After three months of hard training, Bruce finally decided that it was time to give Tim a field test. He'd had Alfred make a new Robin costume; it was very similar to Jason's old costume, but tailored to fit Tim's tiny frame. Tim was ecstatic to receive his costume; he took it as a symbol that officially made him Robin, despite Bruce's repeated warnings that his first night was just a test, and that nothing was finalized yet.

Tim stared at his reflection in the mirror for about half an hour before Bruce finally ordered him to hurry up and get into the Batmobile. As soon as Tim leapt into the passenger seat, Batman closed the roof, and they began the patrol.

After about half an hour and no sign of trouble, Batman pulled over and flipped over the hidden video screen. He used it's touch interface to enter a passcode, and then connected to the Watchtower.

Tim didn't recognize the face that appeared on the screen. He could hardly be blamed, as it seemed to be completely featureless, in a rather literal sense. Tim couldn't make out eyes, nose or a mouth. From what he could see, the stranger seemed to be wearing a blue fedora, and a matching trench coat.

"Batman." The mysterious figure began in a remarkably calm voice. "I must say... I was very surprised when you contacted me."

"I need some information, and I think that you might be able to help me find it."

"I would certainly hope so."

"I trust that you've looked at the photos that I sent?"

"Yes... And they are most intriguing. Have you considered the possibility of an Annunaki uprising?"

Batman stared at the screen blankly. The Question sighed. "Of course not. It's a well known fact among conspiracy theorists (Batman rolled his eyes at the irony of the statement) that the world's governments are all controlled by an ancient race called the Annukaki. They have mostly reptilian qualities, but most modern Annukaki have bred with the human race, granting them the ability to shapeshift into a humanoid form once they've consumed human blood. They can then take power. This is the reason that royal families inbreed traditionally; it helps them to preserve their Annukaki bloodline, and keeps power within their families."

Batman bit his tongue; it took all of his discipline (and that's saying something) to keep himself from falling over in laughter. Once he thought he could trust himself to open his mouth without laughing, he spoke. "... And you believe this 'theory?"

"Why not?"

"Because it makes no sense at all. And you have no proof whatsoever."

"Unless you count the picture that you've provided me with."

"Right... Let me get this straight. You think that that monster was an ancient monster that has dwelled among people for years..."

"It would appear so."

"Right... Thanks."

"Of course. It's what I do."

Batman shut the screen down and slumped in his seat. It seemed that every time he tried to get information from somebody, his attempts backfired to make new mysteries. Everywhere that he turned for answers only made these mysteries more confusing.

Tim looked back and forth between Batman and the monitor for a moment in stunned silence. "... Who the hell was that?"

"Some nut."

"Is he another superhero?"

"You could say that. I wouldn't."

"Is he crazy?"

"Your guess is as good as mine."

Batman flipped on the police scanner. The dynamic duo listened in silence for a moment. Tim could barely understand what they were saying between the static and the jargon, but Batman seemed to have no trouble. After apparently hearing something he liked, he flicked the radio off and started driving again.

They stoppedin an alleyway a short distance away from a small convenience store. There were squad cars surrounding the building, and several police officers in the parking lot. Tim looked at Batman curiously. "What's going on?"

"Armed robbery. Evidently, the guy didn't get away fast enough, and now he's trying to threaten to kill hostages, but he doesn't have the spine. The Police could have it wrapped up in no time. Normally, I wouldn't even bother with this kind of thing."

"We're going in there?"

"No."

"What? Then why are we here?"

"You are going in there."

Tim wasn't sure how to react. On one hand, Bruce was trusting him to go in alone, but then again, he wasn't sure that he could handle the pressure just yet.

"That guy has a gun."

"Yes. Yes he does. You'd better get used to that."

Tim braced himself, and prepared to exit the Batmobile, before he was stopped by Batman.

"One more thing; you can't let anybody see you."

"Are you serious? How am I supposed to do that?"

"Find a way."

Tim grumbled something unintelligible as he left the car. He scaled the fire escape of a nearby building to get a better view of the scene. The first obstacle would be to get through the police line. If he could get across, then he would have to deal with finding a way in that was unguarded. Then he would have to find a way to deal with the criminal. As he thought it through, he realized that it would be nearly impossible for him, especially in his flamboyant costume. He thought for a moment, before grinning to himself. He could see the man in the window, holding a gun to a cowering employee's head.

Tim reached into his belt, and pulled out a batarang. He unfolded it, and carefully took aim. He recalled all his training and threw.

The Batarang landed in the very center of the parking lot, it's blade sticking into the tar. The officers looked for the source, but couldn't find it. Tim saw the thieve stare at the batarang in terror for a moment before dropping his gun in surrender.

"Occam's Razor... Impressive."

Tim jumped in shock. He whirled around to see Batman standing no more than three feet behind him.

"Occwhat?"

"Occam's Razor. The simplest solution is the best. Most people would have tried to charge into the building and hoped for the best."

"Right. Thanks..."

"Congratulations... Robin."

Author's note: Well... I'm pretty sure that this has been the longest break between chapters since I started writing here. I'm sorry, my circumstances aren't ideal for writing right now. Between writer's block and school, I'm having a bit of trouble with motivation. I've got a long weekend coming up starting tomorrow, so I should be able to start working through the writer's block after school tomorrow.

On the other hand... I have a bit of a surprise for you guys. I've registered with a site called Wallwisher- check it out. Once you get to the homepage, copy and paste "/wall/HeroesandCons" to the end of the browser address, and that will take you to a board that I've created for the story. This should make it easier to communicate and respond to people's questions and feedback, especially for those of you who don't have accounts here at . Wall Wisher requires no sign in, so anybody can try it out. So head on over there.

Side note for cajun strong man 2: Unfortunately for Tony, it doesn't seem likely. What with the Amazon's tendency to never leave Themyscira, and Tony's well-deserved reputation as a mysoginistic playboy, it doesn't seem like there's much of a chance that he'll get an Amazon. But then again, stranger things have happened.