Hello everyone! It's been so long since I've published on this story that you, my dearest readers, probably thought it was going to be forever incomplete! Well, this isn't the last chapter, but it is a new one! I want to give a shout out to fantasyandlogic who helped me out of my writer's block and sat with me for an hour while I tried to think of the word orderlies. You are the best friend I could ever have and I am so thankful you put up with me! So, I hope you all enjoy this chapter and please review! All criticism and encouragement is appreciated. Lastly, I do not own DC or their characters. If you don't believe it look at the name of the website and it should reassure you. Enjoy!
Robin stared at the monitor in frustration. If only Barbara were here. She would understand the intricacies of this data. He leaned forward in Bruce's chair, elbows balancing on the Batcomputer's desktop as he absentmindedly studied the screen. "Master Richard, is there anyway I may be of service?" The boy wonder shrugged as he fiddled with the keyboard, shuffling the data before his eyes. "Drag Bruce back here? He has been gone for over a week now and people are starting to notice. Mr. Terrific and Manhunter have messaged him about eight dozen times, Lucius has stopped sending him board meeting notes, the commissioner has called three times and even Superman has noticed he's been off grid longer than normal. Let's just hope none of the usual gang finds out or we are going to have some trouble on our hands."
No sooner had Robin spoke than the red phone that sat to the right of the monitor began to ring obnoxiously. "Speaking of the commissioner, Master Richard, you should probably answer."
Robin frowned even as he reached toward the telephone. "And tell him what? That Batman decided to use some of his vacation time? I'm sure someone escaped Arkham again and Bruce will kill me if I go after them alone."
The red phone was something from an era gone by that Bruce just refused to part with for some weird sentimental reason. While the rest of the world used cell phones, Bluetooth, and even sometimes telepathy, Bruce insisted on keeping this ancient landline. The bright red phone was connected to the base by a curly cord that seemed to become twisted with everything. On the other hand it fit in well with Bruce's giant penny.
As Robin ignored it the butler shuffled in discomfort. You could almost see him dying inside as the phone finally went quiet. "Bruce said he'd be gone two weeks. I can't believe Gotham has survived this long without him. What if after another week Gotham is in shambles?"
Suddenly another voice sounded from Robin's left. "Wait! The Bats is gone? You had the cave all to yourself and you didn't invite me over to party? We have so much to do!" Bart. Bart Allen or Kid Flash, was possibly the last person who needed to know that Batman was out of town. "Not now, KF." The speedster zipped over to the tray of snacks that Alfred had left next to the Batcomputer earlier and began to help himself. "C'mon, Dick! We'll never have this kind of opportunity again! You and Alfred worry about decorations and the goodies and I will round up some guests."
"Bart, I said no!" The boy ignored him. "It won't be too many people just the usual crowd. I'm thinking Aqualad, Roy Harper, Zatanna...is Babs out the hospital yet? I'll put my feelers out for some other League sidekicks that might want to hang. Imagine the thought of having a party in the Batcave! They won't be able to resist. Who knows who might show up! This is going to be amazing! Alright, are we going to do this formal, casual, semi-formal, secret identities, costume? Ooh! How about a masquerade? We would at least be in different masks than normal. I might even be able to talk Roy into helping me smuggle in some alcohol-"
"Bart! I said no party! I am serious! I am too busy trying to cover up the fact that Bruce is gone without having you go and tell everyone within this quadrant of the galaxy. Now why don't you just go-" Once again the Batphone began to ring.
Before Robin could even stop him, Kid Flash had the phone to his ear. "Hello! Buddy the Elf, what's your favorite color?" With a hand over the mouthpiece he turned to his friend who was gradually starting to turn red in anger. "I've always wanted to say that." Robin elbowed the snickering hero and yanked the phone from him. "Hello. Sorry about that, Commissioner, it won't happen again." He fell silent and tried to listen as KF stuck his tongue out at him childishly. "While that does seem strange I don't understand why you need us, Commissioner?" A few more moments ticked by and eventually Kid Flash grew tired of making fun of him and began to study the screen of the Batcomputer intently. "Fine, I'll be right there."
Robin slammed the phone down. "Thanks, KF, now I have to think of some excuse that leaves Bruce with some time away without throwing any red flags up. Alfred, I'm heading to Arkham." Alfred cleared his throat. "If you are going to the Asylum, sir, at least bring Master Allen with you." Dick turned a ghastly shade of white. "No way. He will probably end up setting everyone loose."
"Hey! I'm standing right here. You guys act as though we don't have our own villains in Central City that we deal with on a daily basis." Robin laughed wryly. "KF, your villains pretty much walk themselves to jail. The Narrows will chew you up and spit you out." The boy in yellow ripped off his mask and glared at the younger boy. "Oh, I can handle myself! Just you watch! Let's go!"
They reached the looming institution far too quickly for Dick's taste. With a deep breath, he lowered his kick stand and hopped off his bike just in time for Bart to slide to a stop. "Woah! This place is huge! I did a perimeter sweep and it took me, like, a whole two minutes!" Dick rolled his eyes. "Alright, listen up! If you are going in, you do this my way. I can't afford to have you screw this up. Batman is going to be pissed enough that I am going in on my own, let alone that I'm bringing you with me. Here are the ground rules.
"One, you don't tell a soul that Batman is out of contact. I don't care if it's an inmate, a guard, or the commissioner himself. No one! Two, follow my lead. Don't say a word unless I indicate otherwise. And lastly, don't embarrass me." Bart snorted. "Batman needs to let you out of that cave more. You're starting to sound like him."
The rest of the walk to the facility was completed in a somber silence. Commissioner Gordon met them at the gates, looking more haggard than Dick had ever seen him. His eyes were bloodshot and the boy wonder could smell cigarettes and alcohol on his person. "Where's the Bat?" Robin frowned. "He's on an off world mission. He'll be back within the next few days. You mentioned on the phone that there was a disturbance among the inmates?"
The tiny band fell into step as the commissioner led them through security, waving away the security guards that stepped toward the two sidekicks. "Disturbance...for lack of a better word. The world has gone to hell in a hand basket. I better just show you what I mean. It started with Scarecrow." Flipping a switch, Gordon triggered a one way mirror, showing the inside of a treatment room where the man previously known as Dr. Jonathan Crane sat rocking on the floor. His hands were burrowed in his brown locks and he had picked up a chant. "Night will fall! Death will call! She will conquer all!"
Robin barely contained his shiver at the man's raspy words. "Heavy." Bart whispered softly. "How long has this been going on, Commissioner?" Gordon prodded his forehead. "I don't know...about a week I guess. I've been a little preoccupied. That's not all. Watch what happens when the lights turn off." Gordon flipped another switch and the room went dark. Crane let out a piercing howl. "No! No! No, no, no, no, no! She is coming for me! Don't leave me in the dark!" His howling turned into childish whimpers and tears.
Robin frowned. "Scarecrow's toxin doesn't usually affect him. If any thing it gives him a euphoric, heady feeling. This...this is something else." Gordon nodded. "He's not the only one. They've all been acting strangely. We caught Mr Freeze trying to commit suicide by cutting off flow to his own cooling mechanisms. He's an odd duck, but not usually suicidal. It took three orderlies to restrain him and he's been on watch ever since."
The next cell he led them to belonged to Poison Ivy. She sat on the floor in a heap, pounding on the clear edge of her cell with a bloodied green hand. When she saw Robin she got to her knees. "Robin! You must help my babies! She is going to kill them all! She is going to starve my babies!" Dick and the commissioner exchanged a wary look. They both knew that Ivy would stop at nothing to protect her beloved flora, but the woman in front of them was not the bundle of rage she usually became in her plants were in danger, rather she showed despair. "Who is trying to kill them?" Robin asked, stooping down to look the red haired woman in the eyes.
What he saw frightened him. Her eyes darkened until they were completely back. "Night will fall! Death will call! She will conquer all!" Ivy's chanting continued, soon to be joined by the rest of the inmates on her floor. Bart squeaked. "Robin, I think it may be time to go." The commissioner sighed. "Just a minute. Joker is the last one I think you need to see."
The entire walk to the sub, sub, sub, sub level that housed the Joker was filled with the sound of inmates picking up the eerie chant that Scarecrow had began. They were in one accord with a roteness that could not be instilled. When the finally reached Joker's cell the Commissioner opened the door and gestured for the sidekicks to precede him into the room. "Don't worry. He's not going to try anything." Robin ignored the uneasy feeling in his gut and entered the cell.
His eyes settled on the man that shot his girlfriend, and it took every fiber of his being not to fling himself across the room and wrap his hands around the man's throat. It was only the commissioner's already seething presence that kept his sanity in tact. In order to maintain his identity he had to pretend that Barbara's shooting meant no more to him than any other of Joker's victims. The clown prince of crime was lying on his bunk, staring unseeingly at the ceiling. He didn't move a muscle, not even a twitch.
"He's been like this since the morning after Batman brought him in. He hasn't tried to lunge at an orderly, kill a security guard, plant dynamite in mashed potatoes, bribe a doctor, or even let loose a creepy grin. If I didn't know better I would have assumed they lobotomized him. I mean, I've seen Joker go all in for a role, but never this long or this thoroughly. I mean, have you ever heard the man shut up? If it were just him I wouldn't question it at all, but the whole asylum? Every single patient has at least once in the past week picked up that creepy chant. And according to the live feed from the security channels, it starts up all at once. I don't know if this is mind control, voodoo, or something else entirely...but it can't be good."
Gordon led them out of Jokers cell, through the winding hospital, and back to the entrance. Finally, Robin turned to the policeman, a grim expression in place. "I'll do my best to contact Batman, but I can't make any promises." Gordon looked away and swore softly. "First Barbara now this. What's this world coming to? What happens if we can't get a hold of him?" Bart, who had been remarkably well behaved piped in. "Well that's simple. We call in the League." Robin frowned. "The measures are drastic, but they might be the only solution we have." He began to straddle his bike when Gordon's voice rang out again. "What about Batgirl?" Robin froze and his eyes met Bart's in a panic. His jaw moved a few times as if he were a fish out of water. The only sound that emerged was a strangled squeak. Finally, his friend took pity on him. "She's temporarily out of commission. We're on our own."
The teenagers left the asylum with the sound of the haunting chorus being whispered on the wind behind them. "Night will fall! Death will call! She will conquer all! Night will fall! Death will call! She will conquer all! Night will fall...
