Before We Grow

Saving Batman and Robin

"This has to be the most ridiculous thing," I muttered, "They're Batman and Robin, why haven't they just broken out?"
    Barbara and I were kneeling just outside of the entrance to the sewers. The locators had lead us here. Hopefully Dick and Bruce weren't swimming in sewage. Barbara had theorized that there was an abandoned treatment facility where Joker was hiding.
    "Right now, they're Bruce Wayne and Richard Grayson," Barbara replied, "They can't fight back without giving away their identities."
    I chuckled, "I am never letting them hear the end of this."
    "Me neither."
    Barbara moved to take the sewer top off. She jumped in first, closely followed by me. We landed on a concrete walkway lining the edge of the sewer. The sewer was more like it's own river.
    "This is disgusting," Barbara commented.
    I shrugged, "I've been in worse."
    "So have I, but still."
    She pulled a flashlight out of her utility belt. I followed her through the dark sewage pass. It was my job to watch her back as she watched our front and kept us from running into any walls.
    I followed her all the way to the end of the sewer line. There, it forked in two directions. Barbara glanced at her watch before leading us down the right end.
    By the time we made it to the abandoned treatment room, my nose had lost all sense of smell. Barbara had turned a tad bit green, but pressed on. Both of us were feeling slightly woozy by the time we made it to the door.
    "It's the sewer gas," Barbara admitted, "It's similar to chloroform."
    "Of course it is."
    The door was heavy metal, and locked with a steel rod. A small window was near the top, and grated with thin metal wires. Barbara, being the only one of the two of us tall enough, peered through the window.
    "Bruce and Dick are tied up in the middle of the room," Barbara sighed, "It's obviously a trap."
    I scoffed, "Probably for Batman and Robin, but, you know."
    Barbara shook her head, "It's up to us. There's a pipe that pops out right above them. The entrance should be just a few yards to the right," she pointed in the direction she spoke of, "You go through there, and I'll surprise attack through the door. You get Bruce and Dick untied, and I'll handle any attackers."
    I nodded, hurrying towards the area she spoke up. Sure enough, a large pipe was blocked with a metal grate. Green sewage rested on the bottom, but lucky it wasn't flowing anymore. Most of the sewage was hard and crusty, as if it had been fermenting for a few decades.
    I pulled the grate off and began to climb through the pipe. The sewage smell entered my nose, reawakening my smelling abilities. I did my best not to gag.
    "I swear to God, I'm never going to let Dick live this down," I shook a glop of green goo off my hand, "Whenever he asks for anything, I'll bring this up. 'Remember that time I climbed through literal feces to rescue you? Yeah, shut up.'"
    I had to climb a patch of vertical pipe. Luckily, the sides of the pipe had ridges made for climbing. I made it to the patch above Bruce and Dick just as the door hit the ground.
    "You're not Batman!" one henchmen shouted.
    I heard a smack and Barbara's voice shout, "He's got better things to do."
    That was my cue. With a few choice screws undone, I was able to separate the pipe enough to jump through. Beneath me, the battle was raging. Barbara was taking on at least twelve men at once, and several of those men had guns. She still held her own.
    Bruce and Dick were staring straight ahead. Their bounds could have easily been undone, but, as Barbara said, they had to keep their cover. Both were gagged, and Bruce had a split lip and bloody shoulder while Dick was developing a black eye.
    I landed next to them and hurried to undo the ropes. It was an easy knot, one tug and it fell loose. Bruce stood and shook off his gag, turning to glance at Barbara. Dick pulled off his gag and glared at me, "Not one word."
    "I am never letting you live this down," I chuckled, "Either of you."
    Bruce ignored me, "Joker set a trap, the room is to be filled with Joker gas in just under a minute."
    "Lovely," I whispered, "Alright you two completely innocent civilians that I definitely do not know, let's get you out of here."
    Dick rolled his eyes, but still had to keep the act up. I grabbed both of their wrists and began to drag them through the room. Every so often, a bad guy would surface, but I knocked him out with a kick. I managed to get Bruce and Dick to the door and out into the sewer lines without any damage.
    "Go South and turn left," I stated, "There's a ladder there that will take you up top. We'll handle this."
    Dick looked like he was about to say something, but Bruce interrupted him. He grabbed the boy's wrist and the two of them began to run. I returned to the sewage treatment room where Barbara was battling at least sixteen villains.
    "We have a problem," I told her, leaping into the middle of the group of bad guys.
    Barbara knocked out one of them, "You're just now getting that?"
    "No, I mean a different problem," I electrocuted one, "The room is going to be filled with Joker gas in less than thirty seconds."
    "Oh shit."
    "Batgirl, Robin-like girl I can never remember the name of," Joker's voice was amplified over several speakers placed around the room, "Prepare to laugh like you've never laughed before!"
    I growled, "My name is Blitz, for your information."
    "I don't care!"
    Joker's laugh was terrifying. Every time I heard it, my body ached in all the spots he broke or stabbed. That would never go away, but I could overcome it.
    Barbara slapped her respirator on just as the room began to be filled with gas. I scrambled for mine, slamming it on just in time. A new door came out from the wall the old door was on, making me believe Joker planned for this. He cackled as we knocked out his henchmen.
    "What's the plan?" I asked, drop-kicking one of the henchmen.
    Barbara slammed her fist into another, "Get out the way you came in."
    "Alright, twenty feet off the ground, no big deal."
    "We have wires."
    I nodded. We finished knocking out the bad guys and began towards the pipe. Barbara shot her wire out, grabbed the back of my shirt, and zoomed us both up. We were in the pipe before the gas even had a chance to reach us.
    "Did you get them out?" Barbara asked.
    I nodded, "Yes, I got them out of the room and they handled it from there."
    Barbara followed me as I lead her through the pipe. This time, the sludge on the bottom didn't bother me. We sped through quicker than lightning.
    When I popped out on the other side, I was instantly met with a hard punch to my cheek. I tumbled to the side, shouting, "Bad guys at ten o'clock!"
    Barbara came out kicking. She knocked out the guy who hit me while I shocked another sneaking up on her. They were down easier than the others, and we began to run through the sewers again.
    "Not so fast," Joker still spoke over the speakers, "You're in my game, and you can't get out until I say you've won."
    Barbara sneered. I crossed my arms, huffing loudly, "I told you we shouldn't have gone."
    "Blitz, please."
    I shrugged. Joker's laughed filled the caverns. I glanced towards the nearest speaker, my eyes running over the water. Ripples came in waves, almost as if something was swimming towards us.
    "I'm so done," I muttered.
    Barbara glanced at me, "What are you-oh no."
    She saw the figure coming as well. As she reached for her tasers, the biggest crocodile-man hybrid I've ever seen came lunging from the water. He roared loudly, and pounced on us. Barbara and I successfully dove out of the way.
    "Killer Croc!" Barbara exclaimed, "Blitz, run!"
    I scowled, "Not without you!"
    Croc roared again, slashing at Barbara. She dove out of the way, throwing Batarangs at him. He had his attention on her, allowing me to run up behind him. I amplified the charge in my gloves and grabbed his tail. Electric waves ran up his bones, making him cry out.
    "Take that, you overgrown lizard!"
    Croc flung his tail. I was launched against a wall, hitting my back and hearing a distinct crunch in my rib cage. Groaning, I rolled over on the ground, "that's not going to feel good."
    "Blitz, the water!" Barbara shouted.
    I gazed up at her. She was currently sitting on Croc's back, stabbing him with Batarangs. Croc was standing knees deep in thick sewage water. Barbara's plan brought a grin to my face.
    "Get off!" I shouted, "Now!"
    Barbara swung onto one of the metal pipes on the roof. Croc was distracted by her, giving me enough time to maximize the charge in my gloves and boots. There was no way for me to jump in with them on without getting electrocuted with Croc. So, I simply maxed out the charge, took off all four, and flung them into the water. They would be broken, but I could fix them. For now, all that mattered was getting Barbara and me out alive.
    The electricity surged through the water. Croc screamed, convulsed, and hit the dirt. After a few seconds, the electricity stopped. Barbara swung down from the pipes and grinned, "Nice job, Blitz."
    "Thanks, Batgirl."
    The electric charge had fully gone. I quickly stepped into the water, doing my best to ignore the slime moving through my toes, and grabbed my weapons. Barbara retrieved her batarangs as Joker whined over the speakers.
    "You two are no fun," he whined.
    Batgirl frowned, "You'll think differently when we send you to Arkham."
    "Not again!"
    The speakers died. Batgirl brushed the sludge off her suit and said, "The police are up top. They'll take Croc and Joker to Arkham."
    "Thank God," I muttered, "I'm so tired."
    "Me too. Come on, let's go home."