I Am The Night- Part Fourteen by: Enemyoffun Steven Brown has a rough time, wanting to be a girl and hiding it from his angry abusive father. But when Steven gets a chance to express his hidden side through a fantastic opportunity, things change, including himself.

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Author's Note: Here's Ch. 13, I was dragging my feet on this one a bit but I finally got it done. If you take a close look at the pic for this chapter you might think its the same because it does look like last chapter's pic. But there's one slight difference :) I'd like to thank djkauf for the editing and DC Comics for the characters.

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Chapter Thirteen:

“Is there anything you can do about the wedgie?” I asked as the two of us walked down the hall.

Jen looked at me, confused. Then it dawned on her a split second later, her eyes getting big. Then she laughed. We slipped into an empty classroom, locking the door behind us. After getting off the phone at far too early in the morning, I went through my usual routine. After showering and dressing for school, I pulled the costume from under my bed. I wasn’t really sure what to do with it but after I thought about it, I realized that I needed to do something about the underwear situation. Last night it was riding up my butt and driving me insane. I had thought about not wearing any but that just creeped me out even more.

“Well” she said with a smile. “You can always wear a thong?”

I groaned. I was dreading she’s say something like that.

I stuck my tongue out at her. “Or I could make you wear the costume and let you prance around on rooftops wearing it all night?”

The color drained from her face. “I’ll see if I can design some built in underwear feature.”

I smiled and the two of us left the classroom. When we opened the door, a bald teacher frowned at us, clearly annoyed. I don’t think he liked being locked out of his own classroom. Before he could say anything, we broke into laughter and slipped around him. We got to our lockers and separated. We didn’t meet up again until it was lunch time. On the way to the cafeteria, we passed Arnold’s locker. I frowned when I looked at it. According to his parents, he was going to be in the hospital until at least the end of the month. I just hoped that that wouldn’t affect his chances of competing in the Talent Show. It was at the beginning of December, a few days before Winter Break. Arnold was really excited about it. I visited him the other day---we were still on rough terms---but he told me all about his Act. He even showed me how to throw your voice, demonstrating by doing his tough Italian Mobster voice he used for “Mr. Scarface”.

At lunch, I sat with Jen but kept getting dirty looks from the cheerleaders. I tried out last week. I thought things went well but apparently, things went too well. I showed them all up, making them look like amateurs. None of them were too happy about it. Their Coach loved me though. She wanted me on the team immediately, but looking at all the girls glaring at me, I knew it wasn’t safe. I didn’t want one of them to accidentally forget to catch me or somehow drop me off the top of a pyramid. So in the end I declined. Miss Wells---the Coach–wasn’t too happy but at least I avoided trying to explain why I didn’t break my leg when they did one of their stupid “accidents” to hurt me.

Jen glared at the girls. “You should have told them to go fuck themselves.”

I shrugged, dipping my fry in some ketchup. “It wouldn’t have changed their attitude toward me.”

Jen frowned. “I don’t know why you wanted to be one of them anyway. They’re total spazzes.”

“I didn’t really but I want to get into Gymnastics again and the school doesn’t have a team.”

We talked a little more about then Jen changed the subject. “If you swing by my place after your training today I can fix the suit for you.”

She hadn’t been happy when I told her about the knife cutting it. She complained and gave me the riot act, telling me to be more careful. We both agreed that as soon as my training for today was over I’d drop the costume off. I wanted to do another nighttime run tonight but I can’t very well do it if I’m not comfortable. Lunch went by at its usual pace after that. Jen asked me a few more questions about last night but we didn’t really want to talk about it with so many people around. After lunch, the rest of the day seemed to drag on slowly. I couldn’t stop thinking about last night. I’d never felt more alive. Every time I closed my eyes I saw myself fighting, that bastard and I couldn’t help but feel good inside.

When the final bell rang, Jen met me outside my last class. The two of us walked out to the parking lot together. I’d taken to being her own personal chauffeur now. AS the two of us were getting into the car, I heard the tell tale roar of a familiar motorcycle. I groaned and turned around. Tim had pulled his Ducati right up behind my little Focus, cutting the engine. I couldn’t help but groan because I wasn’t in the mood for him today. He took off his helmet and I could almost see Jen salivate. I elbowed her in the side, breaking her trance. Jen wasn’t really into the bad boys but it was hard not to drool all over Tim. He would be overly gorgeous except every time he opened his mouth he ruined that. He was looking particularly good today in his red leather jacket, his hair slicked back. How he didn’t have helmet hair was beyond me.

When he climbed off his bike, I huffed. ‘You’re blocking me in.”

He shrugged. “We need to talk.”

“Move your bike and maybe I’ll consider it.”

He crossed his arms in front of his chest. I sighed. “What do you want to talk about?”

“Bruce”

“What about him?”

“He’s driving me nuts. You have to come back.”

I shook my head. “He knows why I left. If he wants me back so much then all he has to do is admit that I’m right and help me.”

Tim groaned. “I’m not sure what the two of you have been arguing about and frankly I don’t care but it’s stupid.”

I looked him over. I could tell what his real problem was immediately. I smiled. “His making you do everything he made me do, isn’t it?”

Tim didn’t say anything. I laughed. Jen just looked confused. It felt kinda good to laugh in Tim’s face a bit. I’m not sure how long I laughed but I think he finally got the clue that I wasn’t going back. He growled in frustration and got back on his bike. It didn’t take him long to gun the engine and take off. I watched him go, satisfied that I got the last word in. I didn’t feel the least bit sorry for him. He was an arrogant jerk and sometimes jerks like him needed to be put in their place.

“So that was him, huh?”

I nodded. “Yep.”

“Kinda cute” said Jen, smiling like a lovesick puppy.

I didn’t say a thing. Instead, I frowned at her and we got into the car. As I said before I couldn’t argue the fact that he was in fact cute but it was everything else I hated about him. He was an insufferable prick, even more so now. The nerve of him showing up here and trying to get me to go back just so he didn’t have to work. That boy infuriated the hell out of me. He was on my mind the whole way to Jen’s. When I pulled up in front of her apartment building, I popped the trunk. This morning I took the costume from the safety of my bedroom and put it in the trunk, making sure it was hidden and out of sight. I thought about the best place for it and decided Uncle Jim was least likely to find it in my trunk. OK, so it wasn’t the best place but until I could find an alternative it would have to do.

I gave Jen the costume so she could fix the problem and then left her to drive off to Onyx’s. I parked around back; there was no way my car could fit into the alley. Onyx’s place was a lot bigger than I originally thought. She owned the whole building. I’m not sure how many square feet that was---I’m not good at that kinda thing---but there were at least four floors. She converted the top two into a living space. I spent last weekend here in one of her guest rooms so she could really drill into my head the need to train all the time. She was a slave master but it was definitely paying off. I proved that last night when fighting that nut.

I went in through the back door, which was sorta off to the side, half obscured in shadow. I took off my shoes and silently padded my way into the main room. I had walked this path so many times I could do it with my eyes closed. In fact, I have, numerous times actually. When I got to the Dojo, Onyx was dressed in her usual green garb, meditating on the center mat. I tried to be quiet but there was no sneaking up on her. So instead, I crept slowly into the room, curled up next to her and started meditating too. I took deep, shallow breaths, trying to find my center. I lost myself to the nothingness just like usual. I’m not sure how long I was like that before I felt her gently shake me awake.

When I opened my eyes, she frowned. “Did you enjoy yourself last night?” she asked coldly.

I inwardly cursed. Of course, she knew about it, she knew everything.

I bit my lip. “I had to try. I needed to know if I could do it.”

She shook her head. “You weren’t ready.”

“I beat him”

“You got lucky. Next time your opponent might be much faster or much more skilled than you. What happens then?”

I shrugged. I didn’t have an answer for her.

But I did have a question. “Does that mean I can’t go out again?”

She sighed. “I could tell you no but you’ll probably disobey me anyway. I know what it’s like to feel that rush. You might not believe this but I wasn’t always cooped up in this place you know. I know what it’s like out there.”

I smiled. “Were you like The Bat?”

I didn’t call him Bruce. I promised Bruce not to reveal his secret and I was keeping that promise. Knowing her she probably knew who he was anyway, even if she never let on she knew. Onyx was like that. I’d only known her for a little while but she was the kind of person who told you what she knew some of the time and left the rest of it to herself. Our biggest topic of discussion was Oracle. I knew she knew who he was but no matter how much I tried, I couldn’t get her to tell me. She kept saying that “when Oracle wants me to know then I’ll know.” I hated when people got cryptic like that. That didn’t stop me from trying though. I even went so far as to try tracing back the text messages but no matter how hard I tried---well Henry actually---we came up with a dead end. Henry was definitely an infant compared to Oracle.

I asked my question again. Onyx shook her head.

“I was something else” she said and left it at that.

Then we started training.

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She ran me ragged for a whole week. I think she wanted to make sure I was tough enough and strong enough to take on any opponent. She became convinced that defense wasn’t the only thing I needed to work on. So she started me on some Jujitsu, hoping it might toughen me up a bit. I took to it about as quickly as I did Aikido and Feng Shou. I kinda liked it actually. It was similar to the others in that I had to use the opponent’s force to my advantage but it was more aggressive. It involved a lot more physical contact. There were a lot of quick take-downs and fast moving punches. Onyx said she was impressed by how quickly I took to it. Besides martial arts, I was starting to get pretty skilled with weapons too. Onyx was fond of the bullwhip and nunchaku. Me, I was all about the tonfa. If you don’t know what one is, it’s really hard to describe. They come in pairs; they’re like two wooden poles about the length of your forearm with a handle. I know I’m not really describing them all that well but to fight with them was another thing entirely. Onyx wanted me to get used to using something that can protect my arms in case my opponent is much too large for me to handle. Tonfas were kinda clumsy for me to carry around but she remedied that by giving me a collapsible baton.

It wasn’t the same but it worked just as well.

I took my new skills to the street fairly quickly. The first night I started jujitsu I was out on the streets. Jen’s retrofit of the costume was much better. I didn’t have to wear underwear anymore because it was built in. She also added some venting to help me breathe a bit better. My boots got an upgrade as well. Gone were the ones with the heel, replaced by heavy duty combat type boots. They were easier to move in but flexible enough in case I needed to kick the crap out of someone. Not that I did much kicking. But the biggest change to the suit was cosmetic. When I first saw it, I didn’t approve in the least but Jen was insistent upon it. Do you remember how I thought the front of the suit was missing something well Jen thought the same? So she went out of her way and put a giant yellow bat on it. I guess it looked kinda cool---it was sorta this yellow outline, it was kinda wicked. But it made me frown a bit. It was like I was thumbing my nose at Bruce or something.

“It’ll scare them” was Jen’s reply to my complaints.

It did, too.

The first night that I went out, I ran into a pair of jackasses trying to break into a car. It was dark; most of the street was obscured in shadow. It was kind of a petty crime but as long as I was around there was going to be no crime. I dropped down silently behind them, my cape flowing around me. When they turned around and saw the Bat on my chest, the first one actually pissed himself. I disarmed him quickly with a head butt. The other tried to run. I grabbed the crowbar they were using to try to pry into the car and threw it at the back of his legs. He fell face first into the street. It was nearly midnight and no one was around to see me drag him back into the shadows by his ankles, kicking and squirming the whole time.

The next morning my actions made the news. This time the goons easily told the reporters who and what I was. Word spread quickly after that, The Bat was truly back in the city. Not that that made my job any easier. The night after nabbing the car thieves, I dropped on a mugger. He didn’t seem to be too scared of me until he found that I could deflect all his sloppy punches. All it took for me to take him down was a swift kick in the gut. I left before he or the woman he was robbing could get a good look at my face. It bothered me that everyone was still describing me as a big menacing guy with a deep sinister voice, still connecting me to Bruce. But the way I figured it they were either too scared to think clearly or too embarrassed to say they were beaten up by a little girl.

After that, word spread like wild fire. As much as the criminals feared the Roving Ravager, there was something about a person in black leather and a cape that frightened the hell out of them. After another night of taking out scum, things started to die down. It gave me time to concentrate on my real objective: Thrill. The drug had disappeared. The Roving Ravager was busting up Parks all over the city, leaving behind several semi-conscious and severely beaten witnesses---i.e. the Seekers. He had a rough style but I couldn’t hate him too much because he was getting the job done. Unfortunately, though he was scaring off the Seekers. I guess that’s a good thing but now I had no one to hunt. I was still hell bent to ruin these bastards and yet I had no trail left to follow.

That is until this morning. I was leaving English class when my phone went off. I groaned, ducking into a nearby girl’s bathroom. I pulled the phone out of my bag and flipped it open. I scanned the quick message: SEEKER PARTY 1 AM TONIGHT, WAREHOUSE DISTRICT, DRESS APPROPRIATELY, ORACLE. I smiled at the message. I wanted to scream out in excitement; instead, I stuck the phone in my pocket. It was exactly the lead I was looking for. This time bumbling Stephanie Brown wouldn’t be going there, this time it would be The Bat.

I rushed out of the bathroom, positively glowing.

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Yuck, why did it have to rain?

I groaned as I shifted position, trying to find a good spot on the edge of the building. But it was hard to get comfortable with the rain beating down on me so hard. I guess it was better than snow, though. But of course, it was one of those rains that was kinda half and half. The weatherman called it freezing rain. Well it was definitely that and then some. As cool and sleek as my suit was it definitely wasn’t made for this kind of weather. I would have to see if I could get Jen to some kind of insulation. I’m not sure how but the cape only kept some of the chill off of me. I know it’s not very stealthy but I was shivering as the water drummed heavily on me, in some instances clinging to my leather clad form. The only one out here tonight more miserable than me had to be the guy standing in front of the building.

I was at the address Oracle sent me too. How did I know it was the right place? An hour ago, I picked up the trail of a few Seekers and followed them here. It didn’t take a genius to figure out which of the many warehouses was the one they were operating from. After following my quarry, I took up my roost on this building. It was at the edge of the district, overlooking the warehouse in question. After my guys went in, several more filed in over the last hour or so. I’m not really sure what I was waiting for. OK, that’s not true. I knew what I was waiting for. There was no way Oracle would send me here unless it was damn important. After all this didn’t feel like a routine Seeker Park. For one thing, the guy at the door---the one I felt partially sorry for---was holding an AK-47. You didn’t pack that kind of firepower unless something big was going down.

I grumbled, shifting position again.

The belt around my waist was a bit heavier tonight. Jen thought I should name everything---kinda call it “Bat” this or “Bat” that. I thought that was the stupidest idea ever. If she had it her way, I’d be wearing a “Bat” belt around my waist. She means well but sometimes she doesn’t have a clue. But she was kinda right about the naming thing. Not that I wanted to get cute and name everything in my arsenal some stupid name. So I called the belt my “utility” belt for lack of a better term. In the pouches were the usuals---cell, mace, flashlight. Now there were a few new items to add to the list. In one pouch, I know had a small pair of binoculars and in another was some shuriken. Even though Onyx told me she didn’t want to actively get involved in all my nocturnal activities---besides training me---she did equip me properly. The shuriken were her idea as well as the collapsible baton now attached securely to my hip.
She said fighting with my fists was one thing but I’d deal more of a blow with the baton. I couldn’t argue with her there.

Now if she could have found some way to speed up time.

I shivered and sighed. Waiting was my least favorite part of anything. And waiting in the freezing rain, well that was now near the top of my least favorite things of all time list. It was a smidge above clowns and a few lines below my father---who was at the top of the list. Sitting here in the dark and the cold, I couldn’t help but feel I wasting my time. Yes, this looked like a real bad place but so far the only bad thing I saw was the miserable bastard stupid enough to join me out here. I groaned, ready to call it quits. It’s a good thing I didn’t. If I had bailed when I wanted too I would not have heard the rumble. At first, I thought it was thunder, which would have made this the worst day ever. Then I saw it come bumbling around a corner: a large white delivery truck. It was non-descript except for the color but it didn’t take a genius to figure out where it was going.

When it stopped in front of the warehouse across from me, I decided to get a closer look.

I leapt across the gap and landed gracefully on top of the truck. I didn’t stop there though as I ran softly across the top and jumped onto the warehouse. It was a good five or six feet from the top of the truck to the awning above the warehouse door. Luckily, it wasn’t one of those Indiana Jones kinds---you know the ones that people thought they could jump on and not fall through. The awning was solid, made of concrete. It wasn’t very large but it was big enough for me to crouch on and hide. It was also close enough for me to see what was going on which was a big plus.

The guard pulled the collar of his coat up around his check, grumbling. He walked up to the truck as the driver got out. The first thing I noticed about the driver was his mask. What in the hell? He was wearing a cheap plastic mask, in the shape of a pig. In the cab of the truck there was a passenger, he was wearing a mask too, a rabbit this time. I didn’t realize Halloween so still going on.

“Where the hell have been, Porky?” asked the guard with a snort.

The driver flipped him off. “Give me a break; you realize how much of this stuff we had to load.”

I reached into one of my pouches. I pulled out another new tool of mine---a spy camera. It was small and slender. I snapped off a few shots of the three of them. Then I took a picture or two of the truck and in particular the license plate. Evidence gathering was a new thing for me but it seemed like the right thing to do. The camera was Jen’s idea. She had just in case I wanted to clue the police in on what was going on. I thought it was a pretty good idea actually. From the television and my Uncle’s numerous phone calls, I knew that Detective Gage was actually the head of the Thrill Task force. So I had to wonder if he might like the photos that I just took.

I took a few more photos just for posterity.

The guard and Porky went around the side of the truck. I heard them open the back and waited. About a minute later---after some grunting and cursing---Porky and the guard were carrying a large crate between them. I took a few pics of that too. The passenger side door opened and Bugs got out. Well what else would you call a guy in a rabbit mask? He was bigger than the other too, wearing black leather gloves. He followed them to a point where I couldn’t see. I shifted position and just caught the three of them out of the corner of my eye. I quickly leapt from the awning back onto the roof of the truck. I got a good view of them now. They were at a pull down door, like a garage door. Bugs lifted it without a problem, the sound of rusty chains and gears mixing with the rain.

Bugs waited for the two of them to carry the crate inside then slammed the door down. I moved like lightning. I sprang from the truck back onto the awning. Then I jumped up, grabbing the small ledge of the window there. I pulled myself up quickly then grabbed the ledge of the window above it. There were three rows of windows directly on top of one another before I got to the roof. When I pulled myself up onto the roof, I was hit with a gust of cold air. The rain went into my face, disorienting me for a second. I shielded myself with the cape until I got my bearings. When I dropped it, my heart skipped a beat because I wasn’t alone on the roof.

He was there too.

He was half shrouded in shadows but it didn’t take a genius to figure out who it was. He wore a cape and cowl both black like mine, his mouth and eyes the only thing visible. The rest of his costume was pretty much red, it looked leather like mine. I was a bit surprised to see him but that shock wore off quickly. The Roving Ravager and I locked eyes. I couldn’t read his expression because it was cold and hard. His eyes seemed to burn into me as we stared at each other. Neither of us made a move for about a minute but he eventually. He seemed to glide across the roof and went right for the skylight. I moved a second later. There was no way I was going to let him bust this place up. This was my only shot and he wasn’t going to get in the way of that.

“This is my bust,” I said, adding a sinister edge to my voice.

He looked at me, smirked and kicked out the glass. Subtlety was not this guy’s strong suit. I lunged forward to stop him but he dropped into the roof. I cursed. It had to be a thirty-foot drop. I ran over and looked down, watching, as he seemed to float harmlessly to the ground. At first, I thought he might be a Meta like me until I saw the rope. It was hard to see in the dark but I found the edge of it attached to a hook, embedded in the roof. A small part of me wanted to pull out the hook and watch him fall. Hey, I said a small part. Instead, I watched as he landed on the ground. In one fluid motion, he was free of his rope and springing into action. He caught the first few Seekers off guard, tearing into them. But the others sprang into action really quick. There were a lot of them, more than I thought. I realized quickly that alone he didn’t stand a chance. That’s when I heard the rapid bursts of automatic fire. I couldn’t see the guard with his machine gun but I knew he was down there. I cursed. Things were definitely not as easy as the last time. A chill ran up my spine and for a split second, I thought about bolting but then I realized I couldn’t leave him down there to get slaughtered.

I took a deep breath, pulled pair of shuriken from my pouch and jumped through the skylight. I’m not sure why I didn’t use the rope. I think a small part of me knew I didn’t need it. Halfway through the air, I spread my arms out, bringing the edges of the cape up with me. I sorta glided through the air, probably looking pretty damn menacing when I finally hit the ground. As soon as I did I landed softly, not hurt at all from the thirty foot drop. It only took me a second to get adjusted to the dimness of the room but as soon as I straightened up from my landing crouch, the room fell silent. I looked around and watched as several people stopped doing what they were doing and stared. Even the guard stopped firing. The Ravager was crouched behind the wooden crate, probably hiding from the barrage of bullets. He even turned to look at me.

Finally, one voice cut through the silence. “It’s the Bat.”

That’s all it took to break the stunned silence. The room erupted and the stunned Seekers charged at me. I threw my shurikens, picking my targets. The first went at the guard, slicing his upper arm, causing him to drop his gun. The second grazed the cheek of the nearest Seeker, causing him to fall back. I say fall back but it did not slow him down. He charged me. I jumped into the air, flipping over him. He slammed into one of his companions coming from the other way. About half way through my flip I landed on my charger’s back. I ran along him and used his momentum to launch myself at the next bastard. I kicked him in the chin, throwing him backwards. There was a collision of bodies as my opponent slammed into two more charging Seekers.

When I landed, two more Seekers charged me. I rolled into them, pulling the baton free. I hit the first in the face then in the groin. He dropped. The second got my elbow in his face, the baton in his throat. The onslaught came after that. I’m not sure how many there were but I threw a lot of punches and drove away a lot of them with the baton. I’m not sure when it happened but someone pushed his back against mine. I had a pretty good idea who. I’m not sure how long we were fighting but eventually it came to an end. I threw the final blow, hitting a Seeker in the face with my knee. He went down like a ton of bricks. He didn’t get up, which was a good thing because I’m not sure if I had any more in me.

It was at that moment that I realized someone was pressed against me. I spun around, ready for another go. I swung the baton only to find it blocked by a metal pole. The Ravager was standing there, his face covered in sweat, panting like I was. We stared at each other for a long time, neither moving or saying a word. We didn’t even lower our weapons.

He broke the silence. “So you’re the person pretending to be the Bat.”

I huffed. I wasn’t pretending anything.

“And you’re the Roving Ravager” I said, trying to make my voice sound dark and sinister. “The guy pretending to be a hero.”

His eyes narrowed. “Red Robin.”

“What is?" I asked, confused.

“My name” he said, “RR stands for Red Robin.”

“Seriously” I said, the edge falling from my voice.

He frowned. “Robins are graceful, intelligent birds.”

There was a bit of a whine to his voice when he said it. It made it hard to believe that this was the same guy that just brutalized all these punks.
We didn’t say anything more for a while. Instead, he started poking around. He bent to check one of the guys that was lying unconscious nearby. Me, I went for the crate. I left him to play whereas I was here for a reason. I pulled out my camera again and took pictures. First of all the goons then of the crate itself. I thought about taking a pic of him but I decided against it. I wouldn’t want anyone to take my pic either. So instead, I concentrated on the crate. When the pictures were done, I scrutinized it. Or what was left of it. When the Red Robin---stupid name---had crouched behind it as a shield, the bullets did a bang up job on it. Most of the contents inside were trash. I found a nearby crowbar and pried off the lid, getting a good look inside.

There were several green liquid filled glass vials packed in straw. A good portion of them were smashed. I fingered one, rolling it over. There was a label on the glass, V10. I rubbed my chin, why did that name sound familiar. I racked my brain, trying to come up with the answer.

“Is it Thrill?” he asked as he came walking over.

I picked up one of the vials, sloshing the liquid about. “I think so.”

He picked up one of his own. “V10”

I nodded. “According to the truck driver, it sounds like the truck outside is filled with this stuff.”

“Well it's gone now” he said with a sigh, dropping the vial back in the crate.

“What” I said then looked around.

There were a lot of people lying about unconscious, Bugs was one of them. Not amongst the group was Porky. I cursed. He must have slipped out during the battle. So the Robin was right, the truck was long gone. I scanned the faces just to make sure but he was definitely not among them. I turned back to the crate and stared at the vial in my hand. Just then, my phone vibrated. It wasn’t the only one either. I reached for my belt, pulling it out of my pouch. The Robin reached inside in cape. I looked at my screen; it was a text from You-Know-Who: GET A VIAL OF THAT STUFF; I THINK I KNOW SOMEONE WHO CAN HELP, ORACLE. I clicked my phone shut then carefully stuck the vial in one of my pouches, hoping that it would be safe there. I looked at the Robin; he discreetly grabbed a vial too. We locked eyes and then he smiled. He showed me his phone and I sighed, it was the same message.

“Looks like someone wants us to work together” he said.

I frowned. “The Bat and Robin, I’m not so sure.”

“Why are you saying it like you’re in charge? I’ve been here longer, I have more experience.”

“Because a Bat would definitely be in charge over a stupid bird. Besides Robin sounds like a sidekick’s name.”

“It's Red Robin.”

“Whatever.”

He opened his mouth to protest but never got a chance. The sound of sirens cut through the night. I turned and looked at the door. When I snapped back to tell the Red Robin we should run, he was already gone. I cursed. I snapped around to his rope but it was gone too. Some “partner” he turned out to be. I rushed to the door just as it opened. I was halfway there when two police officers walked into the room. They caught sight of me and froze for a split second. Then they pulled out their guns, shouting freeze. I reached into another pouch, pulling out another one of Onyx’s goodies.

A smoke bomb.

I threw it at their feet. The room erupted into a cloud of thick gray smoke, allowing me to escape. I ran up the far wall, grabbed the edge of the window and broke it with my elbow. I looked down at the coughing police officers, frowned at almost being caught, then jumped out the window. I disappeared down the alley as soon as I hit the ground.

Author’s note: As I’m sure all of you know, comments are life blood to an author. I’m not begging or demanding, but I certainly would appreciate anything you have to say (or ask). It doesn’t have to be long and involved, just give me your reaction to the story. Thanks in advance...EOF