Tim is back in Titan Tower, looking out the window as he makes plans to return to Gotham to deal with the latest crisis but as he zips up his bag, he hears a noise from behind him.
"Hey Tim," Tim turns suddenly to see a man in jeans, a leather jacket and a red metal helmet that covers his entire head. Tim recognises him as a new threat in Gotham; The Red Hood. He'd been muscling in on a lot of the local gangs and drug lords.
"I was here first."
--
The memory flashes back to a few years earlier before Tim had become Robin. He's at the funeral he has not been invited to but he couldn't help but watch from a distance as the coffin for one Jason Todd was lowered into the ground. Robin, the second Robin had died. At the time Tim didn't know the details but he would later found out that he'd been beaten and then blown up by the Joker in Ethiopia.
He stays hidden but watching the grave for hours after everyone but Bruce and Alfred have left.
--
The Red Hood pulls off the metal helmet, but even under that he stills wears a domino mask. He talks about how Tim had it easy in his life, with his father and the roof over his head. How he lived on the streets and had to learn how to survive. As he does so he rips the clothing from his body, revealing an older version of the Robin uniform that Tim wears now. The way it's stretched over his chest and arms show how much Jason has grown since Tim last saw him, before his apparent death.
And it is Jason without a doubt who springs to attack Tim screaming,
"Show me, Tim! Show me what you have that I DIDN'T!"
Jason's first attack takes them through the damn wall of the building and into the stairwell. For a moment they just fall before hitting stair and rolling to stand.
"You were this kid, worried about how Batman was spiralling down into darkness. You spent weeks tracking the dark knight. Solving a mystery on one else could."
Jason rambles on as they trade blows, Tim always on the back foot and being pushed further and further down the stairs.
You discovered who he was behind that mask. Millionaire Bruce Wayne. You were so pleased with yourself, I'm sure. that you forgot who you were really dealing with."
A couple of smoke bombs are thrown and the fight is obscured in the haze but you can still hear Jason monologuing. Tim leaps from the stairs and flips to land on the bottom, it's the even ground he needs.
"I know Bruce Wayne and let me tell you, Tim. If someone was trying to find out who Batman really was. If someone was trailing him for weeks."
It wasn't weeks though, it was years. Tim followed Batman and Robin since he was only nine and not once did Bruce notice.
"He'd know about it. You can't be that good."
Jason jumps and follows Tim down but as he lands, Tim jumps forward and lands his first solid blow to Jason, a good right hook to his chin.
"I am."
He is that good and he won't be belittled by someone who has no idea who he is. Even if it's Jason. The Robin that died. The fight continues on. Both are bleeding from cuts and scrapes. Jason's cape is in tatters and Tim is limping before he's able to dodge a batarang that goes through the window before Jason tackles him out of it seconds later.
The hall they land in is dark, Jason looms over Tim's form as he slowly picks himself up. Jason clearly has a moments advantage but large shadows fall over them. They are in a hall full of large statues and Jason becomes distracted.
"Look at this. Statues of the fallen titans. Aquagirl. Hawk. Dove. you even have Kole for god's sake. but where's my statue!?"
Jason lashes out at the statue of Donna Troy, the first Wondergirl. Despite being so large the blow is powerful enough to shatter her at the knees and she crumbles down.
"I WAS A TITAN TOO!"
"What do you want? Do you want to be Robin again? Is that it? You want to take it away from me?"
Tim is staggering to his feet but Jason's advantage is gone and the moment of peace seems to have given him a second wind.
"Why in the hell would I ever want that? Don't you get it? When I died. No one cared! No one remembered me!"
As he vaults of Jason and comes at him with a series of blows to the torso and face.
"Are you completely insane? No one could forget you. I've spent my career wearing this mask under your shadow."
For a moment he is relentless and Jason is on the backfoot as Tim drives him back.
"I had to convince Batman to let me try this. All because he'll never stop blaming himself for what happened to you. You ask me that's the only reason he hasn't taken you down. He's holding back. But me?"
His staff cracks Jason across the skull.
"No freaking way."
But Jason only seems amused at the beating, even as he bleeds from the face he chuckles at Tim's efforts.
"That's the Robin I wanted to see."
Jason has grabbed a handful of concrete dust and throws it in Tim's face, blinding him from avoiding the payback Jason delivers.
"Still, you do realise the whole idea of training a teenager to fight against something he'll never eradicate is a mistake. It didn't surprise anyone when I did. When I failed."
Tim is thrown and beaten back and forth. Jason is merciless and looks like he doesn't plan to stop until he's beaten Tim to a pulp.
"I failed but I'm still beating you. Do you think you're that good now? Do you really Tim?"
Jason breath heaves from the effort he's put into pummelling Tim into the ground. He pulls Tim up by his tunic, ripping the Robin symbol from this chest.
"Yes."
But still Tim insists but it's the last thing he does before Jason delivers the last blow needed to send Tim into unconsciousness.
--
Manji will wake with a start and for a moment he can still feel the lingering beating delivered by Jason Todd; the Second Robin and technically Tim's older brother.
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"Hey Tim," Tim turns suddenly to see a man in jeans, a leather jacket and a red metal helmet that covers his entire head. Tim recognises him as a new threat in Gotham; The Red Hood. He'd been muscling in on a lot of the local gangs and drug lords.
"I was here first."
--
The memory flashes back to a few years earlier before Tim had become Robin. He's at the funeral he has not been invited to but he couldn't help but watch from a distance as the coffin for one Jason Todd was lowered into the ground. Robin, the second Robin had died. At the time Tim didn't know the details but he would later found out that he'd been beaten and then blown up by the Joker in Ethiopia.
He stays hidden but watching the grave for hours after everyone but Bruce and Alfred have left.
--
The Red Hood pulls off the metal helmet, but even under that he stills wears a domino mask. He talks about how Tim had it easy in his life, with his father and the roof over his head. How he lived on the streets and had to learn how to survive. As he does so he rips the clothing from his body, revealing an older version of the Robin uniform that Tim wears now. The way it's stretched over his chest and arms show how much Jason has grown since Tim last saw him, before his apparent death.
And it is Jason without a doubt who springs to attack Tim screaming,
"Show me, Tim! Show me what you have that I DIDN'T!"
Jason's first attack takes them through the damn wall of the building and into the stairwell. For a moment they just fall before hitting stair and rolling to stand.
"You were this kid, worried about how Batman was spiralling down into darkness. You spent weeks tracking the dark knight. Solving a mystery on one else could."
Jason rambles on as they trade blows, Tim always on the back foot and being pushed further and further down the stairs.
You discovered who he was behind that mask. Millionaire Bruce Wayne. You were so pleased with yourself, I'm sure. that you forgot who you were really dealing with."
A couple of smoke bombs are thrown and the fight is obscured in the haze but you can still hear Jason monologuing. Tim leaps from the stairs and flips to land on the bottom, it's the even ground he needs.
"I know Bruce Wayne and let me tell you, Tim. If someone was trying to find out who Batman really was. If someone was trailing him for weeks."
It wasn't weeks though, it was years. Tim followed Batman and Robin since he was only nine and not once did Bruce notice.
"He'd know about it. You can't be that good."
Jason jumps and follows Tim down but as he lands, Tim jumps forward and lands his first solid blow to Jason, a good right hook to his chin.
"I am."
He is that good and he won't be belittled by someone who has no idea who he is. Even if it's Jason. The Robin that died. The fight continues on. Both are bleeding from cuts and scrapes. Jason's cape is in tatters and Tim is limping before he's able to dodge a batarang that goes through the window before Jason tackles him out of it seconds later.
The hall they land in is dark, Jason looms over Tim's form as he slowly picks himself up. Jason clearly has a moments advantage but large shadows fall over them. They are in a hall full of large statues and Jason becomes distracted.
"Look at this. Statues of the fallen titans. Aquagirl. Hawk. Dove. you even have Kole for god's sake. but where's my statue!?"
Jason lashes out at the statue of Donna Troy, the first Wondergirl. Despite being so large the blow is powerful enough to shatter her at the knees and she crumbles down.
"I WAS A TITAN TOO!"
"What do you want? Do you want to be Robin again? Is that it? You want to take it away from me?"
Tim is staggering to his feet but Jason's advantage is gone and the moment of peace seems to have given him a second wind.
"Why in the hell would I ever want that? Don't you get it? When I died. No one cared! No one remembered me!"
As he vaults of Jason and comes at him with a series of blows to the torso and face.
"Are you completely insane? No one could forget you. I've spent my career wearing this mask under your shadow."
For a moment he is relentless and Jason is on the backfoot as Tim drives him back.
"I had to convince Batman to let me try this. All because he'll never stop blaming himself for what happened to you. You ask me that's the only reason he hasn't taken you down. He's holding back. But me?"
His staff cracks Jason across the skull.
"No freaking way."
But Jason only seems amused at the beating, even as he bleeds from the face he chuckles at Tim's efforts.
"That's the Robin I wanted to see."
Jason has grabbed a handful of concrete dust and throws it in Tim's face, blinding him from avoiding the payback Jason delivers.
"Still, you do realise the whole idea of training a teenager to fight against something he'll never eradicate is a mistake. It didn't surprise anyone when I did. When I failed."
Tim is thrown and beaten back and forth. Jason is merciless and looks like he doesn't plan to stop until he's beaten Tim to a pulp.
"I failed but I'm still beating you. Do you think you're that good now? Do you really Tim?"
Jason breath heaves from the effort he's put into pummelling Tim into the ground. He pulls Tim up by his tunic, ripping the Robin symbol from this chest.
"Yes."
But still Tim insists but it's the last thing he does before Jason delivers the last blow needed to send Tim into unconsciousness.
--
Manji will wake with a start and for a moment he can still feel the lingering beating delivered by Jason Todd; the Second Robin and technically Tim's older brother.