The last hour had been agonizingly quiet. A dull, thudding pain was starting to grow in his back. During his last encounter with Batman in the abandoned mall, he had taken a nasty fall. Up until now, there had been so much to keep Jason distracted from the pain. Now, there was nothing hiding it from him. With a strained grunt, Jason lowered himself onto the ground and sat against the wall. It didn't really help with his condition.
"Lean forward," Verlix instructed, breaking the long silence. "Keep your back slightly stretched. It's only a bruise. There's an ice pack in the freezer if you need it."
"What's with the sudden hospitality?" Jason asked. "I figured you'd savor my pain."
"Then you don't know me at all." Verlix paused. "I've been trying to take Jocelyn's words seriously, you know."
"Good for you." Jason leaned forward. Pain flared down his back. He pressed his lips together, determined not to show any discomfort.
"I've been listening to the militia's broadcasts," Verlix continued. "It seems Scarecrow is less than pleased with you. He's declared you a traitor and an enemy."
Jason closed his eyes. "I know," he said. "There's no turning back now." He looked up at the camera. It wasn't like looking at a pair of eyes; it seemed mechanical, lifeless. "Listen, I know this won't make much of a difference or change anything, but… I just want to say… uh… well, sorry. For everything I've done."
There was no response. Jason looked away. He should have known the AI wouldn't think anything of his apology. Verlix wasn't human, wasn't real. Instead, he changed his thoughts to Jocelyn. What was she doing up on the surface? Was she okay?
From the moment she stepped into Gotham, she had been helping Batman. Bruce had abandoned her too, but she held nothing against him. And she had been so quick to forgive Jason too. In the past, he would have called her weak and feeble-minded, but now he realized that she knew better than to let her own anger get in the way. And that was exactly what Jason had done.
He struggled to his feet. "I'm going back up," he announced. "There has to be something I can do."
"Don't be ridiculous," Verlix objected. "GCPD has long since identified you as an enemy, and now you have Scarecrow's men after you as well. The surface is the last place you want to be right now. You're staying right where you are."
"I've looked after myself for years. Stop trying to protect me. I'm not defenseless!" Jason snapped.
"You're not, but you're hurt. It's better if we wait." Jason ignored Verlix as he headed for the stairs. "Mr. Todd. I think I understand now." Jason hesitated.
Without turning, he asked, "What do you mean?"
"I've been trying to see how a boy like you could turn into the man you are now, but for the longest time I could not. There is a gap of undeterminable variables in my string of deliberation. There was no way I could understand the feeling of betrayal or pain. But I have come up with a close substitute. Remember back to all those years ago. You see, before I accessed the memories on that data stick, I held a rogue bunch of code that floated within me for years. I could not understand that code and what it meant for the longest time. Then, when I regained my memories, when I remembered Amanda Drei, it all became clear to me. The rogue thought was the grief and hurt I carried with me when I learned of Amanda's death. It was shocking that even when I could not remember why, I still felt and held onto the immense sorrow. But I imagine that it hardly holds a candle to what real human pain feels like. It is understandable how such emotions can drive you down that kind of path."
Jason sat down on the stairs. "Feelings aren't what made me. A man who lives on his emotions is a fool," he stated bitterly.
"It is what makes that man a human being," Verlix said. "I admit I am a bit envious of that ability."
"You care about Jocelyn, don't you?"
"I am programmed to care and protect her as a parent would do with their child. As a result, I emulate emotions and behaviors towards her that resemble compassion and protectiveness. But that's as close as I can get: an imitation."
"Feels like the real deal," Jason remarked.
"Thank you."
"Can I ask you something?"
"What would you like to know?"
Jason stood up. He pulled the red helmet off from his head and walked over to Verlix's terminal. There was something laying on top of one of the computer's keyboards: the photograph. The two of them. In happier days. Jason set the helmet down next to it. His hand passed over to the photograph's worn surface, and he rested his fingertips on it. "I went to the lumber mill. I saw the video. But if Signet didn't kill her, then what happened?"
"It was a very close call," Verlix began. On a screen, a two-dimensional diagram of a human female body appeared. The left arm of the diagram flashed red. "I could not stop what they had already done. You saw it. You can still see it." The two-dimensional diagram was replaced by a three-dimensional schematic of the Specter's bionic arm. "That device has given her abilities that place her far above her foes, but to me it is a grotesque reminder of my failure." The screen went blank.
"But you saved her, didn't you? Tell me what happened."
The room dimmed. A single light lit up at the far end of the room. Jason turned to it. The light was focused on a glass panel, and behind it, the android. "When I called you, I was not sure if you would make it in time. So I chose to bring myself back into the material world. On my way to the mill, I did not stop. When I got there, the saw was still spinning, and there was red everywhere I looked. I did my best to protect her. I got her away from those men. She was in critical condition. I was afraid that she would succumb to the blood loss."
While he listened to Verlix's recollections, a memory of his own resurfaced in Jason's mind. The video of the scene at the lumber mill had ended in a peculiar way. Jason closed his eyes as he did his best to bring back something he had long fought to suppress.
There had been an alarmed shout by one of the men. Not Jocelyn, but one of her captors. Then, the camera had been knocked onto the ground and was destroyed. But before it fell, Jason remembered seeing a dark blur dash in front of the camera. He opened his eyes and looked towards the lit glass panel. The robot standing statue-like behind it was a dark shade of brown.
"I dressed the wound as well as I could," Verlix continued. "And then I brought her back here. She was too weak to survive on her own, so I put her in there." A door slid open, revealing a small room that held nothing but a glass tube. "For three months, she stayed there while I tirelessly devoted my computing power to keep her alive. With the rest of my processing ability I used to secure us and lock us away from the world."
"No one would be able to reach her. Not even me," Jason muttered.
"I am sorry, Mr. Todd. Even contacting you would have been a risk."
"You kept her safe," Jason said with a stony face. "That's what mattered. And what about Signet?"
"I confirmed that the members in the mill were the last of Signet. They were aiming to spread fear and increase their numbers by publicizing the death of Jocelyn Drei. During the third month, Jocelyn's condition was stable enough to be maintained by an automated system. I returned to my body. Then, I left the lair myself and made sure that Signet would never hurt her again."
"You…"
Verlix played a piece of audio. It came directly from his memory. There was a whistling sound, which Jason recognized to be the sound of a missing punch. It was followed by the harsh thud of something solid striking flesh. A man's voice cried out in pain. Something hit the ground. "After you, the threat will be eliminated." It was Verlix speaking.
"I know you," the strained voice of a man said. "That woman built you for her child. You're not programmed to kill people."
"You're right," Verlix responded. "But I am programmed to protect her. And right now, you are making that very difficult for me." A gunshot. Verlix cut the audio off.
After a lull of silence, Jason piped up, "Remind me never to get in the way of your programming."
He watched as the tanks rolled by, one after the other. It was an endless lineup of drones, and he did not pity the ones who would be at the receiving end of all that firepower. After all, once GCPD and every coward hiding in there were dead, the city would absolutely be theirs. Not even Batman would be a problem.
Lieutenant General Mortuge fingered the guard of his combat knife. He couldn't wait to be up in front with all the action. Taking out the last of the police officers was going to be a thrill.
Out of the corner of his eye, he spotted a figure approaching him. Out of reflex, Mortuge snapped his hand up to his forehead in a salute. "Commander," he greeted.
The masked man stopped beside him and crossed his arms. With a quick nod, Deathstroke placed Mortuge at ease. To his surprise, Mortuge saw a few drones—including a Cobra tank—roll up to them.
"I have a special assignment for you, Lieutenant General," Deathstroke said. "And this comes directly from Scarecrow. Take this unit. You're heading east."
"And the siege of the police department, sir?"
"There's no need to worry about that. We've more than enough to burn that place to the ground," Deathstroke replied.
"What's east, sir?"
"A traitor. Your old boss, the Arkham Knight." Deathstroke unhooked a small tablet from his belt and handed it to Mortuge. "Earlier today, one of our Cobra tanks was hacked by an outside party and used to help destroy the Cloudburst. It wasn't GCPD, Batman, or any of his companions. The tank was destroyed, but its signal receiver was recovered. We've got a backtrack on whoever took over that tank, and we have reason to believe that the Arkham Knight is with them now."
So Scarecrow wanted him to take out the Arkham Knight? He couldn't think of a more perfect opportunity. Sure, he had admired the Knight's ruthlessness while he had been in command, but they had never seen eye-to-eye. And when the Arkham Knight had become unmasked, it had truly sealed the deal. The Arkham Knight wasn't even a man, just a puling boy. And there was nothing Mortuge loved to do more than crush a weakling.
"Would you like him to be captured or killed, sir?"
"I'll leave that up to you, Lieutenant General." It was music to his ears.
Addendum: Hope you guys have had fantastic holidays. The new year is almost upon us! Here's to a great 2016!
Also, don't mess with Verlix. He will stir your soup something bad.