Escape From Gotham City

[uncommon_sensei]

The trek out of hell takes longer than one might expect. All those twists and turns, and the natives aren't exactly reliable for directions. Shiva, Dragon, and Tim Drake have hauled themselves out of the infernal realms, though, with no further interference from Neron. Then back through Gotham Below - finally emerging from a dark alleyway in the

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[aflyinggrayson]

The Batmobile is back in the Cave, but no Bat. Who remains there is the one constant in the Bat family, and when Tim's call comes in, even he loses some of his stiff upper lip. "... Master Timothy???"

The degree of disbelief and hope in the old man's voice may imply to Tim how long he has been gone.

[jla_randoms]

The tone makes ice run down Tim's spine. The line is encrypted so it's safe to use names.

"Alfred! Where's Bruce!?"

Robin's tone communicated both the urgency and alarm he had been suppressing during combat.

" What's happened to Gotham? I'm in the East End on the roof of Fleischman's Bakery. Shiva and Richard Dragon are with me. I just took down the Tally Man. I think he was possessed or something. Shiva and Dragon and taking down Zsasz and Cicada, but everything is off. People are acting like zombies down there.

... Alfred, why are they calling Gotham 'New Apokolips'????"

He's already guessed at many of the answers, but he needs to hear it.

He needs to talk to Batman....

[aflyinggrayson]

"Master Timothy, you should come back to the roost immediately," is Alfred's only response, along with, "Do you require medical attention?"

[jla_randoms]

"I'm not hurt."

He looks up to do a quick reconnoiter of the city's crimson stained skyline.

"Alfred, Gotham is in a bad way. I can't just leave things as they are."

Plus, there's Shiva and Dragon. While the details escape him currently, he's pretty sure they were critical to him not being in Hell anymore. You don't just walk away from a debt like that.

Shiva knows where the Batcave is, but Dragon doesn't as far as Tim knows. He's loath to abandon the two but compromising the location of Bruce's sanctum, to say nothing of his identity, isn't an option either.

"I've got Shiva and Dragon's back right now."

..and where was Batman??

[aflyinggrayson]

A soft sigh comes from the other side of the channel. "Understood. But please have a care. The city is indeed, for the moment, lost. We do not wish to say the same of you."

[jla_randoms]

Hard lump in his throat.
Something in Alfred's voice, something in what he's not saying.
Tim pushes those rising fears aside and refocuses.

"You won't. I promise.

I'll check in in on the hour as I go. Robin out."

And with that, Robin goes over the side of the building. His grapple line catches the next building in mid fall and he swings to rejoin Shiva and Dragon.

[jla_miscreants]

"There you are you little punk! I've been looking all over for you!"

Electrocutioner had literally been all over the city block looking for Robin after Zsasz flat-out refused his help with Dragon.

'If he's alive, means Tally Man's down for the count. Alright, my turn."

He extends both hands out sending a bolt of electricity towards Robin.

[jla_randoms]

Throwing himself behind the nearby mailbox the moment he sees the creep's hands begin to spark saves Robin from a nasty case of electrocution.

Really wishing he loaded up his belt with heavier arsenal.
Why couldn't it be raining?

"Alright bug zapper, if you're hot to be next to go down then I can help you out."

A smoke bomb will have to do. Flicking the black orb in Electrocutioner's direction from behind his half melted cover, Robin waits a second for the smoker to go off and then dashes out to the left as he throws two Batarangs into the cloud. Careful to find cover behind an abandoned car, he takes those few moments of obscurement to review his surroundings looking for potential weapons and advantages.

[jla_miscreants]

Leonard knows better than to stay in the smoke, and rushes out of the cloud as quick as he can.

"I saw what you did to Tally Man earlier. Let me show you one of MY upgrades. Let there be light, bitch!"

He raises a hand, closes his eyes, and gives off a massive burst of electricity, illuminating the entire area with ultra-bright light.

[jla_randoms]

Flare suppressors in the lenses of Robins mask save his eyes, but his hand goes to his face as he pretends to have been caught by the flash. Expertly feigning a stumble backwards, he lets out a cry.

"Ahh!"

[jla_miscreants]

"Ha, I knew that'd get you out of hiding."

Upon seeing Robin, he unleashes a blast from his right hand, but keeps his left in reserve.

"Never killed a kid before, but then again if your dumb enough to wear THAT suit in THIS town, you're asking for it!"

[jla_randoms]

He breaks the act a split second before the bolt is released, using the bumper of the car next to him as a foothold to vault high into the air. In mid leap, he casts the bolla he had palmed and made ready. His off hand tosses the other end of the line and when it snags the nearby street light he lets go.

As the bola connects with Electrocutioner's arm, the conductive fibers in the line completes a circuit between the would be murderer and the gothic iron lamp post.

This is why Tim keeps telling Superboy to pay attention in science class.

Rolling, ducking and weaving, Robin doesn't stay still as he delivers his retort. "Not just anyone gets to put this outfit on sparky."

[jla_miscreants]

As Electrocutioner screams, he suddenly stops, and breaks out in a huge grin.

"I can fake pain too, kid. Like I said earlier, upgrade." He extends his free hand. He doesn't release a blast, instead the lamppost, which should be off, activates and blows up from overcharging. Robin's cable comes loose.

Leonard casually dusts himself off.

"Tell me little bird, got anything electronic in that belt?"

He then proceeds to do the same thing he did to the lamppost to Robin's tools.

[jla_randoms]

Damnit.

The three left compartments in his belt get ditched right as they start to short and explode. So much for calling Alfred on the hour..

Ok, no more Mister Nice Boy Wonder.

A Batarang gets tossed right at Electrocutioner's head and Robin uses the ploy to dash to the side and throw himself through the front window of the storefront near them. He's had allot of practice doing this kind of thing but even so he picks up a shallow cut along his arm. It's stings but it not serious.

Rolling back to his feet, he looses little of his momentum and charges deeper into the store.

Come and get me you giant tool.

[jla_miscreants]

Leonard just barely avoids hitting the batarang dead-on, but it still cuts his mask, and his cheek.

"Okay, you little fucker! I'm going to fill you with so much juice, your corpse will glow in the dark for days!"

Electrocutioner storms into the store, but still has enough sense not to tear through the place. He picks up a nearby CD player, charges it with electricity, and chucks it into the store like a grenade.

[jla_randoms]

Something moves in the far back of the store. The Electrocutioner can see a small trail of blood drops leading back in that direction.