The Apprentice

The Corrupted Son

"I'm already aware. He was here last night." Batman answers.

A gasp flies out of the speakers, and Starfire leans into the camera. "Please, you must understand, this is all our fault! We pushed him away when he was in most need of us. Slade was making Robin very dark... and angry, and instead of helping him we — I — was afraid."

Batman doesn't move, but narrows his eyes in concentration. She continues: "We searched for him for days, and suddenly we find him at the sight of the robbery of the enterprises of Wayne, dressed like the man he most hated, he most rivalled... he most resembled. I don't know what we must do."

He replies with little emotion. "Contact me the next time he makes a move."

She is abruptly and immensely relieved. "Oh, thank you very much!"

Batman reaches to turn off the transmission when she slowly adds "Mr. Batman, surely you would know, is it possible for Robin to have become evil?"

Batman ends the transmission and pulls off his cowl, exhausted despite it only being 9 pm. His hand instinctively reaches for the bandage by his left eye, where the burn of the heat ray still stings. He's at the supercomputer again, his hands knitted together as he thinks. Dick had been gone for nearly a year, and managed to set up his own team to further his training as Robin. Bruce expected him to come back at some point, either to rejoin his side or ask to prolong his time as a Titan. Never could he have seen this coming.

Was letting Dick go so soon the wrong choice? He's only been Robin for four years, and still has a lot to learn. Bruce stiffens, a terrible knot in his throat. Someone got to him, corrupted him, and he couldn't save him.

Hours pass, the minor crimes of Gotham neglected as the dark knight remains trapped in his own thoughts. Alfred appears by his side close to 4 am with some toast and milk, looking concerned.

"Master Bruce, are you alright?" He asks, then a moment later, "I'm sure there is a good reason for Master Richard to have... um..." He falls silent.

Bruce gets up and heads towards the elevator, leaving Alfred's breakfast behind.

"Done for the night, sir?"

Bruce rubs his eyes and presses the call button. "I'm done being Batman tonight."

Suddenly, the supercomputer flares to life with an incoming transmission. Clark's strained voice fills the cave.

"Superman to Batman: I don't know what happened... between you two, but Robin is in Metropolis. He's robbed the Central Bank— and he's got kryptonite. I thought you might have wanted to keep this quiet, so this is a private transmission. The Justice League doesn't know."

Bruce is back at the computer in an instant, holding down the button to reply. "Understood. On my way, hang in there."

Alfred watches attentively as Bruce grabs his cowl and heads for the plane. Before Bruce is out of earshot, he calls to him "Sir, what will you do?"

Bruce answers as the glass top closes over him.

"...I'm bringing my son home."

The plane roars through the cave and takes off, speeding to its limit. Robin isn't getting away this time.

On his way, he goes over the evidence and tries to form a case. Robin disappears from the Titans, then shows up as the apprentice of the villain he hated, yet resembled. In what ways are they similar? Regardless, just like that he's switched from hero to thief — although Starfire had explained that Slade has been a constant presence in Robin's life since he first became a Titan. Next, Robin is attacking his former teammates and stealing from Bruce's business without explaining himself, or talking at all for that matter. He then breaks into the Batcave with no evidence of motive and leaves as soon as he can. Now he's in Metropolis, robbing banks and targeting Superman.

Bruce tries to go into greater detail on any changes in Robin's personality or fighting style — the latter in itself being an extension of the former. He's fighting smart and discrete, as he once had by Bruce's side. Starfire told him Robin's fighting had become more and more angered and reckless before he became the apprentice. Sloppy.

Something tugs at his mind. If he'd been stealing discretely and efficiently, then why the show of force in Metropolis? Why go from angry, to strategic, to cocky? Bruce forces himself to disregard nothing. Everything matters. Everything is a clue: that was a lesson he'd taught Robin and one he will not forget.

Before he makes sense of any of this, Metropolis' skyline appears ahead of him. He follows the tracker in Superman's earpiece to the outskirts of the city— coincidentally an area large and empty enough for the plane to land and take off in.

Bruce pulls on his cowl and exits as Batman, searching for any sign of Clark.

A fog rolls in, and Batman senses something is off. He realizes too late this is no ordinary fog, and a trap—

Batman breathed in too much to avoid the symptoms, and starts to black out. Robin flies out of the smoke and attempts a kick, which Batman hastily dodges. Robin tries a few more punches, and lands most of them, before Batman causes him to retreat by throwing batarangs. Robin retaliates with three of his own, two missing and one embedding itself in the wall next to his hand. Robin then turns and runs for the plane, jumping in and taking off with Batman struggling for consciousness.

He sinks down to the ground and rests for a bit, breathing carefully through the nausea and dizziness. Idly, he pulls the throwing knife Robin used out of the wall and compares it to his own batarang. Robin's has a round centre with two curved blades protruding from the sides.

Bruce's thumb brushes over a flaw in the metal, and he spots something that changes everything.

Titans have nano-bugs has been carefully etched into the blade.

Batman rests a hand against his forehead, staring in wonder at the message.

Robin... Thank God.