CHAPTER 62:
"An Assassin's End"

"I never did get that drink," Jason remarked, as he helped Roy drag the dead weight of KGBeast across the roof of Wayne Manor to a larger utility hatch that would make it easier to take the villain inside and secure him more easily. He had climbed up using Roy's rope arrow. "I think we need to put this guy on ice, perhaps in the box freezer to chill. Put him in with the meats. He'll stay fresh for later." Then he remembered. They had to free Alfred and the rest of the Manor workers locked in the Servant's Scullery.

Jason had originally suggested that they dump KGBeast over the side and let him fall, it would be easier to take him away. He wouldn't feel anything, being unconscious. But Roy said that wouldn't be nice and it may freak out some of the guests to see a 'dead body' drop to the ground. So, they opted for a more suitable solution. They would take him in Wayne Manor and secure him somewhere secretly. Then later take KGBeast to Arkham, or as Jason had suggested, sell him off for spare parts.

"After what happened earlier tonight, Jay, you need to lay off the booze, seriously," Roy replied, hauling a leg. "I don't know what you were dreaming, but some of the reactions you were having freaked me out."

"Oh, c'mon, you liked it, admit it?" Roy didn't liked being teased. "Jez, just kidding. Okay, let's just put that behind us and move on. I would dread to think what Dick would do if he ever found out. I like the guy, but I wouldn't be able to stand his puns."

"He wouldn't do that. Even if Arkells did let it slip. I'm sure Dick's mature enough to know to not joke about it."

"Dick, mature? You haven't been around him much, have you?"

Suddenly, Roy stopped in his tracks, and listened to something in the distance that only he appeared to hear. Jason observed him, rotating his head from side to side, as if trying to identify the sound. With Jason's helmet, most sounds were masked, so someone like Roy without anything hindering his hearing had a better chance to hear sounds outside the range.

"What? What is it?" Jason looked around. He saw nothing.

"Not sure, but you know me, I have excellent hearing…I can't quite explain what I'm hearing…It's weird, kind like humming, like…"

"Humming?"

Jason put a hand to the side of his helmet to his ear and tried to focus on the sound Roy described. At first he heard nothing, then—

He saw a glint of something in the night sky coming straight at them.

Then, Roy was struck—the humming zipped by in a flash—and launched Roy backwards, ripping him from the spot, his hands releasing KGBeast, and Roy was thrown into the darkness. Jason heard Roy scream, tumble along the roof, and then saw a glimpse of him fall off the edge of the roof. His equipment falling off his shoulders, scattering everywhere. Bow and arrows alike.

"Roy!"

Then it landed close to Jason, its humanoid appearance landing with a thunk on the roof gravel, crunching it under boots. The buzzing was actually a jet-pack strapped to the back of the shoulders of a man wearing a black battle suit with wings dressed like an insect. In the man's hand was a flamethrower and attached to his utility belt were various incendiary devices.

Jason wanted to see to Roy, but Firefly stood in his way.

Jason held his ground, dropped KGBeast. He didn't go for his guns, it would warrant an unwanted response. Besides, with the flamethrower Firefly held, the high-grade quality kind, stuff found in military surplus stores, or on the dark-web, Jason knew he would be fried in no time flat. "What the hell are you doing here, Garfield?" saying his real name mockingly.

"Oops, looks like I knocked your buddy off the roof, my bad. But you know what they say: Bumbles bounce in the snow." Firefly laughed. "You can see to your boyfriend only after you hand over EB. I've been tracking him. I want payback!"

"Payback? What for?" Jason recalled some people called KGBeast, EB, as in EveryBody's Assassin, the one to go-to for a jobs.

"The bastard left me at the hands of Bane, and that brute nearly killed me, beating me to within an inch of my life because he was pissed at EB for trying to get a double payday. The Russian bot joined up with Jake Handles to shoot Nightwing. He thought he could shoot Nightwing, turn him into an amnesiac, pretend the job was the done, and all parties would be happy. Nightwing would be no more, payback against Batman for all the shit he's done to Bane over the years would be had, and EB could collect both bounties, no questions asked. But amnesic and dead are too different things, and Bane was mad as hell! So, he took it out his frustration on me, even after I brought him Red Robin to play with. EB never surfaced again until now."

Firefly continued, "But it wasn't enough! Afterwards, EB even came after me. He said I was the only one who knew of his failure to not get the job done, and if I told anyone, his reputation would be ruined. For an assassin who can't get the job done, that's a death sentence. He did thank for taking care of Bane though. I jumped him in a back alley and got my revenge. I beat the living hell out of Bane with everything I could find. He never even got a chance to use his new and improved venom—that one Dr. Helfern stabilized for him, and him alone. But then, it was my turn. I escaped EB, but just narrowly. He said he was going after you next after he dealt with me. Some sort of revenge thing to boost his moral; said you were a worthy adversary because of your skills. But now, I want revenge on KB for what he tried to do to me. This is the perfect opportunity."

"Hate to burst Bane's bubble, but Bane's juice is not as stable as he thinks. But thanks, anyway. Helfern's dead, his formula blew up in his face like a balloon when he was accidentally given a double dose. Gotham forensics said it was like something from the horror movie when they secured the scene. We were wondering who laid him out. You did us a solid. And Bane can't remember certain things either" —like secret identities— "so, kudos to ya! But, sorry I can't let you have him. He's ours."

Jason put his hands on his hips, as least they were closer for him to grab his guns if the situation called for it.

"Got to admit though, what you did was impressive against Bane…for a second-rate, two-bit criminal, such as yourself, that is."

Firefly was flabbergasted. "Second-rate? Two-bit? How would you like to be flame-broiled?" He pointed his flamethrower directly at Jason. "Suffice it to say, I don't wish to kill you, Red Hood, so I'll let the name-calling slide for today. No doubt you're here after you tracked him, too. Payback for Nightwing? There seems to be a party going on here. Rich folk and their gatherers, always thinking they're better than us little people. Makes me ill. Maybe I'll crash the party and rob the place." It was only then Firefly noticed the arrow in KGBeast's optical eye and how dead he looked. "Hey! Did you do this, or was it your boyfriend I knocked off the roof?"

Jason growled. Even though he had teased Roy about it, what Duela Dent did to him and Roy still irked him. And he secretly vowed not to drink so much. He had only been joking about saying that he wanted a drink earlier when he entered the Ballroom. Being exposed like that—stripped nude while unconscious—made him feel violated. It shouldn't have bothered him that much, but it did.

Just then, his helmet sensors caught a glimpse of something reaching over the edge of the roof. First a hand, then an arm, and then a head and another arm. Roy Harper grabbed the edge, and hauled himself up, then rolled onto the roof. He had not dropped to the ground after all, falling off like Jason thought. He breathed a sigh of relief.

Firefly had not see it, the noise from his jet-pack humming, drowning out Roy's self-rescue.

Roy crawled on his hands and knees, then he looked at Jason and put a finger to his mouth, as if to say nothing, as he grabbed his gear. He picked up his bow and arrow. Jason mentally nodded.

"Listen, Garfield," Jason began, turning back. He needed to distract Firefly. "KGBeast is still part human, and when he awakes, or is able to be repaired, he needs to stand trail. I would normally agree with you. Kill'em! But I've recently learned a valuable lesson and suffered greatly for it. Shooting first and asking questions later gets little or no answers."

Oh god, I can't believe I just said that. Killing him would be much better. Get rid of the bastard so he never comes back, that's who and what I do. This sounds just too fake, even from me. Press on, Jay, press on…

"I heard what you did to the Penguin, brutal," Firefly said. "But no, I want KGBeast. I deserve my payday."

"As you can see, you can't do much to KGBeast in this state. I know, by experience, torturing someone is boring when they're not conscious for you to enjoy it. Like sexsomnia as an excuse in court, having sex while half-awake doesn't do it for anyone."

"That's both disturbing and disgusting," Firefly said. "And you're supposed to be a hero?"

"I'm more of an anti-hero. Ask Batman. He doesn't care much for my methods, but he still allows me to associate within his circles. I've even saved his butt a time or two, but he never thanks me. He even beat the crap out of me recently. My chin still smarts."

Jason saw Roy pull his bow string taunt with an arrow in place. "That guy, you so colourfully refer to as my 'boyfriend', helped me to heal when I needed it the most. And that's what a true friend does, and that's what I do. I help others when all other methods have been exhausted. Sometimes, I get chided for it. But being a hero is often a thankless job, and I'm okay with that."

So, why do I suddenly feel a little guilty for what I did to the Penguin? Damn it, I'm getting soft. I'm becoming Dickiebird.

"In the meantime, please allow me to show you my appreciation in you coming all the way here to thank us for doing our jobs. No one knew how Red Robin got to Bane's hideout. But thanks to you, now we know the full story. Time to settle the score."

"Settle the score?"

"No one messes with my family! Red Robin" —Timmy— "suffered greatly at the hands of Bane's crazy-ass doctor. Roy…Now!"

Jason dropped as Roy released his arrow. It soared through the air and struck home. No wind deterred it from its appointed destination this time. And it hit Firefly's jet-pack booster, prematurely initiating the start-up sequence without the hand-controls.

Firefly's jet-pack suddenly launched him into the air and out of control, a jet-stream of fire and smoke spewing from the back end.

Garfield Lynns screamed as he was jettisoned through the sky, upwards, and haphazardly, zipping around like his namesake, and far out into the distance over the horizon, only his jet-pack's fire to indicate his fading whereabouts, like a star in the sky.

Roy came to stand next to Jason, put a hand on his shoulder.

"You okay?" Jason asked. "Thought you did your best rendition of Peter Pan off the roof?"

"I'm a young elk of a human, with plenty of buck in the tank." Roy flexed an arm, tightening a bicep. "I have no superpowers to speak of, but I'm tough, and one hell of an archer." He nodded. "Well, that was fun. Made a wish yet upon a shooting star? It's a beautiful night. Just perfect for couples to express just much they feel about each other. I heard what you said, aww, you do like me…"

"Very funny," Jason said, turning back to the original reason for being on the roof. "Let's get KGBeast off the roof before anyone else attacks us, or thinks we're engaging in some other dubious nature."

"Always the grumpy puss," Roy said, and then took the left leg of KGBeast, as Jason took the right, dragging him anew. "I'm never getting naked with you again."

To be continued...