A/N: After weeks of interruptions, illnesses, and other crises, plus having to handle a succubus determined to take Tim's life force, the Bat Family finally gets a vacation, to the Bahamas, but is it the trip of their dreams? Warning some chapters contain explicit mature themes!
Serpent in Paradise
Part 31
"Where are you taking me," Tim demanded. He was in nothing but his pajama bottoms and boxers.
"Metropolis, no thanks to you," Devlin was driving. "I had to do some pretty slick talking to keep out of jail, but that's not going to stop me from having Wayne hand over his entire fortune to me. You're going to make that happen or your family won't be seeing you alive, again. Your disappearance will keep them on their toes; a sighting here, a sighting there. Are you alive or aren't you. I can make this cat and mouse game last for months. In the mean time, you're still going to get me those fortunes or I'll start cutting off what isn't valuable."
Tim glared at Devlin, even though his bravado escaped him. He thought how only Alfred saw him leave. 'All Alfred saw was a police officer take me away in handcuffs. By the time they realize the truth . . . Oh boy . . . Now I wish I had cried out . . . because I'm in one hell of a nightmare.'
DBDBDBDBDBDBDB
Dick had fallen asleep on Barbara's couch. He came over to her place hoping to calm down, but not even Babs could cool his temper. Instead he wore himself out after yelling his head off. He woke up feeling guilty for yelling at Tim. He decided to head back to the Manor and apologize for acting the way he did. 'I'm just being a concerned brother, but Tim really should have been more careful. It's not all his fault. I should talk to Samantha as well.' When Dick returned to the Manor he went upstairs and knocked on Tim's door. He opened it to find that Tim wasn't there. Where did he go? He checked Tim's bathroom, but it was empty. He left Tim's room and was going to check in Samantha's room when he saw Alfred coming out of Bruce's room. "Al, where's Timmy at?"
"The police came. They arrested him. I went to find Master Bruce. He wasn't in his room. I should have known that Master Bruce had gone to Wayne Enterprises to take care of some business."
"What? What do you mean Tim was arrested?"
"That's just it Master Richard, a police officer came to the door and requested to see Master Timothy."
Dick went into his room and grabbed his laptop. He opened it and logged remotely into the bat computer then into the police booking area to check on who was being brought in. "Alfred, Tim's name isn't anywhere on the list. Who was the officer who came and arrested him?"
"I . . . I don't know . . . He never mentioned his name."
"They can't do that. Did they even have a warrant for his arrest? And what did they arrest him for?" Dick was panicking. Did he even show a badge?"
"No. The officer did not. The officer said it was for embezzling. He was taken straight out to the squad car. I do remember seeing a second officer sitting in the car when I let in the first. I just assumed they came to ask Master Timothy some questions."
"We need to get a hold of Bruce. I don't think they were officers. Does Bruce still have surveillance in front of the manor?" Dick asked. 'If Tim's in trouble I'm going to feel bad enough. I was so pissed at him that I blocked everything out.'
"Yes of course. We can check the cameras down in the cave. Master Bruce may be down there if he returned from Wayne Enterprises without my knowledge."
Alfred and Dick quickly made their way down to the cave. The family butler was right, Bruce had returned and he was there typing away at the computer.
"Bruce!" Dick cried out. He leapt clearing the last four steps and landed in a crouch. He dashed toward the bat computer.
"Dick? What's the matter?"
"Check the surveillance cameras, please. Tim was taken by a couple of officers, but I know they can't be cops."
Hearing the urgency in Dick's voice. Bruce typed in a sequence numbers and brought up the cameras around the Manor. "Do you know approximately what time?"
Dick looked at Alfred.
"Not more than 40 minutes ago."
"Why didn't you call down immediately? They could be anywhere by now."
"I did not realize until five minutes ago that Master Timothy was in any danger."
"Can you see if you can get the license plate on the car?" Dick asked.
Bruce checked, but the angle was wrong. The camera was set to see who was coming to the door, not the license plate of the car. And the gate's cameras weren't any better. "I'm sorry Dick, that camera doesn't show it and the gate camera is pointed downward on the keypad."
Dick hit an old standard file cabinet. "DAMMIT!"
TDTDTDTDTD
Tim watched as the miles sped by and Devlin drove to a small airfield somewhere outside of Gotham. Once there, Tim was taken by the arm and boarded onto a small private jet. He was forcibly placed in a seat. Tim could feel blood running down his leg. His stitches had been torn. Tim really feared this time Devlin would use less pleasant ways to persuade him to do his bidding. He may not see his family ever again.
"Devlin . . . The kid is bleeding."
"What?" Devlin examined the Wayne kid. He had a gunshot wound to the left hip. "How did this happen? Never mind. Get him patched up. I don't want my meal ticket bleeding to death. I'll tell the pilot to take off."
DTDTDTDTDTDT
"Someone took Tim, we have to go after them!" Dick was starting to panic. 'Breath, you're Nightwing for god's sake.'
"Calm yourself Dick, there's not much we can do right now. If the objective is kidnapping we should hear from the kidnapper soon." Bruce went back to checking the cameras to determine which direction the car might have been heading. 'And if not, Tim will find a way to let us know where he is.'
DTDTDTDTDTDT
Tim could feel the jet taking off, taking him from his family. The guard hovered over him then laid Tim on the floor. He pulled down his pajama pants to get at the gunshot wound. He was trying to repair the sutures, but he wasn't Alfred. " . . . Dad . . . Owwww . . . I want my Dad . . ." From the rough treatment and all the excitement Tim could feel his temperature rising.
"Sorry kid, your Dad's not here."
"Patch a line into Wayne's phone," Devlin stated. "It's time I make my demands."
"Why are you doing this?"
"Wayne has beat me at every business dealing I've tried to get my hands on legally. It's high time I beat him at something. You have that phone line?"
"Coming right up."
Tim could tell the guard didn't do a good job repairing his stitches. He was still bleeding, but not as much as before.
"Here, Mr. Devlin," The guard handed the receiver to his boss. "The phone is all set up. You've been patched into Mr. Wayne's personal line."
"Wayne residents." Alfred answered the black phone on the desk in the cave. It was hooked into the main line of the Manor.
"Let me speak to Wayne."
"Whom shall I say is calling?"
"Doesn't matter. The fact I have his kid does."
"Master Timothy, Master Bruce . . . The phone . . . It's the kidnapper."
"Record it and put it on speaker."
Alfred pressed a button and placed the receiver in a special cradle. It would also trace the call. Dick went over to listen in.
"You listening Wayne?"
"I'm listening. Let me speak to Tim."
"Sorry, Timmy boy is a bit occupied right now. You want to see your kid alive again, then you will do as I say," Devlin stated coldly. "You will transfer all funds from your personal account into a Swiss Bank account. I will provide you with the number. If you don't do that I might decide to return Timmy boy to Earth, permanently. Though I still have use for him. For now so long as you cooperate, Timmy boy lives to see another sunrise."
Dick let out a small growl.
Bruce ignored it. "How do I know he's still alive?"
"Listen for yourself . . . Answer kid." Devlin held out the receiver.
"Dad . . . Don't do it . . .Owwwww."
The guard kicked Tim in the ribs.
"TIM!" Bruce cried out.
"You believe I have him?"
"You bastard!"
"I will contact you tomorrow and give you the number of the account until then, Goodnight Mr. Wayne."
Bruce heard the phone go dead.
"Please tell me we can retrace that call," Dick said, his voice betraying how pissed he felt.
"Alfred, did you get a trace?"
"I'm afraid not Master Bruce. He is nowhere in Gotham. I could not get a fix on the signal. There was also too much background noise, like the drone of an engine."
Bruce looked at Dick and he could see the pissed look in his face. "Dick, have Alfred look at your leg."
Alfred headed over to the medical bay. "Come Master Richard."
'There is no way Dick will be left behind on this one,' Bruce thought. 'Something happened and Dick is kicking himself for it. I know Alfred would object, but if Dick didn't do this, he would never forgive me or himself if something happened to Tim.'
Dick walked over to the med bay to let Alfred look at his leg. He was restless. 'I want my brother home. I want to apologize. I need to before . . . No, I'm not going to think like that. I'm going to bring Tim home.'
"Master Bruce, Master Richard's leg isn't healed enough. The cast needs to be on for two more weeks.
"He can wear a brace. I need him Alfred."
"Alfred I have...no I need to go," Dick pleaded with the butler.
"We do not even know where Master Timothy is."
"Yes, we do." Bruce was typing on the computer. An image of a small jet appeared on the screen. "He's on a private jet bound for metropolis."
"How do you know and why Metropolis?" Dick asked.
"There's a small jet registered in Nathan Devlin's name and it is kept at a small airfield outside Brentwood. Devlin knows if he stayed in Gotham, Batman would be on him quickly. By leaving town, he makes it much harder to trace."
"Damn it," Dick grumbled.
"He wants to keep us off balance."
Dick sighed heavily. "What are we to do?"
Bruce moved to the changing area. "Go to Metropolis. Unless you want Clark to handle it."
"Alright."
"Alfred, remove the cast and provide Dick with a brace. Then suit up Nightwing. I'll prepare the jet."
Dick was excited to get back into the field, hurt leg or not. He made a promise to bring Tim home and he was going to keep it.
DTDTDTDTD
"We should be in Metropolis in two hours," Devlin stated. "Get the boy ready."
"The kid's running a fever."
"That's not my concern," Devlin sneered. "I want him functioning enough to hack into those accounts."
"You don't intend to give Wayne that account number."
"Oh he'll get a number, just not my number. I don't want him giving it to Batman to be traced."
"A fake one. You intend to get the boy to transfer the money. How will you get the boy to do that?"
Devlin moved over to where Tim Wayne lay. He could see that the boy's pajama pants were soaked with blood. The wound gave him an idea. He pulled down on Tim's pajama pants exposing the poorly sutured wound. He pressed his finger into the wound.
"Aaaaaaggghhhh!" Tim's mind cried out. /Samantha!/
Devlin smirked when he saw blood seep up through the wound and around his finger.
TDTDTDTDTDTD
Samantha was watching Sasha try on wedding dresses when she sensed something was wrong. This uncomfortable feeling started to fill deep inside her. 'What...what is this?' The feelings weren't hers. They were centered around another. She tried to focus and an image came to her mind. 'Tim? Am I sensing that he was in trouble?' Samantha could feel his Aura calling out to her. /Tim . . .Tim . . . / Samantha called with her mind. 'I can't...I can't reach him. He's calling out to me strongly, but from where?'
"Samantha, are you all right?" Sasha approached. "You have this far away look on your face."
'No . . . no,' Samantha started to panic. 'His Aura . . .' Samantha turned toward Sasha. "I . . . We . . . he needs me."
"Who needs you?" Sasha asked.
"Tim . . . he's in pain," Samantha held out her hand as it started to glow a bit. It wasn't my aura. It was Tim's. "I need to find him."
"Samantha, Tim is at home. Can't it wait? I just decided which dress I want to buy."
"No, it can't wait." Samantha could see there was a trace of another aura, an angry one. "He's not at home. Tim's gone."
"Are you sure?" Sasha asked.
"I'm positive."
"Not that I don't believe you," Sasha pulled out her phone and dialed the Manor. "Alfred can you tell me where Tim is right now?"
"Master Timothy has been taken by Mr. Nathan Devlin. Masters Bruce and Richard have gone after him."
"Are you sure it was Devlin who took him?" Sasha's face paled. Samantha was right. She looked over at Samantha and saw that her face paled when she heard the name.
'No...no...he couldn't have taken him...this chapter of my life was suppose to close.'
"Do you know where?"
"Metropolis," Alfred answered.
"We're coming home." Sasha hung up the phone. "Devlin's taken Tim to Metropolis."
'Metropolis . . . How was I able to feel him?'
Sasha went to change out of her chosen wedding dress. She handed it to the attendant. "Place this on the Wayne account and send it to Wayne Manor." She then rushed out of the shop with Samantha in tow. She climbed in the car while Samantha climbed into the passenger seat. Sasha watched as Samantha went into a trance like state, her eyes unfocused and she had that far away look on her face again.
STSTSTSTSTS
'Have to control the pain. Use my meditation techniques,' But it wasn't working as well in Tim's weakened state. The blood loss didn't help.
Samantha tried to reach out for Tim. She needed to feel if he was okay. /Tim/
Tim could sense someone, a presence in his mind. "Samantha?"
Samantha could feel him. /Are you okay?/
"Sounds like the kid is delirious. He's calling for that whore you had."
"Forget about her," Devlin commanded. "I should have killed her when I had the chance."
'She's in my mind, how?' Tim questioned at first then dismissed it. She couldn't be, but even if she was, it was at least someone to talk to, even if he was going crazy or delirious with fever. / . . . No . . . Weakening . . . Wants me to steal Bruce's. Fortune . . ./
/Do you know where you are? I can feel two other people are with you./
/. . . Plane . . ./ Tim stated.
"Sasha, Tim's on a plane," Samantha stated to the woman driving. /Baby, I need you to keep in contact with me. Do you think you can do that?/
/I think . . . I can . . . Feeling sleepy/
/No . . . You know you can./ Samantha forced her thoughts to concentrate.
Tim tried to reach for her. He could sense a glow reaching toward her. Her aura? How was this possible? He could sense a deep connection. It felt familiar somehow and he latched onto it despite the distance. /What about you?/
/I'm here...did...did Devlin hurt you? I can sense a hint of his aura on you./
/He . . . He pressed on . . . My wound . . . Stitches were torn . . . They repaired them . . . Badly . . . Blood seeping . . . . Infection . . . Tell Bruce. . . Tired./
/I'm almost home...I will...I miss you...I need you here...don't you dare die on me./
Tim was slipping into unconsciousness. /Tell Dick . . . I'm sorry . . . ./ Blackness surrounded his mind.
/Tim...TIM!/ Samantha screamed through the link she established. 'Oh no . . . his aura faded out.' She feared it meant only one thing. That Tim was dead.
Continues with Part 32