Jason leaned his head against the car window. Venus was gone when he got back, much to his confusion. He was only gone for ten minutes, she couldn't have possibly gone far.
There was no use in trying to find her, Jason figured she'd come back to the car when she was done with...whatever she was doing. She was probably just chasing down some petty thief; that's the only logical reason he could think of that would make her leave so suddenly. And as much as Jason hated to miss out on that fun, Venus had the head start and she was probably on her way back already.
He sighed, wishing he had a phone. He'd have to buy one soon, with the well-earned money Red Hood receives from his crime circles. Sighing, he sipped his drink. Jason was really trying to wait for Venus; he thought they'd eat together, like old times, but their food was getting cold.
Nibbling on a singular fry, he glanced around again. She was nowhere to be found. He was starting to get worried now. It's been about half an hour, and there was still no sign of her. Surely no petty thief would take her this long to catch?
Jason decided to drive around the nearby suburbs after weighing his options. There wasn't anywhere else to go, and it was clear she wasn't coming back to the restaurant anytime soon.
Considering her knack for attracting trouble, Jason was just the slightest bit worried. He reminded himself that she can hold her own, but his reassurance really didn't help. Pressing harder on the gas pedal, Jason drove through the streets faster, glancing down each alleyway. He was no detective, but he was hoping she left a trail of clues to her whereabouts. It was highly unlikely considering that she was practically a ghost, but maybe he'd get lucky.
Rolling his eyes at the cliche, creepy neighborhood, Jason looked briefly down another alleyway and spotted something shining towards the back. The car continued to roll forward, and he quickly stepped on the brakes. Reversing, he climbed out of the car and into the alley, shoving his hands into his coat pockets. It was probably nothing, but Jason figured he'd have to be as thorough as possible if he wanted to track down Venus.
He furrowed his brows as he approached a motorcycle, a new model from the looks of it. Running his hands across the seat, he frowned deeply when he caught sight of the Wayne symbol on it. What could one of Bruce's vehicles be doing out here, of all places?
Jason shook his head and snapped a picture of its license plate, just in case. He watched enough detective movies to know it may come in handy. He'd leave it alone, though. If someone stole it, it was none of his business; he's been down that road before, and knew firsthand how rough it could be living in Gotham. Kudos to whoever stole from Bruce Wayne and got away with it.
He strode back to the car, but stopped when he saw a glint of metal by the wall close to the street. It looked as if it had been kicked to the side. "Shit."
Holding it up to the light of the streetlamp, he cursed again. It was Venus's tiny silver blade, the retractable one she always kept in her clothing somewhere. Venus was always a huge believer in being armed always, so Jason was definitely concerned when he saw her knife on the side of the street. He examined it closely; there wasn't blood on it, which was a good sign. Jason pocketed it and circled around the nearby area again, making sure that he didn't miss anything.
He even tried tracing her footsteps, asking himself 'if I were Venus, where would I go?' He knew she wouldn't be caught dead in such an unsettling place like this, so he quickly threw that strategy out the window. Instead, Jason wandered around the suburbs on foot, desperately looking for more clues. He didn't find any, however, which left him quite discouraged and angry.
Dick Grayson would've figured it out. He would've found Venus by now, by piecing together series of near impossible clues with just a glance at the alleyway. Jason is painfully aware of how perfect Grayson is, with his charming smile and dazzling eyes. He could do no wrong, whereas all Jason did was disappoint people. He could never compare to the Boy Wonder, even back in his Robin days.
Jason hated to admit that Venus and Dick had grown awfully close the past few years. He hated that he was her shoulder to cry on while Jason was gone. He tried not to show it, but Jason is an incredibly insecure guy, especially when it comes to Venus. Because without her, he wouldn't have anything.
Which is why he has to find her, even if it meant asking Dick Grayson for help. Jason doesn't hate Dick, he just resents him a little for being so damn perfect all the time. It's really not his fault. But other than that, they share a brotherly respect for one another, and Jason sometimes even finds himself enjoying the boy's company.
Jason never liked asking for help, so it was a huge blow to his pride to admit that he couldn't find Venus alone. But this time, it was necessary. They had just reunited; he couldn't lose her again.
----------------------
Venus mentioned something about Dick working with Gotham PD, so naturally, Jason drove to the police department in search for the Boy Wonder. He found him at a desk near the back of the compound, packing his belongings into several cardboard boxes.
He knocked casually on the metal desk, surprising the older boy. "Still up? Isn't it past your bedtime?"
"Jason," Dick smiled tiredly. "Couldn't get enough of me?"
"You leaving soon?" Jason asked, glancing at his almost empty desk.
Nodding, Dick collapsed on his swivel chair and spun around. "Yeah, I'm trying to get out of here as soon as possible now that things have died down. I've had more than enough of Gotham."
"You'll have to postpone, Grayson" Jason said unsympathetically, getting to the point. "Venus is missing."
He didn't know what he was expecting, but it certainly wasn't Dick completely dismissing him. Jason watched in annoyance as Dick waved his hand through the air and shrugged.
"She goes missing all the time, she just kinda does her own thing, you know?" The older boy spoke casually, sorting through a stack of papers.
Huffing, Jason crossed his arms. "Yes, I know, Dick."
"She went MIA for a few weeks back in February. Turns out she was all the way in London, with Zatanna," Dick added, oblivious to Jason's growing impatience. "I still don't know what happened! Or when she disappeared with Jade that one week and ended up in Tokyo. She just likes to keep busy, I wouldn't worry."
"I'm aware of her benders, but seriously, I have a bad feeling this time," Jason interrupted, a little more hostile than he intended. He showed Dick her knife, flipping it in his fingers. "Found this in an alleyway, along with a stolen Wayne vehicle. Isn't that a little suspicious?"
Dick furrowed his brow, attention now fully on Jason. "A Wayne vehicle?"
Jason smirked as he tucked the blade carefully back into his coat. "Your detective senses tingling yet?"
"Alright, hold on." Dick fished his phone from his pocket and dialed someone, holding his pointer finger in the air. Jason sighed and took a seat on his desk, arms folded. This could take a while.
"Yeah, listen. Is Venus with you or Jade, by any chance?" He ran a hand through his untamed hair, which was still annoyingly perfect, much to Jason's despair.
"Thanks anyways. Keep an eye out for her, yeah?" Dick threw his phone onto the desk. "She's not with Jade or Roy. I don't know where else she would be. When was the last time you saw her?"
"About an hour and a half ago," Jason answered. "She was waiting in the car while I was getting food, so she wouldn't just purposely leave. It was our place. Either way, she couldn't have left the city."
Dick pondered for a moment, jumping a little when his phone rang. Not bothering to hide his snicker, Jason was quick to answer it after reading Roy's contact name, ignoring Dick's glare.
"What's up, Roy?"
"Jason, is that you? You're hanging with Dick and not me? Some friend you are--ouch! Alright, alright."
There was a pause before Roy spoke again. "Jade insists that this is of upmost importance, so I'm just going to pretend like my feelings aren't hurt. But I expect to see you tomorrow or--"
A loud thump was heard from the other side of the line, making Jason wince. It sounded like Roy was wrestling someone for the phone, which really wasn't all that surprising. He balanced the phone on his thigh and tapped the speaker button, allowing Dick to hear the conversation too.
"Listen carefully Todd, Grayson," Jade's calm voice echoed through the room. The boys obediently leaned their heads closer to the device. If anyone knew where Venus would be, it's Jade. "If I'm right, Venus might be in serious trouble. I can't tell for certain just yet, but better safe than sorry, right?"
Jason's heart sank. Just when things were going right for them, something happens to fuck it all up. But no matter; Jason's prepared to do whatever it takes to get Venus back safely.
"Right," Dick chirped, propping his chin on his palm.
Jason wrinkled his nose. "Rhetorical question, Grayson."
"I'll ask around, but I don't have time to explain. Ask Tim, he'll fill you in. He probably knows a lot more than I do, anyways. Call me if you find anything, and please, for the love of God, don't do anything stupid."
She hung up, and Jason's lips thinned as he glanced at Dick. "What the fuck would that kid know?"
"He's sort of a genius," Dick shrugged, gathering his jacket in his hands. "Let's find out."
The two strode out of the police station purposely, Jason collecting a few guns and slipping them into his jacket on the way out.
Dick hesitated before unlocking his car. "Actually, I'll call him and we'll meet up somewhere. Wait here."
Jason watched the boy as he walked off, holding his phone to his ear. He didn't blame him, not really. Jason didn't even trust himself around Tim yet; his temper was much too unpredictable, and it's easy to target his rage towards the boy. So, it was best if he didn't know where Tim Drake lives.
Instead, Jason sat uncomfortably in Dick's car, fiddling with one of the handguns he stole. Venus hasn't mentioned anything about being in danger, but then again, it's been a busy couple of days. Knowing her, she probably underestimated whoever was targeting her. It's a problem both Jason and Venus share, as Bruce constantly reminded him back in his Robin days.
Venus's past was always vague to Jason; she never really told anyone anything about it, and nobody pushed her, assuming it was too traumatic to speak into words. Jason knows the gist of it. She was involved with very dangerous people, but she had assured him with that faraway look in her eyes that they were gone. And he believed her; why wouldn't he? She was telling the truth, but Jason realizes now that Venus might've been wrong. Who else would kidnap her? She's been staying below the radar the past couple of years; she even attended college for a few months. Venus has not made any new enemies, at least according to the criminals on the streets.
Jason wished Dick would hurry up. Venus can handle herself, but even she has a breaking point. He would prefer they get to her before that, before she gets hurt. She's been through enough already.
Dick returned with Tim in tow, the boy wearing a pair of dark sunglasses. Jason raised his brow. "That was fast."
"I was around," Tim shrugged, shouldering his backpack. "So what's the plan?"
"A little birdie told me that you might know why Venus is missing," Dick answered, getting in the car. Tim followed suit. "We're going to Jade's, to hopefully put the missing pieces together."
"So, spill" Jason commanded, polishing the gun with his shirt. Dick turned the ignition, and they were off.
"She's missing?" The boy asked, surprised.
"As of a few hours ago," Dick confirmed.
Tim shifted in the backseat. "Well, it started with this attack downtown. She was trapped in an alleyway with one of her friends by four armed men. She seemed disturbed by this encounter when when I talked with her a few days after."
"She told you this?" Jason interrupted incredulously.
"I mean, not really. I could tell something happened, and I knew she was in downtown Gotham that day; I ran into her at this nearby coffee shop. Anyways, I was bored and a little curious so I checked the security cams Batman placed throughout the city," Tim explained, crossing his arms. "I saw that whole thing go down. But it looked like the guys were shot by someone on top of one of the buildings; they weren't caught on camera."
"Batman has cameras in the city?" Dick asked, frowning. "That would've been helpful for the police department to know."
Jason furrowed his brows. He was the one who killed those guys, but he didn't know they were connected to all of this. Damn. He should've known; should've questioned her, should've been more attentive. Tim shouldn't be the one constantly checking in on her.
He felt guilty, all of the sudden. The recurring thought, the one that told him that he wasn't and will never be good enough for her, shot through his mind. He was so caught up in his own life, that he completely forgot about hers. He completely disregarded the fact that Venus might've been dealing with her own problems; he kind of thought her world would just be put on pause when he came back.
Usually, he was good at being mindful and aware of everything around him. It just makes him mad that he failed to pick up on Venus's behavior. Now that he thought about it, she was acting shady and jumpy earlier, just before the truck hit them. She was hiding. That would explain the huge sunglasses she wore.
"But that was just the start, I think," Tim added. "Her and Jade suspected someone was after her, someone from her past; I don't know why, exactly, but it had something to do with that attack. So I helped them track down these two scientists directly involved with making that super serum thing."
"Damn," Jason muttered, exchanging a sideways glance with Dick. Venus was hiding this from them why?
"I don't know what they were going to do with them, and I don't really want to know. Not after Venus's last...incident," Tim grimaced and quickly continued after seeing the confusion written clearly on Jason's face. "But they were dead by the time they got there. Both of them were killed just hours before Venus and Jade arrived."
Dick nodded appreciatively, like he had it all figured out. "That makes sense. So Venus was being stalked, and that truck thing earlier was definitely not an accident."
"I thought that was already established, Grayson," Jason grumbled. He peered through the rear view mirror at the younger boy. "Do you have any idea who it was, or where she is? We'll figure the details out later, the priority should be finding her."
"Sometimes you need to know the details in order to find them," Dick stated matter-of-factly. "A motive would be helpful."
"Maybe because she was the only survivor?" Tim suggested.
"Or failing to kill Roy," Dick mused, stopping the car in front of the apartment.
They began to walk towards Jade's room, Tim struggling to keep up with the older boys long strides.
Jason shrugged as he felt around his coat pockets, checking to make sure the guns were still there. "They might just not like the idea of having a survivor of all that run around free. They wouldn't want her spilling their secrets."
"Know where she is yet, Dick?" Jason asked passive aggressively. His lips were twisted into an impatient frown. They were wasting time thinking about hypothetical motives. They need facts; cold, hard, facts that would lead them straight to Venus. The longer they waited, the more likely it was that she ends up dead. And Jason refuses for that to even be a possibility.
Dick sighed loudly as they stepped out of the elevator. "You know that's not how it works, Jason. I know you want to find her, but patience is our best bet. We have to approach this level-headed."
"I am level-headed," He snapped, knowing damn well he wasn't. Rolling his eyes, he simply banged on their door. He could practically feel Dick and Tim exchange glances behind his back. Jason is fine, really. He just needs to get his girl back, and then he'd stop being such a raging jerk.
The door opened, and a long-haired blur grabbed the front of his jacket and tugged him inside. Dick and Tim followed after him, shutting the door securely after them.
Jade let go of Jason after dragging him into the kitchen where five phones lay on the counter. Her burner phones; the ones she used to call her shady, probably illegal contacts.
Straight to business, Jade planted her palms on the surface of the counter and leaned over. "Someone saw a young, auburn-haired girl running around Burnley in North Gotham. Estimated to be around 5'9 and was chasing a boy, a little taller than her with curly hair, through the streets. Sound familiar?"
Jason nodded in confirmation, surprised that Jade's contacts actually pulled through. "Sounds right. We were getting food in Burnley when she disappeared."
"Great. I wasn't sure I believed him," Jade smiled, relieved. She turned to Dick. "Any criminals in your database taller than 5'9 with curly hair?"
He wrinkled his nose. "You just named half of them. Your contact didn't catch the hair color?"
"No, he said Venus ran under a streetlight while the boy didn't" She responded, rolling her eyes. "Look, we're lucky we even have this lead."
"Extremely lucky," Dick added. "Can you give me your contacts please?"
"Can we focus?" Jason said, snapping his fingers. Addressing Tim, he narrowed his eyes. "Does Bruce have any cameras in Burnley?"
Tim's eyes lit up as he retrieved a laptop from his backpack. "Yeah, but they're spotty. He can't put cameras in every single crevice, you know?"
"Cool, get on that," Dick ordered. "Jade, who do you think is behind this?"
"Definitely someone part of Verlac's old squad. Somebody must've survived that fire, or maybe they just weren't at the house that day. I don't know, but they must've been trained by him too; they know how to cover up their tracks. And that car thing? Classic Verlac," She muttered, staring thoughtfully at her hands.
Jason's blood ran cold at the familiar name. He didn't know much about the man, but he did know that he was the man behind everything. He was to blame for Venus's past and her enhanced abilities; he practically built her, shaped her into the person she was today, for better and worse. Mostly worse, according to Venus. Jason was never one to judge.
Tim cleared his throat, turning his laptop screen towards the group. "A camera caught this, but it pretty much just confirms what we already have."
Leaning in, Jason watched the blurry figure of Venus chasing after a man, who's figure was almost completely out of the frame the whole video. The camera was placed at an awkward angle that barely caught the two of them in the frame at all; it must've been placed wide, purposely focusing on the sidewalks rather than the streets, which was where Venus and the mystery man were running. Tim was right; the short clip didn't help, but at least they know Jade's source wasn't bluffing.
"Great, that was a huge help," Jason muttered, curling his hand into a fist by his side. The anger was beginning to come back, and he was this close to leaving and tearing up the city himself. Surely, that'd be more efficient than gathering helplessly around a kitchen island.
"You said there was a motorcycle from Wayne Enterprises in the alleyway?" Dick asked, ignoring Jason's previous statement. "Tim, check out the cameras in the garage of the Manor from the past week. Go back further if you have to."
"A motorcycle?" Jade questioned with her brows furrowed.
Jason nodded and pulled out Venus's blade, handing it to her. "And this."
"This has sentimental value," Jade commented, examining the knife. "She would never willingly leave it behind."
"That's what I said!" Jason exclaimed exasperatedly. He ran both hands through his hair. "You done yet, kid?"
Tim hummed and then pumped his fist in the air. "Got it! Look familiar?"
The three gathered around his laptop, watching the security footage. It showed an individual dressed in all black stalking through the rows of vehicles, like he was simply browsing for his next purchase. They could make out the light shimmer of the person's brunette hair, as if it was gelled back. Smoothing his hands over a sleek, black motorcycle, the man kicked the kickstand up and rolled the bike quietly out of the garage.
"Damn," Tim cursed. "He didn't face the camera once."
"He was wearing gloves the whole time, too. No prints," Dick noted, rubbing his chin.
Jason frowned deeply at how difficult this was. He should've stuck a tracker on her, he knew he should've. It was something Bruce Wayne used to do with Dick, though he conveniently stopped when he took Jason under his wing.
"Are there any other angles we can see him from?" Jason tried desperately. Tim shook his head, and Jason felt like punching something.
"Wait," Jade spoke. She held her palm out. "Have you tried tracking her phone yet? She might still have it on her."
Dick smacked his head against his hand. "We probably should've done that first."
"What kind of detective are you? Isn't that the first thing people do when someone goes missing?" Jason glared at Dick, fists curling under the counter. They've wasted so much time already.
Ignoring Jason, Dick leaned over Tim's shoulder as he tracked her phone. "Bingo," Tim finally spoke. "It says she's in the middle of the woods, Gotham woods. But it's frozen; the location probably isn't accurate, she just ran out of service or something at this spot, I think."
"Great. Let's go," Jason said, irritated. Tim and Dick followed while Jade grabbed a duffel bag and jogged after them.
Roy came from the living room, bow and quiver in hand. "I'm coming too!"
"The whole gang's here," Dick mused as they all squeezed into Dick's tiny five-seater. Jason made a move to get into the front seat, but Dick stopped him. "Tim has the exact location. He needs to be up here in case anything changes."
Normally, Jason would argue. He might've even started throwing punches, but now was not the time. Venus was in trouble, serious trouble, according to Jade and Tim, and he would be a fool to risk her life. He was a fool to even let her get kidnapped. In truth, this all could've been entirely preventable if he had just stayed in the car. So, Jason squeezed into the backseat with Jade and Roy, grunting as they all tried to squeeze in.
His leg bounced uncontrollably as he gazed out the window, occasionally stopping to command Dick to drive faster. He felt dizzy, almost sick as his mind roamed, thinking of Venus. He thought of his own past; was Venus being tortured, like he was? Was she begging for death, or clinging onto the hope that someone would save her? Hope was a dangerous thing, something that eventually destroyed Jason.
Venus would just have to hang on for a little longer, her hope will not be misplaced like Jason's had. He was coming for her, and he'd tear Gotham apart if it meant she'd be safe.