Raising Robins

Under Some Circumstances?

Tim was okay with not driving, as he was running controls. Tim was not okay, however, with how fast Jason was going.

"SLOW. DOWN." Tim said for the twelfth time, as Jay drifted the streets. "You're gonna kill someone."

"I would never hit a pedestrian." Jason said, calmly, revving the engine, still.

"I mean US. You'll kill US." Tim groaned, gripping tighter to the roll bar by his head.

"It would be an honorable death." Jason laughed before his eyes went wide and he slammed on the breaks. He looked at Tim. "Flooding in the streets."

"Did you hit a hydrant, dipshit?!" Tim yelled.

Dick's voice crackled on over the communication links. "No. It's here, too. Three blocks from the pier."

"Croc?" Jason guessed.

"Don't know, don't care, I'm checking below." Damian said, hopping off the back of Dick's bike. He slid a manhole off of a sewer and slipped below as Dick objected. He had to find a place to stash his bike and with water there was nowhere and-

"Nose game!" Dick shouted over the link.

Jason had already put his finger on his nose. Tim was last.

"FINE!" Tim yelled. "I'll go after the brat."

He went in after Damian, down the sewers and turned on a light from his gauntlet, looking to find his brother. Luckily the communication links had trackers. Damian's was off, however. It appeared.

Shit.

A busted pipe. Tim picked it up and swung it a few times.

"Boo." Came a voice.

Tim turned around and his wrist was seized- a quick jab to his ribs, and a kick to the inner thigh was dealt out before Tim swept the leg of, of course, Damian. The youngest sneered.

"Gotcha." Damian laughed.

"Imma whoop your ass with a this after I bash your head in."

Jason beeped in. "We got a problem."

"What problem, Red Hood?" Damian growled.

"Lights over the city. Helicopters are circling. GCPD is on the way and-" 

Dick came in over the link. "And Katy found me."

"Aw, fuck." The others muttered.

Back in an alley off B street, Katherine Kane was leaning against a wall with Dick.

"Hello, Nightwing." She frowned.

"Hi, Batwoman." Dick returned, heart-sinking.

"Look, Nightwing. I'm not saying shit, but... Batman knew you'd go out and someone thinks they know who Batman is, we're suspecting. But- there's a problem. There is a hit list. Seven men are being hunted by seven A-Class criminals."

"Okay- we should get to work." Nightwing said putting on his helmet. "Is you-know-who going to be on the list?"

Batwoman frowned, somehow harder. "Again- Batman figured that you would break rules tonight. He was praying that you wouldn't. Because there's something else."

"What?" Dick asked. 

Batwoman checked that no one was looking. "They think that you might be Batman."

"WHY NOT ME?!" Came the voice of the youngest.

"Yeah, like you'd pass for Batman, short stack." Jason griped.

Static. Laughter.

Dick immediately took out his comm link and crushed it under his foot. At the sound of it, Tim threw his in the water, flooding in from the sewer above. Jason tossed his out the window, and Damian threw his hard against the concrete sewer tunnel and looked for an out as water rose. 

"Let's go, Robin."

"No." Damian objected.

Tim sighed and punched his brother in the face, quickly, and temporarily, knocking Damian back into the water. Tim fetched him out by the back of Damian's tunic and  lifted him over his shoulder before carrying him up a ladder, fifty feet away and pushed off the lid. Jason was gone. Long gone. Dick was gone. Long gone.

Tim slapped Damian and woke him up. "Safehouse. Now."

"Where?" Damian asked, waking up. He spat out the last of his loose molars and threw it at Tim's face before spitting out blood and following his older brother to D street in a stumbling sprint.

They walked through the tunnels that led to the Manor and prayed that Jason wouldn't come racing up it, but everyone was back home- including their father.

When Tim and Damian arrived, Dick and Jason were getting yelled at.

"You don't know what I don't tell you- what you don't have access to you." Bruce said, pulling back his cowl and leaning against the table. 

"Yeah, that sounds like a YOU problem that turned into an US problem." Jason dared.

Bruce noticed Tim and Damian.

"SIT." He ordered. "While you still can."

Damian and Tim took a seat at the briefing table, quickly and quietly.

They listened in. They were all targets. Someone knew who they were- sold information, at least. But by who? Was there a Judas among them?

Bruce explained. Every family with at least 4 sons was targeted. The oldest was who was the target. SOMEONE somewhere had to be Nightwing. And Nightwing had to be Batman. The criminals were wrong, but now innocent people were at risk.

Batman hadn't been seen by anyone in over a month, but Dick was spotted in Gotham once or twice as Batman when he had to take over, as Bruce was MIA almost a year ago. Information was messed up everywhere. But KIDS were targeted.

"So what do we do?" Tim asked.

"YOU do NOTHING." Bruce said. "GCPD is on it."

"Why'd they take the crime?" Damian asked, annoyed that he was 'cheated' out of a case.

"Because I have discipline to do. Now tell me. Anyone. WHAT is the first rule?"

There was silence before Dick spoke up. "Don't put anyone, including yourself, in unnecessary danger."

"And?" Bruce prompted.

"Take your orders." Jason sighed.

Bruce looked at Tim.

"Don't lie." Tim muttered.

"And be respectful." Damian said, face mushed against his hand.

The elevator rang and Pennyworth came down to the Cave. The boys felt their hearts sink. Alfred didn't show up for a spanking unless he was there to make sure that Brice didn't go too far. Their father took a minute to calm down and go up to the Manor before he returned with a belt and the paddle.

"Your choice." Bruce said. "You are all grounded for a week. It's an extra month off patrol or a spanking."

The boys thought but they all agreed. They'd take a spanking.