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And just like that I’m fighting my so-called my ‘father’. Again.
Every time we fight it only proves more an more that that piece of paper doesn’t means anything anymore. I’m not his son anymore, and to be honest I couldn’t care less.
“Stop this, Jason.” His voice is a low grow, commanding me. Did that actually used to work on me? “You’re better than this!”
“You think your better than me? Just ‘cause I’m not gonna be a part of your game anymore.”
“This isn’t a game.” He hisses and I know that that I’ve struck a nerve. “Damnit! It’s never been a game. You of all people should know that”
“Not a game?” I can’t help but scoff at that. “You lock ‘em up, they make bail, then their back on the streets. It’s just a glorified game of ‘cops and robbers’! And until now, no ones had the guts to stop it once and for all.”
“Jason…” His voice is dangerous, but I don’t care anymore. I don’t even want to hear what he has to say.
“…I’m not gonna be just the ‘victim’, Bruce” He’s not used to his ‘children’ cutting him off, and the use of his name distracts him for a moment. Fortunately a moment’s all I need, letting me take advantage of his lack of defence and aim a kick to his abdomen that sends his falling backwards, off the edge of the roof.
I know that he’ll recover quickly enough, even though it should be a fatal fall from this height. It takes more than that to take down the Batman.
It’s actually funny to think that I used to dream about being his partner. What ten year old boy didn’t want to become ‘Robin the boy wonder’, and fight crime alongside the worlds greatest detective? Both Robins have turned their back on the bat now. True it wasn’t exactly our choice: Dick was fired and I was killed… Quickly need to change my train of thought.
There’s a new robin now and I bet he used to dream about this too, wonder how long this kid’ll last.
I look over the side of the building and see no trace of Batman: no surprise there. I wonder whether I should try and follow him or let him come back up to me, we both know this isn’t over yet.
The decision is taken out of my hands as someone lands on the roof behind me. I barely have time to turn around before my legs are swept from underneath me. Damn I should have seen that coming!
I look up to see a very smug looking Robin, already holding a set of handcuffs. We both know I’m not going to prison, at least not until they’ve taken me ‘home’ to try and talk me into seeing things their way again.
“That costume everything you ever dreamed of kid?” I ask, I swear I can see his eyes narrowing though the whitened out lenses in the mask. He’s probably wondering why I haven’t attacked him yet.
Truth be told I haven’t got that much of a problem with this kid… anymore.
I just roll my eyes when he doesn’t answer, he won’t risk attacking me, afraid that I’ll fall off the edge of the building. I smile beneath my helmet, as an idea comes to mind.
I push off against the floor, propelling myself backwards and sailing over the side of the roof. He shots a bat-line and manages to get it to wrap around my waist in mid-air. I’m already prepared for this, In one quick fluid movement my knife is out and cutting through the cable before it has a chance to go tight.
Robin stumbles backwards slightly as I fall downwards, managing to catch hold of a window ledge, I use the momentum to swing myself though the glass of the window below.
Robin follows a few moments later. “It’s over, Hood!”
I place my knife back into its holster, I don’t want this fight to be too easy. “I wish kid. You have no idea what you’ve gotten yourself into have you?” And just like that I’m fighting Robin. I’m actually surprised at how good this kid is, at least I was replaced with someone who knows what their doing. “You actually trust Batman?”
“I’d trust him with my life.” He snarls, blocking yet another one on my punches. I actually growl at his answer, this kid won’t last long.
“Dangerous words kid. You always dreamed of being Robin too?” His reluctance to answer me only confirms my question “He’s taking your dreams, and he’ll tear you apart. Just like Dick. Just like me. ‘Till your just the same. Robin’s just someone for him to boss around, and mould into whatever the damn hell he wants him to be. You think he cares what happens to the kid behind that mask?”
“Shut up!” I think I struck a nerve. The kid manages to land a lucky shot to my jaw, cracking my helmet and sending me stumbling back towards the wall behind me.
Before I can recover I’m being shoved up against the wall, a pair of handcuffs locking around my wrists and I’m being pinned down with too much weight for it to be the kid.
“About time, didn’t think you’d make it.” I can practically hear the relief in Robin’s voice.
“I can’t come running every time you call.” I groan realising who is holding me against the wall, recognising that all too familiar, joking voice. Only Nightwing would show up and sound that damn cheerful.
Quickly looking around the room I search for the exits. Only two, the window and a door on the other side of the room that looks locked.
I've got no place to go, no where to run…
“You actually gonna come home an talk to us today, Jay?” He sounds too damn cheerful.
“Piss off!” I hiss, letting him turn me around to face him.
As soon as my back’s to the wall I start picking at the locks on the handcuffs.
“Why won’t you let us help you?” Now that I can see his face I realise how concerned he looks.
“Funny how no one wanted to help me while I wore the cape. Admit it Grayson, you just love to watch me fall. ” I spat out at him. Got to keep him distracted so he doesn’t realise how quickly I’m working through the handcuffs. “You think you know it all? Just because you were the first kid the Batman picked up, that makes you the better than us?” I shoot a look at the kid and see that he’s talking into an earpiece, probably telling Batman what’s going on. Dammnit I have to work faster.
“What the hell is that supposed to mean?” Nightwing actually looks shocked, and kind of hurt by what I’ve said.
Finally feel the handcuffs snap open and answer him with a sharp punch in the gut.
As he doubles over I use his back to help propel me over to the kid. Tackling him to the ground and throwing his ear piece out of the window before he can tell Batman what’s happening.
A sharp boot to my side sends me falling back to the ground, rolling into the fall and getting to my feet to face off against my ‘brothers’.
Nightwing is breathing heavy, but he still recovered pretty quickly considering how winded he was a second a go and Robin is back on his feet.
“Two against one?” I reach up and unclasp my damaged helmet, dropping it to the floor a second later.
“You wear a mask underneath your hood? Look like someone’s a little insecure” Robin taunts.
I can’t help by grin at his new technique. “Trying to anger me into making a mistake? Kid, I invented that trick.”
“Yet you never fall for that one do you?” Dick rolled his eyes sarcastically. I glare daggers at him, trying to force my self to stay calm so I don’t give him the satisfaction of knowing that he’s able to get under my skin.
Suddenly the room is full of smoke, and I wonder how the hell the kid got a chance to set a smoke bomb off with out me seeing it.
Somehow Nightwing finds me first, flying through the smoke like the god damn acrobat he’s always been. The kid is only seconds behind him and instincts take over as the three of us move into battle like it’s some sort of twisted well coordinated, dance.
Me and Nightwing are grappling, then Robin jumps into a flying tackle, I duck and watch the third Robin fly into the first. I don’t give them time to recover before I’m back in the fight. An ax kick onto Robins back - misses as Nightwing rolls the both of them away, disappearing briefly into the weakening smoke.
“We could keep this up all night Grayson. My bet is the kid’s the first to get tired out.” I tease, laughing at the growl I hear from Robin: even though he knows that I’m just trying to get him angry it’s still working, he should be able to land far more hit than he is right now. All three of us are probably going to be feeling these bruises for weeks.
I sent Grayson flying backwards into a wall but he doesn’t even try to recover. At first I think he’s knocked out, but then he grabs at Robins cape and the two of them stop and at stares towards me, an unsettlingly dark smile plays across the young robins face. No! Their not staring at me, something behind…Crap!
I know it’s too late too stop him. I feel the sharp pain at the base of my neck even as I start to draw my knife. As I collapse to the floor I can just make out the familiar dark shadow looming over me before the darkness take over me completely.