The Greatest Sacrifice

Part 2 - Pain

"Now then," the Joker giggled, slowly unzipping one of the black duffel bags. "Let's get started."

The rest of team, watched with bated breath as the Joker extracted something from his bag. They gasped at what they saw: it was a sharp carving knife and the steel glinted evilly in the dim lights of the room.

The clown cackled and waved the knife mockingly at the team. Then he bent down next to Robin, who looked indifferent. "Ready to shed some tears for me, Wonder Boy?" Joker giggled, running the blunt side of the knife down Robin's torso.

Robin growled and Aqualad thought numbly of how much he sounded like Batman. "Whatever the hell you do, Joker, I'm not going to cry for you," he said.

The team marvelled at Robin's courage as the Joker frowned. Then, suddenly, he slashed the knife at Robin's exposed forearm.

Blood oozed from the gash as Miss Martian sobbed. Robin, however, didn't react.

"Oh, come on Robbie. That had to have hurt a teeny bit," Joker pouted. Robin raised an eyebrow, making the top of his mask rise slightly.

"Fine" Joker shrugged. He took up the knife again and drove it into Robin's left leg, right into his calf. This time, Robin winced lightly and M'gann cried even louder.

The Joker was still unsatisfied. He looked at the blood dripping off the knife clutched in his hand. He took a gloved hand and ran it along the blade. He licked the red off his finger, smacking his lips. Kid Flash looked away, gagging.

The Joker looked over at the older teens, grinning. "Crying already? We're just getting started!" he said.

With that, he turned back to Robin and cut the ropes off his chest, leaving his arms and legs tied. Joker unclasped Robin's tunic and yanked it off. Then, he slowly sawed through the Kevlar vest underneath, revealing tan skin and a six-pack. The Joker licked his lips, staring.

He raised the knife again and brought it down to Robin's chest. He carved a letter "J" into the muscular skin and Robin grunted, blood dripping down his torso.

The Joker continued to carve his name into Robin's chest, the Boy Wonder letting out gasps every now and then.
The team watched in horror, wondering how Robin wasn't showing more pain.

The Joker finished carving a "R" and set down the knife, looking crestfallen. Out of the blue, he grinned. "Of course, how could I forget?" he cried, slapping a hand on his forehead. He walked away from Robin, who was breathing heavily, to his duffle bag.

"F-forget what?" Artemis asked, her tough-girl façade fading.

Joker ignored her, looking through his bag. Suddenly, he stopped and stood up, holding a container of salt.

"N-no! Don't!" Kid Flash cried. Artemis looked away it was the only thing she could do to not scream.

The Joker laughed and squatted next to Robin again. Robin tensed when he saw what the Joker was holding. The Joker poured a fair amount of salt onto Robin's chest and Robin gasped loudly. Joker violently rubbed the salt into the cuts running across Robin's pectorals. At this, Robin could not keep silent.

He screamed as his chest burned with an unholy pain, writhing on the hard ground. Wally and Artemis were crying now too, as they watched their 'baby brother' scream. Aqualad had his eyes shut tightly as Robin's screams of agony echoed through the garage.

"Stop it! Stop!" Kid Flash yelled as Robin continued to thrash on the ground. The Joker didn't seem to hear him; he was sitting down, his eyes closed. He swayed as if listening to music.

Eventually, Robin's cries subsided and he was left with pants. He still did not shed a single tear.

"Finally, you sang for me!" the Joker said gleefully. "Was that really so hard, Robbie?"