The guilt was chasing me. What had I done? How could I have let this happen?
WHAP. Robin's staff hit me straight in the stomach, interrupting my mental tirade. Not for the first time, my mind had wandered in the direction of Cori, leaving me open to Dick Grayson's ruthless attacks. It just seemed like I couldn't get over what was probably happening to her right now. Because of me.
I had never rescued a kid off of the streets before. All the other kids in my gang, they had come to me from houses, schools, orphanages, but Cori… I could still see the way she'd looked, slumped in the rain, her malnourished ribs poking out. I had saved her, given her a home. She'd quickly become a sister to me.
But when the Batman hands you an opportunity, you just don't say no. A chance to be like him? A chance to break the law so that justice could prevail… it was my dream. Still, when I left Cori with that monster, I knew what would happen.
I just didn't expect a text from him after.
Nice fuck. Thanks, bro.
"Where's your brain today?" Dick's voice comes, almost incredulous. Dick was fourteen, shorter than me by almost a foot, and more egotistical than four of me in one person. "That's the fifth time this spar that I completely caught you off guard. You'd think that someone handpicked by Batman would have a little bit more focus." Despite his intention to the contrary, a hint of a whine colored the edge of Dick's voice. It was obvious to me, even then, that Dick felt that he was being replaced by me, and he didn't like it.
It took almost all of my mental will not to smack the kid upside the head. I may have only been two years older, but I was worlds more mature than him. I sighed, knowing exactly how to assuage Dick's fears about me usurping his position. Besides, I had promised the Batman that I wouldn't speak to anyone from my old life, for fear of my falling back to it. Dick didn't have those kinds of restraints, he could get Cori out before she was too far into that life to escape.
"There's this girl," I started, hesitant. Dick's face lit up. Even so young, Dick had been starting to build a playboy reputation to match that of his guardian, Bruce Wayne. "It's not like that, Dick," I clarified. "She's, like, ten or something." With these words, Dick's face took on a suspicious tint. "Anyways, I rescued her off the streets, but the new leader of my gang… he's a seriously bad guy."
"Whatever," Dick responded, jaded. He thought, even then, that he'd already witnessed the worst of human depravity. It was a conversation Batman had to have with him many times that year. "She's like part of the gang, she's safe."
"No," I corrected him. "She's in danger." His eyes didn't believe me, I could see it. I didn't blame him, we'd been pranking each other mercilessly since I'd moved in, the fourteen year old's way of establishing dominance. Haphazardly, I decide to plunge onwards. "Anyways, I promised Batman I wouldn't go back, or I'd go get her out. It would mean a lot to me if you would go do it for me."
I watch Dick roll his eyes, apparently dismissing the entire request as a prank.
"Whatever, sure." His response was sassy enough for two people his size, and I told him so. He picked his staff back up and rolled back onto the mat, challenging me to yet another sparring match before our formal training would begin.
I didn't know that Dick had never followed up until months later. By that point, Batman and I had already started to have disagreements—I have no qualms over killing scum that will only ever go on to keep harming the innocent—and I set out on my own to corner James and get Cori away from him, before he could hurt her any more than he already had.
It took me a long time to hunt James down, longer than I'd ever like to admit, but eventually I found him, drinking in some dive bar, laying low from his position as the Commissioner Gordon's son.
"Hey, man!" he shouted cheerfully when he saw me. "Things not work out with going straight?"
"They're fine," I replied, tersely. I scanned the bar, but didn't see Cori anywhere. I took this as a good sign.
"That's a damn shame," he continued cheerfully. "You always had a head for keeping organizations like this afloat. I'm lucky I managed to sell off that goat girl for as much as I did, or the gang would barely be afloat." He trailed off, watching me carefully.
"You sold her?" I asked, hoping for nonchalance, but it still came out pissed. "To who?" He laughed at my reaction, relishing the emotion on my face. Since I'd last seen him, James had deteriorated faster than I'd thought possible. He was always a little cruel and sadistic, but now, he struck me, for the first time, as psychopathic. "She was ten, you ass! A little girl!"
"She told me she was twelve," he shrugged. "As to who I sold her to, they're probably out of the country by now at the very least. A science group, called the Psions. Paid me twice what most men would pay for virgins her age so I figured why the hell not." Unbidden, my hand shot out and grabbed him by his shoulder, pinning him to the wall behind him. My elbow came up to rest not so gently on his windpipe.
"Where did they take her?" He only smirked in response, so I pressed harder on his windpipe, before yanking him off of the wall and slamming him onto the table. The bartender looked up and then went back to pretending not to notice the sort of violence that best characterized this area of Gotham. James began to gasp and pant, unable to breathe enough air to alleviate the symptoms of choking.
"Peru," he gasped. I turned to leave, but I couldn't resist letting out one last bit of my anger at the situation, at the egotistical Dick Grayson, at the unfair Batman, at James himself for being such a scumbag, at the universe itself for keeping me from protecting the girl that deserved it most. I pivoted, punching him in the stomach as hard as I've ever hit a man. He stumbled backwards, shocked into a cliché as I finally stalked off. "I will make you regret this, Jason Todd!"
"Bet I won't," I shot over my shoulder as I stepped out of the bar into the cold night air.
Peru.
I'm coming for you, Little Goat.