OK, this chapter is not the best, and I skipped a couple of unimportant lines. But this is the last chapter so please enjoy!!! (There is another added BGXR scene!!)
THIS CHAPTER HAS BEEN RE-EDITED SO THAT IT IS MORE INTERESTING. THE R X BG SCENE IS EXTENDED, AND IT IS MUCH BETTER!!
Batman had come and gone to Gotham PD, and now had the antidote Strange had talked about. He was now in the Batmobile.
"Combat log, second night. Robin's gone. I'm alone." He shook his head in disbelief. "And I have less than a day to distribute Strange's antidote to the entire city. He looked down at the computer roadmap on the Batmobile's screen. "I'm being tracked by the batwave transponder…not for long." He knew it was Robin and Batgirl. He powered down the Batmobile, so that all the lights and computers went dark, except for the roadmap. He turned over to his left. Batgirl was on her motorcycle, inches from the window. "Batman…stop…you."
He looked to his other side. Robin was on his motorcycle too. Bats was surrounded!
"Poison…you!"
Batman hit the gas, hoping to speed up to loose them. It was unsuccessful. He had trained them too well. Both sidekicks caught up and jumped onto the roof of the batmobile. Robin had taken his laser, and was trying to cut a square out of the top. Batgirl and Robin pulled it open, and peered down at Batman.
"Stop…you!" said Batgirl again, pointing a spray can of orange liquid in his face.
"Poison…you!" Robin had the same spray can, ready to spray on Batman to "cure" him.
Batman threw a batarang at them, knocking the cans out of their hands with a yelp. They both growled in anger. Batgirl looked at the toxin sitting in the seat next to Bats.
"Destroy!" Batman's eyes widened, and he yelled to the batmobile, "Priority 1! Batwave override, auto pilot engage!"
Batman stood up through his new "sunroof", his cape flying in the breeze, staring down at his two young partners. Robin attacked first, trying to punch Bats, but got punched back instead. He nearly fell of the moving Batmobile, but regained his balance. They all became fighting with their batarangs like swords, jabbing at eachother. While Robin fought off Batman, Batgirl once again trying to destroy the antidote, but Batman drove her off. He picked up one of the test tubes of yellow liquid. "Batgirl, Robin! I'm not sure if you can understand me," he plucked off the top of the tube, holding it out to them, "but this will help you!"
They both backed away, afraid, looked at eachother, and then jumped off the batmobile, landing in unison.
Batman narrowed his eyes, and recapped to tube.
---
Batman still had the mobile on auto pilot, and was still recording the combat log.
"Alfred's cure will have to wait. With Batgirl and Robin infected, returning to the mansion and the cave is too risky. Fortunately, I have other resources." He was under an abandoned bridge, right to where a railroad track lead to a wall, just stopping. He pushed a button from the batmobile control, and the wall opened like a curtain. He made his way inside, pushed another button, rearranging all the fake carts and things into his computers and gadgets. "My home away from home." He then looked at the time. "Only 17 hours left."
He spent the next few hours on making bombs that would release the antidote into the city. He also made a control that would set them off by the push of a red button.
When he was finally ready, he disappeared into the night, scattering the bombs through the main parts of the city. Once he placed the very last bomb, he said to himself, "all that's left is to transmute the signal. To do that I'll need to get to higher ground."
He got to the tallest building he could find. He peered down at the city. It would all look better in a few moments.
Author's note: in this part, I am switching back and forth from Batman's view to Batgirl and Robin's view. It may get a little confusing. Sorry. ;) It will switch back and forth by this symbol: ---
"I have one chance to save the city."
He flipped the cover of the switch, getting ready to activate all the bombs. But suddenly, he heard, "NO!!"
It was zombie Robin, leaping out of nowhere, attacking him once again, trying to stop him. He landed hard on Batman,followed by yells of surprise and turmoil, Batgirl following. Batman staggered roughly, and lost grip of the switch. It fell to the base of where they were standing, almost falling to the edge of the building. They all struggled, but Bats managed to pry them off him and run for the switch. He grabbed it and jumped, landing close the edge, lean to fall. He leaned back, trying to regain his balance as a rock fell from under his shoe. He once again tried to activate the bombs. Seeing this, Robin fiercely threw a batarang at him, just as Batgirl jumped up to attack. Batman jumped up and the batarang just missed him, and Batgirl jumped on him, pulling him over the ledge. Batman clawed at the edge, his nails scraping into it, with Batgirl hanging by his feet.
---
"Oh my—"
Barbara held on for dear life to Batman's legs.
"Batman? Batman? You don't know it but you're sick! You need help!"
Robin peered down. "Don't worry Batgirl. Just hang on!"
Dick jumped down to where Batman was, and grabbed the controller out of his hand. "Jump, Batgirl! I'll catch you!"
Babs was scared, but she squinted her eyes tight and dropped. He did as he had said, and caught her in his arms, ejecting his batarang. She held on tightly, hoping he could hold their weight. He could.
"Thanks." She breathed a sigh of relief.
"What will we going to do with the controller—"
---
Batman jumped on them this time, knocking them both off the batarang's course. They landed roughly on the ground, with zombies all around him. "Grab…hold!" yelled one. They all tried to, but Batman was too strong. He pushed them all away, just as Batgirl said, "Hurt…you."
---
"Batman? Can you hear me? Strange is hurting you!"
---
Robin came up next, shouting, "Mess… ahead."
---
"Strange is messing with your head! Ya gotta stop!" yelled Robin to Bruce. It was no use.
---
Batman ejected his Batarang, flying up high among the buildings. He landed on Gotham PD.
Once there, he only starred at the controller, wonder what to do. He hit 'load'. Then wondered whether to hit 'activate'. He thought back, what Robin meant by "Mess Ahead", and what he had said before…
"Strange may be a madman, but he's also a brilliant physiatrist. He'll mess with your head."
Then, he thought it all over.
Robin and I were hit with Strange's antidote. Moments later, we were attacked. Then he thought back to Robin analyzing the air. The air was safe to breathe!
"The chemical analysis shows nothing weird!"
There was no trace of the toxin in Gordon's hair. Strange virtually sent me to the police station as if he wanted me to get the antidote. But…why?
He thought out loud. "What if…what if this isn't the antitdote? What if this is the toxin?"
There was an awkward silence as his is finger moved away from the activation key. Just as he did so, the door to the roof burst open, and Batgirl, Robin, Gordon, and several other police zombies came in. Batman defended himself against Robin and Batgirl, kicking them away. Suddenly, they stopped, nothing was heard except for Batman's paced breathing.
He clutched his head in frustration about what to do.
"If this is a mistake…" he said, finally giving up and putting the controller to his side, "it's my last."
The zombies moved forward to him, slightly cautious. Robin, the first to get there, grabbed the controller away, and Batman let him. He deactivated all the bombs, and Batgirl came up to Bats and said, "No more mess ahead!"
Batgirl sprayed the orange liquid on Batman, as he gasped and staggered to the ground. The zombies came up and surrounded him, and suddenly, his vision blurred, and he could see normally. There were no more zombies, just his sidekicks and the police.
"You OK?" asked batgirl.
"It depends." He said weakly, standing to his feet. "Were you a zombie ten seconds ago?"
Batgirl and Robin smiled.
"You were under Strange's influence the moment he spilled that vile and affected us. That's why he was moved upstairs to maximum security." said Robin matter-of-factly.
"Then there were no traces of anything with the toxin that we tested, because there was no toxin there." said Bats.
"And when I captured Robin," said Batgirl, "the doctors were able to take a sample of the real toxin out of his tissues, and quickly synthesized and antidote."
Robin smirked, remembering that. "Two more seconds, and you would have released Strange's real toxin to the crowd."
"For future reference, there are easier ways to duck out of giving a speech." said Batgirl whispering to Batman slyly.
All three smiled. Once again, they had saved the day.
----
The next day…
----
A large crowd was gathered in Gotham Square, under the sign of Bruce Wayne that said, "GOTHAM'S WHITE KNIGHT" Bruce was waiting to go onstage, talking to Alfred backstage.
"I was this close to hurting all the people I try to protect, Alfred!" said Bruce, looking out at the crowd, shaking his head. "What if I'm not as lucky next time?"
"If you'll forgive my saying so, luck had nothing to do with it." said Alfred wisely. "Even under a madman's influence, and believing himself to be alone, The Batman fought his way to the truth. That's who he is. It's who you are."
"And now…" Came a loud voice from the speaker, "Gotham's very own White Knight, Mr. Bruce Wayne!" Hearing the raging crowd, Bruce went on stage, ready to give the speech. He waved to them, and started to talk.
---
Barbara Gordon and Dick Grayson were backstage too, hardly listening. They had heard this speech like, a million times anyway.
"I dunno about you," said Dick to Babs, "but I learned an important lesson yesterday."
"Oh yeah?" said Babs with a soft smile, "What?"
"Never loose hope."
"And what were you loosing hope in?"
His green eyes cast down to the floor. "My friend's safety?"
"But," answered Babs, her voice slightly shaky because she was so touched, "You were the one that wasn't safe."
"You were, too." he sighed. "Truth is, I don't know what would have happened if it ended up just plain Batman and Robin yesterday, without a Batgirl to make me laugh and feel good about myself."
Babs slightly laughed. "I don't know what would have happened if I didn't have a Robin in my life, either. You were just as unsafe as I was. And you mean just as much."
He was still looking down. "I'm glad it's all over."
She smiled again, stretching down to his hand and hooking her pinky in his like a picky swear. Now, he actually looked up in her face.
"Me too." she said quietly.
He liked that, and smiled.
"It's just another typical day in Gotham City."
End