Starships

Chapter 40

The next morning came and went. I spent the day getting ready for Richard and I's stake out. What all do I need? Richard hasn't texted me yet, nor did he come over for our weekend brunch. I am finishing my fifth load of laundry before my phone buzzes. 

Sorry for the late text. Stop by at this address around 7. 

The text is from Richard. The next message is a street address that I recognize. It's the address to Wayne Manor. 

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I shower and change into some athletic wear. I pull out a pair of black sneakers and lace them up on my feet. I brush and braid my hair back. At 6:30 I step outside, its cold but not freezing. I dart up into the sky and make my way to Wayne Manor. 

My heart does flips as I travel through the clouds. I pull my phone out of my hoodie's pocket to make sure I am going the right direction. I tap through my texts. My hands freeze and I nearly drop my cell phone. I look at the address and learn that I am going the right direction and I am only a few minutes away. 

Through the clouds I can see the bright exterior lights of the house. Nothing about the building changed over the five years that I was gone. I fly low and land at the backdoors of the house. I turn the door handle and to my surprise the door opens for me. 

Before stepping in a thought goes through my head. How would I be able to explain to Richard the layout of his house? Would he ask questions or think its a crazy coincidence that I found him in a mansion? I quietly close the door and fly up and over the house to the front door. 

I close my cold hands into a fist a knock on the wooden door. I wait until the door opens. Alfred! I had to control myself, or I would have leap myself into his arms, giving him an embrace that I have missed.

"Good evening. You must be Miss Kori." Alfred smiles. I nod. He opens the door wider for me and I enter. 

The manor hasn't changed over the years. It is as if no one lived here while I was gone. I assume after Richard graduated he moved out. Does Bruce still live here? Does Alfred? So many questions are going through my head. 

"Master Grayson will be out soon from his meeting. Make yourself at home. If you need anything let me know." Alfred closes the door and leaves me to explore. I walk through the main entryway and make my way to the living room. I walk by the fireplace mantle and look at the many framed pictures. Pictures of Richard from when he was little. Pictures of Bruce accepting many rewards. Pictures of Bruce with his adopted sons at the first and last gala I attended. There was a picture that stopped me. I picked it up to examine it closer. I notice that it was from when Richard and I were in high school. I can tell because he was the same skinny green tie, in order to match with my emerald green necklace that he insisted that I wore. But I wasn't standing next to him in the picture like I had remembered. He is standing there by himself, hands deep in his pockets, giving the camera a toothless smile. My heart sank. The fact that he chose to go to homecoming with no one else. Why is that? 

Then a memory flashed before my eyes. I am in my bedroom, I have this exact photo but I'm in it, with Richard!

"Hey Kori. Sorry for keeping you waiting." Richard comes from the basement wearing a black tee shirt and grey sweatpants. I nearly dropped the picture frame.

"Ah, that was from my junior year of high school." Richard looks at the picture that I am holding of him. I wanted to respond back with, I know we went together but I couldn't. Richard takes the frame from my hands and puts it back. 

"Are you ready for tonight's mission?" Richard asks me. I nod waiting for further explanation. Richard brings us to the couch and we sit.

"Okay, so I am thinking that we will go and act as ourselves. We are there to check to see if anything else was taken within the last 24 hours. We will take notes, take any DNA samples that we can find. If that mysterious guy shows up that is when we can attack. You got it?" Richard tells me. I take in every bit of what he told me and locked it inside my head. I smile.