All New Robin - Heir to the Demon #12

The new costume feels weird.

 

Then again, they always do.

 

I suppose anything’s going to feel weird when compared to my other suit, especially when you consider that I’ve worn that suit for countless years at this point. Still, as you’d imagine Lucius has outdone himself on this new suit. From what Bruce tells me, Lucius used the current Batsuit as the template when constructing it before making all the suitable adjustments to make it more in line with my style. On the outside, the differences are small and only slightly different cosmetically from the previous suit, but the improvement in armour plating is one of the first things I notice. Evidently, its designed to be able to take a blow from a katana.

 

Just whether or not it’d be able to take more than one is something I’ll hopefully not have to find out. The second major difference is the vambraces on my arms, they’ve been reconfigured to include various electrical components as oppose to just padding beneath the metal covering. According to Lucius, this should mean I can interface with most electrical systems in the field myself rather than requiring support from the Batcomputer. Probably not something many people would appreciate, but if you had experienced the pain of waiting for Alfred to break an encryption as much as I have, you’d consider this upgrade the greatest thing since sliced bread.

 

I certainly do.

 

Beyond those two major improvements, there isn’t much new on the suit besides a slightly reworked utility belt, making it lighter and also allowing myself to carry twice the capacity of my previous belt. No doubt it will be essential tonight. Especially now that Ra’s has made his first move.

 

A gas attack, slowly enveloping all of Gotham.

 

From what the satellite network can make out, the gas is being pumped out of four towers at different corners of the city, and the whole city will be covered in less than two hours unless we stop it.

 

Dick: This….this is horrible….

 

Scarlett: Do you think any of the national guard managed to make it to safety?

 

Jason: I don’t know Scarlett. I really don’t know.

 

Tim: Do we know just what’s in this gas?

 

Bruce: Alfred and Lucius are still working to analyse the gas and synthesize a neutralising agent.

 

Roy: This isn’t right. What sort of monster gases people without a second thought?

 

Barbra: One who believes himself above all others. A man who thinks it his right to decide who deserves to live, and who deserves to die.

 

Bruce: This cannot be allowed to continue.

 

Dick: What are you suggesting?

 

Bruce: The gas is toxic if inhaled, but the tests that have already been performed show it is unable to corrode a gas mask and rebreather.

 

Tim: You’re saying we go out there and try to shut the towers down ourselves?

 

Bruce: Without a neutralising agent, there is little more we can do than simply prevent the gas from covering all of Gotham at present. We must ensure that the gas is not able to make it towards the GCPD or Gotham General.

 

Scarlett: But what about the soldiers? How do we help them?

 

Bruce says nothing. Simply turning away and looking towards the main monitor.

 

Roy: You’re just going to ignore them? Leave them to die?

 

Bruce: They’ll all die anyway if we don’t stop this gas from covering all of Gotham.

 

Scarlett: They’re innocent in all this! This whole attack is only happening because of you! We have to save them!

 

Jason: Scarlett…

 

Bruce: We have to prioritise. Say we’re successful, say we save what? Ten of them? How do you then justify saving ten of them and dooming the hundred or so police officers in the GCPD to death? How do you justify to Barbra that her father died needlessly because you chose saving one man over an entire city? How do you justify to Tim that his friend died in Gotham General because you let your emotions overrule your head?

 

I feared that this would come. Bruce would feel it necessary to put both Scarlett and Roy in line to ensure he can rely upon them. They are after all, the only rogue element in this team. The only ones Bruce didn’t have at least some input in with how they were trained. Personally, I’m not too worried about them. Jason trusts them, and that’s good enough for me. But Bruce needs to be certain, and he’s completely right to want to be. We’ll be heavily outnumbered out there, so it’s critical that we’re effective and efficient.

 

They have the numbers.

 

We need to have the skill. It’s the only way we stand a chance of winning.

 

Roy: Ollie would try to save them.

 

Bruce: I’m no Oliver Queen.

 

Roy: That’s for sure.

 

Dick: Thank goodness.

 

Not really the time to try and lighten up the mood, Dick.

 

Bruce: Given that the towers cover all four corners of Gotham, we’ll have to divide our forces in order to neutralise them simultaneously.

 

Barbra: So we split up into teams? Who goes with who?

 

Bruce: Barbra, you and Dick take the east tower.

 

Dick: The one closest to GCPD?

 

Barbra: We’re on it.

 

Bruce: Jason, you and the Outlaws will take the southern tower.

 

Wait, what? He’s having both Scarlet and Roy go with Jason? I was certain he’d pair me up with Roy.

 

Jason: Roger.

 

Roy: Wait, how the hell are we supposed to stop those towers anyways?

 

Bruce: Alfred will be feeding us all live information including the tower’s schematics when we arrive.

 

Dick: Good old Alfred.

 

Tim: So which tower does that leave me with? North or west?

 

Bruce: You and Talia will take the western tower.

 

Tim: Talia?

 

Why’s he sending Talia with me? If anything it makes far more sense to pair me up with one of the Outlaws and Talia go with him, that way everyone has someone there to cover their back.

 

Bruce: She’s a skilled combatant. We’d be foolish not to make use of her help.

 

Tim: Then why’s she going with me and not you?

 

Bruce: I need someone I can trust to keep an eye on her.

 

Tim: You don’t trust yourself?

 

Bruce: Not unless it’s necessary.

 

Talia: He’s always been like that, I’m afraid.

 

That’s….not really surprising. But it’s still kind of worrying.

 

Dick: You don’t need to tell any of us that, we’ve had to live with it.

 

Jason: Wait, it doesn’t make sense that three of us are going to the southern tower but you’re going alone to the northern tower. Doesn’t it make more sense for Roy to go with Tim and Talia go with you?

 

My thoughts exactly.

 

Bruce: I’ll be fine. I have the sword.

 

Scarlett: What sword?

 

Tim: You know how every member in the League has a chemical in their body that gives them an unnatural healing factor? He's got a magical sword that neutralises it.

 

Dick: Then why haven’t you tried giving all of us one of those swords!?

 

Bruce: Because I had to do a deal with Hephaestus, and he would only forge me one blade.

 

Roy: That’s why you had us retrieve that stuff from Greene’s mansion.

 

Bruce: That was only intended as a contingency for this very scenario. The blade was the product of desperation.

 

Barbra: What did you have to promise him in return for it?

 

Bruce: Far too much.

 

Before Bruce has a chance to say just what it was he promised Hephaestus, an alert appears on the monitor. The gas cloud is beginning to move further into the city.

 

Bruce: Suit up.

 

———————————————-

 

Thirty Minutes Later…

 

By the time Talia and I make it to the western tower, Dick and Barbra have made it to the eastern tower and the Outlaws are waiting for Alfred’s signal to assault the southern tower.

 

Red Robin: Pen-7, this is West team. We’re in position.

 

Alfred: Roger West team. I’m waiting on the signal from the North team.

 

Talia: Do we really have to call him a team if he’s just one person?

 

Red Robin: It’s protocol, designed to confuse the enemy incase they’re listening in on our communications.

 

Talia: Has anyone ever managed to?

 

Red Robin: No, not yet but….

 

Talia: Then we can ditch the protocol. Let’s not make things more unnecessarily complicated than they need to be.

 

Red Robin: Alfred, we’re waiting on your signal.

 

Alfred: Standby….

 

Talia and I both look down onto the street in front of the tower, four dead bodies. All members of the national guard. None of them have any visible wounds so they clearly died from exposure to the gas. Poor guys. They probably didn’t have any idea what was going on before it was too late.

 

Talia: This is what I hoped to prevent.

 

Red Robin: Sorry?

 

Talia: All this bloodshed, Bruce and my father on opposite sides of this. I should have done more to stop it.

 

Red Robin: Maybe you couldn’t.

 

Talia: But maybe I could have. Part of me still wonders what might have happened if I’d managed to talk my father out of trying to put Bruce through the final trial. Or if I’d managed to convince Bruce to stay…..

 

Red Robin: Then the world would be a darker place.

 

Talia: How can you be sure about that? Especially with all that’s transpiring?

 

Red Robin: I can’t be. No-one can truly know whether or not the world would have been a better place if something went a better way. Sure a lot of bad things have happened which led to this moment, but do you know what also happened? A lot of great moments as well. Don’t believe me? Look at Dick. Look at Jason. Look at all of us. We’d all be nothing if Bruce hadn’t touched out lives, and if anything about Bruce has told me is true. He’d have been nothing without you.

 

For a brief moment, Talia says nothing. I think she’s smiling, but I can’t be certain. It’s difficult to tell what expression she has on her face with the rebreather covering half of it.

 

Talia: Just what has he been telling you about me?

 

Red Robin: Well err…you know….just…ummm…..stuff ya know….like umm….how you trained him and….other stuff.

 

Talia: What kind of other stuff?

 

Her tone of voice as she asks that question is incredibly discomforting. Worse still, I think I have some ides of just what it is she’s curious about. Thankfully, before I have to attempt to answer that question, a miracle arrives.

 

Alfred: Pen-7 to all strike teams. Mission is a go!

 

Immediately, before Talia can repeat her question, I race towards the roof ledge before jumping off towards the tower.

 

Red Robin: Come on Talia, we’ve got a job to do.

Done