Chapter 26 ~ Somewhere I belong

                                    

                                          
                   
                          
"No, I heard them very clearly. They are experimenting on kids they kidnapped. Bruce, we have to act as soon as possible, this is urgent."
                          
Bruce threw a quick glance at Alfred. The situation was alarming and Tim was right. The batcave fell into a heavy silence filled with tension. Tim, Bruce, Alfred and Damian were silently trying to establish plans inside their heads. 
                          
"Maybe Grayson and Todd could stay with Hood's gang and strike Jensen and Black Mask while Father, Drake and I take care of the Joker?" Damian said out loud, his Robin gear still on except for his black domino mask which was lying on the desk of the huge computer just next to him. Titus was sitting by his side, silently enjoying his owner's presence. 
                          
"Dick should stay with me to fight the Joker and you two should stay with Jason and his gang," Bruce replied with a concerned tone. Tim noticed how tense the man was only by observing the tension in the muscles of his neck. 
                          
"We can't be together at the same place anyway, we have to be split up in all cases to cover more ground and the Joker is planning on 'taking care' of Jason again... We have to be extremely careful," the raven-haired teen replied, trying to remain calm as best as he could. Everyone nodded evenly at his statement. Suddenly, the sound of a loud engine coming in the cave's direction was heard. A few seconds later, everyone saw that it was Red Hood, and he wasn't alone on his motorcycle...
                          
Titus stood up and started to bark madly, his ears pinned backward in a menacing way. The big Great Dane put himself in a position to attack just in front of Damian. "Easy boy," the latter said as he stood up next to his dog. 
                          
"What a warm welcome," Jason said sarcastically while he removed his Red Hood helmet and his domino mask and put them on the motorcycle's seat. 
                          
"What the hell is he doing here, Todd?!" Damian nearly screamed while Bruce was standing in the middle of the Batcave, his identity completely revealed to Kyle. His mouth was forming a thin line and he was frowning. A frown which looked like one the Bat could be showing. Tim was throwing a murderous glare at his older brother. No one beside them was supposed to know Bruce Wayne is Batman and now it was more than evident... 
                          
"Relax! He's with us," Jason replied while he threw his hands in the air in an exaggerated movement. 
                          
Kyle was still riding the motorcycle and he was frankly hesitating as to whether run away or observe the place all around him (he was more tempted by the second option. It's not every day you can see the batcave after all). 
                          
"Come on Kyle," Jason gestured as he walked away from him. Kyle hesitated again but he joined his friend's side, keeping a careful eye on Titus as the big dog was still showing his teeth in his direction. 
                          
"Could you tell your dog to stop looking at me as if it was just waiting for you to order him to crush my bones?" Kyle asked Damian and he clearly noticed a smirk on the boy's lips. After a few more seconds, the boy ordered his dog to stand still but it kept its eyes on Kyle nonetheless, its ears still pinned down. 
                          
Jason sighed heavily before he joined Tim's side and leaned against the Batmobile which was standing not far from his little brother. "He's trustworthy," the man said as he stared at Kyle. Bruce swallowed his saliva, not really in anger but he told himself that if Jason had brought him here, the young man had his son's full trust... As he was walking through the cave, observed attentively by the man, Kyle repressed a smile at Jason's comment. 
                          
Kyle cleared his throat and awkwardly walked towards the Dark Knight. He outstretched his hand and looked at the man with hesitation. "Kyle Barnes, sir." Bruce nodded with an emotionless face. After that, Kyle repeated the same thing with Alfred. The old butler smiled warmly at him and gave him a curt nod.