Generations

Chapter 23: To Challenge the Impossible

Chapter 23: To Challenge the Impossible

Jason saw he wasn’t fast enough.

He tried to run as fast as he could, not wanting the impossible to be possible, but all the same, there she was. Her body not moving, her chest not rising, her light not radiating.

She had lost.

She was…

No.

He wouldn’t allow himself to think that. There was still hope. He could still save her.

Jason looked up at the Nightwing who towered over him, his body trembling.

“Scared kid?”

“Yeah, you could say that,” he said, his hands balled up in fists at his sides, his voice calm, as if a dam was holding back all his fury, waiting to be let out, because when it did, there would be nothing left. “I’m scared that you’ll get away from me, that I won’t be able to kill you enough times for what you did.”

He still refused to acknowledge the possibility that she could be dead, but just the same, Jason knew it was his duty, and privilege to make sure this Nightwing paid for what he did, with his very life.

Jason shot up at him, his light covering his hand as he rammed it into Zack’s jaw, but the Nighting simply took a step back, and hovered in the air just a few feet off the ground, though was completely unfazed. “You really think someone as weak as you can stop me? Face it kid, nothing can stop us.”

Jason’s nightmare flashed back through his head, thoughts of his family slain, how he couldn’t protect any of them. He remembered his mom’s body, just like it was now.

But no, she couldn’t be dead. Not yet, she just couldn’t. He refused to let himself believe that, or even consider it.

He’d just be strong enough now.

He didn’t bother thinking about it again, he ran at Zack, jumped after him, but Zack merely flew to the side, dodging it while Jason returned to the ground, crouching as he landed, he quickly turned and fired several lances of light at Zack, but the Nightwing wasn’t fazed, not in the least as he flew back down, slamming his fist into Jason’s chest.

Jason felt the tremendous dark magic power flow through his chest, it racing to the rest of his body, but as Zack held his fist there, he knew he had a chance to strike. He pulled is leg back, cringing at the pain that filled his body, but he took it and readied to strike. He then slammed his leg forward with as much power as he possibly could, slamming his knee into Zack’s crotch. The Nightwing jolted back in pain, and Jason didn’t miss a beat, building up light in his hand and slamming it across Zack’s face before jumping up and kicking the Nightwing in the stomach, causing him to fall along the ground.

Sure, it may have been literally hitting below the belt, but as his Grampa Justin said, “all’s fair in love and war.” He really had no idea what that meant, but he was pretty sure it meant doing that was okay.

“You little,” Zack said getting up, angrier than before, his face showing some signs of blood from that latest attack.

Jason stood back, waiting for a second to see what Zack would do, not wanting to be caught off guard by whatever was coming. Zack still had plenty of fight left in him, or so he assumed by the pulsing lightning aura all around him. Jason fired a few blasts of light, wondering how effective they could be, but just as he thought, they bounced off him doing nothing. Zack pulled his hand back, and fired a blast of lightning at Jason, which the teen ducked to the side just in time to avoid. He rolled along the ground, firing again, the attacks still doing nothing, but he was sure sure that eventually he’d have to find an opening. Once more, Zack countered, several lightning bolts racing after him, but Jason focused his light right in front of him, which took the attack, though the makeshift shield shattered and exploded sending him flying backwards. The teen landed on his back, but quickly rolled backwards to avoid the incoming attack.

If he kept dodging these attacks, than maybe eventually he’d wear Zack out. But Jason knew that it was only a matter of time before he was hit, and if that happened it was over.

So Jason charged, causing Zack to lower his hand, and stop firing. Jason pondered this, thinking that maybe this could be a trap, but if it was then he’d just take it head on. He didn’t like head games and such, even when he knew that it put him at risk. If he could just kill the Nightwing, then he wouldn’t have a problem with anything he had overlooked. Sure, that probably wasn’t the best way to look at it, but Jason didn’t care, instead he just built his power up for another attack, but as he did so, he didn’t even notice Zack’s foot pounding into his stomach, and as he felt himself lifted into the air, he couldn’t do anything about the blast to his back which sent him face first into the burnt grass. He rolled again, knowing something else was coming and wasn’t surprised at all to see a blast of lightning where he was less than a second ago.

He got up, something telling him that he was in pain, but he looked past that, letting loose more light and throwing another punch, but neither of these did anything but earn him a series of punches and kicks along his body so fast he couldn’t see them coming. He tried to block, or at least fight back, but after a fist hit right below his eye, he had trouble seeing what was coming; much less what was standing right in front of him. He kept fighting though, knowing beyond his fading vision or the pain escalating everywhere that he had to win this fight. He threw another punch, but as he did so, he felt his arm go numb, and as he looked at it, he could see the black lightning darting along it. As he pondered at what happened, he didn’t even notice himself being knocked to the ground until he discerned that grass did not taste good mixed with his blood.

He got back to his knees though, the spinning world and sound all around him telling him that he should probably just learn to stay down, but he wouldn’t listen. He got up just the same, and stared at the Nightwings who had their arms crossed in front of them. All three of them and they seemed to tilt back and forth.

He then remembered he was only fighting one.

This perplexed him, but not one to worry about these minor details he tried gathering more light in his body, deciding to just eradicate all three of them. However, as he held his hands out ready to fire, his hands only glowed, a spark barely emitting. He tilted his head in confusion, but soon he found himself in the air, and back on his back again, another injury, this one around his lower back.

“Stubbornness will only lead to an early grave. Too bad, I kind of liked you.”

He tried sitting up, but felt himself held down and could only look at Zack and he black energy forming in his hand. He closed his eyes as Zack mouthed good-bye, not wanting to see his death coming.

However, as he heard the attack launch, no pain came. Not even the dark light from the attack was there when he opened his eyes.

Before he could ponder what had happened, the same attack that hit him, struck Zack, sending him back.

“Jason are you okay?” he heard a familiar voice ask.

“Penguin sit-coms,” he replied, the response making a lot more sense in his head than it did when he said it out loud.

“Noted.”

He felt his body being lifted, a face not much older than his staring down at him. He knew this face. He thought. Jason wasn’t quite sure though, something about Nightwings and chicken salad, or at least one of those two.

“Brandon, I thought you learned your lesson last time,” Zack said while Jason was being carried away.

Jason nodded, the name Brandon triggering some kind of memory. Though something also told him it was too early for Christmas. He then acquired a sudden craving for cranberries.

“Hey Trey, can you get me some cranberry bread?” he said, now remembering the name of the person carrying him.

“Sure Jason, can you wait just a second?”

“‘Okay.”

Jason felt himself be sat back down on the living room couch while the sounds of a battle continued not too far away. “I’ll be back soon,” Trey said as he started walking away. “Just stay here.”