“Where's Robin?”
An uncomfortable silence filled the room. No one answered the Batman's question. All were ashamed and beaten. A mission had been successfully unsuccessful. Not only had they Lost their contact and the leader of some villainous band, but they'd also gotten beat up kwa phony ninjas with special abilities.
“Where is Robin?”
Wally flinched at the Dark Knight's tone. Daddy-Bats was getting angry and someone had to answer. When no one stepped forward, Batman spoke again.
“This is the last time I will ask wewe and I expect an answer. Where is Robin?”
With a loud swallow, Wally spoke up.
“We...we don't know.”
Batman's eyes narrowed and he looked even zaidi temperamental than before (if that was possible).
“What do wewe mean wewe don't know.”
A statement, not a question. But one to answered all the same.
“We were attacked kwa weird ninja things and when the fight was over, Robin was gone. We looked for him but all we found was a piece of paper.”
“Give it to me.”
With shaking hands, Wally handed the paper to the caped crusader. He didn't have to hear the words to know what was written on the sheet; the shock of kusoma it the first time had rammed it into his brain.
“Justice League,
If wewe wish to see this bird again, you'll send a bag of diamonds and three vials of sulfur to the docks. I'll have my 'guest' with me. No tricks, no heroes, no secret mission. Not unless wewe want this little bird's wings clipped permanently. wewe have until mid night. Then I'll start trimming his feathers every saa it's late. But don't be too long. wewe may not see him again.
Signed,
Slade”

“What are we going to do?” Megan asked. “We can't let anything happen to Robin!”
“We aren't! Just because Robin is Batman's son doesn't give Batman the right to confine us to this stupid mountain!”
Artemis kicked a ukuta in the middle of her tirade before continuing.
“We need to go back. I'm not going to let some freaking stunt man keep Robin! Our friend needs us! And don't make me guilt wewe into doing this with me!”
The others were quiet for a few minutes. Artemis was never this worked up. So it was a little unusual and a little fascinating to see her upset.
“Maybe we should call Becca in for help,” Wally suggested.
“No need Wally. I'm right here.”
The masked hero known as Shade stood close kwa them. Her many weapons were well hidden but their trained eyes spotted them. Her hair fell from a high ponytail and was Lost in her black body suit. She twirled two escrim sticks in her hands.
“How'd wewe get in?”
She smirked, but it was a sad smirk.
“One of my many talents. So what's the plan?”
“We don't have one.”
Becca nodded and looked around while she thought. She walked around the room slowly and Wally wondered if she felt as Lost as they did without Robin there.
“Take me to the place where wewe last saw him.”
Becca turned to them. She was straightforward and demanding but that was expected in a situation like this. They led her to the bioship and Miss Martian opened the door for them. Becca looked out the window as they took off but her mind didn't register anything. Wally watched her carefully; the last time her boyfriend was endangered, Becca had flipped out. But something had definatly changed her. Perhaps it was the amount of discipline she used. Maybe even the independence of going out on her own without any assassins ready to kill her without a sekunde thought. Whatever it was, Becca had not only become zaidi mature but also zaidi confined.
“We're here.”
Becca turned her head. She gave Wally a small smile when she noticed him staring at her. Wally didn't react but just watched her carefully. Becca stood at the scene of the fight and looked around. She switched her mask to infra-red night vision and looked at everything that became new to her new way of seeing. Something caught her eye and she walked over careful not to disrupt any other possible evidence. She knelt down at her clue; one of Robin's birdarangs.
She looked at it closely, noticing fingerprints. Gloves left no fingerprints. So someone else had attempted to use it. But the zaidi she looked at it, the zaidi Becca felt she'd seen those prints before. A closer look at the weapon revealed that it wasn't Robin's birdarang; it was similar but there was a slight difference. Robin's were made of Kevlar, a bullet proof material. This was made of a metal that absorbed sound and energy. Whoever had created this weapon was a genius. But Becca wasn't going to let that stop her.