The Riddler's Daughter

Where's Emily?

~Jason's POV~

I changed out of the soaking wet Robin outfit, slamming the utility belt down in anger. How dare Enigma not cooperate. Instead she stood stubbornly with the threat of millions of lives on the line. Did Enigma not realize the price this game held? Couldn't she see we were trying to help. That psycho daddy's girl deserved to go to Arkham for life. Hell, I wouldn't be half sadden if she did fall off that roof. I kick the side of the wall in anger. Alfred looks down at me with a glimmer of sadness in his elderly eyes. He did not scold me for we both knew what I was really angry with. Grief. Barbara Gordon was shot point blank last night by the Joker. He lead Commissioner Gordon and Batman right to her body. Bruce said they got their too late. This would have never happened if the Riddler's threat hadn't been of such an waste of our time. If his brainwashed puppy would have just told us what we wanted to know we might have been able to catch the Joker or save Babs.

"Master Todd, Bruce is awaiting for you downstairs." He spoke, holding out a tray which I put my mask on.

"Alright." I place a hand along the thin wall, letting a red dimmed light scan it for analysis. Once it was confirmed I was R002- the bricks rolled upwards, revealing black metal stairs which coiled around above the spiraling the ground. Silence consumes the air around me as I walk down to the cave.An echoing trickle of water is the only disturbance heard as I got closer to the ground floor. Bruce sat in front of a screen, watching it with an intent stare. He didn't seem any phased by Barbara's death despite being the one to find her.

"We need to figure out where Riddler is going to hit." He spoke sternly, watching the screen.

My jaw dropped ever so slightly, he couldn't be serious. This wasn't about Barbara's death. How can he not give her enough respect to even talk about it or even go after the joker. Not some flimsy villain hidden behind a screen. There was a mad man on the loose. My voice sounded pissed towards his attitude, "How can you be so calm?" Bruce spoke not a word nor did he turn around to face me. I flipped up on the ridge of the screen, blocking his view to get his full attention. "Why aren't we out after Joker for what he did!"

He took a deep breath, gazing up at the clock then back at me. "It's time for your internship. Shouldn't you be going upstairs to get dressed before Alfred finds you."

"Bruce!" I begin to protest but he interrupts, standing up from the screen. He was hiding something, but what? Why was he keeping something from me? We were supposed to be a team. I quickly move, getting in his way. Bruce looks down at me, expecting me to move. I didn't, I wanted to know how he could be so cold and distant. Barbara worked and trained with us. She was Batgirl and now Gordon knows it. Poor guy, if anything we should be doing this for him. He wasn't allowed to tell anyone that Barbara had been involved or was even deceased. I couldn't imagine how those two went about that conversation. All I could do was put together the few details I heard over the comms. From what I understood it was Bruce, Batman who arrived at the scene first. He found Barbara disguise as Batgirl bleeding out. Bruce said she was already dead. Seconds later, Gordon came to find Batman solemnly watching over her. Gordon didn't know about his daughter's other identity nor that she had any connection to me and Bruce. He didn't know his daughter was the one under the cowl as he walked in. I could picture Bruce's mind turning, trying to figure out how he would explain this to his colleague. Yet, that wasn't what happened. Gordon offered to help lift her to the police car when he noticed a golden chain around her neck. Barbara never took off her deceased mother's necklace, usually it stayed hidden underneath her uniform. However when he lifted her up, it slipped out and regretfully Gordon recognized it. Batman watched the shock swirl around in his eyes.
Commissioner Gordon felt betrayed when he came back to the station, refusing to talk to even me about it. At the time I had no clue where his coldness towards us came from. Not until Batman's few words filled me in. Bruce must have sworn him to secrecy about the matter. I shake my head, thinking about it only pissed me off more. "We should be going after the sick bastard that killed her."