Batman Story:
"Merciless"
Jason Todd slicked back his thick, dark hair. The early morning serenity was peaceful as he stood on a sandy beach at 4am, the waves washing ashore in their quietude.
Tim wanted him personally to put his newest toy through its paces, a new (Bat) Wave Rider, before confirming its status in the field. This was like a field test, but without the danger.
Jason laughed. He was once the second Robin, now known as the Red Hood, and an experimental guinea pig for the Lazarus Pit, in a matter of speaking. Resurrected after Joker took a crowbar to his skull, and killed him. Not to mention blowing him up.
He was also the unofficial tester to Drake's newest tech-toys and newest gadgets. He didn't always get the first pick of the toys, but he enjoyed testing them out.
He enjoyed the thrill of it, and every new toy Drake and Wayne's Industries came up with, no matter now strange, he wanted first crack at them. And the Wave Rider was no exception.
It was basically a surfboard, but with high-tech gadgets built in. It had side wings and gun turrets that ejected when a button was depressed by foot. At the back, a jet booster could be ejected from a secret compartment to allow the board to glide across water with no wind needed, as if it were a ski-doo under mechanical power. There was a wind sail attachment, but there was little wind right now for it. The thing was basically a three-in-one package. Everything could be controlled by a foot depression system much like a pedal allowed its driver to drive a car.
To Jason, it was the ultimate in extreme surfing.
When he was Robin, he used to bounce around like a monkey, mimicry of Nightwing. He enjoyed fast cars and was a sports enthusiast. He loved the Batcycle.
Ever since he received his new abilities after his resurrection, he felt they gave him an unfair advantage against his enemies, and he loved it.
He was Gotham City's Clint Eastwood of the Old West, shoot first and ask questions later. Bruce didn't like this methods, but he didn't care. There were some close-calls, some near-death experiences, but he loved every moment of it.
However, when a new toy or gadget needed to be tested in an open field test and no one else was available, including its creator, Jason Todd was first to volunteer.
He loved the extreme, giving him an adrenaline rush, and more. With his skills and training, battling against some of the most dangerous foes and terrorists from within Gotham, and all around the world, the thrill of testing a gadget was beyond compare.
However, in retrospect, he had fallen into the role of Robin purely by accident. He tried to steal the Batmobile's wheels when he was a kid. Batman caught him and brought him back to the Batcave, where eventually, he learned Batman's secret. He was, in fact, billionaire Bruce Wayne, Gotham City's more renown philanthropist, and business genius.
Jason had no idea what he was truly getting into when he donned the role of Robin after Dick Grayson left, and when he stood face-to-face with some of the Rogue Gallery, he was, at first, overwhelmed with their brutality and murderous ways. But he could still remember the good times he had with Bruce, as his sidekick. Until that fateful day…
The last thing Jason saw was the megalomaniac smile of Joker, as the psycho attacked him, and took his life. Later, he woke up, buried alive in a coffin, whereby he had to dig himself out.
He was found after wandering the streets, no one believed he could survive such a beating, cared for, his wounds healed, almost supernaturally fast, then he lived on street for a time, and eventually mentored, and trained with Ra's Al Ghul's daughter, Talia, who helped him realize his full potential. And he took a long dip in the Lazarus Pit that helped hone his cognitive abilities.
He developed a long history of getting into dangerous situations. He then rejoined, or rather he continued to have a long/hate relationship with the rest of the Batfamily. He didn't get a long with everyone, especially Damian. They were always had each other's throats. But when push came to shove, they had each other's backs in a crisis. Family was family, despite their conflicts.
The calm of the beach was soothing to his thoughts. There were times, he couldn't get away from his past, but this was one moment in time that gave him some inner peace. He stood alone on the beach in a wetsuit, and just looked across the water. Gotham Harbour was near-by, but he paid it little mind. The boats were quiet, and there was a calmness he basked in. The moon glittered on the water as it rippled with a moderate tide to shore.
"Jay! Earth to Jason," came a voice from an comm piece wrapped around his ear. It was Tim.
Jason was suddenly ripped from his reverie. He grumbled under his breath. "Sometimes, Timmy, you just don't know when to let a guy have a moment."
"Sorry to take you away from your inner musings," Tim said, with a chuckle. Jason knew Tim could see everything from a small pinhole camera in the comm piece from the Batcave. "I know it's very early, and those waves do look inviting…"
"I hear a but coming on?" Jason asked.
"Yeah, well…something's come up, and the test will have to be cancelled, for now."
"C'mon, I'm here, ready, and I was just about to step into the water, with your new toy. Where is Dick or Damian? I thought they were on night duty?"
"That have their hands full with Mr. Freeze at the moment," Tim informed. "Harvey Two-Face just broke out of Arkham and he's heading in your direction. Not sure how he knows you're at the beach, but he does have a pretty big grudge with you, Jay, or rather Red Hood."
Jason sighed, remembering it well. He had foiled one of Harvey's greatest schemes and cost him millions of dollars, plus sent him back to Arkham. "Do I have time to gear up?"
"Give or take," Tim said. "From satellite feeds, he's almost on top of you. At the very least, put on mask on to hide your identity."
"That's a given, Timmy," Jason said. "Monitor the situation, and keep me informed."
"Right. I'll let the others know the situation, but it looks like you're on your own."
"Just the way I like it."
Jason returned to the parking lot where he parked his motorcycle with a side-car, stored the Wave Rider, and then like someone else he knew, geared up in the flash. He was out of his wetsuit, and slipped on his tactical pants quickly, but barely had enough time to fit on his brown leather jacket, and a spare mask, before a car came to a skidding halt in the lot.
It was a black Cadillac, V16 452 Roadster, fashioned from 1930s style. He had to give Two-face some credit, despite his maniac ways, the man was a traditionalist and a true gangster.
Harvey Two-Face stepped out. Jason noticed the rogue had time to put on one of his half-and-half suits, dark and well pressed on the right side, and flashy, and outrageous on the other. Harvey Two-Face had been burned by acid on the left side of his face by a mob boss when he was a DA. After that, something snapped inside of him, and he became a vicious criminal.
But he had one Achilles hell. And in a gloved hand, he flipped a coin. "Hello Hood, long time no see," Harvey said with a throaty growl. "I've come to pay you back for what you did to me. And I always delivery the best service. You cost me millions and now it's time to antee up."
"I enjoy a gamble, Harvey," Jason said.
"Be careful what you wish for…"
Harvey's gruff voice reverberated through the quiet as he shouted out.
Harvey was suddenly accompanied by six men wearing black and red mercenary shock gear with rifles. They had come out of the shadows, no doubt informed to meet their boss here.
Harvey Two-Face produced a waxy grin, the exposed teeth on the left half of his face glowering brightly with the overhead moon.
"Gett'em, boys!" he ordered.
Harvey Two-Face reached into his car, and brought out an old fashioned 1930's Tommy Gun, and then began firing, joining in the fray, as his men charged Red Hood.
Jason jumped out of the way just in time as the bullets impacted his bike. The bike exploded, sending debris flying in a thousand different directions, including destroying the Wave Rider.
"Crap!" Jason heard Tim say. "We never even got to try the Wave Rider out! Weeks of planning and designing—"
"Quit bitchin' in my ear, Drake. I'm a little busy here."
Jason ran, and then somersaulted across the beach to a lifeguard tower, as Harvey's men charged him, also firing their weapons. He managed to leap up to the top to avoid fire.
"I'm going to kick his ass for this one," Jason said to himself. Jason was trapped. He could fire back, he had put on his gun belt before Harvey arrived, but if he did, he knew he would be turned into minced meat.
"Stop!" Harvey Two-face ordered, as his men surrounded the lifeguard tower. Harvey Two-Face approached it, and looked up, as Jason perched on its roof, looking down. "Hope your insurance is paid up for your bike?" he said laughing. "So, Hood, what's it gonna be? A quick kill, or a slow and painful death? Either way, you'll going to die here, today!"
"Is there a third option? I still have episodes of the Walking Dead to watch." Jason took note of where Harvey's men were, they were spread out evenly.
If Bruce was here, he'd probably use of his specially designed homer Batarangs to knock them all out with a single throw. Or Dick would come up with some cunning scheme. Maybe even leap off the lifeguard tower, night sticks in hand, and let his luck and skill do the rest.
"Ironic, because you are the walking dead," Harvey said, laughing again.
"Stall, Jay," Tim said, his voice coming through Jason's comm piece. "I've alerted Barbara, she's on her way in the Batwing. ETA, two minutes."
"Harvey's not the patient type, Timmy," Jason said back.
Harvey Two-face let off a volley of weapons's fire towards Red Hood, and Jason flattered on the roof. "Stop takin' to your friends at Bat H.Q., Red Hood. They aren't going to save you."
"Tell me something, Harvey," Jason said. "How'd you find me?"
"Last time we tangled, I put a tracer on your bike," Harvey Two-Face revealed. "Couldn't use it until now. Surprised you didn't find it."
Jason cursed himself for not doing proper maintenance on his bike. It didn't matter now.
"C'mon down, you coward!"
Harvey Two-Face fired again, and this time, bullets tore through the lifeguard tower, ripping it to shreds, and sending it falling, after also cutting through its support beams.
Jason leapt, and out of the way, as the tower came crashing down. Red Hood landed on one of Harvey's men, knocking him down, then delivered right-cross to knock him unconscious. But he would never get up again as Harvey fired, sending a volley of fire through the man's chest.
Jason scampered away, narrowly catching a bullet. He wasn't wearing any of his armour he normally wore, and most of it was now a charred mess with his bike. He ran into the dark, but something about how Harvey's men were following him, confirmed they had night-vision goggles. But each of the five remaining men were lousy shots, missing him by a mile.
Harvey shouted into the night. "Hood! You've caused me alotta grief! Alotta money! Now it's time to pay the piper! Get back here, and give me the opportunity to even the score!"
Jason somersaulted away from a rifle shot from one of Harvey's men. He kicked sand in the face of the man and then clocked him out cold. But he didn't have time to collect the rifle as the other four shot at him. "Thanks, Harvey," he said, as he ran. "But I've never been a fan of Celtic music," he added, "although they do have a good basketball team."
"Always with the wisecracks," Harvey Two-Face said. "You remind me of Nightwing, that annoying, blue #$%."
"Nice language, Harvey, and I'll be sure to tell him you said that," Jason said.
"You won't be alive to do so," Harvey rebuked. "You're all alone here, and you're seriously outnumbered, even with two of men down. Face facts, Red Hood. You're going to die!"
"Been there, done that," Jason said. "I have lives like a cat."
The shooting stopped from the other four men. Harvey Two-face chuckled. "I can see you, Red Hood," he said. "I have you in my sights. Night-vision goggles are a wonderful thing! And if you were a real cat, you'd be able to see me in the dark, too. Any last words?"
Jason could only image Harvey aiming his Tommy Gun at him.
"I'm here." Red Hood suddenly heard a new voice in his ear piece. "Duck!"
Jason did, and suddenly four sonic blasts flashed into existence from the Batwing at each of Harvey's men. They screamed as they were subjected to a burst of electrical voltage. Not enough to kill them. They all collapsed, leaving only Harvey Two-Face. The Batwing then illuminated the area with bright light, temporarily blinding Harvey Two-face.
He ripped off his night-vision goggles.
Harvey rubbed his ears. But then fired blind. Jason bolted out of the line of fire, as the Batwing landed to shield him. The bullets bounded off its haul without damage.
Harvey Two-Face staggered, half-blind, away from the area.
The haul door to the Batwing opened and Batgirl looked out as the stairs dropped. She brandished a blaster, wearing her skin-tight uniform, complementing her long red hair.
Jason smiled. At one time, he was in love with Barbara Gordon. But it feeling passed.
"Glad to see you, Batgirl. Took you long enough," Jason said.
"You're welcome," Batgirl said, with condensation.
"You're not going to win that easily, Red Hood," Harvey Two-Face said, his vision cleared. His weapon of choice was more than just a normal Tommy Gun. It had been modified with a small rocket launcher at the bottom. He fired, a small missile launched, striking the Batwing, destroying the left wing, and sending metal debris everywhere.
Harvey quickly reloaded the missile launcher. "I'll kill you both!"
Mercilessly, Harvey Two-Face fired again, the missile soared at the Batwing, and blasted a hole through its haul, igniting something flammable inside. The cargo compartment exploded in a massive eruption, jettisoning pieces of debris towards Red Hood and Batgirl.
Red hot shrapnel embedded into Batring's right leg. She shouted in pain.
"Batgirl!" Jason shouted.
Harvey chuckled throatily. "You Bat-birds have been a thorn in my side for far too long. Heroes often fail, anyone ever tell you that? Time to kill two-birds with one stone."
Jason went to her. Batgirl had collapsed in the sand, she held her leg. "It's not bad. Forget about me," she said. "Subdue Harvey before he does anymore damage."
Batgirl handed Jason her blaster, she had a spare.
"Never argue with a woman," he said. "I've never said this before, but Dick is lucky to have you."
"I know," she replied.
With Batgirl at ease, the Batwing in flames, blaster in hand, Jason stood up and stepped out in the open. Batgirl inched behind some cover, the smoke of the Batwing providing such.
It was time to end this, Jason thought, and get down to brass tax. Time to either send Harvey packing or bury him six feet under. Jason preferred the latter. He hurt Barbara.
Screw Bruce's no kill policy. Jason never liked it anyway. He became the Red Hood to do what Batman would not, eliminate scum off the street—permanently. He had no remorse in killing. He should be dead himself, but he was alive, and he wasn't going to waste a second chance at doing what was right. It was time to go full Red Hood!
"Hey, ugly!" Red Hood extended his arms out wide as if to give Harvey a target he couldn't miss. "Aren't you forgetting something? Let's play the odds. Heads you win, and you can shoot me in any means you choose, or tails, you walk away, and we continue this another day?"
Harvey hesitated. His coin, it was his weakness. Unless the situation dictated an immediate response, Harvey always made decisions with the flip of a coin. He had a special coin, one side was normal, the other side was scratched to hell—symboling the very essence of Harvey Dent.
"Come on, Harvey," Jason taunted. "Let's flip for it. You know you want to. You need to."
Harvey Two-Face clenched a fist, then produced his dollar coin, holding it between thumb and forefinger of his left hand. "Damn you," Harvey Two-Face growled. "You have a 50/50 chance, Red Hood," he said. "But let's make things more interesting, shall we?
Jason eyed him, and said, "What do you mean?"
"With a flip of a coin, one of our destinies will be changed forever," Harvey said. "Heads, I shoot you, tails, you can finally put an end to the infamous Two-Face."
Jason paused, "So, whoever gets the flip, gets the kill."
Harvey smirked. "Exactly, it's all about chance," he said.
"Chances are you'll still shoot me even if I do win," Jason said. "You can't be trusted, Two-Face. Just flip it, and get it over with it. My muscles are cooling off."
"Very well," Harvey Two-Face flipped his coin. But as it twirled in the air, Jason shot it, and it landed in the sand, burying itself, so it couldn't be seen. Harvey looked back, then at Red Hood. "Bastard!"
Jason then ran at Harvey Two-Face in suicide run, but at the last moment, turned his body, as Harvey brought up his Tommy Gun to bare, and started to run circles around the villain.
Harvey tried to follow Jason. "Stand still, you're making me dizzy."
"That's kinda of the idea, slowpoke," Jason said.
When Harvey attempted to send a volley of bullets his way, Jason reached out, and grabbed the villain's left arm, yanked it, and threw Harvey Two-Face face first into the sand. He actually landed on his coin.
Harvey spit out sand.
Jason then stomped down on Harvey's right hand, his trigger finger, and Harvey cried out in pain. "I think you broke my finger, you red-faced bastard!"
"For what you did to Batgirl, finger this!" Jason said, and then gave Harvey two middle-fingers, and then kicked the villain in the face. Harvey rolled over and didn't move.
For a moment at least, it gave Jason a breather.
Jason took a moment to return to Batwing.
Jason had been listening in to Tim comforting Barbara as he fought Harvey Two-Face. With the elevated circumstances, Tim had sent out a High Priority Alert to the others. When they were finished with Mr. Freeze, they were to come to the beach to help Jason with Harvey Two-Face.
But at the moment, things seemed to be under control.
"You okay, Barbara?" Jason asked, crouching down, looking at her leg wound. The flames of the Batwing were dying down and the aircraft fire systems had kicked in to extinguish any danger.
"Yeah, at least I wasn't crippled again," she said darkly.
"Not funny," Jason said. "We've both been targets of the Joker. You were lucky to survive. Granted you spend years in a wheelchair, but you managed to get back on your feet with some alien technology, not even Drake could dream up."
They both heard Tim Drake cough in their ears. "I can only try," Tim said.
"You're alive, Jason, too," she said. "We've both been through hell and back."
Suddenly Batgirl pointed behind him. "Jason, watch out!"
Jason turned around and saw Harvey Two-Face back on his feet. He fired his Tommy Gun, using his left had, and sent a quick succession of weapons fire in his direction. Jason cartwheeled out of the way, and Barbara managed to avoid it completely, ducking, and flattened into the sand. But without the stability of his dominate hand, the shots went astray. But bullets did ding and ricocheted off the haul of the Batwing.
Jason then burst into a run towards the parking lot, to make him the sole target of Harvey. Harvey Two-Face followed.
Sirens blared in the distance. Someone must have heard the gunfire and called the G.C.P.D. Tim wouldn't have called them, they would only get in the way.
Harvey swore. "Damn cops, they always ruin things. Time for me to go. You'll survive today, Red Hood. You shot my coin, I never saw it land, so your lucky streak to survive another day stands."
"Luck has nothing to do with it," Red Hood replied. "But you're not going anywhere!"
"You're tenacious, but I have no more time to play. He who fights and runs away, lives to fight another day. But I'll slay you later, you can count on it, Red Hood."
"Like I said, you're going anywhere!"
Jason ran in the face of pure evil, despite the threat of the Tommy Gun, and speared Two-Face in the stomach, knocking him down onto the hard asphalt. It was a hard impact, and Harvey let out a painful cry. The Tommy Gun went flying out of his hand, and slid out of reach.
Jason also thought he heard a crack of his own. He rolled off and felt his ribs. He had felt worse.
Harvey held his stomach, but got to his feet. He reached into his jacket and pulled out a small hand gun and aimed it at Red Hood with his left hand. He huffed out a few breaths. "Stupid," he said. "You may have broken my customary trigger finger, but I have two hands. And even with my weaker hand, I can't miss at this distance."
He aimed to fire.
Instead, a shot came from Batgirl's direction, and it nailed Harvey Two-Face square in the back. He recoiled and collapsed in a heap, unconscious.
Jason looked back. Batgirl held a stun gun, like the Batwing hit Harvey's men with, but portable.
"Nice shot, Barbara," Jason said to her.
"I'll always have your back," she said. "We're family, after all."
Jason nodded.
It was over.
"Medical units and police are en-route, according to police scanners," Tim said. "Are you okay?"
"In some pain," Jason said. "May have a cracked rib, but I heal quickly."
"Yeah, I know," Tim replied. "I wish I had your healing gift."
"Honestly, Timmy…no, you don't," Jason said back.
Tim was silent.
Red Hood wasn't much liked by the G.C.P.D., and he was on their Most Wanted List for a slew of outstanding crimes. The Batfamily were considered vigilantes, so Jason and Barbara left quickly. Tim sent a transport to meet them in a safe location to bring them back to the Batcave. They left on foot, met a flying transport, and spared an encounter with the G.C.P.D.
But everyone knew Bruce was going to be pissed.
END