Thank you to many of my readers and reviewers for bring this to my attention that this chapter may seem like plagiarism, so I would like to clarify. This chapter is meant to be a tribute to the Firefly episode 'Objects in Space'. I loved this episode because it illustrated very clearly River's mental state and so I decided to do a tribute to the episode to reflect Robin's mental state in this story since the original premise of this story is inspired by Robin being River from Firefly. I am not trying to claim this chapter as original work, I don't own any of it other than my own little twists. With that out of the way. Please. Enjoy.
YJ: Finding Robin: Chapter 3
Robin walked through the quiet halls of Mount Justice. He stepped so lightly even he barely heard his own steps. He was a ghost, a memory, drifting through the halls. Robin walked by the training room where Black Canary was training Superboy.
"Focus you are so distracted today." Black Canary said tossing the super-strength boy to the ground with his own strength. 'If only Batman would take him away, the kids don't need a constant reminder of their failure.'
"I am focused." Superboy growled picking himself up. 'Robin is gone…'
Robin crept away from the training room disturbed by their thoughts. Robin wondered towards the kitchen he couldn't see them but he could hear their voice, their thoughts. Kid Flash and Miss Martian flirting.
"They are ruined." Miss Martian cried in dismay. 'Robin is that man's weapon... a living weapon living with us…'
"You are getting better. These are delicious." Kid Flash said shoving the cookies into his mouth. 'Yuck. Taste like charcoal. Oh shit! Robin!' From the doorway Robin could see KF and Miss Martian jump when they noticed him standing there. "Rob, dude don't sneak up on people like that." KF said trying to sound relaxed. 'Weapons. Oh thank God he doesn't have any weapons.' Robin took off down the hall. Robin flew so fast down the hall he almost ran into Aqualad and Artemis, Robin slowed down walking through the edge of the living room, they don't seem to notice him.
"Do you normally just hang out on the surface?" Artemis asked. `They don`t trust me…I don`t trust them either…especially Robin…`
"Sometimes." Kaldur replied. `Why do you care? It doesn't make a difference.`
Robin felt dizzy, all these voices and feelings hidden shouting out so loud. Robin walked away, has to get away. Robin walked around and found himself in a calming meadow. He sees grass, but his bare feet touched stone. Too fascinated to care Robin saw a flowering branch, he plucked it from the tree and walked examining the object in his hands as he walked. All of a sudden the meadow disappeared and he was in the living room, everyone surrounded him yelling. The branch in his hand was a gun.
"Robin, put it down." Kid Flash said holding his hand up.
"Stop yelling at him." Miss Martian cried.
"Just drop it kid!" Artemis said weapon pointed at Robin.
"Don't you dare!" Superboy said knocking the bow and arrow out of Artemis's hand.
"Superboy! Grab him and take it away." Aqualad instructed. Superboy stepped up to him and took the gun from his hand.
"How the hell did he get his hand on this?" Aqualad asked as Superboy handed him the gun. "This could have turned out really bad. Robin you can't be playing with this."
"Robin." Superboy looked at the boy still holding him. All of a sudden it was getting hard to breath. Robin broke from Superboy's grasp and ran to his room. Superboy followed him.
"Robin. It's me." Conner said announcing himself as he entered the younger boy's room. "Are you okay?" Robin nodded but Conner could see the tears in the boy's eyes. "We know you don't mean to hurt anyone."
"You do… they don't…" Robin whispered pulling his knees close to his chest. Conner sat down next to Robin. "Everyone is thinking so loud." Robin said clutching his head.
"The drugs. Are they not working?" Conner asked placing a comforting arm around Robin.
"Sometimes they make the fog lift and I am a normal boy…" Robin whispered. "But part of me knows it will all go away. Will be lost again. No more drugs, no more. Can't do this…"
"Batman will find the right combination. He will make you better." Conner said pulling the shivering boy close helplessly. "It will all be okay."
Later that night Kaldur assembled the teens in the living room to discuss the events that morning.
"How did he get his hands on that?" Kaldur asked the team.
"I… I left it out of the evidence storage." Wally admitted. "I was going to put it away… It wasn't loaded before…"
"It's not really Wally's fault. The kid is off his rockers. We should lock him up before he actually hurt someone. Megan said herself they were trying to make him into a weapon." Artemis's suggestion made Superboy growl.
"I was supposed to be a weapon." Superboy protested.
"That is different. You are not crazy." Artemis rebutted.
"Can we not fight about this?" Megan spoke up. "I am sure he wouldn't have hurt anyone."
"Do you not remember him coming at Wally and Conner with a kitchen knife?" Artemis has had enough. "I know he is your friend, a cute kid but he is dangerous we need to see that. Even Batman says we should keep our guard up around him."
"That's enough." Kaldur sighed. "For now we will take turns keeping an eye on him. We will talk to Batman about this tomorrow."
Meanwhile in his room, Robin had his ear pressed against the vents were his teammate's voices echoed and drifted through the vents. The truth etched painfully in his heart.
It was late. All of the residents of Mount Justices were asleep, safely tucked away in their rooms. With a soft beep locked all the closed doors. A man crept into the dark hallways unnoticed. Artemis had gotten up to use the bathroom and was returning to her room when she felt a sharp blade against her throat and her hands quickly restrained behind her back before she could fight back.
"Shhh, I need you to be real quiet now." A man's voice whispered in her ear.
"Who are you?" Artemis whispered her voice shaking.
"I am someone who is here to solve your problem." The man replied, "I am here to collect the weapon. Get it out of your hair."
"You mean… Robin?" Artemis's breath hitched. She thought Robin was a problem but this was not the solution she wanted.
"Yes, now if you will be a good little girl and show me to his room I will be on my way, and no one has to get hurt." The man told her. "Just so you know all your little friends are locked up safely in their rooms so no one will be able to come save you." Artemis walked numbly towards Robin's room. The man kept the knife at her throat and used his free hand to unlock Robin's door with a strange device. The door slid open but it was empty.
"Are you sure this is the room?" Artemis nodded. "Well then you are going to help me look."
"Why don't you just ask him to come out? You will never find him this way. This mountain is huge." Artemis said dryly.
"That there is a good idea."
"I know you are somewhere in this mountain little bird!" The man's voice echoed through the mountain waking the up all the members of the Young Justice. The teens slowly became alert of the strange man's voice as the man spoke on. "You need to come out right now, because you only have five friends and every minute you waste of mine I am going to kill a friend of yours."
"You are wrong." Robin's voice appeared over the com.
"I am not wrong Robin, I will kill your friend, starting with this blondie here." The man said pulling a gun out of his holster and pointed it at Artemis.
"You are wrong. Robin is not here." Robin's voice echoed a little in the halls and in his friends' rooms. "They didn't want him here. He was not the right Robin. He melted away dissipated into the walls. They didn't know he could do that, but he did" Wally was wide awake now as was the others. Superboy began banging on his door trying to knock it down.
"So who the hell am I talking to?" The man demanded.
"Just a ghost of the mountain." Robin told them.
"Robin…" Megan cried. The boy's voice echoed through the quiet mountain.
"Robin is gone."
"Where did he go?" The man demanded waiving his gun at Artemis.
"I can't keep track of the crazy kid when he isn't a ghost." Artemis said indignantly.
"What is with all of this crap? People don't just evaporate and become ghosts." The man said angrily. "He is somewhere with a com playing games with all of your lives." Suddenly Robin's signature giggle came over the com startling the man.
"That is definitely unsettling."
"Bruno Groft… can I call you Bruno?" Robin asked.
"You can call me Mr. Groft" Groft said with authority. "How the hell do you know my name?"
"You are a liar, a crook. You hurt people." Robin's voice said softly.
"I only do it when it is my job." Groft replied.
"Liar." Robin cut him off. "You came in and you hurt Red Tornado."
"That thing is just a robot." Groft rebutted. "Do you not care that I have a gun pointed at your friend's head?"
"I care." Robin replied then there was nothing. Definitely unsettling.
"Are you going to come out then?" Groft asked but was met with silence. "Robin? Little bird?"
As Wally was trying to digest the situation that is going on Robin's voice sounded again in his room.
"Kid Flash, I need you to do me a favour."
"Robin what is going on?" Wally asked worried. "Why are you a ghost?"
"I know you have questions, but there is no time." Robin told him. "I need you… to trust me."
"Aqualad." Robin's voice called to him. "You need to catch him by surprise. He is wearing full body armour. Artemis is not. He has a gun."
"Robin…" Kaldur began.
"Not now." Robin said quickly. "Stand by the door. You need to move soon."
"Are you okay?" Conner said to the air hoping Robin could hear him. "Where are you?"
"I am very close to him, and he doesn't even see it." Robin told him.
"Robin… I… " Conner said softly Robin's words still echoing in his mind.
"Later. Go! NOW!"
All of a sudden the lights went out only emergency power lit the communication room dimly.
"You are not welcome here anymore Bruno." Robin's voice echoed again from nowhere and everywhere at the same time.
"You don't think I am leaving here without you do you?" Groft asked.
"I know you." Robin giggled then turned serious. "Your mother will be sad to know that you are still deranged. Good thing she is in a better place now."
"You need to shut up right now." Groft got angry.
"Your first victim was your family dog." Robin continued. "It's funny that you still have a picture of him…"
"You are not a ghost. You are in my god damned ship." Groft shouted.
Robin giggled like a child sitting in the cockpit of the ship he had found attached to the side of Mount Justice.
"It's very shiny. All these buttons. I wonder what they do." Robin continued to giggle.
"Okay little bird… don't touch anything." Groft said worriedly. "How the hell did you get in my ship?"
"Put the gun away." Robin ordered.
"I have put it away now." Groft lied.
"You are a bad liar, I can see you." Groft sighed and put his gun away in his holster.
"Okay. Now let's not do anything rash." Groft was starting to get seriously irritated that he was being bested by a child.
"You talk too much Bruno." Robin said serious again. "Too many words, not enough action."
"I am not perfect, I tend to get carried away, but if you would…" Robin cut him off.
"It's okay Bruno. I am going with you." Robin said finally.
"Robin…" Artemis gasped.
"Don't belong…" Robin said softly "Dangerous, like you. Can't be controlled, can't be trusted." Wally paused for a moment in the hallways looking down in shame. "Everyone would be better off if they had never brought me back." Conner balled his hand into a tight fist, so tight it hurt. "Things can go back to the way they were before." Artemis hung her head in shame. "Robin is broken, beyond repair. But I will be fine." A tear rolled down Megan's eye. "I will go with you and fade away. Bruno Groft I will be your bounty."
"Finally something goes right today." Groft sighed started walking towards his ship. Suddenly a stream of water wrapped around his arms. In a flash all of his weapons have been removed and before Groft could react a large fist connected with his chin in an upper cut. Bruno Groft lost consciousness.