Posted by Ripper X on January 10, 2006 at 22:21:19:

When Dick Grayson’s friend from school is kidnapped, it is up to Robin and Batgirl to save her, seeking out clues has led the Boy Wonder to his own School, but unbeknown to him, he’s walking right into a trap!

[Louis E. Grieve Memorial High School: inside]

Robin’s lithe form crept through the dark passageway lined with locked doors and lockers. Armed with a flashlight that only he could see through his mask, he slowly made his way to locker number 318.

This is it, he thought as he considered pulling out his safe cracking tools, but instead, he simply shrugged and thumped the locker in just the right spot and a broad smile crept across his face as the locker popped right open.

"Well, Mandy." He said to himself as he looked at the perfectly ordered cubbyhole; books all stacked up nice and neat. No toaster tart wrappers or wads of chewed gum, if only he could be so neat, "I wish I had you for a locker partner."

Robin ruffled through the books, looking for loose papers or something that offered a hint as to what had happened to her. It was a long shot, but right now, it was all that he had. Then he saw it, hidden behind her magnetic mirror; the corner of a paper sticking out.

"What’s this?" He said, slipping it out of its hiding spot. "Looks like some kind of love letter?"

"Dear Mandy," it read, "Meet me outside of Content Expressions Jewelry Shop on Mortimer Ave, I’ve got a present for you and I’ll finally show you who I really am. Signed, Your Secret Admirer."

"P.S." the note continued, "Come alone, I’m kind of shy."

Holy, setups! Robin thought. Content Expressions is on the outside corner of the Diamond District, that’s not too far from Andru Street. It’s possible that whoever wrote this note, kidnapped Mandy . . . but this isn’t enough evidence yet, what’s this?

He picked up her English notebook. The cover had an R with a heart drawn around it. Robin flipped through it, his face burning. Inside he saw, "I heart Robin" drawn over and over on the inside cover. How sweet! But he’s not a voyeur, he told himself, and was just about to put the notebook back when a loose paper fell out. Picking it up, it was a fancy letter typed up with the header ripped off, it was requesting to know more about the science project that they had done together.

"Hmm, wonder why I didn’t get one?" he thought, and then he noticed that the hand written P.S. matched the handwriting of the Secret Admirer letter.

"I’d like to talk more about this online, my YAHOO ID is: Znl_lph5x1llz." It read.

"Okay," he said aloud to nobody in particular, "That’s weird."

"Oh yeah, runt?" came a voice from behind him. He could hear a large fist cutting through the air towards the back of his head.

"About time you get here, fatso." Robin said, ducking under the blow. Buster’s giant fist smashed into a locker with a nice crunching sound as his knuckles cracked. Robin gave the big man a quick sweeping kick, knocking him to the floor then vaulted himself off of his oversized back, "I was just about to think that I had to leave without saying hi."

"Opff" grumbled Buster, his hand already swelling as he picked himself up off of the floor, "You’re gonna pay for that, you little brat!"

Buster lunged at Robin, with a big roundhouse punch that carried everything that he had.

"Aren’t you working with The Riddler, now?" Robin asked, effortlessly hopping over the deadly punch, landing on Buster’s back and sliding down behind him, "Figure a guy like that would have you do something about this little weight problem you got going on."

"Naw, Riddler’s still in Arkham," He yelled, ripping off a locker door, "I’m a totally free agent."

Buster turned around sweeping the jagged metal door over Robin’s head, getting a sharp kick to the kneecap as a reward and found himself back on the floor again.

"Wow." Said the Boy Wonder, leapfrogging and landing on the big man’s chest, "That’s kind of sad."

Buster was getting tired out. That’s what he loved about these muscle guys. No discipline, just raw aggression and faith that they can get you in the first few seconds . . . suckers.

"So," Robin asked him, "What are you going to tell me about the missing cheerleader?"

"Huff-huff-huff, I don’t know nuthin about no cheerleader." Replied Buster, gulping down as much air as he could, "I was just told that if I saw any capes stickin their noses where they don’t belong, then I was to squish em."

"Well," Robin smirked, "you’re doing a wonderful job."

"Smartass!" He yelled, finding the last bit of fight still in him. He reached out, aiming to capture the boy in a bear-hug, and squeeze the life right out of the little punk; to his surprise, the kid was too slow this time, and he was able to get a hold of his ankle.

"HA!" Buster yelled, getting up to both feet, holding Robin upside down by his leg, "Who’s the smart guy now, huh?"

"Please mister." Begged the Boy Wonder meekly, "I was only kidding around. Please don’t hurt me."

Buster held him up high, and laughed while thinking of what he should do now. He’s never actually caught any cape before! Buster decided that the best course of action would be to swing him, Baseball bat style, into the floor when he saw the quick flash of something metallic appear in the boy’s hand.

"Ah Shi . . ." is all he could get out before Robin’s Escrima stick bounced off of his skull.

"Man, these things come in handy." Robin said to his unconscious company, retrieving his little weapon. By the time that the hired muscle woke up, he was long gone.

"Boss," Buster said still groggy and hurting all over, "Some big guy was with him, and they jumped me."

{I could have sworn that I told you not to engage him.}

"I tried boss, but they snuck up on me."

{I doubt it. Your loss to the child is punishment enough . . . as long as he took the bait. . . He did take the bait, didn’t he, Eagle1?}

"Yeah, boss." Buster said, shaking his head. Stupid little punk, next time he won’t be so lucky, "He took the bait. Can you come pick me up now?"

{Fuck you, Buster.} The radio hissed, {Big dumb idiots who can’t follow simple orders get to walk. And do be quick about it, won’t you?}

{Yes, Robin.}, said the hoarse, raspy voice of the Batman over the personal communicator.

"The Bat-Signal was lit. One of my schoolmates has been kidnapped. I’m trying to find out where she is and save her."

{Do you need any help?}

Robin wrote down the YAHOO! Id and fed it through the scanner.

"What do you make of this?" he asked, sending the image to him.

{Hmmm, don’t know. You’re on your own with that one. Find anything else?}

"I don’t think so . . . but this means something."

{Good, handle it. If you run into any surprises, activate your locater so that . . . Barbara can see it.} Robin was surprised; he still refused to call her Batgirl though.

"Yes, about Batgirl . . . I know that this is a secure line, but still. If her father found out what she did. . ."

He listened to the dead air for awhile, before Bruce answered, {She’s already helping you . . . give her a Bat-locater and a Comm unit tonight. How is her armor?}

"In my opinion, it’s pretty good stuff."

{Good. Batman out.}

Robin put his Communicator back in his belt. He already had a Comm. Unit to give to her that he’s been keeping in his cycle for months. If she had attempted to take the mantle of The Robin, instead of a Bat, this wouldn’t be so darned hard. He understood Bruce’s hesitation however, he put years into giving the Bat Symbol meaning, and it wasn’t just something to be handed out without earning it.

[Barbara Gordon’s Apartment]

"Cool!" Barbra exclaimed, snapping the little computer and the comm. into her utility belt, "Pretty soon I’ll have to find a new place to put my Ipod. How many utility belts are we allowed to wear without . . . you know . . . seeming too gaudy?"

"I think the answer is none." He joked.

"So," she said, her joy melting away, back into her business face, "You want me to help you break into a Jewelry store now?"

"Funny. However, I’m thinking that we can find more out from this." He said handing her the typed letter and pointing at the YAHOO! ID. "I showed it to Batman, but he didn’t know what it meant."

"And you dare to call yourself, Wonder Boy?" she quipped, grabbing the note from him, "It’s a YAHOO! ID, you need one to chat online."

"I know that!" He retorted, "But what does it mean?"

"I know," she said pertly, sitting at her PC and bringing up her Web Browser, typing in Znl_lph5x1llz@yahoo.com, "It says, Snuffskills."

"Enough skills?" He questioned, looking over her shoulder, "How do you get that?"

"It’s leetspeak, and not Enough Skills, Snuff skills."

"Slow down." Robin exhaled awkwardly, "First; what’s leetspeak?"

"It’s tech talk; a hacker language. I thought that you were hype? Kids younger then you are using it. Leet! It means ‘elite’. And speak . . . means to talk, or should I draw you a diagram?"

"Gotcha," he said, getting a grasp on it. "So that says Snuff Skills in leetspeak. Are we looking for somebody who enjoys chewing tobacco?"

"Nope, it’s nothing as glamorous as cancerous lips. I’m talking about, that!" She says, pointing at the screen.

"Necrobabes." He read from the title screen, "Cardaniel and Thanstasy's Asphyxionados? Dark Fantasy Video? The Cannibal Café! What the heck is this?"

"Snuff sex." Barbara said matter-of-factly, "Necrophilia, sleeping with the dead. You name it, they got it. It’s a hangout for sickos who actually enjoy this stuff."

"Is this even legal?" asked Robin. The very idea sent gooseflesh all over him. "Are these people for real?"

"Most of them are just into fantasy," she said, clicking a link that read ‘Sam’s Place’, "but there are a couple that aren’t all right, take this Sam guy for instance."

"My God," Robin exclaimed, "This site is huge! It must have taken him years too put all of this stuff together."

"Uh-huh. What I tell you, a total whack-job, huh?"

"How did you find this place?"

"I take offense to that!" Barbara scolded, "Acrobatics is your life, and computers are mine."

"Are there any message boards?"

"More then you can imagine," she said, her fingers working the keyboard as she navigated through the Sam’s Place webpage until finding what she was looking for.

"They call this the NBPB . . . the Necrobabes Public Board. This one seems to be the hub where they all hang out."

"My god, look at them all!" Robin was in shock. He had no clue that there were so many people that were into this kind of sick stuff.

"I’ve been monitoring it for a couple of years." she said, "RJL is another one who HAS to be for real, so is this Kojak guy. You want to define rude, just look up his name in the dictionary."

"Rathead?" he read off of the screen.

"Twisted freak."

"Blue Beard?"

"Twisted Freak."

"PK?"

"Twisted Freak." She replied again.

"Ripper X?" Robin laughed, "That sounds like some goofy monster from an obscure Godzilla film."

"Twisted Fr. . ." Barbara started to say, but caught herself, "Actually, he’s kind of sexy."

"BABS!"

"Oh, look," she said, clicking a post called ‘Asian Schoolgirl Belly Stabbed’, "This looks interesting."

"It’s a link to a paysite." He said, taking her distraction. The post loaded, showing a picture of a pretty Japanese girl bleeding out while an unknown female hand held the knife off screen, "Click it."

"Hey!" Barbara exclaimed, what a lucky guess, "Check out the contact address."

"It’s Snuffskills!" cried Robin as the new screen loaded, complete with a promise of the next feature being the murder of a young cheerleader captain.

"Holy, red haring!" teased Batgirl.

"Funny." Robin dryly said under his breath while grabbing his Batlocator and typing in the address, "Snail mail is Homegrown Horror Studios. 325 Brockwood Ave. Why, that’s Port Adams! Not even mile from the police department, those fiends!"

"It fits with the path from Content Expressions, to Andru Street, to the peer." Batgirl said, closing her browser down.

"Wait," Robin said, motioning for her to stay seated, "Hook your Locator up to your PC, I’ll show you how to use it."

"OH!" Barb huffed with contempt, "There isn’t any way that you’re leaving me out of this now. I may be just a girl, but I’m sure as heck never going to be your personal information resource!"

"Hey!" Robin laughed, holding up his hands in surrender, "Relax will you? The Locator can give you access to the Bat Computer down in the Cave."

"Oh!" Barb said, sitting back down, "That should be cool."

[Port Adam’s: Homegrown Horrors Studios]

"Stick em up, and no funny business, lard ass!" ordered a voice from behind him.

"Oh, I don’t fuckin believe this." Buster said, putting his hands in the air and turning around.

"Quick," demanded the mugger, "gimme your wallet."

"Cut me a break, would yah?"

"Buster?" asked the mugger, pulling his ‘Happy Dog’ mask off, "Jesus, man, what the hell happened to you?"

"I got in a throw down with a cape." He answered, putting his arms down and rubbing his black eye, "Yer working for Black Mask still?"

"Yeah man, works steady." The man said, "Shame about Two-Face gettin pinched, what’s you doin out here?"

"Just tryin to put food on the table," He answered, "they got me workin at the docks . . . say, is Black Mask lookin for heavies?"

"The docks! Did you go legit, pal?"

"Might as well of, you tell yer Boss that I’m available if he’s got any work."

"Look at me, man." The guy said, "Mask has me robbin the peers, everybody has been layin low around here. If you ask me, they are planin somethin big, way up on top. Even the Penguin has been playin legit, as of late. Times like these, man, it’s tough on all of us."

"Yeah." Buster grumbled, "Well, I better get goin."

"Me too, you take it easy man."

"You too . . . hey, and thanks for cuttin me a break and not robbin me." That could had really sucked, getting robbed when the warehouse is right down the street, then it dawned on him that he didn’t even know the guys name. He must’ve been from Star City though. Guys from Star City are just good guys like that. It’s like they got this code or something. Maybe if he scraps up enough money he’ll buy a ticket and go there?

[Meanwhile, back at Batgirl’s Lair]

"You’ve now got a level one access to the Bat Computer." Robin said after it was all set up. He had her load the address that they found into the data banks, and was waiting to see if it could tell them whose name was on the lease.

"A level 1 . . ." pouted Barbara, "What level do you have?"

"Level 5." He answered.

"FIVE! And all I get is a stinky level 1?"

"Give him some time." He told her, "You should feel privileged. It took me two years till I was level one."

"Really?" she beamed, feeling special.

"No, level one gives you access for everything that you need right now."

"Ouch! Okay, so I deserved that." Barbara jeered tolerantly, "Can you tell me what this science project is, that our Snuffskills seems so interested in?"

"It wasn’t anything spectacular." Robin answered, watching the screen intently . . . as if he could some how will the thing to work faster. "It was just a new aerosol fertilizer that let the consumer grow vegetables without dirt. The project itself was just a carrot."

"Wow!" Babs said, genuinely impressed. Cute, deep, and smart too . . . he probably snores in his sleep.

"It’s not all that impressive," Robin admitted, "We got the basic formula from Cord Enterprises. We just had to do a little bit of tinkering with the formula before we figured out a solution that worked."

"Wait," Barbara said, "Cord Enterprises, as in Ted Cord, as in The Blue Beetle?"

"No." Robin said. Barb noticed now, that he always looked down and to the left when he was lying, "Okay, how’d you know that?" He was helplessly honest to. Yep, his snoring would keep her up all night long . . .

"Hate to bust your bubble, but you and Batman aren’t the only rich benefactors in town. Do you really think that I could afford all of this hardware on a Librarian’s salary?" she answered, "Black Canary set us up. . . ."

Oh-oh, he’s being quiet. "You aren’t mad are you?" she asked.

"We got it!" He hollered, "P. L. Siley!"

"Fabulous!" Babs said, another bullet dodged, "Who is he?"

"Hmmmm" Robin replied, "I don’t know, but Level One also grants access to the Criminal Database. Why don’t you load it in, while I go out and scout the place?"

"No way, Pixy boots." Barb protested, "I’ve been stuck at this computer all night long, while you go out and get all the action. Screw that idea. I’m coming with."

"Look," Robin explained, "It’s not that I don’t think that you’re capable, it’s just that we don’t know what were heading into. I wouldn’t be comfortable with you there."

"Oh . . . you mean that you don’t want little Barbara Gordon getting in the way? Is that the deal? Let’s not forget who wears the slacks in this team, Mr. Short Pants."

"It’s not like that." He said, "It’s just . . ."

"No, it is just like that. I get it from my father, I get it from Batman, and now I get it from you!" Barb was really hot! Darned Irish temper, calm down Babs! You’re going to blow this deal, "Look, I’m tired of everybody underestimating me all of the time. I thought that you understood that, because I see that my Dad does the same thing to you. You’re lucky, you have Batman. He treats you like an equal, but I don’t have that. I don’t need another mentor. I’ve got enough of them. What I do need from you is to be your partner. I need for you to understand that. It’s important."

"Okay!" Robin said, caving in, "But calm down, partner. First we need to work as a team, and collecting Intelligence is the first step. Look, you have the address for where I’m going, it will take a few minutes for the Computer to give us the information that could save our lives. Once you got it, then you can come, but right now I need to get there as fast as I can. Don’t forget the big picture here, Batgirl. A girl’s life is in our hands right now. You are good! You have the tools, the skills, and the means; I’m not saying that you don’t. It’s just that time is running against us right now, and I need to know that ‘we’ are on the same ground here. Because if we aren’t, then we were dead before we even got started."

"You’re right." She agreed. Darn it! She’d forgotten the first rule: This wasn’t about her. She’s such a little girl, "GO! What are you waiting for?"

"I’ll keep my comm. on," he smiled, "If the Tracking Computer beeps twice, it means I’m in trouble and I need you, stat. I’m the red R, Batman is a yellow bat, and you’re the purple bat. If a trouble light goes off, it will mark the location of your utility belt. Whenever a trouble light does goes off, keep radio silence. Got it?"

"Got it." She quickly replied, she had to get dressed in her costume again.

"And Batgirl. . ." Robin said, the little boy was gone, she could only see a young man perched on the edge of the window, "Batman isn’t within range of our signals, so it’s just me and you tonight . . . so . . . I’m counting on you."

"Would you get out of here and do your Superhero thing, already? I’ll be right behind you."

Yep, definitely snores loud enough to wake the dead.