There's a very popular expression that is used to describe a father and a son. "The apple does not fall far from the tree." Whatever bull that means. Or the phrase "like father like son." Most sons want to be their own man and not be like their fathers. In my case, it looked like I really didn't have much of a choice. It was nightfall, and I appeared in the darkness of the same alley way where Jason was found the first time, by my father, who might I add also was here in the exact hour. I was not alone however. Jon was with me, using his good superhuman sight to catch anything that looked out of place.
"There's nothing out of the ordinary here." said Jon.
"That's not good enough." I said with a hint of annoyance in my voice. I was not going to give up my search. Everyone was desperate to stop Jason and I felt like I had to put my part in it. I couldn't just let all this happen. Jon held my shoulder and squeezed it a little too tightly.
"I meant there is nothing out of the ordinary here." said Jon once more. I looked at him with an annoyed look and Jon rolled his eyes.
"Gotham is anything but ordinary." I said.
"You don't get it?" asked Jon in a fierce whisper.
He stepped out from the shadows and stood there looking at me with his annoyed expression on his face. I admit, I really did NOT get Jon's point. Looking back, I realized I was very stupid.
"This alley way doesn't have anyone sleeping against it's walls, nor has there been some sort of activity. Ordinarliy this place would have a drug dealer or a pic pocket hiding in this specific alley way." said Jon.
"Oh! Your saying this place is popular among criminals?" I asked, feeling rather... ignorant, but I wanted to know more.
"Yeah. And apperantly there is no one here. Not even across the street. This part of town itself is very dead." said Jon.
"So your saying this place is lively at night?" I asked.
"Yeah. This alley we are in is in a very popular red zone area. There are love hotels, adult stores... gross grown up stuff. Technically, none of us Titans are allowed to be here, but this is a very special occasion." said Jon.
I realized there was no sound from where we were. I stepped out of the alley and saw practically a ghost town. There were open stores with their neon lights, but there were hardly any people. Heck I only saw two lovers walking by to the hotel. It then dawned on me that perhaps this is where Jason was probably hiding. He came here, and somehow he scared the locals off and most people are scared to come out at night. This meant we were very close. All we needed to do was know where he could be hiding.
"Can you see through buildings?" I asked.
"Robin, we are underage!" cried Jon.
"I'm sorry, but this is an emergency. The Red Hood could be hiding in any of these buildings." I cried desperately. Jon froze in place and shook his head.
"No! I can't do it! I refuse!" cried Jon.
"You are such a goody two shoes boy scout! I respect you don't want to look into those love hotels, but this is a huge matter of life and death. Innocent people are going to die under the Red Hood's hands. Gotham will be shed with even more blood thanks to him!" I said, waving my arms around.
Jon bit his lip and closed his eyes. "If I'm emotionally scarred by this... you will be paying for my therapy sessions." said Jon.
"Done." I said.
Jon opened his eyes and gasped.
"I know. It's shocking, Just don't concentrate on the naked people, focus on Jason." I said.
Jon closed his eyes. "Robin! This is evil!" cried Jon.
"I'm sorry. I know it was too much." I said.
"No no! Let me explain! There was no love making in any of the hotels! I saw something worse! I saw dead bodies!" cried Jon.
"What did you say?!" I cried.
"In that purple hotel right there by the adult book store. Every room had a dead person hung from the ceiling fan!" cried Jon.
"Jason!? Did he do this!?" I cried.
"No Damien. This wasn't Jason... it was someone much worse." cried Jon.
I then turned around and ran towards the hotel while poor Jon was holding on this his head. I ran inside, startling the key keeper. "You there! You can't go in there! Your underage! STOP!" cried the man.
"There are dead people here! Call the cops!" I cried. I then burst inside a room and saw one dead person hanging indeed. I was taken aback to see a wide smile on the dead man's face.
About an hour later, the cops arrived and took the bodies away. Each of them had that horrible looking smile on them. At the time, I didn't understood why. But this disturbed Jon very deep. I sat next to him on top of one of the buildings while Batman and Nightwing were investigating.
"I'm sorry. I shouldn't have put you through this." I said.
"It was him. It had to be him." said Jon.
"Jon, what are you saying?" I asked.
"I now know who shot my father. I now know the truth." said Jon.
"So it wasn't Jason who shot him?" I asked.
"Jason might have had something to do with it. But I cannot imagine him working with him." said Jon.
"HIm? Whos'e him? Who are you talking about?" I asked.
"He's a very sick man Damian. A very sick man that is well known for his sick and twisted ways of killing people. He's destroyed countless lives and he's been around way before Luthor or any of the other villains." said Jon.
I know felt a chilling realization down my spine. My Grandfather spoke of this sick man before, and I have read about him in books. I then knew who Jon was talking about.
"I thought he was in prison." I said.
"No. He probably escaped as he always does. He finds ways to get out and watch the world burn." said Jon.
"And he has history with Jason." said Red Robin, sitting next to us.
I quickly asked. "What does Jason have to do with him?"
Tim sighed and told me as briefly as possible. He told me that Jason faced "him" in a warehouse. However, "he" bested Jason by hitting him with a crow bar, and he nearly killed him in an explosion. When Batman arrived to save him, he found that he was still alive. How this happened, no one knew, but Jason changed a lot after that. While Tim was telling me this story, I found that I had a ton more questions than answers. But Tim answered them smootly and briefly. I found it easier to understand.
Jason told me he wanted to clean Gotham. It would be obvious that his next target would be "him." But... did "he" really kill those people? And if so, why in a hotel? Was there a reason for this madness?
"Don't overthink too much Damien. Everything "he" does is very unpredictable. And this is nothing. We've seen far worse." said Tim.
"Worse." I repeated.
Jon stood up. "I swear... if I see that... that devil... I'll blow his ... " Jon was starting to sound angry and he clenched his fists.
"I have doubts! Was it him? Was it Jason? What if they are both working together?" cried Jon.
"Impossible. Jason would never work with the man who nearly killed him." said Tim.
As Jon was crying, I patted his back. "Look Jon... I don't care who we are going to face. Either villain will have to pay for their crimes. I have a theory. Crazy as it sounds, but it's a theory." I said.
"What do you think?" asked Tim.
"What if it was Jason who shot those people... and he put the smiling faces himself to frame "him?" I said.
Jon shook his head. "We have to wait on the autopsy." said Jon.
"You can see it! You have your father's vision. Perhaps you can see something we can't." I said.
Jon looked at me with his wide blue eyes and nodded slowly. Tim tipped my shoulder. "I don't think that's a good idea. Jon can't look at those dead people." said Tim.
"I'll try. That's what super heroes do." said Jon. He opened his eyes and looked at one cadaber, then the next. He looked at each of them carefully and looked at me.
"We need to talk with Batman. Those men were shot. And the faces... they were forced with staples." said Jon.
"No way! Are you saying... but then... is "he" still in prison?" asked Tim, confused.
"No. He's out. And Jason is after him. He's going to try to lure him out and attack him like he did to the Black Mask." I said.
The three of us landed on the floor and Gordon met with us. "Wherer's Batman!" cried Jon.
"You boys just missed him. He's on his way to Arkham. He's going to speak to an old "friend" of his." said Gordon.
"I belive the appropriate word would be monster." said Jon.
"I don't blame you kid. He is a monster." said Gordon.
Readers, I bet you already know who the heck we were talking about and who we were referring to by the term "he." Why hide it right? Batman went to Arkham to see the Joker himself. Did he escape like always? Or was he still there? The three of us returned home to Wayne Manor when Batman arrived home. He got out of the Batmoble and gathered all of us.
"The Joker has escaped again. And so is the Black Mask. I'm afraid this is going to be an all out war between them and the Red Hood." said Batman grimly. All of us in the bat cave, Nightwing, Catwoman, Aflred, Red Robin and Oracle looked at eachother with worried expressions. I remembered looking at Jon and the two of us could hear the flapping wings of the bats in the batcave, screeching in the dark.