Robin Leaves the Team?

To Niechelle: I Love You So Much

Author's Note: Hello, dear readers, and welcome back to "Episode 3" of my Batman '66 continuation! I know that I said I'd be here on Thursday, but I just couldn't wait! It may interest you all to know that the following "episode" is a rewrite of a Batman '66 story that I wrote in high school for a "Children's Book Project," which was in turn a rewrite of a Batman '66 "comic" (stick figures and all) that I made for fun. Now, I'm rewriting these two "episodes" for the final time, and I actually consider these two my best-written stories to date! I hope that you'll enjoy them, everyone!

In the apartment of Bonnie Linseed-whose uncle was Mayor Linseed, none other than the mayor of Gotham City-Dick Grayson and Bonnie were sitting side by side on her bed and laughing, their milky skin shining in the light. Dick was wearing a typical black and white tuxedo, and Bonnie Linseed was wearing a bright orange dress. Bonnie smiled playfully.

"So, Dick, the Gotham Ice Cream Social it is!" Bonnie Linseed said to Dick, her eyes sparkling.

"Absolutely, Bonnie," Dick Grayson smiled. "And I'll make sure to get your favorite flavor!"

Bonnie giggled and gently patted Dick's shoulders. "Just don't go running off on me like you did last time!"

Dick Grayson nodded and chuckled softly, but an uneasy feeling came across him.

Suddenly, Dick's cufflink started flashing and softly beeping. Dick Grayson looked at it, rolled up his cufflink, and told Bonnie, "I'm sorry, Bonnie…I just remembered-Bruce needs me to help him with a project. I'll see you at the Ice Cream Social." He quickly hugged Bonnie as he headed for the door, aware of how hurt she was at this interruption. "I love you."

Bonnie sighed, accepting his hug. "Love you, too." As Dick Grayson walked out of her apartment, her smile quickly turned into a downcast frown as he sat back on her bed with a sigh.

"Sure, Dick…" she whispered to herself. "See you then."

Minutes later, in the Gotham City Museum, that Princess of Plunder-none other than Catwoman!-was stealing some diamonds straight out of the Museum's diamond exhibit! She was wearing black tights and a black, cat ear-shaped headband, and a black mask was covering part of her face. She was also holding a whip.

"Purrfect," she purred. "Like taking catnip from a kitten…"

"Stop right there, you Countess of Criminality!" Batman's voice boomed, and she quickly turned around.

"Batman… and the boy bird too," Catwoman grinned. "Always ruining my fun!"

She aimed her whip at the Caped Crusaders. Batman, however, in his quick thinking with reflexes like a bat coming out of a cave, took a Bat-a-rang and aimed it straight at her wrists. In pain, she dropped her whip.

"Come with us peacefully, Catwoman," Batman said, "and I promise that Gotham Penitentiary will extend every effort possible to help you reform."

As Batman and Robin exited the Gotham Museum with Catwoman in Bat-cuffs, a crowd surrounded Batman and Robin as they were leading Catwoman towards a GCPD police car. Ever aware of his surroundings, however, Batman held onto Catwoman tightly to make sure that she couldn't escape. Reporters' flashbulbs were flashing, hands were clapping, and children were jumping up and down eagerly.

"Over here, Batman!" one child exclaimed, waving a Batman action figure in the air.

"Can I get an autograph, Batman?" a teenage girl asked.

Robin looked around, thinking that someone was calling out to him, quickly turned in the direction of a voice, only to find someone cheering and calling out for Batman. Even Catwoman purred and leaned into Batman, saying to him, "Poor Robin…always in your shadow, hmm?"

Robin's smile turned into a frown-but only for a moment-as the cameras kept flashing, the cheers kept crying out, and the kids kept shouting-but never for him.

Over the next few weeks, Batman and Robin worked together to help capture some of Gotham City's most peculiar adversaries…

"You've scrubbed me out, Batman…" said a villain known as the Eraser as he was being led into a Gotham City squad car. He was wearing a yellow tuxedo and a helmet that resembled the eraser end of a pencil, as well as black, sharp-toed shoes. "Seems you don't need a smudge like Robin cramping your record!"

"On the contrary, Eraser," Batman jumped in, correcting him, "Robin was the one who spotted your trail of pencil shavings."

A crowd nearby cheered for Batman-not even glancing at Robin.

"Batman, you've outwitted us again!" said a villain called Dr. Cassandra, who was wearing an orange hat with a pinkish red stripe by its rim, as well as a pinkish red shirt. She was standing next to her husband, Cabala, who was wearing a fancy black vest with a red and white shirt, and two pins on both sides of his vest.

"It was Robin who deduced your invisibility formula wore off at midnight," Batman said.

"Oh… yeah," Cabala said, squinting at Robin. "Good job, kid."

In another case, the Conniving Cowboy of Crime, Shame, was tied to a lampost after being bested by Batman and Robin. He was wearing a brown raggedy cowboy uniform, a tan cowboy hat, and a purple bandanna with white spots around his neck.

"That pointy-eared polecat roped me in again!" Shame cried indignantly.

Batman patted Robin's back. "Robin tied the knot-" Batman pointed out. "An impeccable square knot, I might add."

"Guess that's all you're good for," Shame smirked at Robin. "Tyin' purrty 'lil bows."

Again, Batman and Robin defeated the Harlequin, a woman in a red and a black jester outfit with roller skates who was a former psychiatrist at Arkham Institute, another place where criminals were kept in Gotham City. As Batman and Robin handed her over to the authorities, she was laughing wildly.

"Oh, Batsy! You're always such a joker!" she laughed. "Too bad the Boy Birdbrain's just your sidekick in stripes!"

"It was Robin who untangled your deadly balloon snare, Harlequin," Batman corrected her.

"Aw, what a sweet little helper!" Harlequin cackled.

In yet another villain capture, the Riddler was just captured by Batman and Robin. He had short brown hair, a brown mustache, and a yellow question mark cane, as well as green leotards and a purple mask.

"Riddle me this, Batman!" the Riddler smiled, flipping his cane in one hand as he was being led away. "What's bright red, green with envy, and always in someone else's shadow?"

"Your riddles are as transparent as ever, Riddler," Batman said, lost in thought.

Robin sighed, then stepped forward. "It's…me," he sighed, his head down.

"Ding-ding-ding!" the Riddler said with a wink and a grin. "Looks like the kid's finally caught on!"

"That's nothing but empty words, Riddler," Batman said firmly, glancing at Robin kindly. "Robin is no one's shadow-he's Gotham's light."

One day, in Stately Wayne Manor, a call was awaiting!

The red Bat-Phone was going off in Bruce's study! Alfred snuck into the study, then looked around for any prying eyes. When he found none, he closed the door and picked up the phone.

"I'll call him, sir," Alfred said, then he walked towards Stately Wayne Manor's immense tennis courts, where Bruce Wayne was having quite the dilemma….

"Are you alright, Dick?" Bruce Wayne asked his faithful ward. "Just a few days ago, you were hitting every shot I hit at you, and now, you're hitting none at all!"

"J-just…just a little famished, that's all," responded Dick, his head down.

"Don't take what the Riddler said to heart, old chum," Bruce said, patting Dick's shoulders. "What he said was typical criminal banter. Now, let's go fetch you an orange and some nice, cool water to help hydrate you."

"I should be fine…" Dick said, and it was at this moment that Alfred came outside to meet with the two of them.

"It's the Bat-Phone, sir," Alfred whispered in Bruce's ear due to Dick's aunt, Harriet Cooper, laying in a lawn chair and watching them play.

"Great mercy alive!" Aunt Harriet said to Alfred as they were running inside. "What's gotten into those two?"

"I believe they simply found themselves…rather hungry, Mrs. Cooper," Alfred said importantly as Bruce and Dick ran inside the study in Wayne Manor, where the Bat-Phone awaited them.

"Maybe some crime fighting will help sharpen your senses, old chum," Bruce said as he was darting to the Red Phone. Dick, however, sadly trudged behind him.

"We'll be right there, Commissioner," Bruce said in a slightly deeper and more confident voice to the Commissioner and Chief 'O Hara.

Bruce Wayne flipped the head of his prized Shakespeare bust that led to the most secret location on Earth-the Batcave.

"To the Bat-Poles!" Bruce exclaimed as he ran down his pole eagerly. Dick Grayson, however, once again tagged along towards his pole silently.

Down in the Batcave, Bruce Wayne-now dressed as the famous crime fighter, Batman-was running into the Batmobile. But Dick Grayson, now dressed as the other half of the Dynamic Duo, Robin, the Boy Wonder-was sadly standing in front of his Batmobile door. Concerned, Batman got out of the driver's seat and grabbed the shoulders of his faithful ward. Dick turned to him, his face welled up with sadness and tears. He took off his black Robin mask and handed it to Batman.

"From now on…" Robin said sadly, tears running down his face, "I'm done. Robin's retired."

Holy infamy of infamies! Will Robin really abandon his role as the Boy Wonder? Can Batman stop a criminal crime wave without his faithful partner by his side?

Tune in tomorrow—same Bat-time, same Bat-channel!

Author's Note: That's Episode 3, everyone! I hope that you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it! It may interest you all to know that the Riddler used in this part is the John Astin version, who appeared in season 2 of the Batman '66 TV show. The Eraser is a 60's Batman villain who appeared in a comic, and Dr. Cassandra and Cabala, and Shame, are three Batman villains who were exclusively made for the Batman '66 TV show. Also, the version of Catwoman used in this is the Lee Meriwether one from Batman: the Movie. In addition, Bonnie Linseed is a character who was exclusively made for the comic Batman '66 Meets the Green Hornet, where she served as Dick's date, and seeing as the comics are canon to my version, I decided to bring her back.

Stay tuned for "Episode 4," everyone, and feel free to leave a review if you'd like, of suggestions for future episodes, as I plan to make this a weekly series! See you tomorrow, everyone!

Until then,

Gabe S. :)