Little Bird's Vengeance Chapter 56 Talk About Irrational
Tim looked across the landing strip of the Helicarrier and spotted Jason sitting at the edge. He slipped his breath mask into his mouth to cope with the thin air and sat down next to Jason. Nothing was said for a long moment.
"What the hell is with him?" Jason whispered at last, removing his mask to speak before quickly replacing it.
Tim did not need to ask to know who Jason referred to. "He doesn't know," he sighed. "How could he? He knows next to nothing about our lives."
"He knows your name!" Jason retorted. "He knows you're adopted, and by the company's CEO. What else did you tell him?"
Tim shrugged. "Who our allies are. I didn't mention you though. At the time, I honestly had no idea how to explain our relationship."
"And this is what it's all about, is it?" Jason demanded. "Our relationship? How is that his business?"
"I know it's hard, but please try to think about it objectively. How would you feel if another vigilante turned up in Gotham, was known to kill people, and then the GCPD's best up-and-coming officer took him under his protection despite the fact the vigilante tried to kill him?" Jason frowned as he considered the scenario. "That's the kind of position we put Fury in. He knows, or can guess, that I acquired an awful lot of information on SHIELD during the weeks I was here, and now I suddenly have a homicidally violent and uncontrollable brother. He doesn't understand your situation. For all he knows, you're taking advantage of me to try and get into a position where you can take over or take down SHIELD. Looking at it like that, I can't exactly blame him for trying to force us to show our hand, and I can see B using similar tactics."
"You don't seriously think B would-"
"Knowingly destroy the confidence of someone who's already very uncertain as to their place in their family?" Tim spoke over him. Jason stared for a second, then returned his breath mask to his face, letting Tim continue. "No, B wouldn't knowingly do that. I doubt Fury would, either. But he doesn't know. In fact, for all he knows, I was adopted by your biological father. From his point of view, all he did was force us to clarify our relationship in a slightly embarrassing fashion."
"So you want to forgive him," Jason said sulkily.
"I don't see the point of holding a grudge against someone for doing something that, in the same circumstances, I might have done myself," Tim admitted. "I've got enough to worry about. I'd also recommend you co-operate with him, but it's your call."
For a minute, there was nothing but the rush of the wind, the drone of the engines, and the raspy breathing through a pair of masks. "What do you think?" Jason asked at last.
Tim closed his eyes and thought. "It's to Fury's benefit to get you more controlled," he started. "At the moment, your actions are erratic, and you appear to fly off the handle at the slightest provocation. The only person who appears to know what's going on is me, and I'm not giving away your secrets. My guess, anyone intelligent's guess, is that you have mental issues due to…what you went through. I have no idea how to help you through it. No-one back home does. But SHIELD might."
"You seriously think they have someone who's been violently murdered and forcibly resurrected?" Jason asked sceptically.
"Maybe not," Tim shrugged. "But I'd bet they have psychiatrists. People who know about overcoming near-death experiences – don't say it; I know – and who can at least give you a few pointers. And if nothing else, Fury will back off a bit."
"You trust him so much," Jason commented.
"Black Bat taught me a lot about reading people," he shrugged. "I haven't seen any indication he's lied to me."
"But he's hidden the truth."
"For the love of- It's not like we haven't!" Tim exclaimed. "Just face it. We're the intruders here. Fury's within his rights to lock all five of us up indefinitely. Instead, he's letting us work with him. I can tell you this, though. He gives no indication of concealing anything from us due to malicious intent. I know you've had it rough. Yeah? So have I. What about our dear eldest? Or Black Bat? Oracle, maybe. You've had it worse than us, no doubt about it, but you've got to grow up at some point. Fury has more important things to worry about than whatever we two might get up to next, I've got better things to do than constantly play advocate for you, and the Titans are only helping you because they don't want to contribute to us losing you again. Just let this guy help you."
Jason's fist flew directly towards Tim's nose.
Tim deflected it and sighed. "See, this is what I'm fed up with. Aren't you tired of constantly fighting everyone?"
Jason moved away, and gazed into the depths. "Let's go talk to this guy then," he grumbled at last.
Jason folded his arms and glared at Fury. "I don't like you, and I don't like this situation, but SOMEONE," his eyes slipped to Tim, "seems to think this is the best option. I'm Jason."
"Jason Wayne?" Fury attempted to clarify.
"TODD-Wayne," he corrected. "You think him over there is the only one who can be adopted?"
Fury nodded thoughtfully. "I understand."
"No, you don't," Jason retorted. "See, I'm the second son. And he's the third. And I'm the second Robin. Then it all went to hell and next thing I know, he's replaced me."
Tim snorted. "One vast understatement, one gross inaccuracy," he muttered.
"You had a falling out with your Batman?" Fury guessed.
Tim winced.
Jason saw red.
His fist slammed into the table. "I was murdered," he snarled. "I was beaten to death and buried six feet under. And B let my killer get off scot free."
Tim folded his arms and rolled his eyes. "The killer managed to get appointed as Iran's ambassador to the UN. Superman had to physically hold B back to stop him from causing a diplomatic incident. Of course the killer then attempted to poison the UN, and somehow managed to survive a helicopter crash, and by the time he resurfaced, B calmed down and had decided to leave Jason a legacy of something other than brutal murder."
"Really?" Fury said sceptically.
"Cassie said Troia told her she heard from Wonder Woman that Superman said B almost cracked a knuckle on his jaw," Tim shrugged.
Jason almost went cross-eyed trying follow. "But Superman was still-"
"Pretty miserable about the whole thing," Tim interrupted. "He just didn't want to be an accessory to starting a war. And B didn't want to start one, after he had a chance to actually think about it."
"He could have killed him after he lost his diplomatic immunity," Jason replied, knowing he sounded sulky but honestly not caring.
"We've been over this," Tim groaned. "He thought you might like to be remembered as someone other than the boy whose death made B break the no-killing rule."
"What's the point of that rule anyway?" Jason demanded.
"Can we possibly go over all this sometime when we don't have a mystery enemy slaughtering people and trying to attack our vulnerabilities?" Tim sighed.
"So, what are you trying to tell me?" Fury asked, apparently trying to steer the conversation back on topic.
"Jason was resurrected using a Lazarus Pit," Tim said quickly. "Those are extremely unreliable unless you use them at exactly the right time after death. They have a tendency to warp the mind of the resurrected. It wasn't actually us that used it; it was someone else we have a rather complicated relationship with. We know of one person who regularly uses Pits, and he's a sick, twisted creep."
"Who threw you out of a window last time you met," Jason added.
"Who threw me out of a window after I took down his League of Assassins, yes," Tim agreed. "But that's the crux of the problem. Jason is not exactly rational."
Jason instinctively drew a knife and lunged for Tim.
"Hell, Jay, think for once, would you!" Tim exclaimed, flipping away.
Fury reached out across the table and pulled the older vigilante back. "I think I understand your situation now," he said. "This situation isn't entirely unprecedented from my position. Sounds like a rather complicated post-traumatic stress case."
He sighed, surveying the two Gothamites. "I may have an idea on how to solve this."
AN: SORRY SORRY SORRY!
I was having a few problems writing stuff, then real life broadsided me. But I'm off work for a bit, so I'm going to try to catch up on the delayed chapters.
Now, I'm afraid that won't mean more LBV. I have an idea how to proceed next, but I'm not sure if it'll work. It'll take a little longer to work it out. Instead, it will be Black and Red until I've got it sorted.
Also now, Jason and the Argonauts. Coming soon, more JA, and as I said, B&R.
Please repair my now fragile ego with a review or two.
Katara