CHAPTER 2

Bruce sighed and wondered if he'd been this big a handful for Alfred when he was fourteen. He leaned forward toward Dick, softening his voice. "Dick, there are reasons I don't allow you out on truly dangerous cases. You remember what happened..."

Dick leaned back in his chair. "Yeah, yeah, Two-Face," he said scornfully. "I was nine years old when that happened, five years ago! Since then I've fought Mr. Freeze, the Joker, Ra's Al Ghul, even Lady Shiva and survived! I can handle myself and you know it. And as for undercover work, I've backed you up enough times to know how it goes."

"Dick, you're talking about a school in Nevada, not in Gotham. I won't be there to pull you out of the fire if you need rescuing," Bruce said patiently. "You'll have no backup." Bruce shifted in his chair. "And I don't like the rumors I've heard about the place. I don't want you locked up in there."

"You went undercover alone, Bruce, before you had me," Dick pointed out. "They're only kids out there. And yeah, they're rough on the boys. So what else is new? Can't be any worse than some of the training you put me through."

Bruce took a deep breath and counted to five (he didn't think he'd get to ten). "Dick," he said carefully. "The training exercises are just that. It isn't my intent to hurt you, only to teach you to handle pain and stress. I don't enjoy the experience any more than you do. We're talking about a school rumored to have some fairly sadistic teachers against whom you won't be able to fight back unless you want to blow your cover."

Dick was silent for a long moment. "I thought about this long and hard before I set it up. My friend, Rufus Garrett was sent to the Hamilton Wilderness School just because he couldn't get along with his Dad's new trophy wife. All that crap about drug use and school absences wasn't the real reason. Rufus told me that Tiffany threatened to leave Mr. Garrett and put him through a messy divorce unless the kid left." Dick looked up at Bruce, blue eyes narrowing. "I know what it's like to be unwanted and sent to juvie prison just because nobody wanted to take me."

Bruce jerked as though he'd been hit in the gut. "Son, we fought for you, Alfred and I. Even with the best lawyers and an unlimited budget, we had to convince the authorities that I was a fit guardian for you. Because of my...playboy persona...that took some time...I know how bad it was for you, and I'll always feel responsible for what you went through there." He got up and squatted down next to Dick's armchair. Wrapping his arm around his boy's shoulders, he drew him into a rare hug, resting his chin on the boy's head. "After all that, I swore that I'd protect you personally from anything that might hurt you. That's why I leave you off cases that are too dangerous for you. And that's why I don't want you undercover there. I can't protect you."

Dick leaned in to the hug. He was a kid who craved touch but didn't get it very often. Still, he knew that he'd have to make Bruce understand that this investigation was necessary. He reluctantly drew away from Bruce and went to the computer. "Bruce, here's a dossier I prepared on the school. It was founded by a retired businessman, Jake Crenshaw, who claims to have been a sergeant in the Marines. He's turned the school, if you want to call it that, into a profitable enterprise." Dick clicked a few more buttons. "He's gone on t.v. shows and done magazine interviews to publicize his school. The trouble is, neither he, nor his staff have any kind of credentials for treating troubled kids, or even teaching experience. Parents have complained but the area is loosely regulated and none of the authorities seem able to do anything. See, here," he hit a couple more keys. "Jamie Alder, age thirteen, found beaten to death in the desert. School claims the kid ran away after he got into a fight. Mike Simmons, broken leg, School says he went on a hike and fell off a cliff." Dick spun around in his chair to face Bruce. "There are a lot of reports like this coming from Hamilton. And then, there are the so-called runaways. Bruce, it's not just for Rufus' sake. It's for all those other kids that supposedly ran away and just disappeared."

"How do you know they weren't just runaways? This is a school for troubled kids, after all," Bruce said, reading the screen over Dick's shoulder.

"They match a profile," Dick said, He punched a few keys and showed Bruce a spreadsheet with colored photos. "These are the traits that all these kids have. They're all between the ages of twelve and fifteen, slight in build, with dark hair and blue eyes. Generally, they're small for their age. They come from affluent backgrounds and aren't street kids." He got up and let Bruce have the chair.

Bruce read the spreadsheet minutely. As he looked at face after face, his own began to pale. Finally, he sat back in the computer chair, looking up at Dick's hopeful expression. "No. Absolutely not. You are not going to that school under any circumstances, Dick." He gave his ward a sharp look. "And I'll enforce this if I have to tie you down!" He got up and opened the clock. "It's time for patrol in any case."

"Okay, I'll be downstairs in a minute," Dick said, silently vowing not to take 'no' for an answer.

Bruce turned back and faced down his child. "No. You're benched until your legal problems are sorted out. You'll stay here with Alfred to watch you." He rang for the butler over Dick's angry protests.

"That's not fair, Bruce, and you know it," Dick shouted. "I set up the charges so that I'd be sent to Hamilton and you know it. None of it is real!"

His mentor swung around. "It's real enough for the time being. You're being charged with a felony, Dick, two of them when they see the film of you breaking into the police evidence room! I have good reason for keeping you off this case and I'm responsible for your welfare," Bruce said sharply. "You're grounded until the charges are resolved. I'll be calling Rae Green in the morning. Since this is your first offence, we may be able to get you off on probation instead of incarceration."

"No! The whole reason behind this is to send me to Hamilton! Bruce, I've got to find out what happened to Rufus!" Dick looked close to tears, but Bruce hardened his heart.

When the butler entered the room, he didn't see the comfortable accord he was used to seeing between his master and the boy. Instead, the two were glaring at each other even more sharply than before.

"How can I help you, sir?" Alfred asked.

"Robin is benched until after his case is resolved and Dick Grayson is grounded. Alfred, you'll take him to school and pick him up promptly at 3:00. Stay with him and keep him here at the mansion," Bruce opened a drawer in the desk and removed a small aerosol spray can. "Knock him out if you have to, but keep him here." Dick's history of disobeying orders and running away was known to both Alfred and Bruce.

Alfred reluctantly took the can, his gaze wandering from the boy to the father and back again. "Will this be a...continuing...event, sir?"

Bruce frowned harder. "As long as it needs to be." With that, he went down the elevator to the Batcave, leaving the rest of his family upstairs. As he retrieved his cape and cowl, he was surprised and dismayed to see that his hands were shaking. Quickly he locked down the emotion and restored steadiness to his body. He absolutely wasn't going to give in to Dick on this one. He'd take any measures necessary to keep the boy at home and safe.

Looking at the faces of the missing boys, Bruce had noted that each of the lost bore an uncanny resemblance to Dick Grayson.