Rising Robin

Chapter XXIII: Watch the World Burn

Dick sat on the curb across the street of the burnt rubble that used to be Gotham Academy. He wore a thick blanket around his shoulders and watched as firemen, police officers & EMTs tended to nearby civilians, victims, and eyewitnesses. There was some people wounded by third degree burns, some with minor injuries. Some people were hysterical over the loss of their children. Some children were mourning over the loss of their parents.

Dick took a deep breath to recount the last hour & a half. The amount of sorrow & grief & misery brought upon the families all around Dick made him sick to his stomach. The destruction of the very thing that symbolizes the youth of the city & the young generation made Dick's blood run cold.

And it was all because Nolan Drake wanted to prove a point.

Dick couldn't wrap his head around the fact that Nolan Drake would fall that low as to blow up a school. Not just a high school, but one with elementary student kids. One with kids too young to even be aware of what the world was really like. One where he knew one of the boys attending the school. Dick still couldn't place whether the boy was actually Nolan Drake's son. They looked alike enough.

"Grayson," Dick heard his name called. He looked up to find Jim Gordon approach him from across the street. Dick sighed as he prepared himself for the interrogation Dick might endure.

"Hey," Dick responded weakly.

Gordon took a deep breath and bent down. He sat beside Dick on the curb & cleared his throat. "How do you feel?"

Dick shrugged. He couldn't describe his exact feeling. "I don't know," he said softly. "I feel like I should've done something."

Jim shook his head. "There's nothing you could've done, son."

"Oh, but there is," Dick explained. "Nolan Drake was here. He was right there, on the front yard of the campus. He was there with one bodyguard standing by his car. He stood right beside me. We actually spoke. I could've done something. I can fight, I could've taken him down. I could've stopped this from happening. I could've ended it all right now."

"No, Dick, you couldn't have." Gordon said. "You would've been arrested for aggravated assault on public property, or that bodyguard would have gotten to you, or you would've been shot dead by Nolan Drake. There's no telling whether or not he was armed. You played it safe by not doing anything."

Dick nodded. He did have a point. Dick really didn't consider whether Nolan was armed or not. He probably would have been shot if he did attack. Dick was going to, but then he remember why he didn't.

"Gordon, Drake was with a kid."

Jim Gordon looked back at Dick with attentive eyes. "Wait, what?"

Dick took a deep breath. "Some kid, one of the students, he ran up to us & hugged Nolan. They knew each other. They were family I think. I think it was his son."

Jim stared at Dick. "Wow," he said slowly. "Did you catch a name?"

Dick shook his head. "I didn't, no."

Jim nodded. "I'll look into this, Dick."

Dick nodded & smiled softly. "Thanks," he said.

Just as Jim Gordon stood up from the curb, Dick noticed a girl in tight leggings & a loose t-shirt run towards him from down the street. It wasn't long until Dick recognized the red hair & the bright blue eyes he loved.

"Dick!" Barbara called as she ran to Dick. As he stood up to greet her, Barbara buried herself in Dick's chest as she embraced him with a tight bearhug.

"Hey, Babs," Dick breathed softly in her ear.

Barbara pulled back to look at Dick's face. She brought a hand up to touch his face. "I came as soon as I heard."

Jim stepped close. "Barbara, sweety, I told you to stay-"

"No, Dad," Barbara said fiercely. "You didn't let me see him when he was at the coffee shop explosion. You can't keep me from him now. It's not fair."

Suddenly Barbara began to tear up. Her silent cry began to escalate into a heavy sob. "None of this is fair," she cried.

Dick held Barbara close to his chest tighter. He rested her head beside his on his shoulder. He felt her warm tears on his neck. He stroked her hair & softly kissed the top of her head. "It's okay, Barbara. This isn't your fault."

Barbara kept her head buried in Dick's shoulder. "It's my fault you came here, Dick. If it weren't for me pressuring you to enroll, you wouldn't have been here."

Dick shook his head. "You didn't pressure me, this was my decision," he said. "I thought I could have a shot at a normal life. But everything I touch goes up into flames."

Everyone was silent for a while. Jim stood nearby as Dick continued to hold Barbara. At this point, it wasn't necessarily Dick consoling Barbara, but suddenly Barbara was consoling Dick, hugging him tighter.

"Have you heard from Bruce?" Barbara yet.

Dick shook his head. "Nope," he said coldly.

Barbara nodded silently. She rested her head against Dick's chest once more. Dick could feel his heart beat hard against his chest. Her breathing seemed to sync with his heartbeat.

Dick looked up at the mess around him. This is what his world had come to. He wouldn't settle down. He couldn't live as a normal teenager with a girlfriend & friends at a school. This wasn't his future. His destiny was something different. He was forced into a war he didn't wish to fight. Dick was forced into a war against havoc & chaos. He didn't ask for this life, but it was the life that was dealt to him. He'd have to fight. No one else would. It was his war, now.

And with the Batman yet again not appearing at the time of need, Dick Grayson knew he had to take matters into his own hand.