Disclaimer: I do not own any DC Characters including Batman, Superman or anyone else. They all belong to their respected authors. As for Haley Brown, He's my original Character.

Hoody Boy: Elseworld Stories
The Adventures of Haley Brown
Arc Three, Part Four: Roadtrip

Haley sat on the couch drinking a cup of coffee. His head was spinning and his body, though alive still had the whole rigamortis thing going on. He rolled his shoulder a minute and relaxed. It was 4 in the morning, Alice had gotten all tuckered out and went to bed. It was only James, who was out at a bar and Haley who was in the massive Presidential Suite. He'd been in one of these before. Right around the time he met James and Amy. He took another sip of coffee and relaxed a bit more.

His thoughts drifted to his mother, and his stomach churned with anger. She was his mother, but no mother would be this warped. Unless she was a super villain, Haley thought. He shook his head, villain or not, she'd done things that were unforgivable. She had destroyed Haley's life and had him killed, for that, it was unforgivable.

"Payback..."

Haley turned around, Zatanna was leaning on the doorway, "Yeah pretty much."

"I can understand your view point Haley. She took everything. She was a horrible person, but do you really think you can kill your own mother?" Zatanna answered.

"Z, this person took every happy thing I had away from me. If anything, I'm going to take everything from her. She values pain and suffering, I'll take away her ability to do that. She wants me to be evil, I won't give her that pleasure. I won't rob, I won't kill, I will not destroy. But when I face her, she'll be the last person I ever... and I mean ever, kill." Haley replied.

"What do you mean?" She asked.

"After this is over, I'm retiring. Hoody Boy has to go, everyone still thinks I'm dead, I have the perfect escape route. And when this is done, Me and Alice will leave and just disappear." Haley said swirling his coffee.

Zatanna looked at Haley for a long time, studying the person behind the face. She couldn't tell if he was truly meaning what he was saying or if he was even going to do it. She couldn't trust just the sincerity of his voice could she? No, of course not, she thought. Finally she turned around and left Haley sitting alone on the couch.

Dawn came and the sun ripped into the room. Light rolled across Haley's face. He'd been up all night, he figured he didn't need much sleep considering how much he'd done. He gritted his teeth a second then got up and stretched. He clenched his fists, he knew what he had to do, and it wasn't going to get done with him standing around. He didn't need his Hoody anymore, he had destiny and fate behind him. Nothing would let him fail anymore then he already had, he'd have to redeem himself in his own eyes. He scribbled a note and left it on the end table, took his Vesper and went out the door.

The Miata screeched out of the garage and roared through the streets. Haley shifted gears and the car growled back as it busted the speed limit. He looked down the road and swerved on to the side walk and raced past the stop light. It was early in the morning and he had to beat the rush before the streets got packed. The Miata screeched onto the on ramp and ripped up onto the highway. Haley eased his grip the steering wheel and pulled into the center lane.

He shifted gears again and brought the little blue Miata to a steady 125 miles per hour. The engine had been modded by an old friend, very old. He and his family of mechanical geniuses. He was going upstate, towards where he figured Slade would be. It didn't take long considering the speed he was pulling was double that of anything on the road. He used the emergency lane most the way, racing past all the Lexuses and Lincoln and Fords. Haley pulled off and hit the emergency brake. The Miata pulled to a halt right at the light and sat there for second. Haley revved the engine and made a right.

He walked into a Wafflehouse and sat down at the counter.

"What can I get you?" A plump waitress asked.

"Just two buttermilk waffles with syrup and butter with some Eggs." Haley replied.

He looked over and shook his head. Slade was sitting there, with his fork in his mouth, his eye looking right at Haley. Haley nodded and gave him a small salute. His waffle arrived a few minutes later and he started in on them. When he was finished, Slade still had the fork in his mouth, his eye still focused on Haley like he'd go away. Haley set his fork down and looked over at Slade again. He paid for his food and went over and sat at Slade's booth and looked at him.

"Hello Slade. You miss me?" He asked.

Slade put the fork down and looked at Haley, "How did you know where to find me?"

"I simply guessed you'd try an head for Canada, get a plane, and go for some foreign country. But with all the exertion you pulled, even great military training can't stop an Empty stomach. All the shops were closed except a Wafflehouse and you went and grabbed yourself some food." Haley explained.

"That's pretty good." Slade answered looking at him, "I have to admit, you are truly one complex individual."

"Key word there would be Individual." Haley remarked.

"Ah yes. If I had met you on different circumstances, I think you and me could've been good friends." Slade commented.

"No, because you're a monster and I kill monsters." Haley snapped.

Slade's face narrowed with anger, "Just because you beat me in the graveyard doesn't mean you can beat me every time."

"Yeah it does, it proves that I can beat you, I just have to try." Haley answered.

"You are so arrogant." Slade answered, "Do you have any clue as to who you've gone up against?"

"Not a single idea, and I don't care anymore. She screwed me over, used you as a puppet. By the way, how did it feel when she jammed her hand up your ass?"

Slade ground his teeth and kept looking at Haley, "I owed her a favor. I'm regretting this now."

"Ooo, like I give two shits." Haley remarked.

Slade reached for his his fork and brought it up between Haley and himself, "Tonight, the Mall just a few blocks from here. You and me. We settle this once and for all."

"Enjoy those waffles." Haley answered and got up and walked out the door, Slade bent the spoon and dropped it.

Haley went to the mall, just where Slade said it would be. He went inside and browsed for a good hour and twenty and then just sat around. Haley waited around for over 13 hours doing nothing but loitering and eating. The sun had gone down and the sky was growing dark. The little stores and shops had begun to close. Haley went into the bathroom and shut the stall door and got up on the toilet. A Guard came in and checked around to see if anyone was in there, he opened the door to the stall and found nothing. The door closed and Haley slowly crept out from the vent.

He walked down the darkened corridors of the empty mall. It reminded him more of a church then a mall now, it being dead quiet and dark. Lights burst on, illuminating the entire complex. All the shops and fake street lights that lined the corridors turned on like it was on one giant switch. Haley paused a second to gain his bearings.

"Well Haley?" Slade asked, "You ready to begin?"

Haley pulled his Vesper out from behind his back and pulled back the slide. He heard the echoing kerchak from the shotgun in Slade's hand.

"Let the game begin." Haley uttered quietly.

Haley made his way up the stairs to the second floor. He had a good view of the whole mall. He saw a figure dart across from one side to the other. Haley raised his pistol and strafed to the wall pressing his back to it. He peeked from behind the little niche and saw the figure dart again. Haley kicked off from the wall and started towards the figure.

The boom from the shotgun was magnified from the enclosed space they were in. he shot tore up the wall just beside Haley, which had missed him by inches. Haley pulled the trigger, the bullet whizzed past Slade's head. He pulled back to the wall leaving Haley standing there. Haley saw the shotgun come aiming for him and he took off running for the edge. He took a flying leap pushing off the railing. The gap in the middle of the floor was open so people could see the shops below and spit loogies off the side. Haley cleared the hole and rolled to the other side of the highway. He whipped around, pressing his back to the wall and aiming his Vesper. He pulled the trigger, the gun belched out the heavy round the blew away the marble siding.

Slade stumbled back rubbing his face which had blood dripping down it. The rock had exploded sending shards racing into his face. He wiped the wound and retreated back behind a wall. Haley ducked low taking a breath, his eyes narrowing. He calmed down and rose up to his feet again. Slade ducked as another bullet blew up a jewelery case behind him. He aimed back and fired. The shot tore up the wall next to Haley toppling him.

"Do I hear you running Slade!" Haley shouted.

"Kiss my ass Haley!" he yelled.

"Well I can understand, some girly men like yourself doesn't have the stones to come and get me." Haley replied.

Another shot blew away more of the wall, "And with that kind of accuracy! Holy shit dude, how the hell did you hit me on that damn bridge!"

"SHUT UP!" Slade yelled, "You talk too much!"

"All the more to see you my dear..." Haley thought.

Slade was standing just behind a pillar, he was reloading his shotgun and breathing hard. Haley could hear it, the breathlessness and the urgency in his voice. Not to mention that the echo and the actual sound both came at the same time instead of the echo coming after it, which meant he was facing away. Haley didn't want to think if Slade had tried to think of the same thing and didn't care. He popped out and held his gun up. The hair on the back of his neck rose up. A tingling feeling came down both arms and went straight to his fingertips. He waited. He heart skipped a beat and he pulled the trigger.

It was just like in James' dream, everything slowed down, Slade's expression widened as he saw he was just caught. The bullet sailed clean into his right side and torn through him. Blood sprayed from behind and covered the floor behind him. He hit the ground, his shotgun flying out of his hand and sliding over the edge. Haley lowered his Vesper, his body was tense, but it was a good tense.

He walked to Slade lying on his back, his head rolling back and forth. Blood was making the orangish yellow part a dark shade of brown. Haley put the pistol behind him again.

"You'll live Slade. But I want to you to remember something. I was always and forever will remain better then you. No amount of money, training or ability can change this. I am not going to kill you, I have no need to, the embarrassment of getting taken down by a kid like myself is bad enough, and I want you to live with it." Haley replied, "Have a good night."

Haley blew out one of the glass doors and made his way out of the mall. He got in his Miata and tore off. The cops arrived a few minutes later and ruled it a robbery gone bad. Two suspects stayed behind and tried to rob a Jewelery store, but got into an argument till one shot the other. Both suspects still at large. Casings were found, one shell was a Remington deer shot, from a hunting shotgun and a unknown modified pistol cartridge. The cops joked that the casings were just fake and planted there to throw them off and quickly ruled it so. The report on the news was one man went in, tried to steal jewelery, tripped the alarm and made it look like there was a struggle. One suspect still at large, possible wound. They had the dogs out and about within the hour.

Haley shifted gears bringing the Miata to the speeding pace of 150 miles and hour. It was going to be a long drive to Illinois, he'd have to make a few stops of course, but he didn't care; Revenge was in Illinois. He got Slade out of the way, his mom was the only thing left on his agenda, and he aimed to get it done.