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[the_caped_crusader]

Display Name: Batman
Profile Photo: link
Notes: Private to Cassandra Cain, Jason Todd, Terry McGinnis, Bart Allen, and Kon-El. A day or two after this

Tim hasn't checked in. I want a sitrep from everyone now.

Comments

Audio: RedHood

[robintohood]

Near Candy Factory Lofts. When'd you last hear from him?

[the_caped_crusader]

Yesterday. We haven't spoken since last patrol.

[robintohood]

Wasn't that long ago we last talked. It must've been before patrol. We live in the same building.

Don't suppose his tracker is any use?

[Jason knows there would be trackers on all the Robin suits]

[the_caped_crusader]

I'm on my way to it's last location. I'll keep you updated.

[robintohood]

[Something doesn't feel right about this]

I'm coming too. Where is it?

[the_caped_crusader]

No. We need to widen the search area, not narrow it. Terry is searching the North end, Bart is checking... around. I need you to look South.

[ he lands, crouched in the dark alleyway. ]

I'm here. Going silent.

[robintohood]

[Reluctantly, Jason starts to jump rooftops and make use of his grappling hook to head south]

Okay. Keep us updated.

[Jason sincerely hopes Bruce is just being paranoid again and it's not a Robin going missing again. This feels too familiar]

[thelastlaugh]

[The last place his tracker pinged is in a building in an industrial district. It's not far from a park, ie a place Tim might have patrolled near to keep an eye out for suspicious activity like kidnappings.]

[The buildings are mostly outdated 1920s warehouses that sit empty when they’re not being squatted in.]

[When he enters the building a scream echoes from another room. It's not an open one. It's the way someone would scream when they're trying to stifle it through a mouth held closed, teeth clamped shut.]

[But it is Tim.]

[the_caped_crusader]

[ this is immediately bad-- not what he was expecting. not here, at least. not yet. the detective training nags at him to take things slow, be cautious, but tim's screams set him off and he breaks into an immediate sprint to get his way to the door and barrel through it. ]

Robin!?

cw: dead animal

[thelastlaugh]

[When he reaches the room the scream seems to have come from, he finds...]

[A large jack in the box?]

[The handle turns on its own, in a rapid rendition of "Pop Goes the Weasel," but only a few notes play before the lid pops open.]

[A mannequin pops out on a large spring, only a torso and head.]

[The mannequin's face has clown makeup painted on it. It's dressed in three parts of Tim's uniform - his cape, tunic, and utility belt. The trackers were in the latter two articles of clothing. At the very least the mask wasn't left behind - Joker may have let him keep it on. There's a speaker at the mouth, where Tim's scream was projected from.]

[Pinned to the mannequin's chest is a dead Robin, speared by a razor tipped playing card.]

[A Joker card.

[here are no more screams that come out of the speaker, just a familiar laugh, a recording, repeating over and over.]

[the_caped_crusader]

No...

[ batman's eyes widen. he's here. he's here.

he should have known. should have been more careful. he should have made sure-- no. he had to concentrate. compartmentalize. figure things out. how long has it been? he'll be able to tell from the recording back at the apartment maybe. david could help, but that could compromise tim's identity... and his.

he had to focus. after a long moment of letting the anger and worry stew and knot itself inside of him, making his body rigid, he loosens his shoulders and approaches the box to retrieve the card, the tape, and anything else that he might find of interest.... ]

Audio

[kid_flash_found]

I haven't heard from him, and he isn't responding to my texts. Where do you need me?

[the_caped_crusader]

Nowhere yet. Sweep the city and tell me if you find anything.

[kid_flash_found]

Roger that. May take a few minutes.

ten minutes later....

[kid_flash_found]

Hey, what am I actually loking for?

[the_caped_crusader]

You know Tim's personal habits better than I do. Look in places I wouldn't.

[kid_flash_found]

Do places like that even exist? And what makes you think I'm smart enough to think of them?

Never mind. It's probably a stupid thing to ask. Oh, found his bike.

[A moment later a photo of Robin's bike and the coordinates ping through.]

[the_caped_crusader]

Good work. I'm close by. Check around for any clues and the others will rendezvous with you soon.

[kid_flash_found]

Roger-dodger.

[the_caped_crusader]

And Bart.

[ a pause. ]

Be careful.

[kid_flash_found]

Read you loud and clear, boss-man.

[He may lack perfect etiquette on comms, but he wants to find Tim, not join in wherever he's disappeared off to.]

Voice

[knight_shift]

[Slag.]

I'm at the docks. Haven't heard from him in a while.

[the_caped_crusader]

Michigan has two peninsulas, you'll have to be more specific. Which docks?

[knight_shift]

The northern ones.

Have you run into anybody who could've gotten the drop on him?

[the_caped_crusader]

Nothing yet. I'm on my way to his last known location. Kid Flash located his motorcycle close by.

Audio

[lowercase_el]

He didn't come home last night. I always wake up for a minute or two when he does.

[He's trying not to sound scared.]

Sometimes he disappears for a little while but he usually texts back eventually. I was just about to ask you guys if you'd seen him. He said something about trying to find out what happened to some missing kids.

I'll start doing some flybys around the shadier parts of the city and seeing if I can hear him with my superhearing.

Re: Audio

[the_caped_crusader]

[ his mouth purses, though that's obviously not visible. ]

...He didn't say anything to me about that. Did he mention locations? Names?

Re: Audio

[lowercase_el]

[Kon wracks his brain.]

No. I offered to help but he's always like "I'm handling it" about stuff. He doesn't take me up on any offers with stuff like that. I'm not exactly Mr. Subtle.

I should've convinced him to let me go along or to take one of the bats as backup. We have no clue about the lay of the land here.

[the_caped_crusader]

Get out of your head, Superboy. If he's in danger, he needs your head clear.

[ a pause. ]

Kid Flash located his motorcycle. I'm forwarding you the coordinates.

[lowercase_el]

Right. Right. Yeah, I need to focus.

[Focus. He had to focus. Agonizing over the what might have beens doesn't help Tim.]

I'll head there and coordinate with Bart on doing a search with superspeed. I'm not as fast as I was but we can fan out around it.

video; to EVERYONE

[the_caped_crusader]

[ the video opens to the empty room, the mannequin still bobbing gently, but the only sound that it emits now is the dull sound of it's spring jumping back and forth. ]

Everyone fall back to my apartment. We're on high alert.

[robintohood]

[Jason sees the mannequin. He also goes cold when he sees the clown makeup and Robin suit on it. No. That can only mean one thing. Jason immediately turns and heads towards Bruce's place]

Right.

[For now, he'll cooperate. They need to figure out where the bastard is first.]

Video

[kid_flash_found]

[Kid Flash is clearly on the back of Robin's bike, the engine purring. Sorry, B, don't get mad, but he hot-wired it so they won't have to leave it for someone else to try to take.]

I'll be there as soon as I can. Taking the back streets just in case. KF out.

Re: video; to EVERYONE

[knight_shift]

[The second he sees the mannequin, Terry's rocketing towards Bruce's apartment. Joker having Tim was the worst possible scenario.]

I'm on my way.

And we need to talk. This could be worse than any of you realize.

video

[lowercase_el]

[He takes it in. Understanding dawns.]

No.

[It's a quiet fear that's always been there, hanging over the heads of Tim's friends. After all, the reason Young Justice had faced so much scrutiny, had been assigned team mentors as guidance, wasn't just so they avoided screwing up while protecting people. It was also because they were young heroes in a world where all their mentors knew the worst that could happen to their sidekicks.]

[Because Tim was the third Robin and the second hadn't stopped because of a costume and name change like Nightwing.]

[Kon's always known this day might come. That he might be out on patrol in Gotham and fall into the Joker's hands. He just hadn't expected it here.]

[He's pale as a ghost, his voice shaken.]

Heading there.