𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝐓𝐇𝐑𝐄𝐄 || 𝘛𝘩𝘦 𝘐𝘮𝘱𝘰𝘴𝘵𝘦𝘳

   NO ONE, INCLUDING JASON WOULD'VE, EXPECTED HIM TO BE HUNTING RONIN. A fresh vigilante with only a year under his belt, hunting a hardened infamous assassin. That's not something one expects to hear or see any day of their life. It tested the Precursor considering, in hindsight, his ideologies weren't too different from Ronin.

They both killed to clean the streets and stop corruption from infesting cities. The only difference was that Ronin had done it on a grand scale in Japan, New York, and many more. And Jason couldn't explain why he was hunting the assassin if he'd done a service to the world. But under the umbrella of criminals, Ronin was a part of it.

"Jason, there has been a report that Armand the Third was found dead in his residence," Carlton announced. "I'm forwarding the location. Do you think it was Ronin?"

Jason hummed in thought. "I don't think so," he said. "When they were fighting the Tracksuit Mafia, they weren't trying to kill them. I mean, they saved a damn dog in the street."

"What are you proposing?" His Uncle mused.

"I'm thinking this Ronin isn't the same one we knew before," Jason theorized. "Maybe a successor to the original. Either way, I'm taking them in, alive or dead."

"Maybe we should think about this before you-"

"There is nothing to think about, Carlton!" Jason exclaimed. "Ronin is out there. I need to put an end to this before anyone else gets hurt."

"I'm not the same boy you helped raise, Carlton," he said. "This is my city and I'm responsible for what happens to it."

In the corner of his hud, a flaring red circle appeared. A layout of the streets, alleyways and buildings from where he stood. The flaring light was the location of Armand's residence that was a few blocks.

Traversing between those blocks came with ease for Jason. Each jump, each grapple, every decision is methodical and thought through. After a few months, it became second nature to travel like this. Jump between buildings, run, all of it slowly became something Jason grew to tolerate. It also came with the job he'd given himself.

But the job he'd never given himself was looking for a master assassin. Finding that assassin surrounded by Tracksuit mafia members. All wielding different types of weapons, approaching the superior force. What surprised Jason the most had been the fact that Ronin tried avoiding the altercation. Getting into a nearby truck and locking the doors to keep themselves safe.

He didn't give it much thought from there as he situated himself at the edge of a rooftop. Grabbing a handle from his waist with a black box. The two items combine, creating a makeshift sniper rifle. Aiming through the scope magnifying, vision closing in on 6 men surrounding Ronin.

With a calculated shot, a stun bullet hit a man in the head. Knocking him unconscious and alerting the others. They didn't have much time to react as a new hooded figure appeared out of nowhere. Using their scarf as a weapon, surprised Jason for a moment, but his mind retracted back to where he needed to be.

Firing another shot after another, Jason picked off the extra bodies that went to attack the hooded figure. When it was mostly clear, leaving only a few men left over for the person to deal with, Jason climbed down. He sprinted out onto the street, making eye contact with the hooded figure. They held a gaze for a moment. Jason's eyes flickered to who he guessed was the leader of this small group and back to the figure.

They seemed to understand, giving a tiny nod before reaching into the vehicle, grabbing Ronin and yanking them out. Jason approached the man lent up against the bumper of the car. Hearing the groans and coughs coming from the man, his face scrunched up in pain.

"Where's Hammerhead?" Jason questioned. "Tell me where he is and I might not break your leg."

The man laughed. "You wouldn't do- Motherfucker!"

Jason pressed all his weight down onto the man's kneecap. "I haven't done shit to it, man," he stated. "I will break it if you don't give me what I want."

"Where is Hammerhead?" He repeated, louder this time.

"I don't know," the man groaned. "We haven't seen him in two days since he dropped our weapons off. He said he will contact us if he needs to meet up- OW! I swear! That's all I know."

"What's his plan?" Jason barked. "Why is he giving you guys guns?"

Alleviating some of the pressure, the man panted. Rolling his head back with a wince. "He is planning a city takeover," he announced. "Said, we're only a small piece of the puzzle."

"Your cooperation is greatly appreciated." Jason punched the man in the face, knocking him out.

It felt like the further Jason got, the more roadblocks he was met with. Joseph's decision to keep things secret was a good decision, but an asshole one for Jason. He now had to work out any possible reasons for Joseph's operation.

A loud exclaim got his attention. "Come on!"

Jogging in that direction, he went down an alley to hear quiet and panted gasps. Rounding a corner just as he caught sight of two surprising faces got his attention.

"You're...," Kate paused. "You're Hawkeye!"

"You've gotta be shitting me," Jason exclaimed, gaining the attention of the pair. "What the hell are you doing, Kate?"

The girl frowned at the Precursor, head cocking to the side slightly. "Do I know you?"

Jason sighed as he approached. "Yeah, I'm your butler." His mask retracted, revealing his shaggy raven-black hair, with a few cut's on his cheek from the explosion. "What the fuck are you doing?"

"And who the hell are you two?" Hawkeye, Clint Barton mused, looking between them.

"I'm Kate Bishop," she replied with her face scrunching up. "Jason? You're the Precursor?"

"You're a kid," Clint breathed. "My God. How did you get this suit?"

No words could come from the girl who panted, looking between Clint and Jason.

A deep sigh came from Clint as he backed away, glancing in Jason's direction at the sound of sirens. "Lookit," Clint said. "We gotta get you out of here. Okay? It's not safe for you to be in this. Do you live near here?"

"Yeah, I just live..." Again, Kate couldn't find the words to speak. So, Jason sighed and pulled a small puck from his pouch and tossed it toward's Clint.

The man pressed the button on the side, creating a holographic outline of an overview of blocks around them. Much like on his hud, a flashing red circle could be seen.

"I set a tracking beacon in her apartment," Jason said. "That's where she lives and the safest place for right now."

Kate scowled. "You set up a beacon in my apartment?" She exclaimed. "And how is that the safest place? We could go to your mansion."

"Yeah?" Jason mused. "And let Carlton see you in this suit? Besides, putting me in a space with you right now is a bad mixture."

"Enough!" Clint exclaimed, shutting off the disk, grabbing Kate's bag and pushing it into her chest. "Here, take this. Are you okay?"

"I'm really fine," Kate rambled. I...I saw a dead body back there. That was a first."

Jason snorted, pressing the centre of his chest, enabling all the nanobots to retract from his body and back into the small black box. "You get used to it after the second and third."

Jason hadn't planned on letting Kate into her lifestyle and secret vigilante persona. She was the last person he wanted to tell. All for the reason of her judgement surrounding the Precursor's name. A heartless man who kills criminals and call's himself a saviour to New York. That hadn't been what he told himself, but that's how people knew about him.

There was no doubt in his mind that Kate felt some sort of way against the Precursor and now Jason. And it wouldn't surprise him if she was disgusted, repulsed by who he'd become over the few years. A man drowning in wealth who lived in shadows. A man who at night, killed the undeserving that shared the same oxygen as him.

And some other part of him dreaded to hear her opinion. If he could gather anything from the girl he'd practically grown up with, he knew he was in for a long and frustrating conversation.

They had begun their trek towards Kate's apartment in comfortable silence. Jason patted his suit, brushing off the dirt and dust from the explosion.

"So, where'd you learn to fight like that?" Clint mused.

"I, uh, started taking martial arts when I was five," Kate replied.

"Wow," Clint said. "So, like, a year ago? How about you, hotshot?"

Glancing at Kate, Jason sighed. "2 years ago," he answered. "Took up training for a year and started doing things around the city."

"What, like, killing people?" Kate spat. "If you had saving people in mind, then you're doing a horrible job."

"While you've been gone, Kate," Jason said, "thing's haven't been the greatest here. So, how about you grow the hell up and start looking around at the city you've come back to."

"Well, you haven't been doing the greatest job cleaning it up, have you?"

"Alright, that's enough!" Clint cut the pair off. "I can't believe I have to babysit two damn kids."

If it'd been Jason's choice, he would've taken Kate himself. Find a location where he and Clint could meet up and hand over the suit. Meanwhile, Jason had Felix drive Kate over to Eleanor's place. A simple and quick solution to the problem that they all wanted to resolve. But it seemed the former Avenger wanted to make sure Kate stayed out of trouble and handed it straight over to him.

"Are...," Kate paused. "Are you assessing threats? Is that what you're doing?"

Clint sighed. "Something like that."

"So that's how you operate?" She asked. "You're just constantly looking for things that are suspicious or weird?"

"Uh-huh," Clint muttered quietly, glancing over at Jason. Finding the boy silent and not even sparing the pair a glimpse. But the man could see something was dancing on the tip of the boy's tongue.

And maybe he couldn't have put it in words. Deciding to just act by grabbing Kate's left hand that held the napkin. Carefully pressing the fabric to the wound made her wince slightly in pain.

Her eyes found his for a moment and the conflict was apparent. Jason knew she was going to hate him for his decisions, or at the least disagree with the things he'd done. But most of all, he knew that their friendship would be put at risk because of this. Because of who he was and who he was going after. If he had the choice, he would've chosen to leave Kate out of this for a little while longer. He hated the idea of her being in danger because of his problems.

She looked like she wanted to say something, just as he does. But all she could spare was a quiet, "thank you," and look away. Finding it hard to look at someone she thought to be so carefree be so angry and rageful. At least, that's what she's guessing, from the many news reports she's seen on the Precursor.

"Look, just so you know, I'm not some total noob, right?" Kate mused. "Um... I was a little overwhelmed back there, but I really held my own with those douchebags."

"This is her place," Jason announced. "And I thought you would've found a different place by now. Instead of sleeping on top of a pizza place."

"Free pizza," Kate shrugged. "Better than half the stuff Felix cooks up."

"Hey!" He glared playfully. "Don't disrespect the man's food. He cooks up a mean gourmet."

The girl rolled her eyes in slight amusement as she pulled out her key. "Um, some people have actually called me the world's greatest archer."

That claim had Clint looking towards Jason who nodded. "Maybe not as good as you. But she's pretty good. I think she might be the only one to call herself that."

They entered the building and started making their way up the steps. "Okay, so," Kate paused, "did you shoot those guys with a sniper rifle?"

"It's my nanotech," Jason replied with a sigh. "The bullets aren't lethal. If anything, they're practically dart's that release a toxin to pacify people into unconsciousness."

"When did you even start making stuff?" She questioned. "I thought you were more into the whole business stuff and collecting comics."

"Some things change, Kate." Jason shrugged. "People along with them."

Entering the apartment, Jason sighed once the heat encapsulated his body. Its grasp tight around his body, yet, somehow comfortable and washing away his flushed cheeks.

Unexpectedly, a one-eyed dog came prancing over with a smile. Leaping up as he stared at Jason who felt a tiny smile form on his lips. Taking a chance to look at the destruction the animal had caused to a pizza box and a book.

"I see you're on a mission to torment her, huh?" Jason stroked the animal's fur as Kate watched with a soft smile.

"Some guard dog you got there," Clint pointed out.

"Oh, he's, uh, not my dog," Kate replied. "I picked him up when he nearly got hit by a car."

Clint hummed as he looked around. "Nice place for a kid."

"Yeah, I inherited it," Kate stated with her eyes flickering back to Jason.

For once, she got to see a smile on his face. It felt like years since she'd seen him with one. After his parent's death, he was practically emotionless. Every time she'd tried to make a joke, attempt to lift his spirits, he would say nothing. His body would be tense, eyes wary of the things around him and the people around him. He developed this natural protectiveness over the people he cared about. And for the brief time she had been with him after his parent's death, she had seen it first hand how angry he could get. That should've been one of the main signs for her to put the identity of Jason to the Precursor.

"What are you, 18?" Clint asked.

"I'm 22," She replied.

"Yeah, same thing," Clint huffed. "So, wanna get that vest off, so I can get going?"

"Yeah," Kate muttered. "Yeah, I'll... I'll be right there."

Ignoring the mumblings coming from Kate, Clint looked to Jason. "So, you're the Precursor?" He looked Jason up and down. "Would've never expected a Samson to be getting his hands dirty."

Jason's arm's slightly flexed as he exhaled heavily. "Yup."

"Why are you hunting the tracksuit mafia?" Clint inquired.

"They're helping with getting guns around the city," Jason explained. "The guy supplying them is the one I'm going after. Joseph Martello."

"Well, I'm going to tell you this," Clint said. "Stop it. Going after these guys is a horrible idea. So, stop now while you can."

As Jason pursed his lips, processing the warning, Clint asked, "Where'd you get the suit?"

"Black market auction," Kate replied.

"And you bought it," Clint finished.

"No," Kate said. "Not exactly."

"She stole it," Jason told the veteran archer. "Tracksuits showed up out of nowhere. I'm guessing she slipped that on. Beat a few of them up before leaving."

Clint hummed as he looked at the multitude of trophies on display. Along with a bullseye on the far wall, three arrows embedded. Overall, the apartment was bare and simple. But something about that spoke to Kate as a person. Jason knew she wasn't extravagant with her presentation as a person or the things in her possession. That was one of the things he loved about her. She wasn't extra with anything she did like most women.

"So, what all did you do in this suit?" Clint inquired.

"As Jason said, I beat some guys up," she said. "Saved the dog. Some light B and E."

"Jesus," he muttered. "22-year old vigilante. Shouldn't you be in school?"

Kate scoffed, making her way down the steps. "Funny you should ask," she said. "So, uh, now that I've answered all your questions, I have so many for you. Uh, starting with... Can you sign this?"

Jason had to nearly hold himself back from laughing as Kate extended her bow to the Avenger. Finding it seriously amusing that despite everything that has happened, she's asking for an autograph.

"I'm not done yet." Clint placed the Ronin clothing down on the table.

"But when you are, can you sign my bow?" She asked with a giddy smile forming on her lips. "You're kind of my favorite Avenger."

"Are you okay?" He asked. "By the way?"

"Oh, I'm good," she assured. "Oh, yeah, no, I'm fine. You should see the other guys."

"I did," Clint deadpanned. "Tracksuit Mafia."

"That their name?" Kate asked. "That's a little on the nose, don't you think?"

There was a slight pause as Kate sat in her thoughts, long enough for Jason to feel a bit uncomfortable. "Do you think they're the ones that killed my mom's fiance's uncle?"

"Your mom's fiance's uncle?" Clint repeated.

"Armand the Third?" Jason mused, eyebrows scrunching together.

"Of at least seven," Kate added.

"I..." Clint frowned with a shrug. "I don't know."

"But what I need to know is if anyone saw your face?" He pointed at Jason. "Besides him."

"No," Kate said. "Kept the mask on like a bro."

"Okay, 'cause the person that wore this suit made a whole lot of enemies," he announced. "All right? And the Tracksuits are just one of them."

"That doesn't sound good," Kate muttered.

"You told nobody about this suit?" Clint inquired.

"No."

"There's no way you're connected to this suit whatsoever?"

"That's right."

"Are you sure?" Jason asked.

"I am," Kate defended.

"Certain?"

"Yes."

Clint sighed. "The Tracksuits must've followed you from the auction to where I found you," he stated. "Did you stop anywhere before that?"

Kate shook her head. "I just dropped off the dog."

"Hey, Kate Bishop!" A man yelled.

Jason couldn't hold back the glare he sent his childhood friend whose eyes grew wide at the new voice just outside. A shaky smile formed on her lips as she turned back towards Clint. "And my name's on the buzzer."

"Oh, no," he muttered. "Get down!"

A molotov cocktail came through the window just as Jason dodged out of the way. Putting on his suit and grabbed ahold of the gun on his thigh. As Clint rushed to the window, Jason was quick to follow.

But Kate grabbed his arm. "You aren't killing them."

His upper lip twitched in annoyance before letting out an aggravated grunt in placing his pistol away. If Kate wasn't here, he may have disregarded her order. He would've likely already been out there, fighting most of those men and killing them. Sending a clear message to Joseph and the rest of the Tracksuits that he was coming. But with the pleading look in her eyes and the firm grip she had on his arm, he stopped himself instantly.

Hearing more glass shatter as a Molotov came right at him. Pushing Kate out of the way, the bottle shattered on his head, engulfing him in flames.

"Jason!" Kate yelled.

"I'm fine!" He told her. "Grab your bow!"

The nanotech quickly tried to hold the armour together. Small bots trying to cover up the spots that the flames burnt them. As quickly as he could, Jason padded the flames off his arms. Hopping up onto the landing in front of the window, Jason watched the fire grow in the centre of the apartment. The Ronin suit is still amidst the flames.

"I gotta get that suit," Clint told them.

Kate thought quickly, grabbing an arrow and shooting a fire extinguisher. It flew about the room, bouncing off a few walls and went straight towards them. Jason grabbed Kate and pulled her to the ground just in time for the extinguisher to go out the window and onto the street.

Shouting outside could be heard faintly over the crackling flames and the sprinklers going off above them. Drenching the trio in water. "You have a fire escape?" Clint asked.

"My home!" Kate exclaimed. "All my stuff!"

"Kate, we need to go!" Jason grabbed Kate by the arm and pulled her to her feet.

"Grab the dog and go!" Clint told the pair.

"Wait," she said. "What about the suit?"

"Leave it," Clint told her. "We'll come back for it."

They all rushed up the top level of the apartment and out the back door. Going down a fire escape and landing in an alley at the back of the building. Taking this moment, Jason took off his suit and stuffed the box in his pocket. Making their way out onto the sidewalk where the Tracksuits were too busy with one another and the pizza owners to notice them.

Rushing down the street, they made their way down the steps into a subway. "So where are we going?"

"Getting further away from those people trying to kill you," Clint replied.

"Right," Kate said. "And after that?"

"We'll need some supplies." They stopped at the edge of the tracks, a train coming to a stop beside them.

Kate's eyes widened in excitement. "Hell yeah," she muttered. "Avenger supplies?"

Clint didn't reply. Train doors opened, and the trio took their seats. Jason swallowed the lump in his throat as he let his head fall back against the glass. Looking across from him to find Kate staring directly into his eyes. There was enough evidence for him to gather that she was pissed off. At him and the Tracksuits that destroyed her home.

He shifted in his seat and closed his eyes. "Speak your mind, Kate."

"When were you going to tell me?"

"Never," he deadpanned. He clenched his jaw and inhaled deeply. Willing himself to add softly, "I didn't want you getting hurt because of me."

That seemed to be enough for Kate to slightly bow her head. Nibbling on her bottom lip and glancing up at the boy. It wasn't betrayal or anger that made her feel so resentful towards the boy. In all honesty, she didn't know what it was. But it was enough for her to blink away the stinging behind her eyes and reply.

"I would've cared about you the same either way."

There was no elicit response from Jason, but he clenched his jaw tighter. Pursing his lips as he felt those familiar rosery feelings bloom in his stomach. Invading his heart and throat, making him clear his throat and sigh.