Disclaimer: not mine
Did this one next since can't post ch2 of His Robin till this is posted since I don't want to give stuff away, even if they are AU's of each other.
Chapter 8
Selina stared at the small, intricate cat statuette on her table. That had not been there when she left earlier in the night and yet her security systems appeared undisturbed…as did her cats. Which meant whoever had left it was known to them or very good at taming animals quickly and quietly. That wasn't at all concerning. With whispers of someone killing off some of the worst of Batman's 'Rogues' she did not like this at all. And yet, something about it... She called Barbara to see if she had spotted anyone loitering around and all there was, was a brief shadow darting between two cameras, no details visible.
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Janet slipped her hand into her pocket, why had she decided to walk to the centre? Of all the irresponsible things to do! She heard the footsteps behind her speeding up, tightening her grip on her Harley endorsed taser. There was a thud and grunt and she spun, watching the last of three men collapse and crouched over them was a figure in black and red…but it was not Red Wyvern. She pulled the taser but kept it down at her side even as a helmeted head raised to stare at her. Whoever they were, they had a blade in each hand and she swallowed down her fear. But the figure simply nodded and then they were gone. Who…was that the newcomer that Selina had mentioned?
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Jason frowned as he got into the reports. B was keeping secrets again which was weird. He'd been a lot better since Jason's recovery about answering questions and keeping everyone informed. So why the backslide into secrecy? Dick wasn't in Gotham or he'd ask his brother if he knew anything. And then he stared at the photos in shock…all dead with the same M.O. … a single blow. Whoever had done it was good, they'd broken in and out of Arkham without being caught, but the kill blows were also quick, the targets likely hadn't had time to really feel anything.
So, a vigilante who didn't believe in B's rule…or a new villain? Why was Bruce keeping this secret?
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Harley smiled and ruffled the adorable pigtails of the kid she'd been chatting with, some unofficial therapy. She'd never get her license back but that didn't stop her being a listening ear at the Memorial Centre. That's all a lot of kids needed or wanted, someone to listen while they worked things out. They were all keeping a closer watch on the Centre after Janet's near mugging and her mysterious saviour. And with an unknown…was it the same person? If so, why kill those people and then save Janet? A killer vigilante?
Batsy had to be going nuts and from how frustrated the little dragon seemed, he was back to bad habits and keeping secrets. But of course, he'd want to keep the kid away from anyone killing. She'd think someone who'd just had enough of the revolving door at Arkham except whoever it was, they were very well trained. So, it was unlikely to just be anyone off the street. There were plenty of people across the world who could give that kind of training, Jay had gone on a training trip himself.
And then there was the mysterious gift that Selina had received. Someone else? Or was the killer sending a message and if so, what? There were too many unknowns, she didn't like it. Would the killer come after them or leave them since they'd reformed?
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Steph shot Jason a grin and then leapt, hearing him laugh and then the sound of his grapple firing, chasing her across Gotham. She liked patrolling with him best, they were more alike, had some similarities in their upbringing. And both of them had been betrayed by a parent. Her Dad always made promises but he never kept any of them and Jason's Mom had sold him out, even if she did seem to have repented before dying. She wished she'd known Tim, he sounded like a gutsy kid. He might only be a year younger than her, but he'd been young when he died, so he was still a kid.
People saw them as they patrolled and they were allowing it on purpose. Gotham was tense, waiting for the strangers' next move, so they were offering visible support. Letting people know the Bats were there and would do their best to protect the city.
She missed her old uniform but this one was a lot more protective. She had armour! And Babs had let her personalise it, what had been yellow on hers was purple on Steph's. It meant a lot of people had realised she was Spoiler but that was fine.
They stopped at around 1am to get takeout from Batburger, sitting on the roof to eat.
"What do you think about this newcomer?" Jason asked as he sipped his shake.
"Honestly? I can understand why they took out the ones like Scarecrow. They'll never change and without a complete rebuild and overhaul of the guards, Arkham can't hold them," she admitted. She'd never say that to Bruce, but Jason and her came from the poorer areas. They'd seen more and seen the way Batman failed a lot of their people. "Black Mask I'm not so sure of, he's a drug guy, not a 'Rogue'. Unless this guy's very anti-drug?"
"Sionis was big in organised crime, could be they're going after that? Whether to stop it…or take over is the question. Either way, it's going to cause trouble."
"Which means more work for us," she sighed, and he elbowed her.
"Chin up, more crime to spoil," he teased, and she laughed.
Neither of them felt the eyes on them from a distance.
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Pam paused before entering her green house, looking around. There. She approached to find a plant that wasn't one of hers. It had been expertly potted and left outside of her green house. She checked and then picked it up, letting it curl around her fingers. She didn't recognise it so went to her books. Interesting. Dactylorhiza hatagirea, an orchid native to the Himalayas, from Pakistan to SE Tibet, at altitudes of 2,800–4,000 metres. If not for her gift with plants, it likely wouldn't live long in Gotham's air and far lower altitude. Whoever had left it knew that and…she remembered the shy boy who had once given her a photo of a rare plant. The only one she would suspect would be Janet but she no longer travelled. And her little sapling was long dead.
Could it be the same person who left Selina the statue? And were they the same person who had saved Janet? It was quite the conundrum.
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Cassie stretched out on the couch, trying to get comfortable. The Justice League had tried to make them merge with the Titans but they'd refused. They liked their little team; it gave them more freedom and they could mobilise more quickly. "You're sulking," she teased, and Jason shot her a glare.
For the oldest of them, sometimes he really didn't act it. But he was always there for them, hauling them out of trouble…or getting them into it. He wasn't as showy as his older brother, quieter, easier to miss…until he went theatre kid on someone.
"I'm nineteen and B thinks he can just…ugh."
"Don't look at me," she warned, shrugging slightly. Diana was a pretty hands-off mentor, so was Barry. The less said about Clark the better, though he'd been doing a bit better lately. "He's really that worried about the new guy?"
"We don't even know it's a guy, height and build good be either gender. And they're good, scary good. Those kills…I saw the photos. No one got the chance to fight back, single blow to the upper spine severing the spinal cord. Death would have been instant."
She shuddered slightly, okay, that was scary.
"But they saved Janet from some muggers, so it's just so hard to get a lock on their motivations. Maybe they're just taking out the trash that the system can't or won't stop. Maybe they're taking out the competition but don't like attacking women. And then there's someone leaving gifts for the Aunts, same person or someone else? It's driving us all crazy."
"Fun."
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Babs kept her focus on the screens, checking and rechecking every shadow, ever hint of movement. Whoever it was, they obviously wanted to stay off the Bats radar and they were good at it, like they'd been doing it for years… she shook her head, he was long dead, and this was not something the kid Jason talked about would do even if he wasn't. But Tim had followed them and stayed hidden so who was to say someone else hadn't managed the same.
She set a program running and then got up, she had lunch with her dad today and couldn't miss it. He was stressed over the deaths and people commenting on the GCPD failing to deal with such criminals themselves. They had a point, most of them shouldn't have been in Arkham but that was due to the Courts, not the cops.
She left the Clocktower and headed to the café to find her Dad already seated and waiting for her.
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Jason ducked a blow, lashing out with a kick. He'd triggered his emergency beacon a few minutes ago but backup would take time. Steph was down with a bullet to the leg but the last time he'd managed a glance her way, she'd already packed and bandaged the wound. It wasn't looking good. Why the hell were the bastards targeting them? They hadn't killed Sionis!
"Red!" Steph shouted and Jason spun, staring in shock as the figure in black and red cut through the men, a blade in each hand. Those blades looked familiar…sai? And lethally sharp from the way one plunged through the gap in body armour, blood flowing once it was removed.
"Wraith!" one of the men screamed in terror, the group breaking.
Great, they weren't scared of the bats but of this person. Was this who had killed Sionis and the others? Those blades could have made the killing blows. Whoever this was, they were good, scary good. And they didn't make a sound as they fought.
Jason found himself standing across from them, the gang disbursed, hearing Steph struggling to stand, to back him up. "Who are you?" he asked, and the other tilted their head to the side, remaining silent.
"Red, watch out!" Steph called, and Jason blinked, realising the other was now right in front of him.
They were shorter than him but not by a lot, probably around Dick's height, and with a slender build, though the definitely had muscle. He tensed, but they'd sheathed their blades. A slender, gloved hand touched the wyvern on his chest, and Jason heard a soft inhale. And then they were gone.
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"You okay Little Wing?" Dick sat beside his brother.
"Nothing about them makes sense," he admitted.
"Well, at least we have something to call them now. Wraith isn't the nicest sounding name though."
"A Wraith is a type of ghost," Jason pointed out. "Wraiths are traditionally said to be the embodiment of souls who are either on the verge of death, or who have recently passed on. That's changed though, now the concept of a wraith is more likely to refer to an evil spirit, particularly one which has unfinished business in the mortal realm," he explained, and Dick nodded, he hadn't known that.
"Huh. So…someone who was a victim of a Rogue and is looking for vengeance?" He suggested.
"Maybe. Or maybe they just liked the name. Maybe it's the gangs who have given them that name for their actions."
Dick was glad that Wraith had saved his brother and Steph, but that didn't mean he'd trust them or not try to bring them in. No matter how much he understood their actions. If faced with the Joker, Dick would gladly try to kill the monster who had tried to kill his brother and killed an innocent kid. But he'd never had to make that choice thanks to Selina and the gang. The Joker would never hurt anyone ever again. So, he'd thank Wraith before taking them in.
"Steph mad at being benched?"
"Oh yeah," Jason chuckled. "Her first major bullet wound though so she's kind of proud of it. Her mom though… could hear the shouting from the car. Her story is an attempted mugging that Red saved her from and took her for treatment. Close enough since I took her to Leslie so there'd be a record."
Dick nodded. Steph living with her mother did cause some issues but none of them would ever tell her to move out. She was lucky to have a parent. Sure, if anything happened, they'd take her in without question. Well, B would anyway. If Jason did then it would end in too many dating rumours since he lived in his own apartment now. The same if Dick did, though with a lot of snide comments given the age gap between them. He'd never date someone Steph's age! But that wouldn't stop the talk.
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Jason walked across campus, he was enjoying his classes. He hadn't really made any friends but that was fine. It was hard enough balancing classes with his vigilante life, adding in civilian friends would make it even harder. Winter was well on the way, the wind biting even through his jacket, but it was even worse at night. Their suits were heated for a reason and he definitely didn't miss the scaly shorts.
He looked up and froze, for a second…he shook his head. That was impossible. Everything lately was getting to him, reminding him.
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Kon grinned and stole some popcorn, hearing Bart screech in frustration, Cassie and Jason laughing at him. He loved movie nights at Jason's apartment, it made a great break from everything else in his life. Jason had told them about Wraith, they'd offered to help but Jason said no thanks to the Bat.
He wasn't sure what to think of this new figure, he had nothing against them killing those main names. But the everyday gang member? That he was less sure of. They likely weren't a threat to the team but if they knew Red Wyvern was part of YJ then they might have ways to deal with them. Still, they were safe enough in Jason's apartment. No way they knew the Bats civilian id's.
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Jason walked through the graveyard, ignoring the misting rain. He found Tim's stone and knelt to place the bouquet only to stare at the fresh one already there. Lily of the Valley, white orchids, and pink carnations. An interesting grouping…rebirth, apology, sincerity, appreciation and repairing of friendship. What the hell? Tim hadn't had any friends beyond him. And the flowers were fresh, very fresh. He looked around but there was no one in the graveyard.
He shivered, feeling like he was being watched. He put his own flowers down and left, he needed to check the cameras.
He got back to his apartment and brought up the footage, staring in confusion. Was that…Wraith? And that was him entering the graveyard, the other taking off swiftly and silently…they'd watched him. He swallowed. Who the hell was under that helmet that they would leave those particular flowers at Tim's grave? Who was the message meant for?
He packed an overnight bag and snuck away, he didn't feel like being alone so he headed for Dick's place in Blüdhaven, just to be safe.
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Janet studied the flowers she'd found on her son's grave; she knew that the other ones were from Jason since he always left the same ones. But these? She knew flower language but it wasn't just that…white orchids were her favourite flowers but few knew about that. Why would someone leave such an apology on her son's grave? Who?
Jason had obviously seen them as well and then fled to Dick. So, it was unlikely any of the Wayne's had left them. It was frustrating. She knew Tim hadn't had any close friends, no one who would leave a bouquet like that.
She didn't have access to the cameras but did Jason? What could he have seen that had sent him running to his brother?
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Bruce stared at the images. Jason had said nothing, he had only found them because Janet had commented on the flowers. Wraith had left flowers for Tim. Why? Who was it? They had to find them and bring them in before more people killed. Yes, they had helped Janet, Jason, and Steph, but what was their motive? He didn't like this at all.
Thankfully, Jason and Steph's mask cameras had caught Wraith in the fight and the way they moved…some of it was eerily familiar. But Ra's knew to stay out of Gotham. But there were rogue ex-League members out there, few of them but they did exist. Had they come to Gotham knowing Ra's wouldn't follow? But then why make waves? If they could get a DNA sample or something, it would answer a lot of questions. Could they lead Wraith into a trap without endangering his children?
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Bart listened to Jason and frowned. Wraith…that name itched at the back of his memory which meant he'd heard it before, before coming to the past. So, they'd made a name for themselves big enough to still be around in the future. Ugh. Flowers left at Tim Drake's grave, saving his Mom, then Jason and Batgirl… oh. Was it possible.
"Kon," he hissed softly, and Kon looked at him. "Check Tim's grave."
Blue eyes went wide. "Are you crazy? That'd be…"
"The vandalism and now flowers? It's all about Tim!"
Kon grimaced and looked over at where Cassie was consoling Jason.
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This was so stupid, he knew what he was going to see. He hated seeing decomposing bodies. Tim had been embalmed and was in a well-made coffin. So, he wouldn't be a skeleton yet, so this was going to be gross. But Bart was a crazy little gremlin who could think wayyyy outside of the box. Did he think there was something in the coffin Wraith wanted? Only one way to know.
He floated out of range of the cameras and focused his vision, staring through the ground and into the coffin. His eyes went wide. How…what… he took off, he had to tell Jason!
TBC…