The signs painted Gotham's streets in patches of red and blue. A rare peaceful night, for once. People walked down the sidewalks, some heading home from late shifts, others starting their night. The wail of police sirens drifted from somewhere in the distance— standard background noise in this city. Nothing worth checking out yet.

Until...

The thugs' footsteps lash against the pavement as they ran with their Two-Face masks bobbing with each stride. Briefcases full of cash swung wildly in their hands and the weight of their ill-gotten gains are slowing them down.

"Shit, shit, shit!" one of them gasped, risking a glance over his shoulder. "We gotta lose 'em!"

"I told you!" Martinez wheezed between heavy breaths, his Two-Face mask slipping to reveal beads of sweat rolling down his temple. "I told you we should've went the other way, but no - you had to play hotshot and take Fifth!"

The briefcase slammed against his thigh with each desperate stride, and Jason could see the way Martinez's fingers were turning numb from gripping the handle. The other guy - Benson, if Jason remembered the intel right - just grunted and kept running.

"Shut the hell up," Benson shot back, yanking Martinez into a narrow alley. Their shoes splashed through murky puddles, sending dirty water flying. "You got a better plan? Because I'm all ears!"

Martinez stumbled over a discarded trash bag, catching himself on the brick wall. "Yeah, I got a plan - not dying! Two-Face is gonna skin us if we lose this cash, but that's better than whatever that freak in got planned."

The irony almost made Jason smile behind his mask as he tracked their movement from above. These idiots thought they were having a bad night now? They had no idea what was coming.

"Left," Benson barked, pulling his partner around another corner.

They rounded a corner, ducking into a narrow alley. The leader skidded to a halt, causing the others to crash into him. Then, a dark silhouette blocked their path, emerging in the shadows.

"Fuck," another thug whispered. "Is that... is that Batman?"

A low chuckle emanated from the figure. "Sorry to disappoint, boys. If I were Batman, you'd already be dangling upside down by your ankles, crying for mommy. I’m not him. I’m much worse."

The sound of guns being cocked cut through the air and two pistols glinted in the light, aimed at the group.

Jason stepped forward, the faint glow caught the edges of his helmet. The red sheen made him look more demon than man, which was pretty much the vibe he was looking for.

"It's Red Hood!" Martinez shouted. "This can’t be real!"

"Give the man a prize. Unlike the big bad Bat, I don't give a crap if any of you make it out of this alley breathing."

"Bullshit, you’re not going kill us," Benson spat. The bravado was paper-thin, and Jason could see the tremor in the hand holding the gun. "You need us alive—for information or something. That’s how you hero types work."

Jason's laugh was cold, humorless. "Wrong answer. I’m not a hero. I stopped playing that game a long time ago. So let's cut the chase and get to the point. Where's Two-Face?"

The thugs exchanged nervous glances, their bravado crumbling under Jason's steady aim.

"We don't know nothin'," Benson stammered, trying to put on a brave face.

Jason sighed, shaking his head. "Wrong answer." In a blur of motion, he closed the distance between them, his fist connecting with the leader's jaw with a sickening crack.

The other thugs sprang into action, but Jason was ready. He ducked under a wild swing, using the momentum to flip one of the goons over his shoulder. The man crashed into a pile of garbage bags, groaning in pain.

"Last chance," Jason growled, dodging another attack and retaliating with a vicious elbow to the attacker's solar plexus. "Where's Two-Face?"

"Go to hell!" one of the remaining thugs spat, lunging at him with a switchblade.

Jason caught the man's wrist, twisting it until the knife clattered to the ground. "Been there, done that. Not impressed." He headbutted the thug, sending him stumbling backward.

The fight was over in minutes, and Jason stood among the groaning, battered criminals, barely out of breath. He zip-tied their hands behind their backs, making sure the restraints were tight.

"Now," he said, crouching down next to the leader, who was spitting blood onto the pavement. "Let's try this one more time. Where's Two-Face?"

The thug glared at him for a moment before his resolve crumbled. "The old chemical plant on the east side. That's where he's set up shop."

Jason nodded, standing up. "See? Was that so hard?" He turned to leave, then paused. "Oh, and fellas? You might want to rethink your career choices. This gig doesn't seem to be working out for you."

As he walked away, leaving the battered thugs for the GCPD to find, Jason's comm crackled to life.

"Red Hood, come in. It's Oracle."

Jason tapped his helmet, activating the built-in communicator. "What's up, Babs? Kind of in the middle of something here."

"We've got a situation."

"Situation? What kind?"

"There's been a terrorist explosion at Blackgate Tower. Casualties are high."

"Is that so?" Jason muttered. "How bad are we talking?"

"Bad," Barbara replied. "At least fifty confirmed dead, more injured. The building's partially collapsed, and we're still getting reports of people trapped inside."

"Any idea who's behind it?"

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"Not yet," she said. "That's where you come in. I need your help to figure this out, but we need to keep it off Batman's radar for now."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Keeping secrets from the old man? That's not like you, Babs. What’s going on?"

He could almost hear her frown through the comm. "Bruce is... preoccupied with a another situation. I don't want to pull him away from that, not when the clown's involved. Besides, you've got experience with this kind of thing that the rest of us don't."

Jason's jaw tightened. "Fair enough. What do you need me to do?"

"Head to Blackgate Tower. I'll guide you to a secure entrance away from the main rescue efforts. We need eyes on the ground, someone who can move freely without attracting attention."

"On it," Jason said, already moving towards his motorcycle. "Send me the coordinates. I'll let you know what I find."

As he sped through Gotham's streets, lacing through traffic with reckless abandon.

A terrorist attack of this scale wasn't common, even in a city as Gotham. Someone was making a big play, and he had a feeling this was just the opening move.

Whatever was going on, Jason needs to get to the bottom of it. And if he had to break a few rules – and maybe a few bones – along the way, well, that was just par for the course in his line of work.

"Jason. There's more you need to know," Barbara's voice crackled through his comm again.

He sighed. "What is it, Babs? I thought time was of the essence here."

"It is, but... this explosion, it came out of nowhere. No chatter, no warning signs. Even Batman didn't see it coming."

Jason frowned. "That's not like him. The old man's usually on top of this."

"I know," Barbara said. "And that's not all. The building was using WayneTech security systems. Top of the line stuff. For someone to bypass that..."

"They'd have to be damn good," Jason finished. "Or have inside help."

There was a pause on the other end of the line. When Barbara spoke again. "Jason, there's a reason I'm coming to you with this."

"Yeah? And what's that?"

"I think... I think this could be a chance for you. To show Bruce, to show all of us, that you're still one of the good guys."

Jason's grip tightened on the handlebars. "I never claimed to be one of the good guys. That's not my style."

"Maybe not," she conceded. "But I know you. Deep down, you want to do the right thing. This could be your shot at redemption."

He let out a harsh laugh. "Redemption? That's a pretty word for a pretty impossible thing. You really think one case is gonna make up for everything?"

"No," Barbara said. "But it's a start. And right now, we need someone who can work outside the system. Someone who's not afraid to get their hands dirty if that's what it takes to save lives and find the truth."

Jason was silent for a moment, considering her words. Finally, responded. "Fine. I'll do it. But not for redemption or whatever BS you're selling. I'm doing it because someone needs to, and I'm the best person for the job."

"That's all I'm asking," she replied. "Be careful out there. And... thank you."

"Don't thank me yet," he muttered. "Save that for when I actually figure this thing out."

An attack that even Batman didn't see coming? WayneTech security bypassed like it was nothing? This wasn't some run-of-the-mill terrorist group or Gotham lowlife.

Jason pushed the bike faster, the wind whipping past his helmet. He had a feeling this case was going to get a lot messier before it got better. But that was fine by him. Messy was what he did best.

As he approached Blackgate Tower, the scale of the destruction became apparent. Half the building was a smoking ruin, emergency vehicles crowded around the base. He could see figures moving in and out of the wreckage, carrying stretchers.

Jason pulled off to a side street, hiding his bike in an alley before making his way towards the coordinates Barbara had sent.

The police formed a barrier around the blast zone, their arms spread wide as they tried to hold back the growing crowd of onlookers and concerned citizens.

"Back up! Everyone needs to stay behind the yellow tape!" A heavyset officer shouted, his face red with exertion. "This is an active crime scene!"

"My sister works in there!" A woman in business attire pushed against the line. "I need to know if she's okay!"

"Ma'am, please step back," another cop grabbed her shoulders. "Emergency services are doing everything they can. We'll release information about survivors as soon as we have it."

Jason watched from his vantage point as more people joined the crowd, their phones held high to capture footage of the destruction.

Even with bodies still trapped in the rubble, with smoke filling the air and sirens wailing, these people couldn't help themselves. Some even pushed and jostled for better angles, like this was some kind of tourist attraction. The whole scene made his trigger finger itch. This was what Gotham had become - a city where disaster was just another form of entertainment.

"Jesus Christ, would you people back off?" The first officer's voice cracked with frustration. "This isn't a damn attraction!"

"Screw you, pig!" Someone in the crowd shouted. "We got a right to be here!"

The situation was deteriorating fast. Jason could see more cops rushing to reinforce the line as the crowd grew more agitated. Perfect cover for him to slip past unnoticed. While they were busy playing crowd control, he could access the building through Barbara's route without anyone being the wiser.

He activated his comm. "Oracle, I'm moving in. Keep me posted if anything changes."

"Got it. Be careful in there, Jason. The structure's unstable."

"I will."

He moved in silence, sticking to the shadows and avoiding the main rescue efforts.

Finally, he reached a service entrance on the far side of the building. The door was ajar with the lock clearly forced. Jason drew one of his guns, holding it at the ready as he slipped inside.

The interior of the building was in shit. In the distance, he could hear shouts and the crackle of radio chatter from the rescue teams.

Jason moved deeper into the building with his senses on high alert. He wasn't sure what he was looking for yet, but he knew he'd recognize it when he saw it. Something that didn't fit. Something that might give a clue as to who was behind this attack and why.

From his position, he could see him—Batman, moving around. The cape swept behind him like a blade slicing through the smoky air as the Dark Knight scanned for survivors. Of course he was here. A disaster this big? There was no way Bruce Wayne would sit this one out. But Jason couldn't let himself be seen—Babs had been clear about keeping this quiet.

The old man stopped for a moment, crouching near a slab of fallen concrete, likely checking for life underneath it. Jason used the pause to his advantage. Staying low, he slipped through the shadows in the opposite direction. If Bruce's focus was on saving lives, Jason's was elsewhere. He wasn't here for survivors; he knew there weren't any left in this part of the building.

What he was looking for was something deadlier. A lead.

He kept moving into darker parts of the ruins where even the emergency lights didn’t reach, stepping over steel beams and scorched debris. His instincts told him there wasn’t going to be another bomb lying around—whoever did this wasn’t sloppy enough to leave their fireworks unspent—but something about this whole mess felt wrong.

Then he saw it. Not a bomb, like he'd expected, but a set of maintenance panels embedded along one of the remaining walls. They were scorched and buckled from the blast—but not destroyed.

Jason frowned under his helmet and moved closer, brushing debris aside with one hand while keeping his other on the grip of his pistol. The panels shouldn’t have been at the center of an explosion like this unless...unless they were part of it.

WayneTech’s logo glinted on what remained of the casing. Top-of-the-line equipment. State-of-the-art systems that were supposed to prevent shit like this from happening in the first place. A bad feeling crept into Jason's gut—not fear, not hesitation, just a sense that things were spiraling beyond what they appeared.

"This isn't right," he whispered.

Whoever triggered this didn’t plant a bomb—they’d used these systems to cause the explosion remotely. That meant a hacker—or someone with insider access to WayneTech-level technology.

Jason crouched lower, examining what was left of the system’s interface. Wires hung loose like torn veins, but some of the components looked...untouched?

It didn’t make sense unless someone knew exactly how much energy overload these panels could take.

"Son of a bitch," he said.

Gotham’s most secure tech flipped into an instrument of terror? Someone who could bypass firewalls Bruce himself designed? Someone who wanted Batman distracted long enough to keep him off their trail?

He smelled someone new.

Tucking away what he’d found in that scorched panel in his head, Jason moved on further inside Blackgate Tower to see what else might have gotten missed.

For now? This intel stayed with him alone until he figured out who was dumb enough—or smart enough—to pull off something this messed up on WayneTech's watch.