Fear of Scary Things and Broken Relationships

Chapter 3.

A large ghostly bird landed on a rooftop. It folded into a dark hooded girl while a colorful boy stepped out her shadow. Raven dropped on her knees, the nearly two hours journey all across the country took quite a bit of her strength. Robin kneeled next to her. "Are you alright?"

"Yeah, I just need some rest."

"Alright, take it easy." He didn't want to rest but he knew that Raven won't be able to help him when she didn't regain her strength. "Take your time."

Robin got on his feet walked to the edge of the roof and glanced around him. The sun had just set and the evening was still young. His old friend would start with his routine in little more than an hour. Plenty of time for Raven to regain her strength after all. A shadow stood next to him, letting out a breath. "It's still early, you have about an hour to regain your strength, you're gonna need it."

"Maybe," Raven breathed, taking a view over the city under a brown-red night sky. Countless dark tall skyscrapers decorated with illuminated ornaments and gargoyles as far as the eye could see. Some towers had rounded rooftops with a spire on top of it, others had more decorated crowns. Dark Deco architecture was definitely her style. Combined with the darkened sky, it makes the city dark and a bit mysterious. No wonder this city carried the name Gotham. "I won't mind living here."

A smile appeared on Robin's face. "Yeah, we're not in Kansas."

Raven returned the smile.

Robin kneeled on top of a gargoyle, overlooking the streets way below him while Raven stood behind him on the top of a 55 story skyscraper. They were there for fifteen minutes, waiting. Raven watched the Boy Wonder for quite a while with some interest since she never saw him overlooking the streets like he did at the moment. "Seeing you like that I can only assume that we are on the right place."

"Yes."

"What if we missed him?"

"You mean he got here early? Unlikely. Late, when he run into some trouble, then yes. He never miss this spot."

Raven took another look at Robin, noticing that Robin was acting a bit different, colder and more direct than usual. It took another few minutes when Raven glanced around her. "I sense someone, someone with little emotions. Very little emotions."

Robin didn't move. "It's him."

"Okay, then why do I sense that he is surprised right now, on a positive way that is."

"That's because I didn't know that Robin is in Gotham," a dark gravel voice said from the shadows behind them. Both Robin and Raven turned around to meet a tall man wearing a body covered black cape and pointy eared cowl with soul piercing eyes stepping out the shadows. "It's good to see you Robin." He then slightly turned to the girl. "Raven."

Robin leaped of the gargoyle, stepped forward and hold out his hand which was taken by his old mentor. "It's good to see you too Batman. It's been a while."

A thin smile appeared on Batman's face. "I agree." But as soon as the smile appeared its vanished once again. "But something tells me that you are not on vacation, so what's the deal?"

Raven always thought that she was the cold one, Beast Boy called her more than once Ice Queen, but she just started to think that she was nothing compared to the Dark Knight. No wonder that Robin was a fearless and straight leader. "Scarecrow," she heard Robin scowl. "Two of our team members are infected with his feargas and we need the antidote."

"How did it happen? Jump City isn't exactly around the corner."

Now she was glad that Beast Boy and Starfire were not with them, they would be freaking out by hearing that tone in his dark voice and put them to embarrassment. Robin on the other hand wasn't impressed as he answered. "One member of the criminal gang H.I.V.E. was in Gotham, buying feargas for a high prize."

Batman intensified his trademark glare. "Scarecrow selling feargas, just as I thought."

Robin and Raven exchanged looks. "What happened?" he asked.

"I'll explain it later. Your team members need the antidote and fast."

"You have the antidote?" Raven dared to ask.

Batman took a short glance at the girl. "Yes." He moved to the edge of the roof, extended his right arm and firing a grapple gun. "Follow me." With that he jumped of the roof.

Robin fired his grapple gun before he turned to Raven with a small smile on his face. "Don't worry, you'll get use to him." He went after the Dark Knight.

"How encouraging." Raven levitated behind them.

Raven landed on the sidewalk where Batman and Robin had landed a second earlier. Batman pressed a button on his belt and an engine started in the dark alley just around the corner. In seconds the roar of the engine became much louder, a sign that the car was accelerating rapidly, heading for the street. A large, nearly black car with naval blue shades, a large grill on the front and other classic features appeared on their left, made a swift turn towards their position and stopped right at their feet. Raven really like the style of the dark car. "Nice car." She suspected that the car was worth ten times more than the T-car. A shame that Cyborg wasn't there, she would like to see his face.

The car's roof slides open to the front, reveling the interior with two seats. "Get in," Batman said as he walked around the Batmobile before he jumped in to it, taking the seat behind the wheel.

Raven immediately regretted her comment as she took a quick glance between the remaining seat and Robin, who only shrugged before jumping into the seat, leaving some room for her. Seeing no other options but sharing the seat with Robin, she rolled her eyes and followed her leader and sat down right next to him. Raven was very uncomfortable now that someone was invading her space by sitting against her, literally. Only one thing could make it worst, and that was the exact thing what Batman instructed as he closed the car's roof, making the space even tighter. "Buckle up."

Raven inwardly groaned and reached to the seatbelts behind her and handled it over to Robin who immediately fastened. The seatbelt pressed them more against each other. Batman hit the accelerator and both Robin and Raven were pressed into back of the chair.

Batman pressed a single button beneath a screen and masked face of a redheaded girl appeared on it. "Batgirl, any news?" Batman asked.

"Nothing so far. I'm starting to think that we have to look at the possible locations where Scarecrow can buy the ingredients of the feargas. Maybe we can capture him when he appear on one of these places."

"Don't bother, I've visited the locations last night. If he show up, we'll know."

"Okay, then why the call?"

"Robin is in Gotham with one of the Titans, confirming that Scarecrow is selling the feargas. I need you to get an injection gun ready with the antidote for at least seven shots. We'll be there in ten minutes."

"Alright, I'm on my way." There was a hint of surprise in Batgirl's voice.

"Batman out." Batman shut down the transmission and regain his complete focus back on the road by getting more speed in the Batmobile.

Robin raised an eyebrow behind his mask. "Seven shots?"

"Two for your teammates who needs it right now, the rest for the whole team when you get infected in the future, of which I hope it won't happen."

"That makes sense..."

Robin still wants to know why Batman had his suspicious of Scarecrow selling feargas. Batman apparently could sense it since he started to explain it. "Four days ago, there was a bank robbery, using feargas to make things easier, nothing new. Twenty minutes later on the other side of the city, there was a robbery on a jeweler. They too used feargas. Two days later, same thing happened. A bank, a bookmaker and two jewelers got robbed. All these robberies happened all across Gotham, within one and a half hours. We both know that Scarecrow can't be on two separate locations in a short time, let along four. He's too slow for that."

Robin glared down at the streets in front of him. "Sounds like things are getting out of hand. What about Joker, Two Face and the others? They can use it for their own good."

"They are locked up at Arkham, same with the Riddler, Scarface, Clayface and Mad Hatter. Only Killer Crock, Poison Ivy and Harley Quinn are at large, but it's unlikely that they are interesting in the feargas. Quinn is no doubt with Poison Ivy and she have her tricks of her own. Crock, we all know that he use brute force, and I doubt that he have the brains to use it on a proper way. Penguin is about to open a nightclub, so he can't afford to be involve into criminal activities right now. If he does, he can kiss his business goodbye before the opening. Then we have Rupert Thorne, it isn't his style but he can use it to lure us away from his real activities. Scarecrow is my top priority."

"I guess he is."

They went silent during the ride and having Raven pressed against him, Robin was getting very uncomfortable. The Batmobile was designed for two persons, not three. He knew that Raven didn't like her current situation, at all. She could give him the worst possible form of death and send him to another dimension when it was all over. Then he had to deal with his hormones, the teenager felt Raven's body heat and smelled her quite exotic scent and started to realize that the dark girl had a unique sense of beauty while having all the curves on the right places. What Robin needed was a distraction, and fast. He looked around for a few seconds before has glance went back on the Dark Knight. "I see that you have put some upgrades on the batmobile."

"You always have to keep up. I've a new one but it's in repair as we speak, forcing me to take this one."

"A new one? Why?"

"This one is getting old, it has seen lots of action. The Batwing and the Batcycle are replaced too."

"I see." A grin formed on Robin's face. "You know, I like your new suit, but I think it's better with the dark blue shades on your cape and cowl."

"That is your opinion, not mine."

It was silent for a few seconds till Robin remembered Batman saying something about the Penguin. "You said that Penguin is about to open a nightclub, why would he do that? Is he tired of getting beaten around and being locked up?"

"Probably, but I think that he want the club to cover his real activities. It's a perfect location to make deals with the rogues without getting too much attention."

"And you let him?"

"Yes. When he keep in check with the rogues, he will know things, which means, he can provide information."

A grin formed on Robin's face. "Yeah, and knowing you, he gladly will."

"He can always choose which way. Unfortunately, most of the time they choose the hard way. One way or the other, you always have to keep up the pressure. The more you know, the easier you can handle the upcoming situation. You should know it by now."

Robin let out a sigh in slightly annoyances. "I know, and Penguin keeping his club does makes sense."

Raven sat very uncomfortable against Robin for during the entire ride. Not that she dislikes him, on the contrary, the emotions towards her leader she shouldn't had become even stronger. She hated that, and the worse thing was that she had sense him returning the feelings for a moment. She also knew that Robin knows that she didn't exactly like it, she could sense it as well. Besides, of all Titans, he was the one who always respected her private space after all. It surprised her a little that Robin really didn't pay attention at the situation at hand and after they both listen the story of Scarecrow's feargas he started to talk about the Batmobile and that penguin club than anything else. Apparently it was a way to distracted him from the very uncomfortable situation and it was exactly what she needed. She was about to open her mouth when Batman interrupted her.

"Raven, close your eyes."

Raven was a taken aback by Batman's command. "What? Why?"

"Close your eyes till I say that you can open it."

Raven took a glance at Robin who nodded. She let out a sigh as she closed her eyes. "Fine."

Raven felt the Batmobile jerking several times like it rounded some corners. It was a few times when she felt that her body was pressed harder against Robin what makes her more and more uncomfortable, even embarrassing. Then her body jerked forward, pressing hard into the seatbelt before pressing back into the chair. "You can open your eyes," she heard Batman said as he cut of the engine and opened the roof of the Batmobile.

Raven opened her eyes, taking a quick glare at Robin who unfasten the seatbelt and handled it to her. Raven levitated out the Batmobile in a second, relived to have her own private space back again as she took a deep breath. Then she took a look at her surroundings.

Raven did hear some rumors about the existence of Batman's lair and saw a few glimpses of it in Robin's mind. Yet her breath stopped as she struggled to remain her balance at the scene around her which goes beyond her imagination.

She found herself in the middle of a huge cave, close to an abyss which seems to be endless while the sound of flying bats echoed way above her. At one place was a large training ground with a training track and all kinds of lifting weights. Across the abyss was a platform with a black object what looks like an airplane. Both the training ground and the platform were connected to the center of the cave with natural bridges where a giant computer stood. Just around the corner appeared to be an actual laboratory with numbers of cabinets, tables and a hospital bed with all medical equipment that was available. An elevator and a stair were visible at the far end of the cave, the stair leading up into a tunnel, probably leading to the private quarters upstairs. Below the stairs was a showcase with a Robin suit and next to it several other smaller showcases with items what looks like trophies. So much of being proud of the Titans Tower.

"You coming?"

Robin's voice brought her back to reality and followed him who also made his way to the giant computer. "So, this is the place you used to work?"

"Basically, yes."

She heard something being activated, and turned around to see the platform of the Batmobile rotating and noticed a black motorcycle next to it. "Impressive." She turned to Robin. "It's bigger than I thought." They followed Batman who was heading for the giant computer while a black masked redheaded girl in a black suit with blue and yellow cape, yellow boots, gloves, utility belt and Bat Symbol on her chest approaching them. "Batgirl I assume?"

"Yep, she's alright."

Batgirl smiled the moment when she saw Robin and his partner. Batman stepped aside and allow her to meet the young visitors. "Robin, it's nice to see you again, has been a while."

"It's good to see you too." Robin gestured to Raven. "Batgirl, this is Raven. Raven, meet Batgirl."

Batgirl offered Raven a hand. "Nice to meet you Raven."

Raven took her hand. "Likewise."

Batgirl then went to one of the tables, picking up an injection gun before showing it to Robin. "Here's the antidote for your friends. It contains seven shots."

"Thanks," Robin took the injection gun and putting it in his utility belt.

"How long does it take you to go back to Jump City?" Batman asked.

"Seconds," Raven answered. "I can open a portal which leads into my room. I memorize the locations where I opened a portal so I can return to help you to capture the Scarecrow."

Batman glared down, as if he was in thoughts. Raven could tell that Batman wasn't very happy that someone could enter the Batcave that easily. "I know what you are thinking, and I know that your secrets must be keep as it is."

Batman pondered Raven's words for a moment. "What do you know about me?" he eventually asked.

Raven's gaze turned slightly away from the Dark Knight. "Enough." Her answer made Robin to raise an eyebrow, glancing at her with suspicious. She gazed back at Batman. "Don't worry about Robin, he didn't tell me."

Robin shrugged. "We barely talk about our secrets, but Raven and I know more about each other than all the others combine. Not sure about the others but Raven and I know how to keep a secret."

Batman thoughtfully gazed at Raven. "It appear that you have more faith in her than the others, therefore I'm willing to have faith in her too. Time is essential to help your friends, so let's do this."

Batman stepped to Raven who raised an eyebrow. "You're coming with us?"

"Yes."

"Fine, but one warning, once you are inside my room, I want you to keep your hands and eyes of anything." Batman didn't say a word as he remained his trademark emotionless expression.

Raven waved her right hand, creating a black circle in thin air. She turned to Batman and Robin. "Follow me." The three of them stepped through the portal before it disappeared, leaving Batgirl alone in the Batcave.