Everything had led up to this moment. The sudden return, the course played in revenge. The killings, the sudden shift in crime rate from taking over crime itself. Jason Todd, no… The Red Hood was ruthless. He had once looked up to him, Batman that was… His hero witnessed him die, and in Jason's vindictive eyes did nothing to avenge him. That was the reason for all of this
Jason leaned up against the wall badly injured from Batman's beatings. The two were evenly matched but Batman had a way of prevailing.
"This is how we die… This is how it ends…" Jason stated before laughing hysterically sliding down to the floor against the wall. Batman was too busy with his hands full from the Joker.
"You've – Completely – Lost it Jason!" Batman yelled struggling. The explosives were set to explode any minute now. Jason was finally going to get his revenge, his happy ending. Happy even if it meant he was going to die. That's all the amount of pleasure the earth would bestow upon Jason.
How things led to this moment? Things were always rough for Jason. The world was never kind to him. His father and mother often fought, things got violent. His father abandoned him and his mother, and his mother soon died of a drug over dose. Leaving poor Jason to fend for himself in the cold streets of crime alley.
It wasn't until he found the Batmobile that things picked up for him. 'A replica of the Batmobile? Maybe I can sell some of the tires so I can eat food tonight.' Jason thought to himself. Attempting to steal the tires Jason got an eerie feeling that he was being watched. Turning around he found Batman.
"…" Jason was speechless, dropping the tool he was using his mouth gaped open. Batman laughed which was a rarity for him. Batman took Jason in. Jason was Batman's right hand, the second robin, Dick Grayson was the first robin. Batman taught Jason everything from hand to hand combat, to maneuvering around the city, and teaching him how to channel his rage. He was taught everything he needed to grab Gotham City by the neck and choke the crime out of it.
Fast forward a few years later the Joker had the age 17 Jason tied up in some dark warehouse.
"Batman?" Jason asked hearing footsteps. He was broken, his tears had dried up a long time ago.
"Jason… You've got to learn to accept the facts. It's been almost a year now. The dear dark knight isn't coming for you." The Joker said pretending to be his friend.
"Fuck you!" Jason yelled. The Joker pulled out his crowbar and hit Jason in the head with it not hard enough to kill him, but hard enough for Jason to whimper falling over in the chair onto the ground.
"Tell me what hurts more, 1" Joker slammed the crowbar into Jason's chin. "Or 2?" Joker said smashing the crowbar into Jason's ribs. Jason coughed up blood.
"Just kill me already…" Jason said in a hopeless voice. Joker smiled a sinister grin.
"Oh no, I'm not going to kill you, yet that is. There's so much more fun to be had old boy." Joker stated while pulling out a photograph and inspecting it. The photograph was going to do so much mental damage to Jason that the Joker couldn't help but smile.
"Now tell me out of 1 and 2 what hurt the most?" Joker questioned.
"Screw you!" Jason said rebelliously. Joker kicked him in the gut several times.
"Allow me to reiterate Jason old chap. What hurt the most? 1 or 2?" Joker questioned.
"2…" Jason answered giving up.
"How about 3?" Joker said showing the photograph to Jason. His whole world was turned upside down, within the picture was Batman with a new sidekick.
"He's forgotten about you Jason. I didn't want to have to do that believe me." Joker said pretending to care about Jason. "But you've refused to face facts. No one is coming to get you. You're going to die you little punk." Joker said flicking the photograph at Jason's face. Laughing maniacally on his way out the Joker left Jason to himself, who would be beaten all over again the very next day.
He was left there to cry tears he had once thought had dried out. His will completely shattered, his soul set ablaze. 'He replaced me…' Jason thought to himself.
Months later after countless torture.
"Now Jason it's Christmas now and now's the time for giving. So I'm willing to give you anything you want." Joker said after hurting Jason severely. "What is it that you want?" Joker questioned.
"I want to die..." Jason said staring off into blank space, there was no emotion in his voice anymore. He was gone, gone mentally.
"OOO! I've got just the thing!" Joker said uncovering explosives. "Merry Christmas Jason." Joker cheered. Jason stared into the timer with a single eye, his other eye was too bruised to even open.
Batman had just gotten word as to where Jason was and left for him. He never made it in time… The explosion killed Jason. He was thought to be dead, until Ra's al Ghul revived him using the Lazarus pit. Jason awaking in distress and panic like everyone who used the Lazarus pit for the first time escaped by fighting his way out. Never to be seen again.
That was until Todd came back years later finding out the Joker was still alive and that the Batman had done nothing to avenge Jason. Again the world had hurt him. 'I'm going to make them all pay, I swear it on my mother.' Said a dark Jason.
Flash forward some more to Jason confronting Batman.
"I forgive you for not saving me, but why on god's earth is he still alive!" Jason said kicking down the door revealing the Joker.
"I thought I'd be the last person you'd let him hurt. If it had been you he had beat to a bloody pulp, and then murdered. I would have – I would have searched this entire world for this pathetic piece of death worshipping garbage! You say you can't kill him? All because your antiquated sense of morality won't let you handle that. Is that too much to ask? That you kill him? For me." Jason threw a gun at Batman who caught it with both hands.
"Jason." Batman said in a soft voice.
"I'm gonna kill him and finally end it but if you can't bare to see the bane of your existence perish than you're gonna have to kill me." Jason said devoid of any sense of care for his life.
"No…" Batman replied.
"IT'S EITHER HIM OR ME! You decide!" Jason screamed. Batman squinted, and his brow furrowed. Dropping the gun and turning around he walked slowly away.
"DECIDE HIM OR ME!" Batman ignored him. Jason pulled the trigger but Batman had already weaved out of the way throwing a batarang, shooting again the batarang hit the nuzzle of the gun and it exploded wounding Jason to a considerable degree.
"Guess I'm gonna have to use these." Jason said revealing explosive charges set to kill them all. Batman went to try and defuse them while Jason was weakened.
Joker pounced on Batman from out of nowhere and yelled.
"I'm not letting you ruin this bats!" Joker yelled.
The moment we left off at
Batman head budded Joker and ran over to Jason grabbing him. Leaving the Joker for dead Batman jumped through a window with Jason and used his grappling hook to shoot up to another building. The explosion was beautiful to Jason, Joker was dead for good. Jason had just single handedly done the one thing that Batman could never do.
"I would never kill the Joker or you, but if I had to save one of you, it would be you. I chose you Jason" Batman said. Batman had to of course let the authorities decide Jason's fate however.
Jason went to Arkham where he spent his time getting into fights, most ending in death, for the other inmates of course. He found a way to tamper with several inmates food and drinks poisoning them all at once one day leading to their deaths. Jason was just too much to handle it got to the point where they couldn't really contain him, he had bought off most of the guards, and was allowed to roam freely picking any fight he wanted. He had made a reputation for himself in Arkham Asylum. Everyone but a select few hated him, but most importantly one thing everyone could agree on was that they were afraid of Jason.
"Jason, you can't keep doing this." Commissioner Gordan said who had just been in visiting and filled in on Jason's recent antics for the week.
"I certainly can commissioner. You've surrounded me with filth, garbage, sleaze, and slop. I hate everyone incarcerated here, and everyone incarcerated here hates me too." Jason said.
"Especially Harley Quinn. And if you don't stop you're gonna get an early death. She purposely got herself jailed just to get to you. I came here to tell you to try keeping to yourself and they'll maybe move your execution farther up." Gordan tried his best to negotiate.
"Well that's relieving. I'll talk with you later comish." Jason said sarcastically. His death date never got pushed back and months later on his last week to live he was spending most of his time inside his cell contemplating things while looking up into the ceiling on his bed. That's when he met her…
She had been invited to greet the inmates and serve as a role model to show some of the more resilient inmates what life could throw at you when you chose the right side. It was like a field trip only she came here instead of them coming to her. She was chosen because she was powerful enough to hold her own.
She visited those on death row last. She felt sympathy in her heart for everyone although she didn't know anyone here, or so she thought.
Jason whistled trying to ignore some of the loud inmates next door. He continued to whistle not caring that he was going to die soon. That's when a shadow was cast over his cell. She couldn't comprehend how someone could play such a joyful tune with their whistle knowing they were going to die. Jason assumed it was some punk with the 'balls' to try and start a fight.
"Listen asshole. If you try fucking with me I'm gonna merc you in a matter of seconds. Do you even know who the fuck I am?" Jason casually stated and asked.
"I'm not here to start any fights." She said in an innocent voice. Jason's eyes widened that was the first females voice he had heard in months. Sitting up from his bed and turning he stared awestruck at her beautiful body. Attractive legs, cute face, short blond hair, she was perfect. She felt his eyes on her but decided to deal with it because she felt sorry for this man. He probably didn't even see the other sex that much too which she guessed. He wasn't even a man he was just as old as she was. 'Jesus he doesn't even look like he's pushing 22 and they're gonna kill him?' She wondered.
"What made you come to visit me?" Jason asked. Looking at her costume he realized that she was supergirl Aka Kara Zor. A girl he had heard of a long time ago. It made sense now why they allowed her to come here, she probably could kick everyone's asses at the same time including Jason's with a single arm Jason guessed. He reminded himself that love never worked for him, using his harsh nihilism he deducted she was probably here to slap some sense into him or here for some charity gig, or some other kind of joke that Jason didn't find funny, at all.
"I was invited to Arkham to greet the prisoners. Do you mind if I ask what you've done to earn death row?" Kara questioned slowly, she hoped he would take the question easy knowing that the reason could be a touchy subject. Jason's brow furrowed, she was here for that? No matter, he didn't care.
"You don't know who I am? I'm Jason Todd, the Red Hood." Jason answered. Kara's eyes widened. She couldn't believe it. She had heard stories about the Red Hood being this criminal who went into the criminal under world killing top tier gangsters and then taking control of things himself. He went around subjecting criminals to torture, brutally killing other criminals wherever he found it fit. And then going on to kill the Joker. But for him to be Jason Todd, the second robin. This was too crazy for her to understand.
"Jason, you're on death row?" Kara rhetorically asked distraught at the thought that one of the greats was going to die soon.
"Yup. They said that because I kept killing too many inmates that I had to be put to death. I have one week left to live actually. For what? Killing low lives, because the ones in charge are the ones who prefer to do the killing. – Not that I care that I'm going to die, I just find my reasoning to be put down pretty funny. I've been close to death so many times that it doesn't even phase me anymore. It was nice meeting you Supergirl." Jason explained. Kara's brow knit. How could a robin speak about death so casually, as if it were nothing? It was depressing. It was… 'Deranged'.
"You used to be one of the good guys. What happened?" Kara asked in awe, this was too much.
"I guess you really don't know me. I'm not a good guy. To be honest I don't know if I was ever good. Batman forgot about me, so should you." Jason stated. Kara watched as Jason sat back down on his bed with his hands behind his head slowly returning to his whistle.
Kara was starting to regret coming here. Something about Jason about to die made her feel so, so terrible. It was unfortunate, it was like she had known him. Her mentor superman was friends with his mentor Batman. 'Get over it Kara it's not like he's your friend. That face though, he didn't have a care in the world. No one should have to talk about their OWN death so casually. It's not right! I think I'm gonna be sick…' Kara thought painfully in her head, she felt so bad for Jason. 'He was one of Batman's! What could have made him get to a point where he talks about murder and his own demise in such a calm manner?' Kara again painfully thought unable to get his cold face out of her head.
"Yo dark thoughts, come over here I got new information." Anthony sorelo called. He was a dirty criminal, but Jason trusted him. In exchange to keep his life he swore to inform Jason of all gang shit. No one dared to fuck with the two of them anymore. NOT AFTER WHAT JASON DID TO THE LAST DETRACTOR.
They were in the court yard and Jason often was allowed to hang out here because of course the guards were paid off. The only thing they wouldn't let him do was escape.
"What you got for me Anthony?" Jason said smoking a cigarette he coped off some dip shit who didn't have the balls to stop Jason from beating the shit out of him and taking it. Jason owned Arkham Asylum, he was the force of Arkham Asylum's justice every time he picked fights. He had changed no longer was he fighting for the sake of others, he fought for himself, but that however was going to change.
"This is big man… Real big, dangerous shit man." Storelo stated.
"Get to the damn point Storelo…" Jason warned.
"My men outside Arkham told me this, this morning…" Storelo said catching his breath this was crazy stuff to him. Jason thought about choking Storelo right now but waited patiently.
"Harley Quinn she left man. She got out, they're saying she's obtained hostages and some criminals to dress the same and to rob a bank. The hostages will be hard to tell from the criminals. She's doing it so you can't shoot everyone up and that's the only way the henchmen feel safe fucking with you. She's doing this to finally draw you out man…." Storelo stated.
"Then I gotta ditch Arkham, was kinda hoping to die here to let Batman know that I ended up dead because of him. but fuck it. Time to die with style I guess…" Jason responded.
"WHERE THE HELL IS JASON!" The commissioner shouted as loud as he could his face turning red. Sirens were going off and search dogs were barking equally as loud. He had just came to tell Jason that he wasn't going to be on death row any longer and that he was going to be let free. The world had by chance let Jason in on a secret where on hearing it Jason would have to escape on hearing it. Again the world made it so that his chance to live a normal, safe, and peaceful life were gone. He wouldn't have the happy ending not the morbid one but the true happy ending he had dreamed of. Living a life where the world wouldn't hurt him anymore. If Jason had known that he could have lived his happy ending if he had just stayed put he probably wouldn't have cared. Saving those hostages were more important.
Super girl heard Arkham from all the way in metropolis. Her super hearing made this possible of course, Just like superman. She had been paying attention to that wretched place to potentially hear if Jason was alright, she wanted to know if he was safe after hearing what the commissioner said. She had been told by the commissioner that he was going to be let home safe. Wherever his home was, if he had one… But now she heard those sirens and it was stressing her out. 'It's none of your business Kara. Stay out of it.' Kara thought to herself. She spent the whole night feeling guilty on both sides. If she had gone to stop him she would have been sending him back to his death since they obviously would have retracted the chance to go home and that she couldn't let happen. Her morals wouldn't allow it. And the fact that she was letting him do it meant others would die, even if they were criminals. She was being tested by the world. Both choices seemed wrong and she couldn't decide how to choose.
An Hour and forty-five minutes later.
Jason had made an amateur boat with rain coats that his buddies had got him, trust me his buddies were limited and the minority in the vast majority that stayed in Arkham. He had been planning something like this for ages in case he needed to dish out more justice upon the world. He was ready for Harley Quinn, he was ready to fight for someone else again. He was going to ensure that she never harmed anyone again. How you may ask? By blowing her brains out all over the place. Jason saw the lights from the distance. Gotham…
"Watch out Gotham, I'm back in town." Jason said to himself amused, he reminded himself that lives were on the line and went back to brooding. The moon light reflected in the water. The cold rain hit upon Jason's dirty malnourished face. He had a habbit of skipping lunch to avoid getting sneak attacked even though he had fine tuned ears and combat senses. The rain cleaned his face, it cleansed him spiritually. Was this a symbol? A sign that his redemption was coming. 'Fat chance…' Jason thought he had given up hoping a long time ago.
Flowing towards Gotham he dropped out into the ever so cold water and swam, he swam faster and faster and faster and faster and faster. He was risking hypothermia, but Jason gave no fucks once so ever. Climbing the wooden pillar he maneuvered up the platform onto the wooden docks. Lightly jogging he had been taught that jogging was sometimes more effective than running on the scenario it was in. Jogging was good for the duration of movement, making far distances, running was good for getting to places fast but consuming energy in a little amount of time essentially getting to point A to point B which wasn't too far. Jason needed to get from point A to point Z, that's how far the place was. Jogging there were people eying Jason down with knit brows and frowns all over the place.
'They stare at me as if I killed their god or something. The people of Gotham have gotten used to being afraid.' He thought. They stared daggers into Jason.
He made it to the place out of breath, jogging this far was a challenging task but he bared through the pain. The same pain the world had often thrown at him from time to time. Turning on the news he heard the uncaring words thrown his way.
"A known deviant and degenerate has just escaped Arkham Asylum. The same man known as the Red Hood. Everyone you know probably hates this guy, for taking matters into his own hands in a way that I cannot describe on live television. Attempting to kill the dark knight, and even going as far as poisoning a ton of inmates within his jail time. The things he has done to certain criminals is truly horrific, I can't stress to you enough how bad they are without the station getting censored by the FCC. He is truly a psychotic and demented man, who's sense of judgement and morals are for sure WRONG." The anchor man stated.
"Tough crowd." Jason said. He was used to being hated, he had never once let hate from others bother him, even when his father had told him that he didn't love Jason all those years ago he had taken it well, it didn't hurt him then. But now? He couldn't say for sure whether that hurt him. He just felt numb when he thought about it, emotionless. Was that a sign that it did influence him? He didn't know which led him continuing to bleed silently in the form of mental pain.
He had acquired enough cash from being a mafioso to save himself another suit within another safe house, a secret one, one that's rent was paid for, for years. He took off his clothes and looked in the mirror. 'Now's not the time for your arrogant comments.' Said Jason who was focusing on what he had to do. Putting on heavy body armor with the red bat symbol on his chest he then put on his dark grey tactical cargo pants with knee pads. From there he put on his dark grey combat boots. Next he slid on dark grey G TMC gloves. He placed his arms inside his dark brown leather zipper jacket which was a few feet above his waist. Finally, he grabbed his red helmet which matched the red bat symbol on his armor. Staring into the white eyes of the helmet it was similar to that of staring into his own soul. A dark void of dark thoughts and emotions. Placing it on his head he looked to his closet. He opened the closet with excitement and smirked.
"I've missed you girls." Jason commented whilst looking at an assortment of assault rifles. Many had been unused which he hoped to fix, all his other guns had ran out of ammo from all the rampages and crusades he would go on. Standing up neatly leaning against the wall. Picking up one of the rifles he put the strap over his head and let it hang from his body. He picked up his sleeping dart pistol he had bought for such an event like this.
Going over to his dress cabinet that held no clothes but a flip cellphone untraceable to any one trying to spy on him. Flipping it open he called Storelo who was probably in his cell in lock down. Shit was about to go down soon.
Storelo knew the guards didn't care if he had a cell phone in his cell. They were paid off. Opening the call he spoke.
"Jason you got Arkham on lockdown! I can't believe how fast you busted out! You were like a shadow, and you did all of it with no practice for months" Storelo said amazed.
"I don't give a damn about your compliments right now Storelo. Which bank are they robbing?!" Red Hood asked.
"Merchant's bank. Be careful Jason I don't think Harley's playing around." Storelo said worried for Jason. He and him had a close bond despite Jason trying his best not to make friends at Arkham.
"I'm not playing around either. Lives are at stake. Your 'outside' pals will let you know whether I survived or not." Todd said hanging up and leaving.
Kara couldn't handle it anymore. She had to do something. Putting on her costume supergirl flew out her window. She knew exactly who to talk to, exactly where to go. Arriving in Gotham city in a speed unmeasurable she descended from the sky onto the footsteps of Wayne Manor. She had been here once before. She sure hoped that this was the right thing to do. knocking the door it opened almost immediately, maybe she set off an alarm or something she thought.
"You were just at Arkham and then Jason escaped when you left." Bruce stated. Kara was impressed by his keen ability to stay in the loop.
"I want to talk about Jason." Kara asked hoping it wasn't a fragile subject. Bruce stared at Kara for what seemed to be hours to her but were really seconds. He sighed and let her in.
"Alfred attend to our guest while I deactivate the security system alert program." Bruce said leaving Kara by herself. Making her way to the couch she sat, Alfred noted her shivering and placed a warm blanket over her shoulders.
"Thank you, Alfred." Kara said really appreciating it.
"I'll fetch you and master Bruce some tea." Alfred replied leaving her alone too. It didn't take long for Bruce to come back. When he did he sat beside Kara.
"Jason was like a son to me… He said it himself when he got older that he thought of me as a father figure, as his real father." Bruce explained. "I loved him, I remember the first time he put on his suit. He said he couldn't believe it." Bruce went on, he smiled at the sweet memory. "He had told me to pinch him to see if it was just some dream…" Bruce said with pain in his voice.
"Bruce do you think it's too late for him?" Supergirl asked reluctantly.
"Yes, I do think that Kara. He made a choice so powerful – so powerful to the point where he can never return. He can never come back to his former self. He made the choice to become a killer, a god damn murderer. When I was younger I made sure that once I became Batman I stayed that way, I am Batman now and I haven't been the old Bruce in so long. He's now that morbid twisted version of me known as the Red Hood. He is going to stay that way. I set my own rules and played the game of life. Jason… He made his own rules too. And they involve shooting first and asking questions later." Bruce said in such morose. Kara's brow was knit the whole time.
"Maybe I can change him, maybe I can show him that the world isn't so bad." Kara cut in. Bruce looked her in the eye with his expressionless ones.
"With the way his life went, that's going to prove to be your most difficult mission ever." Bruce told her.
"Here is your tea master Wayne and Kara." Alfred said trying to hide the pain in his voice. He had over heard what they were discussing. Bruce Wayne was like a son to Alfred and Master Todd was like a grandson, it absolutely horrified him thinking of what Todd became.
"What should I do then Bruce, about this whole situation with him escaping?" Supergirl questioned visibly upset by all of this.
"You should stop him. Stop him before he hurts anyone else. Then maybe you can try talking with him." Bruce answered with conviction.
"Would you prefer it if you went to stop it yourself?" Kara asked reluctantly, she didn't want to impede on his business as Jason was his former sidekick but she also didn't want to make it seem like she didn't want to do it. Bruce smiled a warm smile that put Kara at ease, this was done intentionally so she wouldn't feel pressured. He was never able to smile frequently but he had to do it for Kara, she was a good girl.
"You can handle this. You're the one who came so you clearly care. I haven't fully accepted it yet, that he's gone. Gone forever, that he's no longer an ally. That he's a foe. But I can only dream of him coming to me one day and just hugging me, no words, just a warm hug. You take care of this, I trust you, you have my blessings." Batman said his brow furrowing, because he was thinking about Jason and what he had become. Kara had new found determination with a set objective.
Bruce turned on the news for Kara, he already knew all about Harley Quinn but now that Kara was here he decided to let her handle it.
"Harley Quinn has just stormed Merchant's bank with several armed men some believed to be hostages which has authorities unable to help as of now until they can set up a plan to deal with such drastic methods that Harley has taken. In other news Jason Todd also known as the RedHood has disappeared from Arkham just days before his execution right before commissioner Gordon could get there in time to tell him that he would be free. Putting the two news together, some say that there is certainly not a coincidence regarding these two news stories. Let us pray that this delinquent does not murder those innocent souls." The anchor woman told with distress in her voice.
Supergirl left the manor after saying her goodbyes and thank yous. She now knew what she had to do. It was clear as day. She was going to stop Jason before he hurt anyone. She hoped to stop Harley Quinn too. Batman's eyes were closed. He had faith in Kara. Maybe this sudden play, this sudden move would turn out right. Kara was a female, an innocent one, a sweet one. Someone like that would probably have a better chance at talking some sense into Jason than the stern talking that Batman would usually dish out. It was like when your kids didn't listen to you and you had to have one of their friends convince them to get on the right path. Batman certainly hoped that would happen.
Author's note: I based some of this stuff off myself. Like how Jason's father said "I don't love you". That happened to me a long time ago, I don't even think my father remembers. I love him and I think he loves me too now. If you're reading this please submit a review you have no idea how much this helps me. AND YES THERE IS GOING TO BE A CHAPTER TWO. SOON.