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This was not how the night was supposed to go.
It was supposed to be a simple recon mission to gather information on where Crane was storing and producing his new lot of fear toxin. Was it simple though? No. Not in the slightest.
It was simple to begin with, he and Tim making their way through an abandoned factory downtown Gotham, it’s one of the locations they have listed as potential places for Crane’s new hideout, trying to gather any information they could about the Scarecrow’s new fear toxin.
Really it didn’t even need two of them, it was easy enough to be a one man job but it’s Replacement’s first night out from being benched for two months after he broke his leg on a mission with his team and daddy bats wanted someone else to have his back for the first few nights until they knew he was back to normal. So Jason was shoved on babysitting duty much to both his and Tim’s dismay.
To start off with it was all going well because they had found crates upon crates of the toxin stored away ready to be dispatched, they didn’t find where it was being produced though but at least they found where it was being stored. Of course they reported it back to Oracle and started making a plan now that they found the stuff and how to stop it from being released.
That’s when it all turned to shit and made Jason’s life very difficult.
As the two of them were hanging around the crates, Red Robin doing his detective shit and Jason hovering around being a nuisance, (because he wanted to be, annoying Tim was certainly entertaining and a goodtime waster) when Crane himself made an appearance catching them both off guard. As if Crane wasn’t enough he had a flock of cronies following behind him as well.
It didn’t take long for the two of them to get over their surprise and jump into action. Tim went after Crane while Jason dealt with the cronies They were easy enough to beat and he only suffered one punch to the neck, some git just got a lucky shot in that’s all. Once they were all down Jason ran after Tim and found the teen on the second level of the factory curled up in a tight ball on the floor, Crane was nowhere in sight.
As Jason got closer he could hear the kid muttering in repetition, ‘no please, don’t. I’m sorry, please don’t,’ and he instantly knew he’s been dosed with fear toxin. His whole body was trembling and he was curled up with his head was pressed tightly into his knees, hiding his masked face. Jason dropped beside him and rummaged through his pocket looking for the antidote for the toxin he had on him, he doesn’t know if it’ll work but he needed to do something.
Before he could jab Tim with it there was a voice speaking out throughout the factory, an almost robotic voice like it was coming through a set of speakers of an intercom. “One little birdie fallen out of its nest, too terrified to pick itself up. I wonder how long it’ll take for a second birdie to fall down next to its partner.”
After that Jason was quick to inject the antitoxin. Of course Tim had freaked out when Jason first touched him, screaming in both agony and fear as Jason tried to restrain him enough to inject him. After a brief tussle Jason was able to hold down his brother long enough to do so and immediately released him. He watched as Tim scrambled a few feet away, shaking more than before and whimpering loudly.
Unfortunately there hadn’t been any time to try and talk Tim down from his frenzied state because behind them footsteps could be heard and within moments more cronies were pouring into the room where they were.
Jason stood up preparing himself to take them all on, he could do it easily enough but a quick glance at the kid who was still on the floor curled up in a ball once again made him rethink his moves. The kid wasn’t getting better, it actually seemed like he was getting worse. He’s shaking like he’s in an earthquake, he’s whimpering and carrying on with that terrified chant he was saying earlier and he seemed completely unaware of his surroundings clearly to absorbed in what he was being forced to see.
Making a quick decision Jason had grabbed Tim and hauled him up into his arms and took off the opposite side of where the cronies were. It wasn’t easy as Tim screamed and thrashed in his arms, trying so hard to get away from him but Jason held on tightly determined to not let go.
He ran down multiple corridors looking for the easiest way out, any exits he had seen when they had been scouting out the place was being blocked by Crane’s men which forced him to find another way. After a while it was clear there was no easy way out and with the way Tim was squirming and screaming in his arms he couldn’t keep up running for much longer.
Crane’s Voice appears over the intercom again, a manic laughter coming through the speakers, “Oh you can try and run but you can’t escape the fear.”
While running Jason came across an old closet door, making a decision he throws open the door and jumps inside, slamming it shut behind him. He falls to the ground and tries to catch his breath which was difficult considering Tim was on top of him still screaming and twisting as he tried to get away.
It’s awkward to get done but he triggers off his emergency beacon hidden in his jacket before going about and restraining Tim with his limbs. His own legs wrap around Tim’s pining them effectively to the ground, one of his arms wrap around Red’s chest, locking his upper arms against his sides and finally his other hand is being used to cover Tim’s mouth in an attempt to muffle the screams so they couldn’t be heard.
So that’s his current situation, with Tim dosed with fear toxin and trying so desperately to break his hold and the two of them hiding from Crane’s cronies in a closet waiting for the family to come find them and rescue them.
He hates it. He’d rather be facing the Joker and his stupid fucking crowbar than having to restrain Tim as they wait for help. Tim was still straining in his arms trying to break Jason’s hold. His brother’s chest was heaving up and down where his breathing was rapid, he was still shaking from head to toe and he was making a mixture of sounds between pleading for something to stop, how he’s sorry, whimpering and screaming in pain.
Jason tries to control his breathing and tries to ignore the feeling of guilt of having to hold Tim like this. If Tim carried on screaming out loud, the goons after them would find them, or even worse Scarecrow himself. Now Jason knows he can take Scarecrow, but with the kid the way he currently is he can’t leave him alone. The antidote he had given him seems to be having no effect on him meaning Crane’s got a new formula, something a lot stronger than originally had anticipated.
Jason’s brought out of his thoughts when he hears something outside the door. It takes a moment but as soon as he realises what it is his blood runs cold. No. It can’t be. It’s laughter he’s all too familiar with, one that haunts his nightmares with no mercy. Something he can never run away from.
He freezes in place and his heart starts pounding inside his chest as it gets louder. He tenses without realising it and in his arms Tim whimpers. He doesn’t pay any attention to his brother, his mind too focused on the door in front of them, the only barrier between them and that manic laughter on the other side of it.
The laughter starts off as quiet eerie giggles but as it gets closer it becomes louder and becomes something more like a manic cackle. The sound of it strikes Jason right to the core, making him cringe in the worst way possible.
The sound doesn’t stop. Only getting louder and louder as it approaches the door. Jason’s heart pounds inside his chest as he waits for it, knowing there’s absolutely nothing he can do to stop it from coming and knowing that once it reaches them there’s no way out.
They’re trapped.
His breathing is laboured and he can feel that every muscle in his body is as tense as a wooden plank as he waits for inevitable. Its torture listening to that crazy laugh get louder as it slowly approaches. What’s worse is that he knows exactly what is making that awful sound and as soon as he reaches that door Jason has no idea on what is going to happen.
When the sound becomes unbearable, almost deafening because there nothing else to hear except that chaos, Jason knows that he’s right outside. He foolishly hopes that he walks straight past the door and carries going down the corridor away from them.
Then suddenly it’s silent.
The noise completely stops and Jason prepares himself for the worst. With his heart pounding away inside of his chest and not daring to breath he stares at the door, knowing exactly what was on the other side of it. He was standing there. He was looking at them just as Jason looks back, the only thing between them now was a metal door.
He doesn’t move a muscle as he waits. Every second feeling like an eternity.
In one movement the door is yanked open and a pasty white hand reaches in and grabs his ankle that was wrapped around Tim. Before Jason could do anything about it, the white hand locked around him starts to drag him out of the closet with incredible strength. Jason shouts and tries to fight back which is difficult as he was being dragged along the floor and trying to keep a solid grip on his brother.
His legs were forced off Tim and Jason kicks out at his attacker. Yelling in a mixture of anger and fear when that laughter starts back up from where it left off. Loud and deafening inside his ears. He feels Tim being tugged out of his grip and Jason holds on tighter not letting go of his brother.
The laughter was echoing inside of his head making him vibrate and making it hard to concentrate. He loses his battle of keeping Tim in his arms because the teen was suddenly yanked away from him. Jason shouts and shoots up into a sitting position, opposite him he sees Tim thrashing in arms covered in a purple fabric, his brother screaming in fear and pain as he’s lowered on the floor trying desperately to get away from who has hold of him.
Jason shouts in anger and jumps to his feet, planning to tackle who has hold of Tim to get his brother free from their grasp.
He makes it no more than two steps when he’s suddenly tackled to the ground himself. A heavy weight settles on top of him and when he looks up all he can see is a pasty white face, green hair, blood red lips curled into a sinister smile. He yells and throws a punch but the Joker dodges it and cackles as he watches Jason squirm underneath his weight. Jason’s wrist is caught in his grasp and is held still. He instantly swings out with his other hand but that one is too caught and restrained. The madman above him laughs.
One of his wrists is then let go but before Jason could react there was a sharp pain coming from the side of his neck. He lets out a grunt and tries to buck the psycho off him to no avail.
It takes a moment to realise that the laughter filling his head slowly starts to fade away, the cackle starts to die down into a distant echo leaving room for other sounds to come through. It’s a long time but he soon makes it out to be his name.
“-son! Goddammit Jason, can you hear me? Jason! Come on little wing!”
Jason shakes his head as his vision clears up (he hadn’t even realised it was blurry to begin with) and blinks up at the man on top of him. It’s a relief as well as a shock to find that it was Dick perched above him and not the Joker.
“Dick?” He gasps out confused. He then shoots up right. “The Joker! Where the fuck is the Joker? What about Tim? Where’s Red?”
Dick pushes him back down with hands on his chest and holds him down. “Jason. Jason! Relax, it’s okay. There is no Joker and Timmy’s fine. Take it easy.”
Jason shakes his head not believing it. “No. You’re wrong the Joker was here Dick. He had followed me and Tim. Wait, wait, what about Crane? Where’s that asshole?”
“Crane has been dealt with. There’s no Joker, it was the toxin Jason. You got dosed and was seeing him. Tim is fine. Just take it easy.”
Jason slumps back down on the ground and swallows thickly, trying to comprehend all of that information. He had been dosed? But that doesn’t make sense, when had there been a chance for him to be hit... He groans in realisation. The goon. When he had been hit by that goddamn crony he had to have been dosed then. He didn’t even realise.
Seeing as he’s no longer fighting or trying to get away Dick climbs off him and offers him a hand. Jason takes it and allows the older man to pull him up onto his feet. He looks around and finds Batman and Tim just to the side of them. Tim was slumped on the floor looking like he was asleep and Jason notices he was no longer shaking or whimpering. Bruce was hovering over the teen checking his vitals.
Jason looks back at Dick, giving his older brother a curious look, “What happened?”
Dick looks at him, checking him over, before responding. “Well when you hit your emergency beacon Oracle notified Batman who immediately started to make his way here. I happened to be passing near by when Oracle also notified me so I started making my way here too. When I arrived B was finishing up with Crane and we both made our way to your trackers.
That’s when we find you both on the floor in the closet. As soon as we opened the door we knew instantly knew Red had been dosed, you on the other hand seemed fine. That is until I touched your ankle, we knew immediately after that you had also been dosed. Trying to get you to let go of Red and getting you out of that closet was a nightmare, you were fighting both of us thinking we were the Joker. Then I pinned you down and injected you with the antidote and hey presto here we are.”
Jason blinks at Dick taking all of that in. Right okay then. He frowns upon remembering something. “But I injected Tim with an antidote, why didn’t it work on him?”
Dick crosses his arms, his lips curving down in a frown. However before he could say anything Bruce was standing up with an unconscious Tim in his arms and scowling at him. “Because your antidote was outdated Hood. I thought I taught you better than that, always keep up to date with any vaccines and any antidotes.”
Jason glares at Batman through his helmet, crossing his own arms over his chest in a defensive position. “Well sorry that some of us haven’t been around for months and haven’t had the chance to update everything.”
Until about a week ago Jason had been traveling with Roy and Kori, taking some very much needed time away from the crime ridden city. Getting back he had been too busy making sure all of his territories were still in check and making sure no one had to tried to take them over. He just hasn’t had the time to check up on everything else.
He looks down at Tim in Batman’s arms, the kid was curled up leaning against the Bat’s chest. “He gonna be alright?”
“He’ll be fine,” Batman answers with a rough growl. Clearly he’s pissed at Jason for not being up to date with things. “I gave him a sedative with the antidote. I want you to go back to the cave so Agent A can look you over.”
Jason scowls at him, “I’m fine,” he protests.
Batman starts walking away down the corridor with Tim still in his arms. “I’m sure you are but you’re going to let him check you over.”
“I don’t need a check over B! I’m fine.”
Stopping from walking, Batman turns around and glares, expecting Jason to immediately keel over. Jason sneers at that, yeah that’s not happening. He had learned a long time ago on how to defy Bruce and his stupid bat glares. He sees the glare as a challenge and straightens up his posture, offering his own glare and challenge back.
They stare at one another for a long time until Dick moves in between them with his hands out like they’re startled animals. “Woah okay! That’s enough of that!” He lets out an awkward laugh. “We don’t need a brawl to see who’s the big alpha male okay? Batman, go ahead and get Red to the cave, let A check him over first and to see how his leg is.”
There’s silence between them until Bruce grunts and finally turns away before continuing to walk down the corridor with the youngest of them in his arms. There’s a few more beats until Dick turns onto him.
“Hood just come back to the cave and let A check you over.”
Jason glares at Dick, “I’m fine. I don’t need to be checked over.”
Dick gives him a pleading look through the mask. “Please Hood, then when you’re at the cave you can check over Red and even have some of A’s fabulous cookies.”
He’s falling for it and he hates it. He knows he’s going to regret it later on but the promise of making sure Tim’s alright and the better promise of Alfred’s cookies do it for him. He sighs and slumps in defeat, “Fine, you win you asshole.”
Dick’s pleading look instantly brightens up and he’s smiling again. “Great! Now lets go before Robin or Spoiler eat all of them!”
His brother slings an arm around his shoulders and starts dragging him down the corridor where Batman had disappeared just moments before. Jason shakes his head at the craziness of it. Though as he thinks about it it’s probably for the best that he goes to the cave because that way he’s surrounded by people who he knows cares about him and when, not if, the nightmares or flashbacks come of the Joker (because he can still feel the clown’s presence in the back of his mind and he’s trying really hard to forget all about it) then he knows he’s got support as much as he hates to admit it.