Batman #429: The Hunt (picking up from Batman #428: The Process alternate ending for Jason Todd).
Written by: Andrew J. Robertson January 2011
"ARRRGH!" screamed the Joker as Doctor Scarri worked on the wound. To pull the clothing out of the infected wound was something not nice to see, or to feel for the Joker. "Doctor…" said a panting Joker, "you may… have had a… point about being… knocked out… for… th-th-thiiiiiiiiisssssssssss…" And he was out from the pain. Despite it being the Joker, you had to feel for his pain as the doctor operated on him to fix his wound. "You'll feel better in the morning…" said the doctor glibly.
Jason woke again in a sweat and shaking, "NOOOOOOO!" he yelled as he sat straight up in bed. Bruce and Alfred both came running in, Bruce spoke first, "Jason?" Jason sat there, panting wildly from his nightmare. "It – it was the Joker! Hitting me again in my dream with that crowbar!" Tears ran down his face at the thought. He had relived this incident from a number of weeks ago now in his dream again. They kept recurring. The beating with the crowbar, the bomb exploding, his mother dying. Bruce rushed in uncharacteristically and held the boy in his arms as a father would their son after such a brutal nightmare. Unfortunately this nightmare was based on real events. "Jason…" said Bruce, "I'm so sorry. I should never have brought you into this world of mine." Jason sobbed on Bruce's shoulder for a moment. Alfred looked on in admiration of Bruce for this sudden show of care and concern – as if Jason were his own flesh and blood. After a minute or two, Jason leaned back and said, "Bruce, I don't blame you. I blame the Joker! I wanted to be Robin! I still do!" Bruce looked back at the boy, "We'll see. I've got some leads on the Joker. Believe me – he's going to pay for what he did to both Barb and you!" A slight smile came on Jason's face. Bruce stood up, "I'm on my way out. Alfred? May I speak to you?" "Certainly sir" "Get some rest Jason," said Bruce as he and Alfred left the room. Once downstairs, Bruce looked at Alfred and said, "Alfred, we need someone who can treat Jason's mind." "His mind sir?" "I'm seeing signs of Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder in him, the dreams and some of his recent daytime frights, reliving the moments of that madman's…" "Understood sir," said Alfred, "any particular doctor?" "Just someone we can trust Alfred who won't compromise everything." "Yes sir, Master Bruce." "Thank you Alfred, please get it arranged – money is no object. I'm going out on patrol." Bruce leaves Alfred staring into the hall behind him wondering if Bruce shouldn't have time with the doctor too?
Nightwing glided across the Gotham skyline, he had heard of the explosion that nearly killed Jason, and he knew that it was a cover up story for Batman and Robin. He had to know what happened. Suddenly he saw a familiar bat shape dash across the sky towards the docks. BRUCE! He thought to himself. He followed from a distance, he didn't want his old mentor knowing he was tailing him. He lost sight of Bruce twice, then the last time he set down on a rooftop to catch his breath, He sure can keep me going even after all this time! He listened to the night air, then realized he wasn't alone, "Dick…" said Bruce from the shadows. He stepped out and Dick saw the new look, "Getting dark again Bruce?" "Why were you following me?" demanded Bruce. Dick smiled, "Always to the point aren't you? How's Jason? You know, your new Robin?" Bruce stared coldly at Dick, he knew what he was asking, "If you must know, Jason nearly died at the hands of the Joker." After the incident with Barb, Dick was angered, "What? What did he do?" "He beat Jason with a crow bar nearly to death, and then almost killed him with a bomb, but Jason survived." "It wasn't bad enough you brought ME into this HOLY WAR of yours, but now Jason and he nearly got killed for it! First me getting shot in the leg by Joker almost forcing me out of crime fighting, then him putting Barb in that wheelchair, now Jason! What will it take for you to be satisfied Bruce?" WHAM! Bruce sent Dick backward with a blow he didn't see coming, "You're way out of line!" Dick gets up slowly, he had almost forgotten how dangerous Bruce can be. "So what are you going to do about this whole thing now?" he says wiping his mouth from the small trail of blood. "I'm hunting down the Joker, and when I find him…" "What?" asks Dick with intrigue, "you'll kill him?" Bruce was taken aback by Dick's response, the thought had entered his mind, but to hear Dick say it shocked him. "I don't know… yet." Dick huffed at the response. The two stared at each other in cold silence for a while, then Dick said, "So do you want help?" Bruce said, "This time, yes." The two swung off into the night, "Thanks for the shot to the jaw Bruce…" "Did you learn a lesson from it?" "Are you kidding me?" They argued as they swung along.
Joker woke to a pain in his side, no jacket and shirtless, but the sting of infection appeared to be gone now. It had been a few weeks since he had seen the doctor, and he looked at his side, sore, but healing, and infection free. "Well, it looks like the good doctor has saved the laughs after all! Hah ha ha!" He could actually laugh without pain! Soon his old friend Bob came in, "Hey boss, you're lookin' better!" "I didn't ask…" came back the steely reply, then a laugh, "Hah ha ha ha! So what's shaking out there?" "Well," said Bob, "Batman is on the hunt for you. He's been skakin' down ev'ry thug who knows anything about you! Trying to see where you are!" The smile left Joker's face, "we need to keep moving then." He got his shirt and new suit on, "Time to fly the coop before we get a Bat in our belfry!" Just then the glass broke above them and in landed Nightwing! "Well, if it isn't the original bird boy! Hey! How's your replacement coming along? Hah ha ha ha!" "You're going down Joker!" "You've hung around the big man too long, you've lost that wit and humour!" "When it comes to you – it's no laughing matter!" "Ooooooh! A PUN! So not ALL boring! Bob!" Bob and a few other henchmen lunged toward Nightwing, he fought them toe to toe. Joker tried to step out the back, but bumped into a dark shape, one that grabbed him by the throat! "JOKER!" Batman stepped into the dim light with the Joker hauled into the air. "So I guess… this is a bad… time to say hello?" sputtered Joker as he got slight breaths from Bruce's death grip. "We need to talk!" Batman dragged him out of the building and into the night, not letting go of the maniac's throat the whole time. Nightwing saw Batman leave and finished the henchmen then followed. "Batman!" He quickened his pace and caught up to them. "You had the nerve to try and kill Robin!" "I was bored! UNNH!" he gasped out as Bruce slammed him into the wall hard. "So what you gonna do Batsy? Put me in a body cast?" Batman's eyes narrowed, "Not exactly…" his voice got deeper and more threatening sounding – even to the Joker. He actually got nervous now…
Nightwing landed to see a trail of blood leading away. "Batman? Where did you go?" He switched on his nightvision eyelets to see if he could pick up the trail. He saw residual blood and heat trail images and followed. Where is Bruce taking him?
Back at the manor, Alfred had gotten Jason dressed and said, "Master Jason? Master Bruce said we would meet him in the park tonight, and that you had better wear this…" He handed Jason a new Robin outfit. "Does this mean…?" Jason asked as he got changed, "he found the Joker?" "It would appear so." Jason got into the costume and said, "Let's go Alfred!" The two headed towards the park under the cover of night. When they arrived all the lights were out. Alfred said, "Master Bruce left instructions for you to stay right here," said Alfred as he pulled up to a spot. Jason looked puzzled, "By myself?" "I will watch from a short distance away so that you will be safe." Jason got out and waited as Alfred pulled away. It was a short wait. He could hear the sound of someone gagging and… laughing? Then he recognized the laugh – "JOKER!" he yelled out. Then he saw the dark form of Batman swing overhead and land with the struggling Joker. "Robin…" said Batman as he landed. Joker looked up and saw the boy wonder standing there. "Well don't you look chipper!" Batman gripped harder on his throat, "What are you doing here?" Jason was puzzled, "Our friend said I was to meet you here?" Bruce was now puzzled. Suddenly a crow bar landed by Jason's feet with a THUNK! Jason picked it up slowly. He looked at Joker, then at Bruce. "I think I know what's going on now," said Bruce, "if our friend is out there, we'll talk later…" Alfred rolled his eyes in the darkness. Nightwing landed now too. "Oh goody… the gangs all here!" said Joker, "you know, you bird boys don't die easily! First you Nightflap, not being killed off by my bullet, then you Robo not dying in that beating and explosion. How's the ribs doing by the way?" Again, another tighter grip on his throat by Batman. Dick saw Jason with the crow bar, "What is this?" Bruce looked at the two, then Joker, then said, "It's time to decide what to do with Joker. He's all yours Robin…" He tosses the Joker at Robins feet gasping for air, grabbing his side where the wound was. Robin stared down at the Joker. Joker looked up, saw the crow bar in his hands, "So, you got it in you kid?" he said with a smile. Jason looked down at the Joker and then the crow bar, then to Bruce and Dick , and then back to the Joker. "No. You're not worth it!" he tossed the crow bar into the bushes. Bruce allowed a smile, so did Dick. Batman then grabbed Joker from behind and said, "But you're not getting off easy!" His white eyeless eyes stared into the Joker's eyes…
The next day, the news reports showed footage of the Joker in custody, but in a body cast. He kept yelling out, "Do you see what Batman did to me?" He was taken back to Arkham Asylum for his next round of treatment.
At the manor, Bruce, Dick, Jason, and Alfred sat in the study. All looked at each other, waiting to see who would talk first. Finally someone did, "Bruce?" asked Jason, "Why is it that when I had the opportunity to take revenge against the Joker – I couldn't go through with it?" Bruce actually smiled and said, "Because you're not as bad off as I thought you might be after that kind of experience you had with him. Alfred, you surprised me though…" "Yeah Alfred, how did you know what would happen?" asked Dick. "Well young sirs," said Alfred, "during my days in the war, we had men who had to face down the enemies that were trying to kill them. Some would kill without a thought, but the good ones would not. I sensed within Master Jason that he was a 'good one' that would not kill even though he had the motive and opportunity." They were all silent. Then Jason said, "But Bruce, you went ahead and put the Joker in a body cast!" Bruce said without expression on his face, "He's messed with the family far too often, a father needs to look out for his kids…" Dick's, Jason's, and Alfred's jaws dropped and their eyes popped. Bruce got up, "So Jason, it looks like you'll be ready to start training again soon, maybe another month or two?" He smiled and walked out. The three sat there still in shock at Bruce's extremely strong family approach statement. "Oh and Dick?" said Bruce poking his head back into the room, "Two things – I found a doctor Shondra Kinsolving who apparently specializes in healings from what I understand. Why don't you call Barb and see if she's interested? There's also a package on the table there for you." Bruce left. Dick looked at the package on the table, "What do you think it is?" Jason and Alfred looked at him and shrugged their shoulders. Dick opened it and saw a costume, black and with a huge dark blue bat-like symbol on the chest, along with new gauntlets for the gadgets and so on, and a new black mask that looked bat-like. A note inside said, "This will help conceal you better… Nightwing."
The end.
