This is my first fanfic
I don't own Young Justice.
I write out my dreams and this was one of my first one's that wouldn't stop coming back.
Argue Run Away
Mount Justice was suspiciously quiet today. The Young Justice team was there in the mountain, but... they were as quiet as a mouse colony. Their last mission against some shadowy figures didn't go so well. There was something about them that didn't seem right.
Well, they did manage to get the job done. The shadowy figures were now behind bars, but... Wally and Robin had a verbal fight again.
"Why can't you just stay out of my way, Boy Blunder?!" Wally yelled in Robin's face as the cops drove away with the shadowy figures.
"Oh, so it's my fault that you can't come to a complete stop without crashing into something, huh?!" Robin shot back as he looked at the imprint of Kid Flash in the brick wall. He had to swerve around Robin - just so he wouldn't hit him.
"Uh, well... if you weren't in the street when I was running up, I wouldn't have crashed into a brick wall in the first place!"
"Well, maybe you should learn how to slow down before you crash or at least look where you're going!"
"That is enough you two!" Aqualad shouted as he stepped in between the bickering two. "I have heard enough out of both of you. No talking for the trip home. I do not want to hear a peep from either of you. Got it?"
Kid Flash glared at Robin with disgust. He stormed off towards the Martain Bio ship. Aqualad turned towards Robin who was biting his lip and shaking in anger. Robin nodded to tell Aqualad he heard what he said.
As soon as they got back to Mount Justice - Wally was about to resume the argument, but Robin disappeared.
"Why must you blame him for everything, Wally?" Megan asked as she pushed her hair back out of her eyes.
"It wasn't his fault, for your lack of understanding," Artemis added removing the head piece of her costume.
"Grrrr. That's all he's good for!" Wally growled storming off to his room. He stopped in front of Robin's room. The flammin' red-head was about to pound on the door to resume the argument; when -
"Forget it, Batman!" Wally heard Robin shout. "I can't go through having another argument with Kid Flash!"
"Hey, you know brother's fight. Can't you two just make up and get on with the teamwork? How many arguments have you two had anyway?" Batman asked as calmly as he could.
"That'll be up to him and I lost track of how many we had. About 100 or so. Give or take," Robin looked at his clock. "It's late Batman. I should probably get to bed before you give us another mission."
"I understand, Robin. Just remember, you both can't stay mad at each other forever. Keep your distance for a little while and stay calm," Batman assured him. Wally heard the whole conversation, but... he only felt madder.
"Why doesn't my uncle talk to me and give me advice like that?" Wally asked himself. Before he slammed his door shut - he heard someone punching a wall. He figured it was Superboy, but that thought was quickly pushed aside when he heard Robin gasping for air just 10 minutes later.
The sun poked through the cave. Wally lied on the couch - his feet on the armrest and his head on the pillow at the other end. He was flipping through the channels on the TV and didn't find anything good on. Or a show that would be worth watching.
"Hey, Megan. Could you help me with breakfast?" Artemis asked as she pulled out a circle pan from the cabinet.
"Sure," Megan answered as she walked into the kitchen. Superboy and Aqualad were wondering where the youngest member of the team was.
"Where is Robin, anyway?" Kaldur asked as he looked around - seeing Superboy shrug and the girls shake their heads.
"I don't know and I don't care. Just don't talk about him when you're around me, okay," Wally told them in an angry tone. "Robin is only good for messing up and getting in the way. He doesn't have any powers. I'll feel better knowing that he decides to..."
"Quit," Robin finished, coming into the living room light. No one noticed he was there or even entered.
"Hey, hey Wally. I don't have powers either," Artemis reminded him. "Do you feel the same way about me?"
"You're never in my way," Wally told her. "He's the only one who's ever in my way. Things would be better if he wasn't around!"
"Wally!" Superboy shouted. Wally turned towards Superboy who was pointing at Robin in the hallway enterence.
"You serious about that, Wally?" Robin asked with sadness in his voice. His bottom lip was quivering a bit. "You seriously don't care? You want me off the team? You...want me... gone? Forever?"
"You got that right. Boy Blunder," Wally told him as he crossed his arms. His face was redder than Megan's hair.
"Stop it, Wally," Artemis said getting in front of the fuming red-head.
"No," Robin said softly. "He's got a point. I'm out of here."
"Robin wait," Kaldur shouted, but Robin already disappeared into his room. "Wally, meet me in the conference room. Superboy, would you mind coming, too?"
"I don't mind at all," Superboy's voice grew angry at Wally. He cracked his knuckles a few times.
"Artemis, Megan could you talk to Robin?" Kaldur asked. "See if you can change his mind." Megan turned off the stove and followed the archer to Robin's bedroom door. They heard a loud crake - which made them think that Robin punched the wall.
"Robin, you in there?" Artemis asked, gently knocking on the door. There was no answer.
"Robin, please open up. It's just me and Megan," Artemis said, trying to get his attention.
"W-what... do y-you... two... w-want?" They could hear Robin's tears falling on the floor.
"We just want to talk," Artemis said, gently. "Please, reconsider."
"You're an equal member of this team, Robin," Megan added. "Wally doesn't know what he's talking about. Please don't leave on account of what he said."
"I'm not leaving at this very minute," Robin told them. His voice no longer in tears, but the girls could still hear the heartbreak in his voice. "I'll stay until tomorrow, okay?"
"Well, okay," the girls said softly. They walked down the hallway to the conference room. Wally could be heard all the way in the kitchen. Still yelling about Robin being a mistake. Artemis went in and told Kaldur what Robin told them. Although, Kaldur could feel that Robin wasn't going to be in his room the next day.
Robin grabbed a blue backpack out of his closest and started to stuff it with clothes and some personal stuff. He was debating on taking his communicator. He was so frustrated that he picked it up and through it against the wall. Shattering it into a hundred pieces. "Should I or shouldn't I grab my utility belt?" He slipped on his black gloves. Hacking into the conference room cameras. He saw Wally standing at the far end of the table and Kaldur across the table from him. Superboy had his arms crossed at the corner and he was trying his best not to pummel the redhead to a pulp. Robin turned the volume up on the speakers and what he heard - answered his question.
"I don't care what happens to that 13-year-old joke!" Wally shouted at Kaldur. "Send us on missions without him and the job will get done a lot faster! Stop trying to tell me what he is or the team really needs the 'hacking prince'! I don't care anymore!" He swung his arm around in frustration.
"I hope you are happy, Wally," Kaldur shot back in a stern voice. "The more you say Robin is a joke - the more this team is falling apart. I just hope Robin is not listening to your... your..."
"Ranting?" Artemis asked. Kaldur nodded.
"Okay. I've heard enough. Utility belt stays here," Robin said softly as he tapped the glove to exit the holographic computer. He left them on and said, "I'm leaving right now. Robin is officially no more. *Sniff* S-sorry mom."
He left a note on his night stand and grabbed the backpack. He walked down to the garage. Looking around until he found his red motorcycle. Tears started to race down his face as he put on his helmet. He mounted the vehicle and sped away from Mount Justice.
"So, what you're saying is... you don't care if he decides to kill himself them. Right?" Superboy asked roughly. He knew Robin would do that if the young teen really had enough of this crap.
"You got - wait, what? Why would he kill himself?" Wally asked, with a confused look on his face. Apparently – Superboy's question finally got through to the real Wally.
"Do you understand what we've been trying to tell you?!" Artemis asked slapping her hands on the table.
"I...I...I went way too far," Wally said with his eyes shut tight. Sadness was plastered on his face. Megan crashed through the doors gasping for air. "Robin isn't in his room. I looked everywhere and found his motorcycle missing. I also found this on his nightstand. His room looks a lot like Superboy's now." She held a piece of paper in her palm.
"What?!" Wally shouted as he ran up to her. "May I see the paper, please?" Megan nodded as she gave it to the speedster. Wally took the paper and read it to himself.
It said:
Wally,
You have a good point. All I'm ever good for is screwing up and getting in everyone's way. Oh, and I did hack into the conference room cameras. I heard what you had to say. '13-year-old joke'? You really sound convincing enough to make me quit for good. My days of being Robin are officially over. If Batman calls... tell him - his little birdie flew the coop and is never, ever coming back. I don't care if he finds out I gave you my real name. It's Richard Grayson. Four years ago... I wanted to die with my parents. I want to die now, too. Thanks a lot Kid Flash for making me feel like a complete nothing. I'm nothing, except a bother to others and I really doubt that Batman even wanted to foster a complete whining brat like me. Well, I must go. I'm very sorry about everything Kid Flash. I'm sorry. You'll get missions done a lot faster with me off the team. Might be more fun, too. Oh, yeah. You used to always tell me that I'm never alone. I thought... I thought that I'd never be alone anymore, but thanks for that feeling. The feeling of being alone with no one around when there are a lot of people around. Kid Flash... I'm sorry about everything, but I gotta get going. Wouldn't want the world's fastest teenager to have to deal with this 13-year-old mistake, anymore.
Signed,
Richard Grayson
Wally could see that there were tear stains on the paper as he trembled in disbelief. Richard couldn't take it anymore. He ran off without saying anything - well, when has he ever said anything when he vanishes. Guilt started to swell up inside the redhead's chest. He became fearful for Richard and ran down to his room.
When he entered Robin's room - he couldn't find his voice. There were small craters in the walls, posters were shredded, and a shattered communicator at the foot of the bed. Robin's room was totaled - except for a certain picture on the nightstand. It was untouched. Wally walked over to it and picked it up. It was a picture that always reminded Robin that he was never alone in this world. Robin was in the middle of the team. Wally had his arm around the young boy. His smile was brighter than he remembered. Red Arrow was there, too. Looking as happy as ever. Tousling Robin's and Wally's hair as Kaldur had a hand on Robin's shoulder. Megan hovered above them, giggling and Artemis looked a little happy. Her smile made her seem so peaceful.
Wally looked at Robin. His smile, seeing his laughter (even though it's a picture) made Wally feel the guilt come even harder and heavier. Kaldur and the others were in the doorway.
"I'm pretty sure he's going to Gotham City," Wally said, breaking the silence. "I have to catch up to him and apologize. Honestly, I don't see how he could ever forgive me for what I did. Still, I have to try and find him before who-knows-what might happen!"
"We're coming, too," Artemis told him - before he ran off.
"You sure?" Wally asked. The team nodded. Kid Flash ran off on the streets while the others tried to keep up on motorcycles.
"Hey, Wally. You do know you're still in your civvies, right?" Artemis asked.
"I don't care about that right now. Robin is my first priority at the moment. I'll slow down so no one will suspect, okay?" Wally told her. She went with it as they entered the freeway. They had to cover at least 900 miles to get to Gotham.
Richard was only five miles away from Gotham City, now. The stars started to fill the night sky, but he only felt a dark cloud hovering overhead. Pulling into the city limits, motorcycles came up from behind. A biker gang showed up in Gotham and chased after Richard.
"At a time like this?" he groaned.
"Hey, kid. Pull over if you know what's good for ya," the gang leader hollered.
"Forget it!" Richard hollered back. He sped up - turning the corner hard. Almost sliding on the ground like a baseball player sliding to home plate. Quickly recovering from the quick turn and speeding away from the gang. The gang split up - to see if they could box the 13-year-old in.
"I want that kid's ride," the gang leader told them in a snickering voice.
"We'll box him in - in the alley way down town," his right hand biker said.
"We're almost there," the leader snickered again.
Richard turned sharply down an alley. The biker gang came all three ways and the alley was the only way to go. A solid concrete wall was coming up fast. Richard skidded to a stop as he looked at the wall. "Grrrr. Dead end," he groaned - turning to the road. The biker gang dismounted their ragged bikes and walked down the spacious alley. Some with chains, and some with metal bo-staffs.
Richard dismounted his bike and took a fighters stance.
"This is rich," the leader laughed. "The kid thinks he can fight us. One... against 50 bikers. That's a laugh. Ha ha ha! Get him."
The biker gang came running up to Richard who jumped as soon as they were close. He spun around in midair and round-house kicked one biker in the face. Causing him to fly backwards. Richard was using self-defense in this fight. Nothing more than that. The leader noticed something when the 13-year-old grabbed the metal bo-staff out of the hands of one of his members and beat up the rest of them with it.
"Impressive, kid. You move like an acrobat," the leader clapped. "Were you in the circus at one time kid? You remind me of the trapezes."
"Forget it. I'm not talking to someone who wants my bike or who tried to hurt a little kid," Richard told him as he let the bo-staff fall to the ground. "Did I just call myself a little kid?" he thought.
"Ha. I know someone who'll be very interested in you," the leader told him. "I'm Garland. Come with me and I'll take you to meet him."
"Forget it," Richard said in an irritated tone. He walked to his motorcycle. As soon as he touched the handle bar - something struck his shoulder. Richard gasped and groaned for a few seconds before passing out on the dirty ground.
"Good work, Garland," laughed a voice from behind.
"Joker," Garland said, as he turned his gaze towards the clown.
"Leave the bike and take the boy to the warehouse on the docks," the Joker ordered. "His friends will come looking for him and I want them to see his demise." His grin widening as he let out a cackle.
"You got it boss," Garland said as he threw the kid over his shoulder.
"Robin!" Wally yelled. "Robin, please talk to me! Where are you?!" The YJ team finally made it to Gotham City at dawn. The sun poked through the city. Highlighting the buildings and the darkest places of Batman's city. Megan tried to communicate with Robin through telepathy. No response. She still tried. The team split up to see if they couldn't locate their teammate that way.
"Robin! Robin, please answer me-," Wally came to a complete stop in front of an alley way. He walked in and found biker guys on the ground - moaning in agony. Wally stopped in front of a red motorcycle. The designs on it - Wally knew this was Robin's bike. There was a note on it.
"Guys. I found... his bike," Wally said through telepathy. "This note gives me a sinking feeling and I haven't even read it yet."
"Bring his bike out and let's see the note," Kaldur told him. The team came to a stop as Wally brought Robin's bike out of the alley. Megan helped the speedster get the red motorcycle out of the stinky alley. Artemis took the note off the handle bar as soon as the bike bet the concrete ground. She read it aloud.
It said:
Yo, Young Justice squad,
Your little birdie-teammate is better than I remember. He defeated 49 bikers all by himself. Although, he let his guard down and I got him. If you want the bird-boy back alive; come to the warehouse on the docks. Hurry, he doesn't have much time left.
Love,
Joker
A red pair of lips were at the bottom of the paper.
"What?!" Wally shouted. "This is all my fault! If only I hadn't - Ow!" Superboy slapped Wally on the shoulder. "Let's go get Robin, before who-knows-what that Joker will do," Superboy told him.
"Yeah, thanks for that," Wally said with determination. They ran off or rode off to the warehouse. Wally still tried to reach Robin through telepathy.
"Robin!" Wally hollered as Richard's eyes shot open at the very sound of Wally's voice in his head. His eyes darted around the room.
"Robin, please answer me! I'm sorry for everything I said! I take it all back! Please Rob answer me!"
"*Groan* You can stop shouting now, KF," Richard thought.
"*Gasp* Oh, thank god. Robin, I'm so sorry."
"Hey, I'm sorry, too." Richard looked around the area. The place seemed a little too cleaned up. That's when he noticed - he was in a chair with two poles in the middle. The rest of it was solid.
Suddenly - he felt a slight pan in his wrists.
"Uh, KF. Help," Richard's thoughts nervously said.
"We're coming Rob. Hang on," Wally assured him. "You're not alone in this world. Not while I'm around. You will never be alone." Richard chuckled softly at that.
"Hey, well, lookie here," a voice cackled from the door. "The bird-boy finally woke up. Ha hahaaaa. Whhhaa hhaaaa ha!"
"I know that laugh," Robin growled. "The Clown Prince of Crime. The Joker. What do you want with me?" The Joker came into the light around the boy. His grin getting wider. Richard shivered in fear upon seeing that.
"Are the ropes too tight, my little bird?" the Joker teased as he grabbed the boy's sunglasses. "You won't need these anymore. Batsy will be here soon. Along with your so called 'team'. The security will go off when they get here. Don't plan on getting out of here in one piece or with your life. Keep your ears open Boy Wonder." The Joker put Robin's shades on top of his head. In that green mess of hair - hid the black circles with a hint of slimy green hair gel. He walked behind the chair and whispered something in the boy's ear.
"Now that you finally woke up, we don't want you yelling or shouting to get someone else's attention now do we? Gotham City is waking up, don't cha know." He hollered for the biker gang leader. Garland came in with a roll of duct tape on his wrist.
"Need to shut the kid up now?" Garland asked in a snickering way. Joker laughed as he held the kid still by wrapping his arm around the boy's neck. Robin struggled against them, but Garland took some rope and tied Robin's ankles to the legs of the chair. Garland took the duct tape and came closer to Robin with it.
"No... don't... grrrra," Robin struggled to get out of the way, but thanks to the Joker, he couldn't move. "Get away from m-mmph. Mmph." Once the duct tape was secured on the boy's mouth - Joker let him go. They cackled as they left the room. Robin struggled even harder. Trying to get into his sleeve, but the ropes was way too tight. He could barely move around.
"Yo, KF. You got a minute?" Robin asked, in thought.
"Yeah. What's up? We're almost there," Wally asked.
"Tell Batman to stay calm. Joker called him and if I know him... He'll flip out and rush in without thinking. Joker's planning something and I can't move from this spot. Or talk out loud for that matter. Ah, *hissing sound*."
"Rob what's wrong?" Wally asked franticly.
"These ropes are way too tight, ah," Robin answered.
"Consider Batman calm. Don't worry, we'll find a way to get in. Just hang tight, Rob."
"Like I have a choice," Robin huffed. "Ah."
"Aqualad," Kid Flash hollered.
"One step ahead of you," Aqualad contacted Batman and told him to stay calm and all that other stuff.
"Thanks for the pep talk," Batman said in a calming voice.
"Anytime," Aqualad said. "Now, we need a plan *gasp*." Darkness fell over the city as the kids parked their bikes in one slot in the parking lot of the warehouses. Not long after they killed the engines on their bikes - the Bat-mobile pulled into the parking lot. The kids already knew that Batman was ticked off, but he stayed calm. Or, at least tried to.
Superboy could hear muffled screams from a bird and they all could hear a maniacal laugh coming from one of these warehouses.
"Oh, come on Robby. Stay still so I can inject this lethal venom into your system."
"Mmph! Mmm-mmmph! Mmph, mmph!" Robin shook his head violently. Trying to get away from the Joker and that needle.
"Guys, they're in the one closest to the water," Superboy told them as he pointed to the sea.
"Miss Martain, link us up," Aqualad said quickly.
"Everybody online?" Miss Martain asked as she placed her hand on the side of her head.
"Well, this is new," Batman thought.
"How about a little less chatting and a little more help here, please, ah," Robin's thoughts quickly said. He was able to knock to syringe out of the Joker's hand with his head. (Not a very smart idea, huh?).
The team rushed off - towards the warehouse. Kid Flash was the first to arrive. He climbed to the roof of the wrack of a warehouse and looked down through the skylight. The Joker left the room - still with that maniacal grin on. "I'll go get Garland and we'll try again in a half hour. Got it, Bird-boy?" Robin only growled. His blue eyes flaming with anger and mostly fear. He let his head hang down in defeat as he struggled against his bounds. Wally wasn't sure what to say. Seeing his best friend tied to a chair and gagged with duct tape no doubt - Wally has never seen Robin like this before.
"Rob look up," Kid Flash thought. Robin's head jolted up at the skylight. Just seeing Kid Flash there was enough to brighten his eyes and put some comfort back into them.
"Am I glad to see you," Robin thought happily. "Yes, my shades are off. Joker took them." Kid Flash opened the skylight window. "Heads up!" he thought as he threw a bat-knife (Batman gave him) at the chair. Robin twisted his head to where the blade slashed through the tape on his mouth, but it didn't get all of it. He was able to open his mouth and grabbed the knife with his teeth. He pulled it out of the chair and let it rest on his shoulder. He positioned the knife just right to fling it in between the bars. Before he flung the knife down - he tried to open his hand. It was very hard to do, but he managed to force it open.
"Robin, talk to me. How are you doing?" Batman thought in worried tone.
"For now, I'm fine - except that I'm starting to lose all feeling in my hands. Ah, almost... got it," Robin groaned, sawing through the ropes. A couple more to go and... he's free. As soon as his hands were free, he cut the ropes around his ankles and ripped off the duct tape from his mouth. He rubbed his wrists to try and get the feeling back into his hands. He looked around the place trying to think.
"Now, how do I get out of here?" Robin asked in thought. Kid Flash looked around from the skylight as everyone else arrived at the warehouse.
"That's a good question," Kid Flash said. He saw Robin walk over to the control panel in the room. Robin looked up and found his gloves on a pedestal above the control panel. He had a feeling that something would happen if he touched it - that would set off an alarm.
Well, he chanced it and nothing happened. Robin disabled the security and climbed on the controls - being careful not to touch the keys. As soon as he grabbed his gloves - he did a backflip off the control panel.
"Rob the support beams. Can you climb them?" Kid Flash asked.
"Can I climb them? Of course," Robin replied slapping his forehead.
Suddenly - the boys heard chattering coming from the other side of the door. Robin vanished as soon as the heavy metal door slid open. Kid Flash closed the skylight just in time too. The Joker and Garland came in - laughing. Their laughter died down when they saw no one in the chair.
"Where is... the kid?" Garland asked turning his head towards the Joker.
"His 'friends' and Batsey must be here," Joker snickered. His grin widening.
"That grin always creeps me out," Robin thought. He was hiding in the rafters. The darkest area so no one could see him - except for Kid Flash.
"Miss Martain, the security is disabled. We have to get Robin out of there," Kid Flash said in thought.
"How about Miss M stays in camouflage mode and guides me to the skylight?" Robin suggested.
"Good idea. Let's do it," Batman thought.
"Got it," Miss Martain flew up in camouflage mode. She saw Kid Flash at the side of the window - just so he wouldn't get discovered. Robin slipped his gloves on and climbed higher.
"Okay. I can't see you," Miss Martain said as she looked around.
"Look for a light at the very top," Robin told her as he tapped his glove and quickly turned it off. Miss Martain saw it in the split second he flashed it. Robin moved towards the skylight - being the little stealth artist that he is. These wooden support beams would be creaking every time he moved on them. Not this time and not this kid.
"I know where you are kid," Garland snickered. "You're going to try and escape through the skylight, aren't you?"
"Grrrrra. That biker guy knows," Robin growled.
"Just keep coming. We got your back," Batman told him.
Garland saw a little shadow moving around in the rafters. He grabbed a metal bo-staff from the weapon rack.
"Robin, incoming," Miss Martain warned. Robin jumped to the next beam just in time. The bo-staff crashed through the beam Robin was on before.
"Thanks," Robin said in thought. He jumped to the next one and was almost out. The others just had to open the skylight. Miss Martain and Robin looked down to the two snickering. They turned their backs to the skylight.
Miss Martain opened it as Robin jumped to it. He grabbed the edge of it as Kid Flash ran over and grabbed the boys arm before he fell back into the warehouse. He almost got him out when - all of a sudden a chain flew up and latched around Robin's ankle. Pulling him back down or so Garland thought. Kid Flash had a strong grip on the boy's wrist and yanked back.
"Tried to fly away, huh? Not happenin'," Garland told the boy as he pulled on the chain harder. Wally's grip only tightened as Robin got yanked towards the biker guy. Robin tried not to let go, but one thing still stung a bit. His wrists still stung from the ropes being too tight. Wally wouldn't let go until he got his friend safely on the roof.
"We need Superboy up here!" Kid Flash hollered. Superboy climbed to the roof since the building wasn't sturdy enough to withstand his jump. He saw Kid Flash and Miss Martain struggling to hang onto Robin. Superboy grabbed Robin's wrist and - for once he struggled to get his teammate up.
"We need everyone!" Miss Martain yelled. As everyone else climbed the warehouse - the Joker climbed the chain.
"Nice balancing act, clown boy," Superboy said with anger in his voice. The Joker wasn't listening. He grabbed the hood of Robin's green hoodie and pulled hard, causing the boy to choke.
"What is this?! Tug-a-war?!" Robin choked out. "And I'm the rope?!" He kicked the Joker off with his free leg. He tried to loosen the chain around his other leg, but it was no good.
Batman and the YJ team grabbed the youngest member and pulled as hard as they could. All of them against Garland - Garland was winning this round. What did this guy do to himself? Take steroids or something? Batman had an idea. He reached into his utility belt and pulled out a bat-bomb. Letting it fall down in front of Garland. It exploded upon impact with the floor. They were able to pull Robin on the roof. Batman took the chain off the boy's ankle - while he caught his breath.
"Let's get out of here," Batman said as Kid Flash helped the Boy Wonder stand up. The team vanished as Garland stood up when the dust cleared. He looked up at the skylight.
"Great. Now what? Our entertainment is gone," Garland complained.
"Don't get so uptight, Garland," the Joker snickered. "Did you forget what I did - while bird-boy was still knocked out from the knock out drug?" Garland crossed his arms and thought about it for a bit. His head jolted up with about the answer.
"You injected some of that lethal venom in his system?" he asked in a curious tone.
"It should kick in - in about 30 seconds. Maybe sooner from all the movement he's been doing," Joker replied with a cackle.
As soon as the team got to their vehicles - Batman looked ticked to the bone.
"Yeah, yeah. Go ahead and yell," Robin's voice sounded scared, yet calm at the same time.
"I won't yell. Not this time," Batman told him. He was trying to hide the worry and anger, but Robin could hear the concern. "I understand you were frustrated and had enough. I know you gave your teammates your real name. You kids promise to keep his name a secret?"
The kids raised their right hand, "promise." They said in unison. They took one step towards their bikes and - that's when it happened.
Robin stopped with a grunt, making the others stop. Wally was the first to turn around. He saw Robin almost fall over - he caught himself by quickly putting his foot out - slamming that foot hard on the ground in front of him. Robin clutched his chest and lost his balance. He fell over on his side as Wally ran up to him and caught him before he met the cement ground.
"Batman, something's wrong!" Wally yelled. "I can feel his heart pounding rapidly!" Batman had to do something, but for once - he couldn't until he heard the maniacal laughter of the Joker. Wally turned his friend on his back as the clown came into view.
"What did you do to him?" Artemis demanded as she drew an arrow. She could tell that he did something to the young hero. So did the others, but what did he do?
"Calm down toots. Boy Wonder is infected with lethal venom and it just now kicked in," Joker told them with a grin. "Lucky you kids. You get to witness his death. Can't wait to see the looks on your faces when that happens." He laughed as Artemis let her arrow fly. It zoomed past the Jokers face, making him stop laughing his lungs out.
"Don't call me toots," Artemis warned. "Kid Flash, get Robin to the hospital now," she said in thought. "Everyone else... help me out with this clown. Yes, I'm giving you an order Batman. Just do it."
"Kid Flash," Batman thought. "Ask them not to let the press get wind of this. Now hurry."
"Consider it done," Kid Flash picked up the 13-year-old. Resting the young boy's head on his elbow and the speedster moved his other arm underneath the boy's knees. Holding him close as he sped away towards the hospital.
"Robin! Robin look at me! Look at me bro," Wally tried to get Robin's eyes fixed on his. He could see Robin's blue eyes close a few times and open with no color in them.
The hospital was coming into view. Kid Flash slowed down as the doors swung open. He skidded to a stop, shouting, "someone please help! My brother needs help!"
A nurse and a doctor came running to the doors. They gasped at the sight.
"Wally West, what happened?" the nurse asked as the doctor took Robin. Wally told the nurse everything he knew - excluding a few minor details. The doctor took Robin in the emergency room while Wally explained.
"I understand Mr. West," nurse Calson said softly. "We'll do what we can." She ran off, into the emergency room to assist doctor Falmer.
They could tell - it was getting worse by the second. They had to act fast if they were going to save Robin's life.
"Aqualad to Kid Flash," Aqualad said in thought. "We just got our end tied up. How is Robin?"
"The doctors are still trying to get the toxin out," Wally told him.
"Wally! We need you in here?" doctor Falmer shouted as he opened the door down the hall.
"Get here fast, guys," Wally thought as he ran in the emergency room. He saw that the doctors placed an oxygen mask on Robin. He could hear the pounding of Robin's heart on a machine.
"We need you to try and get him to look at you," Dr. Falmer explained as he grabbed a syringe for the cabinet. "Try to get him to squeeze your hand. That'll tell us if he is at least trying to stay alive. Don't take that the wrong way, please. Can you do this for us?"
"Of course," Wally replied quickly as he grabbed Robin's small hand. "Look at me Richard. Look at me!" Wally could tell that Richard was trying - his hands were shaking violently.
"Come on. Squeeze my hand, bro. Squeeze it and look at me, Richard!" He placed his other hand on the side of the boy's face. Guiding Robin's eyes to his.
Richard's hand suddenly closed around Wally's. He tried to look Wally in the eye, but his eyes were appearing and disappearing. Wally kept on repeating 'squeeze my hand' and 'look at me'. Richard's breathing was out of control.
Batman or Bruce Wayne and the YJ team ran through the hospital doors -after 30 minutes. Bruce asked the girl at the front desk about Richard.
"He's still in the emergency room sir," the girl told him, trying to be calm about it. "Dr. Falmer asked Wally for some help. So he's in there too."
"We have to wait," Kaldur said softly.
"And pray," the girls added.
Hours went by and Bruce wouldn't stop biting his lip to keep the tears from falling. That's when - Wally came staggering out to the waiting room as the sun poked in the hospital.
Artemis ran up to him, "how is he? Are you okay?" she asked.
"I'm... fine," Wally said in between breathes. "They... got..."
"We were able to extract most of the toxin, but there are still traces of it still in his system. We have him on anti-toxin medicine to get the rest," nurse Calson told them. Megan noticed how red Wally's hand was. She figured Robin was squeezing it - in order to tell if he was fighting for his life.
"Can we see him, please?" Bruce asked quickly.
"Of course. Come with me," said the nurse as she walked down the hallway. Bruce and the YJ team followed her closely. They came to a closed door with the room number being C-67.
Once they entered the room, they saw that Robin had an oxygen mask over his nose and mouth. An IV cord in his arm as well as the antitoxin medicine that he needed to survive. He slept on as the team sat down in a few chairs.
Bruce rested his head on the bed next to his ward. Wally placed his hand in Robin's, begging him to wake up. "Come on Rob. You gotta pull through. Please squeeze my hand or something," he thought with his eyes closed.
"Haven't…I… squeezed your… hand enough already?" Robin asked aloud.
Bruce's head shot up and the team looked at the bird. His eyes were half open, looking over at the team and his guardian.
"Oh, my god! Rob you're awake! Dude you had me worried!" Wally shouted in a cheery, relieved tone.
"Re… lax will ya," Robin said weakly as he turned his head towards Bruce. Bruce's eyes told him to stop talking and rest.
Robin nodded as he fell back asleep with a smile. "Thank you."