Hello bats, you are more than 1100 readers, I am stunned by your dedication and for that thank you. The one-shot you are about to read is an inspiration from the movie Under the Red Hood and its fanfic on AO3, whoever wrote it will recognize himself. I don't have the image
The sun's rays gently warm the Tower of Titans. On the roof, a certain dark witch accompanied by a former assassin watches the sunrise, a habit they had developed since their respective arrivals among the Titans. They spent several minutes watching without anyone saying anything, it was a peaceful silence. When the sunrise is over, they come down from the roof to join the rest of the Titans. Arriving in the kitchen where she could see the rest of the team, Raven continued her morning routine by making herself some tea as Damian headed to the training room. She might never confess, but she likes to see Damian practice. No, she likes the old killer. She knew that he shared with her a past filled with suffering that was only meant to be used. She understood him and he understood her. Seeing Raven take a long, hard look at the new Robin pissed Garfield off. He didn't like this Robin, he was just too cold, annoying and vulgar, it was as if he was a machine devoid of emotion.
- What can she see in him," thought Garfield
- "You're okay, Hermano" asked Reyes
- "I'm okay"
- "Don't lie to me, I see you keep to stare at Raven's eyes on Robin."
- "I just don't know what she sees in him, he's just cold and rude"
- "They have a common past, they understand each other" explained Jaime
New footsteps are heard, those of Dick Grayson aka Nightwing and his girlfriend, Koriand'r aka Starfire.
- "Hi Kori" says Raven
- "Hello Raven, you're up good temper" says Kori
- "You think so?" she asks and sees her friend nodding
- "Didn't you fall in love with a certain bat" teases Dick, joining the discussion.
- "I don't know what you're talking about," says Raven as a blushing appears on her face.
- "Then why have you been watching it since we got here?"
- "I'm asking you what you're doing with Kori," she said before she walked away
- "Two birds that can't admit their feelings. " Says Dick with a smile
The day passes quietly among the Titans, until the evening an alarm sound. Gathering in the living room, the computer broadcasts live images of the Joker.
- "Titans here's the mission, we know that some time ago, the Joker arrived in Jump City to get experimental bombs and bring them back to Gotham. A single one of these bombs would be capable of destroying half the city. " begins Dick
- "Do we know where he is?" asks Terra
- "In a warehouse north of town"
- "I'm sure we'll get there easily," says Garfield confidently.
- "TT, if you leave with this mentality, you won't last more than a minute", warns Damian with his usual cold tone
- "He's right Garfield, the Joker is unpredictable and being overconfident can cost us our lives", explains Dick
- "Well, now that the situation is explained, Titans ahead" says Kori
The Jet of the Titans is quickly heading towards the warehouse located north of Jump City, an old warehouse that has been abandoned for some time but was still in good condition. On the way, Damian looked at Terra with a suspicious look. Since she arrived three months ago, he had found nothing on her and had a very bad feeling about her. Raven noticed that look and she was also doubtful about Terra but she wanted to leave the benefit of the doubt.
- "Damian, relax about Terra" says Nightwing
- I didn't trust her Grayson, I feel like she's hiding something big and bad," Robin whispers
- "I know she's only been on this team for three months but try to trust her. "
- "Okay"
- "I hope I don't regret it," Damian thinks.
As soon as Damian arrived on the scene, two trucks started leaving the warehouse and heading to Gotham. The Joker looks at the Titans' vehicle and laughs as usual.
- "AH! AH! AH! AH! Oh, the poor Titans are really unlucky, either he catches me or the trucks, OH! It must be hard to be a hero," says the Joker, playing with his expressions as if he were in the theatre.
- " Starfire, Raven, Beast Boy and Blue Bettle chase the trucks, Robin, Terra and I took care of the Joker. " explains Nightwing.
They understood the plan and dispersed. During the chase, the trucks split up, dividing split the Titans into two groups, Raven and Kori on one side and Blue Bettle and Beast Boy on the other. As for Robin, Terra and Nightwing, they chased the Joker who fled to the warehouse, but were slowed down by the Joker's henchmen. Robin and Terra were able to catch up with the Clown Prince of Crime, but his henchmen trapped Blüdhaven's bird, preventing him from helping them. The clown was in the middle of the room, which was quite small, and looks at them with a bad smile.
- "It's over, Joker!" Announces Robin before he starts
While he was in the middle of the road, his members were stopped clean. His gaze is directed towards the ground, where he saw rocks rising up to his knees. His eyes turned to Terra and he looked at him with hatred.
- "I knew we couldn't trust you, but if you betray us for the Joker, that's low even for you." Declare Damian with rage
- "Think what you want, but I don't care what you think. " replied Terra with a smile
- "Oh! Don't be too hard on yourself, kid, I've got a good way to relax you. " announces the Joker with a crowbar in his hands.
When he gets close to Robin, he strikes him in the stomach, bending him in half. But the clown's madness doesn't stop there, as he continues to hit the young murderer over and over again. All that pain was felt by Raven as she and Starfire were about to land on the truck.
- " AAAARRRRRRGGGGGGHHHHHHH !!!!! " shouts Raven holding her head
- "RAVEN!! Are you okay?!" Asked Kori, very worried
- "It's Damian, he's really not well," answered Raven in the same state as her friend
- "Go back to him, I'll take care of them"
- "Okay"
- "I don't have enough energy to teleport to him, I have to get as close as I can," thought Raven while creating a portal.
As for Nightwing, he knocked out the last henchman and started running towards the warehouse. In this same place, Robin's body was lying on the ground, the mask damaged, the costume torn, and not being able to move much. He saw the Joker, knocked Terra out before he opened the door.
- "Hey! here this little moment ends but we had a lot of fun, didn't we?" he says before taking up "Well, maybe I had more fun than you since you don't say anything more, so be good and go to bed at 9 o'clock. Oh! and tell our mutual friend that I say hello, AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH! AH!"
then he closes the door Young Robin, opens his eyes and manages somehow to get close to the door to realize that it was closed from the outside. As he leaned against the door, a small noise was heard and he saw a bomb indicating the time remaining, 10 seconds.
- "Robin, ROBIN, can you hear me" asks Nightwing
9
- "Hmm, I hear you" He answers with pain
8
- "Here, I'm coming"
7
- "Grayson, tell others I'm sorry" announces Damian
6
- "Don't say that, I'm almost there", cries her brother in panic
5
- "I love you, Brother. "
4
- "Stop. "
3
- "Tell Raven I love him"
2
- "STOP, PLEASE"
1
- "And said to Father, goodbye and thank you for everything"
0
The building exploded in front of Dick who cried in agony
- "DAMIANNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNNN!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!"
As for Raven, she arrived a few seconds after Dick rushes to the rubble of the building, not even taking into account Terra's body. Her friend's brother digs through the wreckage of the warehouse to find his little brother but what he finds will remain the worst moment of his life and in his own. She saw Nightwing holding Robin's bloody, lifeless body, without a mask, the costume barely covering the lower body, leaving only new scars at the top. As the other members reached the rubble, Kori looked at the body and fell to the ground trying to hold back her tears, putting her hand in front of her mouth. Jaime let several tears fall while looking elsewhere, not wanting to look at the remains of his friend. Beast Boy, he looked at the ground, clenched his fists and went to fetch Terra's body, still alive. As for Raven, she was crying her eyes out, her friend, was dead, she was right there, she couldn't move but was brought back to reality by Dick
- "Ra. . . Raven, can you open a portal for the tower, I gotta get back to the mansion, in. . . to announce it to. . . to. . . to. . . , damn it!" he asked, with tears in her eyes and a feverish voice
She nodded her head and opened the portal. Once inside the tower, Nightwing slowly makes his way to the Zeta tubes. Carrying him and his little brother's body into the Batcave. Inside it, Batman and Alfred were in front of the Bat-computer watching the news on how to prevent the bombs from arriving in Gotham. The sound of the Zeta tubes' computer made them turn to where they were.
- "Nightwing B 04"
They saw Nightwing, tears falling from his eyes, holding the lifeless body of Damian Wayne. At that sight, Alfred couldn't stop a tear from falling, it was a tragedy he didn't want to relive. As for Bruce, his whole world had faded away, leaving only him and his son's body. He got up and took his son's body and put it on the operating table. Tears were shed, he had not been there for his son and he can never be again, his 15-year-old son had been taken away from him.
Two years later
The alarm clock had been ringing for two minutes and that's when Raven turned it off. She's changed since Damian's death. She's become tougher on criminals and didn't trust Terra. She found it odd that she did not suffer much physical damage on that tragic night and she had started with Dick to investigate. It had also become darker, not making jokes like before and had also started to distrust Terra. When Raven came out of her room in her outfit, she went to the Titan's Lounge to pour herself a cup of tea. At that moment, Dick arrived by the elevator, in his Nightwing outfit, which was now in red, and started heading towards Raven.
- "How's it going on your end?" Raven asks
- "Not so much, the Joker planned his move well, no camera, that he, Terra and Robin, and if she used her power against him, since he was found knocked out, its power has dissipated", explains Dick while making coffee
- "So we have no proof that it was Terra who helped the Joker"
- "Unfortunately it is. " A few seconds of silence passed before the other titans entered the room. The morning is going as usual.
When the team reached the control panel, several images appeared, showing buildings and several boats delivering boxes of goods in the city of Gotham and destroyed Jump City.
- "Titans, we need to focus on this case. For some time now, criminals working for several crime lords have joined this man. " begins to explain Kori by showing pictures of a tall, rather thin man wearing a brown leather jacket and a shiny red helmet "He calls himself Red Hood, he and his henchmen have destroyed several criminal baron's headquarters and their drug merchandise in Gotham and Jump City"
- "Hmm, he's doing the work for us," says Garfield
- "Even though the crime rate is down, these people died without being tried! We have to arrest him and question him about his actions," Kori concluded
- "We know for a fact that he is in an abandoned warehouse near the western port of Jump City. A new shipment of drugs and weapons must take place here. " Dick continued
- "When do we have to go?" Jaime asked
- "Tonight. "
When the meeting was over, the titans returned to their quarters except for Raven, who was on his way to Damian's room. She often came to meditate, each time she did so, she had the impression that her friend was present in the room, ready to kill anyone who bothered her. This impression made her suffer because of the reminder of Damian's death even though it had been 2 years now, she felt like it was yesterday.
- "Would we like to talk to you?" Kori report
She nodded and went back to the middle of the room to meditate while listening to what her boss and friend meant.
- "We want to know if you're sure you want to be part of this mission?" Ask Kori worried
- "I want to be part of this mission, but I still don't trust Terra. " answers Raven
- "Okay, but is everything okay?"
- "I'm fine. "
As Kori got up to leave the room, Dick's voice was heard.
- "Do you see him?" questions does he
- "Yes, I see him, he's here watching the room. "
- "I see, even when he's dead he still protects you. " he says before getting up and going out with Kori
As he closes the door, he smiles and says to himself before heading to his quarters to get ready.
- "A little demon protects a demonic witch, how ironic. "
Time Skip
The titans have arrived in front of the warehouse, ready to infiltrate. The team split into 3 groups, Kori and Dick who went west from the warehouse, Beast Boy and Terra from the east and finally Blue Bettle and Raven from the sky. Their infiltration went smoothly, they heard the conversation of Red Hood's henchmen but no trace of their leader.
- " You sure this plan is gonna work "
- " Shut up and obey, you know the boss always has a backup plan in case something goes wrong "
- " And why would it go wrong, he's been training us for months, it's not the Black Mask guys that are gonna scare us "
- " What if the Titans come and stick their nose in our business? "
- The boss gave us the means to slow them down, we're safe. "
Their conversations continued until the Black Mask guys arrived in the warehouse with the cargo, as soon as the men come out, a flood of bullets kill them and they can't do anything about it. Red Hood's henchmen unloaded the weapons, which were mainly explosives and the latest generation of machine guns, and that's when the titans came out of hiding.
- It's the Titans, quickly Alpha Zeta 5 formation," the leader of the group shouted to his comrades.
At this order, the henchmen dispersed into several small groups but all had a knife in their hand, ready to attack. The fight was too long for the taste of the Titans, their opponents were good, too good for ordinary criminals, they had managed to give a few blows to some Titans and were also able to counter their powers. In the end, they were all tied up and Nightwing was closing in on one of the soldiers.
- "Where's your boss?" he asks
- "Do what you want, we won't tell you anything" he says
- "50,000 volts in the head hurt, you know?"
- "Take your chance, Nightwing, our boss must have finished on his side anyway. "
- "What do you mean?"
- "It means you're wasting your time interrogating them Nightwing" announces a voice in the shadows
A figure comes out of the shadows and frees his men before ordering them to prepare the material. With the men gone, the Titans looked to the man in charge, Red Hood.
- "You wanted me to see the Titans, here I am"
- "Just another overconfident guy who's gonna get beaten down " Beast Boy tells Terra
- "Says the weakest person on the team" says Red Hood
- "What the hell?!" Grumbles Beast Boy
- "Calm down Garfield, he's provoking you" Warns Dick
- "I don't need to provoke him to defeat him, or you for that matter" he announces before he pulls out his guns and shoots Garfield in the legs, preventing him from moving.
- "Argh!"
- "Beast Boy! Titans let's go" orders Nightwing
The Titans, except Garfield, set off against the mysterious Red Hood. Starfire rushed towards him and threw rays of energy with his hands, but were sent back by his gloves on Nightwing who could not dodge the 2nd ray that hit him on his left leg.
- Nightwing" shouted Starfire before turning back to his enemy
- "Gloves reinforced with plasma protection, useful when facing enemies without any fighting style"
At these words, the alien rushed at him. Raven heads to his leader to heal him, his gaze turned to their enemy who was putting his teammates down one by one. She saw him dodge the Starfire charge and hit him on the head, knocking him to the ground. Blue Bettle attacked from a distance but the Red Hood launched small electromagnetic bombs, preventing him from moving before also getting knocked out with a backward kick, sending him against a crate. As for Terra, she sent several rocks at the Red Hood which blinded her by throwing a blinding grenade, making her lose her concentration. Their enemy rushed to Terra to put a mechanical necklace on her. Seeing that necklace, Dick stood up after being healed by Raven and said:
- " I recognize that necklace, it cancels out the powers of the superhumans, we must save Terra. "
The two heroes set out to save Terra but they were also blinded by the grenades that Red Hood threw just after putting on this necklace. He knocked Terra out and ran off with her on his shoulder. The two heroes, having regained their sight, saw Red Hood running away on a motorcycle with Terra's body in the back, tied up. Raven lunges towards the biker, throwing his leader into the air so he can chase him while hovering. The chase lasted several minutes until Red Hood hijacked a truck carrying cars and knocked them off the road.
- Raven, take care of the cars, I'll take care of him," Dick ordered.
She nodded and with her powers she levitated the cars with some difficulty. As for Red Hood, he was able to propel himself on a roof with his motorcycle. The chase continued between Nightwing and Red Hood, during a jump, Dick wrapped a leg of his enemy with a cable but the enemy easily sliced it off with his knife. Landing on a roof edge, he throws a rope near a roof and goes through the station window. His pursuer joins him a minute later and freezes at the sight of a body attached to one of the building structures, the body is that of his brother, Damian Wayne. Then a sound is heard from the body which gets louder and louder before exploding, propelling Dick onto the subway tracks. Hurt and enraged, he saw Red Hood standing over him and said before he disappeared with the subway starting to arrive:
- "Always so predictable Dick!"
As the train was about to crush him, he was carried away by Raven's magic and put on the platform. Seeing that the Red Hood was no more, they returned to the Tower of Titans after retrieving the other members. In the tower, the atmosphere was cold, Dick had gone to get Batman to tell him all the information they had gathered, as for the others, they listened to what happened from Raven's mouth. Knowing that Terra was in danger with this man made the titans worried, but it was Beast Boy who was the most worried but also the most furious. Just as Raven said she had to let Dick chase Red Hood to save civilians, Beast Boy's anger exploded and hit the wall before his eyes turned to Raven
- "So you let her down?"
- "I didn't let her down, he gave me the order to save the civilians and that's what I did", replies Raven irritated
- "And why couldn't you join him afterwards? Can you teleport, I'm warning you?" Groans Beast Boy
- "I know Garfield, I have his powers not you and I know my limits, I couldn't teleport to Dick's position. "
- "Of course. "
- "What?"
- "That's just an excuse, I know you don't trust Terra from the start and even more so since your little assassin died" cries Garfield
- "I advise you to choose your next words, Logan", warns Rachel, red eyes beginning to appear on her face
- "I'm sure you did it on purpose, you think she was responsible for the death of that dirty murderer and you leave her to that Red Hood so he can kill her!! " howls Beast Boy
She had had enough, she knew that regarding Terra's safety, but right now, she didn't care how the team reacted, how Dick and Batman reacted if they came at that moment, all she wanted was to hurt Garfield. With these powers, she slammed him violently against the wall, making him scream in pain.
- "Raven, stop it!" Kori shouts worriedly
- "DON'T DARE TALK ABOUT DAMIAN LIKE THIS, HE WAS A HERO, BETTER THAN YOU WILL EVER BE" Raven screams with her demonic voice
as she begins to drive her teammate into the cracking wall, her friend's spirit materializes in front of her. He stood there in front of her, his suit torn and his green eyes filled with love for her, stepped forward and asked:
- "Habiti, did he hurt you? I can do it badly if you want me to, but you have to stay calm. "
- "Hurt him, walia 'amri," Raven whispered back, gradually calming down.
As Raven's eyes returned to normal, she saw her guardian move closer to her team-mate's body, still on the wall but not under Raven's control. He stood in front of Garfield and with a sadistic smile he struck him violently in the stomach, causing him to spit saliva.
- "Raven, that's enough, stop it right now!" Orders Kori by getting closer to her friend while Blue Bettle was doing nothing.
- "I don't do anything Kori, it's my guardian who protects me. " she explains
Starfire's gaze goes to Logan to try to see Raven's "keeper" but she sees nothing. The specter of Damian continued to strike his enemy before let it go and disappearing. Garfield's body fell to the ground, making him moan in pain.
- "Jaime, go take Garfield to the infirmary and Raven, we'll have to talk", says Kori
Obedient to its leader, Blue Bettle transports an injured Logan to the infirmary, at the same time, Dick and Bruce get out of the Zeta tubes to see that there was only Raven and Kori in the room. Intrigued, Nightwing goes to Kori and asks
- "Where's everybody else?"
- "Bettle takes Beast Boy to the infirmary" answers Kori
- "Why? What happened?"
- "He accused me of not coming in time for Terra and insulted your little brother by calling him a murderer", says Raven, answering the question asked.
Dick's anger rose after the statement but stores it for later, he goes with his mentor to the control panel and inserts a USB stick. The video of the fight and the chase takes place before the eyes of Batman and the Titans.
- "He's got a hell of a technique and although I hate to push hard" says Dick before being cut off by Raven
- "And that's what you're doing right now. "
- "I'm teasing, it's part of my charm, but all I'm saying is that this guy is resourceful. He's been trained and well trained. Look, he cut the cable before it tightened, it's not done that way, it takes practice, it learns", continues Dick, showing the scene where Red Hood cuts the cable.
- "And then there's the knife", informs Batman
- "That's right, how can a simple knife cut a cable made of three layers of titanium?"
- "I don't know, but right now our priority is to find out who he is and why he kidnapped the Joker. "
- "He kidnapped the Joker, so that's what he did when we took care of his men", concludes Kori
- "We're going to help you, Bruce. "
- "I appreciate it, Dick, but not for the moment, and you need to rest", says Bruce before entering the cave.
On his way home, Bruce goes to his computer to identify the voice of the mysterious Red Hood. During his first listening, he could not hear the individual's voice properly because of the train. After many listenings, he was able to identify when the train was passing and the suppress before listening to it one last time.
- "As predictable as ever, Dick!"
He rose quickly from his seat, knocking it down. He couldn't believe it but it was him, he had lost it and didn't want a partner to help him after that event. He was supposed to warn Nightwing the next day.
At the Titans
Kori and Raven were heading up to Damian's room to talk about what happened. Kori knew that the cause of this confrontation was Beast Boy, she knew that he had loved Raven for a long time and that he had become jealous when she got close to Robin. But now it became unstable whenever Terra was in danger, or was captured. Upon entering the room, Raven relives the ghost of Damian, forming again and standing next to her.
- "Raven, what happened?" Request Kori
- "Beast Boy pissed me off and I lost my temper, otherwise I'm fine. "
- "No it's not okay Raven, I know what he said hurts again but you almost lost control, he could have ended up in a much worse state than he is right now. "
- "He deserved it, he knew he shouldn't speak ill of Damian in front of me, he's lucky he didn't hurt more. "
- "So it was Damian who protected you. "
- "Yes, I don't know how but he's here, he protects me and calms me when I get angry. "
- "I understand, but in the future, ignore Garfield's behavior, you know he's just worried about Terra. "
- "I know, but that's not an excuse. If two years ago it was Dick who didn't make it, would you not have reacted the way I did if he'd said the same words?"
A long silence settled in the room and finally Kori walked towards the door and before closing it, she turned to Raven to give her answer.
- "I think I would have done the same thing. "
In an unknown place
It was a good night for the Red Hood, he had kidnapped both the Joker and Terra, two targets that hurt him in some way. As for these men, he made them disperse by thanking them for their services. But what surprised him was that if he needed their help, he could always count on them. He knew that trust was scarce, but after working with them for 1 year, they would still be loyal to him. He climbed into his base and opened the door before throwing Terra violently to the ground, waking her up.
- "Where am I, where are the Titans?" she asks, looking at the place where she was.
- "Oh! they're not here, my dear. " announced Red Hood as she walked towards a bag that was on the ground.
She was afraid, afraid of what was going to happen with this man, knowing that she did not know where she was. Wanting to use her powers to escape, she concentrated for several seconds to send her enemy against the wall but nothing happened.
- "Too bad my dear, I've put a necklace around your neck that cancels out your powers and I advise you not to try anything, this device can generate 150,000 volts, not enough to kill you but enough to make you scream. " explains his captor
- "Who the hell are you? and you didn't capture the other Titans?" she asked him
- "Oh, but it's very simple, they're not responsible for what happened to me. "
- "But I didn't do anything"
- "Really? let me give you a few pointers to show you what you've helped create. "
With these words, Red Hood took a crowbar out of his bag and approached Terra before beating her with several crowbars, starting with a kick in the stomach. She was in pain, her attacker took pleasure in beating her by spacing the blows a few seconds apart to make them more violent.
- "So, did the memory come back?"
- "Stop it, I don't know who you are, but stop it!"
- "You don't know? despite my indications? Tt "
At this tic of language, Terra's eyes widened in terror. The ghost from the past came back to get revenge on her.
- "Damian?" she says uncertainly
- "Tt, well, it took you long enough, but I'm not finished with you yet. " before moving to a gate.
When he opened the gate, Terra's blood cooled. The Joker was here with her, in slightly better shape than he was. His former teammate took the body and threw it next to Terra, who retreated very quickly. The clown stands up before putting a smile back on his face.
- " We're gonna play a little game, I'm gonna ask one of you a question and you're gonna tell me either stop or again. " Damian announces with a smile hidden behind his mask before walking towards the Joker and saying "so Joker my question is, should I continue or not to hit the person on the left?".
- "AH! AH! AGAIN ! AGAIN ! AH! AH! AH!"
- So be it. "
Heading towards the traitor with a gift under his arm, Old Robin approaches her and whispers in her ear before placing the gift in her hands.
- "Don't think Deathstroke is going to come and save you because he's slightly unavailable. "
When she saw what she was holding, she screamed in terror, she was holding the head of the one who would save her. In the streets you could still hear the cries of pain of a young girl and the laughter and cry of pain of the prince clown of crime.
The day after
The morning for the Titans was hard, they turned the whole city upside down, even asking for help from former Titans like Kid Flash and Speedy, but they couldn't find Terra's trail. It was when night fell on Jump City, that Gotham's Black Knight called the Titans to bring them to Gotham. Arriving in the cave thanks to Zeta hits, the Titans gathered in front of the Bat-computer where Batman was with a more serious face than usual.
- "Batman, what's going on?" Ask Kori
- "It's about Red Hood" explains Batman.
The team was in dead silence until Batman showed pictures and soundtrack of the chase.
- "He sent me a few hours ago the location where he wanted to see me and Dick, Kori and Raven," said the Dark Knight.
- "And we're just going to obey him?! Why don't we all go down there and force him to tell us where Terra is?" Groans Beast Boy
- " Because he's planted bombs in Gotham and Jump City, the same ones you stopped two years ago "
- " Where will this meeting take place? " questions Dick
- "Crime Alley" answers Bruce before going on to say "the second reason you're here, and that I've discovered the identity of the Red Hood" and then he starts the audio
- "Always so predictable Dick!"
At this listening, Dick and Raven's hearts stopped, not believing that the person who attacked them was him. Kori was shocked that he was back and hadn't returned to them. Jaime was very surprised as Garfield felt his anger take over.
- "Bruce, please don't tell me it's him," begs Dick as he trembles
- "It's him Dick, the Red Hood is Damian Wayne. " answers Bruce
A new silence ensues before Raven comes to her and informs Kori as well as Bruce and Dick that they should go to the planned place. They all agreed and went to the place to give, Bettle and Garfield searched for the bombs hidden in Jump City and Kid Flash, at Dick's request, searched for the bombs found in Gotham. They arrived after a few minutes at Crime Alley and did not see anyone until a projectile hit the wall. They raised their heads and saw him looking at them before retreating, the heroes chased him for a few seconds to the church a few meters from the street. They saw that their former team-mate's Costume was very different from the one he had in the warehouse, he always had the helmet, this time covered with a hood, instead of a brown leather coat, he wore like a long green and black coat with Arabic motifs on it. He wore white trousers with snake patterns, black boots and Two katanas on his back. He looks at the horizon before turning and speaking as lightning struck the cross in the church
- "I'm glad you could make it. "
- "All of this has to stop now!" says Batman
- "I know that too well, father. " says Damian before taking off his hood and helmet, dropping him to the ground
With the helmet off, Batman and the others could finally see his face. Damian's face looked a lot like his father's but the only difference they could notice was Damian's hair. They had become long, reaching up to the chin, and they could hardly see some white strands in front of her face.
- "Damian" says Bruce looking into his eyes
- "Yes, Father, it's me. " He's answering.
- "How?" Request Kori
- "The pit of Lazarus, Lady Shiva discovered that I died and brought me back to life with the well. "
- "But why didn't you come back?" Ask Dick
- "Very simple Grayson, I didn't have my memories, I was just an empty shell, without thought, without history, a body containing no soul. It took Shiva a year for me to recover my memory and imagine my joy when I found out that Terra was still on the team. " Declares Damian spitting as much hatred as he had about Terra.
- "Damian"
- "What are you going to tell me this time, Dick, that you didn't know she could do that, that she had been manipulated by the Joker and so she was forced to do it without her consent. "
- " ... ... ... "
- "You know what hurts the most Dick, it's not Terra's treachery, nor the dozens of kicks I got from the Joker and even less the heat and breath of the bomb explosion, no what hurt me the most is that even when I warned you about the lack of information about her, you preferred to believe in her that in me. "
The eyes of the Titans who came were ashamed, especially Dick's. During the 3 months, Damian warned her to investigate her subject to get to know her and find out who she is. But they didn't and because of that, Damian was dead and that was their biggest failure. Meanwhile, Bruce's gaze rested on Damian and saw him pull some cameras out of his pockets.
- "Damian, what are you going to do?" Request Batman
- "What I do won't do anything to you but I just want to have a chat with my brother" warned his son by throwing small devices at him, Raven and Starfire.
The two Titans and the Dark Knight reacted too late and these devices immobilized them and teleported them to an unknown location. Dick's attention turned to the disappearance of his teammates and mentor. A punch connected with his face and was thrown to the ground.
- "Get up and fight!" orders Damian
- "No, I don't want to fight you Damian" announces his brother as he slowly gets up
- "I said fight Richard" he says, kicking his brother's ribs as he gets up
- "No, I don't want to"
- "Then I should take care of Starfire"
- "No! don't do this!" begs Nightwing as he rises fully up
- "Then don't let me, you owe me this, since you're partly responsible for my death," exclaims Red Hood as he draws his two swords and rushes off.
Dick reluctantly took out his escrimas and hardly put on his brother's swords and made him move back a few centimetres. Blüdhaven's bird threw his stick at Red Hood, which deflected it towards the sky, but Dick had planned it and jumped to give a heel kick, while retrieving his stick. Damian eluded him very easily and kicked his brother in the face. The fight was one-way and Damian knew it, his brother didn't want to fight him and it frustrated him. He had a plan to force him, but he didn't want to do it, but what should be done, should be done.
- "You don't give me a choice, Grayson" says Damian
- " Don't do that, Damian!" cries Dick
- "I'm sorry about that" Damian ends by pressing the detonator he pulled out of his hand
The sound of an explosion is heard from the church and Richard's brain was no longer working, his younger brother just killed his girlfriend as well as his friends and mentor because he didn't want to fight. No! He didn't want to believe it, and yet his brother just did. All Dick wanted was to avenge Starfire and apologize for his inability to take the fight seriously. The clash between the two former Robins resumed again and this time, the fight was balanced. The two Robins beat each other up until Damian comes out of the fight and heads towards a dilapidated building, followed very closely by Dick. He jumps out of the window, smashing it, but as soon as he gets up he gets sent into the bathtub, smashing it.
- "Enough, it's over, Damian!" announces Dick
- "Ah Yes!!!" Howl Damian
He leaps on his brother, his fist forward, but gets caught and takes a knee blow in the belly that takes his breath away. Taking advantage of his brother's non-custody, Dick picks him up and puts him against the wall to his left before punching him in the face, probably breaking his jaw. Stunned by the blow, but knowing that his brother was close to him, he struck his leg violently. A crackling sounded, but Blüdhaven's bird did not weaken and swings its brother against the door, breaking it and revealing the room. Upon entering the room, he saw Bruce, Raven and Kori alive, tied but alive.
- "I know that we, that I couldn't save you, but let me help you and save you now", said Dick, reaching out to his brother.
Seeing his brother's posture loosened, Damian took one of the pistols that had it on him and pointed it at his brother who took a step backwards, allowing him to stand again.
- "Do you think that's the problem, that you let me die? I don't know what more clouds your judgment, your guilt or the fact that you're taking the whole burden of a mistake on your shoulders. Dick, I've already forgiven you for not saving me, but why don't you give me one good reason?" exclaimed Damian with Rage before breaking down the door next door and throwing both bodies to the side
- "WHY ARE THEY LIVING?!"
The Titans and Batman saw the battered bodies of the Joker, who continued to smile and laugh, and Terra, who was in a deplorable state. Despite Damian's reason for revenge, they were horrified at the state of Terra, who was breathing heavily.
- "I warned you many times that we knew nothing about Terra and you didn't even consider my concerns and even after I died, you didn't have the decency to stop it. "
- "We tried to stop him! Hell, we searched all the ruins of the building for any evidence to lock him up, but we didn't find anything. To this day, we're still looking for evidence. " Exclaims Raven surprising Kori
- " I guess you tried to get inside her mind "
- " Yes and we couldn't find anything, it was like those memories never existed. "
- "Well, I see I couldn't trust you to find the evidence. "
- "What do you mean?" asks Kori
- " The fact that Raven couldn't retrieve those exact memories was that they were stored in a chip in her hair, that's why she didn't remember what happened in the warehouse. " Damian replied to walk over to the Joker and resume
- "Aside from this problem with Terra, I'm going to ask you again Richard and you too Father, why is he still alive?"
- "It's not that simple, Damian. " Try to explain Dick
- "Ah yes! so for you it's simple to let him commit these crimes, it's simple to let innocent people die, it's simple to let loved ones like Barbara get hurt!"
- "Damian"
- "I thought I was the last person you'd let get hurt, we were the best Richard and I would have killed him to avenge you if you'd died in my place. "
- "You don't understand Damian, and besides, you always had a hard time understanding this. " explains Bruce, still motionless and captured.
- "What ? it's your precious moral code again that prevents you and Dick from killing just one person, why do you think you'd become worse than the Joker"
- "Because we'd become the bad guy, if Dick or I kill the Joker, it would be easy to take another life, over and over again. The line between justice and evil would become blurred and we'd be no better than the criminals we're fighting. " Explains Batman
- "He's right Damian, father's right," says an unknown voice.
At that precise moment, all the devices holding the superheroes disappear and an astral presence is created forming a person. It's Damian, but what it looked like two years ago. Heroes other than Raven were shocked by what happened, especially Dick and Kori who did not believe that the being Raven saw really existed. This being is close to Red Hood who pointed his gun at this shape of himself but he could not pull the trigger. This form serves its double in these arms and disappears in a blinding light. In the end, Batman and the Titans reopened their eyes and saw Damian on the ground, unconscious.
A few weeks Later
A lot happened after that incident. The Joker was back in Arkham, Terra was arrested and sent to Striker Island for collaborating with the Joker and for participating in Robin's assassination. This arrest initially pissed Garfield who attacked Damian when he returned to the tower, resulting in a broken arm and leg, but realized his mistake over time. The Titans had welcomed new members who are a new Kid Flash (Bart Allen), a new Robin (Tim Drake) and a heroine calling herself Batgirl (Stephanie Brown). Dick and Kori still stay with the Titans and even got married, but they don't know what happened to Raven. She disappeared at the same time as Damian, who still hasn't resurfaced.
One night, while Nightwing was on patrol in Blüdhaven, he saw on a rooftop, a man staring at him beckoning to see him.
On these guards, he approaches but immediately notices that the man is his brother.
- "I thought you weren't coming to see me?"
- "You can't be too careful, where have you been, little D?"
- "Stop calling me little D, I'm bigger than you. "
- "But not older. "
- "Ah ! To answer your question, I was at Parbat. "
- "Why?"
- "This has nothing to do with you, Grayson, the only thing I can tell you is that the league is not allowed to attack Gotham, Blüdhaven and Jump City without my permission. "
- "It's reassuring, but why did you want to see me?"
- "I wanted to warn you that I'll be in your city more often and in Gotham with my team. "
- "You got a new team? and the Titans ? " asks Dick surprised
- "I don't want to be a Titans Dick anymore, bad memories won't help me but if you need help, I'll be there. "
- "Damian, I. . . . . . " Dick tries to say before his brother answers a call.
- "Red Hood to Oracle, what's going on?"
- "Black Mask has seized an Amazo and is selling it on the black market"
- "Okay, I'm on my way, warns the team"
- " Very Well "
- "Sorry Dick, I have to go" said Damian, leaping off the ledge to be caught by someone Dick didn't recognize
Damian watched the members of his team, consisting of Wonder Girl (Cassie Troy), Super Boy (Jon Kent, who is a clone) and his new girlfriend Raven, head for Gotham.
- "Are you ready?" Ask Damian
- "Always", they replied
- "So let's show them Gotham is Outlaws territory. "
Oh!!! A huge cliffhanger for a possible sequel? That's for you to decide because you have that power. I'll tell you to soon for the end of a series of one-shot, I'll let you guess which