Issue#9 FDC Presents: "When Robins Fall": The Confrontation By Steve Swartz Look for the Direct Currents section after the Letters page!

"…And in other news, the President will confer with Russian Premier…" Click. "...Smith goes for the touchdown! Forty yards...thirty yards..." Click. The television fell silent. Tim yawned. He had been in Washington for three days now, and it was boring, much to his chagrin. He looked at his duffel bag, which was not yet unpacked. A slight grin tugged at the corners of his mouth. Eight o'clock at night…perfect for his debut as Washington's new super-hero. Flicking off the lights, he reached into his bag to locate his costume. Hurriedly slipping it on, he slid open the window of his room. It was on the second floor. Pulling a grappling line out of one of his costume's many pouches, he positioned it in his hand, pulled the trigger, and watched as it sailed into the night for about three seconds, until it hit the roof of a nearby house. Tim stepped onto the thin sill outside his window. He felt the chill of the cool night air on his neck as he struggled to silently close the window, for fear of alerting his uncle. He finally managed, after quite some time, to quietly close the window. Closing it, he leapt off the sill and into the night. "Ten million dollars is a lot of money!" Jack Drake said, addressing the Batman. "You've got to get it back!" "Calm down, Drake," Batman said to the slightly-shaking millionaire. "I'll get your money back…somehow." "Thank you," Drake said, sounding relieved. "I - " He looked toward the window from which the Batman had entered and saw only the curtains slightly swishing in the breeze. Batman was gone. Hastily jumping into the underground entrance to the Batcave in the Manor's large back yard, Batman fell to the cold, damp earth, which made up the Batcave's floor. It was cold, harsh, unforgiving; just like its master. Its master ran to where his Batmobile was parked; a long, dark shadow covered it. Pressing a button on his belt, the Batmobile suddenly lit up, and Batman opened the door, entered the car, and closed the door behind him. He shut the Batmobile's lights off and revved the engine. Poison Ivy can't have gotten far, Batman mused. He pressed the gas, opened the entrance to his hidden garage, and sped toward downtown Gotham. Robin flicked on the small, earpiece scanner that he had received a while ago from Batman. Tuning in to the Police bands, he perched upon a rooftop, waiting. After a couple of minutes, Robin heard a report about a band of three armed robbers in the downtown locale. Speedily standing, he again shot his grappling line at the nearest house. I can't maneuver in the suburbs, Robin thought, as he swung from house to house. Reaching a major road, he paused as a pair of bright lights approached in the darkness. They blinded him for an instant; he shielded his eyes from the bright glare. It was a bus, apparently traveling to the city. This is exactly what I've been waiting for, Robin thought, as he shot his line at the bus, and swung onto its roof. It was there that he perched, and felt the cool night air on his face as he was en route to downtown Washington. Batman sped to the nearest nursery. He thought he knew all of Poison Ivy's hideouts. Unfortunately for him, she wasn't in either of them, and as he was on his wild goose chase, she was driving in a new, black Camaro, headed for the outskirts of the downtown area, and to a fairgrounds that had not been used for at least three decades. Stopping just outside the nursery grounds, he stepped out, cautious as to any traps that Ivy might have laid for him. Finding none, he opened the door slowly, and stepped into the blackness. "Is anyone here?" Batman shouted, slicing through the silence like a hot knife through butter. Receiving no reply, he tested his theory further. Yanking a Batarang from a pouch, he shot it at one corner of the small shop. It clanged against the far wall. Suddenly hearing a slight noise behind him, Batman turned. No one. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw a shadow against a wall that was moving! Instantaneously, he fired another Batarang at the shadow. A plant fell to the ground from the table that it had previously rested on, its ceramic pot shattering. Realizing then that there was absolutely no one in the small building, he left a ten-dollar bill to pay for the plant by the cash register, and exited. Damn, he thought. Nothing. Entering the Batmobile, he started the engine and was off to the next nursery on his list of three. One down, two to go. The bus stopped at a traffic light that was apparently one of the major intersections of the downtown area. Amid the various beeps and shouts of profanity, Robin made his way across the street, against the signal. The light changed as he stepped on the sidewalk on the opposite side of the street on which he had been traveling. Looking down the street further, he made out two men attempting to enter a car, with the driver apparently hurrying them along. Firmly believing that these were the hoodlums that the APB had been about, he ran over to where the car was, yanked one of his golden "R"s out of a pouch, and held it at the ready. He stopped just outside the driver's side. He tapped on the window. The window rolled down to reveal... ...A very displeased-looking woman. "Wha--?" Robin said, stunned. "What the hell? Who are you?" the woman asked. "I--that is," Robin said, noticing one of the figures placing a bag in the trunk. For the first time, he noticed that the two figures had apparently been placing bags of groceries in the trunk. And now, because he rushed into a situation, he was now in a new, embarassing one. "I thought that you were the three that ripped off the jewelry store downtown," Robin said sheepishly. He replaced the "R" back in the pouch from which it came. "Look, these here," she said, gesturing to the two figures, "are my sons. I doubt that they just took a jewelry store for a few hundred dollars' worth of jewelry. We just came from the supermarket. Besides," she added, frowning at Robin, "I don't have to explain anything to you! I don't even know who the hell you are! Maybe you shouldn't be stickin' your nose where it doesn't belong, kid." The window rolled up; the car sped away into the night. "Jeez," Robin said, "what an idiot I am! I guess Batman's right...rushing into things isn't a good idea, after all." Batman pulled into the second nursery on his list. Flicking the monitor in the car on, he pressed a few buttons outlined on the screen and was presented with the floor plan of the nursery he was currently at. He memorized every wall, door, window, everything. After about three minutes, he stepped out of his sleek, black car and quietly shut the door. No use scaring anyone away, Batman thought as he approached the silent building. This time, he placed his ear on the outer surface of the door to the nursery. He thought he heard a slight movement inside the place. Then there was a CRASH!, as if a clay pot had been knocked over and broken. Batman knew that this was where Poison Ivy made her lair. He tried the door. Locked. He opened one of the many pouches in his utility belt, and reached in with his index finger to produce a set of tiny lock-picking tools. He took the smallest pick out of the vast array, and inset it into the groove of the lock. He jiggled it slightly, waiting for a repercussion. It came a second later. With a soft snap, the lock popped open. Batman then replaced the set of picks in his belt. Sealing the pouch, he opened the door quietly. He at first didn't see anything in the dark room. Remembering his night-vision goggles that were inset in his mask, he flicked them on, and instantly the room became illuminated. He glanced around this way and that, searching for Poison Ivy. There was no trace. Wait a minute, Batman thought, sniffing. That smell...cigarette smoke. Someone's here. He made his way toward where the smell got stronger. The scent's trail ended at a wall. There must be a hidden door of some sort, Batman thought, as he poked and prodded the wall, seeking a small niche that he might poke to reveal the door. Little did he know that at that moment, he was being scanned with an infra-red camera. it captured Batman's every movement, and sent its signal to a television monitor not far away. Batman kept prodding the wall, but to no avail. Suddenly he glanced down, and noticed a cord, which ran from the other side of the "wall" through the nursery. He followed its path, which led to a small box-like object, which was carefully hidden against a wall, where it looked like nothing but a small electric generator of some sort. Which was odd, of course, for a nursery to have. Lifting up a corner of the carpet, Batman looked at the box-like object. He touched it, then quickly pulling his hand away, fearing a fatal shock. When the shock didn't come, Batman did some further investigating, and found a small button inset into one of the boxes' sides. He pressed the button with his fingers. I'm assuming, Batman thought, that this has something to do with that hidden door, or moving wall...being that this cord runs through to the other side of the said wall. The current, after Batman pressed the button, ran through the cord, which activated the electric lock. The section of wall that made up the hidden panel slid into the wall next to it. Batman stepped into the room cautiously, fearing a trap of some sort. He was correct. He stepped on a certain floorboard, and three objects came whizzing right at him. He ducked just in time to hear a THUNK! When he turned back to look at the objects, he found that they were razor-sharp thorns. The points were metal. And they had buried themselves in the wall. Dangerous as usual, eh, Ivy? Batman thought. He walked forward again. Suddenly he stopped. He looked back at the piece of floor that he had just walked on. There was something strange about the floor. When he had walked on the piece before the one he was then standing on, it had been solid. But this piece... Batman tapped his foot. A hollow noise erupted. Hollow. Another trap door...? Batman didn't have time to finish the thought. He fell through the floorboards, and into a room devoid of any light, except for a small gleam in one corner. The smoky smell was stronger now. Batman braced himself for his landing by placing his hands parallel to the floor, and the same with his feet. He landed as a crab, on four limbs, but he was unhurt. However, his goggles didn't have the same outcome. They snapped off, and wouldn't respond to its power switch. Damn. Batman tried to stand, but couldn't. He detected, besides the light, a strange humming noise. Suddenly, he looked up, and a large glass cage was falling over him. He tried to move, but it was in vain. He was helpless to escape. The cage hit the ground with a THUNK! Batman took a deep breath, which took a while to do. Apparently, it was an electromagnetic field that Poison Ivy had rigged, which was slowly sapping Batman's strength. It was a great effort just to take a breath. And in this condition, Batman thought, in this cage...the oxygen is liable to run out quickly. I'd better take slow, small breaths. Suddenly the dim light that was in one corner of the room played upon Batman's glass cage. Batman found that it was an effort to even kneel, or even be on his knees. He fought the EM force, which was threatening to make him lie flat on his stomach. He fought the force valiantly. A light clicked on at the top of the inside of the cage. Batman looked up at the light, then at the figure that had just stepped into the light. "J-joker," Batman said, his voice hoarse. The room began to spin. Suddenly he saw ten Jokers, all grinning that evil smile...no, twenty...fifty... "Batsie," Joker said, taking a drag from his cigarette holder. He blew out, emitting green smoke. "Walked right into my trap." Batman had no clue as to what Joker was doing here, when Poison Ivy was the culprit. He tried to say something, but nothing but guttural noises escaped from his throat. "I know you're dying...dying, get it?!" Joker cried, laughing uproariously. Tears spewed from his eyes as he laughed his insane laugh. "Ahem," he said, attempting to control himself. "Dying...heh, heh...to know what I'm after," Joker said. "But that'll have to wait for another time. Oh, that's right," he said, snapping his fingers in a gesture that suggested that he just thought of something. "There won't be a next time. At least, not for you." Batman emitted a slight groan from his thraot. The EM force was really weakening him, to the point of sheer exaustion. He once again attempted to sit up, which proved futile. Batman instead flopped once more to the floor. "You won't live to hear my plans," Joker continued, "and I won't bore you with them." Batman, now lying face-down in the cage, groaned. "But I will tell you that there's gonna be a hot time in the old town tonight." The blood was rushing to Batman's face, bringing on a massive headache. Batman attempted to move his hands to his head, but the EM field prevented him from any further movement. Batman's head felt like it was about to burst. And it might if he were left in the airless cage for an extended period of time. "Lotsa blood," Joker continued. "The innocent you protect will be innocent no more, Batman," Joker said. "They will all be dead." Batman summoned enough strength to say one last thing before he passed out. "W-what do y-you want, Joker?" Batman asked weakly. Joker looked taken aback. "Why," he said, "I want to prove what a worthless, idiotic hero that you are. Imagine," he said, "pledging to protect fair Gotham City, and here you are...unable to even move an eyebrow!" Joker tore the cigarette from its holder and threw it onto the floor, stomping on it. He waved the holder in the air, in circular motions, as he walked away. "Ta-ta, Batman," he said. "Send me a postcard from Hell." Joker vanished in a flash of light. After the minor incident with the mistaken identities, Robin was ready to either call it a night or prove he was deserving of the name Robin. He chose the latter. Stalking across rooftops, swinging on batlines when he needed to, he made his way across the city. He happened to glance down, where he heard shouting. Sure enough, there was a problem. Two motorists were angry at each other, and it looked as if the situation would escalate into a fistfight, or worse, if the incident wasn't resolved. Robin swung on a line, then dropped the remaining fifty feet to the street below. "Oof," Robin said as he landed. A crowd began to surround the two motorists. He could hear snippets of their conversation. "Why, you-! I oughta punch your lights out!" the first said. "Yeah?" the second said, sneering. "Mebbe I oughta teach you a lesson you'll never forget!" He wore brass knuckles on his right hand, and looked to be a fairly dangerous fellow. Even Robin felt a little intimidated by the man's presence. Robin walked toward the crowd. "Excuse me," he said, trying to clear a path. No one moved. "Excuse me," he said, a bit louder and a bit sharper. The people moved. "Wow," one twelve-year-old said, looking at the youth clad in red and green, with the swishing yellow cape trailing behind him.. "It's Robin!" Robin grinned. Nothing like an ego boost, even if it was only from a twelve-year-old. "Gentlemen," he said, stepping between the two men. "What seems to be the problem here?" "Mind yer own damn business," Brass Knuckles said. "Yeah," sneered the other man. Robin glared at the men. "I'm not moving until one of you tells me what's going on here." Brass Knuckles looked at the other man. "I think we should teach this wiseguy a lesson." "Yeah," the other man said, nodding his agreement. They both at the same time pounced on the boy. But Robin was too quick for them. Robin yanked out his compacted staff, which he flicked out of its sheathing. He vaulted over the men, knocking them down from behind. The crowd roared its approval. Both men growled. Brass Knuckles went to Robin's left, the other man to his right. Robin was surrounded. Robin jammed his staff left, into Brass Knuckles's midsection. Before the other man had time to react, Robin had smashed the end of his staff down on the man's foot. Hard. The man howled in pain. Brass Knuckles stood up and threw a wild punch at Robin. He must be disoriented, Robin thought. Aloud, he said, "Whatsamatter? Can't fight a sixteen-year-old?" Robin kicked sharply upward, and connected with Brass Knuckles's jaw. Knuckles fell to the ground. His accomplice rushed Robin, knocking him down and then pinning him to the ground. The man lay his knees on either of Robin's upper arms. Robin couldn't move. He still gripped his staff in his right hand, as if he could actually use it. His attacker punched him in the face repeatedly. Robin almost slipped into unconsiousness. Suddenly, Robin flipped his legs up, kicking his attacker in the rear. The crowd roared with laughter. This just made the thug angrier. But Robin's distraction worked. He slipped free of the thug's choke-hold. "My turn," Robin said, gnashing his teeth. Blood gushed from his lower lip and nose, his face was swollen... He launched his staff at the man's midsection. It connected sharply. "Oooof," the man said, clutching his stomach. He looked as if he were about to faint. Instead, he turned around and made wretching noises. Suddenly, a voice came to Robin's ears. "Move it, people," the voice said. It was a policeman, with his partner. "Son," he said, shaking the beaten Robin's hand. "You've just captured the jewelry thieves! We really owe you one." His partner began handcuffing the two men. "B-but," Robin sputtered, "I thought there were three of them...?" "We cought the driver back there on forty-second street," the cop said, gesturing. "I guess these two started fighting over the loot," he observed, noticing a briefcase at the edge of the curb. The policeman opened it to reveal an assortment of fine jewelry. He whistled. "Must be a million in here." I didn't even notice that case, Robin thought. I'm really slipping. Then again, the crowd was in the way... The policeman grabbed the case by its handle as the two thieves were being placed in the squad car. "You've done us a great service, son," the cop said, just before he turned away and dispersed the crowd. "Thanks again." Batman awakened to see the room in a blur. He still couldn't move. And now, he couldn't breathe. All the oxygen is extinguished, Batman thought. This...isn't...good... He fell unconsious again. To be continued... Bat-Signals Well, the fourth installment the "When Robins Fall" storyline. I know, I know, nothing much has happened so far...but rest assured, there's going to be all-out action, action, action in the next issue, which is going to be double-sized for the smashing finale to the "When Robins Fall" arc! Please keep reading, and keep writing...send all correspondence to Steve777@adelphia.net, subject: Bat-Signals. NEXT ISSUE: What's this? Batman near death, and Robin is a thousand miles away in D.C.? There's no one to save Batman this time...will he make it out alive? Will Robin eventually return to Gotham, or will he stay in Washington, D.C.? Where's Poison Ivy? What does Joker have to do with all of this? All of these questions will be answered next issue, so be here...don't miss it! Direct Currents Batman #9 - Getting closer to solving the mystery of Poison Ivy, Batman runs into the Joker...and Robin tangles with some street toughs in D.C., and gets into more trouble! Scripted by Steve Swartz! Showcase #3 - The Titans are back! It's the Titans story you've been waiting for! Succulently scripted by Clay Arceneaux! Faux DC. The Original (Faux) Universe.