Chapter 2:
"Batman, how are you feeling?" Catwoman asked as she gently caressed his cheek.
"Fine, my lady, just fine," he answered with a worshiping smile. "It's good to be home. How long was I gone? Was I burdened with something? I feel…free."
Smiling sweetly, Catwoman answered, "You have been gone for a long time and there was a little bird that was holding you back. You are free now and we have some work to do. I want something shiny to celebrate your return. There is a beautiful necklace in the Gotham City Museum that will be purrrrfect."
"Then I shall get it for you, although I'm sure it cannot be more stunning than yourself. Do you want me to go now?"
"Oh, no. Wait for nightfall. You will not have to fight your way through crowds of ignorant people who don't appreciate you or the beauty of the necklace."
Later that night:
Sighing softly, Commissioner Gordon looked at his watch. The Bat-signal had been glowing in the night sky for fifteen minutes. Where was Batman? Usually he appeared soon after it was activated.
The break-in at the museum had Catwoman written all over it. The first clue was the distinctive smell of her perfume and the nearly-undeniable proof was the object that had been stolen: a stunning diamond necklace with a large, oval tiger's eye surrounded by three small sapphires.
The necklace was a family heirloom of Londinium's Lord and Lady FeeLyne. They had loaned it to the Gotham City Museum for a three-week exhibit of tiger's eye jewelry from around the world. If the commissioner and his men didn't find it soon, the burglary could spark an international incident. The FeeLynes were coming to Gotham City in four days to view the exhibit; the necklace had to be recovered before they arrived.
Commissioner Gordon needed Batman's help for two main reasons. First, the theft was allegedly perpetrated by Catwoman, a villainess that the Gotham City Police Department had never been able to capture by themselves. Second, the museum's night guard had given a vague description of an accomplice – a giant shadow in the dark. The commissioner sighed again as he glanced at his watch. He decided to leave the Bat-signal on for five more minutes, even though it had already been over twenty minutes since it had been activated.
Robin stared out the window at the Bat-signal that had just been spotted by Alfred. The Boy Wonder would have to go alone but he needed a plan. He couldn't just say 'Hey commissioner, I'm the only one here because Batman has been kidnapped'. That would surely cause a panic.
"Alfred, what do I tell them?" he inquired anxiously. "His 'unavailability' won't work in person."
"Batman will be in the car, young sir, ready to leave as soon as you bring him the information. Master Bruce has an extra suit that I will wear. 'Batman' will be in the car, just as you say."
Robin stared at Alfred incredulously. "Um, what car? Or did you not see the empty space where the Batmobile should be?"
"As you know, Master Robin, the Batmobile has a tracker and can be controlled and driven remotely," the butler reminded gently. "It is on its way from a clothing factory in the center of Gotham City as we speak."
"Holy waste of energy, Alfred!" Robin shouted. "I was in a clothing factory in downtown Gotham and I didn't see it. I walked home! Are you telling me I could have just hopped in the Batmobile and made it here in half an hour instead of half a day?!"
"Perhaps it was around a corner, young sir, or on the other side of the street behind a building," Alfred responded. "Regardless, here it is and we need to get going."
The Batmobile slid smoothly into its parking spot and Alfred quickly went to change.
"It was right there the whole time," Robin grumbled.
A very thin Batman emerged from the Bat-changing area. Robin tried and failed to hold back a grin when Alfred joined him at the Batmobile.
The grin turned into a smirk and the Boy Wonder said, "Let's go, 'Batman'."
Chief O'Hara was surprised when Robin suddenly appeared next to him.
"Begorrah, Boy Wonder, you startled me! Where's Batman?"
"Down in the car, ready to go."
Robin answered the chief's question a little too quickly. Chief O'Hara raised his eyebrows in surprise. Batman was staying in the Batmobile?
"The commissioner is waitin' in his office," the man stated as he flipped the switch to turn off the Bat-signal.
The chief chose to keep to himself the fact that the commissioner had all but given up on seeing the heroic crime-fighters tonight. The Dynamic Duo – half of it, anyway – was here now so the point was moot.
"Okay, I'll just go see the commissioner then," the Boy Wonder replied, a tinge of undetectable apprehension in his tone. "Thanks!"
Turning around, the teenager walked to the door leading to Police Headquarters, opened it and started down the stairs toward the commissioner's office. Chief O'Hara watched until the lithe figure was out of sight, wondering why the boy's last word had sounded cheerful and distressed at the same time.
Commissioner Gordon looked up from his desk as Robin entered.
"Thank heavens!" he exclaimed. "I was starting to worry. Where is Batman? This is information he should probably hear first-hand; it's a rather serious situation."
Robin looked nervous and struggled to keep his voice calm as he answered, "He's, uh, down in the car, ready to leave as soon as possible."
The commissioner looked at Robin, slightly skeptical of the excuse. But why would the Boy Wonder ever have a reason to lie to him?
"Okay. There's been a robbery at the Gotham City Museum. A tiger's eye necklace was stolen, Catwoman's perfume was detected and there are what we assume to be cat scratches all over the wood floors. Here's the extra bad news: she had a shadowy accomplice. We don't know who or what it was, but we do know it was big."
Robin dropped his head in despair, positive that his partner had just helped Catwoman rob the museum. How had she convinced him to do it? At least he and Alfred had a place to start looking. Maybe she had made a mistake, taking the man out so soon after capturing him. Or maybe Batman had gone undercover and had left some sort of clue.
"Robin," the commissioner's worried tone brought the Boy Wonder back from his thoughts. "That's all the information I have. Don't you want to go talk to Batman? Maybe he has some insight he could share with us…"
"Yes, sorry Commissioner, I'll go talk to him," Robin quickly replied. "But, uh, he'll probably just want to head over to the museum, get there while the crime scene is hot. So, um, see you later."
The young hero turned around and raced out the door. Commissioner Gordon stared at his retreating back in confusion. The situation was unusual – Robin never came up to the office by himself and Batman usually shared some sort of information with the police department before dashing off to catch the criminals.
The commissioner glanced at the Bat-phone before returning his attention to the papers covering his desk. An observation jumped into his mind: the boy needed to get more sleep. His eyes had been red and his body had been slightly slumped in fatigue. The thought immediately fled as another one popped up: Batman would take care of Robin. Commissioner Gordon had no reason to worry about the younger crime-fighter.
Shrugging off the small ball of concern rolling around in the back of his brain, the man attempted to direct all his attention to the crime report he was filling out. But the look of what could almost be described as despair on Robin's face wouldn't leave his mind. He shook his head; the Caped Crusader would take care of the Boy Wonder.
Catwoman's lair:
"A lovely present for an even lovelier lady. I hope it's what you wanted."
Batman was eager for Catwoman's approval as he held out the necklace, twirling it slightly so it would sparkle in the light. The villainess had been at the museum with him, but the Caped Crusader felt like the necklace needed to be presented in a more formal manner. He hadn't allowed her to get near the somewhat-dusty glass case; he thought it would spoil her first impression of its beauty.
"It did feel a little different though," he continued, "taking it in the middle of the night without anybody knowing. Did something happen to me?"
"Like I said," Catwoman replied, "you were being held back by a little bird. He was around you for quite some time; maybe some of his not-so-brilliant ideas have remained in your thoughts. No matter, it can be fixed with some rest."
The pills containing her new drug were right next to her chair, in a box decorated with images of small kittens. Opening the box, Catwoman picked one up and held it out to Batman.
"Take this pill, darling. It will help you relax and sleep. Those thoughts will fade away soon and you'll be completely free."
"Whatever you say, beautiful," Batman responded as he swallowed the pill.
The villainess stood up and held out her hand. Taking her dainty paw in his gloved hand, Batman rose to his feet, careful not to pull on her arm to help himself up.
Catwoman led him down a short hall to his bedroom and Batman felt his conscious thoughts fading away as they walked. Smiling as she let go of his hand, the villainess watched the Caped Crusader fall forward onto the bed, already lost in his dreams.
"Where to next?" she whispered. "There's a lovely new jewelry store that claims to have many exotic jewels and other treasures. The grand opening is tomorrow night. Perhaps we will relieve them of their exquisite possessions after the reception is over. Sleep well, my invincible shadow."
With a soft, tinkling laugh, Catwoman silently pranced out of the room. Quietly, she closed the door behind her, a purr of contentment rolling off her tongue as she walked away.
Robin, after returning to the Batmobile, recounted everything to Alfred as they raced toward the museum.
"…maybe Batman is pretending to be the bad guy and left a clue. What do you think?" He looked so hopeful that Alfred felt bad even before the words were out of his mouth.
"Perhaps you're right, Master Robin. Master Batman is a good, strong man and it is possible that he left us a clue. However, don't place too much hope in that thought. If he was there with Catwoman and some of her henchmen, and undercover, wouldn't the necklace be enough to incriminate her? If he is not undercover then…well, we must not underestimate the wiles of that felonious feline."
"Gosh, Alfred, you're right. I hope he's okay," Robin murmured as they arrived at their destination. "Maybe I should go in alone. No offense but you don't exactly look like…well, you're a lot skinnier than him and, um, it's just that…" he trailed off, embarrassed.
Alfred smiled. "I know, Master Robin. Now go, quietly."
Robin felt his throat knot up. "That's the last thing Batman said to me!"
Quickly regaining control of his emotions, the Boy Wonder left the Batmobile, entered the building and took a quick survey with his senses. Smell: perfume – she used some strong stuff; hearing: a light breeze from the open door and the ticking of a clock; sight: some long scratches on the floor and an empty necklace case; touch: a slight chill from the gentle wind and taste: again, perfume and…salt?
He started moving through the room, doing his best to be as thorough and meticulous as his partner. Robin even dropped to his knees to look into a small hole in a floorboard, although he found nothing but a dust bunny.
Standing up, the Boy Wonder glanced around one more time. Something didn't feel right. Why was it so clean? The scratches on the floor were obviously from the claws of a small animal, probably a cat. But that was all he had to go on; Batman hadn't left him a clue.
Actually, a clean crime scene was a pretty good hint but not the kind Robin wanted to find. He needed something that would lead him to Catwoman's lair but a clean room didn't help him with that. What was he missing?
It was while he was walking around the edge of the room one last time that he saw the paper. The probable clue was hidden by the statue of Anubis in the dimly lit hall leading to the Egyptian artifacts. A place that nobody would think to search since the necklace was housed on the other side of the room. He strode quickly to the statue and reached down behind the base. Another note:
ROBIN: WHY DOES A BAT DISLIKE BIRDS? BECAUSE THEY HOLD HIM BACK FROM REACHING HIS TRUE POTENTIAL. YOU WILL ALWAYS BE AT LEAST A STEP BEHIND. CAT AND THE BAT!
This was ridiculous, leaving notes with already-answered questions. She was taunting him and Robin wasn't quite sure why. Batman was the crime-fighter she preferred and she already had him. Maybe she was trying to become a female version of the Riddler. If that was the case then she had a long way to go. The riddles left by that intelligent villain required usage of the brain and usually contained some sort of clue regarding his caper. Catwoman's notes missed both those marks.
Shaking his head to clear his thoughts, the Boy Wonder began walking back toward the entrance. A thought suddenly blasted into his brain. There had been two distinct flavors permeating the air when he had entered the museum. One was the sickly sweet perfume of Catwoman and the other was…salt! Robin dove for cover as the ceiling crashed to the ground around him.
Alfred, still in the Batmobile, watched in shock as the museum's ceiling collapsed with Robin still inside. Exiting the car as fast as possible, he hurried to the middle of the wreckage and called, "Robin, answer me. Help me find you!"
There was a quiet groan and the butler slowly turned in a circle, searching for the location of the soft noise. Robin was six feet away and covered by debris. Alfred wondered what the damage to the small body would be this time as he picked his way across the rubble. Arriving at the boy's location, the butler was able to remove the three short planks of wood that covered the young hero's legs. The large display case lying across Robin's chest proved to be more difficult but Alfred managed to lift it just high enough for the Boy Wonder to roll out from under it.
"Alf, um, Batman, I'm perfectly capable of walking," Robin said indignantly, and a little breathlessly, when Alfred knelt to pick him up. To prove his point he stood, swayed a little then righted himself.
"I found another note," he continued. "Let's go."
Robin stomped toward the Batmobile and Alfred watched with a minute grin. The boy was definitely strong; now if only Batman could see it. His eyes widened in disbelief, however, when Robin hopped through the open window on the passenger side of the vehicle.
"Hurry up!" the Boy Wonder yelled as respectfully as possible.
The butler was startled out of his stupor and he walked quickly to the Batmobile. Robin already had his safety Bat-belt buckled and was re-reading the note while impatiently drumming the fingers of his right hand on the dashboard. Alfred climbed in, buckled his safety Bat-belt and they began the short drive home.
"I, um, don't think he's undercover, Alfred," Robin commented quietly. "There's no way Batman would allow Catwoman to leave a bomb for me to find."
"I agree, Master Robin," the butler replied sympathetically. He glanced at the boy, who was staring at the floor. Alfred couldn't see Robin's entire face, but the teenager's profile was outlined with disappointment.
It took them ten minutes to return to the Batcave. As soon as the Batmobile had stopped moving, Robin jumped out the window and raced to the Bat-analyzer. After attaching the note to the screen, he turned back to Alfred, who was staring at him in surprise.
"What?" he asked, confused when he saw astonishment in the man's eyes. What had he done to astonish Batman's butler?
"Is there something wrong with the door, young sir?" Alfred remarked with his eyebrows raised quizzically.
"No, why…oh. The window is faster, that's all," he stated with a small shrug. There was a short pause and Robin put his right hand on his chest.
"Also," he continued nonchalantly, "I'm trying to improve myself and listen to my body. So I thought you should know that my ribs are really hurting and I think my left shoulder might be dislocated."
Alfred almost rolled his eyes and went to get some Bat-wrap. Robin had already taken off his tunic by the time the butler returned. Alfred unwrapped the boy's ribs and gently probed the right side, which was still black and blue from yesterday's explosive adventure. Nothing was moving or out of place so the butler swathed the small torso in a fresh layer of Bat-wrap then moved his attention to Robin's left shoulder.
"Are there any indications as to the location of her lair, Master Robin?" he inquired, attempting to distract the boy while popping the shoulder back into place. Robin winced, grimaced and rolled his shoulder before answering.
"No," he replied thoughtfully as he carefully slid his tunic over his head and straightened it out. He knew he was forgetting something but he couldn't quite grasp the elusive memory.
"The house search!" he suddenly exclaimed. "What are the results?"
Alfred walked seven steps to his right and looked at the Bat-computer. "No houses have been purchased or rented in the past six months in Gotham City, young sir. Do you want me to go back a year?"
"You're asking me?!" Robin called from inside the Batmobile. The man was startled; the boy had only been out of his sight for four seconds! Alfred knew the Boy Wonder was speedy but that had been extremely impressive.
"Young man, what are you doing in the driver's seat? And yes, I am asking you because you are the leader of the Dynamic Duo in Master Batman's absence," Alfred replied, the sentence outlined in disapproval and speckled with slight impatience.
"Oh, ok. Um, I guess so?" he answered the original question while examining the floor under the driver's seat. "But what if it's not in Gotham City? Maybe widen the search before going back so far, I guess? Don't worry, Alfred," Robin stated as his head popped up, "I'm not going to drive away. I'm looking for evidence, although I doubt he returned to the Batmobile after the explosion."
"I agree with that observation, young sir," Alfred began but was instantly interrupted.
"I have an idea. What if she is going to use Batman to steal things for her now? With him on her side, she won't need henchmen and that means she won't have to share whatever loot he brings her. What do you think?"
"That's a possibility, Master Robin," Alfred began again but stopped when the Boy Wonder started pacing. Both Batman and Robin unconsciously paced while deep in thought so the butler respectfully closed his mouth.
Where would she send him next? She likes treasure hunts but the necklace probably doesn't contain a treasure map. She loves jewels; we've been through that many times. There are only so many jewelry stores in Gotham City, though, and she's hit most of them.
"Alfred, do you know of any recently opened jewelry stores in Gotham City, or maybe one that will be opening soon?" the Boy Wonder unexpectedly inquired loudly.
The faithful butler furrowed his brow in concentration. Dick Grayson's sweet Aunt Harriet had spoken to him just yesterday regarding a new jewelry store in downtown Gotham.
"I recall hearing of one that specializes in exotic jewelry from the Middle East and Africa," Alfred replied after a short pause. "If I remember correctly, the store will be celebrating its grand opening tomorrow night. Do you think she might go for something more unusual than what she has become used to here in Gotham?"
"Well, it's worth a shot. I doubt she would strike at the party, though, so I'll be there to welcome her, and probably him, to the after-party. What do I do if Batman is there?"
"It depends on the circumstances, Master Robin. You will figure it out if – when – the time comes. But please, stay alert and try not to get too injured. Catwoman might bring more than just Batman, although he is quite formidable by himself. However, since it is beginning to get light, I must insist that you get some rest. Going up against Catwoman and Batman will be one of the hardest things you will ever have to do, especially since you will be attempting it on your own."
"I can't rest!" Robin exclaimed. "I have to keep searching! What if he's drugged and it becomes permanent after a certain amount of time? What if it's something that is slowly killing him? What if…."
"Master Robin!" Alfred was near shouting as he tried to get Robin's attention. "You are beginning to ramble, a clear sign of exhaustion. During the course of a night, a day and another night you have been in an explosion, dragged yourself home with a mild concussion and fractured ribs, felt the stress of losing someone very close to you, had a ceiling collapse on you and dislocated your shoulder. I am not giving you a choice; you are going to rest," he stated firmly.
Grabbing Robin's shoulders, the man turned the boy around and walked him toward the sleeping quarters in the Batcave.
"My only compromise is that you may sleep down here," the butler added.
To Alfred's surprise, Robin allowed himself to be directed without resistance.
"Well, if you're going to be so stubborn about it," the teenager muttered as his eyes began to close and he staggered towards the bed. Alfred gently laid him down and took up residence on the other bed, setting an alarm for five hours from now. Soon, they were both fast asleep.
A/N: I'm pretty sure that tasting salt in the air is not an indication of a bomb but just roll with it. Thanks!