Live to Rise

Fire Part 2

I DO NOT OWN ANYTHING EVERYTHING BELONGS TO DC AND KAI MACIEL THE ORIGINAL AUTHOR OF THIS BOOK
-----------------------------------------

Mount Justice

November 2, 22:06

Tim and his squad returned to the Team's new headquarters with a tired and grim expression on their faces. The mission had been a total failure! The submarine and the nukes were destroyed, several criminals were dead and the Red Hood had escaped again. All that under Robin's lead!

As his companions hit the showers grumbling, Tim walked towards Nightwing, who was busy on the computer screen.

"We failed the mission" Robin said, lowering his head. "I'm sorry... I should have done better."

Nightwing stared at his protégé with a small but reassuring smile. "You did the best you could, Tim. Everyone came back alive, that's what really matters."

Tim nodded, but he still felt troubled. "It's just... I keep thinking that if I hadn't hesitated so much... if I wasn't so careful, we would have gotten there in time."

"No! You did well. You thought things through and played it safe" Dick answered, his voice slightly harsher.

"I know... But I wonder if I would be a better leader if I was more confident, more impulsive..."

"A leader needs to be careful, not impulsive!" Nightwing said, raising his voice. "You have to know the line between what you can and can't do! If you don't, you're being just reckless and irresponsible. We don't need that kind of Robin, both Batman and Team! If you don't watch out, you will certainly end up dead..."

Dick stopped talking; his eyes wide and shocked before clenching his fists. Tim didn't need to be a Martian to know who Dick was thinking about.

"Take a shower. We'll go back to Gotham in an hour" Nightwing said, shifting his focus to the computer screen once again.

Tim complied, though his mind was filled with questions he knew he couldn't ask. It was an unspoken rule in the Bat Team: no one talks about Jason Todd. It was ironic because Jason had been how he had found out Batman's secret identity and the reason why Tim was wearing the Robin costume right now.

It took him ages to convince Bruce that Batman needed a Robin. Jason's death had almost destroyed him and Nightwing and, even though no one dared to talk about him, they could still feel his ghost haunting them like an invisible force. When they went to the Bat Cave, Batman always glanced at the glass case with Jason's Robin costume, his eyes sad and filled with guilt and sorrow over the boy he couldn't save.

Despite never knowing him, Tim's entire training was a result of Jason's death. Both Batman and Nightwing repeatedly taught him the importance of thinking things through, to listen to orders, to look and wait before jumping into a fight. Their intentions were good, they wanted to keep Tim alive, and they didn't want to make the same mistake that cost Jason his life. However, Tim often found himself thinking way too long before acting to the point where he barely did anything at all.

(A/N I Was just going to give you up to there but I decided to you give more ^-^)
--------------------------------------------Gotham

November 2, 23:33

When Tim and Dick arrived at the Bat Cave, Tim told his adopted older brother that he needed to do some research on the computer.

"Alright, but don't stay up until late" Dick said, his harshness long gone. "Remember you have school tomorrow."

"Yeah, I know! G'night!"

The moment Dick's left the cave, Tim logged into the training records and click on one of the videos from 2013. Batman was working with the League and Dick was probably getting into his bed, it was the perfect opportunity for Tim to learn more about his predecessor without opening old wounds.

There was nothing left of Jason Todd in the Manor. All his belongings had been taken, along with any photos of him; even his old bedroom was locked. The only thing that proved that the young boy had ever existed in that house was the glass case with his costume. Tim had expected Batman to erase all of Jason's data from the computer as well, but fortunately he hadn't.

The video was from a training exercise. Tim's eyes widened as he saw the twelve year old Robin running through the fake alley, throwing kicks and shuriken with an infectious grin on his mischievous face.

"That's it? You could have given me something harder to beat, old man!" Jason yelled at the screen.

"Cockiness will get you killed" Batman answered through the communicator.

"I finished your little maze in no time flat."

"You scored in the 95th percentile, Jason" Bruce answered solemnly. "But you need to be better than that" the camera shifted towards a holographic old lady that Jason's shuriken had accidently hit. "Collateral damage is simply unacceptable."

"Yeah, well..." the young Robin in-training mumbled, both ashamed and defensive. "Maybe the old biddy ratted us out to the Moxon mob. Bet she was a stoolie."

"I'm resetting the program. Stretch out and get ready to go again!"

Jason pouted for two seconds before smirking at the camera. "Fine! I bet I can finish it even faster! Keep your eyes open, Bruce!"

Tim had to smile at the kid. He was definitely different from Dick, but he had his own charm. Back when he was a little kid, Tim remembered staring at the TV screen and watching Robin kick the bad guys' butt. Jason had been the Robin he had looked up to, the one he saw as cool, badass and apparently unstoppable. The Robin on fire!

Silently, the young teenager turned off the computer and undressed his uniform. As he glanced at the case, he couldn't help but wonder what Jason would think of him as his successor.

He wished he could have gotten to know him.
---------------------------------------------------
Whoop new update!
So I saw Civil War this past Thursday, I'm probably going to some sorta rant about it. There will be no spoilers unless you count the comments section. So check that out if you're interested!

See you next Wednesday!
-Nightwing-