The Darker Robin

Mama

There was a loud crack and pain shot through young Dick's body, surely more than a few ribs were broken by the fall from the snapped rope. The warm liquid hearing him from the chilling screams of the crowd. He was alive? But how? He sat up and heard something slip to his side as he did so. Paramedics were standing over him but jumped back in surprise, faces twisting at the sight in front of them. They obviously did not expect him to be alive from the fall. A sea of widened eyes all pointed at him, more screams and more gasps filled his ears.Dick did not want to look at what he was currently sitting on.. He knew what it was.. Who it was. However, against his better judgment he did looked down to see his parents smiling dead faces who cushioned his fall. Bile rose up in Dick's throat, his stomach twisting. He stood up, hand covering his mouth in desperation to keep himself from throwing up. His chest burned with severe pain as he forced his dinner to stay down. He was alive, but at what cost? His parents came to his rescue when his rope snapped, they should have let him fall.. They could have been alive if he had not. Much to Richard's dismay, he only got a few feet from the gruesome scene before losing the contents of his stomach. His ribs screamed in pain , leaving the young circus boy gasping for air. If only that was going to be the worst of the pain to come.
-----------
There was no going back with the plan, not that he would want to, the voices in his head, the voices of deceased parents screaming for him to turn back and not go through with his plan. Dick let the corners of his mouth twist into a sad smile... His parents were always too kind for their own good, and hearing their voices now screaming in his head not to do it just made him even more angry. How could they take their life? Why did not a single person seem to realize this was no accident. There is no justice in this world... They all will go to hell, he will be sure of that. He took off the safety on his gun, padding his pockets to be sure there will be enough ammo to get the job done. If no one was to judge, he will be doing the judging. Dick swung from the high tree branch, and slipping into the window of the building window. He really did not have to be too stealthy with this hideout, which shook every time the monorail system would go over the building. He claimed the banisters l, making his steps light just in case. Dick hurried his pace before stopping above a table where henchman were seated, angled at the front door to keep watch. As if their enemy would walk right through the door. Dick's eyes narrowed at one of the men at the table who was dressed in an officer uniform. A dirty cop. He scowled , no wonder the police ignored his cries of the incident not being an accident. That man was there at the circus that night! Dick's fists clenched around the gun in his palm, finger already itching to pull the trigger on those who caused him so much pain.

"Dickie, please...you don't have to do this..we protected you so you could live..you are throwing your life away my little Robin." If Dick didn't know any better, he thought he felt a gentle hand on his shoulder when he heard his mother coo , words gentle.

" Your mother is right, do not throw your life away." His dad's voice this time.

Dick choked back a small sob, shaking his head frantically, trying to ignore the voices of his parents. He had to do this. He had to. With a shaky sigh, he scurried over to the circuit board, flipping the lights off. Robin heard the chairs quickly scrape against the cement floor along with shouts of surprise.

"Who turned off the lights?!" The voice of the officer had shouted fumbling to grab his holstered weapon. Yelping when he heard the sound of a gun foreign and then the sound of something hitting the floor in front of him. More screams and more gunshots echoed throughout the building, they were sitting ducks here in the dark.The officer rushed to the circuit board, quickly turning on the light and spinning around to see one of the thugs were on the ground a boy standing over him motionless. The officer frowned, he had been expecting to see the dark knight and was now trying to figure out why a child was here, letting his guard down. The boy could not be more than nine, yet there he was with a smoking gun in his hand. The boy turned to face the officer, his eyes painted black to look like a mask. The boy's face twisted into a smile that made the officers blood run cold. This kid killed all those men, and he was smiling. " who are you?" His voice cracked stumbling back and holding up his gun though his hands were shaking. There was no way he could shoot a kid!

Dick laughed at the dirty cop's horrified look. " what could you not kill a kid, you did not seem so innocent when you were willing for me to die two months ago." The officer's eyes narrowed in confusion for only a brief moment before his eyes widened in recognition.

"..I ..I did not know! If I knew that you were a kid I wouldn't —"

" Wouldn't have what?!" Richard spat, shooting the gun out of the officer's hand with deadly precision, earning another surprised yelp from the cop. " If I was an adult, an INNOCENT adult, you would have killed me?!" Dick stepped forward, his anger rising. The cop was backed up against the wall now stammering like an idiot. "You are scum, and I have come to take you down to hell with me. But before I do, why don't you be useful for once in your life and tell me where Tony Zucco is."

" I-I don't know! Please!" The cop begged, tears and snot dripping down his face as he fell to his knees to plead with the boy.

" Then you are useless to me" the boy continued, seeming bored with the begging.

" Please! Please! Spare me, please!"

One final gunshot filled the room, and the pleading silenced. " I will have to keep searching then." Dick drawled out, staring at the quickly pooling blood in front of him.

"Dick what have you done?" His mother's crying voice filled his ears.

"Shut up! I had to!" Richard held his head , shaking it to try and get his mother's cries out of his mind. He looked up to see the rest of the bodies. There was no going back from this. This will never be over until Tony Zucco is dead. Dick vowed that night for his revenge, and that was exactly what he was going to get. He checked the time. He better hurry before nighttime fell and the Dark Knight he used to look up to so much came in. He went outside of the hideout and grabbed the supplies he brought along with him, a few gallon jugs of gasoline and some explosives , before heading back inside and dumping it over the bodies. He looked at their faces one last time before lighting a match and flicking the match inside before leaving, quickly getting on the motorcycle he stole. He needed to get out before the whole thing went off in his face. Dick revved the engine and sped off, a giant explosion in the bike's mirror. Dick frowned slightly, looks like the hunt for Tony Zucco would go for another day.

-----

Batman was surprised to hear that the hideout he was going to investigate tonight was now a pile of rubble. That was his only lead to the murder of the Graysons. Bruce had vowed to find justice for that little boy who was ripped from his parents just as he was was. However, it has been a month since anyone has even seen the boy, which worried Bruce more than anything. Something about his disappearance made his hairs stand on end. When he reached the crime scene, he saw that one of the many bodies pulled out was a cop that was supposedly being investigated.. It seems that he was dirty after all. Whoever shot these men must of had an obvious vendetta against Tony Zucco.  The thought finally dawned on the Dark Knight that he wished he had not. The boy../ it is possible.. Batman growled slightly. He had to find the boy.
--------

" Oh hey Bats." The boy grinned, a bloody and beaten man in his grasp. " You don't look so whelmed."

Batman frowned, it had taken a whole three years to corner this boy, and even now, those blue eyes were still one of a child. They should not have to belong to a now known killer of Gotham. " Richard, this needs to stop." Batman had to get this kid help, he had to save him. " I need to take you in, by force if I must."

The boy laughed, dropping the body " I can not be captured until I have Zucco dead at my feet."

Batman frowned " Zucco surrendered into police in fear of you. He is in custody."The boy pondered his words a bit, talking to himself for a moment. That made Bruce flinch, it reminded him of the joker and he was not fond of the idea of another joker running on the loose.

" What are a few more dead dirty cops." His voice cold. " I will end this Bats, and you cannot stop me." The boy then lunged at batman pulling a punch.

Bruce barely had time to block, the boy was definitely agile and nimble, his small frame twisted as they fought. He regrettably had to use his full effort on the small child, twisting the boy's arm behind him and hearing a snap and then a cry. The fight ended as soon started, and now he was going to take the boy to Arkham.