Justice League II: Dread

Chapter Twenty-Four: Blüdhaven

Blüdhaven, 8/28/15, 8:21 PM

Jason did not care about what was going on in the world right now.  None of it mattered.  All that mattered was revenge.  All that mattered was getting rid of the man that had killed his only father-like figure.

The Joker had to die.

Bruce Wayne was dead.  The Joker killed him.  If Dick Grayson was not going to do anything about it, then Jason Todd would.  He was going to make the insane maniac pay for this.  The same man had killed Barbara Gordon.  How could Nightwing simply let him go?  Jason would not let this happen again.  He was going to end this maniac's terror on the world.

Jason kept running through the city as the night raged on.  It was storming tonight, good weather for Jason's purposes.  He liked the rain, it cleared his head kept him on his feet and ready.

He leaped atop the buildings as the rain poured on.  He heard gunshots nearby.  He made his way towards the sound of gunfire as the thunder storm raged on.  He ran over to the edge of the rooftop he had landed on as the gunfire sounded louder.  He inched towards the edge as he looked down seeing several men fighting in the alleyway.  Three on the left, four on the right, Jason recognized their symbols on their jackets.  Goons of the Penguin and the Joker, perfect.  The Penguin goons outnumbered the Joker goons here, but the Joker goons were putting up a fight.  Jason would have to rain on their parade.

He quickly tossed in several smoke bombs into the fray leaping in as the goons began to panic.  He dropped amid the four Penguin goons.  He kicked one down and quickly kicked another in the back knocking him into his fellow goon.  He then slammed his fist into the fourth, hitting him in the groin and then kicking him down.  Jason picked up a crowbar slamming it into two of the goon's heads.  The smoke was fading though and gunfire broke into the cloud.  Jason quickly leaped to the side as the only standing goon was gunned down.

"What the hell?  The other three are unconscious!"  A Joker goon yelled out and the three moved forward slowly.

"Who do you think did this?"  A second asked.

Jason moved around the three taking the crowbar with him.  He inched up behind the one lagging behind and quickly slammed the crowbar against his head effectively knocking him out.  The other two turned around widening their eyes, but Jason was faster.  He threw the crowbar forward hitting one in the head and ran forward punching the other in the chest and then the cheek.  He kicked him in the head knocking him out as well.

He looked down at the one that he had thrown the crowbar at and picked him up hitting him against the wall of the alleyway.

"TELL ME WHERE THE JOKER IS!"  Jason yelled into his face as he looked at his afraid face.

"Sorry kid can't tell ya!"  The goon laughed as Jason yelled at his face, he was afraid but shielding it.  Jason punched him in the groin then to prove his point.

"TELL ME!"  Jason repeated punching him in the chest.

"AGH!  I CAN'T!  HE'LL KILL ME!"

"I'LL DO WORSE!"  Jason yelled back.

"I CAN'T!"  

Jason punched him in the cheek and then the stomach.  He repeated over and over as the goon cried out in pain.

"OKAY!  OKAY!  HE'S USING AN OLD ABANDONED MALL AS A HIDEOUT!  HARKSVILLE MALL!"  The goon yelled as Jason held up his fist again.

"There, that wasn't too hard now was it?"  Jason grinned as he slammed his head into the goon's knocking him out.  He raised his grappling hook flying up to the rooftops.  

He would make the Joker pay for this.  Batman would be avenged.

Southern Texas, 8/28/15, 7:56 PM

Ra's smiled as he watched Superman land on the plateau.  The rest of the Justice League landed behind him slowly.  Ra's walked out onto the plateau with Deathstroke, Sportsmaster, and Artemis at his side.  Behind him, Ocean Master, Sinestro, Atomic Skull, Professor Zoom, Cheetah, and many others gathered.  They were ready for war.

"I'm so glad you have arrived!"  Ra's smiled as Superman walked forward, Wonderwoman moved at his side with Martian Manhunter walking beside her.  Ra's waved his hand and Black Adam moved up next to him, he was his greatest guaranteed security against the metahumans.

"Where is the Team?"  Superman yelled as he stopped in his tracks.  He stood a few yards away from Ra's and his followers.

Ra's raised his hand and several villains brought out the prisoners.  They stood behind Ra's and the Ring of Evil.

"They are right here!"  Ra's widened his arms, "Would you like them to go free?  Then surrender!"

"Let them go, then we surrender!"  Superman yelled back.

"Sorry Superman, that can't happen.  If you try anything, they will all die."  Ra's narrowed his eyes, something was not right.  He could feel it.

Superman sighed and moved forward raising his hands as well.  Wonderwoman tried to stop him whispering something in his ear, but the Kryptonian kept moving forward.  Perfect.

Ra's grinned as he did.  His plan was about to work completely.  He moved his hand slightly to his belt where his pistol was in its holster.  He knew he could contain the Kryptonian hero, so he planned on doing what he did best instead.

"Thank you for your kind cooperation, Superman."  Ra's smiled as he moved the pistol into his hand and began to raise it, "But we have one last request."

That was Professor Zoom's key.  Ra's felt the wind change slightly and watched as Zoom quickly caught on to Superman punching him in the chest several times.  The heroes began to ready, but Ra's raised the gun firing as quickly as possible.  Superman was too busy swinging at Zoom to deal with the bullet.

A Kryptonite bullet.

"Ra's!  The kids!  They're-!"  Deathstroke yelled turning around, Ra's widened his eyes as he looked away from the Justice League to see that the group of children were out.  Someone else was attacking from behind.

No... It could not be...

Blüdhaven, 8/28/15, 9:02 PM

It had taken Jason a while to find his way to the mall, but he had finally arrived.  He scouted out the area seeing that it was heavily guarded and spray painted as well.  He moved up on the mall heading for the roof, but there were sentries moving atop almost every minute.  Jason looked up as the sentry moved away and he made his move.  He leaped up onto the roof taking cover behind a few wooden boards.  The next sentry walked past and Jason took his path moving behind him and quickly slipped into the door moving into the mall.  He slipped into the shadows seeing move guards inside the mall.  He quietly moved down the stairs slowly and slipped into the floor grates on the bottom floor.

A kind of throne room was what the Joker had made in his time in the mall.  He sat on the throne with his men laughing and standing around while the Joker sat there laughing all the same.  

"Well boys!  The Bat is dead!  We did it!"  Joker laughed, "Guess he's having fun pushing up daisies!"

Jason clenched his fist as the Joker laughed, though he seemed different.  He readied to move up, but suddenly the floor grate opened up above him and hands grabbed him throwing him down on the floor.

Jason widened his eyes as the goons began to move up around him.  

"And we have a certain bird brain to play with now!"  The Joker laughed, "Catch the Robin boys!"