A/N: Thanks for the reviews Blas, Batman Dude, Owan, Carl and Ashie!
I forgot to mention that there are tiny references to several other stories throughout this entire story. However, it's not necessary to read any of the others (except, of course, "Redefining Robin"). You should, though. ;)
Chapter 2:
Present time:
Kirik didn't have his gas-retriever this time so he waited for the smoke to dissipate before putting on a mask and quickly striding to the unconscious body of the Boy Wonder. A quiet laugh escaped from his mouth when he realized that Robin had dropped to the ground three feet away from Batman. What was it with the kid and giving up three feet away from his intended target? There would be no pictures of his failures this time; Robin had overcome everything Kirik had thrown at him before. He bent down, grabbed the limp form of the sidekick and flipped it over his left shoulder.
"Goodbye, Batman," Kirik whispered then turned and walked out the door without looking back. Sliding the boy's body into the backseat of his inconspicuous brown sedan, the villain grabbed a small device out of his back pocket. He pressed the blue button on the side and waited, listening carefully.
A large fan inside the small building began to spin and soon the dust on the floor was flying everywhere. The button was pushed again, the noise faded, the speed of the fan decreased and the dust began to settle. Kirik grinned; now there would be no trail for Batman to follow.
Seventeen minutes later:
Batman awoke with a groan of pain and a nauseating headache. He put a hand on his head and carefully sat up. What happened? Sweeping the room with his eyes, he slowly stood and searched his brain for any recent memories. Robin, where's Robin?
"Robin!" he tried to shout but his throat was dry and his voice sounded scratchy. An image of a masked figure floated through his brain and Batman remembered hearing the voice of his young partner, yelling at him to save his breath. That seemed familiar but he couldn't figure out why.
Beep beep. The short sound of his Bat-communicator startled him and he grabbed it out of his utility belt.
"Batman here," he said sharply.
"An urgent message from Commissioner Gordon, sir," Alfred was careful not to use any identifying words. "He wants you to call him right away."
A feeling of dread settled into Batman's chest. "What is it about?"
"I was not given a detailed account, sir. Commissioner Gordon wished to speak to you, and only you, about it."
"Yes, of course," Batman growled.
"Only you, sir," Alfred paused and cleared his throat. "The commissioner strongly emphasized that word, which I assume implies that he does not want your young partner to hear whatever it is he has to tell you, sir."
Batman briefly pondered the implication. Why would the commissioner want to keep a secret from Robin? Setting that thought aside for now, the hero replied, "Unfortunately, it might not be difficult to honor that request. We were knocked out – some sort of gas – almost immediately after we entered the building. I just woke up and I don't see Robin anywhere but I haven't had a chance to look around yet."
"Perhaps, sir, after you have finished your search…" Alfred's worried request was interrupted.
"I'll call you either way. Batman out."
The warehouse the Dynamic Duo had obviously been tricked into investigating consisted of one square room and a manager's office. There was an oversized fan in the corner by the back door but no crates, machines or anything else of importance. It didn't take long for Batman to complete a thorough sweep of the area. There were no places to hide anything except the miniature office and that only contained a large, metal filing cabinet. He opened each drawer, even though they were too short for even Robin's small body, only to discover that they were all empty.
No Robin, not even a sign of Robin. No blood, no trail of footprints appearing on the dirt of the cement floor, nothing. Batman called Alfred as he raced to the Batmobile and reported his finding – well, lack thereof – then picked up the extension of the Batphone. The commissioner was slow to answer and Batman began impatiently drumming his fingers on the dashboard of the Batmobile.
"Batman, thank heavens! I..." it was the commissioner's turn to be interrupted by the Caped Crusader.
"Details please, Commissioner," Batman demanded.
Commissioner Gordon was a little surprised by the urgency in Batman's voice. Did the hero already have the information about the man who had escaped, the man who had almost taken Robin out of the hero business a little over a year ago? The commissioner didn't know all the details of that incident; it was obvious that Batman had left some out of the story he had told the police. However, the expressions and body language of the younger half of the Dynamic Duo had made it relatively easy to fill in the gaps.
The Boy Wonder had been quiet – that by itself was unusual. The easygoing grin that usually resided on his face had disappeared. Instead, there was a noticeable frown of what could only be described as despair. The sparkling blue eyes that were constantly radiating energy had been replaced by gray circles full of regret. The young crime-fighter, who was always standing tall and proud, had looked like a lost little boy in a room full of adults.
Whatever had happened at that cabin, though, Robin had been strong enough to overcome it. The boy had proven that when he had chased down the villain while running on a fractured leg and bleeding from a knife wound in his side. The commissioner remembered the shocked look on Chief O'Hara's face when he was describing the scene behind the station. Robin had taken off before Batman had even risen from the curb of the sidewalk! How the Boy Wonder could fit all that strength and determination into that little body would forever be a mystery to every member of the Gotham City Police Department.
Commissioner Gordon hoped that the Caped Crusaders were sitting in the Batmobile together, both of them safe and sound. He also hoped that the man who usually answered the Batphone had recognized why the commissioner had emphasized the word "only".
"Commissioner!" Batman yelled, anger lacing the tinge of concern in his tone. "Before you tell me what's going on, please explain to me why you don't want Robin to hear this conversation!" The hero's voice became somewhat defensive as he declared, "My partner is perfectly capable of understanding whatever it is you are planning to say!"
"Sorry, Batman," Commissioner Gordon shook himself out of his thoughts. The message had been passed on and the commissioner was relieved. "This is something I thought Robin might need to hear from you."
The slight feeling of dread in Batman's chest swiftly turned into a small ball of apprehension when he heard that statement.
"Do you remember the criminal known as Kirik?" the commissioner continued.
"How could I forget?" Batman growled.
"He escaped from Arkham and, of course, there were no witnesses."
"What?!" Batman was stunned. "He was in maximum security…how…when?" he demanded.
"Yesterday, nobody knows the exact timeline," the commissioner's voice was tight with concern. "Please tell me that Robin is with you."
The answer was the sound of a dial tone and Commissioner Gordon hung up the bright red phone, distress in his eyes. "The Boy Wonder is missing and Batman will rightfully be focused on finding him. Gotham City is on its own. Heaven help us all," he whispered.
Ten days ago:
The shady spot under the guard tower was once again occupied by two men who had become well acquainted during the last two months.
"It's ready," Scarecrow grinned as he handed a small canister to Kirik. "Don't open it unless you want Robin's fate to be your own instead!" he exclaimed when the other man began twisting the top.
Kirik scowled. How was he going to know it was really in there if he couldn't check it? Scarecrow was, after all, a villain. "Am I supposed to just trust you?" he asked skeptically.
"After all my hard work, you are going to insult me by asking that question?!" Scarecrow nearly yelled. "Why would I improve your formula and allow you to leave if it would immediately result in your capture?! You are going after Robin and Batman gets really irritated when his sidekick is hurt. Do you think you would last through an interrogation by Batman?! That's what will happen when he finds you and, through you, he will get to me. Anyone who has helped you in any way will face serious consequences."
Rolling his eyes, Kirik replied, "Are you afraid of Batman? I beat him before…"
Scarecrow quickly interrupted him. "Afraid? No. I would say…hesitant to be on the receiving end of his irritation. Especially when he's feeling that way because something happened to Robin. And no, you didn't beat Batman before; you worked on him. Actually, it wasn't even him that you worked on. Batman is stronger than Robin and you couldn't even break the kid!"
Kirik narrowed his eyes. "Now who is the one doing the insulting?" he inquired in a low, dangerous voice.
It was Scarecrow's turn to roll his eyes. "Okay, let's both just take a breath. You want Robin, I'm helping you get to him. Or are you going to give up because I won't let you open that container?"
Growling in irritation, Kirik replied, "Of course I don't want to give up." There was a long pause and Scarecrow glared at the man expectantly.
Kirik swallowed his pride; the man was, after all, helping him reach his goal. "Sorry," he mumbled, the word laced with frustration.
"Okay," Scarecrow replied with a slight grin. "Now, since I'm helping you, I think you owe me a favor. Don't you agree?"
Rolling his eyes again, mentally this time, Kirik nodded his head. "What do you want?"
"I don't know yet," the veteran villain replied, "but I'll think of something." Abruptly changing the subject, he asked, "Do you want Robin to die?" Everyone wanted Batman dead but Scarecrow didn't know anybody who wanted the sidekick dead. Except, of course, Joker.
Shaking his head, Kirik replied, "I don't want him to die. I want him to give up, to realize that he's not strong enough to be a 'hero'. I want him to have to live with that knowledge for the rest of his pathetic little life." The man grinned as he pictured a broken Robin asking Batman to forgive him because of his weakness.
"Well, I think it's settled then. In exactly eight days, at exactly one fifteen in the morning, all the guards in your cell block will decide to take a nap. Except for a muscular, red-haired one; he will 'accidentally' open your cell door and 'unintentionally' lead you to an air vent that will take you to a service tunnel. It's several miles long and ends in the middle of nowhere. After that, you're on your own. You won't see me again; until I escape or you're back in here, anyway." Grinning, and without another word, the villain turned and walked away.
Kirik held up the canister in his right hand. Staring gleefully at the object, he whispered, "I'm coming, Robin!"
Present time:
Batman hung up the Batphone, in shock and furious. Robin was going to receive the consequences of Warden Crichton's obviously lax security precautions. Kirik had taken his partner to the edge of his limits and now had the ability to try it again. Batman was sure that the villain would be working by himself; Kirik wouldn't risk losing his chance at revenge by hiring henchmen who could betray him. The almost-forgotten events of last year were suddenly as fresh as the rain that was now drenching him as he sat in the Batmobile.
As so often happened when Robin was kidnapped, Batman had no clues or trails to follow. There was a possibility that this villain was more dangerous to the Boy Wonder than even Joker, whose very name brought a slight shudder to his partner's body. Kirik had come incredibly close to reaching his goal the first time he had held the young hero captive. The man undoubtedly wouldn't try the same things he had done before. He also probably had more, perhaps even better, information after being in Arkham with dangerous villains for over a year. Villains who knew Robin well – Joker, Riddler, Two-Face, Penguin and the list went on.
Batman had confidence in his partner but was still worried. Almost as worried as he had been the first time Robin had been taken. The teenager was strong, there was no doubt about that, and Batman hoped that the Boy Wonder was strong enough to last through whatever was about to happen.
"Wake up, sidekick!" Kirik yelled, annoyed that Robin was still unconscious three hours after the gas had knocked him out.
Robin stirred at the noise and carefully moved his head from side to side. Why did the voice sound only vaguely familiar? He was usually kidnapped by a big-time villain who was trying to get to Batman through him but this voice didn't belong to any of them. The Boy Wonder opened his eyes and saw a cement floor so he lifted his head. There was a dark, slightly blurry face in front of him that he didn't recognize.
Kirik saw the confusion on Robin's face and rolled his eyes in irritation. Either the kid didn't remember him or he was still disoriented from the strong – perhaps a little too strong – gas. He grabbed Robin's chin and roughly shook the boy's head, hoping it would clear his vision.
Robin blinked several times and the blur turned into a face that he had been trying to forget for over a year. A look of alarm flashed through his eyes and panic began gnawing at the edges of his brain. Kirik, who had replaced Joker in several of Robin's nightmares, had somehow escaped maximum security at Arkham and there was no doubt in Robin's mind that the man was working alone this time.
Kirik was smirking at Robin, staring into his eyes and challenging him to try to escape. He saw the recognition followed by the flicker of anxiety and his smirk grew into a grin. The sidekick did remember him and his emotions were already being affected by the situation.
Robin was yelling at himself to get over the fear when he saw the smirk so he met it with one of his own. Kirik would have an advantage if he knew how Robin felt and the Boy Wonder wasn't going to allow that. He stared straight into the man's eyes and began mentally taking stock of his condition.
It was obvious that he was hanging from something, probably the ceiling. His arms were stretched over his head and he could feel at least two cable ties wrapped tightly around his wrists. They were cutting into his skin, causing drops of blood to dribble down the length of his arms before bouncing off his shoulders and landing on the floor. There was also a thick rope circling his wrists several times and he knew if he looked up that it would lead to…whatever was holding his body off the cement floor. He refused to even glance up, however, because that would mean looking away from Kirik and he wasn't about to give up any ground to the man.
Walking his mind down his body, Robin discovered that nothing was restraining him from his shoulders down to his ankles. A pair of handcuffs encircled his ankles, the metal biting into his skin through what was left of the bottoms of his tights. He could feel little beads of blood sliding down his bare feet but it wasn't enough to be alarming. By pointing his toes, he could feel the cool cement and concluded that he was less than a foot off the ground. An experiment was required and Robin slowly stretched his shoulders away from their sockets. He was relieved to learn that he could stand flat on the floor without dislocating anything. There was a minute amount of pain, though, and Robin knew if he stood that way for too long he would eventually feel the familiar 'pop' in both shoulders. Instead, he pushed up to the balls of his feet, easing the stretch while maintaining some control over his body's movements.
The Boy Wonder mentally sighed; the cable ties on his wrists and cuffs on his ankles were too tight to slide out of unless he cut off a hand or a foot. The villain had learned his lesson and it was useless for Robin to try to get out like he had last year. He would only be rubbing his skin off for no helpful reason.
Kirik was watching Robin's face carefully, waiting for him to realize that he was strung up like a piece of meat and had no way to escape. The man had taken the cape, the belt, the gloves, the boots and had almost taken the mask but decided against it. By the time he was done, the boy wouldn't want to be "Robin" anymore and would probably take the mask off himself.
Villain and hero continued to stare at each other in the silence. Both had decided that the other would lose the first contest and, therefore, demonstrate vulnerability. However, both had also begun fidgeting. Robin's athletic muscles were already protesting the lack of movement and Kirik was getting impatient. He wanted to start but was reluctant to concede even a tiny "victory" to the sidekick.
Don't show any signs of weakness! Robin forced his slightly twitching muscles to relax and tried to ignore the drop of sweat meandering down his nose. The Boy Wonder was used to waiting for something to happen. There had been too many stakeouts to keep track of, not to mention the kidnappings as both Dick Grayson and Robin. The boy was naturally patient and Batman had greatly increased his capacity.
Get over it! You're going to win everything else anyway. Scarecrow's advice about practicing patience had been ignored and Kirik was the one who gave in.
"So, sidekick, here we are again," the villain's words were clipped and malicious. "Are you ready for round two? There are no henchmen to betray me, no Batman to help you and no ingenious ways to get yourself out of your restraints. You taught me a lot last year and I intend to repay the favor."
"There's nothing to repay," Robin retorted angrily while the thrill of a small victory shot through his mind. "I learned several things from you, too, so I guess that makes us even. I see no need for a second round."
"What you do or don't see makes no difference," Kirik snarled, "because the second round has already begun. I also learned some things in Arkham, things about you that I didn't discover in my earlier research."
"I doubt that, I'm such an enigma," Robin replied sarcastically, the previously dominant feeling of panic fading into irritation. "Nobody in Arkham knows anything about me because I'm just the sidekick." There was a slight edge of taunting in his voice that Robin knew he probably should have prevented.
Kirik glared at Robin, "I know your greatest weakness, I now understand how to break you. You were so close last year, so close I could feel it, but my idiotic henchmen allowed you to escape. After talking to a very interesting man named Scarecrow, I found out that you can withstand an abnormal amount of physical pain so I'm not going to do too much of that. I'm not very fond of broken bones and bloody bodies anyway. I learned that Joker made you cry, though, and that was a lovely thought that I was able to dwell on before escaping." Kirik closed his stormy gray eyes as if savoring the memory and Robin rolled his blue ones.
"Last year you weathered the mental storm I set on you," the villain continued, opening his eyes and glaring at the boy. "Although I'm pretty sure you were feeling slightly broken before I stabbed you since you didn't say anything to Batman when my knife sliced into your side. I can still feel the stickiness of your blood on my hands," he grinned wickedly.
Robin remembered the sharp pain and the concern in his partner's eyes. Batman had assured him that he wasn't broken, that he was too strong to break. But, the villain did have a point; the Boy Wonder had felt like a failure. However, chasing Kirik for nearly half a mile, and eventually capturing the man, had restored his faith in himself.
"I didn't break," the young hero growled, the words filled with conviction, and he was surprised when Kirik nodded.
"I know, and I was very disappointed. However, as I said before, now I know your greatest weakness. You will break for me this time, sidekick," Kirik stated matter-of-factly. "I have a few things to do but I'll be back soon," he said as he turned and strode toward the open door on the other side of the room. Glancing back just before exiting the building, he declared, "Trying to escape will be a waste of energy – energy that you will soon be wishing you had retained." The villain, brimming with confidence, strutted out the door and slammed it shut behind him.