"I remember the days when there was hope in Gotham."
A small child, with his parents, walks down a sidewalk. Seeing two dark, mysterious figures jump through the rooftops. Looking at them in awe.
"But those days are long gone."
Tim Drake wakes up in class. The classroom is clean, but everything is outdated. Using old projectors and early 2000s Chromebooks. With desks that look as if you turned them the wrong way, they would snap.
VOICE
"Mister Drake."
This captures Tim's attention, looking up at the teacher.
TEACHER
"The guidance counselor wants to see you."
Tim sighs and stands up, exiting the classroom. As he walks down the hallway, Tim starts to think.
"I'm luckier than most kids. I live in a relatively nice apartment and I have both of my parents. I can't really say the same about most of the kids I go to school with."
He finally gets to the counselor's office. Tim takes a deep breath and enters the room.
TIM
"Hey Mister Wolfman."
Mister Wolfman looks up at Tim and smiles.
MISTER WOLFMAN
"How are you doing today, Tim?"
TIM
"I'm doing well, just bored."
MISTER WOLFMAN
"Good good, please sit."
Tim complies and sits down across from Mister Wolfman/
MISTER WOLFMAN
"You have a bright future ahead of you. But you haven't filled out a future career form. Is there anything that interests you beyond high school?"
"If I told the truth, he would be more worried. Then that would become more of a problem for me" Tim thought.
Tim takes a second to think about his next words.
TIM
"I might apply to Wayne Enterprises as a computer programmer like my Mom, or maybe an engineer like Dad."
MISTER WOLFMAN
"Why Wayne Enterprises, when an offer for the Shadow Corporation is on the table?"
"I've always hated the idea of the Shadow Corporation. Something tells me they are not to be trusted. Also, the Shadow Corporation is just a creepy name to begin with" Tim thinks as he continues his conversation with Mister Wolfman.
TIM
"Maybe, I'll think about it."
MISTER WOLFMAN
"That is okay, just remember graduation is around the corner. You don't have all the time in the world anymore. You'd better come to a conclusion soon…"
As Mister Wolfman starts to go on and on, Tim sits there spacing off. Trapped in his own thoughts as he ignores Mister Wolfman's words.
Tim sits in his room, looking out of his window. Looking at his neighborhood. With trash embedded in every crevice, drug hustlers stalking the corners, the Jesters walking around like they're the kings of his neighborhood.
"Gotham is slowly tearing itself apart. I remember hearing some stories about the past, when Batman prowled the streets of Gotham. The city used to be a lot safer back then. Now it just has all go to hell… But I do think it can be better" Tim thought. He looks to the corner of his room, to a box.
Janet Drake opens the door and enters the room. As soon as she sees her son, a nervous smile appears on her face.
JANET
"Hey Red, how was school?"
Tim looks at his mother with a soft smile.
TIM
"It was okay, the same as usual. Just admiring the view."
Janet looks out the window at the view of the neighborhood. She then walks over to it and shuts the curtain. Janet turns back toward Tim.
JANET
"No need to look at that. Why don't you play your video games or something?" She says with a nervous smile.
TIM
"But mom… Someone has to do something about this."
JANET
"Tim, it's too dangerous out there. What can you really do?"
Tim sits there for a couple of seconds as he processes what his mother said.
TIM
"I… I don't know."
Janet sighs and walks toward the door. She turns her head back to Tim, seeing how Tim's face has dissipated to a sad look. She opens her mouth, but Janet cannot find the strength to say anything. Deciding to leave the room instead.
When the door shuts, Tim sits there are a minute contemplating.
"She's right, what can I really do? If only I could do something, or if anyone else could. What can I really do about the gangs, the plague, the underworld? I'm just a kid" Tim thinks. He turns to a box in the corner of his room. "But maybe there is someone who does."
Tim stands up and walks toward the box. He picks up the box and places it on his bed. Take a moment to take a deep breath and slowly open the box. Seeing a picture of Batman and a picture of Bruce Wayne sitting right next to each other.
An hour later, Tim sits in an Uber as it encroaches on the entrance of the Wayne Estate. But the Uber suddenly stops at the gate.
The Uber Driver turns around toward Tim.
UBER DRIVER
"This is all I can go kid, now get out of here. I don't even wanna know what you're going to do."
Tim nods and exits the car. He walks over to the gate to the estate. Consumed by vines, the W is barely even hanging onto the gate; the metal is rusted to the point where the gate is basically orange.
He takes a deep breath and slowly opens the gate. Causing a screech, causing Tim to wince at the sound. Tim looks at the gate.
"This needs some WD-40 or something." Tim looks forward to the decaying mansion. "I'm kinda scared, but that's okay. I got this!" Tim thought.
Tim walks toward the mansion. Looking down at the cobblestone ground, covered in leaves. He finally gets to the door to the actual mansion. Tim hovers his hand over the door, starting to shake a little bit. Noticing this, he places his hand on his shaking hand, causing his shaking to slow down.
He knocks on the door, causing a sound that echoes throughout the entire house. Bats start to fly out of one of the broken windows. The giant door to the manor slowly creaks open, as if it were inviting Tim to enter.
Tim gulps and slowly opens the door. The entrance hall to a manor consists of a dried-up fountain, paintings wilting as time eats up the quality. It was dark, and Tim could barely see what he was doing.
"Who cleans this place?" Tim thought. He starts to walk through the house. The manor itself feels like it has been sitting there rotting for years. Tim stops and starts to contemplate what he wants to find. Closing his eyes to brainstorm, until he turns and sees a grandfather clock sitting on a wall. Tim gives the clock a confused look.
As he gets closer to the clock, Tim notices how the clock itself is attached to the wall. It's not sitting there like what Tim has seen in the past. He starts to rub his fingers on the Grandfather clock, trying to find a secret switch or something. Until he looks at the time and sees that it's not right, Tim closes his eyes to think.
"What is it? What time is so important?" Tim opens his eyes and turns the clock to the exact time when the Waynes were killed years ago. "I remember doing a research paper on the subject when I was a freshman… Thinking back on it now, I was a little weird… Correction, am."
Tim walks down this creepy stone staircase. Leading to an old elevator with a glowing yellow bat symbol on it. "I knew it!" Tim thought as he pressed a button on the panel next to the elevator. The elevator opens, spewing dust that seems to have been building there for years. He entered the elevator, and then the elevator closed instantly. Taking Tim down to the depths of the old manor.
When the elevator reaches the bottom, it has a slight ding. The door opens. Tim exits the elevator to see something amazing: the entire Batcave. With trophies at every corner like the dinosaur, the giant penny, and displays of every single villain Batman has ever faced. Except the Joker… Tim looks more carefully and sees a giant playing card with a hole in the middle, which causes Tim to wonder.
As Tim walks through the cave, he starts to see more of it. Until he saw it, the Batmobile. With its beautiful silver rims, deep black paint, red-tinted windows, and crimson accents to boot. This was amazing until Tim saw the Batcomputer. Many different monitors, all playing different channels. Showing different camera displays of the city.
All of this was amazing. Until Tim turned around and saw the display of the batsuit, he slowly walked toward it and looked at it in awe. But then something came into Tim's mind "where is Robin?" Tim turned and saw a memorial.
He walks toward the Robin suit. Seeing the tattered red, green, and black suit. With silver bits instead of the normal gold, the first Robin would have had.
TIM
"Jason Todd?"
VOICE
"Yes, it was."
Tim turns around and sees Bruce Wayne looking at him. All wrinkled, a cybernetic left arm and leg, scar over his right eye, slicked back grey hair, and a white beard that seems not to have been maintained for a decent while.
TIM
"I knew it… My parents said I was crazy. But I knew it was you."
BRUCE
"How?"
TIM
"When Bruce Wayne came back to Gotham, a few months later, so did Batman. A-And I used to watch some old tapes of the Flying Grayson. I saw them do a quadruple somersault. T-Then after watching an old video of the first Robin, I saw him do the same thing!"
Bruce looks at Tim, surprise hidden beneath a scowl. Silence continues for a few seconds.
BRUCE
"Why are you here?"
TIM
"I-Um, Gotham has gone to shit. Can you please come back as Batman! We really need someone to do something about what's going on right now!"
Bruce lifts his cybernetic arm.
BRUCE
"Do I look like I can be him anymore?"
Tim takes a step back as he looks at all of Bruce's disabilities.
TIM
"B-But you can still make a difference…"
BRUCE
"No!"
TIM
"Why? Is it because of what happened to Jason?"
Bruce turns around and starts to limp away. He shifts his head to point toward the Joker card with a hole blasted in the middle.
BRUCE
"I can't go back… Not after what I did."
TIM
"I read about that. It wasn't your fault; the cavern was collapsing anyway. It wasn't your fault."
Bruce turns around and looks at Tim with a stare that pierces Tim's heart like thorns.
TIM
"Please! We need someone. Anyone! Please have some kind of… hope!"
BRUCE
"I lost hope a long time ago."
He continued to limp away.
TIM
"If you're not going to do anything about it. Then I will!"
Bruce stops. Still turning away from Tim.
BRUCE
"You're going to get yourself killed."
TIM
"But someone has to do something!"
BRUCE
"You can't do anything!"
Hearing this stops Tim in his tracks as he processes what Bruce said. Causing him to think back to what his mother said.
TIM
"B-But…"
BRUCE
"Get out!"
Tim sits there staring at Bruce for a couple of seconds. He then turns and stomps toward the exit. Before he leaves, he turns back to Bruce.
TIM
"You're nothing like how I imagined."
He leaves. Bruce just sits there, alone once more, with a sickening silence.
Later, Tim steps out of an Uber in his neighborhood. As he walks, Tim is still trying to process what just happened. "You can't do anything!" starts to echo through Bruce's mind. Causing Tim to slowly spiral into a realm of self-doubt.
RED HAIR JESTERZ THUG
"Still planning on attacking this place tonight?"
Tim stops and sees a group of Jesterz huddling in the alleyway, gossiping.
GREEN HAIR JESTERZ THUG
"Fuck yeah! We're gonna tear this place up a new one."
As Tim hears this, his eyes start to widen.
"No… Mom, dad. Oh god" Tim thought. He then started running home. "They're all gonna die, please no! Someone needs to do something about this! The police are stretched too thin. What the fuck can I do?" but as those thoughts cross his mind, Tim slowly starts to slow down.
"What can I do?" Tim stops and looks at his hand. "I can do anything my mind comes to." he clenches his fist.
When Tim gets back to his family's apartment, he makes his way to his room. Tim opens his closet and finds a Robin costume. "Last Halloween costume is going to come in handy" he thought, as he grabs the green shorts and pauses. "Um… No" then threw it to the side.
A few hours later, a group of Jesters dressed in Joker-like makeup march down the street. Kicking around and destroying anything in their path. Until they come upon Tim's neighborhood. The ring leader stops and the group stops with them.
RING LEADER
"Time to make this neighborhood ours…"
He takes a step and accidentally steps on a circular disk. It starts to ring, catching his attention. Suddenly, a concussive force comes out of the disk, knocking the ring leader and a good number of the group to the ground!
Tim watches this from the rooftop in a red and black modified Robin costume. Wearing a red and black Robin shirt, black pants, red shoes, black and yellow backpack, and a mask. "Last year's science project came in handy. But it definitely got me in trouble." He focuses back on the Jesters and sees them walking past two metal diamonds between two cars. Tim pulls out a device "Please work!" He presses the big red button.
A giant diamond force field appears over a good portion of the group of Jesters.
"Time to turn up the voltage" Tim thinks. As he turns the dial. Causing electricity to electrocute a good portion of the Jesters. Causing them to hit the ground hard.
GREEN HAIRED JESTER
"HEY! HE'S UP THERE!"
Tim looks and sees they finally found him.
TIM
"Oh shit."
He then turns around fast and starts running down the fire escape. But a couple Jesters blocks his path. So he turns and jumps off to a lower platform. Landing on his side, causing him to groan in pain. Tim stands up and continues running.
As Tim turns a corner, a Jester corners him. "Oh no…" Tim thought. "Remember… Pressure points." A diagram of all of the pressure points of the human body appears in Tim's mind.
The Jester pulls out a knife and lunges. Tim moves to the side and shoves his fingers straight into the Jester's jugular. Causing him to lose his breath, dropping his knife on the ground. Tim then proceeds to kick the back of Jesters legs and grabs him by the head. Knocking his head into a brick wall, knocking him out.
Bruce Wayne watches Tim through a monitor, contemplating.
Tim runs through an alleyway and suddenly stops, realizing he's at a dead end. "Perfect" Tim thought as he placed one of his concussive disks on the ground. He then turns and sees a pole, causing Tim to smile.
A small group of three Jesters runs in Tim's direction. But the ring leader stops. Causing the rest of the group to stop with him.
RED HAIR JESTER
"Guys, I see something!"
The Red Hair Jesters pick up a rock and throw it at the concussive disk, causing it to go off.
BLUE HAIR JESTER
"That fucking idiot, he thought that'd trick us."
"Oh shit!" Tim thought as he is watching from behind a dumpster. He digs through his backpack pouch and takes out another concussive disk. "Last one."
BLUE HAIR JESTER
"Where the fuck is this gu-?"
Suddenly, a giant boom occurs, blasting the dumpster toward the Jesters. Knocking into the Blue Hair Jester, knocking him cold.
The Red Hair Jester notices Tim.
RED HAIR JESTER
"GET HIM!"
The remaining two charge Tim. So he gets ready. The Yellow Hair Jester throws a punch, and Tim ducks. Tim then uses his pole to smack the Red Hair Jester in the back of his head, causing him to smack into the brick wall in front of him.
The Yellow Hair Jesters swiftly turns around and punches Tim to the ground. He picks up a tire iron.
YELLOW HAIR JESTER
"Get ready bird boy!"
But before he could do anything. Tim kicks the Yellow Hair Jester in the genitalia. Causing him to fall to the ground in pain. Tim then proceeds to kick him in the head, knocking him out.
TIM
"I did!"
VOICE
"Did what little bird?"
Tim raises his head and sees a group of six Jesters, with a brute leading them, blocking his exit. Causing him to gulp, "I don't know if I can get myself out of this." Tim gets his pole ready and runs at the Brute. But as he tries to hit him, the Brute catches the pole and bends it without effort.
TIM
"Oh shit…"
The Brute proceeds to kick Tim into the dead-end wall. Out of adrenaline, Tim stands up immediately and tries to climb the wall. But a Jester ran to him and grabbed him, throwing Tim straight into the ground! Cornering him.
Bruce watches all of this from his Batcave. When he looks at Tim, he starts to have images of Jason in his mind. "No, I can't help him…" Bruce thought. But he turns and sees Jason's suit. Causing him to clench his fists and stand.
The group of Jesters slowly walk toward Tim. Causing him to start accelerating his thinking "how can I get myself out of this? Can I get myself out of this?" Tim looks at his hand. "What can I really do?" He looks up at the group and lunges at them.
The Brute catches Tim by the neck and uses his other hand to smack Tim to the ground. He then looks around and finds a tire iron and smiles. The Brute picks up the tire iron as he is thinking about what he is about to do with Tim.
"I suppose this is how I'm going to die. Am I really going to die without making a difference?" Flows through Tim's mind. As he starts to accept the reality of the situation. "This is how I'm going to die, at least I tried." Tim closes his eyes, accepting his fate.
But before the Brute could hit Tim, a bright light flashes the alleyway. Causing the trash in the area to fly around the place. Tim opens his eyes and looks up, finding the Batwing looking over him.
PURPLE HAIR JESTER
"Is that the god damn Bat?"
BRUTE
"No, the Bat's dead, the Joker made sure of that."
The bottom opens, and suddenly a Bat-like shape jumps from the jet.
PURPLE HAIR JESTER
"What the fuck-?'
As the Purple Hair Jesters says that, Batman kicks him in the face. Knocking him straight into a brick wall.
Another Red Hair Jester pulls out a knife and slices the back of Batman's neck. But it bounces off. In response, Batman turns around and kicks the Jester to the ground.
Batman then lunges at three of the Jesters. Taking them all out, one at a time. Breaking the leg of one, the arm of another, and elbowing the final one of the three into the ground. Leaving the Brute to be the last one remaining.
BRUTE
"I spose it's my turn to kill the Bat!"
He drops the tire iron.
BATMAN
"You can try."
The Brute lunges and Batman side steps him. Landing a punch straight into the Brute's stomach. But because of the sheer thickness of his abs, it doesn't do anything. The Bruet then punches Bruce through a brick wall.
BRUTE
"I thought you were supposed to be tough."
Batarangs are thrown out of the darkness. But the group smacks them to the ground, with one lodging into his arm.
Batman lunges at the Brute, but his cybernetic leg fails last second. Causing him to fumble his attack and trip. The Brute then grabs Batman by the throat. Starting to squeeze more and more.
Tim watches as Batman tries to break free. But one of his legs is clearly not working. So Tim fights through the pain and slowly stands up. He grabs the tire iron on the ground. Tim then sneaks up behind the Brute… Hitting the Brute in the back of the head! Causing the Brute to drop Batman, turning around to look at Tim as his head bleeds.
BRUTE
"That was a mistake kid."
But before the Brute could do anything, Batman picks up a brick and broke it onto the Brute's head, knocking him out cold.
As soon as the Brute hits the ground, Batman takes off his mask. Showing his bruised face, panting, and fighting through the pain. He looks at Tim.
BRUCE
"H-Help me."
Tim walks toward him and lets Bruce lean on his shoulder. Bruce then proceeds to take out his grappling hook and fly them both directly up to the Batwing.
The Batwing cockpit is laced with so much yellow glowing technology. With so many buttons with so many features. Causing Tim to forget about his pain for a second to marvel at the sight.
BRUCE
"Computer, take us home."
BATWING
"Auto pilot activated!"
Causing the Batwing to fly into the distance.
At the Batcave, Bruce limps out of the Batwing as Tim follows.
TIM
"So what's the plan? Are you going to be Batman again? Am I going to be your Robin?"
BRUCE
"No."
Bruce turns around and looks at Tim. Tossing his cowl over to him.
Tim catches the cowl and looks down at it.
BRUCE
"You are the next Batman."
Still processing what Bruce said, Tim looks up at Bruce.
TIM
"What?"
END