A/N: Thanks for the comments Blas, Batman Dude and mystery guest! Sorry for the continual delays.

Chapter 7:

Later that night:

"Will you please stop that wheezing?!" Catwoman snapped loudly. The noise was tossed in the direction of the old man who, along with the rest of her captives, was sitting by the wall opposite of where the villainess was currently pacing. Frowning, she realized that she should have just shot him while Robin was down. However, she had been focused on the more important issue - ensuring that the teen stayed alive.

"He can't help it!" Robin yelled back in a noticeably shaky voice. He had made it up the rest of the mountain by himself but it had taken a lot of energy. Blood was seeping through the thin fabric of Felix's shirt, his head was pounding and he had been slightly dizzy for the last ten minutes. But they were in the semi-darkness of a large cave with only two flashlights - one for each henchman - so Catwoman hadn't noticed the blood. Yet. And Robin was not going to allow her to help him again.

"You still, um, have that, uh, knife?" he whispered to Richard, his voice full of pain.

The old man was sitting next to the young hero, his gaze flicking from the weary face to the bloody shoulder and back again. Nodding gently, Richard slowly pulled the requested item out of the pocket on his right side, grateful that he had been able to hide it before Felix had tied him up.

"Cut off cape?" the Boy Wonder mumbled. Darkness was threatening to overtake his mind but he forced his eyes to stay open. The hostages were under his protection and he was not going to let down his guard.

Richard was too weak to even lift the knife so one of the women took it from him. She carefully shifted to her left and quietly began slicing the golden material right under Robin's neckline. It took her less than a minute and when she was done she put the knife in the front pocket of her pants instead of returning it to the old man.

Robin was unintentionally swaying and he was seeing double. He had to stop the blood from leaking out of his body but his fingers were numb and he couldn't grab the cape that the woman was attempting to give him.

"I'm Sheila, and I'm a nurse," the other woman whispered from behind Robin's left shoulder. She took the cape, removed the remains of Felix's shirt off the wound and gently pressed on the area. Robin flinched and almost cried out but bit his tongue instead.

Sheila was now pushing on the back of his shoulder and muttering to herself. She sounded both disappointed and slightly fearful, causing the Boy Wonder to suddenly become very concerned. Pulling her hand away, the woman quickly wrapped the injury with the cape.

"There's no exit wound," she whispered, "and I can feel fragments. It may have glanced off your collarbone and shattered. Good news: not as much blood loss. Bad news: greater chance of infection and the possibility of tiny shards getting into your bloodstream. That means…" she trailed off when Robin shook his head.

The teenager shut his eyes in despair. He knew what would happen if the deadly metal of the bullet traveled through his veins and into his heart. But there was nothing he could do about it; he was going to die. On the plus side, less blood loss meant more energy to save the hostages. But he needed to get them out of here quickly.

"How long?" he asked quietly as he opened his eyes. "For both scenarios, how long?"

"If there are already pieces in your bloodstream you have twenty-four to thirty-six hours. If not, you could last up to four days, as long as we can keep the entry point clean and the fragments out of your heart," Sheila replied sadly.

"Then I better think of something quickly," Robin murmured. "Go to sleep; you're going to need energy when you have the chance to escape."

"Sonny?" Richard's trembling voice came from the near-darkness on the Boy Wonder's right side. "You don't have to do this. I'll distract them long enough for you to get these two young ladies out of here and then you can get yourself to a hospital."

"No," Robin replied firmly. Slowly turning his head to gaze at the old man, he grinned slightly. "You have a family – kids, grandkids?"

Richard nodded, his eyes lit up with pride and the Boy Wonder's grin grew.

"Then you know that I can't let you sacrifice yourself. I'm just a crime-fighter; possibly dying is part of my job description. It's not a grandfather's job to sacrifice himself for a crime-fighter. So, thanks, but you don't have a choice in the matter. Go to sleep," the teenager commanded softly.

Tears filled the man's eyes. "You're not just a crime-fighter, you're a hero. Gotham City is lucky to have you and it has been my privilege to know you. Is there nothing I can say to change your mind?"

"Nope," Robin's smile faded slightly. "Will you just…" he paused for half a second, "…I mean, if you see him…" The teen trailed off, unsure if he should ask this of the hostages. They were his responsibility and they shouldn't have to think about anything except escaping when he was able to give them the opportunity. He decided to leave the question unanswered.

But Richard wasn't going to allow the Boy Wonder to do that. "Will we what, sonny?" he asked in the suddenly strong voice of a man with years of wisdom and experience.

A quiet sigh escaped his lips and Robin continued, "Will you please tell Batman that I'm sorry I let myself get caught?" The words flew quickly out of his mouth and he dropped his head, somewhat ashamed of his selfish question.

"We will tell him everything, Robin," Sheila whispered. "How you defeated Tom with your arms bound behind your back, how you fought Leon – one of the strongest men I have ever seen – even though you were in pain and only had the use of one arm, how you took a bullet to save a man's life and how you willingly – without a second thought – sacrificed yourself for us."

Both women were now quietly crying and silent tears were sliding down Richard's wrinkled cheeks.

"But, um," Robin's breathing hitched as he attempted to cover his emotions. "He won't be very happy with me. I should have been able to take care of the situation instead of becoming a captive. I made a stupid decision so will you just tell him that I'm sorry?"

Nobody spoke because nobody wanted to promise the teenager that they would tell his partner sorry on his behalf. The man should be proud of the boy, not angry with him, and none of the three adults could imagine themselves telling Batman that his young partner's last words were, "I'm sorry".

"Please," Robin whispered as several tears dropped unnoticed from his lashes. The word was full of sorrow and Richard heard the pleading in the boy's tone.

"Yes, Robin," the old man promised. "I will tell Batman that…" there was a long pause and this time it was Richard who was struggling to control his emotions, "…that you're sorry you were caught."

"Thank you," the Boy Wonder sighed again and turned his attention back to Catwoman and her two henchmen. He needed a plan, and fast.


The Batmobile roared up the long mountain road. Batman was frustrated; he was only on the first mountain and Gotamint Peak was three mountains and a river away. When he finally arrived at the bottom, he would have to travel up dangerous switchbacks with sharp turns, which meant he would have to slow down.

BEEP. BEEP. BEEP. Batman grabbed the Batmobile's Batphone extension.

"Yes, Commissioner?"

"It's Alfred, sir. I was thinking about all the information we have and the word 'small' kept strolling through my mind. I've looked everywhere for a detailed map of the peak and I finally found one in Master Dick's geography book upstairs. There are several small caves just inside the entrance of three or four of the larger ones, sir. This is just a guess, mind you, but what if Catwoman needs Robin because he is the only one who can fit into the small caves?"

"She thinks the treasure is in one of the small caves," Batman concluded, "and Robin is the only teenager who would willingly enter them. Thank you, Alfred." He hung up the Batphone and increased his speed. It would, hopefully, take a while to find the correct cave and even longer to load the Catmobile with whatever treasure she found. Maybe he could get to Robin before she decided he was no longer useful.


The next morning:

"Get up, pipsqueak!" Leon thundered and Robin's eyes popped open. He had allowed himself to fall asleep and he was disappointed in himself. Quickly glancing around, he saw all three hostages lying on the ground, not moving. Squinting his eyes helped clear his vision and the teenager could just barely see all three chests evenly rising and falling.

He was suddenly pulled to his feet and this time Robin couldn't stop the cry of pain. Leon had lifted him by his shoulders and was now smirking at him. The look angered the Boy Wonder and he threw his head forward. Two foreheads, one small and one large, connected loudly and Leon dropped Robin, who landed heavily on his feet.

The big man roared and swung his huge fist toward the teenager's face.

"LEON!" the strong, feminine voice yelled and the henchman stopped mid-swing. "Leave him alone or your share of the treasure belongs to me! Don't make me tell you again!"

Growling, Leon turned away and Robin again breathed a sigh of relief. It was nice to be needed instead of just being used as bait for Batman.

"…get through!" Catwoman's voice pulled him out of his thoughts and Robin turned his head in the direction of the sound.

"Did you hear me?" she screamed at him and he carefully shook his still-pounding head. A slow stream of blood, originating from a small gash that had just taken up residence in the middle of his forehead, trickled down his nose.

"I said," the villainess stated impatiently, "that you are going in that cave because you are the only one small enough to get through!" She was pointing in the direction of a dark hole to his left. "And whatever treasure you find comes out with you. Otherwise, one of these innocent people will get hurt."

Robin's face darkened with anger and he opened his mouth to speak. But Catwoman beat him to it.

"I said I wouldn't shoot anybody. There are other ways to injure a person. So, you go now or I will have Leon break that lady's kneecaps and then you go."

"How about if you let them leave and then I go?" Robin countered angrily and instantly realized his mistake. He needed to keep her calm and talking back was definitely not the way to do that.

"I'M GOING!" he thundered when she motioned to Leon. Turning to his left, the young hero strode toward the small patch of darkness. The closer he got, the more it seemed to shrink. He almost had to kneel in order to enter the black hole and realized that anyone else in the room would be crawling at this point.

Robin rested his right hand on the overhang of the entrance and closed his eyes. His left shoulder was throbbing and he was still dizzy.

"I need a flashlight," he called. "I won't be able to find whatever treasure is supposed to be here if I can't see anything!"

"Felix, flashlight, now!" the commanding voice of Catwoman echoed around the cave and suddenly there was a short stick being shoved into Robin's left hand. His eyes popped open and he forced his hand to grab it.

It would be better to crawl for two reasons: first, he didn't think he had enough energy to walk bent over for an extended period of time and second, he was about to fall over. The world was tilting so Robin dropped to his knees. There was a loud gasp and a trembling voice yelled his name.

Raising his right hand, the Boy Wonder clenched his jaw and yelled, "I'm fine. The entrance is short; I can't just walk in!"

"What are you waiting for?" Catwoman demanded. "GO!"

So Robin went. He flicked the flashlight on and carried it in his left hand so he wouldn't have to move that shoulder too much. The sounds coming from the group of people behind him receded and soon it was completely quiet except for the sound of his breathing.

The space he was currently crawling through was wide. He decided to see if he could stand up but his head hit the ceiling when he was halfway there. So, he returned to his knees and continued on. A minute or two later he arrived in a larger cave, almost exactly like the one he had left behind. But there was no treasure and no other exit. The space was completely empty and Robin sighed. Turning around, he slowly headed back the way he had come in. It took a little longer to get out because he nearly fell asleep several times. Finally he poked his head out of the tunnel and saw, through dusty vision, Richard's head lying on Sheila's lap.

"What…happened?" Robin rasped as he slowly stood up. The world was spinning and the teenager leaned against the rock wall as he attempted to cough the dirt out of his lungs.

"It doesn't matter," Catwoman snarled. "Did you find anything?" she demanded.

Carefully shaking his head in answer to her question, he asked again, "What happened?!" The words were louder than the first time and Robin's gaze shifted from Catwoman to Richard. Sheila pantomimed sleeping and the teen nodded slightly, a flicker of relief sweeping across his face.

"Next cave, Boy Blunder!" the villainess yelled, startling him as she pointed to a hole ten feet to his right. "Unless you want something bad to happen to your friend, the old guy," she threatened sweetly.

Robin was attempting to catch his breath. "Do you have…water?" His throat was chalky and the dust was clogging his nostrils.

"Yes, but you can't have any until you check the next cave," Catwoman declared. "So get going!"

The Boy Wonder counted twelve steps before dropping to his knees again. "See you on the other side," he whispered as he crawled into the darkness.


Finally! Batman had finally arrived at the bottom of Gotamint Peak. The Batmobile could handle the sharp turns but not at break-neck speed. There was no choice; he had to slow down. He couldn't help Robin or the hostages if he was dead.

First, though, he needed to check for tracks. If the Catmobile had been here, it would have left deep imprints in the road. There had to be at least seven people in the vehicle and the tracks should be easy to see. If the Catmobile had been here….

Climbing out of the Batmobile, the hero walked to the front and looked down. He and Alfred had been right about the location – there was one set of fresh, deep tracks following the dirt road that led to the peak. Jumping back into his vehicle, Batman began the long, slow drive up the mountain. Slow by the Batmobile's standards, anyway. The Caped Crusader was flying around corners faster than any normal car but it wasn't fast enough for him. Catwoman could have already decided that Robin was useless.

It took him nearly two and a half hours to reach the spot where the villainess had parked her vehicle. Batman parked directly behind and climbed out. One of the back doors of the Catmobile was open but the hero ignored it. There were visible clues to his left: a red scarf, two small handprints on the ground and several signs of scuffling. Still no blood and Batman was relieved. Catwoman must need Robin for something difficult, something that required his partner to be able to move around easily. Otherwise she probably would have allowed the big guy to get a few hits on the young crime-fighter.

There was only one set of tracks again – footprints this time. The trail continued to lead up the mountain and Batman began to follow. After about a six-mile hike, he noticed markings that indicated they had taken a break. There were small, clearly outlined footprints next to a large boulder; Robin had jumped at or over something. Then he saw it; the main thing he had been hoping never to see while following Catwoman's little group. Blood, on a rock about seven feet away. It was a pool, not just a small puddle, and Batman crouched down to examine it. There was no way to know if it was Robin's, it could be from a hostage or even a henchman. Small pieces of tiger-striped material were strewn around the area. Perhaps whatever bloody wound someone had sustained had been treated and wrapped with one of the henchmen's distinctive shirts.

There was nothing else to see here so Batman moved on. Someone had been stumbling slightly and the small footprints probably belonged to Robin. So it was his partner's blood, otherwise the young hero's footsteps would be steady and even. Tiny, red droplets were scattered around but they were never close to each other. The wound had been wrapped and was merely dripping, not leaking or streaming.

After twenty-two minutes of following the crimson-sprinkled trail, Batman glanced up to orient himself and immediately noticed a dark opening forty yards above him. He had found one of the big caves…hopefully. Quickly scrambling over boulders and weeds, the hero made his way up the mountain and strode into the near-darkness.


Several hours earlier:

This cave wasn't as wide as the first but it also wasn't a cramped tunnel. It only took Robin three minutes to get all the way in and he rolled his eyes when he got there. The cave was a nearly perfect oval and was, of course, completely empty. Robin had no idea what he was supposed to be finding but he hoped that he would find it soon. He could feel things shifting around every time he moved his left shoulder.

If there's nothing in my bloodstream now, there will be soon. How am I going to get everyone out before I can't move anymore?

He didn't have a plan yet. So, since this cave was so shallow, the Boy Wonder gave himself a moment to rest and think. Leaning his back against the cold rock wall, he closed his eyes and attempted to form a plan. Closing his eyes was a mistake; he almost fell asleep. The bullet wound, resulting blood loss and continual pain was sapping his energy.

Robin slowly opened his eyes and forced himself to his knees. If he stayed away too long something bad was bound to happen. It would probably be Richard first; he was the weakest and Robin knew he had been acting especially protective of the old man. Catwoman had probably noticed it, too, and the villainess would want to keep Robin obedient by threatening the feisty octogenarian.

The Boy Wonder carefully made his way back to the original cave. Dust was flooding his lungs with every breath, causing him to cough and wheeze. His eyes were burning from the dirt and his cape was about to fall off his injured shoulder.

The nurse, Sheila, had said four days if they kept the wound clean and shards out of his heart. Robin cut the time in half since the entry point was now full of grime. Then he cut it a little more because of the constant movement of his arm.

A day and a half to live, three hostages to free, three criminals to arrest and no way to secure them.

His utility belt and Bat-cuffs were in the museum and the Bat-rope was in the Catmobile. Leon and Felix would have to be knocked out and Catwoman…well, he would cross that bridge when he came to it. The thoughts were suddenly interrupted when he heard a familiar, angry voice greet him as he crawled out of the small opening.

"It's about time!" Catwoman yelled. "Thirteen minutes is a long time to come back empty-handed!"

"Water," Robin whispered in a gravelly voice. An open bottle was thrust into his hands and he drank greedily. Half of it went down his throat before he carefully placed it on the ground.

"Emp…" he coughed and grabbed his chest with his right hand, "…ty."

Growling, Catwoman pointed to the back of the cave. "Next one," she commanded and Robin almost dropped to his stomach in disbelief.

"What are you waiting for?" the villainess demanded. "Leon, break the old man's leg."

"STOP!" the teenager's yell was more of a weary rasp. He couldn't stand up so he began crawling past the small group of criminals.

"That's better," Catwoman purred.

"WAIT!" she shouted and Robin immediately stopped. "Why are you bleeding? What happened to Felix's shirt?"

Sheila spoke up before Robin could even open his mouth.

"The shirt ripped apart so I wrapped his cape around it. Pushing himself through rock has probably shredded that as well. His shoulder needs attention or he'll bleed out."

Catwoman was staring at the woman, her eyes narrowed in thought. The boy was bleeding but it was only a light trickle. However, she couldn't take that chance.

"Sit down," she commanded and Robin allowed his limbs to collapse in relief. He was lying on his stomach, not sitting, but he didn't think he could make it up there. His lack of energy was now a moot point because Leon had just pulled him up.

Fire shot through his shoulder and down his entire torso when Leon deliberately dug his thumb into the bullet wound. Circles of darkness flooded his mind and Robin cried out in pain. The henchman immediately let go of the boy's shoulders and grabbed a chunk of the dark hair instead, holding him upright and waiting for instructions.

"You seem to know what you're talking about," Catwoman glared at the woman who had spoken up.

"I'm a nurse," Sheila replied, "and his shoulder needs cleaning and wrapping."

"Leon, shirt," the villainess commanded but the big man just stood there. His eyes narrowed in anger and his entire body became tense with resentment. He wasn't going to give his clothes to the kid!

"NOW!" Catwoman yelled. Grumbling quietly, Leon dropped Robin's hair and pulled off his own shirt. Robin almost tilted sideways when he was freed but somehow found the strength to remain vertical.

"Get over here and fix him!" the villainess commanded again and Sheila quickly stood up and ran the several yards separating her from the Boy Wonder. Dropping to the ground by his side, she felt his sweaty forehead and wiped as much dirt as she could off his face. He was warm but not feverish. Yet. And his light blue eyes, although full of pain, were clear. For now.

"I need water," she stated and this time it was her voice that was commanding. Felix grabbed the open water bottle that Robin had leaned against a wall and gave it to her.

"Sorry," she whispered as she dumped the entire contents over his dirty, bloody shoulder. Robin clenched his jaw and flinched but shook his head.

"No need," he softly groaned while trying to grin. Sheila carefully wrapped Leon's shirt around the wound and grimaced. The teen's shoulder was still dirty and the grime covering the material wasn't going to help with that.

"Let's go, hurry up!" Catwoman shouted and the nurse quickly finished tying a tight knot. It wasn't perfect but it would hold for a little while. Not very long, though, if he continued dragging himself through tunnels and caves.

"Done, but it won't stay for long," Sheila replied and the villainess rolled her eyes.

"Good enough," Catwoman said and pointed toward a dark entrance at the back of the cave. "Go!" She glared at Robin and he painfully got on his hands and knees and began crawling again.

"This sucks," he mumbled and was relieved when she didn't reply. He made it to the entrance and paused. Catwoman called out to Leon again so Robin pushed himself through the thin opening.

He could see a long tunnel and it was very narrow. It would be impossible to crawl so he took his hands off the ground and straightened up. Turning his upper body so his shoulders wouldn't bang against the walls, Robin slowly shuffled his way through the near-darkness. The flashlight that the teenager had somehow held on to during the entire time in the large cave suddenly flickered.

"Not now, please don't go out now," he muttered, fear lacing his tone. The flashlight obeyed for thirty seconds. Then it flickered again and went out completely. Robin was in total darkness; he couldn't even see any light from the cave behind him. But there was no way he could turn around here so he forced himself to continue. He shuffled on his knees for what felt like hours, his heart pounding and his breathing erratic. A black-as-ink tunnel was not his friend; total darkness was, in fact, one of his worst fears.

Finally he saw a sliver of light and attempted to move faster. Two minutes later Robin was pushing himself through the exit and into a small cave, if it could even be called that. It was more like a circle with a crack of light shining through the mountain above him and it was just wide enough for him to turn around. There was no way any treasure could fit in the tight spot and the only choice he had was the tunnel he had just exited. He dropped the dead flashlight; this time there would be no light at all.

He couldn't do it. Robin stared at the entrance for several minutes, his body trembling and his heart racing. There were hostages to rescue and criminals to arrest but the teenager couldn't force himself to enter the darkness.

Never give up. Batman had used those three words so many times throughout Robin's short career. But the Boy Wonder was going to die anyway so did it really matter? He could just sit down and allow himself to fade away. Batman would be able to find the hostages and free them from Catwoman's paws. The Caped Crusader always triumphed in the end.

So Robin sat down, leaned against the rough wall with his knees almost touching his chin and closed his eyes. The shirt was shredded and blood was dribbling from the wound in his shoulder. Weakly, the Boy Wonder raised his right hand and placed it against the bullet hole. Did it matter how he died – dust inhalation, bleeding out, shards of bullet filling his heart and cutting through the organ, infection from a dirty injury, wasting away from lack of fluid and nutrition? Did it really matter? No, because dead was dead.

Robin dropped his right hand and sighed. There was nothing he could do anymore. Batman would find the three brave hostages and everything would work out. The Caped Crusader always triumphed in the end.


A/N: I know absolutely nothing about bullets so I don't know if the scenario I present is plausible. If not, just pretend that tiny shards of bullets can enter a person's bloodstream, travel to the heart and tear it apart. Thanks! ;-)