Lorena's prediction that her father wouldn't take Tim's disappearance lightly was right. 

Black Mask was furious, and it certainly didn't help that his mood had already been worse due to some Red Hood hijacking his shipments of weapons and drugs. It had been a week, and the crime lord was facing severe opposition from the mysterious man who seemed to have turned out of nowhere and started targeting him directly.

So, he knew that if Tim had gotten abducted, Red Hood would have something to do with that, too. 

It was almost as if the newly emerged crime lord was intentionally taking down all his chess pieces, making sure that he drove him to every point of frustration. He seemed to have devised a game in which Roman Sionis was fated to lose, and a man of his caliber despised loss with every fiber of his being.

Tim's abduction was the final nail in the coffin. By kidnapping the boy, Red Hood had taken away his chance of controlling the corporate world through that young and helpless puppet.

He needed to get rid of the threat, and he had to do it fast. If word got out that the feared Black Mask couldn't deal with the Red Hood, then the years of establishing his hold over Gotham and striking fear into the hearts of the people would go to waste. 

So far, all his ploys against the newly emerged crime lord had gone to waste. There was only one man he could ask for help, even though the possibility raised further problems for him.

That last resort was none other than Joker himself.

Black Mask knew he would have to meet the criminal personally, and he must keep himself prepared for any and every unexpected outcome. Joker was highly unpredictable and twice more dangerous, so the crime lord took half a dozen men with him when he went to Arkham.

Arranging a meeting with such a top security prisoner was troublesome itself, let alone making the arrangements for his escape. But right then, all Black Mask could see was the red shade of vengeance and only Joker could put an end to it by killing the Red Hood.

He would demand a heavy price for the task; that much was certain.

Reaching Arkham, he was escorted to the cell where he would be meeting Joker. The criminal was brought in shortly after, his red lips turning up in a menacing grin to see his visitors. He knew if Black Mask was there himself, he probably had a task for him, and it would be a free ticket out of Arkham.

However, he was never one to play by anyone else's rules. He would make sure Black Mask realized that, too.

***

It had been a day or two since Timothy Drake had been kidnapped from the hospital, although he wasn't sure about the exact time.

His bonds had been removed by then, and he was able to roam around the Red Hood's safehouse freely. True, he had been too scared to venture anywhere other than the room he was kept in, as he didn't know whether the temporary kindness was due to some soft corner or another ulterior motive of his abductor.

Each time Red Hood stepped into the room, the boy had drawn back in fear, and though he didn't ask enough questions, his presence alone made him panic. The door opened, and Tim drew back once again, seeing the man in khaki pants and a red helmet stepping in with a small box in his hands.

He realized it was Chinese takeout as he placed it on the chair. "Eat up, kid. Starving yourself will get you nowhere," he remarked.

However, instead of leaving time alone to eat like he had done so the previous night, he sat down close to him. Tim was hesitant to even touch the food, not knowing whether it was safe to eat.

"I am not going to poison you," the elder man remarked, and though the red helmet hid his eyes, Tim could feel his eyes focused on him intently.

"I... Uh... Thank you," he stuttered, reluctantly reaching out to the box. When he opened it, he saw fresh chowmein inside, and the sight of it made his stomach grumble.

Silence gripped them for a short while and Tim managed to take a few bites of food. His hunger seemed to have spiked up and it was quite unusual but with the past two days of worrying, he had burned down a lot of calories unknowingly. He needed to replenish it and the delicious chowmein seemed just the right choice.

He still could not understand why Red Hood was being kind to him. Perhaps that question was too evident in his eyes because the man answered it himself.

"I told you I just need to keep you here long enough to rile Black Mask up," he spoke out of his own accord, catching Tim by surprise, "I will not hurt you and once my business is cleared, you will be free to go home."

"Business?"

"Let's just say I have an unsettled debt with Sionis," he mumbled, his voice still sounding quite robotic due to his helmet. "Anyways, what is a boy like you doing all tangled up in Black Mask's grip?"

The question seemed to have struck a nerve, and Tim's face betrayed the emotions he was trying to conceal. He wanted to be free from Black Mask but couldn't back off as his father's life and Drake Corporate's future depended on their partnership. But he could certainly not tell that to the mysterious man who was keeping him hostage and seemed to be one of Roman's enemies.

However, his silence didn't last for long as the Red Hood offered, "How about a secret for a secret?"

"Excuse me?" Tim didn't quite understand what he meant, so the elder explained.

"I will tell you my secret and you tell me why you're letting yourself be used by Black Mask. Sounds fair?"

The young boy considered, knowing he didn't have much of an option either way. Perhaps if he told him, there could be some way he could help in getting him free from Black Mask's clutches without the dreadful consequences of losing his father and Drake Corporate.

So he nodded slowly, waiting to see what secret his abductor had to share in exchange for knowing the deal between him and the feared crime lord.

At his agreement, the Red Hood pressed a button on the side of his helmet, and the scarlet head covering opened. Tim's eyes widened in surprise because he had surely not expected the man to reveal his true identity to him. But that gesture went a long way to establish that he was sincere and wasn't trying to trick him.

If he could share his secret identity, Tim should have no issue telling him about the deal.

As he removed the helmet at last, Tim could clearly see him, his blue eyes meeting the flecked greenish blue of the man before him. He had angular features, a J-shaped scar on his left cheek, and a white streak in his jet-black hair.

He looked somewhat familiar, but Tim couldn't recognize him.

"Who are you?" He asked, as his surprise turned to confusion and then to shock when he finally heard the answer.

"Jason Todd."

***