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

1.9. One Chance

Within seconds we're speeding away from the warehouse, I think I can hear gunshots echoing behind us, but the roar of the engine is so loud I can't be sure.

I bend over and stiffly finish off untying the cord from my ankles before curling up defensively in the black leather seat, trying to keep my face away from Batman.

"Barbara, what did he do to you?"

Barbara? God, I never even thought what her name is. I guess I did, I just didn't think it would be anything so... normal.

"I don't..." I do my best to imitate her voice, and shaking my head and pull my knees up to my chest. I try not to look around the inside of the car, but it is difficult.

"Barbara," Batman reaches out and tries to put a hand on my shoulder but I flinch away. Batgirl doesn't want him touching her, she doesn't fucking want to talk about what the Joker did to her.

And I don't want him fucking touching me either.

I glance out of the windscreen. We're heading out of Gotham city. God, I didn't even think about where he's going to take me. Though it doesn't really matter I guess at this point.

I start to shake my head and put it between my knees again.

"What did you do to you?" His question from earlier is repeated, only this time it's through gritted teeth, he's angry.

"I don't want to talk about it," I whisper, keeping my eyes fixed to the ground.

Suddenly the car stops. Okay, I've gotta stop calling it a car, but I don't really know what else to call it.

Despite every instinct in my body telling me to look up I wait a while. Batgirl will have seen it all thousand times over. A rush of cold air waves over me as the Batmobile's roof lifts and Batman gets out.

That's when I look up. And I can't quite believe what I'm seeing. High up above me is a rough, damp looking stone ceiling which curves round to form an immense cave. The car is stopped right at the end of a road surrounded by a precipice and as I get out I try to avoid looking down.

Batman has gone over to some computers in the far corner of the cave, next to a large stone staircase, and with his back to me, is looking at some maps on a small eye level screen.

Perfect.

I slowly start to walk up to him, reaching slowly to the back of my belt and pulling out the small black gun.

Nothing else from this point matters. Nothing. This is what you came for, and lets face it, you're probably not gonna make it out of this place alive.

So this shot has got to count.

When I'm within arms length of him I start to raise the gun. He doesn't turn round, doesn't suspect a thing.

And then I leap forward, grab him by the neck and press the cold barrel into the bare exposed skin on his cheek.

"Barbara! What-?!"

"I'm not Batgirl," I hiss into his ear, using all my strength to keeping him pulled down.

"Then who are you?" He says calmly, cool like nothing is happening, like nothing is about to happen.

"It doesn't matter who I am. What matters is you're about to die."

He shifts a little, and I push the gun harder into his face, so hard I can feel his teeth through the skin of his cheek.

"If I'm going to die... the least I deserve is to know who you are, and why."

His steady tone makes me start to shake, I'm so angry, I want him to be scared, I want him to know I'm really going to do this.

"Oh, you wanna know why? You wanna know why I'm gonna kill you?" My voice is beginning to sound deranged. "Do you remember a girl with long dark hair begging you to help her just before she was stabbed to death? Do you remember there was a girl with red hair behind her?"

"Oh." His face falls.

Is that all I get? Is that all I fucking get?

"I'm sorry," he says quietly.

"You're sorry? You're fucking sorry?" I have to stop myself laughing irrationally as I speak. "Do you know what it feels like to watch that happen to someone you love?"

"Maybe more than you think." He turns his head a little to face me but I keep the gun firmly in place. "But this isn't the route to go down. Revenge is only going to make the pain worse."

"No, you're wrong," I shake my head. "Nothing is better than revenge."

Suddenly there's a terrible stabbing pain in my neck and before I know it Batman has ducked away and the room is spinning.

No.

The last thing I see before the floor hits me in the face is a flash of red and green. And the funny thing is, I don't care anymore.

All I want is to give in to this blackness and never wake up.