Chapter 47: The Red Hood

Izuku stood perched on the edge of a building. He was overlooking what looked to be an abandoned toy factory, using the thermal vision of his cowl to view the interior. He could see a body heat signature in the middle of the old shop floor. It wasn't moving, and seemed to be strapped to a chair. It had to be Melissa. Surrounding her were other heat signatures, some patrolling the around floor, some standing still. He counted at least two a dozen men, and upon switching to detective mode in his cowl goggles, he confirmed that each of them were armed. Most of them had guns, some carried blunt instruments or knives. Izuku was thoroughly outnumbered and out-gunned. It was an obvious trap, and Izuku intended to spring it.

He felt guilty for leaving Wayne Manor after Bruce forbade him to involve himself. He remembered his escapade with the Batmobile when searching for the Sludge Villain, and was afraid of what Bruce might do to him for disobeying him this time. But seeing how frightened Melissa was when she was taken, and how helpless he was to stop her, he had to do something. He had to save her.

Steeling himself, he checked his utility belt and secured his gauntlets at the wrists. They were newly-upgraded from WayneTech, designed to work with his explosion quirk. But he had to be careful. The events of his clash with the Hero Killer flashed in his mind. If he used his quirk as an unlicensed hero, he doubted that even Bruce would be able to save him from facing criminal charges. He had to use his quirk as a last resort.

Melissa struggled at her restraints. She was surrounded by armed guards, and the woman Harley Quinn was shouting orders to them. From what she had gathered, they were planning to ransom her to her father. Harley had told her that she wasn't going to be hurt if she cooperated, but Melissa was still frightened. She had heard the stories and seen the reports of what the Joker did to his hostages. Most of the time, they did not survive, even when the ransoms were paid.

Melissa jumped at a loud explosion emanating from the other end of the factory. She heard several screams and what sounded like gunfire. Flames began to grow as the old toys on the abandoned conveyor belts began to catch fire.

"The Bat's here!" Shouted Harley. "You two stay here." She gestured to two of the guards. "The rest of you, find him!"

The guards converged on the explosion, Harley following them, leaving Melissa alone with the two guards. Harley and the guards struggled desperately to put out the fire, not wanting the inevitable attention it would draw to their location if it grew. Melissa heard a brief grunting sound from her captors next to her, looking up only to see both of them laying sprawled out on the floor before her, unconscious, with a dark figure in combat armor standing over them.

"Izu-" she began, but he swiftly covered her mouth, putting his finger to his lips to silence her. She nodded, and he let her go and began to work on her restraints.

"That won't distract them for long," he whispered. "Just long enough to --"

Something hard and heavy crashed against his side, sending him flying away from Melissa. Harley was back, carrying a heavy mallet in her hand. "You must think I'm some sorta idiot, don'cha?" She said, swinging the mallet as Izuku struggled to his feet. "He's over here boys!" She shouted as the men converged on their location. "Remember, Mistah J doesn't want him dead yet! Just rough him up a little."

Izuku stood his ground as the men surrounded him. One of them advanced on him, swinging a heavy bat. He ducked swiftly under the blow and struck the man hard in the abdomen. Doubling over, Izuku delivered a swift knee to his nose, knocking him onto his back. He flipped over the assailant and grabbed his arm, twisting it until hearing the sickening snap of bones cracking. The man howled with pain and rolled over, passing out.

Two other thugs charged him, both of them activating their quirks. Izuku noticed for one of them, his hand began to swell immensely until it took a round, bulbous form before shaping into a spiked morning-star, a chain extending from his wrist. Swirling his mace-fist over his head, he threw it crashing down on Izuku's location, who had dodged moments before. The other appeared to have a shooting-like quirk, shots firing from his fingertips and embedding themselves in the wall behind Izuku as he dodged. Izuku reached into his belt and threw two sticky grenades at the gun-man's hands, encasing them in thick glue.

"What the hell!?" He shouted, trying to free himself, ultimately receiving a hard kick upside the head from Izuku for his lack of awareness, knocking him unconscious. The mace-man continued to swing his morning star towards Izuku. After dodging it a second time, the mace embedded itself in the ground, and the man struggled to retrieve it. Izuku seized his chance and threw an explosive batarang at the man. Upon striking his chest, the explosion sent him careening backwards, hitting the wall hard and losing consciousness.

"Take it easy on my boys, bird-brain!" Said Harley indignantly.

Izuku ignored her, pressing his attack. Three more guards advanced on him. One of them began throwing knives at Izuku, which seemed to form directly from his skin as he threw them. Izuku dodged the knives as the two others attacked him. Izuku analyzed that they were both strength-type quirk users. As they attacked him, Izuku found himself backed against a wall, dodging a punch to his head as his attacker's fist broke through the wall behind him. Izuku rolled between the attackers, placing explosive mines on their backs as he did. He pressed the detonator and they both went flying through the damaged wall, debris landing atop them.

Izuku readied himself for the next attack, but the thugs didn't press the attack. A shrill laugh erupted over the old speaker system of the factory, sending a chill up Izuku's spine. Izuku turned to see a large projection spring to life on the wall behind him. It was the Joker.

"Well done, newby!" Said the Joker, laughing maniacally. "I often keep asking myself, 'how does Batman do it?' Taking in hopeless strays and lost causes and turning them into stone-cold vigilantes! Where do I sign up for Batman bootcamp?"

"Let Melissa go, Joker," Said Izuku, with more bravery than he actually felt.

"I can't do that, dummy, she's my trump card!" Said Joker crossly.

"For what?" Said Izuku. "What do you want with her?"

"I don't want her," Said Joker. "Aren't you listening? She's just an ace in the hole. Sheesh, and I thought all the Robins were smart."

"I'm not a Robin," Said Izuku.

"I should say not!" Said Joker. "But keep studying and you'll get there, don't you worry." His laughter continued.

"You haven't answered my question, Joker," Said Izuku. "What do you want?"

"Oh, nothing," said Joker. "Millions dead in the streets would be nice if you're offering."

"You're insane," Said Izuku.

"Well, duh!" Said Joker, contorting his face into a dumb expression. "But to be honest, I really didn't think that you would come here alone tonight. I expected to get to kill you later. But hey, as I always say: 'a bird in hand is worth two in the blender!'" Izuku's stomach turned as Joker continued his horrific laughter. His henchmen drew closer towards him, but didn't attack.

"Because you've been such a good boy," He continued. "Dear old Uncle J is going to give you a taste of tonight's festivities." He reached into his coat and pulled a small remote control, pressing a button on it. The factory seemed to spring to life, and the conveyor belts started moving, carrying a large metal container towards him. Large bangs and crashes came from the container before it came to a stop. Joker pressed another button, and the container opened, and Izuku stepped back in shock at what he saw.

At first, he thought it was a Nomu, but it did not have an exposed brain as the others had. Instead, it reminded Izuku of something you would see in a haunted house. A large, grotesque creature with a rippling, misshapen muscular frame. It's eyes glowed blood red and it emitted a guttural, growling roar as it tore itself from the box.

"Well, kid, It was nice knowing you," Said Joker. "Who am I kidding? I barely know you!" He roared his head back in shrill laughter as the monster ran forward. Izuku steeled himself. His experience with the Nomu told him that he would have to use everything he had against this creature. He had no choice. He would have to -

A loud crash sounded above Izuku. He looked up to see that someone had broken through the glass windows above, half expecting it to be Batman, but it was someone he didn't recognize. The intruder hit the ground, gracefully rolling to lessen the impact of his fall. He was wearing a brown leather jacket and bright red helmet, carrying two heavy pistols.

"Hit the deck, kid!" He shouted. Izuku immediately dropped to the floor as the man opened rapid fire from his pistols, mowing down Joker's men effortlessly. The bullets appeared to have no effect on the monster, who kept charging, this time towards the stranger. He leapt out of the way as the monster attempted to grab him, firing his pistols square in the monster's face. The creature roared in pain, slamming into the wall as it continued to run. This attack must have dazed it, as it began to stumble and grasp in front of it, trying to find its quarry.

"Oooooo!" Said the Joker, interested. "Enter player two!"

"Are you gonna lay there all night or are you gonna fight?" Said the man to Izuku. He leapt to his feet and launched several explosive blasts from his hands, knocking the monster off its feet. As it struggled, several of the Joker's henchmen rallied and began attacking them. The man met them with equal force, dodging their attacks and knocking them down, only to finish them off with a shot from his guns.

The creature roared and struggled to its feet, lunging for Izuku, who used his quirk to launch over the monster's head, blasting it from behind. The creature hollered in pain, trying to grasp through the smoke. It began to charge Izuku, who threw several explosive batarangs at the creature's face, exploding on impact. The creature reared back in pain, clutching its face and grasping forward at Izuku. The man had finished with Joker's henchmen and leapt up on the monster's shoulders, placing both pistols on each side of its head and opening fire. The monster's blood and grey matter burst from its skull as it hit the ground hard, and lay still.

"Well, that was unexpected," said the Joker. "Note to self: need stronger test subjects. Well, thank you for being part of this little game. I guess it's time to go!" The projection went dark, and the Joker was gone.

"Come back, you coward!" shouted the Man.

"Mistah J! Wait!" Said Harley, running towards the projection. The man in the helmet walked forward towards Harley, knocking her down and placing his gun on her forehead.

"Where is he hiding, Quinn?" He said dangerously. "Answer me!"

"What makes you think I'll--" she was interrupted by a blast from his gun, just to the left of her head. She recoiled from the sound, screaming and clutching her ears.

"The next one goes in your brain, Quinn," Said the Man. "Joker doesn't care if you live or die. You may as well answer my questions."

"He loves me!" Said Harley indignantly. The man backhanded her across the face with his pistol, causing her face to bleed. Izuku stepped forward to stop him, but the man pointed his other pistol at him, not looking away from Harley.

"I'll give you five seconds to tell me, starting from three," Said the Man, cocking his gun. "Four. . . f-" Something stepped forward beside Izuku, quickly seizing the man's hand with a heavy, gauntleted glove, holding his gun aloft.

"That's enough!" Said Batman. "Stop this, Jason."

One week earlier.

"I was wondering when you would come to me."

Ra's Al Ghul poured himself a drink, sitting at his desk in his luxurious private quarters high atop his mountain palace. Batman had arrived suddenly, just as he did, and nearly dislocated his arm as he interrogated him. He had let him go when Ra's called off his men, willing to answer any of his questions.

"What happened that day?" Said Batman.

"Answer me this, first," Said Ra's. "How did you find out it was him?"

"Fighting styles are like fingerprints," Said Batman. "I worked with him for years, taught him everything he knows. He has adapted to incorporate various weapons and firearms, but after observing surveillance recordings of him is what aroused my suspicions. Upon examining the forensic report from the Roman Sionas murder, a blood sample was found that did not match Sionas or any of his men. After running it against his medical records, my suspicions were confirmed. The Red Hood is Jason Todd."

"Very good, detective," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "But how do you know I am involved?"

"When I exhumed his body, I discovered it wasn't his body at all," Said Batman. "A well-made mannequin made of high-end latex, made to look like him. I admit, it was careless of me not to see it before. Only you could have had the motive and means to replace his body with a fake."

"Precisely," said Ra's Al Ghul. "Truely, the World's Greatest Detective does it again."

"Don't test me, Ra's," said Batman dangerously. "Tell me what I want to know."

"Apologies," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "You remember our last encounter?"

"You wanted to blow up banks."

"True, if inelegant," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "I was close to toppling the economy in Europe. But you were on to me. I sought a distraction, so I hired the Joker. It was to appear that you stumbled upon him by accident in Bosnia. It was intended to be a wild goose chase. But I overestimated my ability to control the Clown, and underestimated his madness. His capture and murder of Robin was not my design. You were not the only one working to find the boy. But he was already dead before we had reached him. It was my greatest regret, and my greatest shame."

"You've never shied away from killing before," Said Batman.

"True, but always with a purpose," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "This was. . . senseless. An unnecessary casualty. As penance, I sought to never make war with you again."

"What about the Hero Killer?" Said Batman.

"He was never truly one of us," Replied Ra's Al Ghul. "He left us of his own volition to pursue his mission. Crossing paths with your new ward was simply happenstance. In addition to this truce, I also sought to rectify what had happened."

"Rectify?"

"Yes," Said Ra's Al Ghul. "I had hoped to return to you what you had lost. Before you could reach the boy, we replaced him with the mannequin, and took him to the Lazarus pit. As you know, it's rejuvenating waters have allowed me to walk this world for six centuries. It was rumored that it could even achieve a greater feat: raising the dead. I was confident you would not perform an autopsy on your boy, and even if you did, we would still have the time to bring him back. But the plan had. . . unfortunate results. It had restored his life, but he had returned to this world damaged. "

Batman clenched his fist tightly, but said nothing. All of this had happened to his ward, his son, right under his nose. If he had bothered to check the body before burying it, he would have known that it wasn't flesh. He was beset with grief, but it was stupid. Stupid and careless.

"He had escaped us immediately after the ritual," Ra's Al Ghul continued. "My armies searched for months, but we were never able to recover a body, or pick up a trail. I thought him dead yet again." He stood from his desk, turning away from Batman, looking out the window. "But I have returned your son to you as a blight upon your house. He burns the very kingdom you -" He turned back to face Batman, but he was gone. He took a deep sigh, returning to his desk.

"Good luck, detective."

"So, you figured it out, old man?" Said Jason, pulling away from Batman. "I suppose Ra's spilled his guts, too."

Izuku was shocked, looking back and forth between the two men. He could hardly believe his eyes. He was staring at his predecessor, the deceased Jason Todd. Batman's face continued to remain passive, and Jason's expression could not be read with his red mask, but the anger and hatred in his voice was palpable.

"Why didn't you come back to me?" Said Batman.

"Why would I?" Jason spat back. "The Joker had kept me in that warehouse for months, torturing me and turning me against you. Did you even try to look for me?!"

"Of course I did!" Said Batman. "I never stopped looking. The Joker sent me the video. I watched you die."

"And the League of Shadows was still able to get to me before you," Said Jason.

"I can help you, Jason," Said Batman.

"I don't want your help!" Shouted Jason. "I want to finish what you refuse to. You couldn't save me in time, I can understand that. But why, in God's green Earth," he pointed to where the Joker's projection was. "Is he still alive?!"

"Jason. . ." Batman began.

"He took me away from you," said Jason, backing away from Batman and Izuku. "But even then, you refuse to put an end to the pain he causes, the destruction he has caused. Not anymore. I'm going to put an end to it, once and for all."

"Jason, please," said Batman. "This doesn't have to be this way. Come back with me. Come home."

"It's too late," Said Jason. "It's not my home anymore. Besides," he looked to Izuku. "You've already replaced me." Without another word, he reached into his coat and threw a flashbang grenade, causing Izuku and Batman to leap out of the way, shielding Quinn and Melissa from the blast. When the dust cleared, Jason was gone.

"Batman," said Izuku. "Batman, I'm sorry. . . I . . ." but Bruce didn't appear to be listening. He continued to stare at the spot Jason once stood. After a minute, he stooped and cuffed Harley Quinn before throwing her over his shoulder while Izuku released Melissa from her bindings.

"You disobeyed a direct order," Said Batman. "You put yourself and Melissa in danger, and used your quirk as an unlicensed hero. The Batmobile is waiting outside. Get Melissa back to the Batcave. Now."