Chapter 54

"Tim Drake?"

"Call me Red Robin." The man in a black cowl and red uniform said.

It looked something close to Robin's old uniform but crossed with Batman.

"You can thank me later, right now, all hell just broke loose on the city. They pushed their plans faster when you discovered them."

"Wait! The omega bomb!"

"That's right! I need you to head there right now and stop it. Your suit will be able to disarm it." Red Robin pointed to Batman's chest. "Luke Fox called and told Barbara about it. It's something he considered when he built the suit to prevent that tragedy from happening ever again."

"What about you?"

Red Robin smiled. "I'm going on a stroll..." He said before firing his grappling hook.

Batman made a faint smile as he watched Red Robin swing away before flying towards the skating rink.

-Terry!

"Barbara?"

-Yeah. I already sent your friends to handle the Jokerz near your family's neighborhood.

"What?!"

-Just listen to me! Trust them and everything will be fine. They probably planned to place a unit of the Jokerz there to wreak havoc once they started the bomb's timer. It's to make you get far away from the bomb.

Since Jason Todd and the Joker know who he really was, they used his family to try and divert his attention.

"Bastards!"

-Don't think of going there and just head to the skating rink. Trust your friends.

"Tsk!"

Zoooom

He made the rockets on his soles thrust harder.

----

"Why are there so many?" Don said as he looked in the distance. A unit of fifty Jokerz were waiting for them. Fifty versus sixteen people.

"They don't look like they have guns on them, but still be careful." Cedric ordered them to be cautious.

All of them had masks covering their eyes but only one of them stood out with her red and green uniform and yellow cape.

Carrie Kelley is wearing a Robin costume.

"You really are a geek." Don said.

"You're just jealous. This is my pride and joy. I made it myself."

"This isn't the time to be cosplaying."

"Whatever. Batman's partner has always been a robin and since none of you wanted the name for themselves, I took liberty to take it."

"Because no one wants to be Robin..." Don sighed.

"I'll show you how cool Robin can be!" Carrie started sprinting towards the enemy.

"Hey, wait!" All of them started chasing after her.

Cedric sighed as he followed.

----

"Kuh!"

"Urgh!"

"Aaah!!"

"Booft!"

Left and right, members of both the Sons of Batman and the Jokerz were getting knocked out.

A man standing in the middle of them, being a member of neither of them, was taking them all on.

The police that were preventing both parties to get out of the area were astonished by this site.

It only took one hit, either it be a punch, kick, or a swing of his staff. They all fell down.

When he took all of them down, the man in a black cowl gestured towards the police and playfully smiled before taking off.

"Who was that?" The police looked at each other and started to approach the fallen people to arrest them.

----

"Why don't you join the fight, J-man?" A member of the Sons of Batman was knocking out members of the Jokerz that were coming his way, left and right. Every swing of his golf club made fatal shots to anyone that met it.

And now he is calling out the traitor of the once so called mutant gang. J-man. The man that was the reason for the mutant leader's capture.

"Hey!!!" He knocked another one of the Jokerz. "Don't tell me that after all that you did, you're afraid?"

J-man was trying to not show it, but he is shaking in fear.

"You should have known that this was coming when you made that decision, right?"

"L-let's retreat!" J-man shouted.

His two guards ignored him and didn't even bother to turn theirs heads.

"Our orders were to stay here and fight." Said one of them.

"Don't worry, we'll protect you as long as we are he-"

His guard got hit on his side with a staff.

The other one tried to retaliate but got hit on the head and got knocked out.

The man in a black cowl turned towards J-man.

"Eek!" J-man turned his heel and kicked the ground. "I surrender!!!" He ran towards the police with his arms raised.

"Hey! Who the heck are you? I was going to kill that guy!"

"He surrendered to the police. What more do you want? Isn't that enough?"

"It will never enough...What we're going to do with them will never be enough!!!"

He started charging with his golf club. He swung but got blocked.

"Because you will never be satisfied...I was once in your shoes."

"Heh...I guess the shoes fit differently." He swung his golf club again and got blocked before getting kicked at the side of his head.

The division leader of the Sons of Batman was easily knocked out.

Because of that, everyone turned to him and started attacking him.

----

"Shit!" Batman is hiding behind a car.

The skating rink suddenly turned into a fortress. Each side had automatic machine guns and cannons that blasts at anything that comes close to it.

-Defensive systems are at fifty percent (LUCIUS)

He was shot down and is now hiding behind a car.

"Barbara, is there any way that we can shut down their defensive systems remotely?"

-We can...if we're connected to their server.

"Fu..."

The only thing that he can do is if he can somehow miraculously pass the defenses before getting killed.

"LUCIUS, calculate if I can run from here until I reach the inside of the skating rink before the defensive systems of the suit gets to zero."

-Calculating...

-Are you crazy? You'll die! (Barbara)

"Well, so will we if those suicidal maniacs take us down with them."

Step. Step. Step.

Batman looked in the distance. Someone was coming.

When he can clearly se the person walking towards the area, he identifies him as Doug.

"Tsk. Did they sent you to get to me?" Batman readied for an attack. He has already prepared himself internally for the time that he will have to fight Doug. His only friend in his teen years.

"Why would I do that?" Doug grinned as he crouched down. "I know I won't be able to beat you. Instead, I came to offer help."

"Why would you help me?"

"Because, Batman, my family lives in this city. It would be one thing if I die, but I can't let them die. I'll have you know that the Joker didn't even tell us what we're going to do about the stuff that we stole. We were used. I was the only one to figure it out." He smiled proudly.

"That's what you get for following someone like the Joker."

"I know right, it would be better if they follow me instead..."

"You'll betray your beloved Joker?"

"Hahaha...don't get me wrong. I admire the guy, but we won't see eye to eye as long as my family lives in Gotham city. And so unfortunately, I'll have to walk a different path from him and have him die here."

"...You'll be able to pass through these defenses?"

"I'm a member of the Jokerz. Of course."

"Then..." Batman formed a flash drive from his nano tech suit. "...get this connected to the mainframe so I can pass through."

"That's it? Easy enough."

Doug took the flash drive and proceeded to walk towards the skating rink.

The guns pointed at him but didn't fire. It identified him as a member of the Jokerz.

Batman put his trust in him because Doug still cares about his family despite their conflict. He watched from the distance as Doug entered the skating rink from the front door.

----

"Doug! Why are you here? Didn't I order you and the others to stay in your positions?" Joker said pretending to be angry at his favorite subordinate.

"Boss...I know he's in here too."

"Who?"

"Red Hood. Please don't lie. I know everything."

"How did you know?" Red Hood got out of hiding.

Doug walked and looked at the doomsday device from afar. "I overheard you talking one night. Unlike the other officers, I took my time knowing each member. I followed you infiltrating the hideout and going to the Joker."

"Hahahaha...sharp. Very sharp." Joker applauded.

"Well, it's no use knowing now. What's the worse you can do on your own?"

Doug stopped walking and leaned on the mainframe computer. "You're right...I won't be able to take you both alone..." Doug made a wide grin.

"Hey! Get away from there!" Red Hood finally noticed what he was trying to do, but it was too late.

"Who ever said I'll fight both of you alone, anyway?" Doug said.

The, the window bursted right after.

Batman was able to get inside.

"I'll take him! Don't let anyone of them get to the bomb!!!"

"Ugh! Stop ordering me around!" Joker stomped his feet towards Doug.

Red Hood faced Batman. "You'll never reach the bomb. The timer is already counting down."

"How are you so confident? I beat you earlier didn't I?"

"Heh. You got a mouth and a sense of humor unlike the old man...you'll only be able to beat me if you get close, and this time, I brought my favorite gun with me!" Red Hood took out an assault rifle from under his trench coat an started firing.

Ratatatatata.

Batman flew and evaded the bullets with aerial tactics.

----

"Doug, Doug, Doug..." The Joker grinned at Doug as he was walking to him. "How could you? You're breaking my heart." Joker frowned in an over the top manner.

"Sorry, boss..." Doug grinned back as he took out two daggers and readied himself. "In the end, no matter how similar we are in our views, I still have lingering attachments that I don't ever want to lose...and that's where we are different. I'll never be able to fully go to your side."

"Hmmm...I guess I should have killed your family and framed it on someone else to get rid of those attachments?" Joker said in a thinking pose.

"Hahaha...that would have worked for a while, but I'll eventually be able to find out and we'll still end up like this."

"Point taken." Joker threw a smoke bomb containing Joker Toxin.

Pooffffft.

"Hahahahahaha" The Joker laughed as the figure of Doug Tan got covered completely with smoke.

When the smoke cleared, Doug was still standing.

Joker furrowed his eyes.

"I injected myself with the toxin everyday with gradually increasing doses. You just looked so cool every time we come out of the smoke and every one of us wore gas masks while your smile was the only thing that can be seen."

"Huh...I think I'm beginning to hate you Doug." Joker said, unimpressed.

"Everyone does eventually." Doug smiled before kicking the ground while grasping his daggers tightly.