Sorry if this chapter is crappy- it's incredibly hard to write this without making it choppy, and I hope it isn't too hard to follow. I hate those tense bomb defusing scenes, since I think they're cliché. We all know the hero is going to stop the bomb with one second remaining. So, unfortuneately, no tense bonb defusing scene here, just what I hope is a lot of awesome instead of a pile of crao- but I'm not sure what is is yet, if ai'm being too critical or am just really tired, so please, tell me the truth. Review!
Dick scoured the streets desperately from his post on the roof of an appartment complex, hoping against home to see her small form on the streets.
Bruce had reported her missing, praying the Gotham PD would help find her. He valued her life more than the public stir it would cause about his parenting abilities.
After he'd reported her missing, however, he was left to don his cowl and nod to Dick, outlining search territory with places Scarlet had been to. They'd split up to cover more ground, and here he was- standing here, hoping against hope some sicko didn't get ahold of her as she wandered, when he noticed the two figures on the building across the street.
They were sihouetted in moonlight, a large and a small one, a man and a child...
And the larger form moved forwards, pushing the smaller figured off the edge of the roof...
No amount of training could've prepared him for that moment. His heart stopped for a moment, and he was back on the trapeze platform, watching his mother reach for him in vain as she fell, fell, fell...
But he reacted with the speed of lightening, as well. His grapple gun was instantly in hand, the blast echoing as the hook launched, and he was swinging through the air hurriedly...
He'd never caught someone in mid-air before. Batman had done it once, to save someone from a suicide attempt, but he'd merely watched. He wasn't at all prepared for the force that hit him when he and the small figure collided, nor the window of a few seconds he had to grab awkwardly onto her.
But he suceeded, managing to swing onto another, lower rooftop and roll awkwardly, getting tons of scrapes in the process.
He was a mess, cape over his eyes, and he scrambled to his feet quickly, rushing to the small heap that was the person he'd just saved, lying a few feet away from him.
"Are you alright?" he asked anxiously, not really thinking as he pulled the cape away from her face, revealing large frightened blue eyes staring up at him through a mask. The fear to be expected, of course, she'd just been pushed off a building, but he didn't expect the face that was staring at his own to be Scarlet's...
He stared at the clothes he'd clung to to drag her to safety- the black spandex and yellow shirt, domino mask, and black satin cape their father had given her...
"Dickie?" her small voice asked, sounding just as shocked as he felt. He knew then he couldn't deny it- she could see it was him even through the mask, it was uselss to try and convince her otherwise...
"Yeah, it's me. What the heck happened?" he asked quietly, staring at her, still shocked he'd managed to find her...
"I met a clown. He said he'd take me to the circus, Dick- I believed him. He lied- he's going to blow up the whole city block!"
Dick stared for a moment, digesting the information.
This was an older section of Gotham, poorer, the gas lines that ran under the city could possibly be accessed here, and then all someone wouod need to do would be to simply light a match...
"He's gonna start with that building." Scarlet was already scrambling to her feet, pointing across the street at the large highrise appartment complex, and Dock's breath caught in hus throat when he thiught of how many people would be in their, asleep...
"Robin to Batman. I found Scarlet- we've got a situation."
Batman listened calmly as Dick explained the situation, somewhat hurriedly, to him. He was already planning. however, turning the wheel of the Bat Mobile and racing towards their part of the city...
"Get Scarlet somewhere safe and begin evacuating the block. Batman out."
Scarlet was looking at Dick carefully. "I could help." she said quietly.
Dick shook his head, looking remourseful. "I'm sorry, Scarlet, but it's too dangerous. You're the only family I have left- I can't lose you too." his eyes had grown glassy with emotion, and suddenly, to their right, the first explosion went off.
And Dick realized he no longer had a choice in the matter. They were in this together.
Batman was tearing through the streets towards their location, praying he'd get there in time...
It was then he saw the shadowy, ghostly figure dart in front of the batmobile. He slammed on the breaks, knowing in an instant who it was. The Joker. He needed to get to Robin, but the Joker might have a detonator on him for the bombs, and so he raced after the crazed clown, following the eerie trail of laughter...
He stopped before the open manhole, feeling his heart jump to his throat. This was an older section of the city, the gas lines ran underground, and might've been acessable through the sewers...
The laughter echoed eerily, and he dropped down into the sewers, racing after it, turning junction from junction, racing along until he saw the trail of ribbons and streamers and heard the derranged singing.
"Baby birds can't fly... so they have to die... Robin's chest stained red with blood..."
The words made rage boil within him. He raced around the final corner coming face to face with the madman, who had a pistol ready, but what the Joker hadn't accounted for was the unbridled rage that was now unleashed onto him.
In a second, the gun was flying through the air and laded in the water somewhere with a splash, and the Joker was on the ground, bleeding from the nose and unconcious.
Batman quietly stepped over his unconcious form, annoyed, and fiund the explosive device attatched to the gas lines. Wordlessly, he oulled out a batarang and slighed the wires, and the device died. His children had to be safe, alive, unharmed...
Or the Joker would be wishing he was never born.
"We need to evacuate these buildings!" Robin yelled over the roar of the flames. Scarlet nodded, sprinting towards a nearby building as soon as her feet hit the ground and pulling the fire alarm, shepherding people away from the burning buildings...
"Did he say where to find the explosives?" Robin yelled over the chaos.
Scarlet shook her head. "All he said was that building was first..."
The sicko had probably wanted to watch the place burn.
People were racing outside of the burning complex, and Robin- no, Dick- she could see her brother's features clearly, though they were slightly hidden under the mask. He nodded to her.
"Whatever you do- stay here." He ordered, racing through the doors towards the carnage.
Scarlet waited one second, then two, before, in true six-year old fashion, she totally disregarded what he'd said a few seconds ago, racing in after him.
It was as close to hell as she'd ever been. Unbearable heat, smoke making the air so heavy it settled in her lungs like led, making it feel as thiugh she were drowning...
She saw a flash of a yellow cape, though, and followed Dick. The stairwells, thankfully, were rather clear of smoke, and Dick yelled directions to people who were racing down the stairs as to where to go and which exits were safe, while she stood a few flights below pointing in said directions.
The flames has started at the top of the building, but she saw Dick disregard this completely and race up to the fifth and final floor, and, in a surprising display if power, kick a door. The sheer force of his blow broke the lock, and his eyes scanned the apartment nervously from behind his domino mask before he deemed it empty and raced to check the next room...
She got the idea and began joining him, throwing all her weight at the doors and using her elbow as a weapon in some places, mostly managing to break the cheap locks.
Dick was so devoted to making sure the building was evacuated, he almost didnmt notice her. When he'd deemed the floor empty he turned in time so see her roll out of the was as part of the ceiling collapsed.
Dick seized her by the hand, suddenly anxious. This floor, as well as the rest of the building, no doubt, was clear, and it was time to get out of here.
Batman found himself staring- the building was in a hopeless blaze, beyond saving. Most of the civilians were accounted for, but Robin wasn't. He knew his son, knew that he wouldn't have left until he was sure all the people were safe- meaning her was probably still in there, and there was no telling where Scarlet was...
There was the thud as the door to the rooftop slammed open, and through the flames were too sihouletted figures. He would've gaped, but he was Batman, and he hid his emotions well from where he stood.
The Gotham PD had set up a petimeter around the building, but he'd disregarded it, instead opting to watch the blaze and pray his son came out alive in front of the cones and barriers. As per Commissioner Gordonms orders he wasnmt disturbed.
"Holy Shit." Detective Bullock muttered, shocked at the sight of what appeared to be two children atop the roof- it'd cave in at any moment, he knew, if those two didn't get off it NOW they'd most likely fall with it...
"We have to jump!" Dick yelled over the roaring of the flames. "Whatever you do- don't let go."
And with that, he grabbed her with one arm and jumped, firing off his grappling gun as he went...
It found purchase on a streetlamp below, and he quickly pulled the trigger to prevent anymore line from escaping as they fell the remaining twenty feet, the force of the sudden running out of line nearly jolting his arm out of its socket but saving them from death by taking the momentum.
He felt Scarlet let go of him and hit the ground, rolling to absorb the shock, and he did the same. For a moment they both just laid on the concrete, panting and gasping...
"Bruce!" Scarlet said his name eagerly, and, thankfully, no one but them heard it over the crackling of the flames. She rushed to him, latching onto him, eager fir thr cimfort his orescence provided. Bruce quietly embraced her, allowing his caoe to fall over his shoulder and hide her from view if the press that'd arrived as he helped Dick up.
"You did well. Both of you."