April 7th

0452hrs

Batcave

Bruce could not and would not stand by and do nothing. He thought of Jason's sleeping form and felt a shift in his heart. His son was home. Jason was safe and alive upstairs in a guest room. Despite everything that had happened, despite all the horrors that had descended on him, Jason was back where he belonged. That couldn't change.

After promising himself, after promising Dick, Alfred, Tim and even Jason, Bruce was not going to fail him again. He would not allow Jason to lose his second chance at life.

To his surprise, Jason had very calmly allowed the sampling of his blood. He didn't argue or curse or change his mind. It was a promising bit of progress that Bruce felt he must take advantage of before his son was lost to the Bat Clan all over again.

Somehow, someway, Jason had formed a new family. A family that Bruce wouldn't have begrudged Jason had it not included a one-eyed assassin who only looked out for himself. Harvey Bullock had proven to be a very calming presence on Jason which Bruce admitted he was thankful for. Roy Harper may not have been a good influence on Dick, but he somehow managed to be one on Jason. Over the past few weeks, Protégé hadn't been as violent as The Red Hood and Bruce decided all the credit would go to the detective and former sidekick rather than Slade Wilson.

He stood in the Batcave and knew he had at least an hour or two for the bloodwork to come back. It didn't matter. Bruce wasn't going to wait. He was almost positive he knew what was really happening to his son and the sooner he got on the man's trail the better.

"Oracle," he called out after turning his comms back on.

"I'm here, Batman," she said with a yawn.

"If you need to sleep—"

"I'm here," she insisted. "I got some sleep while you were taking care of Red Hood."

He doubted that she had enough sleep, but he didn't have time to argue. "I've placed his bloodwork into the computer, and it's being analyzed, but I can't just wait for confirmation."

"You think Red Hood will try to stop you if you wait?"

"Red Hood works as much in the daylight as he does the night. If I wait, he'll meet up with Deathstroke and there will be more bloodshed. I can't allow Red Hood to keep killing."

"We don't know where he is though," Oracle stated, and he could hear her keys clicking away.

"We're just going to have to follow the breadcrumbs as best we can," Bruce snarled as he approached the Batmobile.

"Where are you headed first?"

Bruce frowned. "The apartment building. Deathstroke informed Nightwing that anyone who has been within has been affected in a similar manner to Red Hood."

Oracle was silent for several minutes as Bruce sped out of the cave and headed for Gotham proper. "I'll get the blueprints pulled up and ready. Would you like me to gather a list of items Joker has contaminated with his Joker Venom in the past?"

She must have already seen the videos he'd been watching just before he contacted her. Joker's presence was important, but that fact was, they didn't know where he was or how to find him at the moment.

"Wait for the results of the blood test. If there's venom present, we'll concern ourselves with the products then," he decided.

It was obvious she was still worried, but Bruce knew what was more important. Right now, Batman had a target in mind, and he couldn't deviate. Not if he didn't want Jason, Slade, or even Dick and Roy getting involved. He was tired of racing to every crime scene in the city just to prevent Jason and Slade from killing.

He was grateful Tim was still back in Smallville.

Batman parked the Batmobile a few blocks away from the building Harvey Bullock lived in. He used his grappling gun to get to the roof top and thought about the schematics Oracle had sent him. They knew Slade and Billy were in the apartment to the left. There was an apartment to the right, an apartment above and one below.

He looked over the names… Ed Rochester was to the right of Harvey Bullock, Abigail Peters was below and Brom Bones was above. He took a deep breath and closed his eyes as he concentrated. Two of these names were aliases. Abigail Peters was the only real lessee as the other two were characters in stories.

He didn't believe the apartment to the right was a danger since it was likely Jason that had bought it out. Besides, it was to the right which meant whoever purchased it wouldn't have minded being on the same floor and in such close proximity to Jason and Slade.

If someone wanted to poison an apartment, Bruce was sure it would be the one from above. Gravity could only help, and people weren't as likely to go up an extra floor by mistake. It was a lot like the assumption that if someone planted bugs, they'd only place three and never more. People worked in patterns and they could be quite predictable which was exactly why this villain was so good at what he did.

He was never predictable.

Batman maneuvered quietly into the building and made his way down to the correct floor from the stairwell. When he got into Brom Bones' apartment, it was mostly empty. If Slade was as good as he said he was, then how had this happened beneath the assassin's nose. Not only was the man himself missing, but almost all of the furniture. There was a small wooden writing desk and chair, and a clean, newish mattress all in the room above Jason's.

Batman knelt down beside wooden floorboards that appeared to be recently damaged. "Oracle, are the air ducts in each apartment connected to one system or are they on their own?"

After a few moments, she responded. "None of them should be connected according to the schematics. They are all ceiling vents, too."

"That's what I was afraid of."

Batman easily pulled up several of the boards and found that the air duct for Jason's room below had been cut into. Inside the duct was a device that sat beside the air vent. So that was how Jason was being poisoned.

"I found it, Oracle," he said as he looked it over carefully. "It appears to have been changed just recently since it's almost full. I'll bring the cartridge back to the Batcave with me."

"Are you returning, then?"

"No. He isn't here, but I think I know where he's going to be," Batman frowned.

"Sun's starting to come up, Batman. You want me to get Nightwing out there to back you up?"

"Not this time," Batman said.

He couldn't risk Nightwing getting himself hurt or poisoned. After what he'd witnessed in the videos, Bruce was sure Joker wasn't going to allow himself to work with a partner. He stood and checked the closet of the bedroom. There were two more cartridges.

Sometimes, Bruce hated when he was right.

"Batman, the results just came up," Oracle announced. "It was engineered. Engineered specifically for Red Hood."

"That would explain why it took so long to start affecting his roommates and those who had constant access to their home."

"You sure you don't want to come back?" Oracle asked.

"Positive."

April 7th

0717hrs

Dick's Condo

Tim frowned as he sat at his laptop on Dick's couch. He was exhausted and irritable and had been arguing online all night with Conner Kent while also trying to figure out what had happened with Jason. Basically, the young man he was growing to love was threatening to bring down Tim and Roy's entire plan by outing his presence in Gotham to Bruce! Like… really? He had work to do and had told Conner that he was safe with Dick and Roy and for some reason that had actually worked.

But it only worked a couple hours ago, and so Tim hadn't really gotten much sleep. It was too hard to get any rest when he was fixated on solving a case. The case being, where was Joker and could he and Roy do what they needed to do before Dick and Jason found out or before Jason killed the clown?

Tim glanced around his feet for the coffee mug he'd been using, but it was tipped out of reach and obviously empty.

"Hey, Baby Bird," Dick said with a smile in his voice, which caused Tim to glare even harder at his computer screen.

Tim really wanted to mutter something rude. He might have, too had it not been for the twenty-ounce coffee thermos shoved in his face. He took the warm container into his hands, placed his nose a couple inches above the opening and inhaled deeply. The smell of coffee soothed his irritation almost immediately.

"Thank you," he said, deciding to accept the peace offer after Dick tried to talk to him so early in the morning.

"What are your plans for the day?" Dick asked, maintaining his jovial spirits.

"Hacking into our network to find out what the blood work on Jason revealed." Tim shrugged.

It wasn't a lie. He hadn't lied to his brother. He'd simply omitted that he was also getting much closer to finding where Joker was hiding. He figured the clown was working with someone else, too. The Clown Prince of Crime had a nasty habit of getting in contact with undesirables during any of his stays in Arkham, old or new.

To think he hadn't followed that same pattern would have been naïve, even if that pattern usually included a massive betrayal on the clown's part. Especially after Joker lost Harley. While there had been a decoy of Joker most recently in Arkham, it was important to note that between Harley Quinn's death and the decoy event with Kid Flash, Joker had been locked up by Batman for a short time.

Tim took a long, satisfying drink of the black liquid and smiled when the results pulled up. Dick was by his side and practically itching to steal Tim's mouse from him. Really, Dick was probably the most impatient of them all. Feeling an inappropriate amount of glee at Dick's forced practice in waiting a moment, Tim took yet another drink of his coffee.

"Timmy, please!" Dick shouted.

He chuckled and scrolled down.

His smile died.

"Oh no," Dick shook his head, reading the same analysis. "No."

"You have to inform Roy, Harvey, and Slade, right away," Tim insisted. When Dick didn't immediately move, Tim pinched the older man's bicep. "Now, Dick!"

April 7th

0717hrs

Old Arkham Asylum

Batman descended on the ruined building silently. He stuck to the shadows as was his way as he hunted his prey. It was vital that he get a hold of him before Deathstroke. There was something sinister going on with the assassin and Bruce only hoped that Jason listened.

His son was still safe and sound in the manor, sleeping away the nightmares of a few hours prior. Jason's wounds had been tended to, and he'd been all but tucked in safely in a guest room. But that could all change in an instant. All it would take was another nightmare, or Roy, Dick, or even Harvey showing up at the manor.

It had been difficult not to take on Deathstroke the moment he discovered the device and the two extra canisters that were meant to drive Jason Todd insane. What really infuriated Batman was that Deathstroke would likely come up with an excuse that no one but Jason would believe.

"Focus on the positive, Batman," Oracle advised when the results had confirmed Bruce's suspicion. "Red Hood isn't crazy."

Not completely anyhow. The problem was that Batman couldn't be sure when Jason had started being poisoned. Slade had indicated that Jason acted strangely during their training before JT Bennet came to Gotham, but what if that was just a lie? What if Slade Wilson had been poisoning Jason the entire time?

Sobbing screams reminded Batman what he was in the old Asylum for. The sounds were all too familiar. Joker almost always betrayed his partners. He slipped into the old morgue and ignored the wave of déjà vu.

"Help me!" a voice howled in despairing terror.

Oracle's voice came over his comms. "Batman, Robin is online and going over the blood test results."

Batman figured as much, but he didn't say so. It was one of the reasons Bruce had insisted on taking care of the situation as soon as possible. Tim would absolutely call Dick and that was where Bruce wasn't sure what his oldest would do.

It wasn't immediately clear why, but Bruce knew that both of his sons had been taken in by Slade Wilson. Dick had even had an affair with the contract killer. But with Dick, Bruce actually understood his motivations. Dick had always seen the good in the worst of people.

That compassion and trust was probably the only reason Nightwing hadn't become anything like Red Hood.

The screaming continued and Batman approached one of the few closed doors of the many cadaver storage coolers. The first one was empty, but as he pulled hard on the steel handle of the second door, he was rewarded with the weight of one Dr. Jonathon Crane, aka Scarecrow. The man was screaming in terror so loudly that it was actually hurting Batman's ears, even with the cowl offering a bit of protection.

"It's his own Toxin," Batman confirmed.

"Joker must have been feeling merciful not to use his own venom or one of the lethal strains of Fear Toxin," Oracle said in disgust.

He grunted an acknowledgement as he pulled a sedative from his utility belt along with the antidote for Scarecrow's Fear Toxin. Both syringes were injected in a matter of seconds and the doctor finally stopped screaming as he fell limp into a dazed stupor. Scarecrow would be out in a matter of seconds.

"I can't help but feel bad for The Red Hood," Oracle said. "He might have heard of him, but Scarecrow should have been locked up in Arkham all this time. We should have been informed he escaped"

It was pretty much what Batman had been thinking, too. While the sadistic, deranged doctor hadn't come around until after Jason died, he'd definitely been active recently enough for most of the United States to have heard of Scarecrow.

Why hadn't his team been informed? Commissioner Gordon should have alerted Batman to the Scarecrow's disappearance. Unless the warden of New Arkham hadn't wanted anyone to know he'd lost track of a prisoner.

Bruce tossed the tall, lanky man over his shoulder then made his way through the winding hallways of the asylum. He ignored the orange and black shadow tailing him.

When Scarecrow had been safely returned to New Arkham and Bruce was back with his family, there would be time to handle the assassin and his treacherous ways. Much as he wanted to confront the man now, it wouldn't do to lose Scarecrow. At the moment, Slade's only play would be to try and convince Jason that he wasn't working with the man.

Fighting Batman would do the exact opposite.

"Oracle, inform GCPD and New Arkham staff that I am bringing in Scarecrow immediately."

"Will do, Batman."

April 7th

09:45 hrs

Dick's Condo

Roy sat beside Timothy as they went over the plan carefully. There was a lot to be desired in his mind, but Tim really was a genius. If anyone could pull off a stunt like this, it was Tim Drake. Even if there were a lot of risky elements, Tim was more than capable of protecting himself.

"I know what you're thinking," Tim said as he leaned his back into the couch. "There are too many unknowns that I haven't accounted for."

"What if he doesn't treat you like some rich snot incapable of breaking himself free? What if he treats you like the threat you are?" Roy challenged, because if he was going to help Tim put himself in danger, he owed it to his friends and Tim to be sure everything was thought of. "You get trapped with him and that's game over."

The young man didn't immediately argue, which was reassuring. But then he also didn't immediately answer and placate Roy either, which wasn't at all reassuring. Tim closed his eyes and then yawned heavily, like he hadn't slept in a while.

Oh, damn it! He hadn't!

Roy scowled. "You're too tired to try this now."

Tim's eyes blew wide in horror as he shook his head. "No, no! We can't wait. If I don't do it now while Dick has Slade distracted and Batman and Red Hood are sleeping, I won't get another opportunity!"

Roy frowned. "You're forgetting Catwoman is at the mansion, dude."

"Selina isn't a snitch, and unless it involves herself or Bruce, she won't be interested." Tim waved him off.

Once more Roy was left with a sinking feeling in his stomach. This plan felt too rushed and too ill-prepared. And yet, Tim wasn't wrong. They'd never get another chance. Not with so many of Tim's protectors out of the way. Besides, Tim was a Robin.

Out of three Robins, only one had died and it had been under extreme and unusual circumstances. Not only was Tim very well trained and more than skilled enough to take on some of the worst of the worst, there were a lot of people who would do whatever it took to get him out of danger.

He wondered if Jason could talk that sadistic, one-eyed piece of shit into helping out.

But what good would it do to get the assassin or even the entire Justice League involved if Tim were already dead?

"He moves against his victims fast," Roy warned. "Joker won't spare you. He's not going to get caught monologuing. The moment he has you, he's taking you to a warehouse to kill you in hopes of drawing out Red Hood."

"True," Tim nodded, seeming a bit more awake by the seriousness of the conversation. He'd stopped yawning, anyhow. "But you're forgetting he's a sadist in the truest sense, Roy. Each of the young men he's killed with the exception of the survivor had a brutal, cruel, drawn out beating. It won't hurt Jason otherwise."

He couldn't help but feel sick at the casual discussion of so many destroyed lives. He was even bothered by the idea that all of these deaths had tortured Jason so much. What could it be like to come upon these young men, murdered and tortured to replicate his own horrid death?

Bile rose in his throat.

"Joker will come after me. The problem is knowing when he'll do it. We have to hope for it to happen soon," Tim sighed.

Roy snorted. "You realize if Joker doesn't come for you almost immediately, Jason will lock you up in Wayne Manor's broom closet, right? And Dick and Bruce won't stop him." He almost laughed at the image. "Even Alfred will happily spoon feed you before shutting you away again."

Tim rolled his eyes, but Roy could see the smile on the boy's face.

He took a breath and decided he needed to really make sure Tim understood the consequences of failure. He doubted it would do much good, but Tim needed to be reminded all the same.

"If Joker kills you, Jason will raze the city to the ground," Roy said somberly. "And losing another Robin, I'd imagine Bruce and Dick would be right beside him."

Tim's face fell a little as his eyes gazed down at his own hands. Once more, Roy was relieved that Robin was taking his warning seriously. It wasn't that Roy didn't want to act while they were at an advantage. He fully agreed with Tim and would back his play no matter what it was.

So long as the danger of both success and failure were fully understood.

Tim's face settled into a cold, almost impassive expression as he looked Roy in the eyes. "Then I just won't let Joker kill me."

April 7th

1536hrs

Wayne Manor

Jason groaned as he felt something rather hard poke at his thigh. He was sleeping on his stomach, though not very comfortably if he was being honest with himself. When he felt a second jab, he reached back to swat at whatever was attacking him but felt felt only air. Stubbornly he kept his eyes closed, not wanting to face the day or even look back on the previous twenty-four hours.

As he started to drift back to sleep, he was prodded again. Who ever the fuck was trying to wake him was persistent.

"Jason." Dick's voice sounded from the other side of the bed. The side he hadn't been getting stabbed from. "We really need you up."

He forced his eyes open as he rolled over and glared at three people standing in the guest room. Roy Harper with a crutch that had most likely been the weapon used against him, Selina Kyle standing at the foot of the bed looking skeptical and irritated, and finally Dick on the side with the window, watching Jason with concern.

Jason couldn't speak for Catwoman's disapproval and to be honest, he didn't really care. He had enough to adjust to. After all, he was back at Wayne Manor. Sure it wasn't his old bedroom, that would have been too morbid, but he'd slept in the room for at least ten hours. That was the most time he'd spent inside Bruce's home since he died.

It was disconcerting in that he wasn't at all bothered by it. Bruce and Alfred would have been shocked, but it was the truth. Jason was almost relaxed and even better, he felt well rested. Granted that was just mentally, his hand still ached from the glass and Bruce's meticulous stitches, but it was still a better state than he'd expected to be in.

A shift from Roy pulled him back to reality and Selina's suspicious gaze.

He didn't have time to fucking daydream. Something was up and it didn't take Jason more than a few seconds to realize what was wrong. If Roy and Dick were present, that either meant Tim Drake was left home alone or he'd run off.

A knot formed in Jason's stomach. "How long ago?"

"Two, maybe three hours," Roy said.

He looked the redhead over carefully, not trusting for one damned second that Tim had managed to fool both Dick and Roy. Roy might have been hobbling, but that didn't mean his brain or his instincts were as crippled as his leg.

Jason decided he'd be having words with Roy the moment they were alone.

"I brought your gear with me. We need to leave," Dick said and tossed a large, heavy duffle bag onto the bed.

"What about her?" Jason asked as he looked to the still-glaring woman.

"Oh, don't worry about me, I'm no snitch," Selina purred.

"Trust me, if you knew who we were talking about, you would," Jason spat as he got out of the bed.

Jason grabbed the duffle bag and started pulling out his Red Hood gear and clothing. He ignored that there were three adults still present in the borrowed room as he started to strip out of the pajamas Bruce had leant him. It wasn't until he heard two sharp intakes of breath that he recalled only one of the three had ever seen Jason in all his scarred glory.

He ignored them as Dick moved to push them out of the room and into the hall. "Give him some privacy."

"I had… I had no idea…" Selina stumbled as if a cat really did have her tongue.

"I tried to tell you," Dick insisted in a hushed tone that Jason heard all the same.

He ignored the whispers and kept going about getting ready. He honestly didn't care what either Roy or Selina thought. It didn't matter if she believed he was really Jason or not. All that mattered was finding Tim as fast as possible and preventing that little shit from doing something stupid. Like announcing himself to all of Gotham in hopes of luring Joker out of hiding.

One thought entered his head that caused Jason to blush. Dick had seen his body from the very beginning and hadn't minded. He'd asked about the scars, but he never dwelled on them and he'd never been repulsed by the sight. If anything, Jason got the feeling it made Dick feel more protective of JT Bennet at the time.

Dick may have had a reputation for being vain, but he wasn't shallow.

By the time he was dressed, Dick was the only one waiting for him outside the bedroom. He was glaring Roy and Selina down who stood at the end of the hall.

"You protecting me, too now?" Jason snickered.

The shorter man's shoulders shrugged. "I trust Roy not to be too insensitive, but not Selina. You never know what's going to come out of her mouth next."

Jason almost laughed, but settled for a snort. "Never thought I'd see the day where we were less worried about what Roy would say than someone else."

Dick's blue eyes found Jason's and they flashed playfully. "To be fair, Roy would have every right."

Feeling guilty, Jason looked at the crutch in Roy's hand. He regretted the decision to bring that kind of lasting harm to the archer more and more. Maybe it was because he was finally becoming friends with Roy? Or maybe, just maybe, Jason really had fucked up and was feeling the weight of the consequences regardless of whether the man was a friend or not.

"He's faking it," Jason tried lamely. "Bet you there's a girl he's getting pity dates from."

To his surprise Dick chuckled before light-heartedly punching his shoulder. "Come on, we gotta find him before he does something stupid."

"I'm not the one stalling, Dick," Jason announced and put his helmet on as they came upon the stairs as well as Selina and Roy.

"You can't walk out of Wayne Manor dressed as the Red Hood," Roy whispered in alarm.

"No shit." Jason snorted with a roll of his eyes. "Figured I'd use the Batcave, genius."

Roy flinched and blushed, which only made Jason chuckle.

"And here I thought Dick was the ditz," he teased.

"You realize you're in uniform," Selina pointed out, and Jason was forced to recall the promise made in the hospital. If Selina had been made aware of it, which clearly she had, there was no doubt what she was referring to.

He stepped up to her, looking down at her through his helmet. "You got enough lives left over to take me on again, pussycat?"

Her eyes went wide as her face reddened, though not with embarrassment. Knowing Selina, she was about thirty seconds from trying to rake Jason's eyes out of his skull. She'd always had a short temper, shorter than most villains and definitely shorter than Batman's and Robin's. Well, the first one anyhow, and most likely the third Robin, too.

"Hurry," Dick insisted. "Bruce is asleep, but you know how easily he wakes. Especially when the sun's up."

Jason snorted as he led the way down to the guest study. "You're still in civvies, Dick."

"I don't take near as long to get ready as I used to," he insisted from behind.

He approached the piano and played the melody, but the wall didn't open. He glared down and started to press the keys harder when Dick took his hand. Jason looked into Dick's pretty blue eyes.

"Couple of house fires changed the way we enter the Batcave," Dick explained with a grin. "Here, I'll show you."

Jason started to move away from the piano when he caught Selina's judgmental gaze and Roy's glance. "No, uh. You do it. I'll turn away."

"What? Why?" Dick asked, but Jason couldn't see his face as he'd already turned around.

Roy gave him an encouraging nod while Selina kept staring at Jason with some unnamed animosity. He wasn't sure if it was because she still didn't trust him to be who he said he was, or if she just plain didn't trust him not to hurt the family she'd all but abandoned. What right did she have? She was the one who was in another country while Bruce suffered from a fucking brain tumor!

When whatever Dick needed to do was completed, Jason allowed his former lover to lead the way. Dick couldn't understand but there were two reasons not to know how to get into the Batcave anymore. The first being that Jason couldn't stand the idea of them accusing him of fucking anything up should someone ever get in the cave. The second was that Jason didn't feel like it was his place to know yet.

One night spent in the manor did not make him part of the Bat Clan.

Selina, he noted, had stayed behind while Roy carefully followed. He did wonder how much of a head start the woman would give them before tattling to Bruce. Her loyalties were always questionable because in the end, Catwoman really only cared about herself. Right or wrong, she was a survivalist and what was right rarely came into play.

Except when it came to Bruce/Batman.

Roy moved to the computer and set his crutch to the side as he logged in with Dick's credentials. Jason looked around as his helmet notified him that Arsenal was now connected to his comms. He granted access to his helmet's functions with a verbal confirmation that read his voice signature and waited somewhat patiently for Dick to get changed into his Nightwing uniform.

As Jason moved to stand beside the bat computer and Roy, his eyes were caught by something awful… There was a rectangular glass case atop a wooden base. Within that case was Robin's costume. Not just any costume either, but Jason's costume. The very same costume he'd died in.

"Fuck me," Jason gasped. He stared in horror. His eyes finally glanced down, and he noted the golden plaque on the wooden base. He read it aloud, stunned by what he saw. "In memory of Jason Todd. Robin. A good soldier."

He didn't know what to think. He didn't know if he was sickened, angry, hurt, or even proud. He tried to breathe and settle down but all he could do was read that plaque over and over again as he tried to figure out what the sight of his uniform was forcing him to feel.

He ripped the helmet off to stare at the case with his own two eyes.

Strangely, he wasn't reliving the traumatic event. As he noted the blood, the burns, and even the broken domino there wasn't screaming or laughing in his head. He raised a hand to the scar beneath his left eye. That's where the hook of the crowbar had caught him, but the memory wasn't dragging him from reality. It was just the knowledge of what the memory contained, and nothing more.

"Jay?" Dick called, but Jason couldn't bring himself to look at the man. "Oh, Jason."

"I…" Jason started, but he still didn't know what to say or feel.

He noticed Roy staring at him, too but the redhead wisely kept his mouth shut.

"This is something you probably need to absorb," Dick said with a lot of doubt in his voice. "But Tim could be in danger, Jason."

He finally forced his eyes away from the case and looked to Nightwing. The man's lips were down set, and he was rubbing at the back of his neck. Jason knew it meant he was doubting whether or not Red Hood would be of any use out in Gotham.

But Dick didn't need to worry.

Jason shuddered as he eyed the damaged uniform one last time. While he may not know how he felt about them memorializing Jason in such a way, one thing was made perfectly clear to him at the sight. Jason would save Timothy Drake. No more dead Robins. No more memorial cases for dead teenagers.

"I'll be fine," he promised Dick. He then eyed Roy and made sure he had the man's attention. "If you had anything to do with this, Roy, for the sake of your good leg, you'd best be praying Tim doesn't come to any harm."

"Jason!" Dick shouted. "We don't have time!"

Roy held his gaze. "Nothing's going to happen to Tim," he said, calm and confident. "You and Dick won't allow it."

He glared down at the man he'd begun to think of as a friend. "Yeah well, you know the consequences of being wrong now, don't you?"

"Jason!" Dick snapped again. The man was straddling a black motorcycle with blue embellishments. "Take Tim's bike."

He looked to the red and black motorcycle and smirked. At least it wasn't going to clash with his own color scheme.

Billy Wintergreen/Slade Wilson's Condo

GCNN Emergency Broadcast

1711hrs

Donald Troy looked directly into the camera. "Good evening. We interrupt your regularly scheduled programming to bring you this urgent report. An explosion has rocked the city of Gotham in the warehouse district only miles from the harbor. Reports have been flying in from witnesses that a large fire has overtaken several buildings and that there are bound to be casualties as fire and rescue try to secure the area and extinguish the flames.

"Authorities have asked to alert all citizens of Gotham to keep away from the area and to evacuate the following areas..." He read off each district as a map zoomed in with three large sections of the city beside the harbor highlighted red.

"Unconfirmed reports are claiming Timothy Drake-Wayne may have been in the area as he was kidnapped by Joker shortly after announcing to the city that he would not hide from the killer clown," the anchorman continued. "Several reporters noticed the heir to billionaire Bruce Wayne at Gotham City Airport earlier this afternoon. When asked if he had been hiding from the Joker, he seemed to confirm the theory and had this to say."

The image of Donald Troy was replaced by the bust of Timothy Drake-Wayne with a microphone in his young, boyish face. The wind was blowing his black hair about as the heir squinted. Men and women off camera threw dozens of questions at him all at once.

Tim shouted over the wind. "Look, the Joker has been in hiding, but I can't be. I have school. I have responsibilities. I refuse to allow this madman to continue destroying my life."

"Are you not afraid?"

"What will you do if he catches you?"

"Weren't you kidnapped once this year already?"

"How does Bruce Wayne feel about your return?"

"Is it true that you were friends with the Everly twins?"

"What kind of protection will you have?"

"Where is your bodyguard now?"

Timothy scowled, or at least it appeared he tried to, but the wind made it a shallow attempt. "The Joker has done some awful things," Tim continued to shout. "And yes, some of those awful things were to my friends. I will be cautious, and I will not make light of or underestimate Joker in any way. I just can't keep hiding from him. I refuse to be afraid."

Donald Troy and his desk returned as the man took on a somber expression. "We are getting word that there have been at least four fatalities as EMTs and other first responders have been cleared to enter a few of the buildings to perform rescues. Many of the victims are being routed to Gotham General as we speak.

"Again, police and fire urge the people of Gotham to be wary, to evacuate if you are in the area, and to stay out of it if you are not due to a belief that Joker Gas may have been released during the explosion."

Harvey glanced over at Wintergreen. The older man was speaking quietly outside of Slade's bedroom. He'd been ordered to stay with them after Roy called him and warned him about the Fear Toxin Batman found in Jason's blood. He wondered if the "bodyguard" was going to be headed out after the news report or if he was just going to let the Gotham Capes handle the mess.

Would Jason care? JT didn't seem to get along very well with Tim and yet from what Harvey had seen, Jason seemed to worry and stress quite a bit over Robin, Nightwing and Batman. Knowing what he knew, that wasn't such a surprise.

Wintergreen finally sat beside Harvey on the couch. "Slade's headed out. Went through the window. Are we safe here, Bullock, or do we need to find somewhere else to be?"

Harvey sighed as he pinched the bridge of his nose to concentrate. "It's highly unlikely, but I think we should leave all the same. Roy and Jason were working to clean up one of Red Hood's hideouts. We'd be safer there."

Billy nodded; "Get some shit together and contact Roy. Tell him where we're headed and get him to meet us. Slade thinks Bruce is gonna try to turn Jason against us."

Harvey could only blink as he watched Billy move to the back room to grab his gear.

Looking back at the news Harvey frowned and crossed himself. God help Gotham City if another Robin had died that night.