I am the Bat
What words can describe how I feel? I am the Bat.
They all look at me, but none truly see. I am the Bat.
By their ignorance shall all be threatened. I am the Bat.
Looking at me they wonder if I am by far more of a danger than they would see themselves. This is a case in point.....
I am the Bat.
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Why Me?
He is standing there
Mouth gaping wide as he looks
The scene unfolds.....Red.
-Christine Berry
He walks through the door first. HE is nigh on invulnerable, of course they would send him first. They think he has more of a chance at this than anyone. For everything that is dark and shadowy, HE is the light. The ultimate Boy Scout. HE is everything that I am not. Sometimes, in my more cynical moments, I ask myself why I put up with him. He is willfully naive, refusing to see the truth in front of his face when it's not a pretty sight .....
And I'm not HIM.
He is what I could have been, I admit to myself. If not for that day. Happy, outgoing, with no more secrets than a child. Innocent in his own way. Things that I have not been since that day.
He has parents that are alive.
I don't.
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"What?!? What Am I doing here?"
I hear movement across the room and look up. There is a man standing in the light. He is wearing a cape and tights. A red cape and blue tights. Are we at the circus or something? Where are Mom and Dad? Why would he look surprised? Doesn't he work here?
"H-help me? They're gone. Where are my parents!!!"
Why does it hurt
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I've finally found him. After we took out the last of the alien probes there was an explosion on, on the Mother Ship. Batman had apparently infiltrated it. From survivors we learned that they weren't trying to take over the Earth. Their ships supplies were almost depleted. They had been looking to restock.
At first it was only a few people here and there. No reason for the Justice League to notice. Unfortunately people go missing all the time, we're super-heros, not God. We can't be there to save everyone, every time.
It's funny, we say or think that almost constantly, but it's the only normal human among us that doesn't really believe that. Of course I don't think he admits that, even to himself. He is responsible for every life, whether it's on his watch or not. He has made himself responsible.
I sometimes wonder at that. Even though he acts like the Big Bad Batman that the rest of us see, I know he is the most kind, compassionate person I have ever known. At any moment I know that he would, unquestionably, do whatever necessary so that an innocent wouldn't suffer as he did.
Thinking that there was even the slightest connection between any of these mysterious disappearances would be paranoid in the extreme, bordering on the insane. Even though we'll all admit he is the ' Worlds Greatest Detective ', at one point in time, we have all thought that he was stark raving mad. Even if some of the others won't admit it.
It's a good thing for us that may be true though. Somehow he put 2 an 2 together and got 5. I really hate how he does that sometimes. Especially when he is right about something as horrendous as this.
We had just started the weekly meeting and he was late. Again. It really wasn't any different from all the other times. He always has a good reason, a very good and important reason. Bruce always does. I hated that too. Of course after a heated and particularly pointless session with 'President' Luthor my fuse was pretty short right off the bat.
It was no excuse. In retrospect, we should have seen that he was only being more him than usual because something was genuinely, truly wrong.
There are no shadows in the Watch Tower. The place is so well-lighted that it would seem impossible to find one. Yet he managed to. In some manner. He did. Maybe he has a patented bat-shadow generator or something. Ha.
I think that he got out 3 words before I laid it into him. I mean we all know how Wonder Woman is prone to these things, it's expected, but I generally don't go into that sort of thing. Usually.
From the looks of shock on the faces around me, I should have known I was over-reacting. At the time the only thing I could see was him. He always looks a little smug most of the time around us. How I could have mistaken that look for smugness only Lois knows (and she's not telling, thank God).It's bad enough as it is without that. Later we would find out he was coming to us for help. Him, needing help.
Right then and there we made the first of many mistakes that day. We ran him off. No, not purposefully, but the end product was just the same. Everyone just sat there and I yelled at him for what seemed like forever. For stupid petty things, things that I am surprised I even remembered.
He just stood there. I don't even think that he blinked once. I am probably the closes thing he has to a friend on this team and I didn't notice that he was hurt at the time. No one noticed that he was leaning on the wall for support, oh no, they were too fascinated with me. Superman never blows up. Oh no, he only gets mad at the bad guys, not us.
When I was finally done he didn't try to say another word. I dearly wished he had but can't really blame him at all this time. Just tossed a pretty thick folder onto the table and left.
Did he know what effect that would have on the rest of us? I choose to believe not. But no matter what, Bruce will always do what he thinks is right, even if it would be deadly insanity to do so. I only hope it doesn't turn out that way this time.
But when he left us that day and we final stopped arguing, there was blood on the wall where he stood.....
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Something bad is coming. Batman has just stormed out of the room. We are all arguing over him. Loudly. What is this all about? He was more closed than usual. All I received from him was rage... and fear. I believe this is going to be very, very bad.....
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I had gone into the city for groceries. Sure, I'm The Batman's sidekick. I'm Robin the Boy Wonder. I regularly kick evil's butt for breakfast and I am also grocery shopping for my Dad. Alfred has said about a 'gilyon times that he could handle it. But for some reason I don't let him.
I sometimes wonder why, I mean, fighting the eternal grind of evil doesn't leave you with much time for anything else, mostly. So why waste it shopping? For groceries of all things at that too.
It's probably just for the shear normalcy of it I suppose. You need that sorta when you and some of your best buds (not to mention your's and their mentors) are, in all likelihood, insane. I mean come on, we dress up in tights and capes to fight bad guys from the 7th dimension who are trying to turn the world as we know it into grape jelly. Maybe that's why Alfie isn't all that insistent about the shopping.
Just this once, I, almost wish I had let him.
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Looking around I still can't believe it. Bruce's goin' to kill me. Some kind of butt-ugly alien losers seem to be making a zoo or something.
We are being held in some kind of holding pen. The walls are to high to jump even if there weren't some kind of electrical field over it. Escape seems a little bit out of the question at the moment, so I decide to sit tight and wait for the rescue I know is coming. I mean, he is the Batman after all. No worries there.
I start to move through the crowd, exploring. There must be hundreds of people in here. No one knows what the aliens want, but occasionally a group of 5 to 10 are herded out through the lift at the far end of the room. They never come back.
Keeping that in mind I continue to wander. Maybe I will come up with some clues to help Bruce when he gets here. Not that he probably won't have it all figured out by that time or anything. I mean, he is Batman and these aliens don't know what their in for.
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It has been almost a day since I was taken and I have finally figured out where all the people have gone. They eat them.
At first I didn't, couldn't believe it. In a frightenly logical way, it's the only answer possible. Our captors are a predatory looking species. Vaguely dinosaurid in appearance and , if I had to, I'd say they looked like what I always imagined a raptor would look like, sorta.
Sorta, what would Bruce say if I told him that? Dinosaur people from space with thumbs think we are remarkable tasting looking like cows. Yummy.
We're all going to be eaten.
Bruce, hurry and get here, I don't want to die!
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It has been a little over a day since master Timothy has disappeared. I worry for the lad. It is not like him to just up and vanish. But as much as I worry for him, I worry just that mush more for Master Bruce. He has figured out where master Timothy has been spirited off to, but it took him to long. He is running on sheer will power now. At least I convinced him to seek aid among his, more colorful colleges.
He was already near collapse after recapturing the Killer Croc, Scarecrow, and Two-Face. Unfortunately, after being on the receiving end of some of the nasty 'fear-toxin' belonging to the Scarecrow, he took a rather punishing beating at the hands of the Croc. How he managed to recapture them afer all that, I will never know and I suppose he shan't tell me either.
It might have had something to do with luck, even though he would vehemently deny it. If poor Mr. Kent's toss had gone the other way I fear it would have gone considerably worse for him at any rate.
As it were he was almost literally in pieces when he finally arrived at the Cave. Broken ribs, a concussion or two, quite a few ripped puncture wounds and the like. The usual. It is times like these that make me glad of my medicinal knowledge.
After putting the finishing touches on my, all to familiar handy work, we received a call. Master Tim's father was looking for him, was he at Mater Bruce's house? No, the last I knew he was out shopping for groceries. Yes, if he stops by I will tell him that he is to go strait home, his is several hours late, kid.
Before I had even put the receiver down the Master was already half dressed. Knowing that there was no hope in asking him to rest for a few hours first (and really understanding his concern for young Timothy) I simple helped him to dress and prayed.....
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Note: I do not own any of the characters portrayed in this short story. I wish that wasn't true though..... If you sue me all you'll get is a 3,000 dollar debt every year until I get out of collage soooo.......Wait, come to think of that, go right ahead!
(Not really)
Note II: I already have part two written, it just leaves it to be typed. Enjoy. Oh, and for those of you who don't know what sh'marmy means, ummmm, it's not a bad word or anything. An' playing mind games with these characters are so fun!!!