Not As It Seems

tragic

The group of heroes, Talia, and Jade made their way wordlessly to the pit, Jason being carried in Bruce's arm. He drew in a raggedy breath every now and then, a wheezing noise that let everyone know he wasn't completely gone.

Yet.

Talia opened the door to the pit chamber and everyone was greeted by a haunting green glow coming from the pool of liquid. She led them over to the pit, staring down into it. "Here we are. But, be warned. His brain has suffered severe damage and he may not come back the same he was before. Assuming he isn't too far gone already."

Bruce looked down at Jason, his face a bloody mess, before walking to the edge of the pit with him. Jason pried his eyes open, noticing where he was. "Bruce, n-"

He was too late as Bruce unceremoniously placed him in the water and he sunk below the surface, the bubbles quickly dying out. Bruce turned to Talia with a glare. "Now what?"

"Now? Now we wait for the pit to do its job."

After a beat of silence, Tim asked the question on everyone's mind. "Who was Jason really working for this whole time? You, Deathstroke, or Bruce?"

Talia smiled down at the pit. "He worked for himself, really. He had his own agenda to play, plus a little bit of everyone else's."

There was another beat of silence. "I can see him working for you and Bruce, but why would he work with Deathstroke? All Slade wanted to do was annihilate us."

Talia chuckled. "And so did Jason, for a bit." When the heroes turned to her with curious expressions, she sighed. "When he came back the first time he was angry, angry at all of you. He claimed he was un-avenged, angry that his murderer still was alive, angry that his team did not spend more time looking for his body, angry that Bruce would allow such a mission."

"It was his ide-"

"Yes, but you are his boss and father, you had the final say." That shut Bruce up and he stared at the pit with a set jaw. Talia rolled her eyes. "After he came back, once the pits effects wore off, he was not so angry. At you heroes, at least. He was angry with himself."

A long drawn out silence befell the group. After about five minutes of everyone staring  at the pit, Artemis groaned. "How long does this take?"

"Patience, child. The pit has to heal him and his injuries, which were quite extensive." It was  a few more minutes before anything happened. Then, the pit began to bubble and Talia turned to look at the heroes. "Oh, I should warn you. When he was in the pit the first time he came back, he went into a murderous rage and killed half the guards in here."

"What? Wh-"

Dick was cut off by the sound of splashing and all eyes turned to Jason as he came out of the water. Nobody dared move as Jason took in deep, rattling breaths. Jason lifted his head to reveal practically glowing green eyes. He narrowed them when he saw Talia, lips curled in a snarl. Jason was over to her in a flash, hands curling around her windpipe as he shoved her roughly against the wall.

"You! What is the meaning of this, Talia?" He roared, applying pressure to her throat. "Why am I still alive?"

Talia glanced over at the heroes. "Blame your family, they forced me to bring you here. I was perfectly content leaving you to die."

Jason froze, turning his glare on the heroes. He raised one eyebrow, looking the group over. "Is this some trick, Talia? Am I supposed to know who they are?"

"No trick, Jason. They couldn't bare the thought of you dying again, so they made me drop you in the pit." Talia wheezed out, clawing at the hand wrapped around her throat.

Jason scoffed, returning his burning gaze to Talia. "Why would they care what happens to me?"

Dick took a step towards the duo. "We care because you are our brother, our friend, our family."

Jason snorted, squeezing Talia's throat harder. "Impossible, I don't even know who you are."

Is that possible?

What? That he forgot us but remembered Talia? Doubtful, I bet he is just playing a trick.

I don't know, look at his eyes. He seems pretty  sincere...M'gann, check his brain.

On it.

M'gann closed her eyes and scanned Jason's brain for any evidence that he was playing them, finding none. She shook her head at her teammates and the Justice League. "He is telling the truth, he really does not know who we are."

"How...? What happened?" Tim asked, staring at Jason with curious eyes.

Talia rasped out a chuckle. "His brain...was severely damaged by Control self destructing. Probably...affected his memories." She wheezed out the last sentence, face turning red.

Jade stepped up and pulled Jason away from Talia, allowing the older assassin to fall to the ground and heave in a breath, hands going to her throat. She looked up at Jade, about to thank her when Jade scoffed and snarled. "I didn't do it for you. I did it for Jason." When she got a blank stare in return, she continued. "He just came back from the brink of death, no memories of his family. I don't want his first memory to be of him murdering someone."

Jason wiggled out of Jade's arms, turning to glare at her. "What is your problem? I was doing us both a favor."

"No, you were throwing out your second, technically third, chance at a normal life." She looked over at the heroes, tossing an arm around Jason, who slapped it away the second it touched him. She rolled her eyes. "Look, he is clearly not in the best place mentally. I'll take h-"

"No!" Dick growled. "He is coming back with his family."

"I don't even know who any of you are! Besides Al Ghul over here." Jason shot Talia a harsh look. "I am not going with anyone. I may not know much, but I know I can take care of myself." He looked down at Talia. "Hope you don't mind, but I am taking your helicopter. Figure you owe me that much for botching my death."

The heroes flinched at that, Dick reaching a hand out to Jason. "Jay-"

Jason grabbed his hand and flung him over his shoulder, staring down at Dick as he gasped for breath on the ground. "Don't touch me. And you don't get to call me that." He released Dick's arm, brushing himself off. He continued on his path to the exit, the heroes stepping aside in awe and sorrow.

Bruce spoke up. "Where will you go?"

Jason turned and smirked. "Wouldn't you like to know?"

And with that, he left the heroes and the two assassins behind him, heading off into the island.

"We can't just let him go! We have to go to him, jog his mem-"

"I fear that may make it worse." Everyone turned to M'gann as she looked after him with a face full of pity. "All we can do now is let him go. He made his choice and we must respect that."

"He has no memory! We can't just let him loose in the world, all alone."

"He won't be alone, we will watch over him from afar. But if we interfere with his life, he may never gain back his memories of us." M'gann sighed, staring at the empty doorway. "Good bye, Jason. May you live in peace."

Woo! We are almost there! There is just an epilogue left and then the story is over.