Tuesday, July 3rd, 2012
Wayne Manor
Dick Grayson
"Ready or not, here I come!"
I pull my hands away from my eyes, scanning around the clearing. I hear giggles coming from within the trees and I sneak forward slowly. For a bunch of little kids with no classical ninja training, they're really good at hiding. Except Cassie, who actually has ninja training, but she's five so it doesn't really count. Or it wouldn't, except for the fact that she's disturbingly good at hide-and-go-seek.
Uh-oh.
Looking around, I see a tuft of black in the bushes next to an abstract stone gargoyle statue. It's got to be Tim. I walk forwards, trying to get a better glimpse of him without giving it away that I found him. Sure enough, my nine-year-old brother is crouched on his knees, peeking between layers of rhododendrons and other assorted shrubbery. I see him convulse with silent laughter. Someone must be making faces at him. I turn around, looking carefully for the telltale blonde hair. Peeking out from underneath a half-buried log is my eight-year-old sister… who is currently sticking her tongue out at me and wiggling fingers around mockingly.
Well, that was easy.
"Stephanie, I see you under the log. Tim, you're under the gargoyle," I announce, tagging them out at the same time. Tim pushes his way through the bushes, happily laughing out loud now that he's out. Stephanie wiggles her way out from underneath the log in a show of flexibility that really shouldn't be possible. Her front is covered in dirt and her fingernails are black from the mud caked underneath them.
"You're never gonna find Cassie!" she giggles.
She's right.
For the next twenty minutes, I search every crawlspace and corner while Tim and Stephanie laugh at me, but I can't find her. Jason is hanging out on a lounge chair and offering helpful suggestions like, "give up!" or "Not even close!" every few minutes. I'd throw my shoe at him but it would just make it worse, and I refuse to let him distract me from finding Cassie. It's only when she decides she's bored that she drops down onto my head from her perch in a tree.
"I win!" she giggles, grabbing at my arms as I lift her off my shoulders. It's her favorite phrase.
"I told her where to hide," Jason slurps at his lemonade, raising the glass at me smugly. He leans back, hands tucked behind his head.
"Taking credit for Cassie's greatness so you can feel better about yourself? I expected better from you," I shake my head at him in shame. Suddenly, Tim lets out a piercing shriek and sprints across the yard. Steph chases after him gleefully, the garden hose clamped in her hands spraying water in a wide arc. The dirt caked all over her clothes has been transformed into thick, goopy mud, but she doesn't care.
"Get him!" she shouts and Jason suddenly has a water gun in his hands. I shift Cassie so she's balanced against my side and turn to face Jason.
"Where did you get that?! You know Bruce hates water guns!"
As an answer, Jason sprays me in the face with water and runs off, cackling evilly. Cassie shrieks with laughter and cheers while I rub the water out of my eyes.
"Go go go!" she giggles, pointing at Steph and Tim.
"We need better weapons," I tell her, moving slowly towards the garden shed across from the gargoyle statue. Jason and Steph have teamed up, trapping a soaking wet Tim between the hose and the water gun. Tim is laughing like a maniac as he dodges streams of water from both sides.
"No!" Cassie whines.
"You can go run around with them," I tease, "But if you want to win, you gotta think bigger."
Cassie thinks very hard, then nods seriously.
"We win," she says finally.
The garden shed is rarely used, but Bruce hires people to groom and manicure the lawns before big events, so it's pretty well stocked. I grab a huge water bucket and fill it slowly from the tap sticking out the side of the wall. I raise Cassie up so she can clamber onto the roof, and hanging the bucket over my right shoulder, I climb up the shed with just a small twinge of soreness near the top. The roof is partially flat, so I set the bucket down and grin at Cassie.
"Okay, it's show time. You have to distract them and lead them over here. Then I'll dump the bucket when you tell me. What do you think?"
Cassie lets out a peal of laughter, putting her chubby hands over her mouth and twisting from side to side adorably. I let out a cackle, then lean over the side to lower her gently to the ground. Cassie runs off. I lay low on the roof, waiting carefully for Cassie's signal.
"Now!"
I dump the bucket over the side and Jason, Steph and Tim let out matching screams as gallons of ice-cold water crash onto their heads. Cassie laughs so hard she falls onto her bottom, then she just laughs harder.
"Get him!" Jason shouts, and the three of them take aim at the roof, "Tim, grab the bucket! I'll go around!"
Steph aims the hose, waving it back and forth in the air so a steady stream of water rains down on me. I cackle as I get pelted by the freezing water, then take two steps and launch myself carefully off the roof. I roll when I land just outside of Jason's reach. Then I start running, with all four of my siblings chasing after me. I sprint to the back door of the manor, where I stop short before colliding headfirst with Bruce. He's wearing a casual suit and setting down a brown shopping bag. In contrast, I'm soaking wet, barefoot, covered in mud and my hair is sticking up everywhere.
"What's the rush?" he teases, taking in my soaked hair and clothes.
"Steph found the hose," I report, grinning widely, "I'm outnumbered, but it's nothing I can't handle."
"I see," his expression becomes mischievous, "Robin, maneuver N!"
His hands lock together in front of him, forming a hold for me to step on. He throws me up and I fly through the air, using the momentum to throw a double back flip and catch the two super soakers he pulls out of the bag and tosses at me. All this happens as my siblings all charge into view, soaking Bruce in a torrent of water before they realize it's not me. I turn and sprint for the garden shed as my siblings freeze in horror. Bruce shakes himself off, glaring at the four of them as they stammer out apologies. Meanwhile, I fill both of the super soakers and strategically place another bucket of water behind the shed to reload.
I run back over in time to hear, "And I don't EVER want to catch you playing with water guns again… without me!"
He signals to me and I throw him his weapon. He catches it in a practiced motion and we launch our attack in unison. They start screaming and laughing and firing back and running around.
"Fall back!" Tim yells.
"No! Stand and fight you cowards!" Steph screams as she sprays the hose with reckless abandon. Bruce and I fight back-to-back, but our plan of attack quickly falls apart when Jason charges in, throwing water balloons in every direction without caring who gets hit. Steph decides she's being too reserved with the hose and the attack turns into a torrential downpour.
"Watch the hose! I thought you were on our team!" Jason shouts.
"You watch it!" Steph shouts back, spraying Jason in the face. That's when it really turns into a free-for-all. Jason grabs the bucket and launches its contents at Stephanie, catching Cassie in the cross-fire. Cassie shrieks and runs to Bruce, who picks her up in one arm and helps her aim a Super Soaker in revenge. Cassie decides to shoot at Tim instead and Tim runs behind me for cover. We race each other for the Super Soakers and Steph drenches us with the hose while we're refilling. Cassie and Bruce chase Jason while he pelts them with water balloons and it's too good of a target to pass up.
In a once-in-a-lifetime moment, Bruce is too busy laughing to notice the Super Soaker aimed his way and I blast him in the face.
The next thing I know, Cassie jumps ship while Jason, Tim, Steph and I gang up on Bruce. He fights back, but his Super Soaker runs out of water and Jason made a ridiculous number of water balloons so between that, Tim and me firing our Super Soakers and Steph spraying the hose, Bruce is hopelessly outmatched. By the time Alfred comes out with a pitcher of lemonade and a platter of sandwiches, we're all drenched from head to toe. After trying and failing to get Alfred to join in the water fight, he convinces us to pile around the table on the patio and take a snack break.
"Have you thought about what you'd like to do tomorrow?" Bruce asks. He looks ridiculous with sopping wet hair plastered to the sides of his head.
"Picnic!" Cassie shouts, jumping up and down and sending water droplets flying. Jason grabs another sandwich off the platter and makes a face when Cassie splashes water on the
"Is there a fireworks show tomorrow?" Tim asks.
"I want fireworks!" Steph cheers.
"I want to become a member of the Justice League," I beam. Bruce nods at Steph and Tim like he didn't even hear me.
"I'll see what I can do about fireworks. Worst comes to worst, we can go to the Annual cookout the Laraby's throw."
"Bruce, come on! Can't you be a little excited for me?"
"Who said I'm not excited?" He raises an eyebrow.
"Are you?" I shoot back. When he doesn't answer, I throw my hands in the air, "Bruce, come on! I'm joining the Justice League! Why aren't you excited for me?"
"Why can't I come fight crime?" Jason demands, interrupting Bruce when he starts to answer.
"Because it's dangerous."
"So why does Dick get to?"
"Because he has six years of self-defense training and he can keep himself safe in dangerous situations."
"Well, Dick didn't have any training when he started and I've been taking self-defense classes for two years now!"
"Jason, you know the rule. I can only handle one partner at a time. When Robin is ready to work on his own in the field, then I'll think about taking on another partner. Deal?"
"Deal."
Friday, July 6th, 2012
Harris Auto Repair
When I pull my motorcycle to a stop inside the garage, Slade is supervising work on two old cars that are hoisted up in the air. Sparks fly and machines make loud, grating crashes, but the atmosphere is relaxed and classic rock plays in the background. This is so weird. At night, it's dark and creepy and it feels like a prop, something Slade uses as a disguise. But now, in the middle of the afternoon, it's a real place, filled with people who are just living their lives. They have no idea what's really going on below them. Slade is just using them for his cover.
"You're right on time. Good work."
Slade appears behind me suddenly and I spin around, trying to pretend that he didn't catch me totally off guard. I nod as calmly as I can, hoping he didn't notice. He puts his hand on my shoulder and squeezes just enough to be uncomfortable.
"Don't think you fooled me with that. We need to work on your powers of observation."
Alright, so that was a long shot.
"Yes sir," I say sheepishly. Slade chuckles but the sound is muffled by the whirring of a radio arm saw. He inspects the cars for a final time and then pulls over one of the mechanics. She's tall with a ponytail of stringy brown hair and a greasy pair of overalls.
"Charlie, I want you to meet Sam. He's going to be helping me set up that electronic record system you were talking about."
Charlie's grin is friendly despite the crooked front teeth. She holds out an oily glove, "It's about time you finally listen to me, Harris. Nice to meet you, Sam."
That's when I realize "Sam" means me.
"—You too," I say, rushing to hold out my hand and hoping she doesn't notice the delay.
"Finish up these cars and get everyone out by six. I need to hear Sam explain this computer stuff to me and you know I can't hear for shit over the saws."
Charlie laughs, "You should get a hearing aid if it's getting that bad. It's no problem though. We should be able to finish with the Impala tomorrow."
"Good," Slade nods before leading me into the office. It's small. There's a table pushed up against one wall with a desktop computer and stacks of papers on either side. Filing cabinets cover the walls, and papers are stacked everywhere. There's a small door on the right-hand wall, just big enough to be a supply cabinet.
There's a plaque reading, "Alan Harris" on the desk. Slade's alias.
"You can see why we need the electronic records, huh?" Slade says conversationally as he moves behind the desk, "Would you mind shutting the door? It gets so loud in here."
"Uh…" I start, "Are we actually—"
"Maybe at some point."
He strides towards the plain wooden door on the back wall that looks like a closet. He slides a key into the lock and it opens smoothly, revealing a well-lit staircase leading down to his base. I rush to keep up with him as he climbs down the staircase to the metal door. Slade pauses long enough to punch in the code on the door panel before reaching for the thick silver handle. The walk down the twisting, ominous hallways that never makes any sense always makes me nervous. By the time we make it to the study, my heart is pounding furiously and my stomach is churning. Slade points to the folding chair in front of the small table against the wall. I sit without hesitation, waiting for Slade to start talking. My palms are sticky with sweat and I wipe them on my shorts.
"Up to this point, we have mainly focused on your physical abilities, especially combat. However, you've reached a point that you are ready to learn some other skills. One of the most essential things that you will need to know is how to code. I will expect you to become proficient at encrypting and decrypting sensitive information, maneuvering through firewalls, and accessing and disabling security systems. In the future, I will be teaching you more about robotics and the technology that I design and employ. I don't have time to teach you all of this myself. Because of this, I have brought in external assistance."
Slade picks up a laptop from his desk and opens it, typing for a few seconds before placing it in front of me. The screen is black expect for a light blue message at the top of the screen flashing, "Begin Session?"
"I have agreed not to disclose the identity of your new teacher, but rest assured, he is the one of the best hackers in the country, possibly in the world. He will teach you everything that you could possibly need to know."
I hesitate, not sure what the best way is to break it to him, "Uh, Slade?"
"What?" his answer is terse, like a coiled snake.
"I already know a lot about hacking. Batman has been teaching me for a while."
Slade grins, but not in a friendly way, "Then this should be easy for you."
He gestures to the screen, "Begin whenever you are ready. This session will last about an hour, and when you are done, we are finally going to work on your observational skills. Understood?"
I nod quickly, "Yes, sir."
I turn towards the laptop. A line flashes across the screen, waiting for a response. Hesitantly, I type, "Begin" and tap the enter key. The screen changes and turns black, with a small box in the upper right-hand corner that says, "Chat log."
A message appears in the chat box from someone named, "Orange_Soda."
"Hang on, gimme like 20 seconds."
I glance around the room, but Slade is gone and I'm not sure what to do. I lean back in the chair and stare at the screen. This is stupid. I already know how to hack. Bruce has been teaching me about computers since I was eight, and I've been coding on my own for years. I helped Bruce develop a new security system for the Batcave's computer network, and I've been working on a new operating system for my laptop at home.
"My bad, I'm back. Sorry about that."
I settle my fingers over the keys. I have no idea how to respond, so I type "ok."
"You don't like to talk much, do you? Hey, that's cool. I don't judge."
What's going on? I type into the chat bar and watch my question appear.
"Who are you?"
"I'm sorta trying to keep my ID out of this cause your boss is one scary dude, but all you need to know is I'm the best at what I do, bub."
I stare at the screen, running names of hackers Bruce has been keeping an eye on, but none of them fit the profile. Another message pops up.
"Aw, come on man! How can you not like Wolverine?"
"I don't read comics," I reply. Who is this guy?
"For real? Who doesn't read comics?"
Actual superheroes? I don't what to say to that so I just wait. Orange Soda seems to get the message.
"Let's just get started. Do you have any programming experience?"
"Yeah," I respond.
"You're not going to make this easy, are you? What languages are you comfortable with?"
"Python, Java, C++, SQL, html, CSS, Basic, Assembly"
"Damn, Assembly? That one's a monster."
"Yeah," One-word answers are working pretty well so far. No reason not to keep going.
"Any others?"
"Scratch."
"Very funny.
"Do you know anything about security systems?"
"I know how to find backdoors."
"That's a good place to start. You ready?"
After a pause, I shrug.
"Sure."
The screen splits in half. The bottom is still black, but the top now has an image of a file.
"Get the file open without tripping the system alerts. You have one hour."
Easy.
I try to open the file. Surprise, it asks for a password. I click the black space at the bottom of the screen and watch a line spring into existence in the command prompt window.
This might actually be fun.
"Nice work, kid. Definitely better than I was expecting."
"Thanks."
"We'll start with encryption keys next week. Hardison out."
"Don't you mean Orange Soda?"
"Nah, you seem cool. Call me Hardison. Don't tell your boss."
The screen turns black and reflects Slade standing behind me. I don't react when his hand reaches forwards to close the computer and return it to his desk.
"How did it go?"
"That guy knows a lot about computers," I answer, showing that he didn't catch me off guard. Slade pauses, watching me carefully.
"What's wrong?"
I frown.
"Nothing."
"You were enjoying yourself five minutes ago. What's wrong."
It doesn't sound like a question. It sounds like an order.
"You heard about the…" I pause, "The sidekicks being inducted into the League?"
Slade inclines his head but he doesn't say anything. The silence stretches out, filling the space with agonizing awkwardness.
Finally, I force out, "They lied to us."
"Did they now?" Slade manages to sound disinterested, but there's a weird tension in his stance that says otherwise. I shouldn't tell him this. But it's nothing he hasn't already guessed.
"They lied about everything. They told us we were joining the League! They told us that we'd been working hard and we'd earned it. Ugh! They were so full of shit—"
"Language, Richard," Slade interrupts warningly. I barely resist the urge to roll my eyes, but I correct myself anyways.
"…full of it, and I… we believed them. And now Speedy is gone and now we're stuck waiting for Batman to decide if we even get to have our own team."
"That wouldn't have had anything to do with Cadmus, would it?"
I stiffen.
"What do you know about Cadmus?"
Slade rolls his eye at me.
"Just that there were reports of a fire which was put out by Aqualad and Kid Flash, and presumably Robin. Then, several hours later, the entire building collapsed. It didn't take much to put two and two together."
"I guess. But we only went there because the League tried to leave us behind on a mission!"
"I take it the induction didn't go as well as you'd hoped?"
I snort.
"It wasn't an induction, it was a 'here's the waiting room now sit quietly and don't bother us. Oh yeah, not to mention that we've been lying to you about the actual headquarters being in space!'"
Slade's eye widens by a fraction of an inch. Oh shit. He definitely didn't know that. Shit, I was not supposed to say that.
"You can't tell anyone that!"
"I know our agreement," he reminds me calmly.
Oh yeah. He'll keep my secrets in exchange for… whatever he gets out of training me.
He's still waiting expectantly, in no hurry to move on. What the hell. It's not like I have anything to lose by telling him this. I slouch back against my chair and tug on my hair.
"That isn't the worst part either. All this time, everything I was working for, I thought I was making a difference. But he's been lying to me about… about everything! I thought the Hall was the League's real headquarters. I've been Robin for five years and he's never told me the truth! I've fought with all of them before and I've known them all since I was eight! I was the first sidekick and I deserve to be out there as much as any of them! There's nothing else I can do to prove that to them! And! Captain Marvel has only been a hero for like, eight months tops and they trust him!"
Slade snorts, shaking his head dismissively.
"From what I've seen, Captain Marvel has the powers of a god and the intelligence of a five-year-old. It seems bringing him into the League is more about keeping an eye on him than out of any so-called trust."
"That doesn't make me feel any better," I lie. Does Slade have any idea how close he is? Underneath the magic powers that transform him into an adult, Billy's the same age as Tim. There's no way he actually knows that, though.
"Personally, I believe that capability should speak for itself. If the League can't see what's really in front of them rather than what they believe to be, then they are more-so the fools."
My stomach clenches at his words. The sincerity in his voice makes the corners of my mouth rise in a hesitant smile but there's something that doesn't seem right about it. He wouldn't say anything just to make me feel better. Maybe it's the way he said, "fools," like he's so much smarter than all of them, like he'll always be ten steps ahead. Even though I might be mad at them, having Slade know all of their secrets while they don't even know he's watching just… freaks me out. I know a lot of secrets that aren't mine to give away. I can't let myself forget that.
"So, what will you do now?" he asks suddenly, startling me out of my thoughts.
"What? I told you, we're waiting for Batman to make a decision."
"Not about that. Now you know that the League has lied to you, you know that despite what they may say, they don't trust you. Regardless of what your mentor decides, that will not change the fact."
The protest on the tip of my tongue dies before I can open my mouth. He's right. They all lied to me. Every compliment any Leaguer has ever given me… they're all meaningless. I've seen the hidden looks and stifled giggles and I just ignored them, because I thought that underneath, they respected me. I thought at least Superman would be sincere, but after what happened at Cadmus, I don't really know what to think about him right now. But Aunt Diana? Wonder Woman?! If there was anyone on the planet I could trust no matter what, it would be her. I don't get it! Why didn't any of them tell me about the Watchtower? Why did Ollie have to tell Roy? Why did they lie to us at all? I don't get it!
"I don't know what I'm going to do. I can't give up being Robin, and I can't pull a Speedy and just go off on my own. He's eighteen and I haven't even started high school. And I couldn't walk away from Batman even if I was. But I just don't get it! Why didn't they tell us?"
"Because they don't trust you. You're a hyperactive thirteen-year-old who's incapable of following orders."
"No, I'm not," I growl, wincing when I hear how whiny it sounds.
"Regardless, that is how they see you."
"But that's not fair!"
"Do you really think anything is?"
"That's not the point! They lied to me and now they just expect me to ignore it! I can't!"
"So, what can you do?" Slade asks again. My hands curl into fists but it's not him that I'm mad at. I look at the ground and shrug.
"I don't know. If I make trouble, it'll just prove to them that they were right not to trust me. But if I just… ignore it, I don't know. That's easier said than done."
Slade doesn't say anything for a few seconds, then he shakes his head.
"There aren't any easy answers here. Focus instead on what you can do, here and now."
"Which is?"
"Train harder."
He gets up and leaves the office. I follow him to the end of the hallway and through the last door. The lights spring on to reveal the huge gym, complete with treadmills, weight machines, racks, and an enormous sparring mat that covers two-thirds of the floor.
"Catch."
I barely bring my hand up in time to stop the training sword from nailing me in the head. Slade shakes his head while I fumble with it.
"You'll have to do better than that."
"A little warning would have been nice!"
"You won't get a warning in live combat. You should know that by now or you have no business being out in the field."
"I know that!" I snap, getting into a defensive position with the wooden sword held out in front of me. Slade walks onto the training floor and raises his own sword, "But I don't expect people to randomly attack me at any second!"
"You should," he answers. I brace for the attack but he doesn't move, "Always be on guard. You might think there are places where you're safe, or people you can trust, but just remember, if you want to keep yourself and others safe you have to beat your opponent every single time."
My left knee gives out and the floor rushes up to slam into my back and the impact knocks the wind out of me. I never even saw Slade move. But he's leaning over me now, both of our training swords crossed over my neck with a little too much pressure.
"Someone who's trying to hurt you only has to beat you once."
My stomach clenches, but before I can think of anything to say, the swords are gone and he's helping me back to my feet. Slade hands me back my sword and as soon as I have it, I drop into a fighting stance except this time, I start moving. He's not knocking me off balance again.
"Better," Slade says.
I attack first this time, swinging at his chest. His sword blocks my strike and the rebound hurts my hands. Pressing against his sword for momentum, I spin and back-kick him in the stomach. Slade steps back and swings his sword straight down. A backwards roll carries me out of the way and I flip up onto my feet. Charging forwards, I slash out. When Slade dodges, I slam the end of my sword into the ground and launch myself into the air. I flip over Slade's head and extend my legs, kicking him between the shoulder blades. I land behind him and jab at his exposed back. Slade spins and knocks my strike away. He slashes at my head and I duck, pulling my sword across my body to block his foot before he can kick me in the face. I manage to hold on to the sword… barely. But the second his foot hits the ground his sword is swinging down and whacks me on the shoulder hard enough to make my arm go numb.
"Ow!" I jerk backwards, trying to widen the distance but Slade follows. Sword strikes followed by kicks and punches and no matter how many times I block or dodge, Slade always finds an opening.
"When fighting a superior opponent, you have to take advantage of openings when you find them. If you're only defending, you'll leave yourself vulnerable."
"You're not exactly giving me a lot to work with!" I shoot back, trying to block a strike while ducking under a kick from the other side.
Slade pulls his sword back and in the half-second before his next strike, I lunge at him, flipping my wrists over to slam the hilt of my sword into his chest. I twist the sword for a strike to his shoulder and follow with a side-kick. He stumbles back and we take a second to readjust our stances. We're both winded and sweat drips down my face. My palms are sweaty and I wipe them on my tank top.
"Much better," Slade praises, "Now let's see how you do against someone who's not holding back."
"What?"
I'm far enough away this time that I have time to see Slade rush me. I bring my sword up as he swings, but if I thought it was hard before, I can feel the hit from my wrists all the way up to my shoulders. And my arm barely stops stinging when a hand closes around it and then I'm in the air.
I twist around so I land on my feet, but Slade is already swinging. Forget finding an opening; this is a battle for survival. I block and twist and duck and dodge and Slade's sword finds weak spots no matter what I do. I block a strike at my shoulders, Slade twists his wrist and sends my blade flying while his other hand latches onto my arm and throws me to the ground. I hit the mat.
"Again."
I stagger to my feet and Slade throws me back my sword. As soon as I catch it, he charges.
Dodge. Block. He tries the same wrist lock and I pull my sword back, giving me an opening to kick his chest. He catches my foot in one hand and sends me to the ground. I hit the mat.
"Better but don't telegraph so much. Again."
I nod and climb back to my feet. Before I can even raise my sword, his blade slashes through the air where my head was. The duck turns into a roll and I push out of the roll into an aerial, slashing out as I land. Slade blocks and counters with a series of rapid strikes. I block, keeping my sword close to my chest and when Slade swings at mid-height, I see an opening. I turn my wrist the same way he did, but instead of disarming him, I abort the move halfway through and kick his knee, slashing upwards to whack the side of his head.
It worked!
Slade drops to one knee and brings a hand up to his jaw. He looks up, and there's a glint in his eye as he reaches for his sword.
"Good job. Again."
I scramble back to give myself a few seconds to breathe, but I can't stop the smile on my face. Who cares what the League thinks anyway? I just landed a hit on Slade. Take that, Captain Marvel!
AN: While this isn't a really crossover, Hardison is a professional hacker from a show called Leverage. It's a very fun and distinctive show and I highly recommend you check it out. Some of the other characters may be making a brief appearance later.
Here's an outline of the events from the time skip.
Jason gets adopted following the events of the last chapter. It's not the smoothest transition, but he's happy overall. He quickly settles into the role of annoying younger brother, which Dick finds irritating but not-so-secretly loves being a big brother. A few months later, the minor villain Cluemaster gets busted by Batman, leaving a six-year-old named Stephanie with nobody to take care of her. Bruce takes her in too.
The neighbors, Jack and Janet Drake, get into a car accident that kills Janet and leaves Jack in a permanent care facility. Their seven-year-old son Tim comes to live with the Waynes, but he goes to visit his dad frequently. Tim considers Dick, Jason and Stephanie to be his siblings even though they're not related.
Slade arranges for Dick to come train with him every three weeks. It doesn't matter what the excuse is. Maybe he pretends it's a tennis program that he's doing with one of his friends. If you've ever done sports as a kid, you'll understand that busy parents don't want to sit and watch their kids. The point is, it's infrequent enough with a believable enough excuse that not even Batman's paranoia picks up on Dick going to some workout for an hour and a half every couple of weeks. Of course, it helps that Bruce now has four children to take care of and Dick is very reliable in every other way.
Now we time skip to about 18 months later. Lady Shiva, a dangerous assassin and expert martial artist, corners Batman on patrol and practically throws a five-year-old Cassandra Cain at him. Batman, having no other course of action, takes her back to the Batcave where the four children living under his roof immediately fall in love with the toddler. So now it is six months later, and Bruce has two daughters and three sons.
Thanks for reading and be sure to let me know what you think!