"We're so screwed," I moaned, eyes glued to the armada at the GCPD's front doorstep.
"I'm glad Gordon isn't here to see this," Nightwing murmured in reply.
"GCPD. The home of Gotham's bravest men and women, a beacon of hope in a city of chaos and despair," the villainous Scarecrow drawled from a jumbotron attached to the elevated train tracks. "Watch as I obliterate it, and the lives of all that cower within its walls!"
"I was never a fan of Scarecrow's little speeches," Red Hood scoffed, approaching the railing next to us. He looked out at the tanks and helicopters before us, unfazed. "What is this? 'Saving Private Ryan'? This assault's got 'Deathstroke' written all over it," he tsked, shaking his head.
I turned and stared at Jason as if he'd finally lost his mind. Wasn't it his idea to find Scarecrow and work with him? To lay waste to Gotham with these tanks just to kill Batman? How was that any different from what Deathstroke was doing now?
The three of us jumped back as a portion of the large GCPD insignia fell and crashed down onto the street. "The generator!" I gasped, jumping through the shattered window and grappling to the left side of the roof, above the parking garage's entrance. I looked down and gaped at the twisted, smouldering remains of the building's generator. Shit! This was not good!
"Oracle, the generator's destroyed," I spoke into my earpiece. I fervently hoped that she could find another way to open the garage's door.
"Damn it!" she hissed frustratedly. "OK, there's a backup in the underground parking garage, but it should've come online."
"Any way we can reach it?" I asked as Dick and Jason joined me on the roof.
"Luckily, the parking garage entrance below you is jammed open. You can access the generator from there."
I nodded, leaping down to the destroyed generator and above the entrance. "Nightwing, Red Hood, stay on the roof; they might try landing their choppers on there."
"Since when do I take orders from you, replacement?" Jason ranted through my earpiece.
"Jay!" Dick snapped frustratingly, cutting him off. "Roger that, Robin. Be careful down there."
"You can't be serious!" Red Hood growled.
Ignoring him, I pulled out my remote hacker and blinded the drone hovering over the door. I jumped down, landing next to the unfortunate tank that had been crushed when the lockdown had initiated. I hurried passed the burning wreckage, ducking under the heavy, metal door.
Suddenly, the tank exploded, the shrapnel and flames sending me flying to the concrete. I coughed as the smoke and fumes attacked my lungs. Thankfully, my cape and armor had protected my body from any severe burns or injuries. Pulling myself to my feet, I realised that the door had slammed shut, trapping me until I could find the backup generator.
"Well, shit. Looks like we're stuck in here," Jason muttered from beside me.
"No shit, Sherlock," I retorted, turning to face the slightly singed Red Hood.
Wait...what the hell was he doing here?!
"I told you to stay with Dick!" I hissed, gesturing madly between the vigilante and the door. "You just left him out there, alone, in front of your freaking militia!"
"It ain't mine anymore, thanks to you," Jason growled, baring his teeth and rounding on me. "Deathstroke is probably having the time of his life out there while I'm stuck working with you guys!"
I pinched the bridge of my nose in frustration, a headache beginning to beat against my skull. "Why did you follow me, then? Surely, it wasn't to help the poor, defenseless, replacement."
"I didn't want the guys to mess with my bike, that's all," he bit back, which failed to convince me, considering that our vehicles were locked in the lower level. "Now shut up, and listen!" he whispered, pointing down the tunnel. I followed his finger and caught sight of a large group of militiamen surrounding the backup generator.
"Hey, you got enough C4 there?" one of the soldiers chided, "We're supposed to disable the generators, not send them into space."
"We're not taking any chances with this," the soldier preparing the explosives retorted.
I whipped out my staff, charging past Jason and towards the generator. I couldn't let them destroy this one as well!
"It's Robin!" a militiaman shouted, catching sight of me. I pulled out my Batclaw and used it to grab the unfortunate man, pulling him towards me and knocking him down with a solid punch. A large brute carrying a shield rushed at me, but I easily stepped over him and whacked him in the head with my staff.
Meanwhile, Red Hood flew in from out of nowhere, bashing two soldiers' heads together before kicking them to the floor. He snatched one of their batons and attacked more of our opponents. As talented as they were, they didn't last long against the two of us.
I shot my remote electric charge at one last electrified soldier, overloading his armor and stunning him. He, soon, joined his companions on the hard ground. I turned and saw a militaman who, feigning unconsciousness, leapt up and ran at Jason from behind. I opened my mouth to shout a warning, but, before I could make a sound, Red Hood dodged to the side and tripped the man. Reaching out, the vigilante twisted his arm behind his back and drove him into the ground. Holding the soldier down with his knee, Jason whipped out one of his pistols from his jacket and put it against the soldier's helmet.
"Red Hood, stop!" I yelled, reaching with my hand despite the distance. If Jason decided to blow this soldier's brains out, I would be too slow to stop him.
Jason froze, still pinning the soldier underneath him, who struggled to look over his shoulder at his former commander.
"B-boss? Is that you?" he choked out. I was taken aback by how young he sounded. Just who had been desperate or brazen enough to join Jason's private militia?
Red Hood relaxed his grip on the militiaman's arm and sat back, allowing him to roll onto his back and peer at his leader's face. "It...it is you!" he exclaimed. "You're working with Batman now?"
"What's it to you?" Jason retorted, but not unkindly. It was probably the kindest I had ever heard his voice get. "Circumstances have changed, kid. This is the only way I'll achieve my goal now."
"But...you trained us," the young soldier mumbled dumbfoundedly, glancing between Jason and I. "You told us we were doing the right thing by taking out the Bat!"
Surprisingly, Red Hood chose not to argue with the soldier. Instead, he sat silently as his subordinate ranted and raved before him.
"You betrayed us! You...oh, who the hell am I kidding?" He sighed, bowing his head down like a dejected child. "None of this is right. I signed up to fight for you, boss; not Deathstroke or Scarecrow."
Jason let out a long breath before replying. "Well, that's life. Shit happens and, sometimes, you're left without anyone or anything to depend on. The only thing you can do then is find some reason to go on living. Believe me, kid, I've experienced it, firsthand."
"And what kept you going?" the militiaman asked incredulously, "Your huge vendetta against Batman? Is that why you brought us all here? Are we all just pawns in this selfish game of yours?" He questioned Red Hood, tone growing more and more spiteful.
Even from behind his domino mask, I caught the hurt that flashed across Jason's face. "I didn't hear you bitch and whine when you saw the pay rate on the contract," he growled lowly, lip curling up in a deprecating sneer. "You're a grown-ass man; why don't you figure this all out?"
The soldier shrunk back, his ingrained obedience to Jason apparent despite his ill behavior. By then, I had used my remote electrical charge to restart the precinct's generator. "Red Hood, leave him. We have no time to waste," I called to where he was crouching in front of the subdued enemy.
Jason stood, sending his former warrior a stern look. "Stay on the ground. Things are about to get ugly."
"Yes, sir," he replied hushedly, moving closer to his fallen comrades, perhaps to check up on their current conditions. "Be careful; Scarecrow wanted us to capture you. He wasn't very happy about your...um...desertion."
"That creepy bastard just can't get enough of me, huh?" Jason shrugged, shaking his head. "I'll be on the lookout for him, kid." With that, the older vigilante moved to rejoin me as the building's lockdown disengaged and the parking garage's doors rose open.
I couldn't help but wonder if, underneath Jason's nonchalant attitude, he was afraid of Crane's intentions for him. It would behoove Red Hood not to fall back into his syringed clutches and find out the hard way. Hell, the villain had hoodwinked and manipulated Batman himself throughout the night. The thought that Scarecrow could have even more ruses planned for us was a petrifying one.