Well, here it is, guys; the Jazz becomes an assassin fic, I promised. The prompt did call out for Talia not to be comfortable with Jason's and Jazz's relationship, but I couldn't write it that way. Hopefully, OP will forgive me for that. It will not have many chapters, but the chapters will be longish.
This first chapter will focus on Red Hood: Lost Days, so if you've read that comic, you'll recognize a lot. Talia doesn't sleep with Jason here, and she's more like a mother to him, which I'm sure many of you will be glad about.
āLook for the Shadows and the Batās greatest regret,ā Clockwork told her before cutting off all communication with the Infinite Realms.
Jazz followed the rumors to Nanda Parbat.
She still didnāt know the batās greatest regret or who or what the bat even was, but she had found out about the League of Assassins. She had found the shadows, and she refused to leave.
She needed to get stronger, much stronger, if she wanted to stop the Fentons and destroy the GIW. The rumored shadows were the only ones who could help her do that.
A white and green thermos was clipped to her hipāher most precious treasure.
It didnāt take long for the shadows to find her. She was encroaching on their territory, after all. They all attacked. Jazz took out her staff and started fighting them off until they overwhelmed her.
She lost. It didnāt mean she didnāt take as many as she could with them, though, to be fair, it wasnāt many. In the end, Jazz was brought to her knees.
Suddenly, a beautiful woman with green eyes materialized from the shadows. Behind her was a teenage boy around her age with the same green eyes.
They reminded her of the Infinite Realms.
āWhy are you here, little one? You are not one of our assassins; although you fight well, you are still lacking.ā
Jazz struggled until she was let go and bowed. She wasnāt above begging to complete her goals.
āIāve come here to ask for help from the Demonās Head and his League. I wish to get stronger, strong enough to destroy those who have harmed the person I hold dearest to my heart.ā
The woman raised an immaculate brow. The boy behind her said nothing.
āNow, how did a civilian learn about the Demonās Head?ā
āThere are clues to find him if one wants to get stronger. Iām such a person.ā
The woman attacked Jazz, who barely had time to raise her staff to defend herself. The woman quickly launched another attack, and Jazz was on the defensive, trying to find a way to turn it into an offensive one. She would never win if she didnāt attack the woman.
The woman swept her legs from under her, and Jazz fell on her ass hard.
āYou have potential,ā the woman said, āBut you lack a killing drive. If you lack that, youāll never survive here.ā
āThen teach me,ā Jazz demanded. She didnāt come this far to be told no. She would do whatever she had to.
āTo train with the League of Assassins, you must be ruthless. You have to have convection and not hesitate to draw blood.ā
āI have no problem with killing,ā Jazz said. The dead agent she had killed in Ohio came to mind. The agentās blood had colored her suit red. It might have been her only kill, for now, but Jazz wasnāt incapable of not doing so. After all, her path to revenge would leave behind a sea of red.
āTell me your name, little one.ā
āYour real name,ā the woman demanded.
āJasmine. Just Jasmine. I gave up my last name a long time ago.ā
āWell, just Jasmine. My name is Talia Al Ghul, daughter of the Demonās Head. I like your attitude. Youāll train with the League as you wish. Whether you come out alive is up to you.ā
Talia melted into the shadows again, leaving Jazz behind with the assassins and the teenage boy. The teenager looked at her blankly, nodded, and disappeared.
The days blended until they became weeks, then months.
The days were filled with blood, sweat, tears, and bruises.
Jazzās eighteenth birthday came and went with purple coloring on her body and her hands washed in red. She had spent the night with the thermos in her hand and wet cheeks.
Talia had been right. The League of Assassins was a place of ruthlessness and conviction. More still, it was a place full of brutality and cruelty. Jazz learned those two lessons quickly. It was either that or die.
She couldnāt die just yet, though.
Jazz didn't see Talia again during the months she had been with the League, nor did she ever meet the Demon head, but she occasionally saw the teenage boy sneaking around. She still hadnāt learned his name, and Jazz wasnāt interested in doing so. She wasnāt on a name basis with anyone in the League. She doubted anyone except Talia knew.
Every day, she woke up when the stars were still out and shining, got ready, made sure the thermos stayed hidden in her room, and then went to the mess hall to eat.
Afterward, she would run drills with the rest of the shadows. After the drills, she fought. The fights were in groups or one by one, but Jazz always gave it her all. She was doing this for Danny, after all. She was doing this for revenge.
One day, after a particularly brutal day, Talia entered her room with the boy.
āTell me, Jasmine Fenton, how is the League treating you?ā
Jazz stopped icing her bruised eye as her blood ran cold. She felt her breath hitch in her throat. How had Talia found out about Jazzās name? She had been careful to keep her past and her name secret. Vlad had made sure to erase all mentions of Jasmine and Daniel Fenton outside Amity Park. Jazz didnāt talk to anyone to make sure she didnāt give anything away by accident. Ancients, dammit!
āDonāt be surprised. You intrigued me since the moment you got here. I didnāt have much time to look into you, but it wasnāt hard to find out about Jasmine Fenton once I did. The only daughter of the Drs. Jack and Madeline Fenton with a younger brother. A Straight A student on her way to an Ivy League with plans to study psychology and neuroscience. Both parents are the leading ectobiologists and geniuses regarding the afterlife and ectoentities.ā
āBoth Fenton children have mysteriously disappeared,ā Jazz pointedly didnāt look where she had hidden the thermos, ābut somehow, the daughter had shown up to Nanda Parbat, asking to become stronger.ā
How was Jazz going to escape? She couldnāt leave behind the thermos; she wouldnāt be able to make it far in the Leagueās base. Everyone else was way more skilled than her.
Talia sat on the only chair in the room. The teenage boy stood guard at the door.
āSo, tell me, little one, why are you truly here?ā
He was German, liked Ska music, drank a disgustingly sweet cherry-flavored energy drink all day, and murdered people for a living.
He was teaching Jason and Jazz how to kill.
She didnāt flinch at the sound of flesh hitting flesh. She had long since gotten used to it.
āThat is enough,ā Egon said in English with a thick German accent. The man Jason had been fighting was out cold on the floor. āHow would you finish him?ā he asked Jason.
āFoot to the neck,ā Jason answered with no hesitation. That seemed like a gamble to her; there were easier ways.
āNeck is thick. Might not give,ā Egon said.
āIt would be my full weight behind it,ā Jason argued, āBut heās out, so I could always do the bridge of his nose into his brainpan.ā
āHow about you, schƶnes MƤdchen?ā Egon had gotten into the habit of calling Jazz a pretty girl,āHow would you finish him off?ā
āI would go for the eyes,ā she said without a second thought.
Egon turned back to Jason, āYou stupidly still feel the need to go for the head and not the eyes. You are damaging your knuckles and wasting time. You get angry too easily. Then you become an idiot.ā
āDuly noted,ā Jason said.
Jazz followed the two behind, not even sparing the fallen man a second glance.
Outside, armed men were guarding and walking around the facility. She also ignored them. A part of her wondered when she had gotten used to men with guns being around her. Then again, the Fentons had never been shy about using and pointing weapons at their children.
Jazz touched the thermos; it was still okay.
After Talia and Jason had ambushed her in her room, she kept it with her always. Jazz would have to become strong enough to protect it and the important treasure it held.
āYou may have broken your ribs,ā Egon said to Jason. āDerek will escort you into the city for an x-ray. A vet takes care of some of our patch work.ā
āThanks, but I think I just bruised a couple.ā
Jazz was about to intervene when Egon continued.
āIām not being motherly, you imbecile. You two pay me weekly. If you fight with broken ribs, you puncture any number of organs, then you die, and I lose the fee. Go to town.ā
Derek opened the door for Jason and then for Jazz, winking at her as he closed it.
How had she ended up here?
Oh, right, because Talia wanted Jazz to keep an eye out on Jason and help calm down his murderous rage toward his father.
After Jazz had told Talia everything she was willing to share, mainly about the Fentons and their work and the GIW, she came to her a few hours later, telling Jazz she would accompany Jason to train with a sniper. Talia had assigned Jazz the duty to āstall Jason while he trained and to use her psychology knowledge to help him.ā
Jazz had no idea what Talia wanted her to do.
She wasnāt a trained psychologist (she never would be.), Jazz was damaged herself, and Jason ignored her.
Jason had only spoken to her twice while they had spent a month with the sniper. If anything, he spoke to Egon more than he did to Jazz. And she was his companion.
She didnāt even know how to bring up Jason's rage toward his father without cluing Jason in that Talia sent her to keep an eye out for him.
āFigure it out,ā Talia had said when Jazz had mentioned it, āYouāre a smart girl. Do this, and I will give you the necessary resources to enact your revenge.ā
Jazz stared at the passing scenery of snow and forests as Derek drove them to the vet.
Jazz didnāt need much teaching when it came to the sniper. One of the benefits of having the Fentons as her parents (the word left a sour taste in her mouth) was that they had taught both her and Danny how to use guns, rifles, and, for better or worse, heavy artillery.
Jazz would spend the morning practicing her shots, then the rest of the day practicing her katas and reading books on strategy or psychology. She spent her time practicing her Arabic while studying Russian. She missed being in Nanda Parbat and its extensive library.
Jason, though, Jason had spent the whole month practicing his shooting. Jazz got the impression that he was competing with her and trying to get as good or even better than Jazz. That had worked out for Jazz. She was glad she could stall him for as long as she did. Talia had even complimented her. Jazz doubted she was a woman who gave them out often.
Derek had spent the time flirting with Jazz while Jason got looked over. After ignoring him for a while, he turned to chatting with Jason, who seemed more than happy to talk with the scumbag while still ignoring Jazz.
They returned to the facility through an entrance Jazz had never seen before. There were two orange medium trailer trucks. Jazz barely paused when she heard whimpering coming from within. She knew it wasnāt dogs.
āBut tell me, what is your story, Americans? How does a kid and a young girl,ā he smiled at Jazz, āhave enough money to buy time with Egon? You rich manās children? Or you have, whatās the word, sponsor?ā
āWell, Derek, I canāt speak for Jazz, but Iāve always invested wisely.ā
Derek turned to Jazz. She still gave him nothing.
āJa, you both have your secrets. Okay. But listen, you both have skills. Youāre good. Weāve been talking.ā
Jazz paid more attention. Something was about to happen.
āMe and the others,ā Derek continued, āWe who work for Egon. You both should think about taking some work. We have jobs where we could use you. Money is good. Even for you.ā
Jazz could hear him coming from the left; she was sure Jason could, too, but she knew Egon wasnāt coming for her or Jason. Well, itās better to watch and keep her mouth shut.
Egon kicked Derek in the back of the head. Both Jazz and Jason said nothing and watched. Egon beat the shit out of Derek, drawing blood. It seemed Egon didnāt want his secrets to come out by accident, which made him look suspicious.
āYou will have to forgive me. Some of my men will forget on occasion to refrain from discussions. Jan will take you back to your room.ā
Egon told Jan something in German angrily. Jazzās grasp of German wasnāt good enough to understand what Egon was saying, but she knew he was pissed at Derek.
They donāt have free rein of the facility.
Egon had tried to spin it as a scheduled military-style discipline; Jazz didnāt buy it, and she doubted Jason did either.
Jazz said nothing as Jason stared out the window. He didnāt give her an inkling of what he was thinking.
Jason wasnāt stupid. His anger sometimes got in the way, but he was calculating and was good at putting puzzle pieces together. Besides, although her super hearing picked up on the whimpering loud and clear, she knew Jason had heard and suspected something.
She got her confirmation when he climbed out the window at two A.M. Both of them knew Leon was watching them, but he tended to walk off to meet Sofie, a hooker Jazz had the pleasure of meeting before, at two in the morning.
Jason didnāt tell Jazz anything when she followed him out the window, but he did scowl at her. She jutted her chin out stubbornly. No way in the Infinite Realms was she going to do nothing while people, possibly children, were in trouble.
Jasonās eyes told her everything she needed to know.
Youād better not fuck this up, they said.
I wonāt, hers answered back.
They had two hours before Leon came back, and their absence was noted. They followed a road back from the west. The same road they had come through earlier. They snuck through even though there were no surveillance cameras. Were they doing it to minimize evidence, or was it because they were arrogant?
Jazz wanted to gag from the smell. They were burning leaves to cover it up, but even without her super senses, it didnāt mask the odor.
Jazz and Jason saw one guard asleep with a gun on the passenger side.
Well, there went a point for arrogance. They had had it too easy for far too long and had yet to learn what trouble they would encounter. They obviously werenāt afraid of whoever they had would be able to escape. After all, the window was a cheap, single pane. A shoe could break it. She and Jason looked through the window.
Jazzās breath got caught in her throat.
Children! All were under the age of ten, not malnourished but in white rags and handcuffed. Jazz could smell the drugs emitting from their bodies. All of them were Asian. Jazz counted forty-two of them.
Beside her, Jason was trembling with barely contained anger. She knew she was in the same boat. How dare they? How dare they hurt children? Egon made enough money killing and training people like he was training them. How greedy can one person be? Why would he have to traffic people, let alone children?
Ā Jazz followed Jason to Egonās office. Egon was too confident; there were no alarms.
She kept watch without being told while Jason read Egonās logs. They were all handwritten. Easy to dispose of.
Jazz let Jason read the logs, but then she saw them.
āTheyāre on the move.ā
āTheyāre selling children. I canāt get the exact details because itās in a code only he would understand.ā
āSo what should we do?ā
Jasonās smile was feral. He turned toward the bottles of energy drinks.
āWe have about forty-five minutes for them to load all the kids.ā
Jason took out the energy drink box and syringe. Where had he gotten that? He ejected a little bit into one of the bottles before taking out another one and doing the same. Jazz started helping him by handing him bottles and putting them back into the box. Ā
āWeāre ten minutes from here to their makeshift motor pool. Itās all low-tech with no alarms. Thatās plenty of time.ā
Jazz was sure her smile was as feral as Jasonās as he explained his plan.
It was simple: Jason would drive the empty truck, set it on fire in the middle of the road, and force them to stop. Jazz would hide in the trees and shoot the passenger while Jason threatened the driver with a gun to drive them toward the British Embassy.
Jan bled out, and the driver got a bullet to his head while they silently crept through the night back to Egon.
Jazz didnāt understand what the man was yelling into the phone when they returned, but she stood back while Jason told him something in German and shot at Egon. The older man predictably dodged the shots and then tackled Jason out of the door.
Jazz watched as the man punched Jason. Still, she didnāt move a muscle. Jazz knew Jason wouldnāt appreciate it.
Egon pushed Jason toward a tree and pinned him there. He completely ignored Jazz, which was fine with her.
āTell me what youāve done!ā Egon yelled, his accent thicker than usual. āWhere are they?! Where?ā
āYāknowā¦your accent gets thicker when youāre pissed. Itāsā¦cute,ā Jason sassed at the man. Jazz couldnāt help but roll her eyes. She was realizing that Jason tended to fall on dramatics. Sheād have to analyze that later.
Jazz flinched when Jason headbutted Egon. Egon then got Jason by the neck and threw him to the ground. Should she intervene? No, if she moved, Egon might go after her, and she wasnāt as skilled as Jason in hand-to-hand combat. Better to let this play out. She could always help later.
āYou think you are clever?! You think this is some game? Rich American punks! Now the tail wags the dog? The student unseats the master?! I teach you how to throw punchesāand now you think you can actually strike at me? Do you?!ā
āNo,ā Jason said, āThatās why I poisoned your energy drink.ā
Jazz had no idea how Jason had timed it, but as soon as the last word came out, Egon fell to his knees, and foam came out of his mouth. Huh, he had drama down to an art.
The cold air warmed around them as they watched everything burn to the ground around them.
Jazz had no idea what Jason told Talia, but she saw Talia give a pleased smile.
After the first time with Egon, a sort of pattern rose. Talia found them a teacher; half the time, that teacher ended up dead.
It wasnāt like they killed indiscriminately, though.
After all, that surveillance expert was a pedophile. The small arms man ran a drug ring that had more than half his supplies cut with poison, and the close combat master had been planning on killing her daughters and husband for some fucked up reason.
At the moment, both Jazz and Jason were escaping the scene of their latest kill. A rival chief had hired a group of mercenaries to pit two tribes against each other. It wouldāve caused the death of child soldiers.
Jazz and Jason had turned the tables on them and gotten the child soldiers to kill the mercenaries. Usually, the odds of children getting the jump on a group of professionals were low, but Jazz and Jason had facilitated the childrenās chances.
Neither Jazz nor Jason were worried about being hit with bullets while on the bike. The children had terrible aim, and they had a good teacher. His name was Rip, and he was an expert on all things wheels.
Jazz let Jason do all the talking; he was a better liar. Rip was a dirtbag but he got to live. He was just the driver. He even gave Jason one last lesson and let him drive the plane.
Their next teacher was Shurik Ivanko; he made bombs.
Jazz took these lessons with enthusiasm. So did Jason. After all, bombs would be the best way to destroy GIW facilities in the future. She watched as the explosion ripped through the barn and car. She pretended not to notice Jasonās slight flinch as the bomb went off.
Jazz declined the offer to go drinking. Jason did not.
She tried to ignore the feelings of worry. After all, Jason and her were rarely apart these days. They traveled together, trained together, and killed together.
āHave fun, boys,ā she said as she exited the car in front of the run-down motel they were staying.
They met Talia at a sleazy dive in London.
Talia gave Jazz a packet. She took it and went to the far corner of the dive bar to read over the reports.
The GIW and Fentons had made a new weapon that went after anyone with even an inkling of ectoplasm. This included people who were resuscitated after drowning or a heart attack. Jazzās mouth went into a thin line.
She had to get stronger still so she could stop them.
She would have to save money to get help. Maybe she could bribe Vlad again into depositing her money for mercenaries. Itās not like she didnāt know how to contact them now. Talia had told her she would help with resources, but Jazz didnāt want to count on her only. After all, that help was conditional on how much she could stall Jason from who knows what.
Jazz tapped her fingers on the old table as she thought of plans. Yes, Vlad used to love Maddie, but that love fizzled out after what she did to Danny. Now, all Vlad cared about was keeping his secret as a halfa secret, staying alive, and finding ways to destroy the GIW without getting his hands dirty.
That had probably been the only reason he had sponsored Jazz. She had pitched her plans for revenge and had helped her by opening an account so she could travel to follow Clockworkās clues. After all, she had no trouble doing what Vlad was unwilling to do.
Jazz frowned. She found the shadows but still had no idea what the ābatās greatest regret was.ā She knew that Clockwork gave her that clue to ensure success, so she would have to find that before launching her attack.
Jazz looked up toward Talia and Jason and noticed Jasonās tensed muscles as he looked at something.
Jason was tense the whole ride back to the motel. He didnāt talk to Jazz and booked a different motel room when they returned. He had a yellow envelope he was crushing with his fists. That night, while she kept watch in front of Jasonās door, she could hear quiet sobbing.
Jazz didnāt sleep that night.
To say Jazz was pissed would be an understatement.
Jason had left her behind while he went to do the Ancients knew what. Now, if he wanted to do something himself to cool down after his rough night, Jazz wouldnāt have minded. Sometimes, she went out without telling Jason when she felt some sort of way. But as she turned on the news to find out that there had been an explosion by the Westminster bridge, well, it didnāt take a genius to figure out Jason had gone on another mission.
Jazz paced the length of the motel room as she waited to hear back from Jason. It wasnāt until she heard cursing that she knew Jason was back.
Jazz opened the door in time to see Jason entering his room and packing his bag while cursing loudly.
āWhere are we going,ā she asked instead of demanding why he had left her behind.
āWe arenāt going anywhere. Iām going to kill a clown.ā
Jazz frowned and looked around the room, looking for some clues.
She noticed five pictures hanging on the wall and walked up to them. Jason tensed and stopped packing.
In them was a boy with a bo staff. He was wearing a green, red, and yellow costume. In one of the pictures, a bat-like figure flew behind the boy. Ā
āThe Batās greatest regret,ā she whispered. Now she knew what Clockwork had meant. She was supposed to find Jason. He would help her get revenge. Somehow, Jason was Batmanās greatest regret.
Jason turned around, his green eyes glowing like they did when he felt strong emotions.
It hadnāt taken Jazz a long time to figure out that Jason had been touched by death. He wasnāt a halfa, and she wished she could ask Clockwork or some other ghost what Jason was. However, she ignored any ghosts she saw for their safety and her own.
Looking at the photos and knowing Jason had died, well, it didnāt take much for her to put the clues together. Batman regretted Jasonās death, maybe because Jason had died as Robin or doing hero work.
āWhat the fuck did you just say?ā
Jazz didnāt know how to explain.
āWhat did you just say?!ā
Jason got Jazz by the shoulders and shook her.
āWhy did you say that?ā
Jazz freed herself from Jasonās hold and punched him in the face. He staggered back, breathing hard. Jason snarled hard and got up. She took out her bo staff to protect herself in case Jason decided to attack. The bo staff made Jasonās scowl deepen. Right, the boy in the photo was also using one.
āMy younger brother, Danny, he had also been touched by death,ā Jazz started.
Jason flinched and drew back.
āYou know about my parents, you remember, right? You heard me talk about them with Talia all those months ago.ā It had almost been a year since that time. āDanny had died and came back. His death changed him and made him special. My parents found out and hurt my baby brother.ā
Jazz took the thermos and showed it to Jason.
āThis is all thatās left of my brother.ā
Jason drew back in confusion.
āYou keep your brotherās ashes in a thermos?ā He asked, incredulous.
āNo, remember when I said my brotherās death changed him? It gave him powers and turned him into something more than human. Heās a halfa: half a ghost, half a human. As long as his core is intact, he can come back. However, there is very little ectoplasm out of Amity Park, so it will take him a while to heal himself.ā
āNice story. What does that have to do with āthe Batās greatest regret?āā
āLook for the Shadows and the Batās greatest regret.ā Ā That had been the only clue the Ghost of Time had given me before he cut off all my communication between the World of the Living and the World of the Dead.ā
āEven if I want to believe you, which I donāt, I know that Talia sent you with me to spy and stall me. Even if I wanted to, you expect me to believe you had communication with the dead and talked with the āGhost of Time?ā and he sent you to find me?ā
āI want revenge, so do you. Weāve been helping each other all this time. Why not continue?ā
Jason scowled, āHow do I know youāre telling the truth and not trying to stall me like you have been?ā
āDo you think I wouldnāt have devised a more plausible story? Iām telling you the truth. I need your help to get my revenge. Iāll help you get yours in return. A quid pro quo, if you will.ā
āHave you been ātouched by death?āā
Jazz cocked her head to the side, āWhy do you ask?ā
āYouāre stronger than average, you have better senses than most, and your eyes glow sometimes likeā¦ā
āLike yours,ā she finished the sentence.
āLike mine,ā he repeated.
āI lived on top of a portal to the afterlife. Of course, Iāve been touched by death.ā
āQuid pro quo. You tell me everything, and Iāll tell you everything.ā
āIt all started with the Fentons building a portal to the Infinite Realms.ā
Jason gave Jazz the earphones. He was having hearing problems, and it wasnāt just from the four gunshots about ten seconds ago.
āHere, maybe youāll be able to hear.ā
Jason still couldnāt believe he was putting his full faith in Jazz. Yeah, they had worked together the past year getting rid of scumbags, but this was different. This was personal. It shouldāve stayed between him, Bruce, and Joker.
After she told him everything, though, he couldnāt help but agree to help her if she helped him. Maybe it was the fact that both of them had parents that didnāt do shit for them, or maybe it was the tears that fell from her face as she told him about her brother. Whatever the case, for better or worse, here they were, finding Joker so Jason could get his revenge.
Joker had just killed two of his own men. The armed traffickers Joker was trying to make a deal with were squirrely. Joker had said before he would only bring four men with him and had brought six. To placate the traffickers, he had killed two of his men, leaving four.
Jason felt anxious, not knowing what the Joker was planning while Jazz listened. But he knew she would tell him everything.
He stared out the window of the decrypt building they had stationed themselves in. Was this it? Was Jason going to get his revenge?
āItās a chemical agent.ā
Jason turned around. Jazz put down the headphones and looked at Jason.
āIt gets poured into water, and bam, when it touches air, it ignites into flames. He plans to pour it in the Gotham reservoir, so when people turn on their faucets instead of water, itās fire.ā
āWhere and when,ā he asked. That was more important.
āPort of Los Angeles. Foreign trade zone, site seven in four hours.ā
āNot a lot of time,ā Jason said. Then he sneered, āBut enough time to kill the Joker.ā
Jazz hit the gas even harder as gunshots hit the car. Jason was in the trunk.
The plan was simple: go in with the car, hit as many people as possible, let go of smoke gas so the arms dealers couldnāt see shit, and Jason would go after Joker. He had full confidence that Jazz wouldnāt leave anyone alive.
Now Jason had to do his job.
He jumped out of the trunk and went after Joker, who had run as soon as shit had hit the fan.
Jason shot Joker in the leg as soon as he saw him, making the clown go down.
āAh, ah, ah, ah,ā Joker was panting in pain. Good.
āYeah, thatās gotta hurt, but hang in there, okay, freakshowā¦? Because weāre just getting started.ā
Suddenly, a shot hit Jason in the back. Ow, fuck!
Thankfully, the armor held on, but he couldnāt stay here while Jazz eliminated the arms dealers. Besides, Jason wanted to go slow. He wanted to make it hurt like Joker had made him hurt.
āThey got gas masks, too! Oh my, my, myācanāt underestimate the preparedness of arms dealers! Like Boy Scouts with ammo!ā
Jason picked up Joker and took him to an abandoned warehouse just a little farther from where the deal was going.
The irony of it being a warehouse wasnāt lost; it pleased Jason.
Jason smiled behind his gas mask. He knew he would have time to enact his revenge. Jazz would deal with the arms dealers, giving him time.
He took out the crowbar he had hidden on his back. He struck the crowbar lightly on his hand.
āNow, then, pumpkin, Iām going to ask you a question, and you will tell me which hurts more, forehand or backhand.ā
Jason hit the clown with the crowbar.
āWow, that looked like it really hurt.ā
He hit Joker again and again. The sound of crunching bones and flesh being hit brought back his memories, but Jason continued.
āNo, that looked like it hurt even more. So letās try to clear this up, pumpkin. What hurts more, A or B? Forehand or backhand?ā With every other word, Jason hit Joker with the crowbar.
The clown wouldnāt stop laughing. Was he even listening to Jasonās questions?
After a particularly hard hit, Joker spat blood and smiled at Jason, āBoy Wonder. Look at you all grown up! Didnāt I kill you? Ha, ha, ha, ha.ā
Jason got Jokerās head and smashed it against the floor.
āAnd I came back just to teach you a lesson.ā
Jason kept beating Joker with the crowbar. Joker laughed throughout the whole time, but Jason continued.
He didnāt stop until the Jokerās laughs had turned into wheezing.
āWell, I suppose youāve learned your lesson,ā Jason said. He got the gas and threw it on top of the Joker.
āItās time for me to leave, though. Donāt worry; I wonāt leave you shivering in the cold. When you meet him, tell the big guy I say āhello.āā
Jason turned on a lighter and threw it on top of the clown. Jason had fucked up the Joker so much he couldnāt even laugh in the end.
After he put out the smoldering corpse, Jason left it there. He had to help Jazz with the arms dealersā bodies.
āAre you still planning on killing the Batman,ā Talia asked.
Jason had given Talia the details of Jokerās death.
Jason stared at his reflection in the mirror; Talia was behind him.
āI know you donāt want me to. I know youāve been stalling me. It took a while for me to figure it out. You sent Jazz to stall me as long as she could, butā¦ I get it. You love him.ā Jason turned to look at Talia, āButā¦ Iām not sure murdering him is part of the plan anymore. I want to help Jazz the way she helped me, then. Then I donāt know.ā
āThen punish him,ā Talia said. āTake what is the most important. Take Gotham from him. Bee the man he can never be. Be the Batman that Gotham needs. No boundaries or self-important moral codes. Cross the line.ā
Jason looked at the woman who had become a mother to him.
āHeās gone. Raās Al Ghul is no more. He did it. The Batman brought about his death. Punish him, for both of us.ā
The words were still echoing in his head when Jazz entered the room.
āHow do you feel,ā Jazz asked.
āFree. But not done.ā
He looked at Jazz, āAfter all, Bruce still deserves punishment, and you deserve your revenge.ā
āThank you,ā Jason nodded.
They looked at each other; suddenly, a spark flew between them. Jason didnāt know what possessed him, but he kissed Jazz. They somehow fell into bed together and got to know each other even better than they ever thought they would.
Jason woke up to a buzz. The bed was empty.
āJazz,ā he asked. The buzzing continued. On the table, a computer was buzzing.
There was a text from Talia on the computer.
WayneTech purchases succeeding.
Found original coffin makerāagreed to contract. Trail ends with him.
And more funds in an account. Enjoy.
PS- New business. He is calling himself HUSH. You should meet.
Jazz entered the room wearing Jasonās shirt.
āWhatās this,ā she asked.
Jason smiled. Just T giving me some clues.
āHmm,ā she said, humming as she read the text. āWhat now?ā
āNow, we get your revenge.ā
Jazzās smile was feral.
āI canāt wait,ā she said before pecking him on the lips. āI canāt wait.ā
