Okay, so a few things for this chapter's notes. First off thank you to Gwydionx for beta-ing. If you all see errors, blame her. Haha! Just kidding.
Also, we are returning to the violence and mania that is Jason Todd. I am adding to the tags that there is a lot of non-pc foul language and insults as well extreme violence and graphic descriptions of all that. If you think other tags should be added, let me know and I'll do my best to accommodate that.
Normally I don't like tagging my stories to death because I think it can take away from some of the mystery of the story, but I really don't want to catch people off guard either. Now, I know in the comics Jason doesn't swear as incessantly as he does in my story, but I truly believe it's because DC won't allow it rather than it being out of character. Either way, this is not a canon version of Jason anyhow so I stand by my interpretation of him and his potty mouth.
As always, please enjoy and let me know how you feel about it. I believe this is the longest chapter to date? I could be wrong, but I know it's a big one and I hope that makes up for the time it took update. Thank you all for reading!
Chapter 35 – Seeing Red Again
Wayne Manor
March 8th
0128hrs
Barbara wasn't at all surprised when Kid Flash and Nightwing kept the channel opened between them only. She knew they'd contact her when and if they needed her. She also knew Dick well enough to know by now that he needed to work off his aggression and anger. Normally she would have tried to find a way to get him barred from going out when he was so out of it, but with Wally around, she knew he'd be protected from himself.
The acrobat was reckless and wild when he was worked up. Sure, he'd been depressed this morning but as the afternoon had worn on, they could all see the anger starting to grow within him. After he left the discussion between them all; Dick refused to speak to Alfred or Tim. He wasn't rude, that just wasn't his way, but he did avoid them and it was obvious.
Everyone seemed to be on pins and needles in the manor. Tim had only come down for dinner and then immediately locked himself in his room for the rest of the night. Alfred and Bruce had disappeared after dinner as well, though Bruce had gotten extremely tired once dinner was over and had called it a night. Alfred continued his usual work, but he didn't speak or make eye contact with anyone, though he did check his phone often. Wally stuck close to Dick until it was time for them to patrol and Oliver tried to do the same with Roy, but after her fight with the archer, Roy had insisted on going outside alone and had skipped dinner altogether.
She stared at the computer, every bit of information they had on The Red Hood and JT Bennett pulled up. She wasn't sure what she was looking for, but really, she couldn't go back upstairs to the silent house. Not only did she want to be available for Nightwing and Kid Flash, but she felt better down in the cave by herself. Even as most of the inhabitants slept, the tension was just too thick.
"Hey."
She tried not to be irritated at the sound of Roy's voice, but she couldn't help it. His words earlier had been far more hurtful than he knew.
"You wanna talk?"
"If I did, I wouldn't have walked out earlier during our last 'talk', Roy." She hated how snotty she sounded. Actually, she hated how bitchy she was anytime she was with Roy. With Dick, she'd been fun and easy going, but with Roy? She was the nagging girlfriend who always knew best and she didn't want to be that girl. She wasn't that girl.
"You rolling off didn't solve anything and it left us in limbo. I can't let things just sit like that." Roy sighed as he came over in his crutches. "Why are you allowing that stupid asshole to ruin our relationship?"
"What?" She turned and faced him in surprise. "You and I fighting has nothing to do with Jason Todd!" How could he think that? Did he even listen to her earlier?
"Are you kidding me?" Roy argued, his voice already rising. "You and I were getting on great until I told you about watching him! The moment I opened up to you and told you about why I came to Gotham you turned on me!"
"Well what did you expect, Roy?" She demanded as her own anger rose. "You basically told me that the visit you claimed you were making for me and Dick was actually all about doing reconnaissance on a serial killer that you were thinking about joining up with!"
He gritted his teeth, she could tell by the way his jaw tightened. Roy's green eyes were narrowed as he kept silent, obviously trying to manage his temper a little bit, not that it would do him much good. In the end, Roy always gave into his temper. It was another thing she'd only started to notice after his leg injury.
"Why don't you listen when I talk?" Roy said through gritted teeth. He was definitely trying to keep his temper in check. "I didn't join him. After what I saw, I had no intention of joining him."
"Oh please!" She shouted. "You have everyone here fooled with that same bullshit line, but it's just that, Roy! It's crap! It's crap and what's worse is that you know it and you're too afraid to admit it. To tell everyone what's really bothering you!"
"Oh yeah, because you know me so well don't you?" Roy shouted with skeptical anger. "So damned well. You tell me what I'm pissed off about then. Tell me, Barbie. Tell me what you think my problem is. I can't wait to hear this."
"I do know you, whether you believe it or not! You said you weren't going to join him, that you were going to turn him in because you realized what he was doing was wrong? That's why you shot him?"
"Yes."
"Then why didn't you call for back up?" She asked. "Why didn't you tell anyone that you found him?"
He stared at her silently and then shrugged. "I didn't think about it." But she saw the
doubt in his eyes, the fear that she was right. "I swear!"
"Roy," Barbara sighed and shook her head. "I know you all think I don't care or that I'm just being cold and a bitch, but I just see things differently than all of you. You didn't call for back up because you weren't sure yet. You were still toying with him, still testing him and even if you can't admit it to yourself, you're not mad that he's a killer, Roy. You're not."
He shook his head, denying everything she said. "You think you know everything, but you don't! I hate him for what he did! He's a monster, an unthinking, unfeeling shit head who doesn't care about anyone! He manipulated us all and he has no heart!"
"That's my point, Roy. You are mad at him. You might even hate him. But not because he's a killer." She said softly and waited for his angry eyes to meet hers. "You're mad at him because of what he did to you." He started to deny it but she held up her hand. "It's true, Roy. You hate him because he hurt you, because he beat you and because he may have ruined your ability to be a vigilante. Hell, you might even hate him because he got to date Dick and you didn't.
"You don't hate what he does, you just hate what he did to you." She took a deep breath. "And you're right. We can't sit here in limbo wondering what's going on with each other, so I'll just say it, alright? I'll be the bad guy here, too. The shrew you so desperately need me to be so that you can continue to feel picked on. We're through, Roy."
"Barbara…" He gasped at her words. "You can't be serious. It's just a fight."
"It's not just a fight, Roy. I can't be with someone who if not for being grievously wounded by the man, would have joined him. Maybe I do expect too much of the men I'm with, but on this, I can't budge." She stated as calmly as she could, though her hands trembled and she worried her voice did, too. "I can't overlook that, Roy. I couldn't face this decision earlier this afternoon, but I can't keep running from the truth either. We're just not a good fit."
Roy glared and she saw the sheen in his eyes that warned he was so close to breaking down. She wanted to take it all back; at least the cowardly side of her did. The side that insisted that she could force this to work. The side that feared Roy would use this break up, this unexpected act as a reason to dive back into the world of drugs and alcohol.
But, she couldn't do that to him or especially herself. She couldn't let him make her responsible for his life or his choices. She wasn't that girl, no matter how tempted she might be to try. She knew better and damn it, she knew he knew better, too. She couldn't be held hostage by his addictions.
He turned abruptly, or as best he could with crutches, and headed back upstairs through a lift that Bruce had installed for Barbara when she became wheelchair bound. She waited until she was sure he was out of sight before turning back to the computer and covering her face with her hands. A few tears fell, but internally she berated herself for being so upset. Bruce would never let things get to him like this.
"Are you alright?"
She jumped and gasped as her teary eyes took in the silhouette of Bruce Wayne. "You scared me," she admitted. "I thought you were in bed?"
"I'm sorry." He offered her a rare smile, a fatherly one. Or maybe a brotherly one? Either way, it offered warmth and comfort. "I woke up and found I couldn't get back to sleep so I came down to look at some things. I would have alerted you to my presence, but Roy started talking."
"I can't say I'm really surprised." She tried to laugh as she wiped away a few unshed tears. When she looked back at his face, which was grim with a tight frown and narrowed cobalt eyes, she realized at once that Bruce was deeply disturbed by what he'd just heard and she immediately hated his stealthy skills. "He won't join The Red Hood, Bruce. He's not like that."
Bruce's left brow arched before he took a deep breath and shook his head. "Don't try protecting him now, Barbara. You meant what you said to him and I, for one, agree with you." She bit at her bottom lip. She didn't want Bruce to hear that. Neither Oliver nor Bruce should ever hear that about Roy. It would have devastated Roy to know that his mentor and best friend's father felt that way about him. "I'm not saying he will start killing, but he does agree with The Red Hood's methods."
"He's a good man, Bruce. He wouldn't –
"Barbara, your instincts are spot on," Bruce interrupted. "They are. It's why I had you work with Jason for a while, remember? You have a knack for knowing what a person is capable of."
"I shouldn't have said what I did tonight or even back then." She shook her head as she thought back to that night. "I shouldn't have told you about the darkness."
"Why not?" He asked simply.
"Because it wasn't fair to him." For years, she'd kept her regrets about Jason to herself, but after what had just gone down with Roy, she couldn't keep her regrets like that buried inside of her. She needed someone to know the truth. "I saw darkness in him, Bruce. I did. I knew he was struggling with so many different things, but I still shouldn't have told you."
He frowned, but didn't verbally encourage her to continue. Instead his eyes widened just a little, the request to continue obvious without words.
"I should have told you about the potential I saw in Jason." She closed her eyes and took another deep, steadying breath. "He had so much of it back then. He wanted so desperately to impress Dick and especially you, but that wasn't what I focused on. Instead I let my fears for and of him be the main talking point. If I hadn't done that, who knows what could have happened, Bruce? He might still be a Robin. You might not have pushed him away or agreed when the Teen Titans kicked him off the team. He might not have gone looking for that awful woman."
She tried to deny the gut-wrenching guilt, but that was hard to do when her chest was so tight and her throat was incapable of swallowing around the large lump residing there. She could have told him her fears in so many different ways that would have ended much better, but instead she'd laid it all out like a report. She simply told him what she thought he needed to know of Jason and left it at that.
"I know you won't believe me" Bruce started, "but you should because what I'm about to tell you is a fact."
She found herself leaning forward to hear this crucial bit of information he was about to share with her.
"I had my doubts about Jason long before I came to you. You merely confirmed what I already believed and had you told me opposite of what I expected, I think we both know what I would have done."
Her large blue eyes widened as she saw the pain etched over his face. He rarely ever showed that kind of thing to anyone and she could only assume it was because he still wasn't quite up to snuff. She wanted to comfort him, but she also knew that in doing so, he'd realize his mask of stoicism had dropped and he'd either leave or close-up on her.
"You can't treat Roy differently, Bruce. He'll think I came to you and warned you about him or something and I don't think I can be responsible for something like that again."
"You aren't responsible for Roy and as I said, you weren't responsible for Jason either. Young as he was, he made his own decision; just like Roy will."
He looked angry, but there was something else lurking in the shadows of his grim features that wasn't normally there. If only she could name it. She wanted to call it guilt, but Bruce wasn't really the guilt-ridden type, though she did know he felt that emotion more keenly than most he allowed others to see in him. She knew what the look would have been had it been on her face, though.
Regret.
"If anyone is to blame for Jason, anyone at all, it's me." Bruce stated firmly, making it clear she was not just to trust him, but to accept his word as fact. "He was a disobedient fifteen-year-old who wanted his mother when his mentor failed him. You can't put his death or especially his return on your shoulders."
There was chirping from the computer followed by Dick's voice requesting the police at his current location for a pick up. She quickly acknowledged him and made contact with dispatch before confirming everything with the blue and black costumed vigilante. In total, maybe two and half minutes had elapsed, but it was more than enough time for The Bat to make a hasty and silent exit.
Roy frowned as he made his way back to his room. He couldn't believe she'd just ended it, and why? Because she believed that him not calling for back-up was because of continued doubts? What kind of over-analytical shit was that? He didn't know why he didn't call for back up but he sure as Hell didn't believe it was because he subconsciously didn't want to!
And worse?
Bruce overheard everything! It hadn't registered that there was another presence in the cave with them until he turned toward the lift. Now Bruce was going to go to Oliver and Dick and tell them what he'd heard. They'd never trust him again! They'd turn on him and keep him from working with any of their teams and he couldn't face that. Being sidelined over an injury was one thing, but being exiled for something he didn't even do?
He tossed his crutches beside his bed as he glared angrily at nothing in particular. It wasn't fucking fair! He clenched his fists as he stood, all his weight on the right leg. He wanted to destroy everything around him, to throw a massive tantrum the likes no one in the house had ever seen before and yet, he just wasn't that same person anymore. He was mad. He was insulted. But there was nothing that destroying Bruce Wayne's guest room could take back.
He sat on the bed and ran his hands through his hair as he pulled out his cell phone. He could try talking to Oliver, try explaining it to him, but he'd never take his side over Bruce's. Even talking to Bruce about the whole thing wouldn't help because once the billionaire made up his mind that was it, and everyone knew it. He gritted his teeth and stared at the phone and for once, he found he wasn't worried about drugs or pain. Just anger.
"I gotta get out of this place," he decided aloud as he got up very carefully and searched for the bag and suitcase that he'd brought his clothes and gear in. Maybe he'd call for a cab or an Uber thing, he thought as he started to pack. "But then Oliver will just follow me and I can't…" He couldn't face the man's disappointment. Not after what they'd just gone through together, not after having a really healthy talk for once.
For a moment, he truly felt that he hated Barbara. He took two deep breaths as he zipped his clothing into place and then shook his head. No. He didn't hate her. He didn't even dislike her. He was just hurting. Sure, things hadn't gone as wonderfully as he'd hoped, but damn it, he didn't expect everything to spiral straight to Hell either.
Why did she have to notice something so stupid and insignificant and then turn it into a big deal? Only a girl could analyze that whole scenario until she came up with the worst possible outcome. He rubbed his eyes, pretending they itched instead of burned. "Fuck, if you can't even admit that you're crying to yourself then who's to say she's wrong?" he asked himself and chuckled before sighing and pulling out his phone again. "Fuck…" No. It was a bad idea. "Then again, if I'm going to be accused of it anyhow?"
He texted the words and then pocketed the phone. Once he was finished packing, he couldn't believe how much better he felt. Even if he didn't get a response, he felt justified. He felt vindicated. Now all he had to do was wait Dick and Wally out. There was no way he could stay with Oliver and he knew damned well Dick wasn't planning to stick around after the silent treatment he'd seen the acrobat throw at Alfred and Tim.
He, Wally and Dick would just go stay at Dick's place and everything would get better. Oliver would get a clue and realize he wasn't wanted or needed and he'd fly home. He and Barbara wouldn't have to be stuck together every night that she came by to work in the cave and he wouldn't have to suffer the accusatory looks from the rest of the bat family.
Besides, he'd been unfair to Dick. He wouldn't automatically take Bruce and Barbara's side. They were friends, and he would know that Roy needed him just like Dick needed Roy and Wally for a few weeks. They'd be able to lean on each other and they'd get through this nightmare as they always had when they were Titans. Together.
After a few minutes, he felt his phone vibrate. He pulled it out and stared at the two words that could finally change everything for better or worse.
Prove it.
Kinks (Underground S&M Club)
0255hrs
He hadn't brought his guns. A risky move for sure, but he couldn't. Hell, he almost didn't bring his knives. Normally he could improvise a little with his plans, but this couldn't be risked. He actually needed something from this disgusting piece of filth that dared to call itself a human being. Killing him after cutting him to ribbons wasn't going to work this time.
Breathe, Jason! Also, let him breathe now, too because his face is really looking blue. "What's the matter Lord Alpha Pain? Asphyxiation isn't one of your kinks?" he snarled as he stood from his kneeling position. "Or maybe you only like it when you're the one doing the choking?"
Sean Bixby, the grocery store guy who'd gotten Harv all protective of him, was also known online as LordAlphaPain69696. The guy was a creep, and not just because of his kinks, but because he was a fucking creep. It wasn't enough to play his games with willing participants, oh no. He had to rape his victims. He had to find people who didn't like his games. He liked to hurt them for real. He liked to control them. Own them.
To make an already creepy guy creepier, Sean would also lure women in with his admittedly good looks. But the women suffered a far worse fate than his so-called lovers. Sure, he didn't rape the women he captured, but eventually someone else did, and worse? They didn't get to go home confused and frightened of what had happened to them and their bodies the night before. They got sold off to be raped and drugged and raped some more until the end of their tragic lives.
His blood boiled just at the thought and he felt grateful that he didn't have his guns once more. He was so close, so close to just ripping into the man. He wondered briefly how hard it would be to literally rip into the man and claw into his stomach cavity with just his bare hands and blunted nails.
Fucking Christ, Jason. Settle your ass down until you have what you need.
"You conscious Mr. Alpha-Whatever?" His mechanized voice demanded as he bent at the waist to stare down at the writhing, naked man whose wrists were bound behind his back.
"F-fuck you." He coughed and choked.
"Cough, talk or choke. You can't do it all at once." He smirked. "Believe me, I've tried."
"You," -big deep breath from Mr. Bixby- "have no idea who you're fucking with."
He almost laughed at the audacity of this fuck actually thinking he was in the position to threaten The Red Hood. Eh, fuck it. He laughed and knew it came out far more menacing with his voice modulator.
"You go by the handle Lord Alpha Pain followed by three, sixty-nines. I know exactly the type of idiot I'm dealing with," he growled. "Fuck, I was just relieved to find you weren't a twelve-year-old boy playing with Mommy or Daddy's laptop."
"Take off all the shit, let's see how big of a man you really are," the man dared as he got to his knees somewhat awkwardly, his hateful eyes burning up at him. "You're a real tough guy in all that body armor with a bunch of weapons hidden on you, but without it?"
"You're trying real hard for an Avengers moment, aren't ya?" Jason snickered letting himself get caught up in the banter. Anything to keep the red from stealing his vision and taking control. "I'd still be a world class assassin, fuck-head."
"This is Gotham! I ain't afraid of you masked freaks."
"That would be, what is the most cliched line spoken by all criminals in Gotham, Alex." Jason rolled his eyes as he reached down and grabbed the man's throat once more. "You all say it," he laughed cruelly, "and yet it's also the greatest lie you'll ever tell."
Sean Bixby's eyes bulged as Jason tightened his right hand around the rapist's throat and squeezed. Jason saw the man's arms twitch against their bonds as if he thought he could try to break the hold. Focusing on those brown eyes, Jason watched the fear return in Sean's eyes; the panic that he wouldn't get to ease the burning pain in his lungs and at once, Jason released him.
Jason grabbed his own chest for a moment, his heart racing and vision blurring as he gasped for air once, twice. Oh, what the fuck is wrong with you? You didn't fucking pull this shit when Black Mask was choking the life out of you! Fuck you're not even the one being choked!
"You're no monster, Boy." Sean hissed after taking a few of his own breaths. "You're just a kid playing pretend. Just playing at being a monster." The man was getting to his feet, Jason could hear it, but he couldn't shake off the panic attack, couldn't shake off that memory of… "Monsters, don't empathize. We don't relate to pain or fear or panic. We don't feel anything but our own selfish pleasure. That's how we survive."
Get your shit together, Todd! He may be bound but don't you dare underestimate some sick fuck like Bixby. He closed his eyes tight, pushing away the confined space, the gasping breaths and the terror of never breaking free or breathing. Get over it man, he's right behind you! Likely about to kick in your knees.
Jason whirled around and elbowed the man in the face, bone crunching on impact. He grabbed the naked dom by his throat, this time with both hands, and slammed him into the black padded walls that surrounded them in the small "play room". He held him in the air like he did Ryan Murphy, holding him as that burning red rage started to play at the edges of his vision.
"Who picks up the girls you kidnap?" Jason demanded, squeezing tightly before letting off just enough to let the man struggle for air and hopefully answer his damned question before he decided to just snap his fucking neck. "Who?"
"I'm dead either way." Sean Bixby hissed.
"You tell me who you sell those girls to, and I'll let you live," he growled, still struggling to calm himself down.
There was hesitation in the man's eyes, but he shook his head. "No. They'll kill me instead."
"Well, I can promise you that without a name, a legitimate name, you won't survive the next ten minutes," Jason warned before he maneuvered his prey to a hook in the floor and latched the hand cuff chain to it.
The new position forced Bixby to sit flat on his ass as he stared up at Jason. The experienced man of bondage didn't seem too impressed or frightened, but Jason wasn't even close to finished. He grabbed a three-foot spreader bar off the wall and fastened it to the man's feet. He moved on to his back pack and pulled out several bottles of lighter fluid.
"What….what the fuck are you doing?" There was the fear. Finally!
"Alright," he said beneath his dented red helmet while he started dumping copious amounts of the flammable liquid all over the naked man. "I'm about to give you your last opportunity to tell me who you sell the girls to, Lord Alpha Whatever. I think the consequences of lying to me or flat out refusing to answer me are pretty fucking clear at this point, wouldn't you agree?"
Sean's eyes widened as he looked up in terror and shook his head. "Th-there's a sprinkler system…It would douse the flames." The man insisted none too convincingly.
Jason pulled out his favorite lighter and smirked. "This is an illegal, underground sex club in the middle of Gotham." He flicked the zippo open and held the flame up to the emergency system. Nothing happened. "Corner-cutting is to be expected by criminals."
"Her name's Valerie Nielsen, alright?" the man spat hurriedly. "Valerie Nielsen. She calls me once a month to find out how large an order I have prepared."
He pocketed the lighter and found once more he was tempted, so fucking tempting, but first he had to make sure the information wasn't bogus. He pulled out his cell phone and frowned when he noticed a text message from Roy. "What in the actual fuck?"
"No, she's real! She's real I swear! White, blue eyes, straight blonde hair and she's maybe five feet four. She has those squinty Taylor Swift looking eyes. I swear, don't kill me. Don't kill me."
Rolling his eyes, Jason reached over and smacked the idiot in the face. "Calm down, Asshole. It's got nothing to do with your contact information."
Roy: I want in. We need 2 talk. No games. No tricks. Just a real partnership.
Yeah right. Like he'd trust that shit. The Red Hood and Arsenal? In what fucked up universe was that even possible? He snorted and flicked over to Harvey's contact information to send him a text message with the name of the woman Bixby had given him. He kept waiting for the anger to build up, but Roy had severely distracted him.
What in the Hell was that stupid ginger trying to pull? What was he up to? Had Dick or Bruce put him up to it? Were they trying to get him to move in on him as an undercover plant or something? It was hard to imagine considering the hatred he and Roy had for each other, especially since most of the Bat Family likely were all made aware of his true identity. Hell, if any of them thought back to his time with the Titans they'd know how little they got along.
Then again, wouldn't that be the perfect plan though? Use someone he hated? Someone he'd likely never trust enough to let close to him. Someone who he would therefore never suspect of spying on him? He scratched at his neck with his gloved fingers, trying to push away from this thoughts on Roy, but they persisted, especially as he reasoned how badly Roy hated him after that whole leg injury thing.
Fuck, after what he'd done?
And yet, what if it wasn't a ploy? Roy was textbook stubborn. If Roy was told by anyone to pretend to be on Jason's side he'd do the exact opposite. With how badly he was injured and why he was injured, there was no way Roy would ever speak to him or consider working with him unless he genuinely wanted to work with him, right?
Well, unless of course this was Roy's own little plan for getting revenge on Jason for nearly crippling the archer. Because really? Bruce would never ask Roy for help. Hell, the Bat didn't want any of the other capes in his city and he damned sure didn't want them getting involved in what he knew Bruce would consider 'family' matters.
His phone chimed.
HB: The name is legit. She's being investigated for human trafficking as we speak. FBI took over the case about a year ago. No finite evidence to bring her in yet.
He sighed and looked to his victim. "Looks like the information is accurate." He walked back to the wall as he pocketed the phone and grabbed hold of a rubber ball gag. He approached Bixby, all that rage finally seeping back into his body as he looked over the parasite in front of him. "Open your mouth."
He must have felt safe in the knowledge that he wasn't going to be killed, because Lord Alpha opened his mouth immediately. Once the device was fastened, Jason took the remaining lighter fluid and dumped it all over the room and Bixby.
The man struggled against his bonds as he tried to scream but was muffled by the rubber ball. Jason shouldered his back pack back on. He had to force himself to walk away without attacking him physically, reminding himself that death by beating wouldn't hurt near as much as the flames.
"I know I promised I'd let you live. What can I say? I lied," Jason told him. "but man, if you think your death is gonna suck, just imagine what I'm gonna do to that fucking cunt you work with."
He stepped toward the door and pulled out a book of matches cause he damned sure wasn't leaving behind his zippo. "Rot in Hell you miserable fucking asshole," he snarled as he lit one and waited for it to catch the other matches on fire. He dropped the book to the doused floors and left the play room, shutting the door tightly behind him.
"Oh my God, are you...?" A gothic looking woman gasped, her question unfinished as her charcoal lined eyes looked to the door he'd just exited. "I think I'll just grab my friends and leave," she whispered probably more to herself than him, but then again, he was pretty frightening.
"Anyone comes to his rescue and you're next." He snarled.
"N-no way," she promised. "No one really liked him anyhow."
"Good. Get out of here before I change my mind," he growled and she was gone before he even said 'mind'.
He was at the end of the hall, the last dungeon room in the building and he knew there weren't many guests 'playing' tonight. He walked calmly down the hall and banged on each door. "Fire, get the fuck out," he'd growl and wait for the players to unbind their partners. Once or twice he had to walk in and cut them loose due to frightened doms who thought he was there for them and were unable to do anything more than run for their lives.
If he'd had time to really do some research on Kinks and its patrons, he might not have made sure everyone got out of the building safely. Hell, he might have made sure a few remained where they were, but he couldn't take the chance that innocent lives were present.
"Hey freak!" a man shouted and there was the distinct sound of a gun being cocked behind him.
Jason dropped low and at the same time that he turned, his hands reached for the throwing knives on his belt. As soon as he saw the man he let the metal objects fly. Two hit their marks with one striking the man's right shoulder and the other hitting him in the gut. The gun dropped to the ground, but Jason cringed in pain when he felt a bullet strike his body armor.
Thank God for Kevlar.
Jason pulled two more knives and rushed the tall man who remained standing but was starting to double over in pain. He didn't throw them this time opting instead to tackle the man to the ground. He would finally be able to release that hatred, that rage and the violence he so desperately wanted to indulge in.
"They're gonna get you." The man groaned as Jason straddled his body and pressed the tips of both knives to his throat. "They're gonna fucking kill you for what you did to my club."
"You fucking piece of shit, you knew what Bixby was doing, didn't you? You knew he was raping men and selling women!" he accused, ignoring the heavy smell of smoke filling the hallway. "What'd you get for keeping it quiet?"
The man's face contorted into a cruel smile. "First pick and a five percent finder's fee. Go ahead and kill me, Hood. Ain't nothing you do to me gonna save the girls we already sold."
Roaring his rage, Jason lost himself to the red as he alternated between punching and stabbing the man beneath him. It wasn't until he started gasping and choking himself that he realized he needed to leave. Abandoning the bloody pulp of a man, he escaped the burning building out the back doors.
He removed his helmet as soon as he was out in the night air and breathed deeply. He had his domino mask on and his white streak spray painted black so he wasn't worried about behind recognized, but thankfully no one was out here. He could hear the sirens of the firetrucks and quickly took his back pack off so that he could grab the sign.
He dropped it beside the back door, took a picture in case it didn't survive and then snickered at the sight of his little sign and wondered how on Earth Bruce Wayne could call him a psychopath. He was the one who let guys like Bixby and the club owner live. The one who allowed them to continue prowling the streets in search of their next victims.
"Fuck him," he snarled aloud as he started walking toward home. Speaking of Bruce, it would be nice to know what the Bat clan was up to, especially now that they all knew he was back from the dead. Jason really didn't want them interfering on this mission, not until he'd killed them all because if anyone deserved to die, it was the fuckers involved in this sex trafficking ring.
He pulled out his cell phone as he stuck to the back alleys.
TRH: Prove it.
Roy: How?
TRH: Find me all the information you can on Valerie Neilsen. She's being investigated by the FBI for Human Trafficking. I want her before they find evidence on her.
Roy: I'll get to work on it. Does this mean we're good?
TRH: We're as good as your left leg.
He walked down the alley and glanced back once or twice. The melody of a song he'd chosen his words from filling his head. He sang along as he imagined Sean Bixby's body trying to curl up into the pugilistic position as the flames danced over him. "Now give me that fire," he sang to himself. "Burn! Burn! Burn! Ghosts and devils come a-calling. Calling my name oh, lost in the fire," he grinned and then felt the phone in his hand vibrate.
Roy: You're a fucking asshole.
He inclined his head as if Roy could see him.
TRH: But an honest one.
Roy: Whatever. I'll find you the info.
TRH: I'll believe it when I see it.
Wayne Manor
March 8th
0755hrs
"Morning, Bruce." Oliver greeted as he took a sip of coffee.
He'd been up for only an hour himself, his mind somersaulting over the fact that Jason Todd, the second Robin was still alive and of course how it would affect the most prominent member of the Justice League. He had been waiting for Bruce to wake up so that they could talk. He had theories about how Jason was alive, but he wasn't sure how much, if at all, Bruce would want to talk about it.
After hearing about the dagger that The Red Hood used and knowing that the League of Assassins had been in and out of Gotham recently; it didn't take the world's greatest detective to figure out that The Red Hood was associated with them. If not a member outright. Finding out the man beneath the Hood was Jason, though? That was what really threw Oliver for a loop and he'd been tempted to ask Bruce if he felt it was the Lazarus pit that was responsible for the homicidal urges in his former Robin.
Sadly the Justice League, or at least a few of its members, had first-hand knowledge of just how damaging those green glowing pits could be on a person's psyche.
Still, Oliver figured it was best to let the grumpy Bat get his coffee, which he did, before he launched into an interrogation of what was going on and why the Hell he and Roy had been included in it. Alfred was at the stove and while the butler took notice of Bruce's presence in the kitchen, Oliver couldn't help but note that neither man said a word to each other.
"Oliver." Bruce grunted.
The Star City native didn't take it personally. Bruce hated people in his home as much as he hated working with anyone who didn't directly answer to him. Oliver was much the same way and sometimes believed it was why the two were capable of getting along. "Long night?"
"I planned to speak with you and Barbara last night but it seems someone poisoned my dinner. So, by the time I woke up you were already asleep." Bruce grumbled as he took a seat at the stool right beside the archer. "Apparently, Wally is in town, too?"
Alfred didn't even bother to look ashamed as he started dishing up four omelets. He placed one in the microwave above the stove, handed one plate each to himself and Bruce and then took the fourth plate and walked away. Oliver risked glancing at Bruce to see how he'd respond but the man had a small smirk on his face. He quirked a brow in question.
"He doesn't generally choose to eat his breakfast with me the night after drugging my food or drink." Bruce answered.
"So you aren't mad about him talking to Jason behind your back? This is just…tradition?" he asked incredulously.
"I can't be mad at him for trying to help a former Robin and ward. I can however be angry over him putting toxic chemicals into my body against my will." He shrugged.
"How do you trust the food not to be…?" Oliver really didn't think it was fair to keep referring to it as poison. Everyone in the house knew that Bruce needed to take it easy and rest. The butler was just looking out for his charge, even if said charge was a brooding vigilante who made criminals wet themselves in terror.
"He wouldn't do it twice in a row. He needs to be able to catch me off guard some other time." Bruce answered with a shrug before taking a bite of his food.
"So, why'd you tell the boys to let me and Roy know what's up? That's not like you. At all." He insisted before digging into the omelet, still unsure of how to breach the topic he was more interested in.
"Honestly, I'm in no position to prevent you from discovering the knowledge. Dick was not going to keep it a secret from Roy no matter what I wanted, especially after Roy's gruesome injury at the hands of… Jason." He could tell that Bruce emphasized Jason's name for his own sake but it also sounded a bit more pained than he probably intended. Oliver couldn't imagine how hard it was to accept that your dead ward was returned from the grave and killing people. "I could have kept it from you, too, but I also felt you had a right to know who attacked Harper."
"I appreciate that." Oliver smiled. "Now what's the other reason?"
"Because I knew from Dick's immediate behavior that he would not remain in the manor, especially when I saw that Wally was in town. If you noticed, Alfred only made four plates. That means Dick, Roy and Wally are no longer here at the Manor."
"What?" He felt his eyes widen. He hadn't noticed that. Damn. He was normally a very observant man, but it honestly hadn't even registered. And then he understood the rest of Bruce's unspoken point. "And with Roy safely tucked away with his best friends there is no reason for me to be here to get involved with or interfere in your hunt for Jason."
"And they say blonds aren't very bright."
"Oh my God! You just…wow. That 'poison' must still be kicking around your system, eh?" Oliver teased back because really, if Bruce was joking around then he just had to get in on it. They both chuckled and continued to eat in silence for several moments before Oliver couldn't resist. "Are you okay, Bruce? I mean…that's a hell of a thing to discover."
"You don't actually expect me to answer that, do you?" Bruce replied before taking another bite.
"No. I guess I just wanted you to know that if you do decide you can handle talking about it, I'm always here. Clark would be, too." He offered and as expected, Bruce ignored him outright as they continued to eat. There would be no opening provided for them to discuss the Assassins or what had happened and Oliver knew at once that Bruce had likely manipulated the conversation to prevent any such openings.
The sounds of footsteps pulled their combined attention to the entry behind them as they watched Tim approach.
"Umm, Bruce? I think," The boy's crystal blue eyes fell first to Oliver and then too Bruce. "I think I should get out of Gotham for a bit."
"Oh?"
"Yeah, I mean, I'm grounded anyhow and the temptation to disobey is going to be too great. I might as well leave, get my thoughts back in focus. I'm so far ahead in my studies that I can afford to miss a little bit of school and…" The teen paused as he took a deep breath. "And Dick's right. I'm too distracted and I've been getting hurt because there's just too much noise in my head."
Oliver smiled inwardly as his eyes moved from the red pajama clad boy to his robed colleague and sometimes friend. Bruce appeared both proud and shocked, his steely blue eyes studying his teenage son intently. Did he doubt Tim's sincerity? Did Bruce have this whole place bugged and was aware of what he and Tim had already discussed? Knowing the paranoid Gothamite, Oliver wouldn't be surprised either way.
The fact of the matter was that once again, Oliver felt as if he were invading a moment that he probably shouldn't be around to be seeing. Getting up and leaving would be even more awkward, so he just settled for observing the scene silently.
"Where would you go and for how long?" Bruce finally asked.
"Honestly, I'd be willing to come back whenever you asked. Conner's been wanting me to spend some time with him."
"Metropolis or Smallville?" Bruce responded.
"Smallville," came the reply.
Oliver couldn't help but grin when Bruce scoffed in disbelief.
"I promise. Martha doesn't let Conner in Metropolis during the school year unless it's Teen Titan business and we have nothing going on right now."
"And you expect me to believe that despite being in the middle of all this mess with Jason Todd and Joker, you're just going to silently leave the city until I call you back, without a fight?" Bruce questioned.
"Yes." Tim nodded. "What good am I doing, Bruce? I just keep upsetting everyone. I keep getting hurt, and Dick won't even speak to me or Alfred right now. I think it's for the best."
Another long silence as Bruce seemed to think on it. Finally, the man simply nodded and Tim smiled before he walked over to the microwave and took out his plate of food. They all three sat in companionable silence until Oliver's phone had to ruin it. He pulled out the phone that was playing Cat's In The Cradle and ignored the raised brows of both Tim and Bruce.
"Well, I figured you'd at least say goodbye," he answered in lieu of a greeting. "Thanks for that."
"Has Bruce talked to you yet?"
He could hear the distress in Roy's voice and sighed heavily. "No, Roy. So why don't you tell me what you're running from?"
Bruce's expression changed from curiosity to instant understanding as he quickly stood and suggested he and Tim move to the dining room to give Oliver some privacy. The archer rubbed his eyes as he realized how bad this was about to be if the two bats weren't willing to stick around.
"Look, I'm just tired of being the fuck up, alright? I'm still gonna call you like we talked about if I feel any urges, but I've got Wally and Dick here." There was a brief pause before he heard Roy take a deep breath. "Barbara broke up with me. She thinks I'm not up to her standards because I didn't immediately call for back-up when I approached The Red Hood. She basically said it was a subconscious desire to join him that kept me from telling Bruce and them what was up."
"Any truth to that?" He regretted asking the moment the words left his mouth.
"Yeah, that right there? That's why I left without telling anyone. Fuck you, Oliver."
That was apparently that. He pocketed the phone and shook his head. He hadn't quite meant it the way he knew Roy clearly took it, but as was true in the case of most stupid things people said, there was no taking it back now. All he could do was put his dishes away, which he did, and then go back to Tim and Bruce. Which he also did.
The black haired, blue eyed mentor didn't appear to be speaking to his protégé any better than Dick had been speaking to Tim or Alfred and he wondered how upset Bruce really was that the boy he considered his son and the man he considered a second father had kept such a disturbing and terrible secret from him. Seeing the awkwardness and feeling the tension assured him that at least with Tim, Oliver's advice had been sound. Getting Tim away from Bruce and Dick while they were both so angry was going to be best for the teen.
"So, I have the private jet here in Gotham." Oliver spoke up, capturing their combined attention. Knowing Bruce was the adult, he made sure he directed the offer to him first. "If you want, I can drop Tim off in Smallville before I head home today?"
Bruce nodded and then looked to his ward. "Would that be alright with you?"
"Yeah." Tim smiled at Bruce as if nothing at all were wrong between them. The teen shoveled in the last few bites before looking back up at Oliver. "I'll go get my stuff and then when you're ready we can go."
As Tim ran off, Bruce's eyes fell on him. "He's going to try to join him." The Bat's voice came out, low and steady.
"You agree with Barbara, then?" he asked with a frown.
"I think it was always Roy's plan, Oliver. Even if he wasn't aware of it, I think he was just waiting for the right time. He's a lot like Jason was." Batman said, and it was still Batman speaking. "When cornered, Jason lashed out and did the very things he was often accused of or even tried to prove he wasn't doing. It's that 'if I'm gonna be accused of it I might as well do it' mentality."
"You're wrong, Bruce." Oliver denied firmly. "He knows right from wrong. He knows Jason is taking things too far." He took a deep breath and tried again to reason with Bruce. "Barbara told me The Hood's kill count. He's killed nearly ninety people, Bruce. Ninety. Think about how outrageous that number is. Can you stomach it, because I don't think Roy could any better than you or me?"
Oliver knew he was getting defensive, but sometimes Bruce's holier-than-thou attitude really pissed him off. The leader of the Gotham vigilantes had a way of looking down on the other 'capes' and for the most part, Oliver took it in stride. But this time was different. It was Bruce's ward killing criminals, not Roy.
"I guess we'll just have to see." Bruce responded in an angered tone that told Oliver he disagreed but wasn't willing to argue about it any further. "Have a safe trip home, Oliver."
Ready to leave himself, Oliver nodded. He knew a dismissal when he heard it, but despite what Bruce thought, he didn't own Gotham. He couldn't make Oliver leave until he was ready, and before he left, he had one more stop on his agenda before finally heading on home to Star City and his own villains. Besides, the archer had a feeling that Timothy wouldn't mind accompanying him, either.
Bennet Construction
0930hrs
"Hey kid, wake up." Jason groaned as he felt Harvey kick the chair he was sleeping in. "Your secretary said someone important just came in."
He blushed at the realization that he'd fallen asleep in his office again, but quickly hit the page button on his phone that connected him to his secretary. "If it's Bruce Wayne, tell him to set up an appointment. I'm busy."
"It's uh, it's not Bruce Wayne, sir. It's Oliver Queen." the woman stated nervously.
"Fuck me," he growled irritably and ignored Harvey's confused face. "Give me a second would ya, Babe?" He hoped that didn't sound as forced as it felt, but he really needed to sell the lie that he and Harvey were a couple; which was why he was still 'accidentally' holding the page button down so that the reception area and his secretary could hear it. "Send him in."
Oliver Queen walked in, wearing a nice charcoal gray business suit and dark green tie. The blond archer had his shaggy hair slicked back to look tidier than he did while running around his city at night. Jason had to admit he wasn't surprised Oliver was in town considering Roy had been injured, but really, he hadn't expected for their paths to cross. He wondered if Bruce had told him about everything. It would certainly be out of character for the Bat to open-up to everyone, but then he hadn't exactly been himself lately, either.
"What can I –
"Let's just skip the pleasantries, shall we?" Oliver's eyes narrowed. "I don't like playing games, especially with guys like you." Guess he knew. "Roy didn't deserve what you did to him, he didn't deserve your wrath. I have no clue what your end game is or what you are up to and frankly, I don't care.
"What I do care about is Roy. I can't prevent Bruce and the others from engaging in whatever feud you're all in. I can't. But I can ask that it not spill into my life or Roy's. If anything, anything else happens to Roy, I don't care what you do or who you expose, I'll kill you."
Jason's eyes widened just a bit at the threat, but in all fairness, he was sitting in front of one of the few Justice Leaguers who used to kill. It wasn't an idle threat, and Jason wasn't stupid enough to doubt the man who had a kill count nearly as high as his own here in Gotham. That did not mean that he feared Oliver. There was just a difference between bravery and stupidity; something he clearly needed to teach the Emerald Archer of Star City.
"Roy does what Roy does, Oliver. You don't know me and you never did, so don't ever make the mistake of coming into my space and threatening me." He postured as he stood, his teal eyes narrowed and his lip curling into a sneer. "Roy got exactly what he deserved. As a matter of fact, he probably got less from me than he would have from you fifteen years ago."
"My past is not relevant to this discussion," Oliver growled.
"I'll tell you like I told Dick. Had that dumb-ass tried to stop me before I killed Ryan Murphy, I wouldn't have engaged. I would have left my sign and run away. Had he not shot me, I probably wouldn't have harmed him as badly as I did, but that's not what he wanted." Jason glared. "He wanted to play both sides of the fence. He wanted Ryan Murphy dead and to bring me in."
Neither man spoke for several long seconds, and Jason wondered how Oliver was going to argue any further. He wanted to antagonize Oliver, to get him to attack him, but that wasn't smart. Not here in JT Bennet's office. Jason Todd and The Red Hood were not allowed here, even if the archer was trying to get them to come out and play, as well.
Oliver took a deep breath. "They're convinced he'll try to join you. Barbara dumped him over it. He'll lose his friendship with Wally and Dick if he tries to work with you. Bruce already doesn't trust him. Don't do to Roy what you did to yourself."
"You fucking- He cut himself off as he realized how loud he was. He gritted his teeth and clenched his fists tightly while he worked to calm his temper. He was more than grateful for the large desk between him and Oliver Queen, or he'd have probably lunged at him. "What I did to myself? You arrogant son of a bitch, you have no fucking clue what I had to do to come back, to be standing here!"
"I bet I can guess," Oliver sneered and only just managed to keep his voice at a normal speaking volume. "Word has spread through the criminal underworld, Red Hood. You gave yourself away with that flashy dagger. The Red Hood has ties to The League of Assassins, and while most might still be in the dark about the rest, I know for a fact how the Assassins make the dead rise again."
Jason barked out a laugh as his eyes widened. "You think this is because of them?" He shook his head and finally stepped around his desk and approached the tensing man. "The killing, the anger, the bloodshed? You think it's just a temporary side effect caused by that green fucking slime?"
"What else could it be?" Oliver challenged and Jason knew the archer was ready to defend himself but wasn't going to be the one to make the first move, either.
"I was awake, aware, alive before I got dropped into that fucking pit!" Jason sneered as he pressed close to him. "I fought to the surface, I fought to break free of that Goddamned coffin. You can't even imagine the despair I felt, the sheer terror of being buried alive or the fucking hatred that burned through me as I realized why I was there."
He knew he needed to stop and to back off, he could feel every instinct screaming to do so and to take several steps away, but he'd never spoken of this to anyone. He'd never said the words aloud, not even to the League when they demanded to know what happened. Not to Alfred when he begged him to share his story. And yet, here he was unloading on Oliver motherfucking Queen.
"Jesus," Oliver whispered and tried to reach out, but Jason wasn't having it. He stepped back and growled, like a fucking animal. "Easy, Jason. I…" Oliver dropped his hands and sighed. "I'm sorry."
"Don't fucking touch me!" Jason warned, his chest aching and his mind terrified that was he going to have another fucking panic attack. Think of something else, anything else. "You want to protect Roy from me? Tell him not to fuck with me ever again. He turns on me, he gives me over to the Bats and I'll…I'll….I'll fucking kill him!" he hissed.
"Hey!" Oliver snapped, any expressions of concern and compassion replaced by temper. "You need to settle down. You need to remember that there are other ways than killing to protect your city and you definitely need to understand that killing Roy makes you no better than Joker."
Jason felt his eye brows rise in shock while his jaw dropped just a little at the comparison and realization that Oliver was right. Even if he hated Roy, the man was not worthy of being on his list. His attack on Roy had only been partially justified, but killing him could never be. Even if he got in the way. Even if he betrayed him. He couldn't kill a good man, he couldn't become the thing he hated just to make himself feel better. So instead of attacking the archer for his words, he simply took a deep, calming breath.
"You and I both know that this city is nothing more than a revolving door of pain and misery," Jason started carefully, his voice steady but he was severely shaken by what he'd just admitted, what he'd said and to whom. "This isn't just about getting back at the Bat or his side-kicks. This isn't even about our past. What I'm doing is a calling. It's something I have to do. Something I believe I was brought back to do. This city is sick and it's dying and we're running out of time and the ability to heal it.
"I don't want the League of Assassins to do it their way. They'll wipe everyone out with their bullshit greater good style of dealing with this city. We all know it. So, I'll do things my way, I'll kill the bad guys and I'll return hope to this city, and I guarantee that no matter how many men and women I kill, I'll be saving five times as many lives in doing so."
Oliver sighed at him, and Jason kind of wanted to hit him. "You've got the fanaticism down, but I can't spend any more time arguing your logic. Timmy needs to get to Smallville."
He tried to hide the relief in his eyes that Tim was headed out of town, but by the smirk growing on the other man's face he knew he'd failed. He couldn't help it, though. He was glad the replacement was getting out of Gotham. The brat had nearly died in his traps how many times? Tim was way too distracted by him and the further he was from Jason the better.
"Tell that shit I want my jacket back." He grumbled, suddenly remembering the last place he'd seen his lost coat.
"Actually," Oliver grinned, and it amazed Jason how quickly all of The Batman's friends could just switch between their civilian personalities and their masked ones. "he thought you might bring that up. He told me to tell you that it's in his closet if you're brave enough to break into Bruce's house to get it."
"Fucker." Jason spat.
"Oh, and I'll send your company a check to make this whole meeting look legitimate. Can't risk our identities being exposed." Oliver smirked and turned to leave but stopped before he got to the door. His expression was once more serious and hard. "Like I said, I can't stop you. I don't even want to get involved, but I don't want to lose Roy. Not to the evil within him or at the hands of a pissed off Red Hood for Roy turning on him."
Jason frowned. "I won't kill Roy. But that's all I can promise. Even then, if he gets himself on the list by committing one of the big three…"
"That, I'm not worried about at all," Oliver assured him. "I trust Roy."
"Yeah well, we can't all be as lucky as Roy." he spat bitterly.
"In all fairness Jason, look at where we are. You can't blame people for distrusting you when you proved their worst fears to be true." Oliver opened the door so that Jason couldn't respond. "Good luck with the Burrows Reformation Project, Mr. Bennet. I'm more than happy to help."
Jason rolled his eyes and flipped the archer off.
GCNN Evening News at 18:00hrs
Donald Troy looked into the camera, his face grim and his voice heavy. From their separate homes around the city, viewers knew the routine. Someone had died. Someone always died in Gotham when Joker was on the loose. But unlike the past several years when people prepared for the worst; there was a glimmer of hope that the anchorman's somber tone meant something better.
In one messy apartment, Wally and Roy watched from a couch with interest while their acrobatic friend flitted about his home trying to clean up. In a condo not far from Dick's, a slovenly detective frowned as he glanced at his napping partner. Two of the three viewers watched because they had an idea of what would be reported, while the speedster simply watched because he feared what they would hear next and how it would affect his best friend.
"Earlier this morning it was reported that a club known to its patrons as "Kinks" burned to the ground. All that was known at the time was that there were two yet to be identified casualties and that both police and fire believed arson and homicide were at play. On location and with more information, we send you to field reporter Sandy Bowers."
"Thanks Donald," Sandy said into the camera, her expression stoic. "As you can see behind me, the club which served the fetish community of Gotham is no more, and why? According to investigators a motivation or person of interest has not yet been identified, but thanks to a picture sent in to GCNN by an anonymous source, we believe it to be the work of the vigilante known as The Red Hood."
The detective in his condo rolled his eyes at the dramatics of the news station as the image changed from Sandy Bowers standing in front of a building, to a photograph of the club in flames with a cardboard sign that read: Now give me that fire! Burn! Burn! Burn! – TRH
"Nice work, Kid." Harvey grumbled to himself while the snoring Hood twitched at the sound, but didn't wake.
Meanwhile, in the apartment filled with young vigilantes, the acrobat finally stopped at the mention of The Red Hood. The archer twitched uncomfortably but it went unnoticed thanks to Dick and Wally exchanging worried glances between one another.
"I thought you said he was injured?" Wally asked.
"When has a Bat ever followed doctors orders?" Roy rolled his eyes.
"I'm so glad Timmy's not around for this." Dick whispered more to himself than to his two best friends.
"Sandy, do the police know about this image?" Donald's voice sounded as the image returned to the olive-skinned reporter.
She nodded as she brushed her curly hair out of her face. "They do have the image as we gave it to them immediately after we received it." All over Gotham several cops and detectives rolled their eyes or scoffed at what they believed to be a blatant lie. "When I asked Commissioner Gordon if there were any new developments or leads, he declined to comment."
Now, an image of Anchorman Donald sitting at his new desk was added to appear side by side with Sandy Bowers. "Outside of attracting attention, is there any more meaning to these signs? We know they seem to be clear messages to Gotham, but is there perhaps hidden meaning?"
The woman listened carefully to her co-worker's question before she nodded. "Yes, I did ask Commissioner Gordon about secret codes or meanings to the signs, but he reiterated that he could not make any further comments on any of the ongoing investigations involving The Red Hood or even confirm if they suspect his involvement."
"Thank you, Sandy." The anchorman's image was once more front and center to those tuning in. His face dropped even further, if that was at all possible before he began speaking. "The mayor and commissioner of Gotham have advised that as per usual when The Joker is on the loose, that citizens remain extra vigilant and cautious"
In the condominium where Harvey sat, he couldn't help but frown as he watched JT twitch again at the word 'Joker', which incidentally, was being used often during the segment about what to do should you find yourself a hostage or in range of the mad clown. The younger boy's face contorted into a scowl or maybe a grimace?
What Harvey couldn't know was that several blocks away, another former Robin was experiencing a similar reaction to the lengthy conversation about the Clown Prince of Crime. Nor could Dick and his friends know that when audio of the cackling maniac was aired, JT Bennet shouted and got to his feet in a defensive stance, his eyes wide and frightened.
As Dick wondered what would happen to his family, his friends comforted him. He didn't want to upset them, but Timmy's fear of Joker harming Jason was starting to take the forefront of Dick's mind. Once the anger and shock had finally given way, once he had gone back to his own apartment where he could think properly, all he thought of was The Red Hood and all the tragic ways this nightmare could end.
Harvey meanwhile, coaxed the angry and frightened young man into sitting back down, but there was something else at play and it scared the detective. JT Bennet was just scared, he was horrified and he wasn't coming out of his panic induced state, even as he pulled the younger under his arm and gently rubbed his back. He wanted to know what the Hell had happened between JT Bennet, the boy without fear, and the clown, but more than that, he wanted to know how this nightmare would end.
Ok brief end notes…Thank you all for reading. Things are gonna start getting interesting to say the least and really hope you all enjoy the direction it goes. Sorry this took so long to get out but I kept debating on a lot of different pieces so once again, thanks to my new beta gwydionx for keeping me on track and sorted out.