I don't own DC.

Chapter 7—

Eight bloody months of crawling for food and crawling back to the warehouse where it was safe and it left Richard itching to pull on the mask again. His bones needed to heal; he under stood that but he hadn't expected to wait five months until he could walk again and then he put himself through three months of strict training to get him back to the same standards, if not better. He was more agile of his feet, and while on his version of bed-rest had had become fluent in the languages he was studying and had taught himself how to hack computers when he'd…erm…liberated a computer from a drug dealer.

Now he bounced from foot to foot with anticipation to mean something to the city again—there was only so much he could do through hacking systems though. The Justice League database was an interesting read though, littered with every identity of its members. All he had to do was enter Queen_Emerald and after a whole month of trial and error on his password with only his identity to go off, it was satisfying to see everything spill out before him. The question was: did they know their computer had been rifled though? Moreover, had Batman found out who he was yet?

"You've been gone." The shadows questioned as they spat forth a Batman. "Out of the city or have you been having second thoughts about what danger you put yourself in?" He moved to watch the city from the rooftop where Boy Wonder had camped out to watch a drug haul.

"My first night back and you're warding me off, now, now, that's not very nice." He bit back without taking his eyes of the process going on below him.

Honestly, how had he not made the connection of Richard breaking his knees and running, somehow, away

Richard stood and pulled out a slingshot and an explosive capsule out; he aimed for the wheels of the truck. When two tyres were popped and the men were running for safety yelling 'the bat!' he took the chance to jump down to street level; he listened in jealousy as he heard the grapple gun whir into life. Calming himself of the anticipation that clouded his thoughts, he focused himself. Batman had taken three men out and was on a forth.

Time for fun, finally.

Boy Wonder ran, planting a hand on either shoulder of the closest men, he jumped up into a handstand, disorientating the man. Before he fell, two men ran up, one on either side of him, he did the splits and kicked both of them in the jaw simultaneously. Landing on his feet when the men he had jumped on collapsed, he gave a hard stamp to his solar plexus. A woman charged and Richard flipped over her and swiped her feet from under her, a quick blow to the nape knocked her out. Another man dropped when the vigilante landed a kick to his temple.

A woman in red and black charged, Richard span into a round house kick but the jester-dressed woman ducked. Richard narrowly missed a kit to the head with the massive hammer she wielded without afterthought.

Harley Quinn, he recognised her as they fought, punch, block and spin around her—an accomplice of…

"Joker!" The Batman's gravely voice rang out.

"Batsy! Wait, who's Harley playing with? Is that Trace? Hello, I'm the Joker and this is my lovely assistant. Say hello Harl. Oh, don't talk with your mouth full." He scolded and watched in distaste as Harley spat a tooth out.

'Trace' danced back from the blow he'd connected with a force even he was surprised with and risked a glance around; he saw the nine men he and Batman had taken out between them in only a minute without even breaking a sweat. Harley broke away from the fight and Trace turned to the truck and flung the clown painted doors open. There in the gloom of the vehicle, seven police men and women sat wrapped in ropes like a Christmas tree is wrapped in lights. Eyes widened when he opened the doors, fear and hope both sparkled within their irises. He ripped the masking tape from the Commissioner's mouth.

"You want to protect the city but you can't even protect yourself." He chuckled and released a police woman form her gag, she was quick to spit back a retort.

"Says the kid about to get himself killed."

"I'm not tied up in the back of a truck."

"Karolyn! It's Boy Wonder."

"Arghhh."

Trace already knew Harley was charging behind him but her battle cry only poured salt into her inevitable wound. Trace backed up a step and ran up the side of the truck, his momentum carrying the jump into a back-flip. Harley 's hammer hit the door where Boy Wonder had just been and it shook with the impact, meanwhile, the said hero landed lightly behind her. Before her surprise that a kid could jump so high vanished, he grabbed her head as he knocked her to her knees and smashed her head into the license plate.

"Wait here." Boy Wonder growled with no sign of the chuckling that had lit his face just a second before and stormed off.

"Not like we have a choice."

Batman was in hand-to-hand with Batman and Trace knew better than to barge in and get in their way. He looked over the warehouse area to see no one was about, only the few cohorts which were out cold. He set about tying them all up with the rope from the hostages with the help of the police officers. No one said a word but Karolyn kept glancing up to the boy then looking away.

When only the Joker remained, Trace scrambled up to see the clown had the Batman pinned with his infamous knife pressed to the hero's mouth. He had never drawn his slingshot so fast in his life but he had already fired the gas pellet before he could blink. It hit the Joker in the eyes and he recoiled, giving Batman the chance and space to flip the over and finish the fight with his own knockout gas.

Five minutes later, back-up police cars had all arrived and the unconscious criminals were carted off and Harley was taken to the hospital to get stitches. Ten the hostages were sent home, not before the Commissioner thanked the Boy Wonder and nodded to Batman. Watching the lights fade to blackness and the sirens die down to the low hum that was natural for the city, the two vigilantes stood in silence.

"I've been thinking…" They both said at once.

"Go on." Boy Wonder arched a hidden eyebrow at the Batman, urging him to continue.

"You've improved. I don't know where you've gone but it's done well for you. That, all in all, took three maybe four minutes. That's a record speed for fighting the Joker. Not a life was lost and only Harley was seriously hurt, but even that's only stitches."

"Maybe you need a sidekick."

"Maybe."

Trace hadn't expected that answer, "One like Kid Flash, naïve and rash. It should be someone terrible to put you talents in perspective for everyone else."

"I can't afford the methods Flash takes. Gotham is a darker city; I need a smart person, quick, sharp and able, and someone who thinks just like me, in sync with me."

He meant him, he knew and Batman knew he knew but he wasn't going to make it easier for him, he had to buy time to actually consider it first. "Good luck, anyone as smart as you say would've left long before now with no thought to crime-fighting."

"I guess, what were you thinking about?"

"Getting a cape, what do you think?" He didn't answer. "No, seriousy. You were right this didn't take long. After studying the Joker for these past months, he likes to make a noise; he likes to put you on the spot, make you chose, make you hate yourself. His main aim is wearing away your insanity but tonight he couldn't have known you would be here. You only patrol the East side of Gotham at this time of night, if at all. This is my turf."

"The cape? Knock yourself out but the Joker, well I know what you mean and that's been nagging me too. I've been thinking he's been planning something after breaking out of Arkham last month he would have acted by now. He's had me in apprehension."

"Same here." He muttered. "What were the hostages for though? Are they needed in his plan? Are they baiting you for a trap? Were they just snooping round and got caught and thrown out the way?"

"Joker said he had 'big places to be and big parties to crash', are you thinking what I'm thinking?"

"The Wayne charity gala Tuesday night is at Bruce Wayne's manor. He's a big target in Gotham if the aim is money or…"

"Publicity, he wants Batman to show."

"How are you going to do that when Bruce is hosting?" Boy Wonder asked, testing the waters for the identity thing—he had no intention of keeping the fact he knew to himself, although he could have fun a bit.

"He sponsors the League; I can notify him."

"They could send Wonder Woman or someone to guard Mr. Wayne, since you know, if Brucie can't fend off the women then what hope has the pathetic sod." He tensed at the mention of 'Brucie' and shifted uncomfortably as he continued. "And it would be such a grievance to Gotham if the playboy's ego got him killed. He does a lot for so many charities; he almost makes you feel there's hope for this city after all." He paused, "No, actually send Superman to guard him, I nearly sent Wonder Woman to hell then."

"You've done research on Bruce Wayne?"

"I've done a lot of snooping around. You'd be proud of me if you saw what I found out." He responded, a dangerous undertone in his voice sending alarm bells ringing in Batman's head, with any hope he ignored them since it would be such a shame to end his fun there.

"We could snoop around the Joker a bit more, I'm sure I could pull up the list of those invited to the gala."

Trace glanced at the elder man, "What do you mean by 'we', am I the sidekick you've been looking for?"

"Call it a partnership, what more could I really teach you? I won't ask for an identity, Trace, but how about a place to meet? Tomorrow at sundown."

"How about we meet on the roof of the building opposite the police department where we first spoke a year and a half ago? It has been that long, hasn't it?"

"Oh yes, fighting the Riddler, and your first public appearance. The video feed from the police station was uploaded to Youtube and leaked into the press."

"Kid Flash as well, oh so tell me, how long did it take for the pen to come off? Tell me he was embarrassed."

"A few days; he was showing it to every League member as if it was a solid gold trophy and to him it was."

"Whatever, the roof opposite, okay?"

"Why do you hate Kid Flash? You've only met him once, yeah he was annoying but he wants to see you again you know? He says…"

"I know what he said, I saw your League's hey we endanger kids now show, he said 'I would like to right the wrong impression' well I can't stand him."

"Why not, there's something about the way he acts, not what he said, that you hate, something basic yet…"

"I hate how he can be so carefree and happy when I'm ready to kill myself each night. Okay?"

He shook his head as it buzzed from all his walls breaking down around him, the ones he works so hard to put up each night for the sake of being Trace. He breathed deeply and shut down all emotions as they tried to consume him, he battled himself for a second then he saw Batman's lips moved. He tried to work out what Batman had said but gave up and just turned on his heel and left.

I'm writing the next chapter as I upload this.