No Warnings . . . Yet.

Joker had disappeared and apparently gone to ground.

Robin had helped Green Arrow to escape the inferno that the mall had become, and used the Batmobile's auto-pilot to get to the nearest zeta tube which happened to be in downtown Gotham. After he delivered Ollie to the Watchtower, he had refused all attempts at medical care despite Black Canary's insistence.

"I don't need it," he had told her, perhaps more virulently than necessary. "You should know by now that I can survive anything. A few burns are the least of my worries right now. I'm more concerned with the citizens of Gotham that aren't so resistant to Joker's attacks."

"You can still feel pain," she persisted. "And you shouldn't being going up against Joker alone. Batman wouldn't approve . . ."

"I asked for help," Robin snapped. "And I ended up having to save Green Arrow's ass! I don't know how Batman stands to work with any of you! None of you listen . . . Or is it just my requests and advice that fall on deaf ears?"

He had never seen Canary struck speechless before, but he didn't stick around to bask in his verbal victory. It tasted like ashes in his mouth anyway.

Robin knew he shouldn't have taken his anger out on them, but he had come to the Justice League on Batman's advice, and once more they had let him down. He should have gone with his first instincts and taken his own team. They, at least, listened to him!

"Stay out of Gotham," he had told her as he turned back in the direction of the zeta tubes.

As soon as he arrived back at the Mount Justice, he went straight to the computer and put in a call to the commissioner. He waved for quiet as the team rushed out to meet him. Robin ignored their shocked gasps at his appearance. It wasn't his injuries that they were seeing, however. His had healed within the first half hour. No, what they were seeing was the injuries he had absorbed from Green Arrow.

Those taken from others tended to linger, he noticed. It had taken him nearly two weeks to heal from the deaths of his friends when his own death had taken but an hour. The injuries he had healed from around Happy Harbor had taken him close to two days. The injuries from Kid Flash had been the same way.

Healing others slowed him down.

He knew he wasn't exactly pretty at the moment. He was limping from the hole in his leg and the burns on his chest and face, but taking these on had enabled him to help GA. Robin felt a little guilty for not healing Ollie completely, but he couldn't take the chance that he would be out of commission for days on end. As it was, he could probably heal these up in a matter of a few hours with some sleep.

"Gordon," the commissioner's voice filled the cavernous room seconds after the first ring.

"Commissioner," Robin greeted. "I'm sorry. Joker got away from us in the smoke. No one else was hurt in the fire, were they?"

"No, no, everyone got out safely thanks to you and that Green Arrow character," Gordon said. There was a brief pause and Robin knew he had caught the young vigilante's words. "Who was injured in the fire? Are you okay?"

"No worries, Commissioner," Robin assured him. "I'm fine. Nothing that a little sleep won't cure. Green Arrow had a little smoke inhalation from being up on the second floor, but it's nothing to worry about," he lied. "Did you find any sign of Joker or clues to his next move?"

Gordon sighed. "I was about to ask you the same thing. No. Joker escaped in the chaos of the fire."

"I have some news, but it won't be conducive to a good night's rest," Robin told him, regretfully. He then began to tell Gordon about his theory about Joker's big plan.

". . . Are you sure?" Gordon's voice suddenly sounded twice as tired.

"Well . . . I'm not Batman," Robin said apologetically. "I could be mistaken . . . But I don't think I am."

"How long until Batman is available?"

Robin checked the chronometer again, although he didn't have to. He had been keeping track of the time religiously; just as desperate to have his partner back where he belonged. Joker would have been captured by now if Batman had been on the case, he was sure. Robin swallowed his guilt and shoved his inadequacies into a compartment in the back of his mind. He was all Gotham had at the moment, and the city needed him in top form; not questioning his every thought and move.

"Eighteen hours." Eighteen hours in which Joker could be doing anything . . .

"Eighteen," Gordon repeated, obviously thinking much along the same lines as Gotham's youngest vigilante. "That clown has been up and busy for the better part of the past twenty-five hours. He'll need to sleep, and so do we. We won't do the citizens of Gotham any good if we're so tired that the clues he leaves behind slip past us. Get some sleep, son."

It went against the grain, but Robin knew the wisdom in Gordon's words.

"Yes sir," he said. "You, too, Commissioner. Contact me if you hear anything at all. I'll do the same, sir."

"Sure," he answered tiredly. "Will do, Robin."

As the call disconnected, Robin turned to face the questions of the team.

"We saw the fire on the news," Kaldur told him. "What happened?"

Robin's shoulders slumped and he leaned back against the computer console. "It was a fiasco. Green Arrow refused to heed my warnings and underestimated the Joker. He shot a bunch of balloons that Joker had laced with white phosphorus. They exploded in his face and caught the mall on fire. Joker had several more balloons positioned throughout the lower level and the first explosion triggered the next one, and that one triggered the one after that."

Artemis stepped closer, concern on her face. They all saw the extent of the damage Robin wore; how much worse was Green Arrow?

"Green Arrow only suffered from some smoke inhalation?"

Robin dropped his gaze and shook his head. "No. I only lied to the commissioner because if he knew the truth of what happened, he would have forbidden me to go back after the Joker." His head came up; determination flared and temporarily concealed the exhaustion in the boy's expression. "Not that that would stop me. Batman won't be back for another eighteen hours. Joker is too dangerous to be left to his own devices for that length of time."

"Are those injuries from Green Arrow or do they belong to you," Kaldur asked.

Unconsciously, Robin placed a hand over his damaged thigh. "Green Arrow," he admitted, reluctantly. "I had to partially heal him just to get him out of the building. I feel bad that I didn't heal him completely, but I can't risk the amount of time necessary to recuperate from the full extent of his wounds."

"Later," he promised. "Later I will go back and finish his healing."

"How long will it take for you to heal this," Wally asked.

"I've noticed that it takes me longer to heal from injuries I absorb from others than it does from my own, but I didn't take all of GA's wounds, so maybe after a few hours' sleep," he said, telling them his theory on his healing ability.

"Then you better head to bed, my friend," Kaldur spoke softly. "Your commissioner seemed to think that Joker would need to rest as well."

"Yeah, I'll admit that I won't do anyone much good in this condition," Robin agreed. "I need someone to monitor communications and news outlets for any mention of Joker. I need to know immediately the next time he shows his clown face again."

"Let us worry about that for you," M'gann told him.

Robin nodded. He looked up at them then. They were his friends as well as his teammates. He hated to ask them, but Gotham needed more from him than he could give to it alone. What Gotham needed was Batman, but in the meantime, someone had to step in and fill the gap.

"I'm going to need your help," he told them.

Kaldur stepped forward and laid his hand on Robin's thin shoulder. "You have it," he promised.

"You don't even need to ask," Artemis declared.

"Whatever you need, Rob, we're here for you," Wally said next.

Conner had remained silent throughout, but he nodded at Robin with hard eyes. It was as good as any other declaration he had been given. The clone wasn't much for talking, but his loyalty was as solid as the rock they stood on.

"Thank you," he said to them. "And I want you to know now that I'm sorry."

"For what," M'gann asked; her head tilted as she looked at him curiously.

"For asking for your help in dealing with the Joker," he told her sadly. "I wish there was another way."

Conner finally spoke up. "Why not ask the League again?"

Robin's lips tightened in bitterness. "They don't take me seriously," he replied. "The only adult who actually listens to me is Batman, and unfortunately, he's not an option right now. I need people who will hear what I have to say and heed my warnings. Green Arrow is in the Watchtower's medical bay right now because he was incapable of doing that."

In the silence that met that pronouncement, Robin met their gazes. "Joker will be the hardest thing you've ever been up against. Even one mistake can lead to disastrous results; extra heavy on the 'dis'. We haven't been together all that long, but I know I can trust you."

"Get some sleep, Robin," Kaldur urged. "We will keep watch for you in the meantime."

As Robin nodded and moved in the direction of his quarters, he knew they would do as they promised. He could only hope that they didn't have cause to regret it. In the interim, he could sleep. He could recuperate. He would be ready to head off Joker at the next juncture in this dangerous dance they had begun. He would be there with his team to stop the madman from whatever plan he had devised to destroy Gotham.

Meanwhile, he would pray hard for Batman's early return.

REACTIONS?

Tensions are building up . . .