Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Friday 17th April 2009, 23:30.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

East End.

The run-down apartment room of one Esau Jacobson was silent.

Neither of the two inhabitants saying anything, both stood at opposite sides of the room as they stared at one another in awkward silence.

After the beating, they had endured, neither Esau nor Barbara had been able to go anywhere in a rush, but it was the adrenaline coursing through their bodies and the very real possibility of a lowlife coming across them in their vulnerable states that forced them to move. It was slow, neither of them possessing the ability to move with any form of speed and avoiding the active and bustling nightlife of Gotham City was by no means an easy feat to do in their state.

Now they sat quietly, Esau upon the sofa and Barbara sat upon the sink, both nursing their healing bodies as best as they could and dressed in their respective costumes, masks pulled down. Yet the atmosphere was tense, neither individual speaking and on a few times, went to say something, but no words came to them at the moment. They knew what they wanted to say and what they wanted to ask, but they always lost their nerve and couldn't put their thoughts into words.

Sighing, Esau pulled away the makeshift ice pack which consisted of cubes of ice wrapped in a towel and looked at the splotches of blood splattered across the previously white cloth. Luckily, the bleeding had stopped some time ago and all that remained was a dull ache, but his nose was definitely broken.

Gently placing the ice pack on his nose he hissed as his nose flared up with pain at the contact. "How is it?" Barbara eventually asked, breaking the tense and awkward silence that had permeated the room.

"Sore," Esau replied, his gaze wandering to where Barbara had her own makeshift ice pack placed against her ribs. "What about you?"

Barbara looked at her ribs and shrugged, wincing slightly at the sudden movement. "Sore." She repeated making a small smile appear on Esau's lips before he wiped it away, remembering just who was in his room and the secret that his childhood friend had kept from him for years.

Once again silence descended between the two, neither knowing what to say or how to say it.

Eventually, like all things, something would have to give.

"So, you're Batgirl?" Esau asked rhetorically, his tone laced with hints of anger that Barbara picked up on. "What's that like?"

Barbara was quiet for a few moments, her eyes taking note of his tensed shoulders and slightly narrowed eyes, the telltale signs of Esau being angry. "Probably no different to what it's like for you being Black Hood, besides a few differences."

"Differences? Like not killing people? I wonder what that must feel like." He replied bitterly.

Esau had never and still did not like the act of killing and the way it made him feel, he hated himself every time he committed it, but he did it anyway. He knew that those that were dead couldn't threaten innocent lives again and more specifically, kept James and Barbara safe.

"Bet you feel so good about yourself. Especially when those you arrest escape from prison a few months later and repeat the same action all over again."

Barbara narrowed her eyes, her own anger rising.

"Oh, and that makes killing alright, does it?" Barbara laughed sardonically. "I don't kill because I don't want to be as bad as the criminals I fight against. It's because of your situation that I became Batgirl, do you know that?" By Esau's silence, he did not know that. "I became Batgirl because I was frustrated at how helpless I was whenever I would find you covered in cuts and bruises from your fights. I became Batgirl because I was sick and tired of how corrupt my city was. But most of all, I became Batgirl because I wanted to protect you."

"I didn't ask you to do that," Esau replied shortly and Barbara flinched slightly. "I didn't ask you to risk your life every night for me, all I've ever done is try to keep you away from the darker side of Gotham and so has Jim because it's a dangerous place. As far as I was aware, you couldn't protect yourself so I did everything I could to keep you away from the truth of how corrupted Gotham is. Just like you became Batgirl for me, I became Black Hood for you."

"And just like you didn't ask me to become Batgirl for you, I didn't ask you to become Black Hood! To become a murderer!" She exclaimed.

Esau laughed. "Yeah, you're right. We both did what the other didn't, what a pair we make." He muttered angrily. "But I don't like killing, I hate it. Every night I see those I kill, every scumbag that lies in a hole in the ground because I put them there, haunts me at night."

Barbara remained silent, not sure how to respond.

"I kept it from you because of what you said about Black Hood when he first started making his appearance. Perhaps I would have told you if you hadn't been so against him, but I guess we'll never know." He stated angrily, both at himself, Barbara and the situation they were in.

"Yeah, I guess we'll never know," Barbara replied quietly, still trying to swallow what he had told her.

Barbara knew that Esau was torn up by his actions, he was always expressive and emotive and it was plain as day on his face. He hated killing and it was tearing him apart, but despite the situation, Barbara felt relief fill her. It showed to her that despite everything going on and everything he was doing, the Esau she knew was still there deep down.

Even then, she could see the look in his glassy eyes, he felt no sympathy for those he killed.

But he was still haunted by their deaths at his hands all the same.

"This is who I am now, Barbara." He said, his eyes looking down at the coffee table. "It's who I always have been, I've constantly been hiding behind a mask, being Black Hood gave me a reason to stop hiding."

She couldn't help but think back to the words Bruce told her when she first started learning how to fight crime.

The common misconception is that killing changes people. That may be true, but in my experience, it doesn't change them. It only reveals who they really are.

Barbara knew that killing was wrong, it was something she had always known, but also something Batman and her father, James had taught her. However, if Batman's words were true, it was worrying to her that a good guy like Esau could still be driven to the point where in their eyes, killing was the only option.

But it gave her hope that she could change him and put him on the right path.

"When I was with you," Esau looked up at her. "I never had to hide. When I was with you, that was the only time things could be real. When things were real, I never had to hide with you."

Barbara had so many questions and so many answers she needed, but she had no idea where to even begin. However, she didn't know what to say or how to say it and as she always did when in situations like these, Barbara remained quiet.

Hearing a beeping coming from her mask, Barbara pulled it up over her head and accepted the incoming call, Esau watching her closely. "Robin, what'd you need?" To Esau, there were no discernible words besides hushed gibberish from whoever Barbara was talking to. "What?! What do you mean he was taken?!"

'Who was taken?' Esau asked internally, already knowing that Barbara probably wouldn't answer the question even if he asked. 'Just another secret.' He was honestly starting to question how well he knew his friend and if there was more that she was keeping secret that he didn't know.

"I...yeah, I'll be there as quickly as I can." She responded and then looked at Esau. "I'll bring some backup as well. Don't worry, I trust him. Yeah, we'll be there as quickly as possible."

Cutting off the call, Esau waited patiently as Barbara collected herself.

"That was Robin." She said and Esau remained silent in order to let her finish. "Batman has disappeared."

Now, Esau had expected a lot of things when Barbara finished on that call, to learn that Batman had disappeared was not one of them. He had after all handily defeated him, Esau having been unable to break through Batman's guard let alone prove to be any sort of real challenge. That first punch he had managed to land was more luck than actual skill, an unorthodox and unpredictable action that had managed to distract Batman enough for Esau to land one blow that had done nothing. Not that Esau had expected anything less, Batman took on guys like Killer Croc and other superpower individuals, he hadn't really expected to hurt him.

Even then, by the way, in which Barbara was openly worried, Batman disappearing was not something he did, or at least not like this.

Batman disappeared in this way and judging by the worry in Batgirl's voice it meant that he had come face-to-face with someone extremely powerful and dangerous that had been able to beat him. Considering what had happened earlier tonight, Esau was putting his money on Talon or whoever the guy really was for being the one responsible for this action.

Talon had taken on both him and Barbara with ease, playing with them in order to test Esau and once he was done, had broken them easily. As much as the thought terrified him, that Talon could take on Batman, it certainly wasn't something Esau was going to pretend wasn't a possibility.

Especially not after tonight's showing.

So, despite still being sore, both Esau and Barbara pulled up their masks and headed out, Barbara herself calling the Batwing to take both of them to Batman's last known location.

-X-

Friday 17th April 2009, 23:45.

New Jersey,

Gotham City,

Gotham Highway.

When Batgirl had said she was bringing backup, Robin had at first been confused.

Batman going missing was definitely a cause for concern, especially in a crisis like they were going through right now, but it shouldn't be enough to require backup. The fact that she even trusted this person was also something that confused him, Robin was very aware that the only people in Gotham that Batgirl actually trusted both Barbara Gordon and Batgirl were a small number.

Only two of those individuals were aware of Barbara being Batgirl.

That was him and Bruce.

When he had arrived at the scene of Bruce's last known location on Gotham Highway from Alfred, he had called Barbara straight away. The sight that greeted him definitely caused concern, Bruce's black Lamborghini had been a wreck, there were even flames still burning.

Luckily, they were the first on the scene, it would certainly make things more difficult to investigate if they had to work around police and the fire department. Not that they didn't always do so, it was just this was Bruce Wayne, while he was a big name that would certainly warrant the attention of the police considering who he was, it certainly wouldn't warrant the attention of Robin and Batgirl combined.

So, after calling Batgirl as soon as he arrived, Robin went about investigating what he could see.

The Lamborghini was a mess, repairable? Yes, but it would be costly, not that it would be a problem for Bruce.

Still, from the tyre tracks and considering how the flames were still burning, it had happened recently, probably within the last hour or so. That meant Bruce had been attacked on his way back from the charity ball he had been attending.

So, that beggared the question as to why and by who?

This hadn't been an attack against Batman, this had been an attack against Bruce Wayne.

Either one of Gotham's many crime lords and criminal organisations had used the chaos caused by them and the police to take Bruce Wayne for ransom. Or, this could be related to the Fearless Toxin and the theory that someone or an organisation was controlling things from the shadows was behind this.

A theory that was becoming more and more likely with each passing day.

Hearing the Batwing approach, the wind picking up as it slowly lowered onto the highway caused Robin to raise one hand in front of his face. As the hatch opened, out stepped two figures, one being Batgirl as he had expected, it was the second figure that both shocked and annoyed Robin. He had honestly not expected the 'backup' to be the vigilante that had been making waves in Gotham.

"Really?" He questioned incredulously as Batgirl and Black Hood walked towards him. "Him? Of all people, him! Since when have you started to trust him?"

"Not now, Robin," Batgirl answered, her voice tired as she came to a stop in front of the young hero, Black Hood also coming to a stop beside her, his eyes looking over the wreckage with curiosity.

"I didn't know Batman was the type to drive around in a Lamborghini." He said, mirth clearly heard in his tone despite the serious situation which earned a glare from Robin and an exasperated look from Batgirl. "So I'm guessing this isn't about Batman and has more to do with who's under the mask?"

The silence he got in return was all the answer he needed and Black Hood snorted in amusement.

"What a joke." He shook his head in wonder.

Robin took exception to this. "If it's such a joke to you, then why are you here." Despite his voice never raising in volume, his tone was harsh and Black Hood just ignored him. "Seriously, this guy!" Robin once again rounded on Batgirl who just sighed.

"Can we just leave it for now and focus on the task at hand?" She asked and Black Hood shrugged, while Robin took a few moments before releasing a deep breath to calm himself. The night had been long and tiring with each lead he followed being a dead end, this whole mess was just the icing on the mess they called a cake. "What have you figured out so far?"

"So far, I've figured out that he was attacked on his way back from the charity ball. Two SUVs by the shape of the tyre tracks. Came up beside him and drove him off the road, stopped, dragged his unconscious body out and drove off." Robin listed off quickly and in short order. "Make of that what you will."

Batgirl nodded her head, her mind coming to the same conclusions as Robin had earlier.

"So, how did you know he had gone missing?" Black Hood asked making both heroes turn to look at him. "I mean, there's a lot of car crashes that happen in Gotham for one reason or another, so how did you know it was him and get here so quickly? You must have some sort of way to track him to know that he had gone missing so quickly. So why don't you use that." He pointed out.

"Oh, geez, why didn't I think of that earlier," Robin replied sarcastically making Black Hood glare at the younger boy, Batgirl once again asking herself mentally why she thought it would be a good idea to bring Esau along when she knew that Robin disliked him.

'Oh, I know, you wanted to prove yourself to him.' She thought in annoyance at how she had wanted desperately to prove that he could trust her.

She had kept this secret of who she really was for so long that now that it was out, Barbara wanted to prove to Esau that he could still trust her despite this secret. As a result, she had probably made this more difficult due to forgetting just how much Robin disliked Black Hood, and that he had no connection to Esau in any way.

Besides being antagonistic to each other practically every time they met.

Whereas Batman wanted to help Black Hood and felt some measure of kinship with Esau due to them both having lost their children at a young age, Robin didn't. He didn't know Esau like Barbara or Batman, the latter due to his detailed search of his background.

Now, with Batman gone it would be up to her to keep the peace between both Esau and Robin. 'Oh, what joy.' She sarcastically thought, then she felt the beeping on her wrist and looked down to see that she had a message, by the fact that Robin had stopped arguing with Esau, he had no doubt received one as well.

Pulling up her holographic computer, Barbara read the message carefully.

Return to the Cave.

It was straight to the point and an order, which meant it was from Batman despite it being from an anonymous source.

Sparing a look to Robin, the two shared a look that said more than words ever could. "You get to explain it to Batman." Was all Robin said before hopping onto his motorcycle, smaller and more compact to fit with his size and greatly upgraded to suit all of Robin's needs when it came to life as a crime fighter.

Batgirl then turned to Black Hood. "Ready to go see Batman?" She asked and despite a moment of hesitation, he eventually released a sigh.

"Nope, but what the hell, I've got nothing better to do." And so, Esau followed Barbara into the Batwing once more.