I walked alone through some pretty rundown buildings. Just a couple days ago after visiting Nightwing again, he and Batman had a small problem. Especially when I saw Bird Boy's twisted ankle. The guy they were being thrown around from was someone with a red mask.
"Red Hood," I said to myself as I flipped over a couple metal beams. I brainstormed a bit, thinking who that reminded me of. But what broke my concentration was that thudding sound. I looked at the next building and noticed something odd. Swinging myself over the edge, I hovered to the broken window. Stepping down, I then see a guy beating another guy. It turns out that I just ran into Red Hood. He didn't notice me I couldn't help but see a similarity between this guy beating a tied up Joker with a crowbar and the Joker beating a tied up Robin with a crowbar. Okay, now correct me if I'm wrong but I think this guy is the super hero! When Red Hood was just about to swing again, I put my hand on his shoulder.
"Please, stop this." I said. Red Hood whirled around and clobbered me with the crowbar. No fair he didn't even see who he was going to hit!
"Eyahahaha!" Joker laughed maniacally, "Beating your girlfriend up now?" Red Hood whacked him with a crowbar again to keep him quiet. I got back up rubbing my head.
"Revenge isn't the way around things," I pleaded, "But at least let me help!"
Red Hood picked the Joker up by the neck and threw him in a chair before kicking the whole packet in the closet.
"I'm just finishing what Batman never did," he said and twisted around to slam me back. I smashed into the wall, crumbling it and lay there stunned. Just before Red Hood could leave and before I managed to lose sight of him, I manage to choke out.
"Jason."
He stopped right at his tracks and turned around. I tried getting up but that sort of failed. He sighed and grabbed my arm slinging me over his shoulder before leaping out the window. I think at that point trusting someone who cannot fly to not kill himself especially when it comes to extreme heights, I fainted.
...
I found myself lying against a wall. I was super confused at first until I remember what happened before I awoke. Now that I thought about it, by the way the Red Hood guy acted, he would have thrown me in a ditch or something. I mean, whacking me in the head? Is that really necessary? I rubbed the spot and sighed. I'm sort of glad he didn't do anything too harsh though. Looking around to find my whereabouts, something caught my eye and I looked up to the tall roof of the building where a shadow stood. I blinked and it disappeared. I think I knew who it was but I don't really feel like thinking about it. Gazing around yet again, I realized that I recognize this place! Just a couple blocks away from here is Nightwing's lair! I pushed myself up and staggered to the relative direction of the nest.
Knock. Knock.
"Oh hey! Welcome..." Nightwing opened the door but then trailed off as he saw the look on my face. Maybe it's because I saw three of him and didn't understand why I couldn't feel the ground underneath me. I lost my balance and fell into his arms. He quickly brought me in and lay me on something soft. I think it was a couch.
"What happened?" he asked. I waited till my head stopped throbbing. The hero handed me a pack of ice which relieved the aching a bit.
"Ran...into Red Hood," I answered after a while.
"He had to be solid iron for you to become like that," Nightwing finally commented.
"Always the sense of humor Nightwing," I smiled, "But I meant that I actually met him."
"What was he doing this time?" Nightwing asked, "Besides shooting people with a sniper rifle and leading Batman and I into a merry wild goose chase."
"I watched the Red Hood beat the Joker with a crowbar."
That seemed to catch the super hero by surprise.
"That's a coincidence," he said wide eyed. Then I smelled something weird, like burning cloth.
"By any chance were you cooking something?" I asked glancing at the exit.
"No. Why?" Nightwing looked confused. I sniffed again and almost realized the scent at once.
"Gotta go. Thanks for everything!" I jumped up and flew out the door. I popped my head back in and asked if I could also keep the ice pack.
"Of…course?" was his reply. I flew against the wind trying pick up the burning smell. My nose was good considering a second later I got smacked in the face with a smoking leather jacket. I took a tumble and crashed into a metal pole. Yanking the fabric off my head, I concluded that I was right. Red Hood is definitely in a fight with someone. I wonder who. Running over the rooftops of buildings, I pulled the bandages off my arms which had been mysteriously wrapped when I was knocked out earlier and I tossed them away. I came across a knife later, along with a scrap of Batman's cape. This can't be good for both of them. Snatching the knife and pocketing it into my pouch without slowing my speed, I dashed through the wall busting it down. I just halted right between Batman and Red Hood. Red Hood had already removed his mask so Jason was pointing a gun at Batman.
"What are you doing?!" I exclaimed but he whirled the firearm at me instead.
"Stay out of this," Jason hissed and then turned back to Batman, "I forgive you, for not saving me. But why on Earth is HE still alive?" He kicked the door where I had last seen Joker. The guy looked up and then started laughing. I hated it, but didn't dare to move a muscle.
"You've got to give the kid a point," the Joker scooted his chair across the floor right between them giggling, "Came all the way back from the dead to make this shindig happen. So does anyone have a camera? Ooh! Ooh! Take me with the kid first, then you and me, then the girl, then all together, then the one with the crowbar..."
Thwack!
Jason hit him down with the gun and crouched over the maniac to whisper, "I want you to be as quiet as possible."
"Party pooper," Joker frowned, "No cake for you."
"Batman, you just realize that he only wanted revenge," I said in a small voice.
I do honestly notice that Jason does seem to change since that incident. He was...unstable.
"I would search the whole planet for this pathetic piece of filthy death worshipping garbage! And send him to Hell!"
"You don't understand," Batman reasoned, "You never understood."
"What?" Jason growled, "You moral codes don't allow it? It's too hard to cross that line?"
"No!" Batman cut him off, "No. There's not one day that I don't think about killing him. To subject him to countless tortures that he did to other people, and to finally...finish him.
"Aww, so you do think about me," the Joker said sweetly. Batman continued solemnly, "But if I let myself go to that place, I'll never be able to come out."
"I'm not talking about Freeze, or Scarecrow, or Dent." Jason shouted back pointing the gun at the Joker who was on the ground, "Just him. He took me away from you." I was almost crying now. I was frightened out of my wits.
"I'm sorry. I can't." Batman said. Jason looked hurt. He threw Batman another gun then smashed the chair freeing the Joker before holding him under his arm.
"You don't have a choice. You'll have to kill him," Jason growled, "And if you don't, you'll have to shoot me!"
"Are you serious?!" I cried.
"You know I won't do that," Batman snapped.
"If you decide otherwise," Jason put the gun to his own head, "I'll die and this will be YOUR fault. YOU killed me."
"Jason...stop," I pleaded.
He pointed the gun at me and shot the mirror, right next to my head. That left me speechless and utterly terrified.
"Get out," he hissed. As I backed away to the corner of the room little by little, Batman threw the firearm to the floor and turned around to walk off. Robin whirled his attention to the dark knight and pulled the trigger. I gasped in horror. Batman evaded the bullet and threw something back. A metal bat shaped piece got lodged against the firing chamber of the shooter and the whole thing exploded a second later.
"Aaargh!" Jason yelped and stumbled back clutching his hand. It was maimed, bloody. I couldn't move or say anything. This is just terrible!
"Hahahaha!" the Joker burst out in gut wrenching laughter, "Aah, Batman. You always know how to pull through situations and everyone still loses!" The crippled Jason pulled out something from his pocket and pressed the red button. A bomb ticked to life right behind me. As I whirled around in horror, Batman ran to the chimney to disable the explosives. Joker pinned him down.
"Don't you see?" he giggled, "I'm not going to let you ruin my party!" Jason, who was backed against the wall sunk to the ground. He pressed his battered hand against his chest waiting for the bomb to explode. My eye twitched and I clenched my teeth trying desperately not to do anything stupid. This isn't right. I dashed straight for the now surprised boy shoving Joker to the side. Ramming into Jason, I wrapped my arms around his waist before crashing through another wall. We plunged down the 35 story building observing the street below.
Kaboom.
I then swerved trying to evade the hot fire of the explosion and then soared into the night sky.
...
This time, I found that Jason had blacked out on the way to the safe haven Nightwing found for me a while back. I leaned him against the brick wall and prepared a fire. This whole ordeal had shaken me up quite a bit but I still tried to keep my gentle calmness. I observed Jason's bloody hand before washing it down with water. This has to have hurt and wondering how this guy was handling it, I glanced at his face noticing that his eyes were twitching. I hurried up and bandaged it. Then I left Jason alone and instead worked on repairing his jacket. It was a chilly night and I realized I didn't have enough firewood. I sighed and put my things down. I headed out to bring back a tree. It wasn't too hard when you have super powers. I basically slashed the trunk with my hand and carried it off. I came back to the campfire to sit down and resume sowing.
"I just wish humans would notice me," I said to myself, "I've been pushed away and looked down at for years. It's...lonely. Not even my own kind accepted me." Then I thought about Nightwing. Now he noticed that I existed. I wasn't even allowed to be in the Teen Titans! But I never bothered to say anything because of my gentle nature. I looked up and see Jason staring at me again. I completely forgot! This guy doesn't stay knocked out for long.
"You are an alien," he said. I looked at him with utter terror plastered on my face. He kindly motioned me to go on.
"I was too powerful to my people," I looked down, "I was supposed to be killed off. But because of their so called mercy, I was just thrown out of my home planet." The fire crackled in the silence. I started sowing again and probably half an hour later, Jason shifted his weight.
"My mother betrayed me," Jason spoke up, "She sold me to the Joker."
"I'm...sorry to hear that," I said finding the irony in how he still tried to save her.
"Anyway, I apologize for earlier," he continued, "Dragging you in this mess." I stayed silent thinking about how I should respond.
"It's okay," I smiled, "People naturally treat me that way all the time." I was beginning to get tired and I yawned. Jason was curled up on the ground, already asleep. I smiled before covering him with his jacket. Then, I slung my cloak over my shoulders and passed out.
...
The birds were chirping in my ear. I winced and got up looking around. Jason was gone, so was his jacket, and his knife. The fire was stamped out. The tree I brought down last night was all chopped up and stacked neatly. There was a small white box where Jason rested yesterday. A note was pinned on the top. I slowly opened the box and pretty much jaw dropped after that. It was the most brilliant and beautiful necklace I've ever seen. Then I glanced at the note.
"We'll meet again," the scribbled letters read. I hung the piece of jewelry around my neck, gazed up at the sky, and said, "Thank you."
