A Batman Beyond Fic
Batman's Crush Part 3:
Batman Verses Airhawk
By: Malaizjan De Jesus
Watchtower Training Room…
Terry got up from the stop sign, only to get a right punch in the face. Batman staggered back before punching back.
Andrew leaped away and swung his mace at Terry. Terry narrowly dodged it and sent bat-a-rangs at the kid.
Lightning-quick, Andrew knocked the bat-a-rangs away from him with his mace.
Brian's voice rang out over the PA. "Get'em Andrew!"
"Great! He gets a cheering squad!" Terry complained. When they heard the cheers from the others, he joked, "Hey! Is this my initiation!?"
Areina spotted Tim as she left the training room area. He smiled when she came up to him. "Go ahead. Fire away."
"Why did you leave the training room?" she asked.
"Privacy," Tim answered.
Areina smirked. "What do you know about Red Hood?"
"He's a global crime lord. He kills the competition." Tim saw how Red Bird stared at him. He sighed. "He was Jason Todd," he said quietly.
"Why did he cross over, Tim?" she asked.
"Bruce won't tell you, will he?" the 3rd Robin asked. "Bruce wouldn't kill the Joker to avenge him." Tim let out a bitter laugh. "Joker killed Jason. He brainwashed me. I wish Bruce had done it. It would've saved me."
Areina was wide-eyed in shock.
"Don't worry, I don't blame Bruce. But your mom and uncle were at my side while I recovered from my play date with Joker… Let's get back to Jason…"
Dick sat across from his daughter on the sectional couch. Meygan held a throw pillow to her chest. Dick knew that Stalker was up to something. He hoped Meygan had a clue to what it was. "Did Red Hood slap you? I saw the mark."
"No! Stalker did. Red hood got really mad and threatened to blow some limbs off…"
Nightwing had to be careful here. He had been up dealing with Meygan's nightmares since she had been kidnapped by Stalker. What Drow and Ian did to her had scared her for life, even though she pretended otherwise. "Meygan…I'm sorry. I had thought you would be okay. You're not."
"I knew the collar wasn't real. Maybe Red Hood didn't want to really hurt me," Rave offered.
Dick wasn't getting any suspicious vibes from her. But was that a hopeful tone in her voice about Jason? Then again, Jason wouldn't be doing anyone such favors. "So Stalker and Red Hood are working together?"
"Looks like it dad. I don't know why." Meygan wanted to abort the plan. As she stared at her dad, her stomach turned. She didn't like the lying. "But I promise to be careful."
"I know you will." Dick moved next to his daughter and hugged her tightly. "But Red Hood is dangerous. Being careful might not be enough."
Meygan gently pulled away from her dad. "But I'll watch myself, Papa."
Dick grinned. Meygan hadn't called him "Papa" since she came back from the dead.
That gave Nightwing pause.
Back at Watchtower…
Andrew and Terry were still at it, 40 minutes in. Both had cuts and bruises on them. Terry broke a few ribs and Andrew faired better with bruised ones.
Neither wanted to call the fight.
Two stubborn prides.
Andrew was itching to use his grand dad's ring. But Terry was much tougher than he thought. Even as he took a punch and countered, all he could think about was the ring.
There was no young Green Lantern on the team. Hal and Kyle didn't have kids and Jon, his grandpa, had one, his dad. And his dad was honoring his mom, Andrew's grandmother by utilizing his Thanagarian blood.
Andrew had his grand dad's ring. He had a choice- a Green Lantern or a Thanagarian Warrior. He couldn't decide. After all, only his granddad knew about him having the ring. And he was 10 years old.
Terry caught Andrew with a kick to the jaw. The new Batman watched as Andrew was thrown into a store front window. He wanted for Andrew to leave the building.
He didn't.
"So why is Jason a criminal?" Areina asked.
"After he came back, he tried to get Bruce to kill Joker. But he wouldn't. Then I became Robin. Jason wasn't happy about it. He looked after me most of the time when I went on solo patrols. I always believed that there was still some good in Jason.
"Then I got kidnapped and brainwashed by Joker. Jason tried to take him down to save me. He almost died again. So he left a big clue for Bruce. The rest you know…" Time looked away from his 'niece', trying to hide the pain of being brainwashed.
"Bruce doesn't know, does he?" Areina asked. There was nothing in Bruce's files about Jason's attempted rescue of Tim Drake.
"Only your uncle knows, Areina. The year I spent getting my head on straight, Jason checked on me. Dick did. Your mom, Barb, everyone checked on me but Bruce. But mostly, it was Jason." Tim sighed. "He didn't want me to be Robin ever again."
"Bruce made sure though."
"He did. In the end, it was the right choice." Tim had believed it for the longest time. However, he was starting to feel the longing for it again.
"Tim?" Areina whispered, concerned for her 'uncle'. She knew it was hard for Tim to reveal what he did. And she appreciated it.
"Sorry…Did my info help?"
"It did. But I wonder why he kidnapped Meygan?" Areina asked.
"Well, the team has been interfering with his operations for some time now." Tim knew that it was something else.
"Tim?" Areina questioned.
"I doubt he kidnapped her just because."
"So you think something else is going on?"
Tim didn't answer that question. But he was being suspicious. Areina tucked that info away to reflect on later. "Just be careful." That was all the 3rd Robin would say.
Red Bird took the warning in stride.
Brian suddenly rushed out of the training control room. "Andrew's hurt!"
Tim and Areina rushed back to the control room. Kevin's eyes were glowing red as he had used his telekinesis to lower Airhawk to the floor. "What happened?" Tim asked.
"I kicked him hard in the jaw. He flew into a store window. He didn't move." Terry was next to Orin, his cowl down, faced flushed with guilt. "I didn't mean to hit him that hard."
Tim kneeled next to the unconscious boy. He felt a strong pulse at his neck. "He's still breathing. Did anyone call Molly?"
"I'll do it." Kevin's eyes went red again. "It's done."
Areina walked over to Terry and placed a hand on his shoulder. "It's okay, Ter. You were trying to hold back."
Terry still felt guilty. Worse yet…
Warhawk was going to eat him alive…
***I know this was a short chapter. But my man had called and I was talking & not writing so I have to write tonight. I hope to finish this tomorrow…***
