A/N: Wow, thanks for all of the reviews! It really means a lot to me and really brightened my day. Just a note for you lot- I forget what Batman's ship-thingy he flies through the air through is called, so I'm just referring to it as the Batmobile…I'm such a poor fan. LOL. Also, I'll try not to make Batman such a stiff bastard in the future…instead he'll just be stiff. Good ol' Bats.

Clouded Dawn

Chapter 2:

Within minutes of receiving the unknown distress call, Batman and Flash were back in the Earth's atmosphere, hovering in the sleek Batmobile. As Batman steered their way towards Keystone City, Flash, for once, was silent, drinking in all of the gadgets and machinery that was the Batmobile in awe. The silence also left Wally alone with his thoughts, something he didn't let happen often. He usually liked staying alert and active instead of dwelling on things. He'd rather have kept an upbeat attitude, oblivious to any problems, than linger on misfortunate things that had just occurred.

Flash couldn't help but think about Batman. Bruce, as long as he had known him, had always been stuff, calm, calculating, and with a dark cloak hovering over him. The Fastest Man Alive always knew that Batman didn't particularly like him, even though Flash always denied it. But Bats had pretty much said that he didn't like him companionship, and even though the superhero hid it, the truth stung.

Wally just couldn't figure it out. Why didn't Batman like him? Sure, he was inexperienced, loud, and a bit egotistical at times, but somehow people learned to like him anyway. Why couldn't Bruce bring himself to do the same? Especially in times like these, the Justice League had to get along and stick together. Hawkgirl's betrayal was an example of how important the team's bond was. The thread of trust had shook, and the Justice League had nearly collapsed with it.

The Scarlet Speedster pushed the dark thoughts of the past out of his mind as he realized the Batmobile was entering Keystone City forest; it wouldn't be long now.

However, Flash couldn't help but feel antsy- he had been in one spot far too long, and it was driving the superhero up the wall.

Wally then decided blind impulsiveness was a good thing as he spied a big red button. "Hey, Bats, what's this thing do?" he asked curiously, his finger hovering over it.

Batman side-glanced at Flash, and froze when he realized what his teammate was doing. "No, don't press-!" he gasped.

Too late- Wally West pushed in the crimson button, in which the Batmobile proceeded to draw a bazooka-like weapon. It then blew up the chunk of trees in front of the machine with a BOOM!, smoldering ashes taking the vegetation's place.

The Batmobile hovered in the air for a moment, frozen in time. Flash's eyes were as wide as car tires underneath his mask; his mouth hung open in shock. Bruce, meanwhile, looked like he was about to blow a fuse.

"Oh…damn. That's- I'm sorry-!" The Scarlet Speedster sputtered sheepishly.

"Don't. Just- don't." The dark knight stated flatly, tapping his fingers on the steering wheel. He could already tell that he was going to need a whole bottle of Advil to tame his headaches before the end of this.

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After the 'small delay', the Batmobile glided smoothly in front of the cave in the vast forest of Keystone City and parked to a stop. The pair of superheroes exited the sleek hovercraft and paced cautiously towards the cave, fresh white snow tracing where they had stepped.

When Flash first saw the cave from up in the sky, it had just looked like a harmless hut- but now he could see up-close that it was massive and had the spooky feel of a haunted mansion. It seemed ancient and abandoned, cobwebs decorating the entrance almost like Christmas lights. Wind howled at him from inside, daring Wally to step forward. The young adult hugged his arms in a shiver, the mass of air from the cave and the crisp winter air in general attacking his skin through his thin spandex suit. All of his instincts told him to turn back, but when Batman stepped forward, his own feet followed, attached to the Dark Knight with invisible strings.

Once they entered the cave, Batman realized that it was very poorly lit, so he grabbed a flashlight from his utility belt and turned it on, illuminating the area slightly. The added light didn't comfort Flash one bit, since as soon as Bruce turned on the light, hundreds of bats fled the cave, nearly flying right into Wally and scaring him to death.

Flash zoomed behind Batman with a yelp, using him for a shield. The dark knight, meanwhile, was perfectly at ease, the flying rodents a welcome friend to him.

"Damn bats-!" The Scarlet Speedster gasped out, then looked at his companion out of the corner of his eyes. "You should feel right at home here,"

"That's enough," Bruce grunted, stepping aside so that Flash could no longer use him as a shield. Wally simply grinned sheepishly.

"Alright, now that that's over with, we need to find where that signal was coming from," Batman stated, pulling out another gadget to track down the distress call precisely.

The Fastest Man Alive, who would have rather had his teeth drilled than be there at that moment, chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head with his gloved hands. "Eheh, sure, Bats, whatever you say."

The unlikely pair trudged on further in the cave, Flash sticking close behind Bats, not daring to run further on in the dark. His body language suggested a meek, scolded child, while the billionaire looked much more confident in the dark, even more so than when he was in daylight.

"So, where is our 'damsel in distress'?" Wally inquired meekly.

Batman looked down at his tracker, then back to his teammate. "The signal seems to be moving…wait. It stopped." He looked back at his gadget, Flash glancing over his shoulder at it, even though he had no hope to understand what it meant. Bruce closed his eyes in annoyance when he heard Flash's sharp breathing in his ear.

"You're doing that hovering thing again, Flash."

"Well, damn then, stop being so mysterious and tell me already!" The Scarlet Speedster demanded in a panicky voice.

"…The signal's right behind us."

Then at the worst possible moment, the flashlight's life flickered away, leaving the superheroes in complete blackness.

Flash started to yell out in fear. "Oh god, we're going to die!"

"Funny, I never thought of you as one to be afraid of the dark," came Batman's ever-calm voice.

"I-I'm not! God, this is just like that horror movie I saw last night- two guys are in a freaky place, their flashlight goes out right after a moment of foreshadowing, and then the monster eats them!"

"Calm down, Flash! There is no monster, you don't have to be afraid!"

"But I'm not!"

"Oh, but you should be…you should be very afraid."

"Uh, Batman…since when did your voice get creepier than usual?"

"That wasn't me…just give me a second, I have a spare flashlight somewhere…"

Light filtered through the cave from Batman's fresh flashlight. Batman swerved the light around, from Flash's fearful face to another one.

Onto the deranged face of the Joker.

To Be Continued…

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