So sorry for the wait! School started up and I gotta tell ya, junior year is hard, pals. Anyhoo, I kinda wrote this about a month ago and I just recently opened it up and edited it so enjoy the next interval of this story! And big thanks to those who review, follow, and favorite!
Jason watched all his teammates take down their respective target through his scope. He honestly couldn't believe his ears when Bruce agreed to the idea of having Jason be the lookout WITH a gun. Just no killing. Easy, he hasn't committed the act for a while now with no problem. Tonight should be no different.
He watched as both Tim and Damian performed the same move to attack their opponents; they landed on the target's back and with a few punches to the face, were off, moving on to the next one. It was truly amazing how similar, yet how different the two were.
After checking to make sure neither one of his younger brothers would be caught unaware, he shifted his scope to look at Nightwing. Immediately noticing a man sneaking up behind the currently-doing-way-too-many-backflips acrobat, Jason aimed and shot the guy in the shoulder. He would be lying if he didn't take pleasure in seeing Dick jump slightly. Said man turned to where Jason was positioned and gave a fake salute. The anti-hero rolled his eyes.
Even though Bruce told him to only watch his brothers and that he wouldn't need Jason's vigilance (because god forbid he set aside even a sliver of his massive ego), Jason still checked up on the older man. Not because he cared, because he didn't, but rather to make sure there would be no wild cards that would screw up the whole plan. Yep, no other reason.
Batman had taken down several criminals, which lay either unconscious or injured on the ground around him, and proceeded to move on to the real reason they were there.
The others were also finishing up so Jason took that as his cue to switch positions. He swung the gun to his back and backed up on the roof. Once he considered himself far enough away, Jason started sprinting towards the edge and jumped to the next rooftop, rolling to absorb the impact. He did this two more times until he found the best position to be.
Setting the sniper rifle on the ledge, he searched through the scope for the guy they were looking for. Jason couldn't recall his name, mostly due to the fact that he and Dick were tossing a ball back and forth while Bruce explained the case.
In the center of a room stood a pacing man holding a 9mm with another man tied to a chair in front of him. Well, that looks like a bad guy.
Jason adjusted his weapon to account for wind and distance before putting a finger up to the comm in his ear. He wasn't wearing his helmet tonight because he tended to have better accuracy when he wasn't relying on a program to line up his shot for him. While it didn't make sense, Jason learned long ago to trust his own eyes to make difficult shots.
"Alrighty, if we look to the left, particularly the east side, we will notice a gigantic asshole in his natural habitat. Their diet usually consists of eating shit. Their aggressive behavior is a signal to natural predators to stay the fuck away, but for educational purposes, we will- holy shit Dickhead, your other left. Jeez," he grumbled after witnessing all but one of his co-vigilantes heading in the right direction.
Batman burst through the double doors that brought him face to face with their target. Instantaneously, about half a dozen men came out of hiding, all holding guns pointed at Bruce.
"Oh, did I forget to mention that the assholes hunt in packs?"
Jason didn't need to see Bruce's face to know there was a glare. However, he did see a Batarang slip into the man's palm. Oh, Bruce, you wound me.
Jason took down all the men except for the asshole and his victim in less than five seconds. All of them dropped to the ground and the asshole swallowed nervously. That's right, bitch, be scared. Tim and Damian entered unnoticed, watching silently from the landing above. Dick finally found his way and came to stand beside Bruce.
"Greg Lawrence, let him go." The deep voice carried across the room, causing the asshole to pale at the sound of his name. Oh yeah, Greg Lawrence, a loan shark who did not like when people didn't pay him back. The poor bastard in front of him apparently borrowed 5k and was supposed to pay Lawrence back a couple of weeks ago. Damian mentioned how the guy was a moron for borrowing the money in the first place, and therefore, deserved what was happening. However, as a kid who grew up on the streets, Jason knows the banks don't give a single fuck about the poor Gothamites who needed money, so sometimes loan sharks are the only option.
Greg was cornered, yet desperate. Always a dangerous combo. In a moment of panic, he grabbed the man in the chair, using him as a human shield whilst holding a gun to his head.
"St-stand back!" he stuttered.
"Do you have a shot?" Tim's voice was quiet, but Jason could still pick up on the slight nervousness. Jason could see that he was pretty much their only option since the small balcony the two youngest were watching from didn't give them access to get behind Greg and the two oldest couldn't advance unless they were willing to risk killing the citizen. However, Jason had prepared for this. He perfectly positioned himself so that he could shoot through a window located behind the pair. There was only one problem.
"He's moving way too much. If I shoot now, I might hit the other dude. However, eventually, he is going to stand still long enough for me to get 'em. Just stall for a bit."
"No." Wait, what? Did he hear Bruce right?
"I'm sorry, I think there's something wrong with my earpiece. It almost sounded like you said no."
"I did. Stand down, don't take the shot. We can handle this." Jason closed his eyes and counted to ten his head. He could make out Dick talking with Greg, trying to diffuse the situation while Jason and Bruce "talked."
"You really willing to put the life of an innocent on the line? Be smart about this, B. You guys can't do anything, but I can. I can do this, I just need the opening is all," he responded. Dammit Bruce, just trust me on this one.
"I said no and that's final." Bruce's voice was stern, silently ordering Jason to drop it. Well, it's a good thing Jason never listens.
Dick finally got Greg to stand still, giving Jason the opening he needed. But it's a bad thing Bruce knows Jason never listens.
Bruce saw ex-protege line up the shot. However, he told Jason no, so he pulled out a smoke grenade, letting it roll across the floor before completely voiding two people of vision. Greg and, more importantly, Jason.
The four heroes in the room made their way to the criminal, but none had actually made it there when a gunshot followed by a scream echoed across the room, turning Bruce's veins to ice.
"What the FUCK did you just do?!
Have you ever been in a situation where everything just feels wrong? Silence so loud, it's deafening? Tension so incredibly thick that you can almost see it materialize before your eyes, not unlike heat waves in the Sahara Desert during the middle of July? Feel as if all the air was being sucked out of the room and you are slowly suffocating? All your senses dampened as if you were underwater? The blood froze in your veins? Paralyzed in place, wanting nothing more than to leave, all the while afraid to move in even the slightest?
Every single being in the Hall of Justice could relate. Everyone except that three that brought about this sensation. The shock had yet to wear off at the sight of the creatures who surveyed the room in stiff movements, similar to an animatronic. The itch to grab a weapon was strong but the fear of accidentally provoking the aliens was stronger. They all wanted to do something, anything! However, the fact remained that no one knew how to subdue the creatures.
Even those who were overconfident in their abilities stayed were they where. After all, they weren't the only ones in the room. So, they waited. Waited to see what the aliens would do.
It turned out they did not have to wait long.
The largest of the three opened its jaw and let out a horrid screech, throwing everything into chaos. It was that same alien that held the only weapon of the three and aimed at pillars and other parts of the ceiling, bringing the whole room crashing down.
Jason grabbed Roy's collar and threw them both out of the way of a piece of a falling pillar. After recovering, the pair took a moment to observe the scene playing out in front of them.
One of the aliens had launched itself towards Superman, although much to everyone's surprise, Clark was easily able to bat the creature aside. He exchanged a confused look with Batman, who stood next to him. It slid across the floor and stopped at the feet of Shazam. He didn't have a chance to react as the alien quickly recovered and with a whip of its tail, Billy felt himself thrown against the wall with such force that he couldn't recall hitting the floor.
The alien then had jumped with its claws outstretched towards Wonder Woman. She raised her sword at the ready and sprung forward to meet the creature. The sword hit the flesh, yet did not cut it. Diana quickly flipped the weapon and after ducking under a swiping claw, she hit the creature with the hilt of her sword. It stumbled forward a bit, but other than that, it didn't appear affected. She desperately needed a plan, and luckily Jason had one. Sure there was the possibility it wouldn't work and it wasn't even well thought out, but eh, what are you gonna do?
Jason pulled his sidearm and quickly changed out the clip. Although it wasn't meant for the aliens, it wouldn't hurt to try.
He pulled the trigger, sending the glowing green bullet into Wonder Woman's bulletproof cuffs, which ricocheted into the alien's neck. It stammered a few steps before collapsing on the ground in front of her. Once the shock wore off, she sought out the source of the bullet, giving a curt nod of gratitude after meeting Hood's gaze.
There was no time to react, because the next thing he knew, a large piece of ceiling landed next to him. Jason rolled out of the way and quickly recovered, jumping to his feet.
This was too chaotic and they desperately needed a plan. Nearby laid a broken piece of the ceiling which Jason scurried to right as another wild shot from the alien weapon hit the wall close to where he stood mere seconds ago.
Feeling safe for the moment, he closed his eyes and tuned everything else out as he started to mentally go through everything he knew the aliens they were fighting against. A high pitched screech broke his concentration. Jason moved to adjust volume settings on his helmet to better filter the ear-piercing sound when he froze, the small idea already blooming into something more. Even though no one could see it, his eyes lit up and the corner of his mouth lifted into a smirk.
Hood palmed a piece of concrete that fit perfectly in his hand. Turning to survey the mess that surrounded, he quickly spotted his target. He pulled his arm back and threw the rock across the room, stopping right in front of Black Canary.
If he had the time, he would have chuckled at the confusion on her face.
She made a guess as to where the rock originated and was met with the Red Hood giving her a small wave. She waved back hesitantly, unsure of what was happening. He gestured to the largest of the aliens then held up three fingers, hoping she'd understand. Small relief came when she nodded sharply.
Canary hurried to a corner where she found a lone chair, taking cover behind it. It didn't offer much in protection but hid her fairly well. She still had a view of Hood, who remained where he in his position, take out twin guns and somehow turn them into one larger gun that she couldn't name. She had to admit she was impressed.
Hood replaced the current ammo with something much more powerful (courtesy of Roy Harper). Jason set the newly formed weapon in a small duvet in the large stone before adjusting it so it laid nicely on his shoulder. The problem was this was a long-range weapon and his target wasn't that far away. However, the pistols were not gonna cut it, so he didn't have much in the choice department.
He aimed the weapon at the largest of the aliens and waited. It didn't take long for an opportunity to appear so he caught Black Canary's watchful eye just as the creature turned in her direction. It didn't see her yet, but it would in a few moments. They had only one shot at this so it would be best not to waste it.
With one hand, he placed his index finger just outside the trigger guard. With the other, he held up three fingers. When he put down his ring finger, he saw Dinah take a deep breath, mentally preparing herself.
When he put down his middle finger, she pushed the chair away and walked out with an air of confidence into the open to where the alien could easily see her. The creature screeched, and the other smaller alien moved away from Martian Manhunter to deal with the newly presented threat. Jason honestly forgot about that one since he had his hands full with the other.
This alien never got close to her because the moment Hood dropped his last finger, she gave her famous Canary Cry. Several people covered their ears at the high-pitched sound that threatened to split their head open. Even the aliens stopped their attacks and screamed in agony.
Seizing the opportunity, Jason pulled the trigger, sending the small explosive straight into the unprotected back of the alpha alien.
The wave of energy that emanated from the creature flung everyone back from the sheer force of the bomb, even Jason, who took cover behind the slab of the ceiling.
When recovered from the blast, the first thing Jason noticed was that he couldn't see. The helmet's display flickered a bit before eventually succumbing to the damage it received. After he moved to rest on his knees and jerk the helmet of his head, he frowned as he traced the scratches embedded in the once smooth surface. Well, at least it did its job since he didn't have a concussion, which by the looks of it, was more than what he could say about some of the others caught in the aftermath of the bomb.
His eyes danced across the room, making sure no one seriously injured from his spur-of-the-moment plan. He couldn't help the relief that came from confirming that. However, in his scan, he noticed something odd about his environment.
There were no aliens.
Everyone looked around in surprise. Just seconds ago, they were fighting for their lives. Now the threat is gone just like that. Even the one he killed. Vanished without a trace.
A black covered hand came into his view and he accepted the offer. He allowed Back Canary to help him to his feet and she studied him for a moment. If Jason had to guess, she probably wanted to make sure he wasn't hurt. He faintly recalled Roy saying that she often reminded him of a mother lion protecting her cubs, didn't matter who you were or what you've done. He can now say for certain that Roy (for once) was right.
"Well, other than your arm, I'd say you're fine," she nodded approvingly with a slight smile. Jason's eyes widened as he searched each of his arms for injuries. He didn't remember getting hurt, by when his eye caught the small cut on his left arm, blood seeping through his gray shirt, the sudden throb of pain kicking in as his adrenaline left. Huh.
The wound he received from his first run-in with aliens reopened, although he can't recall when exactly that occurred.
Dinah chuckled softly at his confusion before extending her hand once more. His confusion only grew at the gesture, causing her to sigh and grab his hand in her own. Oh. He gently shook her hand and she smiled at that.
"I must admit, Mr. Hood, this was one crazy plan you had there. Should I expect more equally as insane?" she smiled, accepting the mischievous look on his face as an adequate answer before she left to check on Ollie, who happened to be standing next to a dazed-looking Roy.
She understood why Roy likes the young man next to her so much. He may be dangerous, but there was something about him that made you look past that danger to see the charm.
Diana lightly touched the anti-hero's arm, signaling him to follow. The two made their way over to where Arsenal popped into a chair with his head in his hands and Green Arrow fiddled with some of his signature weapons.
Jason took the seat across from Roy, snapping his fingers in front of his friend. Said man glanced up for a second then returned to his previous position.
Concerned, Jason fished for a penlight out of his leather jacket and lifted Roy's chin when he finally found one. He shone the light in each of his eyes, lingering until the pupil adjusted to the harsh light. His left eye was a bit too slow to react for Jason's liking, but not enough that made Jason think concussion. However, he was not quite content with his friend's condition so, he began to ask Roy questions to test his cognitive skills. When Jason finally felt assured that Roy would be fine, he interlaced his fingers under his chin, allowing his mind to replay the events that just occurred.
"Is everyone alright?"Aquaman asked. Everyone slowly gathered themselves and gave several forms of affirmation. While everyone had their own bumps and bruises, there were no serious injuries that caused concern. Bruce gave each of his sons a once-over to make sure they were all relatively okay.
Spotting Dick first, he noticed nothing wrong at first glance. But since this is Dick, the man could be internally bleeding, yet still claim he was fine. Bruce internally sighed. Out of all his children, Dick is the worst when it comes to injuries. He hides them so others won't worry, yet if someone else was injured, he would pester them till he was able to assess the wound himself. Case in point, at that moment, his eldest held his youngest's chin in his hand as he gently turned Damian's head to check for injuries. The latter scowled but didn't pull away from Dick's fussing. He appeared unharmed, so Bruce allowed himself to shift his gaze to his second youngest.
Tim leaned against the nearest wall with an arm draped across his chest as he caught his breath. His Kryptonian ally put a hand on Tim's shoulder, but his son shrugged it off with a lopsided smile. Bruce noticed how Superboy's eyes flickered slightly. After spending so much time around Clark, he's learned that that was the tell-tale sign of the x-ray vision. Bruce felt his heart squeeze when he saw the frown on Superboy's face. Conner reached for Tim's wrist and at the slightest touch, Tim recoiled with a wince, drawing his arm closer to himself. Bruce wasted no time coming to his aid.
"How are you doing? What happened to your wrist?" Bruce asked, trying not to let the worry flood his voice completely. Tim simply chuckled before responding.
"Calm down, B. Just landed on it funny, that's all. I'm okay, I promise." He forced a smile, but the pain in his eyes was clear as day. Bruce turned to Conner, asking the young hero to take Tim down to the infirmary. The clone put his arm around Tim's shoulders, gently leading him away and ignoring the protests coming from the younger man.
Content that Tim would receive medical attention for his injury, Bruce scanned the room for his last son. Jason sat in one of the chairs across from Roy. Next to the pair, stood Dinah and Oliver, the former checking the latter for injuries before kissing him.
Without his helmet on, Bruce was able to better study Jason. His eyes were unfocused as he stared at nothing in particular. His elbows rested on his knees, one of which was bouncing slightly. Physically, Jason appeared fine. But that was only physically. He had a similar look as he did when they were on the rooftop in Gotham, the only difference being this time Jason seemed more pensive than utterly destroyed. As much as he wanted to ask, Bruce knew there was no way he would get an honest answer.
Movement caught his eye, switching his attention to Wonder Woman. She approached Dinah, whispering in her ear, then receiving a nod in affirmation. Jason had his back to the Amazonian warrior and looked so lost in thought that Bruce would have sworn he didn't even notice her presence if he didn't know any better.
But he did know better. Jason has the uncanny ability to be aware of his surroundings. Bruce has never witnessed anybody successfully sneak up on the young man. Not even the famous Dark Knight could claim he's achieved such a feat. Bruce will admit, there are definitely times when he found himself annoyed at Jason's hyper-awareness as it wouldn't give him the advantage of surprise. If he had to guess, Bruce would say this sixth sense of Jason's was just another product of his childhood in the streets of Gotham. Unlike with the rest of the Robins, Bruce barely had to go over observation skills with Jason, and what he did cover was reminding the young boy not to forsake his awareness due to his hotheadedness.
Bruce's only warning to prepare himself was Dinah's two fingers reaching for her mouth. The high pitched whistle stopped any and all conversations as many covered their ears. When the sound came to an end, several glared at her while simultaneously attempting to see if they would require hearing aids. One of those people was Jason, who glanced up at Dinah with a feigned look of betrayal. She mouthed sorry and patted his arm. She didn't notice how he immediately moved away from the physical contact, but Bruce did. He didn't have too long to mull over it, because Diana began speaking.
"Now that I have your attention," Wonder Woman said, "I think that we should call it a day. If you are injured, go to the infirmary. If not, go shower, eat, and rest. We'll talk later about what just happened. For now, just take of yourselves."
Bruce looked back to Jason as the archer excitedly started to speak about the temporary lab they gave him to mess around with gadgets. Personally, the idea of Roy having such a place concerned him, and based on the face Jason made, it concerned him too. Nonetheless, the pair left, along with almost all of the heroes in the room. The only ones who remained were Wonder Woman, the Flash, Green Arrow, Black Canary, Green Lantern, and of course Batman himself. It didn't take long for the conversation to initiate.
"You gotta control the Red Hood. Dude was way outta line," Hal hissed at Bruce.
"Aww, Lanty's upset that the big bad hood wurt his feewings," Oliver mocked in a childish tone. Dinah laughed softly while looking heavenward with a small shake of her head. In response, Hal's ring glowed as he scowled at the emerald archer. Diana was quick to step in.
"Boys, we're supposed to be on a team," she scolded before a smirk appeared on her face. "Honestly though, Hal, do you believe you did nothing to deserve his attitude?"
"I, at least, offered a solution!" Hal snapped at her. "The rest of you did nothing!" The others continued to laugh as Hal's temper got the best of him. Bruce cleared his throat, grabbing the attention of the group.
"Rest assured, Hal, I will be discussing his behavior," the pilot gave a curt 'thank you' to the man in black, but what was said next made him do a double-take. "However, I cannot deny that there was some truth to his words." Hal's eyes widened slightly before narrowing into slights.
"You're kidding me, right?!" he yelled. "What the hell did the asshole say that was true?" Bruce's face darkened at the term used to define Jason. While Lantern had good reason to use it, it didn't make it any more acceptable.
"Well," Barry started, "he was right that you shouldn't attempt to take the aliens down on your own. Honestly, Hal, thought you were smarter than that." Said man just huffed in disbelief that his teammates were taking a criminal's side over his.
"And his observations kinda made sense. Seems like it was a good idea to bring him on board, huh?" At that, Hal scoffed, but Barry continued. "I'm gonna look into what he said a little more." That was the only warning they got before the scarlet speedster lived up to his name and ran out of the room within milliseconds. Hal grumbled under his breath before he himself left.
"Imma go shower and get this alien goop off me. Get some rest you two. It's been a rather long day," Oliver called as he made his way to the door, Dinah's arm hooked through his as they made quiet conversation.
Bruce left out a breath of air and scrubbed a hand over his face.
"Hey, you alright?" Diana asked kindly as she searched Bruce's face. Bruce gave her a reassuring nod.
"I just have a lot to think about is all," he explained. She watched him for a moment before sighing.
"Don't we all." The two of them went to the door, Diana paused, lightly touching Bruce's arm to stop him as well. "You know, he saved my life today. And according to Dinah, he came up with the plan to put an end to the attack. I'd never thought I'd say this, but maybe a little crazy is exactly what we need to win this thing. I'll see you later, Batman." With that, she left.
After about half a minute of walking, he ran into Nightwing. They greeted each other, then fell into a comfortable silence. But Dick was never one for long periods of no noise.
"I talked to him, ya know." There was no need to specify who this conversation would be about. Bruce raised an eyebrow, signaling his eldest to continue.
"Something definitely happened, but he wouldn't tell me what exactly was bothering him." Dick sounded lamentable about being unable to get his brother to speak with him.
"I thought you said you talked with him?" Bruce questioned.
"I did… he just didn't talk back," pouted Dick. Bruce sighed, knowing exactly what Dick's inner turmoil was about. He's had several one-sided conversations with Jason that went nowhere ever since he found the youngster in that alley. Even then, Jason was adamant about not sharing whatever distress him at the time. He knew it stemmed from Jason's less than stellar childhood, but he would be lying if he said he wasn't a little infuriated that all his efforts to show he cared were shot down.
"He did talk to Tim, though." That caused Bruce's train of thought to come to a halt.
"Really?"
"Yeah, although not about that. Instead, he decided to lie to Tim about what he's been doing" Dicks disapproval could not have been clearer. Like all of the 'bat kids,' he loathed when he was lied to and attempted to avoid lying whenever he could. To say he was caught off guard by Jason's decision was an understatement.
"What do you mean?"
"Well, Tim chewed Jason out for leaving Gotham for so long and not staying in contact." Dick watched as Bruce's eyebrows furrowed in confusion just as he predicted.
"But Jason was in Gotham for the most part."
"I know."
"And he talked with you. It was seldom, but he still kept in touch with you every now and then."
"I know."
"Then why…" Bruce's mind was racing. There was no reason for Jason to lie, so why did he?
"Remember Bruce, Tim wasn't there during that argument." How could he forget? That night played in his brain almost every night, thinking about all his mistakes and how much he wished he could redo it all. "After Tim left, I asked Jason about it and he said the less Tim knew, the better, so he didn't correct Tim's accusations." They walked in silence for a bit as Bruce processed the new information. He guessed Jason's decision made sense. After all, he didn't tell Tim or Damian anything either, but he also didn't openly lie to them.
Jason has probably watched the surveillance video thirty times now. He missed something. He knows he did, but what? Next to the laptop that Roy lent him laid a small black notebook filled with observations Jason jotted down. He devised and disregarded several theories about the aliens that attacked them before finally developing one that wasn't riddled with holes like swiss cheese. However, that didn't mean everything added up. There were still a few discrepancies with his idea that needed solving. Hence the rewatching of the cameras that captured the aliens' invasion of the base. He searched for anything and everything that could assist them in the inevitable battle.
Jason ran a hand through his hair in exhaustion before hitting the replay button. He felt ready to drop at any moment. Taking a sip of the horrid coffee, (honestly, how the hell did Tim drink this crap?) he focused all his attention on the screen in front of him. Well, he tried to, anyway. It was impossible to truly concentrate on anything when there is an eccentric archer/inventor in the same room as him. The man didn't know the meaning of quiet.
Currently, Roy was mumbling nonsense to himself as he tried to create some anti-alien bomb. Roy's words, not Jason's. A couple of tools fell from the workbench and based on the sudden increase of volume and profanity, one landed on his foot. Jason couldn't help but snort in amusement which led to him being on the receiving end of his friend's extended middle finger.
The video ended without any new information, so Jason switched to a different angle. He's already been through every second of recording, but he hasn't visited this particular clip in a while so maybe he would learn something new. After that clip, he closed the laptop and rubbed his eyes. He needed a break. Jason lay his head on his crossed arms and closed his eyes, welcoming the darkness. That darkness quickly turned to the image of the several slaughtered women in that basement that he failed to save. His eyes shot open, blinking away the grotesque sight.
"Hey, you good?" Roy called from across the room after seeing Jason's discomfort.
"Yeah." No. "Just a little tired." Roy hummed in response before going back to his work. The archer worked with the anti-hero long enough to know not to push him if he doesn't want to talk about something. Despite that, he couldn't help the disappointment from appearing on his face. He also couldn't help Jason from noticing it.
There was a sigh, followed by, "So, what's new with you?" Jason's happy to talk with Roy, just not about himself. "How's Lian doing?"
His words had the desired effect as Roy grinned ear to ear. "Oh my god, dude. You know what she asked me the other day? She asked for a cat. Can you believe it?"
Jason chuckled, the irony not lost on him. "Are you gonna get her one?"
"Are you insane?! Of course not," he shook his head in disbelief at the mere idea.
"Does she know that?"
"Well, I told her now's not the best time for one."
"I think it would be a good idea actually."
"What? In what world would that be a good idea?" He set down his wrench to regard his friend. Jason took a sip of his coffee in an attempt to hide his amusement. But as he set the drink down and saw the irritated look on Roy's face, he almost lost it. He allowed himself a deep breath before answering.
"Think about it, Roy. Cats are independent so you really don't have to do much besides feed them and clean their crap. Lian will take care of the whole petting and loving them part." Now it was Roy's turn to look amused. "What?" Jason asked defensively.
"Since when did you become a cat expert?"
"Have you met my little brother? The brat is basically a small-fry ninja version of Doctor Dolittle." Jason thought back to the time he stopped by the cave almost a year and a half ago to help Tim fix his motorcycle (he was ninety percent certain the caffeine addict purposely broke his ride just to get Jason to come over). When he went to grab a rag to clean up some spilled grease, he almost ran into a cow. A grass-eating, mooing, lazy cow. He couldn't tell if Damian was joking or not when he said he named it BatCow. Then he discovered not only did he have a cow, but a huge dog and a cat. He could not believe Alfred would allow the kid to have so many pets, especially a cow. To be honest, he would not be surprised if there were more critters in the manor. He hasn't been there for some time so he wouldn't know.
"Have you talked with Kori yet?" Roy muttered, not meeting Jason's eyes, instead looking at his current project as if it was the most interesting thing in the world. Ahh, so this is where this conversation is heading.
"I have," he stated matter-of-factly, "you know, Dickie asked me that same thing. It appears neither him nor you have spoken to her. May I ask why not?"
Roy cleared his throat more times than what seemed necessary before finally lifting his head, "You may not."
Jason didn't press further. He heard the distress in a usually overconfident voice and left the matter alone. Roy didn't pry when Jason asked him to, so it was only fair to return the favor. Besides, it wasn't too difficult to guess the reasoning behind Roy's reluctance to share.
While the Tamaranean princess and the red archer ended their relationship on good terms, that didn't mean it wasn't any less awkward. The same went for the Romanian acrobat.
Their conversation ended there, neither one bothering to continue. The silence between them wasn't uncomfortable, but without any more distractions, Jason's mind began to wander towards the room of girls he failed. All those young women whose life was snuffed out like a candle all because he didn't get there in time. Orlando deserved so much worse. Jason felt tempted to find out exactly where the piece of filth ended up and beat the shit out of him until...
No. No, don't go there. Think about something, anything else.
Jason forced his mind to a different, less vengeful matter. He began to recall the events that happened before that meeting. Specifically when he had lied to Tim. Well, technically, he let the youngster come to his own conclusions and Jason simply chose not to correct him. That's not lying. Merely finding loopholes. He didn't lie about Spain, it did take longer than expected. Only by a couple of days, but still. And it's not like he was in Gotham the entire time. He frequently left to go to other countries and cities for cases. He also didn't lie about the 'whole not keeping in contact' thing. He did not communicate with Tim. About once every two months, he would receive a text from Dick asking how he's doing. Jason would give him a one or two-word answer to satisfy him, and that would be that. He couldn't give too much away because he knew Dick would relay any information to Bruce, just like the perfect golden child that he is. Jason did feel guilty about not telling Tim the truth though. However, it was for the better that Tim stayed in the dark. He didn't need to know what happened that night.
Before he got pulled into that memory, an explosion rocked the room.
It amazed Jason that his neck didn't snap at how quick he turned it towards the origin of the blast. Roy stood up from where he got thrown with a rueful look plastered across his soot-covered face. Behind Jason, he heard the whooshing sound of a speedster running into the room. He didn't turn to find out which one it was.
"My bad," Roy looked down in shame. Jason shook his head in disbelief as he gave his friend the what-the-hell-is-wrong-with-you look. And Roy wondered why Jason chose to sit as far from him as possible. Roy brought a whole new meaning to the word 'unpredictable.'
The speedster sighed and vanished, probably to tell the others there was nothing to worry about.
"I think I should prolly move on to a different, less combustive project," Roy blushed while fiddling with his thumbs.
"Ya think?"
Well, that's one way to re-energize a person. Jason reopened his laptop with new vigor and pressed play on the current video. When that turned up nothing, he moved on and got the same result. He repeated the action several times until he came across something that caught his eye. Jason backed the video up ten seconds to confirm what he just saw.
"Holy shit," he whispered, jotting down his findings in whatever free space he could find.
"What?" Jason was proud to say he didn't startle at the voice that came from next to him. While he heard him enter, a greeting of some sorts would have been preferable over the shoulder-lurking technique. And Jason told him as such.
"Seriously?" he snapped. Bruce tilted his head in either confusion or concern, Jason didn't know, and frankly, he didn't care. "You know, most people announce their arrival with a 'hello' or 'hi, how are you?' They don't stand there like freaking ninjas."
Bruce had a ghost of a smile on his face. God, when was the last time he saw that? "We aren't most people." Ain't that the truth. "But fine. Hi, Jason. How are you?"
"Oh my god. He has a sense of humor. Who knew?" Jason mumbled as he turned back to the computer, already feeling the dread take a hold of his body.
"Joke all you want, but I do expect an answer. You were looking a bit out of sorts earlier. So, are you okay?"
"Peachy."
Bruce's eyes narrowed. "No, you're not. What's-"
"What do you want, Bruce?" Jason cut him off bitterly. Didn't he make it clear he wanted nothing to do with the elder man? Besides, for once it wasn't just his reluctance to be around the man that made him want Bruce to leave. Well yes, that played a huge part in it, but this time, he actually had work to do.
"I wanted to check up on you."
"Why?" he snapped. Jason wasn't wearing his domino mask, so there was nothing to hide his bright turquoise eyes narrowing in distrust. Bruce opened his mouth to reply but found he didn't have an answer Jason would find satisfactory. He thought it was obvious why he was worried about Jason. They were just in a battle against a couple of aliens that seemed to know all the heroes' weaknesses while they knew none of the aliens. And that was just in the past hour.
When he took to long to answer, Jason scoffed and responded to Bruce's previous statement. "As you can see I'm fine"
"Actually, that's not what I'm seeing."
"If there's no other reason for you to be here, then kindly get the fuck out." He set his mouth in a hard line, clearly irritated and fed up with the conversation even though it's barely begun.
Clearly not getting anything else from him, Bruce decided to change subjects. "What are you doing here?" his hand gesturing to the computer screen in front of them. Jason rolled his eyes, well aware that Bruce only asked in order to remain in the room. However, there were only two ways of making the Gotham hero leaving: give him an answer or physically throw him out. Since the conflict earlier took more of Jason's energy and strength out of him than he would care to admit, he couldn't really go with option two. He gave a small sigh of defeat, accepting the inevitable.
"I'm reviewing the fight, looking for any flaws or weak spots that could give us an advantage," he explained.
"And?"
"And basically I've come up with a shitload of nothing." Jason ran a hand through his hair in frustration. Bruce frowned at his word choice but didn't say anything about it. Instead, he addresses the other part of the sentence.
"I doubt that." Jason turned to look up at Bruce after hearing the dubious tone.
"You doubt that? And why is that, Oh Great One?" Bruce deepens his frown, obviously unappreciative of the sarcasm, but Jason lifted his head to meet his gaze, daring Bruce to challenge him. Since he wanted to avoid a fight as much as possible, Bruce sought to bring them back to the topic at hand.
"When I came in, it appeared you discovered something. Something that didn't seem to be, how did you put it, 'a shitload of nothing,'" Bruce repeated his son's crude diction. He raised an eyebrow in expectation.
Jason studied the older man for a moment, debating whether or not to share his newfound information. He'd end up sharing this knowledge sooner or later, plus Bruce was nothing but persistent. It annoyed the hell out of Jason, even when he was younger. Since they were being forced to cooperate, he would have to pick and choose his battles. And seeing how he already shot down the attempt to talk about his well being, he didn't have much of a choice. Jason tossed Bruce the notebook.
With a nod of gratitude, the Dark Knight flipped through Jason's notes. It was impossible to tell what he was thinking as he read each page, so Jason went back to the videos to pass the time. He no longer paid attention to the content. He had most of the evidence he needed, but Jason's watched the tapes so many times and hasn't found anything new. Besides, he pretty much has them committed to memory at this point. Still, it gave him something to do so he'd appear busy.
The short version of what his ex-mentor was reading was that the large alien with the gun is controlling the others. The other two were simply puppets. The tapes showed that the small aliens were only able to do any real damage to the heroes after the large one screeched. And special abilities arose depending on who the alien fought, but they couldn't switch those abilities without the alpha alien's say-so. Jason thinks it's some form of imitation that gives the aliens said powers in the first place.
Based on that information, Jason figured that if you take out the alpha first, then the other two can't do any real damage since they can't mirror any more powers. It went into further detail about how to take out the alphas, but remember: this was the short version.
"Holy crap. Batman, when did you get here?" came a bewildered voice from across the room. Roy had a puzzled look on his face and held earbuds in one hand, which explained why he didn't hear the two Gotham crime fighters talking. "You know, you should say hi when you enter a room. Less creepy that way."
Jason smirked, muttering a 'told you' under his breath, while Roy grew uneasy under the gaze of the Bat. The archer didn't last long before putting the earbuds back in and going back to his work, pretending the whole interaction never occurred. Bruce looked back to the item in his hands.
"Jason, this…" He didn't even know where to begin. Jason crossed his arms defensively, ready to argue with Bruce about whatever the problem was.
"You got all of this from the cameras?" Bruce received a short nod. "Huh. I must say, I wholeheartedly believe you just figured out a way to deal with these aliens. Well done."
"Is that praise I'm hearing?" he asked incredulously while leaning back in his chair to examine the elder. "Alright, who are you and what have you done with Bruce?"
"I'm not joking. This could very well work." Despite what he said, Jason still appeared suspicious, skeptical of Bruce's claims. "I guess I was right in being doubtful of your claim of finding nothing."
"And he's back," Jason snorted. He scrubbed a hand over his face, glancing back at the laptop. Bruce caught the motion and examined the young man before him. There were slight bags forming under his eyes and he blinked more frequently, each blink lasting a little longer than the last. He looked as if he hasn't seen a bed in weeks, which knowing Jason, is very well possible. As much as Bruce wanted to tell him to go get rest, he knew Jason would not respond well to anything that sounded remotely like an order. So, he'd have to do this carefully.
Jason noticed Bruce watching him out of the corner of his eye and he was very close to tell the man to fuck off when he spoke.
"You look tired." Jason rolled his eyes upward before turning to regard the older man. The look Bruce was a mixture of many things that made him pause. The most prominent was 'I didn't ask for your fucking opinion,' followed by a 'No shit, Sherlock' and 'Why the hell do you care?" He let out a breath before continuing, "Maybe you should try to get some sleep." Still, no words came from the younger of the two. Either he wanted to wait for Bruce to say everything he wanted to say or was truly that tired to the point he had no energy to argue. He tried a different approach. "You've seemed to hit a roadblock in the videos, so perhaps with some rest, you'd be able to see something that you missed before. You know, fresh eyes, and all."
After a moment of silence, Jason hummed, unable to find a problem in Bruce's logic.
"Fine." Bruce felt some relief lift off his shoulders. "Well, if you want to go through the tapes yourself and search for whatever your obsessive ass wants, be my guest. I'm done for now." Jason stood up from the chair and moved to toss out the cup of coffee. He was exhausted and while he could continue, that doesn't mean he should. He walked to Roy and tapped his shoulder. When the redhead peered up at him, Jason jerked his head towards the door, signaling they should both try and get some rest.
Meanwhile, Bruce gazed at the image paused on the screen. In that frozen instant, both the smaller aliens were after the most powerful of the heroes. His mind brought him back to the moments before the attack to something Superman pointed out. "Jason, wait," he called out.
Both of the ex-sidekicks met each other's eyes, carrying a silent conversation. After a moment of hesitation, Roy gave his friend a slight smile saying 'good luck' and left them. Jason leaned against the wall, waiting for whatever Bruce had to say.
"Just one more thing and you can go, I promise," he said.
'What?" Jason spat through gritted teeth. Bruce had seriously overestimated how much Jason wanted to be around him. He had tolerated his presence so far, but this was pushing Jason to his limits. Most importantly, much to his chagrin, Bruce had a point. He was fucking exhausted and wanted nothing other than to sleep. Usually, Jason detested sleep because of what waited in the depths of his mind, but at that moment, he'd rather deal with his demons than remain here with his former mentor.
Bruce raised his hands for a moment as a sign of peace. "I've been thinking about Clark's question from earlier." When Jason blinked at him in confusion, he elaborated, "He asked why the aliens attacked you on that rooftop."
"Okay?" Jason drawled, unsure of where this was going. "Didn't Diana say it was probably attracted by their presence?"
"Yeah, but the more I thought about it, the less sense it made. Both Clark and Diana were in the cave when Dick called you. And you were pretty much on the other side of Gotham. So, if it were after them, then it would have come to them. So, why did it go to you? Not only that, but you were able to kill that first alien with just a knife. None of the others have gone down that easily."
Jason shrugged. "Well, there is my theory that without the big one, the small ones are pretty much useless." Bruce hummed in uncertainty. And Jason knew why. The league faced a couple of those weak aliens with no alpha present and still had difficulty. So what was different about Jason. Unless…no it couldn't be that dumb. Well...
"Have any of you tried to kill them with a knife before?" he asked. Bruce's frown was all the answer he needed. "Well, there you go, then. Sometimes fists aren't enough. Sometimes you gotta get a little… messy." He couldn't deny the joy he felt as Bruce's frown deepened at his words. "As for the whole coming to me instead of the powered superbeings, it's possible they were going after them and saw me first. Probably thought I was an easy target."
Bruce shook his head in disagreement. "No, that's not it. If that were the case, then why wouldn't they go after random citizens, which are the easiest targets. They were specifically drawn to you. But why?" He studied his son for a second before asking, "Jason. Is there something you want to share with me? Anything at all that would explain this?"
Jason mulled over it. "Lazarus pit?"
"That's not it. If it were, then one, Damian would probably also have been targeted due to growing up in its proximity. Two, why wouldn't they have gone after an actual pit? No, I don't think that's it. Anything else?"
Well, the only other thing he could think of was… Shit. His eyes widened almost imperceptibly, but Bruce caught it. "Jason?"
"Nope. Nothing I can think of?" He shook his head a bit too much for Bruce's liking, so he raised an eyebrow in question.
"Whatever it is could give us more information on these creatures. So, Jason, I'm gonna ask again: What are you not telling me?"
"Sorry, but I got nothing," Jason responded, the lie rolling easily off his tongue. Bruce sighed. Jason didn't trust enough to tell him. Hell, he probably didn't trust him at all. "Is that all?"
Since he wouldn't get an answer tonight, Bruce had no reason to keep him there. He nodded but surprised to see Jason didn't leave right away. There was a pensive look on his face as if he wanted to say something.
"Everything okay, Jay?
"Yeah... yeah," his voice seemed hesitant, unsure of his own words. Bruce felt some hope that Jason would actually share what was bothering him, but that hope diminished when he saw the distrust in his son's eyes once again. "Just don't spend too much time on the tapes. You need to sleep too."
Bruce's eyebrows raised. That definitely wasn't what he expected. But Jason wasn't done, not if that smirk meant anything. "You look like shit."
"Goodnight, Jason."
Jason chuckled softly (wow, he must really be tired) before leaving Bruce by himself in the room.
Once again, he ran a hand through his hair before going to Jason's laptop to see if he can find anything new. Jason's theory was sound and provided a way to fight back. Bruce couldn't help but feel proud.
As for Jason, the moment he got to the temporary room he shared with Roy and Dick, he started thinking about what he just discovered. Once he figured out why he was targeted, his mind was racing a mile a minute. They could sense the All-Caste blades. Those fucking aliens knew he had them. That can't be good… unless it can. If they were able to trace them, that confirmed the part of his theory of the aliens having magic, which means the blades could be used against them. Of course, there was more to it than that, but now more pieces fell into place. However, the weapons were draining since they were powered off his soul, and if needed, his blood. Therefore, he would only use them if he had no other choice. He really hoped it wouldn't come down to that. Jason didn't particularly want others to know about the blades. The only people who knew were Roy and Kori. Bruce had his suspicions that he was hiding something, but he didn't know what. Jason would prefer it to stay that way.
He yawned and checked the time. 2:36 A.M. He lay his head back, allowing sleep to come quickly. Unfortunately, his demons weren't done with him just yet.
AN: Well, there you have it. Chapter 4. So… whatcha think? I know this was a long one, but if you're reading this then you made it through. YAY!
And how bout that PapaBats, ehh? A lot of writers make him devoid of any emotion, but I disagree with that. The dude's got feelings just doesn't like sharing them, that's all.
Please review so I know if I have some major issues I'm blind to (like I realized I spelled Conner's name with two Os, so I had to fix that.) Again, sorry about the wait, I swear, I have everything already planned out, it's just the finding the time to write those plans into something at least half-decent part that's hard. Till next time!