End of Days
By
Angelina
Watchtower: December 17, 2012
Bruce was exhausted. He was going on his fourth day without sleep and his body was desperately begging him to give it the rest it needed. But he couldn't.
He was on monitor duty.
He hated monitor duty with a passion, even if he was the one that created the job. Really he shouldn't be here right now. It was Superman's turn, but the Big Blue Boy Scout had skipped out to go on a date with Lois Lane and Batman was the only hero not doing something of importance.
So he was stuck here, alone in the Watchtower, with nothing to do but stare at monitors and make sure everything was hunky-dory in the known Universe.
Superman would die a slow and painful death involving kryptonite…
Wayne Manor: December 17, 2012
Dick set aside the last of his homework. As much as he loved calculus, he hated the homework. Mr. Daniels, his teacher, just loved to give extra problems every night and a pop quiz at least once a week. Dick needed to stay on his toes to pull off an A in the class. Anything less than that and Bruce would yank him from patrol and Young Justice in the blink of an eye.
But now he was done, and just in time too. Since Batman was at the Watchtower it was up to him to patrol the streets of Gotham that night. He had less than half an hour until he was expected to be on patrol. Dick sighed and stretched, cracking several vertebrae in his neck.
After stretching Dick descended to the Batcave where he donned his costume, clipped on his cape, pulled on his gloves and boots, and fixed his utility belt in place. The last thing he put on was his mask. He was no longer Dick Grayson Wayne, now he was Robin the Boy Wonder.
Robin didn't look up as Alfred entered, "hey Alfred."
"Good evening, master Robin. I trust you are ready for patrol?"
"Sure am. It's nice that Bruce trusts me with this for a change," commented Robin as Alfred handed him his com unit.
"Indeed."
Within minutes, Robin was ready to go, his patrol route entered into the bat-computer and his Robin-cycle gassed and ready to go.
Alfred, however, was bent on a last minute safety check. "If anything happens you know to activate your emergency signal?"
"Yes, Alfred."
"And the ground rules, sir?" Alfred cocked an eyebrow.
Robin sighed, "always keep your tracer on, stick to the programmed patrol route, don't get into anything above your head, if you do get in over your head, call Batman. I know the ground rules, Alfie."
Alfred nodded in satisfaction, "very good, master Robin. All set then?"
Robin nodded, pulled his helmet on, and swung his leg over the bike. Before he revved the engine to take off into the night, however, he turned to Alfred for a parting shot, "do you think Batman will let me drive the Batmobile next time?"
Alfred chuckled, "I very much doubt that."
Robin shrugged and sped off into the night. But before he could reach his destination, Alfred called in over his com unit. "Master Robin?"
"Yes, Alfred?"
"Don't die."
"You got it, Alfie," by now, that was on old saying. However, no matter how many times it was said it carried the same weight. In this business one never knew which night would be their last.
Patrol was rather uneventful, Robin stopped a mugging before it could really get started, and a he stopped a purse snatcher. But, other than that, not a lot of crime was being done on his route.
Robin was about ready to call it a night and head home when the voice of Alfred broke through his mind, "Master Robin, there is a robbery taking at the jewelry store on Fifth and Hampshire, multiple suspects and an unconfirmed sighting of Catwoman."
"Got it, Alfie. I'm on my way." Robin set out swinging over the rooftops of Gotham.
About halfway there, he was stopped again by Alfred's voice, "Sir, the sighting of Catwoman has been confirmed. I strongly recommend that you gain Batman's assistance on this."
"Yeah, so he can make kissy faces at her," Robin made a face.
Alfred sighed, "you know very well that the last time Bruce acted in such a manner he was under her influence."
"It's all the other times I'm concerned about," Robin half-joked as he sent a signal to the Watchtower and set off again for the jewelry store. "I'll be on standby until Batman gets here, but if it looks like it's going downhill, I'm stopping it."
"Very well, master Robin. Do take care of yourself," Alfred signed off.
Robin perched on a ledge of a building opposite the jewelry store that afforded him a good vantage point. From his spot he could easily see Catwoman and three armed goons inside, picking the place clean of precious gems and metals.
He waited almost a minute for Batman to come, but when the hero did not materialize by his side; he knew he had to act or else risk Catwoman absconding with the jewels.
Pausing for another ten seconds just to be sure Batman wasn't coming, Robin shot his grappling gun and launched himself at the jewelry store.
With precise calculations Robin threw several smoke pellets in through the broken front window before activating his infrared vision, and throwing himself throw the front window.
Robin landed gracefully on his feet, immediately sinking into an offensive stance as smoke completely filled the store.
Taking out the three goons was no challenge. Two fell unconscious to a well-placed bat-a-rang, the other received Robin's boot to his face when he started to turn around in circle whilst firing his assault rifle.
Robin hoped the place had good insurance as he heard more display cases shatter.
With all the goons down, Robin turned his attention fully on Catwoman. He figured she was either somewhere in the smoke nabbing a few more jewels, waiting to try a sneak attack, or fleeing with the jewels she had while she let her henchmen take the fall.
Robin was willing to bet the latter. Turning his attention to the rafters and exposed ductwork, Robin spotted a heat signature in the clearing smoke. Aiming his grappling gun, the Boy Wonder swung into the rafters in pursuit.
He didn't notice, however, the blade that came whistling his way, until it was almost on top of him. Turning at the last second, he managed to catch the blade in his arm instead of his heart. It was a superficial wound, but it hurt like hell.
He bit back his grunt of pain and heard an angry cat-like hiss over to his right. Turning in that direction Robin saw the boots of Catwoman vanishing into a vent, he hastened in pursuit.
Wasting no time, Robin tracked her movement through the vents, placing himself at the most strategic exit. He was not going to chase this particular villain through the vents if he could help it.
As predicted, Catwoman emerged from the vent's exit, but she had anticipated a possible pursuit and threw her own smoke bombs before fully emerging. Had Robin not been quicker in turning his infrared vision back on, he probably would have lost her.
Robin shot out a line and swooped in, grabbing the jewels from Catwoman's hands and activating a net. He finished his swing with a front flip which he landed gracefully on the rooftop of the jewelry store, leaving the villainess hopelessly entangled in the net below.
Too late he noticed the blowpipe in Catwoman's hands. His mind had less than a second before a dart entered neck. Exactly 5.2 seconds later, he lost consciousness as Catwoman escaped the net and ran off into Gotham.
His last thought before darkness overtook him was how disappointed Batman would be.
Watchtower: December 17, 2012
Far above in the empty Watchtower, Batman exited the monitor room rushing to get to Gotham before Robin engaged a deadly criminal on his own. He never noticed the small blip that began to sound on one of the monitors.
A/N I watched 'Deep Impact,' 'Knowing,' and '2012' this week and it gave me so many plot bunnies. So here is what happens when I watch too many disaster movies in a weekend!
I hope you enjoy the series!