A/N: I have written two versions of this story; they are almost exactly the same until the middle of Chapter 11. This one is the "lighter" of the two, although it depends on your definition of that concept. But I can definitely tell you that the other version is "darker". So, if you want something "darker", don't read this one. Or, if you don't care either way and like repetition in a story, read both! ;-) Thanks to all my readers for continuing to give me feedback, ideas and suggestions!
Also, thanks to TooManyFandomsandSmolBeans, Blas, Carl, Batman Dude, Owan, Ashie and Carrie for your reviews of "Glimpse"!
Finally, thanks to Blas, Owan, Carl, Theweirdpartyer and Carrie for your reviews of "Robin's Bad Night"!
As usual, Batman and Robin are loosely based off the 1960s TV show but go back and forth between genres and are sometimes completely out of any characterization. I write it the way it enters my head, which is not always "historically" accurate. Italics usually represent thoughts to oneself but are sometimes used to add emphasis. Thanks for reading!
Prologue:
Kirik was on the ground, Bat-cuffs tight around his wrists and ankles. He glared at the sidekick, who was huddled in a ball less than five feet away and smirking at him. Don't look so smug, Boy Wonder, we're not done yet. Next time there won't be any traitorous henchmen or heroic Batman. It'll be me and you, far away from here in a place that nobody will ever be able to find. I will break you, Robin, even if it takes the rest of my life….
Chapter 1:
14 months later
"Robin, go, don't wait for me, just…go…" Batman was gasping as he ordered his partner away from the gas billowing throughout the small room.
"I'm not leaving you, Batman, so save your breath!" Robin shouted in reply, searching through the fog for his partner. He was unexpectedly hit with a serious sense of déjà vu but decided that it was just the fumes fooling around with his brain.
"Go…" Batman whispered as he began following the black snakes that invaded his head.
Robin's eyes were burning and his vision was darkening. He had to find Batman and get them out of here but he couldn't see or hear anything anymore. Abruptly, he lost his fight with the gas and, just before slipping into darkness, heard a vaguely familiar voice:
"I'm back, Robin, and this time you will break."
Kirik grinned from the safety of the warehouse manager's office. The second version of the drug he had previously used on the Dynamic Duo was much more powerful than the first. Robin hadn't even had time to find Batman, much less try to rescue him. Allowing his drug to be tinkered with during his last two months in Arkham was paying off – even though the tinkering had been done by someone else.
Two months ago:
Security had become relatively lax around the prisoner who, so far, had posed no threat. His behavior and obedience gave the guards no reason to suspect anything was amiss. The man had been in maximum security at Arkham for a year and Warden Crichton had decided to allow him to begin to mingle with a few other prisoners. The warden was working on a rehabilitation program and social interaction was an important part of that. Only two or three criminals were allowed to be together at any one time and their activities were closely monitored.
And so it was on a sunny, Thursday afternoon that the man known as Kirik was allowed to freely roam around the narrow but lengthy maximum security prison yard with the villain known as Scarecrow strolling beside him. Wispy, white clouds occasionally drifted across the bright sun and the only place to stay relatively cool was in the shade under the tall, heavily guarded tower in the northwest corner of the enclosure. It also happened to be the only blind spot in the entirety of Arkham – a small oversight by the security company that had been contracted to install the video cameras, microphones and other such equipment. Scarecrow, having been in the program for almost eight months, knew this. Kirik, never having been allowed more than a few yards away from the prison door, did not.
It was by lucky happenstance that these two men had been chosen to interact with each other on that particular day and Kirik intended to take advantage of it. He wanted to find out more about the man that everyone called "the master of fear". Well, to be honest, he wanted to find out more about the drugs that the man was famous for creating.
Glancing sideways at the man beside him, Scarecrow inquired, "Are you warm? There is an excellent shady spot on the other side of the yard." The slight emphasis on that specific word hinted at something and Kirik nodded without looking at him.
They sauntered nonchalantly toward the sheltered corner and, upon their arrival, Scarecrow asked, "Do you know what a 'blind spot' is, Kirik?"
Kirik was startled that the man knew his name. Looking straight into Scarecrow's eyes, Kirik replied, "Yes, but I have yet to find one in this place." He swept his left arm toward the forbidding prison walls to demonstrate his point.
"Welcome to the blind spot," Scarecrow grinned as he sat down on the prickly, weedy grass. Patting the patch of yellow beside him, he continued, "I've heard about your exploits with the Caped Crusaders but I don't know all the details. Would you like to fill me in? Maybe I have something that can help you in your quest for revenge. I'm assuming that's why you are almost always by yourself with that brooding expression – your mind is occupied with finding ways to seek revenge."
Carefully avoiding the stickers on his left side, Kirik grumbled, "Isn't everybody?" and joined the villain on the ground. He was going to start at the beginning of the long story but Scarecrow quickly shook his head when he realized what was about to happen.
"The short version, if you please. We don't have all day out here and we don't want to be out of sight for very long." Scarecrow sighed in disappointment as he stated, "Every four or five minutes we need to get up and take a walk to keep this area safe from the warden's knowledge."
Kirik nodded again and gave him the short version, leaving out the most embarrassing details – like his broken nose and being run down by a boy with a fractured leg. The kid who was no longer supposed to be a hero.
"Robin," Scarecrow laughed. "Many people have tried many things and now you are included in that group. He's called the 'Boy Wonder' for a reason, you know. Well, of course you know now," he chuckled as he stood up.
The other man took the hint and arose. Together they walked across the yard and talked about nothing. After a few minutes of collecting sweat on their clothes, they meandered back to the cozy corner and sat down again.
"I have to take him down!" Kirik immediately growled and Scarecrow held up his hand.
"As I said before, I may be able to help you," the man smiled. "I have connections with many other villains. Most of us are in and out of here at least two or three times a year. You, however, are a newbie and know nothing about anything. So, instead of grumbling about failure, just listen."
"Two or three times a year?" Kirik was confused.
The master of fear laughed again, "I forget that you are very new to Gotham City. We escape, the Dynamic Duo catches us, we escape and the cycle continues."
Kirik was staring at him in astonishment and Scarecrow shook his head. "You really don't know anything about them, do you?"
"Well…I…" Kirik sputtered, trying to prove himself to the villain, "I did my research!"
"Research?" Scarecrow rolled his eyes. "There is no 'research' that can prepare you for a confrontation with Batman and Robin! There is nothing like meeting them in real life, until you do. Shall we stroll?"
Reluctantly, they stood up and ambled around, a little slower than they had before.
"Slow walking equals the ability to chat for a longer period of time," Scarecrow's voice was low and his mouth wasn't even moving.
Back to the corner they went and this time Kirik plopped onto the ground, frustrated. If this man, and all the other dangerous villains in this prison, couldn't do anything to defeat Robin, why should he expect himself to do any better? His plan had been foolproof last year and still it had failed.
"You want to know his greatest weakness…or am I incorrect in my thinking?" Scarecrow interrupted Kirik's depressing thoughts. The latter villain stared at the former for a moment.
"No, you're right," he mumbled. How did this man know so much about him?
"Somehow he can withstand an abnormal amount of physical pain for such a young boy. It gets to him, of course, but he won't be sobbing or begging you to stop until, maybe, all the bones in his little body are broken. I don't know; nobody has ever been able to do it. Joker has gone far enough to make tears stream down the boy's face and cries of pain escape from his mouth but the kid didn't even come close to giving up. Trust me, Joker would brag about it every day if he had been able to make Robin beg for mercy or finally decide to surrender."
Kirik growled and replied, "Apparently he can make it through four days of mental pain, also, because I piled that on thick. I've never not broken someone but he just kept running his mouth and smirking and…" he trailed off as memories of his failure filled his mind.
"What about Batman?" Scarecrow asked and Kirik frowned.
"What do you mean?"
"You told me that Batman was there with him, watching everything that was happening and continually working to escape. Don't you think that might have helped Robin? Having his partner there to keep his spirits up?" Scarecrow was genuinely curious about Kirik's decision to have both heroes in the same room but only trying to break one of them.
"It was part of the plan," Kirik grumbled. "I thought having Batman watch him fail or beg or something would break him quicker."
"Well, that certainly didn't happen, did it?" Scarecrow laughed as he rose for the third time in fifteen minutes. Kirik rolled his eyes and they went for a walk.
From a window opposite the shaded area of the yard, a tall guard with shockingly bright red hair and biceps the size of large baseballs was watching the duo. He knew about the blind spot, he was the one that had made sure it was there. He was baffled, however, by Scarecrow's interest in the new guy. The rookie prisoner obviously wasn't a real villain; the guard had never even heard the name "Kirik".
Shrugging, the big man walked down the gray-walled hall and turned right, heading to the medical wing. A prisoner had been slightly nauseous since yesterday morning, although not enough to require a bed in the infirmary. As a result, the nurse was currently in minimum-security cell block G, dispensing some medication. Both beds were empty; the guard had the room to himself so he began grabbing ingredients and supplies. If Scarecrow wanted the new guy out, the red-haired man would make sure he got out. Carefully putting everything back the way it was, with a few things missing, the guard walked out of the medical room and went to take his lunch break. It would soon be time to make the sleeping drug again.
"So," Scarecrow continued as they sat down again, "what about Batman?"
Kirik raised his eyebrows; they had just talked about this. "Like I said," there was a touch of frustration in his voice, "I thought it would break him quicker."
"That's not what I mean, newbie. Think about it for a minute. What. About. Batman?"
There was a long pause as Kirik stared at the ground and thought about the older half of the Dynamic Duo. He was stronger, smarter, better and more resilient than the younger half in every way. So why was Scarecrow asking about him? If Kirik couldn't break the sidekick, why would the villain think he could take down the actual hero?
Scarecrow rolled his eyes and sighed. Was he really going to help this guy escape? The man couldn't even figure out what he was talking about!
"I'm not telling you that you should try to take out Batman," the villain read the other man's expression perfectly and was disappointed. "Think harder. Do they have a connection, a bond with each other?"
Suddenly, the lightbulb in his head flipped on and Kirik got it. He looked up at Scarecrow and asked, "Batman is his biggest weakness?" Confident that his question was actually the answer, Kirik slowly began to grin as they stood up again.
Finally! Scarecrow nodded in relief and they ambled around quickly this time. "You want Robin? I can get you out of here," Scarecrow said when they returned to the blind spot. "I can also improve your little gas substance, knock the Boy Wonder out after only a minute or two as opposed to the five that it took last time you used it on him."
"How did you..." Kirik began to ask but Scarecrow held up his right hand.
"You'd be surprised at the things we find out about in this place. Now, do you want to get out or not?"
"Yes, of course, but how is that going to happen? And, since this is the only blind spot, where are we going to work on my drug? And…"
He was interrupted again. "Details, minor details," Scarecrow replied. "Leave everything to me. I do need to know the ingredients in your formula, though. And it won't be 'we' working on it. I work alone when it comes to drugs. If you want to get out, and get to Robin, you do it my way. Are we clear?"
Kirik was a little disappointed that he wouldn't be able to tinker with his own drug but he nodded. "As a bell," he answered. "How will I know when it's time?" The excitement began to overrule the disappointment and he was suddenly shaking in anticipation.
"Calm down, newbie," Scarecrow rolled his eyes again. "It's not going to happen tomorrow! These things take time and patience. So, now is a good time to practice your patience skills, especially since you will be attempting to break the Boy Wonder. Many have tried to get to Batman through Robin but I've never heard of anyone trying to get to Robin through Batman. It should be interesting. I'll be watching carefully so don't disappoint me. Actually," he grinned while pointing to the windows high above them, "don't disappoint us."
Kirik glanced up and saw a plethora of faces glaring down at them from the windows in the maximum-security section. A slight shudder ran down his body when he thought of what the crazy villains in Arkham might do to him if they were "disappointed".