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Chapter Text

1:07 AM, Gotham City

“We’re in Gotham City! We're in Gotham City! We’re gonna see Batman!”

The repetitive tune rang through the streets as Anya Forger marched on ahead of her parents. Bond let out a “Borf!” As he caught up to her.

“Quiet down, Anya, people are sleeping,” Loid scolded. “Besides, Batman isn't real.”

‘And even if he were, I doubt it's just one person behind the mask. There has to be at least five of them, based on the urban myths I've heard.’

“He's not?!” Yor gasped.

‘I thought I could relax knowing someone else was taking care of the bad people here, but now I suppose I’ll have to be as vigilant as ever.’

Loid chuckled. “Of course not, Yor. A man in a bat costume who goes around beating up criminals? There's no chance he actually exists. It's just an urban legend.”

Yor looked down sheepishly. “Ah, right.”

‘It was stupid of me to assume that…’

“I think he's real!” Anya perked up. She hoped Batman was real– he seemed super cool! Maybe even cooler than Papa! “I wanna do my school report on him!”

“You're doing your report on the native wildlife in Canada, remember?” Loid said. “This is just a stopover. We’re going to go to the hotel, sleep for a few hours, and head to the airport in the morning.”

‘I’m not going to be sleeping, though. I need to stay on guard to make sure nothing happens to Anya and Yor. Gotham is the most crime ridden city in the world. Them getting injured in a foreign country could seriously risk the mission.’

“But I don't wanna sleep!” Anya protested. “I wanna see Batman!”

Loid sighed. “Anya, for the last time–”

Anya’s attention was torn away from him as Bond nudged her side.

A vision played in her head as she read his mind. An explosion. Maniacal laughter. Anya, Loid and Yor limp on the ground.

Anya's face contorted in horror. Yor squatted down to her level.

“Anya! Are you alr-AAH!”

She yelped in surprise and Anya suddenly tugged her by the hand, leading her away. Bond followed after them.

“Anya!” Loid called out, rushing after them. “Where are you going? The hotel’s that way!”

‘What’s going on? Is she alright? Did something I said scare her?’

Maniacal laughter rang throughout the streets. Anya tugged harder.

‘That must be The Joker!’ Twilight thought, baring his teeth. ‘I need to stop him before anyone gets hurt!’

“Yor! Stay with Anya!” Loid shouted as he ran towards the source of the noise. “Get as far away as possible!”

“PAPA, NO!” Anya screamed.

“Loid, where are you going?!” Yor yelled.

‘It isn't safe here! He can't run off by himself!’

“Anya, stay here!” She broke free from her grasp. “I'll be right back!”

‘Don't worry, this should only take a second.’

Anya watched as her parents ran off. 

“Bond!” She shouted, turning towards the dog. “We need to save them!”

Bond ‘borf’ed in agreement.

Suddenly, a deafening explosion resounded through the air. Anya’s ears rang as she fell to the floor.

1:52 AM

The next thing she knew, Anya was laying on the cold, hard pavement, her head spinning with thoughts.

Explosion… Mama… Papa… Bond…

She slowly opened her eyes. A boy in a colourful uniform and a domino mask looked down at her.

‘Pink hair…’ the boy thought. ‘Either her parents are irresponsible enough to let her dye it, or this girl could be a meta.’

A meta? Anya didn't know what that was, but it sounded cool.

“Are you alright?” He asked, extending his arm. His voice was high, but not too high. Anya de- decu– dedu… de-du-ced? (Was that what Papa did?) That he was around ten years old.

Anya took his hand and stood up.

“Who are you?” She asked.

“You don't know who I am?” The boy asked, his eyebrow raised. His tone was a mix between incredulous and deadpan.

‘She must not be from Gotham, then. Judging by her accent, I'd say she is originally Ostanian.’

Anya silently marvelled. This boy was smart! 

“My name is Robin,”  He said, but the voice in his head said ‘Damian.’

Another Damian?! Anya had never met two people with the same name before. 

“Robin?” Anya asked. “Is that a codename?”

Damian two nodded.

‘I’m surprised she knows what a codename is. This girl is smarter than she looks’

“ARE YOU A SPY?!” Anya yelled, eyes sparkling.

Damian two let out a tt. “Do I look like a spy to you?”

‘Nevermind. She’s just as stupid as I thought she would be.’

Any positive thoughts she had about Damian two were swiftly extinguished. Were all Damian's like that, she wondered?

She caught sight of a silhouette a little ways away from her. It looked like a shadow looming over the two of them. Anya froze up. Damian didn't seem to be fazed, however.

“I found a girl,” he said to it. “She had no visible injuries.”

The shadowy figure stepped into the light.

Turns out it wasn't a shadow or a ghost, but a large, burly man donned in black. The top part of his head was concealed in a cowl shaped like a bat’s head.

Anya gasped.

“BATMAN?!”

She knew he was real!

Batman nodded. He got down on one knee to reach Anya's eye level. 

She tried reading his mind, but it was strange— instead of thoughts pouring into her head like a stream, Anya only got little droplets of information.

She saw pictures. He noticed her hair. The words ‘Possible metahuman.’ and ‘not from Gotham’

Anya strained to hear more. She’s never had to focus in order to hear someone's thoughts. This Batman guy was strange.

“Are you alright?” He asked, his voice low and gravelly but comforting nonetheless. 

Anya nodded. “You're Batman?”

“Yes.”

“You're real?!”

“Yes. Could you give me your name, please?”

“Anya Forger.”

“Where are your parents, Anya?”

Oh. Her parents.

Her eyes began to water.

“I–” she hiccuped. “My Mama and Papa were with me— but then the explosion— and then I woke up and now I don't know where they are!’

“It's alright,” Batman said softly. “Your parents are ok. We’ll find them.”

“And my dog?”

“And your dog.”

“Promise?”

“Promise.”

Anya sniffled as her tears died down. 

“Come with me,” Batman said, standing up. ‘It isn't safe to walk about Gotham by yourself. We’ll get you to the police department, and the officers will take care of you.”

Anya nodded diligently, though she secretly hoped she could walk around with Batman instead of going straight to the police. He was way cooler than the cops.

The night was cold and overcast, and the air smelled of cigarette smoke and dampness. Anya tried her best to dodge any puddles on the ground. She had just gotten new shoes, and Papa told her not to get them dirty.

Anya kept trying to read Batman’s mind, but any verbal thoughts he had were drowned out by static. She could hear words, but couldn't make them out.

Did he know she could read minds, she wondered? He was a super cool detective, right? Unless his brain was just weird like that.

“You have a dog?” Damian asked, breaking Anya's train of thought.

She nodded. “His name is Bond.”

“Bond?”

“Yeah, and he's really smart.”

“I have a dog as well.”

“Really?” Damian one also had a dog! Were they secretly the same person? 

…No way. Damian two was way taller.

“What's its name?” she asked.

“Titus.”

Anya saw an image of Titus in his mind. He was ginormous, and very scary, like something Mama would have liked.

“What does your dog look like?” Damian asked.

“He's really big and fluffy!” Anya stretched out her arms to demonstrate his size. “Most of his fur is white, but his paws are black, like Bondman’s gloves. That's why his name is Bond.”

“Who’s ‘Bondman’?”

“He's a super cool spy from a cartoon I like.”

‘Ah, she watches a spy cartoon. That explains why she knows what codenames are, as well as why she assumed I am a spy when I clearly am not.'

“What do your parents look like?” Batman asked.

“My Papa has short blond hair and green eyes, and my Mama has long black hair and red eyes.”

Batman nodded slightly, setting his sights ahead of them once again. 

“If neither of your parents have pink hair, how do you have it?” Damian asked. 

“Huh?”

“It's genetics,” he said. “Blonde hair is already recessive. It makes no sense for you have pink hair. Unless your parents aren't actually–”

“Robin,”  Batman warned. 

Anya froze in place, her eyes filling with tears.

Batman squatted down to her level.

“It's alright,” he soothed.

Anya choked out a sob.

“I miss my mommy…”

“I understand,” he said softly. And though Anya couldn't make out any coherent thoughts, she knew he was speaking the truth.

“I love Mama, but…”

“I know.”

Anya hiccupped.

Batman silently stayed by her side until the tears died down.

Another voice penetrated her mind.

‘His guard is down. I’ll tell the others to strike.’

“Batman!" She yelled, "Look out!”

His head whipped around to see a gang of men in clown masks rushing towards them. He swiftly placed Anya behind a nearby dumpster.

She climbed up onto a nearby trash bag and stood on her tiptoes to get a better view of the fight. Batman and Robin punched thugs left and right, working in perfect unison. Anya watched in wide-eyed amazement. They were so cool!

‘Hehe…’ 

Anya heard a voice coming from behind the corner of a building.

‘Batman hasn't even noticed me! All according to plan. As soon as he thinks he's taken down everyone, I'll shoot his brains out!’

Anya gasped. She needed to warn Batman!

“Batman!” She whisper-yelled. He didn't hear her over the sound of him breaking someone's jaw.

“Robin!” She tried. He didn't hear her either.

They were almost done taking down everyone! Anya had to act fast.

She waited for when nobody was looking at her and bolted from behind the dumpster straight to where the man was. 

Anya reeled her first in and punched with all her might right at the man's leg. It didn't make a pow! Like Batman's punches did. Actually, it didn't really do much at all.

Anya looked up at the man and blinked. 

He pointed his gun at her forehead.

He didn't get a chance to shoot before Batman punched him in the face. The man fell to the ground. 

Anya smirked. Because of her, the man was distracted from shooting Batman! She saved Gotham!

Batman slowly turned his head towards Anya. She had a feeling it wasn't to give his thanks.

“What were you thinking?”

Anya froze in place, the words dying at her throat. Batman was scary!

“I–” she choked, despite knowing any answer she gave would be wrong. “I wanted to help.”

“She did help,” Damian interjected. Anya felt lighter. Someone was on her side! Maybe Damian two wasn't so bad.

Anya gained enough bravery to speak

“Yeah, that guy was gonna shoot your brains out and I stopped him!”

“My suit is bulletproof,” Batman said. Anya's bravery was gone. “You aren't. Never do that again.”

Anya nodded.

2:32 AM

“Why did you do that?”

Anya looked up. Damian's gaze was directed ahead of them.

“You knew the risks involved in jumping in like that,” he continued. “Most children your age would be too scared to even move. So why?”

“Because I wanted to help Batman so there can be world peace!” Anya said, determination blazing in her eyes. Besides, she had experience dealing with bad guys. 

“World peace…” Damian muttered. “A noble goal.”

‘I can infer that her punch was weak, but she has every other requirement needed to become a Bat.’

“Father, I have decided,” he said, turning to Batman. “I will make Anya Forger my protégé.”

…Pro-te-wha?

Batman turned around.

“Forger is brave and has a strong sense of justice,” Damian explained. “She may not be strong, but that can be fixed.”

“No,” was Batman's curt reply.

Anya tugged at Damian's cape.

“What's a pro-te-gay?”

“It means I will take you under my wing and teach you everything I know.”

“Like how to beat up bad guys?!” She asked.

“Yes.”

“I wanna be a pro-te-gay!” Anya announced.

“No,” Batman repeated.

“Why not?” Damian asked.

“You know why.”

“Is it because of her age? I know she will begin training later than what is ideal, but I believe she can still reach her full potential–’

“You will not bring children into this,” Batman said, his voice quiet but more terrifying than any yelling Anya had ever heard. “Anya has parents and a life to get back to. She doesn't need to become one of us. It's better she doesn't.”

The walk was accompanied by an uncomfortable  silence. 

“Why did you come to Gotham?” Batman finally asked. Anya looked up in surprise.

“For a stopover,” she answered. “I'm going to Canada for school.”

“When is your flight to Canada?”

“In the morning.”

“Good. It's best if you leave as soon as possible.”

“Why?” She didn't wanna leave. This was just like a city Bondman would go to!

“It isn't safe here.”

“That's what makes it fun!” Anya argued. 

Maniacal laughter, the same kind she heard right before the explosion, rung throughout the streets. Batman and Robin tensed up, immediately getting into their fighting positions.

“Finally, someone I can agree with!” said a grating voice. “The girl's right, you know. Gotham City is the funnest place in the world! You could learn a thing or two from her, Batsy.”

The man stepped out of the shadows, revealing himself as a tall, lanky man with green hair and messy clown makeup. His eyes were bright, alight with something dangerous. He was smiling wide, but it didn't feel warm. It did nothing but unnerve Anya. 

She tried to read his mind. 

He thought in images— cruel, violent images, mostly involving Batman. Anya began to tremble.

“What’s wrong, little girl?” Joker asked. “Scared? You really need to lighten up!”

Anya tensed up as she read his mind once again. He was about to strike.

She ran in the opposite direction only to get blocked off by thugs. There was no escape.

Batman and Robin were already engaged in battle against the Joker. He didn’t seem as if he were taking the battle seriously, however.

“Well,” He said after around thirty seconds of fighting. “I’ve got to run. Good luck!”

Before Batman could respond, an explosion sounded in the distance. When he turned back, the Joker was gone, leaving only psychotic cackling behind him. 

He gritted his teeth. He couldn’t go after him right then– saving others was more important. The Joker knew where his priorities lay. This was on purpose.

“Let’s go, Robin.”

“Wait,” Damian said. “Where’s Forger?”

Chapter Text

1:22 AM

“Anya!” Yor called out into the empty street. “Loid!”

It had felt like forever since she had taken to scouring the streets for them, and there was still no signs of them. Yor was starting to get anxious as thoughts of the worst-case scenario crawled around her head, despite her best efforts to keep them at bay. 

A man was walking a little ways down the street, she noticed. Quite confidently, as well. He must have been going somewhere important. The man was very large and muscular, more so than anyone else she’d ever met. 

Yor walked up to him and reached out to tap his shoulder before hesitating. The man had tubes stuck inside him, all attached to something on his back. She was afraid she might accidentally touch one.

“Um, excuse me?” Yor asked. The man turned around. He was wearing a black mask. “Have you seen my daughter? Her name as Anya, and she’s around this tall–”

Before she could gesture as to how tall she was, the man attempted to punch her in the face. She dodged it swiftly. Was this how people in Gotham greeted each other? Yor needed to adapt to the customs.

“–she also has green eyes and pink hair!” She continued, punching him back. The man did not dodge it, and fell to the floor.

Oops. She had tried not to do it too hard, as well. 

A revving sound came up from behind her. Yor turned around to see a man with a red helmet (did everyone here wear some sort of head covering?) riding on a motorcycle. He slowed down behind her and came to a stop. 

The man turned his head towards her, then the person of the floor, then back at her.

“...did you just knock out Bane?” He asked. His voice was distorted and monotone, as if it were coming out of a bad quality microphone.

“I'm sorry, it was an accident!” Yor said hastily. “I'm just looking for my daughter! I think I went too hard with the greeting–”

“You don't do that by accident, lady,” He continued. “Hell, most people can't knock him out on purpose. Who even are you?”
“Yor Forger.”

“Are you a meta?”

“Meta?”

“Metahuman.”

“What’s that?”
“Someone with superpowers."

“My coworker said my ability to completely misunderstand whatever someone says is like some kind of superpower. Does that count?”

He paused. 

“So, If you're not a meta, how did you do that?”

Yor froze. She couldn't tell him the truth! She had to come up with a lie, fast!

“Uhm, I took a self defence class in seventh grade?”

“Self defence classes don't teach you how to knock out Bane,” He said.

Oh no, he was onto her!

“I– I guess I got lucky?”

“Luck doesn't exist in Gotham.”

“Oh. I didn't know that.”

The man took a moment. Yor blinked innocently.

“You’re not from here, are you?”
She shook her head.

“And you lost your daughter?”
She nodded her head. 

“Yes. Her name is Anya, she's around this–” she mimed how tall she was next to her “–tall. She has green eyes and pink hair.”

“When did you last see her?”

“Right before the explosion.”

“The one next to Batburger?”

Yor thought back to what her surroundings looked like when the explosion happened. She remembered seeing a sign that said ‘Batburger’ at the time.
“I… I think so?”
“That’s on the other side of the city,” He said incredulously. “How long have you been searching?”
“Around twenty minutes.”

“You covered that much ground in twenty minutes?”

The man looked quite agitated. Or was he just shocked? It was hard to tell with that helmet covering his entire face.

He sighed.

“You know what, never mind. I’ll help you find her.”

“Thank you!” This man was very sweet! Maybe there were some good people in Gotham, after all. “Oh, and what was your name again?”

“Red Hood.”

Red Hood? That was an odd name. Yor wondered why he was named that. Perhaps his parents saw a love of red in him from a young age? That would explain why he chose for his helmet to be red. Or maybe he made it like that as a homage to his name. 

Red Hood looked at his motorcycle, then at Yor.

“Well, I can't just leave my bike here, but I’m not about to let you ride on her,” he said. “I’ll just go slowly and you can walk alongside me.”

“No worries Mr. Hood, I should be able to keep up!” Yor smiled.

“I–” he stopped himself from whatever he was going to say. “It's just Red Hood.”

Yor, as it turned out, kept up a little too well. She quickly surpassed him within seconds. He was driving at a lower speed than she assumed was normal– perhaps he didn't believe her.

He sped up and Yor slowed down slightly. The two of them rushed through the streets side by side. Red Hood’s jacket flapped in the wind, and Yor’s hair blew wildly out of place. She hoped she didn’t look too unruly. 

An explosion went off next to both of them, though it was smaller than the ones she saw before. 

Regardless, it knocked Red Hood off of his bike. Yor leaped to catch him before he hit the ground, but his helmet had a newly formed crevice right down the middle of it. . 

Not to mention, it went off right next to his bike. A grenade, she realized, when she saw some of the pieces scattered around them. One of them must have cracked his helmet. This was a targeted attack. 

Red Hood got up on his feet, muttering a “thanks” and immediately squared up. Yor followed suit.

A gang of men jumped out from the shadows and attacked the two of them. Yor bulldozed through most of them before anyone else could blink, leaving a pile of unconscious (and maybe a little dead) bodies on the floor.

Red Hood held one of the few conscious men up by the shirt and a gun against his head.

“Who do you work for?”
“Bl-Black Mask.”

First Red Hood, now Black Mask? Was everyone here named after a color?

Red Hood knocked him out. Was the gun just for show?

He muttered a curse under his breath as he took his cracked helmet off and inspected the damage. Underneath it was a man– no, a boy. He had black hair with a white streak on one of the locks. It looked out of place. His face bore a rough expression and many scars, but Yor could tell that he wasn’t as old as he made himself out to be. 

“You’re so young!” Yor gasped.

He looked up from the helmet he was holding, eyebrows furrowed slightly. “I’m an adult.”

Red Hood looked more confused, if anything.

“Right,” Yor said sheepishly. “I knew that, it’s just… You look around the same age as my little brother.”

She looked to the side with a slight smile on her face, eyes sparkling in reminiscence. “I know he’s an adult and can take care of himself, but I can never really stop worrying about him. It’s always been just us, you know? I guess I never really stopped seeing him as a kid, even though he’s grown so much.”

Yor caught herself and perked up. “Sorry, I didn’t mean to say all of that–”

“It’s fine,” he said. “Really. It’s… it’s good that you care about him. Though if he were raised by you, I don't think you have much to worry about.”
Red Hood put his helmet back on. 

“Do you have any family?” Yor asked to fill the silence. Red Hood looked to the side as if she had just struck him. Oh no, had she said something wrong?! 

“Kinda,” he said. “It’s been rough, but you don't wanna hear about all of that.”

Yor wasn’t sure what he meant by ‘kinda’, but she decided to stop prying on that matter.

“If you don't mind, I have another question.”

“Shoot.”
“Huh? I don't have a gun–”

“I mean, ask it.”
“Oh. Why is your name Red Hood when you wear a helmet?”

2:38 AM

It had been over an hour, and there was still no sign of Anya.

Yor was beginning to get anxious. Had she been kidnapped? Killed?

A noise cut through the silence– footsteps. A herd of them. 

The source of the noise whooshed past an alleyway. It was a bunch of men in clown masks. Anya’s horns poked out from the crowd. They bobbed up and down, like she was being carried.

“That’s her!” Yor cried, loud enough for Red Hood to hear, but not loud enough for the gang to.

“Who, your daughter?” He rushed to where she was. “Where?”
“A bunch of men in clown masks carried her off!”
“A bunch of men in–” Red Hood paused. He cussed under his breath. “Did you see where they went?”
“Over there!”
“We need to hurry.” He hopped onto his bike. 

Yor had already taken off. 

Chapter Text

1:22 AM

Gotham looked the same as Dick left it. Dark, cloudy, and overcast with gloominess.

He had come to visit as per Damian’s request, but he made the grave mistake of assuming that a night in Gotham would be more-or-less calm. 

But, as everyone knows, optimism doesn’t get you anywhere in this city. 

As soon as he had arrived, explosions had begun going off in the most densely populated areas. Dick had taken to patrolling said areas in order to evacuate who he could. He was taking a shortcut through a factory that hadn’t been used since Bruce was a kid. The walls were stained with water damage and it smelled of mold and dust, but it saved him a few minutes, so he was willing to deal with it. Besides, the silence was nice amidst the chaos that was happening outside.

Though said silencs was short lived, as a ‘Borf!” echoed throughout the factory, followed by the scratching of a dog's nails against the concrete floor.

Dick turned around to see a fluffy white dog running towards him at full speed. It clearly wasn’t something it was used to, based on the way it panted. It caught up to Dick and began to nudge him further towards the exit. 

“Wh– hey!”

The dog barked once again and ran to the exit. Dick followed, curious as to what the dog wanted him to rush for. 

He stepped into the cold night air shortly after the dog did, and as if on cue, the factory blew up. Dick shielded his face from flying debris. 

It didn’t make any sense. This wasn’t a populated area at all. Unless the Joker knew he would come here, and these weren’t time bombs, but rather triggered by something else. Motion sensors, maybe?

This was also another thing.

Dick squatted down to meet the eye level of the dog and scratched behind its ears. It’s white fur was clean, so it clearly wasn’t a street dog. He guessed it could have been a bomb sniffer or police dog, which could explain how it detected the bomb, but it wasn’t exactly in peak physical shape, so he doubted it. Maybe an ex-bomb sniffer?

He spotted a black collar underneath its thick white fur. It had a bowtie on the front of it, and underneath it, a name tag. 

“Bond,” he read aloud.

There was a phone number engraved on the back, but it was Ostanian rather than American.

“A foreign dog who can detect bombs,” Dick mused, ruffling Bond’s fur. “You sure are a strange one, Bond.”

He stood up.

“We better get you back to your owner, then. You have one, right?”

Bond nodded his head. 

Dick’s eyes widened. He wasn't sure what he was expecting, but Bond actually responding shocked him. Were all dogs in Ostania like that? He needed to show Damian. But, before that, there were people who needed to be saved. Dick called the fire department to handle the factory and set off on his way. Bond followed not far behind.

“I don’t think you should be following me,” Dick chuckled. “It’s dangerous where I’m going. It’s probably best if you wait for the firefighters to come.”

Dick started walking again, and so did Bond.

“I mean it,” he said sternly. “Stay.”

Bond barked. If Dick didn’t know any better, he’d think it was defiant. He sighed.

“Well, I guess your bomb sniffing abilities could definitely help. Come on, boy. Wait, are you a boy?”

Bond borf’ed.

“I’ll take that as a yes.”

2:01 AM

“Borf!”

Dick rushed over to Bond’s side as he tugged at a jacket worn by a child stuck underneath some rubble using his teeth. He lifted all of the large pieces off of him and gently lifted the crying girl out.

“It’s ok,” he soothed, “Everything’s gonna be alright.”

A couple of paramedics appeared and took the girl from him, leaving Dick to examine the area. By the looks of it, everyone had been evacuated thanks to him, the EMT’s, and Bond.

Dick squatted down to ruffle Bond’s fur. 

“Who’s a good boy?” he cooed. “Who helped save all of those people? You did!”

Bond barked happily, enjoying all of their affection, until he suddenly froze. Dick didn’t think he could ever see a thousand yard stare on a dog, but there's a first time for everything. And a lot of them happen in Gotham.

Before he knew it, Bond took off again, running out of the buildings and into the streets.

Dick followed after him. It was pretty easy, since Bond didn’t run very fast. The roads had recently been repaired after yet another attack on them, but they still felt the same as they did all those years ago, when Dick still operated in Gotham.

He found his mind wandering as he navigated through the winding roads. This dog was very, very mysterious. Despite being foreign and looking completely untouched by Gotham, it ran through the streets like it had lived here all of his life. Though that could possibly be excused, as dogs tended to have a very good sense of direction. 

The strangest thing about the dog, however, was its ability to know exactly which buildings had bombs in them. That was an insane feat for even a specially trained dog. Hell, it bordered on precognitive.

A stray, nonsensical thought found its way into Dick’s head. What if Bond was precognitive? Meta animals weren’t anything unprecedented, though Dick doubted Bond was Kryptonian. 

He shook his head, with it the thoughts from his mind. No, that would be ridiculous. 

A few moments later, Bond finally came to a stop. But not in a building, this time. No, Dick and Bond were at the harbor. The moons reflection in the water was clear and bright, almost enough to distract one from how polluted it was. Bond paced around restlessly, barking at Dick.

Dick looked to Bond for confirmation that this was, in fact, the right place. He looked pretty sure of himself. But how, and where, would the bombs be? 

Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a group of people wearing clown masks on the other side of the harbor. They were dumping a vat of some strange substance that had an eerie glow in the night. It had to be Joker venom.

“Poisoning the water supply again?” he quipped as he approached them. It was fun, fighting against people who were easy to take down. It meant he could have fun with them. “You’d think Joker would switch it up every once in a while.”

The lackeys wasted no time in charging to attack. him. Dick wasted no time in knocking all of them out immediately and straightening the vat. He’d get the GCPD or whoever was in charge of that stuff to take care of it later.

But Dick couldn’t relax just yet (because nobody could ever catch a break in this city) as he heard noise coming from behind him.

Dick turned around to see one of the thugs that managed to slip by him covering up Bond’s mouth and trying to throw him into the water. Bond was struggling, writing in his grasp.

Dick rushed over to the man and punched him hard in the head. The thug fell to the floor, unconscious, and Bond, panting and shaking, was free. 

Dick had half a mind to beat that man up more. Torturing an innocent animal for fun? What a pig, he would say, but even that would be an insult to pigs.

“Are you okay there, bud?” Dick asked gently. Bond looked up at him and nodded his head. 

“I'm sorry that happened to you,” he mumbled, scratching behind Bond’s ears. He seemed to like it, leaning into the touch. “You were very brave. Your owner must be lucky to own such an amazing dog.”

Bond straightened his posture with pride.

“Though I wonder,” Dick asked. “How did you know those people would be here?”

Bond froze. He looked nervous, somehow.

Suddenly, the thousand-yard stare overtook Bond’s face. He ran off, more determined than ever before.

Dick sighed as he chased after him. Oh, well. Some things were forever to be left unknown.

Chapter Text

1:32 AM

Twilight went over the facts in his mind.

The Joker was a terrorist who lived in Gotham city. He was violent and clinically insane, often taking pleasure in hurting others. He has caused countless civilian deaths and property damage over the years, and he claims his mortal enemy is “The Batman,” though that cannot be trusted as a source for Batman's existence due to him being insane. He is the former ambassador of Iraq, and is in cahoots with multiple other criminals in Gotham.

Aside from that, not much else is known about The Joker. Nobody had his real age, name, or history. 

Following the explosion at 01:07, Twilight had been searching around the city, trying not to worry about Anya or Yor. They were alright, he repeated in his mind. Yor could defend herself and Anya. It was best that Twilight caught The Joker himself to ensure their safety. For the mission, of course.

Meanwhile, Tim Drake had just snuck out onto the streets, his Red Robin suit stuffed in a duffel bag.

Bruce had banned him from going on patrol due to a leg injury he had gotten, but the situation was too dire to not help. The problem was, B had a habit of popping up everywhere. Tim needed to find a place where he was completely, 100% sure he wouldn’t be so that he could change.

Based on the data he had collected earlier, he definitely wasn’t on this side of Gotham, so if he could just slip into an alleyway—

His train of thoughts were cut off by a nearby explosion. 

Tim braced to jump out of the way of flying debris right before a man tugged him to the side, out of harm’s way.

Rude, he wanted to say, before remembering that in this moment, he wasn’t Red Robin, but ordinary citizen Tim Drake.

But who exactly was the guy who ‘saved’ him, anyway?

“Are you alright?” the man asked. He looked a little older than him, either late twenties or early thirties. He had blond hair that was somehow still perfectly neat despite… that, and was wearing a suit without a single wrinkle in it. The man looked to be originally Westalian. He was probably just visiting— his accent was American, but didn’t seem to be one of a Gothamite. 

The man’s expression was one of concern, and that would be all there was to it to an untrained eye, which Tim was not. There was something going on behind his eyes— thinking, analyzing. The same expression he often saw on Bruce and his siblings. 

“Yeah. Quick reflexes, haha,” the boy Twilight had just saved remarked. He looked quite young, probably around twenty. He had messy black hair and was definitely anemic. He was also leaning more on one of his legs compared to the other. An injury, perhaps?

He didn’t seem as shocked as one would expect him to be after an explosion happened right in front of him. In fact, he had prepared to jump out of harm's way even before Twilight got to him. Perhaps it was just typical survival skills that Gothamites had to adopt. Most of his peers had done the same during the war. 

“Uh, sorry, I’m just visiting so I’m not really sure about how things go here,” Loid said sheepishly. It was a blatant lie— he had researched this place in depth before making the stopover. For the mission. But, it was best to gather information from somebody who lived here.

“What was that?”

“Just your run-of-the-mill explosion,” the boy shrugged. “Happens every other day.”

“Why, that’s awful!” Loid remarked. “Do you have any idea what the source could be?”

“A bomb.”

Tim found it funny to watch the man get ever-so-slightly ragebaited.

“Yes, but who would do such a thing?” He asked

“Joker, probably.”

“The Joker?” he asked. “I’ve heard of him. Isn't he the terrorist who dresses up as a clown?”
“Yep,” Tim said, eyeing the alleyway. “Anyways, uh, I gotta go, bye.”

“To that alleyway?” Twilight exclaimed, eyes widened. “It isn’t smart to go to an area where a bomb had just been detonated. Or an alleyway, in general, especially at night.”

Dammit. Tim should have been more discreet when he looked at it.

“Um, I’ll be fine—”

“Besides,” Loid said, “locking in” as the kids would call it. “I’m kind of lost, haha. Could you help me out, please, if you wouldn’t mind? I would ask the police, but they seem quite occupied at the moment.”

That way, Twilight could save the boy from going into that alleyway (for whatever reason he had) and potentially gather more information from a native. Very clever work, in his opinion.

“Uh, sure,” Tim said, trying not to sound too frustrated. Well, whatever, it was fine. He could shake him off easily. 

1:51 AM

He could not shake him off easily. 

“So, Tim,” Loid started, and Tim internally groaned. “From what I understand, Joker tends to target places with a high population, correct?”
“Yeah,” Tim responded. God, when would he leave?! He had been trying to slip into a back alley all night, and this Loid guy wouldn't leave him alone. “To get Batman’s attention, or whatever. Anyway, I should get going—”

“To get Batman’s attention?” Loid repeated. “Isn’t he just an urban myth?”
Tim almost wanted to scoff. “No?”

Twilight found it interesting at how genuine his refusal was. Did citizens of Gotham seriously believe in Batman? Or were they just messing with the tourists?

Maybe the “Batman is multiple people” theory had more credibility than he thought. 

“So far, The Joker has hit…” Loid named off the general area of a bunch of places that Tim saw rubble in. “Correct?

How did he know? Was Loid also keeping track of all of the rubble? Weird.

“Uh, yeah,” he said. “All populated areas. I think people are starting to catch the drift, though, and are moving away from them.”

Tim could practically see the gears turning inside Loid’s head. He couldn’t help but wonder why he cared so much about this. Was he an investigative journalist in disguise?

Loid pulled out his phone. Tim leaned over to see that he had opened Google maps.

There was a warehouse in the middle of all the bombed places. One time Tim knew hadn't been in use for a while.

Could that be it? Had they found Joker’s base?

“Alright,” Tim said, “I'm gonna report that warehouse to the authorities” (a lie. He would sneak off and change into his Red Robin suit.)

“But that doesn't make any sense,” he mumbled. 

Huh? Didn't make any sense? Was he talking about the warehouse?

“The bombs are still targeting populated areas, right?”

“Right.”

“Even though everyone is evacuating? Shouldn't he be changing to where people may be hiding?”

“Wait, you're right!” Tim exclaimed. “Why is Joker still targeting these areas, even though barely anybody is in them anymore?”

“Unless,” Loid looked up.

“The bombs are remote,” they remarked in unison.

Twilight blinked.

Tim had to take a moment to make sure that wasn't a hallucination.

They were on the same wavelength. That didn't happen often, especially not with normal civilians. 

“And to have an abandoned warehouse in the middle of it all?” Twilight said. Having someone to bounce ideas off of proved… fun, for lack of a better word.“It’s too convenient.”

“Has to be a decoy,” Tim agreed. Maybe Loid would be a valuable ally. “We should keep looking for information—”

He began to eagerly walk forward before he fell to the ground. 

Right. His leg. Forgot about that.

“Are you alright?” Loid asked, rushing to his side to help him up. 

“Yep,” Tim said, getting up on his own.

“I think you should sit this out,” Loid said. “It’s not a good idea to be out in what’s practically a warzone when you’re injured.”

“I’m not—”

“I noticed that limp from the moment I saw you, Tim.”

Tim froze. Dammit.

Twilight heard of footsteps from behind a building. A group of men, quite muscular, all wearing clown masks.

“Get somewhere safe,” he said, taking one final look at Tim before pursuing the group.

A couple minutes later, one of the lackeys was knocked out, and Twilight had a disguise. He followed the group silently. 

Meanwhile, Red Robin had just begun his patrol.