Chapter Eleven: Blackmail
"Mr. Wayne, Lex Luthor is here for your appointment," Bruce Wayne's secretary's voice rang through his speaker phone.
Bruce Wayne was alone in his luxurious office, not bothering to be productive in any way that morning. Yesterday was the day he had a meeting with the teens of Young Justice and told them everything: how he was Batman, how Lex Luthor knew his identity, and how this meeting would be used to force Bruce's hand. If he was going to keep Lex quiet about his and Robin's identities, there were going to be many demands that he would have to meet.
That was if the meeting went the way that Lex intended. Lex Luthor didn't know about Bruce's trump card, and he wouldn't know until the proper time.
"Send him in," Bruce responded through the phone. He unclasped the hands that had been set before him on the desk and rose to walk towards the door. In the meantime, his secretary opened the door and led Mr. Luthor in. He was clad in his business attire and had an envelope in his hand: presumably, a contract to be signed.
"Caroline, please ensure that no one disturbs us during this meeting," he asked of his secretary.
"Of course Mr. Wayne." She gave him a nod and then exited the room, locking the door as well to ensure that nobody would just wander in. This was typical of meetings that Bruce emphasized could not be disturbed.
Once she was out, Bruce met Lex's eyes with the coolness of Batman and the business mindset of billionaire Bruce Wayne.
"Mr. Wayne," Lex began. "Thanks for agreeing to meet with me. I believe we both know what this meeting is about."
"I believe we do," Bruce concurred. "You'll excuse me if I check to see if you're wired."
"It's what I expected." As Lex spread out his arms and allowed Bruce to check him for a transmitting device, he continued speaking. "I assure you though, the only ones who know the identity of Robin are Sportsmaster and I. That will remain the case even after today."
"My boy's name is Dick," Bruce said with a bite.
"Yes, it is," Lex agreed. "Call him whatever you will—it doesn't change the fact that he is in my custody. Of course after we discuss terms, he will be released to you."
Bruce stood up straight, having completed his search and having found nothing. "Let's begin then." He turned and walked over to his desk, sitting behind it and holding out his hand for the contract that was in the yellow envelope. Once Lex was seated across from him, he relinquished the envelope and allowed Bruce to read through it.
What he found wasn't startling. Lex was going to force him into being his business partner.
Wayne Enterprises has many facets. It worked in everything from foods and shipping to technologies, aerospace, and biotech. Mr. Luthor wanted him to expand the company's biotech sector and focus on producing items that could be turned into weapons if they were in the hands of the right person. After the development of the "innocent" biotech items listed in the contract, Mr. Wayne would formally sell that sector of Wayne Enterprises to Lex Luthor in an effort to expand both of their businesses.
Bruce was also bound by contract to not reveal any of this to anyone in his company, the Justice League, or to Dick Grayson, who would surely see what transpired to save his life and take revenge on Lex Luthor.
It was a very lengthy contract that was clearly written by Lex Luthor himself and looked over by a lawyer at some stage or another. Bruce could only trust that Lex was truthful when he said that he and Sportsmaster were the only ones who knew Dick's identity.
"Do you have any questions, Mr. Wayne?" Lex asked after ten minutes of silence.
"You have a very short clause here about my son," Bruce said as he pointed at the bottom of page four. "That he will be returned to me after I sign this contract."
"Yes, there is no specific date," he concurred. "Because, Mr. Wayne, if I gave a specific time, you would be able to deduce Dick's whereabouts and quite possibly do something to render all this inert. I will write in a time before you sign, but not now."
"I want evidence that he's alive."
"I assure you, I have evidence." Lex motioned to the phone on Bruce's desk. "May I?"
"Do it."
Lex lifted the phone and turned it towards him, dialing in the number of his colleague. After just a moment, he began speaking. "Sportsmaster, it is time to provide the evidence."
*…*…*…*…*…*
Sportsmaster, it is time to provide the evidence. That was what Robin was able to piece together as he tuned in to Sportmaster's cell phone. His nightmares had ended once he was allowed to awaken. The g-gnome was now in a briefcase on the other side of the room. Apparently its purpose had been completed. Dick had no clue how long he was under, but it felt like a long time. Even though he calculated Sportsmaster woke him up an hour ago, he still felt so weak and sluggish that he couldn't move.
"Got it," Sportsmaster responded to his phone. He pulled it away from his ear and held it in front of Robin. "Give Bruce some proof that you're alive."
Bruce, not Batman. That meant that Sportsmaster and Lex knew who both of them were. They were going to force Bruce's hand to keep their secrets safe and bring him back.
That also meant that they got what they were looking for with Robin's exposure to the fear toxin. They won on three fronts: succeeding with the fear toxin, learning Batman and Robin's identities, and now they were blackmailing Bruce Wayne.
It was such a startling thing to wake up to that Dick just stared at the phone in silence.
That is, until Sportsmaster suddenly through his fist into Dick's stomach with a harsh punch. He automatically cried out in agony, though he hushed it after the first initial cry.
"Dick?" Bruce called through the phone after the cry.
Dick Grayson cast Sportsmaster a dirty look as he recollected his breath. He was being forced to talk to Bruce—to show him that he was still alive. "Yeah," he breathed. "I'm here."
"Are you okay?"
"I'm ok." Not ok. "Feeling the aster." Feeling much more than aster.
"You'll be coming home soon. We'll worry about the aster then."
"Copy that," Dick replied. Whatever Bruce was doing to save him, Dick wouldn't allow it. He'd break out of here as soon as he could and tell Bruce not to do anything Lex asked him to do because he'd be safe and sound and no longer a pawn in their game.
His identity was still at stake though, as was Bruce's. They'd have to work together to find a way out of that one.
"Good enough, boss?" Sportsmaster said into the phone that he now held by his ear. Whatever Lex said was good enough, because Sportsmaster hung up his cell phone and placed it in his pocket. "Alright bird boy, let's get moving. I'm supposed to deliver you to Arkham Asylum so your adoptive dad can find you there. Media'll buy that the inmates kept you captive for a while."
"You're…" Robin started before he coughed. Sportsmaster and Luthor had this planned out completely. They were never going to be linked to anything. Sportsmaster did fight him and Artemis, and yes, Sportsmaster may have been seen taking Robin away. But that was the only connection the general public would be able to make; the rest they would assume based on where Robin would be found.
Sportsmaster grabbed at his arm and dragged him to his feet. Again, he felt fatigue that told him he was under far longer than just a single day. He wasn't sure how long since he never experienced something like this before.
The villain practically dragged him out the door, through the hallway, and out the door. He immediately noticed that this wasn't the same location he was brought to originally; they must have moved him while he was unconscious.
It was fortunately a pretty dark and gloomy day, which made it easier for Dick to adjust to the outside world after being locked away and asleep for so long. He noticed the layout of an abandoned shipping yard twenty feet below the stairs that they stood atop of. And then to their front and to the right, there was the ocean. Or the sea—either way, it was too large for him to see the full expanse of it.
"C'mon, bird boy," Sportsmaster snapped as he shoved Robin forward. The teen grunted and reached out just in time to grab the railing that lined the stairs. He wanted so badly to just flip himself over the bars and escape from Sportsmaster, but he could barely walk, let alone fight and escape. He needed to bid his time. He needed to recover as quickly as possible and work smarter, not harder. He squinted through the mask that he still donned and looked around him.
Even if he did get himself over the bars, the nearest shipping crate was at least fifteen feet down. He'd hurt himself worse by jumping onto it. And then there was just the option of walking down the stairs. There was a boat waiting for them: just a small one that would fit him and Sportsmaster.
Yeah, there was no way he'd be able to get the wheel away from Sportsmaster and steal/drive the boat.
To his left, there was just land. A little hilly, and there were small buildings atop the hills. His best bet was probably to incapacitate Sportsmaster somehow, climb the hills, and hope that someone had a working phone and a pity for beaten superheroes.
From one of the buildings, Robin suddenly saw a glimmer of light. Apparently Sportsmaster saw it too. He suddenly wrapped an arm around Robin's torso. He picked him up roughly and jumped over the railing, landing on the concrete of the shipping hard ground. Even if Robin didn't land directly on it, he still felt the force of the landing on his ribs. That wasn't his primary concern though.
As soon as he and Sportsmaster were airborne a second ago, a sound had pierced the air. The bullet would have pierced them too if Sportsmaster hadn't reacted the way that he did.
Okay. Someone wanted either him or Sportsmaster dead.
"Hey kid?" Sportsmaster began, setting Robin on the ground. "None of your friends use sniper rifles, do they?"
"Hardly," Dick said coolly. So, Sportsmaster doesn't know who it is either. He looked up at the man who had held him captive and saw his mask. Beneath it, Sportsmaster's eyes were deep in thought. The only reason they could both chat like this was because they were not settled behind one of the empty shipping crates.
As Sportsmaster pulled a weapon out, Dick heard a noise coming from behind them. He glanced over his shoulder and saw the woman he recognized as Mercy: Lex Luthor's assistant.
Dick expected Sportsmaster to be relieved; he and Luthor were buddies last time he checked. Mercy was obviously here to help Sportsmaster ship Robin off to Bruce. So when he saw that Mercy's arm had turned into a gun—and that gun was pointing at Sportsmaster—he was a bit stunned.
"I shouldn't be surprised," Sportsmaster chuckled lowly. "Let me guess: That sniper is for me too."
This is my chance. Mercy was about to have a shootout with Sportsmaster, and whoever that sniper was, they were here for Sportsmaster. If Dick wanted a chance to steal his freedom, this was it.
He waited for Sportsmaster to lunge at Mercy before he dodged to his right and ran towards the boat. While he was running, he glanced up at the hilltop to see if that light reflected off the sniper's rifle. It didn't, so he made an assumption: the sniper was on his way down to finish the business. Calculating the distance to be one mile, it would take the sniper four minutes to make the run. That gave him approximately two minutes remaining before the sniper would become a concern.
He ducked behind another shipping crate and held his ribs, gasping in pain. He could worry about that later. First, the boat.
Meow.
Dick glanced over to the side and saw a cat that was more like the size of a dog. This wasn't just any cat.
He jumped back one step just in time to miss the red energy that had been sent his way.
"You have got to be kidding!" Robin snapped. A new contender had just entered the battle, and that was the Witch Boy Klarion. "Aren't you here to kill Sportsmaster too?"
"Yeah," Klarion smiled. "I think Mercy and Deathstroke have it under control though. He may have to die, but you need to be delivered to Luthor."
"Go take care of business with Sportsmaster then…I'll be here when you come back."
"I'm not a fool, dweeb," Klarion laughed. "You won't be staying here unless you're unconscious." The red energy glowed around his right hand. Before Robin could react, he saw it heading right towards his head.
Klarion saw the energy hit Robin and laughed wickedly. The sidekick immediately fell backwards, off the concrete dock and into the water. Whoops, looks like he hit him too hard. Luthor wouldn't be angry if he brought Robin back dead, would he?