The Darker Robin

S/C/A/R/E/C/R/O/W Part 1

Getting into the whole hero business was hard for Dick, especially with his impatience. The first few nights of patrol were torture. Robin was a known killer in Gotham, a feared ghost story that villains and scum alike would whisper...but it was not only the bad;it the innocent as well. It was extremely hard to help people who were screaming and kicking in protest, Dick almost got one shot because they were running away from HIM. However, Dick felt a bit worse knowing that his existence was causing Bruce's reputation as the batman plumet. Hiring a bad guy as a sidekick did not go over well. Often he would bring it up to Bruce, but he always said the same thing. 'I'm not here to be liked, I am here to protect.' Dick supposed that was true, the police never liked batman to begin with; though that is probably because they never do their damn job and the bat just makes them look even worse. Dick surprising warmed up to the idea of Bruce being Batman, though it took a lot to regain his trust after that turn of events. It did not help when Bruce had admitted to lying about Zucco being in police custody and that he had escaped his 'witness protection' from him the first day Dick went into Arkham. That was a very bitter week in the manor, however after more than six months of learning and 'talking' , the relationship between them were ALMOST civil. There were still a few fights, but nothing a batch of Alfred's cookies couldn't fix. Honestly Alfred's cookies was one of the main reasons he stayed; well, the cookies and Alfred. The old butler made him feel more like the manor was his home and not a condemned prison for him.

Dick still had his goals in mind, a large part of him still wanted the death of Tony Zucco; however, the past few patrols Dick had seen the bigger picture of justice. Saving people, even though they protested and screamed, felt good just like Bruce said it would. He had stopped a handful of muggings, and he was sure that at least a few of them had a family that was thankful that he did. Dick also saw how chaotic and busy patrol was, how much crime actually went down in this rotting city of theirs. It was a wonder how Bruce stayed sane or had the energy for all of it. Well, at least Bruce had him now, right? That lightened the load a little bit-- though in times when the big villains came out of hiding, he only seemed to drag the other down

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"Robin, stay put." Batman ordered

"But I can help!" Dick protested, wanting nothing more than to prove he was ready for the big stuff, for the real villains of Gotham. "I can handle myself; I am not a child!"

Bruce shook his head. "You are helping by staying put, I need someone to watch my back for me. If the Scarecrow comes back, I need someone to notify me."

Robin scrunched his nose at the response. Saying I need someone to watch my back was the superhero equivalent of the parental excuse 'Because I said so'. However his so called 'Parental figure' was the Dark Knight..meaning his word is law. If he angered him, that would mean being pulled from patrol, which led to less time hunting down Zucco. Robin's shoulders drooped in defeat. "Fine..I will keep my position."

Batman gave a nod and he was off, disappearing from view off to fight crime on his own while Robin sat around...the usual.

"Fight crime they said...It would be fun they said" Dick grumbled, watching the flickering lights below of the ambulance cars that had come as first responders of the Scarecrow attack. It baffled Dick that Scarecrow would attack an innocent looking apartment complex..the canisters he used were not even Fear Gas...just smoke bombs. Dick watched as a young woman was getting into the emergency vehicle with minor injuries, just enough to need to get it looked at by the hospital. Dick pondered this for a moment before his eyes widened in realization. Scarecrow wanted one of those people down there. What better place to try and snatch someone than a hospital. It's crowded and well lit, somewhere where Batman would struggle to get the jump on them or fight with so many lives at stake. The hospital is a jackpot of hostages. Dick watched as the ambulance drove off. "Sorry Bruce, not enough time.." Dick muttered before hopping on to the roof of the moving vehicle.

Hospitals always creeped Dick out, if death and desperation had a smell, it would be the smell of sterilized doctor equipment and latex gloves. Dick quickly grabbed a hospital gown and threw it over himself before taking off his mask. No one needs to know they are in trouble, mass hysteria could cause more damage than good, and through the panic Scarecrow could snatch the victim like it was nothing. Smart move on their part. Dick followed silently behind, checking on the rooms of the victims, trying to look like someone who was a regular and was taking a casual stroll around. No one wants to approach a child who seems sick. Gotham was cruel like that. Most people who pass would avert their eyes, or give the half hearted apology--though not wanting to ask what was wrong with them. Dick took that to his advantage. It was when he heard faint muffled screams coming from one of the rooms he was guarding. Dick panicked, forgetting that Scarecrow might have had the same idea of being in a disguise.  He quickly put on his mask again and ditched the gown, running into the room to find scarecrow hovering over the same young women from earlier, Scarecrow holding a pillow against her face with one hand, a needle in the other. Dick quickly went into action, kicking the villain against the wall, taking brief moment of their shock to turn to the women. "Run! Now! Get out of the hospital!" Out of the hospital meant that Bruce could easily finish the fight without worrying about hostages. Whatever this lady had, Scarecrow seemed determined to get it from her. The women did not have to be asked twice, she got up and ran out the door, following Dick's instructions. Dick quickly grabbed his communicator. "Bats I know you said stay put but we have a big problem!" he dodged a blow from the scarecrow, doing his best to avoid the pointed tips that surely held Scarecrow's fear concoction. " He is in the hospital..need backup!" he quickly fled out the door, Scarecrow on his heels. He was in over his head! He reached out the doors to see the women in plain sight out of the hospital doors. "What are you doing!? Hide!!" Dick snapped at, really did he have to hold this lady's hand the entire process of saving her!? And where was Bruce!? He has not replied yet! He pressed the distress signal on his belt, panic consuming him. " Hurry up bats..." he grumbled getting into a defensive stance. You could not blame him, a lot of people were scared of Scarecrow, hell the word scare was in his name! Scarecrow was one villain that made Dick's skin crawl, they didn't need fear toxin for that. All dick knew at this point was that he needed to  get out of this, with or without Bruce's help.