A/N: Thanks for the reviews Psyche Castle and Blas!
Blas - One of my next stories is called "Growing Pains" but I don't have a title for the other one yet. Hopefully I'll have it by the end of this story. :) And no, I haven't watched the movie yet but I will get to it...someday!
There's a disclaimer for this chapter. Near the beginning there is a reference to a scene in episode 1x24 in the tv show - "Give 'Em The Axe". So, the credit for that goes to Jack Paritz and Bob Rodgers, authors of the script. Also, I'm not making any money by mentioning it.
Chapter 12:
Batman and Robin were in the back of the van, sitting on the floor by the villain who was lying silently on his back. Robin had his fractured left leg propped across Batman's slightly bent right knee and was resting his head against the metal wall. He thought of something and his eyes widened.
"Holy Houdini, Batman, how did you get out of those u-bolts?!" he inquired.
"The redhead retrieved the mini Bat-blaster from your belt; I used it and got lucky. Instead of blowing me to pieces, it blew the bolts to pieces."
"Aren't you glad I had one?" Robin smirked.
Batman stared toward the front of the van, refusing to acknowledge the fact that something good had come out of a very bad decision his partner had made.
Kirik's head was two feet away from Robin's right leg and he stared at the Boy Wonder out of the corner of his eye. How had the boy made it this far; how had he held out for so long? He was just a kid! Kirik watched the Dynamic Duo closely and, when Batman's attention was focused away from him, he carefully bent his right leg and moved his cuffed hands down toward his ankle. Robin had closed his eyes and Batman was staring thoughtfully at the roof; Kirik wondered what was going through his mind and hoped the hero wasn't thinking about different ways to beat him to a pulp – like the two were so fond of saying. He rolled his eyes; what a stupid expression. His thoughts were re-directed when he felt the handle of the trusty switchblade hidden in his boot. The Caped Crusaders still had their attention focused elsewhere and Kirik's mouth twisted into a bizarre, grin-like shape as his eyes darkened with fury. There was more than one way to skin a cat or, in this case, break a bird.
Batman stared at the roof of the van, recent memories that had been lost to a concussion now drifting through his mind. He saw Robin on the wall, pain etched onto his face and fear flitting around the edges of the shame burning in his eyes. The picture changed to one of Robin fighting to get free, blood flowing from his ankles and tears streaming down his face. Batman frowned. Tears? No, his partner had been, and still was, too strong to give the villain the satisfaction of perceiving any type of weakness. He shook his head in amazement at the vision of Robin struggling to knock the man out after everything he had gone through. Batman had always known that his partner could withstand an abnormal amount of physical pain but he had never seen Robin go through anything like this. The constant taunts and insults that had been thrown at him, the villain continually reassuring his partner that he would always fail, Robin beginning to see himself as "just a sidekick" when the exact opposite was true. Robin had pushed all of those thoughts aside when it really mattered and Batman was impressed with his partner's ability to do so.
Batman knew that being Robin was his ward's greatest source of pride; that identity had almost been lost over these last four days. Robin had received some major blows – watching his 'R' be reduced to ashes, having his utility belt torn away and nearly being unmasked on three different occasions. It would take time for his partner to heal from those wounds and Batman made a mental note to ask Alfred to make a new Robin-suit as soon as possible.
Robin's eyes were closed but he was awake and he, too, was seeing pictures in his head: three Polaroid photos on a poster and one image of Batman carrying him – saving him again. He remembered knocking the villain out, twice, but it was Batman who had taken the man down in the end. Robin had helped and, he realized, that's what sidekicks do: they help. How many times had he been the one doing most of the fighting? Well, there was that one time in the Gotham City Museum when he had taken on two of Riddler's henchmen but, even then, Batman had to bust the doors down with the Batram to save him. He couldn't think of one single time when he had been strong enough to get out of a trap or take out multiple henchmen on his own. So, he was a sidekick; an unbreakable sidekick, yes, but nothing more than a sidekick.
Batman sighed quietly, grabbed a roll of Bat-wrap from his utility belt and began tending to his own swollen, bloody wrists and Robin's left ankle. His partner's feet were still bare so Batman rolled the Bat-wrap around Robin's foot several extra times while working on the ankle; it was the best he could do for now. There was nothing he could use as a splint so he just wrapped his partner's fractured left leg tightly; again, it was the best he could do for now. He glanced to his right; Robin seemed to be asleep and Batman didn't want to disturb him by using the Bat-wrap on his wrists or right ankle. His partner wasn't bleeding and the bandages could wait so he put the roll back into his utility belt. That right ankle was going to need a lot of attention when they returned to the Batcave. It looked worse than all of the other wounds that either of them had received combined. He turned his head to his left and watched the buildings of Gotham City begin whizzing past the van; they were about twenty minutes away from the police station, it would take five or ten more to explain the situation to Commissioner Gordon and then they could be on the road to the Batcave.
Kirik pushed the button on the handle of the knife and let the blade cut into his hand when it sprung open, effectively silencing the telltale sound of a switchblade, but he couldn't hold back a quiet gasp of pain. The Bat-cuffs were hindering, but not stopping, his progress and he laughed diabolically in his head. But…how was he going to take care of the boy when Batman was wide awake and Kirik's arms were secured tightly behind his back? He frowned – he hated inflicting physical pain but it was the only option he had now. He was no longer in a position to toy with the kid mentally or emotionally. He had never had to go to such lengths with any of his other jobs and he was frustrated. Maybe the boy was unbreakable….
Robin heard a noise: a soft but sharp intake of breath. He didn't want to care – he was so tired – but he was a little worried since the villain, as far as Robin knew, was still awake. He cracked his eyes open, glanced to his left and saw Batman watching the road ahead. He moved his eyes to his right and saw the villain lying on his left side and attempting to sit up. What is he doing? Robin's brain was slow to react to the situation and the man quietly began to scoot himself toward the Boy Wonder, who had closed his eyes again.
It only took two little movements for Kirik to get close enough to Robin to do some damage. Quickly glancing at the Dynamic Duo, he was surprised to see not only Robin's eyes closed, but also those of Batman. Maybe things were starting to go his way again; maybe he would even be able to take down Batman! Don't get ahead of yourself! Turning his back to the former sidekick, he twisted the knife so that the flat part was parallel to the ground and the tip of the blade was a few inches away from the boy's side. All he had to do was lean back….
Batman was tired. Yes, he had been receiving all the nutrients he needed through the IV but he didn't know anyone who could get a good night's sleep while bolted to a wall. The villain was cuffed, Robin was asleep and Batman knew that the former henchmen were going to keep their word and take them to the police station. So, he closed his eyes but didn't allow himself to fall asleep, just in case.
Robin really wanted to go to sleep but those images refused to leave his mind. He was not broken, right? Broken meant that the bad guy would get him to beg or plead or cry and he hadn't done any of that. Could he have broken on the inside, where the villain wouldn't be able to see it? Maybe he wasn't unbreakable; maybe he was just able to hide it well. Batman was going to be very disappointed when he discovered that Robin hadn't been strong enough, especially since Batman had been defending him for the entire time they were held captive. His secret identity had been saved from the villain but Robin was sure that he was about to lose "Robin" because he hadn't been strong enough. He had failed, again, just like Kirik had said he would. He mentally took a picture of his mask being torn off his face and added it to the three already on the poster. He knew they would constantly be in his head; always reminding him of his inability to remain unbroken.
There was a bump in the road and Robin felt a sharp pain in his side followed by the warmth of blood beginning to trickle down onto the floor. He thought about telling Batman but decided that his hero would be okay without a broken sidekick so he soundlessly sighed and let the blood flow out of him.
Kirik grinned when he realized that he didn't have to lean back because what felt like a pothole had just caused his knife to slide into the boy's side. He felt blood from the kid's torso but was surprised when no sounds came from the former sidekick. There was no grunt of pain, no call for help; the boy remained silent. Perhaps he was so fast asleep that he hadn't felt anything. Kirik shrugged, left the knife in Robin's torso and laid down again. He grimaced when the Bat-cuffs hit the floor of the van and saw Batman turn his head to look at him. The interior of the van was dark and Batman couldn't see the blood pooling around his sidekick so Kirik did his best to look bored, not wanting to cause suspicion.
Batman heard a small noise and turned his head to look at Robin and the villain. Robin was still asleep and the man looked bored so what had made that sound? He mentally sighed; why did he feel like something was wrong? He was being paranoid; the villain was probably trying to find a more comfortable position. The rough streets of Gotham City must be killing his arms since they were secured underneath him. He turned his attention to Robin and carefully studied his face. He noticed the slight twist of his partner's mouth and recognized the expression Robin wore when he was in pain. It was time to wrap Robin's wrists, right ankle and right foot; it would wake him up but it would also give him some relief.
"Turn on the interior light," Batman commanded and the shorter man in the passenger seat readily complied.
Batman retrieved the roll of Bat-wrap from his utility belt again and brought Robin's left wrist onto his lap. His partner didn't move so Batman bandaged it quickly and reached over to get his right one. There was a glint of something on the floor of the van so Batman leaned his body across Robin's torso in order to discover the source of the slight shimmer. His eyes widened: there was a knife sticking out of Robin's right side and a large puddle of blood that was growing rapidly. Forgetting about the wrist, he grasped the handle of the knife, swiftly pulled it out and pressed one hand against the wound while quickly unrolling the Bat-wrap with his other.
Robin gasped and his tired eyes flew open as what felt like a knife was torn out of his body. Something was pushing against the now-throbbing injury and he tried unsuccessfully to hold back a quiet groan. He didn't want Batman to hear him and start to worry but then he saw Batman right in front of him and concern was already in his eyes.
Robin sighed and carefully shook his head. "Sorry," he whispered, "I didn't mean to disturb you."
"Robin," Batman almost shouted, "why didn't you say anything and why on earth are you apologizing again?!"
"I…" but Robin saw the villain staring at him smugly and changed his sentence, "think you should let it go for now." Robin's eyes were pools of pain surrounded by a rim of anger.
Batman noticed the glare Robin threw to his right and, although he didn't want to, let it go. He was frustrated and wanted more information now but wasn't going to push Robin in front of the man who, obviously, was still trying to break him. He helped his partner sit all the way up and wrapped his torso tightly. Carefully moving Robin to the left, Batman placed himself between the villain and his young partner.
Batman loomed over the man and, with fury in his eyes, whispered darkly, "You will never again see the light of day and I am currently deciding whether or not to pay you a visit in your cell at Arkham."
"Oh, so you can beat me to a pulp?" Kirik replied sarcastically and rolled his eyes. "I doubt the warden will allow you to do that."
"Warden Crichton is a very reasonable man and, after I explain this entire situation to him, he will not only allow it but might even come down and open your door himself," Batman threatened with a menacing snarl.
This time it was the villain's eyes that widened and Batman, satisfied that he had sufficiently frightened the man, turned back to Robin and finished wrapping his partner's injuries.
Robin heard the exchange between Batman and the villain and was confused. Why would Batman continue…but then Robin remembered that he hadn't told Batman the truth yet. He decided to wait until they were in the Batcave because, when Batman found out that his sidekick was broken, Dick could go straight up to Wayne Manor instead of Robin having to deal with an awkward silence during the ride home in the Batmobile.
Batman noticed Robin staring at nothing and wondered what was going through his mind. He searched his partner's eyes and saw sadness surrounded by…was that shame again? Batman thought they were past that.
"Robin, what are you thinking about?" Batman forced the concern out of his voice as he asked what he considered to be the most important question out of all the ones floating in his head.
"I'm…forget it. I'm just tired," Robin replied but Batman heard the small tremble in his voice. His tone was sad, just like his eyes, and it was laced with regret. Robin glanced down at the hole in his Robin-suit, where the 'R' used to be, and the small amount of pride that was left drifted away. "Robin" had died and he had to learn to accept that.
"We'll be on our way back to the Batcave soon," Batman said as he noticed Robin glance down at his own uniform. The hole in the suit was small but he could see that the hole in his partner's pride was getting bigger. Batman didn't know how to help and he was frustrated.
Robin was already tired of the guilt that was weighing him down and making it hard to breathe. They had just arrived at the police station, however, so he couldn't do anything about it. Jack and Jason got out, went inside, turned themselves in and told Chief O'Hara about the van and its three passengers. The chief took some officers out to collect the villain and the Dynamic Duo followed them into the station, both limping heavily. Commissioner Gordon brought them into his office and Batman explained what had happened, although he did leave out many small details to protect what was left of Robin's pride.
As they exited the station through the back door, Batman sighed. The Batmobile was at the warehouse where they had been captured, he didn't have his drive-the-Batmobile-remotely control and his Bat-communicator had broken when he had fallen off the wall. He shook his head, annoyed at himself, when he realized that he had left Robin's utility belt at the cabin so they didn't have his Bat-communicator, either. I'm doing a great job at being a hero right now was his sarcastic thought as he watched Robin carefully sit down on the curb of the sidewalk.
"Batman," Robin sounded frustrated, "sit down. I need to tell you something and then we will be able to go home." He couldn't wait until they returned to the Batcave to get this off his chest; it was becoming too heavy for him to handle. Also, he would have a way to get them home because, after removing his mask and giving it to Batman, Dick Grayson would be able to call Alfred. He would have to find an excuse to get a change of clothes from Chief O'Hara, of course, before doing any of that; Batman still had a secret identity to protect.
"Okay," Batman was impressed that his tired partner already had an idea of how to get them home. He sat down and stared at his partner expectantly. For some reason, Robin was refusing to look at him and Batman became concerned. He waited for his partner to continue and didn't know that Robin was trying to gather the courage he needed for this conversation.
"Sorry…" Robin started but was immediately cut off.
"Stop saying that!" Batman exclaimed and he, too, sounded frustrated. "You have nothing to be sorry about and I'm tired of you being so hard on yourself!"
"Can a person be broken on the inside and capable of not showing it on the outside?" The question burst out of Robin and it took them both off guard.
Batman was stunned. He finally knew the real reason for the emotions that had been constantly present in his partner's eyes and voice: Robin thought he had broken. Batman knew that meant Robin felt that he had let Batman down. But his partner had been so confident when they were leaving the cabin, even asking the former henchmen to tell everyone at Arkham that he was unbreakable. What had changed?
Batman pondered for a moment then took a deep breath and collected his thoughts. Robin had been quiet on the ride back to Gotham and Batman realized that he probably had not been asleep, but thinking. His partner had been allowing the taunts, insults and everything else that man had done to him finally begin to lodge themselves deep into his brain. Robin wasn't broken but had been trying to convince himself that he was because, Batman concluded, Robin thought he had lost his identity and was about to be "retired".
Robin stared at Batman, searching his eyes for the answer and hoping that what he knew was going to happen wasn't actually about to happen. Batman was going to tell him that "Robin" had died back at the cabin and that he didn't need a sidekick anymore, anyway.
"You, Robin, are not broken on the inside or on the outside. I'm not disappointed in you at all, you did not let me down in any way and you are still Robin. Stop thinking about those pictures, that man and everything that happened at that cabin. He never would have broken you, Robin – you are too strong – and I have never been more astonished at your strength. So stop beating yourself UP!" the last word was shouted and Robin flinched but continued to stare at Batman. "Also," he added, "why didn't you tell me right away when that man stabbed you in the van?!"
"I knew you would be a better crime-fighter without a broken sidekick," Robin explained softly as he dropped his eyes to the ground again, "so…"
"So you were going to let yourself die?!" Batman exclaimed in disbelief.
Robin glanced up at Batman, "Well, I…"
Their conversation was interrupted by a loud 'BANG' from behind them and they both whipped their heads around in surprise. They watched in shock as the villain sprinted past them and headed west. Batman quickly stood up but Robin was faster – he had already jumped to his feet and was running after the man.
"You can't catch me, boy," Kirik shouted as he glanced back. "Only heroes can catch bad guys!" he taunted.
Shut up! I said you would regret showing Batman those stupid pictures and I warned you that I was going to take you down.
Kirik was laughing maniacally as he ran through the streets of Gotham City. There was no way the former sidekick could catch up to him after going without nourishment for four days and with a knife wound that, most likely, was already bleeding again.
Robin heard the laughter and rolled his eyes; the man was almost as crazy as Joker! He felt blood sliding down his right leg, pain shooting through his left leg and both ankles and the Bat-wrap around his feet was beginning to fall apart but he didn't care. The man who had broken him was not going to get away and Robin ran faster. It was getting hard to breathe but he saw those pictures in his mind and decided that he was not going to fail this time. He was Robin, for now anyway, and he was definitely not going to fail.