"You locked him up?" exclaims Dick. "Are you insane, Bruce?"

Dick had woken not long ago, feeling more coherent than he had in hours. Alfred had been in the cave then, and had filled him in on what had happened with Jason. By the time Bruce had come down from Jason's room, now dressed in his Batman suit, Dick was equally both frantic and angry.

Standing before his eldest son now, Bruce feels automatic defense snap into place. After the fight with Jason, Bruce had spent awhile alone in the hallway composing himself. During that time, he had assured himself of the necessity of confining Jason to his room, no matter how much Jason may feel betrayed by it. As for his answer to Jason's final question though…of that he was still unsure. Even now, as he defends his actions to Dick, it dominates his thoughts.

Dick shakes his head in disbelief. "After Jason had spent nine months a prisoner, after all we had to do to earn his trust back…" Dick's muscles tense as he pushes himself away from the hospital bed he had been leaning on. "How could you, Bruce?"

"He is a danger to himself and others," says Bruce. His eyes narrow menacingly. "He made his choice."

"He's a traumatized boy who never should have been allowed to go back on patrol in the first place," Dick snaps.

"You seemed rather open to the idea when he first started out as the Gotham Knight," Bruce says heatedly.

Dick clenches his fists. "And I was an idiot for thinking it would be okay. We both were. But he needs help, Bruce. He's still having psychotherapy sessions with Dr. Leslie, for God's sake! He's not stable enough to be out there."

"Exactly! Which is why I had to do this."

"You didn't have to lock him up!"

"He would have escaped the Manor yet again, and done more damage."

"'Escaped'?" Dick says in disgust. "You make this place sound like a freaking prison, Bruce. It's supposed to be a home. Jason's home. His sanctuary from everything that had happened to him. And now it's no better than Arkham Asylum, thanks to you."

Bruce lets out a furious snarl and takes a step towards Dick, raising his fist. But the next second he freezes, his eyes falling on the bandages enwrapping Dick's arm and torso. He slowly backs off, though the rage does not lesson in his eyes.

"Don't you dare," Bruce seethes. "Don't you dare compare this place to that hellhole."

Dick scrunches up his nose at Bruce in detestation. "I'm not the one locking his sons away."

With a low growl, Bruce spins around and walks over to the computer station. He slams his palms upon the desk's surface, staring up into the monitors with a hardening gaze. A long silence fills the gap between the two of them, broken only by the occasional scuttling of bats deep within the shadows of the cave. When Bruce speaks next, his voice is much more subdued. Weary almost.

"I don't know what else to do with him."

Dick's shoulders sag with a sudden sadness. "Isolating him isn't going to help anything, Bruce. We need to talk to him."

"We've tried making Jason see reason countless times before," Bruce says. "Why should this time be any different? Especially now?"

Dick bites his lip. "We have to try." He holds out a hand imploringly. "Let me try."

Bruce shakes his head. "No."

"Bruce."

"No. No one is going to see him until I get back from patrol."

"He's my brother, Bruce," Dick says. "You can't keep me from him."

"And I'm his father," retorts Bruce. "He's staying in his room. Alone."

Dick grits his teeth. Sudden worry flashes in his eyes, though the anger remains. "And what if he tries something? After everything that's happened…someone needs to be watching him."

In answer, Bruce types a command into the computer's keyboard. A video tab opens up on the far left monitor, showing live footage of Jason's room. Surrounded by broken glass and blood, Jason still sits on the floor against his bed, his head in his arms.

Dick's eyes widen at the sight of his brother in the destroyed room. "Let me in there, Bruce," he demands.

"No."

"Bruce, I swear –"

"The blood looks worse than it is," cuts in Bruce. "It's only small hand injuries, and they've been tended to."

"You can't just…" Dick chokes out, shock and rage on his face. He gestures to the video feed. "I didn't even know you had this set up." His eyes narrow. "You have hidden cameras in all of our rooms, don't you?"

Bruce doesn't answer.

Dick gives a bitter laugh. "Of course you do. Can't even trust your own sons, huh?"

"It's not about trust," says Bruce. "It's about looking out for you boys. I almost never use these cameras; they're only for emergencies."

"You can't do this, Bruce," Dick says furiously. "You can't invade our privacy like that."

Bruce raises an eyebrow. "I'm sure you're grateful for it now, since you'll be able to keep an eye on Jason."

Dick's jaw tightens. "It's still an invasion. And you could just let me be with him instead."

"It's not going to happen, Dick," Bruce says firmly.

"Bruce –"

"So are we going or not?"

Bruce and Dick snap their heads towards the irritated voice. Tim stands in front of the elevators in his Robin uniform, watching them with his arms crossed. He looks no more pleased than any of them.

Tim's gaze falls upon the computer monitor displaying footage of Jason's room. "Oh you've got to be kidding me," he says. "Are you serious Bruce? Now you're spying on us? What the hell?"

Bruce presses his lips together tightly. "As I've already explained to Dick…"

"Yes, yes, I'm sure it's some crap excuse about protecting us, or something along those lines," Tim snaps with a harsh wave of his hand. He begins walking over to the Batmobile. "Whatever. Let's just go so we can get back here as soon as possible."

Suddenly, a call alert goes off through the computer's speakers. A new video tab opens up on the center monitor, and Barbara's face comes into focus.

"Guys," she says, her expression grave. "We've got a problem."

"What is it, Barbara?" Dick asks.

Barbara gives a heavy sigh. "Well, due to the damage from the fire, Blackgate simply doesn't have the room or resources to hold all of its prisoners at the moment. There wasn't any other place for them to go to except Arkham. GCPD escorted one hundred and fifty-seven prisoners to Arkham an hour ago, eighteen of which were involved in the foster home fire earlier today. Eighty more of those prisoners have records of working for the Joker in the past."

Barbara shakes her head grimly. "Not long after they were all checked into Arkham, seven inmates broke loose on their way to their cells. In the chaos, one of the prisoners managed to override one of the security systems and opened a dozen cells, including both Joker and Harley's. They got out, and are currently missing somewhere within Arkham."

Dick groans, rubbing a hand across his face. "Fantastic. Because this day wasn't already exciting enough."

Bruce frowns. "Are you sure Joker and Harley haven't somehow gotten off the island already?"

Barbara shakes her head. "It doesn't look that way. The island's border security tightened significantly the moment word reached them of the break out. They haven't reported any signs of either of them."

"That doesn't necessarily mean they haven't escaped," Bruce mutters. He rubs his chin, thinking. "Barbara, I need you to make sure everything we have on Arkham's layouts, employee and patient records, and medical files are up-to-date and on stand-by for us to have access to at any time. And keep your communication line open. Tim and I will leave immediately; we should be at Arkham within fifteen minutes."

"Got it," says Barbara. She ends the video call, plunging the screen into blackness.

Bruce turns to Dick. "Dick, I need you to stay here."

"What?" exclaims Dick. "No way, Bruce. I'm coming with."

"Tim and I can handle this. You're still injured –"

"It is hardly bad enough to keep me out of the field."

Bruce shakes his head. "That aside, I need you to keep an eye on Jason."

"Alfred is here."

"I need you to stay," Bruce says. "Jason is smart, and he's good at what he does. Despite the security measures I've put in place, he may still have a chance of somehow getting out. And if he does, you need to be here to stop him."

"Again, with making this place sound like a prison."

Bruce gives a look of both exhaustion and irritation. "Just do it, Dick."

Dick scowls. "Fine. I'll stay – for Jason. Not for you."

Bruce's frown doesn't let up, but nevertheless, the relief at Dick's consent is obvious. "Thank you." Bruce pulls his cowl over his face. "Let's go, Tim." Giving Dick a stern look, he turns and heads towards the Batplane.

Tim begins to follow, but is stopped by Dick's hand on his shoulder. He looks up at Dick, who is watching him with a nervous expression. "Be careful, Tim."

Tim nods, trying to suppress the sudden anxiety creeping up within him. Something is not right – he can feel it. But he keeps his expression void of the apprehension, hoping it's just the aftereffects of everything that's already happened today. "Of course," he replies. "And…don't let Jason do anything stupid."

"Honestly, between the Joker and an upset Jason, I think you got the better end of the deal," Dick says teasingly. But his smile doesn't quite fill out, and the joke falls flat, not feeling nearly as light-hearted as Dick's usual quips.

Tim grimaces, wondering if Dick feels the same odd sensation he's experiencing.

Something is definitely not right.

Dick gives Tim's shoulder a final pat, then gently nudges the younger boy in the direction of the Batplane. Please be safe, he thinks, watching as Tim hurries over to the narrow runway. Seconds later, the plane is roaring out of the cave.

"Master Dick?"

Dick turns to see Alfred coming out of the main elevator, worry on his face. He's holding a tray weighed down with three coffee-filled mugs. Dick walks over to Alfred, taking the tray from him and gently setting it down on worktable in the medical bay.

"Are you alright?" Alfred asks.

Dick sighs. "I suppose so. I just…I hope we can all still say that by the end of tonight."

Alfred pats Dick on the back comfortingly. Dick smiles softly at the butler, and then the two go over to the computer. They seat themselves and begin pulling up anything that may be of use for Barbara, Bruce, and Tim. In one corner of the monitors, a tab shows live video feed from Bruce and Tim's head cameras. In the other, Jason still sits unmoving.

/

Ten minutes later, the Batplane crosses West Beach and begins flying over the murky waters separating Gotham from Arkham Island. Bruce expertly guides the plane through thick clouds covering the night sky; in the distance, the lights of Arkham Aslyum peak their way through the mist.

As they approach the island, Tim can no longer hold back the question that's been bothering him from the moment he had first left Jason's room back at Wayne Manor.

Tim bites his lip, bracing himself as he speaks. "What if Jason does something while we're at Arkham?"

Bruce's already tense posture seems to intensify, and he doesn't answer for a moment. "If he does, Alfred and Dick are there."

"But what if he hurts himself?" presses Tim. "What if he has another panic attack?"

The muscle twitch in Bruce's neck is not missed by Tim. "Like I said," Bruce says. "Alfred and Dick are there."

Tim frowns, clearly not happy with that answer.

There's a beat of silence.

"Tim," Bruce says. "I need you to be on your guard tonight. More so than ever before."

"I'm always –"

"I'm serious, Tim," says Bruce. "Where we're going, the…patients you'll be surrounded by – you have to be on high alert at all times. There can be no slip-ups tonight – especially with the Joker on the loose." He looks over at Tim. "You stay by my side at all times, do you understand me? You do not leave my sight for one minute."

"Bruce, I can handle –"

"No, Tim. Tonight is different. You will stay with me every second we are on that island. That's an order."

Tim stares at Bruce in surprise. He's never seen Bruce look so…agitated before. Not afraid, exactly, but there's a definite hint of apprehension there. It unnerves Tim. He wonders if Bruce feels it too – that nagging sense of something not quite being right.

Tim's hand curls around one of the straps holding him into his seat. He doesn't want to ask, for fear of Bruce's reaction, but it's a necessary question. "Bruce, do you think…" He sucks in a nervous breath. "Do you think the Joker is hiding where…he kept Jason?"

For a horrible moment, the image of the dark room stained with Jason's blood flashes in front of Bruce's eyes. "No," he says quietly. "You know very well that I went back the night after I rescued Jason, and I personally sealed off the abandoned wing of Arkham." Bruce's grip on the plane's yoke tightens. "There's no way Joker could get back in there."

Tim isn't so sure of that, but he keeps silent, knowing that pursuing the matter will do no good.

They're closing in on Arkham Island fast. Bruce reaches out, pressing the button that opens up the communications lines.

"This is Batman to Arkham Tower A," he says into the mic. "Requesting permission to land."

/

"Batman, Robin, I thought you'd show up."

Batman nods at Commissioner Gordon, who had come out to meet them as they had landed on the southern beach of the island. At first, Arkham's Warden, Quincy Sharp, had vehemently tried to deny Batman access to land, insisting that they had the matter under control, but Gordon stepped in and fortunately was able to convince the warden to give Batman clearance. Fifteen guards flank Gordon now, all armed and on high alert as they walk across the beach to Batman and Robin.

"What have you learned, Gordon?" Batman asks, ignoring the circling men. The group begins to make their way back towards the south entrance of Arkham Asylum, where more guards wait at the outer doors.

"About Joker or Quinn's location? Not much," Gordon admits grimly. "Including the original seven who had gotten loose, nineteen inmates total had escaped. We've rounded up all of them except Joker and Harley; they're nowhere to be found."

"No one knows where they've gone?" Robin says in disbelief. "With all the cameras in Arkham, I find that a little hard to believe."

"So do I." Gordon lowers his voice. "As much as I hate to suggest it, they may have had some help from an Arkham employee."

"It wouldn't be the first time," Batman says darkly.

The doors to the south entrance open, allowing access. The group enters the dimly lit hallway, together making their way into the depths of the winding halls. They are then led to the main check-in station inmates must go through before being brought to their holding cells. As they enter the station, Warden Sharp comes out from one of the offices.

"Batman," Warden Sharp says stiffly. He does not hold out his hand in greeting; instead, he sends a disapproving glance Robin's way. "I see that you're still bringing your…young partner along."

"Robin is more than capable of handling himself," Batman says, his eyes narrowing.

The warden gives a sharp, dismissive wave of his hand. "I will not be holding responsibility for anything that happens to either of you in here. Just so you're aware."

Batman glares down at the warden with clear distaste. "I need to take a look at Joker's cell."

Gordon glances at the warden. Warden Sharp shrugs, then turns and beckons them to follow. They go through the guard gate sealing off the holding cells corridor, and the iron doors clang shut behind them as they enter the B Holding Cells – the section Joker had been held in.

Voices rumble from the surrounding darkness as they proceed. Shadowed forms shift behind the barred windows in the cell doors, and once in a while a hand presses up against the glass for a few seconds before sliding back into the blackness.

"It's the Batman…" comes a whisper.

"Batman…" hisses another.

"He's here…"

"And he's brought his little sidekick too…"

The murmuring increases in volume, but Robin only holds his head higher in defiance of them as he walks alongside Batman. They turn a corner, and stop before an empty, open cell.

Freshly spray-painted on the back wall is a wide smile.

Warden Sharp steps back in horror. "Impossible. We had re-locked Joker's cell to keep it closed until he was found. No one should have been able to get in here."

Batman looks about them, suspicion rising within him as he moves closer to Robin.

Suddenly, the sound of the emergency locks on the security door at the end of the corridor clank loudly into place.

"What the hell?" Warden Sharp says, spinning around at the sound.

Shouts can be heard from the security guards on the other side of the door as they frantically try to get it back open.

Above Gordon's head, a security footage monitor hanging from the ceiling crackles to life. Static covers the screen for a moment, but then it clears away to show the Joker standing in front of a filthy looking wall.

"Welcome to the madhouse, Batman!" the Joker exclaims gleefully. He throws his arms wide, looking positively thrilled. "I set a trap, and you sprang it gloriously!" His eyes fall upon Robin, who glares back at the clown furiously. "And I see you brought one of your little birds! How delightful – the more the merrier, I always say."

Suddenly the sound of dozens of iron doors being unlocked echoes throughout the corridor. Batman and Robin spin around, unable to do anything but watch as every cell door in the hallway swings open.

Cries of triumph erupt from the cells, and one by one, the prisoners occupying them step into the corridor. In a matter of seconds, Warden Sharp, Gordon, Batman, and Robin are surrounded.

Joker lets out a laugh. "Now let's get this party started!"