With his mind desperately searching for Kid Flash and ruble lying like a blanket over his body, he lied in an abyss of darkness. . . .
"Robin, are you okay!" Kid Flash yelled out for him again over the sound of the broken room trying to settle down, dust hung like fog around him and made him cough violently. "Robin!"
Shock tying down his voice Robin slowly began to try and lift himself from the ruble, Kid Flash quickly saw the small movement and zoomed over. Shoving heavy pieces of the ruble out of the way until he found Robin lying before him, blood dripping down from a gash on his forehead like a crack in a glass of water. Kid Flash his stomach jump.
Where are you guys! Kid Flash yelled him his head as he grabbed the Boy Wonder. Robin's hurt, get to the second floor as quick as you can!
We heard the explosion, Aqualad responded, and by the way it shook this building I have a feeling it isn't going to be standing for that much longer. But stay calm, how bad are his in-
Aren't you coming! Kid Flash shouted back. You need to help me get Robin so we can get out of here before we're all squished!
We're trying, Aqualad responded, but when that explosion went off something happened. An emergency lock down Robin must have missed, all the rooms are bolted shut. Superboy is working on it now, but it's going to take a minute.
Kid Flash looked back to see the wall behind him was covered in a thick sheet of metal, and then he looked back at the gaping hole from the explosion. Tiles one by one were slipping off the edge of the ripped open building.
"Rob, are you conscious?" Kid Flash asked shaking Robin lightly, the boy stirred opening his mouth but nothing coming out. Feeling the building tremble for a moment Kid Flash became desperate, so he grabbed Robin and began dragging him. He stopped for a moment to try and shake him awake again, shaking him hard enough to rattle his brain, "Wakey, wakey. . . . Come on, Robby, wake the hell up!"
"Wally," finally he choked out, his body jerked for a moment as his shock wore off.
"About time, you seriously freaked me out!" Kid Flash yelled at him. "Now we need to get out of here."
"Got it, but where are you?" Robin dragged himself to his feet.
"Dude, I'm standing right next to you,"
"Then feel around for a way out or look for a light switch," Robin shot back.
"What the heck are you talking about?" Kid Flash asked in bewilderment. "The lights are on."
Suddenly the building shook so hard it nearly knocked them to their feet, and that's when the ground beneath their feet began to give away.
"We have to jump!" Kid Flash yelled grabbed Robin's shoulder. "Come on!"
Two and a Half Hours Later:
"How long do you think they'd been out?" Martian Manhunter asked Batman as they walked around the team of sidekicks, each one lying on the grass outside the partly destroyed building unconscious.
"I don't know," Batman responded, "but I knew that if a stealth mission lasted more than an hour then something wasn't right. . . ." Martian Manhunter could see something was wrong, Batman seemed more distant than usual. Then he realized it.
"Robin's not with them,"
Batman nodded slowly, his jaw tightening and his back stiffening.
"Maybe he got away from the . . . well, whatever happened here,"
"Not likely," Batman shook his head.
"You don't doubt his abilities do you?"
"Not even in the slightest," Batman replied, "but he wouldn't leave the team like this. He wouldn't dare. . . . I had a bad feeling about tonight."
"Now, don't go on blaming yourself," he assured the man, "we don't even know if he's in any peril yet. Let me wake the team up and we'll go from there."
Batman nodded again, his cold exterior nearly giving Martian Manhunter chills. Then one by one Martian Manhunter tapped into their minds and awoke them. Once they were all awake Batman immediately took charge.
"Okay, what happened!" he demanded. "How come all of you were you're all knocked unconscious? And where's-"
Seeing their glossy expressions Martian Manhunter stepped in, "Now, Batman, give them a minute. Let them remember what happened for a moment, they need to think."
"Yeah, Bats," Kid Flash snapped, his voice sounded as though he was yawning as he rubbed his head.
Clenching his fists Batman waited as they all took a breather, until finally Aqualad stepped up.
"I remember now," he swallowed deeply, "we were investigating, but there wasn't anyone there which was quite odd. Before we knew it a bomb was set off, so we escaped the building and. . . ."
"And what!" Batman pushed sternly.
"Well, we came out here and-"
"Next thing we know its lights out for all of us," Kid Flash continued for him obnoxiously, "we didn't even get to see the guy who did it, everything just went black."
"Then why isn't Robin with you?" Batman pressed.
They looked at each other in concern and bafflement.
Meanwhile:
"Wake him up! I'm getting bored," a nasally voice snapped, "hey wake up already!"
Next thing Robin felt was a quick kick to the chest making his cringe lightly, although it really didn't hurt too bad.
"Oh, Boy Blunder," another familiar voice cooed in an eerie manor, "open your eyes before I break off your birdie wings and pluck out your feathers one by one. . . ."
Next thing Robin felt were long fingers wrapping around a large chunk of his hair, and then he felt his head being slammed against the concrete. Robin jerked into full consciousness from the pain radiating from his aching head.
"Yeah, get up!"
Suddenly a large bucket of water was poured over his head and jolted him up into a sitting position, his whole body began trembling for the water was ice cold. The liquid mixed with the blood on his forehead and leaked down his face, and as he went to push his wet hair from sticking to his skin he realized his hands were tied in tight wire that cut off his circulation with each tug.
"So . . . glad . . . you could join us," the man's voice trailed on each of his words as though trying to raise some sort of anticipation, and this was followed by a slow clap which intertwined with the woman's quick paced clapping.
Robin knew from the moment he awoke who it was, he didn't need to be able to see them, he'd be able to recognize their voices even if they had been underwater.
"Okay, Joker, what is it this time?" Robin snapped. "We've been through this many times before, if you really want to get to Batman go play some more of your pranks and get back to us, because in the end you'll just be back in the loony bin again and none of it will matter after that."
"You better watch that mouth of yours kid," Harley Quinn retorted, "or Mr.J will put you in your place."
Joker spoke up, "You're forgetting the part where I break out and come back to cut some throats with those silly batarangs you and the Bat are always carrying around." He chuckled ominously, he was obviously holding back or maybe saving his obnoxious laughter for something more sinister. "And could it be so hard to believe that maybe - just maybe – my motives don't always involve Batzy? You superheroes can be so big headed at times."
"This has got to be a joke," Robin scoffed, "which isn't surprising coming from you, I just wish you super villains would realize you're not as funny as you think."
Suddenly he heard something bang against the wall, and next thing he knew the Joker was looming over him. The man's slippery hands clenching onto Robin's jaw tighter than a mousetrap, Robin tried to shake the man's grip off his face but without the use of his hands he couldn't the mans painful grip.
"So tell me Robin," Joker got in his face, his voice like the piercing sound of nails scraping against chalkboards, "did you like my present?" Joker tightened his grip as he yanked Robin's face in the direction of his own, Robin struggled furiously. "DID YOU? Now hopefully for you, you don't turn out like a certain little birdie in a box. . . . You know, when I prepared your gift I left the bird just alive to see the fear in its petrified eyes, to see it's little bird chest racing up and down from the adrenalin, but unfortunately he must have bleed to death before the box got to you. I wonder how painful it is to bleed to death? Wanna find out!" Then Robin heard the sliding of metal as the Joker flipped out his pocket knife, Robin could feels it's cold exterior as the Joker pressed the flat side upon his cheek. Then he heard the release of the Jokers manical laughter that managed to chill the air around them.
I've got some twists and turns coming up, hope you guys have enjoyed this and remember to review! Thanks!