(Present day)

"Mrs. Jones, where is he? How is he doing?!" Cole demanded as he hurried to the woman who sat, her head buried in her hands. "Mrs. Jones?!"

"Oh Cole, he says he needs to talk to you, about, oh he won't say what. He refuses to do anything until he sees you. my baby." She shook her head. "He won't make it they say, but he wants to see you oh so badly. Will you talk to him Cole, please!"

The boy stood dumbfounded at the news. "I-, yeah, of course I'll talk to him. I'll talk to him. He'll be all right Mrs. Jones, you'll see." The boy was taken to the small hospital room where he saw his best friend laying, bandaged all over, IV's at his sides, and machines hummed all around him.

Cole swallowed as he moved to the side of Scott, nodding slightly. "Your mom said it was urgent, Scott. what happened?"

The boy that lay helpless before him blinked, and slowly looked at his friend. "He's back." The boy crocked. "He is going to kill you Cole, you have to get out of here before he gets you. before he gets you too."

"Scott, what are you talking about?!" Cole demanded, clutching his friend's limp and bandaged hand.

"Silver." Scott's eyes wandered around the room, as if he saw someone else. "He tried to kill me, and he wants you. Cole, promise me."

"Scott?"

"Promise me you won't forget your powers, you won't let them go to waste. There are people out there Cole, be Batman Cole." The boy whimpered. "Please save them."

"Who? Save who?" Cole whispered, hanging his head, feeling tears whelm up in his eyes. "Scott, hold on, you'll make it."

"Everyone," was the single answer.

A shriek was let out sounding off the heart failure of his friend.

"Scott!" Cole screamed as he was shoved back by doctors and nurses who tried to retrieve the boy.

"Get him out of here."

"Please move boy!"

Cole was pushed out of the room as tears filled his eyes. His best friend was dead. Scott was dead. Scott had known everything, and he had kept it all a secret, even to his dying breath. All because of- "Me!" Cole screamed as he crumpled to the ground, burrowing his head in his arms. "Da*n!"

Anger, I know what that is all about. I know nothing else at this moment. All I can feel is my hate whelming up in my chest as the needle pricks my raw finger. I hate. I hate the world.

Scott was taken from me. My best friend was taken because of what I am, what I was made into. I hate it. I hate Silver. I hate my powers. I hate it all. I am trying though. I am trying to make the one who did this to me pay in the only way I know possible.

He will pay.

God knows that I will find him.

And when I do. I will crush his skull.

Cole shook his head, causing his dark brown hair to fall into his eyes. He muttered something under his breath. His gloved hands fumbled with the weapon in his hands as he loaded the gun.

"Wonderful." He whispered with a voice that seemed extremely uncertain of what it was saying. He sat in the front of his car, with gun in hand, loaded, and ready for action. Everything was set up. Easy.

But Cole Taylor didn't move a muscle. He couldn't force it to happen. He could see him walking into the small store and taking what he needed. He could see himself doing what he had promised for Scott. But he couldn't move.

His eyes shifted as a car pulled up beside him with a young woman in the drivers seat. Her eyes caught his and she smiled faintly. As she stepped out of the car, the boy felt a burst of pain to leave. He didn't want to hurt anyone.

But his mind wanted to make a move. He kept seeing Scott's body, and hearing his friend's voice in the distance. "Be Batman." Cole sniffed, slamming his head into the steering wheel in confusion. 'If I am trying to be Batman, then what am I doing here, which a loaded gun in hand?'

He blinked and considered for a moment. He considered what choice he had. He felt so mad, and he needed to get it out. The boy cowered in his own fear, and opened his eyes, shocked to see him walking toward the store, gun under his jacket.

"No." He managed as he heard the ringing bell, sounding his entrance. He pulled the gun from its hiding place and aimed for the woman at the cash register. "Give me your money, or I will take off your da*n head!"

There were a few screams, but Cole ignored them. He snatched the money handed to him and pointed his gun to the floor, then back to her head. "Down, now, or you die!"

The woman whimpered innocently as she lowered to the floor. The boy watched in agony as those around him fell to the floor in fear. Trembling at a boy who was ten times more scared than any of them were.

"Any of you try to follow me, I will kill you. You understand?! Comprende?"

The woman nodded, covering her head and sobbing.

"Good."

He stepped backwards, and walked toward the exit. His gun still aimed at the innocents all around. He needed money to do the good needed. So he created a lovely paradox and went on with it.

He slammed his car door and speed down the road, hearing sirens roaring in the distance. He cursed and headed out, towards wherever he could find solitude at. He doubted anywhere would be available.

"Can't you go any faster?"

"Bart, don't be stupid. Slow down, and speak into the microphone!"

Impulse grinned at the answer and slowed his pace down. "I always thought that having a car would be cool, but it's more of a pain." His golden yellow eyes watched the cloud of dust coming at him in the distance. He smiled once more and adjusted the microphone hooked to his costume.

The Red Bird pulled beside him and Bart couldn't help but say something. "You're car is slowing us down."

Robin slipped from the vehicle. "No it's not. It's keeping us going. We are in Indiana."

"It still looks like Alabama to me."

Robin bent down beside his car and sighed. "We will be killed when they catch us."

"Well, almost like Alabama, it's a little more cool down here."

"Batman will eat me live for this."

"And when I say cool, I mean cold."

Robin shook his head, and glanced around. "So we are really just stuck at the moment. We ran off with no information."

"You ran off without the information. That is your job."

"Bart. It's not my job. not totally. I feel silly. We dashed off out of anger and worry. That is our biggest mistake. We didn't think to do anything beside that."

Impulse said nothing for a moment. "Maybe we could ask for directions."

"I know where we are Bart. And I can get almost anywhere from here." He nodded to his car. "With a little help of course."

"Heh, I can get anywhere too." Impulse eyed the car, almost jealous.

"Sure, but the point is. we don't have a clue what to do."

"So you said. More than once."

Robin rubbed his temples and groaned. "I have a headache, and this sun is to bright for my liking."

Impulse looked into the sky. "I hadn't noticed."

The raven-haired boy straightened up and strolled back into his car. "Look, what do we know so far?"

"A lot. Don't be so vague."

"I mean about the situation at hand."

"Oh."

"Yeah."

"We are in Indiana." Impulse blurted.

Robin simply nodded. "So I know."

"The man who attacked me was big."

"Thanks, I saw him too."

Bart smiled. "He didn't have a chance."

Robin kept his mouth shut. "He was mad at all of us for some reason, which makes me consider who is for us and who is against us."

"Well." Bart didn't finish his sentence. He didn't need to.

"GREAT!" Cole screamed as he heard the sirens scrapping closer to him. He had left his car, knowing perfectly well that, as fast as it would be, that it would be a pain to get rid of. He was now scrambling for speed, running through cornfield after cornfield, being chased by a thousand cops due to him robbing a store, his best friend died, and his parents were going to kill him. It wasn't his day.

He stumbled on a loose root and gasped, catching himself from a nasty fall. He spat at nothing and pursed forward.

"Lets see them figure this one out." He growled, throwing a stream of ice behind him, making the ground all around slick. "Stupid idiots trying to stop me."

He glanced behind him, wishing that he hadn't tried to be a hero. It was turning out to be something that he found no pleasure in. He had managed to use the money stolen to put together what might be considered an outfit. But in doing so lost time. And time was all that mattered. He had been stupid, and now was paying for that.

The boy wore black, from his head to his feet. Just. Black. He had no mask, but his costume went from his neck to his feet. He wore thick boots, that seemed to be overlarge and extremely heavy. Over it all, his trench coat covered him. Sparing him the embarrassment that most heroes endure with such tight clothing.

"Where are we?"

"Indiana."

"Still?! Does this state never end?!"

"What, you couldn't see the difference."

"All I see are cornfields."

Robin shrugged. "We haven't gone but a few feet Bart, just stay calm while I figure this out."

"We have been here for hours." He fell onto the Red Bird in a state of agony. "PLEASE! I want to run!"

"Scratch my car and die."

The boy lying on the car vibrated and fell to the ground, lying under the vehicle. "Ahhh! I want to do something."

"You just did."

"Something that is." He paused and pointed at the cornfield a few feet away. "Hey Rob, something is moving towards us. Look."

Robin turned his head, to see the corn rustling as something cam closer to the two. He could hear someone panting and their feet pounding against the ground. He quirked his eyebrow and stepped forward. "Probably." He turned around to face Impulse, yet found his friend gone. "Imp?"

"I got him!"

Robin jerked around, and glowered as Bart stood, holding a boy about their age dressed in odd apparel. "You didn't even say anything before you left."

"I was curious." Impulse answered. "And it was a danger to us."

"Let me go!" The kid yelled, jerking away. He seemed frightened, and flung Impulse away. "Who the heck are you?!

Impulse lifted a hand and got to his feet, about ready to speak. He seemed to move to fast for the boy on the floor, so the boy protected himself, and forced his hand out, freezing the ground under Impulse's feet.

Then without a word or warning, he took off running, hurling ice shards behind him, warding the two boys off.

Impulse yelped as he made an effort to dash across the ice. Thus he slipped and smacked the ground with a dull thud. "How did he do that?" The boy whimpered.

Robin shrugged. "I have a feeling we found what we want." His hand was extended to the adolescent on the ground. "Follow him."

Impulse gradually nodded, bewildered.