CHAPTER 25

Batman considered Rufus for a moment, still caught by the uncanny resemblance. "Okay. You'll show us where." He turned to Superman. "If you can carry me, the Flash can carry Green Arrow and you, Wallace," he turned to Wally, who was dancing from foot to foot. "You carry Rufus, here and lead the way. We'll get there fast!"

The group left the palace, Superman flying low to keep close to the Flashes. All was well and they were making good speed until they got into the countryside. Lee had clearly called out an entire garrison. A hundred soldiers with artillery blocked the road.

Superman came to ground behind a small rise, setting Batman down. "I can fly over this, but the Flashes would have to go through," he said to the rest of the team as they arrived.

Batman stolidly watched the small army waiting for them, anxious to get going. "We don't have time for this."

"We can go around them," Kid Flash said. "If we do, can you still find the place?" he asked Rufus.

Rufus scanned the countryside and bit his lip. Finally, he nodded. "I think so. Yeah, I can find it. But we'd better get going soon; it's not a good place." He frowned a little, remembering.

Batman caught his expression. "All right. Rufus, you're still in the lead and we'll follow. Let's make a northerly loop around the armed forces and double back."

The team set out again, circling far to the north and then back to the south.

SUMMER HOUSE

Robin sat on the cold, cold, chilling floor and kept working at his breathing. When Batman explained, it had seemed so simple but he just wasn't getting it. Thoughts, worries...okay, fears kept intruding on a mind that was supposed to be focused and yet blank. Bruce was all the way off in Gotham, trying to put together the first payment to Lee; transferring most of his holdings to the dictator. It would take him days to raise that kind of money. Signing over his stock would take more time. Dick was on his own; really on his own. Terror, pushed below the surface of his mind, stood between him and the perfect calm he needed for this to work. Lee would think he was dead if he did this right, or at the very least, comatose. He didn't think Lee was a necrophiliac. He'd keep Dick's body alive for the ransom value, if nothing else.

If this didn't work, he'd be here getting hungrier, thirstier and colder. Thirst was the first problem, if not the cold. Any of these could render him helpless to defend himself. Drugs were a possibility, too, like Lee had tried that first night. Terror, pushed below the surface of his mind, rose to stand between him and the perfect calm he needed for this to work. Resolutely, he pushed it into the background. Again. Batman could be icy calm in the middle of deadly danger; he had to do it too, somehow. Thing was, he wasn't as calm as Batman was when looking disaster in the eye. He controlled his body's need to shiver and focused again. He had to keep fighting and stay alive until Bruce could get here.

Unless he gave in and let Lee have what he wanted.

No. Not an option. He had to stay alive...and whole...until Bruce could get here. Heart was racing and his breathing was getting faster. This totally wasn't working. Try again.

SUMMER HOUSE-PRESIDENT'S SUITE

Lee stood in front of a large, flat-screen monitor, watching a young boy sitting in the lotus position. What on earth was he doing? Some form of Bat-meditation? Still, he could see the boy trying to control his shivering, so the cold was having some effect. He sighed to himself. Had this been any other boy, one of his imitation Robins, he'd have resorted to physical persuasion by now. But this, the gem of his possessions, mustn't be damaged. The real, true Robin at last... Like a delicate Sevres vase, he must be coddled, kept carefully.

"Ouch! You hurt me!" Lee snapped at the physician who was setting his nose.

"I'm sorry, Beloved Leader, but you do want your nose to set straight," the doctor said. "I've dressed all the cuts and you have an ice pack for the bruises. Once I've finished stitching the cuts in your cheek..."

"Enough! Leave me alone," Lee said indistinctly but still understandable. "Is the helicopter on standby?"

"Yes sir," said another man. "Your secretary said to tell you that the bank books for your Swiss and Cayman Island accounts have been packed in case of emergency."

"Good. I don't believe that Batman and company know our current location, but if I need to leave in a hurry it is good to be prepared." Lee stared at the placid expression of the boy, apparently meditating in his dungeon. Blast! He'd known that Robin was specially trained, but he'd never considered that the brat couldn't be broken. He, normally the most patient of men, was coming to the end of his perseverance. Well, he was done with that. He turned to his assistant. "Bring him to me. I don't want any resistance from the boy. Make sure he's well-sedated." Lee said without taking his eyes from the screen, thinking hard. No more coddling, his star possession might be a little chipped in the process of being made usable. He snorted at the analogy. "Bring guards, armed. You have my permission to shoot an extremity if necessary. Try not to mar his face."

Robin, still sitting on the floor, finally let his breath go in a long sigh. Not working. He couldn't focus enough to induce the next stage of the trance. And he was so thirsty. He tried to work up some spit but his mouth was too dry. Okay, next plan. He slowly got up and deliberately went through a series of stretches. His energy level was down. Not surprising. He hadn't slept last night either. Probably the best thing to do was try to sleep through as much of this as possible. He found the farthest corner of the room and sat knees to chest, resting his head against the wall and drifted into sleep.

He was home, eating Alfred's chocolate chip cookies and drinking big glasses of water when the dream was abruptly broken by the sound of men's voices and heavy boots. He sprang to his feet as the locked door crashed open and the room filled with armed men. No, not all of them were armed. One man had a big syringe in one hand.

Robin could guess what that was for and he wasn't taking any more of this. He ran and did a handspring over the first row of guards, aiming kicks while his legs were suspended. They'd left the door open! He headed for that, grabbed the shoulders of one soldier and did a back flip over him, elbowed two more and was at the door. Up the stairs past two openmouthed guards with half a dozen more on his tail, he ran through another door.

The corridor was relatively clear with large windows. He hauled one open and leapt down the ten feet to the icy ground and ran for it. He heard the spang of bullets hitting the dirt behind him. So, Lee wasn't trying to keep him alive any more. That was bad if he got caught again. Well, he wasn't getting caught. He heard more bullets whining past his ears and tried to pick up speed.

He heard the boots thudding behind him. He thought that these soldiers were fitter than the ones at the palace. He was slowing...no food or water in the last 30 hours. He had to get away...had to!

Breathlessly, he looked up and saw a small group of brightly clad people in the distance. Batman! Superman! The Flash and Wally and Green Arrow! They were here! For him! Grinning, he tried to put on another burst of speed when he heard a *bang* and felt a hammer hit him, driving him into the dirt. No! NO! He was crying to himself as the dark rose up and took him in.

"There it is," Rufus said into Kid Flash's ear from his position piggyback on the other boy's back.

"That's a summer house?" Kid Flash asked dubiously, while Superman and the Flash drew up next to them.

"It's what Lee calls it," Rufus said, climbing down and retrieving his crutch. "In the Presidential Palace, there are too many sympathetic servants to get in the way, so he mostly controls himself there. He likes to come here for the privacy. He never keeps many servants here and there's nobody to notice...noises. "

Wally stiffened, then turned to Batman. "What's the plan?"

"Do you see him?" Batman asked Superman, who had been scanning the castle.

Superman's face grew even more intent. "I'm looking...There! Below ground level, he's sitting down. Wait...Men coming into his cell, they're fighting, Robin's running. He's out the door..." Superman's grew intent. "Follow me!" He took off, leaving the rest of the group to run after.

As they approached the castle, they saw a small figure dressed in red and green sprinting away from the building, followed by soldiers. The Flashes put on a burst of speed, as did Superman. They were still yards away when they saw one of the soldiers raise a rifle to his eye, take aim and fire.

The small figure dropped to the ground.

"Nooooooo!" Batman howled and ran faster. The Flash and Kid Flash got to the boy first, followed by Superman, who kept the bullets off while Flash gathered him up and raced back to Batman.

The Flash found Rufus and Batman plastered flat behind a small rise. Batman rose a bit when Flash lay Robin down in the dust.

"He's alive," Flash said breathlessly. "It's a leg wound, bleeding freely but I don't know how bad."

Batman pulled a roll of gauze from his utility belt and wrapped it tightly around the boy's left leg. "Take him back to the zeta beam and get him to the Watchtower. We'll clean up here. Go!"

Flash nodded and sped off as Kid Flash arrived. At his questioning look, Batman replied, "Robin's alive. Flash is taking him to the Watchtower. Where's Superman?"

"He's got the guards pretty scared," Wally said. "I've never seen him so mad! I think he went after Lee." He turned to Batman. "Supes wouldn't...uh...kill Lee would he? I mean, he looked really angry."

Batman looked thoughtful. "I really don't know, Wallace. But let's get to the castle. I've got a score or two to settle with Generalissimo Lee. Can you carry Rufus?"

"Sure," Kid Flash said and a silent Rufus climbed on his back again.