Back in February of last year I had the idea to cross Batman: Under the Red Hood with the Young Justice cartoon. I was really into the cartoon and was pretty far into making a good plotline out of what I thought was gonna happen, ie who the mole was and what Season Two's title 'Invasion' referred to, but when all that turned out wrong the idea kinda tapered off… Bit hard to work up the interest when your entire plotline is blown out of the water by two episodes [well one and five minutes of another] but I decided that, before I delete the thread for this idea, I'd at least try and write a chapter or two… See how it goes.
Like always, I really need feedback on these so I can find out what people like/dislike and so I can work out what areas I need to improve on. So please, review. Another chapter, another attempt to entertain you all. I honestly do not have anything else to add, so on with the show!
Batman: Under The Red Hood belongs to Warner Premiere
Young Justice belongs to Warner Bros. Animation
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XX The Bat-Cave, Gotham City – Seven Years Ago XX
Dammit it's not fair!" Jason ranted as he paced back and forth in front of the suit displays. "He doesn't trust him, that's it. Bruce just doesn't trust me, he doesn't think I'm as good as Dick and that I can handle things myself."
"That is not the case Master Jason." Alfred said calmly as he finished the evening's ironing. He'd taken to ironing in the cave as it allows him to better monitor how Master Bruce and his young ward were faring "Mater Bruce just thinks you might prefer some company while out on patrol tonight while he attends to matters with the Justice League."
"Yeah and if Barbara wasn't out of town checking out colleges with her mother he'd have felt she could share advice and experiences that he lacks a perspective on." Jason snorted as he opened his case and retrieved his suit. This would be his first time using the new and improved Robin Suit he'd drawn up ages ago. In place of the old 'red tunic over green, short sleeved leotard' Jason now wore a full length, dark red unitard with dark green boots and gloves. His cape was longer and darkened to a dark green, the trim however retained the old canary yellow, and his R crest had been redesigned into a more stylised and jagged font. "Well at least I have the new suit and won't be freezing the family jewels off, eh Alfred?"
"A charming turn of phrase, Master Jason." Alfred remarked as he gathered up the basket of clothing. "Listen Master Jason, and don't tell Master Bruce that I mentioned this, the reason… The reason you'll be working with the two new side-ki, partners, is that both Green Arrow and Wonder Woman requested it of Master Bruce."
"They what?" Jason asked as he pulled his t-shirt off. "They asked Bruce to stick me with their little 'protégés'?"
"No, they asked Master Bruce to assist in the training of Speedy and Wonder Woman as he's had great success with Master Richard, Miss Gordon and yourself." Alfred told him. "But Master Bruce feels they may respond better to someone of their own age group. He also feels that the experience, of leading and being responsible for them, is one you are more than ready for."
"H-he does?" Jason asked, a mix of uncertainty and pride in his voice. "Then why doesn't he say anything? I've been Robin more than three years and all I've ever heard is 'That was almost as good as Dick' or 'Your time was close to Dick's'… Why doesn't he say I'm good if he thinks it?"
"Master Bruce thinks that be comparing you to Master Richard, often underplaying your success, he can encourage you to try harder and surpass Master Richard and maybe even him." Alfred said. "And while I do sometimes question Master Bruce's methods, he does get results with them.
"Yeah well, it'd still be nice to hear it once in a while." Jason muttered as he tried to hide a smile.
XX A Warehouse Outside Sarajevo, Bosnia – Five Years Ago XX
The sounds of a crowbar striking broken bone and beaten flesh echoed through the almost empty building, the occasional grunt of pain accompanying the impacts. Backhand, forehand, backhand, forehand. The Joker varied his technique, some light flicks of the wrist and others heavy blows from the shoulder. And always looking for a new spot to hit least the pervious blow had numbed the area.
As the crowbar fell and fell The Joker alternated between his distinctive chuckle and asking his 'companion' which hurt more, not to be cruel or wicked but out of a genuine curiosity and desire to engage in small talk.
"gho spoiht." Jason Todd, the second Robin, sputtered once The Joker stopped.
"A little louder, lamb chop. I think you may have a collapsed lung. That always impedes the oratory." The Joker whizzed, clearly mocking the teen, as he crouched down to listen. Jason's reply was to spit saliva and blood into the twisted clown's face and smirk defiantly. The smile, however, quickly vanished when The Joker retaliated by grabbing his head and slamming it down onto the cold, hard concrete floor. "Now, that was rude. The first boy blunder had some manners. I suppose I'm going to have to teach you a lesson so you can better follow in his footsteps… Nah, I'm just gonna keep beating you with this crowbar."
As The Joker renewed his brutal beat down, Jason gritted his teeth and did his best to endure. Jason didn't want to give the damn clown the satisfaction of hearing him cry out. By the time The Joker had grown bored and decided to leave, Jason's vision was blurred and his hearing was being bombarded by a deafening ringing. As he tried to track The Joker's movements around the warehouse floor Jason noticed that The Joker sometimes seemed to jump from one place to another between blinks, a sign that he was drifting in and out of consciousness. While The Joker said something at the door, a tasteless joke or mocking farewell most likely, Jason waited. Once he saw the door close Jason struggled into a kneeling position and brought his shackled hands around from behind him.
Staggering to his feet and turning to face the door, Jason made it one step before collapsing to the ground. In agony, but determined to escape, Jason began to crawl towards the door. As he neared the door Jason gave a silent thank you that the ringing was dying down, although the thanks turned to curses when the door turned out to be locked. Leaning against the door, Jason's heart sunk even lower as the ringing was replaced from a beeping coming from nearby.
XX Bialyan Military Outpost, Bialyan/Quracan Boarder – Three Years Ago XX
"You'll pay for this, Queen Bee will have your head." The commander of the outpost snarled at the armoured man watching over him. His capture barely paid his threats any heed as he casually sharpened a jagged combat knife and whistled a tune.
"Whatever you say raghead." The Ravager snorted before turning to his partner. "You nearly done?"
"Almost." His team mate replied as he checked something on a handheld GPS system. This one wore jet black armour, trimmed with a deep red. Etched onto the left breast of his armour was a jagged red 'R'. Finishing with the display and storing it in the heavy tan trench coat he wore, Ravager's partner made his way over. "Rebels will be here in less than fifteen minutes, let's go."
"You sure you don't wanna pocket some of this? It'd be worth a lot on the Black Market." Ravager asked, nodding in the direction of the base's supplies.
"H.I.V.E is paying us enough to raid these outposts and let the rebels pick them clean, no point filling pockets and risking this job." His partner snapped.
"Whatever you say Jay." Ravager shrugged before looking at the commander. "What about him?"
"well, Grant, if we leave him the rebels will torture him for information… Might even find a way of cracking Queen Bee's communications." 'Jay' pointed out before drawing a pistol and executing the commander via double-tap. "We're paid to further destabilise the region, not help the rebels win. Oh and don't use names when on the job."
XX Crime Alley, Gotham City – Six Months Ago XX
"Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupid, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled, the thousands of who have suffered… The friends he's crippled." Jason raged as he levelled his pistol on Batman and struggled with himself not to use this chance and just shoot the crazed son of a bitch at his feet. "You know, I thought... I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt. If it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp, if he had taken you from this world, I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death-worshiping garbage and sent him off to hell."
"You don't understand. I don't think you'd ever understood." Batman said, his eyes never leaving The Joker.
"What? What, your moral code just won't allow for that?" Jason challenged. "It's too hard to cross that line?"
"No. God Almighty, no." Batman snapped before reigning in his emotions. "It'd be too damned easy. All I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and them end him."
"Aw. So you do think about me." The Joker cooed as he stared up at his nemesis.
"But if I do that, if I allow myself to go down into that place, I'll never come back." Batman tried to explain.
"Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin or Scarecrow or Dent." Jason said lowering the gun and waving his arms about as he tried to make sense of it all. "I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because... Because he took me away from you."
"I can't. I'm sorry." Batman apologised.
"That is so sweet." The Joker said as he turned slightly to look up at Jason.
"Well… You won't have a choice." Jason said, reaching behind his back and drawing another pistol. Tossing the pistol to Batman, who physically flinched as he caught the gun,
"I won't…" Batman began before Jason cut in.
"This is what it's all been about. This… You and me and him… Now is the time you decide!" Jason told Batman before smashing the chair he'd tied The Joker to and pulling the mad clown up as a human shield. "If you won't kill this psychotic piece of filth, I will. If you want to stop me you're gonna have to kill me."
"You know I won't…" Batman tried to saw but was cut off again.
"I'm gonna blow his deranged brains out." Jason yelled, anger and hurt and sorrow welling up in his voice. "And if you want to stop it you are going to have to shoot me, right in my face."
"This is turning out even better than I'd hoped." The Joker chuckled as Jason dug the barrel of his pistol into the side of his head.
Narrowing his eyes, but never taking them off of Jason's, Batman remained silent for a moment before dropping the pistol on the ground and turning away. If he was refusing to take part or trying to offer Jason his silent permission to go ahead would have been unclear to those observing but Jason knew… The Batman would not even consider taking the shot and killing The Joker, Batman was turning his back on the choice and on him.
"It's him or me, you have to decide." Jason yelled, his voice breaking as he did so. When Batman did not so much as acknowledge him Jason took the gun away from The Joker and aimed at Batman's shoulder, he'd get his mentor's attention. Batman would watch what was coming. "Decide now! Him or me, decide!"
As Jason fired off the first of two rounds Batman acted. Turing and ducking he launched a batarang that clogged the barrel of the pistol and caused it to misfire, damaging Jason's hand and letting The Joker break free.
While The Joker laughed and mocked Batman Jason clutched his injured hand to his chest. He was done, finished. Bruce Wayne his adoptive father, Batman his saviour and mentor had chosen. His teacher had chosen his killer over him. With his free hand Jason pulled the remote trigger to about twenty pounds of explosive out of his pocket and armed the bomb.
XX Unknown Location, Russia XX
As the life restoring liquid of the Lazarus Pit dragged him back from the Abyss, Jason thrashed about in a madness induced fury. Struggling against the thick and heavy chains that held him down against the crude table he'd been submerged on top of. As the Pit's effects dwindled Jason's rage was replaced by despair.
"I'm alive… Why, why am I alive?" Jason asked the seemingly chamber. The bomb had been set to go, Batman had rushed at him and tried to drag him and The Joker to safety… He'd pulled back. Jason didn't wanna live, not if it meant having to share a world with that sick freak. "Why?"
"You are alive because I have need of your talents." A woman's voice cut in. He didn't recognise the voice, or the accent, but it was clear whoever it was had links to Al Ghul. "The League of Shadows has allied themselves with individuals, who I know not, and are plotting something… In fact, I have reason to suspect that you would have been part of their plans had they not been overambitious and their imprinting not failed."
"What imprinting?" Jason asked as he searched for the source of the voice. "What are you talking about?"
"Your abilities… Five years isn't long enough to grow as you have." The voice explained. "They gave you those skills, hoping to make you a tool for later use… But they failed, they lost control and you disappeared before whatever purpose you'd have served could be revealed."
"You're lying." Jason said as he tugged at his restraints. "I remember what happened."
"Do you?" The voice laughed. "How did you survive falling off a cliff? Where did you learn your craft?"
"Luck, I survived due to luck." Jason answered. "And for my skills, Batman and H.I.V.E trained me in what I needed to know."
"Did he teach you how to strip down, clean and reassemble your weapons? How to pilot a range of civilian and military vehicles or how to kill a man with minimum effort?" The voice asked. "No, they gave you the basics… Your time with H.I.V.E simply sharpened what was already there."
" Who are you? And what do you want?" Jason sighed. He didn't want to argue, he was tired.
"Who I am can wait and as for what I want…" The voice began as the speaker walked out into Jason's field of view. "… Is to set you loose on the world, clean if of corruption and criminals. I want you to hurt the League of Shadows, their allies and anyone else who profits on the misery of humanity… Can you do that, Red Hood?"
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Grant Wilson, aka Ravager, was Slade's oldest child and an enemy of the Teen Titans [actually the reason Deathstroke is their enemy], give yourself a pat on the back if you actually remember he existed.
Anyway, first chapter here. Tiny glimpses into Jason's past; setting up his meeting with this universe's version of the Titans, a rewriting of his death, a little something about the time between, another death and how he came back. Anyway whenever I do a second chapter I'll introduce Roy, Donna and whoever else will be joining Jason's merry little band of Mercs/terrorists/Black-Ops [think Titans meets Outlaws with a little of the old Outsiders added for flavour].
I'm dyslexic, so please point out any mistakes in spelling or grammar [I spell things the way they do in England and Ireland, so some things may look off to Americans]. Please leave your opinion via review or send them via PM, I'd like to know what you think. Well, I think that's everything I've gotta say so, hope you enjoyed the chapter.
This is Highvalour saying bye and thanks for reading.