Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Chapter one: Pilot, part one

God fucking damn it, Jason hasn't felt this hungry since he was homeless. He lost weight that year, a lot of weight. He used to be 225 pounds, but now he's like what? 175? Oh yeah, 170. fifty-five pounds. He's lost 55 pounds that year. Keep in mind, that he's very tall. Half an inch taller than Bruce. Jason couldn't afford to eat a lot to stay in shape. Not Everyone had billions in the bank and a butler whose cooking would impress Gordon Ramsay.

Thanks a lot, Batdad. Jason thought. Jason couldn't afford to do any big jobs that would pay him over 10 grand, or kill any well-known people. If he did, Bruce would track him down. Again. And then they would fight, Jason would get his ass kicked, and probably have a rooftop chase with them if he's feeling dramatic. He was malnourished and tired, his tech was busted, he was running low on ammo most of the time and most importantly- he was broke.

All because he murdered that clown, the clown who tortured him for a year in that abandoned wing of Arkham and then blew him up. All because Jason didn't want that pathetic pile of death-worshipping garbage to hurt anyone else like he hurt Jason. Of course, Bruce would get mad. After all, who would Batman be without the Joker? Who would Batman be without his arch-nemesis? Who would Batman be without-

Right, back on the track. The problem when it came to money was that nobody wanted to hire Jason. No, no one wanted to hire the Red Hood. The vigilantes couldn't blame them. What dumbass did you have to be to hire him? It's like inviting Batman to beat you up and take you to the GCPD, or worse- throw you in Arkham with the mentally unstable villains he locks up. Where the weak will get run over, tortured.....raped....... And God forbid that you get stuck..with...with him...and her.

Jason took a deep breath. He managed to kill one of them, the Joker but...sometimes he was scared that one day Harley Quinn barge in while he was defenseless. He had nightmares about it, He couldn't sleep well most of the time. Don't even think about those memories, you've got a job to do. A job. A Job that would pay him 9 grand. Having a job was a rare thing, let alone one that would pay him so well. His last job was 4 months ago, and Jason completed it perfectly.

Only one problem, the deal was 9 grand. The previous Buyer changed the deal to 4.5 grand once he figured out Jason was barely 14. So what did Jason do? He killed the buyer and took the 4.5 grand. Jason also stole his credit card, and he managed to drain another thousand dollars from the bank. Now? Jason barely had a dollar left. 75% of the money was to reload on ammunition, to maintain his weapons. Another 15% was to have a place to crash, mostly one-star hotels. It wasn't safe to go to his old safehouses, Bruce knew where every single one of them was.

Now, the job Jason is doing has one rule:

Do not kill anyone.

That's it, that's the only thing the buyer messaged him. It was an anonymous number. Jason did his best but he couldn't trace it. Figures. Must be some rich boy with a lot of hackers on his hands wanting to become a higher-up or a crimelord but is scared of killing.

What if.......it was Bruce? A trap? To lock him up in Arkham? Bruce is clever, he would use anything to his advantage, even if it meant playing dirty. No killing? That's something Bruce would say. But on the other hand: If it was Bruce, wouldn't he just trace Jason and bust into his current safe house? Safehouse? Pfft, More like a crappy room at a one-star hotel.

But Jason had to take the risk. He needed the money. He wouldn't last long if he rejected it and played safe. High risk, high gain, just how he liked it. Playing safe was never Jason's thing, even when he was Robin. Being a reckless Robin was practically a job requirement.

So he went to the coordinates the buyer sent him. A warehouse just outside North Carolina. Jason just hoped he wasn't killing Mr.Beast. Lots of exits and windows. There are some floor vents as well. Excellent. The experienced vigilante thought before sneaking out of the vents. He used a Judo leg sweep to get one of the goons off balance and then used a rear naked choke to knock them out.

He had gotten rusty and almost got seen by other goons. He hasn't done a silent takedown like this ever since he came back as the Red Hood, he just snapped their necks and called it a day. But he remembered what the buyer said- no killing or the deal is off.

The idiots are lucky I'm getting paid not to kill them...I can just pistol-whip them

So he started taking them out, one by one. He used one of his trusty TTI Pit vipers to knock the goons out. Though he stopped doing it after the third goon, didn't wanna damage the handgun. People have no idea how hard it is to get your hands on ONE TTI Pit viper, let alone two.

He had really good connections, yet, it was a challenge to get himself a pair of those.

Jason finished checking out the last guy until:

"What the fuck are- IT'S THE RED HOOD! IT'S HIM!" A goon screamed and as he aimed his Glock the vigilante

Fuck...

Jason stood up and put his hands in the air. "Alright, you caught me."

"Don't fucking move!" The goon exclaimed as he saw the former crimelord turn around to face him.

"I won't just, just let's talk-" Heh, what an idiot. Jason's shin connected to the guy's thigh, making the goon kneel on the ground in pain only for the Red Hood's knee to connect with his forehead.

Jason snorted beneath his helmet. Most street thugs and goons couldn't tank a low kick, they're all just about haymakers, biting, and eye gouging. No technique or skill whatsoever. They would fall after one low kick that was not even at full power.

"Mike, noooo! You fucking son of a bitch." The other goon yelled as he saw his unconscious partner lying on the ground. Jason shot him 4 times- one at each shoulder and each leg, causing him to fall on the ground.

"You goddamn bastard." The goon growled. Jason grabbed a Glock 18 and started advancing towards the goon lying on the ground.

"You won't get away with-." The goon fell unconscious as the handgun's handle connected to his skull.

"A Glock 18 huh? Nice. But not as good as a Pit Viper." Jason muses quietly as he tucked his handguns in his holsters

Jason's tone then holds a hint of annoyance. "Come on out from the shadows, I saw you the moment I entered the warehouse."

"Impressive, you are as good as they say." A male voice responded and a figure moved out of the shadows.

Motherfucker...

"You've seen the leaked SHIELD files huh?" Phil Coulson asked, wearing a confident and friendly smile. Oh, He had seen them all alright.

Jason didn't respond.

"I thought you'd be bigger. You're on a diet?" The director asked.

"Being on the run from the Bat doesn't give a lot of chances to eat, or make money" Jason remarked dryly.

"Ah yeah.." Coulson took out an envelope filled to the brim with cash and handed it to the vigilante. "Take it, you earned it. You completed the mission and you didn't kill anyone.", Jason reluctantly took it from Coulson's hand and started carefully looking for any tracking devices in it. He wasn't caught by some organization the UN declared as a terrorist organization.

"You know, you've got quite an impressive resume Jason, the stunt you pulled in North Korea 4 years ago. At just 10 years old." Coulson said as he slowly walked around to create an effect.

Jason froze in his tracks as he heard his name. How did the director figure out his secret identity? Jason pinned him against the wall and aimed his Handgun at the director's face.

"What do you want from me?" Jason growls. Coulson remained composed. It wasn't the first time someone did that, besides, he knew the former crimelord wouldn't do anything.

"I could use someone like you on my team," Coulson responded calmly. Jason started wondering if this was just a dream or if the guy lost his marbles. Who the hell in their right mind would offer a former crimelord a place on their team? No, forget about the Bat putting you in a hospital, it's a recipe for disaster! You want to put a former crimelord on the run from THE BATMAN on your team!?

"Why would you want to hire someone like me?" Jason asks, his grip on the Pit Viper tightening.

"Because..." Coulson starts. "You can't trust a lot of people these days, and I've got enough proof that you're not HYDRA. You fought back against them when they attacked Gotham 6 months ago. We figured out your identity because you saved the little girl from getting shot by HYDRA while using one of the TTI Pit Vipers your not-so-friendly Gotham crimelord used while you were in civilian clothes. As far as I'm concerned, You're clean in my book." Jason knew the risks when he did that when he ran into the shootout in civilian clothes while holding that handgun. But he wouldn't let his city get taken over by a nazi organization.

So many innocents died in that shootout. It had gotten so bad that criminals teamed up with the police. It happened in broad daylight, Bruce wasn't there to stop it. SHIELD told GCPD that they were coming because Batman had to be stopped and contained. It was HYDRA wearing fucking SHIELD uniforms. Hundreds of SHIELD's combat trucks came in. They took out half of Gotham's population within the first hour. They took out the entire GCPD. Barbara's father, Commissioner Gordon, was the only one who made it. Jason made sure of that. The US military decided to invade the city so HYDRA wouldn't take over. Thousands of innocents still there died during the bombings. But 40% of the population managed to survive. That's gotta for something, Jason and Bruce were scared of becoming a wasteland. Not a lot of people lived there anymore. It didn't have a lot of expensive shops, nor expensive buildings. Bruce was pumping whatever he had from Wayne Industries left to help the city back up. It was doing fine but crime still lurked, it always did.

The barrel of the gun moved to Coulson's chin and Jason leaned in, his voice dangerously low.

"You idiots are the reason why Gotham became a wasteland. HYDRA came in wearing your body armor, your suit, and your badges. You weren't there, massacre doesn't even begin to describe what happened." Gotham was Madripoor but now? It became even worse.

"Then help us make the people who did that pay," Coulson said.

Jason let out a low chuckle. "I work alone, old man. I'm not the government type." The funny thing is, when Jason was homeless he always dreamed up of becoming a badass FBI agent or a bear caretaker. Not anymore though.

And then Coulson started smiling again. "I'd think it's in your best interest if you cooperate with us. Wouldn't want the world figuring out that you were the one behind the stunt in North Korea."

Jason feigns innocence. He couldn't know, could he? Nobody was supposed to know except the League. "Excuse me?" he asked, as he let go of Coulson and took a step back.

Coulson's smile grew wider. "Oh come on, You did not hide it as well as you think you did. Assassinating the North Korean leader in his sleep 4 years ago, then massacring your way out of it. It's impressive. The Korean War lasted for 3 years, but you? You just barged in like you owned the place, assassinated the leader in his sleep, and then just massacred your way out." Massacre? Massacre didn't even begin to describe it! Jason had every leader fear for their life. After all, he whacked the leader of North Korea, what was stopping him from going after someone like Putin?

Jason stayed silent as Coulson continued to speak.

" Now I didn't want to threaten you, so let me tell you about the benefits: You get a decent paycheck, a good place to sleep, and our food isn't bad either. Plus, you get protection from Batman, which l know you're in big need now."

"And l also get declared as a terrorist by the US military." Jason deadpans. He already had Batman on his hands, He didn't want to deal with the most powerful military on the planet.

"As l said, it's that, or the UN is coming after you for murdering a dictator in his sleep. And, we're working on the terrorist thing." 'By working on it' it meant asking Talbot to let them help from time to time. He was still in the phase where he chasing them.

Jason raised an eyebrow behind the helmet. "Working? SHIELD is all over the news."

"As l said, we're working on it. And if you ever want to go back to school, you can-." Coulson started but Jason interrupted him.

"Let me make something clear, you aren't my dad. And I've got bigger issues to worry about than some grades."

Coulson shrugged. He was used to dealing with that 'you aren't my dad thing', although he would admit, he was a little out of shape because of Skye, she wasn't angsty. "Who knows, we might make a scientist out of you one day." The director took a step closer, his expression serious. "So what's it gonna be? You join SHIELD or face the wrath of the UN?"

That little-. As much as Jason hated this, he didn't have many other options. At least with SHIELD, he could have something to eat, a decent salary, a nice bunk- none of that one-star hotel shit, and the best thing is that he wouldn't have to worry about Bruce knocking down the door. He could sleep well during the night.

By choosing the latter, He was more or less signing his death certificate or being locked up in a cell for the rest of his life, Even though he was sure that the bastards in the UN were secretly celebrating that he killed the dictator.

"Fine, I'll join your circus." Jason finally said and Coulson smiled again and patted Jason's shoulder.

"Welcome to SHIELD." The director said as he walked away. Jason was silent for a moment. Seriously, just that? No oath like the one he took when he came Robin? No badge? No nothing? Good. Jason always hated those.

30 minutes later, Jason's 'safe house':

"Seriously, you live in this dump? I thought crimelords were supposed to be rich." Coulson said as he looked in awe. It was a mess, there was mold, the floor was dirty, and There was blood on the walls and the floor. The bed was old and the mattress had dust on it. Not to mention the door's lock was busted. And the toilet, ugh, don't even go anywhere near it. Coulson wondered how anyone could live in this dump.

Jason was packing his belongings in a large duffle bag. All of his clothes(Even though they didn't fit him, they're too big for him now) were thrown recklessly in it, not even folded properly.

"Yeah, they are rich alright, until the Bat and his little sidekick come after you and bust down everything you own," Jason responded. He removed his black leather jacket first, the armored torso plate second, The holsters, and then the helmet, revealing his blonde hair and blue eyes.

"You are not so menacing with that helmet off," Coulson remarked

Jason snorted. "Go fuck yourself." He responded as he threw the jacket, armor plate, holsters, and helmet in the duffle bag. He grabbed his laptop from the night desk unplugged the charger threw them in the duffle bag too and then pulled the zippers together.

"Here take this to the car. I...need some time alone." Jason says hesitantly as he hands the director the duffle bag. Coulson nods and exits the room.

He dressed in a black hoodie brown leather and blue jeans.

He grabbed another empty duffle bag and opened a wardrobe. There was an old AK47, an M4, a small nightscope, a crowbar, some assault rifle and handgun ammo, and a couple of magazines for his Vipers loaded with armor-piercing rounds.

Jason grabbed 3 of the magazines and put two of them in his back pockets and one in his front pocket. He tucked one of his Vipers behind his waistband and threw the other one in the duffle bag, along with everything from the wardrobe.

But there was still one item remaining. Jason grabbed an oversized Brown Suede Leather Jacket from the wardrobe, his hands slightly shaking. He could still feel the blood that had been drying over 4 years, the blood that got in while he did all of those things while he was still in that abandoned wing of Arkham for over a year...with him.

Memories flashed back, the feeling of getting hit with that damn crowbar over and over again, then that damn cartoony hammer of Quinn's... No one knew who that jacket belonged to, what he did to Jason... then what Jason did to him

Jason wiped away the tears that formed in his eyes sniffed and looked up. It didn't matter now, the past is in the past, and he did what he had to survive.

Jason threw the jacket in the duffle bag and pulled the zippers together.

The funny thing is that sometimes he forgets that his right hand is there again when he thinks about those memories. Had to choose it with a hatchet back then to prevent infection and death...It regrew when he came to life.

 He somehow regenerated and healed all of the scars and infections, the brain damage, and stopped the hallucinations and episodes. He didn't have any scars, whenever he got one(Which is rare itself), they healed. Hell, somehow even his hand regrew like he's a damn wizard and can tank hits that would sun even Bruce with his suit on. The point is...Jason doesn't know what he is anymore. He died, and it went black, and then he just...came back. Like he never got tortured for a year, or blown up.

Jason chose to hide from Coulson, he knew about the index and how SHIELD treated 'gifted' individuals. Now that the vigilante joined SHIELD, he would have to be more careful now. Act like a regular human being so they won't find out. Nobody could just survive getting their heart explode or casually doing a 25-foot drop jump from a closed window. Or casually put your severed body part back in place and it'll just reattach. Or casually regrow body parts. No, this was the real deal. If he got caught, he was kinda screwed. He'd have Batman AND SHIELD on his ass. He was skilled, but not that skilled. Bruce was one man, and SHIELD was an entire organization.

Get it together Todd. You went toe to toe with Batman

Jason exited the hotel with the duffle bags hanging from his shoulders. Coulson was outside with sunglasses on, leaning against a cherry-red 1962 Chevrolet Corvette.

And Jason realized something as he noticed the number plate. "By any chance..." Jason started awkwardly, choosing his words carefully, "Had someone stolen the car's tires in Gotham around 10 years ago?" Jason had stolen the tires of that car when he was homeless, and if you're wondering how he managed to move them when he was 4 or 5 years old, he partnered with a big kid to move them. Jason did the removing, the kid did the carrying.

Coulson removed his glasses. "SON OF A BI-"

"You can't be serious," Coulson grumbled as the red-hooded vigilante threw a portable electric pot in a shopping cart. It was all good, Coulson was happily driving Lola to the Playground, fooling Talbot with his decoy that made Talbot think that he was in New York. Then the next minute, they pass a Walmart and Jason forces him to turn back.

"You know, some of us are on the run from the US government," Coulson grumbled as he followed Jason to the food section. It wouldn't be long before Talbot found out it was a decoy. And let me tell you, the decoys weren't cheap, this was his last one.

"You said there wasn't a cafeteria in that base of yours." Jason deadpans as he puts two boxes of mac and cheese in the shopping cart alongside 4 bags of Doritos. He also grabbed an entire 24-pack of water. God, he couldn't stand tap water.

"Are you done?" Coulson asked.

"Where are the MREs?"

"Welcome to the Playground," Coulson announced and he swiped an ID Card, and metal doors opened, revealing the base. The base looked decent, nothing fancy. At least by the looks of it, this was SHIELD after all.

"When you meet the others, let me do the talking. Most agents think you're a gun-totting psycho with a red helmet." Coulson added and Jason shrugged. He couldn't really blame them. He didn't really think highly of himself either. At least they don't know he was the one behind North Korea.

Coulson was sure the team would survive though, they've recruited other...questionable individuals- Lance Hunter and Idaho for example. They were just a bunch of mercenaries, with no loyalty to the organization. Hartley vouched for them though, as did the Mockingbird.

"They have no idea that you recruited me?" Jason asked as he walked alongside Coulson.

"They know I go to interview potential recruits. They don't know that l went to you though. And here, takes this." Coulson started as he handed the vigilante the ID card. "This is your key to getting in and getting out. Amongst other things. "

Jason looked at it for a second. It was the same photo he used on his fake ID and passports.

"And also, don't pretend you're not the Red Hood. Everyone knows you are. You don't keep your secret identity as well as you think. You running in that firefight carrying that handgun wasn't your only mistake." Coulson said. Wait, did that mean they knew about Jason being a former Robin?

Or Bruce being Batman? Jason was never officially adopted by Bruce. As far as legality was concerned, Jason remained a street rat until the end of his life and died on October 26th, 2010 by a violent gangster.

"Right," Jason responded hesitantly and put the ID card in his front pocket.

"Look, l know this is a big chance for you, but l believe you could do good, to serve SHIELD, to protect the innocents." Coulson started.

Wow. Coulson gave Jason more love and trust for 3 hours than Bruce ever did for 4 years. Still, doesn't change that Coulson literally blackmailed him into joining. If he did when Jason came back as the Red Hood, Agents would be receiving his head in a body bag. But... Jason was somewhat calmer now. He was not as violent as he was. Probably because he finally got to murder that psychopath.

He zoned out during the lecture Couslon gave. He's heard them all before, 'You can still be a hero', 'You have a potential to do good', it's all the same but in different wording.

"You are at bunk 4. Make yourself at home." The director finished and handed the vigilante a key.

"What the hell were you thinking, Phil?" Melinda May hissed as she entered the office without knocking.

Coulson looked up from his file and set it on the desk. "I knew that you wouldn't let me recruit him if l told you."

"Yes, because he's a former crimelord, a vigilante. Do you have any idea how many people he has gunned down? Who is hunting him?  He is a liability!" To be fair, Jason only became a crimelord so Black Mask would be pushed into a corner and bust the Joker out. He didn't really care about the operations.

"He is highly skilled May. He is the real deal. Hunter and Idah look like rookies compared to him." Jason was one of the only people besides May who could go toe to toe with Batman.

"He is reckless. How did you convince him to join without shooting you in the face?"

Coulson smiled. "I blackmailed him."

The Cavalry scoffed. "Of course you did. With what?"

"To reveal he was the one behind North Korea. Nobody wants the UN on their tail. Besides, he's just a kid." Jason also looked older than he was.

"Exactly, just a kid, and you're treating him like an adult." May did not want to repeat what happened in Bahrain. One child's blood on her hands was more than enough.

"Well, he's pretty mature for his age. Makes me wonder who trained him, why he hates Batman and killed the Joker." Coulson responded. Oh boy, he didn't know.

"And you are not going to ask him that?"

"I don't want to push my luck. The past is in the past, what matters is the present. He's one of few candidates I could immediately trust that are not HYDRA." Coulson was pretty tight on who could join. Every agent was constantly tested and went through lie detectors. He wasn't gonna let HYDRA compromise and tear apart SHIELD again

"Let me guess, because of the shootout?"

"He killed more than 35 HYDRA agents that day, 15 of them were higher-ups. He's clean in my book."

"So was Ward." May reminded him. Coulson froze for a second and then put the file in his desk's drawer. He hoped she was wrong.

Chapter Text

"You know Skye is not gonna be happy about this right? Recruiting a former crimelord in SHIELD, on our team" May said. Skye had been training with May as her S.O. ever since they managed to defeat John Garrett. She didn't take kindly to people who could threaten her family. She wouldn't take kindly to Jason.

"She deals with Hunter and Idaho just fine," Coulson responded. By 'fine', it means she tolerated them. She wasn't exactly the best of buddies with them.

"They are small-time mercenaries, the kid is a former crimelord with a chip on his shoulder." How Coulson didn't get shot in the face when he dared to blackmail the Red Hood was beyond her. The vigilante had a reputation- cross him and people will find your head in a body bag. May wasn't sure if he was too busy rolling his eyes at Coulson's goofiness to even think about shooting him.

"True, but remember how we recruited Skye? I think with the right guidance, he would make a very good agent." Jason at least didn't hack into SHIELD's databases and worked for the Rising Tide. But he did murder the leader of North Korea in his sleep(Even though Nobody from SHIELD except Coulson and May knew it was him) and caused quite a ruckus in Gotham.

May deadpanned. "She was a pain in the ass. Still is." But she gets better every single day. She wasn't just some defenseless hacker anymore. She was a good fighter, a good agent. Still, she had a long way to go before she could be able to throw with the big leagues, even if she thought she could. She still didn't even have a real field mission, for God's sake.

"But look at her now." Coulson smiled, proud. He always had a soft spot for Skye. "I think Jason could find a home here, a family. He's still just a kid." A kid who is a trained killing machine, but Coulson always believed in second chances. He always saw the good things in people.

"Skye won't see it that way. And I don't blame her. Who the hell is he, Coulson?" She's seen his file. Legally, Jason Todd was declared dead on October 26th, 2010, and he is here, running around like nothing ever happened. And May wondered who the hell trained him so well when he was nothing but another homeless, orphaned child in Gotham.

He was good, his skills weren't something you could pick on the streets or at an MMA gym, doesn't matter if you grew up even in a place like Gotham, where violence and crime were the languages. He could throw in with big leagues, He threw with them, he went toe to toe with Batman and gave him a better challenge than even someone like Slade Wilson. How? He was just 14. Sure he might have practiced combat sports but that doesn't make him Batman-level. Also, most teenagers are worried about girlfriends and school, not about being on the run from Batman and joining a (ex) government agency

"I don't know. I searched for his files in CPS's databases, but no luck. " Coulson started "His father was a criminal who got murdered by Two-Face when Jason was 2. His mother was a drug addict who overdosed when he was 4. Then right after that, he escaped the foster home he was put in. I don't know what happened after that." Coulson never got the chance to ask any locals either since the UN bombed the damn city like it was the 4th of July.

The truth is, as much as Coulson hated to admit, he had nothing on Jason. Hell, the only reason he found out the kid was alive was because of the stunt he pulled in North Korea. But after the stunt, he was nowhere to be found, SHIELD couldn't track him down, no matter how hard they tried. Until now.

May raised an eyebrow. "So we're not gonna ask him anything? Just let him go join after the fiasco he pulled in Gotham? Are you out of your mind?" As much as she hated to admit it, she couldn't help but feel sympathy for Jason. Gotham was not a place a homeless and orphaned child should have grown in. She went multiple times for operations years ago. The damn place was a junkyard with no law. Batman may have been there and stopped crime but it sure as hell didn't help in the long run. What the hell was his logic to let psychopaths and maniacs like the Joker live?

"No, not now at least. We'll talk to him when he opens up." Coulson replied. It was Russian roulette alone blackmailing Jason into joining SHIELD, talking about his past wasn't gonna end well. He was pretty closed up with walls taller than Mount Everest.

One thing was certain about the kid, he must have really hated the Joker. He murdered the clown. Coulson had multiple theories on who Jason was- One was that he was an innocent victim that the Joker had done something to, or second, he was the Robin who went missing and the Joker was the reason.

The latter was pretty ridiculous because Robin died and as far as Coulson was cornered, Batman didn't have Kree technology at his disposal to bring him back(But there's the Lazarus pit) But Jason 'died' the same year that Robin died. Although Coulson doesn't have any proof about the former either, so he's observing Jason and looking for clues. He found the vigilante hard to read though. Expectable

May sighed. Coulson was a goddamn pain in the ass when he set his mind on anything. It was pure wonder how he only died once. Although they were many close calls where she had to save his sorry ass.

"It's your call." May started, her expression stoic as ever. "But if this blows up in our face,-"

"It won't." Coulson interrupted, fully confident. He always was.

May raised an eyebrow. "You seem awfully confident about this Phil. Care to wager the future of SHIELD and our team's lives on it?" She doesn't want any more of her loved ones because Coulson thought it was a good idea to recruit a gun-toting psycho with a red helmet or repeat what happened in Bahrain. She also didn't wanna kill another child.

"This is what SHIELD is supposed to do- give people a second chance." Of course, he would answer with that. Some people didn't deserve a second chance, but some people did. Skye for example- if they didn't give her a second chance(Or more than two) she would have ended up in a SHIELD prison. She wouldn't be standing here if she didn't get a second chance. She wouldn't be the snarky hacker(And a pain in the ass for May) the team knew and loved.

May could sense that Coulson was hiding something.

"What are you hiding Coulson? Why the sudden interest in him?"

Coulson thought for a good few seconds before answering. "When you saw pictures of him, he looked..familiar". The moment Coulson saw the vigilante face to face, he would feel that someone was...familiar. Like they met before but they never had.

May raised an eyebrow. "Please tell me it's not what I'm thinking." It was like deja vu. Someone joining the team and finding out that their parents may have been SHIELD agents. It was Skye all over again, except Jason was not a hacker but a cold-blooded vigilante. Couldn't the team catch a break? How many strays did they take in at this point?

"His real mother was not Catherine. It was a SHIELD agent." Coulson revealed.

"Explain." May crossed her arms, her expression stern. If this was some kind of wild rumor that may not have been true and that was the only reason he recruited Jason, She'd kick his ass and then blow up Lola. She wasn't playing around. This was pushing it, even for Coulson

"When l was looking around the files in Fury's toolbox," Coulson started."I stumbled upon a film about Jason and-"

"Cut to the chase Coulson, who is his mother?" May demanded.

The director stayed silent for a moment."It wasn't written in the file. Fury must have wanted to keep it a secret." Coulson responded.

"Well, that's just great." May deadpanned, her voice dripping with sarcasm. The problem was that they couldn't even ask Fury who it was because he was off the grid. You didn't come to him, he came to you. And he never came ever since he rescued Fitzsimmons. Finding him now was like finding a needle in a haystack. And they sure as shit didn't know where the hell the haystack was. America? Asia? Africa? Where?

"May, does Jason look-"

"A picture would be nice, considering I've never seen him." May interrupted. She never got to see the kid, Skye just told her that Coulson walked into the playground with the Red goddamn Hood, and May didn't go to the vigilante and confront him. Oh well, May did see photos, but they were of him when he was like what, 10? He was 14...Time flies

Coulson took out a picture from his business suit's pocket and handed it to the stoic Cavalry.

He gulped nervously. She had the 'May' look on her face, but sterner than usual. Her intensive eyes were looking back and forth between him and the picture.

Well, ain't he a ray of sunshine, the woman thought sarcastically as she stared at the picture. Coulson was an idiot.

"Does he, um, look familiar?" Coulson asked nervously. He was not helping his case.

May thought for a moment and set the photo on the desk. "Hm...a little." She finally responded, eyeing the picture carefully. "But this does not excuse that you recruited him without telling anyone." Not telling the team? She could understand that. But not telling her? And going in and confronting a person like the Red Hood without a form of protection? That was crossing a line, even for Coulson!

"He wouldn't have done anything to me," Coulson responded. May took a step closer to him.

"You are lucky we didn't receive your head in a body bag after you threatened him! With North Korea, no less. Coulson, you are aware of his reputation, you're aware of who he is. And you just recruited him with no testing and-"

"May, l get it, and I-"

"You are SHIELD, Coulson! If we lose you, there will be no SHIELD! Everything we worked those last 6 months for will be for nothing. And HYDRA will win." May interrupted as she paced around in the office.

"May. Just give the kid a chance okay?" Coulson pleaded.

May sighed. "Fine." She replied. "But if this blows up in our face, I will get the right to say 'I told you so.'"

Coulson smiled. "You won't. Not this time. He'll grow on you. Trust me when l say that you two are very alike." Too much alike. They both had the 'I'll snap you in half' vibe.

"Let me guess, you want me to be his S.O.? While I'm still training Skye? That oughta be fun." May's voice was dripping with sarcasm. She could already hear the constant bickering between Jason and Skye. Was Coulson doing this on purpose? Coulson and May were basically Skye's parents, adding Jason to the mix felt like adding another kid.

"He's already combat trained. Just teach him our protocols and maybe give him some pointers. He's a huge fan of you by the way, even if he won't admit it."

"He better not call what l think he's gonna call me," May responded before heading to the door.

"And May," Coulson called out from behind her, his tone serious as she opened the door. "We need to talk about the plan if l-"

"Bye." May interrupted and slammed the door shut behind her. Coulson sighed and returned to reading the file again. She was always dodging making a plan.

"I don't know what Coulson sees in you, but if you hurt him, or my team in any way, I'm gonna kill you."

This is what Jason heard when he unlocked the door to his bunk. A girl was sitting on his bed, arms crossed. Jason rolled his eyes. Still, this was not the worst welcome he's received. This one didn't even make it into the top 20. And this wasn't the first time he'd died.

"And you are?" Jason asked

"Skye, but this does not matter. I'm here to warn you." She was still mad about Ward betraying them. Hell, the entire team was still recovering, she didn't wanna see them get hurt again by a traitor. Especially Fitz, oh dear god Fitz.

This one would be worse for Coulson since he believed in Jason and was not in the same situation as Ward. Coulson personally wanted to recruit Jason, but Ward? Ward was just a candidate on the list.

"You already did," Jason responded.

"Good. Just driving my point across."

They stared awkwardly at each other for a minute.

"Are you gonna leave?" Jason asked. He was growing more and more annoyed.

"Actually," The hacker started. "I'm gonna want to check your luggage. I'm not gonna take anything, just making sure you're not working for someone else."

Jason clenched his jaw. Can agents just check each other's luggage in SHIELD? She was gonna seriously go through all of his stuff just like that? Still, he thought it was best to comply, he didn't need to make unnecessary enemies. Or worse, get kicked out and be on the run again.

Jason dropped the duffle bags at Skye, who kneeled down and unzipped the first one. This was carrying his weapons. Nothing special or personal. Well, except for the crowbar. Still, she checked the boxes of ammo to make sure there wasn't anything fishy.

She also took apart the guns one by one to make sure there wasn't anything in them that shouldn't be there. Like a tracker or something. Jason was getting seriously irritated. She wasn't the one who got to put the parts again and make the weapons functional.

Finally, after 15 good minutes, she nodded approvingly after checking every weapon. She opened the second duffle bag.

It contained his clothes and his good old laptop that was fighting for his life every time he opened more than 4 tabs on Google.

"You had a bear?" Skye asked as she picked a picture of a sub-adult Kodiak Bear and Jason standing alongside. The Bear looked absolutely adorable. "Awww." She cooed. "He is so cute."

She wasn't the stoic person she was 15 minutes ago. She was only like that to outsiders.

Jason's lip trembled and his shoulders slumped. He was avoiding eye contact and he was about to cry. Goddamn it, don't appear sad.

"It's a uh-." Jason stammered, quickly coming up with a lie. "A picture from when l visited a zoo in Miami." This was the most bullshit lie he has ever said. Even worse than the ones he said when he was on the streets, but even they were good. He was always a good liar...mostly. Goddamn it, why didn't he tell go screw herself or something, that's something he would have said. Rex...

Skye didn't buy it. No zoo would let a tourist near a Kodiak bear, let alone take a picture together. Plus, the background didn't look like a zoo. Her training with May was finally paying off.

Skye didn't respond and set the picture aside. She felt that it was a touchy subject. She went through his laptop and made sure there wasn't any contact with HYDRA or other organizations. Then she checked his grocery bags from his shopping in Walmart. She didn't check the food, but oh boy, she sure as shit checked the gaming laptop he bought. Yes, he bought a gaming laptop from Walmart, don't judge him, he wasn't proud of it either

"Alright, you're clear. Sorry about the mess." She responded as she stood up and finally left the bunk. She could have at least helped him clean up the mess she made.

30 minutes later:

KNOCK.KNOCK.KNOCK

Jason angrily got up from his bed. If it was her or someone who's gonna inspect his shit again, He swears he was gonna-

"Hi." A man said after Jason opened the door. He carried a laundry basket with clean clothes and towels. He was African American, muscular, not that much taller than Jason. He was around 6'4 with a friendly smile on his face, maybe? Who the fuck was this guy?

"Name's Mack. Coulson asked me to bring these to you." Mack responded after Jason didn't say anything and was staring at him in disbelief. Why were they so...he doesn't know, nice? When he was supposed to be a crimelord and a cold-blooded murderer. Shouldn't they be scared or suspicious like that girl was?

"Thanks." Jason finally responded awkwardly and took the basket in his hands. Well, this was awkward.

"Listen, man, I won't deny that you have a certain...reputation." Mack started, choosing his words carefully. Reputation? That was one way to put it. Imagine you were a former crimelord and a vigilante stuck in a base with government agents. That's how Jason felt.

"But I'm not here to judge. It's been clear that you've been through something. Something terrible. Because no teenager would become a vigilante out of nowhere. So if you want to talk about it, I'm here for you." Mack finished.

"Yeah, well, you don't know the half of it," Jason responded, his eyes on the laundry basket. He had been wearing that colorful Robin suit for 9 damn years since he was 5. Then he got tortured for a damn year by a psychopathic clown that you would see in a horror movie. Then he got blown up, then somehow he came back to life with his right hand back and all of his scars and injuries gone. Then Talia Al Ghul forced him to murder a dictator in his sleep if he wanted to survive. At least he got enough money from Ra's Al Ghul after he found out what his daughter forced Jason to do. Then Jason spent all that money on his training which lasted for a little more than 3 years, equipment, to keep that bear happy and healthy. He missed that bear.

"Look, people may judge you, but Coulson sees something in you that you yourself don't see. Do you really think he's gonna let a crimelord and a vigilante join his team like that if he didn't see something in you? No, he would have you locked up." Mack said. Wow, that's really reassuring. It's nice to know if he wasn't 'special' that he would have been locked up. Jason wondered what the hell Coulson saw in him. Was it that Jason was all alone and on the run, or was it because Coulson thought he was just dumb?

"Former crimelord." Jason corrected. Yeah, he wasn't really proud of having that on his resume. But what he was proud of is that he gave the Dark Knight a BIG run for his money and also beat his sidekick. The old timer didn't see him coming. But now, Jason was paying the price...not anymore though...for now.

Mack nodded slowly. "And um, if you want to do some lifting, give me a call, I'll get you back in shape in no time." He said. He had seen photos of the Red Hood back then, and right now, Jason looked nothing like him. The Red Hood was bulky, and Jason was skinny. The Red Hood was 225 pounds, and Jason was 170 pounds. Jason would gain some of that muscle back in no time now that he had food to eat.

"Are you a field agent or-' Jason didn't think a guy like Mack could be a field agent but hey, they had a billionaire in a flying suit of armor, a billionaire who dressed as a bat and beat up poor people at night, stranger things had happened?

Mack chuckled as he shook his head."No, nothing like that, I'm a mechanic. But you'll still be seeing me pretty often." A mechanic, huh? Made sense that he was so huge.

"Cars are awesome," Jason admitted. He wanted to buy a '69 Ford Mustang Mach 1 one day. Maybe if he saved up enough money from his SHIELD salary(Assuming he sticks around and doesn't get fired), that day would be sooner rather than later. As for the Batmobile, Jason loved it too. That car would always have a special place in his heart.

Mack chuckled. "Yeah, they are. You and Coulson are gonna get along just fine." Coulson also loved cars. Lola was his most prized possession.

"Yeah, well, let's hope so," Jason responded and leaned his hand on the wall. Things had been going well so far, but he wasn't really sure about this. This was SHIELD, and Jason was well...Jason. He would do his best but if things go south or Coulson made some kind of deal with Bruce, well, Jason had to be prepared for the worst-case scenario. He noticed the way people were staring at him. Not to mention how Skye inspected fucking everything.

Mack nodded again. "I gotta go now." He finally said. Jason internally let out a sigh of relief. He was kinda happy because the conversation felt awkward. Most people were staring at him like he was Jason Voorhees, but Mack? Mack treated him like a normal person...weird. Most people would run away the moment they saw him. Guess he was not as scary as he thought he was or Mack was too damn nice for his own good. Probably the latter, considering how people looked at Jason.

Mack turned around and walked away while Jason closed the door and locked it. He rebuilt the last gun and put it in the duffle bag. He needed a shower, he stank. For how long didn't he take a shower again? A week? More? Eh, it was definitely more than a week. He flipped the switch on for the bathroom's lights and entered inside. It was decent, nothing fancy, it did the job. He slightly pulled the tab and extended his hand to feel the water. It was warm and nice. This felt like when he had a warm shower for the first time ever during his first night in the Wayne Maynor.

He didn't stay for long in the shower though. His eyes were closing and he almost collapsed due to how tired he was. He wanted to sleep. He put on a T-shirt and a pair of boxers from the laundry basket and collapsed on the bed underneath him.

The covers, mattress, and pillows were nice and soft, not like the ones that he was used to in the crappy cheap hotels. Heh, being SHILED had its perks, as much as he hated to admit it. Coulson blackmailed him into joining, for God's sake. But why did he treat Jason so well? Jason didn't really care right now, he wanted to sleep.

But it was difficult as hell. Jason couldn't fall asleep because it was...too damn nice. Nice Bed, nice covers, nice pillows, nice everything. You may him paranoid, but it's not paranoia when they're out to get you. He wasn't used to feeling this safe. At least the nightmares were gone ever since he murdered that clown. But so was his rage. It was like...something was missing, you know? Felt empty. Maybe because he was finally at peace, or maybe because he didn't know his purpose. But he still wasn't the same person he used to be. He wasn't the same Red Hood anymore. He wasn't the Red Hood who would shoot you on sight if you threaten him or chop your head off if you inspect his shit like he was some kind of prisoner.

He also wasn't the same person he was in North Korea. He wasn't that batshit insane survivor who would have anything to keep himself and that bearcub alive.

He was...calm. Not the batshit insane person he was in North Korea and the timebomb he was when he came back to Gotham as the Red Hood. He was kinda happy about that. He had become a way better fighter, although he still had work to do. And he wasn't all about revenge when he already killed that psychopath.

Jason opened his eyes. He was definitely sweaty. You're always sweaty when you sleep during the damn day. He yawned as he lazily stretched his arms and checked the alarm clock on the nightstand. It was 5:05 am. He fell asleep at around 5 pm. Did he really sleep for 12 hours straight? Well, his sleep schedule was definitely fucked.

Sighing, he put on a pair of sweatpants and grabbed one of his handguns before heading for the door. He was gonna to the shooting range...He hoped there was a shooting range. What kind of law enforcement(Although declared terrorist) agency wouldn't have a shooting range? He hoped there was ammo there he could use, because he was running low. He had to go to a gunshop soon just in case.

He walked around the base for a while, and he finally found the shooting range. Yay.

But of course, much to his bad luck, it wasn't empty. No, May was in it, calmly shooting at the targets with a Glock 17 while wearing shooting earmuffs and glasses. She didn't pay attention to him entering, and he didn't really care. He was here for target practice, not chitchat.

He almost forgot to grab earmuffs. He never used them since he came back to life. He didn't have to worry about damaging his eyes and ears because of his regeneration healing them, but he had to remember: He had to keep it a secret that he was a 'gifted individual' as SHIELD called them.

He went to the farthest shooting booth from May's and started shooting. The two stayed silent for a couple of minutes as the gunshots rang out, but...

"We are cautious of you because we've been betrayed before," May said as she reloaded her handgun.

Jason scoffed and looked at her for a second then looked back at the shooting target."Really? Because l assumed it was about my reputation." He shot another 4 rounds before he heard the handgun's empty clicks

His reputation would give Romanoff's a run for her money back in the day, May thought.

"It's not about that. We know you're not loyal to HYDRA but..." She started. Yeah, because no HYDRA agent would kill 35 of his colleagues, 15 of them being higher-ups. Not even Ward would have gone that deep undercover....he probably would have, actually.

"Let me guess, I'm a former crimelord and a vigilante who kills with a personal vendetta against a homicidal clown."

May deadpanned. "Yeah, that's about it. But the team is still nursing from the betrayal we've experienced. You have no idea the damage HYDRA has done to SHIELD, to the world, to us."

"You were declared a terrorist organization by the government and the UN. And your boss decided to make me a wanted terrorist too." Well, not yet. Jason still hasn't had his first mission. He will soon though, and that's when shit would hit the fan. Fighting Batman was one thing, but the entire US government? No thanks.

May scowled. "Trust me, Coulson's not my boss." BLAM.BLAM.BLAM

If anything, she was his boss. Hell, she said it sometimes to Coulson.

"Your friend is a pain in the ass."

"You get used to it after a while, but she will always continue to be one."

"For how long has she been doing this?"

"Still hasn't done an actual field mission. She was our hacker"

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Really? Not even one mission?". He had been doing this shit for 9 years, and she is what, twice his age? Which wasn't old, he was 14, but still.

"Yup. And this is why l want to ask you something."

"Shoot."

"When we're out in the field, l want you to look after her...I know you two had a rough start and will constantly bicker." May started, choosing her words carefully. Rough start? That was an understatement, she left him to build every single one of his weapons back and messed up his personal shit. "But she means a lot to Coulson, a lot to the team. And sometimes, she's too overconfident for her own good..."

"And Overconfidence is what gets you killed." Jason finished, he knew that better than anyone. He was practically the textbook definition of it

"Yes."

"I'll watch over here for you." Jason accepted.

"Thanks."

Jason wondered if he should say this next part. "My real mother was a SHIELD agent." He finally admitted

"Coulson already knows."

Jason scoffed at her response. "Of course he knows, you SHIELD always know everything." He's always had a problem with government authority.

"He's the director, it's his job to know."

"I guess." Didn't make it any less annoying.

"You got any information? Because Coulson is looking for answers right now."

Jason's expression darkened as he reloaded his handgun. "Tell him not to look. She made her choice when she gave me up." He was already called a greatest failure by Bruce, and he didn't want a repeat performance with Mommy.

"Even if l did, he would not stop looking."

"Well, tell him to at least not tell me who she is. I don't need mommy issues on top of the shit I'm dealing with."

"Do you ever think that she gave you up to protect you?"

Jason let out a bitter chuckle. "I know some of you SHIELD agents were parents. I'm not buying that bullshit."

Well, May had to admit, he had a good point. There were a ton of SHIELD agents who had families with children.

"I am your S.O. now. So if you need to talk, come to me." She said. They couldn't let issues and emotions get the better of them in the field.

Jason lowered his gun and looked at her, his expression deadpan."You and me both know I'm not gonna do that."

"As long as they don't get in the way of the mission, I'm fine with that," May responded. She wasn't really good with personal feelings, like him, she kept them bottled up. It wasn't healthy as Andrew said, but oh well, they're divorced now.

Jason nodded and went back to shooting. "Good." He wasn't really into talking about how he was made to fight crime at 5 years old or how he got tortured for a year. Besides, would they really believe him?

"You never responded if you have any information about your real mother."

Jason rolled his eyes. "Does it really matter? She gave me up to my criminal father, end of story." He responded. He didn't care who she was or why she abandoned him. She abandoned him, he didn't care for her, nor was he stupid enough to try to find out.

"To Coulson, it matters. He needs to find faster so we can do the important things."

"Like stopping HYDRA?"

"And to make sure the military doesn't find out where we are."

Jason sighed. Did he really want to talk about this? Hell no. Did he kinda have to? Yup. "My real mother was a rookie SHIELD agent who accidentally got drunk when on a mission to get intel from my criminal father in a nightclub."

May's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "You can't be serious." SHIELD was supposed to be the best, and yet that rookie(More like an idiot) acted like some kind of idiot undercover cop.

"Yup," Jason responded.

Wait a damn minute, May thought. It couldn't be her, right? It seriously couldn't be. Was this some kind of sick joke? Because she was not laughing.

"This..." May started hesitantly. "happened in Gotham right?" If it was in Gotham, it had to be her. She was the only rookie during that time when she had a mission.

Jason rolled his eyes. "Yes." Why did he have to talk about this? What the fuck?

May slowly set her gun on the table and slowly removed her glasses and earmuffs. It seriously couldn't be her right? May started walking away.

"You did good. Just so you know, Skye will come in 15 minutes. So l suggest you get out if you don't want to deal with her." She finished before exiting the shooting rage.

Jason stopped shooting. Better get ready for the fireworks. And by fireworks, he meant family drama. He thought Bruce was enough dealing with, but this was gonna be on a whole different level. He should have stayed in his bunk.

in Coulson's office:

"Nothing like starting the early morning with a fresh cup of coffee," Coulson said, a coffee mug in his hand, wearing a smile as he took a long sip of the warm liquid, closing his eyes. He didn't have to deal with Hunter's antics, or anyone's for that matter until around 7 am. He could read a car magazine. Nothing was gonna bother him. It was him, his magazine, and his coffee.

The door opened and May came in. "His mother is Morse." She was always direct. Straight to the point. That made Coulson spit out his coffee in shock.

"MORSE!?" Coulson yelled, then he winced as he quietly whispered."You mean Bobbi? Our Bobbi? The Mockingbird. May, are you pulling my leg right now?"

"Do you know any female rookie agents who went into Gotham 14 years and 9 months ago?" May deadpanned. Coulson stared like he was hit by a freight train.

"So that's why he feels familiar," Coulson whispered.

"They're both tall blondes with blue eyes. Do the math, Phil. It's either her or no one." May responded. Coulson took a sit in his chair. He expected someone, but Bobbi? A well-known specialist and a high-ranking figure among SHIELD? He did not see that coming. She is undercover at HYDRAb, Coulson sent her to look after Simmons.

"We do not tell anyone about this, especially Hunter," Coulson said.

"OH HELL NO!" May quietly yelled. The way he talked about Bobbi, calling her a demonic hell beast and a she-devil-ex-wife... Yeah, him figuring that Jason is her son wasn't gonna end well. It may end up with Jason attempting to murder him due to how annoying he will get and the nicknames. As for the others... They were probably gonna take it pretty well actually, some would probably be shocked, but nothing big, maybe a few 'WHAT THE HELL' by Hunter and Mack, considering Mack's known her for a long while Hunter was well...her ex-husband.

"Yeah no, we have enough drama on our plates," Coulson responded. He was still shocked. "Does Jason know?"

May shook her head. "No, and he doesn't want to. Coulson, he hates her."

And she didn't blame him. Imagine your mother being a SHIELD agent who seduced your criminal father for intel and then gave you up to him. If May were him, he would beat her to a pulp.

Coulson nodded understandingly. He and Bobbi were gonna have a talk, face to face, he had to meet up with Simmons in 2 weeks anyway. Bobbi didn't live far from her.

"We pretend we didn't figure it out."

"I already told him you were looking, Phil."

"What why?"

May deadpanned. "To get him to talk. Plus to build some trust, he appreciates honesty."

30 minutes later, in the kitchen:

"Did you just fucking steal my food?" Jason growled after he saw Hunter put in a bowl some of the mac and cheese Jason made. Jason cooked this food for himself, not anyone else.

"Mate, it was just sitting there and there was enough of it to feed a small army, I thought you were making breakfast for this unique family we've got," Hunter responded as he started to eat. Jason scoffed. He was recruited with blackmail(Although he will receive a good and steady paycheck). And the reason Jason cooked so much is because he didn't have a decent meal in a while. The mercenary stayed oblivious as he could feel the vigilante's death stare.

"This? This death glare." Hunter started as he made movements with the hand that carried the spoon." is so much like the one that my demonic hell beast of an ex-wife had. Are you sure you're not her offspring or something?"

"Hunter, go easy on the kid, for god's sake," Isabelle mumbled as she poured herself a cup of coffee." We don't need another to make him another victim by you nagging in his ear about Bob."

"WHAT!?" Hunter asked and pointed a hand in Jason's direction. "I just said he looked bloody familiar to my ex-wife."

Forget when Jason thought he was not as violent as he used to be, He was gonna murder that British with the kitchen knife in his hand. Fucking asshole."

"Hunter, I don't think you know who you're talking to," Idaho said nervously. The Red Hood was terrifying. Even more terrifying than Batman because he won't hesitate to you put into a body bag if you piss him off. Idaho didn't wanna lose his only friend

"Oh please. He's a 14-year-old who needs to stay in school. Batman who kills my arse. He's just going through them bloody hormone phases" Hunter responded. Jason's grip on the kitchen knife tightened.

"I'm gonna take your head off," Jason warned, his patience wearing thin. He swore if Hunter said one more word-

"Please do it," Skye said as she, May, and Coulson walked in.

"We'd consider it a public service," May added, her expression as stoic as ever.

Coulson grabbed the coffee pot and a mug. "Please don't, we just decorated the kitchen." He pleaded calmly as he poured coffee into the mug.

Jason shot Hunter a last warning glare before putting the kitchen knife back in the knife stand.

Tripp and Mack walked in as well.

"Hmmm." Tripp hummed as he smelled in. "It smells good. Who cooked this?"

"The lad did," Hunter responded as he nodded towards Jason who rolled his eyes in response.

"Damn, thank you, man," Mack laughed as he patted Jason on the shoulder.

"Yeah, thanks," Tripp said as he walked past the vigilante

Everyone got a bowl and poured in the food Jason made. He shrugged. "You're...welcome?" He responded, even though it sounded more like a question than an answer. Well, there goes his breakfast

"Anyone gonna invite Fitz?" Skye asked. Fitz wasn't doing well, he wasn't gonna be the same anymore, thanks to Ward

"I'll go," Jason said. Anything to get out of this hellhole of a family breakfast.

"Nah man, I'll go," Mack said and stood up from his chair.

"Yeah, we don't want him to think that the Red Hood has murdered us." Skye retorted.

Way to ruin the moment, Coulson thought. "Skye." He warned.

"Coulson, you can't be serious! How do we not know that the food isn't poisoned or anything."

"Well, l ate plenty and I'm fine. Just enjoy the food, my lady." Hunter interrupted.

This was the perfect distraction to get out of this. And Jason quietly left the kitchen.

"I should cook in my bunk from now on," Jason grumbled

Chapter Text

It had been a week since Jason became a part of SHIELD. And it was pretty decent. Jason got along well with Coulson, May, Mack, Isabelle, and Tripp. Though there was still constant bickering with Skye. Jason almost chopped Hunter to pieces.

Training with May wasn't really training, it was teaching him protocols that he knew....mostly. They did spar once in a while(And Jason had to pretend to lose because of the hits that he tanked easily but he didn't wanna reveal his...condition), but May spent most of the time training with Skye. Which Jason was fine with. She needed all the training she could get if she had just been a hacker half a year ago. Now he understood why May asked him to watch over the girl. Jason and May got along well at, the end of the story.

Jason didn't get a lot of time to talk with Coulson, because the director was constantly in and out, looking for new recruits. Coulson said they were all over the world. Guess HYDRA did a lot of damage.

Jason and Mack would often meet in the gym room and lift weights. Jason was planning on getting all the muscle he lost now that he had food to eat. While they were lifting, they would just talk. Jason quickly realized that Mack was like that awesome, chill, and protective big giant that everyone would want to have as a friend. They would also play video games together, mostly Black Ops and Halo.

Hunter. Oh boy, Hunter. Jason had almost chopped him into pieces more times than he could count. And when Jason loses count, it is a lot. What was Hunter's obsession with comparing Jason to his 'she-devil-ex-wife' anyway? What the hell did she to do him? He understood why she would dump Hunter.

Isabelle. They got along fine, they didn't argue, just regular...co-workers. Thought she could be cool at times.

Same with Idaho, Jason couldn't care less. Not a friend, not an annoying piece of shit. He still thought the mercenary was a moron though.

Skye. It was like a catfight sometimes. They barely tolerated each other. Skye constantly threw passive-aggressive comments, but she wasn't the worst to deal with. And Jason understood why she was so distrustful. She was just looking out for her team... her family.

Tripp. They got along just fine, although Tripp was still wary of him. He was the Red goddamn Hood, of course, people would be wary of him. It was like inviting your neighbor with a criminal history in your family.

And then there were these short twins that Jason couldn't tell apart most of the time. Their conversations were...awkward. They were excited to meet him but also scared of him. On one hand, the Red Hood was one of the few people who had Batman really against the wall. Not to mention he beat up his sidekick. But The Red Hood was also a former crimelord who beheaded criminal lieutenants. Yeah, his reputation was that bad. And their questions, Jesus, didn't they have better shit to do? Who the fuck asked how many people you've killed. They were treating him like a superhero when he's anything but that. Captain America was a superhero. Iron Man was a superhero. Thor was a superhero. Black Widow and Hawkeye were superheroes. The Hulk was a hero. But Jason? Jason was just an angsty gun-totting anti-hero with daddy issues. He didn't see himself as a hero either. People should not idolize him at all.

Other agents might stare at him BUT: The pay was nice, the bunk was nice and not a one-star hotel, his bed was comfy, the water was warm, and most importantly: no Batman to worry about. Or any threats outside this base. He could actually sleep well at night. It felt...nice, and safe.

That is if he wasn't staying up until 5 am to play games on his laptop. He finally managed to get his account back that he had since he was a Robin(Aka when he was 5 and Alfred bought him an Xbox 360). On that account, he spent 5000 hours on Black Ops 1 and 2. Damn, when the fuck is Black Ops 3 gonna get released? Also, fortunately for him, he managed to avoid playing the hot garbage that Call of Duty: Ghost was. Jesus fucking Christ, why the fuck would Activision release such a fucking garbage? The company released the fucking Black Ops series, how could they stoop so low?

For the first time ever, he actually felt like a teenager- staying up late, playing video games, etc. But he was lucky because he didn't have to go to school, though he also worked for SHIELD. Being an agent meant getting up at unexpected times and being ready at all times but he was used to it, he was the second Robin.

When Jason looked back on it, he couldn't understand why he liked school. Right now, he couldn't imagine himself sitting at a desk in a room full of kids, listening to some nonsense from the teacher. He couldn't see himself ever being normal again, not after everything that had happened. The funny thing was, he did go to classes on how to take care of bears, yeah, 5-year-olds weren't allowed but Alfred bribed the guy, and Jason got taught like he was an adult. He was taught different species of bear behavior, their differences, how to take care of them, and how to treat them without getting mauled. He actually received a goddamn certificate. Alfred must have still had it, Jason knew he was alive and that he survived the invasion, the old butler was tough. Plus Bruce was chasing him after the nuking so that was a good sign. If Bruce survived when he was in The Wayne Maynor, then Alfred sure as shit survived.

And another funny thing about bears is Jason went out of his way during his training to become the Red Hood to learn how to operate on them, in case Rex got injured. But the Kodiak bear never got injured, and he never got fooled by any bear traps or anything, he was a really smart bear, very smart. He was also really calm for one. Rex was the only good thing that came out of North Korea. Everything else was just something he'd like to forget.

Jason was trying to do his best to show that he could pull more than his own weight, a bear's weight. When that happened, he was gonna try to talk Coulson into getting Rex out of that zoo...Rex..That was the bear's name. Jason missed him..a lot. But if Jason could prove that he was valuable to SHIELD, he'd meet him again, and they would not separate ever again. He wondered how much Rex had grown in the time Jason was missing. The last time Jason was with Rex, the Kodiak bear was 9 and a half feet tall on his hind legs and weighed almost 1400 pounds. And he was only 3 years old then. A year had passed now.

Rex always grew quicker than other bears, because of the serum he was injected with to stay alive. He was stronger and faster than other bears, way smarter too...not to mention quite more sweet. God, he turned 4 years old a month ago, Jason wished he was there to see it. He had a lot to make up for. If only Bruce hadn't him down like a wild animal. He was planning a visit to the zoo in Toronto when he had free time, he had to play on Coulson's(Or whoever's) good side. Jason picked that zoo because it was in Canada, and well, Canada is cold as hell.

Rex became quite popular in the Toronto Zoo, considering he was the first Kodiak bear ever in the zoo, there were only grizzlies. And he was making grizzlies look like dwarfs. Kodiaks made Grizzlies look like Grizzlies to black bears. The grizzlies were damn small compared to Kodiaks. That's what happened when you put a brown bear on a cold island with a shit ton of salmon. Jason once visited the Kodiak island with Rex, and they camped. It was...beautiful and nice. The first thing Jason was going to do when Rex got here and had free time- they were sure as shit visiting again, maybe invite the others(Except Hunter) to come as well to convince Coulson.

The problem was- how do you convince a person to recruit a Kodiak Bear? Jason could justify having Rex as a member of the team. Wojtek the bear existed but Rex could fight and he was a better tracker than any of the dogs Coulson could get. Smart as hell too(And young, Coulson wouldn't have to worry about Rex's retirement of old age for a while). The point was, that Rex could pull his weight and more. Jason really had to make a Power Point presentation on why Coulson should recruit a Kodiak Bear. Rex was a 'valuable asset' as Coulson puts potential candidates

"In the field, we use ICERs to avoid killing our enemies." May started as she handed Skye and Jason one each. Incapacitating Cartridge Emitting Railguns.

Jason was kinda stunt for a moment as he stared at the weapon in his hand. Were they actually joking? Wasn't SHIELD supposed to be a grey area? They weren't supposed to be like Batman?

"But they're trying to kill us," Jason responded as he shot her a deadpan look. If this was gonna be Batman and the 'no killing' rule, he was hanging over his batch, consequences be dammed. Were they screwing with him?

"Unlike you, we are not gun-totting psychos who wear helmets and have a personal vendetta against a homicidal clown." Skye made a snarky remark. Oh boy, if she only knew why he hated that clown so much.

This is what May meant by the two bickering like old married people. Jesus Christ, couldn't they get along for just once? They didn't have to like each other, but personal feelings didn't need to be in the field! It gets people hurt, it gets people killed.

"Skye," May warned. She didn't want this to escalate further. Because she would get another headache, and they were bad.

"At least I'm not some kind of Mary Sue," Jason remarked back. And she was not a Mary Sue in a good way. She thought she knew everything but she didn't.

Skye's jaw dropped in response as she started advancing towards him. She was gonna shoot him if she had a gun in her hand. "What the hell did you just call me you little-"

"You heard what l said," Jason responded.

"You expect me to believe that you're better than me? Newsflash kiddo, you were fighting street thugs with Glocks, this is fighting trained agents. You're only 14!"

Eh, her claim would have been true when he was Robin. But after he came back to life, and finished his training, that was no longer true. He did fight a lot of trained opponents during that time. Sure he fought some skilled assassins during his time as Robin but not a lot.

Jason shrugged. "What does age have to do with anything?" He was used to people telling him he should be in school instead of being a gun-toting psychopath.

"Because you should be at school now- like worrying about grades or girlfriends and-."

Jason rolled his eyes before he interrupted her. Normal went out the window Bruce found him. "I've been doing this for 9 years." 8 years if you don't count the year of torture.

Skye laughed in disbelief. "You seriously expect me to do that?" If what he said was true(which it was), he would have started at 5.

"Here we go again," May murmured as she pinched the bridge of her nose before she had enough and fired two Icer rounds into the ceiling. It got Jason's and Skye's attention.

"Will you just stop it for once?" The cavalry asked, exaggerated.

Jason and Skye stared at each other and didn't say a word.

"Wheel's up in ten. Get ready both of you." May said and started walking away before turning back to Jason. "And Jason, no Red Hood." With that, she left the shooting range. Jason expected as much, dressing as the Red Hood was just asking for Bruce to be on your ass.

"I don't trust that guy," Jason whispered as he stared down. They were hiding in the attic of the warehouse where the deal was going. Hunter, Isabelle, and Idaho were making the deal while Jason, Skye, Tripp, and May were back up and tracking them. The deal just started.

"If this deal goes right, he can provide us with intel," May responded. SHIELD didn't have a lot of connections left these days. They were on their own against HYDRA, and they were on the run from the US government. And this meant making connections with shady people...to be fair, Agent Browning was a SHIELD agent before.

"Of course, you don't like him. You don't like anyone who isn't broody." Skye responded in her comms. Yup, she still hated Jason.

"Skye, stop it!" May hissed back in the comm. They had to hear and watch the deal, not engage in bickering! Jesus, why couldn't the girl listen?

"Jeez, get a room already, you two." Tripp grimaced. It felt like a real-life sitcom with those two bickering like old married people.

"Ew," Skye responded as she grimaced in disgust. What the hell did he just say?

Jason stared at Tripp in disbelief. "Tripp, what the fuck? She's like, twice my age!" Jason didn't even find her attractive, he thought her haircut sucked. It didn't suit her. Plus, he wasn't legal! He was only 14!

May rolled her eyes. "She's 19, but it's still gross." She corrected. So this meant Jason and Skye had 5 year age difference.

"May!" Skye quietly yelled. She didn't want the little brat to think she was young! If he knew, she would lose some authority power.

"It slipped up okay!?" Tripp responded, embarrassed. "I'm not used to having a 14-year-old on the team." Jason shook his head in disbelief while May just facepalmed. She felt like running a daycare center for kids. Jason and Skye felt like the two children who didn't like each other and wouldn't quit it. Next time, she was gonna leave Coulson alone in a room with them... or just total Lola, see how he liked it. This was what he was gonna get for recruiting Jason wouldn't tell her first.

"Just watch them." May declared. She had enough of this, those two could continue their bickering when they got back to the Playground. "And keep quiet." She snickered. They didn't wanna expose themselves and screw up the deal.

"Fine," Skye grumbled and they started watching the footage on the SHIELD tablet.

"That’s what I’m selling." Agent Browning said and he opened the classified SHIELD file on the table. "I’m sure you’d like to see some credentials." He added as he took out his old SHIELD badge.

Isabelle looked at the badge. The badge was legit. What the hell else did he get his hands on if he was a SHIELD agent before the organization collapsed

Jason narrowed his eyes. He was kinda worried. He knew she wouldn't blow the job, but he didn't trust Idaho and Hunter. At least she was doing the talking, not those two.

"Agent Browning, for ex-S.H.I.E.L.D., you seem awfully indifferent to who we are," Hartley responded calmly.

Browning put the badge back in his back pocket. "What you are is the highest bidder's henchmen. Whether you’re in it for profit or for Hydra, it doesn’t concern me, not anymore." Yeah, they went along with the cover that they worked for the Red Hood so the 'highest bidder' would be more believable and show that they weren't talking out of their ass. The criminal underworld thought the Red Hood was rich.

"Yeah, fuck this guy," Jason whispered. Sure, the guy could provide them with intel, but what would happen if HYDRA became the highest bidder? Or even worse, the US government. Browning was those kinds of people, the ones who were in it for the money. He'd screw them over in a heartbeat if it meant a bigger paycheck. Jason didn't feel like going to jail, he felt like going down and threatening Browning with murder if he didn't provide them with the intel or if he sold them out in the future.

Tripp shook his head "I don't like this, man." He added.

"You think?" Jason responded.

May held a hand up, signaling them to be quiet.

Skye's voice spoke in the comm channel. "May, should we go in and-"

"Not yet." May interrupted.

Isabelle played along and nodded."That’s what we want to hear."

"Where is he? The Red Hood? I heard he...preferred to do things face to face rather than send his own men." Browning asked cautiously.

Isabelle chose her words carefully. "He's...." She paused. "Watching."

The man raised an eyebrow and looked around "Watching?"

She smirked and nodded "Yeah, watching." She knew that it would get Browning more agitated since the Red Hood was known for being ruthless and that he always got what he wanted. Although she didn't know Jason was actually here the whole time. She didn't know about Skye, May, and Tripp either.

"What are they buying from him?" May wondered.

"Intel, not hardware," Tripp responded. Jason scoffed at his response. He still didn't trust that guy. And he sure as hell didn't appreciate them using his reputation as a weapon, well he didn't mind it but um, Batman exists so yeah. He preferred to keep things low-key

"I want to see the money," Browning ordered, growing more agitated. He wanted to get the hell out of there. Those two men he brought along weren't gonna save him from the crimelord.

Idaho stepped forward and put a white suitcase on the table. It was filled to the brim with money. Browning was about to reach it with his hand but Hunter quickly closed it and rested his elbows on the table." The mystery I’d like to solve is, why should we be paying you so much. This looks like a box. Sorry… a picture of a box… a picture of a box you don’t have"

Jason and May narrowed their eyes.

"The government has it, along with thousands of other assets they’ve seized from S.H.I.E.L.D., and they don’t know what to make of half of them. I worked in a S.H.I.E.L.D. containment facility that had hundreds of boxes that looked just like this. But this is the only one that has a level 10 classified file dedicated to it." "You are selling us a needle in a haystack," Isabelle said.

"I have a location-"

Jason had enough. He jumped down and shot Browning's two men in the head.

"Jason!" May exclaimed as the two dead bodies dropped to the ground. Jason grabbed the former agent by the shirt and pinned him against the wall. "I wanna know where we can find that box."

Browning responded calmly. "You ain't gonna kill me." If they came to him, they needed him. Poor choice of words, but he didn't know he was talking to the Red Hood. Sure, Browning knew the teenager was connected but Jason actually being the crimelord? Nope.

His response got him a bullet in the thigh. Jason moved his handgun's barrel to Browning's chin. "Do l look like Batman to you?" Jason growled, his tone dark and menacing. " Rethink your answer before l fill you up with lead."

"Jason! Stop it!" May ordered loudly as she, Skye, and Tripp jumped down. This was not part of the plan.

"Give her your phone," Jason ordered as he nodded towards Isabelle. If he was working for the government, Jason was gonna crack his skull open and leave him brain dead.

Browning complied as he slowly took out his phone from his front pocket and threw it at her. Isabelle grabbed it and started going through it. Intel, contacts, anything that might show that he was setting them up, or more intel.

"Well, well, well, would you look at that," Isabelle said before she whistled. Of course, Browning wasn't that stupid to put pictures of files on his phone but...well, it was a setup, by yours truly.

"What is it?" May asked as she walked towards her. Isabelle turned the phone around and waved it around for everyone to see. "Agent Browning was setting us up. He's been chatting with our one and only General Talbot." She responded as she scrolled through the messages. Browning was planning to give them a location of the wrong base, which would have resulted in them going in and getting locked up. Genius, really. When Talbot found out that SHIELD was gonna contact Browning, he made the guy a deal- the government would pay triple in exchange for Browning to send the team the location of the wrong base, and that 'wrong base' was gonna be full of US military armed to the teeth

Jason looked at her and then back at Browning.

May knew what he was thinking. He was gonna murder Browning.

"Jason don't-" May started but it was too late.

Jason headbutted him and shot him in the head after the former agent fell from the impact of the headbutt.

"What the hell man!?" Tripp asked in disbelief. Browning was not dangerous, he was unarmed, and his men were killed. He posed no threat!

Jason stood there unfazed. What were they expecting of him? To start crying? To feel guilty? Sometimes, he thought they were forgetting who he was. The last time someone tried to do the shit Browning pulled on him, it was in North Korea, and the people turned out to be cannibals. And he murdered them. He wasn't gonna let Browning live if he tried to set them up.

"Bloody hell mate," Hunter murmured as he looked at the dead bodies.

Skye walked forward and punched the vigilante in the face. He didn't even flinch. "Listen to me you little piece of shit," Skye started.

"Guys," Idaho said nervously.

"You are not in charge here-" Skye continued

"Skye-," May said calmly but got interrupted.

"No! He needs to listen! He needs to know this isn't a daycare where he can do whatever he wants." Skye interjected and turned back to Jason "You think you can just go around killing people like it's nothing!? This. Is.Not.Gotham. Who gives you the right, huh? Who gives you the right to just shoot people without hesitation?"

it's kinda ironic really, because who gives them the right either? Because SHIELD is classified as a terrorist organization, they weren't exactly on the moral high ground either.

Skye knew that sometimes you had to kill, her problem was that Jason fully executed Browning. Plus, Skye didn't trust Jason, not even a single bit. She didn't want another Ward. If Jason betrayed them, she was gonna kill him herself. God, she didn't know what Coulson saw in him to recruit him. Maybe what he saw in her back then? She wasn't exactly a flower either when she first joined SHIELD. Heh, she was fighting against them, not literally, but she hacked into them.

"GUYS!" Idaho yelled. Everyone turned to him. "WHAT!?" Everyone yelled back. Idaho pointed a finger at them. Someone was behind them. Everyone slowly reached for their firearms before turning around and started shooting at the person. The man recoiled at the shots fired at him but they did not hurt him. He grabbed the file from the table and started running towards a closed window.

He crashed through it but didn't fall. Jason was holding him by the jacket's collar with ease. So he removed the jacket and fell off. Jason grunted in response. He couldn't fall off too and started chasing the dude, that would show that he's....special. It was a fucking 25-foot drop he could tank easily but that meant exposing himself. And he knew what SHIELD and the index did to gifted people. Goddamn it, the vigilante thought as he shook his head. He went back to the others.

"Who the hell was that?" Idaho asked. An annoying piece of shit. Jason thought but he didn't respond.

"A third party," May responded

"A party’s what you’d call that?"

"You guys wanna explain what the hell you four are doing here," Isabelle asked. It was meant to be a solo operation with no backup. Not a full-blown operation. Jason shrugged. He wasn't sure either, May just told him to gear up and they went in. He could still feel Skye staring at him.

"We were your backup, which you clearly needed. But this smartass over here decided to play his usual edgy crimelord card and gun down your contact." She said as she nodded towards him. Jason rolled his eyes at her. Did she forget that Browning was gonna set them up?

"Well good job to him, because he saved us from a setup, in case you didn't hear," Hartley responded. Skye heard alright, she was just looking for excuses to lecture him and call him out.

"He's gone guys," Tripp added as he looked down the building. "25-foot drop." If only Jason could have somehow hid that he was special and go after the guy. He fucked up. Goddamn it.

Isabelle pulled out her phone and dialed Coulson's number.

"Sir, Mark was gonna set us up, he's dead. Third-party, possibly Hydra, and we’re out in the open. What are our orders?" She asked as looked around.

"Go dark." The director responded.

The team was driving back to the Playground. Yeah, this mission was a big fat fail. Jason was still thinking about that guy. Who the fuck was he? Was he like Jason? Goddamn it, he could have had answers if he jumped down and continued to chase him? Jason was at least on par with him when it came to durability, but the guy didn't have regeneration...probably. That was one of Jason's trump cards.

"Guys, who the hell was this guy?" Idaho asked nervously. Their bullets did nothing to them.

"I don't know man. I don't know." Tripp shook his head. They were all hoping he wasn't working for HYDRA because if he did, well, they were gonna have an even bigger problem.

"Skye, once we get back to the Playground, do research on him." May ordered.

The hacker nodded in response. "Got it."

"And Jason...." May started. Jason lifted his head at the mention of his name, snapping out of his thoughts "That was really stupid and risky, but it worked. But don't pull that stunt again." She finished her sentence.

"Well, you gotta give him some credit. The kid saved us from a setup. Nice job kid." Isabelle said.

"Yeah, good job lad," Hunter added. He didn't compare Jason to his ex-wife? That was a moment of history! TAKE A PICTURE!

"And would have killed an intel provider if he was wrong," Skye responded.

"But l wasn't. The guy was gonna screw us without a second thought if he got paid more. And he did."

May shook her head. "Talbot's gonna be pissed." The army general had been hunting SHIELD down like a lion-hunted prey.

"You mean that US general on the news?" The former crimelord asked. He had seen the news once in a while. And Talbot was always on the screen. This guy was patriotic as all hell.

May deadpanned in response. "The one and only," Skye responded before May could. "We should offer him to you. Maybe he'll stop hunting us down." Another passive-aggressive comment from Skye. Great. But Talbot didn't really win anything from Jason. The Red Hood was a small city (That was now destroyed) crimelord.

Talbot could win a lot if he had proof that Jason was the one behind North Korea or that Jason confessed, but fucking good luck with that. Jason wasn't confessing to jack-shit. He knew those sons of bitches working for the UN were probably celebrating back then because they didn't have to deal with a dictatorship country with nuclear weapons.

"Anyone want to put that to a vote? Raise your hand if you want to." Hunter said and raised a hand. No one else did. And he could feel Jason's death glare piercing right in his skull. And the vigilante had that 'I'll chop you to pieces' look in his eyes.

"Just saying," Hunter murmured under his breath.

The team had returned back to the Playground. Heh, home sweet home. They were walking together, talking. Hell, they did that most of the time.

"Our black-market contacts were the reason the guy believed we weren’t with SHIELD," Hunter said.

Jason scoffed at that. "Yeah, and he only agreed to the meeting because you lied you worked for me." They were co-workers, they didn't work for him. Jason would never hire someone like Hunter.

"And he was gonna set us up. Browning had everything planned out." Hartley responded. The son of a bitch managed to drain out every last cent he could negotiate out of Talbot. She saw the messages and calls.

"Wait a minute," Skye responded and everyone stopped in their tracks. "He didn't know we were working for SHIELD. He knew Hunter and Isabelle were working for you. Talbot wants-"

"I was there too, you know." Idaho interrupted her. Jason, May, and Skye rolled their eyes.

May shrugged at what Skye said. "The military wanting a famous vigilante locked up is old news." Just take a look at Tony Stark, sure they did not want him locked up but they sure wanted access to his suit and technology. He got away because he was famous and rich...that was some of the reason.

"Maybe Talbot found out Coulson recruited me," Jason said. Well, the worst care scenario that he was worrying about was that Talbot had somehow figured out that he was the one behind what happened in North Korea. Political assassination was not taken lightly.

"Maybe..." May considered.

"Talbot or not, we can't maintain solid cover with agents tailing us." As much as Jason hated to admit it, Hunter kinda had a point..a little, but that didn't change anything between them...that sounded weird.

"And we can’t be sure you won’t run off with the money," Skye responded. Another valid argument.

" Any idea how that freak show found us?" Idaho asked

"Oh, l don't fucking know," Jason responded, his tone full of sarcasm. "It's not like he didn't put out the word on the entire criminal underworld. It's not like we didn't find out that way."

"What he said," Isabelle responded.

"And he paid for that mistake." May deadpanned.

"That's an understatement," Hunter added.

They all swiped their keycards as they entered.

"Agent May. Agent Skye. Lance Hunter. Isabelle Hartley. Agent Todd. Idaho. " The computer spoke out before the door closed behind the five.

Chapter Text

"Director wants you to debrief," One of the Koenig brothers said after he walked after them in the living room. He took the suitcase from Hunter, no one in their right mind would have trusted him with the money.

Jason couldn't tell who of the brothers this Koenig was. They were fucking twins, triplets, whatever. It was like there were thousands of them! Holy shit, how did their mother carry that much of them when she was pregnant? Jason didn't know who it was, but it was Billy.

Hartley was reloading her handgun. "The feeling is mutual. Throw him up on the big screen. We’ll tell him that his enemies have gone bulletproof." Oh boy, if only they knew about Jason during that time. This would have ended a lot quicker. He regrew his right hand,  had his heart explode(and almost died, Talia is a bitch), his pinkie, and his ring finger on his left hand. He also got mauled by Rex's mother(And mind you, Rex was a Kodiak bear!) And he took it like it was nothing! Jason was the American hospital's worst enemy!

Jason would have wiped the floor with Creel if he didn't have to hide that he was...special. Or if Rex was with the team during that time. God, Jason had to really talk to Coulson about bringing that bear on the team. He missed it, a lot.

"He's in his office," Billy responded. Hunter let out a low whistle while Isabelle raised an eyebrow in surprise. Yeah, like l said, Coulson wasn't in the Playground most of the time. He was too busy facing recruits face to face.

"Coulson’s here? Kind of buried the lead there, Bill." She responded. She started walking to the office.

Billy raised a hand "Just Agent May."

"Copy that." Isabelle nodded and walked away. May nodded at Billy as she set down her gun belt.

Now was Jason's chance. To bring Rex. Jason promised to him that he'd come back. And he sure as hell wasn't gonna let the bear spend the rest of his life in a zoo, no matter how good the care was. It was supposed to be temporary, a week at the max, not months. Rex deserved better than that. He was through a lot. He was with Jason ever since he was a cub, merely a month old. Jason was too good with animals for his own good, taking care of a cub whose mom mauled him.

Jason got to know the team, he felt like it was safe...for now. He was planning on leaving some supplies near the base in case things go south. Especially if they found he wasn't normal. This was SHIELD. The same fucking organization that was known to be even worse than the goddamn CIA. But he would do anything to survive...thrive. He would have joined HYDRA if he had to(But double-cross them the first chance he gets). "I've killed all those people... done the things I've done...because it's all about survival now. People....they measure you by what they can take from you. You either fight or die, you have to come for them before they come for you, it's that simple",

You know, his dad wrote in letters when he was in prison, to never put your life in someone's hands, that they're bound to steal it away. Jason did it once with Bruce, it was not gonna happen again, not now, not ever. Coulson caught him off guard.

"You tell him that l want to talk too." He said. He was cleaning up his handgun with gun oil. He paid a lot of money for one of those, he'd be damned if he let them get in poor condition.

"Yeah, you can't just demand a meeting whenever you want. This isn't Gotham." The Koenig brothers responded. Jason shot him a stern glare as he looked up from his handgun. "I wasn't asking, Sam." The vigilante guessed which one of the brothers it was. It was a 50/50 chance of him guessing really.

"It's Billy. And my answer is the same. No" Billy was composed.

Jason holstered his handgun and took a step toward him menacingly. He hasn't tried to be scary since he went on that rampage on Gotham and even right now he wasn't as scary as he was back then. He was bulky during that time, and now he was...decent? Not skinny but not bulky.

"Then you better tell Coulson it's important, and that it would be a real shame if the Big Bad Red Hood murdered one of his employees." He whispered menacingly. He was called that before, might as well embraced it and used it to his advantage.

May rolled her eyes. "You'll get your meeting. Just don't chop Billy into pieces." She finally spoke up as she grabbed a folder from her duffle bag. She knew Jason wouldn't have wanted to speak to Coulson if it wasn't important, or personal.

"Good," Jason replied calmly and she climbed the stairs. He was secretly grateful, but he wasn't gonna say thank you.

"Oh so the lad can arrange meetings but l can't? Tell Coulson I’d like to voice my opinion, too, on being kept in the dark, ‘cause I don’t like being left… out." Hunter called out as he watched the Cavalry disappear.

"Jason at least is scary, you're not," Skye responded to Hunter's comment. It was true, Hunter was a mercenary while Jason was well...a former crimelord who was basically a Batman with guns, it was hard to beat that.

"Well excuse me for not being an edge lord," Hunter murmured under his breath. That got him a stern look from the vigilante.

"May told me that you wanted to talk to me." Coulson started, his expression showing no emotion. Jason slowly took a seat in one of the chairs.

"Yes." The vigilante responded quietly and calmly.

"You get your paycheck every month if that's what you're here to talk about." His paycheck was 4 grand a month. That might not have seen much, but Jason didn't have to pay taxes(Perks of being a terrorist organization) or rent and bills, so he didn't complain too much about the salary. Jason expected much more though, you'd think government super spies would get paid better. I mean, look at an FBI agent's salary.

Jason shook his head at Coulson's response. "That's not what I'm here to talk about." Right now, he didn't give a shit about salary, just getting Rex to here.

"You're here to talk about how you saved us from a setup?" It was nothing really, Jason just knew what kind of man Browning was, any experienced guy would have seen it coming.

"Nope." Jason instantly replied and then thought for a moment. "Actually yes. Now that you know l can pull my weight and more...."

"Yes?"

"I'd like to ask you if Rex can come."

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Rex?"

"He's a bear. And he's a better tracker than any dogs you've got."

Coulson winced at the comparison. "For the record, we don't have any dogs since the HYDRA attack."

The Red Hood shrugged."Well, you've got a bear now."

Coulson smiled. " I haven't even said yes."

"You will."

"Let me guess, you're gonna talk about Wojtek the bear to try and convince me." The director responded as he propped his elbows on the desk. He had read a lot of history, plus, he saw a documentary about the legendary bear.

"He can carry your ammo crates if you want him to. And Wojtek was a Syrian brown bear, Rex is a Kodiak." Jason added, his tone dry. Rex was a large Kodiak at that.

"Kodiak?" Coulson responded, trying to remember what Kodiaks were. "Those were...the giant brown bears right?"

"Yeah. That's what happens when you put a brown bear in a freezing climate with endless salmon."

Coulson smiled again. "And where did you get that bear from?"

"North Korea." Jason wasn't looking for a Kodiak Bear when he went there, it was an emergency. If Jason wasn't there to keep him alive, Rex would have died like his mother.

Coulson nodded slowly, his lips pursing. "You know, I thought l knew it all but you just...dropped a nuke on me with this. Are you gonna what really happened in North Korea if l asked you?"

Jason shook his head, maintaining eye contact. "No." He replied simply. Coulson was the last person Jason would talk to about what happened in North Korea. Too many bad memories... Almost as bad as what happened that year in Arkham...That, and he's going on the index if he tells the truth. And that was not gonna happen. Coulson didn't know Jack about what happened in North Korea or who Jason was before. Jason was convinced the only thing the director knew was that he was the one who killed the leader, he didn't know about the other stuff. Damn, Ra's did a really good job covering up what happened there.

"I thought SHIELD directors were supposed to know everything," Jason added. Coulson not knowing about Rex meant that he didn't know Jason was gifted either. That was...good.

"Well, clearly not everything." Coulson was trying to read him, but Jason was good. He was like a closed book.

Jason stood up and walked around. He was growing annoyed. "Listen, I'm not here to spill and cry about my life story. Are you gonna recruit Rex- yes or no?"

Coulson stayed silent for a moment. Then he let out a sigh. "Alright, where is he?"

"In the zoo in Toronto. Come on, we're busting him out."

Coulson shook his head at the response. "Yeah, no, we're not busting a bear out. We need to keep a low profile." He could already imagine the headlines 'SHIELD agents break a Kodiak Bear out of the zoo' and they already got enough attention while HYDRA was just hiding under the shadows.

Jason stopped in his tracks and turned around. "And how do you propose we get him? Pretend we're a circus and that the bear belongs to us?" He asked, his tone full of sarcasm. If they said that they were a circus, the workers would call the cops on them and get filed for animal cruelty and labor, considering that's how most circuses treated their animals.

"I'll file documents, maybe bribe the owner of the zoo." It was better than busting Rex out of his enclosure with explosives.

"Fine," Jason responded. "But if you don't get Rex out within 2 weeks, I'm busting him out." He finished and left the office.

May just couldn't believe what Coulson had told her after his meeting with the former crimelord. "He has a Kodiak bear?" Most crimelords would have settled for a pitbull, a Cane Corso, or even a Kangal, but a damn Kodiak Bear?

"I'm surprised as you are. He said he found him in North Korea" Coulson responded.

"What the hell really happened in North Korea, Coulson?" May asked. They thought they knew all about it- the assassination, the shootout, everything, sure they were some things they couldn't fight because someone covered them up, but they should have known at least 90% of what happened! And right now, Jason had left them questioning what they really knew. And they were right, they didn't know anything, they didn't know what happened. The only people who knew what happened were Jason, Talia(That fucking bitch), and Ra's Al Ghul... maybe HYDRA...

"I don't know." Coulson shook his head. He had seen his fair share of adversaries, but Jason took the cake. And this was why Skye was mad at Coulson: He let Jason on the team when he didn't even know what really happened.

"Something I don't understand is why would a 10-year-old go commit a political assassination," Coulson added. Maybe there was another Red room? But Jason had the freedom to do whatever he wanted, and he didn't show any of the signs Natasha Romanoff did.

May raised an eyebrow. "You think someone forced him to?" Coulson was right, Jason was forced to. Talia Al Ghul made him go it. He couldn't do anything against a microchip explosive placed in his heart. And when he complied and did the assassination, she hit the detonator anyway. What a fucking bitch.

"Maybe." The director mumured.

"So what do we do now? Just let him walk around like nothing happened?"

Coulson thought about it. "Act normal, don't question him, he'll open to us eventually."

"Open to us? Coulson, you blackmailed him into joining, I don't think he's gonna open up."

"He did, he seems to care a lot about that bear." And Jason must have felt that this was a safe place if he wanted Rex there.

"What is his name?"

"Rex." Who the hell named a bear Rex? Jason, apparently, and before you attack him, he thought of it at the moment. He didn't have time to go through a name book and choose it. When he could have finally changed it, the Kodiak bear had gotten used to his name.

May raised an eyebrow at the name.

"Go lecture him about the name, not me."
May rolled her eyes. "We'll talk about this later." She responded and left the office.

"Did that guy just threaten me with murder?" Billy yelled quietly.

"Yup," Skye responded. She was getting used to it by now at this point, with how many times Jason had threatened Hunter and how many times he almost chopped the former SAS to pieces. Hunter had a way of getting on Jason's nerves.

"I don't like this guy," Billy grumbled as he crossed his arms. Yeah, this was a far cry from the brothers being fanboys. But anyone would change their mind after Jason threatened them with murder.

Skye narrowed her eyes. "Me neither." But they tolerated Jason because they trusted Coulson, Coulson wouldn't have recruited him if it wasn't safe or a good move. But hey, at least Jason was better than Ward a little... Skye would have loved to lock up Jason with Ward inside Vault D. They'd have gotten along just fine.

"Any leads on the metal shards?"

"I don't know. I'll ask May.

"Thank you for coming. All of you." Coulson responded to all of the people who entered the briefing room, May was first, Jason was second followed by Skye and Tripp. Hunter, Idaho, and Isabelle were the last ones. This was one of the things he missed about being not the Director- He didn't get a lot of time to spend with his team. Sure they met from time to time, but never had any missions.

"We have a DNA match," Coulson said as he turned on the TV with the remote, and an image of the guy showed up. "Carl Creel. He was on the index."

"More importantly, crossed off the index" May added. And this was why Jason never had to show them that he was special... not that they could have killed him anyway, he can regenerate but still, this was why he had to act like he was a normal human.

"SHIELD protocol. Sometimes hostile gifted individuals are put down."

Jason almost narrowed his eyes at Isabelle's comment but he had to play it cool. Oh boy, if only treated the Joker like that, Jason wouldn't have been tortured for a year and then blown up. Joker could have been classified as 'gifted'. He was probably the most insane person on the planet.

"Well, they didn’t do a great job here." Well, no shit Idaho.

"They didn’t try. Check who was the supervising agent." With that, Coulson pressed a button on the remote, and soon enough, a picture of John Garrett popped up.

"Who the fuck is he?" Jason asked. He never heard of that guy, he never had the chance to, It was only been a week.

"Long story short. He was HYDRA, he took alien blood, then he went nuts." Coulson responded.

The fuck? Jason thought as he raised an eyebrow. Coulson winced as he saw Jason's reaction. "It's a long story." Coulson was gonna tell him later if Jason wanted to, though it's a touchy subject.

"And now we've got his psycho ward stuck in our basement," Skye commented which got her a stern look from May.

"Not now, Skye." May ordered. Jason was really wondering what the hell he was getting involved with. He'd rather deal with Bruce than whatever this shit was.

Coulson tried to go back to the topic at hand. "Carl Creel was a boxer. Nicknamed the crusher. He can absorb it and transform the molecules of his body into that substance."

You wanna know Jason's advice when it comes to boxing? Boxing dominated the streets, that is until grapplers came. Boxing's greatest strength was also its greatest weakness- you can only use your hands, and you don't how to defend against takedowns or submissions. There was a reason why Albert King got his ass whooped by Bruce and Robins constantly. That, and they practiced pretty much every martial art or combat sport you can think of so... Ah, Muay Thai and their nasty low kicks, elbows, and knees. Don't forget about the clinch. And Judo with slamming your opponent on the concrete.

Hartley let out a low whistle. "Now, ain't that fancy."

Coulson had them trail General Glenn Talbot in a park. Turned out, that HYDRA was just hiding in the shadows, they found out that much by finding out the Nazis are all over the damn globe with the white noise messages. The director thought Creel was gonna fake an attempt to assassinate the general so he could get into that base. Great, just great...at least Bruce didn't have a chance of making a dramatic entrance since where they are is too far from Gotham, more than Bruce would like to travel. And second, Jason and the team would be long gone by the time Bruce showed up(Which would be hours).

So yeah, no sweating, it was gonna be alright...at least he hoped so. He was fighting someone like him, well not like him, they have completely different powers but...

"Tripp." May ordered in the comms. They were all dressed as civilians, and she was acting like she was buying a teddy bear for her child, and Jason was acting like he was selling balloons...this was extremely embarrassing for them, really embarrassing. At least Tripp was suffering with them, he was dressed like a drug dealer. But was Skye suffering? Not so much, she was on standby in her uniform. Hunter and Isabelle were too busy influencing Talbot's reinforcement team as a soldier.

Tripp followed May's order and bumped into Talbot, stealthily putting a phone in.

"Excuse me." Tripp apologized and walked away. Time for action. The phone rang and Talbot looked like he'd seen a ghost and told his wife something and she ran off after their son.

"Yeah, that's right. Walk away." Jason whispered as he watched. He didn't want them getting caught in the crossfire, no innocent civilians- that was the rule

Talbot took out the phone from his pocket and accepted the call. He sounded angry and then tore the phone in two.

"Jason, with me. Skye, cover for us." May instructed.

"Copy." Jason and Skye responded in union.

Alright. Keep calm. He thought as he and May advanced towards the general. He had called reinforcements. But that was Creel's plan all along.

Jason and May started throwing with him. Creel tried to get within punching range, but Jason stopped his advances with low and front kicks. And May well....she did a flying kick which sent the boxer falling on the hard ground. That was enough.

"Now!" May yelled and Skye shot the Taser projectile launcher at the boxer 2 times, causing him to

"YOU!" Talbot yelled at Jason and May, which caused the two to start sprinting away from him. The plan was that Hunter and Isabelle would bring him to the SUV, and Jason, May, and Skye would be there. Nobody would have known he was kidnapped(A necessary step of the plan was that nobody knew), and they would make their next part of the plan- they would infiltrate the base the 0-8-4 was in.

"Hi again." May greeted as Talbot entered the SUV and aimed her ICER at him.

"Son of a bitch." Talbot murmured.

Chapter Text

Coulson's office:

"Coulson, we got him." May's voice rang in the comm.

"LET ME GO YOU SONS OF BITCHES!" Talbot screamed in the background. Coulson shook his head. Talbot was not happy.

"Hartley, Hunter, come back to the Playground. And make sure no one is following you."

"Do you think I'm mental-" Hunter started but Hartley cut him off before he said something stupid. "Copy that, director, Agent Hartley out."

"Jason, Skye, May- Nice job." Praising Jason and Skye was important, had to boost Skye's confidence as a young agent and as for Jason...well, Coulson was trying to be a mentor of sorts, they were still figuring it out. Especially after the 'Bobbi Morse is the biological mother' bomb. At least Hunter wasn't the father....

"You!" Talbot yelled in desperation as he pointed a finger at Jason who was in the driver's seat. "Name your price soldier." Jason was the only face he didn't recognize, so he must have been new, right? Maybe he could be bought or negotiated with.

Skye aimed her ICER at the vigilante, she thought he would have taken the deal if the pay was high enough, and she wasn't gonna let a traitor catch them off guard again, not like last time.

"1 trillion," Jason responded sarcastically, unfazed that the woman aimed a gun at him. He was dead before, and he was shot before(a lot), he wasn't intimidated. As for the price, well, even if he wanted to, Coulson was gonna reveal that Jason was the one behind North Korea, and that would turn into a manhunt. And Jason didn't need that attention, and he wasn't gonna bring it willingly down on himself.

And no way in hell Jason was gonna work for one of the guys who probably had a hand in invading Gotham because of HYDRA attacking it. Jason was gonna snap Talbot's neck just for that.

May rolled her eyes and just shot Talbot in the chest, knocking him out. She heard enough of his talking for 2 lifetimes.

"You want me to interrogate him?" Jason asked as he and Coulson walked into the Bus. The team got back to the playground after they secured Talbot, and he just woke up in the "Cage", strapped to a chair.

"No. I've got it. And no offense, Talbot might end up with his neck snapped if you interrogate him. You get some rest, maybe bond with the others. You know what, that's a requirement." Coulson responded. He knew the vigilante may have had a bone to pick(Not really) with the general, consdering they almost walked into a setup due to Talbot bribing Browning...and the ex-SHIELD agent paid for that.

Plus, Coulson knew how to push Talbot's buttons without using violence. Manipulation tactics were more effective and less messy than beatings.

"And about Rex." The Director started.

Jason's eyes narrowed. What did Coulson want to know?"What about him?"

"How did you find him." It was not every day someone, a vigilante at that, just decided to have a pet Kodiak bear, unless you were some rich dude who loves exotic and wild animals. Jason was not one, he was a vigilante who killed.

"In North Korea." Jason had already told him before. Why is he asking again? Unless...

"Yeah, but as far as I've heard, Kodiak Bears don't live in North Korea. The story doesn't add up. Care to explain." Coulson had a good point. the country wasn't rich in wildlife, and they weren't Kodiak Bears.

Jason quickly thought a lie...well it was partly the truth, he'd just let out that he was mauled by Rex's mother.

"I found him in an enclosure when he was a cub." Jason started. Rex was barely a month old. He was a small furball with oversized paws. "His mother was used for breeding, and her cubs were gonna be sold on the black market," Rex and his mother weren't the only animals in there, they were severely mistreated and malnourished. There was a Siberian Tiger, a white Lion, and a Leopard. All of them were ready to be transported and sold on the black market. Jason let them out because he felt bad and the place was on fire, he couldn't let them die.

"I got them out because the place got on fire. His mother almost mauled me after l opened the doors," That was a lie, she did maul him. "And then she grabbed him and ran away." That was the truth. He did not see them until the cannibal village.

"What happened to his mother?" Coulson dared to ask. Jason looked away.

"His mother..." He started, and he still remembered it like it was yesterday." got cooked alive by cannibals" And then cut into her with melee weapons. I was captured by them" While he was dead, he managed to wake up while they were dragging him by his feet, then they told him to trust them, and he did... Not like he had a choice in the matter." and taken to their village " He was there, he saw it happen, the screams....sweet Jesus. Rex had to watch every single goddamn moment of that...Those people were in a village, and they were starving, and one day Jason guessed they finally snapped and ate whatever people and animals they found. "After that, l broke free, murdered them, "

"...But you'll cross someone's path. you'd do this to anyone, right? Besides, l already made you a promise." He killed the leader, with the same machete he used to cut into Rex's mother.

"freed whatever people were held captured, and l took Rex. And after that, l managed to leave the country." Jason wasn't gonna mention what happened next, that was a secret that he was taking to the grave with him. Coulson would freak out if Jason told him. Jason knew the director didn't know, and it'd stay that way. Unless Talia for some reason decided to talk(And why would she? There's no reason)

Coulson knew it wasn't the right time, but he was barely holding back the smug grin that was appearing on his face. He was right, May was wrong, and she hated being wrong. She was cautious of Jason, but would any monster or psychopath take care of an innocent defenseless cub like Jason did? NOPE! And he knew the vigilante wasn't lying, Coulson read him while talking. He was a proud dad and Jason was a good guy(Even though he was abandoned, Coulson will talk with Bobbi), despite being rough around the edges.

Coulson made a good decision bringing him into the organization. SHIELD could have used people like him before the HYDRA rose, they could now, and they were doing it

"And you left Rex in the zoo before you came back to Gotham. Why?"

"Because I didn't wanna put him in any danger," Rex almost died once, but Jason wasn't gonna let it happen again, that time Rex got lucky, real lucky. And Jason was right about not bringing Rex with him, the shootout happened. "I was gonna go back for him after l killed the clown, but as we all know, the bat started chasing me. And that would have put Rex in danger." This was another green flag for Jason being a good guy. I did the right thing recruiting him, the director thought

Jason was hoping Coulson wouldn't ask any other questions(Specifically, why did he murder the Joker, Jason didn't want pity.) And Thankfully, he didn't. Instead, He put a comforting hand on Jason's shoulder.

"I'm proud of you. You did the right thing."

Jason internally cringed at that. Why the hell was everyone interested in playing parental figures- first Coulson, then Mack, then May,(Eh, Hartley too but she was more like a cool aunt), what's next? Hunter telling him stories by fire about his missions in SAS? Oh wait, he was already telling stories about his 'She-devil-ex-wife' or whatever the hell he called her.

"And about your real mother. We found out who she-"

"I don't wanna know." Jason interrupted him sharply. She made her choices when she abandoned him to his father(Who wasn't a pretty flower), he didn't care if she did it to protect him or not, she pretty much indirectly ruined his entire life, the least she could have done is drop him off at a nice couple that she knew or something. Leaving a child in Gotham was just signing his death sentence or at best making him a criminal to survive. If only he knew that his real mother was the freaking MOCKINGBIRD.

Coulson nodded and let go of his shoulder. "If you ever need to talk to anyone, about anything, come to me or May. We won't judge." Yeah, Jason for some reason didn't believe that, especially if he showed he wasn't normal. Plus, by their standards, he had done pretty screwed up and immoral shit.

"Thanks, but no thanks," Jason responded awkwardly.

"The offer's always on the table. Now go get ready with the others. We've got a military base to break into.

"Are these straps really necessary?"

"You tell me."

"I guess.. to ensure your safety."

"I gotta be honest with you- bribing Browning to give us a location of the wrong base. That was a low blow. How the hell did you figure out that we were after the 084."

The general shrugged. "I did not know for sure, l was hoping for it. Thought you might want some of your toys back from me. And l paid the guy to give the buyers a fake location. " And then he found out about Browning.

"That's not a toy," Coulson responded harshly and his smile faltered. He had seen the description of it on Fury's toolbox, what it was, what it can do. HYDRA got their hands on it in the Second World War, but Peggy Carter stopped them. The world might not be lucky this time. They had to get to it before HYDRA got to it.

Talbot feigned nonchalance "So...Who is the new kid? He's the one who killed Browning, right?"

Coulson raised an eyebrow. "Why do you ask?" Why would Talbot want to know about him? Jason wasn't the only new face He's seen.

Talbot gestured with his hands. "Just...looked familiar, that's all." Why the hell would Jason of all people look familiar to Talbot?

"U-huh." Coulson nodded slowly, his eyes narrowing before he placed the file in his hand on the metal table. "But enough about my new recruit. Chasing us is a waste of resources, General. We’re the good guys and we can help you catch the bad guys."

"What do we tell Bobbi?" Mack asked as he threw a left jab at Isabelle, which she blocked with practiced ease. They still hadn't told Bobbi about Jason being there, they didn't know how to 'Hey, the kid you abandoned 14 years ago to protect him somehow became Gotham's crimelord and went on a murder spree'

"We tell her the truth." She responded as she threw a low kick at his thigh to keep him out of punching range. He winced at the hit, but he managed to keep doing it, she didn't hit him with full power.

"Just like that?" The engineer asked in surprise as he dodged a front push kick.

Hartley sighed. "Mack, blocking emotions is one of Bobbi's special talents." She was too goddamn good at it, She was stone-cold most of the time, never showed when she was emotional, and she was never personal, you'd think she was raised at the Red Room or someplace familiar. She always put the mission first, and she was ready to sacrifice anything for it. And she constantly lied and kept secrets- Hunter divorced her for that reason.

"That's what I'm worried about."

The female agent raised an eyebrow. Mack closed in the distance."What do you mean?" She asked

"I mean that-" JAB. Uppercut. Lead Hook.

"She will judge him before getting to know him. He's a good kid, Hartley, despite everything."

"Mack, he is a former crimelord who went on a murder spree in Gotham. And he is supposed to be dead. He 'died' 4 years ago"

"I mean..." Mack paused. "something must have happened for him to become this way." Mack and Bobbi always had been close, and to just see her son being so...different, so violent and dark. Plus his zero trust in the authority.

"Well, he was orphaned when he was 4 and Bob didn't do anything about it. AND he grew up in the shittiest city in North America." She responded and dodged the punches he threw. Yeah, Gotham was pretty bad. Bad. Every second person was probably a criminal at night.

'...and Bob didn't do anything about it' That was another thing he was mad at the Mockingbird- she didn't do anything. She claimed to 'protect' him. But even when Hope was born, Mack couldn't imagine doing anything like Bobbi did.

"Yeah, but what the hell happened after that? Who the hell trained him to be this way." Mack dived in for a takedown. Jason wasn't some youngster looking to make a quick buck. He was 14, but he was acting like a seasoned veteran. He kicked Batman and Robin's ass, plus, he killed a lot of HYDRA agents in Gotham's shootout.

"He's skilled that's for sure," Isabelle responded as she mounted Mack. "But you can't ignore that he went on a murder rampage in Gotham."

"I think that clown must have done something to him."

"The Joker?"

"Yeah him. Things looked really personal on the news back then." The way The Red Hood talked to the Joker on that bridge... And when Jason immediately tried to put a bullet in the clown's head when the vigilante was done with his monologue.

Hartley positioned her legs onto his shoulders and crossed her feet, putting him in a submission. Mack immediately tapped on her hand and she released him. You do not want to get into a woman's submission.

"You're getting better," Isabelle commented

"One thing l realized," Mack panted and reached for his bottle of cold water. "isn't Hunter technically Jason's stepfather?" He finished his sentence

"Well, Bobbi and Hunter are divorced so no." Mack nodded at her response. "

"The kid reminds me a lot of her when she was younger."

Hartley shook her head. "On appearance maybe, but she was never emo, and she was always dedicated to the mission. Jason? The kid is for no one but himself. He only joined because Coulson blackmailed him with something." The only thing she thought Jason and Bobbi had in common was that they were mysterious and they shared bickering with Hunter.

"I heard Skye say that he had a picture of him and a bear in his bags."

Hartley raised an eyebrow "In a zoo?"

Mack laughed. "No, no, she said he was right beside the bear. Looks like we've got a bear whisperer on our hands." If only they knew the shit Jason went through to save Rex.

"Well, we should ask him." They were trying to be nice to him, he was their close friend's son after all, and also a potential ally.

"Yeah like that's gonna happen. Skye said he froze and lied about it when she asked him."

"The bear must be important to him. Any new orders from Gonzales?" She didn't get the chance to join the call because she was too busy doing that deal with Browning(Massive fail).

Mack shook his head. "No, he said to continue to keep an eye on Coulson."

"Did you tell him about Jason?"

"No, no, I was hoping to keep the kid out of this for now."

"Bobbi's gonna get him involved anyway, like how she will with Hunter."

"You think he knows she is his mom?"

"Probably not. Coulson might know though." Mack winced at her comment. Coulson was gonna unleash hell on Bobbi.

Okay, Jason thought. He was lying in his bunk, laptop in his lap, thinking about that powerpoint presentation. How do you make a resume again? He never learned how to make a resume while he was in school or even if he did he wouldn't remember, hell, he never made it past 3rd grade thanks to a certain fucking homicidal maniac of a clown and his crazy love and sidekick. Okay, he was the Red Hood, he survived Arkham, and he survived North Korea, how difficult could writing a bear's resume be? Okay, if he was correct(And he was too lazy to google it), he had to write Rex's information. Rex didn't technically have a middle and last name, but it was a resume, and Jason already had names in mind ever since he had Rex. Okay, he started writing on the PowerPoint slide:

First name: Rex

Middle name: Kodiak

Last name: Bart

What else did people include in resumes again? Oh yeah, pictures. He opened his duffle bag and plugged an external hard drive into the laptop. Then he clicked on the files it had in it. It had only one folder with a name on it: Rex.

He double-clicked and the files in the folder emerged. There were a lot of pictures in there... from shortly after Jason found him to after they split up.

"I'll be back soon. I promise buddy. I promise."

Jason could feel tears forming in his eyes. Why did he have to be a goddamn fool? He should have listened to Slade, he should have fucking listened. He knew he had to take care of Rex, and he was happy with his life back then, but he couldn't have just left that fucking maniac roaming around Gotham while he hurt all those innocent people... What he did to the innocent people, what he did to Barbara, what he did to Jason, Jason couldn't just let him walk away to continue his rampage while Bruce just throws him in Arkham only for him to escape next month!

What was he on when he thought of the stupid delusional plan: Murder the Joker, and live happily ever after with Rex? But He should have known that Bruce was never gonna let him walk away after that. Jason was never that stupid, but why was he so stupid and delusional to think that plan was gonna work? Why....Fucking why? What was he thinking? He didn't realize it back when he was going back to Gotham but he gave up, after everything he went through to save Rex- he had to fight a fucking supersoldier to get to a lab, then get a damn failed supersoldier serum and mix his blood with it so the bear could have had a tiny chance at living.

"He's losing a lot of blood and fast."

"W-wha-what do l-"

"There is a medical facility on the border. Heavily guarded, but nothing you can't handle."

"WHAT THE FUCK ARE YOU SAYING!?"

"I AM SAYING THAT YOU CAN SAVE HIM BY GRABBING ONE OF THE SERUMES AND MIXING YOUR BLOOD WITH IT! THE LEAGUE CAN'T RISK GETTING EXPOSED THAT WE WERE THE ONE BEHIND THIS! NOW DO YOU GO TO THE FACILITY AND HAVE A SLIM CHANCE AT SAVING THIS POOR INNOCENT CREATURE YOU CARE SO MUCH FOR, OR DON'T GO AND IT DIES!? "

"How.Do.I.Get.There?"

"Talia, will you get this young detective instructions and transport?"

"Father, his body is falling apart, he'll-"

"I'm fine."

"GO! NOW! He doesn't have much time."

Well, they survived, didn't they? They got their little happy ending after Rex was saved...right? Jason had a lot of blueberry cakes and treats to make up for. At least they were gonna reunite soon hopefully.

Jason inserted a picture of Rex onto the slide, to the right end of it. What was next? Oh yes, qualifications, skills, and experience. Jason thought for a moment then started typing:

• A very skilled tracker will beat the hell out of any K9 or military dog
• Survived North Korea.
• Knows how to fight.

Jason couldn't hide the smirk that was forming on his face. Rex could fight okay, consdering the scuffle he got with another bear when he was young. Agh, proudest moment. Jason felt like the dad who heard that his son won the school fight. He felt like the dad again when he showed Barbara the pictures of Rex when the two were just talking at night after Jason 'rescued' her (She did that on purpose) from the people who were after her dad.

"I've..." Jason started, wondering how to say it. "I've got a bear now."

Oracle raised an eyebrow "A bear?"

The Red Hood nodded. He didn't manage to hide the smile that was forming on his face "Yup. A Kodiak. You, Dick, and Alfred would love him. Especially Dick." Here." He responded and he handed her pictures from his pocket with his gloved hand.

Barbara's heart melted as she flipped through the pictures. "He's so cute."

"Yeah, yeah he is, he's the best. He's my best friend." It was like they didn't just talk about the Joker a minute ago. He wished he could turn back, to the good old days...When they were one happy family but the clown blew it all the water with his tests, at least he got what he deserved.

Chapter Text

What other things do you add to your resume besides information about you and your qualifications? Jason was wondering exactly that but for a damn Kodiak Bear. Yup, a bear that is a grizzly on steroids and lives on the Kodiak Archipelago where it's full of salmon. Jason already typed Rex's basic information and qualifications, so what was next? Personality? That was written in a resume, right?

Personality: Rex is the most friendly and social bear you'll ever meet. He is basically a Giant brown golden retriever(Unless you threaten him or his loved ones) who can kill if it hugs you too hard. Despite that, he's good at his job. He is the best bear and a great emotional support animal. Plus, he's like Wojtek. (I'm gonna blow up the car you love so much if you don't recruit him)

Jason didn't cringe at what wrote because it was true. Rex was like that, he's the reason why he didn't become Arkham Knight. Heh, who knew the Red Hood could be such a softie? Originally, he picked Arkham Knight but oh well, he quit(Not that he even picked it up, it was just an idea) that name and chose the Red Hood after he found Rex. Still, he used it as a password sometimes. The name...Harley gave it to him while he was getting tortured.

Anyway, he thought he was...done? It was barely 3 slides(One was the title)... And He didn't know what else to add... Jason shrugged and saved the presentation. He was gonna over it again later. Now, Jason was sure that Coulson was gonna get Rex after a week or two. Or else Jason would just bust the bear out. Can you imagine the headlines? Heh. "A former crimelord and vigilante Red Hood broke a Kodiak Bear from the Toronto zoo out of his enclosure." He chuckled at the thought of it. He might just do it for the theatrics. Coulson might act like he's gonna punish him but he wouldn't do a damn thing.

Now he had to do a little shopping, well it was not gonna be small. Lazily, he moved the mouse and opened a new tab. "Bakeries near me." And he hit Enter and started scrolling down at the options. He picked the one with the highest rating - Simply Desserts. And it was actually near, it was 2 miles away. Now he had to call them. And he dialed the phone number in his phone.

"Simply Deserts how can l help you?" A worker greeted him. The voice sounded young, a woman around 25, maybe late 20s.

Jason thought for a second how to respond. He was caught off guard with this one "Hello." he responded awkwardly, hoping the worker wouldn't hang up.

"Hello."

Jason cleared his throat. "Yes, hello, I would like to order multiple cakes from you. Around 8 blueberry cakes to be exact but l would like to give you the berries I will hand-pick, not the ones you have in the store. And please, no chocolate in case you decide to add any." Rex was a BIG bear. Plus, he deserved extra for half of the year they were apart. And he would probably have to get an extra one if he decided to celebrate with the team(Yes even with Hunter).

  As he scrolled down the information a website had provided. It was for wedding cakes... Oh fuck.

" Of course sir, can you please give us a name and a time you will drop by to deliver us the products."

Jason again froze and thought, quickly choosing a name. "Jason..." He answered slowly. "Jason Tanner." Okay, he will admit, that he copied the name from Driver 3, but it was the first last name that came to mind and he couldn't use his real name, it's not like Reflections was gonna sue him. They went fucking bankrupt.

"And I'm not sure about when." He continued. Coulson was probably gonna call him and the other members of the team any second.

"Have a nice day." And the worker hung up. Eh, could have gone better. There was a thing he avoided thinking about: How was he gonna meet Rex? He left the bear at a zoo, and despite the plan being to go get him right after he killed the Joker, he still felt guilty about it. Jason missed his 4th birthday( It was 9th August, yeah he knew because of the files he found in the files about the animals back in North Korea), and captive bears lived at the max for around 20 years... Then again Rex does have a serum running in his blood, Jason wouldn't be surprised if he lived longer.

The point was, that he abandoned Rex to go after some stupid revenge... Why did Jason have to give up on Rex? Why couldn't he have been more selfish for once- just forget about the clown and walk away, never come back? Sure, he had a lot of beef with the Prince of crime, but a big part of Jason murdering him was what he did to all of those innocent people. At least now... He didn't have to worry about the Joker, but then again, Quinn is still alive.

Jason didn't really regret going after the Joker, but he sure as shit did regret how he did things with Rex. But he wasn't gonna bring the bear anywhere near Gotham but... Rex was supposed to be there for a week maximum.

Sometimes he wondered if he was....like her. Always after his own(or SHIELD's) agenda, no matter what is in the way. Ironic, wasn't it? Abandoning your own child/bear for 'justice' and 'for the cause', even though Jason only meant it for a week, and his real mother...well, she did it for his entire life. And he swore to god, if Coulson told him who she was, he was gonna chop him into pieces. He didn't care, he was way beyond that drama, all he was focused on now was surviving and most importantly- getting Rex back. He was done playing the hurt and angry middle child. And he was done with parental figures.

Coulson treated him well and didn't force himself as a parent, May was more like a friend he closely related to, Mack was the big and chill older brother, Hartley was the cool aunt but didn't really give a shit about what he was doing, and she was not trying to play parent, Tripp was the same as Mack. Hunter barely qualified as an Uncle, and Jason almost murdered him so many times, that you'd think the Brit would learn at this point.

Was Bruce really that bad of a father figure? Well, he did dress children in colorful suits to commit crimes with him at night. There was a reason why Dick left after all, and it did get Jason tortured and then blow up. Looking back on it, there were some flaws but Jason didn't really care when he first started, it beat the hell out of the streets.

Or maybe all that torture and manipulation made him forget the good times with Bruce and made him remember only the bad. The Red Hood didn't know what the Joker was planning but it sure as shit worked to a degree because he didn't remember jack. Or he was too young and forgot everything overtime.

He remembered when he visited his 'grave' and saw what was written on the tombstone. Good soldier, huh? No...good son? No good nothing? Just...good soldier?

"You know, sometimes l really wonder: Did you really love me like a father would love his son? Or did you see me as just a Robin replacement?"

"You were never a replacement-"

"I was. Just like the new guy is. Tim, right? You replaced me with him six months after that psycho kidnapped me."

"How are you alive?"

"Guess l got better."

"This isn't the way. You can come back from-

"this. Don't let the Joker win. Blah, blah, blah. You sound like Barbara. Listen, Bruce, I'm not interested in being the angry ghost that seeks revenge. I'm alive . I choose to live . Once l kill him, and his...psycho girlfriend, I'll be on my way. I promise you, you'll never, ever, see me again. It'll be like...The Red Hood was just a ghost who disappeared. You and the GCPD can tell whatever story you want- The Red Hood died, disappeared,   committed suicide. Take your pick."

"I can't allow you to kill the Joker."

"You say that as if you have a choice. I'm giving you one last warning. Stay out of my way. Or you'll have to bury another soldier."

"I should probably go print his Medical document," Jason murmured, shutting the laptop and holding it under his armpit.

"Hey, Billy." He called out, remembering his name this time. The short agent looked up from his tablet.

"What?"

"Where are...the printers?"

"They're in the lab," Billy responded and looked at the screen again. Jason raised an eyebrow at that. Who the hell put the printers in the lab? Why not put it.....in the Kitchen or something?

"......Where's the lab?" Jason asked.

Billy looked up again and sighed. "Down the hall, then you turn right." He explained and pointed at the hallway.

"Thanks," Jason murmured, trying to sound grateful.

"No problem," Billy responded and resumed typing on the tablet.

The teen took a step forward. "And Um....sorry l threatened to kill you earlier."

Billy laughed. "It's okay. You have no idea what my brothers and l said to each other in COD lobbies."

You weren't a gamer if you've never experienced CoD lobbies. People cursing at each other, threateing to kill each other, screaming at little kids. Ah, those were the days.

Oh, that brought Jason a funny story.

"One time, l insulted a guy at an Xbox party. Back in the day, the host could see everyone's IP address. I insulted him and well...he said he'd come to my house and kill my dad. The joke was on him. My dad was dead." Jason responded and he bit his lip at the last sentence. "I didn't think much of it, l logged off. 4 hours later, l see a car parked outside and some dude waiting... He came to my home...with a Glock."

"Oh wow, that sounds....insane. What did you do?"

"I beat him to a pulp, moved him to another street, and called 911 before my mentor could see it."

Billy chuckled "Wow, your mentor must have been a hell of a guy, huh?" Yeah, well, it was the freaking Batman.

Jason's expression darkened and he looked away, licking his lips. "That he was." If only he minded his own business and wasn't chasing him. Or hit his throat with a Batarang.

Billy nodded slowly, noticing he had hit a sore subject. He cleared his throat. "You should probably get going now. To print......whatever you're gonna print."

Jason nodded. "Okay. Talk to you later." With that, he walked down the hallway.

"Oh wait!" Billy yelled out. Jason turned back.

"What?"

"You wanna play COD sometime? Or GTA online?"

"Sure!" Jason responded and continued walking.

"Alright, printer, printer, printer," Jason murmured under his breath, looking around the lab. Where the hell was that thing? This lab reminded him of the fucking facility in North Korea...Where he shot his way in and cost the DPKR probably decades of research. And oh, he killed their super soldier.

"Hey! Hey! You um...Need.... Any help?" A person asked as he waved.

"Fitz, did you take your medication?" Simmons said.

"Yes, Simmons," Fitz responded and lifted the bottle in his head. "Yes. I took it."

"Just making sure." Simmons apologized.

"It's not helping me, Simmons." The scientist grumbled and ran his hands over his face. Everyone treated him like he couldn't do anything since... he almost drowned. Yes, he can't speak like he used to, or use his hands like he did, but he still had ideas. He's tired of everyone treating him...like he's gonna break.

He trusted Ward and he ended up in the bottom of the ocean for it. It was not his fault, the box was supposed to float but it broke...And now- here he was. And Simmons is gone. She left him.

"Healing takes time. You're doing great." She responded "Remember, the steps you take don't need to be big, they just need-"

"To take in the right direction I know."

"That's right." She nodded, smiling.

"I gotta...get back to..." Fitz stammered and started snapping his fingers.

"Get back to work." Simmons finished. And she turns to the door, looking at a blonde young man entering with a laptop in hand.

"Who is that young man?" Simmons asked as he looked around.

"I ugh...don't know." Fitz shrugged.

"Well, he's looking for something, you should help him." She suggested.

"I, ugh, no-"

She put a hand on his shoulder. "Come on, he looks just as anxious as you are." She let out a soft sigh, giving the young man a pity look. "Poor thing, he must have been in the hospitals a lot. Look at the way he's looking and standing."

"Y-Yeah." Fitz stammered and put a finger on his mouth.

"Did Coulson announce a new member? Or is he just a guest?" She wondered, tapping a finger on her cheek.

"N-no. They must have...am... kept me out of the loop."

"Well, you should get to know him. Come on, he looks like he wouldn't hurt a soul." Oh boy if she had an idea of what he had done to survive and save Rex...She wouldn't say that again.

"No, I-"

"Fitz, come on."

"Fine. Fine." He gave in and threw his hands in the air, then stared at the floor.

"Well? Go." She said impatiently.

"W-What... am, should l tell him?" The scientist asked as he pointed in the direction of the person.

"Simply ask him if he needs any help." She responded quickly.

"Okay, Okay."

"Hey, do you need any help? Hey, do you need any help?" He murmured under his breath, inhaling deeply and then exhaling.

"Hey! Hey! You um...Need.... Any help?" Fitz yelled as he waved. Goddamn it. This was terrible.

The young man looked at him, and Fitz put a finger on his mouth.

"Actually...Yeah." The blonde responded and he walked towards the scientist.

"Where are the printers?" He asked.

"Oh this is perfect, you're gonna get to spend time together," Simmons added.

"Simmons, please, ummm," Fitz said as he looked at the imaginary figure that was right beside him.

"You're talking to your subconscious," Jason said. Fitz almost jumped.

"How does he know?" Simmons asked baffled.

"No, I, ugh-"

"It's alright." Jason interrupted him. "It happened to me once..." He added quietly as he stared at the floor.

"Let me tell you something man...I calculated it. You are gonna move exactly 52 steps, then you'll give up."

"You gotta get up sweetie..."

"GET THE FUCK UP!"

"Oh, umm." Fitz didn't know how to respond.

"I like him. A lot. He seems like he can relate to you. And he isn't treating you like the others do. There's something that isn't normal about him." Simmons spoke as she tilted her head.

"Can you show me where the printers are?" Jason requested again.

"Right, uh...follow me," Fitz said and they started walking.

"Ask him what his name is," Simmons said.

"What's your name," Fitz repeated after her.

"Todd. Jason Todd." Jason responded as they stopped at the printers.

"Um, Fitz," Fitz responded.

"Nice to meet you."

Most of the people would be staring at him awkwardly by now, or think he's crazy, but Jason is... rather unfazed. As if he's been like him before.

"Right, ugh." Fitz clapped his hands together. "What do you uh- What do you want to print?"

"Just the opened file on the laptop," Jason responded as he set the laptop on the table and looked for a cable.

"No, ugh, let me take... care of it," Fitz said quickly and put his fingers on the keyboard.

"I can do it my-"

"No, ugh, it's wireless. You need to connect to the HP app to use it." Fitz responded and he typed on the Google search.

"Okay..." Jason shrugged and waited patiently.

"Ask him questions," Simmons whispered in Fitz's ear.

Fitz turned his head to Jason before turning it back to the screen.

"Ugh... How old are you?" Fitz asked, "If you don't mind me asking."

"Fitz..." Simmons said disappointed. "This isn't how you ask people for their age."

Jason raised an eyebrow. "14." He replied as if he was an adult.

Simmons' mouth was wide open. "He's a bloody giraffe and he's only 14!? His parents must be giants!" Yeah well, Willis was 5'11. He was average. But Bobbi? Oh, hell, she was 6'5, maybe even more.

"You?" Jason asked. Fitz stopped typing for a second.

"27," Fitz responded and Jason nodded in response but didn't reply.

"What files does he want to print?" Simmons wondered and she leaned in to look at the screen.

" Fitz, he wants to print a medical file of a bear!" Simmons exclaimed.

"Ugh...Why do you want to ugh print a file of ugh a bear?"

"Is that a problem?" Jason shrugged and for a moment, he looked like he was gonna put a bullet in Fitz's head, before going back to being nonchalant.

"No, no," Fitz responded quickly.

"Sorry if l...scared you." Jason apologized quietly . He remembered North Korea very well, and what he did to save Rex. He didn't like to think about North Korea but he constantly thought about Rex...And He'd be damned if he let something happen to him now.

"그를 위해 죽어야 한다 해도 내가 겪지 않을 일은 없습니다." (There's no thing that l won't go through, even if l have to die for him)

Maybe you shouldn't have been absent for 6 months, you selfish prick. He thought. He had everything and he just...threw it away. For what? For revenge. Well.... he got it.

He was gonna get that bear back or else he would blow his own brains out...

"It's alright." Fitz shrugged it, although Jason could tell he was nervous.

May entered the lab and sighed in relief. "Where have you been?"

"Getting some documents ready," Jason responded awkwardly, like he'd been caught commiting murder.

"Forget the documents. We need to go. Now."

"Now?" Jason asked

"Now." May repeated and walked away.

Jason sighed, running a hand through his hair and turning back to Fitz. God, he needed a haircut.

"Will you keep the documents for me? Until l get back?"

Fitz nodded. "Sure."

"Thank you." With that, Jason left the lab.

"He seems nice...Strange but nice." Simmons said.

Chapter Text

"Jason, l need to talk to you for a minute. Everybody out." Coulson said

"Coulson, what the hell are you two gonna speak about? Some secret-"

"Skye, out," May said

"But-"

"Out." May repeated.

"Come on, girl. Boss's orders." Tripp said, putting a hand on Skye's shoulder. Skye didn't protest but she gave Jason one last deadly glare that could freeze hell over. Yet, Jason's stare was colder, as if he was gonna slit her throat open if she continued to test his patience.

"You too." May ordered. Hartley rolled her eyes and grabbed Hunter and Idaho by the collar of their shirts.

Thud

"WHAT THE BLOODY HELL-HEY! BE CAREFUL WITH THE SHIRT! IT WAS A GIFT FROM THE EX!" Hunter's yelling was heard outside.

"I thought you hated your ex!"

"I do hate her! Screw the demonic hell beast! But it's a   really nice shirt!"

"We should have thrown you out the window to go after the bullet sponge," Hartley said. "God, A literal teenager is more mature than you."

"That bloody edge lord is more emo than my ex! And she was the literal devil!" Oh boy, he doesn't realize that this emo is the devil's child.

"For god's sake, if l have to hear one more time of you complaining about Bob, I'll slap you."

"The she-devil-"

SLAP

Coulson winced at the sound of that. Jason barely held back the smirk as he imagined the view.

"I warned you."

"Uh, Uh-"

"You want some as well?"

"No, no!"

"Good. Now, go get ready. We're gonna invade a US base."

"God, that wind must have knocked the winds off him. Good thing May doesn't do that." Coulson said

"Don't tempt me." May warned as she gave him a glare.

Jason raised an eyebrow. "Should we be worried that we have domestic abuse in the base?" He said sarcastically.

Coulson and even May froze at that. They? Together? What?

Coulson adjusted his tie nervously.

"Jeez, it's getting kind of hot in here. Anyone else feel hot."

"Why are you so anxious about it? You're....together aren't you." The vigilante took a step forward, confused

The director tilted his head. "What makes you think that?"

"We're the parents who babysit agents," May added, her voice deadpan

"And you have a daughter," Jason added.

Coulson and May stared at him as if they were kids who had gotten caught with their hands in the cookie jar.

"Daughter-who?"

"Skye," Jason responded.

"She's not our daughter," May interjected, a little too quickly. He noticed that.

"There's a family resemblance." Jason shrugged, looking around. "Not to mention you spoil her to death and have a goofy dad-sarcastic daughter thing going down to an art. " He turned to May. "And sorry to race into this but... she's half Asian. You're Asian."

Coulson and May looked at each other again, both slightly blushing. God, what should they say? As much as May would like to make a comeback about minding his own mommy issues, she couldn't do it because that meant telling him that they knew who his mom was... And he wouldn't be happy if he found out that they got involved in this.

God, they needed a plan for when Bobbi came back with Simmons... Not that it would happen any time soon. She was undercover, and Bobbi was watching her.

"She's not our daughter," May said a little too quickly.

He shrugged. "Maybe not biologically, but maternally speaking."

She got quiet again. "I'm...gonna go check to make sure the others are ready." With that, she walked out of the room, leaving Coulson and him alone.

Coulson let out a deep breath. "Man, you made May panic. I've never seen anyone do that before."

Jason shrugged. Pissing people off and making them panic was a special talent of his. Just ask Uncle Black Mask what happens when you think you're the hot shit and you underestimate the Red Hood.

"You said you wanted to speak to me."

"Yes. About Rex."

"........... What about him?" Jason's body tensed but he put on his poker face, but Coulson read that he was nervous. Was Coulson gonna say no? Because he couldn't take a no for an answer.

Coulson chuckled, breaking the tension. "Relax. I say yes. He can come. I'm sure he would be a good member of the team. Besides, We need dog trackers, but a bear is gonna do even better if what you say about him is true."

Jason tilted his head, taking a step forward. "Do l look like a liar to you?"

"No." Coulson immediately responded, way too confident.

Jason nodded. "Good... l should go get ready." As he turned to walk away, Coulson put a hand on his shoulder.

"Before you go... please don't die. Because in the movies, when something like that happens, the character just...happens to die. And l don't need a kid on me dying." Coulson said. It happened in real life too...more than he cared to admit. Colleagues have one last mission to do, then they go reunite with their families... only to just die at the last step.

The teenager scoffed, shrugging off his hand from his shoulder. "I'm not gonna die. And you shouldn't have brought a kid into this if you didn't want him to die. Whatever you think is gonna happen out there..." His voice dropped to a whisper, looking the director dead in the eyes. "Doesn't compare to what happened back there-"

"You mean North Korea?"

Jason's jaw clenched. Yes, that North Korea, where Rex almost died and was in agony every second, while all Jason could do was just watch helplessly and cry. Where he had to kill that fat pig. Where he almost died himself...

"You know....you really gotta tell me what happened back there. It's like the great Mystery of spy intelligencies."

Jason stared at the floor, his mind going somewhere else.

"Please Nyssa, please Nyssa, ah please..."

"....Okay."

" 48. 49. 50. 51."

"Almost there, stay with me come on."

" 52 ."

Thud!

"Jason, no, no, no!"

"See, this is what's gonna happen, if you don't get up."

"I...."

"I what?"

"Can't."

"Man, that's some fucking irony right there. So let me get this straight, you got so far, right at the fucking end ...you're gonna give up? Did l raise a pussy....DID I RAISE A PUSSY!?"

"Hey..." Coulson said, snapping his fingers in front of his face. Jason snapped out of it.

"You okay?" Coulson's voice was softer now as if a father comforting his child. But Jason hated parental figures, hell, it's not only daddy issues, mommy issues too.

"No...I won't tell you...some secrets are going into the grave with me." He responded, staring him in the eyes again. What was so ironic was that he already died. But oh well, no one could know. He had to be careful. That was the reason he didn't just do a 9 feet fall and go chase after Creel- he had to appear human . Not be a freak who can attach severed body parts like it's super glue or something. Or get stabbed straight in the heart and walk it off.

Coulson shrugged. "That's okay. Just...don't die on me, okay?"

"I won't." He survived the Joker. He survived North Korea, he wasn't gonna die to some freak like him who is Kevin Levin from Wish.

"Alright, here's the plan." Coulson started, and he showed a picture of the base on his board.

"You guys sneak in, Skye will hack the database, get Tripp and us inside, you get the 084..."

Idaho raised a hand.

"Yes?"

"Do we get a bonus if we do it?"

"I might buy you guys a drink when we go out," Coulson responded.

"Anyone else?"

Jason raised a hand.

"Yes?"

"Do we... kill ourselves if we're gonna get captured?" It wasn't an issue for him, he'll come back to life. The problem was how he was gonna kill himself.

Everyone looked at him baffled.

"What the bloody hell..." Hunter murmured and ran a hand through his face. He knew the emo kid was dark but this is just...on a whole another level. What made him think that they killed themselves if they were captured? And why would Hunter work for Coulson if the condition was that?

Skye turned to him"....You need help. Seriously. Talk to someone."

He shrugged. "What?" Didn't agents kill themselves to not give away information or something? He didn't know about SHIELD, but the league did that sometimes.

"How many of you are there? HOW MANY!?"

"GLORY TO THE DAUGHTER OF THE DEMON!"

"What the hell is wrong with you!?" Idaho asked, his mouth wide open.

"Hey, kid, we're here for you if you need to talk about something," Hartley said and she patted his shoulder awkwardly.

God, Bob is gonna have her hands full with this one when she comes. What was Hartley gonna tell her? 'Oh hey, Bob, your kid asked if we kill ourselves if we get captured'. Seriously, what the hell? What made him think that?

"Yeah man, what makes you think we do that?" Tripp asked, looking upset as if Jason set his house on fire.

"Eh, maybe be more positive, eh buddy?" Mack chimed in awkwardly.

"What the fuck-

"Watch your language," May warned.

Coulson cleared his throat. Everyone turned back to him.

"For the record...We don't do that here. So please, if you get captured, don't kill yourself, okay? We'll come and save you."

"How assuring..." Jason murmured under his breath. He wouldn't trust Hunter and Idaho to not start a fight in an empty room, let alone rescue him.

"Anyone else?" Coulson asked. Hunter did.

"Yes?" He asked

"A small logic question...why are we going in?"

"Look, we trust your judgment-"

"We do?" He interrupted her.

"But Talbot's not a bad guy. And last l checked the US government is one of the lesser evils."

Jason raised an eyebrow at that.

"Didn't they create the Hulk?" He asked.

"And invaded Iraq?" Skye added.

Hartley looked at May for backup, who simply shrugged "They've got a point."

"Wow, look at you two agreeing on somebody. Got a warm feeling in my chest." Coulson smiled and put a hand on his chest, like a proud dad watching his kids graduate college.

The two glared at him but didn't say anything.

"I mean....they're still better than the Russians."

The vigilante facepalmed and then turned to Mack. "Mack, the bar with the Russians is so slow that the bottom of the ocean that we haven't even explored yet because it's still too deep is still higher than the bar for how the Russians right now," Jason responded.

"Same guys who invaded Crimea with little green men." Skye shrugged.

"Same guys whose special forces killed the civilians alongside the terrorists with gas," Jason added. (Author's note: Yes, this actually did happen, I shit you not, look up the 2002 Moscow theater hostage crisis)

"Oooooooooof." Coulson winced.

"Same guys who help North Korea," Skye added.

"Same guys whose president was a KGB officer and got the presidency by bombing his own citizens and pretending it was terrorists."

"Also occupied half of Europe," May murmured under her breath.

"Point is, is there even anyone more evil than Russia?" Skye asked

"North Korea?" May shot her a deadpan look. Jason barely bit back the smirk that was forming on his lips, remembering how he slicked that fat pig's throat.

"Since when did you two get so political?" Hunter said

"I know right? It's so nice that they finally get along." Coulson said with that same smug smile on his face he always had.

Hartley rolled her eyes. "Alright, we all know Russia is evil. But the US government has that weapon in a locked box. And now they've got this absorbing man in a locked box too."

"Kevin Levin off of Wish," Jason murmured, annoyed.

"What?" Hartley asked.

He shrugged. "Haven't you watched Ben 10?"

"Oooooooooh, l think l know." Hartley realized. Her nephews watched it in front of her when she babysat them. Damn kids and their cartoons

"That guy who absorbed the...Omni-, what was it called." Hartley said as she snapped her fingers, trying to remember.

"Omnitrix," Skye added.

Coulson looked baffled"....Since when did you watch Cartoons?"

"When l was little." She shrugged

"How did he look like again?"

"Like a thug. Long Black hair. Has a bike lock hanging on his neck." Jason responded

"Right. Listen, what l mean is-"

"They have no idea what they are dealing with."

"Yeah but is that danger worse than the risk of sending every field operative you have available into a secure military compound."

"They're guarded by the same that's been hunting us."

"Belly of the beast man."

Jason scoffed. "Try being hunted by Batman. Then you'll know what it's like being chased."

"I mean... it's not like you just barged into his city and killed a ton of people. No, no, you were so civil." Skye responded

May raised an eyebrow "You'd think he'd have better things to do after his city got nuked."

"I've met him before. He has..." Coulson started, thinking of ways to put it nicely. "Interesting ways of coping."

"Nice way of saying the bloody yanke dresses up as a Bat in the night and beats up criminals at night," Hunter added.

Try with him being your mentor, Jason wanted to say but bit his lip.

"Hey, l knew a guy who worked for Black Mask, he said that the Bat was an inhuman monster," Idaho said.

"Man, l heard that the man has real wings," Tripp said

Jason bit back a snicker. No, he just uses the cap as a glider.

"Mate, l think he's a vampire, like the ones from Twilight- horrible movies by the way. You know...only coming out at night-"

Coulson put his hands up. What kind of circus was this? Were they seriously discussing conspiracy theories about Batman?

"Will everyone just...stop with the conspiracy theories, alright? We're on a serious mission, this is a make-or-break moment."

"For an object we have zero data on."

"It's not the only thing we're after."

Everyone got silent, knowing what he meant. They were gonna steal a goddamnit Quinjet.

"Now, it's all or nothing, huh?" Hartley asked calmly. Coulson just nodded at her.

"Well, alright then." With that, everybody went to work.

"You taking point?"

"Coulson will be on comms. Hey, let's stick together on this one, okay?"

"Got it."

Skye stopped past Jason.

"Hey, if you try to betray us-"

"You're gonna shoot me. Yeah, Yeah." Jason cut her off, standing up and cocking the gun. "Bo-hoo. How scary. You won't be the first one to try." He tucked the gun behind his waistband. She was gonna a lot more firepower if she wanted to kill him.

"Oh look, Coulson is right, we do get along. See? We're starting to agree on something." She quipped sarcastically.

Jason gave her a thin smile that screamed 'I'll throw you off a building' before returning to load in magazines.

"Hey guys, how do l look?" Tripp asked as he walked out of the aircraft. Skye bit a snark.

"General." She mocked.

"Come on, girl. You know l look good." He smiled. "Jason, buddy, what do you think?"

Jason looked up from his mag, before responding curtly. "You look like the 'The Dictator' if he was from Africa."

"PPPPPPPPPPPFFFFT, HAHAHAHAHAHA." Skye busted out laughing and she covered her mouth.

Tripp mocked an offense. "How dare you?"

Jason looked up again "Do we have a problem?"

Tripp laughed as he walked towards Jason, patting him on the shoulder.

"No, no. Not at all, man." He responded and he turned to Skye, putting a hand on his throat, mimicking the dictator.

"Hey, man....are you a German? A Nazi, by any chance? Do you belong to the Ayran race?" Tripp asked

".....What?" Jason asked

"Oh look, Tripp is channeling his Inner Dictator," Skye said and pointed a finger at him.

Jason finally stood up. "You know, Ayran is actually a drink."

The two looked up at him baffled.

"It's a milk drink from Turkey." He explained.

Skye covered his mouth. "So, let me get this straight, The Germans named their race after a drink!?"

"Yes."

"Man, no wonder they lost the war," Tripp said

"Look at them, go. They're finally getting along." Coulson said, watching from afar with May, carrying that smug smile of a proud dad. The kids actually weren't bickering and insulting each other each time they spoke.

May raised an eyebrow. "Don't expect it to last. She threatened to shoot him."

Coulson looked at her, surprised. "She did?"

"She's still hurt from Ward."

Coulson's jaw clenched. Everybody was hurt. Fitz the most. He got brain damage from Ward. And it was Coulson's fault for not seeing what Ward was.

"Doesn't help that he's a lot like him," May added.

"Tall, brooding, quiet, deadly, traumatizing backstory?" Coulson asked

"Yup."

"I know I've said this before, but deep down, he's a good kid. True, he has certain Psychotic-"

"That's putting it mildly," May murmured under her breath, loud enough for Coulson to hear it.

"But he didn't have a good childhood. I thi-, know." He corrected himself. "That with the right care, he'll be a good person."

"What do we do when Morse comes back with Simmons?" She asked

".....I don't know."

"Well, at least you're admitting it," May responded dryly.

"Seriously, he may try to kill her."

"And get his ass kicked."

"You really think so?"

"He's very good, but that good."

"He will still try to kill his mother."

"Fair enough."

"Didn't know Coulson was such a good actor," Jason said. He played Talbot to perfection. 'I'll have you so deep in horse manure, son, you'll need a damn snorkel'. Heh, Bruce had a familiar gadget that cloned people's voices.

Hartley chuckled "Kid, you really think he became the Director of SHIELD without being a good agent?"

"He was in the field with May. He knows how to handle himself." Skye added.

"I thought he was in the communications and didn't do any fighting?"

"To be clear, l did most of the fighting," May said

".......Are you jealous?" Skye teased

"No."

"Awwwwwwww, admit it, you love him."

First Jason, now this? Did the kids want her to go crazy?"

"Do you wanna do the armory for the next 6 months?" May threatened.

Skye's smile faded and leaned back in her seat. "No, ma'am."

"Good. We're here." May announced.

"It's on, everyone," Hartley said.

Hartley let out a low whistle "Needle in a haystack turns out l was not exaggerating ." She was right, this place was huge . They could spend the whole day here and still not find it.

"As long as we have no one checking in, we should be good," Jason said.

"Could be worse." Hunter shrugged, before turning to Hartley. "Remember that time when we were robbing the casino of a Russian mob with Bob? It was-"

"We don't need your stories with your ex-wife at the moment Hunter," May said curtly.

"I do want to know what happened," Skye said.

"It's better than his normal She-Devil stories," Jason added.

Tripp turned his face to them.

"......Man you two agreeing on something makes it weird." He received a cold glare.

"Alright, we all know what we are looking for," May said.

With that, everyone got to work. Jason passed by the packages, not interested in them. He didn't know what was in the damn boxes. It was all numbers on them, and the only number he knew was 084.

Still, he felt this thing was... off . Like something- or someone, was watching them. This was... too easy. And easy meant ambush or something wrong in his experience.

THUD!

A box flew past him, and he drew his weapon, looking around. Where the fuck was this guy? Did he.... know about him? About... North Korea? No, no, how would he know? If SHIELD didn't know, how would else would a thug know? But this guy worked for HYDRA, so maybe-

"GUYS! I FOUND IT!" Hartley's voice came from the comms. Jason lowered his gun and looked around one last time before running in the opposing direction. He was gonna deal with this boxer later.

"Jason, how far are you?" May asked in the comms.

"I'm coming!" Jason responded.

"You're gonna beat us to it."

Come on, come on, where the hell were they? He stopped in his tracks. There were multiple ways. Which way? Left, right, center?

Eh, Fuck it, he went left. He saw them.

"There you are, kid!" Hartley greeted him. She opened the box and grabbed the thing. "I got it gu-AAAAAAAAAAAAH!" The damn thing glew and her fingertips turned to stones.

He sprinted towards her, grabbing her on the shoulders.

"Let it go!"

"I can't!"

He exhaled. Screw it.

He snatched it out of her hands, and she let out a deep breath, looking at her hands. Her fingertips were turned to stones, but... they were still there. This was good, right?

"Jason?" She asked, taking a step back.

The thing was still glowing...and his hands were....turned black? As if absorbing the damn thing. But...his hands didn't turn to stone. His breath froze as he stared.

This never happened...besides..when...he almost died.

" Sssh, shh, it's alright buddy, it's alright." He murmured softly in Rex's ear after injecting him with the serum, curling him against his chest, the bear cub letting out a soft yawn after the injection. He was...fine now. He was gonna live.

Jason stared at the corpse there...the one he beat to death. He spat on it, a black liquid falling on the floor before his right hand turned black and calcified before his eyes. And then...he fell on his knees.

"A-Are you alright?" She asked.

Hunter, May, Tripp, and Skye came running. They all froze.

"Lad, are you alright?" Hunter asked. His tone was actually worried, unlike the times when he was laid back and spouting nonsense.

"Jason..." May said calmly taking a step forward, trying to touch him.

"Don't touch me!" He yelled. He was fine, but Hartley touched and she wasn't, so they definitely wouldn't be.

"Hey...are you okay?" Skye asked

"You're scaring us, man," Tripp said.

"HIS HANDS ARE BLACK! HOW IS HE NOT SUPPOSED TO SCARE YOU!" Skye yelled.

"Kid, just stay with us, okay? Everything's gonna be fine." Hartley said softly, her hands up.

Why was everyone so nice to him? He hated it?"

"Coulson, Jason touched the 084... His hands look like they're being absorbed, or are absorbing the damn thing. What do we do?"

Coulson was silent for a moment, turning to Koenig and Mack.

"......WHAT!?" He yelled. He ran a hand through his hair. "Please tell Jason is okay."

"He is fine-"

"Define fine."

"He isn't dying...or having any side effects for that matter."

He let out a sigh of relief.

"Can you continue the mission?" He asked

"I don't know-"

"May! Look! His hands are coming back to normal!" Skye yelled. May watched as the black material on his hands disappeared but...the thing kept glowing. At least his hands are normal.

"Oh thank bloody Christ," Hunter said and threw his hands in the air. The rest laughed.

"Man, don't scare us like that okay?" Tripp asked and patted his shoulder. Jason nodded and smiled but stared at the floor.

"Good job. Maybe there's a hope for you after all." Skye said

"This kid just saved my life," Hartley said as she pointed a finger at him. Bob was gonna be proud...And she would have killed her if she found out her son died because of her.

"Put that thing on the case, quickly!" Skye said, holding up the box. Jason put it in and closed it, holding it.

"Jason," May started "If you ever-"

"WATCH OUT!"

Creel crashed into him, continuing to run with him before they hit the concrete wall and made Jason fall to the ground. Creel grabbed the 084 and sprinted towards the exit. Jason got up, not in pain...more annoyed than anything. Okay, now they're gonna have a chat.

Jason sprinted towards him.

"Jason, you shouldn't-" May called out.

"I'M FINE!" He interrupted. All that mattered was that he was gonna talk to him. Jason ran out of the building and turned left to see Creel still sprinting. Damn, he was a fast sprinter for a boxer.
"DON'T LET HIM GET AWAY WITH THE 084!"

Jason started to run again at inhuman speed, easily catching up to him and tackling him on the ground, falling down as well. Creel groaned, but not Jason. He got up faster than Creel and soccer-kicked his head.

Creel hissed his teeth and tripped Jason's feet, causing him to fall again.

"Oh, you little..." He kicked Jason in the stomach. "You always- Kick- have to- kick- get in the -kick- way- huh!?" He roared and stopped, kneeling down.

"You know, kid, I don't wanna hurt you. You're what? 15?"

"14."

Creel shook his head. "Jesus Christ. SHIELD recruiting kids now?"

"Fuck you."

Creel punched him in the mouth, making Jason's head hit the cold cement. Jason felt...something familiar in his mouth. That same, metallic...He put a finger on his lips and checked the color on it...Black. Oh, now that bastard was gonna say.

Jason slowly got up.

Creel sighed. That punch alone was enough to knock out someone. "Seriously? How are you not knocked-"

Jason's shin connected to his thigh. The boxer winced and let out a sharp exhale.

"This again... Now you're gonna get it kid" He said and he ran to the Quinjet that was parked nearby. He pressed his hands on it, absorbing the metal. Jason just stared at him, calmly. He wasn't scared. Now he didn't have to pretend he was a normal human. And now...he could beat the shit out of this boxer.

"Last check to back out of this, kid. I'm not backing you out" He said.

Jason took a step forward "No. l can beat the holy hell out of you, now that no one is looking."

The boxer chuckled. "Sure kid..sure." With that, he ripped out the ramp of the Quinjet and threw it with all of his might at the teenager. Jason jumped, landing into a breakfall, and dodging the ramp.

But he couldn't dodge the kick that was coming.

Creel stomped his right hand, severing it. Jason clutched his bleeding wrist, hissing, but groaning internally. Why it is always this hand?

"I warned you, kid," Creel said, looking guilty.

"Yeah, yeah," Jason waved it off with his left hand, then grabbed his severed hand and stood up.

"What are you-"

Jason put his right hand back in place, the black material coming out again and disappearing just as quickly. He...reattached his hand?

"W-WHAT!?" The boxer yelled, stepping back, looking horrified. "Now, I'm gonna have to kill you," Jason said in a low voice, squeezing his right hand into a fist, making sure it worked properly. It did. Good.

Jason started walking towards him, slowly, menacingly.

"S-Step back, man. Step back!" Creel yelled. When Jason got in boxing range, Creel tried to throw a combo, but Jason ducked and hit him in the ribs with a hook. Then a knee to the stomach, which made Creel pull guard and try to grab it. He got an elbow to the head for it. Then got thrown over Jason's shoulder, the metal disappearing right before he hit the ground. He couldn't do a break fall, falling directly on his nose.

Jason kicked him in the head.

"I give up! I give up!" Creel said, putting his hands up. Jason watched him with a blank expression.

"There is no 'giving up' here." He responded before kneeling down. "You saw what l am. When we arrest you and bring you in, you will tell them what l am, and well...we all know SHIELD doesn't treat people like us well?"

"You're like me."

Jason scoffed. "Sure, but l don't absorb things. I heal, regenerate, and take hits that would kill a normal human...and being strong lf l have to."

"Okay, okay, let's just-"

He grabbed Jason by the legs, making him fall to the ground.

He tried to climb but Jason was faster and got on top of him. Punch after punch. After about 9, Jason got up, breathing deeply, and looked at his right hand...his knuckles were screwed. Just like they were when he fought that supersoldier.

Creel's face was bloodied, completely broken.

"You little shit..."

"I didn't start this. You did."

Then Creel realized. "You're...him aren't you. The one HYDRA told us about from North Korea?" The person from North Korea, healed, took injuries that would kill a normal human... Jason said the exact same thing. Was he?

Jason narrowed his eyes, not answering

"You are!"

Jason grabbed him by the head, whispering in his ear.

"What does HYDRA know about me?" He hissed. "WHAT DO THEY KNOW!?"

Creel spat out blood"They know about the cub, about the facility." Jason took a deep breath. "But they don't know who you are. The League stopped us from figuring it out. I swear, that's all they said! You're like the Bigfoot to them!"

Jason nodded. "Good." With that, he let go of his head.

"So are you gonna arrest me?"

Jason shook his head. "No. Like l said, you know what l am." He wasn't gonna risk it when he got this far. He wasn't gonna risk himself or Rex. He didn't survive North Korea by being nice. Coulson didn't need to know about what he was. He was on their side.

"Come on, man...Please." Creel begged and raised his hand.

Jason stood up and took out his handgun, cocking it and aiming it at the boxer.

"Can't go back, Creel."