Torturous Pain

Chapter 2: Therapy

"I just don't get it. How could Robin stay so calm during it all? He was being beat with a crowbar, a crowbar!" That's how it's been for the past week. Wally would just go on about how he didn't understand how Dick handle it. Never would he allow Canary see deeper into him, what he felt during it all. And it was high time that she found out, especially after hearing that Robin was going to make it for sure now.

"Wally. Enough about Robin. Tell me what happen, from your eyes. Everything, not just when Robin was beaten." The blonde interrupted Wally mid-rant about everything. Usually, things would just go silent until Wally just left the room. But thing time was different. Wally sighed as he ran his fingers through his hair. Finally, they were getting somewhere. Wally was going to open up about it.

Wally's POV

Mission: Track Joker

Team: Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis and Zatanna. Until they meet up with Batman.

Leader: Robin

I was so happy for Robin. Finally, he got to be leader of the Team. Even if it wasn't all of us, it was be big deal for him. Especially since Batman was trusting him with tracking the Joker. Though Batman stressed it that we were only to track Joker's movements. Never to be in sight, nor to engage the mad man. Whatever, it was a mission and we were going to do it.

When we got to Gotham, Robin refused for us to truly separate. Just only a little bit, but we were mostly together. And it was so boring, just going back and forth from Gotham to Blüdhaven. We weren't getting any action! Robin even yelled at me when I suggested we just take Joker down ourselves. No need to be touchy. I get it, Joker is his and Batman's villain, but it doesn't mean no one else can't take him down.

But things changed when we were on our way back to Gotham again. There was a strange laugh, a female laugh. The next thing I knew, Robin was smacked in the back of the head with her mallet. He hit the rooftop hard. My stomach felt sick when I saw the blood already staining the rooftop.

"Oopies, birdie fell down." The woman said. She was dressed in a red and black jester outfit, and she had her face painted white. Who the heck was she? "Lets see 'ere. Kiddie Flash, Arrow girl and uh … Vegas show girl?"

"It's Kid Flash!"

"It's Artemis!"

"It's Zatanna!"

We all seemed to yell at the same time, but the woman didn't care. She simply just shrugged her shoulders. "I dun care. Mist'ah J want y'all though. So, are we gonna do this teh easy way or teh fun way?" She asked us with some accent that I didn't know. Honestly, there aren't many females that scare me. But this lady, she did. Especially when she had that same sickening grin as Joker.

I swear, we tried to fight her, but she just knew how to take us out. Artemis' arrows were useless. The jester-lady just broke them all with her mallet. That's when I decided to do something, but … Well, I don't know how exactly, but when I got close to her, her mallet and my chest met. I think I hit my head on a wall or something. Everything was just black then.

When I woke, it wasn't pleasant. Joker decided it would be "funny" to wake me up by breaking my legs with a baseball bat. It hurt, it hurt like hell. I can't remember if I screamed, I probably did. I don't know what scared me more; The Joker in my face or the fact if I ever got loose, I couldn't run.

"Well, well wellllllll. Boy Flash has woken up! The first one too. You see, boyo, your lady friends are still sleeping." He said so … so … I don't know! He wasn't treating it like he had just broken my legs! Then he threaten Artemis and Zatanna, I hadn't even realized that they were hanging next to me. I didn't realize I was even hanging. We were just hanging there, with our hand cuffed above our heads.

I glared at Joker, trying to seem unafraid, though I just wanted to shit myself. "Don't touch them, Clown. Not like you can actually do anything. Everyone knows your bark is worse than your bite." Well, that last part was obviously a lie, and Joker didn't like it at all. He has the best left hook I've ever felt. Then he punched me again. Really didn't help that I had slammed into a wall or something earlier.

"Oh, Mist'ah J! Teh girlies have woken up." The crazy jester-lady said. I didn't even know she was in the room. How could I with Joker in my face? When he moved away, I saw her. Still in her jester suit and smiling at us. She was leaning again the back of a chair. The chair had Robin in it. God, he looked so limp. His head just hung down.

"Rob ..." But he didn't answer. I hoped like hell that he was still alive. I've never seen anyone so limp before. If it wasn't for the rope across his chest, he would have fallen right out of it. I fought against the handcuffs, which only earned me another punch across the face.

"Wally," Canary stopped him. "That's enough for today." She said and reach over to wipe away the tears from his eyes. The rest she could get from Artemis or Zatanna. It was no secret that Wally and Robin were best friends. She didn't need to make him relive the experience anymore. The teen just simply nodded. She wheeled him out of the therapy room to the living room. He needed to be surrounded by friends.

Artemis went right to Wally's side and began to comfort him. It was clear to see the love between them. They had been dating since they were Robin's age. Two years, that's a long time to be with someone at their age and in their business. Canary knew that all too well. Seeing at Artemis was busy with Wally, and Zatanna wasn't around, she was going to spend some time with Green Arrow. It had been a while since those two have been a lone together.

It was a week before Artemis came to Canary. There was still no new about Robin, and it was taking a toll on everyone. Batman had even gone missing from Gotham. Green Arrow, Superman and The Flash were all taking turns with patrolling the dark city. Artemis decided that it was time for her tell her view of what had happened.

Artemis' POV

Mission: Track Joker

Team: Robin, Kid Flash, Artemis and Zatanna, until meet up with Batman.

Leader: Robin

After both Wally and Robin were knocked out, it just left Zatanna and I against the jester woman. My arrows were pretty much useless since she had a huge ass mallet-hammer-thing. Well, until Zatanna used one of her backwards spells and made it disappear. Though I wish Zee didn't wait until the jester was so close. There was a sickening pop then Zatanna was knock out cold. The pop was her shoulder being dislocated.

I shot an arrow at her, but she dodged it and went out of sight. I spun around looking for her. It was one on one now, but she did just take out the rest of my team. It was scary, to be the only one left. Letting my fear get to me was probably what lead to my capture. All of our captures. I had hesitated, and the woman got the upper hand.

She was behind me. Not only did I feel a chill up my spine, I felt a chill across my stomach then warmth. She had cut me and before I could even react, everything when black. It stayed like that until a noise had woken me. The place they had taken us to was cold, and not that big. It was obvious before Joker even said it he wanted to teach us a lesson that there was going to be a "show". And the show was Robin. I tried to remember what my parents had taught me about torture. But, it's hard when one of your best friends is tied up in front of you. Even harder when they are being beaten with a crowbar.

"I … if I had just been stronger. If I hadn't choked, none of that would have happened." Artemis spoke. Obviously not going to replay what had happened anymore. She was just putting the blame on herself. "Other than Robin, I have the most experience on the team! Hell, my parents our villains, how could I have been bested so easily?" It was no secret who Artemis' parents were anymore. No one held it against the blonde for her family's life choices.

Canary leaned over and placed a hand on her shoulder. They all have been through so much, she was grateful to be let in so much. To get to know that Artemis does get scared. That's not an easy thing to admit. For any of them. There were times that Canary herself felt scared, and only her husband knew about some of those times. No one knows everything. That just it work out as a Hero. There was always something unknown.

As if Batman knew when everyone was going to be gathered in the main compound of Mount Justice for a debriefing, he zeta-tube in. Everyone turned to him. Almost expecting bad news until they hear; Recognized Robin; B01.

The teen limped into the room. It had been two weeks since any of them had seen him. If it wasn't for the sling that held his broken arm, they all would have rushed over to hug him. It was obvious in the air that Robin wasn't the same Boy Wonder anymore. His sunglasses still covered his eyes, but the rest of his face was revealed. The bruises were slowly healing, a faded blue color now. His busted lip and eyebrow have scabbed over. He also had a walk cast/boot on his leg.

But the important thing was; Robin was alive.