The Sleuth's Apprentice

The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 17 of 17

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The Sleuth's Apprentice - Part 17 of 17

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

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In the meantime, things were looking very bleak for Jason, who had spent his second day in the holding cell, which was located inside of the administration building of the supervisors of Camp Charlie.

He hated being locked up there like some kind of animal, and he would shout at Steve or any of the guards who were there. Occasionally, someone would come by to bring him a plate with some food. In all honestly, he didn't know if or when he would get out of there, and the last word he had heard was that they were waiting for the decision to be made by Master Wancho himself, on what to do with him. Of course, he wasn't aware of the fact that Wancho had just died earlier that day, so the decision would never be made.

Finally, the door had opened, and Steve walked in. He looked angry and upset. When he came up to the cell, Jason began to shout at him.

'You can't keep me in here! When the people outside of this place find out, then you'll be in serious trouble! When my family finds out, you'll find yourself dragged into a court case so fast, you won't know what had hit you!' he threatened.

Steve just stared at him in anger.

'Wancho's dead''

Jason gasped when he heard the news. Was that true? Or, would Steve just say that in order to scare him.

'You're lying! That can't be true!' he stated, while he grabbed hold of the vertical, iron bars.

'Now that Wancho isn't around anymore, I guess the decision about what to do with you will have to be in my hands, buddy''

Steve suddenly pulled out a handgun from his holster, which was attached to his belt. He opened the gun and checked the barrel, counting how many bullets were left.

Jason's mouth dropped wide open, when Steve held his arm out in front of him, pointing the gun at him, allowing the gun to hover between two metal bars.

'L-l-look, S-s-Steve' Can we t-t-talk about this?' Jason stuttered, as he feared for his life.

'Say your prayers, Jason Jonah''

Jason backed off, while standing in the cell. He knew there was nothing he could do. He was staring his own murderer in the face.

Steve cocked the gun and started applying pressure with his finger, as he started to apply a little more pressure to the trigger.

'Goodbye, Jason'' Steve said softly.

Suddenly, two laser beams came from the side door. The origin of the red beams of light was out of Jason's view, but they struck Steve's hand, causing him to drop the gun on the floor while he was screaming in pain.

'YYAAAAAHHH' Steve yelled, while holding his hand with his left hand. The pain was excruciating.

Then, there came the sounds of police sirens, just outside of the building.

'Steve! Get out here! We're being surrounded!' one of the guards shouted.

Steve walked out of the room through the side door. Jason was still trapped inside of the cell, and he had no idea of what was going on. He was relieved to hear that the police had finally arrived, but he was scared to death that the thugs would be arrested and taken away, and he would be left behind.

Suddenly, Jason hears more sounds from outside. There are more sirens, but he can't see what is going on outside. There are lots of people shouting at each other, and then one voice stands out above the rest, since it was spoken through a bull horn.

'Everyone come out with your hands above your heads! Now!' the voice said.

Jason pressed his face against the steel bars.

'OVER HERE! I'm still here! HELP!!'

Jason's heart was beating in his chest. He was sweating, his arms and hands were wet, and so was his forehead. The silence in the room was driving him crazy, especially since he had no clue to what was going on outside of the building.

'SOMEBODY SAVE ME!' he shouted at the top of his lungs. 'HELP! GET ME OUT OF HERE!'

Suddenly, he looked down the hall. He heard something. He heard footsteps.

'OVER HERE! I'M IN THE CELL! HELP!'

Jason stared down the dark hallway, and he noticed that a figure was coming towards him. The light on the ceiling was rather dim, so he couldn't quite make out who it was, who was walking towards his cell door.

When the figure came closer, Jason noticed that the figure seemed like that of a short man, or a kid! But, it seemed like there was some sort of cape hanging from his back?

When the figure came even closer, Jason recognized the famous red-and-yellow logo, which was embroidered on the chest of this person, who was standing before him.

'Oh my God'' he whispered, when the figure stopped and stood still under the light.

It was a boy who was short and muscular. He wore long, red boots, red trunks, and he had a long, wide cape which was draped over his broad shoulders. The boy's physique made him closely resemble a gymnast, an acrobat, or an athlete who was participating in the Olympic Games.

The character was awesome! He resembled a warrior, a knight, or even a Prince.

When Jason finally recognized the character's face, his mouth dropped wide open, as he took a few steps back.

'Superboy''

Superboy walked up to the door, which consisted of several vertical steel bars, which were soldered inside of a thick, metal frame. On one end of the door, about halfway down, there was a padlock, which was keeping the steel door locked. The padlock required a key in order to be opened, and the person, who had the key, had just been arrested.

The Boy of Steel slowly extended his right arm, and he gently rubbed his fingers over one of the steel bars.

Jason could see the sadness and the disappointment in Superboy's big, blue eyes. His glance wasn't one of anger or hatred, but one of sadness, hurt, and disappointment.

When Jason saw the bright blue eyes, which were staring at him, it sent a chill down his spine. He felt his heart pounding in his chest. He was terrified.

'P-p-please' Y-y-you're not going to l-l-leave me here, are you?' Jason said softly.

Jason was absolutely terrified of the blue super hero, who was standing just a few feet away. After all, he had betrayed Superboy, barely two days ago. Now, his freedom depended on this same boy, whom he had betrayed just forty-eight hours before. The irony in this was driving him crazy'

Superboy bowed his head for a moment. He sighed, as he continued to stare at the steel bars.

'Please, Superboy' I beg you''

Superboy just continued to stare at the steel bars. He seemed to be in deep thought for a moment. Then he placed his index finger on one of the horizontal bars, close to the edge of the door.

With just one finger, he pulled the door towards him, snapping the steel padlock in half and breaking the metal lock like a toothpick.

Clang!

The padlock fell on the floor, at Superboy's feet.

The Boy of Steel just pulled the door open far enough, that Jason could see that the door was open, and that he had been freed.

Then, Superboy slowly turned around and started walking towards the hallway.

At that moment, Jason realized that the one chance he had to make things up to Superboy was slowly slipping away. He then pushed the heavy, metal door open with both hands, before he ran up to Superboy from behind. He just followed his long, red cape, until he stood right in front of him.

'Superboy' Wait' Please, hear me out'' he said to the Boy of Steel.

Jason stood right before him. He couldn't help but feel amazed, as he stared at the young super hero, examining him from head to toe.

'Superboy' I-I just wanted to say how sorry I am for what I did to you' I guess you must really hate me right now, don't you?' Jason asked him.

Superboy just stared at him for a moment, although a smile finally appeared on his face.

'Please, Superboy'' Jason said, while feeling frustrated because of Superboy's silence. 'For God's sake, please say something''

'I don't hate you, Jason'' he replied softly. 'I hate what you did, and that just broke my heart''

Jason suddenly began to break down in tears.

'I'm sorry' I'm so sorry, Superboy' I'm so ashamed' Please, forgive me'' he said, as he bowed his head while tears began to flow. Jason sobbed for a moment, when Superboy wrapped his arm around his shoulder.

'Jason' It's forgiven and forgotten. It never happened, okay?'

The two boys embraced for a moment, with Jason sobbing out loud. He was deeply ashamed of what he has done, and he wanted nothing more than to make things right again. After a few minutes, they pulled away again.

'Superboy' I know that you must have thousands of friends all over the world' But, I want to be your friend again, just like we were before, when we were roommates at Camp Charlie. Do you have room for one more friend?' Jason wondered.

'Of course I do! It takes a big man to admit his mistakes, and I really admire you for doing that, Jason. I respect you for that. So' let's wipe the slate clean and start over, alright?' Superboy asked him, while he held out his right hand for a handshake.

Jason extended his hand, and the two boys shook hands. They both stared at each other with wide grins on their faces. And, both of them were overcome with a sense of relief. They were friends again, just like they were when they were at Camp Charlie!

'Let's get out of this place'' Superboy suggested, as he turned around and began to walk out the door.

When the two boys were outside, several police officers were busy rounding up the camp counselors and the people who worked there. Jason just caught a glimpse of Steve, who was being escorted into one of the police cars, by two officers. Slowly but surely, the bad guys were being rounded up, and the police had special teams there to recover all the stolen money and the stolen jewels so that everything could be returned to where they had been stolen from.

Everything seemed to be under control, until there was a loud thump, which caused the ground to shake.

Suddenly, both Jason and Superboy were startled, when they heard a loud roar coming from far away.

Several police officers began to run towards them, when a large, 9-foot tall robot appeared from behind the main building!

'Run! Run for your lives!' the officers shouted, as the large robot fired a missile at one of the patrol cars, instantly setting it on fire.

'It's Michael! He is in control of this thing! I'll stop him!' Jason shouted, as he began to run towards the other end of the parking lot, where one of the men was holding some sort of a portable command console.

'Jason! WAIT! It's too dangerous'' Superboy shouted at him, when he suddenly saw the large robot coming straight towards him!

The robot was walking right into Jason's path, and Jason ran right towards it! Superboy knew that Jason was in trouble, and he immediately took off and flew towards the robot. Jason lost his footing and fell on the floor, just as the robot lifted his foot, and was about to step on him! Superboy grabbed hold of the robot's neck from behind, and he started to pull him back, seconds before the robot's foot was about the trample Jason's body.

'Get out of the way, Jason!' Superboy shouted at his friend, while he was pulling on a metal plate, which was attached to the back of the robot's neck.

Suddenly, the plate tore loose and sent Superboy flying across the sky, as the robot regained its posture. Superboy landed with his back on the ground, in a slight daze, as the robot turned around and started to walk towards him.

Superboy was about to get up and fly away, when the large metal fingers surrounded his body and tightened the grip.

'Aaaarrrrrrr!' Superboy groaned, while he struggled to break free of the robot's mighty grip. The robot had clasped both hands together, tightly holding on to Superboy's body, as the Boy of Steel struggled to free himself from the metal prison.

'You big bucket of bolts' Let go of me!' he shouted, as the robot raised his hands to his face, with the caped hero trapped in his hands.

The robot walked over to the brick building, and swung both hands at the wall, smashing the Boy of Steel right into the wall! Bricks startled to crack and crumble, due to the impact, and the wall started to collapse to the ground below.

Superboy was lying in a pile of rubble. He was momentarily in a daze, when he spotted the robot looming over his battered body. The robot made a large fist with his right hand, which he then hurled straight at him! Superboy quickly leaped out of the way, missing the robotic fist by inches as it slammed into the rubble with a loud smash!

He then leaped into the sky, flying around the robot at a safe distance, but he flew close enough so that the robot would see him.

The robot turned around and started walking towards him, swinging its arms at Superboy, in his attempts to grab the caped hero with his hands. He missed Superboy by just a few inches, as the young hero quickly flew out of the way, dodging the large, steel fingers.

'Come on, you robot! Come after me'' Superboy shouted, as he tried to lure the robot away from the buildings and from the police officers, who were looking on from the edge of the parking lot down below.

Since Camp Charlie was located in the hot, Arizona desert, there was a steep cliff at one end of the property, where the campgrounds ended. The bottom of the cliff had a large field of sharp rocks, and the ravine was several hundred feet deep. Superboy had spotted the cliff, and he gradually flew closer and closer to the edge, hoping to lure the robot after him.

Michael had spotted what the Boy of Steel was doing, and he decided not to allow him to win the battle so easily. Just as Jason was running towards Michael, Michael placed his console on the floor and ran towards Jamie, who had just landed near the edge of the cliff. Michael then pulled out a small, red rock out of his pocket, which he then hurled at Superboy. It was a small rock of Zyrtonium!

The rock rolled across the floor and stopped just a foot away from where Jamie was standing, when he suddenly began to feel weak.

'Oh no' Not again!' he gasped, as he felt his power being sapped from him. He quickly collapsed to the ground, just at the moment when Michael had made it back to his console, so that he could instruct his robot to walk straight at the powerless Superboy!

'No' NO!' Jason shouted, when he realized what was about to happen. The robot was going to crush the weakened Superboy!

Jason quickly ran towards Jamie, while the robot was approaching them.

'Superboy! What's the matter? Why are you on the ground?' Jason cried out.

Superboy just pointed his finger at the rock, which lay near his body.

'The' The rock' Get' it' away' from'' Superboy said, as he felt his body becoming weaker and weaker. Finally, he fell unconscious.

Jason turned and looked over. There was a small, red, glowing rock. He realized that this rock had caused Superboy pass out.

He stood up and grabbed the rock, before he turned around, and hurled the rock away. As he watched the red stone fall to the ravine below, he felt the ground shake below him, as the robot came nearer and nearer with every step.

'Oh no! The robot! Superboy! Wake up! Please, wake up!' Jason pleaded with the Boy of Steel, who finally opened his eyes again.

Small cracks were developing in the ground, as the robot came closer. With each step, small rocks came loose and fell to the ground below.

'Go away! GO AWAY!' Jason screamed at the robot, while he held Superboy's head in his hands. He was determined to stay with the Boy of Steel, even if it meant that they would both die right there.

Suddenly, the edge of the cliff began to give way, and both Jason and Superboy fell off the cliff!

Jason quickly extended his arms and grabbed hold of another rock, just as he had begun to fall. He was hanging from the edge of the cliff, barely holding on with his fingers. But, where was Superboy?

'Superboy' No' NO! Where are you, Superboy?' Jason shouted, as he turned his head to look down below.

In the meantime, the robot had gotten closer to the edge of the cliff.

BAM' BAM' BAAAMMMM'

Suddenly, the ground below the robot's feet had given way as well. The cliff broke off, hurling Jason and the robot down, to the ravine below.

As Jason was falling, his life suddenly flashed before him. This was it. With his arms extended, he was falling from a high altitude, knowing that there were only sharp rocks below. He knew that once his body would hit the rocks, he would be killed in an instant!

'AAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHH!!!' he shouted, as he noticed the top of the cliff, as it seemed to be getting farther and farther away from him.

Suddenly, he felt something grab hold of him under his back! His fall was broken, as his descent slowed down considerably. When he looked sideways, he spotted Superboy's face, looking down at him with a smile.

'Superboy! Am I glad to see you!' Jason cheered.

Jason realized that Superboy had awakened just in time, to catch Jason as he was falling down the cliff!

Suddenly, the boys spotted a large metallic object, as it came from above and was falling to the ravine below them. Superboy stopped and allowed his body to float in mid-air, while he and Jason watched the robot as it plunged to the rocks down below.

CRASH!

There was a loud explosion when the robot struck the rocks, and a ball of fire engulfed the metallic remains of the large, evil robot!

Superboy quickly ascended towards the cliff, where he landed and gently set Jason back down on his feet.

Michael was standing by the edge of the cliff, when he witnessed the crash of his metallic monster.

'No! NOOOOOO!' he screamed, as he sank on his knees, with his head buried between his arms. 'My robot!'

Mike cried for a moment, when police officers surrounded him and pointed their guns at him.

'Get up, and put your hands over your head' Do it, NOW!' they ordered him.

Mike slowly got up and placed his hands over his head, before one of the officers grabbed him from behind so that he could place the handcuffs on his wrists.

When they led Mike past where Jason and Superboy were standing, Mike stared at them with an ugly look.

'You destroyed my robot!' Mike spat at them. 'I won't forget this! I will get you for this, Superboy!'

'Come on, get in the car' You're under arrest for murder and armed robbery'' the police officer sneered at him, as he pulled Mike away.

'What a horrible man!' Jason sighed. 'I hope I'll never see him again!'

'Don't worry' Superboy replied calmly, although he was still shaken up from the experience. 'You won't see him again. He'll be behind bars for a very, very long time!'

Jason quietly turned to face the Boy of Steel. He stared at him with a very serious look on his face.

'That makes it twice in one day that you have saved my life. Thank you so much!'

'No problem, Jason' Thank your for saving my life, too!' Superboy replied.

Both boys embraced each other briefly. This time, it was bittersweet. Jason had proved his loyalty and friendship to Superboy! They knew that from this point forward, they would be friends forever!

The two boys started walking towards the police cars, when one of the officers came walking up to them.

One of the police officers was talking on a cordless phone, when he started walking towards the Boy of Steel, holding the phone out in front of him.

'Superboy' I have a phone call for you!' the officer said, as he handed the super hero the phone.

'Hello? Oh, Robin!' Superboy said over the phone. 'Yes, I'm done here. Alright, I'll be home soon''

Superboy hung up and handed the phone back to the officer, before he turned back to Jason.

'I need to find a way to get back home to Valery from here'' Jason contemplated.

'No problem' I'll fly us home! Here, grab hold of my hand!' Superboy instructed, as he held out his hand so that Jason could hold on to it.

'Up, up, and away!' Superboy cheered, as he lifted off while allowing his powers to flow through Jason's body as well, so that the two boys could fly next to each other.

The two boys flew heading east at high speed, and they arrived in the city of Valery just minutes later. They flew to Jason's house, where they landed just in front of the front door. Jason immediately ran towards the door and knocked. When his mom opened the door, the two immediately cried out and embraced one another.

Jason also embraced his older brother Jonathan, who immediately recognized Superboy as well. The three of them then walked back into the house, where Jason's mom prepared something to drink for the two boys, who had just arrived back home from Arizona.

Jonathan was extremely happy to see his brother back, and Jamie was happy to be home again, so that he can visit with Batman and Robin and then wrap up the case, before heading back to Metropolis.

Jamie had promised Jason and Jonathan that they would remain in touch, before he took off again and flew back to the Batcave, where he would meet up with Dick and Bruce.

It was about three days after Wancho had been killed, that Robin, Superboy, and Wesley were invited to a small ceremony at the Gotham City Police Commissioner's Office in the downtown area of the city. Batman and Superman were also there, and so were the three young super heroes.

The boys were praised for risking their lives and stopping the robberies from taking place. The youth of Carnaville, Valery, and Gotham City had been placed at significant risk, due to the dangerous operations that Wancho was having in those cities. He was planning on recruiting kids in his secret army, so that he could eventually establish a secret city of his own. He was using money, jewelry, drugs and alcohol to lure the poorest kids into his scheme, and he was showing a lot of success at it.

Furthermore, Wancho had been secretly plotting ways to isolate major refineries of oil in the southern region of the country. His ultimate goal was to have complete control over all fuel supplies and deliveries across the southwest, which would eventually lead to national control over fuel distribution. But his evil plan had failed miserable, due to the intervention of mainly Robin and Superboy! And that's why the three boys were slated to receive awards in the form of medals that day!

Wesley, while he was dressed as Speed Demon, Superboy and Robin received medals from the Commissioners of all three cities. There had been robberies involving millions and millions of Dollars worth of jewelry and money, which had been stolen from banks and jewelry stores, and the Mayors of these cities, had thanked the three junior heroes for cracking the case.

Both Superman and Batman were extremely proud of seeing their boys receive the awards, while they were also disappointed that Robin had been injured during the capture and accidental death of Wancho. Batman knew he was going to have to fight crime alone for awhile, although he had hoped to have another sidekick to replace Robin very soon. None of the three boys were aware of the fact, that Batman and Superman had arranged a surprise for Jamie, when the whole adventure was over!

About a week after Wancho had been captured and imprisoned, Clark walked into Jamie's bedroom, where the boy was listening to the radio while he was reading a book on his bed, all by himself.

'Hey, champ'' Clark chuckled, as he stared at the super-kid.

'Hi daddy!' Jamie cheered. 'Did you just get home from work?'

Clark just smiled at the boy. He remembered how scared he was, just a week ago, when Jamie was hypnotized, and after he had been knocked unconscious by the deadly rays of Zyrtonium, which had come from Wancho's rifle. He was extremely grateful for the fact that Jamie had still held up very well, and that he was alive and well, just barely a week after the dramatic incident.

Clark just spread out his arms sideways, hoping that the boy would give him a hug.

Jamie caught on to his gesture, and he put the comic book down on the bed, before he leaped in the air, and flew right in his father's chest!

'Ugh!' Clark groaned, the moment he felt the force of the boy, as he flew right into him.

'I love you, daddy'' Jamie said, as he looked up at his father.

'I'm so happy you're alright' Clark said with a grin. 'You look like you have completely recovered from all the dramatic experiences from last week''

'I've already forgotten everything that happened last week'' the boy replied. 'It was all bad news anyway''

'I came to send you news about Robin'' Clark said softly.

'Really?' Jamie replied, as his eyes lit up. 'How's he doing? Is he alright?'

'Well, you've been invited to visit Robin at the Wayne manor''

'Really? When?'

'Tonight! Bruce wants to meet you there in an hour!'

'Okay!' Jamie cheered. 'Let me go and change into his costume''

The super kid raced back to the other side of the bedroom, where his clothes were hanging in the closet. He removed his Superboy suit and cape from the hanger.

'Boy, I certainly missed being Superboy during the past few weeks'' he chuckled, as he stared at the familiar red-and-blue suit with the long, red cape.

He flew into the bathroom and closed the door, just to come out again, just five seconds later, dressed up in his familiar suit.

Clark could just look down and smile, as he glanced at the little Superboy.

'Wow' It's so good to see you, dressed up as Superboy again'' Clark laughed.

'I'm going to keep my costume on for the next five months!' Superboy announced. 'And, I'm only taking it off when mom wants me to put it in the laundry!'

'Well, uhh' Don't decide that just yet, Superboy!' Clark laughed. 'There may be some changes''

'Changes?' Superboy wondered. 'What kind of changes?'

'Bruce Wayne will fill you in about that!'

Jamie (dressed as Superboy) stared at Clark in confusion.

'Don't worry! Nothing bad is going to happen! Just fly to the Batcave and you'll hear about it. By the way, you're invited to spend the night there, if you like!'

'Yay!' Superboy cheered, before he leaped in the air and embraced Clark.

'Thank you daddy!' he assured his father. 'I'm going there right now!'

'Oh, and Superboy' Just be good and behave, okay?'

'I will!' the little Superboy replied. 'I'll be very good!'

Clark just smiled, as he watched his caped son fly to the balcony, before he set course for the Batcave, which was located outside of Gotham City.

A few minutes later, the flying boy had reached the secret Batcave, where Batman and Robin lived and worked. He went to the hidden entrance, and he flew through a tunnel until he arrived at the large, steel door. As soon as the door opened, he found himself standing in the main control room of the Batcave!

'I see you made it'' Batman said, as he turned around in his chair, so he could face Superboy.

'Hi, Batman! How is Robin doing?'

'Well, how about we go and take a look?'

'Sure!'

Batman then opened the secret door, which opened up by moving a large bookcase over. Batman then led Superboy through the secret entrance, and they walked over to Dick Grayson's bedroom, where he was resting on his bed.

He had his arm in a cast, and Jamie realized right away that he couldn't be Robin for awhile.

'Hi, Superboy'' Dick said with a smile. He was very happy to see the caped boy back again. 'Good to have you back''

'I'm glad to be back'' Superboy responded sadly. 'I'm feeling really bad about this. I'm not happy about all the things that had happened, just over a week ago. I was so ugly towards you and towards Batman' There was just no excuse for it''

'There was nothing you could have done about that, Jamie!' Dick replied. 'After all, you were drugged and hypnotized!'

'Well, you were the one who put a stop to that!' Batman replied, feeling very proud. 'If it wasn't for you, then Jamie would have done much worse things by then. In fact, he might have been alive anymore! You did a very brave thing, by standing up to Jamie, while he was under the control of Mister Wancho! You had taken Jamie out of his control! Jamie could have killed you!'

'Wow' I can't seem to remember a thing about all that' I can't believe I was the one who had done so many bad things during those few days''

'Well, Robin had saved your life, by putting his own life at great risk!'

'Jamie wouldn't have done anything to hurt me!' Dick said confidentially. 'I just know that!'

'How do you know that?' Batman asked him.

'We'd made a pact together, during those few days that we were floating around the ocean in that little row boat. Do you remember that?' Dick said to Superboy.

'Yeah! I remember that. In fact, I still need to go back to the fort and see how Varshini is doing. She's the girl who took care of me, when I was feeling so sick''

Superboy then turned to face Dick.

'I guess you can't be Robin for awhile'' he said sadly. 'Batman will have to do his crime fighting on his own, until your arm is healed again''

'Not necessarily'' Batman indicated.

'Huh?' Jamie said. 'What are you talking about?'

'Go over to that closet, and open the door. There is a surprise for you in there'' Batman said, as he pointed towards a closed door on the other side of Dick's bed.

Jamie walked over to the door, but stopped for a moment, before he placed his handle on the door to open it.

Using his x-ray vision, he stared at the door, which quickly faded away, revealing another Robin-costume that was hanging from a hanger in the closet.

Jamie's face lit up, when he realized what was hanging there.

'Just open the door! We don't have x-ray vision, Jamie!' Dick laughed. 'Show us, what is hanging in that closet!'

Jamie opened the door and reached in, gently removing the hanger containing the colorful outfit. He held it before him, while staring at the bright, green-and-red suit with the long, yellow cape.

'This suit seems to be my size'' Jamie noticed. 'It looks a little smaller than yours, Dick''

'Put it on!' Batman said. 'We can't wait to see what you look like, while wearing a Robin-uniform!'

'Alright' I'll be right back!' Superboy said, as he raced into the bathroom, while holding the colorful outfit in front of him, which was still hanging from the thin, metal hanger.

A few moments later, Jamie had emerged from the bathroom, wearing the red suit, green trunks, and the long, yellow cape. There was only one thing missing from the outfit.

'Wow! I look like Robin, now!' Jamie cheered, as he stared at his reflection in the mirror, which was in the corner of Dick's bedroom. 'This is a nice suit, and it fits me perfectly!'

'You're just missing one thing'' Batman said, as he was holding the small, black mask in his hand. 'You need your mask...'

'Close your eyes, Jamie'' Batman smiled, as he slowly approached the new Boy Wonder. 'I'll put the mask over your face''

'Okay'.' He smiled, as he closed his eyes.

Batman gently placed the black mask over Jamie's face, hiding his eyes so that the people wouldn't recognize him. When he was done, he stepped back, so he could stare at the new Robin.

'Open your eyes, Robin'' Batman instructed the boy.

Jamie then strolled towards the mirror, stopping when he was standing just a few feet in front of it.

'Wow! I make a good Robin!' he exclaimed, as he stared at his reflection.

'You'll get to ride in the Batmobile with me! How do you feel about that?'

'Oh' You mean, I can't ride on your motorcycle?' Jamie asked Dick sadly.

'No' You're still too young to ride on the motorcycle. But there is the Batmobile, the Batcopter, and the Batboat'' Batman replied.

'Wow! That's awesome!!' Jamie cheered, as he leaped into the air and remained floating a few feet above the ground.

'Wow' You'll get to work with a Robin who has super powers and who can fly!' Dick said to his mentor! 'That will be an interesting experience!'

'You don't have to use super powers in order to be Robin' Batman said to the flying Robin, a she walked up to the flying boy.

'Oh, I know that' Sorry'' Jamie replied sadly, as he quickly touched down on the floor, while wearing his green shoes.

'Well, Robin' How about we take the Batmobile for a ride? We'll do a quick patrol around the city'' Batman suggested, to the new, shorter Robin.

'Okay!'

'Have fun, you two'' Dick chuckled, as he watched Batman and the new Robin, as they ran out the door and headed to the Batcave.

Batman and the new Superboy-Robin climbed into the Batmobile, which ignited immediately and blasted out of the garage at great speed, with fire that was coming out of the rear exhaust pipe.

'Weeee!' Jamie cheered, as he experienced his first ride in the Batmobile.

Batman only nodded in reply, but he was extremely happy to have Jamie with him, as the new Robin, while Dick was resting from his bullet wound. The great detective was confident that the new Robin would make a great Boy Wonder, since he had received some training from the original Robin.

Jamie had been a great apprentice to Robin, who had taught him the basics about being a sleuth. Jamie sat in the Batmobile with a wide grin on his face. He was thrilled, excited, and very honored, to be the new Robin for a few weeks, and he was looking forward to learning much more about being a sleuth. In the end, his training would benefit everybody, and he felt confident that it would make him into a better super hero!



Epilogue

Caicos Island, July 16, 4:50PM

A hard wind was blowing that afternoon, and the waves were furiously showing the impact. A quiet, lonely girl stood on the upper floor bedroom, looking out over the waves as they crashed into the seawall below. With each wave that smashed the wall, the girl wondered, how many more days she would have to stay there and wait for her ride back home. She longed to see her family, her brothers, and her parents.

Once a week, a small plane would land at the small airstrip. It would deliver food, weapons, and an occasional prisoner. Other than that, the girl was left alone, to take care of the fort, while she stayed at the remote island. Since there was no other way for her to get off the island and to get back to the mainland, she would have to hope that she could convince the guards to let her go.

This week, just like any other week before, a small plane had landed and the guards delivered food and supplies. When she opened the door to the fort, she was greeted by the same two men. And, she would ask them the same questions she would ask them every single week.

'Is there any chance that the boss will let me get off the island this week?' she asked the guards. 'He's been promising me that he would let me go, for the past month or so. My tour of duty here is over! When are you going to take me home?'

'We'll fly you home as soon as we find a replacement for you' the guard explained. 'We haven't heard from master Wancho during the past few days, and we don't know what's going on. Something happened in the city of Valery, and it wasn't good for us''

'I'm just really tired of waiting'' she argued with him. 'I miss my friends and family' I just want to go home''

'Look, Varshini' There is no other way for you to get off this island' he said. 'I'd take you with me, but I can't. What's going to happen when we land at the airport in Gotham City, and the others will see you on board of the plane? I'll get in trouble, if I bring you home without the proper authorization' Don't you understand?'

'You must be willing to take risks and to make sacrifices' she replied. 'I made a big sacrifice, to come here and to be held prisoner on this island for so long. I'm tired of being stranded on this island all alone''

The guard bowed his head and then let out a deep sigh.

'Alright. Be at the helipad at five o'clock. There will be one more delivery of ammunition, and they should only have one pilot on board of the helicopter, so you should be able to get a ride home with him''

The guard then got back into the truck, before he drove back to the airstrip, where he flew his plane back to the mainland.

Unfortunately for the girl, there were two men on board of the small helicopter, when it landed on the helipad with the supplies. Both men were needed to deliver and carry the boxes of ammunition to the warehouse, and that was all the room that there was in the small cockpit of the helicopter.

When Varshini arrived at the helipad, her heart sank when she noticed that there were two men, who were climbing on board of the helicopter. She quickly ran up to the chopper, before the engine had started, hoping to plead her case and to perhaps get one of the pilots to change their mind.

'I need to get back to the mainland'' she pleaded. 'Please, let me ride with you'

The two men stared at each other. One man, who was sitting next to the pilot, got off the seat and jumped to the ground. Varshini smiled at first, and then she ran up to him.

'Thank you'.' She cheered. But, the pilot wasn't too happy.

'Where is your authorization?' he asked her.

'I' I don't have it'' she said sadly.

Somehow, her heart sank in her shoes, when she saw the other man hop back into his seat.

'Then, you must stay here''

'No' NO!' she cried. 'Don't leave me here! You cowards!'

The helicopter lifted off, right after the engine was started, and the two men just waved at the crying girl, who was standing on the edge of the helipad, as she hopelessly stood by and saw her only chance of escape fade away.

'Cowards! You men are all cowards!' she shouted at the chopper, before it flew away and disappeared over the horizon.

Varshini slowly stumbled back into the fort, and she walked back to her room.

As she rested her arms on the thick, stone ledge below the window, she just stared out at the vast ocean below, wondering when she would leave this place.

'Where is my Knight in shining armor when you need him?' she said softly. 'Where is my hero, when you need one man to be a hero?'

She sighed, as tears started to roll down her cheeks.

'Where is my mighty warrior, who will come and rescue me from this deserted, lonely place?' she wondered out loud. 'Who will be my hero?'

Like an answered prayer, a mighty wind gust blew through the large, open window, blowing several magazines and papers off of the small table, which was standing next to her bed.

With tears in her eyes, she walked over to the table, bent down, and picked up the magazine, which had fallen on the floor.

A brief smile came across her face, when she stared at the magazine cover, and recognized the face of the boy, who was on the cover. She was looking at the photo of Superboy. For the moment, it only seemed like a dream to her, that the Boy of Steel had a brief visit to the fort. Not only that, but the boy was weak and sick while he was there. She began to wonder if he was real, and what had become of him. Where would he be now? Would he have forgotten all about her? Then she remembered that he did make a promise to her, that he would come back to rescue her.

Suddenly, she felt another gust of wind, but this one wasn't had strong. In fact, it seemed like it was different from all the other wind gusts, because it didn't seem that strong at all. Then she heard footsteps behind her.

'May I be your super hero, Varshini?' the voice said.

Varshini turned around and looked at the dark figure that was standing outside the hallway, before the entrance to her room. He was short and stocky, and he wore a long cape.

'What? Who'?' the girl replied, as she stood back and watched, while the mysterious figure slowly stepped into the light.

Then, a smile came on her face, when she finally recognized the boy in the blue suit, red trunks and boots, and the long, red cape that billowed in the wind behind his back.

'I'm your knight; your warrior, and your hero, Varshini'' he said to her.

'Superboy!' she cheered. 'You're back! You remembered!'

'Hi, Varshini'' he said with a smile on his face.

'Wow' You look incredible'' she whispered, as she examined the super hero from head to toe. 'How' How did you get here?'

'I flew'' he shrugged, with a smile on his face.

'You flew? So, are you feeling better now? Do you have your powers back?'

'Yes' I'm feeling much better. I came back to take you home, just like I promised you, last time I was here and you took care of me''

The two teens just stared at each other, as they stood in the middle of the room, facing one another.

'Thank you, Superboy'' she cried. 'Thank you so much''

She walked up to him and embraced him, as she rested both of her hands on his shoulders, rubbing them on the back of his cape. Then, she pulled back, but he still held on to her by her shoulders.

'Are you ready to go flying with me?' he grinned.

'Flying? With you? In what? Did you come in an airplane?'

'You're so funny, Varshini!' he chuckled. 'I can fly without an airplane! I got super powers, remember?'

'Well, I only met you once before, and you were sick and in bed, during those two days that you were here''

Superboy pondered her reply for a moment, and he then realized that she was right. He never had the chance to show off his powers to her, because he was sick the last time he was there.

'You're right'' he whispered. '

'Yeah''

'Take my hand'' he instructed her gently.

As soon as she clasped her hand around his hand, she felt her body slowly rise up in the air. When she looked down, she saw that her feet were no longer touching the floor!

'Oh, my goodness!' she gasped, as she felt her body floating around the room.

'May I fly you home, my dear Princess?' Superboy asked her politely.

'Yes, you may, my dear Prince''

The two kids hovered above the floor for a brief moment, before he allowed them to land on the bedroom floor one more time.

'What? What's wrong?' she wondered. 'Please, don't tell me that I have to stay here now!'

Superboy let go of her hand, so he could pull the edge of his cape towards him. He unzipped a pouch, which was located on the bottom right corner, on the inside of his long, red cape. He pulled out two small rings, each which had the 'S' logo on them.

'This ring will allow you to fly across the sky, without having to hold my hand the whole time. This will allow me to share my powers with you. So, while you stay in my line of sight, and we're both wearing these rings, you'll be my super-girl!' the caped boy chuckled.

Varshini extended both hands behind her head so that she could bundle her long, black hair together. She then placed a rubber band over it, making a pony tail out of her hair.

'Alright! I'm ready!'

Superboy gently slid the ring on to Varshini's ring finger. Once she had it on her finger, he placed his fingers on the ring and pressed down gently on the metal, so that it would not come off her finger anymore. Then, he put the other ring on his own finger.

'Come on, Varshini' he cheered. 'Let's go home!'

'Wow' This ring is so cool! How long will you let me keep it?' she wondered, as she started floating in her room on her own.

'It's yours to keep. I want you to have it, as a token of appreciation from me. This is my way of thanking you for taking care of me when I was here last time, and I was sick'' he replied, before he extended his arms and flew out the large, bedroom window.

'Oh my gosh! Am I supposed to follow you out there?' Varshini wondered out loud.

'Yes! Don't be afraid! Come on!'

Varshini slowly stood on the ledge of the window. She looked down and stared at the waves, which were crashing into the seawall below her. For the moment, she became scared. But, she began to feel better, when she saw Superboy floating right outside of the window.

'Nothing will happen to you!' he said, impatiently. 'Come on, Varshini!'

'P-Please catch me if I fall, okay?' she stuttered.

'I'll be right here! Nothing will happen! You have my powers now, so you can fly just like me! Just follow me!'

She leaped out the window, trying as hard as possible not to look down, and to only look at the caped boy, who was flying in front of her. After a few moments, she had finally become used to flying on her own!

'This is great!' she cheered out loud.

The two flying teens then flew together, side by side.

'It's time for you to go home'' he chuckled, as he slowed down enough so that he was flying right next to her. 'Let's go!'

Then Superboy and Varshini flew home. They stared in awe at the sun that was slowly trying to set over the horizon before them. They enjoyed the trip. They loved the freedom. And, they just stared at each other with smiles on their faces. No words were needed to describe their feelings, for the expressions on their faces said it all.

Superboy and Varshini took the long way home, while chasing the setting sun. All they could think about was seeing the looks on the faces of their friends and family members, when they arrived home. But, they weren't in a hurry anymore. They were determined to enjoy every minute of their flight, no matter how long it would take them to fly home.

The End

The characters of Superman, Clark Kent, Superboy, Batman and Robin are copyrighted and owned by DC Comics; no copyright infringement was intended.

Nov. 1 ' Dec. 27, 2005