With a forceful shove, the hooligan was forced into the cell. He turned around and glared at the red-clad boy standing on the other side of the bars, holding the cell door.
"You must really think you're hot shit, huh?" he snarled.
"Yup," Robin replied before slamming the door. He turned and made his way out of the GCPD. He passed an officer who was writing a form at a chipped wooden desk. "Thanks, Robin. That's one less we have to worry about," she said.
"Hey, don't mention it," Robin responded with a dismissive wave of his hand. He was about to pass through the exit when the officer called out again.
"Oh, hold on." Robin stopped, his hand still on the door. "We received a report from Blackgate an hour ago: the Riddler's got out. He's, uh, he's probably around Gotham somewhere.
"Perfect," Robin sighed. "I'll tell the big man, and we'll get to it." He pushed through the door before the officer could respond. Out in front of the police department was a large black vehicle. Robin hopped up into the Batmobile's passenger seat. The seat was less like that in a car and more like that in a fighter jet, in that it was located behind the driver.
"Any updates?" Batman asked as soon as Robin took his seat.
"Well, Nygma's out and about again," Robin said, flicking a stray speck of dirt off of his shoulder. "The security at Blackgate can't do their jobs for shit. Otherwise these criminals wouldn't be popping back out like this."
"They're doing their best," Batman countered.
"Their 'best' keeps putting lives in danger, and keeps our hands full," Robin replied. "Honestly, it feels like we're not even making a difference when we throw them in prison. What's the point?"
"We're making sure they face justice under the law."
"The law? Its form of justice isn't doing enough! These criminals deserve far worse!" Robin drew in a sharp breath. He knew Bruce hated this kind of talk. "Okay, okay. Forget it. So what's next?" He felt the Batmobile roar to life. His back pressed against the seat as the vehicle sped forward.
"I've got a lead on Dent's whereabouts. He's holding a meeting in the penthouse of the Duvale," Batman explained as he steered the Batmobile under an abandoned bridge.
"I always figured that place was shady. So what's the meeting about?"
"Not sure. But expect the place to be heavily guarded. Dent doesn't like visitors."
"They never do."
It had been nearly three weeks, and they had seen neither hide nor hair of their little thief. That didn't mean that the two hadn't been busy. Gotham was filled to the brim with full-time criminals, so crime never slept. At least today, they might be able to take out Two Face. With him behind bars, a significant blow would be dealt to the city's crime rate… well, at least until his next breakout.
It was then that Robin felt the Batmobile skid to a stop. "This is as far as I'm taking the Batmobile," he heard Bruce say over the intercom. "We'll have to travel to the Duvale by foot. Dent won't see us coming that way."
"Not that his eyesight is the best, anyway," Robin replied as they hopped out of the vehicle. "You think he can see out of that eye? The screwed up one?"
"Yes," Batman replied. "When we get to the Duvale, find a way up to the penthouse from the outside of the building. I'll work my way up through the floors."
What could be worse? Having to deal with floors and floors of armed guards, or scaling up the side of a building with hundreds of feet between you and the ground? Robin nodded. "Sounds good," he replied. Then, he raised an arm and shot out his grapple. It pulled him onto the rooftop of a nearby building. As he flew up, he caught his reflection in the building's large, reflective windows. Damn, that uniform looked good on him.
Perched on the edge of the roof, Robin spied the Duvale. Its height, and its flashy, urbanized look made it stand out. But then again, everything in this sector of Gotham reeked of money. And like flies to exposed meat, crime bosses flocked here.
There was no time to reflect. Robin shot out his grapple once more and latched onto another building. As he traversed the rooftops, his earpiece crackled to life.
"Robin, I've managed to hack into one of the phones in the penthouse. It'll be able to pick up and transmit any sound near it. We'll be able to listen in on this meeting," Batman said. Immediately after, Robin could hear the sounds from the hacked phone. In it, Two Face was having a conversation with someone.
"—How someone like you can get your hands on money like this? Indulge me, darling. I'm just curious," Two Face said. The audio was quite fuzzy and faint.
"I sell tech," a voice replied. Robin dropped from his glide onto a building that was right next to the Duvale. He looked up with surprise at the penthouse above him.
"Batman, that voice!" he exclaimed.
"What is it?"
"That's her. The thief."
There was a pause. "Are you sure?" Batman replied.
"Completely! I heard her talk that night; it's definitely her!" Robin grappled onto one of the Duvale's balconies and climbed onto it. He stood on the railing and grabbed a window ledge, quickly climbing up the building's side.
"Now we know why she stole from us," Batman said. Then, Two Face began talking again.
"You? You sell tech? What kind, exactly?"
"I take things, dismantle them, and build schematics based off of them," the girl's voice replied. She was sounding a little impatient.
"Is that right? I don't suppose you built that suit yourself?" The question was met by silence. "You know, you remind me of that Batgirl. Except you're not goody two-shoes. No, you're not afraid to get your hands dirty." There was a clinking noise, most likely Two Face's coin. "So I suppose you're here about those files, aren't you?" Files? What were they talking about?
"That's what I'm paying you for," the girl replied.
Suddenly there was a slam of someone hitting a desk. "Let's get one thing straight here!" Two Face roared. Robin flinched at the sudden volume change. "You don't talk to me like I'm some kind of stinking mercenary filth, all right? You're in my domain, in my presence, so you'll show a little respect. Or…" There was a pink pink pink as Two Face tapped his coin on the desk. "… Something in your fate might go a little awry."
There was a heavy lull. "So I take it we don't have a deal?"
"Now what makes you think that?" Two Face asked, his voice eerily pleasant. "You've come here with good money. And I have no use for the files anyway; they're encrypted as hell."
Intrigued by the conversation, Robin forgot to pay attention to where he placed his hand next. He reached out and took hold of a stray glass cup that had been placed on a balcony's ledge. He quickly caught himself with a hand, but the cup wobbled over the edge and fell. Robin cringed as he watched it topple through the air before smashing on the balcony below him. Then he saw the door to that balcony open.
Urgently, Robin scrambled up and over the ledge. As he landed on his feet, he suddenly looked to the glass door beside him. Behind it, returning his gaze was one of Two Face's henchmen, still frozen with shock.
Oh shit.
The henchmen's hand flew to his ear. Robin saw him yelling out a few words into his mouthpiece. Without a second thought, Robin charged forward and crashed through the glass door. As shards exploded in the air, he felt himself collide with the henchman. They both hit the ground. Quickly, Robin slammed his fist against the man's head, knocking him out. He raised his head and looked around. Luckily, the rest of the floor was empty. But the damage had already been done.
"Sir, Robin's just been spotted on the 14th floor!" he heard someone say through the hacked phone.
"What?" Two Face snapped. There was a huge rustling of movement. Heavy shuffling, and then the thud of a punch sounded. The girl cried out.
"If you think about going invisible again, I'll have my men light you up," Two Face snarled. "You conniving little bitch. I should have known you're working with the Bat." Robin looked up at the ceiling, feeling the dark anticipation of what he knew was going to happen next. The penthouse was still several stories up; he'd never make it in time!
"There he is!" Robin heard someone shout. He whirled around and saw a man with a gun pointed towards him. Before he could do anything, a dark shadow appeared behind the man. Two arms wrapped around the man's head and neck, yanking him back. The man struggled, but was quickly knocked out by a blow to the head.
Batman dropped the unconscious man. "Two Face is liable to kill her," he stated. "Get up to the penthouse. Fast." Robin raced back out onto the balcony and jumped up onto the next floor. Despite the urgent matter at hand, he couldn't help but feel a little guilty. No doubt Bruce was going to drill him later for this.
"I was thinking about putting a bullet between your eyes," he heard Two Face say. "But then again, I'll let chance decide. Heads, I put a piece of lead in yours. Tails, you get to leave here." There was a soft sound as Two Face flipped his coin. The following few seconds were met with tense silence. "Well would you look at that," he mused. "Show her out of the building. But, ah, give her a little detour."
All of a sudden, there was a loud crash over his head. Robin looked up. He saw the sunlight being reflected off of the hundreds of shattered window shards, and a silver figure flying out the building amongst them. As he watched, she seemed to be falling in slow motion. Or maybe that was due to the huge amount of adrenaline coursing through him.
Robin scanned the area around him and did a few quick estimations. Then he shot his grapple out onto a neighboring building. The grapple's cord grew taut. He took a running leap off of the balcony and was pulled speedily through the air. As he flew, he reached out with an arm and caught the girl from her fall. The grapple pulled the both of them up the rest of the way to the rooftop. As Robin lifted her onto the roof, the girl's legs suddenly buckled. Instinctively, she reached out and wrapped an arm around his shoulders.
"Hey!" he cried out, tightening his hold around her waist. "You okay?"
The girl pulled away from him and collapsed heavily onto the ground. She reached up and pulled her helmet off. Then she sat back, taking deep, shaky breaths. Robin found himself staring at her and the dark gold hair that spilled over her shoulders.
Whoa.
The girl coughed and leaned forward, resting her arms on her knees. Then, she climbed slowly to her feet. Placing the helmet back over her head, she turned to leave.
"You're welcome, you know," Robin called out.
The girl turned her head slightly to the side. "It's your fault I couldn't get out of there in the first place," she retaliated.
"Yeah?"
"Yeah." She turned to face him. "I couldn't phase because you took my suit's charger." With an annoyed sigh, she lowered her head. "Fuck this place. I'm out." She began to walk away.
"Do you want your disk thing back or not?" Robin asked. The girl stopped. "Because if you do, you might get it back if you stop by the hospital construction zone. Behind the Lexcorp billboard. Let's say… midnight?"
"You really expect me to trust you?" the girl asked cynically.
"Hey, I saved your life. That's reason enough."
"Fine," the girl said. "Have my charger." She took another step.
"Wait!" Robin said again. The girl threw her arms up.
"Are you going to let me leave?" she demanded. But Robin was certain he could detect a hint of laughter in her voice.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Specter."
"You know what I mean. Here, I'm Jason."
The girl crossed her arms and looked at him. There was a long pause. Robin wasn't sure if she would answer him.
"Jocelyn," she said softly. "See you around… And thank you, Jason." Then she disappeared.
Robin looked away. He did a quick fist pump. "Yes!" he hissed under his breath. Suddenly a voice spoke in his ear.
"Robin, I need a hand with Two Face. Where are you?" Batman asked.
"Give me a sec. I'm on my way."
Addendum: Jason, you dun goofed.
Also, I would like to again thank those who have reviewed my story. You know who you are. You are great. They are huge bursts of motivation and joy for me! And as always, enjoy!