Injustice: The Path to Hell

Birds of Prey

Chapter LXVI - Jason Todd

Monday 5th July 2010, 08:15.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.

Standing across the street, Esau released a low sigh as he looked up at his old apartment complex, it looking unchanged in the time it had been away. But, this was no longer his home anymore, his room had already been sold to someone else after it had been renovated, effectively making him homeless. A truly wonderful turn of events considering everything he was currently going through, from his sudden loss to Slade to the experimentation he suffered at the hands of Cadmus scientists to the torturous display of memories that followed.

But now he also had nowhere to go.

He could have gone to Slade's safe house where he had spent most of his time training, though he had quickly decided against it upon realising he might run into Slade. Esau was angry beyond belief and would like nothing more than to get revenge, but he also knew that doing so right now would be precisely what Slade was expecting.

Not only that, but whatever his new power was, they seemed to feed off of his anger and rage making him strong, yet in turn, making him lose control. He knew better than to believe Slade could be defeated by someone powerful but consumed by rage, he wouldn't have survived as long as he had if Slade could be beaten by something like that.

No, it was safe to say that Esau didn't really know what to do with himself.

Releasing a breath, Esau turned on his heel and began walking down the street, adjusting the strap of his bag ever so slightly. While he had learned that most of his stuff had been collected by Jim – a relief for sure as it meant the pictures of his parents were safe and the money he had collected – his Black Hood uniform had still been stashed away. The fact that the renovation company didn't even find it was a testament to how little they compared and by the looks of his old apartment, they had barely done enough to cover up the previous damages.

It was also something he was grateful for and after pulling up into a nearby alleyway, Esau placed the bag down as he crouched down behind a dumpster. Unzipping it, he spent a few minutes just staring at the gloves gifted to him by the Talon that rested there innocently, running his fingers over the fabric and over the dulled, chipped and rusted blades.

'I really didn't have a clue about what I was doing.' Esau chuckled ruefully, realising just how lacking he had been.

One of the first things that Slade had taught him when they began weapons training was how to properly care for one's weapons. To see that state of his clawed gloves was a stark reminder of how much he had grown in the time he had spent with Slade.

With a small frown, Esau slowly began getting changed into his Black Hood costume.

Once he was finished, Esau took a look at himself in a nearby puddle and while the mask on his face obscured it from view, his frown deepened as he found himself looking at a complete stranger. 'This isn't me anymore.' He realised as he stared at himself a little longer because whereas he looked at him before and saw himself taking on the whole world, now he didn't see that.

He had thought himself invincible and look what had happened.

Every time he went out to fight, he was met by opponents with abilities far beyond his capabilities, only his will keeping him standing. Deathstroke had been right though, will alone would not be enough to keep him going and he needed so many more things to succeed. He had needed skill, information, experience and above all else, Esau had needed power.

'Amusingly, now I have it, but it's come at a price.' Not only did his power make him lose control every time he tapped into it, but the price he paid to gain such power made him feel like a stranger in a suit that him feel like he could do anything. Even when he removed the suit and looked at himself, he still didn't see himself, just a stranger.

After packing away his uniform, Esau began walking down the streets of Gotham once more with no idea what to do with himself. He couldn't take up the mantle of Black Hood again, just being in the suit felt like he was trying to be someone, no, something that he was not. Being a mercenary was still a viable option for him to pursue, it would require contacts and he didn't have any. Slade was meant to help him build up a network of contacts and build up his name as Marauder through a few jobs where they worked together.

'And look how that turned out.' He thought sardonically.

"Hey, let me go, asshole!" A childlike voice cried out and he turned to see that across the road a group of young thugs, no older than himself he quickly realised to his shock – he felt much older than he actually looked – and they were all currently ganging up on a young child.

A child that looked very familiar to him.

"Oh yeah, what you gonna do about it." One of them taunted as he pushed the kid to the thug positioned behind the child, who in turn pushed him to the ground. "That's right, nothing." It was when the kick landed did Esau find that he had already moved across the street, ignoring the car horns sent his way and instead just moved forwards to deck one guy across the cheek.

Esau unfortunately had forgotten to factor in his own enhanced strength that had been enhanced even further.

As a result, the punch cleanly knocked the thug to the ground, a number of teeth clattering along the floor as he landed in an unconscious heap.

The suddenness of this shocked the group of thugs, no more than five of them including the unconscious one at his feet – who looked to Esau in shock. So did the young child and it was the look of happiness, gratefulness and shock that reminded Esau as to who exactly the child was.

Even so, he put the little reunion on hold and looked at the thugs with one borrowed raised in questioning. "Well, care to push me around?" He asked calmly, raising one foot and flipping the unconscious guy at his feet onto his back, allowing them to plainly see just how much damage Esau had done with one punch.

The jaw was clearly dislocated, blood dribbling down and a number of teeth missing.

"Or are you going to run away?"

There was a few moments of silence before the guys decided to turn tail and run, completely abandoning their unconscious friend. "Yeah, you better run, dickheads!" Jason angrily shouted at their backs, laughing happily at the same time.

Once they turned a corner, Jason turned back to Esau with a smile on his face.

Only to quickly hold his forehead in pain once Esau's flicked him.

"Ow, what was that for?!" He exclaimed, rubbing the red mark that was forming, it would probably form a bruise, but Esau didn't care. Jason shouldn't be out in these parts of time, not with the orphanage he was in which meant that not only had he run away, but more than likely he was a thief based on his experience with these sorts of things.

Grabbing Jason by the scruff of his dirty shirt, Esau picked him easily off the ground and carried the struggling child down the street. His actions drew a few amused and or concerned gazes, but no one got involved, no one ever did.

"Esau, put me down!" Jason struggled and Esau did exactly what he asked, though not how Jason had expected as he landed on his backside with a gasp. "What was that for, asshole?!"

"Since when have you started swearing so much?" Esau asked, but Jason didn't answer, just crossing his arms over his chest in a huff.

Seeing this, Esau just shrugged his shoulders knowing full well that Jason would follow him, and the young child did just that, quickly scrambling to his feet as he rushed to catch up to Esau.

"Hey, wait up!" He cried, his little legs moving to catch up with Esau who just continued to walk down the street with both hands in his pocket.

Once he did catch up, Jason just walked in silence beside him, his eyes occasionally flickering towards Esau as if going to ask a question, only to doubt himself at the last minute and change his mind.

Eventually, Esau decided to address the main problem.

"So, mind telling me why you're not in an orphanage or with a foster carer?" His voice was calm and his gaze never strayed from the path in front of him as Jason looked up at him in confusion before he erupted out into a big smile.

"I ran away!" He exclaimed like it was something to be proud of and Esau looked down at him with a frown on his face.

Jason saw this and his smile changed to a confused frown. "Is that something to be proud of?" Esau asked.

"Well, you did it," Jason answered as if that would end Esau's question, but Esau's frown only deepened, something Jason saw.

"I was eleven, not seven and I didn't save your life so that you could throw it away when you try to be me."

Was it harsh?

Possibly, but Esau understood Jason, they were similar in more ways than one.

The only way to get through to him would be to speak plainly, it may be harsh, but it would save Jason in the future.

"But, but you're...Black Hood." He whispered the last part as he looked around at people suspiciously.

Esau almost shook his head in exasperation. "And?" This stumped Jason who just looked at him in shock. "Do you know how many times I've nearly died? It may seem like I can do anything, but I really can't. Why would I want you to become like me?"

"You could train me!"

This made Esau chuckle lowly. "Train you?" Jason nodded his head. "I'm not going to train you for three, very simple reasons. First, there are individuals out there still beyond my ability to deal with. How am I going to train you to beat them when I can't do it myself?" Jason had no answer which Esau had both expected and was glad for. "Second, I saved your life. You feel indebted to me don't you?"

Jason hesitantly nodded his head, eyes dropping to the ground at the reminder of that night.

"You want to repay me? Then do it by living a normal life because trust me, you'll thank me one day." Jason still didn't look up and Esau felt bad, he really did, but at the end of the day, he was doing this for Jason's safety. "And third, do you think you're parents would want you to live a life like mine? Constantly putting yourself in danger and risking your life?"

There was silence as they continued to walk down the street.

"They're dead." Jason eventually muttered quietly and Esau looked at the child questioningly. "They're dead! What would they care about how I live my life?!" He shouted angrily, tears in his eyes before turning tail and running away.

Esau just stood there in shock for a few moments as a few passersby looked at him in a mixture of curiosity and accusation.

Not even sparing them a glance, Esau rushed after Jason with a curse.

---

Monday 5th July 2010, 08:30.
New Jersey,
Gotham City,
East End.

"Should we take him?" The Eleventh asked, looking down upon Esau as he rushed through the streets, pushing through the crowds of people as he chased after the small child.

"We still need to find the six other pieces." The figure behind him replied, stepping forward to look upon Esau, his back was hunched over and unlike the others, he wore no black cloak or hood to hide his face. Instead, he stood freely in robes as he held onto the stick in his hands for support, appearing like a frail old man. His hair was greying and his skin was wrinkled, eyes pale, yet despite being blind, he followed Esau as if he could see him clearly.

The Eleventh said nothing in response, providing the man with silence to watch Esau disappear from view as they remained standing on the roof. Then, the elderly man turned, cane silently tapping against the floor as he moved, a portal appearing before him as the Eleventh flicked his wrist.

"Ignotus shall watch over him closely." The elderly man said. "But you are to return, the time will come to collect Esau in the future. For now, let him live his life with some measure of freedom. He has the tools he needs to survive, let us see if he can do so without our interference."

"And if he cannot?"

"Then he is not a Chikara."

So, another chapter is done and I hope you all enjoyed it. Anyway, if you have any questions or suggestions, please let me know.