Chapter 53

"Why do you choose to save them? Weren't they the reason that your friend is dead? Aren't you at least angry that they took them away from you?"

"I am angry...but I'll never resolve to killing them...and you..." Batman took a deep breath. "You were the one that killed the mutant leader!!!"

"Ha..." Red Hood scoffed. "I guess you wouldn't be approved by Barbara and the others into taking up the old man's title if you aren't at least this sharp."

"I also know you have something to do with the Joker's return." Batman got Red Hood's full attention. "Why are you doing this? What's all this for?...and don't tell me it's justice."

"...It is justice...but I guess it's futile to make you understand." Red Hood put his guns back into their holsters and made a fighting pose. "Come at me! I killed your friend, didn't I?"

It didn't take much for Batman to be taunted into fighting.

He launched a kick and got blocked by the Red Hood, while still flying in the air, he twisted his body and kicked with his other leg. This time, it hit and pushed Red Hood to the side.

"Batman!"

"Woooh!!!"

People cheered in the distance as the two fight. Some even recorded it with their devices.

Red Hood got punched, when he dodges a punch, he receives a kick instead, when he blocks a kick, another kick to the other side of his body is received. Eventually, a kick to his stomach made him fall back.

He realized he couldn't win normally. While there was space between them, he spun his heel and fired his grappling hook.

"Let's take this to another place..." He just said as he got pulled by the retracting chord of the grappling hook.

Batman jumped and turned on the rocket from his soles to fly. "Are you taking me to the members of the Sons of Batman?" He shouted.

Red Hood didn't answer and just kept on swinging.

Moments later, he landed in a narrow alley. Batman, who was closely following him, also arrived just a second behind.

"Where did you bring me?" Batman asked.

"I just wanted to even the odds. I gotta hand it to you, kid. You're one hell of a fighter. Bruce would be proud to have you be his successor...but you're still missing something. GAAAAH!!!" Red Hood suddenly shouted as he charged.

He jumped up and launched a superman punch. Batman put up his guard and blocked it, but because of that, he wasn't able to anticipate the next attack which was a kick to his stomach.

"Urrgh!" He trudged backwards, but another attack was headed his way.

"Graaah!!" Red Hood launched a double flying knee to his chin.

When he landed, he performed a combination of jabs and straights. Because the area was narrow, it all came from the front. Batman weaved and eventually got used to the attacks, but when he got used to being attacked from the front, he didn't anticipate guarding his sides.

Red Hood suddenly got closer and threw a right hook, and another, and another. Then one to the right, and a combination.

It was too late to realize that the hooks weren't punches, they were elbows. You wouldn't be able to throw a hook punch normally in a tight space but you could use your elbow to minimize movement.

"You see..." Red Hood pushed Batman's head to the wall and slammed it. Again, and again and again before jumping and elbowing down. "...I noticed that you mastered fighting in a large area. The training grounds in the batcave are quite spacious. Stuff like this can only be learned through experience...and I have a lot of that even before I became Robin."

Red Hood grabbed Batman and lunged his knee at his stomach multiple times.

-Defensive systems at seventy-five percent...(LUCIUS)

Terry could barely hear it because his head has received so many blows and made him groggy.

Eventually, he fell down on his knees.

"Let me tell you this..." Red Hood bended one knee and whispered. "The Joker is just something necessary for the Justice that I'm going to serve Gotham. His time will eventually come...along with the rest of the people of this city...this city that created millions of miserable lives. It just takes and takes and the cycle of killing never end...that's what Batman did wrong, and I'll be the one to put an end to everything."

Batman widened his eyes at his statement. "The omega bomb..."

"Yes...it's all part of my plan..." Red Hood unsheathed his dagger and cocked his arm. He was planning to kill Batman.

Fortunately, Batman was able to grabbed Red Hood's hand that was holding the dagger. Red Hood threw a punch and it was also caught by Batman.

"Raaaaa!!!"

"Guuugh!!!"

It was a battle of strength. Even though Batman should be at a disadvantage because he was on a lower position and was fighting Red Hood's strength plus gravity, somehow with his willpower alone, it was an even battle. It made Red Hood more impressed at his former adoptive father's successor.

Red Hood threw a headbutt in to get out of this stalemate, but Batman received it with a headbutt of his own.

"GAAAAAH!!!"

Zooooom

The rockets from Batman's soles started blasting and propelled him forward.

Red Hood eventually lost the battle of strength and got tackled down.

"GRAAAGH!!" Batman didn't waste any time when he finally pinned down the Red Hood and released a flurry of punches.

Red Hood struggled to get out of being pinned down while trying to block or dodge Batman's punches, but it was no use.

Punch after punch after punch, eventually made his Helmet crack.

The crack got bigger and bigger and formed more cracks that led to creating a hole in the helmet. Jason Todd's face is now revealed.

"I'll stop you here, and then the Joker." Batman said.

Click.

Batman looked up and saw a gun pointed at him.

When he got a good look on who was holding the gun, the Joker came into view.

"Having fun without me?" He made a big grin.

"Kill him! Shoot!" Jason shouted.

"Don't order me around, Junior! I'll decide if I'll play along with your stupid whims."

"If you don't kill him now, he'll be a hindrance to our plans!"

The Joker chuckled. "Then, that makes it all the more fun...it makes me want to kill him less."

"If you don't kill him now, all three of us won't make it to the finale." Red Hood's chest glowed red as he revealed a trigger in his hand.

The Joker cackled. "Hahahaha...you really do know me more than your old man. Sorry, kiddo..." Joker pointed the gun again to Batman. "I'd like to stick around for a little while."

Right as he was about to pull the trigger...

Schwiiing.

"Urgh!" Joker let go of the gun. Somebody threw something that made the Joker drop his gun.

Batman turned his head and saw a man in a black cowl and a red uniform.

While he was distracted, Red Hood was able to push Batman away and started running towards the Joker. He grabbed him and fired his grappling hook.

Batman and the mysterious person tried to chase after them but they were already too far away.

He turned around again and asked. "Who are you?"

"I'm..."

----

"Lucky..." Barbara muttered to herself in her office as she watched the feed from Terry's body camera on the Batsuit. Her smartwatch alerted her instantly when the suit activated.

On the feed projected by her computer screen, Terry has fortunately found the Jokerz hideout.

It was an abandoned skating rink, three blocks away from her alma mater, Gotham City University.

-Omega bomb...

Terry uttered as he read the screen connected to the device.

"!!" It made Barbara gasp.

It was the bomb that killed Bruce Wayne. A bomb that replicates the omega effect from Darkseid's Omega Beam. A tragic incident during one of the Justice League's missions.

The bomb was said to have the ability to erase the entirety of Gotham along with parts of Bludhaven and Metropolis.

It was unstoppable, the only thing they could do was to minimize the blast radius and isolate the area. The only problem was, someone had to stay and control it. Batman was the only one able to do it because Cyborg and Martian Manhunter was knocked unconscious at the time.

He had to stay behind and couldn't beat the time.

Something that was that dangerous and even took Gotham's guardian away is now, once again, inside Gotham.

It was a good thing that Terry discovered it early unlike what had happened last time. They still have plenty of time to disarm it.

Barbara watched the screen anxiously for Terry, the new Batman, to disarm it, but before he has a chance to do so, the camera turned and revealed the Red Hood.

A fight ensued and a few members of the Jokerz lost their lives.

Batman had to take Red Hood elsewhere to prevent more blood to spill.

That left nobody to disarm the device.

Barbara ran outside her office. "I need our bomb squad and a mechanical engineer to go to the closed down skating rink near GCU, now!!! I want at least five units to accompany them!"

"Ma'am! I'm sorry, but the bomb squad is headed to another location in the city! They left just now when someone notifies us of a bomb there. I was just about to tell you before you got out!"

"What?! Then at least send the units there now."

"Ma'am, I was also just about to tell you that there's riots everywhere in the city cause by a gang war between the Jokerz and a gang called the Sons of Batman. All units are unavailable right now!"

"Fuck!" She screamed as she slammed her door.

Barbara ran to her screen again and can now only put her hopes on Batman.

But all her energy began to drain when he saw Batman getting pummeled by the Red Hood.

"Why are you doing this, Jason? Don't you know that bomb killed Bruce?" She asked as if he can hear her through the screen.

As if to deny her sentiments, Jason told Batman everything.

-Yes...it's all part of my plan...

"!!" Barbara crashed on her chair. The feeling of betrayal consumed her and made her legs lose strength. The man that she once considered to be family betrayed them all.

Knock knock.

The door opened.

"Commissioner, I'm sorry, but somebody wants to see you. He said he's family and it's urgent." Her subordinate said.

Barbara was about to turn them away when the man that introduced himself as family revealed himself.

"It's been a long time, Barbs." He said with a gentle smile.

"Tim?"