Words: 55k+
Link: https://m.fanfiction.net/s/13715318/1/
( In my short existence, I was life's punching bag, turns out even death couldn't change that, being dropped off in a hellish but familiar universe, but at the very least, I'm surrounded by good people, absolutely bonkers but good people nonetheless, oh wait a minute, Jason… nevermind. )
Chapter 1: Baby Bat and The Freak
Pain, a pain like nothing I've ever felt, worse than the time I fell down a metal staircase and shattered my knee cap, worse than the time I got run over by a smart car of all things, worse than the time I almost drowned.
If I believed in any gods, I'm pretty sure the bastards had a plan for me, which was for me to suffer before they pulled the plug. Whelp looks like they got they're wish this time round because after a brief interlude of blackness and peace, I suddenly felt like my now non-existent chest was caved in.
Every joint felt like they're being welded together. My organs feel like they're being slammed with a jackhammer.
Fucking pain was all I knew.
When the pain subsided, I could feel a liquid of sorts surrounding me. Hey, I have a body again.
"Is it ready?" A calm voice with an unmistakable air of authority hit my ears.
"He's alive." This one was a woman, soft but a hint of a guard behind her words.
"Do not associate it with human terms, it is a thing, a weapon." Are they talking about me? Did he refer to me as a thing?
Go fuck yourself, Voice-In-The-Bleak-Darkness.
"Of course, father."
"Nyssa, do not fail me like your sister." The man warned.
Nyssa?
"Fail?" She sounded confused.
"I did not give you a warning because of my lack of faith in you, I warned you simply because while your sister's, let's call him a project, has yielded fine results. Yet her attachment to the detective and now proxy to the boy, has made Damien weak and unfit for his role."
"You worry that I will care for it." She stated with a slight scoff, "Worry not father, it is nought but a weapon for our use. Its birth has one purpose. Death, and death alone."
"Very well. Awaken it." If I thought the pain before was bad, it didn't have shit compared to the sudden liquefied fire running through my veins.
When I tried to open my mouth to scream, a fluid of some sort seeped into my mouth, drowning me, though in the sheer agony I managed to find the strength to open my eyes and see my surroundings beyond the tank it seemed like I was being 'birthed' in.
A woman in her early thirties and quite the looker, and an aged man with salt and pepper coloured hair stared at me with interest as I struggled and flailed around in pain.
When I noticed the liquid slowly lower, I craned my head to the top of the tank sucking in all the air I could take. A slow whirring sound filled the tank I'm in, and the thick needles lodged in various parts of my body retreated into the casing of the tank. Without further prompting, I dropped to the ground, my naked form grazing against the cold and rough ground.
I upchucked the fluid, and after a few minutes my body was done coughing up my lungs, I wiped away the liquid that trailed down my chin only to notice a thin scar lines all across my hands as if someone had cut into my flesh and replaced and bone in my forearm. My eyes and hands roamed all across my bare form, finding the similar thin lines running all across my body.
"Subject Two." The man said as he strode towards me, "Subject Two." There was a slight growl to his voice, and I'm sure this time round he was talking to me.
I gazed up at the man, and he scowled when I couldn't find any words.
The man turned to his daughter, "Can this one not speak?"
She scowled in return as she gazed into my eyes, "It should be able to. The G-Gnomes from what I can see have been running as designated while Subject Two was in the tank."
The man let out an irritable sound, "I do not like the use of those cretins."
"Be that as it may, father, the cretins as you call them have proven to be a great boon as we are not required to work with a blank slate like sister was forced to."
The man gave her a nod, before turning back to me, striking me in the jaw and knocking me on my arse, "You are Subject Two, and you will respond when I address you, failure to comply will lead to your termination."
He didn't ask if he was clear, but it went without say-so.
I rubbed my jaw and clenched my teeth, "Yes," I cleared my throat and my voice despite the madness of all of this, was still the same, "Yes sir."
"Better." He whirled around and faced towards his daughter, "Acess it, dress it, and then push it to its limits." He commanded.
"Yes, father." He grunted in acknowledgement and stalked out of the horror-like looking lab, as he walked through the threshold of the lab two beings dressed liked ninjas of all things dropped down to the ground and trailed after the man.
"Subject Two." The woman said with indifference as she motioned for me to sit on a lab table, I felt compelled to run the hell out of here, but a more rational part of me knows that I'll probably be cut down well before I'll see the sun again.
The cold metal of the table sent a shiver down my spine as I steeled my nerves, "Who… where am I? What am I?"
She huffed as she placed a towel of sorts on my lap, covering my lower half.
"You are Subject Two. You don't need to know. And you are a weapon made for the sole purpose of the Demons Head." She listed off as she kept her eyes on the tablet in her hands.
"The Demons Head?" Am I thinking of the same Demons Head, as in Ra's al Ghul, One of Batman notorious villains… well shit.
"You are an amalgamation of science and magic. Your predecessor, Subject One was originally made to be the perfect successor for my father, however," She grunted in disgust, "It was mad, like a rabid dog, but it did provide two things, a blueprint and spare parts."
"Spare parts?"
I had to force back bile at the thought of me being made up from parts, like Frankenstein's Monster.
She didn't look up from the datapad as she rapped her fingers the screen, "The mind is a beautiful but complex structure, while we were able to grow your body and other organs in the lab, your mind and heart were salvaged from deceased we had access to."
'…Rabid…Dog…' A low, quiet wail sang in my mind… What the fuck was that?
I closed my eyes and took a calming breath, but the brief action didn't escape her notice, she sent a question slash demanding look my way.
"It is a lot to take in," I said with a guarded voice.
Her eyes searched mine before she gave me a small nod, "The G-Gnomes pumped you with a lot of information."
"Information?"
She rolled her eyes, "Do you believe that we would want an ineffectual weapon? No, we already have one in the making. You are made for the purpose of striking down grim foes, foes that require intelligence to overcome."
"Give a beast a knife and be prepared to be stabbed in the back." Another voice announced herself with cool indifference.
"Sister." Nyssa greeted the woman with a quiet nod and a stilted tone.
"He is a mistake." The woman I'm pretty sure is Talia gave me a blank stare, as a boy around the age of eight watched me with curiosity.
"Subject One was crazed, all you have done know is give this one intelligence, enough so that it can use its skills and abilities to betray us."
Nyssa glared at her sister, "Stop." She commanded with a low tone, "You're trying to plant thoughts in its mind. Why? Are you frightened that your progeny will be a failure compared to mine?"
The boy, Damien, scowled at his aunt.
"He's your progeny now?" Talia scoff with a pleased smile on gracing her lips.
Nyssa tutted, "He…" She cleared her throat, "It is not my offspring but my legacy."
"This will not end well, I can guarantee you this, Nyssa."
Nyssa's eyes flittered to Damien, "Nor for you, Talia."
"The regeneration augmentation has taken effect," Nyssa said out loud as she inspected the wound to my gut as she pulled back her blade.
While the wound slowly healed over the course of an hour, the pain was all too real and unbearable, "Neat." Clicking my teeth got a withering glare sent my way.
She clicked her teeth in displeasure also, and for a moment she stared at me as she caught on to how it sounded close to my own.
"Should you be the only one testing me?" She was the only face I've seen this past week. Since I woke up here other than her sister, father and nephew and that was for a brief moment.
As per usual whenever I have a question for her this past week, she would make a noise of annoyance, but nonetheless, she would give me an answer.
"You are my project. Thus my responsibility." I had a feeling that while she headed up my creation she wasn't the only person involved. Though I'm sure whatever poor foolish scientist the League kidnapped to create this body, has already met their untimely demise.
From what I gathered, she's more of a mystic than a scientist, not that she's not capable of being the later, but magic is more her forte. Begs back to question why isn't there a suitable scientist assessing me, or it would be a question if it weren't for the fucking psychotic voice in my head, that of Subject One.
She and the ninjas hidden from view are here to put me down when I show the slightest signs of madness.
When Nyssa and her 'team' recycled Subject One's mind, altering it and placing it in this body, they or the G-Gnomes didn't quite get rid of the psychotic essence of my predecessor.
He's a raging whisper in my mind, screaming and thrashing to be released.
I shudder to think what his release will mean for me. While I feel bad for poor Subject One who didn't know anything but pain in his brief existences, it sure as hell doesn't mean I want to pass the reins over to him, while I die.
If I'm going to live in this already cursed existences, then I'll guess I'll put up with a voice egging me to murder everyone in sight.
"If perfection is a thing, your body would be the closest thing to it." She said in an even tone, "For now at least, in terms of when you age into your prime, I cannot say for those results." I don't know what benefits the League would gain from a seventeen-year-old weapon but let's not take a saw to branch I'm sitting on, that was the age when I died in my last life, something I had already learnt that I could get over quick and easy while I was lingering that void, whatever that was.
"You're reflex and reaction times are at a reasonable rate for now, but I would like to now test your abilities." She grinned, showing the first shred of emotion other than annoyance since I've known her.
"Abilities?" I tried to hide my almost giddiness, if I'm to be stuck in this crapfest of a universe, I might as well have some powers.
"In the age of meta's and aliens, the League of Assassin's needs an edge, or at the very least I believe so, father, on the other hand, believes differently but you'll prove him wrong." Her eyes lit up at the word wrong. Seems like she's got a lot riding on me, a great deal to prove to her old man, or maybe she wants to spite him, seems more reasonable considering Ra's is a giant fucking dick.
"Come, Subject Two." Nyssa motioned for me to follow her. As we walked through the halls of wherever we are, I did what I've been doing all week whenever I could spare a moment, formulating a plan to escape.
While the week here has both proven useful and hellish, both Ra's and Nyssa failed to gain my obedience, or they've probably haven't realised they don't have it. Given they probably expected it from the get-go, I have no fucking desire to be a pawn for either of them.
The G-Gnomes lessons in mind have a very subtle brainwashing vibe to it, thankfully though all the bits of intelligence downloaded to my mind is in a sort of backlog, that I can use and disregard with ease as if I can open and close it like a book.
If only I could disregard Subject One like I could with the G-Gnomes information.
'Hit the back of her knee, grab her knife, and flay her face off.'
'Pass.'
As we walked into the training grounds, I spotted a kneeling Damian with the tip of a blade resting under his chin, "…you live only because I allow it." Ra's said with an angry snarl on his lips.
Damian's gaze bore a hole at his grandfather with open defiance clear on his face.
Ra's twitched at the lack of respect, "He's a failure," Ra's muttered, and Talia shuffled in her place as if she was fighting the urge to interfere.
The man sent a cautionary glance at his daughter before raising his blade up in the air, Damian to his credit didn't flinch or even close his eyes as the man was about to execute him. So he got a clear view of me being a dumb-shit, rushing forward and cold clocking Ra's in the face, causing the man to stumble back from the sucker punch.
The man got his bearings and sent me a murderous glare.
"Subject Two,"
"He's not a failure," I growled with a fury in me that I didn't know existed, Subject One was roaring in my mind.
Ra's anger did not subside even as he held the blade lax at his side, "Explain." He said with a motion as if he was trying to lull me to a sense of safety, I know that didn't exist for me now, I pretty much signed my death warrant.
"You're training Damian to be your heir, but you expect him to be a docile mutt. Is that not what you expected from your daughters," I felt two furious stares being sent my way, but I ignored them, "and in your eyes, they are not fit to take your place?"
He stared at me for the longest time, before letting out a sigh, "The brainwashing didn't take effect." He stated.
"No." I replied despite the dread filling me, "I survived a week, far longer than my predecessor."
He gave me a nod of acknowledgement and a queer smile, "Nyssa?" He said softly.
"Decapitation to kill him." She said with an almost sombre voice as she referred me as a person this time round.
Ra's swung his sword back, and I closed my eyes, as I waited for the end to come, I wondered if I would once again be reborn or whatever this bullocks is, though I opened my eyes when I heard the sounds of metal clashing with metal, "God-damned fool, move!" Damian roared as he dropped his clash with the Demon's Head, before letting a smoke bomb drop to the ground.
Before I could inhale the putrid smoke, I felt a small hand grip my sleeve in a rush, dragging me out of the room.
"Focus, fool." Damian growled, "I need you to fight, can you do that?" He questioned as he ran in front of me, leading us aimlessly.
"Yes," I said before over pacing him, "but follow me, I have an escape plan mapped out already."
He gave me a sidelong glance, but he didn't say anything, or he didn't get a chance to, as Nyssa came flying towards me with a kick.
Accessing the different fighting styles and instincts the G-Gnomes were kind enough to give me, my body acted, and I turned around catching her leg, before spinning around and throwing her back, hitting Talia who was also on our tail.
"The armoury!" I exclaimed with a little joy in my voice, if we can get in there we could grab a supply pack and get the hell out of dodge.
"That's your plan?" Damian growled, "You fool, they'll just corner us in there."
I barged Damian in and slammed my hand against the control panel, before pulling out the command prompt, of the tablet-like device. Bless the little freaks and the catalogue of knowledge they gifted me.
I breezed through my mind and deadlock sealed the hefty steel door closing behind us. I turned around and grinned at Damian only to be met with a blank gaze screaming 'are you stupid?'
"What?"
"You do realise they'll just get to the control centre and override the lockdown for everywhere but here."
I said the only thing I could possibly say, "Fuck."
"Thankfully I'm with you, follow me." He said in a smug voice as he grabbed two survival knapsacks, throwing me one, before walking over to the side of the room.
"Break this." He gestured to a vent grill. Before I could question the logistics of a league of assassin's leaving such an easy opening for the base, "The base is old, and while they have been improving and building on the base, they had left the armoury untouched for the most part."
"Seems like an oversight."
"Don't look a gift horse in the mouth."
We shuffled into the vent, and I was forced to curb my claustrophobia, 'It's either this or die by assassin's prodding me with blades.'
'Or we could prod them with their blades.'
'Not helping, One.'
'Not trying to help, Two.'
"The garage is this way," Damian said bringing me out of my brief convo with One.
"No, bad idea. I can guarantee that all the vehicles have GPS on them, they'll be on our tail the moment we turn the engine on."
"Of course they'll be, I am not a fool." Damian snarled.
I gave him a steady look as I tried to decipher why would he suggest the garage then, only to let out a quiet chuckle, "You want to sabotage the rides."
He gives me a nod, "We can evade them on foot, I was trained for it, and you're a freak, we'll be fine, but the less edge they have over us, the better." I just going to ignore the freak comment, this kid isn't the slightest bit frazzled or out of his depth about anyone of this.
"You had an escape in the works, didn't you?"
"I have been told stories of my father. He is a man who prepares for all outcomes." He said as if he knew that the possible outcome of him being on the run was on the table, but from what I can remember in the brief summary I read on his wiki, there was never a scenario of where Damian ran from the League.
The only difference from my brief time here that I can see is me. Just how much have I already thrown off course?
Damian motioned for me to stay put as he dropped down into the garage, he was quick to act as he grabbed a canister from a locker and poured it over the off-road bikes and jeeps, before grabbing a blowtorch ignitor and using the sparks to lit the pool of diesel. I hooked my legs to a pipe running through the vent and leaned out of the hole with my hands dangling out. Damian used a flaming jeep as a springboard and caught my arms.
As I hoisted us back into the vent, I couldn't help but marvel at how flexible and strong I am here, just that action alone would've have knocked the breath out of me and taken minutes of struggling.
"Let's jet."
"Oh, thank you. Otherwise, I would have stayed here and wait to be captured without your suggestion." Damian sniped with a sarcastic drawl.
"Bite me pipsqueak." He glared at me with almost glowing furious eyes, grumbling all the way as we continued to crawl our way to freedom. Thankfully we didn't have to wait for long as I felt the sensation of cold fresh air hitting me.
It's funny that I missed a sensation of fresh air when these lungs have never been acquainted with it.
We dropped down to the ground, me tanking the fall and not feeling the pain thanks to my reinforced bones, cheers Nyssa. Damian rolled just before he touched the ground.
I looked around, taking in the surroundings and hoping that I could figure out where the hell we are, only to be met with a nondescript forest.
As bad as our situation is, there is one silver lining; the lockdown must have sealed in a lot more of the assassin's then I expected or they waiting for the right time to strike, or maybe the universe is giving me a fucking break… Nah we're about to be killed by ninjas, the universe just hates me.
"Let's go," Damian said as he pulled out scaling equipment from his knapsack, I copied his actions, and we scaled the trees. Only after an hour of swinging and tree running did Damian speak up, "What's the plan?"
I shrugged my shoulders at the fact we only really have one option, one place where the League would back off to an extent, "We head to Gotham."
Damian nodded with a slight quirk of his lips, "We find my father."
A/N - Edited - 2023/07/29
Just slowly going through and correcting my mistake, be it spelling or grammar, while also fixing up some of the dialogue to hopefully make the story flow a bit better.