THE FATHER AND THE SON

While flying back to New York City, Peter talks to Ben.

"Sir. Please take this to heart. Who Jason was before, how we lost him... and this dark miracle or course that has brought about his return... it is not your fault." Ben says.

Peter stays silent for a moment.

"I wish I could believe that, Ben. I took him in because I didn't want him to go down the wrong path, because I thought that could give him a better life than what he would've had if I left him alone in crime alley that night. I thought I was protecting him. Then I got him killed. My partner. My son... My fault. I own that. I'll carry that like everything else. But now there's this. He's taken everything I've ever taught him and turned it on me. He's even given himself Spider powers, just like me. A hell of my own making." Peter says.

"Sir this is not your doing, you loved him. He knows that. It should be enough." Ben says.

"It's not." Peter replies.

At that moment, a news report appears on the Batcomputer.

"Sir, I'm afraid Norman Osborne has escaped from Arkham. Apparently he slipped out without anyone noticing, leaving nothing behind." Ben says.

Peter thinks for a second when he hears this.

"He didn't escape." Peter says.

"Pardon, sir?"

"If the Goblin escaped, he would've made sure everyone knew it, he would have made a spectacle out of it. He did escape, he was taken." Peter says.

"My word. You don't think-"

Before Ben can answer, someone patches into the radio.

"I've got him. You want him? Meet me at crime alley." Black Spiders voice says.

Peter doesn't say a word and flies towards Crime Alley.

In an abandoned building, The Black Spider kicks open a door and throws a tied up Goblin to the ground. The Goblin just laughs while being stuck on the ground, being amused by all of this.

"Well this is a first. Never actually been broken out of Arkham by someone else before." The Goblin says.

The Black Spider then throws a bag on the ground and kneels down, not saying a word.

"So, what's the plan? Slumber party? Charades? A little truth or dare? I'll start with dare." The Goblin says.

Black Spider then reaches into the bag and pulls out a crowbar, staring a hole through the Goblin.

"Or maybe I'll just stick with truth." The Goblin says, surprised by this.

Black Spider then slowly walks over to the villain, holding the crowbar as tightly as possible. He then lifts the crowbar above his head and starts beating on The Goblin, over and over again, as hard as he possibly can.

"Tell me. How does that feel?" Black Spider asks.

The Goblin slowly sits up, blood spilling from his mouth.

"Uh, you know, it only hurts when I laugh."

After he cringes in pain for a moment, a smile appears on the Goblins face.

"But, hey, I gotta know. Who are you? I mean, you seem really familiar. We double at the prom? Or maybe blow up a school bus together?" The Goblin asks.

"No. I'm just something you helped make."

"That's pretty cryptic, hehe. But interesting. Tell me more." The Goblin says.

"Sure, listen up."

Black Spider then grabs The Goblin by the throat and starts beating him with crowbar some more.

Soon, Peter lands in Crime Alley, prepared to face his demons. He looks over across from where he's standing and sees where he lost his parents, but also where he gained a son. As he remembers meeting Jason, a smile appears on his face.

"Hello." A voice says behind him.

Peter turns around, seeing Black Spider, blood splattered on his helmet. As rain starts to fall, the two have an intense standoff.

"So glad you could make it." Black Spider says.

"This ends tonight. All of it."

"Nobody knows that better than me."

Black Spider then throws Shurikens at Spider-Bat. Peter flips out of the way and behind a dumpster, sticking an explosive on it that launches it at Black Spider. The Black Spider quickly jumps off of the wall and over the dumpster easily. Peter quickly webs his legs and pulls him to the ground.

"Ha. Oh, you and your gadgets."

He then cuts the web and uses his taser on it, shocking Peter.

"You're not the only one with toys."

As Black Spider rushes towards him, Peter throws down a few Batexplosives at his feet.

"Crap."

The explosives go off, causing the Black Spider to jump onto the wall and run up to the roof. Peter quickly climbs up the wall after him. As Black Spider gets to the roof and starts running, Peter jumps up and tackles him to the ground. The Black Spider breaks free from Peter's grip and punches him in the face. Black Spider goes to stab Peter, and while avoiding the blade, his utility belt is cut off and he gets kicked away.

The two have a brief stare down, before Peter runs forward and tackles Black Spider onto another rooftop. Peter is able to land on his feet while Black Spider lands hard on his side. Genuinely worried, Peter runs over to him. When he puts his hand on his shoulder, dropping his guard, The Black Spider quickly grabs his mask and flips away. As an unmasked Spider-Bat stands infront of him, he laughs.

"Look at you." Black Spider says.

After a few moments pass, he tosses the mask back to Peter.

"I guess we should keep it even."

Black Spider then takes off his helmet, dropping it to the ground, revealing his face to Peter, a face he hasn't seen in years.

"Jason." Peter says, still unable to believe it, feeling both relief and dread.

Jason smirks.

"Yes."

"I don't want to fight you." Peter says.

"All evidence to the contrary." Jason replies.

"Please, I can help you. I know what happened."

"Oh, you got to talking with Ra's, huh? Does it make it easier for you to think that my dip in his fountain of youth turned me rabid? Or is this just the real me?"

Jason kicks his helmet at Peter's feet. He then presses a button, causing Peter's Spider-Sense to go off. The hero quickly jumps out of the way, as the helmet explodes. While Peter gets back to his feet, putting back on his mask, Jason grabs him from behind, putting his knife to his throat.

"Tell me... What bothers you more, that your greatest failure has returned from the grave? Or that I've become a better Spider-Bat than you?"

Peter grabs Jason wrist and the back of the head and flips him, but Jason lands on his feet and the two struggle for the knife.

"You're ruling through intimidation and murder. It's not too late, come back to us."

"I'm what this city needs!" Jason yells.

Peter is able to knock the knife out of Jason's hands and to the ground, but his former Partner webs him in the eyes and takes him to the ground, raining down punches on Peter's face. After a few more punches are landed, Peter rips the webbing off of his eyes and catches Jason's fist. He then realizes that he has no other choice, and punches him in the face, knocking him back.

Peter quickly kips up to his feet, and pins him against the wall, pulling out a small flair from his gloves.

"Hidden goodies all over, huh? We're both just a couple of walking armories." Jason says.

"Maybe so, but let's see how you do without your toys." Peter says, dropping the flair onto Jason's jacket

As it goes up in flames, Jason knocks Peter back and throws it off. He then shoots out a web and swings through a window nearby. Peter doesn't bother with a web and just across a large gap, making it through the same window and kicking Jason through a bathtub.

"Enough! It's over!" Peter yells.

Jason gets angry and throws a punch at his former mentor. Peter easily dodges, grabbing him by the wrist and elbowing him in the ribs, knocking him into a wall. Jason swings again, but Peter ducks, punching him in the gut and slamming face first Into the wall. Jason quickly grabs a sharp piece of the wall and tries to cut Peter, but Peter easily avoids it and punches Jason in the face, knocking him towards the ground.

Jason flips back to his feet and throws a powerful punch at Peter. The hero easily avoids it as he punches a hole into the wall. Peter then drives his knee into his stomach, punches him in the face again, headbutts him, and grabs him by the shirt and pins him against the wall.

"You say you wanna be better than me. But it won't happen. Not like this!" Peter yells as he punches Jason through a wall and into another room.

While Jason is on the ground, Peter slowly approaches him, feeling remorse about what he had to do.

"I know I failed you, and I'm sorry. But I tried to save you, Jason. I'm... trying to save you now."

Jason quickly pulls out a gun and aims it at Peter.

"Is that what you think this is about? You think I blame you for my death?"

Jason gets to his feet, still having Peter at gun point.

"Peter, I never blamed you for what happened to me. But why? Why on God's earth..."

He kicks down a door, revealing The Goblin, blood dripping from his mouth and face swollen from the beating by the hands of Jason.

"...Is he still alive?!" Jason yells.

The Goblin sees Jason and Peter infront of him and starts to laugh.

"Gotta give the kid points. He came all the way back from the dead to make this shindig happen. Oh Batsy, you wouldn't believe the day we had. Junior here got me out of Arkham, then we went to this lovely little pawnshop where, could you believe it, he found the crowbar. Oh and then he beat me up with it for hours and hours until-"

Jason cuts the Goblin off with a kick to his head, knocking him to the ground. The young man then kneels down and puts the gun to his head.

"You'll be as quiet as possible. Or I'll put one in your lap first." Jason says.

"Wow, I actually love that idea, remind me to do that to someone later on." The Goblin replies.

Jason then turns his attention back to Peter.

"Ignoring what he's done in the past. Blindly, stupidly, disregarding the entire graveyards he's filled. The thousands who have suffered, the friends he's crippled. You know, I thought... I thought I'd be the last person you'd ever let him hurt. If it had been you that he beat to a bloody pulp, if he had taken you from this world, I would've done nothing but search the planet for this pathetic pile of evil death worshipping garbage... and sent him off to hell."

Peter stares at Jason for a moment.

"You don't understand. I don't think you've ever understood."

"What? What, your moral code just won't allow for that? It's too hard to cross that line?" Jason says.

"No. It'd be too damned easy."

Jason is shocked when he hears this.

"Ever since the night Gwen died, all I've ever wanted to do is kill him. A day doesn't go by I don't think about subjecting him to every horrendous torture he's dealt out to others and then... end him."

The Goblin smiles.

"Aw, so you do think about me."

"But if I do that... If I allow myself to go down into that place... I'll never comeback. Death is never a choice, Jason. I made a promise to my father and mother, to never kill anyone. Not even him... not even for you." Peter says.

"Love you too, Web-head." The Goblin says.

"Why? I'm not talking about killing Penguin, or scavenger, or Harry Osborne. I'm talking about him. Just him. And doing it because... because he took me away from you."

"I can't. I'm sorry." Peter says.

Jason gets even more frustrated and angry.

"Well you won't have a choice."

He then tosses Peter a second gun, grabs Goblin by the throat and puts his gun to Norman's head.

"I won't-"

"This is what it's all been about. This. You, and me, and him. I'm going to do what should've been done long before now and put a bullet in this psychos head. If you want to stop me, you're going to have to kill me."

"You know I won't-"

"I'm gonna blow his deranged brains out. And if you want to stop it, you are gonna have to shoot me. Right in my face."

"This is turning out even better than I'd hoped." The Goblin says.

Peter stares at Jason for a moment, before dropping the gun to the ground. He then turns away, slowly walking towards the door. This surprises Jason."

"It's him, or me. You have to decide! " Jason says.

Peter continues to walk away.

"Decide, now! Do it!"

After ignores the question one last time, Jason aims the gun at him, while Peter pulls out a batarang from his sleeve. Jason pulls the trigger and shoots a bullet at him, but Peter quickly dodges it and throws the batarang into the gun, causing it to blow up when he pulls the trigger again, injured.

The Goblin laughs at the situation as Jason drops him to the ground.

"I can't believe you got him! I love it. You always manage to find a way to win. And everybody still looses."

Jason then pulls out a detonator, activating explosives nearby. As the timer hits twenty seconds, Peter tries to stop it.

"No, don't spoil it. This is better." The Goblin says, tackling him to the ground and putting his hands around his throat.

"Don't fight it. Deep down, this is what you want to. We all go out together. With a bang!" The Goblin says.

As the Goblin laughs, Peter punches him in the face, knocking him out. He then looks over and sees six seconds on the clock and Jason sits on the ground, accepting the end.

"Goodbye, dad." Jason thinks to himself.

Peter grabs Jason and the Goblin and runs towards the window, as the explosion goes off, taking down the building.