Chapter Text
Months had passed since Jason last entered the center of Gotham. He felt that time away from the dreary city would help his mind calm itself. Maybe he was trying to move past everything that had happened before, but just like every other time he left, he was drawn back to the city. Neither he nor Gotham could ever truly escape each other's grasp. That was something he could unpack later.
Now was not the time, not while he was here on important business, investigating a case he had been working on. He wasn’t going to bother with the family visit, as much as he knew that they would know he was here the moment he entered the city.
His motorcycle roared as he drove through filthy alleys, speeding toward the city’s docks. He had gained information from a less-than-enthusiastic thug he had “interrogated” before coming back home. A lead on Black Mask. A new human trafficking ring, various people kidnapped, children, all missing and locked away for who knows how long. Shipments were scheduled for delivery tonight while the city was asleep.
It made Jason sick to his stomach.
The sound of his bike came to a halt, and he carefully set it to the side in a dark alley. As he adjusted his hood more over his head, he began his quiet trudge through the alleyway. It didn’t take long for him to find what he was looking for in a shaggy warehouse with a few henchmen outside keeping guard. They’d be easy to take out. Inside the warehouse, more henchmen were focused on stacking boxes and guarding trucks inside. To pass the time, they discussed trivialities, but one topic seemed to pique the interest of all the men there.
“Hey, do you think she’s still up?”
One man spoke up as he leaned against the warehouse wall. Another man looked up from the boxes he lifted into a truck. “Boss said not to mess with ‘er again. The last time was already annoying to clean up.” An annoyed huff escaped the other man’s mouth as he pushed off the wall. “He ain’t gotta know! Not like he cared the other few times we messed around with her…” He shoved his hands in his pockets. Another box was set down as the other dusted his hands off.
“If you wanna lose a finger, be my guest. She’s been aggressive. It's best to leave her be. Plus, she’s getting moved around again.”
“Damn, what’s it for this time?”
Before another word could be exchanged, the glass of the warehouse window shattered as an ominous figure loomed in the scattered glass, glistening in the moonlight, his shadow overcasting the two men.
The Red Hood.
“Son of a—”
Before either of the men could pull their guns out, they were sent flying as fists met their faces, bones cracking as they were slammed to the ground. Blood trickled down from their noses.
One of the men’s eyes darted around the room, his vision blurring as he tried to focus on the figure before him. Suddenly, he was pulled up by his collar as a familiar red mask came into view. “Where’re you keeping ‘em?” Red Hood's voice was gruff and low, distorted by the mask's interference.
“W-Wha...?”
“The people you’ve kidnapped. Where are they being kept?”
The man blinked and muttered under his breath. Red Hood didn’t have the patience for this. As he pulled a gun toward his chin, he spoke once more. “Last chance. Where are they?” This seemed to catch the man’s attention as his eyes widened. “I—In the back…! There’s a truck! God, please don't kill me—I’m just loading the trucks, okay? I don't do any crazy shit!" Red Hood couldn’t help but scoff. “You’re packing the trucks full of people to send off to who knows where. I’d say you do crazy shit.” With that, he let go of the man, tossing him back before pulling his gun out once more, not wasting a second to shoot the man in the head.
Red Hood knew he had to move fast; these two certainly weren’t the only active henchmen inside. If he wanted to get people out of here safely, he had to be quick. Rushing to the back of the warehouse, more men were waiting, guns in hand.
His knuckles quickly became sore and bloody from the number of punches he threw. His mind was on autopilot as he pulled his guns from their holsters, his ears ringing from the loud banging noise of guns. He reloaded without hesitation and shot until he was certain there was no threat remaining. The ringing slowly dissipated as silence settled in; he returned his guns to their holsters and made his way to the back of the warehouse. Just like the henchman had stated, in the back of the warehouse, a single truck remained, now completely unguarded thanks to his efforts.
It didn’t take long for him to use a crowbar to force the doors of the truck to unlock; he pushed them open with ease. The sight of people shoved close together like cattle in the truck made his stomach turn, but he couldn’t wait long. He had to get them out of here.
“Hey, don’t worry. I’m here to help. I’m getting you out of here.”
His voice was more gruff than he hoped, quickly noticing the way most people backed away from him in fear. He attempted to soften his tone.
“You’re all free… I’ll make sure of that. So get outta here.” He took a step back from the truck door, allowing anyone to exit. It took quite some time before a child took a hesitant step forward, and soon the entire truck was emptied. Red Hood didn't take long to lead the people out of the warehouse after noticing flashing red and blue lights in the distance.
“Of course they show up now.” He muttered to himself, just about ready to disappear before the police caught sight of him. He was startled by a sudden noise as he turned his head back to the warehouse. Did he overlook someone? He cautiously walked back into the warehouse.
It was eerily quiet now. All of the dead, injured, and knocked-out henchmen remained on the ground or tied up; there was no one here who required assistance, no one he had to fight. Another loud noise nearly made him jump out of his skin as he looked around. He rushed toward the source of the noise, only to find himself in front of a plain door. He narrowed his eyes. Was Black Mask hiding something else...?
Once again, the noise came from behind the door, sounding like a yowl an animal would make. He began to wonder if a person was behind this door, or something else entirely? He hesitantly grabbed the knob, twisting it slowly for a moment. He took a deep breath, a hand on his gun, before finally opening the door. His skin grew cold at the sight in front of him.
The room was old and dilapidated, with cobwebs in almost every corner as the paint gradually peeled off the walls. There was no light, except for the moonlight shining through a small window. The room was old, and frankly, uninteresting. But it wasn't the room itself that piqued his interest; something lurked in the shadows, unwilling to step into the light gleaming down onto the floor.
A woman remained tied and shackled to the wall. A mask covered the majority of her face, wrapping around the back of her head, with the straps hidden by her messy, disheveled hair. Her hair nearly covered the majority of her body like a cloak, but it did nothing to conceal the numerous scars and bruises on her form. She continued to struggle against her unusual restraints, an unusual collar seemed tight against her neck with a small red light on it. She made another unusual noise as she pushed herself closer to the wall. Red Hood could only stare in horror for a moment before cautiously approaching her. "Hey—shhh—don’t worry. I’m going to get you outta here.” He kept his voice to a whisper, trying not to agitate her any further. The woman struggled and growled for a moment until his calloused hand grazed her neck. She practically froze as he cautiously touched around her collar before his fingers made their way to her nape, the collar coming off with a small hiss. She remained unmoving, her gaze focused on him as he proceeded to remove the rest of her restraints.
Gazing back up to her masked face, Red Hood grinned behind his mask. “There. That seemed to calm you down, huh?” The woman remained silent, staring at him wide-eyed and blinking. She gently rubbed her neck. It didn’t take long for Jason to realize she wasn’t going to speak. He simply stood up with a grunt. “I’ll get you outta here. Get you some help.” He turned to the exit. “By now, help should be here; they can get you to a hospital and—“ When he turned back around to face her, the room was empty. He froze, glancing around with a confused expression for a moment. The sound of unfamiliar voices took him from his daze as he began his escape from the warehouse before any police could spot him.
Hopefully, rescuing that woman wouldn’t bite him in the ass later down the line.