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One thing could be said about living in Gotham: it was never boring.
The villain of the week they were currently fighting called himself “Luddite.” He was dressed in clothing that looked like it came from the 1800s, and he carried a sledgehammer. The sledgehammer, ironically, was actually a high-tech weapon that had the ability to disable any technology within its radius.
Luddite had been making waves across by attacking places that promoted technology. Tonight, he had targeted a Best Buy.
“You realize you’re being a total hypocrite, right?” Red Robin pointed out as he took down one of Luddite’s hired guns. “That sledgehammer of yours is one of the very high tech gadgets you claim so much to despise.”
He and Red Hood had been sent to deal with the villain (AKA they’d drawn the short straws). The rest of the Batclan had gotten to keep their usual patrol routes. Lucky bastards.
“My sledgehammer is the gavel with which I deliver justice!” Luddite declared as he used the device to disable some evil toasters.
Red Hood delivered his own justice by sending rubber bullets into the knees of the other two goons. At least, being a villain on a budget, Luddite had only been able to afford three. “Yeah, yeah, you’re the victim in this situation. We get it. I’ll make sure you’re outfitted with an old-fashioned ball-and-chain so you don’t have to endure the evils of electronic locks in prison.”
As Red Hood approached Luddite with handcuffs, the villain started swing his sledgehammer wildly, sending out desperate waves of the weapon’s powers.
“I don’t have a pacemaker or anything, so you’re not gonna hurt me with that shit,” he said in annoyance. Jason had elected to wear his red domino mask rather than his helmet to cut down on the technology he’d be taking into the mission.
Unfortunately, Tim had a particular piece of tech he hadn’t been able to leave behind.
Just as he finished cuffing the last of the three goons, one of the blasts hit him. It didn’t hurt, of course, but Tim felt his prosthetic lock up as it was forced to shut down.
Shit.
Tim wasn’t sure what to do. His leg was now pretty much useless. If he tried to walk, it would be like a peg-leg situation. And the thing was, Red Robin wasn’t supposed to have a prosthetic leg. So in order to protect his identity, Tim couldn’t let Luddite or any of his companions know that the device had affected him.
Red Hood, having taken down Luddite during Tim’s internal panic, led the handcuffed villain over and put him with his buddies.
“My comms are down. You wanna call GCPD and Oracle for us?” He asked. Obviously, he hadn’t realized that his brother had been hit.
Red Robin shook his head. “Can’t. I got sledgehammered as well. All of my tech is down.”
He placed the slight emphasis on “all” so his brother would get the message. Jason’s jaw tightened just a fraction.
“Well, shit,” he huffed. “The store phones should still be active. I’ll call for a paddy wagon for our friends here. You stay put and keep an eye on ‘em.”
Not that Tim had much choice. But he knew Jason was covering for him, so he played along and nodded. Hopefully, his brother and Oracle would come up with a plan.
“See how the heroes scramble without their precious technology,” Luddite preached. “Dependence on machinery has made the human race weak.”
Red Robin rolled his eyes. “Just shut up, would ya? I’m not in the mood.”
Sure, he really was kinda dependent on technology, at least when it came to his leg. But that wasn’t Tim’s fault. It was the shark’s.
They waited in silence for the next few minutes. Tim’s stump was starting to twinge. He didn’t do well standing in his prosthetic for long periods of time. What was taking Jason so long?
He got his answer in the worst way possible.
All of a sudden, one of the store’s floor-to-ceiling windows shattered with the boom of a gunshot. The bullet buried itself in his left leg, just above his knee joint. The force of the projectile sent Tim sprawling to the ground.
What the actual fuck?
A large figure in a ski mask stepped through the broken window.
“Heard the security in this place was gonna be lax tonight,” the figure jeered. He turned to Luddite. “I’m guessin’ I got you to thank for that?”
Wait. Tim knew that voice.
Jason had stripped the outer shell of his top, leaving him in his black undershirt and cargo pants. With the addition of the ski mask and the heavy emphasis on his Crime Alley accent, there was no way Luddite and his cronies would know this “robber” was the same man who had just kicked their asses.
Luddite, falling for the ruse, smiled. “That would be correct. You can thank me by freeing me from these cuffs.”
While the bad guys were distracted, Tim stealthily retrieved the packet of fake blood he kept in his uniform (because Bats were nothing if not prepared). He squeezed its contents onto his “wound” and spread it around messily with his hands.
Robber Jason huffed. “And let you destroy more of my merchandise with that hammer of yours? No thanks. I ‘preciate ya for gettin’ the door for me, but your services are no longer required.”
“R-Red Hood!” Tim made a show of yelling in the direction of the office Jason had disappeared into. He made sure to sound like he was in pain.
His brother strode over and stomped his boot over the bullet hole in Tim’s leg. If it had been flesh, it would have been excruciating, so Tim let out a mangled yell. Because he was an actor.
“Quiet, you,” he huffed, pointing the barrel of the gun at Tim’s face (the safety was visibly engaged and his hands were nowhere near the trigger), “or I’ll shut you up permanently.”
“Not if we have anything to say about it!”
A purple batarang flew through the air and hit Robber Jason’s gloved hand. He let out an exaggerated gasp and dropped his gun.
Spoiler and Orphan entered the store looking ready to fight.
“I ain’t goin’ back to prison!” Jason yelled dramatically. He retrieved his gun and made a run for it.
“Orphan, don’t let him get away!” Stephanie ordered. “I’ll stay here with Red Robin. Oracle is sending the Batmobile our direction.”
Cass nodded and ran after Jason.
“It’s gonna be okay, Red,” Spoiler assured as she kneeled next to him. They were still within earshot of Luddite and his gang, so they had to keep up the act. “Help’s on the way.”
“It hurts like a fucking bitch,” Tim groaned through gritted teeth. Luckily, he’d had lots of real bullet wounds in the past, so he had plenty of experience to draw from.
Stephanie wrapped a tourniquet around the socket of Tim’s prosthetic. It reminded Tim of the last time a tourniquet had been placed on that limb, immediately after his leg had been bitten off by the shark. Dick had really done him a solid by saving his life with that move.
Just as she finished, Red Hood came running out of the office he’d disappeared into. “What the fuck happened? I was on the phone with Oracle when I heard the commotion.”
“Some asshole fucking shot me,” Tim complained. To the asshole who'd shot him.
“Orphan’s gone after him,” Spoiler informed him. “The Batmobile should be here soon. Let’s get him out of here. GCPD can deal with these losers.”
“We’re not losers!” Luddite whined.
Red Hood ignored him. Instead he scooped Tim off the ground. “Hang on, Red, I’ve got ya.”
The Batmobile, true to Steph’s word, was waiting outside. Cass was already in the driver’s seat.
“Let’s go,” she ordered.
Once they were on the road, Tim started unzipping his uniform leg to access his prosthetic.
“God, I can’t wait to get this thing off,” he moaned. When the socket finally released his leg, he let out a sigh of relief. “Thanks for covering for me, Jay.”
The physical damage from the bullet was minimal. There was a reason he and Bruce had designed it with the same metal alloy used in the Batmobile. The electrical damage Luddite had done, however, was going to be a bitch to fix.
Jason clasped him on the shoulder. “Are you kidding? That was the most fun I’ve had in ages.”
Stephanie burst into laughter. “I swear, Jason, I almost lost it when you yelled, ‘I ain’t goin’ back to prison!’ You really missed your calling as a thespian.”
“Thanks, Blondie. I would’ve been cast as Laurie in Gotham Academy’s Little Women, but I was brutally murdered before callbacks.”
The blonde laughed even harder. “Damn, that’s cold.”
“Tim, are you okay?” Orphan checked, eyeing him suspiciously through the rearview mirror.
Tim smiled reassuringly. “I’m fine, Cassie. Luckily, all the damage was done to the leg with no nerve endings.” He held the useless limb up for emphasis. “At least I have plenty of backups.”
As he’d adjusted to his new disability, Tim had built himself a collection of prosthetics with unique colors and abilities. It made him feel more independent and capable when he was able to fix a problem himself. Plus, he found it fun finding new ways to make his legs more efficient.
Now, he just needed to figure out how to shield them from sledgehammers.