video;

[crossestheline]

I remember not too long after I came here, someone rambled on and on about "lifers". Since then, not only have the two lifers graduated, but this guy right here has as well.

[Grins. He's finally been delivered his one way ticket out of here.]

Sorry, kiddos. There's no sticking around to play nice for me. There's a lot of work that I want to do in the place I'm going to, that I don't want to leave at the hands of some cosmic being who not only loses control of its ship, but dumps us off in a hellhole.

Graduating here is like drawing straws. Sometimes you luck out like me, find people who actually give a damn about you when you arrive, and get paired up with someone who sees you as a person, not a means to an end. Other people, get yanked around and screwed with constantly. This place needs a serious overhaul. I'd stick around to try and do just that, but I'd also risk losing a literal once in a life time opportunity.

[He can't risk suddenly disappearing or getting reverted back to an Inmate, which would prevent him from leaving with Bruce.]

I'll be around for a few more hours to say my goodbyes. After that, I'm out of here.

[Private to Jean]

Tell your friend I said hey.

[Private to Bruce]

I'm heading to your room.

Comments

[crossestheline]

If I can ge out of this place, so can you.

[Chris was one of the people Jason was thinking about when he mentioned drawing straws. From what he can tell, Chris has had to work his ass off to not only find people who cared, but that he trusted. Jason had Babs and Bruce right away. ]

I got something for you.

[theonlyresponse]

More than I expected. [That much, he was very certain of. She was like him, she was suspicious and paranoid. It had taken Alex a truth flood and a month to get Bruce used to him. He wasn't sure if Lisbeth fully trusted him, but she was definitely used to him, and after that port...] I do not want to entertain the possibility that she could be paired with someone who will not help her.

[mistconduct]

Yeah, well I'm not 100% I even want to graduate, but since you won't be around to see, I don't think it matters.

[So goes the life of a petulant teenager. Still attempting to play wounded party but equally interested in the possibility of a going-away present, Chris crosses his arms and tries to look annoyed]

Oh, yeah?

[crossestheline]

Do you think you are gonna be able to help her, or will this place get to you first?

[Another reason why he hates this place. It forces choices like this. Someone may or may not get the help they need and guilt runs thick. ]

[theonlyresponse]

[He is silent for a long time, considering. His fists clench and unclench, he looks at the suit, at the guns, what he changed it to mean.

He knows that without his family, without someone to keep him steady, he will snap within seconds. No matter how much they believed in him, he knows his demons best of all.]

This place will break me again.

[He can put himself back together, he's proved that, but he does not want to take that risk.]

[crossestheline]

Yeah, something that is going to make anyone who loves comic books back home so fucking envious, when you show them it.

[mistconduct]

....I'm listening.

[crossestheline]

Stop by my room and I'll show you.

[mistconduct]

Yeah. Yeah, coming.

[And he will be, inching out from his room and stretching his legs for the first time since Silent Hill]

[crossestheline]

[The door has been left open while Jason prepares to leave. When he hears approaching footsteps, he knows who it is.]

I'm going for a new look in the Earth I'm heading to, so I won't need this any more.

[Walks over to Chris, holding his Red Hood helmet out to him.]

[crossestheline]

That's why this place is so fucked up. It's not what's enough for the Inmate, it has to be good enough for the Admiral.

[mistconduct]

[Standing in the doorway, Chris stares at it but doesn't reach to take it. It's only just hit him now that Jason's leaving]

...You serious?

[crossestheline]

[Fuck, there's no easy answer to this situation. Closes his eyes over, playing out different outcomes in his head.

A large part of the reason the two of them graduated is because they had each other. How many fights did Bruce stop him from getting into? Bruce was like a father and a Warden to him until Jean came. Having someone to be responsible for, having that someone be him, had been healing for Bruce.

If he leaves while Bruce is in this state, he can see Bruce starting to backslide. When Bruce breaks, he'll convince himself it's okay because Jason is gone. With his son "safe and sound", he doesn't have to worry about his own safety.

Then there's Lis. If Bruce sticks it out and they continue to bond, she'll trust him more and more. Then when he snaps and becomes an Inmate, it will be that much harder for her to graduate.]

I'll wait for you to pack up and we 'll leave together.

[ichoosefight]

One of the reasons, anyway. I just have to see this through, then I can finally start planning my wedding for real. The real world, man, I envy you.

[crossestheline]

I'm serious.

[Continues to hold it out to him.]

The real reason I want you to have this, is so you can remember what it was meant to stand for. The difference between wearing this over the cowl, means you get that sometimes you gotta cross the line to do what's right. You understand the life of one person isn't worth graveyards full of innocent people.

[Pauses before he continues.]

The important thing being sometimes, not all the time.

[He's sure Chris knows about all of the crazy, violent things he's gotten up to. He lost sight of his mission and gave into his madness.]

[megamind]

And everybody on the lifer section of the board is still here.

Congratulations, though. Enjoy your well-earned reward, sir.

[ He's not even mad bro. ]

[mistconduct]

[Giving an uneasy, heavy nod, Chris finally reaches ou to take the helmet. It's real. Heavier than he expects, and real]

...So what are you going to do once you go back?

[theonlyresponse]

I'll ask her first, make sure there's someone she feels comfortable with looking out for her.

[A large part of him still doesn't want to abandon her, doesn't want to take the risk of the person he trusts with Lisbeth disappearing or breaking too. But he needs Jason, and Jason needs him. They keep each other steady. That, more than anything, that had propelled him towards graduating and staying a warden.]

Then I'll tie up some other loose ends, and we'll go home.

[He flexes his fingers, looks up at the suit again.]

You think I should wear that, or become something else?

[crossestheline]

[Jason's about to say he doesn't think that'll be the case for much longer, but that's for Bruce to announce, not his.]

Heh, thanks. Couldn't have happened soon enough.

[crossestheline]

I'm gonna help Bruce rebuild his Gotham. The entire city got floored during an invasion.

[mistconduct]

That sounds like Gotham.

Seriously, it's kind of a mess of a place. You're just going to get shit on.

[megamind]

Yeah. Apparently...

...a lot of people needed to fight their demons in a more literal way.

[ He's heard rumors, things going around. A lot of people came out of Silent Hill... different. Better. He could even honestly say that he and Chris came out stronger. ]

[ But he can really only think of the ones who didn't come out at all. The cost seems a little too high. ]

Good luck with yours, then.

[crossestheline]

Okay.

[Jason stares at Bruce in disbelief for a few seconds. This is actually happening. The two of them are actually going to go back to Gotham together, alive, healthy, and ready to restore the city.]

We can work on resdesigning our suits together.

[crossestheline]

The real world with Bruce. I could do a lot worse. [He doesn't think he could do any better.]

Filter

[crossestheline]

I do, and you've got your friend. All-in-all, I'd say we made a good team.