Authors Note: Yeah, this chapter is sort of fast. I don't know. I had one thing planned – and this was written. It's not what I had wanted, but it's what I got. And as much as I should re-write, I really can't. Not for like, another five months – when the idea becomes good and appealing again. So, yeah, I had been dreading this chapter – and ended up writing it one night. And I was sort of out of it when I wrote it, so that makes it a little more fun.

"Stirred up by the breeze, strong but not at peace, free but unreleased. Caught up inside, all I wanna' be. Try to survive, all alone."

Comfort Carbon Leaf

Oh Silent Prayer of My Thoughts

By: The BatThing

Chapter Nineteen:

Tim felt his jaw drop. "Justin?"

"Yes. Justin Extine." Gordon shook his head. "I suppose we were idiots for not realizing, he was right under our noses, too damn good I suppose. That, or we were too damn dumb."

The boy nodded, not really listening – but at the same time agreeing with whatever was being said. "Too damn dumb."

"I think it's just best if we wait for Montoya and Bullock to bring him in. I know they can manage, they have some of the best cops with them – not to mention a sort of lead. We know everything about him, considering he worked for us. Information that can't be wrong … well, shouldn't be wrong. People would have gone over it."

"You can never be sure, especially since he was able to trick us like he did." The boy paused, looking up at the commissioner. "I'm sorry, I gotta' go after him. Tell Annika I'm going to get him, tell her I'm going to get him for her family – and tell her I'll bring him down. Tell her to get well soon."

"Robin!"

Tim ignored the man and ran down the hospital hallway, knowing what needed to be done – knowing that if he didn't bring down this man, if there was the possibility that Justin escaped, got away for good – how could Tim look Annika in the eyes again? No, he would do everything he could to get Justin. He had to.

Robin ran, in full costume, and felt a sort of power. The knowledge that he was out on the trail for a man who had caused a large portion of pain and misery – the knowledge that he would bring Justin in, make him pay. Perhaps that could be the help he needed, to get a sort of justice for once in a long while. If he could, he would at least avenge her family – seeing as he couldn't avenge his own.

He caught a cop car, riding atop of it in silence, and knowing that the cop driving was unhappy with the boy on top. No complaint was made, perhaps the driver was nervous, but he seemed to understand the situation. Robin was out for crime, and the cop was helping. If anything, he had a good story to tell his friends – Robin rode on top of his cop car. True story.

The car ride seemed to take forever, but finally they came to a stop at a collection of other cars – and the boy could see Montoya and Bullock ducked behind their cars. Robin leaped off the car and ran for them. "GUYS!"

"Robin? What are you doing here? Get down!" The woman pulled the boy down beside her. "I thought you'd be with Jim and Annika?"

"I want to be here. I want to help."

"Well, at the moment there isn't much to be done. Our main guy is in there, and he won't come out. Had a gun, has a gun and a bad temper." Montoya shook her head, looking at Bullock who looked furious.

The teenager was silent for a moment, then nodded. "I'm going in."

"Like hell yer goin' in 'der!" Bullock growled, taking a tight hold of Robin's arm and keeping the boy where they were – keeping him …

Safe.

Robin looked at Bullock, then at Montoya whose eyes had gotten rather large, and he smiled. It was great – knowing that there were so many people who had his back. Even though his family was practically gone, it didn't take long to find people who jumped up to the plate. There were people who protected him, people who cared for him, people who were there to support him. "You're right. It's dumb to go."

The detective nodded, releasing his grip.

The Boy Wonder jerked up, and stepped away from the two twice. "But I gotta' go. Don't worry, I'll be back!" And he sprinted into the building.

Robin entered the building with little trouble, and searched around. At first there weren't any signs of anyone being there – so he climbed another set of stairs, and looked around. It was there, on the second story, he found his friend. "JUSTIN!"

The young man turned with a bit of a surprised look. He stopped to face the boy walking towards him and simply smiled. "Robin, what an unexpected surprise - I wasn't planning on seeing you for a while yet."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Robin gave Justin a dirty look and stopped a few feet away. "What happened to us being friends? I shouldn't even ask – but I'm hoping there is some part of you that is human. Some part of you that feels bad about this."

"I am totally human, but no – I don't feel sorry about what I have done."

"Then I don't call you human."

"Well, that can be debated." Justin glanced around. "I guess it's time for you and me – showdown?"

The Boy Wonder shook his head, leaning forward a little – ready to fight. "No, it's time for me to take you down. You killed that girl's family, you killed others, and you tried to kill Commissioner Gordon. You're career as an arsonist ended with tonight's fire. This I promise you."

"Arsonist, that's the only thing you have on me? Murder is more like it." Justin clenched his fists, taking a defensive stance. "You all are idiots – overlooking one of my greater works of art. How long have you been looking for the people who bombed Gotham? Hmm? 'Cause let me tell you, no one suspected me, did they? Not even you."

"You bombed the city?" The boy was a little thrown back by the statement. His confusion brought an opening for the cop before him, and the man took it – coming at Robin with great vigor.

Robin moved quickly, avoiding a potential kick to the head. He glared at his friend, fists clenched as he circled slowly, keeping his distance. Justin kept smiling, as if it were all part of the plan – and Robin were playing into the perfect trap. The young man moved fast, launching himself towards the teenager and managing to knock the boy down with one swift blow.

"I don't know how you didn't read the clues." Justin said as he moved away, not inflicting anymore damage to the boy on the floor. As if he didn't want the fight to end too soon. "I left so many for you."

Robin got to his feet, a little confused by not being hit while he was down. Leave it to a psycho to do this sort of thing. So, Justin wanted to talk? "I'm sure you did Justin."

A smooth smile, the ex-cop stepped backwards as the Boy Wonder attempted to jump at him, his fist sailing past poorly. "I was thinking how I would tell you. I've been thinking about it for a long time now."

"Tell me what?" Robin growled, ducking as Justin threw a series of kicks and punches, none of which touched the boy – but a few were too close for comfort. Once out of harms way, the teenage hero caught his breath. "Telling me that you were really this?"

"I've always been this, even when I was your friend. No, I'm referring to the death of your closest friends."

"You never killed them – remember, you tried but always failed. Sure, you managed to cut Annika a bit, but I'll make sure to return the favor."

"Oh no, no, no." Justin laughed a little, looking around as if Robin weren't that important. "I mean your closest friends, the ones that are dead. Barbara and Dick, Alfred? Don't tell me you forgot about them already – I knew you were use to people leaving, but this is just insane."

Robin felt his body freeze up, his jaw drop slightly and his eyes go large. His mind rushed, flinging through memories. Jim had said that Barbara had been brought to him by a man – and told that she had been in a car accident. Could it be that Justin had been the one who … "You're a liar."

Justin made a confused face. "I did kill them. The old man was easy enough, all I had to do was beat him down, tie him up, and make the bombing look like the building and its contents crushed him to death. I must say, my work looks rather believable."

"Shut up."

"And the girl – I've studied the results of car wrecks, I can make it look like you died in one with great ease. The seat belt burns across her hips - those were especially fun to create. And to think, she was alive for it all. Tortured to death – one of the more fun ones of those I killed."

The Boy Wonder ran at Justin, not sure what to believe, but finding it hard to find doubt in what was being said. He managed to get in one punch before Justin pinned him to the floor.

The man smiled, licking his bleeding lip. "Don't get so mad, I didn't do it 'cause I wanted to."

"WHAT THE HELL ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT!"

"I'm insane. Your older brother found me out, you know – after Barbara. He tried to get me, make me pay. Him and the Batman, Bruce."

"What?" Robin's voice was quiet. "Bruce?"

"Yeah. It took a lot of work, I couldn't physically beat the Batman, don't be foolish. It was hard enough getting Batgirl to die. It took careful planning – plus I had a special treat planned for the Bat. I wanted to get the two together. It's always much more fun having to watch someone you love die, you know?"

Robin struggled with all he had and managed to knee the man in the gut, free an arm and hit Justin hard enough so that the young man fell over. Getting to his knees, Tim didn't wait. He beat down a rain of blows on the unexpected criminal. He got in a few good, damaging hits before he was back down, on his stomach, pinned by the angered cop.

"You'll hear this story!"

"I'll kill you." Robin screamed.

"You'll hear. I tied Bruce up, good and tight, and then killed your Dick friend. I killed him right in front of the Batman – and let me tell you, it was a good show. I've heard tales of the Bat actually breaking through the tightest barriers when his partners were in trouble. I was prepared. And things went so smooth. Your friends though, they don't cry do they? But you do. I like that, you aren't like them."

Robin jerked and bucked, trying to get the man on top of him off. "I'm the fuckin' same!"

Justin held tight, holding the boy's wrist so hard it snapped. "Oh dear."

The teenage masked hero let out a sharp gasp, eyes going shut and teeth grinding. He made a soft sound of pain, but nothing more, refusing to let the hurt caused to show.

"I didn't mean to hurt you already. I was going to save you till I got the Batman back. I think that when I show him that you're Robin – I think he'll remember what he forgot. And when I kill you in front of him, well, I think it will be the best murder in the history of Gotham. Even the Joker will praise me for it. Two Face, Scarecrow, all of them – they'll hate me and love me. I am the one who killed the Batman and his clan, not them. I did it! It'll be a story of torture, perhaps not as brutal as they could have been – but brutal not the less. Let me tell you though, I didn't expect Batman to loose his memories. That was just the highlight of it all."

Robin breathed steadily, eyes closed and wrist throbbing. He tried to think, not to panic. The man on top of him was becoming more and more of a monster, more and more impossible to beat. And with each moment that passed, Tim wanted more and more to kill him. To make him suffer.

"Cry for me and I'll reconsider. Please cry? Cry like you always do when things get to hard." Justin smiled and released his grip slightly on the boy's wounded wrist. "If you cry, I won't kill you. I promise."

Robin took the opportunity and lifted his broken wrist. He lifted it, pushing the man away, pushing Justin to the ground. He lifted his broken wrist and with it, he hit Justin – hit him hard. A beating began, and Robin didn't stop for a good time, and when Justin fought back, the boy only felt stronger – more of an urge to beat the cop. He grabbed whatever he could use to hit the man. Rocks, broken cement – anything. And when Justin was on the ground, unmoving, Robin didn't stop. It wasn't until someone called out his name that he let the beating end.

"ROBIN!" It was Bullock.

The boy suddenly felt the world rushing back to him and he stared at the lifeless form – the man he had killed. A piece of jagged cement was in his hand, bloody.

"Oh shit, Robin." Bucllock pulled the boy away from the still form and didn't say much more. "Ya' killed him."

"Yes."

"Why?"

Why? "He killed them. He killed Barbara and them – that's why. He killed them and was going to kill others, and I wasn't going to let him fuckin' live. I'd kill him again if I had the -."

Blam.

Robin fell silent at the sound of the gun going off. He looked over at Bullock who had the firearm out, having shot Justin. "Bullock?"

"He killed Barbara." Harvey replied softly, dropping the gun. "I'll tell everyone 'dat it was defense, I won't let 'da city blame ya'."

"I don't care if they blame me, I would do it again. I would -."

"I know. I want 'da blame though. If I didn't have 'da pleasure of killing 'da man who killed Commish's daughter 'den … 'den …"

Sirens were wailing in the background, and Robin wondered how long they had been sounding off now. And he didn't care. Montoya was running their way, her eyes wide as she came to a stop beside them. "What happened!"

"Self-defense is what happened." Bullock shrugged his shoulders and turned to Robin. "Ya' better get outta' here before everyone else does – understand?"

"Y-yeah."

To be continued …