Injustice: The Path To Hell (DC Comics)

Saturday 16th October, 21:30

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

Cave.

"So that's the plan?" Dick asked, looking around at the team. They all stood together, gathered around the holographic projection of Earth, where red lights blinked, marking the known locations of alien ships. The largest dot, indicating the mothership, was stationed in Smallville.

"Yeah," Esau confirmed, his face as unreadable as everyone else's. "Kaldur, Connor, and I will run diversion. M'gann and Martian Manhunter will sneak inside, disable communications, and open a hatch for the rest of the team to enter. Once inside, the priorities will be to locate the prisoners and destroy the ship. Volunteers for each?"

"I'll search for prisoners," Wally spoke up quickly. The others exchanged nods. Esau had already considered Kid Flash for that role, but in a situation like this, he wanted people to volunteer. He needed them to understand the risks and responsibilities involved—to choose to face them willingly. While he could have assigned roles outright, he didn't want to. This mission was too important for blind orders; they needed personal conviction.

"M'gann and I will as well," Martian Manhunter added, his niece nodding in agreement.

Though M'gann's abilities were still developing, she was currently the strongest telepath among them. Whatever had affected the Justice League had weakened J'onn significantly, reducing his power. Even so, their trio made the best combination for locating prisoners—Wally's speed, paired with two Martians using telepathy to scout the ship.

"I guess that leaves me and Robin to take out the core," Barbara said, exchanging a knowing nod with her longtime crime-fighting partner.

"Alright," Esau took a deep breath, glancing at them all. "Get some rest. Eat something. We finish this tomorrow."

-X-

Saturday 16th October, 22:00

Rhode Island,

Happy Harbour,

Cave.

Releasing a sigh, Esau zipped up his hoodie and pushed open the door to his room, stepping into the corridor. The hallway was filled with the survivors rescued from Washington D.C., all making their way toward the main area of the Cave.

Each of them had been assigned rooms, though many had to bunk together due to space constraints. Esau himself was sharing a room with Kaldur and Connor. He had just finished showering to wash off the dirt and grime, Kaldur and Connor having gone before him. Judging by the fresh clothes and cleaned faces of those passing by, many others had done the same.

But what caught Esau's attention most was the smell in the air.

Food.

Taking a deep breath, he savored the aroma before stepping into the main area. Inside, he found several people helping prepare food for those in need. As he moved forward, he was greeted by M'gann, who held two plates of food in her hands.

"Esau! Have you seen Barbara?" She asked, her expression slightly concerned.

Esau raised a brow. "No, hasn't she come down yet?"

"Not yet."

Extending his hand, he took both plates from her. "Alright, I'll take these to her."

Flashing him a grateful smile, M'gann turned back toward the others. Esau, meanwhile, made his way down the corridor toward M'gann's room, where Barbara had been staying. He knocked twice "Barbara?" he called, waiting a moment before knocking again. "Barbara!"

A groggy groan came from inside before the door slid open, revealing a disheveled and half-asleep Barbara. Esau blinked in mild surprise before a smirk tugged at his lips.

"Hello there."

"Shut up," she muttered, snatching one of the plates from his hands. "I just laid down and clocked out without realizing it."

Esau chuckled. "Can I come in? It's kind of hectic out there."

Barbara nodded, stepping aside to let him enter. The room was small, barely more than a storage space repurposed for sleeping. The single bed was still there, but extra blankets and pillows had been spread out in an attempt to create a makeshift futon.

Both of them moved forward, settling on Barbara's bed, their backs resting against the wall.

"I don't know how you managed to fall asleep on this. It's not exactly comfortable," Esau commented, shifting slightly.

Barbara scoffed. "I could say the same about your old bed. That thing was just awful."

"Touché." He laughed, the two of them eating in companionable silence.

Eventually, Barbara broke it. "Are you really serious about tomorrow?" She asked. "Running diversion with Kaldur and Connor? I don't want to sound like a bitch, but can't you let them handle it? They're strong."

"I can't do that," Esau replied, frowning. "I get what you're saying, and I know what's expected of us. But I can't ask them to make that sacrifice if I'm not willing to do the same."

Barbara placed her empty plate aside and pulled her knees to her chest, wrapping her arms around them. "I know that, but it's a suicide mission. You…there's no coming back from it. You three will attack, draw all their attention, and there's no way you're walking away from that."

"Thanks for the vote of confidence."

"Come on, Esau. I know how strong you are. You were dominating the sparring sessions with Kaldur and Connor—until whatever's been distracting you lately started getting in the way. But this? Those aliens…they killed the Justice League. Superman, Captain Marvel, Wonder Woman. They lost, and you…"

"I'm not on that level. I know," Esau leaned back against the wall, exhaling slowly. "But I don't have a choice. I've made mistakes. A lot of them. I guess you could say this is my way of making up for them."

Barbara turned to him sharply, anger flashing in her eyes. "Making up for them? That's what you call it? Dying to 'redeem' your mistakes? That doesn't change anything! It just seems like you're running away—from your mistakes, from whatever's been bothering you. That's not like you, Esau. And I've been noticing a lot of changes in you."

Esau didn't respond, simply staring across the room.

"I know you changed after Black Mask put you in the hospital," Barbara continued. "I didn't see it at first—I was just so happy you were alive. But after Cadmus? I didn't want to admit it, but you changed again. And now? It's like you don't even know who you are anymore."

"I'm half-demon."

The blunt confession left Barbara reeling. Her eyes widened as she stared at him in shock. "W-what?"

"Black Adam called me a descendant of the Yokai," Esau muttered. "I had no idea what he meant. So I went to Jason Blood while you were showing Zatanna around." Running a hand through his hair, he sighed. "Jason told me the Yokai were a family—a group of half-demons descended from the Kyūbi of Japanese myth."

Barbara listened in stunned silence, hanging onto every word.

"When you said I'm lost, you're right," Esau admitted. "I am."

"I became Black Hood to put an end to Black Mask. Then it was to stop the Court of Owls. But when I was there…I started questioning what I was doing. Batman and Talon both had things to say that I actually agreed with. Then there was the Suicide Squad, Deathstroke, all that shit. I became a mercenary because, out of everyone who tried to manipulate me, Slade understood me best. He knew exactly what to say to get me on his side. And look where that got me—a sword through the chest and turned into a fucking lab rat for Cadmus."

Both of them frowned at the memory.

"I didn't know what to do with myself after that. Being Black Hood tore apart my relationships," he said, the reference to their failed friendship making Barbara look away guiltily. "Being Marauder just made me a pawn. I've never had the best luck in life, but at least I always knew who I was and what I wanted to do. After Cadmus? I didn't know anymore. And now, I don't even know what I am."

"That's bullshit!"

Esau's head snapped up as Barbara glared at him.

"You're Esau Jacobson. You always have been, and you always will be. So what if you're not entirely human? So what if your family were demon hunters? You didn't know any of that before, and it didn't change who you were then—so why should it change who you are now?"

Esau opened his mouth, but she cut him off.

"You became you without knowing any of that. Just because you know now doesn't mean it defines you. You don't have to live up to anyone's expectations—because you've never given a damn about what people expected of you before. Why the hell should that matter now?"

Esau stared at her, caught completely off guard.

Slowly, he ran a hand down his face before his shoulders shook with a low chuckle. "You give the worst pep talks," he muttered.

"Really? I thought I did pretty well," Barbara shot back, smirking. "Then again, I learned it from you, so yeah, it probably was shit."

Esau barked out a laugh. "More than likely."

Without thinking, he wrapped an arm around her shoulders, pulling her into a tight hug. "Thank you."

"Don't mention it."