Gotham Knights: featuring Batman and Robin:

"Obsession" part 2 of 2

Story and Script by: Richard Gutierrez

Batman, and all prominent characters, TM and © copyright DC Comics INC. 1998, all rights reserved

Gotham City. Sunday, January 9th, 1999 7:15 PM

For all those who have either lived near or thought of this dark place, feelings of fear and absolute terror skewer their souls like red-hot daggers through their eyes. Imagine, if you will, what the residences of this most foul place must by going through. The never-ending drugs and nonstop isolation from the other patients. Being constantly psychoanalyzed by doctors who are here to "cure" the "incurable" of their murderous tendencies. It has been said that even the strongest among us would become "unstable" in this dean of insanity. Sometimes it’s hard to tell who is the staff…and who are the inmates.

Guard 1: (banging his nightstick against an old rusty pipe, outside the front door of the asylum): Hey, did you hear how the big, bad bat caught…ohh, what’s his name?

Guard 2: (eating a bologna and cheese sandwich): The Penguin?

Guard 1: No… you know the one I’m talking about…the one with the skin condition.

Guard 2: *chomp* Killa Croc?

Guard 1: Nope you dope. The one with the darn coin?

Robyn (from the shadows): That would be Two-Face.

Guard 1: Yea that’s it…wait a minute. Who said that? Come out where I can see you?

Robyn: Sure thing.

Robyn steps from the shadows into full view of the two guards.

Guard 2: (choking on his sandwich): Argch *cough* arghcgh *cough*.

Robyn: Can you see me know?

The guards look and see a very slim and sexy red headed female standing in front of them. She is dressed in a tight pair of green jeans and red sweater. She starts to walk over to them.

Guard 1: Can I help you little lady?

Robyn: That depends…can you get me inside to see the Joker?

Guard 2: *cough* wait a minute ma’am *cough* We can’t do that.

Robyn: Oh really? We’ll see about that.

Robyn walks over to guard 1 and whispers in his ear…

Robyn: whisper..and then…whisper…with pictures…whisper…

Guard 2: Hey, what are you telling him?

Guard 1: Mind your own business. You where saying.

Guard 2: That’s enough of that.

Guard 1: Excuse me a minute, darling…

Guard 1: Now where were we?

Robyn: You where going to get me inside to see the Joker and I was going to give you…well I already told you what I would do for you.

Guard 1: Yes you did. Listen, go around the back to the service entrance. I’ll meet you there in 10 minutes.

Robyn: Deal.

The guard takes off inside the Asylum like a bat out of Hell…of course, he’s actually going into Hell…

Robyn: (to self, running around the back) Men are such pigs! My love, Batman, would never stoop to base animal urges like that. He would never be manipulated by sex. He’s so wonderful. He’ll see how much he needs me after I bust the Joker out and then help recapture him. I hope he’s not to mad at me for what I did to that little punk Robin a couple of nights ago. * I know the snot escaped my trap but once I show Batman that I’m the only partner for him…it’ll be all over for the "Boy Wonder". Heh, the "Boy Wonder". Someone is full of himself.

*For more info check out Issue #1 of Gotham Knights….GUTE SAYS!

Guard 1: (opening the service entrance door) pssit..over here angel. This way.

Robyn: On my way…

With that, Robyn willingly enters Arkham Asylum, and begins the long dark walk down to the lower levels of the massive structure. She calmly pass the cells of other infamous inmates like Poison Ivy, Scarecrow, and Killer Croc focused on your only goal…the Joker. As the guard leads her down a long dark hall, quietly past the other guards on duty, she can hear the laughter in the distance.

She walks closer and with each step the laughter gets louder and louder. The hairs on the back of her neck stand on end as the laughter crescendos into full blown hysteria as the guard shows Robyn the cell.

Guard 1: Well, here you go darling. Now how ‘bout you and me go somewhere and you can…

Robyn: I don’t think so.

Robyn kicks the guard in the groin and clocks him on the back of his head with a double-fisted smash. The guard slumps to the ground unconscious.

Joker: (from inside the cell): My my…what a punch you have there my dear. Tell me, does your father know your walking around wearing that outfit?

Robyn: Quiet the noise Joker. I’m not here to make small talk. I’m here to get you out. Now back away from the cell door.

The Joker backs away, as the young lady sticks a couple of dynamite packets to the walls and door of the Joker’s cell.

The force of the explosion rocks the entire structure and all the alarms go off..

Joker: You know, I don’t know why I never thought of this as a means to escape before. It’s brilliantly insane! And everyone knows that I’m insanely brilliant! Just have someone walk in the front door and attach some dynamite to my cell walls and…Boom! I’m free. Do I do this, nah, I have to poison guards and trick the doctors and kill people! What was I thinking?

Robyn: (grabbing the Joker by his wrist and heading down the hall): Would you shut up! I need to concentrate and remember the lay out of this place. Let’s see, if I go down this hallway and turn right then left we should be…in a mess of trouble.

As Robyn and the Joker turn a corner, they are met by the well-armed Arkham staff, lead by Jeremiah Arkham the director of the Asylum. The two are surrounded.

Joker: Jeremiah, Save me! This crazy woman’s trying to brake me out of this lovely place. I told her to please, please leave me but she was rather insistent.

Jeremiah: Joker, return to your cell…now.

Joker: Oh thank you for helping me.

Robyn: (to self) Nuts! What am I going to do now?

Jeremiah: Alright young lady what is your story?

Robyn: Ah…ah…um…

Jeremiah: Lock her up until I can call for the GCPD to come and take her away.

The guards take Robyn away. She looks over her shoulder and sees the grin of the Joker get more impossibly wider.

Robyn: (to self) Stupid, stupid, stupid!!! I can’t believe this is happening to me. I just wanted to show Batman that I love him and that he should be with me, not that Robin he runs around with now. What am I going to do? **SOB** **SOB**

Then tears begin to slowly run down her face.

Joker (from the next cell): There, there child what seems to be the problem?

Robyn: Who...oh it’s **sniff** you. Leave me alone.

Joker: But my dear, you came here to see me…and frankly I have this…compulsion to know why? So…fess up.

Robyn: Alright, I might as well tell you, it’s not like I’m going anywhere.

Over the next several minutes, the Clown prince of crime sits very quietly as Robyn tells of her obsession with Batman and how she was going to break the Joker out and then try and help Batman recapture him. The Joker sits quiet for a moment…

Joker: Why didn’t you tell me, that’s what you wanted? I would’ve helped you. I’m a sucker for a love story! I tell you what...if you walk over to your window and push the 3^rd stone on the left we’ll get out of here.

Robyn walks over and the 3^rd stone begins to moves as she places her hands on it.

Robyn: I can’t believe this! The stone just came loose in my hands and the ones around it are easy to move too!

Joker: Now you can escape…Oh wait you need to break me out if you ever want to get next to the Bat.

Robyn finishes removing enough stones that she can know fit through the opening. She hesitates for a minute…

Robyn: How am I supposed to get you out of that cell? The staff took all my explosives.

The Joker smiles and flings his cell door open and walks over to Robyn’s cell and calmly opens her cell door.

Robyn: What? How did you get out?

Joker: Well, since you blew up my cell the guards had to but me down here with you tell my new one was ready. Last month they had to house Killer Croc in these very cells. He broke out and broke the locks. Arkham fixed them…or at least thought he did. HAHAHAHAHAHA!!!!

The Joker and Robyn exit the cell through the opening and head to Gotham.

…Or more precisely under the manor in the Bat Cave.

Robin: (working out on the uneven bars) Alfred, have you seen Bruce?

Alfred: Not since earlier this evening, Master Tim. He seemed to be in hurry to go on patrol this evening. He seemed edgy.

Robin: (doing a triple somersault dismount of the bars and landing on his feet) Batman…edgy.
Alfred: I see your point. Still, if there is only one thing I’ve learned in my tenure here is to read his moods. It’s like he’s just waiting for something to happen.

Batman is patrolling the streets of Gotham in his Batmobile, when a familiar symbol lights the night sky. It is the Bat-symbol that Commissioner Gordon only light in an emergency. Batman speeds toward police headquarters. When he arrives, Commissioner Gordon is standing on the roof bundled up to try and keep the bitter Gotham winter at bay.

Batman: (stepping from the shadows): Who’s it this time Jim?

Commissioner Gordon: You startled me, my friend…but of course, you always do. I’ve got bad news…The Joker has escaped from Arkham.

Batman: What happened this time?

Commissioner Gordon: There was this girl that actually broke in and tried to free him. There didn’t appear to be any connection between the two. The breakout failed but, the Joker somehow managed to get close to her and they escaped. We’ve set up the customary roadblocks and usual APB’s.

Batman: Thanks Jim. I’ll be in touch.

The Batman then promptly melts away into the shadows.

At that moment, The Joker and his new found "friend", Robyn, have set up shop on the Gotham Docks…just 2 warehouse from where she had trapped Robin 2 nights before.

Robyn: I don’t know if this is such a good spot.

Joker: Nonsense honey-child. This is where I have my latest batch of Joker gas stockpiled.

Robyn: Joker gas? I thought you where going to help me get Batman?

Joker: Oh, but I will. You see the plan is simple. I tell Batman that I have you as a hostage and if he doesn’t show up here to rescue you I’ll release my gas onto Gotham. See, simple.

Robyn: I…guess. I really don’t want to hurt anyone. I just want Batman to see that he needs me. So I don’t know why you have to actually find the gas?

Batman: (from above them) So he can let it lose on Gotham anyway.

Joker: You know your sense of timing is perfect! You really should have been in showbiz.

Robyn: Oh, Batman please save me from this fiend! Then you and I can be together forever.

Joker: (grabbing a crowbar) Okay that’s enough out of this bird.

The Joker hits Robyn in the head with the crowbar..

Joker: Hey Batman! Does this remind you of anything?

Batman thinks back to when he found the body of the second Robin, Jason Todd, beaten and bloody following a savage attack by the Joker. He leaps down from his perch just as the Joker connects with a second blow.

Joker: You know, I almost forgot how much fun this was. HEHEHAHAHEH

Batman: (grabbing the crowbar and yanking it from the Joker’s hands.) Enough!

Joker: You always spoil my fun!

The Joker kicks Batman in the shin.

Joker: Aww! What the heck do you have in there…steel?

Batman: Say good night Gracie.

Joker: Good night…hey wait a minute…you made a…

Batman punches the Joker and the clown prince falls unconscious.

Batman: (holding his radio to his mouth) Gordon it’s me. You’ll find the Joker and his accomplice at the docks next to pier 26. Get EMS here. The girl is injured.

Batman walks over to Robyn’s bloodied body.

Robyn: Batman…is that…you? Please hold…me. It’s so cold! I can’t…feel my legs.

Batman: (cradling the girl in his arms) Relax, help is on the way. Stay calm and just listen to the sound of my voice.

Robyn can’t help but notice how tender yet strong Batman’s arms feel wrapped around her. The feeling causes all the pain to leave her body. She smiles.

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