Summary: Sorry if it's a bit underwhelming. Takes place 3 hours after the last chapter.
Disclaimer: I don't own DC
Jason couldn't even find the strength to groan as the crowbar slammed into his ribs for the umpteenth time. The Joker had really done a number on him; at this point, he was hardly even conscious. The Boy Wonder was covered in blood as his many broken bones prohibited him from any form of movement. He just had to sit there and take the hits, he couldn't do anything to stop it. His body was a bloody, broken mess, his left eye was too swollen to even open, he had lost a bunch of teeth, his right arm was dislocated and most likely permanently damaged, and his internal organs had taken so much punishment that breathing was a remarkable feat.
The Clown Prince of Crime laughed as he finally dropped the bloody crowbar at Jason's feet, letting up on his relentless assault. "Well, that was fun! Who's for Chinese? Hmm? I can't hear you down there! I'll take your silence as a 'no, thanks', correct me if I'm wrong." Joker burst out laughing as the boy squirmed while muttering something incomprehensible. He leaned down and picked up Jason's head, mocking him while giggling. "What's that? I can't hear you over that collapsed lung!" Jason spit blood at his face and grinned viciously before Joker growled and slammed him onto the floor. "Now that was rude! The first Boy Blunder had some manners! Even when I beat the tar outta him, he behaved like a good little kid! Tsk, tsk, no wonder the Bat's not here to save you, you're not exactly living up to the old 'Robin' standards, are you?" Joker kicked him in the gut and started laughing again as Jason groaned, trying to hide his discomfort at that statement. N-no...Bruce a-and Dick...they'll f-find me...
Dick was getting very frustrated. The team and Batman had scoured all of Gotham 3 times at this point, but nothing was working. They had no leads on Joker or Jason.
Dick could only imagine the horrible torture the clown was inflicting on his brother, and he felt his insides flare up with rage at the very thought of it. He had been at the end of Joker's "games" once before: the murderer had kidnapped him and Zatanna during a mission gone wrong, and it took the team 2 whole hours with Batman's help to find them. He had taken most of the torture from Joker during that time, he would sooner die than let the clown lay a finger on Zee, and so she was just forced to watch as Dick got beat on. The injuries he had sustained that day were incredible, it was nothing short of a miracle that he was able to so much as stand after that, even with Zatanna's magic healing him once they had been freed. To think what Jason was going through...Zee was having a hard time keeping him from exploding at this point, and Bruce was doing no better. He was refusing to speak to anyone, even Diana or Alfred.
The entire League had been called in to help with the search, but even still, the psychopath remained elusive. Barbara had woken up from surgery an hour ago, and Dick and Zee had paid her a visit. She, too, was horrified at Jason's capture, but Dick had promised her that he would find Robin. He was worried that was a promise he couldn't keep.
Zatanna, who was staying by Barbara's bedside as she slept, noticed Dick walk out of the room, shakily letting out a tired breath. She followed him out, concerned. "Dick?"
"Wh-what if we...what i-if he...Zee...I c-can't-" Zatanna rushed up to pull Dick into a tight hug as he started gasping for air. He made it a habit to not break down and cry in public, but he was scared out of his mind right now. He had told Bruce he would look after Jason; he had taken the responsibility upon his own shoulders because he thought he could help. But he had failed.
"Dick, I'm scared, too. B-but this is Batman we're talking about. And the team, and the League. We'll find Jason, I p-promise. Just try to stay turbed." Dick nodded, still struggling to maintain his breathing, and he hugged Zee tightly. He just needed something constant to cling to, and Zatanna was always that thing for him. He eventually broke off and wiped his slightly wet eyes before turning for the exit.
"S-stay with Babs, please. I'm gonna go help Bruce." Zatanna wanted to go with him, but she nodded. Barbara needed someone to watch over her. She pecked him on the cheek before going back to Barbara's room to sit with her.
Dick suited up and joined Bruce on a rooftop as he looked over the city. The League and team were busy scouring Gotham, and the original Dynamic Duo were currently on standby watching it all. Bruce's eyes landed on Crime Alley, and he couldn't help but twitch his lips upwards the slightest amount. "I found Jason right there, you know. Few days before Christmas, right in that alley. He was trying to steal my tires." Dick chuckled softly.
"I knew we were different, but man..."
"You two were leagues apart. He was a street rat, desperate to survive. Had to fend for himself since he was nine. But in some ways...you both were the same. I thought I could help him the same way I helped you. But now..." Dick placed a hand on Bruce's shoulder as the Dark Knight let out a shaky breath and closed his eyes.
"H-hey, don't think like that. He's alive. Joker would have rubbed it in if he wasn't. We'll find him, and we'll make sure this never happens again." Bruce nodded, regaining his composure and returning to the stoic character he kept up for the rest of Gotham.
Batman and Nightwing got an alert a bit later about Superman having captured Harley Quinn in a bank heist, and he immediately dialed Clark up, gritting his teeth. "Superman, send her to the GCPD. I'll handle this." Dick noticed the cold anger in his voice and shuddered a bit. I'd better follow him there. Can't let him do something he may regret.
Batman and Nightwing met up with Gordon at the GCPD, and Bruce made a beeline for Quinn, pushing aside the cops. Gordon called back to him. "We've already interrogated her, she's not talking!"
"Then I'll make her talk." Something about the way Bruce said it, something in his voice...desperation. Dick couldn't recall ever hearing that from him before, and he wasn't sure he liked it. He turned to Gordon.
"I'll watch out for him, don't worry." Jim nodded, not even bothering to believe the lie, and he let Nightwing follow Batman into the interrogation room. Ever since he found out about Barbara being Batgirl, his relationship with the Bats was rather shaky, but even he felt for them. What had happened to Barbara was absolutely awful, but Jason...Jim couldn't imagine his daughter at the hands of that maniac's torture.
Once the two entered the interrogation room, Bruce immediately narrowed his eyes at Harley. "Where is he?" Harley laughed.
"Yer a funny one, Bats! Now, you'd betta let me go, or else Mistah J is gonna send ya pieces of old Boy Blun-ggck!" Bruce picked Harley up by the neck, slamming her into a wall as he held her up. Dick tensed up as Bruce tightened his hold around her neck.
"Bats, let's dial it down a-"
"You are going to tell me where he is, now. TALK, while you still can!" Grayson sensed the cold anger in his voice, and he felt uncomfortable with it.
"Y-ya w-w-wouldn't-" Batman slammed the wall right next to her head, creating a massive dent, and Dick stepped in, placing a hand on his shoulder. Alright, that's enough.
"Batman, stop! We can't-"
"Stay out of this!" The finality in his words shocked Dick, causing him to question his own morals. On the one hand, this was wrong. The brutality he was displaying didn't fit him. On the other hand...he was getting desperate. He had to find Jason before it was too late. N-no, we can't just go around beating information out of criminals! But...Jason...God knows what kinda hell he's in right now...Reluctantly, Dick stepped back and watched as Bruce threatened Harley during the interrogation, and eventually, she cracked under the pressure.
"A-a-al-r-right! H-he's ova a-at the warehouse down by A-Ace Chemicals!" Batman growled.
"If you're lying, I'll come back here. And next time, I won't be so gentle." Bruce dropped Harley to the floor, leaving her gasping for air as he hurried out of the precinct. Dick looked at Harley, a glare present.
"If he's hurt, in any way, then next time he pays you a visit, I won't be here to keep him hospitable." He hurried after Bruce, who was already well on his way, and contacted the team to meet him at the warehouse.
Joker used his handkerchief to clean himself up as he grinned cheekily towards Jason, who was sprawled out on the floor, bleeding out and unable to move. He laughed at the Boy Wonder's attempts to stand up before turning to walk to the exit. "Gee, look at the time! Well, I'd best be on my way now! Got places to see, people to kill, but hey...please tell the big man I said hello." He burst into laughter as he shut and locked the door to the warehouse before making his escape.
Jason struggled to move, hardly able to even breathe at this point. D-dammit, Bruce, wh-where are y-you...if Batman's not gonna s-save me, g-guess I have to d-do it myself...With all the energy Jason had left in him, he turned to crawl slowly to the exit, groaning at the waves of pain overtaking him. He made it halfway to the door before giving in to his injuries, gasping for air and doing his best to maintain steady breathing. Just as he was about to try again, he heard a beeping coming from the corner and looked over to see a timer. His eyes widened and he felt his heart stop before he sighed and closed his eyes, accepting his fate. He calmed himself to the best of his abilities and let various memories with Bruce and the team play in his mind so he could at least go out with a happy thought. And then...the timer hit 0.
Batman hopped into the Batmobile, not even bothering to wait for Dick as he rocketed off. He sped over to the warehouse as fast as the car would let him, praying that Jason was okay. Come on…hang in there, Jason…I'm almost there…
Bruce leapt out of the car as he approached the warehouse, running as fast as he could. However, just as he was about to reach the locked door, the warehouse went up in flames, and the blast from the explosion sent Bruce flying back. No! He quickly got up and sprinted into the rubble, using his detective vision to scan for life signs. No, no he's got to be here...c'mon, dammit! Where are you...
Bruce's eyes widened as he caught a glimpse of Jason's bright yellow and black cape, and he rushed to it, picking up and flinging the rubble away. He gasped as he took in the crushed, burnt, and utterly dead body of his adopted son. No…"J-Jason..." Bruce dropped to his knees, cradling the boy's body as he sat in shock, closing his eyes in mourning. He-he can't be...what have I done?!
Dick watched Bats speed off without him, and he understood; he was worried, too. He grappled onto the rooftops to follow Bruce, and pretty soon, the Bioship appeared in front of him.
-Dick, get in!-
-M'gann! Thank god you're here, we need to-
-I know, now hop in!- Dick leapt into the Bioship as they blasted after Bruce. Zatanna grasped his hand while they waited on the deck, not even bothering to sit down because they were all too stressed. "H-how's Babs?" Zee looked down.
"She's...taking it pretty hard, actually."
"Yeah...it's a big part of her life, and now it's gone." Zatanna frowned but nodded.
"I hope she can make it past this. She seemed so...lost." Dick gave her a gentle squeeze and pulled her to him so he could drape his arm around her shoulders.
"She'll be alright. She's strong." Zee nodded as the ship started to land, and the team all made a break for the door, rushing out of the ship. Unfortunately, what they saw as they exited the ship was more than a little disturbing.
Bruce didn't move from his position with Jason's body. Not as he heard the gasps of Zatanna, Artemis, and Tula, and not as he heard the silent curses of Starfire, Garth, and Wally. None of that mattered. Dick, barely able to even comprehend what he was seeing, approached the Bark Knight and the broken body of his brother. He shakily collapsed to his knees in front of Bruce, eyes trained on Jason's corpse. N-no...it...it c-can't be...Jason…He softly touched Jason's hand, a bit of fabric falling off, and he felt tears well in his eyes as he took in the severity of what had just happened. One of them had died. The Joker had just killed Robin.
Bruce slowly stood up, lifting up the body of his son and walking towards the Batmobile, unable to process anything. Without a word, he passed the members of the team and Leaguers who had arrived on the scene, laying the body in the car before letting the autopilot take him to the Batcave. Diana followed him, worried out of her mind for Bruce, and Dick just sat there, clutching the small piece of fabric that had fallen off Jason's hand. He...h-he can't...why wasn't I there? I...I said I'd look after him, but I got him killed...what the fuck have I done…
Dick refused to leave the cargo hold during the flight back home, not letting go of the cloth of fabric he had in his hands. It was all he had left of Jason. He felt like that 8 year old boy who had just lost his parents all over again. Except this time it was worse. Because this time, he could have saved his brother. But he didn't.
He couldn't bring himself to cry, he had no tears to shed, no matter how much he tried. He just felt...numb. Like his heart had been ripped out and he couldn't feel anything anymore. Zatanna entered the room soon after, and she silently sat down next to Dick, equally mute. He hardly even acknowledged her presence there since he was so caught up in his own thoughts. She didn't speak, she knew nothing she said would even matter to him right now. However, he soon heard her weeps and sobs, and he slowly draped an arm over her shoulders, letting her crawl up into him as she started to cry for Jason. And he knew it was cruel, and he hated himself for even thinking it, but deep down, he hoped she shed enough tears for the both of them, because he had none he was able to give.
Again, sorry if it wasn't worth the wait, I just couldn't really find the motivation to write this one. I'll try to make it up with the coming chapters. Feel free to leave comments or suggestions for chapters you wanna see. Next chapter up soon.