He never told anyone what it was like to literally be punched back to life and to find yourself six feet under. Jason had no recollection of the afterlife either. He didnât know if he had been in Heaven or in Hell, or if such places even existed. He never told anyone what it was like to climb out of his own grave. Had it not been for his nails growing inches post mortem, he may have very well suffocated shortly after being resuscitated. Clawing through the thick wood of his coffin until his fingernails bled was only the beginning. He still had to pull himself through several feet of hard packed soil. Had he not been in such a vegetative state where only his human instinct was functioning, he may not have survived that either.
Jason zoomed through the streets of Gotham on his street bike really recalling these memories for the first time since they had occurred. He remembered what he had been like before Talia had thrown him into the Lazarus pit. He remembered the smell of formaldehyde emitting from his body; the maggots had already began to make a meal of his bruised flesh. They fell from him as he moved his legs leaving a trail behind him.
Of all the things witnesses of his resurrection would come to recall, it was how he became ravenous over bread. In truth, bread was the closest thing his damaged brain could register as edible and his body told him he needed food; that it had not eaten in quite some time. Had it been raw meat or expired dairy products, he would have equally consumed those just as quickly. Now he tolerated the jokes, the nicknames like âthe Bread Hoodâ mostly without commentary. In order to acknowledge it he would have to think about it and that was something he didnât care to do.
Jason had been in extreme pain. He wasnât as lucky as other resurrection cases where his body was returned intact and unharmed. Instead, he was left in the state he died in; his head was bashed in, his body bruised and burned from the explosion. Eventually people noticed the injured teenage boy wandering the streets and he was taken to a hospital
But Jason didnât care that he was in pain. Again instinct had taken over and he had walked right out of the hospital, setting off on his way home to Bruce. His mission had been to get back to the manor. Bruce had to have been worried sick and looking all over him. His thoughts incoherent, he could only really think of home and Bruce.
Talia and Raâs Al Ghul found him first. He spent over a year trapped in his own head. It was then he realized what had happened and he slowly recalled the traumatic events of his demise through Taliaâs chats with him. Sheâd tell him that Bruce blamed himself for his death and that he missed him; that he and Dick used to give him hope. Unable to talk, heâd just respond with a silent tear sliding down his face. One thing he never understood was why she hadnât just taken him to Bruce.
Finally, Talia had thrown him into the Lazarus pit. He understood everything then. His mind was intact and better than ever. The first newspaper he picked up announced Batman was returning the Joker to police custody.
The entire time Jason was with Talia he had assumed he had been avenged. He knew Batman hated guns, he hated the murder, but surely he had made an exception for Jason. The Joker had killed someone he loved and that had to be the last straw, right? Except it wasnât. The Joker was free to roam the streets while Jason rotted away.
So Jason had decided to take his revenge out on Batman. Clearly he didnât mean to Bruce what Bruce meant to him. But something had stopped him and he found himself making his way back to Talia. He blamed his reluctance on not wanting to do it so easily. Talia then sent him to several âteachersâ where he learned everything he wanted to know from making bombs to speaking different languages and several types of hand to hand combat (and thus also beginning his habit of killing those who were threatening innocent lives).
But then Talia showed him the new Robin.
This was Jasonâs least favorite part to recall. His vision blurred as tears formed in his eyes still after all this time. He jammed his foot hard on the gas not wanting to delve into his memories any further, but it was too late, the scene played out in his head.
His name is Timothy Drake. Robin. âŚYou all right?
The moment Talia had left he looked at the new Robin and cried. Really cried. Part of him hadnât wanted to believe that he meant nothing to Bruce but this was all the proof he needed to confirm it. He had been replaced. It hurt like the explosion all over again.
So Jason had gone onto his next vendetta; he went to find and kill the Joker. When he did find him, he didnât want to kill him that easily either. Jason went back to Talia and together they formulated a new plan. She told him to punish Bruce for the both of them and one thing led to anotherâŚ.
When he awoke in the morning, she was gone but she left him some information and sent him a present; the knife he now used so often. Several hours later, the Red Hood was born.
Jason slowed his bike down when he entered Batgirl territory. Stephanie was his first real girlfriend. Â A long standing crush on Donna Troy, several one night stands, and ridiculous amounts of flirting were all he had at attempts on relationships. Truth be told, entering a steady relationship was probably the scariest thing he had done. It meant someone actually cared about where he was all the time. Someone actually loved him. He didnât really know how to handle that.
He parked his bike and grappled up the side of the building where he expected to find his girlfriend. Sure enough she was sitting next to her favorite gargoyle, Kent Rockman, and looking down at Gotham City. He sat next to her. âHey.â
âHey, âshe replied and wrapped her cape around herself.
âNo, you were right. It was a stupid game and I shouldnât have asked. Itâs none of my business.â She didnât look at him when she spoke.
He took her hand and traced his finger over a tiny scar. âYou know you donât have to hide your scars from me like you did today. I already know all the curves and lines of your body. I already know your story. It sounds like mine; a dead, even Robin just wanting to prove yourself. The thing is⌠You donât know all of my scars and I know thatâs not fair. I should have told you about Talia sooner.â
âIâm used to well, you know, closed off people, âSteph looked at him and shrugged.
âYou shouldnât be. At least not from me, âhe sighed. âYouâre the only one who would have any understanding of what Iâve been through. Iâve been so successful at closing myself off that I forget that a lot. I forgot what itâs like to have someone really care.â
She said nothing but squeezed his hand.
Jason took a deep breath. âI was with Talia and Raâs for a year before I was.. I guess you could say mentally repaired. I mean I figured I was murdered and all that from the way Talia talked to me, but I was so brain damaged that I didnât put 100% of the pieces together. I had to dig myself out of my coffinâŚâ
