Chapter Text
Jason was just minding his own business, which, for him, meant sticking his nose in everyone else's.
Believe him, he'd rather die again than deal with the underwear-over-pants Boy Scout or the made-in-China knockoff of Robin Hood. Still, the it was worth the headache. If Red Hood pulled this off, he might make a real impact on the bigger scheme of things.
Jason had always thought that putting an end to Gotham's monsters would make a difference. It would improve his city, but it didn't. When a crime lord falls, another one rises. Red Hood's methods were more lasting than the Bat's, but still not permanent. It was an endless circle. Or at least, that was what Jason had believed.
During a late-night review of his old documents, Red Hood had a revelation. There was a connection between most of the drug rings in Gotham. After digging into it, Jason discovered that more than half of the world's drugs were flowing through the same organization - one that bought product from small factories scattered across the developing world and distributed it to major cities worldwide.
It was nothing flashy. No costumes, no crazy schemes, or anything particularly villainous. Just old-fashioned crime. And that's why it worked. Nobody paid attention. Once Jason stepped back and looked at the bigger picture, the pattern was obvious. But the so-called world's greatest heroes were too busy with their heads up their own asses to notice.
Tonight's exchange in Star City was Red Hood's breakthrough. It had taken months of dealings and trades all across the globe to earn the organization's attention. Finally, he was supposed to meet one of the big shots.
At least he was supposed to, until the aforementioned heroes decided to screw up all of his work.
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The exchange was going according to plan.
Red Hood had brought a few hundred of the finest kryptonite, and he could see the greed in the vendor's eyes once the lavish payment was presented.
"Hood, you know, drugs and artifacts bring in good cash, but the real money is in the more… breathing part of the business, if you know what I mean." The greedy pig had the audacity to wink.
Jason's palms itched, longing for the familiar weight of his pistols. He could already picture the bullets tearing through that filthy hog's skull, but he forced himself to stay composed. The guns would deliver their bloody justice eventually.
Red Hood was checking his new acquisitions when his eyes caught the movement of a green-tinted shadow. Less than a second later, an arrow came flying toward him. He caught it just before it buried itself in his shoulder.
"Sucks to suck!" he shouted at the asparagus-like vigilante as he ducked behind one of the shipping containers.
A sharp pain struck through his thigh. There was an arrow sticking out of it. Was that a fucking remote-control archer behind him!?Jason snapped the shaft, leaving only the arrowhead embedded in his leg.
Taking deep breath he looked around. The vendor was nowhere to be seen. His men were split between two disasters. Some trading fire with the bow-wielding vigilante, while the rest were already pinned down fighting Green Lantern.
Fuck! Of course the freaking Lantern was in Star City!
Was there some bio-convention in town Jason wasn't aware of?
He snuck up on Jordan while Oliver was distracted, unable to watch his back. Without missing a beat, Jason drove his fist straight into Jordan's nose, yanked the ring off his finger, and bolted for the exit, furious shouts following behind.
He was only moments from escaping when a deep female voice echoed through the warehouse. "Red Hood, surrender yourself into custody, and neither you nor your soldiers will suffer harm."
Jason was fucked. Wonder Woman was striding toward him, sword in hand. All-Blades were summoned into his hands by pure instinct. Seeing the weapons in his grasp as a sign of resistance, Diana attacked without hesitation So the mortal (mostly) Jason was left with no choice but to block the attacks of the Amazon princess.
Wonder Woman had expected brute strength or speed, as Batman’s files had implied. What she had not expected was precision. Red Hood moved like a master duelist - each of his strikes deliberate and measured. It was unusual. Meta-human to came to rely on their extraordinary abilities, allowing raw power to compensate for the lack of experience. His swords drew Diana's attention as well. Flames danced along their blades, yet she felt no heat each time their weapons met.
Jason's defeat in a straight sword fight was inevitable, but that was fine. He still had some cards up his sleeve.
An explosion ripped through the warehouse, collapsing the left wall and sending the glass ceiling crashing to the floor. Taking advantage of the chaos, Jason fired his grapnel gun and pulled himself onto the roof. Halfway to the next building, however, his line was cut.
Oh, come on! Give him a break!Now Superman was here!
Jason felt like a toddler throwing a tantrum when the Boy Scout caught him in midair.
"You are under arrest." Superman said, lowering them towards the ground without actually landing.
Clark wasn't stupid. He had figured Red Hood was carrying kryptonite. After all, the man had just sold four hundred of the stuff. Landing would only give the criminal chance to use it.
Superman's caution only fueled Jason's irritation. Clark was so confident, so certain he had everything under control.
The expression on his face was priceless when Red Hood drove a kryptonite knife into his shoulder. Before Superman could react, Jason planted both boots against his chest and shoved with all his strength.
Jason wasn't worried about Superman. The drop was around ten meters - enough time for Clark to rip the blade out and land somewhat safely.
Now all Jason had to do was not die. Yeah. Not exactly his strong suit.
The Lazarus Pit had left his bones denser, stronger than before. If he executed the landing well enough, he might avoid breaking any of them.
Stretching his body to absorb the impact, he landed on the balls of his feet before rolling over one shoulder, letting his remaining momentum carry him across the pavement and bleed off the force of the fall.
Pain exploded through every inch of his body.
The arrowhead had driven deeper into his leg, tearing through the muscles at the back of his thigh. His skin was scraped raw despite the protection of his clothes, and he could already feel bruises spreading across his entire body. His bones, however, had held. They ached fiercely from the impact, but every single one was still intact.
A laugh escaped his lips.
Gathering what little strength he had left, Jason forced himself back onto his feet and started running. He glanced back. Superman was still breathing, but he didn’t look too well. The kryptonite knife was still buried in his shoulder, and even from a distance Jason could see the way Clark’s movements were slightly off, too heavy. The Kryptonian would be fine. His teammates would find him soon enough.
Red Hood just needed to reach his bike before that happened. It wasn’t far. The adrenaline would keep him going long enough to get there. With hands gripping the handlebar and the motorcycle tearing through the night, Jason finally had a moment to let his mind catch up with everything that had happened.
His rage was uncontrollable. The fucking Justice League had ruined his operation! What the hell had Bruce been thinking! It wasn't like Jason had told him about the mission. He had kept the operation secret for a reason. But Bruce was supposed to be the world's greatest detective. There was no way Batman hadn't figured out what Red Hood was doing. So what was it? Did Bruce really think Jason couldn't handle it! That he couldn't be trusted!
The vigilante's body began shaking violently as the adrenaline started to fade. With it went his ability to ignore the pain. Every injury he'd pushed aside suddenly demanded his attention. Only then did Jason notice the green haze that had creeped into his vision. Compared to everything else that had happened tonight, it barely registered as a problem.
A sudden force ripped him from the motorcycle.
Jason's back slammed against a wall hard enough to crack the brick behind him. Before he could move, an iron grip pinned him in place. He opened his eyes. Wonder Woman stood in front of him, her gaze on him.
"Enough." - Diana's voice was firm.
Darkness swallowed Jason's vision.