"Put that pin back," Harley ordered, the hammer on the gun she held to the rear of the figure's head clicking into place as she prepared to fire. The living shadow did as ordered, and the gas grenade was neutralized. "Lose the mask."

When the head covering was pulled away, Scott found himself looking up at a young man in late twenties with black hair.  The darkness under his blue eyes and the stubble on his face made it look as if he hadn't slept for days.

"Still causing trouble, Grayson?" Harley asked, apparently recognizing Scott's sparring partner despite only seeing his profile when he glanced over his shoulder at her. "After what happened to your boss, haven't you learned anything?"

"I tried staying out of it," Grayson replied as Scott extracted himself from under the man's boot and stood up, taking back the gas canister in the process. "After the fires, I realized I couldn't stay out of it. Someone had to fight for Gotham or there wouldn't be anything left."

"Admirable," Scott praised. "Who was your boss and what happened to him?"

"Grayson used to be Robin," Harley answered for him.

"The apprentice of Batman," Scott said in awe. "I could use someone of your particular talents."

"I'll never work for the Joker," Grayson snarled. All his muscles tensed as if he was preparing to fight, regardless of the fact Harley still had a gun pointed at his head.

"I don't intend you to do so," Scott replied. "I've got something else in mind. You clearly have an interest in protecting Gotham and its people, so you'll want to hear what I have to say. Stick around after the meeting and we'll talk."

Scott turned away and entered the coffee shop to meet with the neighborhood citizens about to be recruited into Joker's gang. Harley followed at his heels, putting away the gun and even blowing Grayson a kiss on her way past.

The meeting went quickly once the people realized joining up would keep them safe. Scott didn't tell them about Joker's ultimate plan to plunge the world in lawless anarchy and bring an end to civilization and possibly humanity. If Scott's plan worked, it wouldn't come to such a grim ending, but he had a few ideas in case things went badly. Gordon and his refugees were part of it, and if Scott could get Grayson involved, it might be enough to stop Joker's madness before it spilled out of Gotham and into the rest of the world.

When Scott exited the coffee shop, Grayson was still standing outside on the sidewalk.

"Glad you waited," Scott said.

"Truthfully, I don't know why I did," Grayson admitted, scratching absently at the stubble on his chin.

"Climb in the van and we'll talk things over," Scott suggested. "I prefer to be mobile where there's less chance of being overheard. Never know who might be listening these days."

Grayson sat in the seat on the passenger side behind Harley while Scott took the wheel. The engine started up, and the van pulled slowly away from the curb.

"I don't want to bring up bad memories," Scott began hesitantly. "But, uh, what have you been doing this past year?"

"Running mostly," Grayson answered. "When Joker discovered Batman's identity, it wasn't hard to find mine. Adopted by Bruce Wayne and living in his house, it made sense I'd be Robin."

"I'm surprised he didn't kill you," Harley commented.

"He tried," Grayson admitted. His voice lowered as he recalled the painful memories. "When Bruce died, his butler, Alfred, and I started taking precautions. I accessed the Batcomputer and deleted all information about our safe houses, personnel files on me, Batgirl, and our allies."

"Too bad you didn't eliminate those on the Justice League," Scott lamented.

"I did," Grayson countered. "They were the allies I mentioned."

"Joker has contingency files to take them all down, and he got them from Batman's computer," Scott explained.

"Batman never told you about them," Harley reasoned. "He kept the files hidden from everyone to protect the Justice League from harm should the information get out and that's exactly what's happening."

"I wonder what else he had stashed in that computer," Scott thought out loud.

"Even though I deleted the computer files, it was only an added precaution as we planned to blow the whole place," Grayson told them. "We started the autodestruct, but before it could finish, Joker's people broke in and cut the cables to the power lines and backup generators, neutralizing everything."

"Did Alfred survive?" Harley inquired.

"Yes," Grayson confirmed. "I bought time for his escape. He went back to England to contact some old friends who might be able to help, but I've been on the move without any way for him to contact me, so I don't know how he's doing."

"How did you escape?" Scott queried.

"It wasn't easy, but I managed to take down a dozen goons on my way out," Grayson explained. "I've been on the run ever since, staying mobile, avoiding traffic cameras, and not using a traceable phone or keeping one on me."

"I'm taking you to meet with Gordon," Scott said. "He'll be able to keep you safe until the time comes."

"The time for what?" Grayson prompted.

"When I found out Batman was dead, it terrified me," Scott recounted. "Harley and I put the pieces together to figure out what Joker's planning and how he's going to burn the world down, but stopping him, without getting killed, has been the real challenge."

"He's got a crazy plan," Harley added from the passenger seat where she leaned back with her black and red boots resting on the dashboard. "Coming from me, that's saying something."

"What plan?" Grayson insisted.

"During the massacre and burning of Gotham, Harley and I evacuated large numbers of people," Scott explained. "They're safe for the time being and will be ready to move back in when the plan is done. Secondly, protecting the cops by pulling the strings of the Mayor keeps them alive for when we'll need them again as well. Third, enlisting the remaining civilian population into the Joker gang not only keeps them safe, by removing the need for killers to be patrolling their neighborhoods, it also gets them ready to defend their homes and families should conflict erupt."

"Do you expect this to go badly?" Grayson asked.

"There are so many ways this could end horribly wrong," Scott admitted. "It seems very likely one of the negative scenarios will probably happen, so we need to prepare for the worst."

"How do I figure into your planed insanity?" Grayson asked.

"As Joker's organization grows, it will be harder to control," Scott explained. "It will spread out and the leadership at the top won't always have the ability to monitor what goes on at ground level. Murder and other unpleasantries may become common. We need something or someone to keep them in line, keep them scared of doing the wrong thing even when Joker isn't watching."

"We already had something like that," Grayson lamented solemnly. "He's gone."

"I know," Scott admitted. "But, I think it's time he returned. Gotham needs Batman, and I want you to become him."