A large figure sat silhouetted before the huge batcomputer. One showed the progress of the tracking program that was trying to trace the elusive signal of the video being broadcast on another.

He watched both screens closely, taking in every detail like the detective he was while another side of him rebelled and logged to turn away from he brutal footage. Someone had to be watching it at all times, and he would never have wished that duty on any of his children, so the task fell to him while they were sent to investigate leads he knew we're false.

The program tracing the live feed was probably the most advanced in the world, but it wasn't working nearly fast enough. On the screen a masked, dark haired boy lay shivering on damp concrete. Most of the room was shrouded in shadow, but a narrow spot-light on the boy made every mark on his body stand out in sickening high definition.

A mug of steaming coffee was placed before the Dark Knight. The butler didn't get so much as a glance, his master unwilling to tear his eyes from the gruesome sight in screen. He couldn't risk it. All he could do was watch and flinch with every blow that landed on the helpless teen.

He hadn't had to watch with Jason. Hadn't had to witness as the light was extinguished from the eyes of that fierce young boy. Tim was so different, so calm, so carefull. It was so hard to comprehend such a similar end to his life.

Bruce had to watch as his world was shattered again, as another young boy was broken, shattered like his second Robin. Bruce had to watch so he could make it stop before the damage was irreversible.

'I've noticed that you have a new kiddy in the tights, guess you don't need this one anymore ', the Joker's voice had taunted.

"Please don't let me fail this time", he prayed to whoever would hear him.

'...you don't need this one anymore '

Those words cycled through the mind of the young man speeding through the streets of Gotham. He didn't know how the clown had gotten another one of Batmans birds, and right then he was sure he didn't care.

"I'll give you a hint my ass ", he muttered.

It was dumb luck that he'd chosen that day to hack into the computer. At first he'd been surprised to have gotten through so easily. Then he'd seen what was being broadcast.

The image of Red-Robin , bound at the Jokers feet flashed through Jason's mind. He turned up the best as far as far as it would go. No way would he'd let it happen again. Jason would be the first to admit he'd never cared much for his replacement, he himself had snapped and gone too far a few times, but that wasn't about them, it was about making sure the Joker didn't get away with it again.

Jason wouldn't be late, he'd get there, end the Joker and then let the bats know where to find the Red Robin. Not like the old man would take any info he handed over at face value anyway.

No one deserved to be at that mad-mans mercy. No one, not one singal person deserved to have that laughter as the soundtrack of their end.

Red Robin wouldn't die, because Red Hood wouldn't allow it.

Nightwing and Robin zip-tied the last of the unconscious gang members to a bike rack. Nothing. How it was that nobody seemed to know anything the former Batman couldn't fathom. Not one of the Jokers former lackeys had any information they were willing to share. None of the gangsters Red Robin had been out to bust before he'd gone missing would talk either - if they even knew anything.

He didn't scold Robin when he was a little rougher than he had to be with one of the men, and didn't wait to chat with any of the cops that came to cart the criminals off to Black-Gate. His focus was in his other little brother. On the last tip Batman had sent him.

Nightwing and Robin disappeared into the shadows of Gotham.

There had been few gaurds, probably only there to keep away curious passersby. The Joker had been carefull to involve as few people as possible. Now there were no gaurds at all, just filthy corpses staining the fresh snow deep red.

The Red-Hood dissembled his sniper rifle in near silence, tossing the peices into the rucksack hanging on the handle-bars of his bike.

Batman would have knocked the guards out and made a showy entrance through the roof or possibly the wall. Jason killed them and pried open a window in the darkest corner he could find.

No point in being dramatic and giving the clown a chance to escape. Jason had that once before. If things worked as m planned, there's be a bullet in the clown's head before he could say HA.

Jason flinched at the muffled laughter echoing through the building and the thwak of a hard object hitting flesh. Steeling himself, he continued to creep silently towards the sounds. In a few minutea no one would ever have to worry about that laugh again.

He caught a flash of light and turned his helmets night vision off. This was it.

A cautious peek through the door revealed the escalation of the scene he'd viewed on the dim screen of his laptop.

The Joker, blood spattered, laughing and swinging a cinder-block on a chain. Red-Robin wasn't moving, not even to tense up or flinch at the harsh touch of the Jokers weapon. The Joker knelt down beside him, and grabbing a handful of the boys hair he lifted Red Robin's bruised face to the camera.

"Not much longer now Batsy", he said in a sing-songy voice. He was turned towards the camera, the same direction as the doorway Jason hid behind. The vigilante couldn't make his move yet.

The Jokers smile morphed into a frown. "You know this is starting to get repetitive", he elbowed Tim roughly in a mockery of friendliness, " don't you think. You haven't been participating much for the past few minutes. Not nearly as entertaining as the last one." The smile returned, "I'll wrap this up then, what do you say", the Jokers nodded Tims head roughly.

The Joker pulled out a gun. Jason moved.

Tim was still conscious, he could still feel. His hearing was a little fuzzy, but he could pick up the change in his captors voice. He couldn't move at all, couldn't resist when the Joker lifted his head and moved it around.

He heard the click of a gun.

'Is this it? ', he didn't want his family to go through what they had with Jason. 'Sorry everyone'. He didn't want to be the cause of such greif.

He heard shots fired. He sucked in as deep a breath as his injuries would allow.

The Joker was talking again. Tim managed to crack open an eye. There, across the room from him he caught a flash of red. More shots fired. The Joker was no longer besides him.

"Shit", Jason swore. He'd gotten distracted, he'd seen the gun pointed at the replacement's head and he'd panicked. Now the clown knew he was there. The slimey peice of filth was dancing around the room, making it hard for Jason to get a shot in.

His custom pistols didn't need to be reloaded often, but 'not often' and never weren't the same thing . The clown's return fire made it hard to use even that advantage.

Joker shot at something above Jason, it fell almost dropping on top of the young man. A single glance at the object sent I've shoooting through his veins.

A bomb, red numbers counting down from ninety. Two seconds, for only two seconds he froze. Giving the Joker an opening to knock him in front of the camera and hit him over the head with the cinder-block.

With a cry of, 'Two for one", the Joker was out of the had disappeared into the shadowy corridors.

Jason rose to follow, ignoring the blood dribbling down his neck. The soft groan and splatters of blood all over the floor was a little harder to ignore. He chose quickly, before he could even register that there was a choice to be made. He was running as fast as he could out of the building, the younger boy draped over his back.