Disclaimer: See chapter 1.

Chapter Eight

"No sign of a break," Roy told me as he finished inspecting the door.

"Report says that a maid was the only other person allowed in here," I told him as I flipped the page. "The one that usually checks the room wasn't in that day, though and security cameras caught someone with dark black hair entering the room. She didn't leave and is now missing."

"Well, at least we have a suspect," Roy shrugged, stuffing his hands in his pockets. "The description match any of yours?"

"Jade Nguyen," I answered. "Dark hair and barely leaves anything behind. Barely. I'm sure if we check the bathroom we'll find something."

"The bathroom?"

"She's got a thing about cleaning up before kidnapping or killing someone."

"Of course," Roy said with a roll of his eyes. "Even evil women have to check how they look every five minutes."

"Every two," I corrected him. He raised an eyebrow and I smirked. "They have to look good for the cameras when they're making demands."

"Good point," He grinned. "So, top suspects?"

"Well, Baran and Selinda are on the list for possibly kidnapping Tim, and now Jade's on the list for Jason. Most likely a team up."

"Any ideas where they might be hiding?"

"Baran's an idiot who follows Selinda everywhere. He's with two girls that love shopping, jewelry, and dangerous weapons-"

"Deadly combination," Roy cut in.

"So, where do you think they'd be?" I continued.

"Basement of the Metropolis mall," Roy answered quickly. "I'm not a detective, but I have taken down a lot of jewel thieves that hide in mall basements."

"It's a start," I told him. We both got up and started toward the door.

"Doesn't this seem familiar to you?" Roy asked me as we entered the elevator.

Of course I remember. It was at this hotel that it happened. Seven years ago.

"This is so fucking cool," Eighteen year-old Roy Harper said as he walked down the streets of Metropolis with eighteen year-old Dick Grayson and sixteen year-old Ryan Anders.

"We're only spending the weekend here," Dick reminded him.

"Yeah but it's still going to be cool," Ryan grinned up at him, his emerald eyes sparkling with joy. They suddenly widened and he moved his hands into his pockets, searching for something. "Damn. I forgot my wallet in the room. Can I borrow one of your room keys and go pick it up?"

Dick pulled out his wallet and handed the younger boy his room key.

"Hurry up," He yelled over to Ryan as the redhead raced off back to the hotel.

Dick leaned up against a tree while Roy sat down on the closest bench to wait.

Fifteen minutes later, Roy checked his watch.

"He should have been here by now," He told Dick as he stood up.

"C'mon, let's go make sure he didn't get himself into any trouble," Dick replied as he started walking toward the hotel. They both took the elevator up to their floor and, once they got off, their eyes widened.

Blood was splattered across the cream walls and, on the floor by the door to their room, was Dick's room key.

"Get security up here," Dick ordered to Roy, breaking the other boy out of his stupor. Roy nodded and ran past the elevator and over to the stairs.

Dick grabbed the key off the floor and used it to open the door.

"Ryan," He called out in the hotel room, hoping his girlfriends little brother would answer. "Ryan!"

This was the same hotel Ryan had been taken from. Roy and I were riding the same elevator we had left to find that bloody hallway all those years ago.

Ryan Anders had been found in an abandoned warehouse in Gotham a few days later. His head had been completely smashed, allowing the coroner to mark his death due to head injuries.

Gotham cops were paid off to go in and destroy whatever evidence or leads there had been on the case. Some even snuck in to the Metropolis Police Department to get rid of everything.

There's nothing for me to go on. If I could find one lead, I'd follow it, but right now there's nothing.

Roy regrets even mentioning it now. I can tell since he's not even looking at me now.

I don't say anything, and he won't say anything.

It's best to just walk on in silence and remember our friend.

We finally arrive at the mall a half hour later. First thing we have to do is check in with security. It's part of procedure.

I hate procedure.

"Alright, let's just go in, flash our badges, and get to work," Roy told me. He hates this just as much as I do. It's why he joined the bomb squad.

Because the bomb squad is called in for emergencies, they don't have to ask for permission to get into a building. They just go.

As a detective in Gotham, I do the same. But I'm not in Gotham anymore. This is Metropolis.

Different city. Different rules. It's that simple.

The only thing that doesn't change is you.

We found the security station inside the mall and walked in.

"Detective Dick Grayson," I immediately said as we entered the room. I pulled out my badge to show the woman behind the desk. "My partner and I need access to the storage basement of this mall."

"I'll have to call my supervisor," She told me after looking at my badge.

"Call your supervisor and tell him to meet us down there if he has any problem with us being here," Roy told her.

This is the way we usually play it when we work together. Roy talks and puts in a few threats, and I go through with them.

It's our little version of good cop/bad cop. He's only good cop because he's slightly nicer than me. And I mean slightly.

"Now, you may want to give us the key to the basement before my partner here takes it from you, and trust me, he won't be asking as nicely as me," Roy warned her.

You can tell if a person really cares about what their job entitles by the way they act in the face of danger. If they back down, they only care about themselves. Screw whatever their job is; as long as they stay alive then that's all that matters. If they do what they're supposed to, then they care. In this line of duty, whether you're a detective, like me, or a security guard, like her, this is the turning point. The point where you say, "I'm not cut out for this shit," then do what you can to get away safe.

The woman reached for the phone and dialed a three-digit number.

"Hello, Mr. Rinko? It's Jaime," She spoke into the phone. "I have two police officers down here that refuse to see you and are demanding I allow them into the basement…" During the short pause I glanced at Roy. He gave a short nod in understanding. "Okay."

She hung up and reached over to press the button on the side of her desk. Roy grabbed her hand before it could reach the button.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," He warned her again.

My body had tensed the moment she hung up the phone. While one hand had been reached for the button, the other was going for the club at her side.

She pulled her hand away from his and slammed it on the button. That's where her eyes were as well. On the button.

I punched her in the face and she went flying into the wall. I love when they sit on chairs with wheels. It just makes my job so much easier.

Roy grabbed the elevator key by her desk before he called out to me, "let's go," and took off out the door. I quickly followed and we ran out of the room and to the other end of the mall, where the elevator was. We grabbed the people in it and shoved them out before pressing the button to close the doors.

Roy used the key he had grabbed and jammed it into the slot before turning it. Then he pressed the button for the basement and we began to ascend.

"I warned her," He said with a shrug and small smile.

"Yup," I replied.

When the elevator finally stopped we pulled out our guns and slowly stepped out.

The basement was dark and eerie. There were things scattered all over the place. Roy pulled out a flashlight and aimed the beam in front so we could see where we stepped. Things were packed so tight in here that there was barely any room to walk.

My eyes immediately searched out for anything out of place. The security guards would be arriving soon, not leaving us much time to look around.

"Nothing," I muttered after a few minutes.

"I don't see anything either," Roy said as he shut off his flashlight. "I can't believe we went through that for nothing."

"C'mon, let's duck behind the…giant clown head, and wait until the elevator comes back down," I told him as I looked over at the giant clown head by the elevators entrance. Its grin crept me out. It reminded me of Napier's.

Once jumped behind the clown face, though, we landed on a bunch of pillows.

"What the hell?" Roy whispered as he pulled out his flashlight again. Beneath our feet were about five pillows and a set of rolled up blankets.

"We missed 'em," I whispered back. There was nothing else there. No other stolen goods, no signs of Jason or Tim. Nothing.

Whoever was here was gone, and they took probably every clue they had along with them.

I could hear the elevator begin to descend but I still knelt to look for some kind of clue they might have left behind. After a few minutes I finally found one.

A lipstick container.

Roy handed me handkerchief and I used to pick the container up. I folded the handkerchief over it, so I wouldn't get any fingerprints on it, and then I put it in my pocket. Now we had to get out without getting caught. If we did then they'd try to take that clue from me and mess it up completely.

Roy shut off the flashlight again and we both crouched down and waited. The elevator finally came to a stop and about a dozen security guards stepped out.

"Start looking for them," One of them ordered. They all began tearing away at the wall of clutter and Roy and I snuck out from behind the clown head and into the elevator. We closed the doors and pressed the button to go up to the main floor.

"Hopefully these guys were stupid enough to only leave a few people by the door and wait to call the cops," Roy told me, while we put our guns away. Even though we've bent the rules, we're all still on the same team. There's no use in hurting anyone when we've all taken an oath to protect them.

"You know you're damn wrong, right?" I asked, smirking.

"I'm hoping," He replied with a smile.

The doors opened and about twenty more security guards stood before us.

We both glanced at each other and smirked before jumping out into the fray. The main goal is to get out without seriously hurting anyone.

So far I have say neither of us was doing that good a job of that. I know I broke a couple of ribs and maybe a jaw or two. Roy looks like he's really into this too.

I finally broke through the group and took off running. I know Roy is probably right behind me, and whatever guards that were left standing, are coming up behind him.

I ducked into a department store and pulled out my cell phone along the way.

Damn I wish I had Conner or Cassie on speed dial right now. I punched in the number for Conner's cell phone as I ducked into the men's department.

"We need to take off through one of the back doors," Roy whispered over to me as we both ducked behind a rack of coats.

"Hello?" I heard Conner ask as he finally answered his cell.

"Where are you?" I hissed as I glanced through the rack to see a small group of security guards begin to search the section.

"I'm on the highway-"

"You anywhere near the mall?" I cut him off. They were getting closer. Roy moved a bit, gaining my attention.

"Two exits away. W-"

"Get off the exit and park on a side road. Roy and I will come and find you." With that I flipped my phone shut and nodded to Roy. He quickly moved behind another rack of jackets and left my sight.

The guards were getting closer to my hiding place.

Hurry up, Roy.

The fire alarm started blaring, and an electronic voice filled the area. The whole thing caused the guards to look up in shock and that was my chance. I took off running to the emergency exit and hid myself in the herd of patrons rushing to leave the store. Once I made it out the door, I saw Roy already waiting on the other side.

Once he spotted me we both took off running through the parking lot and to the street.

"You know where the exit to the highway is from here?" I asked Roy. He's visited Metropolis a few more times than I have, so he knows the layout a little better.

"Yeah, follow me," He said as he took a left on the road and we started running up a small hill. We ended up running about two miles before we finally spotted Conner waiting for us on the side of the road.

Once the traffic cleared enough, we quickly crossed, threw open the back door of his car, and jumped in before he could ask any questions. Once he got in and took his seat, I told him, "Get us to your place. Fast."

"You guys are in trouble, aren't you?" He asked with a small smile and shake of his head.

"Just drive, Jock boy," Roy told him, using his nickname for him.

Conner is a major sports guy. His Pa used to take him to local football and baseball games before he died. After that, Conner stayed with Clark and Clark continued the tradition, growing up a major sports fanatic himself. Now Conner's an assistant coach for his college team. He used to play in high school, but a knee injury ended his career before it could really even begin. It was so bad…. Well, I'll just say he's lucky he doesn't need a cane to walk. At least right now. In a few years, who knows?

We arrived back at his place about fifteen minutes later. Once he opened the door we saw Cassie and Donna staring at the TV. When I slammed it shut they finally looked up.

"What the hell did you two do?" Donna demanded as she stood up and glared at Roy and I.

Conner used that moment to try and slip behind us when Cassie called out to him. "Move one more step, Conner Kent, and I swear you'll be sleeping out in the hallway tonight."

"Hey, I just picked 'em up," He instantly defended himself. "They just called me up and told me to wait for 'em. Never even gave me a chance to ask any questions."

"If it was anyone but them, I probably wouldn't believe you," Cassie said. She knows Roy and I too well.

I sighed.

At least we made it back okay. So far.

"We can explain," Roy said, holding up his hands as a weak defense against both women. Suddenly there was a knock on the door.

"Oh, I'm sure you can, but it's obviously not us you'll be explaining to," Donna said, knowing full well who was knocking on that damn door. So did Roy and I.

Damn.

A/N: So, now everyone knows what happened to dear Uncle Ryan.

I hope you all enjoyed this chapter! Thanks for reading. Please review!