I Forgot to Mention

Better Left Unsaid

"Wait! J-Just one more question!"

By this time, Wally had managed to ask Batman about: the situation in Gotham after they had left, which was "being handled", where the other heroes had gone to, though it didn't matter as it was apparently "none of his concern", and why they called Roy into babysit, however, that was mostly because "Green Arrow is an idiot." In all honesty, Wally was grasping at straws. Batman wasn't looking to enthusiastic at the bombardment of clearly stupid questions, and appeared ready to just throw Wally against the wall. Unfortunately, that would only send his warpath in the direction of the undeserving Nightwing. No matter how skilled the younger boy seemed, Wally knew that it would only pale in comparison to the League's most ruthless member. With one last burst of courage, or maybe just plain stubbornness, Wally took a breath.

"Ok, so I know the rating for an R rated movie is sixteen and up, but I'm already fifteen. Would one more half of a year really make me more mature?"

Yep, Wally thought as Batman straightened up, I'm gonna die...

The hallway was remarkably empty of people, and cameras were useless against the man who had invented the system. Uncle Barry wasn't there to defend him, unlike the countless other times he'd run his mouth off too much to the Justice League's various members. Still, a ticked off hero was nothing in the way of what he usually dealt with, and the penalty for stupid questions was often pretty steep. He could only imagine what Batman deemed a good punishment for annoying behavior. As he braced for the oncoming onslaught that he would no doubt be blaming on the night's earlier events, Wally was instead presented with a few tense moments of silence. Batman appeared like a statue, so stiff that Wally was left wondering if Captain Cold had broken in at some point and froze the man. However, the dark knight quickly broke that idea as he looked to face Wally in the eye.

"While MPAA ratings are assigned based on an arbitrary set of standards established nearly a century ago, only to be strengthened or loosened due to sensibilities over time, they still hold some merit, especially for guardians trying to control what media their children are exposed to. In the end, it comes down less to the actual age of the viewer, rather than the perceived maturity of the age group in general. In your situation, if your parents don't think you are able to handle the content, then they are well within the law to prevent you from watching by not purchasing you a ticket. However, once you reach sixteen, you can buy your own, and then it's up to your own self assessment of your mental maturity level."

At that, Wally's response was to stand there slack jawed. He barely even registered as Batman began to move past him, only to snap back into reality.

"Wait!"

Batman shot him a glare, "You said one more question, was my answer not sufficient enough, Kid Flash?"

"W-What no! I mean...it's not that, just-" Wally was tripping over his words, struggling to keep the hero's attention. He knew deep down what he really wanted to ask, but he wasn't exactly sure he wanted an answer. So instead, Wally just decided to ask something else...something a bit less heavy. "Don't you want to know why I even asked about that?"

Batman approached him once more, staring into his eyes yet again. "You obviously wanted to go see that new slasher film, but since it's rated R, you can't buy your own ticket. I'm assuming you asked your parents, who countered that you weren't mature enough, and you probably even asked your uncle, who sided with them. And you just want another opinion, preferably one that aligned with your own views on the argument, so that you could return home with hopefully a better chance at convincing your parents to let you go. Am I correct?"

Mostly, Wally thought as he nodded sheepishly. He had, in fact, asked his parents for permission to see the same movie Batman had alluded to, and was denied on the same accusation of his immaturity. However, the argument had gone on quite a bit longer than he figured Batman assumed. Wally understands that media exposure is probably one of the few bits of control his parents still have over his life, but he continued to press the issue. In the end, the reminder of his role in the "family business" was what eventually set his father over the edge, good thing he heals fast. No movie would ever be worth explaining a mysterious new scar to his uncle...or teammates.

"Maybe you're better off waiting until your birthday, and then just renting it. The mountain has a rather nice entertainment setup."

A firm hand rested on his shoulder for a brief moment before Batman once again started walking down the hallway.
Wally mentally slapped himself, how could he possibly forget about the whole reason he was even there! Super speed didn't even seem fast enough as he struggled to catch up to Batman. In the end, they were both outside the open door to the very empty evidence room. Wally felt like his heart was going a hundred when Batman silently scanned the room, before moving on further into the mountain. There was no real evidence to speak of that anyone had been in there, or where they possibly could have gone. Wally didn't pretend to feel good about letting Nightwing slip back into the vent system, but he knew that there was no other way to escape the situation.

Unless that was his plan all along? A skeptical part of Wally's mind began to pitch. What if he was just trying to manipulate me into helping him get away, which was what happened, Wally unpleasantly noted. Batman could have been sent by the League to come watch Nightwing and Robin, they did escape right after the other members left...

Shaking his head, Wally knew he needed to make his mind up about trusting Nightwing. All this back and forth was not good, and would most certainly only come back to bite him in the end when something inevitably happens. Glancing around the now empty hall, Wally knew tracking down Batman probably wouldn't be in Nightwing's best interest, and neither would be searching for the younger boy. A bit of guilt began gnawing at Wally, seeing as he never actually got around to showing Nightwing the Zeta Tubes. He hadn't really fulfilled his promised assistance, and now with Batman loose in the mountain, it would be nearly impossible for him to help Nightwing make a quiet escape now. Dejectedly, Wally leaned against the wall, racking his brain on possible ways of making up for his epic fail, only to notice the faint calling in the back of his mind. He had been working hard to keep Megan out, after all, she didn't need to know he had been busy helping out the enemy-

Wait, a lightbulb practically appeared over Wally's head. The Team still thought Nightwing and Robin were bad guys, and while the jury was still out on Robin, Nightwing definitely didn't need five more heroes hunting him down. Maybe he had been going about this all wrong. Nightwing was the one who convinced him not to talk to the Team, which was understandable from his perspective, but Wally knows the other members better. Surely, if he explains everything he knows, which was what Roy had been telling him to do anyway, then Nightwing and his brothers can at least be painted in a better light...and they might even forgive him for ignoring them this entire time. Taking a deep breath, Wally focused in on the voice calling his name.

"Yeah, Miss M, I'm here."

"Oh Wally, thank goodness! I'm so relieved! Also, Roy says he's going to kill you."