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 16: A Heart to Heart
Batman brought the bat-mobile to a screeching halt and jumped out. "Nightwing get the med kit!"
Nightwing grabbed the med kit from a compartment in the bat-mobile and jumped out. Robin was lying on the ground, bleeding badly.
"Give me a compression bandage!"
Nightwing pulled out the bandage and handed it over to Batman. Nightwing could sense that Robin's aura was swirling slowly.
Batman pressed the bandage to Robin's side. He picked up Robin and raced to the bat-mobile. "Hold him. Keep pressure on that bandage and hold on."
Nightwing held his youngest brother and applied pressure to the bandage to keep Robin from bleeding out. Questions flew through Nightwing's anguished mind. How long had he been in that alley? Why hadn't he alerted us?
Batman floored the vehicle to the cave. "Red Hood come in."
"Here, what's up?" Red Hood's voice didn't betray that he could tell that Batman was emotionally compromised.
"Robin's been stabbed. We need Samantha or Alfred. We'll be in the cave in five minutes."
'He must be really booking it," Red Hood thought. "On it." Red Hood wasn't used to using the mind link that Samantha had established. He barely had time to voice in his mind that she was needed when he heard her reply.
^I know,^ Samntha stated. ^I felt it happen. I'm coming now.^ Samantha had to reverse the elevator to once again head to the cave.
The bat-mobile roared into the cave within the minutes it took Samantha to take the elevator down to the cave. Batman barely came to a stop, opened the roof, letting Nightwing climb out quickly. Nightwing jumped out with Robin in his arms, running over to a gurney in the medical bay, meeting Samantha along the way. Everything seemed to happen in slow motion and all at once at the same time. Nightwing laid Robin down and she immediately got to work. Nightwing continued to put pressure on the wound to slow the bleeding as Samantha used her healing ability to close the wound. She smelled the tanginess of the blood fighting down her craving.
She sensed that Robin's lung was punctured. She reached deeply to heal that as well.
"What happened?" Red Hood asked.
"Someone got lucky," Batman growled. "He wouldn't normally allow someone to get that close. Just the same, he's grounded."
Samantha finished healing her adopted son and pushed a bit of energy into him. "Should we get an IV hooked to him. He lost a good amount of blood."
"Red Hood can take care of that," Batman stated as he headed back to the bat-mobile and back out of the cave to return to Gotham.
"Where is he going at a time like this?" Samantha asked.
"To find the people responsible," Nightwing replied.
Red Hood grabbed a blood bag and an IV kit. "He's angry. I hope he doesn't hurt too many people, but someone will get hurt."
Batman headed back to the narrows and to the alley where he found Robin. He searched for clues and found a handprint and shoe print where the mugger had stood. He took a shot of it with the camera in his cowl then ran the prints through police database. He was a small-time hood who went by the name of Tony Fagon. He lived in a tenement not far from the crime scene. Known handouts were a bar just around the corner. Batman walked there and went inside. Fagon was having a drink at the bar. He grabbed Fagon by the collar and threw him through the plate glass window. Fagon got up and tried to run. Batman shot his grapple and wrapped it round the mugger's legs then strung him up hanging upside down from a lamp post and left him there with a note. Batman headed back to the bat cave after leaving a couple thousand dollars for the bar owner to replace his window. Once he returned, Batman headed over to Nightwing and Red Hood. He noticed Jason had removed his uniform.
"How is he?"
Nightwing could see that Batman didn't look happy. "He's doing okay. Between Jason and Sammie, they were able to get Robin stable.
"Good. You and I need to check those electronic stores. It's almost three am. We'll check them later tonight once we've had some sleep." Batman went to the medical bay to check on his son. He was pale and very still. "I got the guy who stabbed him. He'll be going to Black Gate for a long time."
"That's good," Jason said. "Did you punch him for Dick and I?"
"I threw him through a plate glass window," Batman said. "He's going to need stitches."
"Good one" Jason yawned. "I need to get to bed, class in the morning."
"We can move him up to Tim's old room. He'll at least be comfortable. I want to check on Tim."
Jason nodded his head.
Dick Grayson came out from the changing area his hair wet from a shower.
"Could you help with Damian and setting him up in Tim's old bedroom in the west wing. The IV bag can hang on the four poster bed. I'm going to get a shower, then check on Tim."
Bruce went into the changing room and tossed his uniform in the wash and placed his cowl on its stand. He entered the showers, turned on the water in one of the stalls, and when it was sufficiently hot enough, he let the water run down his back to relieve his sore muscles. After showering and dressing, he went up to Tim and Samantha's room. He knocked then entered when he heard Samantha call out. She was just climbing into bed. "Sorry to disturb you. I wanted to check on Tim."
"It's fine, Bruce," Samantha replied. She could tell that Bruce was a bit tense from what happened earlier. "Muscles still giving you problems?"
"Just a little soreness,' Bruce replied. "It is a good soreness. Let's me know I'm alive. Tim will sleep deeply tonight. He did good work. He helped Dick."
"That's good." Samantha rubbed Tim's head gently.
"I'm going to sit with Damian until he wakes. Let me know if Tim has any bad dreams."
"Will do, Bruce. Don't be too hard on Damian."
"I'll try not to." Bruce became thoughtful. "He could have died. We've all been cooped up too long. He'll be confined to the cave until Alfred clears him."
"Alright, kiss him goodnight for me?" Samantha asked. "I already did once, but I like to give him a second one for good dreams." Samantha got settled into bed.
"I will." Bruce gave Tim a kiss on the forehead. "Goodnight Samantha." He gave her a kiss as well, then shut the door. Bruce went to the west wing, entered Tim's old room, settled in a chair, steepled his fingers together, then entered a light meditative state to banish his fatigue. He waited for Damian to wake.
Two hours later, Damian started to come out of sleep. His eyes opened slowly. He blinked them several times tiredly. It was then that Damian realized he wasn't on the ground outside. He could feel the mattress under his back and the warm blankets that covered his body. He looked over to see his father sitting in a chair. He gazed over at the clock. He saw that it was 5:45 in the morning. He felt so tired. He remembered what he did. A small wave of happiness flowed through him, even though Damian knew would be in trouble once his father awakened, which wasn't that long after he woke.
Bruce came awake immediately refreshed from his meditation and sensing his son was awake. He moved to the bed and sat beside him. The blood bag was empty. "How are you feeling?"
"Tired, but i feel okay," Damian responded.
"That's because Samantha healed you, but you lost some blood. I'll get Alfred to give you another one. You know you're in trouble for disobeying an order to return to the cave with Tim."
Damian closed his eyes and smiled a bit. "Yes." Damian wasn't happy about being grounded, but he did get out of the manor for a bit. "I know, but I had so much fun out there, except for the stabbing part."
"I would have sent you right back out with Nightwing to gather critical information, but because you didn't listen to your brothers, you will be confined to the cave until Alfred clears you. He'll be starting you on iron to rebuild your blood supply."
Damian sighed heavily. "Okay . . . fine."
"Damian, you've been Robin for two years, but that does not mean you're ready to be out there on your own. Even Dick did not go out on his own until he was at least 12 and he was Robin longer than you have been by six months. You were cocky and you let the mugger get you before making sure he was secure first. You are not invincible. I could have lost you. You need to learn to listen and analysis the situation before taking chances."
"I know, Father. I just wanted out by myself for a bit."
"I'm sure there are missions I can send you on when you are better that you could do on your own," Bruce conceded. He could see that Damian was biting at the bit. "But they will be ones you will have to follow by the letter. If I tell you not to engage you do not engage. Are we clear on this matter?"
"Yes Father."
"Good." Bruce bent down and gave his son a kiss on the forehead. "Get some more rest. I'll send Alfred in with your breakfast, and he can remove the IV from your arm after you have a second pint of blood. I'm going to get some rest myself. I'll be working from home today."
"Okay." Damian reached for the remote and turned on the television.
Bruce went back to the east wing, left a note for Alfred about Damian in the kitchen, went back upstairs, removed his clothes and climbed into bed. It had been a long night and the Cypher was still out there. Though his mental attacks were stopped, that did not mean he would not try, again. He would use some other method. He would have to be dealt with soon. Bruce fell asleep quicky, thinking on the problem. It wouldn't be long until Cypher would strike again, and in a way none would expect that could tear their family apart.
Continues with Part 17: Head Games
