Sinking Down
Jason didn’t expect his first assignment from Fisk to be to hunt down Spider-Man.
Sure, Jason’s got a pretty decent caliber against Batman, but come on. Batman and Spider-Man were not anywhere near on the same level! Was Batman a difficult opponent? Sure! But at the end of the day, the guy’s still human. He doesn’t have superstrength, or speed, or anything like that. The reason so many people struggle fighting Batman isn’t because he can snap them like a toothpick, it’s the fact that he’s so goddamn smart and if you don’t realize that fact, you’ve already lost.
Spider-Man was not Batman, that much Jason can say with absolute certainty.
He’s done his research on it, too. Spider-Man obviously has above-average strength. There’s no way someone would be able to web sling the way Spidey does without it, and that’s without even accounting for the fact that he’s verifiably lifted a bus before. Jason’s watched clips of the man dodging bullets like they were going in slow motion. He can climb flat surfaces, which doesn’t seem that dangerous, but Jason can think of several reasons for why that could be useful.
And Jason could deal with all of this if it weren’t for the fact that he’s pretty sure that Spider-Man is all of these things and smart. It’s not something easily recognizable. If Jason were an amateur, he’d likely assume that Spider-Man was an idiot himself. He certainly seems like it, joking while he fights. It makes him seem unfocused, but the thing is, if he were really so unfocused, he would be dead by now. It’s a similar strategy to what Dick uses. A distraction. A tactic that elicits underestimation.
The issue is, as much as he doesn’t underestimate Spider-Man, he certainly doesn’t underestimate Kingpin.
Jason practically waltzed into that situation. He’s been doing this a lot - messing up. He was going to end up dead (again) if he keeps this up. But for as much as fighting Spider-Man seems like a hopeless battle to him (at least with how much time he’s had to actually prepare for this), he knows that going against Kingpin will be a lot worse. Spider-Man’s never killed anyone that Jason’s heard of. Fisk, on the other hand… Not only has he killed before, the man has enough people in his pocket that Jason would not have an easy time avoiding him.
He should have known that stirring up trouble in New York was a bad idea.
Jason watches another video of Spider-Man in his safehouse, curled up on the couch and holding a pillow to his chest with a grumpy frown. His laptop is sitting on the arm of the couch, YouTube playing people’s terrible quality footage of the hero in the otherwise quiet apartment. His hair is a mess, sticking askew in several directions. He hasn’t gotten out of his pajamas yet, even though it’s nearing six in the evening. Part of him is annoyed with himself over the fact that he hasn’t gotten anything done yet today besides studying Spider-Man, but at the same time… He’s tired, and he can’t bring himself to care.
He takes a long sip of his needlessly expensive Fiji water. The bags under his eyes almost look like bruises. He hasn’t been able to sleep properly in quite some time. Not since…
Well, pretty much since he’d crawled his way out of his grave.
Jason’s not entirely sure how long ago it actually was when he’d come back. His best guess would be about a year and a half, but he can’t be too certain. He’d been with Talia for almost a year, and then three months ago he’d had his big return in Gotham, which had ended spectacularly. So he knows it’s been at least a year and a half or so, but who can say how long he’d been wandering the streets of Gotham with amnesia before Talia got ahold of him? It could have been a day. Could have been a year.
Jason wonders how old he is anymore. By birthdate, he’d be almost nineteen, just a few months shy of it. But considering the fact he’d spent a while below the grave… Did corpses age? He looks at his reflection on the screen of his computer with a deep frown. His face doesn’t actually provide much insight to this mystery.
He decides to shut the laptop after another two repeat videos pop up. He figures there’s not much worth in watching the videos he’s already seen over and over. He’s gained all the knowledge he possibly can from YouTube.
Jason checks the time on his phone. Barely six thirty. He tilts his head back and forth for a moment in indecision before he sighs and gets up, doing a quick stretch before he goes over to the closet where he keeps his Red Hood gear.
Tonight sounds like a good night to get some first hand perspective on this Spider-Man.
Jason’s intentions tonight are fairly simple. Engage, assess, learn, and then high tale it out of there. Don’t let the fight drag on too long, avoid the webs. Just enough to test the waters.
It’s ridiculous how easy it is for him to actually find Spider-Man. If he didn’t know any better, he’d almost think Spidey were looking for a fight. He’s webslinging across buildings in Manhattan without a care in the world. Jason watches him do a flip before landing on the side of a building, somehow staying perfectly balanced on the flat window surface. Jason hums and aims a shot right above his head.
Startled is an understatement. Spider-Man loses whatever grip he’d had on the window, dropping a whole two stories before he’s able to catch himself. Interesting. He’s good at dodging, isn’t he? Jason read the reports about how even the best snipers had a difficult time shooting him, even when he didn’t seem to be paying attention. So why had a shot that hadn’t even been that close to hitting him startle him so badly?
Still… Jason gives Spider-Man a wave. “Hey Spidey! Over here!”
Spider-Man cocks his head to the side before he starts heading in Jason’s direction fast. The videos hadn’t done his speed justice in the slightest. Jason makes a run for it across the rooftops.
Spidey catches up to him a bit sooner than Jason was anticipating, but he doesn’t let that stop him. He spins around, watching him with a calculating glare, waiting for him to make the first move. Spider-Man stares back at him, like he too is waiting for Jason.
It’s like being in a true Old West stand-off.
“...Who are you?” Spider-Man breaks the silence, clenching and unclenching his fist.
“Red Hood. Pleasure to make your acquaintance,” Jason hums, keeping an eye on that hand. It’s clear to him that Spidey is itching for some action. He’s just waiting for that right moment.
“Well, considering you just tried to kill me, I can’t say it’s much of a pleasure,” Spider-Man hums. Jason tilts his head in curiosity. Why hasn’t he attacked yet? He’s still in a defensive stance. Surely he would have taken the opportunity to go on the offensive by now?
“The shot wasn’t even aimed at your head,” Jason snorts, looking him up and down closely. He was surprisingly lithe for someone who could allegedly throw a bus. He was toned, but not overly buff. Roughly 5’6”, maybe 5’7” if Jason were to be generous. His build sort of reminds him of Dick, more agile than anything, which was interesting.
“Sure seemed like it,” Spider-Man hums, narrowing his white lenses in Jason’s direction.
“Right, well,” Jason hums. “I do have to kill you, unfortunately.”
“See, there it is.”
Jason reaches for the gun holstered to his belt, firing several quick shots faster than he could ever possibly respond with words. Spider-Man does a flip backwards, somehow managing to avoid every shot.
Now that was a skill that Jason’s fairly certain not even he could pull off at this close a proximity. Not out in the open, at the very least. Spider-Man lands easily on his feet and suddenly Jason finds his gun has been stolen right out his hands by a sticky web that had come out of nowhere.
Maybe Jason really was in over his head.
“So, who are you working for?” Spider-Man leaps over him, landing in a crouch on the other side. Jason whips around fast, not wanting to let him out of his sight. “I’m assuming you’ve got to be working for someone. Unless there’s some secret underlying beef you have with me, which I suppose is also a possibility. Did I send your brother to jail?”
“Do you ever shut up?” Jason asks. He figures it’s a question a lot of people ask Spider-Man, just from what he knows about him.
“Nobody appreciates my jokes,” Spider-Man puts a hand over his heart as he heaves a heavy sigh. Jason squints and shoots at him again with another gun he happens to have in his jacket. Spider-Man, of course, dodges, and is quick to snatch his new gun with the web. “Will you stop that?”
Jason’s glad he was only planning for this to be an information gathering mission, because he’s starting to think he’s really, really underestimated the vigilante.
This time, Jason decides to get in close. He manages to grab Spider-Man by the shoulder, holding on tightly as he brings his knee up into the man’s torso. There’s a pained grunt from Spider-Man, who’s attempts at grabbing Jason are in vain.
“Not so good up close and personal, huh?” Jason sucks in a breath, bringing his arm back to aim a punch at Spider-Man’s face. He frowns when the man manages to move his head just out of the way when he actually throws it.
“Hey now, let’s not make assumptions,” Spider-Man chirps, although Jason can already tell there is no way this guy has any sort of formal training. He tries to throw a punch back at Jason, but Jason is faster. He adjusts the grip he has on his shoulder so that he’s more holding onto his arm and then flips him over onto the ground.
Jason puts a foot on his chest to keep him down. “I’m making some assumptions.”
He’s met with webbing to the face. It’s not bothersome, per se. It’s blocking a bit of his vision, but not enough to make him consider taking the helmet off. It’s enough to surprise him though, and that encourages Spider-Man to grab the leg on his chest and push him back.
Jason stumbles, landing flat on his ass. Spider-Man flips back up to his feet, and Jason watches his wrist carefully.
Wait. Now that he’s actually looking, there’s a bit of a lump there, almost like he’s wearing a watch under his suit. He looks at the other wrist, realizing there’s one there too. So the webs weren’t a power, they were mechanical…
Jason snaps his head back into the game a moment later when he realizes Spider-Man is rushing towards him. He ducks under a fist, and then immediately flips backwards to avoid a kick. He can hear sirens from down below, presumably someone calling about the gunshots.
Now would be a good time to leave, probably. He’s got more information about Spider-Man now than when he’d started. Jason surveys the area for a brief moment before he decides to take a running leap off the edge of the building.
“Hey, no!” He can hear a surprised gasp coming from Spider-Man, but he ignores it. He fires off a grapple and swings his way into an office building, shattering glass. The workers let out a few startled screams, but he largely ignores them, running through the building.
Jason makes his way into a janitors closet, closing the door behind him. He takes the opportunity to make a quick change of clothes, taking off the helmet, mask and jacket. He grabs the janitor cart and uses a bucket to stash the helmet and some of his most jarring weapons, draping the jacket over it and then placing it on the bottom of the cart.
Jason is out of the closet a moment later, pretending to just be a regular janitor minding their own business. He hopes there’s not a specific dress code for janitors here and that his dark grey cargo pants and even darker gray long-sleeved shirt will pass as unnoticeable.
Spider-Man runs into the hallway a moment later. Jason does his best not to look too concerned as the vigilante looks around the room, seeming puzzled. He locks eyes with Jason, and he holds his breath, hoping he’d changed just enough of his outfit not to be recognized even without the bright red helmet.
“Excuse me, sir- kid? Anyways, uh, you didn’t happen to see a guy in a red helmet go by, did you?” Spider-Man asks instead, and Jason slowly lets out a breath of relief as he shakes his head.
“No… Aren’t you Spider-Man?” Jason stares at him, hoping he’s convincing as a starstruck civilian.
“Your friendly neighborhood Spider-Man,” He gives him a nod. “Listen, that guy might be dangerous, so keep an eye out…”
There’s the steps of impending footsteps, and Jason can hear Spider-Man quietly mutter a curse under his breath as he starts heading back towards the room with the now broken windows. “Stay safe!” He tells Jason before he disappears behind the door, presumably to head back out the way he’d come.
Jason smirks when he’s out of view, and decides to just keep heading out. Sure enough, there’s police that run past him a moment later, not bothering to give him more than a second glance. He gets to the elevator and presses for the main floor, waiting idly as it takes him down to the lobby of whatever corporate office this is.
He almost can’t believe he’s managed to get away so easily, but he’d call this a success. He’d gotten a few key pieces of information on Spider-Man. He doesn’t do well with hand-to-hand combat, he seems to rely on his webs which were likely mechanical, which might prove useful. All he has to do is figure out a way to break the webs, and then…
Jason hums, tilting his head back and forth. He might just be able to do this.