It's All Over
Nightwing and Robin headed toward the Bowery on the Wing Glider to where they'd traced Barbara's location to. It seemed all too easy, but then, Dick knew Jason would never hurt Barbara. So perhaps he wanted them to find her? Regardless, it wasn't hard, because down below, they found an abandoned building surrounded by heavily armed mercenaries. The Arkham Knights. This would be a tough nut to crack; from what intel they had, the Arkham Knights were trained to combat Batman and his allies. They couldn't just storm the place and forcefully take Barbara. Jason would never hurt them, but the same could not be said of his Knights.
They did have one thing playing in their favor though; the Knights were fiercely loyal to Jason and it seemed likely he would order Barbara to be unharmed. They would not disobey an order, which meant there was a very high chance that Barbara was alive and inside. Getting in, however, would be the problem.
"There it is," Nightwing said to Robin, glancing over at the teen. Robin looked over at Nightwing and gave a nod; he was under strict orders to follow Nightwing's orders, which wouldn't be a problem since he admired the man like an older brother.
The two of them hopped off of the glider and landed quietly in the shadows of the building. Nightwing placed a finger over his lips and Robin soundlessly nodded as the two vigilantes snuck inside the building, watching the Knights' patrol routes carefully before making their quick moves. This was where Nightwing would usually ask Oracle to scan for traps; they'd really come to rely on her.
"Careful," Nightwing whispered back to Robin. Robin gave a nod, but no sooner had the entered the building, that the Arkham Knights had swarmed their location and surrounded them.
"The boss was right, they showed up just like he said they would," one of the man said with a laugh. Nightwing growled and glanced back at Robin, moving in front of the teen. He didn't get the chance to speak before one of the men interrupted.
"Relax. We're under orders not to kill you. You're here for the girl?" he asked. Nightwing and Robin exchanged confused glances, then gave a nod. The man nodded in reply and gestured for them to follow.
"Keep your wits about you. This could be a trap," Nightwing whispered. Robin nodded in reply.
"I know." The two of them followed the man with a circle of Knights around them. To say it made them nervous was an understatement, but they were trained to conceal their emotions. That didn't mean they weren't ready to strike at a moment's notice.
The Knight's led them through the building, and Nightwing felt a little idiotic for not having recognized the place before...
Jason had run away from the manor again, though run away would imply that he didn't like it where he was, but that was far from the case. Bruce had allowed Jason to do his own thing, recognizing that it was something Jason needed. But that didn't mean he didn't worry from time to time. This time, he'd been gone for two whole days. He was prepared to go looking for Jason himself, but Dick offered to go in his stead.
And so he found the teen curled in a ball on an old mattress, face buried in his knees, inside of an old, abandoned apartment building. Dick felt his heart sink at the sight, moreso at what he heard; Jason was crying.
"Jaybird?" he asked softly, slowly approaching the teen. Jason's head snapped up, eyes red and swollen from crying tears still trailing down his face. He didn't say anything but turned away, refusing to look at his older brother. Dick bit his lip and stopped moving, unsure if he was wanted here right now, but still concerned for the boy.
"Today...is the anniversary," Jason said softly, sniffling a bit. He didn't have to say anymore; the tears, the sadness in his voice, and the word "anniversary". Today had to have been the day when his mother died. Dick knew, because for a lot of years, he too would cry on the anniversary of his own parents' deaths.
"My mother died...today. Three years ago," Jason said softly, wiping he tears away on the sleeve of his black hoodie. Dick moved across the room, slowly, and sat beside the teen, ignoring how dusty and ruined the old mattress was. He sighed and wrapped his arms around the teen and pulled him close.
"I know how you feel, Jaybird. It's okay to cry," Dick said softly. He looked around the room as Jason cried in his arms. Jason rarely cried, rarely showed any of his emotions, on purpose at any rate. And to see him so raw, so vulnerable now...well, Dick could sympathize.
"Is this-" Dick began, as Jason pulled away from him and nodded.
"Yeah. This was our old apartment. As soon as she died and I was alone...I didn't have a choice but to leave," Jason said bitterly "because those...thugs, they just...came in and took everything." Dick was just silent, let the teen talk, just as Bruce had done for him...
The man leading them pushed open a door and revealed Barbara sitting in a chair, tied up and beside a dusty old mattress. Nightwing recognized this room right away, but something was off. This was all too easy. And right on cue, just as he was expecting, they were double crossed. Nightwing spun around when he heard a switch flip and the door clam shut. He tried to approach the door, but Barbara stopped him.
"No, don't touch it! Everything's been electrified!" Barbara called. Nightwing glanced back at her then growled lowly to himself
"Dammit, I shouldn't have ignore my instincts! I knew this was a trap!" Nightwing growled. Barbara chuckled in amusement and shook her head.
"It's okay. We all underestimate Jason," Barbara said softly. Nightwing shook his head, clearly not amused. He sat down beside Barbara while Robin looked around the room for...something.
"Robin, may as well have a seat. We'll be here for a while."
"Aren't we going to try and get out of this?" Robin asked. Nightwing gave a nod.
"Of course. I'm not just sitting here after all. I'm thinking," he said, flashing the teen a smile. Electric traps were hardly anything new to him, but regardless, he hadn't exactly come prepared for one because...well, he trusted Jason. Part of him still did.
"Dick. Barbara...Replacement," came Jason's voice. The three of them looked around the room for the source when Nightwing spotted a speaker in a dark corner of the room.
"Jason! Let us out, please Jaybird! You don't have to do this!" Nightwing pleaded with him. Silence. The three of them looked around at each other.
"It's too late for that, Dickie. Much too late. The people who fucked me are going to pay, in full," Jason replied. There was a pause, followed by a deep breath as he continued "I'm sorry for the deception. But I needed you out of the way." Dick barely caught the last part, it was spoken so softly it was easy to miss 'you're the last person I want to hurt.' Before he could respond, there was a click. Jason was gone.
Nightwing sighed deeply and knelt down in front of the speaker, raking a hand through his hair. He felt a hand squeezing his shoulder and looked up to see Barbara smiling at him, giving him a knowing look. She was too perceptive for his liking.
Batman arrived on the scene, staring down at Axis Chemicals ahead. Alfred was at the computer advising as Oracle would have been. The building was swarming with the Arkham Knights so there would be no dropping in through the roof because they were there too.
"Master Bruce, be careful. I fear...young Master Jason is...lost to us, sir." Alfred said softly. Bruce's eyes narrowed but not in anger, but understanding.
"No, Alfred. I'll save him. I'll bring him home."
"Take care of yourself Master Bruce. And good luck." Bruce switched the computer off and dropped out of the batwing, landing in the shadows of the buildings nearby. He looked up at the factory, the memories of his greatest failure flooding his mind; there was no doubt that Jason chose this place for that specific reason.
Batman had been chasing the Red Hood across Gotham and finally trapped him inside Axis Chemicals. He crashed through the roof and cornered the Red Hood on a walkway above several vats of chemicals. The Red Hood flinched and walked backwards, pleading with him, that he was innocent.
"No! Please, wait! It's a set up! I'm not a crook, I swear!" Batman pulled out a pair of hand cuffs and attempted to apprehend him, but the man tripped on his own cape as he attempted to remove his helmet. He fell back against the railing, too weak to hold his weight, it shattered and he fell. Batman raced forward and grabbed at the man's hand to try and save him, but it was too late; he fell into the chemicals below.
A few short days later, the Joker made his first appearance in Gotham city...
The Joker was tied to a chair in an office of the chemical plant, blood dripping from his mouth as he laughed darkly. Jason had since revealed his identity and fondled the crowbar with bloodlust in his eyes as he stared at the clown.
"So...you came all the way back from the dead for little old me? I'm flattered!" The Joker said with a hysterical giggle. Jason grinned and slammed the clown's jaw with a backhand stroke with the crowbar. Jason's blood sang with vengeance as the crowbar struck.
"That looked like it hurt," Jason mocked, fisting the Joker's hair.
"But let's try that again. Tell me what hurts more," Jason said darkly, swinging the crowbar again "A" and again "or B?" He gnashed his teeth and swung backhand, then forehand "backhand or forehand?" The Joker grunted and groaned in pain as each blow struck. Jason swung at him a few more times before he kicked the chair, toppling the clown over.
"Revenge is a dish best served cold," Jason said casually, kneeling down beside the Joker. He smiled sweetly at the clown and patted his face with the back of his hand "and I've been waiting five years for mine. And it's every bit as satisfying as I imagined it would be." He chuckled in amusement and pushed back up onto his feet. The Joker coughed a little, then let loose a broken laugh.
"I wonder what daddy bats would think-" Jason froze in place, fists tightening at the mention of Batman, jaw working angrily "-to see his little birdie turn into such a delightful psychopath!" Jason's anger melted from his face, replaced with a grin as he turned and looked down at the broken clown.
"Trying to get under my skin? Well, that won't work. Because you see," he said evenly, striding slowly across the room and kneeling down beside the Joker. He grabbed him by the collar of his Jacket and hauled him up, face to face, and said in a deathly calm tone "when I'm done with you, he'll be next. And then you can both kill each other for eternity in hell."
Jason strode out of the room, body tense with pent up rage. Just as he slammed the door to the office shut, one of his men contacted him via comm link.
"Sir. The Batman has been spotted. He's headed this way. ETA 5 minutes." Jason grinned to himself and donned his helmet.
"Good. Phase 3 of operation Knightfall begins. Be sure to give the Batman a warm welcome." The Red Hood chuckled to himself as he walked to the railing nearby and knelt down beside a large black case. He opened it up and revealed a disassembled white and black sniper rifle that looked straight out of a sci-fi movie. As soon as he assembled it, blue LED lights lit up on it. He looked down the scope and cycled through the different types, from Infrared, Thermal, Night, and X-ray. The Red Hood grinned to himself and got to his feet, hefting the rifle over his shoulder.
"You know what to do. You've been trained for this. Do not fear the Batman, for that is one of his greatest weapons; fear," Jason called out to all of his men. The Knights looked up to their leader and roared.
"You are trained to combat him. You are trained to hit him where he is weak. You are trained not to fear him. But to kill him. Phase 3 of Operation Knightfall begins," he said, arms outstretched. He clenched his fists and said "and when the Batman falls, we will rebuild a better, stronger, safer Gotham!" His men roared and cheered at his speech, and then one of them contacted him via comm link.
"Sir, the Batman is here."
"Good. Take your positions. You know what to do." The Red Hood knelt down, aiming the rifle and sighting down the scope, leaning it against one of the rails.
"You were right, Bruce. It ends now. All of it. It's over."
Author's Note: So, you guys have a choice to make. I once promised in another story, that I'd occasionally offer choices up to me readers. Well, here's one now: You decide the Joker's fate. Does he live, or die? Cast your votes, and be aware Ao3 is also voting. Majority rules! :D
