Electric Flame

2.25

"Who?" I asked, glancing at Dick to notice that he was just as confused as I was. He shrugged and we both diverted our attention to Bruce again.

A blaring alarm sounded from the Batcomputer. "Alert. Alert," it shouted, the female voice echoing through the Batcave.

"Later," Bruce said, delaying informing us of anything as he pulled on his black-eared cowl. He stalked over to the screen and began to type frantically on the keyboard. "Right now, we got to take down a couple of thugs," he told us. "You two, come with me. Superboy, stay here." He was nearing the Batmobile with us on his tail. "Oh, by the way, congratulations." 

Bruce's manners were abysmal.

"Where are we going?" Dick asked, tearing off his top layer of clothing and revealing the black and blue suit underneath. Was he wearing that the whole time?

"The docks," Batman responded, emotionless.

"Why is it always the docks?" Nightwing complained, throwing his arms to his sides. "Why can't any crime happen at an ice cream parlor or an amusement park?"

"More importantly," I interrupted. "How do you guys fit your suits underneath your clothes? It'll be so much easier that way," I grumbled as I walked over to my uniform, unhooked it from the mannequin, and ran around the corner where the wall gave me privacy to slip it on.

Bruce hopped into his infamous Batmobile while Dick strode in the direction of his bike, easily clipping the strap of his navy blue helmet. I looked around, though I didn't see another mode of transportation specifically made for me.

"We got to get you your own bike," Dick recollected. "I need to remember that for next time." He patted the leather seat on his motorcycle and I followed the same drill, holding on tighter than I ever had before. At least this time I knew how fast he was going. No more surprises, or as many anyway.

Just like the last ride, we weaved through cars and trucks, skipping through red lights and stop signs. I guess we were too cool for the law. He kept driving until the smell of rotting fish filled the atmosphere, but Batman went a different way.

"Don't do anything until I say," he ordered over the comm. I saluted with a 'yes, sir' but felt stupid knowing that he couldn't see it.

Dick parked on the top of a ledge that led to a cemented cliff overlooking the port. He took out a pair of binoculars and began to spy on the scene below. "I need you to use your super hearing to listen in on anything suspicious," he urged.

"How did you know I have super hearing?" I asked him skeptically. Only the three girls on the mission knew from when I listened in through the steel-framed door.

"Artemis may have slipped," Dick confessed, his voice lowering shamefully. "But in all fairness, you are the biological daughter of Superman. It was bound to happen sooner or later."

I inhaled the cool air of the night. It didn't smell nearly as bad here as at the club previously owned by the East Side Dragons.

A heard a distant clash echo inside my left ear. "Wait," I whispered as I concentrated on the noise. "I hear something. It sounds like metal on metal."

"Can't ID them from here," Dick disclosed, zooming in on the men down below loading their truck.

"ID them? I can do that. Bad guys," I pointed. "And pretty ordinary ones, too."

"Oh, we can handle this," Nightwing scoffed, readying to grapple off of the terrace.

"I don't know. The boss was very clear. He said to wait while he scoped out the situation," I decided as I thought about different ending scenarios in my imagination. "We don't want to get in trouble for freelancing."