Cypher wants revenge against Batman and his former third Robin. What better way to get revenge than to use the Wayne Family to lure everyone to their doom.

Subliminal Death

By

AJ

Part 3: Subliminal Thoughts

Cypher sat back and smiled. He looked down at the bag of cash he had insisted that the butler give him instead of a check or credit card. He could have done either one, but he didn't have a bank account, which was really a shame. He didn't even have an ID which would have allowed him to cash a check. Even so, his hypno-glasses came in handy today. He didn't mind doling out a quarter of what he received after the work was done. As far as the old gent was concerned, he had finished re-wiring the old place, even though he had been there for only a day. Oh, he did rewire a few things, just for appearances, like the kitchen outlet that had been blown, since he was the one who sabotaged it in the first place to be able to get inside, and a few others just for appearance sake. The house proved to be much larger than he imagined it to be, which required him to work in stages. Placing devices and replacing certain little items required stealth. He had to be careful since the head of the house, Mr. Wayne had spotted him in one of the other rooms. He had to make up some exxcuse for him being there. Ohh yes, his hypno-glasses really did come in handy. Even so, it was going to be hard for Batman to spot where his special devices were. It wouldn't be obvious this time. Getting to Robin, however, was still going to be tricky. He learned his secret identity, but that wasn't the Robin he knew. He should have known the difference between the Robin who captured him, and the Robin who had been asleep in a bed with the flu. He was just too young.

'I could destroy the whole bat-family with what I know. I wonder if Bruce Wayne knows his son is working for the Batman. It doesn't matter, really. My target is the other Robin, the one before him. I can be patient. I'll just wait until I have an opportunity. He'll be my pawn in getting ahold of the other one, even if it takes another week. I still have a few more devices I need to place in the Wayne house. I'll do it after lunch. This was going to prove very interesting.'

Dick Grayson fed his daughter and settled her down for her morning nap. She was sleeping peacefully in the nursery. Bruce was in his office working on Wayne Foundation reports. Tim was asleep upstairs with his twins, recovering from a harsh flu. Samantha had gone to Leslie's clinic to help with the daily patients that would come in for treatments. Jason was at the Gotham Nursing School taking a test. Sasha and his niece and nephew were out for the day. And lastly, Alfred was working on laundry. Everyone was doing something, but him. That meant he had a few hours to himself, and he was going to take advantage of it.

Dick entered the media room and turned on the TV. He was flipping through some channels to find something interesting to watch when his eyes suddenly froze, staring into space. Whatever his eyes were seeing, it was flashing by, faster than the eye could see. He was drawn in and could not look away. Time passed without Dick being aware of it or aware anyone who entered the media room.

"Master Richard?" Alfred called out to Dick. "I have some lunch for you. Your daughter is awake."

Dick wasn't aware when Alfred placed a plate of food by his side.

Alfred saw the look on Master Richard's face. 'That must be some program on the telly.' He patted his first Grandson's shoulder. "I'll see to your daughter. Should I tell her you will be up to see her shortly?"

"Uh hu," Dick answered incoherently.

"I'll leave you to your program," Alfred replied and left the media room.

The plate of food went uneaten as Dick continued to stare into the screen, his eyes staring straight ahead, not blinking.

Haley was crying and did not want to be consoled. "I apologize little one," Alfred held the baby in his arms, cradling her close. "Your father does not seem to be responding. I do not know how to resolve the problem. I shall take you to your grandfather. Perhaps he may have a solution."

Three hours later, Dick rose from his chair and walked out of the media room. He passed through the manor without greeting anyone. He went into the garage, chose a car, and sped to Gotham, almost causing Samantha to run off the road as he passed her on the highway.

'Was that Dick?' Samantha said, surprised. 'What's gotten into him? He almost ran right into me. I had to swerve to avoid him.'

Samantha parked her car into the garage and rushed inside. "Alfred," Samantha called out. "Something's wrong with Dick."

Cypher waited and continued to send out his broadcast. He didn't know if it would bear fruit. This was just the first stage. His second stage would be seeing if he could broadcast his thoughts, hypnotizing with his own mind. He would need just the right equipment than a mere live television feed. He needed to tap right into a certain portion of the person's cerebral cortex, as unique as a fingerprint. And he knew who to contact for that special equipment. Once acquired, he would be able to enter people's minds.

'And no one will be able to stop me.'

Chapter 4: Children's Thoughts