Batman: The Ties that Bind
"It's him or me!" screamed Jason, pointing his gun at Bruce, whom was standing in front of the injured Joker. It was obvious that the clown could not be any happier had he tried; his psychotic giggles were enough to chill a normal person to the bone. But what really dominated the moment was the friction in the air, the tense clash between wills that had both teacher and student sweating. Hearts were pounding heavily in their muscled chests, as if they were about to burst. The very wrath of Hell itself could not match the fiery inferno that they were in right now.
At that moment, Catgirl rushed into the building and leaped onto the railing of the long stairway she would need to climb to get to her destination. As soon as her feet touched the ground, she wasted no time in rushing up them. Her hasty footsteps on the wooden steps and her heavy breathing were the only sounds that could be heard by anyone who had been there. But to her, the quick beating of the drum in her chest was the only thing her ears seemed to register.
"How did it come to this?" she thought.
Almost there. She was running up the stairs, gaining her momentum. The only thing between her and them was the wooden door she would not allow to stay in her way. She could just barely hear voices…
Inside the old apartment room, the situation was still going on strong:
"You know what I'm going to choose. Don't do this!" replied Batman.
"No! This is what it's all about! Him, you and me! This will end now!"
"You know it's not just about this!"
"Enough talk!"
He tossed a handgun at the stunned Batman. The evil, cold weapon seemed to gleam in the dim light.
"I'm going to give you a choice." breathed Jason. "Either you shoot him, or you shoot me. And if you don't do any of these things, I'll shoot you—right in the face!"
Batman remained stone-still as he faced Jason.
"Choose! Now, or I'll shoot! I'm not bluffing!"
For a moment, Batman grasped the weapon firmly in his hand. He went for the trigger. And he tossed it to the side after unloading it completely.
"I can't do that. I'm sorry."
He saw a flash of misery and deep sadness in Jason's eyes, a moment's weakness. Bruce noticed what he thought was his chance.
"It's not too late. There are still people who care about you. You've seen that already."
Silence. Jason looked down, subconsciously touching the patch on his chest. The R and H, connected by one stem. Robin Hood, was it supposed to be? It was so long ago, he had barely remembered.
Catgirl was in the hallway, running towards the door.
"It can't go back to the way it used to be. It's already too late." whispered the ex-Robin.
Perhaps Batman would've continued had it not been for the sudden laughter of the Joker and his mocking voice:
"Aww, is the baby bird sad? What's the matter, kid? Weren't you gonna kill me?"
Batman tensed as he saw the vein on Jason's temple throb.
"Or-wait, don't tell me-are you really just as chicken as you used to be? Y'know, when you were weak. And when your little bird bones snapped. Just. Like. Twigs."
Batman and Jason moved at once, just as the bullet came out of Jason's gun. The Caped Crusader grabbed the Joker and pushed him out of the way. The bullet broke a lamp just behind him. Jason, quick to learn from mistakes, aimed at the Joker who was unbalanced. A maniacal grin of sick pleasure spread across the to-be victim's face. His green eyes grew wide, wider than they had ever been before.
"Die in hell you sadistic, abysmal piece of filth!" screamed Jason as he fired two shots straight at him.
The echo of the shots vibrated before a second's silence. Then the Joker let out a half-laugh, half-scream of pain before collapsing. He wriggled on the floor like a worm, scrunched up in pain, but Batman noticed something wasn't right: he was clutching only his bloody shoulder.
The sound of Jason's gun clattering to the floor took his complete attention. Catgirl was standing at the broken doorway, staring at them both with an odd look. His eyes suddenly noticed a stain of red, and he realized with a chill that it was her blood. She followed their horrified stares to her rib cage, still unaware of what happened. Then she gasped, collapsing on the floor like an injured bird.
"No." breathed Jason.
Suddenly, she wasn't the only one fighting to breathe. Jason ran over to her, faster than even her own father, and held her head up. All of her veins were throbbing, and she seemed to be struggling through every second and every intake of breath.
"Catgirl. Catgirl!"
He quickly took off his mask, and she saw it: even though it was older, more matured, it was still the same face she remembered. It was the face of the brother she thought she would never see again.
"See? It's me. It's me, Aves. Come on, hang in there. Stay with me!"
Her eyes went to the ceiling, and black dots filled her vision as her father also came into what little view she had left.
"Stay with me! Damn it!" cried Jason as Batman also came to her side.
Eveything was fading, fading into black, and she heard nothing else. A smile etched on her pale face.
"At least I got to see him…one last time…" she thought before her eyes closed shut.
Batman couldn't take his sight off her, feeling the painful claws of despair rip through his heart, just like it did so many years ago. Jason took one last look at her, the flesh cold on his bare hands. Then he let out a wail of pure agony that left the Joker to a parade of painful laughter.