A Chance to Trust (YJ/DP)

-29- Missed

Dick Grayson in workout garb began to sweat and his arms shook with the strain of keeping himself in the air. He scowled in concentration as a bead of sweat dripped of his face. His mind was a hornet's nest of anger and worry, he couldn't focus on anything.

Danny has been missing for nearly a week.

That meant nearly a week, and counting, of being subject to the GIW and their horrible tests. Dick had hacked into Batman's files on what he found on Danny, Dick didn't get past one page without feeling the urge to hit something, hard.

He flipped off the rings, landing in a handstand that he continued into a backflip. He stumbled backwards and his back hit a wall, he turned in his anger and threw a fist at it, sending spiderweb cracks in the cement.

He stood there for a moment, breathing heavily as he tried to calm his loathing mind. Batman had used every ounce of knowledge he had to find Danny, every GIW building had been searched, but without giving away their true intentions to the world they could do little in the public eye.

They soon began 'illegal' searches, covert missions that actually stayed covert. The team had not been on any but Robin had been in nearly all of them. To the league it was difficult to try and search for the halfa under the nose of the public but Batman and Robin had been doing it for a while so to them it was quite easy.

The team was getting restless, their encounter with Clayface said so. Aqualad being distracted was enough to get the whole team down, along with Robin refusing to do anything other than look for Danny. Batman had forced him into going to the Clayface mission, Robin had been fidgety and obviously did not want to be at the mountain for longer than he had to. Wally had tried to cheer him up but it only got on the boy wonder's nerves. Couldn't he just forget about the team for a few days? Couldn't he just focus on the one task that actually mattered then once done with that one he could face the rest.

Dick looked up from his thoughts as the door to the training room in the Batcave opened, revealing Alfred in its threshold.

"Master Dick, Master Bruce wishes to see you, he is at the computer." The butler informed.

"Is it about Danny?" Dick had to ask, it was a question he asked nearly every time Bruce wanted to talk.

"He did not say." He responded.

Dick nodded and grabbed his water bottle, the Brit moved so he could get past and he set off to find his mentor who hopefully found something about Danny. He came to the Batcomputer and found his surrogate father typing away with his cowl down.

"Yeah Bruce? Is it something about Danny?"

"Roy believes he has found a lead." His mentor nodded, Dick instantly perked up. "In his search he found a signature that's similar to Danny's, albit faint and not in anyplace we think there is a GIW laboratory, but we have been wrong before." Batman informed.

"Where?"

"A town called Amity Park, Illinois."

"huh." Dick said in wonder, that would not have been a place he would have thought a GIW building to be. "How soon can we leave?"

"Tomorrow," Dick groaned as Batman continued, "It's late and we both know you're off your game."

the raven haired child hung his head in acknowledgment, it was true, he was off his game. He was off his game with the team's attempt with Clayface, though Aqualad was also distracted he was sure it was not because of Danny. Dick had been sleeping fitfully, he might have been a bit snippy with Wally the other day but he felt it was justified as the speedster was being obnoxious. Generally, Dick was acting very unlike himself, and it was obvious to everyone but him.