Life is Strange: Vendetta

The Legend is Born

The dimming sun was bright. Too bright, in fact. Jason had forgotten to close blinds to his new home. He groaned in pain, and rolled off of his bed, slamming his forehead into the nightstand.
    "Fuck!" he shouted, not caring how early it was. He was hungover. Again. Jason had went out last night to forget once again forget his past. But because of his condition, he wouldn't ever forget. Jason couldn't forget.
    He reached a hand to the area, and when he brought it back down, he saw blood.
    Goddammit, Jason thought. I need to stop drinking so much...
He walked to the bathroom, and went for anything that would keep his head from falling apart. He looked in the mirror, and what he saw disgusted him.
    Jason had dyed his hair a natural red, but the white spot he had gotten from his traumatic past stayed there. He also covered up his scars with a beard, which was also dyed to match his hair. Jason looked at the fresh cut, and patched it up with a band-aid. He again looked at his reflection, and growled in frustration.
He had grown to hate himself even more ever since he left his friend, ever since he abandoned his friends, ever since he left Max. He grew to love her, even though they were miles apart. He moved to the small town of South Bend. Jason frequently traveled to Chicago as well, as that's where he usually took care of some business that wasn't so savory.
    Jason looked as his watch, and saw that it was almost time for work. He cursed again, and got ready for his job of the day. Jason never stayed at a job once. Today, he was working at a smoke house as a dishwasher.
    Jason parked his car into its spot, and walked in. He put on an apron, and began working.
A few hours later, Jason was on his way and with almost $100 in his hand. He opened his car door, and saw a note in it. Disregarding it entirely, Jason drove home and decided to not go out tonight. Well, I need the sleep for once.
    When he got home, Jason went to unlock his door, but found it to already be unlocked. Jason was cautious, so he took out a hand pistol, and slowly opened the door.
    "Whoever is in my damn apartment had better come out, right now," he growled. Just then, the lights flicked on, and Jason dropped his gun in disbelief.
    Roy Harper sat in his chair, next to Max Caulfield.
    "If that's how you greet me, Jaybird, then I've missed you too." Roy laughed and told Max to go get Jason before he collapsed from the shock, which he did.
    Jason wakes up in Max's arms, and Roy is checking his pulse.
    "I'm alive, Roy," he says, brushing the cold hand away. " But 1) How are YOU alive, and 2) How did you both find me? It's been 6 months!"
    Roy explains that he didn't truly die, but he did lose his arm. "I, uh, I got a metal arm. Like Bucky Barnes. And we, well, I, tracked you down." Jason sighs, and then sits up a bit.  Jason then looks at Max, and begins to cry.
    After a few minutes of him letting out his sadness and anger, he finally asks the question he needed an answer to.
    "Why are you here, Roy?"
    "Well, Arcadia Bay need Jason Todd and the Red Hood. Some asshole going by the name of Red X is terrorizing the town, and I can't fight him alone," Roy says.
    "Jason, we need you to come home," Max pleads.
Jason gives in, and tells them that he'll come back. "Besides, this town is fucking boring." Roy and Max smile at that, and Max kisses Jason on the cheek.
    "But, I will need to redo my hair so give me about an hour or so."
    An hour later, Jason steps out with a shaven face, and hair up in a ponytail. "I'm ready to come home." Max smiled and kissed him on the cheek, and Roy patted his best friend on the back.
"It's great to have you back, Jaybird."

 As the three pull into Jason's old apartment complex, he sees that it's been struck quite hard with graffiti and bullet holes.
    "What... What happened here?" Jason asks, shocked. Roy sighs, and parks the car. Max grabs Jason's hand and tells him.
    "A few weeks ago, before we found you, a few of the mercs we fought were found hiding near here and the cops got into a firefight with them. Roy, Chloe, and David joined in, but they were slowly being outgunned. Then, Nathan showed up."
    Roy laughs, and begins to tell the rest of the story. "Nathan gave up guns, and he came into the fight wielding twin batons. He kicked ass, Jaybird. He was like, Nightwing or something like that."
    "Nathan's... A vigilante like Nightwing?" Jason's eyes widen at the thought. "I'm sorry I ran. But, I'm back now. I need to get into my old apartment. Max, can you call the Outlaws to meet at the Junkyard?"
    "Jaybird, it's already taken care of. But we'll have to meet tomorrow. Rachel and Chloe went to look for you in Seattle." Roy looks at Jason as they get out of the car. "God it's hella weird that you are now a redhead. Can't you dye it back?"
    Max and Jason laugh, and the three make their way to his apartment. Upon entering, Nathan is sitting in a chair, eagerly awaiting to see Jason.
    "Jason!" Nathan exclaims as he gets up to hug Jason. Jason embraces the boy, and pats him on the back.
    "Hey, Nate," Jason says, letting go. "I'm surprised you're not mad at me."
    "I was, but not anymore. It's a different story for Chloe and Rachel though. I mean, you did disappear for years, and they thought you were dead or in Seattle. And Warren? Well, he's still not talking."
    Jason's face wrinkles. Max looks at Roy as he tells Jason to sit down. All Nathan could say was, "Oh. You don't know, do you?"
    "Jason, Warren is in the hospital. Same time as Nathan debuted as Nightwing, Warren attempted to locate the gang's hq. We almost didn't make it. Max saved him, but just barely. We took a sample of your blood and used it as a healing agent. The Lazarus in your blood is just... Off the charts! But he won't talk. At all." Roy looks at him with regret.
    Jason looks down, and tells himself that he should have been here. Max places a hand on his shoulder, comforting him.
   "Jay, it's okay. We understand." She gestures to everyone in his living room and continues. "But, we need you. Arcadia Bay needs you. I need you."
    Jason looks at everyone, and asks if he could be excused. Roy offers to go with him, and he accepts the offer. The two swiftly go outside and Roy begins speaking.
    "Jason, I'm not mad at you for what happened. But dammit man, let go of the past! Let it go-" He gets cut off by Jason.
    "Shut up, Roy!" Jason whispers. "I saw someone in the window looking right at me. I'm baiting him."
Roy looks at him, then realizes his plan. "Gotcha."
    The friends silently wait as they listen for movement inside his apartment. Then, out of nowhere, a dagger is thrown at Jason. Luckily, Roy deflects it with his arm, revealing the metallic structure. "Ah, fuck!"
    At this, everyone else rushes outside and that's when the Talon. The shadowy figure lashes out at Roy and Nathan, taking them out of the equation. Max tries to fight, but she is kicked in the head and knocked unconscious. Jason charges the attacker and lands a series of blows on him, staggering his opponent.
The figure, clad in a blue variation of the Red Hood suit, was built exactly like Jason. His face, however, was covered by a face guard.
    "The prodigal son has returned as the town he once defended burns. How poetic," came a chilling voice from behind Jason. Another figure in black rushes Jason, knocking him off his feet.
     "You returned just in time to watch it burn!" The man standing before him brandished a crowbar.
    Before striking Jason, multiple gunshots sounded off and Chloe's voice came within earshot. Jason turned his head to see both Rachel and Chloe
    "Get the fuck away from my brother, you psychopaths!" she screamed. Rachel then opened fire with her own gun, and the attackers disappeared.
    Jason tried getting up, but his entire body had shut down, and he collapsed. The last words he heard were from Roy, telling them to call someone. Then his world went black.