#jasonroy

Chapter 1

The day that marked his, from what he learned, fourth year of death, he decided to return to his grave. It still looked as unattained as he had left it in his hurry and desperation to escape. He still got nightmares to this very day...being buried alive...suffocating... Unable to escape...

Lighting a cigarette, Jason took a seat on the very soil he had to dug through with his bare hands. He could still feel it right now, the dirt and blood, the pain...

The hurt of being forgotten.

And this was the exact reason he was back to this dreadful place. On the day that he died...he wanted to see if there was anyone who would remember him.

If he...would remember him...and come for a visit.

If he did, if anyone from the bat family came, he told himself he would stop acting foolish, he would stop his ridiculous thoughts and childish abandonment issues.

It wasn't hard to blend into society again. He missed a lot in four years, but not enough to cause a lot of problems. This world became more controlling and digitalized. One would think it would help in handling crime, but alas...

He was right all along. The only way to stop crime was through control. Or killing. There was no other way.

Seems like in the years he was gone nothing has changed...if anything, the crime percentage rose.

How very interesting...how very distasteful...

Throwing away the bud, he reached for a second cigarette.

Surely, he still had a long day to go. Might as well make the best of it.

Somehow, the quiet atmosphere of the cemetery calmed him, it brought a sense of peace to his disturbed soul that he was missing...no matter how short-lasting that peace was.

Closing his eyes, Jason imagined a better world, a better place...a place where he was needed, where he belonged.

If only such a place existed.

If only...

Having gone through harsh training, he had enough patience to sit there all day long until the clock struck midnight and the day was over with.

With tens of buds scattered around him, finally, he lowered his head,  momentarily defeated.

He knew no one would come. It was obvious from the fact his grave was still unattained with the hole he dug out still more than obvious.

No matter. It just proved all along he was right.

In a way, this was good, disillusioning therapy.

If only it didn't hurt so much...

Letting out a sigh, he grabbed his mask and pulled it back on, resuming the identity of Red Hood.

Glancing at his gravestone one last time, he smashed it with his foot and without another word made his way out of the cemetery, concluding one very obvious thing.

Indeed, Jason Todd was dead.

Or rather, reincarnated into something else.

Something far better.

This night somehow bore fruit in a way that Jason did not expect, or rather, had little hope for, no matter what his prior conviction was.

Breaking into a prison of any caliber was child's play, especially ones that had his systems installed for the Justice League's use.

The only thing that was strange about this...was finding a hero in this hole.

Standing before his target, Jason was silent, waiting for the man behind the bars to take notice of him.

And eventually, he did, "...a red mask, huh... Can't argue with that color choice."

Roy Harper's slumped body was heavily chained up and he looked like a train wreck, body convulsing from time to time. His tired eyes stared at Jason with resentment and distrust, a combination Todd was familiar with on a personal level.

This further confirmed how right his decision was to come there.

"...so why did you come here, Red Hood?" the fact Roy heard of him made things much easier, "You can't have caused chaos in this prison just to see me~" he snorted amused.

Smart alec, huh, "I have an offer for you, Arsenal," he paused to see Roy frown in concentration, being attentive, "I want you to join me," Jason didn't take his sweet time and cut to the chase.

Roy paused for a moment, then a small laugh erupted from his lips, "Oh..? You do realize the former team I was on just put me behind bars, and for a good reason...what made you take interest?" it's not like he had any desire to team up with anyone at this point, especially not after being betrayed like this.

"That's exactly why I am here," a pause, "Having heard of me, you probably know my identity and reputation...perhaps even, what I after," Jason reached the bars, swiping the previously stolen key card from one of the guards, the bars sliding open, "Don't you think we have something in common, Harper?"

Roy's frown deepened in though as he watched Red Hood step closer, "Just because we apparently share a similar view on what justice really is, doesn't mean we are instant buddies, Todd," having said that, he pondered Jason's words just moments longer.

Roy had to admit that this made sense. His eyes were opened after Lian's death and he had an obvious answer from his former teammates and friends as to where he stood. Having been imprisoned like some dangerous criminal, it was obvious what he was considered at this point... All because he went on a short china white rampage and killed off half a dozen criminals.

They deserved it anyway. As a matter of fact, Roy thought it was unfair he was put behind bars.

He was told to consider his views carefully, that he was starting to venture on a 'wrong', dangerous path.

Roy tried pondering what he did...where he went wrong.

But even as his mind cleared, he still failed to understand why killing criminals, preventing them from hurting others and more people, was wrong.

Justice League...was weak. They could do nothing, just put everyone behind bars. Sadly, he realized it late...but thankfully not too late.

The more villains they let live - the more people would end up dead. Like Lian. It was a simple, logical philosophy, one the goodie-two-shoes' 'justice code' did not allow.

"...besides, don't you fly solo?" Roy continued when he got no answer from Jason, smirking as he did, "...Jaybird?"

Jason's fists clenched at the nickname, but he remained in place with no further reaction, so Roy carried on, "Or is it that I could prove to be a valuable ally?"

"Yes," was Jason's simple reply and he proceeded to undo the chains, acting like he was not at all fazed by Arsenal's words not that anything could be read under his mask, more than certain that at this point in the conversation the answer to his offer was a 'yes', "And for that, I am willing to sacrifice my loner status...Harper."

Roy laughed at that, "...seriously though, how did you find me? I don't think the Justice League goes around sprouting where they keep...ah... 'Defects'."

Jason freed Roy's arm and leg, moving onto his second arm, "I prefer the term 'awoken'..." finally freeing Roy, he watched the man rub his reddened wrists, "The guy you grabbed heroin from was one of my men."

Roy was only mildly surprised, "Ha! Figures...didn't take you for a dealer type or I would have knocked on your window for some..." Roy put on his mask, grabbing his gear just outside the cell, "Lead the way, Jason Todd."

As they left the prison with little to no effort, Jason's suspicion skyrocketed.

He would need to look into this more but for now, he was glad.

Glad to see he wasn't the only one on the path of righteousness.

That someone else shared his 'twisted' point of view and sense of morality.