A/N) Thanks so much guys! Four whole reviews! And one exceptionally long one! Thanks a bunch I love them all. I hope my story continues to live up to your high expectations!
Have fun!
"You could have at least warned us kid." Ollie glared at the group of kids in front of him with several other League members.
Nightwing and the rest, mostly unknown kids, looked back, some confused, other sullen. Nightwing stony.
"Warn you for what." He said simply.
Ollie resisted the picture that flashed in his head. Dang, this kid was heading down Batman lane. He'd heard, but never actually saw, "Care to tell us what's the jist?"
"Ok, this is what we've gathered. Bane and Al Ghul are collaborating on something. We're not- sure what." Batgirl stood up, taking charge, ignoring Nightwing glare behind her, "We're looking into it, but these kids? I think they should be top priority right now." She turned towards the wavering, seemingly lost group.
"Right." Arrow nodded, "Come on GL let's get 'em figured out. The rest of you should let us know if-"
But the Bat clan kids were gone, including Zatanna and one of the new young people.
"Stupid bat trick." He muttered irritated.
"Come on Arrow, leave them be for now." Hal took his friends attention, "Besides, I'm sure they'll get plenty from Batman once he hears. Best to let them go off for now."
Oliver decided those kids knew more then they were telling. Dang it Bats! If you'd just give me some conscious space, I wouldn't have to be bothered by it. His thought ranted in curses as he absently helped Hal lead the young lost people into their jet.
Dick tapped away at the Bat computer, his mask off to the side, his blue eyes narrowed as he slipped in the disk. Talia may have tried to blacken everything, but this piece of info may prove to be useful. He hoped. He really, really hoped.
As he waited for the information to load onto the decryption files, his mind began to drift to the past 10 hours. He'd been proved right for quite a few things. Talia and her father were up to a genetics project, what they planned to do with it was anybody's guess. They were collaborating with Bane in attempt to bond his chemical serum with their Lazuras pit ooze. Trying to create something supernatural. Ok, fine, Dick figured that much. But what bothered him was that he didn't know what they were using their new found creation on. He hadn't seen any sign of test subjects.
Those new kids, they all looked weird enough, but none seemed out of place, well except that one girl, she looked lost. But according to Zatanna and Hawkgirl those kids were like them, they had their powers before they'd been taken by the Al Ghuls. They were prisoners, and what was either girls guess, they were there to be some kind of dummies, either for training or being used to train on.
Nightwing rubbed his eyes tiredly, Man, when was the last time he'd slept? He couldn't remember. He did this a lot. When something came up he threw all his body, and mind into it, just so he wouldn't have an unoccupied moment, because if he did he'd start thinking of other things. Things that plagued his mind and made him want to bury himself.
He knew hiding those feeling away wasn't the healthiest thing to do, but . . . facing them hurt just as much, if not more.
"Dick?"
And Barbara, there she was, oh god, Babs. She really had a puzzle to her. Why wouldn't she give up on him. Even after she'd get ticked off, she wouldn't drop him completely. Heck, he didn't deserve that. He knew that. But she gave it to him anyway.
"What?" It came out softer then he thought it would. Different then the usual harshness he'd adopted recently. More like himself. Maybe his body was finally ready to shut down. He'd do this until it did. It was normal now.
His gentler tone was not lost on her however and made her advance, "I-need to tell you what I found in there." Her voice lowered, unlike herself, unsure, and . . . scared?
Dick turned to look, curiosity and interest banished exhaustion for now, "What?"
She walked up to him, biting her lower lip. Dick remembered that was a sign of nervousness, she was usually only nervous when she had something really big on her mind.
"What they- that serum thing-it . . . what's your theory on it?" She was beating around the bush, he knew it.
With a slight sigh he decided it wasn't worth hiding anymore. Vaguely he wondered when he'd started hiding things from her, "It's some sort of super inducing serum I've figured so far. What I don't know is what their using it for." He ran a hand through his hair as if to push away clouding thoughts.
She looked even more afraid, "Oh God! Dick!" Before he could register what she was saying she grabbed him by the arm and pulled him to her.
He hadn't been this close to her in . . . forever. He'd forgotten how comfortable her structure fit against his, "Babs?" For moment he decided to let that ice on his face fall.
He was too tired. Fatigue was over whelming his senses. Her cherry blossom sent was soothing, her skin was soft. He wasn't listening. What was she saying? His eyes drooped.
"Dick!" Barbara's voice flicked through him suddenly. Like a needle in his brain.
"Huh? What?" He shook his head, note to self: Drink more caffeine.
"Dead bodies. Dick, they are experimenting on dead bodies." She swallowed hard.
Dicks mind flashed awake, "What? How . . . are you serious?" His lethargic brain kicked into panic mode, he subtly pushed Babs away and went back to his computer.
"Did you hear what I just said?" She snapped behind him, her sharp voice cutting into his thoughts.
"Yah, thanks Babs. You can go now." And the ice was back, thick.
He heard her gasp a little, attempt to say something, thought better of it, then her footsteps sounded, walking away and out of the Batcave.
Dead people? He scanned the net for anything that included selling of dead bodies, or dug up graves. Nothing. He growled out in frustration, why dead bodies? What good would a serum do on dead bodies? Unless- his fingers flew over the board, harder. Unless it wasn't a super power inducing thing. He'd read the molecular plan wrong maybe?
Dead bodies wouldn't be much use . . . unless- He refused to let himself believe. Al Ghul wasn't that insane? Was he? If he had been Batman, it probably would have made more sense. But he wasn't . . . at lest not yet.
His mind whirled. Beeping sounded off. The disk was finished downloading. Without giving it another thought. Dick flashed and clicked the file.
Names appeared one after the other. That wasn't what caught his attention. Without a breath he scrolled down quickly, next to every name was a red word that flashed "Negative"
Negative? Negative what?
He ran a copy search on the first name, "Nash Brawls." his whispered to himself. The computer opened a file on a man, he looked about forty, clean shaved and was wearing an army uniform. Dick gaped, this picture was from the 1900's. World war one. Nash was killed of fever at a base. He was a dead man.
Dead bodies. They are collecting dead bodies for experimenting on. Anger bubbled up in his chest, those monsters. He searched the next name. Dead.
The next, and next and next, all said dead.
He scrolled faster down the list of negatives.
Suddenly a slip of green caught his eye. He scrolled back up slowly. The word flashed a green 'positive' But that's not what brought his heart and mind crashing into the earth. The name that word was next to was . . .
Jason Peter Todd.
His baby brother.
The world began swimming in black. He forgot how to breath.
"So you have no name? No idea who you are or where you came from before Talia got her hands on you?" Tim sat across from the girl that Zatanna said Talia had thrown at them before they'd escaped.
She seemed scared, and unsure, lost to a point. Timmy didn't know why, but he found her interesting, that, and adorable. Her face was heart shaped, she had big dark eyes, that would probably sparkle if she smiled, a soft skinned features, dark hair that was cut short, it was shiny and black. She couldn't have been older than him.
Plus she needed help.
"Ok. Well, we can't just call you girl or something weird like that." He peeled off his mask showing his soft baby blues, secret identities meant nothing when this girl clearly had no recollection of anything. That and Batman wasn't here to admonish him for it. So it was ok, "Let's see. . . Did she call you anything?"
The girl seemed to scrunch her face up in thought, "Someone called me ANY31 . . . I don't know why or what that is but-"
"ANY31 . . .Well that's impersonal." Tim smiled softly at her. Then fell into contemplating on this.
"ANY . . .ANY, Ann - Anna - Ani . . . Annie? What do you think of Annie Blake?" He rhymed her last name with his. Well it wasn't his fault. He was really tired. Plus, he kind of liked the ring it had.
She looked at him for a moment, "Ok." She spoke soft, her voice didn't raise much. It was sort of soothing.
"Ok Annie. So, I'm Tim, I am thirteen years old and hate Shakespeare-" He realized by her fallen face she didn't understand, "Ok, never mind. My names Tim. Nice to meet you." He outstretched his hand.
She looked at it confused.
"Shake?" He said slowly.
She reached back, he took it gently and shook. Really he should have let go. But his thirteen year old boy self liked the way she felt. He wasn't one for crushes and stuff, never bothered with it. Maybe he just hadn't run into a girl interesting enough. Interesting and cute.
"Aw, that's cute and all Timmy but I think we need to hold up on this stuff." Zatanna came in from the kitchen, her face trying to maintain a small smile.
Barbara stalked in at that moment with an angry growl.
"Babs?" Zatanna looked at the red head worriedly.
"He's impossible!" She yelled out making Annie jump.
"Why?" Tim asked realizing he was still holding Annie's hand, he let it go slowly and turned his attention to the fuming red head.
"I was trying to tell him about what I saw and . . . he just turns away. I don't know how much more of this he's going to throw at us." Barbara growled out and threw herself onto the thick sofa, making Tim bounce in his seat.
"I don't think he realizes what he's doing to us Babs." He spoke out unsure.
Zatanna watched, sadness flashing across her blue eyes, she remembered when they had all been one team. Babs and Dick had been near inseparable. Now . . . so much has changed it barley seemed possible it had only been two years since Jason died. She bit her lip as a fuzzy image of a rough boy flashed in her mind. She hadn't gotten to know him well. Dad didn't let her volunteer for missions so much, over protective and all. She'd met him several times, but not enough to actually know him.
She knew one thing about him though, he had been severely interesting those few times she had talked to him. So unlike Dick in every way. Harsh, snappy, rough, and had no way with words what so ever. He was all physical, where Dick was emotional, he hit, where Dick talked.
But he did have some kind of charm to him that was all his own. She had seen it despite not knowing him well. After he'd died . . . she had felt sort of sick. Wishes to know the boy had crossed her mind. But one couldn't turn back time. Who'd be stupid enough to try.
A loud yell and crashing smash made them all jump.
Tim jumped up instantly, eyes wide, "That came from the Batcave."
Barbara reached for her beeping communicator. It had started the moment after the crash, "Let's check- Yah?" She said into her com.
"Where's Dick." Came a low fear inducing voice.
Babs almost squeaked out in shock, "Um, he's-downstairs, you wanna-"
"BABS!" Timmy came running back up the stairs of the cave. Barbara felt her body stiffen, tension pricked up her neck making her hair stand on end, Zatanna stood next to her, just as tense, both feared the worst as Timmy came bursting in with a horror stricken face.
He breathed hard, "Dick - He -he's gone. . ."
"What!" Came a loud terrifying voice from Barbara's hand.
Tim almost literally shrunk.
"I'll call you back Bat-"
"No! Where is he." Batman's thick voice commanded her silent.
"I- he was downstairs and-" She made her way down, Zatanna, Tim, Alfred, who had been brought by the noise, all marched down. An over turned chair, smashed glass, and blinking computer screen met their sight.
Barbara instantly ran to the computer and tapped vigorously. He's gone! He's gone. Oh God. Her mind repeated those words like a broken record. Her heart was beating faster with every click, she didn't know what to expects, or think. Everyone was silent.
"Hang on Batman I think I see what he was studying before he-" a loud gasp rushed from her throat, tears blurred her vision, "Oh my God." She whispered in horror.
"What. What was he looking at." Batman's voice cut her thoughts into pieces.
She shuddered, "What they were doing, experimenting on dead bodies, Bruce-" She whispered brokenly, her knees gave way, tears silently streamed down her face as she fell to the hard cold ground, "One of their test subject was - Jason Todd."
The silence was so thick Tim swore they would choke to death.