A/N: I have returned with yet another installment! And about that updating Sundays thing... well, it was Sunday about 20 minutes ago, so it still counts. Anyway, I promised this update, and I really want to move this story along a bit. It's already expanding beyond my original template. Classes start tomorrow, so my updates will become more infrequent. But, never fear, I check my e-mail 10 times a day (at least), and I still put aside time for reading and writing.
Anyway, thank you to my wonderful reviewers, and people who have sent their votes in to dlsky! Thank you!
Disclaimer: See first chapter
Doing the Right Thing
By: Sarah Shima
Chapter 7: A Cry for Revenge
Soaking wet and bursting through the doors of the Wayne Memorial Clinic, Slade drew all attention to him. Well, the attention of Dr. Thompkins and one nurse who was working the night shift. Dr. Leslie rushed out towards the door where a man with a patch over his eye stood, a bloody young man in his arms. "What happened!" Leslie cried, pulling the man towards an examination room. Slade followed just behind the doctor.
She motioned to an examination table, and Slade laid Robin down on it. Throughout the trip to the clinic, Robin had begun to wake up many times, usually only succeeding in mumbling something incoherent before fading out again.
Slade stepped back as Leslie and the nurse began checking Robin's injuries. He watched as the doctor looked at Robin's face and paused momentarily as if she felt she recognized him. The doctor shook her head, and turned her attention back to the injuries. .
A long while later, how long Slade did not know, a man with white hair wearing a suit walked into the clinic. He eyed Slade for a moment before nodding at him in a congenial way. He walked towards Dr. Leslie's office, and then stopped outside one of the exam rooms. Seeing that the doctor was busy, he returned to the waiting room, and sat across from Slade.
"Are you waiting for Dr. Thompkins?" the man asked in an English brogue.
"I'm waiting for my friend. She's in there with him," Slade responded, watching the man carefully. "What about you?"
"I'll be escorting Dr. Thompkins home," he said.
The pair sat in uncomfortable silence for a while, until Slade reinitiated conversation. "You wouldn't know the quickest route to Wayne Manor, would you?" he questioned.
The man seemed taken aback by the question. "Wayne Manor? Why, no Wayne has lived there for years, why would you want to visit?" he asked in a way that suggested he might know a little more about the Wayne's than Slade suspected.
"My friend in there, he said you should never visit Gotham without taking a look at it. I hear it's huge," Slade said, taking on the air of a tourist.
"It is nothing to gawk at, sir!" the man responded angrily.
"I didn't mean to offend you, Mr….?" Slade said uncertainly.
"Alfred Pennyworth, Major-domo of Wayne Manor," he responded a little pompously. Slade grinned in spite of himself, this was the butler. What luck he seemed to have today. Well, other than the Robin getting sliced up part of course.
In the same moment, the door to the examination room opened and then nurse stepped out. "May have I have a word with you, Mr…?" she asked.
"Wilson, Slade Wilson," Slade said offering her a hand that she shook.
"Your friend? is in pretty bad shape Mr. Wilson. The magnitude of lacerations combined with the blood loss created a problem. However, Dr. Thompkins managed to stitch up the serious cuts and stem the loss of blood. He will need to be watched closely for a few days so that an infection does not form," she said.
"How soon can he leave?" Slade asked.
"Leave?" the woman questioned, taken aback. "Not at least for a few days, Mr. Wilson."
"Not good enough. I need to go now." Slade pushed past the protesting nurse, and was about to enter the examination room when the form of silver-haired Dr. Thompkins stopped him.
"What is this?" she asked, motioning violently at the room where Dick lay.
"Excuse me?" Slade asked.
"Who is he?" she demanded, her voice low.
Slade saw Alfred standing up out of the corner of his eye, and suddenly realized he was surrounded. Oh well, might as well be honest. "I'm going to need to speak to the two of you," he said, motioning to Leslie and Alfred. "…privately. Perhaps in the examination room?" he suggested. They glanced at him suspicious, but did as he asked.
Once in the room, Alfred spared a glance at the bandaged youth on the table. He studied the boy's face. A bandage wrapped around his head, but his black hair was damp, and a stray lock fell into his face. Alfred's eyes widened in recognition of the person. "I-It can't be," he said.
"No, it can't," Dr. Leslie seconded.
"Well, let's get right down to it, shall we?" Slade suggested. "This young man is my friend, Richard Grayson, heir to Bruce Wayne, and also known as Robin." He said the words in a rush to prevent from being interrupted.
"That is absurd. Richard is dead!" Leslie shouted.
"Yes, he is. However, as 'absurd' as this may sound, Robin and I were accidentally kicked into the wrong dimension, mainly this one, and now we're trying to find our way back." Slade enjoyed the startled expressions on Leslie and Alfred's faces, and the way they stared at him as if attempting to see if he were lying or not. "When he wakes up, you can ask him yourself. He can tell you what Wayne usually likes to eat for breakfast, or where you stash the sweets in that big house, or how to get into the lair." Slade stole a glance at Robin, whose eyelids were fluttering open.
"Even if I thought I could trust you – which I do not, there is no way I could believe such utter nonsense!" Alfred exclaimed.
"Al…fred?" Dick asked from the bed, his eyes partway open and his speech slow.
Alfred immediately looked down, staring at the person who definitely appeared to be the older version of his honorary grandson. "Wha's goin' on?" Dick asked, confused at the sounds and images around him. He could see Alfred's angry and flustered countenance above him, and Dr. Leslie's cross look, and immediately wondered if he had done something wrong. His mind felt like sludge, which he contributed to pain medicines. He turned to his gaze to the guy with the goatee who seemed amused. Who was he?
"You should still be asleep," Dr. Leslie said kindly, her worry for her patient foremost in her mind, no matter who Mr. Wilson claimed he was. She checked his vitals quickly and then saw his intense blue eyes watching her. "Go back to sleep," she ordered, administering a light sedative. Then she shoved Slade and Alfred from the room, closing the door behind her.
Henri Ducard sat in the back of a black Cadillac outside of the Wayne Memorial Clinic. Through the glass door he could see three figures walking around. One of his men was checking the perimeter and spying through the windows, searching for Robin and his assassin companion.
Ducard had been angry when he heard from his people that the employees sent to capture Robin had not only been killed by the mysterious man, but had seriously injured his original target.
It interested him to follow this man and see where he was headed, especially when it turned out to be the clinic of Wayne's friend.
As Ducard and his driver sat outside of the clinic, Ducard's mind mulled over the various possibilities of how Dick Grayson had suddenly appeared in Gotham. He had toyed with the possibilities of alternate dimensions in the past, but never put much stock into them, partially because taking over his dimension suited him just fine, and partially due to a fear of what would happen if travel between then occurred. Perhaps he was finding out. Either way, he now decided it would be necessary to bring both Dick and the man in to talk to them. If the man killed that freely, and was with a vigilante, then perhaps the vigilantes in their dimension were a bit harsher than the ones here, and perhaps some sort of deal could be made.
And if they were from an alternate dimension, then he would take every step necessary to safeguard himself from outside interference.
Alfred's eyes strayed to the room where the young man had dropped back off to sleep. "How could this be true?" he asked.
"I would like to know that myself, Alfred. We've been wandering around for days. We just left Arkham recently after speaking with Bruce Wayne."
"Bruce? What did he say?" Alfred asked, distrustful of Slade.
"I don't know, Richard went in alone," Slade said.
"I suppose we'll just have to wait to settle this until he's feeling better," Leslie said with a sigh. She watched as Slade quickly turned his head towards the side of the building.
"Someone's outside," he said. He turned to Alfred and Leslie. "Are there any discreet exits out of this place?"
"Yes, in the back," Leslie said. "But who could be—" her words were cut off as the glass windows were smashed in from all sides.
Slade shook his head and raced into the examination room, ripping out Dick's IV and scooping him up in his arms once more. Alfred saw him looking for the exit, and so followed as a group of black-clad men jumped in. Slade followed Alfred out the back entrance, and into a waiting BMW. Alfred leapt into the driver's seat with unexpected strength, Leslie climbing in with them.
Alfred took off from the curb as quickly as possible, and drove out towards the crowded roads of Gotham City. "Why are you taking the main roads, Alfred!" Leslie demanded.
"To blend in," Slade answered for him. "If we took a deserted street they would have no trouble finding us."
"Quite right, sir," Alfred nodded.
"So, where are we headed?" Slade asked. "We can't go to the Manor now, they might…"
"I assume these men were with Ra's Al Ghul, and he never discovered the entrance to, or location of, the Batcave. We shall be safe there. And then we can finish the conversation."
"Alfred…" Leslie hissed in Alfred's ear, thinking Slade could not hear her. "How could you show them the entrance, for all we know, they could be working with Ra's."
"When I looked into the young master's eyes, I knew it was him. I am inclined to believe this man's story. And I am willing to take the risk if I am wrong."
"I just hope you're right, for both our sakes."
Slade stared out the windows as Alfred maneuvered from main arteries and onto country roads. They had passed over a bridge a while back, showing Slade that the Manor existed on the mainland, not the large central island of Gotham. He memorized everything he saw in his mind, in case he ever had to come here again, and in case he ever needed to use this information.
Slade took his eyes from the side window, and looked out the windshield as Alfred seemed to be heading directly for a rock wall. Slade's eye widened, could Alfred be about to kill all four of them? He hastily prepared himself to jump out of the car, pulling Robin from the seat next to his into his arms again. Alfred saw his actions in the rear-view mirror and chuckled. "Do not be frightened Mr. Wilson," he said, and without further ado, the car went straight through the rock wall.
"A hologram," Slade said, releasing a breath he did not realize he was holding.
"Yes. The entrance to the Batcave is very well protected," he said. Soon the car was barreling through a watery underground passage. Alfred spun the BMW into the main cave, pulling it to a stop next to the now-defunct Batmobile. He exited the car and then walked to the other side, pulling the door open for Dr. Leslie.
Slade stepped out of the car, Robin in his arms. Alfred stepped over next to him, staring down at the sedated young man tenderly. "Here, let's get him to the medical lab," Alfred said, leading the way.
A while later, the trio sat with warm tea cups outside of the medical lab. Slade stood up, looking around at the expansive cave and dedicating each detail to memory. "Nice place you have here. But didn't the police search the Manor after Batman's arrest?"
"The police never discovered it. It is not a 'secret lair' for nothing, Mr. Wilson," Alfred responded haughtily.
"Please, call me Slade. I haven't been 'Mr. Wilson' since before I joined the military," he offered.
"You are in the military, Slade?"
"I was."
"And just how did you meet Master Dick?" Alfred asked, quirking his eyebrow.
"Well, in my dimension he heads up a team called the 'Teen Titans.' They operate out of Jump City, and I ran into him a few times there."
"So you're a vigilante then?"
"Something like that."
"But he told you his identity?" Alfred pressed, finding that Slade seemed to be… not exactly lying, just not telling the full truth.
"I figured it out today when we went to the Asylum," he said, realizing that Alfred seemed suspicious and hoping to throw him off a bit. "So, tell me about this Ra's Al Ghul person. I think he may be trying to kill me, so any information would help."
Alfred gave a wearied sigh. "What is there to tell, really? Ra's Al Ghul, also known as Henri Ducard, was one of Bruce's trainers when he first began his plans to become Batman. Ducard wanted him as a member of the League of Assassins. He refused. A few years ago, he devised a plan to wipe out all superheroes. He started with Batman, who he saw as his only true rival. He went to quite… devious… measures to destroy the image of the Batman," Alfred explained, pausing meaningfully on 'devious.'
"And these 'devious' measures?" Slade asked.
"By killing Robin, and making Batman watch," Alfred said, using the superhero appellations to distance himself from the words. "Batman lost control, hunting for Ducard. He began to kill, causing waves of fear in citizens. It tarnished the reputation of the Justice League members as well. Afterwards, he somehow gained access to several of Batman's files on the ways to destroy various superheroes if they ever went rogue. Ducard used this information to kill high profile members of the hero community. After that, he began his systematic plan of destruction and acquisition to form the 'perfect country.' I believe he has returned to finish Gotham off."
"Nice guy," Slade said for Alfred's benefit, while he could not help but internally applaud the man for such a brilliant plan. "So you don't know how he gained access to Batman's files?"
"No, they were under the highest level of security."
"Perhaps we should get some rest," Leslie suggested. "It's getting late, and we should wait to discuss anything further until Richard is awake."
"Agreed," Alfred said. "Come, there are some cots next to the medical lab," Alfred added, catching Leslie's glance that it was best to keep the entrance to Wayne Manor a secret, lest Slade was not really who he said he was. He looked at Slade once more, and seeing the ripped and bloodstained clothes, spoke again, "I will fetch you something clean to wear, Slade."
Dick struggled in the water that was pushing on him, suffocating him. He strained to reach the surface and break through, but his efforts were not rewarded. His lungs filled with water, and he felt a strange sense of calm overwhelm him as his floundering ceased.
Then he heard it, a small, pleading voice breaking through the icy depths.
"Help me," the voice called. "Please, help me."
The voice attracted Dick's attention, not just because of the words, but the tone, the sound. That voice belonged to him!
"You're the only one who can help me! Please! Stop Ra's! Save me!"
The following morning, Alfred brought breakfast down to the Batcave. Leslie watched Slade warily as he wandered about the lair, examining the contents with his eye. He was wearing some of Bruce's clothes, designer denim pants, a T-shirt and a zip-up sweater. "Looking for something in particular?" Leslie called.
"Oh, no, sorry. This place is just… amazing. I never imagined the Batcave being so large and equipped."
"Well, it seems our patient is awake," Alfred said, nodding to where Dick was struggling to sit up in the medical lab.
"I'll go check on him," Leslie said, standing and leaving the two men in the main cave alone.
"So, can you tell me your name?" Leslie asked as she examined some of the wounds she had bandaged before.
He looked at her a minute, and then around him. "Dick Grayson," he responded. Leslie met his even gaze, and slowly nodded.
"So what Slade's been saying is true," Leslie said.
"If he said we somehow were transported to a near parallel dimension, then, yes, it is," Dick verified. He winced as Leslie pulled a bandage around the gash on his chest.
"And what happened to you?" she asked, nodding at the injuries.
"Slade and I were attacked by a group of assassins. They were trying to kill him, but I… got in the way."
"You and Slade must be good friends, you could've been killed." Dick snorted at her referring to him and Slade as 'friends,' but did not say anything when she cast him a questioning glance. Detailing his and Slade's history would only cause Alfred and Leslie to become suspicious. He was surprised they believed the story so far anyhow.
A moment of uncomfortable silence passed, and Dick decided to break it. "The Batcave," he sighed. "I haven't been here in years."
"Why not?"
"Bruce and I had a sort of… falling out. I left Gotham and moved to Jump City."
"To start the Titans again?" He nodded.
"How exactly did you end up here?" she asked.
"Well, Sla… Slade and I were in a lab where one of my enemies was trying to steal something. The fighting started, and somehow we activated a machine – some sort of particle disrupter. Next thing we knew, we were walking through a destroyed lab in Jump City," he invented quickly.
"You were in Jump City? That place was declared off-limits. It's a wasteland!"
"Not entirely. There are still people trapped in there. We stole some clothes from them, and escaped over the barricades to get to Gotham."
"And you've seen Bruce?"
"Yeah, I overheard Gordon and Bullock after I fought Two-face talking about Bruce being in Arkham. So I got in to see him yesterday morning. He thought I was an imposter sent by Ra's Al Ghul, but I guess he changed his mind once he saw my eyes," he explained with a shrug. "By the time he realized that, it was too late; the guards busted in and brought him back to his cell."
Leslie knew what he did not say as he unconsciously brought a hand to his throat. "Bruce has had a difficult time… accepting what's happened."
"So I heard. Did he really start killing?"
"Yes. His friends in the JLA tried to get him to calm down, but by the time they realized how far gone he was, the authorities had already apprehended him. The FBI saw this as every superhero suddenly becoming a threat, and warrants were issued for the arrest of all vigilantes."
"Was anyone arrested?"
"Speedy was caught in Star City, but he managed to escape, hasn't been seen since." Dick nodded, allowing himself a small smile that Roy had managed to slip out of their grasp.
"Has Ra's Al Ghul attacked anywhere else?" Dick asked.
"From what I've heard, he's been working to eliminate superheroes before continuing his final plot."
"I see," Dick responded, his eyes growing cold. "Hey, could I talk to Alfred for a minute?"
"Sure," Leslie said, still stunned that she was talking to Dick Grayson. After Alfred called her and she saw his dead body in the Batcave, she had felt such an emptiness inside of her. While that had not all changed, seeing him again made her smile. He was such a handsome young man.
"Alfred," Dick began, looking up at the man who served as a parent for most of his life. "I'm sorry to hear about what happened, with Bruce, and with… me."
"Thank you, young sir. It has been a most difficult time."
"I'm sure it was. To lose both Dick and Bruce…"
"Master Bruce never could find a way to express his emotions other than violence," Alfred said suddenly, as if he had been waiting to say those words until someone who could really understand them was present.
"And so he turned his pain into murder," Dick voiced that last part of Alfred's thought. Alfred nodded. "I guess it makes sense. But still… to think that he did that because of my death, as if it would be something I would have condoned."
"I've had the same thoughts, sir. And I've had a lot of time to think, spending these last three years alone."
"Three years? Wow. So you still live in the Manor?"
"Most of the time. Just after word came out about the Batman's identity I was forced to hide in the Batcave while various mongrels attempted to exact their revenge on Batman through me."
"Jesus, Alfred. I'm glad you're all right."
"As am I."
"Well now, you must have a lot of questions."
"Yeah, Leslie said Ra's Al Ghul was trying to kill all of the superheroes. How could he do that?" Dick asked.
"With Batman's files. Bruce kept files on each superhero he knew, with ways to take them down, should they ever go rogue. Ducard gained access to these files."
"How could he have done that? The only people with access are Bruce and me. And he must not know where the cave is, or he would have dismantled it by now. So how could he hack in from an outside source without the proper passwords?"
"I do not know. It's something I have wondered about for a long while."
"Alfred, what happened to the heroes? Is anyone left?" Dick asked, fear rising in him. How horrible was this world?
"Several were killed; among them: The Flash, Zatanna, Aquaman, Hawkman, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and the Martian Manhunter. Superman falsified his death, and abandoned his costumed heroics. Wonder Woman apparently fled to Themyscria to avoid confrontation."
"What about everyone else, have they quit?" Dick asked with a heavy heart. He knew some of those league members, knew them enough to not want them killed. And Superman quitting? How could he do that? How could he abandon the fight when the world still needed him? No wonder this place stank of hopelessness.
"Not exactly. I heard from Superman that he formed a secret group he dubbed, "The "Freedom Squadron" to combat Ra's Al Ghul." Dick looked up at Alfred. "He has brought together Wonder Woman, Wonder Girl, who you knew as Kid Flash – now called The Flash, former Aqualad – now Aquaman, Firestorm, Green Arrow, and Speedy."
"Good. I didn't want to leave this dimension in so much trouble unless there was someone who would be there to stop Ra's," Dick said, looking away from Alfred for a moment.
"So you will be leaving soon then?"
"Slade and I are on a pretty tight schedule. And now that Ra's is suddenly interested in us, we should make our exit soon. I want to go home," Dick voiced that last part with a desperate twinge to his tone.
"Anything I can do to help?"
"Yeah, I need to get in touch with Ray Palmer – the Atom, if he's still around, right away."
"Still around? Of course he is, sir. He's now in Gotham City at S.T.A.R. Labs."
"Good. He may be able to help me."
The Titans were unsuccessful in their research of dimensional planes, unsuccessful in their work to uncover what may have become of Robin and Slade, and so, one of their number had come to a decision he would never want to make, if only to save his friend.
"All right y'all. I may be able to find out what happened to them, and how to get Robin back," Cyborg announced suddenly, stunning the group of wearied heroes in the Main Room of Titan's Tower.
"Please, share whatever you have discovered," Starfire pressed, rubbing her temples with her golden-skinned hands.
"There's only one person I can think of who can give us some real answers," Cyborg began tentatively. He had thought long and hard about this, making sure they had investigated every other possible option short of shouting for Superman or calling up the Justice League, and he finally realized it was the only thing they could do. The others watched him, waiting to hear who this person was. Raven noticed that Cyborg seemed to be having an internal struggle over this decision, and wondered why. "That person is… my father."
"Your father?" Beast Boy asked. "I never even heard you mention him before! How could he help us?"
"He works at S.T.A.R. Labs," Cyborg explained. "I haven't spoken to him since my…accident, which is when he turned me into… this."
"It must be hard for you to even think of going to see him," Raven said, feeling his emotions of hatred and dread.
"Yeah, but if Rob's trapped someplace, then we have to help him. And if my dad can help, then I guess I'll just have to deal with my issues later."
"Thank you, Cyborg," Starfire said. "I only hope he can help in some way."
"Yeah, me too. We're running out of ideas here."
"I just worry that something may have happened to Robin already, and if so, we may never see him again," Raven whispered.
The large gash on his chest made it hard to sit, hard to stand, hard to breathe. But Dick did his best to ignore it as he ate, cleaned up, changed, and then went into the main cave to access communications. He sent Slade to an outcropping in the Batcave, out of sight and out of hearing from the computers so that the Atom's secret I.D. would not be compromised. Slade had learned quite enough already.
The Batcomputer responded to Dick's touch, and he found himself mildly surprised when he put in his password from three years ago and was met by access. He was about to bring up communications with Ray Palmer, when a voice from behind him snapped his attention.
"Now, now, Robin, it's not quite time for you to go yet," the smooth voice of Henri Ducard announced.
Dick spun to find him standing in the middle of the cave, smirking at him. Staring at Ducard, he could not help but hear the voice in his dreams, his voice pleading to stop the man; the man who killed him and caused Bruce's insanity.
A/N: Sorry to cut you off there, but cliffhangers need to exist. Anyway, I'd like to hear any thoughts you have on the story. Now I'm going to go to bed, but don't forget to e-mail dlsky, and review!
So long,
Sarah Shima