Patrol was going great! Tim thought as he proudly reflected that he hadn't gotten hit once so Nurse Dianne wouldn't have to worry about him. Batman, Nightwing, and he had a calm night with no sighting of the Red Hood. Nightwing was in town, and he always made patrol better even when it was quiet from a new player in town that was cool with killing scum bags.
Robin hoped that Red Hood would be willing to join Batman, calm down on the killing and decapitating bad guys. Nightwing placed a hand on his shoulder and pointed to a mugging that was in process on the street below, "Race you there!"
The leapt down the building shooting off their grapples to land near the mugger and victim. Nightwing did a flip before landing to show off for Robin, which did elicit a smile from Robin. Nightwing was so much fun to work with, not that Batman wasn't fun it was just different in a good way. It was like how he imagined a real older brother to be like.
Robin took care of the mugger as a Nightwing comforted the victim. She was an older woman who didn't look like she was from Gotham or any other large city.
"Thank you, boys, so much! I've never been so scared in my life," she said as she shook with fear and adrenaline.
"No problem, ma'am do you want to us to call a cab or anything?" Nightwing asked as Robin finished zip tying the would-be mugger.
"No, my sister's apartment is right over there," the lady pointed to a building across the street, "Thank you again. I hate big cities," she said as she ambled to the building.
"Good ol' Robin saving the day for little old ladies," Nightwing laughed.
"I beat up a mugger you saved her," Tim pointed out.
"Good job by the way, he'll never get out of those zip ties," Nightwing congratulated him.
"I already let GCPD know where to pick him up at with the video from our domino masks," Robin replied, high fiving Nightwing. It was a really good night to be Robin.
"Robin, I want you to go to the cave immediately. Red Hood has been spotted and you are not to engage. I repeat go to the cave. Nightwing, I need you at the corner of Allen and 94th street," Batman said over their comms in a grimmer than usual voice for the older man even with the cowl on.
"You heard the man Robin, time for you to call it a night. Don't eat all of Agent A's cookies," he gave Robin a two-finger salute as he grappled away.
"Be safe!" Robin called out, and much slower than Nightwing he grappled to the direction of the one of the secret ways to the cave. He had taken the Red Bird out for its maiden voyage out. Batman wanted them all to be able to have a means of getting around quickly, so Batman was in the Batmobile, Nightwing and Robin had each taken a bike. Tim tried to stomp down the feeling like Batman didn't trust him to be of use with the Red Hood on the loose. Bruce wasn't like that, Tim tried to convince himself.
He was almost to the Red Bird when he saw a glint of light being refracted off a shiny red hood. Batman said not to engage and with the much taller, broader, man staring down at him from the top of the building. Tim found his heart hammering at the sight of the Red Hood, but he only hurt bad guys, he didn't go after children or women Tim rationalized. Robin instincts kicking in, he chose to run and not grapple the rest of the way for fear the grapple could be cut or otherwise messed with.
The Red Hood was telegraphing his movements like he wanted Robin to know he was coming for him. He was racing down the fire escape and making every step clunk and make as much noise as possible. He was also on the building that held the Red Bird and was close to the secret tunnel to the Batcave. Robin was effectively cut off from escape.
"Batman, come in, Nightwing?" Robin tapped his comm to try to communicate with them only to be answered with static.
"Batman and Nightwing won't be coming for your rescue," Red Hood taunted.
"Who says I'll need rescuing?" Robin asked with false bravado. He hadn't been Robin a full six months and Red Hood was built like a pro fighter and covered in armor.
"You want to be Robin so much why don't I send you to where all good Robins go? Hell." Red Hood laughed mockingly.
"Where do bad Robins go if good Robins go to hell?" Robin asked trying to throw the vitriol filled man off.
"Doesn't matter because either way you are dying tonight. Good or bad, Batman is going to be taught a lesson that will stick this time," He said stalking towards Robin.
"Batman will save me. He won't let anything bad happen to me," Robin insisted even as Red Hood kept advancing towards him.
"You really are a gullible little Padawan learner. You're comms are dead. My henchmen are committing half the major crimes that are possible to commit just to give me time to slowly beat you to death," Red Hood replied with a sarcastic laugh.
"I can take you, but please not the face. I don't need the school system thinking I'm being abused by my guardian," Tim said honestly. "Do you know that's the hardest thing about being a vigilante in school? Everyone assumes he beats me when it's really scum. I mean I thought you were supposed to be a good guy and protect kids and women? Is killing Robin going to boost your street cred?" Robin asked releasing that half of what he said was not necessary. He cursed his nervous rambling and made a mental note to just let the bad guys monologue next time.
"That's hilarious! You really are the worst Robin! I should just beat you and give CPS a little call. You won't find a worse living hell in Gotham than the foster care system, or should I say what the foster care system leads to. How would you like having your organs harvested or being trafficked. Young boys are fetching quite the price and you know B wouldn't spill the secret of what's really happening at night. He would let you rot," Red Hood must be smirking under the mask with that smug sounding reply.
Robin was trying to put space between the Red Hood but was finding himself cornered with Hood at every turn. Red Hood caught him by the shoulder and in the blink of an eye the sickening crunch of bone breaking was all Tim could hear when the Red Hood snapped his leg as if was a dry twig. He couldn't help crying out when Red Hood didn't let him fall to the ground but grabbed his shoulder to dislocate it with a grating pop. He pushed him the ground and preceded to punch both his eyes in two quick movements
Robin tried to crawl or get some sort of traction against him. His good arm was finding no purchase on the armor the Red Hood was covered in. Robin was able to pop his helmet off in between the barrage of punches the Red Hood was levying at him. Robin was surprised to see the face of a young man with a domino mask covering his eyes and a bright shock of white hair.
"You're pathic excuse of a Robin. Bruce will be glad to get rid of you. How fast do you think you'll be replaced? You won't be missed. You're weak and they are lying to you! You will never be part of the real family," He didn't yell, or shout it, it was growled low and seriously to him.
Robin was really regretting something; he couldn't remember what anymore except that he was really hurting. Like everywhere that could hurt was hurting. He was trying to block out the revulsion Red Hood was verbalizing. Tim had to agree he was the worst Robin even with such good examples of Dick and Jason he was going to get murdered in an alley and reveal the biggest secret in Gotham and the Justice League. Maybe not, his face had to be discolored and not recognizable by now.
There was that at least.
The Red Hood must have been getting tired because Robin faded in and out of consciousness, he wasn't getting pummeled into the cement anymore.
Batman and Nightwing would find him. They would, Robin convinced himself. His good arm wasn't good anymore the Red Hood had snapped it in two and for all his Robin training he couldn't move the dislocated shoulder back in place.
Batman, Bruce hadn't gotten to Jason in time to save him from dying in Ethiopia. At least Bruce and Dick were talking to each other again. Bruce would be fine this time after losing Robin.
Jason wanted to laugh, Bruce kept choosing them dumber and dumber. This one spilled his guts about Bruce being under suspicion of child abuse! Robin is a child soldier of course he's being manipulated and abused.
Jason wondered if his old caseworker still was rattling around, the one that tried to have him put in a home that sold the children and said they ran away. Little Timothy Drake would love it there. Bruce would let him die there to protect his identity and it would be poetic justice.
That Fake Robin would have it beaten into him that Bruce didn't care about him one bit. Batman needed a Robin to take hits and be a distraction he didn't love him, that selfish egotistical prick who would let anyone became a sacrifice for the good of his crusade that helped no but him. Bruce would be able to sleep at night knowing that there was always a dumb kid waiting to fill the cape and boots.
He stopped hitting the kid and ripped the comm out of the Fake Robin's ear, "Hey Batman if you aren't too busy Robin took a little fall," he said. Technically fake Robin had fallen when he punched him to the ground.
"What have you done to him?" Batman growled back.
"Don't you mean what did you allow me to do to him? Honestly you would think the boy's guardian would look out for him better. One would think you don't care about him in the slightest. Sending the boy away when you spot a murder all by himself. Not even a escort by Nightwing. Children really are a dime a dozen. I mean a broken arm, broken leg, and that shoulder doesn't look right to me, but I'm no doctor," Red Hood mocked him.
A sharp inhale was heard across the comms; Jason smiled as he crushed the comm under his feet. Timothy Drake should live long enough to be taken into state protection. Bruce's reputation would take a beating that wouldn't survive the amount of cancelling that was about to take place. Even Clark and Lois wouldn't be able to savage anything without being labeled in the same way.
Jason looked at the pathetic heap of Fake Robin and smiled at his groans and pathetic attempts of trying to move. Talia was right that had felt good. He was a better fighter and obviously smarter than Timothy Drake.
He would kill the Joker next, he mused; if beating Robin satisfied the green like that he couldn't imagine how much more enjoyable killing the Joker would be.
Jason shook one of his hands it was sore even wearing armor the Replacements jaw had broken and left his hand stinging with the abuse Jason had them through. His bloody and bruised knuckles would heal in no time. Replacement couldn't say the same that's for sure. If he didn't die, CPS would get a call from a concerned anonymous citizen of Gotham.
