Flashback to Arkham (Jason Todd)
Flashback
“Not again, please don’t do it again!”, the whimpering voice cried. Tied to a chair and bleeding profusely, he was struck again by the cold metal of a crowbar on his torso. A labored scream forced itself out of his mouth, earning a laugh from his captor.
“Aw is the little birdie scared without the big bad bat? Don’t worry kid, we’ll have lots of fun down here! We can do this!” he swung the piece of metal to strike him again.
“Or maybe something like this!” this time slamming the crowbar on the boy’s head, finally ending his pained screams as he began to choke on his own blood.
“Hmm, guess that did the trick”, he laughed wickedly, baring his blinding yellow teeth at the boy. Struggling to breathe, the boy refused to give up,
“He’ll come. I know he will” The madman shook his head and lifted the boy’s chin to have him meet his eyes,
“I doubt he will. You’re not like the first Robin. Woo that boy wonder was really something, but you… you are nothing but the replacement, the spare. He’ll replace you with another one. You’ll be stuck here with me, until I’m bored of you of course, then I can just kill you, or I can turn you into my weapon. Who knows?” He smirked, content that he was able to instill seeds of self-doubt and insecurity. Jason knew better than to listen to the psychopath, but it had been a few days and there were no signs of Batman coming to the rescue. Maybe… Maybe B wasn’t looking for him, after all he did defy his orders which is what got him into this situation in the first place, but B, he cared about him, he had to, but what if…?
End of flashback
Jason startled awake, jumping into a seated position gasping for breath. It was the 3rd night in a row that his sleep had been interrupted by nightmares fueled by his time with the Joker. The clock on his nightstand read 2:15AM. He had only been asleep for 45 minutes. He sighed and lifted himself out of his bed and trudged into the bathroom, avoiding looking into the mirror. Since his resurrection, his reflection frightened him. It would trigger the painful memories in full force as his scars were permanent reminders of what he endured. During his first week back at Wayne Manor, Jason had seen his reflection in one of the windows and he broke down completely, spewing profanities and clawing at his skin to the point where Alfred had him sedated. Not a pretty picture, although with help from Dr. Leslie, he was working to overcome his aversion to his appearance. He splashed his face with cold water and let the droplets roll down his cheeks before wiping them away with a towel. Muscular arms flexed as they reached the top shelf to grab a bottle of pain medication. A soft click could be heard, as he opened the bottle and spilled 5 blue pills into his hand. His encounter with the clown had left his body mangled. A permanent hunch was noticeable in the young man’s back due to the severe beatings & restraints, a crooked nose, as well as a J shaped brand on his left cheek. All of these injuries left the young man with chronic pain and he self medicated with a variety of vices, one of his favorites being Oxy pills. Swiftly, he threw the pills into his mouth and swallowed them, grimacing slightly at their chalky, bitter taste. Now that he was situated, he slid into his Red Hood gear and decided to take a late night stroll through the city. You’ll never know what scum you might run into in Gotham’s dingy streets.
Xxx
“P-please! I told you everything I know!”, the bald man trembled as he stared down the loaded barrel of the pistol wielded by the Red Hood. He pushed the gun closer towards the man’s skull,
“You’re lying. Now I’m losing my patience here Freddie. Tell me where the Joker is or I’ll put one in your skull, got it?”
“If you kill me, then you’ve got nothing!” Although you could not see his face, you could feel his aurora turn dark, menacing. His finger inched the trigger forward, sending a bullet straight through the man’s skull ending his life. Ears ringing from the bang of his gun, he made his escape onto a nearby rooftop.
“Guess I've got nothing then,” he mumbled to himself, realizing that he felt a little drowsy. A side effect of the never ending pills. Had he grown dependent on them? Yes. Was he going to give them up? No. He was embarrassed for his over reliance on the drugs, especially since his mother was a drug addict, but there was nothing else that could stop the pain. The forever pain that lived in his body and mind. He had endured so much and at such a young age it was a miracle that the boy was ‘alive’ today. He shuddered remembering how he spent his 16th birthday chained to a wall, jagged knife trailing his face, while the blood oozed out of him. He could still feel the sharp metal dragging down his face and body, the smell of his own blood and tears, and worst of all the fear he felt. Jason felt his chest grow tight and all of his scars began to burn. Phantom pains, he would call them, brought on by traumatic memories. His vision began to blur while he breathing became shallow. Gliding down the pillar of the building, he sank into the floor in an upright fetal position
“Tell me pretty bird, does A or B hurt more?”, the cursed voice sung.
“It’s been 6 months now Jason, I think it’s time to face the facts.” His mind screamed out at him.
“Nonononono, this isn’t real.” Panic filled the boy, heat racing up his body causing him to remove his helmet. A hallucination of the Joker appeared before him,
“Big ol Bats isn’t coming to save you this time, Jason.”, clearly emphasizing his name. Jason’s pupils grew in fear and the tears flowed freely down his face. He reverted back into his 15 year old self, reliving his most painful memory, honestly believeing that it was real.
“Batman please! Where are you”, a broken whimper escaped his lips as the hallucination of the Joker was about to strike him
“Right here Jay.” spoke a familiar voice nearby. Jason snapped his head to see Batman standing before him.
“Stay back!” he yelled wielding one of his throwing knives. “This isn’t how it goes! You’re not here. You don’t save me!” Batman never falters and lowers himself to Jason’s level.
“I’m real Jason. I’m actually here, whatever else your seeing isn’t. Let me help you.” He extended his hand out to the cowering boy to let him feel that he was flesh and blood. Hesitantly, Jason’s reached out his own hand to confirm and recoiled into himself quickly.
“I’msorryI’msorryI’msorry.” the broken boy sniffled softly. Batman slowly made his way towards the ex-robin and enveloped him in a tight embrace.
“It’s okay Jay. I’m here now. You’re okay. I’ve got you.” They sat in silence, the only sound coming from the younger man’s sobs which eventually subsided after much reassurance .
“H-how’d you find me?” he hiccuped.
“I promised myself once you came back to us that I’d never lose you again. I have a tracker in your helmet.” The boy rolled his eyes, but was secretly grateful.
“It’s the pills. They help the pain, but they make me see things.” Batman let out a sigh
“We can clean you up, try to find something else that helps the pain without causing hallucinations .” Too tired to argue the younger man feels his eyelids get heavy as he leaned into Bruce’s side
“You actually came.” he mumbled before drifting off into a dreamless sleep.