The Sleuth's Apprentice

The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 11 of 17

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The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 11 of 17

Superboy, Superman, Batman and Robin are Copyrighted and owned by DC Comics.

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The small airplane landed on an airstrip in the Caicos Islands about three hours later. As soon as the plane arrived at the building, the two boys were led out of the plane and they were told to walk to the terminal building, where another bus was waiting for them.

'Take these two guys to the fort and hold them there until further instructions' the guard had said to the driver. 'Keep them in separate cells.'

About an hour later, the bus had arrived at a small fort, which was located on the far west side of the island. There was only one road which led to the fort, which was isolated from the rest of the island by a large, six-foot-tall electric fence and about a dozen guard dogs. There were watch towers positioned around the parameter of the fort, and they had guards positioned there twenty-four hours per day.

Robin was placed in a small room with only one window. Jamie was placed in the room right next to him, and they had no idea to where they were. Jamie was still feeling very groggy and dizzy, and he was feeling very weak.

After about an hour or so, the door to the cell had opened, and a young girl with tanned skin and long, black hair walked in, while pushing a cart with several plates on it.

'Hi there' I came to bring you your dinner for today'' she said to Robin.

'Thanks' Please, don't forget my partner, who is in the room right next door to mine'' Robin requested.

'Yes, I know'' she replied. 'He looks pretty bad. He seems very weak''

'Please' may we be in the same room together? I'm feeling very concerned about him. I'm afraid he might be sick'' Robin pleaded with the girl.

'Yes, well my boss won't appreciate it, but I'll let you go into the other room''

'Thanks. I really appreciate that!' Robin replied. 'By the way, I'm Robin, and my partner is Superboy. What is your name?'

'My name is Varshini. I used to live in Carnaville, but I got taken away after I took a job at a grocery store there'' the girl explained.

'Varshini. That is a very cool name! Where are you from?' Robin asked her, as she opened the door and allowed him to walk into Jamie's room, which was right next door to his room.

'I'm originally from Chennai, which is a city in southern India' the girl replied. 'But, I'm working here now. My parents are still in Carnaville, but I have no way of getting back there''

'Listen, Varshini'' Robin pleaded with the Indian girl. 'We can eventually get you out of here and bring you back to your family in Carnaville. But, you've got to help us right now!'

'Sure' But what can I do?'

'Listen. My partner over here is Superboy. He is very powerful, but he's not feeling well at this moment. Please' you've got to help us. We need to help him heal and get better. Then you'll see that he really is Superboy! He has super powers!'

'Yeah, he really doesn't look all that 'super' to me!' she chuckled.

'Please! You have got to help him get better. And then, you must help us to get out of this place! Wancho is going to rob all the banks and all the jewelry stores in a town called Valery one of these days, and we're the only ones who can stop him from doing that!' Robin explained to her.

'Alright' I'll see what I can do, okay?'

Varshini left the room, and left Robin alone with Jamie. Jamie was still in bed, and he was very weak. His face was pale, and he seemed like he was asleep most of the time.

An hour later, she came back into the room, and she had several bottles of medicine, including a few drinks and pills.

Varshini pulled up a chair and set next to Jamie's bed. She poured some liquid from a bottle in a tea spoon, before she bent over Jamie's head.

'Open wide, Superboy'' she said softly. 'I have some medicine for you, which will hopefully make you feel better''

Jamie opened his mouth and drank the liquid. As soon as she pulled the spoon out of his mouth, he made an ugly face.

'I know; it tastes very nasty. It's the strongest medicine I could find!' she explained to the sick boy.

'I really appreciate this, Varshini' Robin said to her. 'Trust me, you won't regret this''

The girl sat next to Jamie once again, and she opened one of the bottles which contained some white pills in it. She placed four pills in the palm of her hand, and then she poured some orange juice into a glass, which was filled with ice.

Robin could tell that the girl started to like Jamie a little bit, for she spent a lot of time sitting by his bedside, and staring at the red-and-blue caped boy.

'I can't believe I'm playing nurse to the real Superboy' she said to Robin. 'I'm such a big fan of this kid''

'Oh, really?' Robin wondered.

Varshini then removed a magazine from the cart, which contained the food and the medicine, which she had delivered for the two boys.

She walked over to Robin, and showed her the cover of a magazine. There was a photo on the cover, showing Superboy! The picture showed his face clearly, so there was no doubt in her mind that the boy, who was in fact lying in bed before her, was the same person!

'It's so weird, seeing this powerful kid, lying in bed right now. He's supposed to be super strong and powerful, but he's sick and weak right now'' she said, as she was showing the magazine to Robin.

'Trust me' Robin said to her. 'That really is him. Just wait and see. Some day, very soon, you'll see him again, and he'll have all of his super powers back!'

Varshini then handed a pill to Jamie.

'Take this, Superboy' she said in a soft voice to the sick boy. 'Put this in your mouth, and drink some of that orange juice to wash it away. Don't try to chew on it, because it tastes nasty, just like all other medications''

She handed Jamie the four pills, one-by-one, and she patiently allowed him to drink his glass of orange juice as well.

'This is the maximum dosage of the medication that I'm allowed to give you' Varshini said to the boy. 'You should bounce back from your illness in another day or so''

'Thank you, Varshini' Robin said to her. 'We owe you one''

'No problem'' she said, as she stared at Jamie. 'I'll do anything to help Robin and Superboy''

She then sat down at the chair, and looked on at the boy in the blue uniform.

'Please, remember me, Superboy'' she whispered to Jamie. 'You're such a cute boy' I really hope you'll get better soon''

Varshini then bent down, and she kissed Jamie on his forehead.

'Thank you, Varshini' Superboy whispered back to her. 'When I get my powers back, then I'll come here to get you. I just don't have my strength and I can't fly right now''

'I know that, Superboy'' the girl replied. 'I'll be here and I'll be waiting for you, okay?'

'Okay'' Jamie said, with a smile on his face.

'I'm going to help you two get out of here by tomorrow, if you're feeling better. I'll help you get off the island, alright?' she whispered.

'Thanks!'

The following morning, Varshini came back to the room, where Jamie was actually sitting up in bed. He was looking much better than the previous day, and he seemed a lot more cheerful.

Varshini served Robin and Superboy some pancakes and toast with orange juice. She sat with them and ate with them. She was very lucky, that her boss wasn't on the island at the time, and she was the only other person at the fort. There were no other prisoners who were being held at the fort at the time, and she told the boys that there were only two security guards on duty that evening.

'I'm going to come back to serve you dinner tonight' she instructed the two heroes. 'If Superboy is feeling up to it, then I'll tell you where you can go to get to a small row boat. Once you're in the boat, you can go to any of the smaller islands in this area, where nobody else will find you. I hope that by then, Superboy will have his powers back!'

'Thank you so much, Varshini' Robin replied. 'It all depends on how Superboy is feeling tomorrow. Let's plan on us leaving early tomorrow morning, before sunrise''

Varshini packed some sandwiches in plastic containers, and she placed them in the small row boat, which was tied to the pier. She explained to Robin where the pier was and how to get there, and she was going to unlock their door to the room early in the morning so that they could escape.

'Thank you, Varshini' Jamie said to the girl, who had long, straight, black hair and big, brown eyes. 'I'll come back for you, as soon as I'm able to and as soon as I have my powers back''

That evening, Varshini walked up to the room where Jamie and Robin were held prisoner, and she quietly opened the door. Robin came to the door, and she said to him that she was leaving the door unlocked. She then said goodbye to the two boys, before she quietly slipped back into her own bedroom before she dozed off to sleep.

When it was about one o'clock in the morning, Robin woke up Jamie, who was asleep.

'Jamie! Wake up. We're getting out of this place and we're going off the island''

Robin and Superboy quietly slipped out of the room, which was easily done, since their room's door was unlocked. They quietly walked down the stairs, until they came to the ground floor. From there, they walked towards the beach. There, they spotted the pier, where there was a row boat.

While they were walking to the pier, one of the guards had spotted them.

'Wait! Who goes there? Who's there?' he shouted at them.

'Run! Run to the pier!' Robin ordered Jamie. Both boys started running as fast as they could, and they quickly found themselves on the wooden pier. At the very end of the pier was a small row boat, where Varshini had left some food and drink for them, hidden under the seat in the boat.

They got on the boat, and Robin untied the rope right away. They had gotten on board in the nick of time, for one of the guards started coming after them with two guard dogs!

The guard was running down the pier with the dogs, but they stopped when they reached the end of the pier. The boat was already several yards away from them, and the guards could barely see the boat because it was so dark.

The other guard came running towards the pier, carrying a rifle in his hand. When he got to the end of the pier, he started firing shots at the boat! Robin and Jamie ducked and kept their heads down as long as possible, as the boat continued to drift further away from the pier and out of sight of the guards.

When the sun came up a few hours later, Jamie and Robin found them floating around the middle of the ocean in the small row boat. They were already far from the coast of the small island, and they were floating around in the open sea.

'I'm so sorry, Robin' I'm the one who got us into this mess'' Jamie said sadly. 'It's all my fault''

'Don't be ridiculous, Jamie! It's not your fault! Things just happened!'

'Yeah, but if I didn't get exposed to Zyrtonium, then we wouldn't be in this situation right now'' Jamie sighed in response.

'Don't worry about it. Everything will be alright, champ''

'I feel so helpless right now' I'm so weak''

'Hey! This is not your fault, okay? Don't dwell on it'' Robin replied sternly. 'Stop blaming yourself!'

'Yeah, but I messed up. We were about to stop these guys from robbing an entire city. Instead, here we are, floating around in a small row boat, in the middle of the Caribbean Sea''

'We'll get back very soon, Jamie! You'll see''

Jamie couldn't understand why Robin was so upbeat. He was feeling horrible. He was weak and he felt useless. Not only that, but he hated not having his powers.

'I owe you an apology, Robin' I'm sorry for not being much help to you'' Jamie sighed.

'Hey! You can't help it that you got knocked out by the Zyrtonium, which made you sick! Quit blaming yourself for it!'

'I' I just feel like I failed you. You were doing great without me' I wish you were back in Gotham City. You don't deserve to be here at sea with me, floating around in a row boat' We might never make it back to the city again!'

'Yes, we will' You'll see!'

'How do you know that?' Jamie asked him. 'We could drown, or we might starve out here. We can also be eaten by sharks''

Robin leaned forward, and placed his hands on Jamie's shoulders.

'We'll make it' Just trust me''

'I don't know when I'm getting my powers back' If I'll ever get them back'' Jamie mumbled, as he stared out at the ocean.

'Your powers will come back to you. I just know it!'

'Robin' If we ever make it back to the city, but I never get my powers back again' can I' Can I still be your sidekick?' Jamie wondered.

Robin just smiled at the boy. He realized that Jamie was feeling very depressed, since he didn't have his powers, so he completely understood how he was feeling.

'Yes, you can still be my sidekick.'

'Thanks' We can still stay in touch that way''

'Yes, but I have some bad news for you, Jamie.'

'Oh? What kind of bad news?'

'Jamie! You're still going to be Superboy'' Robin assured him. 'You'll always be known around the world as the one and only Boy of Steel!'

'Well, I'm not feeling so 'super' right now' I may never be Superboy again'' Jamie replied sadly.

'You're wrong, Jamie' Robin assured him. 'Superboy will fly again' And, very, very soon''

'Do you really think so?'

'Of course!'

'But, why? I don't have my powers anymore!'

'Yes, you do! The powers are still there! You just can't use them!'

'Huh? What are you talking about?' Jamie asked him.

'Have you ever seen someone who had a broken leg or arm?' Robin asked him.

'Yeah!'

'Well, he still has his arm or his leg. He just can't use them, because they're broken. It's like being really sick, or paralyzed' Do you see what I mean?'

'No'?' Jamie wondered in confusion.

'You're powers are always there, Jamie' Robin explained. 'You're born with them, and they are a part of you. It's only natural, for you to have super powers. Nobody can take them away from you!'

'Yeah, but I sure don't have them now!'

'Well, no wonder' You're just getting over being exposed to Zyrtonium that made you sick! Your body is still going through the healing process. It takes time, Jamie''

'How long? How much time does it take?'

'Nobody knows that, Jamie! It's like getting over the flu, or a bad cold, or any other type of illness' You never know when you get over it, because it is a very gradual process and your body needs time to heal. You never know how much time your body needs to get healed form the sickness you just had''

'I hope so, Robin. This is so boring, just to be out here in the ocean, floating around in the middle of the sea. Who knows what's going on at home? We're lost at sea, Robin' We're lost''

'No, we're not lost! Quit being so negative! Why do you keep on thinking that the worst possible thing will happen to us?'

'Just because, I've never been in this situation before. I've never been in this much danger before. I bet you must hate me right now, don't you?'

'Don't be ridiculous! I don't hate you''

'I'm not much help to you right now'' Jamie said, as he bowed his head. Tears started to fill his eyes. 'I'm sorry, Robin' I'm so sorry''

'Jamie, you're like a little brother to me, do you realize that?' Robin explained to him. 'I love you like you're the little brother I never had. Why, the best thing that has ever happened to me, is the day when you dad introduced me to you! I think you're the coolest kid on earth!'

'Really?' Jamie sobbed, as he was fighting to hold back the tears.

'Sure! Listen, things might seem really bleak and gloomy right now, but the situation will change very soon. Things will look up and we'll both be back in Gotham City, working on this Wancho case, and it will be all thanks to you!'

'Thanks to me? Why me?'

Robin leaned forward.

'Because, you're Superboy.' Robin whispered. 'And, you will always be Superboy!'

'Somehow, that doesn't mean much to me right now, Robin' I'm a loser, a failure, and I'm completely useless to you. I've gotten you in all this trouble. We're stranded on an island and now we're lost at sea, while criminals are about to pull a huge robbery and nobody knows where we are''

'Yes, Bruce knows where we are.' Robin replied. 'We had those transmitters installed in our teeth, remember?'

'Oh, yeah''

'If nobody sees or hears from us after three days, then somebody will come looking for us! We're not lost yet!'

'Well, when you get back to the city, then you can go back on the case again, and try to capture the bad guys''

'I'm not going back to Gotham City without you, Superboy' In fact, you're the one who's going to fly us out of here!'

'I-I don't believe you' I may never fly again' My powers are lost forever' I will never wear my Superboy suit again. I'll be a normal kid, just like all the other kids''

'And, what's wrong with that?' Robin asked him.

'I'm not going to be a super hero anymore' I'll just be a normal kid''

'You mean you'll be just like me?'

Jamie just stared at Robin in shock. For the moment, Jamie was feeling extremely ashamed, of what he had just said.

'Jamie' You don't have to have super powers in order to be a super hero' Do you realize that?'

'You don't?'

'Look at me and at Batman! We don't have any super powers at all!'

'I know' I kinda wish you did''

'For you, on the other hand, it's completely natural for you to have super powers! Whenever somebody sees you or your father, they know that the two of you have super powers! You're famous for being that powerful kid, who can fly and who is super strong! It won't be long, or you'll be able to do all those things again!' Robin said cheerfully.

'Robin' I-I wish you had super powers of your own'' Jamie said, in a serious tone of voice.

'Why?'

'I think a guy like you deserves having super powers. I think it would be such a cool thing, for you to be able to fly like that'. It would fit you perfectly' You know that if you enter my father's Kryptonian Conversion chamber, he can then give you super powers of your own!'

'Is there anything wrong with me not having super powers right now?'

'No, not at all' I just wish you had powers of your own. Then, you could fly us out of here''

'No, I would never do that. It's not meant for me to have super powers.'

'Really? Why not?'

'Because, then I'd be like you and like Superman. I'm a detective. I'm a sleuth. I solve crimes by gathering clues and evidences and I ask questions to many people. I do that because I love doing it that way. Why would I want to have super powers?'

'Oh' I never thought of it that way'. I'm sorry for bringing it up, Robin'' Jamie said sadly.

'No problem, Jamie!' Robin chuckled. 'On the other hand' I can't wait to see you fly again''

'Why's that?'

'Because, you're the one who's supposed to have the super powers around here, not me!' he explained. 'Everybody knows who you are and everybody expects you to have super powers of your own. When people see you, they all know who you are and they all know what to expect from you!'

'That's not true. I'm a nobody. I'm a failure''

'Jamie, Jamie, Jamie' Just look over the ocean' Just stare at the water for a moment''

Jamie turned around and peered with his head over the edge of the row boat. He stared straight down, taking note of his reflection in the water.

'I just see a kid who's stuck in a row boat and who's lost at sea, while wearing a Superman suit'' Jamie replied.

'That's not what I see'' Robin pointed out. 'I don't see that at all!'

'No?'

'I see the greatest kid super hero I've ever met' Robin said sincerely. 'I see a hero named Superboy, who has rescued thousands of people during hurricanes, earthquakes, floods, tornadoes, tsunamis, mudslides, and many other natural disasters. I see a super hero who has saved the lives of thousands of people. I see a super hero, who has millions of fans around the world, of which most of them are kids' I see one of the most popular kids in the world' That's who I see sitting before me in the row boat''

Jamie blushed for a moment. He was speechless.

'You so underestimate who you are and what you're capable of' You need to stop doing that. Quit being so hard on yourself, Jamie. You deserve much better than that!' Robin replied.

'You're the greatest kid I have ever met' Don't ever let anybody tell you otherwise!'

'Wow' I don't know what to say'' Jamie whispered, feeling a little ashamed.

'Why don't you close your eyes for a few minutes, Jamie?' Robin suggested. 'Your body needs to rest. It's only when you're at rest, that you're body can be healed and your powers can be restored.'

'Alright' I'm going to try to get some sleep now'' Jamie whispered.

Jamie slid back on the floor of the row boat, testing his head on the small pillow, which Varshini had left in the boat. He closed his eyes, thinking that he would just rest for a few moments. Luckily, he dozed off and fell into a deep sleep. It was getting late in the afternoon, and Robin was happy to see the boy fall asleep. Now, it was just a matter of time, for Jamie would get well again'