Rising Robin

Chapter XI: Impossible

Dick slowed his bike to a stop next to Roy's. The two got off their bikes and began walking down an alleyway. Dick grunted to himself, growing tired. He glanced up at the sky. It had gone from daylight when they left the psychic shop. They had spent most of the night searching Chinatown for any apartment buildings that was under Cheyenne's name. Roy didn't feel like Cheyenne would've used her own name to rent a place, but Dick was out of options. Roy had also pointed out that Cheyenne might not have even been able to rent a house. She may just have easily began living under a freeway. Dick refused to believe that as well. He didn't want to believe Cheyenne had gone that low.

Dick surveyed the alley they had drove into. He walked a few steps behind Roy, noticing the fact that Roy walked as though he knew where he was going. "Why did you lead us here?" Dick asked.

Roy glanced back at Dick, but continued to walk ahead. "My older brother was a cop."

"Was?" Dick repeated.

Roy shot Dick a glance then cleared his throat. "Is," he corrected himself. "He patrolled in Metropolis, but sometimes they sent him here in Gotham." Roy spun on his heel to face Dick, but now walked backwards. "When I was younger, I loved hearing about the different stories he had about his nights out. There was one he told me, it happened here in Gotham. My brother was out investigating a petty theft. Some kids had stolen a few cigarette packs, some sticks of beef jerky, some energy drinks, & a ton of bags of chips. Completely harmless, but to the corner store owner, a thief is a thief. They had my brother track down what seemed like the trail of the kids."

Dick raised an eyebrow. "Was it their trail?" he asked, deeply interested with the story.

Roy bit his lip, struggling to find the right words. "I guess. All it turned out to be was four kids smoking pot in an alleyway. They matched the description given from the witness, they were taken to Juvie."

Dick nodded. "Okay, so what was the point of this?"

Roy smiled. He had backed up next to a metal door. "The kids were runaways living in a big storage unit. Really big, big enough for, like, over 20 kids. It was in an alley under a neon sign with a dragon for a logo."

Dick raised an eyebrow. He glanced back at the door, noticing the building it led into. It was tall, maybe two stories tall, if not more. Dick looked up at the top of the building across the one with the metal door. There was a bright red neon sign hanging above Dick. The sign, however, was a lion.

Dick looked back down at Roy, who then glanced back up, then down at his feet, embarrassed. "Guess I got that part wrong," Roy mumbled.

Dick let out a chuckle. "Okay," he started. "So you're telling me that there's a huge storage unit big enough for people to live in down this alley?" Dick asked, thumbing at the metal door.

Roy nodded. "Yeah, I feel like if any kid out on the run would hide anywhere, they would come here eventually."

Dick turned back to the door. His heart began to beat heavily. This was another chance to finally find her again. "You think Cheyenne is here?" Dick asked softly.

Roy gave Dick a small smile. "Yeah, man, I think so."

Dick looked down at himself. He had been wearing a black t-shirt with slim jeans that fit him a tiny bit snug & a pair of tennis shoes. All courtesy of Bruce Wayne's hand-me-downs left in Dick's closet. Dick sighed. He hadn't exactly planned to dress to impress.

Dick walked over to the metal door. He hesitated before opening the door. He thought of all the things that could happen the moment he knocked on the door. Maybe nothing. Maybe no one was inside. Maybe someone else was. Maybe Cheyenne wasn't in there, & Dick was wasting his time. Maybe she wasn't in there, but someone else was, & they wouldn't be friendly at all. Maybe they would shoot Dick as soon as they opened the door.