Red Robin #10 - Before the looking glass
Location - Gotham City, New Jersey.

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By the time Red Robin had taken himself to the skies, Gotham City had already fallen into chaos below him. The breakout at Arkham Asylum had thrown everything into disarray, with the HUD in his cowl buzzing with information more and more by the second. Emergency services were scrambling, as police transmissions, CCTV footage, and the occasional social media post flashed before Tim’s eyes, giving him a rudimentary view of the carnage as he swung back towards the Belfry.

Whilst a number of the escaped Arkham inmates were already finding themselves boxed in by the initial blockades set up by GCPD, from what Tim could see, a few had already begun to spread out around the city. Thankfully, none of these reports detailed anything too dangerous, with the majority of them already being followed up on. Tim wished he could do more himself, yet he knew that given the large scope of this problem, the best place for Red Robin right now was coordinating the rest of his “co-workers” from the Belfry. Someone needed to manage this mess, and he had the perfect tools for doing so. If not, then those hours of tinkering with the Bat-computer would’ve gone to waste.

Still, he felt guilty. What if his inaction led to someone getting hurt? Or worse?

That worry soon came into fruition, however, as the sound of gunfire rang out on the streets below him. Snapping his eyes away from the information feed, he quickly turned his attention to the ground, where a small skirmish was currently taking place. Adjusting the swing of his grappling hook, the vigilante landed elegantly atop a fire escape, giving himself the space to take in everything before him.

Deever and Dumfree Tweed, two cousins with an uncanny resemblance to one another, had plagued the streets of Gotham for years. They weren’t big names within the criminal underworld, with the two often finding themselves working as muscle for hire for a number of Gotham’s worst. Strong and durable, the two were the perfect enforcers. It was during their time under the Mad Hatter, Jervis Tetch, that the two began to model themselves after Lewis Carroll's Tweedledee and Tweedledum. Whilst that partnership had ended long ago, the two cousins still carried that moniker, continuing their schemes in matching outfits reminiscent of the Alice in Wonderland characters.

Today, those flamboyant outfits were replaced by the orange jumpsuits of Arkham Asylum.

The duo stood boldly within the smashed in window of a storefront, firing out wildly as the street before them. Two police cruisers, now riddled with bullet holes, sat clumsily across from them, as their occupants hid for cover behind.

It was clear the two weren’t being apprehended again without a fight. What more, Tim knew that if he didn’t get involved soon, that fight would ended up much bloodier than it needed to be.

Gritting his teeth, Red Robin swung down into the fray.

"Any problems?"

"Well I wouldn't say problems. More

"Is that a finger?"
"Did you chop off his fingers?"
"No no no. Just one of them."

"Why on earth would you do that? You absolute moron?"

"Christ, I'm sorry! I forgot the scanner."

"That's really messed up, dude."

"Urgh. Fine. Well in that case we're doing it tonight." "Get your shit together boys, we're robbing S.H.I.E.L.D."

The bus rocked from side to side as it meandered down the highway. It was still early, will only flashes of sunlight managing to peak over the tops of hills and through the trees. Outside of Jackson, the rest of the bus only contained a small number of people, none of whom he paid much attention to. Instead he sat in silence, head against the glasses of the window, feeling every vibration and bump in the road as a result. His earbuds played the same chill music into his ears that he'd been playing for the entirety of his journey. He was almost numb to it now, yet he couldn't pause or stop at the risk of remembering the sounds he'd been trying so hard to forget.

And then, just before Jackson could close his eyes once to doze off, the flashes of light grew brighter, as the treeline vanished and the sun began to fully emerge from behind the curve of the earth. In that moment Jackson got his first look at the ocean.

It seemed to spread onwards, infinitely. The deep blue was speckled with shades of orange and red as the sunlight hit it. It seemed to breathe, with the surface rising and falling with rythmic ease. It wasn't long before Jackson found himself copying it, as if on instinct. Watching the waves gave him a calm he hadn't experienced for some time. It felt familar.

He didn't turn away and began to sit there staring, mesmerised.

Jackson probably would've sat there staring indefinitely if it hadn't been for the sound of movement around him, as fellow passengers began to rise from their seats, and reach into the luggace racks above their heads. Emerging from his own world, the teenager looked around the vehicle, moving one hand to lower and earbud from his head. It was significantly lighter now, with a brief check of his cracked phone screen telling him that it was now around 7:30am.

Releasing a smile from his lips, he skipped to a more upbeat song, before reapplying his earbud, and joining the rest of the passengers in rising to their feet. Reaching up for his bag, his eyes moved out of the bus's window once more, barely in time to catch the approaching town's welcome sign.

Amnesty Bay.



As Jackson began to make his way down the boardwalk, duffle bag under his arm, a screaming group of seagulls signaled his arrival overhead. Amnesty Bay was beautiful in the morning light. The town had begun with a small harbour, next to where the bus had dropped Jackson off, filled with a collection of colourful fishing boats that bobbed around excitedly as if itching to set sail. The beach began right after the closest dock to the rest of the town, with it spanning a good couple of hundreds of metres, sitting just below the boardwalk. Despite its age, the boardwalk itself seemed extremely well maintained, with the railings a nice eggshell white and void of any obvious marks or chippings.

At the far end of the beach, and directly ahead of him, the headland rose dramatically, wrapping around the bay. Atop the hillside, sat a lighthouse, with its tower of white and red looking down on the small town below as if protecting it from danger.

Jackson moved his phone up out of his pocket as he admired it, swiping his fingers across the screen before opening up the camera and capturing the scene. He certainly didn't have views like that back in New Mexico.

Given the beautiful day that it was starting to become, it was already bustling, with townsfolk and tourists alike looking down at the sea or heading towards the beast.

Jackson garnered a few glances as he walked. Most seemed cheerful and friendly, although others looked on with suspicion. He scoffed, shaking his head. Given he was the only person of colour he'd seen since arriving, he was fairly certain he knew what those looks were for.

Turning his attention away from the sea, at last, he admired the small town itself. There were a series of gift shops, with grand displays of beach toys and postcards in their open-air displays, to various cafes and bars. One of the more central builds was a grand diner, just like the ones you'd see in movies. Jackson smiled at the sight, it filling him with the nostalgia of a time he never lived.

Another raise of his phone. Another photo.

Deciding to leave trying the place for later, he raised his hand briefly to stop a couple passing by.

"Sorry guys." He said offering them a smile, as he looked down at his phone to read aloud a message. "Any chance you could point me towards an... Arthur Curry?"