For most people, riding on Gotham's subway system was an exercise in taking one's life into their own hands. Jason Peter Todd grew up in Gotham and had been in some of the most dangerous locations around the world; the subway didn't faze him in the least.
As Jason sat quietly, he observed a group of thugs surrounding a young woman, catcalling and harassing her. The four young men appeared to be part of a gang, sporting matching leather/denim vests, and matching tattoos.
Jason merely sighed and rolled his eyes. I'd expect this to happen at night, but this early in the morning? Maybe Bruce really is having an impact on some of these mouth-breathers, Jason thought to himself, I feel bad for this girl, but at the same time, she should know better than to ride the Gotham subway by herself without some sort of weapon. Should I get involved here?
As the thugs started to get a little more aggressive and physical with the girl, one of them began to draw a switchblade, Jason's mind was made up.
"Put the knife down," Jason defiantly stated, getting up from his seat, calmly confronting the gang, "Walk away right now. I promise this will not end well for you."
"…the fuck you just say to me?! Mind your busin-," the thug was unable finish his sentence before Jason struck him in the throat, causing him to drop his knife. In seconds, Jason had the gang member in a rear chokehold, causing him to pass out almost instantly, dropping to the ground, unconscious. The rest of the gang was frozen in fear before panicking and running away, realizing they were out of their depth. Jason reached down and picked up the dropped switchblade, folding it up and tossing it to the would-be victim. She was in shock at what she saw, but incredibly grateful for her rescuer.
"You might want to carry that on your commute from now on," Jason advised, before motioning toward the unconscious aggressor, "He'll be fine, by the way." As the train stopped, Jason nonchalantly walked off, not bothering to chase down the other gang members who fled.
Once he arrived at his destination, Jason walked up to the street and into the seedy motel he was staying at. Once he reached one of the rooms, he was greeted by some of his recent associates: Ben Turner (AKA Bronze Tiger), Sandra Wu-San (AKA Lady Shiva), and Helena Bertinelli (AKA The Huntress).
Turner and Wu-San were arguably two of the most feared martial artists and assassins alive, with skills rivaled only by Batman, Nightwing, and their students. Both had worked with the League of Shadows on many occasions, while Shiva's estranged daughter, Cassandra Cain, had recently aligned herself with Batman and the Gotham Knights. Helena Bertinelli was one of the last surviving members of the Bertinelli crime family. At eight years old, Helena's family was brutally murdered in their home during a mob hit, although she was able to escape to Sicily with the help of her cousin Sal. Over the years, Helena trained as an assassin with several teachers, including one of Shiva and Turner's associates, martial arts master Richard Drakunovski (AKA Richard Dragon).
Returning to Gotham as an adult, Helena adopted the Huntress persona as a means to enact revenge on those who murdered her family. Along the way, The Huntress found herself often working closely alongside Barbara Gordon (as Oracle) and Dinah Lance Queen (also known as the second Black Canary), a group Barbara unofficially referred to as the "Birds of Prey." Despite a tenuous relationship with Batman, who disapproved of her more lethal methods in the past, Huntress found herself working closely with the Bat Family on many occasions, particularly on cases involving organized crime in Gotham. Helena had also worked extensively with fellow vigilante Vic Sage (AKA The Question), with whom she was in a passionate romantic relationship as well. Both Richard Dragon and The Question had lost their lives during the recent Apokalips War.
"You went to see him, didn't you?" Shiva angrily asked, referring to Bruce. Jason had not told his teammates of his plan to see his former mentor, but Shiva could tell regardless.
"Don't act so shocked, Shiva," Jason retorted, "It's more of a professional courtesy than anything else."
"Does he know what's going down tonight?" Turner asked.
"He has an idea, but he doesn't know all the details," Jason said, "Not yet anyway. He will though. Which is why we have to get there before he does."
"Maybe it's better if he sees it when we slaughter those monsters," Shiva coldly replied, "Or he could be helpful in case things don't go according to plan."
"How do we know you haven't tipped him off?" Turner asked Jason skeptically, "He might be tracking you right now or have you followed for all you know. Either of you." Turner looked toward Helena, noting her previous association with Batman as well.
"Whoever did the hit job on Sionis and Zsasz tipped him off better than we ever could," Jason shot back, "I would know it if he was following me, and I didn't bother telling him where and when the hit will be happening. I don't need to; he'll find out regardless. He always does. But there's something new that I found out; Talia and her son are with Wayne now."
"So, you don't think she was the one behind killing Black Mask?" Helena asked, "Why would she be working with Bruce then?"
"We don't know that she's not behind the Black Mask killings," Jason replied, "It could be a ruse on her part…or maybe she wants to protect Bruce from whoever did it. Bane was breaking the wackos out of Arkham when all that was happening, so it couldn't have been him. It's got to be the old man."
"Ra's al Ghul has always had a begrudging respect and admiration for Bruce," Shiva answered, seemingly acknowledging Jason's theory that Ra's had been enacting a vengeful plot of their own, "It could be his way of proving a point about eliminating the scum of Gotham, or his way of giving Batman a gift…or it could be a distraction to divert Batman's attention from his ultimate endgame."
"You mean, his plan for genocide," Turner suggested, "The old man's ultimate goal was to cleanse the whole planet and build a new utopia; only problem is he would be wiping out half the planet's population to do it."
"Which would be easier than ever after Darkseid already got a head start on it," Jason added, "If Ra's was going to try something like that, now would be a pretty good time. Now you've heard it on the news, but Alfred Pennyworth, Selina Kyle, and Lucius Fox have all been kidnapped as well. That can't be a coincidence."
"Should we abort?" Helena asked, "If Ra's is planning on an attack like that, maybe we should be going after him first?"
"We don't have the manpower for that yet," Jason replied, "Besides, we can't risk the Arkahm inmates from getting loose. This might be our only shot at taking out someone like the Joker. Not to mention, Dent will be there…Cobblepot too."
"You're right; Penguin is mine though. He had a big role in ratting out my family to Mandragora," Helena agreed, referring to Stefano Mandragora, the rival mob boss and architect behind her family's murder.
"If Pennyworth, Kyle, and Fox are being held hostage, Wayne will be distracted," Turner reminded them, "If Ra's took them, that's a low blow, but he could be trying to prove a point. If it's someone like the Joker who found out that Wayne is Batman…. then God help them all."
"I don't know for sure if the clown knows who Bruce really is," Jason said, "From what I understood, he never seemed to be all that interested in who was behind the mask, but who knows what the hell he's thinking. Even if he knows where the hostages are, he'll never talk. If anything, Ra's could theoretically try and use Joker as a way to distract Bruce. Either way, we need to take him out."
"And you're sure this isn't just about revenge?" Shiva interjected, "Think this through, Todd."
"I have," Jason shot back, "We can't take the chance that Ra's or anyone else will use Bane or the inmates at Arkham as pawns. They have to be taken out; all of them."
"They're not going to be stuck in the same place for long," Helena concurred, "We're already risking a lot by waiting this long."
"They're like rats in a trap," Jason reassured her, "There are still a lot of these psychotic murderers and rapists on the street right now, and they'll most likely be drawn to the mark tonight. Even if all the Bats or the police show up, they'll only be helping us in the end; we're not going to get a better shot at this."
Helena, Turner, and Shiva nodded in agreement. Jason's logic was sound; if they could succeed in exterminating Gotham's deadliest criminals, this could potentially weaken any larger plot that Ra's al Ghul, or anyone else, might bring to fruition.
Shortly after their meeting, Jason was in his motel room, organizing his arsenal of various guns, knives, and other accessories to help him in the coming battle. His external focus masked an internal feeling of dread and uncertainty. His whole life, Jason Todd had been faced with life-threatening battles, and had risked his life more times than he could count. Even in the face of global-level attacks from the likes of Brainiac, Darkseid, and others, the former Boy Wonder had thrived in high-pressure, high-risk situations. This, however, felt different.
As he was lost in his thoughts, Jason barely noticed the sound of the door opening as Helena Bertinelli entering the room. Helena immediately noticed something was off about Jason, in a way that was different than his typical moody, standoffish demeanor.
"Are you alright? You seem a little more intense than usual, and that's saying a lot," Helena quipped.
"I'm fine," Jason coldly retorted, "Just making sure I'm ready. This is an important job. Might be the most important thing I ever do."
"I understand, believe me," Helena replied, "Still though, you were Robin. You and Bruce did a lot of great work together. Wasn't that important too?"
"It was, but I was still a placeholder," Jason replied, "I could never be like Grayson, no matter how much I wanted to be. When I came back from the Pit, I hated thinking about that mask and cape. Especially when I found out that Bruce moved on and brought in Tim Drake. I hated him for that; I thought that Bruce, the Bat Team, the Titans, and everyone else forgot about me…because I was the failure, the screwup."
"I know what that feels like," Helena reassured him, "I never really felt like I fit in with them either, because of all my baggage. It's nuts; when you think about it, Bruce and I have almost the same background. Both of us were born into a lot of money, and both of us had our family murdered in front of us at a young age. My family weren't like the Waynes though; Bruce's parents were genuinely good people who gave millions to help Gotham. The Bertinellis were a crime family; it took me a long time to come to terms with that, and I spent a lot of time justifying some of the terrible things they did. They may not have been perfect, but they were still my family."
"Yeah, my old man wasn't a saint either," Jason admitted, "Still, Dent took him away from me. If I get the chance tonight, I'm putting him down too."
"I might do the same if I see Cobblepot," Helena agreed, before taking a pause and choking back tears. Jason looked at her quizzically.
"What's wrong?" He asked, genuinely concerned. For months, following the Apokalips War, he and Helena had been working together sporadically as the Red Hood and the Huntress, traveling the world while fighting organized crime. Jason couldn't help but develop feelings for the raven-haired beauty, although he was hesitant to act on those feelings, as he had suspected she was still mourning the death of her former lover, Vic Sage (the vigilante also known as The Question).
"Sometimes I wonder if maybe the Bats all had a point about revenge," Helena said, doing her best to remain stoic but having difficulty holding back tears in her eyes, "Is that all we are now? Even if we succeed and put down all those monsters for good, then what? It won't bring back the ones we've lost, and it won't take the pain away. After everything that's happened, the world is still shot to Hell, and it's only a matter of time before someone like Ra's or Savage or Luthor make their move and take over what's left."
"I honestly have no idea what happens after tonight, if we make it," Jason responded, deep in thought, "I feel like I've been at war my whole life. As a kid, every day was a struggle to survive on the streets. Then Bruce recruited me into his war, and I got beaten to death by a psychopath. Ra's and Talia brought me back, but they didn't really care about me; they just wanted to use me to get to Bruce. Now they're using the Joker for the same thing, and God knows what else they want to do."
"I can't help it, Jay," Helena replied, "I can't help but feel like Ra's is using us as well, like we're walking into a trap."
"Then we'll have to get in and get out quickly," Jason suggested, "As far as what happens after? I have no idea. Maybe we could try to take down Ra's, but I don't see Bruce wanting to work with me again; he'd probably cut you off too if he knows you're with me."
"I learned a long time ago that I wasn't exactly Justice League material either," Helena added, "Without them, there's not much the two of us can do if this is all part of some global plan."
"Then maybe we should think about what happens once all this is over," Jason mused, "I never imagined I'd end up getting a real job, but maybe I could see myself working in a garage, fixing cars somewhere…anywhere but Gotham. Maybe open up a martial arts school or something. What about you?"
"Believe it or not, I used to be a schoolteacher before the war," Helena chuckled.
"You're kidding," Jason said, laughing at his new partner's revelation. "I would not have guessed that at all!"
"Oh really," Helena shot back in mock indignation, "What exactly would you have guessed I did for a living, Mr. Todd?"
"A former mafia princess like you? Probably anything she wanted," Jason playfully retorted, "But I should know better about the bizarre habits of Gotham's rich kids."
"Don't change the subject though; talked about getting out of Gotham," Helena asked, standing up and looking Jason directly in the face, growing serious, "Is that what you want?"
"This city has brought both of us nothing but pain," Jason replied, "Even with everything Bruce has done over the years, it keeps getting worse. After we kill the clown and all the other freaks, I'd rather start over somewhere new."
"I don't blame you," Helena said, growing more somber, "Gotham has too many bad memories. I know you and I both lost family members…plus, I lost the man I loved. What about you? Was there ever anyone special?"
"Like, a girlfriend?" Jason asked, growing a bit defensive, "No, at least never anything serious. There was never any time for that when I was Robin. Although this one time I did hook up with Rose Wilson while training with the Titans."
"You mean Deathstroke's daughter?" Helena chuckled, amused at seeing Jason get uncharacteristically flustered.
"Yeah, she used the codename Ravager," Jason recalled, "She was a cool chick; nothing really became of it though. I heard she got killed in the Apokalips War fighting alongside her Dad. Really sad; she was one hell of a fighter. Then there was another time after I got brought back from the Lazarus Pit with Talia...I guess it was her way of calming me down after going berserk. It worked!"
"No way, you actually hooked up with Batman's baby mama?!" Helena burst out laughing, amused to see this lighter side of the infamous Red Hood. The two battle-hardened vigilantes shared a laugh, subconsciously becoming more comfortable around each other than they would typically be with anyone else. Without saying a word, the two realized how much they truly had in common and found themselves gazing into each other's eyes. Slowly, they found each their way into a tentative embrace, sharing a tender, yet passionate kiss.
"You know, Shiva and Turner are going to be out for at least another hour getting supplies," Jason whispered after their lips parted.
"I'm sure we can find a way to keep busy until then," Helena cheekily retorted, before the two misfit vigilantes locked the door, closed the curtains, and frantically resumed their embrace, eager to relieve the budding sexual tension that had been building since they met.