Part 6

Terry flew over Gotham, watching the ground and searching as hard as he could for the young Tim Drake. The ground seemed to move very quickly beneath him as he flew, he surmised it was because he was so used to flying around a much faster Gotham City. He landed on a rooftop and knelt down, looking for any sign of Tim or The Joker's goons. He sensed something behind him and he quickly turned around, drawing a Batarang launcher and raising it. He scowled when he saw a hooded figure standing in a similar stance as he was, with their hands glowing an almost unearthly black. He could see that the hood was blue, and it covered the majority of that person's face.

"Who are you? And why are you following me?" Terry questioned, lowering his Batarang slightly.

"I followed you because I thought you might lead me to a friend of mine… As for who I am, you don't get to know that until you lower that weapon."

Batman was almost surprised to hear it was a girl's voice, but he did as he was told and lowered his Batarang. The girl's hands stopped glowing and she stood upright.

"Alright, now who are you?"
The girl lowered her hood and revealed her face, her skin was pale, her eyes were a deep sapphire blue. She had short hair, cut to mid-neck length, and a red gem in the center of her forehead.

"My name is Raven… And I'm looking for Dick Grayson."

Batman folded his arms, as if he was having an annoying case of déjà vu.

"You too? Look, I'd love to help, but I'm searching for someone myself… Besides, I think someone else found him before you did Raven."

Terry turned to leave, but then he felt a hand on his shoulder, and turned to see a frowning Raven.

"Someone found him? Who?"
"I helped a girl named Starfire to find him, they're both together at this point."

"You helped Starfire to find him…" Raven said, almost disbelieving.

"And who exactly are you?" She inquired. Terry looked into the sky, and spread the wings on his back.

"I'm Batman."

With that, Terry took off into the sky, heels ablaze with jet fire. Raven caught up to him however, flying near to him.

"I'm sorry, did you just say that you were Batman?"

"Yes… And I get that he's been dead for a while, I'm his replacement for now."
Raven held out her hand and in less than a second, Batman was stopped in his tracks by black energy and lowered to the ground.

"Look, what do you want?" Terry said impatiently, to which Raven replied somberly, "Thank you, for helping us to find Robin… Now I want to help you find whoever you are looking for."

Terry's eyes widened, and the black energy dispersed, he looked Raven in the eye and saw that she was sincere, he could always tell when someone was lying, he could sense it… It was one of the many tricks that Bruce had taught him in his training to become batman.

"Thank you, Raven… Come on, we're wasting time."

Tim Drake stood less than a hundred feet from the Joker's headquarter building, glaring at where his home once stood… He quickly made his way to the left of the building where a well stood ominously on a hill. Tim clambered into the well and fell down it, landing on the bottom of it. He took an object from his belt and lit the dark hole with a red light. He shone it on a black brick and pushed it, the brick fell forward and the rest of the ones around it followed, leading to a tunnel.

Tim sprinted down the tunnel passage until he came upon a large room with a big glass tube in it's center, where a girl, known only as Ace, floated asleep in the water inside it.

"Ace?" Black Robin said, pressing his hand to the glass. Ace's eyes snapped open, and she fell to the bottom of the tube, using her powers to convert the liquid in the tube to air.

"Tim… I was beginning to think you had forgotten me…" She said smiling and pressing her hand against the glass as well.

"I'd never forget you Ace… I only wish I could get you out of this tube." Tim lamented, frowning.

"I do too Tim... Is Harleen here too?"

"No, I decided not to wake her up."

"That's too bad…"

Ace sat down in the center of her tube, cross-legged, and Tim did the same. The three of them, Ace, Tim, and Harleen, would visit often without the Joker ever knowing about it. Tim always had one thing on his mind; how to free Ace from the Joker's cruel usage… however, all the young man could do was comfort her and give her companionship.

"It's not as bad as you think Tim… Not nearly so anymore." Ace said on the subject of her prison.

"Most of the time, he doesn't use my powers… So I live in my dreams."
"You're all I ever think about Ace… All I ever think about is getting you out…"

"And saving me like you could not Batman...But what of Harleen? And your friends? Don't they ever enter your thoughts?"

Tim paused and looked down, and Ace's eyes widened.

"Tim, I just read your mind…"

The Boy's head snapped up at this, his eyes large.

"There is a new Batman?"

Nightwing and Starfire weaved in and out of Gotham's many alleys and buildings, searching for any sign of their team. Starfire suddenly stopped in an alley and called Dick to her side.
"Do you see anyone Star?" He asked, returning to her.

"Yes…" Starfire said despondently and floated into the alley toward a heap of metal in it. She illuminated the pile with her hand to reveal that it was the broken down body of Victor Stone, the Cyborg.

"Cyborg…" Nightwing knelt down and looked at his friend's unconscious face, he looked older than when they last met, and his cyborganic parts seemed much newer and more sleek.

"He has been deactivated and left here to waste… Poor Victor." Starfire said piteously. She lifted Victor to his feet and put her hand on his metal chest, her hand sparked and Cyborg's body whirred back to life. He opened his eyes and held his head, then turned it to see Starfire.
"Starfire, am I glad to see you! Did you find-?" Cyborg started, but then his gaze turned to the man standing in front of him in a black suit.

"Dick, is that you?"

"Nice to see you again Tin Man."

Victor smiled, as did Starfire at the idea that the three of them were reunited.

"Cyborg, what happened to you just now? We found you deactivated here." Starfire asked, and Victor put his hand on his forehead and rubbed his temple.

"I was ambushed by some guy in a red can, said somethin' about him being better than you, Dick, and that he was ready to take you out."

Nightwing scowled and looked up.

"The Red Hood strikes again… He seems focused on me, as if I'm his prime target."

"Perhaps you wronged him in the past…" Starfire suggested.

"Or maybe he just needs a good old fashioned kick in the head." Cyborg snarled.

"Well, whatever his problem is, if he hurts anymore of the people I care about…"
Nightwing threw a wingding at the alley wall in anger, it stuck without vibrating and cracked the wall.

"I hope he'll be ready… Because unlike Batman, I'm not afraid to finish him off."

Nightwing began walking off, and Starfire and Cyborg walked behind him… Caught off guard by Dick's new attitude…

Wondering if he meant that he would kill given the chance.

(Review, and Let me know how I'm doing! Edits have been made!)