"Two thugs. Both armed. AK-47s."

"Sure you're good with this Blackbird?"

"Ugh, would you stop calling me that? Can't just stick to my name?"

"Can't take that risk with whathappened Blackbird."

"Women…"

"Excuse me?"

"Blackbird moving in."

20 Years Earlier…

"So what we guarding?" The gruff voice of a large, muscular thug mutters to the equally large thug beside him.

"No idea. Clown said to just stand out here and watch for the Bat." The other thug replies.

"You mean… the B-Batman?"

"Well aren't you fellas lucky?" A younger voices chuckles from above, the two men looking up with their guns pointed to see a young man standing above them. "How about a bird instead of a bat?" Chuckles the boy in red and yellow.

"It's the Bat's boy! GET EM!" One of the thugs yells as he begins firing along with the other.

The boy above jumps from his spot immediately and landing on the ground in front of the two, charging and sliding into one of the large thugs, tripping him with a kick to the shins and knocking him down. The boy turns and nails the other man in the gut, kicking his gun from his hand and kicking him back with a back-flip kick.

"See? Batman would've broken a few bones. I'm so nice I just knock you out." The boy chuckles, before turning behind him wide eyed at the sound of a gun cocking to face the barrel of one.

"Got-" The smiling thug says before he is swept away in a shadow, his screams bellowing before he is silenced and left tied up and dangling above, unconscious.

"You." A deep voice void of humor finishes for the thug as he lands beside the young colorful boy in tights.

"You need to work on your speed and surroundings. But besides that, good work." The cowled man states, his young cohort grinning widely at the compliment.

"Wish it was that easy now…"

"Come on, you took those two gunned guys out as easily as you did when you were 8."

"If you keep flattering me I might think you want to take me to dinner."

"Don't press your luck."

15 Years Earlier…

"Whoo." Sighed the young man, removing his mask and tossing it in his chair within the brightly light cave. "These till 3 a.m night patrols are starting to ware on me Babs."

He looked to the girl sitting cross legged in her own chair with her eyes looking to her laptop. Babara Gordon, daughter of Gotham's commissioner who along side him and the Batman went by the alias Batgirl. Babs, the nickname she went by, was a good friend, after spending a few years with his elder leader, having a girl his age on the team was a luxury at times. Didn't hurt she was pretty too.

"Well, at least you get tomorrow night off." Barbara replied, her sarcastic tone

"Have fun." He said back with a white toothed grin as he sat back in his chair.

The two sat in silence, not saying a word before he got bored and continued to disrobe his outfit. Would now be a good time to ask? If he wanted to by Saturday night…

"Hey Babs," He said, Barbara's eyes leaving the screen and looking to him with her emerald green eyes he had found comforting. "Saturday Bruce gave us both off… so I was thinking since the fair was in town Saturday and all… you know if you didn't have plans…"

"Is the Boy Wonder scared asking a girl on a date?" Barbara replied with a sarcastic grin.

"Who said it was a date?" He replied, scratching the back of his neck with a slight scowl. "I was just asking-"

"I'd like to." She said, her smile softening to be more genuine, which in turn made him smile slightly. "As soon as I look up the info Bruce asked me to we'll plan it, ok?" She said, returning to her laptop's screen. "Now go get a shower. You smell like Clayface and sewer."

His small smile slightly widened more as he scooped up his suit and headed toward the staircase to the mansion.

"So Babs, how have you been lately?"

"Blackbird, stick to the mission. And remember, my codename is Oracle."

"Right. Sorry."

"What do you see?"

"My Nightvision shows one man, currently chained. One man is in the room with him."

"That has to be him! Move in for the recovery."

"Right. Gonna be one hell of a reunion."

10 Years Earlier…

"No Bruce! I'm sick of this!" The young man yelled, ripping the small face mask off his face and throwing it to the side.

"I'm not letting you back out there for a month, no matter how much you whine." The tall figure, who himself had aged stated, picking up the face mask and returning to the Bat Computer.

He took in a deep breath.

'I will never get any respect as long as I live in his shadow…'

"I quit."

The tall man in black turned, his eyes slightly widened.

"I'm done Bruce. I'm done playing second fiddle. Of being in the shadows of a man already in the shadows!" He had begun to yell, now removing his cape and ripping off the top of his outfit. "I'm almost 19, I cant be the BOY Wonder forever."

The tall man's eyes softened as the sound of footsteps running down the stairs from the mansion.

He looked to the side, and there she was. His girlfriend of four odd years, she had become so beautiful. How lucky was he?

"What the hell is going on?" Barbara spat, her long red hair tossing over her shoulder as she looked to the groups older leader.

"Dick just quit." He said, solemnly.

"What?" She looked to him, her face becoming full of shock to see him with half his suit ripped off. "Dick… is it-?"

"Yes Barbara." He answered, his head low as he finished removing the red top with the large yellow R on his breast pocket.

"Dick Grayson is done here."

Now here he was, crawling through the ventilation shaft of some old warehouse in the middle of Gotham. "Oracle", which he still needs to ask her why she picked such an odd name, had come to him almost 10 years after he quit Gotham to take out crime in Chicago. He went from Red, Yellow, and Green to Black and Blue; Costume wise, the crooks were lucky if they could touch him.

"Almost there Ba… Orcale…"

"Good boy." She lightly giggled back. Man was she still cute.

He kicked the vent in front of him lightly, just enough so he could push it and it fall straight down. Falling out and landing on his toes, he looked forward with his face instantly becoming a scowl.

"OOO lookey here!" A cackle shook the room. "The old bird boy HAS arrived!"

That Clown. There he stood in front of the chained up Batman, blocking the two men's standing from one another. If he was more of a man with rage, he'd rip through Bruce to get to him.

'Keep calm Dick.' He said mentally, taking his Escrima sticks and holding them up.

"Like the new suit and toys kid, but I can't play right now!" The clown said, his blood red lips not leaving that sick curl of a smile he had. "I'm sure you'd prefer your little reunion! HAHAHAHA!" He cackled as he turned and ran right out the door.

He ran around the chained man looking toward the door, but stopped.

'Next time CLOWN.' He growled in his head and turned. His rage subsided, all he could feel was sympathy.

"You've gotten old Bruce." He muttered, walking toward and grabbing his extended arm to undo the shackle.

"Di…"

He turned to the older man's face, his five o clock shadowed jaw lowed with blood lightly streaming from the side.

"Bruce?"

"Di-Dick… Ru…"

"Bruce?"

That's when he heard it. That loud beep.

"RUN!"

He saw the worry in his face for a split second, his eyes wide and looking to him.

The wave of flame shot him back, knocking him through the door that the clown himself had opened earlier.

The last thing he saw or remembered, was the image of a large bat being swallowed by flames.