"I should never have allied myself with a madman." "where are they?" "in Sarajevo, sir." "And he has the boy." "wow, that looked like it really hurt:" "whoa, now, hang on." "That looked like it hurt a lot more:" "So let's try and clear this up, okay, pumpkin?" "what hurts more?" "A?" "or B?" "Forehand?" "or backhand?" "A little louder, lamb chop." "I think you may have a collapsed lung." "That always impedes the oratory." "Now, that was rude." "The first boy blunder had some manners." "I suppose I'm going to have to teach you a lesson so you can better follow in his footsteps." "No, I'm just gonna keep beating you with this crowbar." "Where is the detective?" "He's on his way." "But, sir, he won't make it there in time." "okay, kiddo, I gotta go." "it's been fun though, right?" "well, maybe a smidge more fun for me than you." "I'm just guessing since you're being awful quiet." "Anyway, be a good boy." "Finish your homework and be in bed by 9." "And, hey please tell the big man I said, "Hello."" "No." "Jason." "The hell you say." "You didn't set this up?" " Then whose party is this?" " I thought it was you east-side losers." "You already rolled over for the Black Mask and I figured you were gonna ask us in." "Rolled over?" "The Mask whacked six of my crew in a month." "Six." "Some of my best people." "So you set up this meet?" "No, I thought it was Chi Chi:" "wasn't my meet:" "oh, the hell with this." "I'm gone." "You brain donors wanna hang around" "Sit down, Freddie." "it's my meeting." " it's him." " Batman?" "we didn't do nothing." "well, we all know that's a lie." " who the hell are you?" " Smoke him." "I said, "Sit down."" "You wanna die?" "There's easier ways to kill yourself." "Yeah, like yelling at the guy who's holding the AK-47." "Listen to me, you drug-peddling scumbags." "I will be running the drug trade from now on." "You eight are the most prosperous street dealers in Gotham." "I'm offering you morons a deal." "You go about your business as usual, but kick up 40 percent to me." "A much sweeter deal than the scraps Black Mask is leaving you." "in return, you will have total protection from both Black Mask and Batman." "But you stay away from kids and school yards." "No dealing to children, got it?" "if you do, you're dead." "okay, crazy man, this is all very generous." "But why in the hell should we listen to you?" "Damn." "Those are the heads of all of your lieutenants." "That took me two hours." "You wanna see what I can get done in a whole evening?" "Make no mistake." "I'm not asking you to kick in with me." "I'm telling you." "Forty percent works for me." " Go, go, go!" " where's Raymond and Denny?" "Screw it." "Just go, get us out of here." "I think I lost him." " You think I lost him?" " I think you lost him." "I think we're good." "No, you're anything but good." "who are you working for?" "Nobody." "Look, we just boosted the truck and" "Lie to me again and crashing into a wall head-on will be the least painful activity of your evening:" "No, I swear to" " what is that?" " Your cargo." "it's called Amazo." "what the hell is an Amazo?" "A highly advanced, cybernetic android equipped with the ability to absorb the power of super humans." "what kind of super humans?" "Big ones." "Packs quite the punch for a toaster on steroids, huh?" " Need a hand?" " No." "okay, well, how about I just stick around and watch?" "who's that other one?" "The pretty boy in the leotard?" "That's Nightwing." "He was the Bat's first sidekick." "The first Robin." " I think you'll have to do better than that." " I did." " will that do any good?" " it'll slow it down." "You think so?" "Get to higher ground." " Did you know he could fly?" " Move!" "I wouldn't be offended by a few suggestions." "He has the same weak points as a human being." "Got it." "This might sting a bit." "Lasers." "He's got lasers." "I don't think putty in his eyes is gonna hurt him." "But plastique will." "Nice." "This shipment was meant for the Black Mask." "I doubt you're behind this." " who do you work for?" " I swear. we're not working for anybody." "This was our gig, all our idea." " Let it go." " Right." "I'll talk, I'll talk." "Just stop." "Just stop!" "The Red Hood." "we're working for the Red Hood." "we don't have any choice." "He's got" "The shots came from the rooftop." "A sniper." "A good one." " See him?" " Yeah." "Hey, wait." "Right." "Leave me with them." "God, please, no." "Stay away." "it's a setup. wait." "I'm not a crook, I swear." "No!" "Hard to forget that night, huh?" "in a way, Batman, this was the site of your first great failure." "Maybe your greatest, but certainly not your last, right?" "Ah, memories." "This bit of Intel is what brought me to town." "Good thing I've always had perfect timing." "Take a look." "I got this shot from a snitch." "He says that this guy's been making some serious moves." "The Red Hood." "Might be." "He bears a resemblance to the original." "Several criminals have utilized this persona." "one criminal of particular interest, though." " But he's locked up." " Not his m.o. either." "There's been an up tick in heavy trafficking, but crime is down." "indeed it is." "Master Bruce got almost three hours sleep in the last two days." "True busman's holiday." "But he is locked up." "Like, a lot locked up." "Maybe we should go for a visit." "Could you just once say, "Let's get in the car"?" "is that so hard?" "You look good." "Been working out?" "You could probably use a little sun." "Then again, who am Ito talk?" "He's calling himself the Red Hood:" "what do you know about it?" "That he has horrible taste." "when I wore that number, it was classy." "More flashy maitre d' than motorcycle fetish." "oh, these kids today." "if you're behind this in any way, we will find out." " You're not-- - oh, Bird Boy, you're so much less fun now." "All grown up and in your big-boy pants." "Still, better off than his replacement, right?" "Even tougher making with the yuks when you're worm food, huh?" "You gonna do it this time?" "or you just gonna put me in another body cast for six months?" "So disappointing." "But back to the matter at hand this new hoody." "You really think I would stir up so much trouble and not make sure you knew it was me?" "I know you've never met him before, but be cool." "This here is the Black Mask." "The first boss to gain control of the entire city in 20 years." "whatever he wants in Gotham, he gets." "But his appearance takes a bit to warm up to." "He did what?" "what?" "oh, good, he's pissed." "our concern is the one who ordered the theft of the android." "He goes by the name of Red Hood." "I don't care what he's calling himself." "Do you idiots know how many bidders I had on Amazo?" "A list of puppet dictators and psychos as long as my arm." "Millions shot right to hell." " And whose money is that?" " Your money." "My money." "Mine." "This score was a game changer." "Amazo was going buy my way up into high-end international trafficking." "Now I'm forced to keep rooting around in this local leg-breaking garbage." "And he gives me bat trouble, who blows the damn robot's head off!" "I could have at least sold it for scrap, but Batman kept it." "Yes, Batman likes to keep things." " Look, this circus act, this Red Foot" " Red Hood." "whatever." "He's dead." "Take care of him." "You, new guy." "BLACK MASK:" "Don't be nervous, kid." "But if you keep staring at me like that, I'm gonna cut your eyes out." "Yes, sir." "it's 10 cases of assorted SMGs and PDWs along with 5000 .45 caliber ACP rounds, your personal favorite and two cases of RPGs." "it's all bought and paid for, so this is strictly a delivery, not a buy." "in view of recent events, I've taken the liberty of doubling security and switching the drop spot." "That sounds like a plan." " what are they waiting around for?" " Seriously." "Hey, protocol says I'm only supposed to be on the ground for six minutes." "it's okay." "I won't be staying that long." "And I almost thought he wouldn't show." "You know what I missed most about running with you?" "The toys." "Stay sharp. we're not done." "You wanna dance?" "Let's dance." " is that gonna hold?" " No." "So you want me to--?" "should i--?" "okay, I'll just take care of this." "okay then." "Nice night for a run." " He's good." " Yes, he's putting on quite a show." "He's very good." "we got him." " That's impressive." " Nothing we haven't seen before." "if you say so." "Think we lost him?" "Move!" "You haven't lost your touch" "He's got some moves, huh?" "And as much I hate to belabor a point..." "And still that is often exactly what you do." "I'm chatty. it's part of my charm." "I'm saying that our boy here has some skills." "He's been trained and trained well." "Like right there." "That." "He sliced that cable off his ankle before it went taut." "You don't just do that." "That has to be practiced." "Learned." " And then there's the knife." " what about it?" "You know many knives that can cut my lines?" " Not many." " No." "Not many." "well, look, we obviously have got ourselves a player, we-- ow!" "Alfred, take him home." "Bruce, I can still help." "You already have." "Thank you." "Go rest up." "okay." "But you know where to find me if you need me." "He did just thank me, right?" " indeed he did, sir." " weird." "You haven't lost your touch" "You haven't lost your touch- -your touch, Bru" "You haven't lost your touch, Bruce." "whoo-hoo!" "You guys having a party?" " I guess our invite got lost." " It's over, Riddler." "Riddle me this. what's green and purple but covered in red and yellow?" "You. when I land on your sorry butt." "Don't move or I'll" "You'll what?" "Shoot me?" "Twenty rounds a second and you were still too slow." "I'm not slow, punk." " Me neither." " I've got him." "Robin!" "I had to take him down." "You shattered his collar bone." "He's a drug-dealing pimp." "I didn't think I had to prop up some pillows before I took him out." "we needed him." "He would've talked." "But you put him into shock." "Sorry." "That was dumb." "But he deserved it." "Maybe my last request was too mired in subtlety." "I want this man dead." "when I say "dead," I mean seriously dead." "Beaten, broken." "His-head-mounted-on-my-wall kind of dead!" "Understood." "we'll be taking further precautions at every transaction" "Screw that." "Time he learns that this is a contact sport." "we're going on offense." "Rough up his business." "Something big." "Something loud." "when he shows up to shut us down, have a party waiting for him." "And when I say "party" I actually mean a whole lot of people who are gonna kill him!" " I figured." " Just being clear." "what are you doing?" "we're protected." "we pay up to the Red Hood." "is that right?" "Cute." "Do you know who you're messing with?" "Yeah, Tyler Bramford." "You're a club owner and some big damned drug dealer in the East Quarter, right?" "I am the East Quarter drug trade, you stupid bags of" "Manners, fatty." "I don't care who takes care of you." "You watch your mouth." "Then you know who's got my back." "You know who I answer to." "The Red Hood." "And we work for the man who's gonna take back what's his." "So at the expense of your very wide butt we're sending your boss a message." "okay." "what's the message?" "A simple one, actually." "want to guess what it might be?" "I have a few ideas." "Any of you hired guns even know who I am?" "You are our target." "ow." "So you four have all this power and all you do with it is kill for money?" "From what I hear, we've got that in common." "You heard wrong." "I thought you'd put up more of a fight." "oh, the fight hasn't started yet." "I'm just stalling." " what the hell took you so long?" " Shut up and fight." "I gotta say." "I missed watching you work." "Look out!" "Awful close." "You afraid you'll miss?" "Black Mask just wants a body." "Let him go." "And step away." "A Taser?" "Nail me and you'll electrocute both of us." "Maybe that's what he has in mind." "No!" "Just be happy I only killed one of them." "They're all assassins." "And what are you?" "I'm cleaning up Gotham." "More than you ever did." "You're stealing territory from Black Mask and killing anyone who gets in your way." "Black Mask is just a part of the plan." "Plan?" "You're becoming a crime lord." "Yes." "You can't stop crime." "That's what you never understood." "I'm controlling it." "You wanna rule them by fear." "But what do you do with the ones who aren't afraid?" "I'm doing what you won't, I'm taking them out." "Tell me what happened to you." "Let me help." "it's too late." "You had your chance." "And I'm just getting started." "Son of a" " Are you telling me that scumbag stole my guns again?" "No, sir:" "He destroyed them." "Blew up the truck, the drivers...." "Damn it. of all the" " Damn it!" "Previously, he was just enlisting anyone under our province to come work for him." "Now he just seems to be killing them." "oh, so now we've got another Batman?" "one who doesn't mind the blood?" "No, sir, he's no Batman." "He's still taking huge cuts from off the streets." "But now he's eliminating the competition." "He's coming after you." "You wanna tell me why this guy ain't dead?" "we're trying." "we sent the Fearsome Hand of Four." "Four?" "Guess they're gonna need a new name." "why hasn't Batman wiped this little smear off the face of the planet?" "Maybe he doesn't want to." "Perhaps he's letting you and the Red Hood war it out." " He could be waiting" " To take on the winner?" "what do you think this is?" "A tennis tournament?" "You're an idiot." "And you don't know Batman." "He's not letting this lunatic just run wild." "He can't catch him either." "or it's something else." "Can't you feel it?" "we're stuck in the damn crossfire." "oh, hell." "Sir?" "wow, he sure can move when he really wants to." " You okay, sir?" " I'm not dead." "So that's something." "okay." " Time to change up the ground war." " How so, sir?" "I'm being forced into negotiating with a psychotic." "That doesn't sound good." "No." "it's going to be a nightmare." "Hey, fellas, 10 minutes to bed check, right?" " Terry?" "what the hell are you doing here?" " You miss me?" "I'm covering Rothman's shift." "He's got the flu, bronchitis or something." "We got this." "Why don't you grab us some joe?" "We'll meet you in the south wing." "That's not protocol." "Come on, I'm bored," " Let's get" "Sorry, schedule to keep." "You didn't have to kill him." "one, yes, I did." "Two, we're paying you a ton." "So, three, shut your gob and open the damn door." " Does he know what's going on?" " He knows he's leaving." "it's gonna be a sleepover, right?" "I packed my toothbrush." " Do you need more light, sir?" " I can see fine." "well, there you have it." "He's still at rest." "No, he isn't." "That's not flesh." " Master Bruce, you can't blame yourself-- - it was stupid and careless." "Body was made of high-end latex." "if I'd bothered to look inside when I brought him home...." "Sir, please, remember how distraught you were." "Even I found it hard" "Stupid and careless." " where are you going?" " To talk to the man who did this." "I hope you understand the trouble I've gone through to arrange this little get-together here." "A lot of money." "A lot of dead meat." "Look, I've got a problem." "And you are absolutely the man who possesses the gifts to take care of this problem." "I need you to murder the Red Hood." "You think you can handle that?" "May I have some water?" "I'm going to need something to wear and a very big truck." "Anything else?" "I'll need some guys." "Not these guys because, well, they're kind of dead." "what did you do to Jason?" "Act like you don't know what I'm talking about and I'll dislocate the shoulder." "That's just to start." "if you haven't disabled the roof sensors, my guards will be here in under a minute." "Answer me." "I'm willing to but it'll be more expedient if you hand me the communicator in my pocket and I call off my men." "Commander, this is Ra's Al Ghul." "Stand down." "I will be entertaining a guest in my study." "You remember when we last became embattled?" "You were planning to blow up banks." "Accurate, if inelegant." "I was in the midst of toppling the economy of Europe but you were on to me." "I sought a distraction." "So I hired the Joker." "When your paths crossed in Bosnia it was to appear that you had stumbled upon him." "He was paid extremely well for what was intended to be a wild-goose chase." "Then he murdered the boy." "That was not by design." "I'm afraid I overestimated my ability to control the Joker just as I underestimated his madness." "it grieved me, sir to be a party to something so brutal." "You've never shied away from drawing blood." "True, but always with purpose." "Always with greater goals." "This was simply an unnecessary casualty." "As penance, I chose not to make war with you again and to attempt to rectify this disservice." "Rectify?" "Yes." "I had hoped to return to you what you had lost." "I have walked this world for nearly six centuries." "As you know I achieve this by bathing in the rejuvenating waters of the Lazarus Pit." "Along with its healing abilities it has long been rumored that it is capable of an even greater feat to raise the dead." "Procuring the remains of your partner was not difficult." "You had come to Bosnia under the guise of Bruce Wayne and you chose to depart as such." "You even concocted the cover story that young Jason had died in a bombing in Sarajevo." "This made it easy for me." "All it took was a few payoffs to replace his body." "I felt confident that you would not perform an autopsy even if you had, we still would have bought enough time." "But my plan well, detective, it had unfortunate results." "He returned to this world but returned damaged." "My army searched for months but we were never able to find a body or pick up a trail." "I thought him dead yet again." "But I hear you have been having trouble at home." "I have returned your son to you as a blight upon your house." "He burns the very kingdom you- -protect." "Shall I alert the guards to pursue him?" "Don't be foolish." "They would never catch him." "Besides, I have done enough." "Sir, please take this to heart." "who Jason was before, how we lost him and this dark miracle or curse that has brought about his return it is not your fault." "I know you view his death as your greatest failure but" "His life and his death are my greatest failure." "Do you remember how he was when I found him?" "of course, sir." "Fearless, arrogant, brash and gifted." "Yes." "Different than Dick in so many ways but still so full of potential and power." "But I knew, even from the beginning, he was dangerous." "If I hadn't made him into Robin, he would have grown to do wrong." "Then I got him killed." "My partner." "My soldier." "My fault." "I own that." "I'll carry that like everything else:" "But now there's this." "He's taken everything I've ever taught him and turned it on me." "It's a hell of my own making, Alfred." "Sir, this is not your doing." " He knows that." " It should be enough." " It's not." "Reporting live from Gotham Bay Bridge...." "My word." "Sir, patch into the media feed now." "Come on, get out of there, now." "Don't know what that maniac's up to, but nobody make a move till I give the order." "I'm a little teapot" "Short and stout" "Here is my handle Here is my spout" "This wasn't part of the damn deal, you freak!" "Get me out of here right now!" "I thought you'd enjoy seeing some old faces." "After all, most of these guys used to work for you." "who's that?" "Get a light on him." "Up there." "Hey, look at you." "Mr. Hood." "or do you prefer Red?" "I used to wear an outfit a lot like that." "Mine was more flashy maitre d' than motorcycle fetish." "You kids today." "I'm sorry, could you hold on?" "I was just in the middle of setting fire to your gang." "Go ahead." "You think I care if that scum dies?" "Don't know." "I just wanted your attention." "You've always had my attention." "But what I really wanted was an audience with you." "I'm sorry, that seems to imply that you organized this little clambake." "I did." "Sure, I had lots of plans but the endgame was getting Black Mask so desperate that he'd cut a deal." "He was the only one with the connections to get into Arkham and get you out." "You can't trust anybody." "So I've been bamboozled." "oh, my." "I wouldn't undersell it." "it took a lot of work to bring about our reunion." "Reunion?" "Have we met before?" "Yes, we have." "well, here's to warm memories." "I've got him." "You want him?" "Meet me at crime alley." "okay." "So, what's the plan?" "Slumber party?" "Charades?" "A little Truth or Dare?" "I'll start with "dare."" "well, maybe I'll just go with "truth."" "Tell me, how does that feel?" "You know, it only hurts when I laugh." "But, hey, I gotta know." "who are you?" "You said we knew one another, and you do seem really familiar." "we double at the prom?" "or maybe blow up a school bus together?" "No:" "I'm just something you helped make." "That's pretty cryptic but interesting." "Tell me more." "Sure." "Listen up." "Unreal." "Hello." "So glad you could make it." "This ends tonight." "All of it." "Nobody knows that better than me." "Ha. oh, you and your gadgets." "You're not the only one with toys." "Crap." "Look at you." "I guess we should keep it even." "Jason." "Yes." "I don't wanna fight you." "All evidence to the contrary." "Please, I can help you." "I know what happened." "oh, you got to talking with Ra's, huh?" "Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth turned me rabid?" "or is this just the real me?" "Tell me what bothers you more, that your greatest failure has returned from the grave?" "or that I've become a better Batman than you?" "You're ruling through intimidation and murder." "Just another criminal." "I'm what this city needs." "Hidden goodies all over, huh?" "we're both just a couple of walking armories." "Maybe so, but let's see how you do without your toys." "Enough. it's over." "You say you wanna be better than me." "But it won't happen." "Not like this." "I know I failed you but I tried to save you, Jason." "I'm trying to save you now." "is that what you think this is about?" "That you let me die?" "I don't know what clouds your judgment worse." "Your guilt or your antiquated sense of morality." "Bruce, I forgive you for not saving me." "But why?" "why on God's earth is he still alive?" "Gotta give the boy points." "He came all the way back from the dead to make this shindig happen." "So who's got a camera?" "ooh!" "ooh!" "Get one of me and the kid first." "Then you and me, then the three of us." "And then one with the crowbar." "Then" "You'll be as quiet as possible or I'll put one in your lap first." "Party pooper." "No cake for you." "ignoring what he's done in the past." "Blind;y, stupid;y, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled the thousands who have suffered, the friends he's crippled." "You know, I thought" "I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt." "if it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp if he had taken you from this world, I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death-worshiping garbage and sent him off to hell." "You don't understand." "I don't think you've ever understood." "what?" "what, your moral code just won't allow for that?" "it's too hard to cross that line?" "No." "God Almighty, no." "it'd be too damned easy." "All I've ever wanted to do is kill him." "A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and then end him." "Aw." "So you do think about me." "But if I do that if I allow myself to go down into that place I'll never come back." "why?" "I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent." "I'm talking about him." "Just him." "And doing it because...." "Because he took me away from you." "I can't." "I'm sorry." "That is so sweet." "well, you won't have a choice." " I won't" " This is what it's all been about." "This." "You, and me and him." "Now is the time you decide." "if you won't kill this psychotic piece of filth, I will." "if you wanna stop me, you're gonna have to kill me." " You know I won't" " I'm gonna blow his deranged brains out." "And if you wanna stop it, you are gonna have to shoot me." "Right in my face." "This is turning out even better than I'd hoped." "it's him or me, you have to decide." "Decide now." "Do it." "Him or me?" "Decide." "I can't believe you got him." "You expert, rooting-tooting, eagle-eyed, goth-loving marksman." "I love it." "You managed to find a way to win." "And everybody still loses." "No, don't spoil it." "This is better." "I'm the only one who's gonna get what he wants tonight." "Yes, bing, bang, boom." "we all go out together." "Don't you just love a happy ending?" "Sources close to the district attorney's office have intimated the case will likely be dropped due to lack of evidence." "But the Black Mask is still under investigation for his alleged complicity in Joker's escape from Arkham." "The guards charged with aiding and abetting the escape were found murdered in the Gotham courthouse jail while the alleged crime lord, Black Mask, was released on $1 million bail for his suspected involvement and is currently awaiting a hearing." "Meanwhile, the Joker has been returned to Arkham Asylum." "Officials claim extra measures have been taken to ensure another escape would be impossible." "Prior to his arrest, Black Mask was being strong-armed by the mysterious Red Hood." "Sir:" "in light of all the recent events, would you like me to remove that?" "No." "This doesn't change anything." "it doesn't change anything at all." "okay, let's go." "if you can't suit up quickly at home base I'm concerned how you would handle it in the field." "Perhaps he's primping." "As I recall, Master Richard spent nearly half an hour admiring his reflection the first time he donned his cape." "Jason, get on out here or I'm going on patrol without you." " Ha!" " My word." " Gotcha." " would have if I hadn't seen you slip behind the computer banks three minutes ago." " No, I got you." " How does it feel?" "it feels awesome." "Check me out." "I'm Robin, the Boy wonder." "Are you kidding me?" "This rocks." "Come on, old man, we've got bad guys who need chasing." "This is the best day of my life."