Struggle
Robin was unsure how long ago Raven had escaped, the young hero's attention fully focused on the wall of muscle before him; he knew, even with the drugs that enhanced his body and mind, that if he remained still, he was a dead man, so Robin never stopped moving. Dodging, rolling, twisting, jumping, running, Robin never paused in his attacks, minor they may be; still, the stings added up, Doomsday now sporting an angry red welt in the crook of his arm, shards of metal from birdarangs embedded deep into the monster's flesh. No longer just a tiny sting to the creature, Doomsday felt great irritation and even moderate pain from the ravaged wound; Robin never let Doomsday's natural healing abilities soothe the damage, a continuous, steady stream of weapons striking the welt with pin-point accuracy.
However, for every attack Robin landed, Doomsday returned the favor; Robin's body was covered in bruised and bloodied skin, and there were only two reasons why he had survived thus far. The fist was due to the drug that Robin had injected; the experimental and very dangerous drug shut down all pain receptors, in addition to enhancing all senses. Robin could feel no pain, and without his natural aversion to pain Robin's body did not have its usual limitations, allowing the hero to move faster and hit harder. Still, even without the feeling of pain, a direct blow from Doomsday could have easily torn the young man in two, if it wasn't for Robin's training, his mentor teaching him how to deflect and absorb blows; this training, combined with his quickened eyes and mind, kept Robin alive.
But the drug would not last long.
Even in the best test case, the effects of the drug only lasted, on average, around five minutes, sometimes a little longer; this gave Robin a short lived edge for the battle, the hero gambling with his life that his aid would arrive before the drug wore off. It was a desperate plan, an all or nothing risk, for if help took too long to arrive, Robin faced not only a near unstoppable monster, but the dangerous side effects of the tonic that was coursing through his veins. Robin could only hope that his help was in the Watchtower, or even somewhere on Earth.
Never before in his short life did Robin hope his luck would hold; even though he knew his chances of survival were slim, that he would most likely die this day, Robin stubbornly refused to despair, holding on within his heart that he would live to see tomorrow. Robin loved life, he fought to protect it every day when he donned his mask and uniform, and, while he held other's lives ahead of his own, he was quite happy living, with his life, his friends. There many more thing he wanted to do, many words he wanted to say, tell her what he felt, and he had regretted that he had sent her away from him before he could speak his peace; and even though he did not despair, some part of him, a feeling in his gut, an acceptance in his soul, told him that Robin would parish this day. It felt like fate, something Robin had never seen eye to eye, these circumstances that befell Jump, befell the Teen Titans. Thus he felt no fear when he had sent his friends away from him, when he turned to face Doomsday, as he tortured his body stalling the beast; Robin did not fear death, death that was trying its hardest to pulverize the young man.
Slipping away from a crushing hold, Doomsday's hand closing on nothing but air, where a second ago Robin's head was, Robin sprung forward, hurling his body into the monster, causing Doomsday to stagger back, unprepared for the force; removing one of his quickly depleting grenades, he left a present for Doomsday as he slid between his legs, turning quickly, not willing to leave his back exposed to the monster. Before Doomsday could turn, the grenade exploded, further agitating his already raw wound, causing a howl of pain from Doomsday. Already withdrawing another birdarang, Robin readied his arm, his eyes locked onto where his target, Doomsday's angry armpit, would be once the monster completed his turn.
That never happened, though.
With a sudden roar, Doomsday stomped the ground, causing an immediate upheaval of the dirt and dust at his feet, giving the monster a concealing cover; Robin, not expecting the tactical move, froze, peering intently into the smoke, waiting for Doomsday to emerge. Robin had made his first mistake, and lady luck, who had been such a fierce ally, abandoned the hero; seeing the movement too late, Robin was unable to dodge Doomsday's grasping hand, coming low, one of Robin's legs caught in Doomsday's steel grasp. The monster's fist clenched, crushing the leg, before Doomsday hurled the young hero head over heels, Robin twisting quickly to land, avoiding serious damage.
The boy wonder wasn't down for long, Robin rolling to a standing position, his arms to the ready; however, as he positioned his feet, he almost tumbled as he felt a sudden loss of balance. Glancing down to his damaged leg, he decided it was not broken, thankfully, but Doomsday's powerful grip had crushed the muscle and bone in his lower leg; the leg was still usable, but Robin's movement would be hampered by it. Shrugging, the only thing he could really do, Robin forced movement into the damaged limb, tumbling to the side, facing the monster; to his surprise, and concern, Doomsday had remained where he stood, not bothering to follow, or even face, the tossed hero. There was an odd, chilling sound coming from the still creature, causing Robin's skin to crawl, and his mouth to go dry.
Doomsday was laughing.
Chills ran down Robin's spine as he watched the creature chortle, its laughter soft at first, but growing in volume; something had changed. Gone was the madness from it's eyes, gone was his frothing mouth; there was a terrible intake of air before the monster spoke, its voice feeling like poison on the wind, "What great amusement you have been, human; even at this state you have lasted long after others would have perished." He paused, reaching a hand up to the red mark on his chest, his dark, soulless eyes glaring at his foe, "You have also wounded me, a feat few others could claim; it has been long since I've felt pain, human," his face angered, a sneer forming on its lips, "and this crime will not go unpunished. The Kryptonian was worthy as a foe, as brethren! Lesser creatures such as you have no place to harm me, a feat that was your greatest, and last!"
Robin, who would have usually replied in a sarcastic quip, had no time, Doomsday charging faster then Robin could blink; still, Robin moved just as fast, his arm twisting forward, his birdarang tearing through the air, digging deep into the open wound. Doomsday only grunted in response, closing the distance before Robin could slip away, throwing a right hook, Doomsday's massive fist moving fast; with surprising ease, Robin dodge the attack, twisting aside. When Doomsday's left hand clamped down onto Robin's forearm, the young man realized that the first attack was a bluff; Doomsday was no longer raging, fighting erratically and hastily. With a heave and sharp pull, Robin, his body flailing around in the air like a rag doll, heard a loud popping noise right before Doomsday released him, Robin airborne again.
Unable to correctly land, Robin's left arm completely lifeless and numb, the hero landed hard, rolling heavily on the charred ground; Doomsday had dislocated his arm, Robin quickly realized as he struggled to his feet, his arm hanging loosely. Thinking quick, Robin removed his last flash-bang, tossing the grenade into Doomsday's face; the monster, thinking he had the upper hand, did not expect the attack. He roared in fury as his eyesight was robbed, unable to locate the wounded human; Robin didn't hesitate, running a short distance away before he twisted, throwing himself onto the ground, forcing his arm back into socket. Even with the medication, Robin felt the pain from his reckless move; still, feeling rushed back into his fingers, and, although stiff, Robin could fight again.
It was just in time, too, as Doomsday, his eyesight returning, although still blurry, rushed forward, his hands trying to grasp the young hero; Robin dodged, his mind focused once more, digging into his belt for more grenades. To Robin's woe, no more small grenades remained within his compact containers; weaving between Doomsday's fists, Robin threw a few ineffective punches at the wound, doing nothing but bruising his own hands, before tumbling away. Cursing himself for not keeping better track of his inventory, he withdrew a handful of birdarangs instead, tossing them at the incoming monster; his aim was still true, and all hit their marks, some digging into Doomsday's wound, others acting as decoys, heading for the creature's face or torso.
Again, Doomsday replied with only a hiss, trying to keep the young human close, within range of his devastating blows; the seconds passed as Doomsday continued his relentless attacks, never letting Robin rest or retreat, the young hero unable to retaliate, too busy protecting himself. However, where Doomsday's stamina was infinite, Robin's began to wane; as the seconds turned to minutes, Robin was unable to fully dodge attacks, and more blows had to be deflected, the human tiring.
Robin knew it was bound to happen, and when it did, he wasn't surprised; breathing heavily, his body exhausted, a soft but steadily increasing sensation of pain surging through the hero, Robin was, finally, unable to deflect an attack. Twisting away from Doomsday's knee, he didn't notice the monsters fist in time; there was a sharp pain in Robin's side as one of Doomsday's long, jagged spikes tore into the hero's flesh. Grasping onto the flailing arm out of instinct, Robin used Doomsday's momentum to launch himself away from the monster; Robin spent little time in the air, unable to control his temporary escape, tumbling across the ground, leaving a red line of blood in his wake.
When Robin finally stopped, he could only turn over, the pain too great, the drug's effects wearing off at the most inopportune time; there was blood everywhere. Seeing Doomsday slowly approaching, a twisted grin on its face, Robin forced his hands to move, removing two small disks from one of his belt compartments; coughing up blood, swallowing his pain, and fear, and turning his gaze away from the approaching monster, Robin, applying subtle pressure to the disks, expanded them. Gritting his teeth as he watched one side of the disks glow red, Robin, quickly, pressed the one glowing disk on the entrance wound, one on the exit.
There was a hissing sound as Robin cauterized the wound, the young man unable to contain his scream of pain, the fire on his side tipping the scales as all of the earlier damage rushed to his nerves, Robin's body feeling like it was being torn apart; the emergency procedure done, Robin tossed the two disks aside, resting his head onto the ground, his eyes closing. For a moment, he felt like giving up, the pain too great, his body twitching as spasms overcame his muscles; the feeling lasted for only a moment, Robin forcing his body to move, turning over, and pushing himself up, facing Doomsday, determined to die on his feet.
The monster stopped only inches away from the swaying human, his body worn but eyes still defiant; Doomsday's arm snapped out, grasping the young hero around his throat, Robin's air supply limited, but not gone, lifting the human high, so the two were eye to eye. Robin's hands, tired as they were, immediately gripped onto Doomsday's arm, trying to alleviate his restrictive breath; Doomsday, breathing heavily, fatigued for the first time in many years, used his other hand to rip off Robin's mask, catching the human's pain-filled blue eyes into the blackness of his own, spitting out, "I applaud your efforts, insect; such fun I have not had for far too long. You have earned my mercy; your death will be quick. Any last words?"
Robin, dropping one hand, and reaching behind him, pulled out his last, and only, secret weapon; a phrase Doomsday had spoke buzzed in Robin's head as the fight concluded, a secret weakness that the monster gave away. Robin did carry it with him, he always carried it with him, if the worse had ever happened; in many respects, Robin, however much he wanted to deny it, was like his mentor, his guardian, Batman. Holding his hand in front of him, Robin exposed another grenade, slightly larger then the ones he'd used earlier; pressing the small button on the side of the explosive, he replied, his words raspy and weak, "Yea. Fuck you."
With a slight shrug, Robin tossed the small grenade right at Doomsday's armpit wound; at first, the hero wanted to throw it at Doomsday's face, but, last moment, chose the wound instead. It was the weakest link in the monster's armor, even if it wasn't in a vulnerable spot.
Doomsday, impressed with the human's defiance, casually looked at the blinking grenade that stuck to his wound, snorting, "More of this, human? You should know-" his words were cut off as he felt a sudden feeling of weakness surge from the small grenade. Turning his gaze to the explosive again, he studied it further, noticing that within its metal casing, there was a green glow. Alarmed, he could only shout, "What have you-!" before the grenade detonated.
The force of the blast tore Robin from Doomsday's grasp, hurling the wounded hero away from the monster; there was little smoke, however, the grenade not an ordinary concussion or fragmentation grenade. Using technology far advanced then readily available, the grenade used ionized particles, or plasma, as its fuel; extremely dangerous and deadly, there were few plasma weapons on earth, the origin of the technology otherworldly, influences left behind by alien visitors. The small weapon that Robin had used had another unique feature, something shared with only one other weapon on Earth, the grenade's sole relative safely secured within a secret compartment in an impenetrable fortress known as the Batcave; Kryptonite was the main ingredient of the plasma cocktail contained within the grenade. Robin would never agree with the weapon's initial purpose, to be used during a time that the unthinkable would happen, but he had made it a rule to always keep the weapon on him, lest it fall into other's hands.
Clued in by Doomsday's words, and playing on the hunch, it seemed that Doomsday did share some Kryptonian DNA, making the monster vulnerable to the rare space stone. Struggling to rise, Robin stared at Doomsday, the monster roaring with rage, hatred, and pain; the damage Doomsday had taken was devastating, the monster feeling great pain for the first time in centuries. Falling to a knee, Doomsday howled for many moments, his right hand clutching at where his left arm should have been, the appendage blown off by the explosion, the monster's wounded armpit weakened enough to be vulnerable to the attack; a few feet away from the monster, his left arm lay, twitching on the ground, its hand grasping at the air eerily. Black blood oozed from the shoulder gash, seeping between Doomsday's fingers, a bloody mass of bone, crystal, and muscle visibly pulsating underneath the monster's hand.
Robin, unable to rise, twisted on the ground, crawling away from the monster; he could no longer fight, no longer stand, and could barley breathe. Still, even if it took just a few more seconds for Doomsday to get to him, it was a few more seconds that the monster could not kill others. Long, agonizing moments passed, the hero inching away from Doomsday, when the monster's howls died; the hair on Robin's neck started to rise, warning him of danger, but Robin ignored it, continuing his crawl. A sudden shadow passed overhead, and before the wounded man Doomsday landed, the monster having jumped to reach his foe; looking instinctively, Robin noticed, with growing horror, Doomsday carrying his dismembered arm in his hand, his dark eyes driving fear into the human. Spitting out a glob of black blood, Doomsday spoke, his voice filled with rage, "Did you think that would stop me, fool?" without breaking eye contact, Doomsday jammed the detached arm onto his bloody stump, Robin watching with terror as the skin started to knit back together, "You have hurt me, mortal, harmed me terribly, and you are no longer worthy of my mercy!" The seconds dragged on forever as Doomsday's body repaired itself, only an angry mark shadowing where the wound used to be; flexing his arms, he bashed his two fists together, sending shards of crystal everywhere, some biting deep into Robin's skin. Cracking his knuckles, and holding his two, spike free fists before him, Doomsday snarled, "Your suffering will last for eternity, human, and you will beg me for death!"
Stepping forward, he gripped Robin's head, pulling the hero up, snarling in his face, "Your judgment begins!"