodded. "Did she tell you anything before you went your separate ways?"

His eyes drift off to the opened window as my sister eyes him curiously. "No not really. But I kept getting this vibe from her like she was keeping something from me. I asked her if she was on drugs or something. Told her that sh*t's f*cked up and to get her ass outta that sh*thole. The idiot just laughed and shrugged – said she wasn't on drugs...but she was still weird and stuff."

"Weird?"

He nods once. "Yeah. Like she was saying goodbye or something. I thought she was gonna commit suicide or something. Got me worried. Then she went missing a few days after…" He looks down at the floor, clenching his fists. "That f*cker…"

I nod and eye the phone on the counter. "Did she tell you anything before leaving?"

He looks away, shoving his hands in his pockets. "She asked me if I would look at her the same before leaving. Like if she came back different or something, if I'd be freaked out and treat her different. That was a real sh*tty question. So I said no. She said good. She told me she was going away for a second, might not be coming back or something. I don't know what the hell she was talking about." He looks back down, eyes narrowing at the wooden floor. "Said there was something she had to do...she asked me how many would have to die to win a war, or what I would do if I was forced to kill one person to save a hundred...I didn't know anything...but those were some of her random questions. She's got a real messed up head."

How many would have to die to win a war? What would I do if I was forced to kill one person to save a hundred.

Real taboo questions. And for this R kid to remember those specific questions tells me she portrayed them in a colorful manner. Her questions to him just might answer mine.

"Then she asked me if I wondered about Europe. What it was like in Spain or some sh*t. Or Asia...I really thought she was going on a trip with those stuck up Waynes or something, getting all excited about these places. Next thing I know she disappears and not even her so-called family knows where she is." He's rambling now, but it helps. Autumn talking randomly about things like this doesn't really sound like her. Maybe she was implying something to her friend.

R shrugs tightly and then falls silent. He looks back at me. I open my mouth to ask one last question. "A-"

"Nightwing." I whip my head behind me to find Batman and Robin standing in the shadows, their eyeslits narrowed at me. Well sh*t. He glares daggers into me.

"Batman!?" Behind me, R nearly yells, and I almost feel sorry for the kid. He's probably about to piss his pants too.

I smile sheepishly. "Batman...hey...I was just…"

"I told you not to engage." Is his gruff interruption as he makes his way over to me.

"I found a few things." Is my own reply.

"They're gone." I whip my head back to where the two were only to find an empty space and the main door wide open. Damnit. I didn't even notice Chris slowly making her way towards the door as R rambled.

So that's what it feels like. Huh.

I turn my head back at Bruce. "Way to scare them away." Then I break off into a sprint. I follow the sounds of footsteps and the opening and closing of doors. They are a good-ways ahead of me – we are separated by three flights of stairs. But despite their head start, I am much faster than them. I chase them down the staircase and out the back entrance into the streets of Gotham City.

This R kid might still know information about Autumn's disappearance. And we can't lose sight of Chris. There's no way they're getting away from us. Not if we can help it.

R is guiding Chris by the wrist as she constantly looks back at me. The Gothamites we encounter either stand to the side or get pushed aside, all of them wearing looks of surprise. I've nearly caught up to them, but all these civilians are slowing me down.

Where are Batman and Robin?

When Chris does one of her regular look-backs at me, her gaze quickly moves from my face to the sky, and her eyes widen. Okay, so they're somewhere above me. Probably running on the rooftops.

I look up at a lamp post just as Robin lands on it. He does a backflip off the lamp post, and next thing I know Robin is running alongside me.

"Glad you could join the party." I huff out.

He lets out a "tt" as we continue to run after the two.

Chris turns back to R and yells, "You figured out a way to lose 'em yet?"

"I'm trying! The least you could do is try to slow them down!" He yells back.

As they pass by a vendor's stand, Chris knocks the thing over and creates an obstacle in our path. I slip under the stand before it hits the ground, and Robin jumps against the building wall and lands on the other side of the rubble.

Now that we're close enough to them, I pull out what I like to call the "Ruffian Roundup" and throw it at them. R glances back seconds before the cord is about to wrap around the two of them, and his eyes widen. He pushes Chris into the alley they are about to run right past, getting her out of the line of fire. The cord wraps around his whole body multiple times before the weights at the end cause him to fall face-down onto the hard cement.

"Get Chris. I'll take care of him."

Robin nods and heads into the alley.

I look around and notice that all of the civilians have fled. I walk around to where R's face is on the ground. He rolls onto his back, breathing heavily, as I crouch down and look at his upside down face.

"Now, where were we?"

Damian's POV

I run into the alley but slow down my pace when I don't see Carter. I scan the area. Two large trash dumps, surrounded by a few trash cans and trash bags. It's a pretty long alleyway, so it is impossible that Carter could have made it to the other street without me seeing her at least turn the corner, since she is a slow runner.

I take a few steps forward, constantly on alert and prepared for anything. I block out the sound of passing cars and Nightwing's voice and focus on the noises in the alley – the crinkling of trash bags, the occasional meow of a cat, and the sound of leaves brushing against the pavement – waiting for something out of place.

Then I hear footsteps behind me. I turn and see Carter holding the cover of a metal trash can, ready to hit me in the face, and as she takes a swing, I duck and swipe at her feet, causing her to drop the trash cover and fall on her back.

"Ow..." She groans out.

I silently offer her my hand. She stares at my hand, and then glances up at me. In her face, I see no sign of recognition; I only see curiosity and confusion. She refuses my help and pushes herself up into a seated position, the entire time her eyes focused on my face and a frown decorating her features.

"Who are you?" She asks. There's a hint of a defensive tone in her voice, but it's masked by a dominant edge of curiosity that comes with her desire for knowledge.

"I'm Robin. I work with Batman – the man dressed as a bat– and Nightwing, who I assume you have already met."

She nods. "Why are you dressed all funny?"

I frown. It's strange hearing Carter like this. It's strange seeing Carter like this, asking questions about a lifestyle she should know everything about.

"Unimportant."

She frowns, but drops the question in favor of a new one. "Why are you and your friends chasing me and R?"

"We know about your...memory loss."

At my answer, her eyes widen, and panic becomes evident on her face. "How...how do you know about that?"

"Because...we make it our business to know when things are going wrong so we can make them right again. We are here to help you gain your memories back." I feel like a child giving a childish answer to another child. I am basically patronizing Carter (which is not completely unnatural), but in this situation, the way I have to talk to her and answer her questions is just...weird.

She frowns at my answer. "You're not the first person who has said they could help me..." Her eyes glaze over for a bit, as if remembering something, but it doesn't take her long to come back to the conversation. "How...how can you help me?"

I crouch down to her level and am about to answer when an insolent, obnoxious voice halts my speech. "Don't listen to him! Hey! Punk! Get away from her!"

Nightwing drags R into the alley as R continues his yelling. "Care to switch dance partners?" He asks. I nod once, and Nightwing walks over to Carter to sit down next to her. I make my way to a scruffy-looking boy who's trying to look tough, but in his eyes I see the obvious glints of fear.

"Did you get what you needed from this kid, Nightwing?"

"Yeah. Won't need him once you're done."

"You people are crazy, and why are you talking about me like I'm some sh*thead you can just go around torturing? I am a f*cking human being. Get the hell away from me! I've already answered all your stupid ass questions."

"No. You haven't. Now..." I pull him up by his shirt collar and slam him against the wall. "How did you find this girl?"

"Robin!" Nightwing's voice makes me turn my head to him.

"What?" I bark back with a rough voice.

"Tone it down. We're trying to gain their trust." By their, he obviously means Carter's. We don't need this R's trust.

"Tt." is my simple response, but I listen to him. I release R's collar, and he drops onto the cement. I take a step back and look down at him. "Do you need me to ask again?"

He glares at me, and I simply glare at him back. Inexperienced fool. I could do this all day.

After a few seconds, he finally manages out, "No. I caught her failing at stealin some dude's wallet. Could tell by the way she tried to steal it she was pretty new to the street life, so I thought I'd help her get out of that mess she'd gone an' made. I felt bad for the girl, since she's a newbie and all, so I thought I'd give her a place to crash for the night. If I'd known she'd get me into trouble with you Bats, then I'd never have crossed her path."

"What made you want to steal a wallet?" Nightwing asks Carter.

"Uhh...wait, where's Batman?" She asks, obviously changing the subject. I want to pursue the question, but Nightwing speaks first. "Yeah, where is Batman?"

"He said he had to go take care of something before he could continue this case." I answer.

Nightwing frowns. "That's strange. He didn't say what, did he?"

I shake my head. I hear him mutter "Typical." I usually have the urge to argue when it comes to this family's views of father, but this is one of those times when I share their opinions. I stay silent and revert back to the original discussion.

"Cart– Chris." I catch myself, remembering she doesn't know her last name. "Why did you try to steal a wallet?"

Her eyes display fear at the sound of my question. "Because...um...because..."

"Chris. It's okay. You can tell us." Nightwing says reassuringly, and his words seem to work because some of the fear dissolves into what I can only describe as visible evidence of trust.

"I wasn't trying to steal his wallet! I just ran into him, and his wallet fell out of his jacket pocket. He instantly accused me of trying to pocket it."

Before Nightwing and I can speak, R's annoying voice fills our ears. "Wait, really? You weren't trying to steal his wallet at all? I thought you were just super bad at pickpocketing."

"It's a miracle you could think at all." He's about to fight back when a glare I shoot him shuts him up.

Nightwing continues the interrogation. "We believe you, but the thought of us not believing you isn't what has you scared."

Carter looks at Nightwing's face, examining it, deep in thought. Then she turns to me and does the same with my face. Looking in her eyes, it's as if I can actually hear her say, Yes, I can trust them. But there's something else I'm reading on her face. Something more like...security?

"I ran into the man...because I was running away from something I saw."

"What did you see?" I press. Maybe it was just Killer Croc. His appearance is enough to give a child nightmares. And a person without memories is basically a child – in need of constant attention, help, and guidance.

"I'm not completely sure. I think it was a man...I didn't look long and hard because I was in shock and fear. He was dressed in all black, and he was standing at the top of a tall building. At first I thought he was just a statue, but then he started moving really fast towards me, jumping over buildings and rooftops, and he wouldn't take his eyes off me. The closer he got, the more I noticed about him: swords on his back, some blades across his chest, armor maybe – a whole bunch of stuff. He was also wearing some kind of owl mask. He was really scary, and he just kept...chasing me; him on the roofs and I on the sidewalk. So I kept running until I ran into the man in the wallet incident. The moment I had bumped into him, the man in the owl mask had disappeared, as if into thin air."

"What the hell?! You didn't tell me this!" R reacts.

"You wouldn't have believed me! I didn't believe me, either, until this guy" she gestures to Nightwing, "showed up at your place along with Batman and Robin. Then I guessed that darkly-dressed figures running on rooftops were common around here."

"They are, but not this 'Owl Man'." Nightwing says. "We've never encountered him, but our team will figure out who he is."

"Team? How many of you guys are there?" Carter asks.

"Unimportant." I respond.

"Robin's right. What's important is that we get you" Nightwing looks at R, "untied and back home, and bring you" he looks at Carter, "to Batman and everyone else so we can help you get your memories back."

Nightwing looks at me, and I nod, understanding that he wants me to release R from his bonds. As I complete the task, my father's voice plays over the comm.

"Robin. Stay on alert. Someone's making their way to your location. They're armed and dangerous."

"What? Who? Where are you?"

"On my way. Keep Chris safe."

"From who?" I mutter as I completely release R.

"Behind you!" R's voice yells, and the last thing I see is the an owl mask before everything becomes black.

****Break****

"Robin. Wake up." Batman.

The moment I open my eyes, a sharp pain pulses through my head. I push myself up despite the pain and stand in front of Batman, who has his hands on my shoulders.

"Are you okay?"

"Yes."

"Did you see your attacker?"

"Yes. Black suit. Mask that made his face look like an owl, just like Carter described...where's Carter?"

I look at Nightwing, who is looking at one area – the spot where Chris was sitting – with his hand on top of his head, as if he is experiencing the same pain I am. Without shifting his gaze, he gives me the answer I am expecting to hear.

"She's gone."