AN: To my fellow followers! Thank you for being so patient! School has been unnecessarily taking up so much of my time! Before that my laptop was busted for a few days. And I also managed to actually get employed somewhere between the last time I updated this story and today, so I have been having even less time to write also because of that. I hope this chapter will satisfy you all! FORGIVENESS TT_TT PLEASE.
Chapter Six:
Carnival
Batman began approaching the entrance of the fun house where Joker was most likely hiding in. As determined as he was to catch the criminal, thoughts from the previous conversation he had with Dick were replaying over and over again in his mind. He had left the cave with both he and Dick on somewhat good terms, but still a little tense for his liking.
He had taken away Robin—but for his own safety! He had gotten Dick is so many dangerous situations. It is now time to put an end to the most ridiculous childhood ever!
Dick is safe at home with Alfred. He repeated over and over again in his mind. He's never going to do this again. Not ever!
Back at the cave
Once again leaving the bowl of French onion soup on the tray, Alfred sat on the edge of the bed and heard Dick's story. He face remained the same as his youngest charge spoke. He noticed the boy trying his best not to cry again as he told his anecdote of what went down between him and Bruce.
"…and that was when you came down, Alfred." Dick finished as he absent-mindedly played around with the light green bed sheets with his fingers. "Now he's out who-knows-where. Maybe confronting the Joker as we speak."
Alfred observed his mannerisms—Batman isn't the only detective around here. Dick had just woken up from an almost three day coma about half an hour ago and was given so much astonishing news all at once. The boy is still in shock—and perhaps Master Bruce as well.
"Master Dick, as much as I would like you to retire that identity and for you to have somewhat of a normal childhood, it is not my place to say so." He began.
Dick looked up somewhat startled. He wants me to quit too?! Then why go through all this trouble for the past few years?!
"And quite honestly it would relax my poor old heart if you both resign the night vigilante business, but I know Master Bruce far too well. His goal is to protect Gotham at any cost—in a way he has become Gotham City, but this is something that we have both learned later on that he cannot do alone."
The boy continued to look intently at Alfred who was giving him one of the most inspiring monologues he had ever heard him say. I guess it wasn't a joke when he said he used to be an actor.
"There was a reason why you came into our lives the way you have. As Sherlock Holmes needs a John Watson—Batman needs a Robin."
"Alfred…" Dick said as he marveled at his grandfather-figure. So much wisdom said with so little words. "Have you ever considered writing speeches?"
"Do you honestly believe that all those things Master Bruce says on television are all of his doing?" the old man joked as he got up from the bed. He bent over and picked up the tray of untouched soup. "Now let's get some better and warmer food into your system, shall we?" he said as he walked back up into the manor.
Dick heard the grandfather clock that led the entrance to the cave whir quietly from a distance. He sat there for a minute. He looked down and noticed that he was dressed in a loose white T-shirt and a pair of light blue pajama pants. He then started thinking about everything with Bruce, then his talk with Alfred—then he remembered some of things he dreamed about while he was in the coma…mom and dad during their last performance.
It was like he lived that dreadful moment over and over again. He was always standing on the sideline when they were flipping through the air without a care in the world.
"Mom! Dad! Get off!" he cried. But they were not listening. The continued the routine they had practiced and memorized. They thought nothing could go wrong. Then the wires snapped.
"No!" the boy cried as he watched the two people he loved most plummet to their deaths. As they were about to hit the ground—he was back in the sidelines and Mom and Dad would be swinging on the trapeze again.
Then he cried out for them which would once again go ignored. The wires snapped again and they would fall again and it would start all over again the instant before the fatal impact to the ground.
It was when he finally saw them hit the hard surface that he instantaneously woke up in the Batcave behind the light green curtains. In a panic he removed the wires that connected him to the heart monitor. If it weren't for Bruce checking up on him almost immediately he might have had an emotional breakdown right then and there. He almost forgot about the seemingly never-ending loop that he went through.
Getting even more depressed isn't going to help.
He decided to test his motor skills. Start small.
Toes. He wiggled every single one of his ten toes without difficulty.
Now Knees. He bent his right, then his left knee under the sheets. Everything seemed to look fine.
Whatever I was infected with doesn't seem to affect mobility. Or maybe it just took three days to get it out of my system. Now let's try standing. He removed the bed sheet and exposed his legs. He gingerly swept them over the side of the bed. His feet hung a few inches away from the ground. He looked down and remembered his unsteadiness in standing when Batman had released the manacles from him. Then he remembered the queasiness—
Stop it! He mentally yelled at himself. Everything is going to be fine. "Just do it." He croaked to the air.
His toes touched the cold ground, then the balls of his feet, then the heels—now step away from the bed.
He had been sleeping for the past three days so of course they would be a little stumbling, but after gaining his balance—he felt just fine. No queasiness, no dizziness, nothing!
Maybe Bruce had fired him as Robin…but that didn't mean that he still couldn't help, right?
He sprinted towards the huge computer and scrambled around the work area—opening drawers, looking behind equipment—trying to locate something. "Where is it?" he mumbled as he opened one final drawer. "Ah ha!"
His game plan was to prove to himself to Batman. That he was still capable of helping—even if it meant working behind the scenes. That was usually Alfred's job, but only on extremely dangerous and important missions. Wouldn't it be useful to have someone man the monitors every minute of every night?
He took out a microphone headset from the drawer, placed it on his head, and connected himself onto the systems. Seconds later, he found himself looking at the exact pinpoint location where Batman was. At the press of a few more buttons on the keyboard he was then able to see what Batman could seeing.
Dick glanced up to the monitor and immediately his mouth gaped and eyes widened in horror. Oh no!
Carnival
It was like was experiencing déjà vu. Besides some left over yellow police tape lying around, it was as if it was still the first time Batman and Robin had come chasing after the Joker. The same irritable calliope music, the same neon-colored bordered walls, and even the same display window with the jar of dismembered limbs.
The only thing missing was the sound of Joker's laughter in the intercom system—and Robin. "Concentrate." He sternly muttered to himself. He could not allow these thoughts distract him. At least not now. Joker first, then home.
Batman casually, yet carefully and stealthily turned the halls and saw the wide entrance to the pipe organ. It was currently playing an upbeat tune all by itself as it spewed steam from the slits of the bronze pipes.
Batman then had a sudden incredibly strong feeling of repentance. That night, if he and Robin had stayed together—they would probably be out patrolling somewhere else in Gotham City, or maybe having a "Bruce and Dick Day" as the boy would jokingly call it sometimes.
"Bruce and Dick Days" consisted of the two of them—and sometimes Alfred—having some sort of bonding session. Sometimes they would go to the theater, go see a movie in a cinema, going to some sort of sporting event, and if the night was particularly exhausting, they would just pop in a movie with some strawberry and Ovaltine milkshakes and Alfred's kettle corn.
But no. Tonight he was worrying about the boy's health while he was out chasing after the Joker once again. Something I should have done three days ago. If it weren't for the fact that he needed to be as quiet as possible at the current moment, he would have stopped in place, punched a hole in the wall and grunted loudly in frustration.
He continued his way into the room with the steam pipes then suddenly his train of thought was immediately disturbed by the Joker's incredibly loud—more than usual—cackling through the intercom system. "Welcome back, batsy! Long time no see, huh?"
Batman did not respond. He stood in place—with a batarang in his hand, of course. "I am just gonna go out on a limb here and assume that you're here about your brat, aren't you?" Joker teased through the system.
"I'm here for you, Joker!" he growled angrily.
As he spoke, Batman began to hear the sounds of police sirens approaching the area. "Oh no, Batman! The coppers will ruin our fun!" he heard Joker say in a whiny tone. "What to do, what to do." Through the system, the tapping of his fingers on a hard surface could also be heard.
"I know!" he finally rejoiced. "Barricade the doors!"
Much like a few nights before the opening leading to the pipe organ closed right behind him, but he did not react. He just simply stood in place as he looked behind him and watched as the doors slid shut.
He prepared his body in a fighting stance as he expected to be ambushed by a group of Joker's goons in that small area—but astonishingly—he was wrong.
The pipe organ suddenly erupted with large hot puffs of steam as it played incredibly loud off-key notes of the song it was playing previously when he entered. Joker's laughter echoed maniacally through the intercom system. Before Batman could reach for his gas mask…he breathed in too much.
He collapsed onto the ground and before he fell into the black—he heard a familiar voice cry out to him in his head.
"NO!"
Dick?...
AN: and there you go! I'll try to update as soon as I can, but might be for a while :/ Tests are coming up and I should seriously be studying... sigh