Jason was ready to shoot something. It was one of those days. He stood in the shadows of the warehouse in a vantage point looking down from the top of the stairs leading to the catwalk. Here, he could see almost every inch of the warehouse except for a narrow area blocked by the catwalk itself; ready to back up the Batman if this mission didn't go as planned. Jason was hoping it wouldn't. It had been a quiet week and he was looking for some action. That was the only reason he was here. At least, that's what he kept telling himself.
He leaned against the cold brick wall. A light breeze through the shattered upper windows brought the scent of the docks to him. The smell of diesel oil and fish mixed with the musty smell of the warehouse.
He tensed, ready for action, as the main door opened and a truck backed in. Six men got out. He caught a fleeting glimpse of the Batman on the far side of the building, cloaked in shadows by the door. Soon. The men began unloading the truck. Drugs, just as they'd expected, over $10,000 worth of coke. Jason made ready to move. Hold up, Jay, you're just here for back up. He waited, half-hoping for something, anything, unexpected to happen, but nothing did.
The truck was just about halfway unloaded at this point. Any second now. Then it happened, the Batman made his appearance with all the force and unexpectedness he was famous for. Jason was not surprised to see that the Batman appeared to be at the top of his game tonight. It looked like Jason wouldn't be needed here. Story of his life.
Within minutes, the Batman had cleaned up the entire operation. Five men lay sprawled out at his feet. Wait a minute. Jason checked again, sure he had miscounted. Hadn't there been- then Jason caught sight of the last man. He was sneaking toward the backdoor, chest-high stacks of boxes partially concealing him, and his path was taking him right past Jason. Batman had already realized and was moving to cut the man off. But Jason wasn't gonna sit this one out anymore. Screw the plan. He wanted a part of this. He forfeited any idea of taking the stairs. Grasping the handrail and hoping it would hold his weight for a few seconds, he vaulted over it.
He dropped from his perch, landing just in front of the man. He didn't pull out his gun, too easy this time. He lashed out with his fist. It connected soundly with the man's face, knocking him flat. That felt painfully good. He turned to face an angry Batman and braced for a lecture. The Bat didn't say anything but brushed past Jason, completely silent. Even worse.
Jason turned to follow. He caught a movement in his peripheral vision. One of the men Bruce had taken down was on his feet again.
Without a second's hesitation, Jason dove over the boxes toward him. He meant to take the man down in a tackle, but the guy saw him coming and dodged him. Jason hit the floor hard but managed to roll to his feet.
"You have a death wish or something?" the man sneered.
"Actually, I already checked that one off my bucket list" Jason answered, but the question had been a distraction. He saw the movement of the man's hand. He was replacing the magazine of the gun in his hand. Dang it. Dick used that same strategy; he should have seen it coming.
Jason reached for his own gun, but knew he would be too late. He heard the gunshot ring out as he was forced to the floor. He struggled out from under the weight pinning him down. Using the boxes between him and the drug dealer as cover, he moved silently.
Jason paused ten feet away, until the sound of the man's footsteps told him the man was close to where Jason had been. Jason stood, aimed, and fired with the speed and accuracy he'd taken years to perfect. The man fell to the floor and was still. Jason let out the breath he'd been unconsciously holding. He turned, satisfied, to face his old mentor and frowned.
The Batman lay on the floor, blood seeping from a wound to the shoulder. He didn't move. Fear crowded Jason's mind, dragging up memories of another time, another warehouse. He took control of himself and rushed to the man who had once been his mentor.
"Bruce, can you hear me?" no answer from the still figure, "Bruce!"