CHAPTER 17
It had been a total rout. A textbook example of 'relative superiority'.
The raid had been broken up, but there was no sign of the Joker, or this 'Callisto'. However, one important thing had come of it all: an ally.
Of course, that had come afterwards. So hectic had the skirmish been, that neither was aware of the other's presence until they met in the middle.
Remembering their fight, and still unsure of the stranger's status, Xena made as if to attack him. It was only Batman's laying low of a thug that intervened. Seeing this, the warrior princess decided for the second time that she had more pressing matters. For the moment at least, it seemed they were on the same side.
Working together, they fought back against the already rapidly dispersing 'army'. Once it was clear they were in retreat, Xena turned back towards Batman, guard raised warily.
"All right, just who are you? And what's your game?"
Ignoring the sword point, he looked Xena in the eyes.
"Call me Batman."
"Right. And you can call me 'tiger-woman'. Out with it."
Something resembling a smile crept in at the edges of his mouth. He simply folded his arms.
"Not telling eh?" But she was slightly mollified by the gesture. One doesn't fold their arms at sword point if they mean trouble.
"What do you have to hide?"
"Plenty," was the flippant reply. Xena couldn't help but find herself smirking.
"Okay, different track. What are you doing here?" her eyes narrowed, as if they could perceive if he told the truth or not.
"Looking for someone."
"Who?" Xena felt her hand tightening around the sword.
"A man, dressed in purple and green, an escaped criminal."
Xena had heard tales of just such a man riding with Callisto from the survivors of the villages she had stopped at. That this man was a criminal was of no doubt. That much of the stranger's story was true at least.
They stood there in silence for a few moments, waiting to see if Xena would accept that. Finally she did, and spoke again.
"What do you intend to do once you catch up with him?"
"Take him back."
"'Back' where?"
"My home land."
"And where is this 'homeland'?"
"Far."
They stood looking at each other a few more seconds.
"He's killed people you know."
"I know." It seemed to Xena that, stoic as he was, this masked man was truly pained by the fact. And that went a long way toward softening her feelings towards him.
"Looks like we travel the same path," Xena said at last. "I'm after someone too, so we don't have much time." Briefly her eyes took on a faraway look, only to have it shattered as she roused herself for action.
"I know where they're headed, come along if you want." Having made her decision to trust the stranger, Xena mounted up. Looking back over her shoulder she saw that Batman had done the same.
"Let's ride."
***
It wasn't so much what they did as it was the way they did it that roused Gabrielle's suspicions.
She'd been showing Robin around when she had noticed that same group of men she'd remembered the day before. Like her and Robin, they seemed to be out 'sight seeing'. But there was just something in the way they were doing it that seemed out of place to the young bard. It was almost like they were sizing the place up as opposed to just looking at things. And that made her feel uneasy.
When they ran into them for the fourth time, she'd decided to follow them. Subtly of course.
From then on, the 'sights' Gabrielle showed Robin happened to correlate with wherever that group of men was. It wasn't long until she had her fears confirmed.
To Robin's puzzlement, Gabrielle quickly pushed them both behind a wall and peeked out.
On their way out of town, and seemingly alone, the gang had decided to do a little 'shopping'. Three fine horses stood tethered, their owners off somewhere or other. Figuring Callisto could always do with a few good horses, and on their way back to camp anyway, they took it upon themselves to 'liberate' the beasts.
Still unsure as to what was going on, Robin followed Gabrielle as she strode boldly and purposely towards the group.
"Hold it!" She said, not changing her stride.
The men looked towards her.
"Those aren't your horses—"
"Are they yers?"
"Well, no…"
"Then mind yer own bidness!" Turning away, they were about to leave before Gabrielle recovered.
"Hey! You can't take those horses!"
Slowly the men turned back around, and just as slowly dismounted.
"Girlie," the lead man said, cracking his knuckles, "you done picked the wrong day ta be socially motivated…"
If Robin had been confused before, there was no doubt now as to the situation.
"You take the two on the right, I'll take the other three."
"How about you take the two on the right, and I take the other three?"
He was torn between admonishing her and smiling at her vigor. Without further comment they rushed into battle.
With a flying kick, Robin flattened the first man before he knew what hit him. Capitalizing on their momentary pause, he shot out with his collapsible Bo and hit another thug upside the head.
While he was busy doing that, Gabrielle had killed two birds with one stone, using the thugs' momentum against them by clotheslining them with her staff. Two swift taps to the back of the head and they were nothing more than unmoving heaps. With a satisfied nod, she surveyed her handiwork.
By this time, Robin had already taken care of his two and was working on a third. Swinging his sword in an arc, the last remaining thug was trying to keep the Boy Wonder at a distance, hoping thereby to get to his horse and make his escape. But the teen titan had other plans.
Eyeing the arcing blade warily, Robin watched as the thug backed up. Hand going to his utility belt, Robin withdrew a single round pellet. Still watching carefully, he dropped the pellet to the ground with seeming nonchalance. The next moment, day turned into night.
It was as though the sun had been ripped out of the heavens. One second the thug could see the strangely clad young man before him, the next, nothing. The thug was disoriented, to say the least. And it was this disorientation that Robin was counting on. Not wasting any time, he raced into the inky darkness and disarmed his foe. From there it was a simple matter to knock him out.
Smoke bomb. Simple, but effective. Already the cloud was dispersing, allowing the sun to shine once more.
With some small amount of pride, Robin turned back to Gabrielle to judge her reaction. There was no way he could have been prepared for what he saw. With a knife to her throat, Gabrielle stood, in the steel-like grip of an older, taller, blond woman.
And there, beside them, dressed in all his purple splendor, was the Joker.
"Ha, ha! If it isn't the Boy Blunder!" His laugh set Robin's teeth on edge.
"Joker…"
"As you can see bird boy, your little friend is in a rather 'pointed' situation!" He fell into another reel of laughter.
"Quit playing," Callisto interrupted, eliciting a frown from the Crown Prince of Crime.
"Yes, quite… The first order of business I should think is dropping that cumbersome utility belt. Truly beastly little gadget. Slowly if you please…" The Joker warned.
Slowly, and with great care, Robin complied.
"Ha, one bird in the hand really is worth two bats in the bush!" Laughing hysterically, he led Robin away with them.