I Own Nothing

Streetlights splashed down on the street, silence hanging through the thick and clogged air of Gotham. No stars twinkled through the choking green fog, no hope catching in the clouds of exhaust rising from towering factories pumping deathly soot and waste into the bay.

And in the corner, face stained with years of pain and tears of a broken heart, a man stood clutching a small child to his chest. He looked down at the raven hair slicked with blood, falling to his knees and burying his face in the child's neck. A scream split through the air as the man crumbled in on his little boy.

"N-no, please, please…" His yell was left unheard. His broken soul left unaided. His tears unattended as he curled into himself. "C-come back… Dickie come back to me…"

They say there is only one pain more heart-wrenching than losing your husband, your wife, your parents. And kneeling in the pooling blood, the man we see as strong, the man they call entrepreneur, the hero they call the Batman, the boy who saw his parents murdered, finally understood how they could say it.

There is no pain as a parent to lose their child.

He screamed. His life had been taken from him once. He thought he couldn't move on. He thought seeing his mother's blood stain his clothes and his father's final expression of wide blue eyes had been the worst the world had to offer… he was wrong.

Because that day, he lost his past.

That day, he lost his protectors.

That day, he became stronger.

But today… he lost his future.

The one he'd promised to protect… had watched, horrified as his guardian stood by.

Today?

Today he became weaker.

Today, he truly became the Batman.

Just as he'd always wanted to be; now he knew no sacrifice was worth becoming as he was…

Tonight, one moment changed the entire world.

Forever.

Days ago…

Batman didn't smile. Batman never smiled.

But… he was.

And if you pulled back the cowl, you'd see light dancing in his eyes; cold ice blues that had been vacant of love for so long. Dancing. Ice blue eyes following a little boy across the rooftop.

"Batman! Batman! Watch this!" the child jumped, folding himself into a flip and freefalling off the roof with a cry of bliss. Despite his knowledge at the boy's skill, Batman couldn't help but wait impatiently for Robin to come flying back up on a grappling cord.

And there he came. Flying with a scream, the child executed one, two, three, four flips before falling back into a dive and swinging away. Batman kicked off the building, expelling his own grappling hook with precision but far less grace as he followed.

"Batman! Look!" Robin pointed down at people far below, laughing as they sat around a trashcan fire.

"What?" he demanded harshly.

Undeterred, Robin jumped excitedly. "Can we join?"

"No."

"Baaaatmaaaan."

"We're not here to have fun, Robin."

"I don't want to have fun," Robin flapped his hand devilishly. "I want to make inter-human connections."

Bruce had little idea what the eleven-year-old meant by that. So, he did his best logic. He just said: "No."

Robin studied his mentor's cowl a long moment. "When the whole world says no, Bats, I say yes!" And with a laugh, he jumped off the building.

Batman took his long legs to the edge of the building where his trainee had just been, watching in secret fascination. His little boy was certainly no normal little boy.

With a cackling laugh, he introduced himself to the edgy Gotham caricatures. Batman, with years of experience up his sleeve, expected to see a glint of a knife that Robin would have to deal with before sadly returning to his mentor to admit you couldn't simply make friends with anyone in this forsaken place.

Instead, with a chipper hello, he was soon sitting by the fire, laughing with the other Gothamites. Batman could just not understand. He crouched on that roof for what seemed like hours before Robin looked up, waved goodbye to his new "inter-human connections" and scaled back to him.

He was smiling grandly as he danced across the roof. "Aren't you coming?" he called back when Batman hadn't moved. Unfolding his legs, the knight looked at his squire.

"Will you be logical for once, Robin?"

"NOPE!" this echoed with a laugh as the boy shot off once again, taking the lead that belonged to the man he'd left on the roof.

Batman internally grumbled, his eyes slits.

If only he'd known then what he knows now. Maybe then it wouldn't have happened.

For hours later, Robin didn't rise from his descent.

And days passed.

There wasn't a sign of the little hero who was born with angel wings, invisible and intangible. If only Bruce had known how soon they would be.

If only.

Maybe then it wouldn't have happened.

For days past, bleeding into the moment with a single camera and a single screen. A camera recording to every News Station who wanted millions. A screen relaying an image Batman had promised to Commissioner Gordon, to Doctor Thompkins, to Alfred, to himself would never happen. A screen with big blue eyes, big terrified azure orbs so bravely smiling through the pain at him.

Little lips whispering, "I forgive you. I love you. Don't forget to smile."

And then, nothing more.

For that day… Bruce Wayne's ward…

Robin, the Light to Batman's dark…

My best friend…

Was murdured.

Every member of the Justice League, wherever they were, were all watching the same thing. Every person, old or young, good or bad, the same moment transfixed on the screen. Lighting every news channel worldwide was the same footage.

Batman, a scowl splitting his face.

"Authorities have no idea how to stop this..."

"Just minutes ago, Batman was given a single choice…"

"A matter of life and death…"

"This could change the world…"

"Where is the Justice League…?"

"JUST A CHILD…!"

"It's all crashing down…"

"One choice…"

"One minute in counting…"

"Robin's life, for Batman's identity."

Batman's face strained as his shaking hand rose to his cowl, clearly broadcasted through and to every single new station. He gripped the fabric, pulling slowly as everyone leant forward in their seats. He froze, and began to shake, falling to his knees.

10…

9…

8…

7…

6…

5…

With a yell, the man stood again, ripping the hood back, hitching just above his nose.

4…

3…

2…

And then, it was back, and there he was. No longer the wall. No longer the immortal protector of Gotham, the brains and tactician of the League, just… a man. A man with only his child's wellbeing left, no care of how this was going to affect the world… not even the almighty Bruce Wayne… just…

"Daddy…"

…1.

"Too late."

"…Keep on smiling!"

Well, they were certainly right.

This moment was to change the world. Forever.

No more gentleness in Bruce Wayne. No more mercy from the folds of the Bat's cloak. No more light to break the immersive darkness spreading out and enrapturing the entire world. No more line between the White and Dark Knight.

The League may have stopped him. They certainly tried.

But with Batman no "fun" anymore, villains fled from the grasp of the darkness in Gotham. Joker met with Harley, blowing Metropolis to ashes and laughing as Superman broke.

And as the Man of Steel yelled at the Dark Knight, "YOU DON'T KNOW WHAT IT FEELS LIKE! All alone on a world where no one is like you… and finally… someone…"

And Batman's answer cut like a sword to flesh. "I know, Kal. I do. I may have been human, like every other human on earth. But we were never the same."

Wonder Woman was the first to follow. And as all light died out in this world, the League rejoined. Becoming one in purpose. One in drive. But they were no longer the Justice League. No longer friends to freedom, to the amendments upheld for hundreds of years. No longer charitable towards the sinners.

Under the reign of Superman, they were no longer leaders. They were Lords.

And finally, peace reigned. But really? No light remained.

"I forgive you. I love you. Keep on smiling. Daddy… keep on smiling!"

Three years later...

GOTHAM: REIGN OF THE JUSTICE LORDS YEAR THREE: December 1, 7:08 p.m.

Steam rose into the air, and quite honestly, Jason didn't care.

He knew that if he got caught, he'd be put in "Juvenile Correctionals" instituted by the JL. But…

He just didn't give a crap.

He flicked the cigarette onto the curb, smiling in satisfaction. He actually hated fuming, but he just loved ticking the authorities off. He slid around a corner, hand slipping and gritting on the stucco of the building and rubbing his hands raw. He didn't care.

"Yolo, right?" He shrugged as he jumped off the stone wall neatly lining a cliff above the quick descent to the Gotham Bridge. He didn't flail as he fell, rather erecting himself and landing on one of the thick cords spanning the bridge, where he indeed flailed a bit before snarking as he continued forward. "What the fudge?" He smiled pleasantly, lighting another cigarette, and enjoying a nice walk across the cables.

He didn't twitch as a strange wind gusted past him, continuing his leisurely pace. "You know that you are going to die if you fall?"

Jason shrugged, throwing his cigarette at the person floating next to him. He froze, doing a double take and cursing rather vehemently.

Beside him, floating and almost concerned-seeming was mother-frigging-Superman! Jason wiggled in his surprise, flailing his arms in attempt to prevent his descent, only to find a firm hand pulling him upright. "Was that a cigarette?" Superman asked seriously.

Jason tried to remove the hand, only to have the other one latch onto his other arm and begin squeezing tighter slowly. "Was it?" the "Supreme Leader's" voice dropped a decibel.

"The crap it is!"

"Where did you get it?"

"The crap do you care and why in the universe'd I tell you?!"

"I care because cigarettes are against the law- by penalty of five years in prison for adults. Kids go to correctional. Dealers dealing to adults get life in prison. Dealers dealing to kids… death."

Jason shuddered. The new- and harsh- laws of the Justice Lords' were merciless and had no quarrel with death penalties. They were especially vehement in defending kids- but Jason had no care for them. Like, he didn't want to die, but part of him had always wanted to get caught. So he could do this.

Mustering all his breath, he began gurgling and hacking. Superman leaned back, startled. Jason snapped his mouth shut, teal eyes dancing with devilish malice. Jay swished it through his teeth, once twice, and then… splat.

Superman reeled, and Jason cackled, whipping off his jacket and riding the cable like a huge zipline down to the boardwalk where he disappeared in the crowds. Even if death came, it was soooo worth it. Never would he bow to another's will. Because he?

He was a Defector.

While this is my first story on this account, I'm not a new author here. Alright! Now the important part!

All the admission details are on my profile. I accept pretty much every kind of character... Villain, hero, healer, anti-hero, civilian, assassin, etc. Also remember to put their alignment:

The Light (the people against the Justice Lords/an insurgent organization)

The Defectors (people against the Justice Lords)

The Justice Lords

Neutral

Remember, good guys can be on the wrong side and bad guys can be on any one. Like Captain Cold wouldn't side with the Justice Lords, etc.

Submissions Close Early November (thank you, Liquidation, I kinda spaced when writing this and forgot what month is is)

I need all kind of characters but remember to make them not too crazy for the fandom! Thanks and I can't wait!

-Little Broken Soul-

ps: In case you're wondering, it IS Jason Todd. He will be one of the main canon characters.