III.- Second star to the right
Robin, the second one but not the last, followed Tim just because they had no better clues, really. He didn't like the boy, nor his way, nor his manners. But the thing he hated the most was to think he was going to replace him someday. Jumping through Gotham with Bruce while he... well, he could be anywhere else, of course, but he had a bad feeling.
First of all, he knew how Dick had "graduated". And the idea of Bruce telling him off the job to give it to Timmy revolted his stomach. And, in this future of him, Tim will be some years younger than Dick... but not so young compared to him. Was Bruce going to get tired of him that easily?
Or worse.
He was not stupid, even if he had not his stiff stance and vocabulary. Tim avoided every question related to him.
Perhaps he had left. Perhaps it is him who got tired of Bruce and all this Robin thing...
Perhaps...
"Perhaps we have driven him mad." Said Dick confidentially.
Jason turned to him.
He was cute and daring and all those things Alfred used to recall of young Master Richard. That was why everybody loved Dick. Even Tim. He could see it even behind the mask. It didn't bothered him much, because he loved Dick too. What bothered him was that was quite plain Tim didn't have the same relationship with him. Again, this feeling somewhere something was going to go terribly bad.
"Perhaps" he said to Dick, finally.
"Do you think this means he is right and we are only figments of his magination?"
"Why? Because he says he knows something?"
"Yes."
"Of course not. I am real."
"If I were not real I won't be that worried."
Suddenly Tim stopped and they bumped into him.
"What's the matter now?"
He just pointed.
Somewhere, so far away it was still just stains in the mist, seemed to be a forest. Its grey streaks broke the infinite whiteness, making distance meaningful all of a sudden, real and understable.
"Wow" Said Dick.
"That's the heart?"
"I think so."
And he walked again, this time with a resemblance of a purpose.
They walked in silence for a while, but something was burning in Jason entrails. Perhaps, if they got to those woods they were going to get free... and then he will never know. And he needed to know.
"Tim." He said, taking his substitute by the arm, making him stop. "I've been thinking..."
"About?"
"You are telling us nothing because you are afraid it would change the future... but perhaps it does not matter. Perhaps this has already happened in your future to the two of us and nothing changed because it was what had to happen."
"Nonsense." Tim frowned. "Linear time is a stupid theory."
"So is multiple reality time."
"I'm not going to take any unnecesary risk."
"Even if it could change things for the better?"
"Yes." Said Dick, brightening. "We could avoid bad things to happen! If we knew..."
Jason saw Tim heasitate, something else showing in his frow besides his anger.
"No."
"Why not? Because you'll never be Robin? Would it be so bad a thing?"
Tim held breath and, for a fraction of a second, Jason thought the boy was going to punch him. He just turned, the same internal fight expression in his face, and kept walking. Dick was to tag along, but he restrained him.
"I'm still talking to you, Timmy."
"But I'm not talking to you." He stopped nontheless.
"Because you have made your mind. But... what about us? We have a say in this matter, I think. Or, as we are only dreams, we have no opinion?"
"You don't want to know, Jason."
"Yes, we do."
Dick looked at them, uncomfortable, twisting his hands.
"Look, boys, I think we should first..."
"No, Dick... let him have it his way." Tim sneered. "Do you really want to know, Jason? Ok, ask."
Suddenly he felt Tim was right, he didn't want to know. But there was no way out. If he walked away without asking he would look like a coward. And he was not going to give Timmy a single reason to think he was a coward.
"I know about Dick's graduation." He said, finally. "Is mine any similar?"
"No."
And that was it.
He had asked and Tim had answered.
He had nothing to prove.
Shit! Tim was making it easy for him to back down.
But he couldn't stop his mouth.
"How does it happen?"
And as he asked and Tim frowned, angry and pained, he knew he was going to have an answer and wished he had kept his mouth shut.
"You die. The Joker beats you to the verge of death and then burns you in a blast, Jason. That's how you graduate."
Dick gasped somewhere, but Jason could only stare at Tim, meet his eyes and stand his gaze. He was lying. He had to be.
But Tim was not lying. Because a lier wouldn't be on the verge of tears.
"And now that you know, can we keep walking?"
And Tim really did. He turned around and walked away from them
Jason looked at Dick, but the pity and horror he saw in his eyes made him turn his head the other way. Dick just hesitated a moment, and then he run after Tim.
Jason would have liked to walk as if he was not worried, but he couldn't even move.
He was going to die... perhaps he was already dead...
He saw Dick take Tim by the arm and they argued for a while. Then Tim just folded his arms and gave Dick his back while he shrugged. The first Robin stood still for a time, listening to something Tim was saying, and then turned to him, running in his direction.
"Tim wants to know if you are coming."
"Yeah..." Jason blinked, falling into reallity again. "Give me a minute..."
"He is sorry."
"What?"
"He said he is sorry."
"What for? Because I'm going to die?"
Dick frowned.
"No, acording to him, because he snapped and he shouldn't."
"And? I asked."
"Yes, but he could have not answered. Or so he says."
"That's crap! Have you told him it was crap?"
"Well... I told him it was nonsense."
Jason looked at the boy in the distance. He had wrapped himself in his black cape, a dark spot against the white nothing. Miserabilty all over him.
He snorted, walking to him in big, angry paces.
"Are you stupid or something? It's not your fault!"
Tim grimaced.
"Yes, it is. For one, it was my information, it was my responsability to keep it to myself."
"I asked! I challenged you!"
"And I'm adult enough to avoid acting like a macho teenager."
"But you are a teenager. That's the whole point!"
Tim half laughed.
"Are you angry at me because I have admited my mistake?"
"No! Yes!... I don't know! But I do know you didn't kill me. The Joker did, or is going to do. And you are acting as if the whole thing was your fault!"
Tim gaped again, wordless, and then, suddenly, he burst into laughing.
He laughed, nearly histerical, for some minutes, sitting down as he could not calm himself. Jason found himself relaxing eventually and Dick came to them, his stare wondering what was going on there.
Jason shrugged, smiling. Tim was nuts, was it not obvious?
When the third Robin could calm himself, wipping his watery eyes, looked at them. Jason was amazed at the change, even if he could not say what had exactly changed on the boy.
"Oh, man... I really needed that."
"Are you all right, Tim?" Asked Dick, worried.
He stood up, blushing, embarrased.
"Yes, yes... I think so..."
"You think so?"
"Well... Everything is being so complicated lately... I had forgotten how to..."
"Not take it all on you?"
He smiled shily.
"Yeah."
Dick patted him on the shoulder, silent, and then looked at Jason.
He also felt relieved. Not that dying didn't bother him, but... well...
"So, we do keep walking?"
"To the woods?" Dick looked at the now more defined leaveless and grey trees.
The scent was stronger.
Tim nodded.
"It's somewhere in here. The heart of it. Whatever it may mean."
"Perhaps it's not such a good idea."
"It's important, I can feel it."
"And I can feel it is bad." Added Dick, making a step back, shivering.
"So? Are we going to back down because it's bad?" Jason turned to the other Robins, his hands in his hips. "If we were to do so, we wouldn''t be wearing the R"
Them both looked at their Robin sign over their chest. Dick put a hand over his, Tim just touched it morosely. His lips formed a thin line when he looked at him again.
"You know, Jason, I'm sorry."
"Don't start with it again."
"No, really, I'm sorry because I thought you were an asshole. And now I finally see what Bruce saw in you" His smile widened. "And I like it."
"Well, you are still a jerk, and you got this nerdy feeling about you... but you are quite ok too."
"Nerdy?"
"Noone your age can talk like you and not being a nerd."
"You know? Reading won't destroy your brain, Todd."
But he could say he was just teasing, so he could tease back without really starting another fight. He also thought Bruce had chosen wisely, but was not going to give the rookie the satisfaction of knowing it.
------
---Security code aproved---
---...---
---Voice scan aproved---
---Wellcome, Master---
---/Status of subject /report.---
---Subject constants: correct---
---Subject byorhythms: altered inside normal limits---
---cerebral functions: responding---
---thoroughly checking revealed:---
---high dose of endorfine production---
---adrenaline receeding---
---provided actual results recomend:---
---hold experiment until subject regains normality again---
---/continue---
---/check every fifteen minutes---