'Hush little baby.'
What the..? What is that voice?
'Don't say a word.'
Where is that voice coming from? And why is it so dark? Am I.. asleep?
'When the bough breaks, the cradle will fall.'
I force my eyes open and glance around. I still have my mask on and my Robin outfit. Good. I glance up. My hands are tied above me and I seem to be in a cage with metal bars. Not feeling the aster. I look down and start to feel nauseous.
'And down will come baby, cradle and all.'
I'm so high in the air. I look up again. The cage isn't very secure. The rope that's wrapped around my wrists is laced through the top part of the cage. It seems to be the only thing keeping the cage up. If I do anything to try to free myself, the cage will fall.
'Who saw him die? I, said the Fly.'
I shudder at the voice. It seems familiar, but I don't know where I've heard it before. It's not Joker, though this seems like something he would do. I can't even be sure it's a villain. I try to carefully turn myself around. I want to know where that voice is coming from.
'With my little eye, I saw him die.'
Of course there's a speaker set up in the corner of the cage. The blinking red light next to it must mean whoever it is is recording my every move. I glance down to look for my belt. It's gone. Not very surprising that the person or people would disarm me before shoving me in here and tying me up so high above the city. Is that even a city down there? I really can't tell. It's hard, if not impossible to make out anything in the thick darkness.
'I see my little bird is awake.'
'My little bird'? Villains have called me little bird before, but I don't think any have called me their little bird. Just who is this guy?
'Confusion is not a good look on you. Any emotions aren't good for you.'
I glare toward the camera. I don't know who this is, but I don't like them. Not one bit. I open my mouth, about to say something when I feel the cage jerk and start swinging. I wrap my hands around the rope above me and close my eyes, trying to keep from screaming out. I can tell it's going to fall. I'm going to fall to my death and there's nothing I can do about it. I doubt my team even knows where I am. I don't even know where I am.
'You weren't paying attention. I said not to say a word.'
An eerie laughter comes from the speaker, causing me to cringe. I look up. The cage is still swaying, but the rope seems intact. I turn around again, making sure my back is to that camera as I check the other corners of the cage. Every corner has a camera, some hidden better than others.
'Good. Now that you've decided to behave, I can show you something.'
Whatever it is, I don't want to see it. I want to tell the voice that, but I can't. I don't want to fall. I can't fall. I'd let everyone down. I'd let Batman down. I swallow and wait as a screen folds out from the bars. At first, all that shows up is static. Then the static gets louder.
'Who do you want to see first?'
I choose a camera and glare at it. That laugh comes through the speakers like before.
'Why choose when you can see all at once?'
The screen split into seven different videos. All the members of Young Justice, including Roy, were in cages just like him. He couldn't hear anything, but could tell Kid Flash had started to talk and his rope was cut, dropping him down to whatever was below them. Next was Zatanna. She tried to say a spell to free her, but the rope was cut seconds before she could finish, cutting off her concentration, sending her straight down to her doom. Roy was the next to go. He tried to cut his own rope, realizing only as he cut it the mistake he had made.
'Do you like this, Robin? Does this make you want revenge?'
I shake my head, even though I want to kill this man more than anything. Megan is the next to drop. A sob escapes her lips during her descent. Conner must've seen or at least heard this. His reaction was pure rage and he was sent down after her.
Artemis tried to swing and position herself in a way that would keep the cage from falling if anything happened to the rope. She cuts the rope off her wrists and holds the bars above her. She seems to have something figured out. She might actually be able to escape. That's when a look of pure fear enters her face and the rope above her is cut.
'Your team is gone. What will you do now?'
I look at the screen again. Kaldur is still in the cage. I glare at the camera then glance to the screen. My team isn't all gone. Kaldur, Aqualad is still left. Our leader can think of a way out of this. I can think of a way out of this and save at least us.
'A small oversight.'
With that, the rope is cut to Kaldur's cage, leaving him to fall as well. With my whole team gone, I have no hope of getting out of this alive. I'm not even sure if I want to. I muster up all the courage I have to ask the only question on my mind. "Who are you?"
The screen changes to a room where a dark figure is sitting. My mouth drops. Batman. It's Batman. Staring at me through the screen.
'I thought you would know my voice by now. I'm ashamed, Dick.'
I cringe and look away as he says my name. My real name. How can he do this? Why? I look over, about to ask when I feel the rope being cut above me. The last thing I see as I'm falling is Batman's face. Laughing. He's laughing at me.
I wake up screaming, tears streaming down my face behind my sunglasses. I keep my eyes pried open, staring at the ceiling, then the TV in front of me. I gasp and try to catch my breath, now trembling. I feel an arm on my shoulder and look to my side.
It's Wally. He looks concerned. I can feel myself trying to regulate my breathing, trying not to cry anymore but I can't stop the tears, the fear.
"Robin, are you alright?" I turn to the voice. It's Kaldur. He looks more worried than I'd ever seen him before.
I take a moment to look around the room. Everyone's there. Everyone's alive. I slowly sigh as I calm myself down and take in my surroundings. I nod and shake my head, attempting to talk normally. "I'm fine. Just a dream." It comes out cracked, very unconfident.
Before they can ask anymore questions, the computer announces Batman's arrival. I feel a sense of dread come over me as he walks into the room. He opens his mouth to tell us something then stops as his gaze sets on mine.
"Suit up and meet me in five," he says as he motions everyone but me away. He stares at me for a while before asking, "What was it this time?"
I briefly explain it and before I know it, I'm hugging him. He pats me on the head and hugs back, reassuring that it's just a dream and that would never happen. He breaks off the hug and motions for me to suit up.
To this day, I still can't shake that feeling of fear, though I try my best to suppress it.
