Chapter Eight

"Nightwing! Come in, Nightwing!" Barbara screamed into her earpiece. Her father had gotten her out of the building safely and she had convinced him that she was alright and that he should go back to the crime scene. Alfred had found her on the street outside and had kindly escorted her into the car where she was free to function as Oracle. She called out Nightwing's name a few more times before finally getting a response. Alfred seemed just as relieved as she was to hear his voice. "I've fine, Barb! I'm going back in to find Bruce and the kid. Tell me if you contact them." He didn't necessarily have to tell her to do it, she would've done it anyway.

They heard a loud explosion and the car rocked violently back an forth. They gaped, shocked as smoke began billowing out from all floors of the building. Nightwing told them it was the work of a bomb. Batman and Robin were nowhere to be found. A second bomb went off and Nightwing reported that the entrance to the sewers was sealed off.

"Woah! Did you hear that?" It was a rhetorical question that Batman didn't even bother answering. Robin blushed. Of course Batman heard it, it sounded less than ten feet behind them!

Another bomb went off close on their heels and Batman shot a concerned glance backward. Drake had set a trap where they could go nowhere but forward. "Any slower and we'll be caught in it." Batman told Robin warningly.

Drake glanced behind him and saw Malak coming up close on his tail. He glanced over Malak's shoulder and grimaced. It wasn't in his plan for the Dynamic Duo to follow him down here! He gripped a detonator in his fist and ran faster. Malak was not three meters behind him, the Dynamic Duo wasn't five meters behind Malak. Drake had an idea, he wasn't sure it would work but he could hope, couldn't he?

Drake continued running until he came into sight of the last time bomb he had set. The bomb behind the group detonated and Malak stumbled. Taking the opening he saw, Drake skidded to a halt and turned 180 degrees, fist lashing out. Malak couldn't regain his balance fast enough to slow down and met Drake's blow square in the face. "Run!" he shouted frantically to the Dynamic Duo who saw the last bomb and made it safely past it. Drake heard an all too familiar splash from an adjoining pipe and smirked. "Killer Croc!" he shouted. "Come get me!"

Killer Croc, not one who could resist attacking a nonmoving target who begged his attention, charged. Drake dove just out of reach and Killer Croc landed on Malak who was just getting to his feet, pinning him under him. Drake glanced worriedly at the last time bomb and wondered if he was fast enough to make it out of his own trap alive. He sprinted toward it. He wouldn't make it unscathed, that much was certain. The blast would surely kill him if he just continued running. He reached the bomb with only a few seconds to spare and ripped it off the wall, throwing it with all his might at Malak and Killer Croc.

The blast was stronger than the other ones in the sewers and the force of it threw Batman and Robin backward. The two scrambled to their feet as the pipes began collapsing. They escaped out of the sewers through a manhole just before the entrance was sealed off by more rubble.

"D-do you think any of them are alive?" Robin asked, Batman shook his head grimly.

"I don't know." he replied honestly, people were starting to gather so he steered Robin away from the scene. "We won't know until we talk to Commissioner Gordon."

Dick walked quickly into the Batcave with Barbara on his heels, Alfred had informed them that he would be in the kitchen preparing something for them to eat. They found Robin curled up in the chair by the Batcomputer. They looked around, no sign of Batman. "Hey, little bro! Where's Bruce?" Dick called out as lightheartedly as he could.

Robin looked up at them with tired eyes. Silent, as if wondering what to tell them. "He's gone to find Commissioner Gordon." he replied finally, his voice was hoarse, probably from breathing in too much smoke. Yes, that would also explain the watery eyes. Dick tried to convince himself that Tim wasn't crying.

Barbara, however, wasn't convinced. "Tim, are you crying?" she asked him. "What happened?" She approached him and laid a comforting hand on the boy's knee.

Alfred walked in with a few mugs of hot chocolate and Dick immediately knew by the look on the man's face that he was currently wishing he had thought to bring down a plate of the cookies that never failed to cheer Tim up. "Good Heavens, Master Tim! Whatever happened?" the concerned man asked. Just then, Batman walked in after the butler. Dick, Barbara, and Alfred turned their gazes on him immediately, demanding an explanation as to why Tim was crying. Tim wasn't meant for crying.

Batman pulled off his cowl and Bruce cleared his throat uncomfortably. "I just spoke with Commissioner Gordon." he announced, Tim finally aknowledged his presence. "His men are currently excavating the rubble from the site as best they can. But Jim tells me it might cause the rest of the sewer pipes to collapse and we may never be able to search it entirely. The good news is that so far, no bodies have turned up." Tim looked downcast, perhaps even more than before. He wrapped his arms around his knees and rocked back and forth.

Dick and Barbara forcefully escorted Bruce out of the cave for a better explanation of the situation and Alfred followed them, knowing Tim would want time alone. Even though they didn't know what exactly had happened yet. "What happened to Tim?" Dick demanded once they were out of earshot.

"And what did you mean 'excavating the rubble'? What happened to the sewer pipes?" Barbara added.

Then it dawned on Dick. "Oh, God. Allen!" he understood what Tim was upset about now. "It was Allen, wasn't it?" He began pacing around in front of the grandfather clock. "Oh, God, Bruce! I totally forgot about the bomb, I'm sorry!"

Barbara looked horrified. "Bomb? What bomb! Dick, what are you two talking about?" she demanded.

"Remember when I was chasing Allen around town, after he attacked me?" Barbara nodded. "He was in the sewers near the city hall when I caught up to him. He was setting a time bomb, I totally forgot!" Barbara glared at him, shocked. "Killer Croc attacked us and I forgot, okay! I'm sorry!"

Bruce frowned at him like he wanted to scold him but sighed and shook his head. "'Sorry' may not be enough this time." he muttered. "Allen had set a trap for the assassin and hadn't counted on Robin and I to follow them. If he hadn't slowed the assassin and Killer Croc down..." Barbara covered her mouth in horror and Dick looked shock. "He gave us time to escape but didn't get out himself. We don't know for sure if he's dead, Jim is using all the resources he could gather and is looking for him. Since his body hasn't been found, he may still be alive." he told them.