Chapter Text
Barbara Gordon both loved and hated her role in Gotham's salvation.
Hated because she could vividly remember the feeling of the wind rushing through her hair as she ran across rooftops, the thrill of being the first on scene to the latest mystery, and the satisfaction of making the city just a little bit safer. Ignorance was a bliss she didn't have. She knew exactly what she was missing, what had been taken from her, what she could never have back. Sometimes it left her immobile with frustration and grief, but other times, it didn't even cross her mind. Sometimes she loved being Oracle so much that she forgot about Batwoman. Oracle was a whole different ballpark from her days of darkened alleys and fire escapes. Oracle was technical wizardry she hadn't known herself capable of. She was case files, evidence, blackmail, digital communications, firewalls, viruses, location trackers, and power. Omniscience. Oracle was the privilege and great responsibility of protecting and guiding her dear friends in ways only she could. She missed what she had lost, but she treasured what she had gained.
Despite her far reach as Oracle, there were still days that Barbara found herself cursing the universe. For example, the lack of CCTV in uptown Gotham was currently raising her blood pressure. Red Robin had strayed a bit from his normal patrol route, nothing abnormal, they all did when they saw something shady. But then Red's heart rate spiked and when Oracle tried to reach him on comms, there was no reply. Which again, not necessarily any cause for alarm, it was difficult to talk on comms in the middle of a fight. But when Oracle had tried and failed three more times to contact him, even warning that she would be calling for backup if he didn't respond, she started to worry. She sent out Red Robin's location to the other vigilantes and opened the general line.
"I need back up to Red Robin's location, stat. He failed to respond over comms and his vitals are elevated. Batman, Black Bat, you two are closest."
Muffled curses and alarmed questions immediately jumbled over each other in a predictable mess, and Oracle manually muted them all so she could be heard.
"No other info at this time, keep the line clear. I'm trying to get a visual, but CCTV is sparse in Burnley. It might take a minute. Batman, take a left at the light, the road's closed ahead. Black Bat should get there first, I'll keep you all updated if anything changes. Hurry."
She unmuted them and Batman's low growl came through, "Acknowledged, I'm en route."
Nightwing, "Robin and I are on our way, too. Eta 20 minutes."
Spoiler, "Last but not least, eta 35."
Nothing but silence from Black Bat, but Oracle could see her tracker moving on her third monitor. She would reach Red in a matter of minutes. Oracle pinged him again; no answer. His heart rate was still high at about 140 bpm, which was typical for Tim during combat. She sighed in frustration. How she hated not knowing. There was not a single surveillance camera in the area. Tim was right by a convenience store so it was possible he'd witnessed a robbery and stepped in. The store's front camera was broken, but the interior one showed the door had been broken in. She was digging through the sparse security to access the footage when Tim's heart rate jumped even higher. Higher than it should be if he was winning the fight. Worrying her lower lip between her teeth, Oracle turned back to the surveillance footage. The view was bad, but she counted at least four men attempting to break and enter. There was a flurry of movement behind them that must be Tim, and then they moved back out of range of the camera. Not much, but it was info.
"Update, at least four men tried to break into a convenience store near Red's current location, I-" Something caught Oracle's eye on her side monitor. "Shit, Black Bat, hurry. His tracker is moving."
Black Bat's voice, smooth and quiet, came through, "Almost there."
Batman joined in, "What direction and how fast."
"Eastward, towards Crime Alley. About thirty miles an hour." Fast enough that he had to be in a vehicle. Oracle glanced back at Red's heart rate monitor and pinged him again. "His heart rate has slowed. He may be unconscious. Still unresponsive on comms."
"Towards Crime Alley. You don't think…?" Nightwing's voice trailed off, not wanting to say what they were all surely thinking.
Oracle didn't answer, focusing on Tim's moving beacon. She didn't want it to be Red Hood. None of them wanted it to be Red Hood, but he ruled the Alley with an iron fist. Nothing went on in his territory that he didn't know about and his history with Tim was bloody. The chances that he wasn't involved somehow seemed slim, no matter how long their ceasefire had held. Tim's beacon had picked up some speed, but Black Bat was close.
God, she hoped he was okay. She wasn't sure how the family would weather another tragedy.
Tim's head ached. He felt as though he was underwater, sounds and sensations weirdly muddled. His brain didn't seem to want to wake up, so he was left drifting. Limbs unresponsive, body pulsing with dulled pain, carried along wherever the currents decided to take him.
To the extent that he was able to process, it was not a pleasant experience.
Eventually, he woke up enough to realize he was being carried. By whom and to where was evidently too much trouble to puzzle out because it made his head pound in time with his heart beat. He couldn't even… was he being kidnapped? Why did his head hurt so much? Ow, and his side. He was probably being kidnapped.
The thought should have been more alarming, but he really couldn't be bothered. Too much energy.
The gentle rocking caused by the gait of his kidnapper suddenly stopped, and muffled voices bounced against the dull haze of Tim's mind. He tried to listen, he really did, but he could feel himself slipping under again. Without his permission, his body seemed to be shutting off.
...
Tim woke up again with a gasp as his wounds were jostled. His eyes flew open then immediately shut again at the bright, piercing light. He was a little more aware this time, evidenced by the way the pain had dialed up. He wasn't moving anymore, he was lying on something hard.
A firm hand pressed down on his side - right where it hurt, ouch. He may have made a sound, because somebody was shushing him. He cracked his eyes open, but only got a glimpse of colorful blobs before he had to close them again against the bright light. Someone was talking, and he subconsciously connected the stern voice with Dr. Leslie Thompkins. Another voice responded, unfamiliar, male. His kidnapper, perhaps.
Tim forced his eyes open, he needed to see what the hell was going on, and squinted against the light. He could make out Dr. Thompkins standing above him, ostensibly tending to his injuries and muttering under her breath. Behind her, Tim caught a flash of brown and red as the door to the room closed.
Dr. Thompkins noticed his open eyes and started talking to him, but Tim's eyes were already drooping shut again.
Black Bat skidded to a halt atop the roof of Leslie's clinic and wasted no time ripping the rooftop access door open. It stayed unlocked for them, she knew, and she appreciated that she didn't have to waste precious seconds breaking in. Her little brother was in this building somewhere, probably hurt, possibly held captive. Oracle and Batman's voices cautioned her not to move in recklessly over the comms, but she shut them out. If Tim's assailant was still here, if Tim was still in danger, there would be no time for caution. Only pain.
She moved through the building quickly, listening for signs of life. At this hour, there were scant few workers and the clinic rarely kept patients overnight. The top floor was quiet. She kept moving.
As she reached the first floor, the sound of a door clicking shut at the back of the clinic spurred her into motion. She bolted towards the sound, only to come to a sharp stop when she caught a glimpse of red and black through a cracked doorway. She pushed the door open completely and breathed out heavily at the sight of Tim, alive, on an exam table. Dr. Thompkins was there too, snapping on a pair of nitrile gloves. She looked up as Cass entered the room, but her attention didn't stray far from her patient. Focused and unsettled, but not on guard. Not like she would be if there was an enemy nearby.
"He's alright. He's been shot, and he's badly concussed, but he's not going to die. You can call off the cavalry." Leslie said, her voice slightly hoarse at the late hour.
Cass raised a finger to her ear to report in. "Tim is okay. Dr. Thompkins is here, no one else." She ignored Batman and Oracle's overlapping reprimands of "names" to turn and sprint down the hall to the latch she'd heard a moment ago. But when she opened the exit and looked out into the night, whoever it was was long gone. She frowned in frustration, but it didn't matter. Oracle would find them.
The roar of the Batmobile's engines thundered through the air as it came racing down the street, and Batman was jumping out before it came to a complete stop. Black Bat held the door for him as he came barrelling towards her. Her father was not near as relaxed as Leslie. There was fear in his shoulders, unwanted memories in his step. He was thinking about Jason. Always about Jason when one of them got hurt.
She followed him back to the exam room and watched him deflate slightly at the sight of his son, alive and somewhat well. He started to grill Leslie, but she scolded him to let her work in peace.
Black Bat cocked her head slightly. Leslie was avoiding both of their gazes, focused just too intently on cleaning Tim's wound.
Black Bat's even voice cut through the air with ease, "You saw."
Batman stopped and looked at her, then at Leslie. "You know who brought him here."
Leslie pursed her lips and stilled her hands for a moment. "Yes. Yes, I do."
She looked up at him the same moment Oracle's clipped voice spoke in their ears, "Batman, it was him. It was Red Hood."
Dr. Thompkins sighed as Batman's face darkened, the lines in her face resigned but not cowed. Cass silently moved forward to stand at Tim's other side. He was still wearing his mask, Leslie wouldn't remove it, and his face was pale and pinched underneath it. Even unconscious, her little brother looked tense and afraid. Afraid of Red Hood? She reached out to hold his hand.
Batman growled into his comm, "Track him down. Spoiler, take Robin back to the Cave. I'm in pursuit-"
Leslie stopped him in his tracks, "In pursuit? You most certainly are not in pursuit. I mean- good gracious, you think he did this?"
Cass wasn't sure why the doctor sounded so incredulous at the thought given Red Hood's history, but she looked down at Tim again. His wounds were sparse, all things considered, and if Red Hood was the culprit, it didn't make sense for him to bring Tim to the clinic. The shot in his abdomen was not the work of a master marksman. It was more likely the doing of those low-level thugs. Batman should have caught that. They both should have.
"Why the hell would he bring Red Robin here for treatment if he's the one who did this?" Leslie continued, "Use your head."
Batman turned, face carved from stone. "Did he say anything to you."
Leslie stepped away from the table to grab some gauze, apparently convinced that Batman was no longer going to leave. "Yeah. He apologized for barging in, dumped the kid on the table, and left. He has some manners, at least." She shot Cass a half-hearted glare when she said this, and Cass thought guiltily that she might have busted the hinge on the rooftop door.
"You seem unconcerned about having a mass murderer break into your clinic."
Leslie looked incredulous, "Hood? Bruce... Hood's dangerous, sure, but not to me. He's brought people by here before. Crooks, vagrants, all types needing help. This is no different."
Batman's eye slits narrowed, but his reply was cut off by Oracle.
"I've got a trail going cold, are we pursuing or not?"
Batman hesitated, in the midst of a stare-down with Leslie, and Black Bat decided for him. She still had some energy to burn from the unsatisfying end to the previous chase, and it was unlikely they'd find Hood at this point anyway. Not on his home turf. Better for Bruce to stay with Tim.
"I will go. Tell me where." She stepped around the table and towards the door. Batman watched her go, but didn't stop her.
Black Bat stepped back out into Gotham's smoggy air and took to the rooftops with Oracle's mechanical voice as her guide.
Leslie was right when she said Batman wasn't thinking clearly.
Jason Todd made the whole family act irrationally.