First things first, I want to say that I won't be getting into anything deep until chapter two. This is mainly going to be setting the scene and giving background information. If you want to skip right into the action I'll put a summary at the bottom of chapter one
Tonight is the night.
Weeks of hunting. Stalking through the shadows like a rat. All for this one moment.
A million things could go wrong. If the guard on the roof saw him coming, the alarm would be sounded and the mission will be over before it started. If the truck was running off schedule and he missed the pickup, then this would all be for nothing. If any number of situations happen, then Jason Todd will be dead.
But he isn't nervous. There is no fear in him. Only a sense of calm. Five stories up, crouched down overlooking his target, the boy has never been better. Not a single thought is in his mind. Every motion is instinctive, primal. Not even breathing is the same. He curls his fingers, warding off frostbite.
Across the street is his target. A wooden warehouse, built right on the bank of the Gotham harbor.
Jason is silent. Watching the warehouse for hours from across the street. It was just after sunset that a plain black SUV had rolled up, license plates removed. One man had gotten out of the passenger's seat, carrying an assault rifle in one hand. He opened the main door and they pulled in. The Red Hood hadn't seen them since.
The light sound of boots on gravel. Jason looks over his shoulder, not bothering to turn his whole body. Feeling more curious than threatened. No way would any of those mob thugs have been able to spot him from up here, much less get this close without him noticing.
If it wasn't for his mask, you would have seen a toothy grin spread across his face, "Hey Babs, long time no see", barely louder than a whisper.
The Batgirl. In her usual dark purple uniform, crimson locks falling out of her hood and cascading down her shoulders.
She crosses the roof delicately, hardly making a sound. The pair kneel just inches away from each other. At first neither says a word. A silence divides them like a brick wall. Barbara stares across at the building, ignoring Jason for the moment. He's distracted for the first time this night.
Jason hadn't seen her in months. It wasn't too long ago he was resurrected. Brought back by Talia Al Ghul, sent here to kill the Batman. Long story short, the boy who once been Robin, had been turned into The Red Hood, a vicious vigilante similar to the Dark Knight in all ways except one; he never hesitated to kill. There was a brief showdown between the two, Jason versus his old mentor. It was a tough battle, but Bruce Triumphed in the end.
But that was a long time ago. After the fight, Red Hood had disappeared again. First to the Amazon Jungle, hunting down warlords and mercenaries. Then to Hong Kong where he took on the Yakuza, a powerful criminal organization. Always improving. Sharpening his skills for when he would come back to Gotham.
But there was a shadow nothing could shake off of him. He remembered the way they looked at him. Dick, Tim, Bruce. The way Barbara looked at him. Like a monster.
Not that he could really blame them. I guess trying to kill their surrogate father might have a bad impact on your relationship with someone.
So he finally returned home, but not to kill the Batman. To be honest, Jason wasn't sure why he had returned. It had been five months. Since then he has had minimal contact with those he had once called his family. And out of the blue, here's Barbara Gordon, in the flesh.
"You going to keep staring all day, wonder boy?".
His eyes flash down to the floor first, then back to the warehouse.
"You know I'm not robin anymore, Barbie", sounding almost annoyed. A small part of him was happy that she still remembered that part of his life, before he became a killer.
She punches his arm lightly, "So, what are we gonna do?"
He doesn't look at her, "There's around a dozen guys in there. Two patrolling the roof, a couple more watching the inside. There's two or three bosses in there. It's some kind of meeting between two of the smaller crime families".
She takes a moment to think this over, "So…how you back me up?"
He lets out a grunt. If you were to use your imagination, you might just be able to hear it as a laugh.
"I scouted it out, that means you're backing me up."
She runs off, practically floating.
"But", she says, "I'm the better fighter, which makes you my sidekick!."
Jason climbs up on the ledge, facing the warehouse. Two stories high, with plenty of windows. A very large place for so few men to guard. He almost let himself question why they had chosen this place to meet in the first place.
"You sure about that Barbie? It's been a while since you've seen me fight, for all we know I could put you on your ass."
He fires a grappling hook, and Barbara does the same.
The pair stand on the ledge together, grins on both their faces. For a moment, it was as if the last couple years had never happened. As if he was still robin, and this was just another night on patrol.
"In your dreams-", she starts.
"Oh trust me Babs", Jason cuts her off, "You're doing much more than that in my dreams!"
Before she can respond, he's off, flying through the air toward the building.
The Goon never stood a chance. One minute it's a regular night on watch, nothing more than patrolling the catwalk overlooking the main warehouse. Then something comes flying through the window, faster than he can see. Two boots make contact dead center of his chest, sending the thug hurtling through the air over the railing, tumbling down onto the first floor. Before any of the grunts could get a lock on his position, Jason throws two cans of smoke, hiding him. The one man left on the catwalk fires blindly into the darkness. Between the dim lighting and the smoke, The Red Hood became a ghost.
"Anyone see 'em?" shouts one of the men from down below.
Just seconds after he hears a scream that can be heard from all the way down the block.
"Second level is clear, where the hell are you?" shouts Jason into the radio.
"Chill out, I'm coming"
The three thugs aim in the correct general direction. They get back to back to avoid getting attacked from behind.
Then Batgirl came crashing through the skylight, landing right on top of them. Within seconds the three are all knocked out, laying in a heap on the floor.
"Alright", groans Jason, "I think we're clear".
The pair walk together, checking out what the goons left behind.
They come across a man, tied up and with a bag over his head. He looks unconscious, head slumped.
"I'll get him untied, you go look outside to see if they left anything".
Barbara doesn't need to say anything. She walks off, taking her time.
Jason had to admit, it was nice working with someone else again. Having someone to watch your back.
He pulls the bag off of the man's head.
His face is painted. White as bone. Blood red lipstick has been smeared across his mouth. Green circles around his eyes and a pair of yellow stars on his cheeks.
That's when Jason hears the faint, Tic-tick, tic-tick, tic-tick…
"Barbara, get the hell out!", he shouts, sprinting as hard as he can for the exit. The door is too far but he can see a boarded up window. Jason's feet pound against the concrete, giving every ounce of energy. He lunges head first at the wood. The thing panel breaks easily under his force, at the same exact moment the bomb explodes behind him. Jason is throw out the window, flames licking at his legs.
He slams into the dirt, facedown. Unconscious, smoke curling off his body.
Summary: Jason has discovered a warehouse that is being used by some local gangsters. Batgirl and Red Hood team up and raid the place, easily taking down the handful of guards that are inside. It turns out to be a trap set by the joker. A bomb injures Jason, but leaves Barbara relatively unharmed.