People always said I was cursed.
Gwen Stallone is a Realm Walker with a lot of family drama and a mysterious connection to Jason Todd. They share a terrible secret, but one that will draw them together.
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"Seriously Blue, you broke the sacred Bat Covenant tonight," Jason said.
"Fuck me dead cunt, that hurt!" I gripped his hand as Alfred snapped my bone back into place. "What are you going on about, Jay?"
"Language, please, Miss Gwen," Alfred said in a disproving tone.
"Sorry Alfie."
"You used the front door to enter the building, and that's a big no-no," explained Jason. He took three bullets to the ribs. Thanks to his Kevlar suit, he managed to walk away with only a few broken ribs and some major bruises. But still, it could've been a lot worse. "There are so many better ways to gain entry than through a door. People expect these things from us, you know. It comes with being a Bat."
I had a broken arm, but compared to Jason, that was nothing.
"But isn't the point to do the unexpected? To keep our enemies off-balance?" I asked. "If everyone expects us to come through the skylight or whatever, isn't using the door actually the most unexpected thing to do?"
Jason went silent.
I looked at him carefully, his free fist is clenched in rage. He blamed himself for my arm.
Three bullets to the ribs, a broken arm, a concussion, and countless other injuries we knocked up trying to save this stupid city. Gotham would live another, it would go about its business, spawning in the scum of the earth, more grimy thugs and horrifying criminals. And Jason and his family would continue to fight them, continue Bruce's mission to rid Gotham of crime.
It wasn't the Joker that ambushed them and shot Damian, it was some other group of crazies. But they were close enough. Copycats. Some people have taken advantage of the situation to spread more fear. The problem compounds. The fear spreads. Reminders that the Joker is out there are around every corner. Everywhere you look. Anyone in their right mind wants just one thing... to get off the streets and get to safety. Because the Joker has a tendency to attract anyone who's not in their right mind.
Not just the obsessives, the nihilistic fanatics looking for a hero. But the depressingly ordinary as well. The ones who finally have an excuse to give into their darkest urges. Who need nothing more than a little inspiration. To give them that one final push.
"I took Gotham's white knight, and I brought him down to our level," I muttered. "It wasn't hard. Madness is like gravity. All it takes is a little push."
"What was that?"
I shook my head. "Nothing. Something from a movie."
A bunch of scumbags dressed up in Joker costumes with a plan to get their idol's attention.
It made Jason crazy. It made him sloppy. Which made me pull his arse out of there and what led me to getting my arm snapped. And it didn't help that Bruce says there's more of them out there, more copycats in in the disgusting cult.
