Disclaimer: I do not own any DC Comics characters
Nostalgia
When Robin received the call for help, he was sure that the distraught policeman must have been mistaken. The poor man must have botched Mumbo Jumbo's name.
While the magician might be a formidable opponent at times, he still hadn't achieved the name recognition of other criminals like Cinderblock or Red X. Though the police rarely ever caught a glimpse of the latter, he usually made a point to leave something behind, usually something red and X-shaped.
Robin frowned as he awaited the arrival of the rest of his team. Raven had arrived within mere seconds, and the others weren't far behind. As soon as all Titans were present, the Boy Wonder quickly ran over the information he'd been given.
"Sounds like Mumbo is trying to make a withdrawal from the bank. He has hostages, so we need to get them out before we do anything else." The team nodded in unison, their expressions dead serious. Even Beast Boy never joked around when hostages were involved.
"Titans, go!"
When the Titans arrived at the bank, the first order of business was to free the hostages. Robin nodded toward Raven, who immediately sunk into the ground and disappeared.
In a swirl of black energy, a large crowd of people blinked into existence just behind the police barricade. As the EMT's quickly rushed forward to treat the injured, Raven suddenly rematerialized in front of Robin.
"Nice job, Rae!" Beast Boy shouted cheerfully. Though her expression seemed as impassive as always, there was something off about the set of her jaw. "Robin," she rasped, her voice an octave higher than usual.
"I didn't look inside when I teleported the civilians, but I sensed five bodies." Starfire blanched, "You mean the Mumbo has-?"
Robin's eyes narrowed as he glared at the door of the bank, "Titans, go!"
Cyborg blasted down the doors, allowing the entire team entry to the building. They were greeted with what appeared to be an empty room, with the exception of what looked like a giant gift box in the center.
Nevertheless, each teen stood at the ready, muscles coiled to strike. Robin silently gestured for them to follow his lead, as he edged toward the mysterious box. "There's someone inside," Raven whispered helpfully.
Robin drew a bird-a-rang from his utility belt and aimed at the obnoxiously colored box. "Come out, Mumbo! We have you surrounded," he shouted, a warning tone in his voice. The top of the box suddenly burst open, and brightly colored confetti shot out of it.
The first piece to flutter down landed on Cyborg's mechanical arm, and promptly exploded on contact. Raven immediately threw up a shield to hold off the rain of explosive paper; her forehead beaded with sweat from the effort.
When she was finally able to drop the shield, a man leaped out of the gift box and landed in front of them, his hands outstretched mockingly. "Surprise!" he shouted, before erupting into a bout of maniacal laughter. Robin paled and took an involuntary step away from the newcomer.
The man's gaze quickly fixed on the Titans' leader, and his broad grin grew impossibly wider. "What'sa matter, bird boy? Weren't expecting a visit from your ol' Uncle Joker?"
The Titans glanced at Robin, their expressions searching for guidance. Unfortunately, their leader seemed to have frozen like a deer in headlights, his breathing nearing hyperventilation.
"You don't look very happy to see me," the man observed, his stark white skin almost glowing in the fluorescent light. His grin suddenly took on a sadistic tone, "Let's turn that frown upside-down! Hit it boys!"
Tiny capsules suddenly fell from the ceiling, and began releasing a green gas. This finally jarred Robin into action, and he immediately covered his nose with his cape.
"Titans, fall back!" he shouted, his voice edged with something that sounded suspiciously like fear.
The team obeyed, and sped out through the door with lightening speed. Robin waited for the gas to dissipate, and then rushed back into the building, prepared for battle.
He found the building empty, save for a pile of five bodies, complete with Joker-style grins. A little note sat atop the pile, written in red ink. "See ya soon! –Uncle J." Beast Boy shivered, "T-That was the Joker? The real live Joker?" Robin turned away from the bodies, "Yes."
Cyborg frowned as he checked the bank's accounts, "He only took a few hundred dollars." Raven sighed, "Why rob a bank and take so little money?" "Because this is all a joke. We just don't know the punch line yet," Robin murmured, his head hung low.
Cyborg and Raven sat at the kitchen table in companionable silence. Robin had disappeared into the crime lab several hours ago, and had requested not to be disturbed. The appearance of his old enemy seemed to have taken a large toll on him for whatever reason.
"Ya think Rob's okay?" Cyborg suddenly asked. The sorceress frowned, "I don't think so. He's an emotional trainwreck." Cyborg cradled his face in his hands, "I've never seen him so…scared before, Rae." He turned his gaze to her, worry in his eyes, "Something's wrong."
Raven clasped her hands in front of her and opened her mouth to speak, but was interrupted by Beast Boy's sudden appearance. "Bad dudes don't scare Robin. He was just surprised to see that clown so far from Gotham," the green teen stated confidently.
The sorceress glared at him, "I was going to say that he will sort through this. We simply must have faith." Beast Boy snickered, "Listen to you, talking about hope and faith. Maybe I should start calling you Sunshine."
Her glare didn't waver, "Maybe you should quit while you're ahead, Garfield." The changeling's teasing grin fell, "Now you're just being mean."
"That's enough, man. Now is not the time," Cyborg warned.
Beast Boy sighed, "Sorry. Just trying to lighten the mood." They were suddenly jolted out of their conversation by the blaring of the Tower's alarms, and a live feed of the Joker's eerie grin popped up on the screen.
"Good evening, kids! We interrupt your regularly scheduled program to bring you an important announcement," the man exclaimed, his breath fogging the camera lens due to the close proximity. "Looks like someone else had the same idea," Cyborg remarked grimly.
Robin arrived shortly, his expression as impassive as Raven's. The Joker took a step away from the camera, revealing his surroundings to be a weather station. A woman in a harlequin suit sat on a stool next to the screen, licking an ice cream cone and swinging her legs like a small child.
"Give us the forecast, would ya?" he inquired, straightening his purple suit jacket theatrically. The woman immediately tossed the ice cream over her shoulder and hopped down from the chair, "Sure thing, Mr. J!"
She gestured to the map behind her, "Look out folks, this one's gonna be a doozy! Right now we're partly cloudy with a high of 75 degrees. Later tonight, expect scattered showers of laughin' gas around the downtown Jump area."
The Joker turned to her, "After ten o' clock, Jump City's gonna be a regular party town!" He pushed a button that released confetti from above. "Yay!" the woman exclaimed gleefully as she twirled a bright noisemaker in her hand.
"Unless," The man abruptly snatched the toy from Harley and tossed it off screen, causing her grin to disappear. "Those party poopers show up and ruin all the fun," he snapped, his voice dropping to a threatening low rumble as he glared at the screen. Harley waved her hand dismissively, "Oh, they won't do that, Puddin'."
The clown-like villain turned to her, his voice returning to its normal tone, "Correctamundo. Why is that, Harley?" She tapped her chin, as if thinking it through. "Cause they're all invited," she reasoned. He nodded and grinned, "Ah, yes. I remember. Sadly, only one of them accepted our generous invitation."
Beast Boy and Cyborg looked away from the screen to glance at each other, confusion apparent on their faces. "What invitation?" the green teen whispered quietly. Robin stiffened and addressed his team without turning away from the screen.
"Where's Starfire?" he inquired in a quiet voice. When he received no answer, he whirled around to face his team, his face grave.
"Where. Is. Starfire," he demanded. Their eyes widened, and Cyborg eventually broke the silence. "We thought she was with you."
"Wondering where your playmate is, little birdie? Don't worry. She's having the time of her life!" the Joker exclaimed, and the camera view switched to show Starfire sitting in a chair and shaking with laughter, obviously exposed to some sort of laughing gas.
The view switched back to the Joker. "Don't worry kids, that's just plain old Joker gas 1.0. But if you try anything funny, I'll treat her to the special version I used at the bank." With that, the feed went black.
"We have exactly two hours before the Joker gas is administered to the city. Cyborg, I need you to work on an antidote. Raven and Beast Boy, I need you on crowd control; make sure you're caught on camera. I'm going to find information that will help me determine how it will be disseminated. We will regroup in exactly an hour."
The cybernetic teen crossed his arms, "Shouldn't I trace the broadcast to its source? It won't be hard to find out which news station he's at." Robin shook his head, "That won't be necessary. He'll tell us exactly where he is in an hour."
"What makes you so sure?" Raven inquired carefully. The boy wonder stared back at his teammates evenly, "Educated guess." Beast Boy frowned at his leader, "Why are me and Raven on crowd control, when that wacko has Starfire? The police can handle that."
Robin nodded understandingly, "Misdirection. He's used to fighting teams of two or three, where the leader shoulders most of the heavy lifting, and his subordinates handle lighter tasks. I want him to think I'm planning to come alone, because that's what he'd expect from Batman."
Cyborg cocked an eyebrow at him, "That's not what you're doin'?"
The boy wonder shook his head with a grim smile, "Of course not. I've learned my lesson." His three remaining teammates smiled back at him, reminding him that he was never alone.
It was times like these when he truly appreciated the results of his departure from Gotham. "Besides, there are no 'subordinates' on this team," he finished confidently.
As Robin raced through the streets on his R-cycle, he continued to turn over the events in his head. The madman's sudden appearance couldn't have been a coincidence. Jump City was far from a leisurely drive away from Gotham; it was literally a cross-country trip.
Robin had purposefully picked a city as far from home as possible, so as to avoid any run-ins with familiar faces. The Joker had gone out of his way, which probably didn't bode well for Robin.
A red flare in an alley to his left caught his eye, and Robin parked his bike on the sidewalk to investigate. As he approached the mouth of the alley, a dark figure dropped from the rooftops and landed a few feet away from him.
He immediately recognized the newcomer, and clenched his fists in frustration. "I don't have time for this, X," he announced dismissively. The thief recoiled mockingly, "I'm hurt." "Good," Robin huffed and turned his back on his caped enemy, moving toward his motorcycle.
The hero suddenly twisted to the left, dodging an X-shaped projectile, which lodged in a lamppost after missing his arm.
"I have something you want, kid," the thief in the skull mask announced cockily. "I doubt that," Robin remarked. Red X reached into his utility belt and retrieved a small USB drive, waving it triumphantly.
Robin furrowed his brow, "What is that?" The thief's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, "A map marked with the locations of all the gas canisters." The boy wonder frowned, "And in exchange?"
Red X tossed the device to Robin, "I'll get back to you on that." The thief pressed the button on his belt and teleported away, leaving Robin with the map and new questions.
He lifted his communicator to call his teammate. "Cyborg, status update." The cybernetic teen looked thoroughly exasperated, "I have the antidote for the stuff you gave me, but how do we know he hasn't changed up the formula since you left Gotham?"
"I have a lead on canister locations. If it doesn't fall through, I should have a recent sample soon. Robin, out," he replied, before closing his communicator.
When he arrived at the abandoned warehouse that supposedly housed a canister of Joker gas, he found Red X already inside. The thief was seated next to the canister, armed with wire cutters, a laptop, and various types of screwdrivers. He seemed to be dismantling the contraption with relative ease.
"Took you long enough to get here. Did you stop for doughnuts?" X murmured distractedly as he typed a complicated code into his computer.
"What are you doing?" Robin demanded, ignoring his question.
The thief paused and stared at the boy wonder for a few seconds. "I'm diffusing a bomb," he stated bluntly, before resuming his work.
Robin approached slowly, his arms crossed over his chest. "Why are you diffusing a bomb?" he elaborated.
Red X chuckled as he snipped a wire, "Not a random act of kindness, that's for sure." The lights on the gas bomb went out, and the caped thief extracted a container full of green liquid from it.
He offered it to Robin, who placed it in a plastic bag for safekeeping.
"Can the canister be removed without setting off any alarms?" Robin inquired as he inspected the piece of technology. Red X scoffed, "Who do you think I am?" He promptly wrenched the thing out of the ground and tucked it under his arm. "Let's get this thing to Tin Man. I have better things to do than take these things apart."
Robin's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, "What makes you think you're invited?" Red X chuckled as his hand hovered over the button on his belt. "What makes you think you can stop me?" he challenged as he disappeared from sight.
To say that Cyborg had been surprised to see Red X would have been an understatement. Three holes had been blasted in the side of the Tower before Robin arrived to amend the situation. Soon, Cyborg had corrected his antidote and found a way to remotely diffuse the Joker bombs, with the help of Red X.
The thief sat on a stool in the crime lab, his attention focused on the page of coding he was currently checking for errors. He finally leaned back and stretched stiffly, "We're good to go." Cyborg watched him critically, "Where'd you learn all that?" "I have my past, you have yours," he replied enigmatically.
Robin stood on the opposite side of the room, leaning against the counter. He had been watching Red X intently, but seemed lost in thought. The thief hopped down from the stool, saluted him, and disappeared once again.
Cyborg turned to his friend, "Think he's up to somethin'?" The boy wonder frowned thoughtfully, "Definitely. I just can't figure out what."
The Titans burst into the abandoned circus ring, where the Joker stood on the ringleader's box waiting expectantly. His thugs stood to the side, and Harley Quinn was suspiciously nowhere to be found.
"Welcome to my humble abode, kiddos! It's a temporary residence, but I find it quite cozy," he remarked. "Don't get too comfortable, Joker. Your visit is about to be cut short," Robin replied coolly.
"Titans,-" Robin's trademark battle cry was cut short by the blare of an airhorn. A spotlight suddenly switched on, revealing an unconscious Starfire tied to the tightrope above their heads.
Harley Quinn stood on a platform holding a gas grenade. "I would stay put, if I were you," the Joker advised with a sinister grin.
Robin clenched his jaw, "Why are you here?" The man sneered at the Titans, "Now there's a good question. I like to think my purpose in life is to make people smile. But that's not what you meant, is it?"
The Titans remained silent as the madman cackled maniacally at his own antics. His red eyes focused on Robin, "Gotham just hasn't been the same without the bat-brats. Those little tikes always brought a smile to my face."
The man clasped his hands behind his back as he reminisced. "When I heard that Batsy's little bird boy was in Jump City, I had to come visit. The other one was a scream. Got lots of laughs outta him, but he just couldn't compare to the original."
Robin stiffened and shot him a glare that could kill a small animal. The silence was interrupted by an abrupt squeak from above, and the Titans were surprised to see that Harley was now dangling from the tightrope in Starfire's place, her arms tied against her sides. The woman kicked her feet frantically, "I don't do straitjackets!"
"Someone's a bad sport," the green haired man muttered disapprovingly.
The Joker's head suddenly snapped back as a fist connected with his face, sending him sprawling onto the ground. Red X stood over him, poised to strike, "I don't play well with others."
The Joker eyed him critically from his place on the ground, "HA! You've got spunk!" The masked thief suddenly jumped back as the Joker whipped out a childish looking gun, "I don't like spunk."
The moment the gunshot sounded, the Joker's thugs descended on the scene like angry hornets. "Titans, go!" Robin called, as he jumped into the fray. He'd hoped to diffuse the situation before it came to an all out brawl, due to the fact that his team had little experience with Gotham's brand of thug.
Raven seemed to be doing well at destroying the machine guns, thereby ensuring the team's safety, so Robin started to make his way toward the Joker. The clown was firing at Red X, who was dodging his bullets with the aid of his suit's teleportation capabilities.
Robin drew close enough to sling a well-aimed birdarang, when it was suddenly knocked off course by a pie, of all things. A flash of red to his left had the boy wonder backpedaling to avoid various punches and kicks.
Harley Quinn grinned as she hurled another pastry his way, distracting him long enough to land a good kick to the gut.
The Joker cackled as he continued to shoot at his elusive attacker, "This is the most fun I've had in weeks!" Red X suddenly kicked the gun out of his hand, and swiftly punched him in the face.
Soon, the Joker was covered in a sticky red substance that bonded him to the floor. The green haired man struggled for a bit against his restraints, but ultimately gave up. "Harley!" he called impatiently.
"She's a little tied up," Robin replied cheekily, gesturing to the woman bound to a support beam. As the Joker scanned the abandoned tent, he realized that the Titans had subdued every one of his goons. "Well, looks like ya got me. Back to Arkham we go," he exclaimed with a shrug.
Red X suddenly reeled back and punched him in the jaw. "Who said you were going back to Arkham?" the thief challenged coldly as red blades emerged from his gloves. The Joker laughed heartily, but trailed off as he noticed his opponent's unwavering glare.
"You're bluffing," the clown accused, an inkling of doubt sparking in his eyes.
"X, stand down!" Robin warned. The masked thief ignored him and stepped closer to the Joker, whose expression was mildly surprised. "This is gonna hurt you a lot more than it does me," Red X murmured threateningly.
The criminal's red eyes widened in shock, before his face stretched into a wide grin, "I see what you did there." Red X stumbled back as Robin gripped his wrist harshly, "I said stand down."
X's eyes narrowed beneath his mask, "Protecting the Joker. After all he's done." The boy wonder met his gaze evenly, "The easy thing isn't always the right thing." Red X huffed indignantly, roughly jerking his arm away, "You know, you always were just like him."
Robin's eyes widened disbelievingly, and the masked thief turned his back on him. "Wait," the boy wonder implored, and placed a hand on his shoulder. X quickly shoved him away. "Next victim's on you, kid," he muttered, just before teleporting away.
The Joker's animated laughter echoed throughout the room, and Robin promptly silenced him with a knock-out gas capsule.
…
Robin tucked a strand of hair behind Starfire's ear, watching her sleep peacefully as the steady drip of the IV continued in the background. She had been in the infirmary when they arrived.
It was likely the doing of Red X. Robin stormed out of the room, closely followed by his conscious teammates.
"Rob, you have to tell us what's goin' on," Cyborg demanded as he followed Robin toward the Common Room door. "It's nothing," he insisted. "It's something," the cybernetic teen argued.
The boy wonder roughly combed his fingers through his hair, "I'll tell you as soon as I figure it out." "Figure out what?" Beast Boy asked.
"I know who Red X is," Robin stated carefully. "And it's freaking you out because?" Raven inquired. "Because he's dead," the dark haired teen stated. The entire team froze in place with a collective, "What?" Robin sighed, "The Joker killed him."
The cybernetic teen frowned, "Then you have the wrong guy." Robin shook his head and began pacing, "No. It all adds up; the fighting style, the ambiguous motivation, his sudden interest in fighting the Joker, how he knows so much about me. The only thing that doesn't make sense that he's alive, but we've seen people come back from the dead. We know it can be done."
Beast Boy threw his hands in the air, "Then who is this guy?" Robin sighed, "His name is Jason. He took my place as Robin when I left Gotham." Cyborg crossed his arms, "So the dude comes back as a thief?"
The boy wonder shrugged, "Jason was a thief to begin with. When Batman found him, he was stealing the wheels from the Batmobile." Beast Boy snorted, and Raven promptly smacked him upside the head.
Robin took a deep breath, "He was like my brother. That's why I ignored all the clues to Red X's identity. I thought I was imagining it. That I wanted him to be alive so badly, I was seeing him in a mysterious criminal."
"Didn't know you cared," a voice called from behind. Robin whirled around to face the newcomer, who was leaning against the wall.
"So I'm right?" he asked, hesitation obvious in his voice. Red X shifted slightly, "Listen, kid. You don't see me telling all your little friends your name." Robin immediately approached the masked thief, stopping a few feet away from him.
Red X crossed his arms and stared back impassively, "Your girlfriend okay?" Robin nodded, "She's recovering. Thank you for your help."
The thief scoffed, "I only helped so I could get close to the Joker. Nothing more, nothing less." To everyone's intense surprise, Robin suddenly pulled him into a tight hug. Beast Boy and Cyborg shared a confused glance at their leader's abnormal behavior.
"Hey, cut it out," Red X complained with a weak shove at Robin. "Shut up," Robin commanded brusquely before releasing the criminal.
Red X adjusted his gloves pretentiously, "This doesn't change anything." The boy wonder hung his head sadly, "No. It doesn't." Robin suddenly tilted his head to the side, "Why aren't you in Gotham?" Red X gestured stiffly, "Same as you. Had to get as far away from Bats as possible."
The thief chuckled, "It was pure coincidence that I ended up in Jump. I heard about your little science project, so I hacked into the Tower's systems and took it off your hands. I had it for weeks before you found me with it."
Robin crossed his arms, "So now I know how you got the suit. I still don't know why you stayed in Jump instead of running off to an unprotected city."
X glanced from the Titans to Robin and shrugged, "Don't know. Call it nostalgia."
With that, he disappeared.
Author's Note:
So obviously, I'm on the "Red X is Jason Todd" bandwagon. I wondered what kind of dynamic he'd have with Robin if something like that came out, and I decided that it wouldn't have changed much. I also really wanted to write the Joker.
It was really difficult, but I think I got close enough to make it believable. I didn't specify which Joker I was using, because I couldn't make up my mind. My favorite is the one from Batman: The Animated Series, but I prefer to use The Batman whenever I do backstory for TT Robin.
The result: Joker's personality reflects the one from The Batman, but I left most descriptions of his appearance vague.
Constructive Criticism is welcome!
~Rose