Laughter echoes all around Jason as he tumbles through the blackness. Down, down, down he goes until he smacks against a metal wall, and then he tumbling through some kind of ventilation shaft. He continues to roll, banging against the walls repeatedly until he finally falls through the vent's mouth, slamming into the floor below with a hard thud.

Too disoriented to control his body's movement, Jason ends up landing directly on his artificial hip bone as he falls to the ground. Pain immediately explodes from it as Jason's weight smashes it into the cement, and he cannot help the cry ripped from him.

For what seems like a long while, all Jason can do is lay in a crumpled heap below the vent, trembling with pain and leftover shock from the fear toxin. Gradually though, he becomes aware of the sounds of chains rattling. Slowly, Jason lifts his head, and his eyes grow wide at the sight before him.

They're all there – Bruce, Dick, and Tim. Each of them, gagged and chained to three separate rings in the wall behind them, their arms wrenched up over their heads. Bruce looks beyond furious, as does Dick. Tim though, is barely moving. His face has taken on a deathly pallor, showcasing the pain his broken wrist clearly is causing him.

At first, Jason is certain this is just another hallucination, and he lets out an exhausted sob, unable to take anymore. But then he catches Batman's – Bruce's – gaze.

The emotions in his father's eyes – that is something Crane's toxin could never recreate. Rage, at what has been done to his sons. Terror, for his children's safety. But there's something else there, something that brings Jason the calmness he desperately needs; it's a soft reassurance – a promise – that everything is going to be alright.

"B-Bruce…" Jason chokes out. He begins to pull himself up, but then freezes, staring at the rotting piece of furniture laying in the center of the room.

It's the chair. Broken and on its side, and in the exact position Jason and Dick had left it in when they had gotten out of the room in the abandoned wing of Arkham. Jason's breathing escalates as he pushes himself to his knees, staring at the floor surrounding the chair.

The bloodstains are exactly the same. His bloodstains. Whipping his head up, he sees the same medical table laden with rusty surgical tools pushed against the right wall.

It can't be the same room. It can't be. There was no ventilation shaft leading into it, especially one of the massive size he had just fallen through. Jason spins around, blinking in confusion. Behind him is a large wall made entirely of thick, bulletproof glass. On the other side of it, and propped up by a stand, is an old-fashioned movie camera.

Fear courses through him as he turns back to Bruce, Dick, and Tim; before he can even begin moving over to them, the door to the room opens, and the Joker walks in.

Then Jason forgets that the others are even there. The room is too similar, the familiar pain in his right hip is burning, and he's staring up at the approaching figure in the same way he had while pleading for mercy for so many months. Panic seizes hold of him, and he scrambles backwards, frantic to get as far away from the clown as possible.

Joker's grin widens as he watches the terrified boy. "Aw, come now, Jason! I'm insulted. Is this any way to treat an old friend?"

Jason opens his mouth to speak, but fear has stolen his voice from him. Joker chuckles, strolling casually over to Jason. Unable to do anything but watch, Bruce and Dick yank even harder at the chains holding them, but their efforts do little to free them.

Joker crouches down in front of Jason. He reaches out, and then threads his fingers through Jason's hair in a way not unlike how Bruce would while comforting Jason after a nightmare. Jason recoils from the touch, but he can't bring himself to smack Joker's hand away. Being in this room, regardless of whether or not it's a recreation, combined with everything that's happened over the course of the past twenty-four hours…it's all he can do to keep his composure at the moment.

"You know, kiddo, I had a whole different thing planned out for Batsy and Bird Brain número tres," says the Joker. "But then you showed up in the middle of this whole Titan fiasco, and I just couldn't help myself – I knew I had to finish my work on you. And yet, after everything, all I feel when I look at you is disappointment." His grip tightens in Jason's hair, making the boy wince. But Jason refuses to lift his gaze. "I really thought you had something special in you. After all those months we spent together…" Joker frowns, then gives Jason's hair a harsh yank, forcing the boy to look up at him. "Come now, Jason. I know it's been a while since our last lesson, but I assure you the rules on manners have not changed. I expect you to look at me when I'm talking to you." His face twists into something that is an unnerving mix between a smile and a sneer. "Do you understand?"

Jason's breathing has not calmed in slightest. But as he looks up into the Joker's face, a spark of anger manages to blaze through his terror. "Go to hell," he hisses.

Joker stares at Jason for a long second. Then he shoves Jason to the ground, releasing the boy as he stands. "What will it take to break that enticing spirit of yours?" he mutters. He swings his foot out, slamming it directly into Jason's hip. Jason grunts and jerks away, curling up on his side as fresh pain shoots through his body.

Dick is shouting something furiously through his gag, but it's impossible to discern the muffled words. Bruce is far less frantic-looking than Dick, but the fire burning in his eyes is just as venomous.

"Oh! I've got something to show you." Joker pulls out the tranquilizer gun he had used earlier and glances down at Jason. "While you were taking a trip down memory lane, courtesy of Dr. Crane, I was making a few modifications to this baby." He taps his finger against the gun's barrel. "Took out all that old Titan, and replaced it with the newest version I've got, hot off the shelves!" Joker gives the gun a little twirl. "However, before I go full-scale with this, I need to test it, make sure that it actually works."

Jason tries to sit up, but Joker trains the gun on him, making him freeze. "Not yet, boy," he chuckles. "Back to my problem here; I finally decided, why not make a game out of it?" He gestures to Bruce, Dick, and Tim. "I even let them keep their utility belts, so as to make it as close to the real deal as possible." A smile stretches across his face. "Here's how this is going to work. There's only one dart in this gun at the moment, and you are going to decide which of the three bozos over there gets the dose. Then, you and the remaining 'heroes' are going to have a little smack-down with whoever gets shot-up, and we're going to see just how well this new formula holds up in a real fight."

"No fucking way," Jason snarls.

Joker cocks an eyebrow in amusement. "If you don't want to play, that's perfectly fine. I'll just have my boys shoot holes in all three of their heads, and we'll be done." Joker casts a glance over his shoulder, and Jason follows his gaze.

Standing behind the glass wall now are three clown-faced men. All are holding shotguns, the barrels of which have been set into holes drilled into the glass wall. Each of the holes directly line up with Bruce, Dick, and Tim's heads.

Jason's breath catches in his throat as he stares at the armed men. He twists back to where Joker had been standing, only to see the clown walking over to the door he had entered through.

"It's your choice, Jason," the Joker says. He tosses the gun, and it clatters to the floor, sliding along until it hits Jason's knees. Laughter bursts from the Joker, and he slams the door to the room shut, locking it securely.

Jason shoves the gun away from him and pulls himself to his feet, ignoring the sharp pain in his hip as he does so. Once he's upright, he begins to stagger in Bruce's direction. Suddenly, a loud shot goes off, echoing throughout the small room at an almost deafening volume.

Jason instinctively ducks, covering his head with his arms. But then he's glancing up in panic, trying to see where the bullet had gone.

A strangled gasp of relief bursts from him. No one had been shot – but the fresh bullet hole in the wall above Bruce's head isn't exactly comforting.

"That's not how the game is played, Jason!"

Jason spins around to see Joker standing behind him, on the other side of the bulletproof glass wall. He's got one hand resting on the movie camera, and the other waving a finger at Jason disapprovingly. "Come now, Jay-Jay!" he says. "It's time to choose! Pick up the gun before the next shot blows off one of their delicate little heads."

Shaking with combined rage and fear, Jason walks over to the gun and stoops, picking it up.

"So, Knight, who will it be?"

Jason swallows, turning away from the Joker to face his family. Bruce, Dick, and Tim are all watching him, unable to do anything while securely bond. Struggling to keep his breathing under control, Jason looks down at the gun in his hand.

"Which one, which one?" the Joker singsongs. "The man who abandoned you for nine months? The original Robin you could never live up to? Or the one who replaced you? The one Batman believes is a better Robin, an improvement over the pathetic excuse for a warrior you are. Doesn't he deserve to be put in his place?"

Jason's grip on the gun tightens. Slowly, he lifts his eyes to the three figures in front of him. His chest aches as he looks at his brothers, and his gaze lingers upon them for a long moment before turning to Bruce's.

There it is again. That steady reassurance.

Reassurance. That's something Jason never had prior to Wayne Manor; before then, his life had been full of uncertainties and unanswered questions. It was only when Bruce took him in that he finally found peace. Bruce, Dick, and Tim – they are his reassurance that no matter what, he has a place to call home.

"Time is running out, junior. Pick one, before my boys get trigger-happy!"

He has no intention of hurting any of them; he would die before bringing them harm. He glances down at the gun in his hand, and in a swift motion, brings it up and presses the barrel against his forearm.

Bruce immediately jerks against the chains, shouting something through his gag.

Jason pulls the trigger.

The impact of the dart going into his flesh is surprisingly strong, causing him to stumble to the side a few steps. Pain immediately spreads outwards from the wound, and an odd sensation courses through his veins, overtaking his body with a dizzying intensity. Jason rips the dart free, tossing it aside in an almost drunken movement. Then he collapses to his knees, swaying as he struggles to hold himself upright.

Bruce, Dick, and Tim are all desperately trying to break free, looking absolutely frantic as they watch Jason. Joker though, is clinging to the camera to steady himself as he laughs hysterically.

"My, what a fun turn of events this is!" he cackles. "Bravo, Jason!"

A horrible throbbing seizes hold of Jason's left arm and he clutches it tightly, letting out a pained grunt. His hand violently spazzes, and his arm muscles begin to bulge outwards.

The Joker's eyes widen in excitement as he watches Jason's arm pulsate, and he adjusts the camera so that it zooms in on the boy. "I'd say you've got less than sixty seconds, Bats," he says gleefully. "Then your boy won't even recognize you before he starts tearing you apart."

Jason's body is shaking too much for him to even consider walking. Instead, he begins crawling on his hands and knees towards Bruce, groaning at the effort as his muscles ripple beneath his skin, mutating grotesquely. Somehow, he manages to get to Bruce's side, but as he reaches upwards, a horrible cracking sound rattles down his spine.

Jason cries out, clutching the chains binding Bruce and squeezing his eyes shut as his vertebra bones twist and pop. Gasping for breath, Jason tightens his grip on the chains. He gives a hard yank, and the ring holding the chains to the wall moves slightly, cracking the wall around it. Another jolt runs down Jason's arms, white hot and brimming with Titan-induced strength. Gritting his teeth, Jason once more wrenches at the chains, and – with a cascade of plaster and the dust – the ring tears away from the wall.

The ring doesn't even hit the floor before Bruce drops his arms and shoves his hand into his utility belt. He yanks out his explosive gel device and immediately shoots a glob at the glass wall, where the three gunmen are. Before any of them have time to react, Bruce detonates the gel and the entire wall shatters in a brilliant explosion. The three men and Joker are thrown backwards into the wall behind them, all going limp as they strike the ground.

Bruce rips the gag from his mouth. "Jason!"

Unable to answer, Jason just shakes his head as he claws at the cement beneath his mutating hands. Terror seizes hold of Bruce as he bends down and pulls out the syringe hidden inside of his boot, along with a hypodermic needle from his belt. Hurriedly connecting the two, he lunges forward and grabs onto Jason, jabbing the needle into the boy's arm and emptying the syringe's contents.

Jason jerks harshly, letting out an agonized moan as the antidote enters him. Reaching out, Bruce wraps his arms around Jason, restraining the boy's movements so as to prevent him from harming himself any further. Jason is choking, struggling to draw in air as his body fights to regain control of itself. He's shivering uncontrollably, and sweat drips from what seems to be every pore of his skin. Through it all, Bruce doesn't loosen his grip, continuing to hold Jason through the convulsions as he murmurs reassurances into his son's ear.

Then…Jason's muscles begin to relax. His bones stop cracking, and Bruce feels Jason's body begin to still beneath his hands. Hope surges in Bruce as he glances down. "Jason?"

Jason, whose body looks as normal as ever, lies limp in Bruce's arms, sucking in wheezing breathes. Wearily, he lifts his gaze. "Br – Batman?" he whispers.

"I'm here, Jason," Bruce says, almost unable to speak in his emotion. "You're okay. I've got you. I've got you." Bruce places a hand on the back of Jason's head, cradling the boy against his chest. Tears leak from Jason's eyes, and, using every ounce of strength he can muster, he reaches up and clutches Bruce's wrist.

Rocking back on his heels, Bruce looks up to see Dick and Tim still bound, staring at them with wide eyes. Bruce shifts, glancing back down at Jason. "Jason, I've got to get your brothers."

Momentary panic flashes through Jason as Bruce begins to pull away, but then his eyes flicker over to Dick and he nods dimly, allowing Bruce to carefully lay him on the floor. Pulling out a small laser cutter, Bruce hurries to Dick and Tim and severs their chains.

The moment Dick is free he rushes to Jason, kneeling down and pulling the younger boy into an embrace. "Jason," he says, burying his face in Jason's hair and weeping in relief. "Of all the crazy, stupid, brave things to do…"

Holding onto Bruce for support, Tim kneels down beside the two. He enwraps Jason's arm with his good hand, pressing his forehead to Jason's shoulder as he closes his eyes, too overcome with emotion to say anything.

"Well, isn't that touching?"

Bruce, Dick, and Tim all jerk their heads around at the sudden voice. Jason, who looks to be on the verge of passing out, remains slumped against Dick's chest.

The Joker stands amongst the rumble beyond the remains of the glass wall, holding a regular gun out and pointing it directly at Batman.

"I didn't want much," Joker sneers. "Just what was already mine." His eyes flicker to Jason, and Dick instinctively tights his grip, snarling viciously. Joker doesn't seem concerned in the slightest, and he turns his attention back to Bruce. "And a chance to finally bring down your grim façade, watching as you and your little brats tore each other apart. Then maybe for once you'd see the world the way I do, giggling in a corner and bleeding. But you've denied me even that!" He gives a breathy laugh. "Well, fine. If that's how you want it, we'll play the game your way."

Joker turns suddenly, aiming his gun at a section of the ceiling where the top of the glass wall had been. Attached to the overhead plaster are large purple jugs with smiles painted on them, their hiding place now unveiled due to the gel explosion. Whether they contain Joker Venom, Titan, or something worse, one thing is certain – the amount there is more than enough to kill everyone in the room.

Joker's arm doesn't even finish its full swing upward before Batman is moving. Impossibly fast, Batman rips a Batarang from his utility belt and sends it flying at the Joker. The gun is knocked from Joker's hand, and before Joker can even register what had happened, Batman is on top of him, pinning him to the floor.

"I told you, months ago," hisses Batman. "That if you touched my son again, I would make it so you would never live a single day without feeling pain coursing throughout your miserable body." Batman's fists curl into Joker's suit, bunching up the fabric tightly. "I intend to make good on that promise."

The Joker grins up at Batman. "That's the kind of talk I like to hear, Bats."

With a savage growl, Batman slams a fist into Joker's face, snapping the clown's head back. He punches him again, and then stands, dragging the Joker up by the lapels of his jacket. Joker gives Batman a bloody smile, and Batman snarls, throwing him into the still-rolling camera. The stand snaps, and both the camera and Joker go crashing to the ground.

"We need to stop him," Tim says, his voice quiet in his haze of pain. "He could kill him."

Dick opens his mouth to answer, but then looks down in alarm as Jason begins shifting into an upwards position. "Jason, what are you doing?"

"M'fine, Dick," Jason mumbles. Moving to his hands and knees, Jason tilts his head up, focusing his gaze on Joker and Batman.

Batman bends down, grabbing the Joker by his collar and delivering another punch to his face. All the while, the Joker is loudly laughing.

"Normally…I would stay," wheezes out the Joker. "But –" Batman kicks him in the stomach, sending him flying onto his back. "I do have…plans for all that Titan formula." Then Joker throws himself forward, wrapping his arms around Batman's waist and causing both of them to tumble to the ground. At the same moment, Joker reaches out, snatching up the discarded Batarang used by Batman to hit the gun away.

With a sudden burst of energy, Jason pushes off of the floor and runs at Joker and Batman. Ignoring Dick and Tim's cries, Jason flings himself forward, sliding along the tiles and swiping up the gun that Joker had been holding.

Not noticing Jason, Joker laughs, raising the Batarang above Batman's throat. At the same moment, Batman swings out his fist.

Dick jumps to his feet, rushing across the room.

Tightening his grip on the gun, Jason rolls over and aims at Joker. He blinks, trying to clear his blurry vision.

"No!" shouts Dick.

Jason fires the gun.

Joker's laughter is cut off as the bullet slams into him, knocking him off of Batman and onto his back. Batman immediately gets up and moves to Joker's side, looking down at the clown lying amongst the shards of glass.

The Joker chuckles softly. "Was wondering…when he'd…finally snap…"

Batman grits his teeth, gazing down at the Joker with nothing but pure hatred in his eyes. His gaze falls to the bullet wound in Joker's left shoulder, from which blood oozes out of. Seconds pass, and Batman just stands there, staring at the madman responsible for so much pain and death. Then, his hands shaking, he tears off a part of his cape and kneels, wadding the cloth up before pressing it against Joker's shoulder.

"Knew…you cared…Batsy…"

"I'm not doing this for you," hisses Batman. "I'm doing this for my son. I won't let him watch me sink down to your level."

"Too bad," coughs the Joker. "Such a waste. I could've truly made him into something great. Just needed…more time…"

Batman shoves his hand harder against the wound, causing Joker to wince before grinning only all the more widely.

"Stay away from my boys," Batman snarls. "Or I will not be nearly as merciful next time."

Joker just laughs weakly. Sneering at the clown in disgust, Batman pulls out a sedative and injects it into the Joker. Within seconds he's unconscious.

"Are you sure you should have given him that?" Dick asks.

Bruce twists around to see Dick crouching beside Jason, who is sitting back on his heels and still holding the gun. The weapon is pointed at the floor now, and Jason's hand loosely holding it rests against his knee. Dick has his own hand covering the one Jason is holding the gun with, and his other is pressed against Jason's back, steadying the boy.

The haunted, almost distant look in Jason's wide eyes as he stares at the Joker unnerves Bruce. Swallowing, he glances at Dick.

"It was a light dose," Bruce says. Reluctant, he returns his attention to the Joker and continues dressing the wound. "The wound is not serious, and I'll keep monitoring him. I just…" He gives a sigh so quiet Dick almost doesn't hear it. "We've had enough for one night."

The gun finally falls to the floor with a soft clatter. Dick looks at Jason, who just stares at the ground in front of him with an unsettling hollowness.

"Jason?" Dick asks worriedly. "Jay?"

Jason doesn't answer. He remains silent, even after Dick wraps his arms around him, and Tim makes his way over to their side.

Bruce keeps his focus on the Joker, his hands trembling as he works. When the bandage is finally put in place, he turns away from the motionless clown, pressing his hands against the floor and bowing his head.

Despite having stopped the Joker, it hardly feels like a victory.