Haunted

The Call

It's midnight and everyone is asleep.

"I think it's time for practice," a boy's voice says.

"That must mean you finished everything on your plate, Dick?" a woman says.

Dick puts two pieces of broccoli in his mouth.

"OK, OK, let's go," a man's voice says.

Dick slides under the table, he spits the vegetables out of his mouth and they land perfectly into the trash can.

Dick runs into the circus tent where a tall man is standing. The man's eyes are different colors, his left eye is brown and his right eye is blue.

"Looks like the circus is in town," the man says walking out of the shadow, "Tony Zucco, welcome to Gotham City," the man reaches his hand to Dick.

Dick's father pushes him aside, "John Grayson, the circus manager. Can I help you?"

"I'd like to think I'm here to help you John, for a small fee."

Two more men step from the shadows.

"My brothers and I, we'll provide your circus with protection," Tony Zucco finishes.

"Protection? I'm not sure why we would need your protection," John responds crossing his arms.

Dick mimics his father's gesture.

"I come from circus folk myself. So let me put this in terms you can understand. You don't pay us you'll have to deal with the strongman," Tony Zucco gestures to a buff guy who turns and smashes all the barrels.

John and Mary gasp.

"A lion tamer," Tony Zucco says as a man in a suit takes the whip he is holding throws it in the air making the whip bring one of the lights off the ceiling. 

Dick is in shock.

"And a juggler," Tony Zucco says as a short man throws one of the bowling pins he is holding at a target smashing it. He then throws the other pins and they smash all the interior of the circus tent.

Dick then flips and lands in front of the juggler, "Stop."

"Dick!" Dick's mother gasps.

"You've got quite a family here, John," Tony Zucco says.

Tony Zucco walks over to Dick.

"My Pop's always said that family is the most important thing," he says putting his hand on Dick's shoulder.

Dick looks at Tony Zucco's hand on his shoulder.

"I know my brothers mean the world to me. I'm not sure what I'd do if something happened to them," Tony Zucco says putting pressure on Dick's shoulder.

Dick groans in pain.

John protects his boy and takes down Tony Zucco, the lion tamer, and the juggler, the strongman comes from behind him and knocks him out.

"Let me be blunt, John. I don't think this circus or your family can't afford to not have our protection," Tony Zucco threatens as John struggles to get up.

"Funny, because I think we can," Dick responds.

"And what makes you so sure about that, Sonny?" Tony Zucco says.

"I called the police five minutes ago," Dick says revealing a phone.

"And guess who intercepted that call," a male's voice says from behind Tony Zucco.

They watch as the man takes on all four of the mobsters.

Three of them get away as the man fights the lion tamer.

The dream fast forwards to the next night, the opening night for the circus.

The Ringmaster announces that "The Fearless Flying Graysons" would perform their routine without a safety net.

Dick watches his parents start the routine and gets ready to take his robe off when he hears the Ringmaster announce him, all of the sudden he hears metal screeching. He looks up to see that the nuts have been taken off of the wires.

Dick's parents are in shock when they realize this too. He could see the fear in his dad's eyes.

"Dick!" his mother speaks her final words before falling to her death.

"No!" he responds as he helplessly watches his parents fall.

The crowd is in shock and all Dick can do is just stay on his knees weeping over watching his parents die. 

Robin wakes up sweating, he runs his hand over his face and goes into the gym where he can train and try to forget the dream.

It's not the first time he has had this dream. It's always haunted him and ever since his last talk with Batman they have gotten worse.

He doesn't want to tell anybody what just happened, or what is haunting him.

The door slides open.

"Robin are you OK?" Raven asks.

"I'm fine," he responds.

"We have a bond, tell me what is going on? I trusted you on my birthday you know that you can trust me with whatever is going on," Raven pulls out a last resort card knowing that he can be more secretive than she can be.

"I'm just training for my next mission," Robin lies.

Respecting his wishes she leaves the room knowing that he will tell her when the time comes.

Robin hits the bag a few more minutes before returning to his bed.

He is laying in his bed looking at the ceiling.

He gets a call from his secret phone.

"Hey Little Robin, what's up in Gotham?"

"Really Bro? Little Robin?"

"OK, I can call you by your real name, Damian," Robin says.

"No, Little Robin is good."

"How's Batman?"

"Fighting Joker," Little Robin says.

"You're not with him?"

"No, he had me stay behind because Bane just got out and wanted me hold down the fort," Little Robin says.

"Why can't Alfred do it like usual?"

"Batman made him take a vacation, but that isn't why I called."

"Then why did you call?"

"During the break out Zucco got away."

"So, Zucco won't leave Gotham," Robin says.

"Batman says Zucco won't leave any loose threads, meaning that the last of the Flying Graysons is on his list."

"What are you trying to say?"

"Your past has come to get you."

"He won't find me," Robin says.

"Batman doesn't want to take the chance, he created a Bat Cave in Jump City when you told him where you were going. I'll send you the coordinates," Little Robin says.

"Thanks, I'll keep you guys updated," Robin says before hanging up.