ISSUE 23:

Tim was worried about Ryan. Since they'd returned from Metropolis three days ago, Ryan had spent most of his time down in the Cave. Alfred had told him to just leave Ryan alone and go beat up some bad guys. For the past days Tim had gone out on patrol on his own, constantly worrying about Bruce's latest partner.

He'd finally had enough of not seeing what Ryan was doing down there. He went to the Grandfather clock, opened it and rode the elevator down to the cavern system below. He exited the pod and walked onto the metallic platform.

His eyes instantly moved across from the large computer screen which was covered in images of the Joker and Harley Quinn and then over to a work bench. Sparks flew from the work bench and Tim walked over to see Ryan wearing a pair of goggles, working on something which looked like Black Cloth.

"What are you doing?" Tim asked.

Ryan stopped what he was doing, removed the goggles and looked at the worried Tim. "Developing a new suit."

"And that?" Tim asked, pointing at the images of Joker and Harley Quinn.

"Bruce has handed me the task of being Gotham's protector, although I'm going by the alias The Batman, and if I am going to fill that role then I'm going to have to learn all about the Bat's rogue's gallery. I used to rely on Bruce for that information but now it's up to me to teach myself their tactics and psychotic tendencies."

"So you are going to do it," Tim smiled.

"Yes and this is going to be my new suit," Ryan grinned. He pulled off the goggles and clutched the black cloth. Suddenly it began to whir and he was left holding a dark grey metal belt. He clipped it around his waist and stepped away from the work bench and into full view.

He pushed the buckle topping to one side, revealing a slight button. He pressed it and slid the plate back into place. Suddenly his black t-shirt and jeans were covered in a black fabric. It moved like a liquid across his body and enveloped him completely.

The fabric settled on his body, metal plates began to appear out of nowhere, shift and aligned themselves on his body. Tim looked at the suit. It was a completely different look from the Bat's.

Ryan was dressed in a complete all in one black outfit. Metal plating was all around his chest, arms, legs, feet, shins; the black cloth was practically an under coating. The cowl and cape had gone was replaced. He had the pointy ears of the cowl but his face was completely covered, you could only see his eyes which were the bright white of the Bat. There were no obvious gloves, boots or utility belt. On his chest was the Bat symbol but it was a dark grey, different from Bruce's original insignia.

"That's different," Tim said, still taking in the suit.

"It's got fold up wings, pulse technology in the boots, imbedded computer controlled by voice which can be projected through speakers in the mask; if I switch it off you won't be able to hear me, as the mask covers my face and mouth, which is great for when I'm cursing after getting hit. Batarangs fire out of the wrists along with other gadgets and the forearm spikes also extend by voice," Ryan explained lengthily. "Deactivate." The suit rapidly undid itself and moved back into the belt. "It's also fingerprint locked meaning only I can use the suit."

"You've pretty much updated the suit with technology," Tim smiled.

"Yep," Ryan replied with a smile. "It also increases my strength and amplifies my hearing from all angles. It makes me a better Batman and I hope that this suit could be the difference between life and death; though I also hope I'm good enough to protect the people of Gotham without it."

"You've really stepped up to this," Tim smiled at him. "Bruce made the right choice."

"I always thought you'd take over the mantle," Ryan partially lied. "Since you were the second Robin."

"So you read the files," Tim smiled. "And actually I was the third."

"Really?"

"Yes, Bruce probably erased the records of the actual second Robin because he didn't want you seeing them," Tim smiled. "The second Robin, Jason Todd died, he was beaten and blow up by the Joker."

"Is that why Bruce hated the psychopath so much?"

"One of the many, many, many reasons," Tim replied. He looked at the pictures. "That guy isn't a criminal mastermind or a gangster he's just chaos personified. As Alfred once put it, he's one of those men who just want to watch the world burn."

"Then why didn't Bruce ever kill him?" Ryan asked. "Because surely he could tell the Joker was never going to quit?"

"He couldn't," Tim sighed. "He vowed never to kill or wield a gun. He has perfect precision and aim with the weapon but he despises them after the death of his parents. He said they were the weapons of cowards."

"And now Bruce's dead," Ryan sighed, reminding himself. "But I'll justify his death by continuing on the battle of the Bat, the Mantle of the Batman shall live on."

"Good, now let's go on patrol."

The Light had met once again, only over a video call. L-1 stared at his monitor, rubbing his chin.

"So you let the Kryptonian get away, the Amazonian get away and you let Superman kill Project Cadmus."

"Yes, I'm sorry," Luthor sighed. "But don't worry, I have a plan."

"I believe that's what you said last time," came a small child like voice.

"I know, I know," Lex sighed. "Just give me one more chance."

"I'm not sure," said a heavily accented woman.

"I got one thing right," Luthor told them. "The Bat has been killed by the Joker. That means Gotham city is wide open for the taking."

"We already have Gotham," L-1 told Luthor. "But at least now we don't have any resistance to us."

"Then you may live," the woman said.

"Thank you," Luthor said happily. "And don't worry about the Kryptonian, Superman, I think me and my scientists may have come up with a weakness for the alien."

"Good, good, Luthor," L-1 smiled to the screen.

AUTHOR'S NOTE:

I don't know about you guys but I honestly prefer seeing action in these stories. But alas we have to see some character and plot development, meaning that I have to write Chapters just like this one. The new Bat suit is like the suit worn by Terry McGinnis in Batman Beyond but the red has been swapped for grey.

Red Robin won't be around for long so be prepared for someone else to meet the 'Batman'. As always, a review or a favourite or a follow would be great. Stay tuned for the next Issue.