Gotham City Heroes (canceled version)

by Batfan98

Chapter 18 The Story of Jason Todd

The Batmobile drove into the Batcave and Batman exited, letting Robin hood onto him because of the pain in her ankle. Alfred walked over to them, concerned.

"What happened?" he asked, worriedly.

"Joker sprained her ankle with Quinn's mallet. Get the medical ward ready." Batman ordered, to which Alfred obeyed. They got to the ward and Batman put robin onto the bed.

Alfred took off her boot to look at her ankle, it was swollen. He pushed his finger on it. "Ow!" Robin squealed.

"Sorry, I have to see how bad it hurts. I'll put a cast on that." Alfred walked over to a table and took a foot cast and put it on her foot. "This'll make it easy for you to walk until it's healed."

"Thanks Alfred." Robin said as she took off her mask.

Alfred nodded. "Do you need help with walking up to your room?"

"No, I'll manage."

"Do you need anything?"

Scootaloo thought for a moment. "No, I'm good thanks."

Alfred nodded then left. Batman came up to Scoots bed. "How are you holding up?"

"I'll be fine, thanks." Scootaloo's face then turned to a face of sympathy. "Hey, Bruce?"

"Yes?"

Scootaloo turned her attention to Batman. "Joker said he killed one of the Robin's before me. I'm sorry about him."

Batman lowered his head in sadness.

"Why didn't you tell me? I thought we were supposed to be partners." Robin said, but she was still calm.

Batman looked at her. "I'm sorry. I couldn't bring myself to tell you about him. I lost him, because it was my fault." he said sadly.

Scootaloo cursed herself for bringing up the Robin that died. "Look, I don't know what happened that day, but what ever it was, it wasn't you."

"Yes it was. I let him go after Joker alone. If I wouldn't have let him go alone, he would still be here." Batman lowered his head as he remembered that day.

Flashback

Batman punched one of Joker's men as Robin kicked one in the face, knocking him out.

Joker was standing in the doorway "Welp, I gotta go now. See ya." he said as he ran out the door.

"You're not getting away this time, Joker." Robin said as he ran after him.

"Robin! Wait!" Batman said, but was grabbed by one henchman, who punched him in the face. Batman had to take care of these guys first. He grabbed the henchman by the collar of his shirt and punched him in the face, knocking him out.

Another henchman picked an AK-47 up from the floor and started shooting. Batman leaped out of the way of the bullets and threw a batarang at the gun, knocking it out of the man's hand. Batman then shot his bat claw at his shirt, pulled him hard and slammed him onto the floor. Once he was on the floor, he stomped on his face, knocking him out.

Batman now ran out the door to get to Robin, but he and Joker were nowhere to be seen. Suddenly, there was the sound of a vehicle driving, Batman looked in the direction it came from and it was a white van. "Jason!" Batman said, that van must have Robin in it.

Batman summoned the Batmobile and drove after the van. The van gained speed, but the Batmobile was faster, Batman didn't want to shoot a missile or drive the van off the road cause that might hurt Robin. So he pushed a red button and the car fired a line with a hook on it and it hit the van.

Batman slammed his foot onto the breaks, causing the van to forcefully stop, due to the line. The driver tried to drive the van away but the line was to strong and the Batmobile was pulling it in. Batman stepped out of the car and walked up to the van.

He opened the door to the driver's seat, the driver pulled out a gun but Batman was quick enough to grab his arm and break it, making him scream in pain but was silenced with a punch to the face, knocking him unconscious. Batman then looked in the van but Robin was not in it. "Dammit!" Batman yelled in anger, he was so stupid, he should have known that this van didn't have Robin.

He searched for Robin for three days but couldn't find him anywhere. That was until the third night he got a message.

The Bat-Signal shined in the sky from the roof of the GCPD building. Batman grappled up to the roof to find Commissioner Gordon. "Jim?"

Gordon handed Batman a piece of paper. "This arrived a half hour ago, it's for you."

Batman looked at the paper. It said 'Batsy, you've probably been looking for you're lost bird. Please come to warehouse 210 for a special blow out. -J'.

Batman wasted no time in getting to the Batmobile and driving to the warehouse. After about thirty minutes, he got there it was just up ahead, he could make it. BOOM!! The Batmobile stopped just when it was close to the warehouse as it exploded.

"No." Batman said, he was too late "No." how could he be too late, he couldn't be too let, Jason can't be dead "NO!!" Batman quickly ran to the wreckage of the warehouse. "JASON!! JASON!!" he searched through the wreckage.

He then noticed something at the corner of his eye. He turned to it's direction and saw something under some wreckage. No, please, not him. Batman quickly ran over to it and moved the wreckage off, and to his fear, it was Robin, there were so many bruises on him, he must have been beaten.

There were also scorch marks from the blast. Batman turned on detective vision to find a heartbeat, to his fear it said...deceased. He lowered his head in sadness, he failed to save him.

Batman picked up the body, putting one arm under his back and the other I need his legs. He looked at the lifeless body in his arms in dispare. "Jason..."

End of Flashback.

Batman then looked at Scootaloo. "I should have protected him. He died because of me."

Scootaloo lowered her head in sadness. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't have brought it up." She then looked up at Batman. "But look, you couldn't have predicted it, I'm sure there was nothing you can do to stop it." Batman didn't look like he believed that. Scootaloo had to think of something to cheer him up, an idea then popped in her head. "Maybe you could tell me about him, maybe how you met."

Batman thought for a moment. "Alright." he then told the story.

Flashback

Batman layer a rose on the sement ground, the ground in crime ally, the same ground that ran with his parents blood. Today was the anniversary of their deaths, he did this every year, he was haunted by the memory, the gun shots, the pearls falling to the ground, everything. He stood there for about five minutes the turned to leave.

The Batmobile was parked close, he walked to it and saw something he never thought he'd see, a kid stealing tires off the Batmobile. Now, when someone would try to steal tires off the Batmobile, they would fail, but the kid removed two tires from the car and was working on removing the third.

Pause Flashback

"Wait." Scootaloo interrupted "He stole tires off the Batmobile?" she asked, surprised.

Batman nodded.

Scootaloo's eyes widened in surprise. "How?!"

Batman nearly chuckled at her reaction. "I put new tires on, but I didn't finish redesigning the hub caps, leaving the lug nuts exposed, and the Batmobile's sensors were down, giving him the perfect opportunity."

Flashback

"Unreal." Batman said in a stunned tone.

The kid heard Batman and turned his head in his direction. "As shit." he stood up, He appeared to be fourteen or fifteen years old, he had short black hair, wore a black jacket, red T-shirt, and brown jeans. "I...uh...I was just..." he stuttered, nervously.

Batman walked up to him. "Where are your parents?" he thought that instead of turning him over to the police, he'll make sure his parents will punish him, since he didn't want to put a kid in jail.

The kid crossed his arms. "My bastard dad left when I was six and my mom...well..."

The kid trailed off but it confirmed for Batman that this kid's mom has died. "I'm sorry."

"I live on my own." the kid said "So, ya gonna turn me over to the police?"

Batman thought for a moment. "Tell you what, if you put the tires back on my car and come with me I won't turn you over to the police."

The kid thought about it for a moment. "Why do you want me to come with you?"

"Because I want to give you a better home, a family."

"Yeah right." the kid said "You're just saying that because you want to use me for something, there have been people who said they'd take care of me, but instead used me as someone who could help them with work, like drug dealing or shoplifting then throw me out when they think I'm not useful anymore."

Batman looked at him, sympathetically. "I'm sorry people treated you like that, but I promise that I won't treat you that way, I will treat you as family."

The kid thought about it for a second then looked at Batman. "Ah, what the hell. Even if your not telling the truth I'll just leave." he then started putting the tires back.

"What's your name?" Batman asked.

"Jason, Jason Todd." the kid introduced.

"How long have you been on your own, Jason?"

"Two years, I've been on my own since my mom died." he looked at Batman "But I can take care of myself, I uh, borrowed money from people and got food and I've been living in a condemned building."

Batman felt sorry for Jason. He had no home or family and had to do illegal jobs and steal money from people to survive. It was obvious that Jason was lying when he said he borrowed money, judging by how he said 'borrowed', but he knew he did it for a reason and never considered him as a criminal, but instead a kid who had no one.

When Jason was done putting the tires back on, Batman took him home, from this moment on Jason became part of Batman's life.

End of Flashback

"Jason was strong, he was confident and brave, I've always been proud of him." Batman said.

Scootaloo smiled at that story. "So, after you took him in he became your ward and became Robin?"

Batman nodded.

"So, good thing he had you." Scootaloo smiled. "He must have been a great kid."

"He was." Batman smiled "He was, he was like other teenagers, he was stubborn but he was brave, heroic, selfless, and loved the thrill of being Robin."

Batman then looked back on the memories of Jason, how he was brave and heroic, but he gee sad knowing that after he died and was resurrected he changed into something else, something Batman tried to keep him from becoming. He couldn't bring himself to talk about it.

Later, Scootaloo walked up to the glass case that had Jason's Robin suit. "Hey, Jason. I know I'm not gonna be you, I know I can't be great as you, but I'm gonna make you proud."

Author's Note:

Some elements I borrowed from a lego Batman can film about the death in the family story.

Comments

[badninja]

I do wonder how much Jason’s death still weighs on Batman in this universe and how it will effect his relationship with Scoots. I know in the main comics he still cares for Jason but disapproves of his actions as Red Hood after Ra brought him back via the Lazarus Pit.

[Chrome Masquerade]

"No." Batman said, he was too late "No." how could he be too late, he couldn't be too let, Jason can't be dead "NO!!" Batman quickly ran to the wreckage of the warehouse. "JASON!! JASON!!" he searched through the wreckage.