Gotham was hit pretty hard the following few weeks. It was one disaster after the next. For starters, the Joker began to terrorize the city once more with his terrifying schemes. I heard he blew up an empty hospital for fun, opened a deadly carnival with rides that came to life and injured innocent lives and people began to adopt his anarchistic views. There were riots in front of the Gotham City Mayor's office, there were attacks on certain goverment offices located in the heart of Gotham and the Joker simply laughed in the background, where ever he was. I bet he was eating popcorn and drinking some Coca Cola while watching the news.
Aside from Joker, the Black Mask then did the unthinkable. He killed the mayor of Gotham on live TV. No one saw it coming. This was an unexpected turn of events. He took over Gotham by sitting on the Mayor's office. One would think he would enforce laws to torment Gotham. That really wasn't the case. True he killed the mayor, but he took the office because he was desperate to find the one man who was evading his attacks. The Red Hood. Black Mast offered an insane reward to the one who captured Red Hood and brought him before the intimidating gangster. I remember we were looking at the news in the batcave and Jon couldn't handle it. He ran upstairs when it all happened.
"Go talk to him." said Batman holding my shoulder. I nodded in agreement. My friend saw an actual live person die on TV and by a figure that looked like something out of a horror movie. I went upstairs to the room and Jon was crying on his bed.
"Now Jon, I know this was disturbing, but don't worry. I'm sure we'll come up with a solution to stop him." I said.
"Damian, if my father were here, he would have stopped everything! He would have stopped the Joker, he would have stopped Black Mask. And the Red Hood is still at large, doing God knows what." said Jon.
"Jon, I know the situation looks terrible. And I know we will face more distressing times. But you forget... there's the Justice League. They are probably watching what's going on. And we are Teen Titans. We have friends all over. Sure, perhaps we may not team up now for the time being, but if the situation grows more dire... we'll do something." I said.
"But Damian, Black Mask shot someone on TV! And not just someone! The Mayor!" cried Jon.
"I know. And it's terrible that this happened. But Jon, don't cry. Your father will get better soon and we'll stop them all. Don't you go all cry baby on me." I said.
Jon then had the audacity to hug me. Hug me! I was taken aback by the hug and I simply patted his head. I really didn't know what to do at that point. I was never hugged by anyone of my age before, and a boy no less. It was a weird kind of feeling. But I had to remember that Jon wasn't trained to be an assasin like me. He was raised in household where "love" triumphs over evil and stuff like that. I just had to go with the flow. When Jon stopped hugging me, he grabbed a tissue and blew his nose.
"I have my father's powers. And so does... Conner." said Jon.
"Your brother?! You know where he could be?" I asked.
"I can travel at the speed of light. If I go to him and tell him what's going on..." said Jon.
"No Jon. Wasn't your brother in some space mission of some sort?" I asked, remembering vaguely what I heard at the Jedi Temple. I mean... Titan Tower. Excuse me readers, I was watching way too many Star Wars movies in my own free time.
What? Can't a guy watch a movie every once in a while?
"Who are you talking to?" asked Jon to me suddendly.
I caught myself mumbling and told Jon quickly. "The Titans told us your brother was in space?"
"My mommy sent me a letter telling me that Conner is currently in Oregon. I can travel there and get him here." said Jon.
"You mean we?" I suggested.
"We? You want me to take you? I don't know. I never took anyone on a super fast flight before. You can get sick! Just let me go get him." said Jon.
"Okay, but you do it tonight. I can't have the others know your gone. They will lose their heads if they find out your not here." I said to him.
Nightfall arrived, and Jon quickly vanished, faster than a speeding bullet. I sat close to the window in my bedroom and started to read a book. A Star Wars book of course. It was a book concerning a wicked Sith Lord who wanted to live forever. But in the story, the sith was doing weird experiments and he gets different results on trying to find a way to immortality. Your probably wondering why I'm telling you all this? Well it just so happens to coincide with this story.
The Sith lord in my book wanted to live forever no matter the cost of his experiments. The Red Hood is in a way like that guy. He too wants to live, not forever of course, but rather be remembered as a symbol. I didn't know it at the time, but the Red Hood wanted to leave behind a legacy. One that would be held generation after generation of future heroes and villains.
In the world we all live in, it is heavily populated with people of both sides of the same coin: the meta human, and the "normal" human, like myself. Meta Humans regularly come from a harsh enviroment, or they were either born or created. "Normal" humans also come from different life stlyes. I'm no expert in philosophy or rules based on the circumstances of one's birth, but I do have only one conclusion. And heaven help me if I anger some readers out there.
Red Hood is crazy, and he needs to go down. Enough said.
Just then, I heard a tapping sound on the window. It was Jon. I opened and Jon came flying in. "So. What news?" I asked.
"Bad news I'm afraid. And you haven't heard the news?" said Jon rather in a rush.
"What?" I asked. I was desperate for news. I wanted something done. Something resolved.
"Conner is coming... tomorrow." said Jon sternly.
That was it? I looked at Jon for more and I sighed with relief. "That's wonderful. That means he'll help us." I said.
"Yeah, but I was hoping he'd come tonight." said Jon.
"Tomorrow is good! Why tonight?! Not everything can be resolved in one night. That's good news! Thanks Jon!" I said.
"You guys haven't heard the news haven't you? It was on all the radio stations all across the country!" said Jon. I really didn't know what he was talking about, but I was about to.
"Please we are going through a tough time in Gotham. What's the worst that can happen?" I asked.
"Red Hood killed Black Mask." said Jon.
I stood there frozen like a statue. "He did what now?" I asked.
"Let's go to the batcave. They are probably watching this on screen!" cried Jon as he took my arm.
We went down stairs and sure enough Batman was gone, and so was Red Robin and Catwoman. Nightwing was about to take off in his motorcycle.
"Nightwing! What's happened?!" I cried.
"Look up at the screen!" cried Nightwing as he took off.
I looked at the screen in the batcave and Oracle was placing her hands on her mouth in shock. I couldn't believe my eyes. The Red Hood finally did it. He KILLED the Black Mask and took over as Mayor of Gotham City.
He then spoke. "The City of Gotham. I have news for you all. Mayor Black Mask has died and he is currently burning in Hell as we speak. Tonight, Gotham belongs to me now. In a moment, Batman and his compatriots are coming to stop me. They won't be able to. I have put the building under lock down and soon the entire city will be on it's knees. For too long as the rich taken over Gotham. For too long has children suffered and ate nothing but garbage in the streets fending for themselves. I will fight for the children who are suffering. I will rise for the people who were forced to die under the name of the wealth. I will KILL for everyone. This is my calling. I am Red Hood. And Gotham... you are now all mine. By tomorrow, expect to hear more news regarding my new laws I have in mind for the city. And don't bother evacuating. I blew up the bridges. Gotham is now isolated. Also in addition, I have placed bombs all over Gotham City for the past couple of months. These bombs should they become activated will explode and Gotham will become a no man's land! Yes, I will ruin the city. Gotham, you are a city that is full of lies, deciet and hipocrosy. This is my war. My revenge. My declaration of a better tommorrow. This is my creed. To rise. To fight. To KILL."
Oracle began to cry and Jon went to console her. I looked up and saw the Red Hood's terrible red mask. If he was determined to bring the city down, well I got knew for that bastard. I was coming to bring him down. I just had to.