CHAPTER 14

PRESIDENTIAL PALACE, RHEELASIA

BEDROOM OF HIS EXCELLENCY, GENERALISSIMO SINGH MANH LEE

Lee lay back in his great black velvet bed while the doctors wrapped his broken arm in a cast. They had already x-rayed and pronounced two of his ribs broken as well as his nose. Peering around the attending doctor and nurses, he operated the television remote with his good hand and began one of his favorite tapes. It depicted a young boy clad in red, green and a yellow cape swinging from line to line among the tall buildings of Gotham. Graceful yet sturdy, the youth's face bore a joyful grin.

So close...so very close, Lee mused. And to discover that the boy, Robin, was the only child of a powerful billionaire! Such power in Wayne's hands. Such power to be had by the smart and tricky man Lee knew himself to be. He had already put out word that the boy was to be retrieved and the finder would become rich beyond his wildest dreams. Lee smiled painfully. His broken and missing teeth hurt. The dentist was next. He had to have the boy back. Oh, the uses he could put the lad to...

If he held the boy in his hand, he would have both Batman and Bruce Wayne in his power. From Batman he would gain a tactical advantage over his enemies, for there was no better covert terrorist on the planet than the Bat. So what if he had sworn not to kill? For the promise of his son's well-being, the Bat would do whatever he was commanded. And best of all, Batman was known to be a leader in the Justice League. Who better to keep the likes of Superman and Wonder Woman at bay? No more nosy investigations into alleged human rights abuses...

And he was also Bruce Wayne...He had money, more even than the Rheelasian budget. Wayne's punishment only began at paying extortion to guarantee Dick's continued life. Wayne's companies could and would invest in Rheelasia, bringing jobs and wealth to the country and to Lee himself. All Wayne's power and influence could be turned to benefit Singh Manh Lee, who would become a sizable minority shareholder in all of Wayne's financial doings.

Lee shifted to his other favorite film, a new one. The hidden cameras had watched Dick Grayson, aka Robin, during every moment he had spent in the Presidential Palace. Just watching him move was a pleasure, as were the plans Lee made for him. While Batman/Wayne danced to Lee's tune in the hope of somehow saving his son, the boy would belong to Lee and Lee alone. Lee's face grew even more cheerful until he grinned a huge, broken toothed grin, his small eyes almost lost in the black and blue bruises the Batman had inflicted.

But most important of all...this information was explosive but only valuable while no one else possessed it. He must keep Batman and Robin's identities secret if he were to exploit them to the full. If the plan worked, and he knew that it would, he would be the winner. He, the Generalissimo, would have wealth, power, control over Batman, perhaps the League, and best of all, he would finally have his Robin, his genuine Robin to himself.

"Send in Hamilton and Harrison," he told Pak. "I have a job for them."

CAPITOL CITY OF RHEELASIA

Batman and Robin limped their way through the capital city, moving from shadow to shadow. Before they had gone four blocks, Robin stumbled and would have fallen had Batman not caught him. "Keep fighting the drugs," Batman instructed. "But till they wear off, I'll help you." Robin grumbled again, but let Batman prop him up. After consideration, Batman decided not to try to find the Street of Lotuses; they would probably be spotted and they'd only endanger their contact. Better if they could lie low for a while.

They stopped in an alley, shielded by some overflowing garbage cans. Ostensively, it was to allow Robin to rest but Batman knew his leg was about to give out. The boy had been through enough; he didn't need to know how badly injured his mentor was. While they were stopped, two patrols met up at the mouth of their alley. Batman shoved Robin behind him, deeper into shadow, and both listened intently.

A solemn man, clearly in command addressed the members of the second unit. "Bring the boy directly to the President, he wants this one very badly. There will be a rich reward to the one who turns him in," said the Colonel.

"So how is this boy any different from all the others?" one solder said sarcastically. "They all end up in the same place after our glorious leader is done with them."

"It is not our job to question the Generalissimo," the Colonel said. "Whether we agree with them or not."

"So, the usual penalties for a runaway?" asked another soldier with a smirk.

"No. He goes directly back to the Generalissimo, untouched." the Colonel shook his head. "Those are the orders."

Batman felt Robin, next to him, shrink away. When the two soldiers went on their way, Batman put a hand on Robin's shoulder and pulled him further into the shadows. "Come on," he directed in a whisper. "Let's get out of here."

At the other end of the city, they found a burned out area, not yet rebuilt after the last Bialyan/Rheelasian war. They took shelter in a small burned out house hidden away by piles of debris. Batman judged it concealed enough and sufficiently sturdy to be a temporary shelter.

The night had turned cold, so Batman dug a small hole and made a pocket fire from the half-burned timber lying around. He'd pulled some of the ill-fated meal bars from his utility belt when he noticed that Robin was shivering in his light clothing.

"What did he dress you in?" Batman fingered the cape Robin wore. "Silk?" The boy's tunic was a thin linen dyed red and green.

"Yeah. Lingerie materials," Robin said. "Not worth much for keeping me warm." He lifted a foot. "Ran through my shoes in the town."

Batman could see the where the doeskin had worn through during their long hike. He pulled the worst one off and examined Robin's foot. "Are you injured?"

"Nah. Just cold," Robin and shivered again. Batman pulled off his cape and draped it around the both of them, pulling the boy close for warmth.

"You were kidnapped as Dick Grayson," Batman said, bringing up a concern that had been bothering him. "Why are you dressed as Robin?"

"Lee has been obsessed with Robin since he first saw him in action five years ago. In Gotham City. He's been collecting 'Robins' ever since then. And he finally caught one." He looked desolately up at his mentor. "I managed to break out of the room they were keeping me in. I ran down this hallway and ended up in a big room. The walls were painted black and so were the floors. And on the walls were pictures of Robin, taken in Gotham City. They had somebody following us with a telephoto lens and there were pictures of me from when I first became Robin up to the age I am now. And he had a flat screen monitor on the wall," Robin said dully, afraid to meet Batman's eyes. "It had films of me: beating up crooks, flying on a zip or a decel line. The pictures were just me, not you. You were cut out." Robin looked up at his partner. "Bruce, he knows. He told me that he figured it out by the way I move that I'm not just a substitute, that Dick Grayson is the real Robin and you must be Batman. He's NOT going to let me just go. Now that he's figured out that he got the real Robin, he'll do anything to keep me. "

Batman leaned back against the wall with a thump and grimaced as his leg twinged. Oh, this was worse than he'd thought. If Dick were just another one of his Robins, that was one thing. But Robin was the man's obsession and had been for five years. And he'd lost the boy in his own palace. Lee was obsessed and would stop at nothing to retrieve the real Robin. He looked down at his son and saw that Robin looked thin, pale and tired. He often forgot that Robin was still growing and didn't have the stamina of a grown man.

"Have something to eat, Robin." He pulled two of the ill-fated meal bars out of his utility belt and handed one to the boy.

"I don't want anything," Robin said quietly. "I...I don't think I could."

"You need the energy. Go ahead, I brought these along with me." Batman watched as the boy started chewing on it, then ate more quickly when he recognized the flavor.

"You got me chocolate caramel?" Robin said indistinctly through the bar. "You hate anything that looks or tastes like candy! And it isn't even organic."

"I made an exception just this once," Batman said with a half-smile. "Tomorrow you're back on whole grains again." He peeled his own bar and began to eat. Much too sweet but he could choke it down.

"So," Robin said, munching on the last bit and licking his fingers. "How did you know where I was?"

Batman shifted uncomfortably. "I...uh...I was there at Hamilton School. I got a job as a kitchen worker."

A mix of resentment and astonishment fought for dominance on Robin's face. "You didn't trust me to handle this one solo, so you came out to keep an eye on me!"

"I trusted you just fine," Batman said defensively. "But it was your first real solo. I...wanted to make sure you were okay. You can hardly complain about that now!" Batman said pointedly.

Robin's mouth opened, then he closed it again. He sighed. "Okay. I gotta be honest. I'm really glad you were watching my back, 'cause if you hadn't been there, Lee..." His voice trailed off. He pulled his knees up to his chin and hid his face.

"Robin, I was there to observe only unless it looked like you needed me," Bruce said. "You did fine."

"Yeah, until they dragged me to the office and stuffed me on a plane to Rheelasia," Robin said, voice muffled. "My God, Bruce, if you hadn't arrived when you did...I wouldn't be dead but I'd wish I was. If you hadn't been undercover at Hamilton, you might never have found me. I'd have been trapped with Lee until I died...or I killed him. "He lifted his head and stared bleakly into space.

Batman ran a hand through the boy's hair. "I promise you this, Dick, no matter the circumstances, I would have found you. If it took that last penny I had, I'd have brought you home."

Robin said, still not meeting Batman's eyes, "When I planned all this, looking for Rufus, I wasn't afraid of any child molesters. I knew I could take care of myself, but I've never see anyone like Lee. It...it...bothers me. With most of the crooks in Gotham, it's nothing personal, just business, y'know? They still try to kill us, but that's it...They don't want to destroy your soul...I don't know what to call it...But the Generalissimo..." Robin shivered again. "He creeps me out. Even being in the same room as him is... I dunno how to explain it...Even Joker isn't as twisted somehow."

"I understand," Batman said. "You know, the Joker isn't really crazy. Everything he does has a method and a purpose; every move he makes is calculated to achieve a goal. His thinking is not disordered. Instead, he projects madness as a way of spreading terror and chaos among his victims. Singh Manh Lee, now..."Batman's eyes grew dark. "He's another case entirely. I don't think he's crazy in the accepted sense. I think he's simply evil. Lee will use and destroy to give himself pleasure, regardless of the outcome. I'm sorry you had to see that, son," Batman said softly. "I'm sorry I ever allowed you to be introduced to the dark side of his world."

Robin nodded, arms still clasped around his knees. "Doesn't matter, Bruce," he said. "Other kids got introduced to him before me and none of them volunteered. At least I knew that I was going into danger, even if I messed it up and got caught." He looked over at Batman. "And I had you, whether I liked it or not."

They were both silent for a long time, thinking. Batman knew that keeping Dick out of Lee's hands would be difficult, especially with a game leg. Nevertheless, he decided that he would do whatever was necessary and yes, kill or die if he had to, to keep Dick safe.

Dick slumped a bit, holding his hands out over the tiny fire. Seeing that, Batman tucked the cape more firmly around his boy. "Go ahead and sleep, Robin. I'll keep watch."

"Y'sure?" was all Robin got out before his eyes closed and he dropped off. Batman waited till then before he examined his own injury. He hadn't told Robin how deeply the shrapnel had pierced his leg or how much blood he'd lost. He pulled a first aid kit out of his utility belt and wrapped a gauze bandage around his thigh, tying it tight. The bleeding had stopped for now, but there was still debris inside his leg that would have to come out somehow.

He didn't like to think about how close it had been. Just the memory of what he'd seen when opened that door was enough to make him want to punch something. Or someone. If he'd been just five minutes later ...no, it didn't bear thinking about. Not for the first time he regretting allowing Lee to live. He held his son more tightly and swore he'd keep him out of the bastard's hands somehow.