Author's Note: This one's gonna get bloody and dark. I may change the rating of the whole story for this chapter alone. It was specifically requested that I not go easy on this chapter. Ya'll asked for the gory details, you're gonna get them. But I'll say again you have been warned! I own nothing.
Scars Part 2
Half an hour later the team sat in the living room on the couch while their resident boy wonder pulled up a chair in front of the TV facing the couch. She was wearing a pair of shorter shorts that showed off the whole smiling face that was carved into her right thigh. The tank top she wore was slightly too small showing off the edge of an impressive six pack and a few other scars. She sat down and held up her hands.
"Ok here's the thing, I can't tell you about all my scars. Let me finish. I can't tell you about all of them because some of them I didn't get as Robin. A few of these belong to my identity. To tell you about them would be tant amount to telling you my name and that is a big no, for which you can thank Batman. And please stop giving me that look!" The team raised eyebrows at her and she sighed pointing at Kaldur.
"That look, that 'oh you poor sad child' look. I hate that look, which is part of the reason I never let anyone see them." Artemis nodded. Wally looked incensed.
"Oh come on it's not like we wouldn't understand." Robin sighed.
"But that's exactly what it's like. Three of you can't even get scars, Wally you heal too well for anything to ever actually scar, Conner and Kaldur your skin is too tough to cut, let alone scar. Of the rest of us M'ggan can shape shift, Zee's got magic that I'm betting can heal scars if she ever got them. The only one here who knows what I go through every time someone finds out is Artemis. Who also happens to be the only one not giving me that face. So she gets to pick the first scar." Artemis's eyes widened before she nodded getting serious.
"I want to know about the one on your right thigh. The smile, what the hell man. I mean I know Gotham is rough but that?" Robin sighed and nodded.
"You had to pick one of the hardest ones didn't you? But this is one of the ones I can tell you. I'll warn you though, it's not a pretty story. It's one of the worst experiences of my life." Artemis nodded.
"If you hadn't already guessed I got this one from the Joker. Had to have been oh, three years ago now, it still hasn't faded. Honestly I was lucky to keep the use of my leg in the first place so I really shouldn't complain." Zatana cut across her.
"You were ten!" Robin nodded rubbing the scar a bit self consciously.
"I was ten, yeah. Batman and I were fighting at the Gotham National Bank, I'd been his partner for about a year, ever since I was nine. I'd fought pretty much ever villain in Gotham at least once at that point. But the Joker was a regular face. He was trying to rob the bank, or so we though. Batman was in the vault fighting the Joker himself while I took out his goons and got the hostages to safety. I thought she was a hostage, pretty blond with big blue eyes. She was crying, convincing act. Two of the goons were closing in on us so I turned my back on her for half a second to take them down. Next thing I knew something hit me in the back of my head, hard. I went down. I woke up a few hours later in an abandoned factory, old toy place, it shut down a long time ago." Robin wasn't looking at anyone she was examining her scar.
"I was duck taped to a chair, both gloves missing. My belt was gone. There were three pairs of handcuffs around my wrists. Another set hooking me to the chair. There was no way out, not without my tools at least. That was when the Joker walked in with a duffle bag. He had a girl with him, Bats and I had no idea he had a partner. That was the first time I met Harley Quinn. She was holding the camera. They had rigged it up so that their signal hijacked all the TVs in Gotham. It wasn't the first time I had gotten beaten, badly. I almost died the first time but lucky me there weren't any major scars from that. Now that I think about it, it might be easier to just show you. We should still have the recording on file in the batcave. Hang on." Robin hopped off her chair and pushed a small rock out of place flicking a switch. Another rock slid away revealing a computer screen and console. Robin began typing. A few minutes later she made a triumphant noise and the TV screen in front of the team came to life. Robin did a backhand spring landing perfectly on the back of the couch her legs dangling between
"What did you…?" Robin put a finger to her lips to silence Conner's question as the image on the screen began to move. The camera panned up and revealed the sneering face of the Joker.
'Hello people of Gotham! We interrupt your regularly scheduled program, to bring you some unscheduled fun! Poor Batsy! You thought I just wanted to knock over one itty bitty bank, but I had something much more entertaining in mind. The jokes on you now my deluded Dark Knight! I've taken something much better than money!" He cackled loudly as the camera swung over the interior of a large dusty room. At the center of the room was a figure duck taped to a chair, just as Robin had described. There was blood caked into her hair and her chin was resting on her chest as if she was unconscious. The Joker skipped forward and grabbed Robin by her hair forcing her head up pulling a grunt from her as the whites of her mask widened. There was tape over her mouth, several layers of it. The Joker slung a bag off his shoulder so that it fell onto Robin's feet. He laughed.
'That's right kiddies! The Boy Blunder, fresh from trying to keep the streets of Gotham safe. Isn't he just the sweetest little Birdie! Let's see if he can sing!' With that dark pronouncement the Joker grabbed a crow bar out of the duffle and swung it with all his might at Robin's ribs. Robin's muffled scream rang through the cave to complete silence. The Robin on the screen was so young, too young for that kind of thing. M'ggan started crying as the Joker took another whack at the child tied to the chair. Robin leaned around Artemis and laid a hand on her shoulder.
"It's ok. I made it out, I always make it out. Whether under my own power or with help but I do make it out." This comment was accompanied by another muffled scream from the younger Robin on the TV screen.
'Whoops! I forgot about that, can't hear a bird sing if its beak is taped shut.' The Joker ripped the tape off of Robin's mouth. Robin spat a small amount of blood.
'Say hello to the people of Gotham Bird Boy!'
'Fuck you Joker!' Robin spat into the Joker's face earning another smack to the side from the crowbar.
'That wasn't very nice was it Harley?' A voice came from somewhere behind the camera it was feminine and a bit annoying.
'No it certainly wasn't Mister J.' Robin looked up at the camera.
'You're that woman, the one I was trying to save. You work for this psycho!' The woman's voice came again.
'Mister J is the sweetest man there ever was! You and Batman are just picking on him!' The Joker laughed loudly.
'My sweet Harley, I forgot my manners! Boy Blunder this is my pretty lady, Harley Quinn!' The Joker stepped forward and took the camera.
'Say hello to Gotham Harley!' A pretty blonde woman in a red and black outfit came into view. She grinned and pulled up the hood revealing a jester like headpiece.
'Hello Gotham!' The Joker shoved the camera back into Harley's hands.
'There now we get back to the show, but I'm tired of the bar. I think another tool should be better for this little birdie's punishment. Ah here we are! I do hope you're watching Batman, you should know this show's for you.' With that the Joker yanked a knife out of the duffle and drove it into the boy wonders left leg.
"That's how I got this one." Robin said breaking the tension slightly, pointing at a mostly faded scar on her upper left thigh. The scream from the recording of Robin was still going, the team watching wide eyed as the Joker yanked the knife out of Robin's leg and began to cut her at random. After a few minutes of that he seemed to get bored. Then he smiled wide, even on a recording it was a grotesque sight.
'Oh Harley! Let's put a smile on this little birds face!' Robin cleared her throat and spoke to the computer this time.
"Computer pause recording." The recording paused and the team looked up at the boy wonder.
"Thought I should explain here, since none of you know the Joker well. The Joker has scars on his face, I think that's why he wears the clown makeup. I was terrified he was going to cut my face open. But he didn't. I have Harley to thank for that." Superboy raised an eyebrow at her.
"What do you mean?" Robin nodded to the TV.
"You'll see. Computer resume playback." The video began to play once more with Robin struggling in her restraints she looked scared and she was covered in blood on her torso and legs. The Joker advanced with his knife but Harley's voice stopped him.
'Ah Mister J it would be such a waste, he's got a pretty face. And after all that would make it too easy finding out who Robin and Batman are. Where's the fun in that?' The Joker took a step back and nodded slightly.
'You've got a good point there Harley. That wouldn't be much fun at all. But I still want to give the boy wonder a big smile. Hmmmm Oh I know!' The Joker twirled his knife in one hand smiling like the maniac he was. He began to carve into Robin's right leg, clearly making a pattern as Robin did her best not to scream. The knife was going in almost hilt deep with every cut. Tears were rolling down the boy wonders face and blood was pooling at the corner of her mouth from where she'd bitten her tongue and lip trying not to scream. Minutes felt like hours as the team watched their youngest member fight to be strong as she was tortured, as an almost perfect image of the Jokers gruesome smile was carved into her leg through layers of Kevlar. Finally the Joker stepped back to admire his handy work. He tilted the chair forward and Harley angled the camera so they could all see the smile carved into the young acrobat's leg.
'Oh look at the pretty smile Mister J!' The laughter was sickening, that feeling only increased as the Joker licked the blood off of the knife.
'Shall we hear the little birdie sing some more? Or should we just put an end to the Boy Blunder!' Before Harley could answer the Joker the skylight above Robin exploded in and Batman burst into the room landing between the Joker and Robin, who appeared to have passed out.
"End playback." The image froze just as Batman was lunging for the Joker. Then the screen went black.
"That's how I got that scar. Any questions?" The team was about to speak when there was a barely audible beep. Robin held up a hand and touched a finger to her ear.
"Go for Robin. He got loose again? I swear arkam has more holes in its security than Swiss cheese. Yeah I'm on my way." She turned back to the team.
"Sorry guys the rest of our little heart to heart is going to have to wait. The Joker just broke out of Arkam Asylum again. Duty calls." With that the young acrobat flipped off the back of the couch and cart wheeled down the hall towards the Zeta tubes.