Tim wanted to roll his eyes. Were they really going to play this game? The teen respected the Outlaws, just as much as he did Bruce, sure. They had saved him and his dad, and, in their own right, they used to fight for the good of Gotham. But, when it came down to it, Cass had brought the Outlaws here because they obviously needed something they could only get from the Bats. So, perhaps he was just unsure why they would waste time with things like pride and insulting people that weren’t even present in the current moment. Especially when, to Hood’s knowledge, the person he needed help from, was aligned with said people.
There were a lot of ways Tim wanted to respond. To begin with, he wasn’t that young. The boy had always been defensive of his age, tired of people constantly underestimating him because of the fact. Still, the teen knew the less personal information he revealed the better and kept it to himself. Second, it wasn’t that Bruce had so much chose him, as he had forced himself into the man’s life, a blaring alarm bell that couldn’t be ignored. It was something he prided himself on, but like his previous thought reminded him, this was not a place for pride.
There was a shift in Red Hood’s posture as he observed Tim in the chair. The man had a change in thought, a realization, something that allowed a… slightly more relaxed change in posture. Relaxed was a loose term for anything a vigilante could be of course, but the young hacker made a note to figure out what might have caused that. Perhaps he had been caught off guard by Tim’s appearance..
With a quick glance toward Cass at Hood’s use of her civilian name, the teen spun his chair again, fingers gliding over the key board as he brought the monitors back to life. He could ask her later.
“Data network is a loose term.” He began without spite, pausing a moment as he got used to the sound of his newly enhanced voice, still strange to his own ears. Tim used the moment to bring up a map of Gotham on the main screen, various symbols and blips scattered throughout. On the bracketing monitors were police reports, detailed views of each comm’s owner he was currently connected to, and various other stats. “It’s less tracking and more of a modified conglomeration of news feeds that’s allowing me to pinpoint areas of interest. That mixed with the homing beacons in each communicator, I’m able to see who is closest to what. But I suppose, when it comes down to it, it is true.”
There would be plenty of time to assess this change of events with the anxious, obsessive mind of Tim Drake later. He’d probably freak out, fumble over his words as he tried to make the sense of things. Red Hood and the Outlaws??? Right now, however, he had to be more than that. For Batman, for Cass, Hood, and for himself. Now wasn’t the time to be Tim. It was the time to be more than that, and he knew he could do it.
“You didn’t answer my question, though. Did you need something?”
The girl rattled off something that Jason was sure was meant to impress him, to prove how smart she was. And, granted, anyone that Bruce trusted to run his computers had to be genius level. Well, unless you counted the other Bat. That guy was an idiot.
"No, I came here for the sole purpose of interacting with a self important little girl. Just so happened that that child knows a way to help me save someone dear to me.” Come on, Todd. Don’t be mean. She’s just intimidated, so she’s putting up false bravado. You used to do the same thing with Tiger and the other older League members. Jason sighed. “Yeah, Kid. I need something. My apprentice is missing, and his tracker went dark a few hours ago in the Narrows. I haven’t been able to locate him on the ground, and neither has my associates working this from the logistical side.” All truths, and nothing that was overly informative. He sucked in his breath, biting his lip as he processed what he was about to say.
“Give me anything you can find on one Richard Grayson.”
and all of this will never be the same again 