Sorry for the loooong delay. Let it be known that I had big plans for this fanfic, with eight arcs planned. But you know, life is full of trials and distractions, mostly distractions. Well, time to start the second arc! And this is also my last chapter of 2021. Man, it's been a hard year, but there were some fun times, and we're still alive, so there's that. Now, enjoy!
Chapter 9: Gray Feathers
In a ghost town covered in snow, the Batmobile drove through the empty streets, towards an abandoned toy factory.
As it got closed, the top of the roof opened, and three figures jumped out as the car stopped. Landing with a crouch were Batman, Robin and Batgirl, all looking at the factory.
"Are you sure about this, Robin?" Batman asked as they walked towards the factory.
"Pretty sure," Robin replied as they stopped near the window.
"I don't see how this abandoned factory in a town destroyed by a flood years ago is related to the recent kidnappings," Batman said.
"At first glance, maybe there's no connection," Robin said as he looked at the window. "But even the smallest connections can lead to answers, like how all the children that were kidnapped have toys made in Schott's Toy Factory."
"…You're improving," Batman said as he looked at the window. Behind him, Batgirl gave Robin a thumb-up, which Robin returned with a grin. "Okay; Robin, Batgirl, go through the windows. I'll go and sneak through the roof."
"Right," Robin said as Batman grappled to the roof. Robin and Batgirl were about to open the window, when Robin suddenly sensed something. He turned around, looking for something, but the streets were empty.
"What…wrong?" Batgirl asked as she turned to look where Robin was looking at.
"Nothing…thought someone was there," Robin said before he went back to the window, using a batarang to cut the glass to open the window. As he and Batgirl entered the factory, a figure peered from an alley, looking at the building through green lenses.
Robin and Batgirl quietly walked through the building, looking for any signs of the missing children. The inside was dirty, with broken pieces of toys and rats scuttling around. It would have been abandoned, if it wasn't for the lack of dust.
They went to a bigger room, which looked like the room where they boxed the toys. Robin went to the tarps covering something, grabbing them and pulling them off, revealing dog cages full of the kidnapped children, all looking scared, dirty and malnourished.
"We found them," Robin said as he went to the cage closer to him, causing a pair of siblings to back away in fear, hugging each other tightly. "It's okay, we're not here to hurt you."
Suddenly, the lights turned on as footsteps echoed in the room. Robin and Batgirl turned and saw a giant of a man, wearing clothes meant for children, a green apron, boots and green thick gloves, wearing a baby-doll's face as a mask that has one hole to show his deranged eye.
"Stay away from my little friends!" the man said, his deep voice trying to sound like a child.
"Anton Schott," Robin said, placing a hand on the hilt of his sword. "Son of the psychotic killer Winslow Schott and former CEO of Schott's Toy Factory."
"Anton Schott died after what that monster did to him when he was a little boy," the mad man said as he lumbered towards them. "I will not hurt the little ones. No, I am not like those people. I want to help them. Make them strong so they can survive this cruel world! I can make them into dolls. I am the Dollmaker!"
As he said that, vents on the walls started opening, and the pair could hear some weird, clacking sounds. Robin and Batgirl tensed as the clacking sounds got louder. Then, somethings came out of the vents, and to their horror, it was more missing children, the ones who went missing before Robin joined Batman.
The children were wearing colorful clothes suited for dolls as well as doll's faces, their skins graying pale from the lack of sunlight, their bones showing from lack of food, clacking sounds coming out of their mouths like their vocal cords were replaced with wood, their hair nothing more than strands hanging on their scalps, their arms replaced with buzzsaws, blades, flamethrowers, and their eyes wide and empty.
"See? I made them better so they can protect me," Dollmaker said as he gestured at the children he broken. "My little ones and I can finally be safe from the cruel world!"
"Bastard…" Robin growled, tightening the hold on his sword.
He's seen a lot during his time in the League of Assassins, so he should be used to such things, but the idea that there is someone as twisted as the League twisted his stomach.
"Protect me, my little ones, just like I have protected you!" Dollmaker exclaimed, gesturing at Robin and Batgirl.
The little ones clacked before charging at the pair. The two jumped back as the little ones charged. Robin used his sword to slice the weapons off their arms as Batgirl avoided their weapons, hitting the pressure points to immobilize them.
A dozen more kept coming through the vents, and they soon surrounded Robin and Batgirl. They stood back to back as the little ones edged closer, flailing their weapons dangerously.
Suddenly, smoke pellets fell from above, surprising the little ones and Dollmaker. Suddenly, Batman fell from the ceiling before he easily took down a dozen little ones as the smoke cleared.
"What took you so long?" Robin asked with a grin.
"A thank you would have been nice," Batman said as the trio looked at the remaining little ones. The three started taking them down easily.
Dollmaker started panicking as he saw his little ones easily subdued. He suddenly ran out of the room as he let the little ones fight. Robin saw him, so he quickly used the back of his blade to take down the little ones in front of him before giving chase.
"Robin! Wait!" Batman exclaimed as he saw him chase after the maniac, before he got tackled by more little ones, with Batgirl quickly jumping to his aid. The two quickly dispatched the little ones, leaving them lying on the ground. The two then walked towards the cages and started freeing the poor children.
One little girl cried as she hugged Batman, who simply patted her back, reassuring her that she was going to be okay.
Meanwhile, Dollmaker ran through the snow-covered forest, trying to escape. He was livid that his plan to help the little ones failed. All those years rescuing them from the cruel world, remaking them into dolls to protect him, wasted. He would have to try again.
Suddenly, a birdarang hit his back, causing him to stumble to the hard, cold ground. Robin landed behind him, glaring at the man.
"You're not getting away," Robin declared as he pointed his sword at Dollmaker, who was standing up. "You'll answer for hurting those children in Akrham, Schott!"
"My name is Dollmaker!" Dollmaker exclaimed as he turned to face Robin, grabbing his right arm and pulling it off, revealing a blood-coated blade attached to it. "And you were the one who harmed those little ones! You will pay!"
He charged at Robin, swinging his bloodied knife hand. Robin blocked his strikes with his sword with ease. Suddenly, Robin swung his sword, and Dollmaker found his blade broken on the ground. Robin then kicked his chest, sending him slamming to a tree. Robin then pointed his blade on Dollmaker's face, making his freeze in fear.
"Like I said, you're not getting away," Robin said as his hand moved to grab the handcuffs from his Utility Belt. "Now, stand still before I decide to hurt yo-."
Suddenly, Robin felt something behind him. He turned around, swinging his blade, only for his world to black out.
A minute later, Batman ran through the forest, leaving the children to Batgirl. He made it to the clearing and his eyes widened as he saw Robin on the ground, and Dollmaker dead, Robin's sword nailing the body on the tree, with gray feathers on Dollmaker's head.
He rushed to his son, helping him up. Robin groaned as he opened his eyes, his head throbbing painfully.
"Batman?" he said, rubbing his temple, wincing from the pain. "Ugh…what happened?"
"I was going to ask you the same question," Batman said as he looked at Dollmaker's body. Robin followed his gaze and his eyes widened.
"H-how?" Robin said as he stood up unsteadily, walking towards the body. "W-who did this?"
"You didn't see?" Batman asked as he walked to the body, pulling out the sword. He scanned the hilt for fingerprints but found nothing. He then picked up the gray feather, his eyes narrowing.
"N-no…I remember getting blindsided by someone, someone fast," Robin said, wincing from the pain.
Batman looked down on the ground, and sure enough, there were footprints on it that didn't match Robin's or Dollmaker's. He looked at the trees, narrowing as he spotted something, a gray owl looking at them with those unnerving, yellow eyes before it flew away in the night sky, leaving them alone in the cold.
Batman suddenly grabbed the body and hefted over his shoulder before gesturing at Robin to follow. The two walked back to the factory, unaware of a pair of green lenses peering through them from the leaves and snow before it disappeared in the darkness.
Whelp, I guess you know what movie I'm gonna use! Time for the Court of Owls to make their appearance! Let's see what diabolical plot they have in store for Gotham! Well, see you later! Next chapter, a new enemy! See you guys next year! Good bye 2021 and I hope 2022 will be a great year. Stay safe!