SPOILER ALERT! Although I didn't use this at all, it does refer to situations that give away things that happen in the latter half of the story.
This is the first version that I began writing for "Chapter 41 - Trust" in "Lab Rat: Running Scared". While I had Robin's mindset correct, the setup wouldn't provide the right situation for the rest of the chapter. The change from this to the final version is pretty large.
Lab Rat: Running Scared - "Trust, vers. 1"
Warning: Dangerous and Irresponsible Behavior - Rating "T"
Balance. Equilibrium. They were an acrobat's greatest gifts. Knowing which way was up and down; knowing where the bar was located even with your eyes closed. It was something Dick had always known how to do for as long as he could remember. Of course he could only remember three or so years, but he couldn't remember a time without it . . . Until now.
Now, he remembered several months of not being able to manage it. It came back eventually, but he had worked harder than he ever worked in his life to do it. It still wasn't perfect, though. He remembered the quadruple somersault . . . He knew that he was one of three people in the world who could do it. Or at least he had been.
Robin clenched his jaw as he stared at the trapeze in front of him. He would do it again. If he could do it again, then he would be back! That was what he kept telling himself through the weeks that followed his abandoning his wheelchair. He could handle two without even thinking about it. Three was still challenging, however. Four . . . Would it remain out of range?
He started to put up the net, but thought about how he would consistently fail to accomplish his goals while using it. The net provided him an out. He didn't have to succeed while it was in use. Without it, he would succeed or fall. He bit his lip as stared at the bar with determination. He would do it this time or else.
If he failed, then Batman would be able to choose from the other teen heroes present to replace him. If he failed, he wouldn't want to face the man again. Win-win, he decided, pulling the bar to him with the rope.
Robin's self-esteem was such here that he is engages in behavior that is almost suicidal in nature as he tries to compete with the metas on his team.
