The Aster {Book 1 & 2} (Batman/Joker/Robin/Batgirl story)

1.10. Batman

"She's coming around."

I feel kinda sick. And light headed. And tired. I remember exactly what happened. Oh shit. Batman, the gun, the stabbing in my neck, the red and green...

Where am I? With the police? Oh God, anywhere but with the police.

I open my eyes.

I'm lying on something that resembles a hospital bed in an old fashioned room filled with clinical equipment. The air stinks of antiseptic.

Standing over me is Batman and Robin.

"I'll kill you," I hiss. "I'll kill you."

"Where's Batgirl?" Robin yells, grabbing me by the scanty blue hospital gown I'm wearing.

"You'll never find her," I reply through a curled lip.

"Robin, you should leave." Batman lays a hand on his shoulder and pulls him off me.

"Fine," he glares at me before leaving through a large, ornate wooden door, slamming it behind him.

I clench my fists as Batman slowly comes and sits down on the end of the bed.

"You've been out for thirty-six hours."

Thirty-six hours? Shit. Mom will be going nuts, she'll have called the police. I can't face the police, I can't face Mom or Dad... I'd rather be killed.

"I'm sorry," he says softly. "That night I was tracking a man who had kidnapped two little girls. A matter of seconds could have been the difference between life of death for them."

I take a slow, deep breath.

"Did you save them?"

"No," he whispers.

"So my sister died for nothing."

He's quiet for a moment.

"I'm sorry that you had to watch someone you love be killed right in front of you."

That makes me mad, that makes me so mad. With as much strength as I can muster I throw my fists at him, hitting his rock solid body over and over again, tears beginning to flood down my face.

"It's not that she was killed right in front of me! It's that she was killed right in front of you!"

He grabs me and pulls me into him and I just give up and bury my head into his shoulder and cry properly for the first time since Sally was killed. I can't fight anymore. I don't even want to live anymore.

"I can help you," he says quietly. "If you tell me where Batgirl is."

"I don't want your help!" I pull away from him and scramble as far back onto the bed as I can.

"But you need it. Just tell me where Batgirl is," his voice suddenly isn't so friendly anymore. "Or would you rather I handed you into Commissioner Gordon?"

I roughly wipe all the tears off my face. I feel incredibly vulnerable without my mask, but I'm not gonna let it show.

"Without me she'll die."

"Then tell me."

I bite my lip.

"She's... there's a row of abandoned houses behind the river, on the north side. She's in number seven."

He glances over to the door. I guess Robin or someone must be listening. Stupid, stupid idiot. Crying like that, you're so stupid.

"You made the right choice."

I don't respond. I don't want to, I don't know what to say anymore.

"I'd like you to work with us."

I almost physically jump out of my skin.

"What?" I talk to him like he's gone crazy, because honestly, I think he has. Even the goddamn self righteous Batman can't be this forgiving.

"You've proved you're more than capable. And..." he looks me straight in the eye." You've founded an alliance with The Joker. That could be very useful to us."

I open my eyes crazy wide and tap a finger against my head. Wft?

"Are you fucking serious? He'll kill me the second I go near him again!"

Batman shakes his head.

"No, he won't. The Joker doesn't like to work alone, and now Harley Quinn is back in Arkham he'll be looking for a new ally. You've already proved yourself worthy, all you need to do is get him to believe you're on his side."

I process this for a second. At least I try to.

"Why should I help you?"

He pauses.

"Because I know what you're going through. You need to channel that energy into doing something good before you give in to the darkness."

I rub my forehead and close me eyes. For the first time ever in my life, I don't know. I don't know what to do, I don't know what to say-

"Okay." The word comes out of my mouth before I even realise I'm saying it.

Batman stands and for a second I'm not quite sure what he's gonna do, in the back of my mind I'm scared he'll hurt me.

But he just walks over to the door and leaves.

What? Is that it? Is that all I get? What the hell happens now?

I wait for a few minutes and listen. In the distance I can hear someone beginning to argue. Shit, I can't hear it from here, I've got to get closer if I want to make out what they're saying.

As carefully as I possibly can I get up from the bed and tread as carefully as I can over the old wooden floorboards over to the door. I press my ear up to the carved brass lock as close as I can but the words are still too muffled to decipher. There's at least two voices though. The main voice, that is, the one doing most of the shouting is younger, I'm guessing it must be Robin.

I don't know if this is a good idea or not, but what the hell. I open the door and step out into a grand corridor, lined with wooden doors just like my one. Crap, what is this place?

Suddenly, the big glass door at the end of the corridor opens and Robin storms through with Batgirl supported on his shoulder.

She's wrapped in his cape, she looks about half dead.

They both see me at the exact same moment. Batgirl quickly looks away and tries to distract Robin, but he fixes his eyes on mine and starts to stare me down. If he thinks I'm going to blush and look away, then he's picked the wrong person to play games like this with.

As they get closer I stand my ground, and Robin only breaks his death glare as they turn into the room opposite mine.

Just as I'm about to turn back into my room someone grabs my arm.

"I just want you to know I don't trust you," Robin snarls, "and I don't like you."

"Dick..." Batgirl whispers, stepping over and attempting weakly to pull him away.

I stay silent.

"I thought you might want this back." He roughly pushes my mask and the other parts of my costume into my chest. "Aster."

He turns back to Batgirl and they turn into the room, slamming the door behind them.

Well, I don't like you either Robin. But you're right not to trust me, you're really right.

***

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