Happy New Year! I bet you all can guess my resolution. *wince* Yeah, working on it, as well as a lot of other projects, plus school and work. I will do better this year, though, I pray. Well, enjoy, and as always a review is welcome!
Disclaimer: Same old song and dance routine.
"NO! Batman!" Robin couldn't believe his eyes. His mentor, his father had just sworn loyalty to one of the worst men in the world, all to save his own skin. He had been told how many times to be aware of this man, to keep tabs on his doings, and encounters to "persuade" Batman to take over his place to dominate and rule over the earth. If he hadn't failed in being alert and had fought back harder this wouldn't have happened.
"Rise, my Dark Knight," he heard Ra's al Ghul speak. "Now that I have your loyalty sworn to me, my dominion over this world will be unstoppable!"
"Ra's al Ghul –" Batman began.
"You shall call me the Demon's Head!" the aged man declared.
"Demon's Head," the vigilante continued, "my apprentice is still being held captive by you. Now that you have what you wanted from me, I ask that you let him go. You promised his release upon my sworn oath to you."
"Granted." Ra's al Ghul waved a hand to Talia, who grabbed Robin by the ropes binding his arms and none too gently swung him over her shoulder. "He shall be taken back to your city of Gotham. Meanwhile, you and I need to discuss our strategies."
"Batman, don't listen to him!" Robin screamed, kicking out with his legs. "Batman, don't let this happen!" He heard a grunt as he knocked his head against Talia's. Bitch.
"Robin, go." He saw his mentor's jaw tighten. "We will discuss this later."
"Yes, xarica Dester'edre." He aimed his imitation of the Bat-glare over at the Demon's Head. Fitting name. "Now run along and be a good little bird. You are no longer needed here." Despite himself, Robin stilled his actions, wincing as Talia tightened her hold on him.
"Batman, don't do whatever he wants," Robin called. "Batman, we'll… you don't have to do this." He met his mentor's gaze, trying to communicate what he really wanted to say without the two worst people in the world interfering. I'm sorry. It's my fault. Fight it! You got to find some way out of this. You're BATMAN, for God's sakes!
"Robin," his mentor's voice rumbled across the speakers. "Go. Stay safe."
He could only nod, his gaze fixed upon his masked father's. He maintained the gaze even as he was carried out of the room.
Once the doors closed, he resumed his struggling.
"What… are you… doing?" Talia yelled, trying to regain her control… and her balance. "My Beloved has saved your life back there, and this is how you repay his sacrifice?"
"Batman knows that I will do whatever I can to keep my honor and his," Robin responded shortly. "Our code comes first no matter what." He managed to topple both of them onto the stone floor. Wincing, he struggled to stand up, facing her still on the floor. "It's what he wants."
"What he wants, brat, is for you to go back to Gotham like a good little bird," she spat. "And that's what's going to happen," she gestured for the guards, and within seconds they were ringed by twenty or so elites, "regardless of your cooperation." He felt a prick in his arm, then his head grew heavy and the room spun into darkness. The last thing he heard was an insidious whisper:
"Stay in Gotham, Robin, or you will find a fate more painful than death."
The Young Justice team was escorted out to their Bioship. Well… carried there was a better term. After Kaldur had acquiesced to Batman's order, the entire next room they walked into had been flooded with an odorless nerve gas, immediately putting them to sleep. Once they woke up they found themselves outside the entrance. A ninja was gazing at them through a small window. He must have seen them wakening, because shortly after KF's eyes opened (being a speedster, the gas passed through his system faster than his teammates') the window shut and a thick chunk of a lock rattled the entire pad.
"NO!" Revving up his super speed, Kid Flash ran towards the door and tried to open it the way it had for them earlier. It didn't budge. Deciding that a bloody nose was worth risking, he attempted to vibrate through the door.
The next to wake was Aqualad, who woke to the sound of something being electrified, thrown back, and KF's, "Ugghh…" He struggled to full consciousness, recognizing that the younger member was most likely injured (again) doing something comparatively stupid (again). His eyes cracked open to see his friend's body lying on the concrete, slightly smoking and very still.
"KF!" He shifted onto his side and pushed himself off the ground, wincing at the headache tearing up the inside of his skull. He stepped towards his friend, taking another step, and another step. "Kid Flash, are you okay?"
"Uhhhhh… I know now what not to try." He gingerly picked himself off the ground, dusting off his uniform. "I saw the door close right after I woke up and tried to vibrate through it." He coughed. "Yeah… cough cough… Not doing that again." He wiped his mouth. "Are you the only other one awake?"
"No." Well that settled that question. "How long have we been out?" Artemis asked as Connor walked over to their speedster and swung one of his arms over his broad shoulder.
"Long enough." Kaldur took Kid Flash's other arm over his shoulder. "KF said he saw the door close as he was awake and attempted to vibrate through, with little success."
"Connor, could you bust it down?" M'gann asked her boyfriend.
"I could, but it would take time," the clone answered grudgingly. "And I hear the sound of at least twenty ninjas breathing behind there. We would not be able to get in as easily as last time."
"We didn't get in," Artemis realized. "We were led in."
"That is what most likely transpired," Kaldur admitted. He started walking towards the Bioship. "We should get back to the Mountain now."
"But why?" KF struggled to get free. "Batman and Robin are still in there!"
"Batman and Robin also know better than we what has transpired in there," Kaldur argued. "This villain who captured one to lure the other – and by extension, us – here, is unknown to us. Better to retreat and learn what we can while we wait for those who can better inform us."
"Agreed." Connor looked back to glare at the door. "Once we get our information, then we go back and kick their butts."
"Let's go, already." Artemis floated with M'gann ahead of them up into the interior of their transport. "I'd rather not hang around for a second chance at that gas." Kid Flash groaned as his leg muscles spasmed leading him to stumble, causing his teammates to pause as they tightened their hold on his arms. He aimed a smile, not cocky like his usual ones, up at Artemis.
"I totally second that idea!" Once inside, the Bioship lifted off and flew back towards their headquarters. They had been woefully unprepared for this, and they had only themselves to blame. Despite not being expected, they should have spent a little more time making plans and gathering data than just concentrating on how to track Batman. Next time they met this mysterious man, they wouldn't be so easy to defeat.
Batman followed Ra's al Ghul into his command center, mindful of the guards flanking him. He hoped Robin was back in Gotham by now, safe and sound. Young Justice would be back in the Mountain, probably making plans to help Robin get through this. He may have been forced into this, but that didn't mean he couldn't figure out a way to subvert the man's plans.
"Now, Detective," Ra's al Ghul began, activating the center hologram and the floating holographic screens above. "Our operations in the Middle East have been successful, and Europe is gradually submitting to my control, but where we could really use your talents is in the United States." He zoomed in to focus on the upper East coast. "Especially this area." Batman gritted his teeth when he saw Gotham among the top three highlighted cities.
"However, that is currently none of your concern." Ra's al Ghul switched the focus to Tibet. "To ensure your loyalty I will have Talia and you co-lead one of our teams to strike this area, concentrating your forces on these three houses, here, here, and here." The shape formed was an isosceles triangle, Batman noted idly. "Now, this is meant to be a warning strike, so no unnecessary killing."
"That's a first." Batman's face remained impassive. "Let me guess, for my next mission I actually have to save someone for you." The Demon's Head glared at him. "Now, Detective, do keep in mind that in order to remain on my good side you should complete the mission with almost record efficiency. I would hate for you to have to be persuaded to be obedient." He got a Bat-glare in response, and otherwise complete silence. He smirked.
"Your mission materials are located in the 2nd level of the below-ground compound. The men have been notified. You have two hours to collect your team and get going."
"Yes, al Ghul."
"Demon's Head." Ra's al Ghul shrugged disarmingly. "Just because you are going to be difficult in adjusting to your new career with us doesn't mean I will be. Now, before you go, here's the new costume designed just for you." He brought it up on the hologram, spinning in a slow clockwise direction. "See Talia for getting it to you. I can't have you running around looking like that. As you well know, you're mine now." Batman internally sighed as he took in his new outfit. Different in size, color, and definitely in accessories, but he could make this work. Not that this was horrible, but he would definitely be working on the loopholes to his promise to the Demon's Head a lot sooner.
"How could I have forgotten," he stated dryly.
"Master Dick?" Eyes cracked open to reveal a familiar if slightly blurred face. "Master Dick? Oh dear, are you still out of it?"
"A… A… Alfred?" Robin's eyes fully opened, but his blurry vision remained. "Why is my vision still blurry? And – wait, where am I?"
"You are back at the cave, Master Dick. Rest assured the Batwing is parked. As for your vision," he took out a syringe and injected it into the boy's arm. "That should take care of the blurriness. I must say I was concerned. You weren't responding to the antidote for your symptoms. Was it regular knockout gas or morphine?"
"Morphine laced with traces of marijuana," Robin responded, wincing as he stretched his neck side to side, then arms, then legs.
"Ah. That makes sense." Alfred prepared a syringe and stuck it in Robin's other arm. "I am taking a blood sample so I may study this later, once the compound I gave you earlier is isolated. There could be other substances added in that we should know about."
"Of course." Robin sat in silence, minus the pendulum-like swinging of his legs. "Alfred, did Young Justice get back to the Mountain?"
"A couple hours before you returned, young sir."
"Good." He grabbed his cape off the table and performed a double flip off the cold cave floor. "I got to go see them once I've done my tour around Gotham City."
"But, Master Dick," Alfred protested. "You need to rest. Who knows what else was in the potion you were stuck with?"
"I need to meet with them," Dick insisted. "Batman is in trouble, deep trouble, and we need to be prepared to get him back."
"Will you be going to the Mountain?"
"Yes." Alfred sighed, looking towards the beeping Bat computer. The files for Master Dick on there could wait, if this was as urgent as he thought it was.
"You can use the Zeta-beam within the cave. I'll let you in so you won't have spend time cracking the passcodes." Dick beamed at the butler.
"Thanks, Alfred." Without looking back, he added, "I'll be back soon." Alfred noticed that he neither stated a time period to expect him within nor added an encouraging smile to accompany the statement. Plus, he stated it in a Batman-esque tone of voice. Alfred may not be Batman, but he knew when trouble had struck his charges, and this was deep trouble indeed.
He prayed that it would be over by the week's end. Both of them had important societal engagements to attend, and if this was the kind of trouble he was anticipating then neither of them would be able to make it, casting a suspicious light on both of them. It would make their "other lives" harder to live. But, as he was their butler, he could drag both their asses (pardon his French) home and force them to participate if necessary. He wasn't known as "Agent A" for nothing.
Satisfied, Alfred continued his clean sweep of the Batcave.
Talia's eyes swept across the screen of her handheld tracking device. The dot that was the child had disappeared from one area to appear hundreds of miles in another city. Well, well. Not like this was unexpected.
"You ready to show me my new costume?" She saw the man that was the Bat tower over her, she shielding the screen at the same time.
"Ready when you are, Beloved." He took one long look at her before nodding and turning on his heel to go back out of the room, waiting for her direction. Smirking, she clipped the device to her belt before following.
You just can't take directions, can you, you little brat? Not that I'm complaining. You'll wish you had listened to my order.