No Time For Jokers || Young Justice ||

No Time For Jokers

The screen in the room went dark abruptly. Batman looked at it in confusion, as did the Justice League and the Young Justice. Everyone was surprised by the sudden cut in power. Then it turned back on again, only to show the Joker in its place. Someone gasped, and Batman growled lowly, taking a step forward.

"Joker," he snarled. "What do you want?"

A few faces went pale and nobody dared say anything. They all knew Batman had been pissed since Robin went missing two days ago. The older hero was most definitely not to be angered any further than he already was. Joker was treading on thin ice. Very thin ice.

"Now, now," Joker smirked. "Don't be so hasty, Batsie. It doesn't suit you," he cackled.

Batman kept his mouth shut. Joker was visibly surprised. But then the clown smirked in a sickening way and Batman grimaced.

"I see the Bat is worried for his little Birdie," the Joker said happily.

The clown clapped in his hands and took a sweeping step to the side to reveal their missing member. The room gasped as Robin was unveiled. He was tied to a chair, unconscious and visibly bleeding from several scrapes and small cuts. His utility belt, shoes and gloves were removed. His clothes were ripped to shreds, barely keeping him decent and his cape was missing. His mask was, luckily, still on his face. Batman growled low in his throat, gloved hands tightening into fists.

"What did you do to him!" he snarled at the Joker, eyes filled with hate.

Joker laughed sinisterly, in a way that only he could. It sounded creepy, unearthly and insane. Nobody in the room was comfortable hearing it. Joker went to stand behind Robin and stroked a gloved hand over the boy's face. Robin moaned a little in pain and his eyes fluttered open, though he clearly didn't see much.

"Such a lovely little Birdie, don't you agree, Batsie?" Joker cackled teasingly, gripping Robin's chin in his hand to turn the boy's head his way.

Batman growled, "If you touch him again I'll-"

"You'll what, Batsie? Hurt me?" Joker laughed. "You can't even kill me."

Batman knew Joker was right. He couldn't kill him. It would go against his moral code. But he was so very tempted to snap the clown's neck right then and there. He just wasn't there. And it vexed the Bat to no end.

"If you would hurt me," Joker spoke up, catching their attention again. "Would you do it like this?" he asked.

He had grabbed a crowbar and was now swinging it over his head. Batman gasped, lunging for the screen even though he couldn't touch it. A few others followed his lead. Joker hit the recorder, making it fall to the ground. The footage now only showed Robin's feet. A sickening sound followed the clatter of the camera. It was the sound of bones breaking and the screaming of a boy. Batman felt like he could throw up any second. Hysterical laughter followed the scream and then the screen went completely black, and it stayed black.

Everyone looked at Batman, Batman looked at the screen. His face was unreadable, and a few of the older heroes looked increasingly worried.

"We have to trace the video feed," Aqualad piped up.

Batman seemed to have been pulled from his stupor by that comment and he shot one last look at the screen before running to his computer and inputting all sorts of commands. A few minutes passed in silence.

"Found it," Batman then said, turning to the group behind him.

"Let us go, we are his teammates," Aqualad said. "We will bring him home."

Batman looked at the small team. Kid Flash, Aqualad, Zatanna, Miss Martian, Superboy and Artemis. They looked dead serious and Batman knew they would retrieve Robin, no matter what. Batman agreed, as long as they took an adult with them. Black Canary volunteered, and they went about getting ready as fast as they could. They were gone within the hour, and Batman was left behind with the remaining members of the Justice League. He knew the Young Justice could bring back his son, he had faith. He wanted to go, he wanted to save his son himself, but he couldn't. He had to be Bruce Wayne for the remainder of the day. Putting on a mask, hiding his true self as Batman, waiting for the team to bring home his son.