The Lair of the Huntress

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The Gauntlet

Dick Grayson looked down nervously and saw thousands of people looking back up at him. He took in a deep breath and firmly gripped the cold steel attached by cables to a pair of huge metal rods in the roof of the tent. He looked out over the open air that separated him from another man, who was hanging upside down from the trapeze on the other side. Looking beside him briefly, he saw a warm smile from a slim woman next to him. With his confidence fully restored he swung across the massive space, executed a perfect triple somersault, and landed in the strong arms of the other man; all done without a safety net. The man smiled proudly at Dick as the crowd cheered in amazed approval. The man released his son and Dick twirled in mid-air, snagging the other trapeze as it flew past. The woman who smiled at him before was waiting for Dick when he returned to the platform. She gave him a huge embrace, then she, herself, took hold of the trapeze he used and swung out towards her husband, executing a daring feat all her own. As Dick watched, transfixed on the act, he saw the rope which held the trapeze the man was occupying start to snap from his weight. The woman, oblivious to the danger, let go of her trapeze, performed a daring flying angel manoeuvre, and was caught by the waiting hands of her husband. Before the couple knew what was happening, the rope broke and the two performers plummeted seventy metres down to the hard ground in the centre ring.

"MOM!! DAD!!" Dick shouted, but to no avail. "NO!!!!!!!" Amongst surprised gasps and sobs from the crowd, there was another sound; a peculiar sound that didn't belong. Teary eyed Dick turned around and saw a huge transparent face of Tony Zucco looming towards him.

"NO!! STAY AWAY!! YOU'RE NOT REAL!!" Dick shouted, his eyes widening in fear. He was backing away from the ghostly being and soon he was at the edge of the platform. "YOU'RE NOT REAL! YOU'RE NOT -" Forgetting how close he was to the edge he took another step back and fell off the ledge; down seventy metres to the ground. "AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH,... NOOOOOOOOOOO!!" he screamed as the platform grew smaller and smaller, the image of Zucco laughing mockingly above him, the hard floor rushing up to meet him...

"NOOOOOOOOOOOO!!!" With a jolt, Dick opened his eyes and tried to look around, but his foggy vision prevented him from seeing anything. He shook his head and rubbed his eyes in an attempt to speed up the process. When his vision had cleared somewhat, he saw that he was in his room at Wayne Manor, his pillow bunched up under him, wet from his tears and sweat.

He turned his head and looked at the digital clock on the dresser beside his bed. The glowing red digits read 05:00; the dead of night. It was still dark and the time for demons was here.

Breathing heavily, lacking the sleep he needed to function properly, Dick buried his head in his already drenched pillow and prayed for morning to come, his muffled crying echoing within the dark room. * * * * * * *

"Are you sure this is the place?" Tony Zucco asked cautiously. He, the Joker and two of the clown's henchmen were in the middle of breaking into an old warehouse that was rumoured by the underworld to be the chosen headquarters of the Master of Fear, the Scarecrow.

"What??? You would doubt me??" The Joker faced Zucco with a shocked look. "I'm hurt! Me, the one who took you; treated you like family. And look what you give me in return!" The Joker broke out into maniacal laughter, although nothing funny was said to make him crack up.

"You're insane, clown!" Zucco spat out the words. "What're we doing here anyway? We've got no time to be fooling around here with-"

The Joker practically shoved his head into Zucco's face. "Do you want the Boy Wonder or not?!" he yelled. Zucco shrunk back in fear, nodding his head. "Then do as I say or else you'll taste my wrath instead of the Batman!" he snarled, the grin leaving his face for a split second.

"Hey boss, I don't think he's home." One of the henchmen, who's name was Rocco, was shining his flashlight into the dark recesses of the abandoned building. The other henchman, his name being Murph, was doing the same.

The Joker looked at them as if they'd lost all the brains they'd ever had. "You idiots!" Pushing past them, he said, "Of course he's here, you fools, he's just hiding 'cuz he knows we're looking for him!"

Rocco and Murph split up so they could search the whole warehouse, both of them in a friendly competition to see who could capture the prize first. The Joker just stood in the middle of the warehouse, Zucco beside him, watching his two goons at work.

"Yoohoo,... Professor Crane,... come out, come out wherever you are!" the Joker sang off key. Zucco just looked at him weirdly. They didn't notice the figure sticking out of the crevice created by two huge wooden crates in the far right corner.

"They're after my fear toxin, I just know it!" the Scarecrow was cowering in fear at the sight of the troupe of weirdos, his special fear toxin in a vial gripped in his hand. Not only was he fearful of the Joker, but there were no lights on in the warehouse and he was petrified of the dark.

"Mmprgh...!" Suddenly a massive hand gripped him firmly over the mouth. The Scarecrow's eyes widened in surprise and fear. He was dragged out from his dark hiding place.

"Hey boss, I got'em!" Rocco was beaming happily at the Joker, as the terrified Crane squirmed futilely in his arms.

"Excellent!" The Joker laughed maliciously. He turned his attention to the Scarecrow. "Why, hello, professor. Long time no see! HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!"

The Scarecrow tried to put on a bold face. Gulping back all his fears and emotions, he said, "What do you want, Joker?" He still gripped the vial of the toxin tightly.

With another wild laugh, the Joker stared at Scarecrow right in the eye and he felt his captive's fears bubbling over. "Why Professor Crane! Don't tell me you're as dumb as these guys!" Rocco and Murph looked confused as he said this. The Joker noticed. "Oh, nevermind," he sighed. "Nobody's as dumb as these two. These guys are the Kings of dumbness!" His voice turned mean. "Hand over the vial." He reached out his hand to take the vial of fear toxin.

Professor Crane shook his head. "No, I can't! I won't let you have it!" He gripped the vial tightly and held it close to his body.

"Wwwhaaattt?!?" In his anger, the Joker let loose a devastating uppercut to the Scarecrow's chin, knocking his head back and against a concrete wall. Rocco let go of Crane; the limp form falling to the cold floor, blood oozing from a deep wound in his head.

"Oooo,... that's gonna hurt in the morning, HAHAHAHAHAHA." Zucco just looked at him in shock. His two henchmen, on the other hand, were clapping and cheering wildly. "Thank you, thank you, you're too kind!" The Joker made a few exaggerated bows to his audience then grabbed the vial of fear toxin that had fallen, unharmed, to the floor. "Let's go,.. I've got what I came for." The Joker and his henchmen strutted out of the warehouse, Zucco following close behind. The still form of the Scarecrow was left bleeding in the shadows; as flashlights lit up the area ten minutes later.

A beam of light fell on the still form of the Scarecrow; a light belonging to one of five police officers who'd arrived at the scene.

"Montoya, radio for an ambulance." The voice was that of Detective Harvey Bullock of the GCPD; his flashlight illuminating the body.

Reaching for her radio, a Spanish police woman started talking to the despatcher. "This is Officer Montoya; badge number 357. We have an 11-8 on the corner of Hyde and Pearson in the abandoned Ace Hydraulics warehouse. An ambulance is requested. The victim is ID'ed as being one Professor Crane, and has acquired serious bodily harm... " * * * * * * *

"... with massive injuries to the head. Still not out of a coma so at present we don't know who or what did this to him," the Commissioner was saying. "If we hadn't gotten there in time, he'd be dead by now."

His nightly visitor paced around on the rooftop, appearing deep in thought. "Why would anyone want to knock off the Scarecrow? How's he involved in this?"

In the dim light of the Batsignal, the Commissioner seemed equally puzzled. He sighed, "Well, we'll never know until Crane wakes up."

Batman nodded. "You're right. That's the only way," he stated. "I even searched the warehouse when your men were finished. Nothing there to implicate anyone in this assault." Batman turned his back to Commissioner Gordon and prepared to leave. "Let me know immediately if Crane regains consciousness."

"Wait, Batman, I have to ask you something."

The Dark Knight turned halfway towards his ally, leaving part of him in the shadows, and the other half in the light. "Go ahead."

Commissioner Gordon turned towards his friend and looked him straight in the eye. "This might seem like an intruding question, but, I'm curious." He took a deep breath before speaking. "I'd like to know why, every time Tony Zucco is involved, both you and Robin seem,... quieter,... sombre,.. well, you get the idea."

Batman's eyes flashed. "Jim, I'm sorry, but,... I can't answer that at the moment. It would... jeopardize our identities if I said." He turned back into the full shadow. "I hope you understand." He removed a grapnel from his utility belt and fired the hook at a weather-beaten stone gargoyle a few buildings away. He leapt off the roof of the police station and swung away into the night, leaving the Commissioner staring after him in worried curiosity.

Morning came. Batman returned long before the sun rose and, down in the cave, he was watching the early morning news on the big screen.

"And in other news," the newscaster was saying, "Professor Crane is still in a coma after being brutally beaten by an unknown assailant. So far the police are baffled as to who committed this vicious assault. Coming up next, a new discovery in the solar system. Will these pictures prove that we aren't alone..." All of a sudden, the screen turned fuzzy. "We interrupt this program for a special broadcast..." Soon, the Joker's head filled up the entire area of the screen.

"Hellooooo citizens of Gotham City," the Joker's annoying voice resounded against the walls of the cave, creating high pitched echoes that could deafen anybody listening. "I've got a special message for you, Bats, so you'd better be watching." He stuck his entire face in the camera, his voice turning menacing, "Meet me at the top of the Jackknife bridge near Lady Gotham tonight at 11:00. And you'd better come or else I'll go on a killing spree and you'll be the one to blame! HAHAHAHA!!!"

Soon the station resumed it's broadcasting with the early news; pictures of the surfaces of two new planets, each one containing the remains of ancient buildings.

While the Joker's broadcast was airing, Batman had been watching it raptly, his attention fully zoned in on the clown. Now, his eyes were narrow slits as he touched a dark gloved finger on the arm of the chair, switching off the T.V. Without another word he got up from the chair and melted into the dark recesses of the cave. * * * * * * *

For Dick, the afternoon was quiet. Actually, a little too quiet; something he didn't really like. When he exited his room at ten o'clock that morning, he'd noticed that he had the whole house to himself. Alfred had gone shopping, and Bruce was at a WayneTech board meeting, hoping to strike a deal with one of the neighbouring companies. Lucky me, he thought to himself. It was lonely being in the manor with no one around, considering its size. He had realized that from the moment he moved into the mansion nine years ago, and it still made him uneasy to be in there all alone. Not that he was afraid of being alone, no it wasn't that. But after the dreams he'd been having lately, being alone wasn't exactly the best thing for him.

Feeling bored, he wandered into the den, flopped himself on the couch, and turned on the wide screen T.V., hoping that the surround sound would keep him company. Channel surfing was something that he always did, which Alfred didn't approve of. Whenever the faithful butler entered the den and saw Dick with the remote in his hand, the "channel up" button pressed firmly under his thumb, and the images flickering rapidly across his face, he would scold the boy and tell him that it's bad for his eyes to stare at the screen like that; not to mention wear out the batteries in the remote quicker.

The jingle of keys outside the front door shook Dick out of his thoughts and he released his hold on the "channel up" button, stopping the images from shooting across the screen. Alfred entered the house a few minutes later, carrying two large bags of groceries in each arm, and headed for the kitchen.

"Good morning, Master Dick," Alfred called from inside the kitchen. "I trust you've slept well?"

Dick got up from the couch and placed the remote on the end table beside him. He let out a huge yawn and stretched the kinks out of his back. "Heh, I wish."

"Well I just thought that you might have had a good rest, since when Master Bruce and I left earlier this morning, the door to your room was shut all the way and we just assumed that you were enjoying a pleasant slumber."

Dick walked into the kitchen and found Alfred taking his purchases out of the shopping bags. The butler picked up two of the four cans of Del Monte peaches he'd bought and placed them on the top shelf above the sink. "Might I inquire, young sir, how have you been sleeping lately?" He turned around and looked at Dick squarely. "I know this whole Zucco affair has been an ordeal for you, and both the Master and myself were wondering how you're dealing with it."

Dick sighed heavily. "Well, to tell you the truth, Alfred," he began, "I hate it." He walked to the counter by the sink and hoisted himself onto it. "With the lack of sleep, I'm not functioning properly. I won't be of any more use to Batman as a partner. The dreams I've been having are,... well,... scary."

"Oh, I don't wonder." Alfred walked around the island in the middle of the kitchen, two cartons of milk in his hands, and started for the huge refrigerator dominating a good portion of the left side of the room. "With all those horrible night hauntings you've been having, I wouldn't doubt that you aren't becoming fond of them."

"It's like I'm being punished for something, but I don't know what!" Dick balled his hands into fists, and they shook involuntarily. "I can't keep up like this, Alfred. I'm going to go insane if this doesn't stop."

The older man stopped handling the groceries for a few minutes; he looked at Dick with concern. "You'll get through this, I assure you. The Master and I are here for you whenever you need us. Those nightmares you've been having will probably go away sooner than you think. Believe me, I know. I've had the same trouble with Master Bruce when he was your age."

"What trouble is that?" a deep voice inquired. Both Dick and Alfred turned at the sound. The huge form of Bruce stood framed in the doorway.

"Master Bruce!" Alfred greeted warmly. "You're home early." He resumed putting the groceries away. "I trust your meeting was a success?"

Bruce stepped into the room. "That's right, Alfred. As of this minute WayneTech now owns part of Clarkson Enterprises down in Metropolis. I left Lucius Fox to take care of the details back at the office." He reached out and ruffled Dick's hair. "Hey, Dick. What've you been up to today?"

Dick greeted the older man with a wry smile. "Not much, actually. Just sat in the den watching T.V."

"And surfing the channels again, I might add," Alfred cut in briefly. "You know, we practically go through four packs of batteries a week for that bloody remote control! I suggest you stop wearing them out so quickly. And another thing,... it's so bad for your eyesight if you keep it up. I wouldn't be surprised if you ended up going blind in the next couple of weeks!"

"Yes, Alfred," Dick answered with a mischievous grin. The two younger men smiled at each other at the prim butler's futile attempts at being cross.

"Now out you two. I have to prepare dinner after I've put these groceries away," Alfred scolded. "And you'll do nothing but get in my way." With that, he went back to work sorting out his purchases and separately putting them where they belonged in his orderly kitchen.

At around seven o'clock dinner was served and, while they ate, Bruce related to Dick what the Joker had said during his mysterious broadcast that morning.

"So I suggest that tonight we swing by the bridge and see exactly what that clown has been planning," he was saying.

"But Bruce," Dick said after he took a swig of some peach juice Alfred had placed in front of him moments ago. "Sometimes the Joker doesn't mean what he says. Maybe he's bluffing. This could just be a way to get our attention off the real caper here."

"No Dick. With the Joker involved we shouldn't take chances." He wiped his mouth with the clean handkerchief on his lap. Pushing out his chair he said, "That was a good meal, Alfred. Thanks." Dick followed suit and soon they were heading into Bruce's father's study to the entrance to the Cave.

"Happy to oblige, sir," Alfred was saying as the two shut the door behind them.

"You sure you know what you're doing?" Tony Zucco whined in his annoying voice to the Joker. "I mean, what if they don't come? Maybe they think it's a trick and the whole plan will backfire on us?"

"If you don't shut up, Zucco, you're going to end up being in much worse condition than the straw man," the Joker growled.

"But Joker. Think about the possibilities. They won't show up!"

"Haven't you heard me the first time?!" the clown shouted. "SHUT UP! You're annoying! Why did I even include you in my gang! I must have been crazy to let someone as you hang around with me!" Suddenly he grinned maliciously at Zucco. "Wait a minute,... wait just a doggone minute! When have you ever contributed one good thought to this whole caper? Never! All you've been doing is whining! Whining so much that you're giving me a migraine!" He pulled out a gun, cocked it, and placed it next to Zucco's temple. Tony was trembling all over. "Change of plans Tony-boy. No more playing around. This is the big leagues, boy, and you're playing by the Joker's rules....."

Next: The concluding chapter - Resolutions