A/N:Tanner comes to live with the Wayne Family, but who is Tanner?

Who Is Tanner?

By Alisa Joaquin

Part 9: Metropolis Mayhem

Tim arrived in Metropolis two hours later. He headed toward the city center to the Metropolis Arms, not a very descript name for an apartment building that housed more than 50 floors of various sized condos and apartments for varied incomes. One floor was dedicated to just one condo, which belonged to Bruce Wayne. It was where Bruce stayed while in Metropolis, and where the witness was being held.

Tim parked the car in the garage and headed up to the 46th floor. Tim got some strange looks from a couple who obviously saw him as an interloper with the way he was dressed. The woman whispered to her husband, but her voice was still loud enough to carry toward Tim's ears.

"This place is really going downhill," the woman said. "Apparently, they are letting in the riff raff."

"I can say the same about you, Lady," Tim replied in his best Alvin Draper, kid from the streets tough guy.

"Well, I never!"

"Yeah, and I bet your husband doesn't either, at least not with you."

"You can't speak to my wife like that."

"Then leave, take the next car up," Tim said menacingly. "This car's taken."

The couple rushed out when the car opened on the 15th floor, even if it wasn't the couple's actual place of residence. Tim had used a little slight-of-hand to make sure the couple could get out quickly, so they did not have to ride with him to the upper floors.

Once Tim arrived, something caused his hackles to raise. The door to Bruce's Metropolis apartment had been forced open. The security system should have alerted Bruce back in Gotham. Tim could see that the panel had been more than tampered with. It looked like it had been smashed in, maybe by a powerful fist or the butt of a gun. Even so, that still should have alerted Bruce. The panel was sparking, which meant the people responsible might still be present. This could have happened minutes before he arrived, but he hadn't seen anyone else enter the building ahead of him.

They must have discovered the witness' address somehow and sent someone to kill him. That meant there was a mole in the system, some corrupt cop looking to get in good with the mob.

It was good that Tim took some extra precautions. He could drop the Alvin Draper act and resume his other identity. He was quick to shed his outer clothes and to dawn his mask. He held his collapsible bo-staff in one hand and a throwing R-shaped shuriken in the other. It was time to enter the lion's den and face the men who came to kill a witness, even if that witness was dead. The men had to go down for at least attempted murder or worse.

Red Robin silently entered to discover three men shaking down the witness.

"Tell us what you know, and maybe we'll let you live."

"Better yet," Red Robin interrupted. "How about I break a few kneecaps and maybe you'll give up your boss."

"Red Robin, how did he find us?"

"Never mind that, you two take care of him! I'll take care of the witness."

Red Robin threw the shuriken and snapped open his bo-staff. The shuriken landed in the hand of the man that held the witness, then Red Robin used his bo-staff to knock some sense into the two men. He went after the third, disarming him as he drew a gun with his other hand, giving him a headache. The witness stared in disbelief, like a deer in headlights.

"Get out of here!" Red shouted. "Call the police!"

The man rushed out with Red Robin following him. The man pressed an elevator button to go down, but Red Robin dragged the man by the arm to the stairwell.

"You take the stairwell, I'll take the elevator, and lead them to the roof."

"You'll be trapped up there."

"I have another way down."

The witness did as Red Robin stated. Once the elevator arrived Red got in then jumped back out. The three men were recovered enough from their encounter and chased Red Robin to the second stairwell. Red also got on the commlink with his Titan team. He explained the situation and knew that his team would come through and retrieve the witness to take him to Gotham.

Red Robin exited the stairwell onto the roof to come face to face with two other gunmen and a helicopter.

'So, that's how the gunmen must have entered the building,' he thought. 'They must have flown here from Gotham. The man responsible must have men waiting outside on ground level to ambush us as well. How did they find out?'

Red Robin wasn't able to discover that information before a man with a machine gun opened fired. Red ducked behind a large heating and cooling unit. The helicopter took off to circle around.

'Damn, I'm a sitting duck out here,' Red Robin thought. 'Where's Superman when you need him.'

Superman at that moment, was taking care of other business on the other side of the world.

'How am I supposed to get off the roof?'

Red Robin darted around the roof HVAC system, trying to find a way back to the stairwell, but the guy in the helicopter had him pinned down.

Then in what looked like a familiar portal shape, someone was stepping through. The gunman didn't see him since he was concentrating on Red Robin. The figure threw a knife, hitting the man where he lost his balance and fell from the copter, falling 50 stories to the street. The copter chose that moment to veer away from the scene.

Red Robin wheeled on the person responsible and saw whom it was who killed the gangster.

"Tanner?"

Continues with Part 10

A/N: Watch for these future stories – Circus Boy, Talon D, Subliminal Death, and Tiny Tim Adventures.