As for Robin and her forest outlaws, they did not seem willing at all to have anything to do with D.J. and Dabbler and the others. And Dabbler wasn't making the situation any less tense.
"You had a Remote all this time?!" Dabbler exploded. "And you didn't bother to use it until we were all almost dead?!!"
Robin stared at Dabbler with ice cold eyes. "We only use it in extreme emergencies."
"Yeah, well this whole situation got pretty damn extreme way before you pulled out your ace-in-the-hole and punched the deus ex machina button!" Dabbler shouted with recrimination.
"And now the Remote is completely useless, so drained that some of the buttons are gone now," Robin said with a glare. "Who knows how long it will take us to repower it? Who knows if we'll be able to do it in time for the next Wave. And if we don't... well, if we don't it'll be on your head Dabbler."
"What are you talking about?" Dabbler demanded.
"We use the Remote to keep us normal, or at least as normal as can be, after the Mana Wave comes down from Mount Areola. It touches everyone, one way or another. And everyone it touches, it changes. I've worn many bodies, many faces, since I was first abandoned in this evil place. The Remote is the only thing that ensures I keep my normal body - and even then it's not foolproof. But then you already now that." Robin reached down and cupped her crotch as she said this, and Dabbler's hand slipped down to her own pregnant belly.
"So, by forcing us to use up all the power of the Remote," Robin continued, "you've condemned us to an unknown fate as inhuman freaks. A fate that some of us might not even survive, let alone have the chance to reverse."
"I... I didn't know..." Dabbler mumbled.
"That's not an excuse anymore, Dabbler!" Robin shouted. "You've been here long enough to figure things out. Look at Mort for pete's sake! That's what a sudden influx of mana does to people here. But you're too busy looking out for yourself to care about the people you leave in your wake. Well I say screw you!"
Dabbler stared at Robin with stunned shame. She was right, Dabbler was forced to admit. Dabbler hadn't been worrying about the consequences to the people around her, only thinking of what use they could be.
"And now, I'm taking my people the hell out of here," Robin declared. "The Penis Pines Forest can't hide us anymore, and that's your fault too Dabbler. It won't take long for the Supers to discover that we've killed two of their own. And then they'll stop playing their little games with us and come at us for real. Nobody's ever killed a Super before and they will stop at nothing to make examples of us to make sure that no one ever tries it again. Who knows, maybe we won't have to worry about the next Mana Wave. Maybe we'll all be dead before then."
"But what about our baby?!" Dabbler wailed, desperate to keep Robin from abandoning them.
Robin turned to Dabbler one last time and simply said, "If it lives, it's all yours. It has nothing to do with me."
"How can you be so heartless?" Dabbler asked with vehemence.
"From dealing with people like you," Robin answered. "I learned a lot from that whole Imp nightmare you put me through. And once I learn a lesson, I don't make the same mistake twice. Keep your damn baby, I've got my family right here to take care of."
Dabbler was about to say something else, but JigSaw grabbed her by the arm and pulled her away. "She's right, Dabbler. As shitty as it is, she's right. And we can't stick around her arguing. We don't have the time to spare. Listen, when I enlsaved Wonder Woman with her lasso after we first met, I also destroyed her JLA communicator. But Green Arrow had a hell of a lot of time to send a message out to his buddies. When they show up, they're probably gonna be looking for Robin and her Outlaws. Green Arrow had no clue who we really were and probably thought we were just new recruits to Robin's gang. So we're not completely screwed. That distinction falls to Robin. But if we stay here we're dead meat. So let's get going."
Robin and her people were now gone, running as far away from the scene of conflict as they could. Dabbler, torn between her need for their help and her guilt over consigning them to a death sentence, did not know what to do or say or feel. She simply let JigSaw lead her away, back toward the others.
Go back - Go to the parent episode.
Tue Dec 16 21:47:45 2003