The stunned silence went on for over a minute, with nobody moving or speaking. The first to move was the other, now the only remaining creature. As he had in the forest, he approached the team, then tucked his head to his chest for a long moment. Extending his muzzle, he parted his jaws, folding out the snake-like fangs slowly. This time, they understood, all at the same time.
"He can cure the others!," Superboy exclaimed suddenly.
At the same time, Miss Martian and Kid Flash made the same announcement. Kaldur and Batman were more reserved outwardly, but inside they were just as excited by the prospect of the long-needed cure for the monsters held at the Watchtower.
"Do you think it could be true?," Kaldur asked quietly aside to Batman "could it really be so simple?,"
Batman didn't answer, his eyes locked on the dragon's, lost somewhere in his own private thoughts. The dragon gazed back steadily, something no animal would do unless they were issuing a challenge. But there was no longer malice in the alien eyes, but a sort of disappointment. As if he had expected much more from them somehow.
Without a word, Batman removed his cape and threw it over Robin, who showed no sign of awareness. Robin, curled into the fetal position, was shaking for all he was worth, but did not seem conscious. The possibility of a cure could not be ignored. But first it would have to be proven that Robin really was okay, that this wasn't just some type of poisoning that would eventually kill him, or that he wouldn't just revert back after a few hours.
Batman lifted the boy in his arms gently, with more care than any of the team would have believed possible for the Dark Knight. He didn't glance at any of them, turning instead to the dragon, gazing deep into its eyes for a long, contemplative moment. The dragon bent its head low and blinked a long, slow, almost natural blink. As if this somehow satisfied him, Batman led the way to the boom tube.
October 7th, 09:34 AM
Watchtower
Atom and Batman entered the room where the dragon was being kept. Nobody, not even The Bat himself, could think of the dragon as Nightwing. As Batman had known from the start, the dragon was unpredictable. One minute it was calm and cooperative, the next it was trying to tear its way out of the Watchtower, and willing to kill to do it.
For this reason, they had yet to acquire a sample of the "venom" from the dragon's fangs. Its mood swings had been too abrupt, its behavior too volatile. It was untrustworthy, and violent. If it had not held the possible key to the whole monster problem in its fangs, Batman would have done away with it (assuming that was even possible).
It had even tried to kill Superboy and Miss Martian, one of whom it had previously taken a risk to save, the other it had asked for help from. It had also taken a swipe at Batman as though it didn't even recognize him. Each passing hour increased the likelihood that it would escape, that it would hurt or kill someone.
Physically, Robin seemed fine, but he had yet to awaken, which was a cause for growing concern. If the cure was imperfect, they would merely be trading one hell for another.
The great beast, curled up like a cat, with its massive wings draped over its body like a blanket, stopped mid-snore to open an almond-shaped eye. It rolled the eye towards Batman and Atom. A low growl rumbled through it and smoke puffed out of its barely open mouth.
"You offered us this cure," Atom said in frustration "why won't you give it to us now?,"
The dragon hissed, rolled its eye and seemed intent on going back to sleep.
"Do not approach," Batman said when Atom took a step towards the beast "he can undoubtedly withhold the cure, even if we tried to force it from him,"
"But why?," Atom demanded "what does he want?,"
Batman frowned at Atom, then the dragon. For this question he had no answer, only a theory, and one he was not prepared to voice. He suspected the beast itself was uncertain of the cure, and unwilling to risk others until it was proven to work on Robin.
Even if it did, would it do any good?. Or make any difference?. After all, Robin's injection had been different from the others. Just because a cure worked on him, there was no guarantee it would work on anyone else. And then sudden thought struck Batman like a bolt of lightning.
"Gather some of the League, I want to try something,"
Fifteen minutes later, several Leaguers were standing by in case Batman's plan went awry. Batman and Superman entered the dragon's den, dragging with them a cage containing a primate-like monster, who was clinging to the bars of its cage and screaming bloody murder.
The dragon opened an eye, which narrowed in irritation at the sound which disturbed its slumber. It rose heavily, making a big show of how huge it was. Rising to its full height, it stood and waited for Batman and Superman to retreat, closing the door behind them. Using a remote control, they opened the primate's cage.
It blinked, stupid and stunned by the sudden freedom. Catching sight of the dragon, it began to charge, squealing its aggression at the top of its lungs. The dragon stood silently, watching it come. When it was within the reach of the dragon's maw, it stopped dead in its tracks. Staring up at the behemoth, it began to scream in a different tone. It realized its peril too late. Like a lightning strike, the dragon's jaws parted and shot forward, closing around the neck of the ape. With apparent relish, it lifted the hapless creature from the ground and shook it, its fangs sinking deep.
"He'll kill it!," Superman shouted, starting forward to intervene.
Batman held out his hand to block him, and shook his head. Even if he was wrong and Superman was right, there was nothing they could do to prevent the dragon from doing what it was doing now.
Slowly, the dragon lowered its head. Gingerly, almost tenderly, it laid the now limp primate on the floor and backed away to a respectable distance.
The ape began to scream and cry again, this time in pure agony. Its body twisted and contorted painfully, and then it began to change. Barely noticeably at first, then more rapidly. Inside of a minute, a middle-aged man lay on the floor where the creature had been before.
The dragon blew a small fire and shifted impatiently.
"Why will he do that, but not give us the cure?," Atom asked.
Batman didn't answer, instead taking up the canister they had been trying to collect venom in for over a day. The dragon watched him enter the room, its eyes on the container. Silently, Batman set it down, then backed away. The dragon stared at it, as if thinking about simply breathing fire on it, destroying it, making it go away. Instead, its head shot out and it took the canister in its jaws. Its upper fangs pierced the top as it shook the container savagely, growling ferociously. Then it deposited the canister back on the floor with the same tenderness as the man a moment before.
"Thank you," Batman said, before taking the container in hand and slinging the unconscious man over his shoulder and walking back out, closing the door behind him.
"Why now?," Atom asked.
"I believe he had to adjust his venom," Batman replied "the serum used on the others was different from him and Robin and so his cure for Robin probably wouldn't work on them,"
"But why did he need to see one?," Atom wanted to know.
"To identify it. Maybe a scent. Maybe the bite itself, the taste of his blood," Batman theorized "in any case, you can now replicate it, assuming it works on this man,"