Supremedalekdunn
The Dark Knight: Fallen Son #27 Epilogue
Two weeks pass by and Jason shows greater health improvements as the time passes by but he still remains deep in his coma. Alfred and I have researched all known methods to try and wake Jason up from the coma without harming him. So there is has all been to no avail. So for the moment there’s nothing else we can do besides allow time to do its work, and that’s the most painful thing about it. That no matter how much I want to, all I can do is sit back and wait for Jason to come around in his own time.
In the meantime as much as I’d love to watch over him until he’s back to full health Gotham needs me. Since I returned the clown to the asylum things seem to have picked up again, I suspect rumors spread that I may have finally snapped and given the clown what he deserved thus why they were scared to go out at night. But with Joker back in the asylum it will be common knowledge that I still don’t cross the line, and the vermin will be back out on the streets.
With most of the equipment still damaged from Jason’s actions in the cave I’m reliant on my old motorbike that I haven’t used for about six years. Fortunately Alfred being the obsessive maintenance freak that he is has kept the bike in prime condition so I’m still able to traverse Gotham, if not as fast as I would like. Fortunately, most of Tim’s vehicles were overlooked so whilst my mobility around Gotham may be limited, Tim’s is not.
He’s a good soldier. He does me proud everyday. But I thought the same of Jason before the clown stole him away from me. The fact that someone who was once so close to me could become what Jason was terrifies me. It also has me doubting my methods. Am I what’s right for the ones who I take on? Sure Dick is flourishing now in Bludhaven with his own identity but not before he left me. Had he stayed with me rather than leaving would he be the man he is now? Or would he be something else entirely? Would he have suffered a similar fate as Jason?
I know that Dick’s talents were refined during his time with me, but I wasn’t the one who inspired him to take up the fight in his own way. That was Clark. It always seems to be Clark that inspires good in people. All I seem to achieve is to make people afraid of their own shadows. What sort of man does that make me? I’m no Superman but I like to think that I at least manage to bring about some good in my actions. But despite holding a position on the Justice League, a team the public says is made up of ‘the world’s finest heroes’ I can’t help but think that I shouldn’t be on the team. They’re all heroes. I’m anything but. Hell I’m not even sure if I’m a good man or not.
This question has been running through my head since I learnt of all that happened to Jason. All of it being my fault. Had I taken the time to train him properly and help him overcome his issues perhaps all this could have been prevented. Perhaps if I was a better man poor Jason wouldn’t have suffered. Perhaps he’d be awake right now and helping me out on patrol.
But then again, were it not for Jason’s loss I would never have met Tim and the poor young man would have been left homeless and alone with no parents to care for him. Hell he probably would have become one of the vermin that I’m hunting right now. It just goes to show doesn’t it? That even in the worst of times, there is some good if you’re willing to look for it. As all this races through my head I hear Tim climbing up onto the rooftop. I hear him from the minute his grapple attaches to the building and I hear every single footstep he takes.
“You alright?”
“You need to work on your stealth. I heard you from the other side of the building.”
“Well I guess it’s no wonder that Jason managed to track me down to the old clock tower then eh?”
“…”
“Aw come on lighten up it’s a joke.”
“…”
“Hey.”
He puts his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.
“It’s going to be alright. He’s got Alfred looking after him, what more could a guy want?”
"To have not gone through any of this in the first place. Perhaps if I was a better man all of this could have been prevented.”
“Bruce. You mustn’t think like that.”
“But it’s true. Isn’t it? If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened! Jason wouldn’t have be tortured by the clown, Dick and Barbra wouldn’t have fallen out. You wouldn’t have those bruises, and Jason wouldn’t be in a coma….”
“You don’t know that….”
“I do Tim. That’s the problem.”
I turn to face him. He lowers his hand as I turn to him.
“Bruce, what’s brought all this on? What’s the matter?”
“It’s just something I’ve been thinking about…”
“What was it?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course why?”
“I want you to answer this question honestly. With no regard for my feelings or anything. Just tell me what you think.”
“What is it Bruce?”
“Tim. What do you think of me?”
“Sorry?”
“What do you think of me? Do you think I’m a good man?“
“Of course! You’re the best man I know? What’s brought all this on?”
“It’s just….”
“Bruce?”
“I’m not sure whether I’m actually doing any good. I mean I claim to be honoring my Father’s last wish but am I actually doing them justice? Sure I have criminals running scared in the streets just at the sight of me, but at the end of the day what difference does that make? The city doesn’t change. They just depend on some fool in a mask to make the difference for them. Perhaps…..I’m not what this city needs.”
“That’s rubbish! You’re exactly what this city needs and you know it!”
“Really? If it weren’t for me the old clock tower would still be standing, not the charred husk that it is now. The clown wouldn’t have filled five hundred and seventy one graves just to get under my skin. Harvey wouldn’t have had the accident! Jim would still be speaking to Barbra!”
“And Gotham city would have been all but destroyed if it weren’t for you. We both know the GCPD would never have caught the clown if it weren’t for you! Sionis would have launched a gang war with Cobblepot and killed hundreds if not thousands in the crossfire!”
“And what about Clark?”
“What?”
“Don’t play coy with me Tim. I know you read my report of the first time I met Clark, and how I nearly killed us all.”
“That’s not you being a bad person Bruce. That’s you being human. We all make mistakes, that’s inescapable. Even Clark and Diana mistakes! Remember when he intercepted a shuttle craft believing it to be a missile?”
“Of course not.”
“I mean the news networks played that story for weeks! You see? Even the mighty Superman makes mistakes. It’s inescapable. But it’s not about the mistakes you make. It’s about how you work to redeem them. That’s what counts.”
Blimey. Tim’s clearly spent a lot of time with Alfred lately. Those are some wise words. Hard to believe they came out of a 17 year olds mouth.
“So I know you think you’ve made a terrible mistake with how you handled Jason, that’s fine. But rather than focusing so much on the mistakes you made, I think you should look forward to the future, and to what you think needs to be done to correct the mistakes you made.”
Tim’s right. There’s nothing I can do to correct my past mistakes. It’s inescapable that I will always have to live with these mistakes. But it’s down to me to correct my mistakes, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.
I’m not sure when or if Jason will wake up from his coma. But if he does, I’ll be there for him. I’ll be there to help him through all this no matter what. I promise you that Jason.
“…”
A tear drops down from my right eye. The lenses in my cowl hide my eyes from Tim’s view but he notices the tear fall down my cheek.
“Are you alright Bruce?”
“Yes. I’m fine Tim.”
I spread my arms and hold him tight.
“Thank you, for everything.”
“No problem.”
“No really. Thank you. If it weren’t for you tracking me down when you did I wouldn’t be the man I am today. I’m a better man because of you. Because of all of you.”
“All of me?”
“You. Dick. Jason. All of you. I wouldn’t be the man I am without each of you, and I’m proud to call you all my sons.”
Tim moves his arms and places them around me.
“And I’m proud to call you my Father.”
I spot a couple of tears dripping down from underneath his mask. I hold him tighter. I feel warm on the inside. It’s touching to hear that Tim thinks of me in this way.
“Thank you.”
The moment quickly gets cut short by the sound of a burglar alarm echoing out into the street below us. Tim and I look down to see Harley robbing a doll store. Hard to believe anyone could take sympathy on the clown, but then again given the state the clown was in when Dick and I returned him to Arkham from the County Fair it’s not surprising.
“Never a dull moment eh?”
“It would seem not. Come on we’ve got work to do.”
End of Volume #2
--------------------------------------
So Volume 2 comes to a close, but I feel that I should mention something. It's common knowledge that a good friend of mine, Brandon (FILMGMR) chose to depart Flickr for his own personal reasons.
I feel I should note that in the original plan Jason was to wake up and he would begin to work towards redeeming his actions as the Red Hood. But with Brandon's departure that seems unlikely to occur. As such I thought it would be best to honour Brandon's sensational Red Hood series by choosing to somewhat end Jason's story. As I feel I stood no chance of matching up to Brandon's excellent series and it would have been a dis-service for the story to continue not under Brandon's vision.
But yeah. Hope you liked the volume. Stay tuned for Volume #3, When World's Collide.
The Dark Knight: Fallen Son #27 Epilogue
Two weeks pass by and Jason shows greater health improvements as the time passes by but he still remains deep in his coma. Alfred and I have researched all known methods to try and wake Jason up from the coma without harming him. So there is has all been to no avail. So for the moment there’s nothing else we can do besides allow time to do its work, and that’s the most painful thing about it. That no matter how much I want to, all I can do is sit back and wait for Jason to come around in his own time.
In the meantime as much as I’d love to watch over him until he’s back to full health Gotham needs me. Since I returned the clown to the asylum things seem to have picked up again, I suspect rumors spread that I may have finally snapped and given the clown what he deserved thus why they were scared to go out at night. But with Joker back in the asylum it will be common knowledge that I still don’t cross the line, and the vermin will be back out on the streets.
With most of the equipment still damaged from Jason’s actions in the cave I’m reliant on my old motorbike that I haven’t used for about six years. Fortunately Alfred being the obsessive maintenance freak that he is has kept the bike in prime condition so I’m still able to traverse Gotham, if not as fast as I would like. Fortunately, most of Tim’s vehicles were overlooked so whilst my mobility around Gotham may be limited, Tim’s is not.
He’s a good soldier. He does me proud everyday. But I thought the same of Jason before the clown stole him away from me. The fact that someone who was once so close to me could become what Jason was terrifies me. It also has me doubting my methods. Am I what’s right for the ones who I take on? Sure Dick is flourishing now in Bludhaven with his own identity but not before he left me. Had he stayed with me rather than leaving would he be the man he is now? Or would he be something else entirely? Would he have suffered a similar fate as Jason?
I know that Dick’s talents were refined during his time with me, but I wasn’t the one who inspired him to take up the fight in his own way. That was Clark. It always seems to be Clark that inspires good in people. All I seem to achieve is to make people afraid of their own shadows. What sort of man does that make me? I’m no Superman but I like to think that I at least manage to bring about some good in my actions. But despite holding a position on the Justice League, a team the public says is made up of ‘the world’s finest heroes’ I can’t help but think that I shouldn’t be on the team. They’re all heroes. I’m anything but. Hell I’m not even sure if I’m a good man or not.
This question has been running through my head since I learnt of all that happened to Jason. All of it being my fault. Had I taken the time to train him properly and help him overcome his issues perhaps all this could have been prevented. Perhaps if I was a better man poor Jason wouldn’t have suffered. Perhaps he’d be awake right now and helping me out on patrol.
But then again, were it not for Jason’s loss I would never have met Tim and the poor young man would have been left homeless and alone with no parents to care for him. Hell he probably would have become one of the vermin that I’m hunting right now. It just goes to show doesn’t it? That even in the worst of times, there is some good if you’re willing to look for it. As all this races through my head I hear Tim climbing up onto the rooftop. I hear him from the minute his grapple attaches to the building and I hear every single footstep he takes.
“You alright?”
“You need to work on your stealth. I heard you from the other side of the building.”
“Well I guess it’s no wonder that Jason managed to track me down to the old clock tower then eh?”
“…”
“Aw come on lighten up it’s a joke.”
“…”
“Hey.”
He puts his hand on my shoulder to comfort me.
“It’s going to be alright. He’s got Alfred looking after him, what more could a guy want?”
"To have not gone through any of this in the first place. Perhaps if I was a better man all of this could have been prevented.”
“Bruce. You mustn’t think like that.”
“But it’s true. Isn’t it? If it weren’t for me, none of this would have happened! Jason wouldn’t have be tortured by the clown, Dick and Barbra wouldn’t have fallen out. You wouldn’t have those bruises, and Jason wouldn’t be in a coma….”
“You don’t know that….”
“I do Tim. That’s the problem.”
I turn to face him. He lowers his hand as I turn to him.
“Bruce, what’s brought all this on? What’s the matter?”
“It’s just something I’ve been thinking about…”
“What was it?”
“Can I ask you a question?”
“Of course why?”
“I want you to answer this question honestly. With no regard for my feelings or anything. Just tell me what you think.”
“What is it Bruce?”
“Tim. What do you think of me?”
“Sorry?”
“What do you think of me? Do you think I’m a good man?“
“Of course! You’re the best man I know? What’s brought all this on?”
“It’s just….”
“Bruce?”
“I’m not sure whether I’m actually doing any good. I mean I claim to be honoring my Father’s last wish but am I actually doing them justice? Sure I have criminals running scared in the streets just at the sight of me, but at the end of the day what difference does that make? The city doesn’t change. They just depend on some fool in a mask to make the difference for them. Perhaps…..I’m not what this city needs.”
“That’s rubbish! You’re exactly what this city needs and you know it!”
“Really? If it weren’t for me the old clock tower would still be standing, not the charred husk that it is now. The clown wouldn’t have filled five hundred and seventy one graves just to get under my skin. Harvey wouldn’t have had the accident! Jim would still be speaking to Barbra!”
“And Gotham city would have been all but destroyed if it weren’t for you. We both know the GCPD would never have caught the clown if it weren’t for you! Sionis would have launched a gang war with Cobblepot and killed hundreds if not thousands in the crossfire!”
“And what about Clark?”
“What?”
“Don’t play coy with me Tim. I know you read my report of the first time I met Clark, and how I nearly killed us all.”
“That’s not you being a bad person Bruce. That’s you being human. We all make mistakes, that’s inescapable. Even Clark and Diana mistakes! Remember when he intercepted a shuttle craft believing it to be a missile?”
“Of course not.”
“I mean the news networks played that story for weeks! You see? Even the mighty Superman makes mistakes. It’s inescapable. But it’s not about the mistakes you make. It’s about how you work to redeem them. That’s what counts.”
Blimey. Tim’s clearly spent a lot of time with Alfred lately. Those are some wise words. Hard to believe they came out of a 17 year olds mouth.
“So I know you think you’ve made a terrible mistake with how you handled Jason, that’s fine. But rather than focusing so much on the mistakes you made, I think you should look forward to the future, and to what you think needs to be done to correct the mistakes you made.”
Tim’s right. There’s nothing I can do to correct my past mistakes. It’s inescapable that I will always have to live with these mistakes. But it’s down to me to correct my mistakes, and that’s exactly what I plan to do.
I’m not sure when or if Jason will wake up from his coma. But if he does, I’ll be there for him. I’ll be there to help him through all this no matter what. I promise you that Jason.
“…”
A tear drops down from my right eye. The lenses in my cowl hide my eyes from Tim’s view but he notices the tear fall down my cheek.
“Are you alright Bruce?”
“Yes. I’m fine Tim.”
I spread my arms and hold him tight.
“Thank you, for everything.”
“No problem.”
“No really. Thank you. If it weren’t for you tracking me down when you did I wouldn’t be the man I am today. I’m a better man because of you. Because of all of you.”
“All of me?”
“You. Dick. Jason. All of you. I wouldn’t be the man I am without each of you, and I’m proud to call you all my sons.”
Tim moves his arms and places them around me.
“And I’m proud to call you my Father.”
I spot a couple of tears dripping down from underneath his mask. I hold him tighter. I feel warm on the inside. It’s touching to hear that Tim thinks of me in this way.
“Thank you.”
The moment quickly gets cut short by the sound of a burglar alarm echoing out into the street below us. Tim and I look down to see Harley robbing a doll store. Hard to believe anyone could take sympathy on the clown, but then again given the state the clown was in when Dick and I returned him to Arkham from the County Fair it’s not surprising.
“Never a dull moment eh?”
“It would seem not. Come on we’ve got work to do.”
End of Volume #2
--------------------------------------
So Volume 2 comes to a close, but I feel that I should mention something. It's common knowledge that a good friend of mine, Brandon (FILMGMR) chose to depart Flickr for his own personal reasons.
I feel I should note that in the original plan Jason was to wake up and he would begin to work towards redeeming his actions as the Red Hood. But with Brandon's departure that seems unlikely to occur. As such I thought it would be best to honour Brandon's sensational Red Hood series by choosing to somewhat end Jason's story. As I feel I stood no chance of matching up to Brandon's excellent series and it would have been a dis-service for the story to continue not under Brandon's vision.
But yeah. Hope you liked the volume. Stay tuned for Volume #3, When World's Collide.