RED

Eight

Dog sleeps on my bed that night. She has a perfectly good bed of her own, but company's company. Who am I, of all people, to complain? If only she'd get off my foot. I swear, there's got to be absolutely no circulation in there.

I make a mental list of the things I need to do for tomorrow. My guns are already cleaned and my knives are polished and sharpened. My helmet's in my bag, in decent shape. Ammo may be a problem, but we'll have to be resourceful with it later. There's only one thing unaccounted for: Louis.

I don't want him following me. Whether it's a trap or not, I doubt his interference will help the matter. The Outlaws, especially Artemis, have tough shells to crack.

Artemis. I could be seeing her tomorrow. And I honestly don't care if she plans on hitting me or hugging me, Probably both. In what order, I have yet to find out. Come on Jason, I chide myself. Don't get your hopes up, you idiot. You have to be ready for the worst. If there's one thing you've learned: High hopes fall hard.

Instead of even attempting sleep, I finish making my mental to-do list. I couldn't sleep if I tried; I'm wired enough to stay awake for a week. The fact that I pulled a Tim yesterday and had at least five shots of caffeine does not help. But it does buy me time to think. So yay.

I leave well before the sun even rises. Louis won't be getting up for at least another few hours. I take Dog with me to avoid suspicion. I'll drop her off at one of my safehouses before going to the park. I should have some more supplies there if I need it.

Dog's not a particularly loud animal, but every little creak in the hardwood gives me a mini-heart attack. I scribble down a note for Louis before grabbing his keys. 'Dog was getting restless. Took her outside. Be back soon. -Hoodie.'

Technically, I'm not even supposed to be leaving the house without Louis, but the board can't really enforce that anyway. This is Gotham, and I'm the Red Hood. The board's got other people to worry about if they're thinking straight.

The weight of my weapons is both comforting and familiar, giving me some peace as I follow Dog out the door. I slip on my helmet when I get into the car, partly for appearance's sake and partly to save myself from a smashed-in skull. Despite how often it gets shattered itself, It does do its job better than the new mask. And since I'm a little rusty at the whole vigilante-thing, I don't want to risk anything.

My closest safe house is one I don't use much and isn't stocked up with as many supplies as I'd like. Going to another one would take too long and I'd rather not go to the park in broad daylight. People still know who I am and some like me less than others.

I decide to leave the car at the safehouse too, opting to switch it out for my motorcycle. It makes me a little more recognizable, but I don't want to wreck Louis's car. He has enough to worry about as it is. I give Dog some food before I leave and pray that she doesn't get herself into any trouble.

The park's quiet. Too quiet. Even with senses enhanced by the Lazarus, I don't hear anyone. Trouble does find me easily, though, so I sit down on a bench. The sky's dark, even for this time in the morning. There's probably a storm on the way. I'm not surprised when big fat raindrops start to pelt down onto the concrete.

I'm pretty sure that whoever invited me here was waiting for the right Mood™ because as soon as I'm thoroughly soaked, does a boom tube-looking-thing open in the sky, too far up for it to be calculated properly. Two figures, tied up and masked tumble gracelessly to the ground, pursued by what looks like some C-lister's goons. I ready my gun and wait in the branches of a tree.

The figures hit the ground with a painful thud. I wince. If they were normal humans they would be dead by now. The goons surround them, and one yanks off the masks. My heart almost stops. It's them. Bizarro looks almost unconscious, and Artemis, even bloody and bruised, looks ready to explode with rage. How did they get caught? Artemis and Bizarro don't go down easily. This C-lister may be better than I'd thought.