Chapter Text
Batman checked the tracer Robin planted on Tim. It showed that he was still at home. The yellow dot blinking on the batmobile's monitor.
He got to the large house and saw an open window on the ground floor. No broken glass, the windows were completely intact. Taking a look inside; Batman made a mental note of the room.
It was the office.
As Batman glided in to the room, he noticed the room a mess. Files thrown about. A shattered lamp and torn family pictures. The parts that had Tim in them were all missing.
Batman turned around to look at the Drakes' fire place and saw some old pieces of burnt paper with words and a logo design. He tried to read what was on it.
-Ad-
-Da----odd-
-Wi--o-
-Ja-rake and Janet Dr-
-Timothy Jackson Drake-
Why burn these? Batman put them into a evidence bag and began checking the files he noticed the one folder was once again empty. He kept looking though for anything credible.
He then saw a list of companies all owned by Drake Industries. They were also connected to shipping companies.
The same ones Red X had hit.
Red X... if his motive is to steal fake xenothium and return the real ore. Then why go after Tim Drake at all just to return him? Is he trying to send a message to Drakes saying he can take Tim whenever he pleases?
Batman closed the desk as walked out into the den. Everything was spotless and rather tacky looking.
Following the tracker's signal it led Bruce upstairs. In to Tim Drake's room. Finding the door ajar, Batman entered the room to find it in disarrayed emptiness. School books stacked upon the desk. Crumpled paper overfilled the wastebasket and clothes laid in the floor. There wasn't a single child or child's toy in sight.
Looking through the paper balls, all Batman could find was spelling practice sheets. Growing annoyed, Batman went over to the bed where the tracker was blaring in his ear. He found the tracker on the headboard along with a yellow sticky note in red ink.
Hey Bats, you're a detective, right? See if you can find some treasure in the cave below.--Red X
09041989
P.S. : If you teach a man to fish, what happens if he fishes out the whole river and keeps all the fish for himself? Sounds pretty stingy if you ask me. XP
Taking the note in his hand, Bruce pondered the message. Red X was trying to be cleaver, he clearly wanted the kitchen to be checked. Maybe it held a key pad for the code he left?
Making his way down stairs and past the the large dining room. Moon light reflecting on the table. Shaping the windows' designs in the night sky.
Finally reaching the kitchen, he found the swinging door locked. The keys hung on the wall next to the fine china. They were rather high for a child to grab without help; nearly touching the ceiling.
Unlocking the door was simple enough for him, though. As Bruce entered the establishment, his mouth fell open in shock.
Dozens of pad locks hung over the cabinetry and the fridge was chained shut.
Did Red X lock Tim Drake in one of these cabinets? Did the Drakes? Is that what the note was for, to unlock all these locks to find Tim Drake unconscious or worse?
Taking a laser pen from utility belt and began cutting each lock.
Dick groaned as his cell phone kept vibrating. He had just gotten to sleep an hour ago. Finally answering it, he sighed.
"Babs, what do you want?"
"Oh good you're awake, did you guys find Tim, yet? Barbara asked excited like she just had six cups of coffee.
"What do you mean, we found Tim already?" Dick asked confused as he threw off his cover.
"Oh good, Bruce must have found him again." Babs said dismissively. "Anyway, I got a tip that Gotham's Jewelry Store is getting robbed tonight at midnight. It said Red X will there."
"And what? You want to go after him? I have school tomorrow, Babs, and so do you." Dick reasoned. "And what did you mean about Tim, did he go missing again?"
"Yeah, you don't know? It's why I'm still up, my Dad is waiting for Batman to find clues. Maybe we could take down Red X while Bruce searches for Tim Drake again."
Did Red X take Tim again or was he at Jason's? Why didn't Bruce say anything? "Fine I'll meet you in ten minutes."
"Great, see you then!" The phone then clicked off.
"Ah, girls are so annoying!" Dick whisper yelled. Fishing his Robin gear out of his wardrobe.
The lock on the store window was disabled. Three figurs snuck in, moving around in the dark. Two tall, burley, boys and a scrawny old lady.
"Okay boys, tonight's your first job; make Ma Gunn proud and find the xenothium display." The old woman instructed her students.
She then yelled to a boy with a golf hat, "and no goofing off, Frankie! We only got ten minutes before the alarm system goes back online. I want to make sure we give the bat and his brood the slip."
"Too late, you old bag," said a modulated voice. The old woman and her crew we then suddenly blast with red, sticky, bindings. "They're already on the way and you're about to be carted off to the big house."
It was Red X and he was holding a loot sack as he dropped little pieces of Xenothium in the bag. He the casually sat on the counter. "Who knows, grandma, maybe you'll stop teaching kids how to steal."
"Isn't that a pot and kettle situation?" Batgirl asked retorically getting the room's attention. Robin, though, charged at Red X with a fury.
Red X quickly dodged the Boy Wonder, "whoa birdie. What's got your feathers all ruffled?"
"Where's Tim Drake, What did you do with him!?" Robin screamed while lunging at the vigilante with his bo staff. Batgirl joined the fray and tried to attack too.
"Seriously?" He taunted while dodging Robin again. "How do you lose the same kid, twice. You met him once and then forget him... Again."
"What are you talking about?" Robin dropped his guard in confusion, allowing Red X to get in a kick and an X blast toward Batgirl sticking her to a display case.
Red X took this opportunity to slip out the back door, but Robin gave chase. They took their fight to the rooftops of Gotham.
Robin finally gained the upper hand and grabbed the bottom end of the loot sack.
"Let go!" Red X yelled facing Robin. The boy glared at him.
"Tell me where Tim is!" Robin tugged the bag. What did he mean he didn't remember Tim? He met him at the museum.
"You need to let go, this stuff is dangerous." Red X tugged back to the left.
"Tell me what you did with Tim." The bag tugged right. "Why did you take him from his family?
"Is that what those people are? His family? Ha, you should leave the jokes to the clown in Arkham." Another tug to the left. "They thew Timmy into boarding school as soon he became a problem. Left him to live with strangers, abandoning him."
"And what, you kidnapped him to keep him from going to school?" More forceful tug. "What a joke."
This caused Red X to explode, "AT LEAST I'M NOT GONNA LET HIM DIE BY NEGLECT FROM STUPID, THIEVING, RICH PEOPLE!" Red gave one last tug when...
Rippp!
The bag then suddenly tore and its contents fell and then a red blast blinded Robin and knocked both caped boys off the building. Robin was unconscious as he fell and was unable to grapple.
Red X noticed this and jumped in to action. He grabbed Robin and jumped the sides of the buildings to slow his decent to the ground. Gently reaching the ground Red X sighed as he saw the injuries.
"Crud," he tapped the side of his helmet. "Hey, it's me, I'm gonna need you to get the first aid kit.
Batman went through all the locks but found nothing but food. Each shelf was packed to the brim with enough food for months. Snacks, vegetables, meats and everything else had been locked up.
Bruce even found a feeding schedule for Tim, and it was less than a portion size a kid Tim's age.
He even tried the code on one of the locks and it didn't work. Then he saw a light blink in the dark by the fridge.
A security system pad.
Hoping this will work, Batman typed in the code. Suddenly, a sound in the foyer goes off. Heading into the direction of the noise, Bruce saw that the stairs life's up and a celler.
Walking down into the lower ground, Bruce gasped at what he stumbled upon. Artifacts that were supposed to be on display in the museum and crates and crates full of...
Xenothium.