Ch. 13 Penance
"Tim, you have to believe me," I pleaded.
"Why should I? You've been lying to me all this time," Tim answered. I wish I could see his eyes behind the cowl. "You told me everything's been great. You told me that you loved me! But, I had to find out from Damian that you've been running around with Jason!"
"Tim, you know I love you!" I choked. "It wasn't like that, I needed his help!"
"What about me, Steph?" Tim asked, removing his cowl. "What am I here for? Couldn't I have helped you?"
Tears started to fall from his eyes as we made eye contact. Each droplet was like a knife in my heart. I quickly closed the distance between us and brought my hands to his face.
"I…I just couldn't…" I whispered.
"What? You couldn't ask for my help? I wasn't good enough to be your backup?"
"NO! That's not it at all!"
"Then what?" Tim asked. He brought his hands to mine, prying them away from his face. "Then it must have been Jason. You just wanted to be alone with him?"
"Tim…" I tried to hold on to his hands but he ripped them away.
He broke eye contact, taking a second to stare at the ground. It was the longest second of my life. When he looked up, his eyes looked darker and his face was sullen.
"Did you… I mean… Did anything happen?" I could hear the hurt in his voice as he asked me.
"What do you mean?"
"Did you and Jason…?" Tim stuttered. "Did he…?"
My chest tightened as Tim struggled. I opened my mouth, but I couldn't speak. I just stared at Tim.
"I'll take that as a yes," Tim breathed. He then turned to walk away.
"Tim, wait!" I yelled.
Tim stopped his retreat and looked back at me. "Goodbye, Steph."
"Tim!" I screamed as I shot up. I was drenched in sweat and it felt like my heart was going to burst out of my chest. I quickly scanned the room and realized that I was having another nightmare. But this time, everything felt so real.
Being Talia's prisoner for this long gave me some time to think about what I'd do when I finally got out of here. There was definitely some explaining I'd have to do, especially to Tim.
How the hell am I getting out of here? God, what's going to happen even if I do? Is Tim going to hate me? I should have just asked for help, instead of trying to figure everything out on my out.
I rubbed my eyes and looked out the board-covered window. It was still dark outside. There was no use worrying about everything right now. I laid back down and tried to go back to sleep.
I woke up to someone knocking on my door. I rolled over to see that Scarlet wasn't here either.
That's strange, Scarlet never knocks.
I lazily got up and walked over to greet my visitor. When I opened the door, I was met by Jason's red helmet. I was surprised; I didn't expect him to visit so early.
"Jason? What're you doing here so early?" I yawned.
"Early? Steph, it's almost three in the afternoon…" Jason pointed out as he removed his helmet. He had a thermos in his hand, which he placed on the chair.
I took a seat back on the bed and stretched. "Really?"
Jason walked up to me, removed his glove and brought a hand to my face. His thumb caressed my cheek as he looked me over. Jason's eyes were filled with guilt.
"You look horrible. Still not sleeping well?" Jason asked, letting his hand fall back to his side.
"Nope, I'm still having nightmares. A different one every night," I sighed, jumping off the bed toward the bathroom. I washed my face and quickly brushed my teeth. The cold water helped a little. When I finished called out to Jason. "So, what's up?"
"I just wanted to see how you're doing," Jason answered. "I managed to snag you some decent food."
I was almost skipping back into the room. "Did I just hear you say 'decent' food? That sounds way better than the stuff I haven't been eating."
"Haha, yeah I figured. Here," Jason said as he handed me the thermos.
The thermos was warm and when I opened it, the aroma of chicken soup filled the room. "They actually serve chicken soup in the cafeteria?"
"Aha, not really."
I raised an eyebrow as I took a sip of the soup. My eyes widened as my taste buds were assaulted. The soup was delicious. Wait a second this tastes kinda familiar.
"Jason, isn't this…?"
"Alfred's recipe," Jason finished.
It quickly realized what happened. "Did you make it?"
I shy smile spread across Jason's lips. "Yeah."
I was touched. I reached over and took Jason's hand in mine, giving it a gentle squeeze. For a while we just sat there. Once I finished the soup, I handed the thermos back to Jason.
"So, what're you doing here anyway? Doesn't Talia have any errands for you to run today?"
Jason shook his head. "Decided to take a day off."
Jason stayed with me for most of the day. It was actually really nice. We didn't talk too much, but it was the company that was comforting. I actually felt at ease while Jason was with me. Before I knew it, it was dark and I was getting sleepy. Jason noticed I was dozing off and started to get off the bed. I instinctively grabbed his arm.
"Steph?" Jason asked.
"Don't go," I pleaded. I haven't had a decent sleep in days, and I was hoping that if Jason were still here my nightmares would go away.
"Okay," Jason nodded. He kicked off his boots and positioned himself on the bed. He wrapped an arm around me as he brought me close.
I nuzzled into his chest, getting comfortable. I felt Jason's thumb tracing circles around my shoulder. Each tiny circle soothed away my anxieties. We laid there for a while before I finally started to doze off. As I drifted into sleep, I felt the pressure of Jason's lips linger on my forehead.
When I woke up, Jason was gone. I kicked my feet to untangle the blanket he must have placed on me before getting up. It was still chilly in the room and it looked like Jason left a hoodie on the chair. I slipped it on and tiptoed to the bathroom. It was unusually quiet tonight. Normally, I could hear someone running around and yelling. Tonight there was nothing.
I noticed the shadow when I got out of the bathroom. It was in the corner of the room, right next to the window.
"Who's there?" I asked. "If you're one of Talia's men, I swear I'll kick your ass."
The shadow moved closer as a familiar voice cut through the darkness. "Stephanie, it's me."
It took a second for everything to register. "Cass?"
The figure stepped into the moonlight that seeped through the board-covered window. I couldn't believe my eyes when I saw her. Tears started to form as I ran and hugged Cass.
"Oh my God! Cass, what are you doing here?" I whispered, not wanting to alert any guards.
"Someone told Oracle that you were here," Cass answered, her hand gently stroking my hair.
Did Jason do this? "Do you know who?"
"No, just that you were being held captive here. Are you okay?" Cass asked, breaking the embrace.
"Could be worse. I just haven't slept in a while and the food here's terrible," I quipped. "How'd you get here?"
"Lady Blackhawk dropped us off, Batman and Robin are on their way," Cass answered.
"Us? Who came with you?" I asked.
"Red Robin."
I could feel the blood drain from my face. Tim's here?
"Where is he?" I mumbled.
"We're supposed to meet up near the entrance," Cass said as she walked toward the door. "Are you ready?"
"Gimmie a sec," I said as I quickly slipped on my shoes. Then I grabbed the small box that held Jason's glass robin and slipped it into my hoodie pocket. "Alright let's go."
Cass nodded and silently opened the door. To my surprise, the guard that's usually stationed at my room was gone. We took the opportunity to slip out of my prison. I guided Cass through the different twists and turns that made up the halls. We were halfway towards the entrance when I made a grave mistake.
The path I planned out took us towards the cafeteria, which usually had a few people hanging around. When I turned the corner, I locked eyes with one of the guards. When he saw us, he reached for his walkie-talkie.
"Escaped! The prisoner's esca-!"
Cass lunged at the man, quickly using nerve strikes to incapacitate him. Once he was on the ground, we backtracked toward a safer route. But, it seemed like my luck was running out tonight. The halls were crawling with guards. They all must have heard the transmission and flooded toward our location. We ran back towards the cafeteria, trying to find a hallway that wasn't swarming with Talia's men.
"The entrance's this way!" I motioned to Cass.
We kept running, navigating through the darkness to make our way to our destination. It was a few seconds before I saw the front doors.
Great! We're almost there.
"Stop!" a man yelled from behind us. When Cass and I looked back, we saw a group of guards pointing their weapons at us. I was ready to jump out of the way when I saw him.
Tim appeared from out of the shadows, his bo staff extended and ready for attack. Before any of the men could notice, he already knocked two of the guards down. Tim made quick work of the other, taking advantage of both their confusion and the limited space of the hallway.
As soon as the last guard dropped to the ground, Tim glanced over to me. My eyes met the whites of his cowl and I could see him relax a bit. It lasted an instant, but I knew Tim was relieved that I was okay.
He made his way to me, and wrapped his arms around me. It took most of my energy to keep standing. My body fit in his arms perfectly and I relished the contact. Tim then stepped back and looked me over.
"Steph, are you okay?" Tim asked. I could hear the concern in his voice.
"I'm fine, Tim," I said as I brought my hand to his face. My thumb stroked Tim's exposed cheeks.
I noticed some movement and quickly looked over Tim's shoulder. One of the men wasn't completely down and was reaching for his gun, aiming it at Tim.
"Gun!" I yelled, trying to throw him out of the way.
My scream was quickly silenced by two gunshots that echoed throughout the hallway. All three of us stopped to look at the now dead guard.
"You don't wanna go that way," Jason said. "Talia knows that's where you're headed. There're dozens of men waiting for you."
Jason was standing behind the group of guards, putting his weapon back in the holster. I noticed Tim's fist clench and before I could stop him, he rushed over and slammed Jason against the wall. Jason's helmet hit the wall with a loud thud before it collided with Tim's fist. I ran over and grabbed Tim's bicep in an attempt to stop him.
"Tim, stop!" I appealed. "We need him."
Tim turned to me, his scowl deepened. "But, Steph-!"
"We need him to get outta here in one piece," I emphasized.
"She's right," Jason chimed. I threw him a look. That's not helping.
Tim glared at me for a moment before he sighed. He eased off of Jason just to slam him against the wall again.
"I'm watching you," Tim warned as he released Jason.
Jason rubbed the back of his helmet. "We gotta move, I told Scarlet to secure the hangar that was set up on the other side of the campus."
The hangar was across the courtyard. Tim had already radioed Lady Blackhawk and the others to tell them the change in plans. Jason also updated Scarlet, telling her we were on our way. We followed Jason's lead and backtracked toward the hangar, but it was harder than we thought. Guards were looking for us everywhere, preventing us from using any main hallways. Jason motioned for us to take a shortcut through the cafeteria.
"Most of the guards left the cafeteria, it should be pretty empty," Jason explained.
We navigated through the different benches. Cass and Tim already crossed the room and Jason followed. I was trailing behind them, but before I could take those last few steps I felt a large hand grasp my wrist.
It all happened so fast I couldn't break the vice grip on my wrist. I was forcefully spun around and my back thudded against my attacker's chest. His free hand darted to my chin, exposing my neck. My eyes shot up to see that Fatherless had me in his grasp. A squeal left my lips as I felt the cold edge of a sword brought to my throat.
The noise alerted the others and they turned around.
"Steph!" Tim yelled, running toward me.
"Stop," Fatherless commanded as he tipped my chin higher, exposing more of my skin. "Take another step and I'll kill her."
"Let her go," Jason commanded, aiming a gun a Fatherless.
"Hood, I knew you were a traitor," Fatherless stated. "I advised Lady Talia not to trust you, but she wouldn't listen."
"Cut the crap, and let her go!" Tim yelled.
Fatherless just stood there, unfazed by Tim or Jason. Cass looked as if she was trying to determine the best way to handle the situation. But from what I could tell, I was in deep trouble.
The room was silent and the tension just kept on building. Fatherless finally directed his robotic voice towards Tim and Cass. "This is nothing that concerns you two. Leave us."
I could see the conflict in Tim. He wanted to attack Fatherless, but he couldn't. I saw Tim reaching for his utility belt when Jason laid a hand on his shoulder.
"You two get to the hangar, we'll be right behind you," Jason instructed. Before Tim could protest Jason added, "Don't worry. I'll protect her, with my life."
Tim didn't seem convinced and he turned his gaze toward me. I smiled a small smile, trying to tell Tim that everything was going to be all right. I saw a slight nod and Tim reluctantly retreated with Cass.
When they left, Jason turned back to Fatherless. "Alright, we're alone. What do you want?"
Bang!
The next thing I heard was a gunshot and Jason's helmet shattering.
"Jason!" I screamed as I fought against my captor. But the edge of his blade and force of his arm held me in place.
The impact of the bullet launched Jason onto the ground. My eyes scanned the room and noticed a sniper in the far corner of the room. Then, a few other guards crowded around Fatherless. Two men came up and grabbed my arms, relieving Fatherless.
I kept calling out his name as tears ravaged my face. This can't be happening. Get up Jason! Get up!
Once Fatherless reached Jason, he sheathed his sword and used his massive arms to pick Jason up by his jacket. Fatherless raised Jason high enough that I could see blood dripping from his forehead.
"That was a new helmet asshole," Jason spat before a fist crashed into his chin.
I was forced to watch as Fatherless pummeled Jason. Jason was disoriented as blood trickled into his eyes. But once Jason got his rhythm back, he was able to counter Fatherless' strikes. With each punch Jason took, he dished out a couple more. He dodged everything Fatherless threw at him. It actually looked like Jason was gaining the upper hand.
Fatherless was getting frustrated and he motioned to the guards that were restraining me. They tightened their grip and twisted my arm and I hissed from the pain. Jason noticed what was happening and started to run towards me. That was the distraction Fatherless needed to uppercut Jason and stun him. After that, it didn't take long for Fatherless' punches to keep Jason on the ground. Just when Fatherless seemed to ease up, he started kicking Jason. I started to feel sick. I felt so powerless.
Fatherless then placed his boot onto Jason's chest, pinning him down. He unsheathed his sword and raised it, ready to deliver the killing blow. As I saw the sword start to descend, gas pellets hit the floor.
The next thing I saw was Tim blocking Fatherless' sword with his bo staff. Tim was standing above Jason, protecting him from getting slashed. Pushing Fatherless back, Tim started his relentless attack. Fatherless was barely able to keep up with Tim's flurry of strikes.
Another gas pellet was tossed behind me and I could hear the grunts of the men getting attacked. I felt the grip on my arms loosen and I finally broke free.
"You okay?" Cass asked, her hand on my shoulder.
I nodded as my eyes darted toward Jason. I ran over to him, knelt down and placed his head on my lap. I could barely recognize Jason. His face was bruised and blood was everywhere. My hands were stained crimson as I held him.
"Cass, gimmie a hand," I asked as I threw Jason's arm over my shoulder.
Cass quickly ducked under Jason's other arm and helped support his weight. I turned to call back to Tim when I saw Fatherless knocking him to the ground.
"Tim!" I screamed.
My cry directed Fatherless' attention towards the three of us. "It's no use. You can't escape."
"Really? Why's that?" I spat. I just need to get to Tim and we can get out of here.
"This," Fatherless answered as he revealed a trigger and pushed the button. "St. Hadrian's is set to self destruct in five minutes. You will not leave here alive."
"We'll see about that!" Jason yelled, sliding away from us and charging toward Fatherless.
Jason collided with the behemoth, tackling him to the ground. Jason then mounted him, using his legs to pin Fatherless' arms.
"Get out of here!" Jason yelled as he punched Fatherless' helmet. "I'll catch up!"
"I'm not leaving you!" I cried.
Jason threw another punch. "Tim, get her out of here!"
The next thing I knew, I felt Tim's arms wrap around me, pulling me toward the exit. I fought him every second. I looked back and stared at Jason. He couldn't keep it up. Even if he got the trigger away from Fatherless, there were all those guards there.
Halfway down the hall I heard gunshots. I tried to turn back but Tim's grip on my arm tightened.
"C'mon Steph, we gotta move!" Tim instructed as he dragged me down the hallways. Tim then contacted Lady Blackhawk, "Zinda, we're on our way. Get ready for us!"
We emerged from the school into the courtyard, the night air felt like ice. We spotted our ride home and ran across the courtyard into the makeshift hangar. All of the guards we passed were on the ground.
Were they dead? Did Scarlet do this? Where is she?
I looked around the hangar but couldn't find a trace of Scarlet. We boarded the plane and Tim made his way to the cockpit.
"Red Robin to Batman," Tim called.
"Batman here," Bruce answered. "Is she safe?"
"We got her. Bruce, the whole place is rigged to blow, we gotta go now!"
"I know. Dick, Damian and I had a run in with Talia," Bruce explained. "She got away."
"We can't leave!" I yelled. Everyone in the plane looked at me. "Jason's still in there. We can't leave him!"
At that moment, we all heard static coming across the radio.
"Steph?" Jason panted.
Jason!?
I ran to the radio. "Jason! We made it to the hangar and we're ready to take off. Where are you and Scarlet!?"
"Sorry, Steph I tried..." Jason's voice was faint. It was as if he was choking. "Get out of here."
"Jason where are you!?" I screamed into the radio. "We can get you!"
"No time," Jason whispered. I heard him cough and his breathing became more labored. "Scarlet's with me. Don't worry about us."
"You can't do this!" I cried out, tears rushing down my face.
"Goodbye, Steph," Jason mumbled.
"Jason!"
Boom!
Explosions erupted throughout St. Hadrian's. I saw the building crumble as fires ravaged the courtyard. Debris was flying toward us.
"Zinda!" Tim yelled.
"Here we go!" Zinda yelled as she brought us out of the hangar.
We took off as soon as the final explosion caused St. Hadrians to collapse. Fire was everywhere. No one could have survived.