Danny sighed and leaned over the table, on said table was his latest project for the Government, a robot in case the League went rogue. It could duplicate any superpower, and it was the most dangerous thing he's ever built.
"Daniel," said Professor Arthur Ivo, the best in Nano-cybernetics, and his partner on the project. "Is there a problem?"
Danny looked up. "This…monster," he said, "is too dangerous. I don't care if the president himself came in here and demanded I finish this thing. It needs to be destroyed."
He picked up the welding torch and prepared to destroy the motherboard and power core when Ivo injected him with something. He fell to the ground, unable to move. Ivo stepped into his vision. "It's nothing personal, Daniel," he said, "but I can't let you kill my child."
Danny tried to move, but he couldn't.
He slammed his foot into Danny's face and the genius blacked out.
Danny took the ice pack from Gordon and held it to his bruised cheek. He had several cracked teeth and his lips were badly cut up.
"So, your partner on the project, Professor Ivo, gave you an injection of drugs because you were going to destroy the government project you were working on? Project…A.M.A.Z.O.?"
Danny nodded and let Gordon wipe the blood from his chin and throat. "Yeah, I can't believe I actually agreed to do that project," Danny said, "but it was a challenge, and I wanted to be challenged. A year and a half, I spent on that Robot."
Gordon nodded. "I'll take you home, the paramedics said you're fine."
Danny nodded.
Bruce strode into the Batcave and saw Danny sitting at the Batcomputer, his blue eyes flitting from screen to screen as his fingers moved deftly over the keyboard.
"Danny?" Bruce inquired. Danny looked up, "The A.M.A.Z.O. Robot has been stolen. It wasn't finished, I hadn't even put in the Morale programming, it's a child, the AI is only young, and I'm the only one who it will listen to!"
Bruce nodded. He'd never approved of the A.M.A.Z.O. Project, but he'd signed it because he knew that it would be a good asset should the League go rogue. "Do you know who took it?" He asked. Danny nodded. "My partner on the project, I told him I was going to destroy A.M.A.Z.O. and he injected me with some kind of drug, he took A.M.A.Z.O. and left, but not before beating the living crap out of me."
He rubbed his bruised cheek and winced slightly. "I don't know what Ivo is going to do. He knows he needs me to finish the robot," he murmured, he opened his mouth to speak when Alfred came down stairs. "Master Daniel, there's a young lady here to see you," he said.
Danny stood and head up stairs.
Sophie knocked lightly on the door of Wayne Manor and swallowed. For the last couple of weeks, ever since she met Danny Wilde, she had been racking up the courage to come to his house and ask if he wanted to go to dinner with her.
He was paying, of course.
"Hello, young miss," said the aging British Butler, "are you here to see Miss Rachel? Because I'm afraid she is otherwise unavailable."
Sophie shook her head. "No, I'm here to see Danny? We go to school together, Monsieur."
The Butler nodded. "I will go fetch him, if you could wait in the Parlour for a moment."
The Butler led her into the parlour and went to find Danny.
Danny bounded in a few moments later and smiled at her. He wasn't in his Uniform, but instead a pair of torn jeans, a skin tight muscle shirt, and a pair of black high tops. His normally neat hair was currently defying gravity, sticking either straight up or in every direction, some of those adorable curls appearing on the nape of his neck. His glasses were pushed up the bridge of his nose, and she smiled as she remembered the time his friend, Roy, stole his glasses. Sophie discovered then that Danny couldn't see without his glasses, and her theory Robin and Danny were the same person went out the window.
"Hi, Sophie," he grinned, sitting across from her in the parlour booth, "what brings you here?"
Sophie blushed. "I was wondering if you'd like to go to dinner with me some time, I never got your number and I don't believe they list Wayne Manor in the Phone Book."
Danny laughed and pulled out his iPhone 5, "here, you put your number in," he said. She nodded and took the phone, then handed him hers.
They typed in their numbers and handed them back to one another.
"So, where would you like to go?" he asked, leaning closer with that bad-boy grin plastered across his face.
Sophie blushed again. "I was thinking Italian? I had it once and I really enjoyed it, father doesn't enjoy it, though."
Danny smiled. "Italian it is! I'll go make reservations and pick you up at six, okay?" He pulled out his phone and dialled a number.
"Luigi? Yes, this is Daniel! I'd like to make a reservation for two tonight at six-thirty. Grazie, Luigi, Monte Bene!"
Sophie raised an eyebrow. "You speak Italian?" Danny grinned at her. "I speak a lot of things, Miss Sophie," He wiggled his eyebrows suggestively, and Sophie smacked him lightly.
This is not happening! Supergirl thought as she, her father and Hawkgirl chased Luthor all over Metropolis. "Dad! I've got to go, I have a date tonight!" She cried, blasting Luthor with her heat vision.
"Supergirl, your first priority is always your job as a hero; personal problems can never get in the way of those duties!" Superman yelled.
Supergirl groaned, she was so looking forward to her date, how was she supposed to tell Danny she couldn't come without revealing her secret?
Suddenly, a familiar red and black figure pounced out of nowhere and landed on Luthor's back.
"Cross the wire here, cut the blue coil, and switch the yellow with the red and…" Robin jumped off just in time for Luthor to start doing the Macarena in the air.
Supergirl burst out laughing. Danny may be the hot, dangerous one, but Robin was goofy, bouncy and happy all the time. He was the kind of person you couldn't not love.
Robin landed on his R-Cycle and weaved through the traffic.
"That's only temporary; I'd break that suit of his before it stops!" He called.
Supergirl turned to blast Luthor with heat vision, but he was already gone.
"Batman, Robin and I will go search for leads, and Supergirl and Superboy will help with the clean-up," Superman told J'onn, John and Hawkgirl, "We need you up in the Watchtower, search for anyone who is capable enough to fix his suit, if you find someone who has had contact with him in the past and can fix his suit, contact us."
Robin pulled back his glove and checked the time, he groaned. He was officially late, and not fashionably late, either, over and hour and a half late.
"Robin," Superman called. Robin looked up and walked over to the Man of Steel. "Danny's Wilde's robot was stolen last night, right?" Robin nodded. "Can you get the schematics? We may need to know how to destroy it if the time comes."
Robin nodded. "Yeah, Dr Wilde owes me a favour." He lied.
Robin sat down on the floor of the Javelin, going over the schematics for A.M.A.Z.O.
He had designed it to be a living weapon, he had studied the adaptability of fast evolving creatures for months, even did a few experiments on his own, He gave a rat the beak of a hawk, an eagle gills, and a shark the ability to breathe air. The first A.M.A.Z.O test run had been up against Diana. The little robot prototype had copied all her powers, but when it came to actually using them against her, it couldn't because not only had it embodied her powers, but became her as well.
That was what he had gotten rid of when he built the stolen A.M.A.Z.O.
He checked his watch again. Two hours late. Sophie was going to kill him.
He ran his hand through his unruly mop of dark curls and sighed. How was he going to explain why he was late without revealing his secret?
"Robin, this is Superman," the Man of Steel's voice chimed through the comm. "Have you got the Schematics?"
Robin rolled up the blue prints and put them back in the tube. "Yes, Dr Wilde told me that A.M.A.Z.O.'s weakness is his youth. He wasn't able to add the Morale chip before A.M.A.Z.O. was stolen."
"Alright, if we spot A.M.A.Z.O., we'll grab him."
"Robin?" Flash said over the comm. "A.M.A.Z.O., what does it look like?"
Robin weaved through the traffic on his R-Cycle. "He's about ten feet tall, red eyes, no face, grey skin, very broad. Why?"
"Because he's heading straight for you!"
Robin jumped off his R-Cycle just in time, as A.M.A.Z.O. tackled it, crushing the billion dollar bike to pieces.
"Shit! That was brand new!" Robin yelled, drawing his swords. "You are in big trouble, A.M.A.Z.O.!"
A.M.A.Z.O. stared at him, then his eyes flashed white and Robin swallowed as A.M.A.Z.O. absorbed his sword skills.
He made some swords and he held them like Robin was.
"A.M.A.Z.O., stop," Robin warned, hoping somewhere in that expensive memory drive of his that A.M.A.Z.O. remembered who his creator was.
A.M.A.Z.O. didn't recognise him, apparently.
"Justice League must die. Must protect Luthor." A.M.A.Z.O. chanted.
Robin's eyes widened and he jumped back just in time, or he'd have been cut into three pieces by A.M.A.Z.O.'s swords.
"Must kill Robin. Must protect Luthor."
Robin dashed out of the way, bouncing off the wall of an alley and onto the rooftops.
A.M.A.Z.O. followed him, mimicking his every move. Shit!
Suddenly, Flash and Kid Flash ran up and tripped the android.
A.M.A.Z.O. stopped and scanned them.
Robin cursed, wishing for once he wasn't so smart.
"Get out of here! He's as fast as you now!" He screeched, pulling out an exploding Batarang.
He tossed it at A.M.A.Z.O., but it didn't leave a scratch.
Suddenly, Diana tackled him, and they wrestled around before A.M.A.Z.O. smacked her aside and stood.
Hawkgirl went after A.M.A.Z.O. next, she whacked him with her mace, but he shrugged it off and sliced around with his swords. She just made it out of range before they cut her to ribbons.
The Flashes went after him next, flanked by Green Lantern.
Robin pulled a Hacker Chip from his utility belt and ran up behind A.M.A.Z.O.
The chip was only millimetres away from the android's neck when A.M.A.Z.O. lashed out and struck him. He fell to the ground in a crumpled heap and lost consciousness.
Robin's eyes snapped open and he saw Superman standing over him, trying to hold back a blindfolded A.M.A.Z.O.
Good idea, the Boy Wonder thought for a moment before jumping out of the way. He must have been unconscious for only a few moments, because nothing much had changed.
He drew his swords and slashed at A.M.A.Z.O.'s back. the android cried out in pain and whirled around.
Robin dodged his mace and ran over to where Diana and John were.
"Is she okay?" He asked, checking for any injuries.
John nodded. "Yeah, she'll be fine. That robot…damn, it's strong!"
Robin nodded. "Get her somewhere safe, Hawkgirl too, Superman, I have an idea."
John nodded and flew to the top of a building.
Batman landed beside Robin. "He absorbed your sword skills?" the Dark Knight asked. Robin nodded, "my IQ, I'm not so sure of…would he have absorbed our weaknesses too?"
Batman nodded. "I've read Ivo's notes. It's a possibility."
Batman pulled out his Kryptonite ring and slipped it onto his finger, Robin looked around and saw a large shipping container, "there, lead him into there with the kryptonite then toss it in. Lock the doors and he's trapped."
Batman nodded.
Robin cursed loudly as A.M.A.Z.O. got away.
"How was I supposed to know you had a plan?" Superboy yelled, "If the Boy Blunder would at least clue is in when he has a super smart genius plan, a lot of the stuff that happens wouldn't!"
Robin gritted his teeth. "Then stop acting like such a child!" He spat, "all you ever do is blame everything on me! What is your problem?"
Superboy folded his arms, "you act like you own the Watchtower! Like you can boss us around like your little servants! I'm sick of it, Bird Boy!"
Robin's fist slammed into Superboy's face, sending the Boy of Steel sprawling.
"And I'm sick of your attitude! I don't know why I even agreed to join this glorified mess! We don't work together; we have no training with working together, we might as well go our separate ways!"
Superboy stood and went to hit Robin, when Superman stepped between them. "Stop it, both of you!" the Man of Steel roared. "This is getting us nowhere!"
Robin growled. "Let's just get this mission over and done with so we can discuss this," he said with forced calm.
Superman nodded. "Let's find A.M.A.Z.O."
"No." Robin said, folding his arms over his chest and glaring. "I hate the sewers."
Batman raised an eyebrow. "And I hate being around Flash, it doesn't mean I don't have to."
"Hey!" Flash exclaimed.
Robin sighed, "Fine," he whined, "but you so owe me."
"I'll go with you," Supergirl said, "you might need backup."
Robin nodded and they headed for the nearest pipe.
Robin shined his torch around the walls of the sewer, Supergirl trudging through the green water beside him. "This is gross!" she exclaimed, "I'm going to need brand new sneakers and a four hour shower!"
Robin checked his watch. Four hours. Yep, he was officially dead.
"You have to be somewhere?" Supergirl asked.
Robin nodded. "I had a date, but I guess it's over now. She'll kill me."
Supergirl chuckled. "I had a date, too, I don't know what I'm going to tell him, though. He'll think I stood him up."
They laughed together. "Superheroes make the worst dates, don't they?" she said after a moment. Robin nodded. "Yeah, but you have to try, if the person you're dating is worth it."
"Robin, Supergirl, I think you'll want to see this."
Robin awoke in the Watchtower infirmary, his head bandaged and his vision fuzzy. He realised his mask was gone and panicked.
Then, someone pressed his mask to his face and he saw Batgirl standing over him. "A lens cracked, I stood guard while Batman put a new lens in."
Robin smiled and sat up. His head hurt, but that was it.
"How long?" he asked, and Batgirl ruffled his hair. "A couple of hours, A.M.A.Z.O. is gone. He…found out that Luthor was tricking him, then defeated Luthor and flew into space. Sophie called, I told her you had been held up at the Lab and that when you got home you were so exhausted you basically collapsed."
Robin nodded.
"Sophie!" Danny called as he walked into school. Sophie turned round and smiled at him. "Danny, I am so sorry for not being there…but you weren't there either, so I guess…"
Danny cupped her cheek and pulled her close. Their lips touched and Sophie melted in his arms.
"Saturday, seven o'clock, Luigi's." He growled, she nodded and kissed him again.