Rising Robin

Chapter XXXII: Bloody Fire

Dick sat in the passenger seat of the large Hummer that he had hot wired out of Bruce Wayne's garage. Victor was behind the wheel, while Logan, Conner, Kori & Rachel sat in the back of the vehicle. Dick struggled to find a car that would fit all six of them. Logan had suggested that they steal a four door sports car, but Dick reminded him that the four in the back would be squished. Rachel was entirely against that.

They had driven out early in the afternoon & got pizza for lunch. They had Dick & Conner get the pizza, seeing as everyone else had an alarming attribute to their appearance. They then drove the Hummer to the back of a nearby parking lot & ate the pizza in the car. It wasn't what a group of people would normally do, but it was good enough for the moment.

After a few hours, the sun began to set. The group had started to drive their way to the Iceberg Lounge in the Diamond District of Gotham. The drive took them around 30 minutes with the oncoming traffic. By 8:00 PM, they had reached the club.

Victor parked the Hummer across the street & turned back to look at everyone. "Okay, we're here," he announced.

"Sweet!" Logan cheered. He attempted to open the door & climb out of the car when Rachel yanked him back by his collar. "Ack!"

"Not yet, dipshit," Rachel said. "You still look like a booger."

Logan sighed. "Come on! I wanna go!"

Dick shook his head. "Not yet. We have to let Rachel cast her spell on you guys before you get onto the street."

Victor nodded. "Alright man, I trust you."

Rachel nodded. "It'll be painless."

Dick began to climb out of Hummer. He opened the car door & went around to the back door to let out Kori & Conner. They both stepped out of the car & began to cross the street. Dick held the door open for Rachel & Logan as well, while Victor exited out of the driver seat. Logan went to Victor's side & the two began to chat.

Dick pulled Rachel aside. "So you can cast the spell?" Dick asked softly.

Rachel nodded. "Yeah, I can. It's not too hard, actually."

Dick smiled. "Good," he said. As he spun to turn around, Rachel grabbed his arm to stop him. He glanced back at her.

"There's a catch," Rachel says.

Dick raised an eyebrow at Rachel. She continued. "What I'm casting is called a Mist. It's a concealment spell that will provide a sort of disguise for the boys. No one will see the green skin or the machine limbs. But the spell is going to attract...supernatural forces."

"Supernatural forces?" Dick asked.

"Demons," Rachel simply said. "Demons & supernatural people, like me & Zatanna & Constantine, we'll be able to see through the Mist & feel it's presence.

"So people who have powers," Dick said.

Rachel shook her head. "People who practice magic," she corrected.

Dick raised his eyebrows. "There's a difference?"

Rachel nodded. "In a matter of speaking, yeah. But this spell will attract those things. So Victor & Logan are going to be in danger if I cast this spell."

Dick let what she was saying sink into his head. Rachel continued. "I just wanted you to know what would happen. This is up to you."

Dick looked back at Logan & Victor. The two stood by the hood of the car, entirely oblivious to the discussion Dick & Rachel were having. They had no idea what the cost of this spell would be. Dick wanted them to be safe. That's why he had brought them into the mansion to begin with; to protect them.