Ch.15: Giving Back, All Over Again
Grunting, Batman pulled the wire tighter, his muscles straining with the effort. The man held his breath as he quickly wrapped the wire around the fire escape's railing, tying the punk-ass drug-dealers up all nice and pretty. The Dark Knight smirked at his work once it was finished, drinking in the sight of the unconscious forms. It was so satisfying to see even low-level scumbags getting their kumupits…
Thoroughly pleased, Batman strode to the side of the fire-escape, prepared to merely jump from the side and swing off into the night. Before he could, though, the shrieking of the Batmobile's alarm stopped the man in his tracks. Batman's face contorted into confusion as he asked himself, "Who the hell is stupid enough to attack the Batmobile?"
"You know, we're stupid as hell for attacking the Batmobile." Black Thorn shouted over the shrill alarm of the Batmobile, her expression twisted into a grimace and one hand clutched tightly over one ear.
A bat in his hands and a thoughtful expression behind his mask, Drone answered, "Yeah, probably. But hey, now I have bragging rights! How many others can say they took a bat to the Batmobile?"
"If anyone has been stupid enough to do it before us, I'm sure they're dead." Black Thorn replied dryly, shooting a glare made of daggers at the other teen present. "Next time, we're going with my plan."
"But hijacking the Bat-Signal is no fun!"
"I like living to see another day, stupid! And anyway, we're supposed to be masters of stealth! This isn't exactly stealthy!"
"But bragging rights, Thorn! Bragging rights!"
"If you could stop being male for one second, that would be greatly appreciated!"
"I need to stop being a perfectly reasonable male when you get pissy every month over a little blood?! How is that fair?!"
"HEY! We don't talk about that!"
"Well now we do! Whatcha gonna do about it?!"
"Oh, you wanna know what I'm gonna do? I'm gonna take that damned bat and shove it where the sun don't shine!"
As the two continued to bicker, their voices rose steadily with the tension, the volume and power of their shouts almost drowning out the Batmobile entirely. Black Thorn and Drone were also so enwrapped in their argument that they completely failed to notice the little, silver balls that rolled to a stop near their feet. The balls continued to go unnoticed until thick, white gas suddenly spewed from them, causing the two morons to panic and foolishly inhale said gas. Two minutes of screaming and breathing in more gas later, the two finally collapsed in disheveled heap on the ground.
Dropping down from his spot on the rooftop above, Batman turned off his obnoxious car alarm and stared at the two bodies at his feet. For some moments, the man just stared at the mercenaries. Not a single emotion flitted across his face, nor did the man seem to be breathing, locked in place like a statue.
Finally, Batman said, "What am I even looking at?"
If anyone was near enough to hear the Dark Knight, they would have immediately shouted, "Imposter!" However, truth be told, Batman was really not all that clear on what he was looking at. Like, he knew who the people at his feet were, but what the hell was wrong with them? They were trained mercenaries, for Pete's sake! They were supposed to be masters of stealth and illusion! Why were masters of stealth and illusion taking bats to Batmobiles and screaming louder than Hades? Did they not know how unprofessional that was? (Because being unprofessional is always the top priority in these situations.)
The worst part of all this was that Batman couldn't even ask the two nicely what they were doing in Gotham City, taking bats to Batmobiles, and screaming louder than Hades. No, the Dark Knight was going to have to wait until the knockout gas finally filtered out of their systems so the Dark Knight could properly sit them down and have a chat.
Batman sighed, wandering towards the Batmobile to grab some more ropes. He was going to need it…
An hour later, the Dark Knight leaned back against the wall behind him and watched the two teens finally come to, groans escaping their mouths in sync. They struggled against their bonds for a moment but gave up quickly when they refused to budge. The confused mercenaries took some time to figure out where they were, Batman waiting patiently all the while. They eventually noticed his presence and that they were- oh, look at that –upside down, dangling haphazardly off a fire-escape.
Black Thorn groaned. "Was it worth it, Drone? Was all this really worth it?"
Drone hummed for a moment and then answered, "Yeah, I think it was."
"How the hell was this worth it?!"
"Let's see here… One, bragging rights! We went over this! And two," Drone started, only to be cut off by Black Thorn before he could finish the sentence. The two erupted into another round of bickering, completely ignoring the vigilante below them. Batman watched the two for a short, his ire rising. Finally, the man snapped, "HEY!"
The teens' mouths shut with an audible click.
Batman glared at the duo as he said, "You have my attention, but if you keep fighting, I'll just call GCPD to pick you up. Understand?" The two teens nodded solemnly. Batman continued, "Good. Now, why did you try to smash my windshield, and where's everybody's favorite troublemaker? I'm surprised he's not with you."
Drone laughed nervously, prompting Batman to narrow his eyes at him suspiciously. The boy answered, "Um, yeah, you see… Thorn and I have a problem we thought you could help us with, and said problem is 'everybody's favorite troublemaker.'"
"What's Phantom gone and done now?" Batman questioned, his frown twisting further down than it already was. The man crossed his arms over his chest, hiding the yellow bat stretched across the front of his suit.
The two mercenaries dangling from the fire escape glanced at each other, a nervous air suddenly surrounding the two. Batman glanced between Drone and Black Thorn, wondering what was troubling them. Black Thorn finally looked back at the Dark Knight and replied, "The problem isn't what he did. It's what he's gotten himself into. Phantom's missing."
Batman's heart skipped a beat, but the man refused to show his newfound horror on his face. The anxiousness the two teens had suddenly made sense now. Danny was gone? How was that possible? Not even Oracle seemed capable of finding him! And why did the captors need Danny anyway? It couldn't be for anything good, considering the teen's reputation and skill set.
"How long has he been missing? Do you have any information on the ones who kidnapped him?"
"No idea." Drone answered, his voice distraught and his expression solemn behind his mask. "Thorn and I haven't spoken to Phantom in a week 'cause of business reasons. I just went over to his place two days ago to make sure he wasn't, you know, dead or something (quiet Phantoms are never good, as I'm sure you know), and his place was completely trashed. Tables were flipped, computers were smashed, equipment was everywhere and in pieces, and Phantom was gone…"
"He'll be so ticked when we find him." Black Thorn commented drearily.
No doubt about that, Batman thought. The raven-haired teen's love for his creations was notorious for its intensity. Black Thorn hit the nail on the head with her statement.
The ebony-haired female suddenly huffed, squirming uncomfortably in her restraints. Black Thorn shot a look from behind her mask at the Dark Knight. She snapped, "Look, are you gonna help us or not? We're wasting time hanging around here."
"I just have one more question." Batman replied. The two teens glanced at each other, wondering what else the Dark Knight could possibly ask of them. They wondered if he would even help, unaware to the fact that the man had made up his mind the second Black Thorn had told him that the boy was in trouble. Batman may not have liked what Danny had become, but much as he liked to try and convince himself otherwise, the man still had an affinity for Danny. Still, there remained one thing that remained unclear to the Dark Knight…
"Why did you come to me for help?" Batman asked. It was the one thing he hadn't worked out quite yet. Black Thorn and Drone were both very capable people, and if they really needed the help as they came off as, it wouldn't have been hard to find someone on the Dark-Net with the skills they needed. So, why?
Black Thorn sighed irritably. Drone didn't let the rather personal question rattle him, though, and answered, "Look, we may have only known of Phantom's disappearance for a short time, but Thorn and I have already tried a dozen things in an attempt to figure out where he's gone. We'd go to someone on the Dark-Net, but well, they're all untrustworthy." Batman snorted at the comment. Drone just continued, "Besides, if anyone figured out that Phantom has gone missing, everyone would go berserk."
"Which leaves us asking one of the good guys for help." Black Thorn interjected, sounding flustered. "And while you're irritating as hell, who else were we supposed to go to? The Boy Scout? Please…" Black Thorn paused, and though it was obvious she had more to say, the girl was reluctant to say it. Batman waited patiently for her to continue, but she didn't seem to have any intention to do so. Drone sighed and finished off his friend's speech by saying, "Plus, you're smart, and you and Phantom have a history. We figured you'd be more willing to give a helping hand."
The statement was said with the most solemn of tones, like Drone believed that there wasn't anyone in the world who would've helped him and Black Thorn with their plight. The girl's reluctance to speak suggested that she agreed with the boy as well. Batman knew, though, that if Black Thorn and Drone had gone to another hero, such as Superman or Wonder Woman, they would've received a helping hand, regardless of the teens' life choices. Sure, they would've been watched very closely and undoubtedly locked up in jail at the end of the mission, but that wouldn't have changed the fact that someone needed saving.
But here the duo was, convinced that something as serious as a missing person would be met with apathy. It was…sad.
(It made Danny's retreat all the more painful. Could Batman have changed the boy for the better, had he stuck around just a little longer?)
Batman sighed before climbing up the fire-escape the teens were tied to. He carefully let them down and released them of their bonds, much to the relief of the duo. Drone and Black Thorn spent a few minutes merely sitting on the ground, allowing all the blood in their heads to travel back down to their numb feet. All the while, Batman stood closely by. As he waited patiently, he asked, "Did you two have any other plan besides smashing my windshield with a bat?"
There wasn't even a pause before both teens replied.
"Nope!"
"None whatsoever."
And with those reassuring statements echoing in his head, Batman prepared himself for a long, miserable night…
When Black Thorn and Drone finally regained feeling in their toes, they quickly jumped to their feet and, along with Batman, the duo fled to the rooftops. As they climbed the last of the ladders and pulled themselves over the edge of the building, Batman asked, "Besides the obvious carnage, was there anything else out of place in Danny's apartment?"
"Actually, yes." Drone answered. He turned in the Dark Knight's direction and tossed a small object towards him. Batman caught it with ease, holding the item carefully between his fingers. It was a thumb-drive. The vigilante turned a questioning eye to the boy who had thrown the object in the first place. Drone answered, "It wouldn't have been so out-of-place if it hadn't been in one of the far corners of Phantom's base and loaded with firewalls galore."
Great. It was going to be one of those nights, Batman realized. The Dark Knight hid his exasperation and asked, "Is this all that was found?"
Both teens nodded. Batman said, "So, all we have now is a missing kid, no time-frame of his disappearance, no conclusive suspects, and a heavily encrypted thumb-drive?"
"Yup."
"Fantastic…"
With very few options on his plate, Batman begrudgingly led the two teens to Wayne Enterprises. It was one of two places the Dark Knight felt completely comfortable working on decoding a heavily encrypted piece of equipment. The other site was, obviously, the Bat-Cave, but ha-ha, yeah, Batman would rather skinny-dip in a vat of acid than take either teen in his headquarters. The Dark-Knight may have allowed the missing member of the Crime Trio there, once upon a time, but that was a long time ago.
On the bright side, though, both Drone and Black Thorn demonstrated that they could pull their own weight, allowing them to make good timing to the Wayne Enterprises building. At that time, Batman strictly ordered them to follow his lead and began the always pleasurable experience of breaking into his own building to keep his secret identity safe. Fortunately, the two teens did exactly as they were instructed and did so without complaint. It was one of the few blessings of the night.
Batman led the duo to the building's biggest lab, where he swiftly hopped onto one of the quiet computers and began booting it up. Behind him, Drone and Black Thorn bickered about something that the Dark Knight had tuned out some minutes before. They sounded like a couple of children who weren't getting their way, which was just fine with Batman. If they were distracted with themselves, they wouldn't pay attention to the vigilante, allowing him to work in relative peace.
(It was weird seeing the two acting so volatile. Danny's disappearance was really screwing them up.)
Once the computer was on, Batman plugged in the silver and green drive he had been given. It took .2 seconds for the 'firewalls galore' Drone had described to pop up on the screen. The Dark Knight dove right into the mess, praying it wasn't as bad as it looked. The man had thought Drone had merely been off his game when he said he couldn't crack the drive, but looking at the mess now, Batman wasn't so sure of that assumption anymore…
But then, what did Batman expect, honestly? It was Danny's life goal to make everything as complicated as it could be, and while this tactic had been good to him over the years, it was going to get the teen killed one of these days.
(If he isn't already dead already, Batman thought drearily. He pushed his dread to the side, though. It wouldn't help him or Danny if he became overwhelmed, just as Drone and Black Thorn had become.)
It took an ungodly amount of time to finally crack Danny's puzzle. As it would turn out, there were no firewalls or codes to crack. Drone and Batman had both been within easy reach of whatever Danny had stored on the drive, but the little bastard teen had decided to set up his storage device in such a way that it looked like you had to go through literal hell to reach the information.
When Batman told Drone this, the masked teen snapped, "Phantom, you're such a dick," while Black Thorn, to the side of her friend, sighed in exasperation. The female mercenary didn't allow the two males to wallow, though. She leaned over Batman's shoulder, ignoring the way he tensed, and asked, "So, what's so important that our kind and considerate ally had to booby-trap the fancy doo-dad?"
Batman forced himself to ignore the uncomfortable distance between him and the female by his side, focusing on the text on the screen in front of him. His flashed over the words, their meaning falling into place rapidly.
As it would turn out, Danny had been gathering a great deal of information on a fight-ring that he had found on another deep-web server. From what Batman was reading, it wasn't just any other fight-ring, either; Danny had somehow gone and stumbled upon one of the most cruel ones that the Dark Knight had ever had the misfortune to find out about. It seemed the ring-leaders, of whom Danny had all the names, took a sick enjoyment in caging metas, ghosts, humans, and wild animals in their base in Wyoming, and pitting them against each other unfairly. There were plenty of videos saved to the drive proving this.
The Dark Knight relayed this information to Drone and Black Thorn and asked, "Do you have any ideas why Phantom decided to collect this information?"
Black Thorn hummed before replying, "Probably for blackmail reasons. Phantom likes to stake out people he deems as a rival, gaining as much info on them as he can. Then, when he's got enough evidence to lock them away for the majority of their lives, he makes deals. A 'I'll keep your secret if you'll give me favors' kind of thing."
"…I see." Batman said, grateful that his back was to the teens. He didn't need them seeing the way his lips twisted downwards.
(Not that it mattered. Drone and Black Thorn could pick up the disappointment in the depths of Batman's otherwise emotionless voice, and they'd be lying if they said that it didn't please them the slightest bit.)
The Dark Knight didn't linger on the unpleasant thoughts of what Danny did when he was alone. He simply moved past it- Danny was still missing, after all. Batman said to the two teens behind him, "With that information in mind, would anything on this drive have to do with Danny's disappearance at all? The date of his last log-in was just days ago. I doubt he had time to make enemies with these guys before he dropped even further off the radar."
"I wouldn't rule them out just yet." Drone answered. "Danny has a program that masks his presence when he hacks into another's mainframe."
That explains so much, Batman thought, suppressing the urge to roll his eyes.
"Unfortunately for Danny, though, it's really only good for short-term use. When he's in and out, the program hides him completely from all other computer users. The longer Danny stays within another's mainframe, though, the less the system successfully completes camouflaging his presence. Eventually, his entire false-front just crumbles." Drone continued.
Black Thorn added, "It's kind of like a footprint in a blizzard. The smaller the footprint, the easier it is to cover up. But the longer you stand there, the larger it becomes, making it harder to fill in and leave no trace of."
(Why couldn't Batman think of these things?)
"And if Phantom spent a lot of time gathering information on these guys, you can be sure he left a pretty big footprint." Drone finished off, leaving him and his friend standing there in silence with their arms crossed.
Batman turned around in his chair, his eyes briefly looking over the two mercenaries. He said, "That's enough to suggest that these guys have the brain- and man-power to successfully track and capture one of the most dangerous and infamous criminals this world has to offer. Phantom was gathering information on a fight-ring, not another hacker. Why would they pick up on his footprint?"
"Look, Bats, we're not saying that these are the guys we're looking for, but they're worth checking out." Drone said. "If Phantom left a big enough footprint, it would only take a decent hacker to find him, and guys like these always have someone watching their incriminating evidence."
"Always." Black Thorn repeated.
Unlike the teens, the Dark Knight remained completely unconvinced. At this point, though, there was no reason not to do as Drone suggested and check the creeps out. Thus, with a sigh, Batman replied, "Let me make a call."
Her lips twisting into a grin, Black Thorn thought of all the ways she could mess with Drone as another light snore slipped out from behind his mask. Let's see; she could poke his ticklish side, or doodle some profane images on his arm. She could knock his propped arm out from under him, or stare at him until his brain woke up from the disturbance in his universe. None of them would take much effort. Drone had made sure of that when he had decided to sit next to his female friend and then pass out, despite knowing she was a sneaky, little bitch.
Yes, Drone should pay for his inconsideration, but…
Black Thorn watched Drone sleep for a little while longer before turning her head towards the front of the jet- the Javelin, Batman had called it. There was a faint whirring in the air, and Black Thorn focused on that instead of teasing her friend. As easy as it would be to tease him, God knew he needed his rest. The poor boy hadn't slept properly in days. They all had a certain natural disaster with black hair to thank for that.
At the thought of one of her missing best friend, Black Thorn sighed. She ran a hand through her messy hair, absently remembering that she had asked him to cut her black strands sometime soon the last time they had been together. He had grinned at her in reply and sarcastically quipped, "But I thought my dear Sammy-kins didn't trust me with sharp objects?" Convinced of his own hilariousness, Danny had laughed. Sam had then slapped him, starting a screaming match that lasted a good half hour, as usual.
All had been right in their world. It never lasted, though.
"Something troubling you?"
Black Thorn perked, her eyes finding the little points on the top of the Dark Knight's head. Batman was in the pilot's seat, all of his attention directed at the open air in front of him. He hadn't acknowledged the two teens in the seats behind him since they had taken off, and up until now, Black Thorn had been sure that the silent treatment would go on until they landed. The girl hadn't expected a question, and she certainly hadn't expected Batman to pay attention to either her or Drone.
"No." Black Thorn finally answered, her cheeks flushing under her mask.
Batman glanced back for the first time, his expression not amused. "You're a bad liar."
The teen girl rolled her eyes, huffing indignantly. Her fingers tapped the edges of her seat firmly as she retorted, "Yeah, and why would you care?"
"I don't, except that we're working a case together and I don't have time to pick up your slack." Batman answered, only worsening the blush on Black Thorn's face. The girl thanked God for her mask as the Dark Knight turned his back to her again. The man continued, "So if you're distracted by something, you need to sort it now and not when we're surrounded on all sides by the enemy."
Well, there's no arguing with that logic, Black Thorn thought irritably. She sunk into her seat in an attempt to squish herself into a tiny package. It wasn't very efficient, but at that moment, Black Thorn didn't really care.
"Now, I'll ask again; is there something troubling you?" Batman asked.
With a frown on her face, Black Thorn refused to answer the Dark Knight for some minutes. He allowed her to be silent for some time, but when the quiet grew to be longer than the average thoughtful silence, Batman looked back again, raising an eyebrow. The expression on the man's face said it all: 'I can beat it out of you, if you would like?'
Black Thorn huffed at the older man and stood up from her seat. She slipped into the narrow aisle between the seats, walking to the front of the Javelin. The girl fell into the seat beside the Dark Knight, kicking her feet up and onto the console in front of her. Batman stared at her questioningly. Black Thorn jerked her head to the back and said, "He hasn't slept well in days. I don't want him waking up."
Batman nodded once and then turned his gaze back to the windshield. His silence was Black Thorn's cue to begin speaking. The girl in question released a long breath and said, "I just can't help but worry about Phantom, is all."
"We'll find him," Batman replied. "and when we do, I'm sure you'll teach him a lesson in critical thinking that he'll never forget."
"It won't make any difference. He's the biggest dumbass this world has to offer." Black Thorn said, shaking her head. "I knew that when we met, and I still stayed with him. I guess that makes me a dumbass too."
The smile that twitched at the corners of the Dark Knight's lips might as well have been nonexistent. He asked, "What'd he do?"
"What didn't he do?" Black Thorn responded. The tone of her voice laid somewhere between exasperation and loving as she said, "Let me set the stage for his dumbass-ery, ok? De-age the Crime Trio you know and adore about eight years. The scene is that of a city street…"
…sunlight bathed Sam as she raced down the sidewalk, her sneakers slapping against the concrete. People yelped, startled and angry, as the girl roughly shoved them out of her way. They yelled for her to stop and made grabs at her arm, but Sam was too quick; she was yards away before anyone could yank her back.
If she had been any normal preteen, Sam would've smiled at her slipperiness. However, since she wasn't normal in any sense of the word, she didn't worry about the people, didn't beam when she slipped away from every common man or woman who made to nab her arm or wrist. She had bigger problems than these average folks.
Looking back over her shoulder, Sam cursed as she saw that her pursuers remained on her tail, their eyes locked on her form and expressions twisted into menace. Turning her attention back to the pathway in front of her, Sam slipped past another crowd of people and dove into an alleyway unexpectedly. Out of sight, Sam stripped herself of her hoodie, chucking it into a garbage can. She ripped her hair from its ponytail, allowing her black strands to flow free. She tucked in her black tank-top into her jean shorts and pulled one sleeve off her shoulder. All while this continued, Sam continued hurrying to the other side of the alley, where she quickly ducked into the crowd. She followed behind a crowd of teenagers older than she, slowing to match their pace and pretending to be a part of their group, despite the age gap.
Sam hadn't even made it halfway down the block before the two men pursuing her burst from the alleyway, just as she had. The young girl watched them slyly from over her shoulder, witnessing as the two craned their necks in all directions, their eyes trying to catch the girl in the purple hoodie with her black hair pulled into a ponytail. Their gaze zoomed right past Sam, who quickly looked back in front of her when the bigger of the two began searching in her general direction.
Heart hammering against her chest, Sam pressed closer to the crowd of teenagers. One of the older girls looked back at her with a sneer, but Sam just shot her a bratty smile in return. The blonde rolled her eyes and whispered something to the boy next to her. Sam ignored them as she looked back over her shoulder again. As soon as she saw the bigger of the two men charging in her direction, though, Sam whipped her head back in front of her and whined, "Are you going to include me in on the conversation or what?"
The girl from before started abruptly at the younger female's gripe, her neck twisting to gaze at Sam with a look of irritated shock on her face. "NO. I don't even know who you are!"
"Uh, I know you don't like me, but that's just rude, Jessica!" Sam replied with a scowl, flicking her raven hair over her shoulder indignantly. The girl said something in reply, but Sam paid it no mind. Her violet eyes locked onto her pursuer's form as he rushed past her and the other teens. He didn't even glance at Sam as he hurried by, her small frame going completely unnoticed.
That didn't mean she was out of the woods yet, though, Sam knew. They would eventually search for her face, not the articles of clothes she wore or the way she styled her hair. Sam had to get out of the area– quickly.
As soon as the brute chasing her was at the end of the block, Sam turned her gaze back to the ranting brunette, said, "Tootles, bitch," and then raced quickly back down the street, hoping to duck back into the alleyway from which she had just come. Unfortunately, Fate decided Sam was unworthy of having such luck.
WHA-BAM.
"OW!" Sam yelled as her butt met the ground. It was mirrored by another voice- a slightly more masculine one –but Sam was too focused on the sharp pain in her forehead to care. She rubbed furiously at the point of impact with her hand, hoping to dull the pain. It didn't work.
With a growl, Sam turned on the person she had run into and yelled, "Watch we're you're going!" just as he did. The two preteens stared at each other for a moment in bewilderment at their sync-ness, but the two quickly shook themselves of their stupor.
The boy- another preteen with hair as dark as Sam's and blue eyes –got up first. He made no effort to help Sam up, placing his fists firmly over his hips and saying, "Watch where I'm going?! I would've been fine if you hadn't decided to turn around so fast!"
"Oh, like it's my fault!" Sam replied, also getting up from the ground and placing her hands on her hips. Her eyes narrowed into the deepest, darkest glare she could muster, but the boy didn't seem fazed. There was no backing down from this fight, though, so Sam went and made the situation worse by saying, "You were running too, and hurrying around people! That makes you just as guilty as I am!"
The boy suddenly smiled slyly at Sam, who looked at the boy suspiciously. He said, "Oh, so you do take responsibility for crashing into me?"
Sam's expression twisted into one of irritation. "Did you miss the part where I said you're guilty too?"
"What was that? I'm sorry; I'm just so pleased you accept responsibility for your actions like a good little girl should!" The boy retorted, his smile bright and gleaming.
SLAP!
"OW!" The boy yelled, reeling back as his hand flew to his stringing cheek. Sam glared at him remorselessly, feeling a guilty satisfaction at watching the ebony-haired boy's returning anger. He yelled, "What was that for?!"
"You were being a smartass." Sam replied in her snarky manner, despite her eyelids innocently batting eyelashes.
"Newsflash, sweetheart: that's kind of my entire personality summed up in one word." The boy retorted, eyes flashing. The blue orbs darted about the two of them as the boy suddenly asked, "Shouldn't you be following your parents or something?"
Sam's response was as dry as the Sahara Desert. "Shouldn't you?"
"Touché…"
The two preteens lapsed into silence, looking each other up and down critically. People moved about them, but the two's focus stayed enwrapped by their opposite. Most would have moved on by now, Sam knew, but instead, here she was.
Finally, Sam asked curiously, "So, why were you running anyway?"
The boy shrugged and rocked back and forth mindlessly on his heels. "No reason in particular…"
Which was a lie, Sam could tell, but pressing this kid for answers would be like dressing her up in pink. It just didn't work.
"Why were you?" The boy shot back, looking at her suspiciously.
Sam opened her mouth to reply, but from behind her, someone let out a sudden yelp of surprised. Her head whipped around to see who had made the sound just as the boy perked out of curiosity. Sam blanched for a single moment when she saw the big man from earlier rushing back down the street, his dark eyes locked onto her violet ones. In her moment of shock, the boy next to her said, "I'm gonna go out on a limb here and say that's the answer to my question?"
"Yup. Run."
The boy didn't need to be told twice. The preteens bolted, their pursuer shouting swears at their backs.
It took seconds for them to reach the entrance to the alley Sam had come from some minutes earlier, and the girl grabbed her new companion's wrist, pulling him into the alleyway after her and shouting, "This way!" The boy followed after without complaint, and the two's heartbeats pounded against their rib-cages as they sprinted, terrified to look behind them and see if the man was on their tail or not.
Together, the preteens burst out onto the other street. The boy, his wrist still caught in Sam's hand, pulled her in the way he chose. Sam stumbled behind him for a moment before catching her footing, allowing her to keep pace with the other preteen.
The duo weaved in and out of the crowd as they sprinted, oftentimes knocking into people in their rush. Curses and angry shouts followed the pair, but the two were more focused on getting away than they were with a few people's displeasure. The only time either preteen realized they probably were fucking up badly was when they ran into another boy, and instead of letting him get on his way, they dragged him behind them, telling him to, "Run, run, RUN!"
Eventually, the two preteens leading the charge ducked into a grocery store, a bell chiming overhead as they thrust the door open. Nobody paid the kids any mind as they rushed to the back of the store, where they collapsed in an abandoned aisle filled with an assortment of bread. They gasped and panted, their lungs heaving with the effort to draw oxygen into their chests.
Sam wiped the sweat from her brow as she looked at the two boys she had unwittingly dragged into her problem. Through her gasps, she said, "I… Think… We lost em."
The ebony-haired boy the girl was familiar with merely gave her a thumbs-up in reply, looking pale and on the verge of fainting. The new, African-American kid she and the other boy had picked up didn't look much better as he replied, "Who… Were we... Trying to lose?!"
"SHHHHHH!" Sam and the ebony-haired boy shushed. The dark-skinned preteen only gave his new companions incredulous looks and said, "First, you guys drag me around town for God-knows-why, and now you're shushing me?! What am I?! Your captive!?"
"Hell yes!" The first boy answered unexpectedly, pumping his fist into the air and throwing back his head.
The other two preteens gave the ebony-haired boy blank stares. The boy didn't notice until he finally looked at them, but instead of feeling embarrassed or blanching, the boy laughed instead. Sam and the other boy just kept watching him silently, but they couldn't help the smiles beginning to twitch at the corners of their lips. Their smiles kept growing, the boys' laughter as infectious as the flu, until they, too, were giggling hysterically. The trio laughed and laughed and laughed, and continued to laugh until the store manager found them in the back and kicked them out.
Black Thorn smiled fondly at the memory, the sound of Danny's and Tucker's laughter ringing faintly in her ears. She said, "After the guy kicked us out, we all introduced each other. It quickly became apparent none of us had any home, so we decided to stick together. Phantom told us about how he was searching for someone who could teach him all about computers, Drone was just trying to get away from a bad home situation at the time, and I was working to get into the Panther Guild."
Though the girl didn't see it, Batman shot a sharp look at her from the corner of his eye. He repeated, "The Panther Guild?"
Humming pleasantly and smirking behind her mask, Black Thorn lulled her head in the Dark Knight's direction and replied, "Yeah... I guess you've heard of em?"
Uh, hell yes. Of course Batman had heard of them. He made it a point to know when an underground organization helped unhappy kids (not necessarily mistreated kids, just unhappy ones) fake their own deaths, let the kids run around the country on their own until they proved themselves worthy (always with the worthy bit, these sorts of bands), and then taught them martial arts. Batman had a long list of 'dead' kids back at the Cave, all of whom were suspected to be with the guild. Which one was Black Thorn?
His jaw set, Batman answered, "I've heard of them, yes."
Her smirk still set firmly on her lips, Black Thorn waited for some sort of reproach. She didn't get one. Maybe the Dark Knight knew that he would just be wasting his breath if he tried to talk sense. Maybe he just didn't know how to respond. Either way, Black Thorn didn't egg the older man on and merely continued, "The three of us ended up finding the guild first. I convinced my superiors to allow the two boys to train with me, but they only stayed for a couple of months. Phantom eventually found someone that less-than-willingly agreed to teach him about hacking methods, and Drone decided to go with him.
"The three of us stayed, more-or-less, separated from each other for the next few years, but we always stayed in contact. Phantom was learning everything he knows now; Drone found out he liked building things and pursued his own form of education, and I stayed with the guild. Eventually, though, Phantom and Drone had learned everything they needed and had decided to start the whole Dark-Net thing. My training had finished, and though I had planned to stay with the guild and climb the ranks, the boys roped me into working with them." Black Thorn finished, her smirk melting into another fond smile. "And that's how the Crime Trio was born."
Batman hmphed quietly. He wasn't thinking when he commented, "You make it sound like you three are inseparable, but if I remember correctly, it didn't take much to break you guys apart."
He couldn't see it, but the Dark Knight could feel the nasty, soul-piercing glare Black Thorn was giving him through her mask. She gripped the arms of her seat tightly enough to turn her knuckles white. In the darkest voice the Dark Knight had heard from her, Black Thorn hissed, "Oh, like you know anything about what happened between us."
"I know enough." Batman snapped back.
"You don't know a damn thing."
"Then enlighten me, Cupcake."
Black Thorn suddenly shot to her feet, her form towering over the Dark Knight's. Had Batman been anyone else, he would've been intimidated by the female.
"You know what? You did fuck us up. You fucked us up beautifully. I'll give you that. You fucked up our lives. You fucked up our relationship. You fucked up Phantom's- Danny's –emotional stability, and you did so splendidly." Black Thorn hissed, her voice low but severe. Batman didn't react to her harsh tone, his eyes pointed forward, but that did not deter the girl. "But you weren't there when Drone and I realized that we'd all fucked up too. You weren't there when we went to apologize, and instead had to drag Danny to the hospital because the boy hadn't eaten in two weeks, he was so distraught. You weren't there, trying to convince Danny that you weren't going to leave him again because you were still having a pity-party! Feeling enlightened yet, Bats?" Black Thorn snapped. She then stomped off, wandering back down the narrow aisle of seats and falling into the one beside Drone's. Batman listened as Drone stirred, mumbled a confused question, and then fell back asleep at Black Thorn's assuring answer.
The rest of the ride was spent in silence.
"SHIT!" Danny screamed, diving to the side and somersaulting away. There was a magnificent CRASH behind him in the exact spot the teen had been just a moment ago. Danny didn't look back as he pushed himself back to his feet, stumbling as he made to dash away. Salty sweat dripped in the teen's eyes, and though the contact stung, Danny kept his eyes wide open.
Behind him, there was a loud "ROAR," followed by the steady tha-thump of heavy feet slamming into the ground. The footfalls were faster than Danny's; they were catching up with the teen faster than he could get away.
Clamping down the panic rising in his chest, Danny continued sprinting, even if it was no good. The footfalls were gaining on him fast; the heavy breathing of the other creature could be heard more and more clearly as it swiftly approached. Danny's shoulders bunched expectantly the closer his pursuer grew, and just as it seemed the presence behind him was going to nab him, Danny ducked unexpectedly to the side, practically throwing himself the other way and out of the creature's claws.
The teen expected to duck into another somersault, but he lost his form halfway into it. Danny sprawled into the dirt, his vision bursting into bright lights suddenly. The sparks melted into darkness, which engulfed his vision entirely. Fear clenching his heart in a vice, Danny squeezed his eyes shut and shook his head, ignoring the head-rush that suddenly came over him. The teen opened his eyes again, the black retreating and taking the sudden confusion with it. Panting, Danny used his newfound sight to search out for his assailant.
God, he was so not made for this. He was computer genius, for Pete's sake! He wasn't a hunter of beasts, his only weapons being his bare hands! That was more of Skulker's forte! Whose sick idea was it to put Danny and a frikkin lion in the arena together?!
Speaking of the lion, Danny watched as it pushed itself back to its feet. The teen guessed it had stumbled and fell over when he had suddenly jumped out of its trajectory. The large beast, its eyes bloodshot and fur mangy and tattered, turned about, searching for its prey. It didn't take much searching to find Danny, sprawled across the ground and gasping for breath. The lion bared its teeth at the boy, a low growl rumbling deep in its throat.
So as not to startle the already provoked beast, Danny slowly pushed himself back off the ground. He drew his feet under him, falling into a low crouch that would allow him to suddenly run if he needed. The lion didn't seem to notice the teen's new position on the floor as it began to pad slowly closer to the teen.
Danny didn't move, even as he registered the lion's approach. His blue eyes darted around him. Not for the first time, he searched for a weapon with which he could defend himself. Just as he had the other times, Danny didn't find anything in the football stadium-sized arena.
Damn it, how did the teen's captors expect him to kill this damned animal?! It's not like Danny could snap its neck or spine like he had done with the pack of jackals the crazies had sicced on him the last time he had been in the ring. This thing was just too big for that, and Danny was sure it would knock his head from his shoulders the minute the teen got in its immediate vicinity. The teen couldn't even use his ghost powers! The sick ringleaders had snapped a power-inhibitor bracelet on his rest the minute they found he had abilities.
(Not that Danny knew it, but the bracelet was his parents' design. The couple was completely unaware they sold their old junk to a bunch of crazy psychotics. Oh, what a small world it was, no?)
As the lion continued to strut forward, Danny wondered how the hell he was supposed to escape this fight. He'd already been going for who-knew-how-long-anymore, and the teen was working strictly off of dwindling adrenaline at this point. It was hard to tell how long it would keep him going before the boy collapsed.
The teen's bigger assailant crept forward still, growing close enough for Danny to listen to its rumbling growls. The lion's mad, bloodshot eyes bore into the boy's terrified blue ones. The beast's ears twitched in time with Danny's panting.
Not liking how close the lion was getting to him, Danny began creeping backwards, his movements slow and shaky, his eyes keeping contact with the lion's. The boy's sudden movement gave the large feline pause. Danny crept back a little further and then, too, paused, his legs shaking with the effort to keep him in a crouch. The two beings remained still, silent messages passing through their eyes.
The lion bowed its head and grumbled. It began to pace back and forth, confusion clouding its eyes. Danny breathed a little easier; not much, but just a little. He was still immensely terrified of the beast, but it seemed to be out-of-sorts for the moment. If the teen could figure out a way to use that to his advantage, he might just make it out of this alive. Ha-ha, it was turning out to be a good day after all!
The crowd spectating the event did not share Danny's internal enthusiasm. They booed and hissed at the two in the arena, shouting for the deadly game of cat-and-mouse to continue until one or the other finally outsmarted the other and brought them down. It was a dull roar, though, easily ignorable. Hell, the lion and Danny had been ignoring the crowd's cheering since the start of the match. The change of tone didn't distract either unwilling participant in the fight, and the crowd continued on with their furious and disappointed howls.
POW!
Danny gasped as the dirt exploded around the lion's back paws, spooking the large beast into charging forward, whatever tenuous bond the teen had created with it broken as quickly as the gunshot had been fired. The teen sprung to his feet, fleeing as the stronger and faster animal chased him down. Danny only made it some feet before his shaky legs gave out, sending him face-first into the dirt again. The teen attempted to scramble up, but his legs refused to work properly. All Danny could manage was to flip on his back, just in time to watch the lion lunge at him.
Danny's pupils constricted; his breath caught in his throat. The only thought on his mind was, Well, this is gonna hurt.
BAM!
The lion tumbled to the side with a loud YOWL, Batman swinging down and landing down in front of the downed teen protectively. The Dark Knight didn't say anything to the teen, merely stood at his full height and branded a bat-a-rang in each hand. The lion regained its bearings after being smashed to the side, coming back to its feet and GROWLing at Batman.
Danny jumped as another pair of boots landed beside him. His head whipped up as Black Thorn crouched down beside him, her mask seemingly smiling at him. The girl helped her friend to his knees quickly, allowing his sweaty, dirty frame to lean against hers. Pleasantly, Black Thorn said, "Damn boy, we leave you alone for a week, and you go and get kidnapped. Good job."
The blue-eyed teen rolled his eyes. In front of the two, Batman irritably said, "Get out of here!" and threw one of the bat-a-rangs at the approaching feline.
"Time to go." Black Thorn said, wrapping one arm around her male friend. Danny didn't need to be told to do likewise, and practically bear-hugged his friend, unsure of how she was going to get them up the too-high-to-climb arena walls but trusting his friend, all the same.
Black Thorn pointed a familiar tool- a grapple Batman liked to use –and pointed it at the rafters. She fired it off, and the hook shot into the air, coming to swing around one of the beams supporting the ceiling. Once the hook caught, Sam pressed the retract button, which pulled the two teens into the air. Danny gripped his friend's clothes tightly as the ground disappeared from under them, and he squeezed his blue eyes shut.
Fortunately, it wasn't long before the two teens were dangling next to the walkway on the lowest level of the building. Drone waited for the two there, and he helped swing Danny over the railing. The teen boy collapsed as soon as his feet met the ground, and a moment later, Black Thorn landed gracefully next to him, and together, she and Drone helped Danny up from the floor. The ebony-haired boy mumbled, "It took you guys long enough to show up," as they quickly began fleeing down the nearest hallway.
"Oh, shut up. We didn't even know you were gone to begin with." Drone snapped back, though his voice was playful. Danny only chuckled at him and stumbled over his feet again.
The Crime Trio made their escape in record-breaking time. They, fortunately, came across very few guards, all of whom were taken out quickly by Black Thorn.
It was only when the three were finally exiting the large complex and fleeing towards the forest when Danny asked, "We going back for Bats?"
"You're not going anywhere!" Drone replied indignantly. If it weren't for the fact that his friend needed his constant support, Drone would've smacked the other boy.
Danny opened his mouth to give the dark-skinned boy a snarky reply, but Black Thorn interjected, "Bats is a big boy, Danny. He said he would meet us back at the Javelin as soon as he could."
"Are you sure? 'Cause the guy just saved my face from being mauled by a lion. The least we could do for him is let him live."
"We're sure, Danny. We're sure."
The Crime Trio finished their journey across the parking lot, ducking into the tree-line just as people began flooding from the arena. The three teens didn't look back as Drone took the lead, barreling through the brush and leading Black Thorn and Danny through easier pathways. The ebony-haired boy tripped a few times, but Black Thorn patiently picked him back up every time he met the ground. Though it felt like an eternity, the group could see the Javelin in a few minutes of hiking, and within a few more, Danny was allowed to collapse beside the ramp leading into the large jet. Black Thorn stood behind him and allowed the boy to lean against her for rest, an amused expression on her face as Drone ducked into the Javelin and began prepping for takeoff.
Danny drifted in and out of consciousness over the course of the next few minutes, the adrenaline flooding from his veins in a hurry. Despite his exhaustion, though, sleep couldn't find his troubled mind. Even when he was tangled in a state of limbo, Danny remained aware of the fact that there was someone else that was supposed to be with him and his friends.
As her friend drifted in and out, Black Thorn stood guard, watching the dark forest around them with keen eyes. She perked when the brush rustled from the direction they had come, but when Batman emerged- worse for wear than before, but overall, fine -the mercenary relaxed. At the same time, Danny opened one dreary eye, saw the Dark Knight, grinned a little, and fell back asleep.
"It took you long enough." Black Thorn commented, reaching down to tug gently at the tips of Danny's grimy hair.
Batman glanced at the girl's action, noticing that she herself did not seem aware of her actions. He guessed that it was a comfort for her, a reassurance that her dear friend was alive and safe with her. He didn't mention his findings and didn't reply to the girl's quip, merely responding, "The Justice League is on its way to take care of the ring and its ringleaders. Until then, though, is Danny alright?"
Black Thorn didn't answer immediately. She waited a moment, her fingers working around Danny's black strands. She tugged and pulled, and Batman waited all the while for her response.
Finally, she replied, "Once he's gotten a good night's sleep and some food, I'm sure Danny will be back to his spunky self in no time. Maybe even better."
In his dreams, Danny walked down a busy street with an orange-haired woman he had only seen in pictures. The woman smiled down at the boy and asked, "Who is that waiting for you, Danny?"
There were a dozen people on the street- some people were recognizable, some weren't -but Danny knew the person she was speaking of immediately. He looked down the street, glanced at the darkly-clad man just standing on the street corner, and then turned back to the older woman at his side. He grinned back and said, "Oh, that's just Batman. He's been helping me out a lot lately, and now he's waiting for me to give something back."
(Later, when Danny would awake in his apartment, he'd shout to the rooftops, "Why the Dark Knight? Why the fucking Dark Knight?")