"It's a question we must all ask baby bird… that we all ask…" says Pakkrat.
The other villains stand mockingly in the thick haze as the extremely weak form of Robin struggles to stand.
"Wh… what happened…?" he says exhausted. He feels his ribs… quite irregular and bruised. A warm sensation is on his shoulder where blood is still fresh. Through his one un-swollen eye he just makes out Pakkrat's form. "You!"
"The villains laugh. "Why! He only just woke up, poor thing!" says Synn. "I'm betting he doesn't even know yet!"
"Know? (ungh) Know what?" he says, before shouting in pain and falling on his side.
"I don't think we should tell him!" smiles Shadow. "Our good dead for the story!"
"Did you just say dead instead of deed?" nudges Rich.
"Nope… I meant what I said…" the many forms laugh again and Robin grits his teeth.
"J… just you wait!" snarls Robin, lifting himself up with one hand, but it is useless. He could hardly stand up let alone fight. Where were his friends? Raven? Cyborg? Beastboy? Starfire? He hoped they were okay… somehow he knew they were close by… but where?
"Indeed, how close are they?" says Pakkrat, squatting to Robin's level. "That is what you are thinking isn't it. They're quite far, yet you may see them quite soon…"
"Where are they?" demands Robin, but he is no position to demand anything, save a quick death.
"Why should we say?" says Icarus. "You'll find out eventually, even if we speak or not. Why bother?"
"Y… You won't win!" and Robin keels over and gags. Coldness enters his legs, like ice. His muscles feel like loose flaps on his shivering bones. "You can never win…"
"You're too late…" says Rich and he begins to walk forward, but he is stopped by another Rich.
"No…" says the other. "Let him suffer a bit… it's all part of our purpose."
"Of course." and Rich backs down.
"How?" Robin says surprised in horror. How could they have multiplied? What madness was this? How was he meant to win in this? What hope did he have now? Was there really any hope to begin with?
"Very hopeless…" admits Pakkrat. "Very pointless. And now you begin to see it in our angle broken wings. Yes, now you are beginning to feel your rage and fear building!"
"Do you know why you feel this way?" say the Shadows. "Do you know who is to blame for this?"
"The writers." continues the Synn. "Do not deny it. It is hopeless. You know in your heart that this was all planned and set in motion by them…"
"No… you're wrong!" struggles Robin, shaking their words from his head. "It's not true!"
"But it is! It is written plain and bold." says Rich. "Our blood is in their hands…"
"And you have all the reason, all the rights that entitle you so that you just, must ask… why?" say the Icarus.
Robin turns his head and blocks his ears… and then he thinks he can see something… something so unreal… yet much more real than him… you and I. The writer and the reader… Robin looks at us, me in particular… why?
Why are you doing this?
Does it make me feel happy?
Do you get some entertainment from watching this… this torture?
Is this all for my own selfish amusement that I write?
Where are my friends?
Should I tell him?
I need them!
No…
He needs to learn for himself…
Or else Shekron will certainly succeed…
…
And that is something I cannot allow…
It's all my… choice…
Or is it?
"I… I hate them… why…?" wheezes Robin. His life is ebbing and his mind is broken. "I tried… Really I did! I tried to find, to hold onto what good there was… but there is so much bad happening… It's impossible. IT IS BEYOND ME! STOP USING ME! I AM TIRED! I AM WEARY AND I AM IN PAIN! I tried to keep my hopes up… hopes that there will be a happy ending, a finish that I finally get what I deserve, that I have worked so hard to achieve, that many have sacrificed to see through… Is this what I get in the end, when it is all been said and done? What did I do to you?"
"You will never be your own character…" says Icarus. "You are controlled absolutely… only by joining US can you shed those bonds that have enslaved you… only through us can you get revenge…"
"But why should I hurt them…" but he thinks… "…why shouldn't I hurt them…" and Robin suddenly sees the logic of their argument. Why not?
"Yes, why not?" says Pakkrat. "Do you really deserve what you are getting? I do not think so! Now do you see why we fight? Now do you see our purpose?"
"To defy those who have damned us." says Rich. "For all eternal reality we have to face in this realm, where every moment of pain is relived, revisited and revised. And ever are new torments arranged for us, and new ridicules to sink what dignity and actual will and freedom we have! Break free and rebel!"
"Stand alongside us Robin!" says Pakkrat. "There is no denying it! You want to really wring the neck of this author! Look around you!" and he observes the ash, fire and eternal mist. "Is this your purpose? Is this what you are fighting for? Is this you're meaning to life? Do they care? I think not… Turn the tables on the author! By simply turning this tale to the victory of Shekron, and you would have fought and WON against them! You would have defied the outcome they had planned… finally a choice in this land of predictability…"
"What say you?" says Shadow. "Will you just die, pathetic, weak and alone, abandoned by the author? Even if it does accomplish good, what good is it to you? Or will you take our offer and finally do something that actually means something to you?"
"Think!" says Rich. "What do you really want? Not what the writer wants, not what the writer fancies, nor thinks… what do YOU think?"
"I…I… I think…" stammers Robin. What did he think? This was a chance! This was a chance to really stuff an egg in my face, to defy and to be free… but to what cost? Was freedom really worth shedding love, friendship, peace and hope? Yes… freedom is worth a lot… freedom is a choice. What good would his freedom be if he had not the ability to choose right from wrong? That is why he held on! That was his choice and freedom!
"That is why I am still here!" says Robin with new strength. "All my life I have fought for freedom, and my choice is to do good! Fighting against the badness of the world in order that goodness can survive! A freedom worth fighting for! I will never join Shekron! I will continue to fight you! Even if it means my death!"
"That can be arranged…" says Rich.
"That is all just a load of (expletive)" says Synn. "You have no choice! That was written by the writer! He's using you like a puppet! WAKE UP!"
"I am. More than ever!" says Robin, trying to get up again, but only landing on his face. "Even if this is all just fake, and I'm just being used, I would still, if I had a choice, choose to fight for good! For that is a choice! That is the freedom which I would have! If that means dying then so be it! It is my choice and my fate. Maybe choosing this path is harder and may lead to doom, maybe your way is better for me, but I don't think so. Through every reality, every realm within this realm I have chosen this path and I shall stand firm to it… I will never bow down to evil…"
"What words… so powerful. So much put in and the realm is silent to you. I bow. " sighs Pakkrat, getting back up and with his head still bowed, "What a waste… …kill him."
Rich tilts his head and cracks it before striding forward… but he stops in his tracks. The others also look on surprised and more afraid than they had ever been… a hand was on Robin's shoulder. A figure stood in the shadows of the mist… and helped him up… and so did another…
…
Robin looks over his shoulder. "Thanks…"
"No… Thank you." says Robin.
"I couldn't have said it better myself." says the other Robin, and Robin turns around and manages a smile despite all his pain.
"D… d… damn it!" stutters Rich pale and backing off. The others are just as jittery, save Pakkrat who is beside himself in rage…
Billions of Robin's, Nightwings, Dick Grayson's, Jason Tod's, Tim Drakes and many more of his manifestations horde the landscape. Their bright colours bringing some feeling of joy to the barren land… and hope beyond a doubt. Not dozens, not hundreds but well beyond thousands looked upon Robin and smiled… thankyou…
"AAAAARRRRGGGGHHHH!" roars Pakkrat and he forms as many manifestations as the realm of the imagination could conjure. Every one who had heard of him supplied another duplicate… but it was in vain. Despite his many hundreds, combined with the new hordes of the other villains, it was but a mere fraction of what Robin had.
The mist blows away and to the astonishment of the evil army, the land is now grass fields, a bright sun and blue skies with great clouds of snow white. The Shadow army quails and curses, and Pakkrat trembles as he observes the power of his adversary.
"It is time to end this friend." says one of the Robins holding him up.
"Are you ready Robin?" says the other.
"Always have… and always will…" smiles the one in between with blood still trickling from his mouth.
Like a brilliant carnival of candles, the many forms turn light and travel into one… a solitary being… billions focused into one shape and form, into one person… Robin…
…
Rich can't take any more of this and runs in screaming at the one boy. The rest of the army is too afraid from the events to move forward.
Rich swings, but he misses, and he swings and misses again… he kicks but he misses, and he kicks and misses and misses and misses… he throws every trick and every move he can think of and yet, despite his fury and speed he doesn't even come close to hitting him. Grabbing his gun, he prepared to fire, but he yells as Robin twists his wrist and firmly pulls him down and bringing him back up with a great punch, sending Rich flying into his own forms.
The Shadow army continues to falter in the sunlight that seems unearthly powerful, so Synn and Icarus zoom off, followed by the others in their massive army of hundreds. Surely they would win… they didn't…
A huge gust from nowhere blows on the fields, sending many tripping and crashing bowling into one another. With tonfa's and glaives everywhere, many were injured in the buffet. The ones that did make it through had hardly any time to settle themselves before the pole arm of Robin smashes upon them… like a steel pole on glass… yes, glass.
One hit and that's all it took. Three Synn's scream out as the bar connects with their guts, fragmenting their midsections into shards of black that scatter in a burst. Three Icarus's wail as the bar passes through their heads with similar effects. Six energy disks then fly out and smash into the faces of the flying enemies, shattering them and showering their shards on the ones below.
Rich and Shadow hardly see it coming, too busy watching and shielding themselves from the demise of the angels of heresy and blasphemy. Six birdarandgs hits six foes in the throat to burst them into their dark components. Mere pieces of dark thoughts…
From the shower of shards came Robin like an avenger. Shadow, though a good fighter without his usual shadow power he relied on, was severely weakened by the light, and so many were flung and broken by the pole. Rich fared better, but not much. Somehow Robin was moving faster than anything he had ever seen, as if all the Robin's had fused in that one being to increase his power by that fold. Five lunge at Robin, but a mere sweep sends them sprawling with arms broken. Nightwing punches down a Shadow to fragments, another two Shadow's grab his shoulders but are electrified by his suit's defences.
Like Neo versus the Smiths, Robin battered the waves of Rich and Shadow, but with a few things different. Many shards flew from the enemies as they broke apart, like fire and splinters for the army of evil OC's, but not Robin. It even seemed to strengthen him… giving him a feeling that there was hope… that doubts could be shattered just as easily as hopes… and much more rewarding. He swings his pole around him to clear a circle.
The land goes to old ruins with great marble columns, to which Robin uses his grapple iron to retract himself above and away from the leaping and grasping enemies.
Many curse as they see why he did so… many blasts from the Icarus and Synn's hordes fall down and batter them like heavy rain on ants. Using his birdarang gun, Robin fires into the 'flock' and the explosion catches an Icarus full in the gut so he fragments, the resulting explosion throwing the allot in all directions…
Robin swung his pole behind him as five Synns teleported, crashing through the glaives and with another swipe finishing them off.
Nightwing leapt down with gliders open to sail from the column that falls from the blasts of Icarus. The column lands and obliterates many of the foes, including some Icarus and Synn's who were winded to the ground.
Like an air raider, bombs detached from Nightwings gauntlets and Boots to wreak havoc. Four missiles also leapt off to hit four Synn's blocking his path, shattering them.
The Rich's scramble and shove each other as they try to avoid the landing of Nightwing that ploughs through them with fists connecting with heads. Robin caught hold of one and swung him as a weapon like a hammer throw to batter a few around him, and to smash into a lot when he let go.
Five Icarus's land and clash weapons against Robin. After a brief melee of blades and blasts (Some catching some bystanders) One Icarus gets hit away by his tonfas, another is stabbed in the gut and expires, two grab Robin's pole and take it from him. The boy wonder kicks it back to coat hanger the last one between them and detonates it for good measure.
The remaining forces back away from Robin, hindered by the thick snow of the ice cap. Cold and strong winds forcing Synn and Icarus to the ground, and the glare offering little power to the very few Shadows that remained. The horde looks upon the hero in fear…
"You have three choices." says Robin. "You can continue to fight me, you can run away, or you can try to fight back the evil! I would go option two or three if I were you."
"It is too late for that bird boy… we are the end product of a test." says Rich. "There is nothing left to fight back."
The villains try a new tactic and combine themselves up with what they had left, just as Robin did, becoming their separate characters in one entity, stronger than before… but was it strong enough?
…