I ran swiftly down the streets of Coliander, my city. Being part of the Coliander police force was usually boring, but there was some serious action today. "Milo", I heard a voice behind me yell. I looked around to see Jessica running after me. "Slow down fly boy", she snapped, "if you go in there on your own, you'll die." I rolled my eyes.
"I'll be fine", I said, and raced up to the inside of the barn. I heard the gasps of policemen in front of me as well as howls of men in pain and wondered what exactly we were taking on in the center of the mass of swirling people. I couldn't quite see.
When Jessica, my partner, and I had been called out of the station as back up, we were pretty surprised. We were hardly ever called out and figured they just needed another couple of guns to point at some crazy. We had not been given any details, just a place to go.
Jessica's eyes were shinning brightly as we moved through the mass. She was so excited to finally be on assignment. I could tell she hoped this would be our chance to prove ourselves as an effective police team.
We moved through the front of the mass of policemen and were shocked at what we saw. There, in the center of the fray were Batman and Robin, fighting as if their lives depended on it. Shots were being fired, but they flowed away from them like shadows.
I grabbed the arm of a policeman next to me and turned him towards me. "Why are we fighting Batman and Robin?" I asked urgently.
"Because they're wanted by the city", the other officer said, "I don't know why." I turned my gun on them and shot, but it was in vain. They simply dodged. They were good, really good. I was going to try and shoot again, but with so many officers trying to engage, I was afraid I might hit one of them.
Batman turned tail for a moment like a cornered dog and then glanced towards the boy Robin who was fighting several officers hand to hand. "Robin", Batman called. The boy's head snapped over, attention focused on Batman. Unfortunately for him, one of the officers took advantage of this and clubbed him hard on the head. He toppled.
Batman leapt towards him instantly and grabbed him. The boy gave a groan and Batman shot a cable upward, holding him as he moved swiftly towards the roof. "After him", the Police Chief yelled. We all surged out of the barn. The countryside opened up before us with about a million different possible escape routes. "Fan out", the Chief yelled, find him. We obediently started away.
My head was spinning with what I had seen. I wondered if Robin was ok and what exactly Batman was doing fighting a bunch of officers in a barn in the countryside of Coliander. Why was he even wanted by the Police? I asked the officers running beside me, but they knew no more then I did. Two police dogs were let loose and surged in front of us, hunting much more efficiently then we ever could.
We ran through the fields, searching for what seemed like hours but can't have been more then thirty minutes. I knew the trail was growing cold, but my adrenaline was pumping and Jessica's eyes were shinning more brightly then I had seen them in a while, despite her fatigue.
Suddenly, I heard a loud yelp. All of us raced towards the source of the sound and found Batman, treed by the two dogs. His face screwed in concentration as he quietly enraged the dogs, as if trying to keep their attention on himself and not something else. The boy Robin was no longer with him.
I had no time to ponder all these things however, because I was too busy doing what any good policeman would have done in my place, brandishing my gun at the masked vigilante. "Hands up Batman", the officer next to me roared. The dogs whined and howled, barking angrily as they leapt and snapped at their quarry. One tried to climb the tree, but got a boot square in the nose and was sent toppling back.
Batman glared at us all and then pulled the craziest stunt I had ever seen a human being pull. He climbed even higher in the tree then before and leapt out of it, straight towards us. We were so shocked, we didn't even think to shoot. The tree was so high off the ground, I was sure he would be killed in the fall.
At the last possible second however, he extended his cape and glided over our heads. The dogs yelped angrily and pursued a minute before we did. He hit the ground and suddenly, the dogs were around him. The biggest of them, a large, sleek German Shepherd ironically named Gandhi latched onto his arm.
He gave a grunt of pain and tried to shake the dog off, but Gandhi's grip was iron and not even the great Batman could loosen it. We were still a ways off so Gandhi was on his own. He probably would have been fine, but his handler called out suddenly. Gandhi's attention shifted and Batman kicked him hard in the nose.
Gandhi was so stunned by the blow, he toppled back and Batman jumped up, grabbing a tree branch. He started to scramble through the tops of then trees and was swiftly out of sight. Officer Prelo suddenly turned on me. "There's no point in us all going the same direction. You and your partner go that way and make sure he doesn't circle back the way he came while me and mine go ahead and pursue."
"What!" Jessica shrieked angrily.
"Jess", I hissed "Cool it, come on." I grabbed her arm and dragged her back. "Sure," I said, "sounds great." Officer Prelo smirked and nodded, continuing to pursue.
"Milo", Jessica snapped angrily, shaking free of my arm, "You know that was just a ploy to get all the credit for catching Batman, it's not fair."
"It's all right Jess", I said, "there's no point in arguing, it just lets the Batman get further away. It doesn't make a lot of sense for us all to go the same direction anyway." Jessica gave a huff and reluctantly followed me in the direction from which Batman had come.
We trekked through the muddy forest ground for about fifteen minutes, Jessica darkly muttering under her breath. I could tell she was absolutely devastated that she didn't get a chance to go after Batman and potentially get promoted. She wanted to eventually go into the Canine corps so she needed some field expertise. Now, it seemed we would just be one of the groups of police officers that fell into obscurity during the report.
I was about to suggest we go back to our car as we were getting nowhere out here when I heard a sound. I paused. "Stop", I said to Jessica.
She shot me a venomous look and snapped, "What?"
"Did you hear that?" I asked thoughtfully.
"No", she said. Then, I heard it again and by the way that she cocking her head, I could tell she had heard it as well. It sounded like a moan. We slowly moved towards the source. Jessica stopped me after a moment and pointed to the ground. There was fresh blood pooled there.
I pushed through a screen of ferns and was shocked at what I found lying on the ground. There was Robin, the boy wonder, lying in the ferns groaning. Jessica gasped and I knelt down beside the boy.
But, I was wary. I figured Robin was kind of like a baby bear and that if you messed with him, however good your intentions, the mother bear would come charging in to attack, or in this case, the father bear. I waited for a moment, but no Batman. "Robin", I said softly. His eyes had been screwed tightly in pain but he opened them at the sound of my voice.
"Where's Batman?" he asked.
"I don't know", I replied, "Do you?" He shook his head and then grimaced again.
"Why did he leave you here?" I asked.
"He dropped me", Robin said, "and I got a little beat up. Dog's chasing him so he left me here, said he'd circle back and draw them off." His breath got shaky with pain and I put a hand on his chest to stop him.
"What should we do Jess?" I asked my partner. Jessica shook her head.
"He's in pretty bad shape Milo", she murmured. I could see the boy was bleeding heavily from his side and his leg had a strange, sinister looking bump on it, beneath the skin.
"I guess we better get you out of here Robin", I said.
"No", Robin moaned, "Batman's coming for me. He promised he would."
"I'm sure he meant to come back Robin", Jessica soothed, "but he might not be able to for some time. He's being pretty heavily pursued."
"How will he find me?" Robin asked.
"Once all this boils over", I said, "He can come and get you. Do you have a tracking device on you?" Robin nodded. "Then activate it." He pressed a button on his belt and it gave out a little blip.
"My radio's busted", Robin said, "so can't contact him."
"Well", said Jessica, "he should be able to find you anyway."
"Alright", I said, reaching out to scoop him up, "lets get out of here." Robin nodded wearily and I gathered him up in my arms. He relaxed as if he were used to being carried and closed his eyes. Soon, his breathing eased and I guessed he was asleep.
He looked so young, maybe fourteen. I felt a sudden anger at Batman for recruiting him into his own private crusade at so young an age. But, the boy seemed a willing soldier and even lying there bleeding in those ferns, he hadn't seemed frightened. There was a sort of dogged acceptance of his fate and trust that Batman would find him eventually. I admired that.
"What should we do Jess?" I asked Jessica softly as we trudged through those fields, trying to find our way back to the patrol cars.
"I don't know", she replied.
"Should we turn him over to Chief?" I don't think he'd get the care he needs", Jessica replied, "I think they would just use him as bait for Batman." I nodded in agreement.
"We could take him back to my place", I said, "clean him up a bit and get his side of the story. I just can't believe that Batman would do something this bad, to warrant the use of so many officers and dogs in a pursuit. I want to know what's actually going on here."
"We could be get fired", Jessica murmured softly, gazing at me from beneath her shaggy auburn bangs. This job meant more to her then it did anything else. It meant a great deal to me too. I wasn't quite sure I was willing to give it all up on a boy I barely knew.
"Well", I replied "We'll think of something. I'm sure there's an explanation for all this and when we find it, everything will be ok." Although this was mostly wishful thinking, Jessica seemed to take it as fact enough for her and nodded in agreement.
Neither of us liked the idea of leaving the boy at the station where we weren't sure what might happen to him. The Chief of Police an angry man who had the utmost patriotism and loyalty to the city. Had already once been tried to torture of a man detained because he thought it was for the good of the city. With him this jumpy already, I didn't want to put Robin in his hands.
"I think he's asleep", Jessica said, indicating the boy. "We could, you know…" She touched the boy's mask.
"Don't even think about it", he breathed suddenly. I smirked.
"I thought you were asleep", I said. He shrugged.
I finally made it to the car and found the lot where I had parked deserted. Though there were dozens of police cars near mine, everyone else was out looking for Batman. They seemed to have forgotten about Robin.
We laid the boy on the hood of my car and quickly looked him over. Jessica got a water bottle from the car and brought it to me. We washed out Robin's wound with the water, freeing it from the dirt and duff that covered it. He hissed in pain, but made no more protest.
"You must have a pretty high pain tolerance", I commented as I tore my police jacket into long strips. He nodded.
"Comes in handy", he said. I wrapped the strips tightly around his wound and then put him in the back seat of my car.
"I'll drive", I said to Jessica. She nodded and got in the seat next to me. "You ok back there kid?" I asked.
"Yup, I'm just fine with my incredibly busted leg that causes me excruciating pain and gaping wound in my side gushing blood at about a bazillion miles a minute."
"Is it really that bad?" I asked.
"Naw", he said playfully, "I'm good. Batman packs some pretty heavy pain killers in his belt and gave me a couple before he left. They just set in so I'm fine." He gave me a mischievous grin that practically forced me to smile back, and lay his head down on the seat next to him, heaving a great sigh.
We started to drive. We were probably the only police car left in the city by the time we made it to the interior of Coliander where my apartment was. Robin, too, noticed this. "Security's pretty lax around this place", he observed.
"Not usually", Jessica replied, "but everyone's out looking for your dad."
"He's not actually my dad", Robin commented.
"Ohh", said Jessica, "I'm sorry."
"It's cool," Robin replied, "No big deal. Lots of people make that mistake. I'm adopted so it's like he's my dad. He's really my boss when I'm Robin though. When I'm not Robin, he's my just my best friend." Robin smiled at us, a trusting smile that was incredibly disarming. I just couldn't think of him as an enemy. Listening him chattering lightly in the back seat solidified my resolve to keep him well away from the chief for the time being. I could see in Jessica's eyes that she felt the same way.
"Where are you taking me?" Robin asked.
"Back to Officer Milo's apartment sweetie", Jessica said.
"Not down to the station?" Robin asked, confused.
"No", I replied, "I think it would be better if we kept you away from the Police station for now, at least until things cool off."
"Ooo", Robin said, "aiding and hiding a wanted man. Naughty, Naughty." Jessica giggled.
We parked in front of my apartment and I looked around. The last thing I needed was to be seen with a current wanted fugitive. "How should we get him inside Jess?" I asked. Jessica shrugged.
"You could throw a tarp over me and pretend I was a dead guy", Robin called from the car.
"Why would I be carrying a dead person to my apartment?" I asked. Robin giggled.
"Hmm", said Jessica, "the tarp's not a bad idea." "What if we tossed a tarp over him and just kind of minded our own business?"
"What if someone asks?" I questioned. She shrugged.
"Make something up, you're a smart kid." She patted my head and went off to find something we could cover Robin with. I heaved him up into my arms again with a grunt.
"How heavy are you?" I asked.
"I'm all muscle", Robin said indignantly, "and don't you dare call me fat in front of Batman. He's already vivacious about my weight you know, because of all the crap I eat when I'm chillin with the titans."
"Vivacious", I asked, amused. He shrugged.
"Fun with vocabulary", he replied, "I know all sorts of cool words like pachydermatous and fuggy and evocative and all sorts of crap like that." I grinned at him. He was a pretty talkative kid.
"Who are the titans?" I asked.
"They're a bunch of guys about my age that fight crime with me. We call ourselves the teen titans." I couldn't suppress a smirk at the name.
"I know", he said, "stupid name but it was all we could come up with on the spur of the moment." I shrugged.
"It seems you super heroes are usually pretty straightforward, but I suppose that's to keep people from getting confused." He nodded, flashing me another one of his dazzling smiles.
"I'm back", Jessica said, carrying a tarp. Robin wrinkled his nose in disgust.
"But that's filthy", he said angrily.
"Sorry", Jessica replied, "but it's all I could come with on short notice." Robin heaved a sigh.
"I suppose I can permit you to touch me with that monstrosity", he said in a stately voice that was obviously meant to preserve his dignity. Jessica beamed at him and giggled.
"You're so cute boy wonder", she said, pinching his cheek.
"Yuck", he said, "Don't you dare call me that anymore. I'm a little too old for that boy wonder shit you know."
"How old are you Robin?" she asked.
"Thirteen", he replied proudly, "almost an adult you know."
"Ohh", she said, nodding solemnly. Then, she burst into giggles. Robin frowned.
"I get the sense you're making fun of me", he said indignantly.
"Just put the tarp on him Jess", I said to her. She tossed the tarp over Robin, who gave a muffled growl of annoyance. We walked into the apartment building.
"He's so cute Miles", Jessica cooed to me, "You think I can keep him."
"I'm right here", Robin cried from beneath the tarp. We got in the elevator and pushed the button. I was on the seventieth floor (lucky me) and we were stopped on the third by a little old lady. She came in and stared at my bundle.
"What's that?" she asked.
"Umm, It's a…"
"It's a dog", Jessica interrupted.
"Ohh", the woman crooned, "I love dogs, can I see?"
"He's rabid", I replied, "light makes him go mad." Robin growled under the tarp and the woman stepped back a few paces. Robin started to struggle a little and writhe, making more angry dog noises. "Easy there boy", I said through gritted teeth, telling him plainly he should cool it. He giggled and the woman cocked her head.
"That's his attack cry", Jessica said, "only rabid dogs make it." The woman quickly hurried out of the elevator at the next stop with the obvious intention of taking the stairs. I tossed the tarp off Robin's head for a moment and glared at him.
"Now she's gona tell everyone in the building I have a rabid dog", I snapped at him.
"That was fun" Robin sniggered, "lets do it again." We finally got to my floor without having to scare any more people and I hurried Robin into my apartment. I laid him on my couch and turned on the TV. I wanted to see how the search was going. Carl Kiros, the local newsman, came on.
"The main news on tonight is the hunt for Batman. The radius we're searching seems to have narrowed and the Police say they may be closing in on the Bat." I glanced hurriedly over at Robin, who was staring at the screen with an indiscernible look on his face.
"It'll be ok Robin", I said, "he's be alright."
"I know" Robin replied, "I just hope he won't get sloppy now that he doesn't know where I am. He'll be worried sick about having left me and even more worried once he finds out I'm not there." He heaved an enormous sigh and I turned off the TV. I wasn't quite sure what to tell him so I just remained silent. Thankfully, Jessica decided to take over.
"Well", she said, "Why don't I see what Milo has in his kitchen so that maybe I can make us something to eat. Come here Milo." I got up to follow her into the kitchen.
"Talk to him", she hissed softly under her breath when we were in the kitchen. "Why?" I asked.
"To take his mind off Batman."
"What should I talk to him about", I questioned. She shrugged.
"Anything", she replied. I walked back into the room and sat down next to Robin.
"Do you want me to help you stretch out a bit?" I asked.
"Sure", said Robin. He seemed to be a little less jumpy then before and obviously, the news of Batman weighed heavily on his mind. I gently repositioned him so that he was a little more extended then before. I could tell he was more comfortable that way. "So", I quarried, "Why are we chasing you guys anyway?"
"You don't know?" Robin asked, looking perplexed. I shook my head.
"I wasn't told anything", I replied.
"Blowing up a building", Robin said darkly.
"You mean that building on twenty second?" I asked incredulously.
"Yup", Robin muttered glumly, "that's the one."
"But", I said, "that killed dozens of people."
"That's just it", the boy replied, "we didn't kill anyone. They found blood and stuff, but we made sure there were no people in the building before we blew it up."
"What happened to all the people that were in the building", I asked, "They still haven't found them, you know." Robin shook his head.
"I don't know", he replied, "they disappeared."
"Why did you blow up the building in the first place?"
"Because of the Mirror Master", Robin said, "Batman was trying to destroy all the mirrors and trap him the mirror dimension because he felt like he couldn't catch him and take him to a real jail, but it didn't quite work I guess. It was an old building and it was supposed to be condemned next week anyway so Batman didn't have any qualms about blowing it to kingdom come." I nodded.
"Well", Jessica said, coming in, "I hope you like Roman noodles because that's all Milo has."
"Yes", Robin exclaimed happily, "Batman never lets me have these."
"Why not?" I asked.
"He says the sodium content is too high and goes into one of his high blood pressure tirades. I'm almost fourteen for Pete's sake, not almost forty. I don't have to worry about that stuff 'till I'm old." He slurped a noodle and Jessica laughed.
"So you and Batman are pretty close?" she asked. He nodded vigorously with his mouth full before swallowing.
"Yup", he said. Then, he yawned. "Yeesh", he mumbled to himself, "I'm beat."
"Well", I said, "I'll get out some blankets and you can sleep on the couch. It's getting dark and with these summer days, that usually happens around ten o'clock."
"The dark's good", Robin said, "Batman loves it."
"I got out some sheets, some blankets and a pillow for Robin while he talked animatedly to Jessica on the couch." She was giggling violently at everything he said and I could tell she had taken a liking to him.
I arranged the sheets and did my best to make Robin comfortable. He gave another luxurious yawn and shifted his weight before closing his eyes and settling himself down on the couch. Jessica gently stroked his hair. "I guess now we just wait for Batman", she said. I nodded.
After a few hours, I made some coffee and Jessica and I sat at the table, drinking in silence. Robin dozed quietly, his slumber peaceful. "He's such a charmer", Jessica said, gazing at the top of his black head.
He shifted and I heard him murmur softly, "I am adorable, aren't I?" Jessica giggled again. Suddenly, the glass from the window burst inside. Without really thinking, Jessica and I leapt up and pointed our guns at the broken window. Out of the darkness, a voice like something that had come out of hell rasped. '
"Where's Robin?"
"Batman", Robin said questioningly. Batman surged in through the window like a tidal wave and was by Robin's side in an instant.
"Are you alright?" he asked quickly, eyes scanning the boy.
"I'm fine Batman", Robin said, "but look, these guys helped me." Batman looked up at Jessica and I, still wide eyed and pointing our guns at him. "It's alright", Robin said, "He won't rip your arms off. He only does that to certain people, ones he doesn't like.' Jessica and I slowly lowered our guns, not taking our eyes off Batman.
"Sorry", Batman grunted. We nodded quietly. Robin beamed at all of us, as if we were a group of his closest friends all come together to have a party or something.
"Batman", he suddenly yelped, "your arm." Everyone's eyes shifted down to Batman's left arm where dark blood was dripping quietly onto the carpet.
"It's nothing" Batman said.
"No its not", Robin retorted.
"Hey Police dude." I looked up. Yea you, sorry forgot your name. Fix his arm like you did my side."
I nodded and said, "It's Milo, but I'll just go find some bandages." Jessica remained where she was standing and I slowly inched around Batman, giving him as wide a berth as possible.
"Sit down Batman", Robin said, patting a place by his side. Batman lowered himself down slowly and somewhat awkwardly (there seemed to be something wrong with his leg) next to Robin and ran his hand over the boy's side, assessing my handy work. I brought over some water and all the bandages I could find.
"How's your leg?" Batman asked. Robin shrugged.
"Fine, I guess." Batman stretched it out slowly, searching for breaks. Robin winced, but stood for the examination. Batman gently placed it back where it had been and patted Robin's hip.
"The bone is broken and shifted so that it's off a bit", he said, "It's almost ripped through the skin. We'll have to move it back into place so I can set it." Robin gnawed his bottom, eyes swimming with tension. I could tell the pain killers were starting to wear off.
"Take care of your arm first", Robin said to Batman.
"Alright", he replied. Batman shrugged out of his armored shirt and offered me his arm.
"Will you help me?" he asked. I nodded wordlessly, still intimidated. He had the largest muscles I had ever seen. Jessica was staring at them with a mixture of awe and attraction.
"You're really buff", she said softly, and them immediately covered her mouth, blushing furiously. Robin giggled, despite the pain he was in and Batman gave her a small smile. I wrapped his arm tightly and stepped back, allowing him to survey my handy work. He nodded approvingly.
"That's fine" he said, "but now we had better take care of Robin's leg." The boy's smile vanished instantly and he gazed at Batman nervously. "Sorry Robin", Batman said, "but I can't give you anymore pain killers right now. Not for another hour at least, but we need to fix this bone now before it gets any worse." Robin shrugged.
"I guess there's nothing we can do about it.'
"Alright", said Batman, "I'll need your help." He turned to me.
"M…My help", I stuttered. He nodded.
"I don't know", I said, "I'm no medical professional. Binding wounds is like the extent of what I can do."
"I just need you to hold him in place." I gulped.
"I don't think I can", I said, "I'm really squeamish."
"If you can just hold him in place and keep him from moving too much, he should be fine."
"I won't move Batman", Robin said, trying to convey strength in his quivering voice.
"It'll be involuntary", Batman said gently to him, "and if you shift while I'm trying to do this, we could rip your skin or scrap the bone." Robin nodded, understanding shinning in his eyes, despite the fact that he hated it. I sat down by Robin's head and Batman gently shifted him up onto my lap. I held him tightly, pinning his arms and one of his legs to his chest.
I was trembling violently, almost as badly as he was. Batman ran his hand over Robin's hip, giving it a gentle, soothing pat. "Wait", said Jessica. She rushed off and came back a moment later with a strip of leather. "Bite on this", she said. He took it in his mouth and nodded gratefully. Batman grasped Robin's leg just below the knee and almost before I knew what was happening, Robin stained against my arms and then fell still, breathing heavily.
He spat out the leather and panted. His eyes were stretched with pain and there were unfallen tears in them. I released him and Batman immediately swept him into his arms and held him tightly while he fought through the waves of agony. I was panting as well. Batman gave me a nod. "You did well", he said. I nodded quietly.
"So", said Jessica, "What are we going to do now?" Batman closed his eyes for a moment.
"I trust Robin told you our side of the story."
"Right now", I said, "That's the only side we've heard." Batman nodded.
"I need some time to put the pieces together. I have a lot of clues to think over. You wouldn't mind if we stayed here for a while."
"Not at all", I said. Batman nodded his gratitude and shifted Robin in his arms. Jessica took some coffee to Batman after about fifteen minutes, which he took gratefully. Batman set Robin's bone as well, a process that seemed so painful to the boy, it exhausted him. He dozed quietly in Batman's arms after it was all over, every once in a while opening his eyes a little to blink blearily at Jessica and I.
Batman had given him a mild sedative to help ease his pain after a while and it seemed to make him droozy. Every so often, Batman would give him an affectionate pat and Robin would let out a wistfully contented sigh.
I had just sat down next to Jessica when Batman leapt up excitedly, jarring Robin into full wakefulness. "That's it" he said elatedly. He started to pace around the living room with an excited fervor, muttering to himself. Robin just hung on, gazing up confusedly at Batman.
"What is it boss?" He asked.
"I think I figured out where those people are", Batman said, "but I need to go down to the wreckage of that building to make sure."
"I'll drive you", I offered.
"Alright", Batman said. Then, he turned to Robin. "You'll have to stay here youngster."
"What", Robin retorted angrily, "Why?"
"Because you still can't walk", Batman said, "and I don't want you to strain that bone."
"It won't be a strain", Robin said stubbornly.
"If you walk then it'll heal wrong and you'll never fight crime." Robin gave him a dark look.
"I'll stay here with him", Jessica offered.
"If you don't mind", Batman said. Jessica shook her head. Batman put Robin down on the couch.
"Take it easy", Batman commanded to him, "Don't try to walk, don't try to sit up, I don't want you doing anything or your own, do you understand? Robin nodded darkly and Batman knelt down beside him. He whispered something in the boy's ear and Robin's face broke into an excited grin.
"Really?" he asked. Batman nodded. "Thanks Batman", Robin said happily, tossing his arms around Batman's neck. Batman hugged him back and then stood up.
"Be good", he said, ruffling the boy's hair. Robin rolled his eyes and Batman walked out the door with me. We drove in silence and darkness down to the wreckage of the building, which was in the north side of Coliander.
"Thank you", Batman said suddenly, breaking the silence, "thank you for taking care of Robin."
"No problem", I said, "Jessica liked him." Batman smirked.
"He has a tendency to endear himself to people", he said, "he's a much more likable person then I am. Thinks I'm too antisocial."
"You know", I said, "you're a lot less scary they always make you out to be." Batman shrugged.
"Robin's influence", he said. "He can make a werewolf seem cuddly. I know, he has."
"What did you tell him earlier?" I asked.
"Ohh", said Batman, "just that he could take a couple days off school and that we could hang out." I smiled.
"Here we are", I said pulling into the parking lot. It had been an old bank building and the records on those computers gave the codes for thousands of people's money. The network was valuable, if you could get to it. But, that was difficult and required some time in front of the computers. I didn't really think it would be worth the risk, but obviously this Mirror Master did.
Batman got out of the car and started to shift through the wreckage. "Aha", he said, and held up a strange looking gun.
"What's that?" I asked.
"It's a mirror ray, one mirror master often uses. He must have lost it in his haste to get away from the explosion. That's what happened to all the people, mirror master took them into one of the mirrors in this place to frame me. He knew I would never blow up the building if I thought there were still people in it so he had to make sure they were out of the way."
"So what do we do?" I asked.
"We're going to have to go into the mirror dimension and find those people."
"Alright", I said, "You go and I'll wait out here with the car."
"No", Batman replied, "You have to come with me."
"What", I yelped, "but I can't go into the mirror dimension, I wouldn't know the first thing to do when I got in there. How could I help you?"
"People sometimes see strange things in the mirror dimension", Batman replied, "the sight of me might alarm them, but you have a more trustworthy face. I need them to trust me so I can draw them out of that place." I slowly nodded, feeling sick to my stomach. I had already done a lot more that night then had been in the job description of a policeman and I was fairly sure I wasn't cut out for this sort of thing, but I had to be, for the sake of the people lost in that strange dimension.
"Alright, said Batman, "hold onto my cape and don't let go." He shot the gun at my rearview mirror and dove headfirst towards it. I gave a yelp and was sure he had gone mad when suddenly, his head disappeared into the mirror, then his shoulders. More and more of him was drawn into a space that I didn't think his body should have been able to fit into as he was rather large man, yet it did.
I was tugged off my feet when the cape started to go through, but I hung on tightly and squeezed my eyes shut. The weirdest sensation came over me as I passed from my dimension to the other, almost as if I had left some part of me behind in that other place. I hit the ground, but I still didn't let go of the cape.
I felt a hand on my shoulder. "Open your eyes", a voice said. I slowly opened my eyes and saw Batman kneeling next to me. "It feels a bit queer the first time, he said, and you might feel nauseous." I nodded, feeling the sudden urge to heave. I did. Then, I released the edge of his cape.
I took a look at the mirror we had just come through and saw through it the world on the other side, the one we had just left. "Hey", I roared angrily, "someone's trying to boost the wheels off my car." I pounded against the mirror.
"He can't hear you", Batman said flatly, "no one can. Leave your car, I'll find the criminal later. Lets go."
I looked away from the mirror and then really started to look around. It was the oddest place I had ever seen. There were hundreds of staircases, some that were upside-down and others that were hanging sideways, each leading to another mirror. I could see not definite landmarks, just infinite walkways, staircases and mirrors.
The sight was both daunting and more frightening then anything I had ever experienced. I had the sudden feel like we might never get out of this horrible place and started to panic.
"Ohh God", I said, "Ohh shit, Batman, I can't do this, I just can't. Please just let me go home, I can't handle this, it's just too weird." Batman put a hand on my shoulder and looked me straight in the eye.
"You're a brave man and I know this doesn't make sense to you right now, but I need you and so do those people. Do you understand?" I nodded slowly, reluctantly, but there was a quality to his voice that made me seem more grounded in reality and gave me a strength I didn't know I possessed. I started to follow him through that maze.
The effects of the place were so disorienting, I threw up twice more and felt somewhat embarrassed to have my stomach going rogue on me in front of Batman, but he politely paid no notice.
Though I couldn't tell one staircase from another, Batman seemed to be doing just fine, leading me up and down walkways and through mirrors only to pop out in another place in that strange maze. I was very glad of Batman in that place. I would have never wanted to have to brave it alone. He had obviously been here before because he led me surly without pausing to consider any route.
Batman was holding a device in his hand that made an occasional blip as we walked. "What's that?" I asked.
"It's a tracking device I tossed on one of the people in the building. He was someone I had suspected to be in league with the mirror master so I decided to keep an eye on him just in case. This seems to indicate he's with other people so that's our best bet to find them. He's in here somewhere." I nodded.
The blips got faster and faster as we traveled, which I assumed to mean we were getting closer to what we sought. "There", Batman suddenly said, pointing to a staircase across from us. It led to a wide platform where there was a large group of people, gibbering together and obviously terrified. A woman shrieked and a small child cried frightenedly. "Come on:, Batman said, leading me up the staircase. The people recoiled when they saw Batman, but I stood up in front of him.
"People", I said in my most serious voice (I had to work hard to keep it from quivering) "We've come to get you out of here."
The people muttered for a few moments amongst themselves before one man came foreward and said, "What's that thing behind you?"
"That's the Batman", I said, "he's come to help us." The people looked uncertain for a moment before slowly coming towards me. I could tell the sight of me looking sure of myself and in my uniform soothed them. I was someone to follow and listen to, someone to save them from this horrible place they were trapped in. "Follow Batman", I instructed, "he'll lead you out." They nodded and started to follow as he glided like darkness over the ground.
Batman lifted the gun and aimed in at a mirror. Then, he shot. The mirror shimmered for a moment and fell still with no apparent change. "Everyone hold onto each other", Batman said, "make sure no one is by themselves. You need to be all connected." The people all arranged themselves so that each had a god grip on another. Once he was sure everyone was taken care of, Batman sent the first man through the portal. He stepped through nervously and in the blink of an eye, they had all been drawn through.
"Alright", said Batman, "our turn." He was about to step through when a bomb suddenly went off in front of us, exploding at Batman's feet. The mirror shattered into hundreds of pieces and Batman toppled backwards, ramming into me and sending me spiraling to the ground.
"You're not getting out of this that easily Batman", a male voice said. I looked up and saw the Mirror Master standing on a staircase hovering above our heads.
"Mirror Master", Batman growled, slowly picking himself up. The Mirror Master cackled wickedly and snapped his fingers. Then, there were hundreds of him, all around us. I gave a yelp of surprise.
"You'll never get out of this bat breath", Mirror Master said, "if I can't get out of this place, then neither can you." Then, he and the copies all leapt at us. I wasn't quite sure what to do and swung around nervously, pointing my gun at as many of them as I could. Batman was attacking, swirling and kicking as he took down the copies before him.
"Shoot them", he yelled at me. So I did. I shot and shot, emptying first one gun and then the next. Each one I shot shattered into hundreds of pieces when the bullets slammed into him and soon, I was down to one bullet. I kicked and punched instead. Still though, I was tiring quickly and I could tell Batman's injuries were bothering him.
I was desperate to find a solution to end this conflict when I noticed one Mirror Master standing off to the side. I shook off the rest of the copies and lifted my gun, aiming at the man. "Please, please, please", I whispered softly to myself, and squeezed the trigger. The shot resounded around the place louder it seemed, then any of the others and hit the man in the meat of his shoulder. But, he didn't shatter.
He gave a howl of pain and fury and staggered backwards, clutching his shoulder. The mirror copies froze and then shimmered for a moment before disappearing. Batman tossed bolos at the Mirror Master and trapped his legs. He wasn't going anywhere. Batman gave me a nod and shook my hand. "You did well", he said, "very well." I glowed with his praise.
Robin wound his arms tightly around Batman's neck, shifting his weight a little as the Dark Knight spoke to a very repentant looking Chief of Police. "Again Batman, so sorry about the misunderstanding and the injuries of your sidekick." Batman nodded coldly.
"See that it doesn't happen again", he growled. The Chief nodded and walked swiftly away. I could tell he was feeling horrible. The press was going to have a field day.
"So I guess you guys are leaving" Jessica said to Batman. She was standing next to me. Batman nodded.
"I have to get proper medical care for Robin and Gotham probably has some crisis I should be attending to." Robin rolled his eyes.
"Gotham always has some crisis that needs attending to", he muttered darkly.
"Well", I said, "it was pretty cool having you guys here."
"Yea", Jessica said, "the Chief's probably gonna put us on the front page now, seeing as we were the only ones who believed you and all. I'm sure he'll find some way to mop all this up, call it a ploy to catch Mirror Master or something. We're gona get promoted though. I'll have a chance at the Canine Corps."
She beamed at first Batman and Robin and then at me, as if the whole world were a bright and beautiful place and she couldn't decide whom to share it with first. "I wish the best for both of you", Batman said.
"Yea", Robin said, "maybe, when I can walk, we'll come back through here and go to a movie or something." I smirked.
"I'd like that", I said.
"Bye, bye Robin", Jessica said, kissing Robin's cheek. He grinned and Batman rolled his eyes. He held out one hand and shook mine. He was still dauntingly larger then I, but somehow, there was a comradeship between us. Then, he turned and left.
Robin waved once more over Batman's shoulder before chattering excitedly to the Dark Knight about something I couldn't quite catch. I watched the batwing slowly raise itself from the streets of Coliander, making the litter and garbage swirl around in tiny whirlwinds.
Jessica watched with me, curling her fingers around mine as the sun started to rise, the pink light shinning on her soft face.