The Sidekick Strike
Chapter Eight
DISCLAIMER: I don't own them yet, but I'm working on it... BWAHAHAHAHA! (cough, splutter) Ah-hem...
Up on the third floor of The Gotham Snoopster newspaper office, two still figures sat back-to-back, bound tightly to two chairs by Wonder Woman's lasso. Both had tried to escape; both had failed.
"I hate to be the pessimist here… but it looks like this is it," muttered Flash. Now that Wonder Woman herself was nowhere to be found, the Joker's secret captives were free to talk.
"I hate to agree with you… and I don't. I still think we have a chance to get out of here," the Dark Knight countered.
"You have a plan, then?"
Silence.
"I didn't think so."
Still Batman said nothing.
"What're you thinking about?" Flash ventured to ask. Since they were pretty much goners anyway, he'd like to have it written on his tombstone that he had been brave enough to ask the Batman a question like that at least once.
"Robin," Batman said shortly.
"Yeah. I was just thinking of my own sidekick, oddly enough." With a chuckle and an imperceptible sigh, the Scarlet Speedster admitted, "Sure wish I could see the kid again."
"Yeah. Even if they did insist on forming that… union."
There was another pause while Flash thought over that comment. Then he found himself confessing that he thought the boys had had a point.
"What," was Batman's reaction.
"I know, I know. But… I was just remembering all the times Kid Flash figured things out before I could, and all the cases that I never would have solved without his help. And all the times he never even got a thank you for it," Flash concluded. Everything his partner had said seemed so clear now. Too bad he was about to become one of the Joker's brainless henchmen and would never get the chance to tell Wally…
"Robin did them."
The abrupt sentence was a mystery to Flash.
"Did you say something?"
"Robin did them," Batman repeated in his usual ominous tone. "Robin's the one who solves the Riddler's riddles. Not me. He always solves them. In under five seconds, usually."
Flash opened his mouth to say something—probably something registering his extreme shock (A thirteen-year-old was better at riddles than Batman was?)—but for once, the Dark Knight had more to say than just three sentences per conversation:
"We were fighting the Riddler the night before they started that stupid strike. Robin solved the riddles. Robin caught the Riddler, got that black eye for his trouble. I took the credit." And then he finally admitted, "I shouldn't have done that."
"Looks like I'm not the only one suffering from a guilty conscience, huh?"
"Don't get smart with me, Allen, or you'll have more than just the Joker to worry about," Batman snarled.
"Eh, don't worry about him, Flash," a rather young voice advised from the shadows. "His bite is worse than his bark!"
And out from the shadow of the staircase stepped the one and only Robin!
Seeing the looks of shock on the elder heroes' faces, Robin giggled and added, "Yeah, I know that was backwards. But let's face it—Batman and I are pretty backwards people!" Pause. "Did you really mean what you said about our strike? Wait a second, of course you meant it. You're trussed up there with the Lasso of Truth; you HAVE to mean it!"
"I meant it when I said it was stupid," Batman growled. But it wasn't his normal growl, Flash noticed for the first time. Now that he thought about it, his voice had always become a little lighter, a little less haunted whenever the colorful Boy Wonder was in the room.
"I meant what you said about how you shouldn't have taken credit for what we did," Robin corrected, sounding irritated. "And for your information, I'd appreciate it if you wouldn't talk to me the same way you talk to the Joker!"
Apparently, Robin didn't notice the lighter tone Batman took on whenever he was nearby.
"On a more serious note, we got the Joker's call," Robin went on, examining the glowing gold rope that kept his and Wally's senior partners captive. "And, for the record, just because we didn't want to see you guys get your brains fried by some cuckoo doesn't mean we're not on strike anymore. We are."
"…You said 'we'," Flash observed hopefully. "Is Kid Flash here, too?"
"He was," Robin mumbled.
"'Was'!"
"Yeah. He's probably in Czechoslovakia by now making sure that Superman doesn't come back and tear us up into confetti. In other words, 'live bait'."
But Flash wasn't listening anymore. His teenage nephew was being chased around the globe by the Man of Steel? No!
Meanwhile, Robin had gotten a firm grip on the lasso and was yanking on it with all his might.
"Robin, it's useless," Batman said tiredly. "You know perfectly well that Wonder Woman is the only one who can work this."
Robin mumbled a curse under his breath. This wasn't lost on Batman, who instantly demanded to know what he had just said.
"Uh…"
WHOOSH
POW!
"Yowch!"
Well, Robin's prayers had been answered; he didn't have to answer Batman's question. Unfortunately, that answer came in the form of Kid Flash, who wasn't really paying attention to where he was going at this point and crashed straight into his fellow sidekick. And, as has been mentioned, Superman was right behind Kid Flash. So now the three heroes lay in a tangled mess on the floor.
"What is it?" Batman demanded, craning his neck to find out what had caused the commotion. Flash didn't need to ask; he had recognized the blur that was his sidekick and had renewed his struggle against the lasso, even though he knew it was hopeless.
"Kid Flash! What the—?" Robin cried. He stared wide-eyed at the hyperventilating teenager, whose face was now as red as his hair. He was so preoccupied with his friend's condition that he didn't notice Superman at all.
But Kid Flash did.
Grabbing the Boy Wonder's arm, he muttered a "Hang on" before using the last of his strength to transport them both across the room.
As you have probably already guessed, traveling at the speed of light is no walk in the park. Well, except to someone like Kid Flash who's used to things like that. But to a kid like Robin…
"Ugh, now I know I'm gonna be sick!"
And indeed, Batman noted, his poor partner's face had taken on a previously undiscovered shade of green. But then again, so had Superman's eyes… and everyone else's…
…And now everyone was up on the third floor of the newspaper office.
If you're wondering how they got there, while nobody was looking, the Joker had managed to get himself free of the chains, with a little help from Martian Manhunter. And now he and his new cohorts were surrounding the two sidekicks, ready to carry out the Joker's orders as soon as they were issued.
Once again, Kid Flash was the first to notice.
"Uh, Rob?" he started nervously. "If you're gonna hurl, do it fast, because I think we're gonna have a bigger problem in about twenty seconds."
Robin looked up to see what that meant, and the green promptly gave way to paper-white.
"Oh, how right you are, Speedy!" the Joker chuckled.
"I ain't Speedy—he's with Green Arrow, remember?" Kid Flash shot back.
"And pretty soon, you'll be wishing you were with them instead of with me! Unless, of course… you are willing to negotiate…"
"Forget it, Joker!" Robin yelled, suddenly forgetting the nausea that had been ailing him all night. "We don't make deals with the likes of you!"
"But you haven't even heard my proposition yet! Oh, Bats, you really should have taught this boy the value of patience," said the Joker, clucking his tongue in mock disappointment.
I tried, Batman thought to himself.
"Now boys, I believe you have something that belongs to me. If you just hand it over, then I might just be willing to discuss a… a little compromise with you…"
"You mean the pendant?" Robin queried.
"Exactly! Now where is it…?"
"Don't give it to him, Robin," Kid Flash warned. "He used that thing to help hypnotize the Justice League."
"I know. I figured that out, too. And even if I hadn't, there's no way I'd hand anything over to this creep!"
"Good for you!"
Both Batman and Flash mentally groaned. Even though their boys were completely surrounded by the world's greatest superheroes-turned-bad—any one of whom could beat the heck out of them both at the same time—plus one of the world's most evil super villains, they were still being as cocky and confident as ever.
Would they never learn?
"Are you sure now? We wouldn't want anything bad to happen to you, would we?" the Joker went on, his comments punctuated by morbid chuckles. The fake concern he showed for the boys' welfare made Flash sick to his stomach. "Just give me the pendant, and I can guarantee temporary safety for the both of you. What do you say?"
"NO!" the teens hollered.
If he was free, Batman wasn't sure whether he'd be patting Robin on the back for his bravery or giving him a good sound spanking for his brashness.
The Joker shrugged his shoulders in resignation, but actually seemed pleased with the boys' response. Neither of the boys' senior partners wanted to know why he was so happy.
But they did know.
"Alright," sighed the clown. "I gave you a chance, but…"
He raised his hand and, with a simple finger snap, the Justice League attacked!
Me: Eeek! Oh, no!
Dick: What are YOU worried about? YOU aren't the one getting pulverized!
Me: I'm worried for you and Wally.
Dick (sarcastic): Oh, well NOW is a GREAT time to start, Panamint! THANK you!
Me (glaring): Anyway, sorry for the delay, people. We were in New York last Saturday, and this past week I've been involved in the Altador Cup on Neopets. It's sorta like the World Cup, except the sport is Yooyuball, which is sorta like a 'soccer meets lacrosse' kind of a deal. I'm playing for Altador and my sister is playing for Meridell and...
(Notices the strange looks she's getting from her Muses and the blank looks she's getting from her readers)
Me (sigh): If you're really curious, go to neopets (dot) com. If not, Dickie here is about to do the reviewer replies, so you can read that. Not that there's a lot to reply to...
Dick: Sigh.
Me: My sentiments exactly.
Reviewer Replies
Sarah4321-Panamint's only reviewer! Congratulations! Anyway, Panamint says she really likes your 'take-over-the-world' scheme, but I, personally, am not overly fond of the whole kidnapping part. I wish you luck in everything else, though.