Scars

Chapter 1: Successors and Predecessors

The hum of the motorcycle roared throughout the long cave. The cavern walls only amplified the sound, the noise thundering and vibrating all along the enclosure as the cycle zoomed down the tunnel, nothing but a blur of blue light that disappeared as quickly as it came. The sheer intensity of the noise had the bats inside of the cave stirring and screeching, even before the bike appeared in the central cavern system. When it finally broke the exit of the long tunnel it'd been traveling down, the bats finally began flailing about, shrieking as they flapped about. The ruckus refused to die down until the motorcycle had come to a complete stop, and the engine shut off, leaving the impressive cycle dead and still.

With a faint chuckle, Nightwing pulled off his helmet as the third Robin did the same behind him. The younger boy glared at the older in an obvious gesture of irritation, even though Nightwing was in front of him and Robin could only see the back of his head. Still, the glare was harsh enough for the oldest Boy Wonder to feel it boring into his skull, which only fueled his amusement as he looked over his shoulder and asked Robin, "Aw, is someone bitter back there?"

"Shut up, Dick."

"Being right never gets old."

Robin rolled his eyes as Nightwing carefully swung one leg around to slip off his motorcycle. After, he turned to Robin, his smile becoming a tad bit gentler as he held out his hand to help. "Come on, Tim. Let's get you up to the med bay so Alfred can check you out. I know you're convinced that you have nothing more than a sprain, but let's be thorough, shall we?"

The younger boy begrudgingly agreed with the male, accepting the help off of the cycle after he brought his uninjured limb over the side of the motorcycle. Nightwing chuckled again, undeterred by the fact he had to act as a crutch, and the two slowly began the trek towards the direction of the infirmary, where Nightwing would drop Robin off before going to get Alfred. As they contently walked along, Tim pulled the mask from his eyes, as did Dick. As soon as they did, Tim laughed, causing the older to look down at him startled as he asked, "What?!"

Pointing at Dick's face and with the biggest, brightest smile ever manifested on his face, Tim asked, "You know that explosion that went off earlier tonight that you almost got caught it?"

"Yeah...?" The oldest Bat-Boy drawled, narrowing his eyes in suspicion and confusion at the younger's prodding.

"Yeah, your entire face got burned, except for where your mask usually is. You got a big, ole white raccoon mask around your eyes now."

"What?!" Dick yelled, his free hand whipping up to smack the side of his face as he tried to feel for the outline on his face. Tim snickered beside him, limping lightly as they walked along. A groan fell from Dick's mouth, though he hadn't managed to find the ridges with his gloved fingers. Under his breath, he muttered, "Dammit... I'm not going anywhere for a few days."

"I'm sure Bruce has something somewhere to cover it up." Tim commented, grinning in what he hoped was a helpful manner, though it only exposed the sheer amount of amusement he had for the situation. Dick only glared at the other for laughing, stuck his tongue, and then laughed along as well. However, their pleasurable atmosphere dispersed when the sharp sound of a door slamming boomed throughout the cave, followed by Alfred irritably calling, "Master Jason, do come back! There is still much that needs to be done before I can safely allow you to leave."

The name caused the two Bats to freeze in their tracks, confusion and shock raging in their eyes. Then they were moving as fast as they could, with Tim's bad foot and all. (They wouldn't be so cautious, if Tim's sprained foot hadn't just finished healing from a clean break only a few weeks prior.) The stomping of thick boots bounced off the cavern walls, just as the roar of the motorcycle had, speaking measures of the state of mind the visitor was in. The situation wasn't looking very good, though when anything involved the certain wayward Bat, it never was. The only comfort came in knowing that Alfred would escape harm, as it seemed that the visitor had no grudge against the man as he did the rest of the family.