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The first thing he registered was pain; a soreness that seemed to spread throughout his body mingling with a suffocating exhaustion. Three areas stood out the most though.
His head, for one, felt like it had recently lost a fight with a cement wall; it pounded and created a rushing sound in his ears. His lips twisted into a small grimace when he tried to move.
Then there was his back. He wouldn’t be surprised if he found one giant, purple bruise from his shoulders to his thighs the next time he looked in a mirror.
But those things could be easily overlooked when compared to his left ankle. Every tiny shift of his body caused it to throb in time with his rapidly beating heart. He slowed his breathing, trying to focus. He could tell it wasn’t broken; unfortunately, he had some experience with breaks. But it was too painful to be a simple sprain. After a moment of consideration, he decided it was either severely twisted or fractured. Neither choice was very appealing.
The unconsciousness that had just let him go was calling his name again. And he was about to welcome it willingly…
Until he realized there was someone else calling out for him too.
The voice was muffled and distorted at first, as though he were hearing it from underwater. But as the initial pain receded a bit, it became clear that there was a girl trying to get his attention.
“Wake up!” she was saying, sounding slightly panicked. “Come on, Dick, we don’t have time for you to take a nap!”
He winced as she urgently shook his shoulders. She was attempting to sound annoyed, he realized, but there was an undercurrent of worry in her tone. He tried to open his eyes to figure out why she sounded so familiar but all he could manage was a fluttering of his lashes.
It was enough to let the girl know he was slowly coming to and her next words were colored with relief. “That’s it, short stuff; open those baby blues so we can get out of here.”
‘Short stuff’?
“B-babs?” Dick’s voice was little more than a rasp when he finally forced his eyelids up. He was met with a blur of red and pale peach. He squinted as his eyes protested the dim light that seemed to form a halo around his friend’s head.
Like an angel, he thought groggily.
But no… that wasn’t right, was it? Barbara had been an angel last year. She was an animal this year, he thought… a cat? She had pointy ears on top of her head like a cat’s at any rate.
Wait…
“What happened?” Dick groaned in confusion.
Barbara frowned in concern, “You fell through a trap door, remember? You were only out for a few minutes. Doesn’t that mean you don’t have a concussion? Or does it matter how long it takes you to wake up? I’ve never had a concussion, I’m not sure how they work. Though Dad says I was probably dropped on my head as a baby.” Dick blinked at her, trying to decipher what she’d said. The red head had a tendency to ramble when she was anxious.
How could he have fallen through a trap door, of all things? Wayne Manor didn’t have any trap doors. At least, he didn’t think it did. That would actually be pretty cool… did the entrances to the cave count? He didn’t think they should; they weren’t exactly traps.
Dick closed his eyes to regain focus. The way his thoughts were jumping around, maybe he did have a small concussion. They weren’t even at the Manor.
… So where were they?
Dick opened his eyes and took his first good look at the room around him. A gasp escaped his lips when he sat up too fast, sending everything spinning. He grabbed his head and shakily asked, “Am I seeing double or are there more than one of us?”
Barbara’s expression was puzzled until she glanced behind her and her eyes widened. “Not just you,” she informed him, “And it’s closer to, like, fifty of us. I think this is Hall of Mirrors.” She tilted her head up to view the trap door again speculatively, “I bet they were working on a ramp or slide to lead down here. Which is honestly pretty awesome; walking with your friends, the floor falls beneath you, and suddenly you’re separated and lost in a maze of mirrors!”
A Hall of Mirrors? Dick thought, rubbing his head as if that would jog his memory. Why would they be in one of those? What kind of house even had-
The Fun House! Dick breathed out as he remembered. It was all coming back to him now. Halloween week, the festival, the closed attraction… the awful mess they were in; he groaned at their rotten luck. These kind of things always seemed to happen to him.
Barbara’s head jerked back to look at him at the sound. “Are you okay?” she asked fretfully.
“Yeah,” Dick sighed, “Just really sore. And I think I must have landed funny, my ankle’s killing me.”
Barbara winced, “That… is not good. We really, really, really need to get moving. They can’t be too far behind us and that door is like a neon sign pointing to where we are.” She bit her lip and looked out at the reflective glass walls, “That’s going to offer zero cover. They’ll see us from every angle!”
Dick grimaced in agreement. There would be an advantage in their pursuers not being able to tell which ones were them. But the two of them would still have to work their way through the maze, and they wouldn’t be able tell how close they were to being caught either. Add on to the fact that he would be hobbling and things didn’t look too great. But if they had no other choice…
Taking a deep breath, Dick braced his hands on the floor and started to leverage himself up. Barbara immediately moved to help him and soon they were both standing, the young girl supporting her friend. It was slightly awkward, considering she was nearly a head taller.
Something shifted in Dick’s back pocket and he froze.
“The phone!” he reminded them both.
Barbara’s eyes sparkled with hope. Everything had happened so fast that they had forgotten about it. Bruce had given it to him in case they got separated from the Commissioner in the crowd. “See if it has a signal,” Barbara encouraged, “We can call Dad and find a place to hide.”
Dick dug into his pocket, grunting a bit when it caused his foot to shift uncomfortably. He pulled the device out, ready to get out of this mess they’d mistakenly fallen into, and his heart sank. The screen was cracked and broken, and when he pressed the button nothing happened. It remained dark and useless.
“I’m sorry, Babs,” he said dejectedly, “ I must have landed on it when I fell.” She looked just as disappointed, but she nodded in understanding.
Somewhere above their heads a door slammed and they both tensed. “The only question is,” the girl whispered uneasily, “what do we do now?”
Hours Earlier
Bruce glanced at his watch and frowned when he heard the doorbell ring. He had not been looking forward to this evening for a number of reasons.
For one, he hated nothing more than social gatherings with his fellow businessmen. He didn’t like having to pretend he was an idiot who thought only of himself, money, and women. Or talking with ones for whom it wasn’t an act at all; sometimes he wished he could just throw away the secret identity and let people know what he really thought of them. But then common sense and self preservation- so named Alfred- would kick in and he would quite literally grin and bear it.
Not to mention, the only thing worse than these get-togethers were when they were in the form of a Halloween Event. Now he not only had to dress up in some ridiculous costume, but he also had to deal with all of the ‘Femme Fatales’, ‘Marilyn Monroe’s, and ‘Slave Princess Leia’s that would try to grab his attention with outfits that left little to the imagination. He should really thank Alfred again for that headache medication he’d left on his nightstand.
But the number one reason he had been hoping for the clock to stop ticking, was that Commissioner Gordon and his daughter were, at this very moment, on his doorstep. And they were here for his child.
Dick had asked him two weeks ago if he could join the Commissioner and Barbara when they went to the annual Halloween Festival. Gotham was home to its very own amusement park, though small compared to places such as Disney World or Six Flags. And every year when Halloween rolled around, they would deck it out in fake cobwebs and other vast assortments of creepy decorations. Then they would invite the city to celebrate the night with them for ‘Costumes, Candy, and Creeptastic Fun’. The slogan alone was enough to curb any desire Bruce may have had to attend; which was nonexistent until Dick had mentioned that it looked like fun.
Unfortunately, Bruce couldn’t skip out on the party to take him so he had agreed to the Commissioner’s invitation. Albeit reluctantly. He wasn’t thrilled with the idea of Dick being out in the city without him or Alfred accompanying; but at the same time, he trusted Gordon to take care of the boy just as he would Barbara.
That didn’t make it any easier to let him go.
Bruce sighed and went to open the door, as Alfred was busy preparing his car for the evening. Gordon was waiting to greet him with a smile and Bruce couldn’t help but give a small one of his own when he saw the man’s ‘costume’.
“You don’t get enough of wearing that uniform every other day?” Bruce teased, taking in the buttons and medals that identified him as a police Commissioner.
Gordon chuckled, looking a bit sheepish, “I was going for ‘hiding in plain sight’.”
Bruce nodded sagely, “I am familiar the concept.” You have no idea how much, he added in his mind. He turned his attention to the fiery red head at the older man’s side and nudged her cheek. “I think you’re missing some whiskers there my feline friend.”
Barbara’s nose went into the air in a way that reminded the secret vigilante of a certain Amazonian princess. “That’s because I’m not a cat,” she said in a tone that suggested it was obvious, “I’m Catwoman.”
Bruce felt his eyebrows lift, “Went for the villainess route, huh?”
Barbara shrugged, “I don’t know if I’d qualify her as a villain. A thief, I suppose; she’s never really hurt anybody. But she is very intelligent, skilled, and I have it on good authority that she’s even outsmarted Batman on occasion.”
Really, Jim? It took much restraint not to let a wounded expression slip. Selina… well he would admit that she was intelligent. And skilled at thievery. And, though misguided at times, she never meant to cause anyone physical harm; unless they made the first move. And she did have a mean roundhouse kick.
But she hadn’t outsmarted him… that much. And those other times he… let her get away completely by his own choice.
Bruce cleared his throat and stepped back to let them in. “You know, I think Dick is nearly ready. He’s up in his room if you’d like to let him know you’re here,” he directed at Barbara.
“Thank you,” she nodded at him before scampering upstairs. When she had gone, Bruce turned back to see Gordon giving him a knowing look.
“You don’t have to say it, Bruce,” he held up a hand as the man opened his mouth, “I promise I will keep an eye on him. I won’t let him overload on candy and I’ll make sure he’s home before ten.”
Bruce’s lips tightened slightly as the other man had recited nearly verbatim what he had planned to say. But it wouldn’t do to let him know that.
“I was going say to make sure he has fun,” that was important, too.
“Mmhmm,” was the only response he got before two excited children came barreling down the stairs. Barbara seemed to be in the middle of a detailed description of the festival and all of the fun that they would have. The rides, the costumes, and every junk ridden substance known to man. Bruce felt his forehead wrinkle with a thought. When he got home would he be greeted by an adorably exhausted child ready for bed… or a sugar-crazed ninja bouncing off the walls and dangling from the chandelier?
“Well now,” Gordon interrupted his dread with a grin, “I must say, I wholeheartedly approve of the outfit, Dick. The force could always use some more good, honest men like you.” The young acrobat, now dressed as a Mini-Gotham police officer, smiled brightly as he came to stand beside his guardian. “Thought about trying on the real deal someday?” Gordon asked curiously.
Bruce nearly choked when Dick shrugged, looking intrigued, “I’ve never really thought about it before. But I guess it would be pretty cool; I like helping people.”
“And there are various ways to do that,” Bruce inserted before Gordon could respond. Ways that don’t involve risking your life both day and night, he thought, then added, “And still plenty of time to decide how you’ll do it.” He could see the amusement shining in the Commissioner’s eyes, but kept his focus on the boy in front of him. He pulled out a phone and said, “I want you to take this with you tonight, Dick. And if you need anything call me.”
Dick nodded solemnly as he put it in his pocket. “I will,” he promised. Then he grinned and threw his arms around his guardian’s waist, “I’ll be okay, Bruce. I hope you have fun at your party.”
It seemed that smile was infectious, because Bruce could never seem to help but return it; he reached out to tug the bill of the miniature police cap, “Probably not as much fun as you, Kiddo. Eat some cotton candy for me?”
“Deal!” was the enthusiastic response. The boy stepped back, and Barbara immediately took hold of his hand to drag him out the door.
“Good Bye, Mr. Wayne!” she waved as they left, grabbing her father’s sleeve on the way out. As the door closed, the Commissioner caught his eye and gave a reassuring smile that surprisingly loosened the knot forming in Bruce’s chest.
Left alone in the now silent entryway, Bruce sighed and looked at his watch. Time to put on the persona of an airheaded playboy once again. It was a shame that wasn’t something he only had to wear once a year.
“How did you do that?!” Barbara growled for what had to be the fifth time in the past two minutes.
Jim had been quite astounded and impressed when Dick had managed to hit the bullseye in the dart game; not once, but three times, to win the giant plush Superman hanging in the prize section. The man directing the booth had seemed shocked as well and Jim suspected that the game was somehow rigged. “Barbara, sweetheart,” he placated, “just calm down. Is it really that important?”
“Yes!” Barbara gave him a condescending sort of a look that reminded him a bit too much of her mother. “Everyone knows those games are rigged!” she unknowingly echoed his thoughts, “And you,” she pointed accusingly at Dick, “still hit it every time!”
“Now, how do you know it was rigged?” Jim felt the need to ask.
The redhead’s scowl deepened and she crossed her arms in frustration. “Because I couldn’t even hit the board,” she admitted unhappily.
Jim fought hard to keep the amused smile off of his face. If she saw any hint of humor in his eyes he knew she would be most unhappy with him. She worked hard to be the best at everything, his girl; it just about killed her to place second against anybody. He never wanted her to change.
“Actually,” Dick spoke up then, “It was rigged.” He seemed a bit hesitant to say it, and understandably so; Lord knew it didn’t take too much to get Barbara riled. But curiosity appeared to trump temper this time around as she quirked her head at the boy in question. “It was the metal tips,” Dick explained, “They were all weighted differently, meaning you couldn’t just point it at the target and throw. You’d have to calculate how much it would drag, account for the rate of descent, and adjust your aim accordingly. And then if you managed to hit it once, you’d probably try to throw the others at a similar speed and angle because it had worked for you before. Different weights, though, so different angles.”
“Really?” Jim asked, eyebrows raised. “It couldn’t have been too big a difference or everyone would notice,” he mused thoughtfully, “How could you tell?”
Dick shrugged modestly, “I used to be good friends with a knife thrower. He taught me a few things.” Jim frowned, afraid that they’d drawn too close to a sore subject. It had only been a little over a year and a half since the boy’s world had been turned upside down. He’d obviously made a lot of progress in his emotional state; but losing people you love… that takes time to move past. Is the festival just a reminder of what he’s lost? the Commissioner wondered sadly.
But then Barbara grumbled, grudgingly impressed, “Doesn’t hurt that you’re a freakin’ math genius, too.”
Dick bowed at the waist and gave a theatrical twirl of his hand, “And if it had been a fair match we’d have a Wonder Woman as well, I’m sure.”
Nose in the air, Barbara sniffed in mock disdain, “You bet your plastic badge we would.” They promptly dissolved into laughter and Jim felt his worries melt away. He had just opened his mouth to ask where they would like to go next when a deep rumbling sound filled the air.
“Is it supposed to rain?” Barbara asked with a fretful look at the sky. It had been barely an hour since they’d arrived, it would certainly crush them to leave so soon.
At least I don’t have to disappoint them, Jim mused with a self-deprecating chuckle. “No, that wasn’t thunder,” he shifted the Superman doll and used the hand the action freed to pat his stomach, “I’m afraid my gut is just reminding me I haven’t eaten since breakfast.”
Dick’s eyes widened at the same time as Barbara’s narrowed. “But you had to go in at seven this morning,” she accused before grabbing his wrist and glaring at his watch, “It’s almost half past six, Dad! That’s nearly twelve hours!” With a much aggrieved sigh, she began to pull him along as though he were the child in their relationship. “We’re going to a concession stand,” she announced decisively.
It didn’t take long for them to find a few set up with a grouping of picnic tables nearby. They quickly moved to the marginally shortest line and Barbara released her hold so she could cross her arms.
It was Dick who spoke, however. “You know, you could have said something,” He scolded gently, “We wouldn’t have minded stopping.”
“I know. Next time I will, promise,” Jim crossed his heart to reinforce the statement. Barbara seemed skeptical; but Dick’s smile was one of satisfaction and the two of them then delved into a debate over who had come closer to hitting the metal bell in the strong man’s challenge.
As they waited for their turn, Jim allowed his mind to drift. Honestly, he hadn’t even thought about food until his stomach had sounded. He’d been too caught up in the children’s excitement. He felt as if he had barely seen Barbara in weeks. And yes, of course, the days leading up to Halloween were always hectically busy; every psycho in Gotham seemed to come out in spades.
He hadn’t had to worry about his little girl quite so much before summer of last year. Things had been extremely rocky between him and Barb for a long time, but he’d still had her to fall back on until that June. The divorce wasn’t pretty in the slightest. Then she’d gone and taken his son with her; and, whether she meant to or not, left their daughter wondering why she wasn’t worth fighting over. He was immensely grateful he hadn’t had to lose his baby girl in addition to everything else; but that didn’t change how hurt she’d been.
And it certainly didn’t help that he’d had to send her to a different school right after. But it had offered a wider range of extracurricular activities that could keep her entertained for longer as Jim worked. After school programs the teachers chaperoned; eliminating, for the most part, the need for a babysitter. And there were so many advanced classes, meaning more opportunity for scholarships.
Barbara had acted as though he were throwing her to the sharks rather than a private school. She’d sulked and pouted and gave him every impression he’d receive an angry phone call by the end of the first day. Imagine his surprise when he had arrived home to find her practically glowing with happiness. She’d had nothing but positive things to say about the teachers, the classes, even the cafeteria food. And, of course, the new friend she’d made in one orphaned circus acrobat.
If it hadn’t been for Richard Grayson, Jim wasn’t sure how they would have made it through this past year. Barbara had had friends before the boy, of course; but she was so feisty and headstrong, certain of herself and her capabilities. He’d noticed how often that fire Jim himself so admired had made her classmates wary.
Dick hadn’t been intimidated, though. He respected her for the person she was and gave her the freedom to be herself in a way no one else had before. But he didn’t let her, at times, overbearing personality trample him either. That boy had an impressive amount of wit and intelligence that many adults seemed to lack, much less a child just shy of ten years. Jim had seen him give as good as he got when Barbara was in one of her moods and lashing out. And in the aftermath, he’d seen Dick crack a joke or speak to her gently until she’d calmed down and carried on as though it’d never happened. It was quite the feat, one even the Commissioner struggled with half of the time.
It was a comfort, knowing she had someone to got to when he was unavailable. Knowing there was somewhere for her to go, for that matter. Barbara had spent a lot of time at Bruce’s mansion these past few weeks. This night of fun was part of Jim’s thank you.
Jim looked up to see the teenager in front of them was placing his order. He settled a hand softly on Barbara’s shoulder to catch her attention and transferred Superman to her arms. “Sweetheart, why don’t you go find us a table while Dick and I order? We’ll grab you a drink and some cotton candy.”
“I suppose that will do,” she agreed with sniff, “Just don’t make it a diet.” She turned to walk away, making sure to knock her shoulder against Dick’s as she passed, “Don’t spill my drink, Short Stuff.”
There was an eye roll in response and Jim chuckled as he stepped forward for their turn. He quickly ordered three drinks and a bag of the fluffy sugar for the kids to share before actually looking at the menu for himself… and felt disappointment settle in his chest.
There edible products consisted of cotton candy, popcorn, and soft pretzels. None of which sounded very filling after twelve hours without food; he’d been hoping for something with a little more meat to it; he scratched the back of his neck and huffed a breath through his nose. Of the three options, he supposed a pretzel or two might satisfy him long enough to grab something on the way home.
Apparently his expression was fairly easy to read because the young woman working the stand gave him an understanding look. “If you’d like something else there’s a hot dog vendor set up just on the other side of the ice cream stand,” she offered with a gesture of her hand. Jim glanced in the direction she’d motioned and could just make out the jumbo-sized plastic wiener that indicated the stand’s location two booths down from them.
His stomach instantly rumbled as though it had heard a magic word and he would’ve sworn he could smell them from where he stood. That sounded like just the thing to curb his appetite; a plump dog in a warm bun with relish…
He turned his gaze to where Barbara was seated, waiting patiently for them to join her. He looked back at the queue for the hot dog stand and did a mental evaluation. If he waited in that line, he’d have no visual on his child for maybe fifteen minutes give or take a few; the parent in him rebelled at the thought and his stomach grumbled miserably in reluctant agreement.
A tug on his sleeve drew his attention and he found Dick giving him a determined look. “It’s alright, Sir,” he assured the older man, “You really do need to eat something. I can go sit with Barbara if it makes you feel better.”
Jim didn’t think it would, honestly. Bruce may just kill him if anything happened to Dick. “I don’t know, son,” he said hesitantly, “I might be better waiting until you- “
“We’ll be okay,” Dick interjected with a slightly exasperated expression, “I’ll tell her you’ll be a few minutes and keep an eye on her.” He grabbed two of the drinks and their snack then gave a firm nod and trotted off to join his friend.
Jim watched until he’d made it to the table, then paid the amused vendor and hurried to get in line. He’d been right in his assumption that he had no view of their table and he grimaced in dissatisfaction. But Dick was right, he supposed; it would only take a few minutes. They could surely stay out of trouble for that long, couldn’t they?
“So what do you want to do next?” Barbara inquired around her straw, “I’d say either The Mind Turner or the Rocky Highway Coaster. One of them has a loop and the other goes through this really dark tunnel, takes you backward, and flips you on your head!”
Dick had never ridden a roller coaster in his life, but his friend had spent all week ‘educating’ him on them. There had been a multitude of pictures and videos; not to mention the horror stories she’d shared of safety harness malfunctions and, on certain occasions, decapitations. Apparently he was also likely to have someone throw up on him at some point… and he couldn’t be more excited.
There was very little Dick adored more than flying and it sounded like a roller coaster could get him pretty close to that feeling.
“It doesn’t matter to me, Babs,” he pointed out with a smile, “You’re the one that’s been here before. Which would you rather do first?”
His friend huffed and rested her cheek on her fist, “Well you’re certainly no help. You know how much I hate making decisions.”
Dick smirked, “Could’ve fooled me, the way you boss everyone around.”
Barbara rolled her eyes but chose to ignore his comment as she thought aloud, “Do I want to be plunged into darkness? Or would I rather twist my neck with sharp turns? Either way we won’t be walking straight when we’re finished. But then again… would Dad be more likely to hurl his hot dog going upside down or backwards really fast? What do you think?”
Dick raised an eyebrow, “Do you want him to?”
Barbara looked up as though giving it serious consideration before shaking her head and making a face. “Nah, I don’t know if I could convince him to eat again if he did. And he obviously needs it,” she hummed, “Maybe we should find something a bit tamer first, give it time to settle. It will be hard enough getting him to ride with us as it is; he’s never been a big fan of coasters.”
Dick couldn’t stop the surge of disappointment he felt at the prospect of having to wait. But the Commissioner hadn’t seemed to mind including him in what was probably a father-daughter tradition of coming to the Halloween Festival; the least Dick could do was let the older man enjoy his food without having to worry about losing it.
Barbara had started looking around for inspiration on what their next stop would be and seemed to perk up as her eyes landed on something. She smacked Dick’s arm and pointed, “Hey, check it out! It’s that new Fun House their building!”
Dick swiveled his head to follow her finger to a fairly large building designed to look like a two-story house, run-down and decaying. They’d actually seen an article about it while conducting their research. It was a brand new attraction and supposed to be opening some time in December. The guy heading the project had assured it would be ‘terrifying and enjoyable for the whole family’.
“Man, I wish it were ready tonight,” she said wistfully, “We’ll have to wait a whole year to find out if it’s as great as they’re making it out to be.” Dick watched as she slumped against the table. He didn’t know what he could say to improve her ever-changing mood, but before he had the chance she straightened back up and the raven-haired boy could practically see the light bulb over her head.
“So, Dick,” she started in the tone of voice that always led him into trouble, “How long would you say that line was for the hot dogs?” He groaned and she continued, “Fifteen minutes or so? You said it was pretty long.”
“Babs…” he warned.
“Dad’s been gone about five,” she talked over him, “so we have… maybe ten to sneak a peek?”
Dick was shaking his head, “I don’t think we shou-“
“Oh, come on,” Barbara rolled her eyes, “We’ll just take a glance through one of the windows. Dad won’t even know we left the table.”
“Babs!”
“Don’t be a spoil-sport, Dick,” she pouted and he glared in return. After a minute of silence, she simply stood and walked away, leaving Dick with no choice but to follow her. He had promised Commissioner Gordon he would keep an eye on her after all.
“If you’re dad doesn’t kill you, I will,” Dick muttered grouchily.
Barbara just smiled smugly, “Are you going to tell him?” Dick, naturally, didn’t answer and her smile grew into an amused snicker.
“Just shut up,” the younger of the two retorted half-heartedly. Before he knew it, they had made it to the side of the building and were standing beneath one of the windows. The glass had yet to be installed and plastic had been stretched over the planes to keep out insects and leaves. If Barbara stood on her tiptoes she could probably just see over the windowsill.
“Give me a boost,” she demanded with a little wave of her hand as she stepped closer to the building. Dick’s expression of discontent was completely lost on her, he knew; so he grudgingly wrapped his arms around her knees and lifted her up.
Apparently it was a bit too fast, as proved when Barbara flailed and managed to knock his hat off. “Hey, watch it,” for some reason he felt the need to whisper. Probably because he knew they shouldn’t be there. The only answer he received was the sound of squeaking as she pressed her face into the plastic.
As Dick waited for his friend, he became aware of other voices whispering nearby and frowned. Was someone else trying to get a look inside the unfinished attraction? It was hard to tell age or gender over the sounds of the park around them; but if working as a secret vigilante in Gotham had done anything, it had helped him hone his senses. There was definitely a quiet conversation taking place a few feet away.
And as was sometimes his curse, curiosity got the better of him. Without a word, Dick lowered Barbara to the ground and crept toward the back of the building. He barely heard her protests as he crouched and peered around the corner. A few feet away, two men were locked into what appeared to be a heated discussion. It was hard to make out any details in the dimming light but Dick could just make out a large manila envelope in one man’s hand. A very hefty looking envelope.
One of the first lessons Dick had learned as Robin was that you couldn’t always judge a situation by how it looked. Sometimes things that seemed suspicious at a glance were entirely innocent and easily explained once one had all of the facts. What he was observing right now could be as simple as two men moving their argument out of the way so as not to cause a disturbance. And the envelope could hold anything from photographs of park goers to receipts of ticket sales.
But nine times out of ten, people fighting over a mysterious package in the shadows tended to lead to a more illegal explanation. The young crime fighter pulled out the phone Bruce had given to him, ready to acquire evidence in picture form; they would have to tell the Commissioner about this as soon as they got back to the table. Even if it turned out to be nothing, he’d feel better if someone checked it out. And his gut was telling him something wasn’t right.
One of the men, the one holding the package, made a broad gesture with his arm just as Dick was snapping the picture. Barbara had obviously joined him in spying, because he heard her gasp from behind him as light glinted off the gun that had been hidden under a rather loose-fitting jacket. Dick’s mouth thinned into a grim line; that settled any doubts as to their motives. Weapons were not allowed in the park. Even the security guards were only authorized Batons and Tasers, this guy had to have snuck it in somehow. And he couldn’t think of any good reasons to do that.
Dick quickly readied the picture and, with a few taps on the keyboard, it was on its way to Bruce’s ‘private’ cell line. He’d just shoved the phone back into his pocket when he felt a hand clutch his arm in a vise-like grip and Barbara whispered in his ear, panicked, “Run, Dick!”
In the time it took for her to haul him to his feet he realized the mistake he had made. His camera had flashed. That had been the light that had illuminated the gun’s handle; and, by extension, alerted the bad guys to their presence.
Heavy footsteps were already pursuing them as they scurried back the way they’d come. Dick’s heart was pounding, but he was confident they could make it back into the crowd before the crooks could get a good look at them. That is, until one of them called out, “Harv!”
As they reached the window another man stepped around the corner from the front of the house and curled his lip when he saw them. The bulge of a gun was more obvious on him and Dick knew they couldn’t get around him without someone getting hurt. Barbara squeaked as they skidded to a stop and they shared an anxious glance. Then Dick looked a bit higher over her shoulder and had an idea.
He set his jaw in determination, backed away from his friend, and with a brief sprint used her shoulders to flip himself through the windows plastic covering feet first. He turned once he’d landed and leaned his upper body on the window pane. Barbara didn’t hesitate to use his outstretched arms to leverage herself up and over his body before pulling him back in.
Without a word or a glance behind them they raced deeper into the house.
Of all the hotdogs he’d eaten over the years, Jim was sure he’d never tasted one so succulent as this. It may have just been the hunger talking but that made little difference in the scheme of things. With a belly on its way to being full and a steady stride taking him back to his kids, the lawman felt a wave of contentment. As far as he could see the night could only become more enjoyable now.
He rounded the end of the first line they had stood in… and froze when he caught sight of their table.
There was Superman lying on the bench, two drinks, and a half-empty bag of cotton candy in between them. But of the children whose welfare had been entrusted to him there was no sign.
Any other parent may have started to panic outright and devolved into hysterics to find their children missing in the kind of crowds this festival drew. Jim, however, was a highly trained officer of the law and, therefore, only had a mild heart attack. He practically flew to the table and took in every detail at a glance.
No evidence of foul play, he reassured himself, Calm down and remember who your daughter is. The thought inspired more frustration than peace; he just knew that something must have captured Barbara’s interest and she’d dragged Dick along to investigate.
Reluctantly setting the remainder of his dinner down, he searched the surrounding area with his eyes, trying to discern what could have pulled two curious minds away.
There wasn’t much to see from what he could tell. Food carts, trash cans, portable toilets, a construction project…
Wait, he frowned as he sharpened his attention to the partly completed structure. Barbara had mentioned the park was building some kind of haunted booby-trapped house quite a few times. And how disappointed she was that it wouldn’t be ready in time for the festival this year.
‘Do Not Enter’ signs had always been more of an encouragement to her than a deterrent.
With a much-aggrieved sigh, Jim stalked toward the building. He really hadn’t been in the mood to hand out a lecture tonight, but such was the burden of parenthood. He rounded the corner with his frown of displeasure prepared and his finger headed skyward for scolding purposes but stopped in surprise when he didn’t find two guilty faces blinking up at him. For a moment Jim thought he’d been off the mark with his deduction of the children’s whereabouts. Maybe they had gone to the bathroom and he had jumped to conclusions. He almost turned around, expecting an indignant defense of her character from Barbara when he made it back, but hesitated when he spotted the enormous hole in the plastic covering of the window.
They wouldn’t break into the building, he tried to convince himself even as he stepped up for a closer look. But there, beneath the window, he found something that contradicted his conviction. A small police cap, last seen on a very specific child’s head, lay trampled in the dirt.
Jim bent to retrieve it and raised a curious eyebrow at the large boot print marring the top. A crash from inside caused him to look up. An entirely adult word followed and the Commissioner pinched the bridge of his nose before heaving himself through the opening.
If a security guard had seen Dick and Barbara enter, their night of fun may well be over.
Bruce would kill him.
“Well, if it isn’t Detective Dick Tracy,” a familiar voice spoke up from behind Bruce, “Find yourself a paramour for the evening yet?”
The first genuine smile since the party began snuck its way onto Bruce’s face as he turned around. “Too many to count in all honesty,” he extended his hand, “Good to see you, Lucius.”
His CEO returned the shake with a grin, “I’d ask who picked your costume, but I feel like the answer is in the character’s name.”
Bruce chuckled fondly, “I think he put more thought, planning, and research into mine than his own. Said this was his way of ‘being with’ me tonight.”
Fox’s eyes softened with his smile, “That boy of yours is certainly something else. What’s he up to while you’re playing socialite? Alfred take him Trick-or-Treating?”
The thought of Dick talking his solemn butler into dressing up almost made Bruce’s night, but he shook his head. “The Gordon family invited him to the festival,” he glanced at his watch, “Should be another hour or so, but he’ll surely beat me home.”
“Tedious gatherings and wealth go hand in hand, I suppose,” Fox replied with a rueful snort.
“Unfortunately,” Bruce agreed with a resigned breath. He glanced around in thought before addressing his friend again, “Did you come alone tonight, or is your better half walking around somewhere?”
The wince that stole over Fox’s face was nothing short of comical. “Tonya has requested that I find her a glass of Cabernet Sauvignon. But as she’s currently chatting with Amelia Belmont I was searching for a valid reason to be sidetracked. Speaking with the owner of the company I work for seemed a good enough excuse.”
“So, I’m an excuse?” Bruce feigned offense, “In that case, I’m afraid I’ll have to end the conversation here. You may end up in the doghouse with your wife tonight but that doesn’t mean I have to join you.”
The older man clapped him on the back slightly harder than was necessary and shook his head. “You’re a real pal, Bruce,” he muttered sarcastically, but there was amusement in his voice as he turned to go.
“Give Tonya my best,” Bruce called, receiving a wave of acknowledgment. He wouldn’t have minded spending the rest of the evening in such non-irritating company, but he knew all too well what a strong-willed woman Lucius Fox was married to; Bruce tried to avoid ending up in her crosshairs at all costs.
He took the moment of solitude his friend’s departure had left him with to move to a quiet corner of the room and pull out his phone. He’d been checking it periodically throughout the night just in case Dick needed him and he hadn’t heard the tone. So far there had been nothing and he knew he was probably bordering on paranoia, but it never hurt to be cautious.
No, it certainly never hurts, he thought as a notification popped up on the screen. A picture message had been sent to his ‘private line’ it seemed.
The secret vigilante looked around to ensure that no one was watching before slipping through the nearest exit. He dug the other phone out of his back pocket and summoned the Batmobile, heading for an alley behind the building’s kitchen area.
His stress levels rose slightly when he saw the picture was sent from Dick’s phone, and went up yet another degree as he recognized one of the men in it...
Then he saw the glint of a gun.
He wirelessly increased the Batmobile’s speed by 30 miles per hour and prayed that it would arrive soon.
Barbara had always been a fan of thriller type movies. The game of cat and mouse was fascinating to watch, and it was beyond fun to pick apart the protagonist’s every move. Like, why would you walk toward the room with ominously running water? Why do you want to investigate the creepy basement by yourself? For the love of God, don’t call attention to yourself by asking if someone is there! Do you think they’re gonna answer?
Well, now she and Dick were the mice and she finally got just how stressful it was.
For instance, hiding under a long-skirted dining room table is a move she would’ve normally rolled her eyes at, but here they were. She could hear the men mumbling as they searched, and she was sure that any minute the sound of her pounding heart would give them away. She looked to her right and saw Dick crouched beside her, still as a statue and… was he even breathing? Barbara wasn’t sure she had ever seen a more serious expression on his face.
The sound of heavy footsteps filled the room and Barbara’s entire body stiffened in anticipation. Oh God, she thought, this is the moment when the psycho killer paces in front of the table, pretends like he’s leaving, and then throws back the cloth just as the victim’s breathing a sigh of reli-
Dick’s hand dropped lightly on her shoulder mid-mental rant and she jerked in surprise. His eyes were bright with concern and he patted the air with his free hand in a ‘calm down’ motion. Barbara hadn’t realized how fast her breath had been getting until just then and she internally scolded herself. Now was not the time to be hyperventilating.
But those footsteps were getting closer. Barbara looked down and she could see the edge of a thick boot peeking under the light fabric that fell just shy of the floor. She inched backward the slightest bit at the same time that Dick inched forward. He was balanced on the very tips of his toes with clenched fists and Barbara’s heart jumped a little.
He was getting ready to fight this guy, wasn’t he?
Her eyes widened and she reached out to stop him or something. Didn’t he remember that this guy had a gun?
A large crash sounded down the hall and time seemed to freeze for a moment…
Then the shoes disappeared form sight and they heard footsteps retreating down the hall. Barbara barely had time to let out a shaky exhale before Dick whispered, “Come on!” and dragged her from their hiding spot.
He made a dash for the door and pressed up against the jam before peeking out. He must not have seen anyone, because he grabbed Barbara’s hand and pulled her out into the hall.
“This way,” her friend whispered heading to the left. At the end of the long hall was a door, big and sturdy with a peephole and a mail slot. And a beautiful red EMERGENCY EXIT sign glowing above it. Dick had already released her hand and was running toward it and she was quick to follow. If they were lucky her Dad would just be getting back to their table and see them bursting out of the closed attraction. He would know how to handle these creeps.
Almost home-free…
Then the floor fell away and took Dick with it.
Jim’s feet hit the floor with a soft thud and he huffed a breath of exertion. He was getting too old to be climbing over windowsills, at least in his opinion. Now he just had to find his two little trouble-makers and apologize to whatever staff member they’d inconvenienced.
As he turned to start his search, a man’s voice sounded down the hall.
“-en any sign of them?” it demanded in clear irritation.
“Hide nor hair, Vic,” another replied, “They’re just a couple of kids though, what real harm can they do?”
“One of them took a picture, you idiot!” was the gruff response, “Cops get a hold of it and our entire operation here is good as finished! Now get out there and-“ The voice cut off for a moment before coming back a bit softer, “Did you hear that?”
“It came from the front entrance,” a third man said, voice fading as he obviously headed for the noise, “Let’s go.”
Barely a thing had to be said for Jim to realize there was more going on here than what he’d been hoping for; Barbara may have called him boring when he chose to come in uniform, but he had never been happier to disappoint his daughter as he reached for the radio strapped to his shoulder. “Dispatch this is Commissioner Gordon; I need a 10-45 at Gotham City Amusement Park, the Fun House currently under construction. Two civilians in need of assistance, as many as three suspects. Be advised that they may be armed and dangerous.”
“Copy that, Commissioner,” was the prompt response, “Three units are en route to your location.”
Jim always encouraged his people to wait for backup before diving into dangerous situations, but he understood that sometimes it couldn’t be helped. This was certainly one such occasion and he quickly bent to unholster the gun he kept hidden in his ankle holster. The Park was no stranger to criminal activity and, fortunately, he and the owner had come to an understanding concerning his piece many years ago.
If any bottom feeder low-life thought they were going to do harm to his kids, they were about to be in for a nasty surprise.
Often, once the mask came on and Bruce Wayne was replaced by Batman, emotions were easier to control. But even Batman would have to admit to a small bit of panic when the GPS of his son’s phone disappeared from his display. He already had the car programmed for the last known location; thankfully, still on Gotham Park grounds. He tried to think rationally about the number of explanations there could be to calm himself.
The phone could be dead… except that he had charged it himself that evening and it had been at full power when he gave it to Dick. It could’ve been turned off… except that Dick was fully aware of the tracker installed inside and wouldn’t want to worry him. It could have been damaged… except that Dick was always mindful of his things and took good care of them. If the phone was damaged, did that mean his child was damaged too?
You aren’t doing yourself any favors, are you? He huffed to himself. The only thing that could possibly ease his mind at this point would be seeing Dick, whole and unharmed.
The Batmobile pulled up to a tall fence on the west side of the Park and through the wire Batman could see what appeared to be a building under construction. The colorful lights of the other attractions threw this area into dark shadows, lending an ominous feel. But even in the poor lighting he could make out a midsized service van idling behind the structure.
Batman quickly pulled the image Dick had sent up on is gauntlet. And yes, there in the corner, was the same van. Headlights dimmed and drivers side door slightly ajar. In the exact same position it had been seven minutes ago when the picture was taken. That didn’t bode well.
Batman wasted no time in scaling the fence and moved in for a closer examination. The picture had obviously been taken from a side view, so the vigilante headed there first and immediately noticed the plastic window cover, broken and fluttering in the slight breeze of the night.
On silent feet, he plunged into the house.
“’Ey yo, Guys! I think they’re down here!” one of their pursuers called from above.
“Come on,” Dick encouraged his friend as he hobbled towards the maze, “We don’t have much time, we have to put some distance between us and them!”
“Oh God, oh God, oh God… Please don’t let us run into a dead end,” Barbara was busy mumbling. Dick could tell she was on the verge of hyperventilating, but he didn’t blame her. Honestly, he was really impressed given the circumstances. Her father may have been a public figure with a lot of enemies, but unlike Bruce, the Commissioner’s family life was kept highly private. Barbara had never been in this kind of danger before and she was handling it a lot better than most would.
They moved through the maze as quickly as they could with Dick’s leg hindering them. The mirrors were completely disorienting, and he doubted the concussion was helping it any.
They had just had to backtrack a wrong turn when the first thug, balding with a terrible combover, showed up in their view. The suddenness of it pulled a squeak from Barbara and Dick barely held back a flinch. “They’re here!” the man called over his shoulder. He turned back to give his potential victims a nasty grimace. “You brats are wasting your time trying to run,” he informed, waving his gun to emphasize the point, “This hall ain’t been completed yet, if ya hadn’t noticed.”
Ignoring the man as best as he could, Dick nudged his friend to keep moving as another creep joined the reflections. This one was rather paunchy and sporting a malicious grin, “They haven’t put in an exit yet, see? You little pests shouldn’t of poked your noses where they don’t belong.”
Barbara’s face drained of color. “What are we gonna do, Dick?” she whispered, turning fearful eyes his way, “If there’s really no way out-“
“There has to be,” Dick interrupted before she could panic, “The construction workers wouldn’t want to have to solve a maze every time they come to work down here, would they? These guys are just trying to get us to give up… make it easier on themselves.” At least, he hoped that was the case. But even if it wasn’t, “Besides, your dad knows we’re gone by now; he’ll be looking for us. We just have to stay away from these guys for that long, right?”
Jim braced himself as he jumped through a trap door hanging open in the middle of the floor and landed with a soft whump. He cursed softly when he was able to take in the room he’d entered; he’d never been very good at these things. But…
“-exit yet, see? You little pests shouldn’t of poked your noses where they don’t belong,” a voice echoed around the space. Jim narrowed his eyes and ran into the maze. His kid was in trouble and he’d sooner chop off his arm than stand by and do nothing.
He took a right at a small intersection and felt his heart skip at the sight of his daughter supporting Dick and backing away from a man brandishing a gun at them. Barbara spotted him at the same moment, it seemed, and relief practically flooded her face. “Dad!” she cried with a hopeful smile.
Both Dick and the crook jerked their heads in his direction as Jim raised his piece and spoke in a commanding voice, “Police! Drop your weapon and step away from the children!”
“What the h-!”
“When’d the cops get here?!” A second voice cut off the guy he had eyes on. Another man stepped into view, gun pointed at Jim and a sneer twisting his face.
“Just the one, far as I can tell,” this third man growled, “And he ain’t gonna be ‘round for much longer neither. You take care of those twerps and I’ll handle Pops!”
“Dad!” Barbara screamed a warning as Jim tensed to fire. Before he could there was a sound like a bang-sizzle-pop and the room was plunged into darkness.
“Dad!” Barbara didn’t think she had ever been more terrified than in that moment. She and Dick had taken a wrong turn and were trapped by mirrors on three sides; Baldy was three feet in front of them and looking violent; and her father was staring down the barrel of a gun. There was absolutely no way this had a happy ending, was there?
She felt Dick push her back, so he could step in front of her and nearly let out a hysterical laugh. Brave as it was, what could he possibly do to stop a bullet. It would probably only take one to get them both; ripping through their bodies. Along with muscles, and tissue, and organs, and…
God, she really needed to stop watching gory movies!
Baldy took a step forward, raised his gun…
Bang-sizzle-pop!
And then the lights went out and a few startled shouts sounded throughout the room. Barbara stumbled into the glass at her back.
The electro-magnetic batarang had always been one of Batman’s personal favorites, and it was certainly coming in handy now. It seemed he’d arrived just in time for this situation to escalate. He’d heard Gordon identifying himself the second he’d entered the maze and knew he had to act fast, considering the other man was clearly outnumbered.
A batarang to the nearest light source had sent out a pulse through the entire system, and with night vision on his side, Batman now had the main advantage. There were exclamations of surprise, a childish sounding yelp (Barbara?), and a few curses at the sudden darkness. Batman had a rough count of two minutes before the unbroken lights began filtering back on and he knew better than to squander a moment of it.
The first person he encountered was Gordon, blinking in surprise and tilting his head as though listening for movement. At an armlength away, the Commissioner stiffened, and a look of realization came over his face. “Batman?” he more stated then asked.
Rather than answer in a direct affirmative, the vigilante demanded in a soft growl, “How many?”
Gordon was familiar enough with his work ethic to roll with it without question. “Just three, I believe. Pretty sure they’re all armed and one of them should be a few feet in front of us.”
With a nod, invisible in the dark, Batman rushed forward until a man came into view. He must have stumbled back in his shock; and while the Commissioner was right about him being armed, pointing the gun in every conceivable direction and jumping like a skittish cat, he was in fact two full left turns away. The mirrors had thrown his reflection about and thankfully Gordon had been in no real danger of being shot at all.
Batman cold-cocked him with little fanfare and moved on to find his next target. About a minute left till the odds evened out again.
He found Thug #2 three turns and one backtrack away, tip-toeing nervously and using one hand to feel his way around. “Vic,” he spoke in a whisper, “That you? I think the Bat’s here, man, we need to get out while the getting’s good!”
“Too late,” Batman couldn’t resist, scowling as he cut off the frightened yelp with a hard punch to the jaw. The man went down like a sack of bricks and didn’t move again as the lights flickered back on. He looked around but saw neither the children nor the third man in view.
“Batman,” he turned to see Gordon had caught up to him. The older man looked concerned and his eyes continually scanned the mirrors around them. “My daughter and her friend are down here,” he informed anxiously, “I think the third guy was right there with them, but when the lights came back on they were gone.”
Batman frowned, “You could see them from where you were standing?”
“Well with the reflections throwing everything off it’s kind of hard to say where they were in relation to me, but it looked like they were right in front of me,” Gordon insisted, “But I didn’t see any other turns along the way, did you?”
Batman was already moving back the way they’d come, he had only taken one wrong turn between the first and second criminal but that had been a dead end.
So where was his child?
Dick ducked out from Barbara’s hold and stepped forward, eyes squinted in concentration. It looked like Mr. Criminal was standing right there, gun centered and ready to fire… but something was off. His eyes weren’t really focused on them, were they? It looked like he was gazing farther to the right. They must be looking at a reflection! Which meant they were still safe for the moment and-
Bang-sizzle-pop!
Dick had but a moment to recognize the familiar sound of a batarang connecting with the lights before the world around them went dark. An even greater relief than when he’d seen the Commissioner swept through him and he was about to reassure Barbara when she let out a startled cry.
Her hand clamped onto his shoulder and suddenly he was falling backward, through the mirror behind them, to land heavily in her lap. A soft click sounded inches in front of his face.
“What the heck?” Barbara muttered working her way out from beneath him. He winced as his ankle twinged at the movement and heard her hand tapping against the wall. “I think we just fell into a secret room!” the girl whisper-shouted incredulously, “What the heck even is this place? How many stupid traps do they need?” A secret room within a secret maze did seem like overkill, Dick had to agree. “There isn’t even a doorknob to get back out,” Barbara sounded a bit worried now, “You don’t think we’re stuck in here?”
“Maybe there’s an exit on the other side of the room,” Dick suggested.
“But we can’t just leave my dad!” the girl protested, “That guy was about to shoot him!”
“And the other guy was about to shoot us,” Dick reasoned. He wasn’t sure he could protect Barbara if it came down to a fight with the way his body was aching, and he didn’t want to risk it. Bruce always insisted that Dick should be aware of his limits and heed them; though he knew his guardian didn’t often take his own advice. “Your dad would want you to be safe,” he asserted.
Barbara didn’t say anything right away, but soon she sighed in defeat and said, “You’re right.” Dick could vaguely make out her form as his eyes adjusted to the gloom. She sidestepped where he was still sprawled on the floor and stumbled her way past him to find the wall opposite. There was a bumping sound before, “Ow!”
“Are you okay?” Dick jumped at the exclamation.
“I think I just ran into-“
But whatever she’d encountered she didn’t get the chance to say as the mirror door in front of Dick opened again. The lights were apparently still out in the maze, as nothing shone through when it was eased open. Dick scrambled to the right as quickly and quietly as he could until his back hit the side of the room and then held his breath.
The door clicked shut once more and there was a rustling sound before the light of a phone’s screen flooded the small space. Dick shrunk back even further when the light glared off a familiar bald head and hoped he was out of the guy’s field of vision. The thing Barbara had hit was, apparently, a table just a few feet away from where Dick sat, and it looked like she’d ducked under it to hide.
With slow steps, the man started across the room, keeping the light aimed at the far corner of the room where a door did indeed stand. With every step he took closer to the exit, Dick could see Barbara relax a little more. But Dick couldn’t.
He’d been trained to be observant, to read body language, to remain alert in dangerous situations. And a few things about this man’s actions were blaring red alerts through Dick’s mind; he began easing himself to standing as they flashed in rapid succession.
This room was hidden at a dead end. Mr. Criminal hadn’t been surprised to find himself in a secret room. Mr. Criminal knew about the secret room. Dick and Barbara had been trapped at a dead end. Mr. Criminal had to know this as they’d turned to face him rather than keep moving forward. Mr. Criminal hadn’t passed them on the way to the room.
Mr. Criminal knew they were in here with him.
Dick winced as he made it to his feet, ankle throbbing once more. But he ignored it as best as he could and pulled his own damaged phone from his pocket. The man had almost reached the door and Dick’s heart practically thundered in his ears as he heard the very distinct sound of the safety being removed from a gun. Mr. Criminal’s head tilted toward the table where Barbara was just thinking they were in the clear, completely unaware that she was being targeted. There was only one thing to do.
“Hey!” Dick yelled as he pushed away from the wall, arm cocked back. The man spun around in surprise gun raised and firing. The crack of it echoed throughout the room, practically deafening, but the only thing hit was the wall where Dick had been standing. There was the sound of shattering glass as the bullet passed through the wall into the mirror that had kept it hidden.
As soon as he’d spoken, Dick had thrown himself to the right, releasing the makeshift projectile as he moved. The man shouted in pain and surprise as it connected with his hand and the gun clattered to the ground. Dick tucked his body into a summersault and came up in a crouch, gritting his teeth, ready to launch himself before the guy recovered… and found it wasn’t necessary.
Barbara, despite her probable shock, had his back and had dashed out from her hiding place to scoop up the gun and level it at Mr. Criminal with the exact same expression her father had worn just minutes ago. “If I were you I’d seriously contemplate even breathing right now,” she scorned, though her hands were just barely trembling, “My dad and I happen to love bonding days at the firing range.”
Dick knew this to be true, but he wasn’t so sure Mr. Criminal would take her word; fortunately, his friend didn’t have to prove herself as the door behind them opened with a bang and Batman dove in, batarang raised. Commissioner Gordon was two steps behind him, gun drawn and frantic, “Barbara!”
“I’m okay, Dad,” the red-head tried to sound cool and unconcerned as she stepped back and reengaged the gun’s safety. Dick could hear the wobble in her voice. She met his eyes and he could see the relief there as she tried to lighten the mood, “I think this place will definitely be a success when it opens.”
“So what’s the story here? Do we know what these guys were up to?” Jim demanded, arms crossed. He watched with a scowl as the three men were loaded into the back of a cruiser. The children were seated at the same table they had been meant to hold earlier, was that really just twenty minutes ago? A paramedic had already checked Dick over and diagnosed him with a very mild concussion and a badly twisted ankle, two weeks recovery. Bruce was going to kill Jim, of that he had no doubt.
“I couldn’t say for sure on the other two, but the bald one is Victor Dumas,” Batman informed him, “His main gig is smuggling; drugs, weapons. I’ve been trying to get something concrete on him for two months now. I had an alert that he was spotted conducting some shady business in the Park tonight and thought I might get lucky.”
“Well, I’d say we were the lucky ones,” Jim breathed scratching his chin, “Could’ve got messy if you hadn’t shown up when you did.”
Batman grunted in acknowledgment before continuing, “While your men were removing them from the building, I took a look around that hideaway. I think Dumas may have been in the process of graduating from material goods to a more human payload.”
Jim’s eyes widened in shock, “You think he was trying to smuggle people?”
“There was a tool chest of sorts left on the table. But instead of screwdrivers and wrenches, there were rolls of duct tape and a couple vials of sedatives with clean syringes. I imagine once we do a little digging, we’ll find that one of the men involved tonight works on the construction crew. Probably designed the room, hid a few cameras to watch for the people entering the house alone. They’d be easier to grab and less likely to be missed for a few hours.”
“God,” Jim pinched the bridge of his nose at the revelation. If they hadn’t uncovered this tonight how many people might have vanished without a trace or inkling of what had happened. If Barbara and Dick had been caught, would those men have killed them or taken them as their first victims? It didn’t bear thinking about.
“Thank you, Batman,” Jim offered his sincerest gratitude… but when he looked up the Bat had vanished as he so often tended to do.
Sticking his hands in his pockets, Jim returned to the table and the two little miscreants he still needed to scold. As soon as he neared, Barbara ducked her head, guilt coloring her cheeks. Dick, however, immediately met his eyes.
“I’m sorry, Commissioner,” he apologized regretfully, “We shouldn’t have run off like that; I guess I didn’t keep a very good eye on things.”
“It wasn’t Dick’s fault,” his daughter spoke up in defense, “He told me not to go and I went anyway. He was just being a good friend.”
Jim rubbed a hand over his mustache as he studied the pitiful faces before him. With a sigh he squatted to be on their level and braced his elbows on his thighs, “I know I should be angry right now, and by golly I’m sure I will be tomorrow once I’ve had time to stew over it… but right now I’m just glad you’re both okay. What you did tonight could have been avoided, and it would have saved me a few heart attacks if it had been,” he stated a bit ruefully, “But in a bad situation you two took care of each other and helped us to stop some very bad men from hurting other people down the line. So tonight…” He gave them a soft smile and placed a hand on each of their shoulders, “I’m proud of you.”
Bright smiles replaced the tension on their faces and Jim’s knees crackled as he stood. “I think we’ve had enough excitement for one night,” he decided, “What do you say we head on home?”
“No argument here,” Barbara agreed tiredly. She helped Dick to his feet and draped his arm over her shoulder for support once again. Jim made sure to grab their Superman plush, still just where they’d left it, before heading back to the gates. As they walked, he noticed Barbara side-eyeing him and had a feeling he knew what was coming before she’d even opened her mouth.
“You know, Dick really didn’t get to do anything except those game booths. It would be a shame if he had to wait a whole entire year before riding any of the rides.”
Jim raised a brow at his daughter’s innocent expression. Dick did look a bit disappointed at the reminder of their night cut short, but also rather offended at being used as an excuse. The Commissioner chuckled in amusement and shook his head.
“Well, maybe we won’t have to wait till next Halloween to come for a visit,” he conceded, “We’ll just have to wait for a day when Bruce can join us too.” And he was sure that they would have to; there was no way Bruce was letting him take Dick anywhere without the man accompanying for a good long while.
As the children cheered and chatted the rest of the way back to the car, Jim turned to look back at the Park entryway. He offered a smile to the dark shadow that had apparently grown there since they’d last passed through. Then he climbed into the driver’s seat and pointed his car towards what was sure to be a very long conversation.