It was too perfect. Young Jason Todd, no older and 13 or 14 and short dark hair framing a pale, dirty face, rounded the corner with his tire iron in hand. To his complete surprise, there sat the Batmobile in all its glory. He briefly wondered what poor schmuck had drawn the Batman's ire this time. The boy stared at it in awe for a few moments before he decided to get a closer look. He'd never actually seen the Batmobile up close before. The hub caps were left completely unprotected; it was too perfect.
"Sorry Bats, but this is Crime Alley," Jason muttered to himself, smug grin on his face as he tossed the tire iron around in his hand. He glanced around, looking up toward the roof tops, watching and listening for any sign of the Batman. With not a cape or cowl in sight, Jason knelt down beside the Batmobile and got to work. He started with jacking the car up a bit, trying to make as little noise as possible. He wasn't going to share this score with anyone. With luck, these tires would buy him some new clothes, and some food for at least a week. He hadn't eaten much in a good couple of weeks. Not since his mother OD'd. He knew it was only a matter of time, yet still...it wasn't fair.
His entire life thus far had been unfair, from the moment he'd been born. His father was a small time drug dealer and thief, and his mother was a drug addict. It was like a match made in heaven. Or hell, rather. They were always fighting, having shouting matches and throwing things across the room, all while little Jason hid underneath the table and hugged his little brown dog, Sparky, for comfort. It was a rough childhood, especially when it came time for bed; he'd lie awake at night, afraid his father would follow through on his "promise". "One of these days, I'll get rid of my two biggest problems" , he used to say. And Jason would lay awake at night, wondering if that night would be the night his father would grab the gun and kill both he and his mother.
He ended up going off to prison long before that, leaving him and his mother alone. Unfortunately, he'd become the man of the house as a result. He'd spend most of his days making sure his mother didn't drown in her own vomit after coming home from work and "indulging" herself with whatever poison she'd bought off of some back alley snake that week. The few moments when she had been lucid, and not high out of her gourd, she was a decent mother. But then, one night, she OD'd, and just like that, Jason was along. If there was a God, Jason was convinced he had to be a very cruel one. What kind of "God" would put a kid through something like this?
But no, there was no God. And he learned the hard way, that the only person he could count on, was himself. After his mother died, he was left homeless; the orphanage was "over capacity", they said and as a Bowery kid, that was code for piss off, kid. So Jason had to resort to the "skills" his father had taught him. Sometimes, when that wasn't enough, he had to learn...new skills...do things he was ashamed of, whatever it took, to survive. But he'd always been a fighter, a survivor, and so he did what he had to. This was no different.
He started with the nearest tire; front left. One by one, he removed the bolts that kept the tires on. He pulled off the first tire, glancing out across the hood of the car for any signs of Batman. None so far. He took the tire off the axle, and retreated down a nearby alleyway, tucking it away out of sight of prying eyes, then returned for the next. The back left tire was next. The the back right tire was next to follow. One by one he removed them with still no sign of the Batman when he returned for the final tire. He had just knelt down and had been about to start the process of removing the last one, when he heard that dreadful sound; the sound of a cape flapping in the wind, the sound of boots landing on pavement. The sound that said he'd been caught.
Jason slowly looked up from his work, gazing across the surface of the hood of the car, and there stood, like a nightmare shrouded in a cape-
"Batwoman?" Jason asked, arching an eyebrow. The woman stood above him, her arms crossed and her red hair flowing in the wind. Her eyes looked at him, yet it felt like they were piercing through him. Jason knelt there, staring back at her, wide-eyed with fear. He'd heard about the Batman, the supposed Dark Knight of Gotham, who all the criminals and thugs in the city had feared. He'd not heard as much of Batwoman, but anyone garbed in that costume had to be formidable. The Batman was rumored to be a nightmare shrouded in a cape, but this Batwoman before him, seemed all too intimidating in her own way. Perhaps she didn't strike the formidable figure that Batman did, but she was still intimidating nonetheless.
"Stealing the tires off of the Batmobile? I don't know whether you're brave, or just stupid, kid," Batwoman said with a derisive snort, arms crossing over her chest. Jason glowered at her and shot a derisive snort of his own right back at her. He turned his attention back to the final tire on the car and attempted to continue what he'd started, in spite of her appearance on the scene.
"Yeah well, maybe this'll teach him not to leave his car in Crime Alley. For a detective, he's not very bright," Jason snapped back. Batwoman huffed at the kid's defiant attitude and stormed around the vehicle toward him. She obviously didn't project quite the same aura of fear as Batman did, or maybe this kid was just a little ass. Either way, when she reached for his shoulder to try and stop him, Jason lurched away and swung the tire iron at her. She gasped slightly in surprise, not having considered the kid to be that damn bold. She was impressed. And also mildly pissed.
"I'm not much for beating up kids, so why don't you hand me the tire iron and I'll let you be on your way. We'll forget this happened," Batwoman offered, holding out a hand toward the unruly teenager. Jason's expression softened ever so slightly, clearly taken aback by what was, by any means, a very generous offer. He doubted he'd get the same from Batman himself, or anyone else for that matter. When he'd been caught in the past, he'd usually have the shit kicked out of him and then left on the curb to nurse his injures; usually by the GCPD.
But he needed to eat. He needed clothes. He needed these tires. Another score like this was not likely to come along any time soon. He'd already done more than his share of things he'd regretted just to survive; one more couldn't hurt. Or maybe it could. He was about to find out.
"Thanks lady, but this is Crime Alley, and I need to eat. The tires are mine ," Jason snapped at her. He would soon come to regret his next move; he lunged in at Batwoman and swung the tire iron. She caught it effortlessly then spun around, hauling it forward and lifting Jason up off his feet and over her head. Colors exploded before his eyes as the teen found himself on the pavement, on his back, and in quite a bit of pain. He groaned and blinked his eyes, trying to regain control over his vision. He clenched his fist a bit and found that the tire iron had been taken from him.
"Looking for this?" Batwoman asked, looking down at him as she tossed it aside. Jason growled and rolled over, pushing himself up onto his feet with his hands and taking a swing at her. He didn't really want to fight her, but then he'd always been a fighter from the time he'd been born. His father often told him that he was 'too stupid to know when to quit'. Well, maybe that was true, but Jason Todd never backed down. Ever. That turned out to be a mistake tonight. With practiced ease of a woman who'd honed her body and her reflexes with years of training, she slapped his fist aside, delivering a palm strike to his chest. The wind was knocked clean out of Jason's lungs, and with strength that defied her appearance, she sent the teen toppling over backward, back meeting the pavement once more.
"Come on kid, this isn't working," Batwoman called to him. Jason groaned again and rolled over onto his stomach.
"Yeah. I'm noticing," Jason muttered to himself. He felt a hand on his shoulder and screwed his eyes shut, preparing for another attack, and yet, none came. Instead, she helped him to his feet, turned him around to face her and...smiled? "Beating the snot out of a kid. Cute. You should see the GCPD about a job. I hear they got Batman on speed dial."
"Cute, kid. Really cute. Y'know your fresh mouth and crappy attitude haven't gotten you anywhere so far," Batwoman retorted.
"They've kept me alive, so far," Jason shot back. Batwoman heaved a sigh and pinched the bridge of her nose. This kid was quite the case. Defiant, arrogant, unafraid. In a word; impressive. She gave him a look over from head to toe. Just from a quick glance, she deduced that he was likely homeless; probably hadn't had a decent meal in a while; no parents, no place to call home; nowhere to go at all.
She'd seen cases like his before. Down here, in The Bowery, the rules were different. It was an Urban Jungle in the truest sense; survival of the fittest. Children were easy targets for perverts or drug mules, often trained to become criminals themselves, out of necessity, rather than desire. Some lucky few might get picked up and sent to an orphanage, while others were passed around like toys for perverts. The police presence down here was near zero, and when they did show up, it was only on an order or a call. Judging from her encounter with this one, he'd been through more than his fair share of all of that, and more.
"What's your name, kid?" Batwoman asked, placing her hands on her hips. Jason arched an eyebrow and snorted.
"Jason. Jason Todd," he replied, crossing his arms over his chest, trying to make himself look bigger, tougher. It was more out of a force of habit than anything else; a natural response to conflict he'd developed out of necessity. This Batwoman had already proved, quite adequately, that such displays didn't amount to shit.
"Jason Todd, huh? Son of Willis Todd?" Batwoman asked. Jason snorted.
"Yeah, what of it?" Jason asked with a glare. From his reaction alone, Batwoman easily decuded that the kid wasn't a fan of his father. There was hope for this kid, it seemed. She could just take the tires back and send him on his way, but what would that accomplish? He'd still be stuck in The Bowery and nothing would change. The Orphanage was already at maximum capactiy, and she didn't trust "Ma Gunn's Home for Wayward Boys". She didn't know what it was about that place, only that her gut told her something was wrong there...
"Listen, Jason. I have some friends in pretty high places," Batwoman began, deciding on a course of action. She approached the teen carefully, keeping her body language as nonchalant and non-threatening as possible. She placed a hand on his shoulder, and gestured toward the alleyway where she knew he'd stashed the tires. "So I'll make you a deal; you return those tires, I don't care if you put them back on, and you stay out of trouble for the rest of the night, I'll help you out." Batwoman dug through a pouch on her utility belt and pulled out a card, handing it to the teen. "Here. Leslie Thompkins is a Doctor who works out of the East End. She'll help you, and keep an eye on you."
Jason frowned at the Bat in front of him but gave her offer serious thought. Trust was a rare and precious commodity down here in The Bowery; one had to be exceedinly cautious to whom they gave it. Jason was apprehensive about this woman's offer, but she was wearing a Bat symbol. Maybe she could be trusted? He felt like he was taking a big risk here, but...
"Fine. It's a deal," he replied, holding out his hand. Batwoman smiled and shook on it, then pulled a grappling gun out and pointed it toward a roof nearby.
"Good. Now I'd put those tires back before Batman shows up. He won't go as easy on you as I did." She fired a line and disappeared into the night, with Jason watching her disappear. The teen snorted and rolled his eyes as he went back down the alleyway to returned the tires.
" He won't go as easy on you as I did ," he mocked under his breath.
Kate's family owned the building in which she resided, as well as the place she had made her own "Batcave". It was but one of many advantages of being part of a wealthy family. She'd also built a career in the military, much alike her father, and had access to some cutting edge gear as a result. It paid to have connections. Though it wasn't quite on par with Batman's equipment, it was still impressive nonetheless.
So after another exhausting night on patrol, Kate peeled off her gear, changing back into civilian attire, then rode the hidden lift down from her headquarters at the top of the building, down to her loft beneath it. She heaved a sigh, letting her hair down as she padded into the apartment, ready to collapse for the night. Despite her extensive military training, and the fierce training regimens she put herself through to become Batwoman, she was still human after all.
She wondered though, if she'd made the right call tonight. Offering to help that boy, Jason Todd, would do precious little if he was left to the streets, or thrown in an orphanage where the chances of him being adopted were slim. That left only one option, and she knew what it was the moment she decided to help him; adoption. But was she ready to be a mother? On one hand, that seemed like a stupid question; Bruce had most definitely not been ready to be a father, and yet he adopted Dick Grayson, and that kid was a born-and-raised circus acrobat and aerialist. Dick had turned out fine, but the fact that Bruce had seen fit to throw him in a costume, and then throw him at criminals...well, that wasn't exactly A+ parenting on display.
And yet, in doing so, he may have helped save Dick from becoming just like him. Maybe Kate could do that for Jason? Not just save him from the streets of Gotham, the Bowery, but from himself, and from becoming his father. She'd already offered to help him, and backing out now would make her feel crummy. Especially since she could see how hard it was for the boy to put his trust in her. There was nothing for it; she'd have to adopt him. It seemed to be the only way to keep him from turning into just another thug. It was a small thing, and yet it seemed so important. As a soldier herself, she knew that you can't save everyone.
And who knew? Maybe she'd find she liked being a mom. But was she really ready for a teenager? Right off the bat? Infants were a handful from what she knew. And toddlers, too. But teenagers? Lord, they were in a league of their own. It unnerved her a little bit, the idea of raising a teenager, and yet...
"Come one Kate, you fight psychopaths and hardened criminals every night, and you're afraid of a teenager?" she said to herself, chuckling at the idea. She sighed at the thought again, though. "What have you gotten yourself into this time, Kate," she muttered, padding into her bedroom to dress down for bed. Tomorrow would prove to be interesting, she thought to herself; best to get as much rest as possible, and prepare for what was to come. With luck, things would go well, and she would save at least one person from a life of crime and misery. This was part of why she became Batwoman, was it not? And if Bruce could do that for Dick, maybe she could do the same for Jason.