Chapter 13: End in Fire

"Jason! Put the gun down!" Bruce shouted over the roar of the generator. Jason kept his eyes fixed murderously on Talia as the floor shook and stones from the ceiling fell around them."No! She nearly killed Scarlett! She has to pay for this!""Scarlett is safe! Let it go!""I'm not like you, Bruce. When someone tries to hurt me..." He chambered a round into the barrel. "I kill them.""I said put it down! Now!""She dies now or we all do!"A loud crack emitting from the ceiling stole Jason's attention. He looked up just in time to see a large stone falling over his head."Look out!" Bruce warned as they flung themselves out of the boulder's path. Large sparks began to shoot from the generator as it ignited."We have to go now!" Bruce screamed, pulling Jason up the stairs. Behind them, the generator shot a beam of pure electricity into the pool and it exploded in a cloud of green fire. Bruce, Talia, and Jason raced down the hall as the flames chased them through the streets of Wonder City and into the Wonder Tower loading bay. Bruce and Jason slammed and barricaded the golden doors with the spears from the mechanical soldiers."Glad to see your pride didn't get in the way of your judgment," Talia mocked between heavy breaths.Jason reached for the gun at his hip, but the holster was empty."Son of a bitch..." he mumbled."Oh look, and now you've lost your toys."The floor shook once again, knocking them off balance as a loud bang emerged from the ground below, rattling the locked doors."The generator..." Jason breathed."The subway is going to cave in!" Bruce shouted, pulling Jason and Talia to their feet. "What about Wonder Tower?!" Talia asked, gesturing to the steel giant reaching into the sky. Bruce gave her a cold look and her eyes fell to the floor."You destroyed my father's legacy...I hope you're proud of yourself," she choked with tears lining her eyes. "Save your pity party for later!" Jason yelled, running up the iron stairs two at a time toward the exit, Bruce and Talia in tow. Just as they pushed into the pump room, the doors to Wonder City blasted off their hinges and green fire engulfed every corner of the room. The cobblestones in the floor fell away like stacked dominos into the fiery abyss. The steel supports of the massive tower bent and snapped, causing it to sway back and forth. The lights flickered off as Wonder Tower began to fall...."Where are they?" Selina pondered anxiously as she paced up and down the street."Bruce was going to destroy the pit," Dick replied calmly. "Knowing him, he's bringing Talia back with him. He probably had to subdue her first."Selina groaned in disdain. "If I were him, I would've left her prissy ass down there.""Wow...jealous of the ex, Selina?" he asked with a mocking smile. "As if!"She turned on her heel to look at Tim, who was holding Scarlett while checking her wounds."How is she?"Tim sighed but gave a small smile. "She's exhausted and slightly malnourished, but she'll be fine in a few days. She's still unconscious though...""Poor girl," Selina sighed. "Jason is going to have one hell of a time explaining this to her..."Suddenly, a thunderous crash escaped from the base of the tower. The gang looked on in horror as a massive explosion erupted from beneath the steel giant and it began to lean and sink into the ground."Oh...my...god..." Selina gasped, staring at the scene before her."Bruce..." Tim murmured.Selina ran to the subway entrance and turned her ear to listen for any sign of movement. Over the rumbling of the explosion, she couldn't hear a thing. With every silent moment that passed, she felt the doubt begin to tear at her stomach.To her immense relief, the sound of fast footsteps came from the base of the stairwell."You guys scared the hell out of us—""—Get down!" Bruce shouted pulling her and the other two behind him to the ground as fire burst out of the subway entrance. Tim whipped his cape over his head to protect himself and Scarlett from the blast. The force of the explosion launched Dick through the glass window of a nearby shop and sent the others sliding along the pavement. Flaming pieces of debris swirled around them and clouded the air with stenchful green smoke. After a few minutes, the wind blew just enough to clear the air and allow a little visibility. Tim, peeking out from beneath the black fabric, flipped the cape over completely and coughed the ash from his mouth."Is...is everyone okay?" he shouted hoarsely. A collective groan was the only reply.From the lip of the stairs by the subway, Jason reached up to the railing to pull himself to his feet...only to have the sharp heel of a boot be rammed into the open wound on his leg. He howled in agony as the assailant ducked behind him and held his arms in place. The sharp blade of a sword found its way into the weak point between the armor plates around his throat."We're not finished yet..." Talia's voice growled resentfully into his ear."Talia... put the sword down," Bruce instructed carefully as he lifted himself off the ground."No," she replied, her voice laced with hatred and despair. "That Lazarus pit was my father's last hope. Wonder City was his beacon of light in this dark and tortured city...his legacy to mankind...and you destroyed it! Someone will pay!""Why Jason? Why not me? I'm the one who destroyed the pit and the city. Blame me."She smiled despite herself. "Oh yes...that would be so simple, wouldn't it, Beloved? So easy to take the fall yourself, then persuade me to let you live. Well, not this time. The fault lies with Jason. It was his battle to fight! He could've entered like the warrior I knew him to be, but he chose instead to be a coward! A true warrior does not seek others to fight the battle for him!""You asked for this," Jason grumbled, attempting in vain to reach something on his utility belt to help him escape. "Don't be surprised that I didn't play fair."She pressed the blade tighter into his neck, drawing a pearl of blood."Don't expect me to play fair either," she snarled. "This ends tonight! I will not return with my mission unfulfilled!""What are you talking about?" Bruce asked. "Did something happen to Rā's?"Talia fought back her tears. "Nothing that has not been happening for the last hundred years. My father is old, his body is weakening. The Lazarus can no longer restore his abilities.""Then why did you need Wonder City?" Dick asked, limping over to the group."Lazarus can only be found in Gotham, and our supply in 'Eth Alth'eban is dwindling. My father can no longer survive without its properties acting on his body constantly. Wonder City is...was...the only place capable of keeping him alive.""You planned to use Wonder City as a life-support system?!" Tim questioned, disturbed."I had no choice...""Talia, this is insane!" Bruce scolded. "He's my father, Bruce!" she cried. "He's going to die, Talia! Even if Wonder Tower was still standing, he wouldn't survive much longer.""He won't now..." she seethed. "He could have if you fools hadn't destroyed it! Without him, everything the League has built, everything it has represented for hundreds of years will be lost! I cannot—will not—let that happen."She looked at Bruce, almost pleadingly. "You know my pain, Bruce. You know the desire to protect what remains of the past."He took a solemn step toward her. "You know I do, but I also know you can't preserve what's already lost. The League was once a place where people could go to seek knowledge and strength. Its purpose was to fight for justice. Rā's once believed in that purpose, but he's since tainted it with his own greed. You're just enabling him, prolonging his lust for power. It doesn't have to be this way. You could restore it to its former glory, give the League a new purpose."For a moment, Talia stared at the ground, soaking in his words. Then, with a wicked smirk, she looked up into his eyes. "You know, you sound just like my sister, Nyssa. She too grew disenchanted with my father's mission. Before I left, she and her rebel forces infiltrated 'Eth Alth'eban and attempted to slaughter our father in his sleep."She reached into her pocket and revealed a green silk scarf, bathed in dried blood. She held it close to her face, relishing in the softness of it on her cheek and the faint perfume that still lingered."I would have liked to lead the League beside her.""What did you do?!" Bruce growled."What I had to," she answered darkly. "Just like now..."As Talia poised the blade to slash Jason's throat, there came a loud crack of metal and Talia dropped to the ground, unconscious. Standing behind her was Selina, holding a section of a water pipe that blasted off during the explosion. "Boy, desperation just does NOT look good on some women," she quipped, dropping the pipe in a huff.Everyone sighed in unison, relieved and exhausted. Bruce unlatched the Batcuffs from his utility belt and slapped them on Talia's wrists. Dick headed off a ways from the group and turned on his comlink."Babs?""Dick?!" she exclaimed, her voice sounding worried. "Oh thank god...after Bruce lit up the generator it went quiet. I'm tapped into GCPD's police scanner and there are numerous calls about Wonder Tower collapsing?! What the hell happened over there?!"Dick chuckled tiredly. "It's a long story..."As Dick filled in Barbara on the fiasco, Jason limped over to Tim and knelt beside him."Will she be alright?" he asked, cupping Scarlett's cheek.Tim looked at his brother sympathetically. "Yes, but we should bring her back to the manor so Alfred can take a look at her. There's only so much I can do."Jason sighed and ran a hand through her hair. She looked frail, like a single touch would break her. Even more so, she looked exhausted. Despite her dehydration, her eyes were puffy. She had been crying and her mouth was formed into a saddening frown."Look at what I put her through..." Jason mumbled, his voice trembling."Don't be too hard on yourself, Jay. She's alive and she'll recover. I guess she's stronger than you realized."Jason reached out and gathered her into his arms, pushing through the pain in his leg as he stood up.Tim followed suit, wrapping Scarlett in his cape to keep her warm. "You know Jay, after everything that happened tonight, I think she deserves an explanation. It's not my secret to tell and I know you've only been seeing her a few months. But, if you really love her and you trust her, you should tell her the truth.""I'm not worried about that now," Jason hesitated."Then...what are you worried about?"He gazed at her softly, painfully. "Look at me, Tim. I'm a trainwreck. This situation alone is enough to end our relationship, but if she thinks this is the only baggage I carry, she's in for a rude awakening. I'm worried that she'll think staying with me isn't worth the danger or emotional turmoil. I would understand if she did, but it wouldn't stop it from hurting any less."Tim put a hand on his shoulder. "You're not alone. Look at us, Jay. We've all got some scars, some worse than others. Maybe it'll be too much for her and she'll leave, but maybe she'll love you enough to stay. It's her decision to make, but whatever happens, we're all here for you. We might not be your first choice, but we're your family."Jason smiled slightly before looking back at the others. "No, you're not my first choice," he said. "But you're certainly not my last."He kissed the top of Scarlett's head and headed over to the Batmobile as sirens wailed in the distance and ashes fell from the air.