To answer a question from an anonymous reviewer: second person is when you use 'you' instead of 'I' or 'he/she'. I is first person and he/she is third, which I expect you know but mayzwell be thorough, right?
Also, the mood may or may not begin changing this chapter. It may be next chapter. Or the one after. Yeah. That's not on purpose but I couldn't fix it myself so I just kind of gave up.
It's ridiculously easy to stop Zucco. In your nightmares, he's become the boogie monster, worse than the Joker, even though Batman put him away long ago. It's an eye-opener, how easy it is to knock him out: knee to the groin and a pressure point and he's gone. For a second, you want to do more, you want to kill him for what he's done, and it scares you. But you take deep breaths (he hasn't done it yet, they're still alive, they're still alive) and you simply spit in his face. Mean, but not cruel.
And that's it. Nothing more. You tie him up and drop him outside the police station, and you're done. For a second you just there, wondering "What now?" Finally, you wonder what the world's like, now that you've done this, and you smile. You set your pocket watch to your time, press the button, and you're back.
You start typing on your specialized wrist computer immediately, searching out names.
And that's when you finally realize something is wrong.
Wally West gives you a few articles on a boy in Keystone City who won the state science fair several years in a row, apparently a genius in chemicals. And nothing in Batman's archives. You begin to get a feeling of impending doom and a quick search of "Kid Flash" reveals nothing except some speculations by gossip articles on whether Flash has a kid.
Miss Martian? More gossip on whether there's a "Miss" Martian Manhunter. Megan Morse gets hits but none of them are your Megan Morse. Artemis gives you a few websites dedicated to the goddess, a few to some book you don't care about... Basically, nothing, and this seems to be the trend. Roy – nothing, Kaldur – nothing, Superboy – nothing.
The feeling of impending doom has expanded and twisted into certainty, and you have an extremely bad feeling as you search "Dick Grayson".
There's a whole bunch of articles on the amazing Flying Graysons and especially their youngest member, Dick Grayson, and a tight feeling inside you eases just a little. Then you search "Robin".
Nothing. Freaking nothing. You're not quite sure what you expected, but somehow, this isn't it. You thought... somehow... you would become Robin anyway, even though...
But no. It all makes perfect sense, doesn't it? Batman doesn't adopt Dick Grayson because he doesn't need to be adopted. Without one of the unofficial leaders of the League starting the sidekick trend (since Superman obviously isn't going to do it) no one else tries. Speedy never got (basically) adopted. Kaldur never got a chance to see the surface world. Wally... well, maybe Flash was a bit tighter with the info about his accident. Miss Martian never got to see Earth, Artemis might very well be still under her father's control. And Superboy... oh god, what happened to Superboy? Do you even want to know?
This can't... you can't... you can't let the world be this messed up. You set the clock back to that date again, and with hard eyes you press the button.
Then you get there. And you realize... you can't do this. You just saved them, and maybe it's selfish (it is) but you can't kill them again this soon. You just can't.
Choking back a sob, you watch yourself – that was me just a minute ago – knock out Zucco and you try to think. Your mind is fuzzy and it shouldn't be – you've been trained by the Batman, your mind isn't fuzzy, ever. But it is now.
Finally, finally, you think of the answer. Someone else. You don't have to be Robin, necessarily, there just has to be a Robin. Not you. Just someone.
But you have to find someone who can do it.
Fate must be in a good mood today, because at exactly that moment, you run into Robin.
You just don't know it yet.
