The Dark Knight Chronicles – My Brother, Renegade – My Father, The Batman –
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Chapter 7: Tea Time on a Dime; Playing the Hour By Slowly
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Luke had promptly risen at the break of day to charge his senses. Even in Gotham, he had a place set to the side in case his idea of a camper was something unrealistic. His father Lucius had agreed to the meeting strictly no later than ten. It was already two, and tea was being served at Wayne manor. But no crumpets to be had.
Alfred simply mumbled something while keeping the table as he'd always done. Piled high with everything... but cakes.
Just food.
Stephanie was putting her head down when Dick and Slade walked into the dining room. Alfred's wry response was another shot in the wrong direction. He missed Bruce and whatever Thomas would not tell him; his eyes would see it. "Your seats are settled. There will be no other guests joining us, today?"
"Why not Alf, you should have your share before –
"Where…." Tim gulped as Steph looked likely to crack from too little sugar. "I have a term paper due and…and…. where is the special cake dish you always put out?? Where is the sugar rush we deserve?"
"Not here." Slade sat and made sure not to forget where he was sitting. "I talked to your bulter. He spoils you, and with that you'll be subjected to tea sandwiches in place of tea cakes."
"You're a part of the anti – equation!" Steph exclaimed. "Love and justice, means….CAKE. We get to pick at least one each. We never turn into wild animals! Honest!"
"Then, alf?"
"Yes, Master Dick?" The butler warily kept Slade in his sights from Bruce's spot at the table. The man was teasing his stay.
"Save one each for desert, tonight. They won't get a heart attack from that."
"Now I know where he gets it." Slade blinked. "I thought I rinsed that sweet tooth out two years ago, permanently."
"Force feeding me cake." Dick snickered. "Like I said, real mature."
"You what –
"Todd, hush up." Dami snorted back. "Didn't work, which means he's still in there."
"I'm what? I'm right here, Damian."
"Father calls me Damian." Dami Al – Ghul looked Dick in the eye. "So, I suppose I'll play your game. Father."
The table's guests and even Duke gasped. Luke whispered over to Tim as they both agreed. There was going to be another fight. To eat and leave. Period. "I'll talk to my dad to move your meeting." Tim told the other hero. "It was a weird morning."
"I can see that." Luke squinted at Slade. "Is he –
"Don't look!" Hissed a nervous Duke beside his ally. "Slade is, particular about that side of his face. Trust me…. Starin' can an get him angry for some reason."
"Huh?" Tim wasn't sure what that had meant, but the Signal saw things. Maybe he had a demon living in his eye socket? Who knew? "Sure, whatever. We're all eyes on the bread and cucs."
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"We ate…. healthy!"
Jason rolled his eyes, taking his third bite of a cut cucmber spread tea sandwich. "Steph, actually. This is pretty fattening if you add up the cream base and the carb count. It's next to desert.
"What about our wonderful scones he always made? Those are not cake."
"They are, Brown."
"Are not –
"Are we all done here?" Tim stood with Luke as Duke collected his things. "Are we ditching dish duty?"
"No, and no." Dick was up while Alfred took to that role for today. "Right now?" He grinned. "You stretch it off, then we can have a rest."
More work, back-to-back was given. A search quiz on how to deactivate a supposed rubber pellet item that would resemble a gun, hidden in plain sight. The only issue, Dick had rigged the manor to always keep them on their toes.
Jason took a sit down to just –
" AAH! My damn magazine !!"
~ Dead. ~
"He installed speakers. This is creepy." Cass covered her ears.
~ I learned to do it, so can you. ~
"From a sword wielding sociopath." Dami snorted as he read a book he'd not picked up for a week since the Owl's case. "Go right ahead, father."
/
The home was not for him to talk as Tim and Luke had permission to go out thanks to Alfred. And the pellets that did pelt them were by the door. Dick was no joker, so what made him treat this like a PG rated issue?
"I want a recount on the decision to keep Dick in that chair! Please!" Steph moved into the cave as Spoiler. A case had come up and Tim was still "at the office."
Slade and Dick were there while Alfred stood by to gather their things for patrol. "The south side is bird territory. Dami, I want you and Cass to stick together. Duke and Miss. Brown will take the northside pier. There was activity of the fowl kind. Go ahead, Batman."
Dami bristled. Slade. Was calling Dick….
The man who moved to up his cowl was a reflection. "Fun way to trick the public. Good thing I know a few experts in my field as well." Slade beamed a bit while Dick made sure to change face. "We're keeping this as silent as we can make it. The owls being back in Gotham would put the GCPD in over themselves. We have to act and find what they're up to before there is another killer out on those streets."
"I can name, two."
"Robin." Dick's voice was good. It scared his brother who looked on, his eyes masked too well to tell if he wasn't the same goofball from their unfamiliar past. "I, would argue like that to father. But you have to prove you can handle this." He said, rigidly. Less composed, while the rest looked on.
"I will, that's the job and the responsibility that comes with protecting this city, and my teammates." Dick as the bat turned to the others. "We'll leave in fifteen or less time if you prep any sooner. I've gotten the coordinates sent to your units. Anything else, Oracle has us covered just in case."
"In case one of us loses control." Slade murmured and turned his head barely. His eye, on Duke as the boy nodded and swallowed hardly into his chest.
"Sure. In case…."
/
The commish was worried by the drama he'd seen in the last month. First, not a sign of Bruce. This was his secret kept as Barbara went and helped a new hero. A stand in of the bat. So far, he wasn't that bad. Too good to keep up with. "Bats can pick em, right Jim?"
Harvey Bullock drank his java and read the headline of the week while the phones rang off the hook in the next room over. Inside, Jim could nurse his head with a few private thoughts. "Harv." He started, using his gut with how to speak to his longtime partner. "What would you do if the new bat had been a criminal." (Keeping him because of the live action.)
"What? You know something, Jim? Don't go holdin' out –
"HYPOTHETICALLY." James Gordon sat up to add. "If. And no, no changes to the file on the new kid. He's good, but the bat certainly didn't have time to train a copy. Or make a clone in that time he was…"
"Augh, Jim…. Jimmy…. My man, we had no way ta' say he's not a crazy like all the rest. He stopped a bomb threat, saved two of the bat's kids. I saw it, you did."
"Montoya knows."
Harvey rubbed his neck; they were both doing that these days. "What about the owl feather as evidence? I think they went back underground, Jim. The goons here always have tunnels that they have access to. An' since the start a' this city."
"Don't you remember what is at stake here, Harv?"
"Not your badge, my magic wand to make this all go away, somehow? Right?" Joked the nervous other senior cop. "Not a cat or joker in this city and now we have another owl problem." He groaned a little. "Ever think this could be their way of trying to duck from the law for once? They scurried off, could be trou –
"Or, they could be giving it time to grow on us. The bat the original handed that cape to." Jim leaned into his hands and recalled over how Batman had the ability to put a kid up to the task, but not with Deathstroke. That just was written in a threat or two. A blood bathed count of bodies at the millions.
"I don't like the mercenary getting free run cause of the note. It's not even in his handwriting."
Jim sat up. "Say that again, Harv."
"Um, not in his John Hancock." The other stout man shrugged. "Why? Am I on to somethin?"
James took off his glasses and peered back, the thought clicking. If so, no evil doers meant someone was controlling the crime flow. Bruce never used that tactic to push that many out. It was a ghost town since…and right now, it was starting to lift. Little by little.
"I think we can do Montoya a favor. Get our guys on it and have any stashed notes by the real bat and the note he gave us two nights ago. Send them in for a comparison."
"So, I am onto somethin." Huffed the other cop. "You do need me around; ya know you look like shit when I walk."
"Kicking the bottle for us both was relief enough. Now, it's back to what we do best."
Harv grinned as he patted Jim on the back, the two perfects for the job. As long as they could catch the new guy to question their roles right now. "See? This was a pretty productive day! I'll take us out later to celebrate if all goes well."
"No more bar hops." Grumbled Jim. "Last time I had to scrape you off of the pavement while hitting a Joker – fan boy in the cohones. Not a very fun memory to pair with a beer and a few smokes."
"Say no more." Harvey swore on his badge as they left. The next step to see if there was still room in this city for two forces of good. Still good, if the bat would allow things to keep as they had with the original.
