Having had enough with Gotham and it's seemingly endless criminal underworld, Jason Todd, or as he's known amongst most as the Red Hood, decides to find his own city to protect. Even if it's a small one, he'll do whatever he can to protect it.
Having had enough with Gotham and it's seemingly endless criminal underworld, Jason Todd, or as he's known amongst most as the Red Hood, decides to find his own city to protect. Just like Dickybird. Even if it's a small city, he'll do whatever he can to protect it. Even if he has to resort to drastic measures, such as killing. Though he'll get hell from Bruce if he ever does that.
"Jason, are you sure that you want to do this?" This was the question that Bruce asked me as I was heading towards my motorbike that was inside the Batcave underneath Wayne Manor.
"Yes, I'm sure of this Bruce. How else am I going to see the better side of humanity? Gotham really isn't the place to find happiness, especially for people like me. You know how much it takes to restrain myself from killing the Joker. So if I ever want to have a chance at getting rid of that hate for him, I need to move on."
I got onto the bike and started it up, with my helmet hanging off the handlebars, and a backpack with clothing and other equipment in it. "I understand Jason. And I'm glad you're trying to move on. Just know that you'll have our backs." I smiled a little, as I brushed a bit of my black and white hair out of my eyes.
"I know Bruce. And I'll be sure to keep in contact with everyone. Because the last thing I want is for Dick to come and check up on me like the mother hen he is." I laughed a little, and so did Bruce. I held out my hand for him to shake, and Bruce did so. "See you again whenever Bruce." With that, I put on my helmet as the computer inside revved to life, letting me see clearly along with everything else I had up at the moment. The same process happened for the motorcycle, only less high-tech than my helmet.
And with that all done, I drove out of the Batcave and made my way out of Gotham City, on my way to somewhere new.
At least 100 miles away from the criminal cesspool known as Gotham City. I knew for a fact that Batman's war on crime there would last until he would no longer be breathing. You just can't simply hope to stop the criminally insane like the Joker, or the crime bosses like Black Mask and Penguin unless you take them down permanently. But I know that won't happen since Bruce is against killing.
He even openly admits that he can easily kill them. It would be easy to. But he knows that's what makes him a better man then they ever would be. He holds himself back. I remember listening somewhat to Bruce talk about the many times he so wanted to kill the Joker. The two biggest moments he came close to almost doing it was when he did all of those things to Barbara and James Gordon. He really came close to crossing that line. And when Joker killed me, he told me that there were times when he almost went through with killing the Joker.
There was a time when Bruce beat the Joker down to an inch of his life. But he finally remembered the lessons he got from Alfred when he was growing up, and the mandate he set for himself. To never become a killer. In his exact words, 'If you kill a killer, the number of killers in the world remain the same.'
Heh, I guess that does make Bruce the better man. He found a third option when I gave him two back when we finished our final fight when I first met him as the Red Hood. Kill him or kill me. Those were the options I gave him, but he found a third one. A third fucking option. I shake my head a little as I drive through the mountain passes, heading towards somewhere.
That somewhere was a city called Canterlot. Weird name for a place, almost exactly like the name from the kingdom in the tail of King Arthur. But I'm not one to complain or nitpick. It's small, and that's where I'd like to be. Not a big fan of huge places like Gotham or Metropolis. Much rather have a small community where I know I'll be helpful, and know everyone like the back of my hand. And what better way to start helping the place by taking down the crime syndicate that has it's dirty hands in almost every single place in the town.
I look through the files in my helmets database, and it projects out of my helmet for me to see where I'm driving, and look over the information I have. The syndicate is led by a guy named Sombra. No known information on what this person looks like. Huh. From the way it looks, the guy's getting inspiration from Black Mask and how he does things. If that's the case, then things will be somewhat easier for me, since I have had plenty of encounters with Sionis to know how he runs his shtick.
Second in command, a woman known as Chrysalis Queen. Someone with dark green hair, that seems to be a natural color, that goes down to her shoulders and lime green eyes. Slightly brighter green eye color than what I'm used too. Another weird name. Hopefully this city isn't filled with names such as this. At least Sombra was a somewhat normal criminal name. At least, I hope that's his criminal name. Anywyas, back on track. Chrysalis is the head of the city council, which would explain where Sombra would be getting some of his funds from. That also means she has access to the names of every person in the city, which means people to recruit to his criminal organization, or targets to have kept quiet.
And finally, the enforcer of the organization, Tirek. An extremely buff man that from the looks of it could give Bane a run for his money in the strength department. The man has yellow eyes; holy shit this city is weird, and has jet black hair that goes down to the back of his head, and a beard that looks like it belongs on a pirate.
I kept on riding towards my destination, seeing the city in the distance as i put the files back inside the helmets computer database. Should only take a few minutes before I arrive. Now, for my civilian identity. I really don't want to go back to high school, but if I ever want an actual job or anything like that, it's a necessity to graduate. And I can already tell I'm gonna hate it, because there won't be any challenge at all. Nothing new to learn. At least, nothing useful to me.
Oh well, I'll worry about that later. I have a city to start protecting.
Nearing Midnight, and the only people who are out at this time of night in Canterlot, or anyone anywhere to be honest, is either doing shady things, or they're on their way to work. Right now, we see Rarity Belle closing down the Carousel Boutique for the weekend. Being head designer and partial owner of the shop, she's tasked with making sure everything is turned off completely, and is locked up until the next day.
We now see Rarity turn away from the shop, and make her way home for the night to get some shut eye. She would need all she can get from all of the work that would be sure to come in the next couple of days. Rarity was walking through the center of Canterlot, where a monument to the city's founder, a woman named Faust, was. She has just passed by the monument, when she was roughly grabbed by a person from the shadowy depths of a nearby alley and pulled into it. She dropped her purse, when she was shoved up against the wall.
"If you wanna leave here unscathed pretty girl, then give me everything you have on you. Now." That was the voice of a grown man, which had Rarity fearing for her life.
The past couple of years have been bad for the city of Canterlot, as there was rumors of a mafia-like organization coming into power. And those rumors were seen as true months after they first popped up when those who spoke against the mafia were kidnapped, and were never seen again, except for a select few. What was found, or what remained made everyone fearful to go out at night where people were most vulnerable whenever one was out alone.
"O-Okay, just let me get my purse and I'll give you everything, okay?" She said with a frightened look in her eyes. The man before her nodded his head, and kicked the purse over to her, and let go of Rarity to aim his weapon up at her, in case she made any sudden movements. As Rarity was digging through her purse for her wallet, she jumped at the sound of a gunshot, fearing she was hit. Only to find out that she was experiencing no pain.
When she looked up, she saw the man holding his right hand with blood pouring out of a bullet wound, and his pistol down on the ground. She then looked up to see a person with a dark grey leather jacket with a tan bulletproof vest with a red bat on it, and cargo pants of the same color. He also wore black combat boots, and red and black fingerless gloves. And finally, the person had a blood red mask covering his entire face.
"I always did have a hatred towards criminals who go after young people. Especially kids." The man in the red mask dropped down onto the ground, as he aimed a pistol right at the criminal in front of Rarity.
The thug growled a bit and said "I don't care if you dislike what happens here. Just know that Sombra won't hesitate to have you be put out of your misery." The man stepped out of the shadows, and further towards the man holding his hand. Seeing who was in front of him, the thug's eyes widened and backed away. "Another Bat? Shit..." Rarity looked on in silence, heavily wondering if the man in the red mask would turn his gun on her once the thug was dealt with.
The man in the mask chuckled a bit, and said "Yeah, I'm part of Batman's little group. But you see, when push comes to shove, I can do things he's not willing to do. And right now, I'm feeling a little nice. I won't end your life here, but I will make you hurt like hell." After he said that, he pulled out a second pistol, and fired the whole clip into the thug, hitting him hard in several areas, and knocking him out with a final punch to the head.
As the thug fell to the ground, the man put his guns away and turned to Rarity, and helped her up off of the ground. "Sorry you had to see all of that."
Rarity calmed herself down to the point where she could speak clearly. "I-It's no problem darling. I suppose I should thank you for saving me."
The man nodded his head, then said "Thanks aren't necessary." He pulled out a spare pistol he had attached to his leg, and pulled out a clip with it as well, and handed it to Rarity. "Should any other criminal try and harm you, shoot them with this. It has rubber bullets, so you don't have to worry about killing anyone. And when you get home, just throw it away."
Rarity took the weapon hesitantly along with the pistol clip, then put it away inside her purse. "I suppose I could use it to protect myself. But may I have your name, so I can properly thank you?"
The man smiled underneath his mask, and said "The names Red Hood."
She smiled, glad to have a name to the man who saved her. "Well, Red Hood. If you're willing too, perhaps you could stay here in Canterlot to help make it a better place? Heavens know we need all the help we can get."
The Red Hood looked down at the unconscious thug, and then back at Rarity. "That's what I plan on doing. And do stay out of trouble, ma'am. Wouldn't want you to become a damsel in distress for me to save now, would we?"
Rarity laughed happily, then smiled and said "No, we wouldn't." The Red Hood nodded his head again, and walked back towards the wall in front of them as sirens were heard in the distance.
"Well then, have a safe trip home." And with that, the Red Hood fired a grappling hook onto the rooftop's edge, and flew up and out of sight.
I had bought a house that was in the outskirts of Canterlot. I needed a place to live, and unfortunately, I bought it with the money I had gotten during my run against Bruce. More specifically, when I had almost all of the head drug dealers under my foot. But now, I also get a monthly allowance from Bruce, since I technically his adopted son, along with Dick. Tim, he still has his family. And the Demon, well, he was Bruce's blood-son.
But let me tell you something. The way Bruce got a son was the last thing you'd expect to happen with the World's Greatest Detective. He was drugged with something by Talia Al-Ghul. Goes to show that even Bruce can get surprised. But with that incident, whatever trust he had with Talia is now gone.
But, on to bigger and better things. I just helped out a young lady. From what I can tell, she's still in school. A fashion designer, from what I can tell by her style. May go and see her again. Maybe she's a student at Canterlot High, the place where I will be finishing up my high school education. Hooray!
Speaking of Canterlot High, it is almost time to make my way for my first official day at the place. It'll be easy to catch up to whatever level they're at right now, since it's a public school. But to be honest, I'm not really looking for a challenge. If I wanted one, even the smallest challenge, I'd probably go to Crystal Prep academy. But I'm not a big fan of uniforms. Had enough of that when I was at Gotham Prep while under a scholarship from dear old daddy Bats.
"So, Mr. Todd-" I interrupted Principal Celestia before she could continue.
"Jason will do. Mr. Todd was my father, and he's not family to me anymore." I told her, as she nodded her head slowly and looked over my transcript.
"Okay then Jason. From what I can see, you were a top student at Gotham Prep, while under the Bruce Wayne scholarship there, correct?" She asked me, making sure the information was correct. And I can understand why. Gotham Prep is a well known school in the U.S, even if it's in a criminal filled city like Gotham. Hell, even people from Metropolis would risk there lives to try and get an education there. That is, if they have the money.
"You are correct, Miss Celestia." She smiled a little, and back down at the transcript. When she went back to family members, she was still in slight shock when she saw who I was related too.
"And you are the adopted son of Billionaire Bruce Wayne, and brothers to Richard Grayson and Damian Wayne?" I chuckled a little, as i brushed my hair a bit. For the occasion of school, I dyed my hair completely black so the white patch wouldn't stand out.
"Yeah. We have a weird family, and it still is weird for me. Being adopted by a Billionaire doesn't happen to everyone." She nodded her head in understanding, as she put the transcript down.
"And the last of the Flying Grayson's? May I ask how young Richard is doing?" I scoffed a little, and said "Dick? He doesn't like being reminded that his mother and father are dead. But other than that, he's as happy as can be. He's the mother hen of the family whenever Bruce is out doing business meetings or whatever, making sure everyone is okay."
Celestia laughed a little, then leaned back in her chair with her hands under her chin. "That's wonderful to hear. I always did enjoy seeing them perform in the circus, as did my sister. It was sad to hear what happened to them." She then grabbed my transcript again, and read over it again. "Now, final question, Jason. How many languages are you able to speak besides English? Spanish? French?"
I smirked, glad to show off some of my skills. "Let's see," I said as I counted the ones I could speak off of my fingers. "English, French, Spanish, Italian, German, Russian, and plenty of others." Celestia was shocked when she heard all of that.
"A multilinguist then. That's quite the skill, Jason." I smiled and replied in Spanish, "Muchas gracias, señorita Celestia. Me alegro de que te guste."
Celestia finally put the transcript away in my folder, and then said to me "English will only be necessary, Jason. You do want people to understand you here. But, if you so desire, you could help tutor students who have a hard time understanding the English language."
"I'll keep that in mind, Miss Celestia." And to be honest, I did think about being a tutor later on in life, or a translator. I would have chosen that path were I not the Red Hood. Maybe if I retire from being the Red Hood at some point later on in life, I could be a translator or a teacher of sorts. Could be nice later on in life. But for now, Red Hood helping people and taking down criminals is the first priority... right next to graduating high school.
I then watched as Celestia called for a girl named Sunset Shimmer to come down to the office. As she put the phone down, I said "Miss Celestia, I don't really need a baby sitter to show me around the school. I'm more than sure I could find my own way to class. Just give me a map, and I'll be on my way."
Celestia smiled and said "I'm more than sure you can find your way to classes, Jason. But Sunset is the guide for new students that come to our school. And you're no exception." You see, there were times to fight back in this world, and there were times to not fight back. And this was one of those times to not fight back.
I slouched in my chair, sighing heavily. We sat there in silence until the door opened as a girl with yellow and red hair walked in. She was wearing a black leather jacket like me, only she had on a blue and tan dress, with light blue jeans and gray high heel boots. She looked at me, and then back at Celestia. "Is he the new student, Principal Celestia?"
She nodded her head in response, then said "Yes, this is Jason Todd. Jason, this is Sunset Shimmer. She'll be your guide for the rest of the day. If you need any questions, feel free to ask her, as she would be more than happy to help." As I got up from the chair with my bag over my shoulder, Celestia handed me a paper with my locker and classes. "You might want this as well, otherwise you won't be able know which classes to go too."
I grabbed the paper and looked over at it as I left her office with Sunset in front of me. I could already tell this was going to be a long school year.
"So from what I can tell, you have the same schedule that I do. This makes things a lot easier for us, as I can show you where exactly to go. I guess the next thing I can do is show you your locker." Sunset said to me, and I swear she seems a little too happy to do this. How she could be this happy is beyond me. She's almost as happy as Superman can be, with all of his damn positivity. Maybe she has more. Won't know unless I do a side by side comparison of the two.
"That makes life simpler for me. As for my locker, it's D108." She looked even more excited than before after I said that, which I'm starting to regret saying at all.
"Awesome! That's right next to mine and Rarity's lockers!" I perked up a little when she said the name Rarity. Seems the girl I saved last night does go to this school, and not Crystal Prep. I guess I can strike up a conversation with her later, if given the chance.
"If that's the case, could you please show me?" I asked her politely. She nodded her head happily, and walked with a slight skip in her step. I followed her, as I studied the layout of the building. If I want a proper layout though, then I'd have to get one later on. Never know if a criminal or some lunatic could barge in here and hold the place hostage. In the ways of Batman, you could never have too much information. Well, unless some of that information involves ways to take down the Justice League. Then that's too much. But I'd never say that to Bruce's face. Oh well, at least the League knows about it. At least, I hope they do.
While this was going on in my head, I heard Sunset call my name. I turn my head tof ace her, and say "What do you need Shimmer?"
She giggled a bit, and said "I've been trying to get your attention for the past 30 seconds. Were you in your own little world or something?" She laughed even more when a look of embarrassment appeared on my face. "It's okay, I'm just messing with you. Anyways, I wanted to ask about your Jacket. It looks amazing, and I was wondering where you got it from?"
I raised my eyebrows in surprise from her question. Out of all of the things she could ask me, this was something that never crossed my mind. "Oh, this? It's a custom made Leather Jacket from Emporio Armani. Nothing special really." This time, it was her eyes who widened in response.
"Armani! What do you mean it's nothing special?! They're clothing is expensive as hell!" I raised my hands in the air, and said "Easy there Sunset. This was a gift from my father." Sunset calmed down, and crossed her arms. "And who is this father of yours to just go and buy an custom made Emporio Armani leather jacket?" I chuckled and pulled my bag tighter to my shoulder. "Billionaire playboy Bruce Wayne."
By the time Sunset had taken me to my locker, and we arrived in class, the bell had rung, signaling the end of class. I stood outside the door, waiting for Sunset for about a minute or so until Sunset came out with a girl with rainbow colored hair... why rainbow hair? For the love of god, please let that be dyed on.
"Hey Rainbow, mind waiting for me while I get my stuff?" Sunset asked the rainbow hair girl. Hopefully Rainbow was just a nickname. Rainbow smiled and leaned against the wall next to the doorway. "Sure thing egghead. Don't take too long though. Wouldn't want to keep the others waiting now would we?"
Sunset smiled sheepishly, and replied "No, we wouldn't want that." And with that, she entered the classroom leaving me outside with 'Rainbow'. She looked at me up and down, as if she were sizing me up. "So you're the new student." I chuckled a bit, and replied "That's what I'm told."
I then held my hand out towards her. "Names Jason Todd. What would yours be?" She looked at my hand, then grabbed it and we shook. "Rainbow Dash, fastest girl around." I smiled and retracted my hand and put it in my pockets. "Glad you didn't say fastest person alive. Cause that title goes to The Flash." On the inside though, I was deflated. Her name really was Rainbow. For fucks sake.
Sunset came back out with her bag and papers, and she looked back and forth between us. "I see you're already making friends Jason." I looked back at her with a raised eyebrow, and said "Friends? I wouldn't say we're friends. We're more like... acquaintances. If we're going to be friends, then we have a long way to go before I consider her my friend."
She frowned at hearing me say that, and I wondered what was going through her head since she seems like the person to always be happy. "Why can't you be friends right now? You both seem to be getting along rather nicely. You were even talking about superheroes like The Flash." Ah, so that was had her upset slightly.
I walked with the two on either side of me, and I said to Sunset, "I never told you where I was from. Rainbow here might now since Bruce Wayne lives in Gotham. I'm his adopted son who was living on the streets. You ever want to see humanity at it's worst, then visit Gotham. First night there, and the lightest thing that can happen is you getting robbed. Worst thing possible, you're in one of Joker's schemes, being one of his hostages for Batman to come out."
Rainbow was in shock, and she said "You sound like you speak from experience when you mentioned the Joker. You dealt with him before?" I nodded my head slowly, and spoke softly "Yeah, we got real close and personal. Ended up with several bones being broken by him and his goons." Sunset frowned even more, not believing any of this to be true.
"Surely there's some good in Gotham City. There has to be!" I smiled sadly and replied with a shake of my head, "The only good in that city is Batman and Commissioner Gordon. And those two can't save the city without getting rid of every single criminal there. Then again, they take out one criminal, another takes that one's place. That's just the way it is."
The two of them looked down, with Sunset saddened to hear that such a place as Gotham existed. She then looked up and placed a hand on my shoulder, and I jumped a little at the feeling. "Sorry, didn't mean to scare you Jason. But hey, at least none of those bad guys will be coming here, right?" I nod my head after hearing that, and said "Yeah. They won't come here. Unless something here catches there eyes. Then the city will have an issue on their hands."
Rainbow and Sunset looked at each other, speaking to each other without words, when Rainbow looked at me and said "What do you mean we'll have an issue on our hands? Surely the police will handle whoever comes here."
I chuckle lightly at her ignorance, then looked at Sunset and asked her, "Is our lunch period right now?" She nods her head, and I speak again. "I'll tell you all why we'll have an issue when we start to eat. But be warned, it's not easy to listen too. So don't be surprised if you end up having to throw up afterwards, or during the story, alright?"
I could tell then and there that as soon as I said that, their faces paled considerably. "Of course, I don't have to tell you if you don't want to. Keep your minds innocent for now." Rainbow nodded her head immediately, and said "That won't be necessary. Perhaps you could tell us another time? After all, we have a friend who is extremely squeamish and scared about those kind of things." I nod my head quietly, and adjusted my leather jacket as we made our way to the lunchroom.
"What do you mean there's a vigilante in my city?!" Sombra yelled at one of his messengers inside of his office. Sombra had his black hair slicked back, and wore a gray and red suit, with a white tie. The man before him was trembling in fear. "It's the truth, boss. And it's one of Batman's people. Goes by the name Red Hood." Sombra sighed loudly, then sat down in his leather chair.
"So the brat that kept giving Sionis trouble back in Gotham is here in Canterlot." Sombra sat there in silence with his eyes closed, thinking over his options on what to do. The messenger stood several feet in front of Sombra's desk, sweating nervously while waiting for a command from Sombra. After a minute or so, he finally opened his eyes and crossed his fingers underneath his chin. "Find Tirek and tell him to come here. I have need for him once again."
The man before him nodded his head quickly, and exited the office as fast as he could. For his safety, and to protect his own skin, he would have to find Tirek quickly. Otherwise he would be set as an example for the others in Sombra's criminal empire. Just like the poor fool who was in custody right now would end up being an example.
A few minutes later after the messenger was sent, Tirek had finally arrived. The muscular man entered Sombra's office and stood before his boss. "You requested my presence, sir?"
Sombra turned away from the window overlooking the city and turned to face Tirek. "I did. From what I understand, you seem to be growing quite bored with no one to challenge you, correct?"
The red skinned man nodded his head in response and said "Yes sir. Ever since we've taken hold of this city, no one is willing to stand up against us. And if they do, they're silenced immediately. So yeah, I've gotten a bit bored." Sombra smirked then told Tirek "Well then, what if I told you that you can alleviate this boredom of yours right now?
Tirek raised an eyebrow after hearing Sombra say that, and was genuinely curious to hear what his boss had to say. "What do you mean sir?" Sombra stood up from his chair and walked over to Tirek.
"You've heard of the Bat-family over in Gotham, correct?" When he saw Tirek nod his head, he continued, "Well, one of them has come to our wonderful city, and is trying to ruin everything that we've built. Now, I'm sure you're more than curious to find out who is here. I mean, it's not every day you get to fight one of Batman's little crew members outside of Gotham."
Tirek smiled a little, looking forward to the challenge. "It'll be a pleasure to find and crush this little Bat. Give me a name, and I'll be sure to put them in their place." Sombra smiled wickedly, then went back to his stoic expression.
"It won't be that easy Tirek. After all, we're talking about a person that was taught and trained by the Bat himself. So always be on your toes. Never let your guard down, and don't let up until he's not breathing anymore. Understood?" Sombra stated to Tirek, as to which he nodded his head.
"Perfectly clear boss. Any advice as to how to bring him out?" Sombra walked back to his desk and sat back down in his chair. "The second best chance of bringing him out is by doing something to young adults. But your best bet is to mess around with children. From what I understand, he hunts down those kinds of people. But that decision is up to you, and you only. Now leave me."
~~RD~~
"How the hell can you keep going on like this?!" I was sweating like a pig and panting heavily from the amount of running I was doing, and Jason was keeping up with me perfectly fine. As a matter of fact, he didn't seem to be breaking a sweat at all.
"Rigorous exercise every day and night. And continuous training. How else would I be able to stay in shape?" And he wasn't wrong. I would be lying if I wasn't taking peeks every now and then at his abs and muscles. The gym clothes were definitely doing him wonders, that's for sure. And what better class to have at the end of the day then gym? I can go home and have his body in my mind for the rest of the day.
Wait, why am I thinking like this? We only just met and I'm fawning over him like a fangirl. Stop that Rainbow, right now. By the time I came back to my senses and stopped talking to myself, Jason was looking at me with his striking blue eyes. Jesus, I actually think I'm falling for him. "Hey RD, you alright? Kinda lost you for a second there."
I shake my head, and I look at him with a smile on my face. "Perfectly fine Jason. No need to worry about me."
He smiled a bit in response, then said "Glad to hear. Now come on, our class is almost over. So it would be best to head to the locker room and change. Wouldn't want to keep your number 1 fan waiting for you now, would we?"
I nodded my head slightly then stood up straight, stretching my back. "Hey, after school you wanna meet up with me and the other girls?"
He shook his head then said "Afraid I can't. Gotta finish moving all of my stuff in before I can do anything like that. Maybe next time?"
I smirked and wrapped an arm around his shoulder and said "I'll keep you to that bub. Now get going. You smell like you crawled out of a sewer." He looked offended by that, but I could tell he was joking.
"I do not smell like that. As a matter of fact, I smell like an angel." He held his head up high after he said that.
"Yeah, maybe when you've cleaned yourself up and all that. But right now I'm sticking with what I said." He dropped his pose and held his head low. "You're no fun."
"Hey Scoots, ready to go?" I asked my adopted little sister, Scootaloo. My family and I happily adopted her after we found out the situation she was living in. An abusive father with a mother who doesn't care, and just watches and lets the abuse happen? No child should have to go through that.
"You bet! And this time, I'm gonna beat you for sure, because I've been practicing!" She exclaimed happily. You see, we have a little rivalry going on in FIFA. It started whenever she found out that I liked soccer as much as she did. But since she has muscular dystrophy in her legs, which doesn't really allow her to play sports like she wants too, we found an alternative. And that was in FIFA. And to be honest, we have a blast playing it.
Hell, I even get Sunset to play against me every now and then. But she always seems to beat me, no matter what I do. I really need to find out where she learned to play like that. I still don't believe that she only started playing because I wanted to challenge her that one time. "Whatever you say Scoots. But if you wanna beat me, it's gonna take a lot of skill."
She crossed her arms and said "It doesn't take skill since you always play as PSG or Real Madrid. That's practically unfair! I mean, they have Neymar and Ronaldo." I chuckled and rubbed the back of my head in embarrassment since I know it's true. "Yet you're getting better and better with those shots of yours. Keep it up, and you'll be able to bend it like Beckham."
She then got an idea, since I could see it on her face. "Or I could get lessons from Sunset. From what I hear, she's always able to beat you." "That's because she's probably cheating! Or something..." I blurted out quickly, kinda regretting what I said about Sunset.
Scootaloo scoffed at that. "Or she's simply better than you. Admit it Rainbow. Sunset's better at a game that she's barely played, and she's better than you."
I was about to deny that idea when there was a huge figure in our way. I stopped along with Scootaloo to ask them to move, but the man spoke before I could say anything. "Mind if I butt in?" He said with a dangerous look in his eyes, and the next thing I knew, the large man grabbed threw me down to the ground, hitting my head hard against the concrete. I could feel blood trickling down the back of my head from the impact, and my vision started getting blurry. But I could hear one thing for sure. That Scootaloo was calling my name in a panic, and her voice was fading into the distance.
"S-Scootaloo..." I muttered out quietly, then I saw a man with a red mask above me call out my name as the world started to go black.
"Rainbow! Rainbow, stay with me alright? Help's on the way." I tell her, but I can tell she's fallen unconscious. I used the binoculars installed in my helmet to see the large man running away from the scene of the crime. From the way he's built, and how he looks, he must be Tirek. Well then, looks like I won't have to look too hard for him. He's literally out in the open. But first, gotta make sure the ambulance and the authorities are on their way.
I then turn off the binoculars and look at the emergency vehicles location, and see that they're less than a few blocks away from our location. Good. Now that I know Rainbow will be in safe hands, I can go confront Tirek and save her sister Scootaloo. I stand up from my crouched position and look down the street as I see Tirek pushing anyone unfortunate enough to cross his path out of the way. I then pull out a grappling hook and shoot it up to a nearby roof to get on top of it. As I climb onto the roof, I look down and see the ambulance and police arrive. I smile underneath my mask, knowing that she'll survive the blow to her head.
I also notice that an officer looks up and see's me up on the roof. I salute him and start running to the other side of the roof, chasing after Tirek. The officer, who would happen to be Captain Shining Armour, tells his partner to stay put and help out. Right afterward, he runs down the street parallel to the buildings I'm running on. I can see him following me every time I jump off one roof and land on the next one. He must think I'm a suspect. Well then, I guess it won't hurt for him to follow and see what'll happen. Though I'm more than sure Bruce would be quite upset with me allowing him to follow.
Anyways, I was about to jump onto another roof when I saw Tirek turn the corner and run into the park. I look behind me and see that Officer Armour see's it as well, and turns to chase after Tirek into the park. I chuckle a bit, knowing that this guy was well over his head. I then hook onto the edge of the roof and slide down the side of it until I'm touching the ground. I remove the hook and proceed to run into the park.
By the time I arrive at the scene, as I look down at the gathering from on top of a tree, Tirek was holding onto Scootaloo tightly. The girl was crying her heart out, begging for the man to let her go. It didn't help when Tirek yelled at the girl to shut up. I could visibly see the recoil from the sudden yelling in her face, and it made her sob even more. Oh yeah. This bastard is definitely gonna get beaten down.
"Bat! I know you're watching me! So come on out before the girl gets it!" I heard him yell out. If he even touched her in the wrong way, I'd be breaking all of his fingers. As I was about to drop down from the tree I was in, I saw Officer Armour pull out his Glock 22 and aimed it at Tirek. I had a debate as to interfere or not, but decided against it. Nothing wrong with a little more information. The worst possible outcome from this is that he is a damn metahuman.
"Put the girl down, and put your hands in the air now!" The officer aimed his gun directly at Tirek, and what kinda unnerved me the most was how he grinned at the Officer like this happened every day. Scootaloo saw the officer and begged for him to help her out, not wanting to be in the mans' grasp anymore.
"Please help me! I don't wanna be here anymore!" The pure panic in her voice, I just couldn't stand by anymore. And when I was jumping down, I saw the Officer about to pull the trigger until he heard me drop down from the tree. Everyone around looked at me, not expecting to see me at all.
"Who the fuck are you? You're not the Bat." Tirek asked out loud, and I pulled out my handgun and aimed it at Tirek.
"Of course I'm not Batman. He's busy in Gotham. Though I'm surprised you don't recognize me. But if you want me to help refresh those memories of yours, then I'd be glad to help out. Amongst the FBI, CIA, NSA, Homeland Security, KGB, Mossad, Interpol, and the Justice League, I'm known as the Red Hood. That ring any bells now?"
I could then see it click in his head. And when it did, the fear slowly crept onto his face, but he managed to keep it hidden from everyone else. But when you're taught by the Bat, the League of Assassins, etc., you pick up on those kinds of things.
"Well then, I won't be needing the human shield anymore," he then practically threw Scootaloo at me, and I jumped up to catch her. The impact had me rolling as I had her clutched against my body as we rolled a few feet. When we stopped, I stood up and let Scootaloo go as she then ran over to Officer Armour. "Captain Armour. I suggest you get her to her older sister or her parents. She'll need to be with someone familiar after what just happened."
He put his gun away, and held the girl close to him as he nodded his head in response. "What about you? Are you sure you can handle him?" I snorted a bit as I was slightly offended at the thought of me being unable to take down a Bane wannabe. "I'm more than capable. Just be sure to come back with a few more officers and a squad car. And an ambulance just in case."
He looked surprised as he asked me "Why would we need an ambulance?" I shook my head and turned it towards him. "Because I have a thing against criminals who deal with children like her. Doesn't matter what they're doing. If it involves children, then I usually beat said criminal to an inch of their life at times. That's why I say you may need an ambulance. Now go. Things are going to get ugly."
Right as I said that, I barely managed to duck underneath Tirek's right hook. "GO!" I yelled at Officer Armour, as he grabbed Scootaloo and ran back to where the other emergency officials were at. I kept ducking and leaning away from Tirek's strikes, looking for an opening. And when I saw one just as he threw another right hook, I took it. I grabbed his arm and held it up as I started to wail into him. Two punches to his stomach, a kick to his left leg, then a roundhouse kick to his face.
He stumbled back a bit and wiped a bit of blood off of his mouth. "Not bad. Though you're gonna need a lot more to take me out." He then put on what I guess would be his signature grin, and rushed at me. The sudden speed he gained caught me off guard, and he capitalized on that opportunity.
He grabbed the side of my head and slammed his fist into my gut several times before I managed to wrap my legs around his arm and flip him onto the ground. I stood back up while holding my stomach in slight pain. Tirek stood back up and wiped some dirt off of his shoulders, and he got into the basic stance of a back-street brawler. Basic stance for criminals like him, with plenty of holes in his defense.
I then let go of my stomach, and pulled out two 50 caliber pistols, and held them by the barrel as electricity flowed through the bottom of the weapons. "Let's get serious now, shall we?" I ask him, to which he smirks and charges straight at me. I roll out of the way as he barrels by me, but stops immediately and backhands me hard, knocking me onto my back. I kick-flip back onto my feet and start attacking him again. He manages to block most of my strikes, while a few slipped by and struck his face and body.
The volts of electricity continuously hitting his face and body were leaving several bruises and scarring. You would honestly think that he would've been down by now, but he just keeps on going. As I was about to hit him in the face one more time, he grabbed both of my wrists and started to squeeze them hard, forcing me to drop my weapons. I tried to pull myself away, but he had an iron grip on my wrists, and I could feel a few bones about to break with the pressure he was applying onto my wrists.
Well then, if I can't escape his grasp, I'll use it to my advantage. I plant a foot onto his knee, and jump up and knee his face over and over again. When I feel his grip start to loosen, I wrap my legs around his neck, and bend backward and flip him over me and onto his back. He started to groan in slight pain but started to get back up again.
But I was up before him, and I immediately got on top of him as I started to beat his face in. Every punch brought up blood. Every punch contained a small bit of my anger. Every. Single. Punch.
By the time I had finished and the authorities had arrived, his face had almost been caved in. His eyes almost swollen shut, several teeth missing, and his nose severely broken. I stood up, and holstered my pistols after I grabbed them. I stood off to the side, watching as they put Tirek onto the stretcher and hauled him off to the hospital to treat his injuries before he would be sent to prison.
I also noticed that there were a few civilians watching, and had their phones out and pointed right at me. Must've recorded everything that happened. When I looked in their direction, I waved a little, smirking underneath the helmet. A truck was then passing by, and that was when I disappeared onto the roof. But no one noticed me go up there, and by the time the truck had fully passed, I was no longer where they all saw me.
'Looks like I'm going to be a celebrity in this town. Bruce is gonna have a hay day about this. And with me being a new celebrity for the city, it means I'll now have the Justice League over my head now, checking up on me, along with the rest of the world's governments and security agencies. Just my fucking luck.'
~~SS~~
8:00 pm. Finally back at my pitiful excuse for a home. An abandoned warehouse that provides some heat during the nighttime. I stay away from this place as long as I can because it reminds me of the situation I'm in. I always love jumping at the opportunity of staying the night at one of my friend's homes, because I actually have a roof over my head, instead of one where it can quite possibly collapse on top of me during my sleep.
As I was about to enter, a man with a red helmet was in front of me suddenly. "You live here don't you?" He asked me out of nowhere. I jumped back in shock, thinking about running away when he held his hands up. "Easy there. I'm not gonna hurt you."
"W-Who are you?" I asked him, to which he replied, "Red Hood. And I can help you move away from this place and into a better home if you'd like." I stared at him as if he just said he could give me the world.
"You mean it?" He chuckled and nodded his head. "Yep. Now tell me, do you know Jason Todd?" I nodded my head silently, and he continued to speak. "Good. I just wanted to tell you that if you wanna live somewhere nice, and not in a hazardous location, then come to this address. Tell him I sent you, and that you wanna live with him. He'd be more than welcome to let you live with him."
I was honestly about to burst into to tears. "W-Why? Why are you doing this for me?" He then wrapped his arms around me, and held me close as tears of joy fell down my face.
"It's because I can relate to what you're going through." I looked at him as I pulled my head back, and asked, "What do you mean?"
He sighed a bit, which made me regret asking in the first place. "Abandonment. I can tell by looking into your eyes that you were betrayed by someone you thought you could trust, and they abandoned you or tossed you aside. Trust me, I know what it's like."
He nods his head and kept me close to his body until I calmed down enough to speak clearly. "I-I think I'll take up your offer. Would you help me out before I head on over please?" He laughed lightly and messed around with my hair, ruining its natural looks. "Sure thing. Now come on, don't want you being out too late."
It's been several weeks since I took down Tirek, and the authorities took him in. He was convicted of several crimes, including assault and attempted kidnapping of a minor. The latter at the minimum gave him 20 years in prison. His total sentence is unknown to me, as I never bothered to check. All that matters to me is that he's going to be off the streets for quite some time.
Now though, my main focus is pulling together my resources to find out how to take down Chrysalis and Sombra. Chrysalis will be the more difficult of the group to take down, as she is seemingly invulnerable and doesn't have a speck of criminal intent on her. So I'll have to go through all the stops to catch her in the act to have her taken down.
And another matter, the magical residue my helmet has been picking up all around Canterlot High. I caught the residue my first time going around there, but I needed to be sure my helmet wasn't malfunctioning. And as it turns out, it wasn't. I contacted both Zatanna and Artemis. I don't know much about Zatanna except for the fact she's the go-to hero about magic that isn't involved with the Justice League. At least, from what I know. And Artemis, I need her here in case the magic in the area is evil and demonic of sorts. That way if it is, the both of them would be able to take it down together.
Hopefully the second problem will be dealt with soon, so I can focus on my main priority here in Canterlot. And what better way to start then by going at the source of Sombra's income. Word has been spread that he has a shipment being sold somewhere in Central Canterlot. And almost every criminal running about right now works for Sombra. So all I need is to kindly ask them where the sell is at. And by kindly, I mean beat the ever living shit out of them until they give me what I need.
After several minutes of prowling the city, I finally found my first victims. Two unsuspecting thugs talking amongst themselves. I dropped down from the fire escape ladder I was on, and landed behind the two. "How's it going gentlemen. Mind answering a few questions for me?" They both turned around, and one of them grabbed a broken pipe off the ground and swung it at me. I leaned back as the weapon flew over my head. "I'll take that as a no. Guess we'll do this the hard way then."
I punched the other thug in the side of his head, knocking him away from me. I then stopped the pipe coming at my head again, and twisted his wrist as he dropped and the pipe. I then elbowed him and kicked the other thug in the stomach. Thug number two fell to his knees, and I flipped thug number one over me and onto his back. I then quickly turned to thug number two and smashed my fist against his skull, knocking him out. I shook my hand a bit and turned back to the remaining thug who was crawling away.
"I'm not gonna tell you anything!" He shouted at me, to which I smirked behind my mask. I knelt down in front of him as his back hit a wall, as I pulled out a knife and showed it to him.
"Dear old Batman has a rule he instills in everyone who works with and under him. No killing. I'm the one who comes closest to breaking that rule. And I do try my hardest to follow that rule, and I do most of the time. But he says nothing about horribly maiming criminals like you. As long as I don't kill you, I don't have to worry about the Bat getting on my ass. So if you'd like to keep every part you currently have to yourself, you're going to tell me what I want to know. Understood?" As I spoke to him, I waved my knife around in front of me.
He tried to grab the knife out of my hand, to which I slammed it against the wall and stabbed him right through the hand, with the edge embeding itself into the wall. The end result? Him screaming in agony. "Now, now, that wasn't very nice of you. All I wanted was some information, and you go and try to do something like that." My somewhat amused attitude changed into a much more serious one. "Tell me where the sale is happening. Now!" I slammed my fist into the wall right next to his head, to which he flinched and looked at me with fear in his eyes.
"Next to the capital building! Sombra will be meeting with a few of Cobblepot's guys to buy and sell weapons! T-That's all I know!" I chuckled a bit and punched him in the head, knocking him out as his head slaps against the brick wall. I remove the knife from his hand as it drops beside him.
"Thank you for your assistance." I put my knife away and ran up to the fire escape and climbed my up, making my way to the rooftop. Once I was settled onto the roof, I made my way over to the capital building, hoping that I would make it their in time. Also, mental note: get a hold of Bruce and tell him that Penguin is involved with arms manufacturing here in Canterlot. Oh well, at least I have something to look forward too, and that involves screwing up Sombra and Penguin's deal.
Almost half an hour later, I finally see what I assume to be Penguin's van pull into the alley. And I assume correctly, as Sombra's little goons start getting into position. One guy is carrying a briefcase, most likely filled with money. And Penguins goons step out of their van, with a majority standing by, as 2 of them go up to the man holding the briefcase. "You got the money?"
The one with the briefcase nodded his head, and opened it for them to see. "Everything's here," He closes the briefcase, and moves to his side, holding it there. "Only question is, have you brought your end of the deal?" The two turned their head to the van, and motioned for briefcase man to follow. When they stood before the back of the van, they opened it up and inside were several crates filled with several different types of military grade weapons. From automatic assault rifles, to sniper rifles.
I had a small camera of my own from the roof, taking different pictures, capturing everything that was happening. Not only would this help put these idiots away, it would help in my own case against Sombra. My final picture taken, was of the group about to complete their deal. I stood up fully, took out the SD card and tucked it away into an empty pocket, and tossing the unused camera down onto the ground in front of me, where the shattering of it caught the attention of everyone in the alleyway.
I smirked from above, then activated a small EMP grenade, shutting down the lights in the general area for a few minutes. Why a few minutes? Because that's all of the time I'll need to take care of these idiots. When the panic amongst the group started to rise, I dropped down onto one unlucky grunt, knocking him unconscious as his head collided with the concrete. I ran up to the next guy, elbowed him in the face, then threw him into a group of 4, who were huddling together, presumably looking out for me. They couldn't see the guy being thrown at them, so when he collided with them, they all fell down like bowling pins.
Before any of them could react, I fired one of my weapons at them, hitting each of them in the head with rubber rounds, knocking them unconscious. I looked around me, and saw the last of the goons try to escape. I shook my head in amusement, and climbed onto the roof of the van just as it started up. Moving my way onto the hood, I smashed my fist into the windshield, colliding with the mans face.
He held a hand up to his nose, feeling blood starting to drip from it. I grabbed his head, and smashed it into the dashboard a couple of times. I stood up straight and hopped off the hood of the van, as the lights in the area all turned back on, with a few police sirens in the distance, making their way here. I checked to see if I still had the SD card from the camera with me, and when I felt it still in my pocket, I quickly made my way up to the rooftops, and made my way back to my house, as I still needed a little bit of rest for the next school day. Even if they were boring and monotonous.
A dark gray skinned man was sitting at a desk in his office, with his hands held up in front of his mouth as if he were in deep thought. He had his eyes closed, and was going over the recent events that started happening within the last month. The Vigilante known as the Red Hood, had entered his city and had been messing with him and his business ever since he arrived. He had to be several steps ahead, which was a requirement when dealing with one of the Bats. The only question was how to go about this.
He had several bits of information to work with. The Red Hood had been seemingly over protective when Tirek had gone after those two girls before he got beaten and taken care of, which meant that the Red Hood was protective of young adults, especially kids. Such is evident with the pounding that Tirek had recieved from the Hood.
Another thing, he had seemingly brought an anomaly to a "friends" place belonging to one Jason Todd. And this friend he brought there, is the one and only Sunset Shimmer. A girl who had appeared out of thin air, quite literally. No trace of there ever being a Sunset Shimmer having existed in the city until a few years ago. Any reports of a Sunset Shimmer ever existing is of a young lady in her late 20's working as part of a music industry somewhere out in Europe. And for this reason, he's been keeping an eye on this girl ever since she first appeared on his radar. Might use her to try and get at the Hood, but before anything else can be done, he needed more information. And he could get that with the help of someone who's had several run-ins with the Bats.
He finally opened his eyes, and reached for the phone on his desk. After dialing the number he needed, he held the receiver up to his ear and waited for it to be picked up. And when it was answered, he smirked a bit. "Greetings, Mr. Wilson. I have a proposition and a contract that requires someone of your expertise to deal with."
"Tell me why we're here again?" Asked my current companion, Artemis, for what seemed like the 100th time in the past couple of hours.
"Because Artemis, Jason asked for us to check out the surges of magical energy in this city. That, and we've been meaning to get around to search this place after the recent spikes in magic in the past year."
Artemis's expression didn't change, but finally let her thoughts be known when they stopped in front of a school. "We're at the point of origin it seems. And whatever magic this is, it's not of Earth. My suggestion would be to remain on guard. Some of this magic is demonic in some way, but it's not the most prominent." I kept what I heard from Artemis in mind, as I walked up to the statue in the school's courtyard, and brushed my hand against the stone, feeling a large source of magic on the other side.
"I think I found a source of it. But it seems otherwise unable to open. I have a feeling my magic will be unresponsive to activating it."
Artemis sighed loudly and started to make her way up the steps. "Which means we'll have to find the Sunset girl." I nodded my head and climbed the stairs with her. As we entered the building, the looks the two of us got from the lingering students in the hallway were shocked, to say the least. Artemis was smirking at the reaction, while I was focused on the main office which was to our right. I motioned for her to follow me, I smiled softly and walked over to the secretary when we entered the office.
"Good evening Ms. Raven. Is the Principal in this afternoon?" It seemed Ms. Raven knew who we were to some degree, but kept her professional attitude up.
"Y-Yes. She's in, but in the middle of speaking to some of the students. Vice Principal Luna is free, if you'd like to speak with her. Or you can wait out here for Principal Celestia to finish her meeting." I was about to respond back, but Artemis spoke up first.
"We're busy, so we would appreciate it if we can get a meeting with Luna as soon as possible. That, or we can get Sunset Shimmer down to the front office as soon as possible."
I sighed silently at my companion's bluntness. I then brought the smile back to my face. "Yes, we would like an audience with Ms. Luna."
Raven was about to call to Luna's room when she stepped out of her office and walked into the Main office. "Raven, could I get a reason as to why I saw the students in an uproar a few minutes ago, going on about there being Super Heroes in our school?"
Luna stopped in her place when she saw both me and Artemis standing in front of the reception desk. "Ah, so that's why. If you two will follow me, I'm sure we can sort out whatever brings you here." Luna turned around after motioning for me and Artemis to follow her to her office. I looked over at Artemis, as she nodded her head in response. I walked around the desk with her in tow as we followed Luna into her office. When we were all inside, I closed the door and we both took a seat behind Luna's desk.
She let out a soft sigh, then looked at me and Artemis. "There's been nothing happening here that would lead to a response from two Justice League associates, aside from the Arrival of the Red Hood. And from what I know, you two are more on the Magical side of things. Does magic have anything to do with it?"
Artemis leaned back against her chair with her arms crossed, her eyes on me as she waited for my response. "Yes, magic is the reason we are here. Red Hood has been detecting magical signatures all over Canterlot. Most of it originating from this school. We've also been meaning to investigate the cause of it, as we've received reports of several unnatural surges of magic within the past year."
Luna opened her mouth to try and explain, but Artemis cut her off before she could utter a word. "And we also know that you and your sister, Celestia, have somehow managed to explain the surges of magic off as out of hand school events. The main example, the massive spectral forms of three sea dragons during your Battle of the Bands. You and your sister have explained it to the local officials and everyone else in the city as a light show having gone wrong, or something to that degree."
Luna closed her mouth again, probably having realized that there was nothing to hide from them about the events that occurred the past few years. "Okay." She leaned forward a bit with her hands clasped together. "I suppose you're here to investigate the cause for all of the magic that's surfaced then?"
I nodded my head, quickly glancing at Artemis as I noticed she was getting a bit bored. I returned my gaze back to Luna and proceeded to answer her. "Yes, we are. And it all revolves around miss Sunset Shimmer and the statue outside the school's front Entrance. So if you could bring down miss Shimmer, we would appreciate it."
Luna grabbed the phone with some hesitance, but then dialed the number to use Ms. Harshwinny's room. She waited until she picked up the phone, and when Harshwinny did, Luna immediately got down to business. "Hello, Ms. Harshwinny. Is Sunset Shimmer in your class right now?"
Artemis and I remained silent as their conversation continued, with the former getting more and more impatient by the second. By the time Luna had put the phone away, she leaned back into her seat and spoke to us once again. "Miss Shimmer will be down here in a few minutes. And whatever you two have planned, please don't have it take forever. She does have an education to finish here."
I smiled softly and gave her a quick nod of my head. "We promise that our trip won't take too long. At most, she'll only be gone with us for a few days."
Luna let out a sigh once again but nodded her head in acceptance. Several minutes later, a knock was heard at the door and it opened up, revealing Sunset Shimmer. "You called me down here, Ms. Luna?"
Luna smiled and motioned for her to enter. "Yes, I did Miss Shimmer. We have to associates from the Justice League."
I stood up and shook her hand, and motioned for her to have a seat with us. "Hello Sunset. My name is Zatanna, and my bored looking friend over there is Artemis. We understand that you're not exactly from Earth, is that correct?"
I could see her teal colored eyes widen a bit in shock. She glanced over at Luna, who nodded her head silently. I could see her let out a sigh, as she nodded her head. "Yes, I'm not from here. I'm from somewhere else called Equus, in the country of Equestria. I believe you could say that it's another dimension."
"And does this place, Equus, have magic by chance?" I asked her, to which she swiftly nodded her head. I sighed silently and looked over at Artemis. "It seems we've found where the magic is coming from."
Artemis scoffed a bit. "Congratulations. But that doesn't help us on our front of trying to seal the flow of unnatural magic. So if you could maybe ask her how to do that, we can get a move on with our lives."
I held my head in my hands at both her bluntness and rudeness. After shaking my head in slight annoyance, I lifted my head and looked back to Sunset. "Forgive my blunt friend, Sunset. But would it be possible for us to travel to Equestria? We just want to try and figure out if the magic from there is something we need to be worried about. And if possible, try to seal it or limit the amount of magic that is leaking onto our world."
I got a slight ray of hope when I saw her nod her head. "I can try to arrange that. But I'm going to need to go my journal real quick."
~~JT~~
Here I am, skipping school for the third day in a row, as I continue to scout out other dealings that Sombra has going on right now. While that's happening, I'm also trying to figure out a way to get Chrysalis out of the picture as well. She's the one with the most public attention on her, so taking her down will have to be handled carefully. Otherwise, I may end up having this whole operation blow up in my face.
The last thing I expected to happen though, was to have a man land right next to me. My reflex's told me to quickly move away and pull out a weapon to defend myself if need be. I did just that, and I aimed my pistol at the man before me. He had his arms held up with a smile on his face. "Is that any way to greet your brother Jason?"
I rolled my eyes as I heard him speak. "That depends on what type of mood I'm in. And last I checked, we weren't brothers. We're adopted, remember?" I put my pistol away and took off my helmet as I sat back down on the roof. "Anyways, what brings you here to my little city Dick?"
"What, can I not come to visit you every now and then? It's been a couple of months since I last saw you after all. And aside from my reason, Bruce wanted an update. Said something along the lines of 'Check in on Jason, and see if he needs any help out in Canterlot.' And so, here I am."
"So a mixture of both then? Tell me then, why did he send you to check up on me when he could do it himself? Hell, he could've called for an update at least."
Dick didn't respond for a few seconds, probably trying to figure out what to say to me next. "The truth is, not even I know why." He moved closer and sat down on the edge of the roof next to me. "My guess is because he thought it would be better to send someone that you trust more to check up on you. And as for the entire family, I'd say you trust Alfred the most, with me being in second."
"Trust?" I asked him incredulously. "Well, you're actually right on the first part. I do trust Alfred, not only because he's understanding and caring, but the man seems wise beyond his years. And he won't judge me too harshly for the things that I do. As for you and the others, I tolerate you all. And it wouldn't matter what I do, you always seem to have that overprotective attitude about you whenever it comes to me and the others."
"That's because I care about everyone, including you Jay. Not as much as Alfred of course, but I want to make sure you and the others are okay. Anyways, onto the checkup. May I ask why I saw both Artemis and Zatanna near Canterlot High School? You didn't screw anything up, did you?"
I shook my head with a soft chuckle, leaning back a bit as my hands were out behind me. "No, I didn't screw up anything. I know, it's a shocker. The reason they're here is that I asked them to be here. Throughout my entire time here, I've been detecting magical signatures and surges. None of them I recognize because none of it matches anything in Bruce's database. My belief is that it's because whatever magic is around this place, it's not from our world. Which is what I asked the-"
I was interrupted before I could continue when I heard a beeping sound coming from my helmet beside me. I manually took out the earpiece I had inside of it and put it into my ear. "Red Hood, what do you need?"
"Hey Red, Zatanna here. Made contact with a girl going by the name Sunset Shimmer. Apparently, she knows about the strange magic and is taking us to the source of it."
I raised an eyebrow slightly, not expecting it because while my time around Sunset, I never once picked up any magical energy from her. Maybe need to recalibrate my sensors for the helmet. "So, where is the source at?"
"Wouldn't you know it, but the Statue in front of the High School is where it's coming from. If what we've been told is correct, then at times it can act as a gateway between our world and whatever is on the other side. What did you say was on the other side Sunset?" I could faintly hear Sunset's voice from the other side of the line, mentioning a place called 'Equestria', whatever that place was.
"Alright, and I assume you and Artemis are going to be heading on over there?" I asked her, to which I got a resounding yes from her.
"Yeah, we will. And we're also gonna take Sunset with us as well, since she's more knowledgable about this place than either of us. I wonder if Doctor Fate knows of Equestria. I'll have to ask him when we get back. And as for how long we'll be gone, it shouldn't be longer than a few days."
"Okay, don't stay too long though. Her being gone may raise some unwanted concerns that I would rather not have to deal with."
"Relax Red. We'll be back in a few days, like I said. Anyways, it's about time for us to leave. We'll talk to you when we get back. Zatanna out." After that, the line went dead and I put the earpiece back into my helmet.
Dick looked at me, and asked one of the most obvious and dumb questions he could've asked. "Was that Zatanna?" He asked, to which I replied with a small nod.
"It was, but now that that's been dealt with, how about you join me for a little meeting that I gotta head too. Could use an extra pair of ears, and another brain to help me figure it out. What do you say?"
He smirked slightly and got up onto his feet with me as I grabbed my helmet and put it on, standing up with him. "Well, since I got nothing else better to do, so why not?"
"Good answer. I probably woulda made you come with me anyways even if you refused. Now come on, I'd rather not keep him waiting any longer than he has too."
~~3rd~~
The sun was hanging over Canterlot, not a cloud in the sky. Everyone on the streets would be minding their own business, not noticing the Red Hood and Nightwing jumping from rooftop to rooftop as they made their way towards the Eastern side of Canterlot. As the minutes passed by, the two of them finally arrived at their destination, several dozen feet in the air on a rooftop.
Red Hood would be looking down, searching for the man he was to meet. He looked around until he finally saw the man he was looking for, a man known as Thorax. Red Hood nudged Nightwing slightly and motioned for him to follow as he made his way down the building, moving from guardrail to guardrail, eventually landing on the ground with a thud, and Nightwing landing a bit more softly next to him.
Thorax jumped and swiftly turned to defend himself, only to relax slightly at the sight of Red Hood and Nightwing, who he didn't recognize the latter at first. "Excuse me Red Hood, but who is your companion if I may ask?"
"He's Nightwing, a colleague of mine who works out in Bludhaven who come to help me out a bit. Now, onto why you wanted to set up this meeting in the first place? And this better not be a trap, because it'll end quite badly for you if it is." Jason replied, answering his question and also intimidating him slightly as well.
Thorax glanced nervously between the two, as Nightwing watched in silence, letting Red Hood take the lead for this. "This isn't a trap or anything like that. As a matter of fact, I wanted to give you information that could possibly help you take down Sombra and Chrysalis. Mainly involving the large sum of people that have gone missing over the past several years."
Red Hood nodded his head slowly and moved closer to Thorax, which inadvertently caused Thorax to move backward, afraid that he would get hurt. "Really? And what information would that be Thorax?" Red Hood asked, hoping that it would be a legitimate answer that would help him find those reported missing, and reopen the cases. Besides, not only could it possibly help the case against Chrysalis and Sombra, and it would also get closure to all of the families who were affected by their loved ones having gone missing.
"T-They're all underwater at Lake Everfree! I don't know exactly, but most of them should be around the center of the lake somewhere." Thorax replied quickly, to which Red Hood looked to Nightwing, nodding his head.
Red Hood then looked back at Thorax and asked him another question. "And where would this 'Lake Everfree' be at?"
"Right next to Camp Everfree. It's several miles South of Canterlot, surrounded by a thick forest. It shouldn't be difficult to miss." As Thorax was saying speaking, Nightwing had already been looking for Lake Everfree and called out to Red Hood when he found it.
"I got the location of the Lake. And unless there's anything else either of you want or need to say, then say it now. We'd best get going before it gets too dark for us to properly find anything in the lake."
Both Thorax and Red Hood stared at each other for a bit, until Red Hood spoke up. "Nightwing's right. We best get going. I'll believe you for now, but I'd suggest heading on over to the Canterlot Police. Maybe you can be an insider for them, helping them get locations on anything that can help out against Sombra and Chrysalis. You have your life ahead of you, don't let it go to waste by continuing to be a criminal."
Thorax was opening his mouth to reply but was unable to speak to Red Hood as both he and Nightwing rappeled back onto the roof, disappearing from sight as they left him alone in the alleyway to contemplate what he was told.
~~DS~~
I had been lying down on a rooftop several streets away from Red Hood's current location, a Sniper ready to fire as I aimed down the scope, keeping my eyes on Red Hood. I watched as they disappeared from sight, only to come back up a few minutes later, and imagine my surprise when I saw Nightwing with him. Had I known that Nightwing would be in town, I would've had Sombra pay even more for having to deal with another member of the Bat Clan.
I shook those thoughts out of my head, as I aimed at Red Hood's chest, only to find both him and Nightwing move, forcing me to follow ahead of them through the scope. Just as I was about to fire on them, the two disappeared behind a large building going who knows where. I sighed in slight disappointment and pulled my head away from the rifle.
"Looks like it's back to tracking 'em." I spoke to myself, grabbing the rifle and slinging it over my shoulder, looking at a map, marking down several locations as to where the target could be headed. Noting the directions that they were headed, it would seem that they would either be heading to Canterlot City Bank or some out of the way Camp down south.
I would go with checking the bank out, but it would cause an unwanted panic that would make things more troublesome, and it would let the two heroes know I'm here, which I don't want. Which leaves the only option to be the camp as my next destination.
I don't know how long it normally takes to get to Camp Everfree, but from the sun's position in the sky currently, I would hazard a guess and say that it's about 4 or 5 PM. And we left the city of Canterlot around 2:30 PM. Which means that we have about a few more hours before it'll be completely dark, which will make it quite difficult if we're to find anything in the lake.
But in the end, we eventually made it to Camp Everfree. After giving the two owners of the camp quite a scare and calming them down, they offered to let us use a boat to go near the center of the lake. And since I didn't have any form of diving gear or anything on me, the closest thing to that would be Jason's helmet. While it'll give him more time to take a look down there without having to come back up for air, it'll more than likely take a couple dives to find anything down there.
We both agreed that he would be the one to dive, while I would stay above and in the boat and be on lookout duty in case someone decides to be a little snoopy. After we got everything set up and agreed, he left his weapons and ammo for his guns on the boat with me as I waved to Jason as I watched him lean back and out of the boat, disappearing beneath the water, leaving me alone on the surface and enjoying the sounds of the forest and animals around me.
Being in a city for what seems like most of my life, I forgot just how wonderful nature could be. It just seemed too peaceful to be in the same world I grew up in. Everything living in harmony, and working together. I leaned against the side of the boat, but not leaning too much to tip it over as I saw groups of fish swimming around and underneath the boat. Several feet away from the boat, there were some ducks swimming along the surface of the water as I watched the ripples their padded feet were making.
Above in the sky, there were small groups of robins, bluejays, and many more groups of birds that were flying around near the edge of the lake and about the treelines. There were also dragonflies and butterflies flying around near me and the soft waves created by the boat and nearby animals.
A few seconds later, the water broke and out appeared Jason with his outfit completely wet, with water dripping down his red helmet as the water and sunset cast a reflective light off of it. "Hey Dick, you got a flashlight I can use real quick? I think I found something down there, but I need something to cast a better light down there."
I went down to my utility belt, and grabbed a flashlight and tossed it to him. "There you go Jay. And don't keep it down there for too long. It may be waterproof, but that doesn't mean it's immune to water." Knowing him, he probably rolled his eyes under that helmet of his.
"I may be stupid at times, but I'm not that stupid. I'll be back in a few more minutes, and maybe I can get a few pictures to show you what I found when we get back to the city." He replied back, turning on the flashlight to made sure it worked before disappearing back under the water and out of sight again.
~~JT~~
What I told Dick wasn't a lie. I did find something down here, and it didn't belong here, or any body of water for that matter. With what little light I had down here before I went to get the flashlight I have now, I could barely make out what looked like a group of cloth covered items.
Now that I had the light in my hand, it gave me better vision for what I was looking for. As I made my way to where I saw the things I mentioned, I brought the flashlight up beside my head as I made my way closer to the spot I found them at. When I finally swam up to them, it was safe to say I was slightly sickened and disgusted at the sight.
I was right when the items were covered in cloth, all the way down to the bottom to be exact. But that was the first couple I saw. The rest after that were uncovered bodies, rotted away as the skin was torn apart at places. Looking down to their legs, I saw them tied down at the ankles with metal chains wrapping around them and their legs, attached to a concrete block. And the number of bodies I saw, they were all around me.
"Holy fuck..." I muttered to myself, as I swam closer to the bodies, inspecting them as I tried to make out some of them. With what little facial features that were left on some them, I could make out faces that I recall being on the 'Missing Person's' list on the Canterlot Police Department website. Plus some of the bodies seemed brand new, with little to no decomposition like they were dumped here a few days ago at least.
"Well, they're not missing anymore. And it'll turn into a murder investigation as soon as I get back to Canterlot and give these to Shining Armor." I said to myself, bringing the Flashlight up again and using the built-in camera in my helmet to snap several photos of the corpses. When I felt that I had enough to help start the investigation for the CPD, I swam back up to the surface and towards the boat.
When I broke through the water's surface, I lifted myself back onto the boat and handed Dick his flashlight back, ignoring the fact that I was completely soaked from head to toe as I put my ammunition and weapons away. "I found what Thorax said to us. There are bodies down there, and a lot of them. Most, if not all of them are the missing people that have disappeared from Canterlot."
Dick nodded his head slightly after turning off the light and putting it away. "Let's get back to shore and back to Canterlot then. When we get this info to the police, I'm more than certain that the families of those people will be happy to have some closure to know what happened to their loved ones." He grabbed the oars and started bringing us back to the docks where we got the boat from.
I draped an arm over the edge of the boat and let my gloved hand run against the surface of the water, leaving a trail of ripples to follow as my hand glided past. I let it remain there for the next couple of minutes as until we arrived back at the dock. When we were next to it, I swiftly hoped out of the boat and dragged it next to a nearby wooden pole to tie the boat to it. Afterward, I helped Dick out of the boat and thanked Gloriosa for letting us borrow the boat.
"It was of no issue. I just hope you two found whatever it was you were looking for." She replied with a chipper smile on her face. To be honest, that smile of hers creeped me out slightly, but it didn't do much besides that.
"We did, and thanks again. You and your brother have a wonderful night." I replied back to her, walking away with Dick in tow towards the vehicles we used to get here that was on the outskirts of the camp.
~~3rd~~
Jason and Dick, having decided to get back to the city as quickly as they could, took a shortcut through the forest towards their vehicles. Jason was a little suspicious with how quiet things around them were. Almost like something was going on that they didn't know about, or they were about to get attacked. Either way, he kept himself on alert in case something did happen.
As the two of them were about halfway to their destination, Dick saw a small white light in the distance that looked out of place several dozen meters ahead of them, as if what remained of the sunlight was reflecting off of something metal. By the time he realized what it was that the sun was reflecting off of, he barely managed to grab Jason and pull him down to the ground beside him as the sound of gunfire rang throughout the air.
"Get going, now! Spread out and surround whoever's firing at us!" Dick yelled at Jason, rolling to his left until he was behind a tree. Dick got onto his feet and brought his Eskrima sticks and looked to his right, noticing Jason on his feet with two of his pistols out and in front of his chest. The two looked at one another and nodded to each other, both of them running around their respective trees as Jason draws the attention of the gunman by firing at him, keeping his attention off of Dick as he runs in an outward arc, trying to flank the gunman to ambush him.
In less than five seconds, Dick had rushed up to the gunman's position, only to find the rifle having been discarded. He saw Jason run up beside him, still holding his weapons as he looks for the one responsible. "Where'd the bastard go?" Jason asked before a blinding light blinded him and Dick from underneath them. They were both a bit careless, not noticing the flashbang beneath them before it went off.
The two tried to get rid of the blinding white light in their vision, and remove any form of disorientation they had because of it, only to both be knocked off their feet with a swift kick to their chests.
"Either you two aren't actually part of the Bat Clan, or you both are really off your game. I'll get paid either way." Said a somewhat muffled voice above the two of them. As their vision returned, they looked up and saw a heavily armored man, with a mixture of mostly black and a bit of orange on his outfit, as his mask was black on the right half and orange on the other half with an eyehole on the left side of his mask standing above them, holding a sword to Jason's neck and a pistol aimed at Dick's chest.
Both Jason and Dick remained still, gathering themselves before they even attempted to attack Wilson. "What are you doing here Deathstroke? Last either of us checked, there wasn't a price on any of our heads." Dick asked, and getting a swift response from him.
"Then your information is outdated Nightwing. Whatever Red Hood is doing in Canterlot, it's got someone quite upset that they're willing to go far enough to hire me to take him out." Jason smirked underneath his mask, knowing fully well who would hire Deathstroke to go after him.
"Well, I guess you're gonna be sorely disappointed then because I don't plan on dying just yet Wilson," Jason replied, knocking Deathstroke's sword away from his neck as he sweeps his leg underneath Deathstroke's, knocking him onto his back. As he falls to the ground, Jason grabs his guns and Dick grabs his Eskrima Sticks from the ground, just as Deathstroke kickflips onto his feet, quickly holstering his own gun as he grabs his other sword to defend himself in a second.
Jason starts firing at Deathstroke, who dodges and deflects the bullets with one of his swords, using the other one to swing towards Jason's chest, but finds his swing stopped as Dick uses one of his weapons to stop his sword in place. Using the stopping of his weapon to his advantage, Nightwing uses the momentum to swing around in front of Deathstroke and land a kick to the side of his head, only for Deathstroke to duck underneath his kick and knock Dick down onto the ground.
Deathstroke lifts one of his swords and tries to impale Dick with it, but doesn't get far as Jason rams himself into Deathstroke, knocking them both onto the ground. Jason uses his fists while on top of Deathstroke and slams them into his mask. Jason gets a few hits in before Deathstroke grabs Jason's head and headbutts him hard, causing Jason to grab his head in pain with Deathstroke pushing him off of him.
As Jason shakes his head to get rid of the pain, Nightwing stands beside him along with tossing Jason his pistols. Jason catches and holsters them, pulling out a combat knife to help him out since it looks like that this would be turning into a close-quarters brawl between the three of them.
Jason rushed towards Deathstroke, ducking underneath one of his swords that was aimed for his chest. He then swiped the knife in an upward motion, slicing into Deathstroke's armor before having to sidestep another slash attempt from his opponent. Dick smashed the end of his Eskrima sticks into Deathstroke's hand, electrocuting him until he dropped the sword onto the ground.
As it fell to the ground, Deathstroke spun around, switching the remaining sword into his other hand as he kicked Jason in the chest, and sliced the edge of the sword into Dick's left arm causing him to grunt in pain as blood seeped out of the fresh wound and onto his suit.
Jason regained his balance and rushed at Deathstroke again, picking up the dropped sword from the ground and shoulder charged into Deathstroke, slamming his back against a nearby tree. Using the sword he picked up from the ground, he used it to hold his opponents away from them, locking it in place as he tried to shove the combat knife into Deathstroke's chest, only to be stopped by his free hand as the edge of the blade was centimetres from breaching through his armor.
The two stayed in the locked state, glaring at each other before Deathstroke headbutted Jason, knocking him back from the impact and cracking both of their helmets slightly. And with the now open space between the two, Dick jumped over Jason and resumed combat with Deathstroke.
Electricity flowed through Dick's weapons as small sparks flowed across Deathstroke's sword each time they came into contact with one another. And there was no sign of slowing down from Deathstroke as he blocked and avoided each attack with ease. When Dick tried to hit him with an overhead attack, Deathstroke caught his wrist and kneed him in the chest, knocking the wind out of Dick as he dropped to a knee to catch his breath.
But just as Deathstroke was about to put Dick out of commision, Jason shot at Deathstroke, hitting him in his chest as the bullet left a dent in his armor. Deathstroke charged at Jason and slashing at his chest once again, but Jason was quick to respond as he held up the stolen sword and parried his attack, and thrusted the blade at him.
Deathstroke side stepped, and yanked Jason's combat knife from it's holster, and flipped it around in his hand to where he was holding it reverse style. Jason widened his eyes as he saw Dick run up behind him, but was too slow to stop Deathstroke as he buried the knife into Dick's stomach.
"No!" Jason cried out in anger, fighting Deathstroke with renewed anger as Dick dropped to the ground, struggling to pull the knife out of his stomach. It didn't help that his body was going into shock as well as his own blood dripping down onto the knife, making a puddle beneath him.
When it was 2 on 1, they had a chance against him. But now that Dick was out of commission, it began to turn one sided, favoring Deathstroke. Jason immediately began losing ground as he was put on the defensive. Knowing he likely wouldn't win at this rate, he tried to make as much distance as possible to try and begin transferring the images and data he got a while ago onto his personal, smaller version of the batcomputer in the basement of his house, that way he could get all of it to Captain Armor later on while he dealt with his current situation, and what ever would come afterwards.
It took about a minute for him to finish transferring everything and deleting everything involving the lake from his helmets databases, before noticing he made it to one of the nearby roads that lead in and out of Camp Everfree alongside sirens out in the distance, likely heading here after the two people who ran the camp probably called the police after hearing the gunfire from the woods.
"There's no point in running Hood. I'll catch you eventually, and your only source of help has been taken out of commision. And no matter what you try to do, you can never beat me." Deathstroke told Jason as he stepped out of the forest and onto the road alongside him, still holding his sword as it was pointed towards Jason.
"That may be so, but you do realize you'll be put back on Batman's radar having injured Nightwing and capturing me," Jason retorted back to him, bringing the taken sword up into a defensive stance in front of him as the two of them walked around in a circle, staring each other down behind their masks.
"I'll deal with the Bat later on when the time comes. But for now, I'm only focused on capturing you." Deathstroke replied, rushing towards Jason as the two began combat once again. Jason was immediately put on the defensive, blocking and parrying most of Deathstroke's attacks. But several strikes and attacks did make it through Jason's defense, including a slash across his chest that cut through the armor, and having his mask crack even more. The damage being done to it was resulting in several visual glitches for Jason, making parts of his vision go completely dark, impairing him and lessening his chances of victory against Deathstroke.
At this rate, Jason was fighting on pure adrenaline, fighting through the pain as he waited for the police to arrive, or for Dick to come in and give him some kind of assistance. And speaking of the police, he began to see the faint red and blue lights through the thick foliage of leaves, trees and fallen branches. Jason would've smirked, but the slight distraction was enough for Deathstroke to kick the back of Jason's legs, knocking him off balance. As Jason moved to rebalance himself, Deathstroke elbowed Jason in the gut, took the sword from Jason's hands and shoulder tackled him into the ground. The sudden impact dazed Jason, but then groaned in pain when he felt Deathstroke grab the front of his helmet, and begin smashing it down onto the pavement below him.
The last thing Jason heard as he failed to stop Deathstroke from continuing the beating as he slipped into unconciousness was the sound of Dick calling out his name from the headset inside of his helmet before darkness overtook him.
When I finally regained consciousness, I could tell that I was strapped down to a chair with bindings wrapped around my wrists. They weren't wrapped as tightly as they should if you wanted someone to stay where they were. A couple of movements here and there, and they would be loose enough for me to easily get out of the chair.
Another thing is that my helmet hasn't been taken off yet, so thats a plus. I kept my head relatively still as I surveyed the room around me, not giving anyone else in the room any notice that I had awoken.
There were several paintings around the room, with an overlook of the city of Canterlot below. Normally this wouldn't be cause for concern, but the paintings had the man I was trying to take down on it, Sombra. Plus there were several armed guards around the room, carrying one form of weapon or another, whether that be a pistol of sorts or an assault rifle, likely weapons bought from Penguin or some other arms dealer. The armored vest beneath my jacket should keep me protected from most of the damage should they manage to hit me.
Finally, I focused on what was in front of me. I saw the man himself, Sombra, sitting behind a desk, talking to Tirek who was on his left. Guess he paid the bond to get him out and back to working for him. That would make things more difficult for me when it came time to escaping. But what surprised me was Chrysalis standing off to Sombra's right. All three people in the same room, guess it's my lucky day.
I quickly ran a diagnostic on my camera feed, making sure everything was working, both visual and audio. I grinned beneath my mask when everything was operating in the green, and immediately began recording everything in front of me.
"I'm telling you that we should kill him right now! He's been nothing but a thorn in our side ever since he came here, both of you know that as much as I do."
"You forget Tirek that we also have reports that Nightwing is here in Canterlot as well. We'd have to capture him as well to get rid of them both at once without raising any suspicions." Chrysalis said back to Tirek.
Sombra sat in the middle between them, eventually holding up his hand silencing them both. "You both have made your points, and bring up good reasons as to what to do with the Red Hood. While I agree that both he and Nightwing need to be taken care of, it'll be extremely difficult, borderline impossible. They are both part of the Bats, and the last thing we need is any more of them showing up, especially Batman."
Sombra stood up and walked around the desk, coming towards me. "Chrysalis, gather the remaining information you have on who Red Hood might be and bring it to my desk by tomorrow afternoon. And keep trying to get to Shining Armour. He needs to be brought in line like the rest of the Police Force. Do whatever it takes. Bribe him with money, threaten his family, I don't care how it's done, just do it."
Chrysalis replied with a swift nod, gathering her things and exiting the room with several others, likely members of her Changelings. "As for you Tirek, I need you to head to Canterlot Bank and make sure nothing happens to the accounts I have set up. The last thing I need is for whatever payments I have to freeze and not go through any longer." Tirek grunted and left without another word, taking the rest of the guards with him.
And that just left me alone with Sombra. "And you can cut the act now Red Hood. I know you've been awake for some time now." And that was my cue. Lifting my head up to stare him in the face, just waiting for him to respond.
"You've been causing me quite a bit of trouble. Disrupting my dealings around the city, giving people false hope that you protect them. Even working with the one cop that I've yet to crack. Were you anyone else, I would've killed you already and been done with this," He told me, walking all around me as he spoke. "And your most recent dealings at Camp Everfree, that is certainly doing me far more harm than good. So I will ask you nicely this one time. Give me the files you have on what you found, and I promise you won't be badly injured."
"As much as I would like too, I don't have what you're looking for right now. Why don't you ask again in a couple days, and I'll get back to you."
Sombra let a small smirk appear on his face, "A jokester I see. Trying to be funny won't help you out here." He rammed his fist into my chest, causing a lot more damage than I was comfortable, and expecting with as he knocked the wind out of me. "Now I'm demanding that you give me what you found."
As I managed to catch my breath, I looked up and saw him raising his arm and fist again. Catching him off guard, I kicked him in the knee, making him buckle a bit and stumble backwards. I used the space given to spin the chair around, bending forwards on my feet due to still being in the sitting position and ram the legs of it into Sombra's chest. The impact knocked him over his desk and onto his back.
I then pulled against the restraints against my wrists for a few seconds, eventually getting free of them. As I stood up straight, I ducked underneath a wayward fist from Sombra, and sent a right hook into the side of his head. Instead of feeling my knuckles slamming into human flesh, I instead felt like I just smashed my fist into steel, which hurt like hell.
And imagine my surprise when at the source of the impact, instead of his normal dark skin color, it instead looked like a strip of steel used on construction sites. And a few seconds later as I moved my hand away from his face, it returned back to normal.
"Great, you're a meta-human. Just what I needed." I muttered out loud, shaking my hand to get some feeling back into it.
"Indeed, I am a meta-human. And as you can see, my gift is one that grants me a large amount of immunity to physical harm. My skin hardens in response to physical trauma. So fighting me like we are right now is a losing battle for you, Red Hood."
With this newfound knowledge, I immediately went on the defensive, parrying and dodging his strikes and grapple attempts as I wracked my brain for ideas on how to bypass or beat his meta-human ability. I could try to overwhelm him with strikes, overwork his power to the point it no longer works for a while, but I wouldn't know how long that would take, plus I didn't have a weapon on me to help me out. So scratch that option. I could attack him with brute force, as with enough pressure and force even steel can bend. But again, I'd need a weapon for that.
Backed into a wall, I ducked and moved behind him just in time to see him pull his fist out of the hole in the wall he made. Running out of plausible ideas, I had one last idea that I could test out right now.
You see, most metals are conductive, some more than others. Depending on how Sombra reacts, will help me figure out how to beat him down and escape to fight another day. I pulled out a spare knife and letting him grab me, I stab him in the adbomen as much as I can, acting as an extension to help direct the flow of electricity that began flowing from the bat symbol on my armor. Watching how he's reacting right now, eyes shut and teeth grating against one another as he gets shocked in pain, it's letting me get an idea as to what kind of metal his body transforms into.
After a few more seconds of him getting electrocuted, I pull my knife away from his body and smash my fist into his head, noting that his power is no longer working as I knocked him down onto the ground as he sits on the edge of being awake and falling unconscious. Knowing he wouldn't be getting up for a while, I put my knife away and grab my pistols which were on his desk, holstering them as I stop the recording.
And seeing this as the perfect opportunity to get more information against Sombra and those who works him, mainly Chrysalis and Tirek, I hop onto the computer on his desk.
Thank god for utility belts, I pulled out a flash drive and stuck it into the open slot, downloading and copying any information I can find. And boy did I find a lot. Names of his henchmen, people he works with, names and locations of future targets, an entire list of his illegal operations ranging from running a drug operation all the way to human trafficking. The list just goes on and on. And the best part of what I found is the names of all the people that have gone "missing" over the past decade, which Dick and I found at the bottom of Lake Everfree.
Getting everything I needed, I took the flash drive out and pocketed it, immediately heading out of the room and promptly leaving the building as quickly as possible and dealing with any opposition along the way.
The Next Day
~~SA~~
"Over the past several hours, we have recieved more and more details on the updated Missing Persons cases from the Canterlot Police Department that started over 15 years ago. We have more details on our website on the screen right now."
The news station was going on in the background, having interrupted the normal schedule for the station across the city. I was heading over to the Apple Farm that was a little out of town after just having given the news to my father. My grandfather had been found along with many more thanks to Red Hood and Nightwing, but breaking the news that he was murdered along with the look he had on his face was heartbreaking. Thankfully, my mother was there to comfort him, as Twilight was unable to since she was at school at the time.
As I approached the farm I turned into the driveway, making my way up to the house that sat in the middle of the farm. As I parked the car and grabbed the folder in the seat next to me, I saw a red truck pull up beside me.
As I exited the police cruiser, I saw a girl with blonde hair pulled back into a ponytail down to her back with a stetson hat on top of her head. She must be the second child of the Apple family, Applejack. And beside her was a younger girl with bright red hair and a bowtie on her head, the youngest of the three siblings, Applebloom.
"Is there a problem officer?" Applejack asked me, to which I shook my head.
"Not at all, miss Jack. Please, call me Shining Armor. Is it all right if I come into your home for a bit? I have some news for you and the rest of your family to hear."
Applebloom looked up at Applejack in concern, to which she nodded her head. "Sure, I guess. Bloom, take Shining here tah the front room while I get Mac and Granny, will ya?" I saw her nod and grab my free hand, taking me into the house. As I entered the main room with her, I saw several pictures line the wall. One of them being a family picture the Apple siblings, alongside with their mother and father, Bright Mac and Pear Butter.
I turned away from the photo, steeling myself for the news I would bring upon the family. A few minutes later, I saw man a few years younger than me from the looks of it with orange hair helped an elderly woman into a rocking chair with Applejack behind them. Big Mac and Granny Smith respectively.
"So now that we're all here, what was it ya wanted tah tell us?" Applejack asked, to which I handed the folder to her.
"I'm sure you have all heard the news about the police getting updates on the missing people, correct?" They all nodded their heads, which made me continue. "Amongst those missing people were two members of your family, Bright Macintosh and Pear Butter. The good news is, we found them."
I saw a large smile appear on Appleblooms face. "You found them?! That's great, when do we get to see them come home?" Hearing the excitement in her voice, it made me wish I would be able to tell her that they were on their way home right now. Unfortunately, it wouldn't be that way.
"You said that that was the good news. Usually that's followed by bad news." Applejack said, only to have her eyes widen as realization dawned upon her, tears forming in her eyes, "No, don't tell me..."
I watched as Big Mac wrapped her in a hug as she cried into his shoulder, a few tears escaping from him as well. Applebloom looked on confused, not sure why her brother and sister were crying, including Granny Smith who was holding her head in her hands.
Watching the commotion, I sighed and spoke the rest of what I had to say. "The bad news I'm afraid, is that they've been murdered. Their bodies were found amongst several others at the bottom of Lake Everfree." This broke the dam, as the cries from Applejack increased with Applebloom now included, who was swiftly brought into the hug by Big Mac.
"The folder that I gave you contains both information that I can give you at this time about what happened, alongside whatever personal belongings that we found on them back to you. Open it whenever you wish too, and I promise you we'll bring whoever is responsible to justice."
As I turned to take my leave, and let the now grieving family be, I was halted by Granny Smith who asked a question, with a small trail of tears going down her face. "If you can tell me Officer, may I know who... who found their bodies so that we may thank them properly?"
I answered her question with a soft smile on my face. "He's wanting to be thanked by multiple people right now ma'am. As for who he is, most in this city know him as the Red Hood."
After the day it's been, both around the city and at Crystal Prep Academy what with the update on all of those missing people. To think that one of them was Shining's grandfather was a little surreal. Then again, a lot of people were affected by the news in some way. One thing I knew for certain though was that I would be there for him no matter what happened.
Shining did mention to me that he would likely be busy most of the day handing out the news to those affected, so he would be home long after I did. Which leads me to figuring out what I should make for us, or if we'll head out to eat when he does come home.
Several minutes later, I drove up into the driveway of our home. Is was a two-story house which was painted dark blue, with several bushes alongside the front, and a tree that stood at 15 feet tall. Pur house was in one of the nicer housing additions in the city of Canterlot. It was close enough to Twilight and Night's home where they could visit whenever they wanted, and it was a rather short drive for me and Shining to get to work respectively.
We had also been renovating the house as of recently as well, as I was pregnant at the moment with a baby girl. The baby bump was quite far along, as I was expected to deliver her in about 2 more months.
I remember when me and Shining broke the news to his parents. They were both so ecstatic, especially his mother as she proclaimed that she could finally have grandchildren she would be able to spoil. And Twilight Sparkle was happy to hear that she would be getting a younger cousin.
Entering the house after grabbing the mail, I took off my shoes and changed out of my work attire into something a little more relaxing and casual. As I changed into a white t-shirt and a pair of bright pink pajama bottoms, I started to go over what we had recieved in the mail.
Most of it was junk mail, business trying to get us to buy their products amongst other things. We had also recieved the Canterlot Star, the city's main newspaper. Mostly recalling what the other news stations had been talking about all day, amongst several other things happening in the city. Browsing through that, I saw that Canterlot High would be having their annual Winter Ball next month. I smiled a bit, planning on asking Celestia and Luna if they needed any help planning it, since I would be put on maternal leave to help deal with my pregnancy. It also made me wonder if Twilight had found anyone she would be going to the dance with, if she was going that is.
Putting the newspaper onto the coffee table in front of me, I grabbed the unmarked envelope that was with the rest of our mail. As I opened it up, the first thing that I saw was a rather large amount of cash, wrapped up and stuffed into the side of the envelope. Pulling it out, I began to realize that there was somewhere around several hundred dollars in my hands.
I frowned in slight concern, and pulled out the rest of the contents. There were several photographs, varying to single to group photos. I became somewhat scared when I saw the images were of me, my cousins Celestia and Luna, as well as photographs of my step-family. "What the hell?" I muttered to myself, fear slowly rising as I read the letter which was the last thing in the envelope.
Dear Captain Armor, if you are reading this, then you already know whats going on. We've tried several times to try and get through to you, but it never seems to work. Either with you never recieving these, or you are far too stubborn to accept it.
But this will be the last time we try to bring you in alongside the rest of the Canterlot Police. You'll find the usual deposit of cash, which, should you accept, will be followed by a bi-weekly deposit to help sate your needs. Also as a way to help entice you further, accepting this will guarantee the safety of you, your blood and extended family. Because if you refuse this time, well, let's just say it'll be quite unfortunate if there were to be an accident involving them.
Think of your younger sister, Twilight Sparkle. Such a vast amount of potential to grow older and help the world out in her own way. With her smarts, maybe she can help cure diseases. Maybe she'll develop some life-saving treatments to help those who need it. It would be a waste after all, if someone like hers were to be cut short. And let's not forget your wonderful wife and future child. Think of them when you make your decision.
You have until this weekend to give us an answer. And we'll know if you'll accept it or not.
As my hands began shaking, I stopped the letter onto the table and grabbed my phone, panickly trying to call Shining and tell him what's in front of me. I begged for him to pick up, and he eventually did after the third ring. "Hey sweetie. Do you need something?"
"Shiny, I need you here with me. How quickly can you come home?" I asked him, fear clearly evident in my voice. He could tell from over the phone, as his tone became serious and concerned.
"I can come home now if you need me too. Just have to call in and all that, but why do you ask?"
"Because I think someone is trying to bribe you. There's money from an envelope, and images of me and the others in our family as well. T-They also threatened me and your family too, including our unborn daughter." I could hear him swear from the speaker, as well as him rushing into his car. A few minutes later after staying on the phone with him, he finally got the go ahead to come home and told me he was on his way. Before he hung up, he told me that he had to talk to someone before he arrived home. He promised it wouldn't take long and that he was on his way now.
When I finally ended the call, I leaned back against the couch and wrapped myself up with a blanket as if it would help keep me safe as I waited for Shining to arrive.
~~JT~~
I was back home after finally having gone back to school. Dick had gone back to Bludhaven earlier this morning after I arrived back home. I was still somewhat sore after yesterday, but it didn't really bother me as I focused on the assignments and homework I missed over the past couple of days.
Currently I was working on the history of the Europe, more specifically how it was as a whole affected by the first World War when my phone began to go off. I checked my normal one, only to see that it wasn't ringing. I then checked the one that was connected to my helmet which was sitting in the basement, alongside the rest of my equipment I had down there.
Picking it up and seeing that Captain Armor was calling, I answered the phone without fear of him knowing my real voice as this phone was modifying it to sound like how I would with the helmet on. As for how he got the number, I gave it to him so he would be able to get into contact with me better. "What do you need Captain?"
"I know this doesn't concern you, but from now on I'm not gonna be able to help you out with the case against Sombra. Well, not as much as I used to." He told me, and when I asked him why, he responded simply, "Because I'm being bribed, and this time I have to accept it. Normally I would say no, but they are threatening my family."
Ah, so that's why he had to stop. He kept on explaining that he wants to keep them safe, and how he would otherwise keep helping me when I interrupted him. "Then stop." That caught him off guard, as he asked me to repeat what I said. "Stop helping me then. Take the bribe, and keep your family safe. Besides, if everything goes according to plan, then you and everyone else inside the Police Department will be free to help me take down Sombra and his allies soon enough."
There was silence on the line for a few seconds, before he replied back to me. "Thank you for understanding Red Hood. And I hope whatever you have planned goes well." After that, the line went dead as he ended the call. I put the phone away, and went back to work on the assignments when I heard the front door open and close.
I lifted my head up and saw the red and yellow hair of Sunset entering the front room, as she took her boots off and dropping her back next to them. "Hey Sunset, how have you been?" The surprise on her face as she quickly turned her head to face me caused a small laugh to escape from me.
"Jason! Don't scare me like that." She closed the distance and wrapped me in a hug, visibly expressing her happiness to have me back. "And to answer your question, I've been doing great. Just got back a few minutes ago after giving Zatanna and Artemis a tour of my old home."
"Wait, as in the heroes Zatanna and Artemis? Why would you need to show them your old home?" I asked, raising my eyebrow as well. I knew exactly why, but I acted as if I didn't know that way she wouldn't be suspicious of me.
"Well, I suppose I can tell you since we've been friends for a while now." She sat down and turned to face me as I sat beside her. "I'm not exactly human."
"What, so your an alien like Martian Manhunter or something?" She laughed a bit, and shook her head in response.
"Not quite like that. You see, I'm from a different world, and the portal connecting the two places is at the base of the statue in front of Canterlot High." She explained to me, which made me fully curious as to what she looked like on the other side of the portal.
"Okay, so what's your true form? An animal of some sorts, like a bird?" She shook her head, and told me what she really was. "No, I'm actually a pony on the other side. A unicorn to be exact."
A small horse, and a creature that most people consider to be a myth. "So... your actually supposed to be about half as tall as you are right now?" The nod she gave me helped reinforce the image forming in my head of Sunset as a tiny unicorn. "Nah, nothing as cute as that could ever possibly exist."
"W-wha? But it's true! Heck, there's almost a pony version of everyone in this city over in Equestria, maybe even a version of you over there too!" As she spoke, it finally dawned on her that I inadvertently called her cute, causing her face to turn several shades of red. "Wait, did you just call me cute?"
"Maybe I did, maybe I didn't. What's it to you Pony Girl?" And I just found a new nickname for Sunset, right next to me calling her Sunny every now and then. I could also hear her audibly groan when I called her Pony Girl, as she tried to hide her face in embarrasment. I chuckled and messed with her hair, before she finally answered my question I gave to her.
"It's because I've rarely been called cute, amongst other things along those lines."
"Well, you are in my opinion. Now, what do you say you help me out with this stuff, and we'll go hang out for the rest of the day?"
Thursday night, 7:00 pm. Three days since I 'returned from Gotham' and two days since Sunny returned from Equestria as she called it. Ever since she came back we've gotten rather close, well, closer than usual. Something tells me that she is slowly but surely falling for me, what with the extra attention she gives me when we're alone, the time she likes to snuggle up against me when we're relaxing at home, as well as a few other things. It could mean a multitude of things, but I try not to dwell on things like that right now. For all I know, she could be dealing with something that only effects other ponies like her.
Donning my fully repaired helmet and my usual leather jacket, combat boots and body armor as I patrolled the city of Canterlot, I went over every possible situation that may happen in my head when Sombra was finally taken down. Starting from how it begins, all the way to how it'll end. Knowing that Sombra is a meta-human did throw a wrench into things, but since I know of a way to deactivate it for a short time it'll take some time to modify some of my weapons to be able to harm him.
As for Tirek, there's nothing really special about him. From what I've seen and read up about him, he's nothing but pure muscle, and only listens to Sombra. If I can catch Barbara at the right time, she might be able to hack into Tirek's phone, allowing me to send messages to him as if I were Sombra myself. I'll have to make a mental note to contact her about that soon.
The biggest issue in my plans would be Chrysalis. With her being part of the city's government, it'll be difficult to connect her with anything involving Sombra. At most from what I can sort through the data and information I got from Sombra's computer, she's mostly involved when it comes to his financial dealings and information in the city. Right now, all that could be charged against her would be funding money to Sombra illegaly. But thankfully we have someone inside her own gang, the Changelings. If what Thorax says is to be believed, Chrysalis is very protective of those in her group.
Maybe I could have Tirek go after one of her changelings, sow some distrust between them. Of course, alerting the police to the potential attack that would come to have them arrested. Worst case scenario, they don't get their in time and I'm indirectly responsible for the death of someone. Best case scenario, Chrysalis leaves Sombra after learning of the attempted murder of one of her Changelings.
If that were to happen, it would make my job much easier when I finally took Sombra down. Speaking of Sombra, I've thought of several ways to beat him should I ever face him again in combat. Having taken note of his meta-human ability and how it reacted when I electrocuted him, I have some weapons in the basement of my house I've been working on. One of my spare knifes has been modified to allow me to have electricity flow through the metal. I also have a pair of pistols that I'm currently working on that'll let me use them as a normal firearm, as well as a need for a taser should I need it. Like on Sombra, for example.
I was taken out of my musings when I heard a cry for help below me. I stopped moving and peeked over the roof to see what was going on, when I saw a group of around four to five people surrounding a wounded man who had blue hair, and a teenage girl with pink hair. I couldn't get a good look at their faces from this angle, so I silently made my way down to them. Noting that the man was holding his gut as blood formed around his hand told me he was shot. Likely by one of the people in front of him. Even still, he was standing in front of the girl as if he was still trying to protect her.
"Cry for help all you want, no one's coming to help you. Your best shot is Red Hood, and he's likely across town dealing with some other punks." Said what I can assume to be the leader of the group. He had dark brown hair and dark blue skin, wearing a completely black pair of pants, gray sports shoes and a white t-shirt.
"Now we'll ask one last time. Give us everything you have, and you and pretty boy over there can leave without getting harmed more." And with that sentence, along with how the group was closing in on the two, I knew I had to intervene before anything else happened.
So I dropped down from my perch, landing in between them as the thugs stepped back, startled at my sudden appearance. Using that to my advantage I grabbed the closest thugs arm, and pulled him towards me before slamming my fist straight into the front of his face. The impact caused him to bend backwards into the air as a mixture of saliva and blood flew out of his face as he landed on the ground next to me, not moving as he laid their unconscious, the gun he was carrying before sat beside him.
The remaining thugs shook off their shock, and charged at me all at once. A smart decision on their part, but not one that would help them in the slightest. The first one to reach me swung a wild right hook towards me, which was one I easily ducked under and retaliated with a kick to the back of his leg causing him to stumble a few feet away. The next two to reach me tried to attack me at once, the one on my left going for my head, and the other trying to attack my chest with a pipe he had picked up off the ground. Leaning back to avoid the punch coming towards my head, I then kicked the other thug in the knee, pulling the pipe out of his hands and swinging it against the non-kneeling thug in front of me as a loud crack is heard, making him fall to the ground hard from the impact as he held his head in pain. I then swung the pipe back to the one I took it from while he was standing up again, hitting him in the chest as the wind was knocked out of him from the impact as I knocked him out too with a well placed fist into the side of his head. The one I kicked back a few feet ran back at me again, only I dodged to the side of his punch, placing the pipe against the back of his elbow and pushing it backwards until I heard a snap and his arm bending back the wrong way. As he cried out in pain, I knocked him off his feet, landing on his back as I smashed my fist against his face rendering him unconscious.
And all that was left was one final thug. Seeing the damage I did to his friends, he faltered in his soon to be attack, looked at his downed friends then back at me before turning tail and running out of the alley. He didn't get far, as I threw the pipe with perfect accuracy towards him. After hearing a thud come from him as he dropped down down to the ground with the pipe a foot or so ahead of him quickly after, I quickly turned around and saw the man who was shot sitting against the side of the building, as the girl was trying to help stop the bleeding.
And since I could getter a better look at them, I recognized the girl as Fluttershy quite easily now, especially since I see and speak to her at Canterlot High, plus with her being in Sunset's circle of friends. And the guy was Flash Sentry, someone I don't talk to much but see around Canterlot High quite a bit.
Quickly heading over to the two of them, I send out an APB throughout Canterlot City's emergency departments, only for the police and the paramedics. "Come on Shy, I'll be fine." I overhear Flash tell Fluttershy as I kneel next to them. I see her glance at me, before reverting her attention back to the bullet wound he received.
"That may be so, but you need medical attention quickly." She tells him, holding her hands against the spot where the blood was escaping from.
"No need to worry about that. The police and an ambulance are on their way to help out. From what I can see, the wound won't be fatal, and it's avoided anything that'll likely cause permanent damage." I tell the both of them, to which I can tell Fluttershy loosened her shoulders after hearing she won't be losing her friend. Flash let out a small chuckle before quickly returning to a groan of pain.
"See, I told you I'd be fine. Nothing to worry about." He told Fluttershy, keeping his eyes on her as they kept talking to make sure he stayed awake. Noting that I was no longer needed alongside the sounds of sirems getting closer, I fired my grappling hook up towards the building leaving the alley way.
As I got onto the roof, I overheard chatter on police communications thanks to my small back door into their system.
"All units please advise. We have reports of a robbery in progress at Sugarcube Corner. Suspect is reported to be armed and dangerous."
Well crime never sleeps as they say. And it looks like I know where I'm going next.
~~S~~
The damage Red Hood did to me was insignificant. The damage he did to my office was nothing more of an annoyance. The damage he's done to everything I have created though, is unforgivable. Ever since he's arrived in this city, he's done nothing but be a troublemaker to me and my businesses. And what's worse is that I've recieved word of their being a traitor amongst those I have under my employ. If it were one of my own, I would know about it rather quickly. Which means it's one of Chrysalis' pathetic Changelings.
During times like these, I have no need for traitors. I never had time for them. Those who did betray me always ended up dead. And this new one would as well. Whether by my own hand or someone else's.
As I stand in my office overlooking the city of Canterlot, my bloos red eyes wander about the city skyline, wondering where exactly Red Hood is right now. Knowing how him and the rest of the heroes of this world are, likely stopping whatever crimes are happening, which will likely end up involving one of my black market operations.
But what the Red Hood doesn't know is that I finally know who he is. Chrysalis came through and gave me the list I asked for. If you could call it a list, that is. It only had one name on it, alongside the rest of his file that was placed on my desk. By the end of tomorrow, all of Canterlot will know who it's vigilante is.
"And then Red Hood came along and beat up the bad guy! He was all like 'Wham! Boom! Kapow!'" Said a rather excited Pinkie Pie, as she told what happened to her last night to her friends who were present at the lunch table.
"That's nice and all Pinkie, but are you doing alright yourself?" Asked Sunset, concern on her face after hearing what happened to her friend.
"Huh? Oh, I'm doing great now Sunny. I was scared when it was happening, but I had a feeling everything would work out in the end. And it did!"
As Pinkie continued being Pinkie, I noticed that Rarity had spent quite a bit on her phone for the most part of the day whenever she wasn't in class whenever I saw her. Leaving the others to their conversation, I turned to her and talked to her.
"May I ask what's got you so interested in your phone today?" Her head shot up as she looked around, eventually stopping on me as she realized I was talking to her.
"Oh, nothing really. Just a bunch of gossip and rumors that have seemingly taken over the entire city."
"Rumors, huh? I wouldn't take much stake in those to be true, as most of the time they're false from my experience."
"I know, Jason. I know. But what's weird is that the rumors are all about you. Even if they do seem outrageous." She replied to me.
I let a small smirk reach my face, as I leaned back in the chair. "Alright then, enlighten me as to these rumors about me. Because I certainly haven't heard anything yet."
"The rumors are claiming that you're the Red Hood." That shocked me down to the core. Nobody in this city knows I'm the Red Hood. I never told anybody. The only people who know are Bruce and the rest of the Batfamily. Not even Sunset knows, and she lives with me.
I rack my brain over anyone else who could possibly know. None of the people in Bruce's rogue gallery know who I am. I haven't told any of the other heroes in the world. Talia Al Ghul knows, and by extension so does the League of Shadows, but they have no reason whatsoever to expose my identity, which takes them off the table of potential people.
That would bring me to the others in my crazy family. Bruce would never do such a thing, Dickybird is too much of a golden boy to try and sabatoge me. Replacement, or Tim would also have no reason to do so, despite how much I enjoy messing around with him. And the Demon Brat would be too high upon his pedastel on being better than everyone to stoop so low to reveal me. Barbara views me as a little brother, and as a result would never do such a thing to me.
And now, I am brought to the ones I'm trying to take down. Sombra would have all the wants to try and out me. Chrysalis likely could care less as I haven't gone after any of her Changelings yet.
Which ultimately leaves it as Sombra who spread the word. That leaves the question on how he figured out I was the Red Hood.
"-son? You still around in their somewhere?" I looked around and saw that Rarity was trying to get my attention.
"Yeah, I'm fine. But I gotta go. I'll see you all later," I reply, taking the apple left on my tray as I stand up from the table, putting the tray away and leaving the cafeteria.
~~SS~~
The rest of the girls and I watched as Jason left the cafeteria, with Rarity looking concerned. "Did I upset him?"
"No, I'm sure you didn't upset him Rarity. Jason wouldn't hesitate to tell you otherwise," Replied Rainbow, putting a comforting hand on her shoulder.
But the fact he walked off after having been told the rumors surrounding him being Red Hood, as well as him being out of the house reinforces my theory that Jason really is the Red Hood. If I straight up ask him, who knows what he'll do. Maybe when the rest of the girls come over for our sleepover at my place, and Jason goes out like he usually does, I'll be able to confirm my suspicions. But all of that will have to wait later on tonight.
~~S~~
"Dammit Sombra, I would've dealt with the rat in my ranks if you had just told me! But no, you just had to have Tirek try and find them himself!"
As I stood out looking through my office window, I had to also deal with a visibly and vocally pissed off Chrysalis. "That's because I had to deal with the problem as soon as possible, and trying to have it go through you first would take precious time away from other things. But the fact you know means that he failed, and the rat has gone into hiding, making them all the more of a problem to catch."
"Well of course he failed! My Changelings outnumber your main enforcer. And as a result of your orders and his actions, Tirek forced their hands as well as mine, and now he's dead." Tirek dead? That's news to me. And to think I thought him to be unkillable with his multiple cases of surviving against improbable odds. But he's no Meta-Human like I am, no matter how much he had others believe he was.
"Tirek is dead, huh? Well, I guess that's one less loose end to have to worry about."
"A loose end? After all we've been through, after all we've done, that's what we are? A means to an end?!" Chrysalis yelled at me, slowly beginning to grate onto my nerves. "If that's the case Sombra, then you can forget about whatever aid or support you were getting from me and my Changelings."
Once her voice had returned to a semi normal level, I smiled softly and stretched my hands that were behind my back. "Is that so? As sorry as I am to hear that, it is of no matter to me." Before she could register what was happening, I had my hand wrapped around her throat, slowly lifting her into the air as I turned towards her while she struggled in my grasp.
"You know quite well what I do with people who outlive their use to me, and know far too much about what I do." It was then her eyes widened in fear as she struggled more, trying to escape and get some air in her lungs. "Those who fit that category are disposed of, and are cast aside without a second thought." I squeezed her throat with a bit more force, and her neck snapped like a tree branch. Her struggling stopped as her limbs fell limp beside her, her head leaning off to the side just above her left shoulder.
I let go of her neck, and she dropped onto the ground like a sack of potatoes. Going over to the phone on my desk, I rang up my secretary, to which she answered immediately. "Get someone up her to take care of the body, and have them make sure it can't be traced back to us."
"I'll get someone on it at once sir." She replied, as I ended the line and went back to overlooking the city, silently smirking to myself knowing that things would be coming to an end real soon between me and Red Hood once the word spread of what happened last night and this afternoon. And I will do anything and everything I can to make sure I come out on top during our confrontation.
