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Nightwing's POV:
After the Joker's disappearance from the UN summit plane crash, everyone on the League and the Team were worried about Batman's emotional state, myself included. Bruce has regressed back from the person he is to the person he was before, a ruthless, dark avenger. You would think this is a good thing but it isn't; it's scary. He has refused to establish any form of communication from anyone. We all changed after Jason's death, but this new demon will consume him if he doesn't allow anyone to reach out to him. Alfred had left the mansion because of Bruce's new isolation, saying that he doesn't want to bury another member of the Wayne Family; this really means something if the rock of the family has left.
One anonymous Gothamite though has attempted to help Bruce out though, a kid named Tim Drake. The name wasn't familiar to me until he showed a picture of the two of us. I then remember when I had met him, the night my parents died. He was just a little child then but he, like all of Gotham's youth, had followed Batman & Robin. He approached Alfred & I, telling us that he knew of our (Bruce & I) dual identities; we initially try to deny the statement but the kid was persistent. He had watched Bruce's descent from Bat-sanity and tried to convince me to become Robin again because for Gotham to survive, Batman needs a Robin. As much as I wanted my adopted father back, I told him I would try to help him out, but only as Nightwing because I have outgrown the mantle. Batman then approached us and demanded that Tim let go of this mission and enjoy being a child; he doesn't want another kid's life to ruin. I kind of agreed with Bruce because truthfully, Tim doesn't need this and even though he quit, Robin died with Jason. When Two-Face rose back from his criminal hiatus, he nearly had both Bruce and I on the ropes. Fortuitously, Tim arrived in a make-shift Robin costume to distract Harvey and once that proved successful, Batman decided to give Tim a chance and make him into Robin. However to make sure what happened to Jason never repeated, I, Bruce and Barbara decided to train him. In six months of training, Tim was ready to begin as Robin. Jason, I hope you look out for your new successor.
Bruce's POV:
With Tim as the new Robin, I find myself returning to the man I once was. Training him had been somewhat simpler than his predecessor, though he lacks confidence in himself. With Nightwing and the returning Batgirl, he was able to learn much faster; it was good for him to have more than one mentor and pretty much soon, he became their new brother. Tim is also more serious than the other two and has a keen mind on detective work, yet I see a bit of Dick within him as he is quick with one-liners. He looked through Jason's old files and work out regimens and he started to admire him, wanting to be just as fearless as Jason. I was more cautious than proud as I lectured him about Jason. I was aware that I focused more on Jason's negative traits that appeared in the end than the positive ones he had in the beginning of his tenure but I needed to make sure Tim would be safe at all costs.
Nightwing's POV:
Later on in the beginning of summer, Gotham's menace had finally resurfaced: the Joker. Except this time, he wasn't just targeting Gotham; he was targeting the entire US of A. Apparently the injuries he sustained after the UN incident along with the diagnosis from Arkham doctors, he was told that he was dying of a brain tumor soon. The entire League & Team mobilized to stop this threat. The majority of this war was in favor of the Joker, as he discovered a new way to utilize his venom by using the Weather Wizard to distribute it all over the country by rain storms. Pretty much a majority of America's citizens have either been killed or transformed into his white-faced, Glasgow-smile wearing monstrosities. We were able to get cooperation from Harley Quinn in producing an antidote but the Joker has yet again gone too far. He has crossed the line for the last time.
Batgirl's POV:
As I work with Black Canary, we went to where the Joker was diagnosed and the information we found out thoroughly surprised us. The video logs show a number of psych doctors intentionally misdiagnosing the Joker as terminally ill. They believed that if Joker could accept that his time was ending, that he would renounce his insanity towards the world; these men were too naïve to believe that the demented freak would turn over a new leaf. Using this information learned, we returned to Gotham to share with Batman. We then had to fend off Jokerized innocents & criminals until we got a transmission from Superboy that Tim had been missing. All of us found clues in Arkham and found torn-off pieces of Robin's suit covered in blood. Nightwing immediately ran off to the Joker's location while after searching for a couple of minutes, Robin appeared safe and sound.
Robin's POV:
It was tough dealing with the Joker's scheme but aside from a few battle scars, I am all right. Batgirl told me that Nightwing believed I had perished in this craziness and went after the Joker. I ran as fast as I could with the Team as we finally made it to the room. We saw Nightwing beat down the clown and were horrified when this happened:
Nightwing: "All these deaths! All the pain you've caused! When is it ever enough, Joker?!"
Joker: [hysterically laughing] "Are you kidding me with those weak-attacks, Boy Blunder? I hit Jason a lot harder than that.
All of us tensed up as he said that. Then the Joker continues to taunt him.
Joker: "That was his name, Jason right? I should have video-taped that!" [Continues to laugh]
Nightwing's POV:
Once I heard Jason's name, I flashback to that day in Ethiopia, seeing Jason's dead body among the rubble and Batman carrying him away. I then remember Barbara in that hospital bed after the Joker shot her and had her in a wheelchair for more than 2 years. My blood boils in anger of how many times I have let this cold-hearted, egotistical, insane son-of-a-bitch ruin the lives of the people I love and I can't take it anymore. Something within just snaps.
Robin's POV:
All of us watch in horror as Nightwing beats the Joker within an inch of his life. We all see in his eyes that he is just filled with pure-rage not caring that others are watching him. He doesn't care or is even aware of what he is doing, I can tell he will just keeping attacking the clown until he tires out. I have to stop him!
Robin: "He's had enough, Nightwing. You have to stop!"
Nightwing: "Robin?" [He looks at me with a shaken look but it immediately turns into a look of fury again] No! It's another a lie, another sick joke!"
Robin: "It's me, Nightwing! Please stop this!"
Nightwing finally stops assaulting the clown and it appears that he goes into shock. I check the Joker's body and see that it isn't moving. When I check his heart, it was no longer beating.
Robin: "Oh my god, he's dead."
Nightwing: "I… I killed him."
Nightwing's friends rush over to comfort him but he is just breaking down. When Batman arrives, he sees the carnage that Dick placed on the Joker and once he finds out that the Joker is no longer breathing, he decides that for his oldest son to not have blood on his hands, he resuscitated his long-time adversary. A week passes by and Nightwing & I zeta to the cave's grotto and see Jason's memorial. Dick begins to tell me about Jason and I told him how I would have liked to have met him.
Gotham Cemetery June 15, 2015 11:35 pm EST
*Cue Johnny Cash: Ain't no Grave (Can Hold My Body Down)*
It is a stormy night in the dead section of Gotham. An unknown energy source begins to encompass a young boy's corpse. His skin pigment starts to return to its natural color, his fingers begin to expand; his lungs begins to draw breath for the first time and the young man's vocal cords reach full volume.
Jason: "AAAAAH! BATMAAAAAAAN!"
The boy starts to freak out, realizing that he is an enclosed space. He was not buried in costume. On his person are no keepsakes of his alter ego.
"Something—gotta have—something.."
No Batarangs, no tools, no equipment of any kind that would ever tell you that this boy, in this pine box was the teenaged hero who fought alongside the Dark Knight.
"Calm… Calm down… Not enough air… calm"
Batman has no room for sentimentality of any kind and when it comes to maintaining his greatest secret.
"Gotta dig. Dig… dig your way out."
All the training that he had received since he was but a much younger boy, that part of him that quells panic and pushes to survive. Batman had three sensors placed in the coffin. Unfortunately for all they were designed to go off if someone broke in… not if someone broke out. Unbeknownst to the heroes, Jason Todd has risen back from the grave.
AN: Next time on the final part of Requiem, it will take place one year after Invasion where everyone will learn the truth about Jason's death.