*J* (the continuation)

Part Thirty-Four: Chapter 258: For His Own Good

Bruce had never told another living soul about the existence of the Lazarus Pits throughout the world. Ra's Al Ghul, the man who had trained him to be unbeatable, had been the first to discover their existence. They were not made of water, though their smell and appearance mimicked it. For the most part they went completely unnoticed under this convient guise. Their true makeup was actually that of a very powerful substance called Dionesium. It was a super healing agent that could restore life to a deceased body. That is as long as their death hasn't exceeded six hours.

But the precious gift of renewed life didn't come without a price. Those that entered the pits experienced a temporary loss of sanity. Those who are brought back by the pits had to be monitored very closely. Primarily due to the fact that they lose their ability of rationale. They act without the thought of concinquence, and their actions have no limits. They embody unpredictability in it's purest form. But Bruce knew these things, and he was prepared for them.

But there was still yet another side effect of the Dionesium. It enhanced a person's abilities. It made them faster than they had previously been. It made them far more agile and catlike in their reflexes. It made them stronger in every physical way. It could be argued that it gave them metahuman capabilities. But in combination with the mental instability, this was anything but a good thing.

"Please, please work," Bruce mutters to himself as he releases Jason's body from his arms. He steps back slowly and exits the pit. Standing at it's edge, he watches as the air bubbles escape the body as it slowly sinks deeper. Bruce didn't know how long the resurrection would take. Nor was he sure if it would even work. It was a preposterous notion after all.

But up from the life restoring Dionesium, Jason's body arose, desperate to break the surface. With a gasp his lungs fill with air, followed by a series of coughs to expell the fluid from his lungs. Bruce stands paralyzed, mouth agape, trying to accept the seemingly impossible scene before him. It actually worked. Jason was now alive. Bruce wonders if he had been truly as dead as he had originally thought?

Jason swipes his hair from his face. Then he rubs at his eyes until his vision clears. That's when he notices Bruce standing there, still in his bat suit, but minus his cowl. Jason's movements cease and he stands uncertain of Bruce's intent. Despite Bruce's lack of words or any threatening movements, Jason takes a defensive stance. Jason doesn't know that Bruce is aware of the fact that he isn't the Joker. He doesn't even know how he's come to be in his presence. The last thing he clearly remembered was J.

"You," Jason growls as his eyes narrow in anger. His rage is only amplified by the Dionesium. Jason still harboured so much ill will towards Bruce for not avenging his staged death. He had thought that it would have served as a breaking point. That final push Bruce needed to finally put a permanent stop to the Joker's madness. But not even his alleged death was enough for Bruce. Taking Alfred from him wasn't even enough.

The effects of the Dionesium intensify every feeling he felt. Anger. Pain. Resentment. Bruce would rather lay up with the Joker than kill him. He would rather let that clown run around destroying more lives than putting a stop to it, once and for all. Jason would rather kill Bruce than live with the knowledge that he cared more for the Joker than he did for him.

Then, without any warning, he flicks a knife from his wrist and lunges at Bruce with it. Bruce's reflexes kick in and he manages to dodge Jason's attack. But Jason comes for him again. This time Bruce isn't fast enough to move. He instead grabs Jason's wrist as the knife hovers above him. Bruce exerts all of his strength, but Jason's newlyfound abilities threaten to overpower him. As the knife gets closer and closer to his chest, Bruce realizes that he wouldn't be able to hold Jason off much longer. So without any other choice, Bruce punches Jason with everything he has. It's enough to make Jason falter for just a second. But that second was all Bruce needed to press a button on the arm of the bat suit. A green fog emits from his wrist and into Jason's face. It induced immediate unconsciousness. It was a gas that Bruce had derived from Joker Venom.