Chapter 10: Gathering the Troops

"What happened in here?" Nightwing asked after landing on the balcony of Scarlett's apartment. He tip-toed cautiously into the desecrated living room, where Jason was standing with his arms crossed over his chest. Anger burned deep inside him as he read the poetic threat over and over again. The rest of the family made their way inside soon after. "Did someone throw a party in here?" Catwoman quipped as she maneuvered her foot around shards of broken glass on the floor."Yeah...a party," Jason muttered with malice. Batman immediately made his way over to the wall and examined the symbol. "It was only a matter of time before Talia made her move.""But why take this girl hostage? Is she involved somehow?" Red Robin questioned.The room grew silent as they searched throughout the home for evidence. Dick studied a bookshelf littered with pictures while Bruce and Tim made their way into the bedrooms. Selina was pacing around the kitchen when the spike of her heel crunched a large round piece of glass. Her eyes widened with curiosity when she noticed the broken vase of roses and the small piece of white paper tied to the stalks of the flowers."Someone has an admirer...," she observed. Using the serrated blade of her claws, she cut off the note and unfolded it. Her eyes narrowed as they drifted across the page. "Boys! I've got something!" Batman rounded the corner and gave her a questioning look. She peered past his shoulder at Jason and placed her hands on her hips."Before I read this, let's all take a minute to think about everything that's happened over the last few months. Has anyone else noticed how Jason is constantly making up excuses for why he can't go out on patrol?""I told him to lie low until we figured out what Talia was after," Bruce remarked."And he didn't listen, did he? He refused to go into hiding and was determined to hunt her down...at least in the beginning. He hasn't even touched his suit in over a week. You're trying to tell me he just suddenly gave up on his idea for revenge? He's actually going to let us handle this?""Is that what you wanted me to do?" Jason asked sarcastically, though his unease was growing as the lie was slowly coming undone. "Right..." Selina replied, unconvinced. "But that's not all. Until a few months ago, we'd be lucky to reach Jason if we tried to call him. Now, he hardly puts his phone down. Then, he asked us to meet him at this random girl's apartment, meaning he was already here. The message on the wall proves this woman was kidnapped by Talia, who we know has a vendetta against Jason and wants to hurt him in any way possible. Does any of that seem odd to you?""It does sound a little suspicious, Jay," Nightwing observed, earning a glare from his younger brother. "Well, if you think that's suspicious, then this note is damning," Catwoman continued. "It was attached to a bouquet of roses on the kitchen floor. It reads, "Sorry I was late. I'll make it up to you tonight. Love - Jay."Everyone turned to Jason, whose hands were yet again clenched into fists. "Is there something you want to tell us, Jason?" she asked, handing the note to Batman."There is. You can be a real bitch sometimes, Selina." Jason growled threateningly.She quirked an eyebrow. "Yeah, I can be. What's your point?""Stop jerking us around," Nightwing said sternly. "Who is this girl, and how do you know her?"Jason sighed and turned his head away from his family. "Her name is Scarlett Vesper. She's...my girlfriend."Tim nudged Dick in the ribs with his elbow. "Guess you owe Barb ten bucks.""How long has this been going on?" Bruce asked stiffly. Jason hesitated. "...Three months."Catwoman shook her head. "Seriously? You usually rub it in whenever you get a new fling!""Shut the fuck up! You have no idea what she means to me!" Jason threatened, stepping closer."You're right, I don't." she retaliated. "But if you had told us about her sooner, we could have protected her. Talia is on your back and you thought it was a good idea to bring this girl out in the open? I get that you don't like us, but dammit, Jason! We're your family! This could've been prevented if you had just told us the truth!""Enough! " Batman scolded, stepping in between them.Jason stomped away and kicked the broken coffee table across the room. "I am such a fucking idiot! I let my guard down for one goddamned second!—""—None of that matters now," Bruce replied. "Scarlett is being held captive somewhere, and Talia will kill her unless we face her." "We need to find out where the League is hiding," Tim stated. "It would have to be near a Lazarus source, right?" "Bruce, didn't you take a sample from the sewer tunnels?" Selina asked."I did, but when Oracle and I analyzed it there wasn't a trace of DNA. The source must not have been strong enough to sustain Rā's." "There has to be another pit somewhere," Dick voiced in disbelief. "The League wouldn't have come back to Gotham otherwise."Tim's eyes lit up. "Doesn't LexCorp use Lazarus-based technology? Lex Luthor and Ra's have worked together before.""Yes, but the company mainly operates out of Metropolis," Bruce responded. "Clark would have told me if he noticed something.""Could Ace Chemicals be using Lazarus?" Dick asked. "They've been caught making some interesting things before. Look at what happened to Joker.""Ace was the first place I looked when I discovered the League of Assassins years ago," Bruce answered. "Ace manufactures their own chemicals. Lazarus occurs naturally. Besides, Ace doesn't have the technology to harness it."Catwoman turned to him curiously. "What technology is needed to use it?""Electricity," Jason chimed in. "About a billion volts worth. When the molecules in Lazarus are combined with that amount of electricity, they become ions. The way those compounds interact with that energy happens to create a natural antidote to any injury or illness, including death.""Where would you find a source of electricity that strong?" Dick asked. "Power plants on the city outskirts can't even come close to generating that much.""I can't believe I didn't think of this before," Batman said, deep in thought. "There is a place that can house that amount of electricity and contains a Lazarus source...one that Rā's created himself. It hasn't been operational for over a hundred years, though.""You thinking what I'm thinking?" Jason asked as he looked at his adopted father. Bruce nodded. "Wonder City.""That place is practically falling apart!" Selina exclaimed. "And there's no way in with the Cyrus Pinkney Museum, the Monarch Theater, and the sewer systems built right on top of it.""What is Wonder City?" Tim asked with a look of utter confusion. Batman took a long breath. "The League of Assassins was once a fighting force that strived to end worldwide corruption. Rā's al Ghūl came to Gotham City in the eighteen-hundreds after hearing about its reputation. Not long after, news broke that a man named Cyrus Gold had been murdered and his body disposed of in Slaughter Swamp. The water miraculously brought him back to life. Rā's discovered the Lazarus compound beneath the mud. He learned that a lightning bolt struck the Lazarus and generated enough energy to revive Gold. Unfortunately, the effects of Lazarus caused Gold to turn into the monster we know as Solomon Grundy. Rā's was fascinated with the chemical's healing abilities and manipulated the formula to create a purer source that wouldn't alter his appearance. All he needed was enough electricity to create a pit.""He came up with the idea of Wonder City, a town hidden beneath Gotham's streets, as a front to hide the Lazarus pit," Jason continued. "He bribed the city council into giving him the deeds for the project. His servants built the city, the pit, and an army of mechanical soldiers to guard it. Wonder Tower is the device that connects to the Lazarus Pit through a network of pipes, which attracts electricity during lightning storms. Rā's didn't realize that the effects of the pit were driving the residents of Wonder City crazy. The crime rate rose to an all-time high because of him. He refused to do anything about it because he was obsessed with the chemical. City Hall then ordered the police to shut down Wonder City and transport the residents to Arkham Asylum. Rā's fled shortly after they issued an arrest warrant and didn't come back for another century. The rest is history." "That's the only other Lazarus source in Gotham," Bruce added. "Then that's where they took my girl," Jason said, taking his folded suit from Robin. "Let's not waste any more time. I've got a meeting to go to."