Birds of a Feather Series
Learning to Fly
A/N – Finally got this chapter out! First part gave me so much trouble but I'm pretty happy with the end result. Less so with the title but it'll do for now. Hope you all enjoy it!
Just to clarify; Batman knows the identities of everyone in the League. Clark and Diana know Bruce Wayne is Batman. The rest of the League don't. Clark has met Harry and Dick, and both he and Diana figure out they are Robin and Swift. Bruce has not told the boys any of the Justice Leagues' identities.
Okay, now on to the chapter!
Chapter 8 – The Reasons Why
07 / 04 / 90 Oliver: Hey B, heard you adopted some kids. Can't say I saw that coming. Still, great news! Congratulations, I'm happy for you. Reach out if you need anything, okay?
09 / 29 / 90 Clark: Still on for Bibbo's tomorrow? Maybe you can bring the boys along? I would love to finally meet them.
11 / 02 / 90 Diana: I hope you have been well Bruce. Would you have time to meet up for coffee this weekend? It has been quite some time since we were able to catch up. I would love to hear how your boys are going.
12 / 04 / 90 Clark: Finished up that article for the Wayne Foundation Gala. Thought you'd like to see the preview before it goes for print. It was wonderful meeting the boys last night by the way. They're great kids. I know I've already said it but it was real good of you, taking them in. They're lucky to have you. I know you'll do a great job raising them. If last night's gala was any indication, you already are. If you need any help, just let me know.
09 / 09 / 92 Wonder Woman: The news out of Gotham seems to indicate you have taken on protégées. Is this true?
09 / 13 / 92 Superman: Robin and Swift. They aren't who I think they are, are they? Can we talk after tonight's meeting about this B?
09 / 14 / 92 Superman: Look, I know you said the boys are ready and passed your training and tests but are you sure this is best? I trust your judgement B, but this could end badly.
09 / 14 / 92 Green Arrow: Hey Bats, I could use some advice. You're the only other hero in the League I know of who's taken on a sidekick…
09 / 28 / 92 Flash: Hey Bats! Word around the Watchtower is that you have sidekicks now? Congratulations! That must be a huge adjustment but teaching can be really rewarding!
10 / 07 / 92 Wonder Woman: Batman, I implore you to reconsider. Robin and Swift are children. They don't have any powers or abilities to keep them safe out in the field. I know why you chose to begin your own crusade but the boys don't have to go down the same path you went.
11 / 28 / 92 Superman: Hey B, I know you're probably still mad about the League meeting. You're right that the rest of us don't have protégées of our own but you and Green Arrow surely can understand where we are coming from, right?
01 / 01 / 93 Clark: Happy New Year, Bruce! I saw in the photos Jimmy took from the Christmas Gala that you guys have a new dog. I bet the boys must have been so excited! Christmas presents can't get much better than a new pet. Anyway, if you're free would you and the boys like to meet up at Bibbo's for lunch?
02 / 20 / 93 Batman: Founding Members meeting tonight. Attendance mandatory.
…LtF…
Hall of Justice, Washington D.C. – February 20th 1993
Bruce's POV
Honestly, he really wasn't sure if this was a good idea or not. Then again, the League had left him with little choice. Say what they want about Gotham, his methods or himself but he would not stand for his teammates judging his decisions regarding his kids. If sitting through one disaster of a meeting was what it would take to finally settle things, then so be it.
The meeting room was currently vacant aside from himself, Robin and Swift. The boys were chatting quietly at the other end of the table, still looking somewhat downtrodden on the lack of any 'cool Justice League stuff' in the room or on the way in. He had made the decision to come via zeta tube to avoid being seen by the public and they had made it to one of the mostly unused meeting rooms using a less traversed area of the Hall.
He knew the boys had been hoping to see the main headquarters of the League, to see some of the tech they use or trophies from previous missions. Anything but dusty hallways and office chairs. Bruce felt bad for disappointing them but it was necessary for now. He didn't want anyone but the Founders here for this meeting and he definitely wanted to keep the boys away from Justice League business as much as possible.
With ten minutes to go till the set start time, Martian Manhunter phased through the floor. The twins jumped in their seats, staring in shock as the green-skinned man hovered in the centre of the room. "Batman" J'onn greeted in his deep baritone voice before his red eyes fixed on the newcomers. "I assume these are your protégés?"
The Dark Knight nodded, rising from his seat. "They are. Martian Manhunter, meet Robin and Swift. Boys, this is Martian Manhunter."
"Greetings." The Martian offered with a bow of the head.
Robin and Swift exchanged excited grins before beginning to rattle off questions so fast they could have been confused for speedsters. To J'onn's credit, he didn't appear even the slightest bit overwhelmed by the onslaught. "Wow, you're actually a Martian?"
"I am."
"From Mars?"
"Yes."
"Can you really shapeshift?"
"I am able to change my form, yes."
"You phased through the floor to get in here, right?"
"I did."
"Boys, that's enough." Bruce finally cut in, earning him an amused look from J'onn and twin annoyed glares from his sidekicks. He felt the now familiar brush against his mind, a request for a mind link from his teammate. Batman gave the alien a nod of consent. "I apologise for Robin and Swift. They've been quite excited to finally be meeting the League."
"It's quite alright, my friend. They're merely curious. It's an honour to finally meet your protégés." J'onn assured with a hint of a fond smile directed to the youths.
"Batman, Manhunter." The group of four looked to the entrance of the room, the adults nodding a greeting to the King of Atlantis while Robin and Swift gazed in wonder at the Atlantean. Robin nudged Swift in the ribs, shooting his twin a smug grin. "I told you Aquaman was huge! I reckon he almost has as much muscle as Superman."
Swift stammered, looking slightly flustered before huffing. "No way, he looks strong but not Superman-strong."
If Arthur heard the twins, he chose to ignore it and instead greeted the boys with a handshake, answering their questions on Atlantis. Bruce meanwhile took mental note of Swift's initial reaction to Aquaman. It hadn't escaped his attention that the boys were nearly teens. Still, he wasn't sure he was quite ready for that next stage of parenting. I might not get a choice in the matter though.
"So Spooky, mind telling me what's so important we had to have an emergency meeting the day I get back Earthside? Or why we're doing this here instead of…." Green Lantern trailed off his rant as soon as he saw the two extra people in the room. "No way! I mean, I heard you had sidekicks now, but I honestly didn't believe Mr 'I Work Alone' would actually let anyone else fight crime in your city. Kids too? I didn't know you even liked kids." Jordan chuckled. Robin and Swift immediately gave there best attempts at a BatGlare and well, Bruce couldn't help but feel a bit smug at seeing his boys come to his defence.
"We aren't kids!" Robin retorted, arms crossed.
"Yeah, and B is a great mentor Glowstick." Swift added with a wolfish grin.
Hal spluttered, caught between outrage at the nickname thrown at him and uneasiness at the glares being sent his way. Arthur chuckled as he took a seat at the table. J'onn joined him, expression carefully blank, though Bruce was sure he saw the faintest hint of a smile.
"What's going on in here?"
Wonder Woman looked between the two boys and her teammates with a raised brow. Batman stepped forward to greet one of his oldest friends. They had been at odds lately over his decision to train the twins. Hopefully they could put that behind them today. "Wonder Woman. Meet Robin and Swift."
The Amazon looked at him with clear disapproval in her light blue eyes before turning to introduce herself to the twins with a more genuine smile. "Pleasure to meet you, young warriors. I am Diana of Themyscira."
Swift accepted the offered handshake, letting out a surprised squeak at the strength of the warrior's grip. "It's great to meet you as well Wonder Woman."
Robin shook hands as well, asking Diana about Themyscira. "So, there really are no men there?"
"None, the Amazons are a proud race of Warrior women. No man has ever stepped foot on our island." She confirmed.
"How are new Amazons born though? Don't you need men for that?" Swift asked, confused. Both boys turned to Batman, who in turn felt the amused looks of his fellow Leaguer's watching him eagerly. "Babies can only be made with both a man and woman, right B?"
Robin nodded sagely. "Yeah, you need both but how does that work? How's the baby made?"
"Yeah, Spooky?" Jordan chortled and Batman made a mental note to increase Hal's number of monitor duty shifts.
"I hope that's not what this meeting was about. Luthor's got a press conference tonight I'm sure is a front for whatever his latest scheme is going to be. I need to be there and make sure he doesn't try anything." Thank God. Batman watched as Superman joined the group by the table. Robin and Swift had been excited to meet the rest of the Justice League but the look of absolute adoration on their faces at meeting Superman stung just a little bit.
"Wow, Superman!" Robin said just a few octaves shy of a shout. Swift looked equally as awestruck. Clark for his part looked amused, if not slightly embarrassed as he usually was in the face of the public's admiration. "Hello Robin, Swift. It's wonderful to finally meet you. Batman's told us a lot about you."
"Really?" Swift asked, eyes shining behind the domino mask.
"Really, all good things of course." Superman added with a chuckle. The twins began to ask Superman about his powers and for stories about past battles, something the rest of the League happily joined in on.
"….so thanks to Batman and Wonder Woman's help, we managed to take down Luthor's robots and save the city." Superman concluded. The boys were practically on the edge of their seats with excitement.
"Wow, Batman did ALL that?"
"I can't believe you brought down a 10-story tall robot with just a lasso! That's so cool!"
"Did you really throw three of them INTO SPACE, Superman?"
Batman smiled, sipping on the coffee Clark had fetched the group, Hot Chocolate for the kids, as the League continued to share stories of their past victories. Granted, he didn't want the boys getting any ideas of joining just yet. League missions were far too dangerous for twelve-year-old's. Still, he wasn't about to deny the boys the chance to meet some of their heroes.
"Heyeveryone! What'sgoingon? Whyarewemeetinghere? I….Wait, I'm the last here? Again?" Flash, the last member of the Founders, rambled as he skidded to a halt before the table.
"Yeah, man. But hey, only thirteen minutes late this time. I reckon Bats can let it slide this time." Hal joked, gesturing for Barry to take the seat on his right. Flash offered a bright smile to the young heroes, promising quickly to have a proper introduction once the meeting was over.
"Actually, he's not the last." Batman cut in just as he spied Green Arrow making his way towards them, Speedy following a few steps behind. The rest of the table welcomed the archers with varying degrees of surprise. Speedy went through the introductions, ending up sitting down beside the other sidekicks. The three boys descending into a conversation soon after about everything that had happened in their cities since they last saw each other.
"So, Not that GA isn't welcome or anything but I thought this was a Founders meeting? And what's with the baby bats and mini arrow?" Green Lantern broke the silence.
Here we go. Bruce rose from his seat, all eyes in the room quickly fixing on him. "I called this meeting to discuss the rise in underage heroes and how the League should respond. Green Arrow and his apprentice were invited as this is relevant to them as well. I know most of you had expressed an interest in meeting Robin and Swift, and they had made it clear they wished to meet the League as well, so I brought them along. However, I think it would be best if they and Speedy are absent for this discussion."
"What? Why? If this meeting is about us, shouldn't we be here to have our say?" Speedy argued.
"This meeting isn't for the purpose of deciding whether or not you should be allowed to continue your training." Batman reassured, guessing that was what was bothering the red head. "It's to discuss the Leagues response to the introduction of new protégés going forward."
"Yeah, but…" Robin began defensively.
"Robin." Batman warned. He hoped the boys would take the hint. He needed the rest of the League to see that he was correct in saying the boys could follow instructions and respect his lead. Thankfully Dick got the message and settled down.
When the apprentices remained, begrudgingly, silent, Oliver spoke up. "How about I take them to the training hall? I'm sure they'll enjoy the chance to show each other what they've learned since they last saw each other. I think Red Tornado was in there. I'm sure he'll be okay supervising them while we talk."
Batman nodded his agreement and Green Arrow guided the boys down the hall towards the gym. Quiet conversation started up while they waited for Starling City's hero to return.
A few minutes later, Oliver was seated, and Batman began the meeting. "As I stated before, we are here to discuss the increasing presence of sidekicks."
"Increasing presence? Pretty sure it's only three right now." Green Lantern chimed in. Bruce chose to ignore him. Hal hadn't expressed any clear opinion one way or another on what his thoughts on protégés were. He didn't need to win him over.
"I understand some of you have expressed concerns over myself and Green Arrow taking on younger protégés. That is why we are having this meeting. To discuss how apprenticeships should be handled now and going forward."
"It would be a dangerous oversight to ignore the fact new younger heroes are going to show up as time goes on." Superman began after a contemplative silence. "It's why the League has begun recruiting new members in recent years. However, there is a difference between fully grown adults choosing to risk their lives and children."
Batman gave Clark an understanding nod. "It had never been my initial intention to bring Robin and Swift into this. When I first met them, they had recently lost their parents to a murder plot." A wave of sympathetic words swept through the rooms before Bruce continued. "I tried to stop the boys from seeking their own revenge. I did my best to encourage them to not choose this life. I caught them wondering the city looking for their parent's murderer every night for a week. I took them back home, warned them of the danger, threatened to get law enforcement involved if necessary. Nothing dissuaded them. I could see they weren't going to give up. The options I had were continuing to try and get them to stay home and they continue to sneak out on their own or I could teach them how to fight, how to defend themselves, and make sure they were with me so I could keep them safe."
Diana frowned, not looking convinced. "They'd children Batman. Do you really think what's best for them is risking injury and death every night to fight crime in the hopes they might one day find the one who took their parents from them?"
"Robin and Swift need the chance to bring the man responsible for their parents' deaths to justice, Diana." Bruce countered calmly.
"Why? So they can wind up like you?"
"So they don't. I saw it in their eyes. The same drive for revenge I felt at their age. They wouldn't be swayed from seeking out that monster. What they needed was guidance and a chance to get justice for their parents. A chance to put it past them and become something better than I could have ever hoped to be."
Silence reigned as the room processed what they'd heard. Finally, Diana sat back down with a weary sigh. "I understand where you are coming from. Avenging a fallen comrade is common place amongst my people. Still, given their ages and lack of powers, I still do find it concerning. Does no one else?"
Flash answered her with a nervous grin. "Sure we do but Bats has a point Diana. I mean, if the kids are just going to head out on their own then isn't it better to train them ourselves? I mean, what about kids with powers? Metahumans are rare but there are still children out there with unique abilities. Isn't it our responsibility to train them?"
"Granted, it would be irresponsible not to teach the youth how to control their powers. That isn't what we are discussing though Flash. Robin and Swift, Speedy too for the matter, have no unusual abilities."
"Right, yeahofcoursenot. We'rejustdiscussingBatmanandGreenArrowapprentices. Right,gotit."
Bruce narrowed his eyes as Barry fidgeted nervously. He's hiding something. I'll need to look into that later.
"Well, I can say that while Speedy doesn't have any metahuman abilities, he is a capable fighter. I've been careful with his training and don't let him go off on missions he isn't prepared for. I imagine Batman is the same with Robin and Swift. In fact, we've seen the three boys work a case together on their own. They did just fine without us." Green Arrow jumped in.
J'onn hummed thoughtfully before adding "I do think that as long as young heroes have received adequate training and are being supervised by a fellow Leaguer who can be trusted to be responsible for their wellbeing than I am okay with this. We cannot stop the young ones from choosing their own path, but we can help guide them along the way."
Green Lantern shrugged "I'm with J'onn on this. Don't have a protégé of my own or anything to relate but I can remember being a teenager well enough. Kids are going to do what they want, whether we like it or not. Least we can do is make sure they're safe as can be right?"
Superman looked to Bruce with a thoughtful gaze. "I've known Batman a long time now. I trust him to know what he's doing. If he feels the boys are ready then I'll just have to trust him that they are. In any case, I agree that as long as young heroes are trained properly before going on any missions and are supervised appropriately than I can give my agreement."
"I agree with Batman and Green Arrow's statements. I have recently began training my own protégé. Kaldur'ahm and another young Atlantean helped me during a fight with Ocean Master. I was impressed with their sills in magic and combat and offered them the chance to train with me. Kaldur accepted. He's dedicated, determined, talented. A good fit for an apprentice and wise beyond his years." Aquaman told the group. Bruce felt his curiosity peak with this new information, making a mental note to discuss Arthur's new protégé later.
"Then we are in agreement?" Batman asked the room. Six nods answered him with all eyes turning to Diana. The Amazon considered everything before relenting. "Very well, I suppose I can concede to your points. Any new hero under the age of 18 must receive training from an appointed mentor and be supervised on missions until they reach adulthood and have proven themselves capable."
"Meeting adjourned." Batman called, relief flooding his veins as he went to retrieve the boys, making plans to look into Flash's odd behaviour later.
…LtF…
Gotham City, New Jersey – March 2nd 1993
Dick's POV
"If I knew it was gonna take this long, I would have brought my homework." Robin groused playfully, perched upon a gargoyle with his legs dangling over the edge.
Batman didn't react, continuing to watch the construction site they were camped out across from with his binoculars. Sprawled on his belly beside them, Swift snorted in amusement whilst fiddling with a birdarang. "I wouldn't have. This still beats algebra."
"Are you sure about this extortion ring?" Robin asked their mentor, ignoring his twin's comment.
"Uh huh." The Dark Knight offered distractedly. Robin groaned, slumping down and turning his gaze skyward. "It's been four hours."
"Uh huh." Batman echoed and really, he had to be messing with him now. "You still think they're gonna show?"
"Uh huh."
Robin sighed in annoyance as Swift's quite laughter reached his ears. Yep, Bruce is definitely messing with me. "Lucky for me you're such a good conversationalist, since Swift over there checked out two hours ago."
The second boy wonder scoffed, twirling the weapon between his fingers languidly. "Rob, there is only so long I can talk about basketball before I grow so bored that a fight with Joker would be preferrable."
"Hey! Its better than talking about music composition and…." Robin trailed off as a hand landed on his shoulder.
"There's the slime." Batman informed them, effectively shutting down the mock argument. Both brothers leapt to their feet, energized by the chance to finally get moving.
"Oh right!"
"Finally, some action!"
Batman put the binoculars away, turning to face his protégés with a partially amused/partially stern smile. "These are contract saboteurs Robin, Swift. Let's take it by the numbers. Nice and easy."
"Yeah, sure. Time to kick some butt!" Robin crowed, shooting a grappling line over to a support beam.
"Don't worry B, we'll have these guys ready for GCPD pickup in no time." Swift boasted, following after Robin with a wicked grin.
Robin thought he heard their guardian mumble something about their 'little chat' but shrugged it off. He was done with stakeouts for the night. It was time to take these guys down then head back home.
As he swung over to the site of the new building, he saw the men unscrewing some bolts and laying down some dynamite, one of them asking the others for the charge. All three were preoccupied with their tasks. No one on lookout. This is going to be easy.
Cackling eerily, he got the attention of the three crooks just seconds before he kicked one off the beam and into the materials lift below. He landed inches from the guy, hearing Swift and Batman thump down on the metal above with the other two. Great, one for each of us.
The criminal in the grey suit shakily stood, turning to face Robin with a furious scowl. Robin smirked. He's so unsteady it would take a miracle for him to land a hit. "Come on, come on! You can do it!" He taunted, easily dodging as the man lunged for him. "This is getting sad." He tisked, risking a glance over his shoulder to check on his family while his own opponent tried to regain his footing.
Batman was holding his own against the brown-suited man wielding a crowbar while Swift had backed his foe up onto a suspended beam. The metal tipped under the guy's feet and he began to slide down towards the end, screaming in fear. Robin winced but trusted his brother to have the situation handled. He heard the crook start running at him again and jumped for the bar overhead, delivering a two-footed kick to the guy's sternum. "It's back to the gym for you!"
The guy landed in a worker's lift and Robin went to follow when nails began firing towards him. He scrambled away from the danger, spying Batman's goon shooting at him with a high-powered nail gun. He couldn't see his mentor but could only assume he had been helping Swift save the third criminal. The transport lift suddenly fell as the nails damaged the hook. Robin threw himself at the scaffolding, holding on to avoid the deadly fall. He made to heave himself up when more nails came flying at his hands.
Panicking slightly as he began to lose his grip, Robin tried to locate a safe place to drop down to. He didn't have to worry long though. Batman soared towards them on a crane, leaping off as the heavy machinery smashed into the man shooting at Robin, knocking him off onto a temporary walkway. Robin's opponent came past in the lift, gesturing to his friend to follow. The man jumped onto the top of the lift, heading down for the street.
Robin scowled, intending to follow. However, Batman blocked his path. "Let them go."
Robin blinked in shock, mouth open to argue until he saw what Batman was looking at. Swift was seated on the suspended beam, legs swaying cheerfully as he kept watch over the last of the three criminals, shaking in fear as he clutched desperately onto the metal. "He's all we need."
The two stopped just below Swift and the blonde-haired man. "Swift, does our friend here have anything for us?"
Swift shrugged with a faux-friendly smile. "Apparently he's not talking without a lawyer. Is that right?" He asked. The frightened criminal gave a shaky nod, eyes fixed in terror on the street far below.
"Suit yourself." Batman told the man with a shrug. "Boys, let's go."
Robin nodded, catching onto Bruce's plan. He strolled along the beam with the grace of a cat, seeing Swift give a mock salute and cheery "Enjoy the rest of your night!" to the trapped saboteur before standing up to follow them. As the metal beam began swaying under the shifting weight, the blonde began to panic. "W-Wait! Wait! You got to help me! I-I mean, the cops wouldn't leave me!"
Batman paused, staring the guy down over his shoulder. "We're not the police." He turned fully to face the quivering crook. "You want help? I want a name. Who's your boss?"
"I can't! I can't say nothing! He'll tear me apart!"
"Ah, well then you've got a problem." Robin retorted, watching as Swift made his way towards them. The beam creaked and dipped, drawing a frightened cry from the criminal. "I'm sure you can find a way down. Maybe give your boss a call? Or perhaps your friends will come back for you? They wouldn't leave you behind, would they?" Swift added, preparing to jump onto the silver scaffolding.
The blonde started to slide again, slowly losing his tentative hold on the shiny metal. "Hey! Come on, for pity's sake! Ahhh, it's Marin! Billy Marin!"
The crook lost his grip and fell. Robin watched as Swift tossed a grapple line connected to a bandola after him, leaping off the opposite side of the beam to balance out the weight. He saw his brother meet the upside down hanging man a floor below. Behind him, he heard Batman mutter the name they were given before they both jumped down to join Swift.
"And where do we find Mr Marin?" Swift was asking, hands fisted in the guy's shirt.
"I-I-I-I-I-I don't! I-I can't!" The bound man stuttered fearfully.
"Spill it!" Robin ordered, stepping up beside his twin.
"Forget it Robin, Swift." Batman commanded, startling the twins.
"What?" Robin huffed. He can't be serious! Is this another manipulation tactic?
"What do you mean 'forget it'? We have him!" Swift snapped, giving the crook a shake to emphasise the point.
"I said forget it." Batman growled.
Robin stepped over to his mentor, whispering so the thug wouldn't hear. "But this guy's ready to sing."
"Let it go. The police can take it from here. Go wait in the Batmobile and take Swift with you."
"But…"
"Now!" The older vigilante barked.
Robin flinched slightly before glaring. He pivoted, marching toward Swift who headed the silent bid to follow. Releasing the bound man, the brothers heard him cry out in alarm as he began o sway back and forth.
As the twins made their way back to the waiting car, Robin couldn't stop thinking about what just happened. What got into Bruce? He's never asked us to bail on a case before. Especially when that guy would have talked.
However, the biggest question of all was; who is Billy Marin?
…LtF…
Gotham City, New Jersey – March 3rd 1993
Dick's POV
"That laugh you did, before the fight really spooked those guys. You should use that."
Dick swivelled the chair around so he could see Harry. The other boy was busy restocking his utility belt for tonight's patrol. Dick had suited up nearly an hour ago, eager to track down Marin and finally figure out what had Bruce so worked up. Batman had deflected any questions they tried to ask last night, sending them off to bed as soon as they got back to the cave. He hadn't been at breakfast this morning and was very late getting home from work. Dick had seen him preparing for patrol after dinner though and knew they would be getting their answers soon.
The blue-eyed twin contemplated his brother's words whilst twisting back and forth on the wheelie chair absentmindedly. "You think so? It was kind of a spur of the moment thing."
Harry did one last check of his belt before clicking it into place. "Yeah, you kidding me? Thought the blonde guy was going to wet himself. You should try it more often."
"…course, sir. Will you be needing anything else?"
"No, thank you Alfred."
Robin rose from the chair as Batman and Alfred reached the bottom of the staircase. The former was in full costume and ready to leave while the latter busied himself with tidying up the cave.
Swift made his way to the Batmobile with Robin at his heels. Before they could hop in though, Batman spoke up with his 'don't bother arguing, my mind's made up' tone of voice. "I'm going out alone tonight."
The brothers froze as Batman got into the car, momentarily too stunned to reply. "What? Why?" Swift demanded.
"Does this have something to do with Marin?" Robin added, already knowing the answer. Something about last night had really gotten to Batman. Surely it would be better if we all go after him. If this guy is extremely dangerous or something, it would be better for B to have backup.
Batman shook his head as the ramp to the tunnel lowered and the car rumbled to life. "I'm handling this alone, boys. You're staying in. We'll go on our usual patrol tomorrow."
"But why can't we go with you?" Swift pressed, stepping closer to the vehicle.
"Yeah, Bruce. What's the deal?" Robin demanded, getting annoyed at the lack of answers.
"I'm going alone. That's final." Batman replied, voice forcibly calm yet strict.
"C'mon Dad. We don't get to go on patrol as often anymore thanks to school." Swift angled for the sympathy approach.
Robin added his own attempt. "If we jumped the gun last night, we're sorry."
It seemed to work, at least a little, as their mentor's grip on the steering wheel slackened. "This is something I have to do alone."
"So that's it? No explanation. No apologies. Just, 'see ya later kids?'" Robin snapped, annoyance boiling over.
"You both know the rules. There are times when I can't explain…."
"…my actions, even to you." Swift finished in a mockery of Batman's deep cadence.
This wasn't the first time Batman had withheld information or left them behind to work a case alone. Almost any mission involving the Joker they were typically excluded from, Bruce arguing that he wanted them to have more experience before facing down someone as unpredictable and dangerous as the Clown Prince of Crime. The only exception so far having been last Christmas when he kidnapped several people on Christmas Eve and they had to track him down before midnight.
Normally Robin wasn't bothered when they were told to stay behind. However, tonight something about this just wasn't sitting right with him. Besides, how many times would they need to prove themselves to Bruce before he accepted that they could handle themselves just fine? "How is that fair? We're supposed to be a team, but you act like you can't trust us with…" Robin snarled.
"We'll discuss this later." Batman finally snapped. The roof of the Batmobile clicked shut and their mentor left. Swift cursed under his breath, storming over to the Batcomputer and commandeering Dick's former seat. He barely paid it any mind though, watching in anger as the sleek black car drove away down the tunnel.
Alfred abandoned his dusting for now, stepping closer till he was standing just behind the Boy Wonder. "Master Dick, I noticed there was a lot of tension between you three since last night. Dare I ask what's going on?"
"That's what I'd like to know." Dick answered with a scowl, storming off to sit by a ledge with a huff. Maybe it was childish but as far as he was concerned, it was warranted. The longer he sat there, the more his disgruntlement grew. He found himself ranting to Alfred, unable to believe just how quickly things had spiralled.
I need answers and clearly Bruce won't have any for us. However…
…LtF…
Gotham City, New Jersey – March 3rd 1993
Harry's POV
"I'll never be like him Alfred. He's a stone cold, self-righteous…"
Harry blocked out the rest of Dick and Alfred's conversation. He was just as ticked off as Dick about the situation and wasn't in the mood to listen to Alfred's bid for understanding. No, he had a better idea.
If Bruce wouldn't tell them what was going on, they'd just need to figure it out themselves. After all, Bruce had been training them to think like detectives, hadn't he?
Bypassing the security on the Batcomputer wasn't easy. Bruce had upgraded the cave's whole setup a few weeks back and he was still trying to figure it out. Dick was better with tech than he was anyway. Still, a few minutes fiddling and he had access to Batman's criminal database. As the conversation around him dwindled down and Alfred began to wipe down the desk and equipment next to him, Harry asked "Have you ever heard of a crook named Billy Marin, Alfred?"
The elderly butler thought for a second before shaking his head. Dick came to join them, pulling up a chair next to Harry and focusing on the screen. "I can't say that I have, Master Harry. But I'm not one to peruse post office walls."
"I think Batman has." Dick chimed in, watching as Harry began to search the files for their target. He found a match immediately. The green-eyed twin began to read off the screen in triumph. "There, Billy Marin. Aliases: Simon Dirks, Sid the Squid, Killer Coburn, Punky Lesh. Huh, guy's got some unusual cover names. I get Killer Coburn and Billy Marin but Punky Lesh?"
Dick frowned, leaning closer. "All these are aliases. Who is he really?"
Harry had to bypass a few more encryptions to access his file. Batman had hidden it far deeper than most. After finally circumnavigating the password lock with Dick's help, a criminal profile appeared on screen. It showed a man with brown hair, brown eyes and white skin. He looked fairly innocuous, but the face and name attached to the profile were all too familiar. "Tony Zucco."
"Oh my word." Alfred breathed; eyes wide in shock as the full gravity of the situation struck.
Memories surged before his eyes. Birthday parties and Christmas, stunning ariel performances he'd watch from the stands, his father's laughter and his mother singing lullabies. Warm hugs and bedtimes. Encouraging words and goodnight kisses. Screams, blood splattered costumes and broken limbs. Sirens and flashing lights. A menacing scowl and cut ropes.
Zucco.
"Finally." Harry and Dick grinned, smiles too filled with bloodlust and rage to ever be called friendly.
They'd found their parents killer.
Revenge was in their sights, and yet…
Bruce. He knew. He knew and he didn't tell us! He went after Zucco on his own…
Alfred placed a hand each on one of their shoulders, tone soft and comforting as he broke the weighted silence. "Young masters, I understand this has been quite the shock. I know you must feel betrayed, but I assure you Master Bruce must have his reasons for pursing Zucco on his own. We should wait until…."
"No! It's not right Alfred! He can't take Zucco away from us!" Harry growled, turning to the communication system. "We won't let him!" his brother agreed as Harry opened the comm link to the Batmobile.
"You lied to us! You can't take this one! Zucco's ours!" Harry shouted, voice laden with hurt, betrayal and fury. How could you?
"Sorry boys, but on this team, I call the shots." Batman answered, resigned with a hint of apology. A tone that went right over the twins' heads.
"But we've been waiting years for this!" Dick hissed, checking the locator to find Batman on the map.
"It's what we trained for! All these years of practice, patrols and crimefighting were supposed to help us find Zucco!" Harry implored. How could Bruce do this to them? He knew how important this was! He knew exactly what Zucco had done, why he needed to pay and why it had to be them who found him. He'll reconsider…
"Batman out!"
The silence was deafening. Harry clutched the desk as he tried to control his breathing. How dare he? How could Dad-Bruce, how could Bruce leave us behind like this? Harry snatched up his helmet and stormed towards his bike.
"Oh no, he's not cutting us out." Dick swore as he charged after him, shaking in anger.
"Please young masters, you must do as he says." Alfred pleaded, watching them from the computer bay. Harry felt a small twinge of guilt for upsetting their pseudo grandfather, but he brushed the remorse aside. They would find Zucco and make him pay for what he did, whether Bruce liked it or not.
"Not this time Alfred. Maybe not ever again." Dick vowed as they headed out into the night.
This was it. Zucco wasn't getting away again.
…LtF…
Tyres kicked up gravel as Swift followed Robin's bike at top speed through the shadowy streets of Gotham. The Batmobile's last location when checking the communicator's coordinates in the cave had been Lincoln Street. Bruce had quite the head start but they knew most of Gotham's side streets and shortcuts now too. They could catch up.
Up ahead he saw Robin flick on the Batmobile's GPs tracker. A few seconds later, the tracker switched back off. "You're a real piece of work Batman" Robin muttered over the comms. They had changed frequencies to a private line before leaving. One Batman wasn't on. Not that Robin's comment would have likely swayed the Dark Knight had he heard it anyway.
Swift didn't bother testing his bike's tracker. Bruce would just shut it off too. "Okay, we'll find Zucco on our own."
As they turned the corner onto Lincoln, he saw Robin nod. "We did it before, we can do it again."
Think Harry! Bruce might have stopped us following him, but we can still find our own lead. We don't have any idea where Zucco is but we did have one of his men…"We can't track Batman but we do have the name of the goon we shook down at the construction site. Reckon he might know where Zucco's hiding."
Robin searched the name and found the address. "Let's go give his place a once over. Quickly. We can't let Batman get him first."
Swift revved the engine as he took off after Robin's speeding bike. Zucco's out there somewhere but he can't hide from us. We were taught by the best.
…LtF…
Robin burnt through the locks on Dolan's door with a blowtorch, allowing the twins entrance to the criminal's less than legal 'legit' business. The old office had seen better days. Chipped paint and water marks on the walls, rotting floorboards, second hand and battered furniture. Most of the place seemed to have already been stripped following his arrest.
Harry shuffled through the papers on the desk while Dick searched the filing cabinets. Robin muttered under his breath as the search offered no clues. Then…"The phone."
Swift glanced at the old landline sitting innocuously on the desk. Landlines were still in use but the rising popularity of mobiles had seen a large number be faded out. Even then, the ones that remained tendered to be newer models than this. He glanced at his brother in confusion, wondering what he planned to do.
Robin pulled out a wire tapper and Swift nearly face-palmed himself. Of course, how did I not think of that? They couldn't guarantee the last call had been to Zucco but it was worth a try. Robin attached the device and hit redial.
"Yeah?"
Harry sucked in a sharp breath as that voice filtered through the old receiver. A familiar surge of grief and rage hit him as Zucco continued to speak. So close….so close…"Who is it? Hello? Hello? Who's there? Argh!"
The line went dead but not before the tracker could flash with an address: 1252 Ocean Parkway.
"Gotcha!'
…LtF…
Gotham City, New Jersey – March 3rd 1993
Dick's POV
Ocean Parkway, located right next to Amusement Mile. Thankfully Joke and Harley Quinn were locked up in Arkham. They didn't need those two getting in the way tonight.
Robin raced through the city like the hounds of hell were at his heels. From draw bridges to trucks, it felt like the whole city was conspiring to slow them down. Batman's got to be there already. He'll take Zucco in and we'll have lost our chance.
Taking a shortcut through the abandoned carnival, Robin could hear the sounds of fighting up ahead, including the recognisable pained grunts of his mentor. We made it!
He swerved the bike onto a ramp, bursting through a wooden sign with Swift at his back. Spotting Zucco and Batman ahead, he sped up and snatched the gangster by the jacket, continuing down the pier without so much as slowing down.
Swift sped up behind him. He could hear Zucco's panicked shouts as the Swiftcycle's front wheel came very close to the man's legs. Near the end of the pier, Robin tossed their captive to the side, narrowly missing Swift, as the two leapt from their bikes. Zucco went to shoot them but Swift, living up to the name, swiftly kicked the gun from his hand.
"I don't believe this!" Zucco wailed, bewildered, as the firearm skidded across the wooden planks.
"You're through Zucco." Robin spoke, words filled with a dark promise. Red tinted the edges of his vision as he gazed into the face that had haunted him for years. I made the mistake of doing nothing before. Never again.
"Forever." Swift added with a venomous hiss.
"That so birdie boys." The murderer growled, fear underpinning his words as he tried to land a punch. Robin grabbed the fist, unimpressed.
"We've waited a long time." Robin snarled as he tugged Zucco forward, tossing his into some containers. Swift lunged for him before he could recover, throwing him into another set.
Zucco gained his footing, backing up towards the end of the pier. "Get away from me!"
The frightened man leant onto the railing, causing the rotten wood to break away. Seeing their chance, the boys leapt for him, holding Zucco out over the edge till only their grip was stopping him from falling. It was a long drop down. Hitting the water at this height, well, if the fall didn't kill him he would more than likely be too injured to swim. Especially in such big waves.
"Don't! Please!" Zucco pleaded, eyes filling with terrified tears. Robin froze for a split second before strengthening his resolve. Never again.
"No! Robin! Swift!" Batman's voice called from behind them as the older hero limped over. "Enough! You can't let your emotions get the best of you."
"Stuff your advice Batman. You and your stone cold heart!" Robin countered, not taking his eyes off Zucco. "You don't know how we feel! How could you?"
As soon as the words left his mouth, Robin faltered. Glancing over his shoulder, even under the mask Robin could see the flash of hurt that swept across his guardian's face. A sick feeling rose in the back of his throat, and he had to push it down. "Batman, I…I didn't mean it. I'm sorry."
Sirens blared in the distance, rapidly approaching. They had to make a decision. Revenge or justice?
Glancing over at Swift, he could see his brother looked equally torn. A few moments passed and then they threw Zucco…
….back onto the dock. The crime boss cowered as they stormed past on the way back to their bikes.
Sorry mum. Sorry dad. We had too…
…LtF…
Gotham City, New Jersey – March 4th 1993
Dick's POV
Robin stared down into the slowly lightening waters of the Gotham Bay. Next to him, Swift leant against the railing whilst watching Gordon and the other officers take Zucco away.
"You were right, y'know?" Robin muttered. A curious look from Batman, joining them after talking with the Commissioner, had Swift joining in. "Not bringing us along. You knew we'd take it too personally."
Robin was prepared for scolding, for sympathy. Maybe even being told to hand in their capes. He wasn't expecting Bruce to say what he did next. "It wasn't that boys. It wasn't that at all."
Robin checked to see if Swift was just as confused as him. He was.
Batman walked to the end of the pier, watching as the first rays of the morning sun lit the sky. "Zucco's taken so much. Caused you so much pain. I couldn't stand the thought that he might…take you too."
Robin stared in astonishment as his guardian's words washed over him. He wasn't sure what to say to that. He'd never expected that the reason Bruce was trying to keep them from Zucco was to save them the pain of seeing the man who destroyed their family. He had thought it was about the fact Bruce had lost the crook before. Some kind of ego trip. Maybe because he didn't trust them to be able to keep a cool head. Which he supposed he would have to give him. An odd mix of guilt and warmth filled his chest.
Stepping up to Bruce, he reached out and wrapped a supportive arm around his waist, helping the man limp towards the car. "Come on Dad, let's go home."
A/N – Yay! And Dick finally calls Bruce Dad :)
I had considered holding off on doing Robin's Reckoning until later. After careful consideration though, I think it was actually quite fitting to put it here. I wanted to get it done before reaching the YJ arc.
I wrote the dates for the text messages using the American formatting for writing dates: MM / DD / YYYY, not the Australian way of doing so: DD / MM / YYYY. Just making sure people aren't confused, especially for those who know I am Australian.
Starting to see more of the Team being mentioned. Not to mention the first use of Robin's laugh :)
Voting for pairings is now closed. I won't be revealing the results though. Don't want to spoil future chapters. Thank you to everyone who contributed!
Have a wonderful rest of your week everyone!