A/N: This chapter of the fic is basically dealing with Jason's training, and more of his feelings towards Batman.
Jason fell closer to the ground; the spikes the bats had formed were less than minutes away from impaling his body. He reached into the air only to grab nothing, and turned down once again. A part of him wished that he had never become Batman's protégé, his loyal servant, the little boy who couldn't. A much larger part of him wished for Batman's immediate downfall. Lastly, a very small part of him- the innocent young man in him- still saw hope in Batman's eyes as he stood thousands of feet in the air, but that part of him was small and, from the looks of things, would never have a chance to resurface.
Jason's arm felt a new pressure around it, a cold yet welcome pressure at the same time. It yanked at his arm gently but with enough force to send a jolt through his body as his fall stopped. Jason took a deep breath relieved that his falling was stopped, whoever saved him had a lot of gratitude coming their way and Batman- well, Jason chose for now that Batman should just become a memory, a memory that was never to resurface for fear of what Jason's wrath would be towards the brutal beast. Jason looked up with hope for a new life in his eyes. When his gaze was finally able to meet with that of the one who saved him, his rescuer was none other than Freeze. Jason was shocked, but never the less relieved, and a part of him wanted to embrace and love Freeze. He had forgotten all about Batman- that is, the good side of Batman, for all that remained in Jason's memories was a cold, harsh vision of an emotionless man. Jason's ripped shirt showed heavy exhalations from a tired and stressed cream-skinned young man. The hurt and anguish in his eyes could be easily noticed by anyone, and he was even more ready to be manipulated by the likes of Freeze.
"Young Robin." Freeze patted Jason's cheek softly- the boy was in a cold sweat. Freeze seemed worried about Jason; after all, the boy had been asleep for months. Months longer than he and The Joker had planned. "Curses, that cackling idiot can't get anything right. He drugs the boy and it nearly kills him- granted, the original plan was to kill him and Batman that night, but I figure my new course of action is much more beneficial to my motives of revenge. I'll …" The rest of it was lost in Freeze's memory- Jason coughed, and Freeze had to be there when he awoke, had to be standing over him in the way a father would.
A loud gasp could be heard as Jason gagged for air, struggled, and moved throughout the bed, trying to awake himself from the horrible dream that had plagued him. The cold slab he was on and the various needles and lights he was rigged up to lit up brightly. He opened his eyes and everything was in a blur. He breathed and screamed, "Ah! Get the bats away! Get the bats away!" The sudden outburst would cost him more air. He began to choke.
Seemingly out of nowhere, Freeze came forth, rigged an air pump to the boy and said, "Being out of commission for so long can be a strain on your body." Jason prepared to thank Freeze but was haunted by visions of bats flying around the cave. The young boy shuddered. Freeze looked around the cave, "Don't worry, I'll protect you, young one. Whatever it is that's hunting you will regret it."
Days had passed since
Jason awakened. The fact he felt horrible was nothing compared to the
shape his body was actually in. His legs had become useless. Denial was
not a word strong enough to even begin to describe what Jason was going
through. He refused to accept the fact that his legs could never be
used again. The words of Freeze suddenly flashed through his head. "I
tried to save you young Robin, but your resistance prohibited it. I
offered you my hand, and you refused. Backing up further into the fire
caused you to be a victim of a falling banister. One came crashing down
onto you, knocking you towards the ground. The other fell onto your
back burning caused severe spinal injury. For you to be alive is
miracle enough; walking is a miracle that you were not fortunate enough
to have."
--- Nearly a month had passed since Jason's awakening from the horrible dreams that had plagued him.
Jason could be seen staggering near a pole; his legs had become useless
to him after that fateful night, the night that Batman turned against
him. His foot covered in a black boot, was slowly raised into the air
and stretched towards the pole. His navy blue spandex pants moved with
his leg. He grunted and grinded his teeth together, breathing heavily,
determined to kick the wooden pole down. The gift of walking would be
restored to him, no matter what the cost was. He arched his leg back,
and brought it forward, the air moving around it as it etched nearer
the oak pole that stood over 7 feet. His right foot neared the pole,
and for seconds he thought his goal had been accomplished, his joy
however was short lift. His left leg began to shake rapidly, before he
knew what was going on he was lying on the ground, face buried in the
tiles. Jason said aloud, "How is it that when I train with a bastard
and have no inspiration, I kick ass, and when I really want to fight, I
suck? I swear my muscles have it in for me."
"Jason, Jason, Jason. No need to wipe yourself out like that. You just need the proper inspiration to be able to use your abilities to their fullest and in no time you'll be able to walk again." Freeze pulled out a picture from his pocket. On one half it contained Bruce Wayne billionaire playboy's face, on the other it contained Batman, the cold-hearted vigilante that had caused Jason unbearable amounts of pain. Freeze placed it neatly onto the oak pole, walked towards Jason and offered him his hand along with a warm smile. Jason took his hand without hesitation, once he had arisen. He screamed with a roar of frustration Jason jumped into the air, spun around twice, and kicked the pole, first with his right foot, then his left. The pole was left in pieces on the ground. Unfortunately, the kick had tired Jason out and he dropped to the ground before he was able to gain his footing.
A little more than a month later, Jason, dressed in the same navy blue spandex, black gloves, and matching boots could be seen running through what seemed like an army simulation. While Jason ran a wrecking ball fell towards Jason's face, and Jason to instinctively dropped back onto his palms, arch both feet behind his back and launch them forward with a ferocity that knew no boundaries. Seconds later, the wrecking ball had a crack through the middle of it. Jason flipped back onto his feet and breathed heavily; all the while he had stayed on his feet.
Freeze walked in, towards Robin, and said, "With a talent and a drive like yours, we could drive Batman to his misery. The cold-hearted animal would pay for all he has done to you or any of loved ones. He kept secrets from you that anyone who really cared about you would have shared, made you feel like no more than the dirt at the bottom of his shoes. But of course, in his eyes, you truly are and always will be worthless." Freeze's manipulative words raced through Jason's mind, each one striking him harder than the last. For some reason, negative things regarding Batman were welcomed in his eyes. Batman was a heartless figure who deserved to pay for his actions. Jason looked at Freeze doubtfully. He wondered if he really had the guts to exact revenge on Batman.
"Don't worry, young Jason: Babs, Dick, Selina, Helena, and Tim will all pay for their allegiance to the cold blooded monster."
"Tim? Who was Tim?" Jason thought to himself.
Freeze looked into Jason's puzzlement and immediately knew what it was about. "Ah yes, Tim. You're wondering who Tim is. Tim is… Tim is your replacement. Yes, you see, Bruce replaced you, and the speed in which he replaced you is astonishing- it's almost as if he planned on your doom. He went even so far as to redesign your costume; my guess is that he didn't think your costume isn't good enough for the new Robin, seeing as how Tim's skills are apparently far better than yours and Tim actually matters in Bruce's eyes. Bruce feels each of them is more important than you. Well at least in Bruce's eyes, I know that you're special. They all deserve to die."
Jason was filled with fury. How could he ever be replaced; he alone was Robin. There was no other him, and if Bruce could make another Robin, then the title of The Boy Wonder wasn't really special at all, and Dick… Dick was his Bruce's first… chosen merely because he was there. Jason was worthy of it, Jason and only Jason.
Whatever Freeze needed Jason to do in his quest to bring Batman down, Jason was in for it, even if it meant killing the whole Bat-Crew. Jason looked towards Freeze. The thoughts of being betrayed, under-appreciated, and made to feel worthless by Batman overwhelmed him, and he declared with fury, "Batman's as good as dead."