Back From The Dead

Chapter 2 – Revealed

After 2 long days of research, Batman and Nightwing still couldn't find any useful information to identify the mysterious vigilante.

It was 21:40 and Batman was on patrol in Gotham. He was standing on the Wayne Enterprises building looking at the silent dark town below. In a few minutes Alfred called him and said that there had been a small explosion near the docks. Batman jumped off the building and into the Bat mobile and headed towards the docks.

Batman arrived at the scene of the crime and was lucky to see the Red Hood lying on the ground with his clothes ripped from the explosive, which had been thrown at him. He saw 4 figures get on a boat, and watched them as they disappeared into the darkness, covering the sea. His look turned to the man who was now trying to stand up. His wounds were deep. His mask was ripped from one side and his mouth was showing a little along with his right cheek.

Before the man was able to get up, Batman caught his arms and tied them together. Just as Batman was about to take the wicked crook to the Bat mobile, Red Hood freed his hands and kicked Batman in the chest, while jumping away from him. He started to run, and to Bat's surprise, he had a rope similar to one of his own. The Hood used the rope to climb up a building, and as he did he turned around for a brief moment and shouted.

"You're loosing your touch, Bruce, my old man."

The Red Hood smiled devilishly as he saw the expression on the Bat's face. Batman clenched his teeth in anger and ran after him. Red Hood was very fast and it was hard for Bruce to catch up with him. By the time Bats got on top of the building the Hood was already gone. The man's words echoed through his head. How did that sicko know his secret identity? Luckily, the Bat mobile had recorded everything. Batman went back to the dock. He looked around and saw some of the man's blood and wiped it with a handkerchief.

Bruce arrived home and ran straight to the computer. He took the handkerchief with the blood and set it up for scanning. Then he took the recordings from earlier and analyzed the man's voice. It didn't seem to help him identify the villain. Something about that person reminded him of somebody he knew. But could it really be "him"? When the blood test was ready he compared it with another one. Positive.

"It can't be!"

Bruce fiercely stood up from his seat and stared at the screen.

"Jason."

He said the name quietly and phoned Nightwing to tell him the … the "bad" news. Was it really bad? If it was, why didn't he feel angry about it? No, he didn't feel angry at all. He didn't even feel shocked. He felt, somehow…relieved, at peace. He was relieved because now he knew that his ex-protégé was still alive. But he wasn't happy, because Jason had chosen the path of crime. Bruce felt obliged to help him before he ruins his life.

1 week later…

After the many encounters with Jason, Dick and Bruce finally managed to locate his hideout and separate him from all of his henchmen. He was all alone now. There was nobody he could trust anymore.

Jason had plotted yet another attack. He wanted to get rid of a person whom he hated the most, one of the lowest and most insensitive and monstrous evil beings which have ever lived – the Joker. He wanted him dead and gone forever. After all, the Joker was the one who beat poor Jason to his death. And now, Jason had him locked up in an old abandoned apartment in Gotham. He was beating the hell out of him with a crowbar. He wanted him to go through everything that he did until the Joker was no more. Too bad Batman had to come and ruin everything.

"What are you doing Jason? Is this what I've been teaching you all these years?"

"I'm going to give this spawn what he deserves! And as for you, I don't remember you being next to me through the past couple of years. You were too busy finding me a replacement, so that you could forget about me and move on."

Jason was holding the Joker's hair and pulling it fiercely while holding the crowbar in his other hand and clenching it tightly, as he shouted his words.

"You should know that I have to replace every Robin who grows up and takes up a new identity or dies. I train only special children, children who have talent, special abilities and potential, which couldn't be found in other children. I had no choice but to replace you. How long was I supposed to mourn over your loss?"

Jason pulled the Joker's hair even harder.

"Oh yeah…?! Well, what happened to my replacement, huh? He should be about 20 years old by now, right? Did you get rid of him, too?"

The Joker laughed and looked at Batman.

"Seems like you've got a small family problem. Don't mind me, you were just getting to the good part."

Jason glared at him and then hit his back with the crowbar. The Joker fell to the floor, still smiling. The Red Hood got irritated by his insensitive mocking smile and kicked him to the closet, locking it up. Then he turned to face Batman again. The Dark Knight took a step forward.

"The boy is now 21 years old. He has a new alias. I have changed the lives of 2 children after you died."

Jason's expression softened a little.

"Two? But … when did you manage to…?"

"Dick is now an official leader of the Young Justice Team of America. He helps them and teaches them. He even helps me with the crime fighting in Gotham. This is what those two kids will do when they are ready. This is what you would have been doing right now if you hadn't…died."

"Yeah, thanks to Ra's al Ghul I'm alive now. But that bastard is going to get it, too. After all, he's also a bad guy. So…I'm fulfilling my purpose as a protégé of the Batman – I'm fighting crime, but my way is better. When I take care of a scum like him (points at the closet where the Joker is locked) I take care of him for good."

"That's not the way it's supposed to be. You shouldn't kill. Not good guys, not bad guys, not anybody. The law is the same for everyone. People mustn't kill people, because they become the killer themselves. Like you have. You have become something that you despise the most and you seem to enjoy it."

Jason's eyes darkened and he looked at the floor.

"What's it to you anyway? I'm not a kid anymore. I can take care of myself and choose my own destiny."

"Listen, no matter how old you are, no matter where you are or where you have been, or what path you choose to go, you will always have a home, where you can return to, and there will be people who will love you, no matter what happens. I hope you can understand that what you are doing is wrong and my job is to stop everybody who does such things. As you said, you are not a kid anymore, so I can't do anything except try to talk you out of this and bring out your good side. It's your choice. Either you come with me or I'm going after you. Choose wisely."

Bruce was standing very still and looking at the motionless young man in front of him. Jason never wanted to disappoint his mentor. He never wanted to see the irritated look in his eyes. He could not bare the disappointed voice in which his beloved "father" was talking with. All of this was too much. He never wanted to be a bad person, but circumstances never gave him an option. It seems as if everything was against him. He wanted to be good, he wanted to be acknowledged, not by everyone, just by the only person who had given him a chance for a better life, and had adopted him, given him a purpose to live and move on, to dream and be good, be a hero, be somebody. And here he was now, full of shame and sadness, trying to give Jason another chance. Batman might act as if he doesn't care, as if he is a tough insensitive crime fighter, but Jason knew that he cared for him, for this society and for this miserable world. If he didn't feel that way, he would have already kicked Red Hood's ass and thrown him in jail. Nevertheless, here he was, trying to change the mind of another person who acts as if he knows everything. Jason snapped out of his thoughts and looked back at Bruce, who had taken off his mask, and his caring blue eyes met Jason's mask. He took it off and dropped it on the floor, his eyes were also blue, he really looked like Bruce's son, and they were becoming brighter as they filled with tears. Bruce opened his arms and smiled slightly, but warmly and Jason rushed to hug him.

"If you tell somebody about this, I'll kill you."

They both laughed and took the Joker to jail. After that they headed off to introduce Jason to the YJ – his new team.