Red Hood and the Outlaws

Chapter Eight

Jason picked his helmet up and held it under his arm, before swinging his jacket on as well and equipping his two pistols. He grabbed the doorknob and swung the door open, stepping outside and lighting a cigarette. He took a few puffs from it before snubbing it out and putting the helmet on. He pulled his phone out and checked the tracker. They were still in the location they were in before. 

He heaved himself onto his motorbike and drove away, checking the tracker now and again to see where the captured were.

When he eventually arrived at the disused orphanage, Jason got off his bike and drew his two pistols. He kicked the door down and entered, turning on the dark vision setting of his helmet. He saw nothing around, so continued looking.

Suddenly, he heard a whooshing noise behind him and whipped around, readying his guns. Then he heard someone land from the air behind him and he turned around and started shooting, but the man dodged everything.

"Oh, for God's sake, you again!" Jason complained, leaping towards the Talon and shooting until the magazines were empty. Noticing this, he started to attack him with the butts of his guns. The Talon kept dodging and eventually fought back, sweeping Jason and tripping him up.

"The Court expected your appearance here today." The Talon whispered as spotlights came on around them. Jason looked around and saw his family chained up; Batman, Robin, Nightwing, Red Robin, Orphan, Batgirl, Spoiler and Batwoman.

"Let them go! Take me!" Jason pleaded.

"No." The Talon grunted as he cracked Jason across the face. "Where are your two friends when you need them? Shame you came here alone."

"I came here alone to protect them!" Jason yelled as he went for the Talon, but he dodged and threw Jason against a wall. 

"But you're losing this fight. You cannot protect them if you're dead." The Talon taunted. "Even if  you win, I don't think they'll be happy you tried to stop us without you."

"Shut up!" Jason screamed, flailing at the Talon. Chuckling slightly, the Talon grabbed Jason by the shirt and smashing him into the ground. Jason began getting up again, but gave up eventually.

"Good." a Court member said over a microphone. "Take him."

---

"K-Kory?" Roy called out in a panic.

"What is wrong?" she responded.

"Jason's gone. And so's his bike." Roy sighed.

"He must've gone after the Court of Owls alone!" Kory replied shakily.

"Let's go then." Roy growled, grabbing his bow and quiver.

"Agreed." Kory finished, floating up and readying starbolts. 

When the pair arrived, Roy grabbed his bow and and Kory readied more starbolts. Roy kicked he door down and saw three Talons waiting for them.

"Shit, it's a trap." Roy muttered, shooting an arrow at one of them whilst Kory shot starbolts. "Let Jason go!" The Talon caught Roy's arrow and threw it back, hitting Roy in the arm. Kory gasped and scowled back at the Talon that attacked Roy and shot towards him at lightning speed, perforating his chest and ending the zombie. Two to go. Roy gritted his teeth as he yanked the arrow out of his arm and bandaged the wound with a ripped part of his shirt and leapt in to the fight. He stabbed a Talon with an arrow before being swung into a wall. Kory shot a starblast at them and knocked them away, before kicking him down and shooting him again. Roy got up and stabbed him with an arrow again, making sure he was done. The last Talon readied two daggers and leapt at Kory, catching her off guard and attempting to slash at her chest. Roy kicked her off and smashed her head into the ground.

"That was easy." Roy remarked. "How come J struggled so much?"

"I don't know." Kory replied worriedly. "Maybe it's a trap within a trap?"

"Sounds like the Court." Roy said. "Let's go." Roy and Kory kept going through the orphanage, looking at the dim paintings hanging on the walls. "Jason? Where are you?" he called, to no avail.

"Koriand'r. Roy Harper. You have arrived." a voice bellowed.

"Who's there?" Kory asked, readying starbolts.

"The Court of Owls have targeted you for a reason." the voice continued. "You two and Jason Todd have been interfering with our plans for too long. Roman Sionis and Carmine Falcone were our pawns. With them gone, Gotham will crumble and a new order will rise. The Court of Owls have become desperate and we are targeting you three and Batman's family because you are in our way. With you out of the way, we can regain control without interference."

"What kind of order?" Roy questioned, readying an arrow in his bow.

"The Order of Saint Dumas. You may have heard of them." the voice revealed.

"Wait, you mean Azrael Order of Saint Dumas?" Roy inquired in awe. 

"Indeed." the voice finished, before a trapdoor opened beneath Roy and Kory and sent them to a dimly lit room, with torches lining the stone walls.

"Why does an orphanage have a dungeon underneath it?" Kory asked rhetorically. 

"Because it isn't an orphanage." the same voice from before called out.

"Then what is it?" Roy questioned.

"It's a church." the voice said ominously as spotlights came on around them revealing the Bat family, now including Jason. "We've moved them since the boy arrived."

"I am not a boy." Jason joked weakly.

"Let them go." Roy scowled. 

"No." the voice responded, letting Roy and Kory turn towards him. It was a ginger man with a walking stick, bent over slightly, but still had the trademark owl mask on.

"I'l repeat." Roy snapped, drawing his bow back and readying an arrow at the man, and Kory was ready to shoot a laser at him. "Let them go." The man let out a chuckle, pointing his cane at the pair.

"I will not." he repeated. Roy shot the arrow, skimming past the man's head and hitting the bookshelf behind him.

"You missed, boy." he laughed.

"Nah, you're just an idiot." Roy giggled as the arrow exploded behind the man. Needless to say, all hell broke loose after that.