During the 2 weeks after the fight, Tim's nest
Tim had been sulking in his apartment since the fight. The only debrief the family got from Bruce was that Jason was done and never welcome back to Gotham; no more Redhood.
Tim called Jason a few times but as expected, he got no answer. It didn't make sense, why would Jason just shoot Penguin? They worked together not too long ago; they kicked future Batman/Tim in the butt together. Jason and Dick worked on the KG-Beast case at the circus and the outlaws. Things have been going good, until they weren't.
Jason killed Penguin.
Jason broke the golden bat rule, again.
Bats don't kill.
Bruce told them to stand down, that he was handling it. So they did. Tim watched the news and from what the cameras caught, Roy Harper showed up and knocked out Bruce and helped Jason. Tim started tracking the pair with the purpose of bringing them in that is until he found the footage of Alfred driving around the scene like a mad man with his phone in hand; RED FLAG. Tim pulled Alfred's phone records. It was a massive violation of Alfred's privacy but Tim thinks Alfred would forgive him someday. Alfred had been calling Roy and Jason telling them to run.
Alfred was telling Jason to run.
Something went terribly wrong.
Gotham was too quiet after the fight. There was no news on Penguin and no official reports of his death.
Alfred was telling Jason to run.
Tim was a smart person. He discovered Batman's identity at 9yo! He was really smart. Alfred telling Jason to run meant one thing, Alfred saw something through the cowl's footage that made him disregard the fact that Jason had killed Penguin. Tim tried to pull the footage of the cowl, which was a pretty easy thing considering that he had the highest clearance and access to the batcave's servers.
He couldn't access the files of that night; he tried every override code he could think of but couldn't access the files from his own server. Tim was a better hacker than Barbara, that was a fact everyone loved to deny, but it is what it is. Tim tried to get to the cave's computer through the clock tower and discovered that Barbara was helping Bruce find Jason.
Something was wrong. Bruce never encrypted cowl footage that well and if he needed to find someone, he'd ask Tim not Barbara.
Tim did what he does best. He worked the case. He hacked into the outlaws' base and started reading their case files. They'd been doing good work and their filing system – thank you big brains Bizarro- was pretty impressive. They didn't have an open case on Penguin. So why did Jason go after him?
Tim retraced Jason's movements of the past few weeks. The only interesting thing was when Jason dug Willis' grave. Why would Jason do that? Willis is the reason Catherine became an addict in the first place, Willis is the reason Sheila left in the first place, Willis was the reason Jason's life went to shit and he had to take care of his mother and then himself on the streets before Bruce took him in.
Willis Todd, twenty to life, dead in Black Gate penitentiary
The surveillance footage Tim pulled from the cemetery showed Redhood digging up a coffin that turned out to be empty. Tim watched Jason shovel up the dirt from every angle he could find. Something caught his attention, a short, fat and blurry man standing with someone who seemed to have a rifle. Tim found a better angle; it was Penguin and a sniper. Why was Penguin watching Redhood dig up Willis Todd's empty grave?
Something was really wrong.
Tim kept working. He watched Jason dig and Penguin watch Jason dig. Then Penguin laughed and left. Then Jason seemed to yell something and fall to his knees. If Tim didn't know Jason he couldn't have known Jason yelled something before falling to his knees. Tim tried to find a camera that could've had sound on; he tried to redirect the closest satellite. He tried to understand what happened. Jason dug Willis' apparently empty grave for a reason, a reason that interested Penguin. It all goes back to Penguin. Tim hacked into Gotham General Hospital, he found Oswald Cobblepot's medical chart; Penguin was alive. Tim sent a drone to Penguin's room, the drone left a microscopic camera on the window.
"THIS DOESN'T MAKE SENSE!" Tim pushed his keyboard away, he went to his kitchen to make some coffee and think things through.
Jason shot Penguin point blank, in the face, Penguin is human, well not a Meta, he shouldn't have survived a lethal shot to the face.
"Jason didn't want him dead," Tim realized, "it was a blank, HE SHOT HIM WITH A BLANK."
Tim was so confused. What was the point? Does Bruce know?
Right! Bruce, what did Bruce do that made Alfred tell Jason to run?
Penguin had something to do with Willis Todd, he had to. Tim went back to his screen and pulled out the file of Willis Todd; he had a massive rap sheet, dealing, assault, domestic violence, assault with a deadly weapon, vandalism, so many colorful things. The records of Willis Todd in Black Gate show he sent letters to Ma Gunn's school for wayward boys. Every letter sent from prison is scanned and archived by the wardens.
Is it legal to archive the inmates' correspondences? Tim doesn't care, but Tim found the letters and read them. Faye Gunn was Willis Todd's mother, Jason's grandmother. Did she know he was her grandson when Batman brought him to her? Can't Jason catch a break in shitty families?
Willis wrote to Jason, admitting how much of a shit father he was, and telling Jason that the job with Penguin, the job that landed him 20 to life was a set up, he was the fall guy. Tim read the case file again, recognizing the cops and judge on the case; they were on Penguin's payroll. Willis and the other henchman were indeed the fall guys.
"Damn! Willis wasn't that bad," Tim whispered to himself as he found Jason's medical records from the instance Willis mentioned in the letters, "sure he's a criminal and hooked Catherine on drugs. But he tried to go straight, but I get it, your son might be dying, washing cars won't pay the bills! Way to make it Jason's fault douchebag! But at least he tried to reach out later on, make things right, I need to look into the science deal, but later, for now I need to access the cowl's footage. I should probably stop talking to myself."
Tim tried to get into the cave's servers again to no avail, Bruce was hiding something. Tim kept glancing back at the paused video of Jason on his knees in the cemetery. Something didn't add up, Jason seemed to be screaming. Why can't he remove that stupid helmet?
"The helmet! The stupid helmets record everything, I added that feature!" Tim yelled in excitement and hacked into the server the helmet uploads its feed.
"You can't! You can't make me care what happened to you! Not after everything you did to mom ... to me!" Jason said out of breath then screamed at the top of his lungs, "I DON'T CARE! I don't ... care. I don't."
Tim froze the agony in Jason's voice cut deeper than daggers, the sound of Jason's possible sobs muffled into the helmet as he repeated the words "I don't care" over and over until he finally got to his feet, made Tim tear up a bit. Tim waited for the entire feed to download; it must have recorded the fight. It has to have recorded the fight.
PING!
Patrol time. Where're you at?-Dick
"Right, patrol," Tim didn't feel like patrolling, he had to watch the fight from a different angle, Jason's point of view was a good start.
There was so much more to that night than what the news reported, and Tim was adamant on finding out the truth.
Timmy? Are you passed out on your computer again? –Dick
Tim had to reply, or Dick would show up here, and he wasn't ready to deal with that.
I'm working on something; I'll be out in a bit-Tim
The download of Jason's helmet feed was finally over. Tim's heart was pounding in his ears, he pressed play. He fast forwarded the part in the cemetery. Jason told Penguin who he was and Penguin laughed in his face.
"GREAT! So Penguin knows who we all are now!"
Jason shot Penguin then ran. Jason was now calling Artemis and Bizarro for help. Then he was surrounded by police officers who didn't seem to see him, huh, he'll have to ask him about that someday. Then everyone's attention was diverted to something in the skies and yelled about a building falling. Tim fast forwarded again until he saw Batman dodging bullets. He went back a bit and saw Jason about to jump from a rooftop repeating "please be there," but was yanked back by – probably- a grapple line and started shooting at Batman. He shot aimlessly at Bruce seven times. Jason isn't Floyd Lawton or Slade Wilson, but he's just as good a marksman. Jason doesn't miss. Jason is now on the ground, he starts standing up and taunts Bruce; of course he does. Bruce looks so pissed.
"Are we gonna do this AGAIN, old man?"
Tim was sitting at the edge of his seat, waiting for Bruce to ask Jason why? But Bruce doesn't ask, the screen is darkened by the heel of Batman's boot and Tim lost the feed.
"He kicked him in the face, he didn't ask him anything," Tim whispers horrified still staring at the static on the screen.
"I was a fool for ever believing in you"
Tim's head shot up back to the screen. How did he still have the audio feed? It was better than nothing. But did he hear Bruce correctly? He backed up a bit and played it again.
"I was a fool for ever believing in you"
Nope, Bruce definitely said that. How can he say that to Jason? The man had insecurities and self-deprecation coursing through his veins along with Lazarus water residue. Was Bruce out of his mind?
"You are a character. I've never seen you hit Joker that hard. And you hate him."
Leave it to Jason to taunt and mock the man who just kicked him in the face. Tim heard something; he's been in the vigilante business for too long, he could recognize the sound of a fist landing on a jaw. He looked for satellite feed, he couldn't find any; Bruce encrypted those too. Bruce started talking again.
"We had a deal. You could operate in Gotham City, you could stay free, if you didn't kill anyone. You shot the Penguin. Point blank. Unlike Batwoman you did it as the world watched it happen."
Tim could also recognize a tired voice, a panting voice, a choking voice; this is what Jason sounded like. Jason was testing Bruce, if he hadn't he would've told him why he shot Penguin and not this.
"So what? You know all the crap he's pulled over the years. The people he's hurt or killed. Or are you just sad about losing a play date?"
Another loud thud, this one Tim couldn't place, and then Bruce started talking again. Tim had spent years studying Batman, he knew how Bruce functioned. Bruce's voice was always a dead giveaway to his emotions and moves; at least it was for Tim. Bruce sounded determined, decided and ruthless. This was the voice of Batman landing his final blow.
"No more jokes, Jason. No more excuses. No more REDHOOD."
Tim was curled on himself, hoping that Jason would somehow fight back, as he clearly hasn't been able to since the fight started. Tim was hoping Bruce would come to his senses. Tim was hoping Roy would finally show up now. But no Roy shows up after the explosion. There was a sound of something then someone spoke.
"No more talking! Batman make Bizarro's head hurt!"
"Thank god!" Tim whispered he listened to Bizarro comforting Jason a bit then the conversation in the outlaw base, something about a quantum door. Then what he thinks was Jason and Artemis kissing, he tried not to feel jealous at the moment. Then the explosion and Jason's agonizing screams for Artemis.
"You're standing right behind me aren't you?" Jason asked through labored and wheezing breaths which indicated cracked ribs.
There was the sound of a blow, very close panting in pain, some crying too, another blow, then another, then someone falling to the ground. Then there was the sound of something ripping and the dragging of boots on concrete and Bruce started talking again. Tim couldn't listen anymore. He was too emotionally drained, he was holding his breath. He was shaking on his chair. He looked at his desk and saw the shreds of a paper he didn't realize he was even holding.
"I've got you buddy." Roy's voice came like Christmas morning.
Tim let out a breath of relief, but the recording continued. It was mainly Roy begging Jason to not go into the light as he drove his truck probably.
"Jaybird if you see the light, flip it off and come back alright? We still got a lot of shit to do! Come on man! Don't die on me!"
A lot of background noises were heard, a lot of static and grunts of pain, Tim was sure he heard crying close to the mic of the helmet but he wasn't working with that assumption. The audio played for another hour. Tim was glued to his seat, ignoring all of Dick's messages as well as Bruce's. He couldn't even think about Bruce right now without feeling the need to rip his head off his shoulders. Bruce didn't even give Jason the same courtesy he gave the criminals they put away, and Jason is his SON! An unfamiliar voice on the audio feed pulled him out of his "I want to kill Bruce," and "I should've gone to the scene," internal speech.
"He's crashing! Give me the pedals!"
"Clear"
"Come on Jaybird, baby, come on, come on, come on."
"Again!"
"Clear"
"AGAIN" Roy yelled.
"Clear"
"We got a pulse!"
"Let me remove his helmet," Roy said and Tim lost audio feed too.
Did Roy call Jason baby? Not the time, Jason coded, this was really bad. How hard was Bruce hitting to have caused a code? Jason had enhanced strength and faster healing due to the Lazarus water, so Bruce wasn't holding back AT ALL.
What the hell did Alfred see? Tim had to find the cowl's footage.
"Tim? Why are you staring at a black screen?" Dick's voice echoed in the apartment.
Tim turned to face his oldest brother; Dick was in his Nightwing suit but looked like he just finished patrol.
"I told you I was coming out in a bit," Tim sounded exasperated.
"That was six hours ago, we got worried," Dick walked up to the desk Tim was sitting on, "what's going on?"
"Nothing," Tim dismissed Dick.
"Tim, you've been missing patrol for two weeks now, Bruce was worried-"
"Yeah right," Tim let out without thinking.
"What's that supposed to mean?" Dick wasn't exactly defensive in his question but he wasn't, not defensive.
"Nothing, have you heard from Jason?" Tim cursed himself, he didn't want to talk to Dick about this without the full story, although he's not sure how much good Bruce's side of the story was going to add, what he found was enough.
"Jason killed Penguin, he's a criminal," Dick said in a pained voice.
"Except he didn't," Tim thought screw it.
"Listen, I know you still look up to Jason, he was your Robin, and you guys have come a long way in the past few years, but he killed Penguin and the whole world saw, some people-"
"Penguin is alive, Dick," Tim showed Dick Penguin's chart and footage of him in the VIP wing, alive and kicking.
"That has to be fabricated, Tim come on he shot him in the face-"
"It was a blank," Tim turned up the volume of Cobblepot's room, "I planted the camera last week. I've been working the case."
"No news Sir, we think the Bat might've killed him this time, you really don't remember much?" one of Penguin's bodyguards asked.
"Nothing," Penguin's venomous voice ringed in Dick and Tim's ears, "just Redhood walking up to me."
"That's good at least," Tim said to himself as he looked up something in his apartment security feed.
"Okay so Penguin's alive, why didn't Jason tell Bruce it was a blank?" Dick immediately laid blame on Jason.
"Because Bruce didn't give him a chance to speak, he didn't even ask him anything," Tim glanced over his shoulder and saw Cassandra and Stephanie coming in.
"Where the hell were you?" Stephanie snapped and Cassandra nodded.
"I found something, pretty disturbing," Tim said after a few controlled breath, he then told them about everything he found, they all looked like him like he was crazy. It reminded him of the time he was the only one who believed Bruce was still alive. "I have proof."
"Show us," Stephanie was the only one who could speak.
They read the files, they saw the letters. Tim only let them read the one where Willis told Jason about the job that got him 20 to life. He knew Jason wouldn't want them reading his father's letters. Tim also showed the case file and the officials on Penguin's payroll. They watched Jason in the cemetery, they listened to the fight, they listened to Roy panicking, they listened to Jason coding.
"I haven't been able to access the cowl's footage, or any satellite footage of that night," Tim said, "so I don't care if Jason had actually killed Penguin. Bruce didn't hold back or try to talk."
"Okay!"
Dick stood up then sat back down. He stood up again feeling his muscles twitching. He's been at the receiving end of Bruce's fists, though his heart stopped before the fight with Bruce. The fight was all about keeping Dick dead. Dick knew what Bruce was capable of; Dick didn't need the cowl's footage, but Dick never thought Bruce would actually cause that. He had to focus, he had to calm down and think, because Tim was clearly in a horrible mindset at the moment. Tim has been working the case since the fight and has stumbled upon shocking discoveries. Dick had to take charge, he was the eldest brother. Did Jason still consider him a brother after that? Did he have the right to consider himself Jason's older brother?
How many times was Dick going to fail Jason?
"We need to think," Dick said.
"This is bad," Cassandra said, she was re-watching whatever video feed there was, studying every move Jason made "Jason was-"
"Distraught," Stephanie said still not fully recovered of the coding bit, "B shouldn't have gone so far!"
"Okay! We need to think! We need to find the cowl's footage," Dick felt so guilty for simply going home and ordering pizza that night, god he was a failure as brother and as a hero, "we need to find Jason before B does."
"Barbara is helping Bruce find Jason so I suggest we don't involve her," Tim didn't say anything without showing evidence of it; "Alfred knows something."
"Alfred knows everything," Dick nodded, "I'll call him, we need all the evidence we can find before we take this to Bruce."
"What do you think will happen if we take this to Bruce?" Stephanie cocked her eyebrow carefully glancing at Tim who was even paler than usual.
"We need to hear his side of the story," Dick told her but was clearly not convinced with what he was saying.
"When Kate killed Clayface she got a family edition trial. She was questioned and her side was heard. Jason shoots Penguin with a blank and he gets a kick in the face as a hello? He doesn't even ask him anything? Jason is his SON! He adopted him! I'm not excusing Jason shooting Ozzy, but seriously? Did you not hear what Bruce said to Jason? Did you not hear the medics say he coded? Dick this is serious! There is no time to spare anyone's feelings or wait for story time a la Bruce! You need to go and get Damian out of the manor!" Stephanie all but yelled at him.
"What?"
"Do you want me to spell this out for you? This is straight up ABUSE." Stephanie was never close to Jason, but she knew a thing or two about abusive parents, "Damian might be an asshole assassin baby, but he's a child and he's in danger there!"
"Bruce would never harm Damian," Dick sounded like he was trying to convince himself.
"I have a plan," Cassandra said as she stared at Bruce from Jason's eyes, the scary sight that was the Batman ready to end things.
"Share it," Stephanie squeezed Tim's shoulder.
"We go to the cave when B is on the computer, I drag him to spar without letting him lock the system, Tim opens a way in for full access," Cassandra explained, "then we see, but Steph is right, Damian shouldn't stay there."
"Of course Steph is right," Stephanie said.
"Hey, Jason, it's Dick! Your brother, listen, I know screwed up and I don't deserve your trust but I want to fix this! Please let me know you're okay!" Dick spoke into his phone avoiding the eyes that were glued on him, "Roy, please! Call me as soon as you get this! Let me know if Jason's okay!" he wiped his tears and left Tim's apartment.
The very next day
Cassandra and Bruce are sparring. Tim is on the computer, and Damian is spending the day with Dick. Tim finds a lot of videos Bruce wouldn't want anyone to see. Tim finds a file labelled Ethiopia; he can't check anything in the cave with Bruce in close proximity, so he writes a code that copies every file Bruce has on the encrypted server and uploads it to Tim's most secure alien tech proofed server. Tim might not be as smart as Bruce, but Tim is more pissed at Bruce than humanly possible, he covers his tracks and checks on the status of the upload, it's going to be slow. Bruce will find the virus eventually, but by that time it would've been too late. Alfred is suspicious of Tim and Cassandra, but is too tired to care. They called him down to the cave because Cassandra "accidentally" dislocated Bruce's shoulder during their sparing session.