Tang Ri Shan
Red Wings
(This is a sequel to Beware the Batman: Conundrum. I suggest reading that story if you have not done so already)
Chapter 14
"Where is he?" Oracle asked, adjusting her mask and glancing at her watch. "He should have been here by now!"
"Don't worry" Red Robin soothed as he stretched his arms. "He'll be here. He's just not always punctual"
"I'm only worried about Dinah" Oracle snapped. "I couldn't care less about this 'Dragon', especially since you've been so mysterious as to who he actually is"
"He's the best of the best. That's all that's worth knowing." Robin said. "Just trust me, Barbara"
"That's Oracle, to you!" Oracle whirled around, her finger pressing into Robin's nose. "As long as I'm wearing this..." She pointed to her mask. "You will call me that, and nothing else! And as for trusting you, I don't. Not yet."
"A wise policy, my dear" A voice suddenly spoke from behind her. Oracle whipped around, and gasped.
Perched on the edge of the rooftop was a figure dressed in black ninja garb, only his dark eyes and the skin around them was visible.
Oracle instantly assumed a fighting pose, but froze when Robin cried out. "There you are Big Guy! Where have you been?"
"My apologies for the delay. I don't know Gotham as well as you two do." The figure said as it leapt off the wall and walked towards them. "It took me a while to find the right building" The ninja's eyes ran over the both of them, and paused on Oracle. "Is this a friend of yours, Little Guy?"
"Big Guy? Little Guy?" Oracle glanced at Red Robin and saw him scowl.
"Pet names" He said, then turned back to the ninja. "Dragon, this is Oracle. She's a hacker and works alongside Batman in keeping Gotham safe."
"I see" The ninja said and Oracle thought she detected a tone of respect in his voice.
"And you are?" Oracle asked.
"Do you not know?" The ninja asked, his eyes twinkling. He ninja pulled down his hood and Barbara was surprised to see a receding line of fiery red hair.
"No, I don't" Oracle admitted, placing her hands on her hips.
The ninja reached for the covering on his face, then nodded at Red Robin, who chuckled. "Oracle, allow me to present, Richard Dragon" The ninja pulled off his facial covering, revealing a granite-like face and a rock-solid jaw covered in a mustache and beard the same color as the man's hair.
Oracle felt her jaw drop open. "No way" She gasped. "The Richard Dragon? The famous martial artist?"
Dragon smiled and bowed to her. "At your service, Miss Oracle"
"Cool" Oracle beamed, her eyes widening beneath her mask.
"Do you really think Oswald Cobblepot is the same 'Penguin' that hired Deathstone?" Alfred's voice would have betrayed his skepticism had his face not shown it on the screen.
"It's too coincidental" Batman said as he drove down the road leading back into Gotham. "All three of the kidnappings occurred at roughly the same time as Deathstone's murder attempts. I think they were decoys."
"But those were real murders he tried to commit" Katana reminded them. "He actually succeeded in one of them"
"Can you think of a better way, to get the attention of a crime-fighter?" Katana jumped as a voice whispered softly right behind her.
"Would you please stop doing that?" She growled, spinning around to face the Question's featureless face.
"Why? That would be like asking you not to carry a sword around, swordswoman" The Question replied, before gazing around the cave. "Nice pad, by the way"
"Question, focus" Batman glared from the main computer screen.
"Ah yes, sorry" The theorist rubbed his chin.
"It would also explain why we couldn't find a connection between Deathstone's victims." Alfred added, rolling his eyes. "There was no real connection."
"Agreed" Batman's eyes narrowed as he spoke. "Deathstone's targets were probably chosen at random. Creating just enough chaos to keep us occupied while Penguin made his real move"
"Makes sense" The Question rubbed his chin. "Lure the parent off the nest, then swipe the eggs before they return. A two-pronged strategy, kind of like how Two-Face operated, remember?"
"Only too well" Batman replied and the Question shrugged his shoulders.
"But that doesn't explain why Penguin would want to kidnap teenagers in the first place." Alfred said.
"I have a theory as to why" The Question said.
Alfred raised an eyebrow. "Care to fill us in?"
"Well, it's rather obvious, isn't it?" The Question leaned against one of the railings. "Why kidnap a magician?"
Alfred, Katana, and even Batman, were silent.
The Question groaned. "For their abilities, duh! I've heard of Zatanna and she's very good at what she does, maybe a little too good"
"Okay, so that explains Zatanna" Katana said, pulling up pictures of the three victims. "But what about the other two? They don't have any extraordinary abilities"
The Question turned to look at her. "Are you sure?" He asked, tilting his head.
Katana frowned. "Of course I'm sure!" Then she turned to Alfred. "Aren't I?"
Alfred turned to look at Batman. "You think it could be possible?" He asked.
"Unknown" Batman said. "But the Question raises a good point. Zatara mentioned that his daughter's skills as a magician may surpass even his, and he's supposedly the best in the world. He seems to believe his daughter channels real magic into her performances"
"Real Magic?" Katana raised an eyebrow. "Meaning more than just card tricks and mirrors?"
"According to her father, yes." Batman said as he made a sharp turn. "And in the wrong hands, that power, no matter how small, can be dangerous"
"But what about the other teens?" Katana scratched her head. "What's so special about them?"
"A good question." Batman swerved off the main road. "Alfred, contact Oracle, see if she can dig up anything on Hank Hall and Dawn Granger"
Alfred and Katana exchanged a look. "That...may be a problem"
"What do you mean?"
"Bar-I mean Oracle's gone off the grid" Alfred explained. "We haven't had contact with her for a few hours now."
"Then try again"
"I've tried contacting her several times. "Alfred said. "No answer"
Batman frowned. "Keep trying Alfred. We need to know where she is. Katana, hit the streets and see if you can find Zucco's circus goons, if we find them, maybe we can find where the missing teens are. Question, I'm told you're good at research, see if you can find anything on the other kidnapped teens."
All three people nodded as Batman cut the feed. "Computer, scan for the signal from Barbara's phone. Pinpoint it's exact location"
"I have already tried that Batman, but I am unable to locate her. It would appear the signal from Barbara's phone has somehow been cloaked" The computer responded.
"Cloaked?" Batman repeated, then sighed. "Barbara, what are you up to?"
"What exactly are you up to, Oracle?" Richard Dragon asked as the three of them stood on the edge of a rooftop. Oracle was typing something into her phone.
"Yeah, we've been hanging here for over an hour" Robin glanced up from his agitated pacing behind them.
"Patience Robin." Oracle said, trying to hide her smile. "Good things come to those who wait"
"And what exactly is this thing we are waiting for?" Dragon asked.
"Not what" Oracle tapped her phone, and then help up the screen for the others to see. "Who" On the screen was a picture of a thin man with long red hair pulled back in a ponytail.
Dragon raised an eyebrow. Robin peered closer at the image. "Is he one of Zucco's goons?" His face suddenly lit up. "Are we gonna take him out? Oh, I could totally kick his butt alone!"
"No Robin!" Oracle said, taking back her phone and rising to her feet. "We aren't taking him out. We're just going to talk to him, or rather, I'm just going to talk to him. You both are just going to stand there and look tough."
"Who exactly is this man?" Dragon asked.
"He's called the Fox, and he's one of the most well connected informants around. Anyone pulls a job anywhere in Gotham, he usually knows something about it" Oracle answered
"And you think he can lead us to Zucco?" Robin asked, still frowning about being scolded.
"That's my hope, yes" Oracle tapped her phone again. "The Fox stepped into that club an hour ago" She pointed to a lit sign across the street. "I've hacked into the club's security cameras, so I can see where he is. All we have to do is wait for him to come back out."
"But, if we know where he is, why can't we just go in there and talk to him now?" Robin asked.
Oracle tutted and looked at the boy. "Because Robin, the security cameras also show exactly 75 gangsters in that club as well, gangsters who I imagine will be pretty ticked off if the three of us just barge in."
"So?" Robin's expression didn't change.
"So, I believe the only one of us who could take on 75 angry men at the same time is Dragon here" Oracle motioned to the man in black.
"And I would not be foolish enough to make such a move" Dragon nodded.
"And in the confusion, the Fox would slip away. He's pretty good at that" Oracle glanced back down at her phone. "Okay, he's leaving now. Here's the plan"
A few minutes later, a thin man with long red hair slipped out to the club's back entrance. He glanced around and started walking down the alley, only to stop as Red Robin landed in front of him.
"Not so fast buddy" He said, holding a bird-shaped batarang in each hand.
The man's eyes widened and he turned to run the other way, only to see Dragon standing right behind him. Before the man could react, Dragon grabbed him and painfully twisted the mans arms behind his back.
"Vhat is ze meaning of zis?" The man demanded in a thick accent.
"It's called an ambush, sucker." Robin growled, raising a fist. "Now let's talk!"
"Talk?" The man blinked. "Talk about vhat? I have nothing zat vould interest you!"
"Yeah right!" Robin grabbed the man's collar and raised a fist.
"Robin!" Robin froze as Oracle stepped out of the shadows. "What did I just tell you? We're here to talk to him, not take him down!"
The man suddenly seemed to relax a little. "Ah, La Oracle" He said, smiling.
Oracle smiled back. "Bonjour, Monsieur Renard. I must apologize for my colleagues actions. They are both excellent fighters but lack the patience that we both have "
The man smiled. "So it vould seem. I take it zeese muscle-heads vork for you, zen?"
Oracle shook her head. "No, they work for...upper management"
The man's eyes widened. "Oh, so zey are his people"
"Yeah, that's right" Robin interrupted. "So don't try anything!"
The man burst out laughing. "Young man" He said when he was finished. "How long do you think he vould allow me to stay free if I showed my fangs to his people?" Turning to Oracle he said. "Now, how may I assist you?"
Oracle snorted and held up her phone, showing the picture of Zucco. "Tony Zucco, where is he?"
The fox's eyes seemed to dilate as he glanced at the picture, but almost instantly they were back to normal.
"I do not know" He said simply.
"Really?" Oracle asked. "You don't know?"
"I do not know" The Fox shoos his head.
"You don't have any idea where he is?"
"I do not"
"You have no idea how we can find him?" Oracle asked.
The Fox frowned. "I already told you, I do not know"
Oracle smiled. "You're lying" She snapped her fingers and Dragon began to painfully twist the fox's arm. In response to Robin;s puzzled glance, Oracle explained. "His eyes dilated when he saw the picture. He knows something alright"
The fox yelped and struggled to pull away. "Vhat is zis? Ow! OW! Stop zis at vonce!"
"You know how to make him stop, Fox" Oracle crossed her arms as Dragon continued to twist.
Robin grinned. "I'd speak up if I were you. This guy's broken more men than you can count"
"Alright! Alright!" The Fox growled, and Dragon stopped, but did not release him. "Not zat I know anything, mind you!" He added.
"Of course not" Oracle nodded and Dragon released the Fox
"But, I have heard rumors" The Fox continued. "Zey say Monsieur Zucco is...how you say...laying down?"
Robin and Dragon looked at each other. But Oracle's smile widened. "I think you mean, laying low"
The Fox smiled. "Oui, laying low. Even my senses, sharp as zey are, have been unable to sniff out his lair."
Robin groaned, but Oracle's face didn't change. "Is there anything you can tell us about Zucco?" She fluttered her fingers against her skirt and Dragon cracked his knuckled threateningly.
"Oui, oui, yes" The Fox said, anxiously glancing from Dragon back to Oracle. "Zey say he has a new partner, a mysterious person. He calls himself Le Penguin"
"The Penguin?" Oracle's smile was replaced by a thoughtful frown. "That's the person that hired Deathstone."
"Oui, zere are many rumors about Le Penguin" The Fox nodded. "Though he is new in town, he has very big plans"
"Such as?" Oracle leaned forward.
"Hold on. I think we're getting off topic, here" Robin interrupted. "We're finding out about Zucco, remember?"
Oracle frowned at Robin, but she knew he was right. She tapped her phone, bringing up pictures of the Strongman and the others. "If you don't know where Zucco is, tell us how to find these people" She showed the Fox the pictures.
"Ah, yes, Zucco's circus brothers." The fox looked thoughtful for a moment. "Last I heard, zey were...how you say...rumbling down, parts of Old Gotham. You vill find zem zere."
"You mean shaking down" Oracle corrected.
"Oui, shaking down" The Fox nodded. "Vas zere, anything else?" He glanced from one face to another.
Dragon and Robin looked at Oracle.
Oracle narrowed her eyes at Fox. Something wasn't right. Fox normally wasn't this cooperative. Still, his information was usually correct. "No, that's it. For now" She said. "But we'll be back if that changes"
The Fox's eyes widened. "Madame, you insult me! I have no reason to lie to you!"
"None that we know of" Oracle countered. Then she glanced towards the alley behind the man. "What's that?" She said.
The Fox whipped around to see that Dragon had disappeared. While he was distracted, Oracle and Robin darted into the shadows before he turned around.
"Sacre-bleu! Not again!" The Fox exclaimed when he discovered that he was now alone in the alley. "How does she do that?" Growling, he stalked away down the alley.
On the rooftop above, Oracle, Dragon, and Robin watched him leave.
"Well, that went well" Robin said, smiling.
"Yeah, too well" Oracle frowned.
"What do you mean?" Dragon asked.
"The Fox isn't usually that cooperative. Even with the squeezing you put on him, he wouldn't spill that kind of info so easily" Oracle mused.
"You think he's setting us up for something?" Robin's eyes widened under his mask.
"Possibly" Orcale nodded. He turned to Robin. "You think you can follow the Fox without making a fool of yourself?"
Robin scowled as he realized Oracle was teasing him. "What do you think I am, stupid?"
"You tell me" Oracle smiled.
Robin's frown deepened and he opened his mouth to argue.
"Actually, I think it would be better if I followed the Fox" Dragon interrupted.
"You?" Oracle looked surprised.
Dragon nodded. "If his information proves to be inaccurate, I know a few methods that will make him see the error of his ways"
Robin smiled, but Oracle looked disappointed.
"But how am I supposed to get to Old Gotham?" She asked.
"I can take you" Robin said. "By flying, I can get there much faster than he could anyway"
Oracle gave Robin a disbelieving look. "Flying? With you?" Oracle felt like she would be safer fighting Killer Croc.
Robin sighed. "Look, I won't hurt you, I promise. But if we're going to work together, you're going to have to trust me"
Oracle groaned, but she could see that there was no other choice. "Fine, but if you drop me, you're dead meat." She growled.
Robin's smile widened into a smirk. "Only a fool would drop a lady like you" He said, winking at her.
Oracle felt her cheeks turn red. Is he flirting with me? She wondered as she hopped onto the edge of the roof after him. To her surprise, a part of her enjoyed the comment.
"It is settled then. I will see you both later" Dragon nodded and turned to leave. The paused and glanced back at her. "I don't think I need to remind you to be careful with her, Little Guy"
"I will, Big Guy" Robin nodded.
Dragon nodded back, then ran to the other side of the roof and disappeared over the edge.
"Ready?" Robin asked, coming to stand beside Oracle.
"As I'll ever beeeee!" Oracle shrieked as Robin pushed her off the edge of the building before leaping off himself. Spreading the 'wings' of his costume, Robin reached out with his arms and caught Oracle as she plummeted towards the ground.
"Gotcha!" Robin angled his body and pressed the hidden button that made small jets in his boots ignite, shooting him up and away from the building. He adjusted his grip on Oracle, and carried her bridal style through the night air.
Oracle's breathing was ragged and her eyes were wide beneath her mask. For a few seconds she just stared at Robin, then glared at him and smacked him hard in the face.
"Ow! What was that for?" Robin exclaimed.
"You-you pushed me off a building!" Oracle gasped, her voice half shock and half anger. "Who does that?"
"You can't fly if you never jump" Robin laughed at Oracle's thunderstruck look.
"That doesn't even make sense!" Oracle shrilled.
"If you want to go down, just say so" Robin smiled at her.
Oracle glanced down at the streets far below her and unconsciously threw her arms around Robin's heck. Finding herself practically nose to nose with Robin, she scowled at him, but was unable to stop the blush that appeared on her cheeks. "You're enjoying this, aren't you?" She growled through clenched teeth.
"What would give you that impression?" He chuckled as the two of them coasted between the buildings. "Don't worry, I've done this many times before"
"You have?" Oracle tilted her head.
"Oh yes, but none of my previous passengers were as 'delightful' as you are." Robin smiled at her.
Oracle felt herself blush again, despite her anger. "You're quite the charmer, aren't you?" She said teasingly.
"Now that I have you as a captive audience, I do" Robin's smile widened.
Oracle was about to reply when she heard the phone in her purse buzz. "Hold that thought, Romeo" She rolled her eyes under her mask as she pulled her phone out. She stared at the screen. "Silent Alarm has just been triggered at a bakery at the corner of Hunter and Blake."
"You get police alarms on your cell phone?" Robin looked impressed.
Oracle smirked. "One of the perks of being the commissioner's kid. Just don't tell my dad" Oracle glanced down at the screen again and her smile melted into a thoughtful frown. "Wait, that's in Old Gotham"
"The Fox did say that Zucco's brothers were in Old Gotham." Robin said. "You think this could be them?"
"Possibly" Oracle tapped her phone, pulling up a map of Gotham. "That way" She pointed to the right. "Quickly!"
"As you wish" Robin said. "Hold on!" He pressed the hidden button again and his jet boots roared, shooting them through the night. As Oracle tightly clutched Robin, she couldn't stop herself from smiling. She hated to admit it, but this was pretty cool.
"If those two get any closer, I won't be able to tell them apart" Katana joked as she peered through binoculars at Robin and Oracle, disappearing into the distance. Chuckling to herself, Katana replaced her binoculars and leapt off the rooftop. Pulling a grapnel from her belt,she fired it to the roof of the next building and swung down to the alley below, where her motorcycle was waiting.
As Katana hopped onto her motorbike, her earpiece chimed. "I'm here" She said, pressing it.
"Report" Batman said simply.
Katana smiled. "You were right. She is working with him. He's taking her towards Old Gotham, and I mean that quite literally. He's actually carrying her in his arms while he's flying"
"Really?" Alfred's voice broke in. "Swept her off her feet, did he?"
"More or less" Katana giggled.
"What feats is a lovestruck heart not able to rise or sink to?" The Question broke in.
"Huh?" Katana looked as puzzled as she felt.
"He cares for her" The Question said. "It should be obvious"
"Not all of us have Apophenia, Question" Katana grinned as she considered the irony of her joke as she strapped on her helmet.
"Very funny" The Question replied. "It seems your mouth is as sharp as your namesake."
"Enough!" Batman cut through the banter. "Question, did you find out anything?"
"As a matter of fact, yes, I did." The Question replied, somewhat boastful. "I didn't find anything more about the Strongman, but I ran a search of the other two associates using the perimeters matching all three of the Strongman's crimes and I found a match for each one."
In the Batcave, the Question and Alfred were examining the data on the computer screen. "It says here the Tamer was involved in the abduction of a young fashion designer from Zambezi named Mari Jiwe McCabi in Midway City five months ago. He snatched her right as she was leaving a fashion show." Alfred winced as a few pictures of the event came up on the screen, showing the Tamer with his whip wrapped around a pretty young African woman. "Bold, isn't he"
"Indeed" The Question typed a few keys and the image on the screen changed. "And our juggling friend was connected to the abduction of a young man from a science symposium in Germany last year. The man was called Benjamin Reyes" The picture of a young man with pale skin appeared on the screen. "According to Interpol, both teens are still missing."
"Still?" Katana was surprised as she drove down the road. "After all this time?"
"Indeed, and I'll give you one guess what person's face was seen on security cameras at both locations during both events" The Question said smugly. He tapped a key.
"Cobblepot" Batman growled as the bird-like man's face appeared on the Batmobile's screen. "So he is behind this"
"He's gathering teenagers from all over." Alfred mused. "Clearly he's planning to use them for some sort of workforce"
"But what for?" Katana asked.
"And more importantly why these teenagers?" Question added. "There's no obvious trait to exploited from them, unlike Zatanna."
"When we find the teens, we'll find out why they were taken" Batman said as he accelerated. "And I think I know where to start." With that, he cut the feed.
Suddenly, Batman saw a figure standing on the road ahead of him and braked hard. The Batmobile skidded to a stop, its headlights illuminating a tall man dressed in black.
"Richard Dragon" Batman said as he stepped out of his car.
"Batman" Dragon replied, nodding respectively.
"It's good to see you again, sensei" Batman strode forward until the two men were nose to nose. He bowed in respect.
"It's good to see you as well Bruce." The man replied, bowing back. "I see you have been recruiting somewhat"
"If you're referring to the Outsiders, than yes, I have." Batman replied.
"I am pleased to see that my fears for you have not come to pass"
"What fears?" Batman raised an eyebrow.
"When you studied with me, you were always so focused on the future, to the point that you tended to shut out the present." Dragon said. "I feared that you would become a recluse, a solitary man who allowed no one to see who he really was. It is nice to see that you are resisting that urge"
Batman stared at Dragon for a moment. "Actually, there was once a time I did do that. But I'm beginning to see that was a bad call."
Dragon nodded. "It is a sign of wisdom to recognize ones flaws early on. You were one of the finest students I had ever taught" He placed a hand on Batman's shoulder. "But you need to realize that a good student, and warrior, is one who never stops learning, even when he believes he has learned all he needs to know"
"I'm learning that already" Batman's lips curled up into a faint smile. "Any word on Oracle's progress?"
Dragon sighed. "It's clear that she and Grayson fancy each other, but, while he is clearly displaying his true feelings, for some reason she seems afraid to admit hers. It's like she has part of her admiration for him."
"That's not surprising." Batman nodded. "Considering what happened between them earlier"
Dragon nodded. "I suspect they'll come around, given time"
"And she still has no idea as to the real reason I paired her with Robin?" Batman asked.
Dragon shook his head. "As far as I can tell, no"
"Good" Batman turned back towards his car. "Let's try to keep it that way until the mission is over." He paused and turned back to Richard. "Where are they now?"
"Heading towards Old Gotham" Dragon replied.
"I'm heading in that direction as well." Batman tilted his head towards his car. "Can I offer you a lift?"
And Cut!
Whew! This took a few revisions. But It was worth it! As always, thanks to Superfan 44 for providing both direction and inspiration.
For those of you who don't know what Apophenia is, it is the tendency to make connections based on little or no available data. Usually these connections are not widely believed. The Question from the JLU anime was well known for this style of thinking. He was teased about it by the Huntress in one episode.
Speaking of which, who thinks that there may be chemistry between Question and Katana. They would make an interesting pair, would they not? And speaking of chemistry, it looks like Barbara and Richard are falling for each other again! And what is the real reason why Batman made Oracle stick with Robin? Could he actually approve of this relationship? (Shudders at the thought)
All this and more may be answered next chapter, so don't go anywhere!
Until next time!