Episode 7: Legend
A figure shrouded in darkness stood upon the roof of the highest building. A light breeze made the fringe of the figure's garment blow around person. Though there was no source of light behind the figure, the silhouette seemed to cast an intimidating shadow upon the city below. Yet a sudden blast of heat lightning exploded behind the figure, and it was revealed to be a young girl dressed in white.
Two other figures came up behind her. "I've never seen a place that looked so dreary," the girl noted. "It looks almost like it's painted on black paper."
"That's Gotham City for you," one of her friends responded. "Come on."
The identities of these figures were identified as they flew off the roof of the building: the Muse, Static, and Gear. They were heading uptown when suddenly the Muse exclaimed, "Oh my goodness! Look at those people!" She pointed to some men tied upside-down from a rafter. "We got to go free them!"
"Relax!" Static said. "Those are obviously bad guys because that's the handiwork of the guy who wants to see you."
"Batman did that?"
"Yeah," Gear said. "See that bat at the end of the rope? That's his mark."
"Wow. You're sure he doesn't have superpowers? Because that is really impressive. Wonder what he wants with me?"
"There's no telling," Static asked.
The whole set up was strange. That morning Virgil's Shock Box went off. He answered it expecting to hear Richie on the other end, but instead he heard a very British voice saying, "Hello? Am I addressing Static?"
"Who is this?"
"I was told I could reach you at this frequency."
"Who told you? Gear?"
"We have met before. I believe you addressed me as . . . 'dawg.'"
"Oh, you're Batman's go-to guy! Wassup? Does the Caped Crusader need our help?"
"Master Bruce requests the presence of your superhero friend the Muse this afternoon."
"Oh, sure. We'll be down as soon as we can. What do you her for?"
"That is all." Then the transmission ended.
Virgil immediately called Richie and told him what had occurred. Richie, of course, was begging to go. "I don't know, Rich," Virgil asked. "He called me, not you. I know the way there and everything."
"But I can be moral support. Because let's face it, she may not be ready to meet Batman. He is really intimidating. She might interpret his demeanor as mean to her, and she's going to need someone to console her."
So Virgil agreed that he could go, and they left right away. They told the Muse everything they knew about Batman on the way. She was rather excited as well as curious and a little scared.
"Let's see," Static muttered. "It's over this way--oh, great!"
They stopped on another rooftop as they saw a strange blimp that looked like a fool's hat. "Why are we stopping?" the Muse asked.
"'Cause we gotta do our superhero thing," Static answered.
A rope ladder fell off the side, and two strange people came off. One was a man with green hair and wearing a purple suit. The other was a woman wearing skin-tight motley with a red and black color scheme. Both of them had painted faces.
"Well, isn't this considerate of you!" the man remarked in a disturbing, high pitched voice. "I set sail for Dakota, and you come to me, you and your amusing friends." (He put extra emphasis on "muse.")
"Oooh!" the woman squealed as she pinched the Muse's cheek. "Isn't she a cutesie-wootsie?"
"Please sir," the Muse spoke up, "I have a mother who loves me. I'm not interested in running away to join the circus."
Static laughed. "Dissed! Gimme five, girl!"
The Muse didn't realize that she had made a joke. "What? I'm just starting to wonder why we flew for two hours just to meet up with a couple of clowns."
"Clowns!" The man grabbed his heart and staggered back.
"Don't take it too hard, Puddin'," the woman said as she held his shoulder.
"Well, what else could you be?" the Muse shrugged. "You fit the description. C-L-O-W-N, a buffoon who entertains by jokes, antics, and tricks, as in a circus or rodeo, and who traditionally wears bright colors and a painted face. Synonyms include: fool, jester, madcap, mime, mountebank, picador, and punchinello."
The man chuckled and patted the Muse on her shoulder. "I'll go easy on you because you are so young and still very new at this. But you must know," he started tightening his grip, "I AM NO CLOWN! I AM THE JOKER!"
"Well, as my mommy would say, 'Same difference, right?'" she retorted.
"There is so a difference! A clown is . . . well . . . is there a difference?"
"Oh wait, a joker. I remember what that is. It's the wild card I throw away to play Go Fish. It's also the card I keep in to play Slap the Joker."
"Yeah," Static chuckled. "So, you can either get slapped or thrown out. Which will it be?"
The Joker's smile got wider. "When I'm done, she'll want to play with a full deck."
"We'll see about that!"
Yet hardly before the battle began, the Muse shrieked. "AIYEEE!"
"What's wrong?" Gear asked.
The Muse grabbed her right arm. "I think a bee stung me. Oh, it hurts!"
"Here, let me take a look." Even as he was talking, everything seemed to blur in the Muse's eyes. She suddenly felt unexplainably sleepy. She groaned and collapsed. "Alright Joker, what did you do?"
"I'll take credit for this one," a very deep and ominous voice said behind her. The last thing the Muse remembered was an enormous shadow falling over her.
When she awoke, she found herself lying on a metallic table in a dark, damp place. "Static? Gear?" she called groggily. "Where am I?" Her voice seemed to echo, and nobody answered. "Have I been captured?"
Footfalls suddenly echoed throughout the lonely place. A skinny, balding man in a tuxedo approached the girl. "You're awake?"
"Yes. Who are you?"
The man gave a secret smile. "Batman," he replied.
"Oh. I'm pleased to meet you. I'm the Muse."
"Wait, you actually believed me?"
"Why not? So what is it that you wanted to tell me?"
"You may still be delirious. Lie back down. I'll get the Master."
She leaned back onto the counter. She brought her arms in and shivered. "It's cold in here," she said to no one in particular. Everything was dead silent for several minutes, and the Muse got bored. Finally, she got a song stuck in her head, and she started singing it to herself.
"Sing in me, Muse," a deep voice said behind her. She turned around and saw a masked man dressed all in black. He continued, "And through me tell the story of that man skilled in all ways of contending, the wanderer, harried for years on end, after he plundered the stronghold on the proud height of Troy."
The Muse looked down and said meekly, "I don't think I know that song."
"It's from Homer's Odyssey."
"OK. I'll make sure to look for that record."
"You are still delirious, aren't you?"
"No, I'm not. I'm just tired, and a little dizzy, and I don't know where I am."
"I'm sorry I had to tranquilize you. It was the quickest way I could get you away from the Joker to here."
"You tranquilized me? So that wasn't a bee sting."
"No, it was a dart."
"I guess that's good. I was starting to wonder if I was fatally allergic to bee stings. You know, sometimes there's only one way to find out, and I didn't want to find it out that way." She turned and got a better look at him. She gasped. "Are you Batman?"
"Yes."
"But if you're Batman, who's that?" She pointed to the man who greeted her a moment ago.
"That's Alfred, my butler. Sometimes I ask him to cover for me."
"Where's Static and Gear?"
"Nearby. I wanted to see you alone."
"Oh." She turned away. "Static is right, you are intimidating. You're even a little scary."
"Good, I'm supposed to be. I took a vow when I was about your age that I would strike fear in the hearts of all who do evil. But you have nothing to fear from me. I do not seek to harm you."
She started to turn to him again. "So, you're my friend?"
"Let's say I'm your ally."
"A-L-L-Y, one who joins with another for a common purpose. Well, as my mommy would say, 'Same difference right?'"
"Not quite."
"Is everybody in Gotham so particular with their words?"
Batman held her hand and looked into her eyes. "I'll say this. I have been watching you these past few years very closely. I have seen many superheroes in my day, and I must say I have been very impressed by you."
The Muse was amazed. She almost didn't know what to say. "Well, thank you. Thank you so much. I know that means a lot coming from you. Gear says you're not just a superhero, you're a legend. There are not a whole lot of those, maybe you, Superman, Spiderman, and Underdog."
Batman cocked an eyebrow. "Some people might beg to differ. What about you, or Static?"
"We're much too young to be legends yet." Once again she brought her arms in and shivered.
"You cold?"
"Uh-huh. These sleeves are so short, and I'm very cold natured."
Batman sighed and began to untie something around his neck. He took off his long, black cape and draped it around the Muse's shoulders. "There. Is that better?"
The Muse, once again in shock, was only able to slowly nod and whisper, "Thank you."
"Alfred, get our guest some cookies and milk."
"Chocolate chip?" the butler asked.
"Yes Alfred."
"Right away."
"That should help put some energy back into you," Batman whispered to the Muse. "I need to go check something on my computer. Stay here. I'll be right back."
"OK."
Static and Gear were watching from the other side of the cave. "Oh sweet spidey sense, I am so jealous," Gear muttered.
"If I were her, I'd never take a shower again," Static nodded.
"This isn't like Batman though. The Batman we know would probably go Sunday school on you if you even touched his cape."
"I think he's acting more like . . . his other persona."
As Batman left the girl, Static and Gear approached him. "Who are you, and what have you done to the real Batman?" Gear demanded.
Static stepped in front of him. "What he means is, thanks for being so hospitable to her. We were both worried that you were--"
But Static was stopped short as Batman turned and stared at him with that hard stare that only Batman could give. "Do you think it was wise to make an autistic child a superhero?"
"WHA?" Static and Gear said at the same time.
"How'd you know?" Static said.
"No disguise can hide that lonely, wandering gaze in her eyes," Batman explained. "I know it too well."
"May I ask how?" Gear asked. This time Batman shot him that look. "Oh, I guess that would be telling, wouldn't it?" Gear nervously chuckled. "I just wondered if you had a, you know, an autistic relative as well. 'Cause it would be pretty cool if we had something else in common besides the superhero thing."
Batman shook his head in frustration and sat down at his computer. "It wasn't our choice, though," Static said. "It was hers. Gear made her the device to improve her autism, and we did some fiddling with it, and now it does crazy stuff. She calls it 'magic.' The more we work with her, the more she improves. So actually this superhero gig is a good thing for her."
"I think you are lucky that she functions as well as she does."
"Well, she used to be a severe case," Gear spoke up.
"Humph. I can tell she has overcome much."
"So is that all the reason that you wanted us to come down here? Just so you can say hi to her then chew us out for making her a superhero in the first place?" Static said.
"No," Batman replied sternly. "I asked you to come down here because she is in danger." He pulled up something on his computer. "The Joker was planning to go to Dakota this afternoon on a surprise attack. He wanted to catch the Muse outside of her uniform. He was going to attack any youth function to be found in the city. Targets included daycares, parks, even the community center that I believe is run by your father."
"He probably would have got her too," Gear nodded.
"What does he want her for?" Static asked.
"Apparently he doesn't see her as much of a challenge. To the Joker, the Muse is nothing more than a little girl, and he has no problem with torturing a little girl."
"He probably knows how popular she is at home and was prepared to hold her for ransom," Static suggested.
"It's possible. I found no evidence of this."
"So what should we do?"
"You should do nothing. Lay low down here, and I will take care of Joker and Harley."
"What? We didn't come all this way just to sit around!"
"I'm not going to risk your safety. I've had more experience."
"You forget that I'm 6 and 0 to when it comes to the Joker too!"
"You've only had one encounter with him, and as I recall you weren't a huge challenge either."
"Why don't we talk to her for a minute?" Gear suggested.
"Be my guest," Batman said.
The Muse had the cape wrapped around her like a blanket and was eating cookies off a china plate. She was still singing to herself.
"Having a big ole time, Muse?" Static asked.
"Uh-huh. Would you like a cookie?" She held up the plate.
"Oh, don't mind if I do." He took a big one and took a bite. "My compliments to the chef."
"Very good, sir. I'll send your compliments to Pillsbury," Alfred muttered.
"How about you, Gear?" the Muse offered.
"No, I'm good," Gear said shaking his head.
"Batman?"
"I'm fine," he replied, "but it is kind of you to offer."
"Not at all. It was kind of you to treat me. Now where did Mr. Alfred go?"
"Alfred is not fond of sweet food. He wouldn't want one."
"OK. Hey, I was just wandering, what happened to those clowns?"
"They're cowards," Static laughed. "Right when Batman showed up, they turned tail and ran."
"Well, we better go after them. I don't know who they were, but they must be bad."
"Actually, Batman wants us to stay here. He thinks the Joker's after you."
"That's nothing new. Madelyn, Mmoatia, and Omnaura were all after me, and I beat them all."
"The Joker's not like all those enemies," Gear said. "He's more dangerous."
"So he's also a legend?"
"You could say that," Batman nodded.
"I'm not scared. I'll be with Static and Gear, and we've been a great team for years. And on top of that, we'll be with one of the greatest superheroes ever. But we got to stop them. I made a promise too, to stop nightmares like them so that children everywhere can sleep in peace. I can't forsake my promise just because some clowns are looking for me. I'll do whatever it takes to stop them."
Batman sighed. "I can't overlook such determination. You can come, but don't get out of my sight."
"Yes sir!" the Muse replied with a salute. "Oh, I guess you'll want this back." She held out his cape. Gear and Static were a little too eager to help her shake out the cookie crumbs.
"Thank you," Batman grunted as he grabbed the cape back and put it on. He went over to the Batmobile. "Come on in," he said to the Muse.
"If you please, I'd like to fly with Static."
"Muse, you fly with us every day," Static said. "Go with him. You can tell your grandkids one day that you rode in the Batmobile."
The Muse sighed. "OK," she said in a disappointed voice. She got in the car and buckled up. She was still apprehensive and wasn't keen on talking or looking at Batman. Batman nearly put a blindfold on her but decided against it. She was staring at the floor anyway.
The Muse screamed a couple of times as they were taking off, but she got used to it in time. After the got out of Batcave, Batman asked her, "So, what's it like?"
"What's what like?"
"Everything. Life."
She had no idea how to answer that question. "Well, life is good. I have a good mother and a pet rabbit. I have good friends. I have a lot of stuff that I like. I have fun being a superhero. Is that what you meant?"
"Not really. How do you feel? Are you lonely?"
"No. Static and Gear are my friends."
"But you don't live in Dakota, right? So, who are your friends when you're home?"
"Well, I have a few at church. There's a woman who's like my grandmother there."
"What about friends your age, like at school?"
"I know everybody at my school. That is, I know their names and what they look like. Sometimes I play with them, and they're fun. But they don't like to talk. I can understand. Sometimes I don't like to talk either. So I feel like I don't really know them at all, and they don't know me. I guess at home I do feel lonely sometimes. I miss my daddy still. But really, I feel ok when I'm alone too. In fact, I feel better when I'm alone than I do when I'm with people, really."
"Man, I know how that feels."
"I don't like being around a lot of people at once. That's the worst."
"Me too. What do you do when you're alone?"
"Mostly read, or listen to music, or think."
"What's usually on your mind?"
"All kinds of stuff."
"Like what?"
"Why exactly are you asking me all of these questions?"
"Because I'm trying to understand you better. I've seen many children like you, but you are the first one I have been able to talk to."
"Children like me? I don't understand."
"No, I don't think you do, but you will. Why do you not look at me? Are you scared?"
"Yeah, a little. I've always had trouble looking people in the eyes. Mommy tries to force me, but it feels so uncomfortable."
"Why? For most people, it comes naturally."
"I don't know. I guess I am a little scared. I remember when I was scared of just about everything. Now not much scares me, except for loud noises and roller coasters. I think Static and Gear taught me that."
"What made you decide to become a superhero?"
"I always loved magic. I wanted to do magic, but Mommy told me that real magic was evil. She gave me a magic kit, but that was fake magic, not the real kind that I love. Then I saw Static for the first time. He could do electric attacks, and it looked like real magic to me. I asked him if he could teach me, and he said he couldn't. But he also said he believed I had a magic of my own inside of me. And I did. So from then on I wanted to work with Static and Gear, make my magic better and do good works with it. I want to do it on my own at home, but they won't let me."
"Do you know why?"
"They say I'm not ready. I don't know when I'm going to be ready."
"I see."
After a long pause, the Muse looked up at Batman. "So how about you? What's your life like?"
"I prefer you didn't ask me that."
"Why not? You asked me."
"There's the Joker!"
The Batmobile came to a screeching holt. The Joker approached with a malicious grin smeared on his face. "Well, well, well, it's just as I suspected. The superheroes always return to the scene of the crime."
"It's criminals, Joker," Static said as he flew in, "and no crime's been committed . . . yet."
"Yes, 'yet' being the operative word."
"I'm not like some people," the Muse said. "I'm not afraid of a couple of clowns!"
The Joker stumbled back again. "If you call me that one more time, I'm really going to have to hurt you."
"Well, I know new ways to intimidate you then," Batman remarked.
"What exactly do you want?" the Muse said obstinately.
"I just want to get to know you, my dear," the Joker replied as he came closer to her.
"Then you can know me this way!" She put her hands around her pendant, and it began to glow. "MAGIC!" Fire shot out at him. Static and Gear immediately aided by throwing electric attacks and Zap Caps. Batman, of course, was doing his thing. Oddly enough, though, the Joker was not doing much to fight back. Several times he just threw his head back and laughed. "Is he crazy?" the Muse thought aloud.
"Very much so," Batman nodded.
"Where's the woman in all this?" The Muse suddenly became wary and turned around. Then she spotted something shiny on the ground. It was a wadded-up gum wrapper with no gum. "Oh," she said and put it in her pocket. Then she saw something else--a corner of a motley hat at the base of a hill. "Hey! There you are!"
"Oh crud!" the woman cried. She was holding some kind of helium container that had a balloon of the Joker's face painted on it. "Mr. J., she spotted me, and I'm not ready!"
The Joker sighed. "If you want something done," he muttered to himself.
"What's going on?" the Muse said.
"Word's been going around, Muse," the Joker answered as he pulled something out of his sleeve. "You're not afraid of much anything, except loud, sudden noises."
The thing the Joker just took out of his sleeve began to quickly inflate. Just as the Muse recognized it as the same balloon as the other clown had, it popped with a loud "BANG!" The Muse panicked and fell back. She rolled down the hill.
"Muse!" Static yelled. He used his powers to try to pull her up, but his electrical energy somehow dissipated around her. Batman tried to throw a whip around her, but she was rolling too fast.
"Nice try," the Joker sneered with a grin. "I filled that balloon with a little of my own concoction, so she's going to be with us for awhile. But she'll be back, and I promise you, she'll have a big smile on her face." He and Harley jumped onto the blimp and flew away with their captor.
"We should have never taken her along," Batman said grumpily.
"Hey, you Okayed it!" Static argued. Batman shot him a glare.
Gear said nervously, "You two can head back to HQ--I mean your HQ sir, the Batcave. I'll do a search with Backpack."
"Go ahead," Batman nodded. Gear took off. Batman got back into his Batmobile. Static tried to claim shotgun, but Batman already started his engine and roared away. Static sighed and followed on his flying disk. He had many angry thoughts on his mind.
When the Muse awoke, she found herself lying on a metallic surface in a dark, damp place. "Static? Gear?" she called groggily. "Where am I?" Her voice seemed to echo, and nobody answered. "Have I been captured?" As the shadow of bars fell on her, she sleepily collapsed. She understood. She was in a huge cage. Her wings were pinned together, and her pendant and Shock Box were gone.
"Ah! You're awake finally!" the Joker called as he approached the cage gleefully. "I was beginning to think I kidnapped Sleeping Beauty by mistake." He chuckled and the woman clown also laughed, but the Muse only looked at him curiously. "Why aren't you laughing? Don't you even know the meaning of humor?"
The Muse replied in a flat voice, "H-U-M-O-R, the quality that makes something laughable or amusing, or the ability to perceive, enjoy, or express what is amusing or comical."
"Thank you. I never found smart alecks to be very funny," the Joker scoffed.
"That was not my intention. You asked a question, I answered." When the Joker didn't answer, the Muse asked, "So, why exactly am I here? What do you want with me?"
The Joker gave her a pitiful smile, reached through the bars of the cage, and took her hand. "Oh Muse, I brought you here out of a matter of concern. You are a healthy child with a prosperous life, but in all the times I've watched you, I've never seen you smile. Now, I would understand if you were from this dump, but you're from sunny Dakota. I've been there. I'm familiar with the positive atmosphere there."
"Actually, I'm not from there. I just work there."
"Same difference, right?"
"Don't use that phrase on me, clown." The Joker withdrew his hand in disgust. "Besides, I do so smile, just not often. I don't like smiling much. It's uncomfortable."
"Oh, come now. It takes less muscles to make a smile than it does a frown."
"That's what they all say, but it doesn't change how I feel. Besides, my normal facial expression is neither a smile nor a frown. In this facial expression, aren't most of those muscles relaxed?"
"That's beside the point. I felt you were not happy enough, and I wanted to be the first to bring you a few laughs."
"So all I have to do is give you a smile? Fine." She stretched her mouth out as far as it could go. "Can I go now?" she said through gritted teeth.
"No, no, no," the Joker replied. "That won't do. It's too forced. Here, this put a happy face on many a customer."
A fine pink mist emitted from a flower on the Joker's lapel. Now the Muse had learned from Puff to never trust a gas that she could see. So she secretly changed it with her powers. "I like that," she said. "It smells like lollipops. I like lollipops. My favorite flavor is cotton candy. How about you?"
The Joker hardly paid attention. He looked at the dispenser hidden in his lapel. "Did I fill this thing with the right stuff this morning?" he asked himself.
"Yeah, Mr. J, I'm sure I saw you," the woman clown broke in.
"Harley, entertain her for the next few minutes. I'm going to refill this."
The Muse made a face as the Joker left. "You're name is Harley? Harley is a boy's name."
Harley crossed her arms. "For your information, it can go either way. Besides, it's short for Harley Quinn."
"Harley Quinn? Really? I've always wanted to meet you!"
"No kidding?"
"Yeah. See, at home, we have tons of your books, in boxes, in shelves, in the hallway, and in the attic, but Mommy says I'm not allowed to read them. Why not? Aren't they any good? The covers look interesting on some of them."
"Books? I didn't write no books, Sugar. I've haven't written anything since my abnormal psych thesis in college!"
"I don't see how could forget all the books you wrote. There must be over a hundred like 'One Night in Camelot' and 'Indian Summer,' and they all say Harley Quinn on the cover."
"Oh! Those are Harlequin Romances! Man, I wish I wrote those. I'd sure be making a pretty penny."
"So you're not--"
"Sorry."
"Oh. OK." The Muse reclined in her cage. "I've been knocked out twice in one day within an hour. That can't be good for me. Well, at least I caught up on some sleep I missed."
"Try to stay awake. Mr. J. will be so mad if you fall asleep. Here, let me see your bright, little eyes." Harley reached into the cage and lifted up the girl's head. Then she hesitated. "There's something familiar about those eyes," she muttered.
"Huh?" the Muse said. "What? Have we met?"
"I don't think so, but I recognize something about that gaze. Hmm."
"Alright," the Joker said as he came back in. "Let's try this again."
He squirted the pink mist around the Muse again. She covered her face with her arms. When the mist was gone, the Muse sniffed her wrists. "You know, you make better perfume than Puff ever could." The Joker slapped his forehead.
"Any luck Gear?" Static said into his Shock Box.
"I'm not getting a signal. Really, it doesn't surprise me. I bet the Joker confiscated her Shock Box first thing. I'm just flying around the city looking for some clue from her. You know, maybe she's practicing some of those new techniques she's been doing. How are things going in the cave?"
"Don't ask me. B-Man just sat down at his computer and started typing away. He hasn't said a word since we got here. I don't know what he's up to."
"I can't understand how she let her guard down so quickly. It's not like her."
"Well, he popped a balloon right in front of her face. You know she doesn't function well when she's scared."
"Good point."
"Well, you keep an eye out. Let us know when you see anything."
"Sure thing. Gear out."
Static looked at Batman. "I can't take this anymore!" he thought aloud. He started walking toward the computer.
Batman was quietly chuckling. "Underdog," he mumbled.
"Well, that was very out of character," Static said aloud. Batman turned around and looked at him threateningly. "Good, I finally got your attention. OK, Wayne, it's time we were straight up with each other. We both know who we are. It's time we spoke face to face, masks off." Batman gave him an even harder glare. "Uh, I mean figuratively of course."
"If you knew me that well, you would know that I'm not 'straight up' with anyone."
"Well, we gotta make an exception in this case, for the Muse's sake."
"What about it?"
"I remember when we first met. You didn't shake my hand. You didn't even say 'hi' to me! But you had knowledge and faith in my abilities. Sometimes you asked for my help. When the Muse comes over here, it's 'Oh, hello and welcome. Here, have some cookies. Here, hold my cape. Comfy? Good. Now, stay here!'"
"What's the matter, jealous?"
"No! OK, maybe a little, but I'm happy for her. But that's beside the point! You somehow know she has a disorder, so you don't think she's fit to be a superhero. Now, I'm glad you were easy on her, because Gear and I were both concerned that she was going to misinterpret your usual demeanor, but now I'm starting to think that you were being too easy on her. You didn't want her to go out to fight the Joker! You just wanted her to sit around here while you took care of it. I think you're focusing on her disability rather than her ability."
"Virgil, you're jumping to conclusions."
"Am I? Then would you please tell me what's going on here?"
"Do you know what autism literally means?"
"Well, I haven't looked it up, if that's what you mean."
"It means 'alone.' I've seen these kids. You know how it is. They're engulfed in a world created in their minds. To me, some of them look like they live in a world of nightmares. They'd do anything to get out, but they don't have the means of escape. They are not able to understand reality around them. Society does not give them solace. So they continue, alone in their worlds of despair. I know exactly how that feels."
"Had a hard childhood, huh?"
Batman ignored him. "But I got out. I found a way to fight my demons and to deal with the darkness in me. These kids aren't that lucky. The Muse is different. I've seen what she can do. She's fighting it. She's the first child I've seen who fought it successfully. She can talk about it. That's the reason I wanted her to come. That's why I didn't want the Joker to touch a hair on her head. I wanted to talk to her. I want to help her."
"You mean--?"
"That's right. I swore in my heart years ago that no child would feel the way I did. That's why I'm determined to cure autism."
"Wow. That's a pretty big task, but you the man for the job. I bet you can do it too. So, let me get this straight. You want her to be your guinea pig?"
"I didn't say that either."
"But I'm not exactly sure that the Muse entirely wants to be cured. Her powers are completely based on her imagination, and her imagination is super-sized because of her autism. If she's cured, she may not be able to be a superhero anymore."
"I'm not going to force her into anything. I'll leave that for her parent or guardian to decide. Even if they do not desire for us to study her, I can still do something to give her a better life. We were talking in the car. Do you realize that she doesn't have any friends her age?"
"No, I . . . I didn't. It maybe because she goes to a school for the underprivileged."
"That's what I thought."
"Can I ask, how is it that you know so much about autism? If it wasn't for the Muse, I may have never heard of it."
"I have an employee with an autistic son."
"I see. That would do it."
Batman wasn't the only one who was discovering the Muse's secret. The Joker was trying all of his usual tricks to torment the Muse, but he never got under her skin. Harley, meanwhile, was watching the Muse very closely, and she was sure she had seen that behavior before. She began searching all of her college notes and psychology books. The Muse, when she didn't have to face down a couple of clowns, was picking at an old gum wrapper, singing that song stuck in her head, and thinking out loud.
"Mr. J.!" Harley called out suddenly. "I found something! This is why she's not smiling. Look." She pointed to a paragraph in her psychology book. "They're well-known for their vacant expressions, often referred to as 'poker face.' I bet she doesn't even know how to smile."
"Harley, what does this have to do with anything?"
"Haven't you paid any attention to her behavior? She's never made eye contact with either of us. All afternoon, she's been picking at an old gun wrapper and talking to herself."
"There's nothing wrong with that!" the Muse yelled from the other room.
"I admit, I'm not an expert, but I had to take abnormal psych to become a criminal psychologist. I recognize these symptoms, and I'm pretty sure she's autistic. And if she is, this is pretty serious. Don't you remember that Dustin Hoffman movie?"
The Joker put his hands behind his back and looked out a window. "Dear oh dear." He had a serious, yet wistful, tone in his voice that Harley had never heard from him before. "In all my years in this profession, I've never encountered something like this. It certainly begs a large ethical question. It's bad enough that I've chosen to pick on a little girl. Should I, the Joker, pick on a little girl with a disability?" There was a great pause full of tension. Then, the Joker turned back around with a large smile on his face. "Well, of course I should! I just wouldn't be me if I didn't!" He laughed evilly. "In fact, I have a new idea. I'll get the blimp ready. You make our guest comfortable. Make sure you see to all of her needs!" He laughed again as though it was the best joke he had ever told.
Harley was terribly disturbed. She had put up with the Joker's endless eccentricities before, but she felt that this time he crossed the line. So she went to the cage. The Muse was resting on her side picking at a gum wrapper.
"Psst!" Harley whispered. "Don't tell Mr. J., but I'm going to help you bust out of here."
"Why?"
"Hey, I'm kinda fond of you, kid. You did confuse me with a world-class novelist, after all." Harley got into to cage and started to fiddle with the pin holding the Muse's wings together. "Man, this is more complicated than it looks. Don't worry, I almost got it."
"Harley!" the Joker called.
Harley groaned and shook her head. "We'll have to leave it like that. I hope it'll do."
"Thank you," the Muse whispered. "Guess I owe you one."
"Ooh! Can me and Mr. J. not get locked up?"
"I don't think I can do that. You still got to answer for what you've done."
"Fine. Just don't tell Mr. J."
"I won't." Harley pretended to twist the Muse's arm behind her back, but she was really trying to undo that pin. They got in the blimp, and Harley forced the Muse into a corner. The Joker made the blimp go as fast as it could go and as high as it could go.
"You sure this is safe, Puddin'?" Harley asked nervously.
"No, but that's the idea," he gleefully replied.
"You're going to blow us up?" the Muse nearly screamed.
"Even better." The Joker turned to her. "You're going straight down from here. The speed of your fall should lift the corners of your mouth right up."
"But you're going to kill me!"
"Mr. J., reconsider please!" Harley begged. "This isn't Batman here! She doesn't even live in Gotham!"
The Joker ignored her and pushed the Muse to the deck. The Muse hesitated. "What's wrong?" the Joker chuckled. "Are you afraid of heights?"
"No, I'm not afraid of heights. I like heights. I just don't like falling from them."
"Well, I'm sorry to hear that. And by that I mean--HAPPY LANDINGS!" He pushed her off.
The Muse screamed, but then she noticed the pin came free. She got her concentration back right before she reached the ground and took off. She flew back into the sky, high above the clouds. "Now, I need to get a hold of the guys, let 'em know I'm ok, but I don't have my Shock Box. How do I do this again? Oh yeah. I got an idea." She flew toward the blimp. "Hey clown! What's the one thing that Gotham needs more than anything?"
"I'm not the Riddler! Get your Gotham villains straight!" he yelled back at her.
"But riddles are jokes, aren't they? I'd thought you'd like it. Oh well." She cupped her hands and created a small point of light. It kept growing and growing. It made the Muse glow. Then with a battle cry, she released the light in a flame blazing through the entire sky. It was so brilliant that nearly every resident of Gotham looked up, wondering if the sun had finally decided to come out.
"Holy phoenix!" Gear remarked when he saw it. He immediately paged Static. "Batman really needs to turn on the visual on his computer."
Batman did so. "Whoa!" Static remarked. "That kinda looks like a Bat Signal with bling-bling. She knows how to do it."
"Like someone else I know," Batman noted.
"Yeah," Static said bashfully.
"Why are you still standing there? We need to move."
"Oh that's right. WE'RE COMING, MUSE!" he yelled at the screen. Then he turned to Batman. "Can I get shotgun this time?"
"I guess," he sighed.
Meanwhile, the Joker was trying to block the light with his arm, but he was still sufficiently dazzled. "Oh, that's a headache that will never go away. But how could she--?" He pulled out the pendant from his breast pocket.
"Thank you," the Muse said as she used her magic to get it out of his hand. Just then Batman's plane soared over her head. As the wind opened and revealed Static, she asked innocently, "What took you so long?"
"You're influencing her already," he told Batman unenthusiastically.
Batman jumped onto the blimp's deck and began a fight with the Joker. Static took on Harley. Gear and the Muse waited on the sidelines. There was one point that Batman was losing energy, and the Muse came in and helped. After just a few attacks, the Joker did something unbelievable--he gave up. "I'm tired, and I'm getting old. I don't care what you do. Just get that kid out of my hair!"
"OK, I call the police then," Gear said once he got over the shock.
Just moments later, everybody was back on the ground. The Joker and Harley were being shoved into a police car. The Muse approached Batman in shame. "Batman, I, I, I'm sorry. I shouldn't have had let my guard down. Static said if I messed up once, you'd never really trust me again. I was trying to do my best, believe me. No, I could have done better."
Batman knelt to her level. "Don't worry about it."
"You sure?"
"Yes. I think you intimidated the Joker a little bit. That's impressive. I thought only I could intimidate him. In fact, Muse, I want to tell you something. I don't say this often, but I'm saying it because I really mean it."
"What is it?"
He put his hand on her shoulder and whispered, "I'm proud of you."
She answered by putting her arms around him in a hug. He looked surprised, but he gently put his arms around her. "Batman, you're the best fr--er, ally a superhero can know." Then she turned around. "Gear, you're helmet's all fogged up."
"Yeah," Gear replied with a choked-up voice. "It sure gets humid down here in the summer."
"Muse, do me a favor." Batman pulled out of his cape a white envelope. "Give this to your mother."
"OK. What is it?"
"Let me put it this way. You and I are probably going to see each other again sooner than you think. You won't know it when it happens, but this young man will let you know. Right Virgil?"
"Yes sir," Static saluted.
The Muse investigated the envelope, still trying to find some clue of what it contained. "Well, alright. Thank you--hey, where did he go? He left while I was talking to him. That's rude!"
"Oh, that's just his way," Static explained.
"But he didn't even say goodbye."
"Look, if it bothers you so much, next time you see him, don't take your eyes off him for a second," Gear advised.
"So, tell us," Static said, "what was it like to hold Batman's cape?"
"It wasn't very warm," the Muse answered. "It was thin and full of bullet holes. But I liked it. It felt like a jacket."
"But didn't you take in the gravity of the situation? I mean, I bet he never allowed any of the Robins to even tough his cape."
"Yeah. You know, I thought about it, and I began to wonder if that was how Elisha felt like when Elijah put his cloak on him in the Bible. Then I though, yes, it must been have been. After all, Elijah's cloak was also very holy."
Gear and Static both laughed uncontrollably. The Muse started to laugh with them. "That was great, Muse!" Gear remarked. "Hey, I think that was the first time you told a joke and knew it."
"I guess that's what you get from hanging out with a couple of clowns all day," she answered.
"Well, let's go home."
"Hey, Muse, can I see that real quick?" Static said as he pointed to the envelope.
"OK." She handed it to him.
"We're going on," Gear said.
"Yeah, I'll catch up with you."
Static watched them take off then created a small spark of light on the tip of his finger. He held his finger up to the envelope and could faintly see a pamphlet through the envelope reading, "The Bruce Wayne Autism Research Center--We Will Find a Cure." And even fainter than that, Static could make out a very tiny bat-shaped device in the corner of the envelope.
Next Episode--More Important Than Knowledge: Wonder Woman comes to the Muse with news of a threat that endangers imagination around the world. What ensues is a journey of a lifetime, with several guest appearances from members of the Justice League and Teen Titans.
