Nightwing's sharp eyes scanned the docks with the help of his starlight
night vision lenses. Glancing towards the pier he sighed in frusteration.
It was near dawn now, with no word or sign of Robin. Breathing deeply to
relieve the sudden aching grip on his chest he backed off from the edge of
the building, the topview disappearing as he turned to the dark shadow
behind him. "Nothing. Some great detectives we are, can't even find an
eleven year old kid."
"We'll find him." said the shadow.
Nightwing nodded absently looking down at roofing beneath his feet before lifting his eyes to gaze wearily at the man had become the closest thing to a father he had. "I know...we will. I'm just......"
"I know."
The two stood there, lapsing into silence as a wind picked up around them, the only sound came from the snapping of Batman's cape whipping in the breeze.
Barbara Gordon locked her eyes on the computer before her with a grim atmosphere about her. Oblivious to everything around her save for the information on the screen and the voice flowing through the mic in her ear. "He's not there? Your sure? Allright. Canary... what about the warehouses on Elm? Have we checked those yet?" Barbara's fingers continued to dance across the keyboard calling up various windows at her command.
Dinah Lance, better known to the world as the Black Canary shook her head as she flattened one unfortunate druggie that insisted on meeting her fist. "UNH! Trust me I'm sure. No little birds here...only drug smuggling rings, muggers, same old same old. But as for those warehouses-- AH! HEY! No biting the leather!--there's a LOT of those. There's no way I can-" Thud. Smash. "-- search em all."
Barbara's eyes searched the grid of streets before her, mentally planning the most efficient way to search them in the least amount of time. They had covered most of the city with hardly a trail of the Joker...or Jymmy. Babs felt her stomach turn for a moment before she closed her eyes , telling herself to set her feelings aside and work as if it were any other case. "If it were only that easy..." she whispered.
Dinah finished flipping the last drug lord into the ever growing pile of losers who were seriously considering a career change. "Say again Oracle?"
Barbara's eyes snapped open and she was once again in her professional Oracle mode. "Nothing Dinah." a small light flashed on her screen and she turned the conversation quickly, "Dinah I got backup coming your way E.T.A is 5 minutes."
"Roger that. And hey...don't worry girlfriend...he'll be fine."
"I hope so Canary...I hope so." Barbara sighed again before she delved back into the information highway looking for something, anything to help her find her son.
* * * * * * Robin licked his lips as he glanced at the oversized barrel of the gun aimed at him from across the room. It was, by and far, the man holding the gun that had his greatest attention. Standing with an arm outstretched before him, in all his pale faced glory was the Joker. Robin could barely keep from shuddering, as the brim of the ugliest purple hat he had ever seen lifted. Revealing the more disturbing sight of a horrible plastered grin that stretched across the madman's face.
The Joker gave a little giggle before he spoke, dipping his voice to an almost condecending tone, "I get out of Arkham and the boys decide to throw me a little party. And here we have Gotham's own Squire to the Dark Knight crashing our party! Tch tch tch." The Joker shook his head in mock sympathy as he lowered the gun. For a moment Robin felt relieved, until the Joker continued, "I would have thought the Bat would teach his brats some manners!"
The Joker lifted the gun once more carefully taking aim at Robin's blazing crest and smiled cruelly, "Because I dont' remember sending YOU an invitation."
Robin's whole body had tensed the moment he saw that gun, watching for that split second before the trigger went off. Moving one hand along his utility belt, his actions hidden under the guise of his cape he had found the compartment he was searching for. A gloved hand closed around the small sphere as stood there silently listening to the Joker's tirade. Now as the Joker once more lifted the gun's sight, bringing Robin into the crosshairs, he bolted to the left as he tossed the sphere at the purple nightmare before him.
The Joker fired the moment he saw the brat move, not seeing the pellet until it hit the floor before his feet, releasing a thick haze of smoke. Coughing and cursing, the pigment-challenged clown waved his arms around him trying to clear the air.
* * * * *
Canary sprinted across the rooftops as fast as she could. The warehouse district came into veiw even as the strange, but oddly comforting, view of a Bat swung down beside her. Half a beat later Nightwing touched down in front of them, never breaking stride as they ran. A gun. They knew they were in the right place as they heard a gun go off. She hoped Jymmy was all right. He better be all right.
Nightwing ran for all he was worth, his strong legs carrying him ahead of Batman and Canary, though that was most likely due to the cold fear that gripped his heart. Nightwing could feel his heart beating in his ears as his feet pounded the pavement beneath him. The three of them had been talking with Oracle as they searched the warehouses one by one. The shot they heard had gone over the comlink and he knew only too well what Barbara was going through. Sitting at home and waiting. Nothing to do but wait. Nightwing ran faster.
Oracle was motionless. Barbara Gordon Grayson sat in complete silence. Her fingers no longer dancing across the keyboard, but instead covered the taut face of a mother as she waited. There was nothing to do but wait.
Haley Grayson shrank away from the doorframe of her mother's computer room, tiptoeing in the stealthy vigilante-esqe way she had learned from birth. She padded her way down the hallway to Jymmy's room. Rather than going back to bed hours ago as she should have, she'd stayed out in the hall listening to the whole drama unfold in the other room. The Graysons youngest child and only daughter, watched out for the security cameras in the hallway, including the one she wasn't supposed to know about before slipping into the James's room. She quietly shut the door and walked over to the windowseat on the far side of the room. She knelt down on the seat as she expertly disabled the alarms so that she could open the window without alerting Oracle. Swinging the window wide with a gentle push she settled down to rest her chin on the sill watching the sun come up as she waited.
* * * * *
The gun went off behind him, even as the smoke pellet he threw went off, obscuring the Joker's vision. The distraction was enough to allow Robin time to hide amonst the crates and shadows of the warehouse. Crouching behind the safety of one of the larger crates Robin reached up to his mask, engaging the heat sensors. The smoke would not hinder HIS vision. With the ball in his court, and feeling thouroughly in his territory, Robin leaped from his place atop the crate. Kicking out as he came crashing down on the Joker from behind, Robin lost no time following up with a knee to his stomach. The Joker doubled over giving Jymmy a better opportunity to punch the taller man, smiling in satisfaction as the Joker staggered for a second then fell to the floor unconcious.
James gave a jubilant cry as he perched one foot on the Joker and clasped his hands above him in victory. Having declared himself the 'winn-ah' and ten times champion, he got down to business, crouching down beside the Joker as he pulled out the Bat-cuffs.
"We'll find him." said the shadow.
Nightwing nodded absently looking down at roofing beneath his feet before lifting his eyes to gaze wearily at the man had become the closest thing to a father he had. "I know...we will. I'm just......"
"I know."
The two stood there, lapsing into silence as a wind picked up around them, the only sound came from the snapping of Batman's cape whipping in the breeze.
Barbara Gordon locked her eyes on the computer before her with a grim atmosphere about her. Oblivious to everything around her save for the information on the screen and the voice flowing through the mic in her ear. "He's not there? Your sure? Allright. Canary... what about the warehouses on Elm? Have we checked those yet?" Barbara's fingers continued to dance across the keyboard calling up various windows at her command.
Dinah Lance, better known to the world as the Black Canary shook her head as she flattened one unfortunate druggie that insisted on meeting her fist. "UNH! Trust me I'm sure. No little birds here...only drug smuggling rings, muggers, same old same old. But as for those warehouses-- AH! HEY! No biting the leather!--there's a LOT of those. There's no way I can-" Thud. Smash. "-- search em all."
Barbara's eyes searched the grid of streets before her, mentally planning the most efficient way to search them in the least amount of time. They had covered most of the city with hardly a trail of the Joker...or Jymmy. Babs felt her stomach turn for a moment before she closed her eyes , telling herself to set her feelings aside and work as if it were any other case. "If it were only that easy..." she whispered.
Dinah finished flipping the last drug lord into the ever growing pile of losers who were seriously considering a career change. "Say again Oracle?"
Barbara's eyes snapped open and she was once again in her professional Oracle mode. "Nothing Dinah." a small light flashed on her screen and she turned the conversation quickly, "Dinah I got backup coming your way E.T.A is 5 minutes."
"Roger that. And hey...don't worry girlfriend...he'll be fine."
"I hope so Canary...I hope so." Barbara sighed again before she delved back into the information highway looking for something, anything to help her find her son.
* * * * * * Robin licked his lips as he glanced at the oversized barrel of the gun aimed at him from across the room. It was, by and far, the man holding the gun that had his greatest attention. Standing with an arm outstretched before him, in all his pale faced glory was the Joker. Robin could barely keep from shuddering, as the brim of the ugliest purple hat he had ever seen lifted. Revealing the more disturbing sight of a horrible plastered grin that stretched across the madman's face.
The Joker gave a little giggle before he spoke, dipping his voice to an almost condecending tone, "I get out of Arkham and the boys decide to throw me a little party. And here we have Gotham's own Squire to the Dark Knight crashing our party! Tch tch tch." The Joker shook his head in mock sympathy as he lowered the gun. For a moment Robin felt relieved, until the Joker continued, "I would have thought the Bat would teach his brats some manners!"
The Joker lifted the gun once more carefully taking aim at Robin's blazing crest and smiled cruelly, "Because I dont' remember sending YOU an invitation."
Robin's whole body had tensed the moment he saw that gun, watching for that split second before the trigger went off. Moving one hand along his utility belt, his actions hidden under the guise of his cape he had found the compartment he was searching for. A gloved hand closed around the small sphere as stood there silently listening to the Joker's tirade. Now as the Joker once more lifted the gun's sight, bringing Robin into the crosshairs, he bolted to the left as he tossed the sphere at the purple nightmare before him.
The Joker fired the moment he saw the brat move, not seeing the pellet until it hit the floor before his feet, releasing a thick haze of smoke. Coughing and cursing, the pigment-challenged clown waved his arms around him trying to clear the air.
* * * * *
Canary sprinted across the rooftops as fast as she could. The warehouse district came into veiw even as the strange, but oddly comforting, view of a Bat swung down beside her. Half a beat later Nightwing touched down in front of them, never breaking stride as they ran. A gun. They knew they were in the right place as they heard a gun go off. She hoped Jymmy was all right. He better be all right.
Nightwing ran for all he was worth, his strong legs carrying him ahead of Batman and Canary, though that was most likely due to the cold fear that gripped his heart. Nightwing could feel his heart beating in his ears as his feet pounded the pavement beneath him. The three of them had been talking with Oracle as they searched the warehouses one by one. The shot they heard had gone over the comlink and he knew only too well what Barbara was going through. Sitting at home and waiting. Nothing to do but wait. Nightwing ran faster.
Oracle was motionless. Barbara Gordon Grayson sat in complete silence. Her fingers no longer dancing across the keyboard, but instead covered the taut face of a mother as she waited. There was nothing to do but wait.
Haley Grayson shrank away from the doorframe of her mother's computer room, tiptoeing in the stealthy vigilante-esqe way she had learned from birth. She padded her way down the hallway to Jymmy's room. Rather than going back to bed hours ago as she should have, she'd stayed out in the hall listening to the whole drama unfold in the other room. The Graysons youngest child and only daughter, watched out for the security cameras in the hallway, including the one she wasn't supposed to know about before slipping into the James's room. She quietly shut the door and walked over to the windowseat on the far side of the room. She knelt down on the seat as she expertly disabled the alarms so that she could open the window without alerting Oracle. Swinging the window wide with a gentle push she settled down to rest her chin on the sill watching the sun come up as she waited.
* * * * *
The gun went off behind him, even as the smoke pellet he threw went off, obscuring the Joker's vision. The distraction was enough to allow Robin time to hide amonst the crates and shadows of the warehouse. Crouching behind the safety of one of the larger crates Robin reached up to his mask, engaging the heat sensors. The smoke would not hinder HIS vision. With the ball in his court, and feeling thouroughly in his territory, Robin leaped from his place atop the crate. Kicking out as he came crashing down on the Joker from behind, Robin lost no time following up with a knee to his stomach. The Joker doubled over giving Jymmy a better opportunity to punch the taller man, smiling in satisfaction as the Joker staggered for a second then fell to the floor unconcious.
James gave a jubilant cry as he perched one foot on the Joker and clasped his hands above him in victory. Having declared himself the 'winn-ah' and ten times champion, he got down to business, crouching down beside the Joker as he pulled out the Bat-cuffs.