Thirteen

Chapter 12 - Abnegate

Batman pulled into the Batcave and pressed down on brake with his foot as far as it would go without breaking it. Thick skid marks trailed behind the tires of the Batmobile while the vehicle came to a screeching halt and the shadow of a man rushed out. Barry chased behind him and the two gentlemen crammed into the elevator, crushing the button to go up into Wayne Manor. Batman curled his fingers anxiously, anticipating the worst when the door split open.

"Alfred!" Batman bellowed as the elevator opened up into his study. He had no idea where the Englishman was.

He turned to Barry, "Find him." Batman ordered, and Barry sped out of the room as fast as he could, leaving a flurry of paper in his wake. No longer than five seconds later, Barry returned, a disgruntled look on his face.

"He's in Dick's room."

Batman felt his heart sink in his chest but made no hesitation to sprint to his adoptive son's bedroom. His stomach tied in knots as he drew nearer, dreading would damage would be done to the room. Ideas bounced in his mind about who the culprit might be, but Batman found himself jumping to the same conclusion that whoever had Dick was undoubtedly the culprit behind this attack.

Finally the race came to an end and Batman skid to a stop in Dick's bedroom. Glass crunched beneath his boot, breaking into thousands of small pieces to join the trail of broken glass back to the window; however, as far as Batman could tell, there was nothing out of place. Not a single pillow, piece of clothing or anything. Batman's mind worked furiously. There had to be something. No one would break in without taking something.

Unless they were still inside.

"I'm terribly sorry, sir." Alfred said in a hurry, "I heard the glass break but didn't get her quickly enough."

Batman put a finger up, signaling Alfred to be silent, "He's still inside the Manor." He spoke quietly, his brow furrowing. Alfred looked astonished, "Master Bruce, I don't think-"

"Barry check the whole house. Don't leave a single inch unchecked."

In that same moment, Barry took off with a slight nod of the head. His head pounded against his skull as he dashed through each aged but well maintained corridors. What was he even supposed to look for? A person hiding under the bed? Barry shook his head, narrowly avoiding a potted plant along the side of the hallway. Shouldn't Bruce have cameras littered all over the manor? After all, the Bat was paranoid enough for it, but Barry pressed on deeper into the Manor after the upper floors were, in his opinion, cleared.

Barry came to an abrupt stop, nearly fumbling over his own two feet. He froze solid and looked back over his shoulder. A narrow doorway with darkness seeping out stood a yard or two back. Cautiously, Barry stepped backwards to align with the doorway with a staircase leading upstairs to another level of Wayne Manor. Barry gazed upwards, squinting his eyes to better see in the darkness. He could of sworn he saw something up there as he zoomed by. Something small and somewhat rounded, almost like an eyeball that had been staring back down at him.

He slowly took the first step up the staircase, causing a loud creak to emit from below. It could have been anything; however, Barry couldn't help but feel uneasy. Eventually, he made it to the top of the staircase and the narrow climb opened itself into a large room filled with sofas, windows, and a fireplace. As far as he could tell, it didn't look like anyone had set foot up there. The carpet remained full, not a single footprint in sight.

"Flash."

Barry jumped at the sudden sound and his hand subconsciously grabbed his communicator, "Jeez Bats, you nearly gave me a heart attack!"