Petrified: a dash of Trauma

Zepter dos: Batman

Batman slammed the desk hard with his fists.

Nothing. He found nothing. It's already been three years and who knows what that blasted Joker did to him.

He pinched the bridge of his nose in frustration.

"Dad?" He didn't have to turn around to know it was Damian.

Damian was his eldest and only biological son. He, like all the other kids Batma- Bruce Wayne adopted, were vigilantes. Damian being Nightwing, Timothy Red Robin, and Jason being Red X.

"You're still looking for him, aren't you?" Damian stood next to him now, looking at all the tabs pulled up on the Batcomputer. Ever since Joker kidnapped Richard, there has been no signs of him in Gotham pulling some lousy 'pranks'.

Batman pulled down his cowl, becoming Bruce Wayne the billionaire playboy of Gotham.

"Dad? Dami? What's going on?" Timothy stood at the entrance to the Batcave.

"Go to sleep Drake, it's nothing," Damian said, not looking away from the screen.

Timothy was about to turn and leave but paused.

"Hey, if this is about that Richard kid, I can help."

Bruce looked at him. Dark bags were visible under his eyes, showing how he hadn't had much sleep the past few weeks.

"How?" Damian asked. Tim walked over to them.

"While on patrol I stopped a two guys stealing jewelry-"

"How does defeating two guys stealing gems help?" Bruce asked suddenly.

"No wait just listen!"

"We're listening Drake."

"So I was tying them up and then I recognized them as Joker's goons. So I asked them-"

"ASKED them?" Damian smirked. Tim pouted, even though he was 17.

"Okay, maybe I used a little bit of force but you're missing the point. I got them to spill! They said Joker was hanging around a warehouse out on the countryside. The CCTV's in that area shut down from an old storm a few years back and they never had the time to replace it! Joker must've done something to the place jamming the signal there too!" Tim managed in one breath.

As if a switch had been turned on, Bruce was suddenly wide awake. He turned back to the computer and started typing different locations with a set jaw and a determined look in his eyes.

Tim stood behind Bruce's chair and looked at the screen before him.

"THAT ONE!" Tim shouted and pointed at one of the maps opened up on the screen.

"Looks like some kind of factory in an abandoned countryside area near the outskirts of Gotham. Should we check this out or..?" Both boys looked at Bruce.

Bruce put up his cowl.

"No, this can not wait. You two stay here, I'm going to go check it out myself."

"But Bruce, it could be dangerous! You know the Joker he puts -"

"No. Stay here and monitor the area, try to reconnect the cameras there and find out what's blocking the signal. I'll be back as soon as I can."

With that being said, Batman jumped into the batmobile and left, leaving Damian and Tim in the cave filled with bats and a huge computer, dim light flickering in the darkness.

Damian sighed and sat in the chair Bruce was in. Tim stood beside him.

"Well, you know Bruce."

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