Well, this is my first fan fiction, it is taking place before Batman Incorporated came around, it is sorta like a "What would've happened if..." type of fan fiction, and its based off DC comics. Enjoy!
Chapter one: Jason Todd
I am who I am. No one can change that. I live for myself, make my own decisions, and I do not take orders from anyone. I lead, but in my team it is ever man for himself. I am Red Hood. This is my team. We are the Outlaws.
Behind all the hate on the outside, somewhere deep down, I care for my "friends". This care rarely ever comes out. It hasn't since... Since I came back. Part of me is almost afraid of this caring part of me. I am afraid that if that part grasps me when I lose someone I care about, I will lose myself. Jason Todd, the man who isn't afraid of anyone but himself. Yeah, that will sound good on my resume. Days go by, years even, all spent if fear. Fear that I cannot live with. Fear that I have to deal with now. Arsenal and Star probably just assume that I their fearless leader, and they may never know the truth. Bruce probably figured it out, Dick and Tim just think I was the robin that failed, that stained the name, and Damian is probably too stuck up to think about it. They're probably all fighting crime together somewhere in Gotham, while I sit here and battle myself. Sitting in my loft, guns and mask on the wall, thinking about all the mistakes I've made in the past. I am lucky. Lucky that I got revived, lucky that I was given a second chance to screw things up. My whole life was doomed for failure. Then I became robin, and everything seemed to look up. It was the best day of my life. But being killed by a psychopath, then being revived by his partner was too much. I can't be perfect, none of us are. The word that comes into Gotham's mind when they hear "Batman" is savior. When they hear Red Hood, they think "who is that?" All four of us, living in the shadow of the bat, not being our own person, hardly even having our own name. Bruce never understood that, and he never will. He was always and always will be the center. Always high, his own person, giving account to no one, making his own rules, being doted on and having more power than anyone ever should. That's why I didn't go back. I won't listen to him anymore. I was blind long enough. How the others never saw I don't know. Dying can change you.
Movement outside of the window. Guns out, mask on in a couple seconds. All that is there is a letter. I opened the window, punched out the screen, looked out, and saw Tim gliding away. I shot three shots into the air to tell him I got the letter, and to show him I don't care what is inside. He turned for a second so I could see his face. His expression said something was wrong, a look of worry.
I slammed the window shut and ripped open the envelope. It was Tim's writing:
"Jason. Please go to the mansion tomorrow night. Forget everything that has happened before this. Bruce will need all three of us. Damian is... Gone..."
No. Damian gone? That kid is impossible to kill. Bruce probably can't even beat him! He can't be gone. No!
"NO!" I said as I punched a hole through to the bathroom.
But I can't make a big deal about it. The other part will take over. I can't let that happen. I will go to the mansion tomorrow, and stand in the corner while they make funeral arrangements, I will stand in the back of the church as Bruce says passionate things about Damian. I will sit perched in a tree as Alfred, Bruce, Tim, and Dick put the coffin in the ground. I will come back here and lock myself in for a few days, then I will go back to Arsenal and Star, and I will move on. But I can't stay here. I have to get out. Kill a few criminals, and let my anger out. "Why. WHY!" I yell at myself. "Why him…"
I put on my belt and jacket since I already had the mask on. I jumped out the window and made my way down to the ground. I went to the normal alleys and shot a few thugs. I killed a criminal robbing a small department store, and ran around town. At one alley I saw the red stripe on top of a building, watching me. Dick had the same way of dealing with this. I turned my neck sharply toward him to tell him I know he was there. I knew. I understood. Then I ran down the alley. Its 4. I've been out for nearly three hours. The sun will be up in an hour and a half. I should go back. Get some sleep. Tomorrow night will be a very long night.
I woke up at one, sleeping longer than I usually do. I got up, ate lunch, got some supplies and food, came back and sat around, not knowing what to do. I watched some of the news, and of course they had found some of what I did last night. Eventually it came time to leave, so as usual, guns at my side, I headed out.
I pulled up to the Wayne Mansion and knocked on the door. Alfred answered, opened the door, let me in, not saying a word. I walked in and went to the sitting room where Dick was already sitting. He looked at me, then looked back at the ground. I sat down and stared at the ground, imagining what Bruce might be going through. Eventually I worked up the gut to ask a question. "What happened?" Dick looked up, Alfred turned away. "Damian and I… We went up against Talia's men… Damian tried to take on the big one… He wasn't strong enough... Talia wouldn't stop… She killed her own son…" He trailed off. I turned to look at Alfred, who was still turned away. Dick put his head down again to stare at the ground, and so did I.
Tim walked in minutes later and sat down. Bruce was obviously in his study, an emotional wreck on the inside, though he will never show or admit it. He will bundle up all his feelings so no one will ever be able to find them. Just like he did with his parents. Bruce never changes. He never will.
He came out of his study half an hour later and looked at Dick, then Tim, than me. He hasn't been this emotional since I died, and it's not like Talia is going to let them use the Lazarus pit. "Thank you," He said, looking at me. I nodded. Past forgotten, he needed us. "I just got word that anyone connected with Batman in any way is on the police watch list. Talia is taking control of the city. We are officially on the wrong side of the law. All except for you," He said to me. "But they will probably still take you in anyway. I am officially asking all of you to lay low, put the mask away until this is over. I will bring Talia down on my own." "What?" I asked. "You think we are just going to sit around while you avenge Damian all by yourself. This is why I left, Bruce! You give orders like we are all 10 years old. Well, news for you, we're not! So stop giving us orders like we are!" I grabbed my mask and put it on, then got my jacket and was about to leave. "Jason, no! You don't understand!" He yelled. "I do! You don't want anyone else getting hurt. Too late! We are hurt! More than you know…" I responded. "Jason is right. I can't stay here while you play hero. I'm as much a hero as you are," Tim agreed. "I'm sorry Bruce… But they are right." Dick said, putting his mask on. We walked out the door of the sitting room, Tim put on his mask and glider wings over his red shirt. Dick put a jacket with a red stripe on, pulled on his gloves, and we walked outside. With shared glances, all three of us understood. I got on my motorcycle, Dick and Tim got on theirs, and we sped away.
Our little trio separated when we got to the end of the drive, because it would attract too much attention otherwise. When we parted, the message was clear. Meet at crime alley. At the spot it happened. The event that predicted our lives.
We met up twenty minutes later because everyone had to take some sort of detour from the police. It probably would have been safer to stay at the mansion, but I couldn't stand staying there. Not with the person who couldn't even kill one of the worst people on the face of the planet, who even killed his son. I was his partner. He thinks I will just get over it. Right. Like I can forget dying, and then coming back, just to see my killer still alive. Now they think he is finally dead. But you can't kill the Joker. He will always live.
I got off my motorcycle and moved into the shadows. "Where's Barbara?" I asked. "It's too dangerous for her with her dad being commissioner, now with us being on the wrong side of the law, her dad might become too suspicious," Dick replied. "So, you guys have a plan?" I asked, and neither of them responded. "So you followed me because you thought that I had one." Tim piped up, "We followed you because we didn't believe in Bruce's decision. He can't order us around like he used to. I'm already the leader of a team, and so are you. I don't answer to anyone anymore." Now it was Dick's turn. "I may not be a leader of a team like you, but I've been holding my own for years, and to come back just to be grounded is not something that sticks well with me." "Well, if I'm going to help you, I will have to be let in. Now, are you going to listen to my advice, or am I going to be the one being ordered around?" I asked. Dick and Tim looked at each other; thankfully my hood hid the smirk on my face. Dick nodded at me and I was in. "Okay, my first suggestion is we go underground. We operate at fully function like nothing happened. We analyze what we are up against and organize simultaneous attacks against Talia's goons. This all must be done in the shadows so nothing is suspected. I can get Star and Arsenal to help us." "And I can get my team out here. We are going to need all the help we can get," Tim decided. "And our base is…" Dick asked. "Oh, I'm sure I'll figure something out," I said sarcastically, getting on my motorcycle. "You know where to find me," I said, speeding off into darkness.
