Chapter 1:

"ROBIN!"

Batman pounded on the solid metal door that had just slammed shut, separating him from his fourteen-year-old partner. There was no handle or window and it was flush with the wall. He could faintly hear a tiny echo of Robin's voice, calling his name from the other side of the thick steel.

The Caped Crusader was in a large, windowless room made of cement blocks, with the exception of the door. The unnaturally clean floor was cement and the flat ceiling above him was also cement. There was a single, clear bulb hanging two inches away from the ceiling that filled the room with light and suffocating heat. And there was no other visible exit.

Slowly, Batman stalked around the room, searching for any sign of a trap door or secret passage. He pushed on every block that he could reach, hoping to find one that opened a wall. Dropping to his knees, he crawled on the floor, examining every minute crack and sliding his hands along the edges. The ceiling was, by his estimation, forty-seven feet and seven inches away from him. There was no way to get up there; he didn't have Bat-claws in his utility belt and there were no beams around which he could secure a Bat-a-rang.

Batman stood up again and glared at the steel door, arms folded across his chest and mind creating then rejecting idea after idea. There was a major flaw in every single plan – the lack of a discernible exit.

The Dynamic Duo had been in virtually inescapable traps before, but they were usually working on a solution together. Batman's mind was sharp and logical while Robin's was quick and creative. The combination was perfect and had never failed. Close calls, yes, but never failure. But this time each crime-fighter was on his own.

"BATMAN!"

A quiet noise was the response to his yell and Robin decided that his older partner was pounding on the other side of the door. He pushed against it as hard as he could even though he knew it was useless. It was solid steel and there was no way either of them would be able to get through it.

The Boy Wonder was completely in the dark; his only source of light had been cut off when the door had dropped from the ceiling. There was no point in pounding and yelling; both were ineffective and a waste of energy.

Turning his back to the door, Robin decided to orient himself before trying to find a way out. He lifted both arms in front of him and, feeling nothing, swept them away from each other. Bones crunched into concrete as the teenager's hands immediately hit the side walls. Ignoring the flash of pain that quickly receded, Robin walked his fingers along the walls and discovered that there was only two feet of space, on each side, between his shoulder and the concrete.

There was nothing to do but walk forward so he did. Keeping his hands on the side walls, the Boy Wonder slowly traveled through the darkness. After several minutes he noticed a glimmer of light shining from a curve in the tunnel. He turned the corner and walked into a small, octagon-shaped room made almost entirely of plexiglass. Both the floor and ceiling were cement but everything else was clear. Bright sunlight was shining through the windows and the view was magnificent. He was looking down at a valley full of sparkling, blue lakes and lush, green vegetation. It would have been enjoyable if not for the fact that he wasn't here by choice.

A loud noise assaulted his ears and he frowned. It had come from behind him and he didn't have to turn around to discover the source of the sound. Another steel door had slammed shut, sealing him in the room that had no other visible exit.

Unintentionally imitating Batman, the Boy Wonder slowly walked around the room, searching for exits and pushing against the plexiglass to test for weaknesses. He found neither until he began crawling. There was a small crack in the floor on the east side of the octagon, with tiny, evenly spaced bars separating it into four miniature rectangles. It looked almost like a vent and he touched it with his right index finger.

ZAP

Obviously the vent was man-made because natural fissures in cement don't shock a finger. Standing up again, Robin carefully checked the other seven sides of the octagon and discovered an identical opening on the floor in front of each one.

"Hello, Bird Brain," an ethereal voice echoed throughout the room and Robin glanced quickly around.

"Who are you? What do you want? What did you do with Batman?!" The Boy Wonder shouted the questions and cringed at the loud noises that reverberated around his small prison.

"You don't know me and never will. Your Batty friend is fine and will not be harmed by me. As for what I want, well…"

There was a long pause and Robin became irritated. The voice was slightly familiar, but he couldn't figure out why. He quickly retrieved the extensive Bat-list of criminals filed away in the back of his intelligent mind and skimmed through the pages. None of the names fit the tone or cadence of this particular voice so why was it familiar?

"I need you to test something," the voice suddenly continued.

Robin flinched. He had been so absorbed in his mental search that the sound had startled him.

"What do you want me to test?" the Boy Wonder growled.

Hopefully it wasn't too scientific; that was his worst subject in school and the most frustrating part of his nightly homework. Even the ever-patient Bruce sometimes had to take a break when he was helping Dick with chemistry or, most recently, physics.

"How does a liquid become a gas, Bat-kid?"

"That's easy!" Robin exclaimed. "Evaporation!"

"Impressive," the voice stated condescendingly, and the teenager rolled his eyes. An elementary student could have answered that question!

"What happens when it rains outside, sidekick bird of a flying rodent?"

Confusion filled the face of the Boy Wonder. The answer that came to his mind was obvious, but it was also going to sound stupid.

"Um, everything gets wet?"

"Precisely! Well done!"

Frowning, Robin declared forcefully, "Just get to the point. What do you want me to test?!"

"This," a smile filled the tone of the ghostly voice. "I'll see you after the test."

The teen was confused again as he looked around the room. Nothing was happening. How was he supposed to test whatever it was if there was nothing in the room with him?

Holy Joker or Scarecrow or Poison Ivy!

A thick, green gas had begun to slowly stream through the eight, miniscule grates. Two minutes later the cement of the floor had disappeared and the gas was swirling at Robin's feet like dust in a gentle breeze.

Robin quickly took three steps to his left and pushed on the steel door as hard as he could. That was ineffective so he tried digging his fingers between the edge of the metal and the plexiglass window. It also proved to be completely unproductive so he turned around, sprinted across the ten yards separating him from the other side of the room and threw his entire body against the wall. The plexiglass shuddered but didn't crack. Retreating to the door, the Boy Wonder repeated the action with no success. The third, fourth and fifth tries also yielded nothing and the teenager was becoming slightly concerned.

The dark green substance was whirling around his knees now and the smell of burning tires and sewer mold attacked his nose.

"Robin!"

A soft noise came from his left and the young crime-fighter raced to the wall on that side. The sun was bright and reflecting off the glass of a short building directly across from his prison. He was looking down, attempting to see the source of the sound, and noticed a flash of blue at one end. The color was suddenly at the other end of a hallway and the Boy Wonder realized that Batman was racing back and forth, probably attempting to escape from the same type of room that held the teenager hostage.

Was his partner being subjected to the same gas? The voice had said that Batman wouldn't be harmed so the answer was probably negative. Placing his hands on the wall, Robin pushed against the material as hard as he could. He could clearly see Batman now; the man was standing still and pounding on a window. Didn't he know that was useless?

Now the gas was at his chest and Robin understood that he wouldn't be able to escape. He would just have to accept the consequences of the green stuff that was forcing itself into his lungs. The Boy Wonder was strong; he could last through whatever new drug some slightly familiar criminal was testing. Hoping it wasn't fatal, Robin gave a thumbs up to his partner as the gas slipped over his head and filled up the room. Then he dropped to the floor and stopped moving.

While Robin was cautiously wandering down a dark hallway, Batman was pacing in frustration. There was no way out – the only exit was the solid wall of metal and it wouldn't budge. No cracks in the floor, ceiling or any of the walls and no loose cement blocks that would move to reveal a secret passageway.

The room suddenly began spinning and Batman was tossed onto the ground. He tried to count the number of revolutions but there was no way of knowing where he had started. The movement abruptly stopped and the steel door slid up, revealing a hallway full of natural light. The Caped Crusader stood up and dizzily made his way to the opening. Once outside the room he leaned against the nearest wall and closed his eyes, waiting for the world to stop whirling around so quickly.

Thirty seconds later he opened his eyes. He was facing a long row of tall windows that looked out over a beautiful valley. Unknowingly, he and the Boy Wonder were presently staring at the same sparkling lakes in awe. The beauty of the view was breathtaking.

Escape, he needed to escape and find Robin. Batman had no idea who the villain was or what the person wanted. They had entered the building, following an anonymous tip about some type of violent criminal activity, and immediately been separated.

There was a door at the other end of the long hall and Batman raced toward it. He was disappointed to discover that it was the same style as the other one: solid metal with no handle or edges to pry open.

"Hello, Batman," a soft voice cooed. It was slightly familiar but the hero couldn't figure out why.

"Who are you? What have you done with Robin?"

"My identity doesn't matter; you'll never see me. As for your Bird Brat, he has willingly agreed to perform a test."

"Let him go," Batman growled.

"All in due time, Ca-ped Crusader, all in due time. I need him for six more minutes and then I will open the door to your room. Good luck finding him in my maze."

"You diabolical fiend! What have you done to him?!"

"See for yourself, hero," the voice sneered slightly before continuing. "His room is just above your current residence. Enjoy the show!"

"Let him go!" Batman demanded again but there was no answer. Turning his gaze to the sky, he could clearly see Robin racing around a room directly across from him. The boy was now slamming himself against one side of his prison. The wall didn't even crack and Batman realized that it wasn't mere glass. The weight of Robin's muscular body being thrown against the side over and over would have shattered even a thick piece of glass.

The Caped Crusader suddenly realized why the Boy Wonder's expression had become slightly panicked. Some sort of green, gas-like substance was filling his clear prison and Batman knew that this was a test his partner had not willingly agreed to perform.

He ran to the middle window, where he knew Robin would be able to easily see him, and began pounding on the glass.

"Robin!" Batman yelled as he continued to pound.

His young partner immediately turned to face him and his eyes began searching the building. Two small hands began pushing against the wall as two pairs of blue eyes connected.

The dark-green gas was at the Boy Wonder's chin and Batman pounded harder. A gloved thumb shot up into the air as the substance enveloped the teenager's head and the room disappeared in a cloud of green.

"NO!" Batman thundered.

He began pummeling the window with both fists and the glass unexpectedly shattered. The hero dropped to the ground and shielded his eyes with his cape. The noise of the explosion died down and another sound took its place. Metal scraped against cement and the door at the far end of the hall slid open.

Batman raced through the exit and straight into a semi-dark maze that was eerily similar to the catacombs in one of Catwoman's many lairs. He grabbed the Bat-flashlight out of his utility belt, placed a reflective Bat-sticker on the closest wall and walked into the confusion of the maze.

Three hours later:

It was a complicated maze. Batman knew the precise formula for escape from a standard maze but had discovered that this one was anything but normal. The combination of turns and non-turns that usually led to the exit hadn't worked. He had run into dead end after dead end and was utterly confused. That was an emotion that he had experienced very few times and he hated the feeling.

Robin's room had filled with gas over three hours ago, Batman realized as he checked the Bat-watch on his right wrist. Even if the substance wasn't fatal, the Boy Wonder could be sustaining irreparable damage to his brain or lungs or other organs.

There was a three-way choice ahead of him and Batman stopped. His last four decisions had been right, straight, right and straight. Should he continue the pattern or change directions? He turned left and groaned: he had found the reflective Bat-sticker at the entrance to the maze. Quickly retreating, the hero went right instead. Several minutes later he walked into another dead end. Retracing his steps to the Bat-sticker, Batman went back the way he had originally come from and took the first right. This, as Robin would say, sucked.

Robin slowly opened his eyes. The thick, green gas was now a light gray and dissipating quickly. He heard what sounded like a waterfall and felt soft grass underneath his body. What had happened to his plexiglass prison? How had he arrived at this much nicer location?

Nothing hurt – no headache, throbbing joints, nausea or anything else uncomfortable. That was highly unusual; he had never been subjected to a gas that had no harmful or painful consequences.

"Robin," the same slightly familiar voice contained a soothing tone. "Time to get up so I can see the results of your test."

He obediently sat up and was surprised. The Boy Wonder never did anything a villain told him to do unless Batman or an innocent person was being threatened.

"Stand up and take a stroll around the small lake on your right."

The teenager stood up and felt his legs begin to move. One part of his brain, full of dark clouds and barely audible thunder, encouraged him to continue. But the other half – the brighter one – was yelling at them to stop. Indecision filled his body, followed by a power struggle in his mind. He took a step with his right foot but then froze. Five seconds later his right foot returned to its original position and the battle continued. Robin was going nowhere fast – a step forward, a pause and a step back.

"Stop fighting it, young man," the voice demanded angrily, and the latter half of Robin's brain reluctantly backed away.

The Boy Wonder ambled around the small, circular pond while attempting to resuscitate the sun in his mind. He knew he shouldn't be complying with the criminal's commands, but the lighter half of his brain refused to rejoin the fight. Small clouds grew larger and Robin began to feel completely helpless.

"The lake is deep, Birdy Boy. I hope you can swim because you are about to jump in. Walk to the edge in front of you and wrap the rope you find around your ankles. Tie it tightly then hop into the water. You must swim to the other side of the lake. GO!"

And Robin went. He used a Bat-knot and pulled it as tight as he could. Two jumps later he couldn't feel the bottom and he began pulling through the water with his arms. The more he swam, the larger the lake became and the teenager suddenly realized that he wasn't going to make it. His arms were already worn out and his legs refused to help even a little bit.

The keen mind of the Boy Wonder began to fight back as he started to panic. Turning around, he attempted to paddle back the way he had come. Now he was spinning in a circle and becoming dizzy. Waves began rushing over his head, his mind gave up again and his arms ran out of energy. Closing his eyes, Robin allowed himself to slip under the water and sink to his death.