The Lazarus Effect

Ten

"I'm sorry I brought it up,"

"I'm sorry for reacting the way I did,"

"You have every right. It was a stupid ques..." my words were cut short when I saw the garage door open. His bike was on tipped over on the floor and he lied there next to it. "Jason,"

I climbed out as fast as I could going over to him. Blood is seeping out from under his armor. His helmet is cracked and a big piece of it was missing. I reached for the bottom of it gently pulling it off.

"Jason," I called out softly.

"You shouldn't be here, princess," he whispered his eyes rolling back before he completely passed out.

Bruce came over lifting him off the ground. He struggled a bit dragging him inside. I hadn't noticed before now but Jason is a really big guy. I called out for Alfred. The first sound I was met with is Titus', Damian's dog, barking.

"Oh, dear," Alfred said and disappeared.

"His armor is difficult to take off," Bruce said taking off his jacket.

"My chest piece is similar to this," I said reaching for Jason's collar.

As expected the clips were there. I pulled them getting it off. Bruce was momentarily impressed until we saw just how badly he was wounded. Damian stood back watching as we looked him over. Alfred returned with what I imagine is a first aid kit that has everything we need.

"I must check for bullets," Alfred said coming over to me.

"Give him a sedative. I'll do that," I said pressing around wound in his chest. "There's one in here. Not very deep," Bruce took the rest of his top off revealing not only his current wounds but the scars from before. "These are already healing. There's another bullet in there," I said a little confused.

"Can I trust you to remove these?" Alfred asked filling a syringe with some kind of liquid. I nodded reaching for a scalpel and some tweezers.

"Not my first time,"

"There were other times?" Bruce said looking down at me. I can feel his searing gaze burning the back of my head.

"I worked for Amanda Waller. Yeah, there were other times. Sometimes in the middle of places where I had to use what was within reach. This is a major upgrade," I said pulling out the first bullet.

Jason groaned going for my wrist. Bruce stopped him. If he would have actually grabbed my wrist I'm completely sure he would have hurt me. I pulled the last two bullets out and watched as his blood was quick to stop almost as if the wounds were healing already. I checked the rest of his body while Alfred quickly started stitching him up. I sat back watching thinking it over.

"What is it?" Bruce asked.

"He died, didn't he? It wasn't like when the pit just heeled my body. He died completely and brutally,"

"What makes you say that?" I stood up looking at Bruce and then at Jason.

It all made a little more sense now. Their complicated relationship. Jason's rebellion. His need to be a dick to hide from what was really eating him up inside. Jason Todd had died and was resurrected by the Lazarus Pit. His demon is a lot stronger than mine will ever be. It was the fight and the anger that had brought him back. All of the pain he must have suffered.

"Ras Al'Ghul had the same regeneration power as he does. Not the new one, Talia's father. His power was a little more advanced because he constantly bathed in its waters. Jason is like him. He's never going to grow old and he'll never be on the brink of death unless he's killed, accordingly,"

"How do you know that?" he asked without taking his eyes off of Jason. Even in his sleep, his features indicated he was in pain.

"Because I studied it before letting Talia step into it. I didn't think of it the other day because I was so wrapped up in everything else. The pool Malcolm Merlyn has is the one that was used to resurrect Sara Lance. It's the strongest.

"They're like a yin and yang. One shows you who you are deep inside. The part of us we hide. Mine is the hound. You can give into it or fight it. The other one makes you who you are on the inside. It's like it flips a switch. It makes good dormant and the bad flourish. Reversible if done right. There are others.

"I can't imagine what it must have done to him, the pain he must have suffered to have given into that thing inside of him. What he must see, what it wants him to constantly do. The terms of his resurrection are basically perfect. He's the ideal soldier or it wouldn't have brought him back in the first place,"

"You said you studied this?"

"What the former Ras Al' Ghul left behind. It was coded and it was very, very difficult for me to crack. Not only that the code was in twelve different languages. A couple of dead ones. I have notes if you want to see them,"

"We should get Jason up to his room," he said looking at Alfred who had remained quiet.

I had known exactly what had come over me the moment I had climbed out of the pit. What I had to do to keep myself from becoming her. I hadn't known how difficult it would be or that it would happen at all. The scrolls hadn't explained that. The person had to be on the brink of death or dead in order to for it to respond the way it did. I was seriously hurt. I know that much but I wasn't on the brink of dying. At least, I don't think I was.