Ra's Al Ghul had come, but not alone. Six black-shrouded minions—highly-trained assassins—flanked him, armed with scimitars.
The prospect of fighting Al Ghul was one Robin did not enjoy entertaining. The battlefield was a catacomb, close quarters. That alone was deterrent enough for even Batman to back off from a fight with Al Ghul. Ra's Al Ghul never picked a battlefield he hadn't prepared.
But there seemed no alternative to fighting. The Titans stood alone against Al Ghul and his killers, while the Justice League heroes were too weak to be of any help. Robin resigned himself to the coming confrontation. Robin advanced on Al Ghul. The other Titans went after the assassins.
"I have to admit," Al Ghul said to his young foe, "I'm rather impressed by your deductive skills. To piece together all this from the barest of clues. Your mentor would be very proud."
"It wasn't all me," Robin said. "I had help—my friends and from whoever sent the notes and the Kryptonite ring." The Boy Wonder smiled. "You see, I figured it all out. The bomb residues and the Lazarus pool ashes came from you. The residues you couldn't help; those had to be left behind by virtue of the method you used to destroy the Batcave and the Fortress of Justice. But the Lazarus pool ashes…different story. You wouldn't endanger your precious pool. That's how I knew you were trying to lead us astray."
"And the other clues?" Al Ghul pressed.
"There were two people dropping clues," Robin answered confidently. "You, who were trying to throw me off the case, and one other, who was trying to keep me on it. That other is Batman. He's the only one who would know the story of 'The Purloined Letter' and know to give it to James Gordon, who would immediately contact me. Those notes we found were actually pages from a book, and I know Batman has a book of Poe short stories. I read it. The Kryptonite ring was a nice touch, too. The only one who had that ring was Batman. It was a gift from Superman. Only Batman would know about the existence of the ring."
Al Ghul applauded. "Very, very good. Truly, you are a worthy foe and a worthier partner to the world's greatest detective. But you haven't figured out why I kidnapped your friends in the first place, have you?"
Robin shrugged, admitting his ignorance.
"You'll have to figure that one out later, then." Al Ghul drew a pair of sabers from his cloak and threw one at Robin. The young detective caught it and unsheathed it. Al Ghul doffed his cloak and shirt, revealing his impressive build. Robin did the same and assumed a fighting stance. "If you wish to save your friends, you'll have to beat me and my assassins."
The young detective could feel the sweat bead on his palms beneath his gloves. In addition to being a genius, Ra's Al Ghul was also an adroit athlete and swordsman. Even Batman couldn't win a sure victory against him in a fight. And Robin was nowhere near either man's caliber with a blade. But there was no other alternative. The Boy Wonder knew he'd have to prove his namesake here and now. But knowing that only made the saber in his hand feel heavier.
He shook away the doubtful thoughts and focused on the fight. Robin saluted his foe with the blade and said with more confidence than he felt, "En garde."
Al Ghul went in with surprising slowness, or so it seemed to Robin. At first, the young detective thought his foe was merely testing him, gauging reflexes, probing defenses. It was standard procedure for those who relied on strategy and cunning for their fighting style. But Al Ghul wasn't testing. Those slow, languid strokes were his attacks. Robin stayed on the defensive for a little longer, just to make sure these sluggish movements were indeed Al Ghul's style. And then he struck back, hard and fast.
Robin was smaller than Al Ghul, but faster. He hoped to overbear his enemy through a barrage of lightning-fast strikes. But that was when he realized his mistake. Al Ghul had tricked him into committing himself to an all-out attack. Al Ghul slipped under Robin's outstretched sword-arm and maneuvered to the young detective's exposed back. Robin felt two bloody lines gouge across his shoulders.
"You've an excellent mind, boy," Al Ghul said, "but you're swordsmanship leaves much to be desired."
"Cheap shot," Robin growled back. This time, he stayed completely on the defensive, parrying his foe's precise strokes. He was looking for a hole in Al Ghul's defenses, but none ever appeared. Then his opponent made a shocking change in tactics, bearing forward with raw brawn. Robin was taken aback by the shift in style and his defense dropped against his foe's attack. Another line appeared, this time across his cheek. Ruby-red fluid spattered across the floor.
"I don't enjoy this, boy," Al Ghul said coldly. "Taking the lives of children is for the desperate and the cowardly, neither of which I am. Surrender."
"I don't think so." Robin charged forth, yelling a war cry, seemingly devoting himself once more to the offensive. Al Ghul spat derisively and moved to meet the younger swordsman's strike with a canny block. But it was a ploy. Robin dropped the tip of his blade under Al Ghul's, circling it over and stabbing his foe in the shoulder. But the Boy Wonder wasn't finished. He released the hilt of his saber and moved into close quarters, slamming his fist into his opponent's face. He followed with a hard side-kick to the solar plexus, then an uppercut to the jaw, and finally a hard elbow strike to the collarbone.
Ra's Al Ghul fell to the ground, unconscious.
Robin looked around; the Titans were finishing off the assassins. In moments, the villains were all bound and the Justice League had regained consciousness. As the World's Finest prepared to leave with the villains in their custody, Batman pulled Robin aside to share a few words.
"You did well out there today," the Dark Knight said.
"Thanks," replied Robin. "How are you feeling?"
"Lousy," Batman said in a low monotone.
"Ha! I wouldn't have guessed. Um, seriously, though. I was worried. I mean, I saw the Batcave…."
Batman grew somber. "Yes, the Cave. It will be costly to repair it. Ra's was quite complete with its destruction. He wanted revenge for that incident when I defeated him a few years ago. When the Justice League tried to help me, Ra's beat them, too. He intended to leave us in these ruins until he could acquire the tools needed to kill some of the superbeings, Superman in particular. He left me alive only because he respected me. I'm sure any other baseline human victim would have been killed outright."
"Well, that explains his motive," Robin said. "Funny, when I first saw those quotes from that Poe story, I was sure there had been two motives. Of course, back then I thought only one person was dropping the clues. It didn't occur to me that two people were involved until later."
"The fact that you deduced that I was the other one demonstrates your maturity as a detective," Batman said with solemn gravity. "Your continued growth as a crimefighter saved me—and the League. Thank you, Robin. I am very proud of you."
Robin simply smiled.
The End