Seasons of Fire and Ice

[The Guitar Slayer]

Hi, folks. School's out, and I decided to give this a shot. This is just an intro to the overall fic. This is going to be the opener of a long running series (if I have the attention span for it) that is an alternative future to Batman Beyond. At the end of the serial, some things will be the same...others with be drastically different. Keep in mind that one person...and the actions of that one person...can change destiny. All feedback and suggestions are much appreciated. Here we go.

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Night had fallen in Gotham. The moon had been up for hours, and the Gotham City Fundraiser Bash had been in full swing since before the sun set. diplomats and their attendants from Europe were donating money that evening as a sign of support for the United States. It was the perfect opportunity for a crime.

Voices echoed across the roof, though they were only whispers. The sound of tools falling captured the attention of the brains of the operation. He and his assistant sat at the edge of the skylight, peering down at all the potential victims. "You moron! You want us to be busted before we get the loot? It's bad enough I gotta worry about the cops, but now I gotta worry about the Batman, too."

"Sorry, man. Hey, ain't that the English ambassador? Snazzy dresser."

"Yeah, but he ain't our target."

"He runs his hometown, owns over half of it, and he ain't the jackpot?"

"Nope."

"What about that babe?"

"You stupid schmuck, that's the Commissioner's daughter! You're dumber than you look, if that's possible. Our ace is right over there."

"That guy?" Who's he?"

"Where have you been for the last coupla decades? That's Bruce Wayne, you dolt, Gotham's richest playboy and pet. He's worth about half the U.S. Treasury 'cause of all the stuff he develops for the government."

A moment of silence, followed. Then, "In jail."

"What?"

"That's where I've been."

"Shaddup."

[Batgirl]

ROTLF!!! In jail?! Ok, these two are definately going to be caught! I don't know who's worse, the one going for Bruce (won't he be sorry !!!) or the the guy who's helping him! I can't wait to see how this goes, please keep it up!

[The Guitar Slayer]

Thanks for the feedback, Batgirl. I'll get back to our two friends on the roof in a little bit. Now we're going to go inside. This kind of takes us inside of Bruce's head....All feedback is much appreciated.
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Bruce Wayne felt as though his phony smile had been cemented to his face. The suit was too uncomfortable, hot, and stiff for anyone to stand. "That's probably why Alfred bought it," he thought sullenly. Bruce checked his watch, hoping Tim's curfew had come up. 11:45.

Dick Grayson and Barbara Gordon were still smoking up the dance floor. The two felt deeply for each other, but neither realized the other had mutual feelings. Dick had gone away and changed. He'd become more spontaneous and rambunctious, among other things. Barbara had not changed, and she had trouble with dealing with Dick and his new persona. Yet, both still cared for each other, despite the chaos. Tragic, unrequited love. Bruce had seen much of this in his years as Batman. He had grown cold to it. They were still young, but only time could tell. He noted that Dick had taken Alfred's suggestion to trim his hair to a more acceptable length for an occasion like this.

11:46 P.M. No sight of Selina Kyle. Thank God. Bruce wouldn't be able to disappear on her. He didn't need a jewelry robber to deal with tonight with such emissaries present. He began to search through the crowd.

Even if Tim was his partner in crimefighting, he was still a child. Bruce didn't allow him to stay out past 1 A.M. Who needed a tired Robin to make things more complicated, not to mention what grief Tim's teacher would give him if Tim fell asleep in class again. Bruce scanned the crowd for his young ward and found him amidst a crowd of gorgeous women. They found him to be absolutely adorable. Bruce smiled as he watched Tim bask in the attention. At this age, Tim would have days when girls were the greatest things since sliced bread. Other days, however, they were worse than Two-Face. If tonight was one of those nights, Tim was doing an excellent job hiding his displeasure.

Out of the corner of his eye, Bruce noticed yet another young lady approach him. Why did all of them want to dance specifically with him? Stupid question, yes, but Bruce wondered it all the same. This one seemed... different. She was a brunette, like many of the others, but she wasn't as well-dressed. No baubles or fancy styles. Just a long red dress, long hair put up, and a red necklace inlayed with gold around her neck. "Good evening, sir. Your name?"
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[Blue121]

Nice..looks interesting.

[The Game]

Well written- a good start GS. Can't wait for more.

-The Game

[Batgirl]

Yay! You posted! This is great. Please don't keep us pondering too long who the new woman is!!!

[witness]

Well, well, well. You've finally jumped onto the writer's bandwagon! Welcome to our little club! A very nice start indeed. I laughed at the two criminals at the end. That in jail line was absolutely brilliant. Loved it. And you've thrown a mysterious new woman into the mix! Really great, I can't wait to see where this'll go next. A warning though. If you write the way Coran does, he'll probably start selling tickets on you!!! lol J/k

[The Guitar Slayer]

Thanks, everybody. Batgirl, glad to see you're pleased with this last chapter. Keep working on your 'Past' fan fic, please. And witness, it's an honor to receive a compliment from the writer of 'Legacies' and 'A Brothers' Quarrel.'

I was a bit worried that Bruce wouldn't be dark enough for you guys. I decided to lighten Bruce up or else this story wouldn't get off the ground. I think most of the time, he thinks like a normal guy, but when he's left to stew in his own juices and/or switches into Batman mode...watch out. At the moment, he's in semi-normal dumb playboy mode.

Eh, I better put in a quick disclaimer: Rocky, Bullwinkle, Natasha, and Boris all belong to whoeve they belong to and Batman & Co. belong to DC Comics and their individual creators. The 'mystery lady' is mine. The two idiots on the roof are also mine, but they don't exist anymore after this post.

Here's a nice long post. And heads up for massive corniness and cheesiness....in my opinion, anyway.
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"Bruce Wayne. And yours?" Bruce automatically replied. Alfred had taught him too well.

"Hold on a moment." She stopped and called calmly toward the buffet table. "Maggie, you owe 30 francs! He isn't a cardboard cut-out!" A girl shrieked in embarrassment, and Bruce flushed a nice shade of red.

She turned back toward Bruce. "Pardon me, Mr. Wayne. I had a score to settle. My name is Jo DeCapulet." She extended her hand. Bruce shook it hesitantly. Her polite smile flickered for a moment, then returned to normal.

"What was that about?" he asked. She had better have a good explanation for embarrassing him.

"That was about Maggie, the one with the mouth big enough to swallow the sun. She made a bet, and I followed through on it. I've noticed that you seem very stiff and not particularly thrilled about being here. You aren't enjoying yourself and aren't too comfortable in that suit. What possessed you to wear it?" Jo instantly covered her mouth and blushed appropriately. "Meet the girl who could swallow Mercury without a problem."

A chuckled escaped from Bruce's throat. Was that him? "My butler chose it, and I unwittingly trusted him."

"Get a new butler," she responded bluntly.

For some reason, Bruce continued to take the abuse. "Who are you with?"

"French embassy. I'm the ambassador's secretary's secretary, which is very high up on the ladder. In comparison to the janitor, that is."

Bruce actually smiled for real. "You don't sound French," he said, sipping his drink of ginger ale. Let them think it was a martini.

Jo put on a fake Russian accent. "You are right. I am spy. Do you have moose and squirrel, Boris?"

"Yes, Natasha. Did you contact Mr. Big?" Bruce used his own fake accent. Both snickered a little. Bruce reluctantly began to relax. She seemed a little young to remember those Saturday morning cartoons, but then again, they might be in syndication in France still.

"Actually," Jo explained, "I was born to an American family in Paris. I grew up there, studied there, and now work there as well in the ambassador's offices."

Bruce nodded absent-mindedly. Jo saw that she was losing him. "So, how goes your deal with the Lincoln Organization?"

That grounded him quickly. "Quite well, actually."

"How many employees will be displaced during the transaction?"

Bruce was mildly surprised that this woman knew anything concerning business. She had come off as rather immature. "None..."

"Ah." Jo sipped her drink and nodded. "More expansion and assimilation, correct?"

Bruce blinked; he was off-balanced now. "Yes. Both companies have equally qualified personnel. The transaction should take place sometime after next Christmas. My employees know exactly what will occur."

"Good. No need for them to worry about Christmas presents for their children." Jo's mouth curved upward at the thought.

"Do you have any?" Bruce was not going to tangle with a married woman.

"No. You?" She returned the volley.

Bruce gave his standard witty response. "I have two surrogate sons, one of which lives with me. As for biological children, none that I know of."

"Well, can you give me odds?" She grinned at him, teasing him. Ace, set, and match.

Bruce did laugh aloud this time. "Definitely no children."

"Alright. Pardon me for being nosey." Jo definitely didn't want to get involved with a man with baggage either.

"No problem. Anything interesting going on in Paris?" Bruce hadn't been able to read the paper or watch television or use the Internet the last few nights. Batman had been busy securing everything for the ambassadors' arrival.

"Everyone is occupied now, between global situations and F.T."

"Who?" Bruce creased his brow. A new villain? A government project? One of those new boy bands?

"I'm sorry. Being in America, I guess you haven't heard about the Fiery Thunder. That is also a nickname for Flame. She is the superhero over the Atlantic, Mr. Wayne..."

"Please, call me Bruce.

"Then please call me Jo or Johanna, my first name. It is a courtesy on both our parts to make this as pleasant as possible for all parties involved." She shook her head. "I've been handling too many phone calls for that man." Bruce smiled. "Diplomacy is a hard habit to shake."

"Please, Jo, continue." He wanted to hear about this new friend or foe.

"Flame is an excellent martial artist, and she has the power of controlling fire. She can't be burned by it, even when she makes it come out of her hands. She is nicknamed the Fiery Thunder because when the police arrive, all they hear are resounding footsteps and all they see is a trail of burning footprints. And nobody knows who she is or where she comes from."

"Interesting," murmured Bruce. The power of fire? Martial arts? It sounded like the poor kid Superman had taken to the islands. Volcana was her name, wasn't it? But she didn't have an exit like that.

Bruce and Jo continued to talk. Bruce was actually enjoying himself. They discussed a wide variety of topics, all of which both were surprisingly equally knowledgeable about. He lost all track of time.

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Upon the roof, the two thieves-to-be had been knocked out and tied up. Their predators had successfully stolen their job from them. They were preparing to go down into the building. These new foes were considerably more dangerous. The only clue to their identity was found on their white suits: a green dragon design sewn over their hearts.

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[The_NewCatwoman]

wow! Bruce actually being enthralled by a normal woman for once, i mean other then Selina and Talia and Andrea and whoever else in the extraordinary. hope it goes well.

also i really enjoyed this keep up the good work

[Kylewayne]

What ...that is it?
I demand more or the death threats will come soon
I like this new chick in Bruce's life. Finaly, Bruce as somewhat human..yay! the two idiots are funny , I wonder if they will goof up. Something tells me they will. I can't wait for the Fiery Thunder to show up or has she? *raises eyebrow*

I love it GS, keep up the good work. I'm looking forward for the continuation

[The Guitar Slayer]

Thanks again for the feedback, folks. The_NewCatwoman, I was interested by your description of Jo as 'normal.' And Kylewayne, glad to see you like it. Some of you may have figured out one of my plot twists, but there is still one or two left in my bag....and one of them is going to massively tick off Bruce. I'll leave it at that.
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Dick smiled at Barbara and took her hand. "I would like to thank you for a wonderful evening. But I can't. I wasn't wonderful."

"What's your problem?" complained Barbara, a little disappointed.

"I had a fantastic evening." Both smiled. Dick leaned toward Barbara to kiss her, but was immediately jerked away by the sound of breaking glass.
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Moments before, Bruce had been still talking to Jo. "Tim! It's time to go!" Bruce sighed and turned back to Jo. "I'm sorry, but we really need to go home." He was genuinely regretful that he had to end his conversation with her.

"So, you were the boy millionaire from all those years ago. I had wondered what happened to you."

"I became the adult billionaire I am today. The only difference is that Alfred let my curfew go to one in the morning."

"Why? What happens at one? You turn into a pumpkin?" Jo asked saucily. "No, orange isn't your color. A werewolf, I'll bet."

"No..." Bruce said slowly. He raised his chin toward the slowly approaching Tim. "He does, Monday at school." In terms of laughter, Jo's alto mixed well with Bruce's baritone. He wondered if she kissed on the first date. And if this counted.
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Tim hated these parties. So did Bruce, but Alfred made them go anyway. Tonight Bruce had complained to Alfred about why he couldn't just give the money directly to the charity, which made a lot of sense to Tim. Alfred told him it was to "keep up appearances," not to mention finding Mrs. Wayne candidates. Anyway, Tim would rather go to a good hockey game than a stuffy "affair." Now Bruce seemed to be really enjoying himself. Tim saw them laughing and talking before. "Yeah, he likes her. A lot. let's see if I like her."

1. Looks. not too tall or too short. She wasn't stick thin or too fat. She didn't have nails that would scratch him; she wasn't wearing too much nasty make-up that would smear on him. A pretty face; Results: Passed.

2. Intelligence. He hadn't heard her say stuff such as "like" or "Y'know" for every other word. The woman looked like she knew what she was talking about. She knew what food to avoid and what drinks would throw her for a loop. She was sensible enough to wear low shoes for a dance like this. This lady looked right into Bruce's face and kept steady eye contact. She was able to stand up to him and hold her own in a conversation. Tim would give anyone who could do that the "utmost respect," as Alfred would say. She seemed to be witty, judging from the way Bruce was reacting. Bruce probably wouldn't have tolerated her after the first ten minutes, let alone the last hour, if she had had the I.Q. of a dust mop anyway. Results: Passed.

3. "Hi, I'm Bruce's kid...." That usually scared most women off. Every one of Bruce's female consorts would have to get past Tim before he'd let them regularly intrude on his life. This one seemed like she might be able to tolerate the presence of a "child..." Results: Not yet tested.

Tim dragged himself over to the two lovebirds and immediately started his act. "Awwwww, Bruce, do I have to go? It's not my curfew. I wanna get some phone numbers," he whined. Bruce looked like he wanted to throttle the kid.

Jo smiled and offered her hand to Tim. "Hi, I'm Jo, Bruce's verbal fencing partner for the evening. You must be Tim, his housemate. Pleased to meet you." Tim began to grin a little. "What a ladies' man you are. Not like him, right?" Jo pointed her thumb toward Bruce, who choked a little on his drink. Tim really began to grin. As the conversation continued, Tim realized that she was talking to him, not at him. Results: Passed with flying colors. Hell, this one deserved the keys to the backdoor.

Suddenly, several intruders crashed down in a shower of glass. The three of them turned around to see the scene. People panicked and started running. Bruce protected Tim with his body as the mêlée broke out. When he looked for her, Jo had already left or had been pulled away by the crowd. "Now we don't have to go, huh?" remarked Tim. Bruce silenced him a stern look. They made their way out of the ballroom back through the corridor to a narrow hallway to the men's room where Bruce had stashed their suits...just in case.
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Several minutes later, Robin dashed onto the scene and proceeded to the ballroom. Batman began to follow, but he literally ran into someone who'd just come out of the ladies' room. She wasn't dressed normally at all.... "Who are you?" he barked.

"Do you forget so easily, Batman? Or did you come back for my phone number?" came a cheery voice out from behind a red visor. She knew his...It was Jo! Or rather, Flame. She wore the said red visor along with a skin-tight red Kevlar jumpsuit with a utility belt and the same necklace she had been wearing previously. It was simple, merely a ruby with a dragon image superimposed on it set in a gold chain. She had also dyed her hair red.

"You're Flame?" was all that Batman was able to choke out.

"As long as you don't tell, I won't." A growl came in response, and both thundered to the ballroom where Nightwing, Robin, and Batgirl awaited, crouched by the door.

[Kylewayne]

All I have to say is...
MORE MORE and MORE!
I am realy enjoying reading this story.
I love your character Flame , she is intriging.

[Panther]

I totally cracked up when the amateurs on the roof were waysided by the guys who, I assume, just crashed the party. This Flame person seems interesting, can't wait to read more about her. I loved Tim's evaulution of her! lol!

later,

[Bleu Unicorn]

I'm either easily impressed, or everyone that writes on this board is just terrific. ;'I'm thinking the latter... definitely for you Slayer. So, as Kitty would say: MORE, MORE, and definitely MORE!

Hehe, gotta love me, right?

~Bleu~

[The Guitar Slayer]

Nothing like a bit of chaos on the homefront to distract me from posting. My apologies for the wait, and enjoy.
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A gasp arose from Batgirl. "Don't worry, I'm with him." She indicated Batman. "You grew your hair back quick," she observed to Nightwing as she and Batman knelt down beside him.

"Just to preserve my identity," he quipped. "I saw you chatting with these two a few minutes ago." Nightwing nodded at Batman and Robin.

Robin stalled for a moment, trying to comprehend that he had been speaking to another costumed freak. He tried to make conversation really quick. "Cool. I heard about you from the Net. What's international renown like?" whispered Robin. He winced even as he said it.

"Hey, you're no small fry yourself," replied Flame. "You've got at least a third of the European girls swooning over you." She got another winning smile from Robin. It was apparently one of his good days.

Being analytical as usual, Batgirl handed her a pair of small binoculars. "Can you I.D. them? I heard a vague report about them from Asia on Interpol."

Flame gazed through the binoculars. The ambassadors had their hands over their heads. Their captors pointed guns at their chests. All the ambassadors and their aides seemed to be in one piece. Flame saw her employer and some friends in the business.

Flame briskly replied, "Green Jade Dragon Family, translated very, very, very roughly. Japanese in origin. They're obsessed with jade dragon artifacts. They were formed relatively recently, so only a person who has been in the Underground over the last five to ten years would know about them. They have seriously deviated from the system of honor most old-style clans have. Sort of like how the Taliban deviated from Islam."

Batman remembered he'd gone to Japan a few years ago, but as a brief mission to the better part of the city and the nearby volcano.

"Green Jade Dragons? Damn. We're in deep....trouble." Nightwing checked himself in front of Robin.

"What's up with that?" Robin asked.

"The Green Dragons are ronins, meaning they have no master...nobody controls them. They are notorious in Tibet for robbing and murdering people that owned jade artifacts with a connection to a dragon. Legend has it that if all jade dragon artifacts are recovered, they will bring Armageddon down on all the rest of the earth," explained Nightwing grimly.

"It's just a legend."

"Maybe, but Batman has dealt with green rocks that weren't jade. As I recall, they did a job on Superman. They were harmful on his cellular level. Maybe they're looking for rocks on ours," Nightwing explained to Robin.

"Merdé. Merdé, merdé, merdé," grumbled Flame. Everyone looked at her but Batman.

Batman, who had remained silent all this time, spoke. "Rumor has it that a piece of jade was brought in by the French embassy. If Nightwing is right, they might even kill the ambassador to get it." Batman looked into the ballroom. The terrorists were dressed in white suits with cowls. Green dragons were embroidered on the right sleeve and over their hearts. They looked like identical action figures, because from the nose down, they were completely covered. A few could have been girls, but how could they tell?

"Do you know how to get the drop on them?" Batman demanded. When both Nightwing and Flame shook their heads, Batman decided to use his own strategy. "We'll need a distraction."

"I can do it," spoke up Batgirl. She had silently taken out her pocket computer and done some calculations. "I altered the display to project in front of the machine rather than on the screen. It can produce a 2-D hologram, but I'll need to set it off very quickly and get out of there, or else they'll see my shadow."

"Japan's a pretty high-tech country. Are you sure they're going to fall for it?" cautioned Robin.

"Even if I just bring one of those nuts over, I'll get him, and he'll make enough noise to bring someone else over."

"It'll have to do. What about the hostages?" Batman waited for his allies' minds to formulate the answer. It was an excellent exercise.

After a moment of silence, Nightwing requested, "Can you get a map of the building?" Batgirl nodded and a 2-D map projected out. Another pause

"Get it to highlight all vents." Flame cocked her head slightly to the side and looked at it intently. Batman nodded, understanding.

"Right here," said Flame, pointing to the red ventilation system, "is where we save all these people. Robin, think you can do it in the time frame Batgirl can give you?"

"Let me put it this way: where's the nearest vent?" sighed Robin. This was always the stuff he tended to get.

"A-right." Flame ruffled his hair a little.

"Stop that." Robin re-spiked up his hair. "Where will you guys be while I'm playing the rat-in-the-maze?"

"Why, partying crashing, of course," answered Nightwing matter-of-factly.

Batgirl informed Robin, "You have five to seven minutes to make it through to the vent over there."

Batman finished the briefing. "There are two exits: the one Batgirl will use and one on the other side of the room. Lock the door behind you. The skylight will be their only means of escape if the police don't get here. This glass..." He indicated the pane that they were looking through. "...Is everything proof, including bullet proof. There are no other windows, so don't make a bad move whatsoever. Robin, here." Batman handed Robin his own computer. "You'll need it to navigate."

"Thanks." Robin pried off a vent cover and slid in.

"The best place for you to be is that second pillar." Flame pointed it out to Batgirl

She nodded. "Equal cover and open space," Batgirl agreed. She set out for her position through a side door and locked it behind her.

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I know some of the stuff I write can sound kind of cheesy and hokey, but I originally started this out as an animation idea. The action should begin to pick up in the next chapter, and I still have my surprise in my bag.

[Daughterof_Evil]

Just wanted to drop in and say what a great job you're doing. You definitely hooked me by the first post. And no, it's not cheesy. It's very interesting, especially with the Dragon clan. I liked how Robin had to "re-spike" his hair. That was funny.

Keep up the great work!!

[witness]

I decided to wait until you posted again before I responded. First of all, Jo is Flame? That's a whopper of a surprise! And you said you had another one waiting for us. Can't wait to see it! Also, congratulations on becoming our new moderator!!! I realize that this must have happened recently. Any specific reason as to why you became one? Anyways, it's great to have a moderator who actually visits AND posts frequently. Keep up the great work!

[Batgirl]

Wow... we got the fire... so where's the ice? Or do we want to know? Great job! Please keep it up!

[The Guitar Slayer]

Hey, everybody. Thanks for the feedback. And witness, thank you for your congratulations.

I'm just going to quickly answer some of your questions and then post another chapter tomorrow. As for the modship, I kinda asked for it...I was already one of the RPG mods when I began to bug the current mods to move some stuff over to the Story Board. Since I was such a pain in the keister, they modded me here out of spite (j/k). It's fun, but can be alot of work when you trigger traffic on the boards.

Yes, Johanna DeCapulet is indeed Flame. A lot of people had that suspicion before I revealed it, so it was a semi-surprise. But the next one is going to be big. I've hinted at it already in one of Jo's mannerisms. Bruce is going to very mad...and there is always the question, is she an angel? Or the Devil?

Those two idiots on the roof are out of the picture...unless you want me to bring them back to open up every story...

As for the Fire and the Ice, that's the overall title of my serial. This is just part 1. It also refers to something (somebodies) else. And Batgirl nailed part of it; it is a character trait...but there is double meaning in the title. So stick around, you might pick up on it. Peace out, GS

[The Guitar Slayer]

What goes through a hero/heroine's mind? What tensions are there between heros? And what's up with the twitching?

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Silence enclosed the outer corridor. "What are we waiting for?" Nightwing mumbled.

"For the hologram and Robin," replied Batman. He carefully watched the vent inside. Flame continued to watch the ambassadors.

"What can't we go inside, but hide?" responded Nightwing.

"Patience, Nightwing," Batman simply said, but it was a command.

"No way. What if those terrorists decide to waste them before everything is set up? Want a peace treaty or two to fall through? This'll make a real nice international incident," Nightwing continued to pursue the subject.

"Timing is everything." Said through clenched teeth.

"I don't want any blood on my hands." Fists clenched.

"You won't, because nobody will be shot." Eyes narrowed, torn away from the interior room.

"Unless we sit and do nothing. Why are we out here? Because somebody didn't want his ass on the line." Nightwing stood up as did Batman.

Flame immediately stepped between them. This was definitely not the time. "Cut out the macho manly fight out, boys," she interjected. She pulled both of them down out of sight of the interior room. Both men were embarrassed as they realized what a risk they had just taken.

Flame retook her position by the door, ear against it. "While you two were acting like five-year-olds in a sandbox, the terrorists have made a ransom of a million dollars a head, meaning a grand total of $35 million if we want to see all the ambassadors and their aides alive again. It's that, or the Green Dragon artifact. The French crew doesn't know a thing about it, and neither does anybody else, with the exception of the owner. Nobody will admit if it's them, but they're pretty good at accusing each other." She paused, then gasped. "Uh-oh."

"'Uh-oh?' That's not good, uh-oh," cringed Nightwing.

"What is it?" questioned Batman.

"They've loaded the guns. They mean business." Flame's eyes darted around the interior of the room. "Okay, Robin's there, on the far left, Batgirl is behind the pillar. And after all that, we ain't ready."

"WHAT?!?" was the answer in unison.

Flame leaned back against the wall, arms crossed in front of her. "Make a truce. I'm not going in there to see you mop the floor with one another. Forget about your differences for one night. For the sake of the peace treaties." Her set jaw softened visibly. "For the ambassador's grandchildren. He's all they got in the world."

All at once, both men saw pleading children's eyes. Their own eyes. That struck home for both of them.

Zorro, The End
Last show of the season
The Alley at night
Hot lights, the Big Top
Laughter, sprinkling of rain
Concentration, release, relief, waiting
The Gunman
Zucco, wire cutter...no time for a warning
First shot
Cut
Grunt. FATHER!! Blood spurts from under his hands.
Falling, screaming.
Second shot
Hit the floor. SICKENING CRACK.
Screaming. MOTHER!! Pearls trickle down like tears.
All alone at the top of the world
Horror of a little boy
Horror of a crowd
My Family
My Family

Both men took a long, deep, jagged breath. It was a hit below the belt, yes, but a well-deserved one. They looked at each. Had they seen the same....?

"Truce?" Batman held out his hand from under the cape.

"Alliance?" Nightwing held out his hand.

They grasped each other's hand and nodded at both of the suggestions. Just like old times.

"Well, then." Flame stepped out of the shadows. "What are we waiting for, boys? Let's light the fires," exclaimed Flame. She carefully, quickly opened main door, and jumped behind a pillar. She used the shadows to slip to the next pillar on the left, then another. Batman and Nightwing occupied the ones that she had already vacated. Nightwing broke off a lockpick in the door's lock to make one less exit.

From there, Batman could see Robin in the ventilation system, waiting. Nightwing saw Batgirl placing the computer down. The fun was about to begin.



Robin sighed softly. After three wrong turns, and several meetings with the system's inhabitants, he was where he needed to be. He had always wanted more action. "And here it is on a silver platter. You asked for it, Drake," he thought to himself. Robin wondered how he was going to get all these fancy dressed-up people to crawl through something like this rat maze. From his hide-out, he saw the other three crouching outside.

He still couldn't believe it: Flame! Some websites called her a modern-day Joan of Arc. And in everyday life, she was... a secretary. How boring. Even Superman had a better day job.

Robin hated sneaking around. He had done enough of that before Dad died. Meeting rats wasn't a favorite either. Stealing food used to be a way of life. Hell, he had tried to rob Bruce after he saved him. What weird yet true changes had taken place.


Batgirl held her breath. The hologram was taking an awful long time to load up. She was sure it would work. This is what she was taught back in college. Too bad Dick didn't graduate...with her, that is. Depression waves came over her as she recalled her memories of him, of them. Dick had played the role of the boy-next-door. Every other night was pizza night for them. They used to discuss classes, life, themselves... She wished that she could turn back time before...

Before he and Bruce hit rough waters, he was brighter and seemingly happier, not dark and dismal. He was happy now, according to him, but Barbara still missed the way things were. The change had caused her to think of him more as...a stranger that for some reason, she loved. Why had she agreed to leave Robin in the dark? It was her fault he had gone over the edge. "No, I'm not going to breakdown," she thought vehemently. "Bruce should feel guilty, not me. Or did Dick want it that way? Was he only waiting for an excuse to go?"


Moments before the hologram went off, one man said, in English for the benefit for the dignitaries, "Let's get it over with. They are not answering our requests." He c ocked his gun at the French ambassador. Fear seized the ambassador and he froze. A chamber with a bullet clicked into place.

The vigilantes tried to will the hologram to go off. Still, it wouldn't finish loading. Flame silently concentrated on the leader of the group and flicked her wrist.

The elder man suddenly came alive and proceeded to verbally rip the young man and his impatience. Right on cue, seemingly, the hologram went off. FINALLY.

"Freeze! You?re under arrest!" screamed the hologram of a police team. The gunmen turned and began to maneuver closer to investigate. The hologram began to warn them to stay away.

Meanwhile, Robin had begun to lead the ambassadors and their aides to safety. He had given the American ambassador in attendance a printed-out map of the system. They'd get out...eventually.

The gunmen fired a few test rounds. Batgirl was nowhere to be seen, but still...it was disquieting. "Barb, get out of there," whispered Nightwing.

Flame turned her head to look at Batman. He was on the next pillar over, and beyond him, Nightwing. She gestured toward the men. Batman shook his head. Flame nodded. He shook his head again. Nod. Shake. Nod. Shake. Nod..... "Just a little more...." Batman hissed.

"There isn't any time!" Flame leapt into full view.

Several heartbeats full of silence passed