Chapter Eleven

Starfire looked over at Batgirl quietly. "We have not had the chance to properly introduce ourselves. I am Starfire, but you may call me Kory Anders."

"Name's Gar," Gar Logan smiled quietly. "But everyone else just calls me Beast Boy.

"I'm Cyborg," Cyborg reached out and she gave him a firm handshake.

"I'm Raven," Raven said in monotone.

"Glad to meet all of you," Batgirl replied. She reached up and pulled the mask off her face. The Titans saw a young girl with blue eyes and red hair, similar to Starfire. She was about nineteen years old, maybe twenty. "Name's Barbara Gordon, but you guys can call me Babs."

"Gordon? Like Commissioner Gordon?" Cyborg asked.

"Yep, I'm the Comish's kid," Babs smiled.

"So does he know you do this kind of stuff?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, he doesn't know I do this," Babs replied. "It's a lot safer that way. If he knew about it he wouldn't want me to do it."

"I see," Kory looked at her. "You are a friend of Dick Grayson's?"

"Yes."

"So what made Dick become Robin?"

"I'm not sure I should tell you. I'll let him do the talking when he wakes up."

"Okay, so will you tell us about yourself?" Beast Boy asked. "If we can't hear about Dick Grayson, then at least you can tell us about how you became Batgirl."

"You sure are nosy, Gar," Babs laughed. "Okay, I suppose I should tell you something about myself. Obviously, you know who my Dad is, Jim Gordon, Gotham's Police Commissioner. I wanted to become a detective like Dad but he said it was too dangerous, so he put me in gymnastics."

"My friend, Pamela Isley, she's very pro environment. She's all about saving the trees and protecting nature. After she graduates college she wants to become a botanist."

"Well, we broke into this genetics company called Chlorogene. They did research on genetics in plants and stuff and she was adamantly against it. I helped her steal one of the plants, but my dad picked us up and dropped her off at her house."

"Didn't he know she stole the plant?" Beast Boy asked.

"I'm not sure if he knew. That night there was a break in at the Chlorogene building by a man named Temblor. He's one of those work-for-hire mercenary types. Pam had called me on the phone and asked me to help her that night. I told her I couldn't go out 'cause my dad was with me. When I arrived, I discovered she'd hired Trembler to trash the building."

"As you can probably figure out, he wasn't really thrilled to discover that his "Boss" was a teenager. He was about to squash Pam like a bug when The Batman arrived and intervened. He would've gotten me too, but I got away, thanks to gymnastics."

"During the fight, Trembler knocked these huge containers with Chlorogene's chemicals off the ceiling and they landed right on top of Pam."

"That must have been very painful," Kory exclaimed. "Was she okay?"

"Turns out, the containers explode, exposing Pam to whatever chemical Chlorogene had been working on. The Batman defeated Temblor and the ambulance came and took her to the hospital. Dad arrived and he brought me home. He wasn't very happy that I'd been sneaking out with Pam."

"So how did you become Batman's sidekick?" Cyborg asked. "I can see that this is going somewhere."

"Yeah, it is. The moment I saw Batman, I knew he was something incredible, something awesome. And I wanted to be like him. I wanted to do something with my life."

"But was we know Batman likes to work alone."

"You got that right. I wasn't exactly welcomed with open arms. But anyway, let me tell you what happened to Pam. On the way to the hospital, she's going through detoxification to get the chemical out of her system, and well, it backfired."

"Backfired? How?" Kory asked.

"Instead of removing the chemical from, her body absorbed it, mutating her genes. She discovered that she could control plants."

"The only one I've heard of who can do that is Poison Ivy," Raven said. She looked at Babs, realizing an unexpected truth. "You're friends with Poison Ivy? I've heard a lot about her, and it's not good. How can you do that?"

"Yeah, well, she doesn't exactly know about the Batgirl thing. If she did, she probably wouldn't be my friend anymore. She's actually nice, until you get her started about the environment."

"Okay, can you get on with the story?" Beast Boy asked.

"Yeah, yeah, I know I'm rambling. Well, she paid me a visit that night; she told me she was going to break into Chlorogene. I told her she needed to stop or my Dad would arrest her. She wanted help her and told me to think about it, so she left me alone."

"So what happened after that?" Cyborg asked.

"Well, I get the biggest shock of my young life. I turn on the TV and find out that my Dad has been kidnapped by Poison Ivy. Now I know I have to do something about it and so I go to the G.C.P.D. Headquarters and I fired up the Bat signal."

"Batman showed up and I told him what was going on. He then told me to go home and let him handle Poison Ivy. Well, that didn't exactly settle well with me, so I changed into the costume I created and followed him."

"Well, as you can probably tell, Batman wasn't too thrilled I tagged along. He also ruined everything for me because he somehow figured out my secret identity. He said if I didn't stop, he'd tell my dad. I ignored him and it was a good thing I did because if I'd gone home, Pam's plants would've ate him."

"Ate him?" Beast Boy asked. "That must've been a heck of a night!"

"Yeah, it was," Babs laughed. "I'm trying to get him out of harm's way, and Batman literally attacks Poison Ivy's plants with a chainsaw. It would've worked to, had she not caught him and exposed him to her plant pheromones."

"What do these plant pheromones do?" Kory asked.

"The pheromones Pam emits enable her to control someone exposed to it. It's very dangerous, especially if she has the Dark Knight under mind control."

"He got up and attacked me. I fought him up for awhile. I knew he wasn't going to let up. The only way to solve my problem was to knock sense into him. Literally, I gave him a good kick in the head, and what do you know? It works, he snaps out of his trance and he's back to normal."

"Poison Ivy grabs both of us up and prepares to give us a one way ticket to Harp Land. She made her plants even stronger when she exposed them to water. Now I'm really worried. With her powers upped an ante, she seemed invincible."

"I manage to grab a freeze disk and throw it straight at her, I was hoping to God it would actually hit something 'cause the last time I threw a shuriken, I was aiming for Poison Ivy. I was close, give or take six inches." All the Titans except Raven laughed.

"Well, luck or God must have been with me, 'cause this time I hit the target and Poison Ivy was frozen in her tracks. Mission accomplished, Dad was okay, and the city was safe. And all was well. Later on that night, I asked Batman if he was going to tell my dad about me, and he told me that he'd be more grateful if I told him."

"So he didn't rat you out to your Dad?" Beast Boy asked.

"No, and we've been working together ever since. Batman, Robin, me, we're a Family. We protect the city, much like you guys do. We've all been really close. I suppose you heard about why Robin left."

"I heard it had something to do with the Joker," Cyborg said. "That's true right?"

"Yes it is," Babs replied. "He shot Robin. Batman, Bruce wanted Dick to stop being his sidekick. He refused. He said that Bruce couldn't stop him from being Robin. He says he was too well trained and it was something he couldn't take away. So he left, and went to Jump City. Well, the rest is history…I'm sure you can guess what happened."

"He left and formed the Teen Titans," Raven said quietly. "Is that why he doesn't talk about the Batman?"

"Yes, they haven't been on speaking terms in a long time." Babs looked at the Titans quietly. "Their relationship is very strained."

"So why would he come back?" Kory asked.

"I think Dick felt… he owed it to Bruce. Detective Yin called him and told him about what Bane did to Bruce." Babs looked off into space. "Well, I must be going. If Daddy starts getting suspicious of my nightly activities, I might get busted." Babs Gordon grabbed her mask and put it back on. "I'll see you guys around. Wish I could stay, but I have school tomorrow." She straddled one of the motorcycles and sped off into the night.

The others watched her go. Finally, Beast Boy spoke up. "So why didn't Robin tell us why he came back here? Did he think it was too dangerous or something? Does he want to leave the Titans? I wish I could figure out what the heck is going on."

Raven rolled her eyes. "Don't try to figure it out—you'll just hurt yourself."

"Maybe we should take Alfred's advice and get some sleep," Cyborg said. The others protested. "We can't expect to defend Gotham if we're half asleep. Besides, he said it's what Robin would want." The others begrudgingly agreed and got ready to go to bed.

Cyborg walked over to where Alfred and Dr. Tompkins were operating on Robin. "We're going to go to bed now. Can you tell us if there are any changes?"

"Of course, Master Cyborg," Alfred replied.

"Please call me Victor Stone," Victor said quietly. "It'll be easier that way."

"I will inform you immediately Victor if there are any changes," Alfred smiled.

"How's he doing?" Vic asked.

"He's doing well; we removed the bullet from his stomach and sewed him up. He should regain consciousness soon. He's a very lucky boy, it barely missed spine. If it would have, he would have been paralyzed from the waist down."

"That's good news," Victor looked over at the other Titans. "Where are the blankets? We're ready to go to bed now."

"Oh, they're over in the closet."

"Thank you, Alfred." Victor grabbed the blankets and pillows and went back to his friends. The others prepared for bed and pulling the sleeping bags over their heads, they slept. It was two in the morning when they went to bed and Babs had left at midnight.

Alfred watched the robotic Titan walk over to his friends. He sighed, the operation had gone well, but Dick's state was much like Kory's, he hadn't regained consciousness yet. The pallor color of his face was a ghostly white. Shaking his head, he looked over at Dr. Tompkins.

"How is he Dr. Tompkins? Has there been any change at all?"

"He's steady for now, Alfred. We've done all we can. Now all he has to do is wake up." They both looked over at the unconscious vigilante.

Seven hours later, they still waited for any sign of recovery. They took turns sleeping, each watching for his eyes to flicker open. Alfred rubbed his eyes, trying to wipe the sleepiness from them. He looked over as he heard a soft murmuring voice chanting strange words. "Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos. Azarath…Metrion…Zinthos."

"Ah, I see you're up Ms. Raven. Would you like some breakfast?"

"Herbal tea would be nice," she replied.

"I will get that for your right away, Ms. Would you watch Master Dick for me please? I don't want to wake Dr. Tompkins. She needs more sleep than I do."

"Sure, how is he?"

"He is in stable condition. He should wake up any time now." Raven looked over at her leader in silence. So it was all revealed now. What she had seen in his mind confirmed it. He was Dick Grayson, member of the acrobatic troupe, the Flying Graysons, and heir of Wayne Industries. She wondered why he had to keep himself hidden from them. Didn't he trust them enough to share his secrets?

"If you'll excuse me Ms., I shall go upstairs and fetch your tea as well as breakfast for the others. I'm sure they're starving."

"Thanks…Mr. Pennyworth."

"Do call me Alfred, Master Dick does."

"Thanks Alfred." Alfred turned on his heel and headed upstairs to fetch Raven some tea.

She sighed and focused her energies on Robin's inert body. "Azarath, Metrion, Zinthos." She began to heal him, it helped Starfire and she knew it would help Dick Grayson now. Alfred had said he was in stable condition, but he wasn't conscious.

"Come on, Robin. Wake up!"

"Raven, is there any change?" Raven looked up. She saw Kory walking over to her looking exhausted.

"No, Kory. Not yet. He hasn't moved since we arrived."

"If he does not wake up…I will never forgive myself."

"Why do you say that, Kory? It's not your fault he's hurt."

"No Raven, it is my fault. He was trying to protect me from the Joker and the Scarecrow. He is in a coma because of me, and it is my fault that he could die."

"Kory, he isn't going to die. Barbara Gordon said he's been sprayed by the toxin before."

"But he has not been shot at the same time either."

"That's true, but he'll be alright."

"Hey, is he okay?" Gar asked, walking over with Victor.

"He's stable, that's what Alfred told me. But he hasn't moved at all."

"Can't you heal him Raven?"

"I don't know. I've tried already."

"Kory…" a voice wheezed out.

"Dick?" Kory asked. "Can you hear me?"

"Yes…" Dick whispered. "Where am I?"

"The Batcave," Victor replied.

"What happened to me?"

"You've been shot."

"The Joker…I remember…Why did you follow me here?"

"You're our leader, that's what we do. We follow you," Victor said. "So why'd you come back here in the first place?"

"It can wait, Victor. Let me rest a little. I'll tell you once I feel better." His teammates stared at him without a word.

"Do you want us to leave?"

"No, not really, I could use your help fixing up the Batcave. I'm sure Victor would love to get his hands on a $50 million computer, I'm going to need it up and running soon so if Vic can help me with that I would appreciate it."

"Is there anything else we could do for you…Dick?" Kory asked.

"Well, there is one more thing."

"What?"

"Take care of Ace for me."

"Ace?"

"My dog, the one that I walked in the park; he's mine. I left him upstairs."

"Well Dick, he followed Alfred downstairs." Ace came bounding into the room. Looking over at Dick, he trotted up and placed his head on his master's knees.

"Hey, old boy, you miss me huh?" Ace wagged his tail happily. Kory reached down and scratched his head.

"I did not know you owned a dog," Kory smiled.

"Bruce wouldn't let me take him with me when I left. He's one of the few things I miss in Gotham City." He sighed, "It's one thing that always bothered me. I found the dog so I should've been allowed to keep him, but Bruce wouldn't have it."

"I see," Kory smiled. Victor looked over at Dick quietly.

"So when are you gonna tell us why you came back? You owe us an explanation," Victor said. Raven sat beside him in silence.

"Let's eat lunch first," Dick suggested. The others agreed so he had Alfred make them something to eat. It was 12 by the time lunch was ready. The Titans sat around Dick's bed and he ate his food on a platter. Alfred stood a short distance away, tinkering with one of the damaged computers.

"Where shall I start?" Dick asked.

"How 'bout how you became Robin, that's what we'd all like to know. Babs wouldn't tell us anything."

"She's one to keep secrets. Well, anyway, it's time I tell you the truth. My name is Richard John Grayson. As some of you probably know, my parents were the Flying Graysons. I'm sure that some of you heard about the Graysons murder. Since Starfire doesn't know, I'll tell you what happened."

"A man named Tony Zucco tried to get my Dad John, the manager of Haly's Circus to buy "protection" from him. Mr. Haley knew it was an extortion racket and refused. Later that night, the Flying Graysons were performing their trapeze act. They were executing the Triple Spin, which is a very difficult aerial acrobatic to pull off. I was about to join them in their act when I noticed the bolts that held the screws in place were missing."

"That was the worst night of my life. I could only watch as my parents' plunged to their deaths during their flying trapeze act. Everyone thought it was an accident, but I knew Zucco was the one responsible for their deaths. Jim Gordon wanted to place me in a safe house, when Bruce Wayne offered to take me in."

"When I first moved to Wayne Manor, I had no idea that Bruce Wayne was the Batman. I lived here with Alfred and I felt very lonely. I discovered Bruce's alter ego when he saved my life after I tried to go after Tony Zucco on my own."

"After I followed Batman to the circus and prevented Zucco from throwing a knife through his head, he saved my life after Zucco nearly beat me to death. When Zucco tried to escape by climbing hte trapeeze plaform, he nearly fell off out of fear when he saw Batman up there with him.

I managed to grab him and brought him up to Batman. After it was over, Batman crime offered me a chance I couldn't refuse. He made me made me his official partner, I chose my codename Robin, because it was my mother's term of endearment for me. After that, he trained me and made me his sidekick."

"But you two drifted apart," Cyborg said.

"Yes, we did. Since you know about the incident with the Joker, I suppose I don't need to tell you that story."

"But why did this happen?" Kory asked.

"I suppose it's because, I wanted to make a name for myself. I wanted to get out from under his shadow. Be my own man. Have people see me as my own person and not Batman's sidekick."

"And that's just what I did. I left Wayne Manor and founded the Teen Titan. I came back because a mercenary named Bane attacked Bruce, he broke his back, and now the citizens of Gotham have no defense against the criminals who escaped from Arkham Asylum."

"And you didn't mention this before you left because?" Raven asked.

"It was urgent that I leave for Gotham. I didn't have time to explain. I had to keep my arrival a secret."

"Well it's kind of hard to keep an arrival a secret when there's a press conference."

"Dick Grayson's just a mask, Raven. The true face of Dick Grayson is Robin. Now that I've become the Batman, that is my true self and who I really am. That is the truth, and that's all I can say."

"Dick…Why did you not tell us this before?" Kory asked.

"He told me not to," he replied.

"Is that the truth? Barbara said you have trust issues."

"Maybe I do, but I did what Bruce asked and kept my identity a secret. Until now, I had to tell you because if you didn't know, I knew you would find out when you followed me here."

"So what are we going to do, now that we know who you are? You're not going to send us home are you?" Raven asked.

"No, I need all the help I can get here. I need you to find someone for me. His name is Tim Drake. He's Batman's third Robin. Depending on where you find him, he sometimes calls himself Alvin Draper, as an alias if you find him in somewhere…seedy. He infiltrates criminal covers to scope out the area for us."

"How are we going to know when we find this Tim Drake?" Cyborg asked.

"Oh, you'll know. You'll know. Just tell him he has a 'family meeting' he has to go to. He'll understand."

"But I thought you said at that press conference that he had retired."

"Yes, that may be true, but that doesn't mean he's not trying to help us."

"Okay, where do we start looking?"

"Brentwood Academy, that's where he goes to school, you should be able to find him there, he's well known by the students. Here's a picture of him." Dick handed them a photograph of Tim Drake without the Robin uniform.

"So how do we introduce ourselves?"

"Just say you're a friend of mine. He's knows about the Titans so he'll understand what's going on. He's brilliant for a thirteen-year-old."

"Okay, we'll find him for you," Cyborg said.

Victor kept himself busy for a few hours waxing his car and buffing the dents from the car chase with Scarecrow and Joker out of the metal. Kory went into another room to change her bandages while the rest of the Titans changed into civilian clothing and got into the T Car. Victor pushed a button and transformed his car into its disguised form. The Titans headed upstairs while Victor pulled the car out of the Batcave and pulled up to the front of the house so he appeared to be picking them up.

Dick Grayson watched them go quietly. Sighing, he lay back on the bed and tried to rest. A few minutes later Alfred came downstairs and looked at him.

"Excuse me Master Dick, but Detective Yin is here to see you, she wants to know how you're doing since you were injured. Since she knows about your secret identity should I let her come down to the Batcave?"

"How does she know I was injured?" Dick asked.

"I told her, Sir. I thought you trusted her with your secret."

"I trust her with the secret of my identity but I don't know if letting her come down here is a good idea Alfred…"

"You aren't in any condition to walk upstairs right now, Sir. I suggest that you let her come down here. It would be easier on you."

"Okay Alfred, you win. Let Detective Yin come downstairs." A few minutes later, Alfred returned with Detective Yin.

"I heard about the attack on the Thomas Wayne Memorial Clinic. Are you hurt? They said there were gunshots but nobody saw anything."

"I'm hurt Detective, but everyone in the hospital is safe from Joker and Scarecrow. The Titans stopped them on the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge."

"That's what I came to talk to you about. We received an anonymous tip; I think it was Alfred, that Joker and Scarecrow crashed their getaway car on the Robert Kane Memorial Bridge. When the police arrived at the scene, they were nowhere to be found."

"What?" Dick demanded.

"There was no sign of them there. Either they fell of the bridge or they escaped on foot. Why didn't the Titans stay with them until we got there?"

"I wasn't conscious when Joker and Scarecrow crashed on the bridge. They were trying to bring me back here when that happened and that's why they couldn't stay with them."

"Jim Gordon's having some of our guys drag the river. Do you think they're gone for good?"

"I highly doubt that. Madness can make men survive the impossible."

"I see. So you think they're still out there."

"Yes."

"What happened to you?"

"Joker shot me in the stomach. I'm lucky to be alive. Scarecrow sprayed me with his Fear toxin."

"I'd better let you go then, thank you for the information Detective," Dick replied gratefully."

"You're welcome, Mr. Grayson. I'd better be heading back to the Station. My colleagues are probably wondering where I am. I'll let you know if I see anything," Detective Ellen Yin said quietly

He silently watched her leave the Batcave. Things had become more complicated. He hoped the Titans could find Tim Drake in time. Batman needed a Robin now more than ever.

Climbing into the car, they headed west toward Brentwood Academy. It was about three-o'-clock and school was letting out in 15 minutes. He stared down at the photograph of Tim Drake, watching for anyone who met his description walking out the door.

"Do you see him?" Raven asked.

"Not yet." Victor waited a few more minutes. The clock on the dashboard read 3:15. He heard the bell ring and looked at the students came pouring out the door.

"I think I see him. He's in the white shirt and khaki pants. He's the kid with the backpack," Gar said. Kory, Raven and Victor turned their attention to where Gar had pointed. A young man walked out the door in a white shirt and khaki pants was heading towards the parking lot.

"How do we get his attention?" Kory asked.

"I'm going to ask him if he's Tim Drake," Victor said. He rolled down the window as the boy passed by the car.

"Hey, are you Tim Drake?" He whirled around and stared at him.

"Maybe," he said warily. "Why do you want to know?"

"We're friends of Dick Grayson. You know him right?"

"Yes I do. So what do you guys want?"

"Dick wanted us to tell you he needs to see you."

"Really? What for?"

"Well, let's just say there's a family meeting and he needs you to be there."

"Okay, I'll ride back with you," Tim replied. Victor knew by the answer he had given him that he was Tim Drake. He climbed in the front passenger seat. The other Titans were seated in the back.

"Don't even tell me who you are," Tim looked at them. "You're the Teen Titans, and Dick sent you to come and pick me up because Joker and Scarecrow shot him." Kory gaped at him.

"How did you know that?" she asked.

"I saw you four on TV when you guys stopped the Riddler. The security cameras at the city's computer mainframe taped your fight with Riddler. I heard about the attack on the Thomas Wayne Memorial Hospital. I heard on the news that there had been gunshots when Joker and Scarecrow attacked one of the patients, that would be her," he pointed at Kory.

"What made me put two and two together about the Joker shooting Dick Grayson was that he hasn't shown up at Wayne Enterprises all day."

"Doesn't he usually go in late?" Gar asked.

"Not at 3:30 in the afternoon. Usually he comes in about 2:00 if he's in town. I knew he came back because of the press conference. And I know he's Batman because Bruce Wayne still in the hospital."

"But how do you know that the Man of Jokes attacked me in the hospital?"

"Well, the fact that I can see some of the gauss from the bandages on your stomach through your shirt, I kind of figured it out because the gauss in those bandages that you're using is the kind that the Thomas Wayne Memorial Hospital orders. And I did some research on the hospital records and it listed you as Kory Anders. I recognized your face from the news although you're out of uniform.

"You're Victor," he pointed at him, "And Gar and Raven and Kory. So why did he want you guys to pick me up?"

"How do you know our names?"

"I did plenty of research."

"He wanted us to pick you up because Batman needs a Robin," Victor said. Tim Drake's face seemed impassive for a moment. Then, he broke out into a wide smile.

"You guys don't know how long I've been waiting to hear that."