The Fangirls Rise

Dick, Jason, and Damian stopped running at the edge of the cliff to watch the gorgeous sunrise. The beautiful pink-and-orange masterpiece of the morning sky was absolutely photograph-worthy. They would have taken several if Dick hadn't convinced them before they left that they should leave their phones at the manor in order to "enjoy the peace of nature in the early morning."

Dick sighed in content and sat down on the edge of the cliff, watching the bright orb rise over the horizon. "Aren't you guys glad you came out here?" he asked.

Jason crossed his arms. "You make it sound voluntary."

"You didn't have to come."

"That's not what you told me earlier." He sat down next to his brother.

Damian sat on the other side of Dick. "Why are we here?"

Dick shrugged. "Because it's nice."

They sat awhile in comfortable silence until Jason stood up, brushing himself off. "Well, the sun's up. May as well be getting back."

Dick started to stand up, too, but stopped. "Do you see that?" he asked.

Jason looked around. "See what?"

Dick frowned. "The light. It's not sunlight."

Jason's eyebrows furrowed as he realized what he was talking about. He looked at his hand and found it brightly illuminated by a light that was most definitely not the reddish-orange of the rising sun.

A shrill noise filled the air.

And then they disappeared.

xXx

At the sound of his phone buzzing, Tim scrabbled to grab it as quickly as possible, almost dropping it in his hurry.

"Alfred!" he exclaimed in hopeful relief. "Has anyone called in?" He ran his hand through his hair in anticipation and slight worry.

"I'm afraid not, master Timothy." The old butler's voice was full of sympathy. "I haven't heard from anyone since they left this morning."

Tim took a deep breath, closing his eyes and trying to soothe his nerves. He mounted his motorcycle and started the engine. "They're okay, Alfred. They're fine." He was telling himself just as much as the butler.

"I'm sure they are, master Timothy," Alfred assured him.

Tim shoved on his helmet. "I'll see you when I get back to the manor," he told Alfred, then hung up the call.

As he pulled onto the street, he started to work through what he knew.

Dick, Jason, and Damian were missing. There was no sign that they were in any kind of trouble, or even that their disappearance was abnormal in the slightest. All that could be seen as actually unusual was that they didn't have their phones, which Alfred explained was Dick's idea. Nothing was wrong.

And yet, deep down in his gut, Tim simply knew something wasn't right. The only problem was, he had no idea where to start looking.

Tim was aware that Dick, Jason, and Damian had disappeared before, almost on a regular basis. Whether it was for personal reasons or Bat-things, it was hardly uncommon for Batboys to go off the radar for a while. What bothered Tim, he supposed, was that they had left so early, without even a snack for the road. If they were planning to be gone for a while, they would have at least brought food. And if they were going to be gone all day, you could bet that one of them would have brought a Bat-gadget or cell phone just in case.

As he drove toward the manor, his frustration at the conundrum steadily mounted until he had to stop and pull over at the side of the road to calm himself again.