Chapter Text
In Wally's experience, Justice League meetings only came in two varieties: painfully boring or catastrophically life-changing.
Today's meeting, he decided, fell under the first category. There was nothing catastrophic like a full-blown alien invasion—not that he wanted one to happen—nor was there any dramatic reveal of a superhero scandal that someone had somehow thought was important enough to bring up for discussion. Sometimes Wally wondered if League meetings were just an excuse to gossip professionally.
It had only been six months since Wally was inducted into the team.
But half a year was more than enough time to form opinions and notice patterns. Across from him, Green Lantern, aka Hal Jordan, was already nodding off, arms crossed over his chest. Unless a meeting involved missions or promises of imminent danger, Uncle Hal was always the first to fall asleep.
Next to him, Uncle Barry—the Flash, his mentor and the man who pushed for his recruitment in the big leagues—was at least making an effort to stay awake. Wally appreciated the gesture. Mostly because he’ll be needing Uncle Barry in case he missed some of the important details.
Aquaman looked like he was listening at least, even though Wally knew better. Black Canary, meanwhile, was actually paying attention. Because Dinah Lance apparently took everything seriously. Green Arrow, aka Oliver, was listening too, although Wally suspected that had less to do with the contents of the report and more to do with the fact that his wife was the one giving it.
Something something about increased crime rates due to the upcoming presidential elections.
The rest were easier to ignore. Martian Manhunter, aka J'onn, remained unreadable, and Cyborg, aka Vic, was typing away on his screen. He’d known Vic since his time back with the Titans, enough to know that the other was diligent in jotting down information.
And finally, there was the Trinity sitting together at the edge of the table.
Superman was a no-brainer. Kind, compassionate, dependable, and strong. He was the pinnacle of what a hero should be and the symbol of hope. Wonder Woman was great, too. A warrior princess who embodied truth, justice, and compassion. He did not doubt in his mind that these two were among the pillars of the whole superhero community.
Then there was Batman.
Wally immediately looked away.
There was nothing to say about Batman. Although he was sure many heroes would disagree. The Dark Knight has a huge name and reputation, but to Wally, Batman was a hero he never wanted to think about. And if his uncle hadn't brought him into the League, he would've been perfectly satisfied avoiding the Dark Knight for the rest of his life.
Five thousand four hundred and thirty seconds.
That’s how long this meeting had been going, and if his mental count was right, it would be ending soon—in approximately another one thousand and two hundred seconds, give or take. Just a few more minutes and he'd be home, plopped on the bed and wilting away for the rest of the night. Trying to figure out his own life, or, well, what was left of it.
He could hear the metaphorical tick-tock of the clock in his brain, and if it had been the Wally of the past, he would have long since vibrated in his chair with excitement. But alas, Wally believed he had matured past that now.
At least, he hoped so.
Six hundred and fifty-two seconds.
“Thank you for your insight, Dinah,” Wonder Woman—Diana—said with a polite smile, and Wally resisted the urge to roll his shoulders as the warrior princess began her ending spiel. “We appreciate the efforts you’ve put into this. We’ll entrust the matter to you, but should things go awry, let us know, and we’ll help.”
“Of course.” Dinah nodded with a smile. She unclasped her hands, briefly glancing at her husband before relaxing back into her seat. “Everything else has been accounted for thus far, but we do appreciate the help should the need arise.”
“We’ll hold you to that.” Diana smiled as she turned her head toward Superman and Batman, silently asking if either of them had anything more to add. Wally hoped they didn't. He was more than ready to go home by now. “I believe that would be all?”
Please let that be all.
Superman usually followed with an easy smile and a nod, along with a little spiel thanking everyone for their attendance. Then Batman would grunt and announce the end of the meeting. But when Wally saw Clark glance at Batman, the Dark Knight said those dreaded words.
“Before we adjourn, there’s one more matter.”
Oh, heck no.
Wally almost groaned but managed to swallow the sound. The other Leaguers weren't nearly as restrained. Uncle Hal especially was the quickest to complain. “Oh, come on, Spooky! We can’t have another hour listening to your lecture.”
“It won’t be an hour, and it won’t be a lecture,” Batman said, purposefully ignoring the nickname.
Because of his cowl, it was hard to tell what was running through the man's mind, or even what expression he was making. He was as mysterious as the fucking night—probably due to paranoia, because, surprise, surprise, everyone in the Justice League knew each other’s civilian identities except Batman’s. The guy had his real name hidden under lock and key.
If someone told Wally that the person under the cowl was another cowl and that the Batman lived in a real cave and worked full-time as the Dark Knight, he’d almost believe them.
Almost. If it hadn’t been for a certain bird in the past that Wally definitely shouldn’t be thinking about.
“I need...” Batman paused as if the next words were difficult even to say, “help with a certain matter.”
Well, that shut everyone up.
That shut even Wally’s mind up.
Batman… needed help? Mr. I-work-alone was asking for help? Mr. no-metas-in-Gotham, who couldn’t even share the first letter of his real name with the team he had been part of for almost a decade, was asking for their help?
Did Wally unknowingly fall asleep in the middle of the meeting?
He pinched his thighs, and—ow. Yeah, that hurt. Holy shit, he wasn’t dreaming. Batman—the Batman—was asking for their help. And this wasn’t one of their usual Justice League all-hands-on-deck missions where Batman's instructions were practically mandatory. This was different.
Batman did not ask for help outside of League-assigned missions.
If it was a mission in Gotham or a personal one, Batman never called for the League.
Wally wasn’t alone in his surprise, if the silence in the room was anything to go by. But alas, silence in the Watchtower had been few and far between nowadays, and it didn’t take long for someone to clear their throat and ask the question. Clark saved them the awkwardness as he prompted, “Please do proceed, Batman.”
With permission granted—not that Batman of all people needed it—a face appeared on the projector. A beautiful face, in fact. Ocean-blue eyes, a well-contoured nose, lips curled like a bow, a jaw as sharp as a knife, and sun-kissed skin. Wally didn't know the name, but he definitely recognized the face.
“This is Richard Grayson,” Batman explained, providing a name to the image Wally has seen a hundred times. “Most of you already know this man. A world-renowned actor, Oscar and Emmy Award winner since his debut, a model and one of the most prominent faces around the globe.”
Yeah, so that's why he recognized the face. He might not have seen any of the movies this guy was in, but his face was plastered everywhere. Billboards, advertisements, magazines, newspapers—everywhere Wally went, those blue eyes seemed to be staring back at him. Wally used to be a cultured person, watching movies as they came out.
But alas, after everything that had happened in the past few years, he hadn't exactly kept up with the rest of the world in that regard. Not that he had any choice in that matter, but anyway—
“He's also the adopted son of one of our major benefactors, Bruce Wayne,” Batman added, as if that was a necessary part of his spiel. “Setting aside his father's reputation, Richard is a good person.”
Not that Bruce Wayne had a terrible reputation. He was a known playboy and a shallow billionaire, but there were worse billionaires—take Lex Luthor, for example. He was a philanthropist, donated his billions to charity, and funded the Justice League. Wally didn't have a lot of complaints about the man. Besides—
“Oh.” Oliver leaned back in his chair. “Brucie's eldest son.”
—he was Green Arrow's friend, more or less. While Wally didn't see eye-to-eye with Uncle Ollie often, he knew the guy wouldn't befriend a horrible person.
“Dick.”
Oliver's sudden exclamation made Wally blink, and for a moment, he wondered why he'd randomly sworn. He wasn't alone in his confusion. Diana looked startled. “Ollie—”
“No, I don't mean it that way.” Oliver was quick to placate as he clarified. “I mean Richard. His nickname is Dick. And yeah, I've met the kid several times. He's a good person. Probably too good to be related to Brucie in any way, but yeah, he's a good one.”
“Okay, so he's a good guy.” Hal nodded noncommittally, already out of his shock from earlier as he waved his hand lazily. “So what does he have to do with you needing help, Spooks?”
“Hn,” was Batman's response as he clicked to the next slide. From Richard's face, they were now looking at a compilation of pictures taken at what looked like a gala. There were six different people, Richard Grayson included, in the compilation. “Six months ago, Lex Luthor orchestrated a massive charity ball and gala, inviting high-profile politicians, celebrities, and personalities. It was treated as highly confidential despite being a very public event.”
“I remember that.” Clark nodded, frowning at the mention of his nemesis. “It was all over the tabloids, and quite frankly, journalists and reporters were going haywire trying to get any relevant information about it.”
Wally vaguely remembered that too. He had only just been inducted into the team around that time, when the buzz about Lex Luthor's gala was all over the news. But at most, all people could report on was who had been invited to the event, never what had actually happened there.
But that was why the news was all over it. Despite being so public and inviting so many famous people, the whole event had been a no-cameras, no-media-allowed party. It was heavily guarded, and the furthest the press—or anyone uninvited—could go was the gates.
That's why it went viral.
Because one thing about having a secret was that people always wanted to be in on it. Especially when they knew it was a secret—and the gala had been a very public secret. People had a craving for the unknown, like a rabid pack of sharks sniffing a speck of blood in the ocean.
And despite being a very private person, Batman was also a shark himself. He had been able to get intel on that very secretive event six months ago, and that was why they had been able to stop Lex Luthor's latest scheme.
Project Polaris.
Wally wasn't privy to the intimate details, but he knew it had something to do with taking down the president and dismantling order. He wondered if this was related to what Dinah had reported earlier—how crime had risen along with the upcoming presidential election.
Man, he couldn't count how many times he and the other League heroes had stepped in to save the president from assassination in the past few months.
Anyway, going back to the point: Lex Luthor had a secret-not-so-secret gala six months ago; Batman somehow had intel; it had helped the League solve cases and save the president, and now they were discussing Richard Grayson.
“The gala was just a distraction, a facade. To show that there was nothing wrong on the surface. They partied, had live auctions, the typical,” Batman explained—infodumped, if Wally could describe it that way, although he knew this was still the beginning of the information overload the Bat liked to give. “There was a separate private event where Luthor only invited six people.”
Wally's eyes turned to the screen. Batman briefly introduced them, but the names evaded the speedster. All he knew was that there were two politicians, one scientist, a conglomerate representative, a high-ranking military officer, and Richard Grayson.
“It was through this meeting that Luthor revealed his plans. The same plans that I divulged to the team months ago,” Batman stated. “Now, five of the six attendees have been killed.”
The next slide showed a compilation of the other five and the gruesome details of their deaths. The timestamps, locations, last person they had been with, and so on. Wally glanced around and could see that the atmosphere had turned grim.
Many people died every day. Even as heroes, they could not stop that from happening. Statistics stated that five hundred out of a thousand cases of homicide went unreported. And out of those five hundred, about two hundred and ten were reported months or even years after the crime. There were many other forms of death, too, but the point was this: superheroes as they were, they couldn't save everyone.
But that didn't mean it wasn't unnerving to see the proof of five deaths on-screen. Even more so when they were realizing that these deaths might be related to an ongoing case of the team.
Hold on, wait.
If this was a Lex Luthor-related case, then it was a League case. So why was Batman here, stating this as if he were making a request for a personal mission?
The answer came shortly after.
“Among the attendees, only Richard Grayson has survived. But he is not unharmed.” The next slide immediately showed several pictures of the actor from different angles, at different times and places, in compromised situations. “Since we have foiled Luthor's plans, the other five have been killed, while a total of seven assassination attempts have been made on Richard's life. The latest left him the most injured.”
“So that's why Dick couldn't attend the last party and was on a break,” Oliver mumbled to himself, but was still heard by everyone. “The kid was hurt?”
“Precisely. I suspect that Lex Luthor is trying to silence him or eliminate the possibility of moles since I happened to know his plans,” the Dark Knight explained, his already grim expression darkening further. “And he was right. Richard Grayson was my informant.”
Now that was a shocking detail.
Not the reveal that the actor was an informant. In fact, it was heavily encouraged and appreciated by the League when civilians disclosed any information they could provide to help the world. And, of course, the League would promise them protection.
But the fact that Richard Grayson had informed Batman of all people, rather than Superman or any of the other more approachable heroes, was a shock to Wally West.
Though he later realized it wasn't as shocking when Hal nodded. “Makes sense. He's from Gotham, isn't he?”
Oh right. Bruce Wayne's adopted son. Of course, he would go to Batman.
Gothmites were just built different like that.
“Exactly, which meant he was under my protection,” Batman said with a hint of frustration. “And yet, even with my watch and all the vigilantes in Gotham’s help, the latest attack had been a close call.”
Now, Wally had a lot of reservations about the Bat as a person, but he knew he was a great hero. He was also paranoid and a perfectionist. The thought of a civilian under his watch getting hurt was probably a blow to his ego. But a part of Wally wondered if this was personal, though he quickly abandoned that thought.
This was about the mission. It had always been about the mission to the Bat.
(That’s why he was so quick to get rid of Wally’s best friend. But that’s a can of worms he didn’t wanna open today.)
“But he’s getting out of the hospital in two days, and after that, he’s gonna be working again.” The Gotham Hero continued. “Filming, photoshoots, interviews, hosting, and more. His schedule is packed, and he’ll be going all around. Not just in Gotham anymore. There will be many opportunities to assassinate him.”
“Why doesn’t he just take an indefinite break then?” Hal asked, and a few others, Wally included, nodded along. “Celebrities do that sometimes. Announce a break and then make a big comeback. He’s popular, so I’m sure he can manage a few months of obscurity until his safety is guaranteed.”
“He can’t,” Batman said firmly with a sigh. He pressed the next slide to show an announcement for an upcoming movie titled The Light. “He has an upcoming movie to film, and he cannot afford to back out of this one. It’s a movie directed by some Lucian Cage. Everything from the producers, co-actors, and staff are big industry names. And the whole movie is… funded by Lex Luthor himself. They aggressively insisted that Richard Grayson should play the leading role.”
That smells like a trap.
The others seemed to think so, too. But remember what Wally said about how Batman was like a shark when it came to sniffing out secrets. This whole setup was as much a trap as it was a box of secrets just within the Bat’s grasp, with poor Richard Grayson as the key.
“You’re letting him take the role?” Dinah was the one to speak out, sounding incredulous. She usually wasn’t so verbal and upfront with Batman in cases like these, but if Oliver knew this Richard, then Dinah must know the guy too. “Batman, he’s a civilian!”
“And he is also my informant,” Batman responded as if that was enough of an explanation and the rest of them were idiots for not agreeing or understanding. “He knew the risks of what he’s getting into, and I fully intend to give him my protection.”
Wally tried not to flinch at the familiarity of those words.
(“And he is also my protege,” Batman said firmly. “He knew the risks of what he’s getting into and I made sure to train him everything I know.”)
“And yet you’re asking us for assistance now,” Hal spoke up, always ready to jump at the chance to point against the other. “Because it’s getting harder for you, isn’t it? The lights of Hollywood too bright for you, Bats?”
“That is enough,” Clark warned the other before turning to Batman. “However, I do agree, Batman. This sounds risky. Perhaps there is another—”
“If there was another way, then I’d be more than glad to hear about it,” the Dark Knight said, looking very much not glad. “But the presidential elections are approaching, and we still don’t know if Lex has any other plans. If there’s a way for us to gain more intel, this would be the perfect chance.”
The presidential elections. Lex Luthor had lost the last one to the current president, and now he was running again. If Project Polaris had taught Wally anything, it was that Lex would stop at nothing to win.
And if he had another plan that the League was blind to...
“I am taking this matter to the Justice League, but if the team thinks it’s beyond their abilities, then I will have to find other ways to secure the safety of Richard Grayson,” Batman said with finality. “I had hoped the League would step up when the situation called for it. Apparently, I was mistaken.”
Now that was unfair.
It wasn’t that they wouldn’t step up. If the actor was in front of him and being targeted, Wally would be happy to whisk him away before any bullet hit, and he knew the others in the room would do the same. The issue was the fact that the actor was even in this position in the first place.
But in hindsight, Wally shouldn’t have been surprised. After all, if Batman could introduce the nine-year-old Robin to crime fighting, a mere actor playing informant was no shocking news. In fact, it was in character.
That’s what they were. Pawns in the game. To be discarded when the plan called for it. It was always about the mission.
If it wasn’t for the mission, maybe his best friend would still be alive.
No, Wally. Don't go there. Don't think about him.
Wally forced the thought away. He couldn't slip and disappear again like he did years ago. He was older now, more mature and in control. He wouldn't let the ghost of the past pull him back into the Speed Force again.
He opened his eyes. He hadn't even realized he'd closed them, and immediately caught his Uncle Barry's gaze. The first Flash tilted his head in a silent question: Are you okay?
No.
Wally grinned at the man and nodded. He was okay now. It had been years since the event. And he'd been back for nine months now. He'd been so steady, more grounded and calm since then. He couldn't afford to regress.
That's why he was in the Justice League in the first place, wasn't it?
Uncle Barry had insisted he join the League so he could train him and prepare Wally for when his uncle eventually retires. But deep down, he knew there was a different reason.
He wasn't in the Justice League because they needed him. He was there because they felt like they had to keep an eye on him. And it wasn't like he could blame them, but it was still frustrating.
He had disappeared into the Speed Force and been pronounced dead for three years. The world had moved on without him. But nine months ago, he returned. And since then, his powers had been unstable. But they gave it time, thinking it would settle down.
It didn’t.
So six months ago, they inducted him into the Justice League. Uncle Barry said the team needed a second speedster to cover more ground. Wally knew it was because they thought his powers were still growing unstable and needed to monitor him.
“But how should we go about this?” His Uncle Hal’s voice cut through his thoughts. He looked up and remembered that they were still in the middle of a discussion. “While it’s true that you can no longer protect him alone, it’s not like you can utilize the entire team to look after him. There are other duties we need to focus on as well. Sure, if he’s in our city, he’ll be our responsibility. But as you said, he’ll be everywhere.”
Batman didn’t seem fazed. It was as if he already knew the answer to that, and of course he did; he was Batman. That was kind of his thing: knowing and planning ahead of everyone else. “The entire team doesn’t need to guard him. I only need one of you to stay by his side until the whole thing has blown over.”
“So, like... a bodyguard?”
“Exactly.” Batman nodded. “As you know, he is a prominent figure as well. Everywhere he goes, there will be eyes, ears, and cameras. So it needs to be discreet. He already has a team of bodyguards protecting him, but some of his work requires him to bring only one or two to the set.”
“So... you’re saying we should go undercover as his bodyguard.”
“He will be informed of your identity and will default to you or whoever takes the task,” Batman explained seriously. “The undercover part would be making sure the public, and by extension Lex Luthor, doesn’t know that we are looking after him.”
“Now, hold on a second.” Hal Jordan raised his hands, gesturing for the other to stop. “So let me get this straight. You want one of us to just drop their civilian duties, expose our real identity to this actor, and tail this guy twenty-four-seven?”
“Precisely.”
Wally could sense how tense his Uncle Hal had gotten. He could understand where he was coming from, though. While most of them had shared their identities with each other, that didn’t mean they were comfortable sharing them with a civilian. As the most secretive person here, Batman should understand that sentiment.
But that wasn’t all. Hal had formerly served in the military, and he knew how imperative this plan was, which meant that, to a certain extent, he understood Batman’s intent. In any other way or form, the Green Lantern would have fallen in line with the command, but Hal never saw Batman as his commander. Especially outside the battlefield.
“I understand the concern, which is why...” Batman gestured toward J’onn. “Martian Manhunter will erase your identity from Richard Grayson’s memories after the mission is complete. He and I have already discussed this.”
“He, as in J’onn? Or he, as in Richard Grayson?” Oliver crossed his arms with a frown; there was something akin to protectiveness in his body language. “Because I’m not sure if you know Dick well, but as good as that kid is, he’s also the most stubborn person I know. I’m not sure he’d be delighted with the idea of having his memories messed with.”
“I’ll speak to him,” Batman said with finality, as if that was the solution to everything.
There was a bit of a debate after that. Hal could be a candidate, considering his military background, but he couldn’t quite leave his city behind to follow Richard for months. Clark offered, but Batman argued against it, stating that Lex Luthor would immediately identify him either as Superman or as the reporter. It had to be someone outside of Metropolis with a more low-key civilian identity.
Which meant Diana, Victor, Dinah, and Oliver were instantly out. Diana was a known Themysciran princess, Victor was a full-time hero who didn’t hide his face, and both Dinah and Oliver’s civilian identities were too public. Arthur refused to do it as well. It would be an insult for the King of Atlantis to step down to become some human actor’s bodyguard. J’onn had offered, but his schedule for the upcoming months was too packed with off-world missions.
Everyone turned to Barry, but Barry turned to Wally.
Oh, don’t tell me.
“While I don’t have a very public civilian identity, I also can’t easily abandon my job for months.” His uncle started, and Wally hated that he could sense where this was going. “I also can’t leave the city behind for too long. Although I could probably be fast enough to rendezvous between Richard’s set and Central City in minutes, I also have a protégé here, and I think he’s ready.”
No, no, he is not ready! Your protégé is not ready!
“And I believe that Wally is more than capable of this task,” Barry said with a smile. Wally hoped the others had something to say. “He has more than earned it.”
I did not earn anything!
Isn’t that why he was on this team in the first place? For them to monitor him? Why would they entrust a whole person’s life to his hands? Although, yes, he had saved the lives of thousands; those were Titans or League missions. A group effort where he followed someone else’s strategies or teamed up with others.
A solo mission? He couldn’t do it yet.
Wally was confident in a lot of things. And he was pretty sure that if this had been him five years ago, he would have jumped at the opportunity to take it on and prove himself. He had always been hot-blooded like that.
But things have changed.
With everything that had happened in the past few years... he couldn’t. Not after how badly he fucked up. Not after he failed so hard. He couldn’t be responsible for someone else’s life after he had failed to save his own best friend.
He failed Robin.
He couldn’t be the one responsible for failing this Richard Grayson next.
Now, he just needed the others to see that too. Surely, they wouldn’t agree. After all, he was under supervision. They couldn’t trust him to be—
“That would actually be good,” Diana said with a pristine smile as she folded her hands on the table. “You have been a great help, especially during the last encounter with the Legion of Doom.”
“Right?” Barry pointed a finger gun at the princess before realizing how rude the gesture was. Still, there was so much pride in his voice as he added, “If it wasn’t for him, we wouldn’t have prevented all those bombs from detonating. Even I couldn’t get everything done by myself—with all the bombs scattered around the world!”
Sure you could!
“And he’s matured so much too.” Hal crossed his arms and nodded along—like Wally wasn’t sitting right in front of him. “Feels like yesterday he was just a brash kid. Now he’s gotten more level-headed and wise. I’m sure he has what it takes to protect this actor.”
“I’m right here, you know!” Wally finally spoke up, raising his arms in indignation as the League reacted with varying expressions ranging from proud and amused to nonchalant. Only Batman remained completely unmoved. It kinda sucked when most of your coworkers were the same people who watched you growing up. “B-Besides, I’m still learning to control my powers. I’m not as good as Uncle B yet.”
“But you’re the more convenient choice,” Aquaman finally added, and Wally tried very hard to ignore what the Atlantean king was implying. “Everyone else here is either unavailable or too busy. As far as I’m aware, you’re practically free outside of hero work. You have the time to spend months with the actor.”
Gee. Thanks for pointing out my unemployment.
It wasn’t like Wally West enjoyed being jobless as a civilian, okay? But he had previously been declared dead. And he had disappeared two weeks before his college graduation, which meant he had no diploma on top of being legally deceased. Last time he checked, jobs didn’t hire dead people.
He couldn’t even open a bank account.
Who would’ve thought it’d take this long to reverse a death certificate?
“Now that you mention it...” Barry muttered as if he had just realized that, and fuck, now Wally was really going to have to take the job. Because his uncle now had that expression that meant something was nonnegotiable. “That would actually be a good start. You know, it’s been a drag getting the office to rework your paperwork, but maybe if we can—”
“So it’s decided then?” Clark cleared his throat, cutting Barry off before he could disappear into one of his rambling tangents. “Flash II can be the one to guard Richard Grayson until this whole situation is resolved. Does anybody have any objections?”
“I do,” Wally grumbled as he raised his hand.
Nobody acknowledged him.
Clark included.
Fuck you too, Superman.
The Man of Steel simply turned toward the Dark Knight. “Batman?”
Batman was quiet for a moment, as if he were reconsidering the entire ordeal. Wally couldn’t believe he was actually about to pin his hopes on Batman of all people. To his dismay, the Dark Knight simply shook his head.
“Well, if no one else has any objections or additional thoughts, I believe this meeting is adjourned.” Clark seemed to be directing the question more toward his best friend than anyone else. When Batman nodded, the rest of the heroes took it as their cue. “Thank you for coming, everyone. Stay safe.”
As the rest of the Justice League started filing out of the room, Wally saw his uncle approaching him and made sure the man knew exactly how upset he was. “I can’t believe you dumped that on me, Uncle B.”
“I know, I know. I blindsided you, but—”
Their conversation was interrupted when Batman approached them. He held out a file toward Wally, who begrudgingly accepted it.
“This contains all the details you need to know about the mission. Burn it afterward. Two days from now, you will head to Gotham and report to Wayne Manor to discuss the terms and conditions.”
Without so much as a goodbye, Batman turned and left. And that was how Wally belatedly realized that this meeting was probably the most he had ever heard Batman speak. It also made him realize that this mission was probably incredibly important to the Bat.
Which did absolutely nothing to help his anxiety.
Six thousand and nine hundred seconds.
That's how long this meeting lasted. Remember when he said League meetings only had two categories: painfully boring or catastrophically life changing? Yeah, he decided that this qualified under the second category now.
Wally and Barry never did get to finish their conversation. As soon as they got home, his uncle had to go to work, so the younger speedster took the opportunity to head to his room and review the file Batman had given him.
The first thing he saw was a picture of the actor, followed by what looked like a profile of him.
Personal Profile
Name: Richard John Grayson
Nickname: Dick
Age: 22 years old
Birthdate: November 11, 19██
Place of Birth: ██████████
Height: 5’7” (170 cm)
Weight: 74 kg (163 lbs)
Blood Type: O+
Race: Human (No scientific evidence of a mutation)
Allergies: █████ ██████ █████ ████
Chronic Conditions: ██████ ██████ ████████
Medications: ██████ █████████ ██████████
Threat Assessment
Current Threat Level: Imminent
Known Adversaries: Lex Luthor, Deathstroke, KGBeast, Bane, ██████, ██████████
Recent Incidents:
Incident 1:
Date: ████ ██ ████
Place: █████
Injuries: Gunshot wound
Grayson was shot in the upper arm on his way to a photoshoot at ██████. The bullet passed cleanly through the soft tissue without hitting bone or major blood vessels. He was treated and released the same day.
Assailant: KGBeast (Confirmed)
Incident 2:
Date: █████ ██ █████
Place: ██████
Injuries: Mild concussion, fractured ribs, and extensive bruising
A vehicle deliberately rammed Grayson’s car at an intersection. He suffered a mild concussion, fractured ribs, and extensive bruising. His driver sustained minor injuries as well. The other vehicle was empty.
Assailant: Deathstroke (Unconfirmed)
Incident 3:
Date: ████ █ ████
Place: █████
Injuries: vomiting, dizziness, and temporary loss of consciousness
A drink intended for Grayson at a private industry dinner was contaminated with a fast-acting toxin. He developed severe vomiting, dizziness, and temporary loss of consciousness before an antidote was administered.
Assailant: █████ ███ (Confirmed—neutralized)
Incident 4:
Date: █████ █ ████
Place: ████████
Injuries: gunshot wound
A sniper targeted Grayson during an outdoor photoshoot. Dick was struck by a grazing shot across the left side of his torso, leaving a deep laceration and significant blood loss. The shot narrowly missed his heart.
Assailant: Deathstroke (Confirmed)
Incident 5:
Date: █████ █ ████
Place: ████████
Injuries: wrist fracture
An elevator’s safety system was deliberately sabotaged while Grayson was inside. It dropped several floors before the emergency brakes engaged.
Assailant: Unknown
Incident 6:
Date: █████ █ ████
Place: ████████
Injuries: none
An explosive device was planted inside an automobile Grayson was supposed to use. Grayson had decided to use his motorcycle instead and wasn’t in the vicinity when the bomb detonated. Several civilian casualties were reported.
Assailant: KGBeast or Bane
Incident 7:
Date: █████ █ ████
Place: ████████
Injuries: internal bleeding, fractured rib, and blood loss
His apartment was infiltrated, and the assailant attacked at close range. Grayson suffered a stab wound to the abdomen with internal bleeding, a fractured rib, and blood loss severe enough to require emergency surgery and a transfusion. He spent several days in the hospital.
Assailant: ████████ █████████████ ████████
Wally glared at the profile because a lot of the information was blotted out. Like, yes, he knew Batman was paranoid, but holy shit, if he was giving this mission to Wally, then why couldn’t he be more forthcoming with the other details? Like, you know, who some of the assailants were?
On the other hand, though, fuck, Uncle Hal was right. So were Ollie and Dinah. Richard Grayson should not go back to work after all this. How was he even alive, let alone standing? If he were a hero or some kind of meta, Wally would understand.
But based on the profile, this guy was a baseline human and a civilian at that. There was no way he had survived all these attempts without being traumatized. Wally made a mental note to be on the lookout for any signs of psychological trauma that the actor might be dealing with.
It looked like he had to protect this guy not just physically but mentally as well. Richard sounded like he’d been through some serious shit. And no, Wally still wasn’t a hundred percent convinced he should take this job, but if he was getting it, he might as well do his best.
No matter how scared he was.
He had to make sure there wouldn’t be a second Robin scenario.
Still, there was a lot he didn’t know about this Richard Grayson.
Like, where did he live now? The file said his last apartment had been infiltrated. Did he have other homes or a place to stay? He probably did, but where?
The profile had also blotted out his allergies, chronic conditions, and medications. Which meant he had some kind of medical complications or conditions that Wally had to look out for.
Fuck, how was he supposed to protect the man when he knew nothing? The file had enough information to tell him Richard Grayson was in danger, but not enough to actually tell him how to keep Richard Grayson alive.
Wally didn’t like this. He didn’t like that a life was in his hands and he was going in blind. How was he supposed to do this if Batman wouldn’t give him more than what was provided?
Definitely not by glaring at the paper.
He was instructed to burn the file after he was done with it. While Wally thought the information was substantial, some of the details weren’t publicly disclosed, so he decided to follow the instructions anyway.
Still, he was only slightly more informed than he had been at the League. But slightly wasn’t enough. He needed to know more. He could almost hear Robin’s voice in his head telling him that knowledge was power, and with good intel, you could turn any situation in your favor. Wally was never the information gathering type but his best friend was and tried to hammer that into him before. He would be proud to see Wally trying now.
He wished Robin was still here.
Heck, even if it wasn’t for the sake of helping him with this case, he wished his best friend was still here regardless.
But no, Wally couldn’t go there anymore. He took a deep breath and tried to will Robin’s voice away. Tried not to imagine his best friend’s smile and that annoying cackle that always spelled trouble. He tried not to think of how Robin would tell him to look for more clues.
Wally had never been a detective. He wasn’t gonna start now. But that also didn’t mean he was gonna keep himself uninformed. He might not like this mission, but since it was given to him, he would do his best to see it through to the end. That’s what Robin would do.
And fuck, he needed to stop thinking about Robin.
Think of something else.
Richard Grayson.
Right. He’d start there. Think of Richard Grayson. His nickname was Dick—which was unfortunate. He was twenty-two years old thus two years younger than Wally, just like Robin would've been—no, not going there. His height and weight were average, but he was shorter than Wally, and his blood type was O+, like a certain bird. But his birthday was on November 11 which is cool because that's Wally's too. Robin’s birthday was March 21.
Robin.
No. Focus back on Richard Grayson.
He needed to know more about Richard. And if Batman’s file wouldn’t give him enough, maybe the internet could. The man was famous, after all, and frankly, Wally hadn’t been keeping up with celebrities recently.
Maybe it’d help to surf the internet and learn a bit more about the man he was protecting.
Yeah, that sounded good. He’d do that.
After making sure the file was burned to ashes, Wally went back to his room to surf the internet for a bit. He searched for Richard Grayson and skimmed through all the articles about him.
He had two days until this mission started. Wally was gonna use those two days to get to know Richard Grayson in the eyes of the internet.
Fun.