Forced Bonds

Chapter 19

This Chapter is dedicated to: CassandraCain11

A/N:     "speaking"   'mind-link'

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Gotham
July 23, 03:30 EDT

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"Wait- Wayne owns this entire area?"

Tim sighs in annoyance from the question, "Yes, that's what I just said."

Wally looks impressed for a second before it fades into concern. The team was split up throughout the area in teams of two, searching for evidence of Slade or Robin. A covert mission to gather Intel, but it would doubtedly stay that way. Previously, Tim found that all the Titan's data was being transferred to somewhere in the slums of Gotham.

Right under Batman's nose.

And unluckily- he was stuck with the most talkative of the bunch.

"So why hasn't he done anything with-"

"Kid! If you don't stop talking soon, I'm going to shove a cinnamon roll down your throat until you choke to death," Tim whisper-threatens. "Use the mind-link for Pete's sake." (Tim trying hard not to swear for his own sanity)

Wally pauses for a moment, leaning against a trash can. "That wouldn't be such a bad way to go," he finalizes. Robin wants to strangle him. He shoots Kid Flash a glare and the speedster puts up his hands in surrender.

Robin takes a deep breath before debriefing the team further.

'Unbeknownst to most people, Bruce Wayne is a major sponsor for the Justice League. Batman and Bruce are quite close, or at least close enough- it's a business relationship. So if the Bat finds out that anybody was trespassing on Wayne's property, things will not go so well.'

'For Slade or us,' Kaldur infers.

'If Batman finds this out, he will most definitely take things into his own hands.'

'Leaving us out of the loop,' Cyborg finishes. You could practically feel the anger radiating off of his thought. Beastboy grips Cyborg's arm in an effort to calm the raging machine to no avail.

They all wince slightly at the feeling except for Conner, who was naturally angry all the time. He shrugs it off, but still feels a little concern for the robot-man.

'Report when you find something of interest,' Cyborg orders to all of them.

All the parties exchange a look with their partners at the rough authority in his words. They were aggressive and unnatural for the usually lighthearted teen.

Hours of searching abandon buildings after slightly less abandon buildings roll by. Beastboy almost gets mugged, the girl duo of Raven and Starfire are asked if they are "looking for a good time," Conner and M'gann walk right into a drug deal, and Wally would not stop talking.

Robin is ready to smash his own head against a brick wall when Kaldur speaks up.

'Team, we found something. It's definitely Slade's.'

'Where are you?' Cyborg demands.

'Glenn Avenue,' Artemis responds. 'Sending exact coordinates now.'

They all converge on the spot to see Kaldur and Artemis standing outside a large tower:

An old Wayne building.

"I'm really starting to think that this Bruce guy is in on it," Cyborg comments, glancing at the ominous building.

Robin growls quietly before looking back at the building. "This was one of Mr. Wayne's old projects to supply those in poverty with enough resources to get back up on their feet. Sad to say, not a lot of people wanted to change rather than go to a place where they might get more drugs. It was one of his few failures to fix Gotham."