Chapter 50 - Jason Todd

David struggled in vain as he was dragged across the cold cement floor. He was taken by the Red Hood to an old warehouse, bound at his hands and feet. "What do you want from me?!" He said. "Do you work for the Joker? I can get him the device, just please take me back to my daughter!"

"I don't think that'll work, Davey-boy," Said a voice next to him. Looking up, David let out a startled scream. On the other side of the room lay the Joker, his arms and legs bound tightly. Blood was seeping from multiple gashes on the sides of his face, his jaw sticking out at an awkward angle. He looked as if his face had been run over, but it didn't seem to even bother him.

"Hello, Davey!" Said The Joker, his insane eyes brightening. "Looks like you were roped into this too, eh?"

"I don't understand. What's going on?" Said David, turning back to the Red Hood, who ignored his questions as he continued to drag him. With a mighty heave, he lifted David and threw him hard down onto a large desk, knocking the wind out of him. The Red Hood then lifted David's head, showing him the news reporting on the Titan monsters that were destroying the city.

"You caused this, Shield," Said the Red Hood. "All the buildings destroyed, all the lives lost, it's all your fault." David was abruptly thrown to the floor, hitting his head on the concrete. He could feel blood seeping from an open gash on his forehead.

"I didn't mean for this to happen!" Said David, tears mixed with blood streaming down his face. "I only wanted to save All Might."

"Oh, Davey-poo, you should know now that good intentions kill more people than I do!" Said the Joker. The Red Hood kicked him hard in the face, knocking him over onto his back. He kneeled onto the Joker's neck, drawing a gun and placing it against his head.

"I'd choose your last words very carefully, clown," He said dangerously.

"Party-pooper," Said the Joker, choking. The Red Hood stood and walked to the other side of the room. He began shuffling through a pile of old tools from a utility closet.

"If you are going to kill me, so be it. But I have to know," Said David. "Is what Alfred said true? Are you really him?"

"Oooo, a mystery?" Said the Joker. "I hate mysteries. Who is this mysterious Red Hood? Tell me, who is it?"

"Someone you helped create," Said the Red Hood without turning.

"That sounds cryptic," Said the Joker. "But interesting. Tell me more."

"We're going to have a little fun first," Said The Red Hood, turning back to him. He was carrying a large, heavy crowbar.

The Joker swallowed hard. "I think he's talking to you, Davey."

David watched in horror as the Red Hood beat the Joker with the crowbar. Try as he might, he could not block out his maniacal laughter that came with each sickening and crushing blow.

Izuku stared at the holographic projection of Gotham City before him, placed on the conference table in the Batcave war room. Surrounding the table with him was Batman, All Might, Nightwing, Barbara, Alfred, and Melissa. Several parts of the blue projection of the city was lit up with red.

"These are where the Titan monsters are currently attacking the city," Said Batman, pointing to the lights. "I have rallied several hero agencies around Gotham, and they are working on subduing the creatures. Thanks to David, we have a working antiserum, and Lucius is attempting to mass-produce samples now, but it will take time.

"We still don't know where the Joker is, or where Jason took David," said All Might.

"We're working on that," Said Barbara. "I've been working with an algorithm that could potentially track their location, but I'll need more data."

"That's where you two come in," Said Batman, gesturing to Nightwing and Izuku. "I've marked several points of contact in the Batcomputer's GPS where the Red Hood has shown the most activity. Nightwing, you're going to take the locations in Miagani Island. Deku will take Founders Island."

"What are you going to do?" Said Nightwing.

"I'm going to find the Joker, starting with locations on Bleake Island," Said Batman, pointing to the hologram. "We don't know how much of the Titan formula he has, and we need to put a stop to him making any more monsters. We can't rule out the possibility that Jason may have caught up with him as well. If during your search you find any of them, send an alert over the radio, and we'll rendezvous."

"He's my father," Said Melissa. "I want to help."

"It's too dangerous," Said All Might immediately.

"I agree," Said Batman. "You need to stay here."

"Look, I'm not a combatant," Said Melissa. "But I'm smart. And no one knows my father or his inventions better than me. I can stay and help Barbara. I can monitor Izuku over the Batcomputer and act as his eyes and ears."

Batman considered her for a minute. "Get her set up at a terminal," He said to Barbara.

"This way, kiddo," Said Barbara, wheeling away as Melissa followed.

"This is it," Said Batman. "You have your missions. Let's go."

Izuku dropped out of the Batwing as it passed over Founders Island, landing deftly on one of the rooftops below. The city was in chaos around them, and several pro heroes from the various agencies across the city were engaged in the attacks against the monsters as others evacuated the city. Izuku began his investigation across several of the buildings where the Red Hood was known to be spotted, but he was having difficulty coming across any kind of a trail to follow. Many of the buildings were heavily damaged or destroyed from the monster attacks, others seemed to yield no kind of relevant data for Barbara's algorithm.

"I've got nothing here," Said Izuku over the comm. "How about you Nightwing?"

"Zilch," Replied Nightwing.

"Keep looking," said Barbara. "There's bound to be something."

"The buildings are too damaged," Said Izuku. "It's hard to get a reading on . . ." Izuku's voice trailed off over the comm.

"Deku? What's wrong?" Said Melissa. "Did you find something?"

"I'm not sure," Replied Deku. Down on the streets below his current location, he noticed there was an overturned armored van. He didn't know what it was, but something about this van stuck out to him as odd. He used the detective vision in his cowl to give him a closer look. The van had several inhabitants, most of them were dead, except one, who appeared to be struggling to get out of the passenger-side window. Izuku grappled down to the van's location. This man was amazingly still alive, but he was most likely injured, and had to get him to a hospital.

"Are you alright?" Said Izuku, approaching the car. "My name is Deku, you're going to be--" Izuku froze as his eyes locked with the man inside the car. He was wearing a damaged clown mask, as were his fallen comrades around him. It was one of the Joker's henchmen.

"You!" Shouted the man, reaching for a gun. Izuku kicked the man hard in the face, pulling him out of the wreckage and cuffing his hands behind his back.

"Let me go, ya freak!" Shouted the henchman. Izuku noticed he had several contusions and lesions across his body, one of them a large gash on his back seeping with blood under his torn shirt. He also had several broken bones in his legs and arms. Izuku knelt down hard on the large gash, causing the man to cry out in pain.

"Where's the Joker?!" Said Izuku, his voice modulated to a deep baritone.

"I don't know what yer talkin' about!" Said the man.

Izuku pulled up his gauntlet computer. "I would seriously reconsider your answer," Izuku said. "All I have to do is send this signal, and I'll have Batman down here in ten minutes, tops."

"You wouldn't dare," Said the man, horrified.

"In a heartbeat," Said Izuku. "And after what your boss did to him tonight, I don't think he's going to be very happy to see you."

"I don't know where he is!" Said the man. "Some crazy guy on a bike shot the van to hell and took off with him!"

"Did you see him?" Said Izuku. "What did he look like?"

"Some crazy bastard in a red helmet!" Said the man.

"What direction did they go?"

"They went that way!" Said the man, nodding ahead of them. Izuku looked in the direction to see an access tunnel for the bridge leading to Bleake Island. Izuku dragged the man to safety, sending an anonymous tip to Gotham Police to have an ambulance pick up the criminal before grappling away.

"Guys, I have a lead!" Said Izuku. "The Red Hood has the Joker, and he took off towards Bleake Island."

"That's great, Deku!" Said Barbara. "I'll plug it into my algorithm with the other data collected and see --"

"Don't bother," came Batman's voice over the comm. "I've found them."

Batman stepped into the dark warehouse. His detective mode registered three lifesigns, one of them faint. As he approached the center of the warehouse, a light above them abruptly turned on, shining on two of the three lifesigns that he detected tied to two chairs: the Joker and David.

"Batman!" Said David.

"Finally decided to join the party, eh, Batsy?" Said the Joker, laughing weakly and coughing up blood. "You'll have to take my next turn for pin-the-tail-on-the-Robin, I think my lung has collapsed."

As Batman made his way over to untie the hostages, a large video projection appeared suddenly on the wall before them. Batman froze. The man in the video was tied to an old wheelchair. Though he had a black bag over his head, he recognized the red and gold suit he wore.

Jason, Batman thought, horrified.

The Joker slowly walked into the frame of the video recording, his mouth twisting into a perverse smile as he looked over his captive. The man perked up at the sounds of his footsteps, trying to fight against the restraints.

"Batman?" Said Jason. "Is that you?"

"Batman's not coming to save you, Jason," Said the Joker, taking off the black hood.

"He'll come," Said Jason defiantly.

"It's been six months now, Jason," Said the Joker, placing his hand on Jason's shoulders. "I think it's time to face the facts."

"Screw you!" said Jason

"That's the spirit!" Said the Joker. "You're a chip off the old Bat-block! Not that it will do you much good," the Joker added somberly.

"Why don't you just kill me?" Said Jason.

"What? Oh, no, no, no, no, no!" Said the Joker. "I'm not going to kill you. Well, not yet anyway. You're my sidekick now. Imagine it: you and me, out on the street, starting fights, picking on the weak! A regular dynamic duo! Just like bats and the next kid he picks up."

"He wouldn't," said Jason.

"You think?" Said Joker. "Strange, seems to me that Batsy is always in the market for a new sidekick. And besides, don't you think it's strange that the world's greatest detective, the man you've seen solve hundreds of unsolvable cases, can't seem to find one lost puppy like yourself?"

"You're wrong!" Said Jason.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Jason," Said the Joker mockingly. "I don't want to have to be the one to tell you all this, but I think it's the only way for you to get closure, for you to really move on." The Joker picked up a crowbar off the table next to him, hitting Jason hard in the chest, causing the wheelchair to roll out of the camera shot. "I know it hurts," he added. "But sometimes, you have to be cruel to be kind."

As the video ended, another one appeared on the screen. Jason hanging by his hands from a rope tied to the ceiling, bound and gagged. He struggled in fear as the Joker circled him like a hungry vulture, carrying a branding iron with the letter "J" glowing red-hot on the end.

"Wakey, wakey!" Said Joker in his sing-songy voice. "What? Do you think I'm going to hurt you? Why? I'm not the bad one here. No, no, no, no. It's Batman! He's abandoned you. Thrown you away like an unwanted puppy. 'Can I keep him, daddy? I promise I'll take good care of him!'" The Joker said, his voice high-pitched, crouching for dramatic effect. "'Anything to make you happy, princess,'" He said, standing upwards and speaking in a deep voice. "'Just make sure people know he's yours.'"

The Joker pressed a button, causing the latch on the rope keeping Jason suspended to release, causing him to fall to the floor in a heap. The Joker quickly stood over Jason as he tried to crawl away and begged for mercy, screaming as the Joker placed the hot brand to his cheek.

"'I want to keep him forever!'" Said the Joker, laughing maniacally as the video stopped.

"Oh, such memories!" Said the Joker that was tied to the chair.

"You sick bastard," said David. All the color had drained from his face.

"Hey, I don't knock on your home movies," Said the Joker indignantly.

"One year," Said a voice from the darkness around them. "That's how long this monster kept me."

Jason stepped forward out of the darkness, pointing his pistol straight at Batman. "He tortured me," Said Jason. "Hurt me, took me to the brink of death only to bring me back again to hurt me some more. For a whole year!"

"Jason," Batman began, but was cut off.

"You could have saved me," Said Jason. "You could have stopped it all. But that's not even the worst thing. The worst thing is that, even after all of that, you still won't kill this bastard." He pointed his gun to the Joker's head, who simply laughed.

"Jason, don't!" Said Batman warningly.

"Why?!" Shouted Jason. "Why won't you take a life?! Why won't you take his life?! Are you too weak? Is it too hard?!"

"No," Said Batman. "Because it'd be too easy. There hasn't been a second that has passed that I don't think about it. Think about subjecting him to every single thing he's ever done, every pain he's ever inflicted, and then, finally, ending him."

"You do care!" Said the Joker.

"So why don't you?" Said Jason, ignoring him.

"Because once I go down that path, I know I can never come back," Said Batman.

"This isn't about killing just anyone, Batman!" Said Jason. "This is about killing the man who took me away from you. And you can't even do that! So I'm taking it out of your hands." He pulled out another gun from its holster, putting it to David's head.

"No, please!" Said David.

"Stop this, Jason!" Said Batman.

"It has to be this way!" Shouted Jason. "One way or another, he's going to die tonight, and you're going to be the one who does it. Either you save Shield and let and let this monster die, or he dies."

"This is turning out better than I hoped!" Said the Joker.

"Shield is innocent," Said Batman.

"You think creating those monsters out there makes him innocent?" Said Jason.

"He was fooled, just like I was," Said Batman. "I should have known that you were alive. I should have found more clues, I should have found you, I should have checked the mannequin harder, made sure that it was you, but I didn't. I was grieving, Jason, and I was stupid. Stupid and careless. This is my fault. I'm sorry, Jason."

"It's too late for that, Batman," Said Jason. "It's him, or Shield. Decide." He pulled back the hammer on the pistol against David's head. "Three. . . Two. . ."

The window above them erupted as Izuku burst through it with incredible speed, glass shards raining glass down upon them. He flew towards Jason, using his quirk to boost his speed, ramming hard into him and propelling them through the warehouse wall and into the window of the building next to them. Batman seized his chance to free David, but left the Joker tied to the chair.

"Oh, dear," Said the Joker in mock concern. "I just hate it when the kids fight!"

"Are you all right, David?" Said Batman.

"I'm fine," Said David. "Where is Melissa?"

"She's safe," said Batman, calling the Batmobile from his gauntlet computer. "We have to get you out of here --"

Batman was interrupted by an immense crash on the other side of the warehouse. The wall was reduced to rubble as one of the Titan monsters smashed through it, taking one brief look at the three men before it roared with savage fury and charged them.

"These girl scouts are getting pushy!" Said the Joker, erupting in laughter.

Batman immediately threw David out of the way of the charging Titan monster and began throwing a barrage of explosive batarangs.He knew he had to be careful. The poor civilian that was this monster was out of control, and he had to put it down carefully without killing it until Lucius could have the antiserum ready. And every second he was fighting this creature, Midoriya was left to face the Red Hood.

Disciple against Disciple.

Izuku and Jason crashed hard onto the floor of the empty building next to the warehouse. It seemed to be some sort of storage facility, piled high with shipping crates. The two of them grappled before Jason kicked Izuku hard, knocking him away. Izuku sprang backwards on his hands to his feet, throwing three batarangs towards him, Jason shooting them out of the air with pin-point accuracy. Izuku charged his would-be brother-in-arms, both of them locking hands again as they grappled.

"This isn't right, Jason!" Said Izuku. "You need to stop before it's too late!"

"Don't get in my way, kid!" Shouted Jason. He re-centered his weight, throwing Izuku off balance and sending him crashing into a stack of crates behind them. Izuku rallied, throwing a barrage of punches and kicks at the Red Hood, who blocked and dodged his blows effortlessly. He drew his pistols on Izuku and opened fire, who had just enough time to duck behind more warehouse crates.

"Don't do this to yourself, Jason!" Said Izuku. "You're better than this!"

"Don't pretend you know me!" Shouted Jason.

"I know you better than you think," Said Izuku.

"You're just a replacement," Said Jason. "He'll do it to you too. You don't matter to him anymore than I did!"

Izuku lunged from behind the crates and threw a swift kick at Jason's head, who ducked a split-second before it connected. Izuku used the momentum from his kick to spin in midair, launching an explosive blast against Jason, sending him flying backwards.

"I lost someone I cared about to a villain," said Izuku. "Not a day went by that I didn't think about destroying him. And when I finally got the chance to do it, I let him live."

"Then you're as much of a fool as Bruce!" Said Jason, firing his pistols again. Izuku lunged out of the way, but not before two bullets struck him in the arm and leg. He yelled in pain as he rolled behind the cover of the large crates, using the medical sealant in his utility belt to seal off the blood flow.

"You think this is going to accomplish something?" Said Izuku. "You think killing the Joker will change anything?"

"Shut up!" Shouted Jason, throwing a grenade towards the crates he was hiding behind. Izuku reacted quickly, kicking the grenade out the window of the building before it exploded.

"If you kill him, someone will only take his place," said Izuku, throwing more batarangs. "Someone like you!"

"I'm nothing like him!" Shouted Jason, ramming hard into Izuku, grappling him to the ground before raining blows down upon him. Izuku took several blows before using his quirk to blast Jason off him, sending him careening into a stack of crates. Izuku bounded up and leaped into the air above him.

"AP-Shot!" Shouted Izuku. Several small blasts in rapid succession emanated from his hands, all of them connecting with the Red Hood, sending him backwards into the wall behind him. Jason struggled to get to his feet as Izuku approached him.

"I know what it's like to be kidnapped," said Izuku. "To be tortured at the hands of a villain. I know the anger you feel."

"You don't know," Said Jason weakly. "You can't know. You're just a replacement. Don't pretend you --"

"Bruce didn't train me to replace you," Said Izuku. "My hero journey has always been my own. He just gave me the start I needed. Please Jason. It doesn't have to be this way." Izuku reached his hand. "Please come home. We can help you."

Jason paused, saying nothing. The mask he wore was cracked and broken from their battle. Slowly, he raised his hands and took it off his head, revealing the man Izuku had seen from the video back at the Warehouse: his face lined with scars, a brand mark in the shape of a "J" across his cheek.

"It's too late, kid," Said Jason. "Too late for that." He reached into his pocket and pulled out a remote detonator, pressing the red button before Izuku could react. Izuku used his cowl vision to look at the warehouse that still housed Batman, David and the Joker. Izuku could see that Jason had lined the warehouse with explosives. Izuku turned back to Jason, whose face remained passive.

"You've got ten seconds, kid," said Jason. "Better make them count."

Izuku didn't hesitate, using his quirk to propel himself back to the warehouse.

Nightwing made his way to Bleake Island in the Batwing. He was almost to the warehouse that Batman had marked as the target. The Batwing had taken too long for it to reach him in Miagani Island, and he tried as fast as he could to reach Bruce and Izuku on Bleake Island. He hoped that he could get there in time to help them with Jason. He still couldn't believe that Jason was alive. They were never very close, Jason was always a hot-head, and Dick had moved on from being Batman's sidekick before Jason joined the team. But when he heard he had died, he was reminded of a devastation that he had not felt since his own parent's passing.

He was closing in on the Warehouse. He could already read four life-signs from the scanners. He had to find a good spot to land before he could --

The warehouse erupted in a massive explosion, knocking the Batwing aloft. Nightwing desperately tried to stabilize it, watching in horror as the warehouse burned below him.

"Nightwing, what the hell happened?" Said Barbara over the comm. "What was that explosion?"

"The warehouse just went up in flames!" Said Nightwing.

"What?!" Said Barbara.

"Where's my father?" Said Melissa. "Where's Izuku? What happened to them?"

"I don't know," said Nightwing. "I can't get a reading."

After leveling out, he dropped from the Batwing onto one of the nearby rooftops below. He was using his cowl vision to try and find body signatures, but the fire made it difficult to register, and the flames were too wild for him to get in closer. "Barbara," he said. "Bring the Batwing around and drop the flame-retardant."

Barbara complied, using the Batwing's autopilot to pass over the warehouse, dropping a blanket of white flame-resistant powder over the flames. The fire began to fade, but Nightwing was still having a hard time reading any body signatures.

"Batman, Deku, do you read?" He spoke into the Comm. He could only hear static. "Do you copy? Please respond!"

Static.

"Deku! Batman!" Said Nightwing, beginning to panic. "Please, respond!"

Static.

"Deku! Batman! Please, res--"

"We're all right, Nightwing."

A wave of relief swept over Nightwing at the sound of Izuku's voice. "Kid, don't you ever scare me like that again," he said. "What's your location? Is Batman with you?"

"I'm here Nightwing," came Batman's voice over the Comm. "Deku used his quirk to blast a hole in the ground for us to take cover in. We're safe, but we're buried."

"Is David with you? The Joker?" Said Nightwing.

"Both unconscious," Said Batman. "You need to get us out of here, fast."

"I'll have emergency services here in half a second," said Nightwing. "Just don't die on me down there."

Izuku breathed deeply into the oxygen mask as Alfred looked over him back at the Batcave. He had sustained moderate injuries, specifically when Jason had shot him, but Alfred was able to remove the bullets and heal his injuries. All Might, Bruce, Nightwing and Melissa all stood around him as he sat on the examining table.

"How do you feel?" Said All Might.

"Fine," Replied Izuku. "My mother is going to kill me."

"You? It's my head that's on the chopping block this time," said Bruce.

"Perhaps it would be better if we kept Master Midoriya's involvement in this adventure our little secret for the time being," Said Alfred.

Izuku hated the idea of lying to his mother, but he wasn't in any hurry to tell her that his relaxing trip to America turned into another fight for his life. Bruce and Dick had hurried him away back to the Batcave so as to prevent anyone from finding out his identity. He was still an unlicensed hero student, and getting caught using his quirk would land him in a lot of hot water.

"What happened to Jason?" Said All Might.

Bruce shook his head. "He was gone by the time we were dug out of the rubble," he said. "His trail has gone cold, for now."

"Are you all right?" Said All Might.

Bruce didn't answer. They all turned as they heard someone clear their throat behind them. David had regained consciousness and had accompanied them. "I just heard the news," said David. "Lucius was able to get the antiserum to the hero agencies. Did it work?"

"It did," Bruce confirmed. "The Titan monsters are reverting back to their human selves."

"And the Joker?"

"Back in Arkham."

"Good," Said David, sitting in a chair, sighing. "What a mess I've made. I guess it's true what they say: 'the road to Hell is paved with good intentions.'"

"What'll happen now?" Asked Izuku.

"Now I am going to make a full confession to the police," Said David. "And tender my resignation with I-Island. I'll be lucky if I avoid jail-time."

"I'm sorry," said Izuku.

"That's the price I pay," said David. "I'm at peace with it."

"I'll speak with the DA," Said Bruce. "Perhaps I can get your sentence commuted."

"To what?" Said David.

"Work release," Said Bruce. "For WayneTech Research and Development."

"Are you serious?" Said David incredulously.

"The Titan formula is still out there somewhere," Said Bruce. "We need your brain to help combat it."

"Bruce, I don't know what to say," Said David.

"I do," Said Melissa, surprising Bruce with an abrupt hug. "Thank you, Uncle Bruce."

"Don't mention it," Said Bruce, patting her back awkwardly.

Izuku sighed as he laid back on his bed back in his home in Japan, having just finished unpacking. His mother was overjoyed to see him, and had fussed a great deal over him from the minute he walked through the door. Bruce, Alfred and All Might had accompanied him back and had stayed for dinner, telling her every detail of his time in America. It was all fabricated, of course, mostly just of Izuku enjoying fun activities during his recuperation. Luckily, news of the monster attack on Gotham hadn't gotten as far as Japan. Gotham Police squashed any report of Titan Formula with local media, wanting to prevent any villains from getting their hands on it. Izuku would eventually tell his mother the truth, but when she was in a better state of mind to receive it.

Saying goodbye to Melissa was the hardest part. He knew it wasn't going to be a permanent goodbye, as she and her father were moving to Gotham to work for Bruce, but even in the short time they had been together, he had grown quite attached to her. Before boarding the plane, she surprised him by giving him a big hug and planting a kiss on his cheek.

"See you around, Izuku," She had said to him.

"Definitely," Said Izuku.

As he began to drift off to sleep, he felt his phone vibrate in his pocket. It was a text from Uraraka. Hey, I heard you're back home, the message read. How was your trip to America? Don't spare any details.

Izuku pondered for a moment before typing back: pretty uneventful.