"Richard" It is with that one word that the chair swings around to face us and we glance at the figure in all of his grotesque glory; The scars along his cheeks are crimson and sticky, yet his lips are chapped and scarred. The thick tubing is stuck down inside his throat but the hole is not securely closed off, opting instead to ooze green goo. Yet perhaps worst of all are the spindly metal fingers grasping the chair arm, left exposed by one of the rolled up sleeves. The boys bloodied teeth are bared as he smiles up at MY father. "Dad." The cameras flicker in the background as the air grows tense with an atmosphere you could slice with a knife until the cocky shit talks. "which I suppose makes you my little brother, pleasure to meet you" he stands and the tube dislodges, leaving a gaping hole at the base of his neck – its fucking disgusting. Staring down at the metal hand thrust towards me I physically recoil, turning to face Batman. "we can't stay here Batman, we need to sort this out then get off the island before we get caught." I use a calm but firm voice, knowing that Bruce's tactical mind will hook into my plan. For a split second he sends me a disappointed look, which is quickly cut off by a rough cough behind me from the corpse bride, I snap round to look at him. "Uncle J has this whole island on lock down and loads of people are pumped on bane juice." Suddenly back to tactical mode Bruce cuts in. "so we need someone who knows the island well, and knows the Jokers plan…" Its like watching a fucking tennis match. "You need me. I can get you out of the complex, but you'll need to do what I say and listen to me. But I'll do it for a price." The conniving shit walks towards Batman, how could he ask for money for saving our lives. "find a way to kill me" what the fuck?! He looks between mine and Bruce's matching startled faces. "look that was my last dose, it's a weird ass mixture between bane juice and Ras al Guls immortality mojo…it means for at least a century I can't die. I don't want that, not with this life" the batman lays a heavy hand on the dudes scrawny shoulder. "I can't do that Dick" heh, he said Dick. "but would you take the offer of coming home." No. way. Damian is not gonna take this well at all. "Bruce I'm fucking disgusting and a murder –" you got that right. "but you're also my son." For a minute the kid looks uncomfortable, clearly thinking over the offer. "I've gotta make a phone call".
"Auntie Harley….no I'm fine…yeah…look, I know I'm past curfew but I want to come and watch the big fight…alright….he said yes?...Sweet. I'll be there in half an hour." His normal hand clicks off of the walkie-talkies button. "Okay we got half an hour to get the fuck outta dodge" I nearly choke on my own spluttering before proclaiming "half an hour! That's not enough time to do anything" hobbling over to the desk he picks up a gun before turning around. "then we'd better stop wasting time huh?" arrogant bastard. "Right we're currently on the centre of the island, we have 8 sets of goons to go through…may have to take a trip through crocs lair, but he's pretty chill. Ignore the Riddler's trophies they are literally there just to distract you. Scarecrows gas might be a nuisance but apart from that its good, we slip through the zeta beam and I blow this place up." Nah Bruce won't allow that. "I don't think so kid" Sportsmasters steps into the light, his movement followed by the click of a gun. Then he holds it up as my brother does the same with his own weapon. "come with us then." A huff of laughter echoes. "you're a little piece of shit you know that kid; pretending you didn't have a family just for a personal body guard. You lied to me" Dick tries shouting above him "I didn't at first, but I didn't tell you when I came back – I was protecting you!" louder still the argument reigns the room. " you will shut the hell up when I am talking to you, you worthless pile of crap. You are dead when the joker gets you." Then silence, the atmosphere plateauing into a calm. "I can't let you do that Lawrence, I'm sorry" I cover my ears, the sound of a gun firing so close pains them as if tiny shards of glass had been poured in the canal. I daren't look to see who fired, but I don't need to, Bruce answers for me. "You killed him. With the same gun he gave you…." No. But that means he won't come home with us. He'll go to jail. "relax, it's a shoulder shot, nothing dangerous. He hit his head on the way down. I may be a murderer – but never in cold blood. Look, we can all care and share later but we now have 26 minutes left and he is going to wake up in -at most 5- and sound the alarm! So lets go already!" With that he jumps, using a piece of wood to flip himself up and onto the floor above our heads. "Who the hell is this dude!" with dark eyes Batman gets ready to jump himself. "Not the little boy I left behind".