Chapter Fifteen
"Why a red mask?" Dick asked as Jason put together the Phoenix armor for the first time.
"A reminder." Jason answered.
The black, form fitting armor looked good on Jason. His bulky form was almost as imposing as Bruce in the Bat armor (without the cape). The deep reds, oranges, and yellows that made the shoulder and arm flames seemed almost alive, while the rising blood red bat on his chest leapt out of the shadows. Dick's blue was cold and shadowy next to Jason. Bruce looked at Jason briefly, only the corners of his mouth hinting his approval.
Tim, working on the computer in Jason's mask, had a huge grin on his face. "It looks great. I just don't get why you guys don't want a cape."
Tim had made Robin's cape longer, as well as adding reinforcement to it. Jason grinned.
"Dick finds it impedes his balance. I don't need a cape to look scary. You on the other hand… You are kind of small."
Tim scowled, but his eyes twinkled. "I suppose so. The cape is good for more than that, though. It helps me hide in the shadows. It conceals what I am carrying. It makes criminals think I am just a child in dress up. The cape helps me deceive them as much as the mask does."
Now that made a lot of sense. Tim was the 'smart' one of the Robins. He had to work hard for the physical part of Robin, and his slender, lean genetics made it hard for him to bulk out, though he was very built for his age and body type. Dick was flashy, constantly moving and talking, distracting. Jason was big and rough, the muscle. Tim was the shadow in the background, constantly deceiving you.
"Nightwing works without a cape." Dick interjected. "Admittedly I carry off the no-cape better than Jason… Eck…"
Jason had his ridiculous older brother in a headlock before he could finish the sentence. The eel went limp and slid out of Jason's grasp before catching Jason's ankle and making him fall on his butt. Then they were rolling, grappling and making grand claims on whose armor was better, until Dick had managed to pin Jason by contorting his body in ways nobody should be able to stretch. The circus boy grinned out of Dick's face.
"Hey!" Jason saw Tim examining the belts he would wear as Phoenix. Sneaky kid.
"I need to make sure you've got everything. You were so busy putting all the cool toys in the belts…" Tim was pulling out some of the flash bombs and putting in high tech. Jason finally rolled Dick over and left his older brother laughing on the ground while Tim ran away with the flash bombs. Jason gave chase.
Tim ran to the computer bay, where Bruce had retreated when the wrestling started.
"Not in here." Bruce said.
Tim gave Jason a cheeky grin, before escaping out the opposite end of the computer stuff.
"Be careful with him." Bruce told Jason as the much bigger hero lumbered through the bay after the flighty Robin.
"He'll live." Jason promised.
Tim really was a shadow. He had vanished into the vehicle bay. Dick was laughing as he followed his brothers, making it difficult for Jason to hear what little noise Tim might make. His laughter only grew when Jason glared at him. There… Jason lunged on seeing a hint of movement. He grabbed Bruce's cape. The sneaky kid had stolen it from Bruce without Jason (or Bruce apparently) noticing.
"Nice." Dick said, finally quieting. The two of them listened and looked. Tim almost got out the door before they saw him. Both gave chase and Tim ran. He had a straight run, which gave Jason and Dick time to catch him before he reached the stairs leading up to the manor. Pinning him between them Jason gave him a gentle (as gentle as a member of the bat family could be anyway) head rubbing, while Dick tickled him and they made him yell for help.
Bruce came out and actually smiled.
"Time to suit up." He said.
"Jason left your cape on the cars!" Tim hollered, then ran for the changing area.
"He stole it first!" Jason said under Batman's annoyed glance.
Dick grinned.
Tim had rearranged Jason's belts, so he had to restore some of the chaos that Tim had taken away. The mask, which Jason had let Tim take to work his magic on, was amazing. With night vision and access to Oracles Network so she could feed them information, as well as cameras and more, Jason was amazed. Tim had done most of the designing, with Bruce and Babs help.
"Jason, since this is your first night out, I want you to go with me. Tim can go with Dick tonight. Just for tonight, so that you can get the feel of the city again."
Jason nodded. The request was not unexpected. Perhaps he needed the first night to be with Bruce again anyway.
"Tim and I got the Bus Station?" Dick asked.
"Yes. Jason and I will take the Train station. Spoiler and Batgirl are at the airport." Bruce said.
"What is to keep our fugitives from escaping via highway?" Jason asked.
"Police have some good roadblocks up. Help to catch the Brauns will be needed at the other ways out of Gotham." Robin answered, attaching his cape.
"And by boats?"
"Birds of Prey." Robin answered.
"Frank shouldn't be hard to find." Dick commented. "It's hard to conceal a limp. Linda could be a bigger problem. A woman is so much easier to disguise."
"And they will probably split up. If we can't catch both and one of them gets to metropolis, the materials to make a dirty bomb will be out there." Bruce said. "Superman is on alert, but we have to find the Braun's before they leave Gotham."
"What was Lifeway Labs doing with a sample of Clench anyway?" Dick wondered.
"They were looking at ways to neutralize it." Robin replied.
"How do we know the Braun's won't hand it off to someone in Gotham?" Phoenix asked.
"Do you know how many of the underworld came out to talk once the Braun's target was known? Clench is bad for their business. The only ones in Gotham who would take it are one of the crazies, and the Braun's would never work with them. They are terrorists whose goal is to get aliens locked up or kicked off world. They aren't going to trust Two Face or Ivy, who are the only two out of Arkham at the moment." Nightwing swung his escrima sticks around.
"Alright. Let's go." Batman ordered.
Phoenix and Batman took the Bat mobile, while Robin climbed onto Nightwing's bike.
"Com check." Oracles computerized voice sounded in their ears.
"Batman."
"Nightwing."
"Phoenix."
"Robin."
"Batgirl."
"Spoiler."
"Canary."
"Huntress."
"Catwoman."
"Batwoman."
"Vixen."
"Agent A."
"Oracle. Good. All are up and running. Field operatives please check that you have the antidote on hand."
A chorus of 'Checks' confirmed all of them were carrying the Clench antidote. They had each taken a preventative dose before suiting up.
"Justice League is on alert. Martian Manhunter is at Watchtower. Oh, and we are receiving a bunch of welcomes for Phoenix. Oooh, here is one from Troia."
"Oracle can we do this when there is not a sample of a plague out in the streets?" Batman growled.
Jason felt as if no time at all had passed as Gotham zipped by in a flash of lights, shadows, and jumbled noise.
"Nightwing and Robin on location. Robin going in. Nightwing has entrances. I don't like talking about myself in third person."
"Thanks for the commentary short pants." Oracle answered.
"Spoiler and Batgirl on location. No activity so far. Batgirl says bad night to fly."
"Birds on location. Canary at far north side, Huntress at far south side. Batwoman in vantage point. Vixen and Cat are… somewhere around here."
"Encouraging. Huntress can't keep track of her team." Vixen snorted.
"Not time for a cat fight." Nightwing said.
"Batman and Phoenix on location. Jeez, Bat, you couldn't wait to let me call it in?"
Jason glared at his father's back. Batman hated the com check ins. He would use them if he was alone, but if he had a partner with him he would leave that to the partner. Oracle had instigated the check-ins, which was the only reason Batman had been forced into doing it. The melodramatic bat liked to give off a lonely air. Too bad he had the largest family unit out of any masked hero in the world.
"Batman." Gordon was at the train station. Apparently this was considered the best route for the Braun's to try to escape. The uniforms were all staring at the Batman. Many had not seen him before. "You have a new partner? Is Robin ok?"
"Robin is well. He is with Nightwing." Phoenix spoke up. "I'm Phoenix."
"New to the role?"
"To the name, not the game." Phoenix answered. Gordon's eyebrows went up.
"Thought you were out for good." He commented.
"Would have been. Robin is a good brother."
Gordon smiled, clearly understanding and impressed by Robin as well. "Well, Welcome back."
"Thanks." Jason nodded and headed for the stairs as Bruce slipped into the back of the building.
"Suspicious character on dock 31…" Huntress reported.
"Sighting doubled." Batwoman confirmed a moment later. "Male, white. Frank's height."
"Limp?" Robin asked.
"Not sure. Seems to be drunk."
"Update. Braun's contact in Metropolis has been spotted. Wildcat in pursuit." Oracle reported.
"Suspicious sighting. Woman with black hair, baby carrier on front of her. Baby is bundled and not giving off body heat." Robin spoke.
"On camera." Oracle reported.
They were all silent as Oracle fed them the video.
"Feed to Gordon." Batman ordered.
"Police are moving in…" Nightwing reported what they could all see.
"Robin, status?"
"Watching."
A few more minutes, during which it was obvious that the woman was hiding something. Jason held his breath as he scanned the train station.
"Robin!" Nightwing hollered.
The boy wonder dove for the woman from the ceiling as her argument with the police escalated. A moment later there was a scuffle and suddenly Robin was yelling for an evacuation.
"Robin report." Batman's thunderous voice silenced all others.
"She's got a bomb on her now. I've got the detonator, but we need a bomb squad to deactivate it."
"Are you injured?"
"No." Robin said.
The police were clearing the bus station on the cameras. Robin and the woman were both on the ground, hands wrapped around a remote of some sort.
"Update: Flash on standby if needed." Oracle's voice was annoyingly bland in this moment of fear. "Update: Police breached possible safe house. Frank Braun located…"
A perimeter was being set up around Robin and his prey. Batman was already moving towards his car. Phoenix ran to catch up. "Ok, Bats?" Phoenix asked.
"He's good. He knows what he's doing."
"Robin. Status?" Oracle asked.
"Still good. Linda is out cold. Just don't want to take my hands off this until know for sure the bomb won't go off."
"Good job." Bruce's voice broke through Batman's growl.
"Update… Frank Braun is infected with Clench." Oracle's computerized voice actually shook.
"Bomb squad is here. Get Flash to City's edge." Batman ordered. "May need to get Robin out of blast zone."
"I've got it. Not letting go." Robin replied.
Phoenix and Batman were at the Bus Station now. They raced in, ignoring the sudden barrage of phones and cameras taking pictures. Good way to Jason's new role out in the streets. The Police parted without words.
Robin was sitting now, hands still around the remote. The bomb squad was carefully examining the unconscious would be bomber's fake baby.
"Alright. Got the detonator out of the way… Alright kid, it's safe to let go." The bomb technician said, pulling a kitchen timer out of the fake baby. Robin gladly let go.
Phoenix offered his right hand. Robin took it with his own right hand to get up. Phoenix frowned, wondering how rattled the kid had to be to do that. Batman was checking the air for Clench. Phoenix threw his arm around his little brother to escort him out. Robin winced and his breath came out in a pained whistle.
Batman swung around. "You said you weren't hurt."
"Dislocated my shoulder in falling. We had other things to worry about." Robin answered.
Batman handed his scanner to the nearest police officer. "Use that to check for contamination." He barked, then picked his youngest partner up.
"It's my shoulder bats, not my legs." Robin complained.
LINE BREAK BRINIGING MY BROTHER HOME LINE BREAK
Jason shut the recording off and stared at the med bay where Bruce and Dick were hovering around the injured Robin. He had listened to the recording of the evening's activities three time. Not once had he detected Robin's lie in his voice or actions until Robin was willing to let them know about his injuries. If the kid could use deception this well, where not even Bruce knew he was lying, then it was very likely Bruce did not know, perhaps did not even suspect that the Drake's were more than neglecting their son.
Jason had no real proof of that fact, except that Tim's unexplained bruises were all during times his parents were home. Even then, Jason knew how easily it was for boys to bruise themselves and not realize it. He couldn't be sure.
"How was your first night out?" Robin was suddenly in the main room, looking as well as could be. He kept his left arm pressed against his side, but would not wear a sling. He didn't want to think of a cover story for his parents.
"Heart stopping. My little brother dove onto a dirty bomb." Jason said. He ruffled the boy's hair, a smile crossing his face. He couldn't have asked for a better little brother.
"Hey, I had the antidote. Better me than an unprepared security officer." Tim pointed out.
"Yeah. I know. Just never realized what it was like to have someone in the field that I had to keep safe." Jason shrugged. "You're great kid and you were the hero of the evening."
Tim blushed. "Thanks."
Five minutes later he was heading home. Dick came and leaned on the back of Jason's chair. "What's wrong?"
"Have you realized just how good Tim is at lying?" Jason asked.
"Yeah. Legend among Young Justice is that he's boasted of lying to Batman, and getting away with it. Or so Flash, who talked to Impulse, has said." Dick grinned.
"Are you sure that's a good thing?" Jason said. Dick's face quieted and he sat down in front of Jason.
"What do you mean?"
"How do you know he's not lying? No one even realized he was hurt going for the bomb until after it was over."
"We have to trust he'll make the right decisions to tell us."
Jason took a deep breath and leaned forward. "What about making the right decision about his parents?"
So was this chapter clear? I wanted to try writing mostly dialogue and see if I could get my story across. Please use the amazing review feature and tell me how I did.
So Dick is going to learn about Tim now.