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Ariana Dzerchenko smiled happily as she strolled casually along the streets, enjoying the warm sunshine and the soothing breeze that ruffled her long black hair.
What a beautiful day she thought. On days like this even Gotham seems like a normal city.
She had just finished an errand for her aunt and was now on her way home. When she got back, she was going to call Tim and see if he wanted to hang out with her. Thinking of her boyfriend made her smile widen. They had gone through some rocky patches but now things were finally going smoothly between them.
A sound reached her ears. She stopped and listened carefully. It was faint but she was sure that she could hear a low, plaintive crying.
She hesitated for a moment as she remembered this was still Gotham City, but she couldn’t ignore what she was hearing. She followed the sound to an alley. Now she could definitely hear crying coming from down it but she couldn’t see anyone. Quickly but cautiously, she hurried down the narrow pathway.
It took only a moment for her to find the source of the crying. Huddled behind a crate was a golden retriever puppy. It was thin and malnourished with an unkempt coat. The puppy lay down with its head between its front paws and whined faintly.
“Oh you poor little guy” Ariana cooed as she crouched in front of the puppy. “It’s okay, don’t be scared” she said softly.
The puppy continued to whine. She slowly reached forwards, taking care to not make any sudden moves that might scare it, and gently stroked its back while murmuring comfortingly. After a moment the puppy stopped whining and began to wag its tail happily.
“There, there. Everything’s going to be okay” Ariana said tenderly as she picked it up and cradled it in her arms. She frowned as she saw that the puppy was in an even worse state than she had thought. The pads of its paws were cracked and sore-looking.
Just then she heard voices coming from further down the alley.
“Where is that stupid mutt?” growled a harsh, mean voice. “It’s got to be around here somewhere.”
“Why are we even bothering with this?” asked an equally mean voice. “It’s just one scrawny puppy. The boss has tons.”
“We’re bothering because it’s still worth money” said the first. “And every little helps.” Both of them laughed nastily.
Alarmed by what she’d heard Ariana stood up and walked hastily back to the street and away from the alley. All the while she continued stroking the puppy and whispering gently to it so that it would stay calm. Once she was sure she’d gone far enough she found a payphone and dialed a very familiar number.
“Hello, Drake residence,” said a voice she recognized as Mrs. Mcllvaine, the Drake family’s live-in maid.
“Hello. It’s Ariana. I’d like to speak with Tim please.”
“Of course, dear. One moment.” A few seconds later she heard Tim’s voice.
“Hi Ari” he said cheerfully. “It’s good to hear you again.”
“Same to you Tim.” She smiled again but then it dimmed as she remembered the current circumstances. “Could you come downtown and pick me up? I’m at the payphone on Dixon Street.”
“I’ll be right there. Ari, are you okay? Is anything wrong?”
“I’m fine. I’ll explain everything when you get here.”
“Okay. I’ll be there in five. Bye.”
“Bye.” Ariana hung up and took a seat at a nearby bench. As she looked around warily, she stroked the puppy reassuringly. “Don’t worry. I won’t let those guys get you” she said.
The puppy wagged its tail faster as if in acknowledgement and she giggled softly.
Just a few minutes later Tim’s car drove up and parked in front of her. As he got out, she noticed that he was scanning the area intently with an unusually intense look on his face. That intense look instantly became a warm smile as he saw her.
“Hi Ari.”
“Hi Tim.”
“Who’s your new friend?” he asked as he reached over and scratched behind the puppy’s ears. It licked his hand and he chuckled.
“I found him hiding behind a crate in an alley. We need to get him to a vet.”
“Then let’s go.”
“Just let me call my aunt to let her know why I’m not back yet.”
“Sure.”
While Ariana made her call Tim took a closer look at the puppy. He was no vet but it was clear to him that the poor creature had been severely neglected.
Ariana hung up the phone and rejoined them. “Tim?” she said curiously as she saw how intently he was examining the puppy.
“Huh? Oh yeah, I was just trying to see if he had any injuries. There don’t seem to be any but you’re right, he’s seriously underweight.”
“There’s a vet not far from here” she said.
“Lead the way Ari.”
They got into the car and Tim drove off. The puppy whimpered faintly and Ariana scratched its ears. After a little while it calmed down.
“I wonder how he ended up on the streets. He doesn’t have a collar” Tim commented. “That’ll make it harder to find his owners.”
“Actually Tim, I think that’s for the best” she replied as she fussed the puppy.
“What do you mean?”
She told him what she had heard. As he listened Tim felt himself tense up as his mind began working overtime.
What if those guys had seen her? What if they had found her with the puppy before I got there? What if…?
Noticing this she put a hand on his shoulder. “Tim, it’s okay. I’m fine. Everything’s fine.”
“Yeah, I know” he said as his tension eased. “I’m just glad you’re okay.”
“That’s sweet Tim” she said. She leaned over and gave him a small kiss on the cheek. Only then did he fully relax.
The receptionist looked up from the book she was reading as Tim and Ariana entered. “How can I help you?” she asked.
Ariana held up the puppy. “I found him in an alley” she explained. “He needs help right away.”
“I’ll call Dr. McClay,” said the receptionist.
While she was making the call Tim looked around. The veterinary clinic was a modest establishment but clean and clearly in good working order. The puppy would be cared for here.
A middle-aged woman with curly brown hair wearing a lab coat arrived a moment later. “I’m Dr. McClay” she said. “Thank you for bringing him in.”
“We were happy to” Ariana replied as she handed the puppy over.
“Let’s have a look at you” the vet said as she examined the dog, in particular the cracks on his paws. “Hmm, this little fellow looks like he came from a puppy mill.”
“What’s that?” Tim asked.
“Puppy mills are dog breeding facilities aimed at producing as many dogs as possible” Dr McClay explained, her expression darkening. “The owners only concern is profit, so often the dogs are kept in overcrowded and unsanitary conditions without proper food or care.” She pointed at the cracked pads. “You see those? The dogs are often kept in cages with wire flooring to make cleaning up waste easier. That’s why his paws are damaged.”
“That’s awful,” said Ariana.
Not for the first time Tim thought how amazing it was that despite witnessing first-hand the worst of human nature, Ariana still remained such a sweet and caring girl. “Yeah, it sure is” he agreed. “But this little guy will be okay right?”
“I’ll need to give him a more detailed examination to be certain but as far as I can tell yes, he will. We’ll treat him and give him food and water. Once he’s nursed back to health, he can go to an animal shelter so a good home can be found.”
“I’m so glad,” said Ariana.
“Me too,” said Tim.
“Would you like me to drive you home Ari?” Tim asked as they left the clinic.
“Actually, I was going to call you when I got home and ask if you wanted to hang out” she said. “Seeing as you’re here…”
“Sure” Tim said eagerly. “How does a lunch date and a walk in the park sound?”
“That sounds great” she said happily. They held hands as they walked back to Tim’s car.
For the next few hours, they enjoyed a pleasant afternoon in each other’s company. After chicken wings and fries at a local diner (with Tim paying naturally) they made the most of the good weather by visiting Gotham Park. All too soon it was time to go home.
“I had a wonderful time Tim” said Ariana as he parked outside of her aunt and uncle’s house.
“Me too” he replied. “I’ll call you tomorrow.”
“Okay. Bye.”
“Bye.”
Tim watched her as she got out of the car, walked up to the front door and went inside. He sighed blissfully.
As he started to drive home however, he frowned as the gears in his mind began to turn. He knew of course that not even Batman and Robin could right every wrong in Gotham. But the thought of innocent animals suffering because of selfish, greedy men, of nobody caring enough to help them…
What the heck he thought. There’s no school tomorrow and things have been fairly quiet lately. Robin should be able to go on a side mission tonight.
His smile returned.
Once he got home Tim quickly got on his computer and began looking up maps of the area.
Let’s see, Ariana found the puppy here he thought as he tapped the screen with a finger. Based on what shape the poor little guy was in he can’t have been able to go far. That means the puppy mill he escaped from has to be nearby. Very nearby.
It took only a few moments of searching the computer to determine that there were several commercial buildings on the other side of the alley. One in particular seemed likely, a small warehouse. He’d check it out first.
When night fell Tim went to the Batcave and donned his Robin costume. He asked Batman if he could do a solo patrol. Batman agreed on the condition that he call for backup if he encountered anything out of his depth.
“And remember to keep your guard up at all times” he warned sternly. “Even cheap hoods can be dangerous. Never assume you’re untouchable, no matter who you’re facing.”
Robin drove the Redbird to the alley where Ariana had found the puppy. He set the car’s security systems, confident that they’d keep away any would-be carjackers, and made his way to the rooftops. From there it was just a stone’s throw away to the warehouse where he suspected the puppy mill was located.
It wasn’t much to look at, just a small, plain building with a garage door. As Robin watched a truck came driving up. The door opened and the truck went in. He heard a faint sound of dogs whining coming from inside just before the door closed.
That confirms it he thought. Now to find a way in.
It took only a few minutes for him to find a window and pick the lock. He checked that there was no-one inside and then pushed the window open.
What the…?
Robin was no stranger to horrifying sights, or to heinous acts committed by criminals. But what he saw still shocked him.
Inside the building were numerous tiny wire cages stacked in columns. Inside each one was a dog and a litter of puppies. All of the dogs were thin and their coats were an utter mess. The puppies whined plaintively as their mothers tried to comfort them.
Dr. MacClay said these places were bad but this is way worse than I expected. He scowled angrily. This can’t be allowed to go on.
Robin climbed through the window. The dogs all looked up at him and a few began to whimper, no doubt expecting more abuse since that was all they’d ever known. The sound broke Tim’s heart.
“It’s okay. I’m going to get you all out of here” he said softly.
As he took a step forwards, a loud growling filled his ears. He whirled around to see five thuggish-looking young men. One of them was holding a leash attached to the collar of a snarling rottweiler. Unlike the other dogs this one looked to be in good health. Evidently, he was fed just enough to keep him strong but not enough to fully sate his hunger.
“Hold it right there” said the one with the rottweiler. “Those dogs are my property.”
“Wait boss” said one of the thugs. “That’s Robin. You know, Batman’s sidekick.”
“Batman” the boss repeated. For a moment he looked alarmed but then his face hardened into an angry scowl. “That settles it. No way is he leaving here alive. Ripper, kill!”
He let go of the leash and the growling rottweiler bounded forwards, strings of saliva flying from his jaws. Robin leaped into the air and back-flipped, landing on top of a stack of cages. Ripper slammed into a cage and stumbled away dazed. He shook it off and jumped up after Robin who backed away carefully.
“Easy boy I don’t want to hurt you” he said as he retreated, trying to split his focus between the hungry rottweiler and the less than secure footing. He stepped onto another stack of cages which wobbled, throwing him off-balance for a critical millisecond.
Ripper sprang forwards and slammed directly into Robin’s midriff, knocking him to the floor. He struggled to hold Ripper’s slavering jaws at bay as he snarled and snapped, his teeth coming inches from Robin’s face. Fetid breath filled the Boy Wonder’s nostrils and saliva ran down his arms.
Gross.
Robin managed to tuck both legs under his chin and with all his strength he kicked out. Ripper was launched back through the air to crash into a wall. He dropped to the floor but recovered in seconds and began stalking towards Robin, teeth bared in a snarl. The thugs whooped and cheered.
“Go get him Ripper!”
“Tear the snot-nosed punk apart!”
Sorry to do this to you but I’ve got no choice Robin thought. He pulled a gas capsule from his belt and hurled it to the floor in front of Ripper. The capsule broke, releasing a cloud of green gas which the rottweiler inhaled. He stopped snarling and uttered a faint whine, then slumped to the floor unconscious.
The gang leader glared murderously at Robin. “Fine, we’ll do this ourselves. Get him.”
The thugs pulled out knives and baseball bats and started to move in while their boss hung back. Robin merely grinned.
“Those are some dangerous-looking toys you’re got there, boys. Here’s mine.” He drew his collapsible staff and extended it to full-length with a flick of his wrist. That alone caused the thugs to hesitate. In that critical semi-second of inaction Robin leaped in.
A swing of his staff disarmed two of his foes, striking their knives out of their hands. He followed up with a jab to the gut that doubled one of them over and an upward diagonal strike to the head that took out a second. The remaining two charged him as one, swinging their baseball bats wildly. Robin hastily backed away to maintain his reach advantage while using his staff to deflect their clumsy attacks.
Not very smart he observed. If they tried to come at me from different sides, I might actually have some trouble, but these guys are standing side by side like extras in a bad Kung Fu movie.
He drove his staff forwards in another gut strike that dropped one of them, then ducked under a wild swipe and took out another goon’s footing with a sweep kick. A punch to the jaw finished him off. Now only the leader was left. He turned around and dashed over to some crates covered by a tarpaulin. From under the tarp, he pulled out a shotgun.
But before he could turn around and bring his weapon to bare, Robin leaped forwards and staggered him with a powerful flying side kick. Dropping his staff, Robin seized the shotgun, disarmed his foe easily and tossed it away. In desperation the boss threw a series of jabs and crosses. Clearly, he’d had some boxing training but against someone trained by both Batman and Lady Shiva it wasn’t nearly enough. Robin blocked each punch and then landed a knife hand strike to his throat, taking care to use only as much force as necessary to subdue him. The boss dropped to the floor, struggling to breath. A quick jab put him out.
Robin stood still and breathed deeply as the adrenaline rush wore off. He heard a series of low yips and turned to look at the dogs in their cages. All of them were looking at him with what seemed to be curiousity.
“It’s okay. I’m going to get you all out of here” he said gently.
A quick call to the police, another to the Gotham animal shelter and soon Robin was watching from a nearby rooftop as the goons were loaded into squad cars and the dogs into shelter vans. He grinned.
Not a bad night’s work.
The following day as Tim was getting up after enjoying a morning in, there was a phone call for him. To his delight it was Ariana.
“Tim, guess what I just saw on the news” she said excitedly.
“Uh, Batman is running for mayor” he joked.
She laughed. Even over the phone it was music to Tim’s ears. “You remember the puppy from yesterday?”
“Sure.”
“Last night the police busted a puppy mill close by. All of the dogs were rescued and brought to the animal shelter.”
“Wait, that means…”
“Yes! The puppy will be reunited with his mother!”
“That’s great!” Tim exclaimed. It’s a pity I can’t tell Ari who actually busted that puppy mill he thought. I only found out about it because of her. But I can still do something.
“Hey, I have an idea. Why don’t we go out for a celebration dinner?”
“I’d love that Tim” she replied happily.
“Great! I’ll pick you up at five.”
“I’ll see you then. Bye Tim.”
“Bye.”
He hung up the phone with a broad grin on his face. As he went back to his room to get changed, he thought about the puppy that had been the start of this whole thing.
That was a cute little guy. It’s too bad I have too much going on right now to adopt him. It would be good practice for when Ari and I have…
He froze. Whoa, where did that come from? It’s way too early to be thinking like that. But someday… yeah, someday. Years from now.
With that settled he continued to his room. It was fine to think about the future but right now he was going to make the most of the present.