Chapter 4: Fair Warning

The muscles in Jason's arms rippled and beads of sweat dripped down his forehead as he lifted the barbell.'Forty-seven...forty-eight...forty-nine...fifty,' he counted to himself in a steady rhythm.Strength training had been his favorite exercise since his early days working with Bruce. He wasn't the fastest or most agile of Batman's students, but when it came to raw power and endurance, few could compete with him.On a good day, Jason could fight Batman to a standstill. Even Damian—who had almost no respect for anyone but himself—admitted Jason was one of the greatest fighters he had ever known. He was a master martial artist, mechanic, tracker, and interrogator...most of which he learned during his training with the League of Assassins. Under the guidance of Talia al Ghul, Lady Shiva, David Cane, and Bronze Tiger, Jason learned how to play to his strengths. It turned out he was a born marksman, something he never would have realized if he stayed with Batman. Jason's ability to push the limits, take risks, and utilize his fearsome reputation made him an asset to the family's mission...even if they didn't always see it that way.Jason was currently hiding out in the training area on the lower level of the Batcave. Earlier that night, he and the majority of the Bat Family busted a Santa Priscan cartel that managed to enter the Gotham drug trade. The team spent the past few weeks hunting down the buyers and suppliers and piecing together the network. They narrowed down the cartel's distribution center to an abandoned shipping yard once owned by the Falcone family.Jason wouldn't have been involved at all if their investigation hadn't overlapped with a case he was working on. An old informant at Sionis Steel gave him a tip about a possible drug deal happening between Black Mask and a mystery supplier. The product turned out to be cocaine laced with trace amounts of Venom, enough to be lethal to any novice or unsuspecting drug user. Once Jason discovered the supplier was the same cartel Bruce was tracking, he wasn't going to stand by and let him take all the credit for the bust. He could have gone home after the mission was over, but there really wasn't a better place to train than the Batcave.Just as Jason finished his reps, the screen on his phone lit up with a text message. He quickly peered over his shoulder to see if anyone else was nearby. Dick was up on a platform in the corner of the room practicing on the rings, too far and too focused to pay him much attention. Jason rarely got messages on his phone, so if anyone in the family happened to see, their noses would immediately be in his business.He swiped the screen to reveal the message. It was from Scarlett.Scarlett: Hey ❤️ You still awake?Jason smiled to himself. He and Scarlett had only been seeing each other for two months, but being with her felt like the most natural thing in the world. So natural that it was difficult to resist the temptation of following her upstairs after their first date. But that wasn't the kind of game Jason played, and he wasn't going to ruin the first real relationship he'd ever had by trying it. Scarlett was the first girl that made him want to start doing things the right way. Even if their relationship ended in disaster, for reasons he couldn't explain, she made it worth the risk.Jason typed in his reply.JAY: Hey. Isn't it past your bedtime, doll?Scarlett: Definitely, lol.Got home from a shoot two hours ago. It was a rough one.I'm dead tired but can't manage to fall asleep.JAY: Yeah, I know the feeling.Scarlett: Why are you up so late?Not that I'm complaining.JAY: Spending time with my family. 😒🤮Scarlett: Aw...poor baby. It must be so hard...being forced to spend time at the big mansionwith your billionaire dad.JAY: Joke all you want,but you have no idea how frustrating he can be.Scarlett: Sorry. I know...I'm the last person whoshould tease you about family problems.Wish I could make things better for you.JAY: How so?😏Scarlett: Behave yourself, Jay...JAY: Not in my nature!😉Scarlett: Haha!Anyway, are you free this weekend?JAY: Ur asking me out this time? Feeling bold, are we?Scarlett: Maybe a little. 😇A new sushi place opened up a block from my house.We could eat in or get takeout. Whatever you want.JAY: So considerate!But letting me into your apartment is risky.I might not leave...😈🍆🍑Scarlett💖🌹: OMG, Jay!!! 😳😝Suddenly, another text message came in. It was from the family group chat.The Fucked Up Brady Bunch (Group Chat): 7 membersOracle_Lady👽: Jason, get off your phone!Bruce has a job for us.Jason glanced up from his phone to the central computer on the upper level, where Barbara was no doubt hiding behind the oversized monitor. He shook his head."And they say I'm immature," Jason said to himself. He wished Scarlett goodnight, then reopened the group chat.JAY: We're all here in the cave together.You could have just yelled, you know.BatDad🦇: Computer. Now.CrazyCatLady😼: Ooh...someone's in trouble! 😈DemonSpawn666👹: This group chat is ridiculous.Why am I receiving messages when I'm not even on the same continent?Also, what did Todd do this time?BatDad🦇: Focus on your training mission, Damian.The_Other_Robin🐣: Jay's about to get a lecture...again.CircusBoy🎪: I'll get the popcorn! Jason pocketed his phone and headed up to the main level of the cave, Dick hot at his heels. Barbara was sitting at the computer with Bruce leaning over her shoulder. Tim and Selina were sitting on the med bay nearby."I was checking the security cameras at Port Adams when I saw this...," Barbara began, moving her hand over the holographic keypad. She zoomed in on a symbol painted on the side of a yellow shipping container. It appeared to be the head of an animal circled by a written message."Why does that symbol look so familiar?" Selina asked."It's the head of the Egyptian god Anubis, the insignia for the League of Assassins," Bruce replied. "I've seen this kind of marking before. The League uses them to communicate with their members in hiding. Barbara, run a scan of that text. If the League is planning another attack, we need to act fast.""Unless it already happened," Tim said. "We don't know how old the message is."Barbara pressed a few buttons on the keyboard, activating a digital scan on the screen. A second later, a message appeared in the corner of the monitor reading, "DIALECT NOT FOUND.""It could be an early form of ancient Egyptian that we don't have on record," Tim chimed in."I've also seen this before. It's not Egyptian," Jason commented. "I don't understand it either, but it's definitely a warning.""How do you know?" Barbara asked."The League has a long-standing rule—if one of their assassins fails to complete a hit, they become a target.""No loose ends?" Selina asked.He nodded. "But killing a rogue isn't easy. With enough training, they can use their knowledge of the League to stay one step ahead. That's why the higher members of the League usually order the hits. They're more experienced and know how to fly under the radar. They write symbols like this to alert members of their personal guard. My guess is they want a former League member dead and they don't want that person to know what the message says. That's why it's not written in a modern language we can read.""Putting a threat on the side of a shipping container at the city's most trafficked port isn't exactly discreet," Dick joked."Maybe not to us," Jason said. "But those dock workers won't know what it means. It just looks like graffiti to them.""Check the camera feed over the last few weeks," Bruce commanded. "Look for any anomalies in the camera's feed. A flicker, a glitch...even the footage cutting out altogether.""On it!" Barbara replied."In the meantime, Tim, go to the library section of the Gotham History Museum. Find everything you can on ancient or dead languages. Selina can help you break their security. Dick and Jason, go to Port Adams and examine the symbol. See if there are any clues the League left behind that can help us determine their motive. I'm going to search for an active Lazarus pit. If Rā's is back in Gotham, he'll be near it. It's his only means of survival.""You're just going to walk in and say hello?" Jason asked sarcastically.Bruce threw him a cold look over his shoulder. "I'm not one for walking in.""Funny. I thought you were going to say you're not one for hellos," Barbara laughed, and the others soon joined. Bruce barely smirked before he jumped into the Batmobile and sped off."Good one, Babs," Dick said, kissing Barbara on the cheek."Get a room you two," Jason quipped as he put on his armored jumpsuit.Barbara rolled her eyes. "Married people are allowed to kiss, you know?""Yeah, just not in front of me. I'm too innocent."Dick chuckled. "Oh sure, poor innocent little Jason. Exactly how long is that trail of broken hearts behind you, little brother?""Not as long as yours," Jason taunted. "Besides, you know this job is hell on relationships. I'm better off alone."Dick shook his head with a smirk as he headed off to the equipment room. "Where have I heard that one before?"As soon as he was out of sight, Jason let out a nervous sigh.He didn't want to tell his family about Scarlett yet. It was still early days. There was plenty of time for his double life to ruin things like it always did. And if Rā's al Ghūl was back in Gotham, there was no telling the kind of mayhem headed their way.