Chapter Text
“What do you mean?” Dick demanded, “There is nothing to do with religion in that message. It’s about Heroes.”
“Master Tim once confided in me that he did count himself as a member of any particular faith. In fact, he classified himself as Agnostic with leanings towards Agnostic Theist; if only based on his interactions with Miss Cassie. However, he also stated that if he were to follow any religion, he would subscribe to his mother’s family’s faith of Judaism.”
“Alfred,” Bruce interrupted, “You said you saw a message?”
“Saint Anthony.” Alfred motioned at the screen once again, “A Catholic Saint is a rather odd message for Master Tim to leave behind.”
“Saint Anthony?” Steph turned to the message.
“Master Tim has, of course, used the traditional abbreviation for Saint.” Alfred continued, “However, his message is very clear.”
“Letters not symbols.” Bruce muttered, “He hid the letters in the symbols. Oh Timmy, you always were too smart. You out thought us all. We thought you would overcomplicate it.”
“And instead he kept it simple.” Dick smiled slightly, “Okay, next question. What does it mean?”
“The full title,” Alfred stated clearly, “If I remember my lessons correctly, is Saint Anthony of Padua, Master Richard. He is also most famously known as the Patron Saint of the Lost.”
“Not helpful.” Steph snapped, “We already know he’s lost.”
“Father,” Damian inserted, “There is a Project Padua at Wayne Enterprises. It is not a Project I am supposed to know about, however I overheard it being discussed by two scientists. When I mentioned it to Drake, he was upset that I knew about it. He told me not to talk about it, that it was beyond top secret. However, it was not anything to do with our Night Jobs, so I did not need to worry about it.”
“Babs?” Dick turned to the computer.
“Already on it, Boy Wonder.” Babs was blunt, “Project Padua is a DARPA Contract. Classified as Eyes Only inside WE. Although it could be classified differently for DARPA. The Project is developing a device known as Lily Stalk. Someone was having fun with the names, because Saint Anthony is often portrayed with one. It’s basically a tracking program.”
“Ya mean Timmy told us howta find ‘im?” Jason was eager to voice exactly what they were all thinking.
“No such luck,” Babs was clearly reluctant to puncture their hopes, “It’s reportedly still a prototype. Still in development. The concept though… This isn’t just something the government would be interested in… This is Bat-level tech. I’m impressed. If this was active… There wouldn’t be a place on this earth that could hide our Timmy.”
“Then why leave a message about it?” Dick frowned, “There’s no point.”
“No.” Bruce breathed slightly in fear, “Barbara, has the Project been hacked by anyone other than you?”
“Not successfully,” Babs reported, “But there’s been multiple attempts. Dating back before Tim got snatched… Oh god. They grabbed Tim.”
“Tt. We already knew that, Gordon.” Damian chuffed.
“No, kid.” Jason hissed, “We found out Timmy was missing. We didn’t know who they took. They didn’t catch tha Red Robin. They nabbed Timmy. They didn’t get tha Hero.”
“They took the civilian.” Steph’s voice was barely more than escaping air.
“And Tim’s such a fucking idiot,” Dick hissed, “That he won’t fight with everything he’s got. He’ll keep the secret above all else. Oh god… He’s let them hurt him.”
“Nah,” Jason shook his head, “Don’t think like that. Timmy’s smart. He held back ‘till he could get away! He knew what ta do. He’s fucking smart! It works in his favour. They need him alive!”
“Then why hasn’t Lucius received a ransom demand?” Steph countered.
“They don’t need to send one.” Babs answered, “Tim is the CEO. He has the access they want.”
“They just need to get him to use it.” Bruce agreed.
“Gentlemen and Ladies,” Alfred spoke up, “Sustenance and Slumber are required if you intend on utilising your deductive prowess in the future.”
“We can’t stop now, Alf!” Dick protested.
“No,” Bruce countered, “Go upstairs. Eat, shower and sleep. Preferably in that order. Alfred is right. We can pick this up in the morning. Damian, I will make your excuses with school for the rest of the week. Dick, you need to decide if you are going to work tomorrow or not. Jason, you have been running on far too little sleep ever since you came back Ecuador, and I doubt you got enough sleep there. Steph, you are welcome to stay the night as well, but you will sleep. Barbara, I cannot dictate to you, however you know the dangers of hacking while sleep deprived.”
“I’ll shut down for the night,” Babs conceded, “Once I have alerted the Birds. If nothing else having Black Canary and Huntress on the hunt means more sets of eyes looking for our lost Bird.”
“Good.” Bruce smiled, “We will find him. And we will bring him home.”
Alfred watched as all of his younger charges climbed the stairs up to the Manor.
“Master Bruce,” He turned to his oldest charge, “You also need rest.”
“I know.” Bruce pulled on his gloves, “But my son is out there. I can’t leave him alone for any longer.”
“You will be of little to no use to him if you are too exhausted, Master Bruce.”
“One more hour,” Batman promised, “I am just going to check the rooftop Tim called from. Then I will come back and rest. I promise.”
Alfred watched in silence as the Batmobile screeched out of the Cave.
“You fear what you will find on that rooftop, Master Bruce.” Alfred murmured, “Else you would let the others come with you. I pray you are wrong.”
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Jason’s eyes narrowed as he followed Dick up the stairs to the bedrooms. Damian had gone before them; almost retreating with Titus into his bedroom.
Dick wasn’t headed for his room. Or rather he wasn’t headed for his room now. He was going into the room he had lived in for many years.
“Arrgh!” Jason heard a muffled scream.
He dashed into the bedroom. It was bland. A guest room. Nothing distinctive.
Unless of course, you counted one Dickie-bird face down in the pillows, screaming his head off.
“Get a grip!” Jason snapped, “You ain’t helping!”
“He was asking for me.” Dick snarled back, “Me. Not you. Do you have any idea how rarely Baby-Bird asks for help?”
“Ah got an idea.”
“He never told us he was spending Christmas alone. We literally had to trick him into coming over, so that he could spend time with us. I promised myself I wouldn’t do this again.”
“Do what?”
“Screw up! I screwed up with you. I blamed you for things that weren’t your fault. I took my anger at Bruce out on you. And I never forgave myself for that. I should have been there. I should have been there in Ethiopia. I should have been there for you!”
“I wouldn’t’ve wanted ya. I weren’t inna good mind then.”
“So? I could have helped. I screwed up with you. And I know it. Known it for years. I didn’t even get to your funeral. Although that was because Bruce didn’t tell me about it for weeks. I swore I’d never do that again. I’d never put someone else at risk because of my anger. Because of personal stuff. Bruce didn’t want Tim. Not at first. God! Tim had an uphill fight the whole fucking time! Tim was my second chance!”
“Okay!” Jason reeled back, “That’s not a good thing. I know I call him Replacement. But you’re making him sound like he is one!”
“Oh God no!” Dick reared up, “He was so different to you. Even from the start. You were confident and sure. He was nervous. He used to hang back after each training session to spend time in the Cave on his own. One time I spied on him. He spent about ten minutes talking to your costume about how he would never be as good as you. But that he’d do his best. He’d keep Bruce safe… For you.”
“I’m starting ta think he weren’t right in the head back then.”
“Blame his parents. The rest of us do. But I can’t blame them for this… I screwed up. I left him. Alone and hurting. He wanted me! And I wasn’t there for him. I should have been. I swore that I wouldn’t let him fall! I swore!”
“You didn’t know.”
“I should have! I should have realized he had fallen off the grid! That he was drifting away from us!”
“He could ‘ave tried to…”
“No! He wouldn’t! Tim was different to the rest of us. He had parents at the start. For all that they didn’t fucking deserve the title. They never noticed him. Tim didn’t even have to lie to them at first. ‘Cause they weren’t around to notice what he was up to. And when Jack was fucking around… He might as well have not been. Took years for him to notice the bruises weren’t from Football tryouts!”
“A bit dim?” Jason ventured desperately.
“Didn’t play the blindest bit of attention to Tim. What kind of dad blows off his son on zero notice to make out with his Personal Trainer? That’s the king of family Tim’s used to! I should have seen this coming!”
“You couldn’t ‘ave known.”
“I should have! When Jean-Luc was running things Tim never said a bloody word!”
“What? When was Jean-Luc in charge?”
“You don’t know about Knightfall?”
“Knightfall?”
“Bane broke Bruce’s back. Bruce got Jean-Luc to take over while he recovered. Jean-Luc… Went kinda crazy. Fairly certain he killed a few people. But I’ve got no proof on that. I know he tried to kill Tim a few times. Threw him out of the Cave… Things got pretty bad. And Tim never once asked me for help. Or even told me what was going on. And he was not doing well at the time. Bruce wasn’t around. And his own parents were kidnapped!”
“Never heard ‘bout that.”
“Guess no-one thought to bring you up-to-date on all the old stories. But that’s the thing… If Tim didn’t ask for help then… Him asking for help now! That’s a big thing. And I betrayed his trust. I wasn’t there. I wasn’t there.”
“So what?” Jason shrugged, “You screwed up? Won’t be the first time. Won’t be the last. And at the very least you’re in a better position than me… I knew he was missing.”
“What!?” Dick reared off the bed, “You never said…”
“I didn’t think it was anything serious. I mean, it’s Timmy. How many times has he dropped off the radar and no-one noticed. Or if they noticed, no-one cared. The Titans called me. But I didn’t say anything. I didn’t care.”
Blocking the blow that came for his head was second nature. It was the work of a moment to twist and take Dick down.
He knew that normally he wouldn’t have managed to overpower the older man so easily. However, anger and exhaustion were giving him an advantage.
“He’s our brother!” Dick snarled.
“He’s your Second Chance.” Jason returned, “He got everything I wanted. The big brother. The father figure. Everything I had he got… And more. So yeah, when I realized that I had your attention rather than him… I wasn’t going to point you in his direction. If you went of your own accord, that would be different.”
“You’re jealous?!”
“I was never as good as you. You always were the Golden Boy. Then I died and Timmy came along. And he got a fresh slate. Never compared to you. Not like me. I was never good enough. But he was.”
“You think we never compared him? We never had to. He always compared himself to you. You were his benchmark. But even if we never said it… We thought it. And he knew that. I once overheard him throw it in Bruce’s face. And he could never get it right. Either he wasn’t enough like you or he was too much like you. At least I was still alive. You could see that I’m still human. That I’m not perfect. You were dead. All your good points were perfection.”
“He still got you.”
“That was because I screwed up, not you. That’s on me, not him.”
“But I still wanted you attention rather than you giving it to him. I knew you’d go looking if you knew he was missing. I just… I just wanted your attention for a few more days. I never… I never thought…”
“I know. You may not like him, but you’d never wish him harm like that.” Dick tapped out of Jason’s hold.
“Don’t like him? Have you any idea the number of times he’s pulled my fat out of the fire? Or the times he’s helped me out, without asking for anything in return.”
“Helped you out how?”
“Intel mainly. Fixed my computer once. Still don’t know what he did to it. Runs faster and better than it ever did before. He gets me gear sometimes. I don’t ask for it. It just turns up. Sometimes I hadn’t even told him what I was working on. But he just knew. He did it for me. And the brat. Reckon he watched out for you and the rest too… Just didn’t let on.”
“Sounds like Timmy.”
“Why’d you come into this room, anyway? It’s not yours anymore.”
“No… But it is Timmy’s.”
“Seriously? You gave him your old room? You really aren’t doing yourselves any favours. He stepped into your boots. He stepped into your room. Like I said, I may call him it… But you’ve been treating him like it.”
“I… I know… I expected… This room was filled with his stuff… And now it’s empty.”
“You really want him back?”
“How can you ask that?”
“Then make him a room for him. Not you. Not me. Not the brat. Make him a room that is his!”
“Okay… But we find him first. You’re taking me to his place tomorrow.”
“For what? There’s no clues there.”
“Because even Timmy can’t remember a seventy eight letter password without help. We’re gonna find that password.”
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The rooftop was less than a block from the warehouse.
Batman landed lightly in the shadows. For a long moment he did nothing but observe. Silently watching and cataloguing everything he could see.
There were the usual structures: the air-conditioning units; the entrance to the stairs; and everything else. There was also the usual detritus that a building gained over time.
Ghosting silently over the broken bottles and plastic wrapping, Batman moved towards the rusting fire-escape. Without a grapple-gun it was the logical method for someone to use to access the rooftop; especially if they were attempting to avoid detection.
A dried blood stain on the retaining wall marked where someone had leant for a while. Batman studied it and the scuff marks on the ground. A fairly basic phone lay nearby, blood staining the numbers.
Squatting down, Batman could almost perfectly position his missing son into the space marked out by all the tiny signs. He could picture Tim climbing up the fire-escape, seeking shelter and refuge until he could be extracted.
Exhaustion had forced the youngster into sitting down; exhaustion caused by his wounds, still bleeding and extensive. One leg wasn’t fully functional and so had been stretched out in front of him. It wasn’t a position he could have easily risen from. It was likely that Tim would have preferred to have perched on the retaining wall, but either feared being spotted or didn’t have the strength to stay upright.
He knew what he hoped for, but also knew what was most likely.
A single boot tread could be made out in the dirt. It wasn’t Tim’s, too large. And Batman had already managed to pick out bare feet on the rooftop, stained with blood. Tim hadn’t been shod when he had escaped.
Once Batman had photographed extensively and collected samples of virtually everything, he rose to his feet. He collected the phone; he knew he was hoping in vain for some clue from it, but he had to try.
He moved towards the edge of the roof, to start the journey home, when he stumbled.
“Clark,” He murmured, “I need you.”
Normally he wouldn’t ask for help. Not even when he really needed it. But sod his principles! This was his son he was talking about!
A rush of air and his closest friend was standing in front of him, in full regalia.
“What is it?” Superman asked, “I can’t see any danger.”
“None here.” Batman was blunt, “Get me back to the Cave. I’ll explain there.”
The arms around his shoulders and knees were familiar, as was the shoulder his head was leant against. The key points of his body supported and protected against the speed.
Mere moments later they were both in the Cave, Bruce leaning against the computer console as he pushed his cowl down.
“Bruce,” Clark looked at the dishevelled man, “What’s the matter?”
“Tim,” Bruce choked out, “He’s missing.”
“You sure?” Clark frowned, “He could just be undercover somewhere. On a case. You know what he’s like.”
“GCPD found his DNA at a crime scene.”
“You see!”
“On torture implements. And in a make-shift cell.” Bruce continued, “Someone took my son and tortured him, Clark. And I don’t know where he is. Or how he is.”
“I thought… Kon called me last week. I didn’t… I didn’t take him seriously.”
“He asked for help and you didn’t do anything.” Bruce’s voice was two shades away from accusing.
“It’s Tim!” Clark fired back, “You know what he’s like. He’s always got some plan or investigation or something on the go. I thought it was something like that. I mean this isn’t the first time he’s gone off the grid. When he was looking for you… We couldn’t find him for months. Then he just turned back up. Calm as you like.”
“Not this time.” Bruce’s voice was tight, “This time involves blood and pain and hurts. And they don’t have Red Robin… They have Tim. My little boy. My little detective.”
“The civilian.” Clark’s voice caught in his throat, “He’s defenceless. Who has him, Bruce? I’ll get him back. I swear.”
“We don’t know. We didn’t even know he was missing till the police told us. I let him stray so far from home that I didn’t even know he was gone! He could be dead and I wouldn’t know.”
“No. I won’t believe it. Tim’s resourceful. He’s a fighter. He never gives up. The kid is waging a one-man war against the League of Assassins. Have you checked if they have him?”
“Ra’s wouldn’t keep him in Gotham. And he’d never give Tim the chance to run for it.”
“Tim got away? Why don’t you ask him what happened?”
“Because he got away, but someone got him before we could.” Bruce fired back, “Not that it was hard. He’s badly injured, an issue with his leg, by the marks he left behind. And we didn’t get his message until four days after he got away.”
“You fear he got captured again.”
“With good reason. There was a boot print on that rooftop. Wrong size for Tim. The blood I am almost certain is Tim’s. As are the fingerprints I expect to find on this phone.”
“But you’re checking just in case.”
“Of course.” Bruce nodded, “I’m setting the tests to run.”
“Then you are heading to bed, I presume, Master Bruce.” Alfred’s voice came from the staircase, “Your sons are already asleep.”
“I won’t object.” Bruce sighed, “But get me up in the morning. I want to check out Tim’s office. Best to do it during office hours. As Brucie. Also can find out more about Project Padua. If we can figure out who might want it. We might figure out who has Tim.”
“I’ll set the Watchtower to look for him.” Clark promised, “There’s nowhere they can keep him hidden from us.”
“No.” Bruce’s voice was barely audible, “There’s far too many places.”
“Then we’ll search them all. You have my word, Bruce, we’ll find him. We’ll bring him home.”