Element of Surprise

Part 13: Helpless

"All of them?" Commissioner Gordon asked. "And no one saw what happened?"

"I just remembered hearing a noise and when I stepped out of my room, I lost consciousness," Sasha said.

"We had gone out to dinner," Tim explained.

"I was asleep," Dick said.

"Master Richard has been running himself ragged, trying to be both Father and Mother to his daughter," Alfred explained.

'I understand," Jim Gordon exclaimed. "He actually did understand, trying to be both, for his daughter Barbara, but this was his granddaughter. He was still disappointed that Barbara had acted just like her mother, leaving Dick alone to raise a child, but Dick Grayson wasn't alone. He had Bruce, Alfred, Tim, Jason, and Damian to help him, and Dick also had him, even though he hadn't taken advantage of that. Jim needed to see his grandaughter more often. "Where's Damian?"

Bruce couldn't tell him that Damian was lying in the cave in the medical bay, so Jason held back. They couldn't totally explain where they were during the incident.

"He's probably in his room," Dick said, trying to keep control. "It's kind of hidden from the rest of the house. Dick explained. "He probably doesn't even know what happened."

"Someone will have to tell him," Jason stated. "Jax adores him."

Bruce kept his hands on Jason's shoulders to keep Jason from rushing off. He could sense that Dick and Tim wanted to do the same thing, but they held steady, just barely. Dick was trying to keep tight control on the Talon that was threating to hunt down the people who did this. He felt the same way, but making a police report was important right now. Jim Gordon had a right to know that his granddaughter was among the Wayne children that were missing.

"I'll get this in right away," Jim Gordon stated with a grim look on his face. "I'll also notify the FBI. They have a standing agency in Gotham. We always inform them when it comes to kidnappings. Some kidnapped victims end up overseas. The sooner we deal with this the better. And I'll notify a mutual friend if the FBI won't help." Gordon couched his words carefully to throw off suspicion. His officers didn't need to know what he knew.

"Why wouldn't they help?" Tim asked. "We're talking about our children!"

"The FBI doesn't considered children in trouble until they've been missing for 24 hours. They do that to make sure that the children involved hadn't just run away and return home later."

"Missing!?" Samantha was outraged. "These are babies! It's not like they're going to run away!"

Jim Gordon sighed. "I'm aware of that. I'm sorry, I'm upset, too. My granddaughter was taken, but I have to follow procedure."

"Damn, human procedure!"

"Human?"

"He doesn't know," Tim quickly whispered to Samantha. "We know you'll do your best," Tim added.

Bruce walked Jim Gordon toward the front door, his officers following. "Thanks, Jim," Bruce replied. He didn't say anything more. He knew once Gordon got back to police headquarters, he would alert Batman. Then they could begin the real work, finding their missing children.

Continues with Part 14