Chapter 1
Tonight, wasn't right, they could all tell. No police sirens, no escapes from Arkham, no whispers from informants on the next big deal. Nothing. Gotham was never this quiet…
It was at times like these the members of the Bat Family were the most alert.
The night passed on uneventfully (which, in itself, is a miracle), a few nights ago their information network was firing off sporadically. Informants saying 'something big was going down', something about a new player coming to town, but now nothing. It's like Gotham, in all of her chaotic glory, was waiting with bated breath. It truly was the calm before the storm.
Looking over this calm night loomed Batman. He crouched beside a gargoyle gazing down at the street below with his usual scowl in place. This past week has been hell on him with the rumors of a new encroaching force, but that's not all that is troubling him… It was that time of year again…
Robin was crouched down on the opposite side of the gargoyle watching him worriedly. The usually haughty young boy sat quietly looking at his father with barely disguised concern. He was about to speak when another figure grappled up to where the two vigilantes crouched.
"Hey, B." The black-clad figure greeted.
"Nightwing", Batman greeted, "Any reports?"
Nightwing frowned and shook his head, "Nothing… What's going on here…? We all gathered tonight because we heard some major moves were being made. Even Black Bat is here, apparently some major shipment was coming from Gotham and she decided to 'cut the head off the snake', so to speak."
It's true, everyone was here. Nightwing and Red Robin were here from the Titans, Black Bat is here from Hong Kong, Batgirl and Robin are on deck, and as always Oracle is their 'eye in the sky'. The whole family is gathered and ready for this new player. Not the whole family… he had to remind himself.
He was about to slip back into staring at the street, but Nightwing interrupted. "B…? Are you alright…?"
Batman went back to staring at the city below, "It's that time of year again…"
"Oh… right…"
"What are you- ", Robin tried to question, but was interrupted by his com.
Batman stared at his com and saw it was Oracle trying to reach the whole family. By the time he opened the channel everyone else was already tuned in. "Oracle? What is it?"
"Hello, my beloved." Answered a refined, yet husky voice.
"Talia…" he growled, "What did you do to Oracle?"
"I request you and your family to come to the clocktower, it is urgent." She spoke regally, ignoring in interrogation. Just as she finished speaking she cut the line.
"Everyone converge onto the clocktower, Oracle is in trouble." Batman ordered.
When they all dropped through the hatch at the top of the clocktower Talia was already waiting for them. Beside her was an unconscious, but unharmed Barbara Gordon. Along the walls were multiple members of the League of Assassins, Lady Shiva who lounged against the far wall, and Nyssa al Ghul who stood next to her half-sister. "Good Evening, beloved", Talia greeted.
"What's this about, Talia?" Batman growled.
Talia didn't answer at first, she watched the group of vigilantes as they scanned the room and evaluated the threats around them. She analyzed them carefully before giving a satisfied smile. "Be at ease, we have not come to quarrel."
"Yeah, because I usually bring trained assassins with me to say 'hello.'" Red Robin snarked at her deadpan.
"Say what you will, boy, but tonight I have come baring news; not your deaths." Talia responded sharply.
"Enough. Release Oracle and leave. The League is not welcome in Gotham." Batman interrupts.
Ignoring him Talia begins her message, "As you are aware my Father has left us. Nyssa and I have been leading the League in his absence until the day Damian takes up his rightful place as the Demon's Head." Talia pauses and looks at her son lovingly. "However, as it seems that Damian might not return, we have decided that his brother should take over."
As soon as she finished speaking the room became silent. Batman's head snapped between Talia and his son's shocked face. Brother? Who is she talking about? He has never told me about a brother? He thought furiously.
"Mother, is this true? Is he really going to succeed me? I thought he wanted nothing to do with leading the League." Damian asked his Mother worriedly.
"Damian, who is she talking about?!" Batman asked him heatedly.
"It's rude to talk about someone who's right in front of you, ya know?" A deep and husky voice answered from behind them. When they whirled around they came face-to-face with a hulk of a man. Easily 6'2" maybe taller with a broad body. His face was hidden by the hood he wore, but Bruce could tell he was smirking by the amusement in his tone; his cloak hid most of his body except for the handle of the ornate sword that poked out. "Dami, look how much you've grown! Come let me see you closer."
Surprisingly, Damian ran to the man and was brought into a hug. Damian hated when people tried to hug him, why was he so willing to hug this man?!
"Are you really going to become the new head?" Damian asked with undisguised concerned, "You said that you wanted me to succeed Grandfather!"
"Dami, I know where you should be and that is with Bruce." The man said soothing Damian. "We will speak on this again, later."
"Who are you?!" Bruce practically roared at the man when he heard his name spoken causing Damian to jolt in the man's arms.
Ignoring Bruce's outburst, the man released Damian and sauntered around the group to stand next to Talia, Nyssa, and Barbara, who was starting to regain consciousness due to all the noise. "Gotham hasn't changed much since I have left. Give or take a few new holes, she's just as I left her." He stands with his back to the vigilantes, "Today is a hard day, don'tcha think, Bruce?"
"Who are you?!" Bruce growls as he stalks past a panicking Damian and straight to the man.
If the man was intimidated he was extremely good at hiding it, "April 27 is a day that lived in infamy in Gotham. Robin disappeared for a while, didn't he? Bruce Wayne's son was also reported dead on that day too, right?"
Bruce had frozen in front of the man mid-stride shocked at the words the man so casually spoke. Of course, today was hard for him, he lost his son on this day. He lost Jason. The vigilantes behind him had stilled and had become silent at this reminder.
The man took this moment of silence to move right next to the, now conscious, Barbara. "I have come to right wrongs, fix mistakes, and make things better." He turned his back on the vigilantes and pulled down his hood revealing a head of black hair.
Barbara, who had full view of the man's face, was visibly shaken. She opened her mouth, but no words came out, her arm reached out to touch him when a flurry of motion caught her and the vigilantes off guard. The man had extended his hand to her neck, within his hand was a syringe that's contents were glowing a fluorescent blue. She looked back at the man in shock as he continued to speak, "I have come to change everything." And with that he injected her and threw her from her wheelchair onto the floor.
Barbara's screams exploded into the silent room prompting the vigilantes to throw themselves at the man and the surrounding assassins. They didn't make it far as the clicking of a gun stalled their actions. The gun pointed straight at Barbara being held by the man. The man who they could now see.
"Stay still, she'll be fine." The man calmly stated. He was so familiar, his black hair now showed a tuff that had turned an off-white color. He looked rougher now, manlier, but it was obvious to Bruce, Dick, and Barbara that the man who stood before them was someone who was supposed to be dead.
Jason Todd was standing right in front of them.
"J-Jason?!" Dick questioned, shocked.
"Yeah, it is." Jason said plainly. "She'll be fine, the process does cause extreme pain, but it is much more preferable compared to the price it usually takes", he said motioning to Barbara who was flailing on the floor.
"What did you do to her?!" Batgirl screamed as she and Black Bat ran to Barbara's side.
"You will see when the process is complete, Stephanie Brown, Cassandra Cain." He said acknowledging them by name.
"Jay… was that what I think it was…?" Damian asked unsurely.
"Yes."
"How?! You should know what it does to people!" Damian yelled.
Bruce rushed forward taking Jason by the neck causing the surround assassins to close in and stop their blades mere millimeters from his vital organs, "What have you done to her?!" he roared in Jason's face.
"I fixed her." Jason grunted as he shook off the hand from his throat and stepped back. "At ease." He responded causing the multiple blades to withdraw from Bruce's body.
Jason pushed past Bruce and came to Barbara's side just as she stopped screaming and flailing. Kneeling next to her he grabbed her hand under Black Bat and Batgirl's heated gazes. Barbara stirred at the touch and stared at him, "Feeling better?" He asked with a small smile.
"Jason…?" she asked weakly, "What're you doing here?" As she sat up both she and the vigilantes were, once again, shocked to silence. She looked at the legs she thought useless as they moved to her commands.