Andy C.
Repent, Harlequin!
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"I'm worried," I say nervously, sitting by a man I know can't hear me. "No, it's more than that. I'm scared. I'm scared that I'm about to make a huge mistake, and there's nothing I can do to stop it."
I'm sitting in a room at Gotham General, still wearing my full Robin costume. This is the first place I went after agreeing with Raven and Starfire to leave Gotham, to follow the stranger Jinx and go to the HIVE. I needed someone to talk to, someone who might give me some advice.
Batman would know what to do.
But Batman isn't in any condition to talk.
So here I am, talking to the battered and comatose form of Bruce Wayne, still fighting for life after the attack that left him broken and half-dead. I still blame myself for him being here, my own attack leaving him injured and unprepared for the person who nearly killed him.....a person whose identity I haven't made any progress in discovering.
"We leave tomorrow, and I don't know when we're coming back," I say. "I left a note for Miss Cooper, saying I got in contact with some relatives upstate and am going to go get in touch with them. I can't imagine that's going to sit well with her, but it's better than just disappearing without a trace. I don't know how I'm going to excuse my absence at school, though...."
Honestly, though, school is probably the least of my worries.
"There's so much here that I haven't done yet," I say, frustrated. "I still don't know who attacked you or why. I still don't know where Tony Zucco is. I still haven't made up for attacking you. I can't just leave all of that behind, can I?"
Then I think of Rachel, of the desperation and anger in her eyes.
"But I can't let her go there alone," I say with a sigh. "I mean, Starfire's going with her, but she hardly knows anything about this world, or what kind of people are in it. And considering what Rachel is going through, I'm just as worried that she's going to hurt someone as I am that someone might hurt her. I just......I need to know she's going to be okay."
I feel a pang of guilt at saying that. I don't really know exactly what my feelings for Rachel are, but to say it out loud that I'm essentially running away into a possibly dangerous situation just because I want to stay with a girl, makes what I'm doing seem incredibly selfish and stupid.
"I don't know what's going to happen at the HIVE," I say. "I don't know if the invitation is on the level, or if we're walking into a trap. But if I can help Rachel and Starfire, then I can't just walk away. And if there are other people there who are in danger, then I can help them, too. Either way, even if it does turn out to be everything that Jinx said it is, I don't think I can just ignore it. I have to go with them, at least for now."
"I know that.....I've screwed up. I've let everyone down, again and again. Miss Cooper, my teachers, you, even my parents........but I can't let my friends down too. They need someone to help them with what they're going through. A friend, maybe a leader if we stick together as a team. And I'm the only one with enough experience in this kind of life to fill that role.....even though, if I'm being completely honest......I still don't really know what I'm doing."
I pull a device from my utility belt and place it on the stand next to Mr. Wayne's bed, by his smartphone and personal effects.
"GPS tracker that I borrowed from the Cave," I explain. "Wherever I am on the entire planet, this will show you exactly where I am. If I screw this up.......you wake up, and come get me, okay?"
Mister Wayne doesn't respond, of course, but I don't really expect him to. I can only hope that he pulls through eventually--I'm pretty sure he's the only one who would understand what it is that I'm doing and why. It also doesn't hurt that he's not really in any shape to tell me "no" at the moment.
I climb out of the hospital window and dive into the night, the glider mechanism in my cape catching the wind, allowing me to slip through the darkened sky and back to Miss Cooper's penthouse, where I can finally get some sleep.
After all, I've got a big day ahead of me tomorrow.